*Source: www.prophecynewswatch.com 12/10/09 e-newsletter. Please note that Prophecy News Watch sourced this article from http://news.yahoo.com. Used under the Fair Use Rules of the U.S. Copyright Law.
What can we learn from Climategate -- i.e., the scandal in which hacked e-mails revealed apparent attempts by official climate scientists to manufacture a consensus on global warming by fudging with the data and punishing dissidents?
Here's one big idea: Power corrupts.
The power to credential truth is a heady power indeed, especially. In our society, increasingly, that power lies in science alone. And so science is increasingly misused to attempt to create the kind of working public morality that every society needs.
In the process, modern liberalism risks turning science into a kind of religion, where disagreement is heresy. You can see the process at work in the hacked Climategate e-mails.
Clive Crook writes in The Atlantic Monthly blog: "The closed-mindedness of these supposed men of science, their willingness to go to any lengths to defend a preconceived message, is surprising even to me. The stink of intellectual corruption is overpowering."
John Tierney, the science columnist at The New York Times, nailed it: "Contempt for critics is evident over and over again in the hacked e-mail messages, as if the scientists were a priesthood protecting the temple from barbarians."
This is no random accident. Every society needs public moral truths to live by. A cognitive elite that loses faith in God or rational moral truth will increasingly attempt to ground public morality in science.
On what other grounds can we justify shutting down debates and taking action that requires sacrifice of a society's members -- and punishing defections from that sacrifice?
What, for example, could possibly justify a massive global governance machine that can tell people from the U.S. to Transylvania what kind of lightbulbs we may buy or what kind of cars to drive? Why should we create a machinery that puts politicians in charge of dispensing subsidies and exemptions that permit favored industries and businessmen to stay in business, that creates a new class of carbon billionaires? What is the rational basis for a public morality than tells Pennsylvanians that using coal is a crime, but applauds China for holding down its carbon-creating population by aborting baby girls?
For liberalism, the answer has become "science." The intellectual contempt liberals routinely express for conservatives as stupid or anti-scientific is at bottom merely a reflection of liberalism's increasingly desperate attempt to misuse science to transform itself into a new public morality -- that is, a morality legitimately entitled to discipline defectors and heretics.
Scientific knowledge is still held to be "true" in a way that other forms of knowledge are not. The world is not flat. The Earth does move. Blacks are not inferior to whites. Children do not need a mom and a dad. There is no possible argument against gay marriage. If we do not establish a system of global governance to contain production and reproduction within "sustainable" bounds, the world will come to an end. Therefore, liberals get to use government power to achieve their ends over those of others. (Hint: Which of these conclusions is not like the others?)
Yet science is a particularly fragile flower of civilization, dependent on processes that may not survive the attempt to transform it into the one true basis for public morality. History has shown us that scientists are no more exempt from the corruption of power than any other human being. Under the right political conditions scientists claimed the right to experiment on black men and to torture Jews. On a much smaller level, we've seen what happens to the reliability of academic testing when schools' income depends in part on how well students score.
It was always intellectually absurd to claim that the scientific standing of global warming was anything like that of Galileo -- a climate change model that did not predict global temperatures we have experienced over the last few years can hardly be counted on accurately to predict the weather 50 years from now.
But the problem of the corruption of science into religion remains true even if the global warmongers are right. Scientific theories are inherently falsifiable. That is what makes them scientific -- and not religious or moral propositions.
Science cannot become the basis for public morality without corrupting itself in the process.
Liberalism will have to find within itself some other capacity for moral truth, for connecting reason and virtue, or retreat ultimately from any claim in the public square larger than: because I want to, because we say so.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday, December 11, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
Is the Islamic Messiah the Antichrist?
An interesting article on this topic entitled, "Iran Mahdi and Antichrist" addresses this topic. Go to the Babylon Forsaken Ministries web site at www.babylonforsaken.com/mahdi.html.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Spiritual Difficulties, Part I
This lesson will address a few of the apparent contradictions and seemingly difficult areas of the Bible. While these passages may appear conflicting, it is important to note that the Word of God is infallible and inerrant. Hebrews 4:12 declares the Bible to be "...living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword..."
The following are three diverse examples of apparently difficult biblical teachings:
I) LONG HAIR IN MEN:
I Corinthians 11:14 NIV declares, "Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him..." This implies even a worldly sense that long hair in men just isn't "too cool of a look".
On the other hand, II Samuel 14:25a NIV notes of Absalom (David's son), "In all Israel there was not a man so highly praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom."
The next verse noted that Absalom cut his hair when it "became too heavy for him." The clear implication is that Absalom had long hair and yet he was praised for his handsome appearance.
Some may say that Absalom was a rebel so he isn't a good example but I would maintain that he received such praise from men before his rebellion against his father, King David. Also, even if a guy is rebellious against his father that doesn't take away from his appearance. Another thought offered by Pastor James Jones of Lighthouse Church (Laurel, MT) is that Absalom's hair did "dishonor" him because his mane got caught in in the thick branches of an oak tree (II Samuel 18:9).
I would maintain that in youth long hair in men can be seen as handsome but as men age it typically becomes a dishonor to them (doesn't look cool anymore), i.e. no contradiction exists. I'd maintain that if a man maintains a diligent attention to his appearance and hair then the effect of I Corinthians 11:14 can be minimized.
II) CONCERNING THE POOR -
Deuteronomy 15:4 addresses the place of the poor in society, saying, "However, there should be no poor among you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today."
On the other hand, in Mark 14:7, Jesus responds to the self-righteousness rebuke of those criticizing a woman's extravagant use of very expensive perfume. Some said the perfume could have been sold and the proceeds given to the poor. This is a nauseating example of religious pomposity. Jesus replied, "The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want (perhaps implying that they didn't help the poor at all or only when the visible praise of others could be garnered), but you will not always have me."
The point of raising these two verses is to note the apparent conflict between the two; one verse saying "there should be no poor among you" and the other saying "the poor you will always have with you."
So what gives? Perhaps, Deuteronomy 15:4 points out the ideal condition of society. U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson tried to have a "Great Society" program in the 1960s based in government assistance; God's ideal is to have his people's hearts open to helping each other out. Jesus pointed out the unfortunate reality that due to the hardness of people's hearts and because of sin, that the poor "...you will always have with you..." This condition is much like Jesus' teaching on divorce in which he says divorce was granted (Matthew 19:8) "...because your hearts were hard."
Again, no conflict remains but different intentions are meant in each passage.
III) SHOULD PEOPLE ALWAYS LIKE YOU?
The Bible promises favor with God and man according to verses like:
*Proverbs 3:3-4 which declares, "Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man."
*Psalm 5:12 notes, "For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; your surround them with your favor as with a shield."
However, at the same time the Bible promises that his children would be hated by the world and persecuted:
*Jesus Christ himself was hated, despised and put to death. John 15:20 NIV notes, "Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also."
*As the 15th chapter of John proceeds, Jesus noted that even after the great miracles He performed, many would hate Him. Indeed, the religious leaders of the day hated Jesus Christ. John 15:25 NIV notes, "But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: "They hated me without reason." Having encountered similar hate from religious leaders and ordinary people of various stripes--Freemasons, Buddhists, Roman Catholics, Foursquare Gospelites, Assembly of God-ers, Baptists, Lutherans, Mormons, etc. and etc.- I can identify with Jesus' statement.
But how can both be true? How can a Christian receive persecution and favor from men, perhaps even from the same person at different times.
One answer is timing. At different times a person may be motivated by different things. The faithfulness and kindness of a Christian will result in favor from bosses, co-workers, etc. in typical situations because such character traits are valued in human endeavors. However, when society's values get perverted (like it appears they are now) then the evil in human hearts becomes more manifest; favor in more rational times can yield to persecution from people led by Satan.
Just as treatment can change for the worse, it can also change for the better. Proverbs 16:7 NIV notes, "When a man's ways are pleasing to the Lord He makes even His enemies live at peace with him."
It is my hope that this brief discussion will instill in those wisely interested in the things of God that the Word of God is a double-edged sword. II Timothy 2:15 NIV sums it up, "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." It is important to study the Bible to be able to apply it correctly.
The following are three diverse examples of apparently difficult biblical teachings:
I) LONG HAIR IN MEN:
I Corinthians 11:14 NIV declares, "Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him..." This implies even a worldly sense that long hair in men just isn't "too cool of a look".
On the other hand, II Samuel 14:25a NIV notes of Absalom (David's son), "In all Israel there was not a man so highly praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom."
The next verse noted that Absalom cut his hair when it "became too heavy for him." The clear implication is that Absalom had long hair and yet he was praised for his handsome appearance.
Some may say that Absalom was a rebel so he isn't a good example but I would maintain that he received such praise from men before his rebellion against his father, King David. Also, even if a guy is rebellious against his father that doesn't take away from his appearance. Another thought offered by Pastor James Jones of Lighthouse Church (Laurel, MT) is that Absalom's hair did "dishonor" him because his mane got caught in in the thick branches of an oak tree (II Samuel 18:9).
I would maintain that in youth long hair in men can be seen as handsome but as men age it typically becomes a dishonor to them (doesn't look cool anymore), i.e. no contradiction exists. I'd maintain that if a man maintains a diligent attention to his appearance and hair then the effect of I Corinthians 11:14 can be minimized.
II) CONCERNING THE POOR -
Deuteronomy 15:4 addresses the place of the poor in society, saying, "However, there should be no poor among you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today."
On the other hand, in Mark 14:7, Jesus responds to the self-righteousness rebuke of those criticizing a woman's extravagant use of very expensive perfume. Some said the perfume could have been sold and the proceeds given to the poor. This is a nauseating example of religious pomposity. Jesus replied, "The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want (perhaps implying that they didn't help the poor at all or only when the visible praise of others could be garnered), but you will not always have me."
The point of raising these two verses is to note the apparent conflict between the two; one verse saying "there should be no poor among you" and the other saying "the poor you will always have with you."
So what gives? Perhaps, Deuteronomy 15:4 points out the ideal condition of society. U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson tried to have a "Great Society" program in the 1960s based in government assistance; God's ideal is to have his people's hearts open to helping each other out. Jesus pointed out the unfortunate reality that due to the hardness of people's hearts and because of sin, that the poor "...you will always have with you..." This condition is much like Jesus' teaching on divorce in which he says divorce was granted (Matthew 19:8) "...because your hearts were hard."
Again, no conflict remains but different intentions are meant in each passage.
III) SHOULD PEOPLE ALWAYS LIKE YOU?
The Bible promises favor with God and man according to verses like:
*Proverbs 3:3-4 which declares, "Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man."
*Psalm 5:12 notes, "For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; your surround them with your favor as with a shield."
However, at the same time the Bible promises that his children would be hated by the world and persecuted:
*Jesus Christ himself was hated, despised and put to death. John 15:20 NIV notes, "Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also."
*As the 15th chapter of John proceeds, Jesus noted that even after the great miracles He performed, many would hate Him. Indeed, the religious leaders of the day hated Jesus Christ. John 15:25 NIV notes, "But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: "They hated me without reason." Having encountered similar hate from religious leaders and ordinary people of various stripes--Freemasons, Buddhists, Roman Catholics, Foursquare Gospelites, Assembly of God-ers, Baptists, Lutherans, Mormons, etc. and etc.- I can identify with Jesus' statement.
But how can both be true? How can a Christian receive persecution and favor from men, perhaps even from the same person at different times.
One answer is timing. At different times a person may be motivated by different things. The faithfulness and kindness of a Christian will result in favor from bosses, co-workers, etc. in typical situations because such character traits are valued in human endeavors. However, when society's values get perverted (like it appears they are now) then the evil in human hearts becomes more manifest; favor in more rational times can yield to persecution from people led by Satan.
Just as treatment can change for the worse, it can also change for the better. Proverbs 16:7 NIV notes, "When a man's ways are pleasing to the Lord He makes even His enemies live at peace with him."
It is my hope that this brief discussion will instill in those wisely interested in the things of God that the Word of God is a double-edged sword. II Timothy 2:15 NIV sums it up, "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." It is important to study the Bible to be able to apply it correctly.
Blessings and Curses 101
Blessings and curses. A bit of a controversial topic, especially the "curses" part in today's secular, "human-centered" world.
The idea of saying "God Bless You" or "Have a Blessed Day" seems nice and innocuous enough. Many times it is meaningless, especially coming from politicians. However, the implication is clear--there is a Deity actively involved in human affairs, an uncomfortable thought for some. Furthermore, it implies that this Supreme Being is not only involved in human affairs but he rewards and punishes human beings for their behavior. That is even more uncomfortable. The "punishes" part is what tends to rattle, or dare I say, infuriate those in rebellion toward God. Some Christians may take offense if their idea of God is limited to a "touchy feely" concept of the Almighty.
In this posting I will address one of the first areas where the concept of blessing and cursing was addressed in the Bible. The Bible has a lot to say on the topic but I will address specifically God's promise that was given to Abraham, known as the "Father of Faith" to true believers in God. After God made a personal promise to Abraham, He then made a promise to those who dealt with Abraham. In Genesis 12:3 KJV, the Bible declared God's promise, "And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." I would maintain that is a very positive verse. Since then mankind has indeed been blessed. Instead of getting around on foot or on horseback, we are moving around in planes, cars, trains, and ships. We can talk by the internet, phone, fax or email instead of having to be in the same room, or send a smoke signal or a foot messenger. Many live in heated houses instead of having to make and keep a fire going. God has indeed blessed humanity.
You may ask, "OK, so that was Abraham, he's dead." True, but God is the God of the living, not the dead. Abraham's spirit is alive in heaven with God. Additionally, and more importantly, from a temporal perspective, is that God's promise given to Abraham also applies to Israel and Jews everywhere, as well as to Christians through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross and His resurrection from the dead.
Therefore, if a person treats a true believer poorly or excludes him or literally curses him then he himself will be cursed by God and if this same person treats a true believer well (blesses him) he will be blessed.
On a national level, Nazi Germany put the Jews in concentration camps and tried to annihilate them. In return, I believe God cursed Germany by having the nation divided for over 40 years after World War II. Furthermore, the German capital, Berlin, was divided by a wall for over 20 years, those in East Berlin lived in a concentration camp much in the same way the Jews were treated by the Germans.
On a personal level, I have had numerous people treat me quite poorly and with extreme hostility, from family members to a leader of a Christian denomination to a Roman Catholic nun, etc. I have given up trying to get even with people because God does a much better job of avenging me by cursing such people.
So how do blessings and curses manifest in people's lives. Deuteronomy chapter 28 outlines the blessings and curses that God delineated for His chosen people, the Jews, based on their behavior.
Based on personal experience I have the following observed manifestations of blessings and curses:
Blessings....Through simple but deep happiness (Ecclesiastes 2:26), through good health (III John 2), etc. I have seen businesses get blessed, I've seen things happen that took less effort than should have been required like losing weight or getting in better physical shape.
I have also had many people treat me well and I've seen them get blessed with happiness manifested in a variety of ways including material prosperity like a better house or intangibles like peace and joy. For example, even if a person is not the richest person in the world God can bless them through what Ecclesiastes 5:20 refers to as "gladness of heart" in the NIV version. They may have pleasure in hobbies or an uncanny sense of contentment while others with much more may be hounded by an inner emptiness or dread.
Recently, golf star Tiger Woods has been in the news for a car accident and marital distress. On the radio, a commentator noted that what shocked people about Tiger was that despite all his worldly success and wealth he appeared to be unhappy or miserable. Sometimes, God can work out an unbeliever's circumstances so that their misery can lead them to a saving personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
And now curses.....People may get in poor physical condition, lose desirable relationships, lose favor with people, financially have difficulty, have health problems, or lose their good looks. However, losing those things doesn't always mean a person is cursed. In some cases, lost favor may be a result of persecution. The bottom line is, we are talking the God of the universe here. The list makes you fear God. To those who think this is mean or Old Testament I would say kindly, "get over it" or "deal with it". It's in the Bible and a New Testament verse, II Timothy 3:16 NIV declares, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness...."
Personally, I have noticed people who have cursed me or treated me poorly, often without cause, get very sick, get a broken bone, have to retire because of illness, have to move away from me or their favorite house, lose financial blessing (lost tips, loss of a desirable job, having to do something you hate for a living, etc.), lose youthful vigor, get the flu, get pregnant out of wedlock, get hooked on illegal drugs, get cancer, etc. Again, having these things happen may not necessarily reflect a curse (see the book of Job) but I would suggest that often it does.
Another way God can bring a curse on someone is by judging them with the same negative circumstances that the person they are cursing has had. Finally, the ultimate curse is being sent to hell (actually choosing to go there) because a person rejects God and the only path to salvation He has established (John 14:6) which is to repent of sin and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
I would undoubtedly get an argument from some, and I have, but I have seen such manifestations of blessings and curses too many times to not be able to see the underlying and fundamental reason behind the reason.
I sometimes wonder in amazement when I quote Genesis 12:3 to an "attitudinally challenged" person. They often immediately and rightly conclude it as an insult (or a rebuke) because they may want to hate me without consequence. I once had a Roman Catholic woman who believed in "karma", by the way which is a non-Christian counterfeit of Genesis 12:3, get irritated upon hearing Genesis 12:3 but she didn't have a problem believing in karma, which maintains a similar idea except that some "impersonal force" is dispensing the judgment. It was sadly hypocritical.
The lesson...watch how you treat people you think might not be worth treating right. That person might be a believer and furthermore he might be a believer who claims Abraham's promise proactively on a daily basis. And again, see Deuteronomy 28 for a more complete list of the blessings and curses God promised.
The idea of saying "God Bless You" or "Have a Blessed Day" seems nice and innocuous enough. Many times it is meaningless, especially coming from politicians. However, the implication is clear--there is a Deity actively involved in human affairs, an uncomfortable thought for some. Furthermore, it implies that this Supreme Being is not only involved in human affairs but he rewards and punishes human beings for their behavior. That is even more uncomfortable. The "punishes" part is what tends to rattle, or dare I say, infuriate those in rebellion toward God. Some Christians may take offense if their idea of God is limited to a "touchy feely" concept of the Almighty.
In this posting I will address one of the first areas where the concept of blessing and cursing was addressed in the Bible. The Bible has a lot to say on the topic but I will address specifically God's promise that was given to Abraham, known as the "Father of Faith" to true believers in God. After God made a personal promise to Abraham, He then made a promise to those who dealt with Abraham. In Genesis 12:3 KJV, the Bible declared God's promise, "And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." I would maintain that is a very positive verse. Since then mankind has indeed been blessed. Instead of getting around on foot or on horseback, we are moving around in planes, cars, trains, and ships. We can talk by the internet, phone, fax or email instead of having to be in the same room, or send a smoke signal or a foot messenger. Many live in heated houses instead of having to make and keep a fire going. God has indeed blessed humanity.
You may ask, "OK, so that was Abraham, he's dead." True, but God is the God of the living, not the dead. Abraham's spirit is alive in heaven with God. Additionally, and more importantly, from a temporal perspective, is that God's promise given to Abraham also applies to Israel and Jews everywhere, as well as to Christians through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross and His resurrection from the dead.
Therefore, if a person treats a true believer poorly or excludes him or literally curses him then he himself will be cursed by God and if this same person treats a true believer well (blesses him) he will be blessed.
On a national level, Nazi Germany put the Jews in concentration camps and tried to annihilate them. In return, I believe God cursed Germany by having the nation divided for over 40 years after World War II. Furthermore, the German capital, Berlin, was divided by a wall for over 20 years, those in East Berlin lived in a concentration camp much in the same way the Jews were treated by the Germans.
On a personal level, I have had numerous people treat me quite poorly and with extreme hostility, from family members to a leader of a Christian denomination to a Roman Catholic nun, etc. I have given up trying to get even with people because God does a much better job of avenging me by cursing such people.
So how do blessings and curses manifest in people's lives. Deuteronomy chapter 28 outlines the blessings and curses that God delineated for His chosen people, the Jews, based on their behavior.
Based on personal experience I have the following observed manifestations of blessings and curses:
Blessings....Through simple but deep happiness (Ecclesiastes 2:26), through good health (III John 2), etc. I have seen businesses get blessed, I've seen things happen that took less effort than should have been required like losing weight or getting in better physical shape.
I have also had many people treat me well and I've seen them get blessed with happiness manifested in a variety of ways including material prosperity like a better house or intangibles like peace and joy. For example, even if a person is not the richest person in the world God can bless them through what Ecclesiastes 5:20 refers to as "gladness of heart" in the NIV version. They may have pleasure in hobbies or an uncanny sense of contentment while others with much more may be hounded by an inner emptiness or dread.
Recently, golf star Tiger Woods has been in the news for a car accident and marital distress. On the radio, a commentator noted that what shocked people about Tiger was that despite all his worldly success and wealth he appeared to be unhappy or miserable. Sometimes, God can work out an unbeliever's circumstances so that their misery can lead them to a saving personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
And now curses.....People may get in poor physical condition, lose desirable relationships, lose favor with people, financially have difficulty, have health problems, or lose their good looks. However, losing those things doesn't always mean a person is cursed. In some cases, lost favor may be a result of persecution. The bottom line is, we are talking the God of the universe here. The list makes you fear God. To those who think this is mean or Old Testament I would say kindly, "get over it" or "deal with it". It's in the Bible and a New Testament verse, II Timothy 3:16 NIV declares, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness...."
Personally, I have noticed people who have cursed me or treated me poorly, often without cause, get very sick, get a broken bone, have to retire because of illness, have to move away from me or their favorite house, lose financial blessing (lost tips, loss of a desirable job, having to do something you hate for a living, etc.), lose youthful vigor, get the flu, get pregnant out of wedlock, get hooked on illegal drugs, get cancer, etc. Again, having these things happen may not necessarily reflect a curse (see the book of Job) but I would suggest that often it does.
Another way God can bring a curse on someone is by judging them with the same negative circumstances that the person they are cursing has had. Finally, the ultimate curse is being sent to hell (actually choosing to go there) because a person rejects God and the only path to salvation He has established (John 14:6) which is to repent of sin and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
I would undoubtedly get an argument from some, and I have, but I have seen such manifestations of blessings and curses too many times to not be able to see the underlying and fundamental reason behind the reason.
I sometimes wonder in amazement when I quote Genesis 12:3 to an "attitudinally challenged" person. They often immediately and rightly conclude it as an insult (or a rebuke) because they may want to hate me without consequence. I once had a Roman Catholic woman who believed in "karma", by the way which is a non-Christian counterfeit of Genesis 12:3, get irritated upon hearing Genesis 12:3 but she didn't have a problem believing in karma, which maintains a similar idea except that some "impersonal force" is dispensing the judgment. It was sadly hypocritical.
The lesson...watch how you treat people you think might not be worth treating right. That person might be a believer and furthermore he might be a believer who claims Abraham's promise proactively on a daily basis. And again, see Deuteronomy 28 for a more complete list of the blessings and curses God promised.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Altogether, Methuselah lived 969 years, and then he died.
The words of Genesis 5:27 are the topic of this blog posting. This passage of the Bible, Genesis chapter 5, is the genealogy of early humans--from Adam to Noah.
As an aside, I can recall my high school religion class teacher confidently but foolishly asserting that Adam and Eve didn't exist, Abraham most likely didn't exist and Moses didn't cross the Red Sea but the Reed's Sea. It was the time of year, she explained, to justify the ability of the Hebrews to cross such a massive body of water. Being clueless teenagers, I don't recall that we questioned the teacher about how the Egyptians were swept away in an evaporated lake.
But back to Genesis 5...this passage boldly asserts the record from Adam to Noah and everyone in between. I'd like to focus on Methuselah, the longest earthly human life on record. Indeed, he could have been the longest lived human who ever lived.
Given the fact that pushing 100 years old in today's world in very rare, one has to wonder how in the world did Methuselah make 969 years. Furthermore, a little study of the chronology in Genesis chapters 5-7 leads to the fact that Methuselah died in the year of the Flood. Noah was Methuselah's grandson and Noah was born when Methuselah was 369 years old (see Genesis 5:25 and Genesis 5:28). Noah was 600 years old at the time of the Flood (Genesis 7:6);Methuselah died when he was 969 (Genesis 5:27). Forgive the analysis but I like to use my Accounting degree. By adding 369 to 600 we find that Methuselah was 969 in the year of the flood and also in the year of his death.
One might think that Methuselah died in the Flood, but according to Dake's Annotated Reference Bible, in the notes for Genesis 5:22 it is noted that Methuselah was named prophetically by his father Enoch. The name Methuselah means, "when he is dead it (the deluge) shall come." Given that the Bible is inspired and without error we can discern that Methuselah died just before and in the same year as the Flood.
A painting of Noah's Ark by American Edward Hicks per Wikipedia. Used under the Fair Use Rules of the U.S. Copyright Law.
However, I digress. The key question, "How did Methuselah and for that matter Adam, Seth, and Lamech (Noah's father; Methuselah's son) live so long?"
While I haven't taken a poll on that question or even done a focus group my hunch is that the average person would either scoff at Methuselah's age or pull out what I like to call the liberal preacher's explanation. This is that the years given are allegorical or the years at that time were different than they are now. Statements like this are not credible and don't hold water in the light of a reasonable interpretation of the Bible.
Personally, I think that something happened atmospherically after the Flood that sped up the curse of death that came upon mankind after Adam's sin. Having heard creation teachers on the subject, I believe that the most rational explanation of why people lived so much longer before the Flood was that the atmosphere was more hospitable to humanity, perhaps there was more water vapor and fewer damaging rays from the Sun got through to the earth's surface before the Great Flood leading to much longer life expectancy.
The whole concept of hyperbaric medicine gives further respectability to this hypothesis. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), according to the Wikipedia article on the topic, is the medical use of oxygen at a level higher than atmosperic pressure. The effect is the increased oxygen transport capacity of the blood. HBOT is used in treating everything from carbon monoxide poisoning to autism and skin grafts to certain types of hearing loss.
Without addressing HBOT in detail, the bottom line is that the changed atmospheric pressure theory is one reasonable explanation for decreased life spans after the Flood.
A review of the genealogy of Noah's descendants shows a rapid decrease in life span:
*Noah himself lived 950 years (Genesis 9:28),
*Shem (Noah's son) lived 600 years (Genesis 11:10-11),
*Arphaxad (Shem's son) lived 438 years (Genesis 11:12-13),
*Shelah (Arphaxad's son) lived 433 years (Genesis 11:14-15),
*Eber (Shelah's son) lived 464 years (Genesis 11:16-17),
*Peleg (Eber's son) lived 239 years (Genesis 11:18-19). It should also be noted
that according to Genesis 10:25, "the earth was divided" in his time, referring to
the dispersal of humanity at the Tower of Babel to the ends of the earth.
*Reu (Peleg's son) lived 239 years (Genesis 11:20-21),
*Serug (Reu's son) lived 230 years (Genesis 11:22-23),
*Nahor (Serug's son) lived 148 years (Genesis 11:24-25),
*Terah (Nahor's son) lived 205 years (Genesis 11:32),
*Abraham (Terah's son) lived 175 years (Genesis 25:7),
*Isaac (Abraham's son) lived 180 years (Genesis 35:28),
*Jacob (Isaac's son) lived 147 years (Genesis 47:28). Jacob, when asked how old he was by the Egyptian Pharoah, said in Genesis 47:9 NIV, "The years of my pilgrimage (he lived 17 years after that question per Genesis 47:28) are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers." Given Pharoah's curiousity it would be safe to assume that 130 was a very old age by that time in human history.
*Joseph (Jacob's son)lived 110 years.
And so, the trend aside from a few generational blips, was clearly toward a drastically reduced human life expectancy. Given the infallibility and inspired nature of God's Word and confirmed by the rational scientific idea that life could indeed be cut short by a reduced oxygen level in the atmosphere, the genealogies in the book of Genesis can be trusted to be literal and accurate. The decreased human life span is fundamentally a tangible manifestation of God's curse on humanity for Adam's fall and man's wholesale wickedness on the planet which caused the Great Flood of Noah's time.
As an aside, I can recall my high school religion class teacher confidently but foolishly asserting that Adam and Eve didn't exist, Abraham most likely didn't exist and Moses didn't cross the Red Sea but the Reed's Sea. It was the time of year, she explained, to justify the ability of the Hebrews to cross such a massive body of water. Being clueless teenagers, I don't recall that we questioned the teacher about how the Egyptians were swept away in an evaporated lake.
But back to Genesis 5...this passage boldly asserts the record from Adam to Noah and everyone in between. I'd like to focus on Methuselah, the longest earthly human life on record. Indeed, he could have been the longest lived human who ever lived.
Given the fact that pushing 100 years old in today's world in very rare, one has to wonder how in the world did Methuselah make 969 years. Furthermore, a little study of the chronology in Genesis chapters 5-7 leads to the fact that Methuselah died in the year of the Flood. Noah was Methuselah's grandson and Noah was born when Methuselah was 369 years old (see Genesis 5:25 and Genesis 5:28). Noah was 600 years old at the time of the Flood (Genesis 7:6);Methuselah died when he was 969 (Genesis 5:27). Forgive the analysis but I like to use my Accounting degree. By adding 369 to 600 we find that Methuselah was 969 in the year of the flood and also in the year of his death.
One might think that Methuselah died in the Flood, but according to Dake's Annotated Reference Bible, in the notes for Genesis 5:22 it is noted that Methuselah was named prophetically by his father Enoch. The name Methuselah means, "when he is dead it (the deluge) shall come." Given that the Bible is inspired and without error we can discern that Methuselah died just before and in the same year as the Flood.
A painting of Noah's Ark by American Edward Hicks per Wikipedia. Used under the Fair Use Rules of the U.S. Copyright Law.
However, I digress. The key question, "How did Methuselah and for that matter Adam, Seth, and Lamech (Noah's father; Methuselah's son) live so long?"
While I haven't taken a poll on that question or even done a focus group my hunch is that the average person would either scoff at Methuselah's age or pull out what I like to call the liberal preacher's explanation. This is that the years given are allegorical or the years at that time were different than they are now. Statements like this are not credible and don't hold water in the light of a reasonable interpretation of the Bible.
Personally, I think that something happened atmospherically after the Flood that sped up the curse of death that came upon mankind after Adam's sin. Having heard creation teachers on the subject, I believe that the most rational explanation of why people lived so much longer before the Flood was that the atmosphere was more hospitable to humanity, perhaps there was more water vapor and fewer damaging rays from the Sun got through to the earth's surface before the Great Flood leading to much longer life expectancy.
The whole concept of hyperbaric medicine gives further respectability to this hypothesis. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), according to the Wikipedia article on the topic, is the medical use of oxygen at a level higher than atmosperic pressure. The effect is the increased oxygen transport capacity of the blood. HBOT is used in treating everything from carbon monoxide poisoning to autism and skin grafts to certain types of hearing loss.
Without addressing HBOT in detail, the bottom line is that the changed atmospheric pressure theory is one reasonable explanation for decreased life spans after the Flood.
A review of the genealogy of Noah's descendants shows a rapid decrease in life span:
*Noah himself lived 950 years (Genesis 9:28),
*Shem (Noah's son) lived 600 years (Genesis 11:10-11),
*Arphaxad (Shem's son) lived 438 years (Genesis 11:12-13),
*Shelah (Arphaxad's son) lived 433 years (Genesis 11:14-15),
*Eber (Shelah's son) lived 464 years (Genesis 11:16-17),
*Peleg (Eber's son) lived 239 years (Genesis 11:18-19). It should also be noted
that according to Genesis 10:25, "the earth was divided" in his time, referring to
the dispersal of humanity at the Tower of Babel to the ends of the earth.
*Reu (Peleg's son) lived 239 years (Genesis 11:20-21),
*Serug (Reu's son) lived 230 years (Genesis 11:22-23),
*Nahor (Serug's son) lived 148 years (Genesis 11:24-25),
*Terah (Nahor's son) lived 205 years (Genesis 11:32),
*Abraham (Terah's son) lived 175 years (Genesis 25:7),
*Isaac (Abraham's son) lived 180 years (Genesis 35:28),
*Jacob (Isaac's son) lived 147 years (Genesis 47:28). Jacob, when asked how old he was by the Egyptian Pharoah, said in Genesis 47:9 NIV, "The years of my pilgrimage (he lived 17 years after that question per Genesis 47:28) are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers." Given Pharoah's curiousity it would be safe to assume that 130 was a very old age by that time in human history.
*Joseph (Jacob's son)lived 110 years.
And so, the trend aside from a few generational blips, was clearly toward a drastically reduced human life expectancy. Given the infallibility and inspired nature of God's Word and confirmed by the rational scientific idea that life could indeed be cut short by a reduced oxygen level in the atmosphere, the genealogies in the book of Genesis can be trusted to be literal and accurate. The decreased human life span is fundamentally a tangible manifestation of God's curse on humanity for Adam's fall and man's wholesale wickedness on the planet which caused the Great Flood of Noah's time.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Creation vs. Evolution? Creation wins!
If you ask many educated people about the debate between creation and evolution, you might get a strange, puzzled look. My guess would be that they might think there isn't a debate, evolution the theory is actually fact. To believe in Creation, after all, is the stuff of what the worldly wise consider to be religious fanatics, crackpots, blah, blah, blah, and etc.
It occurred to me that the problem many have with Creationism is that the Genesis 6-day creation story seems far fetched in light of the supposedly massive geological and fossil evidence for evidence. More fundamentally, it occurred to me that such educated folks think in terms of the process or how things happened instead of looking at the bottom line, i.e. an exceedingly intricate universe on both the micro and macro level. From the complexity of a honey bee's eyes to the massively gargantuan dimensions of the universe, it is those who deny this awesome Creation who are the real crackpots.
I sometimes wonder if the evolution proponents have the same skeptical view of man-made, or to be more politically correct human-made, things. Some examples:
*Ask the holder of a PhD in any given field how long it took their doctoral thesis to evolve?
*Ask a framing carpenter, "How long did the house you just framed take to evolve, i.e. build itself? What would you guess 100 years? I mean if you make the time duration long enough anything could happen, could it not?
*Should children be counseled to tell their teacher or parents that their assigned homework isn't done because it needs more time to evolve.
*Perhaps President Obama's misguided health care "reform" efforts could evolve? Maybe the result would be better?
Sounds absurd? Or even offensive? Yes, but no more absurd or offensive to the living God than looking at a universe as complex as ours and concluding that it came about by chance, which is after all, what evolution is at its most basic level.
Shouldn't the Genesis skeptics really admit that they have a spiritual and not a scientific problem? Isn't their real problem in acknowledging that the triune God of the Bible actually created the universe? Furthermore, the implications of that God's existence and the required accountability to His commands in the Bible prove difficult to those who would rather think they are gods themselves. At a minimum,
they might want to live life without accountability to a God they can't see, touch or feel.
Evolution is nonsense. Believing that the ordered universe of predictable seasons, the diversity of life found miles under the ocean to the highest mountain tops and everywhere in between, came about by chance is crazy. Romans 1:22 speaks of such allegedly intelligent folks, "Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools..."
What is God's view of stubborn rejection in light of His obvious handiwork in Creation? Romans 1:20 answers the question, "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen (the focus is on the result of Creation not how it happened), being understood from what has been made, so that men are WITHOUT EXCUSE."
I don't apolgogize for the Bible because according to II Timothy 3:16 "all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness..." The world could have been created in six literal days.
I believe in what is often called the "gap theory" which holds that the world was re-created after a prior destruction of some kind. Genesis 1:2 notes, "And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep...." Other Christians criticize the "gap theory" because it isn't confirmed with other Bible passages. Actually Genesis 1:2 is mirrored in Jeremiah 4:23 which adds, "I beheld the earth , and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light." Isaiah 45:18 shows that God's will was for a created and not a destroyed world, implying that the "earth without form and void" noted in Genesis 1:2 was not God's ultimate will.
I am confident that other passages add revelation to the Creation account of Genesis. Psalm 90:2 NIV notes, "Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God." Proverbs 3:19-20 NIV adds simply but profoundly, "By wisdom the Lord laid the earth's foundations, by understanding He set the heavens in place; by His knowledge the deeps were divided and the clouds let drop the dew." Again the focus is on the result of Creation; a reasonable faith in the process of how God actually created the earth is our part. I don't mean to indicate that study and investigation into the process of Creation is wrong by any means but to conclude wrongly that the Creation evolved is a faulty one.
Finally, I will close in the book of Job. Job had gone through a whirlwind of trials and began to doubt God. God didn't give Job the answer as to why he went through the trials but rather the Almighty pointed to the vastness of Creation instead.
In Job 38:4-5, God answers Job complaint, "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know? Who stretched a measuring line across it." Then God goes on a roll in the passage from Job 38-42. A few passages include:
"Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place......."
"Surely you know, for you were already born! You have lived so many years!...."
"Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain, and a path for the thunderstorm,....."
"Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up God's dominion over the earth?....."
"Do you hunt the prey for the lioness and satisfy the hunger of the lions when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in a thicket? Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food?...."
"Will the wild ox consent to serve you? Will he stay by your manger at night?...."
"Do you give the horse his strength or clothe his neck with a flowing mane?...."
"Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom and spread his wings toward the south?...."
"The Lord said to Job:
'Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? Let him who accuses God answer him!'......"
'Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself?'....
'Look at the behemoth (possibly the elephant or the hippopotamus), which I made along with you and which feeds on grass like an ox, What strength he has in his loins, what power in the muscles of his belly!'.....
'Can you pull in the leviathan (possibly a crocodile) with a fishhook or tie down his tongue with a rope?'....
Can you make a pet of him (still referring to leviathan) like a bird or put him on a leash for your girls?....."
And after God's reply, Job relented. In Job 42:3, Job answered to God, "You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know."
I would encourage the Creation skeptics to take Job's advice and take a humble look at things we must all admit, even in the 21st Century, we don't understand.
It occurred to me that the problem many have with Creationism is that the Genesis 6-day creation story seems far fetched in light of the supposedly massive geological and fossil evidence for evidence. More fundamentally, it occurred to me that such educated folks think in terms of the process or how things happened instead of looking at the bottom line, i.e. an exceedingly intricate universe on both the micro and macro level. From the complexity of a honey bee's eyes to the massively gargantuan dimensions of the universe, it is those who deny this awesome Creation who are the real crackpots.
I sometimes wonder if the evolution proponents have the same skeptical view of man-made, or to be more politically correct human-made, things. Some examples:
*Ask the holder of a PhD in any given field how long it took their doctoral thesis to evolve?
*Ask a framing carpenter, "How long did the house you just framed take to evolve, i.e. build itself? What would you guess 100 years? I mean if you make the time duration long enough anything could happen, could it not?
*Should children be counseled to tell their teacher or parents that their assigned homework isn't done because it needs more time to evolve.
*Perhaps President Obama's misguided health care "reform" efforts could evolve? Maybe the result would be better?
Sounds absurd? Or even offensive? Yes, but no more absurd or offensive to the living God than looking at a universe as complex as ours and concluding that it came about by chance, which is after all, what evolution is at its most basic level.
Shouldn't the Genesis skeptics really admit that they have a spiritual and not a scientific problem? Isn't their real problem in acknowledging that the triune God of the Bible actually created the universe? Furthermore, the implications of that God's existence and the required accountability to His commands in the Bible prove difficult to those who would rather think they are gods themselves. At a minimum,
they might want to live life without accountability to a God they can't see, touch or feel.
Evolution is nonsense. Believing that the ordered universe of predictable seasons, the diversity of life found miles under the ocean to the highest mountain tops and everywhere in between, came about by chance is crazy. Romans 1:22 speaks of such allegedly intelligent folks, "Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools..."
What is God's view of stubborn rejection in light of His obvious handiwork in Creation? Romans 1:20 answers the question, "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen (the focus is on the result of Creation not how it happened), being understood from what has been made, so that men are WITHOUT EXCUSE."
I don't apolgogize for the Bible because according to II Timothy 3:16 "all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness..." The world could have been created in six literal days.
I believe in what is often called the "gap theory" which holds that the world was re-created after a prior destruction of some kind. Genesis 1:2 notes, "And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep...." Other Christians criticize the "gap theory" because it isn't confirmed with other Bible passages. Actually Genesis 1:2 is mirrored in Jeremiah 4:23 which adds, "I beheld the earth , and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light." Isaiah 45:18 shows that God's will was for a created and not a destroyed world, implying that the "earth without form and void" noted in Genesis 1:2 was not God's ultimate will.
I am confident that other passages add revelation to the Creation account of Genesis. Psalm 90:2 NIV notes, "Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God." Proverbs 3:19-20 NIV adds simply but profoundly, "By wisdom the Lord laid the earth's foundations, by understanding He set the heavens in place; by His knowledge the deeps were divided and the clouds let drop the dew." Again the focus is on the result of Creation; a reasonable faith in the process of how God actually created the earth is our part. I don't mean to indicate that study and investigation into the process of Creation is wrong by any means but to conclude wrongly that the Creation evolved is a faulty one.
Finally, I will close in the book of Job. Job had gone through a whirlwind of trials and began to doubt God. God didn't give Job the answer as to why he went through the trials but rather the Almighty pointed to the vastness of Creation instead.
In Job 38:4-5, God answers Job complaint, "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know? Who stretched a measuring line across it." Then God goes on a roll in the passage from Job 38-42. A few passages include:
"Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place......."
"Surely you know, for you were already born! You have lived so many years!...."
"Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain, and a path for the thunderstorm,....."
"Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up God's dominion over the earth?....."
"Do you hunt the prey for the lioness and satisfy the hunger of the lions when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in a thicket? Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food?...."
"Will the wild ox consent to serve you? Will he stay by your manger at night?...."
"Do you give the horse his strength or clothe his neck with a flowing mane?...."
"Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom and spread his wings toward the south?...."
"The Lord said to Job:
'Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? Let him who accuses God answer him!'......"
'Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself?'....
'Look at the behemoth (possibly the elephant or the hippopotamus), which I made along with you and which feeds on grass like an ox, What strength he has in his loins, what power in the muscles of his belly!'.....
'Can you pull in the leviathan (possibly a crocodile) with a fishhook or tie down his tongue with a rope?'....
Can you make a pet of him (still referring to leviathan) like a bird or put him on a leash for your girls?....."
And after God's reply, Job relented. In Job 42:3, Job answered to God, "You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know."
I would encourage the Creation skeptics to take Job's advice and take a humble look at things we must all admit, even in the 21st Century, we don't understand.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Seeking God First in Your Life - October 4, 2009
Early in my Christian life I was puzzled, troubled and even overwhelmed by Jesus' command in Matthew 6:33 to, "...seek first His (God's) kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."
It seemed that was pretty much an impossible, herculean (great word isn't it) task for any person to do. However, after meditating and confessing that verse regularly (key spiritual disciplines by the way) I am confident that Jesus means one way to advance God's kingdom individually is by applying the Bible to all aspects of life.
Perhaps, some may think this may just mean going to church or praying before meals or even having a morning quiet time.
I would encourage to think in broader terms. How would this look exactly, you may ask? Think of praying before doing something, confessing a relevant Bible verse, or meditating on the Bible.
In your work it could mean confessing Colossians 3:23 which declares, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men..."
In your marriage, as a husband, it could be confessing Proverbs 31 for your wife. As a wife it means submitting to your husband's leadership.
In gardening it could be meditating on Proverbs 28:19a, "He who works his land will have abundant food..."
In caring for your pets, confess Proverbs 12:10, "A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast..." or try James 3:7 for an unruly animal.
When seeking God's direction and wisdom or guidance in a difficult time, try Proverbs 3:17, "Her ways (God's ways of wisdom) are pleasant ways and all her paths are peace."
Not sure what to do? Claim James 1:5 which notes, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him."
The key thing in applying Jesus' command in Matthew 6:33 is remembering that God's Word is relevant to all aspects of life, even what may seem trivial--from gardening to human relations and from your work to your pets.
It seemed that was pretty much an impossible, herculean (great word isn't it) task for any person to do. However, after meditating and confessing that verse regularly (key spiritual disciplines by the way) I am confident that Jesus means one way to advance God's kingdom individually is by applying the Bible to all aspects of life.
Perhaps, some may think this may just mean going to church or praying before meals or even having a morning quiet time.
I would encourage to think in broader terms. How would this look exactly, you may ask? Think of praying before doing something, confessing a relevant Bible verse, or meditating on the Bible.
In your work it could mean confessing Colossians 3:23 which declares, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men..."
In your marriage, as a husband, it could be confessing Proverbs 31 for your wife. As a wife it means submitting to your husband's leadership.
In gardening it could be meditating on Proverbs 28:19a, "He who works his land will have abundant food..."
In caring for your pets, confess Proverbs 12:10, "A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast..." or try James 3:7 for an unruly animal.
When seeking God's direction and wisdom or guidance in a difficult time, try Proverbs 3:17, "Her ways (God's ways of wisdom) are pleasant ways and all her paths are peace."
Not sure what to do? Claim James 1:5 which notes, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him."
The key thing in applying Jesus' command in Matthew 6:33 is remembering that God's Word is relevant to all aspects of life, even what may seem trivial--from gardening to human relations and from your work to your pets.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Introductory Post - August 19, 2009
Welcome to the Lion's Den Society's blog. I'm Daniel O'Hara the founder of the Lion's Den Society. This is a ministry to help advance the kingdom of God at the end of this age.
It is my view that the signs of the times clearly point to the soon return of Jesus Christ. Being named after Daniel in the Lion's Den from Daniel 6:16-28, I feel the name, Lion's Den Society, is appropriate.
I believe many of the current signs point to the end of the age like increasing natural disasters, increasing globalization, and the worldwide preaching of the Gospel. Furthermore, the ancient prophet Daniel was instructed by the archangel Michael in Daniel 12:4 to "...seal up the book until the end of time..." Michael clarified the time of the end this way, "...many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase." Combined with other specific signs this ancient foreshadowing of a day when planes, trains, automobiles and ships would speed to and fro across the earth helps to provide concrete evidence that this is indeed the time of the end referred to by Michael.
It is my intention in this blog to comment on current events in the light of biblical prophecy, to provide insights and strategies into living effectively in these times, and to provide teachings on the Bible.
It is my view that the signs of the times clearly point to the soon return of Jesus Christ. Being named after Daniel in the Lion's Den from Daniel 6:16-28, I feel the name, Lion's Den Society, is appropriate.
I believe many of the current signs point to the end of the age like increasing natural disasters, increasing globalization, and the worldwide preaching of the Gospel. Furthermore, the ancient prophet Daniel was instructed by the archangel Michael in Daniel 12:4 to "...seal up the book until the end of time..." Michael clarified the time of the end this way, "...many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase." Combined with other specific signs this ancient foreshadowing of a day when planes, trains, automobiles and ships would speed to and fro across the earth helps to provide concrete evidence that this is indeed the time of the end referred to by Michael.
It is my intention in this blog to comment on current events in the light of biblical prophecy, to provide insights and strategies into living effectively in these times, and to provide teachings on the Bible.
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