I sometimes debate with atheists/evolutionists on various web site forums. It's a bad habit of mine! Usually, for the most part, these discussions can be quite reasonable and cordial. I do try hard to answer questions about the Bible honestly and fairly noting that many atheists it seems have a lot of misconceptions with God's nature and character and the Bible in general.
Yet I'm always left with certain questions.
For example one question I like to ask the atheists/evolutionists is, "Shouldn't Christopher Higgins change his name?" I mean most names have a meaning attached to them. Mine for example, David, means "beloved." Biblical names have meaning.
Christopher is a derivation of a Biblical name, or in this case a title and is of Greek origin. It means "bearing Christ inside". Higgins is obviously an atheist so I doubt he's bearing Christ on the inside (not saying that there isn't hope one day that he will!). I mean to be consistent one would think that the first thing an atheist would want to do is change their name once they become an atheist. It seems to make sense; to automatically want to divulge themselves of any name that has Hebrew/Biblical origins, right?
Christopher Hitchens, from what I've been told about his huge brain and wonderful intellect is, apparently, not like "other people" (though he puts his pants on one leg at a time like you and I do). I just think such a grand thinker as Chris is would have "thought" about this and changed his name accordingly.
Just an observation. Carry on!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Has Science Buried God?
Generally I don't place entire videos on my blog. I definitely wanted to post this entire video of a debate between Oxford University Professors Richard Dawkins and John Lennox. It's a wonderful debate. Being a young earth creationist of course I'm biased towards Professor Lennox but that shouldn't stop you from taking the time to watch this wonderful exchange between the two highly skilled minds.
It's thoroughly entertaining. Enjoy!
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
It's thoroughly entertaining. Enjoy!
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Don’t Ask Don’t Tell
By now I’m sure you are all aware that the 17 year-old military policy of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” regarding gays in the military has been repealed by congress and signed into law today by President Obama.
This is not a piece regarding that particular legislation, far from it in fact.
I’ve learned over time that, in spite of whatever the people may think, whether pro or con on any issue, the government and the Congress are basically going to do what they want to do. Is that an overly negative view regarding politics and the government and our role in the functions of said government? Not as I see it. I see it as an extremely pragmatic view in light of what King David tells us in the Psalms.
In Psalm 2 by inspiration of the Holy Spirit David asks an important question that, whenever things such as this recent vote on this policy (or other governmental action for that matter) comes up I find myself asking.
“Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?” Fortunately God, through the Psalmist, doesn’t leave us alone to answer this question. He provides us the answer:
“The kings of the earth take counsel together, against the Lord, and against His anointed saying, let us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us.” And what does God do when these things come to pass when the kings of the earth take counsel against Him? The Psalmist says, “He that sitteth in the Heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.”
No doubt these are great and comforting words! Whenever we see government engaged in things that go against the firm counsel that the Lord has provided in His word it is not for us, the Christian church, to become overly vexed to the point of “wailing and gnashing” our teeth; God has everything under control. Yet this is exactly what will happen in these next few months in the majority of Christian churches across this land. Pastors of all kinds will set their hair on fire and rail against the President, Congress, the Supreme Court and even the local dog catcher (if necessary). They will wail and bemoan this decision by the government as if it was somehow either unexpected or impossible to conceive of.
I used to be involved, for a long time in my younger years, in the political process. Before I became a Seventh-day Adventist I made a decided effort to never vote again or take part in the political process. The straw that broke the proverbial camels back for me was the 2003 Governors election in California. That circus literally turned me off of politics for good.
I began to see that politics was ideally just a show. Little did I realize that three years later I would step inside a Seventh-day Adventist church and two years after that what I would read from some little old lady (with no more than a third grade education and hit in the head with a rock mind you) that would further enlighten me on the absolute fruitlessness of entertaining political questions.
“Our work is to watch, and wait, and pray. Search the Scriptures. Christ has given you warning not to mingle with the world. We are to come out from among them and be separate, “and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2 Corinthians 6:17, 18). Whatever the opinions you may entertain in regard to casting your vote in political questions, you are not to proclaim it by pen or voice. Our people need to be silent upon questions which have no relation to the third angel’s message. If ever a people needed to draw nigh to God, it is Seventh-day Adventists. There have been wonderful devices and plans made. A burning desire has taken hold of men or women to proclaim something, or bind up with something; they do not know what. But the silence of Christ upon many subjects was true eloquence.
My brethren, will you not remember that none of you have any burden laid upon you by the Lord to publish your political preferences in our papers, or to speak of them in the congregation, when the people assemble to hear the Word of the Lord.
We are not as a people to become mixed up with political questions. All would do well to take heed to the Word of God, Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers in political strife, nor bind with them in their attachments. There is no safe ground in which they can stand and work together. The loyal and the disloyal have no equal ground on which to meet.
He who breaks one precept of the commandments of God is a transgressor of the whole law. Keep your voting to yourself. Do not feel it your duty to urge everyone to do as you do.”—Letter 4, 1898.
These words from Mrs. White have given me comfort to know that my decision to abstain from voting and the political process was indeed the right one. Moreover it is amazing just how much these words are foreign to many Christians today. Many Christians today hold out all hope that they can change this country through the political process. Such rational seems extremely misplaced in light of the scripture from Psalm 2 and considering the record of this country - especially since the turn of the 20th century.
It’s not as if we Christians haven’t been warned that we would see things like this recent decision by the Congress coming to pass. Christians have been given advanced notice by our Lord that things like this would indeed take place.
And even though God gives the kings of the earth this instruction He has also given them, as well as us, a way to escape the judgment to come:
“Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou [art] my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give [thee] the heathen [for] thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth [for] thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish [from] the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed [are] all they that put their trust in him.” – Psalm 2:5-12
In spite of what the kings of the world may do we can have great confidence in the promises of the Lord and the redemption He promises to those in Christ Jesus.
This is not a piece regarding that particular legislation, far from it in fact.
I’ve learned over time that, in spite of whatever the people may think, whether pro or con on any issue, the government and the Congress are basically going to do what they want to do. Is that an overly negative view regarding politics and the government and our role in the functions of said government? Not as I see it. I see it as an extremely pragmatic view in light of what King David tells us in the Psalms.
In Psalm 2 by inspiration of the Holy Spirit David asks an important question that, whenever things such as this recent vote on this policy (or other governmental action for that matter) comes up I find myself asking.
“Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?” Fortunately God, through the Psalmist, doesn’t leave us alone to answer this question. He provides us the answer:
“The kings of the earth take counsel together, against the Lord, and against His anointed saying, let us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us.” And what does God do when these things come to pass when the kings of the earth take counsel against Him? The Psalmist says, “He that sitteth in the Heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.”
No doubt these are great and comforting words! Whenever we see government engaged in things that go against the firm counsel that the Lord has provided in His word it is not for us, the Christian church, to become overly vexed to the point of “wailing and gnashing” our teeth; God has everything under control. Yet this is exactly what will happen in these next few months in the majority of Christian churches across this land. Pastors of all kinds will set their hair on fire and rail against the President, Congress, the Supreme Court and even the local dog catcher (if necessary). They will wail and bemoan this decision by the government as if it was somehow either unexpected or impossible to conceive of.
I used to be involved, for a long time in my younger years, in the political process. Before I became a Seventh-day Adventist I made a decided effort to never vote again or take part in the political process. The straw that broke the proverbial camels back for me was the 2003 Governors election in California. That circus literally turned me off of politics for good.
I began to see that politics was ideally just a show. Little did I realize that three years later I would step inside a Seventh-day Adventist church and two years after that what I would read from some little old lady (with no more than a third grade education and hit in the head with a rock mind you) that would further enlighten me on the absolute fruitlessness of entertaining political questions.
“Our work is to watch, and wait, and pray. Search the Scriptures. Christ has given you warning not to mingle with the world. We are to come out from among them and be separate, “and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2 Corinthians 6:17, 18). Whatever the opinions you may entertain in regard to casting your vote in political questions, you are not to proclaim it by pen or voice. Our people need to be silent upon questions which have no relation to the third angel’s message. If ever a people needed to draw nigh to God, it is Seventh-day Adventists. There have been wonderful devices and plans made. A burning desire has taken hold of men or women to proclaim something, or bind up with something; they do not know what. But the silence of Christ upon many subjects was true eloquence.
My brethren, will you not remember that none of you have any burden laid upon you by the Lord to publish your political preferences in our papers, or to speak of them in the congregation, when the people assemble to hear the Word of the Lord.
We are not as a people to become mixed up with political questions. All would do well to take heed to the Word of God, Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers in political strife, nor bind with them in their attachments. There is no safe ground in which they can stand and work together. The loyal and the disloyal have no equal ground on which to meet.
He who breaks one precept of the commandments of God is a transgressor of the whole law. Keep your voting to yourself. Do not feel it your duty to urge everyone to do as you do.”—Letter 4, 1898.
These words from Mrs. White have given me comfort to know that my decision to abstain from voting and the political process was indeed the right one. Moreover it is amazing just how much these words are foreign to many Christians today. Many Christians today hold out all hope that they can change this country through the political process. Such rational seems extremely misplaced in light of the scripture from Psalm 2 and considering the record of this country - especially since the turn of the 20th century.
It’s not as if we Christians haven’t been warned that we would see things like this recent decision by the Congress coming to pass. Christians have been given advanced notice by our Lord that things like this would indeed take place.
And even though God gives the kings of the earth this instruction He has also given them, as well as us, a way to escape the judgment to come:
“Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou [art] my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give [thee] the heathen [for] thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth [for] thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish [from] the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed [are] all they that put their trust in him.” – Psalm 2:5-12
In spite of what the kings of the world may do we can have great confidence in the promises of the Lord and the redemption He promises to those in Christ Jesus.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Is it possible...
Is it possible that God made the universe so incredibly vast and this planet & human beings so incredibly small and seemingly insignificant so as to humble mankind and to demonstrate His great power and authority? Just asking.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Slowly but Surely...
It's coming. Just listen to Judith Shulevitz's comments regarding the state and that the state's position supersedes that of Seventh-day Adventist's and even Jews, which remarkably she happens to be one! There will be a Sunday law one day.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Scary God or Scary People?
Here's another excellent presentation and perspective on Jesus Christ and the God of the Old Testament from Dr. Brad Cole from the 2010 Good News Tour in Vancouver, BC. I know you'll enjoy it.
Friday, June 11, 2010
What does a Christian look like?
An excellent presentation and perspective on Jesus Christ from Greg Boyd at the recent 2010 Good News Tour in Vancouver, BC. Enjoy.
What Does A Christian Look Like?
What Does A Christian Look Like?
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
The Twin Pillars Of The Reformation
More from Professor Veith and the "Rekindling the Reformation" series. Fascinating how far Christianity has not only come but how far it has fallen since the Reformation began.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Who is a Jew?
Ran into this web site called Being Jewish while checking on something completely different than what I was looking for (doesn't that always happen?) where this statement was made: "The Torah also forbids a Jewish man to marry a Gentile woman, and if he does, his children by that woman will not be Jewish."
Having my curiosity pricked I decided to write and ask a question. My question was: How do you explain Boaz's marriage to Ruth?
As you will recall Ruth was a Moabitess. She later was married to Boaz, a Jew (Ruth 4:13). Thus springing from Boaz's loins came Obed who was the grandfather of David who later became the King of Judea (Ruth 4:17).
When, or if, I get an answer I'll fill you in.
Having my curiosity pricked I decided to write and ask a question. My question was: How do you explain Boaz's marriage to Ruth?
As you will recall Ruth was a Moabitess. She later was married to Boaz, a Jew (Ruth 4:13). Thus springing from Boaz's loins came Obed who was the grandfather of David who later became the King of Judea (Ruth 4:17).
When, or if, I get an answer I'll fill you in.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
We can see in the dark
For just a few seconds imagine if you will that you are enclosed in a room totally devoid of any light. At first the room would appear pitch black making it virtually impossible to see anything. And yet, over time however your eyes would begin to adjust to the darkness and something truly amazing would begin to happen. As your eyes adjusted to the darkness something you would begin to see, believe it or not, light!
Now I'm not about to get into a lesson on the physics of light because simply put that would be tantamount to the blind leading the blind!
What I can say with certainty is that in a darkened room our eyes would adjust to the point that they would actually able to sense single photons of light as they penetrated the walls of the darkened room. These photons penetrate and pass through all forms of matter such as our bodies and walls. These photons of light are what our eyes are able to pick up even if we were to be placed in a blackout room.
And this brings me to my point. Being placed in a blacked out room is analogous to, and illustrative of, how the light of the world - Jesus Christ - enlightens the darkened of heart of man. The heart of course isn’t the literal heart but is our mind - our thinking, our reasoning, our understanding and our comprehension.
In the first chapter of the Gospel of John the disciple tells us quite plainly in verse 4 that, “In him (Jesus) was life; and the life was the light of men.” Verse 5 continues by saying “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”
John is telling us that in Jesus was life and the life of Jesus was the light of men and that this light shines in the darkness and the darkness just can’t understand this. And yet we can understand from a very simple illustration that light does indeed penetrate even a darkened room devoid of is light.
This light is still with us and still available to us anytime we choose to seek it through Christ’s Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit our darkened minds can be illuminated to His life and His life, told to us in His word, lightens our path which allows us to see our way even as we travel in the dark!
Now I'm not about to get into a lesson on the physics of light because simply put that would be tantamount to the blind leading the blind!
What I can say with certainty is that in a darkened room our eyes would adjust to the point that they would actually able to sense single photons of light as they penetrated the walls of the darkened room. These photons penetrate and pass through all forms of matter such as our bodies and walls. These photons of light are what our eyes are able to pick up even if we were to be placed in a blackout room.
And this brings me to my point. Being placed in a blacked out room is analogous to, and illustrative of, how the light of the world - Jesus Christ - enlightens the darkened of heart of man. The heart of course isn’t the literal heart but is our mind - our thinking, our reasoning, our understanding and our comprehension.
In the first chapter of the Gospel of John the disciple tells us quite plainly in verse 4 that, “In him (Jesus) was life; and the life was the light of men.” Verse 5 continues by saying “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”
John is telling us that in Jesus was life and the life of Jesus was the light of men and that this light shines in the darkness and the darkness just can’t understand this. And yet we can understand from a very simple illustration that light does indeed penetrate even a darkened room devoid of is light.
This light is still with us and still available to us anytime we choose to seek it through Christ’s Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit our darkened minds can be illuminated to His life and His life, told to us in His word, lightens our path which allows us to see our way even as we travel in the dark!
Why Can't I Own a Canadian?
One of my Facebook friends recently posted this letter from 2002 titled, "Why Can't I Own a Canadian?" Here's the link to the article: http://bit.ly/aqaCrk
The letter is rather funny in spots, yet also quite sad in a way, especially when we contemplate the necessity for God to even have to give people such laws in the first place. Looked at wrong and it can give one the impression that God is simply mean, vindictive, harsh, vengeful, arbitrary, exacting and capricious. Personally I think misunderstanding God makes God look bad.
For example from the letter is this: "I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?" Now that's funny if for the simple fact that footballs are made from cowhide and not pig skin! However it should not necessarily render such advice from God as being somehow arbitrary or severe. Pigs are after all fairly dirty animals, especially if we can imagine the conditions during the days of the Exodus. The way I see it God was simply dispensing good advice to the children of Israel.
It's the same principal as when a parent doesn't want their child to eat all the cookies in the cookie jar before dinner when we really think long and hard about it. Is it because the parent is trying to ruin junior's fun or is it because the parent knows what will happen to the child that eats nothing but cookies? You know, I always post this video when questions about God's guidance as to what to eat or what to touch come up because it illustrates just how good and true God's guidance really is : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJCh7bR1Nf0 - this video is quite informative and definitely insightful.
Another example might be, "...as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend)...." Hopefully we'll learn to know that garments, i.e. clothing, in the Bible are always a sign of Christ's righteousness...always. So there is actually some deep spiritual connotation to this advice that God dispensed.
Job 29: 14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem.
Isaiah 59:17 For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak. (Eph. 6;15-17)
Gal 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. The NIV changes "put on" to clothed.
Rev 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
Rev 7:14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Interestingly the law of God dealt only with marrying flax and woolen garments together which, when we ponder them, are of themselves quite symbolic. I did a presentation at one of the prisons I go to for the inmates regarding this one time.
When we question the laws of God without seeking the meaning of them or attempting to understand the reasons why God felt it necessary to give them to the Children of Israel then we run a huge risk in misunderstanding God and His nature and character. Our Heavenly Father is a wonderful, loving, gracious and merciful God. He loved us all in spite of ourselves and all our faults, and demonstrated this most vividly and poignantly on the cross! Our God is the same today as He was yesterday, and yet when we misunderstand Him it is easy to characterize Him as vengeful, arbitrary, vindictive or severe.
As I have had it illustrated to me by Dr. Brad Cole of Heavenly Sanctuary in one of their Good News Tour events we as parents tell young kindergartners not to run with scissors in their hands but we don't tell grad school students to do this. Could you imagine a world where we had to? The children of Israel were equivalent to kindergartners, not grad students. God had to bring them along in the wilderness because He had to meet them at the level of understanding the could comprehend.
The letter is rather funny in spots, yet also quite sad in a way, especially when we contemplate the necessity for God to even have to give people such laws in the first place. Looked at wrong and it can give one the impression that God is simply mean, vindictive, harsh, vengeful, arbitrary, exacting and capricious. Personally I think misunderstanding God makes God look bad.
For example from the letter is this: "I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?" Now that's funny if for the simple fact that footballs are made from cowhide and not pig skin! However it should not necessarily render such advice from God as being somehow arbitrary or severe. Pigs are after all fairly dirty animals, especially if we can imagine the conditions during the days of the Exodus. The way I see it God was simply dispensing good advice to the children of Israel.
It's the same principal as when a parent doesn't want their child to eat all the cookies in the cookie jar before dinner when we really think long and hard about it. Is it because the parent is trying to ruin junior's fun or is it because the parent knows what will happen to the child that eats nothing but cookies? You know, I always post this video when questions about God's guidance as to what to eat or what to touch come up because it illustrates just how good and true God's guidance really is : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJCh7bR1Nf0 - this video is quite informative and definitely insightful.
Another example might be, "...as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend)...." Hopefully we'll learn to know that garments, i.e. clothing, in the Bible are always a sign of Christ's righteousness...always. So there is actually some deep spiritual connotation to this advice that God dispensed.
Job 29: 14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem.
Isaiah 59:17 For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak. (Eph. 6;15-17)
Gal 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. The NIV changes "put on" to clothed.
Rev 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
Rev 7:14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Interestingly the law of God dealt only with marrying flax and woolen garments together which, when we ponder them, are of themselves quite symbolic. I did a presentation at one of the prisons I go to for the inmates regarding this one time.
When we question the laws of God without seeking the meaning of them or attempting to understand the reasons why God felt it necessary to give them to the Children of Israel then we run a huge risk in misunderstanding God and His nature and character. Our Heavenly Father is a wonderful, loving, gracious and merciful God. He loved us all in spite of ourselves and all our faults, and demonstrated this most vividly and poignantly on the cross! Our God is the same today as He was yesterday, and yet when we misunderstand Him it is easy to characterize Him as vengeful, arbitrary, vindictive or severe.
As I have had it illustrated to me by Dr. Brad Cole of Heavenly Sanctuary in one of their Good News Tour events we as parents tell young kindergartners not to run with scissors in their hands but we don't tell grad school students to do this. Could you imagine a world where we had to? The children of Israel were equivalent to kindergartners, not grad students. God had to bring them along in the wilderness because He had to meet them at the level of understanding the could comprehend.
They Have Made Void Thy Law - Parts I & II
Professor Veith from the "Rekindling the Reformation" series. Great stuff as always.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Obama's Choice
If President Obama's choice for the soon to be vacant Supreme Court seat presently held by John Paul Stevens, Elena Kagan, the U.S. solicitor general and a former dean of Harvard Law School, is confirmed there will be a grand total of ZERO protestants on the Supreme Court.
Gee, that's fairly interesting.
Gee, that's fairly interesting.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Do you remember your birthday?
How many of you actually remember what day your birthday is on? I’m going to guess everyone does. Mine happens to fall on March the 8th and for that reason March 8 is always significant in my life. Now as I’m sure you are aware March 8th doesn’t fall on the same day every year. Sometimes it’s a Monday, as it was this year, or sometimes it’s a Thursday, or a Saturday, or it could fall on another day of the week. Oh, and just in case you have begun planning ahead next year March 8th falls on a Tuesday; mark your calendars!
Similarly this Monday, March 29th at sundown marks the historical significance of a time that I would imagine might also be quite meaningful to most of us that have chosen to call themselves Christian, provided we know about it. For you see, just like your birthday the date itself never changes, yet your birthday may fall on a different day from year to year so to then the time of the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Savior occurs during a specific time period, yet never actually falls on the same day from year to year.
If you aren’t aware Passover begins this coming Monday at sundown which, according to Hebrew reckoning, is really the 14th day of the month of Nisan. If you’ll recall, from the instructions given to the Hebrew people by God in the book of Exodus chapter 12 the Hebrew people where to set aside a one year-old male lamb, without spot or blemish, on the 10th day of the first month (Ex 12:3-5). On the 14th day of the month that lamb was to be slain and its blood placed upon both the upper and side door posts of the house (Ex. 12:6-7). This was to be done as an act of faith to remind the Hebrews of the protection that the blood of the slain lamb would offer from the visitation of the angel of death.
The symbolism of Exodus chapter 12 is still very much with us to this day and that is why Monday, March 29th at sundown should actually be quite significant for you, the Christian. For just like your birthday, it marks the time when Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior; the Lamb of God slain before the world was first created, was crushed by the tremendous weight of sin in the Garden of Gethsemane, so much so that He actually began to sweat drops of blood. He was then arrested, tried in a sham trial, and shamefully handled mistreated, beaten, bruised and subsequently crucified - all to bring mankind into full reconciliation with God the Father.
Thus just before sundown on March 30th which would mark the beginning of the 15th day of Nisan we are privy to remembering our Savior’s on the cross and His last plea to His Father when He said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” We can remember His last gasping breath, “It is finished.” We can remember this was the eve of the Sabbath where pious and holy men were able to kill the Son of God (this doesn’t mean you’re off the hook) and rush home in time to honor the Sabbath day.
This means then that the actual anniversary date that Jesus Christ rose from the tomb, thus holding captivity captive; so that we too could have that blessed hope and faith of being resurrected from the dead and into a new life with Christ will fall on Thursday, April 1st, for He rested in the tomb on what would have been Nisan 16 or this year the 31st of March. So when you awake next Thursday morning remember the truly awesome significance of the day. For it is the anniversary when Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary, the mother of James came to the tomb of Christ to finish anointing Him with the spices they had prepared only to find that the stone covering the sepulcher had been rolled away and two men in shining garments asking the women, “Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen. Remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, saying, the Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again”
Let us prayerfully remember the events of that Passover so long ago when our Lord and Savior, through His death on the cross, sought to bring mankind into greater understanding of the love of our Heavenly Father and the great expense He chose to pay.
If you would like a deeper, fascinating description of, and look into the events surrounding the crucifixion of our Lord I invite you to read chapters 74 to 83 in the book, The Desire of Ages by Ellen G. White.
God Bless.
Similarly this Monday, March 29th at sundown marks the historical significance of a time that I would imagine might also be quite meaningful to most of us that have chosen to call themselves Christian, provided we know about it. For you see, just like your birthday the date itself never changes, yet your birthday may fall on a different day from year to year so to then the time of the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Savior occurs during a specific time period, yet never actually falls on the same day from year to year.
If you aren’t aware Passover begins this coming Monday at sundown which, according to Hebrew reckoning, is really the 14th day of the month of Nisan. If you’ll recall, from the instructions given to the Hebrew people by God in the book of Exodus chapter 12 the Hebrew people where to set aside a one year-old male lamb, without spot or blemish, on the 10th day of the first month (Ex 12:3-5). On the 14th day of the month that lamb was to be slain and its blood placed upon both the upper and side door posts of the house (Ex. 12:6-7). This was to be done as an act of faith to remind the Hebrews of the protection that the blood of the slain lamb would offer from the visitation of the angel of death.
The symbolism of Exodus chapter 12 is still very much with us to this day and that is why Monday, March 29th at sundown should actually be quite significant for you, the Christian. For just like your birthday, it marks the time when Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior; the Lamb of God slain before the world was first created, was crushed by the tremendous weight of sin in the Garden of Gethsemane, so much so that He actually began to sweat drops of blood. He was then arrested, tried in a sham trial, and shamefully handled mistreated, beaten, bruised and subsequently crucified - all to bring mankind into full reconciliation with God the Father.
Thus just before sundown on March 30th which would mark the beginning of the 15th day of Nisan we are privy to remembering our Savior’s on the cross and His last plea to His Father when He said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” We can remember His last gasping breath, “It is finished.” We can remember this was the eve of the Sabbath where pious and holy men were able to kill the Son of God (this doesn’t mean you’re off the hook) and rush home in time to honor the Sabbath day.
This means then that the actual anniversary date that Jesus Christ rose from the tomb, thus holding captivity captive; so that we too could have that blessed hope and faith of being resurrected from the dead and into a new life with Christ will fall on Thursday, April 1st, for He rested in the tomb on what would have been Nisan 16 or this year the 31st of March. So when you awake next Thursday morning remember the truly awesome significance of the day. For it is the anniversary when Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary, the mother of James came to the tomb of Christ to finish anointing Him with the spices they had prepared only to find that the stone covering the sepulcher had been rolled away and two men in shining garments asking the women, “Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen. Remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, saying, the Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again”
Let us prayerfully remember the events of that Passover so long ago when our Lord and Savior, through His death on the cross, sought to bring mankind into greater understanding of the love of our Heavenly Father and the great expense He chose to pay.
If you would like a deeper, fascinating description of, and look into the events surrounding the crucifixion of our Lord I invite you to read chapters 74 to 83 in the book, The Desire of Ages by Ellen G. White.
God Bless.
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