Who Shall Separate Us From God's Love?

Job's friends offer little comfort. They say, "If you lived a righteous life all would be well. As it is, you must acknowledge your sin and change. Then God will bless you."

But this advice seems foolish to Job, for he struggles with the God who remains hidden and far beyond him. He cannot contend with God,

"For he is not a man, as I am, that I might answer him, that we should come to trial together. There is no arbiter between us, who might lay his hand on us both."Job 9:32-35

So many questions. So much confusion. And amidst it all how helpless is Job. God does indeed demand a righteous life.

"Truly I know that it is so: But how can a man be in the right before God? If one wished to contend with him, one could not answer him once in a thousand times. - Job 9:2-3 

How puny and helpless is Job before God, the Creator of earth and sky.

He is wise in heart and mighty in strength --who has hardened himself against him, and succeeded?-- he who removes mountains, and they know it not, when he overturns them in his anger, who shakes the earth out of its place, and its pillars tremble; who commands the sun, and it does not rise; who seals up the stars; who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea; who made the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the chambers of the south; who does great things beyond searching out, and marvelous things beyond number. Behold, he passes by me, and I see him not; he moves on, but I do not perceive him. Behold, he snatches away; who can turn him back? Who will say to him, 'What are you doing?' - Job 9:4-12 ESV 

Turning to his friends, Job continues, imagining himself in a court room with God. Before Him Job admits his own mouth would condemn him.

How then can I answer him, choosing my words with him? Though I am in the right, I cannot answer him; I must appeal for mercy to my accuser. If I summoned him and he answered me, I would not believe that he was listening to my voice. For he crushes me with a tempest and multiplies my wounds without cause; he will not let me get my breath, but fills me with bitterness. If it is a contest of strength, behold, he is mighty! If it is a matter of justice, who can summon him? Though I am in the right, my own mouth would condemn me; though I am blameless, he would prove me perverse. - Job 9:14-20 ESV 

He has no way to justify himself. Turning back to God, he says,

If I wash myself with snow and cleanse my hands with lye, yet you will plunge me into a pit, and my own clothes will abhor me. - Job 9:30-31 ESV 

What is left for this poor sinner? Back and forth, round and around go his thoughts. God is completely in charge. Job is His puppet, yet Job cries out that he is innocent.

Does it seem good to you to oppress, to despise the work of your hands and favor the designs of the wicked? Have you eyes of flesh? Do you see as man sees? Are your days as the days of man, or your years as a man's years, that you seek out my iniquity and search for my sin, although you know that I am not guilty, and there is none to deliver out of your hand? 

Your hands fashioned and made me, and now you have destroyed me altogether. Remember that you have made me like clay; and will you return me to the dust? Did you not pour me out like milk and curdle me like cheese? You clothed me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews. You have granted me life and steadfast love, and your care has preserved my spirit. Yet these things you hid in your heart; I know that this was your purpose. 

If I sin, you watch me and do not acquit me of my iniquity. If I am guilty, woe to me! If I am in the right, I cannot lift up my head, for I am filled with disgrace and look on my affliction. And were my head lifted up, you would hunt me like a lion and again work wonders against me. You renew your witnesses against me and increase your vexation toward me; you bring fresh troops against me. - Job 10:3-17 ESV 

Finally this confused, suffering man cries out in despair. Death, doom, gloom and darkness is all that awaits him.

"Why did you bring me out from the womb? Would that I had died before any eye had seen me and were as though I had not been, carried from the womb to the grave. Are not my days few? Then cease, and leave me alone, that I may find a little cheer before I go--and I shall not return-- to the land of darkness and deep shadow, the land of gloom like thick darkness, like deep shadow without any order, where light is as thick darkness." - Job 10:18-22 ESV

 Are you familiar with Job's struggle? Can anyone understand God's ways? Why suffering, sickness, sadness, sorrow and finally death? Only by gazing upon the cross is there an answer. The apostle Paul

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urges us to consider Abraham, that great man of faith. Everything depends upon our believing in the undeserved mercy of God. So old man Abraham clung to the promise that he was to become the father of many nations and that through his seed all nations of the earth would be blessed.

He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. - Rom 4:18-21 ESV 

In the days ahead we will continue to walk with Job and hear his pitiless friends. Perhaps in all these words we will find our own answers, answers from the God who forces us to struggle that we may grow in our trust in His promise that in all things He is at work for our good, the promise that began to be worked out in the manger of Bethlehem. So the Apostle teaches,

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. - Rom 8:28 ESV 

`The Primary Purpose Of Visions And Dreams

What does it mean to dream dreams and see visions? We continue our study.

 "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. - Joel 2:28-29 ESV 

The prophet Joel wrote these words, later quoted by Peter on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:17). Joel wrote what the LORD revealed during the very dark days of Judah six centuries before Christ. Already the mighty Assyrians had ravaged the northern kingdom of Israel. Would the kingdom of Judah be next? Joel was called upon to speak words of comfort and hope. . . and warning. The people of Judah were also faithless. They too ignored God's Word and they too would meet His judgments. The LORD's army would soon come to destroy them unless they returned to the LORD. So Joel speaks for the LORD,

"Yet even now, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments." Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the LORD your God? - Joel 2:12-14 ESV

Then come the words of comfort and hope.

I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you. "You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame. You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God and there is none else. And my people shall never again be put to shame. - Joe 2:25-27 ESV 

After this promise come the words quoted by Peter on Pentecost (Acts 2:17-28),

 "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. - Joe 2:28-29 ESV 

Your old men shall dream dreams and your young men shall see visions. . . and even the servants will have the Spirit poured out upon them. Peter interpreted this vision, saying that the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, followed by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, was the fulfillment of this and other prophecies of the Old Testament, such as those made by David in Psalm 16:10.

This then is the primary reason why the LORD grants His people visions or waking dreams and dreams while sleeping. He wants to comfort them with the Word of His mercy and forgiveness. He wants them to believe He has not forsaken them, but will or has come among them to take the ultimate punishment for their sins to Himself. And as they hear this Good News, this Gospel, the Spirit of God speaks comfort and hope to their hearts. So we listen with joy and hope to the way the visions and dreams were given and the promises they bring for us today. In other words Judah saw the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy when she returned to the land after 70 years of captivity and slavery. But that was not the ultimate fulfillment. There was more. There is more. It is to this that Peter speaks as he quotes Joel.

But what about today's visions and dreams? Does God still grant them? Here is one useful answer to that question: How Did God Use Dreams and Visions In The Bible? 

But more needs to be said. We'll continue next time.

Superintelligence, Artificial Intelligence and Christian Hope

In our study of the things of God (theology) we often use the obscure word eschatology. The word refers to the part of theology concerned with the final destiny of this world and all of us who live here. As it turns out this subject is much discussed and portrayed in movies, books and among scientists and scholars—most of whom ignore completely what the Christian church has to say about such matters. 

Once in a while I make it my business to check in on what one or the other of those scientists and scholars has to say about eschatology. So I recently read through Nick Bostrom's latest tome, Superinteligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies. According to Wikipedia Dr. Bostrom is a 41 year old Swedish philosopher at St. Cross College, University of Oxford. He is known for his work on existential risk, the anthropic principle, human enhancement ethics, superintelligence risks, the reversal test, and consequentialism. I think the latter term refers to the idea that if this or that happens then this is what will result as a consequence. 

In his rather tedious manner Dr. Bostrom points out that the "singularity" is approaching. In current terms that refers to a time in the future when machine technology will take over and human affairs as we know them will not continue—at least the way they have been. He focuses upon Artificial Intelligence (AI).  By that he is not referring to Steven Spielberg's 2001 movie, but in a way he is. He is talking about the day and time when machines will far surpass us humans in intelligence, both individually and collectively. And then what, what, what will happen? 

Here are some of the things he highlights: 

• The Google search engine is, arguably, the greatest AI system that has yet been built. 

• We know that blind evolutionary processes can produce human-level intelligence, since they have already done so at least once. Evolutionary processes with foresight—that is, genetic programs designed and guided by an intelligent human programmer—should be able to achieve a similar outcome with far greater efficiency. 

He doesn't know when this singularity will happen. It is just that he's very concerned that when it does the machines will not be our friends. So what can WE do? We have to reduce the risks of the machine intelligence revolution. We must now develop some strategies. If we do not, well, we just don't know what might happen and we are very uncertain when it will. 

This is going to take lots of money. So we have to find folks who will pony up. And when they do they'll have to be both astute and altruistic, "because they may have opportunities to shape the field's culture before the usual venal interests take up position and entrench." By venal interests he refers to the nasty folks who are always wanting to use technology and machines for their own monetary and power-hungry interests. Somebody or some bodies with good hearts and deep pockets must stand up before something truly dreadful happens. Since before . . . 

"the prospect of an intelligence explosion, we humans are like small children playing with a bomb. Such is the mismatch between the power of our plaything and the immaturity of our conduct. Super intelligence is a challenge for which we are not ready now and will not be ready for a long time. We have little idea when the detonation will occur, though if we hold the device to our ear we can hear a faint ticking sound. . .  

"Nor can we attain safety by running away, for the blast of an intelligence explosion would bring down the entire firmament. Nor is there a grown-up in sight." 

Did you get that? ". . . an intelligence explosion would bring down the entire firmament."  Note: the entire firmament! And not a grown-up in sight. Sounds like something the Apostle Peter said 2,000 years ago when he wrote about the return of the Risen Christ:

They will say, "Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation." For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. - 2 Pet. 3:4-7 ESV 

Of course Dr. Bostrom in true post-enlightenment fashion says nothing about the Second Coming of Christ when he writes about his foreseen explosion. Throughout his long discussion of possibilities for the future he acts and writes as if there is no God who is involved or even vaguely concerned about the destiny of our human race. After all, we are who we are by blind evolutionary chance. So with that as a given, we can only do what we can  do to control this inevitable development with some intelligent genetic programming. Perhaps, just perhaps, it will then turn out to our happy good. Who knows?

Yet we who are in Christ have such a hope do we not? The Apostle Paul writes,

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. - Rom. 8:18-25 ESV

When Paul speaks of creation he means to say that all-that-is is under the control of its Creator. And that Creator has come among us in Jesus Christ to make us one with himself. That's why we look forward with hope in spite of modern forecasts of almost certain doom. And who knows the content of that hope Paul calls "the freedom of the glory of the children of God"? All we know is that we are not afraid. Instead we wait with excitement, for, as Paul also writes in another letter, quoting the prophet Isaiah,

But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him"-- - 1 Cor. 2:9 (Isa. 64:4) ESV  

No Rest, No Sleep, No Hope—Forever!

I'm not a night owl. I have zero appreciation for those of you who love to stay up into the wee hours of the morning. My eyes begin to droop around 10 p.m. I want my bed. I need my rest and I want it to start long before midnight. Then when 6:30 a.m. comes I'm rested and ready to roll out to begin the new day. I've had my eight and I'm on the way.

Whether you're a lark like me or an owl, one of the huge problems of our day is getting enough sleep. Tons of products promise to put you to sleep. Some work for some. Many don't and they droop along through the day, fighting to keep going. Stress, anxiety and tension follow and soon sickness of one sort or another sets in. Can't sleep, can't work, not gonna make it.

That's what happened to the thousands who were rescued from slavery in Egypt under the leadership of Moses and the saving Hand of the LORD. They didn't make it. It's all recorded in the Biblical Book of Exodus. They made it out, but the foreboding wilderness of Sinai stood between them and the Promised Land. And when they came up to the very borders with orders to march, they caved in. They believed the reports of most of the spies. Those guys are as big as giants; its hopeless, they said. And so Israel turned back in doubt and rebellion toward the heat and horror of the desert. Hebrews puts it this way:

Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years. Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, 'They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.' As I swore in my wrath, 'They shall not enter my rest.'" - Hebrews 3:7-11 ESV

No rest for the wicked. And the most wicked thing you can do is to doubt the promises of the loving and forgiving Savior. That's what the Children of Israel did. They gave it up. They threw in their towels. They lost hope and turned to other gods. They didn't, they wouldn't believe in the LORD who brought them out and set them on the path leading to freedom and security. So they invited the anger of the LORD upon themselves.

I swore in my wrath, "They shall not enter my rest." Hebrews 3:11 ESV

And the LORD's anger was kindled on that day, and he swore, saying, 'Surely none of the men who came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, because they have not wholly followed me, none except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the LORD.' And the LORD's anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the LORD was gone. - Num 32:10-13 ESV 

No rest, no sleep, no hope. That's today's warning for all who once claimed to be members of the household of God in Christ Jesus, but threw it all away in unbelief and rebellion.

Take care, brothers (and sisters), lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. - Hbr 3:12 ESV

It's hell not to be able to sleep in the darkness, plagued by fear, guilt and remorse. It's hell to wander through the house, staring out at the night while everyone around you is quietly and happily taking deep breaths in sleep. No rest, no sleep, no hope. That's your future if you throw away all that is freely given to you in Jesus. No rest, no sleep, no hope—forever!

 

                 

Terra Nova, The New World To Come

We Christians are inveterate optimists. We believe a better world is coming. I write these words in a week when once again a demented, tortured man entered the DC Navy Yard to murder 12 people. I say once again, because such murders have become too much a part of the news here in the United States, murders of school children, movie theater goers, college students, office workers, train travelers and on and on. And in far away places like the Middle East, Africa and Afghanistan the ravages of war leave thousands dead and other thousands of refugees homeless.

I hear the cry both in my own heart and from the mouths of others. "Get me out of here! I want a new world, a better place, a place of peace and prosperity, of hope and happiness, of life without death and fear. Get me out of here!"

Is there such a place? Will there ever be a world where we can start anew?

I sense that longing in the interest viewers have in movies and TV series promising a new world. For a time the sci-fi series Terra Nova — a new land, entertained us. The FOX network series centered on the Shannons, an ordinary family from 2149, who are transported back 85 million years to prehistoric Earth where they join Terra Nova, a colony of humans with a second chance to build a new civilization. The premise is that the world of 2149 was being destroyed by human neglect, greed and selfishness. Using newly discovered time-travel technology selected groups are sent back to the world of millions of years ago to make a new beginning and thus save the human race. But it didn't work, because humans, being human, brought their greed and selfishness with them. The series ended after one season.

Hebrews reflects this longing and offers a much more certain hope of a new beginning, centered firmly on Jesus, God's Son, the One sent to fulfill all of God's promises of a coming new world.

For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. It has been testified somewhere, 

"What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet." (Psalm 8:4-6)

Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. 

For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying,  

"I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise." (Psalm 22:22,25)

And again, "I will put my trust in him." (Psalms 18:2; 36:7-8; 91:2)

And again, "Behold, I and the children God has given me."(Gen. 48:9; Psalm 127:3) 

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. - Hebrews 2:5-15 ESV

Jesus has become one with us. He who is truly a Man and also truly very God of very God, is forever one with us. For a little while He subjected Himself to the hatred of men and the power of the devil. He even endured the suffering of death, "so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone."

Yet He is the One for whom and by whom all things exist. And now in Him we find mercy, forgiveness and hope. Because He is truly and ever shall be The Son of Man, He is not ashamed to call us who trust in Him His brothers, "the children God has given" Him.

The devil can no longer accuse us. He can no longer threaten us with death. Sure, our bodies will die. They must. They belong to this age, to this current state of affairs. We must be clothed with new bodies, filled with the Spirit and life of God and cleansed from all sin. We look forward to this new world, a real terra nova! It will not be a world brought on or brought back by human ingenuity, politics, technology or some yet-to-be discovered magical power. It will be a world given to us by God's grace, pure, undeserved and yet certain, because it is ours in Christ Jesus, our Brother.

We who have this certain hope are still tempted to doubt it. More on this next time.

Help For Single Moms

I have been writing about motherhood this week, but today I write about single motherhood and want anyone who may read these words to lift up this concern with their church and Christian fellowship. This question was lifted up again for me last Friday evening when I attended a banquet to raise funds for the work of Pregnancy Assistance Center North (PACN), located in Montgomery County, just to the north of Houston.

Did you know that . . .

• Single Moms are the fastest-growing population in the world
• Single Moms are the highest unchurched population in the world
• 95% of Single Moms are unchurched
• 18 Million Single Moms in U.S – 17 Million are unchurched
• 37 Million Children live with a Single Mom
• 53% of the births in 2011 are children of Single Moms under 30
• The already small number of Single Moms in the church are leaving at a rapid pace
• Single Moms feel both judged and that they do not fit in at church

But all is not hopeless for single moms. Here's what a recent study learned:

The Powerful Force of a Mother's Influence: "Having a man in the house (and the added income he represents) can be a good thing, but the message here is: If you can't be with two parents, you're better off with your mother than you are with your father or anybody else," Biblarz said.

So what is the Christian church doing to assist single moms?  One resource is  called Hope4SingleMoms.com — The 21 Principles of a Healthy Single Mom.

Read a free pdf. about the first three of those principles from the book

• Hope
• Identity
• Victory

The material was designed and written for single moms by Lori Little, herself a single mom. She writes,

Whether you are a teen, never married, divorced or widowed single mom, the "21 Principles of a Healthy Single Mom" will encourage you to flourish in the midst of your overwhelming circumstances; leading you to live a life of purpose and meaning, focus and order, balance and harmony. The 21 Principles was designed for a single mom by a single mom. These 21 Principles will take every single mom to a new level by equipping you with positive instruction and practicle tools that will inspire you to live well as a single mother, and raise healthy children. EVERY 21 PRINCIPLES LEADERS KIT AND BOOK COMES WITH 21 FREE ONLINE INTERVIEWS WITH myself and Dr. Charles Stanley, Kay Arthur, Elizabeth George, Jill Briscoe, Michelle McKinney Hammond just to name a few. 

Lori Little became a single mom in 1996 when her son was just two years old; and she is still a single mom in 2011. Lori's background was in Corporate Business Development and sales, and she was also the former Director of John Maxwell's Thrive! division. More important though, Lori Little has the understanding and commitment gained from thirteen years of single motherhood.

Here are also a couple testimonials:

Lori Little not only talks the talk of the 21 Principles of a Healthy Single Mom, but she walks the walk. I want to affirm to you that Lori lives out these principles in her daily life! The Principles you read about in this book have literally been birthed in Lori by the Spirit of God. I have personally seen God take Lori from being a wounded, broken, insecure single mom, immerse her in Truth, heal her wounds and make her stronger than she could have ever been on her own! God has transformed her into a strong, courageous single mother who is raising and incredible son, and His desire is to do the same for you. --Dr. F. Bobby Atkins

A book of this kind and caliber is past due, and who better than Lori Little to lead the way? Lori loves the Lord, loves her family and loves to encourage other single moms. Her 21 Principles of a Healthy Single Mom are a godsend. --Elizabeth George, Author of a Woman After God's Own Heart

There are certainly other resources. What concerns me is that local churches give attention to the support of single moms in their communities. I think about the many I've known in the congregations I served as pastor. I thank the Lord for the support they received from their families and their congregations. I pray that this is duplicated over and over again in many other places. 

God's Right Hand Man Is At Our Right Hand

In previous blogs I made it clear that the Christian church has from the beginning to the present day seen the Angel of the LORD passages in the OT to be speaking to us about Jesus Christ, God's Son and our Savior. Numerous other blogs support and clarify this position. Examples from a Google search reveal:

• "The Angel of the Lord" by Wil Pounds
• "Genesis 16:7–13 The Angel of the LORD" 
• Christ in the Old Testament 4 

There are many others. But what are the lessons to be learned from this? The Apostle Paul writes, 

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. - Rom 15:4 ESV

Endurance, encouragement, hope—important concepts, vital words. How do these OT stories encourage us to persist and move toward the high goal of our calling? The writer to the Hebrews tells us to study the lives of OT believers and be encouraged. In one well-known passage he describes Jesus as both the founder and perfecter of our faith.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. - Hbr 12:1-2 ESV

The founder (archagos in Greek) refers to the prime leader, the one who has gone ahead of us all, the captain or the author. Perfecter (teleiotes in Greek) points to the one who raises up the highest example of faith. Its a word unique to this one passage in the NT.

So if we go back to the numerous stories in the OT about the Angel of the LORD what do they tell us about Jesus, the One who endured the shame of the cross for us all and is now returned to the seat of power at God's right hand?

We learn from David before he became King of Judah and Israel. King Saul in jealousy hated David and was out to kill him. David and his men fled for their lives. Having neither food nor weapons, the priest Ahimelech of the village of Nob fed them with the sacred Bread of the Presence. Further, he armed David with the great sword of Goliath. When David and his men fled to Gath, some 20 miles west of Bethlehem, David had to pretend to be insane to escape capture by Achish the king of Gath. For assisting David, Saul murdered Ahimelech and 84 other priests. Things were bleak and frightening indeed. Reflecting back upon this experience David later wrote Psalm 34, "Taste and See that the LORD is Good."

This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! - Psa 34:6-8 ESV

David knew the stories of how the Angel of the LORD had appeared to Abraham, Hagar and Jacob. He knew how the Angel of the LORD led, fed and protected God's people in the wilderness. He cried to this same LORD in his great hour of peril. He took refuge in him. And he discovered that "the angel of the LORD" does indeed surround, guard and deliver those who put their trust in Him.

This Angel, this Messenger of the LORD is the same One who came among us in flesh and blood to endure our shame and deliver us from eternal death. Like the sacred bread set week by week before the LORD, Jesus is present to feed us with His own body and blood. Taste and see. The LORD is good, kind and rich. He will indeed deliver each one of us who trusts Him.

 

Children Are Not Supposed To Die

One fall, back when I was a student at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, five of us rode together from Minnesota back to the apartment we shared. It was a hot, muggy afternoon when we arrived. Someone suggested that we go swimming in the Missouri River. I merely went along for the drive, because I had never learned how to swim. When we arrived at a park along the river everyone except me dove in and began to swim around, splashing and laughing in the refreshing coolness. I puddled along the bank and watched.

Suddenly I heard David cry out something. He was maybe twenty-five feet out into the river in deep water. For a time he seemed to splash and thrash and then his head disappeared. I screamed at the others, "David, David, he went under! Help him!"

I remember feeling so very, very helpless. There was no boat, no lifeguard, no rope to throw to him, nothing. Vic and Wayne swam out to where he was last seen and began diving down, searching, hoping, but he was gone. We never saw him again until the police divers pulled his drowned body from the river.

David was from southern Minnesota. The next week those of us who had witnessed his drowning made the sad journey back from Missouri to Minnesota to attend his funeral. David's parents and his mother in particular were devastated by his death. For years after she kept his room exactly the way it was before he died. She could not let him go.

Many have said that the death of a child causes the most intense grief known. David was not supposed to die. He was well on his way to becoming a pastor. Suddenly that dream was all ripped away and with his death a part of David's mother and father also died. For a long time after they were disoriented and confused. Like so many parents they were forced to confront something extremely painful. They needed to deal with the overwhelming pain of his death and move on, but how? They also needed to keep his memory present. How can you do both?

When a child dies parents face a wide variety of issues as they deal with their grief. The process of grieving is complex. Though we all must grieve in our own way, the process of grieving will always include the so-called 7 stages of grief. These do not happen in a particular order and you may cycle back to any one of them again and again.

1. Shock and denial - It didn't happen. It couldn't have. This is a way to protect yourself from being totally overwhelmed, even though you're not consciously aware of why you feel this way. 
2. Pain and guilt - The pain is unbelievably deep and seemingly unbearable. Why did  I or why didn't I? . . . The temptation is to drown your sorrows and escape the pain with alcohol or drugs. 
3. Anger and bargaining - Others are at fault. Why me? If only I had . . . Oh, God, bring her back and I'll never . . . But that doesn't work either. What can I do? What?!
4. Depression and loneliness - Especially as you reflect on what has really happened. And then your friends try to talk you out of feeling so down. But you need time, time to yourself, time to focus on the past, to feel empty and to despair. 
5. The upward turn - Ever so slowly things become a little better, more organized. Your depression begins to lift. But even then you may drift back to an earlier stage. 
6. Reconstruction and moving on - Maybe, maybe you can deal with life without your child. Oh, you do not want to, but you must, somehow you must move on without him. 
7. Acceptance and hope - You begin to accept the reality. It happened. I can't change that, but he is in the hands of Jesus. We will meet again. My life will never, ever be the same, but I see now that there is a way forward. 

David's death touched each one of us in a different way, but none of us grieved in the way that David's parents did. In my next postings I'd like to look at some examples of parents grieving as recorded in the pages of Scripture and see what the Holy Spirit has to tell us about how to deal with this most painful reality. 

The Sleep Of Death

We continue our meditation upon the nature of human life—and death.

There is a controversy among us Christians about what the Bible means when it speaks about death. Are we in some kind of unconscious sleep until Christ returns to raise us up on the final Judgment Day? Is there a conscious life between our physical death and our resurrection? There are, in fact, several ways to describe the end of bodily life and the continued existence of us humans after that. Consider the following sample descriptions of death.

Gathered to his people

Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people. - (Gen 25:8 ESV)

And Isaac breathed his last, and he died and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him. - (Gen 35:29 ESV)

Slept with his fathers

Then David slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David. - (1Ki 2:10 ESV)

And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father. And Rehoboam his son reigned in his place. - (1Ki 11:43 ESV)

Fall asleep

so a man lies down and rises not again; till the heavens are no more he will not awake or be roused out of his sleep - (Job 14:12 ESV) 

And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. - (Dan 12:2 ESV) 

The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, - (Mat 27:52 ESV)

After saying these things, he said to them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him." - (John 11:11 ESV)

Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep . . . But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep . . . Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, - (1Cr 15:6,20,51 ESV)

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep - (1Th 4:13-15 ESV)

Dead are alive

'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not God of the dead, but of the living." - (Matt 22:32 ESV) 

But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. - (Luke 20:37 ESV)

From these and similar passages it is safe to conclude that death is for us believers absolutely nothing to fear. It is frequently and often described as sleep. When tired we welcome sleep. It is a peaceful and much needed thing. It is a time of refreshment and preparation for the tasks of the next day.

The difficulty that many have with the sleep passages is that they assume sleep to be a state of unconsciousness, a time when we are totally and completely oblivious to anything. That is not how the Bible describes sleep. For those who have committed their spirits into the hands of the loving Father and His Son Jesus it is a time of refreshment. Sleep is a time of sweet dreams, visions, peace and happiness in the presence of God.

If you feel that sleep is always a state of unconsciousness, consider the following. Modern specialists describe sleep as a time when your brain is busy organizing and correlating memories. Sleep. they say, allows your brain to better process new experiences and knowledge, increasing your understanding and retention. I suppose that is a useful way to describe sleep, but it does not reflect the full understanding revealed in Scripture. We are much, much more than a body with a brain. We are a living soul with a spirit. And for us bodied-spirits sleep is also a time when we are open to communicate with angelic spirits, with demons even and with God. Shut off from the realm of the conscious world around us, we become open to the realm of the spirit. Consequently during sleep God often communicates with His people through visions and dreams, as well as by sending angelic messengers. God's people, in turn, speak with Him and praise Him. These sleepers see God, worship Him, sing and celebrate with God's people, with those who have temporarily left bodily life and await the joyous resurrection and restoration of full body/spirit life in the new creation.

Consider the following examples:

And he (Jacob) came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! - And behold, the LORD stood above it and said, "I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. . .  etc. (see Gen 28:11-17 ESV).

Then I heard the sound of his words, and as I heard the sound of his words, I fell on my face in deep sleep with my face to the ground. And behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. And he said to me, "O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you." And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. - (see Dan 10:1-21 ESV)

And her (Mary's) husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, - (See Matt 1:19-25 ESV)

So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD . . . Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eye was undimmed, and his vigor unabated. - (Deu 34:5-7 ESV)

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah." He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." - (Mat 17:1-5 ESV)

Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. - (Rev 14:1-3 ESV)

Take comfort then, dear friend and believer in Jesus. Death has no sting for you or for me. It is but a wondrous sleep, a time of happy dreams, a time of singing and rejoicing with your fathers and mothers, a time of being in the presence of Jesus and our Father to hear them speak to us personally. This short and mysterious period of celebration in the Father's house will be a time of peace, comfort and anticipation. For soon, very soon, the Day of the resurrection and restoration of our bodies will come. Then in the new creation we shall live together to serve our God and rejoice in His presence time without end.

What A Happy Time Of The Year

Our family was sitting around the table at my daughter's home a couple days ago. Cheryl Lee reminded us of what we always said to one another as we began our prayers before our meals in the days leading up to Christmas. We smiled in remembrance. 

"What a happy time of the year. Jesus' birthday is almost here!" 

And so it is, in less than a month. All over the world Christians—and non-Christians—will gather in various ways to celebrate Christmas. All around us there is a sense of expectancy.


That's the way it was in Jerusalem in the days of that momentous Passover celebration that led to the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus. There was a buzz about Jesus of Nazareth among the thousands gathered in Jerusalem. Many were asking whether he was the long awaited Messiah or not. The Gospel lesson for the first of the four Sundays in Advent tells the story. Find it in Matthew 21:1-9.
The Lord Jesus rode that wave of anticipation right into the heart of the city. He did it by acting out an ancient prophecy by Zechariah:

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey (Zechariah 9:9).

Zechariah preached and taught from 520 BC to 518 BC in Jerusalem, about 2500 years ago. Many Jews had been released by Persia from their slavery in Babylonia. They were allowed to rebuild Jerusalem and the destroyed Temple. Zechariah, the son of Iddo, helped to inspire his fellow Jews to rebuild the Temple and the city (see Ezra 6:14).

In his preaching Zechariah spoke about the promise of a long awaited king who would ride humbly into Jerusalem on a common beast of burden. When he came a new era of prosperity and blessing would come to the land.

By his actions, Jesus indicated to the assembled crowds that he was that Messiah. The prophecy was about to be fulfilled in him. The people shouted and sang songs. A new day was coming.

We Christians believe that with the coming of Jesus something new has indeed come. By his life, death and resurrection, he opened a path to the very heart of the heavenly Father. Through him we now receive forgiveness and with that the certain hope of the resurrection from the dead, a renewed creation and an eternal life of bliss.

So as we enter yet another year of worship we review that hope and we rejoice in the promises. Ours is not a hope based upon political promises. Ours is a hope made certain by the death and resurrection of God's Son and his promise to return—soon.

What a happy time of the year indeed. Jesus' birthday and the celebration of the beginning of the great story of salvation is almost here. 

Sustained by the Word of the LORD

This morning I opened an email from an old friend who wished a happy Thanksgiving. It had pictures of turkeys, cartoons and other paraphernalia connected with the uniquely American holiday. Here is one.

It wasn't until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November. So our family is set to gather in south Texas for the celebration, along with millions of families across the nation.

It is also customary for American Christians to gather for a worship service of thanksgiving, often on the evening before Thanksgiving Day. The O.T. lesson appointed for a general thanksgiving service is Deuteronomy 8:1-10. The lesson is part of the instructions Moses gave to the Israelites who had just spent 40 years in the wilderness of Sinai. Now they were set to enter and occupy the land the LORD God promised centuries before to Abraham and his descendants.

For 40 years the LORD had tested their faith and trust. He wanted to know what was in their hearts. In this desert they had no bread, but were fed with the mysterious manna six out of seven days of every week. As He said, the LORD did this so they may clearly understand that "man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD" (Deut.8:3).

This is a critical lesson for our country and our day, especially when you consider that "bread" is but a symbol for all the things we need to live and prosper in the land the LORD gives to us. It makes me wonder how many people will even bother to give thanks for all the bounty of this land. How many are ready to acknowledge that we live "by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD"? For that matter, what does the phrase mean?

Here's a quick answer. God's revelation tells us that all of creation came into being, not by chance, but by God's Word. "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." How? Again and again we read, "And God said" (Genesis 1:3,6,9,11,14,20,24,26). In other words, the universe was created out of God's creative mind by His Word. He speaks and it comes to be. So Moses teaches us all to recall that we and everything that exists, continues by the wondrous creative power of God's speaking, His Word.

The even deeper mystery is what we find in the Gospel of John as we discover that the Word is a Person and that Person is the second member of the Trinity, even Jesus Christ. John writes, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made"(John 1:1-3).

The coming of Jesus into human flesh is intimately tied to our faith that He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things. In Him we have not only human existence, but a new life, a new birth and a hope that we and all creation will one day be completely set free when our Creator and Redeemer returns (Romans 8:18-25). On that day we and all creation will be set free from our bondage to corruption. Until then we wait expectantly, in hope and with patience.

Leaping Like Calves From The Stall

Thanks for joining me as I continue my study in preparation for my sermon on the Second-last Sunday of the church year, the 25th Sunday after Pentecost. Today I will look at another of the lessons for that day, Malachi 4:1-6.

Martin Luther wrote that Malachi's book contains beautiful sayings about Christ and the gospel. "He calls it a pure offering in all the world, for by the gospel the grace of God is praised, and that is the true pure thank-offering. Again he prophesies of the coming of John the Baptist, as Christ himself in Matthew 11:10-14 interprets that of which Malachi 3:1; 4:5 writes, calling John his messenger and Elijah." 

Luther's comment takes us to the lesson for this Sunday. Quick overview: Malachi lived and worked some 430 years before Christ in Judah. The name "Malachi" literally means "my messenger," and the prophet's identity is never revealed. He was likely a priest who witnessed the corruption and indifference he rebukes.

Malachi expresses the deep love of God for His people. That's why he calls on the Judeans to repent. The LORD does not want to punish you, he said. Yet they were indifferent to his warning. The priests and levites continued to live immoral lives, divorcing their wives and being unfaithful in their duties. The people did not support the worship of God with their tithes. The message is harsh. Arrogant evildoers will be stubble thrown into a blazing oven. Everything will be burned. Nothing will be left.

However there is good news for those who "fear" the LORD. They will leap like calves turned out from their stalls on that awesome day of the LORD. I love that image. Because I grew up on a farm I can see in my mind the young calves locked up in their stalls in the winter. When my Dad would turn them loose on a mild day they'd go out into the barnyard, jumping high into the air, racing around with their tails sticking straight out. How great it was to be set free.That's how all of the LORD's people will feel when "the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings."

So another warning and another word of hope for these last days. God will tolerate immorality, godlessness, unbelief and hatred only so long. The "awesome day of the LORD" is coming; that great moment in history when Christ returns as Judge of all is upon us. Yet for those who humbly repent and accept His sacrifice, this will be a day of great rejoicing. They will finally be set free. All pain, suffering and sorrow will cease. All wounds will be healed. And all will go leaping out into the new world our LORD Christ has prepared like calves turned free from their stalls.

Fishermen, Baseball Players and Other Discouraged folks

Here in Houston the baseball season has barely begun and our team, the Astros, are fastened securely to the bottom. It seems that they have very little ability to win. One team after another defeats them. Are they destined to be cellar dwellers the entire season? It is very discouraging.

A man once stopped to watch a little league team. As he stood behind the bench where several players waited their opportunity to also play, he whispered to one boy, "What's the score?"

The ten-year old turned and said, "I think its 18 to zero. We're behind."
"Oh, my goodness," said the visitor, "aren't you discouraged?"
"Nope, not at all," replied the young player with enthusiasm. "We haven't been up to bat yet!"

Discouragement and fear marked the gathering of the early Christians. It still creeps into our lives, one way or another. There are times when all of us feel like we're so far behind, so deep in the hole, so hopelessly outplayed and defeated that nothing could ever possibly turn out right again.

In those moments we need to re-read the accounts of Christ's resurrection, for instance in John 20-21. Listen as he speaks to discouraged fishermen yet once more, saying "Cast your nets on the right side of the boat and you will find some fish." When they did that, when they heard his voice and obeyed it, when they threw out in faith, they were so blessed they couldn't pull it all in (John 21:4-14).

The evangelist has an interesting comment at that point. He writes, "So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them." It is amazing how much speculation has surrounded that number.  There seems to be no agreement on what the number means. Was it symbolical? Perhaps. In my view, it is enough for discouraged people to know that Jesus has come to bless us abundantly. When he's on our team it is impossible to lose.

The Mystery of a Butterfly

Recently, I received an unpublished essay by an author struggling with the sudden death of his first wife while they were on vacation in Mexico many years earlier. He honored her request to be cremated at once and now struggled with the mystery of what happened and its meaning in his own life.  What had become of the molecules and atoms that once comprised her body?

I will not attempt to emulate the beauty and profundity of that author's writing—he is a newspaper man with a working knowledge of modern scientific theories. He is also a Christian with a deep faith. 

His questions: 

• Is this universe all a matter of chance? 
• Or is there an omnipotent, all-knowing Creator who has designed it all? 
• What hope lies beyond death? 
• Is there some kind of parallel universe to which the dead go? 
• How does the promise of resurrection differ from reincarnation and the recycling of matter?
• Why do these mysteries demand humility?

Strange, but these seem like springtime questions, questions that return with the celebration of Easter and the return of life all around us. Like him and probably like you, I also ponder them. But I cannot cram them into one or even two short pieces in this Blog. Perhaps over the next week or so I'll be able to poke at them, point to some things written by people with more knowledge and skill than I have.


For today, I ponder the mystery of the resurrection. Like my unnamed essayist, I too am awed by the mystery of a butterfly. He mentions this analogy a couple times. The most moving was when he told of how Jews in Nazi concentration camps in Belgium had scratched butterflies on the walls, symbols that spoke of the hope in their hearts. Butterflies as images and the subject of poems were found in many Nazi concentration camps. Reflecting that, the Apostle Paul wrote: 

"Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed" (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).


Paul frequently refers to mysteries. He calls them secrets, hidden wisdom of God, part of a plan reaching back before the 'ages' began (1 Cor. 2:7). Like all men of faith he believes in a universe ordered by God's wisdom, a wisdom so profound, so deep and comprehensive that no eye has ever seen it, no ear heard it nor has it ever entered the heart of any man (Isaiah 64:4).

This mysterious wisdom is bound up in the story of Christ. He is, in truth, the wisdom of God, far more profound than any human science or philosophy. Before him all the scholars, philosophers and scientists who flaunt and debate their insights and knowledge must bow (1 Cor. 1:17-31). He is the source of our life since he is the reason why God has declared us sinners righteous and forgiven, holy and redeemed in His sight (1 Cor. 1:30).

Yesterday as I walked the streets of our neighborhood I suddenly stopped. There before me on the street was a marvelous yellow and black butterfly. I had almost stepped on it. As I reached down it took off and flew away into the yard beyond. I followed it for a time, but soon lost sight of it. I did not see another that morning. Here's a poem written by Pavel Friedman who died in Auschwitz on September 29, 1944. It's called simply "The Butterfly." 

The last, the very last,

So richly, brightly, dazzlingly yellow.

Perhaps if the sun's tears would sing

against a white stone. . . .

Such, such a yellow

Is carried lightly 'way up high.

It went away I'm sure because it wished to

kiss the world good-bye.

For seven weeks I've lived in here,

Penned up inside this ghetto.

But I have found what I love here.

The dandelions call to me

And the white chestnut branches in the court.

Only I never saw another butterfly.

That butterfly was the last one.

Butterflies don't live in here,

in the ghetto

Lord, Come Down

If you're anything like me—and I believe you are—you get awfully tired of reading about the problems, suffering, war and death in our world. Today's news is but another part of the same litany: four policemen shot dead and we still don't know who did it; scientists lied and manipulated data about climate change; Iran still threatens to build nuclear weapons. 


And so it goes, on and on, like it always has. Think about the past century. How many non-combatants were killed? Piero Scaruffi estimates 160 million died in wars and genocide during the past 100 years! Mao Ze-Dong led in the slaughter of as many as 78 million in China and Tibet. Josef Stalin purged and starved 23 million in Russia and the Ukraine. Hitler's Nazis killed an estimated 12 million. 5 million Japanese civilians died during the reign of Hideki Tojo. I cannot go further. The numbers overwhelm me and I've not spoken of the tens of millions whose lives were shattered, but did not die. 


So I am tempted to pray the prayer of Isaiah 64:1-3 and ask the Lord God to come down in majesty and power. Lord, make the mountains tremble and quake at your presence. Be like fire that burns the underbrush of forests and makes water to boil. Let everyone on earth know that you are here and they had better shape up. Do what you once did when ancient Israel gathered before Mount Sinai and trembled at your power and majesty (Exodus 19:16-20). Then people will repent and turn away from their rebellion and sin. Then they will fall down before you and worship you. 


But not so, says the Lord. Fear, terror, suffering, death and damnation do not produce repentance and faith. Such things lead only to further hatred, idolatry, despair, revenge and rebellion. Did not ancient Israel see my majesty and glory only to turn away from me again and again in unbelief? Did all of Nazi Germany and Tojo's Japan turn away from their false gods after the defeat of World War II?

How then should the Lord come? We know the answer. We celebrate it throughout this season. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).


His glory is that he came to bear our pain, our suffering and our death. Because of his coming we have hope for the future, both in this life and in that to come. 

What and Where is Heaven?

I continue to ponder the meaning of the words of Hebrews 9:24-28 this week. In this passage about Christ our High Priest, we hear that he went not into the old temple in Jerusalem, but into heaven itself once and for all. Today's questions  are about heaven. What is it? Where is it?

Among the many emails I get came this one about children and their views of heaven. Here are some samples.

• Mom, God's so neat, and heaven's supposed to be so great.  Could me and Gloria go there Saturday for a sleep-over?

• Our seven-year-old daughter, Clarisa, was not really excited about going to Sunday school, but her little friend talked her into it. After the first class, at lunch she said, "I like my teacher, and she said if I come to Sunday school every Sunday, she'll show me how I can get a free trip to heaven."

• My three-year-old granddaughter, Morgan, came over one day and looked around the room and asked, "Where's Grandpa?" I answered, "He's in heaven."  Surprised, she looked at me and said, "Still?"

• When Jenny was four, she asked, "Does heaven have a floor?"     Surprised, I said, "Well, Jenny, what do you think heaven is like?"          She looked up at the sky and clouds and replied, "Well, I can't see any  floor, so I guess people are just up there on coat hangers!"

Many of us adults are almost as confused about our hope. Perhaps part of the confusion lies with the fact that whatever heaven holds is outside and beyond our experience. In 1 Corinthians 2:9 the Apostle Paul quotes from Isaiah 64:4 to remind us our eyes have never seen, our ears have never heard and our minds have never conceived what God has prepared for His beloved children. Paul himself was caught up to heaven and says he heard inexpressible things that a man is not permitted to tell (2 Corinthians 12:4).

The whole thing gets more complex when you realize that the space above and beyond us, with the stars and planets, is also called heaven. In Genesis 15:5 we read that the LORD said to Abraham that he should gaze into the sky or heaven and count the stars, because that's how many descendants he would have.

On the other hand, when the Apostle speaks about Christ ascending, he says he "ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself" (Ephesians 4:10). This is in accord with Psalm 11:4 where we read that the LORD's throne is in heaven.

Heaven as the dwelling place of God—our Father who art in heaven—is also the place where the holy angels dwell. The prophet Micaiah said he saw the LORD on his throne and all the host of heaven standing by (1 Kings 22:19).

The rebel, evil angels on the other hand are not permitted into this glory. They are confined to what Paul calls the "heavenly places" (Ephesians 3:10 and 6:12). That most likely refers to the atmosphere surrounding our planet. They are not allowed into deep heaven.

Those of us who put our trust in Christ, however, have the hope laid up in heaven (Colossians 1:5). We have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing" (2 Corinthians 5:1-5).

And along with that we have the promise of a renewal of creation. We are part of that creation and our bodies, together with everything the LORD has made, will be made new. All this is a hope unseen, but nevertheless real, because of Christ's resurrection (Romans 8:18-25).

Without a doubt, words fail us to describe what awaits, but wait we must and wait we will.So, come LORD Jesus. Come soon—Marana tha (1 Corinthians 16:22).

A Dream Within A Dream

I did not sleep well last night. I could not stop my mind from going over and over a conversation I had with my Granddaughter Cassie about an end-of-the-year paper she's preparing for her English class. Part of the paper is based upon Edgar Allen Poe's poem:

A Dream Within A Dream

Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow-
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand-
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep- while I weep!
O God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?

What got to me was the despair: O God! can I not save one grain of golden sand from the pitiless wave? That image brought back the pain and suffering of last summer's hurricane Ike here along the Texas Gulf Coast. Above is a photograph I took when walking along that surf-tormented shore many months after the storm had passed.

As I read Poe's poem I see myself as that battered, broken and nearly collapsed beach house. And I ask the same questions as did Poe: Is all that we see or seem but a dream, yes even a dream within a dream? What can be done to stop my days from slipping through my fingers like grains of golden sand?

I stand upon the shore of that vast ocean of eternity, realizing that nothing, nothing at all that I do can rescue me. I who am nearly twice the age Poe was when he died, must also face the inevitable.

That's why I did not sleep well last night. Ah, but that's not the end of the story. I have heard another voice, speaking from beyond the darkness of death. It is the voice of the angel standing before the empty tomb. "You seek Jesus of Nazareth. He is not here. Behold the place where they laid him." Yes, He is risen and it is not a dream. NOT A DREAM!

So I awake today and the songs of the birds continue. The soft morning breeze whispers in my ear. The flowers blooming on the deck outside my study smile at me. Is all that we see or seem but a dream within a dream? Oh no! Never again. My Jesus lives and I too shall live with Him--forever!

How Slow of Heart to Believe

It's been a while since I've posted. I could say that I've been busy, but that would be only partly so. The truth is, I've been depressed and discouraged, an old familiar pain that spans my entire lifetime. I can distinctly recall it since my early teens. If I could find it, I'd point you to a journal from those days in which I scrawled, "What good to live, if but to die.

Sounds like the Book of Ecclesiastes, one Biblical book I avoid, because it is too painful for me. "Meaningless! Meaningless!"
says the Teacher.
"Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless."

It doesn't help that I've been reading a dismal book. Why do I dip into such stuff? I've just finished One Second After by William R. Forstchen. He writes about what might happen if enemies of the USA were to manage to explode nuclear bombs a couple hundred miles above Kansas, causing an EMP (electro-magnetic pulse). Telephones, cars, the entire electrical grid, everything electronic--all of it--could in theory be destroyed while people and animals would not be affected. However, that would leave us helpless, pushed back to a civilization like that in medieval times. Millions upon millions would die.

My goodness, what moves me to read such stuff? Fiction, of course, but potentially . . . Well, you get the picture.

As I read that I suddenly began to realize how the two disciples on the road to Emmaus must have felt when they thought Jesus was dead. Everything they hoped for, dreamed about, was gone. Their Messiah was dead, murdered by the Romans and their own country's leaders on a cross outside of Jerusalem.

"He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people," they told the stranger who encountered them on the way. "The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel" (Luke 24).

"We had hoped. . ." The dream was gone, dissipated by the cruel reality of the day. The night was now closing in and with it hope was dying.

And yet, here was this stranger. They didn't recognize him. They couldn't. Their eyes were blinded by their disbelief. Rather blunt, no very blunt was he. "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe . . ." And from there he went on to explain that it was all part of the plan, all written through the prophets centuries before.

I guess I'll have to take another look at my depression, wiggle my little finger at my doubts and ask, "Is what you believe really the truth? Is God dead? Has Satan won after all?"

Perhaps not. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Hallelujah!

I'd best get on with the tasks of the day before me. I pray you will do the same.