From Gary... To the point

I seek the truth; always have. I try to follow the Bible to the best of my ability- I make mistakes, I sin, I repent. Simple truth, I am NOT PERFECT! Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven. I don't make excuses, I speak too bluntly sometimes, but unless I speak in a straight-forward, truthful manner- I would be a liar. If you have a problem with me, please, tell me about it and I will consider what you have to say.

If that sounds harsh to you, then I refer you to two things; the sign above and this passage from the book of John...

John, Chapter 8 (WEB)

 ³⁰  As he spoke these things, many believed in him.  ³¹ Jesus therefore said to those Jews who had believed him, “If you remain in my word, then you are truly my disciples.   ³²  You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”  (emp added GDR)

  ³³  They answered him, “We are Abraham’s seed, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How do you say, ‘You will be made free’ ?” 

  ³⁴  Jesus answered them, “Most certainly I tell you, everyone who commits sin is the bondservant of sin.   ³⁵  A bondservant doesn’t live in the house forever. A son remains forever.   ³⁶  If therefore the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.   ³⁷  I know that you are Abraham’s seed, yet you seek to kill me, because my word finds no place in you.   ³⁸  I say the things which I have seen with my Father; and you also do the things which you have seen with your father.” 

  ³⁹  They answered him, “Our father is Abraham.” 

Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.   ⁴⁰  But now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God. Abraham didn’t do this. (emp added GDR)  ⁴¹  You do the works of your father.” 

They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father, God.” 

  ⁴²  Therefore Jesus said to them, “If God were your father, you would love me, for I came out and have come from God. For I haven’t come of myself, but he sent me.   ⁴³  Why don’t you understand my speech? Because you can’t hear my word.   ⁴⁴  You are of your father, the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and doesn’t stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks on his own; for he is a liar, and its father.  (emp added GDR) ⁴⁵  But because I tell the truth, you don’t believe me.   ⁴⁶  Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?   ⁴⁷  He who is of God hears the words of God. For this cause you don’t hear, because you are not of God.” 

  ⁴⁸  Then the Jews answered him, “Don’t we say well that you are a Samaritan, and have a demon?” 

  ⁴⁹  Jesus answered, “I don’t have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me.   ⁵⁰  But I don’t seek my own glory. There is one who seeks and judges.   ⁵¹  Most certainly, I tell you, if a person keeps my word, he will never see death.” 

  ⁵²  Then the Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets; and you say,‘If a man keeps my word, he will never taste of death.’   ⁵³ Are you greater than our father, Abraham, who died? The prophets died. Who do you make yourself out to be?” 

  ⁵⁴  Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say that he is our God.   ⁵⁵  You have not known him, but I know him. If I said, ‘I don’t know him,’ I would be like you, a liar. But I know him, and keep his word.   ⁵⁶  Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day. He saw it, and was glad.” 

  ⁵⁷  The Jews therefore said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” 

  ⁵⁸  Jesus said to them, “Most certainly, I tell you, before Abraham came into existence, I AM. ” 

  ⁵⁹  Therefore they took up stones to throw at him, but Jesus was hidden, and went out of the temple, having gone through their midst, and so passed by. 

Telling the truth will make some people HATE YOU and others may even want to KILL YOU!!! On my part, I will be truthful, but will also try to incorporate the following as well...

Ephesians, Chapter 4 (WEB)

 ¹¹  He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds and teachers; ¹² for the perfecting of the saints, to the work of serving, to the building up of the body of Christ;  ¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;  ¹⁴ that we may no longer be children, tossed back and forth and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error;  ¹⁵ but speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, Christ;  (emp added GDR) ¹⁶ from whom all the body, being fitted and knit together through that which every joint supplies, according to the working in measure of each individual part, makes the body increase to the building up of itself in love. 

Please be kind enough to think about these things- if not, grab a donut (but try to get a plain one, too much sugar is not good for you!!!). After a donut adjustment, you just may change your mind...

From Gary... Bible Reading May 11

Bible Reading 

May 11

The World English Bible

May 11

Joshua 3, 4

Jos 3:1 Joshua rose up early in the morning; and they moved from Shittim, and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel. They lodged there before they passed over.

Jos 3:2 It happened after three days, that the officers went through the midst of the camp;

Jos 3:3 and they commanded the people, saying, "When you see the ark of the covenant of Yahweh your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then you shall move from your place, and follow it.

Jos 3:4 Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Don't come near to it, that you may know the way by which you must go; for you have not passed this way before."

Jos 3:5 Joshua said to the people, "Sanctify yourselves; for tomorrow Yahweh will do wonders among you."

Jos 3:6 Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, "Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people." They took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.

Jos 3:7 Yahweh said to Joshua, "Today I will begin to magnify you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.

Jos 3:8 You shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, saying, 'When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.' "

Jos 3:9 Joshua said to the children of Israel, "Come here, and hear the words of Yahweh your God."

Jos 3:10 Joshua said, "Hereby you shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Hivite, and the Perizzite, and the Girgashite, and the Amorite, and the Jebusite out from before you.

Jos 3:11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passes over before you into the Jordan.

Jos 3:12 Now therefore take twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, for every tribe a man.

Jos 3:13 It shall come to pass, when the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of Yahweh, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan will be cut off, even the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand in one heap."

Jos 3:14 It happened, when the people moved from their tents to pass over the Jordan, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant being before the people,

Jos 3:15 and when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark had dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks all the time of harvest),

Jos 3:16 that the waters which came down from above stood, and rose up in one heap, a great way off, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those that went down toward the sea of the Arabah, even the Salt Sea, were wholly cut off. Then the people passed over right against Jericho.

Jos 3:17 The priests who bore the ark of the covenant of Yahweh stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan; and all Israel passed over on dry ground, until all the nation had passed completely over the Jordan.

Jos 4:1 It happened, when all the nation had completely passed over the Jordan, that Yahweh spoke to Joshua, saying,

Jos 4:2 "Take twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man,

Jos 4:3 and command them, saying, 'Take from out of the middle of the Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and carry them over with you, and lay them down in the lodging place, where you will lodge tonight.' "

Jos 4:4 Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man.

Jos 4:5 Joshua said to them, "Pass over before the ark of Yahweh your God into the middle of the Jordan, and each of you pick up a stone and put it on your shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel;

Jos 4:6 that this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask in time to come, saying, 'What do you mean by these stones?'

Jos 4:7 then you shall tell them, 'Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of Yahweh. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.' "

Jos 4:8 The children of Israel did as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the middle of the Jordan, as Yahweh spoke to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel; and they carried them over with them to the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.

Jos 4:9 Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests who bore the ark of the covenant stood; and they are there to this day.

Jos 4:10 For the priests who bore the ark stood in the middle of the Jordan, until everything was finished that Yahweh commanded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua; and the people hurried and passed over.

Jos 4:11 It happened, when all the people had completely passed over, that the ark of Yahweh passed over, with the priests, in the presence of the people.

Jos 4:12 The children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spoke to them.

Jos 4:13 About forty thousand men, ready and armed for war passed over before Yahweh to battle, to the plains of Jericho.

Jos 4:14 On that day, Yahweh magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life.

Jos 4:15 Yahweh spoke to Joshua, saying,

Jos 4:16 "Command the priests who bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of the Jordan."

Jos 4:17 Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, "Come up out of the Jordan!"

Jos 4:18 It happened, when the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of Yahweh had come up out of the middle of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up to the dry ground, that the waters of the Jordan returned to their place, and went over all its banks, as before.

Jos 4:19 The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, on the east border of Jericho.

Jos 4:20 Joshua set up those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, in Gilgal.

Jos 4:21 He spoke to the children of Israel, saying, "When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, 'What do these stones mean?'

Jos 4:22 Then you shall let your children know, saying, 'Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.

Jos 4:23 For Yahweh your God dried up the waters of the Jordan from before you, until you had passed over, as Yahweh your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up from before us, until we had passed over;

Jos 4:24 that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of Yahweh, that it is mighty; that you may fear Yahweh your God forever.' "

May 10, 11

Luke 22

Luk 22:1 Now the feast of unleavened bread, which is called the Passover, drew near.

Luk 22:2 The chief priests and the scribes sought how they might put him to death, for they feared the people.

Luk 22:3 Satan entered into Judas, who was surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered with the twelve.

Luk 22:4 He went away, and talked with the chief priests and captains about how he might deliver him to them.

Luk 22:5 They were glad, and agreed to give him money.

Luk 22:6 He consented, and sought an opportunity to deliver him to them in the absence of the multitude.

Luk 22:7 The day of unleavened bread came, on which the Passover must be sacrificed.

Luk 22:8 He sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat."

Luk 22:9 They said to him, "Where do you want us to prepare?"

Luk 22:10 He said to them, "Behold, when you have entered into the city, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him into the house which he enters.

Luk 22:11 Tell the master of the house, 'The Teacher says to you, "Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?" '

Luk 22:12 He will show you a large, furnished upper room. Make preparations there."

Luk 22:13 They went, found things as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

Luk 22:14 When the hour had come, he sat down with the twelve apostles.

Luk 22:15 He said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer,

Luk 22:16 for I tell you, I will no longer by any means eat of it until it is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God."

Luk 22:17 He received a cup, and when he had given thanks, he said, "Take this, and share it among yourselves,

Luk 22:18 for I tell you, I will not drink at all again from the fruit of the vine, until the Kingdom of God comes."

Luk 22:19 He took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and gave to them, saying, "This is my body which is given for you. Do this in memory of me."

Luk 22:20 Likewise, he took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

Luk 22:21 But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table.

Luk 22:22 The Son of Man indeed goes, as it has been determined, but woe to that man through whom he is betrayed!"

Luk 22:23 They began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing.

Luk 22:24 There arose also a contention among them, which of them was considered to be greatest.

Luk 22:25 He said to them, "The kings of the nations lord it over them, and those who have authority over them are called 'benefactors.'

Luk 22:26 But not so with you. But one who is the greater among you, let him become as the younger, and one who is governing, as one who serves.

Luk 22:27 For who is greater, one who sits at the table, or one who serves? Isn't it he who sits at the table? But I am in the midst of you as one who serves.

Luk 22:28 But you are those who have continued with me in my trials.

Luk 22:29 I confer on you a kingdom, even as my Father conferred on me,

Luk 22:30 that you may eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom. You will sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."

Luk 22:31 The Lord said, "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan asked to have you, that he might sift you as wheat,

Luk 22:32 but I prayed for you, that your faith wouldn't fail. You, when once you have turned again, establish your brothers."

Luk 22:33 He said to him, "Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death!"

Luk 22:34 He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster will by no means crow today until you deny that you know me three times."

Luk 22:35 He said to them, "When I sent you out without purse, and wallet, and shoes, did you lack anything?" They said, "Nothing."

Luk 22:36 Then he said to them, "But now, whoever has a purse, let him take it, and likewise a wallet. Whoever has none, let him sell his cloak, and buy a sword.

Luk 22:37 For I tell you that this which is written must still be fulfilled in me: 'He was counted with the lawless.' For that which concerns me has an end."

Luk 22:38 They said, "Lord, behold, here are two swords." He said to them, "That is enough."

Luk 22:39 He came out, and went, as his custom was, to the Mount of Olives. His disciples also followed him.

Luk 22:40 When he was at the place, he said to them, "Pray that you don't enter into temptation."

Luk 22:41 He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and he knelt down and prayed,

Luk 22:42 saying, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done."

Luk 22:43 An angel from heaven appeared to him, strengthening him.

Luk 22:44 Being in agony he prayed more earnestly. His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground.

Luk 22:45 When he rose up from his prayer, he came to the disciples, and found them sleeping because of grief,

Luk 22:46 and said to them, "Why do you sleep? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation."

Luk 22:47 While he was still speaking, behold, a multitude, and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He came near to Jesus to kiss him.

Luk 22:48 But Jesus said to him, "Judas, do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?"

Luk 22:49 When those who were around him saw what was about to happen, they said to him, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?"

Luk 22:50 A certain one of them struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear.

Luk 22:51 But Jesus answered, "Let me at least do this" -and he touched his ear, and healed him.

Luk 22:52 Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and elders, who had come against him, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs?

Luk 22:53 When I was with you in the temple daily, you didn't stretch out your hands against me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."

Luk 22:54 They seized him, and led him away, and brought him into the high priest's house. But Peter followed from a distance.

Luk 22:55 When they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard, and had sat down together, Peter sat among them.

Luk 22:56 A certain servant girl saw him as he sat in the light, and looking intently at him, said, "This man also was with him."

Luk 22:57 He denied Jesus, saying, "Woman, I don't know him."

Luk 22:58 After a little while someone else saw him, and said, "You also are one of them!" But Peter answered, "Man, I am not!"

Luk 22:59 After about one hour passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, "Truly this man also was with him, for he is a Galilean!"

Luk 22:60 But Peter said, "Man, I don't know what you are talking about!" Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed.

Luk 22:61 The Lord turned, and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the Lord's word, how he said to him, "Before the rooster crows you will deny me three times."

Luk 22:62 He went out, and wept bitterly.

Luk 22:63 The men who held Jesus mocked him and beat him.

Luk 22:64 Having blindfolded him, they struck him on the face and asked him, "Prophesy! Who is the one who struck you?"

Luk 22:65 They spoke many other things against him, insulting him.

Luk 22:66 As soon as it was day, the assembly of the elders of the people was gathered together, both chief priests and scribes, and they led him away into their council, saying,

Luk 22:67 "If you are the Christ, tell us." But he said to them, "If I tell you, you won't believe,

Luk 22:68 and if I ask, you will in no way answer me or let me go.

Luk 22:69 From now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God."

Luk 22:70 They all said, "Are you then the Son of God?" He said to them, "You say it, because I am."

Luk 22:71 They said, "Why do we need any more witness? For we ourselves have heard from his own mouth!"

From Richard Mansel... How Kids Get into Trouble

http://www.oldpaths.com/Archive/Mansel/Richard/Dale/1964/trouble.html

How Kids Get into Trouble

In our crime-ridden society, Christian parents are more concerned that their children grow into good adults. They want them to maintain pure lives uncluttered by the miseries around them. Drugs, smoking, alcohol and unmarried sex are endangering children at an ever increasing rate and at progressively younger ages.
Consider a new study released by the University of Minnesota and published in the December issue of the American Journal of Public Health. It is the largest study of its kind concerning adolescence.
The principal investigator of this study, Dr. Robert Blum, wrote, "How young people do at school and what they do with their free time are the most important determinants for every risky behavior we studied." Later, the article says, "substantial time 'hanging out' and other factors were three to eight times more likely to predict a sex, drugs and booze-filled lifestyle."
The article continues, "Parents should be on guard if they see their kids struggling with school or spending large blocks of unsupervised time with sketchy friends, the study found." Blum said, "Parents should know that if a teen's friends smoke or drink, the chances go up substantially that the teen will also smoke or drink or engage in other problem behaviors. It's very clear that parents need to know who their children's friends are and what they spend their time doing."
In our society, with an increasing cost of living and the availability of adult toys, more and more children are left unsupervised. If both parents work as a result of legitimate financial need that is one thing. If they work to buy bigger houses, cars and boats then is the loss of their children worth their covetousness? Are we sacrificing a generation on the altar of greed? Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:33, "Do not be deceived, 'Evil company corrupts good habits.'" Or, as is fitting for our age. "Covetous parents corrupt the good habits of children."
Parents should consider child-rearing their primary function. Paul's point, as applied here, is that these friends have become substitute role models and, as immature adolescents, they are ill-fitted for the job. They will do what their lusts tell them to do.
Repeated studies have shown that children whose parents are active in their lives, are more likely to avoid immoral behavior. Parents are to instruct their charges in mature, moral decision-making based on God's principles. If parents leave the 'instruction' to their children's friends, then they need not be surprised when their children grow up with different principles and moral beliefs than thier own. Will it be the children's fault entirely?
Richard Mansel


Published in The Old Paths Archive
(http://www.oldpaths.com)

From Jim McGuiggan... If Christ Didn't Come

If Christ Didn't Come

When Robinson Crusoe saw the footprint in the sand it immediately convinced him that he was not alone on the island. The wildness and emptiness of the rest of the island during the long time he’d been there brought its own message, "You’re alone." It took only a single footprint to offset all that the wildness and solitude had told him. There may have been other caves he hadn’t examined, other hollows he hadn’t been in and other hills or trees he hadn’t climbed. Had he covered every square inch of the island and found nothing but solitude the footprint would still have been enough to show he wasn’t alone.

Suppose he sat down and said to himself, "No, I’ve been to every other square inch of this island and there’s no sign of a human. It’s only in this tiny spot that I can find a footprint so I will not believe I have company." That would have been a mistake, wouldn’t it?

Years ago in his book News Essays in Philosophical Theology former atheist Anthony Flew wrote that the whole religious question would not be worth bothering with if it were not for that one life lived and that one death died. He was speaking about Jesus Christ When Robinson Crusoe saw the footprint in the sand it immediately convinced him that he was not alone on the island. The wildness and emptiness of the rest of the island during the long time he’d been there brought its own message, "You’re alone." It took only a single footprint to offset all that the wildness and solitude had told him. There may have been other caves he hadn’t examined, other hollows he hadn’t been in and other hills or trees he hadn’t climbed. Had he covered every square inch of the island and found nothing but solitude the footprint would still have been enough to show he wasn’t alone.

Suppose he sat down and said to himself, "No, I’ve been to every other square inch of this island and there’s no sign of a human. It’s only in this tiny spot that I can find a footprint so I will not believe I have company." That would have been a mistake, wouldn’t it?

Years ago in his book News Essays in Philosophical Theology former atheist Anthony Flew wrote that the whole religious question would not be worth bothering with if it were not for that one life lived and that one death died. He was speaking about Jesus Christ of course. The figure of Christ is a stubborn one. We can ignore him, we can bury him out of sight beneath our pleasures and businesses our worries and burdens our loneliness or our parties but as soon as we’re able to look closely at him the shape of the world begins to change. Possibilities rise up in his presence. Ways of behaving are called into question, stock answers begin to look less likely and our vision of how life and the world are constructed comes under the spotlight in a fresh way.

Robinson Crusoe’s first emotional response was panic! If you remember his circumstances you’ll understand why that makes sense (and as it turned out there was some reason to panic). I find no pleasure in thinking that for some, one day their meeting with Christ will generate panic beyond description because that isn’t what he desires. He left his footprints in our world for an entirely different reason. The Son of Man didn’t come to condemn the world—we’ve done a perfect job of that without his help. He came that we might have life and have it to the full (John 3:17 and 10:10). If you meet him now in faith you have no reason to panic. He means you no harm. He never did!

A priest, who had gone through that horrifying period in Rwanda in the late 90’s that left a million corpses, was asked if his faith in God had been destroyed. He said "Absolutely not!" But he did go on to say that the events in that tortured land had destroyed forever his faith in man. [Only extremely wealthy pop-stars can write and sing songs extolling "the brotherhood of man" as the way to salvation.]

I wonder if we’ve thought enough about what would be true if we knew beyond doubt that Christ hadn’t come to live and die and live again as Lord of all? There’d be no defiant gravestones in graveyards, no hymns would be sung, no prayers would be prayed, assurance that all wrongs will be righted would vanish and the hope of life after life would turn to dust. The deaths of our loved ones would be eternal loss and the heart would be ripped out of all efforts to further justice in life. Do, put your mind to it and think what the world would be like if it wakened one morning knowing—not guessing, not surmising, not debating, not suspicioning but knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that Christ hadn’t come. If the entire Western world wakened, stunned with the undoubted truth that it was all a lie, I think that even those that say the only life they want is the partying kind would feel that the bolts that hold the planet together had been loosened.

If you feel you can’t believe, why then you can’t believe. We can’t act with integrity beyond our perceptions and if the entire Story is a lie then it’s a lie no matter how many wish it otherwise. But wouldn’t you like to be able to believe it? Wouldn’t you want it to be true? Atheist H.J Blackham said the greatest argument against non-belief is that it’s too bad to be true. Puddleglum was right.

Sit down with Christ and give him a fair hearing.of course. The figure of Christ is a stubborn one. We can ignore him, we can bury him out of sight beneath our pleasures and businesses our worries and burdens our loneliness or our parties but as soon as we’re able to look closely at him the shape of the world begins to change. Possibilities rise up in his presence. Ways of behaving are called into question, stock answers begin to look less likely and our vision of how life and the world are constructed comes under the spotlight in a fresh way.

Robinson Crusoe’s first emotional response was panic! If you remember his circumstances you’ll understand why that makes sense (and as it turned out there was some reason to panic). I find no pleasure in thinking that for some, one day their meeting with Christ will generate panic beyond description because that isn’t what he desires. He left his footprints in our world for an entirely different reason. The Son of Man didn’t come to condemn the world—we’ve done a perfect job of that without his help. He came that we might have life and have it to the full (John 3:17 and 10:10). If you meet him now in faith you have no reason to panic. He means you no harm. He never did!

When Robinson Crusoe saw the footprint in the sand it immediately convinced him that he was not alone on the island. The wildness and emptiness of the rest of the island during the long time he’d been there brought its own message, "You’re alone." It took only a single footprint to offset all that the wildness and solitude had told him. There may have been other caves he hadn’t examined, other hollows he hadn’t been in and other hills or trees he hadn’t climbed. Had he covered every square inch of the island and found nothing but solitude the footprint would still have been enough to show he wasn’t alone.

Suppose he sat down and said to himself, "No, I’ve been to every other square inch of this island and there’s no sign of a human. It’s only in this tiny spot that I can find a footprint so I will not believe I have company." That would have been a mistake, wouldn’t it?

Years ago in his book News Essays in Philosophical Theology former atheist Anthony Flew wrote that the whole religious question would not be worth bothering with if it were not for that one life lived and that one death died. He was speaking about Jesus Christ of course. The figure of Christ is a stubborn one. We can ignore him, we can bury him out of sight beneath our pleasures and businesses our worries and burdens our loneliness or our parties but as soon as we’re able to look closely at him the shape of the world begins to change. Possibilities rise up in his presence. Ways of behaving are called into question, stock answers begin to look less likely and our vision of how life and the world are constructed comes under the spotlight in a fresh way.

Robinson Crusoe’s first emotional response was panic! If you remember his circumstances you’ll understand why that makes sense (and as it turned out there was some reason to panic). I find no pleasure in thinking that for some, one day their meeting with Christ will generate panic beyond description because that isn’t what he desires. He left his footprints in our world for an entirely different reason. The Son of Man didn’t come to condemn the world—we’ve done a perfect job of that without his help. He came that we might have life and have it to the full (John 3:17 and 10:10). If you meet him now in faith you have no reason to panic. He means you no harm. He never did!

A priest, who had gone through that horrifying period in Rwanda in the late 90’s that left a million corpses, was asked if his faith in God had been destroyed. He said "Absolutely not!" But he did go on to say that the events in that tortured land had destroyed forever his faith in man. [Only extremely wealthy pop-stars can write and sing songs extolling "the brotherhood of man" as the way to salvation.]

I wonder if we’ve thought enough about what would be true if we knew beyond doubt that Christ hadn’t come to live and die and live again as Lord of all? There’d be no defiant gravestones in graveyards, no hymns would be sung, no prayers would be prayed, assurance that all wrongs will be righted would vanish and the hope of life after life would turn to dust. The deaths of our loved ones would be eternal loss and the heart would be ripped out of all efforts to further justice in life. Do, put your mind to it and think what the world would be like if it wakened one morning knowing—not guessing, not surmising, not debating, not suspicioning but knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that Christ hadn’t come. If the entire Western world wakened, stunned with the undoubted truth that it was all a lie, I think that even those that say the only life they want is the partying kind would feel that the bolts that hold the planet together had been loosened.

If you feel you can’t believe, why then you can’t believe. We can’t act with integrity beyond our perceptions and if the entire Story is a lie then it’s a lie no matter how many wish it otherwise. But wouldn’t you like to be able to believe it? Wouldn’t you want it to be true? Atheist H.J Blackham said the greatest argument against non-belief is that it’s too bad to be true. Puddleglum was right.

Sit down with Christ and give him a fair hearing.A priest, who had gone through that horrifying period in Rwanda in the late 90’s that left a million corpses, was asked if his faith in God had been destroyed. He said "Absolutely not!" But he did go on to say that the events in that tortured land had destroyed forever his faith in man. [Only extremely wealthy pop-stars can write and sing songs extolling "the brotherhood of man" as the way to salvation.]

I wonder if we’ve thought enough about what would be true if we knew beyond doubt that Christ hadn’t come to live and die and live again as Lord of all? There’d be no defiant gravestones in graveyards, no hymns would be sung, no prayers would be prayed, assurance that all wrongs will be righted would vanish and the hope of life after life would turn to dust. The deaths of our loved ones would be eternal loss and the heart would be ripped out of all efforts to further justice in life. Do, put your mind to it and think what the world would be like if it wakened one morning knowing—not guessing, not surmising, not debating, not suspicioning but knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that Christ hadn’t come. If the entire Western world wakened, stunned with the undoubted truth that it was all a lie, I think that even those that say the only life they want is the partying kind would feel that the bolts that hold the planet together had been loosened.

If you feel you can’t believe, why then you can’t believe. We can’t act with integrity beyond our perceptions and if the entire Story is a lie then it’s a lie no matter how many wish it otherwise. But wouldn’t you like to be able to believe it? Wouldn’t you want it to be true? Atheist H.J Blackham said the greatest argument against non-belief is that it’s too bad to be true. Puddleglum was right.

Sit down with Christ and give him a fair hearing.

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

The Interpretation of Daniel 2:39 by A.P. Staff

http://apologeticspress.org/AllegedDiscrepancies.aspx?article=765&b=Daniel

The Interpretation of Daniel 2:39

by A.P. Staff

Of the difficult passages in the Bible, skeptics often bring out one that may seem more difficult than the rest. They cite it as positive proof that the Old Testament contains historical inaccuracies. Because of its difficult nature, Daniel 2:31-45 bears special consideration, and requires one to “think outside the proverbial box.” The section tells of Daniel’s interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s prophetic dream:

Thou, O king, sawest, and, behold, a great image. This image, which was mighty, and whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the aspect thereof was terrible. As for this image, its head was of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of brass, its legs of iron, its feet part of iron, and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon its feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them in pieces….

Thou, O king, art king of kings, unto whom the God of heaven hath given the kingdom, the power, and the strength, and the glory; and wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens hath he given into thy hand, and hath made thee to rule over them all: thou art the head of gold. And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee; and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron, forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things; and as iron that crusheth all these, shall it break in pieces and crush….

And in the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall the sovereignty thereof be left to another people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure (Daniel 2:31-34,37-40,44-45, emp. added).

There are two proposed fallacies in this section of Scripture. The first is the kingdoms supposedly associated with the different sections of the statue, and the second concerns verse 39 where Daniel stated that, “after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee….”

The most widely accepted view of the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is that the silver, brass, and iron and/or clay sections of the statue refer respectively to the Medo-Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. But some question this view, saying that the sections of the statue refer to the Median, Persian, and Greek empires, respectively. This, however, is an easily refutable view: the Medians were never a great empire, but rather existed only as a small kingdom where present-day northern Iran is located. As Leupold stated: “If the statue represents the truth of history, the silver could not refer to a Median empire, for there never was such an empire” (1989, p. 117).

The kingdom of Persia conquered the kingdom of Media, among with other peoples and nations, and became the great Persian Empire upon the capture of Babylon and the subjugation of the Babylonian Empire. (The Persian Empire also is known as the Medo-Persian Empire, cf. Esther 1:19; Daniel 5:28). Some speak vehemently against this interpretation, using only exegesis to derive their view. In doing so, they ignore every piece of contrary historical, archeological, and even prophetic evidence. Barnes correctly stated that “[t]he kingdom here referred to was undoubtedly the Medo-Persian, established by Cyrus in the conquest of Babylon, which continued through the reigns of his successors until it was conquered by Alexander the Great” (1973, 1:158).

Since the second empire must represent the Medo-Persian Empire and not the non-existent Median Empire, critics claim that Daniel is historically inaccurate since the Medo-Persian Empire was larger and richer than the Babylonian Empire, and Daniel 2:39 refers to the second empire as being “inferior.” Keep in mind that the reference to it being inferior does not mean that it necessarily was inferior in all respects. Leupold mentioned the fact that the Persian Empire was inferior in the sense of influence on the rest of the world. Babylonian culture was dominant in that part of the world for around 2,000 years, and is well known for many of its accomplishments in architecture and science (p. 116).

But does Daniel have to be referring solely to materialism when he says that the kingdom was to be inferior? After all, Daniel’ s prophecy dealt mainly with the establishment of the kingdom of Christ (represented by the rock), which is not defined by size, shape, or wealth, but by its people. Perhaps “inferior” could be referring to the moral situation of the empire during the reign of the Persians, as opposed to the Babylonians. Both Barnes and Leupold mention this as a possibility, stating that from the close of the Babylonian Empire, all throughout the time of the Roman Empire, ethics and morals declined greatly (Barnes, 1:160; Leupold, p. 116).

Whether it was in influence or morals, the Medo-Persian Empire was clearly inferior in some respects, yet superior in others (such as size and wealth). Daniel 2:39 never mentioned what was inferior about the second kingdom; rather, he merely stated that something would be inferior, not necessarily everything. When viewed in this light, the supposed historical inaccuracy of Daniel disappears.

REFERENCES

Barnes, Albert (1973), Notes on the New Testament: Daniel (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker).

Leupold, H.C. (1989), Exposition of Daniel (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker).

Dead or Dying? by Eric Lyons, M.Min.

http://apologeticspress.org/AllegedDiscrepancies.aspx?article=642&b=Matthew

Dead or Dying?

by Eric Lyons, M.Min.

After healing the men who were possessed with demons on the east shore of the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 8:28-34), Jesus passed over to the other side and “came into his own city” (probably Capernaum—Matthew 9:1). Soon thereafter, a man by the name of Jairus, one of the rulers of the synagogue, fell at Jesus’ feet and worshipped Him saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live” (Matthew 9:18). Normally, we would continue telling this wonderful story and rehearse how Jesus raised the twelve-year-old girl from the dead. However, the purpose of this article is to answer the skeptics who claim that a contradiction exists between Matthew’s account of this story and the accounts recorded by Mark and Luke. Whereas Matthew records Jairus telling Jesus, “My daughter has just died” (Matthew 9:18, emp. added), the other two accounts indicate that his daughter was “at the point of death” (Mark 5:23, emp. added) and that “she was dying” (Luke 8:42, emp. added). Critics of the Bible’s inerrancy assert that the difference in these accounts represents a blatant contradiction.

Various Greek scholars and commentators have stated that there is not as much difference between Matthew’s arti eteleutesn (“has just died”; cf. Hebrews 11:22) and eschates echer (“is dying,” NIV) in Mark 5:23 as some would have us to think. According to Craig Blomberg, arti (“even now” or “just”) has some connotations that suggest not always a presentreality, but an inevitable reality (cf. Matthew 3:15; 23:39; 1 Corinthians 4:13). Therefore, Blomberg concluded that it is possible Matthew was relating the inevitability and certainty of Jairus’ daughter dying, rather than making a statement about her current condition (1992, p. 160). Adam Clarke mentioned in his commentary on Matthew that 9:18 could be translated, “my daughter was just now dying” (1996). Albert Barnes agreed, saying:

The Greek word, rendered “is even now dead,” does not of necessity mean, as our translation would express, that she had actually expired, but only that she was “dying” or about to die…. The passage [Matthew 9:18—EL] may be expressed thus: “My daughter was so sick that she must be dead by this time” (1997).

Therefore, the alleged contradiction may be a simple misunderstanding of what Matthew actually wrote about the dying child.

A better explanation to this alleged discrepancy is that Jairus uttered both statements: Mark and Luke mention her severe sickness, while Matthew speaks of her death. As in so many other places, each writer reported only a part of what occurred and what was said. Does Matthew’s omission of the coming of the messengers who tell Jairus that his daughter has just died mean that his account contradicts the others (Mark 5:35; Luke 8:49)? Certainly not! Nor do his additional details. R.C. Trench, in his classic work on the miracles of Jesus, made the following observation concerning the differences in the gospel writers’ accounts of what was said when Jairus approached Jesus:

When the father left the child, she was at her last gasp; and he knew not whether to regard her now as dead or alive; and, yet having not received certain knowledge of her death, he was perplexed whether to speak of her as departed or not, expressing himself one moment in one language, and at the next in another. Strange that a circumstance like this, so drawn from life, so testifying of the things recorded, should be urged by some as a contradiction (1949, pp. 107-108, emp. added).

Strange indeed!

Skeptics who attack God’s Word with unsupported allegations will continue to fail. The Bible is and always has been the inerrant Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21). And based upon the evidence we have, it is reasonable to believe that Bible is inspired by God. There is no other book like it on the planet. Evidence to substantiate the Bible’s claims of its own inspiration can be drawn from such external evidence as the historical documentation of biblical people, places, and events, or archaeological artifacts that corroborate biblical statements or circumstances. The internal evidence includes the Bible’s unity, predictive prophecy, and scientific foreknowledge (to list just three examples). The Bible is unparalleled in human history and bears testimony to the fact that the very existence of it cannot be explained in any other way except to acknowledge that it is the result of an overriding, superintending, guiding Mind.

REFERENCES

Barnes, Albert (1997), Barnes’ Notes (Electronic Database: Biblesoft).

Blomberg, Craig L. (1992), Matthew (Nashville, TN: Broadman).

Clarke, Adam (1996), Adam Clarke’s Commentary (Electronic Database: Biblesoft).

Trench, Richard C. (1949), Notes on the Miracles of Our Lord (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker).