One Of The Greatest Metaphors

There are many metaphors in the Bible. I'd mention one if I could think of one off hand! How about how Jesus said it'd be better to cut off your hand and throw it to the funeral pyre, than harm one of these little ones? Not meant to be a literal instruction, I'm sure. Or! Maybe it is literal instruction! That's the trouble with metaphor! A teaching tool, to teach a truth. God, it seems, teaches often using metaphor.

I've just recently realized that I believe "God's Wrath" to be metaphor!

There's a strong belief in me that God's wrath is more often than not, merely the natural consequences of man's own doings. After all, isn't this a grand lesson we are all learning? An unavoidable journey? If we are to be thinking, reacting, doing creatures that is?

Surely the study of God, and his book, the bible, is utterly fascinating! (Just have to get through the smokescreens..?)

Take care and God bless!

~ * ~

Why It's Easy For Us To Think In Terms Of Billions Of Years

(As to origins, that is.) It's because we are in what is called a very long process. And the father of lies weaves strands of truth into all of his tapestries. (Which is doubly clever, for then we weave them into our psyche and life.)

When God endowed thinking ability a whole new realm (tree?) of possibilities came about, and He is being, and has been, infinitely patient awaiting the outcome. You see thinking ability includes being able to make choices, and hence we have life as it is and also death. Because God is Life itself, and is also Perfection. That makes imperfection, the opposite of life. And sooner or later, some one (some rational creature) is bound to think, "say.. do we really have to do all things, and think all things, God's way?"

He first made angels to be rational creatures. He waited and created the universe and man and woman, not only after the first rebel thought occurred, but waited until after it had matured into outright revolt and sedition. (Why? So all "in heaven and earth" would take this unavoidable journey and lesson, all together, at once.)

"Waited a very long time".. surely!? ..Here's where the "billions of years" actually comes from(!?) For when there was 'only' the Presence of the Father and the Son and the angels, surely there wasn't all that much to go astray about(?) And just think, God, being life itself, lives through all sufferings and disasters which ever occur (while He is for the most part, letting choice run its course).

And when God created the universe, in that majestic explosion of life / Himself, he placed all things where He wanted them to be, and began the motion from there. And! From the "foundation of the world" / from the beginning, He built the rescue of all into it - Jesus on the cross - an image, and love, strong enough to ultimately pierce every psyche. He is perfect, the only 'end' result imaginable, is the best one possible.
1 Timothy 4:10, among many, many verses, says "God is the savior of all.."

A thank you to Pixabay.com for the image.

All In All

The Lord started a new thing with me.. Having to do with images. I had fun with the paint program in windows, until my little netbrook broke down. Now I have a chromebook which as you may know, doesn't have paint. But that's perfect, because pixabay has free to use pictures and my images were amateur at best. And I can use Sumo paint to resize.

I've been working on writing Revelation in images, and over the last week did the Book of Revelation's Chapter twelve, "Lesson One of the Book of Revelation in Pictures, which I posted on another blog. Today at morning prayer and reading time, I can see it has affected my psyche! Something about images coming down in columns.. (hmmm, like a scroll?) ..from Him.

And then I found myself thinking 'God is immense'.. everywhere.. (as we know..) and glorious..

I'm thinking one day it will be that all God's children, man and angelic, will stand before Yahweh in utter (awed) silence.

A Letter To Christians

The Christian's number one evidence is, and should be, the working of the Spirit (Presence) of God within us.

But that doesn't mean science vs. faith, not by a long shot!

Some scientists may think their interpretation of the data disproves God. The theory/hypotheses of evolution exists upon these very sorts of conjecture.

The second most held law of science is that of entropy. All matter is in a state of breaking down. This is true also of communication, including the genetic code in all of life. It tends toward falling apart and separating. It does not develop new and better traits. How did any species within any biological category survive while slowly developing/'evolving' it's survival mechanism?

If all life forms evolved from one original, how many missing links are there?

Natural Selection is the separating of traits present. The evolving of new traits has never been observed. "Mutations"/mistakes tend to move sideways like a computer virus, or it simply fizzles out right away.

Do you all know the example of the peppered moth? Which goes like this - scientists saw there were white moths on one island, and brown moths of the same species/type on another island. "Why see how these two evolved differently!" they said.

But then, looking more closely, it became apparent that on the island where the white moth was prevalent, there was white lichen on the trees and the brown moths were picked off by predators. And the opposite was true on the other island, no white lichen on the trees, so it was the white moths which were picked off by predators and the brown moths which survived and multiplied. Until eventually there were very few white moths. This is an example of Natural Selection which theory has been observed and occurs at all times - a separation of traits present in the code.

There is no scientific data that disproves God. In all actuality the debate should move on to what sort of God created.

Evolution's ace in the hole is time, so the way of dating the earth which is used, is the one most able to suggest millions, now, billions of years. Given enough time, anything is possible? (Not so say top mathematicians.)

But there are other ways of dating which suggest a much younger age of the universe, and many things which refute the billions of years age constantly put forth. (More on this later.)

Since when does a Big Bang (aka explosion) continue moving at a constant rate and in sustained order? We may theorize but I don't think we've seen one act like this, except for the very impressive order of the universe and matter.

Scientific terms and physics do not disprove God. Indeed the minutest order suggests design. The whole theory/hypotheses/belief/philosophy is smoke and mirrors, the "strong delusion" and the "great falling away" of Western Civilization (once called Christendom).

If properly understood Bible prophecy is also evidence of God the creator.

A "last days" system called "harlet", the Greek word used being "pornos" bewitches and corrupts the seven continents with her seductive enchantments. She comes to exist side by side with a world entity/governing which first was, then wasn't. But then after the fire of Revelation 13:13 was once again, it's head now signing on. Is it vague? Hard to understand? You betcha! But it's accurate. Revelation 13:13 concerns an office but is thought by most to be a certain individual. This verse points to an office of the individual but not the individual. Verse 13:13 occurred in 1945.

Part of the problem is, these 'last days' things are often so huge and in our face we can't see them!

The false prophet? Surely same very thing as the great delusion (in full swing upon planet Earth). He began as a man, now is a white smocked magician with many miracles and modern wonders. "Knowledge will increase and man will travel to and fro".. "Your land is full of chariots".. But "the lion will" (again) "eat straw like the ox and the bear will graze with the cow". Apocalypse began long ago.. with the first rebel thought.. The original meaning of "apocalypse" is an/the "unveiling". As we've come to understand it today (as Bible students) as a crashing and burning/downfall - iS the unveiling. Apocalypse, personal and collective, is apparent and proves true from untrue, which is also good from evil and life from nonlife/death-translated "hell" for some time, but now receding. "Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess 'Jesus is Lord'." - Isaiah 45:23; Romans 14:11; Philippians 2:9-11.

Finding Truth In A Crazy World

Should we simply rely on what we are told the Bible says? Or should we diligently study for ourselves, each and every topic using a concordance, either online or book. And surely! Don't forget the Hebrew and Greek concordances! Why should we have to take a human translator's word as to what was originally written, when these days we have such study tools at our fingertips.

http://studybible.info/IGNT/Matthew%201:1 - This is an online interlinear Greek New Testament, and the site includes the Hebrew interlinear as well. The Greek and Hebrew word numbers are included with every word with a link to their meaning and use. (Strong's, Vine's, Thayer, Dodson and more.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/ - This keyword search tool makes for a great study for any and all topics. Heaven, hell, kingdom, life, death, day of the Lord, thief in the night.. And a good Bible dictionary to see for ourselves, for example, what is gehenna (originally, not legend). With all the untruth prevalent in the world, seeking answers straight from the Bible as originally delivered, seems to me what's called for. And also, I can't help remembering how Paul, Peter and John all warned against the danger of the teachings and ideas of the Gnostics, who seemed pretty determined to wrest the scriptures. How can we be sure they didn't in one or two ways? Unless we diligently search these things out? Why should I be lazy and let someone else tell me what the Bible says? https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/ - verse search.

The gnostics were zealous to teach esoteric ideas and teachings of the world pagan religions and philosophies. Did the Bible, for instance pick up any Plato ideas? The West was built upon the classical world. Did this color the understanding and translations?

...This inquiring mind wants to know Truth, and only Truth. God our Father gave us good reasoning power and His Word - "Thy Word is Truth" - John 17:17.

Healing by Restful Keeping Sabbath

Keeping Sabbath (for healing) can be weaved throughout the life and days.

Jesus is the vine. We are the branches. Fruit grows. If we rest in the vine. Rest in the finished work of God in Jesus. "It is done," Jesus said.

"Draw near unto God! and He will draw near unto you!" (Hebrews) "That we may receive the help (the grace) we need.." (Quit trying to make yourself good enough for God to love! Admit it can't be done! He - is the only source of Goodness. He has given an "oath" (Hebrews).

He is in the quietness.. I can't speak for any others.. but God gave me a formula for deep inner healing..

God is a God of order. (And even what seems the most complex of things, is basically simplicity.)

I was sitting on a bench under some plum trees and grape vines. Lo and behold I had found some plums that no worms had gotten! So I ate a couple and thanked the Lord. It was a very nice day. As I was musing it seemed as though a calendar opened up before me, in my mind's eye.. over a blue sky background. That there are four seasons with three times a day - 24/7. Each season with its particular spiritual lesson. I think of it as the 4 + 3 prescription. I see the big "Rexall" sign before it..

..three times a day to worship Him.. "you make the places where morning and evening meet to leap for joy" (badly? paraphrased from Psalms) - Not a strict legalistic schedule, just one to keep in mind.

Psalm 65:8 "You make the places where morning and evening have birth, to shout for joy.." ..and then there's Gethsemane's moonlit hour.. Three times a day throughout four seasons every year..

It's a box and pattern I can put my mind in.. and put up a shield of faith and deny every negative idea.. Turn from every negative thought.. The shield deflects the arrows and they fall to the ground bent and broken.

I believe we do well to allow ourselves much time(s) to rest quietly in Him. Listening to His quiet and soft voice.. of reason.

The basic idea is to weave into our life and days times of Quiet prayer and praise and the reading of God's Word. This is the bread and the wine, the prescription Jesus gave on the eve of His crucifixion.

Enter The Story Reading Schedule

I am working on transferring my Bible reading schedule onto this website / blog. The reading schedule can be found here - http://inner-monastery.blogspot.com/p/daily.html

The gospels are blended into two six month continuous readings in an effort to more easily 'enter the story' and feel a bit more as if we are walking with Jesus, where He walked and as He walked.

The Book of Acts is read over the course of the year. As is the Book of Revelation.

The New Testament letters are also read annually, and are read in the order believed to have been written.

There's an annual schedule for Psalms and a 31 day schedule for Proverbs. And a developing one for the books of the prophets.