The Bible is the only book ever written that gives all the answers to life. It tells of the beginning of the world, how God created it, tells of the ending of the world, still to come of course....and how God will end it. And the Bible tells what will exist after the world is destroyed, the spiritual world to come. This blog posting will briefly mention all of these things. The Bible also tells of all the things in between the beginning and the end; i.e., what man's purpose of being here is, the history of man from early man through Bible times, and so much more. The latter can be the subject of a later discussion. But for now we will consider the beginning and ending and what is to come.
I love beginnings and endings. This is certainly true for a novel. Think about it; if a novel starts off with a bang or a strong beginning, our interest is excited. And there is nothing like a strong ending to any book. Think about Snoopy on the roof of his doghouse, typing on his typewriter. He is a great author, and every book begins: "It was a dark and stormy night...."
So the Bible begins even more awesomely: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." We learn right off how this earth came into being and who did it. So powerful!
We read of the end of the earth in several places in the Bible. A good description is given in 2 Peter 3, beginning in verse 10: "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed." This is an awesome forecast for sure....but it is a true one. The reader would do well to read the whole chapter; it is a powerful forewarning, given to Christians to make sure they, we, are ready.
And finally, we see that the Bible goes beyond now, goes beyond the end of the world, and tells us of what lies beyond, the beautiful heaven that awaits Christians. Note Revelation chapter 21 and 22. Revel. 21 starts it: "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away (our present earth)." He proceeds to describe the new heaven, and who will get to enjoy it. And this is powerful writing; we should all dwell on it.
This is all heavy, important stuff. Don't miss it! And thanks for reading....and feel the love.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Saturday, February 16, 2013
The Pope
With the Pope stepping down and much of the world watching the appointment/election of the next pope, it seems appropriate to look at the Bible connection to the Pope and Catholicism. There is no way to do a thorough examination of this subject in this small medium; but a few ideas will be presented to stir our thinking.
In Matthew 16, beginning in verse 13, Jesus had a discussion with Peter, the man that Catholics say was the first Pope. Jesus asked Peter, "Who do you say that I am?" "Simon Peter answered, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' Jesus replied, 'Blessed are you.............And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church..." This seems to be a placing of position on Peter, above the others. But on examination of the original Greek, realizing that the NT was written in Greek and later translated into English, we see that "Peter" means "pebble," where Jesus says "upon this rock (boulder) I will build My church." The Greek words are totally different. Jesus was not saying that He would build His church upon Peter, but rather on the foundation principle that Peter had just spoken: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Matthew 23:19 says, "Call no man your father on earth, for you have one father, who is in heaven."
Jesus said in Matthew 28:18, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me..." It was given to no man on earth.
It is also clear in the NT that Peter was married.
Perhaps the strongest point in the Bible is made by Jesus on the last night of His ministry on earth, the night He was betrayed. Luke 22:24-26 says, "Now there arose a dispute among them, which of them was considered to be the greatest. Jesus said to them, 'The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.' " This was a key time for Jesus to point out that Peter would be in a higher position; but in fact, just the opposite occurred.
Many or all of these points are explained away by the Catholic church. But when one looks at the NT fairly, it is clear that there is no Catholic church there, no Pope, no authority in heaven or earth but Jesus Himself.
Thanks for reading. You are important.
In Matthew 16, beginning in verse 13, Jesus had a discussion with Peter, the man that Catholics say was the first Pope. Jesus asked Peter, "Who do you say that I am?" "Simon Peter answered, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' Jesus replied, 'Blessed are you.............And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church..." This seems to be a placing of position on Peter, above the others. But on examination of the original Greek, realizing that the NT was written in Greek and later translated into English, we see that "Peter" means "pebble," where Jesus says "upon this rock (boulder) I will build My church." The Greek words are totally different. Jesus was not saying that He would build His church upon Peter, but rather on the foundation principle that Peter had just spoken: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Matthew 23:19 says, "Call no man your father on earth, for you have one father, who is in heaven."
Jesus said in Matthew 28:18, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me..." It was given to no man on earth.
It is also clear in the NT that Peter was married.
Perhaps the strongest point in the Bible is made by Jesus on the last night of His ministry on earth, the night He was betrayed. Luke 22:24-26 says, "Now there arose a dispute among them, which of them was considered to be the greatest. Jesus said to them, 'The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.' " This was a key time for Jesus to point out that Peter would be in a higher position; but in fact, just the opposite occurred.
Many or all of these points are explained away by the Catholic church. But when one looks at the NT fairly, it is clear that there is no Catholic church there, no Pope, no authority in heaven or earth but Jesus Himself.
Thanks for reading. You are important.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Esther
The story of Esther is one of the most interesting in the Bible, and one of the easiest to read. If the reader hasn't read the book of Esther, take the hour or so to read through it; it is fascinating. We will use this blog entry to mention a key part of the story.
The book is set in the time of Xerxes, king of Persia. One of the powerful things that we learn about the Bible is that it talks about real people who lived in real places at real times. The Bible is true and accurate. Xerxes was a significant ruler, ruling over a large kingdom, one of the most powerful of all time. But the king did not always have good advisors, and Haman was an evil advisor to Xerxes. Haman talked the king into making a decree that all of the Jewish people should be destroyed. It so happened that king Xerxes had made Esther, a beautiful Jewish girl, to be his queen. Esther's uncle, Mortecai, told Esther about the decree to kill the Jews, and instructed Esther that she had to be the one to approach the king for finding a way to save her people. Esther knew that to go before the king and ask for any favor could result in her death. But she was realizing that she was the only one close enough to the king to take on this challenge.
Mortecai says to Esther, paraphrased here, that if you keep silence at this time, deliverance will come to the Jews from another source. But who knows but what you've come to the kingdom for such a time as this.
This is a powerful statement that motivated Esther to take action to save her people. And it is a thought that could have major import to us. There are times in our lives, maybe even now, when we have the opportunity, are placed in just the right position, to make a huge difference in some way. But we have to have faith and inner strength to do the right thing, sometimes the brave, courageous thing. And sometimes it is only us who can do it, only us who are in the right place and time to do it. We can learn a lot from Esther and from this wonderful story. Take time to read it; you will be impressed...and even entertained.
Have a great week!
The book is set in the time of Xerxes, king of Persia. One of the powerful things that we learn about the Bible is that it talks about real people who lived in real places at real times. The Bible is true and accurate. Xerxes was a significant ruler, ruling over a large kingdom, one of the most powerful of all time. But the king did not always have good advisors, and Haman was an evil advisor to Xerxes. Haman talked the king into making a decree that all of the Jewish people should be destroyed. It so happened that king Xerxes had made Esther, a beautiful Jewish girl, to be his queen. Esther's uncle, Mortecai, told Esther about the decree to kill the Jews, and instructed Esther that she had to be the one to approach the king for finding a way to save her people. Esther knew that to go before the king and ask for any favor could result in her death. But she was realizing that she was the only one close enough to the king to take on this challenge.
Mortecai says to Esther, paraphrased here, that if you keep silence at this time, deliverance will come to the Jews from another source. But who knows but what you've come to the kingdom for such a time as this.
This is a powerful statement that motivated Esther to take action to save her people. And it is a thought that could have major import to us. There are times in our lives, maybe even now, when we have the opportunity, are placed in just the right position, to make a huge difference in some way. But we have to have faith and inner strength to do the right thing, sometimes the brave, courageous thing. And sometimes it is only us who can do it, only us who are in the right place and time to do it. We can learn a lot from Esther and from this wonderful story. Take time to read it; you will be impressed...and even entertained.
Have a great week!
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