For Virginia Tech and all of Us

To You, the almighty eternal Creator,

Lord, we pray turn this evil into Good; Let this remind us how fallen this doomed world is; That our true Hope is in You alone; How much we all need You and Your eternal Truth. Encourage those who can to bring comfort where it is needed most. Be with those injured physically and emotionally, with those families and friends. Remind them how Real You are; How Real Your promise of Heaven is for anyone who persists in trying to know You personally until it is You they love.

In the name of the Messiah; God in the flesh who chose incredibly to be the Lamb of God on that awful cross; Him who came so we might begin knowing not only our own unworthiness, but Him above all, and through Him our Eternal home.

In His name we ask it, Amen.

I am a member of my town's (pop: 40,000) Emergency Preparedness Committee of nine volunteers. Tonight it happened we were meeting to hear a report from the Principal of our largest high school to hear about a bomb threat against that school of 2500 students a month ago (It was my daughter's former high school). I post about this because it gives some perspective about what is going on in Virginia now, and raises the issue of how secure Liberty and Justice for All may be after 911.

Our case was different from Virginia Tech since there was a direct threat against occupying the school, not a shooter attacking students. Around 0800 AM a note was found with a disabled grenade. It threatened ten more real devices with remote triggers. The Principal was emphatic about how well everyone did their part. The students and staff evacuated in the rain to the athletic field in four minutes. Some sixty law enforcement including SWAT responded. Later came the Feds: FBI, ATF (gun and bomb law enforcement), and FAA (with portable gear to control helicopter air traffic), then eventually twelve bomb squad people (two squads). If there had been a need for even more force over time (like for an earthquake or WMD threat), today the local law enforcement could bring in the National Guard, who can likewise escalate response to include activating local reserve military.

The other differences after 911 are interesting. Pre-911 it was the Principal who had control of the school campus and decided whether the it was safe to occupy, and of course law enforcement attempted to go carefully to unnecessary harm.

Now the Principal's only role is to help everyone meet law enforcement's requirements. There were possible bombs, so no one could use a cell phone because those can be a bomb trigger (as in Iraq). The school became a crime scene, so no one could go back for emergency supplies, handheld HAM sets to indirectly reach a phone system, a phone list, or a portable loud-speaker. The evacuated students and staff had to leave the field because that was part of the crime scene. The local transit system happened to have a couple buses available so the people were bussed to my son's nearby middle school, and all the kids were home safe by 1 PM. No bombs were found. The investigation continues but the Principal expects no students were involved because he gets great cooperation from them and no one has offered clues for the reward.

The other big difference from pre-911 is: the SWAT team has already walked the campus to identify their firing positions in case of shooters there. Their immediate goal responding to shooters now is to kill the perpetrator(s) as soon as possible. I expect that means no negotiation, no waiting. Another consideration the Principal pointed out:was that the anniversary of Columbine is 04/20 Friday.

To anyone who knows me: that Principal wouldn't want the school identified with that bit about the SWAT team. I am likewise avoiding mention of exactly what law enforcement body was involved.

How has all our local and federal 911 planning become a concern for Liberty and Justice for All? Every organizational response is in place now. All it would take is enough key people to agree that Federal control over civilian life is a urgent emergency, and that could be initialized over a week or so. Notice that is exactly what many folks already want regarding Global Warming: a government takeover regarding civilian involvement in possible causes of Global Warming.

Our father's God to Thee,
Author of Liberty,
to Thee we sing.

Long may our land be bright,
With freedom's Holy light.
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God our King.

Dare I publish on God's Word?

I have been considering working as an author for CitiZendium.org, the new public contribution Internet encyclopedia. The first thing I noticed there was that no one had yet published an article about the Bible itself. There is a reasonable article already on CZ's predecessor Wikipedia.com, and one can bring that article forward to CZ easily.

The question remains: am I one to do this work for God's incredible Truth? This Sunday morning I have finally taken time to start my day with God's Word. Usually I am too busy doing selfish or other ultimately useless normal things. I got the feeling it was time to look at a "random" cite in the Word. Without even putting my finger in, I just opened my new NLT version and looked where my attention seemed to belong, to the following:

Then the man led me out of the Temple courtyard by way of the north gateway. We entered the outer courtyard and came to a group of rooms against the north wall of the inner courtyard. This structure, whose entrance opened toward the north, was 175 feet long and 87½ feet wide. One block of rooms overlooked the 35-foot width of the inner courtyard. Another block of rooms looked out onto the pavement of the outer courtyard. The two blocks were built three levels high and stood across from each other. Between the two blocks of rooms ...There was an outer wall that separated the rooms from the outer courtyard; it was 87½ feet long. This wall added length to the outer block of rooms, which extended for only 87½ feet, while the inner block—the rooms toward the Temple—extended for 175 feet. There was an eastern entrance from the outer courtyard to these rooms.
Ezekiel 42:1-9, New Living Translation

The obvious question would be how can this relate to me? Is this a mistaken foolish fake "revelation"? Perhaps the first very important rule when interpreting Scriptures is, "Always look for the full context" in the rest of God's Word.

That context obviously includes the whole vision given Ezekiel from chapters 40 through 48. This is an extremely detailed vision conveying how God's Temple in Jerusalem both was to be when rebuilt after the return of the Israelites, and probably more accurately how absolutely Holy and Real Heaven will be at the end of time. Ezekiel was a prophet to the Israelites during their captivity in Babylon near 587 BC. Some of the passage about that vision tells us:

1. Ezekiel's vision came as follows: "On April 28, during the twenty-fifth year of our captivity—fourteen years after the fall of Jerusalem—the Lord took hold of me. In a vision from God he took me to the land of Israel and set me down on a very high mountain. From there I could see toward the south what appeared to be a city. As he brought me nearer, I saw a man whose face shone like bronze standing beside a gateway entrance. He was holding in his hand a linen measuring cord and a measuring rod. He said to me, “Son of man, watch and listen. Pay close attention to everything I show you. You have been brought here so I can show you many things. Then you will return to the people of Israel and tell them everything you have seen.” (Ezk 40:1-4).
2. “The room beside the north inner gate is for the priests who supervise the Temple maintenance." Ezk 40:45
3. The rooms in Ezk 42:1-9 are for those priests.
   
4. "Then the man told me, 'These rooms that overlook the Temple from the north and south are holy. Here the priests who offer sacrifices to the Lord will eat the most holy offerings. And because these rooms are holy, they will be used to store the sacred offerings—the grain offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings. When the priests leave the sanctuary, they must not go directly to the outer courtyard. They must first take off the clothes they wore while ministering, because these clothes are holy. They must put on other clothes before entering the parts of the building complex open to the public.'" (Ezk 42:13-14)
5. "Suddenly, the glory of the God of Israel appeared from the east. The sound of his coming was like the roar of rushing waters, and the whole landscape shone with his glory... I fell face down on the ground." (Ezk 43:2-3)
6. "The Lord said to me, 'Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place where I will rest my feet. I will live here forever among the people of Israel. They and their kings will not defile my holy name any longer by their adulterous worship of other gods or by honoring the relics of their kings... They put their idol altars right next to mine with only a wall between them and me. They defiled my holy name by such detestable sin, so I consumed them in my anger. Now let them stop worshiping other gods and honoring the relics of their kings, and I will live among them forever.'" (Ezk 43:7-9)
7. “'Son of man, describe to the people of Israel the Temple I have shown you, so they will be ashamed of all their sins. Let them study its plan, and they will be ashamed of what they have done. Describe to them all the specifications of the Temple—including its entrances and exits—and everything else about it. Tell them about its decrees and laws. Write down all these specifications and decrees as they watch so they will be sure to remember and follow them. And this is the basic law of the Temple: absolute holiness! The entire top of the mountain where the Temple is built is holy.'" (Ezk 43:10-12)
8. No one will enter the sanctuary unless they have a "heart for God" (43:8) and have "surrendered themselves to the LORD" (43:9)
9. Those levites who "strayed away from me to worship idols must bear the consequences of their unfaithfulness. They may still be Temple guards and gatekeepers, and they may slaughter the animals brought for burnt offerings and be present to help the people. But they encouraged my people to worship idols, causing Israel to fall into deep sin. So I have taken a solemn oath that they must bear the consequences for their sins, says the Sovereign Lord. They may not approach me to minister as priests. They may not touch any of my holy things or the holy offerings, for they must bear the shame of all the detestable sins they have committed. They are to serve as the Temple caretakers, taking charge of the maintenance work and performing general duties." (43:10-14)
   
10. The rooms for the priests are also where they change clothing. "'They must take off the clothes they wear while ministering to me. They must leave them in the sacred rooms and put on other clothes so they do not endanger anyone by transmitting holiness to them through this clothing.'" (43:19)
11. "'They will teach my people the difference between what is holy and what is common'" (43:23)

I fear to engage in interpreting the above. It is so Concrete and Holy all at once, and I am so faithless and sinful. Yet I must do so, because it is clearly Given to me since it came that way. It is clearly an Answer about those who interpret God's Word, clearly an Answer about what I am to do regarding publishing on God's Word.

Can anyone require an Answer more clearly about the task of interpreting God's Word? How Utterly important it is to attend to context and detail, in true Humility. To have a real Heart for God. I am truly in Awe, and must return to this later.

(04/27)
So I have had over a week. But have not thought much about the above. Clearly that was truly an Answer meant for me to know, but what does it mean?

• Am I one to do this (CitiZendium) work for God's incredible Truth? Who else but one who takes such a passage seriously, and tries to do so with humble attention to the Context.
• However, I only come back to something so obviously Important a week later without having given it real Study. I must get ready for work now. I therefore have failed so far to make myself ready. Today truly studying this is my task, and "coincidentally" God has cleared my plate of distractions, all my family is out of the house including my wife. No excuses, Tim!
  
• 4:30pm Errmm. The day is closing. I made a stab at getting chores done, and here I am again nearing time to do something with my church and still haven't finished this.

Points of interpretation:

1. God and interpreting His Word is a VERY Holy task. Full of detailed reality, full of responsibility to my own and other folks' relationship with the Almighty Eternal One.
2. For me one key passage is 43:10-14. Here we have Levites (but not priests) who not only worshipped false idols, but led others to do so. AND WE HAVE THEM caretaking God's Temple at the end of time ! Wow. They cannot do the greatest things God has for the faithful Levite priests, but they can help run daily operations. Is that Forgiveness?
   
3. It was the rooms for the specifc priests who manage maintaining the Temple that God brought my attention to, but it is not clear why. I hesitate to make an obvious assumption because one should not interpret scripture with a lack of humility.
   
4. When Y2K was a serious concern regarding our electrical power grid, I twice received Isaiah 50:4-11 by radio and email the same week a man who was to discuss Y2K software projects with me became infected in his leg with the flesh-eating bacteria. Isaiah 50:4-11 includes, "The Sovereign Lord has given me his words of wisdom, so that I know how to comfort the weary. Morning by morning he wakens me and opens my understanding to his will.... If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the Lord and rely on your God. But watch out, you who live in your own light and warm yourselves by your own fires. This is the reward you will receive from me: You will soon fall down in great torment." In hindsight, God clearly did not mean that Y2K should be a concern, but that folks were worshipping themselves by how they prepared for it, and that entire scripture apparently applies specifically to my own responsibility as one who has tried to understand His word. With that as a context for the above, it seems my question is answered.
   
5. The context for this passage includes other passages of the Bible, especially those He has shown me in one way or another. Knowing God requires getting close to Absolute Holiness, which is clearly dangerous in itself, but only if you haven't accepted the only Holiness He offers: the blessing that comes with beginning to know what He did on that cross. When you have understanding you have responsibility to share that understanding. And having it means Life Eternal in the presence of the Source of all Good things.
6. I see no wiggle room here about my responsibility to publish on the Bible. If I am not ready it is because I have not fully asked Him to make me ready, and persist in turning to meaningless idols instead.
   

God's Truth on Knowing It

From

The nature of God's Word:
1 Cor 2:13, NIV
When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths

Why God gives us His Word:
Deu 8:3 NIV
He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

What happens when we know God's Word.
Luke 11:28 NIV
Jesus replied, “But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.”

To religious hypocrites who add to or subtract from God's Word.
Mark 7:9,13 NIV
Then he said, “You skillfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to your own tradition. And so you cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own tradition. And this is only one example among many others.”

Genesis: Length of Days

For CitiZendim.org I am working on a short explanation of the positions held by Young Earth Creationists regarding Genesis chapter one. Below is part of a dialog with a valued friend who takes the YEC positions.

LENGTH OF DAYS proposed YEC summary.
The six days of Genesis 1 refer to regular solar days, which we know from the first occurance of "day" as part of the day/night cycle in Genesis 1:5; whenever "day" is modified by a number, like second day or six days, it can only mean a true solar day; and God commands us to work six days and rest one day just as He worked on the six creation days and rested on day seven (Exodus 20:11).

LENGTH OF DAYS YEC article for ICR.org by Dr John Morris.

The length of the days of Genesis 1 has been much debated. Are the days of Genesis 1 regular solar days, referring to the rotation of the earth on its axis, or could each day be a long, indefinite period of time, equivalent in total to the vast time spans of geology? Such an interpretation would give solace to Christians who try to harmonize long ages with Genesis.

It is true that the Hebrew word yom,translated "day," can have a variety of meanings. By far its most common is a literal day, but it can mean "age." The question is, what does it mean here? As always for a word with multiple possible meanings, we must let the Scriptural context take precedence in discerning its meaning for a particular usage.

Interestingly, the very first time the word is used, in Genesis 1:5, it is strictly defined as the light portion of a light/dark cycle as the earth rotated underneath a directional light source, producing day and night. It is also true that whenever "day" is modified by a number, like second day or six days, it can only mean a true solar day. There are no exceptions in Hebrew. Any uncertainty is resolved in the Ten Commandments as God commands us to work six days and rest one day just as He worked on the six creation days and rested on day seven (Exodus 20:11).

Now consider that each day in Genesis is modified by the term "evening and morning," both commonly used words in the Old Testament. Can they be referring to indefinite periods of time? Standard Bible study tools define the Hebrew word for "evening" (ereb) as meaning simply evening or night. It is derived from expressions connoting "the setting of the sun or sunset," and associated with evening sacrificial meal and rituals. Often mentioned is the "evening sacrifice" or "returning at evening." Likewise the word for "morning" (bôqer) literally means morning or dawn, the breaking through of daylight, and reference is made to "rising early in the morning" or keeping the fire burning until the morning. There is little possibility of translating the word pair as "the end of an age" and/or "the beginning of an age."

The job of both Bible student and expositor is to carefully determine what the Author of Scripture is communicating to the reader. We dare not impose on the straightforward Word of God our own bias. We must stand in submission to Him and His words. Remember, God is all wise and wants to reveal truth to us, things we might not know otherwise. He can also write clearly. He will help us understand even difficult passages if we value His thoughts above our own.

LENGTH OF DAYS potential criticisms of YEC that I will try to find explained better.

The most obvious meaning of certain verses is that slow normal processes occured under God's direction. Gen 1:11-12 says the earth produced vegetation, and seeds produced plants. Gen 1:24 says the earth produced living land animals. Gen 2:6 says Adam chose the names for each animal, in the Hebrew culture that means he spent time to know each animal's appearance and perhaps seasonal behavior. At least the periods marked by the third and sixth yoms could most obviously correspond to several seasons or longer.

If the Genesis 1 "day" is a solar day, then the most obvious meaning of Gen 1:5 includes the existence of the Sun in its normal relationship with the earth, contradicting the YEC assertion that the sun is created during the fourth yom.

"Creation" is never used in the Scriptures with "six days" as if that were the primary activity of God in that period. Those six days are always summarized as six days of making heaven and earth complete. This is true of not only the original Hebrew uses of bara (create) /asah (complete), but also every Genesis one English translation of ten or so I have studied.

The use of evening and morning in Genesis 1 uniquely places them so closely together that there appears to be no room for a "night" between them, so what is being counted may not be solar days but periods of activity without a significant pause between them. Psalm 90 is attributed to Moses, and it provides an example of using morning and evening regarding the life-cycle of grass, which is much longer than one solar day.

There is no obvious reason why God would not describe completing the making of earth in six stages followed by rest, and command us out of respect for His work to observe six solar work days followed by rest in Him as a celebration of His goodness .

"For [in] six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy." Exodus 20:11, NLT

Since the "in" of Exodus 20:11 is not in the original translation, it should never be read as if obeying the command is our purpose (implying mankind was made for the sabbath), but perhaps that God takes our motivation about that command so seriously that He describes the completion of the making earth in six periods because He wants us to obey that command for our own good (the sabbath was made for mankind).