So...the why of Christmas. Why is the birth of this Jesus something to celebrate? Why do we celebrate on December 25th? These are some pretty common and reasonable why question. Why why do we have this holiday that is pretty much a worldwide phenomenon and why is it in the middle of winter, for at least half of us?
I'll look at the second question first. Why December 25th? Do don't have to look very hard on the internet to hear somebody claiming that Jesus Christ is a mythological copy cat of the vast array that they will claim were born on or around December 25th or the winter solstice. Well to dispel this myth first. The man we call Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth was not actually born on the 25th of December. In fact we actually don't know the exact date when he was born and as far as I've read the best guess would actually put his birth sometime in the spring. ( this seems like a pretty good article and this one guesses it to be sometime in September)
So why do we celebrate Christmas in December? This is actually something that I'm finding to be quite easy to find as well and to be honest the reason all boils down to recognition. December 25th and the days preceding it ,especially the Winter solstice have been for centuries already established pagan holidays. Yule, Saturnalia, Larentalia, feast of the new sun, the winter solstice itself, and I'm sure I could find others were all already established holidays. So the Catholic church that ruled Christendom and eventually Rome decided that since there was no feast to celebrate the birth of Jesus they would appropriate one of the already established Pagan feast days. And thus we have Christmas or the Feast of Christ. Because of this, after the reformation many protestant Christians didn't actually celebrate Christmas due to it's day being historically a pagan feast day. In fact it was illegal in many states until the 19th century.
Ok so we've figured out that Christmas is a holiday stolen from the Pagans to worship a man named Jesus who was born 2000 years ago. So what makes this guy so special that we still have a near worldwide holiday for him? Why does this guy deserve a holiday to begin with?
As many times as we hear it I that we've become so accustomed to hearing it that it doesn't register like it should any more but the reason that we celebrate the day of the man Jesus's birth is that he is the only begotten son of the living God. Think about that. Not only that but Jesus himself said that he and the father are one. He is God made flesh. He is the God that spoke this entire universe into creation become one of us. Both fully man and fully God...here on earth living as a poor carpenter. When I sit and just think on that I am awestruck! Jesus Christ both man and God! He gave up his majesty his riches in his kingdom, to slum it with us so that we would know him! He did not just live with us, he died as one of us. He was subjected to one of the most humiliating, painful deaths imaginable not just as one of us, but for us! All so that we might know how much he loves us. So that we would believe in him and not suffer his wrath and the Fathers wrath because of the sin of the world! THIS is why we celebrate this man's birth 2000 years later. This one day a year, whether they know it or not, whether they like it or not, whether they acknowledges it or not all eyes turn to this man, the only son of the living God, the son begotten not made, the second member of the holy trinity, Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ.
None go to the Father except the go to the Son. Have you Gone to the Son? Do you know Jesus Chist as Lord and Savior?
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Christmas part 2
So, from Christmas Part 1 post we've seen that the meaning of Christmas is literally Christ. So what about Christ? What about Christ specifically does Christmas celebrate? It celebrates the birth of Christ.
It celebrates the long prophesied, coming of the messiah, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords! The one prophesied even in Genesis!
How did he come? Did he come like a king? Did he come in glory and majesty with trumpets and soldiers proclaiming his arrival? No, Gods only begotten son came humbly. As a servant. He wasn't born in a castle or a palace or even a decent Roman hut or hotel, he was born in a barn. His bed that first night, was the feed trough for the animals. His parents weren't royalty. His mom was teenage virgin and his step-dad a carpenter. And those who came to pay homage the night of his birth, not foreign royalty but shepherds.
To the world this is absolutely ridiculous. What kind of second rate king or deity actually would subject his offspring to this type of entrance to the world? Or for that matter what kind of horrible person in this day and age would let their kid even be born at home with out the attendance of trained professionals? This is definitely not what the Jews expected when reading Isaiah.
Paul wrote in the new testament that God makes the wise of the world foolish. This is part of the story of Jesus birth. Those who consider themselves very wise tend to consider this story foolishness. The story not only showing that Jesus first coming he come in humility and service but is a parody of the world. When Jesus returns the rulers of this world will bow to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords who entered into his time on this earth in the most humble way possible.
It celebrates the long prophesied, coming of the messiah, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords! The one prophesied even in Genesis!
How did he come? Did he come like a king? Did he come in glory and majesty with trumpets and soldiers proclaiming his arrival? No, Gods only begotten son came humbly. As a servant. He wasn't born in a castle or a palace or even a decent Roman hut or hotel, he was born in a barn. His bed that first night, was the feed trough for the animals. His parents weren't royalty. His mom was teenage virgin and his step-dad a carpenter. And those who came to pay homage the night of his birth, not foreign royalty but shepherds.
To the world this is absolutely ridiculous. What kind of second rate king or deity actually would subject his offspring to this type of entrance to the world? Or for that matter what kind of horrible person in this day and age would let their kid even be born at home with out the attendance of trained professionals? This is definitely not what the Jews expected when reading Isaiah.
Paul wrote in the new testament that God makes the wise of the world foolish. This is part of the story of Jesus birth. Those who consider themselves very wise tend to consider this story foolishness. The story not only showing that Jesus first coming he come in humility and service but is a parody of the world. When Jesus returns the rulers of this world will bow to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords who entered into his time on this earth in the most humble way possible.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Is Magic(k) real?
Is magic(k) real? This is something I don't hear much discussion of, but in this pluralistic age where getting information or instruction on the subject of magick is as easy as going to Barnes & Noble or Amazon.com I felt the need to discuss it a little. I'm going to use the term Magick, with a k to differentiate from David Copperfield type stage magic. I'm talking about "spiritual" magick. According to the 19th/20th century occultist Aliester Crowley the definition of this type of magick
"The art and science of creating change in accordance with your will"
This, as far as I can tell from their own literature, is not completely accurate. Not to mention this is completely vague. So...what is "magick"? Magick falls in to four general categories, spells, spirits, divination and "spiritual evolution". All four of these take various forms ranging from the obvious to the covert and they're sometimes used in different combinations. I'll continue with short overviews of all these categories.
Spells short rituals or ceremonies using chants, candles, ribbons and various other implements ranging from the mundane to the exotic. Spells can be used for anything from enticing a "deity",spirit or demon to answer a request or command, to affecting somebodies actions or feelings ie...love spells or even darker uses such as hexes or curses.
In magick spirits abound. People attempt to contact spirits for all different reason, for information, servitude, worship, guidance, protection, and even in some traditions to be possessed by. This can be done by various ways, ceremonies and rituals, the use of mirrors, Ouija boards, dances, chants and meditations.
Divination is a description of the methods used to try and know the future or prophesying. This as well has several methods. Tarot, Astrology, crystal gazing, palm reading, tea leaves and runes (stones, bones pieces of wood with symbols carved or drawn on them) are probably the most well know and most popular. There are other methods such as Mirror gazing, fire gazing, Geomancy ( a method of drawing random dots in the earth and reading them) and even sometimes spirit contact is used for this.
The last but not least category is "spiritual evolution". This is the attempt to become a god or god like. All of the above mentioned can be used for the attempt at this goal. As well as the addition of lengthy meditations, lengthy and elaborate ceremonies in the attempt to reach altered states of consciousness
Ok so all of this stuff is nonsense and superstition right? . Remnants from a primitive and less enlightened period of our history made popular for a short time by hippy thowbacks and emo kids who suck at video games right and can't play guitar right? I don't think so. This the phenomenon of the occult and magick in our culture is not something that just popped up overnight. This is something that has been throughout the history of the world and continues today.
Is it real? The Bible certainly treats it as such. A quick search of references to magick in the Bible found 55 verses many read similar to Revelation 21:8
8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death
Magick and sorcery as it's often call in the Bible is taken very seriously and no where is it indicated that it's not real or simply superstition, Another example in the Book of Ezekiel.
Thus says the Lord God: Woe to the women who sew magic bands upon all wrists, and make veils for the heads of persons of every stature, in the hunt for souls! Will you hunt down souls belonging to my people and keep your own souls alive?19 You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, putting to death souls who should not die and keeping alive souls who should not live, by your lying to my people, who listen to lies.
20 "Therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against your magic bands with which you hunt the souls like birds, and I will tear them from your arms, and I will let the souls whom you hunt go free, the souls like birds
As I said before it's not treated as mere superstition or fancy. It is spoken harshly against and given the harshest punishment, death and hell. So should Christians worry about magick? No, we shouldn't worry about magick, However we should be on our guard. Jesus said that Satan is a liar seeking to deceive even the elect if he can. Many of the things that I've listed do not always come in nice packages that have "Magick" or "Occult" printed in big letters on the outside. In fact many come in the guise of a supposed form Christianity. Though many more come disguised as self help or displayed as harmless by pop- culture figures.
So my conclusion? Yes magick is real. It is the power displayed by Satan as a counterfeit of Gods. As God uses man to carry out his will on earth Satan will do the same through the false prophecy, miracles, and signs that is more simply called magick.
I may do another on how these things have wormed their way in to our culture and even our churches and many are none the wiser but that will be another time
"The art and science of creating change in accordance with your will"
This, as far as I can tell from their own literature, is not completely accurate. Not to mention this is completely vague. So...what is "magick"? Magick falls in to four general categories, spells, spirits, divination and "spiritual evolution". All four of these take various forms ranging from the obvious to the covert and they're sometimes used in different combinations. I'll continue with short overviews of all these categories.
Spells short rituals or ceremonies using chants, candles, ribbons and various other implements ranging from the mundane to the exotic. Spells can be used for anything from enticing a "deity",spirit or demon to answer a request or command, to affecting somebodies actions or feelings ie...love spells or even darker uses such as hexes or curses.
In magick spirits abound. People attempt to contact spirits for all different reason, for information, servitude, worship, guidance, protection, and even in some traditions to be possessed by. This can be done by various ways, ceremonies and rituals, the use of mirrors, Ouija boards, dances, chants and meditations.
Divination is a description of the methods used to try and know the future or prophesying. This as well has several methods. Tarot, Astrology, crystal gazing, palm reading, tea leaves and runes (stones, bones pieces of wood with symbols carved or drawn on them) are probably the most well know and most popular. There are other methods such as Mirror gazing, fire gazing, Geomancy ( a method of drawing random dots in the earth and reading them) and even sometimes spirit contact is used for this.
The last but not least category is "spiritual evolution". This is the attempt to become a god or god like. All of the above mentioned can be used for the attempt at this goal. As well as the addition of lengthy meditations, lengthy and elaborate ceremonies in the attempt to reach altered states of consciousness
Ok so all of this stuff is nonsense and superstition right? . Remnants from a primitive and less enlightened period of our history made popular for a short time by hippy thowbacks and emo kids who suck at video games right and can't play guitar right? I don't think so. This the phenomenon of the occult and magick in our culture is not something that just popped up overnight. This is something that has been throughout the history of the world and continues today.
Is it real? The Bible certainly treats it as such. A quick search of references to magick in the Bible found 55 verses many read similar to Revelation 21:8
8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death
Magick and sorcery as it's often call in the Bible is taken very seriously and no where is it indicated that it's not real or simply superstition, Another example in the Book of Ezekiel.
Thus says the Lord God: Woe to the women who sew magic bands upon all wrists, and make veils for the heads of persons of every stature, in the hunt for souls! Will you hunt down souls belonging to my people and keep your own souls alive?19 You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, putting to death souls who should not die and keeping alive souls who should not live, by your lying to my people, who listen to lies.
20 "Therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against your magic bands with which you hunt the souls like birds, and I will tear them from your arms, and I will let the souls whom you hunt go free, the souls like birds
As I said before it's not treated as mere superstition or fancy. It is spoken harshly against and given the harshest punishment, death and hell. So should Christians worry about magick? No, we shouldn't worry about magick, However we should be on our guard. Jesus said that Satan is a liar seeking to deceive even the elect if he can. Many of the things that I've listed do not always come in nice packages that have "Magick" or "Occult" printed in big letters on the outside. In fact many come in the guise of a supposed form Christianity. Though many more come disguised as self help or displayed as harmless by pop- culture figures.
So my conclusion? Yes magick is real. It is the power displayed by Satan as a counterfeit of Gods. As God uses man to carry out his will on earth Satan will do the same through the false prophecy, miracles, and signs that is more simply called magick.
I may do another on how these things have wormed their way in to our culture and even our churches and many are none the wiser but that will be another time
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Christmas part 1
We have reached the official start of the Christmas season. Anymore it actually seems like the the "Christmas season " is starting earlier and earlier, in fact I believe that Wal-mart began putting decoration out before Halloween. It's really gotten kind of silly, because you've got Freddy Cruger and Dracula at one end of the store and Santa and Christmas trees at the other.
So what is this "Christmas" I'm speaking of. Ok, some of you may say that's a dumb question, but in today's world is it really that bad of a question? What is Christmas? What does this time of the year really mean? Well in this pluralistic age this is not the easiest question to answer. However I think I can answer it or at least try.
Christmas as we know it today is a hodgepodge. A mishmash of cultural and religious celebrations and traditions. The Christmas tree comes from Germanic and northern European religious traditions. The day itself ,December 25th, comes from various winter solstice traditions. The tradition of giving presents seems to have come from St Nicholas a 4th century saint, as well as other pagan gift giving traditions. The famous and sometimes infamous nativity scene depicts the birth of Jesus Christ.( see the Christmas Wiki for additional details)
I ask the question again...what is the meaning of Christmas. Can we get the meaning of Christmas out of any of these traditions? Many of these pagan traditions predate Christ. So is this the meaning of the season, celebrating the winter solstice and honoring pagan gods? Another possibility is the celebration of wealth and materialism that kicks off the day after Thanksgiving. If this either of these are the meaning of Christmas, then why call it...Christmas? Yule or Solstice day or Saturnalia, or there may be others that fit these meaning better.
So if we're not getting the meaning of Christmas from the origins of the actual traditions that we use, so we must divine the meaning of the season from the name we give the season. Christmas or Christ - mass, the root here is Christ. Christ mass, or the Mass of Christ, these words actually mean death of Christ however the meaning we've assigned to the word Christmas is the birth of Christ. So the meaning for the season based on the name association is literally the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.
So what is this "Christmas" I'm speaking of. Ok, some of you may say that's a dumb question, but in today's world is it really that bad of a question? What is Christmas? What does this time of the year really mean? Well in this pluralistic age this is not the easiest question to answer. However I think I can answer it or at least try.
Christmas as we know it today is a hodgepodge. A mishmash of cultural and religious celebrations and traditions. The Christmas tree comes from Germanic and northern European religious traditions. The day itself ,December 25th, comes from various winter solstice traditions. The tradition of giving presents seems to have come from St Nicholas a 4th century saint, as well as other pagan gift giving traditions. The famous and sometimes infamous nativity scene depicts the birth of Jesus Christ.( see the Christmas Wiki for additional details)
I ask the question again...what is the meaning of Christmas. Can we get the meaning of Christmas out of any of these traditions? Many of these pagan traditions predate Christ. So is this the meaning of the season, celebrating the winter solstice and honoring pagan gods? Another possibility is the celebration of wealth and materialism that kicks off the day after Thanksgiving. If this either of these are the meaning of Christmas, then why call it...Christmas? Yule or Solstice day or Saturnalia, or there may be others that fit these meaning better.
So if we're not getting the meaning of Christmas from the origins of the actual traditions that we use, so we must divine the meaning of the season from the name we give the season. Christmas or Christ - mass, the root here is Christ. Christ mass, or the Mass of Christ, these words actually mean death of Christ however the meaning we've assigned to the word Christmas is the birth of Christ. So the meaning for the season based on the name association is literally the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Marriage...the blog I really didn't want to write
This a blog I've had in my head for awhile ,but have been reluctant to put to paper (or keyboard). I'm not quite sure of the reason for my reluctance but my suspicion is I simply grew tired of the debate over why and who should get married
So I'm going to start simply by answering thee questions. Who do I believe should get married? Why do I believe this and thirdly what involvement do I believe the federal government should have?
To answer, I believe that marriage is for a man and woman and I believe this because this is what Jesus Christ said. As far as the federal government this fall squarely in the category of not they should butt out because as far as I can tell this is a states issue.
So what is marriage? In this country a marriage is a contract between two people. Most states it's only legal for a male and a female to sign a growing number of states are allowing this contract to be signed by same sex coupled. The purpose of this contract. Is to create a legal partnership between two people that governs custody and care of children, insurance coverage, tax issues, property issues as well as it joins two families.
This is not wrong per se, this is essentially the way it has been for centuries. Though the recent debates over who should be able to get married and who should not has forced the question, Is it more than just a civil contract?
If not, then why the firestorm over gay marriage? Are there sociological and anthropological implications? Sure any civil or social arrangement has those. My question becomes what are the spiritual implications of marriage? Does God actually care about who gets married?
I believe that the spiritual implications of marriage are great as well I believe God cares a great deal about who gets married, it was the first institution he created. Before the nation of Israel, before he set the law in stone, he created marriage between a man and woman, the first man and woman.
Genesis 2:24-25 ESV
Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
This is the beginning of marriage Genesis chapter 2, day seven of creation. On the sixth day God created man, woman and marriage. Marriage is the first institution created by God for men and from the way I see it a very important one. It's continually used throughout the Bible as the analog for Gods covenant with his people.
Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
Rev 19:7
And their are many more like this even in the Old testament, in the book of Isaiah, Israel is also described as the bride. Showing God desire the intimate relationship with his people comparable to that of a married couple. With this said marriage between a man and wife is a foreshadowing of the time when God reunites with man not after death but in eternal life. In the Book of Revelation when Jesus returns and is physically reunited with the church the event is described as a great wedding feast.
The marriage supper of the Lamb, the bride, the church, dressed in fine linen ready for her bridegroom, Jesus Christ. It's an amazing image of Gods love for man, for the church, his people.
Now lets look at another aspect of this very important institution. If the physical church is made of of all kinds of people, both men and women why does it matter whether the union is man and woman or man and man or woman and woman as long as it's a union of love?
The simple answer that Gods intention for this institution as stated in Genesis is for a man and woman. No where in the Bible is this contradicted.
So I'm going to start simply by answering thee questions. Who do I believe should get married? Why do I believe this and thirdly what involvement do I believe the federal government should have?
To answer, I believe that marriage is for a man and woman and I believe this because this is what Jesus Christ said. As far as the federal government this fall squarely in the category of not they should butt out because as far as I can tell this is a states issue.
So what is marriage? In this country a marriage is a contract between two people. Most states it's only legal for a male and a female to sign a growing number of states are allowing this contract to be signed by same sex coupled. The purpose of this contract. Is to create a legal partnership between two people that governs custody and care of children, insurance coverage, tax issues, property issues as well as it joins two families.
This is not wrong per se, this is essentially the way it has been for centuries. Though the recent debates over who should be able to get married and who should not has forced the question, Is it more than just a civil contract?
If not, then why the firestorm over gay marriage? Are there sociological and anthropological implications? Sure any civil or social arrangement has those. My question becomes what are the spiritual implications of marriage? Does God actually care about who gets married?
I believe that the spiritual implications of marriage are great as well I believe God cares a great deal about who gets married, it was the first institution he created. Before the nation of Israel, before he set the law in stone, he created marriage between a man and woman, the first man and woman.
Genesis 2:24-25 ESV
Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
This is the beginning of marriage Genesis chapter 2, day seven of creation. On the sixth day God created man, woman and marriage. Marriage is the first institution created by God for men and from the way I see it a very important one. It's continually used throughout the Bible as the analog for Gods covenant with his people.
Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
Rev 19:7
And their are many more like this even in the Old testament, in the book of Isaiah, Israel is also described as the bride. Showing God desire the intimate relationship with his people comparable to that of a married couple. With this said marriage between a man and wife is a foreshadowing of the time when God reunites with man not after death but in eternal life. In the Book of Revelation when Jesus returns and is physically reunited with the church the event is described as a great wedding feast.
Revelation 19:7-9 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God
The marriage supper of the Lamb, the bride, the church, dressed in fine linen ready for her bridegroom, Jesus Christ. It's an amazing image of Gods love for man, for the church, his people.
Now lets look at another aspect of this very important institution. If the physical church is made of of all kinds of people, both men and women why does it matter whether the union is man and woman or man and man or woman and woman as long as it's a union of love?
The simple answer that Gods intention for this institution as stated in Genesis is for a man and woman. No where in the Bible is this contradicted.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Hell...
NThis is going to be my look at Hell and what I believe the Bible actually says about Hell. Hell is (pun intended) a hot topic right now because of a controversial book by ,as far as I can tell, a heretical pastor. So I'm going to start this off pretty straight forward and tell you what I believe about hell and then go in to scripture to support this. I believe, what I assume is a pretty traditional view of hell.
I believe that when you die you immediately go one of two places, heaven or hell. Heaven, to spend eternity in Gods new Eden or Hell to spend eternity bearing Gods wrath and judgment in torment flame and darkness. I believe they are both actual places in the afterlife and not just states of mind on in this life or the next. I believe they are both eternal.
So where to start in scripture? The easiest and most obvious place to start is Luke 16: 19-31;
19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in epurple and fine linen and fwho feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gategwas laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with hwhat fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by ithe angels jto Abraham's side.6 The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in kHades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and lsaw Abraham far off and Lazarus jat his side.24 And he called out, m‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and ncool my tongue, for oI am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that pyou in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house—28 for I have five brothers7—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’29 But Abraham said, ‘They have qMoses and the Prophets; rlet them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, sfather Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear qMoses and the Prophets, tneither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”
These verses , to me at least seem pretty self explanatory. You die you either go to a place of torment or a place of rest. Though I am seeing this debated and explained as a metaphor. My question is a metaphor for what? Jesus never gives an alternate explanation or goes on to say any different or indicates that it has some alternate meaning in any way. So why are we to say it means anything else than what it says?
To contrast this a little bit we have the parable of wheat and tares (weeds) in Matthew in 13: 24-30 and he goes on to explain this a little later in Matthew 13: 36-43
24 He put another parable before them, saying, w“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds3 among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants4 of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, x‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”
and explained
36 Then he left the crowds and went into ithe house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one,39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 sand throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear
He doesn't do this in the parable from Luke. How ever we do see that these two parables are in agreement. Both are describing a fiery place filled with torment. Jesus doesn't explain this parable as bad times during life or even simply separation from God. It is a place of torment and you are sent there by God. Do I need to go on? These are parables from Jesus himself, not the apostles, not church fathers, not theologian.
I would think it would be fairly obvious that Jesus is talking about a place not a state of mind and from the parable in look it indicates a permanency in the chasm that neither side can cross over to the other. Lets go on in Revelation 20: 10-15
10 and the devil lwho had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Judgment Before the Great White Throne
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence on earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, the was thrown into the lake of fire.
Again here in the Revelation given to John by Jesus a description of Hell. A lake of fire where the inhabitants will be tormented day and night, forever and ever. The inhabitants being, Satan, his demons(Jude 1), the anti-Christ, the false prophet, Death, Hades, the fallen angels and all those whose name is not found in the book of life. Jesus underpins the seriousness of hell several places as well saying its better to pluck out your eye or cut off your hand if they are causing you to sin than GO TO hell (matt 5: 27-30) this to me doesn't sound like some temporary hell on earth or hell state of mind, because all things on this earth pass and if you cut off your hand that's it it's gone. So...from what I can tell these are some main places where Jesus talks about hell pretty specifically and I believe that hell is real. The scriptures point to that, Jesus points to that and that it is an eternal place of fire and torment! But there is some good news! Jesus Christ came to earth, lived a perfect life then went willingly to the cross, enduring torture and beatings before finally being crucified all for you. He did it taking the punishment we all deserve. Then he over came all the sin and death and wrath rising three days later so that all you have to do is believe in him will have everlasting life and not everlasting torment. Next...pt 2 the why of hell
I believe that when you die you immediately go one of two places, heaven or hell. Heaven, to spend eternity in Gods new Eden or Hell to spend eternity bearing Gods wrath and judgment in torment flame and darkness. I believe they are both actual places in the afterlife and not just states of mind on in this life or the next. I believe they are both eternal.
So where to start in scripture? The easiest and most obvious place to start is Luke 16: 19-31;
19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in epurple and fine linen and fwho feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gategwas laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with hwhat fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by ithe angels jto Abraham's side.6 The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in kHades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and lsaw Abraham far off and Lazarus jat his side.24 And he called out, m‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and ncool my tongue, for oI am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that pyou in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house—28 for I have five brothers7—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’29 But Abraham said, ‘They have qMoses and the Prophets; rlet them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, sfather Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear qMoses and the Prophets, tneither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”
These verses , to me at least seem pretty self explanatory. You die you either go to a place of torment or a place of rest. Though I am seeing this debated and explained as a metaphor. My question is a metaphor for what? Jesus never gives an alternate explanation or goes on to say any different or indicates that it has some alternate meaning in any way. So why are we to say it means anything else than what it says?
To contrast this a little bit we have the parable of wheat and tares (weeds) in Matthew in 13: 24-30 and he goes on to explain this a little later in Matthew 13: 36-43
24 He put another parable before them, saying, w“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds3 among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants4 of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, x‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”
and explained
36 Then he left the crowds and went into ithe house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one,39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 sand throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear
He doesn't do this in the parable from Luke. How ever we do see that these two parables are in agreement. Both are describing a fiery place filled with torment. Jesus doesn't explain this parable as bad times during life or even simply separation from God. It is a place of torment and you are sent there by God. Do I need to go on? These are parables from Jesus himself, not the apostles, not church fathers, not theologian.
I would think it would be fairly obvious that Jesus is talking about a place not a state of mind and from the parable in look it indicates a permanency in the chasm that neither side can cross over to the other. Lets go on in Revelation 20: 10-15
10 and the devil lwho had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Judgment Before the Great White Throne
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence on earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, the was thrown into the lake of fire.
Again here in the Revelation given to John by Jesus a description of Hell. A lake of fire where the inhabitants will be tormented day and night, forever and ever. The inhabitants being, Satan, his demons(Jude 1), the anti-Christ, the false prophet, Death, Hades, the fallen angels and all those whose name is not found in the book of life. Jesus underpins the seriousness of hell several places as well saying its better to pluck out your eye or cut off your hand if they are causing you to sin than GO TO hell (matt 5: 27-30) this to me doesn't sound like some temporary hell on earth or hell state of mind, because all things on this earth pass and if you cut off your hand that's it it's gone. So...from what I can tell these are some main places where Jesus talks about hell pretty specifically and I believe that hell is real. The scriptures point to that, Jesus points to that and that it is an eternal place of fire and torment! But there is some good news! Jesus Christ came to earth, lived a perfect life then went willingly to the cross, enduring torture and beatings before finally being crucified all for you. He did it taking the punishment we all deserve. Then he over came all the sin and death and wrath rising three days later so that all you have to do is believe in him will have everlasting life and not everlasting torment. Next...pt 2 the why of hell
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Avatar the sermon
No, this is NOT a repeat of the Matrix blog. In fact its going to be the oposite. I'm not going to be redeeming Avatar, I'm going to be JUDGING it! Which is ironic considering the sermon that inspired this blog told the congregation that judging is bbbaaaadd.
So the inspiration for this came from a sermon by a local pastor. It was part of a "God at the movies" series from North Point church One of the first things I would like to say about this, is if you've been to the movies much lately, it's hard to say with any certainty that God is actually there. Especially in a movie such as Avatar.
The Sermon, which I don't think you can see on their website but you can find on ITunes, was not good. "Pastor" Tommy Sparger used the movie as an example of empathy, learning to walk in some one else shoes. And the movie does explore that quite literally. There is nothing wrong with empathy. Empathy is good and the world probably needs more of it. However this was a church and the pastor was using a decidedly unGodly example to try to make a point of Godly empathy. I would have thought a better thing to preach from would be say maybe Mark ch1 where Jesus goes to the desert to be tempted by Satan, or any number of points in the New Testament where the writer talks about Jesus taking on human form for us.
The sermon was decidedly not Jesus centric. The high point of the sermon came towards the end where he talked about how their was not judgement at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ just grace. Which is true, however he neglected to say grace for what. Never once when talking about the cross did he go in to any explanation of why Jesus went to the cross. He didn't explain that Jesus Christ went to the cross in our place. That he took the punishment that we should have gotten for our sin and that we all need to repent of our sin and believe and accept Jesus Christ as our lord and savior! Apparently he was too busy talking about how judging is bad and that we need to be empathetic and not hurt peoples feeling to tell them that we are all sinners bound for hell except for the those who accept the saving grace of Jesus.
This is not an anomaly. This is pretty much par for the course for this church and for more and more churches around the country and the world. The job of the pastor is not to tickle peoples itching ears with little feel good lectures and pretty speeches, it's to proclaim the Gospel. that Jesus Christ died for our sins. That he rose on the third day and now sits at the right hand of God and he's coming back for those that believe and to judge those that don't.
So lets turn now to the movie he use, Avatar. Don't get me wrong I actually like the movie. It's a good fantasy/sci-fi flick, beautifully filmed and technically amazing. However with that said I don't think I would ever take any theological ideas from it. Pastor Mark Driscoll once called it a "Demonic and Satanic film" and I'm not sure he's far off. The Ideology put forth in Avatar is not in any way, shape or form Christian. It's just not.
The Na'vi, the natives of the planet on which the movie took place were the very model of paganism and pantheism. They worshiped the planet and everything on it as well they had a "goddess" called "Ehwah" who was said to be part of everything, and that the whole planet is "alive". This is the Ideology that they fight for in going up against the human who want to mine the planet. In the end they win with the help of the planet as the many of the wild creatures begin attacking the humans in the last battle of the movie.
The whole movie could be considered a Gaia theory/extreme environmentalism PSA with a little new age spirituality tossed in. So ,yeah you could easily call this movie demonic from a biblical point of view. Which is why I say it was completely inappropriate to use this or pretty much the majority of movies as examples in a church. I did write a blog using matrix point of view but I don't think I would actually preach that as a sermon in a church, it was a response to another point of view.
This same church has a sermon series coming up about Hell. I am both curious and concerned about his take on Hell. The bottom line is, that Pastors need to get back to preaching the Gospel and if you're going to use an example from the world you better be able to tie it back to the Gospel or not preach it.
So the inspiration for this came from a sermon by a local pastor. It was part of a "God at the movies" series from North Point church One of the first things I would like to say about this, is if you've been to the movies much lately, it's hard to say with any certainty that God is actually there. Especially in a movie such as Avatar.
The Sermon, which I don't think you can see on their website but you can find on ITunes, was not good. "Pastor" Tommy Sparger used the movie as an example of empathy, learning to walk in some one else shoes. And the movie does explore that quite literally. There is nothing wrong with empathy. Empathy is good and the world probably needs more of it. However this was a church and the pastor was using a decidedly unGodly example to try to make a point of Godly empathy. I would have thought a better thing to preach from would be say maybe Mark ch1 where Jesus goes to the desert to be tempted by Satan, or any number of points in the New Testament where the writer talks about Jesus taking on human form for us.
The sermon was decidedly not Jesus centric. The high point of the sermon came towards the end where he talked about how their was not judgement at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ just grace. Which is true, however he neglected to say grace for what. Never once when talking about the cross did he go in to any explanation of why Jesus went to the cross. He didn't explain that Jesus Christ went to the cross in our place. That he took the punishment that we should have gotten for our sin and that we all need to repent of our sin and believe and accept Jesus Christ as our lord and savior! Apparently he was too busy talking about how judging is bad and that we need to be empathetic and not hurt peoples feeling to tell them that we are all sinners bound for hell except for the those who accept the saving grace of Jesus.
This is not an anomaly. This is pretty much par for the course for this church and for more and more churches around the country and the world. The job of the pastor is not to tickle peoples itching ears with little feel good lectures and pretty speeches, it's to proclaim the Gospel. that Jesus Christ died for our sins. That he rose on the third day and now sits at the right hand of God and he's coming back for those that believe and to judge those that don't.
So lets turn now to the movie he use, Avatar. Don't get me wrong I actually like the movie. It's a good fantasy/sci-fi flick, beautifully filmed and technically amazing. However with that said I don't think I would ever take any theological ideas from it. Pastor Mark Driscoll once called it a "Demonic and Satanic film" and I'm not sure he's far off. The Ideology put forth in Avatar is not in any way, shape or form Christian. It's just not.
The Na'vi, the natives of the planet on which the movie took place were the very model of paganism and pantheism. They worshiped the planet and everything on it as well they had a "goddess" called "Ehwah" who was said to be part of everything, and that the whole planet is "alive". This is the Ideology that they fight for in going up against the human who want to mine the planet. In the end they win with the help of the planet as the many of the wild creatures begin attacking the humans in the last battle of the movie.
The whole movie could be considered a Gaia theory/extreme environmentalism PSA with a little new age spirituality tossed in. So ,yeah you could easily call this movie demonic from a biblical point of view. Which is why I say it was completely inappropriate to use this or pretty much the majority of movies as examples in a church. I did write a blog using matrix point of view but I don't think I would actually preach that as a sermon in a church, it was a response to another point of view.
This same church has a sermon series coming up about Hell. I am both curious and concerned about his take on Hell. The bottom line is, that Pastors need to get back to preaching the Gospel and if you're going to use an example from the world you better be able to tie it back to the Gospel or not preach it.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
On Gnosticism
Gnosticism is some thing I find fascinating and it's something that is very seductive. Here is the point where I would try to define gnosticism, unfortunately defining gnosticism is like trying to nail jello to a wall or prove whether or not Barack Obama is a natural born citizen. It's a subjective ,every flowing ,ever changing thing.
Their are a few points I think I can corral in general.
First a twisting of the Bible. Like in my last blog, many gnostics consider God as portrayed in the old testament as a false, dictatorial, entity that's not actually God and they see Satan as portrayed in the garden in Eden as a liberator or savior who brought man out of ignorance.
Second they don't see Jesus as god or savior of man. In gnostic thought line that I am most familiar with, Jesus is not even seen as actually existing. He is seen as a savior archetype and his mythological death and resurrection was not to save men from their sin but to reconcile the fallen "Sophia" to the unknowable god.
Third that God did not create the universe but he did. Ok this is where gnosticism gets a little confusing. The Unknowable god Created the Heavenly realms and after that their was just a bunch of junk (matter) laying around. At some point comes along this "Demi-urge" character who thinks he's God and from the junk laying around fashions the material universe and calls himself god.
Next is the character of Sophia. Sophia is a Greek word that means wisdom. In gnostic mythology Sophia or wisdom has been personified as a goddess with her own storyline and various incarnations. In fact she's actually seen as the savior of man and not Jesus Christ. When in gnosticism like with Kabbalah when talking about the various heavenly or diving entities they are spoken of as emanations from the one "unknowable" god. Sophia was one of the last emanations from the one and wanted to create something without paring with the one and actually created a deformed blind arrogant creature who was the Demi-urge. (it seem Wisdom wasn't so wise) and thus causing her to be separated from "the one".
Many gnostics also have espoused the idea of reincarnation as well as other eastern ideas. Many a hatred of mainstream Christianity especially Catholicism, anything with orthodox in the name, and any that consider themselves fundamentalist and of this created world in general seeing matter as evil. As they see them as worshiping the evil demi-urge. Another strong trait is that they don't recognize the authority of any scripture really, they take ideas from the Bible, nag hammadi, and other apocryphal and psuedopigraphical works though seeing non of them as the ultimate authority. And still others look to other works such as the writings of the mystery schools, works of Jung, works from Philip K. Dick, and even movies such as "The Matrix" and "Dark City" for spiritual ideas.
Gnostics often claim to be the christianity before christianity and were spoke about in the Bible as false teachers. Some claim Paul as a gnostic saint as he never met Christ in the flesh but had a vision of him on the way to Damascus. Though I have listed some common points here the stated goal of gnosticism is supposed personal revelation of god or "gnosis". Which is fine, Paul talked about having spiritual knowlege of God, he also talked about testing it under the light of scripture and if it didn't measure up it should be considered the teaching of demons (tim 4:1) . The gnostics take all spiritual wisdom as good whether and especially if doesn't agree with scripture.
This is just a very very quick over view of gnosticism, as I said gnosticism is like looking an ever shifting desert almost impossible to pin down, Knowledge from God is not though, James the brother of Jesus Christ writes, Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow. (jam 1:17), and like I said above, while Gnosticism is extremely seductive and it tends to speak a language similar to Christianity it is a shifting shadow.
Their are a few points I think I can corral in general.
First a twisting of the Bible. Like in my last blog, many gnostics consider God as portrayed in the old testament as a false, dictatorial, entity that's not actually God and they see Satan as portrayed in the garden in Eden as a liberator or savior who brought man out of ignorance.
Second they don't see Jesus as god or savior of man. In gnostic thought line that I am most familiar with, Jesus is not even seen as actually existing. He is seen as a savior archetype and his mythological death and resurrection was not to save men from their sin but to reconcile the fallen "Sophia" to the unknowable god.
Third that God did not create the universe but he did. Ok this is where gnosticism gets a little confusing. The Unknowable god Created the Heavenly realms and after that their was just a bunch of junk (matter) laying around. At some point comes along this "Demi-urge" character who thinks he's God and from the junk laying around fashions the material universe and calls himself god.
Next is the character of Sophia. Sophia is a Greek word that means wisdom. In gnostic mythology Sophia or wisdom has been personified as a goddess with her own storyline and various incarnations. In fact she's actually seen as the savior of man and not Jesus Christ. When in gnosticism like with Kabbalah when talking about the various heavenly or diving entities they are spoken of as emanations from the one "unknowable" god. Sophia was one of the last emanations from the one and wanted to create something without paring with the one and actually created a deformed blind arrogant creature who was the Demi-urge. (it seem Wisdom wasn't so wise) and thus causing her to be separated from "the one".
Many gnostics also have espoused the idea of reincarnation as well as other eastern ideas. Many a hatred of mainstream Christianity especially Catholicism, anything with orthodox in the name, and any that consider themselves fundamentalist and of this created world in general seeing matter as evil. As they see them as worshiping the evil demi-urge. Another strong trait is that they don't recognize the authority of any scripture really, they take ideas from the Bible, nag hammadi, and other apocryphal and psuedopigraphical works though seeing non of them as the ultimate authority. And still others look to other works such as the writings of the mystery schools, works of Jung, works from Philip K. Dick, and even movies such as "The Matrix" and "Dark City" for spiritual ideas.
Gnostics often claim to be the christianity before christianity and were spoke about in the Bible as false teachers. Some claim Paul as a gnostic saint as he never met Christ in the flesh but had a vision of him on the way to Damascus. Though I have listed some common points here the stated goal of gnosticism is supposed personal revelation of god or "gnosis". Which is fine, Paul talked about having spiritual knowlege of God, he also talked about testing it under the light of scripture and if it didn't measure up it should be considered the teaching of demons (tim 4:1) . The gnostics take all spiritual wisdom as good whether and especially if doesn't agree with scripture.
This is just a very very quick over view of gnosticism, as I said gnosticism is like looking an ever shifting desert almost impossible to pin down, Knowledge from God is not though, James the brother of Jesus Christ writes, Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow. (jam 1:17), and like I said above, while Gnosticism is extremely seductive and it tends to speak a language similar to Christianity it is a shifting shadow.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Is God a reptilian alien overlord?
Ok I see this...this...ridiculousness pop up every once in a while and I just thought I would address it. This is actually response to this comment I saw on a youtube video :
" I believe ppl got all wrong with the all seeing eye, its not Lucifer its Yahweh, from my own direct experience Yahweh is a reptilian Annunaki god who is in control of humanity, the serpent in the garden is actually the good guy you just have to look at the message and who is trying to empower you, is it empowering to have to submit to a dictator god or the realization that you can become your own god? GNOSIS!"
5Dshapeshifter116
I've heard this over and over again over the last few years and frankly I find it one of the dumbest idea's I've ever come across. So lets actually look at the story from Genesis, at least the parts that pertain to this, and see exactly why this guy is wrong.
"And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.9 And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.10 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.11 The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;12 And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.13 And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.s14 And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.s15 And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. Gen 2:8
"And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:s17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. "
Gen 2:16
Ok so at this point God has created the entire universe and Adam and now on the Earth, God has created a special garden just for man, and from the description it sounds like some place I wouldn't mind going, four rivers, gold, animal, all the fruit you can eat and every body is running around naked. One exception, God has put two special tree in the middle of the garden. "The tree of life", which when we read further we would have gotten to eat from had we not disobeyed, and the tree of "Knowledge of Good and Evil" and all he said was do not eat from the the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, that's it. Had Adam and Eve listened we'd all be running around naked, eating from the tree of life and playing with our pet velociraptors (nothing ate meat till after the flood) and communing with our creator. I don't know about you but that sounds like a pretty sweet life to me.
Then enter Satan who came disguised as a snake (which is...wait for it...a reptile) and tempted Eve to eat from the tree.
Genesis 3:1-5 ESV
"Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.
He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?"
And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'" But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
So...Satan came to Eve and said "ya know God the guy who made you and the rest this stuff? Screw him do what you want and eat from the tree and it'll make you a god too." And she did and then he did and it's all been down hill from there.
All this we have to deal with now, war, hate, famine, disease, government, all this came from that one disobedient act. So how does this make Lucifer the "good guy"? I don't see it. Because after this God kicks out of the garden and because sin has entered in to and currupted us and the rest of creation and now every thing is a struggle. So if the God who loves us and created a paradise for us is evil and the reptile who helped get us kicked out is good well then color me evil! But God is not evil, he is good Jesus says only God is good and he wants us to go back to paradise. In fact he loves us so much and is so good he sent his only son to suffer and die for us so we can go back to paradise.
So is Yhvh an annunaki alien, reptilian overlord? No, it's a lie and it seems to be one of Satans favorites. That God is bad and you can be a god. But God is good and infite and we are flawed an finite.
However all is not lost, like I said, our good, infinite, perfect God sent his only son Jesus Christ to redeem us, so we can go back to paradise and not have to spend eternity in torment, in hell with Satan and his demons.
As far as the message the poster was talking about. Gods message is love. Eternal, unconditional love but he cannot abide sin, that is why need Jesus.
Satans message is hate, greed, selfishness. He hates God and he hates you.
So what's your choice?
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Dumb as a box of hair
I just commented on a friend facebook that our representative in D.C. are stupid and they are. From a normal common sense perspective they're dumb as a box of hair. If you have a debt problem you don't fix it by spending more.
However if u want to take down a country from the inside. If you want to remove it's sovereignty and make it dependent on a global system without an armed take over, then you spend like a crack head with a stolen credit card. In this light what has just happened (debt ceiling, super congess etc...) makes perfect sense. Look at Obama who during the election was campaigning all over europe. Why? They don't vote in our elections. This shows his "global" mind set. I don't for one minute that he's loyal to America like most americans are.
So...my conclusion is that all this we're seeing in Washington is globalist maneuvering. I truely belive the next step is the Amero. We might even see it before the next election...if there is one
Sunday, July 24, 2011
The Matrix Ministry
The Matrix ministies is indevelopment now! My goal in this is to bring the truth of
Gods words to well...truth seeker. To those to involved in "the infowar" or the "truth movement" or speaking out against secret societies etc. and even those who are involved in paganism and the occult or the new age movement. As I have found a lack of truth in all these
Right now it's just this blog and a twitter feed (@matrixministry), but I hope to expand as God wills and allows and as my knowledge expands.
God bless
Gods words to well...truth seeker. To those to involved in "the infowar" or the "truth movement" or speaking out against secret societies etc. and even those who are involved in paganism and the occult or the new age movement. As I have found a lack of truth in all these
Right now it's just this blog and a twitter feed (@matrixministry), but I hope to expand as God wills and allows and as my knowledge expands.
God bless
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Rambling
Now what oh what shall I talk about today? So much passing through my brain today. I sit and look around at our world, watch/read the news listen to people talk and I can't help thinking "our world is in trouble and I mean trouble".
It seems like everything is getting ready to crumble. The US economy,whether people will admit it or not, is in some serious long term trouble as well as half a dozen other big economies. There is a war raging on our southern boarder and in countless other countries. Our politicians seem to get more and more corrupt every year. Natural disasters seem to be at an all time high. Even our society seems to simply falling in to decay, nothing is sacred accept the very things that will destroy us.
When you try to take it all in it really is very depressing, to watch the world on its steady swirl down. ..or is it? Should we despair as watching the world implode. I think that depends.
If you are an atheist or a pagan or someone who's whole mindset depends on this world. If your whole focus is the things of this word then yes, you should probably despair because the whole thing is coming down! The matrix is collapsing be afraid, be very afraid because it's not going to get any better any time soon, if ever. Our economy is showing no sign of recovering anytime soon. The world economy is in turmoil. The world at a whole is in turmoil. Yet anybody even half awake should know this.
So...what about those who believe in Christ. Should we be depressed and mopy about the state of the world? Should we be angry shaking our fist fighting the world? Should we cut our selves off from the world, hide in the woods polishing our guns and boiling our water? I'm reminded of something Pastor Billy Crone likes to say "This is not a time to get fearful, this is a time to get faithful."
So...what do I think...this is a time to fight. This is a time to put on the Armor of god and fight. In this "free country" Christianity is more attack now than at any other time in this countries history, not only in this country but as Islam ramps up and tyrannical regimes crack down Christianity is becoming more and more persecuted, every day more and more Christians are killed or imprisoned for nothing more than believing that Jesus Christ is the son of God, died on the cross and rose three days later. And the enemies are not just from without they are from within as well.
False, lukewarm, and even blended doctrines are becoming more and more prevalent within the American church. Basic doctrines such as hell and salvation through Jesus only are being replaced with fuzzy wuzzy pluralism. The feelgood doctrines and the health and wealth doctrines have become a sweet poison within the church.
So what should we as Christians do? Stick together...actually read the Bible and find men and women who will actually teach whats in it. Political action, while we still can, find men and women who honor god and do our best to put them in office. Not be afraid to speak up and disagree with those spewing false teachings. Look at our own lives and see if what we're doing shows the world that we're following it or if we're following God.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Forth of July,patriotism,and Liberals.
Ok to start this off I am not a super patriot who believes that the US can do no wrong. I am fully aware that our history and our present is full of mistake but I am still glad that I was born here. Because , hey mistakes happen, people make them and countries make them.
This country led the world for almost 200 years. Since our inception people have flocked and still flock here by the thousands. Why? One word...freedom. Political,religious,personal,economic ideological,freedom, was our guiding light. It wasn't pretty, it wasn't easy, it wasn't nice, it wasn't politically correct but it propelled us in two hundred years further, technologically and economically and in just about any other way than the previous two thousand.
It wasn't globalism, or wealth redistribution, or communism, or Utopian philosophy or green economics or pagan universalism that did it. It was down and dirty in your face judeo-christian based freedom that did it. It was capitalism and no things weren't and aren't perfect but people believed in this country and were proud of this country And where are we now? At every turn were being told how much this country sucks. Our pledge of allegiance and flag ,we are told, are somethings that should not be displayed in public. God, even in generic terms, is offensive and harmful and that man is not a special creation but that we evolved in some sort of cosmic accident and are a virus harming "mother earth" and not to be given anymore consideration than any other animal on the planet.
So what are wet to make of this? This is only a few things I've bothered to mention about the state of our society. I could go on for pages. I'm not knocking our country. I love our country I love the people of our country but their are definitely things dragging us in the wrong direction. I don't trust our government and I don't trust the people our government is in league with.
So how did we get this way, simple answer...WE let it get this way. We got comfortable and complacent and we let a vocal minority get away with whatever they wanted.
How do we fix our society, our country, I don't know for sure, but I do know that "We the people" must do it we must get back to our basics, God, Family, freedom. Government will not fix us in fact history shows that government usually sends us the other direction.
Just some things to think about this "Forth of July" weekend.
Monday, June 27, 2011
The Machine the Matrix and the Kingdom
I know, I know, it looks looks like I've missed the bus seeing as the Matrix movies came out a decade ago. However seeing as some of the concepts have become ingrained in pop culture. As well I seem to be hearing more and more that we may be living in a "holographic universe" like the matrix, though this is probably more pop-sci than science. However these things have gotten me thinking.
It got me thinking about sin and this world system, the kingdom of God and "the Matrix". In the movie the Matrix was a holographic world wired directly into peoples brains from birth. Except for a select few no one knew that the Matrix was not the real world. The few that did know worked to awaken people from their captive sleep and to the awareness that the matrix was not the real world. When people were awakened and released from their imprisonment they woke to a world more frightening than the matrix ruled by living machines and they were draft into a war against the machines and for the freedom of mankind.
Eventually they awaken a savior character that kind of sort of defeated the machine...well more of a stalemate.
Now how does this apply to...anything? Our world has been invaded by a "Matrix" of sorts. The illusion brought by sin is our matrix, it saturates every aspect of our world and its systems. Sin is the lie, the illusion pulled over our eyes, the prison that we can't touch tor taste or see or smell. It is the virus that corrupts our world even creation itself.
All men are born in to the matrix of sin...lets carry the computer metaphor a little further. Thousands of years ago the virus of sin completely dominated man, much as is it is now, so much that God decided to reset the system sending the flood to kill all men save eight that found his favor. However the virus began to replicate again and one day he will perform a complete hard drive wipe and reinstall and the virus and those who perpetuate it will be locked in the ultimate virus vault.
Until then God has sent the ultimate anti-virus. His son Jesus Christ. Loaded into this world to overcome this matrix of Satan and sin. Unlike Neo it wasn't a stalemate caused by Jesus's death bought the complete defeat of Satan's machine.
Jesus's death and resurrection was the jailbreak performed for all the captives who will take the "red pill" if you will. That's actually and apt metaphor as the shed blood of Jesus is how we're saved.
Take the red pill and you will wake up to a world of horror. A world corrupted and dying. You will begin to see the world as it is. The world will be against you as it has always been against now it will hate you because you are free. Because you have taken the anti-virus and it will do all it can to bring you back to its prison. It will and always has tried to keep you from the savior that lived and bled and died and was resurrected so that when your time runs out or when the great reformat comes you will not be sentenced to the virus vault...to Hell the place of darkness and torment.
It's so easy, turn from the matrix, turn from sin take the red pill from Jesus. Accept his gift of grace through faith that he, bled and suffered and died to give you, but yet many will not. The letter from Paul to the Romans he states men have exchanged Gods truth for lie and love the creature and not the creator. They worship the Matrix, they love their sin more than God. They are blind to the fact that anything is even wrong. (1cor 2:14). To say that what anybody is doing is sin seems foolish to those who are so completely take by this life. Another great lie of the matrix, the lie of sin is that their is no such thing as sin that it's all relative and they see no reason to try to escape.
And like the matrix movies when you accept the red pill of Gods salvation you too are drafted into a war against Satan's machines and his agents but this war will end completely and all those who accepted Gods gift will be gathered to him and Satan and his agents will also be cast into Hell that great virus vault of darkness and torment. And when the end of this world comes a new one will replace it...no matrix...no illusion...no sin...just God...just reality
So...Wake up! The Matrix has you! You are a sinner! You have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23) Take the red pill of Gods love and salvation and begin to experience reality! Jesus Christ is the red pill the only way out of the matrix! The only way to have freedom from the machine! Not wisdom as the gnostics and new agers suppose. Not some long elaborate ritual as the occults say...Just Jesus Christ.
It got me thinking about sin and this world system, the kingdom of God and "the Matrix". In the movie the Matrix was a holographic world wired directly into peoples brains from birth. Except for a select few no one knew that the Matrix was not the real world. The few that did know worked to awaken people from their captive sleep and to the awareness that the matrix was not the real world. When people were awakened and released from their imprisonment they woke to a world more frightening than the matrix ruled by living machines and they were draft into a war against the machines and for the freedom of mankind.
Eventually they awaken a savior character that kind of sort of defeated the machine...well more of a stalemate.
Now how does this apply to...anything? Our world has been invaded by a "Matrix" of sorts. The illusion brought by sin is our matrix, it saturates every aspect of our world and its systems. Sin is the lie, the illusion pulled over our eyes, the prison that we can't touch tor taste or see or smell. It is the virus that corrupts our world even creation itself.
All men are born in to the matrix of sin...lets carry the computer metaphor a little further. Thousands of years ago the virus of sin completely dominated man, much as is it is now, so much that God decided to reset the system sending the flood to kill all men save eight that found his favor. However the virus began to replicate again and one day he will perform a complete hard drive wipe and reinstall and the virus and those who perpetuate it will be locked in the ultimate virus vault.
Until then God has sent the ultimate anti-virus. His son Jesus Christ. Loaded into this world to overcome this matrix of Satan and sin. Unlike Neo it wasn't a stalemate caused by Jesus's death bought the complete defeat of Satan's machine.
Jesus's death and resurrection was the jailbreak performed for all the captives who will take the "red pill" if you will. That's actually and apt metaphor as the shed blood of Jesus is how we're saved.
Take the red pill and you will wake up to a world of horror. A world corrupted and dying. You will begin to see the world as it is. The world will be against you as it has always been against now it will hate you because you are free. Because you have taken the anti-virus and it will do all it can to bring you back to its prison. It will and always has tried to keep you from the savior that lived and bled and died and was resurrected so that when your time runs out or when the great reformat comes you will not be sentenced to the virus vault...to Hell the place of darkness and torment.
It's so easy, turn from the matrix, turn from sin take the red pill from Jesus. Accept his gift of grace through faith that he, bled and suffered and died to give you, but yet many will not. The letter from Paul to the Romans he states men have exchanged Gods truth for lie and love the creature and not the creator. They worship the Matrix, they love their sin more than God. They are blind to the fact that anything is even wrong. (1cor 2:14). To say that what anybody is doing is sin seems foolish to those who are so completely take by this life. Another great lie of the matrix, the lie of sin is that their is no such thing as sin that it's all relative and they see no reason to try to escape.
And like the matrix movies when you accept the red pill of Gods salvation you too are drafted into a war against Satan's machines and his agents but this war will end completely and all those who accepted Gods gift will be gathered to him and Satan and his agents will also be cast into Hell that great virus vault of darkness and torment. And when the end of this world comes a new one will replace it...no matrix...no illusion...no sin...just God...just reality
So...Wake up! The Matrix has you! You are a sinner! You have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23) Take the red pill of Gods love and salvation and begin to experience reality! Jesus Christ is the red pill the only way out of the matrix! The only way to have freedom from the machine! Not wisdom as the gnostics and new agers suppose. Not some long elaborate ritual as the occults say...Just Jesus Christ.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
There is no such thing as atheism
Their is no such thing as atheism. I know it sounds odd since their are lots of people running around calling themselves atheists.
I have come to agree with Pastor Mark Driscoll..everybody worships something, and its my contention that a good many of the people running around calling themselves atheists either are worshiping themselves or science. These two have become the most popular idols of the western world.
So... this begs the question of why all the hate towards Christianity from atheists? I've actually put a lot of thought in to. As it confused me for a while. Why does it matter if we believe something and they don't? Well like I said before, whether they acknowledge it or not they do worship something. The worship of the self is at odds with the worship of God. It's the original deception. Man trying to elevate himself to godhood and replace the true God. The result of this is anger towards anything even alluding to God.
Many people have said it and I'll say it again. It is a spiritual war, and it is heating up.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Fear, Sadness and Rapture.
This year started off with a bang and it hasn't stopped. Egypt in chaos, possibly lost to the "Muslim Brotherhood", other riots in various mid-east countries. A broad day light assassination attempt of a congresswoman by a crazed (some have postulated demon possessed man) man, resulting in the death and injury of several innocent including a child. The U.N., NATO, The U.S. and Lybian rebels launching attacks against the dictators regime in the country. Like I said an interesting year so far.
And the last week or so has certainly has not left us with any lack of excitement and chaos. We got everything started off with President Obama trying to give Israel to Hamas, next we had a predicted "Rapture" that wasn't and to top it all we here in the mid-west were hit with the deadliest tornadoes in more than a half century. I could do probably several pages on each of these, but I will try to keep this short(ish).
First thing I want to comment on is a speech by our seemingly useless excuse for a President or at least part of his speech, the part where he suggested that Israel return the pre - 1967 war borders , giving the rest back to Palestine. This is a huge betrayal. Israel has been our ally and only stable presence in the mid - east for years. This is near political suicide for the President as both the House and Senate has turned on him. As well spiritually unhealthy , in Genesis 12, 1-3 God tells Israel I will bless those that bless you and curse those that curse you.
Which do you think this is?
This is not a good situation and we need to let the People of Israel know that this is essentially the act of one man and not the act of the whole country and you can do that here.
The Second thing I want to Comment on is the "Rapture" that wasn't. The is what Christians call the event where all those who are saved are taken to heaven before (or at some point during the early part of ) the "Tribulation" that occurs before the second coming of Christ. Well a recently a pastor, who now has put himself in the ranks of false prophets, predicted that the rapture will occur on May 21 2011 at 6:59pm et. This didn't happen. The problem with this like the other times this has happened. It is has effected peoples lives, devastated some I'm sure as I've heard stories of people investing their lives saving and quitting jobs due to this mans prediction. Not to mention this has given massive ammunition to those who make a point to attack Christianity at every turn. As well this is just another divide in an already fractured church.
The people who have been involved with this man do not need the ridicule of other believers. I saw a lot of it before May 21. The Church need to be there for these people as they are claiming to be believers as well. Unfortunately this isn't stopping on May 21 this man has come out and said he miss calculated and has updated his prediction for Oct 21. This is very sad and these people need our prayers and encouragement to overcome these false teachings.
Finally most recently and closest to home for me on Sunday May 22 and EF5 tornado tore a half-mile wide and 6 mile long path of destruction through Joplin Mo. As of today the death toll has reached 125 with over 200 missing. Like I said one of the most destructive tornadoes in the last 50 or so years. It all but destroyed the hospital and the school. It did destroy businesses, houses, apartment complexes all in less than an hour. The stories of tragedy and heroism has made national news. At the very least these people need our prayers and support
I would have to say that this is ,at least, a time of reflection. A time to look at every thing around us as I think we can see through all this how fast the things of this world can be changed, ended and snatched away with little or no warning and with seeming little reason. This is a chaotic time and it doesn't seem to be getting any better. I know the "Rapture" didn't happen on May 21 but it could happen any time. The Bible says no one knows the time, not the Angels, not the Son, none but the Father, as well in the Book of Acts it's not for us to know till it happens.
So I must ask now...if the "Rapture" happens tonight or if a Tornado drops on your house do you your fate? Will you be left behind? If you died tonight would you go to heaven? Do you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)
And the last week or so has certainly has not left us with any lack of excitement and chaos. We got everything started off with President Obama trying to give Israel to Hamas, next we had a predicted "Rapture" that wasn't and to top it all we here in the mid-west were hit with the deadliest tornadoes in more than a half century. I could do probably several pages on each of these, but I will try to keep this short(ish).
First thing I want to comment on is a speech by our seemingly useless excuse for a President or at least part of his speech, the part where he suggested that Israel return the pre - 1967 war borders , giving the rest back to Palestine. This is a huge betrayal. Israel has been our ally and only stable presence in the mid - east for years. This is near political suicide for the President as both the House and Senate has turned on him. As well spiritually unhealthy , in Genesis 12, 1-3 God tells Israel I will bless those that bless you and curse those that curse you.
Which do you think this is?
This is not a good situation and we need to let the People of Israel know that this is essentially the act of one man and not the act of the whole country and you can do that here.
The Second thing I want to Comment on is the "Rapture" that wasn't. The is what Christians call the event where all those who are saved are taken to heaven before (or at some point during the early part of ) the "Tribulation" that occurs before the second coming of Christ. Well a recently a pastor, who now has put himself in the ranks of false prophets, predicted that the rapture will occur on May 21 2011 at 6:59pm et. This didn't happen. The problem with this like the other times this has happened. It is has effected peoples lives, devastated some I'm sure as I've heard stories of people investing their lives saving and quitting jobs due to this mans prediction. Not to mention this has given massive ammunition to those who make a point to attack Christianity at every turn. As well this is just another divide in an already fractured church.
The people who have been involved with this man do not need the ridicule of other believers. I saw a lot of it before May 21. The Church need to be there for these people as they are claiming to be believers as well. Unfortunately this isn't stopping on May 21 this man has come out and said he miss calculated and has updated his prediction for Oct 21. This is very sad and these people need our prayers and encouragement to overcome these false teachings.
Finally most recently and closest to home for me on Sunday May 22 and EF5 tornado tore a half-mile wide and 6 mile long path of destruction through Joplin Mo. As of today the death toll has reached 125 with over 200 missing. Like I said one of the most destructive tornadoes in the last 50 or so years. It all but destroyed the hospital and the school. It did destroy businesses, houses, apartment complexes all in less than an hour. The stories of tragedy and heroism has made national news. At the very least these people need our prayers and support
I would have to say that this is ,at least, a time of reflection. A time to look at every thing around us as I think we can see through all this how fast the things of this world can be changed, ended and snatched away with little or no warning and with seeming little reason. This is a chaotic time and it doesn't seem to be getting any better. I know the "Rapture" didn't happen on May 21 but it could happen any time. The Bible says no one knows the time, not the Angels, not the Son, none but the Father, as well in the Book of Acts it's not for us to know till it happens.
So I must ask now...if the "Rapture" happens tonight or if a Tornado drops on your house do you your fate? Will you be left behind? If you died tonight would you go to heaven? Do you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
South Dakota Gun Bill
http://www.argusleader.com/article/20110131/UPDATES/110131031/Bill-would-require-all-S-D-citizens-buy-gun.
This article is about a bill requiring citizens of South Dakota to
buy a fire arm. This bill is designed to do one thing...make big
government liberals heads explode. The article itself even says that
(though not in so many words).
This is something I normally not even bother with ,except maybe a
quick praise and go on, however I've seen some comments about this
article that have concerned me.
I write this to all those who seem to want to find the truth and fight
against globalism,the NWO, etc...etc... I'm going to make this short
THINK!!!
Not everything is a deep dark conspiracy, and actually depending on
how your states constitution is written it may be constitutional for a
state to require you to purchase a good or service. Its not for the
federal government.
This bill came out just before (or maybe right at the same time) as
the Florida state ruling against "Obamacare", I personally don't think
that means anything. I also don't see how passing this bill could do
anything accept make the "powers that be" pissed. To arm an entire
state completely flies in the face of everything that is seemingly
being planned.
Do I think this should pass, no. I don't think anyone should be forced
to buy anything. Would I laugh till I pee myself if it does , you bet
I would, I can just hear all the talking heads of the MSM frothing at
the mouth now.
This is little more than a middle finger aimed at the feds and a thumb
to the eye of Obamacare and symbolic gesture of states rights.
--
Sent from my mobile device
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
The Metalic Underground Podcast has begun
Finally I've got the first podcast up at the Metalic Underground Podcast sight on http://metalicunderground.podbean.com. It's not great but it's there give it a listen let me know what you think. I hope to have more and more blogs here
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
Tuscon Shooting
First off I must say my heart and prayers go out the victims and family of the victims of the shootings on Saturday. While any loss of life of this type of a situation is a tragedy, why is this any more or less of a tragedy than any other tragedy of this type. This was the loss of life at the hands of a deranged mind. This is not a political issue. However...within 24hrs the partisan hacks were circling like vultures. Including the President himself. It's starting to piss me off.
They are using this as springboard to introduce more freedom stealing legislation. I've already heard of laws being discussed for more gun control and the restriction of free speech. I find this highly disrespectful to those who were gravely injured or lost their life. Life is not a political tool.
We must be vigilant about these things. The enemies within salivate at the thought of tragedy that they can use to their advantage, to pull on the emotions of a grieving people. They are hyena's seeking prey.
We are a world descending to madness. Lost and wondering in the dark, though the light has not left us we have left it. We can no longer even recognize the light yet it be right here with us and even when it approaches us it is scorned we send it away, we say "leave us we are looking for the light" We are confused and forgetful.
They are using this as springboard to introduce more freedom stealing legislation. I've already heard of laws being discussed for more gun control and the restriction of free speech. I find this highly disrespectful to those who were gravely injured or lost their life. Life is not a political tool.
We must be vigilant about these things. The enemies within salivate at the thought of tragedy that they can use to their advantage, to pull on the emotions of a grieving people. They are hyena's seeking prey.
We are a world descending to madness. Lost and wondering in the dark, though the light has not left us we have left it. We can no longer even recognize the light yet it be right here with us and even when it approaches us it is scorned we send it away, we say "leave us we are looking for the light" We are confused and forgetful.
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