For Some Storms, Not Just Any Port Will Do

It's been a while since I've done an off-the-cuff post; most of my posts are planned out, and I work on them for weeks - even months.  But this one is being typed up now, Friday the 23rd, at 6:09am.  So if it appears rough, sorry.

Only I'm not really sorry.  Not really.  Sometimes it's good to remove a polished veneer.

The last several months have been rough.  Really, really rough.  There is so much being called into question in my life:  I'm seeing false teachings growing in the Church; I'm seeing false teachings growing in my local church; there are family issues (when are there not, especially with kids?); and the more I walk with Christ, the more I am spiritually attacked.  Add onto that my own normal battle with the flesh . . . there's a lot.  And I'm questioning.

I'm not questioning God, or His existence, or His goodness.  I'm not even questioning my salvation (though I am examining it and working it out with more careful attention these days).  The problem is the voices (ha ha ha!).  I don't mean I'm hearing voices in a mental illness sort of way, I just mean there are so many viewpoints and voices in this world - both within the Church and without - and that I take Paul's admonition to test the spirits quite literally.  But it seems as if for every spirit and voice I test, two or three more get in queue.

And one of those is always, most certainly, mine.  Frankly, it's exhausting.

The upshot is that it has driven to my knees in prayer more times just in the last week than I think I typically spend in a year, and I have all but given up on reading what everyone tells me the Bible says and means, and have cut out the middle man - as it were - and have spent my time reading the Bible itself, instead.  And it's difficult, as a believer who has the Holy Spirit, to read God's Word constantly and not have your viewpoint and perspective change.  It makes testing the spirits a little easier, but it also reveals more spirits to test.

Like I said, exhausting.

What is really happening, though, is a lot of the beliefs that I grew up with have been called into question.  There are aspects of my faith that I am now realizing are in direct opposition to what the Bible actually says.  There are pitfalls that are old, but their pull is getting stronger.  There are pitfalls that are new, and I'm rather alarmed at their presence.  

But then there's Jesus.  One thing that I am (still way too slowly for my personal tastes!) learning is that He is faithful.  Paul assures us that He will ever allows us to be tempted beyond the measure of what we can endure, and, when we are tempted, will always provide a way out, in order that we might stand under the temptation and not sin.  This is a very exciting thing, especially when I learned to start trusting that promise and look for the way out. 

And the way out is always there. 

I don't always take it (hence the "slow" part of the slow learning), but it is always there, and the times when I resist the devil, he does flee.  So, while there are many, many questions storming and swirling around me, and many, many frustrations in life, there is a Rock - a foundation - upon Whom I can build.  And the really good news?  He can be your Rock, too. 

If you don't know Jesus, I'd like to offer you a challenge:  this week, read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.  All four Gospels - it's more than doable (I didn't think that was a real word, but spellcheck isn't flagging it, so. . . . .).  After you do that, feel free to post comments or questions, even negative ones.  God is an immovable Rock, a sure salvation, and your questions will not shake Him.      

Isis and Ra

Geb and Nut, the children of Ra, had children as well.  These children were the younger gods whose time to rule had come.  Among these gods were Osiris, Isis, Seth, and Nephthys.  Isis was wiser and more knowledgeable than anyone who had preceded her.

In this day, Ra had saved earth from the destruction of Sekhmet, and, though ancient, he ruled over the land of Egypt.  As he passed through the land of Egypt, his head trembled and he drooled from the mouth, as is common with the ancient men.  As long as he kept his Secret Name, however, none could rule in his stead, and so he continued to be Pharoah.

Isis, who was wise, desired to rule, and though she knew all things in the heavens and on earth, she did not know the Secret Name of Ra, and so could not take the throne.  So she devised a clever scheme by which she could learn the name.

Isis took the mud from the earth into her hands, and, kneeding it as a baker might kneed dough, she formed for herself a new snake:  the cobra (the cobra was, ever after that, the symbol of the Pharoah and his Queen).  Isis placed the new serpent on the road so that, as Ra passed through his kingdom, the cobra bit him and disappeared into the tall grass.  The venom coursed through Ra's veins, and he could say nothing, save for a shout of pain and alarm.  His courtiers, who followed him, asked what had happened.  Ra was speechless for a time, because of the pain, but when he could finally speak, he said, "You gods, whom I have created, help me!  Something has bitten me, something I did not create.  It's poison burns as fire and flows as water, and causes a fever in me."

The gods wept, and called Isis, who was a healer and the Queen of Magic.  She knelt beside him and asked, "What has harmed you, oh Ra?  If a creature has lifted its head against you, I will destroy it with my magic."

"I went, as is custom, through the Upper and Lower lands of Egypt.  As I surveyed all that I had made, a serpent - one not of my creation - raised itself and bit me.  Now I burn and shiver, and I sweat as if it were the heat of summer."

Isis, in a soothing voice, said, "If you tell me your Secret Name, I can heal you, for my spells will only work if I use your name in them."

Ra gave her many of his names:  Creator of Heaven and Earth, Spring of Waters, Builder of Mountains, Light and Dark, Khepera in the morning, Ra at noon, and Tum at sunset."  But he did not give her his Secret Name, and so Isis remained silent.  The poison flowed through his veins, destroying his body.

As she watched, she finally spoke, saying, "You have not given me your Secret Name, as you well know.  Give me the name, and I will bring the poison out of you, and bring an end to your pain."

Ra, who could endure the fire in his body no more, cried, "I will let my Secret Name pass from my heart to yours!  But you must guard it and keep it within you, telling no one, save your future son, whom you will name Horus.  But you must make him promise on oath that he will keep the Name secret, telling neither gods nor men."

Isis pledged her promise, and Ra's Secret Name passed to her.

She said to him, "By this name, may the poison pass from Ra forever!"

So Ra had peace, and he was healed.  He did not reign on earth any longer, however, but took his place in the high heavens, traveling across the sky; he became the very sun itself.  He passed through the twelve kingdoms of Duat, and, at night, he passed through the Underworld.  He carries the souls of those who die in his boat, that those who know the words may pass safely through the dangers of the afterlife.

These things are found in the Book of the Dead, which has been buried in a secret place so that even the common men who find it may know how such things work.

-Egypt


There is a remarkable parallel between this week's myth and many of the other myths we find throughout the world.  The parallel, however, is not in the fact that a man is bitten by a snake, but that the gods of Egypt had children who took over the kingdom after their parents.  We find this idea of rulers who lose control of the kingdom to their children in Greek mythology (what is popularly called The Clash of the Titans).

What is interesting in the Greek version is that the children of the Titans fought a physical battle against their giant progenitors.  Gods fighting giants . . . this brings to mind the remarkable Norse stories of the gods of Asgard taking their kingdom from the Frost Giants.  Now, the idea of ancient giants ruling the earth, becoming famous, is also found in the Hebrew Scriptures:  "It was then, and later too, that the Nephilim appeared on earth - when the divine beings cohabited with the daughters of men, who bore them offspring.  They were the heroes of old, the men of renown."

Literary analysis would tell us that this is the archetypal story of fighting against authority, coming-of-age, et cetera.  This may be the case, but the similarities between the versions indicates that there may be something more under the surface.

It's the End of the World As We Know It: The 144,000

Then I looked and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with Him 144,000 who had His name and His Father's name written on their foreheads.  And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder.  The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps.  And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders.  No one could learn the song except for the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.  These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure.  They follow the Lamb wherever He goes.  They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb.  No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless (14:1-5).

This is one of the more enigmatic passages of the Scriptures.  I love the Bible, don't get me wrong, but every so often there's a passage that frustrates me, and this is one of them.  Why? Oh, let us count the ways. . . .

All joking aside, this is a fairly bizarre interlude, mostly because it has no place in any of the narratives - the 144,000 haven't shown up prior (we'll look at that in a moment), and they do not appear to show up again; they are simply here, and with no explanation at all.

Now, having said that, there are many who say that this group of people is the same group of 144,000 Messianic Jews who show up in Chapter 7 (vs. 1-8), but other than the number, there is no reason to believe that.  There is nothing in the text of Chapter 7 that indicates that the Jews who accept Jesus during this time were sexually pure and completely honest.  Nothing.  And there is nothing in this text to indicate that these men are Jews.  Again, nothing.  So there is very, very little foundation for making this assumption.

Now let's talk about their characters.  We're not told much, but what we're told is pretty loaded.  The first thing we're told is that they had not defiled themselves with women.  I'm not sure whether this means they were celibate (though sex in a Godly marriage-covenant is certainly not defiling), or that they had somehow managed to avoid all forms of sexual immorality.  My Bible commentary says that it's "symbolic," and means they had not defiled themselves with the idolatrous world system of the Beast.  The thing with that, of course, is that if this is symbolic, then "they follow the Lamb wherever He goes" would also be symbolic.  So would, "purchased from among men," and "offered as firstfruits."  They also would not actually be found without lies, and would not be considered blameless, which renders this entire description of them a moot point, because none of it would actually be descriptive; undefined and unexplained symbols are completely useless.  The easiest explanation, therefore, is that John wrote what he meant, and he meant what he wrote.  These were clearly men who were absolutely, one hundred percent devoted to God during their lives.

Now, we see that they are on Mount Zion, with Jesus.  I don't know if it's physical - at which point we're looking at a point in time after Christ has returned, or if John is seeing something in the spiritual realm, at which point this could be at any time.  It is also interesting that we are told that they sing their new song "before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders" (3).  This would indicate that they were also present in the throne room of God (see Chapter 4).  My guess - and that's all this is - is that these are 144,000 specific, very special people who have lived and died over the many centuries, and, having returned with Christ when He sets up His kingdom (or been resurrected at the final judgment), they stand on Mount Zion, singing their unique song in praise of Jesus.

On a side note, I'm a big Rich Mullins fan, so when I hear that this is a "new song" that roars like "rushing waters" or a "loud peal of thunder," and sounds "like that of harpists playing their harps," I sort of hope this is a new Mullins song, being sung to a rock ensemble of hammered dulcimers.  Wishful thinking, no doubt, but still a cool idea.

I know this is short, and relatively unhelpful, in terms of interpretation, but the fact is that I cannot interpret the Scriptures beyond what they say.  I can offer a guess, certainly, and I can form a reasonable guess based on what little information we have, but that's all I can do.  If any of you have insight into this passage, maybe some other parts of Scripture that I have overlooked, please feel free to share that insight in the comments below!

Okay, next time, we'll take a look at the Bowls of God's Wrath.

The Cyclops

This article discusses the find of a rare albino cyclops shark.  The shark, literally, has one eye in the middle of its head.  As one comment said, "it looks like Mike Wazowski." 

What is most interesting, however, is that the article also mentions that other animals - and people - are sometimes born with the same rare condition.  The genetic abnormality that causes it also appears to cause numerous other problems, including brain abnormalities, but the fact remains that something long-thought by most to be completely false is possible.

Homer writes of a group of such people in his poem, The Odyssey.  They are a family of large individuals who all appear to have a fairly low intelligence level.  Polyphemus, the Cyclops with whom Odysseus becomes entangled, falls for a fairly elementary deception - when asked what his name is, Odysseus responds "Noman."  After having his eye gouged out by the hero of the poem, Cyclops' brothers call out to him, "Who has done this?"  Polyphemus' response is, "Noman is taking me by force!"

We know that the Cyclops is large enough to grab two men up in his hands, but we also know that he is small enough to herd and milk goats.  This is not, then, a creature who towers twenty feet over people, but is, perhaps, something a little smaller - nine, ten, maybe even twelve feet.  While such a height is definitely outside the normal development of humans, it is not outside the realm of possibility.  The late Andre the Giant was a mere 7'4" tall, and he could easily detain an average-sized man with one hand.

If, and we know this is true, a living creature can be born with one eye, then is it not possible that such a person could survive?  From what we gather from Homer, the Cyclops was genetically abnormal and mentally unstable, two characteristics that are known to accompany cyclopian conditions.
 
Now, let's take a weird turn and address the fact that the Turkish epic, Dede Korkut, tells a story of a large, cannibalistic cyclops, who lived in mountain caves.  But wait!  There's more!  In Albania, Hajnjeri would regularly invade villages to eat people, and in a remote section of France, the Basque people believed in a vicious, one-eyed giant who lived in the mountains with them, and regularly attempted to steal some of them away for his own consumption.  What is interesting about the Basque people is that they were isolated from all other human contact for centuries -in other words, they had never read Homer. 

But wait, if the Cyclops existed, then are we also to believe that Circe and her abilities existed?  Did Calypso truly have an enchanted island?  Did the crew really turn into pigs?  I'm not suggesting this.  What I am suggesting is that, even if parts of Homer's poem are false, we cannot immediately rule out the rest of it. 

And that is a lesson we can take with us no matter which ancient story we are reading.     

Norse Creation

In the beginning, there was only The Void.  The Void remained for many years, until Muspell emerged in the South.  Muspell was volcanic, with plumes of steam, fire, and ash.  In the North, Niflheim came into being, and it was a frozen land of ice and wind.

The Void was between them, and the Eleven Rivers flowed into The Void.  The Void was temperate and calm, until the two realms began to meet in it.  Niflheim began to freeze the Northern part of The Void, and Muspell began to melt the Southern part.  All was disorder and chaos, and from the drops of water life was created.  Ymir, the ancestor of the frost giants, emerged from this water.

While Ymir slept, the sweat from his arms and legs created a man and woman, as well as his son.  The man and woman came from his left armpit, and his son came from his legs.  While he slept and the ice of The Void continued to melt, Audumbla, the Cow, was created.

Audumbla nourished Ymir with her milk, and sustained herself on the salty ice of Niflheim.  Buri, another being, appeared, and he had a son named Bor.  Bor married Bestla, and their three sons were Odin, Vili, and Ve.

The sons of Bor killed and dismembered Ymir, and used his body to fashion the world.  His body, bones, and blood made the mountains, islands, and rivers of the world.  The maggots that emerged from his flesh were used to make the Dwarves.  The Dwarves were placed at the four corners of the earth, and their job was to hold the sky.

The sons of Bor took the coal from Muspellheim and made the sun, moon, and stars, and placed them in the sky.  The created the world in the form of a ball, and surrounded it with water.

The frost giants were at war with the humans, so the sons of Bor created Jotunheim in which the giants could dwell.  For themselves, they created a fortified place known as Midgard.  In the midst of Midgard, the sons of Bor used an Ash and an Elm to create the first man and woman.  Their names were Ask and Embla, and they are the parents of the entire human race.
 
With the frost giants safely at a distance, Odin, Ve and Vili set up markers for measuring seasons, days, and years.  Night and Day were ruled by chariots, whom Odin set in the sky.  Hrimfaxi the horse pulled the chariot of Night, and Skinfaxi the mare pulled the chariot of Day.  The chariots circled the world every two half-days. 

Mundilfari, one of the men, had two children.  His daughter was named Sun, and she had a fiery beauty.  Mundilfari's son was named Moon, and he had a radiant glow.  When the children were older and in their prime, Odin kidnapped them, placing them in the sky.  Sun drove the chariot of the sun, and Moon drove the chariot of the moon.  Moon guided the moon through the sky, making determinations on its phases, keeping ahead of the wolf Hati Hrodnitnisson, which tries to devour her.  Sun, who has no taste for phases, guides the sun through the sky, keeping ever-ahead of the wolf Skoll.

These actions, though, are futile.  One day, Ragnarok will happen, and both the sun and the moon will be devoured by these wolves.  This is how we will know that the End of Days has arrived.

The Myth of Fire

Back when man was new, no one knew how to make fire.  At night, they were cold, and during the day, they were hungry, for they had no way to cook food.  But Fuxi felt pity for the people, and so sent a thunderstorm down into the forest.  The trees burned with the lightning, and the people were afraid.  But one of them felt the warmth coming from the fire, and called everyone to him.

The people, rather than cold, could now stay warm.  But there were also animals in the forest, and many of them were killed by the lightning, and their flesh began to cook.  When the people smelled the enticing aroma of the cooking meat, they tried some, and then learned how to cook.  So from then on, day after day, the people would light branches, and keep the fire going.

But one day, the young man in charge of keeping the fire going fell asleep, and the fire went out.  Having grown accustomed to warmth, light, and food, the people were more terrified than before, and were at their wits' end.  Fuxi came to the first young man (the one who discovered the use of fire) in a dream, and told him that he could find fire in the country of Sui Ming.  So the young man awoke and set out to find Sui Ming.

After many struggles and many days, the young man reached Sui Ming, but found it to be a place of total darkness.  There was no fire - there was not even a hint of the sun or moon.  Sui Ming had no light, and the young man, confused and (slightly) scared, sat down under a great tree whose roots stretched for thousands of miles in all directions.  Its branches hung thick and dense overhead, and the young man expected it to be dark under the tree, as well.

But it was not.

As the young man watched, flashes of light would spark around the tree.  Upon closer inspection, he saw that they were birds who pecked at the tree, causing sparks, and that the wood of the tree could cause fire.  So he broke off a branch from the tree, and used it to bore a hole in the tree's trunk.  At long last, smoke drifted from the hole as he drilled, and a fire started.

The young man went home, taking his new skill with him.  Now, the people have a fire that will never go out, because they can always make fire.  They are never cold, nor hungry, nor afraid, and they named the young man "Sui," because he brought them fire.

-Chinese Mythology

Giants and Amazon

Hey, everyone!  I just wanted to send an update on something that (to me) is exciting.  In the last twenty-four hours, Giants has jumped more than 1.1 million spots on the Amazon sales rank!  Now, to be fair, this still leaves it at #55,113, but to be honest, I'm not looking for a best seller here, I'm just happy that this is the highest it has ever been.  That means that more and more people are reading this book and discovering that it takes more faith to not believe the Bible, than it does to believe the Bible.  And that, friends, is the whole point of writing my books:  to meet the Bible and, through that, to meet the God of the Bible.  So thanks for purchasing my book, and keep sharing the Gospel with other people!

-Charles