Thursday, March 1, 2007
The world hates Him and yet loves Him
What I want to discuss here is the fact that amazing fact that while the world hates Jesus, they love to talk about Him and make money from Him. James Cameron is at the helm of this silliness. It is obvious to me (and a BBC News article I mention in my other post above says the same thing) that he is trying to make money off of attacking the Christian faith the same way "The DaVinci Code" did. The archeologist who first found the tomb says there is nothing to these claims. And yet Hollywood, eager to continue making money of the name of Jesus, whether with "pro-Jesus" movies like "The Passion of the Christ" and the recent "The Nativity", or with "anti-Jesus" movies like "The DaVinci Code" and now, this "The Lost Tomb of Jesus".
It is amazing to me how a world desparate to rid themselves of Jesus cannot stop thinking about Him, talking about Him, writing about Him, and (unfortunately) even swearing in His name. It is amazing to me how such a "fake", as the world would claim Him to be, cannot get away from Him. If Jesus is really a "fake", why does the world spend so much time on Him? Just ignore Him, let Him go. In Bible, a Jewish leader rightly said: "So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God" - Acts 5:38-39
So let the world attack. They have been doing so since the beginning of the church. They couldn't destory the church of Christ then and they cannot now as it is of God. History has borne out the fact that the church of Christ is the work of God.
Honestly, I'm convinced the world knows this in their heart. This is why they cannot ignore Him. He is their God and they know it. Either they attack Him in a desparate attempt to dethrone Him (since they do not want Him over them) or they embrace Him for profit because they know they cannot destroy Him. Would they rather accept and join Him.
May God Almighty be praised!
Friday, January 19, 2007
The Doomsday Clock
Whether their attempt to gage the state of the world via this clock is really accurate and we are actually "2 minutes" away from Doomsday or not, it is interesting to note the state of affairs in the world today that prompted them to move it forward.
- Global warming and the crazy (even dangerous) weather patterns it is producing. It is interesting that this came into the news shortly after I rewatched The Day After Tomorrow and wrote something about it including a commentary on our weather today.
- Korean's nuclear activity and the continued existence of some 26000 US and Russian nuclear weapons.
Whether we "stand on the brink of a second nuclear age" or not (perhaps we do), it is an interesting commentary. We must not dismiss the fact that there are many things happening today that could set of some catestrophic events in the world. I think also of the war in Iraq which seems only to be getting worse, rather than better. Terrorist activity continues, and though there hasn't been another 9/11 yet, who knows what will be in the future.
The capacity of humanity for evil and self-destructive behaviour should be clear from history. Additionally, God has much to say about such things. God states throughout His Word that a time will come when the world will come to and end, but not before He judges it with events that we can only describe as "horrific". The book of Revelation describes this time in detail, including the fact that there will be, essentially, a one-world government. We know today that the world is working towards such a system. Even the article referenced above talked about our "global village".
I think about such things and I cannot help but reflect on this verse:
Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in midheaven, saying with a loud voice, "Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!" Revelation 8:13
Is the world about to come to an end? Cannot say. God doesn't even give us a time. But He gives us signs. Israel is in the land, we are marching closer and closer to a one-world government, we see an increase in problems in the earth (like "birth pangs" as described in scripture), etc. God promises He will judge the earth. Though this Doomsday clock may not tell us when it will happen, it does point to signs that only suggest we could be near. Here is an article that explores this further.You can read about the Doomsday clock @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doomsday_clock.
You can read about salvation at my other blog @ http://the-true-way.blogspot.com/2006/12/how-to-be-saved.html.
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
We care a lot about money
Apparently, according to Forbes, people like Howard Stern, Brad Pitt & Jennifer Aniston (surprising this combo is mentioned considering the other news about Brad Pitt), Steven Spielberg, etc. were among the top paid entertainment industry celebrities.
Good for them, I say. But what does this focus say about the priorities of our world? We talk so much and celebrate so much about money and those that make money. And yet we think so little of those that are poor and needy. Or of other values.
The recent movie (which I liked, btw) "The Pursuit of Happyness" (read my review of the movie), while focusing on the time of Chris Gardner's life when things were dark and he was poor and homeless, ultimately celebrates one who is now a millionaire. Would a movie be made of any of those in the street who are now poor and have remained poor all their lives? I don't think so.
The point I am trying to make is that money is virtually a "god" to us today. We revere it and those with it. We look down on those without it (maybe not consciously, but we nevertheless do) and fear to not have it. We believe it will make us happy, we often feel it is necessary to give us meaning and purpose, we celebrate it.
It should be nothing but a tool, but we pursue it as if it were more, something of eternal value, of extreme consequence, or of transcendent power.
Think about it. What can money really do, ultimately? Yes, if you have a lot of it you can buy a lot of things. But can it bring families closer together? Can it repair marriages? Can it bring children into the world? Can it end wars? Can it make you laugh like a good joke? Can it...?? I can go on, but I'm sure you see my point.
Money is of no real consequence in the grand scheme of things. It cannot stop us from dying either. Yet we do revere it so. The pursuit of money is such an underpinning to the fabric of our society. Again, it is almost a "god" to us. An idol.
Yet God says You shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 20:3). We ignore Him so often (if not always) in our lives and turn to money instead.
The play You Can't Take It With You really speaks to the fact that the stuff of this life is really meaningless. What good is it to have so much stuff when you are just going to die anyway. You cannot take any of the stuff you accumulate in this life with you. Jesus told a parable with a similar, but more powerful, message in Luke 12:15-21, talking about the rich man who had many things, but then God told him "You fool! This very night your soul is required of you.".
This is something, I think, all of us need to seriously think about. What is of value? Money, which is temporary? Or God and family and friends and helping others? I think the latter, not the former.
Yet almost every message of society generally speaks against this...
For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten. Ecclesiastes 9:5
Welcome - An Introduction
There is so much going on in our world, and we much look at these things, reflect on them, and come to conclusions about them. And from there, we then have to decide what actions we are going to take--if any.
Doing this requires having a worldview and understanding it. This is my way of expressing the worldview that I know reveals the truth of our experience here. All are welcome, and comments are welcome.