Davinci Code Foolishness

Many folks are taking the Davinci Code's allegations as true without really considering how valid its claims may be.

• Dramatic fiction books in this genre are written for amusement, not critical thinking. People who buy them want to suspend disbelief, and take their mind off of everyday tedium, not understand serious issues. "Amusement" by the original definition is distraction from thinking, and The Davinci Code certainly meets that definition, but does it successfully say anything worth thinking about?
• Many plot turns in Davinci Code are based upon total incompetence - unlike most very successful drama fiction. Examples: the first big scene involves a killer of incredible skill on his fourth victim for the night - but he forgot to reload his pistol after the first three victims? Every police type semi-automatic pistol remains open after the last shot is fired, so magazines can be changed in a hurry, yet this skillful killer manages to "click" his Glock 17 shot semi-auto pistol on an empty chamber. The big murder victim in this scene is the head curator for the Louve musem, whose primary role includes ensuring that benefactors successfully pass donations on to the musem - but he does not believe in written wills? A key character is a police cryptologist - who has forgotten simple cryptographic puzzles she solved as a child? Another key character is an expert in ancient historical documents - who believes in Gnostic documents with anonymous authors claiming to give narratives from key persons in the life of Christ but which were actually written over a hundred years after the last such persons died?

Wonderful Truth: All Life is Precious

Once several years ago our then President twice vetoed a law that would have banned a medical method of abortion so incredible I will not begin to describe it. It was called "partial birth abortion" (here is what the American Medical Assn has published about it). By then I knew God must surely disapprove of what America was doing to unborn children, and I had already studied through much of the Bible. I also had the feeling it would be right to put my finger in my Bible without looking for an answer about what God thought of abortion.

My finger blindly found a verse I had already read, and one which is often read at Christmas, since it is about the first Christmas and what Mary sang when she learned she was to be the mother of Messiah, of God in human form - a role many Hebrew women longed for. The story begins in Luke 1. When the angel told Mary what was to be, he also told her that her older cousinElizabeth would have a son despite her age. So she quickly went to visit her cousin Elisabeth. When the baby (John the Baptist) in Elizabeth's womb leapt for joy at being near the unborn Jesus, Mary sang this song:

“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.
How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
For he took notice of his lowly servant girl,
and from now on all generations will call me blessed.
For the Mighty One is holy,
and he has done great things for me.
He shows mercy from generation to generation
to all who fear him.
His mighty arm has done tremendous things!
He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.
He has brought down princes from their thrones
and exalted the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away with empty hands.
He has helped his servant Israel
and remembered to be merciful.
For he made this promise to our ancestors,
to Abraham and his children forever.”
(Luke 1:46-55, NLT)

My finger was blindly upon Luke 1:54-55, which is bolded above. So what does God say about abortion? The Messiah came for mercy to all the descendants of Abraham.

Ground pounders and why I love them

Ground Pounders is military talk for infantry (Soldiers and Marines). Here is my tale about why I love them.

During the Vietnam War I graduated from college. That was before God woke me up to how Real He is, in January 1968 when the Viet Cong Tet Offensive began. During a vietnamese religious holiday the VC attacked many South Vietnamese cities to convince the US the war would cost too much. Then, even more than before, Uncle Sam wanted me and others to get involved.

I didn’t believe in the war and wanted no part of those jungles, so I enlisted in the Navy for four years. After boot camp I worked as a keypuncher on the base in San Diego until I was to be transferred. That’s when I was blessed to hand my own notice of availability to the Petty Officer who assigned recruits their next duty. He asked me what I wanted, so I asked for more data processing. That is how I got six months of computer schools in San Francisco and Washington, D.C., and then after doing well my choice of orders to shore duty in Hawaii.

Wheeler AFB is in the middle of Oahu. Less than a mile away is an underground Navy base in a large bunker, an alternate to the fleet control center in Pearl Harbor. I served there in under the pineapple fields in air-conditioned computer rooms for two years. That is how I was blessed with shore duty and the rank of Data Processing Petty Officer 2nd Class (E-5) before going to sea my last year.

That last year was aboard the USS Constellation aircraft carrier. I had about nine months at sea. I worked in a computer area with six other sailors preparing reports on fuel, ammo, and spare parts for the ship and our planes. My best sea story is that the President once ordered our forces to strike the enemy capital in Hanoi after peace talks had failed. We spent our time the night we moved to attack by passing around a magazine article about Soviet pilots based in North Vietnam with supersonic bombers, nuclear bombs, and a desire to sink American aircraft carriers.

What did I take away from Navy service?
During my Vietnam war service I learned what undeserved gifts are that you can never repay. At all times my air-conditioned computer room was defended by several other ships, many tons of steel, and dozens of aircraft. Only a few miles away there were ground-pounders and flyboys suffering and dying in the jungle in my place and partly for my freedom. Those flyers who didn't suffer it were risking the worst of it alone in enemy territory. Those men faced unknown enemies in miserable conditions. Getting shot at or booby trapped there might even be easier than facing the unrelenting heat, humidity, bugs and diseases at every turn - never knowing when someone might surprise you with a grenade or AK-47, or a buddy die in some horrible way before your helpless eyes. There were many horrible things those men cannot forget, and I hope they try to warn us against. Unlike some of them, I came away with only good things.

Undeserved Gifts.
Experiencing that undeserved gift of life and freedom, knowing just a little bit what other men chose to do partly for my sake, was part of what finally compelled me to REALLY consider the Bible. In a far greater measure, that is exactly what the Messiah, who is fully God yet fully in the form of a man, did on the cross. Jesus paid for our lifetimes of unholiness, for us to have an undeserved eternity of incredible friendships and celebrations, with His own blood. To reject that message, to delay attempting to know it for yourself, is the only sin that actually condemns us to eternity without God. Every other sin of a lifetime is forgiven the instant we actually know that truth in our hearts, enough to keep acting upon what we know.

Jesus suffered untold pain in the hope we would seek Him through His Word, come to know Him because of it. I have had many Real answers to prayer, yet often I cannot expect an answer because of my unholy thoughts, deeds or failures to do. The truth is He DOES answer prayer when we expect an answer because of HIS Holiness.

Yes I take the Bible literally, including Genesis chapter one. Which actually says that God created heaven and earth from nothing in the beginning, THEN God let the first visible day occur on the surface (dispersing thick clouds, see Job 38:8), then during those six Hebrew “yom” periods of activity created three life forms from nothing including mankind. Those six periods of activity completed the making of heaven and earth, but clearly did not include creating any part of heaven or earth from nothing. Take the Bible literally, hope for answers there, and keep hoping until God hints it is time to look.

Westboro Baptist Church speaks for God?

BACKGROUND. Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) has recently made news by disrupting prominent funerals to publicize their concern that America is suffering God's wrath because we as a nation have not discouraged prideful homosexual behavior. It is true we give God many reasons for wrath, including failure to confront awful public sins, but WBC arrogantly proclaims God's wrath for Him, and painfully disrupts funerals to do so.

Westboro Baptist Church claims many sufferings by Americans (including Iraq war deaths and the Amish girls killed recently) are due to God's wrath against America for our public acceptance of prideful homosexual behavior. WBC has not read what happened to Job, a godly man who suffered greatly, and his three "friends" who arrogantly claimed Job must have deserved God's wrath (Job ch 30-37). When God appears in answer to Job's cry for help and understanding, He says to Job's three friends, "I am angry with you..., because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has." (Job 42:7, NIV)

WBC hopes to inspire repentance by disrupting funerals. They have not read, "Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.... Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:17-21, NIV)

WBC has strayed so far from ordinary understanding of the scriptures, it seems reasonable to suppose they may have a human "special" teacher who arrogantly promotes human teaching over the personal responsibility to know God's Word for oneself. This would not be possible if their members truly loved God and His Word with their whole heart and mind. Becoming a "special" teacher or deferring personal understanding about God to one is exactly what Jesus warned against when he said:

"Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels. And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honor in the synagogues. They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi.’

“Don’t let anyone call you ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one teacher, and all of you are equal as brothers and sisters. And don’t address anyone here on earth as ‘Father,’ for only God in heaven is your spiritual Father. And don’t let anyone call you ‘Teacher,’ for you have only one teacher, the Messiah. The greatest among you must be a servant. But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." (Matthew 23:5-12, NIV)

American Jewish Congress http://www.ajcongress.org

Has published video interviews of Hezbollah operatives here, here, and here describing how Hezbollah members and Lebanese civilians conspire to place anti-tank and other missiles in civilian areas, and attack from civilian areas to deliberately sacrifice civilian homes, civilian lives, and children for the Islamic cause by attracting Israeli retaliation.

What does God say he created those six days?

The Biblical wrotes wrote to be Understood, using normal grammar, so readers would not need special teachers, and special teachers are now forbidden since scripture is complete Matt 23

Below are the most primary verses to understand regarding the question of what God says about the age of the heavens and earth. We have emphasized the key words.

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day....
(Genesis 1:1 -5, NKJV courtesy of BibleGateway.com)

It is commonly assumed that "the beginning" and the "first day" refer to the same period. But this ignores the initial condition before God speaks and the light of the first day begins, the earth already was without form and had an ocean.

But , one may ask is meant by the term "first day" then, if not the first day of the creation process?

existed in some sense without form and that the deep or ocean clearly existed. at assumption contradicts the initial condition of verse what if . The assertion that God created the heavens and the earth within the six days rests on that assumption. When that is assumed, one can easily conclude that all of the heavens and earth, and all forms of living creatures were created in some way during that six day period.

However I have been unable to find any verses in any of the popular English versions of the Bible which clearly mean "in the beginning" and the six days refer to the same period, or that all forms of living creatures were created during the six days.

One verse commonly used to assert this is below.

For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day.
(taken from Exodus 20, KJV, courtesy of BlueLetterBible.org)

But one obvious problem with asserting the above means God created the heavens and the earth during those six days is that God uses the hebrew "asah" where "made" appears. In other words this is not about when God created the universe from nothing, but when it was made complete.

This can be seen using BlueLetterBible's page for Exodus 20, browse to 20:11 and click the "C" Concordance tool button to get this display exploding that verse in Hebrew, and showing "asah" where "made" appears above. By clicking the Strong's number for "asah" [06213] there, one can see more about what "asah" means and what other verses use "asah". By using BlueLetterBible.org for the other verses above one can see that "bara" means something different from "asah".

To me the apparent lack of verses to support any of the above necessary implications means any serious Bible student should question the assumption that "in the beginning" refers to the same period as the six days, and seek to understand for themselves what is the "first day" (Genesis 1:2 to 1:5) about if it may not be the first day the creation process began.

Like myself, my Pastor knows the original text of the Bible is divinely authored without flaw. That means it is more than a belief, he has had some form of personal divine confirmation of the Bible's authorship. Also he apparently believes that heaven, earth, and all living things were created during those six days.

So my challenge to him will be: using any of the most popular Bible versions (such as KJV, NKJV, NIV, NASB, or HCSB) if you can show me what verse or verses clearly mean any one of the above implications is true, I will donate fifty dollars to the church. If you cannot, then you owe the church a sermon on what that means.

Of interest in this challenge is that:

• Proper interpretation of the Bible never permits adding meaning to a verse unless that is supported by other verses of the Bible;
• Wherever there is lack of clarity the original scriptures are the best authority on what is meant - not the opinions of men; and
• This same assumption leads many who know scientific facts to disregard the possibility there is a Holy God who loves each of us incredibly much. To disregard the reality of God's Word and the eternal life it offers.

Imagine my confusion, when his response was:

• Genesis 1:1 is a summary of what follows (despite that what follows says nothing about creating any part of the heavens or the earth);
• This is Hebrew. One cannot take Hebrew literally. In other words God's written word must be interpreted by experts - despite Matthew 23.
  
• Bara = Asah. They are interchangable and mean the same thing. Despite that "the heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands... The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple... the fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever." Psa 19.

Since I was a few minutes early to work and hadn't yet begun doing a daily quiet time, I asked God to reveal the truth of what my Pastor was claiming. Then I put my hand blindly in my older NIV Bible. It was on Isaiah 36:5

[Assyrian captain Sennacherib = Deceiver, Assyrian King = ways of Man,
Hezekiah & followers = faithful, Isaiah = Word of God]

On whom are you depending...? 6 Look now, you are depending on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff, which pierces a man's hand and wounds him if he leans on it! ...7 And if you say to me, "We are depending on the LORD our God"-isn't he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, "You must worship before this altar"?
[Deceiver challenges the faithful, refers to misunderstanding which causes confusion]

"10 Furthermore, have I come to attack and destroy this land without the LORD ? The LORD himself told me to march against this country and destroy it.' "
[Deceiver claims to hear from God that he should destroy what is God's]

11 Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joah said to the field commander, "Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it. Don't speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall."
[faithful don't want confusion and misunderstanding to lead others astray, don't want deception to spread. an interesting point that the use of Hebrew is by the deceiver who uses it for evil]

12 But the commander replied, "Was it only to your master and you that my master sent me to say these things, and not to the men sitting on the wall—who, like you, will have to eat their own filth and drink their own urine?"
[deceiver uses accurate Hebrew to spread fear and misunderstanding]

13 Then the commander stood and called out in Hebrew, "Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria! 14 This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you. He cannot deliver you! 15 Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the LORD when he says, 'The LORD will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.'
[Deceiver lies about the truth of God, casts doubt upon relationship with God]

16 "Do not listen to Hezekiah. This is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then every one of you will eat from his own vine and fig tree and drink water from his own cistern, 17 until I come and take you to a land like your own—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards.
[Deceiver tempts faithful to trust in Man]

18 "Do not let Hezekiah mislead you when he says, 'The LORD will deliver us.' Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? 19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand? 20 Who of all the gods of these countries has been able to save his land from me? How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand?"
[Deceiver says don't trust God's word, compares foolish trust in men to trust in the living God]

21 But the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, "Do not answer him."
[faithful remain obedient to the Word of God]

Isaiah 37
1 When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the LORD. 2 He sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. 3 They told him, "This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the point of birth and there is no strength to deliver them. 4 It may be that the LORD your God will hear the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridicule the living God, and that he will rebuke him for the words the LORD your God has heard. Therefore pray for the remnant that still survives."
[faithful seek God's help, know that they need Him desperately, know the deceiver ridicules God, pray God rebukes the deceiver]

5 When King Hezekiah's officials came to Isaiah, 6 Isaiah said to them, "Tell your master, 'This is what the LORD says: Do not be afraid of what you have heard—those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. 7 Listen! I am going to put a spirit in him so that when he hears a certain report, he will return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword.' "
[God says do not fear the deceiver, the blasphemer, nor the ways of Man. His deception will soon be ended]

8 When the field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish, he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah.

9 Now Sennacherib received a report that Tirhakah, the Cushite king of Egypt , was marching out to fight against him. When he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word: 10 "Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you depend on deceive you when he says, 'Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.' 11 Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered? 12 Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my forefathers deliver them—the gods of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph and the people of Eden who were in Tel Assar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, or of Hena or Ivvah?"
[Deceiver has foolish trust in the ways of Man and calls for more of it, even when God's work is manifest, compares living God to all false gods]

Hezekiah's Prayer

14 Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. 15 And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD : 16 "O LORD Almighty, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 17 Give ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; listen to all the words Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God.
[Faithful calls on God who is Almighty, "maker of heaven and earth". See the insult to God in this deceiver]

18 "It is true, O LORD, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these peoples and their lands. 19 They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. 20 Now, O LORD our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O LORD, are God. "
[Faithful calls on God to reveal that He alone is the living God, that the Deceiver lies about who God truly is]

Sennacherib's Fall

[God promises to rebuke the Deceiver, make the ways of men folly, show He is Almighty, reward the faithful

21 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria, 22 this is the word the LORD has spoken against him:
"The Virgin Daughter of Zion
despises and mocks you.
The Daughter of Jerusalem
tosses her head as you flee.

23 Who is it you have insulted and blasphemed?
Against whom have you raised your voice
and lifted your eyes in pride?
Against the Holy One of Israel!

24 By your messengers
you have heaped insults on the Lord.
And you have said,
'With my many chariots
I have ascended the heights of the mountains,
the utmost heights of Lebanon.
I have cut down its tallest cedars,
the choicest of its pines.
I have reached its remotest heights,
the finest of its forests.

25 I have dug wells in foreign lands
and drunk the water there.
With the soles of my feet
I have dried up all the streams of Egypt.'

26 "Have you not heard?
Long ago I ordained it.
In days of old I planned it;
now I have brought it to pass,
that you have turned fortified cities
into piles of stone.
[God points out to Deceiver that He ordained what the Ways of Men had done up to then]

27 Their people, drained of power,
are dismayed and put to shame.
They are like plants in the field,
like tender green shoots,
like grass sprouting on the roof,
scorched before it grows up.

28 "But I know where you stay
and when you come and go
and how you rage against me.

29 Because you rage against me
and because your insolence has reached my ears,
I will put my hook in your nose
and my bit in your mouth,
and I will make you return
by the way you came.
[Deceiver's insolence has reached God's ears]

30 "This will be the sign for you, O Hezekiah:
"This year you will eat what grows by itself,
and the second year what springs from that.
But in the third year sow and reap,
plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

31 Once more a remnant of the house of Judah
will take root below and bear fruit above.

32 For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant,
and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.

33 "Therefore this is what the LORD says concerning the king of Assyria:
"He will not enter this city
or shoot an arrow here.
He will not come before it with shield
or build a siege ramp against it.

34 By the way that he came he will return;
he will not enter this city,"
declares the LORD.

35 "I will defend this city and save it,
for my sake and for the sake of David my servant!"

36 Then the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies! 37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.
[what an answer to insolence and deception about the Living God!]

Bara
Gen 1:1 heavens and earth
1:21 sea creatures & birds
1:27 mankind
2:3 all that he created and made
2:4 when they were created in the day the Lord made the earth and the heavens
5:1 generations of Adam in the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made He him
5:2 male and female created He them and called their name Adam in the day when they were created
6:7 And the Lord said I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth
Exo 34:10 I will do marvels such as have not been created (done) in all the earth
Num 16:30 But if the Lord Create (make) a new thing and the earth open her mouth and swallow them up...
Deu 4:32 since the day God created man upon the earth
Jos 17:15 if thou be a great people then get up to the country and clear a place (create) for thyself in the land of the Perizzites
Jos 17:18 the mountain shall be thine for it is a wood and thou shalt clear a place (create) for thou shalt drive out the Canaanites
1SA 2:29 wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice which I have commanded ; and honourest thy sons to make yourselves fat (create)
psa 51:10 Create in me a clean heart oh God
psa 89:10 the north and the south thou hast created them
psa 89:47 Remember how short my time is: wherefore has thou made (created) all men in vain?
Psa 102:18 the generation to come and the people which shall be created shall praise the Lord
Psa104:30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created; and thou renewst the face of the earth
Psa 148:5 Let them praise the name of the Lord for He commanded and they were created
Ecc12:1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not
Isa 4:5 The Lord will Create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies a cloud and a smoke by day
Isa 40:26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things
Isa 40:28 Hast thou not known? that the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth
Isa 41:20 that they may see, and know, that the hand of the Lord hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it
Isa 42:5 thus saith God the Lord, that he created the heavens
Isa 43:1 thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob
Isa 43:7 Every one that is called by name for I have created him for my glory
Isa 43:15 I am the Lord your Holy One, the Creator of Israel
Isa 45:7 I form the light and create the darkness, I make peace, and create evil, I the Lord do these things
Isa 45:8 Drop down ye heavens from above... I the Lord have created it.
Isa 45:12 I have made the earth and created man upon it
Isa 45:18 thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, He created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited
Isa 54:16 Behold I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work, and I have crated the waster to destroy.
Isa 57:19 I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off
Isa 65:17 For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth
Isa 65:18 But be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create, for behold I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy
Jer 31:22 How long wilt thou go about o thou backsliding daughter? For the Lord hath created a new thing in the earth
Eze 21:19 thou son of man appoint thee two ways that the sword of the king of Babylon may come: both twain shall come forth out of one land; and choose (create) thou a place, choose (create) it at the head of the way to the city.
Eze 21:30 Shall I cause it to return into his sheath? Iwill judge thee in the place where thou wast created
Eze 23:47 the company shall stone them with stones and dispatch (create) them with their swords
Eze 28:13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of the God ... the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created
Eze 28:15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee
Amo 4:13 He that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man his thought
Mal 2:10 have we not all one father? Hath not one God created us?

When did God create heaven and earth?

Herein we are using the New King James Version of the Bible, which is much the same as any popular English translation about these verses. Only the NASB differs in some details we will discuss later. The links are to BibleGateway.com, which has many modern translations in English and other languages.

To understand the way God speaks about the creation process, focus on every statement about the earth because it is the created thing about which we have the most detail. It was created in the beginning, then given light, land, plants, creatures, and mankind, then pronounced made complete only after mankind was created.

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

The heavens spoken of here includes the sun, moon, and stars. The heavens are mentioned first, which may indicate they were created before the earth. The word which is translated as "created" is the Hebrew BARA, which is often taken to mean a divine creation of something out of nothing.

1:2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

This is earth's condition as seen the surface: dark and only a watery surface. God has not yet caused light at the surface of the earth but since the Hebrew day begins at evening this may be God's description of the beginning of the first day. God says nothing about BARA creating the earth or light, but that earth exists in the dark. This means verse 1:1's "the beginning" may have preceeded the first day by some unspecified period of time.

1:3-5 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.

God lets light appear as seen from the surface of the earth. Since the BARA act of divine creation is not mentioned until the fifth and sixth days, the term "first day" should not be misread to mean the first day of the creation process, but only the obvious meaning of the first 24-hour day apparent at the earth's surface. Sometimes the word "day" means the normal 12-hour period of daylight and human activity, or a 24 hour complete cycle, or several consecutive days of certain activity. In the case of Genesis 1:5 "day" is used first to mean the 12-hour daylight, then later to mean a 24 hour day/night cycle as seen on the surface of the earth. It also defines "day" as a term for use in this narrative and later narratives.

1:6-8 Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” 7 Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.

The term Heaven of verse 1:8 is the Hebrew word for "sky". So here God made the sky apparently to divide very thick clouds from the ocean below. Notice again God did not BARA anything, and it is possilble there were days unmentioned between the first day and this one, since God's Word does not tell us everything men want to know - only what God wants us to know.

Many serious scholars of God's Word believe the six days should be understood as consecutive, and there is no obvious scripture indicating they were not. That days were apparent at the surface does not necessarily mean the sun was visible through those clouds, and but even if the sun were not visible it could provide energy to plants later.

1:9 - 13 Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. 10 Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
11 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 So the evening and the morning were the third day.

Here God lets dry land appear and lets the earth bring forth plant life. He does not claim to BARA create plant life from nothing in any verse. Since He is the source of all life we should assume He made plant life originate in some sense gradually, perhaps partly prior to the third day, or fulfilled after the third day. We should always assume events God describes are normal as we experience them unless God specifies they were unusual. The earth bringing forth grass, herbs, and trees may have started or been fulfilled on the third day, but the normal growing seasons for a tree should be assumed. This is one valid reason to interpret that although the second and third days are normal 24 hour days, there may be more than one normal growing season between the second and third days that God does not consider worth mentioning.

1:14 - 19 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16 Then 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. 17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 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. 19 So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

God lets lights appear in the sky as a means of marking time and to give light on the earth, which completes God's purposes for the heavens. He made the sun, moon, and stars. He does not claim to BARA create the sun, moon, or stars from nothing in this period. He does claim to make them apparent at the surface as men would see them. God does not tell us here when He created them orginally. Notice the sun, moon, and stars are mentioned in the order they would become obvious if the thick cloud layer above the sky (of verse 1:7) was lessening in a normal manner under God's direction.

Genesis 2:1 - 5. 1 Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
4 This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, 5 before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown.

Again God summarizes Genesis chapter one as being about when the heavens and the earth were finished, ending with the sixth day. There is nothing in these verses to indicate if "the beginning" coincided with the "first day" or preceeded it by some unspecified time. Verse 2:3 is sometimes misread to mean that created and made mean the same process, which ignores common logic. If I claim to have designed and built a car that does not mean that designing and building are the same process, but could be considered distinct stages of the same process. God says "He rested from all His work which God had created and made', which clearly says God means something different by "created" than He means by "made". Verse 2:4 uses the word "day" to mean the entire period when God made the earth and heavens..

Notice verse 2:5 says plants and herbs of the field were not apparent by the seventh day, although some trees and other plants existed by then according to verses 1:11 - 13. This is the oldest observation that some dominant life forms change over time - what most people mean by the term "evolution". Because God never claims to BARA create any type of plant, it is possible that God in some way made plants of the field from preceeding plants, or that they were created earlier and only later became apparent when conditions favored their being made complete.

Exodus 20:8-11 “ Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

Verse 11 above is a favorite of those who advocate a six-day creation story. But God does not here claim here that He BARA divinely created anything from nothing during that period. He says that He "made" them complete, which is the Hebrew ASAH.

The phrase "in six days" is critical to the six-day creation story, but the "in" is italicized in many Bibles and Strong's Hebrew Concordance because "in" is assumed by the translators but not part of the original Hebrew scripture. The word "in" changes the entire meaning of this sentence. Those who want the six-day creation story emphasize "for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth...", which would mean the making was all done during six days, and the whole passage would mean we are to keep the sabbath because God made everything during six days.

Without that assumed "in", the sentence reads "For six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth...". Therefore the actual meaning of the original scripture seems instead to mean that He made everything as He did to emphasize six days and how important keeping the sabbath is. The meaning of the passage then becomes, keep the sabbath because God considers it so important that He made everything for six days. This second meaning without the assumed "in" is consistant with Christ's teaching that man was not made for the sake of the sabbath, but the sabbath for man's sake. (Mark 2:27) .

A Wonder: Unselfish Love

Anyone who knows the reality of Unselfish Love understands something of the true all-loving Creator. For example, what led me to knowing God was the Unselfish Love shown by America's forefathers in building and preserving government meant to secure the Creator-given equal rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Unselfish Love like that, love willing to give up treasure, and life itself for the sake of others is itself a miracle and a small potential proof of God's nature, as America's actual history was for me.

Anyone who knows of Unselfish Love already has proof, but deniable proof, that the all-loving Creator exists and always gives us a way to find Him. Because we humans are so awfully flawed yet He is pure Righteousness and Justice, such proof must be deniable so we may choose to persist in blindly worshipping less than Him.

But what is Unselfish Love then? From the Apostle Paul:

(2) If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. (3) If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

2 Corinthians 13:2-7 New International Version

Notice verse 2 means there is no secret mystery, knowledge, or mere belief in a story with lasting power. Also verse 3 says there is no secret prayer, holy ritual, nor good deeds with lasting power. Without love toward God Himself, we are nothing and we can do nothing to gain God's favor.

Those who claim to have secret power or to do anything that gains God's favor do not know the real God of the Scriptures no matter what they may convince themselves or say aloud. By other Scriptures (such as Matthew 23:5-11), such religionists / false teachers seek to exploit those who foolishly worship god-like power for themselves, like Adam and Eve did (Genesis 3:4-5).

Every time one of us worships a lie about lasting powers we might gain, we are giving this world to the same false god Adam and Eve believed instead of the Creator (Genesis 3:1-6). In that way we help poison this world. Adults have seen far more of the evils due to that sin poisoning, and so children are more likely to trust in and find God as He really is. Adults are instead more likely to deny the nature of God, to give up on a loving Creator or hope in foolish schemes to magically control Him.

Publishing upon Love was on my mind, when tonight by "accident" on my new iPod I played a favorite song about Unselfish Love...

We can entertain compassion
For a world in need of care,
But the road of good intentions
Doesn't lead to anywhere
'Cause love isn't love
'Til you give it away
You gotta give it away

Love is like a river
Flowing down from the Giver of life
We drink from the water
And our thirst is no longer denied
You gotta give it away

There was a man who walked on water
He came to set the people free
He was the ultimate example
Of what love can truly be
'Cause His love was His life
And He gave it away
You gotta give it away

Michael W. Smith, "Give It Away"

Finding Good out of bad

[This is to encourage a young man bound for college whom I love. He had a soft contact cause a corneal scratch which became infected, possibly due to bacteria in the water at the beach. Very quickly that became a damaged cornea. He may well need a corneal transplant. Fortunately we are blessed with good medical care and chances for healing, but patience and trust will be needed]

Kevin, one of the reasons I love the Bible is that it tells the truth about some very difficult things. Despite what some try to sell to the foolish, it does not promise the good life in this world. Instead it promises there are no magical ceremonies or words to influence God. It teaches there may be healing we ask for, but we must know Him personally enough to expect an answer according to His will. It also teaches that God may not give the answer we hope for.

I and the church prayer group are praying that you find healing for your eye. I have every hope that will come in time, probably through excellent doctors like you will have at college. But whether it does or not, and no matter how long that takes, God always wants you to seek something good out of what seems bad - so begin now to think for yourself how that might look.

Everything good thing begins with focus on helping someone else. That might be going out of your way to help folks with a handicap for example. Everything lasting thing begins with focus on glorifying what God has done for you. If you become trapped into focusing on yourself very little good can happen - I learned that myself about addiction to games and how trapped in guilt that made me. If you aren't sure yet what God has done for you then make a real effort to learn certainty of it.

The Apostle Paul wrote almost half of the New Testament, and apparently had bad eyesight. When his name was still Saul, he had an experience that might affect the eyesight when the risen Jesus turned him from persecuting Christians to being a primary example of a Christian. Even though Paul was part of many miracles, including perhaps knowing Heaven itself when he may have been revived from the dead, God did not cure Paul's eyesight for a reason.

To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10 NIV)

Paul wrote the following to those who were already sure what God had done for them. It teaches that we are actually to rejoice in every opportunity to seek growth of character. That does NOT mean it is easy to put into practice, however. True character growth never comes easily.

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us--they help us learn to endure. And endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation. And this expectation will not disappoint us. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. (Romans 5:3-5 NLV)

You are young and modern medicine knows well how to deal with this, and being young you have a better than usual chance of healing with that help.

I never had to face a difficulty like yours is at your age. But I do know of men who faced going into the hell of the Vietnam war as young as you are. Regardless whether they were heroes or just men there - I admire every one because of whatever they did for other people, including for me.

Praying for you always,
Dad

Overcoming Guilt

I mentioned "In the beginning" that I have been a Christian for twelve years at this point and have not yet obeyed Him by having myself baptised. Here is what I have to say about disobeying His clear command for so long.

Confirmation that now is the right time.
After this entry was drafted, I considered how to finish it this morning. When I turned on the TV to distract one of my children, Dr. Charles Stanley (InTouch.org) was giving a full thirty minute program on the necessity of being Baptised. Can there be a better more humble sign from God that being baptised and publishing about it are the right things for me to do at this time?

What is Baptism?
The Bible is very clear that no mere ceremony, words, or sacrifice by men can influence the Creator. To think the Creator of the universe is ridiculously subject to human "magic" like that is incredible arrogance. Baptism according to the Bible is a ceremony that publicly symbolizes obediently identifying oneself as a believer belonging to the company of all believers.

How you can influence the Creator.
To influence the Creator of all things you must begin by letting Him change your heart, by persistantly and humbly pursuing Him through His words yourself. Persist until you begin understanding it and loving Him because you do, without needing "special" teachers.

Why haven't I been baptised before?
While I have many times experienced the Reality of God in wonderful, unexplainable ways, I am still doing some things God doesn't want, and failing to do what He does want. For my family who know this best of all, I have been a poor example of a Christian. By doing what God does not want I mean primarily computer gaming, which steals time from my family and has made me feel guilty. By not doing what God does want I mean primarily not publishing about the many ways God has made His word real to me - which is the worst sin of all since God's words are "life to those who find them" (Proverbs 4:20)

Overcoming Guilt.
What held me enslaved for so long is the normal guilt trap many of us fall into. Too guilty to feel worthy of God's blessing, and unable to become better by self-improvement. That leads to frustration and retreating into another cycle of fantasy / addiction that makes us feel guilty. The problem begins with focus on self.

The only true freedom is to know God's truth for yourself, beyond what any "special" teacher may say. Then one need not be enslaved by guilt because:

• - Messiah as God in the flesh paid the entire price on the cross for every sin every man will ever do - just as the Prophets David, Isaiah, Daniel and others said He would a thousand years before.
  
• - What God has already done on the cross is far more worthy than anything any man has ever done or will do.
• - To find real freedom we must dwell on and worship what God has done and Who God is, and then do something in return as a thank you gift to God's creation - such as publishing important truths, or caring for the ill for example.
  
• - To dwell on guilt assumes one might do something more worthy than God - which is self-worship.
• - It doesn't matter if it is ourselves or someone else we need to forgive. When we don't forgive what God has forgiven, we are attempting to be more righteous and worthy than God - which is also self-worship.

Last Thoughts.
Before he became an Apostle, Paul was a Pharisee, a leading persecuter of Christians (then named Saul). While on his way to ensure more Christians were stoned to death, the risen Messiah in person called Paul as a witness to God's power to transform sinners. The Apostle Paul endured severe whippings and stoning, plus imprisonment in dire conditions. Despite that he led establishing churches in much of the Roman empire, and authored almost half the books of the New Testament (which is mostly interpretation of mysteries in the original Scriptures we call the Old Testament). Finally rather than bow down to the Roman emperor as a god, Paul went willingly to die for the truth that God is more worthy than any man.

Yet even as an Apostle, Paul repeatedly found himself doing evil.

So now I am no longer the one doing (evil), but it is sin living in me. For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it. For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do. Romans 7:17-19 HCSB

A Resource for Resisting Addictions

I was up playing computer games late and fell asleep for a few hours. Then finally got working on a new post about my addiction to computer gaming, since I must face that as part of identifying myself fully as a Christian. Part of posting on my addiction involves studying the material at PureIntimacy.org.

This site is primarily about overcoming sexual addictions, but you may find it helpful in coping with gambling, substance-abuse, pornography, workaholism, and other addictions. My own difficulty is primarily about computer gaming, but it used to have a pornography aspect. Every form of addiction has similar components, including fantasy by the addict, harm to the spouse and children of the addict, and risks to the career of the addict.

From PureIntimacy +Intimacy and Addiction +Why do people become addicts?

Addictions create substantial family trauma. The addict becomes preoccupied, gets lost in fantasy, and invests significant time in his harmful behaviors, as the addiction becomes the focus of life. In families, the addicted parent is present but is mastered by his addiction. The other parent develops his or her own preoccupation centering on controlling the addict’s behavior and protecting loved ones from the actions of the addict. This behavior is referred to as co-addiction or co-dependency.

Note that addiction creates family trauma, but it is also a response to personal trauma. PureIntimacy is a Christian funded website but it isn't openly Christian to evangelise. I found this helpful under Why the God-talk?

No matter where you are on the spectrum of faith, you are welcome here. This site is devoted to providing the best available resources on sexual addiction, pornography use, and other areas involving sexual brokenness. We want to help all who come to us looking for hope, whether or not we agree on matters of faith...

Our faith motivates us to reach out to those who are hurting and to do whatever we can to make them whole again. If you wouldn’t refuse treatment at a hospital called St. Luke’s, consider accepting our assistance as well.

For far too long our culture has worked to devalue, denigrate, and dis-integrate the human person. Many used to decry the separation of sex from procreation, but now people separate sex even from human emotion. The most profound, beautiful, and mysterious connection between two people has been reduced to a transaction or an exercise in fluid mechanics. This is a seriously impoverished view of sexuality and humanity.

The Christian view of sexuality, which informs this site, teaches that the human person is comprised of body, mind, and spirit. Sexual brokenness indicates the dis-integration of these various components. When we separate sex from its emotional and spiritual attachments, problems arise.

Part of what gives the PureIntimacy information power is that it tries to address the spritual component of addictions with the point of view of believers in the Word of God, where true personal spiritual power can be found and developed. Christians can be seriously addicted and still be truly Christian, in fact the Word of God promises that real Christians will suffer spiritual attacks which can be in the form of addictions - because mankind gave this world to its current god, who grows increasingly desperate to do harm as his time runs out for that.

Having actually read some of this and with this post actually done something to help you Defend Others as Yourself - I plan to read more later. For now I feel empowered to leave my troubles and get some sleep. Notice the time this was originally composed.

Wonderful Truth: Eternal Life

Here's the story of another wonderful truth I did nothing to deserve, but God has blessed me with.

I usually study my Bible following along with radio sermons during lunch in my car. My favorite show is the late J. Vernon McGee's "Through the Bible". They have a guide to their many world-wide radio broadcasts in many languages, archives of past shows, excellent free study material, and a free business hours phone number at www.ttb.org .

About eight years after the Book became real to me was the first time I ever studied in my computer lab during lunch, because my car was in the shop. Something happened that day not when I sought it, but before I needed it. So even if I were foolish I could not pretend to cause it in any way. Again the skeptic will say it was only coincidence that I take in a foolish way. As in the first "wonderful truth" entry I say: God controls how and who He answers, and what He wants is to nurture humble faith willing to believe His answers come to those who humbly persist in seeking Him.

I was in my computer lab following Thru The Bible with a certain verse, and just finished reading and hearing about that verse. Exactly then, not a minute later, my mother called me on the phone at my desk to tell me that my father had passed away unexpectedly.

The verse I had been studying was...

When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage;
they will be like the angels in heaven. Mark 12:25 (NIV)

Notice that taking this as an answer planned for me means God has coordinated all the following to happen down to that very instant:

• - what the Thru The Bible broadcasts as part of their five-year Bible study series;
• - that my car needed repair work;
  
• - that my father passed away;
• - that my mother would call just then;
  
• - where I was, and
  
• - that I already had many reasons to believe His Word is beyond magical and from Him.
  

So do not be surprised when I say that an Incredible God really does offer Life Eternal beyond all one can hope for, to those who take Him as the source of all Truth and Good.

Wonderful Truth regarding His Word

I mentioned some wonderful truths "regarding His Word" before. Here is our story of one of the most important such truths.

A few years ago I had an assistant named Sam, whose first language was vietnamese. When he saw how important the Bible was to me, he asked me for one printed in vietnamese. I ordered one over the Internet from the International Bible Society. When I brought it to work, I sat in my car and wondered what verse Sam should have with it as a kind of introduction to it.

I can't really explain what happened next. The skeptic will say it was coincidence - wishful thinking. But this Bible had about 2000 pages and perhaps six places on each page where I might put my finger. How many failed tries would it take to convince the skeptic this was more than chance? God is in control of how He answers and who He answers. More, such answers are only promised to those who honestly seek the source of all Truth and Goodness, and persist in seeking answers from Him - not to the arrogant expecting God to do tricks on request.

If you exercise that hope in His goodness and truth, sometimes God will give you the feeling that an answer is waiting. It may be an unmistakable hint or only a feeling - but I've never known such an answer to be a call-the-reporters, bolt-of-lightning, or audible-voice miracle. Usually it is only a small private humble miracle meant only for the one who humbly hopes in Him and His promises.

In the car that day He gave me the feeling I should expect an answer. So I put my finger inside that vietnamese Bible where I could not read a single word. When my finger felt like the right spot, I opened it up and tried to figure out where that was.

My finger was on chapter 4 verse 13 of a book near the end of the original Scriptures (Old Testament). The name of the book began with an "A" and was only four characters long. By looking in the table of contents, I was able to find the verse to give Sam, who as a Buddhist had never really looked at a Bible before. It was ...

He who forms the mountains,
creates the wind,
and reveals His thoughts to man,
He who turns dawn to darkness,
and treads the high places of the earth—
the LORD God Almighty is His name.
Amos 4:13 (NIV)

In the beginning

I realized the Creator wants me to publish some of the wonderful truths He has blessed me with regarding His Word and character, and how important it is to share His truth for the sake of others. The reason I am to do so is to enable you, Gentle Reader, to defend youself and others with the Creator's truth.

The title for this entry came from our conviction Genesis chapter one is meant to be read as a partial account of the creation of the heavens and the earth from nothing "in the beginning", followed by the completion of the heavens and the earth over six periods of unknown length ending with the creation of mankind [day-age theory].

I have been resisting that calling to publish in selfish disobedience since He began clearly revealing His truth to me in 1994. Understand the seriousness of that disobedience: God's Word is Life itself to those who find it, a Life lived fully in joy and peace beyond earthly measure - and I have not only resisted sharing the Life He has given me as He wants, I have not even been baptised since God brought me to Him and according to His command. The first consequence of disobeying is of course that you have no confidence that prayers will be answered.

One of the reasons this blog is being started now, is I have given myself the deadline of publishing a rough draft about something of consequence before I am baptised July 30th.

[day-age theory] day-age theory provided by Origins.org.
google for "day age bara asah").

My son, pay attention to my words;
listen closely to my sayings.
Don't lose sight of them;
keep them within your heart.
For they are life to those who find them,
and health to one's whole body.
Guard your heart above all else,
for it is the source of life.
Don't let your mouth speak dishonestly,
and don't let your lips talk deviously.
(Proverbs 4:20-24 HCSB)