Thinking on things eternal... and that body nailed up on that piece of wood. We are but products of a divorce, and like some rebellious child lost and cowering in some dark place, our father has come to find us, extending his hand. Will we take the hand, or beat it away and then 'cut it off' as so many have done before us? It’s December, and there’s the usual fanfare, commercial festivities with the proviso of ‘time with the family’ or ‘the holiday season’, filled with ‘good cheer’, tinsel, trees and fairy lights… and buried deep within all that fake shrubbery, is a hammer (Jer 23:29) striking the anvil of our stubborn subconscious. There the obligatory nativity scene plays out, the “silent” night that never was… (The night of Jesus birth was not silent). If Jesus’ birth was God’s subtle remedying injection to salvage a dying humanity in this broken and ill world, then Christ’s death and resurrection was the hammer blow that quite literally shook the earth to revive/resuscitate/recreate the dead creation. Products of a divorce This is about the state of the world and the nature of the relationship between God and Mankind. There was a time when the Spiritual and the natural were one. That time was, to put it simply, ‘in the beginning’. It is the way they were created, or should I say that the natural was created, and is a product of (a child of) the spiritual. There is a deeper part of the natural that is related to the spiritual. Soul and consciousness, or spirit, which gives life to, and ‘animates’ the natural. Hence the spiritual being more real than the natural, since the natural was created by the Spiritual, and without (divorced from) the spiritual element, the natural will only result in death. The ‘divorce’ came as a result of Man choosing his own way, to disobey God, resulting in this fallen world, where every person seems to be on their own path, looking for answers to the question/purpose to his own existence. Everything a man does is in essence a search for validation. Because ever since Man turned from God, he's been lost, floundering around in a vain attempt to find significance outside of the Creator’s design. So how does God salvage the situation? Something you’ll often hear in churches is that Jesus, the son, was the perfect sacrifice…but what does that mean exactly? Well the key is in the next part – the rising up, the resurrection. He is described as being “transfigured”… this is the key interplay where the natural body of Christ was (elevated) transfigured to the spiritual. His physical body was sacrificed. But if he (Jesus) is God, then he cannot die - Since God cannot die! – Many have difficulty reconciling this issue. How did Jesus (God as man) die, when God cannot die? This is where a deeper understanding of the Trinity is necessary: The Trinity Think of a King – specifically the King’s Right-Hand-man, the one who enacts the will of the King and often acts in his stead. (in pop culture you may also recall the title of ‘Hand of the King’ – a man entrusted with decision-making rights and often even does so from the throne. In history, as well as fictional tales, the Kings ‘hand’ is usually a trusted advisor, a friend or even a mentor. But none come close to the heavenly equivalent. “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would know My Father as well.” - John 14:6-7a I envision it (in a literal sense), that God placed his hand on the earth (in the form of Jesus), and then sacrificed that hand (“My God why have you forsaken me” – Matt 27:46), before God then “reattached” his hand. “I can do all things through Christ (the righteous right hand of God; yoked with the one who is seated at the right hand side of God) who strengthens me” Phil 4:13 (emphasis & expansion my own addition) If this image of amputating (sever, separate, detach) and reattaching a hand seems a little too graphic, then think of this: some synonyms for “attach” is ‘couple, fuse, join, anchor … and yoke’ –Matt 11:29-30 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light”. Also: Gal 5:1 The image of a sacrificed and reattached hand also resonates with the image of taking God’s hand, or letting God take our hand, to guide (shepherd) us as a father holding his child by the hand (Isa 42:6). Psa 63:8 “I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.” (NIV) Isaiah 41:13 “‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’” (NAS) So when we choose to be yoked with Jesus, we place ourselves in the hand(s) of God – (hence we are in him – and Jesus is in us, via God sending down the Holy Spirit to dwell within us; hence also baptism - to be immersed) And when we acknowledge Christ as our personal saviour, we yield to Him and as a result are yoked (to him like oxen to pull in one direction) with him to live as he lived, and thus God ‘grafts’ us onto himself when reuniting with his Son Jesus. Another image: the severed hand – when reattached, is already holding something – what is Jesus holding onto? – those who have chosen him. The Holy Spirit What is this – and why do we need him? To think that before, we were all dead (spiritually) and we will all die (physically), separate from God – sin. So Jesus provided the way (IS the way) to God. But when we pray, talk to God, developing our relationship with Him, what do we say that He does not already know? What do I, this formerly dead clay vessel offer the Creator of this very same clay vessel? So then, God comes and imparts of himself, he places within us the Holy Spirit to converse with Himself. If Jesus (in my earlier analogy) is God’s hand, then the Holy Spirit is God’s breath. *See: Genesis 2:7 (God breathed life into Adam) and then John 20:22 (Jesus breathed on the disciples: “And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit’.”) We pray by (in/via) the Holy Spirit, through Jesus (in his name, yoked with him), to the father. If you think of it as a journey; the Holy Spirit speaks for us and carries us (helper) closer through Jesus who paved the way and is the narrow gate through which we go, to God the father (for deeper intimacy). So in this whole exercise, all we do is acknowledge Christ, welcome him into our lives, yield to Christ, to be yoked with him and live in this world as he lived – He does all the work. He acts on our behalf. Without God – the Creator of it all – we are nothing. When our breath is up, we return to the earth, ashes to ashes and dust to dust. And were it not for God’s decision to make everything, we wouldn’t even exist. God placed within us the ability to choose – Free Will – because for some reason he wants a relationship with his creations, to adopt us as his children. The more we allow Him into our lives, and relinquish our ‘ownership’ of these lives He made, the more he will do with these clay vessels. “May my prayer be counted as incense before You; The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering.” Psa 141:2 “We lift up our heart and hands Toward God in heaven;” Lam 3:41 “But at the evening offering I arose from my humiliation, even with my garment and my robe torn, and I fell on my knees and stretched out my hands to the LORD my God” Ezra 9:5 But now, our God, what can we say after this? For we have forsaken the commands… (11a) you gave through your servants the prophets … (13) "What has happened to us is a result of our evil deeds and our great guilt, and yet, our God, you have punished us less than our sins deserved and have given us a remnant like this. (15) LORD, the God of Israel, you are righteous! We are left this day as a remnant. Here we are before you in our guilt, though because of it not one of us can stand in your presence." Ezra 10, 11, 13, 15. And yet despite this…. Despite us turning from God, the Lord has extended his hand to us, to make us right by him. Interesting points of contention: - If Jesus is God, then why did he pray – did he pray to himself? --- Jesus subjected himself to human form, so he gave up/sacrificed some of the Godly attributes we naturally ascribe to him; Omnipotence, Omnipresence, Omniscience. Of these, he clearly (in his finite human form) could not be everywhere at once (presence), and although intelligent – refuting all arguments thrown his way, he did not Know ALL (prophetically) in terms of time and place of things to come. Despite the Divine power he displayed (walking on water, authority over the elements and sickness etc.) he was human, he did get tired and sleepy – needing rest (Mark 4:38 – Jesus sleeping on the boat; He got thirsty whilst on the cross – his thirst for water also led him to the well where he met the Samaritan woman in John 4). So Jesus praying is yet another instance of his dependence on God the father, as he submitted himself to human form. Also - prayer is communication (communion) with God - how do you develop/deepen/maintain your relationship with someone? ... you communicate with them. - Wait, there’s 1 God, but you described 3 parts while the Bible describes the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as 3 persons – this is confusing… The mystery of the triune God is not something I nor any man can or will completely unravel. What limitations can we put on something that is infinite? All these images, of 3 persons, or parts - hand and breath etc, are just that – images, so that our finite minds form some kind of tangible understanding as to the nature of God – this eternal being that exists outside of time and outside of the natural world. So in essence we are attempting to attach human attributes to something that is not human (anthropomorphism). So for an example, when you hear a claim that there is no son of God because there’s no such need, as in the Quran 112:1-4 “He begetteth not, nor is He begotten” – this is simply looking at, or defining God in human terms, it is also putting limitations on God and what he is willing or able to do… He designed Man, and designed the birthing process. He is free to do with his Creations what he wants. It is also attempting to eliminate/reject the idea of “incarnate” – that God might appear as a human – be personified in human form (since he'd already appeared to others in dreams, in the form of a cloud or of Fire - it does not mean he IS Fire or clouds, but that he can take on these forms)… that does not mean that God is human, but that he can take on the form of a person, if he so desired. God is mysterious, and there are things about him and his nature that we will never know or understand, yet he has made himself known to us (his Creations), even after we turned from him. God decided to reunite man unto himself. But how - How does one reconcile something which is Pure, Good and Holy (God) , with something which is none of those things (man)? Why didn't God simply just forgive us and be done with it? Why was shedding of blood necessary for forgiveness? Answer: The interplay/collision between the Spiritual and the Natural; for man to be reconciled with God (in the spiritual), he had to discard (shed) the natural; but since we turned from God we became spiritually dead, existing only in the natural, hence Jesus coming… and the rebirth (born again) and New Creations – 2 Cor 5:17. So that when we die here on earth, our flesh will die – the natural – and the revived/reawakened/received indwelt Spirit will one day reunite with Christ – [finally reconciled after the divorce/separation between God and man (Adam)] – to be ‘the bride of Christ’. “But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness to him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” - 1 Cor 2:14 Shalom *
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- A factional short story - She sat as she usually did at the beginning of one of her more philosophical lectures, with her one thigh resting on the edge of her desk. When she brushed her short dark hair behind her ears, tucking the strands neatly into the arms of her slim spectacles, as she did now, it somehow lured onlookers, in this instance, her students, to sit forward in anticipation. It was her way of readying herself, and us, for what was to come. She interlocked her fingers in her lap and with a vaguely shaky voice, she began. “How hard is it, to believe in the invisible… how hard have we tested our perception of invisibility? An ‘invisible God’, for instance? Why, why is he invisible in the first place? And is the concept of invisibility even believable, I mean, it’s been the subject of many art pieces - films, scientists have actually been working on an actual ‘invisibility cloak’. But can there be any truth to this concept, anything more than fiction? Is it yet another fruitless pursuit of some impossible goal?” She turned her gaze to the open window now. “The more we know, the more we clutter ourselves. Travel to a rural town, experience a slower paced life and it will begin to lend some appreciation, not only for our creature comforts, but also to how simple life can be, or once was. I’ve met people whose only concern, quite literally, amounted to “when was the rain coming?” – that was and still is their main cause of stress. I’ve met farmers who’ve prayed for rain… I started in this manner because I want you to take a mental step back for a moment and think about life differently, to clear the clutter of bills, work, study, even family, from your plate, and let’s just think about life… the roots of it. When it comes down to the essentials, it becomes a matter of perception, because your life is less cluttered, you get to focus on the real things. I think of rural dusty towns because on such outskirts you become most aware of life in general.” She said her two fists together, “You’re conscious of it all the more, and just like that your perspective changes because quite literally, you’re relying more of your five senses to interact with your surroundings. City life often involves things or people jumping out at you, asking for your attention, making a noise, shrouding your vision… assaulting your senses. In remote places, that is removed, and you’re suddenly aware of the sound of your own footsteps, natural smells and aromas of nature, the cleaner air, being able to see to the untouched distance, and after a while you’re perhaps aware of the sound of your own breathing, because it is the only sound punctuating the air. You become fully aware of your own existence because now that everything, family, friends, TV, wifi, noise, is all gone and nothing is begging for your attention, everything around you just is. So your own existence… it feels, strangely “close” because now your senses are required to fetch stimuli from around you." She grabbed fists of air. "What does this have to do with God and invisibility? It’s simple; it’s how we perceive life. How we see this material world before us. Our senses, are our gateway to this world, allowing us to experience it. What we sense, governs what we determine to be invisible or not. The ancient peoples and rural cultures all had a sense of the spiritual, yet city life has diminished that sense by simply droning it out. We’ve become desensitized on a spiritual level. Think about this a moment: Dogs have more powerful olfactory sensors, said to be 1000 times more powerful than ours. So their sense of smell is richer, and broader, detecting odours that we can’t. They’re able to hear certain frequencies that we cannot. Crustaceans, in particular, the Mantis Shrimp, has one of the most elaborate visual systems ever discovered. They’re considered to have the most complex eyes of the animal kingdom. Some species possess 16 different photoreceptor types, of which 12 are for analysing colour. What does this mean? Well we only have 4 visual pigments of which 3 are used for colour perception. The rainbow stems from 3 colours. What this means is that they not only possess a better visual spectrum than we do, but it’s even better than our best technology can offer. It easily outperforms Blu-Ray optical technology. Mantis Shrimps can perceive more colours than we can. Does this mean there are more colours than we know? It makes sense if there are, since most of the light spectrum is not visible to us. What’s certain is that they perceive more than us, including ultraviolet light, and even polarization vision. What is clear to me is that even by studying the material world there’s a whole lot more than meets the eye… or ears and nose - not forgetting taste. So already we know, or are aware of the unknown… sorry to use this once laughed at idiom. But this is the known unknown… So by considering the invisibility of God, specifically addressing people who seem sure that there is no God, or spiritual/supernatural realm, we can already ascertain that even within our humble finite existence, we cannot see all there is to see, or hear all there is to hear… and this is about what we know exists out there. To us, they are known invisible entities. There are definite elements that exist outside our realm of perception. Now, spare another thought for the invisible world of . . . your mind.” Her head cocked to one side, “Wait what? – Yes,” She nodded, looking at our faces, “everything happening inside your mind, your thoughts, your imagination and your dreams. ALL this takes place outside, or apart from the natural material world, and are, by their nature, invisible to others. They are intangible. So already we’ve established 'perceivable' unknowns or invisibilities, and thence indefinable invisibilities. Again, these are invisible elements we know exist. Now think about this: If you’re in an accident, you may lose limbs, have an organ transplant, become paralyzed…" She waited, "the point is, that despite these things, you would still remain who you are, in mind, your personality… the essential things that make you, YOU. And guess what, it’s those invisible things that make us different. I’ve seen a couple of medical cases where patients lost portions of their brain, and though their lives were adversely affected, they still remain essentially who they are as people. So what makes us who we are? This is the existential question, because even through all that I’ve mentioned, there’s still more to us. A relative of mine recently suffered a stroke which has drastically impaired her speech. As a result, she could only enunciate two words: 'Willy boy' – this incidentally is what she used to call her now deceased husband. So of all the words in the two languages that she was able to speak, somehow her brain and mouth 'chose' those words as their default setting as she now learns how to speak again. Is this due to habit, muscle memory, or Love, or all of the above? Either way, its food for thought. We are already more than what we can perceive. Is believing in an “invisible God” really that hard? Ask yourself this: Is your idea of God too ‘provincial’? – The Bible is, well, its like a Vladimir Nabokov quote – ‘not like one wave... and to experience it does not mean you’ve grasped the whole sea. To truly understand it, would mean getting in the boat, going out to open waters until you can’t see land anymore. You then experience the waves that the sea can muster, and in the midst of it, find out what God’s Grace is really about… but still, you would be in the dark as to the teeming life beneath the surface, and the endless undercurrents... Many want to think of God as a simple timekeeper, who wound the universe’s clock, and then let it tick on,” she wafted her hand, “leaving it be, to run its course. But no, when we were created, the first of us, we were created holy, and righteous to stand in God’s presence – it was only Good. So what is Holy? – It means to belong to, or derived from, or associated with - a divine power. Something sacred. Regarded with veneration or specificity. Something reverent. But we disobeyed God, and thence removed ourselves from holiness, from God’s presence, as we descended into sin. And what is Sin? - A condition of estrangement from God, resulting from such disobedience. Romans 14:23 “… and whatever is not from faith is sin” – thus we are born into it, because we are born separated from God – we’re on opposing sides. But this creator of the universe, who sits on his throne in heaven, then stepped off that throne, to be born of a woman, and live amongst us, knowing full well what would happen. He knew he would be killed. But God planned this since our fall in Genesis 3. He planned it perfectly. He chose to dwell among us, to demonstrate his love… and true love is sacrificial – caring not for oneself, but for others. And Sacrifice? - A Relinquishment of something at less than its presumed value. === Imagine you were sentenced to death for a crime you were guilty of - which we all are, in this life - and someone came, and they said they loved you… even though we did not deserve the love, and they said they would take your place,to be executed in your stead. THIS is the type of love God has for us. God didn’t just choose to die, he chose to be beaten, tortured, laid bare and humiliated… reduced to a bleeding chunk of ripped flesh nailed to a wooden cross. - When this was prophesied in the Old Testament, this method of death, and punishment, hadn’t even been invented yet. God not only humbled himself, but Jesus subjected himself to hours of pain for our sake. It would be simple for God to show up and exercise his power, much like the miracles he performed throughout the Bible, with the same universe-creating power, making it obvious to us that he is the one true God, the almighty, brandishing his majesty in a visual feast of splendour and authority, essentially asserting that man choose to follow him, or choose death. But instead, God chose death first, overcame it, and now offers his hand gently, to follow him. God does want obedience, yes, like a father wants from his child, but he doesn’t want to enslave us, or to force us. He cannot make us Love him, because that is not true love. Read the Book properly, and you’ll find that it is in fact a love story, with a hero, fighting for us. The facts are that historians are unanimous. There was a man named Jesus, and he lived, and died, under the rule of Pontias Pilate. The bone of contention is whether or not he rose again. If he did not, then the entire Christian faith is based on a lie. In fact it would then mean that Jesus lied, since he said he would rise again, as it is written in Mark 10:34, Luke 9:22 and Matt 16:21. In fact, the majority of sceptics who studied history and the Bible, to search for evidence, came out of it a Christian. It could be claimed that the ones who were not converted, were never sceptics to begin with, but were rather cynics who presented no evidence to back up their claims that the Bible Story is false. Bertrand Russell admits his take on Jesus was, and I quote 'not concerned with historical facts'. Even outspoken critic Friedrich Nietzsche referred to Jesus as 'the only one true Christian' – whilst the Hindu religious leader Dayanand Saraswati made the wildly ridiculous claim that Jesus is 'a hot-tempered person destitute of knowledge and who behaved like a wild savage' – which he said without producing any evidence. So what we have, is historical evidence, and specifically a first generation of martyrs, who either saw what they claimed to see, or they were lying. All of them could choose to end their suffering, instead they chose to die for their belief. Understand… this is not one man’s testimony, this is the core testimony of Twelve men. Or shall I say thirteen, for after Judas Iscariot killed himself, the Apostles elected Matthias to replace him, and thence there was Apostle Paul. Both of these men died for their faith. So there was twelve apostles who died for their testimony of Jesus. Only Apostle John lived to be an old man, though he endured torture and beatings in his life time. Thus they fulfill Revelations 21:14, where John writes about the names of the Twelve on the twelve foundations of the New Jerusalem. So what does all this have to do with an Invisible God? Simple. These are the signs, the evidence of things unseen. The 'knowns'. Are we to suppose that what we see with our human eyes are all that is there? Let us think about that for a moment. We are claiming that all that our human eyes can see, is the extent of existence. And we do not even know how the human eye works. That is to say we don’t even fully understand the mechanism that allows us to perceive the world around us, and yet we have the audacity to claim “This is all there is”. Primitive men, or people of older times, in rural places, believed in a spiritual realm. It was part of them. Yet modern man has sought to eliminate this aspect of life. Secularism has sought it educate spirituality out of us, to show that it was simply a reflection of the primal uneducated thought patterns. This of course makes the false assumption that you cannot have both spirituality and intellect. And yet, intellects have failed to tear down the Bible. Whether you are an intellect or a simple man, the battle is always in the mind. This is why it is written in Luke 24:45 – “Then he opened their minds so they could understand the scriptures. Our physical bodies are visible, yet that which comprises who we really are, our mannerisms, character, personality and thought patterns… these are all invisible. We live finite lives, yet what we are made of, mentally and spiritually, is not finite. Stepping aside from Jesus Christ for a moment, we can reason that God being 'invisible' as we understand invisibility, is simply because our natural finite human eyes cannot perceive something as vast as a creator of the entire universe. Something so immense cannot fit into this world. Yet he ‘inserted’ himself into his creation a number of times in subtle ways. Moses beheld a burning bush, and as a result he had to wear a veil because his face was glowing due to the encounter he had. Every heavenly encounter in the Bible comes with the words 'DO NOT BE AFRAID'. Because we, as humans, have three principle fears," she held up three fingers which she lowered one at a time as she listed them "the unknown; that which we cannot understand; and lastly, the truth. Spirituality, the supernatural... ticks off all three. ... To believe in God, you need to have an open mind. Class dismissed.” [Image credits: fotocommunity.com, pol-ubeda on flickr.com, imgkid.com]
Check your halo’s, harps and clouds at the door... The truth is that our ideas and imaginings of heaven have always been quite conservative, measured to earthly things and dictated by commercialized media. Or many times heaven is represented as just the best the earth currently has to offer, but surrounded by clouds, which is cool maybe for like, an hour or two, maybe even a day, but what then? It seems a bit empty because many or most people don’t take heaven or the possibility thereof, that seriously. Another truth is that we simply cannot comprehend eternity. So what then for those of us who do take this issue seriously; how do we wrap our minds around it to appropriately adjust our perceptions? Firstly, what have we learned from God in our time here on earth? What notes do we have pertaining to the Almighty's personality, his creative design etc? When looking at the purest things on earth, the purest and most beautiful things this world and life has to offer, what incentive do they provide with a view to the “beyond” in mind? I believe heaven will include all these things, simply amplified in ways unimaginable… but let’s not allow that word unimaginable to get in our way – as we’re encouraged to believe in things unseen… the reason I say that heaven will include these pure things, is simply because they came directly from God. Yes we will worship God, but it won't be like any church service you may or may not have attended. We're meant to worship God in our everyday lives (living sacrifices), so heaven will encompass all the elements that God delights in here on earth. [WARNING: NUDITY AHEAD!] The struggle in this world is to reclaim intimacy with God; to develop our relationship with him. When you look at God’s design of marriage, and the two bodies that make up the union, we learn about God’s romantic and sensual nature (Two elements we need to remind ourselves that he invented – he is literally the God of sex). But looking more objectively - Woman: the crown of all creation, the first of her kind (since there is no gender in heaven due to there being no need for procreation – hence no 70 virgins either by the way) is a most intriguing image of sensuality and beauty. She is yet another picture of a certain side of God. When God made man, he took him through a vast untamed land, a wilderness, before leading him to Eden… So in this way we learn of God’s beauty within the mystery of adventure. Can you imagine what earth looked like in the early days, zero pollution, the air clean and pure, not one impurity in the waters nourishing the vast untamed landscape, teeming with life… it is an invigorating vision. So far we have many basic alluring ingredients all located at the beginning of creation lending some colour and hints into what is to come in the hereafter. We serve a God who is in love with us. He is passionate, he is mighty with a voice loader than thunder… he is a frightening prospect when taking from the images the Bible lends us. Hence C.S. Lewis using the image of a Lion (Aslan) in Narnia in his representation, with little Lucy Pevensie constantly wanting to hug and nestle in his mane, whilst still retaining the knowledge that this is a powerful and untamed beast – fear born out of respect (and what the term “God fearing” entails). And yet we speak of the same God who created sunsets and sunrises, mountainous reflections in lakes, the Aurora Borealis, the human orgasm, an infectious smile, music, dance, rainbows and erupting volcanoes, waterfalls and the entire universe with comets, nebula's and the explosive beauty of a dying star. *** Can we ever know what heaven will be like without ever having been there? Is this why he gave us the ability to have dreams, why we have an imagination… to gain further access to this other world, this other realm, gaining better grasp and clarity of his will and his vision. Let us pause for a moment to contemplate heavenly things. In the Bible, every Angel or heavenly being that appears on earth, invariably opens with the line of “do not be afraid”. Now ask yourself why… Imagine the scene, place yourself there. A great and astonishing light manifests in your presence and an audible voice emanates from it. Everything that arrests your senses at this moment, is otherworldly. You’re encountering something spiritual, something supernatural. This would shock anyone, even the staunchest of believers, simply because it apposes our very nature, and nothing on this earth (save perhaps for the Word of God - the Bible) can fully prepare us for such an encounter. [Click HERE for my Bible Book Review.] “There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire within a bush.” – Exodus 3:2 (NIV) The Supernatural world is literally frightening to our natural earthly selves and shatters our perceptions. To make us understand the imagery the Bible uses things like rumbling, thunder and blinding light in the descriptions of heavenly creatures, with huge audible claps accompanying every flap of their wings. Side-note: (the Biblical word ‘Seraphim’ means “burning ones” – and taking the literal form of burning, the temperature of flames dictate its color,the hottest of which, is white… from yellow to red to purple to blue and finally – white heat). Also, in metallurgy, fire and heat is used to purify the metal, hence the colour and symbolism also denotes the purity of the Angels. In Genesis 3:24 the Cherubim (yes the same angels for which the little archery baby angels of valentines fame derive their name) Angels are described with flaming swords guarding the gate of Eden, inspiring fear and even dread. It was they, the Cherubim who brought down judgement on Jerusalem’s fallen people in Eze 10. These creatures are complex and strange (to our minds eye) creatures bearing no resemblance to the angelic figures conjured by by the majority of contemporary media. “… from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him.” – Ezekiel 1:27 (NIV) Of course applying this to our adult minds, well… as children we were always more adept and receptive to these otherworldly concepts, because as we grow older we seem to cauterize the capacity of our imaginations, seeing certain ideas as immature or irrational. Many are prompted to simply dismiss the supernatural – we are after all talking of things which are not human. If there is one thing we can say about all these visions, is that they are NOT tame. When people talk of being “God fearing”, it is in reference to the literal power and might of God. Here is a being who spoke the world into being… And yet, he loves you. He wants to spend time with you. He wants you to make the choice to love him, because within the DNA of creation, is a story of love and romance, adventure, beauty and purity. * And so, having touched on what heaven could be, we've also glimpsed the other side. So what of it… What is hell? Hell; there are many versions of it, judging by what we’ve seen here on earth, but in eternity, I feel that it is simply abandonment. Being alone in eternity. Cut off from anything and everyone. God loves us, and has offered his love to us freely, but many of us have shunned it. So when it comes to eternity, those who chose to, will be shunned by God. Spending eternity in solitude, deserted. Hell is the Abyss… it is nothing, it is the torment of abandonment, solitary confinement, but the opposite of that – infinite solitude, like being lost in space but without the reference of stars or planets. It is infinite darkness… “What is hell? Hell is oneself. But not to leave you on that note; Considering Lucifer, if we look at all of creation, we see the context. One must look at the greater picture, the whole story. Central to that story, is the fracture in heaven. Just think, the majority of Jesus’ miracles were to do with healing, and to be saved is to be “born again” in spirit… and God said in Rev 22 that effectively Eden, will be restored. Overcoming death (which was never a part of creation), healing and restoration are keynotes (to say the least). When God started the human story (our side) it was a new beginning of hope for what had transpired before, of restoring what was lost in heaven. But to do that, he needs souls who choose him, souls who will love him truly, deeply. Hence reclaiming the intimacy with God, lost in the Garden of Eden (yes this story haunts us), but made available again, afforded to us anew by the sacrifice Jesus made by allowing himself to be nailed to a cross and suffering our fate: death... Dying for someone, taking their place and giving everything for that person, no matter what their attitude or resolve, in all our sin and shame - this is the ultimate expression of his love for us. * “It is as hard to explain how this sunlit land was different from the old Narnia as it would be to tell you how the fruits of that country taste. Perhaps you will get some idea of it if you think like this. You may have been in a room in which there was a window that looked out on a lovely bay of the sea or a green valley that wound away among mountains. And in the wall of that room opposite to the window there may have been a looking-glass. And as you turned away from the window you suddenly caught sight of that sea or that valley, all over again, in the looking glass. And the sea in the mirror, or the valley in the mirror, were in one sense just the same as the real ones: yet at the same time they were somehow different - deeper, more wonderful, more like places in a story: in a story you have never heard but very much want to know. The difference between the old Narnia and the new Narnia was like that. The new one was a deeper country: every rock and flower and blade of grass looked as if it meant more.” Here you have the creator of the entire universe, whose splendour is for all to see… so ask yourself: what’s Heaven really like? Merry Christmas! {Image credits: Pinterest.com, scout.cheatsheet.me, yooperpage.blogspot.com, iliketowastemytime.com, helpyourselfimages.com, www.beautyscenery.com, intothesunrise.blogspot.com, www.tripadvisor.com, celebritiesinview.com, www.theguardian.com, www.freewallsource.com, commons.wikimedia.org, wallroro.com, imgarcade.com, pixgood.com, creative-universes.wikia.com, thefaithpal.blogspot.com, vulgaire.com} Related Reading: An old school friend asked this question in a religious rant on Facebook, prompting me to have a sit-down of good ‘ol contemplation on the issue. To be honest, it was more about the "why is he going to hell" (according to christian beliefs), than "will he". Of course one can't disagree with the stance of most/all atheists and 'neutrals', the guy is a model citizen of the world – almost the male version of Mother Teresa (you know what I mean), spreading nothing but joy and happiness - so why would such a great guy be doomed to the eternal fires of hell? Here’s the thing though; the issue of God, or god. Who is this dude, and why, if he does in fact exist (in the way Christians believe in him), then why would he send such a great guy like His Holiness to hell. What kind of a god punishes good? > World belongs to humanity, not this leader, that leader or that king or prince or religious leader. World belongs to humanity. God So, one day God took a risk and decided to create the world, the heavens and the earth (no small feat, even for him – he did rest on the seventh day). He then took an even bigger risk: he created Man, and endowed him with the gift of free will. Let me put it to you another way: one day, God decided to have children. With the gift of free will, his children then turned away from him and worshiped other gods and idols – this you can interpret as the most dominant aspect of your life. This of course is no ordinary story. God loves us, all of us, and with that – taking another risk, to put his heart out there and be rejected time and time again, and to feel that pain… It IS a relationship. When people speak of a relationship with God, they MEAN a relationship. It goes both ways. Only God has already professed his love for us, already forgiven our innumerable sins – If only we were to acknowledge him as the one true God. So, regarding the Dalai Lama (or any good person who also happens to be a non-believer) God created a home for him and his children to live in, but let me ask this: If heaven is our ultimate home, then why would God allow people to dwell in his house when they do not acknowledge him? He gave us the choice. For those people (even those who do good), who worship other gods, or recognize a different ‘spiritual parent’ – so to speak, they are destined to carry on along that road. They chose NOT to live in the house (Kingdom) of God, and elect to stay in a different house. So, if there is only a heaven and a hell, then there is only one place for those who do not dwell in heaven. This is not easy to accept, by any means. The thing is, even for Christians, doing good deeds and even being a regular attendee of church, will not guarantee your place in heaven. The truth is nothing we do will ever be enough, because being born into this world – means we were born into sin. Man welcomed sin into the world. And there is no room for sin in heaven. And you may have heard - NO man is without sin. Sin Whatever is not of God, is sin. [Romans 3:23 - everyone has sinned and is far away from God's saving presence] This is rather hard to accept.
To be with God, we can only offer ourselves as living sacrifices. God is in love with us, he is after our hearts, but WE deserted him. Spiritually, Christians are destined to be the Bride of Christ (you've probably heard this one before), but think of it as a groom awaiting his bride who constantly cheats on him... here he is, offering and professing his Love forever and always, but we keep turning our back and him. So how are to live in the house of God when we refuse to accept him If we only make the decision to open ourselves up to him… this will NOT ensure an easy life, not by a long shot; it means a life wherein you are at constant odds with your human nature, and the battle between the spiritual and the physical is one which is waged every day.
>> Recommended reading: Wild at Heart by John Eldredge<< Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened. Some interesting reading: The story goes that a Buddhist monk apparently died and came back to life... and his life and beliefs have been changed forever. Link to Athet Pyan Shinthaw Paulu's translated testimony (from Cambodian): 'Back from the Dead' Some debunking of the story - one needs to be skeptical about these things: Debunking Monk's resurrection ‘The story that follows is simply a translation of a taped testimony from a man with a life-changing story. It is not an interview or a biography, but simply the words from the man himself. Different people react in different ways when they hear this story. Some are inspired, some skeptical, a few will mock and ridicule, while some others have even been filled with rage and anger, convinced these words are the ravings of a mad man or an elaborate deception. Some Christians have opposed the story simply because the radical and miraculous events described herein do not fit their feeble image of an Almighty God.’ |
[Banner illustration by Joel Kanar]
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