Post 36-Ghosts

 

On Tue, Apr 18, 2017 at 12:44 PM, I wrote to Dana

            ....Concerning ghosts. What about doing a post on ghosts--yes or no and what the Bible says?  I was talking to someone at work yesterday about them. He's an unbeliever. If push were to come to shove, I think I'd have to come down on the side of yes, but...

            What do you think about this idea?

John

+++++++++++

Then Tue, Apr 18, 2017 at 1:05 PM Dana almost immediately answered with

     You are not going to believe this, but I have been thinking about a Blog on ghosts, but have not pushed the idea because I feared folks might think it too weird.  But your e-mail was a confirmation.  Let's give it some thought--but I'm in if you want to do it .  Great minds think alike, eh, Amigo?  Dana

++++++++++++++

John answered on Wed, Apr 19, 2017 at 12:14 AM

Hey Dana

            Have you noticed the increasing fascination with ghosts and spirits over the past few years? On some television channel, probably around the clock, some show is dealing with “good” spirits (always good looking—usually—young women, or “evil” often male or, again, usually good looking young women) spirits. They have various super powers and bags of earth shaking tricks. Those shows are not my thing, although (long before I was saved) I did regularly watch I Dream of Jeannie. And of course, for anyone who’s ever seen Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze  in the 1990 film Ghost, who can forget that movie and its final scene? (Too bad it’s not true. How many people have been lured in the wrong direction because of that movie?)

            I was talking recently with two different people at different times. With one, I was asked if I believed in ghosts. After a time of thinking how to answer, I said, “Yes. The Bible even has an example of it (see Saul and the Witch of Endor, 1 Samuel 28). With the other person, that person said there is an evil spirit living upstairs in their house. I wondered if that person’s maladies were because of this. When we used to go to Connecticut to visit our grandson, we would stay in an old inn that was supposedly haunted.  The Yankee Peddler Inn even has a You-tube video on the paranormal activity that supposedly takes place there. We’ve stayed a number of times but have yet to see the ghost. A former neighbor, a college professor, astronomer, cartoonist, and author, before he moved to another region of the country, brought over his newest book (at that time) which dealt with ghosts. He knew my spiritual state and wanted to know what I thought about ghosts.

            I haven’t studied this subject. I consider this playing with fire and my momma didn’t raise no dummy; although, I know the Bible has much to say about sorcery (or medium, or a spiritist, or necromancy) and that no sorcerer will go to heaven. One web site has 33 verses that deal with this, e.g. 2 Chronicles 33:6, Isaiah 47:9-13, Galatians 5: 19-21, or Rev 21:8. And I don’t know if demons are ghosts, but I do know that God has given me (us, all Christians) the power to cast them (demons) out, Luke 10:17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”

            And of course, there is Smith Wigglesworth (https://www.canecreekchurch.org/what-s-your-legacy/44-smith-wigglesworth , who awoke from a sound sleep with a evil presence in his room  When he realized what, or rather who, the presence was, he said to it, “Oh, it’s only you Satan,” and then he went back to sleep.

            While I haven’t had the same experience as Wigglesworth, I have wrestled with the devil. One time, especially comes to mind. We were at Valley Forge Christian College. The college president, Owen Carr, was facing a hostile group of people in a college related meeting, and I was burdened to pray for him. I went to the building that had been the chapel when the Army had the property as a hospital. I used my key and let myself in, and began to pray. Satan didn’t want Brother Carr to be successful in that meeting. For over an hour Satan came at me in waves, at me and then backing off, at me and then backing off. At times my body was tingling at his presence and the hair on my head was standing out.  I was wrung out at the end of that attack, but victorious through Jesus Christ and the blood of the Lamb and His power in me that is greater than anything in or of this world.

            What do you think, Dana? Are there ghosts and what should Christians do about them? Or whatever you might feel to write on this subject.

           Here is an additional question.  Since I’ve started this post, Carol asked me about the witch of Endor, with the conjuring up Samuel. How could she bring Samuel back? Was it because he had gone to Abraham’s bosom, and not like the rich man who was separated by the “great chasm”? And if that is true, does that mean a non-Christian can never be conjured back? (Luke 16:19-31)

Yours for the Harvest

John

+++++++++++++++++

Wed, Apr 19, 2017 at 1:47 PM    

 Hi John,

     Ghosts….interesting topic.  Interesting too, is the passage from Matthew 14:23-27.

 

“When evening came, he was there alone, ²⁴ but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. ²⁵ And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. ²⁶ But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. ²⁷ But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” (ESV)

 

     There are several Greek words used for spirit or ghost depending on the context.  The word for ghost in the Matthew passage is phantasma, which means an apparition, and is not used to refer to either the Holy Spirit, or evil and unclean spirits—all different Greek words.  Of all the words used for “spirit,” phantasma is used for what we would most commonly term a ghost. Our English word phantom is derived from this word; so we’re talking ghosts, and not another kind of spirit.

     A while back I heard an interview with the late Cris Putnam, who wrote “The Supernatural Worldview.”  He made an intriguing point, in that the disciples who saw Jesus walking on the water thought He was a ghost (“spirit” in the KJV).  Notice that while Jesus chides Peter for his lack of faith in his attempt to walk on the water, Jesus does not take the disciples to task for thinking He was a ghost.  One would naturally think that if ghosts did not exist, or that they were, in fact, just evil spirits of some kind or another, that Jesus would have said something to the effect, “Hey, come on guys, get real, you all know there’s no such thing as ghosts.”  But He didn’t….

     That is something that left me scratching my head in wonder.  Why didn’t Jesus correct them if they, indeed, were in error?  He certainly corrected them on other matters, and if there was no such thing as ghosts, and the disciples believed in them, one would think Jesus might have had something to say on the matter to set them straight.

     It’s not a wise idea to try to argue doctrine from what’s not said in the Bible, as opposed to what is recorded (under inspiration) as actually being said, and I’m not trying to say that are most definitely ghosts, based on what Jesus didn’t say about them.  But I do find it strange that He didn’t nip their superstition, as it were, in the proverbial bud.

     You mentioned 1 Samuel 28, the witch or medium of Endor passage.  Let’s look at a portion of that passage:

 

¹¹ Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” He said, “Bring up Samuel for me.” ¹² When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul.” ¹³ The king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a god coming up out of the earth.” ¹⁴ He said to her, “What is his appearance?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped in a robe.” And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and paid homage.

 

¹⁵ Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?”

 

     The woman says she sees, “a god” coming up out of the earth.” The Hebrew word for “god” used there is “Elohim.”  It is a word that can denote Yahweh God (big “G”) or lesser gods (little “g”).  Elohim is used to denote any kind of disembodied, superhuman spirits, whether it be God Himself, or angelic type figures, both good and bad, or pagan deities over which Israel stumbled.

     So what is Samuel in that passage?  Is he a ghost in the classical sense of what we determine ghosts to be—a disembodied spirit of someone who has previously died?  It’s a good question.  And while you are right when you say that the Bible condemns the consulting of mediums or the dead, and it is a subject from whom Christians should steer clear, yet God allows it in this instance.  Again, another head scratcher.

     You asked whether or not I thought ghosts were or were not demons.  The Bible doesn’t give us much to go on when it comes to the origin of demons.  There is an interesting passage in the Book of Enoch (or 1^st Enoch) chapter 15: 8-12 which gives some clarification:

8. And now the giants, who have been begotten from body and flesh, will be called evil spirits on earth, and their dwelling-places will be upon the earth.

9. Evil spirits proceed from their bodies; because they are created from above, their beginning and first basis being from the holy watchers, they will be evil spirits upon    the earth, and will be called evil spirits.

10. But the spirits of heaven have their dwelling-places in heaven, and the spirits of the earth, who were born on the earth, have their dwelling-places on earth.

11. And the spirits of the giants, who cast themselves upon the clouds, will be destroyed and fall, and will battle and cause destruction on the earth, and do evil; they will take no kind of food, nor will they become thirsty, and they will be invisible.

12. And these spirits shall rise up against the children of men and against the women, because they have proceeded from them, in the days of murder and destruction.

     So according to the book of Enoch, demons are the spirits of the dead Nephilim (giants). (Genesis 6:1-4.) 

     “When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, ² the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. ³ Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” ⁴ The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.” (ESV)

     Granted there are different views on just who the “sons of God” are in that passage.  Many prominent Evangelicals insist it is the godly descendants of Seth (Adam and Eve’s son after the death of Abel) who mated with heathen women, and were corrupted.  However the Hebrew term for “sons of God” isn’t elsewhere used in referring to human males.  It is a term used for spiritual beings, hence fallen angels.

      These fallen angels [“Watchers”] were reported to have come from Heaven and lusted after human women, and thus mated with them, producing a race of giants (Nephilim) who so corrupted mankind that God sent the flood.  Also, it seems highly unlikely that godly men and heathen women could produce a race of giants. Verse 4 states:

 

” ⁴ The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them.”

 

     The word “when” can also be translated “whenever,” alternately rendering the verse, ” ⁴ The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, whenever the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them.”

    That could explain how there were giants who plagued Israel from the days of the Exodus (King Og, and also the giants who terrified the spies) all through Joshua’s conquest of the promised land, and even into David’s time (Goliath).

     Again, from 1Enoch chapters 6-8:

 

1. And it came to pass when the children of men had multiplied that in those days were born unto them beautiful and comely daughters. 2. And the angels, the children of the heaven, saw and lusted after them, and said to one another: 'Come, let us choose us wives from among the children of men and beget us children.' 3. And Semjâzâ, who was their leader, said unto them: 'I fear ye will not indeed agree to do this deed, and I alone shall have to pay the penalty of a great sin.' 4. And they all answered him and said: 'Let us all swear an oath, and all bind ourselves by mutual imprecations not to abandon this plan but to do this thing.' 5. Then sware they all together and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it. 6. And they were in all two hundred; who descended in the days of Jared on the summit of Mount Hermon, and they called it Mount Hermon, because they had sworn and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it. 7. And these are the names of their leaders: Sêmîazâz, their leader, Arâkîba, Râmêêl, Kôkabîêl, Tâmîêl, Râmîêl, Dânêl, Êzêqêêl, Barâqîjâl, Asâêl, Armârôs, Batârêl, Anânêl, Zaqîêl, Samsâpêêl, Satarêl, Tûrêl, Jômjâêl, Sariêl. 8. These are their chiefs of tens.
    
2. And all the others together with them took unto themselves wives, and each chose for himself one, and they began to go in unto them and to defile themselves with them, and they taught them charms and enchantments, and the cutting of roots, and made them acquainted with plants. 2. And they became pregnant, and they bare great giants, whose height was three thousand ells: 3. Who consumed all the acquisitions of men. And when men could no longer sustain them, 4. the giants turned against them and devoured mankind. 5. And they began to sin against birds, and beasts, and reptiles, and fish, and to devour one another's flesh, and drink the blood. 6. Then the earth laid accusation against the lawless ones.
    
3. And Azâzêl taught men to make swords, and knives, and shields, and breastplates, and made known to them the metals of the earth and the art of working them, and bracelets, and ornaments, and the use of antimony, and the beautifying of the eyelids, and all kinds of costly stones, and all colouring tinctures. 2. And there arose much godlessness, and they committed fornication, and they were led astray, and became corrupt in all their ways. Semjâzâ taught enchantments, and root-cuttings, Armârôs the resolving of enchantments, Barâqîjâl, (taught) astrology, Kôkabêl the constellations, Ezêqêêl the knowledge of the clouds, Araqiêl the signs of the earth, Shamsiêl the signs of the sun, and Sariêl the course of the moon. And as men perished, they cried, and their cry went up to heaven . . .
    
        Now some might ask, why should we look to illustrate a Biblical idea with a book that is not a part of the Bible?  The Book of Enoch came to light in what’s called the Second Temple period 530 BC to 70 AD.  It is a safe bet that it wasn’t written by the Biblical Enoch from Genesis, as there exist no writings from that far back in history that we know of.  It is not included in the Canon of Scripture, although there were early Church Fathers who argued for its Canonicity. 
        While not held to be equal with Scripture, Jude under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit quoted 1^st Enoch:

“¹⁴ It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, ¹⁵ to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” Jude 1:14-15 (ESV)

     Also Peter in his second epistle, verse 4, also makes use of the Enochian material:

⁴ For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; (ESV)

 

     So while the Book of Enoch may not be equal with Scripture proper, some of its material the Holy Spirit saw fit to allow being included in two New Testament books, thus attesting to its helpfulness.  I tend to look at it like there are quite a number of Christian books that are helpful, but not inspired Scripture.  J.I. Packer’s “Knowing God,” and A. W. Tozer’s “The Pursuit of God,” would be two examples of many.

     For further study on this material, I heartily recommend Dr. Michael Heiser’s masterful works, “The Unseen Realm,” “Supernatural,” and “Reversing Hermon.”  His books are worth their prices for the bibliographies alone, not to mention the weighty content (all based upon scholarly, peer reviewed material).  What I wrote above is not even worthy of being called the Reader’s Digest Condensed version of said material.

     But back to my point, I do not think what many people think about when the word “ghosts” is mentioned, are demons.  Whatever ghosts are, they are not demons proper. That is not to say that ghosts should not be considered evil. There are a number of created entities which are in rebellion, and hostile to God and His people. But frankly, I just do not know. So as far as I am concerned, the jury is still out.

     Theologically, I still have a problem with the idea of the disembodied spirits of the dead hanging around, and it stems from Hebrews 9:27, which says, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” (ESV)  That verse pretty much interferes with the idea of earthbound ghosts in my book, unless God makes some major allowances in certain cases, which the Bible never mentions.

      To your question,

 

      “Carol asked me about the witch of Endor, with the conjuring up Samuel. How could she bring Samuel back? Was it because he had gone to Abraham’s bosom, and not like the rich man who was separated by the “great chasm”? And if that is true, does that mean a non-Christian can never be conjured back? (Luke 16:19-31)”

 

    My opinion and a dollar and a half will get you a cup of coffee at your local diner, but here goes anyway.  Samuel’s case was an isolated event, which is not again covered in books coming before or coming after 1Samuel 28.  God clearly “allowed” the situation to progress as it is recorded, without endorsing it.  As has been said, Christians are to stay far away from occult practices, as they are forbidden by God due to their inherent evil nature—perhaps stemming from the corrupting teachings of the fallen Watchers from Genesis 6 and Enoch.

      The witch of Endor had no more power over the “ghost” of Samuel than God allowed in that instance, any more than I have the power to make gold bars from wooden sticks.  God allowed it to occur to drive home the point to Saul of the loss of his kingdom to David, and as an object lesson to us that we should inquire of God and shouldn’t seek knowledge from occult sources.  The results of the tolerance of evil are dramatically and starkly portrayed in the recorded details of the history of Israel in Judges, and also in the divided kingdom after Solomon and prior to the exile.

     Where exactly Samuel was when the conjuring took place, I cannot rightly say.  Old Testament writers have demonstrated that the belief in that day was that all of the dead enter Sheol, or the realm of the dead, but that the righteous would not be abandoned to Sheol forever. 

     Matthew 22:8 and John 11:24, among other passages, show that among Jews there was a belief in the resurrection, even if it was not understood completely.  But the Bible doesn’t spell it out clearly as to when the resurrection (as believed by the Jews of the times) would be accomplished.  Of course the resurrection of Jesus is the surety for all believer’s resurrection at the end of time.  But whether Samuel was in Sheol or Abraham’s bosom or in Heaven proper, the Bible doesn’t give a definitive answer.  We can be sure that Samuel was under God’s watchful care, and in this one instance he was allowed to serve God again even after death.

     But that said, I do not believe a believer’s spirit, soul, ghost or whatever you want to call it, can be subject to conjuring rituals or spells, unless there is a Divine purpose to it, as in the case of Samuel.  Our lives are…”hidden with Christ in God.”  Colossians 3:3 (ESV).   As for non-believers, I’m not sure.  As their souls are not with God, perhaps their race has been run.  Perhaps wherever they exist (Sheol or Hades, or somewhere else?), God might allow their souls to be manipulated, but we can only speculate.

    OK, why don’t we dim the lights, and let me leave you with a final…ghost story.  Do you remember J.B. Phillips, the man who wrote the Christian classic, “Your God Is Too Small,” and also a quite good translation of the New Testament? He told a very curious tale of something that happened to him.  Twice, it is told, while working on his New Testament translation, and as he struggled with depression and discouragement, he had two unsolicited ghostly visits from none other than the late C.S. Lewis. 

     According to Phillips, he had only met Lewis one time, and while they had corresponded via the postal service, he claims to have not known him that well.  A few days after Mr. Lewis’ passing, he appeared to Phillips in his home. Lewis’ presence manifested there, seated near Phillips, and said directly to him, “It’s not as hard as you think, you know.” These words were particularly comforting and encouraging to Phillips, and aided him in completing the arduous task of translating the New Testament.

     Phillips was a fairly skeptical man when it came to the paranormal, and not given to flights of fancy—face it, one must be fairly serious in discipline and demeanor to attempt to publish a translation (not a paraphrase) of the entire New Testament.  But he remained convinced that the late C.S. Lewis had visited him twice. 

     What do I make of it?  I cannot say, as I was neither there to witness it, nor did I ever meet Mr. Lewis or Mr. Phillips and speak with them about the matter.  Knowing Mr. Phillip’s work, I am inclined to not doubt his story, as he was a pretty straight arrow, and, moreover, he never capitalized on the experience. And in these days and times, that is almost more extraordinary than the appearance of a ghost.

Boo!

Dana  

 

  

 

Post 35-What Does It Mean to "Walk With Jesus"?

John wrote on Sat, Apr 15, 2017 at 11:37 AM

Hey Dana

             Rev. Scott Stevenson and I were recently having a discussion when this question came up, “What does it really mean to  w a l k  with Jesus?”  I know that’s an odd question for two people who have been saved for a combined total of, perhaps, over 80 plus years but  I believe, if many Christians were openly honest, they may well be wrestling with the same question. For example,  in 1913 Charles A. Miles’ wrote the hymn  In The Garden:

 

I come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses,
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.

Refrain:
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

 

            So I finally asked the Reverend the “So What?” question. “Why do I even need to walk with Jesus daily? What real difference does it make?” I asked. For example, I have my wife. I have my Christian friends and associations. I have my neighbors. There are the people I work with. I see them. I talk to them. I argue with them sometimes. I eat with them. I touch them. We can have fun together. With one of them I can have sex.

            Then one of us mentioned Mary Stevenson’s (no relation to the reverend) well known, and oft quoted poem, Footprints. She wrote the poem after she had a dream. In the dream, Stevenson envisions her life as walking on the beach with Jesus. At some point she looks back and periodically sees only one set of footprints in the sand, not two. She thought Jesus had deserted her at those times.  But no, He (Jesus) says during those times of only one set of prints, He is carrying her. What does that mean?

            I asked Pastor Stevenson how do we (regular Janes or Joes-in-the-pews Christians) make real and not a cliché, walking with Jesus.  He mentioned, I presume because it is Easter week, the Cross, the Resurrection, and the Holy Spirit. He believes we have missed the power and the punch that we could have if we really grasped just these three things, and how that would make a difference in our walk with Jesus. That is, Jesus walks with us in a way that we cannot walk with others. Think of the road to Emmaus. They were walking with each other but they needed Jesus to walk them all the way home.  

            So, it seems we went around the topic but I never got what I considered a definitive answer to my question, what does it mean to walk with Jesus?

Yours for the Harvest

John

************************************

Dana answered on Tue, Apr 18, 2017 at 1:07 PM

    Hi John,

     Interesting question, and also one with no clear cut answer.  It’s very subjective.  One could say that one’s entire Christian pilgrimage is their walk with Christ.  The hard part about it is that the walk is often based on hindsight. We can tell where we’ve been when we had no idea where we were going.

     To me, I’m not so sure we walk with Jesus, but am more inclined to think that we walk behind, or follow Jesus.  He leads us to places, many of which we don’t know or know why we ended up there until we’re able to look back on them, and see where we have been led.

     Once, when we first began the Blog, you quoted a passage from the book of Esther in chapter 4, verse 14B, “And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” 

     And among us, who knows, if Jesus has ever walked us into a situation just to meet one particular person, who we may not even realize we were there to meet until we get to Heaven? 

     That really doesn’t answer the question, but perhaps a point is beginning to develop.  Too many would include reading the Bible, prayer and Christian fellowship as important elements in walking with Jesus.  Indeed they are important elements of the Christian life, no doubt.  But do we stop there?  Is participation in all three of those elements covering all our bases, so to speak?  For many, I believe it might.  Doing all three somehow releases us from guilt when the preacher fusses at us for not reading the Bible enough, or missing the Wednesday night service. They are activities that are at the top of our Christian checklist, and as long as we can check them off daily or weekly, then somehow we remain members of the Kingdom in good standing.

     Again, I am not decrying Bible study, prayer, or Church participation—they are vital to the Christian life.  But does our obligation end there?  While I may not be able to write a dissertation on what the “walk” might actually be, I do have a strong gut feeling it involves more.

     Walking with Jesus involves trust.  Yes, we trust Him for salvation, but do we have life-long, continuing trust that He actually knows what He is doing as He leads us through life?  That is especially pertinent to both contemplate and resolve when His leading is to some place uncomfortable, or even to a place or situation that we might see as downright awful. 

     Do we trust enough to keep walking with Him when the road is perilous and fraught with “dangers, toils and snares…?”  What if walking with Jesus leads to a hospital bed, or the unemployment office?  Will we walk with Him there?  What about jail?  We could ask Rev. Hyeon Soo Lim, a Korean born Canadian pastor who has been imprisoned in North Korea for life.  See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyeon_Soo_Lim  What might he have to say about walking with Jesus?

     That is not to infer that walking with Jesus is always going to lead to jail, hardship or death.  Clearly many dedicated Christians do not have to go down those roads.  But do we at least allow that following Jesus “might” lead us to places outside of our comfort zone?  

     Along with trust, I believe walking with Jesus involves obedience.  OK, we’ve got a stable job, and family, love our local church, and life is good.  We’re walking with Jesus, and He decides to start walking in the direction of Africa or Afghanistan, or North Korea.  Do we keep walking?  It’s a question worth pondering.  We’d all like to think we’d be willing and compliant, but would we?  If we desire to walk with our Lord and King, are we as equally desirous to be humbly obedient to His every request?  What if walking with Him requires us to forgive someone whose actions against us are, for all intents and purposes, in the eyes of the world, unforgiveable?

     Along with the big three (Bible reading, Prayer, and Christian Fellowship—which are sometimes difficult enough on their own) what about radical obedience and explicit trust as being essential parts of our walk?  Perhaps there are other dimensions of our walk with Christ, which I haven’t considered as of yet.  Between the big three, and trust, and obedience, I seem to already have an adult portion.

 Dana 

++++++++++++++++++++

John added on Wed, Apr 19, 2017 at 10:07 PM

Hey Dana

            Since we last corresponded, my friend Rev. Stevenson, from whom this idea got its start, added a bit more.

            He said, in answer to the question of “So what?”  to sum up, what difference does it make whether we walk with others or Jesus? We cannot (even if we wanted to) walk with each other. Only Jesus can walk with us all the way home. Without Jesus we are “stuck” with our feet frozen in place. He, only half jokingly likes to refer to it as being stuck-in-the-muck.

            What Rev. Stevenson thinks is important to do is to show the stark contrast. That is, you walk with Jesus, or you don’t walk at all. So, we need Jesus if we want to go anyplace.

            He went on to say, we need Jesus to walk with us—to God.

            We need Jesus to walk with us—to deal with our sins.

            We need Jesus to walk with us—to each other.

            And we even need Jesus to walk with us—toward ourselves.

            Stevenson concluded his thoughts on this with something from the theologian John Calvin. Calvin says because we are united with Christ—I am where Jesus is and Jesus is where I am.

            We’ve written a lot about this walking with Jesus. In some ways I’m still not sure my question was answered as I had been hoping for; however, while I’m not a Calvin fan, that may be the best answer of all—because we are united with Christ—I am where Jesus is and Jesus is where I am.

The Lord bless you. Yours for the Harvest

John

 

 

 

 

Post 34: Easter-God Won. Satan Nothing

Dana emailed on Mon, Apr 10, 2017 at 3:07 PM

     Hi John,

     Happy Easter!  Yes, it is that time again.  Spring has begun to “sprung?”  That is, trees and flowers and grapevines have begun to awake and put out buds, which will soon bloom and form shoots, leaves, flowers, then clusters of fruit.  Here in NC, we still have to be wary of weather anomalies such as the continued threat of frosts, and yes, freezes even. 

     In 2007 we had a very warm March, and our white grape vines woke up early.  By Easter weekend we saw one to two feet long green shoots with leaves all up and down the arms of the vines resting on their trellis wires.  Then without warning, over Easter weekend the overnight temperature dropped down to 19 degrees Fahrenheit for two nights in a row.  The result was that we lost all the new growth to that point, completely wiped it out.  Grapevines have secondary and tertiary buds which will pop, putting out new shoots, but it’s only a 50/50 chance they will be fruitful. Ours were not, so we got no white grapes that year.

     Our red grapes were not as developed as the whites, as they do not ripen until around the time when the whites have already been picked.  But just because they had not popped their primary buds, didn’t mean there would not be problems.  There were.  The red vines were filling with sap (liquid) and the freeze did what freezing temperatures will always do with containers full of liquid with no room for expansion—ever put an unopened glass soda bottle in the freezer to cool it quickly—and forget it?  Several to a lot of red grapevines split from the ground up throughout the length of the vertical trunks.  So we remain cautiously optimistic about spring.  It’s nice to not have to build a fire every night to stay warm, and the sunny days are pleasant for going outside and having lunch, but they are by no means an indication that we’re entirely out of the woods.

     This coming Sunday we will have our traditional Easter Sunrise Service.  Honestly I cannot remember one in the last five or six years where bringing a jacket (if not a coat) was a bad idea. We hold our service at the entrance to our church cemetery (I guess the contrast between filled graves and the empty tomb is supposed to be in view), and our music director always plays an Easter hymn on his trumpet.  One year a couple of stray puppies wandered up, and when the trumpet solo started, the dogs reared back their heads and began howling for fare thee well.  It was quite comical, and everyone had a good laugh at such strange accompaniment.  It was the sort of thing that I believe might have even caused God to smile.

     As with so many of our observed Christian holy days, old, pagan practices are tending to infuse themselves into the once, primarily religious meanings of said days.  The Easter Bunny makes his yearly appearance, and the kids hunt for candy and Easter Eggs, which are seemingly innocuous holdovers from the bad old days, when the spring equinox holidays were more about procreation, fertility, and wanton revelry than about the resurrection of Christ. 

      Previously we’ve spoken of the Christianization of pagan festivals, such as Christmas replacing the Druidic and Celtic solstice observances.  That was a good thing, but I fear we are slipping backwards, returning to paganism over Christianity.  TV commercials and much in the main stream media tends to pointing to this trend, as the church loses its prominence and influence with every passing year.  Paganism is on the rise, and is becoming more and more accepted in society, while the church is beginning to feel the initial stages of ridicule and hostility.  Practitioners of Wicca and other occult based groups are becoming main stream, appearing on TV shows and radio interviews, while the church is portrayed almost as unearthed dinosaur bones.

     We’ve touched on the fact that loss of thankfulness (Romans 1) leads to the downward spiral of turning from the Creator of the universe, to the worship of the earth, sun and stars, and later to even more base creatures such as bugs and snakes.  Many of the modern new age religions have their primary focus on closeness to the earth and seeking guidance from the celestial bodies.  

     Christians sometimes say how they would love to go back to the days of the early church.  I’m sure they mean to the days of unmistakable Pentecostal fire, the church suddenly springing to life, powerful and moving preaching from the Apostles, and all the attending miracles.  Sounds good in some respects, but we must not forgot that the early church was also persecuted (sometimes lethally) by both the entrenched Jewish religious establishment, and also the Greco-Roman pagan cultures and their influences of that day, which aside from possessing the modern technology of our time, aren’t  all that different from our own new pagan cultural practices.  We may yet get to revisit the days of the early church in our time. So let’s be careful for what we wish…we might just get it.

     In our Sunday School class, we are presently working our way through the book, “Supernatural,” by Dr. Michael Heiser, and using his monumental works, “The Unseen Realm” and “Reversing Hermon” as backups, since many in the class are not familiar with his written works or with his “Naked Bible Podcast.”

      A word about the aforementioned podcast might be in order, as I’m sure some may be scratching their heads, and wondering what in the world does he mean by “Naked Bible Podcast?”  Dr. Heiser is one of the foremost Old Testament, Hebrew language, and Ancient Near East Scholars writing and teaching today.  He doesn’t care much for “systems,” and either denominational or theological schools of thought, which act as filters for interpreting the Scriptures. 

     His point is that rather than reading the text of the Bible in the context in which it was originally written and first understood, we impose sometimes quite different meanings upon it because we read it in the light of post 1^st century Christian thought.  He’s not knocking the Protestant Reformation, or any of the more modern day movements, or even your own particular denominational particulars, or saying that they are wrong.  But he accurately points out that said systems or schools of thought do often cause their adherents to read and understand the Bible with a completely different emphasis than what the original writers intended, or the way those to whom it was originally written understood the material, thus leading to misunderstanding today. 

     So he is not preaching a new gospel or a different teaching from accepted Christian Evangelicalism.  But he believes the Bible should be stripped bare of man-made “filters” which can impede our understanding, and get back to reading the Bible in the context in which it was first written and understood by the people of that time.  Dr. Heiser is a consummate scholar, who carefully underpins everything he writes and teaches with peer-reviewed material from some of the finest minds in Christendom, who are writing, teaching, and preaching today.  Most of what is next I got from his writings and his podcast…but it’s good stuff.

     He makes an interesting point when discussing the crucifixion of Jesus, and its implications.  Quoting Paul in 1^st Corinthians 2: 6-8:

  “⁶ Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. ⁷ But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. ⁸ None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” (ESV)

     Using verse 8 in particular, Dr. Heiser points out that when Paul speaks of “rulers of this age” he isn’t necessarily referring to just human rulers like Caiaphas, Herod, or Pontius Pilate, but rather unseen malevolent spiritual beings, demons, the devil and his minions, who surely rejoiced at the death of Jesus on the cross.  God’s plan of redemption wasn’t unveiled in its fullness before the resurrection.  There were small pieces of the puzzle scattered throughout the Old Testament, but never a complete chapter and verse, step by step explanation of said redemptive plan in its entirety.  Even Jesus ordered people in His day, and especially evil spirits not to speak of certain things involving him.

     Consequently, the resurrection of Jesus was unforeseen by Satan and company, hence their rejoicing quickly transitioned into horror and despair when they realized that the empty tomb represented their signed death warrants. (Psalm 82: 6-7). Their mistake of manipulating the thoughts and actions of sinful men, inspiring them to persecute and execute the Son of God, while disastrous for them, but was beneficial for us.  That the Christ had to suffer and die, and that His sacrifice was accepted, meant that we could be set free from sin and death.  The unwitting actions of the “rulers of this age” (Ephesians 6:12), God used to fulfill His redemptive plans, allowing said “rulers” to, as it were, shoot themselves in the foot at the same time.  He allowed them enough rope to hang themselves.

     Another passage, which many will not be thinking about this Easter, is the vision from Daniel 7

.

⁹ “As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire. ¹⁰ A stream of fire issued and came out from before him;
a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.

¹¹ “I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. ¹² As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.

¹³ “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. ¹⁴ And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”  (ESV)

     The empty tomb which we celebrate this Sunday (and that which we should every day) led to the ascension, and fulfilled what Daniel saw centuries before in Babylon, as the resurrected Jesus took the throne and reins of the Kingdom and now rules from on high, directing and leading His people to go forth and reclaim those of every nation, tribe and tongue who are His inheritance (Psalm 2:8).  It should also be noted that the term “son of man” was Jesus’ favorite designation of Himself.

     The empty tomb is victory.  It was God’s victory.  It was Jesus’ victory.  And, that victory was so graciously given to us, who did nothing to obtain it.  So when we are tempted to despair over the state of this nation and the world, let us remember Easter.  The risen Christ reigns over all, and His Kingdom will last forever, and he who is the final and most potent earthly enemy of the church, the Anti-Christ, is no match for Him.  Verses 11-12 right in the middle of the passage quoted from Daniel 7 portrays his doom.  Let us not focus on the kingdoms of this world, nor cower at those “rulers” who play such a part in the evil those kingdoms do.  The victory has been won and will be finally won at Jesus’ appearance at the end of the age.

Again, have a happy Easter,

Dana

++++++++++++++

John responded on  Mon, Apr 10, 2017 at 8:59 PM

Hey Dana

            Your email is a wonderful reminder to praise the King of Kings and Lord of Lords this Easter, and always.

             I remember when I was 15, 16, 17, and even 18, and I was an acolyte (like an altar boy in the Catholic Church) in the Episcopal Church we faithfully attended each Sunday. For the last three of those years, I was the senior acolyte. I would carry the more gilded of the crosses in processionals and recessionals, I attended to the leading reverend, I helped with communion. I could recite, from memory, nearly all of the regular prayers and Psalms throughout the entire service.  On Palm Sundays and Easters, which were very holy days in our church, I was rather proud to play a significant part in those services. I looked the part of the holy helper in my red cassock and white starched and ironed surplice. And I had the cross around my neck. But I didn’t know Jesus, nor did I understand what Easter really meant.

            I had to leave home, go in the service, become a drunk, end up divorced, and lose custody of my child, before I sunk low enough to know that I had to look up to see the cross and what Jesus did for me, not just the entire world, but for me.

            I don’t remember which Easter it was when I finally realized the significance of that day. I wasn’t religious then. I had a relationship with the risen Savior. So now each year on the day of the designated holiday, I praise the Lord that He beat death and the devil and rose on the third day and now sits at the right hand of the Father, and ever lives to make intercession for us. But on the following Sundays, and many weekdays in between, I praise Him for the same reasons. For the born again believer, as you reminded us above, every day should be an Easter.  Lord, help us all to remember that each day can be an Easter and give you the praise and thanksgiving You deserve.