Tuesday, October 17, 2017

A dream - love as brethren

Last night I had another dream that prominently featured a phrase. This time it was


I was with a group of people. I can’t remember what we did before and after but there was a time when we were all together and this was on the wall or something. I said,

“Love as brethren. Isn’t it sad that we always think of the relationship between brothers as marked by animosity. But y’know, there are a lot of brothers who, if one asked the other, ‘You want to go into business together?’ the other would respond, ‘Sure!’ or would be excited at the prospect of living next door to each other. We need to love each other like that.”

Amen.

Thursday, October 12, 2017

Columbus Day


In fourteen hundred ninety-two
Columbus sailed the ocean blue.
He had three ships and left from Spain;
He sailed through sunshine, wind and rain.
He sailed by night; he sailed by day;
He used the stars to find his way.
A compass also helped him know
How to find the way to go.
Day after day they looked for land;
They dreamed of trees and rocks and sand.
October 12 their dream came true,
You never saw a happier crew!

Today is Columbus Day here in the US. This year it was observed on the 9th so folks could have a 3-day weekend, but it really is today. That may not be the case much longer.

Every year people try to out-do each other in their rejection and hatred of Columbus. You see, according to the modern narrative, Spain sent Columbus with the express purpose of keeping people of color under the thumb; that Columbus himself invented murder, rape, slavery, rapine, greed, and led the invasion and illegal occupation of the Americas.

I know, I embellish. But the ignorance and hypocrisy of those protesting Columbus Day is irritating and frustrating.

What???

Ignorance
They are either willingly ignorant of or too lazy to read a little history. Let’s just summarize:

Christopher or Leif or Brendan? There are stories of Leif Eriksson coming to Vinland (L'Anse aux Meadows) in 1001. I accept them. I am persuaded that Columbus was aware of them and planned his trip using this information. There is also the Journey of St. Brendan, an Irish monk, who is said to have sailed to North America 500 years before Leif. I’m also inclined to accept this story. It is known that Columbus knew of and believed it. So why have a Columbus Day and not a St. Brendan’s Day? Simply because nobody followed either Leif or Brendan. But, as is well documented, millions have followed Columbus to the New World. Columbus Day is a memorial of the opening of this new world.

Discovered? Really?? Many people like to sarcastically ask, “How do you ‘discover’ a world people are already living in?” Of course, Columbus wasn’t the first human to lay eyes on America (strictly speaking, the Caribbean). Nor were Eriksson or Brendan. There were people already here. Captain Cook wasn’t the first person to see Hawai’i either. But Europeans didn’t know they were there, and to them it was a discovery.

Invasion/Greed/Slavery/War and all that  I am just amazed that people seem to think Columbus invented all these. Yes, Columbus was a good sailor and a bad governor – in fact he was called on the carpet (as in arrested) for being a bad governor. And Yes, the history of contact between Europeans and the indigenous peoples of the Americas is not a pretty tale. But you know what? this is the story of mankind. Since Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him people have been invading and enslaving, robbing and mobbing, stealing and dirty dealing. Take Rome. They felt compelled to introduce civilization to all the barbarians around them. Julius Caesar invaded Gaul unprovoked. When he had conquered Gaul he invaded the Celts in Britain. When the Romans abandoned Britain, the Angles and Saxons and Jutes invaded. And it wasn’t pretty. Then came the Vikings. After the Vikings had settled down in their new lands, they became known as the Normans, and in 1066 William of Orange invaded England. And on and on the story goes.

You may say, “That’s white people for you - just a violent race.” Let’s move east. Chinggis Khan. Attila the Hun. Terrors in their conquering. Every nation has its story of conquering or being conquered. Even the Indians, excuse me, Native Americans, were constantly fighting, conquering, enslaving each other before 1492.

Statue of King Kamehameha
I love Hawai’i. Nearly everyone has heard of King Kamehameha, even if they can’t tell you anything about him. (He was King when Cook landed in the islands.) He is the one who united the Hawaiian Islands. Any idea how he did that? He literally killed everyone who objected to him being King of all Hawai’i. And they celebrate him in Hawai’i because it was a good thing in the long run.

Battle of Nu'uanu Pali where Kamehameha drove the opposition over edge
My point is this – this is the story of mankind. It’s sad, it’s not pretty, but it’s not new. Should we wipe out all history because we don’t like it?

Hypocrisy
What gets me the most is the utter hypocrisy of these protesters. Hypocrisy? Yes. They scream “invasion”, “injustice”, “illegal occupation” but they do nothing. Oh yeah, they feel guilty, they cry white privilege, they protest, they persuade towns and cities to rename Columbus Day Indigenous Peoples Day, they tear down statues of Columbus, but that’s it. If they’re really convinced they are illegally occupying land, shouldn’t they give it back? Shouldn’t they find a Native American family and give them their land and house? Otherwise, aren’t they perpetuating this terrible injustice? Anything less is just talk.

Columbus Day is a commemoration of the opening of the new world. What about the sad consequences? I’ve read a fair amount of the history of the Indians. It is a heartbreaking story. Nevertheless, it is a common one. This day is not a celebration of the demise of one culture, it is rather the marker of the beginning of a new one.

I don’t believe Columbus was an evil man. By all accounts he was a terrible governor. And on his heels came the Spanish, the English, the French, the Portuguese, the Dutch, the Russians. Thus a new culture was born and Western Civilization was expanded. A culture and civilization whose benefits even the protesters enjoy. But he didn’t set out to destroy a culture or nation. He wasn’t a Hitler or a Mao Zedong or a Stalin. He was a navigator, an explorer who was seeking a better route to the Indies. "Columbus's claim to fame isn't that he got there first," explains historian Martin Dugard, "it's that he stayed."

As I was wrapping this up I came across a video posted on Facebook by my brother. It is 12 minutes and 40 seconds long but it’s pretty good. In defense of Columbus

Happy Columbus Day!

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

The last time I preached I didn't mention this


This past Sunday I preached on Hebrews 13:8, Jesus Christ. Yesterday and today the same, and for ever. You can watch it here

In my preparation I spent some time in the book of Revelation looking at the phrases that speak of the eternity of God. They are:

which was, and is, and is to come
Alpha and Omega
the beginning and the end
the first and the last

and then there is the phrase
the Almighty

I noticed something about these: they each occur three (3) times; Almighty occurs nine (9) times (9 is a multiple of 3). Is there any significance in the numbers 3 and 9? I am inclined to think there is - the book of Revelation is a very symbolic book and numbers are a principle player. Three is an important number throughout the Scriptures, so I am pretty sure it is noteworthy. Having said that let me add, I don’t plan to pursue that aspect in this post. I merely wish to explain what I found.

which is and was and is to come 
Revelation 1:4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;

Revelation 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Revelation 4:8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

What a fascinating way to express the eternity of God! This is equivalent to “I am who I am” and “I am” of Exodus 3.14, which is an explanation of Yahweh, the name of God.
You may have noticed that 1.4 and 1.8 say which is, and which was, and which is to come while 4.8 says, which was, and is, and is to come. I confess, I don’t know why it is different.
This is only used of the Father.

I am Alpha and Omega
Revelation 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Revelation 21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 

Revelation 22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. 

Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. It signifies that he is first and last and everything in between. The Father says this twice (1.8, 21.6) and Jesus says it once (22.13). This is a declaration of deity.

the beginning and the end
Revelation 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Revelation 21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

Revelation 22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

Notice how every time Alpha and Omega is used it is followed by the beginning and the end. The one explains the other. And like Alpha and Omega, the Father speaks twice (1.8, 21.6) and Jesus once (22.13). This is also a declaration of the deity of Christ.

the first and the last
Revelation 1:17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

Revelation 2:8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;

Revelation 22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

Each time it is Jesus speaking. This is a strong declaration by Jesus that he is God. There are two interesting quotes from the Old Testament that are similar (both are from the Septuagint):

Isaiah 44:6 Thus saith God the King of Israel, and the God of hosts that delivered him; I am the first, and I am after these things: beside me there is no God.

Isaiah 48:12 Hear me, O Jacob, and Israel whom I call; I am the first, and I am forever.

When Jesus says, I am the first and the last he means, I am the first, and I am forever. Amen!

The Almighty
This is a name for God from the Septuagint. A few times it is used for El Shaddai (God Almighty) but most often for “God of hosts”, which the Septuagint understands as God Almighty. It occurs nine times in this book and only once outside of it. Whenever we talk of the Almighty, everyone knows we are talking about God. Not one of many, the one and only God. Amen!
It is only used of the Father.

As I said, I studied this while preparing for my teaching on Hebrews 13:8. People always say you get way more out of preparing to preach than those who hear you. Amen to that! And anytime you think a 30-40 minute teaching is long, just think of how long it would be if we mentioned everything we studied in preparation!! Anyway, I was blessed. I pray you are as well.


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If you have made it this far, you may recall there are two phrases (which is, and which was, and which is to come and the Almighty) I said were used only of the Father and not of Jesus. You may be thinking, what about Revelation 1:8, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty, isn’t that Jesus speaking? I don’t believe it is. Jesus is referred to in the preceding verses (1-7), but does not appear or speak until v 11. This means v 8 is the Father. Am I trying to avoid a clear reference to the deity of Jesus? If you have read this you know that is not the case. Nevertheless, I believe these are two phrases that are not used of or by Jesus.


Variations of  "which is, and which was, and which is to come"
Revelation 11:17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.
This is interesting. Three times, as I have already pointed out, we have seen, which is, and which was, and which is to come (with one variance). This looks like a fourth time. What’s the explanation? For some reason, instead of "which is, and which was, and which is to come", 11:17 has "which art, and wast, and art to come." I’m not sure why the translators (of the KJV) did it this way. There are some texts which read, "We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, who is and who was…” And this makes sense because beginning in 11:15 the future has arrived!

Revelation 16:5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
This is curious because the literal translation is, “Thou art righteous, O Lord, who is and who was, the Holy One...”