There is a lot of value in being content. It may not be the thing
that most people seek. Most people are seeking money and power and
satisfaction of their carnal desires. But being content, for those who
are, is like a warm bed in winter and a glass of iced lemonade in
summer. And its rare to find content people. So for anyone who desires
contentment in this crazy world, what is there to do? Something very
real, based on Someone very real.
Having a clear conscience
A
guilty conscience will haunt the person who has it. Someone might get
away with a crime, and not be thrown in prison, but his conscience will
eat him up. So much so that he may wish to be found out and brought to
justice, so that he can pay retribution for his deeds. As Solomon says
in the Proverbs, "A man tormented by the guilt of murder will be a
fugitive till death" (Proverbs 28:17). The only way to have a clear
conscience is to be reconciled with God and with those people hurt by
deeds done, and to be righteous from then on. That starts with asking
God for forgiveness, and asking God to give the Holy Spirit for
regeneration. Only a person who is born again can stop sinning and have
a clear conscience.
Knowing the truth
Anyone
who knows the truth, and that truth which is important and relevant to
life, will have confidence in what he does. There is no fear in the
person who knows the truth, except the fear of God. There is
confidence. There is an inward joy as others are speaking about things
that he understands. Sometimes there is an inward laughter. And
gaining knowledge of the truth is not hard to do. It starts with
reading the Bible. The ultimate truth, whether God is real and Jesus is
who He said He is, and whether the Bible is true, is something that
must be answered first. And that can be answered by studying the
reasons people believe the Bible and the evidences supporting the
Bible. There are perfectly logical arguments for believing that the
Bible is what it claims to be. Once that is answered, and the truth is
known in that regard, then you must read the Bible and meditate on its
meaning. All of the most important truths are found in the Bible. Not
only things that are general in nature, but also things quite specific
and profound. Check it out and you'll see what I mean.
Having faith in God
When
people talk about having faith in God it is usually about salvation.
Of course a Christian has faith in God for his salvation, but that isn't
what I'm talking about here. See, if we truly believe what the Bible
says about God, then there is very good reason for us to have faith in
God for everyday salvation. Should we be worried about our bank
account? Should we worry about accidents? Do we need insurance and a
retirement fund? If we have faith in God, the answer is no. He has
many multitudes of angels, and doesn't the writer of Hebrews say that
angels are sent to serve Christians (Hebrews 1:14)? And in Romans 8:28,
Paul writes that God works to the good of those that love Him. Even
bad things that happen to Christians are turned into good. So with
faith in God, there is no way to worry about life. Faith in God and
worry are two drastically contradictory things.
Being satisfied with the greatest reward
There
is no greater reward possible than the reward of eternal life. Life
with God in heaven, at the New Jerusalem, and with all the universe in
our possession, is simply beyond compare. So what is the point of
desiring things of this world? With that great reward of eternal life,
how can anyone be wanting? Eternal life brings satisfaction. It brings
satisfaction in Christ Jesus. This starts with being born again.
Being born again starts with knowing the truth and having faith in God.
By the grace of God we are given the Holy Spirit, and with that we are
given satisfaction and confidence and a clear conscience. These things
produce contentment. And contentment is a gift that is largely
undervalued in our world. People don't realize just how wonderful it is
to be able to say, "It is well with my soul."
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
What If
What if you could worship the living God with a complete stranger anywhere, on the street, in the middle east, or next to you on a plane?
What if the fear of God and reverence for God were commonplace anywhere you went?
What if prayer were seen as a righteous and holy act, encouraged at every venue?
What if every sports star, movie star, famous singer, business owner and politician gave thanks to God for all their successes?
What if every person on earth knew the name of Jesus, knew the Holy Spirit and the word of God?
What if the love of God saturated every inch of the earth, and every person were treated with the utmost respect because they are made in the image of God?
What if every person shared this in common: We all went to church on Sunday morning, worshiped our Lord and took part in Communion?
What if war were only a thing of the past, because the world is filled with brothers and sisters in Christ?
What if every nation on earth would wrap their arms around any nation that is hit with disaster?
What if we laughed together, praised together, cried together, celebrated together, and shared all our brilliant ideas with each other?
What if God blessed the world with harmony, peace and prosperity, and the effects of the curse were reversed?
What if a poor person were considered to be anyone with a car older than ten years?
What if the worst disease we feared were chicken pox?
What if Bible studies were so common that you could attend five a week if you wanted to?
What if we looked at God's word so intently that we were discovering new and amazing things every day, put there by God for us?
What if having a cross around your neck were an endearing symbol, bringing brothers and sisters together in one purpose?
What if new and glorious songs of worship were created every day by people endowed with divine talent?
What if obedience to Christ's commandments covered the earth?
What if disciples were made of every nation, tongue and tribe, and we all joined together to give God glory and praise and honor and reverence?
When Jesus prayed this: "your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." He did not put it out there as only a good prayer. Our mission on earth is to bring about that fulfillment. We are God's vessels to this end. And when that is accomplished, and God's will is done on earth as it is in heaven, we will see the closest thing to heaven that could possibly be seen on earth. We work to this end. The first thing is to fulfill the great commission, making disciples and teaching them to be obedient to Christ's commands. When we do this, the rest will follow. God will bless the earth, and all the great and glorious things I mentioned will be true. Brothers and sisters, I urge you to pray and work relentlessly to accomplish this.
What if the fear of God and reverence for God were commonplace anywhere you went?
What if prayer were seen as a righteous and holy act, encouraged at every venue?
What if every sports star, movie star, famous singer, business owner and politician gave thanks to God for all their successes?
What if every person on earth knew the name of Jesus, knew the Holy Spirit and the word of God?
What if the love of God saturated every inch of the earth, and every person were treated with the utmost respect because they are made in the image of God?
What if every person shared this in common: We all went to church on Sunday morning, worshiped our Lord and took part in Communion?
What if war were only a thing of the past, because the world is filled with brothers and sisters in Christ?
What if every nation on earth would wrap their arms around any nation that is hit with disaster?
What if we laughed together, praised together, cried together, celebrated together, and shared all our brilliant ideas with each other?
What if God blessed the world with harmony, peace and prosperity, and the effects of the curse were reversed?
What if a poor person were considered to be anyone with a car older than ten years?
What if the worst disease we feared were chicken pox?
What if Bible studies were so common that you could attend five a week if you wanted to?
What if we looked at God's word so intently that we were discovering new and amazing things every day, put there by God for us?
What if having a cross around your neck were an endearing symbol, bringing brothers and sisters together in one purpose?
What if new and glorious songs of worship were created every day by people endowed with divine talent?
What if obedience to Christ's commandments covered the earth?
What if disciples were made of every nation, tongue and tribe, and we all joined together to give God glory and praise and honor and reverence?
When Jesus prayed this: "your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." He did not put it out there as only a good prayer. Our mission on earth is to bring about that fulfillment. We are God's vessels to this end. And when that is accomplished, and God's will is done on earth as it is in heaven, we will see the closest thing to heaven that could possibly be seen on earth. We work to this end. The first thing is to fulfill the great commission, making disciples and teaching them to be obedient to Christ's commands. When we do this, the rest will follow. God will bless the earth, and all the great and glorious things I mentioned will be true. Brothers and sisters, I urge you to pray and work relentlessly to accomplish this.
Friday, November 11, 2011
The Consistency of The Old And New Testaments
You've probably heard, somewhere along the line, someone say something to the effect of, "God in the Old Testament is so different than Jesus in the New Testament." The idea is that the Old and New Testaments paint such a different picture, that you can't really believe both of them at once, and that God either changed or God did not inspire both texts. The problem is that there are a number of people, both in and out of the church, that know so little about the Bible that these kind of misconceptions exist. I know I used to have this misconception, and before I read the Old Testament all the way through, I was a little bit nervous. I read it at first with a considerable dose of skepticism, because I did not want what I might read in the Old Testament to affect my beliefs or thinking. I realize now how foolish and ignorant that was. Let me demonstrate, with a few examples, how consistent the Old Testament and the New Testament really are, and how a Christian can read both of them with full confidence.
The judgement of God
This is something that popular opinion might relegate to the Old Testament. Y'know, "Jesus is so loving but His Father is so judgmental," idea. Not so fast. Jesus does not let sinners off easy, but just the opposite.
Not every who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. -Jesus in Matthew 7:21
The really disturbing part of that is that He is speaking about people who consider themselves to be Christians, otherwise they wouldn't be saying "Lord, Lord". Now take a look at what Jesus says to the religious leaders of His time:
You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? -Jesus in Matthew 23:33
Doesn't sound like the nice, loves-everybody, teddy bear Jesus, does it? And that's not all...
And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where 'Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.' -Jesus in Mark 9:47-48
Whoa. This is all New Testament. So much for the idea that the New Testament is all about God's grace and forgiveness. Anyone who knows the New Testament knows that there is plenty of warnings, both for believers and for nonbelievers, of the wrath and judgement of God. Look at how the return of Jesus is described:
He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. Revelation 19:13-15
Now if you think this is somehow different than what's in the Old Testament, let me refer you so something David wrote in the Psalms:
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. Psalm 2:12
God's grace to the meek and brokenhearted
This is the other side of the coin. Its a common misconception that God in the Old Testament is always judgmental and mean; that there's no grace. Those who have read the Old Testament know that God shows a lot of grace and love to the people who really need it.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51:17
Now compare that to what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. -Jesus in Matthew 5:3-4
God's love and care for the helpless
Going all the way back to Exodus - the Torah - where so many people can only think of God's vengeance for sin, we find that God is caring and compassionate for the people who need it the most. See if this doesn't sound like love to you.
Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt. Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan. If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. -Yahweh in Exodus 22:21-22
Love your enemies
When you say that, immediately people think of Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, but its not just a New Testament teaching. God has been teaching us to love our enemies both in the Old Testament and the New Testament.
If you come across your enemy's ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to take it back to him. If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help him with it. -Yahweh in Exodus 23:4-5
When the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, "Shall I kill them, my father? Shall I kill them?" "Do not kill them," he answered. "Would you kill men you have captured with your own sword or bow? Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink and then go back to their master." So he prepared a great feast for them, and after they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away, and they returned to their master. So the bands from Aram stopped raiding Israel's territory. 2Kings 6:21-23
These are just a few examples that illustrate a much bigger truth. I could probably write several blogs on consistent truths in the Old and New Testaments. I mention these simply to combat some common misconceptions. Its important to note that Jesus and the apostles quoted or alluded to the Old Testament over 300 times. Examples of consistent teachings, and a clear connection, are abundant to say the least. When people try to say that there is some great disparity between the two, its likely either they've never actually read the Bible, or they are looking for some way to attack its credibility.
The judgement of God
This is something that popular opinion might relegate to the Old Testament. Y'know, "Jesus is so loving but His Father is so judgmental," idea. Not so fast. Jesus does not let sinners off easy, but just the opposite.
Not every who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. -Jesus in Matthew 7:21
The really disturbing part of that is that He is speaking about people who consider themselves to be Christians, otherwise they wouldn't be saying "Lord, Lord". Now take a look at what Jesus says to the religious leaders of His time:
You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? -Jesus in Matthew 23:33
Doesn't sound like the nice, loves-everybody, teddy bear Jesus, does it? And that's not all...
And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where 'Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.' -Jesus in Mark 9:47-48
Whoa. This is all New Testament. So much for the idea that the New Testament is all about God's grace and forgiveness. Anyone who knows the New Testament knows that there is plenty of warnings, both for believers and for nonbelievers, of the wrath and judgement of God. Look at how the return of Jesus is described:
He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. Revelation 19:13-15
Now if you think this is somehow different than what's in the Old Testament, let me refer you so something David wrote in the Psalms:
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. Psalm 2:12
God's grace to the meek and brokenhearted
This is the other side of the coin. Its a common misconception that God in the Old Testament is always judgmental and mean; that there's no grace. Those who have read the Old Testament know that God shows a lot of grace and love to the people who really need it.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51:17
Now compare that to what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. -Jesus in Matthew 5:3-4
God's love and care for the helpless
Going all the way back to Exodus - the Torah - where so many people can only think of God's vengeance for sin, we find that God is caring and compassionate for the people who need it the most. See if this doesn't sound like love to you.
Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt. Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan. If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. -Yahweh in Exodus 22:21-22
Love your enemies
When you say that, immediately people think of Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, but its not just a New Testament teaching. God has been teaching us to love our enemies both in the Old Testament and the New Testament.
If you come across your enemy's ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to take it back to him. If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help him with it. -Yahweh in Exodus 23:4-5
When the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, "Shall I kill them, my father? Shall I kill them?" "Do not kill them," he answered. "Would you kill men you have captured with your own sword or bow? Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink and then go back to their master." So he prepared a great feast for them, and after they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away, and they returned to their master. So the bands from Aram stopped raiding Israel's territory. 2Kings 6:21-23
These are just a few examples that illustrate a much bigger truth. I could probably write several blogs on consistent truths in the Old and New Testaments. I mention these simply to combat some common misconceptions. Its important to note that Jesus and the apostles quoted or alluded to the Old Testament over 300 times. Examples of consistent teachings, and a clear connection, are abundant to say the least. When people try to say that there is some great disparity between the two, its likely either they've never actually read the Bible, or they are looking for some way to attack its credibility.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Only One Way
There is only one way to enter heaven
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me..." John 14:6
To live in Christ is to obey His commands. And Christ commands that we give up all worldly pursuits and seek the kingdom of God and the glory of God. This is not easy to do. We can see that by looking around, almost everyone is wrapped up in some worldly pursuit or another. For some people its as simple as money and all the shiny things that come with it. For others its relationships - family and friends. And some people are trying to impress, to be recognized as talented or great or smart or maybe even humble. Some people are trying to climb the corporate ladder. Some people are trying to find the perfect spouse. A person could write a book or two just on the ins and outs of worldly pursuits. But that's not what I'm trying to do here; just trying to establish a basic idea of what worldly pursuits are. Here we will address those psychological attractions and deterrents to seeking the kingdom of heaven.
If you ask someone plainly whether they want to go to heaven or not, you will almost always get an absolute and obvious "Yes!" Putting the question so simply makes answering it very easy. But is it that simple? Can the desire displayed in that "Yes!" really take a person the whole way there? Firstly we must tackle the hard realities of Christ's words. Jesus did not make it so simple for His disciples. Jesus said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." And we know from the verse atop, following Christ is the only way to enter heaven. So that puts us in a different position. Now the question is, "Are you willing to deny yourself and take up your cross daily so that you can enter heaven?" Denying yourself means crucifying every desire to serve yourself, to honor yourself or to please yourself. We know this is hard to do, but why is it hard to do?
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. -Jesus in Matthew 7:13-14
The desire for worldly things is strong because we are constantly reminded of them. Every time we see, touch, taste, feel or feel an emotion, we are reminded of these things. It takes zero faith and understanding to believe in sex, or steak, or the praise of men, or a corvette, or a masters degree, or a six-figure income, or a desirable spouse. We are reminded of these things many times a day; they bombard our mind through our senses. And yet these are the things that must be denied in the denying of oneself. That creates a colossal battle in the mind. It is so much easier to just ignore eternity and focus on all the immediate things, the things that take no faith and provide instant reward. And we can't have both. Christ made sure we knew that. He made sure that we knew that there is a reason why the road is narrow that leads to life, and that we do not ignore that reason. So what would drive a person to choose God and choose to deny himself? What is it about these "few" that makes them different from the "many"?
I believe God designed the human psyche in a peculiar way. He knows what He made, both tangible and intangible. Even the knowledge gained through the eating of a fruit was made by Him; so there is nothing, not even a man-made thing, that is not or was not known by God. Every thing made by God is simply what it is, but how we judge that thing, whether we consider it good or bad, is more a matter of our own psyche as it is of the thing itself. We might find roadkill repulsive, but buzzards beg to differ. So we might look at our own psyche for once, rather than looking at the world around us, and wonder why some things are considered good and others bad.
We know that human instinct sees worldly things as desirable. Otherwise we wouldn't be talking about them. And we know that this is the reason it is difficult to follow Christ's commands and deny ourselves, and the reason for the narrow path. But I believe there is a greater design at work, one that goes overlooked. If all there were is our instinctual and worldly desires, then no one would be a Christian. The path would not be narrow, the path would be nonexistent. There has to be a deeper desire that exclusively exists in the human soul; a desire for meaning, I believe. Its not an immediate desire - something you feel right away - and its not something you feel through your senses. Its a desire that may develop over time. And its something that our circumstances either contribute to or not. Every experience adds or subtracts to or from our deepest values and heartfelt desires. A Christian does not always crucify those worldly desires; sometimes they are unwittingly killed for him. Now let us consider a situation in which that might happen, and see if that too might be a design of God.
I have a hunch that every worldly pursuit is riddled with pitfalls, and that because God designed it so. There may be a guy that considers himself to be very honest and good. But if his goal in life is to climb the corporate ladder, he will be faced with the reality that he must lie and cheat and step on other people to do so. Suddenly this guy is not so honest and good. Worldly pursuits lead to an inevitable compromise of morals. Sometimes they lead to ultimate disaster, like what we see with the prodigal son. On top of that, if there were any worldly pursuit (for example, having the perfect family) that didn't result in compromising morals or ending up as the prodigal son, it would still leave the pursuer empty. A good relationship might satisfy for a little while, but there is only so much meaning that can be found in family, friends or a spouse. This too is designed to fail. Every worldly pursuit, whether its ignoble like sex and drugs, or noble like having a perfect family, is designed to fail in fulfilling an individual. So what happens?
There are two things that can happen to a person, I take it, that will lead him to Christ. The first thing is basically what happened to the prodigal son. A person pursues his worldly desires and that worldly pursuit ends with disaster. At that point he comes to his senses, has nothing to lose, and chooses to follow Christ. This is what I mean when I say that not every Christian crucifies their worldly desires, but has them unwittingly killed. And this is why I say that disaster can be the best thing to happen to a person; it can be the thing that turns his life to Christ and sets him on the path to eternal life. The other thing that can happen is when a person realizes that there is nothing on earth that can satisfy his own soul. This is the guy that has what he needs to survive, and maybe even thrive, physically, but knows that there is something missing in his soul. He goes searching for meaning, and after some while, he finds meaning in Christ Jesus. At that point he is faced with the fact that he must give up all his worldly pursuits and seek the kingdom of God. You can't serve both God and money, as Jesus has said.
This is food for thought. When you look around at the world, don't just think simply of what is there, think also of what God created and why He created it that way. Things are designed, even our own way of thinking, in a particular way and for a reason. Its amazing to me to consider all the things God has designed, from history, to His word (the Bible), to nature, to knowledge, to the unborn baby, to the dynamics of human life. Everything is designed, and its all designed for a purpose. The purpose of all those failures and pitfalls in life is to show us that worldly pursuits are the wrong path. There is only one way, and the way is narrow, and the way requires a particular life, and the way is Christ.
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me..." John 14:6
To live in Christ is to obey His commands. And Christ commands that we give up all worldly pursuits and seek the kingdom of God and the glory of God. This is not easy to do. We can see that by looking around, almost everyone is wrapped up in some worldly pursuit or another. For some people its as simple as money and all the shiny things that come with it. For others its relationships - family and friends. And some people are trying to impress, to be recognized as talented or great or smart or maybe even humble. Some people are trying to climb the corporate ladder. Some people are trying to find the perfect spouse. A person could write a book or two just on the ins and outs of worldly pursuits. But that's not what I'm trying to do here; just trying to establish a basic idea of what worldly pursuits are. Here we will address those psychological attractions and deterrents to seeking the kingdom of heaven.
If you ask someone plainly whether they want to go to heaven or not, you will almost always get an absolute and obvious "Yes!" Putting the question so simply makes answering it very easy. But is it that simple? Can the desire displayed in that "Yes!" really take a person the whole way there? Firstly we must tackle the hard realities of Christ's words. Jesus did not make it so simple for His disciples. Jesus said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." And we know from the verse atop, following Christ is the only way to enter heaven. So that puts us in a different position. Now the question is, "Are you willing to deny yourself and take up your cross daily so that you can enter heaven?" Denying yourself means crucifying every desire to serve yourself, to honor yourself or to please yourself. We know this is hard to do, but why is it hard to do?
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. -Jesus in Matthew 7:13-14
The desire for worldly things is strong because we are constantly reminded of them. Every time we see, touch, taste, feel or feel an emotion, we are reminded of these things. It takes zero faith and understanding to believe in sex, or steak, or the praise of men, or a corvette, or a masters degree, or a six-figure income, or a desirable spouse. We are reminded of these things many times a day; they bombard our mind through our senses. And yet these are the things that must be denied in the denying of oneself. That creates a colossal battle in the mind. It is so much easier to just ignore eternity and focus on all the immediate things, the things that take no faith and provide instant reward. And we can't have both. Christ made sure we knew that. He made sure that we knew that there is a reason why the road is narrow that leads to life, and that we do not ignore that reason. So what would drive a person to choose God and choose to deny himself? What is it about these "few" that makes them different from the "many"?
I believe God designed the human psyche in a peculiar way. He knows what He made, both tangible and intangible. Even the knowledge gained through the eating of a fruit was made by Him; so there is nothing, not even a man-made thing, that is not or was not known by God. Every thing made by God is simply what it is, but how we judge that thing, whether we consider it good or bad, is more a matter of our own psyche as it is of the thing itself. We might find roadkill repulsive, but buzzards beg to differ. So we might look at our own psyche for once, rather than looking at the world around us, and wonder why some things are considered good and others bad.
We know that human instinct sees worldly things as desirable. Otherwise we wouldn't be talking about them. And we know that this is the reason it is difficult to follow Christ's commands and deny ourselves, and the reason for the narrow path. But I believe there is a greater design at work, one that goes overlooked. If all there were is our instinctual and worldly desires, then no one would be a Christian. The path would not be narrow, the path would be nonexistent. There has to be a deeper desire that exclusively exists in the human soul; a desire for meaning, I believe. Its not an immediate desire - something you feel right away - and its not something you feel through your senses. Its a desire that may develop over time. And its something that our circumstances either contribute to or not. Every experience adds or subtracts to or from our deepest values and heartfelt desires. A Christian does not always crucify those worldly desires; sometimes they are unwittingly killed for him. Now let us consider a situation in which that might happen, and see if that too might be a design of God.
I have a hunch that every worldly pursuit is riddled with pitfalls, and that because God designed it so. There may be a guy that considers himself to be very honest and good. But if his goal in life is to climb the corporate ladder, he will be faced with the reality that he must lie and cheat and step on other people to do so. Suddenly this guy is not so honest and good. Worldly pursuits lead to an inevitable compromise of morals. Sometimes they lead to ultimate disaster, like what we see with the prodigal son. On top of that, if there were any worldly pursuit (for example, having the perfect family) that didn't result in compromising morals or ending up as the prodigal son, it would still leave the pursuer empty. A good relationship might satisfy for a little while, but there is only so much meaning that can be found in family, friends or a spouse. This too is designed to fail. Every worldly pursuit, whether its ignoble like sex and drugs, or noble like having a perfect family, is designed to fail in fulfilling an individual. So what happens?
There are two things that can happen to a person, I take it, that will lead him to Christ. The first thing is basically what happened to the prodigal son. A person pursues his worldly desires and that worldly pursuit ends with disaster. At that point he comes to his senses, has nothing to lose, and chooses to follow Christ. This is what I mean when I say that not every Christian crucifies their worldly desires, but has them unwittingly killed. And this is why I say that disaster can be the best thing to happen to a person; it can be the thing that turns his life to Christ and sets him on the path to eternal life. The other thing that can happen is when a person realizes that there is nothing on earth that can satisfy his own soul. This is the guy that has what he needs to survive, and maybe even thrive, physically, but knows that there is something missing in his soul. He goes searching for meaning, and after some while, he finds meaning in Christ Jesus. At that point he is faced with the fact that he must give up all his worldly pursuits and seek the kingdom of God. You can't serve both God and money, as Jesus has said.
This is food for thought. When you look around at the world, don't just think simply of what is there, think also of what God created and why He created it that way. Things are designed, even our own way of thinking, in a particular way and for a reason. Its amazing to me to consider all the things God has designed, from history, to His word (the Bible), to nature, to knowledge, to the unborn baby, to the dynamics of human life. Everything is designed, and its all designed for a purpose. The purpose of all those failures and pitfalls in life is to show us that worldly pursuits are the wrong path. There is only one way, and the way is narrow, and the way requires a particular life, and the way is Christ.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Ultimate Excellence
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Philippians 4:8
First thing
This is not Scripture, but it is one of my favorite quotes:
"If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well." -Martin Luther King, Jr.
The first thing to excellence is simply to do all things to the best of your ability. No matter what your calling in life, whether it is noble or ignoble, you can do your job well. Especially when an entire congregation of saints does their unique duty well, it shows. Good work cannot be hidden. The collective excellence of saints shines brighter than the sun.
Maintain perspective
Eternity matters; the temporal does not. Heaven comes first; we are only pilgrims here. Remember that many things are trivial, especially as you think of other people's actions. We can do all things to the best of our ability, but we must remember to bear with the defects of others. Why? Because it ultimately is not important. This is the ascetic mentality. Doing excellent things and being excellent comes from a certain light-heartedness. Before you can make a safer car, you must remind yourself that mankind survived quite nicely with horses for thousands of years. This takes the pressure off, freeing your mind and body for the best work possible.
Forgive
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. -Jesus in Matthew 6:14-15
Forgiveness is kinda like plan B. Obviously plan A is that no one would ever sin against another person. But we live in an imperfect world. Mistakes will happen, sins will occur and offenses will be made. But if we did not forgive people when they sin against us, that would result in continual bitterness and anger. We simply need to let go of those things, reminding ourselves that those things are not important. So someone took some of your money? So what? So someone slandered your name? Big deal. So someone cheated you? It doesn't matter. When we forgive each other, that too, takes the pressure off. Its like we have the freedom to make mistakes, but of course we try our best not to. Remember, love keeps no record of wrongs.
Do not worry
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own -Jesus in Matthew 6:33-34
Maintaining perspective and forgiving others are leading to this point: Do not worry. Since many things are not important, and we all are called to forgive one another, bearing with each others defects, there's simply no reason to worry. A person cannot be excellent if they're always in a tissle. Stress can even kill (heart-attacks). So trust in God, let go of trivial things, and you will be in the right frame of mind to be excellent and do good.
Love
But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you -Jesus in Matthew 5:44
The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Galatians 5:14
Love is key. When people all over the world love their neighbor, and even love their fellow man across the globe, that is when God's "kingdom come," and His "will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Love is the most excellent of all, as Paul says, "the greatest of these is love." If we want to see excellence in the world, in each other and throughout the world, we simply must love each other.
Pray
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. James 1:5
Trust in God. Prayer is a sign that you trust in God. If you lack anything needed for excellence, do something so basic: pray. God empowers us. God leads us. We are not orphans, and we do not strive on our own. We strive with God as our vanguard and our rearguard. We strive with millions of saints from every tongue, tribe and nation. You may not think that you have what it takes; that's ok, because you shouldn't trust in yourself, you should trust in God. Ask Him for what it takes.
To the glory of God
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. -Jesus in Matthew 5:16
Why excellence? Why love and forgiveness? Why do we do these things? To the glory of God! It begins and ends with God. We seek Him and His kingdom, He empowers us, and the result is His glory. Everything in between, even the street sweeping, is done to make an excellent world that begs the question: Where does this come from? It comes from God. We shine the light, so that men see the light and want the light for themselves. Then we let them know the Source of all goodness and excellence.
First thing
This is not Scripture, but it is one of my favorite quotes:
"If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well." -Martin Luther King, Jr.
The first thing to excellence is simply to do all things to the best of your ability. No matter what your calling in life, whether it is noble or ignoble, you can do your job well. Especially when an entire congregation of saints does their unique duty well, it shows. Good work cannot be hidden. The collective excellence of saints shines brighter than the sun.
Maintain perspective
Eternity matters; the temporal does not. Heaven comes first; we are only pilgrims here. Remember that many things are trivial, especially as you think of other people's actions. We can do all things to the best of our ability, but we must remember to bear with the defects of others. Why? Because it ultimately is not important. This is the ascetic mentality. Doing excellent things and being excellent comes from a certain light-heartedness. Before you can make a safer car, you must remind yourself that mankind survived quite nicely with horses for thousands of years. This takes the pressure off, freeing your mind and body for the best work possible.
Forgive
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. -Jesus in Matthew 6:14-15
Forgiveness is kinda like plan B. Obviously plan A is that no one would ever sin against another person. But we live in an imperfect world. Mistakes will happen, sins will occur and offenses will be made. But if we did not forgive people when they sin against us, that would result in continual bitterness and anger. We simply need to let go of those things, reminding ourselves that those things are not important. So someone took some of your money? So what? So someone slandered your name? Big deal. So someone cheated you? It doesn't matter. When we forgive each other, that too, takes the pressure off. Its like we have the freedom to make mistakes, but of course we try our best not to. Remember, love keeps no record of wrongs.
Do not worry
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own -Jesus in Matthew 6:33-34
Maintaining perspective and forgiving others are leading to this point: Do not worry. Since many things are not important, and we all are called to forgive one another, bearing with each others defects, there's simply no reason to worry. A person cannot be excellent if they're always in a tissle. Stress can even kill (heart-attacks). So trust in God, let go of trivial things, and you will be in the right frame of mind to be excellent and do good.
Love
But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you -Jesus in Matthew 5:44
The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Galatians 5:14
Love is key. When people all over the world love their neighbor, and even love their fellow man across the globe, that is when God's "kingdom come," and His "will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Love is the most excellent of all, as Paul says, "the greatest of these is love." If we want to see excellence in the world, in each other and throughout the world, we simply must love each other.
Pray
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. James 1:5
Trust in God. Prayer is a sign that you trust in God. If you lack anything needed for excellence, do something so basic: pray. God empowers us. God leads us. We are not orphans, and we do not strive on our own. We strive with God as our vanguard and our rearguard. We strive with millions of saints from every tongue, tribe and nation. You may not think that you have what it takes; that's ok, because you shouldn't trust in yourself, you should trust in God. Ask Him for what it takes.
To the glory of God
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. -Jesus in Matthew 5:16
Why excellence? Why love and forgiveness? Why do we do these things? To the glory of God! It begins and ends with God. We seek Him and His kingdom, He empowers us, and the result is His glory. Everything in between, even the street sweeping, is done to make an excellent world that begs the question: Where does this come from? It comes from God. We shine the light, so that men see the light and want the light for themselves. Then we let them know the Source of all goodness and excellence.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
The Four Beasts in Daniel
In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying on his bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream. Daniel 7:1
In Daniel 7 there are four beasts described, from a vision Daniel had, each representing a prophetic kingdom. If you remember, in Daniel 2 there were also four kingdoms represented by four sections of a statue. Those were four ancient kingdoms, each succeeding the previous one, with all of them ruling the Asia Minor and Mesopotamian region at one time. Babylon, Persia, Greece/Alexander and Rome - I wrote a blog about it once. Those four ancient kingdoms seem to share some similarity with the kingdoms prophesied with the four beasts, but they are not the same; there are some distinct differences. The most obvious difference is the fourth beast. It has iron teeth, like Rome with the iron legs/feet, but the magnitude of its power and terror is much greater. Anyone who has studied eschatology can spot very quickly how the fourth beast relates to Revelation 13, and so it does. But lets go ahead and take a look at the first beast and see if we can figure this out.
The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a man, and the heart of a man was given to it. Daniel 7:4
This beast shares some similarity with the golden head representing Babylon. The lion symbolizes majesty and power. The wings of an eagle means that this beast can travel over great distances. There is only one kingdom in modern times that fits the profile, and that is Great Britain. This is true for a number of reasons. Great Britain has come the closest of any modern power to actually conquering the world. It was once said, "The Sun never sets on the British Empire," meaning that in every part of the world Great Britain had colonies. And the lion has always been associated with Great Britain. You can see it on the royal coat of arms. The wings of an eagle could refer to the original thirteen colonies, as the eagle is associated with the US and the thirteen colonies broke off from the British Empire. The wings could also be simply all of Great Britain's colonies, which have broken away.
And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, 'Get up and eat your fill of flesh!' Daniel 7:5
A bear is big, brutal and clumsy. This beast represents a kingdom like that - big, brutal, and we might say unpredictable. In the ancient world, the Persian Empire was much like that. They won battles simply by outnumbering their opponents. They were not majestic like the lion. They didn't rule with equity; they oppressed people. And it was big. There is a modern kingdom that fits the description perfectly: Russia. Russia is just like a bear, which is why Russia has been associated with the bear for many years. And if we consider the population of Russia, it is raised up on its western side. Now its clear that right after WWII the Soviet Union ate its "fill of flesh" when it conquered and controlled Eastern Europe. What's not as clear is the meaning of the three ribs in the bear's mouth. I've heard it speculated that the Yalta Conference, with Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin as the three ribs, is the fulfillment of this. I don't know, it could be. The timing is perfect.
After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule. Daniel 7:6
The third kingdom in the ancient world was Alexander's Empire. Alexander the Great went out and conquered in a flash - he conquered the entire Persian Empire in only ten years. This is much the way a leopard operates; by springing on its victims in a moment. And we know Alexander's Empire was split into four kingdoms, ruled by four of his generals. But this beast must represent a modern kingdom, if its to be consistent with the rest of the prophecy, particularly with the fourth beast, which is clearly the antichrist's global kingdom, revealed in Daniel 7:16-28 and in Revelation. It takes a little pondering to figure out what modern kingdom the leopard represents, but its clear once you know. Germany is the answer. The first thing we notice is the four heads and the four wings. These are four kingdoms within the greater kingdom and four leaders of each of those kingdoms. As we know, Hitler was the leader of the Third Reich, which literally means "Third Kingdom". The first kingdom was the Holy Roman Empire with Charlemagne as the first king, and the second kingdom was the German Empire with Otto von Bismarck as the second king. This suggests that there will be a Fourth Reich with a fourth leader sometime in the near future. It also fits perfectly with the chronology of the prophecy - Great Britain going out and conquering first, Russia eating its fill secondly, and the final head of the leopard, Germany, being given authority to rule thirdly. The way this will likely work out, given that the European Union is already formed, is that in some way authority to rule the EU will be given to Germany, and there will be a powerful leader in Germany at the same time. Whether he will be as ruthless as Hitler, or if he will go out conquering like Alexander, we do not yet know.
To make the leopard/Germany association clearer, consider how Hitler conquered France: with Blitzkrieg and tanks. Consider what the name of German tanks are today. This is a picture of the German Leopard 2
These are the first three beasts. Similar to the ancient kingdoms of Babylon, Persia and Greece, but different in some way or another. One thing that is similar but different is the fact that they are all in one region of the world, but that region is different from ancient to modern. In the ancient world these kingdoms ruled the Mesopotamian and Asia Minor region. In the modern world these kingdoms are all in Europe. And the fourth kingdom is both - Rome. Rome is in Europe, but the ancient Roman Empire ruled the same region that the other ancient kingdoms ruled. The modern Roman Empire, or "Nova Roma", is prophesied in verse 7:
After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast - terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns. Daniel 7:7
We see how this relates to the statue prophecy in Daniel 2:40 with the use of iron. The iron in Daniel 2 represents the ancient Roman Empire. The beast with iron teeth in Daniel 7 represents the global empire of the antichrist, which will rule the world for a period of seven years. We see the connection with Revelation 13:1, because of the ten horns. And we see the explanation of it in Daniel 7:15-28. I'll let you read it without me quoting it here, since it is pretty lengthy.
In Daniel 7 there are four beasts described, from a vision Daniel had, each representing a prophetic kingdom. If you remember, in Daniel 2 there were also four kingdoms represented by four sections of a statue. Those were four ancient kingdoms, each succeeding the previous one, with all of them ruling the Asia Minor and Mesopotamian region at one time. Babylon, Persia, Greece/Alexander and Rome - I wrote a blog about it once. Those four ancient kingdoms seem to share some similarity with the kingdoms prophesied with the four beasts, but they are not the same; there are some distinct differences. The most obvious difference is the fourth beast. It has iron teeth, like Rome with the iron legs/feet, but the magnitude of its power and terror is much greater. Anyone who has studied eschatology can spot very quickly how the fourth beast relates to Revelation 13, and so it does. But lets go ahead and take a look at the first beast and see if we can figure this out.
The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a man, and the heart of a man was given to it. Daniel 7:4
This beast shares some similarity with the golden head representing Babylon. The lion symbolizes majesty and power. The wings of an eagle means that this beast can travel over great distances. There is only one kingdom in modern times that fits the profile, and that is Great Britain. This is true for a number of reasons. Great Britain has come the closest of any modern power to actually conquering the world. It was once said, "The Sun never sets on the British Empire," meaning that in every part of the world Great Britain had colonies. And the lion has always been associated with Great Britain. You can see it on the royal coat of arms. The wings of an eagle could refer to the original thirteen colonies, as the eagle is associated with the US and the thirteen colonies broke off from the British Empire. The wings could also be simply all of Great Britain's colonies, which have broken away.
And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, 'Get up and eat your fill of flesh!' Daniel 7:5
A bear is big, brutal and clumsy. This beast represents a kingdom like that - big, brutal, and we might say unpredictable. In the ancient world, the Persian Empire was much like that. They won battles simply by outnumbering their opponents. They were not majestic like the lion. They didn't rule with equity; they oppressed people. And it was big. There is a modern kingdom that fits the description perfectly: Russia. Russia is just like a bear, which is why Russia has been associated with the bear for many years. And if we consider the population of Russia, it is raised up on its western side. Now its clear that right after WWII the Soviet Union ate its "fill of flesh" when it conquered and controlled Eastern Europe. What's not as clear is the meaning of the three ribs in the bear's mouth. I've heard it speculated that the Yalta Conference, with Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin as the three ribs, is the fulfillment of this. I don't know, it could be. The timing is perfect.
After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule. Daniel 7:6
The third kingdom in the ancient world was Alexander's Empire. Alexander the Great went out and conquered in a flash - he conquered the entire Persian Empire in only ten years. This is much the way a leopard operates; by springing on its victims in a moment. And we know Alexander's Empire was split into four kingdoms, ruled by four of his generals. But this beast must represent a modern kingdom, if its to be consistent with the rest of the prophecy, particularly with the fourth beast, which is clearly the antichrist's global kingdom, revealed in Daniel 7:16-28 and in Revelation. It takes a little pondering to figure out what modern kingdom the leopard represents, but its clear once you know. Germany is the answer. The first thing we notice is the four heads and the four wings. These are four kingdoms within the greater kingdom and four leaders of each of those kingdoms. As we know, Hitler was the leader of the Third Reich, which literally means "Third Kingdom". The first kingdom was the Holy Roman Empire with Charlemagne as the first king, and the second kingdom was the German Empire with Otto von Bismarck as the second king. This suggests that there will be a Fourth Reich with a fourth leader sometime in the near future. It also fits perfectly with the chronology of the prophecy - Great Britain going out and conquering first, Russia eating its fill secondly, and the final head of the leopard, Germany, being given authority to rule thirdly. The way this will likely work out, given that the European Union is already formed, is that in some way authority to rule the EU will be given to Germany, and there will be a powerful leader in Germany at the same time. Whether he will be as ruthless as Hitler, or if he will go out conquering like Alexander, we do not yet know.
To make the leopard/Germany association clearer, consider how Hitler conquered France: with Blitzkrieg and tanks. Consider what the name of German tanks are today. This is a picture of the German Leopard 2
These are the first three beasts. Similar to the ancient kingdoms of Babylon, Persia and Greece, but different in some way or another. One thing that is similar but different is the fact that they are all in one region of the world, but that region is different from ancient to modern. In the ancient world these kingdoms ruled the Mesopotamian and Asia Minor region. In the modern world these kingdoms are all in Europe. And the fourth kingdom is both - Rome. Rome is in Europe, but the ancient Roman Empire ruled the same region that the other ancient kingdoms ruled. The modern Roman Empire, or "Nova Roma", is prophesied in verse 7:
After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast - terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns. Daniel 7:7
We see how this relates to the statue prophecy in Daniel 2:40 with the use of iron. The iron in Daniel 2 represents the ancient Roman Empire. The beast with iron teeth in Daniel 7 represents the global empire of the antichrist, which will rule the world for a period of seven years. We see the connection with Revelation 13:1, because of the ten horns. And we see the explanation of it in Daniel 7:15-28. I'll let you read it without me quoting it here, since it is pretty lengthy.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
The Trinity in The Old Testament
The doctrine of the Trinity is the doctrine that says God is three Persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - in one God. The Bible does not include the word "Trinity" in it, nor does the Bible specifically describe this doctrine, but the truth of it is plainly present in Scripture. Not only is the truth of the Trinity present in the New Testament, but you can see it in the Old Testament as well. I hope to show you exactly how the Old Testament proves the doctrine of the Trinity of God.
God is one
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Deuteronomy 6:4
For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? Psalm 18:31
This is a pretty obvious fact, and its undisputed by all Christians, Jews and even Muslims.
God is more than one
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth and over all creatures that move along the ground." Genesis 1:26
And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever." Genesis 3:22
"...Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other." Genesis 11:7
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" Isaiah 6:8
We see examples of God using the plural pronoun for Himself.
The LORD says to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for you feet." Psalm 110:1
How can there be two Lords, and one speaking to the other? The Trinity of God
"Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you," declares the LORD. "Many nations will be joined with the LORD in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you..." Zechariah 2:10-11
God is speaking and He says "the LORD Almighty has sent me to you." How can that be? Only the Trinity of God can answer that.
The Father in the Old Testament
He will call out to me, 'You are my Father, my God, the Rock my Savior.' Psalm 89:26
Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8
The Son in the Old Testament
I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father.... Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. Psalm 2:7,12
Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hands? Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and the name of his son? Tell me if you know! Proverbs 30:4
He said, "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods." Daniel 3:25
In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. Daniel 7:13-14
The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament
Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Genesis 1:2
Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Psalm 51:11
Yet they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he turned and became their enemy and he himself fought against them. Isaiah 63:10
God is one
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Deuteronomy 6:4
For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? Psalm 18:31
This is a pretty obvious fact, and its undisputed by all Christians, Jews and even Muslims.
God is more than one
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth and over all creatures that move along the ground." Genesis 1:26
And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever." Genesis 3:22
"...Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other." Genesis 11:7
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" Isaiah 6:8
We see examples of God using the plural pronoun for Himself.
The LORD says to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for you feet." Psalm 110:1
How can there be two Lords, and one speaking to the other? The Trinity of God
"Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you," declares the LORD. "Many nations will be joined with the LORD in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you..." Zechariah 2:10-11
God is speaking and He says "the LORD Almighty has sent me to you." How can that be? Only the Trinity of God can answer that.
The Father in the Old Testament
He will call out to me, 'You are my Father, my God, the Rock my Savior.' Psalm 89:26
Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8
The Son in the Old Testament
I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father.... Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. Psalm 2:7,12
Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hands? Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and the name of his son? Tell me if you know! Proverbs 30:4
He said, "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods." Daniel 3:25
In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. Daniel 7:13-14
The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament
Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Genesis 1:2
Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Psalm 51:11
Yet they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he turned and became their enemy and he himself fought against them. Isaiah 63:10
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