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Perky and popular
by Val Cunningham
Contributing Writer
Would chickadees be on most people's 'favorite bird' lists if they were half as bouncy and endearing?
Chickadees are nature's scamps, bringing what looks to us like joie de vivre to all their activities, masking the seriousness of the arduous tasks of daily survival. They're superb athletes, the Nadia Comanecis of the bird world, sweeping toward feeders and perches, then dropping on a dime. Strong leg and foot muscles allow them to cling to small twigs in just about any pose—upside down, sideways, sometimes even right side up.
They're curious, insouciant little animals, many people's favorite bird, with an outsized courage compared to their diminutive bodies. When a group of songbirds gangs up to try to drive a hawk or owl out of an area, tiny chickadees join in, actively scolding and fluttering around the much larger raptor. They can be tough on their own kind, too, with ironclad rules dictating which 'dees get to eat first or hold on to a territory.
Although we may think of them as chattering gaily within a flock, chickadees aren't really social creatures. The groups of 'dees we see in the winter operate under a strict social hierarchy with each chickadee keeping its proper distance. Within a chickadee pecking order, each bird knows its place, with lower-ranked birds deferring to those higher up the ladder. All it takes is one aggressive "gargle" call for 'dees to sort themselves out.
Here are two telling chickadee stories passed on recently by readers: One man stored a spare house key inside his clothes pole's cross pipe but was puzzled to find the key on the ground each morning. The mystery was solved one day when he observed a black-capped chickadee entering the pipe at sundown. The cross pipe was a perfect nighttime roost for the chickadee, after it kicked the annoying key out each evening.
Another backyard observer reports seeing a chickadee hanging from his calla lilies, hunting inside the long tubes for insects. The active little bird engaged in a great deal of clinging and fluttering, almost like a hummingbird.
These tales capture the intelligence and resourcefulness of these little birds. And they need these qualities, because the smaller the bird the tougher it is to survive outdoors, especially in winter. Weighing only a third of an ounce, chickadees are very hardy. They feed throughout the day, and then roost alone inside a tree cavity or other handy enclosure.
'Dees vigorously search tree bark and leaves for spiders and caterpillars, and fill in the chinks with fruit and seeds. A chickadee visiting a bird feeder in fall and winter may grab and hammer open as many as 250 sunflower seeds in one day—one seed every two and a half minutes. In winter they search out all those spots where they hid food the previous fall, remembering each and every one with the extra brainpower they add after the breeding season. It's true: a chickadee's brain grows larger in late summer to help it recall the locations of its hundreds of food caches.
Do chickadees migrate? Since they're not strong flyers, they don't migrate in the classic sense or even fly very far. Researchers have found that the average chickadee flight covers 40 feet or less. Every few years young birds may gather and move southward in the fall, a phenomenon called an irruption. Some may move back north again the next spring. Like all songbirds, finding and keeping a territory is key to a chickadee's success in life.
As winter approaches, these little birds are busily hunting for and hiding food, and growing extra down feathers, perfect insulation against the coming cold.
Chickadees don't lose a bit of their zip in winter, visiting feeders many times a day to pick out small morsels before dashing to perches to peck them into digestible bits. Well-stocked feeders help reduce the time they must spend foraging each day, and give a quick spurt of energy both at sunrise and before the long winter night.
Hand-held 'dees
Chickadees are curious birds and it's fairly easy to train them to feed from your hand, requiring only a bit of patience on your part. Stand outdoors near a feeder visited by chickadees, with some seed in your hand. (Some people start by placing a glove in the feeder, then after a few days, wearing the glove with seed in its palm.) Either way, it should require less than a half hour a day for about a week for a chickadee or two to land on your hand to pick up a seed. Their innate curiosity leads them to be among the first to try anything new.
St. Paul, Minnesota resident Val Cunningham, leads bird hikes for the St. Paul Audubon Society and writes about nature for local, regional and national newspapers and magazines.


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UE5 Mixamo Animation Retargeting plugin is the best tool to integrate Mixamo assets in Unreal Engine 5. With a few clicks, it allows you to use any Mixamo animation with any UE5 character, and use any UE5 animation with any Mixamo character.
Its core feature is a precise analytical method to compute the Retarget Pose needed by Unreal Engine 5 to manage Mixamo assets. The plugin automatically creates all the required assets and configurations needed by the UE5 IK Rig and IK Retargeter systems of Unreal Engine 5 (an engine feature that allows animations to be reused between characters using different Skeleton assets).
The plugin implements several advanced functionalities to obtain the best results in an automated way:
- automatic configuration of all the setups required by the UE5 IK Rig and IK Retargeter systems;
- the Retarget Pose is computed analytically, obtaining an exact and perfect match of the skeletons used by UE5 for the retargeting of the animations;
- a Root Bone is added to the Mixamo skeleton (and all the related skeletal meshes and animations), allowing the use of Root Motion animations with it;
- convert Mixamo animations to UE5 Root Motion Animations (NOTE: both the normal and in-place Mixamo animations are required, see the documentation).
How to run the tool
To run the tool:
- select a Mixamo skeleton asset and execute the "Retarget Mixamo Skeleton Asset" contextual action.
Then you are ready to retarget all the needed animations (open the created IK Retargeter asset and use the export option on the desired animations).
The plugin creates optimal Retarget Poses for all the Skeletal Meshes sharing the same Skeleton. If you set a specific Target Preview Mesh in the IK Retargeter editor, to obtain the best results ensure to select the corresponding Retarget Pose before retargeting the animations.
Note that some retargeted animation could require a final quick manual adjustment inside the Editor. Please check the documentation for details.
The tool supports also batch processing.
Supported skeletons
The plugin supports:
- any skeleton from Mixamo, including custom characters rigged with the Mixamo Auto-Rigger service;
- the classic UE4 Mannequin skeleton;
- the new UE5 Mannequin skeleton (Manny, Quinn);
- the MetaHuman skeleton.
Unreal Engine 4
If you're looking for a version of the plugin for Unreal Engine 4, please check Mixamo Animation Retargeting V1. This new version of the plugin is an evolution of Version 1, and it's specifically designed for Unreal Engine 5 and its new retargeting system.

subset: commoncrawl


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Sincere thanks to Presenter, John Greene for advance information regarding this evening's programme. (S.R.)
This week's edition of 'Where the road takes me' is the first of a two part programme.
John Greene meets former UCC lecturer Michael Keane to hear a story of war, sex, corruption and land, involving the three Earls of Castlehaven.
Hotelier, author and TV personality Frances Brennan takes us through the famous 'Route 66', and recalls being attacked at midnight on the Caymen Islands by a group of large and angry crabs, which eventually turned out to be a blessing in disguise. And………..
While in the village of Kilbrittain, we delve into some stories from the local Historical Society's fourth journal, and hear how the village did not escape the tragedy of the Tuskar Rock air disaster fifty years ago.
Where the road takes me goes to air this Sunday evening at 7 on C103.


text: You are reading: News As Zimbabwe prepares for election ruling, law scholar addresses common misconceptions about the process Constitutional Court/Judical ReviewElectoral Issues AfricaZimbabwe By Paul Kaseke, 17 August 2018 photo credit: Gary Bembridge/flickr As predicted in our column last week, the presidential inauguration has been halted, giving way to MDC Alliance's July 30 presidential candidate Nelson Chamisa to challenge the presidential election results. This now places us in a fourteen-day period by which the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) must give judgment on the matter. The inauguration can only take place after judgment is handed down by the court and this must be done within 48 hours, unless the court decides that fresh elections must be held. Read the full article here: News Day Comments Post new comment Your name Email Comment About text formats Submit Comment


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Gill Fights To Remain On Ballot As Independent
Bloomington doctor David Gill is fighting to remain on the ballot for his fifth run for Congress. Because he filed as an independent, Illinois requires that he turn in nearly 15 times as many signatures as the Democrat and Republican in the race.
Gill fell short, and is suing. He says it's unconstitutional to have a signature requirement that's so much higher for independent candidates.
"You know, people know that in elections they have to choose between the lesser of two evils," Gill said. "They've got to choose between bad and worse. But they don't know why. So hopefully, if nothing else, this will shine a light on how difficult it is for other people to get on the ballot."
Gill was in Springfield Wednesday afternoon for a hearing in a federal courtroom. The judge, Sue Myerscough, says she'll make her decision by noon Thursday.
Gill's campaign gathered more than 8,000 valid signatures for his independent run for Congress. Although that was way more than the Democrat and Republican had to collect, it wasn't enough. In his lawsuit, Gill argues the higher signature requirement is all about protecting the major parties from competition.
"Especially when you're saying the Democrat and the Republican need 740 and I need 10,754," Gill said. "Everybody knows that's a joke."
The Illinois State Board of Elections is scheduled to finalize the November ballots at a meeting this Friday.
Gill has filed to run in the 13th Congressional District, which stretches across central Illinois, taking in parts of Springfield, Bloomington, and Champaign. Republican Congressman Rodney Davis of Taylorville is running for a third term. Also in the race is Democrat Mark Wicklund of Decatur.


text:
40 in. x 20 in. x 14 in.
Western Red Cedar
This box has two sides and two ends which are made from solid boards. This
forms the main carcase, and the pieces are joined together with simple 'through
dove tail' joints - five tails at each corner.
The lid is constructed from boards joined edge to edge. The hinges
for the lid actually add strength to the joinery used here. The
wooden hinges are made, so that yew wood battens extend across
the underside of the lid. These battens are secured by screws located
in secret pockets, beneath a pattern of round plugs in the top
surface of the lid. The hinges swing on three bronze pins, mounted
in yew wood housings, fixed directly into the rear side of the
box. The hinge battens allow the woodwork in the lid to expand
and contract as conditions demand but they also tend to keep the
lid straight and flat so that any 'cupping' of the boards is minimised.
Each end of the chest is pierced with two rectangular mortises,
to accommodate two short wooden pins made of yew. These pins serve
as bosses for the chest handles. The handles are made of rope covered
with leather stitched neatly in place between the handle bosses.
The front side of the chest is inscribed with the botanical name
for Red Cedar, Thuja Plicata. The Greek
word plicata, bears reference to the appearance of the leaves of
the tree - their folded and
rather plaited arrangement.
The bottom of the box is a single panel made from several boards
of solid cedar glued edge to edge. This panel is mounted in a framework
fixed to the inside of the carcase, so that the panel itself is
free to move as humidity and temperature change.
The chest itself sits above the floor on hardwood skids fixed
directly to the sides of the box.
Return to
the Gallery.


text:
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text:
He used to get higher than a 10-foot rim.
Former NBA journeyman Stephen Jackson recently admitted he occasionally smoked marijuana before games.
"I just gotta be real, you know it's been a couple games where I smoked before games and had great games," Jackson said on Michael Rapaport's podcast, "I Am Rapaport."
"It's been some games where I smoked before the game and was on the bench after three minutes sitting on the sideline, 'Please calm down. This high has to calm down.' I done shot three shots that went over the backboard, like, I'm going to be honest, like, 'Ah, I gotta calm down.'"
Like this, perhaps?
Jackson, who revealed he's been smoking weed since he was 12 or 13, also said former head coach Don Nelson was aware of his smoking habits — and the best part — was completely fine with it during their time together (2007-09) with the Golden State Warriors.
Jackson shared a story in which he and ex-Knicks guard Baron Davis celebrated with Nelson after the team's final drug test of the season.
"We're in Utah and the drug test people are around, you know, to get our last drug test, so we can smoke, right? And Don Nelson, we talked about weed all the time, he was cool with talking about weed. We got our last test in Utah, right? So me and Baron are coming out the locker room just screaming, excited, right, with our last pink slip saying we could smoke for the rest of the season. And Don Nelson hauls ass down there giving us high-fives like, 'Yeah, we can smoke now!' It was cool, the fact that he knows what's going on off the court with his players, which was great, man. We enjoyed it. And that's why we were a great team."
Jackson, 38, averaged 15.1 points and 3.1 assists per game over his 14-year career. He last played with the Clippers in 2014, and now appears as an analyst on ESPN. He's best known for his role in the infamous Malice at the Palace brawl between the Pacers and the Pistons. Jackson, then with the Pacers, exchanged blows with Pistons fans at The Palace of Auburn Hills, along with Ron Artest.


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As the 2014 NF Scouting Combine winds down, the focus now begins shifting to NFL free agency. When March 9th is here, teams can begin negotiating with free agents in hopes to sign them once the signing window opens on March 11. The Cincinnati Bengals got some great news this weekend after it was reported that the salary cap for the 2014-15 NFL season would be set at $132 million.
That's a big increase from what many projected the cap to be in 2014. Several reports, including this one from Tania Ganguli of ESPN, projected the salary cap to be closer to $126 million, so this is $6 million more than what was expected. Needless to say, teams like the Bengals could have a better chance of keeping their free agents.
Or, it could mean teams have more ammunition to overpay for a guy like Anthony Collins to pry him away from Cincinnati. Ultimately, having more salary cap only helps with extending the contracts of players who still have a year or two left on their deal. It could also help a term debating on whether to use the franchise tag, which the Bengals may or may not be doing with Collins.
Re-signing him would be very beneficial to what was the No. 2 offensive line in pass efficiency in both the 2012 and 2013 seasons, according to Pro Football Focus. But unless the team uses the tag,m more salary cap means another team, like the Miami Dolphins, could overpay for him, which the Bengals will not do.
As for other Bengals due for big paydays, All-Pro receiver A.J. Green is in the final year of his rookie contract, so he's eligible for a new deal, as is quarterback Andy Dalton.
The Bengals would be smart to try to sign Green this offseason and let Dalton prove in 2014 that he's worth a long-term deal in the 2015 offseason.
Whatever the Bengals decide to do in free agency, having a few extra million dollars to spend will certainly help them accomplish their goals when it comes to re-signing their own players, but it could also help another team snatch their free agents.


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text:
Dokars on the Way Out: Bali
On that afternoon on Jl. Kartini in Denpasar, Moh Kusnan, 65, chatted with two of his colleagues; Dewa Ngurah and Wayan Pinen. The three are owners and drivers of the steadily disappearing horse-drawn carts known here as dokar. The three were involved in a discussion over the declining number of passengers utilizing the carts. Nowadays, Kusnan said, there were only a handful of traders and buyers at the traditional markets that used the dokar. "Not many people want to go by horse-drawn cart anymore," he said.
Kusnan works from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day, which includes a brief trip home to feed his horse. He earns an average of Rp 30,000 (US$3.30) to Rp 50,000 per day. He sets aside Rp 15,000 of his income to buy grass for his horse.
The cart tariff is relatively cheap, Rp 5,000 to Rp 10,000, depending on the distance. One cart is capable of accommodating three passengers. From Badung market to near Puputan square, or vice versa, for example, the fare is only Rp 5,000, while from Sudirman area to Sanglah it is Rp 10,000.
Foreign tourists sometimes choose to go by dokar to enjoy sightseeing tours across downtown Denpasar, Kusnan said.
"But, that rarely happens," he added.
Tourist guides usually order cart drivers one day in advance. For one trip around the city, Kusnan can receive Rp 25,000 to Rp 50,000.
He recalled a period in the 1980s when the carts were the most favored means of transportation among residents of Denpasar. At that time, the number of dokar in the city stood at around 400, he said. However, due to technological advances, the father of four said, the carts had increasingly been replaced by motorcycles and cars.
Public transportation, he said, had been taken over by motorcycle taxis and motorized three-wheeled vehicles known as bemo.
Dokar are no longer found at the Tegal bus terminal, which was once dominated by the carts serving Denpasar. Kusnan and 30 other cart drivers now prefer to operate around Badung, Kumbasari and Kreneng traditional markets.
"We had to move closer to our customers — traders and buyers at the markets here. There are only 20 to 30 carts operating now. The other cart drivers have switched to other professions," Kusnan said.
"If this wasn't a sort of hobby for me, I too would have searched for another job," Pinen, 45, said.
Kusnan added due to the carts' declining popularity, there is no new generation of drivers willing to operate horse-drawn carts in Denpasar.
"Even my children … none of them want to do it," he said.
The horse-drawn carts could very well disappear, possibly within the next five to 10 years, Kusnan said.
Ni Wayan Rentig, a cart customer from the markets, said she preferred to use carts because the fare was cheaper than other modes of transportation and the drivers would take their passengers to the very front door of their houses. Most drivers even helped their customers unload the cart, she added.
"A taxi could do the same thing, but the fare would be very expensive compared to a dokar. Using a motorcycle taxi is impossible because I usually bring a lot of goods from the market. The carts offer a lot of space to carry goods," Rentig said, adding she only had to pay Rp 10,000 for a trip home from the markets.
Rentig hoped the carts would be able to survive in Denpasar as her grandchildren often asked for rides on them.
A Denpasar administration spokesman, Made Erwin Suryadharma Sena, conveyed a similar expectation.
"We will try to help maintain the existence of the carts by holding an annual cart-decorating competition in conjunction with the commemoration of Denpasar's anniversary," Erwin said.
The city administration, Erwin said, had provided the cart drivers with tour training sessions in which they were shown how to drive safely on the thoroughfares and take care of their carts and their horses' health.
A private sponsor had even given them uniforms, he added.
"In reality, however, not all tourists are willing to go by the carts and we can not force them to," Erwin said, adding the city would incorporate traveling by horse-drawn cart into the 2008 city tour program.
Wasti Atmodjo


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Antichrist will continue his reign till the close of The Great Tribulation.
In fact, the burning of the city of Babylon, the capture of Antichrist
and the false prophet, and the destruction of the armies of the earth, as
given in the last verses of the 19th chapter of Revelation, are the very last
scenes of The Great Tribulation. With
these events the present age comes to a close.
The next age to follow we call "The Millennium."
The word "millennium" means any period of a thousand years.
Since man fell into sin and the Devil took possession of this world
there have elapsed nearly six successive millenniums; but these millenniums
have been years of sorrow, trouble, and sin, and while the coming "thousand
years" will not witness complete deliverance from these things, yet they
will be years of so much greater prosperity and deliverance than have been
since the fall of man, that we very fittingly designate that period of time as
"The Millennium."
In the discussion of this phase of our subject, we wish to speak of it
from the following standpoints:
1. Opening Events.
2. Social Conditions.
3. Condition of Temporal Affairs.
4. Closing Events.
us look to God for divine illumination and help in the study of these mighty
Opening Events. One point,
upon which we have already had much to say, but which should be mentioned
here, is the time of the end of this age.
Many teach that one age overlaps another, and that we are now living
in the evening of the Gentile Age and in the dawning of the Millennial Age.
do not see nor believe. There is
no evidence that these two ages overlap.
"The end" of an age is always at the time appointed. (See Dan.
11: 27.) Just where one age
closes another begins. One age
no more overlaps another than one day overlaps another.
We are now living in the evening of the Gentile Age, but the Millennial
Age is not now dawning. The
Millennium will not dawn until the close of The Great Tribulation.
The end of The Great Tribulation will be the end of the Gentile Age.
In connection with the opening of the Millennial Age we wish to note
the following points:
(a) The Binding of Satan.
(b) The Setting up of
(c) The Literalness of
these Things.
us study these points as we find them given in detail in Rev. 20: 1‑6.
(a) The Binding of Satan.
and angel appears. There is every
reason to believe that this angel is Jesus Christ.
The fact that he is called "an angel" does not contradict this
view. In many places in the Bible
Jesus appears as an angel. The
whole achievement is of such a character as to seem incongruous to take the
arrester of the chief of all evil as any other than the Christ.
A mere created angel, however powerful, would not be able to chain down
a being so mighty and so powerful as the Devil.
I take it, then, that this Being of whom we read in Rev. 20: 1, is no
other than Christ, the Son of God.
comes down from heaven. Just a
while before this time, He comes down as "The Mighty Conqueror" to tread
upon His foes. The battle of
Armageddon has been fought. The
fowls have been filled with the flesh of kings, of captains, of mighty men, of
horses, and of all classes of men, both free and bond, both small and great.
It would seem that from the field of battle "The Mighty Conqueror"
makes His way back
heaven, to appear again soon as "an angel" to bind and to cast into the
pit the chief enemy of God and man.
angel has in his hand the key of the bottomless pit.
This farther identifies Him to be Jesus (Rev. 1: 18).
In the 9th chapter of Revelation this key "was given" to Satan for
a time, but here it is again in the hand of Jesus.
He comes down and unlocks the bottomless pit for the purpose of putting
Satan therein.
has "a great chain in His hand." The
chain is for the purpose of binding the Devil.
Satan is a mighty being. It
takes a strong hand to hold him, so this chain is a great one.
Its exact dimensions are not given, but it is "great" enough to
hold fast the arch‑enemy of God and man.
is bound. Jesus lays hold on him
and binds him and casts him into the bottomless pit.
The time of his imprisonment is given as one thousand years.
As to whether these emissaries of Satan, the demons and fallen
angels, will be bound with him, I do not know.
It is my opinion that only Satan himself will be bound.
we can begin to anticipate the blessedness of the Milliennial Age.
If there was nothing more to follow, we rejoice to know that for one
thousand years the Devil will not be allowed to walk about.
What a blessed deliverance in this alone.
Yet, still more glorious things are to follow.
(b) The Setting up of Thrones.
next step in the opening of the Millennial Age is the setting up of thrones.
Just the order in which these thrones will be arranged is in no one
passage given. By putting many
passages together, however, we should be able to form some idea of their
arrangements. Of Jesus it is
said: "The Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father
David."— Luke 1: 32. We know
that David's throne was at Jerusalem. The
Old Testament abounds with prophecies that Jerusalem is to be the capital
during the Millennium. (See Isa. 2: 1‑4; 9: 7;
33: 20; 66: 10-13; Jer. 3: 17; Joel 2: 32; Amos 9: 11; Micah 4:1, 2; Zech. 14: 8‑11.) Hence, it is beyond dispute that the throne of Jesus will be at this time set up in the city of Jerusalem. John says: "I saw thrones, and they that sat upon them. . . . .And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne."—Rev. 3: 21. "I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."—Luke 22: 29, 30. "The saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever."—Dan. 7: 18. From these Scriptures it is clear that the saints will occupy thrones along with Jesus. It is reasonable that the throne of Jesus will be in a central position, with the thrones of the saints arranged around the central throne in circles. The arrangement of the thrones in the air (Rev. 4: 2‑4) may be an index to the arrangement of the Millennial thrones. The fact that the saints are to rule all nations (Rev. 2: 26, 27; 12: 5) may indicate that these thrones will be scattered throughout the earth. Anyway Jerusalem will be the capital city and the place where the throne of Jesus will be.
(c) The Literalness of these Things.
great error of Bible teachers is to spiritualize all these things.
Men tell us that Satan will never be literally bound, and that these
thrones will never be literally set up in the earth.
Men have told me that the prophecy concerning the binding of Satan is
fulfilled every time demons are cast out of a man, and that the Millennial
throne is set up every time a person is converted.
It is strange to me how men of reason and of any degree of spirituality
can so far misconstrue the positive statements of God's Word.
It only takes a bit of reasoning to see that the spiritual theory here
breaks down at both ends and in the middle.
It is not "demons" that are here bound; it is "The dragon, that
old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan."
If this refers to personal deliverance from the Devil, then
every person that is thus delivered is entirely free from the Devil for a
thousand years, and then the Devil gets them again.
If the Millennial throne is a throne set up in an individual heart at
conversion, then we are not converted till the resurrection, for "This is
the first resurrection." Here
again men spiritualize and say that conversion is resurrection.
Paul did not see it that way, however, for he was converted on his way
to Damascus, and thirty years afterwards he said that he was striving that
"If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead."
—Phil. 3: 11.
The binding of Satan is a literal transaction.
The thrones set up are literal thrones.
The resurrection is a literal resurrection of the bodies of the
saints. The thousand years are
one thousand literal years. The
reign of Jesus is a literal reign. That
the saints will sit on literal thrones and reign with Jesus is a literal fact.
Jesus and the saints who reign with Him will be in their glorified
bodies. Many think that glorified
bodies can not be seen with the natural eye; but Peter, James, and John saw
Moses and Elijah on the mount of Transfiguration, "who appeared in glory."
It is asked: "How can glorified bodies occupy material thrones?
I answer: Moses and Elijah appeared on a literal mountain.
"The mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about
Elisha."—2 Ki. 6: 17. "The
angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone
from the door, and sat upon it."— Matt. 28: 2.
"When they shall rise from the dead, they are as the angels which are
in heaven."—Mark 12: 25. Thus
when we take these statements of the Word literally, we have no trouble in
adjusting matters; but to spiritualize these statements is to mystify the
whole truth.
May the lord grant that all of our readers may learn to take God at His
Word. May we get a proper
conception of
mighty truths that have been written for our learning.
Let us rejoice in the hope of the realization of these blessed years
that are to come. Think of the
time when Satan shall be bound in the bottomless pit and no longer allowed to
tempt us, when Christ shall be King of the whole earth, and when the glorified
saints shall sit on thrones with Him. Such
hopes fill me with joy.
2. Social Conditions.
us now study the social conditions of the Millennium.
This phase of the subject may be viewed from the following standpoints:
(a) Political.
(b) Judicial.
(c) Moral.
(d) Religious.
(e) The Animal Creation.
us consider each of these in the light of the Word.
(a) Political.
From the days of Nimrod till now the world has ever been agitated more
or less with political campaigns and the rise and fall of kings and rulers.
It is true that government is an ordinance of God (Rom. 13: 1, 2),
but the Devil has much to do with the manner in which the governments of the
world are conducted. When Jesus
comes down from heaven with a great chain in His hand, He lays hold on the
"Dragon." This title of Satan
refers to his connection with earthly sovereignties and his administrations
through the political powers of this world.
He is the "Dragon" now as he has been since the days of Nimrod, and
he will continue as the "Dragon" until the confederated kings of the
earth fall once for all at the battle of Armageddon, and Satan is bound in the
pit. Never afterwards will he
have anything to do with the rulership of the world.
He is loosed from the pit at the close of the thousand
but he does not appear as the "Dragon."
(See Rev. 20: 7‑10.) During
the Millennium the government of the whole world will be solely in the hands
of Christ and His saints. Christ
will be the Supreme Ruler, while the saints will be the sub‑regents.
"The Lord shall be King over all the earth."—Zech. 14: 9.
"The government shall be upon his shoulder."—Isa. 9: 6.
"And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign
with Christ a thousand years."—Rev. 20: 6.
"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth."—Matt.
5: 5. "And the time came that
the saints possessed the kingdom." Dan.
7: 22. Thus we get a picture of
the political condition of the world during the Millennium.
What a beautiful picture it is! What
a happy time that will be! Satan
bound. No political quarrels.
No contentions among the nations.
Peace, harmony, union, and love among all the rulers of the world.
No unjust laws will be made. The
weak will not be oppressed by unjust measures.
One very beautiful thing about it is: "Of the increase of his government
and peace there shall be no end."—Isa. 9: 7.
May that happy day soon come!
(b) Judicial.
and His saints will be not only the political sovereignties of the world,
but the judicial powers as well. Jesus
will be the Great Chief Justice, while the saints will be the associate
justices. David was both king and
judge. "David reigned over all
Israel; and David executed judgment and justice unto all his people."—2
Sam. 8: 15. The prophecy is that
"He (Christ) shall judge among the nations."—Isa. 2: 4.
"He hath prepared His throne for judgment.
And he shall judge the world in righteousness; he shall minister
judgment to the people in uprightness. The
Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of
trouble."—Psa. 9: 7‑9. "A
king shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the
earth. . . . And this is his name whereby
shall be called, The Lord Our Righteousness."—Jer. 23: 5, 6.
"Judgment was given to the saints of the most High." —Dan. 7: 22.
"Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world?"—1 Cor. 6:
2. "When the Son of Man shall
sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones judging
the twelve tribes of Israel."—Matt. 19: 28.
The Judgment administered during the Millennium will be a judgment of
the living nations. What a
glorious time that will be! A
time when perfect justice will be meted out to every man. Today it is next to
impossible for any one to receive justice from civil judges; but during the
Millennium it will not be so. Christ
will judge among the nations in equity. Every
man will receive justice, for judgment will be administered without respect to
persons. May that blessed day
soon arrive.
(c) Moral
Jesus and His saints at the head of the government, of course, the moral
standard of the world will be high. No
doubt, the Bible will figure largely in the rules and laws of that Age.
Such things as thefts and robbery will be unknown.
There is no doubt that Jesus will at once do away with all intoxicants,
and the sale of such things as tobacco, opium, morphine, etc.
We can't think of such things being sold under a wholly Christian
government. Those who use such
things will be few in number. Every
newspaper today brings the account of some immoral conduct.
Fights, homicides, slanders, murders, slaughters occur every day.
In the Millennial Age it will not be so.
How good it will be when all these things are done away!
Yet, this is not all. The
moral standard of the world will be raised in regard to another feature, as
is expressed by these beautiful words of prophecy:
"They shall beat their swords into plow‑shares, and their
spears into pruning‑hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against
nation, neither shall they learn war any more."—Isa. 2: 4.
"I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth,
and will make them to lie down safely."—Hos. 2: 18. This is a beautiful picture. A world with no war in it! There will be peace throughout the world. The reign of Christ will be so characterized by peace that He is called "The Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9: 6). Micah, in the fourth and fifth chapters of his prophecy, gives a beautiful picture of this reign of peace. Some things he says are as follows: "None shall make them afraid." "I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers." A good time this will be to all who desire to live godly. How I long to see that day!
(d) Religious.
would seem that where such conditions as are described above prevail that
there would not be a person who would not gladly yield his life and heart to
Christ; but such will not be the case. Although
the Millennium will be a great step above this age, it will not be an age of
perfect peace. It will not be the
best age this world will ever see. Sometimes now we are amazed, that under the
most favorable circumstances and religious influences there are those who
will not yield themselves to God. Great
is the hardness of the hearts of men! Even
when the visible, personal Christ shall reign as King over the whole earth,
and Satan is bound in the pit, all men will not yield their hearts to Him.
When the poet said: "Perfect peace shall reign in every heart, and
love without alloy," he spoke a general truth, but there will be exceptions
to the rule. There will be hearts in which perfect peace will not reign. If
all would yield gladly to God's law, "the rod" would not be needed.
Jesus says: "He that
overcometh . . . . to him will I give power over the nations: and he shall
rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken
to shivers."—Rev. 2: 26, 27. Of
Jesus it is written: "Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt
dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel."—Psa. 2: 9.
From these Scriptures it appears that some men will have to be
brought to
even during the Millennium, by the rod. Men
have, such stubborn wills. In one
of Isaiah's prophecies concerning the Millennuim, he says: "The sinner
being an hundred year old shall be accursed."—Isa. 65: 20.
This proves that there will be sinners on earth during the Millennium.
It seems that under such favorable circumstances every sinner would be
saved, but not so. Still, we may
look for great revivals. The
greatest revivals that the world has ever known will come during the
Millennium. "And many nations
shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and
to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we
will walk in his paths."—Micah 4: 2.
"At the time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and
all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord to
Jerusalem; neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their
evil heart."—Jer. 3: 17. This
sounds like a mighty turning to God. No
doubt the saints will take part in teaching the nations of the earth the way
of salvation just as they take part in the government.
That will be a glorious day indeed.
May it soon come!
(e) The Animal Creation.
glorious day will not affect man alone. It
will bring about a wonderful change in the attitude and disposition of the
animals. Isaiah prophesies:
"The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down
with the kid and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a
little child shall lead them. And
the cow and the bear she shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together:
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned
child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth
shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea."
—Isa. 11: 6‑9. In the
animals today there is animosity and fear.
wolf desires to tear the lamb; the lamb fears the wolf. The leopard would
destroy the kid; the kid would run from the leopard.
In the Millennium it will not be so.
The child will lead the lion by his beard.
The cow will not fear the bear, neither will the bear hurt the cow.
The children will play with the reptiles, and the serpents will not
hurt the children. What a
beautiful picture! What a glad
the social line, then, the Millennium will bring a great reform in politics.
The whole earth will be in one kingdom, and at the head of that
kingdom Christ will sit. In the judicial matters of the world, there will be a
great reform. The moral standard
of the world will be higher than ever before.
The Lord will pour out His Spirit "upon all flesh," and with few
exceptions every one on earth will be saved.
The animosity that exists between the members of the animal kingdom
will be destroyed. "The earth
shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea."
glad Millennial day! How we shall
welcome thy coming!
3. Condition of Temporal
already considered the opening events of the Millennium, and the special
conditions of that period, we now come to enquire into the condition of
temporal affairs during these years.
The saints shall inherit the earth. What
a different order from things at present!
Today most of the land belongs to the ungodly, but during the
Millennium it will be in the hands of the saints.
Jesus said: "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the
earth."—Matt. 5: 5. David
also tells us that the meek shall inherit the earth (Psa. 37: 11).
The earth itself was given to man at his creation, but it was taken
from him by the devil. God said
to Adam: "Have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the
air, and over every
thing that moveth upon the earth. And
God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the
face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree
yielding seed."—Gen. 1: 28, 29. From
the time that man fell, most of the land has been in the hands of Satan's
people, but the earth rightly belongs to the saints, at God is going to give
it back to them. It is to the
saints that Jesus will say at the last day: "Come, ye blessed of my Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the FOUNDATION OF THE
WORLD."—Matt. 25: 34. Here it
stated that the kingdom of the saints was prepared at the foundation of the
world. That means that the world
was prepared for the saints. Hence,
the saints shall inherit the earth.
(2) There will be a reformation in agricultural productions.
Perhaps we have no direct Scriptural grounds for this statement, but it
is readily inferred from the fact that saints shall possess the earth.
God asks the question: "Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is
not bread? and you labor for that which satisfieth not?"—Isa. 55: 2.
We can not think of the saints raising on their farms during the
Millennium anything that will be injurious to the body.
Therefore all narcotics, such as tobacco, the poppy plant, etc., will
be thrown out of cultivation. Only
such things will be raised as will make bread.
Of course, the Millennium will not witness complete deliverance from
thorns, briers, and those things which hinder the growth of useful plants; but
poisonous plants will cease to be cultivated.
(3) There will be a great increase in the production of food plants.
The ground will bring forth abundantly.
God says: "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that the plowman
shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and
the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt."—Amos
9: 13. This means that the fields
will bring forth such an abundance of grain that it
be impossible for the farmer to gather in one crop of grain before time to
plant the next crop. Instead of
the greater part of the year being spent in war, as is often the case, the
entire time shall be spent sowing the fields and reaping the fruits of the
earth. What a blessed time!
In the prophecies of Isaiah we read: "They shall beat their swords
into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks."—Isa. 2: 4.
This indicates such a need of farming implements that the weapons of
war shall be converted into agricultural tools.
Hence, the abundant harvest is here implied.
(4) Man's life will be greatly lengthened.
Let us quote from Isaiah again: "There shall be no more thence an
infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child
shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old
shall be accursed. And they shall
build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the
fruit of them. They shall not
build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat; for as
the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy
the work of their hands."—Isa. 65: 20‑22.
This indicates that during the Millennium no one will die under a
hundred years of age. The average
age of a man will be lengthened to the age of a tree; so that when, as a rare
occurence, one shall die at an hundred years old, his death shall be spoken
of as the death of a child. The
person who lives to be a hundred years old without giving his heart to
God will be accursed. It would
seem that during a time like the Millennium every sinner would yield to God;
but it will be otherwise. How
hard is the heart of man! Today
one man builds a house, and then dies and leaves it for others; but during the
Millennium the man who builds will live long enough to dwell for centuries in
his own house. Today one man
plants an orchard, and his children eat the fruit thereof; but during the
Millennium the one who plants will live long enough to eat of the fruit. In
fact, man's age shall be the age of a tree.
All this
be true because the average age of man will be greatly lengthened.
(5) There will be a great revival in business matters.
Perhaps we have no direct Scriptural ground for this stated but it is
clearly implied from the facts that we have already given you.
Every department in the business world is dependent upon the farmer for
bread. "Cursed is the ground
for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy
life."—Gen. 3: 17. Every
child of Adam has to depend upon the ground for food and clothing.
When the ground produces a scanty harvest it is felt in every
department of life; when the ground produces abundantly there is prosperity in
all the business world. Today by
the time a man gets his business well on foot he dies and leaves it to
another; during the Millennium a man will live for centuries to carry on the
business he himself established. From
the fact that the fields will bring forth such an abundance of grain, and that
man's life will be so greatly lengthened, it is evident that there
will be great prosperity in the business world.
(6) There will be, no doubt, great progress in the field of invention.
There are several Scriptures which indicate that such will be the case.
Modern inventions are signs not only that the Gentile Age is coming to
a close, but that the Millennial Age is drawing near.
The Millennial Age will be an age ahead of the present age in every
respect. Man will be getting back
nearer to his Primeval state. Many
today are saying that man is now enjoying the highest state of civilization he
has ever known, but I am sure they are mistaken.
There evidences both in Scripture and in the world about us that man
has seen a day in which he enjoyed a higher state of civilization than he now
enjoys. Jesus said, "As the
days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."—Matt.
24: 37. Here we have the positive
statement that the days of the coming of the Son of Man are to be as the days
of Noah were. I am sure this
means more than many have thought.
says, "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which
is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
Is there anything whereof it may be said, See, this is new?
It hath been already of old time, which was before us."—Eccl. 1: 9,
10. Modern inventions are only
bringing us to a place where the world once was.
The Millennial reign will, of course, witness a great advancement
along these lines. "Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be
increased."—Dan. 12: 4. "The
chariots shall be with flaming torches in the day of his preparation, and
the fir trees shall be terribly shaken. The
chariots shall rage in the streets: they shall jostle one against another in
the broad ways: they shall seem like torches, they shall run like the
lightnings."—Nahum 2: 3, 4. These
prophecies are being fulfilled now in the passenger trains, trolley cars, automobiles,
etc., but there is no reason why we should not have greater improvements
during the Millennium. Therefore, I say that there will be great progress in
the field of invention.
(7) The management of temporal affairs will be in different hands.
"In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses HOLINESS
UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the Lord's house shall be like the bowls
before the altar. Yea, every pot
in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the Lord of hosts."—Zech.
14: 20, 21. This implies that all
things, even the most common, shall be sacred to Jehovah.
"HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD" shall be inscribed even upon the horses'
harness, upon the buggies, upon the wheels of the vehicles, upon the street
cars, upon the locomotives, and upon every article of household and kitchen
furniture. The pots used for
boiling, etc., shall be as holy as the bowls used for catching the blood of
sacrificial victims. "Every
pot," even in the private houses, shall be deemed holy, so universal shall
be the consecration of all things and persons.
As we pass down the streets and broadways of our cities, instead of
seeing the advertisements of whiskey, tobacco, drugs, etc., we shall see
written on
building and bulletin board, "HOLINESS UNTO THE Lord."
Everything will be under the management of consecrated persons.
The business world will be run by God's people.
Everything that is injurious to health will be cut out of the line of
merchandise. Hence, at every
corner upon every block, around every house, and on the farms, "HOLINESS
UNTO THE LORD" will meet our eye.
(8) There will be a great reformation in literature.
Here again we have no direct Scriptural ground, but such can clearly
implied from that which has preceded. The
enemy sowing down the world with literature that is detrimental to the
spiritual welfare of everybody. Nude
pictures, salacious books and immorally suggestive writings abound everywhere
even in Christian homes. During
the Millennium all these things will be done away.
Every book, every magazine, every paper, every pamphlet, every picture,
will preach "HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD."
Thus we have given you a picture of temporal affairs during the
Millennium. We have seen that the
earth will be in the hands of the saints, that there will be a reformation in
agricultural productions, that there will be a great increase in the
production of food plants, that man's life will be greatly lengthened, that
there will be a great revival in the business world, that there will be great
progress in inventions, that the management of temporal affairs will change
hands, and that there will be a great reformation in literature.
4. Closing Events.
Rev. 20: 7‑15 furnishes the Scripture for the basis of this
division of our subject. The
scenes here depicted are alarming and startling.
May God help us in the study of these important truths, and make these
facts awakening to the unsaved.
(1) Satan is loosed. At
the beginning of the Millennium, Satan was bound.
During the thousand years he will continue bound in the bottomless pit.
Verse 7 says, "When the thous-
years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison."
Verse 3 of this chapter says that "he must be loosed for a little
season." Just how long that
season will be, no one is able to say. Perhaps
this "little season" is only a few months, or a few years at most.
He is loosed out of prison, and allowed to walk the earth again.
It was Christ that bound him, and Christ alone will be able to loose
(2) The nations are deceived. Satan
is loosed for a specific purpose. During
the Millennium there will be great revivals in religion, as I have shown
already. Almost everybody will be
saved. Satan, being bound in the
pit, will not be here to impede the progress of religion as he does now.
However, God seems to purpose that every one be tried by Satan, so that
those who stand faithfully against his wiles shall be better prepared for
service in the ages to come. All
who have lived before the Millennium have been tempted and tried by the Devil;
so God seems to permit the Devil to tempt and try the nations of the earth at
the close of the Millennium in order that all may stand on an equal footing.
Of course, a few will die during the Millennium, and thus escape the
tempter's snare, but the great masses of the people will be living still.
If this is not the purpose for which Satan is loosed, I am unable to
determine it. The Word is:
"Satan; shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters
of the earth." The implication
is that these nations have been converted during the Millennium.
They have yielded themselves to Christ.
They are the nations in the four quarters of the earth, that is, those
nations that are living far away from Jerusalem, the capital city of the
world. It would seem that at a
time when Jesus sits upon His throne reigning as King of the whole world no
person would get his eyes off of Jesus and be deceived by Satan during the
closing days of the Millennium, but many people will do so.
(3) Gog and Magog are gathered together to battle. Just what
nations are meant by Gog and Magog is a question.
but that they are Gentiles. At
the second coming of Jesus, the Jews as a nation will accept Him as their
Savior. They will never deny Him
again. They will never be
deceived. Yet, many of the
Gentiles who accept Christ during the Millennium will be deceived by Satan
during the "little season." Satan
deceives them with the argument that if they will join him and go up to battle
against Jerusalem, that they can dethrone the King, and capture the city for
themselves, and then they will have possession of the whole earth.
These nations are so foolish as to believe him, and so they join his
ranks and gather together to battle from the four quarters of the earth, a
great multitude, "the number of whom is as the sand of the sea."
They are gathered together to battle, i.e., for the purpose of war.
Satan purposes to make war against the King.
This great multitude, therefore, will consist not of all classes
—weak and strong alike, but only of the men of war.
They will come with their armor—their swords and their guns, their
horses and their cannon. They
will come prepared for battle.
(4) Jerusalem is besieged. Satan
brings his forces against Jerusalem, because it is the capital city of the
world. There is the place where
Jesus has His throne. It is the
center of the Millennial kingdom. The
forces come from earth's remotest bounds, and go up on the breadth of the
earth, and gather into one great army around the city of Jerusalem.
The Word is: "They compassed the camp of the saints about, and the
beloved city." Satan believes
that he can take Jesus off the throne, and take the world for his possession.
So he beseiges the city.
(5) The heavens melt with heat. While
Satan is arranging his forces, and getting ready to make an attack upon the
King of kings, a terrible thing happens.
The Word is: "Fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured
them." Peter speaks of the same
event, when he says: "The elements shall melt with fervent heat" (2 Peter
3: 10‑12). This fire
upon Satan, and upon the forces that he has gathered from the four quarters of
the earth. The nations who have
gathered for battle are devoured.
We understand by this that the fire literally burns them up, i.e.,
their bodies. Of course, their
souls go to hell, where all the wicked dead go.
This purpose to capture Christ is thus defeated.
(6) Satan meets his final doom. "The
Devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where
the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for
ever and ever." At the opening
of the Millennium Satan is bound in the bottomless pit, but now he is cast
into the lake of fire. The
bottomless pit is in the heart of the earth, but the lake of fire is beyond
the stars. The lake of fire is
where Satan meets his final doom. Thus
ends the last rebellion that will ever be known on earth or in heaven.
Satan will never be allowed to put his finger inside the universe any
Just here I wish to note the four falls of Satan.
Much has already been said concerning each of them separately in these
pages; but since Satan here meets his final doom, it is proper to mention here
in one place all four of these falls. These
four falls are so many steps towards his final doom.
He was once an angel in heaven. His
first fall was from heaven itself. (See Ezek. 28: 13‑17; Luke 10: 18.)
Still he has his throne in the air (Eph. 2: 2), and he is allowed to go
even into the presence of God (Job 1: 6).
His second fall is yet future. It
will take place at the resurrection and translation of the saints at the
second coming of Jesus. He will
then be cast out of the air down to the earth (Rev. 12: 9).
During The Great Tribulation he will be roaming the earth, having great
wrath (Rev. 12: 12). At the
opening of the Millennium Satan will be bound with a great chain, cast into
the bottomless pit, shut up, and a seal placed upon him (Rev. 20: 2, 3).
That will be his third fall. At
the close of the Millennium, he will be cast
the lake of fire (Rev. 20: 10), which will be his fourth fall and his final
(7) A great white throne appears.
There is nothing ascribed to this throne but "greatness" and
"whiteness." These two
characteristics indicate immeasurable power, and pure, complete, unmingled,
and invincible justice. This is
not the eternal throne of the Father, nor the throne of Rev. 4: 2, nor the
throne of the Son (Rev. 3: 21), but a special throne set up for a special
(8) A judgment follows. This
is indeed the purpose for which the throne is set up.
It is a judgment throne. The
Judgment Day, as we have before shown, continues for more than a
thousand years. The throne of
Rev. 4: 2, is a judgment throne, but it is the throne from which judgment is
administered during The Great Tribulation—it is the throne of the morning
of the great Judgment Day. The
thrones of Rev. 20: 4, are judgment thrones, but they are the thrones from
which judgment is administered during the Millennium.
This throne differs from all the other thrones.
It is a throne set up in the evening of the great Judgment Day.
One sits upon the throne. He
is the Judge of the quick and the dead. The
wicked dead of all ages are brought before this throne and judged.
The dead, small and great——big sinners and little sinners, kings
and subjects, learned and ignorant, civilized and barbarous, emperors and
beggars, refined and vulgar, all alike, stand before God.
The books are opened—the books in which the deeds of this company are
recorded. Another book is opened,
which is the book of life. This
book is searched to see if it contains the name of any one of this great
company. Its pages are searched,
but the implication is that they are searched in vain.
It would seem that all of this great throng are sinners.
The dead are judged out of these things which are written in the books
according to their works. Each
man is judged according to the way he lived on earth.
Each deed and word and thought of man is recorded in these books, and
the judgment it will be brought to light.
God has declared that even the secrets of men's hearts shall then be
made known. Every man will be
judged with equity. This judgment
will be a just one.
(9) A resurrection occurs. Some
think that the resurrection occurs before the judgment, but I am inclined to
follow the order as given in the 20th chapter of Revelation.
Jesus is declared to be the Judge of the quick and the dead.
He is the Judge of the "quick" as quick, and of the "dead" as
dead. The living do not die in
order to be judged, neither do the dead live in order to be judged.
A resurrection, anyway, is never an introduction to a judgment, but it
is the result of a judgment already passed.
Hence, we read: "The hour is coming, in which all that are in the
graves shall hear his, voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good,
unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the
resurrection of damnation."—John 5: 28, 29.
"The rest of the dead (the wicked) lived not again until the thousand
years were finished." —Rev. 20: 5. This
is the last resurrection.
(10) The wicked meet their final doom.
"The wicked shall be turned into hell (that is, Sheol, or Hades, in
the heart of the earth), and all the nations that forget God."— Psa. 9:
17. When the wicked die they go
into virtually the same place in which Satan is bound during the Millennium.
After the final judgment is over, and the wicked dead are resurrected,
they are cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20: 14), "outer darkness" (Matt.
8: 12), where the Antichrist, the False Prophet, and the Devil are (Rev. 20:
10) to be tormented forever and ever (Rev. 14: 11).
The wicked will never get back into God's universe any more.
This is their final doom.
With these few events the Millennial Age will close.
In this chapter we have studied that Age.
A beautiful study it is. That
Age is still future. Away with
the doctrine that is now spreading over the earth that we are already in the
nial Age. This is a false idea. Men talk of the age in which we now live as the grandest age spiritually the world has ever known, or ever will know; but the facts are there has never been an age in which evil spread more rapidly, and a more demoralized age has never been known since the days of Noah. However, we are looking for a better day. The Millennial Age is fast approaching, and soon Jesus will come for His Bride, The Great Tribulation will follow, and then the Millennial Age will quickly come.


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Happy new school year!
The new Indian Bible College school year is under way and we are excited! We have a great student body that is excited to be at IBC!
The week before the start of school is always interesting, as we are training new leaders and preparing for new student orientation. This year was especially challenging, as many of our new applicants waited until the last possible minute–the last two of the new freshmen were accepted on Wednesday and then came the next day for orientation! We oriented 10 new freshmen and trained 12 student leaders that week; fall enrollment is 29 full-time students and 40 total (with part-time students). Our chapel is packed when we all gather together twice a week–PRAY that we can grow our facilities so we can grow our school! (We had so many guests at yesterday's "Ministry Fair" chapel that there were some that couldn't even make it into the room!)
We have been hosting a group of past and present students in our home on Monday nights; these Native brothers and sisters are all passionate about planting a church and Sarah and I are coaching and training them. In addition to this, Sarah is taking two Native ladies through a process of healing from abuse (she went through training for this over the summer) AND leading a discipleship group on Fridays (in addition to home-schooling a first-grader and kindergartener!) pray for Sarah that the Lord would use her mightily in these ways and that she would not be burned out by it all. I am so thankful to have a true ministry partner for a wife!
Our new Academic Dean (Kevin) is doing great; he really is committed to the school and we are working well together. The transition and training process we have in place will last most of this semester, but by January he should be fully functioning and I will be fully focused on being the president of the Indian Bible College!
One final prayer request: the enemy is really assaulting one of our crucial staff members right now and there is tremendous potential fallout in the school; please pray for the Lord's protection and intervention.
Thanks for all your prayers and support!
Jason and family


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Rare set in mint condition without any signs of wear. Cup is 2.5 wide. The item "MEISSEN PORCELAIN HAND PAINTED FLOWER & INSECTS TEA CUP SAUCER DEMITASSE" is in sale since Monday, November 23, 2020. This item is in the category "Pottery & Glass\Pottery & China\China & Dinnerware\Meissen".
The seller is "pottery_and_beyond" and is located in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, China, Mexico, Germany, Japan, Brazil, France, Australia, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Sweden, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, South africa, Thailand, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Austria, Bahamas, Israel, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Saudi arabia, Ukraine, United arab emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Croatia, Malaysia, Chile, Colombia, Costa rica, Panama, Trinidad and tobago, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Antigua and barbuda, Aruba, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Saint kitts and nevis, Saint lucia, Montserrat, Turks and caicos islands, Barbados, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Brunei darussalam, Bolivia, Ecuador, Egypt, French guiana, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Iceland, Jersey, Jordan, Cambodia, Cayman islands, Liechtenstein, Sri lanka, Luxembourg, Monaco, Macao, Martinique, Maldives, Nicaragua, Oman, Peru, Pakistan, Paraguay, Reunion, Viet nam, Uruguay.


text:
I've always liked machines, the more Rube Goldberg, the better. Part of my initial love of cycling was simply my love of the derailleur; that I could both go someplace and have a cool device at work at the same time, a machine that multiplied my effort allowed me to eat my cake and not lose it. I mention this because a kid like that going to work in a bike shop is as inevitable as cats and catnip.
The appeal of working as a mechanic in a bike shop was the satisfaction of fixing my bike over and over and over. Sending a bike out with an excited-to-ride owner was satisfaction that making sandwiches for pizza joint could never match. That I made 50 cents more per hour was gravy.
I'd been working at our shop the better part of a year when one Friday night half a dozen members of the cycling team we sponsored descended on us after hours with pizzas and a number of bikes to be built up. I was tasked with simple tasks like hanging derailleurs, slipping stems into steerer tubes, fixing saddles to seatposts. I was the new kid, and because I was a longhair playing drums in a rock 'n' roll band there was no way I could be trusted with anything so sophisticated as the barrel adjuster on a Dura-Ace rear derailleur.
That night, one of the bikes clamped in a stand was an Italian frame with the unthinkably cool feature of an internally routed rear brake cable. Four bodies crowded around the frame as my boss fed the rear brake cable and housing into the braze-on in the top tube near the head tube. Gray housing passed into the top tube in a way that men in their early 20s can't not make phallic jokes about.
Gray housing entered and entered and entered. But it never emerged from the other braze-on. I didn't have to look at their faces to see the incredulous expressions fixed on them. My boss, I'll call him Jim, pulled the housing back and pushed again. Again, nothing. Back and forth, in and out, more crude jokes.
The frustration spread from Jim to his audience and one by one they each tried to feed the cable through, each of them confident that they possessed the deft wrist movement to coax the silver cable to emerge from the frame.
Like a bunch of high schoolers trying to outsprint Mark Cavendish, they each came up short. Their failures added up in a kind of inevitability such that when I suggested they let me have a try, they didn't so much say no as just laugh. I mean, if they couldn't get it, there was no-way a kid fresh out of undergraduate school with hair to his shoulders could pull off something these licensed Category IV racers hadn't conquered. This wasn't just above my pay grade, it was higher than my IQ.
One by one, frustration mounted to the point that the cooling supreme from Pizza Hut eclipsed their interest. I continued to grease seat tubes and twirl quick-release levers until only one guy stared, hands in pockets, at the brain and hand teaser. I calculated that with no one's ego approaching success, this was my chance to ask for another shot.
The casual wave of a hand, as if to say, "Knock yourself out, loser," indicated this was my shot. Viewed from the rear of the bike, the braze-ons were positioned at 7 o'clock. I reasoned that a somewhat floppy cable and housing had less incentive to curl back in the direction from which it came than a cat does to come when called. The answer, it seemed to me, was to make the cable change direction with what is sometimes referred to as plastic deformation or cold-setting.
I bent the cable.
I put a 45-degree kink in the cable about one inch from the end of the housing, and about two inches from the end of the cable itself. I figured if the top tube was only one inch in diameter and the cable bend was long enough to keep it scraping along the inside of the top tube no matter where what direction it pointed, I'd catch that hole sooner or later.
Catch it I did.
No one was looking when the soldered end of the cable peeked out of the braze-on. But when I pinched the cable between my thumb and index finger and pulled until the gray housing began to pour forth, like water from a faucet, take notice they did.
Their incredulity at my success didn't bother me. And the satisfaction I felt at surprising them with my ingenuity didn't compare with my own pleasure at having solved the problem. That was the first time I realized that working on bicycles might both call on and reward creativity. In that instant, bikes became a good deal more wondrous.


text:
COVID-19: reducing the spread of infection in your home
Just because you are in your own home does not mean that you will be free from the potential spread of infection.
When at home you should:
- Wash your hands with soap and water often and for at least 20 seconds
- Use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water is not available
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hand) when you cough or sneeze
- Immediately throw used tissues in the bin and always wash your hands afterwards
- Clean objects and surfaces you touch often (like door handles, kettles and phones) using your regular cleaning products
- Clean a shared bathroom each time you use it, for example by wiping the surfaces you have touched.
You should not:
• share towels, including hand towels and tea towels
Cleaning and washing:
- Use your usual household products, such as detergents and bleach when you clean your home
- Put used tissues and disposable cleaning clothes in rubbish bags, place the bag in a second bag and tie it securely – wait for 3 days before putting it in your outside bin – dispose of other household waste as normal
- Wash your laundry in the washing machine in the usual way. Laundry that has been in contact with an ill person can be washed with other people's items. Do not shake dirty laundry as this may spread the virus in the air
- If you do not have a washing machine – wait for 3 days after your self-isolation has ended before taking your laundry to a launderette
Remember, stay up to date with the latest NHS advice here.


text:
Custom Made Panama hats
Our hats are handmade from 100% Paja Toquilla
Handcrafted in Ecuador and hand-painted in Venezuela by Claudia Lavegas.
They are one of a kind works of arts made by order specially for you.
Treat them with care and they will stay with you forever !
These are made to order items so shipping might take between 2 to 3 weeks


text:
Pink Silver Necklace with Black Zircons
Pink silver necklace with black zircon pendants depicting small stars and circles that follow one another along the entire front part of the chain. The maximum length of the necklace is 44 cm, but on thinner necks it is possible to adjust the silver necklace up to a minimum length of 39.5 cm.
Technical description Pink silver necklace with stars
- Made of:925 thousandths silver;
- Pendants: in pink silver and black zircons, they depict stars and circles;
- Measurements: the maximum length is 44 cm, using the intermediate rings it is possible to adjust it up to 39.5 cm;
- Silver finish:Pink silver color


text:
Boris Johnson visited a vaccine plant despite No 10 being warned of a Covid outbreak, triggering condemnation in the Commons.
The prime minister was accused of a "reckless PR stunt" – after it emerged that the boss of the manufacturing site in Scotland had alerted his team to the outbreak.
"The prime minister and his advisers knew there was a serious Covid-19 outbreak at this plant – they knew the visit posed a risk," SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford said.
Valneva's chief financial officer, David Lawrence, has said that Downing Street was informed in advance of the 14 coronavirus cases at the plant – about one in eight of the workforce.
"They were made aware we'd had some reported cases and had implemented our control procedures," he told the Daily Record.
But the prime minister defended the trip and claimed: "Nobody raised that issue with me before or since."
Later, Mr Johnson's spokesman repeatedly refused to confirm that he had not been told of the Covid outbreak – while acknowledging Downing Street was informed.
At the factory, Mr Johnson was pictured meeting the site director and holding equipment. He was wearing a mask, but conducted TV interviews with his face uncovered.
The local health board, NHS Lothian, has confirmed an intervention by an incident management team took place last Wednesday – the day before the trip – after a suspected outbreak.
At prime minister's questions, Mr Blackford added: "The prime minister acted recklessly," attacking "the irresponsible decision to go ahead with this PR stunt".
"The prime minister can't just explain away this shocking error of judgement," he said, arguing he "put politics before public health".
Mr Johnson first ducked the issue of the warning, replying: "I can think of few things more important than to see the rollout of vaccine programmes across this country."
But, when pressed a second time, he told MPs: "Nobody, by the way, raised that issue with me before or since.
"It is my job to visit every part of this country, nothing and no-one is going to stop me and I am very, very proud of the record of the government in rolling out the vaccine."
The visit had already been controversial, after Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister, questioned whether it was the "essential" travel allowed under lockdown rules.
"We are living in a global pandemic and every day I stand and look down the camera and say, 'Don't travel unless it is essential, work from home if you possibly can'. That has to apply to all of us," she said.
"People like Boris Johnson and I have to be in work for reasons people understand, but we don't have to travel across the UK. We have a duty to lead by example."
Source link Google News


text:
Aaron Graber, discusses his personal project of developing a "Back to Eden" forest garden. This project requires around 2,000 yards of wood chip mulch, a Ventrac 4500, and a little bit of crazy! The Ventrac compact tractor is capable of many unique tasks.
For more information, visit https://www.ventrac.com/ (faster and more agile than a Bobcat)


text:
[LETTERS]Excellent English
I lived in Seoul for several years, and I always enjoyed reading the English edition of your newspaper. I am now living again in the U.S., but I continue to follow Korean news via your online edition.
One English word that I have noticed being incorrectly used is the word "airliner" in reference to a company such as Asiana or Korean Air. The company is an airline; the plane or jet is an airliner. This may seem insignificant, but paying attention to the little things are what distinguish between good English and excellent English.
Of all the online Korean dailies that I read, I believe yours is the best. The JoongAng Ilbo always delivers relevant and thorough coverage of the events going on in Korea. Keep up the good work!
Larry Fitch, Cross Lanes, West Virginia


text: Daily Market News 12 April 2011 Daily Market News 12 April 2011 Yesterday's market movers The Markets were very quiet yesterday as there had been no substantial data released from the Eurozone, UK and USA. However adding to this GBP/USD reached a 14th month high at 1.6426. Today's market movers Early morning in Germany we have data being released in the form of German PMI MoM and YoY , These are both expected to come in flat and should have very little movement on the market. In the UK we have three key data been released. We have CPI again which is expected to come out flat, however MoM CPI is coming out at a slight increase and may add to further sterling strength within the markets. The Final data is UK trade balance which is expected to show a further deficit. In the Eurozone and Germany we have the ZEW survey that looks at economic optimism, this is expected to come out positive for both and may add to further investment into the Eurozone and could see further euro strength. Finally from the US we have US trade balance which is expected to come out at $ -43.10bn which would be better than previous and therefore may see Risk appetite within the markets.


text:
CanopyCategories Magic Realism
Two years, nine months and fourteen days to the day we graduated, Yee Han leaves home, climbs a tree in McRitchie reservoir and never comes back down. At first, his family thinks this is just a phase. After all, didn't he hate his work, hate jamming his body into random spaces and strangers on the…Continue Reading "Canopy"


text:
Jack Sheppard's Famous Escapes (2)
Hier kannst du dein englisch Hörverstehen (listening comprehension) kostenlos trainieren für die nächste Schularbeit mit einer englisch Hörübung. Trainiere Dein English Hörverstehen Online, indem du genau hinhörst und Informationen aus dem Hörtext herausfilterst. Englisch Lernen mit einer Engländerin.
Unfortunately Jack couldn't keep out of trouble and was soon arrested yet again. This time Bess and her friend Poll brought some clothes for him. He removed a bar from his window, put on his clothes and merrily walked out of the prison and into freedom. He then paid a waterman 7p to row him up a river to Horse Ferry in Westminster. At the time there was a fair going on in London and everybody was dressed up, so nobody noticed the man wearing leg irons.
His last break-out was from Newgate. He was chained to the floor and had only a bent nail to help him escape. He used the nail to open his hand and leg cuffs and then he climbed up the chimney , into a room that wasn't used, and then broke through another five doors into the chapel where he climbed down a wall and onto a house. However, the house was too high to jump from, so he went all the way back again to get a blanket, which he then used as a rope. This was one of his most amazing escapes and made him a celebrity. His problem was that he couldn't stop stealing and being in the centre of attraction, so one day when he went out drinking, wearing all his stolen goods, he was caught once more in a tavern, but he was too drunk to fight the magistrates off and was brought to Newgate, where he was sentenced to death by hanging. Whilst waiting to be hanged, he was secured with chains that weighed 300lbs. When the keepers found Jack walking around in his cell without his chains on one day, he proudly showed them how he had done it. Thousands of people came to visit him in his cell and they had to pay him 4 shillings for the visit.
On the day he was hanged, thousands of people cheered for Jack, who was still hoping to run away. They found a knife on him, but he was wearing handcuffs and wasn't tied up with ropes, so he couldn't use it.
When Jack was hanged people swung on his legs so that his neck broke faster, because otherwise he would have choked to death and they couldn't watch him suffer.
Adapted from Helen Smith's book, "Grave-Robbers, Cut Throats and Prisoners of London" by Sönke and Nicola Dökel
Quiz - Quiz
Vokabeln Üben 1 - vocabulary test 1.
Vokabeln Üben 2 - vocabulary test 2.
Fehler finden 1 - find the mistake exercise 1
Fehler finden 2 - find the mistake exercise 2


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tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post7496482599180278307..comments2023-09-29T12:23:25.124-07:00Comments on Musings of a Bookish Kitty: Where Is Your Bookmark? (03/25/2014)Literary Felinehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-57546800471592298902014-03-31T11:02:31.737-07:002014-03-31T11:02:31.737-07:00Stacy - Haha! I wish I could send you some of our...Stacy - Haha! I wish I could send you some of our spring weather. Thank you for the postcard, by the way! What a nice surprise!Literary Felinehttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-27054463350260861302014-03-31T11:02:04.339-07:002014-03-31T11:02:04.339-07:00Iliana - I was worried summer would make an early ...Iliana - I was worried summer would make an early appearance here (it's not too late for that to happen, so I should be careful what I say), but so far so good! I love that we've even being getting rain. It's much needed!

I could never afford to travel the world like I want to. Books make a good substitute. :-)

I hope your reading improves this next month!Literary Felinehttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-79910722869942867582014-03-28T20:50:03.422-07:002014-03-28T20:50:03.422-07:00Oh, Spring. I remember you fondly.Oh, Spring. I remember you fondly.stacybuckeyehttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-58780545018312678142014-03-26T19:06:00.708-07:002014-03-26T19:06:00.708-07:00I feel like our spring quickly morphs into summer ...I feel like our spring quickly morphs into summer and that is not pleasant! But I'm hopeful we may have a decent spring as our winter was pretty hard for these parts. Isn't it wonderful to be able to "travel" so much via books? I'm feel like I need a good, comfy read. I've had the weirdest reading month and I'm ready for a bunch of good reads! Hope you are enjoy your book!Ilianahttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-5829842115992029382014-03-26T10:40:19.627-07:002014-03-26T10:40:19.627-07:00Charlie - I joked with my husband early on that we...Charlie - I joked with my husband early on that we should just get a couple of bean bag chairs and use those as seats. I do feel bad that Mouse will lose the open space that is our living room/library right now, but there's so much she can do with a couch too. Literary Felinehttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-61936754305103825832014-03-26T10:34:46.212-07:002014-03-26T10:34:46.212-07:00Kelley - It is raining today. I know my daughter ...Kelley - It is raining today. I know my daughter won't be happy. She was hoping to go to the park again today. Oh well.Literary Felinehttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-33259639606182988782014-03-26T10:33:52.196-07:002014-03-26T10:33:52.196-07:00Samantha - I can't wait to read your thoughts ...Samantha - I can't wait to read your thoughts on Mind of Winter, Samantha! I'm nearly half way in now, I think. I'm not a big fan of Holly, I have to confess. Literary Felinehttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-82216873594256813932014-03-26T02:41:26.432-07:002014-03-26T02:41:26.432-07:00We've had some good weather, too. Warm enough ...We've had some good weather, too. Warm enough to not have to wear a coat, it's brilliant. We're lacking a sofas and seats in general. It's not much fun and I can emphasise! I think it'd be too soon to do a spring clean this year, maybe an autumnal one for us.Charlie (The Worm Hole)https://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-81334150670214962312014-03-26T00:36:31.171-07:002014-03-26T00:36:31.171-07:00April sunshine just sounds good about now and then...April sunshine just sounds good about now and then the whole surprise of the bank robber really got me interested. enjoy your bookkayerjhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-38289360146821401592014-03-25T17:08:50.084-07:002014-03-25T17:08:50.084-07:00I am reading Mind of Winter right now as well :) W...I am reading Mind of Winter right now as well :) We will have to compare thoughts after we both finish. It is just okay for me so far...but I am not that far into it so we will see. I wish we had spring weather, instead we got snow on the ground. Yuck!samantha.1020https://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-44726125407302299772014-03-25T16:21:21.663-07:002014-03-25T16:21:21.663-07:00Margot - Good point! In this case, they each look...Margot - Good point! In this case, they each look very different from one another.Literary Felinehttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-85529514001474065322014-03-25T16:20:56.047-07:002014-03-25T16:20:56.047-07:00Peggy - Winter wasn't harsh where I live eithe...Peggy - Winter wasn't harsh where I live either. In fact, winter seemed to skip my part of the world by completely. Except maybe for that one weekend in early March. :-) My husband wrote a game involving a bank heist last year and that's what initially got me interested in reading this particular book. I don't read a lot of caper books, but they are fun now and then.Literary Felinehttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-36786248513020777652014-03-25T16:18:03.928-07:002014-03-25T16:18:03.928-07:00Sarah - It was a fun read!Sarah - It was a fun read!Literary Felinehttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-21753135406986353962014-03-25T16:17:43.094-07:002014-03-25T16:17:43.094-07:00Kim - I give away print books I read and no longer...Kim - I give away print books I read and no longer want to keep around. I often will just take them to my office and they get devoured by the readers there. I like your idea of having a "mystery read". That'd be fun to do. Literary Felinehttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-90421635126774896492014-03-25T15:34:58.284-07:002014-03-25T15:34:58.284-07:00I wonder what a bank robber is supposed to look li...I wonder what a bank robber is supposed to look like. Good introduction.Margothttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-18235169251999081322014-03-25T15:23:31.103-07:002014-03-25T15:23:31.103-07:00We've had lovely spring weather here in the la...We've had lovely spring weather here in the last week or so, even though our winter this year was not very harsh, it's still great to see blossom appearing. My husband loves bank heists (only in fiction I hasten to add :) but not sure if it would be for me. Anonymoushttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-74289514422598658662014-03-25T12:21:40.582-07:002014-03-25T12:21:40.582-07:00I think I need some more information for this one....I think I need some more information for this one.

Here's Mine: http://www.sarahsbookshelves.com/fiction/first-chapter-first-paragraph-tuesday-intros-hundred-summers-beatriz-williams/Sarah (Sarah's Book Shelves)https://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-46914015236161589372014-03-25T11:29:29.642-07:002014-03-25T11:29:29.642-07:00I give away my books a couple of times a year. I f...I give away my books a couple of times a year. I first offer them to other family, and when I have 8-10 unclaimed by them, I take them to book club as a 'mystery read'. I put them all in brown envelopes and let each member take one home. It seems to go over well.....who DOESN'T like free books?
Thanks for stopping by!Kim@Time2Readhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-60880488307685021842014-03-25T10:53:38.988-07:002014-03-25T10:53:38.988-07:00Trish - I might go back and listen to State of Won...Trish - I might go back and listen to State of Wonder at some point. I can see it being a good book to revisit from that perspective.

Sounds like you are making good progress with your spring cleaning. I really want to dig into my mass market paperback collection and weed out some of those series books I am not going to read. I think maybe I'll try to work on that this coming weekend.Literary Felinehttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-59288383103517229652014-03-25T10:50:41.775-07:002014-03-25T10:50:41.775-07:00BBI - I love that books can transport you to so ma...BBI - I love that books can transport you to so many places and allow you to experience so many different things. Sounds like you are all over the place! Literary Felinehttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-40675595566382719252014-03-25T10:49:05.342-07:002014-03-25T10:49:05.342-07:00Nise' - I hope the snow lets up soon so you ca...Nise' - I hope the snow lets up soon so you can enjoy some more spring-y weather. I feel for all of you who have been stuck under all that snow and cold weather.Literary Felinehttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-1948356121850872502014-03-25T10:48:09.961-07:002014-03-25T10:48:09.961-07:00Gautami - It was quite entertaining! I think you ...Gautami - It was quite entertaining! I think you might like it.Literary Felinehttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-32024468276285737152014-03-25T10:47:46.394-07:002014-03-25T10:47:46.394-07:00Tracy - The characters are interesting. And where...Tracy - The characters are interesting. And where else but in a book would I cheer for the "bad guys" to come out on top? HahaLiterary Felinehttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-86811873313019961052014-03-25T10:46:59.650-07:002014-03-25T10:46:59.650-07:00Paulita - It did! It was a fun read.Paulita - It did! It was a fun read.Literary Felinehttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552114.post-804153148734812002014-03-25T10:46:41.803-07:002014-03-25T10:46:41.803-07:00Laurel-Rain - So true . . . With the winds we'...Laurel-Rain - So true . . . With the winds we've been having especially, dust is inevitable. Your mention of your garage reminds me that now would be a good time to go through ours (again), and maybe even put up those shelves we keep talking about . . . Literary Felinehttps://firstname.lastname@example.com


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Big companies have always advertised online — "always" here meaning ever since it became an option — but there has been a perception that the internet leveled the playing field, allowing smaller companies to reach consumers through organic search with a much smaller budget than the cost of big ad campaigns.
Is that still true?
Let's imagine that we're looking for eye cream. I know that there is a local company in my county that makes eye cream and I have been to their website. They're not a client of ours, but I see no issues with their website, and I am friends in social media with people who work with them. Can I get them to show up in organic search?
Googling "eye cream" gets me a lot of paid search ads, plus the top choice for organic search — Sephora, a large company.
I moved on to "natural eye cream," "artisanal eye cream," "local eye cream companies," and "local companies making eye cream in Springdale, Arkansas," which seems like something no one would ever actually Google, and I never got anything but ads and local malls. The only way I was able to get the company to come up for me in search was by typing in their name.
I also tried searching by question, because this company has a blog and should therefore be able to come up for questions like, "Do eye creams help dark circles?" or, having gone and looked at the blog to find something that might work, "Are peptides in eye creams good for dark circles?" No luck.
In real life, I would never have seen the product made just up the road from me; I'd have gone ahead and clicked through on an ad a long time ago.
I had better luck with beer, finding a local brewery right away and seeing several more in the course of my efforts. However, digital ads for alcohol are subject to many restrictions. Efforts to find other local CPG companies were just like the eye cream experiment: ads from national companies and organic results from the same companies or their retailers.
Services were different. Local salons, gyms, doctors, lawyers, and caterers popped right up.
Now, everyone sees different things when they use search engines. You might get very different results if you Google these items (I'd like to know!). The only way you can actually tell anything about rankings is by checking Webmaster Tools for the sites in question. But we've always found that we could get good organic search results on informational searches — "What's best beer for Thanksgiving dinner?" or "Does eye cream have health benefits?" would be relevant examples here– for our clients, and we still can.
We used to be able to get good organic results for product searches, too. Now? Realistically, we now recommend paid search as well. Ditto for social media. Your company page's Facebook posts will reach only a tiny fraction of the number of people who Like your page unless you pay to boost them, and promoting your page or running an ad is the only reliable way to reach large numbers.
Part of this is a matter of strategic decisions. Google devotes a lot more space to ads, and Facebook has made it clear that they're not giving it away any more.
But part of it is also numbers. Every single day you have a new competitor online. You may have billions of competitors, and only one of you can be #1 for organic search. Your ads have competitors now, and keeping them at #1 may take the same amount of effort it used to take to keep your website at #1 for organic search.
With that said, let me also say that all of our clients find that organic search is the top source of traffic and conversions at their websites. If you are a smaller business, and most of our current clients are in the small to medium range, you can get respectable amounts of business with organic search. You can certainly expect SEO to provide the highest ROI.
But high velocity growth now probably requires advertising. Keep it in mind when you plan your budget for next year.