The first harvest. ;-)
His Only Son
Abrahma moved from Ur of the Chaldees to Canaan. The God Who Is promised that he would have a son to inherit the Land that Yahweh had shown him in Genesis 12 though he was already 75 years old. By this time after the flood, this was already considered a senior citizen. Noah, who lived to 950 years-old was the last of the pre-flood geriatrics who lived for almost a millennium! His son, Shem (600 years), outlived Abraham, as did his son, Arpachshad (438 years), his son, Shela (433 years) and his son, Eber (464 years). So we can surmise that Terah (Abraham’s great-grandfather), Haran (his grandfather), Nahor (his dad) and Abraham all had first-hand accounts of the Great Deluge and preflood history from Noah and Shem. Even Isaac and Jacob may have encountered Shem as he died after Jacob had reached adulthood!
However, most people were now living less than 100 years when Abraham went from Ur of the Chaldeans to the land of the Canaanites. (Genesis 12:4-9) The godly lifestyle of worshippers of The One True God probably accounted for their longer survival than pagans worshiping false gods (Abraham = 175; Isaac = 180; Jacob = 147).
Some cool stuff happens in Genesis 13 and 14, but our focus jumps to Chapter 15 where The God Who Is (LORD God = YHWH Elohim) reaffirms his promise to Abe after he had lived among the Canaanites for ten years. The “swearing ceremony” in Genesis 15 is similar to covenants made between equals in Canaan. They would lay out the sacrifices as Abraham was instructed. Then the bargainers would stand at each end of the pieces and walk around to the other end, thus affirming the contract. Since The God Who Is has no equal, He swore by Himself, supernaturally passing a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch between the pieces and promised Abe that his own offspring would have the Land some call Greater Israel (although I expect we must wait for the return of Jesus for this to occur).
But Abraham had two sons. Lacking in faith, Sarai (not yet renamed Sarah) was concerned that she was getting old and had no children with Abraham. So per the customs of the city-states around them, she gave her maid to Abraham (Genesis 16) to raise a child for him as though she would be the “foster-mother” to a boy born to Hagar. Not sure where Abe’s faith was at this point, or if he was just horny, but he went into Hagar and she conceived and gave birth to Ishmael.
When one looks at Yahweh’s prophecy concerning this son, one can surmise how most of the conflicts in the MidEast developed: “He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.” (Genesis 16:12)
In any case, this was not Abraham’s promised son! Even though he was now 86 years old, The God Who Is had a different plan in mind, one that would require the faith that had moved Abraham from Ur to Canaan. The Promised Son was not to be born naturally by a woman of child-bearing age.
Thirteen years later, The God Who Is appeared again to Abraham to affirm His covenant with him (Genesis 17) when Abraham was now 99 years old. In spite of Abraham’s appeal that Ishmael could be his heir, God told him his wife would bear him a son, even though she was 89! In Genesis 18 and 19 we get the name of the Promised Son, Isaac, as well as an excursion to Sodom and Gomorrah and how the Moabites and the Ammonites began; not a pretty story, but the Bible always tells the truth without concealing the heroes’ flaws. Genesis 20 is a case in point as Abraham is less than stellar in his integrity.
Finally, in Genesis 21 Isaac, the Promised Son, is born! But Genesis 22 brings an interesting twist to this story of Israel’s progenitors. And that is the subject of a movie, His Only Son, that is being released into theaters this weekend starting March 30, through April 5 (currently; new theaters are still opening). Anita and I have become spoiled for watching movies with lots of breaks, so we will probably wait for the DVD, but it you want an exciting experience in a theater, get a group of friends to go see this flick! The trailer looks amazing, and I hope the movie is as good as the promo! Please let me know if you see it, and perhaps I can do a synopsis of your reviews!
Imagine a man now at least 115 years old or more, escorted by his muscular teen-age son, and being challenged to offer this son, the PROMISED HEIR, as a sacrifice! Obviously, Abraham would not have been able to force his son. He had to convince him that The God Who Is knew what He was doing! — that He would raise Isaac, the Promised Son, from the dead!! Remember, Abraham had even told his servants, “I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you,” BEFORE they went up the mountain!! (Genesis 22:5) This is legacy faith!!! Isaac had seen his Dad’s devotion to YHWH (Yahweh, The God Who Is) and had such trust in his earthly Dad that he was willing to give his life to his Dad’s faith.
If this sacrifice sounds familiar, it is because Isaac was a prototype of Jesus, foreshadowing the atonement He would commit, only without a rescue by an angel. Jesus went to the cross to die, not by the will of Pilate, the Roman governor, nor by Caiaphas or Annas, the High Priests of Israel, nor by the crowds of Jerusalemite Jews who wanted to maintain the status quo! He went by His own will and the will of the Father God, who could have called twelve LEGIONS of angels (120,000+) to rescue Jesus if He had just asked for such (Matthew 26:53).
However, “He saved others, He cannot save Himself.” (Matthew 27:42, Mark 15:31, Luke 23:35) The chief priests were again speaking prophetically, because if He saved Himself from the agony of the cross, He could not have saved us!
He still saves!! From the regrets of our past, from the offenses we have committed against others, from the guilt and shame of what we were; from the power of sin to rule over us!!! Jesus is the Only Son of God, the Promised Heir, our Redeemer.
[Note: Christians do NOT believe in three gods. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit (sometimes called the Holy Trinity) are One True God, somehow existing as three persons in one Being. This is a mystery we may never fully understand, because He alone IS God. There is none like Him.]
If Jesus Arose from the Dead, Why Didn’t He Stick Around?
Why would Jesus have to go away and send the Comforter, also called the Holy Ghost?
Why could He not stay on earth and daily “prove” that He was the resurrected Christ or Messiah (Anointed One) sent from God to redeem the world from sin?
Could He not hold news conferences to show that He was alive from the dead?
Could He not show His wounds in His hands, feet and side in a continual world tour? Although He would have a lot of ground to cover!
Consider in history when God DID show up in unmistakable experiences. He revealed Himself through Moses and Aaron in spectacular fashion to both Pharoah and the Egyptians as well as the Israelite community living in the land of Goshen in northern Egypt. He led them for 40 years in the wilderness of Sinai (they were not wandering; they followed a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night). (See Exodus 13:17-22; and chapters 14–16.)
And look how often they grumbled against Moses and God who had delivered them! So much so that an entire generation was forced to die in the desert before their children could inherit the Land of Promise. Apparently even God’s obvious Presence was not enough to discourage sin in the camp!
In Craig Keener’s book, Miracles Today, he perceptively asks “How much evidence does it take to convince someone [a miracle occurred]?… If I am adamant that miracles are impossible, in principle I might reject any amount of evidence. If I already trust God, I will thank God for even the smallest details of life… God doesn’t do miracles for our entertainment.”
Likely a true anecdote, in the story of Poor Lazarus and The Rich Man (Luke 16:19-31), the rich man is in anguish having gone to hell while Lazarus is comforted at Abraham’s side (a ‘pre-Heaven,’ so to speak). The rich man begged Abraham to allow Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water to cool his tongue. When Abraham said this was impossible, the rich man asked if Lazarus could go back from the righteous dead and warn his five brothers, so they could avoid winding up where the rich man was.
“But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, Father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’” (verses 29-31)
On another occasion (Matthew 12:38-40), Jesus was asked for a “sign” to prove His divine credentials. “But He answered them, ‘An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” I.e., He was announcing that He would rise from the dead! This was a frequent claim of Jesus, so clear that His opponents even asked for the sealing of His tomb to prevent a fraudulent claim that He had done so. (Matthew 27:62-66)
These were people who knew Jesus could heal the blind, restore shriveled arms, open deaf ears and even raise the dead (John 11:38-53)! Yet, their hearts would not believe, no matter what evidence they saw. Think logically, and how do you kill someone who can raise the dead!? Yet that is what they proposed to do. In John 12:8-11, they even plotted to murder Lazarus because he had been raised from the dead!! Couldn’t any of them spell “irony” in Hebrew? How do you kill someone if Someone else can just raise him from the dead!?
“Faith” in the Bible is more than just mental assent. In the Complete Jewish Bible, the words both from the Hebrew and Greek are most often translated as “trust.”
A little boy was asked to define “faith,” and he said “It’s believing something you know just ain’t true.” 😁 But obviously, that is not the case in the Bible. Faith is trust; it is accepting the evidence with an open mind and relying on God to do what only He can do – save lost people from hell and give us eternal life.
Let’s suppose for a minute that Jesus DID stay here on earth in His resurrected body.
- First, how would He prove that He was really 2000+ years old? Maybe the history books, all obviously written with His approval, are like claims of Roman Emperors being gods.
- Second, how would He prove to ME that He had really died. If I only live 70-90 years, how do I know that He is not just longer-lived and will not die after me?
- Third, how do I know the wounds in His hands, feet and side were not inflicted just before I was born?
In order for ME to believe that He could come back from the dead, I WOULD HAVE TO SEE HIM DIE ALL OVER AGAIN! … unless I trust Him and His followers. And if I do not trust them, why would I trust Him even if He arose from the dead in MY presence again?
Abraham’s words ring true: “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.” We know this is true because He arose from the dead, and the Pharisees of His time still tried to quash the rumor that He was alive. Yet they could not produce a body nor show where He was laid, because He IS RISEN!
Jesus knows what is in our hearts, and how we resist the truth as the unbelievers of the first century did. So He sent the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to woo us, to persuade us, to open our blind eyes and allow us to see the Evidence That Demands a Verdict. Jesus promised Thomas, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)
Who will you believe today? Jesus? His disciples who died rather than admit to a lie? Or the Pharisees who said, “They stole the body,” but could produce no proof? (Matthew 28:11-15)
One added feature to understanding how Jesus would have been limited if He had stayed on earth in His unglorified body comes from Jennifer Arimborgo in Peru; a blogger worth following!
https://feedingonjesus.com/2022/09/26/never-lost-in-the-crowd/
Guest Vlog: Joni Eareckson Tada Sings Songs of Suffering
Joni Eareckson Tada was paralyzed from her neck down when she dove into Chesapeake Bat on July 30, 1967 at 17 years old. While she regained some small usage of her arms, her hand and legs are limp; her pain is constant. And the accident happened 55 YEARS ago!
This is a recent video of her story as she looks forward to the end of her life on earth, now 72 years old. She is one of the people with whom I will want to shake hands when I arrive in Heaven (after Noah, Moses, David and John the Baptist 😉).
A friend who will probably watch this vlog is Caz of Invisibly Me. She, too, is a jewel that deals with chronic pain. I do not understand why Father has not healed either of these women (among many other non–healings I don’t understand; and among many, many things I do not understand).
But I trust His heart that He loves these as much as He loves Jesus, His Only Born Son. And someday, maybe on the other side of the veil that hides the unseen world from our mortal eyes, He will make it all clear. “For now we see in a mirror dimly (a blurred reflection), but then we will see face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known.” 1 Corinthians 13:12 (Amp)
The 13 minute, 15 second video is well worth a quarter hour of your time today. At about 7:15 she discusses her pain. “It makes my quadriplegia seem like a walk in the park; I can do quadriplegia, but, whooo, it’s hard to do pain.”
Songs of Suffering by Joni Eareckson Tada:
“Suffering will teach you who you are. It’s a textbook that will show you the stuff of which you are made. And sometimes it’s not very pretty. Suffering will squeeze that out of you. We say we know Christ. The next time you suffer hard, find out what comes out of your mouth. That will show you how much you know Jesus. And in that sense, it’s good, in a strange way.” Joni
For more on Joni Eareckson Tada see: https://www.amazon.com/Joni-Unforgettable-Story-Eareckson-Tada/dp/0310364191/
I Doubt; Therefore I May Be?
Apologies to René Descartes (ri-nay’ day’-kahrt), the famous French philosopher who wisely realized, “I think; therefore I am.”
Very little in this life is certain. How long has the earth (or universe) been in existence? Did life originate from accidental cosmic forces zapping a primordial goo or did an Intelligence far beyond human understanding create life? When is a conceived baby alive? How much longer before the coastlines are all underwater or the earth fries? If CO2 is what feeds plants, why is it bad for the environment? Does Joe Biden really believe that the best word to describe America is ‘Asufutimaehaehfutbw’? 😁
As young people go to college this fall, more than half of those who attended churches as teens will leave church out of their schedules when they sign up for classes. According to a Lifeway study, 66% stopped going to church during their college years.
While this may not reflect specifically the number who lose faith in God, it is concerning, because most of those never return to church. How does a young person maintain faith without a supportive community? For that matter, how does anyone of any age do that!?
How do they address the doubts raised by sharp and intelligent professors who unabashedly disavow faith and suspect anyone who believes in God to be an idiot? When confronted with “science” that refutes the Bible or raises questions about some of its record, how can they respond? What can strengthen them to continue to trust in Jesus when most of their peers are more interested in “hook-up culture” or “hookah” parties?
There are many stories in the Bible that are quite unbelievable . . . from a humanist perspective. Moses’ command to the Israelites to move forward when the Red Sea was blocking their way presents just one of many stories modernists dismiss as “myths” to tell moral lessons. Floating axe-heads . . . really? Three men go into a furnace and come out unscathed without even the smell of smoke on their clothes!?
The New Testament is no different at presenting miracles that defy human understanding. From turning water into wine to making the lame walk to raising dead people, Jesus and His disciples did the impossible . . . if you believe the records.
But other spiritual leaders also had claims of miraculous events from Guatama Buddha’s instant walking after birth and leaving lotus flowers where ever he stepped to Joseph Smith’s revelation from the angel, Moroni, in a cave to give us the Book of Mormon. And along the way, Zoroaster planted the massive Cypress of Kashmir he had brought from Paradise to honor a king who believed in his words. And then Mohammad split the moon in two and could speak with animals before his alleged ascension after an overnight hike of 914 miles (1471 km) from Mecca to Jerusalem.
So what is a “believer” to believe?
Let me encourage the young person heading to college (or anyone, for that matter) to examine the historicity of any of the claims of miraculous phenomena and how the world was affected by them. A clear and thorough investigation will raise significant questions on the “miracles” of other religions. Either the historical record is very spotty and very ancient, or the miracles were attested long after their claimants assert they occurred. And be sure to consider the effect on the world’s societies as you examine these claims.
When you begin to research the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, like tuning a crystal glass, there is a distinctive “ring of truth” to the narratives that myths lack. Add that Jesus’ immediate followers would not deny His resurrection to the point of death, even though most of them died at the hands of persecutors determined to snuff out this nascent faith. More so, calculate that the effect of Christianity on the world has produced the most and best advances in every area of society from science to philosophy to social structures to democracy.
Doubts are a natural part of faith. Even some of Jesus’ own followers, at His ascension recorded in Matthew’s Gospel, had doubts. Realize doubts are not the same as disbelief! Doubts come in any intelligent mind searching for truth before all the facts are disclosed. Disbelief is the choice to refuse the evidence.
When you have doubts about your faith in Jesus or the Bible, come back to the Cross and the Empty Tomb! There is no fact of history more validated and demonstrated than the truth that Jesus arose from the dead. And if this is true (and it IS!) we can rest assured that what He taught about His Second Coming is true as well.
So when you are off to college (or at any age or stage of your life), when you doubt, return to the Cross and the Resurrection. There you will find assurance that you have not followed “cleverly devised myths” when you put your faith in Jesus, “and we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”
Wordless Wednesday – Life Found!
Can you imagine the excitement if scientists find one living cell on Mars?
The headlines would shout out, LIFE FOUND!
A baby begins with two living cells, a sperm and ovum.
What is the sign of the end of the age? Do NOT be DECEIVED!
“Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3)
Many people read the words of Jesus following this question, and without looking at what He really said think false prophets, wars, rumors of wars, famines, earthquakes, persecution of Christ-followers, betrayals and lawlessness are the signs of the end of the age.
But we must pay attention to what Jesus actually said: “All these are but the beginning of the birth pains,” NOT the signs of the end. He provided ONE and only one sign of the end of the age:
“This gospel [good news] of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Mathew 24:14)
Now we do not know exactly what Father evaluates as a “nation” or ethnicity (a more accurate translation of this word, ἔθνεσιν). Could it include the Sentinel Indians that John Chau was trying to reach? Nor do we know what the “testimony” involves: someone announcing it on a soapbox or a Bible translation in the native language?
In any case, we should not think that because Russia is invading another country, THIS is it. The tragic 2015 earthquake in Nepal was not an indication that Jesus was coming soon. The 21 Coptic Christ-followers that were beheaded by merciless ISIS Muslims was not the end. The summer riots of 2021 in Seattle, Portland and other cities of the U.S. were not indications of Jesus’ return any more than the Watts riots of 1965 or the Dead Rabbits riots of Irish immigrants of 1857.
Jim Jones was one of many false prophets to flit across our television screens depicting crazy guys who led many people to their deaths when they “drank the cool-aid” quite literally. He simply followed the path of previous devious leaders like Joseph Smith of Mormon fame and Pope Julius who sold indulgences to enrich the coffers of his organization. Such wars, rumors of wars, natural disasters and false teachers will continue until Jesus returns.
Jesus main emphasis in describing all this was to say, “See that no one leads you astray!” He mostly wanted His followers to be careful not to be deceived by miracles and false prophecies. He laid down a basic principle for future prophecy in John 14:29: “Now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe.” Though this was in regard to specific things coming the next day at His crucifixion, the postulate is applicable across the board for all Bible predictions of coming events.
We need to study the future prophecies of the Bible to have some ideas of what to expect, but we likely will not be able to predict stock market crashes, where the next riot will occur, when the tsunami will break over the Northwest coast or who the Anti-Christ is . . . until he is revealed. (BIG hint: he’s probably not Donald Trump nor Joe Biden.🙄) The important thing is to keep in tune with the Spirit of God and be able to understand what is happening in the world as it unfolds. And BE READY! Scripture (Matthew 24:17-20) suggests events will occur so rapidly that one will not even have time to grab an extra coat! It will happen as fast as lighting‼️
So what is The Sign? Tell everyone that Jesus is returning. Tell everyone that sin is forgivable. Tell everyone that there is hope, even when the world seems to be reeling out of control. Tell everyone that Jesus is God, that The God Who Is has revealed Himself in Jesus who died to take away our sins, MY sins, YOUR sins. Preach this Good News to all the world all the time until everyone has had an opportunity to accept or reject the claims Jesus made. Then the end will come and the redeemed will be saved, the blind will receive sight, the oppressed will be set free and God’s will will be done in earth as it is in Heaven.
Whatever we believe about the End Times, they will happen according to God’s timeline, not ours. They will happen according to His plan, not any man’s. But the End Times will happen.
Know and love the truth.
Do not be deceived.
The Glass Trees of Lexington, February 6, 2022
The weekend brought a couple inches of snow after a rainy night. The next couple days stayed below freezing for the highs, and the loose snow evaporated under the sun’s rays. What was left was an amazing ice show that these pictures do not really capture. Think of living in a diamond world and that would be closer to what my eyes could see, that the camera could not seem to capture.
Snow Angels and Angles
Snow, being one of the most astounding miracles attesting to the existence of God, early January brought an amazing overnight and all day miracle to Lexington! Three neighbor boys made snow angels. The oldest and the youngest were done and gone before I could get my phone out, but the middle one stayed with it for the picture.
The Miraculous in the Mundane – Look Up and Listen
Ever see a double-rainbow? Most likely, if you’re over 10 years old, you have. They are not all that rare as many people think, but there is a lesson in the double-rainbow. Don’t be fooled by some of the pictures of double-rainbows; if the colors are in the same order, the photo was either doctored or it IS a RARE twin-rainbow.
A double rainbow in B.C., Canada
The rainbow was first seen by Noah, his wife, three sons and three daughters-in-law. Father gave it as a sign of His covenant with them, “and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” (Genesis 9:10-11)
The simple reason a rainbow had not been yet seen, even though the world was roughly 1,500 years old, was that no rain had fallen; a mist would rise from the ground and water it (Genesis 2:6), suggesting a canopy of water above the atmosphere that created a greenhouse over the whole earth. (See Genesis 1:6-8.) The Great Deluge, or Noah’s Flood, destroyed that protective canopy and allowed direct sunlight through the clouds, that had never been seen. As the light filtered through the clouds, the rainbow appeared.
If the physics of rainbows seems to take away the mystery of God’s sign of His promise, note that just because we understand how He does something does not take away from the fact that He is the one doing it. That Father chose to use a physical phenomenon to remind Himself . . . and us . . . of His promise should not surprise us, as He delights in using ‘ordinary things’ to show His amazing power and magnificence. He shows His eternal power and divine nature in the cosmos (Romans 1); He revealed His care for the mistreated to Hagar by providing her an ordinary well (Genesis 21); He displayed His Presence to Moses in a bush (Exodus 3); He affirmed His mercy to an ordinary young woman in whom He created a body for the Messiah (Luke 1); and He shows up in myriads of times in our lives to protect, rescue and guide us . . . if we are just attentive to the miraculous in the mundane. He loves using “jars of clay” (2 Corinthians 4:7) to reveal His enormous weight of glory. “The whole world is a series of miracles, but we are so used to them that we call them ordinary things.” (Hans Christian Anderson)
Co-opted by the LGBTQMX8ZRW activists 🙄, this also does not reduce a rainbow’s beauty or significance. “A man can no more diminish God’s glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word ‘darkness’ on the walls of his cell.” (C.S.Lewis) The devil is not very creative and cannot seem to do anything new, so he attempts to use what God has given and ‘twist’ it just a bit to make us think it is his idea. So love without genuine care becomes lust. Justice without mercy becomes malicious. Science without common sense becomes “proof” that the Creator of science does not even exist. “Believing something doesn’t make it true. A thing is true or not regardless of whether anyone believes it.” (Paul Little)
So what is the lesson in the double-rainbow? If we have become jaded to a simple rainbow, or perverted it to a flag to represent something other than Father’s intention, perhaps He just wants to remind us that He is present even in our darkening age. Against the clouds of confusion over gender, masks, vaccines, military movements and political lies, He reminds us that His love and holiness still provide beauty and meaning to our world.
As He speaks through the universe, as He has spoken most clearly through Yeshua (Jesus, the Messiah), as He has revealed Himself through prophets, priests, kings, children and women throughout the Bible, He still speaks to us today. “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” (Hebrews 4:7) So look up and listen for His voice. Find His miracles in the mundane. He is here and He is not silent.
“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17
Have you experienced a miracle that others thought was ordinary? Perhaps you thought at first, “This is just normal,” only to discover later that you were part of a miracle?
capost2k 