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06.22.2009

The Greatest Controversy

Greetings friends,

Are the nations of this world system exhausted enough from the religious-political wars that peace is about to break out around the world, especially in Israel and the Middle East? President Obama and his advisors obviously think or hope so and seem to moving in this direction, don’t you think? The last one-hundred years have seen Americans involved in one wave of war after another with short intermissions in between. As I see and understand the all important prophetic teachings of the scriptures there will be a time of calm and rest before the greatest war among men is unleashed upon the nations, a nuclear World War III ignited in the Middle East. If this is true we should see a mighty move towards a Peace Covenant between Israel and her enemies led by the American President.

Some of my friends say that unless there are regime changes or a change of behavior from within Syria and Iran that produce “acceptance” of Israel’s right to even exist, there will be one more American war which includes another Arab/Israeli battle for control of the Holy Land before this Peace Covenant is instituted. Could Iran’s recent election and consequent street protests be the “beginning” of that needed change of behavior which accepts Israel? My friends use Psalms 83 as their foundation which reflects the evil desires of Israel’s neighbors to destroy her ever since its rebirth in 1948.

If there are no internal changes in either nation, and a regime changing war erupts before the rise of the Antichrist, know for certain that a victorious Israel will no longer engage in the insane policy of “land for peace” with their Arab neighbors. For according to Zechariah and Ezekiel’s prophecies, God will not allow Israel to be defeated militarily “until” they sign the Peace Covenant with the Antichrist, who will eventually betray and scatter Jews just as the Roman Empire did in 70 AD. Since 9/11 I have been saying that Islam is in its day of decision. Sooner or later Islamic leaders will make peace with Israel and then treacherously betray God’s backslidden Jewish people as they join with Russia in its World War III invasion of Israel.

Other friends see a nuclear exchange between Pakistan and India or another war with North Korea over nuclear weapons in the hands of its insane leader. I am not sure about these things, but I have great respect for their position and keep my mind and heart open to the scriptures and the Holy Spirit who indwells all born again disciples of the Lord. Remember, the Lord Jesus did say that wars and rumors of war would fill the headlines of the last days! We all agree, however, that sooner or later there will come a lull in American warfare which produces the infamous peacemaking Antichrist, who will relieve the cost and heavy burden of war from the weary hearts of the people. This is when many begin to worship this peacemaker as the Son of God, the promised Messiah.

Keeping this push for peace in the back of our minds, I want this article to focus on another question, probably one of the most important you will ever be asked. But first ask yourself why Russian and American leaders brought this world to the brink of a nuclear nightmare during the cold war which seemed to be re-ignited during the Bush presidency? Why are Islamic nations so determined to wipe Israel off the map and finish the work of Hitler? And most importantly, why are there so many deadly disputes, debates, contentions, and controversies among the nations and religions of the world?

Here is the ultimate question! Is there one controversy that stands out above the rest, which if properly understood explains all others? I believe there is and because men refuse to acknowledge this greatest of controversies, destruction and death will be breaking news on CNN and Fox News. Read carefully the words of Jeremiah and Hosea as they describe the root problem facing the Jews and Gentiles of their day, as well as the last generation of mankind who will see the devastating conclusion to the greatest controversy of all time. Know this my dear family and friends, we are that last generation, and our eternal salvation depends on knowing about and responding properly to this great controversy.

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Jeremiah 25:15-17, 31-33. “For thus saith the Lord God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it. And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them. Then took I the cup at the Lord’s hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom the Lord had sent me…. A noise shall come even to the ends of the Earth; for the Lord hath a “controversy with the nations”, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. And the slain of the Lord shall be “at that day” from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the Earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.”

Hosea 4:1-3. “Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel: for the Lord hath a “controversy with the inhabitants” of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood. Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.”

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Jeremiah knew that in the last days or “at that day” God would settle once and for all the great controversy he has with mankind. The time of “pleading with all flesh” to repent and embrace his love and mercy while warning of his wrath and judgment would come to an abrupt halt. He knew that divine judgment would be sent upon both Jews and Gentiles by God through the “sword of war” and the “wine cup” of his fury or wrath. Israel and the Gentile nations from the “ends of the Earth” will hear the noise of his wrath and judgment. These days of Jacob’s trouble will take place in a seven year time span according to Daniel’s parallel visions, Daniel 9:27. For God will do two things.

First, he will lift his restraining hand from the evil fallen angels who rule the nations and all religions. He will allow them to bring destruction and death upon mankind that is so horrible that men’s hearts will fail them for fear of what is happening on the Earth and in the heavens above. Russia and the fanatics of Islam will be included in this sword of war that is filling all men with fear and hatred. As Jeremiah saw, men from all nations will indeed drink of the wine cup filled with wrath to the point of being mad. This insanity triggers a nuclear World War III. It is coming and there is no stopping it my dear friends! Secondly, after the Lord has allowed this deception, destruction, and death from the fallen angels working in the hearts of evil men, God will send his holy angels to begin his judgments on the Earth itself, as John records in the Revelation.

Knowing all of these things to come, that are this very hour beginning to unfold before our eyes, what has the God of Israel said and done that creates such disputing and debating against him among the nations, even among his chosen people, the Jews? I have listed below seven fundamental teachings from the God of Israel found in the Old and New Testaments which men have disputed and denied ever since the descendents of Adam and Eve began to multiply upon the Earth six-thousand years ago. The most important thing is how you respond to them. Do you agree with and apply them by faith in your life, or do you dispute and contend against these teachings? You do not have to possess a doctorate in systematic theology to understand them either, for they are clearly laid out in the scriptures. Remember, the scriptures are the inerrant and inspired word of God that have withstood thousands of years of debate and distortion. This truth in itself is considered by many of my friends (I agree with them) to be a fundamental teaching, so don’t get caught up in the numbers game of six, seven, or eight teachings. The numbers and the fact they all begin with the letter “S” are to make it easier to read and remember. You can rest your eternal soul, spirit, and body upon the truth revealed in the scriptures.

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(1) Son of God

The fundamental doctrines of Christ begin with the truth of the trinity or one God in three persons, Father, Word (Son), and Holy Spirit. The Jewish prophet, Isaiah, saw the person of the Son and said unto a rebellious Israel…”For unto us a child is born (in Bethlehem), unto us a Son is given (in Jerusalem), and the government shall be upon his shoulder” (on Earth during the millennial kingdom)…, Isaiah 9:6. Daniel spoke of the same Son and his mission when he said the Messiah would be “cut off” or given for the people of Israel, Daniel 9:26.

The apostle John’s very first words given to him by the Holy Spirit, as he described this Son who the small remnant of Israel was looking for, were…”In the beginning was the Word (Son), and the Word (Son) was with God (Father), and the Word (Son) was God. The same was in the beginning with God (Father)…and the Word (Son) was made flesh, and dwelt among us”, John 1:1-2,14. When the Word or Son came to this Earth through the virgin birth of Mary, God and man were forever linked in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. As Jesus, the eternal Word and Son, said to the Father…”a body thou hast prepared me”, Hebrews 10:5. God the Word (Son) was now wearing the fleshly body of a man, yet without sin as all others possessed from the fall of Adam and Eve.

Many who read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John become confused by false teachers who deny that Jesus was God, the second member of the eternal Godhead. They will cut and paste the words of Jesus out of context to prove their point. When you read the words of Jesus written in the four gospels he seems to be talking to his followers one time as the Son of Man, like when he says…”the Father is greater than I”. These false teachers will use this verse to say Jesus was only a man. But they quickly forget that another time Jesus says..”before Abraham was, I am”, which identifies the Word (Son) of God inside the body of the Lord doing the speaking, for Jesus the man had not yet been born when Abraham lived. Remember, the Lord Jesus was both a man and God and could speak from either position or nature. We must know also that the triune Godhead had planned before the worlds were created for the Word to also become the Son, which John so clearly alluded to in his gospel account.

(2) Satan’s Rebellion

The next thing we must understand is the fall of Lucifer, who was created as one of God’s archangels, Isaiah 14:12-14. He was created with a pure and perfect heart, just as Adam and Eve much later in time. Both angels and men were created to live forever like their creator. God created multiple millions, some say billions, of other angels that administered the Kingdom of God that flourished throughout the universe. Everything was filled with love, light, and life that worshipped the triune Godhead. According to Ezekiel’s account of Lucifer’s rebellion, he was perfect in his ways until the day sin was found in him. For pride filled his heart as he desired to not only be a creation of God, but attain the place and position of being God himself, Ezekiel 28:11-19. He managed to convince one-third of all the angels to join him in this attempt to be like God, Revelation 12:3-4. He now became known as Satan.

Luke records the Lord Jesus himself declaring how he was there when God banished Lucifer and his rebellious friends from Heaven…”I beheld Satan as lightning fall from Heaven”, Luke 10:18. That statement confirms the truth that Jesus was both the eternal God and a man in perfect flesh when he spoke those words to his disciples. The light and life that filled the universe through the hearts of holy angels was now cursed with the darkness by the fall of Lucifer and his friends The apostle John plots the course of this vital and foundational teaching of Lucifer/Satan’s fall in the Revelation with the glorious and ultimate political-religious defeat of Satan and the fallen angels.

(3) Sin Nature

When Adam and Eve fell into rebellion against God through the crafty lies of Satan, all future generations were now under a curse. Satan now had dominion over humanity, and ultimately the various nations or kingdoms that would arise from a divided world after the flood of Noah’s day, including America. Satan even offered the nations to Jesus if he would worship him as God, Luke 4:5-8.

We all inherited the sin nature of Adam and Eve which consists of many elements and characteristics, all flowing from the self-exalting pride of this life (militant national patriotism a manifestation), and the love of self and money, 1 John 2:16. It consumes and controls our entire tri-part being comprised of body, soul, and spirit. This nature of pride within us all was the root cause of Esau’s (Edomites) hatred toward Israel just as the Old Testament prophet Obadiah declared…”the pride of your heart (spirit) has deceived you”, Obadiah 3. The Islamic neighbors of Israel today are no different than their Edomite ancestors, as they are totally consumed by their desire to destroy the Jewish people.

(4) Sacrifice of Blood

According to the scriptures, this evil sin nature can only be removed by the blood sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. This removal is likened unto the circumcision of a male child, but this one is of our heart or spirit wherein dwells the control room of our entire being. Hebrews 9:22 says it plainly…”without shedding of blood is no remission (of sin),” It is that simple my friends We have no power or ability within ourselves to remove the dominance this nature has over our entire being. All we can do is come to the bloody cross of Israel’s Messiah. This sacrificial death on the cross to pay for our sins, to offer us mercy and forgiveness is why he came from Heaven in the first place. How can anyone not love him and unashamedly proclaim his name for what he did?

The scriptures teach that Jesus came once to die in the end of the ages, appearing unto man to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself, Hebrews 9:26. But properly understanding the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ must include the truth of his glorious bodily resurrection. As Paul taught the Corinthians, if Jesus did not rise bodily from the dead then he is not our Savior and Lord, and we are yet in our sins, 1 Corinthian 15. This resurrection truth must be included with the cross to be the cornerstone of our faith. They are inseparable.

The next two foundational doctrines describe the part we must play in order to be freed from the sin nature within us, but as I just said, the sacrificial death and glorious bodily resurrection of our Lord which our brothers, Peter, James, and John, witnessed first hand and so testified before a doubting world, remains the heart and soul of the gospel message.

(5) Sorrow

This might shock some of you, but it is not enough to just give mental assent to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The fallen angels and their leader, Satan, do this every day. They know this all happened, they saw it with their very own eyes, they were there. You must take this knowledge and apply it to your own life. His death is your death and his resurrection is your resurrection and freedom from the sin nature, like Paul taught in Romans 6-8. This application of Godly knowledge then becomes wisdom, and wisdom changes our lives. But you might be asking, what does it mean…his death is my death? Great question!

First of all, we must humbly confess from our hearts that we are indeed sinners before a holy and majestic God, and rightfully deserve to be judged and sent to an eternal Hell in the Lake of Fire. At the same time we must do what Paul taught the Corinthians, when he told them Godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation, 2 Corinthians 7:10. This sorrow can only come when we realize that all of our sins are not just against other people, but against God. Our sins are the very nails that punctured the skin of the Son of God when evil men crucified him over two-thousand years ago. I was one of those evil men and still am in my carnal flesh! We were all there in a spiritual sense, my friends, and all of us stand guilty before him. After thirty plus years of knowing this fundamental truth about myself and the bloody cross of our Savior, I continue to stand in awe of the incredible love the Son of God has toward all men, in that while we were yet sinners and his enemies, he died for us.

Sorrow of a Godly kind instinctively produces repentance and must be included when placing or applying our God-given faith upon the person of Jesus Christ and his teachings. Then his death becomes the death of your old life as a practicing sinner. For the Lord Jesus teaches us that if we repent and put our trust and faith in him he will freely give us “the gift” that brings salvation. Regrettably, many in Christendom today want a free gift of salvation “only” to escape being thrown into the Lake of Fire, when the truth is our Lord gives this free gift to save us from our sin nature and the fallen angels who stir it up to do their bidding.

Many are traveling upon a dark and wide religious road leading to an eternal Hell, while at the same time thinking they have Jesus as Savior, when he is not the Lord of their lives. I was once one of them before becoming an atheist after my experiences in the Vietnam war. I was a believer in name only, even having the name “Protestant” engraved on my Army dog tags. Like all false believers, I had no desire to understand the spiritual components of my sin nature which poured out of me naturally, let alone be free from its power. In fact, I didn’t think for a second I was a false believer, and would look down on anyone who would even suggest such a thing. After all, I was serving God and country, just like other Christian Americans have since 1776.

So just what is this free gift that we “receive by faith” when Godly sorrow has worked repentance within our hearts?

(6) Salvation

Salvation is not a reality in our lives unless we believe the Word of God when he says the Holy Spirit will enter into our bodies instantly upon our true Godly repentance and expression of faith in the bloody cross and resurrection of our Lord and Savior. As Peter cried out to his Jewish audience on the Day of Pentecost…”Therefore, let all of the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom “ye have crucified”, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were “pricked” in their heart, and said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”, Acts 2:36-38. Do you see how this Jewish audience was told they killed the Messiah? How did they respond when their hearts were pricked or convicted by the Holy Spirit using the mouth and words of Peter?

You can clearly see now that the ultimate free gift of God is not just escaping the Lake of Fire, but receiving the Holy Spirit, the third member of the triune Godhead. He is a person, God himself, who enters into our sinful bodies, washes away the sin nature controlling our heart or spirit, and recreates a new heart now surrounded by the Holy Spirit. Our bodies and old minds have yet to be saved and contain the remnants of the sin nature that tempt us, but the dominant power of sin was located in our spirit or heart. This evil nature has been crucified on the cross and our new heart lives in the love, life, and teachings of Jesus Christ while our minds are renewed daily waiting for the final salvation or glorification of our sinful bodies on the day of resurrection. This what Paul meant when he cried out…”Christ in you the hope of glory”, Colossians 1:20-29

But false Christian teachers inspired by fallen angels have always twisted or redefined this indwelling miracle in order to keep men trapped in the self-exaltation of themselves (self-love, self-image, self-esteem) that comes naturally from the religious pride of our sin nature. Men like Robert Schuller, Bennie Hinn, Joel Osteen, and their friends on television, have redefined the elements of the sin nature and are trumpeting “another” Holy Spirit that is deceiving millions in Christendom. There is only one true Holy Spirit and Paul said to the Christians in Rome if any man has not this Spirit of Christ, he is not yet saved and part of the Body of Christ, Romans 8:9.

The fallen angels that guide false teachers, like Schuller, hate the truth of the bloody cross and will do anything they can to keep men from the power of the cross that produces Godly sorrow and true repentance. Moreover, these unseen haters of God do not want anyone to understand the spiritual components of our sin nature, and the power of the Lord’s blood to wash it away.

Know this my friends, when a man has the true Spirit of God within him he will not contradict or re-interpret these fundamental teachings of Jesus Christ. Neither will the true Spirit condone any notion that in any way suggests we can have Jesus as our Savior, but not the Lord of our daily lives. Like I said, there are many false Christians who want only to escape Hell, but not the sin that sends us there. Remember this, he will not be our Savior from Hell if we have no desire for him to be our Lord to give us his power to walk in his commandments no matter what the cost. This indwelling of God within us is the power that also brings a great love for all people, including the worst of our enemies, whereby we can then obey the two greatest commandments of God, loving him and our neighbors. All other commandments hang upon these two, just as Jesus said.

Paul wrote to his friend, Titus, instructing him to remind the followers of Jesus, now being seduced by false Christian teachers, that we were saved not by offering our own good works unto God that he might then forgive us. Men who teach these things only keep men in the carnal pleasures of their sin nature, while convincing their followers they have the innate ability within themselves to please God by good deeds or works. Paul was astonished at how these false teachers would twist the Word of God around trying to convince people they needed to do good works in themselves before God would forgive and save them. He carefully told Titus…”Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Spirit”, Titus 3:5. Both Peter and Paul understood and taught this fundamental teaching of regeneration or being born again in one’s heart, and the work of the Holy Spirit in renewing our minds with the teachings of Jesus.

(7) Second Coming

The cross and resurrection are inseparable teachings, as I wrote earlier. There is one more doctrine that must be connected to them in order to have complete understanding of the gospel message. And that is the doctrine of the physical and pre-millennial second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ to establish his rule and reign from Jerusalem over the nations for one-thousand years, Revelation 19-20. If any of these three teachings are redefined or omitted from the proclamation of the gospel, confusion will rule in the hearts of those who profess to be Christians, the followers of Jesus Christ. If this confusion or distortion is not corrected the gospel proclaimed by these deceived brethren then becomes as Paul said to the Corinthians and Galatians, “another” gospel preaching “another” Jesus.

Do you now believe that he is alive, risen from the dead, and your sin nature has been washed away by his blood? If you do, then where is he now and is he coming back as he promised his amazed followers who watched him as he ascended into the heavens, leaving them with his promise to someday return in like manner, Acts 1:9-11? Our Lord will return to and for his faithful followers in his glorious risen body before he unleashes his militant judgment upon the nations for rejecting him and his message. These are the Christians who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and walking in his power to continue in the faith concerning these seven pillars of sound doctrine.

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What is your reaction to these foundational doctrines of Christ Jesus? Are they the anchor that keeps you from drifting away from God? Are they the filter used when you either hear or read a message from one who claims to a Christian leader? If this article was the outline for a college course you could call it Bible Christianity 101. It is actually no more than detailing and defining what Paul and Peter referred to as the “milk” of God’s words, Hebrews 5:12, 1 Peter 2:2.

Do you see why God has a controversy with the nations, including Israel? Do you now understand the connection between the Son and his Sacrifice, and Satan’s rebellion which led to the Sin Nature of Adam and Eve? We must also understand that the fallen angels under Satan are the unseen rulers of this planet, who are stirring the nations to war to set the stage for the Antichrist and his counterfeit Kingdom of God. This American Antichrist who dwells in the White House will usher in a satanic peace to the world beginning in Jerusalem, eventually causing all men to worship this man as a Savior.

As I have written numerous times, the Antichrist will be the last President of the United States. The day is coming when these fallen angels will appear publicly and convince most of mankind that the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is an invasion of extraterrestrials. The apparitions of Mary to devoted Catholics are past examples of the work of fallen angels, only the coming apparitions will be much more public, leaving no doubt in the hearts of men who have rejected the true Jesus Christ to follow the Pope. The last President and Pope will agree with the message of these public appearances and lead the nations to Armageddon to make war against the Lord, Revelation 17:14, 19:19.

The death toll from natural disasters around the planet is rising and Daniel’s 70th Week of seven years has not yet started. The famine and food shortages resulting from floods in one place and droughts in another, together with earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, tidal waves, tornados, is causing panic and strife among the nations. These things will only get worse. Moreover, everyone seems to be watching and examining the startling events taking place in today’s political, religious, economic, and military centered world that are bringing mankind to the brink of a nuclear war between America and Russia, the “Little Horns” of Daniel 7&8. People are troubled, and politicians have no answers.

And yet, very few are asking why all of these dreadful things are happening? Most people are asleep spiritually, and mock those of us who warn of God’s coming wrath and his controversy with the nations. We now have a President who openly announced that June of 2009 is “Gay Pride” month, making Washington D.C. the capitol of the latter day Sodom and Gomorrah. More and more states have sanctioned and legalized gay marriages, as they have done with the murder of babies in their mother’s wombs. History and the scriptures have proven that whenever a nation or civilization reaches the point of embracing these two abominations, all other sins known to man have already filled the cup of wrath that God will pour out upon those who refuse his offer of forgiveness and mercy.

The only question remaining about the Antichrist is this: Will the last President be a left-wing endorser of abortion and gay marriage like Barack Obama, or will he come from the right-wing of militant patriots as did Germany’s Adolph Hitler, who thought it proper and just to kill homosexuals with the Jews? In fact, the right-wing zealotry of Hitler blamed the Jews for the deterioration of the moral standards of the German people. Will the militant false Christian patriots, who are more loyal to America’s Constitution than the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount and his prophetic sermon on the Mount of Olives, be able to overcome the putrid swamp of left-wing lunacy that fills Washington D.C, and replace it with their own cesspool of self-righteous pride and greed? No matter which wing of America’s political Eagle the Antichrist emerges from, he will be a professing Christian, just as Hitler was in the 1930’s.

If you have not yet embraced and received the Lord Jesus Christ, can you at least acknowledge that God has a controversy with you personally since you belong to the nations Jeremiah mentioned? Do you understand now that he does not want to condemn you because of this controversy and has offered you a way of escape? Remember, the combined power of the precious blood and second coming of Jesus Christ is the “only” permanent solution to the death and destruction that men inflict upon one another to the hideous delight of their fallen angel masters. The God who created and loves you wants you to experience sorrow of a Godly kind that works repentance unto the salvation of your heart, mind, and body. He will replace your genuine sorrow with his joy! Then you will desire to obey the God of Israel because you love him, knowing that he first loved you and sent his Son to save you from your sins and the bondage of the fallen angels.

In conclusion, I invite you to once again read the two-part article “The Fundamentalist” which details and defines these foundational doctrines or teachings in the holy scriptures. Just click on “Articles” on the left side of our website homepage and scroll down to the article. Please let me know if you have any comments, criticisms, or questions by visiting our website and signing the “guestbook” or sending an email. Thank you for reading this and I hope to hear from you soon. I hope you will also consider reading the articles “Then Comes the Fire”, and “The Judgment Chronicles” posted on our web site. For details concerning my military background during the Vietnam era, please read the articles “Vietnam: The Manchus of Charlie Company”, “Pacifist, Patriot, or Pilgrim” and “Moved with Compassion”. Just click on the web site link below and click on “Articles”. The radio interviews I have been part of can be listened to by clicking on this link: http://www.thebyteshow.com/JackHook.html

Sincerely,
Jack D. Hook