Shaking the hand of God?

The Book of Revelation in the Bible is one of the most studied and discussed pieces of written words in human history. Most Christian place a great deal of faith in the idea that it foretells the coming days, whenever those days may be, and that it foretells the end of the world and the beginning of a new spiritual world (or age, depending upon your particular translation).

While taking great care to properly interpret the meaning of Revelations which has been the fodder for much written and cinematic fiction, Christians have pretty much settled on a theme which they agree upon. The key components are well known, in no particular order; "The sign of the Beast", "Armageddon", "The anti-Christ", "The Rapture", "the Second Coming of Christ" and other elements which have evolved over the ages to create a well understood and accepted Christian narrative which foretells the "End Times".

There is an often quoted yet obviously much ignored verse in Revelations which has little to do with this narrative but in my view of things is far more important since it has to do with what Christians are supposed to be seeking, the nature of God. I know that is not nearly as satisfying to human nature as evangelizing but it is far more important. The verse is found in the twenty second chapter, thirteenth verse and says simply:

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

Like most of the Book of Revelations indeed much of the New Testament this verse is just an updating of Old Testament words and prophecy to the new audience and the new beginning brought into the equation by the entrance of Christ, The Old Testament version of this would be found in several places such as Isaiah 41:4:

Who has done this and carried it through, calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD--with the first of them and with the last--I am he."

or Isaiah 46:10

I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.

There are more, but you get the idea, or do you? I say that these much quoted verses are ignored but in reality they are just "explained" away. You see these verses and others state rather clearly that God has known the end from the beginning. The reason they have to be explained away is simple, if God has known the end from the beginning then where does that leave man's precious free will in the grand scheme of things ?

Since man's alleged free will is not the topic I wish to pursue here I'll just say that in order to explain this seeming contradiction Christianity has theologically created what I like to call GOD THE GREAT FORTUNE TELLER theory. The God who created everything knows how everything is going to end but apparently has very little input into how it gets there. Well except when He works through people, but people make their own choices, but in the end they are going to make choices that will lead to the end that God has determined from the beginning. Got it?

I know, I know it is all very confusing, well at least it is if you don't want to believe that God is in charge of everything form beginning to end and everything in between which Christian Bibles plainly state but which Christians are not quite ready to accept. But that as I said is for another day...or is it?

Charles Krauthhammer has written a wonderful article on the recent potentially Universe changing scientific discovery. He writes:

I am talking about something far more important. Which is why it made only the back pages of your newspaper, if it made it at all. Scientists at CERN, the European high-energy physics consortium, have announced the discovery of a particle that can travel faster than light.

Neutrinos fired 454 miles from a supercollider outside Geneva to an underground laboratory in Gran Sasso, Italy, took less time (60 nanoseconds less) than light to get there. Or so the physicists think. Or so they measured. Or so they have concluded after checking for every possible artifact and experimental error.

If verified the significance of this will be beyond big, it will be, excuse the pun, a quantum leap in our understanding, or rather, our lack of understanding of how the universe works. As Krauthammer puts it:

And that’s the problem. It has to be impossible because, if not, if that did happen on this Orient Express hurtling between Switzerland and Italy, then everything we know about the universe is wrong.

The fundamental axiom of Einstein’s theory of relativity is the absolute prohibition on speed faster than light. Einstein’s predictions about how time slows and mass increases as one approaches the speed of light have been verified by a mountain of experimental evidence. As velocity increases, mass approaches infinity and time dilates, making it progressively and, ultimately, infinitely difficult to achieve light speed. Which is why nothing does. And nothing ever has.

Yet this is precisely what this group of scientist have potentially done, they have defied the speed of light and all the theories tied to it. What really caught my attention in the article was his description of what this finding would mean as a practical (?) matter. He explained it this way:

To oversimplify grossly: If the Gran Sasso scientists had a plate to record the arrival of the neutrinos and a super-powerful telescope to peer (through the Alps!) directly into the lab in Geneva from which they were being fired, the Gran Sasso guys would have “heard” the neutrinos clanging against the plate before they observed the Geneva guys squeeze the trigger on the neutrino gun.

Think about that, we may have found something which redefines what we know as time. If such physical mechanics actually are at work within the dynamics of the universe then it is possible that an effect could be know prior to its cause. Which would be a very good definition for "knowing the end from the beginning."

One of the most amazing facts that I have ever read, is that just over a century ago scientist believed that the universe was comprised of about a million stars. Today's best estimate is that the universe is comprised of a billion galaxies each containing about a billion stars. I do not even know how to calculate the factor of the increase of  how much larger creation (God) is than what we believed just a century ago.

Was God (creation) smaller a century ago? Of course not, man's ability to see the universe he lived in was just inadequate to see that creation. But those countless billions of stars were there all the time, give or a take a few million due to the ever expanding universe we now know we live in. It is not God and His/Her laws and creation which changes, it is our understanding and cognizance of them that does.

If those neutrinos actually do travel faster than the speed of light, then they always have. The way God's creation works is still a mystery to us, perhaps a bigger mystery than we ever imagined because there is something out there in the physical realm which can call forth the end from the beginning and time as we know it is irrelevant which when you are talking about infinity makes sense.... if only in the Spirit.

Those flabbergasted scientist in Europe may have reason to be, they may have just shaken hands with God.

Problems with creation

Over the past century and intensifying over the past couple of decades, the progressive left has gained control of important societal institutions, most notably education and the media. Having this control over these two important communication centers in society allows them to create narratives in order to advance their agendas. It does not matter that often times the "spin" of these narratives does not quite line up with reality, reality is not all that important to progressives, power is their goal.

One narrative that has grown more and more prevalent in this new progressive driven propaganda infected society has to do with "creationist". The spin goes something like this, if you believe in creation or intelligent design you are some sort of ignorant Neanderthal. The mere belief in Divine creation makes a person's intelligence not only suspect but open to public ridicule and derision.

Part of the problem is due to a doctrinaire belief in creation by "fundamentalist" religious adherents in all faiths but is especially directed at Christian fundamentalist. A God given common sense defying and unyielding doctrine of belief in a literal interpretation of scriptures (and we are talking Old Testament here) is easily mocked in the face of overwhelming proof that the story of creation as portrayed in scripture can not and probably never was intended to taken as a literal time line for creation.

This disconnect from reality is easily pointed out by snarky detractors "where are the dinosaurs in the Bible...huh?" Well Christians, where are the dinosaurs in the bible? The truth is that they are not there but they certainly were here. The story of creation as we read it in the Bible can not possibly be the "Word" of God in a literal sense but rather analogical. This rigid adherence to a doctrine not born out by truth is not only easily mocked, it is understandably so. The dinosaurs are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to a disconnect from reality with a strict interpretation of the scriptures. The truth is that most of this confusion could easily be rectified with a proper reading and correct translation of the "Word". But that is for another day.

Putting aside that much of the scorn towards the "religious" view of creation is self inflected due to doctrinaire rigidity on the part of believers, what about the now popular portrayal of "creationist" as fringe nut jobs?

This is a perfect illustration of where the progressive narrative is not only not born out by reality, it is so far from reality as to be fringe itself. Gallup just released a poll which reinforces polling data going back decades, The poll finds that 92% of Americans believe in God. Do you think that the vast majority of these people who believe in God, do not believe in Divine Creation? That somehow they believe in a God that did not create the Universe? To put it another way do you believe that all of these "Believers" do not believe in evolution or dinosaurs? The truth is that despite the progressive narrative, the majority of people (I raise my hand)  believe  both in Divine creation and dinosaurs and some form of evolution.

The vast majority of Americans and a sizable majority of the world's population belong to three religious faiths, Christianity, Islam and Judaism. All three of these religions along with other less well known faiths unapologetically believe in "intelligent design", the majority of all people in the world are ignorant "creationist". But listening to popular media and academic elitist you would be left with the impression that anyone who believes that God, Allah, Jehovah created the universe was some fringe cultist sect of humanity worthy the contempt that they vilely spew on the majority of the human race and their fellow citizens,

As to the intelligence of believers, I would only point out that for centuries the great advances in the sciences, engineering, philosophy, the arts, politics and indeed all mankind has been led by those who believe in intelligent design, Divine creation. It is only recently, with the advent of Progressive ideology that would make man God, that man's hubris would claim to know "In the Beginning"

But God hath revealed [them] unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 

For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God 

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

Today is The Day

If you are a Christian, today is the day when everything changed. If you were to look at Christianity as a play the first act would begin with the story of the birth of Jesus and would end on Good Friday with His crucifixion on the cross.

This Act is where most Christians as well as most Christian theology concentrates their beliefs and ideology. Truth be told Christianity has pretty much tried to fit the entire Christian experience around Jesus' life on Earth, focusing on the so called Gospels and trying to accommodate everything that happened before and would happen after around the life of Jesus of Nazareth.

But today, what we call Easter, is a far more important day than any day in the life of Jesus. Today is The Day when Jesus began to be born into Christ. Today truly is the birth of Christ. Today was the beginning of the Second Act of God's play, for without today it is doubtful that Jesus the humble Jew despite his miracles and beautiful philosophy would be much more than a footnote in history. After all it is one thing to talk about being born again, it is quite another to in fact do it.

Actually the Christian faith is based, not on the life of Jesus or his teachings, the entire foundation of Christianity rest solely on whether or not what is reported to have occurred on this day in fact happened. If it did, then the human experience and a Christians outlook towards it is totally changed. If today as reported did not occur then as Paul so aptly put it:

'If Christ is not risen, then your faith is in vain'

So all of Christianity rest solely on what happened today, as well it should. For if there truly be a God and He/She should wish to reveal Himself to man then certainly it must be in a way that is both miraculous and inspiring. It would seem that the miracle of creation itself should convince a mortal of the necessity of Intelligent Design but as we know all of creation itself is not proof enough to the unborn.

Most Christians and their multitude of Babelic doctrines (not a word, I made it up-figure it out)have taken upon themselves the impossible task of creating spiritual life both in themselves and a belief that they are responsible to create it in their fellows. At best we can only be agents but the times are in God's hands and the spiritual truth is that: "

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven"

Paul explains:

For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he “has put everything under his feet.” Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ.
When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.

Sounds rather simple to me, sounds like God has a plan, is God allowed to have a plan outside of our "free will". Oops I have jumped into the third Act, sorry back to Easter.

Just as Jesus life on Earth was just the prequel to his resurrection, his rising was a prequel to a coming truth. How do we know this? The risen Christ told us or at least he told his disciples.

“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you."

While most Christians are walking with Jesus and trying to convince the unborn to be born again and trying to understand His parables, they pretty much ignore the most important aspect of their faith. Seeking the spirit of truth which according to the man they claim to be Lord will do nothing less than "guide you into all truth" . Seems like this would be a pretty cool thing to have around in a pinch, beats trying to convince the drunk neighbor next door to go to church with you and get "saved" while hungover from Saturday night.

Of course it is understandable why this truth thing kind of gets set on the back burner of Christianity since everyone wants to claim they have the truth in order to help you live in moral superiority to your "unsaved" neighbor.

There is also the idea as Jack Nicholson so famously put it on another matter "you can't handle the truth" Why ? Well the truth will set you free and freedom is a scary place for those who have been taught to be servants when they are in fact sons and daughters. And the truth is downright terrifying place when a Christian confronts the very real truth that he is not the source of his own "salvation", but rather it was just his or her time.

How do I know this is the truth? See Paul's words above.

Again Paul:

Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth

Interesting advice isn't it? If every last word of the so called Holy Bible (which version?) is the truth why is Paul telling us through his letter to Timothy to "rightly divide the word of truth"?

Jesus:

"Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old."

Back to Easter. So Today is The Day when a man rose from the dead then met with his friends and told them he would send the spirit of truth which would "lead them unto all truth." So where, all these many centuries later, with all these denominations and "authorized versions " do we go to find the truth? Well if you truly are a Christian:

"The Lord knows those that are His"  (And those that ain't -yet)

Then you might consider the words of the Peter:

And account that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given to him has written to you; As also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, to their own destruction.

Wisdom given to Paul? What's that about? Jesus or rather the risen Christ said he was going to send us the truth-very interesting there huh? Christ says he's going to send some truth our way and Peter tells us to listen to Paul.

Interesting too that the proof of the risen Christ is most validated not by his followers who knew him in the flesh but by his former persecutor who only knew him in the spirit. Truth be told, just as without the resurrection their would be no Christian Faith, without Paul their wouldn't be either.

Christ to Anais about Saul (Paul):

“Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

I might point out that between the gentiles and the Jews that pretty much covers everybody. So where does the third Act of Christianity begin? I guess you could say it began on the road to Damascus, have you traveled it? If not then try this as a new beginning;

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name.

Pretty heady stuff isn't it? The Gospel of God? Let's see Mathew, Mark, Luke, John-The Gospel of God, not exactly your Sunday School Class material is it?

So that is my Easter Sunday sermon . I hope you are confused enough to search for the Spirit Of Truth which is :"Christ in you your hope for glory"

Why did I feel compelled to write this? Well I take these words in my spirit and my heart seriously, which come from God's Gospel via the man who claims to have been separated to give it to us by the Son of God who was risen on this day that we celebrate as the beginning of Christianity-

Paul:

For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, especially those that believe.

These things command and teach

You ever been taught that? It's in your Bible, to many alls for you all? There's a lot more-ain't that Good News?

Happy Easter or Merry Christmas :)

Jer


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