House Mountain Hike #201, 5-22-2025: Sun, Wind, Water, Mud, and Fun! (published 5-24-2025; article #526)

Introduction

It had been 59 days since my milestone 200th hike on House Mountain. The article from 3/26/2025 was published three days after that hike.

What kept me out of the woods so long? Well, as the 4/9/2025 article recounts, our house got a new roof on “Liberation Day.” Further, my wife's middle sister was taxed with outpatient knee surgery on tax day, 4/15/2025. I enjoyed taking my sister-in-law to seven outpatient physical therapy appointments from April 21 to May 12. Her daughter took her to the other appointments. She had improved well enough to start driving herself on May 14th. Finally, we have had plenty of rain. I would rather not hike in the rain or mud.

Welcome, dear hiking enthusiast, to the 79th entry in the hiking topic section! Three days ago, the weather had finally cooled off and cleared out. The rainy pattern was behind us. I started to feel the hiking itch. Two days ago, I scratched that itch!

Last Thursday, chores around the house delayed my hike until the afternoon. Come hike along with me virtually as we trek up the west trail, spend time at the west bluff, and hike back down the same trail. My embedded audiovisual recording is from the west bluff. It features the refreshing breeze that was blowing from the northwest.

A high-pressure system was bringing cooler weather and that peaceful breeze. The mostly sunny sky was a crisp blue. The temperature was in the upper 70s Fahrenheit. I sweated enough hiking up, but the cool breeze evaporated the sweat.

Hiking Up the West Trail

Only four other vehicles were present, when my 2006 Frontier and I arrived at the main parking lot. Touching the marker near the enclosed picnic area at 2:00 PM on the dot started my hike.

I didn't take any photographs during my hike up the west trail. Just past the trailhead, only one group of three hikers and their dogs passed me on their way out. I enjoyed the solitude of the forest.

The water runoff and mud from last Tuesday's storms were not as bad as I thought they would be in the usual low-lying areas. The stepping stones before the wooden bridge kept my shoes dry. (A photograph of that water runoff area is in the hiking down-and-out section that follows.) I navigated up the four lower switchbacks easily. I noticed a small tree near a rock outcropping that had fallen. It had come in handy to grasp for balance during many previous hikes. Perhaps it will grow back.

At 2:19 PM, slowed only by mud and water runoff, I started up the six upper switchbacks. The spring foliage was certainly thick. Poison oak is plentiful along the trail. Recognize it and don't touch it! (A photograph of a section of poison oak is included farther below.)

Nine minutes later, I reached the final or sixth upper switchback. It took me only twelve more minutes to hike the trail heading west below the ridgeline. I still enjoy the challenge of moving on hands and feet up two steep rock formations and touching the “defiant tree,” which juts out between a rock outcropping.

At 2:40 PM, I touched the rock at the west bluff to mark my time. Again, the wet and muddy areas slowed my ascent by a few minutes. In “pre-bionic” hikes, I could have made the wet and muddy hike up in about thirty minutes, not forty. I still challenge myself to do better!

By the way, don't take chewing gum from your mouth and place it into the change pocket in your blue jeans! It sticks in there, and you will have a hard time pulling and digging it out! (I talk about doing this in the upcoming embedded audiovisual episode.)

At the West Bluff

Hiking up to the west bluff from the southwest, the mountain had blocked the crisp wind from refreshing me. Once I reached the west bluff, the brisk and cool wind from the northwest cooled, calmed, and relieved me of sweat! I enjoyed the moment.

The following photograph, taken at 2:49 PM, faces west and shows the two trail signs. The west bluff is visible in the background.

Where is the sound of the refreshing breeze?

It's on today's installment of Appalachian Irishman – Podcasts (YouTube)! The episode is House Mountain Hike 201, 5-22-2025: Sun, Wind, Water, Mud, and Fun! (pub. 5-24-2025; episode 37). Listen to that wind!

Ah! Didn't the sound of that cool breeze relax and refresh you? It did for me two days ago. By the Lord's grace, live the dream! Just don't stick chewed chewing gum into the change pocket of your blue jeans!

Hiking Down-and-Out the West Trail

A young couple, hiking from east to west across the ridge trail, joined me at the west bluff. We exchanged greetings, and I decided to start hiking back down and out on the same west trail. I chose to give the young couple some time alone. At 2:57 PM, I started hiking down and out.

By 3:21 PM, I had trekked down to the middle or third upper switchback and taken the following photograph.

The view looks down and to the southwest. Can you spot the poison oak? It has five elongated leaves, with the longer three pointing closest to the ground. This poisonous plant is also called the Virginia creeper. Around these parts, however, we call it poison oak.

If I had a dollar for every poison oak plant that I saw along the trail, I would be a millionaire! Just don't touch it, unless you know that you are not allergic to it. My wife's middle sister is so allergic to it that, if she even looks at it, she starts itching!

I photographed the following at 3:29 PM. I had already descended to the low-lying area before the four lower switchbacks.

The image does not show as well the mountain stream runoff that I saw clearly. Stepping along the rocks carefully kept my trusty hiking shoes dry.

Farther down, after the four lower switchbacks, I paused at a mountain stream to soak the soles of my hiking shoes in the clear-flowing water. That removed a lot of trail dust and mud.

Nearing the end of my hike, I photographed the “little lake,” as I call it, at 3:47 PM.

The view looks southeast. Dry ground was to the right of the image. I went that way to avoid the standing water and mud in the foreground. Just beyond the single tree standing in the center of the image, I avoided the rest of the water and mud by stepping across the rocks in the distant left of the image. Balance and careful foot placement kept my shoes dry again. Over the years, I have learned not to step on certain rocks, because they will roll under your step!

Conclusion

At 3:52 PM, I touched the marker near the covered picnic area to mark the end of my hike. I enjoyed an hour and 52 minutes in the woods.

I found a twig, sat on the short wall that surrounds the picnic area, and picked out mud from the soles of my hiking shoes. A man, about my age or younger, was starting his hike. He paused and looked at me, as if wondering what I was doing. I told him that I was picking out mud. Silently, he went on his way.

Eleven other vehicles were in that main parking lot. The following photograph shows my 2006 Frontier and the park sign.

My truck wanted me to photograph him today. He asked me. What? Don't you talk with your vehicle?

By the way, how can a park open and close, when there are no gates to close and lock at the entrance and exit? I have hiked out in the dark, after sunset, a few times over the years. For instance, the article from 10/24/2010 is about my hike on Saturday, 10/16/2010. It includes seven sunset photographs and mentions my hike down and out in the darkness. Of course, I do not recommend hiking before sunrise or after sunset, unless you are an experienced hiker and have a good flashlight.

My 201st hike on House Mountain involved sun, wind, water, mud, and fun! Toss in a sufficient amount of sweat. Flying critters didn't buzz around me too much. Only a few other hikers and I exchanged brief greetings as we passed each other. Mostly, I had the woods to myself. Remember, a day, or a part of a day at least, in the woods is better than not having been there!

Also, don't forget to check for ticks after hiking during tick season! Once home and before peeling 'taters (mentioned in my audiovisual episode above), I checked and found no ticks on me.

Earthquake Rattles the East Tennessee Region on Saturday, 5-10-2025 (published 5-13-2025; article #525)

Doha, Qatar, 8/26/2022, photograph by Murewa Saibu on Unsplash. Free to use under the Unsplash License.

 Introduction

The seismic fissures on the structure in the above image were from a few years ago in Doha, Qatar. Three days ago, however, our house shook but sustained no damage. The earthquake at 9:04 AM on Saturday, May 10, 2025, was one to remember!

Welcome, dear reader, to the 35th article in the Appalachia—Northeast Tennessee topic section. If you live in the region, or even in the Carolinas, Georgia, or Kentucky, you may have felt the tremors. It was a literal seismic shift that lasted a few seconds.

The Earthquake

Three mornings ago, the weather outside was mostly cloudy and seasonably cool. Indoors, Mrs. Appalachian Irishman was sitting on a sofa in the living room, watching a television show that only a woman could enjoy. I was sitting at my home office desk, reading an article online.

The time was 9:04 AM. At first, it sounded and felt like a heavy train coming down the railroad track. The track runs parallel near the back of our property. Trains run infrequently.

That was no train! Looking out my office windows, it seemed as if the ground was vibrating. Our ten-year-old “puppy,” Molly, however, was sitting in the driveway normally, apparently unaware of any movement beneath her. Our house must have been shaking slightly. It was disorienting. Glass cups placed closely together in a kitchen cabinet began to rattle. The rather disturbing sensation lasted only a few seconds.

A few minutes after the shaking stopped, a next-door neighbor called to ask if we had felt an earthquake. My wife, who answered, told him yes. Indoors, he said that he had felt it. He said that his wife, who was in the basement at the time, didn't feel anything. He had already called his father, who lives a couple of miles away. His father, outside at the time, said that he didn't feel anything. I heard about people, driving at the moment the earth shook, who didn't feel the earthquake.

Evidently, to feel the earthquake, you had to have been indoors, not in a basement, outside, or driving.

One of several articles about the earthquake is “A Tennessee earthquake rattles homes as far away as Atlanta with 4.1 magnitude,” Associated Press (AP), by Ben Finley and Bill Cormier, 5/10/2025. The federal government account with plenty of details is at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): M 4.1 - 21 km SE of Greenback, Tennessee: 2025-05-10 13:04:20 (UTC).

Conclusion

My wife and I lived in Charleston, Missouri, from 1986 to 1992. We remember the earthquake that shook the ground there in the late 1980s or early 1990s. Looking out a window, I saw the front porch metal rail and posts shaking. Coming down a set of stairs at another location, my wife felt the staircase shake. The earthquake last Saturday was also one to remember.

In the New Testament, the inspired record of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount is in Matthew, chapters 5-7. Jesus concluded his sermon in Matthew 7:24-27. The spiritually wise who hear the words of the Lord are like a man who built his house on the rock. Strong rainstorms and wind batter the house, but it will not fall, since its foundation is on the rock.

Last Saturday, our physical house shook but received no damage. Our spiritual house, however, did not shake, for it is built on the Solid Rock, Christ Jesus! See Matthew 7:24-27, 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 (especially verse 4), and 1 Peter 2:1-10 (particularly verses 4-5).

Dear reader, if your spiritual house is shaken by not having its foundation in Christ, and if you would like to communicate privately, please use the “Contact Form” on this website to email me. That will start our confidential dialogue. My purpose is to help those who need to find firm footing on the Solid Rock.

The AD 70 Doctrine Debunked (published 5-7-2025; article #524)

Photograph by Dmitriy Rundaev on Unsplash. Free to use under the Unsplash License.

Introduction

Did we miss Jesus' second coming? Is Jesus not coming again in the future?

Have you heard the notion that the Lord’s second coming occurred in AD 70, 1,955 years ago? Did you know that some believers think that the resurrection of all the dead has already happened? Who knew that some Christians affirm that the end of the world and the final judgment were in the first century?

Welcome, dear reader, to the 39th entry in the Logic-Theology-Deep Stuff topic section. This article summarizes the AD 70 doctrine and debunks it. The doctrine is also called preterism or realized eschatology.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, preter means “past: by: preterist” from the Latin “praeter past, by, beyond, from Latin prae before.” A preterist thinks that Jesus' second coming has already happened and that it occurred 1,955 years ago in AD 70. Additionally, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, eschatology is the study of last things or the end of time (i.e., the second coming of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, the transformation of the living, the destruction of the earth by fire, the final judgment, and everlasting life or death). Realized eschatology, in essence, affirms that these last things have already taken place.

Background

On Saturday evening, 4/26/2025, why did I check out my Facebook profile page to see what friends had posted recently? I hadn't done so in a few days. I happened to notice that a brother in Christ—with whom I became acquainted while attending Tennessee Bible College in the fall of 1983 and spring of 1984—had reposted earlier that evening his original 2,520-word entry from 5/11/2021 on another Facebook profile page.

The lengthy Facebook treatise by this fellow Christian—H. N., three years older than me—attempted to explain the meaning of the number 666 in Revelation 13:18. In so doing, he seemed to indicate that the second and final coming of Christ was in AD 70, not a future event, when Jerusalem fell to the Roman Empire.

The Roman Empire conquered Judea and destroyed the Second Temple in AD 70. Source: “Siege of Jerusalem: Jewish-Roman war [70 CE],” Encyclopedia Britannica, by Kate Lohnes, 8/29/2018.

The AD 70 (Preterism) Doctrine

Say what? Do some Christians think that Jesus already returned for the second and final time? Yes, a minority of believers think that the Roman conquest of Judea in AD 70 marked the second coming of Christ 1,955 years ago. Aside from my brother in Christ, who lives in Michigan, I do not know any other Christians who think this way. Do you?

I first heard about the AD 70 (preterist) doctrine in the mid-1980s, forty years ago. It was only a minor footnote in my theological studies. Recently, I came across three online sources, two of which may no longer be active, that advocate the preterist notion. I will allow these sources to present their case. First, I found the International Preterist Association (IPA): About: What is the Preterist View? The website by Ed Stevens was current to 2019, six years ago. Further, I also came across PreteristCentral.com: Affirming Christ’s Second Coming Fulfilled by Kurt M. Simmons. The website does not seem to be active. Finally, I discovered the following source that seems to be current: Bible Prophecy: Preterist Research Institute (PRI): About. Don K. Preston, who has an honorary, not earned, doctorate degree, is the founder and president.

Those sources include several entries that attempt to establish the preterist notion. The purpose of this article is not to explain how they present their case. You, however, may visit those websites and read some of their essays, as I have done. I found none that proved their theory.

In brief, preterists twist scripture. Plucking texts out of their immediate and remote contexts, they set up a pretext for their false doctrine. In 2 Peter 3:16, the apostle Peter warned that twisting and distorting scripture leads to destruction. In the first century AD, the apostle Paul warned against false teachers who taught that the resurrection had already taken place (2 Timothy 2:15-18).

Debunking the AD 70 Doctrine

This section begins with my exchange with H. N. on Facebook on 4/26/2025. Afterward, a brief study of selected scriptures in their proper context will debunk the AD 70 doctrine.

Facebook Exchange with H. N. on 4/26/2025

On Saturday evening, 4/26/2025, I commented on H. N.'s Facebook repost as follows: “Why is this relevant for what? The second coming of Christ, the end of the temporal realm, and final judgment are in the future.”

H. N.'s Facebook reply later that evening was (with my emboldening added for emphasis and grammatical correction bracketed in red font), “Sorry, the Second Coming of the Lord took place at the fall of the temple; check Hebrews 10:37 and its relation to Hebrews 9:28. There are no miracles in your future[,] and a future Second Coming requires the greatest miracle the world has ever seen. Miracles were for forty years (Micah 4:1-7:15).”

I decided to consider H. N.'s scripture references in their immediate and remote contexts. First, Hebrews 9:28 (NIV) states, “... so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” Hebrews chapter 9 contrasts the Old and New Covenants. The point in verse 28 is that Christ was sacrificed once for our sins. His second appearance (coming) will bring everlasting salvation to believers.

Nothing in the context, immediate or remote, suggests that Christ's second coming occurred in AD 70 when the Roman Empire conquered Jerusalem and destroyed the temple. In fact, the verse indicates a future second coming of Christ!

You see. I am waiting for Christ to come again to bring salvation in its everlasting and heavenly completion! If you are a Christian, dear reader, then are you not also awaiting this second coming?

Next, Hebrews 10:37 (NIV) states, “For, 'In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay.'” This verse references Isaiah 26:20 and Habakkuk 2:3. In the pericope, Hebrews 10:19-39, the inspired author encourages Christians to hold onto their faith despite persecution. Patiently doing God's will receives the promised reward of everlasting salvation (verses 35-39). Nothing in the context, immediate or remote, alludes to a second coming of Christ in AD 70.

Finally, in seven chapters, the Book of Micah predicts that Israel would be conquered and restored. The book includes the Messianic prophecy that Christ would be born in Bethlehem (5:2; cf. Matt. 2:6). Nothing in this prophetic book, especially in chapters 4-7, indicates a 40-year period of miracles connected to Christ's second coming. As an aside, it is beyond the scope of this article to prove that the age of miracles ceased when the New Testament canon of scripture was completed, but I can prove this.

Scripture That Debunks the AD 70 Doctrine

This subsection is a brief review of certain scriptures, understood in their immediate and remote contexts, that debunks the AD 70 doctrine. Again, please remember that scripture taken out of context is a pretext for false doctrine.

John 5:27-29

The complete context is John chapter 5. Jesus was in Jerusalem for a Jewish festival. He miraculously healed a man on the Sabbath (verses 1-9). Verses 10-16 explain how the Jewish leaders began persecuting Jesus for healing a man on the Sabbath. Jesus answered them in verses 17-47.

In verses 27-29, Jesus presented his authority to judge (verse 27). In verses 28-29 (NIV), Jesus stated, “... a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his [Jesus'] voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.”

In AD 70, no historical record indicates that all the buried dead at that time heard the voice of Jesus, came out of their graves, and were judged. Further, since graves now hold the remains of the deceased, the time that Jesus mentioned has not yet come. It is coming. Are you ready?

Matthew, chapters 24-25

Preterists and premillennialists misinterpret Matthew chapter 24 (cf. Mark chapter 13 and Luke 21:5-36). In verses 1-2, Jesus predicted the destruction of the Jewish temple. On the Mount of Olives, in verse 3 (NIV), the disciples asked Jesus the following two-part question: “[W]hen will this [temple destruction] happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Part one of the question inquired about the destruction of the temple. The second part asked about Jesus' coming and the end of the age.

In verses 4-35, Jesus answered the first part of the question about the destruction of the temple, which occurred in AD 70. In verse 34 (NIV), he stated, “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.” The Jewish temple would be destroyed, as it was in AD 70, within that first-century generation.

Jesus answered the second part of the question about his coming and the end of the age in verses 36-51. Jesus' final coming, known only to God the Father, will not be predicted by signs. It will be as in the days of Noah before the worldwide flood (Genesis 6:5-9:17).

Please notice that Jesus further explained his future coming and the end of the age in Matthew chapter 25. The parable of the ten virgins (verses 1-13) and the parable of the bags of gold (verses 14-30) emphasize watchfulness and stewardship.

The sheep and the goats (verses 31-46) focus on benevolence. Notice verses 31-33. Jesus, the Son of Man, will come in glory with all the angels. In verse 32 (NIV), Jesus stated, “All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” In AD 70, “all the nations” were not gathered before Jesus to be separated.

Jesus concluded in verse 46 (NIV), “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” From “all the nations,” the goats on Jesus' left will be sent to “eternal punishment,” and the sheep on his right will have everlasting life. In AD 70, “all the nations” did not receive everlasting punishment or reward. Jesus' future coming will judge “all the nations.” Will you be a sheep or a goat?

Acts 1:11

The complete context is Acts 1:1-11. For forty days after his resurrection, Jesus was with and instructed his apostles. They literally saw with their eyes Jesus ascend toward heaven.

While still gazing upward, two angels (men dressed in white, cf. John 20:12) appeared to the apostles and said, “[W]hy do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (verse 11, NIV).

In AD 70, Jesus did not physically return to the earth, nor did any human eyes literally see him return. I hope that I am still alive to see Jesus coming back from heaven!

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

To comfort and encourage the church of the Thessalonians, the apostle Paul explains that, at the future coming of Christ the Lord from heaven, believers who had passed away will rise first. Then, believers still living will join the risen dead to meet the Lord in the air.

Verses 16-17 (NIV) state, “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”

In AD 70, history does not record “the voice of the archangel,” “the trumpet call of God,” or Christians, deceased or still living, rising to meet Jesus in the air and going to be with him forever. That future event is my certain hope!

1 Corinthians, chapter 15

The apostle Paul's inspired eloquence to the church of God at Corinth in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 is a full statement about Jesus' resurrection (verses 1-11), the future resurrection of deceased believers (verses 12-34), the spiritual nature of the resurrected body (verses 35-57), and encouragement that serving the Lord is everlastingly beneficial (verse 58).

Key points found in verses 22-26 refute the AD 70 doctrine. After Christ comes, the end will come. Christ, however, will reign (from heaven) “... until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (verses 25-26, NIV). People, both saved and unsaved, are still dying physically every day. Physical death will end when Christ returns in the future. Obviously, physical death was not destroyed in AD 70.

Further, verses 51-52 (NIV) state, “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.”

In AD 70, the last trumpet did not sound. Dead believers were not raised imperishable. Living Christians were not transformed into spiritual bodies. Looking forward to that future event inspires me to live my life for Christ!

2 Peter, chapter 3

The apostle Peter warned that in the last days scoffers would question the coming of Christ, since life was continuing as usual (verses 1-4). In verses 5-7, similar to the Genesis flood that destroyed the world (Genesis 7:21-22), the coming “day of judgment” will destroy the world by fire as well as the ungodly. Verses 8-9 explain that the Lord's patience before the coming judgment day is because he does not want “... anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (verse 9, NIV).

Peter warned in verse 10 (NIV), “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.” Again, in verse 12 (NIV), he states that the “day of God” “... will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.”

The final verses (13-18) conclude the epistle by encouraging Christians to avoid false doctrines and to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (verse 18, NIV).

The coming “day of the Lord” will destroy the temporal realm by fire. The ungodly will suffer everlasting destruction, but the saved will enjoy everlastingly “... a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (verse 13, NIV).

This “day of judgment” certainly did not happen in AD 70. The earth still stands. Judgment Day is coming. Are you ready?

Revelation 1:7-8

Concluding his greetings to the seven churches in the province of Asia, the apostle John wrote in Revelation 1:7-8 (NIV) the following:

“Look, he is coming with the clouds,”
and “every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him;”
and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”
So shall it be! Amen.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

An in-depth review of these profound verses is outside the scope of this brief article. In opposition to the theory that Christ returned in AD 70, however, is the fact that Christ has not yet come with the clouds for every eye to see him, even the Roman soldier who pierced him (John 19:34,37), and “all peoples on earth” have not mourned due to his coming. The Lord God is the one “who is to come.”

Conclusion

This article has summarized the AD 70 doctrine and debunked it. The second coming of Christ did not occur 1,955 years ago in AD 70. I know only one Christian who advocates this false notion. Online, I happened to come across a few others who hold the unproven theory.

Is H. N.—mentioned above, the brother in Christ three years older than me who prompted the writing of this article—as zealous in seeking and saving the lost as he is in promoting the debunked AD 70 theory? I hope so. Otherwise, he needs to shift gears and focus on the reason why Jesus came the first time.

In Luke chapter 19:1-9, we read about Jesus' interaction with Zacchaeus, the tax collector. In verse 10 (NIV), Jesus said, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Ultimately, the purpose of this article is not only to debunk the AD 70 doctrine. It is also to encourage any unsaved reader to be ready for Christ's second coming and the final judgment.

Are you a sheep or a goat, dear reader? If you would like to converse privately by email, please use the Contact Form on this website to email me. I am one former poor and hungry beggar who found the Bread of Life. I want to share that Bread.