Author: dh72568

Genesis Chapter One Part 2

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Genesis 1:6-8

Gen 1:6  And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

Gen 1:7  And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.

Gen 1:8  And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

God created the division of atmospheres. 

1. God divides the earthly from the celestial in a physical manner. There are basically five atmospheres extending into space. At the lowest level there is the troposphere reaching to about 7 miles. Then comes the stratosphere reaching on upward to about 31 miles above the earth. Next comes the Mesosphere extending on upward to 50 miles above the earth. The thermosphere moves to 440 miles. And then the Exosphere takes to an incredible 6,200 miles above earth.

2. God divides the spiritual from the carnal. At each level of faith there changing conditions. What may be common in fighting fears may be something different fighting certain failures. But you rise above. You leave behind petty hopes and ego driven ambitions. You come to atmospheres of faith and revelation that demand more precision.

An article in the Chicago Tribune states, “As a rule, the higher the thunderstorm’s top the more severe the thunderstorm is likely to be. Thunderstorms with the highest tops host the strongest updrafts, sometimes as high as 100 mph and form in the area of greatest lift and instability. In the Chicago area, typical summer thunderstorms develop to heights between 35,000 and 45,000 feet, but the tops of severe thunderstorms that produce large hail and damaging winds can reach 60,000 feet. The devastating F5 Plainfield tornado on Aug. 28, 1990, towered to 65,000 feet.

The tallest thunderstorms on Earth form in the tropics where tops have been measured to about 75,000 feet — more than 14 miles into the atmosphere.”

“The atmosphere is necessary for the transmission of sound. If there were no atmosphere, the bell might be tolled, the cannon might be fired, a thousand voices might render the music of the sweetest hymn, but not the faintest sound would be audible.” Biblical Illustrator

“The word “atmosphere” indicates, in general, its character and its relation to the earth. It is compounded of two Greek words, one signifying vapour and the other sphere, and, taken together, they denote a sphere of vapour enveloping or enwrapping the whole earth.” G. C. Noyes

In terms of the vastness of the atmosphere, there is always somewhere else to go. Climb Mt Everest to its most majestic ascending height at 29, 029 Feet; and as spectacular as this heroic feat might inspire the bravest of mankind it still trapped in the first layer of atmospheres. It would take a multiplicity of almost six Mount Everests to reach the top of the stratosphere; and that’s just the second atmosphere of earth.

Oh, finite man! We gain knowledge at modern speeds unparalleled by any generation before us; we stack it with haste, like techno Babel builders, reaching for infamy; and yet for all our learning and achievement our best peaks of intelligence are dwarfs of ignorance compared to the height of His glory.

Psalms 8:3

3  When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;

Think about it. He created it all with his fingers. And he has his hand upon us. Joshua 4:24

“And it was so.” God creates in the universe.

God creates in us. He made the heavens and the earth. They obey His Word by staying in order. If His Word did not hold the solar system in place there would be utter chaos. And the sane goes for us. We are His workmanship “created in Christ JESUS into good works”. That means we are supposed to do something good with what we’ve got. Not live with pig pen mentalities. Not get off track and behave with disorderly stubborn conduct. God spoke it and it was so. God’s Word should speak into our lives and the moniker should be “and it was so”.

We then create atmospheres. We “make a joyful noise into the Lord”. Psalm 100:1 This is changing the atmosphere or creating an atmosphere of praise. As we forge the eternal highways of truth in spiritual unity we are “made to sit together in heavenly places.” Ephesians 2:6 When we were baptized we were recipients of a “circumcision made without hands.” Colossians 2:11

Genesis to Revelation

~ dh72568

Genesis 1:1-2

The Founder

Gen 1:1  In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Gen 1:2  And the earth was waste and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

In the beginning God. First of all, God created the heavens and the earth from no preexisting material. He spoke all materials into being. His sole Presence at the beginning is necessary for production. If you take his Presence out of this passage then there is still nothing and I am not writing anything on my computer. Because nothing exists without Him. John B Phillips adequately remarks about the authenticity of God’s claim as Creator when he said, “If the Holy Spirit cannot be trusted when He tells of creation, how can He be trusted when He tells of salvation? If what He says about earth in Genesis 1 can be questioned, then what He says about heaven in Revelation 22 can be questioned. If the Holy Spirit cannot be trusted in Genesis 1, how can He be trusted in John 3:16?”

God created the heavens and the earth. Not overly descriptive but poignantly accurate. The atheist is infuriated by this text because it assertively announces God’s existence. The polytheist is left speechless with countless wasted deities as the Bible affirmatively reveals a Lone Deity as the reason for all existence. The One who had no beginning gave everything a beginning. His sole preeminence leaves all others beggars.

Notice plurality of heavens and the singularity of earth. Think about it. There are endless stars, galaxies, formations of suns and immeasurable numbers of planets spinning out there in space. And then there is earth. One place in such a vast expanse of materials and mysteries. What would be formed in the earth would be a spiritual reflective of what God would eventually desire to form in the church. The God who formed the earth as we know it out of darkness also forms the believer in that we are “called out of darkness into marvelous light.” (I Peter 2:9) A Universe born was called out of darkness and a church born was called out of darkness. There is no waste in the Word. No void in the blood of the Lamb. No desolation in Grace. A single purpose is seen from the beginning.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary keys in on the redemptive nature of Genesis 1, “The account reveals that God is a redeeming God. It records how He brought the cosmos out of chaos, turned darkness into light, made divisions between them, transformed cursing into blessing, and moved from what was evil and darkness to what was holy.”

And the Spirit of God moved. Yes, a shifting power is certain from the beginning. You see desolation is what you get when God punishes a place. Edom realized this confusion and emptiness when God’s vengeance was enacted on their land. “…and he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness.” (Isaiah 34:11)

This same desolation is experienced when God parts from a place. Idolatrous Judah regretfully understood this timeless universal justice as they faced Babylonian Captivity. The weeping prophet, Jeremiah,  pulled from history to condemn Judah, “I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.” (Jeremiah 4:23)

Sometimes the Spirit of God moves and it means something has to be eliminated. The clutter is removed so the promises and powers of God can be at work. The threshold of revival cannot be blocked with sin-blame and destructive iniquity (lawlessness). Something has developed that is not good.

Then at other times the Spirit of God moves and something has to be illuminated. Something is developing that is of God. It must come to light. It needs only revelation. Revelation is not creative; it merely unveils what’s already created.

“I had an enormous feeling that there had to be a power greater than any of us – that there was a God, that there was indeed a beginning.” Who made this statement? Frank Borman, a legendary NASA astronaut who was one of only 24 humans to ever circle the moon. Beyond all his mathematical equations, geometric calculations, pinpoint formulas for space travel, he returned to the simplicity of the Word of God to describe his otherworldly adventure.

A simple pattern reminds us who gave us the beginning. No matter what educational path you walk; no matter the physical circumstances that cripple you and create the doubting questions; no matter the pleasures of life experienced at the expense of faith; no matter the culture you are raised in or adapted to; the true conscience of Who is above all things preexists in the depths of our soul.

“As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.” (Psalms 42:1) Continue reading →

Study of Joel Part 1

~ dh72568

The Persuaded Prophet

Joel 1:1. Joel means “Jehovah is God.” There is not much mention about who Joel was as much as a referendum on what he was, a prophet of the Lord. And oh, what a beginning statement. “The Word of the Lord came to Joel.” It is the true demarcation of the prophet of God. He hears from God. He heralds what he heard to man. And he hopes what is shared will be heeded.

The Word of the Lord is more than a human premonition, educated prognostication, or clever behavioral analysis to gain religious advantage. Joel heard from God. He didn’t get his source material from the grandest libraries of his day or by huddling with the wisest Rabbis around. He heard from God. His father’s name Pethuel means “persuaded of God”. [1] Put the two generations together, Joel and Pethuel, and you have one who is persuaded that Jehovah is God. One need only think of Paul’s admiring observation of Faithful Abraham in that he was “fully persuaded that, what he (God) had promised, he was able also to perform.” Romans 4:21 And then again Paul shares his own enthusiastic devotion to truth by declaring, “for I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39

Perpetuating Prophecies

Joe 1:2  Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers?

Joe 1:3  Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.

On one hand what had transpired in conquered Israel had never been seen before; and on the other hand, the things that had been witnessed should and could never be forgotten. They must be perpetuated to every generation. And as we examine our own times in the mirror of scriptural honesty, we know that His “truth endureth to all generations.” Psalm 100:5 Enduring truth outwits convenient theology. God’s Word doesn’t degrade over time or need to be readjusted to fit cultural ideologies or demands. Each generation must learn these things about truth:

  • Truth is not for sale. “Buy the truth, and sell it not.” (Proverbs 23:23) Once you’ve made the investment of doctrine, scriptural principles, godly character and Biblical integrity you must be determined to hold to it eternally.
  • Truth is already settled. “Forever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.” (Psalm 119:89) The Word of God is an eternal foundation. It doesn’t move. Its harmony with the character and mind of God is unquestioned and its hold on world systems is without Biblical debate. Since His Word is settled every generation that discovers a personal relationship with God should be settled. Settled in peace. Founded in grace. Established in trust.
  • Truth is the ultimate satisfaction. Paul instructed the Colossian church that God would one day reconcile Gentile nations and believers to eternal honor if “ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel…” (Colossians 1:23) So, walking in the truth will lead to the deliverance from the world and a destination of everlasting joy and peace. Don’t settle for Esau’s bean when you have a better blessing. In other words, the inheritance of eternal life far exceeds any earthly pleasure on the scale of human opportunity. Don’t waste treasure for meaningless substitutes.

 

[1] Albert Barnes

All Things Work Together

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All Things Work Together

Romans 8:28. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

And we know. It is not religious estimation. It is not educated hypothesis. It is more than conjecture or random formulas. There is knowledge rooted in a timeless truth. The knowledge that the present trial must not chain you, but change you. The problems we face cannot ignore the Divine pattern already established in the Eternal Word.

Preemptive Understanding

“Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” When you know that God is at work it doesn’t remove the pain, but it empowers the purpose revealed in the pain. Something is always better ahead for the child of God that keeps walking. For instance, if you are walking a familiar path then you know where the various destinations are located. There is no guessing. You are not confused by certain twists and turns in the path. And the doesn’t concern you if you know how far it will be from the start. God gives us this preemptive understanding in our faith. We can pray until we see things from a clearer vantage point of His perspective, from the peaks of His insights.

Wanting nothing. Think about how powerful this is; if you have a pantry stocked with every kind of food then you need only get up and go get it. Faith is connected to the Higher Knowledge of God that knows where everything that we need is placed. More than groceries, we are talking about grace. His favor wants us to be fruitful, wanting nothing. So we keep growing from trial to trial. We learn. We are liberated by what we learn (like finding the combination or key to the prison bars that confine you); we take that liberty and shine it as a light for others trapped in spiritual prisons.

Praiseworthy Undertaking

“Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations; that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” I Peter 1:6-7

“As by the action of fire gold is separated from all alloy and heterogeneous mixtures, and is proved to be gold by its enduring the action of the fire without losing any things of its nature, weight, color, or any other property, so genuine faith is proved by adversities.”[1] In other words, if we are going to be found praiseworthy in the end we will have to endure some pressure in the middle. Times will give us struggling seconds and agonizing hours.

You see, it’s not what goes in, the tested; but what comes out, the proven. Gold and fire work together to reveal purity.

Though now for a season. The brittle branches of a fruit tree in winter might solicit morbid feelings. You could stare at the unproductive tree and think to cut it down. You might even say, “it will never be the same.” Cold winds blow. Harsh skies discourage. Fruitless boughs creak. But it’s just a season. Change is coming. Time will tick away the cold breath of winter, and frost will give way to new fruit. Buds will show. Leaves will stretch. Freshness will awaken. Spring will come. And what was invisible in the frigid days of snow and ice will become a renewed vision of pregnant orchards and fruit laden branches.

The trial is not supposed to last, only what you gain from it. I like pistachios. And I like to eat them from the shell. I like the slower rhythm and patience it takes to gain one tasty nut from the shell. And after a few minutes I sweep the piles of shells from the desk to the trash. I take the pistachio and leave the shell. Take the treasure from the trial and leave the trial. Don’t stay in the cold confines of the cave. Gain your courage, pray for a while, share your isolated feelings with a Holy God; then leave the cave. Mine the gold; leave the mountain.

All things work together. Unifying circumstances. Broken bits mixed with whole parts. All things “fitly framed together.”[2]

The Expositor’s Greek Testament interprets this phrase as “God co-operates for good in all things.” Think about that. Even if something begrudgingly goes along with the will of God, the Lord still makes it work. Even detractors to your faith become co-stars in the journey of your life where God is the “author and the finisher.”[3]

There are two sides to this verse. The human and the Divine. We have a perspective of all things working together for good; and God has a perspective of everything fitting His purpose. So, the carnal man wants to know how things endured, places walked, experiences lived, faith acted out and failures realized, will achieve his own ambitions and secular drives. But the spiritual man relinquishes this inferior perspective for a better understanding of how everything endured (what we suffered), endeared (what we learned to love) and endeavored (what we attempted in the first place) fits the perfect will of God. Continue reading →