I'm very interested in the original meaning of words and how meanings were derived, especially when studying the Bible. I also use Wikipedia a lot and thus happened upon the Phoenician alphabet which is the root of the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek alphabets and ancestor to the modern English language.
What caught my eye and inspired me to write this post are two letters in the Phoenician alphabet which also carry a word meaning, Gaml (from which we get the word "camel"), and Qof (which meant "needle head" in the Phoenician hieroglyphic form, or "hole" in Hebrew).
Now if you give me a list of the 24 most basic words in the language, and tell me two of them are "camel" and "eye of a needle", my mind is going to jump to Matthew 19:24 where Jesus says "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God."
This sheds a whole new light on what Jesus was saying. It is as if He was saying "let me spell this out for you" or "let me put this in terms a caveman could understand."
To put this in a modern western context, think of a camel as a big pickup truck. The audience is a group of poor Galilean fishermen who could no more afford a camel than they could buy a new truck today. Jesus was saying something like "It would be easier to drive a truck through the hole in this fishing hook, than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God."
So how is the rich man going to enter the Kingdom of God? The first step is to get out of the truck. The next step is to become very small. Well, actually it's impossible. The only thing you can be holding when you pass through that very small opening is Jesus. "With God all things are possible."
Eternal life and the Kingdom of Heaven are here and now. But you may have to let go of everything you hold dear to go there. You will enter the Kingdom of God just as you entered this world - with nothing. "Blessed are the poor in spirit" is the first and most fundamental attitude required to accept the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
Let me emphasize that Jesus did not imply that giving away your property will get you into the Kingdom, but to "come follow Me." If our properties, jobs, families, etc. keep us from following Jesus, then we must let go. That's part of what I am thinking when I talk about shrinking.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
Heavenly Accounting
God is not a bookkeeper, but there are certainly books being kept on each of us, and not just by Google and the credit bureaus.
The book on me contains everything I've done, which is basically a book about my sin, because everything I do (including my righteousness) is as "filthy rags" before God. There is absolutely nothing I could do to zero out this book. There is nothing you could do, or all of us could do together to zero out these books. Add to this debt the infinite debt incurred by all of us, when we rejected His Son and put Him through a most painful and unjust death on the cross. That's a pretty heavy load of debt.
On the other side of the ledger is only one act that can balance the books. That is the sacrifice of the pure and spotless Lamb of God. His blood can cover every line in your book. The good new is - Jesus lives and He forgives. You know in your heart that you could not stand and account for your life before God. Without Jesus we are toast. Only Jesus can get us out of this jam.
Let me share one of my favorite Psalms 130 with you in music.
In this Psalm, verse 4 says "If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.."
God doesn't want to read my book, He just wants to see my heart pumping the blood of Jesus through my veins, giving me new life. Live in me LORD, and pour out your blessings through me to others! In Jesus name...
The book on me contains everything I've done, which is basically a book about my sin, because everything I do (including my righteousness) is as "filthy rags" before God. There is absolutely nothing I could do to zero out this book. There is nothing you could do, or all of us could do together to zero out these books. Add to this debt the infinite debt incurred by all of us, when we rejected His Son and put Him through a most painful and unjust death on the cross. That's a pretty heavy load of debt.
On the other side of the ledger is only one act that can balance the books. That is the sacrifice of the pure and spotless Lamb of God. His blood can cover every line in your book. The good new is - Jesus lives and He forgives. You know in your heart that you could not stand and account for your life before God. Without Jesus we are toast. Only Jesus can get us out of this jam.
Let me share one of my favorite Psalms 130 with you in music.
In this Psalm, verse 4 says "If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.."
God doesn't want to read my book, He just wants to see my heart pumping the blood of Jesus through my veins, giving me new life. Live in me LORD, and pour out your blessings through me to others! In Jesus name...
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Dying in the Wilderness
I had a dream. It was a troubling dream. I found myself in the middle of a desert, lost. I wandered seemingly endlessly searching for a way out, through one scene after another of bleak lonely wilderness. Then I awakened. It was 1976 in my garage apartment in Waco where I was enrolled in college. I still remember that dream and the disturbing impression left on my heart.
Some time later the Lord put a song on my heart. The song was about a man who knew God but lost his way and returned to the world. This song continued to haunt me through my years of wandering. Many times the Lord reached out to me and touched my heart with new songs and fresh understanding of His Word. But the warning reminded me - continue to wander and let the world harden your heart and you'll come to an end like the miserable old soul in this song.
A few years ago my father passed away while I was away on business. The tremendous weight of this experience caused me to become desperate for God. I asked for Him to give me the faith I needed to become truly free from the world. That is when I started to die. By that I mean that I began to lose interest in the things that took me away from God.
A few months ago one of the associate pastors at my church spoke about Joshua leading the nation of Israel into the promised land. Through him God showed me what had happened to me over those years of wandering. More than thirty years of my life was wasted pursuing wealth and fulfillment in the world while gradually losing touch with God. Like the children of Israel, God had taken me out of Egypt but there was still a lot of Egypt left in me that had to die in the wilderness.
Thank God I now see the green fields of the promised land. I know now that as long as I bear this "body of sin and death" I will still need to die daily, but I also have the spirit of Christ giving life to my spirit, and the spirit of God giving life to my mortal body!
Let me also say that Jesus' parable of the sower has been fulfilled in me (see Matthew 13). Some of the seed (the word of God) fell by the side of the road while I was a young skeptic. Some of the seed fell on sandy soil, sprouted early but perished because it had no depth of root. Some of the seed fell on thorny soil and was choked by my years of wandering in the cares of this world. And some of the seed has fallen in good soil, deeply rooted in me and about to bear eternal fruit!
Does any of this ring true with you? Are you lost in the wilderness? There is still a way out, if you are still alive and able to call upon Jesus. He will NEVER give up on you.
Some time later the Lord put a song on my heart. The song was about a man who knew God but lost his way and returned to the world. This song continued to haunt me through my years of wandering. Many times the Lord reached out to me and touched my heart with new songs and fresh understanding of His Word. But the warning reminded me - continue to wander and let the world harden your heart and you'll come to an end like the miserable old soul in this song.
A few years ago my father passed away while I was away on business. The tremendous weight of this experience caused me to become desperate for God. I asked for Him to give me the faith I needed to become truly free from the world. That is when I started to die. By that I mean that I began to lose interest in the things that took me away from God.
A few months ago one of the associate pastors at my church spoke about Joshua leading the nation of Israel into the promised land. Through him God showed me what had happened to me over those years of wandering. More than thirty years of my life was wasted pursuing wealth and fulfillment in the world while gradually losing touch with God. Like the children of Israel, God had taken me out of Egypt but there was still a lot of Egypt left in me that had to die in the wilderness.
Thank God I now see the green fields of the promised land. I know now that as long as I bear this "body of sin and death" I will still need to die daily, but I also have the spirit of Christ giving life to my spirit, and the spirit of God giving life to my mortal body!
Let me also say that Jesus' parable of the sower has been fulfilled in me (see Matthew 13). Some of the seed (the word of God) fell by the side of the road while I was a young skeptic. Some of the seed fell on sandy soil, sprouted early but perished because it had no depth of root. Some of the seed fell on thorny soil and was choked by my years of wandering in the cares of this world. And some of the seed has fallen in good soil, deeply rooted in me and about to bear eternal fruit!
Does any of this ring true with you? Are you lost in the wilderness? There is still a way out, if you are still alive and able to call upon Jesus. He will NEVER give up on you.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Genesis 1 - Vision of the Beginning
As I mentioned in my post "The Incredible Expanding Universe", Genesis chapter 1 records the revelation of the creation of the universe (the Heavens and the Earth). It had to be a revelation because there was no eye-witness to record the events.
To add to the parallels between the first and last books of the Bible, the vision in Genesis 1 is from the perspective of Earth. The vision in Revelation is from the perspective of Heaven. We easily accept that Revelation is a vision because it is written in first person by the Apostle John and presented as a vision. We easily accept that John recorded the events he saw but did not fully understand.
What many Christians do not understand or easily accept is that the creation account was also a vision and recorded as God gave its revelation to the author. If I could subtitle this chapter I would call it "The Revelation to Moses". However, the style and purpose of Genesis was not prophetic, but legal in nature. It was establishing the foundation upon which God would build the Law of Moses, or the Torah. Thus, there is no first-person awe-struck emotion in the account - it is very plain and purposeful.
The thing that I find most inspiring about the creation account is that, from the perspective of an observer on Earth, the account is clearly and completely in harmony with the order of the fossil records and geological records available to us today. The chance of anyone recording a vision of this nature without a revelation from the Creator is virtually zero.
Before Beginning
Before I expound on the amazing truth of Genesis 1, let me explain why I am fascinated and passionate about this subject. I was an atheist for most of my childhood, probably because I was taught to be skeptical by the public education system and by the information I got from television and print media.
So strict seven-day "Young Earth" creation theology was a stumbling block to me. It was also a stumbling block to my father and many others very close to me. Most educated people who go through life accepting what they are taught believe the Theory of Evolution, which directly contradicts the creation account and the divinity of the Creator. When I finally accepted the Bible as inspired by the Word of God, I felt compelled to reconcile the obvious contradictions in the "traditional" understanding of Genesis chapter 1 with abundant physical evidence of an older Earth.
The Theory of Evolution as put forth by Charles Darwin is based on a Naturalist philosophy. This philosophy says that there is no "supernatural" force and everything in nature has an explanation based on physical laws of nature. This philosophy gave birth to some really evil implementations, such as Marxism and the madness of Adolph Hitler's Nazi party. I want to remove this stumbling block for you who wish to believe the Bible, because the creation account should reinforce rather than contradict your faith in God.
The purpose of this post is to present the creation account in a way that a scientifically-minded person can accept, and in the process refute the view that there is no Creator or supernatural force behind this majestic work of creation.
In the Beginning
The beginning of the universe is a mystery to everyone, including those who think they understand it, because only God could bring into being in an instant of time, from things not visible, both the infinity of space and time. Scientists refer to this as "the Singularity" or the "Big Bang", with no logical explanation of how or why. By every mathematical and astronomical method of dating, this event occurred at least 11 billion years ago. Virtually all scientists today believe it happened about 13.7 billion years ago, based on estimates of how long it took the light from the most distant stars to arrive at Earth. Many scientists, including Christian astronomer Hugh Ross, think they have a concept of the initial nanoseconds of this event, but I would caution about delving too far into the vain speculation of men. I have no idea if the mathematical and scientific basis of this theory is accurate, but even if the estimated age of the universe were off by several orders of magnitude, it is apparent that the universe is much older than the historical understanding of Genesis would indicate.
Genesis 1:1 simply states that "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." There is no further explanation in Genesis, but the Epistle to the Hebrews expounds on this:
"By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible." (Hebrews 11:3)
This part must be accepted by faith, because there is no way for a human mind to comprehend what it means to exist outside the context of space and time. I accept this by faith, however long ago that may be. By purposely giving no explanation, the Bible is uniquely accurate in describing this as a singular and miraculous event.
The Earth Became Formless
Genesis 1:2 describes a dark, formless earth covered by deep waters. This is consistent with our understanding of the earliest days of Earth, where the hot and heavily carbon-laden atmosphere would completely obscure the light of the Sun. The Earth could have remained in this condition like Venus and other gas-shrouded planets, but for the next act of creation:
"And God said let there be light, and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness".
Now instead of a dark heavy fog, there is light fog (day) and dark fog (night). The next verse is where it gets really interesting. "There was evening and there was morning, one day." Note that the literal interpretation is missing one key element - the Sun. That is not apparent until the fourth day. This is one reason I believe the creation account is based on a vision and not a literal scientific description of the process. The Sun is not mentioned at this point in the vision. Literally, there would be no basis for the first three solar days without the Sun. However this would be totally consistent with a vision of the acts of creation from the surface of the earth.
The Fog Is Lifted
In the second act of creation, God separates the waters above from the waters below. In the vision there is a clear space between the clouds above and the waters covering the Earth. Space is not visible yet since the atmosphere is still covered by dense clouds. Once again the order of creation is consistent with science.
The third act of creation gets even more interesting to me. God causes dry land to appear, probably causing some massive tectonic shifting of plates on the surface of the earth. You can see the way the mountain ranges are bunched together when you fly over them or look at pictures from satellites. During this day, or vision of the day, God creates plant life. The author does not mention microbial life, which could be seen in fossils from this period of time. That is totally understandable since he would not see this in the vision without a microscope, and describing that to the nation of Israel would be pointless at that time in history. But it is fascinating that geological evidence indicates oxygen-producing plant life came significantly before oxygen-consuming animal life. That is further astonishing evidence of the inspiration of this account.
Also fascinating is that this abundance of vegetation is used by God to absorb the massive amounts of carbon from the atmosphere and create the oxygen and food which is essential for animal life. This part of the vision corresponds to what scientists call the Pre-Cambrian time. During that time the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere was apparently thousands of times higher than it is today.
Creatures Above and Below
In the fourth act of creation God reveals deep space; the Sun, the Moon, and the stars appear. The plant life which was abundant and flourishing in the carbon-rich atmosphere has now absorbed enough CO2 and created enough oxygen to support animate life.
In the fifth act God creates creatures of the sea and the birds of the sky. This day God creates what scientists have called the "Cambrian Explosion", an event which baffled even Charles Darwin. How did this vast variety of creatures come into existence instantly from a geological perspective? (God knows.) Note that the account describes the creation of fish and then birds before mammals, another key point that makes this account statistically impossible without divine revelation.
The Final Acts of Creation
The final act of creation is the creation of land animals, culminating in the creation of man in God's image, male and female. Notice that even here, the order of creation is consistent with the fossil record.
Finally, on the seventh day God rests. This is one of the basic legal teachings of the first chapter of Genesis, that God rests after six days of work, that man is created in God's image, and therefore man should have a day of rest. As Jesus said, "The Sabbath was created for man". So really the last thing created in the creation account was the Sabbath.
The Key Points
As the first book of the Law of Moses, the creation account establishes many important legal principles.
The important thing to remember when reconciling the creation account with scientific evidence, is that God's Word is more trustworthy than science. If scientists discover something new tomorrow and/or refute something they believed yesterday, that doesn't change the truth of God's Word. The Bible encourages us to pray both with our mind and our spirit. We are not trying to defeat science but use it to more fully understand the Truth.
Finally, as Paul said there are "mysteries kept hidden for ages and generations, which have been revealed to the saints." (Colossians 1:26) Perhaps now in these last days, in the midst of this massive increase in knowledge, the mystery of creation is also being revealed. That possibility may say more about the present and future than it says about the past. My next post on the subject of visions will deal with the Revelation to John the Apostle.
To add to the parallels between the first and last books of the Bible, the vision in Genesis 1 is from the perspective of Earth. The vision in Revelation is from the perspective of Heaven. We easily accept that Revelation is a vision because it is written in first person by the Apostle John and presented as a vision. We easily accept that John recorded the events he saw but did not fully understand.
What many Christians do not understand or easily accept is that the creation account was also a vision and recorded as God gave its revelation to the author. If I could subtitle this chapter I would call it "The Revelation to Moses". However, the style and purpose of Genesis was not prophetic, but legal in nature. It was establishing the foundation upon which God would build the Law of Moses, or the Torah. Thus, there is no first-person awe-struck emotion in the account - it is very plain and purposeful.
The thing that I find most inspiring about the creation account is that, from the perspective of an observer on Earth, the account is clearly and completely in harmony with the order of the fossil records and geological records available to us today. The chance of anyone recording a vision of this nature without a revelation from the Creator is virtually zero.
Before Beginning
Before I expound on the amazing truth of Genesis 1, let me explain why I am fascinated and passionate about this subject. I was an atheist for most of my childhood, probably because I was taught to be skeptical by the public education system and by the information I got from television and print media.
So strict seven-day "Young Earth" creation theology was a stumbling block to me. It was also a stumbling block to my father and many others very close to me. Most educated people who go through life accepting what they are taught believe the Theory of Evolution, which directly contradicts the creation account and the divinity of the Creator. When I finally accepted the Bible as inspired by the Word of God, I felt compelled to reconcile the obvious contradictions in the "traditional" understanding of Genesis chapter 1 with abundant physical evidence of an older Earth.
The Theory of Evolution as put forth by Charles Darwin is based on a Naturalist philosophy. This philosophy says that there is no "supernatural" force and everything in nature has an explanation based on physical laws of nature. This philosophy gave birth to some really evil implementations, such as Marxism and the madness of Adolph Hitler's Nazi party. I want to remove this stumbling block for you who wish to believe the Bible, because the creation account should reinforce rather than contradict your faith in God.
The purpose of this post is to present the creation account in a way that a scientifically-minded person can accept, and in the process refute the view that there is no Creator or supernatural force behind this majestic work of creation.
In the Beginning
The beginning of the universe is a mystery to everyone, including those who think they understand it, because only God could bring into being in an instant of time, from things not visible, both the infinity of space and time. Scientists refer to this as "the Singularity" or the "Big Bang", with no logical explanation of how or why. By every mathematical and astronomical method of dating, this event occurred at least 11 billion years ago. Virtually all scientists today believe it happened about 13.7 billion years ago, based on estimates of how long it took the light from the most distant stars to arrive at Earth. Many scientists, including Christian astronomer Hugh Ross, think they have a concept of the initial nanoseconds of this event, but I would caution about delving too far into the vain speculation of men. I have no idea if the mathematical and scientific basis of this theory is accurate, but even if the estimated age of the universe were off by several orders of magnitude, it is apparent that the universe is much older than the historical understanding of Genesis would indicate.
Genesis 1:1 simply states that "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." There is no further explanation in Genesis, but the Epistle to the Hebrews expounds on this:
"By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible." (Hebrews 11:3)
This part must be accepted by faith, because there is no way for a human mind to comprehend what it means to exist outside the context of space and time. I accept this by faith, however long ago that may be. By purposely giving no explanation, the Bible is uniquely accurate in describing this as a singular and miraculous event.
The Earth Became Formless
Genesis 1:2 describes a dark, formless earth covered by deep waters. This is consistent with our understanding of the earliest days of Earth, where the hot and heavily carbon-laden atmosphere would completely obscure the light of the Sun. The Earth could have remained in this condition like Venus and other gas-shrouded planets, but for the next act of creation:
"And God said let there be light, and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness".
Now instead of a dark heavy fog, there is light fog (day) and dark fog (night). The next verse is where it gets really interesting. "There was evening and there was morning, one day." Note that the literal interpretation is missing one key element - the Sun. That is not apparent until the fourth day. This is one reason I believe the creation account is based on a vision and not a literal scientific description of the process. The Sun is not mentioned at this point in the vision. Literally, there would be no basis for the first three solar days without the Sun. However this would be totally consistent with a vision of the acts of creation from the surface of the earth.
The Fog Is Lifted
In the second act of creation, God separates the waters above from the waters below. In the vision there is a clear space between the clouds above and the waters covering the Earth. Space is not visible yet since the atmosphere is still covered by dense clouds. Once again the order of creation is consistent with science.
The third act of creation gets even more interesting to me. God causes dry land to appear, probably causing some massive tectonic shifting of plates on the surface of the earth. You can see the way the mountain ranges are bunched together when you fly over them or look at pictures from satellites. During this day, or vision of the day, God creates plant life. The author does not mention microbial life, which could be seen in fossils from this period of time. That is totally understandable since he would not see this in the vision without a microscope, and describing that to the nation of Israel would be pointless at that time in history. But it is fascinating that geological evidence indicates oxygen-producing plant life came significantly before oxygen-consuming animal life. That is further astonishing evidence of the inspiration of this account.
Also fascinating is that this abundance of vegetation is used by God to absorb the massive amounts of carbon from the atmosphere and create the oxygen and food which is essential for animal life. This part of the vision corresponds to what scientists call the Pre-Cambrian time. During that time the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere was apparently thousands of times higher than it is today.
Creatures Above and Below
In the fourth act of creation God reveals deep space; the Sun, the Moon, and the stars appear. The plant life which was abundant and flourishing in the carbon-rich atmosphere has now absorbed enough CO2 and created enough oxygen to support animate life.
In the fifth act God creates creatures of the sea and the birds of the sky. This day God creates what scientists have called the "Cambrian Explosion", an event which baffled even Charles Darwin. How did this vast variety of creatures come into existence instantly from a geological perspective? (God knows.) Note that the account describes the creation of fish and then birds before mammals, another key point that makes this account statistically impossible without divine revelation.
The Final Acts of Creation
The final act of creation is the creation of land animals, culminating in the creation of man in God's image, male and female. Notice that even here, the order of creation is consistent with the fossil record.
Finally, on the seventh day God rests. This is one of the basic legal teachings of the first chapter of Genesis, that God rests after six days of work, that man is created in God's image, and therefore man should have a day of rest. As Jesus said, "The Sabbath was created for man". So really the last thing created in the creation account was the Sabbath.
The Key Points
As the first book of the Law of Moses, the creation account establishes many important legal principles.
- The universe is a special creation of God. (Gen 1:1) It has a beginning, and therefore a purpose.
- Light is good, and separate from darkness (which is by inference not good.) (Gen 1:4)
- God's Word is all-powerful.
- Creatures are blessed to hear and obey God's Word. (Gen 1:22)
- Mankind is a special, divine creation made in God's image (Gen 1:26). Thus human life is sacred.
- Mankind has authority over every living creature on earth. ( Gen 1:26, 28)
- God's creation was good and pleasing to Him. (Gen 1:31)
- God's creation of the universe is complete. (Gen 2:1)
- God works, and God rests. (Gen 2:1-2)
- The seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest which is sanctified (holy) and set apart as a day of rest and worship. (Gen 2:3)
- By inference, mankind is to be Godly, because he is made in God's image and likeness and is made to work and rest in the pattern established by God. (Gen 2:3)
The important thing to remember when reconciling the creation account with scientific evidence, is that God's Word is more trustworthy than science. If scientists discover something new tomorrow and/or refute something they believed yesterday, that doesn't change the truth of God's Word. The Bible encourages us to pray both with our mind and our spirit. We are not trying to defeat science but use it to more fully understand the Truth.
Finally, as Paul said there are "mysteries kept hidden for ages and generations, which have been revealed to the saints." (Colossians 1:26) Perhaps now in these last days, in the midst of this massive increase in knowledge, the mystery of creation is also being revealed. That possibility may say more about the present and future than it says about the past. My next post on the subject of visions will deal with the Revelation to John the Apostle.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
The Incredible Expanding Universe
January 7 at midnight was a perfect night in the Houston area; the almost-full moon directly overhead was casting heavenly moon-shadows on the ground, and the clear sky was accompanied by a remarkably mild temperature for mid-January, even in Houston.
As I gazed in wonder at the stars, I couldn't help but think about how large the universe is, and how little we understand about the nature of God. The night before I spent a few hours reading about how scientists measure the distance to the stars, and the theory of relativity. I'm naturally a skeptic so I don't accept scientific theories without at least attempting to understand them. How little I understand about physics pales in comparison to how little we all understand about God.
Being a skeptic, I also don't easily accept anybody's interpretation of scriptures without studying and at least attempting to understand in my own mind and spirit. As a result, I have studied the most mysterious parts of the Bible at great length. So, rather than being puzzled about these passages, my understanding now supports my belief.
So now I want to share with you what I am learning, if perhaps it can help you understand and overcome your own skepticism. Specifically I want to talk about the creation account in Genesis and the apocalyptic vision of Revelation. These two topics are quite large and will probably require several posts to cover each, even from my limited understanding.
Let be begin by giving you some wonderful insight into parallels and contrasts between the two books.
Genesis begins with a vision of the beginning of time. Revelation ends with a vision of the end of time. (I don't believe either author fully understood what he witnessed, but recorded the vision as it was given.)
In the beginning, creation is spoken into existence through the power of God's word. In the end, the enemy is destroyed by the power of God's word (the sword coming out of his mouth in Rev 19:21 is the Word of God).
In Genesis Adam is placed in a garden. In Revelation the saints worship in a city. In the Garden, man is innocent. In the Heavenly City the saints are redeemed. There is no return to innocence. As Winkie Pratney once said, "God is a progressive God."
In the middle of both the Garden of Eden and the Heavenly City you will find the Tree of Life (Gen 2:9, Rev 22:2). Adam and Eve never ate from the Tree of Life or they would be eternally sinful, as Satan is.
The purpose of the creation account in Genesis was to establish the principals upon which the Law would be based. Genesis is the first book of the Hebrew Torah, the five books of the Law of Moses.
The purpose of the Revelation was to warn the saints of the things yet to come; that we would heed the warnings and guard the prophecy as one would guard a valuable treasure. Revelation is the last book of prophecy in the Christian Bible.
Paul said that there are mysteries in the Bible hidden even from the "principalities and authorities in heavenly places." God granted the Church to make known His manifold wisdom which had been "hidden for ages" (Ephesians 3). I believe there are still mysteries to be revealed, and we won't fully understand these mysteries until "we know as we are known."
One of these mysteries is the incredible expanding universe that God has "stretched forth in the heavens". Mankind continues to learn more about the size and character of the universe through powerful telescopes and sophisticated mathematical analysis. The universe we can detect is unimaginably large, yet most scientists believe it started as an unimaginably small, unimaginably dense object that exploded something like 14 billion years ago to form everything that exists.
OK, so here's a question I can't answer: if we can detect stars 13.5 billion light years away, that means that it took that radiation almost the entire age of the universe to get here. That means those stars either started out near where they appear to be, or travelled at near-light-speed to get there. The former would contradict the Big Bang Theory; the latter would challenge the Theory of Relativity. And where are they now, 13.5 billion years later? I might need to spend some time with an astronomer, but I suspect there are more questions than there are plausible answers. So it remains a mystery to me, and I suspect that at the end of this line of futile speculation is a mass of human foolishness.
At any rate, this very large universe causes me to reflect on the awesome and unknowable majesty of God, and to realize how much we need Jesus to mediate our relationship to God. This God who created the universe by the power of His Word, stepped into our world from infinite power to become mortal and suffer a brutal and unjust death in our place. "Amazing love, how can it be, that thou my God shouldst die for me!"
Update January 16
On further reading I found that the Big Bang theory is really mis-nomenclature for an event in which the universe suddenly appeared out of nowhere in an instant, all over the place - not from a single point in space. That, my friend, sure sounds like God unveiling his majestic creation!
By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God's command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. (Heb 11:3)
As I gazed in wonder at the stars, I couldn't help but think about how large the universe is, and how little we understand about the nature of God. The night before I spent a few hours reading about how scientists measure the distance to the stars, and the theory of relativity. I'm naturally a skeptic so I don't accept scientific theories without at least attempting to understand them. How little I understand about physics pales in comparison to how little we all understand about God.
Being a skeptic, I also don't easily accept anybody's interpretation of scriptures without studying and at least attempting to understand in my own mind and spirit. As a result, I have studied the most mysterious parts of the Bible at great length. So, rather than being puzzled about these passages, my understanding now supports my belief.
So now I want to share with you what I am learning, if perhaps it can help you understand and overcome your own skepticism. Specifically I want to talk about the creation account in Genesis and the apocalyptic vision of Revelation. These two topics are quite large and will probably require several posts to cover each, even from my limited understanding.
Let be begin by giving you some wonderful insight into parallels and contrasts between the two books.
Genesis begins with a vision of the beginning of time. Revelation ends with a vision of the end of time. (I don't believe either author fully understood what he witnessed, but recorded the vision as it was given.)
In the beginning, creation is spoken into existence through the power of God's word. In the end, the enemy is destroyed by the power of God's word (the sword coming out of his mouth in Rev 19:21 is the Word of God).
In Genesis Adam is placed in a garden. In Revelation the saints worship in a city. In the Garden, man is innocent. In the Heavenly City the saints are redeemed. There is no return to innocence. As Winkie Pratney once said, "God is a progressive God."
In the middle of both the Garden of Eden and the Heavenly City you will find the Tree of Life (Gen 2:9, Rev 22:2). Adam and Eve never ate from the Tree of Life or they would be eternally sinful, as Satan is.
The purpose of the creation account in Genesis was to establish the principals upon which the Law would be based. Genesis is the first book of the Hebrew Torah, the five books of the Law of Moses.
The purpose of the Revelation was to warn the saints of the things yet to come; that we would heed the warnings and guard the prophecy as one would guard a valuable treasure. Revelation is the last book of prophecy in the Christian Bible.
Paul said that there are mysteries in the Bible hidden even from the "principalities and authorities in heavenly places." God granted the Church to make known His manifold wisdom which had been "hidden for ages" (Ephesians 3). I believe there are still mysteries to be revealed, and we won't fully understand these mysteries until "we know as we are known."
One of these mysteries is the incredible expanding universe that God has "stretched forth in the heavens". Mankind continues to learn more about the size and character of the universe through powerful telescopes and sophisticated mathematical analysis. The universe we can detect is unimaginably large, yet most scientists believe it started as an unimaginably small, unimaginably dense object that exploded something like 14 billion years ago to form everything that exists.
OK, so here's a question I can't answer: if we can detect stars 13.5 billion light years away, that means that it took that radiation almost the entire age of the universe to get here. That means those stars either started out near where they appear to be, or travelled at near-light-speed to get there. The former would contradict the Big Bang Theory; the latter would challenge the Theory of Relativity. And where are they now, 13.5 billion years later? I might need to spend some time with an astronomer, but I suspect there are more questions than there are plausible answers. So it remains a mystery to me, and I suspect that at the end of this line of futile speculation is a mass of human foolishness.
At any rate, this very large universe causes me to reflect on the awesome and unknowable majesty of God, and to realize how much we need Jesus to mediate our relationship to God. This God who created the universe by the power of His Word, stepped into our world from infinite power to become mortal and suffer a brutal and unjust death in our place. "Amazing love, how can it be, that thou my God shouldst die for me!"
Update January 16
On further reading I found that the Big Bang theory is really mis-nomenclature for an event in which the universe suddenly appeared out of nowhere in an instant, all over the place - not from a single point in space. That, my friend, sure sounds like God unveiling his majestic creation!
By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God's command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. (Heb 11:3)
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Babylon and The New Jerusalem
Previously I posted a quote from Revelation about leaving Babylon. The book of Revelation is really a tale of two cities - Babylon, the city on many waters, and the new Jerusalem, the city on a hill being prepared for the bride of Christ.
Note that from the time of Revelation until now, neither city has been seen. One city, Babylon, was destroyed by the Persians centuries before Christ. The other has yet to be seen on Earth. So both cities have special symbolic meaning.
Babylon represents the world system of power and wealth, the great harlot who sits on many waters, by which the merchants of the world were made rich by the wealth of her trade. It is a worldwide kingdom that spans across time and enslaves its citizens with the deceitfulness of riches. Its ruler is the prince of Babylon, the ruler of this age.
The New Jerusalem is the city of our God, in the mountain of His holiness. It is a city not built by human hands, whose center is the Throne of God, from which flow the streams of living water that make glad the city of God. It is built on a foundation of precious stones, the apostles and prophets, and whose cornerstone is Jesus Christ the Lord.
Ancient Babylon was used by God to separate and purify His people. The Jews who returned from Babylon to rebuild Jerusalem left established businesses and perhaps family to restore the temple of God. The ones who stayed in Babylon chose a more worldly Kingdom and lost their godly identity.
This is the choice we as Christians are now presented, to choose which master we will serve, God or Mammon (money). I had for most of my life focused my time and energy on the latter, but I sense God calling me back to focus on Him. The time is short for the kingdom of Babylon, and I feel the need to get oil for my lamp while there is still light. I have more to write on this subject, which I will do as time permits.
Note that from the time of Revelation until now, neither city has been seen. One city, Babylon, was destroyed by the Persians centuries before Christ. The other has yet to be seen on Earth. So both cities have special symbolic meaning.
Babylon represents the world system of power and wealth, the great harlot who sits on many waters, by which the merchants of the world were made rich by the wealth of her trade. It is a worldwide kingdom that spans across time and enslaves its citizens with the deceitfulness of riches. Its ruler is the prince of Babylon, the ruler of this age.
The New Jerusalem is the city of our God, in the mountain of His holiness. It is a city not built by human hands, whose center is the Throne of God, from which flow the streams of living water that make glad the city of God. It is built on a foundation of precious stones, the apostles and prophets, and whose cornerstone is Jesus Christ the Lord.
Ancient Babylon was used by God to separate and purify His people. The Jews who returned from Babylon to rebuild Jerusalem left established businesses and perhaps family to restore the temple of God. The ones who stayed in Babylon chose a more worldly Kingdom and lost their godly identity.
This is the choice we as Christians are now presented, to choose which master we will serve, God or Mammon (money). I had for most of my life focused my time and energy on the latter, but I sense God calling me back to focus on Him. The time is short for the kingdom of Babylon, and I feel the need to get oil for my lamp while there is still light. I have more to write on this subject, which I will do as time permits.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
U-Turn Weekend
Imagine (if you will) you are riding a swift black horse down a winding mountain road. It's been a wonderful ride, and the setting sun is still illumining the golden edges of the canyon beneath you.
At some point you realize that the horse is out of control. You want to turn around, so you pull hard on the reins. The horse does not turn but only accelerates down the road. You are now careening blindly down the road at full gallop when a barrier appears and you see that the end of the road is a steep cliff. You try frantically to turn the horse but it refuses to waiver from its path of destruction.
Almost in slow-motion the horse leaps the barrier and sails into the black void ahead. At this point any more attempts to influence the horse are worthless. Your destiny is sealed.
This is the point we find ourselves. Like the HMS Titanic slipping slowly, then suddenly into the cold dark abyss, this system that supported us is sinking. Whether or not there is time to save it is a moot point for me; my time is too short to waste.
So this weekend I am taking a U-turn of sorts. The Incredible Shrinking Wallet will continue shrinking, but I'm going to focus mostly on the even more incredible Kingdom of God. I would rather focus on preparing for the now-certain future than vainly trying to fix what has already failed.
I don't really know what lies ahead for me, but I have decided to get out of Babylon and return to my Father's kingdom. Thank God, it's a long way, but I think the door is still open!
I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues..." (Rev 18:4)
At some point you realize that the horse is out of control. You want to turn around, so you pull hard on the reins. The horse does not turn but only accelerates down the road. You are now careening blindly down the road at full gallop when a barrier appears and you see that the end of the road is a steep cliff. You try frantically to turn the horse but it refuses to waiver from its path of destruction.
Almost in slow-motion the horse leaps the barrier and sails into the black void ahead. At this point any more attempts to influence the horse are worthless. Your destiny is sealed.
This is the point we find ourselves. Like the HMS Titanic slipping slowly, then suddenly into the cold dark abyss, this system that supported us is sinking. Whether or not there is time to save it is a moot point for me; my time is too short to waste.
So this weekend I am taking a U-turn of sorts. The Incredible Shrinking Wallet will continue shrinking, but I'm going to focus mostly on the even more incredible Kingdom of God. I would rather focus on preparing for the now-certain future than vainly trying to fix what has already failed.
I don't really know what lies ahead for me, but I have decided to get out of Babylon and return to my Father's kingdom. Thank God, it's a long way, but I think the door is still open!
I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues..." (Rev 18:4)
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