Secular Certainty

 The past couple of days, I was stuck in bed not feeling well. When I wasn't knocked out from some weird fatigue, I watched documentaries.

First Peoples, The Story of Egypt, Rome: Empire Without Limit, etc. Interesting stuff. Stuff that, like always, makes older me wish that younger and more energetic me had been as interested.

As I listened to the archeologists, classicists, and other history specialists and experts discuss dates and cultures, something nagged at me. I think it was after the first couple of videos that I realized what was bothering me. These experts toss out dates and knowledge about forgone civilizations with such certainty. They have an air of "no doubt" and, for the most part, I want to trust their information. On the other hand, when Christians discuss the Bible, most people scoff at our belief in "fairytales".

So many people - some of them considered to be very intelligent and logical - will try to tear down the Judeo-Christian recounting of history. We also tell of "first peoples" and their history. We detail historic, scientific, mathematical, information from the Bible and we get laughed at.

In one of the videos, an expert talked in detail about a skeleton they found in the water somewhere. The skeleton, according to various sources, is that of a woman from around thirteen thousand plus years ago who they say is "the first American". The expert recounted - again, in detail - what that woman's diet consisted of, how she was ceremonially buried, and what her life had been like. 

I personally know people who take this kind of information as a solid fact. If you ask why, they point out the evidence of archeology, scientific dating, etc.

Now, as Christians, we tell of kings and rulers and tribes of people. We tell about specific events that occurred. I know of people who call me delusional for believing any of this. They don't trust that I am looking at a lot more evidence than they are about their beliefs. I don't know very many people who study what they believe the way serious Christians study the Bible.

The Bible talks of circumcision being performed on a child at 8 days old. These days, because of secular science and biology, we know that this is the perfect time for such an operation. Now, as you can tell, I'm no genius, but that right there seems pretty amazing to me. Before scientists knew about the 8th day and coagulation, God knew.

There are many such examples of man in all his brilliance, having to catch up with the biology, science, math, astronomy, etc of the Bible.

I sometimes think that some men will go out of their way to disbelieve anything that the Bible says. They won't believe in the Holy Ghost, but they will believe in great-grandma Lucy speaking to them from "beyond" or haunting their attics. They have trouble believing in demonic possession and Satan but they will totally accept the idea of aliens.

Probably the weirdest secular flex is scientists trying to explain away what happens at death. "The brain is releasing a chemical"; "It's a state of...", etc. It's this or it's that. How do they know for certain?

NASB version

What I really think is that most mankind knows that God is. That frightens them though maybe because if they believe in the God of the Bible, they have to believe the rest of the Bible. They have to believe in eternal consequences and judgment. To believe in God, they would have to accept that they are not gods.

Another reason I think that men believe in the God of the Bible - the Creator, the I AM - is because they are always trying to replicate His work. Man has been trying to create life and re-create what they call the "Big Bang". Why is that?

So, yeah, I have a problem with people willing to be so certain about some things while they scoff at what Christians are certain of.

For anyone interested, here is a site that covers a lot of information to validate Bible evidence. Go to the various links across the top of the page for categories.

Peace

--Free

Bible Study Musings (Acts 1- 3)

For anyone else doing a Bible study, I thought I would share some of the sidelights from my own reading today.

In reading chapters 1 through 3 in Acts, I was paying closer-than-usual attention to the commentaries and other study aids. That is because I am much less familiar with everything in the Bible after the Gospels. 

One of the things mentioned when looking at the authorship of Acts was something called the "Muratorian Canon" (or fragment). I had never, ever heard of this so I checked it out. It's interesting and the Wikipedia article led me to a couple of other things. I am familiar with the Book of Wisdom, but I had not heard of Peter's Apocalypse.

What now?

Yeah. 

So, I look at both of those extra-biblical sources the same as I do things like the Book of Enoch and Bel and the Dragon - with interest but not for serious study. Peter's Apocalypse troubled me for some reason.

Another thing that was pointed out in one of the commentaries is that Acts 2:14 begins the first Christian sermon. It is given by Peter in response to people's reaction to the pouring out of the Spirit.

Speaking of that pouring out of the Spirit, from which people spoke in various tongues, an interesting mention was made. That day of Pentecost -when the people were speaking in various tongues (not their native language) and being understood - reminds us of the opposite happening at the Tower of Babel. I had never thought about that before. This is what the note says:

"Theologically it is possible that Pentecost is the direct opposite of the tower of Babel (cf. Genesis 10-11). As prideful, rebellious humans asserted their independence (i.e., refusal to disperse and fill the earth), God implemented His will by the insertion of multiple languages. Now, in the new age of the Spirit, the nationalism which impedes humans from uniting (i.e., one world government of the eschaton) has for believers been reversed. Christian fellowship across every human boundary (i.e., age, sex, class, geography, language) is the reversal of the consequences of Genesis 3."

Anyway, today's reading was quite exciting. I have made so many notes of things to look further into later. So, don't tell me that Bible study is boring!

Peace

-- Free

P.S.: The specific study aids I used are included with (or added from additional modules) the eSword app on my computer.

Does Anybody Else...?

... Keep a study notebook/journal? For your Bible study, I mean. How has it helped you? 

I think that the best thing to come out of keeping a study notebook is just seeing how far I have come in my understanding of certain things. Whenever I have questions about something in the Bible, I remember a passage from Proverbs 25:2 pointed out by Chuck Missler to think about when we have trouble understanding:

 “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the honor of kings is to search out a matter.”

 As I have pointed out, this past year was my time to do Bible study deeper than I have ever done. I read the passages out loud (or listened to the audio); I keep my notebook, marking out highlights and questions; I use every commentary, dictionary, and any other resources I can find (for which e-Sword is just invaluable); I pray before, during, and after reading; I seek out sermons about whichever passage I as studying, and I make lists of things to follow up on. (By the way, following a reading, I usually look for a corresponding lesson from Missler's Learn the Bible in 24 Hours - which, for some reason, I always call 24 Hours Through the Bible! Here's a video of one lesson.)

I was leafing through my study notebook to extract the questions I've noted up to this point. I am almost 85% of the way through the Bible and am now in the Gospels.

So, I have wondered if anyone else has the same questions I do? Or if anyone has already "searched out" the answer? Here is a shortlist of some questions. A very short list:

• (from Proverbs 8): What does it mean that Wisdom was there with God was making creation?
• (from Kings 11): Solomon turned away. Is he still saved?
• (from 2 Kings 4): Where did the dead who were healed back to life go? Lazarus and the little boy, for example?)
• (from Isaiah 36:11): Are Hebrew and Judah languages different or the same?
• (from Luke 12:14): Should we be concerned with politics and civil matters to the extent we are these days?

One thing I have noticed about keeping a study notebook is that when I review questions I wrote down, I sometimes have found the answer further into my reading. This is another good reason to keep a notebook, I suppose.

So, now as I start my reading today (Matthew 27; Mark 15), I am going to ask again for guidance and understanding of the Word.

Peace

--Free