George Offerman
For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up.
Mark 15:10
One may marvel at the title of this posting and wonder how anyone could look upon Pilate as anything but cruel and unjust. While the writings of antiquity prove beyond a shadow of a doubt Pilate was quick tempered, and over utilized force in quelling any uprising (ultimately it was an overreaction and gross misuse of force that had him dismissed as procurator), scripture paints a different picture of Pilate as he interacts with Jesus in the trial. I have often wondered about this man and how he must have interacted with Jesus, upon finally meeting a man he had heard many things about.
One must first take time in understanding the historical context in order to fully appreciate the differing dynamics at play during this time. Despite the Jews outright rejection of Jesus being the Christ, they were fully aware of the eschatological timeframe in which they lived. So, many ‘rabble rousers’ and thugs making claims they were the messiah was quite common, and unfortunately, these counterfeit christs were using force as a means of ‘bringing about the kingdom’ of God. Hence, there was a need to use overwhelming force to quell the trouble makers, and history shows, it was illegal for more than 50 Jewish men to band together in any place other than Temple.
Pilate was very aware of any uprising and any gathering, and without a doubt, would have had soldiers located in strategic places at all times. Pilate was very aware of Jesus feeding of 5,000 men on an open hill top very visible in Jerusalem and to Pilate. Because Jesus spoke of peace and practiced non violence, Pilate never interfered with Jesus’ gatherings and large crowds that would have been very obvious for anyone to know about. (Janet Napolitano and her ilk could learn a lot from Pilate). Because Pilate was a politician, and not a religious figure, he had no concern over the religious message preached, and had enough political savvy to leave well enough alone when it did not interfere with his goal of keeping the peace.
Pilate’s first introduction to Jesus is at Jesus’ trial, and it seems that all the Gospels seem to be consistent in that Pilate showed some deference to Jesus, unlike the Jewish Sanhedrin and the chief priest. Jesus responds to Pilate’s questions in a different manner than the Jews, and very differently than Herod, in which Jesus did not respond at all. In the dialogue, it seems that Pilate made an honest and forthright effort to understand the issues and charges brought before him, and Jesus, the King of Kings returned that respect shown him.
33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”
35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”
36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
38 “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.
John 18:33-38
After initial questioning, Pilate boldly declared Jesus’ innocence, despite the fact the Jews made accusations that Jesus claimed to be a King. Pilate, who many historians claimed was paranoid, not only has a conversation in which he asks whether Jesus is a king, Jesus boldly tells the truth and states unequivocally that he is a king, he then attempts to set Jesus free. This would seem to be counterintuitive and went against the character that had been demonstrated by Pilate up to this point. However, if one takes in the whole context of this trial, one could make a solid case that Pilate was very aware this matter was very unlike any he had encountered before.
Upon learning Jesus was a Galilean, Pilate was more than pleased to be able to ‘punt’ this situation. However, despite Herod having horrible personal qualities, he neither found any wrongdoing with Jesus and had Him sent back to Pilate. Pilate was not at all pleased with this situation and now had to deal with the idea of political tight walking: do the right thing morally, and let an innocent man go, or do the right thing politically, and let the mob have their ‘pound of flesh’. In many ways, Pilate was on trial, and like many of us, denied Christ when the moment of truth presented itself.
Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, and said to them, ‘You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. Therefore, I will punish him and then release him.’
Luke 23:13-17
It is also very interesting to note that in the dialogues, Pilate, a very secular ruler, happened to demonstrate more belief in Jesus and who he was, than did the Jews, who were the keepers of the faith, and were supposed to be the ones passing on matters of faith to a fallen world. Pilate, through knowing about the miracles and Jesus preaching of peace and non violence, knew Jesus had the credibility to claim this kingship. However, since Pilate was not religious, did not understand the nature of Jesus Kingship, as Pilate ultimately would not have condemned this innocent man to the brutal death that he did.
"While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: ‘Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.’ But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed. ‘Which of the two do you want me to release to you?’ asked the governor. ‘Barabbas,’ they answered. ‘What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?’ Pilate asked. They all answered, ‘Crucify him!’ ‘Why? What crime has he committed?’ asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, ‘Crucify him!’ "
"When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood,’ he said. ‘It is your responsibility!’ All the people answered, ‘Let his blood be on us and on our children!’ Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified."
(Matthew 27:15-26)
In these verses, we see Pilate going against what must have been so innate in his character: admitting someone else is the ruler of the Jews. We can also see Pilate’s attempts at removing himself from any responsibility of this atrocity. Pilate has Jesus scourged to attempt to appease this blood thirsty crowd.
"Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews, ‘Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.’ When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, ‘Here is the man!’ As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, ‘Crucify! Crucify!’ But Pilate answered, ‘You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.’ The Jews insisted, ‘We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.’ When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, and he went back inside the palace”
Where do you come from?’ he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. ‘Do you refuse to speak to me?’ Pilate said. ‘Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?’ Jesus answered, ‘You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.’ "
Pilate condemns himself with the above verse, by admitting he HAS the authority to set Jesus free or condemn Him. Pilate however succumbs to cowardice and in the end does what cowards do. However, Pilate continues to demonstrate his belief that Jesus does have some sort of supernatural place, and is willing to acknowledge Jesus kingship over the Jews.
"From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, ‘If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.’ When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). It was the day of Preparation of Passover Week, about the sixth hour.
‘Here is your king,’ Pilate said to the Jews. But they shouted, ‘Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!’ ‘Shall I crucify your king?’ Pilate asked. ‘We have no king but Caesar,’ the chief priests answered. Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus."
Pilate was on trial that fateful Friday, and found he was not prepared to defend an innocent man. Like today with many politicians and church leaders, Pilate used a gimmick; by washing his hands with water he believed he absolved himself from this grisly murder. Despite all of this, Pilate, a man known for his cruelty, seemed to be moved by his interaction with the King of Kings and at least understood the nature of these matters way better than the Jews of the time.
PROLOGUE
Pilate was abruptly removed from power a few years later when using excessive force on an uprising, and was called to Rome by Tiberius Caesar. However, Tiberius died prior to Pilate’s arrival, and the successor to Tiberius, Gaius, and relieved Pilate of his duties.
It has been reported in some historical books that the disenfranchised Pilate settled in the North Africa area. According to legends of the early Christian churches there, Pilate became a Christian, and advocated so heavily for Christianity that he is considered a saint. Unfortunately for Pilate, he ultimately took his own life penniless and alone.
Showing posts with label Bible. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bible. Show all posts
Friday, April 22, 2011
Thursday, October 7, 2010
HERMENEUTICS 101: JACOB AND JOSEPH
George Offerman
The story of Jacob and Joseph is very fascinating; in the sense it is one of the few that has a father and son combination that has eschatological ramifications that continue to play out today (and in the times of Revelation). Jacob, known as the trickster, eventually becomes the father of Israel and the twelve tribes, and Joseph models devotion and loyalty, foreshadowing the Christ, and eventually becomes one of the best administrators the world has ever seen.
Jacob was born the second of the twins, and was grasping Esau’s heel upon birth. This was a sign that began the fulfillment of God’s prophecy that the two represented two distinct nations, and would be divided. Jacob then went on to steal Esau’s birthright as well as blessing, and ultimately had to flee into the desert and to his Uncle Laban’s
While serving his uncle Laban, Jacob himself was tricked twice and ultimately had to flee from Laban after the Lord Blessed Jacob with large and strong flocks, leaving Laban’s weak and smaller.
We can see in this story, the law of sowing and reaping, in that Jacob deceived his older brother by initially bribing him with stew to get his birthright, and then deceiving his blind father Isaac with a meal to obtain Esau’s blessing. Jacob then reaps when deceived by Laban, and then has to go back to his own land and face Esau. Jacob is then tricked by his own children when they deceive him by making claims that Joseph was killed by a wild animal, when he was actually sold into slavery. Given that Jacob is seen as one of the ‘big three’ by God, when God introduces himself to those later on, Jacob nonetheless, still dealt with the consequences of his sinful behavior, and had like events happen to him.
Jacob redeems himself by repairing the damaged relationships by being humble, and ultimately struggles with an angel/Lord and requests a blessing from this being, which he gets. Jacob’s name is then changed to Israel, and he then becomes the father to the nation of Israel, with his twelve children representing the twelve tribes. Joseph is one of those sons, and his story has reflections of the coming Messiah in it.
Joseph was the older of two sons born to Rachel, the younger of the two sisters Jacob married. Joseph was favored over the other sons and this caused jealousy among them. Joseph also had two dreams, in which his brothers were ultimately going to bow down before him, and he would have authority over them. The brothers conspired to kill Joseph, but instead sold Joseph into slavery for pieces of silver. Up to this time, Joseph had done no wrong, but was envied by his brothers due to blessings given to him, and having much of his father’s attention.
Even in captivity, Joseph stayed true to his understandings and belief in God. God rewarded this by blessing Joseph abundantly, and Joseph was greatly liked and respected by those who had a chance to know him. Unfortunately, Potiphar’s wife chose to pursue Joseph sexually, and ultimately accused Joseph of raping her when he did everything humanly possible to avoid offending God and committing sexual sins with her. Joseph ended up in jail for over ten years as an innocent man, and did not find bitterness or resentment in his heart. This models the longsuffering of the Christ, and how he did not complain or allow his circumstances to dictate his love for the truth.
Joseph continued to have dreams, and was able to interpret the dreams of the two men in Pharaoh’s court. Despite saving the one, this man ‘forgot’ about Joseph for another two years. Upon the time of pharaoh’s dreams pertaining to the seven years of good and seven years of famine, no one but Joseph was able to interpret them, and as a result, Joseph was elevated to the second in command of all of Egypt, which at the time was the world power. God was able to use an evil act of brothers selling their brother into slavery, to having his will accomplished by giving the second most powerful position in the world (at that time) to a ‘foreigner’ and former slave. This has shades of the coming messiah, coming in the form of a slave, but ultimately demonstrating that he is the king of kings and lord of lords to all righteous men.
Joseph’s brothers did not recognize Joseph upon entering the city to buy grain, but Joseph recognized them. The story of josephs revelation is too long to duplicate here, but the points that re relevant are the dreams came true, the family did bow to Joseph, and that God’s promise to Joseph and Joseph’s fidelity to God was rewarded in ways that Joseph could not have imagined. Joseph also could not have become the number two man in the world, had he not been sold into slavery. So, even with the evil intentions of the brothers, God made his will happen, even though many of the circumstances could have resulted in Joseph giving up, becoming angry and resentful, and taking on a victim’s role.
The story of Jacob and Joseph show how those who are close to God still ‘mess things up’ and God is always ready to forgive and make right what was wrong. However, the consequences of bad behavior are also paid, and need to be dealt with. This God, who is unchanging, continues to act in a consistent manner, even though we in this modern world like to believe we know better, and have control over our circumstances. Very few show the tenacity either of these men had, and therefore, we are very lost sheep in very dark times. These stories give us hope that God will not abandon us at our critical hour, and that all matters, regardless of circumstances, can be made good by the grace of God.
The story of Jacob and Joseph is very fascinating; in the sense it is one of the few that has a father and son combination that has eschatological ramifications that continue to play out today (and in the times of Revelation). Jacob, known as the trickster, eventually becomes the father of Israel and the twelve tribes, and Joseph models devotion and loyalty, foreshadowing the Christ, and eventually becomes one of the best administrators the world has ever seen.
Jacob was born the second of the twins, and was grasping Esau’s heel upon birth. This was a sign that began the fulfillment of God’s prophecy that the two represented two distinct nations, and would be divided. Jacob then went on to steal Esau’s birthright as well as blessing, and ultimately had to flee into the desert and to his Uncle Laban’s
While serving his uncle Laban, Jacob himself was tricked twice and ultimately had to flee from Laban after the Lord Blessed Jacob with large and strong flocks, leaving Laban’s weak and smaller.
We can see in this story, the law of sowing and reaping, in that Jacob deceived his older brother by initially bribing him with stew to get his birthright, and then deceiving his blind father Isaac with a meal to obtain Esau’s blessing. Jacob then reaps when deceived by Laban, and then has to go back to his own land and face Esau. Jacob is then tricked by his own children when they deceive him by making claims that Joseph was killed by a wild animal, when he was actually sold into slavery. Given that Jacob is seen as one of the ‘big three’ by God, when God introduces himself to those later on, Jacob nonetheless, still dealt with the consequences of his sinful behavior, and had like events happen to him.
Jacob redeems himself by repairing the damaged relationships by being humble, and ultimately struggles with an angel/Lord and requests a blessing from this being, which he gets. Jacob’s name is then changed to Israel, and he then becomes the father to the nation of Israel, with his twelve children representing the twelve tribes. Joseph is one of those sons, and his story has reflections of the coming Messiah in it.
Joseph was the older of two sons born to Rachel, the younger of the two sisters Jacob married. Joseph was favored over the other sons and this caused jealousy among them. Joseph also had two dreams, in which his brothers were ultimately going to bow down before him, and he would have authority over them. The brothers conspired to kill Joseph, but instead sold Joseph into slavery for pieces of silver. Up to this time, Joseph had done no wrong, but was envied by his brothers due to blessings given to him, and having much of his father’s attention.
Even in captivity, Joseph stayed true to his understandings and belief in God. God rewarded this by blessing Joseph abundantly, and Joseph was greatly liked and respected by those who had a chance to know him. Unfortunately, Potiphar’s wife chose to pursue Joseph sexually, and ultimately accused Joseph of raping her when he did everything humanly possible to avoid offending God and committing sexual sins with her. Joseph ended up in jail for over ten years as an innocent man, and did not find bitterness or resentment in his heart. This models the longsuffering of the Christ, and how he did not complain or allow his circumstances to dictate his love for the truth.
Joseph continued to have dreams, and was able to interpret the dreams of the two men in Pharaoh’s court. Despite saving the one, this man ‘forgot’ about Joseph for another two years. Upon the time of pharaoh’s dreams pertaining to the seven years of good and seven years of famine, no one but Joseph was able to interpret them, and as a result, Joseph was elevated to the second in command of all of Egypt, which at the time was the world power. God was able to use an evil act of brothers selling their brother into slavery, to having his will accomplished by giving the second most powerful position in the world (at that time) to a ‘foreigner’ and former slave. This has shades of the coming messiah, coming in the form of a slave, but ultimately demonstrating that he is the king of kings and lord of lords to all righteous men.
Joseph’s brothers did not recognize Joseph upon entering the city to buy grain, but Joseph recognized them. The story of josephs revelation is too long to duplicate here, but the points that re relevant are the dreams came true, the family did bow to Joseph, and that God’s promise to Joseph and Joseph’s fidelity to God was rewarded in ways that Joseph could not have imagined. Joseph also could not have become the number two man in the world, had he not been sold into slavery. So, even with the evil intentions of the brothers, God made his will happen, even though many of the circumstances could have resulted in Joseph giving up, becoming angry and resentful, and taking on a victim’s role.
The story of Jacob and Joseph show how those who are close to God still ‘mess things up’ and God is always ready to forgive and make right what was wrong. However, the consequences of bad behavior are also paid, and need to be dealt with. This God, who is unchanging, continues to act in a consistent manner, even though we in this modern world like to believe we know better, and have control over our circumstances. Very few show the tenacity either of these men had, and therefore, we are very lost sheep in very dark times. These stories give us hope that God will not abandon us at our critical hour, and that all matters, regardless of circumstances, can be made good by the grace of God.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
HERMENEUTICS 101: GOD AND SATAN
George Offerman
To properly understand the real purpose of the Bible, it is imperative to understand the powers behind the stories and lessons that the Bible references. The Bible, after all is a chronology of the age of sin, man’s struggle with sin, and redemption. It is the struggle between good and evil, with good triumphing in the end, but a struggle whose outcome was predetermined before it even started. Unlike what the natural religions teach, as well as many of the mystery religions, good and evil are not complimentary forces, nor are they equal. This is the absolute baseline in hermeneutics in understanding and interpreting scriptures, and without this, the Bible cannot be properly understood or interpreted.
The nature of God
God, as referenced in the Bible is Trinitarian, and is three separate, but equal persons. God also has three characteristics that no other being in the universe has. God is omnipotent, meaning all powerful. God is omnipresent, meaning He is everywhere all the time, and God is omniscient, meaning all knowing. As David referenced in the Psalms “I go to the highest mountain, and you are there, lowest part of the sea, and you are there. God is watching what we do and what we think while simultaneously holding together the smallest particle of matter in the furthest part of the universe.
The Bible also describes God as all loving, benevolent, and all of His actions result in ultimate good and redemption of his children. God is very involved in the lives of those He created, and knows the beginning from the end. God sees all faults and sins, and still desires the best for us, and His desire for us is to spend eternity with Him.
God is unchanging, is just and merciful, and has a set order in the universe, as well as a set order of morality and law. God keeps perfect account of all thoughts and actions, and they are weighed based upon His law and dealt with either by mercy or justice, depending on how the created show mercy and justice to others.
God ultimately is the greatest purveyor of free will. God does not force any of his creation to worship him, or to obey his laws. God is longsuffering, willing to endure severe pain inflicted upon him by creation, in order to save them. God gives abundantly from his handiwork, and blesses those who choose to be in his will in ways they cannot even begin to imagine.
The nature of Satan
Satan as depicted in the Bible was the highest created being, and was only accountable to God. As a created being, Lucifer does not have the attributes of God and is not omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient, and thus, has to learn or speculate in order to advance his agenda. Unlike the trinity, Satan is by himself and as such, does not require unified thoughts and behaviors, and does as he pleases. Satan also has no creative powers, and thus, only has the ability to destroy, earning the moniker ‘the destroyer’ in scriptures.
Satan is filled with hatred, is all evil, selfish, deceptive, destructive, malevolent, jealous, possessive, backstabbing, double-crossing, accusatory and overall life taking. Satan is not capable of compassion, or any other experience the majority of mankind can relate to, and Satan is involved intimately with his people to do his will, but in a forced and calculated way, and then disposes of them once his purpose is completed. Satan’s goal is for man to be accountable and atone for his own sin, so that man ends up in hell with Satan being the master over him for eternity.
Satan has no sense of justice or mercy, and uses both injustices and unmerciful actions to create anger and discord among humans, and breed contempt for all that is good. Satan operates on a whim, and is only consistent in demanding total allegiance to his evil and twisted will. Satan is not capable of fairness, and will punish any and all harshly for the slightest of infractions. Satan uses lies to ‘con’ people into doing his will, then accuses them of horrendous crimes that can never be forgiven by the so called ‘Benevolent God’.
Satan is the ultimate enemy of free will, and desires to possess and control those under his influence. Unlike God, Satan offers little and demands much. Satan is the vilest of taskmasters, loading his slaves with more than they can bear, while constantly chastising with hate and conveying a sense of hopelessness. Satan demands instant gratification, and has no concern for the well being of those he demands it from. Satan is the ultimate taker, and has no chance of ever changing, and has no desire to do so. This is the basis of the hellish gospel of scarcity.
God versus Satan
Comparing Satan to God is like comparing the Sears Tower to a grain of sand. The problem is, that God is diminished in stature by being compared to the Sears Tower, and Satan is given too much credibility and esteem by giving him the stature of a grain of sand. Yet the world embraces and bought into the idea that good and evil are equal and necessary forces. There are plenty of religious systems that promote this concept, and the mystery religions take it a step further and promote the dark and forbidden knowledge over Biblical precepts, and the ‘supposed positive attributes’ of God.
The Bible spells out the reality that God is in control, and always has been, and always will be. The age of sin is time limited, and ultimately will end at the great white throne judgment after the millennial rest. Satan, as a created being, exists within the timeframe of history, while God exists in perpetuity in all times. Satan can only be in one place at a time, while God is in all places all of the time. Satan can only guess and postulate what God is up to, while God has written history before history began. Satan can only destroy, while God creates and renews. Satan can only possess by stealing God’s handiwork, while God gives freely of His creation to His creation.
There is no comparison between God and Satan other than both are spirits. Evil will be totally destroyed when history comes to a close, along with all of those who promoted it. All of the knowledge, sophistication, scarcity and other deceptions, lies and propaganda will be destroyed, and those that man had admired and seen as heroes while on earth will be seen in the true light of what they actually are. At the close of the age, all will clearly understand what occurred while on this sojourn through this life, and those destined for eternal bliss, will experience the joy that is deserved in being with the God of the universe, and those destined for eternal damnation, will experience the pain and suffering of paradise lost.
Those who give into evil, or join it, are on the wrong side of history. It is the inferior side, the side that represents death, destruction, poverty, scarcity, deception, iniquity, fear and isolation. The Bible is clear that siding with Satan will result in destruction. God has stated this clearly and consistently through the prophets and his son, Jesus. This is the clearest and most basic teaching of the Bible, and if it is untrue, or proven to be fraudulent, Christianity would collapse upon itself. By virtue it has survived and thrived, it again proves Jesus’ words that the gates of hell will not prevail against the Church, and it will remain here on earth until the end of time.
To properly understand the real purpose of the Bible, it is imperative to understand the powers behind the stories and lessons that the Bible references. The Bible, after all is a chronology of the age of sin, man’s struggle with sin, and redemption. It is the struggle between good and evil, with good triumphing in the end, but a struggle whose outcome was predetermined before it even started. Unlike what the natural religions teach, as well as many of the mystery religions, good and evil are not complimentary forces, nor are they equal. This is the absolute baseline in hermeneutics in understanding and interpreting scriptures, and without this, the Bible cannot be properly understood or interpreted.
The nature of God
God, as referenced in the Bible is Trinitarian, and is three separate, but equal persons. God also has three characteristics that no other being in the universe has. God is omnipotent, meaning all powerful. God is omnipresent, meaning He is everywhere all the time, and God is omniscient, meaning all knowing. As David referenced in the Psalms “I go to the highest mountain, and you are there, lowest part of the sea, and you are there. God is watching what we do and what we think while simultaneously holding together the smallest particle of matter in the furthest part of the universe.
The Bible also describes God as all loving, benevolent, and all of His actions result in ultimate good and redemption of his children. God is very involved in the lives of those He created, and knows the beginning from the end. God sees all faults and sins, and still desires the best for us, and His desire for us is to spend eternity with Him.
God is unchanging, is just and merciful, and has a set order in the universe, as well as a set order of morality and law. God keeps perfect account of all thoughts and actions, and they are weighed based upon His law and dealt with either by mercy or justice, depending on how the created show mercy and justice to others.
God ultimately is the greatest purveyor of free will. God does not force any of his creation to worship him, or to obey his laws. God is longsuffering, willing to endure severe pain inflicted upon him by creation, in order to save them. God gives abundantly from his handiwork, and blesses those who choose to be in his will in ways they cannot even begin to imagine.
The nature of Satan
Satan as depicted in the Bible was the highest created being, and was only accountable to God. As a created being, Lucifer does not have the attributes of God and is not omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient, and thus, has to learn or speculate in order to advance his agenda. Unlike the trinity, Satan is by himself and as such, does not require unified thoughts and behaviors, and does as he pleases. Satan also has no creative powers, and thus, only has the ability to destroy, earning the moniker ‘the destroyer’ in scriptures.
Satan is filled with hatred, is all evil, selfish, deceptive, destructive, malevolent, jealous, possessive, backstabbing, double-crossing, accusatory and overall life taking. Satan is not capable of compassion, or any other experience the majority of mankind can relate to, and Satan is involved intimately with his people to do his will, but in a forced and calculated way, and then disposes of them once his purpose is completed. Satan’s goal is for man to be accountable and atone for his own sin, so that man ends up in hell with Satan being the master over him for eternity.
Satan has no sense of justice or mercy, and uses both injustices and unmerciful actions to create anger and discord among humans, and breed contempt for all that is good. Satan operates on a whim, and is only consistent in demanding total allegiance to his evil and twisted will. Satan is not capable of fairness, and will punish any and all harshly for the slightest of infractions. Satan uses lies to ‘con’ people into doing his will, then accuses them of horrendous crimes that can never be forgiven by the so called ‘Benevolent God’.
Satan is the ultimate enemy of free will, and desires to possess and control those under his influence. Unlike God, Satan offers little and demands much. Satan is the vilest of taskmasters, loading his slaves with more than they can bear, while constantly chastising with hate and conveying a sense of hopelessness. Satan demands instant gratification, and has no concern for the well being of those he demands it from. Satan is the ultimate taker, and has no chance of ever changing, and has no desire to do so. This is the basis of the hellish gospel of scarcity.
God versus Satan
Comparing Satan to God is like comparing the Sears Tower to a grain of sand. The problem is, that God is diminished in stature by being compared to the Sears Tower, and Satan is given too much credibility and esteem by giving him the stature of a grain of sand. Yet the world embraces and bought into the idea that good and evil are equal and necessary forces. There are plenty of religious systems that promote this concept, and the mystery religions take it a step further and promote the dark and forbidden knowledge over Biblical precepts, and the ‘supposed positive attributes’ of God.
The Bible spells out the reality that God is in control, and always has been, and always will be. The age of sin is time limited, and ultimately will end at the great white throne judgment after the millennial rest. Satan, as a created being, exists within the timeframe of history, while God exists in perpetuity in all times. Satan can only be in one place at a time, while God is in all places all of the time. Satan can only guess and postulate what God is up to, while God has written history before history began. Satan can only destroy, while God creates and renews. Satan can only possess by stealing God’s handiwork, while God gives freely of His creation to His creation.
There is no comparison between God and Satan other than both are spirits. Evil will be totally destroyed when history comes to a close, along with all of those who promoted it. All of the knowledge, sophistication, scarcity and other deceptions, lies and propaganda will be destroyed, and those that man had admired and seen as heroes while on earth will be seen in the true light of what they actually are. At the close of the age, all will clearly understand what occurred while on this sojourn through this life, and those destined for eternal bliss, will experience the joy that is deserved in being with the God of the universe, and those destined for eternal damnation, will experience the pain and suffering of paradise lost.
Those who give into evil, or join it, are on the wrong side of history. It is the inferior side, the side that represents death, destruction, poverty, scarcity, deception, iniquity, fear and isolation. The Bible is clear that siding with Satan will result in destruction. God has stated this clearly and consistently through the prophets and his son, Jesus. This is the clearest and most basic teaching of the Bible, and if it is untrue, or proven to be fraudulent, Christianity would collapse upon itself. By virtue it has survived and thrived, it again proves Jesus’ words that the gates of hell will not prevail against the Church, and it will remain here on earth until the end of time.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
HERMENEUTICS 101: WHAT IS HERMENEUTICS?
George Offerman
Using proper hermeneutics when reading the Bible is as necessary as following a recipe of your favorite dish. Change one ingredient, and you have a whole different food and experience. Proper hermeneutics is a relatively straight forward process, and this process has been passed down for millennia and has been used for all of that time. This is a large undertaking, so let’s get started.
The Bible has 73 books (Catholic version) approximately 40 authors and was written over a time span of about 1600 years. The vast majority of Catholic theologians and many Protestant theologians state the Bible is the inspired word of God, which is reflected in the fact that the time span reflects differing philosophical and societal changes, which in turn reflect the writer’s personal influences as well. That being said, the Bible is the most consistent and intact Book on the planet concerning the Nature of God and the story of creation and our existence, as well as the most accurately written record of prophecy, and the fulfillment of that prophecy.
Because there are cultural and philosophical influences in the writings, it became imperative to come up with a way to read and interpret, as well as teach what the Bible says. This in turn, gives us an understanding of what God wants, how we are to behave, how we are to treat our fellow man, and ultimately what becomes of us after death. This in essence, is what hermeneutics is all about.
The proper definition of hermeneutics is the study of interpretation of written texts in the areas of literature, religion, law and prophecy. It also incorporates the times, history, context and language used, with emphasis on symbolic meanings. Hermeneutics looks for consistencies in texts, and applies these consistencies into contemporary life in order to guide and direct those who seek to know the truth. The central tenets of the Bible transcend time and society, and thus, are applicable to all peoples at all times.
Hermeneutics has evolved over the centuries, and the further removed from the Biblical times, the more the interpretations have changed and been influenced by our times. The main framework however is intact and the art of interpreting the Bible can be broken down into these four structures: literal, allegorical, moral, and eschatological/mystical. Literal interpretation would read the texts as straight forward as written. Allegorical interpretation would read the text as having symbolic meanings, as poetry, or as relating to secondary symbols, with the symbols being defined in other texts. Moral interpretation would read the text as teaching the faith, such as dogma, and are reflected in most of Jesus parables. Eschatological/mystical interpretations go into the ‘deep thoughts of God’ and involve the future and end of time, as well as salvation, condemnation, heaven and hell and the spiritual realm. (This is also the most dangerous of the four interpretation methods, as it has been the genesis of many of the heresies that will be covered in future postings)
Where many expositors get into trouble is when they use one of the interpretive methods on passages where it does not apply. For instance, the Beast rising out of the sea in Revelation is not a literal seven headed, ten horned monster, but is an allegorical description of a one world religiously lead government. Likewise, many of Jesus parables, that are clearly in the moral interpretation category, have been misinterpreted as literal, and end up causing problems among believers. A modern example of this point would be our colloquialism of “I feel Blue”. Anyone would understand that I am not literally the color blue, but the use of the word blue would be seen as symbolic of a mood that most everyone could relate to. Those who would take it literally would ultimately end up on a wild goose chase, and look very foolish.
The art of reading and interpreting the Bible needs to be understood in light of what passages and contexts are being addressed. When one knows which of the four interpretive methods to be used, the Bible reads fairly straight forward and clear. When this does not occur, it brings about confusion. We had a phrase in seminary for this called ‘fractured scripture”, and the funniest example I ever saw, was in a girls’ dorm room in which they printed up on a banner “Now, I will make you fishers of men”. On a more somber note, another example of fractured scripture is from the heretical “Gospel of prosperity” which misquotes 2 John 1-2 in wishing “for you to prosper as your soul prospers”. This is a personal greeting, standard for those times, and (intentionally) misinterpreted to be a theological reality and promise of prosperity to some believers. That would be analogous to taking the command from God to Moses to “strike the rock with your staff” and produce water, which was time specific and meant only for Moses. (I don’t see anyone striking rocks now a days believing water will flow from it.)
I will end this discussion today by going over one of the responses I received from the oil spill posting. This individual accused me of misinterpreting the oil spill, and insisted the burning platform did fulfill the burning mountain being cast into the ocean, that a third of the sea creatures will eventually die form the contaminated water, that also has a red hue which fulfills blood, and eventually, one third of the ships will be destroyed, by being dry docked or out of commission due to ocean conditions.
I will give this person the benefit of the doubt (despite the fact the first trumpet did not take place, and that it was not a cosmic event). John the evangelist had a vision and was told to write it down as he saw it. John saw a burning mountain being cast into the sea, the sea turned to blood, one third of the sea creatures died and one third of the ships were sunk. In order for this individual’s interpretation to be correct, there would be an interchange of both literal and allegorical interpretations going on at the same time. For instance, the burning platform being the mountain would be seen as a literal interpretation, but the platform sank, and was not cast down. The sea has many colors from the spill, one of which is red, but the dominant color is black. So the word ‘blood’ would have to be allegorical, as it would be symbolic and not literal. As of this time, there are not the massive deaths of sea creatures, and not one ship has sunk or has been destroyed. If one decides the sinking of the platform fulfills the word ‘cast down’, then the problem is what does one do with ships being sunk? Both the platform and ships float, and John would not have used different words to describe the same events. Casting down is different than sinking, and we have the literal interpretation method being used for the first part of the prophecy, and then switching to allegorical, back to literal with the sea creatures, then back to allegorical for the ‘destruction’ of the ships.
An asteroid fulfills the prophecy in totality. It is cast into the ocean from the heavens, burning as it enters the atmosphere, vaporizes trillions of gallons of water instantly, sending a massive tsunami in all directions that washes out coastal areas, killing most of the sea creatures in the ocean it hits, and sinking all the ships in the vicinity. The water would turn red from the blood of the dead sea creatures, as well as possible red algae plumes due to de oxygenated waters. This interpretation is using the literal method, due to the fact that there is neither allegorical language used, no moral teachings involved in this verse, or eschatological principles. It describes a deliberate event sent from God, and therefore, qualifies as a literal event in its totality and should be read as such.
I hope this was not too long, and hope this made sense. See you next week for the next addition.
Using proper hermeneutics when reading the Bible is as necessary as following a recipe of your favorite dish. Change one ingredient, and you have a whole different food and experience. Proper hermeneutics is a relatively straight forward process, and this process has been passed down for millennia and has been used for all of that time. This is a large undertaking, so let’s get started.
The Bible has 73 books (Catholic version) approximately 40 authors and was written over a time span of about 1600 years. The vast majority of Catholic theologians and many Protestant theologians state the Bible is the inspired word of God, which is reflected in the fact that the time span reflects differing philosophical and societal changes, which in turn reflect the writer’s personal influences as well. That being said, the Bible is the most consistent and intact Book on the planet concerning the Nature of God and the story of creation and our existence, as well as the most accurately written record of prophecy, and the fulfillment of that prophecy.
Because there are cultural and philosophical influences in the writings, it became imperative to come up with a way to read and interpret, as well as teach what the Bible says. This in turn, gives us an understanding of what God wants, how we are to behave, how we are to treat our fellow man, and ultimately what becomes of us after death. This in essence, is what hermeneutics is all about.
The proper definition of hermeneutics is the study of interpretation of written texts in the areas of literature, religion, law and prophecy. It also incorporates the times, history, context and language used, with emphasis on symbolic meanings. Hermeneutics looks for consistencies in texts, and applies these consistencies into contemporary life in order to guide and direct those who seek to know the truth. The central tenets of the Bible transcend time and society, and thus, are applicable to all peoples at all times.
Hermeneutics has evolved over the centuries, and the further removed from the Biblical times, the more the interpretations have changed and been influenced by our times. The main framework however is intact and the art of interpreting the Bible can be broken down into these four structures: literal, allegorical, moral, and eschatological/mystical. Literal interpretation would read the texts as straight forward as written. Allegorical interpretation would read the text as having symbolic meanings, as poetry, or as relating to secondary symbols, with the symbols being defined in other texts. Moral interpretation would read the text as teaching the faith, such as dogma, and are reflected in most of Jesus parables. Eschatological/mystical interpretations go into the ‘deep thoughts of God’ and involve the future and end of time, as well as salvation, condemnation, heaven and hell and the spiritual realm. (This is also the most dangerous of the four interpretation methods, as it has been the genesis of many of the heresies that will be covered in future postings)
Where many expositors get into trouble is when they use one of the interpretive methods on passages where it does not apply. For instance, the Beast rising out of the sea in Revelation is not a literal seven headed, ten horned monster, but is an allegorical description of a one world religiously lead government. Likewise, many of Jesus parables, that are clearly in the moral interpretation category, have been misinterpreted as literal, and end up causing problems among believers. A modern example of this point would be our colloquialism of “I feel Blue”. Anyone would understand that I am not literally the color blue, but the use of the word blue would be seen as symbolic of a mood that most everyone could relate to. Those who would take it literally would ultimately end up on a wild goose chase, and look very foolish.
The art of reading and interpreting the Bible needs to be understood in light of what passages and contexts are being addressed. When one knows which of the four interpretive methods to be used, the Bible reads fairly straight forward and clear. When this does not occur, it brings about confusion. We had a phrase in seminary for this called ‘fractured scripture”, and the funniest example I ever saw, was in a girls’ dorm room in which they printed up on a banner “Now, I will make you fishers of men”. On a more somber note, another example of fractured scripture is from the heretical “Gospel of prosperity” which misquotes 2 John 1-2 in wishing “for you to prosper as your soul prospers”. This is a personal greeting, standard for those times, and (intentionally) misinterpreted to be a theological reality and promise of prosperity to some believers. That would be analogous to taking the command from God to Moses to “strike the rock with your staff” and produce water, which was time specific and meant only for Moses. (I don’t see anyone striking rocks now a days believing water will flow from it.)
I will end this discussion today by going over one of the responses I received from the oil spill posting. This individual accused me of misinterpreting the oil spill, and insisted the burning platform did fulfill the burning mountain being cast into the ocean, that a third of the sea creatures will eventually die form the contaminated water, that also has a red hue which fulfills blood, and eventually, one third of the ships will be destroyed, by being dry docked or out of commission due to ocean conditions.
I will give this person the benefit of the doubt (despite the fact the first trumpet did not take place, and that it was not a cosmic event). John the evangelist had a vision and was told to write it down as he saw it. John saw a burning mountain being cast into the sea, the sea turned to blood, one third of the sea creatures died and one third of the ships were sunk. In order for this individual’s interpretation to be correct, there would be an interchange of both literal and allegorical interpretations going on at the same time. For instance, the burning platform being the mountain would be seen as a literal interpretation, but the platform sank, and was not cast down. The sea has many colors from the spill, one of which is red, but the dominant color is black. So the word ‘blood’ would have to be allegorical, as it would be symbolic and not literal. As of this time, there are not the massive deaths of sea creatures, and not one ship has sunk or has been destroyed. If one decides the sinking of the platform fulfills the word ‘cast down’, then the problem is what does one do with ships being sunk? Both the platform and ships float, and John would not have used different words to describe the same events. Casting down is different than sinking, and we have the literal interpretation method being used for the first part of the prophecy, and then switching to allegorical, back to literal with the sea creatures, then back to allegorical for the ‘destruction’ of the ships.
An asteroid fulfills the prophecy in totality. It is cast into the ocean from the heavens, burning as it enters the atmosphere, vaporizes trillions of gallons of water instantly, sending a massive tsunami in all directions that washes out coastal areas, killing most of the sea creatures in the ocean it hits, and sinking all the ships in the vicinity. The water would turn red from the blood of the dead sea creatures, as well as possible red algae plumes due to de oxygenated waters. This interpretation is using the literal method, due to the fact that there is neither allegorical language used, no moral teachings involved in this verse, or eschatological principles. It describes a deliberate event sent from God, and therefore, qualifies as a literal event in its totality and should be read as such.
I hope this was not too long, and hope this made sense. See you next week for the next addition.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
NANCY, NANCY, NANCY....
George Offerman
Nancy Pelosi just can’t seem to get her scripture right. As far as her ‘religious’ position is concerned, she has distorted it, no, outright manufactured it, and is attempting to peddle it as truth. There are a few very interesting points concerning Ms. Pelosi’s admission about her admission in ‘following Jesus’ and his teachings. The first is how she can distort the scripture to the point of manufacturing statements she made. The second is how the media made no issue of Ms. Pelosi making blatant comments about Jesus, and using Scripture and ’Christianity’ to formulate her policy. But most importantly, the deafening silence of the Bishops and other Shepherds, who have essentially given Ms. Pelosi a free pass on her much fractured Scripture lesson.
Ms. Pelosi made the claim that she is into ‘the Word’ and uses it to formulate her positions. Here are some of her words about the ‘Word’.
They ask me all the time, ‘What is your favorite this? What is your favorite that? What is your favorite that?’ And one time, ‘What is your favorite word?’ And I said, ‘My favorite word? That is really easy. My favorite word is the Word, is the Word. And that is everything. It says it all for us. And you know the biblical reference, you know the Gospel reference of the Word.
And that Word is, we have to give voice to what that means in terms of public policy that would be in keeping with the values of the Word. The Word. Isn’t it a beautiful word when you think of it? It just covers everything. The Word.
Fill it in with anything you want. But, of course, we know it means: ‘The Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us.’ And that’s the great mystery of our faith. He will come again. He will come again. So, we have to make sure we’re prepared to answer in this life, or otherwise, as to how we have measured up.
http://hotair.com/archives/2010/06/01/pelosi-we-need-partial-birth-abortions-for-jesus-or-something/
Evidently, Ms. Pelosi is not familiar with Jesus statement in Matt 18:16, when he warns against harming the ‘little ones’ that it be better that a millstone be placed around their neck and cast into the sea. Or Matt 19:14 in which Jesus wants the little children to come to him. OR Matt 5:17-20 in which Jesus boldly proclaims that he has not come to ‘abolish the law, but to fulfill it’ and in the next versus warns against those who dare to change, then teach against the law, and the consequences of those actions. Or Matt 5:13-16 calling believers to be ‘salt of the earth’, and again, what happens if the salt loses its flavor. None of these verses refers to changing teachings and not following them, and gives major consequences for those daring to change them. Also, there is no evidence whatsoever, that the Bible would point to the validation of legalized child killing. Ms. Pelosi is evidently making up Bible verses, and is feeling rather smug in her assertions that she is following through on what the Word of God states. Get those millstones ready.
Ms. Pelosi is also getting a ‘free pass’ on her open discussion of Jesus with the media. Had a true conservative done something remotely close to what Ms. Pelosi did, all ‘hell’ would break loose, and the individual would minimally be denounced, and accused of not separating church and state, and be required to retract the statement. Given Ms. Pelosi’s standing with the MSM, she will get away with this. However, the real reason may be that she sold such a liberal idea of Jesus that she may have been doing the MSM and Obama some good, by making such a personal statement, using her position of Speaker to give her more credibility to enhance this theological stance. This coupled with the fact that not one church leader has come forward to challenge any of this.
This leads to the last point, and that is of the dereliction of duty by the Church. This woman has been allowed to represent her very sinful beliefs and behaviors as the official stance of the Church, and it has gone nearly unchallenged by the Bishops. Too many people outside, as well as inside the church look upon this lack of action as a de facto agreement with her position. This woman has pushed every imaginable form of legalized child killing, and has gone up to receive communion as if she has every right to be there as those who live by faith. The Bishops breed too much confusion, and it will ultimately be on their heads when, as Ms. Pelosi likes to say “he will come again’. There needs to be statements made by someone in the Church, who has the ‘gonads’ to stand up for orthodoxy. Otherwise, we might as well just read the Bible ourselves, and never step foot again in any of these heretic churches.
Nancy Pelosi just can’t seem to get her scripture right. As far as her ‘religious’ position is concerned, she has distorted it, no, outright manufactured it, and is attempting to peddle it as truth. There are a few very interesting points concerning Ms. Pelosi’s admission about her admission in ‘following Jesus’ and his teachings. The first is how she can distort the scripture to the point of manufacturing statements she made. The second is how the media made no issue of Ms. Pelosi making blatant comments about Jesus, and using Scripture and ’Christianity’ to formulate her policy. But most importantly, the deafening silence of the Bishops and other Shepherds, who have essentially given Ms. Pelosi a free pass on her much fractured Scripture lesson.
Ms. Pelosi made the claim that she is into ‘the Word’ and uses it to formulate her positions. Here are some of her words about the ‘Word’.
They ask me all the time, ‘What is your favorite this? What is your favorite that? What is your favorite that?’ And one time, ‘What is your favorite word?’ And I said, ‘My favorite word? That is really easy. My favorite word is the Word, is the Word. And that is everything. It says it all for us. And you know the biblical reference, you know the Gospel reference of the Word.
And that Word is, we have to give voice to what that means in terms of public policy that would be in keeping with the values of the Word. The Word. Isn’t it a beautiful word when you think of it? It just covers everything. The Word.
Fill it in with anything you want. But, of course, we know it means: ‘The Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us.’ And that’s the great mystery of our faith. He will come again. He will come again. So, we have to make sure we’re prepared to answer in this life, or otherwise, as to how we have measured up.
http://hotair.com/archives/2010/06/01/pelosi-we-need-partial-birth-abortions-for-jesus-or-something/
Evidently, Ms. Pelosi is not familiar with Jesus statement in Matt 18:16, when he warns against harming the ‘little ones’ that it be better that a millstone be placed around their neck and cast into the sea. Or Matt 19:14 in which Jesus wants the little children to come to him. OR Matt 5:17-20 in which Jesus boldly proclaims that he has not come to ‘abolish the law, but to fulfill it’ and in the next versus warns against those who dare to change, then teach against the law, and the consequences of those actions. Or Matt 5:13-16 calling believers to be ‘salt of the earth’, and again, what happens if the salt loses its flavor. None of these verses refers to changing teachings and not following them, and gives major consequences for those daring to change them. Also, there is no evidence whatsoever, that the Bible would point to the validation of legalized child killing. Ms. Pelosi is evidently making up Bible verses, and is feeling rather smug in her assertions that she is following through on what the Word of God states. Get those millstones ready.
Ms. Pelosi is also getting a ‘free pass’ on her open discussion of Jesus with the media. Had a true conservative done something remotely close to what Ms. Pelosi did, all ‘hell’ would break loose, and the individual would minimally be denounced, and accused of not separating church and state, and be required to retract the statement. Given Ms. Pelosi’s standing with the MSM, she will get away with this. However, the real reason may be that she sold such a liberal idea of Jesus that she may have been doing the MSM and Obama some good, by making such a personal statement, using her position of Speaker to give her more credibility to enhance this theological stance. This coupled with the fact that not one church leader has come forward to challenge any of this.
This leads to the last point, and that is of the dereliction of duty by the Church. This woman has been allowed to represent her very sinful beliefs and behaviors as the official stance of the Church, and it has gone nearly unchallenged by the Bishops. Too many people outside, as well as inside the church look upon this lack of action as a de facto agreement with her position. This woman has pushed every imaginable form of legalized child killing, and has gone up to receive communion as if she has every right to be there as those who live by faith. The Bishops breed too much confusion, and it will ultimately be on their heads when, as Ms. Pelosi likes to say “he will come again’. There needs to be statements made by someone in the Church, who has the ‘gonads’ to stand up for orthodoxy. Otherwise, we might as well just read the Bible ourselves, and never step foot again in any of these heretic churches.
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