Oslo was dead, to begin with. "There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner..." Old Oslo was as dead as a doornail. The yearlong wake called an "intifada" began in September 2000, coupled with Israeli reprisals and assassinations, during which it was rumored the peace process might be made alive again.

The early church in the first century was under attack from both the inside and the outside. So what has changed? It should not surprise us that the Holy Spirit has anticipated every conceivable form of attack and diversion, and the three epistles of John are full of insights that are timely for each of us - at the personal level as well as the corporate.

In our previous article we explored some hints, in the Old Testament Scriptures, that the fabled Ark of the Covenant may, indeed, presently reside in Ethiopia, in accordance with a tradition that goes back over 2,600 years.

This last year at King's High Way, an overwhelming majority of all our correspondence, phone calls and direct contacts have been from men whose wives have left them or are considering divorce. Most of these men are dazed and bewildered by their wives' actions.

Since the September 11th World Trade Center and Pentagon terrorist attacks, a growing angst has descended on the western world, nurtured by media ready to recount the latest morsels of anthrax-generated anxiety. Panicky people are looking to government to restore the security they once felt.

All of us at K-House want to wish you and yours a most blessed and joyous holiday season. Christmas is often a very emotional and sensitive time of year (and this Christmas will be no exception), especially for those of us who have lost loved ones, those who are struggling with financial burdens and those who are facing difficult horizons ahead.

In July we wrote an article, "The Oklahoma City Bombing: A Past and Future History", documenting how the tragic bombing of the Murrah Office Building in Oklahoma City was a watershed event that scuttled the Religious Right and short-circuited efforts to bring an ever-expanding and frequently abusive government back to its constitutional guidelines.

The fact is, no matter how righteous we may be, and no matter how strong our faith is, all these frightful uncertainties coming to pass cannot help but affect our human emotions. It's all very scary. But, for the overcoming Christian whose sins are covered by the blood of Jesus, there is very good news. We have access to the Father and we can draw near to Him.

Matthew, being a Levite, emphasizes Jesus as the Messiah, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Each of the subtleties of his design supports this primary theme. His genealogy begins with the "first Jew," Abraham, and continues through David and the royal line to the legal father of Jesus, Joseph.

The Ark of the Covenant, a prominent fixture in the narratives of the Old Testament, certainly seems to have disappeared from view after the Babylonian captivity, which began in 606 B.C. There are many theories as to what happened to the Ark of the Covenant. This issue was, of course, popularized in the well-attended fantasy movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark.

What would you say has affected your life more than anything else as a Christian? What has made the greatest impact on your walk with the Lord?

After over two years of sharing the series, Faith in the Night Seasons, this will be my final article on this critical subject. I have been so blessed by your wonderful letters saying how much the articles have helped you weather your own night seasons. And for that, I praise God!

Even now, none of us have recovered from the shocks of September 11, 2001. We cannot resist noting the following Scripture:

Some call the Book of Zechariah, "The Apocalypse of the Old Testament." The book is particularly timely today as it focuses on the siege of Jerusalem by the collective Gentile powers on Planet Earth - a circumstance that is shaping up as you are reading this article! (It also seems to suggest the use of neutron bombs and gives us the only physical description of the Antichrist found in Scripture.)

Hate brings together a diverse group of people: an imprisoned pastor in Sweden, the Boy Scouts, people who violate their country's hate speech laws, gays and anti-gays, not to mention a whole herd of shouting, virulently angry, but of course, "tolerant" people at the third UN Conference on Racism in Durban, South Africa, last month.

Last month we shared the background of our beloved "James," who runs the audio department here at K-House. James grew up without the love of a father, and thus, the desire for a father's love consumed him throughout his whole life.

Even before the events of September 11th, there has been an increasing interest in Bible prophecy. There are probably few evidences more powerful for the supernatural origin of the Bible than its unparalleled track record with regards to prophetic predictions throughout history - and especially regarding the unique events of our own day.

As kids around the world anxiously await the fall opening of Warner Bros.' film "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," an occult expert has released a documentary video, "Harry Potter: Witchcraft Repackaged, Making Evil Look Innocent," claiming the Harry Potter phenomenon is incompatibile with Christianity.

President Bush's recent decision regarding federal funding of embryonic stem cell research has charged a national debate on the practical and moral implications of such research. The stem cell issue is so complex that it is difficult for the average person to fully grasp all of the details, but the debate over stem cells will have implications reaching far beyond the obvious.

Working at K-House, it's easy to get caught up in the "busyness of ministry" and not take time to know what's going on in the lives of the people we work with. So, when I can, I make time to go around and fellowship. In one of my wanderings, I ran into our beloved James, who edits and produces all the tapes for K-House.