I've heard some fellow Christians try to explain away Satan/demons as symbols of human evil. I'd like to believe that the Bible was intended to be read that way. However...
1.) If the Bible writers meant that, they could easily have said it.
2.) If the demonic=human evil, then the human mind indeed has some paranormal powers.
3.) When I look at how entire cultures can become corrupted-
how the most cultured nation of the early 20th century Germany
can be swayed into genocidal 'eugenics',
how Christendom can be seduced into Crusades, Inquisitions,
Witch Hunts & Pogroms,
how Russia & China can succumb to atheistic collectivist statist tyranny,
how a substantial population of men can degenerate to regard
children as appropriate sexual partners
and a substantial population of women can be pressured into ending
their unborn children's lives-
then I see the Antithesis of what I see when I look at the Origins of
the Cosmos, of Life, of Humanity, of Israel, of Jesus.
For in those latter things, I see Almighty All-Loving Intelligent Design.
In the former things, I see a limited but very palpable intelligent design of Evil.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
ODE by Arthur O'Shaughnessy
From Appletons' Journal, Vol 10, No 237, Oct 4, 1873, page 440:
AN ODE.
(Arthur O'Shaughnessy)
We are the music-makers,
And we are the dreamers of dreams;
Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams;
World-losers and world-forsakers
On whom the pale moon gleams:
Yet we are the movers and shakers
Of the world forever, it seems.
With wonderful deathless ditties
We build up the world's great cities,
And out of a fabulous story
We fashion an empire's glory;
One man with a dream, at pleasure,
Shall go forth and conquer a crown;
And three, with a new song's measure,
Can trample a kingdom down.
We in the ages lying
In the buried past of the earth,
Built Nineveh with our sighing,
And Babel itself in our mirth;
And o'erthrew them with prophesying
To the old of the new world's worth;
For each age is a dream that is dying,
Or one that is coming to birth.
A breath of our inspiration
Is the life of each generation;
A wondrous thing of our dreaming,
Unearthly, impossible seeming—
The soldier, the king, and the peasant,
Are working together in one,
Till our dream shall become their Present,
And their work in the world be done.
They had no vision amazing
Of the goodly house they are raising,
They had no divine foreshowing
Of the land to which they are going;
But on one man's soul it hath broken,
A light that doth not depart,
And his look, or a word he hath spoken,
Wrought flame in another man's heart.
And, therefore, to-day is thrilling
With a past day's late fulfilling;
And the multitudes are enlisted
In the faith that their fathers resisted;
And, scorning the dream of to-morrow,
Are bringing to pass as they may
In the world, for its joy or its sorrow,
The dream that was scorned yesterday.
But we, with our dreaming and singing,
Ceaseless and sorrowless we!
The glory about us clinging
Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing—
O men, it must ever be—
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing
A little apart from ye.
For we are afar with the dawning,
And the suns that are not yet high;
And out of the infinite morning,
Intrepid, you hear us cry,—
How, spite of your human scorning,
Once more God's future draws nigh,
And already goes forth the warning
That ye of the past must die.
Great hail! we cry to the comers
From the dazzling, unknown shore,
Bring us hither your sun and your summers,
And renew our world as of yore;
You shall teach us your song's new numbers,
And things that we dreamed not before;
Yea, in spite of a dreamer who slumbers
And a singer who sings no more.
—London Athenaeum
AN ODE.
(Arthur O'Shaughnessy)
We are the music-makers,
And we are the dreamers of dreams;
Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams;
World-losers and world-forsakers
On whom the pale moon gleams:
Yet we are the movers and shakers
Of the world forever, it seems.
With wonderful deathless ditties
We build up the world's great cities,
And out of a fabulous story
We fashion an empire's glory;
One man with a dream, at pleasure,
Shall go forth and conquer a crown;
And three, with a new song's measure,
Can trample a kingdom down.
We in the ages lying
In the buried past of the earth,
Built Nineveh with our sighing,
And Babel itself in our mirth;
And o'erthrew them with prophesying
To the old of the new world's worth;
For each age is a dream that is dying,
Or one that is coming to birth.
A breath of our inspiration
Is the life of each generation;
A wondrous thing of our dreaming,
Unearthly, impossible seeming—
The soldier, the king, and the peasant,
Are working together in one,
Till our dream shall become their Present,
And their work in the world be done.
They had no vision amazing
Of the goodly house they are raising,
They had no divine foreshowing
Of the land to which they are going;
But on one man's soul it hath broken,
A light that doth not depart,
And his look, or a word he hath spoken,
Wrought flame in another man's heart.
And, therefore, to-day is thrilling
With a past day's late fulfilling;
And the multitudes are enlisted
In the faith that their fathers resisted;
And, scorning the dream of to-morrow,
Are bringing to pass as they may
In the world, for its joy or its sorrow,
The dream that was scorned yesterday.
But we, with our dreaming and singing,
Ceaseless and sorrowless we!
The glory about us clinging
Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing—
O men, it must ever be—
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing
A little apart from ye.
For we are afar with the dawning,
And the suns that are not yet high;
And out of the infinite morning,
Intrepid, you hear us cry,—
How, spite of your human scorning,
Once more God's future draws nigh,
And already goes forth the warning
That ye of the past must die.
Great hail! we cry to the comers
From the dazzling, unknown shore,
Bring us hither your sun and your summers,
And renew our world as of yore;
You shall teach us your song's new numbers,
And things that we dreamed not before;
Yea, in spite of a dreamer who slumbers
And a singer who sings no more.
—London Athenaeum
Our Divine Destiny- a few TheoLogues...
From my Facebook
7.18.10 Messiah Jesus- the Ground & the Goal of All Being,
of Whom All Humanity was created to be His Bride
and every individual created to be a Son or Daughter
by The Eternal Father & thru the Holy Spirit~ Amen.
7.15.10 The final destiny of every being is
to be enveloped in the Kindness & Fairness of YHWH God
through the Authority of King Messiah Jeshua (Jesus)-
each being's level of trust & surrender to YHWH-Jeshua
determines whether their destiny is Glorious Paradise or Gehenna Fire.
Mark C- Interesting. Is this your own theological formulation or are there other scholars/writers from whom you draw?
Me- The great CSL, of course, but also, the idea of Hell as the rejected Love of God shows up in a lot of Eastern Orthodox writings. I noticed the TONS of Fire-Imagery used for God in OT & NT both, and thought "Why are we taught that the Fire of God is different from the Fire of Hell? Couldn't it be the same Fire?" Well, Isaiah 30:33 says the Breath of YHWH kindles the Fire of Tophet (Gehenna) like a stream of burning sulfur. In Rev 14, the Beast-worshippers are tormented "In the Presence of the Lamb & His Holy Angels" with fire & sulfur, the Greek word for sulfur being "Theion"- sulfur used to fumigate & purify in the service of God. Then I found the idea had been in Eastern Orthodoxy for centuries & I wasn't just some heretical nut. (I may be a heretical nut, but not for that reason, anyway.)
Also, I will admit- it's a great way to reconcile my hope for Universal Salvation, my belief in free will, & my wariness of completely challenging the traditional view of eternal damnation. To confuse the issue further, I'm not at all sure we can be dogmatic about souls being immortal & I see no Biblical problem with God possibly allowing souls to pass out of existence.
Mark C.- Do you hope that in the end all people will be saved, as in eternal rest within the spirit/presence of god?
Me- Part of me does hope so. Altho there I am not really bothered by the idea of eternal torment for certain persons & types of people- Hitler, Mengele, Stalin, Mao, child abusers. But even with them, I know my salvation isn't because I'm so darn good but because of the Grace of Christ. Now, Christ certainly speaks of a time of Intense Suffering for people who neglect or hurt innocents- but that does not rule out a possible rehabilitative result. "Eternal punishment" in Matthew 25 in Greek is "kolasin aionion"- which literally is "cutting-off aion-enduring"- does that mean eternal torment or prolonged exile or even correction? I just can't be dogmatic on the issue
7.11.10 I worship YHWH God because He can squash me like a bug. I adore Him because loves me so much He came as Messiah Jesus to redeem me.
7.18.10 Messiah Jesus- the Ground & the Goal of All Being,
of Whom All Humanity was created to be His Bride
and every individual created to be a Son or Daughter
by The Eternal Father & thru the Holy Spirit~ Amen.
7.15.10 The final destiny of every being is
to be enveloped in the Kindness & Fairness of YHWH God
through the Authority of King Messiah Jeshua (Jesus)-
each being's level of trust & surrender to YHWH-Jeshua
determines whether their destiny is Glorious Paradise or Gehenna Fire.
Mark C- Interesting. Is this your own theological formulation or are there other scholars/writers from whom you draw?
Me- The great CSL, of course, but also, the idea of Hell as the rejected Love of God shows up in a lot of Eastern Orthodox writings. I noticed the TONS of Fire-Imagery used for God in OT & NT both, and thought "Why are we taught that the Fire of God is different from the Fire of Hell? Couldn't it be the same Fire?" Well, Isaiah 30:33 says the Breath of YHWH kindles the Fire of Tophet (Gehenna) like a stream of burning sulfur. In Rev 14, the Beast-worshippers are tormented "In the Presence of the Lamb & His Holy Angels" with fire & sulfur, the Greek word for sulfur being "Theion"- sulfur used to fumigate & purify in the service of God. Then I found the idea had been in Eastern Orthodoxy for centuries & I wasn't just some heretical nut. (I may be a heretical nut, but not for that reason, anyway.)
Also, I will admit- it's a great way to reconcile my hope for Universal Salvation, my belief in free will, & my wariness of completely challenging the traditional view of eternal damnation. To confuse the issue further, I'm not at all sure we can be dogmatic about souls being immortal & I see no Biblical problem with God possibly allowing souls to pass out of existence.
Mark C.- Do you hope that in the end all people will be saved, as in eternal rest within the spirit/presence of god?
Me- Part of me does hope so. Altho there I am not really bothered by the idea of eternal torment for certain persons & types of people- Hitler, Mengele, Stalin, Mao, child abusers. But even with them, I know my salvation isn't because I'm so darn good but because of the Grace of Christ. Now, Christ certainly speaks of a time of Intense Suffering for people who neglect or hurt innocents- but that does not rule out a possible rehabilitative result. "Eternal punishment" in Matthew 25 in Greek is "kolasin aionion"- which literally is "cutting-off aion-enduring"- does that mean eternal torment or prolonged exile or even correction? I just can't be dogmatic on the issue
7.11.10 I worship YHWH God because He can squash me like a bug. I adore Him because loves me so much He came as Messiah Jesus to redeem me.
We Christians Don't TOTALLY Escape Hell Either!
My Facebook post 7.11.10
A complaint against Christian teaching is-
believers get off scot free before God for horrible sins
while unbelievers suffer forever for petty offenses.
Fair enough.
It's not fair, not right & not true.
Believers DON'T get off, tho it's often taught we do-
actually, we get taken up into YHWH God thru Jesus & so,
we look into the Horror that Christ took on for us at Golgotha.
Our trust in Him takes us thru it into His Resurrection Life.
But we'll always be seared thru in His Glorious Gehenna Fire.
A complaint against Christian teaching is-
believers get off scot free before God for horrible sins
while unbelievers suffer forever for petty offenses.
Fair enough.
It's not fair, not right & not true.
Believers DON'T get off, tho it's often taught we do-
actually, we get taken up into YHWH God thru Jesus & so,
we look into the Horror that Christ took on for us at Golgotha.
Our trust in Him takes us thru it into His Resurrection Life.
But we'll always be seared thru in His Glorious Gehenna Fire.
Teddy Roosevelt sez "Go to Church! Bully!" 8-{D
Teddy Roosevelt on Why we should go to church.
You gonna argue with Teddy R.?
He'll whup your hind end & speak softly while he does it!
Now read it! :D
Theodore Roosevelt's Nine Reasons Why a Man Should Go to Church
1In this actual world, a churchless community, a community where men have abandoned and scoffed at or ignored their religious needs, is a community on the rapid down grade.
2 Church work and church attendance mean the cultivation of the habit of feeling responsibility for others.
3 There are enough holidays for most of us. Sundays differ from other holidays in the fact that there are fifty-two of them every year. Therefore, on Sundays go to church.
4 Yes, I know all the excuses. I know that one can worship the Creator in a grove of trees, or by a running brook, or in a man's own house as well as in church. But I also know, as a matter of cold fact, that the average man does not thus worship.
5 He may not hear a good sermon at church. He will hear a sermon by a good man who, whith his wife, is engaged all of the week in making hard lives a little easier.
6 He will listen to and take part in reading some beautiful passages from the Bible. And if he is not familiar with the Bible he has suffered a loss.
7 He will take part in the singing of some good hymns.
8 He will meet and nod or speak to good, quiet neighbors. He will come away feeling a little more charitable toward all the world, even toward those excessively foolish young men who regard churchgoing as a soft performance.
9 I advocate a man's joining in church work for the sake of showing his faith by his works.
8-{D
This is the Teddy Roosevelt Smiley!
Bully!
You gonna argue with Teddy R.?
He'll whup your hind end & speak softly while he does it!
Now read it! :D
Theodore Roosevelt's Nine Reasons Why a Man Should Go to Church
1In this actual world, a churchless community, a community where men have abandoned and scoffed at or ignored their religious needs, is a community on the rapid down grade.
2 Church work and church attendance mean the cultivation of the habit of feeling responsibility for others.
3 There are enough holidays for most of us. Sundays differ from other holidays in the fact that there are fifty-two of them every year. Therefore, on Sundays go to church.
4 Yes, I know all the excuses. I know that one can worship the Creator in a grove of trees, or by a running brook, or in a man's own house as well as in church. But I also know, as a matter of cold fact, that the average man does not thus worship.
5 He may not hear a good sermon at church. He will hear a sermon by a good man who, whith his wife, is engaged all of the week in making hard lives a little easier.
6 He will listen to and take part in reading some beautiful passages from the Bible. And if he is not familiar with the Bible he has suffered a loss.
7 He will take part in the singing of some good hymns.
8 He will meet and nod or speak to good, quiet neighbors. He will come away feeling a little more charitable toward all the world, even toward those excessively foolish young men who regard churchgoing as a soft performance.
9 I advocate a man's joining in church work for the sake of showing his faith by his works.
8-{D
This is the Teddy Roosevelt Smiley!
Bully!
A rant to the "Will We Know Each Other in Heaven?" Q...
From my FB 7.10.10
On The 700 Club someone just asked a variation of "Will we know each other in Heaven?"
Why are people so confused about this?
If YHWH/Jesus's two greatest commandments are Love God & Love Others,
then why do many believers fail to see that we'll have interpersonal relationships in Eternity?
Specifically, the lady asked
"Will we be so busy worshipping God/Jesus that we won't notice other people?"
Which is a sad comment on the popular (anti-Biblical) idea that God wants us
to be content with Him alone & not need anyone else.
GOD WASN'T CONTENT TO BE ALONE- EVEN IN TRINITY!
That's why The Triune YHWH created anyone else besides Him/Them.
Then after creating Man & it was just God & Man,
God said it wasn't good to Man to be alone
& did one better by creating Woman (yay God!)
& He created them to multiply.
God wants company & He made us to want company
& that will not change in Heaven-
Yes, God is to be our One & Only God
but not our one & only companion! Sheesh!
On The 700 Club someone just asked a variation of "Will we know each other in Heaven?"
Why are people so confused about this?
If YHWH/Jesus's two greatest commandments are Love God & Love Others,
then why do many believers fail to see that we'll have interpersonal relationships in Eternity?
Specifically, the lady asked
"Will we be so busy worshipping God/Jesus that we won't notice other people?"
Which is a sad comment on the popular (anti-Biblical) idea that God wants us
to be content with Him alone & not need anyone else.
GOD WASN'T CONTENT TO BE ALONE- EVEN IN TRINITY!
That's why The Triune YHWH created anyone else besides Him/Them.
Then after creating Man & it was just God & Man,
God said it wasn't good to Man to be alone
& did one better by creating Woman (yay God!)
& He created them to multiply.
God wants company & He made us to want company
& that will not change in Heaven-
Yes, God is to be our One & Only God
but not our one & only companion! Sheesh!
Friar Ted's Purgatorio et Paradisio...
From my FB 7.08.10
Previously, I said "In the End,
everything will be enveloped
in God thru Jesus
& there will be no worst Hell
than to be locked inside of God
& raging to get out."
But for those willing to surrender in love to Him,
there will be no finer Purgatory
and no more glorious Paradise
than to be enveloped in that Eternal Trifold Fire
of Father, Christ & Spirit.
Previously, I said "In the End,
everything will be enveloped
in God thru Jesus
& there will be no worst Hell
than to be locked inside of God
& raging to get out."
But for those willing to surrender in love to Him,
there will be no finer Purgatory
and no more glorious Paradise
than to be enveloped in that Eternal Trifold Fire
of Father, Christ & Spirit.
Friar Ted's Inferno...
Expanded from my Facebook 7.02.10
Is Hell a Dante'-esque Theme Park of Agony? Not according to the Bible.
Christ tells of Aionion Fire & Cutting-Off,
Weeping & Gnashing of Teeth (a sign of rage, not sorrow),
Outer Darkness, Undying Worms,
Plucked Eyes & Severed Limbs.
The whole Bible Genesis-to-Revelation identifies that Fire-
YHWH God's Sheer Unmuted Presence.
In the End, everything will be enveloped in God thru Jesus
& there will be no worst Hell than to be locked inside of God & raging to get out.
Genesis 15:17 And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. 18 In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates...
Gen 19: 24 Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;...
27 And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD:
28 And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.
Exodus 3:2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto Moses in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
Exo 13:21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night
Exo 19:18 And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.
That was from Torah. Next the Prophets...
Isaiah 30:30 And the LORD shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones...
33 For Tophet (Gehenna) is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.
Daniel 7:9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.
10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
Malachi 3:2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:
3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.
Mal 4:1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
Finally, the New Testament...
Matthew 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
Acts 2:2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
II Thessalonians 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
Hebrews 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire.
Revelation 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone IN the presence of the holy angels, and IN the presence of the Lamb...
Rev 20:9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
The Fire of Abraham's Covenant and Sodom's Destruction,
the Blaze of Moses's Bush and Israel's Exodus,
the Flaming Stream which Isaiah saw as God's Breath & Daniel saw flow from God's Throne,
the Refining Fire of Malachi,
the Baptism of the Holy Spirit & Fire foretold by John the Baptist,
the Tongues of Flame at Pentecost,
the Brightness of Christ's Coming destroying the Wicked One seen by Paul,
the Consuming Fire of God in Hebrews,
and the Presence of Christ in the Lake of Fire & Divine Sulfur...
it's all the Same Fire-
the Fury of the Love & Justice of YHWH-Jahshua-Shekinah-
the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit-
delight & glory to those who love Him
and terror & travail to those who hate Him.
Appended comment:
Actually, the concept is from Eastern Orthodoxy. While I do think Sheol-Hades in "a place" that lost souls inhabit until The Resurrection & Last Judgment, I think Gehenna/The Lake of Fire is more an experience the anti-God rebels endure in God's Inescapable Presence.
A Scripture I forgot from Jesus Himself-
John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
I can very easily see Satan & all who commit to him cowering Gollum-like forever with their head tucked under their arms trying to shield themselves from the Unflinching Light & Love of Christ.
God does not torture them, nor does He have them be tortured by demons.
The only thing torturing them is their own self-absorbtion & refusal to surrender to the Embrace of God.
Is Hell a Dante'-esque Theme Park of Agony? Not according to the Bible.
Christ tells of Aionion Fire & Cutting-Off,
Weeping & Gnashing of Teeth (a sign of rage, not sorrow),
Outer Darkness, Undying Worms,
Plucked Eyes & Severed Limbs.
The whole Bible Genesis-to-Revelation identifies that Fire-
YHWH God's Sheer Unmuted Presence.
In the End, everything will be enveloped in God thru Jesus
& there will be no worst Hell than to be locked inside of God & raging to get out.
Genesis 15:17 And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. 18 In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates...
Gen 19: 24 Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;...
27 And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD:
28 And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.
Exodus 3:2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto Moses in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
Exo 13:21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night
Exo 19:18 And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.
That was from Torah. Next the Prophets...
Isaiah 30:30 And the LORD shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones...
33 For Tophet (Gehenna) is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.
Daniel 7:9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.
10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
Malachi 3:2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:
3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.
Mal 4:1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
Finally, the New Testament...
Matthew 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
Acts 2:2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
II Thessalonians 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
Hebrews 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire.
Revelation 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone IN the presence of the holy angels, and IN the presence of the Lamb...
Rev 20:9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
The Fire of Abraham's Covenant and Sodom's Destruction,
the Blaze of Moses's Bush and Israel's Exodus,
the Flaming Stream which Isaiah saw as God's Breath & Daniel saw flow from God's Throne,
the Refining Fire of Malachi,
the Baptism of the Holy Spirit & Fire foretold by John the Baptist,
the Tongues of Flame at Pentecost,
the Brightness of Christ's Coming destroying the Wicked One seen by Paul,
the Consuming Fire of God in Hebrews,
and the Presence of Christ in the Lake of Fire & Divine Sulfur...
it's all the Same Fire-
the Fury of the Love & Justice of YHWH-Jahshua-Shekinah-
the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit-
delight & glory to those who love Him
and terror & travail to those who hate Him.
Appended comment:
Actually, the concept is from Eastern Orthodoxy. While I do think Sheol-Hades in "a place" that lost souls inhabit until The Resurrection & Last Judgment, I think Gehenna/The Lake of Fire is more an experience the anti-God rebels endure in God's Inescapable Presence.
A Scripture I forgot from Jesus Himself-
John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
I can very easily see Satan & all who commit to him cowering Gollum-like forever with their head tucked under their arms trying to shield themselves from the Unflinching Light & Love of Christ.
God does not torture them, nor does He have them be tortured by demons.
The only thing torturing them is their own self-absorbtion & refusal to surrender to the Embrace of God.
We Need the Bleedin' Charity...
From my Facebook 7.01.10
C.S. Lewis in "The Great Divorce" has a soul in Limbo saying "I just want what's due me. I always paid my own way. I don't ask for no Bleedin' Charity."
The Heavenly spirit sent to help him challenges that "Then do so- ask for the Bleeding Charity."...
We're the same way. Fair's fair. Just give us what we deserve. We'll pay our own way.
Until we make the one mistake- an error, a crime, a sin- that can't be repaired. The hurt is too deep. The damage too permanent. The fine too large.
And we're driven to our knees- to beg for the Bleeding Charity of Mount Calvary. That is when we realize that Karma can do for a while but it must inevitably step aside for Grace if one is to avoid utter damnation.
C.S. Lewis in "The Great Divorce" has a soul in Limbo saying "I just want what's due me. I always paid my own way. I don't ask for no Bleedin' Charity."
The Heavenly spirit sent to help him challenges that "Then do so- ask for the Bleeding Charity."...
We're the same way. Fair's fair. Just give us what we deserve. We'll pay our own way.
Until we make the one mistake- an error, a crime, a sin- that can't be repaired. The hurt is too deep. The damage too permanent. The fine too large.
And we're driven to our knees- to beg for the Bleeding Charity of Mount Calvary. That is when we realize that Karma can do for a while but it must inevitably step aside for Grace if one is to avoid utter damnation.
The Old Testament Heritage to New Testament Faith...
FB posting 6.26.10
I saw this in a Christian discussion on R. Crumb's graphic novel of GENESIS...
"As far as I am concerned, the OT does not truly offer anything of substance. Jesus claimed to have fulfilled the OT and to me that means rendering it obsolete. Genocide, rape, incest, monarchs, and God’s wrath have NOTHING to do with Jesus. I guess it could be used as an “or else” scare tactic, as in if Jesus had not died on the cross, this is what the world would be like. That, though, sounds like sinners in the hands of an angry God stuff and that has only destroyed people’s faith."
My response...
Genocide, rape, incest, monarchs and God’s wrath have EVERYTHING to do with Jesus. It was the History which led up to Him and that He enveleped into Himself. Jesus died on the cross and this is what the world IS like. Jesus was not ashamed to call The Old Testament YHWH “Abba” and if we are, the fault is in ourselves, not in YHWH. The worst fault in ourselves- to count ourselves as more civilized & holier than YHWH. Fulfilling the OT does not make it obsolete, it makes it more relevant than ever. It is the reality that most of the non-Christianized world and much of the Christianized world deals with every day. The OT gives us life as it is; The NT as it should be & can become, and even the NT Possible Ideal World is not the CandyLand we’d like it to be- it’s a World whose Constitution is engraved into the Torn Flesh & Shed Blood of Jesus and energized with the Fire of the Holy Spirit, Which is the Same GodFire which kindles Gehenna.
My friend Mark C challenges- Can't respond fully right now, only with a question to stir the pot. Why does YHWH of the Hebrew Bible often appear as the out of control step-child who requires theological gymnastics in order to explain away the parts we find offensive?
Me- Ooo! Good question! I think He appears that way to us because we have let the Gracious Merciful image of the Father given to us by Jesus domesticate us too much. Jesus knew the Hebrew Bible backward & forward & never hesitated to call that wild raging bloody God "Abba". Now, it's a good thing for the most part that we've become so skittish, but then again, we're skittish about birthin' our own babies, slaugherin' our own meat, preparin' our own dead- all the core experiences of life & death. And we are both blessed and cursed to live in a society that allows such skittishness (O brave new world!)- a great part of humanity still live in a Savage Reservation in which YHWH would seem a restrained & reasonable God.
My friend Tom A chimes in- Ced...ever think that God wanted us to take upon us the image and life of Jesus as opposed to the 'old testemant' blood & guts that you seem to love so much. Why did he not come out with a part three that combined or decided which he really prefers? Again I have to point out that while the Bible is inspired by God it is obviously written by imperfect MEN...no women and also some books decided in some out and I am not sure God decided that....but MEN...again no women.Again there are many in the world who are not the least bit skittish...they go about raping, killing and mutalating with little thought of mans or God's law. If you beleive that Christ is THE CHRIST then I think you have to give more importance to the New as opposed to the old....and as usual this is just my own damn opinion so you can't tell me I am WRONG! Ü But I would love to hear your opinion.
Mark C- Is our only way of addressing the violent God of the Hebrew Bible to throw our hands up in defeat and say that "God's ways are higher than our ways"? I remember that line from the C&MA and I still hear it once in a while in my own church, but it has never set well with me. I can't accept a God whose nature includes the slaughter of people for the sake of accomplishing a divine plan. I also can't understand the idea that God's holiness demands punishment. It seems to me that an omnipotent, omniscient God could easily craft a way that preserves human life. This is at the heart of the 20th century Christian malaise that has sent people looking elsewhere for place to practice a faith. I am constantly drawn back to the the two greatest commandments according to Jesus; love God and love neighbor. These sum up the Torah and it seems like this would be a better lense through which to struggle with Scripture. Just sayin.
Me- To Tom- Of course Christ-likeness is supposed to be our ultimate goal. Jesus is our model of Deity and of essential human kindness & fairness (I prefer those terms as being more practical & less open to distortion than "Love" and "Justice"). My Anglo-Israelism & Christian Reconstructionism aside, I certainly don't want to go back to the brutality of Old Testament days. Now, I do believe there are times for Just Wars & Capital Punishment - but for the most part, I believe that Peace & Rehabilitation should be our main goals. Btw, that also was the priority in the Old Testament- "Wrath" was described as God's "strange work"- a dirty job that sometimes had to be done. But as far as blood & guts, I only really like that in books & movies. Heck, I couldn't major in Psych as that required Biology courses with dissection! *L*Quick aside- the stories of Hagar, the mother of Ishmael, and Tamar, the daughter-in-law of Judah in Genesis, of Deborah and Jael in Judges, the books of Ruth & Esther, the Bridal part of the Song of Solomon, certain passages of Proverbs- all show a woman's touch and may actually have been essentially authored by the women in question. Same with the account of Mother Mary & family in Luke 1-2 and Mary Magdalene's meeting with the Risen Jesus in John 20. More later.... and Mark, I'll certainly get to your comments.
>Continuing my response to Tom- and this also addresses some of Mark's issues-The Old Testament of full of grace & forgiveness & inclusiveness- If it wasn't, all of the great Biblcal 'heroes' and all of Israel itself would have been incinerated. The only God-ordained "genocides" were of the child-sacrificing, sex-worshipping Canaanites and the ruthless Amalekites who had launched a genocidal campaign against Israel first- reprobate degenerates & homicidal maniacs who acted, not in ignorance of the Light, but it defiance of it. Canaan had once been God-honoring allies of Abraham. The Amalekites attacked Israel's weaker lagging areas, fully knowing that God has brought the people there out of Egypt. Other than those two groups, Israel was never told by God to conquer or eradicate anyone, but to either, as with the Philistines, defend themselves, honor God & live peacably with them when possible, or in the case of the Gentile Empires (Babylon-to-Rome), surrender to their rule, honor God, & live peacably & productively within the Empires. The ultimate goal of Israel, in the visions of the prophets, was a peaceful world where Israel was an example leading all nations to worship God and everyone had their own homes. raised families, & tended to their own gardens.
>OK now to your concerns, Mark- Even tho it's not "direct" either by Active Miraculous Smiting or a Divinely-Commanded Army, alas, somehow the deaths of people every day are part of the Divine plan- and that applies whatever religion one is. I've had Wiccans challenge my beliefs with "Why does your God allow this to happen?" when their Lord/Lady allows the very same thing. We just object when God seems to take a direct hand in those deaths and bunches them up, rather than letting Nature take care of it over time.
Now, He no longer seems to take Direct Smiting Action, I am glad to say, and when disasters happen to people, we should be front & center with aid & resources (which we really are), but I just don't see where we are allowed in the teachings of Jesus to repudiate the Old Testament as an account for how God indeed once had to deal with people. The OT is part of our spiritual heritage. Maybe it is part that we are now called to grow beyond, not because it was wrong, but because more is now expected of us, but it was still a God-ordained part of where we came from & still has lessons for us as to where we are.
As to "God's holiness demanding punishment"- it depends on what we mean by punishment. I do not believe in Hell as an Eternal Torture Chamber (or in my better turn of phrase- a Dante-esque Theme Park of Agony- feel free to use that). I do believe in Hades as a state of suspension & chastisement, even possible reconciliation, until the Resurrection, and in Gehenna/the Lake of Fire as being absorbed into the Divine Presence, either for a last chance at reconciliation, or extinquishing, or perhaps eternal travail for those who refuse reconciliation in the inescapable Divine Light. I do not know if God really made human souls to be immortal or not.
Yes, I believe the Two Laws of Loving God (specifically the Triune YHWH- not just any Higher Power) and Loving Neighbors are supreme, and are the Ground and the Goal of Torah. But we do an injustice when we substitute Torah-faithful Lovingkindness & Fairness with a skittish niceness that repudiates any unpleasantness.
I saw this in a Christian discussion on R. Crumb's graphic novel of GENESIS...
"As far as I am concerned, the OT does not truly offer anything of substance. Jesus claimed to have fulfilled the OT and to me that means rendering it obsolete. Genocide, rape, incest, monarchs, and God’s wrath have NOTHING to do with Jesus. I guess it could be used as an “or else” scare tactic, as in if Jesus had not died on the cross, this is what the world would be like. That, though, sounds like sinners in the hands of an angry God stuff and that has only destroyed people’s faith."
My response...
Genocide, rape, incest, monarchs and God’s wrath have EVERYTHING to do with Jesus. It was the History which led up to Him and that He enveleped into Himself. Jesus died on the cross and this is what the world IS like. Jesus was not ashamed to call The Old Testament YHWH “Abba” and if we are, the fault is in ourselves, not in YHWH. The worst fault in ourselves- to count ourselves as more civilized & holier than YHWH. Fulfilling the OT does not make it obsolete, it makes it more relevant than ever. It is the reality that most of the non-Christianized world and much of the Christianized world deals with every day. The OT gives us life as it is; The NT as it should be & can become, and even the NT Possible Ideal World is not the CandyLand we’d like it to be- it’s a World whose Constitution is engraved into the Torn Flesh & Shed Blood of Jesus and energized with the Fire of the Holy Spirit, Which is the Same GodFire which kindles Gehenna.
My friend Mark C challenges- Can't respond fully right now, only with a question to stir the pot. Why does YHWH of the Hebrew Bible often appear as the out of control step-child who requires theological gymnastics in order to explain away the parts we find offensive?
Me- Ooo! Good question! I think He appears that way to us because we have let the Gracious Merciful image of the Father given to us by Jesus domesticate us too much. Jesus knew the Hebrew Bible backward & forward & never hesitated to call that wild raging bloody God "Abba". Now, it's a good thing for the most part that we've become so skittish, but then again, we're skittish about birthin' our own babies, slaugherin' our own meat, preparin' our own dead- all the core experiences of life & death. And we are both blessed and cursed to live in a society that allows such skittishness (O brave new world!)- a great part of humanity still live in a Savage Reservation in which YHWH would seem a restrained & reasonable God.
My friend Tom A chimes in- Ced...ever think that God wanted us to take upon us the image and life of Jesus as opposed to the 'old testemant' blood & guts that you seem to love so much. Why did he not come out with a part three that combined or decided which he really prefers? Again I have to point out that while the Bible is inspired by God it is obviously written by imperfect MEN...no women and also some books decided in some out and I am not sure God decided that....but MEN...again no women.Again there are many in the world who are not the least bit skittish...they go about raping, killing and mutalating with little thought of mans or God's law. If you beleive that Christ is THE CHRIST then I think you have to give more importance to the New as opposed to the old....and as usual this is just my own damn opinion so you can't tell me I am WRONG! Ü But I would love to hear your opinion.
Mark C- Is our only way of addressing the violent God of the Hebrew Bible to throw our hands up in defeat and say that "God's ways are higher than our ways"? I remember that line from the C&MA and I still hear it once in a while in my own church, but it has never set well with me. I can't accept a God whose nature includes the slaughter of people for the sake of accomplishing a divine plan. I also can't understand the idea that God's holiness demands punishment. It seems to me that an omnipotent, omniscient God could easily craft a way that preserves human life. This is at the heart of the 20th century Christian malaise that has sent people looking elsewhere for place to practice a faith. I am constantly drawn back to the the two greatest commandments according to Jesus; love God and love neighbor. These sum up the Torah and it seems like this would be a better lense through which to struggle with Scripture. Just sayin.
Me- To Tom- Of course Christ-likeness is supposed to be our ultimate goal. Jesus is our model of Deity and of essential human kindness & fairness (I prefer those terms as being more practical & less open to distortion than "Love" and "Justice"). My Anglo-Israelism & Christian Reconstructionism aside, I certainly don't want to go back to the brutality of Old Testament days. Now, I do believe there are times for Just Wars & Capital Punishment - but for the most part, I believe that Peace & Rehabilitation should be our main goals. Btw, that also was the priority in the Old Testament- "Wrath" was described as God's "strange work"- a dirty job that sometimes had to be done. But as far as blood & guts, I only really like that in books & movies. Heck, I couldn't major in Psych as that required Biology courses with dissection! *L*Quick aside- the stories of Hagar, the mother of Ishmael, and Tamar, the daughter-in-law of Judah in Genesis, of Deborah and Jael in Judges, the books of Ruth & Esther, the Bridal part of the Song of Solomon, certain passages of Proverbs- all show a woman's touch and may actually have been essentially authored by the women in question. Same with the account of Mother Mary & family in Luke 1-2 and Mary Magdalene's meeting with the Risen Jesus in John 20. More later.... and Mark, I'll certainly get to your comments.
>Continuing my response to Tom- and this also addresses some of Mark's issues-The Old Testament of full of grace & forgiveness & inclusiveness- If it wasn't, all of the great Biblcal 'heroes' and all of Israel itself would have been incinerated. The only God-ordained "genocides" were of the child-sacrificing, sex-worshipping Canaanites and the ruthless Amalekites who had launched a genocidal campaign against Israel first- reprobate degenerates & homicidal maniacs who acted, not in ignorance of the Light, but it defiance of it. Canaan had once been God-honoring allies of Abraham. The Amalekites attacked Israel's weaker lagging areas, fully knowing that God has brought the people there out of Egypt. Other than those two groups, Israel was never told by God to conquer or eradicate anyone, but to either, as with the Philistines, defend themselves, honor God & live peacably with them when possible, or in the case of the Gentile Empires (Babylon-to-Rome), surrender to their rule, honor God, & live peacably & productively within the Empires. The ultimate goal of Israel, in the visions of the prophets, was a peaceful world where Israel was an example leading all nations to worship God and everyone had their own homes. raised families, & tended to their own gardens.
>OK now to your concerns, Mark- Even tho it's not "direct" either by Active Miraculous Smiting or a Divinely-Commanded Army, alas, somehow the deaths of people every day are part of the Divine plan- and that applies whatever religion one is. I've had Wiccans challenge my beliefs with "Why does your God allow this to happen?" when their Lord/Lady allows the very same thing. We just object when God seems to take a direct hand in those deaths and bunches them up, rather than letting Nature take care of it over time.
Now, He no longer seems to take Direct Smiting Action, I am glad to say, and when disasters happen to people, we should be front & center with aid & resources (which we really are), but I just don't see where we are allowed in the teachings of Jesus to repudiate the Old Testament as an account for how God indeed once had to deal with people. The OT is part of our spiritual heritage. Maybe it is part that we are now called to grow beyond, not because it was wrong, but because more is now expected of us, but it was still a God-ordained part of where we came from & still has lessons for us as to where we are.
As to "God's holiness demanding punishment"- it depends on what we mean by punishment. I do not believe in Hell as an Eternal Torture Chamber (or in my better turn of phrase- a Dante-esque Theme Park of Agony- feel free to use that). I do believe in Hades as a state of suspension & chastisement, even possible reconciliation, until the Resurrection, and in Gehenna/the Lake of Fire as being absorbed into the Divine Presence, either for a last chance at reconciliation, or extinquishing, or perhaps eternal travail for those who refuse reconciliation in the inescapable Divine Light. I do not know if God really made human souls to be immortal or not.
Yes, I believe the Two Laws of Loving God (specifically the Triune YHWH- not just any Higher Power) and Loving Neighbors are supreme, and are the Ground and the Goal of Torah. But we do an injustice when we substitute Torah-faithful Lovingkindness & Fairness with a skittish niceness that repudiates any unpleasantness.
Advice for my fellow political activists- particularly on the Right...
Posted on my Facebook 6.25.10
Fight for a worthy cause, but be a Happy Warrior-
fighting FOR more than AGAINST,
fairly & kindly but vigorously,
not out to hurt people & break things
but who won't take any crap either.
Ronald Reagan-wonderful.
Sarah Palin tries- Pros: street-smart, personable, tried to be a reformer/Cons: ill-informed, intellectually shallow, perceived as a quitter.
Right now, the best heir to Reagan I see- Mike Huckabee.
Fight for a worthy cause, but be a Happy Warrior-
fighting FOR more than AGAINST,
fairly & kindly but vigorously,
not out to hurt people & break things
but who won't take any crap either.
Ronald Reagan-wonderful.
Sarah Palin tries- Pros: street-smart, personable, tried to be a reformer/Cons: ill-informed, intellectually shallow, perceived as a quitter.
Right now, the best heir to Reagan I see- Mike Huckabee.
Why I believe... A Facebook TheoLogue 6.23.10
6.23.10 The question arose on a forum: Believers, why are you so sure of your beliefs?
This was my answer-
I see design in the Cosmos. Thus, I think there's a Designer. It's a greater leap for me to believe that Mind developed from Mindless Matter in Motion than to believe that a Mega-Mind crafted it all.
I see the Jews survive & thrive in spite of every attempt to oppress & destroy them. Therefore, I believe that the Mega-Mind is also the LORD God of Israel.While the Saga of Israel is compelling, it has not made itself relevant to the nations of the world & has indeed kept mostly to itself out of sheer necessity to maintain its survival.
However, in the Person of Jesus, His Gospel and His Church, I see The LORD With a Message and a Heritage for all humanity.
If you don't see any of those things, OK.
>Then, a questioner asked me for detail on how I saw Design in a Cosmos largely absent of Life and how I could regard the Jews' history as evidence of God since they were lucky to be alive after so much suffering-
and I responded thusly-Since you brought up the emergence of life in a seemingly hostile Universe, that is indeed where I think we have to begin with Mindful Design instead of Mindlessness. I don't believe it was inevitable life would eventually emerge out of the vastness, much less Self-aware & Self-determining Life.
Re the brutality of Jewish history- their own founders and sages noticed it (even predicted it, if you will) and saw two possibilities in it- that it validated the Covenant by showing what penalties fall on Israel for violating it (Deuteronomy 28-32) and that the Righteous of Israel have a destiny as God's Servant suffering for the wrongs of not only the sinners of Israel, but of all humanity (Isaiah 52-53).
And I think their survival is due to something more than luck.
>Finally he said...That helps, although, with regard to the Suffering Servant, don't you take that to be a prophecy about Jesus? Are you saying that all of Israel is to take the 'sins of humanity' on?
My response-I do take that as a prophecy of Jesus but many religious Jews take that as a reference to the Righteous of Israel. I actually could see it as being both- with Jesus being the Individual Personification of the Righteous of Israel.
This was my answer-
I see design in the Cosmos. Thus, I think there's a Designer. It's a greater leap for me to believe that Mind developed from Mindless Matter in Motion than to believe that a Mega-Mind crafted it all.
I see the Jews survive & thrive in spite of every attempt to oppress & destroy them. Therefore, I believe that the Mega-Mind is also the LORD God of Israel.While the Saga of Israel is compelling, it has not made itself relevant to the nations of the world & has indeed kept mostly to itself out of sheer necessity to maintain its survival.
However, in the Person of Jesus, His Gospel and His Church, I see The LORD With a Message and a Heritage for all humanity.
If you don't see any of those things, OK.
>Then, a questioner asked me for detail on how I saw Design in a Cosmos largely absent of Life and how I could regard the Jews' history as evidence of God since they were lucky to be alive after so much suffering-
and I responded thusly-Since you brought up the emergence of life in a seemingly hostile Universe, that is indeed where I think we have to begin with Mindful Design instead of Mindlessness. I don't believe it was inevitable life would eventually emerge out of the vastness, much less Self-aware & Self-determining Life.
Re the brutality of Jewish history- their own founders and sages noticed it (even predicted it, if you will) and saw two possibilities in it- that it validated the Covenant by showing what penalties fall on Israel for violating it (Deuteronomy 28-32) and that the Righteous of Israel have a destiny as God's Servant suffering for the wrongs of not only the sinners of Israel, but of all humanity (Isaiah 52-53).
And I think their survival is due to something more than luck.
>Finally he said...That helps, although, with regard to the Suffering Servant, don't you take that to be a prophecy about Jesus? Are you saying that all of Israel is to take the 'sins of humanity' on?
My response-I do take that as a prophecy of Jesus but many religious Jews take that as a reference to the Righteous of Israel. I actually could see it as being both- with Jesus being the Individual Personification of the Righteous of Israel.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Debra Kay Sivley~ Sept 11,1963 to Dec 27, 2009
Debra Kay Sivley9-11-1963 to 12-27-2009
Forever Friend, Occasional Girlfriend, Counselor, Cat (and Dog) Lady
Rest in the Love and Comfort of Lord Jesus.
Debra Kay Sivley, born September 11, 1963, passed away on December 27, 2009 after a brief illness.
Her last residence was in Henderson, Kentucky where she had worked in Mental Health Counseling and was studying Criminal Justice. She had earned her B.Sci. in Psychology from Hanover College, 1985, and later her M.Sci. in Psychology from Ball State University in Muncie, IN.
She is survived by her mother Lillian J. Sivley, her brother David and sister Cheryl, her nieces and nephews, and her cats and dogs. She was preceded in death by her father Rev. Millard B. Sivley.
She loved helping people, caring for her cats and dogs, reading, listening to and playing music. She had entrusted herself to Christ and belonged to the Presbyterian Church USA. Eternal Rest grant her, O Lord, and may Your Light Perpetual shine upon her~ Amen.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Explanation of "FaceBook TheoLogues"
I'm a FaceBook Addict and I've taken to posting either quotes by others or my own comments on "Life, the Universe and Everything" (42), so every once in a while, I bundle up a bunch of them & post them together. Doesn't mean they have to be related at all. And since more than half of them usually have something to do with my Christian faith- I dub them "TheoLogues". Isn't that precious?
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