Regarding Time

 

Try to think the implications of living in a state where time does not exist. What would this mean? If a person is self-aware and is active, he can recognize that “a moment ago I did X and in a moment I will do Y”. We can always recognize the difference between what just happened versus now versus what will happen after ‘now’.

I believe the error here is in thinking of time as a river through which one travels, rather than our perception of our existence from moment to moment. If there is no sun and moon by which to categorize events, the flow of time would be relatively imperceptible. If death is no longer extant, then one would not think in terms of ‘I only have x many years left to live, especially since days and years are unrecognizable.

We would not even be able to say, ‘meet me at location X in a week from tomorrow’, for aside from an arbitrary/fabricated measuring of moments, the meaning of week and tomorrow are meaningless. It makes the most sense to think of ‘there will be no time’ as “we will live forever”, and death is no longer an issue.

When we say that God lives outside of time, we are ultimately saying that death has no connection to him. Even if there is still day and night, and the regular cycle of days, months, and years, time, for man will still be ultimately meaningless, for we will never die but will always be growing in holiness.

Always ask the question

 

How do you feel/think when someone says to you, “Don’t question me, just believe me and trust that I am right?” No one person has the knowledge or authority to make such a statement. Everything should be questioned within the proper understanding of authority. If you are diagnosed with cancer, you can seek out the opinion of two, three, or more doctors. If they all agree, you are most likely safe in believing their collective assessment.

But even then, the decision to act or not is still yours. And the decision on how to respond is yours as well. Does one ignore the assessment of the experts, does one follow an alternative path to health that may or may not result in the best consequences, or does one fully follow the direction of his doctors? As with anything, there are a multitude of variables and approaches.

It is wisdom that is required to respond in the best way, but a response is unavoidable. To do nothing is a response, to do the opposite is a response and an odd one, and to blindly follow is a response as well. The best response is to gather information, understand it as holistically as possible, and to draw an informed conclusion.

Within the context of the spiritual world, the same argument can be made. One can simply ignore the fact that every known culture has acknowledged the existence of deity, or one can embrace the religious beliefs of his culture without giving it any thought, or one can study, learn, grow, mature and draw informed conclusions, seeking to understand as many variables as possible.

Language, Names, and Identity

 

Regarding angels and demons. What about their language? Do they automatically have the ability to speak any language? Is there any sort of learning curve? 

What about their names? Why would we presume that they were given names at their creation, when men are given names by their parents? If they are given names, from what culture do these names arise? Are there any named ‘Carl’, or ‘Larry’ or ‘Akhenaten’ or ‘Glarb’? In Scripture, we are given the names of some angels, but these names have a very European or Middle Eastern sound to them? Does this mean that when they were named, those locations were somehow normal? 

Or were these names given to their original audience to make them feel more connected? If so, do these beings actually have ‘real’ names? Without names, they can hardly be said to have an identity. Could they be unnamed creatures that are merely part of divisions or categories, such as cherubim, seraphim, etc.?

Every person born since the beginning of time was given a name, which was formed within the culture the child was born into. Without a name, there is no identity. What would a person, an angel, or a demon think of himself as without a name?

Understanding the End

 

At the end of history, we don’t really know how it will look. The Bible gives very little detail of that event, and the imagery that it does use is based on ancient symbolism and metaphor. Understanding how to interpret this imagery is very difficult, if at all possible. 

We can know that mankind will live on the planet in physical form, in the same way that Adam and Eve did. And we do know that death will have been eradicated and that God will be everywhere present. Being surrounded by his holiness will be the standard way of life, which will be a glorious situation for those who sought after holiness, but it will be unpleasant for those who did not.

The Question of Authority

 

After thirty years as a Protestant arguing and debating with other Protestants, evangelicals, and quasi-Christian groups, it occurred to me that the problem was not the Scripture or the Christian faith but the methodology and presumptions of so many that called themselves Christians. The points of argumentation and debates always devolved to the point of “this is how I interpret that passage and that is how you interpret that passage”, in short, a stalemate.

Ultimately it came down to private interpretation. Because there was no ultimate authority outside of the individual’s interpretation, nothing could be resolved. Even in the off chance that I would “win” an argument and convince someone to join my particular version of Protestantism, the problem was still the same. The converting individual was still in the same place of interpreting for themselves what the Scriptures meant.

This explains the reason for the existence of ten thousand different denominations, all calling themselves followers of Jesus Christ. The problem is not the level of devotion or the intent of each person, but of the foundational question of authority. To whom do you look to rightly understand the Scriptures and Christian history? Do you interpret these on your own, or do you look to that which the apostles handed down to each generation?

Personal Responsibility

 

When you live in a culture where the majority are actively pursuing moral decline, depravity, and perversion, it is important to remember that by that point in time, there is likely no reversal possible. The real value of recognizing one’s place in all of this is in understanding that though you won’t be able to change the end result of that culture as a whole, you are responsible to personally follow holiness and be a positive impact on those in your circle of influence.

As individuals, we cannot save the world, no political party can change the world, no individual can save the world. Jesus Christ has already accomplished the work of giving eternal life. It really is as simple as personally pursuing holiness, loving God, and loving your neighbor. 

If we are not structuring our life around love, then we are doing something wrong.

Moral and Artistic Decline

 

It seems that for the most part, excellence in the arts has been lost and/or redefined. It seems that well-crafted music or art is no longer the standard but has been replaced by novelty and shock. The prediction of fifteen minutes of fame has become true. Truly exceptional art is the rare exception and these artists do not merely enjoy fifteen minutes of fame but decades or centuries of fame.

When truly good art is created, it has a lifespan far greater than the life of the artist because it is built on hard work, training, and excellence. All of this comes as no surprise, for with greater amounts of money and free time, artistic expression follows the path of what is most entertaining or distracting for the moment. That which distracts the quickest and easiest and which appeals to the baser passions is what will sell.

The loss of objective morality is quickly followed by immoral distraction.