AN INTERESTING QUESTION...

At another forum this question was asked: The laws of God are consistent and God, in His perfection, will never alter/go against His laws by taking arbitrary actions. Why then did Jesus defy the law of nature by performing certain miracles like walking on water?

We responded as follows:

It appears from the body of your question that you have come to recognise that the Creation Laws are consistent and that the Creator will not change them or go against them. True!

This indeed is the infallible way to measure all matters including the accounts one comes across daily or even accounts from past eras.  Christ being the Son God does not imply that He will employ His Divine Power to act arbitrarily against the Laws of Creation. Being a Divine Envoy He will always act strictly in accordance with the Will of His Father expressed in the Laws of Creation. One may also add that with a human being who is highly matured spiritually, there is only the wish to obey the Will of the Lord at all times. It is only the small minded and immature ones that act arbitrarily when they are given some level of authority.

Therefore, all the miracles of Christ were in accordance with the Divine Laws. For example, the raising of the dead through Divine Power is not beyond Divine Laws as long as it happens within a certain time after death, the length of which differs for each human being. The more spiritually mature the soul is when severing itself from the physical body the quicker it will be released, and the shorter will be the time during which the lawful opportunity exists to recall it, because this can only happen while the soul is still connected with the body! 

Now to walking on water. There is no way that a human body can float in water except by way of swimming in its various forms or by using an implement adapted to the water element! In all simplicity, one needs to adapt to a particular element of matter in order to make use of it. For this reason, a child will first learn to crawl and later start to walk gradually on the ground. If however man wishes to transport himself in water, he needs to learn how to do so either through swimming or using an adequate implement (e.g. boats, water skateboards, water bikes etc).  Similarly one needs to adapt to the nature of air in order to use it as a form of transportation. A human body of flesh and blood cannot just fly into the skies!

From the forgoing one cannot but conclude that accounts that suggest that the Lord Jesus whilst still inside His physical body walked on water cannot be taken as literally true and factual! If it had happened with Christ as such transmissions report, then God would have to act against His own Laws. But this He cannot do since He is perfect from the very beginning, and thus also His Will, Which lies in the Laws of Creation. 

Let us not rest until we come to a right understanding of the Savior and then  the whole life of Christ as it really was will unfold itself before us divested of all the fantasies invented by human brains!

THE ABRAHAM AND ISAAC STORY

On Sunday 20 February 2011, I sent out the following question to a small group by SMS. Please find below the feedback I got. I have deliberately left out the names of the commentators for obvious reasons.

First the question:

Could the story that Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son refer to physically killing Isaac? Just food for thought. I'd appreciate your insights. 

Now the 8 answers:

1.      I believe! 

2.      Well, so far I’ve seen the Abraham-Isaac story as mainly to show his implicit trust and obedience to The Almighty. It is not likely that The Almighty would demand human sacrifice.

3.      Adam and Eve did not eat an apple and Abram saw no ram.

4.      Obviously no. Not physical. The Lord would never ask such of anyone.

5.      Hello Sola. It is a beautiful allegorical illustration of Test of Faith. D story went further to show how Abraham was shown d ram as d alternative for such an act! D case of serpent and apple in d Garden of Eden is also another spiritual illustration although for different situation. From what we know of d Lord in His Commandment through Moses, He will never permit or even demand such physical sacrifice. Thank u for sharing.

6.      Who asked Abraham to offer the sacrifice? Certainly not the Almighty. Was it folk tale or reality? Methinks those are (the) pertinent questions!

7.      It was an ethereal experience for Abraham- not earthly!

8.      Nice one Sola!

I may be digressing a bit but just a thought; 

I believe God was referring to a physical killing. Many of us have an image of a God who is goody-two shoes and all Nice and can never ask us as He did of Abraham (i.e. ask something of you that will cause you pain or hurt). While God is not the author of evil or wickedness, He is Almighty and can do anything that He so pleases. The Bible says that He can get really jealous and that He is a consuming Fire….Do you know that God can allow certain “bad things” to happen to make a point or for whatever reason that He has chosen? Few can assume that God did not mean a physical killing because Abraham did not end up sacrificing His Son but what if He actually did? Would you and I believe any less in God because He allowed that? There are enough things that happen around us that make us look up to the Sky sometimes and wonder….Hmm God, but why? Think about the environmental disasters, murders, and abortions etc. that take place. Real lives are affected and destroyed by these occurrences. While some allow their faith in God to die alongside the tragedies that occur in their lives or around them some others actually still choose to believe in God all the more in spite of the pain and incomprehension of it all. Just a thought! I like what you are doing anyway….Keep it up! Warm Regards,

 

Your own views too are welcome. So please keep them coming…

JOHN 14:6 AND THIS SEASON

In John 14:6 it is written "....I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one goes to the Father except by me." In view of this, my very good friend asked on Facebook: what will happen to all the billions of our brothers and sisters devouring ram today? I will like them to join me in Heaven and not the other side…

I wish to comment as follows:

You are very kind and mean well for your fellow men! But each must really find his way to the Truth! He who seeks the Truth will be helped. He shall find! It is a Promise! Now the Truth which the Lord Jesus spoke of is not restricted to a particular religion or group. It refers to His Father (Son and Father are One). God is the Eternal and Unchangeable Truth! He manifests to us through the Natural Laws of His Will which rests in this Creation in which we live and have our sustenance! We can recognise these Laws if we look all around us with an open heart and mind. He also speaks to us through His Messengers who are again not appointees of any religion or groups. These Messengers in all history have always been rejected by men to whom they are sent to help. They are especially hated by leaders of religious groups! The Son of God himself suffered under this mindless hatred. So, for the human beings who seek the Truth and seek to live by the Laws of God, they are already on the right path regardless of the religion they profess on earth! Because of his good decision to follow God’s Commandments, such a human being shall be led to the Christ Spirit which in the final end will lead him on towards the recognition of God the Father. Thus the Word will be fulfilled: “No man cometh unto the Father but by me!”

YOU ARE MUCH MORE POWERFUL THAN CHANCE!

A man is so good that others look up to him as an example. Suddenly the good man becomes poor, ill health takes over and the people around him wonder why a good man should suffer such adversity. Events such as these elicit all kinds of theories. Some will say we are just like pawns on the chessboard of the gods! Fate just does with people as it wishes. Some have said time and chance happens to them all!

But are we really subject to chance? Somehow that thought runs against all sense of justice. But then the question remains; why do bad things happen to good people?

The human being is endowed with free will to choose the ways he wishes. In my mother tongue the human being is described as an entity who has the capacity to choose! In doing this, man uses the Power that streams through all that exists. This Power is from on High and is pure. As it flows through man, he has the freedom to put it to whatever use and for this he is accountable. This Power when put to noble use achieves that which is beautiful, it brings peace and happiness. If wasted or perhaps put into ignoble use, then the careless or evil minded one must give account to the Lord of all the Worlds the Dispenser of this Pure Power!

Man must simply reap what he has sown. We sow through our words thoughts and deeds. Now the thoughts are not easily discernible by others and therefore the person one sees as the “good man” may actually have a heart filled with hatred and vice! Many men are different in their inner life to what they allow the world to see. I am sure you are aware of this about yourself!

In addition to this is the fact that we live on earth more than once and all of the outings and departures form a single existence. Therefore the results of actions from a former life may now come home to roost in the present earth life. If the opponents of reincarnation are correct, then justice will require that all the for and against of a human being must play out all in a single earth life. This is however never the case! 

We do not need to despair concerning our ignoble past if we are now firm in our decision to do only that which is good. When we turn away from our willful disobedience and resolve to be obedient to the Laws of God continuously then our circumstances will change. The returning evil reactions from our past deeds will find no basis of attraction in us anymore and this works out as the forgiveness of our past wrongdoing. 

So we really have our destinies in our hands and are much more powerful than chance!

THE ANTICHRIST UNMASKED!

Are you still looking for the Antichrist in some man or institution? You are not alone. The prophetic number 666 which has always been linked with the Antichrist has been associated with some human beings and even institutions over the centuries. In 2015, a controversial photo of a baby with curls resembling 666 appeared in a Swedish newspaper causing a stir in social networks. Protestant preachers including John Wesley and Martin Luther have pointed to the Papacy as the seat of the Antichrist! Apart from this revered institution, another one that has been accused is the American Presidency. Every American President since George Washington has been suspected of being the one to usher in the end times. On the individual level, we have had Nero, Napoleon Bonaparte, Hitler and even Henry Kissinger / Mikhail Gorbachev. (Ironically, 85 year old Gorbachev has this bold birthmark on his forehead!). Today, Donald Trump is being labelled. Reason among others: the Trump family bought the most expensive single building ever purchased in the United States, at 666 Fifth Avenue, (remember the prophetic number 666) a street symbolic of money (Mammon), materialism, affluence, hubris and power!

But then who really is this Antichrist? Is he a human being or an institution? How can he be identified? If he is easily identifiable, will he be able to have followers? (Followers certainly will not be much as many know that by following the Antichrist they will incur the wrath of the Almighty)

I am happy to tell you that the Antichrist has been unmasked! Firstly, no human being or human institution can have the strength and power to become the Antichrist! The Antichrist, who is the only real enemy of God has actually been active among men for a long time. His aim is always to deceive man and lead man astray. He also works tirelessly against the salvation of man which can only be attained by man’s adherence to God’s Word of Truth. He earned the name Antichrist when he worked assiduously against Christ’s Work of Redemption. He did this by using the leaders of religion at that period. He fanned the embers of hatred in these people until they brought Jesus to the cross! Meanwhile, these people were under the delusion that they were serving God by silencing this troublesome Truth Bringer! That is the hallmark of the Antichrist. He uses mankind to achieve his aims while deceiving them that they are on the right path.

Today, those who serve him abound and they have no idea that they are under the rule of the Antichrist.

The Antichrist is Lucifer and his weapon has always been the same: enslavement of man through man’s intellect which is the product of the human brain. By this is meant placing the wishes of man’s perishable body (the brain being the highest part) over and above the Will of the Most High.

The sign that one has fallen into the hands of the Antichrist is not by physically bearing the mark 666 on one’s body, but it means leaving all decisions to the earthly intellect. Of course this has the result of behaving selfishly, thinking of only material gains and benefits and thinking less of the spiritual and God’s Holy Will. It leads to harming others, imposing upon them, corruption, malice, murders, wars and all the evil prevalent in the world today.  

As every human being carry’s the over-developed intellect within, let us not look outside again for the Antichrist but look within and put the Will of God above our own thoughts born of the flesh!

TODAY'S MIRACLE WORKERS

A man goes and kneels before another. The one standing then tells the kneeling one what he ate last night, he goes further to tell stories about the circumstances of the kneeling one which are otherwise confidential. The kneeling one now assumes that the standing one is a man specially called to be a prophet, a man set apart to help mankind from their afflictions. He puts all his trust in him and in some cases practically becomes a slave to him. All decisions that concerns his life must first receive clearance from this “man of god”!

If the standing one has a gift to heal with the magnetism of his body which often can have a salutary effect by the laying of hands or other bodily contacts then he is proclaimed a miracle worker and followers will flock from home and abroad. He too will want to live up to expectations and begins to teach and preach many a times offering empty words…

But what really is the value of the ability to see the ethereal world which is on the same level with man? What also is the value of the activities of the many so called miracle workers and healers? Many of them are not even endowed with real and beneficial healing powers but are people with low level radiation, who make many words and mysterious gestures, and who imagine they are accomplishing great things.

All of these may be of interest to the individual, but they operate within low limits. Receiving healing for physical ailments on its own do not translate to the true healing of the soul. Being able to see, hear or feel the invisible world have little or no value when it is a matter of the spiritual ascent and maturity of mankind! However, to ascend spiritually, to inwardly grow and mature, and to seek God’s Kingdom is the real purpose of life. To be born anew is the real miracle!

...and concerning the work of my hands command ye me.

I have heard many people say that they are permitted to command the Almighty! Honestly, I did not for a fraction of a second feel comfortable with such an assertion. How can a creature command the Creator of all? I decided to conduct my research into this and soon discovered that the protagonists of this thought relied on Isaiah 45.11 where it is written: Thus says the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: Will you question me about my children, or command me concerning the work of my hands? 

To me, the riddle has been solved. This quotation did not say that one can command the Almighty but on the contrary posed a question which was to make a point that man cannot question the Lord at all! I then shared my findings with a friend who is a protagonist. He listened carefully but was not persuaded. He later showed me the same passage which reads:  Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me.

I was surprised. This quote supports the protagonists! I subsequently realised that I have relied on the Revised Standard Version (RSV) of the Bible whilst my friend was working with the King James Version (KJV).  Be that as it may, what is written still needs to be properly understood. So I decided we needed to examine the statements before the verse 11 to understand its context. This exercise revealed that such rhetorical questions have been asked earlier on in the passage. For example:   "Woe to him who strives with his Maker, an earthen vessel with the potter! Does the clay say to him who fashions it, 'What are you making'? or 'Your work has no handles'? 

Given this context we see clearly that a creature cannot begin to issue orders to his Maker. Man should stop all arrogance and presumptions when thinking of God. We need to bow down in humility before the Omnipotence and Omniscience of the Most High!