The Major Photonic Mixup

eejoseph, ,

If every time one misrepresents the gospel the kingdom of God took a hit the walls may be deemed to have been breached.  One of the profound paradoxes of our times is the idiotic fear gripping people who identify as Christian that the Church is suffering loss and needs their protection. True enough, people can see whatever they want, and they can repeat it until it becomes the truth, but the truth as we know it is in Yeshua God’s son, namely the salvation which only the heavenly Father can provide. Another profound paradox of all times is the idea that light functions as bringing attention to light. Flushing that paradox out of one’s system requires a resolute view of God and as resolute conviction. The Moon is by no means an equal to the Sun, even though both the sun and the moon are called great lights. Their greatness can only be discerned by observing the times in which the two operate and by keeping them separate. Christ is the light, incomparably so, to the extent that all else are thieves and robbers. When day and night, in the spiritual sense, contribute to confusion about Christ we are victims of a major photonic mix up. Are we of the day or night?

Another fascinating day-moon

The church is the ground and pillar of the truth, and needs no help from people who have not acquainted themselves with the teaching of Yeshua and the apostles. Far too many people are trying to make the church like Israel; an entity within borders, an entity with priesthood, an entity with endless regulations and prohibitions, an entity with genealogical priorities, and an entity with a phony and showy righteousness. And where do they get that notion from? From the teachings of the ancients, that which John describes in his vision, in Revelation chapter 12, as the Moon.

Devil message and angelic light

“But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude;”

1 Timothy 4:1-4

There should be little difficulty locating these beliefs identified as demonic in the Christian community. We have to be able to see the passion with which people embrace minor and irrelevant things and call them major. The sun does not need the moon. When it is day the moon contributes no light.

The lunar custodians belong under foot

“But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again? You observe days and months and seasons and years. I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain.” (Galatians 4:9-11, NASB)

Men and women who study formally and informally to facilitate a career as leaders in the church should be able to recognize one set of elemental things in Leviticus 23. Idolatry knocks loudly at the door of people who do not see Christ as the place where the buck stops. The Gospel did not become any more relevant in the 19th century. Since Christ died and returned to Glory human beings have been waxing more wicked, more desperate, more rebellious, and more benighted. It is not surprising that we want the moon to be the clarifier of God’s revelation when the sun is shining as at noonday. You just cannot have Moses and Aaron as the foundation of spiritual security and at the same time say that Yeshua and the Holy Spirit are the centre of your joy. How much detail does moonlight allow someone to see? Does not the sun make everything distinguishable so we do not stumble? You can end the photonic mix up. Put the moon in its place.

Transposed transcripts

eejoseph

How does a collection of prohibitions, judgments, festal statutes, promises, threats and predictions of extirpation become a person’s character transcript?  I cannot tell, except to say that the proponents are either semiliterate nobles or ignoble academics.  Either way, after thousands of years and thousands of scholars neither the content of the tables of stone, nor the hundreds of statutes and judgments in the Pentateuch have produced anything that looks remotely like a healthy set of character traits.  Never mind that God has attributes like mercy, compassion, faithfulness, and goodness which people can appropriate, people choose to pose as privileged recipients of incredible benefits while doing the very things they say they have left behind.  There certainly is some transposing happening with little transcript in the picture because the Law of God has no chance of having anything to do with bringing life to dead humans.

Truth be told, law kills

Sad to say in the 21st century the law is quite literally held responsible for homicide repeatedly on the streets of the United States.  We have to admit that violent homicide was the main reason for which God decreed the flood judgment.  “Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. Law did little to reverse the gains of corruption through violence.

“Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth. Then God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth.” (Genesis 6:11-13, NASB)

While the Law serves to make a record of human accountability no one should think that law, as we have it in the Mosaic tradition, is essential to establish the guilt of people everywhere.  Since we have no evidence that God gave the Law to any other people beside the Sons of Israel the idea that the law defines sin for all time is a three legged cat.

“Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.”

Romans 3:19-20, NASB

“Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law.”

Galatians 3:21, NASB

“But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory?” (2 Corinthians 3:7-8, NASB)

Transcript and my foot in my mouth

If learned Jews can admit that the tables of stone were a source of death what can the Gentile do with their alternative facts? All the people who will believe that the law of God – the Ten Commandments in particular – is a transcript of divine character will also tell you that they are trying every day to achieve what is said in that transcript, namely that they should not ever sin. I would much rather have a look at the character of God in his love, mercy, grace, compassion, long suffering and gentleness than to hear the voice that clearly condemns one to death. Once a person has a true encounter with Christ he will no longer be afraid of death, and he or she will feel the right hand of God, and hear his voice assuring them that He has the keys to hell and the grave. That right hand places us far from the reach of death and condemnation. Does not the Christian experience, at the outset, change our transcript from an F to an A?

Comfort is for the bereaved?

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The Lord Yeshua designated himself and the Holy Spirit as Helper.  In the 17th century it was common to think of comfort as help, hence the scholars translated paraklētos as Comforter.  They were not confused about mourners coming to “help” the bereaved.   In a certain sense when Christ died and returned to glory the believers were bereaved of the One who came to save them.  So we can say the Holy Spirit comes to comfort us in our bereavement. If Christ did not say that the Spirit will do more than he could, and if he did not say that he had to go, and if he did not say that he greater things will accompany the recipients of the Spirit, there could be no fullness of joy.  Who wants a bereavement launchpad?

Comfort without bereavement , 2 Thessalonians 16-17

The words for comfort in this verse are paraklēsis and parakaleo, the noun and the verb.  It should not surprise the reader of the New Testament that the Holy Spirit bears the name Helper, Parakletos. Official sadness on the Messianic agenda is brief.  The disciples were without the first Helper for a few weeks.  True to form, weeping lasts only for a night, and  joy comes in the morning.

I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;

John 14:16

The comfort is eternal help

No one should think that there are fringe benefits from being invited into God’s kingdom like professional upgrades and a host of temporal fixes. Comfort and strength seem to be targeted on the heart, the inner man (2 Thessalonians 2:17), and it is beyond debate that the residence of the Spirit is also in the heart. There really is no viable case for the Holy Spirit’s help to include temporary miracles. While the Eternal God has interest in our day to day adversities and pathologies, drying out tears, healing our diseases and repairing our interpersonal relationships,these reliefs are not on the scale of pardon for sin and eternal life. A good cry can easily be relieved by any caring human, but the hopeless wanderers need something only God can provide

Not twiddling my thumbs or biting my nails as the criminals in high places face the music

eejoseph,

I do believe in the triumph of justice and while many of us across the globe are becoming apathetic as we see atrocities and wrongdoing pass as “nothing to see here” the mighty are going to fall. If snowfall in southern California in February 2023 does not convince anyone that tables turn we are likely to say that Nazis, fascists, armed insurrectionists, semiliterate preachers, and gun-runners are the ideal type of citizens.

What is the biggest challenge you will face in the next six months?

Waiting for the mighty to fall

To ease the burden of waiting to see conservatives reduced to cons I will pray that the wheels of justice respond to pedal to the metal and distract myself with writing and keeping an eye out for a winged addition to my life list.

Pull out a few more stops

eejoseph,

What advice would you give to your teenage self?

Teenage is a transforming time that depends on the balance we strike – there is an ideal ratio for each individual – between the priorities of our ancestors and the necessary resources of our generation. 

Stops are levers that modify – add, subtract, or change the levels –  the layers of music that an organist adds to a piece he is playing.  Spread the wings of love and creative release, soar like an eagle, and flap your wings less.  Do not work so hard at being you.

Bakers, cooks, inmates, indigents, singers and dancers

eejoseph,

Fleas and other pests are a real risk with human company as they are with animal company. If my choices result in flea discomfort, so be it. the baker the cook will certainly delight with their creations, and the inmates and indigents will always be saying facts. The singers and dancers always have a place of honor in the citadel of great foundations, so their company is bound to b a source of joy, happiness and peace.

Who are your favorite people to be around?

No exit strategy. Fight to victory

eejoseph

The slaughter of millions of humans in the pursuit of power, territory, and treasure might pass as necessary moves by any authority protecting its people’s future. The regional fights for values have seen the planet descend into the abyss of cultural priorities and, frankly, politico-religious garbage. We cannot make idols of military prowess, or make a moral standard of ethnic insularity superiority, or make the fear of resident foreigners a reason to unleash mass murder, destruction of property, uprooting of communities, and the imprisonment of entire populations, and think that such treachery escapes the eyes that do not sleep. Three months ago Forbes Breaking News was citing surveys that show half of the GOP were telling anyone who would listen that the US was doing too much for Ukraine. Their aversion to what they call endless wars. American wisdom in the area of war-making is supposed to include an exit strategy, aimed at ensuring no repeat of the conflicts in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. One assumes that the reluctance to put American boots on the ground in Syria and a host of hot spots is the offspring of that policy. In February 2023 Republicans are on air standing with President Biden on conducting support for Ukraine for as long as it takes. When a dog tells you he’s going to eat his vomit, do not cringe when he does. When a weather vane rotates in a dead calm something sinister and demonic is on tap, and reading “until Ukraine wins” as fuzzy exit strategy is right on the money.

Why else do people declare war and prosecute them if not to win? The GOP is a satanic beast, and this is not to say that Republicans are demoniacs. The idea that parties who lose elections are duly authorized to oppose the government and the winning party is as outhouse as Popeye and spinach. In the British empire and its colonies we have seen Her Majesty’s loyal opposition show themselves desolate of decency and nobility by their mindless attempts to overthrow the party in power by outrageous and nice-sounding slogans. No family, corporation, or civic entity can claim to be stable with even one member acting as avowed opposition. Forget the notion that opposition parties have as their priority offering sound advice and recommendations to the party in power. Forget the notion that any of household will tolerate a spouse or child acting as critics with a goal of ending the appropriate bonds and functions of any stakeholder.

Devilish deals

It is diabolic operational priority to slander, oppose, and destroy. A professor who advocates burning of books is a fool on an errand. The Christian who champions law and order, from any source, is like the ox who does not know his owner, is like the ass who does not know his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.” (Isaiah 1:3) No-one needs to be actually possessed by an evil spirit (a fallen angel) or the leader of the fallen angels himself to be found slandering, committing murder, stealing, or destroying. In one of the truly eye-opening predictions about demonic influence we find a people in the latter days who are clearly being influenced, but not identified as demoniac. Their activities include:

  • Speaking lies in hypocrisy
  • having their conscience seared with a hot iron; (read “messed-up conscience“)
  • Forbidding to marry (ethnic discrimination and tribalism)
  • commanding to abstain from meats (dietary nonsense)

“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;” “Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.” (1 Timothy 4:1-3)

Flip flop, hawk-dove

Every day eyes are being opened to view the follies of human heroes, people putting their lives on the line for inconsiderate theories and policies. There will always be poor people, naive and gullible people. Exactly how childish the conservative aligned people are will appear again when the GOP starts pushing for an exit strategy from support for Ukraine against Russian aggression and for the United States to withdraw from the Asia-Pacific arena to let China have its draconian way.