Ephesians 5:8

The Canons of the Council of Orange (529 AD) - CANON 2

2010-06-30T12:18:00.000-07:00

CANON 2. If anyone asserts that Adam's sin affected him alone and not his descendants also, or at least if he declares that it is only the death of the body which is the punishment for sin, and not also that sin, which is the death of the soul, passed through one man to the whole human race, he does injustice to God and contradicts the Apostle, who says, "Therefore as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all men sinned" (Rom. 5:12).

The Canons of the Council of Orange (529 AD) - CANON 1

2010-06-28T21:11:00.000-07:00

The Canons of the Council of Orange (529 AD)

CANON 1. If anyone denies that it is the whole man, that is, both body and soul, that was "changed for the worse" through the offense of Adam's sin, but believes that the freedom of the soul remains unimpaired and that only the body is subject to corruption, he is deceived by the error of Pelagius and contradicts the scripture which says, "The soul that sins shall die" (Ezek. 18:20); and, "Do you not know that if you yield yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are the slaves of the one whom you obey?" (Rom. 6:12-16); and, "For whatever overcomes a man, to that he is enslaved" (2 Pet. 2:19).

What Does Psalm 46:10 ("Be Still") Really Mean?

2010-04-27T06:19:00.000-07:00

There is a subtle deception taking place in the Church, and it is rapidly spreading like yeast throughout the whole body.

That deception is the belief that we can have a direct conversation with God. The belief that God will literally speak words to us if we will only "still our minds", "empty our thoughts" and listen for his "still small voice" to "speak to us".

Did God communicated directly to people? Yes, to the Prophets and Apostles. You are not one of them.

Nowhere in the Bible does God state that He will communicate to us in this way. This is a deception to encourage us to listen to another...

Read this article to learn more and guard yourself and warn others about this apostasy. http://guardinghisflock.com/2010/04/09/be-still/

Shalom,

Ryan

God the Agent of Regeneration

2010-04-17T19:15:00.000-07:00

"Regeneration is an act of God. It is not simply referred to Him as its giver, and, in that sense, its author, as He is the giver of faith and of repentance. It is not an act which, by argument and persuation, or by moral power, He induces the sinner to perform. But it is an act of which He is the agent. It is God who regenerates. The soul is regenerated. In this sense the soul is passive in regeneration, which (subjectively considered) is a change wrought in us, and not an act performed by us."

Hodge, Charles; Systematic Theology, Volume III, pg. 31, 1877.

Playing the Pharisee Card

2010-04-14T08:36:00.000-07:00

What do you do when you point out people who promote false doctrines and twist the Bible scriptures, and then you are accused of being a Pharisee? You need to read this article

or listen to hear this segment of the Fighting for the Faith Radio program about those who play the Pharisee Card.

Good Friday

2010-04-02T12:44:00.000-07:00

On Good Friday many of us think about the horrible physical suffering of Jesus Christ. He was flogged to the point of near death and nailed on a cross. I can't think of a worse way to die. Picture it in your mind. Makes you shudder, right?

Some may even say, "Yes, that was horrible. But other people have died horrible deaths too."

If we only think of the physical, we miss the true magnitude of the sacrifice.

Now, think about what happened immediately after His death. His Spirit had to bear the full weight of God's righteous judgment and wrath. Not for His sins, for He was righteous and had never sinned, but for everyone who had believed and would believe. Every single sin no matter how small or how incredibly horrible, was imputed onto His Spirit.

Think of a cute, soft baby lamb. A cuddly white lamb, without stain or blemish. A perfect lamb.

That was Jesus Christ.

Think about how wretched I am and you are and the thousands of people who have not glorified or loved God every minute of their lives. That is MASSIVE and WAY, WAY, WAY, more painful than the physical suffering He endured.

That, is the true price Jesus Christ paid on the cross.

Evidence that Ancient People Were Very Intelligent (Part 3)

2010-03-24T11:18:00.000-07:00

Once again, anthropological findings suggest that ancient people were advanced:

"Dr. Michael Petraglia of the University of Oxford led an investigation into an ancient population site in India that had been buried under volcanic debris. Beneath the ash, he discovered stone tools. A university press release related that “according to the team a potentially ground-breaking implication of the new work is that the species responsible for making the stone tools in India was Homo sapiens.”¹ This finding contradicts the evolutionary molecular clock date of mankind’s presence in India by “about 15,000 years.” But this is to be expected, since different molecules “tick” at different rates, and thus make poor clocks.^"

http://www.icr.org/article/5309/

Canons of Dordt:: Article 2: The Manifestation of God's Love

2010-01-11T07:58:00.000-08:00

But this is how God showed his love: he sent his only begotten Son into the world, so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Canons of Dordt: Article 1: God's Right to Condemn All People

2010-01-08T07:53:00.000-08:00

Since all people have sinned in Adam and have come under the sentence of the curse and eternal death, God would have done no one an injustice if it had been his will to leave the entire human race in sin and under the curse, and to condemn them on account of their sin. As the apostle says: The whole world is liable to the condemnation of God (Rom. 3:19), All have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23), and The wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23).

Name Calling is an Argumentation Tactic for the Weak

2010-01-02T13:49:00.000-08:00

Today, I read an excellent blog article called "Playing the Pharisee Card". This article describes one of the tactics that are used by liberal "Christians" when they are in an argument with "fundamentalist" Christians. Instead of debating why doctrines are not important based upon sound logic, the liberal "Christian" will resort to "name-calling" by calling the Christian who is arguing for the importance of Biblical doctrine a "Pharisee". As we all know, the Pharisees were enemies of Jesus Christ, and therefore no Christian would want to be called a "Pharisee".

This article reminded me of a similar tactic I like to call the "You're being judgmental." tactic. This tactic is typically used when a person wants to avoid disagreement on important doctrinal matters. Previously on this blog, I wrote about why being "discerning" (i.e. "judgmental") is not wrong but is instead an important skill that all Christians need to employ.

Although, I only remember being called a Pharisee (or Pharisaical) one time, I have called "rigid" like the Pharisees, "too literal" regarding the Bible doctrines, "hyperbolic", and a "hyper schoolgirl". Although, this "name calling" did bother me at the time, I have come to realize, just like the author of this article, that these are just tactics employed by those who don't have a good counter argument. Essentially, they know they have no ground to stand on. However, rather than re-thinking their position, they resort to regressive, name-calling tactics reminiscent of the grade-school playground (e.g. "Oh yeah? Well, well.....you're a poopy-head!").

Moral of the story: Don't be a name-calling poopy-head. Instead, to use a phase from my friends at the White Horse Inn: "Know what you believe and why you believe it." and be always "...prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15).

Sententiae Nil blog 200th Post Giveaway

2009-12-22T13:22:00.000-08:00

In honor of the Sententiae Nil blog 200th post (and a year of consistent blogging!), he is giving away a copy of Biblical Theology: Retrospect and Prospect (ed. Scott Hafemann). Among the contributors to the volume are: John Sailhamer, Stephen Dempster, Richard Shultz, Andreas Köstenberger, Greg Beale, Peter Stuhlmacher, Nick Perrin, Stephen Fowl, and several more.

So how do you win? Simply subscribe to my blog through an RSS feed (or comparable method) and indicate that you have done so in the comments of this post. I’ll have my wife pick the winner randomly on December 26.

Additional incentive: if you have a blog and mention this giveaway, you will be entered twice (make sure you indicated your post in the comments, either through a comment or a “pingback”).

No "Cherry-Picking"

2009-10-29T08:56:00.000-07:00

I am currently working my way through an excellent online book on the Reformed Doctrine of Predestination by Loraine Boettner. I think the following comments are very true of how humans try to create a god in their own image (idolatry). Wishing and hoping for a god we would like and "cherry-picking" verses from Scripture that match our preconceived desires. Rather than reading, studying and wrestling with ALL of the verses in the Bible to know God as He has chosen to reveal Himself in Scripture. I would substitute the word "theologian" for "Christian", because all Christians should be theologians.

"Men constantly deceive themselves by postulating their own peculiar feelings and opinions as moral axioms. To some it is self-evidently true that a holy God cannot permit sin; hence they infer that there is no God. To others it is self-evident that a merciful God cannot permit a portion of His rational creatures to be forever the victims of sin and misery, and consequently they deny the doctrine of eternal punishment. Some assume that the innocent cannot justly be punished for the guilty, and are led to deny the vicarious and substitutionary suffering and death of Christ. And to others it is an axiom that the free acts of a free agent cannot be certain and under the control of God, so they deny the foreordination, or even the foreknowledge, of such acts.

We are not at liberty, however, to develop a system of our own liking. "The question which of these systems is true," says Dr. Charles Hodge, a zealous and uncompromising advocate of Calvinism, "is not to be decided by ascertaining which is the more agreeable to our feelings or the more plausible to our understanding, but which is consistent with the doctrines of the Bible and the facts of experience." "It is the duty of every theologian to subordinate his theories to the Bible, and teach not what seems to him to be true or reasonable, but simply what the Bible teaches," And again, "There would be no end of controversy, and no security for any truth whatever, if the strong personal convictions of individual minds be allowed to determine what is, or what is not true, what the Bible may, and what it may not be allowed to teach."²³²³ Systematic Theology, II, pp. 356, 559, 531.

Emerging From What? Your Fallible Mind?

2009-10-08T22:05:00.000-07:00

This is an example of what happens when people create an image of a god in their own mind and ignore the God that has been revealed to us in the Bible.

http://www.emergingchurch.info/reflection/davidallis2/index.htm

They try to portray God as one who had an anger management problem in the Old Testament, but has now changed into a "lovable Santa Claus". God NEVER changes!(Numbers 23:19)

They pretend to be disciples of Jesus Christ, but they ignore all of the warnings their Master gave them about hell. (Matthew 5:22, Matthew 10:28, Matthew 23:33, Mark 9:47)

They create a humanistic god that would never justly punish his creation regardless of their unholy rebellion against him. They try to exalt mankind to a within a millimeter of the Creator of the Universe. The Bible teach us that we are about as close to being like God as an inanimate lump of clay is to a skilled Potter (Psalm 2:9, Isaiah 45:9, Isaiah 64:8, Jeremiah 18:6, Lamentations 4:2, Romans 9: Revelation 2:27), and even that is an extreme exaggeration.

This is called "idolatry". (1 John 5:20-22)

You DO NOT want an unjust god.

Evidence that Ancient People Were Very Intelligent (Part 2)

2009-09-21T10:27:00.000-07:00

This is the 2nd addition to my blog series on "Evidence that Ancient People Were Very Intelligent".

I recently came across an article by Brian Thomas, M.S. "Were Stone Age Britons Trigonometry Experts?" which referenced a news story "Did ancient man use 5,000-year-old travel chart to navigate across Britain" The news story described how Tom Brooks, an amateur historian, analyzed 1,500 prehistoric sites in southern England and Wales and was able to connect all of them to at least two other sites using isosceles triangles (triangles with two sides the same length).

What is amazing about this is that the "sides of some of the triangles are over 100 miles across, yet the distances are accurate to within 100 metres. You cannot do that by chance."

Tom Brooks stated, 'So advanced, sophisticated and accurate is the geometrical surveying now discovered, that we must review fundamentally the perception of our Stone Age forebears as primitive, or conclude that they received some form of external guidance.'

The Problem Concerning The Gospel 2009 09 20

2009-09-21T10:06:00.001-07:00

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

The Problem Concerning The Gospel 2009 09 20

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Evidence that Ancient People Were Very Intelligent (Part 1)

2009-09-06T20:37:00.000-07:00

Somehow, during the construction of Solomon's Temple, the ancient people were able to move limestone blocks that weighed between 800,000 - 2,000,000 pounds a distance of more than one mile. We do not have the technology today to perform this feat, nor do we know how they accomplished this amazing task.

"During the last few years Jewish archaeologists have made fascinating discoveries on and beneath the Temple Mount that pinpoint the original site of Solomon's Temple...

When Jewish archaeologist excavated the area, they exposed massive foundation stones from the Second Temple and some deep foundation blocks that may have existed since the First Temple. Several of the carved limestone blocks measure forty-six by twenty feet by ten feet. They weigh from four hundred to one thousand tons each and fit so closely together that you cannot place a razor blade between them (In comparison, the largest stones used in the Great Pyramid seldom exceed fifty tons.) We know of no modern technology using cranes or helicopters that could transport such massive blocks of stone over one mile from the quarry to the Temple Mount. 1

1 Jeffrey, Grant R.; The New Temple and the Second Coming, 2007, Waterbrook Press, pg. 96-98.

Wake the Village - 2009 Gala

2009-09-01T12:07:00.001-07:00

Wake the Village - 2009 Gala: You know it takes a village to raise a child, and now more than ever, the village must come together to support the children who need services the most.

Join your friends from Bethany Christian Services of MN for an evening of fun and fund-raising.

When: Saturday, October 24, 2009 from 6:00 - 9:30 p.m.
Where: Marriott Minneapolis West, 9960 Wayzata Blvd. in St. Louis Park.

Appetizers, cash bar, entertainment, and silent auction.

Cocktail attire admired, but not required. More details to come. Visit their website at www.bethany.org/plymouth

Bible Giveaway

2009-07-06T12:56:00.001-07:00

Logos Bible Software is celebrating the launch of their new online Bible by giving away 72 ultra-premium print Bibles at a rate of 12 per month for six months. The Bible giveaway is being held at Bible.Logos.com and you can get up to five different entries each month! After you enter, be sure to check out Logos and see how it can revolutionize your Bible study.

Bread and Circuses

2009-07-06T09:58:00.000-07:00

… iam pridem, ex quo suffragia nulli uendimus, effudit curas; nam qui dabat olim imperium, fasces, legiones, omnia, nunc se continet atque duas tantum res anxius optat, panem et circenses.

(Juvenal, Satire 10.77–81)

Translation: "… Already long ago, from when we sold our vote to no man, the People have abdicated our duties; for the People who once upon a time handed out military command, high civil office, legions — everything, now restrains itself and anxiously hopes for just two things: bread and circuses"

2009-06-26T22:41:00.001-07:00

What is a Trillion Dollars?

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Clayton's Story

2009-05-17T18:41:00.000-07:00

Clayton's Story

Words of wisdom from a young man.

Living in "Eden" and You Didn't Even Know It

2009-05-11T21:40:00.000-07:00

Whenever I need a reminder of how blessed we are and how amazing creation is, I just think about the frigid, inky blackness of space that just beyond the atmosphere of our swirling, blue marble of a world.

Many times we take our Earthly "home" for granted and complain about the weather, especially when it is "too cold outside". The next time you feel like complaining, consider this:

The temperature of the Universe is 2.726 kelvin

This is equal to -270.424 degrees Celsius. That...is seriously cold!

0 kelvin (-273.15 degrees Celsius) is also called "absolute zero"

"Absolute zero is a temperature marked by a 0 entropy configuration. It is the coldest temperature theoretically possible and cannot be reached by artificial or natural means. At absolute zero all molecular motion does not cease but does not have enough energy for transference to other systems." [1]

"Outer space is an extremely hostile place. If you were to step outside a spacecraft such as the International Space Station, or onto a world with little or no atmosphere, such as the moon or Mars, and you weren't wearing a space suit, here's what would happen:" [2]

You would become unconscious within 15 seconds because there's no oxygen.
Your blood and body fluids would boil and then freeze because there is little or no air pressure.
Your tissues (skin, heart, other internal organs) would expand because of the boiling fluids.

Sound like fun?

The coldest natural temperature ever recorded on Earth was −89.2°C (−128.6°F) at the Russian Vostok Station in Antarctica July 21, 1983. [3]

I have been outside in Minnesota when it was -30°F (with no wind chill) and -90°F with a wind chill. Cold enough for me, thank you. Wouldn't personally want to experience -128.6°F.

But considering the Universe next door, the coldest temperature recorded on Earth was a balmy 181.2 degrees warmer.

Compared to the Universe you truly do live in a relative "Garden of Eden". Isn't that nothing short of amazing!? Here is the good news.... it is going to get EVEN BETTER!

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absolute_zero
[2] http://science.howstuffworks.com/suitless-space-walk1.htm
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coldest_temperature_recorded_on_Earth

Trojan Evolve? Isn't that a misnomer?

2009-04-12T23:16:00.000-07:00

This week I was taking a trip to Chicago with my family. We stopped at a convenience store to buy gas for the car. I had a mild headache, so I decided to buy some ibuprofen at the store. While waiting at the counter to pay for my ibuprofen, I noticed at the back of the counter an advertisement for Trojan condoms. It said:

"Trojan Evolve"

"Evolve. Use One Every Time."

Putting aside the whole assumption of Evolution for a minute....(this is not easy).

Excuse me...but if you use one every time...and there is therefore NO procreation (ZERO) ...how exactly can you evolve?

Now what do they call this? Oh yeah! It's called... STUPID! So, I had to understand what this all meant. I checked out the Internet. Little did I know that there was a whole big campaign that even included commercials using live pigs. (I guess I better increase my TV viewing time, because I was missing out on the genius advertising of Trojans)

They have a web site to support this ridiculous campaign: http://www.evolveoneevolveall.com

On the web site you can take a test to see "how evolved you are". Look they even have a picture of the "missing link"!

It is amazing how a simple theory of adaptation has been blown up into the propaganda that humans evolved from pigs (or monkeys, or apes or whatever)

Here is another logo:

Oh, so only REAL PEOPLE evolve. I guess if you don't use a condom, then you have not evolved and you are still a pig. Evolution is A CHOICE now! You've got the POWER! You create your own DESTINY!

People! Don't degrade yourself with stupid, atheistic, secular thinking that you were a cosmic accident that evolved by improbable blind chance (est. 1 in 10^120 chance)!

You were created in God's image! Did you forget? Well, let me help remind you.

Genesis 1:26-27 (English Standard Version)

²⁶Then God said,^A)">(A) "Let us make man^a]">[a] in our image,^B)">(B) after our likeness. And^C)">(C) let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
²⁷So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
^D)">(D) male and female he created them.

Genesis 2:7 (English Standard Version)

⁷then the LORD God formed the man of^A)">(A) dust from the ground and^B)">(B) breathed into his^C)">(C) nostrils the breath of life, and^D)">(D) the man became a living creature.

My God doesn't need millions of years to "evolve man". He created man and woman in one day.

My God is an Awesome GOD!

So you want to be a god, do you?

2009-03-26T10:49:00.001-07:00

Why is it not surprising that the most popular application currently available for the iPhone is something called "Pocket god"? (I couldn't justify capitalizing the second word)

Human beings since Adam and Eve have wanted to be their own god. Voila! Now you can be your own (virtual) god!

Do you think this is how God intended for us to live our lives?

Judging Others

2009-01-27T14:09:00.000-08:00

In some of my conversations with people regarding Christianity. I am sometimes told that "Christians are not supposed to judge or be judgmental". Some people may even quote scripture. ("Judge not, that ye be not judged." Matthew 7:1) I completely agree that we should not pass judgment on other people regarding their eternal salvation, that is a matter for God and God alone.

However, when people use the "do not judge" argument, they are saying that you should not question or debate lifestyle choices, actions, or alternative beliefs in any way. I counter that this use of this "judge not" command is out of context and does not mean that Christians (or anyone for that manner) should not use their judgment. Taken to the extreme, our society would rapidly disintegrate into chaos.

Yes, we should not be pious, "holier-than-thou", or to ever consider ourselves better than others (because we are not). "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves." (Phillipians 2:3) Conversations should be in love with the best interest of others as the primary objective always. (Matthew 22:36-40)

I found this article today on "Judging Others" to be a very good synopsis:

Judging Others

"Judge not, that ye be not judged." (Matthew 7:1)

This is a very familiar maxim, ofent cited by unbelievers and carnal Christians [ed. I would not limit it to these two groups] as a rebuke to Christians whom they regard as intolerant [ed. the subject of "intolerance" is a good subject for another blog post]. These words of the Lord Jesus Christ do, indeed, warn us against a self-righteous attitude, condemning others who disagree with us on the basis of superficial criteria.

On the other hand, this caution by no means relieves us of the responsibility of evaluation the beliefs and practices of others in the light of Scripture. In the very same sermon, in fact Jesus said just a few moments later: "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine"; and, "beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing" (Matthew 7:6-15). Obedience to such commandments obviously requires one to make a judgment as to whether certain unbelievers should be regarded as "dogs" or "swine," to whom it would be counterproductvie to try to speak of spiritual matters; or whether certain profession Christian leaders [ed. should this be limited to only "Christian leaders?] be limited to are actually false prophets who should be repudiated. Jesus also said: 'judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment' (John 7:24)

Since the Scriptures themselves are to be used in the final judgment (John 12:48; Revelation 20:12, etc.), it is obvious that we should use them right now to discern truth and error, right and wrong. 'For the word of God...is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.' (Hebrews 4:12).

There is another basis of judgment that the Lord Jesus has authorized us to use. 'A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit....Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.' (Matthew 7:18-20). Thus, by the test of Scripture plus fruit produced, can serve as the basis of a valid judgment. Until adequate data for making such a test are available, judge not!"

Morris, Henry H. Ph.D., "Judging Others", Days of Praise; Institute for Creation Research, 2008.

Exodus - The Tabernacle & Garments

2009-01-18T20:40:00.000-08:00

The story of the Exodus is amazing for many reasons.

God demonstrates His power over Pharoah ten times.
Before the Israelites leave Egypt, they ask the Egyptians for gold, silver, and clothing...and they give them these things willingly. Why? Because the Lord makes the Egyptians favorably disposed to them. (Exodus 12:35-36)

Now, I don't think the Isrealites would have ever thought of this on their own. "Ask our slave masters for their gold, silver, and clothing? Yeah, right!"

Of course gold and silver are desirable things of value. But when you are fleeing slavery at the risk of death, you probably wouldn't want to haul something heavy along with you. Even gold would probably be something you would leave behind. But the Israelities ask for it and take it with them in faith.

Why would God want them to take gold, silver and clothes with them. Obviously God can provide for all of their physical needs (quail meat, manna, clothing that does not wear out {ref}, etc.). Well, we find out later in Exodus why the gold, silver, and clothing was needed. They were used to build the tabernacle and all of the sacred objects to be used by the priests, and the garments worn by the priests.

Now, is it very likely that Israelite slaves who to the best of our knowledge were used as slaves to make bricks out of mud, would have any talent for working with wood, making drapes, or the unlikely skill of gold metal working? No, though not entirely out of the realm of possibility, it is unlikely that they learned these skills as slaves in Egypt. Therefore God had to provide these skills to the craftsmen who were responsible for making the tabernacle and the holy objects (Exodus 28:3)

The Behemoth and Leviathan

2009-01-11T22:44:00.000-08:00

In Job chapters 40-41 God refers to two of His created creatures as an example of His mighty, sovereign power and majestic glory. The Behemoth and the Leviathan.

Closely read the description of the Behemoth and the Leviathan and determine for yourself what type of creatures are being described.

Job 40

15"Behold, Behemoth,^[c]
which I made as I made you;
he eats^(S) grass like an ox.
16Behold, his strength in his loins,
and his power in the muscles of his belly.
17He makes his tail stiff like a cedar;
the sinews of his thighs are knit together.
18His bones are tubes of bronze,
his limbs like bars of iron.

19"He is^(T) the first of^(U) the works^[d] of God;
let him who made him bring near his sword!
20For the mountains yield food for him
where all the wild beasts play.
21Under the lotus plants he lies,
in the shelter of^(V) the reeds and in the marsh.
22For his shade the lotus trees cover him;
the willows of the brook surround him.
23Behold, if the river is turbulent he is not frightened;
he is confident though Jordan rushes against his mouth.
24Can one take him by his eyes,^[e]
or pierce his nose with a snare?

Job 41

1^[f] "Can you draw out^(W) Leviathan^[g] with a fishhook
or press down his tongue with a cord?
2Can you put^(X) a rope in his nose
or pierce his jaw with a hook?
3Will he make many pleas to you?
Will he speak to you soft words?
4Will he make a covenant with you
to take him for^(Y) your servant forever?
5Will you play with him as with a bird,
or will you put him on a leash for your girls?
6Will traders bargain over him?
Will they divide him up among the merchants?
7Can you fill his skin with harpoons
or his head with fishing spears?
8Lay your hands on him;
remember the battle—you will not do it again!
9^[h] Behold, the hope of a man is false;
he is laid low even at the sight of him.
10No one is so fierce that he dares to stir him up.
Who then is he who can stand before me?
11^(Z) Who has first given to me, that I should repay him?
^(AA) Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine.

12"I will not keep silence concerning his limbs,
or his mighty strength, or his goodly frame.
13Who can strip off his outer garment?
Who would come near him with a bridle?
14Who can open the doors of his face?
Around his teeth is terror.
15His back is made of^[i] rows of shields,
shut up closely as with a seal.
16One is so near to another
that no air can come between them.
17They are^(AB) joined one to another;
they clasp each other and cannot be separated.
18His sneezings flash forth light,
and his eyes are like^(AC) the eyelids of the dawn.
19Out of his mouth go flaming torches;
sparks of fire leap forth.
20Out of his nostrils comes forth smoke,
as from a boiling pot and burning rushes.
21His breath^(AD) kindles coals,
and a flame comes forth from his mouth.
22In his neck abides strength,
and terror dances before him.
23The folds of his flesh^(AE) stick together,
firmly cast on him and immovable.
24His heart is hard as a stone,
hard as the lower millstone.
25When he raises himself up the mighty^[j] are afraid;
at the crashing they are beside themselves.
26Though the sword reaches him, it does not avail,
nor the spear, the dart, or the javelin.
27He counts iron as straw,
and bronze as rotten wood.
28The arrow cannot make him flee;
for him sling stones are turned to stubble.
29Clubs are counted as stubble;
he laughs at the rattle of javelins.
30His underparts are like sharp^(AF) potsherds;
he spreads himself like^(AG) a threshing sledge on the mire.
31He makes the deep boil like a pot;
he makes the sea like a pot of ointment.
32Behind him he leaves a shining wake;
one would think the deep to be white-haired.
33^(AH) On earth there is not his like,
a creature without fear.
34He sees everything that is high;
he is king over all the^(AI) sons of pride."

Other references to "Leviathan"

Job 3:8
Let those curse it who curse the day,who are ready to rouse up Leviathan.
Job 3:7-9 (in Context) Job 3 (Whole Chapter)
Job 41:1
"Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhookor press down his tongue with a cord?
Job 41:1-3 (in Context) Job 41 (Whole Chapter)
Psalm 74:14
You crushed the heads of Leviathan;you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.
Psalm 74:13-15 (in Context) Psalm 74 (Whole Chapter)
Psalm 104:26
There go the ships,and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it.
Psalm 104:25-27 (in Context) Psalm 104 (Whole Chapter)
Isaiah 27:1
[ The Redemption of Israel ] In that day the LORD with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea.
Isaiah 27:1-3 (in Context) Isaiah 27 (Whole Chapter)

Also, there are three references to a "fiery serpent" Two of them are "flying" serpents.

Numbers 21:8
And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live."
Numbers 21:7-9 (in Context) Numbers 21 (Whole Chapter)
Isaiah 14:29
Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of you,that the rod that struck you is broken,for from the serpent’s root will come forth an adder,and its fruit will be a flying fiery serpent.
Isaiah 14:28-30 (in Context) Isaiah 14 (Whole Chapter)
Isaiah 30:6
An oracle on the beasts of the Negeb.Through a land of trouble and anguish,from where come the lioness and the lion,the adder and the flying fiery serpent,they carry their riches on the backs of donkeys,and their treasures on the humps of camels,to a people that cannot profit them.
Isaiah 30:5-7 (in Context) Isaiah 30 (Whole Chapter)

..and references to "dragons"

Nehemiah 2:13
I went out by night by the Valley Gate to the Dragon Spring and to the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire.
Nehemiah 2:12-14 (in Context) Nehemiah 2 (Whole Chapter)
Isaiah 27:1
[ The Redemption of Israel ] In that day the LORD with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea.
Isaiah 27:1-3 (in Context) Isaiah 27 (Whole Chapter)
Isaiah 51:9
Awake, awake, put on strength,O arm of the LORD;awake, as in days of old,the generations of long ago.Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces,who pierced the dragon?
Isaiah 51:8-10 (in Context) Isaiah 51 (Whole Chapter)
Ezekiel 29:3
speak, and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I am against you,Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that liesin the midst of his streams, that says, 'My Nile is my own;I made it for myself.'
Ezekiel 29:2-4 (in Context) Ezekiel 29 (Whole Chapter)
Ezekiel 32:2
"Son of man, raise a lamentation over Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him:"You consider yourself a lion of the nations,but you are like a dragon in the seas; you burst forth in your rivers,trouble the waters with your feet,and foul their rivers.
Ezekiel 32:1-3 (in Context) Ezekiel 32 (Whole Chapter)
Revelation 12:1
[ The Woman and the Dragon ] And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
Revelation 12:1-3 (in Context) Revelation 12 (Whole Chapter)
Revelation 12:3
And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems.
Revelation 12:2-4 (in Context) Revelation 12 (Whole Chapter)
Revelation 12:4
His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.
Revelation 12:3-5 (in Context) Revelation 12 (Whole Chapter)
Revelation 12:7
[ Satan Thrown Down to Earth ] Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back,
Revelation 12:6-8 (in Context) Revelation 12 (Whole Chapter)
Revelation 12:9
And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world— he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
Revelation 12:8-10 (in Context) Revelation 12 (Whole Chapter)
Revelation 12:13
And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.
Revelation 12:12-14 (in Context) Revelation 12 (Whole Chapter)
Revelation 12:16
But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth.
Revelation 12:15-17 (in Context) Revelation 12 (Whole Chapter)
Revelation 12:17
Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.
Revelation 12:16-17 (in Context) Revelation 12 (Whole Chapter)
Revelation 13:2
And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority.
Revelation 13:1-3 (in Context) Revelation 13 (Whole Chapter)
Revelation 13:4
And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?"
Revelation 13:3-5 (in Context) Revelation 13 (Whole Chapter)
Revelation 13:11
[ The Second Beast ] Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon.
Revelation 13:10-12 (in Context) Revelation 13 (Whole Chapter)
Revelation 16:13
And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs.
Revelation 16:12-14 (in Context) Revelation 16 (Whole Chapter)
Revelation 20:2
And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,
Revelation 20:1-3 (in Context) Revelation 20 (Whole Chapter)

Adam & Eve - Cain and Abel

2009-01-11T22:26:00.000-08:00

As I was recently reading the book of Genesis it finally dawned on me that Cain and Able were not necessarily the first two children of Adam and Eve. The Bible never said they were, but as we naturally do, we assume that since they are the first two offspring mentioned they must have been the first two children.

Genesis 4:14 - Cain laments to God, "I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth,(N) and whoever finds me will kill me." Some people would incorrectly argue, how could this be? since there would not be other people in the world to "kill" Cain. Answer: Yes, there were other people in the world, Cain's older siblings.

In Genesis 4:17 - Cain had a wife. Yes, Cain's wife was his biological sister. This is not an issue because a) it was not yet a sin to marry your sister at that time and b) God had created Adam and Eve as "very good" genetic beings with a low potential for genetic issues with brother-sister offspring.

Atheists Who Inspire

2009-01-04T21:28:00.000-08:00

I believe that Joshua Elsom's blog entry on "Atheists Who Inspire" and the associated YouTube video needs to be shared with other Christians.

I agree with Joshua that Penn Jillette's (1/2 of Penn & Teller) reaction "should stand as a rebuke to the 'easygoing christian' (myself included) and a charge to the faithful.

Penn's reaction to a Christian's sincere proselytizing effort should convict us all to share the Gospel. Check it out.

My favorite verse in the Bible (among many)

2009-01-04T11:59:00.000-08:00

My favorite verse in the Bible is Ephesians 5:8.

for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light

Thus the name of this blog.

I chose this verse out of the 31,173 available verses because:

1) It reminds me that without Jesus Christ, I was darkness. Not just "in darkness".
2) Now, I am light in the Lord.
3) Therefore, I should walk as a child of light.