Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Glimpses of Heaven
We had begun our decent and the beautiful New England coastline came into view. Our approach was from the West so our pilot took us out over the Atlantic just North of Boston so we could circle that great metropolis and land at Logan International airport from the East. It was a great view. There, neatly laid out beneath us, was a city of millions of people scurrying through streets and real estate worth billions of dollars. We could see the Charles River, Zakim Bridge, parks, museums, restaurants and many other inviting places. But I was still wedged between two people, strapped in a seat that I was more than ready to vacate. Boston was there, but we were not. The place existed and so did we, but we only saw it from a distance. It would be another twenty minutes before we could experience it in full. For now I would have to be satisfied with just a glimpse.
There’s another, even more inviting place, that I’ve been privileged to glimpse. A real place that has been prepared for me; a place without pain or tears. It has been called the New Jerusalem and the Celestial City. Most of us just call it Heaven. Heaven exists, we’re just not there yet. You, too, can catch glimpses of heaven if you know what to look for. I will mention four such glimpses.
1. Prayer is a little taste of heaven because it is conversation with God, the creator of earth and heaven. You can talk to Him like a friend. Many times you can even sense His presence and His response to what you say. Your times with Him can be a little reminder that it won’t be long until you get to talk to Him face to face!
2. Fellowship with other believers is another appetizer of that place where believers will live forever with others who want to do things God’s way. Here on earth our fellowship is imperfect, but there we will enjoy one another and those who have gone before us in ways we’ve never experienced.
3. Healing is also a glimpse of heaven because it demonstrates that God is able to fix things that are broken even if that means defying natural laws – after all, he makes the laws of the universe. I’ve witnessed God healing people of cancer, making a limb grow, and causing blind eyes to see. I am even aware of verifiable accounts of people being brought back to life. These all remind us that this life is just the antechamber to heaven.
4. The most powerful glimpse of heaven, however, comes when someone is filled with the Holy Spirit like the disciples and Jesus’ mother were on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2) If this happens to you, you will never forget it. It is accompanied by God’s sweet presence and a heavenly language. His Spirit in you is evidenced by love joy and peace. The Bible refers to it as “Christ in us, the hope of Glory.” (see Col 1:27)
I’ve caught a glimpse and I can’t wait. The hope of heaven is a great source of strength for believers. St Paul put it like this: “…we Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan to be released from pain and suffering. We, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us-bodies that will never be sick again and will never die. (Romans 8:23-24 TLB) “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” (1 Corinthians 15:19) Pay attention, maybe you’ll catch a glimpse today.
There’s another, even more inviting place, that I’ve been privileged to glimpse. A real place that has been prepared for me; a place without pain or tears. It has been called the New Jerusalem and the Celestial City. Most of us just call it Heaven. Heaven exists, we’re just not there yet. You, too, can catch glimpses of heaven if you know what to look for. I will mention four such glimpses.
1. Prayer is a little taste of heaven because it is conversation with God, the creator of earth and heaven. You can talk to Him like a friend. Many times you can even sense His presence and His response to what you say. Your times with Him can be a little reminder that it won’t be long until you get to talk to Him face to face!
2. Fellowship with other believers is another appetizer of that place where believers will live forever with others who want to do things God’s way. Here on earth our fellowship is imperfect, but there we will enjoy one another and those who have gone before us in ways we’ve never experienced.
3. Healing is also a glimpse of heaven because it demonstrates that God is able to fix things that are broken even if that means defying natural laws – after all, he makes the laws of the universe. I’ve witnessed God healing people of cancer, making a limb grow, and causing blind eyes to see. I am even aware of verifiable accounts of people being brought back to life. These all remind us that this life is just the antechamber to heaven.
4. The most powerful glimpse of heaven, however, comes when someone is filled with the Holy Spirit like the disciples and Jesus’ mother were on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2) If this happens to you, you will never forget it. It is accompanied by God’s sweet presence and a heavenly language. His Spirit in you is evidenced by love joy and peace. The Bible refers to it as “Christ in us, the hope of Glory.” (see Col 1:27)
I’ve caught a glimpse and I can’t wait. The hope of heaven is a great source of strength for believers. St Paul put it like this: “…we Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan to be released from pain and suffering. We, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us-bodies that will never be sick again and will never die. (Romans 8:23-24 TLB) “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” (1 Corinthians 15:19) Pay attention, maybe you’ll catch a glimpse today.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Getting Rid of Pesky Laws
Once upon a time a creative thinker had the opportunity to address some very influential people at a ground-breaking summit. He delivered a stirring speech in which he described a glorious life; a world in which people could be gravity-free. This innovative and brilliant speaker went on to explain how a flubber-like material could be made into a belt which could be strapped around one’s waist allowing them to easily push off the ground and sail for thousands of feet without touching the ground. He postulated that with such a device one could walk off 4th-floor balconies and gently drift to the ground. The concept was fascinating. Just imagine being free of gravity’s pesky rule. The orator waxed eloquent declaring that, with his discovery mankind would forever be unshackled.
When the speech was finished, one slightly-built man rose to challenge the speaker’s theory. The speaker, shocked at the man’s audacity, said he would prove his claim. He then reached in his bag, withdrew his very own anti-gravity belt prototype, strapped it on, and began jumping around the room. Although no one could be sure, some people thought he was jumping higher that they had seen anyone jump before. He assured them that the results would improve with coming models. After the demonstration, an open-minded and eager crowd swarmed his display table and anti-gravity belts sold like pancakes.
As you can imagine, soon every newscast was predicting the coming of a new gravity-free age as a result of this ingenious invention. Magazines ran cover stories, celebrities became spokespersons and politicians took note. A myriad of new manufacturing companies appeared, making belts in all shapes, colors and sizes.
Grant it, a few skeptics were saying, “Wait a minute, everyone is saying the law of gravity no longer applies but the belts don’t really seem to be working. Children are jumping off balconies and falling to their death. There should be laws against this device.” But politicians and activist judges so loved the concept that they made laws declaring that schools disperse these devices and teach school children how to use them. Major universities began offering degrees in anti-gravity studies. Not to be left out, the President of the United States declared gravity a thing of the past; no longer would any laws having to do with weight or gravity-related issues be in effect.
Unfortunately the death toll of anti-gravity belt users began to rise. “We’ve got to do something!” cried the victims’ families. In response to such an outcry, several leading nations formed an anti-gravity alliance declaring that gravity would no longer be tolerated. It was decided that every country in the world should be required to issue anti-gravity belts to its citizens. A few concerned citizens rose up in protest pointing out that people wearing the belts continued to plunge to their deaths, and that there was no empirical evidence that the belts worked. Politically-correct proponents were aghast that anyone would be so hateful, so they arranged for a world summit where the inventor was given the Nobel peace prize. Every ruler of every nation signed a statement declaring that the law of gravity would no longer be tolerated. It was a grand affair: attendees arrived in limousines and sported high-priced outfits. There were cameras and important people everywhere. Bands played at extravagant balls. Everyone agreed that the world was now a better place. There was world unity like never before – finally something that everyone could agree on.
People learned to deal with the continued tragedies of their loved ones who died from falls. It had become obvious that gravity was an outdated, ultra-conservative idea and that it certainly couldn’t still be killing people. The world was now enlightened and set free from such bondage.
Moral: It doesn’t matter how many people agree that something is right or wrong, there are some immutable Sovereign laws that will go on working anyway – no matter how tight we shut our eyes.
When the speech was finished, one slightly-built man rose to challenge the speaker’s theory. The speaker, shocked at the man’s audacity, said he would prove his claim. He then reached in his bag, withdrew his very own anti-gravity belt prototype, strapped it on, and began jumping around the room. Although no one could be sure, some people thought he was jumping higher that they had seen anyone jump before. He assured them that the results would improve with coming models. After the demonstration, an open-minded and eager crowd swarmed his display table and anti-gravity belts sold like pancakes.
As you can imagine, soon every newscast was predicting the coming of a new gravity-free age as a result of this ingenious invention. Magazines ran cover stories, celebrities became spokespersons and politicians took note. A myriad of new manufacturing companies appeared, making belts in all shapes, colors and sizes.
Grant it, a few skeptics were saying, “Wait a minute, everyone is saying the law of gravity no longer applies but the belts don’t really seem to be working. Children are jumping off balconies and falling to their death. There should be laws against this device.” But politicians and activist judges so loved the concept that they made laws declaring that schools disperse these devices and teach school children how to use them. Major universities began offering degrees in anti-gravity studies. Not to be left out, the President of the United States declared gravity a thing of the past; no longer would any laws having to do with weight or gravity-related issues be in effect.
Unfortunately the death toll of anti-gravity belt users began to rise. “We’ve got to do something!” cried the victims’ families. In response to such an outcry, several leading nations formed an anti-gravity alliance declaring that gravity would no longer be tolerated. It was decided that every country in the world should be required to issue anti-gravity belts to its citizens. A few concerned citizens rose up in protest pointing out that people wearing the belts continued to plunge to their deaths, and that there was no empirical evidence that the belts worked. Politically-correct proponents were aghast that anyone would be so hateful, so they arranged for a world summit where the inventor was given the Nobel peace prize. Every ruler of every nation signed a statement declaring that the law of gravity would no longer be tolerated. It was a grand affair: attendees arrived in limousines and sported high-priced outfits. There were cameras and important people everywhere. Bands played at extravagant balls. Everyone agreed that the world was now a better place. There was world unity like never before – finally something that everyone could agree on.
People learned to deal with the continued tragedies of their loved ones who died from falls. It had become obvious that gravity was an outdated, ultra-conservative idea and that it certainly couldn’t still be killing people. The world was now enlightened and set free from such bondage.
Moral: It doesn’t matter how many people agree that something is right or wrong, there are some immutable Sovereign laws that will go on working anyway – no matter how tight we shut our eyes.
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Evidence of Sudden Global Cooling
A fierce debate rages concerning global warming. Is it really happening? Does mankind impact the global temperature? Should we spend trillions of dollars in an attempt to lower the earth’s temperature by a fraction of a degree? The scientific community is divided. Politicians seem to have ulterior motives as they make their case. There is little consensus. But one thing almost all scientists and politicians do agree on is this: there have been, in years gone by, periods of global cooling. Almost no one disagrees that at one point a great deal of the earth was under ice. Some even believe in multiple ice ages.
In April of this year, yet another bit of ice age evidence was uncovered in Siberia. A perfectly formed baby wooly mammoth was found preserved in ice. Like adult mammoths that have been previously discovered, this mammoth still had food in his stomach. These discoveries have intrigued and baffled scientists for several reasons:
1. There are estimated to be millions of mammoth remains in that area, yet there are none today.
2. Siberia’s climate is not suited to mammoths. Therefore, that portion of the world must have been much warmer when these mammoths were alive.
3. In order for some of these animals to have been so perfectly preserved, they would have had to been frozen quickly -- there would have had to have been sudden global cooling.
This mystery can be very easily explained. This evidence, along with a great deal of other physical evidence, points to the fact that at some point in history the earth experienced a catastrophic world-wide flood -- the same kind of flood as is described in Genesis 6-8. The scientific model I am referring to shows how the earth may have at one time been surrounded by a water canopy which caused its atmosphere to be much like that of a terrarium. Such an atmosphere would have allowed for humans to live longer, for dinosaurs to have lived well, and for huge amounts of vegetation to have been produced and later buried and converted into coal and oil. The theory explains how the water canopy could have collapsed, causing a flood and a drastic change in global temperature, especially at the poles. Thus animals who lived in warm climates were suddenly trapped in ice blocks near the arctic circle.
The truth is (although it is politically incorrect for our school teachers to say so) a world-wide flood explains many world mysteries, such as:
· Mammoths in the Arctic
· The sudden disappearance of dinosaurs
· Human and dinosaur footprints side by side
· Petrified forests
· Sea fossils nearly everywhere in the world, including mountain ranges
· Man-made items in coal deposits
· Layers of sediment and fossils exposed in the walls of the Grand canyon
· Historical records of mankind living to very old ages
· World-wide flood stories from people groups all over the world
· Why ancient civilizations began near Mt Ararat
One article could not begin to explain or explore all the above, but an honest researcher will discover that there are mountains of physical evidence which corroborate the story told in scripture about a world-wide deluge. It’s refreshing science built on hard evidence. You may have heard it called Creation Science. If you are interested, the following two websites are a great place to start your expedition:
· www.icr.org
· www.answersingenesis.org
It’s really quite amazing to find out that evidence of the flood is everywhere. In other words, good scientists are uncovering irrefutable evidence that the stories recorded in the Bible are not myths, rather, they are actual events. Incredible, huh? The Bible contains the best explanation for fully preserved mammoths in Siberia. But, then again, it only makes sense that God would have the real scoop.
In April of this year, yet another bit of ice age evidence was uncovered in Siberia. A perfectly formed baby wooly mammoth was found preserved in ice. Like adult mammoths that have been previously discovered, this mammoth still had food in his stomach. These discoveries have intrigued and baffled scientists for several reasons:
1. There are estimated to be millions of mammoth remains in that area, yet there are none today.
2. Siberia’s climate is not suited to mammoths. Therefore, that portion of the world must have been much warmer when these mammoths were alive.
3. In order for some of these animals to have been so perfectly preserved, they would have had to been frozen quickly -- there would have had to have been sudden global cooling.
This mystery can be very easily explained. This evidence, along with a great deal of other physical evidence, points to the fact that at some point in history the earth experienced a catastrophic world-wide flood -- the same kind of flood as is described in Genesis 6-8. The scientific model I am referring to shows how the earth may have at one time been surrounded by a water canopy which caused its atmosphere to be much like that of a terrarium. Such an atmosphere would have allowed for humans to live longer, for dinosaurs to have lived well, and for huge amounts of vegetation to have been produced and later buried and converted into coal and oil. The theory explains how the water canopy could have collapsed, causing a flood and a drastic change in global temperature, especially at the poles. Thus animals who lived in warm climates were suddenly trapped in ice blocks near the arctic circle.
The truth is (although it is politically incorrect for our school teachers to say so) a world-wide flood explains many world mysteries, such as:
· Mammoths in the Arctic
· The sudden disappearance of dinosaurs
· Human and dinosaur footprints side by side
· Petrified forests
· Sea fossils nearly everywhere in the world, including mountain ranges
· Man-made items in coal deposits
· Layers of sediment and fossils exposed in the walls of the Grand canyon
· Historical records of mankind living to very old ages
· World-wide flood stories from people groups all over the world
· Why ancient civilizations began near Mt Ararat
One article could not begin to explain or explore all the above, but an honest researcher will discover that there are mountains of physical evidence which corroborate the story told in scripture about a world-wide deluge. It’s refreshing science built on hard evidence. You may have heard it called Creation Science. If you are interested, the following two websites are a great place to start your expedition:
· www.icr.org
· www.answersingenesis.org
It’s really quite amazing to find out that evidence of the flood is everywhere. In other words, good scientists are uncovering irrefutable evidence that the stories recorded in the Bible are not myths, rather, they are actual events. Incredible, huh? The Bible contains the best explanation for fully preserved mammoths in Siberia. But, then again, it only makes sense that God would have the real scoop.
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