You are Genesis

November 24, 2018 / EloquentMuse / Leave a comment

Most of us read Genesis, even the origin story of humanity, and automatically imagine Adam, Eve, and their children as specific individuals. What if I told you that literalism may not be the only intention of this story?

There are as many ways to translate the Bible as there are people in the world. We’re all reading the books from our own perspectives, experiences, cultures, and in our own languages. However, it’s important to remember that the Bible is made up of several forms of literature, including poetry, wisdom works, parables, history, war stories, and of course origin tales. We should know the writers’ intentions for each book and what literature traditions influenced them.

Since creation stories in many cultures were very symbolic, it’d be in keeping with this tradition that the beginning of Genesis would be much the same. This is about people who show up as our first humans: Adam, Eve, Cain, Able, and Seth.

Adam’s name is Enosh in Hebrew, which means simply man or mankind. Eve’s name is Chavah, which means breath or living. Together, they are humanity and the ability of creation and birth.

There is plenty of Biblical evidence that they were real individuals. Genesis delves into the beginnings of the genealogical tree naming a hundred “begats” and the age of each person when they died. It’s not unreasonable, however, to entertain the possibility that, although these may have been real individuals, they also performed the double function of symbolizing humanity.

Adam and Eve have parallels in the New Testament. Jesus is referred to as the last Adam in 1 Corinthians 15:45.

The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.” But the last Adam–that is, Christ–is a life-giving Spirit.

Wives, and Eve as the first wife, are referred to as the Church in Ephesians 5:32.

In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. Indeed, no one ever hated his own body, but he nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church. For we are members of His body. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This mystery is profound, but I am speaking about Christ and the church.

Consider this:

And from the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man, He made a woman and brought her to him. And the man said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for out of man she was taken. – Genesis 2:22

It states that Eve came from Adam’s rib because the church comes from Jesus. When it states that Eve was bone of Adam’s bone and flesh of his flesh, that’s because the church is the body of Christ. Eve was the mother of all living, spiritual alive, but her childbirth is painful because it’s a difficult process to be reborn in Christ.

Finally, in Revelations 12, the woman clothed with the sun is just like Eve.

A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days…

When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach. Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus. – Revelations 12:1-17

Eve was cursed with painful childbirth, and she gave birth to the twelve Israelite nations, some who fell from grace. The dragon is reminiscent of the serpent in the garden, and the male child the woman gives birth to is a clear parallel to Jesus who will rule all nations. Obviously, that child was brought back up to heaven for awhile. Yet, the woman (the church) is still pursued by evil (the dragon), but God has protected us. The offspring of the church is all of the Children of God.

Adam and Eve were the original groom and bride. Jesus referred to the church as a bride or virgin/maiden waiting upon His return eagerly (Matthew 25). Even Revelations refers to the woman clothed with the sun and a star crown, which draws several parallels with Eve and the church.

Onward to their children, Cain, Able, and Seth. There’s a lot to unpack with all this, most of which we won’t be doing today.

Cain in Hebrew is Kayan, which means acquired or possession. Able is Hebhel, which means breath or vanity. Seth is Sheyt, which stands for compensation. Cain’s parents acquired him from God, Able was a new life (breath), and Seth was their compensation for what they lost. Some sources state Cain was preoccupied with possessing and acquiring, which very much may be true, but I’ve found nothing to substantiate it to my satisfaction.

Cain was raised to carry on Adam’s livelihood, agriculture, but Able became a herder. We typically assume the first time God handed down rules or ways to worship Him was with Moses, but there’s signs to indicate that’s just not true. Cain and Able made offerings of grains and lamb, respectively, which indicates some sort of communication about sacrifices. It’s abundantly clear that God spoke with them regularly because when God speaks to Cain before and after Able’s death, he isn’t terrified like most people are in later Bible stories. In fact, he’s quite sarcastic with Him.

And the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I do not know!” he answered. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” – Genesis 4:9

So, we have reason to believe God gave them specific instructions, and Cain didn’t follow them.

This is my own take on the subject of their symbolism. When his gift was rejected, we know his fury became out of hand.

So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. The Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.’ Genesis 4:3-8

Cain could be symbolic of trying to gain salvation or approval by works alone while Able is symbolic of gaining salvation through faith. They both appear, on the outside, to be good; obviously, Cain offered from “the fruit of the ground.” In the same way, Jesus shames those who display themselves as holy but inside are rotten.

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. – Matthew 23:27-28

Please compare to the Pharisees of Jesus’ time who would rely on their own works to bring them into God’s favor, believing that following the letter of the law made them superior. In jealousy of Jesus, who lived by faith and the spirit of the law, they murdered Him, also referred to as a type of shepherd. We could also see Cain as the Israelites losing their privileged place as the first born, giving the lineage of Jesus to Seth just as the gentiles were given the ability to join as Children of God. It’s a strong parallel and an important lesson about all sins stemming from the heart.

Cain receives the punishment of being a wanderer (which is symbolic, too, of a lost soul). Cain is afraid of being killed due to his new reputation. This, combined with the fact he’s being punished, indicates that God not only already told Adam, Eve, and their family that murder is wrong, but everyone else they would come across already knew that law too.

Notice, though, something God does when Cain expresses his fear.

But the Lord said to him, “Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden. Genesis 4:15-16

God continues to place Cain in His protection, attempting to express His love. There is a possibly that Cain could be saved. God wishes for no one to perish, not even Cain. Not even the Jews, who would have the chance to be reborn, too.

Every one of these characters is us. We are the humanity who holds promise of creativity and rebirth, we are the humanity that falls like stars from a crown, we are the humanity that is protected by God’s graces and willingness to save, we are the humanity who is raised once again to live amongst God in His Kingdom back where we belong.

It’s fascinating that a single Bible story could tell of our entire history, present, and future in so few words.

Sources other than Bible. Some are related to this article; some are just interesting:
http://www.ancient-hebrew.org/articles_cainandabel.html
http://evidenceforchristianity.org/could-characters-like-cain-and-abel-be-symbolic-or-presentativer/
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4480857,00.html
http://whatthebiblesays.info/AdamandEve.html
https://biblehub.com/commentaries/genesis/4-26.htm
https://www.chabad.org/theJewishWoman/article_cdo/aid/335943/jewish/Chavah-Mother-of-All-Life.htm
Strong’s Concordance
https://biblehub.com/library/bunyan/the_works_of_john_bunyan_volumes_1-3/a_discourse_upon_the_pharisee.htm
http://modeoflife.org/cain-and-abel-and-the-publican-and-the-pharisee-accounts-in-parallel/
https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2954&context=auss

Why is God so Different in Old & New Testaments?

November 17, 2018 / EloquentMuse / Leave a comment

Have you ever read through the Bible and found the depiction of God very different between the Old and New Testaments? Did it make you wonder if there were two gods being spoken about or if God had changed very much through the years? Why then does the Bible claim He’s unchanging?

In everything, it’s important to ask questions and seek them unflinchingly, though the answers have the potential of making us uncomfortable. God gave us brains to seek Him all the better. Let’s begin with the many times the Bible states God is unchanging, since this the origin of our idea about His everlasting nature.

For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. – Malachi 3:6

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. – James 1:17

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. – Hebrews 13:8

God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? – Numbers 23:19

Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end. – Psalm 102:25-27

So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. – Hebrews 6:17-18

Let’s now consider the parts of the Bible that seem contradictory concerning God’s nature.

First, some say the Old Testament God is wrathful while the New Testament God is full of love. Actually, He’s both in both places. Here are verses showing a God of love in the Old Testament.

The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and egracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness – Exodus 34:6

The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty (unrepentant), visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation. – Numbers 14:18

For the Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them. – Deuteronomy 4:31

They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them. – Nehemiah 9:17

Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
and he relents over disaster. – Joel 2:13

In the New Testament, He’s also shown as willing to punish or even allow painful natural consequences.

For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives. – Hebrews 12:6

Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! – Romans 5:9

They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath. – 1 Thess 1:9-10

If you read the Bible from Genesis to Revelations, you get a full picture of God and His relationship to humans. See, the Bible was written by us, through the divine spirit, so when humans felt the wrath of God, it poured out in their works. When, they were visited by blessings, that spilled into their writings.

God is a God of love, and one thing He despises is when evil is visited upon innocents. Our choices throughout history have a rolling domino effect onto others in the present and future. We may not always understand His directives, and His directives do change according to the circumstances. Yet, He has always wanted to change us for good above all. He yearns for us to change for good, and if we don’t, it understandably upsets Him. It upsets Him not just that He’s losing us but that we’re inflicting the world and future with our evils, death, and pain.

Second, some will point to how God ordered the Israelites to kill many peoples as they moved through the lands. How could a loving God ask for us to do such a thing?

First of all, God doesn’t like death. In fact, He’s completely at odds with it.

Old testament:

For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live! – Ezekiel 18:32

New Testament:

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. – 2 Peter 3:9

Same God.

Evil is a cancer, spreading to kill all the healthy cells. What do we do with cancer? We remove it, but any cancer that doesn’t or can’t come out manually must be killed (i.e. radiation or chemo). If we don’t kill it, it will KILL EVERYTHING ELSE. God would rather thousands die than for trillions, innumerable souls die.

The command was only to annihilate the inhabitants of Canaan (Deuteronomy 20) who didn’t leave or choose to join Israel. You need to remember that the inhabitants were given a choice, first and emphatically, to leave their lands or join Israel. It’s just that many refused. Some did though, like the prostitute spy Rahab and the entire tribe of Gibeonites!

Other enemies were not be handled the same. They were supposed to not kill their women or children as they were not part of the soldiers and had little to no power over, well, anything at the time. Yet, they couldn’t be abandoned at the time or they’d all die. So, they were absorbed into the Israelites.

However, it’s important to note that God told them to push the inhabitants out of the land of Canaan because He was promising it to His people so they could develop their own identity, an identity that would be supremely important in clearing a genetic pathway to the savior of the world. If they didn’t get the other people out somehow, those inhabitants (who by the way were noted to be very wicked, violent, sacrificed children regularly) would influence the Israelites in turning from God. The children are innocent, though, right? Yes, they definitely are, while they were children. Those children were being raised in a horrible situation, doomed to spiritual and possibly physical death and pain. If they had the ability to join Israel, they could make that choice too. It’s impossible to make warfare comfortable for people, and it’s certainly not comfortable for God. So, imagine your discomfort times a million for a God who created each one of those people, loved them, and watched them suffer and die. Do you believe in a God of love? Then, you must understand that He loves those who died, and this was a last resort.

If a people were relentlessly evil, breeding needless violence, creating deformities through incest, bringing pain and death through their many means, He would always warn first and then allow natural consequences if they didn’t change. Do you not think a God of love wouldn’t give many chances before the last resort or that He doesn’t know people’s hearts better than us?

Third, some may bring up the harsh punishments Israelites were ordered to give for breaking various laws. Surely, we’re no longer supposed to kill anyone who cheats, are gay, or who has premarital relations?

No, we’re not. Israel was a theocracy, created in order to bring the ways of God into the forefront, to mold an entire line of genealogy, and these punishments weren’t all that different from the punishments given by other nations in the same time period (example: Hammurabi’s Code). Another point to make, take it as you will, is that Moses had a degree of leniency in creating punishments and rules in that theocracy, so he may have been influenced somewhat by other nations. Why do I say that?

Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”

“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

“Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”

Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.” – Matthew 19:3-9

Now, the laws still stand that were written in the Old Testament, but now, the punishment is eternal death (if one doesn’t change their heart). That’s the crux of it. Things were made plain black and white for the Israelites to fully understand the consequences of their sins. However, it was just symbolic of what was occurring spiritually. We no longer live in a theocracy, so punishments can’t be the same. Moses was trusted to give out instructions, and he did so for the better of the Israelites in their time period. It was the beginning of a change. Not the fulfillment or perfection of it.

There are as many examples of His love as His wrath throughout the Bible. He is our truest Father, guiding, warning, allowing consequences, forgiving forever until we learn.

Another reason for the change in depiction of God is because the purpose of each book of the Bible is different. Some were meant to warn people of the consequences of their ways. Many times, even if it warned, it would remind them that God loves them and will keep harm away if they’ll just change. The entire purpose of most of the New Testament was to spread the message of the gospel and the story of Jesus as the savior of mankind. That obviously makes the tone more one of hope and joy. As we’ve stated before, the word gospel literally means “good news.”

God doesn’t change. Our views on Him might have throughout history. Our relationship with Him definitely have.

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. – John 15:15

The Old Testament was a leading up to the reasoning of us needing a savior, our hopelessness without God. The New Testament is the fulfillment of God’s plans to finally save us and the joy we have in spreading this hope. Really, the way we chose to characterize God in the Old and New Testaments have more to do with us and our reactions to God than God actually changing in any way. Of course God is more angry in the Old Testament while His people are still learning, trial and error, His ways and failing miserably. Of course God is more joyful in the new Testament as His plans have come to fruition for His people and the invitation for ALL nations to be His people was spreading in the world.

Thank God for His unchanging nature. We need that permanence in a forever changing universe.

The LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty; The LORD has clothed and girded Himself with strength; Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved. – Psalm 93:1

Has Revelations…Already Happened?

November 10, 2018 / EloquentMuse / Leave a comment

Did you know there are many interpretations on the book of Revelations and the idea of a returning Savior? Today, we’re going to delve into what those theories are, and maybe you can decide which one appears to be the most accurate. However, remember with prophecies, sometimes it’s impossible to know until it happens. There were prophecies in the Old Testament which shielded the full truth in order to keep the Evil One from intruding on plans (i.e. for a divine Son who would die for our sins.)

The major three views are Historicism, Preterism, and Futurism.

Historicism was the reigning translation of Revelations throughout much of the Christian church’s history. It assumes the book was a prophecy being fulfilled in the present time. According to my sources, it was actually the only translation, with the exception of some Catholic scholars in the 1800’s. The various churches listed were symbols of the entirety of the church body as it changed throughout history, ending with a lukewarm state that needed to recommit to Christ. Many began to have problems with interpreting the symbols as time passed, Jesus failed to return, and rationalism changed how we interpreted things.

Preterism was one split from the above method. This is the theory that Revelations was based in the past, specifically the first century. Instead of using all the symbols to point to specific events or beings, it paints with a broad surreal picture describing the fall of Jerusalem. Many using this theory will point to the several instances the New Testament says these events will happen soon with haste. Some holding onto this theory will state not everything in the book is about the fall of Jerusalem but it’s also about the beginnings of the church and some important historical events.

Then, of course, there’s Futurism, which states that most of Revelations is about the future. Since there’s major apocalyptic events, judgement of the world, and a second coming of Jesus, all of which appears to not have happened yet, these are the arguments of those holding onto this theory. Some will even believe that the first part of the book is about the past or present, and it culminates in a prediction of the future.

The best way to read Revelations, in my humble opinion, is with a healthy mix of all three views. I think it’s obvious that all of the events are future to John, the writer, and some of the events listed really did happen close to his time. For example, one of the most horrific things to happen for Jews was the destruction of their temple in 70AD by Romans. Jesus foretold this event to his disciples, and it’s pretty reasonable to think John would’ve have mentioned it if he’d written Revelations after 70AD. Some of what he prophesized in Revelations were the “beginning of the end.”

Some things are for us to know for certain, and some things are for us to know in general, and yet other things are hidden to our eyes until the time comes. I think the purpose of Revelations was to be used as both a warning and a promise. We should always be prepared to give an account of what we believe, and we should always live out of God’s love. There’s nothing about these prophecies that would change your everyday life. However, it’s always good to be aware that there’s an ending to suffering and a plan God has for us all.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. – Jeremiah 29:11

We tend to focus on the negative, scary parts of Revelations, forgetting that it’s only permanently bad for those who are evil. Revelations was intended to be inspirational to Children of God. It was a promise of the joys to come.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. – 21:3-4

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” – 3:20

He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. – 22:20

Sources other than the Bible:
https://readingacts.com/2014/04/09/is-revelation-about-the-past-present-or-future/
https://www.crossway.org/articles/the-book-of-revelation-is-not-just-about-the-future/
http://www.historicism.net/
https://www.preteristarchive.com/CriticalArticles/baxter-irvin_ca.html
http://stevecha.net/ask-steve-futurism-historicism-preterism/
https://www.equip.org/bible_answers/was-revelation-written-before-or-after-the-destruction-of-the-temple-in-ad-70/

Set Apart

October 27, 2018 / EloquentMuse / Leave a comment

Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. – Isaiah 44:6

Originally, I was going to look up historical “gods” for why our God is different from every other “god.” I may still do that another day. However, today, I needed to just write my personal reasons why God is different from anyone and anything else as I’ve experienced Him.

First, anytime He asks something from me, it’s only ever something to help me or others, not Him. God doesn’t ask me to follow a set of rules just to appease Him or task me to do rituals simply to calm down His wrath. His laws are to make the world a safer and happier place, even when it seems like it’s about Him. For example, the commandment to put no other “gods” before Him is because 1) He loves us and gets jealous when we give our attention and desires to an imaginary figure when He’s there open arms waiting for us. Everything else is emptiness. 2) Following other “gods” means following their possibly contrary rules, chaining ourselves as slaves to another master, and confusing ourselves and others in who we really are as Children of the One True God of love.

And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. – Revelation 21:6

The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not see; they have ears, but do not hear, nor is there any breath in their mouths. Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them! – Psalm 78:58

Bel bows down; Nebo stoops; their idols are on beasts and livestock; these things you carry are borne as burdens on weary beasts. – Isaiah 46:1

He has limitless patience, love, and forgiveness. He does get upset if we purposely fall into pits of destruction, causing harm to ourselves and others, for obvious reasons. However, that doesn’t mean He doesn’t want us anymore. We are never so far away from Him that we’re unreachable. We just have to be willing to accept Him and His forgiveness. He loves us no matter what and will seek us out individually just to save us from ourselves if need be.

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. – 1 John 4:18

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. – 1 Corinthians 10:13

He’s an individualistic AND community-minded God. Following on the heels of my last point, He looks at the good of the whole without sacrificing the good of the individual. We aren’t just ants to His eyes or numbers to His heart. He breathes into our bodies to make us living souls, and His heart beats for each one of us, with all our unique quirks. He would have died for you if you were the only person in existence. YOU.

“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?” – Matthew 18:12

He’s always present. He doesn’t exist only in a figure to bow down to, and He doesn’t leave us when we seek Him. He lies even within the deepest recesses of our being, settling down as the Holy Spirit to guide us through every day. When you speak to Him, you don’t have to follow certain requirements, rituals, or formalities. You could be lying in a ditch with only the outpourings of wordless emotions thrumming through you, and God will understand more than you understand yourself.

“Can a man hide himself in hiding places So I do not see him?” declares the LORD “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the LORD. “Am I a God who is near,” declares the LORD, “And not a God far off? – Jeremiah 23:23-24

God doesn’t live up to our expectations. He exceeds them. He isn’t human-like as the Greek, Roman, Scandinavian, etc. gods were, with petty revenges, weaknesses, and the ability to be tricked or permanently killed. He isn’t a live-action soap opera on the mountains with magical powers. When He loves, He loves beyond what you are capable of. When He overpowers, He can’t be matched. When He protects, He can’t be foiled. There is none like Him but Him. I guess that’s why He calls Himself I AM.

God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? – Numbers 23:19

He’s a God with a servant heart. Although He is King above all Kings, He would sit and wash others’ feet. He could’ve continued to exist as comfortably as He wants, but He came to Earth to travel through hot lands, heal the ill and broken, and eat with the least of us. Then, He suffered a criminal’s punishment and death before a crowd of mocking Jews, the very ones He came to save first! Yet, to the very end, He still forgave and still continued to save.

Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.- John 13:3-5

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” – Luke 23:34

Our God is a God of love, patience, forgiveness, with a heart of servitude, a God who walks amongst and lives within His people, peering into our very souls for our wordless murmurings and our hearts for our pleas, and looking at each one of His children as individuals with our many unique characteristics and personalities that He loves. There is none like our God. What have you found sets apart Yahweh from the rest?

How & When to Stand Up

October 20, 2018 / EloquentMuse / Leave a comment

There has always been and always will be (until a new heaven and earth) tension and conflict between Judeo-Christian beliefs and those of the rest of the world. Sometimes, the difference between the two are gods worshipped, other times morality issues, and yet other times it’s political. One thing’s for certain: if you’re a Child of God, you’re gonna face down the world at some point whether that’s with unbelievers or fellow Christians swayed by worldly ways.

Be heartened because, no matter how surrounded and put on the spot you may feel in that moment, you’re not alone. There are millions of us facing down the world in that same moment just as you are and probably feeling just as lost in how to proceed. Part of the reason I write this blog is to invite you in my own search for answers, and you’re about to learn with me.

Determine who:

There’s a way to speak to our brothers and sisters and a way to speak to unbelievers.

Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. – Acts 20:28

We’re meant to call out, correct, and guide fellow Christians. In fact, although everything is to be done in love and gentleness, these are the only people you can truly call out on their behavior. I’ll go more into that in a minute. But, you MUST be humble and understand you are not speaking from a place of perfection but a place of love, using the Word of God as a basis.

First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. – Matthew 7:6

“If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. “But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED. “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” – Matthew 18:15-17

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. – 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Okay, so say this is an unbeliever who’s asking questions or, alternatively, trying to argue with you. Not everyone who disagrees with you hates you. However, some DO hate our beliefs or seek to demean you in order to feel better about themselves.

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’ – John 15:18-25

No matter whether they’re speaking out of hate and anger or simple curiosity and joy, remember that you should be prepared for this. I mean, you do know you’ll be called out on your beliefs at some point, right? You do regularly study the Bible, right? (See, I’m calling you out in love, fellow Child!)

But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. – 1 Peter 3:15-16

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone – Colossians 4:5-6

Remember, that although you’re defending yourself, you have no need to defend God, who has no need for defense. The truth stands on its own. So, if someone is an unbeliever, you do not call them out on their behaviors and beliefs. I’m not talking about legal punishments or natural consequences here. I’m talking about calling them out. Let me repeat this.

DO NOT CORRECT AN UNBELIEVER’S BEHAVIORS AND BELIEFS.

Why would you expect an unbeliever to act or think like a believer? They are awash in an ocean without an anchor. You’re calling from your place on the Rock yelling at them to be still. That’s folly. After they find the Rock, expect them to stand firm, not before. It’s impossible. Not only that, but it’s potentially harmful to them and YOU.

Do not give dogs what is holy; do not throw your pearls before swine. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces. – Matthew 7:6

Determine how:

When faced with questions or being opposed, simply answer the questions to the best of your knowledge. If you don’t know, say so and offer to find out with them. Truth stands on its own. However, for those who simply want to demean or fight, you don’t need to argue. Sometimes, it’s good to stay silent and maybe even walk away.

Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. – Proverbs 13:3

A time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; – Ecclesiastes 3:7

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. – Ephesians 4:29

Be kind (respectful), build others up, speak in love or not at all.

As a caveat, Jesus was sarcastic and caustic with some people (particularly the Pharisees) when He corrected them. That is to say, He was respectful with regular people, but He could definitely be searing when speaking of or to powerful oppressors.

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. – Ephesians 4:25-32

Did you know most communication is non-verbal? You can stand up for your beliefs, defend yourself, and correct others simply by walking the walk.

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. – James 1:19-27

Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. – Ephesians 5:8-14

Determine when:

There are situations when it doesn’t matter who you’re speaking with, who is listening in, or why they’re confronting you. When you must defend others’ rights, lift the downtrodden, and illuminate the darkness of corruption, you just do it.

Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. – Ephesians 5:11

Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy. – Proverbs 31:9

Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. – Proverbs 31:8

You should always remember to follow God’s example. Jesus showed us how to face the world, correct others, lift the broken, and speak so others will hear all without being dragged down into the darkness of the world and its anger. Don’t be afraid to speak up when necessary: when building up fellow believers, answering the curious minds of unbelievers, or lifting up the downtrodden and vulnerable. Don’t be afraid to stay silent: when speaking would do more harm or would be in vain (arguing with the close-minded). Be bold with both your words and your silence. You’re standing up and speaking up either way.

“…But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” – Acts 4:17-20

Do you Believe in Magic?

October 6, 2018 / EloquentMuse / Leave a comment

“I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?” – Jeremiah 32:27

The world likes to dismiss magical situations and miracles as happy coincidences or only the product of mundane happenings. I’d like to suggest that real magic isn’t Harry Potter, wands, cauldrons, and werewolves gathering with vampires to defeat ancient evils. (Side note: As you can tell, I read too many fantasy novels.)

The fact of the matter is, pre-enlightenment (fairly recent history, started around 1700’s) people viewed magic and miracles as commonplace and expected. Part of this is obviously because science, as we know it today, didn’t exist, and most common people filled in the gaps of their knowledge with superstition.

Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; – 1 Timothy 4:7

Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God. – Colossians 2:18-23

If over-belief in magic and mundane were on two separate ends of a pendulum, the world would’ve seen a significant swing from magic to mundane during the enlightenment. In my opinion, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Although we have a brain, given by God Himself, to use and experience the world around you, we have a spirit which sees the unseen, not yet perceptible by scientific means.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. – 2 Corinthians 4:18

The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. – 1 Corinthians 2:14

The unseen forces of God move around us always, and we as Children of God, can sometimes see them if God wants. It’s unlikely we’ll have such a dramatic eye-opening miracle as Elisha’s servant:

When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early in the morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. So he asked Elisha, “Oh, my master, what are we to do?”

“Do not be afraid,” Elisha answered, “for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.”

And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw that the hills were full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. – 2 Kings 6:15-17

Angels and their chariots were there to defend them against the Arameans, who surrounded their city by night and outnumbered them. Almost every book of the Bible speaks of miracles and magical or nearly-magical situations. Yet, do you see them nowadays?

I’ll venture to say that few people saw the dramatic miracles that occurred in the Bible, and if anyone saw something like that today, they would dismiss it as either made up or explain it away with hypothetical reasoning.

As an aside, science has explained so much that would have been otherwise feared and cured diseases and injuries that would have otherwise killed millions. There’s too much good in science to not see it as a manifestation of God using man to bless the world.

However, it is, like humanity, limited in its abilities to see and explain God and all He does. A few things science is still trying to figure out: The purpose of dreams, the possibility of life on other planets, the human brain, the depths of the oceans and the life that teems there, the true beginning (like pre-big bang) of life as we know it, time itself, and they’re still working on discovering and cataloging all the living species of Earth (they made good progress on mammals, though). In reality, science is in it’s infancy, and as it advances, we will understand more and more.

However, it will never explain everything concerning God, and it can only reveal what God wants revealed.

Do you know what science has revealed about God, though? Have you ever seen atoms that make up the world? They are like mini-solar systems, complete with a center star composed of protons and neutrons and swirling, circling planets called electrons. We are made of innumerable atoms. They hold small charges of negative and positive, an act of balance and order in the smallest known particle. Have you seen new-born stars or the death of suns? Have you experienced the birth of a child, a small human complete with toes and fingers, a heart, a brain, a soul tucked behind glittering eyes? I need to add something from Job that is beautiful about God’s magic.

Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said:

“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.
Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
Who stretched a measuring line across it?
On what were its footings set,
or who laid its cornerstone—
while the morning stars sang together
and all the angels shouted for joy?

“Who shut up the sea behind doors
when it burst forth from the womb,
when I made the clouds its garment
and wrapped it in thick darkness,
when I fixed limits for it
and set its doors and bars in place,
when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther;
here is where your proud waves halt’?

“Have you ever given orders to the morning,
or shown the dawn its place,
that it might take the earth by the edges
and shake the wicked out of it?
The earth takes shape like clay under a seal;
its features stand out like those of a garment.
The wicked are denied their light,
and their upraised arm is broken.

“Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea
or walked in the recesses of the deep?
Have the gates of death been shown to you?
Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness?
Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth?
Tell me, if you know all this.

“What is the way to the abode of light?
And where does darkness reside?
Can you take them to their places?
Do you know the paths to their dwellings?
Surely you know, for you were already born!
You have lived so many years!

“Have you entered the storehouses of the snow
or seen the storehouses of the hail,
which I reserve for times of trouble,
for days of war and battle?
What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed,
or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth?
Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain,
and a path for the thunderstorm,
to water a land where no one lives,
an uninhabited desert,
to satisfy a desolate wasteland
and make it sprout with grass?
Does the rain have a father?
Who fathers the drops of dew?
From whose womb comes the ice?
Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens
when the waters become hard as stone,
when the surface of the deep is frozen?

“Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades?
Can you loosen Orion’s belt?
Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons
or lead out the Bear with its cubs?
Do you know the laws of the heavens?
Can you set up God’s dominion over the earth?

“Can you raise your voice to the clouds
and cover yourself with a flood of water?
Do you send the lightning bolts on their way?
Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?
Who gives the ibis wisdom
or gives the rooster understanding?
Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?
Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens
when the dust becomes hard
and the clods of earth stick together? – Job 38-41

Understand that He exists beyond our imaginations and senses. Equally, understand that He is also your Father and the Spirit within you. Now, understand that you are made limitless through Him.

He is the one you praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes. – Deuteronomy 10:21

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” – Matthew 19:26

Do you believe in a God of infinite possibilities, or do you limit Him to only what our human minds can understand?

“But if I were you, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before him. He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted. – Job 5:8-9

“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” – Mark 9:23

He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” – Matthew 17:20

A lot of what science explains away as rational is also magical and a miracle in and of itself. God is very real. He’s not just some puff of smoke that floats above the cloud tops. He sent His son to show us that He can be touched, heard, and smelled. He is more real than we are.

If you know me, you know our large Hackberry tree fell in our yard a week ago. It’s been leaning toward the house for awhile, since it grew that way. On the day it fell, there was only a 15 minute period when no one was home and when most of our vehicles were out of the yard, and this is when the tree decided to fall. Somehow, it fell mostly away from the house, only causing minor damage to part of the porch, falling around the car that was there, only denting a grill almost underneath it. The only real damage it caused was tearing down a portion of the electric and cable lines, which was all back up within the next day.

I’ve been worrying about that tree falling for awhile, but it never was the “right” time to get it cut down. Now, I won’t have to worry about that tree anymore, and we’ll have more firewood for the winter.

Does this seem like a miracle? Does it seem magical? Does it look like an act of God? To many unbelievers, absolutely not. It was lucky, they might say, that it worked out that way, but pure chance. Yet, the Holy Spirit points out to me the maze of “coincidences” that occurred to make this work out so well. It whispers that although I need to take care of risks in the future, I never need to worry about anything because God holds us all in His hands.

Sometimes, miracles don’t look like happy circumstances from the outside.

When Lot and his family were pressured to leave Sodom, they probably weren’t overjoyed. This was there life, their livelihood, friends, and they had to leave it all behind. Yet, there was a reason God needed to destroy it, and He saved their lives despite His plans.

Sometimes, miracles don’t look dramatic.

It’s the slow but steady healing of an ill person, it’s a hug when you need it most, and sometimes, it’s something so minute, that we don’t see the end result that was ordained.

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” – John 20:29

Magic is simply the unexplainable. Miracles are when the unexplainable works out in our favor. God is the unexplainable.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. – Ephesians 3:20-21

Searching for Cows & Kings

September 29, 2018 / EloquentMuse / Leave a comment

In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old… Amos 9:11

If you haven’t heard, there’s a big commotion in the religious community, especially among Jews. There’s a statute in the Old Testament (Torah) that makes priests do a certain type of sacrifice in order to be clean enough to serve the temple.

Now the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, “This is the statute of the law that the Lord has commanded: Tell the people of Israel to bring you a red heifer without defect, in which there is no blemish, and on which a yoke has never come… But if he does not cleanse himself (with the ashes of the sacrificed heifer)on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not become clean. Whoever touches a dead person, the body of anyone who has died, and does not cleanse himself, defiles the tabernacle of the Lord, and that person shall be cut off from Israel; because the water for impurity was not thrown on him, he shall be unclean. His uncleanness is still on him. Numbers 19:1-13

So, this is a big deal to them because they’re really wanting to build the “third temple” in order to fulfill the prophecy that when they do, Israel will finally be unified and safe from people usurping them from their sacred land (which they consider Jerusalem). They believe this will usher the coming of the King promised in the Torah.

Well, a red heifer has been born, and so far, it meets the specifications for many rabbis, despite it being born from a North American red angus embryo implanted into an Israeli domestic cow. Here’s the reason I’m shaking my head about it, take that as you will.

Let’s go back to the first temple.

After King David moved into his new house the Lord gave him some relief from all of his enemies around him. King David said to Nathan the prophet, “Look, I am living in a fancy house made of cedar wood, but God’s Holy Box is still kept in a tent!”

Nathan said to King David, “Do whatever you want to do. The Lord will be with you.”

But that night, the Lord’s word came to Nathan:

“Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: You are not the one to build a house for me to live in. I did not live in a house at the time I took the Israelites out of Egypt. No, I traveled around in a tent. I used the tent for my home. I never told any of the tribes of Israel to build me a fancy house made from cedar wood.’

“You must say this to my servant David: ‘This is what the Lord All-Powerful says: I chose you while you were out in the pasture following the sheep. I took you from that job and made you the leader of my people, the Israelites. I have been with you every place you went. I have defeated your enemies for you. I will make you one of the most famous people on earth. And I chose a place for my people, the Israelites. I planted the Israelites. I gave them their own place to live so that they will not have to move from place to place anymore. In the past, I sent judges to lead my people, but evil people gave them many troubles. That will not happen now. I am giving you peace from all of your enemies. I promise that I will make your family a family of kings.

“‘When your life is finished, you will die and be buried with your ancestors. But then I will make one of your own children become the king. He will build a house for my name, and I will make his kingdom strong forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he sins, I will use other people to punish him. They will be my whips. But I will never stop loving him. I will continue to be loyal to him. I took away my love and kindness from Saul. I pushed Saul away when I turned to you. Your family of kings will continue—you can depend on that! For you, your kingdom will continue forever! Your throne will stand forever!’”

Nathan told David about that vision. He told David everything God had said. 2 Samuel 7:1-17

Notice, it wasn’t really God’s personal plan to have a temple at all. This was David’s idea because he was uncomfortable with the idea that God’s “home” was a tent while he lived in a grand place.

So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.”

But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.” 1 Samuel 8:4-9

It wasn’t really God’s personal plan to have a king over Israel. God being God, He allows people to deal with the natural consequences of their actions. They wanted a temple, and God saw that it was out of the goodness of David’s heart, so He gave them a temple. They wanted a king, which God saw as NOT out of the goodness of their heart, but He gave them a king. He turns all things to good in the end.

However, we aren’t progressing further into a future that looks more like man’s vision of a holy kingdom. We’re progressing further into a future that looks more like God’s vision of a holy kingdom. That doesn’t include a human king or a physical temple. But, you may be asking, what about the temple even Jesus talks about building? What about Ezekiel’s vision of a temple? What about the other many times the Bible mentions a future temple?

Concerning Ezekiel, who existed and prophesied before the age of Jesus, there is much speculation. He lived after the first temple was destroyed, and described in detail a grand temple prophesied to be the second temple. One thing to notice is the context and timeframe he’s speaking in. Also, there’s such a thing as a conditional prophecy. If this, then that. If not, then that won’t occur.

Son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and let them measure the pattern. And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the temple” Ezek. 43:10–11

Very few Jews turned back from Babylon and returned to rebuild the second temple after the first was destroyed. Therefore, the temple built was not to Ezekiel’s scale. Whether Ezekiel’s temple vision is conditional or not, there’s one thing for certain, especially if you believe in Jesus’ salvation through blood.

Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. John 2:19-22

Jesus was talking about returning God’s vision of His kingdom. No one understood at the time what He was actually going on about. The Jews at the time thought they were still waiting on Israeli royalty to show up and raise Israel to glory. They are still waiting for Israeli royalty to show up and raise Israel to glory. That’s why they’re so excited about the third temple.

Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written, “FEAR NOT, DAUGHTER OF ZION; BEHOLD, YOUR KING IS COMING, SEATED ON A DONKEY’S COLT.” These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him. John 12:14-16

Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”

Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?”

Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?”

Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”

Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?”

Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” John 18:33-37

What is God saying in all this? He’s saying that He is the temple and the King. You don’t need stones and human rulers wearing crowns. Those are shadows of the real kingdom of God.

What is the purpose of a temple? It once was considered the “home” of God, a place to perform sacrifices and worship. First of all, we don’t do sacrifices anymore because Jesus finished sacrifices with His death on the cross. If you believe we still need sacrifices for our uncleanness or sin, then you don’t believe that Jesus’ death meant anything.

For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.
Therefore, when He came into the world, He said:

“Sacrifice and offering You did not desire,
But a body You have prepared for Me.
In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin
You had no pleasure.
Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—
In the volume of the book it is written of Me—
To do Your will, O God.’ ”

Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law), then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, Hebrews 10:4-12

If you believe we need one man-made building for worship, I got news for you. In the time of David, the Jewish population was about 600,000. In the time of Jesus, depending on the source, swelled to about 3 million; out of them only about 1 million were able to trek to Jerusalem for various feasts and holy days. Now, if look at populations today, well that figure is about 10 million for Jews alone. Now, we mix Christians into it, which number about 2.3 billion, and we’re looking at an impossible place for central worship. Unsurprisingly, Jesus said something about that.

“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.” John 4:19-26

What is this Spirit?

I will ask the Father, and he will give you another helper who will be with you forever. That helper is the Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept him, because it doesn’t see or know him. You know him, because he lives with you and will be in you.

“I will not leave you all alone. I will come back to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. You will live because I live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father and that you are in me and that I am in you. Whoever knows and obeys my commandments is the person who loves me. Those who love me will have my Father’s love, and I, too, will love them and show myself to them.” Judas (not Iscariot) asked Jesus, “Lord, what has happened that you are going to reveal yourself to us and not to the world?”

Jesus answered him, “Those who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will go to them and make our home with them. A person who doesn’t love me doesn’t do what I say. I don’t make up what you hear me say. What I say comes from the Father who sent me. “I have told you this while I’m still with you. However, the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything. He will remind you of everything that I have ever told you. John 14:16-26

So, if we seek a temple, you see it looking in the mirror. Just as God’s Spirit stayed in the tabernacle long, long ago, He sits within us now.

If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple. 1 Corinthians 3:17

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. Ephesians 2:19-22

you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:5

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? 1 Corinthians 6:19

God doesn’t need a temple made by human hands. He made a temple for us.

You are the “third temple,” as the body of Christ. You were raised, booth of David, and you have been repaired. You are clean and forgiven. You have the Holy Spirit within you. Go and do your work in love.

Sources other than Bible:
https://www.thepathoftruth.com/teachings/third-temple-physical-spiritual.htm
https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/113476/temple-institute-certifies-red-heifer/
http://www.equip.org/article/making-sense-ezekiels-temple-vision/
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/04/05/christians-remain-worlds-largest-religious-group-but-they-are-declining-in-europe/

God’s Voice

September 22, 2018 / EloquentMuse / Leave a comment

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” John 10:27

Hearing God’s voice doesn’t just come in the prophetic variety, and you may never hear a literal, direct voice from God. No, God’s voice comes in a variety of ways, through His Holy Spirit. You may encounter Him speaking through a book, a TV show, a butterfly, a sunset, a difficult experience, the wind against your skin, etc. He’s just not limited in communication as He’s in control of everything. He tailors how He speaks to how you’ll more likely listen.

You may be wondering how you’ll know you’re “hearing” God and how you can hear from Him more often. Anytime we have a question about God, we should look to the Word for the answer.

My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. Proverbs 2:1-5

I like lists, so I’m numbering this for both of us. Some ways you can know God’s voice:

1) Before you can hear God, you must be listening. Don’t say that God isn’t speaking to you if you haven’t opened His love letter lately. Reading the Bible with purpose and praying in earnest will open your eyes and your ears. He speaks to you on every page!

And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” 1 Samuel 3:10

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

2) Sometimes, God wants you to call out to Him before He’ll speak. Sometimes, He’s speaking, and you need clarity. He wants a relationship with you; He wants you to desire connection too. If you want a conversation, call out to Him!

Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. Jeremiah 33:3

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8

3) Plus, if you ever have a moment when you think God is speaking through any means other than the Bible, make sure it’s consistent with His Word. He put it there so you can also test anything else you may hear for truth.

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error. 1 John 4:1-6

4) Anything He says is for your (or others’) good, but it’s not always rainbows and sunshine. God is love, sometimes tough love, but always love. So, if you think you hear God’s voice and it’s hateful, harmful, destructive, dishonest, or inconsistent, then it’s NOT FROM GOD.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

5) If you ask for guidance, be willing to take it. This is a tough one, I know. Sometimes, you don’t ask for fear of the answer, and then if you get an answer, you’re afraid to take a first step. Tell God about that too. Sometimes, He does answer, but His answer is “no” or “wait.” However, if you certainly heard God tell you the right path to take, and you don’t take it, why are you asking?

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you. Psalm 32:8-9

6) Sometimes, it will feel like He’s not answering. You need to remember that worship and speaking with God doesn’t always “feel” a certain way. I say that because I know some people are looking for a skin-tingling moment or to feel overwhelmed with some spiritual emotion when God speaks. Sometimes, yes. Most of the time, nope. If you still think He’s not answering, keep calling out to Him because He’s waiting for the right time to speak to you. He many times comes into your life at the most unexpected moments and in the most unexpected ways.

And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; [but] the LORD [was] not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; [but] the LORD [was] not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; [but] the LORD [was] not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. And it was [so], when Elijah heard [it], that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, [there came] a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah? 1 Kings 19:11-13

7) If you’re a disciple of Jesus and a child of God, yes, you have the ability to communicate both ways with God. No, you’re not the odd man out. No, you’re not so sinful or so inept that God doesn’t wish to speak with you. He wants to so much! He wants a deeper relationship with you because He loves you, and He wants to guide you through the dark pathways of life.

And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. Isaiah 30:21

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. John 14:16-17

When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning. John 15:26-27

8) Some will not understand God’s voice or Spirit, your belief that you can actually communicate with Him, and the paths that He may guide you on. That’s okay. This is between you and God. This wasn’t between you and them, anyway.

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2:14

Open your ears, eyes, mind, and heart to God, call out His name, and listen for His answer. It may not be immediate, but He’ll speak.

Love y’all!

How Jesus forgave Judas

September 15, 2018 / EloquentMuse / Leave a comment

What does Judas, the notorious betrayer, show us? He teaches us how God handles sinners and how He loves them. Jesus died for ALL sinners: you, me, your Sunday school teacher, your child, the rapist in the county over, the murderer on death row, and the unrepentant terrorists you hear about on the evening news.

You can read that again if you think you saw the wrong thing, but I mean every word. Even more importantly, God meant to live and die for everyone of them. He is God. He knows who will choose salvation and who won’t. He knew when He suffered that He was going through it for those who would never be grateful and never love Him. He knew.

He would also do it all over again.

Why would He do such a thing? God makes commitments to those He loves, and He doesn’t make a commitment He’s unwilling to carry out.

He committed to His twelve disciples just like He committed to us.

“Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” John 6:70

It’s hard to say how many chances Judas was given to bring his darkness into the light and confess the fact he’d been stealing from their money (John 12:6) or had plotted against the man who repeatedly stated He loved him. In fact Judas, someone Jesus knew was a thief, was in charge of their moneybag. He was given trust for this purpose. Then, Jesus gave him another chance that He knew Judas would still not take.

“After He had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.” His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him.
Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.”
Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”
Jesus answered,“It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor. As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.” John 13:21-30

Breaking bread has been a symbol of friendship, solidarity, and trust since forever. Here, Jesus offers friendship to the man He is saying (though the others don’t understand)is the beginning of His end. Another Chance.

When it states that satan entered Judas’ heart, it doesn’t mean Jesus put satan there, it doesn’t state this was the start of Judas’ betrayal, or even that something strange and supernatural occurred with the bread. It means that this is the moment Judas finally gave up on love entirely. He’d committed to what he was about to do.

Jesus’ heart must’ve been breaking when He told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” It’s even more heartbreaking that Judas did. Such a strange thing God’s love is; it’s not our natural way, and it’s definitely not the easy way.

Time passed and the plot came to fruition.

“While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.” Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.

Jesus replied, “Do what you came for, friend.” Mark 26:47-50

Have you noticed something? Jesus still called Judas friend. Can we take a moment here to recognize that Jesus is showing us not only how to love others but how He loves us? This is a bitter, bitter pill to swallow. I’d have a hard time portraying this level of love to someone like Judas. Yet, here there are, swords at the ready, betrayal of a beloved friend who stands before Jesus, mocking Him with kisses as He is led to His death. Jesus calls Him friend at the end.

Judas still had a chance to ask for forgiveness, but he wouldn’t before Jesus’ death. Yet, someone else at death’s door did ask for forgiveness, which illuminates exactly what Jesus would say to Judas.

“Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”
The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”
There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the Jews.
One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.””

Dying, the one thief confessed and asked for forgiveness. This, Jesus gave without hesitation. He even asked the Father for the forgiveness of the ones who were killing him! So, what happened to Judas?

“When Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was filled with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders. “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood,” he said.” Matthew 27:3-4

Judas became ashamed, confessed his sins, and didn’t want the money he’d done it all for.

If you are in any doubt that God forgave him, would you re-read this post? Even better, open the Bible and see for yourself. He betrayed himself in the end; he was in such intense pain over what he had done.

To the very end, the very end (I have to say it more than once), God loves you and will forgive you. It’s NEVER too late. He knew your sins before He created you. He made you anyway. He never walks away from us; we walk away from him. Yet, the moment we turn back to see His face, He calls us friend and invites us back home.

“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20

Sources other than the Bible:
https://www.taize.fr/en_article4572.html

Jesus Wept

September 8, 2018 / EloquentMuse / 1 Comment

The shortest sentence in the Bible, at least in English translation, is the iconic, “Jesus Wept.” John 11:35

This phrase is encapsulated in the crux of the full Bible story. So, why did He cry, anyway? As always, let’s start at the beginning…

of mankind.

” – God has said,’You must not eat of it (the tree of the knowledge of good and evil) or touch it, or you will die’ ‘You will not surely die,’ the serpent told her.” Genesis 3:3-4

Spoiler alert: they ate it, and they died… eventually. Some speculate that since death is used as a term to indicate both spiritual and physical termination, they both experienced an immediate spiritual death. What is spiritual death? Separation from God. When they began to cover themselves and hide in order to avoid God as He walked through the garden, it was a sign the relationship they once had with Him was broken. What about physical death? Ah, many believe that humans were immortal before this time, and the spiritual death initiated the death process. In other words, the moment they betrayed God, Adam and Eve began to age, which would continue genetically through their descendants. As time went on, humans deteriorated faster and faster, living shorter and shorter lives. Either way, that snake lied.

So, what was God’s reaction to this betrayal? I’d venture to say sadness and definitely anger. He cursed all three of them vehemently in the following verses.

Why though? Didn’t He know what was going to happen?

Thousands of years later, when the Son of God walked among their descendants…

“Now a man named Lazarus was sick… When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”…

After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.” His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.

So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

Then Thomas said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days…

When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked.

“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.

Jesus wept.

Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”

But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”

Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” John 11:1-44

Some may be confused why Jesus would have cried at all, seeing as He was capable of raising Lazarus from the dead. He mourned not for Lazarus but for everyone else. He didn’t wish for them to be in such pain, and as Isaiah 53:4 states, “-surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrow.”

However, there was more than sadness expressed in these verses. Twice, it states that Jesus was “deeply moved” and “troubled,” which are the words ἐνεβριμήσατο and ἐτάραξεν respectively.

“Deeply moved” translates to “I snort as with indignation and anger.” Troubled translates to “agitated.” Now, anyone familiar with grief will find that it involves more than just sadness. Sometimes, anger, fear, and other emotions are combined. This phrase was repeated more than even the fact that Jesus was saddened. He was angry… but why?

Go back to the beginning, when Death was first introduced into the world. He’s angry that it exists. He’s angry that we have to grieve. He’s angry that our lives, spiritually and physically, are cut short due to the sins of this world. The reason this is such an important story concerning Jesus is because THIS IS WHAT HE’S HERE FOR. He’s here to make His followers believe in His divinity, His ability to save. He’s here to die so that we may live.

Our spiritual death was immediate in the Garden of Eden, but physical death was simply introduced into the human genome so that we would no longer physically live forever. When Jesus came to Earth, He saved many souls immediately and some bodies immediately. However, He wants to save everyone, eventually, in both ways. It is my belief that the seed of physical salvation has also been released into the world from Jesus, and it will come to fruition when the entire world has joined the Kingdom of God.

In the meantime, He grieves for what we must suffer.

Sources other than the Bible:
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/jesus-wept–2
Strong’s Concordance
https://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/don_stewart/don_stewart_709.cfm
https://answersingenesis.org/bible-characters/adam-and-eve/why-didnt-adam-and-eve-die-the-instant-they-ate-the-fruit/