Resurrection: mystery in motion

eejoseph

For a great many believers Paul’s resurrection revelation is the ultimate pie-in-the-sky lure.  There is a general feeling that baptism wraps up the divine intervention, but a great surprise is on the way.  The mysteries we hold are never under our thumbs.  God’s sovereignty – in power, grace, and the unique attributes of his person – demands that success is up to him, for the future in the hands of any human is clearly at risk.  The future that the resurrection ushers in is the swallowing up of death, at which the taunt goes up.  Things to ponder: (1) the impossibilities attached to kingdom access, (2) the certainty of the essential change, (3) the precision and rapidity of the change, and (4) the certainty of change (asleep or wake, = dead or alive).

Two impossibilities

1. … flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God;

2.  nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. (1 Corinthians 15:50b)

The traditions in which we wrap ourselves may allow us to flip back and forth from our essence as flesh and blood to spiritual beings.  On the one hand, flesh and blood needs a change – a makeover – to have access to God’s kingdom. The church is not that kingdom. Humanity needs a transformation.  On the other hand, the perishable – all we can bring to God – is not in this era inheriting the imperishable.  No miracle or revelation changes this fact.  We are flesh and blood and perishable until resurrection morning.

The certainty of change, asleep or awake

The mystery under the microscope is the necessary change that comes at the end of the age.  It is so deeply central to God’s agenda that it does not matter if a person is deceased or alive.   God changes every believer whether he is asleep, that means “dead” or alive. The dead are secure in their faith. There is no sense in which the faithful dead – those who died as believers – are anything but safe and fully approved. Christ has marked – as he does the falling of the sparrows – the death of those to whom he has givine his Spirit, and will change all without ritual or process. Christ will change the whole body of dead and the living believers from mortal to immortal.

Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, (1 Corinthians 15:51)

The precision of the change event

in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:52)

The change happens with rapidity, and this gives no one time to evaluate and comment.  This is how God acts sovereignly to give his people the final touch.  He defines it in three ways. 

  • In a moment, in the smallest unit of time, how quickly
  • In the twinkling of an eye, one stroke, not many
  • At the last trump, when, the place of the change on the divine schedule.

The timing of the change is such that it is over before one can think “Wow” and it is not a number of steps.

The inevitable chant

No-one can speak to this experience, and as far as we know, the Nazarene alone has come back from the dead with a body such as can fully experience God’s rulership. How could it be otherwise than the Pioneer of salvation to have the preeminence, in being the first human to be received into the glory? Even with his victory over death the combat is not over or complete. That achievement awaits the resurrection of all the faithful, when the perishable puts on the imperishable.

But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. (1 Corinthians 15:54) “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55)

The “so-what” of the mystery

The people in line for resurrection are approved by God, sealed for the day of bodily redemption, and their security is never in question.  God does not give the Holy Spirit as a test.  It is an eternal appointment kept.  The people marked for resurrection are either safely asleep – dead – or alive.  Christ is the indispensable anchor of holy being, identity, and endurance.  How can anyone ever “stand” without Christ? We have, remarkably, the example of the choice of the twelve persons to be with him, and the gift of the Holy Spirit to be with believers “forever”, and this presence has pervading results.

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; (John 14:16)

Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:17)

The mystery in current and pervasive motion

We will not idolize that critical work of the mystery in us with trivialities and temporary instructions, observances of days, weeks, months, years, and empty sacrifices and offerings. The environment in which the mystery is at work is not hidden to the believer, and it is not easily missed or misidentified because it comes from God’s Spirit. It is happening all the time. The command to be steadfast and immovable is not a call for change. Paul wrote ginesthe, meaning “continue to be”. There is no fiat associated with this command. The problem with the traditional understanding of steadfastness and immovability is that it departs from permanence. The believer is prone to see himself as a tree planted by the waters that changes location, as as saved persons who are not safe. Many believers are addicted to contradicting the Lord’s description of those who trust in the Lord as being like Mount Zion. Discarding the status of steadfast and immovable is a fatal error which shows the darkness of Christlesness.

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58

None of the apostles can by fiat, command or prayer make people steadfast or removable. The hope of resurrection and change will have the certainty of established abundance. It is empty talk to expound on the change resurrection bings while disavowing the realities of resurrection power manifest in daily life.

He knows himself and his Saviour

eejoseph

He who dares to say

is only confessing the truth .

For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. (Jeremiah 17:8)

Light on a hill cannot be hidden

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. (Matthew 5:14)

Following without a cross goes nowhere

And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:27)

Not one person is being saved by circumcision

Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” (Acts 15:1)

Not one person is being saved by keeping Moses’ law

But some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.” (Acts 15:5)

He who moves Zion is greater than God and a deceiver

Those who trust in the Lord Are as Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides forever. (Psalms 125:1)

Do planted trees walk away? Do their leaves wither?

He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. (Psalms 1:3)

One reason the saved do not say they are safe is that the doctrine demons are terrorizing them

38) But My righteous one shall live by faith; And if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him. 39) But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul. (Hebrews 10:38-39)

He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, (Titus 3:5)

The one who says “Since Christ saved me, I am safe” shows that he believes in Christ’s work and will not be terrorized by backpedallers.

Narrative Esometrix

eejoseph

I am sure you are familiar with the idea that there are lines between the lines (LBTL) as we read a document, and that there is an  embedded theme (ET) in the words we find strung together. Eso and exo are Greek prefixes indicating inner and outer respectively. Exactly how we discover, discern, and dissect the lines between the lines, and whither we take the inner elements are up to us. It is essential to remember that (a) importing our idea into the text is strictly a tool of the devil, so (b) be sure that the lines-between-the-lines and the inner and outer elements are accurately measured in order to ascertain how they may fit into the interests of the context. Remember that the LBTL and the ET may not resolve into perfectly corresponding parts, as is the case when old wine is allowed to sit in old bottles. These are the contours of the handling of meaning in narratives within a narrative.

Exports from the names of Daniel and his companions

There are lots of people, leading figures, including pastors and elected representatives, who are pretending to have the tools to teach when they have not learned.  A good dose of reality should begin with realizing that we are not Yeshua of Nazareth.  Our mothers can teach us to read the Bible and pray, and yet diligence in the pursuit of truth and growth producing exploration of the Scriptures is strictly controlled by the Spirit of God.  For example, realizing that names have meaning, we can construct a scene or drama, if the names include clay and form/make we can see a potter’s shop, and if the names are judge and help we can construct a courtroom drama.

From names to drama

Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah. Dan 1:6b

דָּנִיֵּ֣אל חֲנַנְיָ֔ה מִֽישָׁאֵ֖ל וַעֲזַרְיָֽה׃ …

These names appear in a list of equals. Each name is deity-bound, two ELs, two YAHs (-iah). The diversity of the names give us, in order, (i) a judge (dan), (ii) favour (chanan), (iii) evidence (mish), (iv) help (ezer). A judge must stand alone on account of his authority. A judge has no equal, and all who interact with him are gloing to be bound to him by specific functions. In the judge’s purview are the prosecutor, a defendant, the defence attorney. They interact with him in prescribed ways.

Favour, evidence/precedent, and help

In the courtroom then let us imagine that favour rests on the defendant and its effects cannot but be part of the record. The defendant’s attorney and even the accuser may have things to say in the defendant’s favour. The judge may even have formed a gracious approach based on the common knowledge possessed by each court officer and the defendant.

These three are not strictly trinitarian. Help can safely be paired with the Holy Spirit in the role of Defence attorney. Favour or grace can be grounded in the person of Christ, the saviour whose signature work is giving gifts to humanity. The  One-Who-Is-Like-EL appears as evidence, providing the exhibit typically labelled “A” and, in most cases, designed by the accuser/prosecution to seal or summarize the case.

The defendant’s attorney has the primary duty to provide help to the defendant. The judge also has the obligation to secure the defendant’s rights and protections. We are in a good place if we anticipate that One-who-is-like-GOD serves in the court as the inimitable guiltless human Mishael represents the once-for-all unblemished atoning sacrifice of Christ.

Far from nutrition-free snacks

I do not take this exploration as secondary or the time not well spent, and it is encouraging to recognize that the experience is within the reach of many readers of the Bible or any book where names have well-known meanings.  That LBTL and ET would not provide healthy meditations is not so strange when one can recall walking away from an hourlong sermon with not a single point in the mystery of faith deposited in the audience.  Readers who do not have Hebrew and Greek as their native language and want to be evaluated as diligent can spread their wings with a lexicon and drink the milk of narrative esometrics.

Black Jesus

eejoseph, ,

Breaking News: Italians confess a racist silo over the ethnicity of the Saviour of the world.  “Jesus is really black” is the new song they are singing.

While we are busy painting everything black the Black people of Africa and the Diaspora are still in the grip of poverty, sickness and ignorance.  It is doubtful that the leaders of predominantly Black nations will ever wake up to their obligations to serve their people.
We knew 55 years ago that Abraham and his descendants were not caucasian. Is this Italian discovery of Black Yeshua supposed to be like the discovery of cannabis and Egypt and The Bill of Rights?  Black Jesus is not a tool for another exploitative religious project.



UP NEXT: the Vatican brings the dead to life.

Rome and Italy have an image that spans the globe but so does China, India and the United States.  They are all beasts, due for exposure as agents of the dragon.  Democracy is devolving into its eight terminally ill heads or kingdoms. Faith is dead, justice trickles in the gutters, and families disintegrate.  Everyone is looking for a saviour.

Revelation of John 13:14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and HAS COME TO LIFE.

Do not let them fool you with a flashy vibe;
Warriors and stars are clearly in decline

Whatever the ruse they use to wow the planet just watch to see that the poor and the rich do not change places anywhere, and watch the United States trample all over its history, demonizing and oppressing Black people.

Favoured risks: dry, wet, ride

eejoseph,

When is the last time you took a risk? How did it work out?

Yesterday

The forecast says it’s going to rain.  The thing to do is cancel outings, pack an umbrella, or reschedule appointments. Recently, that is not me. Walking in the rain has rarely resulted in a disaster for me.  Yesterday it started to rain, a slight drizzle, as I waited for a bus. I decided not to use the shelter, 15 metres away.  Before I could notice whether the rain was intensifying or stopping a motorist offered me a ride. Next time the risk of being soaked by a downpour arises I know what the probabilities are. Dry, wet, ride.

Ford’s Fizzling Fantasy

eejoseph

Ontario’s Premier Ford’s legacy has come down to building pipelines!  He was off to Washington to make a deal with the American felon when the tariff terror began! Buck-a-beer – beer for one dollar must be the greatest secret in Ontario history! Homes in Ontario’s Green Belt is the scandalous rejection of environmental stewardship and accountability! Opting out of the Federal Constitution twice shows at least a little desperation! He sheltered behind secrecy from giving evidence at the inquiry into the Freedom Convoy! This is Premier Ford of Ontario’s legacy. “Business makes people free and successful” must be his motto, while poverty still stalks Ontario’s streets. Ford was willing to privatize Health Care and impose fees for services. Can we say he likes the USA’s version of oppressive health care services on the basis of all the moves he has made to whittle away the equity of Canada’s Health Care Law? It is a certainty that entrepreneurs and corporation with sizeable US dollar accounts are his friends and favourite partners. His pops are well-timed, occuring just when people are looking at political options to counter the conservative robot. Non-progressive politicians are fizzling like candles in a light drizzle. Maybe a new generation of the great Sir John A will save Ontario from American domnation only to lose it to ruthless exploitation of the environment. The pops are few, the cracks even fewer, and the fizzle of all the Fords of the world is all too obvious.

Ontarians have lost their way just like the people of the United States and have voted for a man who was essentially a shopkeeper with a penchant for rosy handouts to everyone, tax breaks for the corporate world, and massive projects without the protection of the environment. Remember Ford’s “Ontario is open for business”? That what a province is now. A shop. No wonder. The greatest surprise is in store for Canadians when they learn the extent to which American investment and American residency in Canada have affected their education, health, personal safety, and wealth as a result of provincial premiers bending over like loyal servants of the USA and lovers of the Yankee dollar. The amber waves of grain are sending a fetid aroma across the border and Canadians may have to endure it for a little while. I hear no crack, a few pops, but mostly fizzle.

What’s a positive without a little negative?

eejoseph,

Describe a random encounter with a stranger that stuck out positively to you.

I am pleased to relate my encounter with someone who I can now call a very well-dressed, well-spoken, and open panhandler.  This individual greeted me most warmly and gave me what I thought was a Christian kind of blessing, and then told me that a job was elusive, even though the job sought was part-time, and that hard times were knocking at the door.

Can you help me? 
What do you need? 
$x for lunch
Follow me to the store and wait, please (wanting to conceal my stash of cash, and determining to give half of what was asked for)

After buying my items at the store I came out with my cash ready and there was the dignified panhandler, waiting.  I turned over the amount, wished the panhandler well, and said goodbye.

This encounter is memorable because as I left the scene I felt that I had failed, not delivering what was requested, a simple meal, one meal, instead giving half.

How often does a panhandler say exactly what they want and not get it? Gee! I gotta get better at giving!

Good Grief Gone

eejoseph, ,

You can stop thinking that Good Friday is a holy season that comes with the authority of Scripture or even has the accuracy of an annual festival.  Picking the Friday before or after Passover is another convenient avoidance of the facts.  Since no truth or spiritual value exceeds the passion, and no act of Christ outranks his death it is time to consider good grief gone to ground an established fact.

Good grief assured Abram

God said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. (Genesis 15:13)

This was in answer to Abram seeking assurance that the land of Canaan was going to be his home and his descendants’.

7. And He said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it.” 8. He said, “O Lord God, how may I know that I will possess it?” (Genesis 15:7-8)

It is not that we need holy days, weeks, months.  They are all juvenile toys.

9. But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? 10. Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. 11. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain. (Galatians 4:9-11)

Truth gone to ground with Good Friday

Is it not a deadly myth that God saved eight people and all the animals, clean and unclean from the flood, and saved the people from Egypt only to kill all of them except two in the wilderness?

This holiest of moments that we can pin almost to the hour is not subject to sectarian opinion or manipulation.