Skeletons Arising - Part 1

God is Almighty. Christians trust God at least for one thing - eternal life. Face it;  if you're are a Christian what pulled you toward God is the thought of living forever! Ironically, since we are our own gods, we must hang them on the cross alongside Jesus. The contrite thief on the cross represents us. Hanging there on the cross, his god was about to die but was powerless to do anything about it. He looked over at God Himself bleeding for him, surely emanating divine love, and trusted Jesus to save his wretched soul.

Right there before he died, the thief was "born-again"!

Luke 23:32 And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death.33 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. 34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. (One ridiculed Jesus belligerently, and was chastised by the other). 40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. 42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.

Here is the best example (I'm sorry, Nicodemus), of a sinner being born again. The focus was not on his death, but him remaining alive! The only difference between the contrite malefactor and me is that he was not a "new person" for long. He was reborn, died, and glorified in a few moments. The path he walked was short but for him it was certain. He saw that Jesus was his only Way to eternal life, and he chose that Way without thinking twice! He submitted his own god as he was on his cross, and soon after, his soul was renewed and he was in heaven.

I would bet that the faith of the thief came by hearing. I bet he heard of Jesus's miracles, and determined that this innocent man, was/Is indeed God. I bet that he heard about the resurrection from the Pharisees because the people were forced to listen!

The power of God is sufficient to save into paradise - the one He Created, then God is powerful enough to Create the world, the universe, and the space it's in! If the thief had doubted the power of God in Jesus Christ, he would not have been saved. Not only does God have the power to save but to resurrect. You see, why be saved if one is not going to live forever? We are saved from eternal death! The resurrection is the life - eternal life. Right now the thief no longer exists -  God "forgets" that. Now Mr. Thief is a royal priest in the Kingdom of God, just waiting on the general resurrection where his dust shall rejoin his mind and soul. He will be made whole again. That's for what all Christians await.

In the pseudopigraphical The Book of Adam and Eve, after they were sent out into darkness, they longed to return to the light in the Garden of Eden. Therein, their eyes were "bright", and they were not hindered by darkness, clouds, nor barriers of any kind. They saw the supernatural as plainly as the natural! They both longed for a return to Paradise. Incidentally, Paradise isn't lost. They know where it is. They come to its gate, and awaited entry. Just as Jesus died, the cherubim extinguished the flaming sword for Adam and everyone else. Jesus was the Way back into paradise, and Adam returned to the Garden five and a half "days" (5500 years) after he was cast out!

Just as Adam longs for paradise, the life he once had, we too long for the same paradise. My contention is that Paradise is not lost - it can only be seen again through "bright" eyes. Those are the spiritual eyes of glorified souls. Yes, I'm saying that the Garden of Eden is paradise in heaven, and just as Jesus ascended, do did the Garden. (That is my conjecture, and appears to be congruent to the pseudopigraphia which I read after my views were developed).

Adam died. He knew exactly when he would return to paradise. So do I for myself! From the time Adam sinned until his return was 5500 years. For the thief on the cross, it was that day! For me, it will be the day I die that I'm saved from destruction. My soul will go to Paradise where both Adam and I will await for our bodies to rise from the dust.

The Pharisees believed in the resurrection  (Acts 23:8). They were the Jewish religious leaders. Why so? Because their scripture told them so! Their own nation was resurrected, and those few Jews with "bright" eyes knew what that meant for them. (Tomorrow we will look at what convinced them).

Review of Genesis: Paradise Lost Movie

My wife and I watched the first local showing last evening of Genesis: Paradise Lost by Creation Today.  It is showing at select theaters for two nights, the remaining one November 16. Those are apparently pilot showings to get the word out.

REVIEW

We went for the technical effects to be honest, and chose 3D to enhance it. That turned out to be a wise choice because the flatness of 2D would have depreciated the Creation. God's wonderful handiwork was shown in a realistic manner which really was quite impressive. Likewise, animated scenes could hardly be discerned from the real. As I peered into the behemoth's mouth, I could almost count the sharp teeth.

As somewhat of a scientist, being an engineer, I had little trouble following the scientific laws which were presented. Thermodynamic, genetic, and physical laws were presented by highly educated scientists in their field. Of particular interest was the comparison of skulls of early man and primates by a specialist in that field.

This movie was a platform for truth, and that job was done extremely well. The fallacies and discontinuity in scientific theories were refuted by the best, not using faith arguments, but scientific against the scientists. However, near the end, the movie validated faith by the scientific.

This movie was not one with a cast and a storyline. It was visual representations to reinforce the scientific way the Creation was accomplished by its Designer. Between Creation scenes, the best in their fields compared evolution theory to Creationism. Whereas, scientific theory is riddled with holes, these capable scientists reinforced the biblical account with scientific laws.

The first words inspired by God to be written was, "In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth (Gen. 1:1)." Essentially, this first knowledge acknowledged that God created not only things but the void space into which things were placed. Science has never attempted to explain from where the void came, and that puzzle in itself can only be explained by God. The boundless, never-ending container for everything is astounding. This thought alone is worth the money!

Although not rejecting the evolution of the species, these scientists handily rejected evolution between "kinds" since God created discreet species. The Second Law of Thermodynamics was rightly used to point out that all things move toward disorder. Evolution, on the other hand, requires that things, including mankind, would become more complex. That is cannot be! Mutations of the kinds result in weaker and dumber kinds.

A good portion of the movie was spent on he global flood of Noah's time, and the stratified layers, none which showed missing links between the species. Of particular note was that sea animals have been found on mountaintops, and that underneath the surface of the earth are vast reservoirs of waters which once gurgled upward to flood the earth. Some of this water, it was noted, is still stored in the polar ice caps. The underground seas were a recent discovery, but God's Word explained that 4500 years ago!

Likewise, scripture was used to explain the order that things were created in actual seven days as measured with God's clock - the sun. Scripture was used to validate the space-time warp in that the heavens were rolled out like a carpet. Scripture was used to describe the spherical shape of the earth, thousands of years before mankind realized it wasn't flat!

This movie is based on science, and does not use faith as a method of self-validation. The scientists use real science to verify that what we take by faith is scientific, and points out the degree of faith it would take to buy into evolution theory.

Those who accept the evolution theory, and deny God's Almightiness, imply that God is a liar. How could God save us in heaven if He had not created the heavens as he claims? This scientific look at the Creation is effective in increasing faith. The movie uses great arguments to reject the play book of the evolutionists who have false wisdom, and propagate what is right in their own eyes by deception.

One great point is that we the people have been indoctrinated to accept theory as fact because the elite just can't accept the idea that there is a God. As Paul Harvey would quip, "Page two!" Page two is the other side of the argument. At least, let the people hear it and decide. This movie does just that! Look for it to be attacked vehemently by those in the media, education, and the proud scientists who prefer their own version which is false data. They know that, but still propagate it.

What's this got to do with Jesus?

 For us, God seems cruel when he commanded the armies of the Hebrews to wipe out every vestige of the enemy - men, women, children, and even the animals. The Amalekites were the first people to attack the Hebrews when they entered Canaan - their (the Jews) land granted from God in perpetuity.

Amalek was a grandson of Esau, who was the brother to Jacob,  renamed "Israel" by God. Hence, the "Edomites" of which this tribe was, were the natural enemies of Israel because by the law of primogeniture, Canaan would have belonged to Esau. Because Jacob procured Esau's birthright, God's plan for Israel was fulfilled. It was part of the Abrahamic Covenant as the place - Israel, and the seed - the person "Israel", from which the Messiah would come.

As the Israelites (Jacob's line) entered the promised land, Amalek was there to prevent it. That was his mistake. Let us look at the story:

Exodus 17:9 And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. 10 So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

The "discomfited" in verse 13 means "defeated". However, God's intent was for them to be wiped out (Deuteronomy 25:19). That didn't happen.  To this day, Edomites (the lines of Esau) still terrorize Israel. Right this instant, Israel's existence is still threatened because the Amalekites and other Edomites were not exterminated! Does God sound so bad or was He just being pragmatic? The Amalekites in Holy Scripture, as atheists, represented evil. Today, their evilness still exists in the pagan worship of Mohammad.

Ironically, Amalek, unknowingly, was attempting to destroy Jesus. If the seed of Abraham entering "paradise" was wiped out, God's covenant with Abraham would have never been fulfilled. Who knew that? Satan knew! The Israelites conquered, and Jesus was born, ministered, died, was resurrected, and still lives because these evil people were defeated.

Let's add a little more irony: The Hebrews were about to die. They were ready to mutiny against Moses and God. The Israelites always looked back to their comparative comfort in Egypt, even as slaves, and murmured against Moses and God from freeing them from bondage.

In Egypt, representing sin, Pharaoh, representing Satan, they perceived that they were better off. They didn't hunger or thirst there even though they were in bondage, working by "the sweat of their brow", the consequence of Adam's sinfulness. They were little better, if not worse, than the Amalekites? However, as God's chosen people, he had mercy on them: In chapter 16 he fed them with manna from heaven. That manna represents the body of Christ, who Is the Bread Of Life.

In chapter 17, still murmuring, although relieved from hunger, they still thirsted. God came through again. He gave them "living water" - symbolically, the Holy Spirit. Moses added to what God said, and was later penalized by never reaching the promised land. (He tapped twice, adding a little Moses to the mercy God had already done). That lesson was for the ages - God doesn't need us to dispense His grace; He is Almighty and can do it alone! (Moses never made it to the promised land.)

After receiving the bread of life and living water, the Israelites were "safe". Their desire to return to "sin" and "Satan" - Egypt and the Pharaoh, receded. Stronger physically and spiritually, they bravely fought the Amalekites. This time, Moses after learning his lesson - that he is not God, did it God's way. Scripture doesn't say that God gave Moses instructions on how to fight, but obviously he was divinely inspired. He had learned from his error when he defied God by tapping on the rock twice to get water instead of once.

For the battle, Moses, Aaron, and Hur went to the top of the hill overlooking the plain of Rephidim. Moses took something with him! He took the Rod of God. That is the same Rod which defeated sin back in Egypt, and that was not by the power of Moses but of God!

Moses became the instrument of God. When he raised his hand, the Israelites prevailed. When he tired and lowered his arm, the Amalekites did. In time, Moses tired. They took up a stone, a natural one - unhewn, the same type of which altars to God were made, and Moses sat on God's "throne" with God's staff in hand. Because he tired, Aaron and Hur, one on each side, raised Moses's arms until the Amalekites were defeated.

What's this got to do with Jesus? The Israelites were fighting for "Jesus's sake" - that the covenant would be fulfilled. God gave them the body of Jesus with the bread, and the Spirit of Jesus with the water, and now they were to trust Jesus to fight their "sin" - Amalek for them! Moses had faith. He took the Rod of God, sat on the altar of God, and depended on the power of God!

Did you see Moses when you read this scripture? He was a "picture" of Jesus. There Moses sat on God's throne, at the right hand of God  - the Rod, with both arms stretched out, accepting the power of God. This "scene" is a picture of Jesus on the cross taking all the sin of mankind on his own shoulders, thus the heaviness that Moses felt. Picture if you will, Jesus there with outstretched arms. Moses's faith in the coming of the Messiah was that strong. He was pre-incarnate Jesus who was fighting sin - the atheistic Amalekites for Israel, and in the end, for mankind!

If the Israelites had lost that day, Jesus would have never been. God's will - the Messiah, would have been stopped that day in Rephidim if Jesus had not been represented by Moses. If the Israelites had lost that battle, there would have been no cross on which to propitiate our sins because Jesus would have been aborted at Rephidim. Symbolically, those Amalekites who were also loved by Jesus, suffered there own blood because they had no faith in God. The contrite thief on one side of the cross represented the Israelites and those of all time who have/had faith in Christ. The Amalekites were represented by the thief who scorned, and died forever on Calvary that day on the other side of the outstretched arms of Jesus.

Do you see? Amalek could have been saved by not attacking the will of God - represented by the Abrahamic Covenant. Moses looked toward Jesus for salvation. God gave him a picture of Jesus on the cross. The Israelites were saved by the grace and power of Jesus. The Amalekites died because they didn't kneel at the cross of Moses that day. Moses was a picture of Jesus, and is noted for that.

Moses name means "to draw out", of the water obviously, because he was drawn out of the water by Pharoah's daughter. Moses was spared for a purpose: to save the Israelites from sin - Egypt, and to save the Jews for posterity for their seed - Jesus Christ.

When reading Scripture, one only need ask, "What's this got to do with Jesus?" Somehow, everything in scripture is about Jesus. You need only look for it.

Pride and Puffiness

Pride and Prejudice has already been written by Jane Austen. It's about Elizabeth Bennet. This lady learns about being judgmental and appreciating essential things more than the things of the world - that which seems important but is not! I could be that Miss Austen read the following passages:

1 Corinthians 4:3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. 4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God. 6 And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another. 7 For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it? 8 Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us: and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you. 9 For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men. 10 We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised... 14  I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children.

Let's look at Paul's points about pride and prejudice:

1. Judge not others.(verse 3)
2. Judge not even yourself. (verse 3)
3. All that is known is from the Lord. (verse 4)
4. It will be the Lord who judges. (verse 4)
5. The time of judgment will come. (verse 5)
6. The time for judgment is the Day of the Lord. (verse 5)
7. Paul and Apollos apply these points to themselves, (verse 6)
8. Think of men only through the eyes of scripture, (verse 6)
9. Learn to not go beyond what is scriptural. (verse 6)
10. Never get puffed up - prideful (verse 6)
11. Don't be at odds with one another. (verse 6)
12. You have nothing that you did not receive - everything is from God. (verse 7)
13. You are already rich and don't know it. (verse 8)
14. All are equal in power. No one is above another but everyone is rich, (verse 8)
15. The first shall be last. The powerful weak. (verse 9)
16. Be peculiar people. (verse 9)
17. Look foolish if it magnifies Jesus.(verse 9)
18. Wisdom comes from Christ. (verse 10)
19. Strength and honor does not come from position. (verse 10)
20. Teach to train not to shame (verse 14)

These points are much like Austen's! Paul here teaches against pride and prejudice. In the eyes of God, we are all equal - even those in high positions are no better than the next. The chapter, James 2 is all about the sin of partiality. If I was to summarize all the  points above it would be: No one is better than the other so quit acting like it! On a spiritual level, we are all equal. Abraham Lincoln wrote in his Gettysburg address, "our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."

Equality has nothing to do with traits, intelligence, appearance, abilities, beauty, healthiness, poverty, personality, nationality, race, gender, and any other feature common to man. Look at how we were made in the image of God: each person is one entity consisting of mind, body, and the soul.

The body is superficial - it will return to the dust from which it came. It's hue will be mere loam-colored. Taking pride in the things of the body is foolishness because those things are temporal: beauty, healthiness, race, gender, etc. 

The mind is eternal, and consists of: intelligence, cognition, abilities, and other things of the gray matter of the head. The mind is of little use to mankind without a body to command. However, when our bodies return to the dust, the mind will no longer control the soul - God will. Our mind's will  work for God because there will be no body to command. God is an equal opportunity employer, requiring all of us to do good work. Our mind will even exist without our brains which too will turn to dust. Therefore, the only utility our minds will have is to relate to our soul, and that's where God can be.

Our minds here are on the past, the present, and unfortunately, only a little on the future. Our spiritual minds forget the past - not looking back, live in the present - in unity with God without looking down wherever earth is, and not concerned with the future because it is never ending! 

Death is the equalizer! Our earthly bodies will be trashed, and our minds will belong to God. I've yet to mention the soul. Until one is born-again, the soul belongs to Satan. He is prince of the air, and it is his "oxygen" which fills it. The atmosphere here on earth is iniquity, and the air we breath is sin. The gravity which keeps us in iniquity is the attraction to temptation. The new born-again creature has anti-gravity boots, so to speak. When Christians walk the Way of Christ, God's power offsets the attraction of sin. That is the "safety" which gets us to the prize - salvation!

When we're born-again, God emancipates our soul from Satan and adopts it as His -  just as Adam was before he fell. Then God fills our soul, and the Holy Ghost of Jesus Christ lives within our temple. That temple is the Christian's soul. Our minds are the priests of our own temple. Christians are to think of the things which God wills, and instructs the body to comply. As such, the mind exercises wisdom, and is what obeys, loves, reveres, and appreciates; and it reminds the body to whom it belongs!

Thus, although are bodies are obviously not created equal, and there is not equal intelligence because gray matter has differences in surface area, all men can have the same wisdom if their body of knowledge is the same. That knowledge is Holy Scripture. Witness the stupid people who are wise enough to know that the world had to be created! Think of the scientists who are fools for believing the cosmos just happened!

We get rewards in life for abilities and intelligence. Sports figures, entertainers, and entrepreneurs are the richest and most admired. Actors have the ability to memorize as their minds inhale the words of others. They are easily programmed. Most of those people, though, are stupid. All they have is from God but they get puffed up. They look down on lesser people, even their own groupies and others who admire them. The elite are prideful people, and their actions are prejudicial of others. Just think of the popular people who think that their thoughts are superior to the thoughts of commoners, and expect us to ingest the Pablum they spew!

Guess, what? We are all prideful, and we are all prejudiced. It's not our fault. We truly have someone to blame! Eve blamed the serpent, and we must credit Satan for our pride and prejudice. He told us that we would see ourselves as gods. His prophecy came true. Gods get puffed up with themselves. We people tend to believe that our thoughts are greater than God's, and our will more important than the will of God. Even our wills are gifts from God. We received that faculty when he endowed with His image. In the beginning, Adam's will was God's will. Sin broke that communion, and mankind has been in disharmony ever since!

Many who judge others regarding their prides and prejudices  are the most prideful and prejudiced. Just look at how popular it is for political correctness, and how prejudiced people are of those who do what is correct in God's eyes! They puff themselves up as gods!

Like the addict, we follow the will of Satan. Dope is their devil. Pride is our addiction. We all our prideful, and we all our prejudiced. Just look at the left which seeks special treatment for minorities. They propagate the notion that lesser people can't make it without them! Like the open classroom concept, liberals put blacks and other minorities in the low-level classes where the teacher must give them special help, and more attention as a pretense of making them equal. Treating people as if they are stupid doesn't make them smarter; they are done great injustice.

The fact is that we are not all created equal. I don't mean that to be puffed up or prejudiced. However, we were all created spiritually equal, but that was with equal chances, not equal spiritual outcomes. Lincoln was speaking of the physical but was wrong. I speak of spiritual equality without regard to appearance nor intelligence.

In the Kingdom of God, the least will be first, and the greater last. If we look at the handicapped black lady who loves others and God, she will be in heaven. Not to judge, but unless things change,  Miley Cyrus is destined for eternal damnation. They both have equal opportunity in God's eyes, but it's up to them, and them alone, to work out there own salvation with God.

Miley sings well, and memorizes her lines proficiently. The typical distraught downtrodden person may sing off-key and forgets where he or she lays their Bible, but they have the sort of meekness which is wisdom. The downtrodden have more faith in God because they don't have the things of the world. 

Miley Cyrus must submit, and be willing to give up her witches. She is the rich young girl who surely won't give up riches for eternal life. The old lady with little has little to give up. In her meekness, the world will be hers someday! The world won't give it to her, but God will. She will reign with God on earth in New Jerusalem!

We dislike people, usually not because they look different, but because their beliefs are different. I despise Miley Cyrus's culture (or lack thereof) but like God, my desire is that none should perish. Christians must pray for Miley and those like her. I may not like the rap scene and the jive, but God loves the rappers and those who jive too. To think otherwise is to puff myself up. He wants that none should perish, and so should we! Who you see is of little importance; only their souls. One soul is equal to another, and our duty is for our minds to be of one accord!

Mysteries of God

I have written on "the mystery of God" before (http://kentuckyherrin.blogspot.com/2015/11/the-mystery-of-god-mystery-of-christ.html, "The Mystery of God: The Mystery of Christ"). Although there is no "secret knowledge" of Christ nor the Way to salvation, God does work in mysterious ways. It seems that the common Jew in ancient times believed that Jews were going to heaven because they were Jews, and the other requirement was that they obey God commands.

On the other hand, the inspired patriarchs were Christians even before Christ became incarnate. The mystery of God and the Mystery of Christ are related in that God's ancient mystery revealed the mysterious Christ! Although the ordinary Jew didn't, righteous men of old knew Jesus. He was the Word whose Voice spoke to them (John 1). Another part of the mysterious Christ is that he presented himself as both angels and men: He was "the angel of God" who wrestled with Jacob, and apparently Melchizedek to whom Abraham tithed.

Ironically, another possible mystery of Christ, according to the Jews, is that Melchizedek and Shem buried Adam at Golgotha which is identified as Calvary. If that is the case, then Jesus buried his brother Adam where he would someday die. My entire book, The Skull of Adam, is based on that premise. God had a detailed plan all along, and most people missed the clues!

I believe there are clues in Jesus's and God's "names".  God is without name but just Is. The English transliteration (the tetragrammaton) of God's name is JHVH or JHWH from which Jehovah and Yahweh are derived. The "place keepers' in the Hebrew JHVH makes Adonay in English.  In the Ethiopian Magical Scrolls Jesus refers to himself as "Yawe". In Hebrew, Jesus is Yeshua or "JHVH saves". ("שׁוע", Ernest Klein, A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language New York: MacMillan Publishing Company 1987). Thus, one of the mysteries of Christ  is that as God, "JHVH saves! In other words, even what he is called - "Jesus", validates that Jesus indeed is God. It is no coincidence, I think,  that Yahweh and Yawe, as Jesus referred to himself as mentioned before, are essentially the same!

It appears that God enjoys Creating Word puzzles!

Of course, the Name of Jesus is not important as His identity. "JHVH saves" in reference to Jesus is the important idea here. In other words, God Himself became Man, was tempted as we are, and then died in our place. That thought should change a person. God tasted death just as we will. The curse He put on Adam, He felt as well.

Part of the mystery is that although Jesus always existed, He is also the Son of God. Let's put that in the modern vernacular. In a sense, God cloned himself. The difference is that it was not the flesh he cloned, but the same Spirit. When Jesus's Spirit feels agony, God's does as well for they are the same Spirit.

Ephesians 4:4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

These passages point out that Jesus was born of the Spirit, and his Spirit is the same as God's Spirit. Jesus's Holy Spirit is identical to God's, and thus, He Is God!  On the other hand, Jesus is of the flesh. Because he was Created, like Adam, Jesus is God's Son. Let me be frank: When the Holy Spirit hovered over Mary, Jesus was Created from her elements - the dust. Jesus was not naturally conceived- or as David called it in Psalm 51:5 - "shapen in iniquity". Jesus was Created by combining the material of Mary with God's Holy Spirit. He was the Son of Man(kind) through Mary, and the Son of God through JHVH. How God can do that is another mystery.

The Virginity of Mary was important because she was without sin for this special purpose for this one occasion only. The "dust" that God used was pure, just as when He created Adam, because the earth had not yet been defiled. Then God added a portion of Himself, and voila - the Son of Man and the Son of God whose identity is Emmanuel - "God With Us".

Not in a human sense but a divine one, Jesus is the older Brother as the Son of God. He stands firmly and is reliable. On the other hand, Adam is the younger prodigal son of God. He took his inheritance and ran with it. The older Son remained true to the Father. By grace the Lovesick Father (JHVH) took his younger son back into the Family on good terms. Adam became a new person because God covered his shame with the shedding of blood! With the adoption of his son Adam, the younger son who had emancipated himself was restored to his original condition. What's more, after Adam was restored, he shared the same Spirit with which Christ was filled.

1 Corinthians 6:17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. 

Adam's adoption, as mine and yours, means that we become brothers to Christ just as Adam was. Jesus and those born-again with the propitiation of the blood of Jesus, share the same  Spirit. We are brothers who serve each other -  Him the elder Brother, us the many younger prodigal sons. We too are Sons of God, but unlike Jesus we are not Gods! Jesus was perfect and His cup was filled with the Holy Spirit. Since we are sinful brothers, we have the Holy Spirit imbued in our Temple.  Jesus is Holy because God Is Holy. We are Holy, not because we are Gods but because the Holy Spirit substitutes for us. Jesus is Holy, and his sacrifice makes us Holy; it is not of ourselves. The sin within the temple, God purifies by residing there. He doesn't cohabitate with sin but constantly cleanses it. He, however doesn't force Himself on us. He asks for our cooperation. That is loving and obeying Him.

The entire Old Testament is a mystery because even the Jewish apostles failed to understand it until Paul's conversion and Peter's dream. With that, it became clear -  Jesus died for "whosoever" meaning everyone not just the Jews, and it was not by the Law but was always by grace.

Homosexuality and the Church

Even evangelical Christian denominations are getting on the bandwagon; having seminars for inclusiveness. Inclusiveness is a dynamic term. We have seen in grow from ethnicity, gender, nationality, and race in a few short years to include homosexuality and lesbianism, uncertain gender identity, transsexuality, and beyond - sort of a cornucopia of Bed, Bath, and Beyond, except for human identifiers.

No one can argue with "born this way" regarding where we're born, who our parents were, or whether we have XX or XY chromosomes; the final determinant to gender identity. Hair can grow, breasts be enlarged, the voice modified, desires be conditioned, and the appendages altered but gender is genetic. We are all born male or female from a genetic standpoint. There are mutations where aberrant conditions exist but rather than propagate alternate features, people can be helped.

Normal gender roles are also inborn. Christians cannot turn their head to the Creator. Mankind was made male and female, and the two in marriage become one. God commanded male and female to multiply. Re-creation is Design Intent. If people deny what God did, and for the reasons He said, they don't trust God. My suggestion is that those who deny the Creator, deny His ability to save. Hence, trusting God for only half His power is foolishness. Face the facts: denying God as Creator is apostasy. The penalty for that is eternal death.

If you fail to acknowledge that normal heterosexual practices are God's purpose, then you disallow God's truth as anything more than the Word speaking to hear Himself talk! The purpose for genders are an exclusive relationship with each other, and to grow the human race of people. Why did God want the earth to populate? Simply put, to revere, appreciate, and love Him! Those who fail to meet God's purpose denigrate, depreciate, and despise Him.

One might say, "They are merely sinning!" There is no mere sin, but some sins are greater than others. The penalty for sin not covered by Jesus Christ is equal, but the sins themselves vary in degree. If they didn't, over-eating would be as damning as murder. Most Christians would then be hell-bound. On the other hand, any - even great sins can be forgiven but one - blaspheming the Holy Ghost. Blasphemy is "the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God." (Merriam-Webster Dictionary).

It is an insult to God if his Words are denied as truthful, ridiculed or rejected. That's why Adam and Eve died spiritually! Showing contempt for God is understanding His will but doing one's own will. Lack of reverence for God is denying his Almightiness, that He is everlasting, and that He is truth. When one does his own will, rather than God's, that is blasphemy. God's grace is sufficient for any sin including homosexuality, but flaunting a sinful lifestyle in God's face defines reprobation. Because practicing sinners blaspheme God, they damn themselves.

"Willingness" is what makes the difference. If anyone is willing to obey, God gives them credit, and has mercy on them. Unwillingness to obey is "blasphemy". That's what Paul meant when he said, "The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak." If the spirit of the person is unwilling, the person is cooperating with the flesh. That is damning.

Modernists, even from the pulpit, deny that Scripture pleads to "hate the sin but love the sinner". There is no one verse which quotes that. However, the entire body of truth from Holy Scripture is for that very purpose! If anyone misses that point, they need to review the entire Bible.

Degrees of sin or the definition of sin is not dynamic. God's Law is for the ages. The Ten Commandments are written on stone to be everlasting. One cannot be a servant to sin and to God at the same time. What most people miss when they are "born-again" is that a new person is born. "New persons" have a new character. The sinful things are gone, and just like the Noahic flood, they are washed clean and given a new start. New starts don't commence with the same old sins!

Is homosexuality a "great sin"? You be the judge. God calls it "an abomination" (Levitucus 18:22). "Abominable" things are disgusting things to God. There are, however, many disgusting sins. Sins are the desire to do things of one's own will, and not God's will. We seek to pleasure ourselves rather than God. Living for pleasuring oneself is blasphemy because those who do endow themselves with godhood. Mankind dabbles in essentially three types of sin: the love of wealth, the desire for pleasure, and the acceptance of false knowledge - the wisdom of the world. The quest for these three categories of sin makes sinners as gods in their own eyes.

Some have strongholds, or a spiritual addiction to same-sex relationships. The genetic propensity to sin is manifested in our behavior. Homosexuals aren't "born that way" but are tempted that way. They fall for temptation, and one sin leads to another. Spiritual addiction occurs when one quits resisting. They become their own master, and God is left standing alone again under His tree.

Pedophiles are as addicted to their stronghold as are homosexuals. If homosexuals are to be tolerated, then by the same metric, pedophiles must be as well. Obviously, most people with any morals at all reject pedophilia, and using the same standard they should reject same-sex relationships.

At what point does the strongholds get too perverse? Using the same metric as for homosexuals, anyone would have to be able to do "what is right in their own eyes". Without spiritual regulation and self-control, that's just what disgusting people do! I'm not isolating homosexuality from the pack. All sins are disgusting to God but others are more so because they are beyond the realm of no return - at least without grace. Nothing is too powerful for Almighty God!

What is an abomination to God is the apathy regarding Holy Matrimony. Marriage is holy, and it is defined - one man and one woman. Marriage is a picture of the groom - Jesus, and his bride - the Church. By fornicating with strange sexual practices, it contaminates the Church. We can easily see already how the body of Christ -  the Church is already contaminated. If the homosexual community, those claiming to be Christians, snub their nose at the will of God, they will be damned. The gate to heaven is straight: it is guarded to keep people out who don't buy into Holy Scripture. The path to paradise is narrow. Few have the sure-footing and self-control to stay on that path.

Fornicating with others is fornication against God. As bad as homosexuals are those who sexually abuse themselves - which fornication is!

1 Corinthians 6:18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.

Fornicators sin against themselves, and God as well. If one uses the logic that if they get married, they longer fornicate, is violating a stiffer rule - blaspheming God by doing what is reserved for man and wife.

Ironically, those Christians who tolerate homosexuality are silently condoning the behavior. Tolerant Christians condemn the ones they claim to love to an everlasting hell.  Being "born-again" means having a new spirit - one in harmony with God's. Homosexuals who claim to be born again but have not changed, have died in the Spiritual Womb.  They are only poor actors in the play of Christianity. Those who are truly re-born will be spiritually changed. If they are not, symbolically maybe they need a little spiritual water-boarding. Perhaps they should open their eyes and breath a little living water as they are immersed.

People who live a life of sin after being born-again and are baptized are little more than wet sinners. The baptismal waters have no efficacy unless the person immersed allows the Holy Spirit to circumcise the flesh. The flesh is the desire to sin. When that desire is put on the cross by Jesus, it is He who will Comfort, protect, make safe, and handle temptations. What are those born-again to do? Allow God to do the changing by showing a willingness to change. That willingness is manifested as self-control - putting your little god up there on a cross, and allowing the old person to die with his sins on Jesus's back.

Homosexuality within the church should be treated as sinful because it is. To credit it to genes is as bad as crediting bad behavior to disease. Behavior can be treated much easier than a terminal disease. It is best treated by knowing that it can be! Faith in Jesus Christ is the solution to sin. His desire is that "whosoever believes in him should not perish". That includes the sin of homosexuality. Nothing is too hard for Almighty God. The Good Doctor stands ready to heal. All one needs to do is answer His call,

The Study of the Soul

Theology is defined as, "the study of religious faith, practice, and experience; especially :the study of God and of God's relation to the world." (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Hidden within these many words is the simple definition: the study of the soul.

If one examines the definition of soul in the same dictionary, it appears that neither Merriam nor Webster had one idea the nature of the soul because the words there are psycho-babble - what I call the foolishness of psychology. Just look at them: essence, principle, actuating cause, rational, total self, essential part, nature, positive feeling, and fervor. Do these words really help you to understand the most important part of you?

The word "soul" is used 498 times in the Bible. "Love" is only used 442 times. It seems that as far as usage, God believed that the concept of "soul" is as meaningful as love itself. Christianity is all about love. Jesus indicates that with the Greatest Commandment, and the one like unto it: love of God with all the heart, mind, and soul (Matthew 22:37).

There are three parts to mankind. (See, "parts" is so much simpler than "components" or "essences"). Each of the three parts are the whole. "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness (Genesis 1:3), and "God created man in his own image (Genesis 1:27). The One God JHVH has three Parts which we define as the Holy Trinity. (I guess because Trinity is more majestic than parts!) Likewise, man's three parts are the trinity of mankind.

People get confused over the Trinity. Don't. That word merely describes God's three parts: Heart, Mind, and Spirit. Scripture identifies God's three parts:

Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost...

God's Mind, Heart, and Spirit are the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, respectively. We know what each part of God does:  Creates, Saves, and Comforts. (Look up your own scripture if you doubt these purposes).

Since we are made in the image of God, we too are one. Our heart "pumps" and has "feelings". That is the identity of our body. Our mind is the controller for both our body and soul; it sits prominently atop the body in our brains. We can't see the mind itself but it has it's own container. It's working can be measured electronically. Our mind is not independent of the heart and soul but the three are one.

The soul is as real as the heart and the brain. The scripture below explains the soul:

1 Corinthians 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?  17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. 18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. 20 And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. 21 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are your's...

The soul is defined in verse 16: It is the temple that holds our portion of the Holy Spirit. However, that is only if we turn it over to God to "fill". Right before God imbues the soul with  His Holy Spirit, it is emptied of its worldly contents:

Providing we don't hate, and that we trust Jesus then we see, (1 John 1:7) "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."

When we are born, the soul is empty except for a "seed". That seed is an inborn desire to rebel against God. Theologians call that "seed", original sin. Since, it has not yet grown into willful sin, children are not held accountable for the contents of their soul.  As their minds develop, Jesus will commune with their minds telling them they need something within.

John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Mankind cannot stand emptiness within the soul. Something must "fill" it, and if Jesus doesn't, sin will!

Think of the soul as a container. Differing from the theologians, I believe the "cup" of Jesus in Mark 14:36 refers symbolically to Jesus's own soul. I support that by this verse:

Luke 22:17 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves...

What was in Jesus's cup at the last supper" What theologians call "the elements": the wine and the bread which Jesus called his blood and his body. Jesus asked His Father, "why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46). God left Jesus as he died. As Jesus's blood flowed from his body, God's Spirit flowed with it, cleansing the sins of all mankind! That shed blood represented my sins and yours, flowing from Jesus onto the dust from which it came: I believe onto the skull of Adam - the ground at Calvary.

Now, my point: The soul is something! Just as the void of space is something because it is the container for everything, our soul contains everything within us that the eye cannot see, and the ear not hear. Like the mind which can be measured by EEGs, fMRIs, and MEGs; the love within men's souls can be measured as well.

My "Daily Thought" yesterday on the fruits of the trees, gave measurements for the contents of the soul. There is evil within, and I named forty-four. There are many others. On the other hand, if there is love within, the measurements are twelve in number. We know the soul is the container for love because "love" can be made by the soul's operation - love God and others. The metrics of the soul are the Ten Commandments. The soul is calibrated in units of obedience.

I could go on and on about the relationships between the "parts" of mankind's "trinity". Those relationships are the study of the soul because without soul, the mind and body are mere nuisances! This theology is "the study of the soul". Scripture warns us about the wisdom of man (1 Corinthians 3 above). Mankind has misused wisdom to elevate the "creature" above the "Creator". The philosophers of ancient Athens are still actively studying their "Unknown God" (Acts 17), but they are more deceptive about it - their false religion is presented as a mystery. Psychology is "the study of the soul"! But that's what the Bible is? I just presented God's Words on the soul, and they differ from the Unknown God of psychology!

I know - I'm screwed up. That's what you may be thinking. They do, do some good, but much of it is doo-doo! All the fields of psychology, most opposing the others, contradict each other. They are a grab bag of trial exorcisms using the power of their Unknown God.

I asked my psychology professor, "This is just another religion isn't it?" Dr. Fong's response was "Are you just now figuring that out?" Her admission was that I am correct in my allegation, yet you still disbelieve! The "study of the soul" is God's Word. Any other "wisdom" is from fools. Foolish people listen to fools. Wise men read the Word.

Paul said it best to those early "students of the soul":

Acts 17:23 For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, To The Unknown God. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.

Paul declared Jesus Christ. The Unknown God is an imposter. Hiding within the serpent back in the Garden was that same Unknown God. Holy Scripture is setting the Unknown God straight. He is one of the unseen powers who we call Satan. Anything which contradicts the Word is a product of Satan. Need I say more?

Billy Graham often commences his commentary by, "I am not a psychologist, but ..." Thank God, Billy, you are not. You are a minister for those souls. The study of it is Holy Scripture. Let's hear about God's love. The love of self interests God very little because he sees it every day!