A Draws Not Bad

27 January 2013

Dear Phyllis,

Today is one of those days. I have nothing to say. Very little has happened this past week. It sort of came out a draw. Actually a draw isn't that bad. It is a whole lot better than getting trounced. I have told friends here that we are on a day by day salvation program at the moment, and that doesn't do much for stability, and looking to a bright future. Life is a little like being at the beach watching the tide move in and out. At high tide it looks like a tropical Paradise with blue water and sailing vessels. And then the tide goes out and all you see is mud flats with snails. Two months ago I felt like the sun was just coming up on my life, and nothing could get better. Now I am hanging on by my finger tips.

Watchman Nee said there was a difference between salvation and eternal life. Eternal life has to do with being born-again and our citizenship in heaven. Salvation has to do with our experience here on earth. I think he's right. When I first got saved I didn't know what the word salvation meant. Saved from what? I soon learned that Christians use it to mean that we won't have to go to hell. We are saved from hell. But we can use the word salvation to cover a broad spectrum of subjects. We can be saved from financial disaster, sickness, family problems, mission problems, marriage problems, and a whole host of challenges of life. And, of course, the main subject should be saved from sin. That is the whole reason why the angel said to Joseph, “call His Name Jesus, because He shall save His people from their sins” (Mt. 1:21).

One of the highlights last week was to receive two most encouraging letters thanking me for what I had written. Cy Winskel strongly encouraged me to compose a book saying “It would be a valuable document contributing to the understanding on how the Lord works in the mission field”. And Scott Lemasters wrote thanking me for what he thought was something profound. In both cases I appreciate hearing from these brothers, but, in all honesty, I have no idea know what they are talking about. Several friends have encouraged me to write a book. Actually I have written two books. One is Man Howdy, my half century autobiography; and The Inverted Kingdom, about how spiritual truth is reverse from the natural laws of this world. But I believe I can say with assurance that nothing I write will ever receive broad circulation. And it is highly doubtful that anything I write will be put in a binder between two covers. As close to circulation of anything I ever composed will get, is a blogspot that Gary has established. He has complied over 140 PB letters and posted them on a blogspot. You can access them on, billcookpbletters.blogspot.com.

Actually I have written over 800 PB letters dating back to 1997 when I first started writing Ted and Phyllis Brannen every Sunday afternoon. The Brannens were some of my old missionary friends that I first met in 1958 in Japan. They retired in the 1980s and I hadn't seen them in many years until I was in the states in 1997. When I returned to Japan, simply because I had nothing to do each Sunday afternoon, I started writing Ted and Phyllis each week.. I have kept this up ever since then. If anyone has any old copies, Gary would be very interested in hearing from them. popegary@hotmail.com

Perhaps one of the major things that happened last week was yesterday. The kindergarten where Annie went was responsible for a major Kindergarten sports day with over 1,500 children participating. The directors had asked us to attend to pass out awards. Pammy was unable to go, which put me in a bad way. When I got there I told Sangha, “You have got to get someone who speaks English for me.” To my amazement, when I sat down beside the person he introduced me to, she began to talk about our muban (housing area). I was startled and asked, “Do you live in our muban?” She rep;lied, “Don't you recall talking to us at the pizza restaurant?” Oh my goodness! Yes I did recall that conversation very clearly, but I honestly didn't recognized her. Man howdy, we had a good time! Boon is an RN that has a nurses aid school right across the street from our muban. Her husband is a professor at Mae Jo University. Both of them were highly desirous of being acquainted with me. Boon pleaded with me to come to her school to talk to her girls, and said I could tell about Christian morals. And her husband asked me to come to his university to speak to over 100 of his students. He had been in Israel, and had a Christian room mate when he was in college. Both of them were anxious to be close friends with me, and pleaded that I come to their house. This is the biggest break I have had in months. That wouldn't have happened if Pammy had gone with me.

I believe I told you about a couple of JW (Jehovah Witness) workers who came to our house nearly a year ago. Oh boy, was that fun! Mike called me to warn that they were in the area. When these two girls showed up at our door, I knew immediately what I was up against. I invited them in, and we sat in the kitchen having a ball for two hours. The Holy Spirit totally controlled the meeting. These two girls sat there with their mouths open listening as I shared things they had never heard before. It was wonderful. Macaleb was so impressed she brought her dad back six months later. I knew it would be a different ball gamed with him. He was a professional JW worker (evangelist). But we had a very good time. I was amazed again how the Holy Spirit directed that conversation. Last Friday a car pulled up and two men got out. They asked, “Do you remember Macaleb Martin?” Oh yes, now I know who you are. Again we had a spectacular time. I honestly would enjoy having these folks come back often. I love to share Christ with them. In all three session, no one has had a chance to share what they have to say to me, and I honestly don't know their ball game. But in the conversations I have been amazed how far we can go on the same page. They talk about a firm commitment to the Word of God, and amazingly, use the KJV. Every verse they have suggested to me I fully agreed with. They would say something from the Bible, and I would reply, “Yes, that is exactly true.” One thing that has blown them away is they probably have never met a person who knows the Bible as well as I do. JW s consider themselves experts in the Bible talking to people who know nothing about it. To talk to someone who can trounce them in the Scripture, and take them to places they have never seen before is a new experience for them.

I have a deep ominous feeling about the immediate future. We often talk about how we feel the end is near. But now I feel it is here – now! I don't see a way in the world that America can avoid the judgment of God that is coming. I see no other explanation than Obama is God's man for the destruction of America. It was miracle that he was elected twice. Historians will marvel how it happened. In four years he has transformed the government more than all the previous presidents put together. Most commentators feel he was cautious his first term, but now he is in control for the 2^nd term, his true agenda will come out. He has set the country on a course that is guaranteed economic disaster. There are no laws of economics that will sustain his program. He is on a course to desecrate the US military. And his foreign policy has got to embolden Islamic aggression. I see nothing but the blackest clouds on the horizon. Evil forces are becoming very bold and aggressive. Sexual perversions is now held in honor. And godly people will soon – if not already – be marked as bad. The devil clearly has the microphone. The well spun propaganda dished out daily by the American main stream media couldn't be more in step with Obama than if this was Russia and they were Pravda. The scales have tipped the other way in what was once a moral culture to where fundamental moral values are now in the minority. Military chaplains are now forbidden to pray in Jesus Name, and Christian symbols are taken out of military chapels. And we are supposed to survive this??!

Many have said that this looks eerily like Germany in 1930. The vast majority of Germans were thrilled with their Messiah who had pulled them out of depression and gloom after losing the 1^st WW. Hitler was immensely popular. No one could envision the carnage that was awaiting them a decade away. People say this couldn't happen in America, but my reply is, “How is it possible for America to escape the judgment of God?”
Recently, I have come to a new view of Rev. 6. The first four Seals are four horses : the White horse, the Red horse, the Black horse, and the Pale horse. In the OT God had four judgments that He frequently used to punish nations: beasts, sword, famine, and pestilence (Ez. 1:15-21). In Revelation the White horse is clearly bloodless conquest, The Red horse is unmistakably war. The Black horse is economic collapse, and the Pale horse is disease. It seems clear to me that the bloodless conquest of the White horse is political conquest. Theologians are at odds with each other as to the identity of the rider on the Whits horse. The two most common views are the Christ and the anti-Christ. The anti-Christ in Rev. 13, 17, 19, and 20 is known as the beast. The other three horses are the same as the four judgments listed in Ez. 15. This being true, it would stand to reason that the rider on the White horse is the anti-Christ.

I am convinced that the events listed in Revelation – the Seven Trumpets in Rev. 8, 9; and the Seven Vials in Rev. 16, are not linear. I believe they come in a configuration with which we are not familiar. They almost appear to be an overlay. The 1^st is vegetation – sores; the 2^nd the ocean – ocean; the 3^rd is the rivers – rivers, the 4^th is the atmosphere – atmosphere; the 5^th is the pit – and the kingdom, the 6^th is the Euphrates – Euphrates. The event described in Rev 6:12-17 has got to be the same thing that we see in Rev. 16:17-21. There is no way these two passages could be different times. This clearly is the grand finale. If I am right that Revelation is not linear, but a different configuration, this means that the four horses could come differently than we expect.

I am not suggesting that Obama is the anti-Christ. That would be a serious stretch. But I believe we are seeing a tremendous amount of stage setting preparing the way for the anti-Christ. And it is highly possible that we could get a foretaste of the four horses in America very soon. Obama is certainly a beast destroying the country. It would be extremely odd if we don't have serious trouble with terrorist extreme Islamism. It is not impossible for mushroom clouds to appear over America. The economic collapse looks almost like a sure thing. And it is highly probable that viruses like AIDS will increase.

A wonderful Mennonite brother, Mark Yoder, stopped by to see me the other day. He had the brightest view I see on the horizon. Mark and I both agree that the church in America is in bad shape. And it is increasingly clear that things are going to get very difficult for Christians in America very soon. Early in his first term as president, Obama triumphantly declared that America is no longer a Christian nation. There is no doubt that tremendous pressure is going to come on the church soon. That is good news. That will sift the wheat from the straw. That will greatly purify the church. Hopefully, in the face of this, the Lord will raise up some might men of God with real back bones.

I might be slam wrong. This tranquility might continue for another hundred years. But I don't think so. Regardless of what happens, the one thing we do know is: TODAY IS THE DAY OF SALVATION . Best we be about our Father's business of winning for Jesus the souls for whom He died.

Gambarimasho (let's give it our best shot, all we got),
bill