Modern Day Magi

A call to anguish - David Wilkerson

2010-02-13T07:46:00.003+10:00

Christmas confusion

2008-12-24T07:29:00.003+10:00

If you are confused about Christmas this clip might help.

Mark 3

2008-11-14T07:35:00.005+10:00

In this chapter we have the first mention in Mark of the Pharisees plotting to kill Jesus.

Jesus was in the Synagogue on a Sabbath where a man with a crippled hand was, probably begging for food. With all eyes on Him, Jesus asks "Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they remained silent. Mark 3:4

Jesus the proceeds to heal the man's hand sparking the plot to begin against Him.

After this miracle crowds began to follow Jesus all wanting to be healed. Whenever the evil spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, "You are the Son of God." But he gave them strict orders not to tell who he was. verse 11-12

Is this an image of the 'church' today? Many people following Jesus for the healing, because other people are doing it, or just because there is nothing else to do. Then not understanding who He really is because He has not revealed Himself. In these verses only the Evil Spirits knew He was God, not those following after him.

We know from Matthew 7: 21-23 that "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

Obviously Jesus is not talking about the true Believers here, but it seems clear there are those who believe in vain and are not saved.

Verses 13-19 have Jesus officially naming His apostles.

Next we have an important passage, Jesus mentions a sin which will not be forgiven.

But won't all sins be forgiven? You might ask.

Aparrently not.

Jesus says in verses 28-29 "I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin."

This is a difficult passage to swallow. What does it mean to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit?

Thankfully Jesus had explained himself in the verses previously, Scripture out of context is ALWAYS scary...

After healing the man's crippled hand Jesus was accused of being posesed by a demon. Jesus replied "How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house. I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin."

So accusing Jesus of being the Devil is unforgivable. This may also extend to (but I am not sure) to condemning preachers and teachers of being false when they are not. This says to me that although we are called to be discerning about false prophets we should also not be too swift to point the finger.

This chapter ends with a great comfort for Christians. We are held in closer relationship to Jesus than His physical brothers, sisters and family so long as we follw God's will for our lives.

Pumpkins and Protestants

2008-10-31T08:44:00.003+10:00

Every October 31st in America, and around the world, children dress in ghoulish costumes and go "trick or treating" around their local neighborhoods. Thankfully this is not an Australian national practice although it is growing in popularity here.

Aside from the obvious Occultic symbolism of the tradition, the threat of "trick or treat", implying "give me some lollies or I will 'trick' you", is not an attitude which should be promoted in children.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a parent, I see nothing wrong with children dressing in costumes and having a neighborhood event. Giving a treat or lollies to the neighborhood children is fine. Halloween however celebrates much more than costumes and lollies.

Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in).

The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.

To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities.

During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.

By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain.

The first was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple and the incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the tradition of "bobbing for apples" that is practiced today on Halloween.

By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope B oniface IV designated November 1 All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. (Similar to the pagan origins of Easter). The celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. Even later, in A.D. 1000, the church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. Together, the three celebrations, the eve of All Saints', All Saints', and All Souls', were called Hallowmas.

But now we come to an important Christian event we have on this same date.

Reformation Day commemorates a very important day which sparked very important events in Church History. Reformation Day commemorates the beginning of The Reformation.

On October 31 (which is also Halloween), 1517 Martin Luther nailed a proposal on the doors of a church in Wittenberg, Germany to debate the Catholic doctrine and practice of indulgences. In Latin Catholic theology, an indulgence is the remission granted by the Church of the temporal punishment due to sins already forgiven by God. Luther's proposal is more popularly known as the 95 Theses.

This was not an act of defiance or provocation as is sometimes thought. Since the Castle Church faced Wittenberg's main thoroughfare, the church door functioned as a public bulletin board and was therefore the logical place for posting important notices. The act of nailing a proposal to a public place, such as Luther did, was also common academic practice of the day and served as an invitation to debate. Nonetheless, the event created a controversy between Luther and those allied with the Pope over a variety of doctrines and practices. When Luther and his supporters were excommunicated in 1520, the Lutheran, Reformed and Anabaptist traditions were born.

While there were many issues and debates surrounding the Reformation, this day in 1517 and the posting of the 95 Thesis on the Church doors, is considered the event which began the Protestant Reformation.
_______________________________________________________

Click here to read the 95 Thesis.

UN petition for the Unborn Child.

2008-10-24T10:20:00.003+10:00

Readers of MDM,

The following is from an email I received. Now I hate chain emails but this is important so if you have a spare 5 minutes please read and follow a couple of links.

Thanks

MDM

On December 10th, radical pro-abortion groups will present petitions asking the UN General Assembly to make abortion a universally recognized human right.

We have met the challenge and you can help.

We have initiated a petition drive that calls for governments to interpret the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as protecting the unborn child from abortion. Along with a coalition of pro-life groups from around the world, we will present our petitions at a press conference at UN headquarters.

So far, in only three weeks we have generated 46,417 names endorsing our petition; that is 15,000 a week! I now fully expect that we will present 100,000 names on December 10th, the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

In order for this to happen, though, I need your help and I need it now.

If you have not signed the petition, do so now HERE or by going directly to http://www.c-fam.org and clicking on the icon “UN Petition for the Unborn Child.”

Rosh Hashanah

2008-10-02T10:44:00.003+10:00

Earlier this week Jewish communities throughout the world celebrated Rosh Hashanah.

Rosh Hashanah literally means "head of the year" and commemorates the anniversary of the creation of the world. It is celebrated on the first day of the month of Tishri. This year, Rosh Hashanah began at sundown on September 29th and ended at nightfall on September 30th.

The commandment to observe Rosh Hashanah is found in Leviticus 23:23-25: The LORD said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites: 'On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. Do no regular work, but present an offering made to the LORD by fire."

It is also mentioned in Numbers 29:1: "On the first day of the seventh month hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. It is a day for you to sound the trumpets."

One of the central features of Rosh Hashanah is the shofar. The shofar is an instrument made from a ram's horn that sounds somewhat like a trumpet. In the Bible, Rosh Hashanah is referred to as Yom Teruah, the day of the sounding of the shofar, otherwise known as the Feast of Trumpets. The shofar is often representative of Abraham offering Isaac to God as a sacrifice on Mount Moriah (Genesis 22). It was then that God provided Abraham with a ram, caught by its horns in a thicket, as a substitute for Isaac. Rosh Hashanah is a time of both celebration and repentance. It is a time of spiritual renewal through prayer and deep personal reflection leading up to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, on the 10th day of Tishri (Leviticus 23:26-28).

Rosh Hashanah is when the Jewish people recognize God as King and Judge over all living things. On Rosh Hashanah we celebrate the creation of the world, when "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day."(Genesis 1:31).

The vast majority of Christians are unfamiliar with most of the traditional Jewish holidays. Yet they hold great spiritual and prophetic significance. In Colossians 2:16-17 it says, "Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ."

Mark 2

2008-08-17T19:39:00.002+10:00

This chapter begins with one of the very famous scenes from Jesus' ministry. Jesus heals the paralytic man who was lowered through the roof. After fogiving the man's sins Jesus is accused of blasphemy. To which He responds "Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . ." He said to the paralytic, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home."

This highlights the hollowness of the forgiveness of sins given by anyone other than God. Of course it is much easier to SAY that sins are forgiven than to say to a paralysed man "get up and walk". It is impossible to actually fogive sins (unless you are Jesus) but very easy to say they are forgiven. Forgiveness is not really varyfied untill the next life. Saying to a criple, "get up and walk" and then having him stay crippled would expose the fraud. Jesus was not and is not a fraud. He healed the cripple, just as he forgave the sin and saved him.

Mark 1 part 2

2008-03-01T18:19:00.005+10:00

We left Jesus calling His first disciples.

Without delay Mark moves straight onto Jesus teaching and healing. Even at this early stage of His ministry the people knew there was something special about Jesus. "...He taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law."

Jesus then casts a demon out of a man in the synagogue. "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!" This passage is interesting for several reasons. Not only did the demons immediately recognise and rightly fear Jesus, but they were in a synagogue. Unafraid of the 'teachers of God's Law' they were defiling the 'House of God' with their mere presence. As soon as Jesus begins teaching though, they knew fear, not that they would be cast out, but that His righteousness would destroy them!

Also, in contrast to later in Jesus ministry when the Pharisees and Sadducees are against Jesus, no challenge is recorded for His healing on a Sabbath.

Again the people said "What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him." This puts Jesus' teaching in direct contrast with the teaching of the religous leaders of the day. I have no doubt that they were elloquent speakers, and they also had the full weight of the Mosaic Law behind their words, yet Jesus' Authority was a new teaching. Not that any human teaching could compete with the words coming directly from the mouth of the Creator, God of the Universe, but Jesus' teaching had authority over evil spirits where it seems that the so called representatives of the Lord did not.

Jesus continues to serve through healing with Simon's mother-in-law and then all the sick and demon possessed people who were brought to Him. It is interesting that Jesus seems to be pacing the growth of His ministry as He is not letting the demons reveal His true identity as the Messiah yet, His time had not yet come to reveal Himself as the promised Saviour.

When Jesus is found missing for a morning while He is off praying a crowd has gathered. Jesus does not go to them though. In stead of answering the call of the people, Jesus spreads the Gospel elsewhere. "Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come."

Jesus had not come simply to bless one area or one people. He came to convict all people of their sin and save the world. His ministry was not one of mere teaching and blessing, but one of true and lasting salvation.

This chapter ends with an interesting encounter.

A man with leprosy came to him [Jesus] and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean."
Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.
Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: "See that you don't tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them." Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.

This warning seems odd, whay shouldn't the man tell everyone he had been healed by Jesus? It is not that Jesus did not want his 'cover' blown but rather that He did not want to become a spectacle. He did not want every Tom, Dick and Harry trying to see the new attraction like some side show.

Each and every miracle performed by Jesus was to bring glory to His Father, not himself. "I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. " (Luke 8:50)

Mark 1

2008-02-09T07:40:00.002+10:00

This is the only Gospel that does not have a genealogy of Jesus Christ. This is symbolic of the theme of the Gospel of Mark. That "...even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." - Mark 10:45

The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It starts with an Old Testament prophesy. That "I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way a voice of one calling in the desert, Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him."

John preached repentance and baptism. He also warned the people to be urgent in their repentance because the days of the Messiah were near. "After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." While it is true that John was not worthy, Jesus' first act was to humble himself to be baptized by this desert preacher. An act of humility and obedience to begin a ministry of service that will save the world.

Again Jesus is obedient when He is sent into the Desert by the Spirit. While there Jesus was tempted by Satan, tried and tormented. Humbly allowing Himself to be tested when at any moment He could have called Angels to his service.

Jesus calls Simon, Andrew, James and John to be His disciples. They do not delay and leave instantly their lives and work to follow Jesus. The same call He send into the hearts of His children today. "Come follow Me." Simple, for those who heed the call it has the power to save, for those who do not, it seems foolish.

to be continued...

Why have 4 gospels?

2008-01-17T15:22:00.000+10:00

Some claim that the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are proof that scripture is flawed and that Jesus is not the Messiah. "Since there are slight differences in the four accounts then none can be taken seriously and that they are nothing more than an elaborate hoax." This point of view, while attractive for the non-Christian, is not entirely watertight. If the gospels were nothing more than a hoax, one could safely assume that they would be MORE alike than they are now. If they were fabricated together, then there should be no details missing from one gospel and found in another. The fact that they are slightly different shows that they are what Christians claim them to be: Four accounts of the life of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, told from four different perspectives.

These different perspectives are more significant than simply coming together to weave a more rounded account of the life of Jesus though.

Matthew
Matthew, being a Levite, emphasizes Jesus as the Messiah, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Each of the subtleties of his design supports this primary theme. His genealogy begins with the "first Jew," Abraham, and continues through David and the royal line to the legal father of Jesus, Joseph. Matthew's emphasis is on the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Tenach, the Old Testament.Matthew focuses on what Jesus said, and includes the extensive discourses. Matthew's first miracle is the cleansing of a leper, a Jewish metaphor for sin itself. Matthew concludes with the resurrection, also a distinctive Jewish preoccupation.

Mark
Mark is the amanuensis (secretary) for Peter, and he emphasizes Jesus as the obedient Servant of YHWH. His is the only Gospel with no concern for pedigree or genealogy.For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. - Mark 10:45 Mark focuses on what Jesus did; it deals in graphic images, almost like a movie or video shooting script. Mark concludes with the final visual appearance, the Ascension.

Luke
Luke was a Gentile and a doctor, and his Gospel reflects a very distinctive point of view, emphasizing Jesus as the Son of Man. His genealogy begins with Adam, the first man. From Abraham to David, his list is identical to that of Matthew. However, when he gets to David, he doesn't track through Solomon (the first surviving son of Bathsheba) but through a different son, Nathan (the second surviving son of Bathsheba). He continues through to Heli, the father of Mary (Joseph is the son-in-law of Heli). The term in Luke 3:23 is nomizo in Greek: reckoned as by law. Joseph was adopted by Heli in accordance to the exception in the Torah for inheritance through brotherless sisters given to Zelophehad (Numbers 27:1-11; Joshua 17:3-6; Ezra 2:61; Nehemiah 7:63; Numbers 32:41; 1 Chronicles 2:21-23, 34-35) As a Gentile, Luke's emphasis is different. Luke's emphasis is Christ's humanity, on what Jesus felt. His first miracle is the expulsion of a demon, a very human concern. Luke concludes with the promise of the giving of the Holy Spirit.

John
John also has a very distinctive view, emphasizing Jesus as the Son of God. He focuses on who Jesus was and is. His "genealogy" is that of the Preexistent One, constituting his opening verses: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” His Gospel is organized around seven miracles, seven discourses, and seven "I AM" statements. John's first miracle involves the use of the water of purification being changed to wine at Cana, an act of Creation. John concludes with the promise of Jesus' return, and becomes the appropriate prequel to John's final tome, The Revelation.

The Four Faces Around the Throne
It is interesting that each time we encounter the cherubim or seraphim that surround the Throne of God, we note that there are four "faces" involved: a lion, an ox, a man, and an eagle (Ezekiel 1:10; 10:14; Revelation 4:7). These also were the principal tribal standards that rallied the four "camps" of Israel (each camp consisting of three tribes) that encamped around the Tabernacle (Numbers 2). Each of these "faces" are suggestive of each of the four Gospels: Matthew, presenting the Lion of the Judah; Mark, the ox (a classic emblem of servanthood); Luke, the Son of Man; and John, the Son of God in the heavens.

The Gospel of Matthew

2007-12-06T23:06:00.000+10:00

Although there is no certain evidence that the book of Matthew was written by the apostle of the same name it is a popular, and not challenged assumption that it was. Jesus first meets, and calls Matthew in Matthew 9:9-13. This is a beautiful scene where Jesus is walking by a tax collector's booth, where Matthew is the tax collector, and simply says "Follow me" to which Matthew responds by simply dropping what he doing and got up and followed Christ from that day onwards. Mark and Luke call him 'Levi', which may have been his birth name, in which case Matthew would be the name Jesus gave him, as he had given Simon the name Peter. The name Matthew actually means 'God's gift' which I think is awesome. A Tax collector, one of the lowliest professions of the time, given the chance to be an apostle of Jesus and from then on is called 'God's gift'.

This is also symbolic of what becoming a Christian truly is. Being able to heed the call of Jesus and follow Him surely is by Grace alone and is a privelige which could never be earned. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

Being a Levite, Matthew presents Jesus as the Messiah. The Lion of the Tribe of Judah. All the subtleties of Matthew focus on Jesus fulfilling this specific role. His genealogy begins with the "first Jew," Abraham, and continues through David and the royal line to the legal father of Jesus, Joseph.

Matthew places great emphasis on Jesus' fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament.

As a Tax Collector, Matthew would have been skilled in shorthand, an essential asset in a culture that did not have the advantages of printers, computers and copiers. Matthew focuses on what Jesus said, and includes the extensive discourses, which he probably was able to record as they were spoken.

The first miracle recorded by Matthew is the cleansing of a leper, a Jewish metaphor for sin itself. Matthew concludes with the resurrection, also a distinctive Jewish preoccupation.

It has taken a long time but here is my completed walk through Matthew:

Matthew chapter 1
Matthew chapter 2
Matthew chapter 3
Matthew chapter 4
Matthew chapter 5 (the Sermon on the Mount #1)
Matthew chapter 6 (the Sermon on the Mount #2)
Matthew chapter 7 (the Sermon on the Mount #3)
Matthew 7:13-23 in more detail by Antonio da Rosa
The Sermon on the Mount (Chuck Missler)
Matthew hapter 8
Matthew chapter 9
Matthew 9:20-22 - Why touch the hem of His cloak?
Matthew chapter 10
Matthew 10:38-39
Matthew chapter 11
Matthew chapter 12
Matthew chapter 13
Matthew chapter 14
Matthew chapter 15
Matthew chapter 16
Matthew chapter 17
Matthew chapter 18
Matthew chapter 19
Matthew chapter 20
Matthew chapter 21 (part 1)
Matthew chapter 21 (part 2)
Matthew chapter 22
Matthew chapter 23
Matthew chapter 24
Matthew chapter 25
Matthew chapter 26 (part 1)
Matthew chapter 26 (part 2)
Matthew chapter 27 (part 1)
Matthew chapter 27 (part 2)
Friday or Wednesday
A foretelling of the Cross
Matthew chapter 28

Matthew 28

2007-12-05T21:20:00.000+10:00

In this chapter there are three main sections concerning Jesus' resurrection. The women who first see the angel and then worship Jesus; The planned deceit from the chief priests; and the Great Commission.

While the climax of the Gospel is the Cross, it does not end there. The Gospel continues until the resurrection and the commissioning of the disciples. Becoming a follower of Jesus is free by Grace. In exchange for eternal life Jesus demands from us all that we are and have. This is not to say that Grace or Salvation is earned, this can never be so. Unlike working out to build new 'Christian muscles' (which does happen as we grow spiritually by feeding on His Word) becoming a Christian is like a metamorphosis, the old self no longer existing and being made new, being Born again. The Bible refers to salvation as a death to self, and also as a new birth in Christ. So the process of becoming a Christian includes a sacrifice of ones self and the birth of a new creation.

The resurrection narratives in the four Gospels differ slightly in detail, but in all four the women become the first witnesses, and Mary Magdalene is explicitly named among them. One could argue against the validity of 4 'different' accounts, although this would be specious.

One could conversely argue that a contrived deception should have produced greater synthesis. However, the differences in accounts demonstrate that the Gospel writers were aware of a variety of independent traditions, and these divergent traditions overlap significantly thus providing more evidence that the account is true.

The women are told both by the angel and by Jesus to "not be afraid." Notice the difference between bravery (which is the overcoming of fear), and the absence of fear. These women had just had their rabbi publicly executed; the leaders of their nation the Priests, were against them; and the body of their rabbi, the Messiah who was to set them free was missing. These women had much to fear. Jesus did not ask them to be brave, he conquered death and instructed them to fear no more. Then, with their fear gone, and after seeing their risen Lord they rush off to tell the rest of His followers what they have seen.

Starkly contrasted to the belief and worship of the women, the Priests deny their Lord again. Upon hearing the true testimony of the guards who saw the angel and the empty tomb they do not react as the women did and worship the Lord. Rather they devise a plan to have this 'mixup' concealed. The priests realise there will be public outcry and a loss of status if the Jews hear that Jesus actually is the Messiah. So they worship self and try to hide the truth, and active denial of Jesus, what I believe to be the greiving of the Holy Spirit, and the unforgivable sin. If one knows the truth of Christ and denies it anyway.

Finally we have Jesus appearing to the disciples and the Great Commission. The Great Commission is not only telling the Gospel, which is that Jesus dies for sin, was buried and rose again, all according to scripture. Also true disciples of Christ are to help teach and equip those who hear the Gospel how to live according to Jesus' commands as well. Love Jesus with every fiber of our being, and love others as we love ourselves.

A foretelling of the Cross.

2007-11-18T18:40:00.000+10:00

When Jesus is hanging on the cross, He cries out "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" These words are not only describing the anguish of Jesus as He becomes the scapegoat for sin, but also point us toward a prophesy from Psalm 22. In writing this Psalm, King David described many of the events surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion in great detail about 1,000 years before they happened and about 700 years before crucifixion was even invented. Apart from this Psalm containing an undeniably accurate description of Crucifixion there are also at least a dozen specific prophesies fulfilled during the execution of Jesus Christ.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Matt. 27:46
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?

O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, and am not silent.

Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the praise of Israel.

In you our fathers put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.

They cried to you and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not disappointed.

But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by men and despised by the people.

All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads: Matt. 27:29, 39

"He trusts in the LORD;
let the LORD rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him." Matt. 27:43

Yet you brought me out of the womb; Luke 2:7
you made me trust in you even at my mother's breast.

From birth I was cast upon you;
from my mother's womb you have been my God. Luke 1:35

Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near and there is no one to help.

Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.

Roaring lions tearing their prey
open their mouths wide against me.

I am poured out like water, John 19:34
and all my bones are out of joint. John 19:33,36

My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted away within me.

My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; John 19:28
you lay me in the dust of death. John 19:42

Dogs have surrounded me; "dogs" is a reference to Gentiles Matt. 20:19, 26:47-50; Acts 4:27
a band of evil men has encircled me,
they have pierced my hands and my feet.

I can count all my bones; John 19:33,36
people stare and gloat over me. Luke 23:35

They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing. John 19:23-24

But you, O LORD, be not far off;
O my Strength, come quickly to help me.

Deliver my life from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.

Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the congregation I will praise you.

You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!

For he has not despised or disdained
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.

From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows.

The poor will eat and be satisfied;
they who seek the LORD will praise him—
may your hearts live forever!

All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,

for dominion belongs to the LORD
and he rules over the nations.

All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
those who cannot keep themselves alive.

Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.

They will proclaim his righteousness
to a people yet unborn—
for he has done it. John 19:30

___________________________________________

The pain resulting from the crushing of the median nerves in the wrists and the plantar nerves in the feet while being nailed to the cross is so indescribable that a word had to be invented to describe it: excruciating, which comes from the Latin ex crucio or “out of the cross.”

Jesus was born of a woman, so that we could be born of God.
Jesus humbled Himself, so that we could be lifted up.
Jesus became a servant, so that we could be made co-heirs.
Jesus suffered rejection, so that we could become His friends.
Jesus was obedient unto death, so that we could gain life.

Matthew 27 - Part 2

2007-11-14T07:58:00.000+10:00

During Jesus' crucifixion and the trail and beatings which led up to it He experienced the pains and more that humanity deal with all the time.

He was abandoned and rejected by friends, beaten, ridiculed, stripped of his dignity, hung on display almost naked, finally the abuse ended with His death. It is my belief that in addition to all of this being the price of sin Jesus' sufferings were also for another reason. When any person suffers anything, the creator and savior of the universe, Jesus Christ, can relate to their suffering. No matter what hardships we face in life, Jesus experienced something similar too. We can confidently lay our burdens at the foot of the cross before a savior not only capable of understanding and relieving our burdens, but also who has walked veiled in the flesh of a man and lived through similar pains, temptations and trials.

This chapter is the pivotal scene of Christianity. Jesus, nailed to a cross crying out "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" as He gives up His spirit and pays the price of sin. The innocent blood of one spilled for the guilt of many.

After the death of Jesus his enemies remember His promise to rise again after death and thus secure the tomb with a boulder and a plater seal to secure it in place. They could not afford the public upheaval if some of Jesus' disciples stole His body away in the night and then claimed He had risen.

As we will read in Chapter 28, His disciples did not need this ruse...

Halloween is approaching...

2007-10-25T19:20:00.000+10:00

Every October 31st in America, and around the world, children dress in ghoulish costumes and go "trick or treating" around their local neighborhoods. Thankfully this is not an Australian national practice although it is growing in popularity here.

Aside from the obvious Occultic symbolism of the tradition, the threat of "trick or treat", implying "give me some lollies or I will 'trick' you", is not an attitude which should be promoted in children.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a parent, I see nothing wrong with children dressing in costumes and having a neighborhood event. Giving a treat or lollies to the neighborhood children is fine. Halloween however celebrates much more than costumes and lollies.

Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in).

The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.

To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities.

During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.

By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain.

The first was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple and the incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the tradition of "bobbing for apples" that is practiced today on Halloween.

By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. (Similar to the pagan origins of Easter). The celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. Even later, in A.D. 1000, the church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. Together, the three celebrations, the eve of All Saints', All Saints', and All Souls', were called Hallowmas.

But now we come to an important Christian event we have on this same date.

Reformation Day commemorates a very important day which sparked very important events in Church History. Reformation Day commemorates the beginning of The Reformation.

On October 31 (which is also Halloween), 1517 Martin Luther nailed a proposal on the doors of a church in Wittenberg, Germany to debate the Catholic doctrine and practice of indulgences. In Latin Catholic theology, an indulgence is the remission granted by the Church of the temporal punishment due to sins already forgiven by God. Luther's proposal is more popularly known as the 95 Theses.

This was not an act of defiance or provocation as is sometimes thought. Since the Castle Church faced Wittenberg's main thoroughfare, the church door functioned as a public bulletin board and was therefore the logical place for posting important notices. The act of nailing a proposal to a public place, such as Luther did, was also common academic practice of the day and served as an invitation to debate. Nonetheless, the event created a controversy between Luther and those allied with the Pope over a variety of doctrines and practices. When Luther and his supporters were excommunicated in 1520, the Lutheran, Reformed and Anabaptist traditions were born.

While there were many issues and debates surrounding the Reformation, this day in 1517 and the posting of the 95 Thesis on the Church doors, is considered the event which began the Protestant Reformation.
_______________________________________________________

Click here to read the 95 Thesis.

2007-10-24T17:22:00.001+10:00

With The Australian Federal Election campaign in full swing, this video eases the tension with a little much needed humor.

Matthew 27 - Part 1

2007-10-24T09:48:00.001+10:00

This chapter covers the end of Jesus' trial before Pilate, His execution and burial. Before that however we discover the end of Judas.

The description of Judas' death is a point of contention. Judas, racked with guilt hangs himself after returning the blood price of 30 silver coins (I'll get to the money in a moment). However, in Acts 1:18 it says "he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out." This apparent contradiction, like all apparent contradictions in Scripture evaporates upon closer inspection.

Death by hanging is an extremely humane method of execution. Although rather grisly to witness (I imagine), hanging has a 'safety net' for the hangman. When a body falls with a noose around its neck the neck should snap causing a fairly swift death, if this fails to occur then the victim will suffocate anyway which may take a few agonizing minutes. Another and less common 'safety net' while being hung was to cut across the victim's stomach. This is so the jerk of dropping with a noose around ones neck will not only likely break the victim's neck, but also the victim will be disemboweled. A far quicker death than strangulation by the noose. Judas likely opened his own stomach in fear of the noose not doing its job and it being a slow death by strangulation.

During Jesus' trial before Pilate there are couple of details I want to mention.

Firstly Jesus does not answer to any of the false charges against Him, He only replies to truths. "...the governor asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"
"Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied.
When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. Then Pilate asked him, "Don't you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?" But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge..." (Matthew 27:11-14).

Secondly Jesus is not condemned of ANY crime. He is the innocent Lamb, sacrificed for the guilty. Not only were the charges false, but they were not held against Him, yet He was executed anyway. Pilate knew that the Pharisees and Sadducees had personal and not just reasons for seeking Jesus death (Matthew 27:18) and also when Pilate asked what crime Jesus had committed they did not name a charge, but simply answered "Crucify Him!". (Matthew 27: 23)

Thirdly, and perhaps the most tragic is the response of the Jewish crowd to Jesus innocence. When Pilate washed his hands and said the famous words "I am innocent of this mans blood...All the people answered, "Let his blood be on us and on our children!" This is likely why the Jewish people have been so persecuted throughout history. Punishment for their total abandonment and betrayal of their Messiah.

Why does bad stuff happen to good people?

2007-10-10T21:40:00.000+10:00

Yes that tired cliche. Why does bad stuff happen to good people?

Firstly I find the language of this question of itself problematic. If we go by the secular reasoning that most people are 'good' at least in some way, then we must also follow the relativistic approach to determining if something is 'good' or not. As relativism does not allow for any absolutes, nothing can ever be ruled out as purely bad. So everything must be at least a little bit good.

Eg. The person who has their car stolen is upset, stranded and out of pocket. - Bad outcomes.
However, the thief who steals a car is now able to sell it for money to use on something he/she wants or needs, or at least has fun driving really fast for a while. - Good outcomes.

So steering clear of that definition of 'good people' what am I left with?

Scripture tells us that "all have fallen short of the glory of God" and that "There is no one righteous, not even one" so no, one is 'good.'

Christians are however counted as righteous based on Christ's sacrifice, in spite of the fact that none of us are even remotely deserving of salvation. Hallelujah for Grace!

So I can define 'good people' as Christians, not good on our own but 'good' because of Christ.

Why then, does bad stuff happen to Christians?

Scripture says that "in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Now I believe this Scripture to be WAY over-quoted and misused. For starters people often ignore the last bit. What this verse says is that "If you are following the will of Jesus for your life, then even the trials will be beneficial." It does not say "Everything that happens is good, or will lead to something better in this life."

I do not subscribe to the idea that Jesus uses trails simply as 'character building' exercises for us. I can think of two reasons that our Sovereign Lord allows bad stuff to happen to His children.
1: To give us the opportunity to be able to relate to those around us who are hurting and suffering and in need of someone to share the Gospel to them. But more importantly need someone who understands their pain, and not someone who means well but just does not 'get it.' Jesus became a man to reveal Himself to mankind, to allow mankind to be able to relate to their Creator. God is no longer out of our reach and understanding, He became like us so we could come to Him. People who are suffering need people around them who are not only supportive, but who are also able to relate to their experiences. Ultimately this brings glory to Jesus by our testimonies of His faithfulness, strength, grace, patience, wisdom, comfort etc. in our own times of need.

2: To draw us closer to Him. If life was peachy all the time then who would need God? If life was always perfect then why would we need to rely on Him and live by Faith? As Christians we are to be in this world but not a part of it. The bad stuff of this world is to remind us just how much we need a Saviour and just how much we need Jesus in our lives. Ultimately this brings glory to Jesus by reminding Christians of His faithfulness, strength, grace, patience, wisdom, comfort etc. in our times of need.

Matthew 26 - Part 2

2007-10-03T06:13:00.000+10:00

Following on from my post on Matthew 26: 1-30:

Jesus predicts Peter's denial.
On the way to the garden, after finishing their passover meal (The Last Supper) Jesus tells the disciples "This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written:
'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'
But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee." To which Peter denies. As with all of Jesus' prophesies, this one too comes to pass in spite of Peter's denial.

Jesus and the Disciples get to Gethsemane.
This passage has three points of note.
1) Here Jesus demonstrates the ultimate submission to His Father. Repeating the prayer "Not my will but yours..." Even into death, the horrible death Jesus knows is comming He submits in the perfect example of submission to the Will and Glory of the Father.
2) The disciples fail Jesus in His time of need. They fall asleep repeatedly when He asked them to keep watch in support of HIm. Even those closest to Jesus fell short of His request. This should encourage us in our failings, Jesus does not abandon or forsake them. He continues to encourage them and it is to these men He reveals Himself physically, after the reasurection.
3) Jesus was praying privately. This is an important example for a couple of reasons. Firstly it demonstrates clearly that there is a personal distinction between Jesus and the Father. (Hinting at the Trinity) This is not like the Lord's Prayer which was an exaple of prayer, this is actually Jesus praying to His Father. Also it demonstrates private prayer. Prayer should be private and personal, in worship and submission to God, not solely a corporate or public display. This does not mean never pray corporately, but just don't let that be the only time we pray.

We should be reminded that Jesus knew exactly what was happening, and in fact was in control of the whole situation.

Jesus betrayed and arrested.
One symbol of just how much of a perversion it is to turn ones back on Christ is the fact that He was betrayed with a kiss. A kiss is a sign of affection, loyalty, friendship, love, tenderness, care, protection, kindness, a greeting etc. A kiss should NEVER be about betrayal or abandonment.

Twice Jesus comments that His arrest is so that the "...Scriptures be fulfilled..." and "...that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled." Reminding us that His betrayal, arrest, and sacrifice was all strictly according to His plan of salvation.

Jesus' trail with the Sanhedrin.
Many aspects about Jesus' trial is also very significant of the symbolism of the extent at which the Jewish nation had turned away from their Lord. Jesus was taken in the middle of the night to the home of Caiaphas for questioning. After Jesus' first does not answer to the testimony of false witness and the responds to their questions as to whether or not he claimed to be the Messiah, the scribes and priests hit Jesus in the face and spit on him in disgust.

This trial is outside Jewish law for several reasons:
1. It was illegal for the Sanhedrin to meet outside of the designated Chamber of Hewn Stone in the Temple, yet they met in Caiaphas' home.
2. The Sanhedrin had an express rule that it could not meet at night because justice must be carried out in the light of day, yet Jesus was tried at night.
3. The Sanhedrin, by law, was not allowed to originate charges. However, Jesus was first arrested, and then witnesses were looked for.
4. Jewish law says: "If a sentence of death is to be pronounced, it [a criminal case] cannot be concluded before the following day" (Mishna, "Sanhedrin" IV, 1). This was to allow sufficient opportunity for any witnesses in support of the accused to present themselves. However, Jesus' trial was conducted in private and completed in less than one day.
5. The merits of Jesus' defense were not considered. Deuteronomy 13:14 says "then you must inquire, probe and investigate it thoroughly. And if it is true and it has been proved..." yet, the court pronounced sentence instantly.

When taken before Pilate Jesus' crimes were switched the charges from blasphemy to treason before Pilate. Jesus' opponents wanted Him killed, but they did not want to do it themselves. So they charged Him with treason, a Roman crime, so the Romans would be responsible for His death. Again no evidence was presented (John 18:29-30). Pilate, after a brief interview, saw that Jesus was not guilty (John 18:38 & Matthew 27:18). Fearing the crowd, however, he allowed the crucifixion of an innocent man. Pilate did not even pronounce Jesus guilty; he merely turned Jesus over to the soldiers

Jesus not once admitted to any of the false charges brought before Him. He did not admit to blasphemy. Jesus only agreed and admitted the truth, that He IS the Messiah and that He IS the Son of God.

Peter's denial of Jesus.
Peter's denial of Jesus is one of the most famous scenes of Christianity. This should be an enormous encouragement for Christians of the faithfulness of Jesus in spite of our failings. Peter was one of Jesus closest friends and followers, one of the twelve and yet Peter betrayed Jesus. Christ's response (after Peter breaks down in repentance) is to take this simple man (an unlettered fisherman) and use him mightily in the early stages of the formation of the Christian church after Jesus' death and resurrection. Peter was a missionary to many lands and was used powerfully to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the early Christian world.

Just as Peter betrayed Jesus, repented and was then used for Jesus' glory so too can we be used in spite of our failings if we will repent and continually turn back to Jesus.

For more about the encouragement we can receive from and some great insight into the life and ministry of Peter (and a challenge to step even further) click on the following links.

Desiring to be Peter when the world needs Paul
Desiring to be Peter...

I'm a teacher now, and what do I make?

2007-08-05T17:10:00.000+10:00

I have been a high school teacher now for just over a month. People in Australia seem to think teachers are overpaid and under qualified. Usually the people who hold this opinion either have little education themselves or little respect for education as a whole. While their opinions are theirs to cherish, none the less education IS important and IS valuable.

Click here to view Taylor Mali perform this piece.

Otherwise read the following, and discover what a teacher really makes...

He says the problem with teachers is, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?" He reminds the other dinner guests that it's true what they say about teachers: “Those who can, do; those who can't, teach.”

I decide to bite my tongue instead of his and resist the temptation to remind the other dinner guests that it's also true what they say about lawyers.

Because we're eating, after all, and this is polite company.

"I mean, you're a teacher, Taylor," he says.
"Be honest. What do you make?"

And I wish he hadn't done that
(asked me to be honest)
because, you see, I have a policy
about honesty and ass-kicking:
If you ask for it, I have to let you have it.

You want to know what I make?

I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional medal of honor
and an A- feel like a slap in the face.
How dare you waste my time with anything less than your very best.

You want to know what I make?

I make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall in absolute silence.
No, you may not work in groups.
No, you may not ask a question.
Why won't I let you get a drink of water?
Because you're not thirsty, you're bored, that's why.

You want to know what I make?

I make parents tremble in fear when I call home:
"I hope I haven't called at a bad time,
I just wanted to talk to you about something Billy said today.
Billy said, "Leave the kid alone. I still cry sometimes, don't you?"
And it was the noblest act of courage I have ever seen."

I make parents see their children for who they are and what they can be.

You want to know what I make?

I make kids wonder,
I make them question.
I make them criticize.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them write, write, write.
And then I make them read.

I make them spell definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful
over and over and over again until they will never misspell either one of those words again.
I make them show all their work in math.
And hide it on their final drafts in English.

I make them understand that if you got this (brains)
then you follow this (heart)
and if someone ever tries to judge you by what you make,
you give them this (the finger).

Let me break it down for you, so you know what I say is true:
I make a difference! What about you?

Say thanks to your mum tomorrow.

2007-05-12T15:45:00.000+10:00

Tomorrow is Mothers Day. When you are calling or seeing your mum to wish her well, or remembering you mother who has passed remember to thank her as well. Being a mum is hard work.

Also you will need to thank her...
If you were a third or subsequent child.
If your mum was very young, or unmarried when you were born.
If you are a boy and she wanted a girl, or if you a girl when she wanted a boy.
If you mum was unwell when you were born.
If you were unwell when you were born.
If you mum was in school, or unemployed.
If your mum was in a bad relationship, or just out of one.
If your parents were financially unstable.
If your mum really liked her job/career.
If you were a surprise for your parents.
If your mum thought having you would change her life.
If your parents didn't think they would be very good at being parents.

Many women have exercised their 'choice' in these situations. If your mum was in one be thankful that she chose to keep you.

A woman's right.
A woman's choice.
A simple surgical procedure.
Crisis aversion.
Termination.
Abortion.
Murder.

A womans right?
What about the rights of unborn women?

This morning I took part in Brisbane's 18th annual Walk for Little feet. Run in conjunction with Queensland Right To Life, and Protect-Life, the walk was a peaceful, pro-life protest through the center of Brisbane. Yes a placard carrying, leaflet distributing walk for 8 km zig-zagging through the CBD of Brisbane.

There were around 100-150 walkers and we encountered some positive and encouraging comments, cars honking their support, and even local news coverage. We also had to contend with being shouted at and pushed, but possibly worst of all completely ignored. The total apathy of people towards this issue is hard to take.

We saw tearful women, who obviously found the "Human rights for ALL Human beings. NO to Abortion" placards too much to bear.

This is an 'under the rug' issue in Australia. Many women who have abortions, claim to simply have 'lost' the baby, a miscarriage. Isn't it a simple procedure, like having tonsils removed, not really killing? Why lie about it?

One young man yelled "Every one is entitled to their own choice!" The Irony is he meant everyone, except the unborn.

In Australia, a large political issue is and has been for some years is the fact that we are an ageing population. Our birth rate has declined. The average age of our citizens is increasing, yet we still allow the wholesale murder of children.

1 in 4 pregnancies in Australia end in 'termination', 1 in 3 in the U.S. No wonder not enough babies are being born, they are being killed!

But alas, being a male renders my opinion invalid in this issue.

If I support 'choice' and abortion, I am forcing women into submission.

If I support babies and life I'm told "Shut up it's my body!"

Is it?

Is the fetus your body?

The human heart begins to beat between 18 and 25 days after conception. Many women will not even know they are pregnant at this time.
The foundation of the nervous system is complete by the 20th day.
At 42 days the skeleton is complete and reflexes are present.
Brain function has been recorded as early as 43 days after conception. Thats only 6 weeks!
All the body systems are present by 8 weeks.
At 8 weeks a fetus will respond to physical stimulus, and the toes are separated.
At 9 to 10 weeks after conception, the unborn baby will squint, swallow, move his or her tongue and make a fist.
At 11 -12 weeks after conception, the unborn baby will suck his or her thumb and breath the amniotic fluid, developing the respiratory system.
At 11 - 12 weeks fingernails are present and all the body's systems are functioning.
At 16 weeks the baby has eyelashes.

Is the fetus a piece of your body? Or is it a body on it's own, innocent and needing protection?

As long as the killing continues there will be those who are walking for the little feet.

I hope there will never be another Walk for Little Feet in Queensland.

I hope the madness, the injustice and the killing stops.

I fear that there will be another walk next year.

Pray that I am wrong.

Hiatus

2007-04-28T09:27:00.000+10:00

Life is too busy at the moment for me to be posting here.

My final Prac is looming, I have 8000+ words of assignments due in the next two weeks, I have a 3 year old son and a 1 year old daughter and a wife who is also a full time student.

I hope to be back once that is settled, but who knows.

I'll leave with two snippets to tide any one who comes by over.

The Bible in 50 words:

God made;
Adam bit;
Noah Arked;
Abraham split;
Jacob fooled;
Joseph ruled;
Bush talked;
Moses balked;
Pharoh plagued;
People wlaked;
Sea divided;
Tablets guided;
Promise landed;
Saul freaked;
David peaked;
Prophets warned;
Jesus born;
God walked;
Love talked;
Anger crucified;
Hope died;
Love rose;
Spirit flamed;
Word spread;
God remained.

What (or rather who) the Bible is all about:

In Genesis, He's the breath of Life;
In Exodus, the passover Lamb;
In Leviticus, He's our high priest;
Numbers, the fire by night;
Deuteronomy, He's Moses' voice;
In Joshua, He is salvation's choice;
Judges, Law giver;
In Ruth, the kinsman redeemer;
First and Second Samuel, our trusted prophet;
In Kings and Chronicles, He's sovereign;
Ezra, true and faithful scribe;
Nehemiah, He's the rebuilder of broken walls and lives;
In Esther, He's Mordecai's courage;
In Job, the timeless redeemer;
In Psalms, He is our morning song;
In Proverbs, wisdom's cry;
Ecclesiastes, the time and season;
In the Song of Solomon, He is the lover's dream;

In Isaiah, He's Prince of Peace;
Jeremiah, the weeping prophet;
In Lamentations, the cry for Israel;
Ezekiel, He's the call from sin;
In Daniel, the stranger in the fire;
In Hosea, He is forever faithful;
In Joel, He's the Spirits power;
In Amos, the arms that carry us;

In Obadiah, He's the Lord our Savior;
In Jonah, He's the great missionary;
In Micah, the promise of peace;
In Nahum, He is our strength and our shield;
In Habakkuk and Zephaniah, He's pleading for revival;
In Haggai, He restores a lost heritage;
In Zechariah, our fountain;
In Malachi, He is the son of righteousness rising with healing in His wings;

In Matthew, Mark, Luke and John;
He is God, Man, Messiah;
In the book of Acts, He is fire from heaven;
In Romans, He's the grace of God;
In Corinthians, the power of love;
In Galatians, He is freedom from the curse of sin;
Ephesians, our glorious treasure;
Philippians, the servants heart;
In Colossians, He's the Godhead trinity;
Thessalonians, our coming King;
In Timothy, Titus, Philemon He's our mediator and our faithful Pastor;
In Hebrews, the everlasting covenant;
In James, the one who heals the sick;
In First and Second Peter, he is our Shepherd;
In John and in Jude, He is the lover coming for His bride;
In the Revelation, He is King of Kings and the Lord of Lords;

The prince of peace;
The Son of man;
The Lamb of God;
The great I Am;
He's the alpha and omega;
Our God and our Savior;
He is Jesus Christ, Lord and when time is no more He is.

Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, Messiah, Creator and God, is in the Old Testament concealed, and is in the New Testament revealed.

MDM

David Gemmell

2007-04-19T20:35:00.000+10:00

David Gemmell is my favorite author. Being introduced to Le gend at the tender age of 13, greatly contributed to my love of reading, and that reading has become a large part of my recreation time over the last decade.

David first got the idea for Legend in 1976. He was being tested for cancer, and to take his mind off it he tried writing a book, which he called The Siege of Dros Delnoch. The fortress and its attackers, the Nadir, were metaphors for him and the cancer. In the end, he was found not to have cancer after all and he forgot about the book, which he claims wasn't very good anyway. However, in 1980, a friend of Gemmell's read the manuscript and told him that the story had potential. Encouraged, Gemmell set to work rewriting the book that would become known as Legend. It was accepted by Century Hutchinson late in 1982.

I have read, thoroughly enjoyed and re-read all of David Gemmell's books except for White Knight, Black Swan which he wrote under the psudonim, Ross Harding.

I own 22 of his 31 (1 yet to be released) novels, and plan to continue collecting.

I was told today that David Gemmell is no longer writing. He died of coronary artery disease, on Friday 28th July, 2006, two weeks after undergoing heart bypass surgery. In his words "I tried to quit smoking and found that the years of polluting my brain with nicotine meant that I couldn't string a reasonable sentence together without filling my lungs with smoke. I went three months without a drag, took a good look at the #### I was writing and lit up."

If I may take liberty with some of David's words from the mouths of Regnak and Druss the Legend:

"And you, David. I never met a better author."
"Sure you did, boy. Hundreds! But it's nice of you to say it. However I didn't come here to exchange compliments..."

Many of the themes and ideals of some of the characters in his work leads me to believe that David either knew a lot about Christianity or had experienced saving Grace. I pray it was the latter.

Either way I will miss receiving a new Gemmell novel for my birthday each year. My wife will probably miss having such an easy choice of gift.

Friday or Wednesday?

2007-04-04T17:33:00.000+10:00

The following is from an e-mail I received.

The observances of Good Friday and Easter Sunday have perpetuated the traditional chronology that the crucifixion took place on a Friday, and that the Lord's body was buried on that day at about 6:00 p.m., and that he rose from the dead early on the following Sunday morning.

There are some, however, that feel this tradition is at variance with the Scriptural record. One of the problems is reckoning "three days" between Friday evening and Sunday morning. Our Lord's definitive statement is one of the problems:

"For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." (Matthew 12:40)

The mention of nights, as well as the number of days, makes it hard to render this as simply an idiomatic rhetorical device rather than a statement of fact.

The Sabbaths

Nowhere in the Gospels does it assert that Christ was crucified on a Friday. In Mark 15:42, it refers to "...the day before the sabbath." This may be the root of the misunderstanding.

The Jews had other sabbaths in addition to the weekly shabbat (Saturday). In addition to the weekly sabbaths, there were seven "high sabbaths" each year, and the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the 15th of Nisan, was one of them. Further, Matthew 28:1 should read, "At the end of the sabbaths," (which is plural in the Greek), implying there was a plurality of sabbaths that week.

If Passover, the 14th of Nisan, fell earlier in the week, the 15th could have been any day prior to Saturday, the weekly Sabbath. "When the sabbaths were past" would, of course, be Sunday (actually, Saturday after sundown), in accordance to the Feast of First Fruits. (Some hold to a Thursday crucifixion on a similar basis.)

The 17th of Nisan

Jesus had declared that He would be in the grave three days, and yet was to be resurrected "on the morrow after the sabbath," on the day of the Feast of First Fruits. It is interesting that the authorities, anxious to get the body off the cross before sundown, unknowingly were fulfilling God's predetermined plan, "according to the Scriptures."

Noah's flood ended on the 17th day of the 7th month. This month becomes the 1st month at the institution of the Passover. Our new beginning in Christ was on the anniversary of the Earth's "new beginning" under Noah!

Israel's new beginning, the crossing of the Red Sea, is believed to have been on the 17th of Nisan. Also, in their flight after Passover, Israel retrieved the body of Joseph from his tomb. After Passover, Jesus was retrieved from another Joseph's tomb on this date.

The Jericho Journey

Another problem with a Friday crucifixion is John 12:1: "Then Jesus six days before the Passover came to Bethany..." (from Jericho). If the Friday view can be accepted, then six days earlier was the weekly shabbat, and on this day such a journey was legally out of the question for a devout Jew.

Summary

As for the Friday or Wednesday issue, there are many good scholars on each side of this controversy. I personally have become rather cynical toward any tradition that is not supported by Scripture.

Good Friday is the "traditional" view. The Wednesday crucifixion is known as the "reconstructed view." This article is intended to stimulate study and constructive conversation during this precious season. However the important thing is that the tomb was empty. The authorities made sure that this was indisputable. Indeed, He is risen!

Happy Easter!

Seven little fibs.

2007-03-29T23:22:00.000+10:00

Adapted from a selection of Charles Colson’s BreakPoint radio commentaries, Lies That Go Unchallenged in Popular Culture examines seven popular ideals and the worldviews which accompany them.

Stemming mostly from Postmodern philosophy the following views are counter to what is taught in the Bible. Postmodernism is a view that social and cultural reality, truth and morality, are merely human constructions. An openness to meaning and authority from unexpected places, so that the ultimate source of authority is the "play" of the discourse itself. The essential point is that the meaning of all things is colored by subjectivity. Not to be confused with Relativists however, posmodernists believe that just because truth and morality are social constructions, that does not mean all opinions are equally valid.

I have not read this book, but will have a look at the seven little fibs and try to address each one biblically.

Lie 1: We have the freedom of choice to be who we want and to do what we want.
Underlying Worldview: Individuals are responsible to no higher authority, and are free to pursue their own destinies as long as they don’t hurt others. "An' it harm none, Do what ye will," is the fulfillment of the Wiccan Rede.

Truth 1: Every man woman and child are in one of two states regardless of our own free will. Either we are slaves to sin, or slaves to righteousness.
Biblical Worldview: Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:34-36)
[Salvation] does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy. (Romans 9:16)
Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. (Romans 6:16-18)

Lie 2: Marriage can be between any two people, and it lasts only as long as both are happy.
Underlying Worldview: Marriage is not a sacred lifetime covenant between a man and a woman but a contract between any two individuals that should be dissolved when mutual benefits seem to cease

Truth 2: Marriage is the design of God for mankind. Marriage was designed to be between one man and one woman, and for their entire life they should be joined as one. The only except in the case of marital unfaithfulness.
Biblical Worldview: "Haven't you read," [Jesus] 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. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not 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 marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery." (Matthew 19:3-9)

Lie 3: We’ll live in harmony if we tolerate the beliefs of others.
Underlying Worldview: We tolerate all relativistic beliefs and behavior in an amoral world in which we band together to better achieve our own personal fulfillment.

Truth 3: Harmony, or peace, is not the found extension of tolerance, but by showing grace and love, not just to our friends, family and colleagues but to our enemies also.
Biblical Worldview: "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." (Luke 6:27-36)

Lie 4: Art should break traditional norms and challenge outworn beliefs.
Underlying Worldview: Because there is no ultimate good, art both replaces God
and helps us to create and revere what is beautiful; it allows us to express our individuality and to challenge conventional norms, thus redefining reality.

Truth 4: Artistic creativity is a wonderful tool of expression. Since God does not change, any challenge of His standards and decrees is rebellion.
Biblical Worldview: Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (James 1:17)
Art that portrays wickedness can encourage viewers to identify with depravity and draws them into a vicarious sinfulness. Rather than celebrating art that depicts depravity ...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8)

Lie 5: Christian beliefs are a private matter.
Underlying Worldview: The Christian faith should remain private and internal; it should not be applied to culture because of its absolutist, intolerant message and its history of oppressing those who disagree.

Truth 5: The Gospel of Jesus Christ should be shared to all mankind. The Gospel should be personal and evident in the life of the Christian. The work of Jesus Christ is what saves not the work of the Christian.
Biblical Worldview: [Jesus] said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." (Mark 16:15)
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men."You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."(Matthew 5:13-16)

Lie 6: Entertainment is a vehicle to help us fulfill personal desires.
Underlying Worldview: We need larger doses of entertainment that break useless taboos, accompanied by advertising of products that stimulate our primary desire for self-fulfillment in the pleasures in life—sex, possessions, and power

Truth 6: Not all indulgences are profitable. In fact indulging in sinfulness is the path to destruction.
Biblical Worldview: "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" (Matthew 6:22-23)
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

Lie 7: God accepts us as we are, and there are many ways to him.
Underlying Worldview: God is an impersonal evolving force, and we become emanations of that God as we fulfill our own self-appointed destinies that contain no ultimate judgment.

Truth 7: God does indeed accept and then forgives His children as they are, salvation is unearned. However, there is only one way to God.
Biblical Worldview: [Salvation] does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy. (Romans 9:16)
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." (Matthew 7:13-14)
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)

My prayer:
Jesus,
Thank you for your Grace and Blood which was shed in my place.
Thank you for you patience with me.
Thank you for you Word and your Spirit which guides me.
Thank you for your forgiveness of my sin.
Thank you that you are working in me, molding me, changing me.
Help me to be a light for you.
Help me to understand your Word, and to live according to your pleasure.
Amen.

Boys, boys, boys...It's only a game.

2007-03-23T05:11:00.000+10:00

In sunny the West Indies, the International Cricket World Cup is being played. 16 countries are represented in a knockout series to determine the best One Day International Cricketing team. This is a fantastic competition and being an Aussie, Cricket is a game I love.

I enjoy Cricket at all levels, from backyard or beach Cricket right through to the international competition Cricket is great.

However, this year's World Cup has already been tarnished, and we haven't even made it to the semi-finals yet.

Pakistan's coach, Bob Woolmer, has been murdered in his hotel room. After a shock defeat to World Cup debutaunts, Ireland (a nation with only 1 Professional Cricketer) Pakistan fans were outraged. Pakistan has for decades been one of the forces in International Cricket. Woolmer was found strangled, the morning after the defeat.

Boys, boys, boys...It's only a game.

There are very few things in this world worth dying for, and as much as I love it, Cricket is not one of those.

Why I will not be wearing an Orange ribbon.

2007-03-21T11:49:00.000+10:00

An Orange Ribbon, worn on March 21 in Australia, demonstrates the wearer as a participant in Harmony Day.

What is Harmony Day?

Harmony Day, which began in 1999, occurs on 21 March each year and celebrates Australia's success as a diverse society united by a common set of values.

Since 1945 more than six million people have settled in Australia and in 60 years of post-war migration Australia 's population has jumped from 6 million to approximately 20 million.

At the time of the 2001 Census there were almost 19 million people in Australia. Twenty-two per cent had been born overseas, and more than 18 per cent of the Australia-born had at least one parent born overseas. More than 200 languages were spoken, including 62 Indigenous languages. Apart from English the most common were Italian, Greek, Cantonese, Arabic, Vietnamese, Mandarin and Spanish. In December 2003 the Australian population reached the 20 million mark.

A major aspect of Harmony Day is the celebration that Australia is a multicultural and multifaith nation.

All over Australia today there will be multi faith readings from the scriptures for many various religions including Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Christianity.

Many famous leaders, religious and otherwise, have spoken about the importance of harmony and unity.

Friendship is the only cure for hatred, the only guarantee of peace.
Buddha (566-486 BC)

You can develop the right attitude toward others if you have kindness, love and respect for them, and a clear realization of the oneness of all human beings.
The Dalai Lama, 1989 Nobel Peace Laureate

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal"
Dr Martin Luther King Jnr (1929-1968)

Irrespective of its sources, racism is racism. Ignorance is no excuse. Insecurity is not justification…racism in all its forms should be uncompromisingly condemned.
Michael Dodson, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner 1996

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.
Mother Teresa, Humanitarian (1910 – 1997)

As I have said, the first thing is to be honest with yourself. You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself... Great peacemakers are all people of integrity, of honesty, but humility. "If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner."
Nelson Mandala (South African Statesman & 1993 Nobel Prize for Peace)

For it isn't enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn't enough to believe in it. One must work for it.
Eleanor Roosevelt, Humanitarian, Educator, UN Spokesperson & 32nd US First Lady (1884-1962)

If we wish to create a lasting peace we must begin with the children.
Mohandas K. Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi), Indian leader and pacifist (1869-1948)

But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Jesus Christ (Luke 6:27-36)

Now lets look at the term tolerance for a moment. Tolerance, is the permissible degree of variation from a pre-set standard. That is, how much difference one will allow or accept. Tolerance, like compromise, is an important interpersonal skill. Diverse cultures and opinions are wonderful to observe, study and whiteness in terms of art, food, dress, social makeup, dance, sport, ingenuity, expression etc. Much could be learned, for the betterment of society, if the multitude of cultures could function in harmony with one another. However, the fact that the population of earth is made from so many races, ethnicities and cultures is very important. One must remember that race is a curse, a punishment for sinfulness. (Genesis 11:1-9)

I am an advocate tolerance on the level that:

There should be a common law in society.
There should be a freedom of expression and thought, provided they do not break said common law.
Everyone, regardless of gender, religion, race, ethnicity, age, opinion, physical or mental ability etc. should have equal protection and freedom under said common law.

However, Truth does not fit into the category of free expression or thought. Truth is an absolute, it is not subject to whim. Truth is there to be discovered, not waiting to be imagined. I do not tolerate a watering down of truth, under the guise of 'tolerance' and 'acceptance' until the Gospel of Jesus Christ is little more than a bedtime story.

Harmony Day as a celebration of multiple faiths coexisting and all being an acceptable means to paradise, salvation, God, nirvana and enlightenment stems from relativism and humanism. In effect it is the belief that 'as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else, believe and do what you like.' This is much more sinister that it first appears, and ultimately stems from Wicca (witchcraft). The Wiccan Rede is a verse written by Gerald Gardner and Doreen Valiente that was formulated to sum up the ethics of the neo-PaganWicca. The last line of which is, "Eight words ye Wiccan Rede fulfill - An’ it harm none, Do what ye will."

The way to perfect harmony is not, "An' it harm none, Do what ye will," rather it is "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 7:12) Which would be fulfilled if people would simply do two things, two acts of LOVE not our own indulgence according to our own will. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:37-39)

There are not many religions which lead to heaven. There is only one Way.
There are not many truths. There is only one Truth.
There are not many life choices which brings eternal peace and joy. There is only one who can give Life.

This Way, Truth and Life, is not found by a creed, set of rules, religious dogma, personal introspection or relative enlightenment.

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:6

If I were to wear an Orange Ribbon today, I would be calling Jesus a liar. That is something I will not do.

Where did it all begin?

2007-03-12T07:50:00.000+10:00

When considering the origins of life and the universe there are two options.

Either it has always existed in one form or another, or it had a beginning. If the Universe has always existed, then considering it's origin is pointless. However, if the Universe and thus life had a beginning then we have two more options. Either the cause was simply a random series of natural events or there was an outside intelligence which contributed to or caused the origin of life. This in turn poses one final question. If there was indeed an external intelligence which contributed design to the origin of the Universe and life, then is there evidence of that design within life itself?

Has the Universe always existed? - Is the Universe infinitely Old?
There are several strong arguments why the Universe cannot be infinitely old, and thus had to have a beginning, here are two.

1. The Universe is expanding. If the Universe is expanding, then there must have been a point in time when the Universe was so small it did not in fact exist. N.A.S.A. states here that "Ever since the days of astronomer Edwin Hubble's ground-based telescope observations, we have known that the Universe is expanding, and that there must have been a "Big Bang" where the expansion all started."

2. The Universe is not in thermodynamic equilibrium. The Second Law of Thermodynamics is a natural law of Physics, meaning nature cannot defy this law, just like Gravity. Sometimes called the Law of Entropy, in simple terms, it is an expression of the fact that over time, differences in temperature, pressure, and density tend to even out. For Example a cup of hot coffee sitting on a cold coffee table. The heat from the coffee will transfer to the cup and in turn will cause the table to heat a little. Eventually the coffee, cup and table will be a uniform temperature. Since there is variance in the temperatures in the universe (not thermodynamic equilibrium) then the Universe cannot be infinitely old. If it is not infinitely old then the universe had a beginning.

In opposition to the naturalistic neo-Darwinist Theory of Evolution is the theory of Intelligent Design. Intelligent Design Theory aims to prove that the Universe and the life in it are simply too complex to have originated without some external Intelligence offering some Design.

Could life have originated on its own?
It was once believed that life could come from non-life. Spontaneous generation or abiogenesis is the hypothesis that non-living things are capable of producing life. However, several experiments have been conducted which disprove spontaneous generation. These include experiments by Francesco Redi, Lazzaro Spallanzani, and Louis Pasteur. The process of pasteurization which aims to achieve a "log reduction" in the number of viable organisms, reducing their number so they are unlikely to cause disease is named after Louis Pasteur. This process is close to the method he used to prove that life did not arise from non-life.

What about Chemical Evolution?
Chemical evolution or chemosynthesis is as a hypothesis to explain how life might possibly have developed from non-life. Various experiments have been made to show certain aspects of this process, the first ones were done by Stanley L. Miller in the 1950s. For that they are now called Miller experiments. However only very basic organic building blocks were obtained. Only 13 of the 22 amino acids required for life were formed. Even these limited results cannot be used as evidence that non living chemicals can produce life via evolution. Miller's experiment was very intelligently designed and controlled, it was not a random, natural event. The hypothesis of a 'primordial soup' suggests that chemosynthesis occurred in the oceans of prehistoric earth, which in turn led to the evolution of more complex life forms. This hypothesis can be discounted for several reasons.

Amino acids do not concentrate in the ocean. They disperse.
Amino acids would be grossly contaminated with other chemicals that would stop them forming proteins.
And even pure amino acids (made by intelligent organic chemists) will not form proteins under natural conditions. Rather, the reverse happens—proteins break down into amino acids.
Miller’s amino acids were an equal amount of ‘right-handed’ and ‘left-handed’ amino acids. Living things use exclusively left-handed ones.
Even if pure left-handed amino acids could link up, it could not be in the right order. In living things, this is coded in the DNA and read by complex machinery—requiring already-existing proteins!
DNA and its building blocks, called nucleotides, do not form spontaneously either.

Can a designed system be recognized as such?
The ability to recognize design is a common part of life. There are whole fields of study which rely on this fact including; forensics, archeology, cryptography, linguistics etc.

"Intelligent design is a theory for making sense of intelligent causes. As such, intelligent design formalizes and makes precise something we do all the time. All of us are all the time engaged in a form of rational activity that, without being tendentious, can be described as inferring design. Inferring design is a common and well-accepted human activity...There is no magic, no vitalism, no appeal to occult forces. Inferring design is common, rational and objectifiable."
- William Dembski

All good scientific theories must be testable, 'theories' that cannot be tested are merely speculation. When testing for design, three things need to be observed as true.
Contingency: Which measures “dependence.” If an object, event or structure is considered contingent, that means they are compatible with underlying natural laws, but not required by them.
afdfiuhwer;ouiy
The above random text is an example of contingency. The text is viewed with a computer screen, but a computer screen does not require the text to function.
Complexity: Which measures the "amount" of information included in an object, event or structure.
afdfiuhwer;ouiy
The same random text is also an example of complexity. The text is complex in the sense that the letters each form a recognizable pattern.
Specification: Which measures the "purpose" or "meaning" of the information.
afdfiuhwer;ouiy
A closer look at the same random text will also reveal an example of specification. The highlighted letters have produced a specified piece of information, the word “we”, but without the context of other words, it is meaningless non complex information. The individual letters still have a complex pattern, but no complex meaning.
This text here is an example.
The above text satisfies all three criteria for design. It is contingent, it is complex, and it has a specific meaning. It constitutes specified complexity.

What is Irreducible Complexity?
Irreducible Complexity is the theory that some systems and objects cannot be any more simple and still function. A mouse-trap in an example of an Irreducibly Complex system. Having a base, spring, hammer, catch, and trigger a mouse trap missing 1 of these 5 pieces does not catch 1/5 less mice but rather does not function at all. A system which is Irreducibly Complex could not have evolved piece by piece, as redundant parts of the system would not have been kept under neo-Darwinian Evolutionary Theory. Rather, Irreducible Complexity constitutes specified complexity and as such is evidence for design.

Is there Irreducible Complexity in nature?
There are many examples of irreducibly complex systems in natural or biological systems. The eye, the blood clotting mechanism and the bacterial flagellum are all irreducibly complex. The flagellum has parts referred to as the propeller (or filament), rotor, drive shaft (or rod), bushing, universal joint (or hook), etc. These are obviously names from mechanical devices, but they are not used simply because they are convenient analogies. These components are precise biological versions of their human-designed mechanical versions. In fact they are more efficient and precise than anything we could design. Nor could these cells be simply formed from existing “parts” from other cells. Each cell has a unique structure, precisely intended for particular functions, even those that have a few parts common to other cell types. Some neo-Darwinists challenge the Irreducible Complexity of the flagellum saying that "The final evolution of the flagellum might then have involved only the novel recombination of sophisticated parts that initially evolved for other purposes." However, nly about 10 of the 40 components can be explained by co-option, but the other 30 are brand new. Also, suggesting the flagellum could have evolved into the right sequence is like claiming that if the components of an electric motor already exist in an electrical shop, given enough time, they could assemble by themselves into a working motor. However, the right organization is just as important as the right components.

The Universe is NOT infinitely old.
Thus the Universe had a beginning.
Random Events could NOT have produced life from non life.
Thus there must have been external intelligence involved.
Within nature there IS evidence of contingent systems of specified complexity. Thus life was designed.

Where did it all begin?
With an Intelligent Design, in the mind of an intelligent Creator.

The Missing Links.

2007-03-05T09:37:00.000+10:00

A Missing Link is the common reference to a transitional fossil or transitional form. It refers to the fossilized remains of a life form that illustrates an evolutionary transition. It can be identified by having certain primitive traits in comparison with its more highly evolved relatives. Popularly, Missing Link refers to the transitional forms between apes and Humans.

Charles Darwin was worried that the fossil record did not show what his theory predicted, and thus wrote in The Origin of Species: "Why is not every geological formation and every stratum full of such intermediate links? Geology assuredly does not reveal any such finely graduated organic chain; and this is the most obvious and serious objection which can be urged against the theory."

In the 148 years since the publication of Darwin's work, still no satisfactory transitional forms have been discovered. The late Dr Colin Patterson, senior paleontologist of the British Museum of Natural History, wrote a book, Evolution. In reply to a questioner who asked why he had not included any pictures of transitional forms, he wrote: "I fully agree with your comments about the lack of direct illustration of evolutionary transitions in my book. If I knew of any, fossil or living, I would certainly have included them … . I will lay it on the line — there is not one such fossil for which one could make a watertight argument."

Stephen Jay Gould, another neo-Darwinian paleontologist also wrote: "The absence of fossil evidence for intermediary stages between major transitions in organic design, indeed our inability, even in our imagination, to construct functional intermediates in many cases, has been a persistent and nagging problem for gradualistic accounts of evolution." and "I regard the failure to find a clear ‘vector of progress’ in life’s history as the most puzzling fact of the fossil record."

In the words of Darwin himself (and prominent neo-Darwinist experts) the greatest hurdle for neo-Darwinian Evolution is that the Transitional Fossils are in fact Missing, they are not real Links at all. They cannot be found, nor even properly imagined.

Rather than finding these Missing Links, all 32 mammal orders appear abruptly and fully formed in the fossil record. The neo-Darwinian paleontologist George G. Simpson wrote in 1944: "The earliest and most primitive members of every order already have the basic ordinal characters, and in no case is an approximately continuous series from one order to another known. In most cases the break is so sharp and the gap so large that the origin of the order is speculative and much disputed."

A popular explanation as to "the extreme imperfection of the fossil record" (as Darwin called it) is pointed out by the National Academy of Sciences in Teaching about Evolution and the Nature of Science. "Some changes in populations might occur too rapidly to leave many transitional fossils. Also, many organisms were very unlikely to leave fossils because of their habitats or because they had no body parts that could easily be fossilized." This in effect is suggesting either evolution occurs not gradually but by jumps or that among the accepted millions of years in which evolution supposedly took place no fossils were formed. Rapid-Evolution does not fit within neo-Darwinian Evolutionary Theory and to have such an abundance of fossils of the different animal orders, both extinct and living, but NONE of the transitional forms speaks for itself.

Here is a brief examination of supposed Evolutionary transitions:

Fish to Amphibian: Some evolutionists believe that amphibians evolved from a Rhipidistian fish, something like the coelacanth (pictured). It was believed that they used their fleshy, lobed fins for walking on the sea-floor before emerging on the land. This speculation seemed impossible to disprove, since according to neo-Darwinist interpretations of the fossil record, the last coelacanth lived about 70 million years ago. But a living coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae) was discovered in 1938. And it was found that the fins were not used for walking but for deft maneuvering when swimming. Its soft parts were also totally fish-like, not transitional. It also has some unique features—it gives birth to live young after about a year’s gestation, it has a small second tail to help its swimming, and a gland that detects electrical signals. The earliest amphibian, Ichthyostega, is dated (according to the neo-Darwinist timeline) as living 367-362.5 million years ago. Ichthyostega is hardly transitional, but has fully formed legs and shoulder and pelvic girdles, while there is no trace of these in the Rhipidistians, their alleged evolutionary predecessors.

Amphibian to Reptile: Seymouria (fossil pictured) is a commonly referenced by neo-Darwinists as an intermediate between amphibians and reptiles. However, the neo-Darwinist time line puts Seymouria at 280 million years ago, about 30 million years younger than the ‘earliest’ true reptiles Hylonomus and Paleothyris. That is, reptiles are allegedly millions of years older than their alleged ancestors! Also, there is no good reason for thinking it was not completely amphibian in its reproduction. The jump from amphibian to reptile eggs requires the development of a number of new structures and a change in biochemistry.

Reptile to mammal: The ‘mammal-like reptiles’ are commonly asserted to be transitional. But T. S. Kemp, a specialist on these creatures, has been published in an article for New Scientist titled, The Reptiles that Became Mammals saying: "Each species of mammal-like reptile that has been found appears suddenly in the fossil record and is not preceded by the species that is directly ancestral to it. It disappears some time later, equally abruptly, without leaving a directly descended species." Thus the supposed transitional forms from reptile s to mammals are not transitional at all but merely extinct creatures in their own right.

Reptile to bird: Neo-Darwinists tout Archaeopteryx (pictured) as a transitional form between reptiles and birds. They claim it was a bird that lived 150 million years ago and had many reptilian characteristics, was discovered in 1861 and helped support the hypothesis of evolution proposed by Charles Darwin in The Origin of Species two years earlier. However, Alan Feduccia, a world authority on birds at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an evolutionist himself, disagrees. "Paleontologists have tried to turn Archaeopteryx into an earth-bound, feathered dinosaur. But it's not. It is a bird, a perching bird. And no amount of ‘paleobabble’ is going to change that."

Another famous alleged reptile-to-bird link was Mononykus, claimed to be a ‘flightless bird.’ The cover of Time magazine even illustrated it with feathers, although not the slightest trace of feathers had been found. Later evidence in On the Origin of Birds and of Avian Flight, by J.H. Ostrom indicated that "Mononykus was clearly not a bird … it clearly was a fleet-footed fossorial [digging] theropod."

Two fossils found in Northern China are claimed to be feathered theropods (meat-eating dinosaurs). The fossils, Protarchaeopteryx robusta and Caudipteryx zoui, are claimed to be the immediate ancestors of the first birds. These two latest discoveries are considered by neo-Darwinists as 120 to 136 million years old while Archaeopteryx, a true bird, is considered only 140 to 150 million years, making these ‘bird ancestors’ far younger than their descendants! Feduccia is not convinced, and neither is his colleague, University of Kansas paleontologist Larry Martin who said: "You have to put this into perspective. To the people who wrote the paper, the chicken would be a feathered dinosaur." Feduccia and Martin believe that Protarchaeopteryx and Caudipteryx are more likely to be flightless birds similar to ostriches. They have bird-like teeth and lack the long tail seen in theropods. Caudipteryx even used gizzard stones like modern plant-eating birds, but unlike theropods.

There are many problems with the dinosaur-to-bird dogma. Feduccia points out that "It's biophysically impossible to evolve flight from such large bipeds with foreshortened forelimbs and heavy, balancing tails, exactly the wrong anatomy for flight."

Apes to Humans: The apemen fossils are often based on fragmentary remains, and this is true of the latest of a long series of ‘missing link claims,’ Ardipithecus ramidus kadabba. But when more bones are excavated, the specimens are found to be either man or non-man. Australopithecus (‘southern ape’) is the name given to a number of fossils found in Africa. The most well known australopithecine is ‘Lucy’, a 40% complete skeleton found by Donald Johanson in Ethiopia in 1974 and called Australopithecus afarensis. Casts of Lucy’s bones have been imaginatively restored in museums worldwide to look like an apewoman, e.g. with ape-like face and head, but human-like body, hands and feet. However, the original Lucy fossil did not include the upper jaw, nor most of the skull, nor hand and foot bones! Several other specimens of A. afarensis do have the long curved fingers and toes of tree-dwellers, as well as the restricted wrist anatomy of knuckle-walking chimpanzees and gorillas. The late Glynn Isaac of Harvard University said "The australopithecines are rapidly sinking back to the status of peculiarly specialized apes."

Homo habilis or ‘handy man’, so named because he supposedly was handy with tools. The most well known is called KNM-ER 1470, comprising a fossil skull and leg bones found by Richard Leakey in Kenya in 1972. CAT scans of the inner ear of a Homo habilis skull known as Stw 53 show that it walked more like a baboon than a human. Today most researchers, regard Homo habilis as ‘a waste-bin of various species’, including bits and pieces from Australopithecus and Homo erectus, and not as a valid category, or rather that Homo habilis never existed at all.

There is strong evidence that Homo erectus or ‘upright man’ had the use of tools, the controlled use of fire, that they buried their dead, and that some used red ochre for decoration. Their brain size, though smaller on average than modern humans, was within the human range. Recent research has even shown evidence of seafaring skills. CAT scans of their inner ear architecture show that their posture was just like ours. Even some evolutionists concede that they should be put in the same species as modern man, i.e. Homo sapiens. Homo erectus was not a transitional form but actually human.

There are only minor skeletal variations from the modern human average to that of Neandertal man. These include a larger brain case volume on average, but are still within the minor physical differences between people groups today, which have been shown to be consistent with the genetic unity of humanity. Despite attempts made on the basis of mitochondrial DNA fragments in one set of Neandertal bones to try to assign them to a separate species, even some evolutionist authorities claim that they should be also regarded as Homo sapiens.

So, of the alleged transitional forms from primates to humans:
Australopithecus was a true ape; Homo habilis never existed at all; and both Homo erectus and Neandertal man should be regarded as true Humans.

So with the lack of any convincing transitional forms alive today or transitional fossils there is a lot of pressure on the neo-Darwinian Theory to produce some evidence. As Darwin himself said, "the extreme imperfection of the fossil record" is the "most obvious and serious objection which can be urged against the theory."

Transitional forms are not called Missing Links because they have been proven to have existed. The hypothetical links are still missing, and will remain missing. They never existed, the theory is flawed.

________________________________________________________

For more information please refer to:
Refuting Evolution and
Refuting Evolution 2
by Dr. Jonathan Sarfati
Are there monkeys in your ancestry?
by Russell Grig

Answers in Genesis
Creation on the web

The Watchmaker

2007-02-28T16:03:00.000+10:00

A poem by Dave Hawkins.

A long time ago on a planet so bare,
Some water and dirt got mixed up with the air.
Some sand and some rocks to make it just right,
The stage was all set in the deep of the night.

A bolt of white lightning, a great peal of thunder,
And suddenly there was a marvelous wonder.
The rocks yielded metal, the sand turned to glass,
And as the years flew, a new thing came to pass.

The metal formed gears, the glass a watch face,
And little by little, things fell into place.
The parts came together, just like a good rhyme,
With ticks and with tocks and with hands that tell time.
A beautiful watch began ticking one day,
Formed all by itself in a wonderful way.

"Ridiculous story!" you say with a grin.
"Impossible, laughable... surely a sin!
A watch needs a watchmaker, that's plain to see.
A designer and builder that makes it for me."

Now all life is made of some interesting stuff.
Cells of all shapes like blobs filled with fluff.
But looks are deceiving and what we find there.
Are factories and highways and gadgets to spare.

Assembly lines, robots, electrical cable.
Libraries, software; just look, if you able.
The marvels we see with a microscope's stare.
Make a watch look so simple, we dare not compare.

Now the doctor from Oxford say cells came by Chance
From Goo down to You in a beautiful dance
What's wrong with their thinking to have such odd notions?
That cells could just happen from dirt and warm oceans!

A cell and its wonders amaze all who see,
And a cell, like a watch, by Chance cannot be.
Those cells can build hummingbirds, agile and free,
Bumble bees, snails, my backyard oak tree.

A woodpecker built with a jackhammer nose?
Lightning bugs, monkeys, a beautiful rose,
And beetles with bombs that give frogs a surprise,
Chameleons with camouflage and some weird eyes.

All nature on Earth is so perfectly fine,
We have to admit that its all by Design,
And our Maker owns everything both great and small.
He's the masterful "Watchmaker", Lord over all.

_________________________________
See also:
Watchmaker animation.
Argument: Evolution is true science, not ‘just a theory
Argument: Probability of Evolution
Evolution is religion not science.
Which came first, the Chicken or the Egg?

Which came first, the Chicken or the Egg?

2007-02-26T10:06:00.000+10:00

Think long and hard, your answer could have more serious implications than you think.
_____________________________________________________________

One of the greatest attacks of Christianity is the attack of what non-Christians call "the creation myth."

Now, the Bible begins (as makes chronological sense) an account of the formation of not only the earth and everything on it, but also the universe.

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." - Genesis 1:1

There exists a similar idea in most religions, that a god or gods were involved somehow in the creation of the earth or at least the life on it. Click here to see a brief outline of the Christian/Jewish, Islamic, Hindu or Mayan understandings of creation.

The main theory in opposition to an Intelligent Design Theory or Creationist Theory is that of Evolution, or more specifically neo-Darwinism.

Charles Darwin is often heralded as the founder of evolutionary theory. What Darwin did however was to supply a mechanism (natural selection) for evolution. Evolution is essentially a cry for an answer to the origins of life apart from any divine interference. As most historians agree, Darwin’s main aim was to explain the world without God. Thus Evolution is essentially an atheistic world view.

Richard Dawkins, an Oxford University Professor, wrote "Although atheism might have been logically tenable before Charles Darwin, Darwin made it possible to be an intellectually fulfilled atheist."

There are two types of evolution, Microevolution and Macroevolution. Microevolution ,or natural selection, is the understanding that some animal life has evolved in some regards within its own "kind", yet it does not allow that one "kind" may evolve into another "kind". This is consistant with the Biblical view. For example all races came from two parents, Adam and Eve (or later Noah and his Wife). With the passage of time the small differences in the appearance of people were amplified as the groups split up and were segregated by their locality as people migrated around the world. Microevolution is used erronously as proof for Macroevolution. Macroevolution contending that biological population changes take place (typically via mutations and natural selection) on a large enough scale to produce entirely new structural features and organs, resulting in lower life kinds giving rise to higher kinds, such that mammals evolved from microscopic sea creatures, birds evolved from land animals, and humans and apes have a common ancestor.

Microevolution is an understanding that all species of dogs for example, are descendant from the one 'dog' creature. Macroevolution, on the other hand, is more of a goo-plus-time-equals-you proposition.

I do not have space here to adaquately address the scientific evidence for or against neo-Darwinian Evolution but if you are interested visit either Creation on the Web or Answers in Genesis for an abundance of information.

One point I will raise though is that if neo-Darwinism were an accurate theory there should be a strong fossil record to support it. That is there should be many fossils of transitional (mid evolution) creatures. However, when asked why he did not include any images of such fossils in his book titled Evolution, Dr. Colin Patterson (former senior paleontoligist at the British Museum of Natural History) answered "...I will lay it on the line - there is not one such fossil for which one could make a watertight arguement."

One would think that the atheistic bias behind evolutionary thinking would alert Christians of the need to oppose it. However, the main reason it is so dangerous to Christianity is that, large sections of the Church have tried to reconcile Christianity and neo-Darwinist Evolution.

Since Evolution and scriptural Creationism are such opposing views, in order to be reconciled to each other, one must be altered or modified somewhat. It is always Scripture that is ‘re-interpreted’ to fit in with man’s wisdom. But God’s word never changes, while it is hard to find a five-year-old science textbook that is not outdated!

The 3 main ways that Evolution is reconciled to the Bible is through what is called Gap theory, Progressive Creation or that Genesis is only allegorical.

Gap Theory - A hypothesis that there is a chronological gap between Genesis 1:2 and 1:3 during which geological and biological evolution occurred.

Progressive Creation - A hypothesis that the 'days' of Creation in Genesis are not literal days but are ages and stages of evolution including a period in which a race of souless 'men' lived.

Genesis is only allegorical - A hypothesis that Genesis was never intended to be literally interpreted and is simply a Christian 'fairy tale'.

The problem with these theories is not only that they contradict and add to Genesis, but they also seriously contradict the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Gap Theory and Progressive Creation are dangerous because they add to scripture. In order to insert the billions of years needed for neo-Darwinian evolution to occur there must have been billions of years filled with pain, suffering, disease, and death and species gradually evolved and became extinct until we arrive at the animals, plants and humans of today. If the Gospel is true then this simply cannot be the case.

"God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day." Genesis 1:31. Would a perfect God have said "the last billions of years filled with pain, death, suffering, struggle and extinction have been very good."

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23. If death came before sin, then mankind cannot be given eternal life through salvation from sin.

"He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets." Acts 3:21. Only an original creation free from death makes God’s promise of restoration logical. A perfect creation cannot be restored in the future if no perfect creation existed in the past.

An understanding of Genesis that considers it allegorical essentially says that Jesus was not a savior, but a loon. As Richard Dawkins said in an interview "Oh but of course the story of Adam and Eve was only ever symbolic, wasn’t it? Symbolic?! Jesus had himself tortured and executed for a symbolic sin by a non-existent individual. Nobody not brought up in the faith could reach any verdict other than barking mad!" the whole premis of Christianity is that Jesus actually died to atone for sin. The sin which has been cursing the earth since, but was introduced into the world through an actual man, Adam.

Richard Dawkins also said "It seems to me an odd proposition that we should adhere to some parts of the Bible story but not to others. After all, when it comes to important moral questions, by what standards do we cherry-pick the Bible? Why bother with the Bible at all if we have the ability to pick and choose from it, what is right and what is wrong?" Even a staunch atheist can plainly see that modifying Genesis to allow for neo-Darwinian Evolution is paramount to denying the validity of the entire Bible.

Why do some Christians try to manipulate the scripture to make room for an atheistic world view?

So, which came first, the Chicken or the Egg?

The Evolutionist must answer "The Egg of course. At some stage there must have been a creature which was not a chicken, who layed an egg containing a chicken."

The Christian must answer "The Chicken of course. Genesis chapter 1 clearly tells us that God created the Heavens and the Earth and everything within them in six days. He created all things, and His creation was good."

Libra - The Scales

2007-02-21T16:08:00.000+10:00

THE FOURTH DAY PROPHESY III

Following the sign of Virgo is Libra, the Scales.

Libra signifies the scales of Justice and Balance. This is the only sign of the Zodiac which does not depict a living creature. Libra has in antiquity been viewed as part of Scorpio's claws and also is sometimes depicted as being held by Virgo.

The scales of Libra has one side lower than the other. The Persian image includes a human figure which holds in one hand the scales, and in the other a lamb, as the thing to be weighed.

The brightest star of Libra is in the outer scale, and called Zuben al Genubi which means "the price which is deficient". Psalms 49:7-9 says “No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him- the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough - that he should live on forever and not see decay." Psalms 62:9 says that “Lowborn men are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie; if weighed on a balance, they are nothing; together they are only a breath." Even the most powerful of men, Belshazzar, Emperor of Persia was, according to the writing on the wall, “weighed on the scales, and found wanting.” (Daniel 5:27) The price is deficient, because nothing man can do will ever earn favour with God or salvation from sin. Even the sin offerings of the Old Testament were simply a precursor to Christ.

The next brightest star is in the inner, lower scale called Zuben al Chemali which means "the price which covers". The price which is sufficient for salvation is the Blood Price payed at Calvary. The price of Jesus' own Blood. Romans 9 speaks of God's sovereign choice in relation to salvation and verse 16 in particular echoes the imagry of Libra's unbalanced scales. "It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy.” The Hebrews denoted this star with the letter Tau, last of the alphabet and shaped like a cross, signifying a completion.

While all the effort and desire of man comes to "only a breath" and measure the price deficient, The Mercy, Grace and Blood of Jesus poured out is the price that covers and provides salvation.

Along with Libra are its three deacons the Crux, Lupus and Corona Borealis.

Crux or the Southern Cross features on the Australin Flag and is a five star constellation in the shape of a Cross. Its Hebrew name, appropriately, was Adom roughly meaning "cutting off" a clear reference of the Cross to Daniel 9:26, where the Annointed One or Messiah is "cut off”. The ancient Dendera zodiac of Egypt depicted this sign as a lion panting with thirst as a cup is held out to him; beneath his feet is the hieroglyph for pouring water. This helps the representation of Jesus, who is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. At the cross, the Lion of Judah uttered the words, “I am thirsty” (John 19:28) as He was “poured out like water” (Psalm 22:14). The name of this Egyptian image was Sera "victory"; the Persian name for the Cross was Arbedi, having the sense of "covering".

Lupis, Latin for wolf (as it is most commonly depicted) is also known as the victim. Lupis depicts an beast, most commonly a wolf, falling down dead. Killed by the spear of Centaurus from Virgo. The Egyptian image is not a beast but a naked child holding a finger to his lips; the name is Sura, meaning "a lamb". This image of 'a lamb', silent in death, is found in Isaiah 53:7 “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.” The stripped child is the mythological Harpocrates, victim of justice, god of silence and acquiescence. Notice that it is the Centaur, a type of Jesus Christ, which slays the sacrificial Victim, another type of Christ: and Jesus said (John 10:15-18), “I lay down my life for the sheep. . . . No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord...”

Corona Borealis or the Northern Crown depicts a crown of glory. The Greeks associate this crown with Ariadne, who died because of her great love, (either pierced by Artemis, or abandoned on the island of Naxos and laying down her own life) only to be raised among the gods and rewarded with a crown after death. This is a carnalised version of what the image atually represents. Not a woman but rather the Seed of the woman, Jesus is the subject. It was because of His divine love for man that He cam to grief, persecution and death. That death which was the exact price for Salvation. After which He was raised to life again to reign, crowned in righteous glory. From below, the Serpent almost reaches the Crown, illustrating the danger to the Church of Philadelphia in Revelation 3:11 “I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown."

In Libra we have the Scales of Justice, which finds one price deficient but another, the price which covers. Showing that the balance of Salvation cannot be met by "man's desire or effort, but [only by] God's mercy."

We have Crux, the Lion on the cross.

We have Lupis or Sura, the Lamb who "was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth".

We have Corona Borealis the glorious crown of reward.

In looking at Libra, as with Virgo,“The heavens tell of the glory of God.”

Virgo - The Virgin

2007-02-01T10:26:00.000+10:00

THE FOURTH DAY PROPHESY II

The conventional order of the signs of the Zodiac is:
Á ries - The Ram
Taurus - The Bull
Gémini - The Twins
Cancer - The Crab
Leo - The Lion
Virgo - The Virgin
Libra - The Scales
Scórpio - The Scorpion
Sagittárius - The Archer (a Centaur)
Capricornus - The Goat (A Goat-headed-fish)
Aquárius - The Water Pot
Pisces - The Fish

Since the Zodiac is a circle a starting point is largely arbitrary. I will however, chose to begin with Virgo, as Jesus' life on Earth began with a Virgin.

The Symbolism of a Virgin being connected to Christ is a simple one for any who has heard the Christian Christmas story of the Birth of Jesus, born of His virgin mother Mary. This is not all that can connect the sign of Virgo to the life of Jesus though.

Virgo is the second largest constellation in the sky (the largest being Hydra), but there is considerable space between its stars. By tradition, this is the only female figure counted among the constellations of the Zodiac. She is usually depicted either holding an ear of wheat or less often the Scales of Libra, the adjoining constellation. The origin of Virgo as both a mother and virgin can be traced to prehistoric times and it is often associated with birth and new life. In Hebrew and Syriac she is Bethulah , The maiden; in Arabic she is Adarah, the pure virgin. Virgo is NEVER regarded as anything other than a virgin, but she is still associated with motherhood and fertility. Just as Mary was the foretold virgin mother of the Messiah, Virgo represents a virgin mother. To the Greeks Virgo was Demeter, the goddess of agriculture and fertility To the Persians Virgo was Khosha which means "Ear of Wheat."

Also of significance is the brightest star of Virgo, Spica. The name Spica derives from Latin spīca virginis "Virgo's ear of grain" (usually wheat). Jesus, who was prophetically known from the Garden of Eden as the ‘Seed of the Woman’, is represented here by the brightest star in the constellation and is also one of the brightest stars in the nighttime sky. Jesus refers to Himself as the seed which must die in order to be fully fruitful. (John 12:23-24). So in Virgo, as with scripture, we have a Virgin, associated with motherhood and fertility, who is to bring forth ‘the seed’ which is far greater than herself.

Along with Virgo are its three deacons (minor constellations) Coma, Centaurus and Bootes.

Coma depicts (according to Albumazar) “a young woman whose Persian name denotes a pure virgin, sitting on a throne, nourishing an infant boy, said boy having a Hebrew name…which in Greek is called Christ.” Even the name of this smaller constellation is representative of Jesus. The Egyptians called it Shes-nu ‘the desired son’ echoing the words of Haggai 2:7 that Jesus is the “…desired of all nations…”

Centaurus depicts a hunting centaur. A centaur is a creature with a dual nature, the head and torso of a human joined at the (human's) waist to where the horse's neck would be. Centaurs are also (much less often) depicted with the body of a goat rather than a horse, the goat being significant as it was the animal used as a sin offering. Just as Christ is both wholly God and wholly man, so too is a centaur, both horse (or goat) and man. The Hebrew name of Centaurus is Bezeh "the despised" which echoes Isaiah 53:3, "He is despised and rejected of men".

The most famous of the centaurs was Chiron. The myth of Chiron is that he was a teacher to many of the great Greek heroes of mythology such as Ajax, Aeneas, Achilles, Jason, Heracles, and others. Chiron’s nobility is further reflected in the story of his death as Chiron sacrificed his life. Being the son of Cronus, a titan, he was immortal and so could not die. So it was left to Heracles to arrange a bargain with Zeus to exchange Chiron's immortality for the life of Prometheus who had been chained to a rock and left to die for giving fire to man. Hercules set an ambush for Chiron and shot him with a poisoned arrow. Chiron could not die, but after being wounded, willingly gave up his own life and went to the heavens. Chiron is like Christ, who willingly gave up His own life so that mankind could have life after being bound to and deserving of death for our sin.

Bootes depicts a large human figure holding a spear and a sickle, looking toward Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. In the English-speaking world we know the Ursas better as the big and little dippers. Bootes is often called the ploughman. However, what is meant to be his plough is set in the opposite direction. Bootes is likely derived from the Hebrew word bo, which means "the coming", rather than the word for "plow". This confusion about the ploughman led to him also being called Arcturus which is also the name of the brightest star in Bootes. Arcturus means the watcher, guardian or keeper of Arktos (Ursa Major and Ursa Minor) Another name for Bootes is Arctophylax, "the guardian of the greater flock" or shepherd. The Egyptians called Bootes, Smat the "one who rules", and also Bau "the coming one". That Bootes, this ‘Coming One’, holds a sickle is representative also of Jesus. Jesus too bears a sickle in Revelation 14:15-16 ready to bring judgment to the World.

In Virgo we have the Virgin who brought forth the ‘seed of the woman’.
We have Coma, the Desired One “which in Greek is called Christ”.
We have Centarus, the Despised, dual-natured God who gave His own life freely for another’s sin.
We have Bootes, the Coming One, the Watcher, the One Who Rules, bearing the sickle ready for the judgement and harvest of the world.

In just looking at the Virgo only one of the Zodiac’s signs already “The heavens tell of the glory of God.”

The Fourth Day Prophesy.

2007-01-15T09:39:00.000+10:00

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: He made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
- Genesis 1:14-19

The heavens tell of the glory of God.
The skies display his marvelous craftsmanship.
Day after day they continue to speak;
night after night they make him known.
They speak without a sound or a word;
their voice is silent in the skies;
yet their message has gone out to all the earth,
and their words to all the world.
- Psalm 19:1-4

Genesis tells us that the lights in the firmament or stars are for signs, Psalms tells us that the Heavens speak silently of the Glory and Wonder of God. This implys that the stars are not simply for signs of direction as sailors or explorers used in navigating the sea and land, but as prophetic signs. I believe there is a specific revelation of God's plan for mankind in the stars for two reasons.

1. The Magi were guided by signs in the heavens. The has been much speculation as to how and why the stars led the Magi to the infant Jesus. One (somewhat reliable) theory is that around the time of Christ's birth a new and very bright star in the Coma constellation, one of the deacons (minor constellations) of Virgo was seen. First recorded around 100 years before Jesus' birth by Ignatious who wrote of this star, “It sparkled brilliantly above all stars” and within the space of around 100 after Jesus' death Ptolemy refers to it as having become so faint to barely be visible. The Coma constellation, as Albumazer wrote, depicts “a young woman, whose Persian name denotes a pure virgin, sitting on a throne, nourishing an infant boy, said boy having a Hebrew name... which in Greek is called Christ.” Whether or not it was this particular star in Virgo (which can no longer be seen) which led the Magi, the scriptures do in fact say the Magi were led by a star, and this cannot be denied.

2. The Stars are a special sign of God's majesty. Job 9:9 “He made the Bear and Orion,
the Pleiades and the constellations of the south;” and Amos 5:8 “ He who made the Pleiades and Orion,” When God is addressing Job (Job 38:31) He makes special reference to the stars when He says: “Have you fitted a curb to the Pleiades, or loosened the bonds of Orion? Can you bring forth the Mazzaroth in their season, or guide the Bear with its train? Do you know the ordinances of the heavens; can you put into effect their plan on the earth?” The Mazzaroth is the Jewish name for the Zodiac. The Pleiades are a seven star cluster bound together by gravitational forces. The majority of star groups or constellations we see simple mover relatively with each other and have the appearance of being grouped. Orion and the bear (Ursa Major) are star constellations within the Zodiacal belt. Here God says there is a plan within the stars which He will put into effect on the Earth.

The most prominent of the signs in the stars are in fact referred to as the Star Signs. The 12 Signs of the Zodiac. The Zodiac consists of constellations made up from the stars which are within 8 degrees either side of the suns' apparent path around the earth. It is the Earth which moves but the sun and stars appear to revolve around the earth when viewed from here. The moon and planets also are contained within this belt apart from Pluto which occasionally move outside the 8 degree solar ecliptic.

The band of the Zodiac is divided into 12 equal sections, each of 30 degrees (12 x 30 = 360). This is due to the 12 phases of the moon within a solar year. Each of the sections has a major constellation, and each major constellation has 3 minor ones called deacons.

EG. The Sign of Virgo has the three deacons, Coma, Centaurus and Bootes.

The word Zodiac comes from the Greek word Zodiakos, which means circle of animals. This word likely has its root from the primitive zoad which simply means a walk, way or going by steps. Thus Zodiac refers to 12 steps of the Sun through our sky.

Using the stars or any means for divination is an abomination to God (Deut 18:10-12) and this is not my intention. I intend to examine the Signs of the Zodiac in regards to the Gospel of Jesus Christ as found in the Bible and find any corresponding themes or ideas. If a correlation is found, I suggest that this is because the Zodiac is simply one of the ways in which the “The heavens tell of the glory of God.”

Geol, Saturnalia, Sol Invictus, Yule and Epiphany.

2006-12-19T08:22:00.000+10:00

In Anglo-Saxon times, Christmas was referred to as geol, from which the current English word 'Yule' is derived. The word "Christmas" is a contraction meaning "Christ's mass." It is derived from the Middle English Christemasse and Old English Cristes mæsse, a phrase first recorded in 1038 A.D. The words for the holiday in Spanish (navidad) and French (noël) refer more explicitly to the Nativity. In contrast, the German name Weihnachten means simply "hallowed night."

Christmas is sometimes shortened to X-mas. This is not an attempt to "take Christ out of Christmas" as some christians may suggest. In early Greek versions of the New Testament, the letter Χ (chi), is the first letter of Christ (Χριστός). Since the mid-sixteenth century Χ, was used as an abbreviation for Christ.

Christmas is a very important time in the Christian calendar. It commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. There are however many Pagan influences which have filtered into various Christmas traditions.

Christmas is usually celebrated on December 25. However, the Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates Christmas on January 6, while some Eastern Orthodox Churches celebrate Christmas on January 7. December 25 as a birthdate for Jesus is merely traditional, and is not widely considered to be his actual date of birth.

A winter festival was traditionally the most popular festival of the year in many cultures, in part because there was less agricultural work to be done during the winter. From a Christian perspective, Easter was the most significant feast in the church calendar celebrating the eternal atonement and forgivenes of Sin through the blood and suffering of Jesus Christ on the cross and His victory through His ressurection.

In Roman times, the best-known winter festival was Saturnalia, which was popular throughout Italy. Saturnalia was a time of general relaxation, feasting, merry-making, and a cessation of formal rules. Saturnalia honored the god Saturn and began on December 17. The festival gradually lengthened until the late Republican period, when it was seven days (December 17-23). In imperial times, Saturnalia was shortened to five days.

The Romans held a festival on December 25 called Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, "the birthday of the unconquered sun." The use of the title Sol Invictus allowed several solar deities to be worshipped collectively, including Elah-Gabal, a Syrian sun god; Sol, the god of Emperor Aurelian (AD 270-274); and Mithra, a soldiers' god of Persian origin.

Pagan Scandinavia and England celebrated a winter festival called Yule in the late December to early January period on a date determined by a lunar calendar. With the coming of Christianity and the adoption of the Julian calendar, Yule was placed on December 25 in order to correspond with Christmas. Christmas, a minor Christian festival in the Early Middle Ages, owes much of its popularity and character to Yule. The twelve-day celebration characteristic of Medieval Christmas may have originated with the twelve-day Yule celebration. Pagan Yule traditions survive in the form of the Yule log. In England, Yule was the common name for Christmas in Medieval times. Jul is still the common name for the holiday in Scandinavia.

In the Early Middle Ages, Christmas Day was overshadowed by Epiphany, which in the west focused on the visit of the Magi. Christmas did not even have its own official liturgy until the ninth century.

School's out for Summer!

2006-11-18T14:16:00.000+10:00

Uni is finished for the semester and it is time for a break.

My wife, 2 children and I are going house-sitting for 6-8 weeks about 15 minutes drive out of Byron Bay. It is the first break we have had that is a total holiday (neither of us studying or working part time) since we were married back in the Easter of 2002.

I don't know what the internet access will be like so I may not be able to post for the couple of months.

Stay safe, enjoy your holiday season and lets be thankful for that wonderful gift given almost 2000 years ago. God became a man and was born in a stable, to reveal Himself to mankind. He then Died for the penalty of Sin.

CHRISTmas is truly a wonderful time of year.

Matthew 26 （Part 1）

2006-11-04T09:41:00.000+10:00

In this chapter we have the culmination of Jesus' ministry and the final reaction towards it of the chief priests and elders.

In the home of Yhosef Bar Kayafa, also known as Caiaphas the Jewish high priest, the priests devised a plot to have Jesus arrested. While there scheme is being planned they decide not to arrest Jesus during the feast because of fear of the populice. This is in stark contrast to what Jesus said in verse 2. "As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified." Jesus said His crucifixion would occur during the Passover, Caiapas and the other priests planned to wait until after the Passover for Jesus to be arrested. Who was in control of this situation?

Jesus was indeed arrested on the evening of the "first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread" (Passover), and was crucified the very next day. All in accordance to His plan and not that of the priests.

Verses 6-10 have Jesus was in another house, that of Simon the Leper. Here he has his feet and head anointed with perfume or scented oil from an alabaster jar by an unnammed woman. Alabaster was such a mark of expence and luxury that often the jars containing perfumes were sealed shut. To open them one would break the neck of the bottle, making it a once only perfume, the container was destroyed to get at the oils.

Now the disciples were angered by the "waste", but Jesus replies "Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her." His prophesey was true, her story is told, but also Jesus was making an imortant point. Often works of charity are done, rightly or wrongly, for recognition of some sort. Either from other people, for the thanks of those we are helping, or even for self gratification. This woman however pored her perfume, probably the most expensive item she owned, possibly even an inheritance or dowery, on the feet of Jesus simply for Jesus, an act of service and worship. Often the feet of a guest were washed but to be anointed by oil was reserved for special cerimonies and for dignitaries. He also not so subtly alludes to his comming crucifixion.

Verses 14-16 tell of Judas' decision to betray Jesus to Caiaphas and his fellow priests. That one of Jesus disciples would be the betrayer was fortold in Psalm 41:9:
"Even my close friend, whom I trusted,
he who shared my bread,
has lifted up his heel against me."

That 30 pieces of silver would be the price of betrayal was prophesied in Zechariah, "I told them, "If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it." So they paid me thirty pieces of silver. And the LORD said to me, "Throw it to the potter"-the handsome price at which they priced me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD to the potter."

The Lord’s Supper or The Last Supper which is observed as Communion follows. This is the last meal of Jesus before His arrest and crucifixion and is also where He reveals to His disciples that it is one of them, specifically Judas, who will betray Jesus.

In response to the disciples questioning "Surely not I, Lord?" Jesus replied, "The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. (Echoing again Psalm 41:9) The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born."

Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, "Surely not I, Rabbi?" Jesus answered, "Yes, it is you." By naming Judas as the betrayer in front of all the disciples Jesus in effect forces Judas to act that very night.

The actual supper, of broken bread and wine is commonly remembered and copied as communion in churches and Christian meetings world wide. However there are vastly differing views surrounding the sacrament of communion.

The basis for the ritual of communion is that Christians are instructed by Jesus in Luke 22:19 to “do this in remembrance of me.”

The Catholic doctrine of Transubstantiation or the philosophical theory of Consubstantiation attempt to interpret Jesus' words as literal when He said of the bread and wine “Take and eat; this is my body... Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

This view is opposed by the understanding that the bread and wine are wonderful symbols, and only symbols, of the broken body and poured out blood of Jesus. This view is supported by the following verse where Jesus says “I will not drink of this fruit of the vine…” clearly speaking of the wine as literal wine, no longer figuratively as blood.

The symbol of the bread to represent the body of Jesus is a very beautiful one. Especially noting the time and occasion of this meal. Passover is also known as the Feast of Unleavened Bread and so the bread being broken and eaten would have been unleavened or without yeast. This is significant as leaven or yeast is often used in scripture as a symbol of sin and false teaching such as in Matthew 16:5-10.

The Bread being used as a symbol of Jesus was unleavened, which also represents His sinlessness, an important reminder when we remember His pure sacrifice for our impure lives. His sinless life exchanged for the wages of our sins，which is death.

Jesus and His disciples then walk to the Mount of Olives.

Jesus' Arrest, Crucifixion, and Ressurection.

2006-11-04T09:39:00.000+10:00

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:
"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate."

Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.
- 1 Corinthians 1:20-25

The accounts of Jesus' death and resurrection are central to Christian faith, and as such they have been subjected to special challenge. Nevertheless, strong evidence supports the essential Gospel reports about Jesus' death and resurrection. Other teachings or events from Jesus' life may have featured as much in early Christian ethical preaching, but early Christians probably would have told and retold the passion story (the week between His Triumphal Entry and Crucifixion), since His sacrifice on the cross is the heart of the gospel. No record remains of any form of early Christianity that lacked the basic structure of the story of Jesus' death and resurrection. Paul's sequence is similar to Mark's, and if, as is probable, John represents an independent tradition, his passion narrative again confirms the outline Mark follows, suggesting a passion narrative that existed before Mark.

Other evidence suggests the substantial reliability of these accounts. First of all, the basic story seems to have been established among Jerusalem Christians within a decade after the resurrection. The basic components of the story and their outline are surely earlier than Mark; Paul and John independently attest the same material. Mark himself appears to presuppose that his audience is familiar with some details of the story, especially Barabbas and other insurrectionists, despite Pilate's many confrontations with such revolutionaries.

Further, the "element for embarrassment" makes it nearly impossible to believe that the early Christians could have invented the account. Christians would not invent one disciple's betrayal or other disciples' abandonment; the earliest Christians, who were Jewish, probably would not invent condemnation by the majority of their own people's leaders; Christians would never have invented shameful death by crucifixion, a death so horrible that the Roman govenment assured that no Roman citizen would be crucified; and they would never have invented the treason charge "King of the Jews," which would have made all Christians look seditious and invited Roman retribution.

Finally, the accounts of Jesus' arrest, trials and execution fit what we know of the period in question. The suffering of Jesus Christ is similar to Josephus's account of Jesus ben Ananias, who similarly entered the temple area during a festival. Like Jesus Christ of Nazereth, he predicted doom on Jerusalem and its sanctuary, even referring (again like Jesus) to the context of Jeremiah's prophecy of judgment against the temple (Jeremiah 7:34 compare Jereremiah 7:11 in Mark 20:17). The Jewish authorities arrested and beat Jesus ben Ananias and handed him over to the Roman governor, who interrogated him. He refused to answer the governor, was scourged and--in this case unlike Jesus (though compare Mark 15:1-15)--was released.

The primary difference, that Jesus Christ of Nazareth was executed whereas Jesus son of Ananias was not, also makes good sense: unlike Jesus ben Ananias, Jesus of Nazareth was not viewed as insane and already had a band of followers, plus a growing reputation that could support messianic claims. Jesus ben Ananias could simply be punished; Jesus of Nazareth had to be executed. The basic points of the passion story (including those most likely to be questioned) make perfect historical sense

Halloween vs the Reformation

2006-11-01T20:37:00.000+10:00

I was pleasantly surprised when perusing Cameron Cloud's Blog Nephos today. I was introduced to Reformation Day.

Reformation Day commemorates a very important day which sparked very important events in Church History. Reformation Day commemorates the begining of The Reformation.

On October 31 (which is also Halloween), 1517 Martin Luther nailed a proposal on the doors of a church in Wittenberg, Germany to debate the Catholic doctrine and practice of indulgences. In Latin Catholic theology, an indulgence is the remission granted by the Church of the temporal punishment due to sins already forgiven by God. Luther's proposal is more popularly known as the 95 Theses.

This was not an act of defiance or provocation as is sometimes thought. Since the Castle Church faced Wittenberg's main thoroughfare, the church door functioned as a public bulletin board and was therefore the logical place for posting important notices. The act of nailing a proposal to a public place, such as Luther did, was also common academic practice of the day and served as an invitation to debate. Nonetheless, the event created a controversy between Luther and those allied with the Pope over a variety of doctrines and practices. When Luther and his supporters were excommunicated in 1520, the Lutheran, Reformed and Anabaptist traditions were born.

While there were many issues and debates surrounding the Reformation, this day in 1517 and the posting of the 95 Thesis on the Church doors, is concidered the event which began the Protestant Reformation.

Alongside Martin Luther are many other great theologians who were precursors to or actively involved in the Reformation. These men include:

John Wycliffe (1330-1384) He attacked what he saw as corruptions within the church, including the sale of indulgences, pilgrimages, the excessive veneration of saints, and the low moral and intellectual standards of ordained priests.

Wycliffe also repudiated the doctrine of transubstantiation, held that the Bible was the sole standard of Christian doctrine, and argued that the authority of the Pope was not grounded in Scripture. Some of Wycliffe's early followers translated the Bible into English, while later followers, known as Lollards, held that the Bible was the sole authority and that Christians were called upon to interpret the Bible for themselves. The Lollards also argued against clerical celibacy, transubstantiation, mandatory oral confession, pilgrimages, and indulgences.

John Huss (1369-1415) A Bohemian priest, excommunicated in 1410, and burned at the stake for heresy in 1415. His death lead to the Hussite Wars in Bohemia. Huss followed Wycliffe's teachings closely, translating Wycliffe's Trialogus into Czechoslovakian, and modeling the first ten chapters of his own De Ecclesia after Wycliffe's writings. He believed in predestination, regarded the Bible as the ultimate religious authority, and argued that Christ, rather than any ecclesiastical official, is the true head of the church.

Huldreich Zwingli (1484-1531) A Swiss theologian and leader of early Reformation movements in Switzerland. Vigorously denounces the sale of indulgences in 1518.

John Calvin (1509-64) A French theologian and reformer who fled religious persecution in France and settled in Geneva in 1536. He instituted a form of Church government in Geneva which has become known as Presbyterian. He insisted on reforms including: the congregational singing of the Psalms as part of church worship, the teaching of a catechism and confession of faith to children, and the enforcement of a strict moral discipline in the community by the pastors and members of the church. Geneva was, under Calvin, essentially a theocracy. Calvin is most notably remembered for his part in officially establishing the Doctorines of Grace, also known as Calvinism.

John Knox (1513-1572) An ardent disciple of Calvin, Knox established Calvinistic Protestantism as the national religion of Scotland. He left a powerful political legacy within the Calvinist or Reformed branch of Protestantism, a political legacy known as Presbyterianism.

Henry VIII (1491-1547) - Although I would not call Henry VIII a great theologian, he did have a major role in the Reformation. After his excommunication by the Pope for marying Anne Boleyn in 1533, and having the archbishop of Canterbury sanction the divorce from his first wife, Catherine. In 1534, Henry had Parliament pass an act appointing the king and his successors supreme head of the Church of England, thus establishing an independent national Anglican church.
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Click here to read the 95 Thesis.

Halloween, Samhain and Hallowmas

2006-11-01T08:15:00.000+10:00

Every October in America, and around the world, children dress in ghoulish costumes and go "trick or treating" around their local neighbourhoods. Thankfully this is not an Australian national practice although it is growing in popularity here.

Aside from the obvious Occultic symbolism of the tradition, the threat of "trick or treat", implying "give me some lollies or I will 'trick' you", is not an attitude which should be promoted in children.

Dont get me wrong, I'm a parent, I see nothing wrong with children dressing in costumes and having a neighbourhood event. Giving a treat or lollies to the neighbourhood children is fine. Halloween however celebrates much more than costumes and lollies.

Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in).

The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.

To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities.

During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.

By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain.

The first was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple and the incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the tradition of "bobbing for apples" that is practiced today on Halloween.

By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. (Similar to the pagan origins of Easter). The celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. Even later, in A.D. 1000, the church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. Together, the three celebrations, the eve of All Saints', All Saints', and All Souls', were called Hallowmas.

The Shema vs the Trinity.

2006-10-05T17:13:00.000+10:00

"Shema" is the Hebrew word for "hear" or "listen". The term "Shema" is used by extension to the whole part of the daily prayers that commences with "Shema Yisrael..." and comprises Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Deuteronomy 11:13-21, and Numbers 15:37-41.

The Shema begins with the most succinct and famous Jewish and Christian statement of Monotheism.

"Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad."

"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one." (Deuteronomy 6:4)

Some people take this verse, and suggest that it contradicts the Christian doctrine of the Trinity.
Most people who use this arguement also misrepresent the Trinity as being a polytheistic belief system, which it most cirtainly is not. Belief in the Trinity, is a belief that:

God is three persons; The Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit/Ghost.
Each person is divine; Each of these if fuly God and not simply a part of God or different manifestation of God.
There is only one God; Belief in the Trinity is wholly monotheistic.

Even the Shema however, supports the Trinity! Firstly it supports that there is indeed one and only one God. But also the deliberate and divinely inspired use of the Hebrew word Echad, is in support of the Trinity doctorine.

The word translated "one" from the Hebrew is echad, which demonstrates a compound unity of oneness. Some specific examples of how echad demonstrates compound unity are found below:

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one [echad] flesh. (Genesis 2:24)

Now the whole world had one [echad] language and a common [echad] speach. (Genesis 11:1)

The LORD said, "If as one [echad] people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. (Genesis 11:6)

Then we will give you our daughters and take your daughters for ourselves. We'll settle among you and become one [echad] people with you. (Genesis 34:16)

When Moses went and told the people all the LORD's words and laws, they responded with one [echad] voice, "Everything the LORD has said we will do." (Exodus 24:3)

When they reached the Valley of Eshcol, they cut off a branch bearing a single [echad] cluster of grapes. Two of them carried it on a pole between them, along with some pomegranates and figs. (Numbers 13:23)

The whole [echad] company numbered 42,360, (Ezra 2:64)

They will be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them singleness [echad] of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them. (Jeremiah 32:38-39)

These are but a few of the many examples of how echad is used to show the unity of oneness or a compound unity.

One may ask "How would the Hebrew be different if God had wanted to express absolute, numerical oneness?" The answer is that there is another Hebrew word, yachid, that is used to express the idea of absolute, numerical oneness. Examples of "yachid" are shown below:

Then God said, "Take your son, your only [yachid] son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." (Genesis 22:2)

"Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only [yachid] son." (Genesis 22:12)

The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, "I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, (Genesis 22:15-16;)

When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing to the sound of tambourines! She was an only [yachid] child. Except for her he had neither son nor daughter. (Judges 11:34)

Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely [yachid] and afflicted. (Psalms 25:16)

God sets the lonely [yachid] in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land. (Psalms 68:6)

When I was a boy in my father's house, still tender, and an only [yachid] child of my mother, (Proverbs 4:3)

O my people, put on sackcloth and roll in ashes; mourn with bitter wailing as for an only [yachid] son, for suddenly the destroyer will come upon us. (Jeremiah 6:26)

I will turn your religious feasts into mourning and all your singing into weeping. I will make all of you wear sackcloth and shave your heads. I will make that time like mourning for an only [yachid] son and the end of it like a bitter day.

(Amos 8:10)

"And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication. They will look on Me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only [yachid] child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.(Zechariah 12:10)

If the Shema had intended to express absolute oneness, it would have used the Hebrew word yachid instead of echad. However, the word yachid is NEVER used in reference to God, while echad is!

Since Scripture is the Word of God, and since God both says what He means and means what He says, it is reasonable to say that God intended to use the word Echad because it correctly destcribes the type of oneness found in God. Yachid is not used to describe God, because it would be an incorrect description. Since Echad (compound unity) is an accurate description of God and Yachid (absolute, numerical 'one') is not, the Shema gives more support to the Trinity than being a contradiction of it.

From Strongs Dictionary: We can see that both echad and yachid are correctly translated as 'one'. However, echad tends toward a connotation of unity or a compound oneness while yachid has conotations of singularity and an absolute numerical oneness.

259. 'echad (ekh-awd')

A numeral from 'achad; properly, united, i.e. One; or (as an ordinal) first

a, alike, alone, altogether, and, any(-thing), apiece, a certain, (dai-)ly, each (one), + eleven, every, few, first, + highway, a man, once, one, only, other, some, together,

258. 'achad (aw-khad')

Perhaps a primitive root; to unify, i.e. (figuratively) collect (one's thoughts), go one way or other.

(yachid is spelled yachad in Strong's Dictionary)

3161. yachad (yaw-khad')

A primitive root; to be (or become) one, join, unite.

3162. yachad (yakh'-ad)

From yachad; properly, a unit, i.e. (adverb) unitedly

alike, at all (once), both, likewise, only, (al-)together, withal.

Yom Kippur - The Day of Atonement

2006-10-02T08:47:00.000+10:00

"The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present an offering made to the LORD by fire. Do no work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the LORD your God."
- Leviticus 23:27-28

Yom Kippur (Hebrew:יום כיפור yom kippūr) is the Jewish holiday of the Day of Atonement. Atonement is the process of forgiving or pardoning a transgression. This was originally accomplished through rituals performed by a High Priest, the Kohen Gadol, on Yom Kippur. In Christian theology, the atonement refers to the forgiving or pardoning of sin through the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, which made possible a reconciliation between God and creation.

Yom Kippur is observed on the 10th of Tishri. This year Yom Kippur will begin at sunset on October 1 and end at nightfall on October 2. The Bible calls the day Yom Hakippurim (Hebrew, "Day of the Atonements"). It is one of the Yamim Noraim or Hebrew "Days of Awe". The day is commemorated with a 25-hour fast and intensive prayer. It is the most holy day of the Jewish year. Yom Kippur is a Sabbath day. Therefore most Jews refrain from working and will attend synagogue services.

It was on this day - the only day - that the High Priest was able to enter the Holy of Holies, and then only after elaborate ceremonial washings, offerings, and rituals. This was also the day that two goats were selected, one for an offering and one as the "scapegoat." As many aspects of the feasts were prophetic, the scapegoat is also Messianic. The scapegoat died to pay the penalty for the sins of Israel, the Messiah, Jesus died to pay the price of the sins of His people, both Jews and Gentiles. The ceremonial acts that were to be carried out by the High Priest on Yom Kippur are described in Leviticus 16 (see also Exodus 30:10; Leviticus 23:27-31, 25:9; Numbers 29:7-11).

Since the destruction of the Temple by the Romans in 70 AD, the God-centered observances of the Torah have tragically been replaced with a man-centered, good works system of appeasement through prayer, charity, and penitence.

Yom Kippur traditionally ends with one long note of the Shofar, a musical instrument usually made from a ram's horn. The significance of the ram's horn is traditionally rooted in Genesis 22:1-19. Here God commands Abraham "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." Abraham is called upon by God to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, as a test of his faith. After God halts the sacrifice at the last minute, Abraham spies a ram trapped by his horns in a nearby bush and provides the animal instead as a sacrifice. God providing the Lamb is prophetic of Jesus as Jesus is often called the Lamb of God in the Scriptures. Also when Isaac asks his father where the lamb for the offering Abraham replys, in total faith but also prophetically "My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering..." (KJV) Many scholars believe that the very same hill upon which this event took place was later to become the place of the skull, Golgotha, the very hill where Jesus was crucified. The very place where God did provide Himself, the Lamb as an offering for the sins of mankind.

It is also interesting to note that the first instance in which the word "love" appears in scripture(in most translations, it is the second in the time NIV) is when God commands Abraham to sacrifice "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love..." Compare the commandment God gave to Abraham with John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." Woven throughout all the Old Testament feasts is the foreshadowing of God’s plan for the redemption of mankind.

Those of us who have placed our trust in Jesus Christ are able to enter behind the veil and stand in the Holy of Holies. We have forgiveness because of the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross.

On a day where The Jews fast and celebrate a Day of Atonement, we should be thankful that Christ has already made atonement for our sin. His body broken and His blood poured out so we might be blameless and righteous in His sight. Not by any merit of our own, but purely the Grace and Sacrifice of our Lord and Saviour, our King of Kings and Messiah, our Creator and Friend. Jesus Christ.

See also Yom Kippur by Rand at A Form of Sound Words.

Life wasn't meant to be easy!

2006-09-19T13:25:00.000+10:00

To anyone who still comes by to check up on me,

Thank you.

Well it has been ages since I posted. I have still been visiting some other blogs recently though. I am going to get back to Matthew hopefully this weekend but who knows huh? I like to do my posts in one Go and they usually take me a couple of hours to think through and articulate my thoughts.

My life has been really busy of late. I am a final year education student (which means heaps of assignments) with a full time student for my lovely wife. I work three days a week as a labourer to pay the bills and we have two wonderful children, Elliot 2 1/2 and Abi who will be 1 next month.

I hope to get back to regular posting soon.

Here is a photo of my children that we had done recently and I think is really cute.

Until next time, God bless.

MDM

P.S. If you are itching to read something interesting see an old post of mine about the importance of names. You might be surprised by what you read.

What's in a name anyway?

Also for an encouraging answer to prayer about a blogger who has been through a rough time recently, visit Michael at Deeper Truth. He is back in the blogiverse and his posts on Ecclesiastes are excellent!

The One Book

2006-08-16T11:22:00.000+10:00

Iv'e been 'tagged' to aswer some questions in one of those chain-blog-tagging-thingys by Andrew Lindsey AKA ajlin from Call to Die. Andrew's blog is quite a good one and I really enjoy reading it along will all the blogs I have linked to. I don't comment too often on many but try to read them all at least once a week and some of them daily.

10 little questions about Books, so here goes.

1. One book that changed your life:
I cant remember the title, it's probably not important, looking back now it really was a very sub-par book. I was never a reader as a child, BUT in early highschool I read a book I bought for $1 with a picture of a zombie on the front cover and it was the first book I read from start to finish. Since then I have been a reader and always am part of the way through one or several books at any given time.

2. One book that you’ve read more than once:
The entire range of novels by David Gemmell, and the Drizzt Saga by R. A. Salvatore and... I'm a re-reader of novels, it's like visiting old friends.

3. One book you’d want on a desert island:
Beowulf, at least I could die from the effort of trying to read the oldest complete work, written in English again. First time it was fun, I was studying it for a uni course, It is a very interesting blend of pagan and christian imagry and storytelling. I think reading it again would kill me though.

4. One book that made you laugh:
Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett. If you have not seen or heard of this before try to get your hands on a copy and read it, it's a play so it only takes a couple of hours to read.

5. One book that made you cry:
Ecclesiastes, I cant read this book without being soundly put in my place. "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless...Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil."

6. One book that you wish had been written:
If I could think of one, I'd write it and make some cash.

7. One book that you wish had never been written:
Can't think of one, books are great.

8. One book you’re currently reading: Twentys: 20 Things You Should Read compiled by David Edwards, Margaret Feinberg, Matthew Paul Turner and Janella Griggs.

9. One book you’ve been meaning to read: Refuting Evolution 2 by Jonathan Sarfati and Mike Matthews.

10. Tag five others:
I really don't like these little chain-blog-tagging-thingys so it would be hypocritical of me to tag anyone. Sorry if I spoiled the fun. If anyone reading this wan't to join in then pretend I tagged you and go from there.

The Bible, a book about Jesus.

2006-07-18T15:43:00.000+10:00

This post was liberated/pirated/borrowed/pilfered etc. from Joe and are the lyrics to a great song I had never heard, by artists I had never heard of.

Not long ago, I posted The Bible in 50 Words, which was a great little summary of the Bible in order of events. These lyrics though, remind me of who the Bible is all about, Jesus.

HE IS

In Genesis, He's the breath of Life
In Exodus, the passover Lamb
In Leviticus, He's our high priest
Numbers, the fire by night
Deuteronomy, He's Moses' voice
In Joshua, He is salvation's choice
Judges, Law giver
In Ruth, the kinsman redeemer

First and Second Samuel, our trusted prophet
In Kings and Chronicles, He's sovereign
Ezra, true and faithful scribe
Nehemiah, He's the rebuilder of broken walls and lives
In Esther, He's Mordecai's courage
In Job, the timeless redeemer
In Psalms, He is our morning song
In Proverbs, wisdom's cry
Ecclesiastes, the time and season
In the Song of Solomon, He is the lover's dream

He is, He is, He is

In Isaiah, He's Prince of Peace
Jeremiah, the weeping prophet
In Lamentations, the cry for Israel
Ezekiel, He's the call from sin
In Daniel, the stranger in the fire
In Hosea, He is forever faithful
In Joel, He's the Spirits power
In Amos, the arms that carry us

In Obadiah, He's the Lord our Savior
In Jonah, He's the great missionary
In Micah, the promise of peace
In Nahum, He is our strength and our shield
In Habakkuk and Zephaniah, He's pleading for revival
In Haggai, He restores a lost heritage
In Zechariah, our fountain
In Malachi, He is the son of righteousness rising with healing in His wings

He is, He is, He is

In Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
He is God, Man, Messiah
In the book of Acts, He is fire from heaven
In Romans, He's the grace of God
In Corinthians, the power of love
In Galatians, He is freedom from the curse of sin
Ephesians, our glorious treasure
Philippians, the servants heart

In Colossians, He's the Godhead trinity
Thessalonians, our coming King
In Timothy, Titus, Philemon He's our mediator and our faithful Pastor
In Hebrews, the everlasting covenant
In James, the one who heals the sick.
In First and Second Peter, he is our Shepherd
In John and in Jude, He is the lover coming for His bride
In the Revelation, He is King of Kings and the Lord of Lords

He is, He is, He is

The prince of peace
The Son of man
The Lamb of God
The great I Am
He's the alpha and omega
Our God and our Savior
He is Jesus Christ Lord and when time is no more

He is, He is.

Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, Creator and God, is in the Old Testament concealed, and is in the New Testament revealed.

Kyle MacDonald and his One Red Paperclip

2006-07-13T09:51:00.000+10:00

Kyle Macdonald deserves a special mention for his excellence in 'Bigger or Better'. A game where you start with something small and through a series of 'up-trades' you try and see what you end up with.

Kyle started with One Red Paper Clip and ended up with a 3 bedroom House. It took 1 year and 14 trades but he still has a house now and he began with dream and a single, ordinary, red paperclip.

See his site here.

Matthew chapter 25

2006-06-28T09:33:00.000+10:00

The 25th chapter of Matthew has Jesus telling 2 parables, one about ten bridesmaids waiting for the groom, and the other about how effective different servants are as stewards of their master's money.

Jesus then follows these two parables up with an example of the division of Sheep and Goats, illustrating how the Christians will be separated from the unbelievers in the comming judgment.

The two parables are in relation to Jesus' second comming and since it is unknown when it will occur, we must watch and be ready.

In The Parable of the Ten Virgins, the ten virgins would be the bridesmaids, rather than the bride herself. Wedding processions, like the one in this parable, from the bride's to the groom's home, accompanied by singing and dancing, normally happened at night and thus required lamps or torches for light. It is reasonable to assume the bridesmaids are thus waiting outside the bride's home for the Groom's coming, to escort her to his home, where she will become his wife.

In this particular parable (in contrast to Matthew 24:42-44) the issue is not that the virgins went to sleep, since both the wise and foolish did so; the issue is that some were not watchful enough to have sufficient oil. All the virgins would have been ready for the groom had he arrived when they expected, but grooms' delays were common enough that they should have been prepared for it anyway. As the old saying goes "hope for the best, but prepare for the worst." This provides clear warning that the second coming of Jesus may be delayed, but even though Jesus might not come as soon as we would like, we must still be prepared for His arrival and not be only prepared for a short time.

Those unprepared for Christ's coming insult Him and are subject to His judgment. The wise virgins' unwillingness to share their oil reflects their concern for their friend's wedding; since they had only enough for their own torches, sharing would cause all the torches to be extinguished, ruining the whole processi. Bridal processions were so important that later rabbis even suspended their lectures so they could hail a passing bride, so a breach of etiquette was serious. Thus the foolish virgins were not excluded simply because the door was locked, nor because the host actually did not recognize them, but because they had insulted the bride and groom as well as all their relatives! They would never be allowed to forget such an offense. That they would be shut out of the feast in punishment suits their offence, but the language used "'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!' But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.'" points beyond itself to severer, eternal judgment, probably echoing the sayings in Matthew 7:21-23.

The Parable of the Talents has a couple of important points to begin with. Firstly, a single Talent was worth quite a lot of money, in the realm of at least a thousand dollars in modern money. Secondly, the maseter already knew which servants would perform well and which would not. This is evident in the way he entrusted his money, "To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability" This parable provides clear warning about how Christians are to manage the gifts, abilities, resources, and talents God has given us to further His Kingdom.

Christians are to be like the servants who increased their master's wealth. We are to use our abilities, develop them and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ and His Grace to the world. Christians are to be a light to the world. Christians should not be like the servant who hid away the talent for fear of losing it only to give the same back to his master. When we come face to face with God, we are to say "Lord you made me a good singer/preacher/teacher/listener/etc and see how this built up your Kingdom." We are not to say " Thanks Lord, you made me a good singer/preacher/teacher/listener/etc and I enjoyed it everyday in the shower, but never shared this gift as I was afraid." Christians obviously will have different levels of ability and calling for ministry, this means we will be able to reach different lives and indeed will mean some reach more than others. The Christian who God has planned only to evangelise to one soul and does it, is far more worthy that the Christian destined to preach to millions but only reached hundreds of thousands.

The illustration Jesus gives of dividing believers from unbelievers like dividing sheep from goats is a very visual and powerful illustration of election. It is a very practical one, explaining that the sheep are the ones who unknowingly performed righteous acts of service to Jesus. "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me." These acts were not performed by the 'goats', but it is not these acts which makes a believer righteous, believers are made righteous through Grace alone. As C. S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity (I very strongly recomend reading this book as soon as possible, place it on the top of your "to read" list) "[Our] good works are not [our] gift to God, but God's gift to [us]." Unless one believes in the Darwinian Theory of Evolution, which no biblical Christian should, a sheep can never turn into a goat no matter how beardy that sheep may be, and a goat can never be turned into a sheep, no matter how well behaved. Unsaved, or pre-saved 'sheep', are considered 'lost sheep' as found in the famous parable, and are never refered to as goats. The Sheep will be rewarded with life in heaven, simply for being sheep, not because they also hear and obey the voice of their Good Shepherd. They hear and obey the Shepherd's voice because they are sheep, they are not sheep because they hear and obey.

The Authority of God's Word: Is the Scripture alone sufficient as a source of truth and authority?

2006-06-18T08:21:00.000+10:00

This is the second of 2 posts, in which I have attempted to address two important questions when considering the authority of the Bible.

1. What is meant by the phrase "The Bible is the inspired and infallible Word of God?"

2. Is the Scripture alone sufficient as a source of truth and authority?

"The true treasure of the church is the Holy gospel of the glory and the grace of God." Dr Martin Luther.

Psalm 119:33-37
"Teach me, O LORD, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end.
Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart.
Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.
Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain.
Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word."

By believing "Scripture alone is sufficient as a source of truth and authority," Christians submit to Scripture as the final measure of God's revealed Truth. This submission is based upon the belief that:

1. The Bible is the inspired and infallible Word of God.

2. The revealed Word of God in the Bible is complete and needs no addition.

There are several levels of God's revelation of Himself to mankind.

Firstly is a general revelation, that God exists and that He is powerful. This is revealed to all mankind through all of Creation (that is the natural universe and everything in it) as seen in Psalm 19:1 and Romans 1:18-20, the underlying rule of a universal 'right and wrong' know as a human conscience as seen in Romans 2:14-15, and the provision of mankind's most basic needs of nourishment and joy as seen in Acts 14:15-17. This level of revelation does not give much information but is available to all people at all times, whenever we see the wonder of creation, just know and can't explain why something is 'right' or 'wrong', or the sun again rises and rain again falls to provide life on this planet it is evidence of God.

Secondly is the special, inspired revelation of God's laws and plan for humanity and indeed all of creation through His inspired Words the Scripture. This is not a general revealtion, but a very specific one. From Scripture we learn more about the character of God, and also only selcted men were inspired to write Scripture. Scripture gives account of all things necessary for Crhistianity, it begins with God's Creation of the Universe, and ends with God's final judgment of that Creation. Scripture is God's message to mankind of His design plan. From Scripture we are to teach, have the basis for correction and all training in righteousness, in accordance with 2 Timothy 3:16-17. The Scripture also records God's incarnation as Jesus Christ, the most powerful of the revelations of God to Humanity. The Scripture is completed and nothing more will be added to or taken away from Scripture in accordance with Matthew 5:18 and Revelation 22:18-19.

Thirdly is the incarnate revelation of who God is, and His plan for the salvation of His people. Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, is God made flesh, revealed to mankind so that we can now know Him personally, as He intended when He created Adam in the Garden of Eden. Through Jesus' life, and subsequent death, we have the example of a perfect and sinless life, which Christians are to aspire to (although can never attain). Also God's redemptive work of sacrifice on the Cross where Jesus, who was sinless, died for the sins of many. Jesus' life is the Gospel message which is foretold in the Old Testament, as Jesus Himself said in John 5:39-40 and revealed through the New Testament, and summised in 1 Corinthians 15:2-4.

Finally is the revelation of the Holy Spirit within each believer, which affirms the truth of the Scripture, as seen in John 16:13-14. The Gospel of Jesus and salvation through Grace alone does not make sense to earthly wisdom, that nothing is ever for free. Through the Holy Spirit however, this truth is revealed, that Grace and Salvation are in fact free as Ephesians 2:8 tells us, and by the Holy Spirit openeing our 'eyes' is how Christians may believe (1 Corinthians 2:9-11). The Holy Spirit will never contradict Scripture and neither will Scripture contradict the Holy Spirit, which is also called the Spirit of Truth. This revelation of the Holy Spirit, that the Bible and Gospel of Jesus is truth and the only way to redemption for sin and entry to Heaven, will not suppliment or add to scripture in any way. Simply, it will reveal that the Scipture is true, not that Scripture is incomplete and needs any supplimetary material, doctorines or new revelations. All Christian doctorines and teachings are found within the Bible, and if found contrary to Scripture, the belief is to be rejected.

Although all Christians claim to believe that The Scripture is the Word of God, some do not submit to the authority of Scripture.

Personal revelations of Truth: Some Christians have the belief that the Spirit will reveal all truth and that in fact the Spirit is the final measure of Truth. In essence, that Scripture is to be tested by the Spirit. This is a belief that Christians are not to live according to the Scripture but according to the Spirit. They claim that the Spirit which dwells within Christian's will either support Scripture, or the Scripture is meaningless. If this were true, then the Spirit would be a higher authority than the Scripture and thus Scripture would not be infallable, since it must be validated by another, higher source of truth.

Who is to say then, where the Bible is truthful and where is it not? The modern answer is that "the Holy Spirit will guide us" but this leads to nothing more than relativism, for there is no longer an exterior test of truth. Now each person would require a personal revelation of truth and who would be correct? Since there would be no standard test for each person's revelation of truth, all must be considered true. This would demote truth from being an absolute, to being relative to one's own circumstance and whim.

This in turn leads into pluralism, as now we rely upon individual, spiritual revelations for truth, by which measure can each individuals claim be tested? There would be no way to determine which is wrong so all spiritual revelations would then be true. Gautama Buddha who gained spiritual enlightenment while sitting under a Bodhi tree, after he vowed never to arise until he had found the Truth; Joseph Smith Jr. who recieved the Golden Plates from Moroni, who Mormons believe is a resurected prophet who became an angel; and Mohhamed who claimed to have a vision of the angel Gabriel, would all be correct, since they were 'truths' derived from spiritual revelations.

2 Peter 1: 20-21 says, “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” Scripture is neither the will of man nor interpretation of man. Scripture was written by men who were inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the author of the Scriptures. The Scriptures are the Word of God. Therefore, what the Holy Spirit reveals to Christians will NEVER contradict what the Scriptures teach. God cannot lie (Hebrews 6:18) and thus can’t contradict Himself.

This does not mean that the Spiritual Gifts have ended. Far from it, according to 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, the Holy Spirit will still, heal and perform other miraculous signs, grant wisdom, provide Faith, allow prophecy, discernment, speaking in tounges and interpreting them. The most miraculous gift of the Spirit though is a new and clean heart which accompanies the gifts of Salvation and Faith. What the Spirit will not do however, is give new, superior revelations to Scripture that are not already found in the Scriptures. Even though there may and will be Spiritual gifts and miraculous signs and wonders every spirit must be tested to see if it is from God. In fact, 1 John 4:1-3 tells us, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world...you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.” Christ, is another title of Jesus which indicates He is the Christ or the Messiah foretold dof in the Old Testament. Jesus told us in John 5:39, that the Scriptures "testify about me." Therefore to test if a spirit exalts Jesus as the Messiah, it should be tested against a medium which already does, the Scripture. If any spiritual revelation contradicts the Bible, then it is a false spirit. The Bible is the authority because it is the Word of God concening His revelation of Himself to humanity.

Church Tradition: The Catholic Church in particular teaches the infallibility of the Pope and that Church tradition is to be considered equal to Scripture in terms of authority. This again lessens the authority of Scripture as Church tradition then becomes the primary measure of truth. If the Tradition were to contradict Scripture, then Scripture would be considered wrong.

In many cases this obedience of Church tradition will not lead away from Scriptural truth. With tradition though, there also needs to be a test of righteousness. 2 Thessalonians 2:15 says "So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings [or traditions] we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter." In Matthew 15:1-9 however, Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for holding to tradition when it meant breaking the Word of God saying "...you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men." Jesus is saying here that when conflicting, a righteous person will follow the Word of God rather than any conflicting Church tradition. As John Wesley stated in the 18th century, "The Church is to be judged by the Scriptures, not the Scriptures by the Church." Scripture is to be the measure of Truth, not Church traditions.

Replacing Scripture with the latest trends: Another, and possibly most serious of the threats to Scriptural authority in the Church is the tendancy of some 'Culturally relevant' churches replacing Scripture all together. This is a serious problem. Pastors who rely on a culturally relevant message rather than Scriptural truth to try to explain God and Christianity. Jesus cirtainly spoke in parables, but He refered to Scripture in His teachings more often. Using multimedia presentations, allegories from current films and music artists or using ever changing pop-psychology in sermons can be helpful, but it should stay in the proper proportion. Scripture and the Word of God needs to remain the focus of Christian teaching and preaching, not the latest theory about 'how to make friends and influence people'. Even plain old unbiblical teachings such as a Gospel of Prosperity instead of Christ is damaging and replaceing Scripture in some churches. God is not simply a Heavenly 'blessing-machine' (think vending machines), where we pray like this and He responds with those blessings. Job suffered the loss of everything including his family, Jonah suffered in the belly of a whale, Joseph was sold into slavery, Sampson was tortured and imprisoned, most of the Apostles were martyred for their faith in Jesus, Jesus was ignored, taunted, challenged, despised, beaten, tortured, abused and murdered. Is there a common thread here? Christianity is about taking up our cross to follow Him, dieing to ourselves and submitting totally to His will in our lives. About seeking the Kingdom of Heaven, not getting a free ride and being blessed with wealth here. God may chose to bless some Christians with material wealth, indeed He cirtainly does in some cases. This does not equate to every Christian being a millionaire though. Our Focus needs to be on the Giver, not the gifts, on the Word of God, not the latest motivational theories of men.

That the Scriptures are only reliable in matters of morality: Another blatant attack upon Scriptural authority is the claim of many secular, and atheistic, scientists and some Christians that Science and Religion never overlap, that Darwinian Evolution is compatable with Biblical Christianity. That is, that Science deals with the "facts of the real world" and religion deals with ethics, morals, and human values. However, The Ressurection of Jesus is an essectian Christian 'value', but it must also be a fact of history, Christ must actually HAVE been ressurected, to have any importance.

This error is called Theistic Evolution, and is a belief that God used Evolution over billions of years in creation, rather than a six day time frame. This however is an attack on Christianity at the very core. For if God used evolution, then there was billions of years of decay, disease, pain and death in God's creation. But "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good..." (Genesis 1:31) whereas death is an intruder, the "...last enemy..." (1 Corinthians 15:26) God did not introduce death into His very good creation, death was a result of Adams sin (Romans 5:12-19). Christianity is based upon the Fact that "the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23) That death is a result of Sin and that Jesus defeated Death to pay for the sins of His Children. If Death came before sin, a requirement of evolution, then it could not be a result of sin. "Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous." (Romans 5:18-19)

It is important to understand that the Bible is not a textbook on science, or history, or geography. The Bible is not even a textbook on theology. However, whatever the Bible says about any of these things is God's Word. God's Word is correct and no one will ever be deceived or led into error by believing what the Scripture says.

Is the Scripture alone sufficient as a source of truth and authority?

2 Timothy 3:14-17 - "But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

Yes, the Scripture is a sufficient source of truth and authority. All scripture is God’s word. It is God’s will. What greater authority could there be? All scripture is useful, we are to teach with it, rebuke with it, correct according to it, be trained by it. By the Scripture we become wise for salvation. Ephesians 2:8 teaches that "it is by grace you have been saved, through faith" and Romans 10:17 teaches that "faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." Scripture thoroughly equips Christians for every good work.

Christians don’t need any personal revelation or “word of knowledge” to know God’s will. The Bible and its teaching will thoroughly or completely equip Christians for each and every good work. Christians don't need to rely on Church tradition to interpret Scripture for them. Fellowship with other Christians is vital for Christian growth, but we are to each search the Scriptures and hold each other accoutable to the Truth found in the Word of God. The Bible is a Christian's guide book, instruction manual, and the sufficient source for doctrine. Psalms 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”

The cry of the Reformation was Sola Scriptura, that the Scripture Alone is to be the authority over believers. Scripture is the Word of God and since God is Truth and God is all-powerful, there can be no better measure of truth and authority than God's Word.

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 - "Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil."

1 Corinthians 15:2-4 - "By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures..."

Further reading:
Biblical Authority: The Critical Issue for the Body of Christ by James T. Draper & Kenneth Keathley.

The Authority of God's Word: Is the Bible the inspired and infallible Word of God? and Where did the Bible come from? by the Modern Day Magi.

Looking for Jesus is Genesis: I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, by T A Blankenship at Fire and Hammer.

The Authority of God's Word: Is the Bible the inspired and infallible Word of God?

2006-06-14T09:15:00.000+10:00

In the next 2 posts, I will attempt to address two important questions when considering the authority of the Bible.

1. What is meant by the phrase "The Bible is the inspired and infallible Word of God?"

2. Is the Scripture alone sufficient as a source of truth and authority?

The phrase "The Bible is the inspired and infallible Word of God" literally means that Christians believe:

1. That the Bible is of such surpassing excellence as to suggest divine inspiration. [Inspired]

2. That the Bible is also incapable of failure, deception or error. [Infallible]

3. That the Bible is the express revelation of God's purpose and plan for mankind, and not simply collected writings of men. [Word of God]

Historically the Church has always believed the Scriptures to be the inspired and infallible Word of God, and thus should be considered the highest authority in Christian life. This fact can be clearly seen through the writings of many faithful men of the Church throughout history. Clement of Rome wrote in approximately 100 AD "Look carefully into the Scriptures which are the true utterances of the Holy Spirit." Justin Martyr, one of the most famous early Christian apologists wrote "We must not suppose the language proceeds from the men who are inspired but from the divine word which moves them." Irenaeus of Gaul (130-202 AD) wrote "The Scriptures are perfect inasmuch as they were uttered by the word of God and His Spirit, though we want of the knowledge of their mysteries." Origen Adamantius (182-251 AD) wrote "We cannot say of the writings of the Holy Spirit, that anything in them is useless or superfluous, even if they seem to some obscure." Augustine (354-430 AD), considered by many to be the greatest theologian of the ancient church, said "Therefore, we yield to and agree the authority of the Holy Scripture which can neither be deceived or deceive." More recently men such as Martin Luther, who wrote "For whoever despises a single word of God does not regard any as important" and John Calvin, who referred to the Scriptures as "the sure and infallible record", "the unerring standard" and "the pure word of God", have also fiercely held that the Scriptures are the perfect Word of God and as such are the highest source of Authority for any Christian.

It would be a tragic error to claim more of the Bible than it claims for itself, however it would be equally tragic to claim less that Scripture itself indicates.

Exodus 4:10-12 tells us plainly that God gave Moses the words to speak, Exodus 34:27 says "Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel." also tells us that what Moses wrote was indeed the Word of God, perfect and intact. Deuteronomy 4:2 is a clear statement of God's authority through the Scripture. "Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you." Deuteronomy 18:20 "But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death." describes the consequences of falsely claiming that something is the Word of God.

Each of the Prophets in the Old Testament also claim to be speaking the Words of God. In Isaiah there are about twenty claims that he was speaking the Words of the Lord, eg. Isaiah 1:10 "Hear the word of the Lord...". Jeremiah makes similar claims more than one hundred times eg. Jeremiah 1:4 "The word of the LORD came to me, saying..." Ezekiel also claims more than sixty time that he is speaking the very words of God "...This is what the Sovereign LORD says..." (Ezekiel 3:10-11) Daniel says he heard and reported directly from God "Then I heard Him speaking, and as I listened to him..." (Daniel 10:9) Each of the twelve minor prophets also plainly claim to be repeating the words of God, see Hosea 1:1, Joel 1:1, Amos 3:1, Obadiah 1:1, Jonah 1:1, Micah 1:1, Nahum 1:12, Habakkuk 2:2, Zephaniah 1:1, Haggai 1:1, Zechariah 1:1 and Malachi 1:1.

David, a man after God's own heart, wrote "Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens." and the whole of Psalm 119 deals with David's concept of the truthfulness and purity of the Scriptures as the Word of God.

There are also many passages in the New Testament which address the infallibility and authority of Scripture as the Word of God.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 - "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

2 Peter 1:20-21 - "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."

James 1:18 - "He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created."

Since the Scripture is the Word of God we are to have as much Faith in Scripture as in God Himself. For if God can create the Universe by the power of His Words then His Words should remain true. Christian Faith rests on the Word and Truth of God's Word. The Bible surely testifies of God's honesty.

Titus 1:2 - "...a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time..."

Jesus also held the Scripture to be the word of God and to be authoritive.

Matthew 5:17-20 - "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished..."

Jesus knew and said that the Scriptures predicted He would come. The Scriptures always testify of Christ and His majesty. Jesus is in the Old Testament concealed, in almost every event and cirtainly every Jewish religious observance. Jesus is in the New Testament as the Messiah revealed.

John 5:39 - "You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me."

Jesus authenticated the New Testament Scriptures as inspired by God before they were even written.

John 14:26 - "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."

Belief in the divine inspiration and infallibility of Scripture simply means that God used men to write the Bible. He overruled their particular imperfections, and did not allow any human faults or imperfection to enter the Scriptures which were written.

This does not imply mechanical dictation. God did not audibly dictate the scriptures as a business executive might dictate a letter for a secretary. God used the human intelligence, literary style and personal feelings of each author of Scripture. He did not remove them. He did not force material through an unwilling writer but prepared the writer for the task. God's light of truth is not distorted by the coloured glass of the writer's humanity. God designed the writer's humanity to colour His truth in a very precise and perfect way. God did not need to search all of humanity untill He found Paul so we could have the Pauline Epistles, God created Paul and conditioned him for exactly that purpose.

This does not imply that the modern translations are inspired or infallible. Only the original manuscripts were inspired. Whereever humans are involved there will be errors. No book has ever been reproduced, especially by hand which has not incurred some error. It is unreasonable to hold the Author responcible for this in an ordiany book, so we should not hold God responcible for this with the Bible. As far back as Augustine, there was distinction made between the original manuscripts and copies in regards to accuracy. "If, in one of these books, I stumble accross something which seems opposed to the truth, I have no hesitation in saying that either my copy is faulty or the translator has not fully grasped what was said, or else I myself have not fully understood." In spite of this God's message in the Scriptures is very close to its original form in the modern translations. This is why it is important to use multiple translations for Biblical study, and why the study of the original-language, root-words is helpful.

This especially does not mean any single, modern translation is inspired. People who passionately advocate only one translation as being the inspired and preserved Word of God in accordance with Matthew 5:18 are usually "King James Only" people. In effect, people who believe this position claim that Christians who do not speak or understand English, espeially middle or Old Elglish, have no access to the authoritive Scriptures. In order to hold the inerrancy of scripture, it it not required or defensible to believe that only one modern translation is inspired.

This does not eliminate the human element of the Scriptures. Each of the authors of Scripture has their own distinct, if at times subtle, characteristics. The vocabulary, form, phrasing and the way they say things indicate their humanity and personalities. The wirters of the Scriptures were not intended to write about everything, Paul possibly believed the world was flat, he cirtainly would not have understood higher order calculus, or Einsteinian Physics. He was not called to write about these things so it does not matter what he thought about them. The important thing is that he did not introduce any error into the things he was called to write and any Scriptures he wrote were divinely inspired and thus contain no fault.

This does not eliminate figurative language. Literal inspriation of Scripture means the literature was inspired, the words were inspired, not that all the words are intended to be literally understood as opposed to figuratively. It is just as destructive to Biblical truth to interpret a figurative passage as being literal, as it is to interpret a literal passage as being figurative. If I said "My nose is running while I am running around the oval" everyone would understand the difference in the meanings of the word running. The language of the Bible should be offered this same coutesey.

This does not require exact duplication in parallel passages. In the gospels there are apparent discrepancies. These however should be treated with patience and caution and most likely arise from our incomplete understanding. For instance Mr X recieved a phone call to say his wife had been injured at home and was being rushed to hospital. On his way to meet her he recieves another phone call to inform him that his wife has been in a car accident and is being rushed to hospital. Which is correct? When he arrives at the hospital, Mr X is informed by the doctor that his wife had fallen off a chair at home, and was being driven to the hospital when she was involved in a car accident, and was then rushed to the hospital. When we are confronted with a discrepancy in the Gospel accounts of Jesus, it is most likely that they simply are relaying different aspects of the events of His life and in fact are both true. This should not surprise us as each of the Gospels had different human authors.

Divine Inspiration means that the Bible is accurate in all that it says an it will not deceive its readers theologically, historically, chronologically, geographically or scientifically. Of course the Bible is not a textbook on science, or history, or geography. The Bible is not even a textbook on theology. However, whatever the Bible says about any of these things is correct and no one will ever be deceived or led into error by believing what the Bible says.

According to Scripture, Jesus and the Church Fathers, the Bible is either totally inerrant and is reliable in all things or else it is not reliable at all and may be decietful at any point. Who is to say then, where the Bible is truthful and where is it not? The modern answer is that "the Holy Spirit will guide us" but this leads to nothing more than relativism, pluralism and mysticism. This answer denys the authority of Scripture and means the human mind is the final test which truth must pass through. This leads to an entirely different from of Christianity to Biblical Christianity which claims the Word of God and the contained Gospel of Christ is Truth. This issue will be addressed in my next post.

Matthew 24

2006-06-08T14:19:00.000+10:00

In this chapter Jesus talks about the Signs of the End of the Age. The disciples ask Him "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"

This is a very timely passage to look at in light of all the recent Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia (no I did not make this word up) over last Tuesday, June 6th, 2006 - (6/6/06). Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia is a superstitious fear of the number 666, due to Revelation 13:18 indicating that 666 is the Number of the Beast, linked to Satan or the Anti-Christ. Outside the Christian faith, the phobia has been further popularized as a recurring symbol used in various horror films.

In verses 1-2 Jesus speaks about the destruction of the Temple, the symbol of the Jewish faith and nation. He says "I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another..."

This destruction occured at the hands of Rome and the destruction of the temple was total. Jerusalem was taken by the Roman armies, under the command of Titus Flavius Vespasianus in 70 AD, before he became the Roman Emperor in 79 AD. The account of the siege and destruction of the city is left us by Josephus, an historian of undoubted veracity and singular fidelity. He was a Jewish priest.
Josephus wrote "...gave orders that they should now demolish the whole city and temple, except three towers, which he reserved standing. But for the rest of the wall, it was laid so completely even with the ground by those who dug it up from the foundation, that there was nothing left to make those believe who came hither that it had ever been inhabited." Maimonides, a Jewish writer, has also recorded that "Terentius Rufus, an officer in the army of Titus, with a ploughshare tore up the foundations of the temple," that the prophecy might be fulfilled, "Zion shall be ploughed as a field," Micah 3:12.

Titus actually wanted to preserve the temple; and frequently sent Josephus to the Jews to ask and encourage them to surrender in order to save the temple and city. But the prediction of the Saviour had been made and, in spite of the wish of the Roman general, the temple was to be destroyed. The Jews themselves first set fire to the porticoes of the temple. One of the Roman soldiers, without any command, threw a burning firebrand into the golden window, and soon the temple was in flames. Titus gave orders to extinguish the fire; but, amidst the tumult, none of his orders were obeyed. The soldiers pressed to the temple, and neither fear, nor entreaties, nor stripes, could restrain them. Their hatred of the Jews urged them on to the work of destruction; and thus, according to Josephus in The Jewish Wars, "the temple was burnt against the will of Caesar."

Other great temples are in ruins, but their ruins indicate their former splendor. The Parthenon, the Acropolis, the temples of Karnak, Luxor, and Baalbec are examples; but to find even the foundations of the Jewish temple it is necessary to dig beneath the modern city. It has entirely disappeared from the face of the earth, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque now stands on the spot where it once stood.

This prophecy was fulfilled literally. There was a real temple, and it was really destroyed. The literal fulfillment of this prophecy establishes the tone for the rest of the prophecies in the chapter. We should expect a literal fulfillment for these as well.

Jesus warns against being decieved by false prophets, of wars, famines and earthquakes. He says that these are merly the "beginning of birth pains." Jesus goes on to say that his followers will be persecuted, even unto death, more false prophets will appear and society will move further away from God as a whole. Many of these false Christs will be very convincing, they "will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible." Many will be decieved by them but the elected, born again, children of God will not be.
None of these things however will stop the Gospel from being preached to the world.

One reason why end times prophecy may seem vague is because God wants every age to have reasons to be ready for Jesus return. We should not think of Jesus' return as an event far off on a time line, but something we have been running parallel with since the day of Pentecost. Though some prophetic interpretations are different, we are sure of this: He is coming again, and we must be ready.

One specific Jesus does mention is "when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel." (Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11) Essentially, the abomination of desolation speaks of the ultimate desecration of a Jewish temple, the establishment of an idolatrous image in the holy place itself, which will inevitably result in the judgment of God. It is the abomination that brings desolation. That it will be "standing in the Holy Place" indicates that that the abomination of desolation takes place in the Jewish temple. This is the only plain meaning of the phrase holy place. Some believe it happened in a prior Jewish temple, before it was destroyed in 70 AD Others - more properly - believe it will happen in the holy place of a rebuilt temple.

For centuries, there was only a small Jewish presence in Judea and Jerusalem. Their presence in the region was definite, and continuous, but small. It is unthinkable that this weak Jewish presence could rebuild a temple. Therefore the fulfillment of this prophecy was highly unlikely until Israel was regathered as a nation in 1948 and formed a Jewish State. The restoration of a nation that the world had not seen for some 2,000 years is a remarkable event in the fulfillment and future fulfillment of prophecy.

"Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." What generation does Jesus mean?

It cannot be the generation of the disciples, because they never saw Jesus return in glory. It is undoubtedly the generation that sees these signs. These events and Jesus' return won't be on some 1,000-year or drawn out timetable, but will happen in succession, in the timeframe of a single generation.

Jesus then gives three illustrations of how the day and hour of His second comming in unknown and cannot be predicted. "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." The people in the time of Noah did not know of the comming judgment until it was too late, Christians are called to be prepared for His return. We are not to take our salvation for granted, but to live lives befitting one who is called a Child of God.

The Bible in 50 Words

2006-06-07T17:44:00.000+10:00

God made;
Adam bit;
Noah Arked;
Abraham split;
Jacob fooled;
Joseph ruled;
Bush talked;
Moses balked;
Pharoh plagued;
People wlaked;
Sea divided;
Tablets guided;
Promise landed;
Saul freaked;
David peaked;
Prophets warned;
Jesus born;
God walked;
Love talked;
Anger crucified;
Hope died;
Love rose;
Spirit flamed;
Word spread;
God remained.

Matthew chapter 23

2006-05-26T10:50:00.000+10:00

This chapter is a very stern rebuke of the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees. It also serves as a grim reminder of the responcibility of those in leadership within the church to avoid hypocrisy.

Before Jesus gets into the "Seven Woes" however, He outlines how those of the congregation and who are not in leadership should respond to the leaders of the church, seated in authority over them. "The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you." Jesus is very clear, we are to submit to those in authority over us. In the case of the Pharisees though, who taught the Law but did not live according to it, Jesus goes on to say, "But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach." This statement sets up the behaviour of the hypocritical Pharisees as behaviours we should not emulate but still we are to sumbit to their authority and live according to what they teach, that is the Word of God, even though they themselves do not live according to their own teachings.

In Verses 5 - 12, Jesus speaks about the trap of living solely for the approval of men rather than the approval of God and how "whoever exalts himself [before men] will be humbled [by God], and whoever humbles himself [before men] will be exalted [by God]." Jesus lists three ways in which the Pharisees seek to be noticed for their 'piety'.

"Everything they [the Pharisees] do is done for men to see..."

1. They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long;

Phylacteries or Tefillin consist of two kosher, leather boxes, one worn on the arm and known as "shel yad", and the other worn on the head and known as "shel rosh". Each box contained the scriptural passages: Exod. 13:1-10, Exod. 13:11-16; Deut. 6:4-9, Deut. 11:13-21, written by a specially trained scribe. The basis for wearing phylacteries was derived by the Rabbis from four biblical verses found within the passages chosen: Exod. 13:9, Exod. 13:16, Deut. 6:8, and Deut. 11:18.

The garments refered to are most likely the tallith, making the tassels the tzitzit, which is a prayer shawl, also commanded by God to be worn by the Jews/Israelites in Numbers 15:38.

Neither the phylacteries nor the tallith were restricted so only Pharisees or teachers could wear them. In fact the phylacteries are an essential part of morning prayer services, and are worn on a daily basis (except the Sabbath and festivals) by many Jews. Most Jewish men also wear the tallith during the morning, Shacharit prayers, during the Torah service, and on Yom Kippur.
(See Why touch the hem of His cloak? for the fulfilment of a Messianic prophesey in the tallith and tzitzit.)

By making their phylacteries wide and their tallith tassels long the Pharisees demonstrate an exterior presentation of scriptural knowledge and observance of prayer without any inner understanding or change.

2. They love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues;

The Pharisees and Teachers of the Law enjoyed a high standing in the community and as such recieved the 'royal' treatment at banquets or in the synagogues. They loved the places of honor because they would be 'looked up at', as traditionally the places of honor at a banquet were served first, had the best food, the most comfortable seating, and in many cases were even raised on a higher level than the more 'common' tables of guests.Jesus is highlighting the 'Love' they have for this honor as the problem, not the honor itself. A great theological teacher or church leader should be treated with respect, but he should not 'love' the place of honor he recieves but rather love service he is doing for the body of Christ. Rather, any praise he recieves should be swiftly turned to God as it is by the Gifts of God that any man or woman is blessed with the ability to teach. This statement is challenging the motives of the Pharisees.

3. They love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them 'Rabbi.'

The Jewish Rabbis were also called father and master, by their several disciples / students. There were two important requirements of the Rabbi's disciples,
a. To believe implicitly what the Rabbi said was true, without asking any farther reason.
b. To obey implicitly what the Rabbi instructed, without seeking any further authority.

Jesus, therefore, by forbidding us either to give or receive the title of Rabbi, Master, or Father, forbids us either to receive any such reverence, or to pay any such to any man, but only to God. Jesus is not using 'father' here in a paternal sence.

In Verses 13-39 Jesus gives 9 rebukes which are in stark contrast to the 9 blessing of the Sermon on the Mount. Where the Sermon on the Mount gives the Be-atitudes and blessings associated with correct Christian living, here we see their opposite and the punnishments associated with hypocritical and woeful behaviour of one professing righteousness without the sacrifice of Jesus. Jesus speaks harshly here, but this is not the language of personal irritation, but of divine warning and condemnation.

It is also very important to realise that, while we often think of the Scribes and Pharisees as hypocrites the Pharisees' contemporaries thought of them as very devoted to the Bible, and considered the scribes experts in biblical law. In today's terms, Jesus was condeming many popular preachers and people who seemed to be living holy lives. However, where humans see only the exterior Jesus knows the heart of a man and they were practicing human religion rather than serving God with purified hearts.

1. You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.

The Pharisees were not poor in spirit or humble so they tried to enter the Kingdom on their wn righteousness. Also they hindered others by such a hypocritical profession of faith. It is bad for someone to not enter into heaven themselves, but it is far worse to prevent another from going in (Matthew 18:6).

2. You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.

Zeal in evangelism does not prove that a person is right with God. They were courageous and energetic messengers, but with a false message.

3. Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?

Out of obedience to God's word, they would not swear by the name of God (Exodus 20:7). But they constructed an elaborate system of oaths, some of which were binding and some were not. A way of making a promise while keeping your fingers crossed.

4. You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

Neither a camel nor a gnat are kosher and thus were not allowed to be consumed. Here Jesus is pionting out how the Pharisees observed the minor and exterior details such as tithing but ignored the more important matters of the law like justice, mercy and faithfulness.

5. You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.

Rather than being satisfied with a superficial cleansing, and the appearance of righteousness before others, God looks for a true cleansing, so we can be clean before God and man.

6. On the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

God is never fooled by what we show on the outside. He sees what we actually are, not what we appear to be to other men.

7. You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'

They professed to venerate the dead, but they rejected the living. In doing so, they show that they really are the children of those who murdered the prophets in the days of old

8. You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?

Jesus compares the Pharisees to the Devil here, linking them to his heritage and not that of Abraham.

9. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'

Luke 19:41 tells us that Jesus wept as He looked over the city of Jerusalem, contemplated its coming judgment, and said these words. Jesus wanted to protect them from the terrible judgment that will follow their rejection of Him. Jesus is revealing here one of the conditions surrounding His Second Coming. When Jesus comes again, the Jewish people will welcome Him as the Messiah saying, "blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord."

Where did the Bible come from?

2006-05-24T13:00:00.000+10:00

Sola scriptura: That the Scripture alone is the inspired and authoritative Word of God is essentially the framework of the Protestant church. It is the scripture that is the living and perfect Word of God. After all "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men...The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1 1-4, 14

It is by the authority of the scripture that, the Catholic Church was challenged during the reformation and what the other four ‘Solas’ are built upon.

It is by the Scriptures that we know:

Sola gratia: That Salvation comes by grace alone and not through any merit on the part of the sinner. Thus salvation is the unearned gift of Grace.

Sola fide: That Justification comes through faith alone, not good works. Saving faith will always be accompanied by good works, but good works are a result of Faith, just as Salvation is the result of Grace. Our good works are God’s gift to us, not our gift to God.

Solus Christus: That Christ alone is the mediator between God and man. That Jesus is the only Way to the Truth and eternal Life given by Grace.

Soli Deo gloria: That all glory is due to God alone, since salvation is accomplished solely through His works — not only the atonement on the Cross by Jesus, but even granting the faith which allows men to be saved by that atonement.

As John Wesley stated in the 18th century, "The Church is to be judged by the Scriptures, not the Scriptures by the Church."

But how do we know what the Scriptures are?

Simple, they are in the Bible.

We did not always have the Bible however, and this poses the question, "Where did the Bible come from?"

(Canon refers to the list of books considered to be scripture)

The Old Testament was less difficult to establish than the New Testament, as the Jewish people had reverently studied, copied and preserved the Law by which they believed they would receive eternal Salvation. This does not mean however that the Old Testament canon was established first. Indeed it was not until the 16th century that the Old Testament canon was finalised by Luther and the other Protestant Reformers.

There was undeniably some debate in regards to the Old Testament canon. However, by 250 A.D. there was nearly universal agreement on the canon of Hebrew Scripture. The only issue that remained was the Apocrypha. However, the vast majority of Hebrew scholars considered the Apocrypha to be good historical and religious documents, but not not the Word of God, as the Hebrew Scriptures were. The Old Testament canon (excluding the Apocrypha) was almost established in 367 AD by Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, with the exclusion of Esther and inclusion of Baruch, which is now considered part of the Apocrypha. The 46 books of the Old Testament Canon with the Deuterocanonical/Apocrypha (as defined by the Catholic Church) was set in 382 AD in the Council of Rome, affirmed in the Council of Hippo in 393 AD and reaffirmed in the third Council of Carthage in 397 AD.

This canon of Old Testament scripture (including the Apocrypha) was largely used by the church until the time of the Reformation. During the Reformation, Luther and others decided to omit the Apocrypha from scripture and use only the Hebrew canon of scriptures in stead.

The New Testament was also difficult to establish.

In the first and second centuries after Christ, many writings and letters were circulating among the Christians. Some of the churches were using books and letters in their services that were definitely suspect. Gradually the need to have a definite list of the inspired Scriptures became apparent. Heretical movements were rising, each one choosing its own selected Scriptures, including such documents as the Gospel of Thomas, the Shepherd of Hermas, the Apocalypse of Peter, and the Epistle of Barnabas to name but a few.

Very early on, some of the New Testament books were being recognized. Paul considered Luke’s writings to be as authoritative as the Old Testament (1 Timothy 5:18; Deuteronomy 25:4 and Luke 10:7). Peter recognized Paul’s writings as Scripture (2 Peter 3:15-16). Some of the books of the New Testament were being circulated among the churches (Colossians 4:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:27). Clement of Rome mentioned at least eight New Testament books in 95 AD. Ignatius of Antioch acknowledged about seven books in 115 AD. Polycarp, a disciple of John the Apostle, acknowledged 15 books in 108 AD. By 185 AD, Irenaeus mentioned 21 books. Hippolytus (170-235 AD) recognized 22 books. The New Testament books receiving the most controversy were Hebrews, James, 2 Peter, 2 John, and 3 John. The first “canon” was the Muratorian Canon, which was compiled in 170 AD. The Muratorian Canon included all of the New Testament books except Hebrews, James, and 3 John. Around 200 AD the Muratorian fragment was written, listing the accepted scriptures. This list was very similar to the modern Bible but also included the Wisdom of Solomon (now part of the Apocrypha) and the Apocalypse of Peter.

In 363 AD, the Council of Laodicea stated that only the Old Testament (along with the Apocrypha) and the 27 books of the New Testament were to be read in the churches.

The New Testament canon as it is now was first listed by Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, in 367 AD, in 39th Festal Letter written to his churches in Egypt. That canon gained wider and wider recognition until The Council of Hippo in 393 AD and it was finally accepted by all at the Third Council of Carthage in 397 AD.

Even this council did not settle the matter, however. Certain books continued to be questioned, especially James and Revelation. Even as late as the 16th century, theologian and reformer Martin Luther questioned (but in the end did not reject) the Epistle of James, the Epistle of Jude, the Epistle to the Hebrews and the Book of Revelation. Even today, German-language Luther Bibles are printed with these four books at the end of the canon, rather than their traditional order for other Christians

Most of the Councils exercised three basic tests to determine if a New Testament book or letter should be considered scriptural.
1. Who was the Author, an Apostle or close associate of an Apostle?
2. Was the book being accepted by the Body of Christ at large?
3. Is this book consistent with others already considered scripture?

It was not until 367 AD that the church father Athanasius first provided the complete listing of 66 books belonging to both the Old and New Testaments as the one biblical canon, although this canon excluded Esther and replaced it with Baruch, which is part of the Apocryphal books.

The human process of collecting the books of the Bible was lengthy and flawed, but God, in His sovereignty, despite our ignorance and stubbornness, brought the early church to the recognition of the books He had inspired. He has delivered to His Church His Word, just as He delivered His Grace though Jesus. It was not the studious care of the Church Fathers who ‘discovered the scriptures’, but rather The Spirit of God guiding them into truth which ‘revealed’ to them the Scriptures.

See also:
On The Formation of the New Testament Canon
The Canon of Scripture
What is the Canon
The Formation of the Canon of the New Testament

Have Christians always believed Jesus is God?

2006-05-23T09:41:00.000+10:00

This question has been stirred up since the success of The Da Vinci Code book and its adaptation into a movie.

The Da Vinci Code suggests that The Council of Nicea in 325AD was where the Christian leaders (Bishops) of the day 'voted' that Jesus should be considered divine.

However...

Some of the earliest Christian writings that have survived from antiquity were written around 170AD (155 years before the Nicene Council) by a bishop in Asia Minor. Melito of Sardis was a prominent figure of second-century Christianity known for his apologetic defense of Christ against the various claims of paganism, Judaism, and Christian heresies.

He was a man of brilliant mind and deep conviction, one who seems to have truly felt the horror of humanity's rejection of God. Tertullian speaks of Melito as a man of eloquent genius. Eusebius makes note of many of his writings, quoting three of these works at length.

Melito lists the first Christian canon of the Old Testament. Melito's Canon consists exclusively of the protocanonicals minus Esther. If the missing book is restored, this represents the same canon used by the Jews and most Protestants. Melito also excludes the deuterocanonical books (apocrypha) from his cannon which are used by Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox.

Until somewhat recently, much of Melito's extensive work existed primarily in fragments or in quotations preserved by authors after him. In 1930 a discovery was made in a Coptic graveyard of a large number of papyri, and among these works was a Greek manuscript identified as a homily of Melito of Sardis. Known as "On Pascha" (On the Passover), it is a homily that recounts the history of Israel and the exodus from Egypt in light of the events of Jesus of Nazareth and the Cross of Christ.

In "On Pascha", Melito writes of Jesus,

"This one is the Passover of our salvation. This is the one who patiently endured many things in many people: This is the one who was murdered in Abel, and bound as a sacrifice in Isaac, and exiled in Jacob, and sold in Joseph, and exposed in Moses, and sacrificed in the lamb, and hunted down in David, and dishonored in the prophets. This is the one who became human [since He was God first] in a virgin, who was hanged on the tree, who was buried in the earth, who was resurrected from among the dead, and who raised mankind up out of the grave below to the heights of heaven. This is the lamb who was slain, and now stands.

This is the Christ [Messiah], who is the same yesterday, today, and forever."

Clearly Christians knew Jesus was God from his days walking the earth surrounding Gallilee, and His divinity was not decided by a vote.

Justin the Martyr also addressed Jesus as divine in his writings using the analogy of Fire for the trinity and using the already existing understanding of Jesus as the Logos or "Word" of God made flesh. "In the beginning was the Word [Logos], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made...The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth...No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only,who is at the Father's side, has made him known." (John 1:1-18)

The Vote at the Council of Nicea was simply to solidify the Church in the truth and to condemn the heresies circulating at the time. One such heresey which was Arianism which denyed there is One God, saying that Jesus was a divine being but nonetheless created by (and consequently inferior to) the Father at some point, before which the Son did not exist. This heresey has continually resurfaced, notably with Michael Servetus (widely considered the first Unitarian Martyr) who was executed on October 27, 1553, for denying the Trinity, that Jesus had eternally existed with the Father and cliaming that Other human beings, touched by Christian grace, could overcome sin and themselves become progressively divine.

See also:
Is Jesus God?
God

Matthew chapter 22

2006-05-20T00:07:00.000+10:00

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet is a very interesting one, and is full of action. There are several references which need to be identified and addressed from this parable.

Firstly and most obviously, the King represents God.

The King invites guests to attent His Son's wedding feast. Thes guests (the Jews) however, repeatedly refuse the invitation of the King until He sends His army to destroy them. Jerusalem was destroyed in the First Jewish-Roman War in 66-73 AD, but more seriously Jesus declared the Jews spiritually blinded for not recognising Him as the Messiah.

Then the King orders anyone found to be invited as a replacement for the guests who ignored His invitation. These secondary guests are the Gentiles, who recieved the gospel after Jesus was resurrected and once the Jews had rejected Him. These guests are both good and bad, signifying that they have no merit as to why they have been invited to the feast, they are there because of the invitation not because they deserve to be.

Now once the party is going a man is found without proper wedding garments, because of this he is bound and thrown into the darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. It is important too to note that it was custom for the King to provide robes for his guests to wear at a feast. Now these wedding garments represent the righteousness provided for Christians by the sacrifice of Jesus. (Isaiah 61:10) Now this man who was not clothed in wedding clothes had responded to the King's invitation but had not been prepared, he was one of the people Jesus spoke about when He said "Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" Although this man had come to the banquet he was not properly attired, he had not responded to the invitation corretly, and was thown out into the darkness containing weeping and gnashing of teeth, a common phrase indicating Hell.

This parable ends with Jesus saying "For many are invited, but few are chosen."

The great commission for all Christians is to "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." (Mark 16:15) So many will be 'invited' by the preaching of the Gospel (indeed all of creation should be invited) into the outward communion of the Church of Christ; but few, comparatively, are 'chosen' to dwell with God In glory, because they are not clothed in the righteousness of Christ. Righteousness which is only provided only for His children. Jesus said "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)

This method of inviting many and only selecting a few can be seen in the practices of the Roman custom of raising their militia. All citizens were mustered, but only those who were found in healthy and capable fighting condition were chosen to serve. Since we are saved by His Grace alone, then it sould not come as a surprise that simply 'responding' to the gospel is not enough to secure salvation. Jesus must also clothe us in the righteousness only His sacrifice can provide.

In Verses 15-22, some Pharisees and Herodians ask Jesus about paying Taxes to Caesar. According to many interpreters the Herodians were courtiers or soldiers of Herod Antipas (The son of Herod the Great) but more probably the Herodians were a public political party, who were and had been sincerely friendly to Herod the Great (The Herod who tried to kill Jesus as a baby) and to his dynasty.

The Jews were required to pay annually a large sum of money to the Roman government as an acknowledgment of their subjection. About twenty years before this, Judas (not the famous one) of Galilee had stirred up the people to resist this tribute, and the mass of the Jews was bitterly opposed to it. So the Pharisees thought they had Jesus trapped, if He said the tax should be payed then the Jews would lessen their support of Him, if He said the tax should not be paid then there were political representatives of Rome there to arrest Him. Jesus asks for a denarius, the little silver coin had the head of the emperor stamped upon it.

Jesus answes them by saying "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's..." Each nation uses its own currency. If the Jews had not been under Roman rule, they would not have been using Roman money; but the coin which they brought to Jesus was simple evidence that Roman sovereignty was established in their land, and that tribute to it was therefore just; for whoever uses Caesar's coin must also pay Caesar's tribute. This part of the answer satisfied the Herodians; and the last part "and to God what is God's" satisfied the people. Jesus in effect said that the payment of Caesar's tax was not inconsistent with honouring God above all else. God was no longer, as He had been in the Old Testament, the civil ruler of his people. Thus the payment of tribute to a country's ruler is in no sense incompatible with his service, but is actually a Christian duty (Romans 13:1-7). Anyway, religious tributes had been paid in shekels or old Jewish coin, but the tribute to Rome was paid in Roman coin of which the denarius was a sample.

The obvious hypocrisy when the Saducees ask about is that Marriage at the Resurrection they don't believe in the resurrection, but they ask the question as if they do. They have manufactured a dilemma they felt that not even God could sort out if He wanted to. When Jesus points out the flaw in their reasoning, it becomes very clear to us that we must be very careful when people build theology based on man's reasoning rather than on the words of God. Jesus quotes from Exodus 3:6, which was written after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had physically died. The crux of this argument is that God refers to them in the present tense, not the past tense. In God's eyes these men are alive because He already sees them as resurrected. Furthermore, if these men were gone forever, then they would have no God since they would no longer exist. If death were the end then we would have little use for God's laws, and He would have little use for us. But God intended for us to live forever with Him, and He has the power to make this happen.

Again seeking to test Jesus and trap Him within His own words one of the Pharisees asks which is The Greatest Commandment. In effect he is asking "What is the core of our religion and law?" Jesus again answers with scripture, this time Deuteronomy 6:5 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." Interestingly the word 'mind' here is different to the word translated as 'strength' in Deuteronomy. Mark 12:30 records Jesus quoting Deuteronomy correctly though. However in Luke 10:27 the word 'mind' is used. So two out of the three Gospels which have this conversation recorded use the word 'mind' so it is probably safe to assume it is the word Jesus used and 'strength' probably comes from Mark's familiarity with the scripture causing a misrepresentation of what Jesus said. We are not simply to love God, but are to love Him with all our Heart, Soul and Mind. As well as being a poetic way to say "Love God with all you are" the three terms represent three different aspects of our makeup. The Heart represents our emotions and passions, but our emotions can be blind and ficle. The Soul represents our eternal and innermost being, our spirit or essence and part of ouselves we do not control. The Mind represents our intellect and our will, the part of us which we can exert controll over. Our Minds can be influenced by our Hearts but are not controlled by them.

We are to love God with all our Soul, in spirit and in truth for all eternity.
We are to love God with all our Heart, to be emotionally driven to be close to God and enjoy and be thankful for His presence.
We are to love God with all our Mind, even at times when we may not feel like loving God or may not 'like' Him, we are to decide to love and serve Him and grow in the wisdom of His Word.

Finally Jesus asked the Pharisees "Whose Son is the Christ?" to test them. They correctly answer "The son of David" as this is a title reseved for the Messiah and Jesus was a decendant of David according to both Joseph's and Mary's lineage. (see Why is it important that Mary is Jesus mother?)The Pharisees were incorrect though as they were expecting the Messiah to be an Earthly King and be Great because he was of the line of David. Jesus however points out that the opposite is true. The line of David is in fact great because the Messiah would come from it, the Messiah is God made Flesh, Jesus. However, Jesus is not great because He is of the line of David.

The Da Vinci Code

2006-05-19T19:58:00.000+10:00

Through Dan Brown's book The Da Vinci Code, you discover a lot of shocking facts about history and Christianity . . . Or do you?

The title Dan Brown used says it all. No-one in the art world calls him 'da Vinci'. That means "of Vinci" - he was Leonardo, who came from Vinci, an Italian town near Florence.

The Code: The pentagram (five pointed star) originated as a symbol for Venus as this is the path mapped by Venus through the night sky over the year.

The Truth: A five pointed star can only be seen in the movements of Venus if you carefully select which dates to look, and only observe on those dates. Otherwise it traces an irregular an zig-zagging pattern which does not resemble any shape let alone a star.

The Code: There is a secret society known as Priory of Sion that has a long and illustrious history dating back to the First Crusade starting with the creation of the Knights Templar as its military and financial front. The order is led by a Grand Master, at one time Leonardo Da Vinci.

The Truth: The Priory of Sion has been proven to be a hoax created by Pierre Plantard in 1956. Most of the evidence presented in support of claims pertaining to its historical existence, let alone significance, has not been considered authentic or persuasive by established historians, academics, and universities and are considered fraudulent.

The Code: Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene, whom he named leader of the church before his death.

The Truth: This claim has no support even from the Gnostic Gospels mentioned in Brown's book, let alone from historical data.

The Code: During 300 years of Witch Hunts, the church burned an the stake five million women.

The Truth: The 'Witch Hunts' occured over 400 years (1400-1800) and more like 30,000-50,000 men and women were executed by many different methods rather than just burning at the stake. If the 5 million women figure were true, more than 45 women per day would need to have been burned at the stake, killing more than 40% of Europen women during the period.

The Code: As a "Priory" leader and pagan goddess-worshiper, Leonardo Da Vinci coded secret knowledge about Jesus and Mary into his paintings.

The Truth: Da Vinci had no known ties to any secret Societies. Any obscure images in his paintings likely reflect his personal creativity.

The Code: The 'V' symbol known as the 'chalice' is an ancient symbol for the sacred feminine or goddess.

The Truth: A 'V' symbol has never been used in any time to represent the goddess or femninity.

The Code: The name "Mona Lisa" comes from the combination of two Egyptian god's names, Isis and Amon. Isis, whose ancient pictogram was once called L'ISA (Mona Lisa) is an anogram of the sacred union of male and female.

The Truth: Leonardo never titled any of his works. As far back as the 1525 inventory of the estate of the painter Salai, Leonardo's pupil, the painting is reffered to simply as "A Portrait of a Lady". The correct Italian spelling of Mona is Monna, a shortened version of madonna or Madame so this painting is simply titled Madame Lisa.

The Code: Roman Emperor Constantine called the council of Nicea, there he influenced the attending bishops to declare Christ as divine.

The Truth: While Constantine did in fact host the council of Nicea there is no evidence that he actually contributed to it at all. In fact there is documentary evidence that COnstantine was in favour of the Arian heresey, the belief that Jesus Christ was NOT divine, which was voted against almost unanomously by the 300+ attending bishops. Constantine did not invent the divinity of Jesus.

The Code: Holy Blood, Holy Grail is quoted as a meticulously researched histrical document.

The Truth: Holy Blood, Holy Grail was not written by historians. Its co-authors were Michael Baigent, an author and conspiracy theorist; Richard Leigh, a novelist and short story writer; and Henry Lincoln, a writer who also co-wrote several Doctor Who serials in the 1960s. This book of psuedo-history was based on Pierre Plantard's Priory of Sion hoax. It is generally presumed the authors knew these claims to be, at best, unprovable. In fact, Richard Leigh has stated on television that they only set out to offer a plausible hypothesis, but "never believed it to be true."

There are over 100 historical, architectural and descriptions of art in the Da Vinci Code which are incorrect or fabricated. If Dan Brown cannot even get his 'histoical' facts correct then we should not believe what he says about the church, or Jesus either. There is no consiquence of believeing a wrong date or incorect account of European History. There is Eternal consequences if you do not know Jesus.

Why does this matter, it's only a novel after all?

The problem is not the Da Vinci Code itself. The problem arises when people who either are unable or unmotivated to do any research cling to the Da Vinci Code as a historical and reliable document. People will believe anything if it discredits the Church, even a poorly researched fiction based on a fraudulent account of history.

If you are looking for a reasonable, page-turning novel, or a no-brainer movie pick up or go to the Da Vinci Code.

If you are wanting to learn about history pick up a text book or at least something from the non-fiction section.

If you want to learn about Jesus, click here or pick up a Bible.

Dan Brown's the Da Vinci Code does not contain history, but the Bible does contain HIS-story.

___________________________________

Reading or watching the film adaptation of the Da Vinci Code may cause you to ask some of the following questions. Please follow the links if you are curious.

What is the Nag Hammadi library?
Who were the early church fathers?
Is the deity of Christ Biblical?
Who was Mary Magdalene?
Was Jesus married?
What are the lost books of the Bible?
What are the Gnostic gospels?
What does the Bible say about the holy grail?
What occurred at the Council of Nicea?
Did Constantine decide what books belonged in the Bible?
What is Opus Dei?
What is the Priory of Sion?
What is the Desposyni / Rex Deus?
What is Holy Blood, Holy Grail?
What was the Merovingian dynasty?
Who were the Knights Templar?
Did Constantine change the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday?
What is the sacred feminine?
What is the gospel of Mary (Magdalene)?
What is the gospel of Philip?