Cloud Gazing

We saw dinosaurs, mountains, faces and many fanciful designs my grandchildren and I. Where were they found? In the fleeting clouds. What a wonderful time we had as we played together. 

Afterwards, I began a trip to the clouds of Scripture courtesy of my concordance. The first mention of clouds in the Gospels is on a mountain according to Matthew 17:1-5. This followed Jesus’ words about the cross in the region of Caesarea Philippi. Rather appropriate as I think about it, first the cross then the glory. Matthew’s gospel says, ‘…a voice from the cloud said, “this is my beloved Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him.” Did Peter, James and John’s minds recall their nation’s history when God spoke to Israel out of the cloud at Mount Sinai?

Later the disciples were in for a shock as the Lord spoke about other clouds. This was in the context of future events affecting Israel and the Gentile nations. (Matthew 24). ‘Immediately after the distress of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.’ (Matthew 24:29, 30) What a great incentive to be a cloud watcher!

Jesus was accused of blasphemy in the trial leading to His crucifixion. Why" Because, the High Priest of the Jewish religion understood Jesus linked Himself to Daniel 7:13. ‘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 worshipped him. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.’ This was a claim to be both God and Messiah.

If Jesus' body had remained in the tomb, the judgement of the High Priest and Sanhedrin would have been correct. The message of the angels is our victory chant at Easter time, “He is not here; He has risen!” 

Forty days later, what an emotional moment it must have been on the Mount of Olives.  Jesus was about to return to Heaven. How would they have felt as Jesus was taken up in a cloud (Acts 1:9)?  I’m sure they never lost the significance of the angel’s words when he said “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11). This is the promise also found in Revelation 1:7.

Fortunately, the Lord gave instructions that motivate His followers to make people aware of His mission and message. The heart must be occupied by Christ Jesus and the clouds, but the mind needs to be focused on service. This is our calling, the former is our hope and longing. Each disciple has their own God given or birth derived gift to exercise and refine for the Lord’s honour. The purpose of having our gifts and abilities is to express in meaningful ways the wonder of God’s transforming and enabling grace. This purpose remains for the Church until it is caught up to meet the Lord in the clouds, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. This is called 'the Rapture'. 

Then, we will see Him face to face. What a thrill, a joy awaits and what a motivation to be faithful.  

©Ray Hawkins

Who is the 'Serpent in Genesis 3?

Critics of the Bible enjoy ridiculing the book of Genesis. Zeroing in on the explanation of why there is suffering, sickness and social unrest, they try and dismiss the Bible’s message, history and prophesy. The ‘Serpent’ of Genesis three is a case in point. The image invoked is either of a talking dinosaur or slimy snake. The word used is ‘nahash’ and means shinning, upright creature. Why early translators called this as yet unrevealed creature ‘the serpent’ must have been determined by the curse imposed. That is, crawling on its stomach, therefore a snake.

Language has many ways of using words. From the literal to allegorical, from fact to fiction, parable to synonyms and so many other ways. This is compounded when translating from one language into another, especially ancient texts. In understanding the Bible, the same difficulties arise. Whilst I understand the Bible from an historical and literal framework it doesn’t mean I’m unaware of the poetical, symbolic or other descriptive terms. ‘A figure of speech is never used, except for the purpose of calling attention to, emphasising and intensifying, the reality of the literal sense, and the truth of the historical facts.’ (Bullinger in ‘The Common Bible’)

Therefore, in grasping the full meaning of the ‘Serpent, the tree and Eve’ we need to read it with the whole of Scriptures open. Like any good mystery story, the true identity of the evil genius is often not known until much later. In fact, you meet him many times within the Bible’s pages under different names. It is in the final book, Revelation, the Serpent is unmasked, he is the dragon, the old serpent, the devil and Satan, (Revelation 12). Another term is Leviathan (Isaiah 27:1) I have a blogspot about him and the Worm (9/16/2018). The apostle Paul refers to him and his angels as having the power to make themselves appear as ‘angels of light, (2 Corinthians 11:14).

 Genesis 3 paves the foundation for appreciating the mystery of evil and the spiritual force using mankind to oppose the Creator. He is called ‘the God of this world’ I John 5:19. His ambition is to usurp that which the Lord reserved for Himself, i.e. Mount Zion (Psalm 48.) and destroy the nation of the Messiah. The Serpent has endeavoured to do this through various nations such as Ancient Egypt, Babylon Nazi Germany and the current Arab countries of the Middle East. All have or will fail. You gain an insight into his unseen presence in the account of Ezekiel 28.

The Serpent in any of his disguises is unmasked as a deceiver, hater, destroyer, murderer, one who twists the Word of God. The Bible tells us that his hold over us has been broken at the cross. Colossians 2:11-15 says Jesus paid the price and cancelled the charges against us. We cannot be blackmailed over sins confessed, removed and buried. Revelation 20 outlines the ultimate destruction of the serpent and his kingdoms.

Take Genesis seriously, literal and relevant and you will find your faith is stronger, your understanding of the cross and salvation exciting, your love of Jesus deeper, your gratitude to The Father growing and the commitment to being the temple of the Holy Spirit more willing.

©Ray Hawkins 

Creation

‘Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? 

Isaiah 40:26a.

The Hubble spacecraft set off in 1990 courtesy of a lift by a space shuttle. One of its missions was to determine the Hubble Constant, that is, the rate by which the universe is expanding!  Listen to what the Scriptures have to say on this: ‘He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in.’ (Isaiah 40:22).` God’s word had been telling all who read it that the heavens were being stretched out.

 When you consider creation you face two options about its beginning. One is the faith view of evolutionists. They hold to a chance beginning. We, and all that there happens to be, has taken untold billions of years. The other faith option is spelt out in the Scriptures: ‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.’

 Evolutionists make their claim on their view of science. This flows from their naturalistic interpretation of evidence viewed in the ‘now!’ Creationists make their claim, also using the same evidence for their interpretation of science but in the light of divine revelation. In either case you come up against an insurmountable barrier. Where did ‘Chance’ come from or ‘who made God’? Therefore in both cases the element of faith, based upon knowledge, introduces the religious factor to those in either camp.

The word for ‘create’ illustrates its uniqueness and special association with Jehovah – Elohim. From out of nothing God created the heavens and the earth. He spoke and it was done! When you look into the heavens, or into a flower or droplet of water you get a glimpse of the Lord’s beauty and power. There have always been people who deny the existence of God, any type of god. Others have corrupted the Creator’s being and character into hideous caricatures and worshipped aspects of creation rather than God Himself. Romans 1:20: ‘Since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.’ 

When you read the first chapter of Genesis the word ‘Bara’ is used. This means create out of nothing, a unique beginning specified. Between Genesis 1:1 and 2:3 there are forty-six times listed to the direct act or will of God as creator. When we check out references to the creation we come across Psalm 33:6: ‘By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.’ In Jeremiah 51:15: ‘He made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.’ In the New Testament all of this is summed up in the person of the Word made flesh, Jesus. John 1:1-3: ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him was all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.’

We are not the end product of a heavenly experiment dragging us from the swamp to the ape and into an ‘Adam.’ The first man was God’s special creation. We will consider him in a later meditation. The very integrity of God’s creative act, the authority of His word, the foundation for our faith and the understanding of Jesus according to the Gospels hinges upon the special and separate creative acts of God, especially for Adam.

In other sections of the Bible God’s other creative work is highlighted. This includes the creation of the nation of Israel (Isaiah 43:1), a future new heaven and earth (Isaiah 65:17) and when we cry out to Him for a new heart and a new beginning (Psalm 51:10).

Therefore I am faced with a choice about authority over my faith’s foundation and understanding of God and creation. I choose to take my stand upon the Word of God for I know in whom I have believed!

The Mystery of Mysteries.

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Deuteronomy 6:4.

Chance has no capacity for introducing itself. The gods of the religions of the world, past or present are untouchable, distant or indifferent. On the other hand the Lord God of the Bible reveals Himself and what He has done, and how He went about doing it. This is the exciting discovery you make from the opening verse of Genesis. 'In the beginning God ...' Throughout the Judeo-Christian Bible God has revealed Himself in and through His Names. In our English translation of the names for God we have been robbed of their meaning and the significance of when and why used. This is a shame. 

‘God’ in Genesis 1:1 is Elohim. This is the plural form of El, God. Straight away we are introduced to another mystery embracing God. For whenever the term is used it is with a verb in the singular. So? So we are confronted with an understanding of the Eternal God which stretches our heart and mind without fully comprehending its significance! Genesis 1:26: ‘Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness…”’ (Emphasis added). In Isaiah 6 a similar thing takes place. “Then I (Isaiah) heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”’ Other verses could be searched out. However the most defining one is from Jesus in Matthew 28:19: ‘Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.’ (Emphasis added.)

Deuteronomy 6:4 is termed by the Jewish people, ‘the Shema.’ It comes from the word, ‘hear!’ In this declaration are two names for God. There is ‘Elohim’ referring to His work in creation and there is ‘Jehovah (also translated Yahweh). We will consider Jehovah’s name later. It is His personal name. We could quite correctly translate the verse, “The Jehovah, our Elohim, the Jehovah is one.’ The mystery of the Godhead will never be explained. Christians do not worship three gods but one. Part of the reason for the coming of our Lord and Saviour to earth was so that we might focus on Him and His work. When we do that and receive Jesus Christ by faith in His work on the cross and his resurrection we are indwelt by the Godhead, Father, Son, Holy Spirit. 1 John 2: 23b .3:24. This is why the apostle Paul defines Christians as being the ‘temple of the Holy Spirit.’

 When we try to understand what God looks like we are often befuddled by artistic impressions from caricatures to master painters. I think this is one reason why Jesus never allowed any likeness of Himself to be created. In John 4:24 Jesus tells us that God is Spirit. John 10:30: ‘I and the Father are one.’ This is not referring to purpose but to essence. Again the description of Genesis 1:1 comes to the fore. The apostle Philip couldn’t get his mind around the saying of Jesus in John 14:6: ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except though me.’ Philip said, show us the Father. Jesus reply? You see me and you have an understanding of the Father.' This cannot be a physical likeness. Rather it pushed Philip and so too us, to understand God in the character and actions of the One with the title, ‘Emmanuel,’ God with us.

  

Therefore as I understand, honour and obey Jesus Christ according the Scriptures I have insights into the mystery of mysteries, God.