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).

My Resume for Citizendium

The Wikipedia.com as you may know is a huge publicly edited encyclopedia, which suffers from amateur opinions and sometimes edit-wars between contributors over how an article should be written. Citizendium.com is an attempt to replace the Wikipedia with a wiki public contribution system that includes better author identification and expert review of submissions to reduce poorly written material and edit-wars over personal opinions, such as how Genesis chapter One should be read. Below is my resume as submitted to them in my application to become a Citizendium author.

Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics, with minor in Logic, San Jose State College.

I am a software developer, tester, and computer manager with over thirty years experience in business and aerospace software projects, with a bachelor's in math and a minor in logic. I have also been responsible for end-user support and documentation in several positions. Currently I am the sole developer of some two thousand custom software modules specific to my employer's manufacturing market, and often use the Internet for research in computer support and security issues.

Graduating from college in January 1968, I enlisted in the US Navy to avoid being drafted. I was blessed with the beginning of a computer career at two Navy schools, with two more years of shore duty in Hawaii, and one final year aboard the USS Constellation serving in Vietnam. Ever since then I have tried to appreciate what real combat military and their families endure in order to keep the rest of us secure in Liberty.

Since 1994 I have been a self-educated student of the Bible, outside the influence of self-promoting teachers. I have studied most chapters of three modern editions of the Bible, and experienced the reality of how God's Word responds to belief in extraordinary ways, involving at least forty of the Bible's sixty-six books. One of the proofs of the Bible’s authenticity is also one of the Messiah’s new teachings: that God directly guides and inspires those who believe Him, without need of special teachers.

" Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ. The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
Matthew 23:10-12, New International Version
(courtesy of BibleGateway.com)

Aside from computers, software, and the Bible my interests include Internet computer gaming; American History from the Revolution to the Vietnam War, embracing the United States Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Gettysburg Address, and the Federalist Papers; and the personal responsibility not only to represent neighbors as we would ourselves, but to keep and bear arms as government of, by, and for the people.

Of Heaven and Hell

Speaking of someone who has died we often say they are "in a better place", but that may not be true of course.

To enter Heaven, a person must know the Holy One who created it, and this world which He gave completely as a blessing to mankind, all of whom (particularly myself) are busy polluting it with sin every day. With many people it is impossible to be sure if they do truly know God or not, because like myself we are all hypocrites somehow, so being blessed with knowing God may not be obvious. Its also true God might call people to faith in Him through dreams.

Despite that we rarely speak of it, there is an eternal alternative to Heaven. And no, it isn't under control of the Devil. He will be the primary subject of Hell at the end of time, not in control of it. Hell is the total absence of all good things, because they come from the Source of all good things. Hell is total loneliness and utter regret with an eternity of knowing Heaven was within your reach and you delayed or refused to reach out for it. A Good God would not condemn anyone there? Of course not. It is always by the individual's choice, God does not want anyone to be Lost but He will not override your personal preference in eternity.

For anyone reading this who does NOT have that assurance of knowing the Holy Creator, the best I can do is tell you to take the Bible as literally as it tells you to do, and take all of it to heart - for that is what God's Book and You were designed for. Keep truly seeking Him there with all your heart and He will come to you.

For anyone who DOES have that assurance, I recommend the book "Heaven" by Randy Alcorn. His Eternal Perspective Ministries is at www.EPM.org. "Heaven" is available in many Christian book stores. It gives all the Biblical evidence about how Real and Physical the New Earth - Heaven will be at the end of time. No sickness, no tiredness, nothing boring, everything uplifting in every real and joyful sense - just the way we try to imagine the Garden of Eden was. No floating around with harps, especially if you'd rather ZOOM around with a guitar Wink. When there is singing it will be full-out incredible concerts by folks you know and love, sometimes including Me and maybe You (by then I will be a MUCH better singer Wink). Cooking, eating, hugging, walking, talking, sight-seeing, even playing with pets and playing sports I suppose, without end without limit, all to the glory of the Creator and what He has made for us and, by then, made of us.

PS: Don't believe everything the Young Earth Creationists say about the Bible. The way I read it, they refuse to take both Genesis 1 and Job 38 literally.

Only a Truly Good God would say...

Only a Truly Good God would say that men are not to be trusted as spiritual fathers, special teachers, or masters of followers. It is men who desire something selfish who claim to be a spiritual father, special teacher, or master worthy of followers. Usually what such men want is something of this temporary life: power, money, or confidence from either false ideas or followers deceived by them.

Where does God say this? In the person of Jesus the Christ, warning his followers not to be part of claiming certain men have special religious worth. Holding one man more worthy religiously than another is no less than worshiping men in the place of God Himself (as the Holy Spirit, God the Father, or God the Messiah). Every hypocritical teacher who pretends to teach the Scriptures avoids teaching this passage among others.

"But as for you, do not be called 'Rabbi,' because you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. Do not call anyone on earth your father, because you have one Father, who is in heaven. And do not be called masters either, because you have one Master, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. " Matthew 23:8-12 Holman Christian Standard Bible

Until the Messiah revealed God through His life and sacrifice, and that revelation was completed by the Apostles He personally taught, God's entire word was not complete. Since the last writings of the Apostles, it is complete.

God takes it very seriously indeed when anyone pretends His word says something it does not. This is why the last book of the popularly agreed scripture is the book of Revelation, which ends with:

And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the words of prophecy written in this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book. And if anyone removes any of the words from this book of prophecy, God will remove that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book.
Revelation 22:18-19, NLT

Understanding Genesis One

I have made a long post in a forum about Evolution vs Creation called www.EvCForum.net.
It is here under the Science part in a thread about The Bible: Accuracy and Inerrancy.

In summary this is my understanding about what assumptions to make reading Genesis chapter one. Avoid adding to scripture as men in the past have, and DO consider what God's creation teaches us about the age of the earth and the universe. Use the most obvious interpretation as possible.

What good can come of tragedy?

I have an acquaintance via the Internet who suffered an awful tragedy in his life. His young wife was killed in a car crash, along with his unborn child. Now this man cannot believe there is a good God who would allow that, and the subject is understandably so painful he does not wish to discuss it.

I too have a situation in which a good God does not seem to make sense. My eldest daughter is now twenty-six. She never speaks and does not use the toilet. Erin is not very aware, and often self-stimulates by waving her hand before her face. Other than that though she is easy to live with since she is usually off in her own world. She does love to go for walks, go swimming, and listen to music - so we do those things more when she is home - and so she laughs a lot when we do. When she was a young child we went to several expert doctors seeking solutions. We never found one. Erin was diagnosed as severely learning disabled with no known cause, which is true of many who suffer severe learning disability.

In one way we are more blessed than some folks. California pays for Erin to have care provided near enough to home that she can visit once a month, and Erin has a very nice family to provide that care. That is why our family situation is not nearly as bad as a friend of mine at work. His daughter is probably mentally more aware, lives at home, and is very hard to keep happy and often difficult to deal with.

So If God is good and in control, why is Erin like that? To begin with, this earth is evil, cursed because Adam disbelieved God and allowed Eve to give in to sin, then joined her. Because of Adam, because all of us choose to disbelieve God in many ways, this world will remain evil until the Messiah returns to make the world and His servants New. God is a huge fan of choice: He wants every person to desire Him from personal choice. Choice also includes the choice to do what is wrong, and wrong has consequences.

But the question remains: how can Erin's disability glorify the only good Creator if she is never healed of it? Likewise, how can the death of a mother and unborn child glorify the Creator? That is a wrong question of course. It assumes disability and death are forever, which God declares is not true. Every person who lacks the mental ability to reject God will automatically have heaven - and heaven is far more than a spiritual existance praising God all the time. Heaven will be endless adventure, loving companions, real glorious beautiful places with specific dimensions, real permanently youthful bodies which never tire nor suffer.

God's Word often uses animals to communicate what God's character is like, and uses celebrations and feasts to communicate what His kingdom will be like - so there is every reason to think there will be animals like lions, lambs, dogs, and cats for company, as well as gloriously REAL celebrations with REAL friends. While being in hell will be endless totally lonely hopelessness, knowing fully all the time that it was one's own personal choice to reject God's goodness which sent one there.

In short: Erin, that unborn child, and likely that young mother (who was faithfully going to church), will all be in heaven to enjoy the endless beauty, real companions, music, and adventure - without any pain or disability forever. I would be surprised if Erin didn't become one of the best singers of everyone there - to praise God for giving far beyond what anyone can ever deserve. How could anyone expect something more glorious than that? The other choice is only Shame, for we who can and do reject what God offers, we who choose instead to spend forever separated from the Source of all good things.

My son, be attentive to my words;
incline your ear to my sayings.
Let them not escape from your sight;
keep them within your heart.
For they are life to those who find them,
and healing to all their flesh.
Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.
Proverbs 4:20-23 English Standard Version

Sharing Eternal Truth

If you are like me at all, you want to share God's wonderful truths with many folks, who may not know English well as a written language. Here is a resource for that.

BibleGateway.com - This website has many online Bibles in many languages. When I reviewed their website (January, 2007) they had: Arabic, Bulgarian, Haitian Creole, Danish, German (3), English (20), Spanish (7), French (2), Hungarian, Croatian, Icelandic, Italian (2), Korean, Maori, Netherlands, Norwegian, Portuguese, Romanian, Albanian, Russian (2), Swedish(2), Swahili, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Chinese (2). Also it is possible to lookup a Bible passage such as "Genesis 2-3" (chapters 2 to 3) in one language and then select another Bible version to see the same passageverse. Since two distinct translations are often done by different people, this isn't really a translation of one version to another, but two distinct interpretations of the same verse done by two distinct comittees.

Wonderful Truths from God

This will be my collection of special answers God has blessed me with - verses God has given me which in some way I find supernatural. Remember none of this happened because of something I did. Most of them occurred without an expressed or even considered prayer, let alone any verbal use of "magic" words. This is because God knows what it is we desire, and it always pleases Him to glorify His Word. It is however, easy to mis-apply this. One cannot expect blind verse finding to work whenever one wants it, because that would glorify the one doing the finding, not the Source of truth Himself.

Verses can only be Supernatural Verses when the seeker really wants to know from the Holiest of all sources, and is willing to take whatever answer comes at least intending to apply it however possible. Virtually every incident where I was looking for an answer occurred when I had the feeling God had one ready for me. Not every case was like that though. If there were many incidents where I tried to blindly find verses and nothing made sense, then many of the below would be mere chance. I have tried that and failed to make sense of it perhaps twice.

On the cost of failing the duty to defend others for selfish purposes. After a long period of concern about many Americans betraying Liberty and Justice for All, my son and a friend were playing with a long tube in the swimming pool. One pulled it behind his head and the other pretended to cut it off. Later we watched TV show about a supernaturally strong but fallen hero. The following Sunday morning without connecting that, I picked an illustrated children's Bible story of Samson to read to the boys. That night I realized that could not be a simple coincidence, and decided God wanted me to read about Samson, but I didn't realize where that was in my Bible. God's hint gave me the boldness to put my finger in a new Bible blindly. My finger was on Judges 14:1. Judges 14-16

On where America was then (in 1994) in the parable of defenders giving away their duty to defend others for selfish reasons. My finger was blindly on Judges 16:19

On how seriously God takes the calling of those who know Him, and trusting in the works of men rather than in Him. This came by email and radio sermon the same week my Southern California employer was considering a contractor to do Y2K fixes in our business critical software. The consultant we were to interview was unable to come because he was the man in Southern California who contracted an infection of the flesh-eating bactieria in his leg (fortunately he recovered). Isaiah 50:4-11

In the midst of a long list of descendants of Judah, is a two sentence story about a man named Jabez, whose prayer was granted. The "Prayer of Jabez" was a classic short Christian book about this prayer. I remember praying it once seriously. I am a computer manager, and one of my primary job concerns is security of our network and user PC's. Shortly after that, the Code Red virus set a new standard by spreading automatically between Microsoft web servers. I was probably one of a handful of people who realized Microsoft's solution for Code Red directly led to serious issues when Code Red II appeared. Code Red (the original) was only a memory resident nuisance, so Microsoft advised installing the patch to prevent it and simply rebooting the server which clears out that memory. Code Red II (so named by its author) used the same software flaw to infect Microsoft web servers while installing a software means of spreading after the server was rebooted. So Microsoft's solution led to many web server administrators eliminating the obvious Code Red nuisance while missing the fact that their webserver was compromized with installed Code Red II. Later the virus Nimda spread between Microsoft web servers in part by using Code Red II installed security holes, part of Nimda also infected browsing PC's through a flaw in Internet Explorer. Perhaps this doesn't meet my requirements for a supernatural verse, but I think of it as one. Has this prayer done what was claimed for me? Well it could have meant an impressive start on a career in computer security then, but I haven't been continuing with it since. 1 Chronicles 4:9-10

A friend at work once asked me for a Bible in Vietnamese. I ordered it via the Internet. The day I was going to give it to him, I sat in my car and wondered what verse would be good to quote for him. I got that boldness again, and my finger found a verse in a language where perhaps only one letter out of three looked familiar. I had to figure out what book I was in from the table of contents, fortunately (actually by the Designer) the numbers were familiar.
The verse was Amos 4:13

I still struggle with computer gaming addiction, because I am disobedient about focusing upon Christ to distract myself from what is wrong. Lately my gaming interest is in games played with many other people on the Internet. I rationalize that I can somehow serve God's purpose as a witness for His Word through the player friends I make. One certain weeknight I stayed up until 2 AM or so. I took a break for some water, and "on impulse" turned on my personal radio (which I haven't done at night any other time). Just at that very moment a Pastor was giving the verse for a sermon. Warning: this applies to all forms of fantasy, including pornography, computer games, and fiction books or movies. Proverbs 28:19

In the late 1990's there was twice a law passed by Congress to prohibit a particularly awful form of abortion called partial birth abortion (related articles by the American Medical Assn). Our President at the time (whose name I will not glorify) vetoed those two laws. When he vetoed the second one, I again got that boldness, and this time my finger found a verse I had studied before but never considered related to the question of whether abortion was a good thing. It is part of Mary's song about being the unmarried mother of the unborn Messiah and His purpose for coming. Luke 1:54-55

As perhaps you can tell, I have been very concerned about what Gun Control means for our continued Liberty as a nation, which is why I first wanted an answer about the duty to defend others (what the Second Amendment provides for is the means for our citizens to fulfill that duty as government by and for the people, called the Militia). At one point I felt lead to try another blind finding of a verse about that concern. What I found was David, at the time anointed as Israel's next king but a fugitive from the current king, outraged that his outlaw band (a real life model like Robin Hood's supposedly was) was insulted by a land owner, and giving in to his outrage and on the verge of betraying the duty to defend even an enemy. 1 Samuel 25:13

I had another blind verse finding about the foolisness of trusting in swords. Psalm 44:3

Earlier when prohibiting partial birth abortion was up for Presidential decision, I fasted hoping it would not be vetoed. My finger blindly found this Psalm to the tune of "Do not destroy" about unjust judges, birth, wombs, lies, and stillborn children. Psalm 58

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) .