What Are You Afraid Of?

I guess the answer to that question depends on your worldview, doesn't it? And for those who aren't sure what constitutes a worldview, here is a great definition from Ravi Zacharias International Ministries: 1) It is the metaphysical (conceptual), or philosophical, or ideological reality of the world you and I live in; 2) It governs how we live, not where we live. It defines why we live, what we live for, what we appreciate, what we reject, what we are passionate about, and what we detest. So, it makes sense, that our worldview can define who we are, how we see ourselves, and what we define as valuable. 

If we define ourselves as Christians, let's see how that definition breaks down ... and let me speak for myself. My concept, philosophy and reality of the world I live in is that the human race lives in a fallen state, in which mankind surrendered his divinely-bestowed authority over the earth to the Enemy of the God that created this planet we inhabit. Therefore, history is a record of the battle between Good and Evil; between those who follow the Most High God, and those who pledge their allegiance to the Prince of Darkness. But the God who created us was not willing to give up on us and sacrificed a part of Himself to offer us a rescue plan; a way to defeat the consequences of Death and His wrath, and to restore this earth to its original design and ownership. 

Now, I know that sounds really religious, and although that is the knowledge that underlies my worldview, I also know that I have to live in this world, make a living to support myself, and that I don't live alone segregated from the rest of humankind. There is a way to treat people that is moral and right. This view of the world governs how I live as well as my purpose for living.

I have made a choice to align myself with my Creator and His character and nature. That means I exist because I have a job to do while I'm on this earth. I have been afforded a great gift -- forgiveness of the life I used to live, when I thought only of myself in unbridled self-absorption. And I know I've been given the opportunity to share what my faith has done in changing who I am. I know that the number of my days on this earth are short and I was created to point the way to the One True God. That means that I'm aware of how people operate in the world -- from the people I call friends to those in the highest levels of world government. I know that there is judgment coming upon the earth for how we've treated others, and I know that it is my desire to please the God who saved me from falling for the lies of the world. I am passionate about living a life that has eternal meaning, not just existing for the material comforts this world can offer. I rejoice that I know my Savior, and He knows me! And I detest anything that comes against that and my purpose for being alive. I am not afraid of dying because I know what comes after this and it is glorious!

Yet, as Christians, we still find ourselves battling those feelings of anxiety and apprehension in these days. I am seeing and hearing from many people who I know love Jesus, but are still firmly tied to this world. Fear of losing jobs, homes, health, family members, and freedom has shaken our foundation. And for some, even the foundation of their faith is now unbalanced. Sadly, those who have benefited from the extraordinary opportunities to amass wealth in this country (both Christian and non-believers alike) are now focused on trying to protect their storehouses of treasure. I see people still looking for political leaders to be resurrected and lead us out of this nightmare. I see many of the faithful denying what Scripture says about what happens when God's cup of wrath is full, and wanting to lean on only the hope-filled verses that make us feel good. 

I was fortunate in stumbling upon these couple of sentences by Pastor Bob Deffinbaugh of Richardson, Texas, and I think they sum up what I'm trying to say ... "God is judging men for their sin today and few even know it is happening. Unbelievers are unaware of God’s judgment, because they do not know God, nor are they alert to His presence and power in the world today. This is to be expected. But many Christians are equally ignorant of God’s present judgment of sin. They think of God’s judgment only in terms of the future." So, we ask why the world is deteriorating, and keep expecting that it is going to "return to normal", or at least get better. Or we preach that a return to godliness is just around the corner, "because we have victory in Christ"! What are we really afraid we're going to see, if we face our fears?

Could it be that our Christian worldview has become tarnished or tepid? Have we become self-indulgent even in believing what our Bible tells us? If we are afraid of losing everything [all our possessions or all that we've worked for and dreamed of ] ... or we are afraid of losing relationships and even our own life ... then we are afraid that eternal life might cost us something, and we aren't willing or prepared to give all of it to Jesus. 

I understand that this time is unprecedented in the history of our nation. When considered from the lens of all of history, we have seen our country fall from grace and favor in what seems like the blink of an eye. But if we have a solid Christian worldview, then we should be seeing the battlefield and the forces lining up in their strategic positions. But we should not cower in fear! There is no need to panic! The Lord battles with us and for us! We know the ultimate plan and who wins! Our God is the Everlasting God and He sits on His throne and will never be ousted. It will be in His timing and His administration that we will be victorious in more than what we've accumulated in this life, and in this world. We may lose everything that the present world defines as precious -- but we have everything to gain! 

So, if you find yourself obsessed about what is at risk in the treacherous days ahead, please stop and reassess what you are afraid of losing. If the focus is all on your material possessions or status, then maybe you don't believe the Bible is truth; or maybe you're afraid Jesus won't really come through for you. You might even doubt the reality of an afterlife or eternal life. But I'm here to tell you that now is the time to establish who you are and what is the foundation of your worldview. It is my prayer that you will build a spiritual house, with Jesus as your Cornerstone; and where you can weather all the slings and arrows thrown at you by the Enemy; where you rest in confidence that the One who is Faithful and True can and will establish you as an heir of the Kingdom. You will suffer no fear or anxiety, as you bask in the Source of Life everlasting. There is no fear for what tomorrow may bring, because there will soon be a day that dawns bright in the Kingdom of God! That day is worth more than all we can accumulate in this life! Let that worldview be yours today!

Psalm 56:11     What harm could man do to me? With God on my side, I will not be afraid of what comes. My heart overflows with praise to God and for His promises. I will always trust in Him.

 

Are Christianity and Science Compatible?

As I've delved into the ancient history of civilizations and cultures, there is none that fascinates me more than the founding of this great nation. From the time I was about nine-years-old, I inhaled every history book I could get my hands on. I loved learning about the Pilgrims and their flight from religious persecution to come to the New World where they could freely worship their Christian faith without "state" interference. I often wished I could have lived in colonial times, and in my childhood innocence, I dreamed of what it would have been like to have grown up during the American War for Independence. I loved the stories about early American heroes, pioneers, and adventurers -- Benjamin Franklin, Abigail Adams, Daniel Boone, Lewis and Clark. 

I appreciated the freedom our nation offered to worship as we wished, while applauding the inventive and scientific minds of our young nation. I truly thought that faith and science could co-exist in harmony and mutual respect in this land of opportunity. Sadly, I'm also feeling like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz when Toto pulls back the curtain and she realizes everything she's heard about the magical land of Oz is tarnished. Mind you, I still count my blessings that God chose to send my spirit to live in this country. In the history of nations and empires, no other country has come the closest to allowing men and women to have dominion over their lives. Ideally, we would have transferred that idea of "dominion" into God's plan for us to take dominion [authority] for His Kingdom on earth. That's still my goal [and a reality] but I am also seeing how, from the beginning of this Republic we call the United States, the Enemy has been undermining our founding principles and there is an alternative history that has been running commensurate with our idealistic narrative. Let me share that undercurrent, which has been existing in the shadows throughout our history and is now ready to stake its claim on our future.

In a fascinating article titled Christianity, Science, and the Enlightenment, a group of authors contributed this concept: "The 17th Century was the moment when opposition to Christianity's cultural authority came to be located, not so much among scientists, but among intellectuals who championed science as an alternative to Christianity." Here's how those anti-Christian intellectuals saw it ... the Bible could not adequately explain the causes of the world's natural phenomena. Therefore it was claimed that Christian intellectuals were not connected to reality. But Christian authorities did themselves no favor by declaring that many of the "scientists" of the day were heretics. It also didn't help the relationship between Christianity and Science that Church authorities asserted that faith transcended any scientific reality. 

And that brings us to one of our most fascinating Founding Fathers and the beginning of a cultural clash in America between Christianity and Science. As schoolchildren, we have all been taught about Ben Franklin's experiment using a key and a kite during a lightning storm to prove the existence of electricity and its properties. At that time in our nation's religious conscience the events of a storm, with angry clouds and lightning, were often considered to be representative of God's wrath; a judgment against unrighteous living. Franklin didn't see it that way.  He saw the need to protect homes from the devastating consequences of a lightning strike and set about trying to figure out the causes of this natural phenomena, which led to his invention of the lightning rod. In fact, he wrote a letter to the provincial governor of New York, stating, "It has pleased God in His goodness to Mankind, at length to discover [to them] the means of securing their habitations and other buildings from mischief by thunder and lightning". Obviously, Franklin found no conflict between God or Science. But then, just as now, the religious spirit which was alive and well in the colonies, found many inhabitants who objected to the invention of the lightning rod on the grounds that it was subverting God's will!

Franklin's discovery concerning electricity, and his subsequent invention, brought him to the attention of the Royal Society of London, founded in 1660 by King Charles 11. And this is where we begin to see the conflict between Christianity/Religion and Science. The official title of this organization was "The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge", and their primary charge was to study and disseminate scientific understanding of the world. Founded by Freemasons, its Fellows have included some of the most preeminent figures in history, including: King George IV; Sir Isaac Newton; Sir Winston Churchill; the philosopher Voltaire; scientists Benjamin Franklin and Erasmus Darwin (grandfather of Charles); James Watt, Scottish mechanical engineer who invented the steam engine and brought about the Industrial Revolution; Edward Jenner, a physician who developed the smallpox vaccination; Sir Alexander Fleming, bacteriologist who discovered penicillin; and Enrico Fermi, an Italian nuclear physicist who became part of the Manhattan Project, which was responsible for developing the atomic bomb.

By now, I hope you are seeing where history is taking us. The Royal Society of London is closely associated with the period of history called "The Enlightenment". The website, British Literature Wiki, says, "The Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, began in Europe in the 17th and 18th Centuries. Its purpose was to challenge ideas based on faith and without scientific merit." One of the most influential men of The Enlightenment [and a President of the Royal Society] was Sir Isaac Newton. Described as a mathematician, astronomer, and physicist, Newton also discovered calculus, the fundamentals of optics, his famous law of gravity, and three basic laws of motion. He was definitely a scientist. But he also identified as a naturalist [the philosophy that everything can be explained by natural laws and forces without reference to the supernatural, aka God]. Sir Isaac was also deeply religious, and wrote this stunning statement: "The most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an Intelligent Being ... This Being governs all things, not as the soul of the world, but as Lord over all ... The Supreme God is a Being eternal, infinite, and absolutely perfect". Sounds like a devout Christian, right? Newton was also a Freemason, and here is where his world (our ours) of science and religion collide.

According to the website, Answers In Genesis, "Few people know that Newton spent much more time researching and writing on theology than science. Most of his time was consumed with harmonizing biblical history and the chronology of other ancient peoples, as well as attempting to decode biblical prophecy." In the Enlightenment, these "men of reason" were attempting to rescue the "true knowledge" and "pure religion" from what they saw as a corrupted and perverted theology. Like many men of this era, Newton was a complex man. But if you haven't already, I would urge you to read my previous post, How God's Sacred Knowledge Got Corrupted. There you will see that from the beginning of mankind, there has been a struggle between two opposing forces, both claiming that they possessed "true Knowledge" and "true Faith". Both claim Adam as their ancestral father, and both claim they have the "sacred Knowledge" that God deposited in the Tree of Knowledge. 

But we can clearly see how that knowledge has been used for both good and evil. I believe that God created the sciences, which He hoped to share with mankind for their betterment -- in His time and His ordained ways. If man had followed His commandment not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge on his own, but wait on the Lord, then can we presume that man would have always credited God with being the provider of all things good? Don't you think God had determined from the beginning that He would give man what he needed to survive in the world and to progress in understanding and knowledge as He led us in righteous growth and development? Instead, man fell for Satan's lie that he could become his own god, which has led to that sacred knowledge becoming corrupted and exploited. Evil forces have mixed and blended faith and science, and unfortunately there have been times when science has dethroned faith. One only needs to think on the Nazi Holocaust and the evil medical experiments on prisoners, conducted by Dr. Josef Mengele, or the Tuskegee experiments and Agent Orange experiments, to see how supernatural forces can distort and subvert what God meant for good. Understanding in the science of the human body has led to good ... penicillin, for instance; the study of vitamins and minerals in proper nutrition and health; and the study of the human anatomy has taught us how muscles and movement affect our overall health. 

Because of disparate views of if -- and how -- God intervened in the natural world, there soon became a split between Christianity and Science. They began in harmony with both positions seeing the world as "a mirror of God's greatness", and Christian intellectuals actually embraced the new knowledge and sought to celebrate science as proof of the truth of Christianity. But Christianity and Science soon took divergent paths. As scientific investigation advanced, Christian intellectuals credited everything as the result of a Divine hand -- from spider webs to the law of gravity to human emotions. Everything was argued as evidence for the existence of the Christian God. But these Christian thinkers rarely advanced to the upper echelons of state churches, and there soon came a new belief system known as Deism. The definition of Deism will show its profound influence on how Christianity and Science began their moves away from each other. 

Deism is defined as 1) A religious belief holding that God created the universe and established rationally comprehensible moral and natural laws, but does not intervene in human affairs through miracles or supernatural revelation; 2) The doctrine that God is distinct, and separated from the world; and 3) Belief in the existence of a personal God, accompanied with the denial of revelation and of the authority of the Christian church. You can see how this belief system could give men permission to pursue Science apart from the influence of Christianity and faith. Matthew Tindal, a major Deist figure in the 17th and 18th centuries, and a Freemason, stated that "All that was right and moral in Christianity might be reasoned from the laws of nature without recourse to Scripture and the fabulous stories it contained." 

Now, keeping in mind that the Royal Society of London, one of the foremost promoters of intellectual Science in the world (even today), was founded by Freemasons, I refer to my post from yesterday, Gnosticism, Freemasonry, Moral Relativism, and the Modern Church. In that article I made the following statement, which should begin to tie up the loose ends of the compatibility of Christianity and Science ... "The modern era of Freemasonry became popular in the 18th century, and coincided with the birth of modern science which began to separate itself from religion. This new effect of science on Christianity resulted in a theology that began to reject and deny the literal truth of the Bible in favor of one that became infected with allegorical interpretations. [This created a huge schism between literal and interpretative translations of the Bible]." So, here we see that both Christianity and Science became infected with belief systems that were corrupted from God's original plan.

Ben Franklin, both a Deist and a member of the Royal Society of London, most definitely played an important role in advancing the split between Christianity and Science in the early days of our nation. While we have, for the most part, maintained our identity as a Christian nation, we can see the influence of decidedly non-Christian forces in our laws that seek to minimize Christianity in favor of a humanistic and scientific worldview. It has become vastly apparent in these last view years. So, are Christianity and Science compatible? I guess that depends on your view of God, and if He reigns supreme in your heart and mind. Where we are headed as a nation and in the world does not look promising at the moment. But I am one who waits on the Lord and trusts Him to see His will done on earth as it is in Heaven. That does not mean He will swoop in and rescue us from all the tragedies that come when mankind places his authority over the sovereignty of the Most High God. He has shown in His Word that He will not suffer disobedience and rebellion forever. Those who place their scientific authority above His will and purpose will soon come to know the fallacy of their pride. They who believe that our faith is merely filled with "romances void of possibility"; who worship "a hero composed of qualities impossible to define"; and whose Name "is only a vague word", will find that all that they have invented by the power of their own minds will soon be burned up in His Divine wrath. As it stands now, I am afraid Christianity and Science do not have much in common. Let us continue to pray that brilliant minds turn back to the Creator. The survival of millions who put their faith in mankind depends on it. 

For a deeper analysis on this fascinating subject, read the entire article, Christianity, Science, and the Enlightenment. 

 Ecclesiastes 8:17     Then I saw all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. However much man may toil in seeking, he will not find it out. Even though a wise man claims to know, he cannot find it out. 

 

  

Gnosticism, Freemasonry, Moral Relativism & the Modern Church

I know that's a long and complex title for a blog, but as I consider my perspective of where we are in Christianity today, they all come into focus. In fact, the history of how we got here is indeed long and complex. I hope to give you some information to contemplate and research so you can develop and understand your worldview.

It is precisely because I have worked to mature my own worldview [and from a decidedly biblical stance] that I began to see how these philosophies have infiltrated what the religion of Christianity has become. I had a somewhat simplistic and basic understanding of each belief system, but was naive enough to consider them as separate entities and did not conceive of the possibility that each could have influenced the others and infiltrated the Christian religion. But as I began to study the Bible more and the history of the world and religion, I also saw how tenets of each philosophy began to corrupt the teachings about the Bible, and even the various versions of the Bible down through the centuries.

So, let me just start with Gnosticism and see how it interacts with the others and discern what picture begins to emerge. Both the Disciple John and Apostle Paul expressed their argument against Gnosticism in the Bible. What is Gnosticism? At its core, Gnosticism believes that matter (as represented by the body) is evil and the spirit is good. According to the gnostic belief system, one need not worry about a moral lifestyle in the physical; it was the attainment of "sacred, divine" knowledge that was important and significant. Furthermore, they believed they had knowledge of God that was exclusive; specifically that the "spirit" of man was ignorant and needed to be "awakened". They believed they had the special knowledge that could liberate or "activate" the human spirit, or "illuminate" it. 

Is this beginning to sound familiar? Remember my post from a few days back about the tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden? And how God shared His knowledge with Adam, but that depending on whether man descended from the line of Adam's evil son, Cain, or his righteous son, Seth, that knowledge was used to either corrupt the world, or was for the good of the world? God bequeathed knowledge to man to control the universe, provided that he mastered the wisdom given to him, and did not use this divine gift for evil. But everything that God entrusted to Adam became susceptible to the corruption of this "sacred and divine" knowledge after the Fall. The Gnostics claimed they were the repository of this sacred knowledge from antiquity, but in reality, what they inherited were the "sacred mysteries" in the religious rites and ceremonies instituted by Cain and his evil son, Enoch (not to be confused with Enoch, the son of Jared, whom God took to Heaven without dying). And this corrupted knowledge came because Adam disobeyed God in the Garden, and Satan gained access to the knowledge from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

These Gnostics are the "false teachers" referred to in the Bible and specifically in 1 John 4:5-6 ... They [who teach twisted doctrine] are of the world and belong to it; therefore they speak from the [viewpoint of the] world [with its immoral freedom and baseless theories—demanding compliance with their opinions and ridiculing the values of the upright], and the [gullible one of the] world listens closely and pays attention to them. ⁶ We [who teach God’s word] are from God [energized by the Holy Spirit], and whoever knows God [through personal experience] listens to us [and has a deeper understanding of Him]. Whoever is not of God does not listen to us. By this we know [without any doubt] the spirit of truth [motivated by God] and the spirit of error [motivated by Satan].

The Apostle Paul emphasizes the same warning in 1 Timothy 6:20-21 ... O Timothy, guard and keep safe the deposit [of godly truth] entrusted to you, turn away from worldly and godless chatter [with its profane, empty words], and the contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge” and spiritual illumination ²¹ which some have professed and by doing so have erred (missed the mark) and strayed from the faith. 

That word "knowledge" is the Greek word gnosis, from which we get the word Gnosticism. But how has this concept of false and corrupted knowledge come to relate to Freemasonry, Moral Relativism, and the modern Church? For a comprehensive understanding of this ancient religion [for that is what it is], I invite you to go back and read my multi-part discourse on Freemasonry, its origins and infiltration of the Church. For the sake of brevity, let me simply say this: Freemasons see themselves as the recipients of the mysteries and secrets of what was revealed to Cain and his progeny by the Fallen Angels. They believe themselves to be "the illumined ones" [think Illuminati], and they believe this divine knowledge is to be kept exclusive and reserved for the elite. The masses are undeserving of it. Furthermore, as guardians of the corrupted Sacred Sciences, they are a force against pure religion. Gnosticism became a major challenge for the Early Church by the middle of the Second Century, and Freemasonry is steeped in Gnosticism in the oaths it takes, and the rites and rituals within the Lodge. 

The foundation for Freemasonry began in pre-flood antiquity, and it has been shrouded in secrecy and mystery ever since. The modern era of Freemasonry became popular in the 18th century, and coincided with the birth of modern science which began to separate itself from religion. This new effect of science on Christianity resulted in a theology that began to reject and deny the literal truth of the Bible in favor of one that became infected with allegorical interpretations. [This created a huge schism between literal and interpretative translations of the Bible.] Just read any of the oaths of Freemasonry and you will see the truth of the Word of God mocked in their pagan and idolatrous rituals. But remember, what is done in the world is of no consequence. They believe they are the keepers of the sacred knowledge of their god. But who is that god? To start at the beginning of my research, start here to find out.

Moving on, since ancient gnostics only prized "spiritual and illuminated knowledge", and discarded matters of the physical body and material world as irrelevant to "divine enlightenment", then moral laws regarding the actions of the body in the material world are of no consequence. In other words, they regard the moral law of God [regarding sexual sin and perversion, for example; or lying, or cheating, or even killing] as of no use or obligation because faith alone [in the spirit] is necessary to receive salvation. Furthermore, the literal death, burial, and resurrection of the physical Jesus comes under scrutiny.

Can you see how erasing the moral laws of God from the "the divine knowledge of God" is corrupted and can lead to Moral Relativism? When you understand this term to mean the worldview that ethical standards, morality, and positions of right and wrong are culturally based and therefore subject to a person's individual choice, then you can see how easily it is to lessen the supremacy of God in a society. We see this worldview in the "My body, my choice" mantra in regards to the abortion issue. Any concept that God is involved in the creation of that baby is part of the belief system that the creation of the visible world is useless. Therefore, there is no need to keep the body pure. The distinction between male and female genders is immaterial and marriage is seen as a disembodied and subjective relationship between any two (or more?) people. And since the body is of no importance, then a belief in the resurrection of the body is baseless. 

That is irreconcilable for any true Christian, and although Gnosticism was rejected successfully in the Early Church, it never really went away. It can be seen in our culture that advances the ideas of self-discovery, self-awareness, and any rejection of authority -- it's all about self, and can be summarized in this quote by John Lennon: "The only true Christians were the Gnostics, who believe in self-knowledge, i.e. becoming Christ themselves, reaching the Christ within". This worldview is perpetuated when Christians seek a closer relationship with God outside of what God reveals in His Word. Yes, I believe God wants us to press into Him, to get closer, but if we are embracing our own subjective understanding of spirituality and of God, apart from the wisdom we receive from Holy Spirit and Father God, then we are in danger of elevating our self-generated gnosis above God's.

I will tell you this is a fine line to walk in the faith life of today. There is nothing wrong in seeking more of Jesus and God. It delights the Father when He conceals a matter in His Word, and we seek it out (Proverbs 25:2). And I believe just as John and Paul were able to discern the man-made teachings that didn't line up with God's moral laws or Jesus's teachings, we in the 21st Century are able to discern the man-made doctrines that have clouded our understanding of God's infallible Word that have come down to us in denominationalism. But when you consider the early Gnostic's belief that gnosis could only be found through a "spiritual" experience, then you can see traces of rejection of the material body in our existence through the pursuit of uploading our brains to "the Cloud", and embracing everything "virtual". It may look different in the 21st Century, but Gnosticism is alive and well.

Consider the emerging beliefs in the modern Church that the Bible can be read, but not considered "inspired"; that the authority of God is not implicit in a life of faith; that the testimonies of the writers of the Gospels are not trustworthy to be recognized or preserved; or even that the birth, death, and resurrection of our Lord never actually happened.  These false ideas are once again introducing Gnosticism to a new generation. I fear that the ancient belief system of Gnosticism is prevalent in our society and has never given up on its false teachings or desire to infiltrate the True Church. Let us take heed of the warning of the Early Church Fathers, who said, "These men .... overthrow the faith of man, by drawing them away, under a pretense of knowledge, from Him who founded and adorned the universe" (Irenaeus, c. 130-202 AD) .... "I want to forewarn you not to get snagged on the hooks of worthless opinions but instead to be fully convinced of the birth and the suffering and the resurrection [of Christ]" (Ignatius, c. 35 - 108 AD). Let us heed their warnings and stay true to the inspired Word of God, even as we carry out our assignments for His Kingdom on earth.

 Colossians 2:8    See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception [pseudo-intellectual babble], according to the tradition [and musings] of mere men, following the elementary principles of this world, rather than following [the truth—the teachings of] Christ.

 

Christians: Are You Fit For the Kingdom?

As this world becomes more unsettled and chaotic, my husband and I are hearing from more people seeking help through our Inner Healing and Deliverance ministry. It's understandable. People are finding it increasingly difficult to recognize not only our nation, but each other, and even themselves. The Enemy is sowing division, confusion, and false images of everything we thought we knew. Old wounds -- physical, emotional, and spiritual -- are resurfacing; ones we thought were long buried and under control. Established belief systems are coming under scrutiny as they seem to be collapsing under increasing oppression from the world systems. Our faith seems under attack as we see the foundations in Christ [that we thought were unshakeable] begin to crack and yield to Doubt and Fear. We feel on unstable ground. Why is that so? We've always held ourselves up as the most faithful country in the world. We were founded on the Christian faith, right? Can you conceive that as Western Christians, we might not know our true identity?

I think the most common issue we deal with in this ministry is that very lack of true identity. In fact, if you were asked to describe your identity, what would you say? After all, your identity is what makes you uniquely you; the characteristics that determine who you are.  On a deeper, more spiritual level, your identity defines how you see yourself from your own perspective, as well as God's -- and those two viewpoints can be drastically different.

But if you are going to call yourself a Believer, shouldn't they be as similar as possible?  I mean, the Bible tells us that if we are "in Christ", we are a new creation. Our old identity has passed away and a new one has come. There is another definition of identity that pertains to this Biblical truth: identity is “the quality or condition of being the same as something else.” So, in the case of our identity in Christ, our lives should indicate that we are the same as Christ, both in seeing ourselves through His eyes, and in our actions and deeds. But have we forgotten that He came as the representative of God's Kingdom and to give us earthly citizens a new identity?

But how many people who call themselves Christians have really embraced the idea of a "new identity" in Christ? How many still compare themselves to the world's standards or their own? How many are still trying to achieve the dreams they had set for themselves before Christ came to live in their hearts? You see, I don't think there is room in our heart for both identities. That's not to say that those dreams and identities can't be in harmony with a life in Christ, but we must ask ourselves, "How is my life to be different now that I accept Jesus Christ as my Savior? How am I to live my life, now that my old self has been crucified with Him, and I am a new creation? Do my old desires count for nothing now? What should my priorities be?"

Too many times [in our ministry] we meet with people whose lives are in turmoil because they don't truly understand what it means to identify with Christ. They cling to the old identity and the old image of themselves that the Enemy has skillfully crafted through his ability to tempt them to sin, or others to sin against them. It is this sort of identity problem that is at the very heart of any Deliverance Ministry. Faithful Believers, who sincerely love Jesus and proclaim Him as their Savior and Redeemer, nevertheless fall prey to the lies of Satan, who convinces them that under the Christian mask they wear, is the same old self which has not been renewed or regenerated. The devil whispers to their minds that because of the sin in their lives they are worthless, unlovable, guilty, condemned, ugly, dirty, unfit to be called a son or daughter of God -- let alone, an ambassador of the Kingdom! In fact, the concept of the Kingdom of God on earth [and their part in it] is a foreign idea; one the Church has failed to teach, equip or train. The lack of understanding that part of their identity is most often the biggest missing piece of the Christian experience.

Without that component of our identity, we can continue to tell ourselves that we are Saved, and that's enough. But our spirits long to return to the identity given to us at the beginning of the world when we were created in the image of God and Jesus. Our spirits long to inherit the kingdom that was prepared for us from the foundation of this world! But when we don't even know who we are supposed to be in that kingdom, then it is easy for the Enemy to whisper that our salvation isn't enough. Then we fall into destructive patterns of behavior and false belief systems about who we are. 

The biggest struggle we have in our Inner Healing and Deliverance Ministry is convincing people to not only understand what the Kingdom of God on earth looks like, but that they have a purpose in that Kingdom, and it is bigger than anything this world offers. Self-worth cannot be measured from the world's standards. Wealth, position, status, beauty, popularity, recognition, and approval or validation by man is not esteemed in the Kingdom of God. Nor is seeking after any of those goals. As a Body of Believers, we need to begin identifying as members of a new family that is stronger and more powerful than the Enemy.  We need to recognize that we are part of a new family image that has dual citizenship: on earth and in heaven.  In the past we were committed to our earthly lives, but as a new creation, our values have changed and we have died to the things that used to run our lives.

I believe we are now called [and it is absolutely essential] that we become soldiers and ambassadors of our Lord's Kingdom here on earth.  The Enemy is accelerating his plan to dominate the earth, and we are running out of time to step in to our true identities. We are in desperate jeopardy of losing our opportunities to share the Gospel of the Kingdom and to see lives radically changed -- beginning with our own. We must embrace the Kingdom and step into our fullness in Christ, designed to bear much fruit. Let us be intentional to receive our inheritance and the riches of the Kingdom [that He desires to give us] even as we grow into His very likeness.  Don't let the devil rob this generation of our identity as chosen, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a temple of the Holy Spirit, God's special possession, His beloved children, and ambassadors and citizens of Heaven. It is imperative that we know Whose we are, and Who we are!

In this new identity, we must not look back, or listen to the Father of Lies who would have us miss our purpose for the Kingdom and squander God's love. So, trust God's voice when He says who you are, and stand guard against the Enemy's lies. Let us commit to each other that we will give support, confidence, and hope to our fellow Christians who struggle to claim their spirit-filled identities.  And I pray that in these new identities we can love all mankind as Jesus loves us, and show the world what it looks like to abandon the darkness and come into the Light of Truth and Life. You are the Kingdom of God on earth! How does that identity suit you? 

Luke 9:62     But Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back [to the things left behind] is fit for the kingdom of God.”

How God's Sacred Knowledge Got Corrupted

 

I'm going to be honest. I'm kind of blown away by what I discern the Holy Spirit is showing me, and I just hope I can put my thoughts into some kind of order that makes sense. So, I'm just going to launch in to this latest revelation. As I take a break from my exegesis of Genesis, I am going to connect some dots that I had never seen before. Remember, in Genesis 1:28, when the Bible says, And God blessed them [granting them certain authority] and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subjugate it [putting it under your power]; and rule over (dominate) the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and every living thing that moves upon the earth.” 

Then in Genesis 2:8-9, the Word says, And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

So, those are two pretty profound statements, and I would daresay that most Christians are familiar with them. But do we really understand them and their implications? And how does that tie in with the title of this blog? First, let me say that I believe the Church has missed the opportunity to stress that God intended us to have power and authority on the earth as He does in Heaven. He instructs us to "subjugate" the earth or "subdue" it, as most versions say. Those words imply conquer, overcome, restrain. This all falls under the command to have dominion [rule] over the earth. 

So, keeping those two passages in mind, I want to give you a quote from Josephus, the noted Jewish historian from the first century AD. It will begin to give you an idea of where I'm going... Josephus is considered by most Bible scholars to be a trustworthy and dependable source of Jewish first-century history, as well as a reliable chronicler of Jewish beliefs, culture, and antiquity. So, it was with great interest that I read this excerpt from his The Antiquities of the Jews: (quoting from the writings of Moses), "Moses says [further], that God planted a paradise in the east, flourishing with all sorts of trees; and that among them was the tree of life, and another of knowledge, whereby was to be known what was good and evil; .... God therefore commanded that Adam and his wife should eat of all the rest of the plants, but to abstain from the tree of knowledge; and foretold to them, that, if they touched it, it would prove their destruction. But while all the living creatures had one language, at that time the serpent, which then lived together with Adam and his wife, showed an envious disposition, at his supposal of their living happily, and in obedience to the commands of God; and imagining that when they disobeyed them, they would fall into calamities, he persuaded the woman, out of a malicious intention, to taste of the tree of knowledge, telling them, that in that tree was the knowledge of good and evil; which knowledge when they should obtain, they would lead a happy life, nay, a life not inferior to that of a god: by which means he overcame the woman, and persuaded her to despise the command of God". (Josephus, Ant. 1.1.3-4).

So, this parallels our modern translations of the Bible, from Genesis 2:8 - 3:6. I find it interesting that in Josephus's sharing of the writings of Moses, it is revealed that the serpent was present in the Garden with Adam and Eve, and knew that God had commanded them not to eat of the tree of knowledge. Furthermore, he knew what knowledge was contained in that tree, both good and evil. And it is clear that he sought to deceive them by promising they could become a "god", implying that status was superior to their human state. Adam and Eve had been commanded by God not to eat of that tree. I believe they had been given righteous knowledge by God in order to properly rule the earth and maintain it for God's Kingdom. But by yielding to the temptation of Satan, they now had access to the ways that knowledge could be corrupted for evil. What did that knowledge consist of?

Gary Wayne, in his book, Genesis 6 Conspiracy, writes that among the knowledge given to Adam by God, [while he was in the Garden of Eden and still innocent], were what has become known as the Seven Sacred Sciences. These seven sciences, when used for righteous purposes, are meant to help man carry out his dominion on the earth. They are Grammar (whereby humans were to speak and write in truth); Rhetoric (the ability of humans to speak in subtle [precise] terms and using the art of virtuous persuasion); Dialectics (a dialogue between two or more people holding different points of view about a subject but wishing to establish the truth through reasoned argumentation; learning to discern between truth and falsehoods); Arithmetic (the study of numbers); Geometry (learning to measure the earth and all things; related with distance, shape, size, and relative position thereof); Music (the learning of songs and the language of musical instruments); and Astronomy (the learning of the course of the planets and stars).

In their original creation [by God] these Sciences were meant for only good, and humankind was bequeathed this knowledge to control the universe, provided they mastered the wisdom given to them and did not use this divine gift for evil. Adam had access to all this knowledge, but when he and Eve ate from that tree of knowledge, they were immediately corrupted and so opened up a path for the knowledge to become corrupted as well. Just as God had prophesied, their disobedience led to their destruction, and they were driven from the Garden. Here's where it gets interesting! The Bible tells us [in Genesis 4] that after their banishment from the Garden, Adam and Eve had two sons, Cain and Abel. We know that Cain slew his brother Abel, and God cursed Cain and made him to be a "fugitive and a vagabond [roaming aimlessly] on the earth [in perpetual exile without a home, a degraded outcast". 

Josephus, quoting from Moses' writings says Cain "became a great leader of men into wicked courses". He was the author of measures and weights and he changed the world from living in simplicity to a world of "cunning craftiness". Cain vigorously practiced the 5th Science of Geometry or Masonry, building many projects including the Great Pyramids. At this point in history, there's no evidence that Cain and his descendants have used the Seven Sacred Sciences for evil. But apparently that didn't last long, and according to Josephus, "even while Adam was alive, it came to pass that the posterity of Cain became exceeding wicked, every one successively dying one after another more wicked than the former".

Enoch, the first son of Cain,  -- not to be confused with Enoch, the son of Jared and from the line of Seth, who "walked with God, and he was not, for God took him; (Genesis 5:24) -- discovered the zodiac and was the first to initiate worship through religious rites. He is credited in Freemasonry with teaching the sacred mysteries in religious rites and ceremonies. He appointed festivals and sacrifices to the sun and was considered an idol worshiper. Now, how could this "evil Enoch" have received ways and methods to corrupt the Sacred Knowledge given to man by God? Remember the serpent was on the earth, and if we believe that Satan was cast from Heaven to the earth with one-third of the angels, then there was a contingent of evil all too willing to assist men with evil hearts to corrupt anything God has created. But before I come to my conclusion how this is still affecting mankind today, I want to mention the third son of Adam and Eve that the Bible talks about. 

Seth is born in the image of Adam, who was born in the image of God, and his name means "to set firmly in place; appointed; foundation". Just like Cain, Seth would have been taught the Seven Sacred Sciences by Adam. Seth was a farmer and his descendants focused on the 7th Science of Astronomy. The knowledge of Astronomy and how the heavenly bodies moved would have been invaluable in understanding seasons and when to plant and when to harvest. The line of Seth remained righteous in their practice of the Sacred Sciences until the 7th generation, while Cain's line was immediately vile, treacherous and evil from the time God ostracized Cain. Josephus writes, "Now this Seth, when he was brought up, and came to those years in which he could discern what was good, became a virtuous man; and as he was himself of an excellent character, so did he leave children behind him who imitated his virtues. Now this posterity of Seth continued to esteem God as the Lord of the universe, and to have an entire regard to virtue, for seven generations; but in process of time they were perverted, and forsook the practices of their forefathers... for what degree of zeal they had formerly shown for virtue, they now showed by their actions a double degree of wickedness; whereby they made God to be their enemy." 

Can you see the influence of Satan beginning in the garden and running through the ancestral lines of Adam? It appears that from the time his pride, arrogance and disobedience got him kicked out of Heaven, his goal has been to usurp God's creation on earth. Since he had no access to the tree of knowledge, he carefully persuaded Eve, and then Adam, to believe in his own vision of becoming "like a god".  This enabled him to influence their progeny to share that Sacred Knowledge, including the Seven Sciences. The myths and legends from antiquity all reveal the existence of a Snake brotherhood, or secret societies of the Snake. It only took the second generation after Adam (evil Enoch) to see the Sacred Knowledge hijacked and kept for these exclusive and secretive societies. This leads us all the way to Freemasonry, and the symbol of the entwined snakes around the phallus of the god Baphomet. 

But Enoch, the evil son of Cain, was able to do so much more! From astronomy, Enoch created astrology and sun worship. He implemented pagan rituals, ceremonies and rites with a new repulsive religion in which knowledge could only be passed on to initiates and selected guardians of "the truth". Now it also is reported in ancient texts that the nefarious application of the Sciences waned sometime after this Enoch's generation, but was renewed under his great-great grandson, Lamech. His children further contaminated the Seven Sacred Sciences and the entire antediluvian (pre-Flood) world. And here's what we need to understand -- an outside force (fallen angels) partnered with Lamech's descendants to violate the divine rules of creation, further defiling what was left of their innocence, which left their original nature unrecognizable. 

In conclusion, those Seven Sacred Sciences are at the heart and root of what we call "Science" today. The inventions and belief systems that have emerged down through the centuries still carry the corruption brought about by Satan and his fallen angels. Modern Science still rejects the divine truths and knowledge that come from God in favor of man's logic and rationality, and it often serves an evil purpose instead of righteous goals and benefits for which God created them. Now, just as at the beginning of creation, Satan's agenda has been to de-legitimize the ways of the God of the Universe, and entice men to gain power and authority through his nefarious schemes. Solomon got it right when he wrote, “Behold, I have acquired great [human] wisdom and experience, more than all who were over Jerusalem before me; and my mind has observed a wealth of [moral] wisdom and [scientific] knowledge. And I set my mind to know [practical] wisdom and to discern [the character of] madness and folly [in which men seem to find satisfaction]; I realized that this too is a futile grasping and chasing after the wind. For in much [human] wisdom there is much displeasure and exasperation; increasing knowledge increases sorrow." All we have to do is look how Grammar, Rhetoric, Dialectics, Math, Geometry, Music, and Astronomy have been corrupted to present an anti-Christ message to the world. Does our increased knowledge glorify the Lord or ourselves? If the latter, then we must admit we have fallen for the same temptation that our ancestors did in the Garden.

Ecclesiastes 1:14-15   I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity, a futile grasping and chasing after the wind. What is crooked cannot be straightened and what is defective and lacking cannot be counted.

 

 

 

 

 

Genesis ... The Creation [and Re-Creation] of the Earth

In case you are wondering why I am so focused on the Book of Genesis in this season of time and in this series of posts, it is because this book sets the stage for the rest of the Bible, as well as the history of mankind. If you have a discerning spirit, then you are probably wondering about the state of the world and this nation, and may be confused about how we got here. As I reveal some deeper truths within Genesis, I believe that the present state of affairs will become clearer. So hang with me, as I follow the rabbit trail through man's earliest history and pick up the puzzle pieces along the way!

Today, I want to share my thoughts on the "gap theory". That's the controversial and disputed premise that there is an undetermined gap of time between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. If you've never heard of this argument, I'm not surprised. This thought is usually ignored by the mainstream Church, or at least relegated to the "New Age" or "Unbiblical" category of Christian apologetics.

But, I do not think we should intentionally disregard it, especially when you approach it from a serious desire to understand God's creation of this planet we live on. And, for me, it shows an important facet of God's character. So, let's just dive in. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. How many of you, like me, took this verse for granted for far too long? That verse is easy and straightforward, I told myself. What more could there be to understanding that simple sentence? We know God created the universe, which exists of heaven and earth. What more could I possibly derive from this first verse of the most important book ever written for mankind?

Well, let me share what a heightened curiosity and diligent study can provide. I credit much of what I'm about to share to the immense amount of time that my husband, Mark, has put into developing his Biblical worldview. And it all started when a dear friend that he was trying to reach for Christ asked him a question about where the dinosaurs fit into the Bible -- and he couldn't answer it. That deeply troubled him, so he made a decision that he would never again be at a loss to explain what our Bible reveals about God or his character. That led to a several-year-long study of trying to understand the original language of the Bible and filter it through the versions we have today. So, as he would tell you himself, don't take what I share today as me saying you should believe the research that he [or anyone else] has done. Instead, let it spark your own hunger and do your own investigation to come up with your own biblical worldview. In these days of secular, religious, and political push-back, it will serve you and the Kingdom of God well to know what you believe and why.

That said, let's begin at the beginning .... literally. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. So, when was the beginning? The beginning of what? Time, the universe, or the beginning of God? I will tell you that once you step into this deeper realm of thought, you can't ever read the Bible the same way again! What I have discovered is that God not only created time, but He is outside of it. He's always been! So, this "beginning" is not the beginning of time, but to my mind, this is a specific moment in time when He began to consider creating the heavens and the earth. It's referring to the starting point in the expanse of boundless time when God conceived of the idea of heaven and earth. 

"In the beginning" in Hebrew is Bereshith, and the correct use of the word is in an "old world" or previously existing world/old world context. Fully exegeted, it translates "what can be seen before this age was created". If this understanding is accepted, that means the Bible is referring to a time period before Adam and before Lucifer's fall from Heaven, and before the earliest time of this earth.

Next, do we understand what is meant by the word "God"? In the Hebrew, that word is translated Elohim, and it is plural. It is the Divine Ones reflecting divine majesty and power ... Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, all involved in the creation. In the Hebrew understanding, it is also acknowledged to be not only God, the Creator and Ruler of the World, but "superhuman beings including God and angels, who are called "sons of God" or "sons of gods [angels]". If that's not blowing your mind yet, this idea of Elohim will come into play later in that most contentious of verses, Genesis 6:1-4. For now, let us stay concentrated on the creation of the heavens and earth.

Which takes us to that powerful word "created". It is Bara in Hebrew and means "to create from nothing". Only the Supreme God of the Universe could do that. He didn't take something that already existed and form the heavens and earth. He spoke it into existence! As men, we can only create by starting with matter that YHWH created. He used no pre-existing matter or ideas from an earlier creation. He declared them to be, and they were. 

Now we take a look at the heavens and earth. Heavens is plural and exists of the three heavens the Bible reveals to us. The first heaven is our sky and atmosphere (Genesis 6:7 and James 5:18). The second heaven is beyond our atmosphere and extends into the realm where spiritual warfare takes place between Satan's angels and God's angels (Matthew 24:29 and Ephesians 6:12-13). The third heaven is where God resides and where His and Jesus's thrones are (Deuteronomy 10:14, Hebrews 8:1, Acts 7:55, and Hebrews 9:24). In Genesis 1:1, the Hebrew word for "earth" is Eretz, and is translated land or material world. If you can wrap your mind around all that, then hang on because next we're going to tackle Genesis 1:2!

It reads, The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. As we break it down in the Hebrew, I think you are going to be astounded at the picture that begins to emerge. The words "without form" are translated tohuw in Hebrew, while the word "void" is translated as bohuw.  In English, tohuw and bohuw is rendered "a desolate wasteland; an empty ruin; formed out of chaos; an indistinguishable ruin". Does that sound like a place that God would consider worthy of establishing His Garden of Eden or placing His creation of man? If today, we consider ourselves ambassadors of the Kingdom of God on earth, then this desolate place in Genesis 1:2 is not worthy of being a representation of God's Heavenly Kingdom! So what happened?

Scripture goes on to tell us that darkness was over the face of the deep. The Hebrew word for darkness is chosek, and it means "misery; destruction; death; sorrow; and wickedness". I'm sure that none of you think God would speak that into existence as a representation of His creative spirit! If His creation becomes "dark" [desolate, empty, a ruin, and chaotic], then we can pretty well understand that it was corrupted by evil -- in this case, most likely Lucifer being expelled from Heaven and cast down to make this pre-existing habitat his home base. Furthermore, there is an understanding that chosek means an evil that is combined or linked with judgment.

The word "deep" is the Hebrew word tehom, meaning an abyss (as in a surging mass of water). The rest of verse 2 tells us the Holy Spirit was "hovering" over the face [surface] of these surging waters. The word "hovering" means "a shaking or a tempest" in Hebrew. So we get a pretty precise picture of what Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 are trying to show us. These two disputed verses seem to suggest a pre-existent world that was covered in evil darkness and which the Holy Spirit shook in judgment. I say all this because it appears, beginning in verse 3, that God is creating a new world which He calls Earth. But He already created it in verse 1, right? Read Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 again. This earth [lower case "e"] is declared a ruin, evil, and dark. God saw the Earth [capital "E"] in Genesis 1:9 and declared it "good". It wasn't good in 1:2! Death and wickedness existed there! They don't exist yet in 1:9 until Adam and Eve sin in the Garden. And they haven't even been created yet!

After hours and days and months of study and research, I believe that something devastating and evil happened to God's created earth between verse 1 and verse 2 in Genesis, Chapter 1. The earth came under judgment and God decided to re-create it beginning in verse 3. I do not think He destroyed the first earth. I think He just renewed it and restored it, just as He will at the end of the Millennial Age, as noted in Revelation 21. Think about it this way .... when we come to Christ in our Salvation experience, we are not destroyed. We become "a new creation"; remolded and reshaped into the original design God had planned for us. So, it is in the case of the earth in Genesis. 

I don't know about you, but this account and understanding has so much depth and meaning that I find myself even more in awe of God Almighty. And wait until I take you on the next step of this journey where we will take a deeper look at what was set in motion in the Garden of Eden. You will see a bigger picture than a snake and an apple, and a bigger understanding of how it has affected all of history. You will be able to recognize the weight of what God shared with man and how that knowledge is still in play this very day. You will not hear the nightly news in the same way ever again! So be prepared for a huge wake-up call in the next post as more of the conflict between man and God comes into view.

Isaiah 65:17   For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth,
and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.

 

Let's Begin At The Beginning ... And It Starts Before the Bible

Our Home Church group has finished our nearly 18-month study of the Book of Matthew, and I think one of the things I loved the most about it was the new knowledge we all gained as we learned more about the Jewish culture that Jesus was born into, and how it affected our understanding of Scripture. It broadened so much of the teachings we had all grown up with and exposed our 21st Century Western bias. So now that we've finished the first Book of the New Testament, we decided to go back to the first Book of the Old Testament, Genesis.

There is so much about Genesis that I think has been ignored and set aside by pastors, teachers and even Christian apologists because it is either controversial (Genesis 6:1-4, for example), or there is not enough information in the modern canon to come to a conclusive agreement or understanding. And once again, as I stated last post, I am a Christian contrarian and I am willing to dig deep, consider ancient writings and resources, and trust the Holy Spirit to reveal God's Truth to me, even if a source is outside the divine Holy Book we call the Bible. I will also state again that I sometimes think we 21st Century Christians are arrogant in our notion that our current dogma and doctrines are somehow superior just because we think we are more advanced than ancient peoples. But I also think that this prideful perspective limits the vastness of God's influence and activity in the world; from the ancient civilizations to the present. 

So, I invite you to join me as our faithful group attempts to uncover some of the questions that we've never dared ask in our Sunday School classes for fear we would be chastised. We will all be studying Genesis in the Bible, which for me is the core and central key to my research. But as we advance through what I consider one of the most important books of the Bible, I will be surrounded with the Book of Jasher, the Book of Enoch, the Complete Works of Josephus, and The Genesis 6 Conspiracy by author, Gary Wayne. The Bible will be my guide, but these other references will be the bread crumbs that lead me to additional knowledge, and ultimately back to the Bible. As I've so often said, everything in the Bible is about the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit .... but everything about Them and the history of their relationship with mankind is not in the Bible. I do not expect that all my questions will be answered because God is infinite and there will always be more to learn about Him. However, I do expect to know more of Him as the dirty veil Satan has put over our religious eyes is removed. And everything will be vetted through Scripture and Holy Spirit's counsel.

To begin with, let me explain why I consider the Books of Jasher and Enoch to be credible resources. Both are referenced in the Bible, and although I understand that our current Bible has gone through many translations and transformations through the centuries, I believe that what we have is still divinely inspired and God is still speaking through it for our edification and sanctification. The original manuscript of the Book of Jasher [or the Book of the Just, or Upright Man, as it has also been known] has been lost to history, and there have been forgeries down through the centuries. I have the Ancient Book of Jasher by Dr. Ken Johnson, in which he states, "The Book of Jasher was never considered to be inspired by God. It is simply an accurate history book". In that sense, it fills in so many of the gaps that our modern Bible has in the Genesis story -- specifically in the life of Abraham, for instance; all the while retaining the core truth presented in the Bible, along with God's righteous principles. 

Dr. Johnson writes that according to rabbinic legend, the Book of Jasher and several other ancient non-biblical Hebrew texts were brought from Jerusalem to Spain after the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70. One of the officers of Titus, Sidrus by name, was a believer in the God of the Hebrews. He made sure several sacred texts made it out of Jerusalem and into the Spanish city of Sevilia for safe-keeping. The sepharidic rabbis kept the texts safe and in the year AD 1613, the first official printed Hebrew copy of the Book of Jasher was published in Venice, Italy. The first translation from the Hebrew version of Jasher into English was completed in AD 1840. Again, it is a history book that relates ancient events in the history of the Hebrew race, and is referenced in Joshua 10:13, 2 Samuel 1:18 and 2 Timothy 3:8.

The Book of Enoch, on the other hand, is part of the liturgical canon of the Ethiopian Church and Eastern Orthodox Churches, but not included in Protestant canon. I find it interesting that it is quoted nearly verbatim in Jude, where it references the Genesis 6 incursion of fallen angels. Because Genesis 6:1-4 is so hotly debated in the Church [if it is ever discussed at all!], the First Book of Enoch is often declared heretical, even though it provides the story of Enoch being visited by evil Watchers [messengers] to intercede on their behalf for those evil deeds done on earth. He is also the recipient of how Satan gained access to the sacred knowledge God imparted to Adam and corrupted it, resulting in the origins of evil on the earth that we are still experiencing today. NOTE: the 2nd and 3rd Books of Enoch are considered forgeries and not credible.

So, I relate all this to let you know why I'm going on this journey. Genesis is the key to understanding the rest of the Bible. It holds so many gems of the origins of our faith; precepts and clues to why events unfold in the Bible the way they do, and the reasons for God's actions. But I want to start this series of revelations with sharing why it is important to understand Pre-Biblical history. Yes, the writings that became the Books of Jasher and Enoch existed before the Bible came into existence, but did you know that there is more evidence of God in the ancient stories and legends that we tend to dismiss as myths, fables, folk tales, and fantasy? Before I dive into even the first verse of the first chapter of Genesis, we must consider what ancient history tells us about God.

I think most Christians are either afraid to look at the myths and legends because it seems heretical and pagan, or a religious spirit whispers that those tales have nothing to do with our God, and therefore we might displease Him. But when you dive into their belief systems, you find some amazing similarities to stories in the Bible. I know, I know .... this often gives rise to agnostics and atheists who claim that our faith is just an extension of ancient fables. But did you ever consider that perhaps these legends were true? That it was God's way of communicating with ancient civilizations in language, experiences, and names/titles that were relevant to their time in history?

Let's consider a race of people from the region of southern Mesopotamia known as Sumer. These Sumerians were considered creators of civilization as modern humans understand it (existing between 4100 -1750 BC). They were known for their innovations in language, governance, architecture and more. There are quite a few Sumerian legends and writings that are similar to modern belief systems; they refer to an Age where "heroes of old" or superhuman deities [part man, part god] reigned over mortal man. In their writings, they spoke of a race of giant aliens from the planet Niburu, called the Annunaki. The word "Annunaki" means "Princely offspring" and "Those of royal blood". According to the Sumerians, the Annunaki were children created from the union of the supreme deity of their civilization, the god Anu, and Ki, who was the goddess of Earth. Is anybody else thinking of the pagan worship of Mother Earth that still exists today, or of the History channel's Ancient Aliens?

The Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh is recognized as the earliest surviving notable literature [written 2100 - 1200 BC], and the second oldest religious text. It consists of five Sumerian poems chronicling the history of Gilgamesh, the king of Uruk. In the second half of the epic, Gilgamesh undertakes a long and perilous journey to discover the secret of eternal life. He eventually learns that "Life, which you look for, you will never find. For when the gods created man, they let death be his share, and life withheld in their own hands". Keep in mind this was written a couple of thousand years before Christ's birth! 

We also have the Greek legends of Titans as demigods of great strength, power, and height. All civilizations down through the centuries have shared some form of ancient legends of a powerful, giant-like race that were half-god, half-man -- not dissimilar to the Nephilim of Genesis 6:1-4. I do not relate these ancient legends to you in an effort to refute the account in Genesis 6, but rather to validate it! I believe God has been speaking to man down through the ages of the same event. Every civilization, age and epoch has recorded it, either in writing or oral form because it is true! They might have different names [as they became known in their own cultures and languages] but the nexus of all these stories --  from the Sumerians through Greek literature through Genesis and Revelation to even American Indian lore -- is that the ancient transcripts found in the Assyrian cuneiform tablets, the mythologies, and the legends from antiquity have a common theme with the Genesis account in Chapter 6. 

What are we to make of this? Do we dismiss it as mere mystery as the secularists wish? Do we disregard it as being unworthy of study as those with scientific minds suggest? Are they all just fanciful imaginations of men who need something greater than themselves to believe in? As I go forward with where my study is taking me, I promise you that standard theology will no longer apply. Will you be willing to view God as bigger and greater and older and more sovereign than you've ever considered Him? Set aside any doubts or skepticism that you might have from this incomplete and oversimplified post that I've written. I just wanted to give you a starting point to begin this journey with me and see if you are able to read the Book of Genesis in a new light; a profound Light of greater Truth. I hope you're as excited as I am!

John 1:1    In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (the eternal Message, the creative Word, and the Living Expression of God made visible), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself.

I'm A Christian Contrarian, And I Wouldn't Change A Thing!

It has taken me a while to come to the realization that I'm a contrarian by nature, and when you add "Christian" to that identity, it has led me on an interesting path in my faith life. So you know where I'm coming from, let me define "contrarian" as it pertains to me -- and I'm pretty sure to a growing number of my Christian brethren. I'm a person who is not afraid to question or look deeper into conventional beliefs, opinions, views, or philosophies. I do not "go along with the crowd" for the sake of needing to belong with the majority. I guess the simplest way to describe it would be to say I'm a seeker of truth, not a blind endorser of conventional or prevailing philosophies. That doesn't mean that I reject traditional or mainstream thinking. I am simply not a mindless follower. I'm sure many of you identity with me.

When it comes to my faith, I am a believer that attempts to be as Biblically correct as possible [in my understanding], even when my views and opinions are unpopular or do not follow the status quo of accepted Church doctrine. Again, my goal is not to willfully and purposely reject established teachings, but to correctly discern God's message. I just want to be as close to God's perspective as it is possible for me to be. That has often resulted in finding myself outside accepted interpretations, but rewarded with a richer understanding of God's original purpose for inspiring the Scripture. As you can imagine, that doesn't always mean I'm welcomed with open arms in religious circles, but I'm okay with that. I have a greater fear [as in awe and reverence] of my Lord, than I have a fear of man.

You see, I often hear that my understandings of Scripture are not "biblically correct" because they can't be found in chapter and verse in any of the various translations. They are often purported to be false or misconceptions; even myths made up by men. So I guess that would put me in company with C.S. Lewis, who is quoted as saying, "All myth is an attempt to shine light on truth. True Myth is the ultimate Light shining on the ultimate Truth". As an example of C.S. Lewis's thoughts on this subject of divining God's Truth from myth, consider this example he gave ... Now the story of Christ is simply a true myth: a myth working on us in the same way as the others, but with a tremendous difference that it really happened: and one must be content with accepting it in the same way, remembering that it is God's myth where the other's are men's myths. In other words, the pagan stories are God expressing Himself through the minds of poets, using such images as He found there, while Christianity is God expressing Himself through what we call 'real things'." 

Are you with me so far? All the stories and myths and fables [many of them written down and preserved] from antiquity that mirror the "God stories", including a death and resurrection component, are often dismissed by modern Christians as "pagan" because they can't be found written in whatever version of the Bible they believe is the best one. And they are often relegated to the genre of "mythology" and dismissed as having any veracity. But the pride in which we view our twenty-first century knowledge of Scripture misses the possibility that those ancient myths still exist because it was God speaking to those writers in their time, and in their languages and images that their faculties could understand; that He was choosing to give "a description of Himself" in a way that fit their experience and ability to comprehend. Does it occur to anyone today that our "doctrines" are simply how our faculties and minds have translated the concepts and ideas that God revealed to later "poets" and "writers" that resulted in our Bible? And please know that I recognize the divinity of our Bible and do not mean to say that all writings throughout antiquity have been God-inspired, and therefore deserve equal status with the Bible. I merely want to present the idea that some "myths" may actually carry the seed of God's Truth and are worthy of consideration as we study to filter through the prejudices against them.

All that being said, as a Christian contrarian, I firmly believe it is not my duty nor responsibility to persuade or convince someone of the "rightness" of my own reasoning in spiritual or Biblical matters. In fact, I am more interested in sharing what I've discovered in the hopes that it will encourage others to do their own research and reap the joy and blessings of receiving more of God. Make no mistake, I'm not afraid to present a different view from mainstream Christian thinking or well-established doctrinal positions. But I don't do it out of rebellion or a desire to confuse or cause skepticism [about the Bible] among the faithful. In other words, I'm not out to disagree for the sake of disagreement, but rather to search out the real truth of God's heart on a specific matter instead of simply accepting man's interpretation. In that sense, I am convicted about researching the literal meaning of words, the cultural context in which Scripture was written, letting Scripture interpret Scripture, and listening to what Holy Spirit counsels.  And that sometimes puts me at odds with conventional Church understanding. So be it.

To be honest, I welcome more contrarians like myself. I do not want to see our faith and beliefs become subject to a method of interpreting Scripture according to what is agreed upon by a majority. That comes dangerously close to what is called "groupthink", and I hope we can agree that our society, our culture, and yes, even our churches have fallen prey to this psychological phenomenon. Groupthink occurs within a group of people in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome. Cohesiveness, or the desire for cohesiveness, in a group may produce a tendency among its members to agree at all costs. The Word of God deserves greater consideration!

I fear that as history takes us further down the road toward the persecution of Believers [that Jesus prophecies in Matthew 24], we will see the "go along to get along" attitude of the Church that has resulted in compromised denominations. As the pressure increases upon the Body of Christ to conform to accepted practices and ideologies, the need for more Christian contrarian voices will be vitally important. We must be diligent to resist calling them heretical, New Age, or some other derogatory epithet just because they refer to an ancient or pagan myth in clarifying some point of Scripture.

 For instance, I'd like to share this opinion from Apologetics Press and Dr. Caleb Colley: "Many times in Scripture, inspired writers use other sources of information; sometimes these sources are inspired, and sometimes they are not. For an example, one occasion when an inspired writer used an uninspired source is in 1 Corinthians 10:4, where [the Apostle] Paul apparently made a reference to Jewish legend to support his own inspired interpretation of Israel’s wilderness wanderings (Lenski, 1937, pp. 392-393). On other occasions (Acts 17:28; Titus 1:12-13), Paul quoted from pagan poets to support his own assertions, and even told his audiences that the specific portions of the pagan writings he referenced were accurate. Did Paul claim that these extrabiblical materials were inspired? Certainly not. Paul used supporting materials that would have been meaningful to his audiences. The noncanonical works that were cited by New Testament authors were highly respected. The fact that Paul used noncanonical sources to add an extra dimension to his message should not motivate us to regard any of Paul’s writings as inferior, or to totally disregard them."

Now, you may or may not agree with this opinion, but can you see that this additional information about the sources of Paul's writings adds another dimension to the understanding of them? For me, I am able to discern that God inspired Paul to use those sources, and in no way does it disparage the Truth of the Bible. It stands as it does today, sufficient for the spiritual needs of Christians. But I also believe that God can and will use contrarians such as Paul, and writers and believers like C.S. Lewis and Dr. Colley [and in some small way, even myself] to broaden and expand revelation and understanding in order to shine His ultimate Light on His ultimate Truth. I stand convicted ... I am a Christian Contrarian, and subject to the divine inspiration of my God as I search for more of that ultimate Truth!

Acts 17:28    For in Him we live and move and exist [that is, in Him we actually have our being], as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’

Stranger In A Foreign Land

I wonder how many of you are beginning to feel like me; like I've woken from a long sleep to find myself in a strange place I no longer recognize. I know that, according to the world, I am a citizen of the United States. But I also know that on a higher level, my citizenship is in Heaven. Until recently, I have been satisfied that those two identities could co-exist in harmony. But increasingly, I am coming to understand that compromise is the only way my heavenly citizenship can comply with my national residency -- and my spirit finds that intolerable. 

It's hard to believe but it was less than two years ago that I wrote this for my book, Through A Kingdom Lens: Rediscovering What the Church Lost  --  "I think we can all agree that, as citizens of the United States, we have rights, privileges, and responsibilities. On a civil and public level, we are called upon to respect the rights, beliefs, and opinions of others; even if we think they are extreme, outrageous, or morally wrong. We know that if we are born in the United States, we legally belong to this country and we have the rights and protection of this country."  

Sadly, I'm not so sure I can say that today. Therefore, my citizenship in Heaven has become that much more precious to me. In fact, my identity and value as a citizen of Heaven is more valuable and costly to me than my recognition as an American. In fact, I find it harder and harder to recognize my native land. It's as if I clearly see the foreign and spiritual influences which are eroding the foundation of our moral underpinning. Our cornerstone of freedom and liberty is being chipped away, and I'm not sure we still possess an imperishable faith in God that will withstand the assault on our way of life.

I can't help but think of what it must have been like for the ancient Israelites to be carried into bondage in Babylon. I know it took approximately 50 years for the fullness of the exile to be completed, but I wonder if they recognized the slow slide of their nation into captivity, or did they willingly allow compromise and disobedience to lead them away from God? The rebelliousness in the House of David continued through Solomon and his son, and eventually led to the tribes of Israel carried into captivity in Assyria and Babylon. They abandoned their covenant with God -- who takes His covenants very seriously -- and their apostasy delivered them into His righteous judgment.

It seems to me that we have followed the same path, ignoring the covenant made by God with men He chose to set the spiritual destiny of this nation. One of these men was John Winthrop, a Puritan and leading figure in the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Here are his prophetic words: "Thus stands the cause between God and us. We are entered into covenant with Him for this work. The Lord will be our God and delight to dwell among us, as His own people, and will command a blessing upon us in all our ways, so that we shall see much more of His wisdom, power, goodness and truth … We shall find that the God of Israel is among us, when ten of us shall be able to resist a thousand of our enemies.” But there came a warning with this prophecy. Winthrop also said this: “If we shall deal falsely with our God; if our hearts shall turn away so that we will not obey, but shall be seduced and worship other Gods, and serve them, then our blessings will cease to exist”. 

It is not difficult to discern those "gods" which are so evident in our society: profit, greed, power, material possessions, lust, etc. The rebelliousness has led to altars being built to worship abortion, sex trafficking, false religions, and more. And it's not hard to see that our blessings are in grave danger of being eradicated. In ancient Israel, the entire national structure of the kingdom, which was thought to be ordained by God Himself, came crashing down. It certainly seems as if we are on the precipice of experiencing such destruction ourselves. As the Bible Project website records, "The event [in Israel] fulfilled centuries of prophetic warnings, as hundreds of years of tradition, culture, and history was destroyed in just one year. This was their Day of the Lord, and it left them absolutely devastated."

Our country is far less established; not yet 250 years old. How much quicker can we be destroyed? And I want to be clear ... we serve a God who remains committed to His promises to us, even as we have been unfaithful to our covenant obligations to Him. So, even in the midst of our despair over the current situation in our nation, I believe that IF God ordains that our national structure will crumble and fall, He will empower a remnant of the truly faithful to carry forth His Word. Although He is a righteous God, whose nature calls for punishment and discipline for the disobedient, He is also a God of compassion and restoration. It is not His will to leave this nation barren and unfruitful. That long-ago covenant has deep roots, and I believe new seeds of holiness can sprout from the ashes of whatever is in store for our future. 

Nearly a year ago, I shared a prayer that a Messianic pastor in Israel had written for America. He spoke from his own national history of seeing restoration rise from captivity. He declared that America was birthed out of covenant with the Lord and we have justice and righteousness engraved in our foundation. He declared that the Lord's purposes and dreams [for America] would be fulfilled. Oh, how I pray that his prophetic words will come true! Lord, let me part of the remnant that sees the kingdoms of the world become the Kingdom of God. Make no mistake, I fear it will become worse before it becomes better. But our God never abandons His promises! Let us invite the Most High God to once again establish His statutes, ordinances, and laws in this great nation, and declare that He is our God and we are His people. We stand at a very critical crossroads.... for our nation; for our society and culture; for the world's population; for the Body of Christ. In my flesh, I may feel like a stranger in a foreign land, but my spirit is strong and confident in identifying my true Homeland where my King intercedes for us. Stay committed to your personal covenant with Him, and pray that our time of disobedience is soon over.

Psalm 106:45   And He remembered His covenant for their sake,
And relented [rescinding their sentence] according to the greatness of His lovingkindness [when they cried out to Him],