Bruce Szwast October 16th, 2010

Is everyone really on target?

When I met my wife 20 years ago she was a boycott activist. She joined with others who where Christ minded in identifying corporations who needed some suggestions about their social policies. Back then she actually got some good responses to letters of complaint.

Recently she used to shop at Wal-Mart (boo!) and then wanted a better line of clothing and started going to Stein Mart. She originally tried Target and found a better line of clothes, but then found out Target was a big time abortion and gay rights supporter. My shirts are materially better than Wal-Mart's (boo!) but somehow feel more spiritual than Targets'.

This AM I found out that Wal-Mart (yea!) pays better, has better benefits, and hires more people who need a job and provides job training skills to the less fortunate of our society. I know, I shop Wal-Mart (yea!) all the time. Well, at 5AM, before all the kids come in.

Did you know that Coke is better than Pepsi, Chick-Fill-A is better than Burger King…. The list goes on and it changes from year to year – hard to know for sure these days. The truth is our society is becoming less and less sensitive to what used to be clearly right and wrong. The political ads right now are just insane. The white lie has become blatantly black. Hard to know who the good guys are since we lost the standard of righteousness.

I really appreciate what Philip Yancy had to say (as I did David Horowitz last week – with a few documented exceptions – at least he is taking a stand), especially in the last segment. You know the one that seemed to end prematurely (sorry Steve, I have been called a lot worse by Calvinists, whatever you said. I know you are thoughtful).

Mr. Yancey was so hopeful that maybe we can turn this thing around. We just need to choose to take on those who choose to do evil and subdue the earth as God commanded (Gen1:26-28 – wild animals are the least of our concerns). The heroes of Hebrews 11 did it; many of our past presidents did it; our grandparents did it; why can't we?

As I disagree with Calvinists that we should only worry about the elect (don't those who run for office first have to declare themselves a candidate?), I also disagree with those who believe Jesus will rescue the elect before the roof falls in – Genesis seems to indicate that Noah and his family were the last survivors of a pre-flood holocaust.

Not just window dressing, but food for thought. Next week we will see what Mr. Ross has come with concerning gravity. I know Mr. Hawkings has little regard for God's Word and I would hope Mr. Ross understands the gravity of his usage of God's Word.

Mark October 22nd, 2010

Thanks for the interview. I love Philip Yancey and how he asks real-world questions that both Christians and non-Christians ask. Roconciling pain and God's role is really hard, and it may be semantics, but a verse that has meant a lot to me personally is….
"The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him; let him put his mouth in the dust–there may yet be hope; let him give his cheek to the one who strikes, and let him be filled with insults. For the LORD will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men.
–Lamentations 3:24-32

I think it speaks to all of us, but is really talking about Jesus.

David November 9th, 2010

Hey, I know this comment is a bit late, but I liked Philip Yancey's assuming that Joni Earickson Tada has been on Steve Brown Etcetera. I also noticed the casts' silence. So how about it?

Darrell November 19th, 2010

Why would God cause the flood (a judgement on the earth because of the wickedness man – Genesis 6:6-8 The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. The LORD said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them." But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.) if a holocaust had already wiped out the wicked? It is clear from Genesis 6 God's reason for bringing the flood. Where are you reading about a pre-flood holocaust?

Bruce Szwast November 22nd, 2010

Darrell, you do ask a multi-layered question. Here is multi-layered answer. First of all I should have been clearer about:

'Genesis seems to indicate that Noah and his family were the last survivors of a pre-flood holocaust.'

By survivors I meant those who were considered 'righteous'. A line of people from Adam to Noah who saw meaning in God's provision of 'garments of skin' for Adam and Eve. God did not shear a sheep and make wool (a Wal-Mart item); He instituted death by the slaughter of the first animal sacrifice to atone for the first sin. Gen 3.

Abel learned the hard way what the word holocaust meant in Genesis 4: His offering of 'the best of his flock' was accepted by God as being 'righteous'. Cain just brought some of the 'fruits of the soil', and was not acceptable to God. Cain's frustration turned to jealousy which in turn became anger, and then murder, even though God was still instructing Cain on how to avoid being 'wicked'. Cain is then banished to Nod and a brief history of Cain's offspring includes a murder that is boasted about.

Back to the 'west' and the end of Gen 4, and about the very good possibility of a continuous offering for sin made by the righteous (which continued after the flood by Noah, Shem, etc – one of whom may have been Melchizidek who essentially handed it over to Abraham, and on and on until the perfect sacrifice of Christ: they looked forward, we look backward.)

25. Adam lay with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, "God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him."
26. Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time men began to call on the name of the LORD.

And Gen 5 records what should be considered a 'righteous line' from Adam to Noah (including Abel and Enoch – Heb. 11). With 'other sons and daughters', not only 'back to the west', but also in Nod, we see a development of 'righteous' and 'wicked' cultures – same as today. If you run the numbers you see 1656 years of cultural development from the Beginning until the Flood – judgment for the wicked.

In America today, we 'still' have our religious freedoms protected (includes the righteous), and few other places. I suppose my question to you Darrell is: what happened to all the righteous before the Flood, and what happens to all the righteous before Jesus returns with judgment for the wicked?

And in the context of the Yancy discussion, what are we doing to protect the religious freedoms of the righteous and are we being preachers of righteousness, as those before the Flood?

Bruce Szwast November 25th, 2010

Hey Darrell, the chart below (best I can do in this format – hope the spacing works – if not, maybe Eric #2, The Producer will allow me to post some good charts, or I will send you a cd) represents 'running the numbers' on the Genesis 11:10-27 genealogy of post flood patriarchs:

1558 ==== 1658 ==== 1758 ==== 1858 ==== 1958 ==== 2058 ==== 2158 ==== 2258
Shem ——————————————————————————2158
Flood (1656)
Arphaxad 1658———————————————————–2096
Salah 1693—————————————————–2126
Eber 1723————————————————————-2187
Melchizedek appearance (2092)
Peleg 1757—————————-1996
Tower of Babel (1762)
Reu 1787———————–2026
Serug 1819————————2049
Nahor 1849————–1997
Terah 1878——————-2083
Abraham 2008———————-2183

Year 1558 is a carry over from Genesis 5 genealogy and Shem's year of birth, since Creation.

On my last post I mentioned

'a continuous offering for sin made by the righteous (which continued after the flood by Noah, Shem, etc – one of whom may have been Melchizidek who essentially handed it over to Abraham, and on and on until the perfect sacrifice of Christ: they looked forward, we look backward'

I have been thinking about this for a few days, and this statement needs some clarification and correction. Abraham did sacrifice a 'ram in the thickets' instead of Isaac (Gen 22:13) and Jacob did a few (Gen 31:54 and Gen 46:1), but no mention of any sacrifice while 215 years in Egypt, until Moses in Exodus 3:18 (before Sinai) where it appears again. Abraham, aside from being The Man (of Faith) was more a diplomat and warrior and peace maker, and not a 'priest', as well as the others mentioned.

The chart above illustrates a 'developing' theory on the 'priest forever in the order of Melchizidek'. A study of the first four names (Shem, Arphaxad, Salah, and Eber) above is fascinating. They must have been legendary in their age and we see that Eber outlived Abraham. Where did they live? Shangri-La had nothing on these guys. With Peleg we see the Tower of Babel incident, and the breakup of post-flood unity. Terah we find in Ur practicing idolatry, and starts out for Canaan but does not make it. God calls Abraham to finish the journey. Was the purpose of getting Abraham to Canaan to establish Israel's claim to the Promised Land, make peace with the Philistines, fight off the kings from the east (who said terrorism is a new war), and protect what remains of the priesthood (those four patriarchs) who may have lived in what is now Jerusalem (why not?).

After the death of Eber, what happened to the priesthood? Was it continued in Canaan until Israel returned in conquest (or at least the Exodus and Sinai?), or did it move somewhere else. Not sure, but Jethro, a priest of Midian (Exodus 3:1), or Moses' first father-in-law, plays an important and instructional role in Moses' second 40 years, as well as his third 40 years. Moses for 40 years was somebody; the next 40 years a nobody, but the last 40 – what God can do with somebody who is nobody?

I am approaching a full page limit, am in a lot of hot water, and we have to get the Turkey ready. Happy Thanksgiving everyone – I have Good Friday off, still religious; have Columbus Day off, still patriotic; and have Black Friday off (golf), still eternally grateful. Boy that sums it up.

Bruce Bronson December 7th, 2010

Hey Darrell. I suspect you are not a young earth creationist, but I suppose you believe in the world-wide flood of Noah's time, and have you seen all the chatter about 'someone building an ark in Kentucky'? The news media and other scoffers are having a field day with this news. I know the guys here at work are 'stereo scoffing' over the cube walls. I feel like Noah!

Not sure but Gen 6 and Scripture do not seem to indicate if anyone else knew of Noah's long term building project but sure seems like history is repeating itself. Just the mention of a world-wide calamity and judgement brings the scoffers out of the woodwork.

But I do believe we have to be hopeful about this. The AIG Creation Museum has brought to reality many scientific concepts about how God did it all – still a long way to go though. And an Ark Project would certainly go along way toward explaining about 'how did Noah get so many dinosaur's on that little boat' and 'where did all the water go'? After their own kinds you know, and we really do not know how much water is on the earth, yet alone below it.

These are scoffing questions that if anyone with a reasonable attitude and an inquisitive mind, can find reasonable and satisfactory answers for. Of course like many faith issues, we have to show God we really want answers; or, you have to believe it to see it (faith to faith…).

jeff cambeis December 13th, 2010

I am do not think we can claim what God is doing in a particular situation. God expects us to act as adults. In the OT there were prophets to declare what God's will specifically was.
Our Job is to cling to Him.
Job is also a poetic book, you can not draw hard universal doctrines from that. You cant make the claim that God worked this way in Job, this is how he works in every circumstance.

Bruce Bronson January 11th, 2011

Hello Jeff. I was looking at a previous entry about the 'eternal priesthood of Melchizedek' that was posted before yours and mine:

"A line of people from Adam to Noah who saw meaning in God's provision of 'garments of skin' for Adam and Eve. God did not shear a sheep and make wool (a Wal-Mart item); He instituted death by the slaughter of the first animal sacrifice to atone for the first sin. Gen 3. And how this was carried forward by Shem and his descendents, Melchizedek, and possibly thru Jethro (a priest of Midian) until the Law of Sinai, O.T. Israel, and eventually fulfilled by Christ's death."

I am not sure if you are reacting to what I said or what the other Bruce said? Maybe both and I will assume both for now.

I felt that previous entry helps to put the entire Bible and history into a 'right perspective'. The Old Testament records how God accomplished His Purposes despite Israel's failure as a nation to obey God's Word, which the Prophets kept reminding them of (and even the Church today).

It is painful to read the Old Testament and see the pain and suffering inflicted by God on Israel (and eventually the world around them) when they ignored the Law which in summary defined how they were to be different from and at the same time a witness to the rest of the world. It is also exciting and glorious to see what happened when Israel agreed to obey and see the blessings of God return not only to His people but also the world around them. Blessings and curses!

The New Testament picks up on that same theme. Of course it is all about Jesus the Christ (The Priest Forever) and what He did, but it is also about what He said and how Paul and the others elaborated on how we are to be different from and at the same time a witness to the rest of the world. It is also exciting and glorious to see what happens when we agree to obey and see the blessings of God return not only to His people but also the world around them. Blessings and curses!

I do have a secret vanity Jeff. I would love to see my name listed in Hebrews 11 (right after Jacob, please). I know there is a bigger list, but I would like to think I could be part of that exclusive list that did remarkable things for God or most definitely and most appropriately, let God do remarkable things thru me. Of course if you are a hyper Calvinist, all bets are off – everything is virtually meaningless.

Ps I also have a fervent prayer: that we would begin discussing Genesis 1-9 as God intended it – perfection created, sin and death revealed, redemption promised, ultimate judgment demonstrated, and a New Creation longed for. Instead we water it down (or ignore it) because it is too controversial, or too hard to explain, is not relevant in our culture today, or we just do not fully believe it.

It is 'In the Beginning' for a reason.