I drive the Light Rail in Denver. For the past 6 months, I have driven the same run on Monday mornings. At one of the stations, a blind caucasian lady waits to board since, usually, passengers barge down the stairwell and out of the doors without paying any attention to her pressence. Most are either chatting to each other or busy on their cell phones and they literally bump into her without even noticing.
Recently, something different occured. A middle-eastern young man walked down the stairs and saw her. He could be Muslim, Hindu, Christian, or none of these. Because of ISIS, many people are currently astir. This man saw the lady and turned around behind her. He gently touched her arm to guide her towards the steps. It didn't look like he said anything and his hoodie hid his facial expressions. Nonetheless, it was a purely natural response.
Many times, when hearing the Good Samaritan story, the general thought process promotes that we should be the Good Samaritan; however, Jesus was saying something far deeper in Luke 10. It's not all about helping others out but more to avoid judging a book by its cover.
Currently, the big debate is "secure the borders" versus "bring in the refugees". "Terrorism" has the world held in confusion. Due to fear, many are all about securing the borders and some are for kicking all Muslims out.
God made the entire world; so, nobody really owns land. "The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me." Leviticus 25:23 The "King of the Jews" didn't call for His disciples to secure the borders. If He had, everybody outside of the True Israel would be predestined to damnation. "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men." (Titus 2:11)
In Sunday School, many teachers taught about loving our enemies. When I was young, I found this fascinating. My dilemma occurred during High School, seeing how interracial marriage was such a problem, some of my Mexican friends were treated with disrespect, and somehow, anybody who supported "The State of Israel" was an enemy to Muslims. To me, what I witnessed was hypocrisy.
This is what many of today's youth see. That is why democracy looks so appealling. The government decides it should intervene and say, "everybody is equal." Christians should be the ones taking care of refugees. If all who plan to attend the Super Bowl refunded their tickets and spent that kind of money on the homeless, we would not need tax dollars for that cause. Instead, some states are, finally, saying, "we will take care of them."
The Israelites begged for a king. God continually told them that a king would take everything from them but "Nevertheless, the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles." (1 Samuel 8:19-20) God, then, had Samuel search out a king but He made a key promise in verse 18, "Ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the Lord will not hear you in that day." When the Revolutionary War took place, God made it clear to His people that He would not intervene. The whole idea of the Commonwealth was not God's design. "The people," tired of monarchs, took it in their own hands to form a government.
The word "Republican" consists of three parts; 1.) Res (matter) 2.) public (people) 3.) an (pertaining to): Pertaining to the matter of the people. "Democrat" consists of two parts: 1.) Demo (People) 2.) crat (rule): Rule of the people. In essence, these two supposed foes have the same titles and the same interests; they just go about it in different ways. "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" (Amos3:3) Republicans are more militant and hold to the law of the land created by the "people," and Democrats are more "freestyle". The two parties need each other to accomplish the grand task of establishing the doctrine of democracy, not only in America, but, all over the world. The two wings make up the dominion of the eagle.
The Bush years needed reason to go over to the Middle East and what better than a terror attack? America was in a panic, and off the troops went; however, the troops aimed for Iraq rather than Afghanistan. Bush had his reasons, but Obama started establishing a new government of democracy in Iraq once he took office.
ISIS paints a threat to all the world, yet, an even bigger crisis is emerging: global warming. Though the North preached abolition, during the slave trade, it had just as much to do with the trade as the South. America, the eagle, needed the topic of slavery to fight the Civil War and unify. Every step closer to complete control and order requires some degree of chaos to convince the mass of people to unify and follow. "E Pluribus Unum" - of many one. "Novus Ordo Seclorum" - New Order of the Ages. Unity looks good but when a "people-ruled" government takes matters of love and truth into its own hands, we sacrifice our natural free will by submitting and obeying a government rather than the One and True God. Once the power of democracy is set in stone, equality trumps truth.
Most believers know that one day the world will end. No matter who becomes President, Satan will still find a way to complete his plan of establishing the One World Government. Our greatest duty as Christians is to not be deceived. We are called to pray in secret, fast in secret, and give in secret so that what we do is never about lifting up our own self-esteem by merit but about magnifying the Only One who deserves the glory and praise.
Those who live by the sword, die by the sword. Peter made it clear that we silence foolishness with the way we live. If we, then, live in Truth and Light, shadows cannot stand. If we hold so tightly to Truth that we dare not let anybody who looks different or thinks different into our community, we have lost the meaning of the Great Commission. We are to show them God's definition of love, not the government's interpretation. How much more rewarding is it to go and give to the needy than send a tax-deductible donation to a charity? Giving isn't just material. Jesus gives Living Water and The Bread of Life.
It is often said that in order to make a friend, we have to be a friend. This is not entirely true. Jesus was a friend to all, and look what happened? "And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country." (Luke 4:24) We are not called to measure ourselves by an "x amount" of friends or followers. We are in a Spiritual war that runs far deeper than any physical war that we can see at face value whether it be political or religious, or by any other means. Let us not fight for land but fight for Truth with the only Armor that God ever prescribed in Ephesians 6. Love does not exist without truth and truth does not exist without love. "For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?" (Matthew 5:46)
Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
- Matthew 18:21-22
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Monday, January 25, 2016
Graven Images
In What is Caesar's and What is God's, a message was relayed that calling somebody worthless is very dangerous. "Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so they will not lose heart." (Colossians 3:21) The difficulty of being a parent is loving your child so much and desiring to mold them into self-sufficient individuals who will be able to be strong and courageous when the world attempts to tear them down. With this molding comes discipline. It is not always easy to remind them that they are loved and if they don't see that, they run the risk of feeling worthless. "Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these." (Matthew 19:14)
Public school is not designed to bring children to a close relationship with Christ and God. It's biggest concern is building knowledge and character. In church, children learn about God from Sunday school or Shabbat school, but their love and passion for Him come from the greatest influence they know: their parents. If they are taught well, they will learn to pick themselves up from the inevitable falls. A sky-diver does not jump out of a plane unless the backpack has been supplied properly, especially with a backup parachute.
In today's society, typically both parents work to support the family. If not, one might be at home fighting an ailment. In many cases, parents have fallen into single parenthood. In some families, at least one parent, if not both, checks out completely. If Mom and Dad are hardly present, and the school only teaches knowledge, a child's path to "success" in life is greatly darkened. An unpopular child, at school, is humiliated and their soul is defeated, constantly. If the parents are busy when the child returns home, he or she will eventually feel alone.
Loneliness, just the feeling of it, is where Satan feeds. Tree of Knowledge brought some insight into how he is a musician. He uses music to trap the youth of the nation. This isn't to say that all new music is bad; God desires sincerity. The concern is hopeless, fruitless, lyrics, sometimes conjoined with screaming or angry tones. Pop music is almost always about some "love relationship". When the Beatles came to America, a few girls were hired to welcome their entry. The camera angle made it seem as though the Fab Four was welcomed by a huge crowd yet nobody really knew them in America. And, what came next? The drug age. During the Vietnam War, so many youth were "tripping out" with a campaign of "peace". Most people know that Lucy in the Sky of Diamonds is about LSD. The whole "Revolution" album was highly filled with experimental psychedelic tones.
"Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I AM the Lord your God." (Leviticus 26:1)
Presented, in this verse, are three types of idols and the way we worship them.
1) Graven
2) Reared
3) Stone
The portion of an idol pertaining to this scenario, is one that is reared. The purpose of American Idol was allowing all of those tuned in to rear up "idols" of their own choosing. The judges gave their criticisms and America couldn't wait to hear Simon's next remark. The ratings skyrocketed and "America" voted. Rearing is the process of disciplining, shaping, and preparing somebody or something. When the music industry puts out chosen pawns in front of an audience, the audience has a choice to either follow them, now on Twitter, or forget about them. So many people allow these "stars" to influence them. In Tree of Knowledge, it was understood that stars represent angels.
So, if God's angels are His eyes, and Satan's angels are on this land, which angels are being represented on the stage? In Dominion, we explored the difference between the spirit of the beast and the spirit of man. Back when I was in high school, the battle of the boy bands was a money maker for the Industry. I admit that I bought the Backstreet Boys' "Millenium" album and I never forgot the irony that right after the track, "Don't Want You Back," was the depressing song, "Don't Wanna Lose You Now." God, who does not waiver, could not have influenced this.
Once the "heartthrobs" have reeled in the pre-teens who are not old enough to buy Explicit material, later comes the rock music and the rap music. The implication of a "graven" image also has two applications. The general acceptance of this term is translated only to carved images. "Look on everyone that is proud, and bring him low, tread down the wicked in their place. Hide them in the dust together; and bind their faces in secret." (Job 40:12, 13) "Moreover when ye fast, be not as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men that fast. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward." (Matthew 6:16) Though, graven refers to carved out of wood or rock, it is also the past tense of the word grave. Ultimately, the grave resembles dust but, also, death.
Many people argue that there is nothing wrong with this music. Each time a seemingly good song comes from artists who have sung of sex, money, and drugs, all of a sudden it is assumed that they "cleaned up their act". "What communion hath light with dark?" (2 Corinthians 6:14) When those rockers and rappers actually sing about life, that's when the apologetic audience says, "they totally understand what I am going through." This process turns these "stars" into idols. The relationship of "image" has gone from appearance to heart. God didn't want His people to make idols out of things in heaven or earth. What people had a tendency to do was make images of themselves. Satan influences this because he thinks he is God. He influenced the kings of Babylon to desire to be worshipped.
By causing an artist to relate to our own circumstances, we then run the risk of saying, "he/she knows me." Those artists do not know their fans the way God does. These "stars" do not even know the number of their own hairs. A good examination would prove that these big-time bands and solo artists do not write their own music by themselves. They have to fit in with what is "entertainment" as defined by the "Arts" and the Industry.
And now, the idol should not be stone. It was mentioned, previously, that stones represent people. There are living stones and then there are stones that have no life in them. God builds His kingdom with Living Stones. To reiterate, we should not make physical idols of people, even the disciples, Mary, Jesus, or any saint. When we do this to Christian characters, we construct them into what we think they look like, not as they truly are. Da Vinci was not present at the Last Supper. The disciples and Jesus didn't pose for a painting, so that Da Vinci Code saga, Jesus marries Mary, junk is only based off of "gnostic" fabrication.
The music industry exposed its god when it created the name, "Hard rock." "And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharoah." (Exodus 9:12) Even at Mount Sinai, the Israelites had an issue being Egyptian minded. So, God made a promise: "I will take away the stony heart of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh." (Ezekiel 36:26) So what exactly is a heart of flesh? "And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly." (Numbers 20:11) This is the message God presented as a sign that the Holy Spirit could live inside us.
Once people have fallen for living idols, every truth that might have been known becomes saturated. When we create idols in our spiritual image, we try to follow them and put on their physical image. After years of unfruitful messages and graphic images in music videos, even subtle images in a commercial ad, or magazine shelf, a man's mind can be poisoned. Then, the wife might think that she should put on those images to attract her husband. She could turn to vanity and he could turn to lust and the problem can only be solved by God's love. Nowadays, some women allow themselves to be seduced by Hollywood's men. And, some men, in turn, try to keep up-to-par with GQ.
The mythological Medusa seduces everybody to look into her eyes. Once they have done so, they are turned to stone. Any person who realizes that they have been seduced is then brought through a time of feeling worthless. They know they have sinned. These feelings cause the victims to punish themselves for a great amount of time. Even though God tells us that He forgives us, the hardest thing in the world is to forgive ourselves. We have to forgive ourselves, though, because each time we abuse ourselves and consider ourselves worth less than a rock, we are exactly where Satan desires. As much as we tear ourselves apart, our bodies and minds cannot function to do the physical work God desires of us.
This spiritual pain is suppressed by drugs, cutting, more entertainment, medication, and many other pressures of the world, to simply alleviate the wounds. When we do this, we disfigure our faces, we bring upon a sort of affliction that becomes extremely hard to overcome. Mark 5 tells of a man who lived in tombs who could not be tamed because he was tormented by an unclean spirit. "When he saw Jesus afar off, he worshipped him and cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God that thou torment me not. For Jesus said to him, come out of the man thou unclean spirit. And He asked, what is your name? And the spirit answered saying, Legion, for we are many." (Mark 5:6-9) This same kind of spirit can be developed when we turn to torment. And, where did Jesus send those many demons? Into pigs: filthy beasts that roam the earth and wallow in their own garbage.
It's one thing to be sorrowful because of guilt and shame but it's another thing to be sorrowful because we know the world is corrupt. Take courage and rise above. Once you have spent much of your life trying to fix all your mistakes and everybody else's, this burden begins to wear and tear. Jesus took the stripes but He didn't afflict himself. He allowed the world to have its way with Him to prove to all who have ears and eyes that Truth is something the world cannot understand. Though they beat Him and tore His body, His resurrection gave hope to all. We are to be living stones that have a hope even when it cannot be found in this world. "God is not the God of the dead but of the living." (Matthew 22:32)
Idols come in all shapes and sizes: musicians, actors, MVPs, politicians, Presidents, and even Church Leaders. Sometimes these leaders have good intentions but if we sell ourselves out for them, we can fall into a trap of leaning on them for truth rather than doing what God calls us to do: "In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." (Proverbs 3:6) This understanding takes faith. The reason we are called to test the spirits is because many well-intentioned individuals actually, "Teach as doctrines, the commandments of men." (Matthew 15:9)
Let the Word of God be the parachute and there will be no need for a back-up. There are times that we go back to what we know but we cannot face giants alone. The awesome part of David and Goliath is that one stone hit Goliath right between the eyes. Much mysticism talks about a "third-eye". All "illumined" from various institutions, from some religions and schools, are part of a Giant network of the "All-Seeing-Eye." God sent a message to these institutions and their followers, not only with David, but also, when he showed Nebuchadnezzar that a Living Stone would crush the great statue of Babylon and her descendents. After this great event, the rock turns into a Mighty Mountain. "For the Lord hath poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath He covered." (Isaiah 29:10)
When David cut off Goliath's head, it was proof that God would remove those institutions. He will overcome the head. No fruit can be found in death; though decay be useful only as soil for life that does produce fruit. Jesus overcame the grave. Just as God cast corrupt angels out of Heaven so shall we cast out idols and make room for The Living Word. Idols have no business to do in the house that The Father created: our hearts. O Death, where is your sting?
Public school is not designed to bring children to a close relationship with Christ and God. It's biggest concern is building knowledge and character. In church, children learn about God from Sunday school or Shabbat school, but their love and passion for Him come from the greatest influence they know: their parents. If they are taught well, they will learn to pick themselves up from the inevitable falls. A sky-diver does not jump out of a plane unless the backpack has been supplied properly, especially with a backup parachute.
In today's society, typically both parents work to support the family. If not, one might be at home fighting an ailment. In many cases, parents have fallen into single parenthood. In some families, at least one parent, if not both, checks out completely. If Mom and Dad are hardly present, and the school only teaches knowledge, a child's path to "success" in life is greatly darkened. An unpopular child, at school, is humiliated and their soul is defeated, constantly. If the parents are busy when the child returns home, he or she will eventually feel alone.
Loneliness, just the feeling of it, is where Satan feeds. Tree of Knowledge brought some insight into how he is a musician. He uses music to trap the youth of the nation. This isn't to say that all new music is bad; God desires sincerity. The concern is hopeless, fruitless, lyrics, sometimes conjoined with screaming or angry tones. Pop music is almost always about some "love relationship". When the Beatles came to America, a few girls were hired to welcome their entry. The camera angle made it seem as though the Fab Four was welcomed by a huge crowd yet nobody really knew them in America. And, what came next? The drug age. During the Vietnam War, so many youth were "tripping out" with a campaign of "peace". Most people know that Lucy in the Sky of Diamonds is about LSD. The whole "Revolution" album was highly filled with experimental psychedelic tones.
"Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I AM the Lord your God." (Leviticus 26:1)
Presented, in this verse, are three types of idols and the way we worship them.
1) Graven
2) Reared
3) Stone
The portion of an idol pertaining to this scenario, is one that is reared. The purpose of American Idol was allowing all of those tuned in to rear up "idols" of their own choosing. The judges gave their criticisms and America couldn't wait to hear Simon's next remark. The ratings skyrocketed and "America" voted. Rearing is the process of disciplining, shaping, and preparing somebody or something. When the music industry puts out chosen pawns in front of an audience, the audience has a choice to either follow them, now on Twitter, or forget about them. So many people allow these "stars" to influence them. In Tree of Knowledge, it was understood that stars represent angels.
So, if God's angels are His eyes, and Satan's angels are on this land, which angels are being represented on the stage? In Dominion, we explored the difference between the spirit of the beast and the spirit of man. Back when I was in high school, the battle of the boy bands was a money maker for the Industry. I admit that I bought the Backstreet Boys' "Millenium" album and I never forgot the irony that right after the track, "Don't Want You Back," was the depressing song, "Don't Wanna Lose You Now." God, who does not waiver, could not have influenced this.
Once the "heartthrobs" have reeled in the pre-teens who are not old enough to buy Explicit material, later comes the rock music and the rap music. The implication of a "graven" image also has two applications. The general acceptance of this term is translated only to carved images. "Look on everyone that is proud, and bring him low, tread down the wicked in their place. Hide them in the dust together; and bind their faces in secret." (Job 40:12, 13) "Moreover when ye fast, be not as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men that fast. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward." (Matthew 6:16) Though, graven refers to carved out of wood or rock, it is also the past tense of the word grave. Ultimately, the grave resembles dust but, also, death.
Many people argue that there is nothing wrong with this music. Each time a seemingly good song comes from artists who have sung of sex, money, and drugs, all of a sudden it is assumed that they "cleaned up their act". "What communion hath light with dark?" (2 Corinthians 6:14) When those rockers and rappers actually sing about life, that's when the apologetic audience says, "they totally understand what I am going through." This process turns these "stars" into idols. The relationship of "image" has gone from appearance to heart. God didn't want His people to make idols out of things in heaven or earth. What people had a tendency to do was make images of themselves. Satan influences this because he thinks he is God. He influenced the kings of Babylon to desire to be worshipped.
By causing an artist to relate to our own circumstances, we then run the risk of saying, "he/she knows me." Those artists do not know their fans the way God does. These "stars" do not even know the number of their own hairs. A good examination would prove that these big-time bands and solo artists do not write their own music by themselves. They have to fit in with what is "entertainment" as defined by the "Arts" and the Industry.
And now, the idol should not be stone. It was mentioned, previously, that stones represent people. There are living stones and then there are stones that have no life in them. God builds His kingdom with Living Stones. To reiterate, we should not make physical idols of people, even the disciples, Mary, Jesus, or any saint. When we do this to Christian characters, we construct them into what we think they look like, not as they truly are. Da Vinci was not present at the Last Supper. The disciples and Jesus didn't pose for a painting, so that Da Vinci Code saga, Jesus marries Mary, junk is only based off of "gnostic" fabrication.
The music industry exposed its god when it created the name, "Hard rock." "And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharoah." (Exodus 9:12) Even at Mount Sinai, the Israelites had an issue being Egyptian minded. So, God made a promise: "I will take away the stony heart of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh." (Ezekiel 36:26) So what exactly is a heart of flesh? "And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly." (Numbers 20:11) This is the message God presented as a sign that the Holy Spirit could live inside us.
Once people have fallen for living idols, every truth that might have been known becomes saturated. When we create idols in our spiritual image, we try to follow them and put on their physical image. After years of unfruitful messages and graphic images in music videos, even subtle images in a commercial ad, or magazine shelf, a man's mind can be poisoned. Then, the wife might think that she should put on those images to attract her husband. She could turn to vanity and he could turn to lust and the problem can only be solved by God's love. Nowadays, some women allow themselves to be seduced by Hollywood's men. And, some men, in turn, try to keep up-to-par with GQ.
The mythological Medusa seduces everybody to look into her eyes. Once they have done so, they are turned to stone. Any person who realizes that they have been seduced is then brought through a time of feeling worthless. They know they have sinned. These feelings cause the victims to punish themselves for a great amount of time. Even though God tells us that He forgives us, the hardest thing in the world is to forgive ourselves. We have to forgive ourselves, though, because each time we abuse ourselves and consider ourselves worth less than a rock, we are exactly where Satan desires. As much as we tear ourselves apart, our bodies and minds cannot function to do the physical work God desires of us.
This spiritual pain is suppressed by drugs, cutting, more entertainment, medication, and many other pressures of the world, to simply alleviate the wounds. When we do this, we disfigure our faces, we bring upon a sort of affliction that becomes extremely hard to overcome. Mark 5 tells of a man who lived in tombs who could not be tamed because he was tormented by an unclean spirit. "When he saw Jesus afar off, he worshipped him and cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God that thou torment me not. For Jesus said to him, come out of the man thou unclean spirit. And He asked, what is your name? And the spirit answered saying, Legion, for we are many." (Mark 5:6-9) This same kind of spirit can be developed when we turn to torment. And, where did Jesus send those many demons? Into pigs: filthy beasts that roam the earth and wallow in their own garbage.
It's one thing to be sorrowful because of guilt and shame but it's another thing to be sorrowful because we know the world is corrupt. Take courage and rise above. Once you have spent much of your life trying to fix all your mistakes and everybody else's, this burden begins to wear and tear. Jesus took the stripes but He didn't afflict himself. He allowed the world to have its way with Him to prove to all who have ears and eyes that Truth is something the world cannot understand. Though they beat Him and tore His body, His resurrection gave hope to all. We are to be living stones that have a hope even when it cannot be found in this world. "God is not the God of the dead but of the living." (Matthew 22:32)
Idols come in all shapes and sizes: musicians, actors, MVPs, politicians, Presidents, and even Church Leaders. Sometimes these leaders have good intentions but if we sell ourselves out for them, we can fall into a trap of leaning on them for truth rather than doing what God calls us to do: "In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." (Proverbs 3:6) This understanding takes faith. The reason we are called to test the spirits is because many well-intentioned individuals actually, "Teach as doctrines, the commandments of men." (Matthew 15:9)
Let the Word of God be the parachute and there will be no need for a back-up. There are times that we go back to what we know but we cannot face giants alone. The awesome part of David and Goliath is that one stone hit Goliath right between the eyes. Much mysticism talks about a "third-eye". All "illumined" from various institutions, from some religions and schools, are part of a Giant network of the "All-Seeing-Eye." God sent a message to these institutions and their followers, not only with David, but also, when he showed Nebuchadnezzar that a Living Stone would crush the great statue of Babylon and her descendents. After this great event, the rock turns into a Mighty Mountain. "For the Lord hath poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath He covered." (Isaiah 29:10)
When David cut off Goliath's head, it was proof that God would remove those institutions. He will overcome the head. No fruit can be found in death; though decay be useful only as soil for life that does produce fruit. Jesus overcame the grave. Just as God cast corrupt angels out of Heaven so shall we cast out idols and make room for The Living Word. Idols have no business to do in the house that The Father created: our hearts. O Death, where is your sting?
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Dominion
Many parks, today, have signs reading, "Do not feed the wildlife." The signs continue to explain that feeding them will cause them to be unable to find food naturally and depend on being hand-fed. The magpie, a member of the jay and crow family, is a beautiful bird yet it has the reputation of being a trash digger. People see it, and many other animals, as a nuisance.
After trash, contamination, industrialization, and the human transport of exotic invasive species, the habitats are dwindling. It wasn't until coal-driven locomotives trailed steel rails that the settlers came and invaded the natural environment. They struggled to survive from the Great Plains to the mountains and so they had to learn from the Natives until coal-powered communities could be formed.
Imagine, for a moment, living in a world with no smokestacks, contrails, or nuclear radiation. Imagine not having to capture the moment with a camera because you are living in the moment, everyday. The Natives could naturally heal from the herbs and minerals that God provided without paying for it in a pill. The men would go hunt and gather while the women made bowls and clothes. Without subjecting to an 8 hour job, they could come home and eat. Afterwards, they would fellowship with song and dance, giving thanks for the success.
In Medieval times, falcons were used to hunt. In Africa and Asia, Elephants and rhinos helped pull ropes on gears and pulleys. Sheep and Alpacas provide wool. Camels and horses are capable of carrying a rider without fuel other than food. "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." (Genesis 1:26)
Many of the remnants of the tribes rooted in the midst of their Ancestors' value of the land, today, are often labeled as the, "Third world," undeveloped countries. If the civilized world dams up the water or contaminates it, then, those tribes are in need. Many science textbooks declare that earth is the third planet from the sun. The only Biblical reason these tribes could possibly be singled out as "third world" is if somebody misinterpreted this passage : "Do not be conformed to this world." (Romans 12:2) Stories of Tarzan, Mowgli, and George of the Jungle portray uncivilized humans as beasts in need of an education.
Science, today, attempts to tell the world that we are only beasts that, through time, acquired knowledge and understanding. "All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return. Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth?" (Ecclesiastes 3:20, 21) God brought the animals on the Ark because He used them for a very special sign. He wants us to never forget that, though, we were made in the same time frame as the beasts of the earth, we are so much more.
In Tree of Knowledge, love and it's purpose was touched upon. "Perfect love casts out all fear. " ( 1 John 4:18) If one could love another perfectly, there would be no need of fear of God. If one could love God perfectly, there would be no fear of people! Once this fear is cast out, love might cause us to see that the reason bears raid a soda truck or wolves encroach on a farmer's cows is because they are hungry and need to be taken care of. Above taking care of what God created and thanking Him, we are not to fear the creations we were given dominion over.
So, why would Satan want us to fear certain beasts and want us to think we are nothing more than them? "Now, the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, Did God actually say you shall not eat from any tree in the garden?" (Genesis 3:1) And who is this serpent? "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which decieveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." (Revelation 12:9)
In 2 Thesselonians 2:23, Paul made it clear that the "man of lawlessness" would be revealed. Jesus told all His followers, "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing by any means shall hurt you." (Luke 10:19)
Isaiah 14:25 prophesied from the word of God: "I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from their shoulders." Before the American flag was created an unusual flag, the Gadsden flag, was being waved in the Colonies. The only image on this flag was a serpent with the words, "Don't tread on me." A cosigner of the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin, developed a peculiar cartoon, as well: a picture of a chopped up serpent, with each piece representing a state, saying, "Unite or die!"
Whatever reason inspired these depictions, Satan wanted to subtly inform the world that he still exists. He revealed himself. In The Middle Passage, the difference between earthly water and Heavenly water was revealed, in regards to Baptism. When we take swimming lessons, we are taught to "tread the water." Everything we are taught in this life gives some clue to the whole picture. We have to recognize the clues and piece the information together to see exactly what we are dealing with.
But, in the meantime, we must rise! Even if it doesn't all make sense, we have been given the duty to overcome being just a beast. We are to be led by the Spirit! It doesn't take a scholar to explain who the beast is or what mark he presents. God calls us to accept a very important mark that Jesus can offer. "Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes." (Deuteronomy 11:23)
We are in the midst of a war of spirits, my friends so remember, "Then Jesus said to him, Put your sword back in its place. For all who take the sword shall perish by the sword." (Matthew 26:52) We have no need to attack flesh. Satan uses our very own Bible because it is a double-edged sword to fight, so let us take the Truth from it and be the feet that no longer fear the beast but tread over it with the Love and Grace of God! I would much rather die for the Truth than live for the lie. He, who is in us, will overcome! Amen.
After trash, contamination, industrialization, and the human transport of exotic invasive species, the habitats are dwindling. It wasn't until coal-driven locomotives trailed steel rails that the settlers came and invaded the natural environment. They struggled to survive from the Great Plains to the mountains and so they had to learn from the Natives until coal-powered communities could be formed.
Imagine, for a moment, living in a world with no smokestacks, contrails, or nuclear radiation. Imagine not having to capture the moment with a camera because you are living in the moment, everyday. The Natives could naturally heal from the herbs and minerals that God provided without paying for it in a pill. The men would go hunt and gather while the women made bowls and clothes. Without subjecting to an 8 hour job, they could come home and eat. Afterwards, they would fellowship with song and dance, giving thanks for the success.
In Medieval times, falcons were used to hunt. In Africa and Asia, Elephants and rhinos helped pull ropes on gears and pulleys. Sheep and Alpacas provide wool. Camels and horses are capable of carrying a rider without fuel other than food. "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." (Genesis 1:26)
Many of the remnants of the tribes rooted in the midst of their Ancestors' value of the land, today, are often labeled as the, "Third world," undeveloped countries. If the civilized world dams up the water or contaminates it, then, those tribes are in need. Many science textbooks declare that earth is the third planet from the sun. The only Biblical reason these tribes could possibly be singled out as "third world" is if somebody misinterpreted this passage : "Do not be conformed to this world." (Romans 12:2) Stories of Tarzan, Mowgli, and George of the Jungle portray uncivilized humans as beasts in need of an education.
Science, today, attempts to tell the world that we are only beasts that, through time, acquired knowledge and understanding. "All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return. Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth?" (Ecclesiastes 3:20, 21) God brought the animals on the Ark because He used them for a very special sign. He wants us to never forget that, though, we were made in the same time frame as the beasts of the earth, we are so much more.
In Tree of Knowledge, love and it's purpose was touched upon. "Perfect love casts out all fear. " ( 1 John 4:18) If one could love another perfectly, there would be no need of fear of God. If one could love God perfectly, there would be no fear of people! Once this fear is cast out, love might cause us to see that the reason bears raid a soda truck or wolves encroach on a farmer's cows is because they are hungry and need to be taken care of. Above taking care of what God created and thanking Him, we are not to fear the creations we were given dominion over.
So, why would Satan want us to fear certain beasts and want us to think we are nothing more than them? "Now, the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, Did God actually say you shall not eat from any tree in the garden?" (Genesis 3:1) And who is this serpent? "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which decieveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." (Revelation 12:9)
In 2 Thesselonians 2:23, Paul made it clear that the "man of lawlessness" would be revealed. Jesus told all His followers, "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing by any means shall hurt you." (Luke 10:19)
Isaiah 14:25 prophesied from the word of God: "I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from their shoulders." Before the American flag was created an unusual flag, the Gadsden flag, was being waved in the Colonies. The only image on this flag was a serpent with the words, "Don't tread on me." A cosigner of the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin, developed a peculiar cartoon, as well: a picture of a chopped up serpent, with each piece representing a state, saying, "Unite or die!"
Whatever reason inspired these depictions, Satan wanted to subtly inform the world that he still exists. He revealed himself. In The Middle Passage, the difference between earthly water and Heavenly water was revealed, in regards to Baptism. When we take swimming lessons, we are taught to "tread the water." Everything we are taught in this life gives some clue to the whole picture. We have to recognize the clues and piece the information together to see exactly what we are dealing with.
But, in the meantime, we must rise! Even if it doesn't all make sense, we have been given the duty to overcome being just a beast. We are to be led by the Spirit! It doesn't take a scholar to explain who the beast is or what mark he presents. God calls us to accept a very important mark that Jesus can offer. "Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes." (Deuteronomy 11:23)
We are in the midst of a war of spirits, my friends so remember, "Then Jesus said to him, Put your sword back in its place. For all who take the sword shall perish by the sword." (Matthew 26:52) We have no need to attack flesh. Satan uses our very own Bible because it is a double-edged sword to fight, so let us take the Truth from it and be the feet that no longer fear the beast but tread over it with the Love and Grace of God! I would much rather die for the Truth than live for the lie. He, who is in us, will overcome! Amen.
Monday, January 18, 2016
Tree of Knowledge
Nearly a year ago, a company in Geneva, Switzerland known as CERN - the company that developed the world wide web - launched a huge project called a hadron collider. Supposedly, this gigantic device was sent to space to create some sort of a reenactment of the "Big Bang Theory" to study. Two main opposing particles collided together, around March 2015, in order to create some sort of "wormhole".
In mythology, during the battle of the Olympians and the Titans, Zeus sentenced Atlas to hold up the "heavens". This gave some legends the ability to deify the Atlas Mountains in Northwest Africa which is next to the present day Atlantic Ocean. Some legends present a submerged land in this area, known as Atlantis. Before the discovery of the Americas, some maps included a mystical land with the name, Brazil. Although, atlases began depicting the Titan holding up the world over his shoulders, he was first seen holding up two pillars which were said to be on the mystical island of Atlantis.
As stated in What is Caesar's and What is God's, The Israelites went from being slaves in Egypt to being encompassed by the growing empire of Babylon. As the Great Pyramids suggest by the capstone, the Egyptians did believe in some sort of Supreme Power, whereas Babylon, which later had influences in Greece and Rome, was quite polytheistic with its subjects worshipping the king. In Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the statue portrayed the various empires that would form from the head of Babylon. The statue's iron legs represented the Roman Empire. Something quite significant about Rome is that the timeline of the government of it began with Kings, later to a Republic, then to the Empire consisting of Caesars.
Coincidentally, once upon a time, England, Scotland, Whales, Spain, France, and Ireland all had different Kingdoms. Throughout the years, Britain - named after a famous legend, "Brutus" who was said to have defeated giants in the ancient land of Albion - started gaining power over many countries and became "Great Britain". Eventually, the power of the king began to split between the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The House of Lords consisted of those of noble status while the House of Commons was made up of elected officials. Some seats in the House of Commons were "reserved" by wealthy men. Eventually, very much like an empire, the British owned the Commonwealth of Australia, South Africa, and many islands.
The idea of old ideas versus new ideas, in Parliament, carried over the Atlantic and turned into two specific parties: Conservative Republicans, the "right-wing" and Liberal Democrats, the "left-wing". These two wings make up the American Eagle.
In developmental psychology, one of the important milestones is comprehending conservation. A child is presented with a tall slender glass and a short stout glass. They think the tall glass would hold more water yet both glasses end up holding the same amount. The Conservative approach to government is that the law remain grounded on the Constitution no matter how things change throughout the decades. "If a man love me, he will keep my words." (John 14:23)
The term Liberal relates to the word, Liberate, which is freedom. In the glass of water scenario, no matter the shape of the glass, seeing how glasses are of all shapes and sizes, there is some liberty to add or subtract from the water to fit the change. This idea portrays that laws should have some freedom if it is necessary to improve human life. "If the Son, therefore, shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." (John 8:36)
A favorite pastime for wealthy 18th century Europeans was "foyning". This is a game where men gather and debate over something. The man who came out the wittiest, stumping the other man, would be the winner. In High School, many students participate in debates. Both sides are given a topic and a side to support, even if they don't agree with it. They must then find all the evidence necessary to stump the other team. This practice is seen in courtrooms, planning committees, scientific hypotheses, and Presidential debates. Philosophy utilizes this act of battling of the wits to find "truth". Pilate, in the midst of an empire built upon philosophy, asked Jesus, "What is truth?" (John 18:38)
Many of these wealthy politically minded people made up the majority of churchgoers, since the poor were working so hard to keep their families alive. For years, the Democrats and Republicans would have to set their disagreements aside and sit next to each other in church. Unfortunately, some extreme conservative pastors and deacons held Pharisee-type thinking so tightly that women were disgraced and anybody who didn't wear their "Sunday Best" would be booted out the door.
Up until the Contemporary Christian Music movement, churches seemed to be well in "order." At this point, Conservative and Liberal Christians began the "War on Music." Satan knew exactly what he was doing since he is a musician himself. "The workmanship of thy tablets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created." (Ezekiel 28:3) The fight of contemporary and traditional music boiled over one peculiar verse. "Speak to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing in and making melody in your heart to the Lord." (Ephesians 5:19) This verse was already bugging the Catholic Church before the Protestant. It set up a Council to decide if the music should support the words, if the words should support the music, or if they are both equally important. Jesus, however, answered this question long before. "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and hounereth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me." (Matthew 14:20)
And so, Protestant churches towards the end of the 20th century began to tear apart. While some churches aimed at a "Blended" service, and some split up into Traditional and Contemporary services to gear towards the people's preference, some were either leaned more towards "Traditional" or "Contemporary". "If a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand." (Mark 3:25) After this precedent, many other issues created Conservative Traditional churches and Liberal Traditional churches and Conservative Contemporary churches and Liberal Contemporary Churches. What it all comes down to is the schism of two great commandments that sum up the 10 commandments: "Thou shalt love the Lord your God with all your mind, with all your soul, and with all your strength: this is your first commandment. The second is like, namely this, thou shalt love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30-31)
Churches have developed various interpretations of what it means to love God or people. The scale easily tips one way or the other with more focus on obeying every single rule that goes beyond the 10 commandments, sometimes to the point of shunning people who don't measure up, or more focus on accepting sins, sometimes to the point that they tell their congregation they can believe whatever they want just as long as they know that Jesus loves them. So, then the truth is lost between the "right-wing" and the "left wing". Love to God is obedience to Him and following what He says about Himself and His children. Love of a neighbor is guiding without condemning. This means God's followers earnestly seek to keep others away from the sting of the world, and desire to bring them closer to Truth even if they haven't fully comprehended it themselves.
Republicans use the color red which signifies blood and Democrats use the color blue which signifies water. "There are three that bear witness on earth: the spirit and the water and the blood: and these three agree in one." (1 John 5:8) The topic of red, white, and blue is for another time but it must be understood that this worldly red and blue does not agree, nor can it. Though red represents hot and blue represents cold, the words in Revelation 3:16, "Because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew you out of my mouth," does not imply that one should be Republican or Democrat because they are both of the world.
The Israelites were closest to God in the wilderness between Egypt and Babylon. While Atlas was busy trying to hold up two pillars, God showed the Israelites, Egyptians, and later, through word-of-mouth, Babylon that He was the ultimate pillar that was to be feared and loved when He showed Himself as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.
He made this declaration loud and clear with a man named Samson who had 7 locks of hair that gave him his strength. "I saw a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth." (Revelation 5:6) In the Bible, horns represent power. Mythology uses this with unicorns. A rhinoceros, an herbivore, would not be as fierce without its horns. The Lamb is the man, Jesus, who was slain for our sins. The Spirits are the seven angels mentioned in Revelation 1. Zechariah 4:10 confirms this: "These seven are the eyes of the Lord which range to and fro throughout the earth."
Though, the world attempts to blind God and cut off His power in the churches, He still plans to overcome. "For the Lord of hosts has planned and who shall frustrate it? And as for His out-stretched hand, who can turn it back?" (Isaiah 14:27) The rulers of the nations set up their military and refine it, boasting even of their powers, and for the reason that Satan thinks he is actually going to win this fight. He keeps the nations deceived by denying what Peter warned: "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night; in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." (2 Peter 3:10)
If the new view of Atlas represents the sky not falling on the earth, Samson shows that someday Atlas will no longer serve his purpose. Atlas' strength will be no match for the Word of the Lord. And, CERN, backed by funding from many nations, thought they were so wise with their concept but thousands of years prior to their existence, God showed that the two pillars must collide before He brings in the New Earth and the New Heavens. Science in all its efforts of cloning, creating machines, and healing could never measure up to the plans that God has in store.
Will we turn our ears and will we turn our eyes away from the voice of fruitless knowledge? God's Tree of Life stands waiting in the midst of it all to bring Eternal life. Let us, then, let our faith be unmoved built firm on solid ground. Amen.
In mythology, during the battle of the Olympians and the Titans, Zeus sentenced Atlas to hold up the "heavens". This gave some legends the ability to deify the Atlas Mountains in Northwest Africa which is next to the present day Atlantic Ocean. Some legends present a submerged land in this area, known as Atlantis. Before the discovery of the Americas, some maps included a mystical land with the name, Brazil. Although, atlases began depicting the Titan holding up the world over his shoulders, he was first seen holding up two pillars which were said to be on the mystical island of Atlantis.
As stated in What is Caesar's and What is God's, The Israelites went from being slaves in Egypt to being encompassed by the growing empire of Babylon. As the Great Pyramids suggest by the capstone, the Egyptians did believe in some sort of Supreme Power, whereas Babylon, which later had influences in Greece and Rome, was quite polytheistic with its subjects worshipping the king. In Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the statue portrayed the various empires that would form from the head of Babylon. The statue's iron legs represented the Roman Empire. Something quite significant about Rome is that the timeline of the government of it began with Kings, later to a Republic, then to the Empire consisting of Caesars.
Coincidentally, once upon a time, England, Scotland, Whales, Spain, France, and Ireland all had different Kingdoms. Throughout the years, Britain - named after a famous legend, "Brutus" who was said to have defeated giants in the ancient land of Albion - started gaining power over many countries and became "Great Britain". Eventually, the power of the king began to split between the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The House of Lords consisted of those of noble status while the House of Commons was made up of elected officials. Some seats in the House of Commons were "reserved" by wealthy men. Eventually, very much like an empire, the British owned the Commonwealth of Australia, South Africa, and many islands.
The idea of old ideas versus new ideas, in Parliament, carried over the Atlantic and turned into two specific parties: Conservative Republicans, the "right-wing" and Liberal Democrats, the "left-wing". These two wings make up the American Eagle.
In developmental psychology, one of the important milestones is comprehending conservation. A child is presented with a tall slender glass and a short stout glass. They think the tall glass would hold more water yet both glasses end up holding the same amount. The Conservative approach to government is that the law remain grounded on the Constitution no matter how things change throughout the decades. "If a man love me, he will keep my words." (John 14:23)
The term Liberal relates to the word, Liberate, which is freedom. In the glass of water scenario, no matter the shape of the glass, seeing how glasses are of all shapes and sizes, there is some liberty to add or subtract from the water to fit the change. This idea portrays that laws should have some freedom if it is necessary to improve human life. "If the Son, therefore, shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." (John 8:36)
A favorite pastime for wealthy 18th century Europeans was "foyning". This is a game where men gather and debate over something. The man who came out the wittiest, stumping the other man, would be the winner. In High School, many students participate in debates. Both sides are given a topic and a side to support, even if they don't agree with it. They must then find all the evidence necessary to stump the other team. This practice is seen in courtrooms, planning committees, scientific hypotheses, and Presidential debates. Philosophy utilizes this act of battling of the wits to find "truth". Pilate, in the midst of an empire built upon philosophy, asked Jesus, "What is truth?" (John 18:38)
Many of these wealthy politically minded people made up the majority of churchgoers, since the poor were working so hard to keep their families alive. For years, the Democrats and Republicans would have to set their disagreements aside and sit next to each other in church. Unfortunately, some extreme conservative pastors and deacons held Pharisee-type thinking so tightly that women were disgraced and anybody who didn't wear their "Sunday Best" would be booted out the door.
Up until the Contemporary Christian Music movement, churches seemed to be well in "order." At this point, Conservative and Liberal Christians began the "War on Music." Satan knew exactly what he was doing since he is a musician himself. "The workmanship of thy tablets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created." (Ezekiel 28:3) The fight of contemporary and traditional music boiled over one peculiar verse. "Speak to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing in and making melody in your heart to the Lord." (Ephesians 5:19) This verse was already bugging the Catholic Church before the Protestant. It set up a Council to decide if the music should support the words, if the words should support the music, or if they are both equally important. Jesus, however, answered this question long before. "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and hounereth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me." (Matthew 14:20)
And so, Protestant churches towards the end of the 20th century began to tear apart. While some churches aimed at a "Blended" service, and some split up into Traditional and Contemporary services to gear towards the people's preference, some were either leaned more towards "Traditional" or "Contemporary". "If a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand." (Mark 3:25) After this precedent, many other issues created Conservative Traditional churches and Liberal Traditional churches and Conservative Contemporary churches and Liberal Contemporary Churches. What it all comes down to is the schism of two great commandments that sum up the 10 commandments: "Thou shalt love the Lord your God with all your mind, with all your soul, and with all your strength: this is your first commandment. The second is like, namely this, thou shalt love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30-31)
Churches have developed various interpretations of what it means to love God or people. The scale easily tips one way or the other with more focus on obeying every single rule that goes beyond the 10 commandments, sometimes to the point of shunning people who don't measure up, or more focus on accepting sins, sometimes to the point that they tell their congregation they can believe whatever they want just as long as they know that Jesus loves them. So, then the truth is lost between the "right-wing" and the "left wing". Love to God is obedience to Him and following what He says about Himself and His children. Love of a neighbor is guiding without condemning. This means God's followers earnestly seek to keep others away from the sting of the world, and desire to bring them closer to Truth even if they haven't fully comprehended it themselves.
Republicans use the color red which signifies blood and Democrats use the color blue which signifies water. "There are three that bear witness on earth: the spirit and the water and the blood: and these three agree in one." (1 John 5:8) The topic of red, white, and blue is for another time but it must be understood that this worldly red and blue does not agree, nor can it. Though red represents hot and blue represents cold, the words in Revelation 3:16, "Because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew you out of my mouth," does not imply that one should be Republican or Democrat because they are both of the world.
The Israelites were closest to God in the wilderness between Egypt and Babylon. While Atlas was busy trying to hold up two pillars, God showed the Israelites, Egyptians, and later, through word-of-mouth, Babylon that He was the ultimate pillar that was to be feared and loved when He showed Himself as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.
He made this declaration loud and clear with a man named Samson who had 7 locks of hair that gave him his strength. "I saw a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth." (Revelation 5:6) In the Bible, horns represent power. Mythology uses this with unicorns. A rhinoceros, an herbivore, would not be as fierce without its horns. The Lamb is the man, Jesus, who was slain for our sins. The Spirits are the seven angels mentioned in Revelation 1. Zechariah 4:10 confirms this: "These seven are the eyes of the Lord which range to and fro throughout the earth."
Though, the world attempts to blind God and cut off His power in the churches, He still plans to overcome. "For the Lord of hosts has planned and who shall frustrate it? And as for His out-stretched hand, who can turn it back?" (Isaiah 14:27) The rulers of the nations set up their military and refine it, boasting even of their powers, and for the reason that Satan thinks he is actually going to win this fight. He keeps the nations deceived by denying what Peter warned: "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night; in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." (2 Peter 3:10)
If the new view of Atlas represents the sky not falling on the earth, Samson shows that someday Atlas will no longer serve his purpose. Atlas' strength will be no match for the Word of the Lord. And, CERN, backed by funding from many nations, thought they were so wise with their concept but thousands of years prior to their existence, God showed that the two pillars must collide before He brings in the New Earth and the New Heavens. Science in all its efforts of cloning, creating machines, and healing could never measure up to the plans that God has in store.
Will we turn our ears and will we turn our eyes away from the voice of fruitless knowledge? God's Tree of Life stands waiting in the midst of it all to bring Eternal life. Let us, then, let our faith be unmoved built firm on solid ground. Amen.
Friday, January 15, 2016
The Middle Passage
The slave trade was a terrible time of tribulation. It presented, however, some odd resemblance to the end times. During this period in time, the Colonists were supposedly looking for an escape from the British. The ships that would carry all who fled from Europe destined for a particular place already deemed on maps as the "New World." "Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth." (Isaiah 65:17)
After the Revolutionary War and years of "Enlightenment" that developed after the "Dark Ages", one can only imagine the tribulation experienced in Europe at the time, and to, in their eyes, have this bit of escape was monumental. Anybody who was hoodwinked from the fact that the devastation of the slave trade was already brewing well in the 16th century, could have thought they in some way were saved - the "predestined."
"Ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel." (Luke 22:30) When "race science" developed in the New World, those poisoned by white supremacy must have thought they were fit to judge the slaves that would soon come in. It takes a great deal of compassion to look back at the whole picture and figure out why many churchgoers had no trouble with the slave trade. Even after abolition, the remnants of racism lingered, even in the northern states. Though slavery was abolished, equality still did not exist on a "legal" standpoint for much time after.
Before the abolition, the captured slaves in West Africa had no hope, even if they were as kings in their tribes. Though the West Indies and the South did the dirty work of owning slaves, the ships came out of the North. In fact, the corporate headquarters for the cotton and rum industries were in the North. They utilized cheap production from the southern plantations to make profits and cause America to expand quickly.
The trip across the Atlantic had the interesting nickname of "The Middle Passage." This was the time when those captured could be considered lucky to make it to the New world. Lucky is a better fitted word, rather than blessed, since the word is correlated to the name Lucifer. On the ships, slaves were positioned so tightly together and did not get such luxuries as a bathroom break.
As can be expected, ship captains had to be stocked up with food supply to feed their crews and the slaves. If, however, resources began to deplete, due to storms or other delays, slaves would be the first to starve. If any slave seemed to have a disease, they would be thrown overboard to "save" the whole ship. "For nation shall rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places." (Matthew 24:7)
In other religions, "The Middle Path" takes one from reality to truth. During Luther's time, the belief in Purgatory gave the Roman Catholic Church leverage to sell certificates, known as "indulgences", to those wishing to pray for either themselves or their Ancestors to make it to Heaven, or Paradise. Inferno, then, is like Hell. Mythology calls this the Underworld.
In Genesis, God separated the waters of Earth with the waters of Heaven by the great expanse of sky and space. In What is Caesar's and What is God's, the topic of the white rabbit was briefly discussed. In many ancient culture's, instead of a man on the moon, there were tales of the white rabbit on the moon. In Alice and Wonderland, the white rabbit was always pressed for time to make it back to a different demension, coincidentally leading Alice there. The rabbit hole indicates a sort of passageway to the underworld. The Charon is that man seen rowing a boat to carry individuals either down to the underworld or out of it. Quantum physics calls a part of space that leads from one demension to another a "wormhole." The reason why this correlates with the moon is because at the beginning of a Lunar month, the Full moon is revealed but throughout the month, it "vanishes" into a "mysterious place" and becomes "new". God ordained the sun, moon, and stars, not just for seasons but for signs!
So, now it can be understood that the idea of an underworld "Hell" has origins in mythology. Hell, to many people who try to instill the fear of God on people, is depicted with fire, which is why it is called, "Inferno," the Great Furnace.
Daniel's friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, went through a fiery furnace yet surprisingly came out alive since God was with them. Those who persecuted them, however, fell in and died. "The trial of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perisheth, though it be tried by fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 1:7)
At birth, we come into the world, many times, without having gone through any "fire". During this time, we are raised in the material world but it isn't until we are tried by fire and endure it with faith that we draw nearer to God. "The Lord is near to the broken hearted and saves those that are crushed in spirit." (Psalm 34:18) For slaves to have faith in God during "The Middle Passage" would have been so much of an awesome testimony. The horrific story lasted up into the 20th century with the ivory trade.
That was a "physical" tribulation. Wars, famines, and diseases, constantly test our faith but the "Spiritual" tribulation is a mind that has been blinded from truth by an enchantment. "Behold, I am against your magic bands by which you hunt lives, there, as birds and I will tear them from your arms; and I will let them go, even those lives whom you hunt as birds." (Ezekiel 13:2) Any Colonist who saw the evils of the slave trade and tried to speak out against it would be publicly humiliated, if not stoned. Their character would be completely destroyed.
The greatest sign of The Resurrection was that the Ascension had not occurred until after the trial, persecution, and overcoming the grave. "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" ( 1 Corinthians 15:55) Sheol, the Hebrew word interpreted as Hell, means "grave." Upon the ceremony of Baptism, during immersion, the Preacher states, "Buried into death, raised to walk in the newness of life." This phrase indicates that the water represents a sort of death. God divided the waters of the world and the waters of Heaven. All life is made up of water. This truth allows for the understanding that the beast, "out of the water" is either a person, a nation, a worldly concept, or a combination of these. "You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world." 1 John 4:4
Once we overcome the waters of this world and walk on it like Jesus and Peter, that is when we are immersed in the waters of Heaven. "For John baptized with water but you will be baptized with the Holy Sprit. " (Acts 1:5) Satan knows that the body is only material so what he wants more than anything is to destroy bodies and for all of us to give him the glory and the honor by worshiping ourselves and disobeying God. He attacks those who believe in God even more than he does atheists. He aims to turn all hearts to him. He does this by whispering, "You, surely, will not die!" (Genesis 3:4)
Our "Middle Passage " is the tribulation of overcoming our flesh and being one with God in Spirit and Truth. As mentioned before, Jesus hid in the crowds, and so truth is hidden from the arrogant but can still be found by those who seek Him. Thank the Lord, the journey to the material "New World" was not the end. He is slow to anger and He waits for every single lost sheep to return to His green pasture that never ceases but always brings everlasting life. The Red Sea had to be split for Moses to pass and the path had to be made for the Triumphant entry of Jesus. We shall endure and overcome the depths of this world so that we may enter into His presence with joy and thanksgiving! Amen.
After the Revolutionary War and years of "Enlightenment" that developed after the "Dark Ages", one can only imagine the tribulation experienced in Europe at the time, and to, in their eyes, have this bit of escape was monumental. Anybody who was hoodwinked from the fact that the devastation of the slave trade was already brewing well in the 16th century, could have thought they in some way were saved - the "predestined."
"Ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel." (Luke 22:30) When "race science" developed in the New World, those poisoned by white supremacy must have thought they were fit to judge the slaves that would soon come in. It takes a great deal of compassion to look back at the whole picture and figure out why many churchgoers had no trouble with the slave trade. Even after abolition, the remnants of racism lingered, even in the northern states. Though slavery was abolished, equality still did not exist on a "legal" standpoint for much time after.
Before the abolition, the captured slaves in West Africa had no hope, even if they were as kings in their tribes. Though the West Indies and the South did the dirty work of owning slaves, the ships came out of the North. In fact, the corporate headquarters for the cotton and rum industries were in the North. They utilized cheap production from the southern plantations to make profits and cause America to expand quickly.
The trip across the Atlantic had the interesting nickname of "The Middle Passage." This was the time when those captured could be considered lucky to make it to the New world. Lucky is a better fitted word, rather than blessed, since the word is correlated to the name Lucifer. On the ships, slaves were positioned so tightly together and did not get such luxuries as a bathroom break.
As can be expected, ship captains had to be stocked up with food supply to feed their crews and the slaves. If, however, resources began to deplete, due to storms or other delays, slaves would be the first to starve. If any slave seemed to have a disease, they would be thrown overboard to "save" the whole ship. "For nation shall rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places." (Matthew 24:7)
In other religions, "The Middle Path" takes one from reality to truth. During Luther's time, the belief in Purgatory gave the Roman Catholic Church leverage to sell certificates, known as "indulgences", to those wishing to pray for either themselves or their Ancestors to make it to Heaven, or Paradise. Inferno, then, is like Hell. Mythology calls this the Underworld.
In Genesis, God separated the waters of Earth with the waters of Heaven by the great expanse of sky and space. In What is Caesar's and What is God's, the topic of the white rabbit was briefly discussed. In many ancient culture's, instead of a man on the moon, there were tales of the white rabbit on the moon. In Alice and Wonderland, the white rabbit was always pressed for time to make it back to a different demension, coincidentally leading Alice there. The rabbit hole indicates a sort of passageway to the underworld. The Charon is that man seen rowing a boat to carry individuals either down to the underworld or out of it. Quantum physics calls a part of space that leads from one demension to another a "wormhole." The reason why this correlates with the moon is because at the beginning of a Lunar month, the Full moon is revealed but throughout the month, it "vanishes" into a "mysterious place" and becomes "new". God ordained the sun, moon, and stars, not just for seasons but for signs!
So, now it can be understood that the idea of an underworld "Hell" has origins in mythology. Hell, to many people who try to instill the fear of God on people, is depicted with fire, which is why it is called, "Inferno," the Great Furnace.
Daniel's friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, went through a fiery furnace yet surprisingly came out alive since God was with them. Those who persecuted them, however, fell in and died. "The trial of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perisheth, though it be tried by fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 1:7)
At birth, we come into the world, many times, without having gone through any "fire". During this time, we are raised in the material world but it isn't until we are tried by fire and endure it with faith that we draw nearer to God. "The Lord is near to the broken hearted and saves those that are crushed in spirit." (Psalm 34:18) For slaves to have faith in God during "The Middle Passage" would have been so much of an awesome testimony. The horrific story lasted up into the 20th century with the ivory trade.
That was a "physical" tribulation. Wars, famines, and diseases, constantly test our faith but the "Spiritual" tribulation is a mind that has been blinded from truth by an enchantment. "Behold, I am against your magic bands by which you hunt lives, there, as birds and I will tear them from your arms; and I will let them go, even those lives whom you hunt as birds." (Ezekiel 13:2) Any Colonist who saw the evils of the slave trade and tried to speak out against it would be publicly humiliated, if not stoned. Their character would be completely destroyed.
The greatest sign of The Resurrection was that the Ascension had not occurred until after the trial, persecution, and overcoming the grave. "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" ( 1 Corinthians 15:55) Sheol, the Hebrew word interpreted as Hell, means "grave." Upon the ceremony of Baptism, during immersion, the Preacher states, "Buried into death, raised to walk in the newness of life." This phrase indicates that the water represents a sort of death. God divided the waters of the world and the waters of Heaven. All life is made up of water. This truth allows for the understanding that the beast, "out of the water" is either a person, a nation, a worldly concept, or a combination of these. "You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world." 1 John 4:4
Once we overcome the waters of this world and walk on it like Jesus and Peter, that is when we are immersed in the waters of Heaven. "For John baptized with water but you will be baptized with the Holy Sprit. " (Acts 1:5) Satan knows that the body is only material so what he wants more than anything is to destroy bodies and for all of us to give him the glory and the honor by worshiping ourselves and disobeying God. He attacks those who believe in God even more than he does atheists. He aims to turn all hearts to him. He does this by whispering, "You, surely, will not die!" (Genesis 3:4)
Our "Middle Passage " is the tribulation of overcoming our flesh and being one with God in Spirit and Truth. As mentioned before, Jesus hid in the crowds, and so truth is hidden from the arrogant but can still be found by those who seek Him. Thank the Lord, the journey to the material "New World" was not the end. He is slow to anger and He waits for every single lost sheep to return to His green pasture that never ceases but always brings everlasting life. The Red Sea had to be split for Moses to pass and the path had to be made for the Triumphant entry of Jesus. We shall endure and overcome the depths of this world so that we may enter into His presence with joy and thanksgiving! Amen.
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
What is Caesar's And What is God's
If I were a restaurant owner and minimum wage increased drastically due to worker complaints, in order to keep profits, I would probably let go of every single worker that least represented my business either by attendance, attitude, attire, or efficiency. I would have no elbow room for compassion. This might cause a great struggle for those workers but I would have to do what is best to save my business. Seeing how so many lawsuits could be filed due to false claims and good attorneys, this might be very hard to do. So, either my hypothetical small business could collapse or many workers will become unemployed. Whichever way the tables turned, the overall economy would be no better. If my business flopped, Big businesses that have the money to stay afloat would be able to monopolize on the industry.
Big business is like a big machine that runs on money. Small business is like a lemon. Once it is squeezed of all of its juice, it loses its life and if the Big Business Machine reaps the seeds from the lemons, it has control over where those seeds are planted or if they could be planted at all. If you work for a machine, eventually you will become a machine. If you work for Life, you will become life.
The philosophy of holistic medicine in curing an ailment is, "Like cures like." "Be ye not unequally yoked..." (II Cor 6:14) For example, if you have a rash, poison ivy would be a good remedy. The idea is that if you dilute a dose of the extracted oils with water or alcohol it will become more potent. This is due to the chemicals of the water changing shapes mimicking the shapes of the chemicals in the oils. When the body is sick, it is because it forgot how to heal itself. Once the remedy is administered, it allows a portion of the body to remember how to heal that issue and the current eventually magnifies throughout the body because the cells have the same mimicking effect. After all, we are made up of water. "...out of his body shall flow living water." (John 7:38)
Say, then, that the government becomes Big Business minded. This can lead to monopolizing, or in better terms, "An imperialistic state of mind." "You cannot serve both God and wealth." (Matt 6:24)
The idea of church and state developed at the fall of the Roman Empire. Though the empire was weakening, the church still stood, so Constantine announced Christianity as the national religion. Imagine business tacked into the government which then attaches itself to God. This lukewarm mindset is exactly what Jesus was trying to avoid when He cleaned out the temple in Matthew 21, turning tables and kicking merchants out.
Taking the "like cures like" concept, rather than giving rise to the yeast of chasing money by increasing wages, instead, and this will probably never happen, what would be the effect of decreasing the minimum wage? This meets the poor at their level rather than trying to give the poor false hope of reaching the upper class level.
If the theory of supply and demand rings true, then, although people would be "in appearance " poor, Big Businesses would be forced to lower their prices. If nobody, not even the middle class, can afford morgage or insurance or the middle-man grocery store, then although the physical need is there, demand as defined by econonomics would actually decrease. When a great quantity of supply remains and nobody can buy it, the value can no longer inflate but rather do the opposite. If Big Business refuses to go down on their prices, then small business can actually regain leverage in the market. Those small businesses can then avoid buying from government funded manufacturers and farms, and support farms and producers that have not been altered by the machine of Big Business.
Unfortunately, most of those farms and producers have had to borrow money from somewhere to stay afloat, individuals pulled out loans to go to college, and some families use credit cards with the first intention to help keep food on the table. So, if wages decreased, all the businesses could hold each of those people hostage under peonage to pay off the debts. If all loans were paid off, everybody would actually be free from the burdens of money, in this scenario.
Humans put the value into money. Gold and silver are healing minerals that God created yet through the need of a pivot point of a "middle man", business named the gold standard. Now, that most of the gold has been mined, we rely on paper. We put value into a piece of paper that at one point in time had precious metals lining it. Further on, now we give value to a number, simply placing trust in whatever amount is shown on our bank accounts, online.
In Leviticus 23, God commands the Israelites to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles in the 7th month of their year. This feast lasts a week and involves sleeping in tents to remind them of their Ancestors, who travelled through the wilderness before the Red Sea was divided for them to enter the Promised Land. This was a reminder that even though they were in a better place conquered via Joshua, they needed to always have faith in God. Why? Because the story of the world was far from over. Though they left Egypt, many of them against their will, the war of spirits really took place when the Babylonian Empire began to have a foothold in Israel. This is where the true collapse of the Promised Land on earth began. The spiritual Promised Land is a land that cannot be corrupted by Babylon.
Going back a few steps to the dilemma of chasing increasing wages, when workers and small businesses fold, they have a complete dependency on loans, "stimulus checks", Federal Grants to big charities, or tax breaks. This is like a rider leading a subdued beast by hanging bait in front of it. The rider feeds it here and there but keeps the beast a little hungry so that it will continue to follow it's master's lead lest it should see that it is moving somewhere against its own will and bucks the rider off.
This is not some radical political propaganda to push for unions to organize picketers to sit in front of Big Business doors or government gates. This is a motivation to help the People understand that part of the process of preparing the way for Christ's return is complete rebirth of the mind and of the Spirit. One thing that Schools of Business, Law, and Theology have in common is the power of terminology. "Commoners" throughout the world aspire to be successful but, until then, they appear inferior to the self-proclaimed "enlightened" because they don't know the proper sophisticated lingo or what it even means. If a doctor starts using the Latin terms of an ailment to a patient, he/or she obtains power if those terms sound jibberish. When the churches chained up Bibles, whether Latin Vulgate or King James, since people were unable to have personal Bibles, due to various reasons, the Priest or Preacher had authority and knew what they were talking about. Since, only they knew the lingo, they had the power to interpret it in truth or interpret it to fit their desires. We can trace it further to the translators. Even they had power. But, it must be remembered that even Aramaic outlived Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.
Any "educated" being, then has allowed themselves to submit to the institutions of the world for knowledge even if it means suppressing "gut-instincts." So, now pupils are graded on what they have learned from the institutions that have the power to sign their Degree. Even ordinary people who never had a higher education will listen to someone who has their Doctorate over an average individual. And, if the average individual tries to speak, he or she is ridiculed. "Whoever shall say to his brother, raca (worthless) shall be in danger of the council..." (Matthew 5:22) It begins to make sense why Moses was afraid to speak after being reared up next to Pharoah's son and feeling like a failure compared to the predestined-by-lineage future ruler.
To the Sanhedrin, Jesus appeared as an average human being. After healing people, He hid in the crowds. Any military personnel or government officials make themselves well known with badges or escort services. Businessmen love to have their faces all over magazines and the news speaking through the media to those less fortunate about how to "make it big" or, at least, better. Jesus' triumphant entry was not on any big white horse and He wasn't escorted by high ranking individuals. He had no red carpet but just the people singing, "Hosanna!" (Savior, save us!) laying down palm leaves and garments for Him to make His entrance.
In mythology, palm leaves represent the Phoenix. The Phoenix is basically a mystic eagle which represents mother earth. Eagles represent empires. This can by seen by the Roman eagle, Byzantine Two-headed Eagle, and the American bald eagle. This explains why the egg appears at Easter, a Holiday that was already in existence before Jesus came in the flesh as an infant. The rabbit represents the mythological Charon that goes to and fro from the underworld. The egg is a symbol of renewal and rebirth. If each feather of the Phoenix is Mother Earth and can be represented by a Palm leaf, then each person could resemble a part of her. Many religions have a huge foundation on the belief that all of nature is one huge organism connected by a spirit.
Pop culture depictions of antiquity show servants fanning the king or Emperor as he eats grapes that he himself never harvested. The depiction of fanning palm leaves represents power. In mythology, when the Phoenix flapped her wings, she did so to bring power and life to whomever she flapped her wings upon. She instilled her "spirit". So in essence, the fanning from the servants was not necessarily to keep him cool, though it might have done that, it was showing that he was powerful.
Madonna, who eerily and supposedly has the same name as the woman depicted in ancient art carrying a baby boy, sang it very truthfully when her carnally minded songwriters gave her the words, "I am living in a material world and I am a material girl." When we come into the world, we have material thoughts. Our bodies are material. God created man and the beasts of the earth on the 6th day but God gave man dominion over the beast. Evolution does what it can to disprove this truth because it is based off of human, carnal, thinking. "The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." (Romans 8:7)
Every "natural" thing that we can sense with our natural senses is just matter. Science even tells us this. In fact, matter is broken up into smaller matter. In the end, every persons' body ends up just a piece of the "cosmos". If each person, then that day, laid down their palm leaf, it was monumental. It meant that they were laying down their bodies. The word host means body. It comes from the latin term hostia which means, "sacrificial victim." "It came to pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out of from the land of Egypt." (Exodus 12:41) Anybody who was a host of something other than the Lord, stayed behind.
The laying down of palm leaves was a symbol of making a sacrifice of themselves so that Jesus could enter via their "bodies" to the temple to clean it out. "Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." (Romans 12:1) Laying down garments had very similar representation. "Elisha took up the mantle that had fallen off Elijah..." 2 Kings 2:13 In heraldry, the mantle was worn on the knights' helmet above the shield. It was torn to represent a fight but though it was torn, when created for heraldry it was one of the most extravagant elements of the coat of arms. Your garments tell you where you came from and what your background is. It portrays your rank, your nationality, and how you see yourself. The people were telling Jesus that they would lay down their bodies, their thoughts, and their pride so that He would save them!
Just as God prepared the way for the Israelites, John the Baptist prepared the way for Christ, and the people laid down themselves for Christ to clean out the temple, so shall we prepare the way! When Jesus cleaned out the temple, He was telling us to clean out the temple. "What? Know ye not that your body is the temple..." (1 Corinthians 6:19) People are waiting for the building of a physical temple but God says that anybody who receives Him through our Lord, Jesus Christ, is a portion of the temple of God!
"Go through, go through the gates; prepare you the way of the people; cast up cast up the highway; gather up the stones; lift up the standard for the people." (Isaiah 62:10) In Joshua, the 12 stones represented the 12 tribes of Israel, and 1 Peter calls us to be "Living Stones" with Jesus as the chief "Cornerstone" that we should build upon. Masons know that stones must be quarried out right in order for a structure to be built. We must rethink and reevaluate ever single aspect of our lives. "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." (1 John 4:1) It is not a sin to seek out answers to the questions that are suppressed by inferiority. Rather than feeling worthless, it is okay to reexamine every single thing whether it comes from business, government, or even your very own church. This tells God that you are actively seeking Him out. "Draw nigh to God, and He will draw night to you..." (James 4:8)
This is not to discredit churches. We need to assemble with others who have faith! The church of God cannot be contained in the walls of any denominations. As much as any one denomination states the claims that it is the "infallible church", it simple cannot be true because the infallible Kingdom of God lies deep within the hearts of every single person that allows the Holy Spirit to clean out their thoughts and prepare the way for Jesus. "For many looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh upon the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7)
The analogy of wages was presented to give the reader true emotions to see what it is like to let go of everything that they learned and let God show Himself and His truths by His creations. "For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse." (Romans 1:20) Clearly, in order to lift the voice to prepare the way, we have to utilize technology for good. But, though our bodies be subjected to the evolution of the ages, our minds should be stayed on the One who created the ages to begin with. This will shape our hearts and renew our minds. This is being reborn: not into this world but into His Kingdom.
"Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again." (John 3:7)
"Render to Ceasar the things that are Caesars, and to God the things that are God's." - (Mark 12:17)
Big business is like a big machine that runs on money. Small business is like a lemon. Once it is squeezed of all of its juice, it loses its life and if the Big Business Machine reaps the seeds from the lemons, it has control over where those seeds are planted or if they could be planted at all. If you work for a machine, eventually you will become a machine. If you work for Life, you will become life.
The philosophy of holistic medicine in curing an ailment is, "Like cures like." "Be ye not unequally yoked..." (II Cor 6:14) For example, if you have a rash, poison ivy would be a good remedy. The idea is that if you dilute a dose of the extracted oils with water or alcohol it will become more potent. This is due to the chemicals of the water changing shapes mimicking the shapes of the chemicals in the oils. When the body is sick, it is because it forgot how to heal itself. Once the remedy is administered, it allows a portion of the body to remember how to heal that issue and the current eventually magnifies throughout the body because the cells have the same mimicking effect. After all, we are made up of water. "...out of his body shall flow living water." (John 7:38)
Say, then, that the government becomes Big Business minded. This can lead to monopolizing, or in better terms, "An imperialistic state of mind." "You cannot serve both God and wealth." (Matt 6:24)
The idea of church and state developed at the fall of the Roman Empire. Though the empire was weakening, the church still stood, so Constantine announced Christianity as the national religion. Imagine business tacked into the government which then attaches itself to God. This lukewarm mindset is exactly what Jesus was trying to avoid when He cleaned out the temple in Matthew 21, turning tables and kicking merchants out.
Taking the "like cures like" concept, rather than giving rise to the yeast of chasing money by increasing wages, instead, and this will probably never happen, what would be the effect of decreasing the minimum wage? This meets the poor at their level rather than trying to give the poor false hope of reaching the upper class level.
If the theory of supply and demand rings true, then, although people would be "in appearance " poor, Big Businesses would be forced to lower their prices. If nobody, not even the middle class, can afford morgage or insurance or the middle-man grocery store, then although the physical need is there, demand as defined by econonomics would actually decrease. When a great quantity of supply remains and nobody can buy it, the value can no longer inflate but rather do the opposite. If Big Business refuses to go down on their prices, then small business can actually regain leverage in the market. Those small businesses can then avoid buying from government funded manufacturers and farms, and support farms and producers that have not been altered by the machine of Big Business.
Unfortunately, most of those farms and producers have had to borrow money from somewhere to stay afloat, individuals pulled out loans to go to college, and some families use credit cards with the first intention to help keep food on the table. So, if wages decreased, all the businesses could hold each of those people hostage under peonage to pay off the debts. If all loans were paid off, everybody would actually be free from the burdens of money, in this scenario.
Humans put the value into money. Gold and silver are healing minerals that God created yet through the need of a pivot point of a "middle man", business named the gold standard. Now, that most of the gold has been mined, we rely on paper. We put value into a piece of paper that at one point in time had precious metals lining it. Further on, now we give value to a number, simply placing trust in whatever amount is shown on our bank accounts, online.
In Leviticus 23, God commands the Israelites to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles in the 7th month of their year. This feast lasts a week and involves sleeping in tents to remind them of their Ancestors, who travelled through the wilderness before the Red Sea was divided for them to enter the Promised Land. This was a reminder that even though they were in a better place conquered via Joshua, they needed to always have faith in God. Why? Because the story of the world was far from over. Though they left Egypt, many of them against their will, the war of spirits really took place when the Babylonian Empire began to have a foothold in Israel. This is where the true collapse of the Promised Land on earth began. The spiritual Promised Land is a land that cannot be corrupted by Babylon.
Going back a few steps to the dilemma of chasing increasing wages, when workers and small businesses fold, they have a complete dependency on loans, "stimulus checks", Federal Grants to big charities, or tax breaks. This is like a rider leading a subdued beast by hanging bait in front of it. The rider feeds it here and there but keeps the beast a little hungry so that it will continue to follow it's master's lead lest it should see that it is moving somewhere against its own will and bucks the rider off.
This is not some radical political propaganda to push for unions to organize picketers to sit in front of Big Business doors or government gates. This is a motivation to help the People understand that part of the process of preparing the way for Christ's return is complete rebirth of the mind and of the Spirit. One thing that Schools of Business, Law, and Theology have in common is the power of terminology. "Commoners" throughout the world aspire to be successful but, until then, they appear inferior to the self-proclaimed "enlightened" because they don't know the proper sophisticated lingo or what it even means. If a doctor starts using the Latin terms of an ailment to a patient, he/or she obtains power if those terms sound jibberish. When the churches chained up Bibles, whether Latin Vulgate or King James, since people were unable to have personal Bibles, due to various reasons, the Priest or Preacher had authority and knew what they were talking about. Since, only they knew the lingo, they had the power to interpret it in truth or interpret it to fit their desires. We can trace it further to the translators. Even they had power. But, it must be remembered that even Aramaic outlived Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.
Any "educated" being, then has allowed themselves to submit to the institutions of the world for knowledge even if it means suppressing "gut-instincts." So, now pupils are graded on what they have learned from the institutions that have the power to sign their Degree. Even ordinary people who never had a higher education will listen to someone who has their Doctorate over an average individual. And, if the average individual tries to speak, he or she is ridiculed. "Whoever shall say to his brother, raca (worthless) shall be in danger of the council..." (Matthew 5:22) It begins to make sense why Moses was afraid to speak after being reared up next to Pharoah's son and feeling like a failure compared to the predestined-by-lineage future ruler.
To the Sanhedrin, Jesus appeared as an average human being. After healing people, He hid in the crowds. Any military personnel or government officials make themselves well known with badges or escort services. Businessmen love to have their faces all over magazines and the news speaking through the media to those less fortunate about how to "make it big" or, at least, better. Jesus' triumphant entry was not on any big white horse and He wasn't escorted by high ranking individuals. He had no red carpet but just the people singing, "Hosanna!" (Savior, save us!) laying down palm leaves and garments for Him to make His entrance.
In mythology, palm leaves represent the Phoenix. The Phoenix is basically a mystic eagle which represents mother earth. Eagles represent empires. This can by seen by the Roman eagle, Byzantine Two-headed Eagle, and the American bald eagle. This explains why the egg appears at Easter, a Holiday that was already in existence before Jesus came in the flesh as an infant. The rabbit represents the mythological Charon that goes to and fro from the underworld. The egg is a symbol of renewal and rebirth. If each feather of the Phoenix is Mother Earth and can be represented by a Palm leaf, then each person could resemble a part of her. Many religions have a huge foundation on the belief that all of nature is one huge organism connected by a spirit.
Pop culture depictions of antiquity show servants fanning the king or Emperor as he eats grapes that he himself never harvested. The depiction of fanning palm leaves represents power. In mythology, when the Phoenix flapped her wings, she did so to bring power and life to whomever she flapped her wings upon. She instilled her "spirit". So in essence, the fanning from the servants was not necessarily to keep him cool, though it might have done that, it was showing that he was powerful.
Madonna, who eerily and supposedly has the same name as the woman depicted in ancient art carrying a baby boy, sang it very truthfully when her carnally minded songwriters gave her the words, "I am living in a material world and I am a material girl." When we come into the world, we have material thoughts. Our bodies are material. God created man and the beasts of the earth on the 6th day but God gave man dominion over the beast. Evolution does what it can to disprove this truth because it is based off of human, carnal, thinking. "The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." (Romans 8:7)
Every "natural" thing that we can sense with our natural senses is just matter. Science even tells us this. In fact, matter is broken up into smaller matter. In the end, every persons' body ends up just a piece of the "cosmos". If each person, then that day, laid down their palm leaf, it was monumental. It meant that they were laying down their bodies. The word host means body. It comes from the latin term hostia which means, "sacrificial victim." "It came to pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out of from the land of Egypt." (Exodus 12:41) Anybody who was a host of something other than the Lord, stayed behind.
The laying down of palm leaves was a symbol of making a sacrifice of themselves so that Jesus could enter via their "bodies" to the temple to clean it out. "Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." (Romans 12:1) Laying down garments had very similar representation. "Elisha took up the mantle that had fallen off Elijah..." 2 Kings 2:13 In heraldry, the mantle was worn on the knights' helmet above the shield. It was torn to represent a fight but though it was torn, when created for heraldry it was one of the most extravagant elements of the coat of arms. Your garments tell you where you came from and what your background is. It portrays your rank, your nationality, and how you see yourself. The people were telling Jesus that they would lay down their bodies, their thoughts, and their pride so that He would save them!
Just as God prepared the way for the Israelites, John the Baptist prepared the way for Christ, and the people laid down themselves for Christ to clean out the temple, so shall we prepare the way! When Jesus cleaned out the temple, He was telling us to clean out the temple. "What? Know ye not that your body is the temple..." (1 Corinthians 6:19) People are waiting for the building of a physical temple but God says that anybody who receives Him through our Lord, Jesus Christ, is a portion of the temple of God!
"Go through, go through the gates; prepare you the way of the people; cast up cast up the highway; gather up the stones; lift up the standard for the people." (Isaiah 62:10) In Joshua, the 12 stones represented the 12 tribes of Israel, and 1 Peter calls us to be "Living Stones" with Jesus as the chief "Cornerstone" that we should build upon. Masons know that stones must be quarried out right in order for a structure to be built. We must rethink and reevaluate ever single aspect of our lives. "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." (1 John 4:1) It is not a sin to seek out answers to the questions that are suppressed by inferiority. Rather than feeling worthless, it is okay to reexamine every single thing whether it comes from business, government, or even your very own church. This tells God that you are actively seeking Him out. "Draw nigh to God, and He will draw night to you..." (James 4:8)
This is not to discredit churches. We need to assemble with others who have faith! The church of God cannot be contained in the walls of any denominations. As much as any one denomination states the claims that it is the "infallible church", it simple cannot be true because the infallible Kingdom of God lies deep within the hearts of every single person that allows the Holy Spirit to clean out their thoughts and prepare the way for Jesus. "For many looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh upon the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7)
The analogy of wages was presented to give the reader true emotions to see what it is like to let go of everything that they learned and let God show Himself and His truths by His creations. "For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse." (Romans 1:20) Clearly, in order to lift the voice to prepare the way, we have to utilize technology for good. But, though our bodies be subjected to the evolution of the ages, our minds should be stayed on the One who created the ages to begin with. This will shape our hearts and renew our minds. This is being reborn: not into this world but into His Kingdom.
"Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again." (John 3:7)
"Render to Ceasar the things that are Caesars, and to God the things that are God's." - (Mark 12:17)
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