So far, we have talked about the eleven dimensions in general and those which define our existence here on the Earth. Now let’s look at the next three dimensions that are related to time.

Dimension       Defined                            Spiritual Significance
5                          Fluid Time                       Time Travel
6                          Multiple Worlds            Potential Decisions
7                          Multiple Worlds            Sheol / Tartaru
                           with Each on a
                           Different Timeline

While the fifth dimension is believed to be where time itself is fluid, meaning one can travel backwards and forwards in time, there may be some restrictions to it. While this dimension seems to imply that idea, the higher dimensions seem to imply that going back in time may not be possible. The thought is that the past represents decisions that have already been decided and enacted. Therefore, those decisions cannot be reversed. However, the future represents the choice of innumerable decisions that may be made but have not yet been made. The present is the fulcrum between the past and the future. Once a decision is made, it becomes part of our past and therefore unchangeable. It is no longer a series of options.

You may think time travel is not possible, but the Bible does give us several examples:

Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading (Jn 6:21).

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!” (Jn 20:26).

When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea (Ac 8:39-40).

The transfiguration may have been a time-travel event for Moses and Elijah (Mt 17:1-9; Mk 9:2-10; Lk 9:28-36; see the post Time Travel in the Bible?). But let’s remember that only God can do time travel or allow time travel by others—at least as far as we currently know.

The sixth dimension tells us there are multiple worlds—other Earths—that exists. They are formed due to the different decisions that individuals can make which puts them on a different course for their future. One can travel between these parallel worlds, but only at the same time stamp within each world. So, what would this mean from a spiritual point of view? Because this dimension is where all decisions are made available, this sounds very much like one having free will to make any decision available to them. Our future is based upon today’s decisions and is not set until decisions become our past.

The seventh dimension allows parallel worlds to exist that are on a different timeline from our own world with experiences that may be different from our own reality. From a spiritual perspective, this could be referring to Sheol. It is considered part of the Time Realm because this will also come to an end and has partly done so already. Up until Christ’s crucifixion, this dimension was connected with dimensions (0-4) where everyone’s souls dwell. After Christ’s crucifixion, the righteous in this dimension were taken to the 8th dimension and going forward, souls who were considered righteous go to the 8th dimension while all others still go to the 7th dimension.

Travel to the 7th dimension (Sheol) is only one way with a few exceptions:
Samuel returning from Sheol to speak to Saul (1Sa 28:3-19)
Those whom prophets resurrected (1Ki 17:17-24; 2Ki 4:18-37; 13:20-21)
Those whom Christ resurrected: widow of Nain’s son (Lk 7:11-17), Jairus’ daughter (Lk 8:49-56), and Lazarus returning from Sheol to this life (Jn 11:1-44)
Those resurrected at the time of Christ’s resurrection (Mt 27:50-54).

Before Christ rose again, it was a place for both the righteous and unrighteous: In Hades [Sheol], where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side . . . Between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us (Lk 16:23).

The righteous were removed from Sheol by Christ: When you ascended on high, you took many captives, you received gifts from people, even from the rebellious – that you, LORD God, might dwell there (P 68:18), and This is why it says, “When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.” (Ep 4:8).

In addition, this is also the dimension where Christ created Tartarus as a sub-dimension within Sheol. It contains angels who left their 9th dimensional form to transfer into a 4th dimensional form and married the daughters of men to form the Nephilim (Gn 6:1). The apostle Peter also references this action: For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to Tartarus, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment . . . Then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment (2Pt 2:4,9). This dimension may likely become the Lake of Fire after the Great White Throne Judgment (Rv 20:11).

Next time we will look at the higher dimensions which form the spiritual realm. Please join me.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In my last couple of posts, we talked about the need/requirement for eleven different dimensions. The first four of those (including the zero dimension) encompass our existence—not only physical but our eternal spiritual existence as well. Let’s look at this further.

Dimension       Defined             Spiritual Significance
0                          Point                   Soul
1                          Line                     Spiritual Existence
2                          Plane                  Spirit
3                          Cube                   Physical Existence
4                          Tesseract           Time

As we discussed earlier, the zero dimension is represented as a point which has location but no length, width, or height. Yet, it seems this dimension has a hint of eternality with it as well, as some believe our universe as we know it came from this dimension which some refer to as the Big Bang. This seems to suggest a type of circular phenomena as the eleventh dimension has all the quantum building blocks of nature and it seems these came through the zero dimension to create our known world with all its laws of nature. While this is not how the Bible describes creation, it is consistent in that it came from God, who would be represented by the eleventh dimension.

From a spiritual point of view, it would seem the zero dimension has traits that are consistent with the traits of our souls. They have location but no physical characteristics. And they have eternality as well and are connected to the eleventh dimension as that dimension represents God himself. The soul also exists even when one’s physical body no longer does.

This then brings us to the first dimension, represented as a line. It starts at a point and has infinite length. This ties in well with the trait of a soul because this means the soul exists forever. The line then represents the existence of the soul and the transfer of the soul from one location to another. Once one’s physical existence is no more, the soul then travels this line to either the seventh or eighth dimension. We’ll discuss why that is once we discuss those dimensions.

The second dimension, represented as a plane, is a good analogy for one’s spirit. One’s spirit adds this secondary dimension to one’s soul and is also eternal and will exist when one’s physical nature is no longer.

The third dimension, represented by a cube, is easy for us to envision because we live in a world with length, width, and height. This is the physical world in which we live.

The fourth dimension, represented by a tesseract, is time. This is the dimension in which we live since we experience time in a linear fashion. Time is ever moving forward. This is evident because we age. We live in a 3-D world that moves through time.

There is a spiritual element to our fourth dimension as well. Although there are angels all around us who are God’s messengers, this is not the dimension in which they dwell. Yet, for Satan and his fallen angels, they are confined to this dimension with us.  God transferred them from the 9th dimension after Lucifer’s rebellion. Because they are not originally from our dimension, we cannot see them in their pure form. Yet, time is a linear dimension for them as well as for us. Satan (Lucifer) still has limited access to God: One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD , and Satan also came with them (Jb 1:6), but is confined to Earth otherwise: The LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the LORD, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it” (Jb 1:7).

Satan also has possession of the earth: Again, the devil took him [Jesus] to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me” (Mt 4:8). Because of this and his influence on Adam and Eve to cause them to disobey, death came into existence. Because he now has reign over the kingdom Adam was to lead, he also has reign over death which is now part of this kingdom. This is tied to the seventh dimension which we will talk about later.

Satan also has direct influence on people: Then Satan entered Judas, called Isariot, one of the Twelve (Lk 22:3). While we still have authority over him and his fallen angels, he can have control over us if we let him or if we don’t exercise the authority which God has given to us because of his death, burial, and resurrection. We have been told we have the same power in us that raised Christ from the dead (Ep 1: 19-23). So, let’s use that authority we have!

Next time, we’ll look at the dimensions related to time. I hope you join me for that discussion.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In my last post, we talked about the different dimensions that define our universe and even parallel universes to which we may, someday, have access. I think to put all of this in a proper perspective is to understand our worldview on such a topic.

Which of the following statements would you consider true:
Science is Fact, or
Science is Truth?

The first is true. With what we can know, sense, test, measure, and interpret, science gives us facts for us to know. Yet, the issue is often not the fact itself but our interpretation of that fact. Our interpretation depends upon our worldview. That is, do we believe there is a God or not? Our worldview gives us a biased interpretation of the fact we observe. No one can have an unbiased worldview.

The second statement is false even though we try to justify that it is true. Why do I say that? Well, science is ever evolving and changing. We can only produce fact, or what seems factual, based on the sensitivity of the instruments we use to understand that fact. What we learn today is often something that could not have been known many years prior. Oftentimes we must modify what we thought of as a fact because our new way of measuring or detecting the phenomena around us has led us to new conclusions. So, science always points us toward truth but can never be truth in and of itself.

And what about Scripture? How does that fit into the two statements above? Well, if you ascribe to the dogma that there is no God, then you will likely believe that Scripture and Science cannot coexist together. Yet, if you ascribe to the belief that God does exist, then you likely believe that Scripture and Science will not contradict each other because Scripture is the ultimate source of truth. As I stated above, science points to truth but cannot be truth. Yet, Scripture is truth. Therefore, science points, supports, and acclaims what Scripture teaches.

So, one’s worldview is very important to understand. One needs to be aware of their own bias. Whether you believe in God or not, does not make you bias free in either case. Everyone, and I mean everyone, is biased. So, your biased worldview will dictate how you interpret what science is telling you. It’s never really about the fact, but the interpretation and application of what that fact means.

Also, what you believe about truth does not change or alter truth. Which bias is truth? Well, even if you believe in God, you can still miss the correct interpretation of the fact that has been discovered. In other words, if Scripture cannot support your interpretation, then maybe you need to look for a different interpretation. Now, the Bible isn’t a science textbook for sure, yet it contains all truth. Therefore, can the Bible support your interpretation or not?

Let’s look at our last post about the eleven different dimensions that science, according to M-Theory, tells us exist. Can the Bible support such as assertion? At face value, one may say no, that’s preposterous. But is it? Is it really?

Over the next several posts, I want us to explore what I said in my previous posts about these dimensions in more detail. Over the last one-hundred years or so physicists have attempted to unify the fundamental forces of nature (general relativity) and the atomic and subatomic forces of nature (quantum physics) in our universe into a cohesive whole by suggesting everything can be defined by “strings” (vibration frequencies) and branes (i.e., membranes connecting dimensions), and these two entities connecting to each other. Almost seventy years after Albert Einstein put his theory of relativity together in 1910, scientists began to come up with ways to combine his work and the work on the quantum scale into a generalized theory in an effort to come up with the so-called, “Theory of Everything.” Various versions were made over the next decade to try and achieve that. In 1995, Edward Witten, came up with what he called M-Theory which combined the five versions of string theory in existence at that time and quantum gravity into a model that could describe how we can understand our universe. In this model, he needed 11 different dimensions to make his theory tenable.

From a Scriptural perspective, I think the eleven dimensions can be divided into three categories: those defining our physical existence, those defining time, and those defining spiritual existence. Join me next time as we delve further into this line of thought.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

The idea of various dimensions different and above (or below) our own is a concept that has existed for a long time and has given the science fiction genre loads of ideas for various stories, novels, and sagas that have entertained us for decades. Yet is that all it is, a way to provide stories for entertainment? Is there any reality to other dimensions? Can we really know the truth of their existence if we can’t actually observe them? I thought we’d explore this concept. I don’t claim to be an expert in this area, but I have always been intrigued by it. I will provide my interpretation of what many scientists say about dimensions and then discuss what spiritual and biblical interpretation can be gleaned from this. These are my thoughts and reasonings, so take them with a grain of salt. Yet, I think the biblical perspective can surprise you and help us all to realize that there really is nothing new under the sun (Ec 1:9).

First of all, what is a dimension? It is simply a stage of reality where one higher dimension includes all the reality of the previous dimension but adds another. According to string theory, a scientific framework to try and unify the fundamental forces of nature (general relativity) and the atomic and subatomic forces of nature (quantum physics) in our universe into a cohesive whole by suggesting everything can be defined by “strings” (vibration frequencies) and branes (i.e., membranes which connect dimensions) which connect with each other. Five versions of string theory have been developed, each requiring 10 dimensions to explain our universe. Then, another version was discovered which unites all five of these versions and quantum gravity into a cohesive whole, called M-theory, which requires 11 dimensions to explain our universe. So, that produces eleven stages of reality. Some may describe these slightly differently than I do here. Describing them can become very complicated so I have tried to simply as much as possible. Each higher-level dimension adds an additional reality to the previous dimension:

As we discuss and understand these dimensions, it will, hopefully, become clear how one cannot go back in time and change things but can go forward in time to multivariate experiences because the past is composed of decisions already made and the future is a possibility of various events based upon decisions made. The present is the fulcrum between the two.

Also, I want to address the question of how does our understanding of these dimensions lead to anything biblical? Well, first we need to understand that science points to truth but is not truth itself. After all, science can change as we test new theories and have better and more specialized equipment to measure and view things not previously possible. So, science keeps evolving and giving us new information which helps to refine what truth looks like but never defines truth itself. It supports truth. Truth has no bias. We can’t say the same thing about science.

So, with that introduction, let’s dive into the 12 dimensions which, supposedly, defines our universe—or our universes as the case may be.

0 Dimension
We are taught this represents a point. That means it has a location but does not have length or height or width. Yet, it seems to have extreme potential connected with the infinite. Some believe this was the genesis of the Big Bang which brought all our known world into existence. So, it seems to have some kind of mystery surrounding it. Although being something so primitive, so simplistic, it has infinite implications. Could anything about this be biblical? Well, spiritually, one could think of this as one’s soul. It has a location within us but has eternal significance. It is important. We couldn’t survive without it. It is part of our makeup that has been gifted to us by our Creator. It dwells within the physical but survives beyond the physical into the eternal. Its property of location survives. It’s just that its location changes when the physical is no longer relevant for it.

1st Dimension
We are taught this represents a line. It has length, but that is all. It does not have width or height. What would that represent spiritually? It represents our existence. We exist because we are. A line also starts with a point and ends with a point. Our soul has a location within us and is moved to another location once our physical existence is no more. The final point of this line depends upon the life of our existence.

2nd Dimension
Width is now added to length. This forms a plane. We call this the plane of existence. This could be represented by our spirit. Our spirit adds dimension to our existence and to our soul. Both are in existence with and without the physical. It is connected to the soul, and as the soul changes location, so does our spirit as well when the physical ceases to exist.

3rd Dimension
Height is added to the mix. We exist in three planes: length, width, and height. So, this adds in our physical existence. Our body cannot operate in any dimension less than three dimensions. So, we have moved from soul, to spirit, to physical being. These are three separate entities that are entwined into one being. These three represent, and complement, our existence.

4th Dimension
Time is now added to the previous three. Time marches on in a linear fashion. This is the dimension in which we live. Our aging is proof of this fact. We live in a three-dimensional world that moves through time which cannot be stopped or reversed. So, our physical being is altered by time, but not our soul or spirit.

5th Dimension
Now, what about the 5th dimension? This goes beyond our current experience. In this dimension, it is thought that time becomes fluid. Some have referred to this as time travel. Just like if you get in your car and travel from New York to Phoenix, you can also drive back to New York. So, in this dimension, it would allow one to travel forward or backward in time without restriction. Yet, as we will see, some of the higher dimensions may put restrictions on this concept. Yet, this dimension holds the realization of fluid time in which the other higher dimensions can operate in and manipulate further. What about biblically? Well, perhaps this is the basis for how many prophets saw and reported on visions which God allowed them to see. Since our future is the result of many individual decisions we make, how could these prophetic visions be accurate? Well, God operates in a higher dimension, so he is the one guiding these prophetic visions of the future. That is the only way these prophets’ visions can remain accurate across all future timelines. Perhaps that is also why they are often provided somewhat in vague detail so that they incorporate many decisional scenarios that mankind can make.

6th Dimension
Once we reach the 6th dimension, we discover that there are other worlds—other Earths—that exists. They are formed due to the different decisions that individuals make which put them on a different course for their future. One can travel between these parallel worlds, but only at the same time stamp within each world. While the 5th dimension allows one to travel through time in their own universe, one is restricted in the 6th dimension to travel between parallel worlds only at an identical time in each parallel world. Perhaps this would explain why time travel in the past is not possible but in the future it is. Since our past is made from decisions already experienced, our past cannot be altered. Yet, our future is composed of countless choices that individuals can make and, thereby, alter the course of their future and even the course of mankind itself depending upon the importance of that decision. Therefore, there are endless futures available with the present being the fulcrum between the unchanging past and the endless possible futures. Perhaps this represents our free will—our ability to choose our decisions which sets us down on one of many paths that are open to us.

7th Dimension
Now, we come to the 7th dimension. This dimension allows parallel worlds to exist that are on different timelines from our own world. So, what worlds, or dimensions, would have an alternate timeline than ours here on the Earth? Perhaps this dimension would explain Sheol. Sheol was created in three parts (righteous Sheol, unrighteous Sheol, and Tartarus) with each created at a different time with one part already ceasing to exist (righteous Sheol). These are spiritual worlds that are beyond us in our present physical state. Yet, they are real from a spiritual perspective. Before Christ came, everyone went to Sheol when they died. Tartarus was a place built within Sheol for the angels who disobeyed God and took human wives producing the Nephilim (Gn 6; 2Pt 2:4). At some point after Christ’s crucifixion, he brought those in righteous Sheol to Paradise (Ps 68:18), the 8th dimension, which is discussed next.

8th Dimension
In the 8th dimension, there are parallel worlds operating on physics principles different from here on this Earth creating different natural laws and experiences: maybe silicon-based life forms, worlds where other species are the dominant lifeform, or where time dilation fields exist, or other phenomena we have never experienced in our reality, just to name a few. Travel between any and all worlds are allowed, but only at a designated time. Some have designated this dimension as the multiverse. From a biblical perspective, this would allow the spiritual reality and our reality to bleed into each other. However, we need to understand that those in higher dimensions can travel to lower dimensions, but typically not vice versa without the assistance from someone living in a higher dimension. Perhaps this dimension also represents Eden, or Paradise because it operates on different physics principles than here on this Earth. This would be higher than Sheol because Christ brought the righteous from Sheol to Eden, or Paradise (Ps 68:18; Ep 4:8), so that we can now be with Christ once we die (2Co 5:8).

9th Dimension
The 9th dimension is like the 8th dimension except time is no longer a restriction. One can travel between any and all parallel worlds and at any time in either parallel world. Some have called this dimension the super multiverse. From a biblical perspective, this is the angelic realm and would explain the visitation of angels as God’s heavenly messengers to specific individuals on Earth.

10th Dimension
In the 10th dimension, not only can one travel between any and all worlds, but at any time between any world thereby understanding the past, present, and future of all worlds simultaneously. From a biblical perspective, it shows how God or other spiritual beings can tell humans about their future because, for them, it has already occurred. It supports the Christophanies presented in the Old Testament and allows the visions God gave the Apostle John about future events. This is also likely the dimension in which God’s council operates as they are above all and everyone except God himself (Ps 89:7) as well as the special angels like cherubim, seraphim, and living creatures who operate in the presence of God (Ek 1, 10; Is 6; Rv 4).

11th Dimension
It seems the 11th dimension is the dimension from which all the other dimensions originated. This would likely also be the dimension in which God himself dwells and operates as he is above all and all things originate with him. Perhaps this is the realm where God would appear as one and all lower dimensions show him to be three-in-one as lower dimensions cannot completely display him as he exists in this highest dimension. The lower dimensions do not dilute his character or his power, just how he is revealed to them.

We could likely go on and on about this topic, but I hope this gives you a least a taste of how science and the Bible can go hand in hand. As stated earlier, science points to truth, but never is truth. Yet, the Bible is the source of all truth. And I think using scripture and our imagination, we can see how the topic of dimensions can also be supported from a biblical perspective, just maybe not in the same way that some scientists may describe them. After all, they have not been to these dimensions either, so our spiritual interpretation can be just as valid as their non-spiritual interpretation. That’s my view anyway.

I hope this has helped you see a vision of the Bible in a unique way to show you that God is never ignorant about what science tells us. After all, he was there when it all unfolded because he made it so. Our findings never surprise him.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In the last post, we talked about the possibility of an event I call the Revival of Unity to be at our doorstep. If this is indeed true, it means we are on the verge of something unprecedented, exciting, and beyond our current comprehension. And if so, what does this mean for us?

We should not assume restrictions upon God or assume he will work in a certain way. We need to be open to what God will do without limiting our mind on what he will do. We need to be on his page and not expect him to be on ours. Only then are we free to be in his will and be a part of his ultimate plan for us and for the world.

And how do we then prepare for this? Well, whether one believes it is time for the Rapture or time for a Great Harvest of Souls, our response should be the same. We need to lift our fellow believers up to God in prayer and ask God to empower all his children. We need to pray within the armor of God, resist the devil, and pray for God’s favor. We should remind ourselves that our battle is a spiritual one and fight on our knees. We should pray for God’s will to be done and not what we wish to have done. We need to let our hearts be open to however he desires to work and whatever character of his he wishes to express. Bottom line: Armor up and yield yourself to the Holy Spirit.

Here is a poem that expresses these thoughts and wishes:

Armor Up

Heavenly Father, our world has become a confusing place.

Yet, your Word has told us of the coming of such a thing.

We believe a paradigm shift is coming, and at a feverish pace.

Similar to that at your first coming – this truth in our heart does ring.

Many were unprepared for your first arrival and what they had to face.

We want to operate with you during this time and what you will bring.

Help us not to hinder in how you will work to extend your grace.

May all darts of our enemy fail and allow your truth through us to sing.

Let us rest in you and allow our shield of faith against those darts to brace.

May the helmet of our salvation cause our minds to focus on you, our king.

And our breastplates of righteousness forge ahead battling for truth in our race.

May our shoes, the gospel of peace, bring knowledge swiftly of you as if on a wing.

Allow us to battle with the Sword of the Spirit, your very words we embrace,

Which stand the test of time and their truth for eternity will ring.

Keep our hearts and minds open to you as we grow in love and grace.

Causing our faith to deepen despite the enemy from all sides pressing.

Your peace dispels the darkness even in the valley giving it no space.

Your light abolishes despair and anguish for your brilliance is so piercing.

In you there is no darkness; none at all – not even a trace.

All becomes clear if we rest in you and to your truth we cling.

Thank you, Father, for your faithfulness, your Word, and your Son

Who gives us relationship which for us you have forever won.

--Randy C. Dockens--

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In my last post I showed how the church has gone the same route as did Israel in creating disunity within its ranks and structure. Because of this disunity, and because of the increased persecution of Christians around the world, some look forward to the Rapture as a means of rescue. Yet, it may be that God is setting us up for something more foundational: unity with him.

There are two ideas that are currently prominent about what event should occur next according to biblical thinking. One is a Revival of Unity. This makes sense as Christ came to make unity of Israel’s disunity and the unity between himself and us. Now, Christ will make unity of the church before he receives her as his bride. Paul stated that he wanted to present Christ’s church to him in unity in the faith (Ep 4:13) and as a bride without blemish (Ep 2:27). There are things mentioned in Daniel chapter 7, Joel chapters 1 and 2, Habakkuk 2;14, Matthew 24:14, and other places that speak of things happening where things will look and become extremely bleak and almost hopeless, then the Lord steps in suddenly, power is given to his followers, and restoration of many things occur with one of these being unity between God and his church. This allows a revival, a harvest of souls, before Christ finally comes for his own, because these verses state than after these things occur, “then the end will come.”

The other event is the Rapture which we find in 1st Thessalonians 4 and in 1st Corinthians 15. This is a snatching away of those who believe in Jesus Christ so that he can then deal with Israel as a nation and deal with those who have chosen to reject him.

Both events are in Scripture. We should pray for revival and at the same time prepare for his coming. We should never put God in a box and assume he will work a certain way but be prepared to operate in the direction he leads. The order of Revival of Unity and then the Rapture makes sense as it will make a stark contrast between the outcomes before and after this event so people will know the Lord was involved in the disappearance of so many people. Also, this will allow the different beliefs in the Rapture Event to coalesce into one.

There are four different views of the timing of the Rapture: (1) before the Tribulation Period where believers are saved from God’s wrath which has been termed the seven-year Tribulation Period. What defines the timing of God’s wrath is what defines the other views regarding the timing of the Rapture; (2) mid-way during the Tribulation Period, as some believe the second half of the Tribulation Period, termed the Great Tribulation, is God’s Wrath because it is more severe than the first half of this time period; (3) three-quarters during the Tribulation Period, as some believe that the Tribulation is broken up into Man’s wrath, Satan’s Wrath, and God’s Wrath, and only the very last part is considered to be God’s Wrath from which believers will be protected, and (4) no Rapture Event at all. It is possible for these views to collapse into one.

Now if we look at the Time of the Gentiles, that is, the Church Era, it can be divided into four sections:

(1) The Early Church. This was when the Holy Spirit was first given and was allowed to work miraculously causing many to accept Christ as their Savior and they could then replicate what they had seen, heard, and experienced.

(2) The Decline of the Church. Unfortunately, this started not too long after the expansion of the Church throughout the Roman Empire. Greek, Hellenistic, and Gnostic thought processes began to infiltrate biblical interpretation and Church structure. The Church became hierarchical in structure which created an environment for those at the top of this hierarchy to crave power more than Christ. This inhibited the working of the Holy Spirit because those in influential seats of power were not allowing the Holy Spirit to lead them. Anyone who spoke out against them and their hypocrisy revealing that individuals had the power of the Holy Spirit to bring others to Christ rather than relying on the Church organization itself to achieve such a feat were suppressed by those in power, their validity attacked and made out to be heretics, and Church officials had many of these individuals put to death. Therefore, the gifts of the Holy Spirit became suppressed without people now seeking them or even knowing about them.

(3) The Reformation of the Church. This was a reawakening of the Church to many aspects of the Early Church but still with many weights and flaws of the previous hundreds of years by misguided leaders. Satan was quick to jump on this bandwagon to cause doctrinal disputes which split the church into an ever-increasing number of factions. With no one willing to listen to those trying to counter their waywardness and being unwilling to listen to correction or warning, it created more and more factions until, today, there are hundreds of various denominations which cannot get along and which bicker with each other rather than seeing how to unite under Christ.

(4) The Revival of Unity. This is a true reawakening of the Church to the Early Church beliefs and practices. Some call this the Kingdom Age, but I believe it is not so much a new thing, but a returning to something the Church once was. It is believed we will see the Holy Spirit being outpoured in significant ways that will likely jar many as we may again see signs and wonders by the Holy Spirit as a true testament to his power. As in the Early Church, this will lead many to put their faith in Jesus Christ. I can’t say with certainty this is true, but we should not limit what God can, and will, do. What he has done in the past, he can certainly do again. We live in unprecedented times, and I’m sure God will work in unprecedented ways.

The Jewish leaders during the time of Christ had to come to grips with things not going as they believed. We must do the same. By adding in this fourth part of Church history, it becomes obvious as to when God’s Wrath will start, so the three Rapture beliefs coalesce into one timing of the Rapture. Of course, those who do not believe in a Rapture at all would see this fourth part of Church history to move directly into Christ’s second coming. But there is still much prophecy in both the Old and New Testaments that must be fulfilled between the Rapture and Christ’s second coming.

If all of this is true, and it does seem to be supported by Scripture, how are we supposed to prepare for these events? Stay with me, and we’ll discuss this next time.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In our last posts, I went over why there was so much disunity within Israel at the time Christ arrived on the scene. Because of this disunity, Jesus came on the scene as a prophet.

Jesus fulfilled the role of a prophet because the religious and ruling forces were not focused upon what God wanted them focused on. His teachings appeared so radical because Israel and its leaders had drifted so far from the original intent of the Law that God had given to Moses. It is likely Moses himself would not have thought Jesus to be so radical because Moses understood God wanted a relationship with his people (Dt 7:6-8) and the laws given were for that purpose and not just something to be followed to appease God.

Many compromises had been made by the Jewish leaders to make the Jewish religion more convenient for them to live in their world. It went from a religion about relationships to one of keeping rules and traditions which redefined their definition of righteousness. To them, obeying the rules and traditions of the Law is what imputed righteousness to them rather than seeing their shortcomings (Mt 23:23) and inability to follow all the laws and, therefore, needed their Messiah to come to impute his righteousness to them.

The Jews’ physical oppression led them to ignore all else Scripture said about the Messiah’s coming, and they believed he would rescue them from their Roman oppression. Yet Christ focused on something more foundational: their unity with him.

Unity is the key upon what Christ focused. While he said he came to create division (Lk 12:51), he was talking about the division between the falsehood being taught and the truth of Scripture. Yet, in him and through him he desired unity for all. Jesus said, My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one – I in them and you in me – so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me (Jn 17:20-23).

In almost every one of Paul’s epistles, especially Ephesians and Colossians, he also focused on unity because unity focuses on relationship; religion focuses on mankind’s obedience which Satan can weaponize.

Church history shows us that the church has taken the same route as did Israel. With power came corruption. The relationship between God and his church was turned into a religion which Satan was able to weaponize by creating disunity which caused God’s people to turn on each other. The church became more secular with less reliance on the Holy Spirit and thus a decline in gifts of the Holy Spirit, or even what they were and how to use them correctly. Differences became new denominations which created further disunity and created animosity even between Christians themselves. Christians have also become oppressed – some places more so than others. We, too, are looking for a rescue, but perhaps Christ wants us to focus on something more foundational as well: our unity with him.

Tune in next time as we explore this idea further and how God may restore his unity within his church.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In our last post, I presented several examples of how God had presented himself to many people, in person, through Christophanies, through angels, and through the Holy Spirit. The Jews and their leaders had all these examples as well, so why was Israel not ready for the Messiah? Because of disunity. Anytime a God-human relationship is turned into a religion, disunity develops because Satan can exploit humans and their desires. Satan created distractions so they could not focus and accept the paradigm change they actually taught and believed. The Messiah’s coming was key to their belief system, so what happened to cause them to miss it?

From the time of Malachi, the last prophet and last book of the Old Testament until the announcement of the birth of Christ by the angel Gabriel to Mary, was what has been termed the 400 years of prophetic silence where, as far as we know, there was no prophetic word from God. That’s a long time – about twice as long as the United States has existed.

Yet a lot happened during this timeframe. Daniel did prophesy about this time period long before it arrived, and his prophecy about these events were fulfilled during this time. Alexander the Great came upon the scene and captured the known world in record time. He was only a few years over the age of 30 when he became ruler of the known world. Yet, his reign was short-lived, and his kingdom was divided into four parts with the Seleucid Kingdom becoming one of the most dominant ones for the nation of Israel.

One of its rulers, Antiochus Epiphanes, desecrated the temple altar in Jerusalem which led to the Maccabean Revolt. This was a priestly family who led the revolt and, because of their eventual success in obtaining freedom from the Seleucids, was given the role of being military leaders of the Jewish people. The only problem with this was that they were now both priests and military rulers simultaneously. One of them eventually proclaimed himself king which led to the Hasmonean Dynasty which lasted a little over one-hundred years. So, you had a king being both king and high priest. We saw previously that when this happened and was not God-ordained as was the case with Saul and Uzziah, it led to unwanted consequences. The problem with something wrong being perpetuated for so long is that what is wrong becomes normalized and eventually is not seen as wrong at all.

There were now no longer God-ordained checks and balances between these two offices. The high priest became a political position which led to all sorts of greed and atrocities. This led to the rise of Herod the Great, an Idumean force-converted Jew, who expanded the Jewish temple but also sided with Rome who held the priesthood captive by maintaining control of the high priest’s vestments and ephod. The high priest had to come to the Roman prefect before he could perform any of his duties on given Jewish festivals or any holy days.

So, how did this disunity creep into Israel? The main culprit was the positions of high priest and king held by the same person under Hasmonean rule. This prevented the spiritual check and balance between the king and the high priest. This crowded out the purpose of a prophet who was despised, ignored, and/or killed if such a one did arise (Mt 23:37). Certain Scriptures were ignored while others were over emphasized. Only those prophecies that were understood and agreed to by Jewish scholars were widely taught. This led to the Jewish belief that the Messiah would be a conquering king to relieve them of all oppressors. This led to some Jews becoming militant and the leaders becoming afraid for their positions and their nation if such a one came and fought against Rome. This made them more exclusionary to non-Jews and increased their animosity for those not like them. This thought process prevented them from fulfilling one of their main mandates from God which was to bring all people unto Himself.

Not only was there a distraction from the way Jews worshipped and the Roman empire which held sway over their governance, there was also a lot of theological and philosophical debate between Jewish leaders which created division and left most people unsure of what to truly believe.

Pharisees followed both the oral and written law strictly and tried to apply it to every aspect of life. While they believed in all books we have in our Old Testament, they had oral interpretation which they also treated just as strongly as the Word of God itself. Emphasis was on obedience, not relationship. Then there were some Pharisees who were more conservative in their beliefs and practices and others who were more liberal in their interpretation of Scripture.

Sadducees rejected the oral law and any other sources of authority besides the written Torah, i.e., the first five books of the Old Testament. They ignored historical books, like Joshual and Judges; poetry books, like Psalms and Proverbs; and Prophetic books, like Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. There was always much theological and philosophical debate with the Pharisees.

Essenes were known for their celibacy, fasting, meditation, and communal sharing of goods, but they were also criticized for their isolationism and sectarianism. They believed the Pharisees and Sadducees to be hypocrites and traitors to their Jewish religion. They felt they were the better arbiters and keepers of Scriptural teachings.

Herodians believed that Herod and his successors were the best option for the Jewish people under the Roman rule, and that they fulfilled some aspects of the messianic prophecies. They took their current world as being scriptural so they could justify their lifestyle and their current world view.

Zealots were militant Jews who advocated armed resistance against the Roman occupation of their land. They ignored all prophetic scriptures expect those which supported their belief that the Messiah would come as a conquering king, defeat all their foes, especially Rome, and set Israel up as the ruling nation of the entire world.

As we can see, dissent arose not because Scriptures were ignored but because different aspects of Scripture and prophecy were emphasized more than others or even completely ignored. So, what did this mean for Jesus as he came upon the scene? Stay turned and we’ll discuss this topic next time.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In the past posts, we have seen how God is a God of unity and desires a relationship with us and has used the positions of king, priest, and prophet to help establish that. To do that, God has communicated to mankind in various ways. He did not do it in just one way but adapted to what was needed at the time. This also helps to show us that God is versatile in what he does as he keeps his character consistent. This also helps us to recognize that we cannot predict exactly how God will accomplish something, but we can rest assured in his character.

God can speak to us directly as Father, as his Son, or as the Holy Spirit. He can also speak to us through angels and through his Scripture. There are many examples of each of these forms of communication in Scripture.

God has appeared to many individuals in person. God spoke to Cain after he killed his brother Abel (Gn 4:9), spoke to Noah about the plans for the ark (Gn 6:13-22), to enter the ark (Gn 7:1), to exit the ark (Gn 8:15), and gives his blessing on them after they leave the ark (Gn 9:1-17). God told Abram to leave Ur (Gn 12:1-3) and promised him the land of Canaan (Gn 12:7). God appeared to Abram in a vision to make a covenant with him (Gn 15:1-19) and spoke aloud three times to announce Jesus Christ as his Son (Mt 3:16-18; Mt 17:5; Jn 12:28).

God has spoken as the Angel of the Lord which is likely Christ in his preincarnate form, and these manifestations are called Christophanies. He appeared to Hagar, the servant of Sarai, Abram’s wife (Gn 16:9-11), spoke to Abraham from heaven (Gn 22:11-15), appeared to Moses in a burning bush (Ex 3:2), spoke to Israelites during their journey to Canaan, their Promised Land (Nu 20:16), spoke to, and reprimanded, Balaam who had been hired by the king of Moab to curse the Israelites (Nu 22:22-35), reprimanded the Israelites for them not following him (Jd 2:1-4; 5:23), appeared to Gideon to raise him up as a deliverer for his people (Jd 6:11-12), appeared to the wife of Manoah announcing the birth of Samson (Jd 13:3) and to Manoah himself (Jd 13:13-21), appeared to Elijah to have him speak for him (2Ki 1:3-15), slew 186,000 Assyrians who had come against Jerusalem (2Ki 19:24; 2Ch 32:21; Is 37:36), punished Israel for David disobeying and numbering the Israelites which was against God’s wishes for David (1Ch 21:12-30), appeared to Joseph in a dream to tell him to take Mary as his wife (Mt 1:20-24), appeared to Saul (Paul) on his way to Damascus (Ac 9:3-4), and appeared to John on the Isle of Patmos (Rv 1:9-20).

The Holy Spirit speaks to and through individuals. He spoke through prophets (Ne 9:30) as well as the following: David (2Sa 23:2; Mk 12:36), Gideon (Jd 6:13), Jephthah (Jd 15:1), Samuel (1Sa 14:18), and Saul (1Sa 10:10, 11:6). The Holy Spirit testifies of Jesus Christ (1Co 12:3), communicated with Jesus (Mt 4:1), and will speak to and through us (Mt 10:20; Lk 12:12).

God speaks through angels, often through dreams and visions, but not always. Angels appeared to the following in this way. Angels appeared physically to Lot (Gn 19:1) and to Jacob (Gn 28:12, 32:1). They appeared in a vision to Isaiah (Is 6:1-3). The angel Gabriel appeared to Daniel (Dn 8, 9), and to Mary (Lk 1:19). An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream (Mt 1:20, 2:19). Angels appeared to shepherds at Christ’s birth (Lk 2:9), attended to Christ’s needs (Mt 4:11), and appeared to women at Christ’s tomb (Mt 28:5). An angel appeared to Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, to Peter in jail (Ac 5:19, 12:8), to Deacon Philip (Ac 8:26), and to Cornelius, a Gentile Roman officer who sought knowing God (Ac 10:4).

God definitely speaks to us through his Scripture. Here are a few verses saying that:

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness (2Ti 3:16).

For the word of God is alive and active . . . (Hb 4:12).

Your word is a lamp for my feet, and a light on my path (Ps 119:105).

So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for what I sent it (Is 55:11).

Although we have seen how God adapts over time to help mankind understand him, God cannot change his character (Ml 3:6; Hb 13:8) and his plan cannot be altered (Pr 19:21; Ep 1:11). God can change his methods, but he does not limit them (Jb 9:10; Ps 115:3; Is 46:9-10). His gifts and calling are irrevocable (Ro 11:29). God will speak through us once again similar to how he did with the prophets of old (Jb 33:14-18; Jl 2:28) and we should test what is spoken to be sure it is from God and aligns with Scripture (1Th 5:20-21 1Jn 4:1, 2Pt 1:20-21). How God has spoken and whatever he has done in the past, he can do again.

Of course, the Jewish leaders knew all of this as well, so why were they not ready for the Messiah’s coming? Well discuss this topic next time.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In previous posts we have talked about how God’s unity is tied to the roles of king, priest, and prophet. Under the leadership of Moses, he transferred these roles to certain individuals within Israel. Let’s see how God expected them to operate on his behalf.

God sets earthly kings up as being his agents to the people. God gave kings a divine mandate (Dt 17:5-20). Israeli kings were to be chosen by God (Dt 17:15), were not to be a foreigner (Dt 17:15), were not to amass horses or wives or silver and gold (Dt 17: 15-17), should write a copy of the law and read it all his days (Dt 1:18-19), was to ensure covenant observance by the people (Dt 17:20), was to rule with justice and righteousness (Is 32:1), and have military leadership (1Sa 23:2).

Let’s look back at the mandate requiring a king to write a copy of the law and read it all his days. As king, he should know the law as well as, or even better than, the priests as he was to have it read daily and consistently. He can’t lead as God would expect unless his own words were like those God himself would speak. He was representing God to his people and needed to have the mind of God to do that. Reading and studying God’s words was the only way for him to accomplish that. A corollary to this is what Paul tells us in 1st Corinthians: we are to have the mind of Christ (1Co 2:16).

Priests were seen as ministers of God. They were to guard God’s covenant by carrying out the duties of the tabernacle/temple required by the law (Dt 33:8-11), make atonement for Israel as God commanded (1Ch 6:29), and were to teach the difference between the holy and common and show how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean (Ek 44:23).

Prophets were seen as God’s enforcers to ensure and maintain alignment between kingly leadership and religious observances and teachings. They were to be messengers of God tasked with conveying his words to the people, were to remind Israel of their covenant with God, advocate for social justice often condemning the exploitation and oppression of the poor and vulnerable, foretold future events, both immediate and distant, acted as intercessors between God and the people, and were to be instruments of God’s miraculous power, performing signs and wonders to validate their message and mission.

While this was set up for Israel to follow God so they could have and maintain a relationship with him, God has done the same for us. Yet, our relationship with him is even more intimate because of Jesus Christ coming and fulfilling what the law required. He speaks to us in several different ways. There are many examples in Scripture about this. How he has communicated before, he can do so again. This is what we’ll be exploring next time. Pease join me.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In our last post, we stated that the roles of prophet, priest, and king can be linked to how God’s trinity works since how earthly government works is reflective of how heavenly government works. These roles were not always distinct, and at times this was within God’s will, but often it was not.

Sometimes, serving in more than one capacity leads to consequences. For example, Saul offered sacrifices at Gilgal and Samuel reprimanded him which ultimately led to Saul’s kingdom being taken from him (1Sa 13:10-14). This was not the only time Saul had disobeyed God as Samuel instructed, for Saul had been disobedient to God several times (1Sa 15:9-10). Another example is King Uzziah offering incense in the temple and Azariah, the priest, reprimanding him for this because it was a duty only for priests, and Uzziah developed leprosy as a consequence for his actions, and he remained leprous until his death (2Ch 26:19-21).

In these instances, both Saul and Uzziah were not trying to draw attention toward God but to usurp him and his wishes for them due to their own selfish egos.

Yet, sometimes God blessed the actions of some who served in more than one capacity. In one example, king David built an altar and offered burnt offering and fellowship offerings to stay a plague sent due to his sin. He did this at the bequest of God through a prophet, however. It was a way for David to accept the responsibility for his actions going against God’s wishes (2Sa 24:16-25). In another example, king David wore a linen ephod and danced before the LORD when he brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem (2Sa 6:14). In these instances, while some saw David, like his wife, Michal, drawing negative attention to himself, he was actually drawing the people’s attention toward God.

At times, some typified a type of Christ and served in all three roles. Samuel (judge, priest, prophet) was the last of the judges but the judges before him did not serve as a priest. Judges did serve as a type of prophet at times. Samuel became not only a prophet but a priest from that time going forward. He was a Levite, being a descendant of Kohath, a son of Levi.

David (king, priest, prophet) we know was a king. He sometimes acted as a prophet because many passages in Psalms are prophetic in nature. And he sometimes acted as if a priest, as just noted, to draw everyone’s attention toward God. These examples helped the people better understand the character their coming Messiah would possess.

Christ would also fulfill each of these roles, just not in the way the Jewish leaders thought he would. He came physically to Israel as a prophet (Mt 21:46; Jn 4:44), he now serves as a high priest for us (Hb 4:14), and will one day return to reign as king (1Ti 6:13-16).

Throughout biblical history, we see how God adapts his methodology at the same time his character remains unchanged. As God revealed more and more of his character, he also introduced other ways of communication to those who listened to him.

The Bible speaks of God talking to many of the patriarchs from Adam all the way through Moses personally. God walked and talked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Gn 3:8-9), he spoke directly with Noah (Gn 7:1), he spoke to many of the patriarchs personally (e.g., Jacob; Gn 32:24-30), in visions (e.g., Abram; Gn 15:1), dreams (e.g., Joseph; Gn 37:5), and through angels (Abraham; Gn 18:3), and he spoke to Moses face-to-face through his Shekinah glory as a friend would talk with a friend (Ex 33:11).

God originally fulfilled all three roles of King, Priest, and Prophet as he led and taught Adam and Even in the Garden of Eden, he later had patriarchs function as priests for their families, and as prophets to the people. After the Flood, he had Melchizedek (Gn 14:18) function as king and priest to better portray how God expected these roles to function when they would be held by humans. Under Moses, God brought these functions under human leadership so they could better understand God and his role in their lives.

God appeared on Mt. Sinai in an awesome way: in clouds, smoke, and lightning (Ex 19:16), revealing his ultimate authority. Moses became the spoke piece for God to the people (Ex 20:18), and God spoke to him face-to-face through his Shekinah glory (Ex 33:11). This revealed Moses’ authority to the people and made them more inclined to listen to him as they looked to him as they would look to God as their leader—a type of kingly authority, if you will.

God appears to Moses, Aaron and his sons, and the seventy elders of Israel and eats and drinks with them (Ex 24:9-11); likely a type of communion as we would recognize it today – it would be symbolic of his future death for their reconciliation as his priestly role. God gives instructions to Moses as to exactly how the Tabernacle was to be constructed and ceremonies conducted. All aspects of the Tabernacle pointed to Christ, their coming Messiah and what he would do for them – a fulfillment of the promise God has given to Adam and Eve.

The Holy Spirit fills the seventy elders who are to lead the people. The elders assist the people to help them align God’s words into their daily living. Although the filling of the Holy Spirit was temporary during this time, it was prophetic of how he would one day indwell his followers permanently so they, too, can align with his words in their daily living.

Next, we will see how God now expected those individuals with these duties to now act and live so they can represent him to the people. I hope you join me for that.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In our last post, we discussed how our perception of God is likely influenced by us living in a different dimension than where God resides. He also has unity between his three components of unity, and they can be represented by our human understanding of the positions of prophet, priest, and king. Let’s explore this topic further.

A king is someone who has ultimate authority. This is akin to God the Father who has ultimate authority over all. The Apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:6 – One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. There is no one higher than God the Father and all things work according to his plan which no one can thwart.

A priest has spiritual authority. This is akin to God the Son who enacts God’s plan of reconciliation and will become the ultimate judge of mankind because everyone will be judged according to one’s response to Jesus Christ and his work of redemption and reconciliation. John tells us, in John 5:27 – And he [the Father] has given him [the Son] authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.

The term “Son of Man” had a more profound meaning to the Jewish leaders than did the term “Son of God.” Jeus is referred to as “Son of God” 46 times in the New Testament and as “Son of Man” 81 times. The term “Son of God” was applied to angels, pious men, and the kings of Israel. Yet, the term “Son of Man” became symbolic of the coming Jewish Messiah. Well known to Jews, and especially to the Jewish leaders, was this term used by the prophet Daniel: In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence (Dn 7:13).

The prophet Ezekiel was called “son of man” because he typified as a type of the coming Messiah, acted as a divine messenger and mediator between God and humanity, offered hope to the exiled nation of Israel, served as a watchman calling Israel to repentance, acted as a shepherd providing guidance, and as a priest interceding for their reconciliation with God.

This term “Son of Man” became known to refer to their coming Messiah who they believed would bring about an everlasting kingdom where righteousness and justice would reign. The term wasn’t only a title for the Messiah but represented him being both human and divine identifying and sympathizing with the human condition yet possessing the power and authority of God (Title Son of Man). This is why the Jewish leaders got to upset when Jesus referred to himself as Son of Man because he was stating he was both human and divine. They could not accept this because Jesus did not fit the mold for which they had envisioned for their Messiah.

A prophet helps to ensure alignment between the king and the priest so they both give a consistent message to the people about God. This is the working of God the Holy Spirit. Jesus stated in John 15:26 – When the Advocate (i.e., Holy Spirit] comes, whom I [i.e., Christ] will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me (i.e, Christ, the Son of God].

These ways in which God works is for the purpose of creating Unity: both within himself and between himself and mankind.

These roles were not always distinct within the Godhead or within human presentation. Sometimes an individual fulfilled, or tried to fulfill, more than one role. Next time, we’ll go further into this topic. Please join me.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

God is a God of unity. How does he communicate such a characteristic? He does this through the offices of prophet, priest, and king. This is a trinity of a sort where each serve as a check and balance for the other. We’ll explore this more as we go over this topic in the next several posts.

The Bible tells us that God is a God of order (1Co 14:23). What does that mean? For one, it means that God is about unity which means he is about relationships. And this unity and relationship starts with God himself. The Bible clearly states that God is one: “Hear O Israel, the LORD our God the LORD is one” (Dt 6:4). How does this verse align with God being Trinity? Although not directly stated in the Bible, we do see a Trinity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We experience these as three separate individuals, but they are of one will and work in harmony with each other. So, how do we have a Three-in-One God? Is he really one, or is he three? Perhaps it is a matter of our perception and not a matter of who he is.

Our perception of God can be partly explained by thinking about dimensions. In the book Flatland by Edwin Abbot, originally written as a piece of political satire, it has become more famous about an understanding of dimensional perceptions than it has about politics. Abbott speaks of how someone who lives in a two-dimensional world (i.e., with only length and width—no height) would experience a three-dimensional object, like a sphere. From a Flatland—2-dimensional—perspective, the sphere will at first look like a point which grows as a circle in size until the diameter of the sphere is reached and then shrinks in size until it appears again as a point. Therefore, what is observed is a perspective of the sphere but not the sphere as it really exists in its own dimension. Those in Flatland can only observe the character of the sphere but never the sphere itself.

Maybe a more complex 3-D structure can help us better understand our perception of God: perhaps something like a tetrahedron. In a 2-D world, this object will appear as a progression of different diameter circles going from one circle and ending as three circles. And depending on orientation, it may appear different each time it passes through their dimension. So their experience is different each time if the object’s orientation changes. This is similar to how we experience God. He does not change, just as this object is the same each time, but how we experience him can be different each time, just as the Flatlanders experienced the object differently due to the orientation of the object.

So, if God is a God of order, does that mean we can answer the nagging question, “Is God predictable?” Some, who may look at God as the sphere, say we can see what he has done in the past and then know how he will respond going forward. Others, who may see God as the tetrahedron, say that no one can know what God will do in any given situation. I think there is a better way to look at this. We can observe how God has worked in the past which lets us know how he could work in the future but not how he will work in the future. Why do I say this? Because there are two things to consider: God’s character and God’s methods. His character is consistent. This is equivalent to the object itself which never changed. In Malachi, it states, “I the LORD do not change” (Ml 3:6). This same sentiment is expressed in other Scriptural passages as well. Yet, his methods of working are adaptive. This is similar to the object’s orientation changing. This reminds us of the words of the apostle Paul: “Who has known the mind of the LORD? Or who has been his counselor?” (Ro 11:34).

We don’t have the time to go into how God’s heavenly council works, but we do know that how God works on the Earth is patterned after how he works in heaven (Hb 9:24). The trinity can be seen in the earthly duties of a king, a priest, and a prophet.

This is what we will look at in my next post. I hope you join me as we discuss this topic further.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

So far in this miniseries, we have seen how the love of God and the wrath of God are inseparable in God’s character and how that has helped to explain some of our misconceptions about the worldwide flood and the command by God to have Israel wipe out many of the Amorites in their Promised Land when they went to conquer it. Now, let’s look at the New Testament in this same light.

In the New Testament, we see the love and wrath of God are even more intertwined than we saw in the Old Testament. This is because God’s love for us has taken away God’s wrath from us because God’s wrath was poured out on Jesus Christ rather than onto us. We perceive that as his love for us, which it is, but it was also an act of God’s wrath against sin. His ultimate wrath on the earth is postponed until after he comes for his church, his bride.  Therefore, it is something we have not yet seen because it is still part of future prophecy, but it is something that will come to pass.

Also, God is still inclusionary but requires a reality check. As with most countries, you are happily included with them—if you have a passport. He paid for our sins, but action is required on our part. Just because someone has bought you a gift does you no good unless you accept the gift. Why? We are not in His Kingdom until we agree to be in His Kingdom. Contrary to popular belief and song, we are not all God’s children. Why do I say that?

We are born into Satan’s Kingdom. It is in a time dimension. That means there will be an end to it one day. It can be compared to a sinking ship. It requires action to get out of a sinking ship. Jesus said: … whosoever does not believe stands condemned already … (Jn 3:17, NIV). In other words, without making a decision, although it is really a decision of ‘no,’ we go down with the ship. What ties us to this sinking ship is our sin, which is disobedience, or rebellion. Rebellion sounds harsh for disobedience, but it is saying no to anything God has asked us to say yes to. By disobeying, you are actually rebelling against what was asked of you.

We don’t automatically try to get out of the sinking ship because we are blinded by the owner of the ship we are in that there is nothing wrong with the ship. Paul stated the following: “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1Co 2:14, NIV). Therefore, action must be taken to become unblinded to Satan’s lies and get out of his kingdom.

We are transferred from the sinking ship (Satan’s Kingdom) to the Lifeboat (God’s Kingdom). However, action is needed on our part. Just because the boat is supplied doesn’t help us unless we get in it. Faith is needed to be transferred from Satan’s Kingdom into God’s Kingdom. Paul tells us the following: “For he (i.e., Jesus Christ) has rescued us from the dominion of darkness (i.e., Satan’s kingdom, the sinking ship) and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves (i.e., God’s Kingdom, the Lifeboat), in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Cl 1:13, NIV).

We find ourselves on the sinking ship of Satan’s Kingdom. When we realize we need and want to be on Christ’s rescue boat and accept his invitation to join him, the Holy Spirit becomes our life preserver which we receive from him. Then he transfers us from our sinking ship, Satan’s Kingdom, into the lifeboat, into God’s Kingdom, where we are now saved from destruction and we can have rest. We use the term “saved” because we have been rescued from destruction, rescued from a sinking ship which is Satan’s Kingdom because his kingdom is this world, and it will come to an end and be destroyed along with all those a part of it. We are transferred into God’s Kingdom which is not of this world, outside time, and therefore will last eternally as will we.

Choice is something God has graciously ensured we possess. The Flood occurred to preserve our God given right of choice. Many of the Amorites were destroyed because of the consequences of their choice. That was true for the captivity of Judah and Israel as well. Christ died on the cross to pay for the sin (disobedience, rebellion) so that choice can be tangible to us once again.

God has given us choice, something Satan does not want us to recognize. He wants us to see choice as something bad, something that infringes upon our rights and makes God look vengeful. Yet, without choice we would be mere robots. Choice comes with obedience and disobedience and comes with consequences. What will you choose with your right of choice? Are you prepared for the consequence? Choose Christ = Everlasting home with Christ where wonderment and joy abounds. Choose our current state (which many look at as not making a choice) = Everlasting home with Satan where regret, chaos, and turmoil abounds.

Bottom line: We need to Choose Wisely.

I trust you do choose wisely if you have not yet done so. Today is the day of salvation (2Co 6:2). The lifeboat is waiting. All you have to do is get in.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In our last post, we talked about God’s instruction to Israel to annihilate the Amorites in the land of Canaan because of their wickedness and their lack of responding to God and turning from their wicked practices. God used Israel to enact the consequence to the Amorite’s sin but was also raising Israel to be his standard to the world. Let’s look more closely at this concept.

Israel was to be the standard to the world. For Israel to be a light to the rest of the world, Israel had to eliminate all elements which were ungodly. A standard must be flawless, or else it is not a standard. This was the reason Israel was held to a higher standard than other nations. All the laws given to Israel was for Israel, not for other nations to follow.

In addition, Israel was not to exclude outsiders from their land – after all, three main trade routes connecting three continents (Africa, Europe, and Asia) went through this area: Way of the Sea (later known as Via Maria), Ridge Route, and King’s Highway. All three of these trade routes would bring Gentiles through Israel so they could be taught the ways of God. Isael was to become the moral compass for the world. If Israel obeyed God and received all the blessings promised them (abundant rain, abundant crops, lush landscape, and longevity; Dt 28:1-14), that would be a testimony to all those who would pass through Israel on any of these three routes and inquire what makes things different here.

However, those living within the boundaries of Israel would be required to exclude wicked practices. Non-Israelites had to abide by the same laws of the land as the Israelites did (Ex 12:48-49, 20:10; Lv 16:29, 17:12, 15; Nu 15:14, 16). It seems God has always expected mankind to understand and follow what he knows is right (Ro 1:18-20), whether being his “chosen” people or not. Justice seems to always follow a failed response to the love of God’s longsuffering.

God allowed non-Israelites to live in the land but also had requirements for them. God often put the alien living in the land in the same category as the poor, orphan, and widow. This is because they were now a minority. They were to be taken care of in a loving way: allowed to glean the corners of fields and left-overs following olive and grape harvests (Lv 23:22; Dt 24:20-21), were to be treated judiciously (Dt 1:16; 24:17), should not be taken advantage of (Dt 24:14), and part of the third-year tithe would be for the alien (Dt 26:12). This was because God stated he loved the alien (Dt 10:18), and the Israelites were to remember they were once slaves in Egypt (Dt 24:22). This helped to train the Israelites to be kind to their neighbors who were not like them and to allow the non-Israelite to see how God loved them as well.

Those Gentiles living in the land had to obey the laws of the land (Ex 12:49; Lv 24:22):
• allowed to glean the corners of fields and left-overs following olive and grape harvests (Lv 23:22; Dt 24:20-21)
• had to observe the Sabbath (Ex 20:10)
• had to not work on the Day of Atonement (Lv 16:29)
• could not eat blood (Lv 17:10) but had to drain the blood from the animal before preparing and eating (Lv 17:13)
• had to cleanse themselves when encountering anything dead (Lv 17:15)
• would be put to death if they offered their children as a sacrifice to any god (Lv 20:2) or if they blasphemed the name of the Lord (Lv 24:16)
• had to abide by the rules of redemption and of the Jubilee (Lv 25:47-50) and had to abide by the decisions of the judges of the land (Dt 1:16)
• They were to be taught about God and His Law, just as were the Israelites (Dt 31:12-13).
• If they decided to become a proselyte, then all the Mosaic laws applied, and all males had to be circumcised before they could celebrate Passover (Ex 12:48).

God was inclusionary but required righteous living.

Also, God always gave warnings before his justice was administered. Before the flood, God announced coming judgment and the need for repentance (Gn 6:5-7) and announced a flood was coming during the time of Noah (Gn 6:17). He gave the Amorites time to repent before administering his justice (Gn 15:16). God announced his plans to the king of Nineveh (Jh 3:4-5), to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon (Dn 2), to Cyrus, king of Medo-Persia (Is 45:1-13), and gave visions to Alexander the Great. Paul gave the gospel to Caesar’s household (Pp 4:22) during the time of the Roman Empire. Unfortunately, it seems that most of these did not heed his warning. He has also given us a warning of future judgment in his word.

God also glorified himself among the Gentiles. He did not restrict himself just to Israel. The king of Nineveh did respond to Jonah’s preaching (Jh 3:5) and gave Nineveh another one-hundred years before it was finally destroyed. Nebuchadnezzar did finally recognize the authority of God (Dn 4:37), and several times did announce to his entire kingdom that the One True God was to be respected (Dn 2:47; 3:28-29). Several of the kings of Persia did the same (Dn 6:26; Er 1:1-2). Many of Caesar’s household in Rome accepted Christ as their Savior (Pp 4:22).

So, what happened? We know that this ideal state for Israel being a calling card to the rest of the world and to show the world the path to God did not happen. Rather than being inclusionary, they became exclusionary. They used God’s words about them being his chosen possession to mean they were special, meaning, at least in their way of thinking, all others were not special. So, rather than harmony, disharmony occurred. Disobedience led to cursing rather than blessing (Dt 28:15). Then, as typical, and with Satan egging on the disharmony, things never got turned around. Even the coming of their promised Messiah did not produce the harmony that even the Jewish leaders taught. Satan had truly sold them a bill of goods they could not see beyond.

Next time, we’ll look at the New Testament in light of God’s love and justice and see how that affects us today. Please join me.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Last time, we saw how God’s love for us became a major driving force for the worldwide flood which he sent over the Earth. Satan was trying to destroy God’s gift of choice to us and God ensured that did not happen. This time, let’s look at God’s command against the Amorites in the land of Canaan.

What possible reason could God have for wiping out many of the those in the land of Canaan when Israel conquered the land? Why couldn’t they all just get along? God was in the process of creating a standard for the world. Let’s first look at what God told Israel about this:

“When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you—and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy. Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods, and the LORD’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you. This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles, and burn their idols in the fire. For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession” (Dt 7:1-6, NIV; emphasis mine).

Israel was to be the standard, the beacon, for the entire world. Purity and devotion to God was an imperative given for them to affect the world and lead others toward God. Godliness can devolve into evil and chaos more easily than evil can evolve into godliness and order. God knew this and took precaution in that regard.

You may be thinking, well Abraham was already in the land at one point, why did God lead his descendants out just to bring them back to destroy the people there? Let’s look at what God told Abraham:

“Then the LORD said to him, ‘Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and they will be enslaved and mistreated there. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You, however, will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure’” (Gn 15:13-16, NIV).

Here, again, God was being merciful. He was giving the Amorites time to repent and turn away from their evil practices. As you can see, he gave them a lot of time. Also, we should note here that God was enslaving the descendants of Abraham, the people of promise, to try and reach the Amorites who were Gentile. This does not agree with the narrative of God being wrathful to all Gentiles.

So, what was God’s overarching rationale for his actions here? This gave Israel a way to come out of Egypt as an unfettered nation making them totally dependent upon God and allowed them to become an instantaneous nation without ties to those around them. And, as stated above, it gave the Amorites time to respond to God: approximately 500 years, but they did not. The Amorites practiced sensuous and orgiastic fertility cult worship utilizing male and female shrine prostitutes and practiced child sacrifice which included the child being placed in the fire while alive. It was stated that other nations did not go to such extremes in brutality, lust, and abandon in such practices as did the Amorites. In some ways, this is similar to our discussion about the Flood in our previous post. Satan was scheming to prevent God’s promise to Abraham from coming true and blinded the Amorites to God’s love for them.

Before God had Israel conquer the land, God was not silent and did not act by surprise. He gave the people opportunities to respond positively to him:  God supplied the godly influence of Melchizedek (Gn 14:18-20), God supplied the godly influence of Abraham (Gn 12:6), and during the time of Abraham, God caused the destruction of other Amorites through the action of five kings around the Dead Sea area (Kedorlaomer, king of Elam; Tidal, king of Goyim; Amraphel, king of Shinar; and Arioch, king of Ellasar) which should have been a wake-up call for the people in the area (Gn 14:1-12): the following races of giants were destroyed: Zuzim, Emim, Horim, and Avim. This later allowed the Israelites to approach the land from the south without retaliation.

The Anakim and Rephaim, the races of giants, were like garrisons around the land of Canaan. It seems more than coincidence that these races of giants surrounded the Promised Land of Canaan that God promised to Abraham and his descendants. Before Israel arrived, God had those giant races in the area south of the Dead Sea be destroyed which allowed the Israelites to not have to contend with them as they approached from the south when they arrived a few centuries later. Yet, there were three main races of giants remaining once Israel reached Canaan: Sihon, near the upper part of the Dead Sea, Og, in Bashan near the Sea of Galilee, and Anak near the coast. God helped Israel destroy these before they entered their Promised Land to help increase Israel’s faith in him and to show that he would protect them as they entered the land he promised them. Yet, all the Anakim were not destroyed as we do read about Goliath and his brothers who were part of the Anakim race of giants (1Sa 17:4; 2Sa 21:15-22).

The giants during this time were likely between 9 and 10 feet in height (1Sa 17:4). The Israelites who spied out the land of Canaan called them Nephilim (Nu 13:33), likely because of their height compared to themselves and not because of angel origin. Satan had somehow gotten the Amorites to genetically produce giants so he could control the land that God had promised to Abraham. Yet, God took care of the situation: either as judgment or as faith by the Israelites in God showing God would protect them. Some do argue that because of the parenthetical statement in this passage in Numbers: “the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim” that they were, somehow, left over from the flood and evolved into this race of giants. Yet, there is also a verse that states all life on earth was wiped out by the flood (Gn 7:21-23). So, if they were descendants from the Nephilim, then it would then imply one of the wives of Noah’s sons had the angel DNA in her genome. Since Canaan, and the Amorites, were descendants of Ham (Gn 10:15-19), that would then suggest these giants could have come through him and his wife.

Also, despite what some claim, total annihilation was the exception rather than the rule. Details of what God asked the Israelites to do are important. The main goal was to have the people leave the land. God told Moses the following: “I will send the hornet ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites out of your way” (Ex 23:28, NIV). God used natural elements to clear the land for the Israelites.

God reserved annihilation for the cities of inheritance. God stated the following: “In the cities of the nations the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the LORD you God has commanded you. Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods, and you will sin against the LORD your God” (Dt 20:16-18, NIV; emphasis mine). To God, Israel’s spiritual protection was important as that would set the foundation and purpose for their entire existence.

Any other engagement by the Israelites was to be an offer of peace: “When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace” (Dt 20:10, NIV). Yet, this was not the type of peace we think of today. It was not, you go do you and we’ll go and do us. No, peace here meant forced labor. Resistance to this would result in all men of the city being killed, and the women, children, and livestock would become plunder. That sounds harsh to us today. What was God doing here? Any means that Satan could exploit against Israel and God’s plan for them was eliminated. This was necessary for God to establish his standard.

Next time, we’ll explore this concept of a standard and why that was so important going forward. I hope you’ll join me.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In the last post, it was shown how the love of God and the judgment of God are intertwined and inseparable within God’s character. Understanding that, let’s look at the flood God sent over the Earth with this knowledge. On the surface, it may appear God is being wrathful and not caring about the harm he caused humans. But when we look deeper, another picture emerges. We can see his love and his mercy.

The flood was not just about God’s wrath. There is much more to it. The verse that many turn to so show why God caused the worldwide flood says: “The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time” (Gn 6:5, NIV).

While this is true, it is not the whole story. There is a verse that we skipped. Let’s look back a few verses: “The sons of God [i.e., angels] saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose” (Gn 6:2, NIV)

Many want to skip this verse because it seems to imply something that doesn’t seem possible to us or makes us feel uncomfortable about something that is too foreign to our way of thinking. But this verse is the key to understanding the complete picture. How are these two verses tied together? Well, these angels were angels of Lucifer and were known as Watchers – likely because they did not sleep. Their offspring became the Nephilim – giants of great height. Why is this important? It shows us that Lucifer is the real reason for the Flood.

So, what was Lucifer’s diabolical plan that warranted the bringing of a worldwide flood? Through the Book of Enoch and other extra-Biblical sources we find the following about these particular angels:

1. The angels becoming human (Watchers) mated with humans and produced Nephilim (giants likely as tall as trees or higher)
2. These became people’s heroes and took their focus off God
3. Feeding the giants took away crops from humans and the people suffered
4. Lucifer wished to create in his own image as did Yahweh
5. By infusing angel DNA into the human genome, it destroyed the human's gift of choice because angels no longer had choice.

Now, granted, the Bible does not state any of these things explicitly. Why is that? One reason could be that the original audience already knew about this part of their history and Moses only had to mention the topic because the details were already known. The few verses that do talk about these facts are consistent with the overarching premise of these statements. These angels did marry human women (Gn 6:2), they were so tall that they become known as men of renown, i.e., heroes, to many (Gn 6:4). Those who have reported seeing angels under various circumstances often talk of them being extremely tall. Many say that Noah being “blameless among the people of his time” (Gn 6:9, NIV) is indicating that his human genome was pure and not contaminated by the Nephilim DNA. Also, the punishment that Peter mentions about these angels (2Pt 2:4) would indicate what they did was extremely egregious. Otherwise, why such a harsh treatment of these specific angels. Destroying the human genome would indeed be classified as extremely egregious. Peter indicates God placed them in Tartarus, a special place in Sheol made exclusively for these angels. Note: in the NIV and some other versions, the word “hell” is used here, but the Greek word is that for Tartarus.

So, while none of these statements can be explicitly verified, it does seem in line with Satan’s tactics. This also reveals the heart of God and how he was saving mankind from Satan’s scheme to destroy us. While not part of Scripture, these extra-Biblical texts are at least consistent with the premise of Scripture: Peter also states in his epistle: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1Pt 5:8, NIV).

Therefore, it was imperative that Noah and his family survive to keep the human race human.

So, the ark was actually an act of love: (1) it preserved the human race as God had designed it, and (2) it preserved the gift of choice for humans to be maintained. Why is this important? Obedience requires choice, or it is just a programmed act and no longer obedience. God was ensuring that our gift of choice was being maintained for us.

Next time, we’ll look at the other example of God instructing Israel to wipe out the Amorites when they took the land of Canaan. Join me and see what this was truly all about.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Today we want to look at the question of whether God is a God of wrath or not. Some say he is; others say he is not. Some even seem to believe it’s not the same God in the Old Testament that is revealed in the New Testament. But we know that God has told us he never changes. (Ml 3:6) so we need to ask, “What are we missing?” Some of this information has been previously discussed (Is God a God of Wrath?).

The two most common examples cited to show how wrathful and vengeful God is in the Old Testament are the following: the Flood which caused life over all the earth to cease, and the destruction commanded by God on the Amorites in the land of Canaan. People often ask why would God do such things if he really cares about everyone?

Can we come up with reasons for God’s actions? Is there a reason God’s wrath seems more prominent in the Old Testament? And is there a reason for God’s love being more prominent in the New Testament?

Before we go further, I think we need to acknowledge that many times we see things more prominently due to us having a biased view. That’s just being realistic. No one comes with a totally unbiased view. So, we need to recognize that fact and realize this truth can get in the way of us being truly honest with Scripture, being truly honest with what God is doing, and being truly honest with ourselves. Also, we must look deeper than just looking at a mere surface level. That is where many fail, because they are not willing to do that, but are willing to make harsh judgement claims about God without really investigating to see what is truly going on.

So, let’s look at some comparisons between the Old and New Testament texts and see if that helps us with this question we are struggling with.

Let’s first look at the length of time covered by the Old and New Testament texts:

The Old Testament covers about 3600 years.
The Intertestamental Period covers about 400 years.
And the New Testament covers only about 100 years, the smallest of any of these time periods.

I think we can get a biased view because of this time scale. One can see many more examples in the Old Testament just because of the length of time the text is covering. Let’s say you found 100 examples of God being wrathful in the Old Testament. Percentage wise, it would be equivalent to finding only 3 examples in the New Testament. That helps to put this into perspective but doesn’t explain all the discrepancies around this topic.

We also need to look at Theme Comparisons. The Old and New Testaments do not have the same purpose. The Old Testament reveals the preparation for the coming Messiah. The New Testament reveals the revelation of the Messiah’s coming. Can you see how that could change how we look at this question? Describing preparation for something can require more detail than describing the revelation of something.

We shouldn’t allow this controversial topic to blind us to the fact that both the love of God and the wrath of God are found in both the Old and New Testaments. Let’s look at a few examples. These are not exhaustive.

There are many examples of love in the Old Testament:

• Creation of Adam & Eve (initially an idyllic society and would be passed to their descendants for all generations)
• Choosing of Israel by God (initially as a means to evangelize the entire world)
• Salvation of Rahab & Ruth (these were Gentile women brought into Israel; God was using these to show the way forward for the inclusion of everyone)
• Promise of a New Garden of Eden (to show that one day the idyllic society will still happen).

There are also many examples of the love of God in the New Testament:

• Coming of Messiah (to rectify the error that Adam and Eve made)
• Salvation of Mankind (to restore the relationship between God and mankind)
• Indwelling of the Holy Spirit (to guide us and help us to live according to His ways)
• Promise of a Future Resurrection (to give us hope for a joyous eternal future)
• Promise of a New Heaven & Earth (to give us hope and what our future resurrection will give to us).

The same is true for God’s wrath as well. In the Old Testament, we see:

• Worldwide Flood (for the wickedness in the world and what Satan had done to mankind)
• Destruction of Amorites & Canaanites (for their judgment because of their unrepentant hearts and their wicked practices)
• Captivity of Israel & Judah (for their judgment because of their unrepentant hearts and their wicked practices) –God punished both Gentiles and Jews, his “chosen” people, equally.

And in the New Testament we find the following:

• Christ overturning tables at the temple (because they were going against God’s Law ignoring God’s wish for all people, including Gentiles, to be able to worship him)
• Christ criticized Jewish leaders harshly (because they had become so obsessed with works they ignored the requirement of faith and mercy which was even more important)
• Death of Annanias & Saphira (because they lied to the Holy Spirit and God needed to establish a new standard of right living going forward)
• Persecution of Christians (sometimes for judgment but often to strengthen their faith and testimony, and to spread his gospel to more people)
• Tribulation (future judgment like he did in the Old Testament) – We don’t see as much wrath in the New Testament because much of it is prophesied but has not yet been fulfilled.

We sometimes don’t understand how God could be a God of judgment and wrath and at the same time be a God of love. The two seem incongruous. I think we can better understand this dichotomy from what Paul tells us in his epistle to the Roman church. He stated the following: “For since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse” (Ro 1:20, NIV).

Many have often implied that all that we see: the universe and all of God’s creation we see daily is evidence of God’s majesty and power. Paul says these things are self-evident. While that is true, he also said that his eternal power and divine nature are revealed though his invisible qualities. Why this was not initially brought up is because these qualities of God were invisible and could not be observed. But today, we can observe and see how they, too, bring out not only the majesty of God, but the very nature of God—his character.

What I am referring to are the building blocks of nature itself: the atom. When we go into the quantum world, we find laws that seem unnatural and don’t really operate like we find in the natural world. This helps us understand how our ways of thinking about God is not the way God actually works. The prophet Isaiah said it this way: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord (Is 55:8, NIV). Often, we can see God and his fingerprint if we look at the quantum level of matter, his building blocks for all that we know and experience. Just as his ways are different from ours, so is the quantum world different from our everyday world. How does something so unfamiliar produce something so familiar? Let’s take a closer look and see what we can learn. This has also been discussed in some detail in previous posts: Fingerprint of God: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

The atom is composed of three main particles: protons, neutrons, and electrons. Yet, science has found that these are composed of more basic building blocks of matter, called quarks. Now each proton and neutron are composed of two types of quarks, three in number, in order to give them their necessary charge. For example, a proton is composed of two up quarks and one down quark to give it a positive charge. A neutron is composed of two down quarks and one up quark to give it a neutral charge. These quarks are held together by what have been termed gluons.

As far as we currently know, quarks are inseparable even though they are distinct particles. In the macro world where we live, if two objects are pulled apart, their attraction becomes less. For example, if two magnets are pulled apart from each other, there will come a distance where they no longer get pulled together. That is not the case in the quantum world. In the quantum world, quarks resist separation. If two quarks are pulled apart, their attraction becomes stronger the farther they are pulled apart.

Well, this is how God is. He is composed of both love and justice (that is, judgement and wrath) simultaneously. One can think of his love as one type of quark and justice as another type of quark. One cannot experience one without the other, but both are necessary to accomplish God’s overarching plan. We can say that the Holy Spirit is like the gluon which holds the love, or mercy, of God and the justice, or judgment/wrath, of God together. This plays a cohesive role by the Trinity. The string within each quark, or restrained energy, is God the Father and the Son who are all powerful and release both love and judgment as needed and to the degree that is required.

So, nature has God’s fingerprint within it. As we just read, Paul tells us that nature itself reveals the glory of God (Ro 1). So, why is it here at the quantum level he is revealed even more profoundly? Probably because God knew that one day mankind would be able to view nature at this level and would think science would replace God, but, instead, what it reveals is that the more detailed one gets, the more we understand about God. Nature on the macro level reveals the majesty of God. Nature on the micro level reveals the character of God.

Stay with me going forward as we look at the examples given at the beginning of this post to be looked at in more detail looking at how God’s love and judgment are intertwined and inseparable. I hope you join me.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Alone. Amidst a sea of people, I felt a pawn, misunderstood, to no one did I feel drawn.

The internet called and I did answer. Influencers dug into me like an invading cancer.

I lived on their every word, every siren song, feeling invincible, one who could do no wrong.

I subscribed, I gave, I bought, became a part of their tribe, just like a mesmerized enrapt dancer.

Their goals caused resources to drain; yet I in their mind did now wane, no longer relied upon.

My importance no longer mattered, it now seemed scattered, no need of me as their romancer.

Their ears to me were now closed, as if I was indisposed, even though over them I did fawn.

Their thoughts and ideas I still yearn but now I get burned because I receive no answer.

I need their words for healing, to soothe my feeling. To me it did not matter the cost.

Now, drained of time and money, I taste the bitterness of their honey, and feel even more lost.

I turned to something more tangible, something more reliable, upon which I had control.

Academics became my god, no need for a façade, I could count only on myself.

I became consumed with excellent grades; all else seemed to cascade as if into a black hole.

This gave me direction, a purpose, a relevance without rejection, no longer unseen on a shelf.

I thrived on the accolades of my professors, made others the transgressors; them I did cajole.

The envy of my peers thrilled me, put me on a pedestal for all to see, all for praise itself.

The straight A became my goal, something all could behold, that alone became my payroll.

Each grade became thrilling like the shoemaker’s shelf filling with shoes by the mysterious elf.

But, graduation day came, suddenly it all seemed lame, for again I was now alone.

My self-worth now seemed like a sham; the sacrificial lamb without a safe zone.

Good grades, like a golden doorknob, led me to a wonderful job in which I could succeed.

Climb I did; even working abroad in Madrid, to make it to the top of my profession.

I saw others as a means to an end, someone to shape and bend, not one I would truly need.

The pinnacle was my goal, even to the point of losing my soul. My aim no one could question.

Climbing became my reason for living, not a way to be forgiving, even if others had to bleed.

I became envied, even hated, but that just made me feel sated, a price to pay for ascension.

True friends were rare, as many used me only as a fare to launch their own success with speed.

I often used them as a prize to make myself look wise; to me they were only a worthy mention.

But my success became hollow and unwanted, like a house abandoned and haunted.

Emptiness played with my sanity telling me all is just vanity; aloneness in my face is flaunted.

So I changed my aim, a new goal without fame, as my effort became now truly altruistic.

I invested my time treating others like brothers and became a truly sincere friend.

My goal and desire, now second to what they require, is undoubtedly unduly artistic.

Helping them succeed was my only desire and need and so my time I did now lend.

I felt fulfilled; my psyche I could now rebuild and never go back to being egotistic.

Yet their needs became my affliction; my help became their addiction I could not commend.

I felt somewhat used, trapped, abused, and never thought I would be such a statistic.

Some, addicted to my help, made me want to yelp, as this I truly could not defend.

I now became confused, disillusioned, emotionally bruised, not sure how to cope.

Isn’t friend the opposite of alone? What could now atone for them providing a lack of hope?

Maybe I misunderstood, high was such a likelihood, so I sought out that very special one.

One rising above the crowd being proud they were above the pettiness of the majority.

I didn’t know if one could exist and move to the top of my list making me no longer feel undone.

But to my surprise, I found such a prize, and fell in love making me no longer in the minority.

Our love would stand the test of time, we would forever align and be second to none.

But time did not prove so kind. All began to unwind. True love no longer seemed the authority.

My rock crumbled, my ground rumbled; my best friend, my life, now became just someone.

Marriage was not an oasis, not a solid basis, where my desires could become a superiority.

It became a desert, each grain a hurt I could not avert; something I could no longer trust.

The concept—a façade, merely a mirage, a god preventing aloneness turning to dust.

In the end, I could only count on me; this took quite a while to see. I would now do as I wanted.

I went with every whim, never allowed myself to feel grim, and did whatever felt right.

Living in the moment was freedom, enjoyment became the medium which I now truly flaunted.

The world, as they say, was my oyster with never a nay as I focused only on my own delight.

I plunged into politics, raising money warding off lunatics I felt were definitely unwanted.

Yet I found each candidate’s greed proved greater than the need in their beliefs to fight.

I went in every religious direction promising intimate reflection only to find they taunted

Things devoid of depth or spiritual health which only deepened my unsatisfied plight.

I was now in worse shape than before, an empty shell seeking for more not knowing if it existed.

Every god I tried disappointed making me feel empty inside and life was just truly twisted.

What was now left? Nothing it seemed, which made me bereft. I craved, but nothing satisfied.

What I did not want, but what did taunt, was something which tempted me to pursue.

Someone said I needed God; I gave a nod but knew this was not needed I told myself inside.

But who knew the unseen could charge one like caffeine and fill a void. On this I had to chew.

Christ being far greater than I ever knew, did pursue to make me his bride.

Led me to the Father, who makes a bother over me, and never ever puts me in a queue.

His Spirit becomes my Counselor and opens the door to advice that is so perfect and so wide.

There is nothing he cannot answer in a way that is loving which always yields a breakthrough.

I have found the freedom and joy I had always craved, and am now saved by the Cornerstone

Who gives life eternally to all who ask, so in him I bask and never ever have to feel alone.

By Randy C. Dockens

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In only a few years after the death of the Apostle Paul, Jude, the brother of James who both were half-brothers of Jesus Christ, writes his epistle Jude in 70 AD to warn believers of the false teachers and apostates who were leading people astray. Vespasian was now the Roman Emperor. Jude states that believers should study Scripture and pray so they would not be deceived and can lead others to salvation and be saved from an eternal death.

At least a decade later, John writes his gospel in 85 AD from Ephesus when Domitian is the Roman Emperor. His epistle’s intent was for the readership of all believers. It is likely that the content of his gospel is different from what is in the synoptic gospels because he knew most believers had already read those, so he was adding additional information which had not yet been written. About 92% of what is in John is not in the synoptic gospels. John states that the purpose of his gospel was for the purpose to evangelize so they can believe in Jesus Christ and receive eternal life.

Let’s remind ourselves about the four gospels:

Gospel Christ Viewed As           Written To        No. Chapters   Unique Material            OT Quotes

Matthew           King                    Jews                    28                        42%                                   53

Mark                   Servant              Romans             16                          7%                                   36

Luke                    Man                    Greeks               24                        59%                                   25

John                   God                     Church               21                        92%                                   20

We can see how each successive gospel expanded its targeted audience from mostly Jews as that was the major composition of the church at the time, to Romans as befitting to whom Paul was reaching, to Greeks as that was the popular language at the time to the entire church (both Jews and Gentiles) for which the church was now composed. Do we not see God’s hand at work here? God always supplies what is needed when it is needed. And we see that Mark did not need to have unique material from Matthew as his audience was the Gentile side of Matthew’s audience. John, on the other hand, needed to have unique material because his audience, the church, had already read and knew the material from the other gospels by this time.

About the same time as John released his gospel, he wrote 1st John, his first epistle to a group of churches in Asia Minor centered around Ephesus and likely the city from which John wrote this epistle. There were emerging groups which opposed Christianity and had infiltrated the church. He wrote to give them reasons for being joyful, encouraged them not to sin, and not be deceived by false teaching so they could know they had eternal life, and that they might believe in the name of Jesus Christ.

About five years later, or less, John wrote his second epistle, 2nd John, in 90 AD, also likely from Ephesus. He wrote to “the elect lady and her children.” There is no consensus on whom this is referring. He states that the love of Christ is demonstrated by obeying his commandments and by loving others. John warned of deceivers with the spirit of the antichrist who would deny the incarnation of Christ. Both the deity and humanity of Christ are essential to a correct Biblical view of the person and nature of Christ.

John’s third epistle, 3rd John, was written about the same time as his second, also believed to be from Ephesus. This time he names the person to whom he is writing: Gaius. This was a friend of Peter’s and one who likely helped support Peter and others in their itinerant missionary work. Peter commended Gaius in his good work and contrasted his work to that of Diotrephes who wanted credit for himself and who spoke against Peter and even refused hospitality to those needing it. Demetrius was likely the bearer of the letter to Gaius.

Timothy remained in Ephesus until he was martyred in 93 AD for standing true to the faith. The details around his death are somewhat unclear but, apparently, he was standing up against a debaucherous festival and the people beat him with clubs. His friends got him away, but he died shortly thereafter from his beating.

It seems John became the leader of the church in Ephesus after Timothy. Also because of John not yielding to the commands of the emperor requiring all to bow to a statue of Domitian placed in Ephesus, John was arrested and was attempted to be killed twice, but those attempts failed. He was then exiled to the isle of Patmos for a time, at least until Domitian’s death. John then went back to Ephesus where he died of natural causes.

John wrote the book of Revelation in 95 AD while on the isle of Patmos. There is much poetic license in the imagery he chose. Many believe that those of his day would clearly understand the meaning of his imagery. It is believed by many that John was describing future events of the coming Tribulation Period when the Antichrist will reign over the Earth prior to Christ’s second coming. There are other interpretations of his letter:

Historicist View: Revelation surveys the whole of church history. However, it has been noted that it has little to say of the church development after 1500 A.D.

Preterist View: Fulfillment of Revelation is in the past, shortly after the time of its writing. Many put the date of the writing before 70 A.D. as they believe the descriptions within Revelation are describing the fall of Jerusalem.

Futurist View: Everything in Revelation after Chapter 3 awaits fulfillment in the future. This is probably the most dominant view and is linked heavily to dispensational theology.

Spiritual View: There is no single fulfillment of Revelation; it contains only transcendent principles and recurrent themes. Most with this view believe John reported the visions as he saw them, but they should be interpreted in a more spiritual sense as to be edifying to believers of any age.

Because chapter 20 refers to an event called the Millennium, the interpretation changes to different views of this topic:

Premillennial View: The binding of Satan is still future and occurs upon Christ’s earthly return when he sets up an earthly reign lasting for a literal 1,000 years. At the end of this reign, Satan is loosed for a time and then all the wicked are judged at the Great White Throne, after which the new heavens and earth are created.

Amillennial View: The binding of Satan occurred with Christ’s victory over sin on the cross and the 1,000 years are symbolic of the current church age. At the end of the current age, Satan will be allowed to persecute the church just before Christ’s coming when a judgment of the evil and good will occur. Then the new heavens and earth will be created.

Postmillennial View: Some have a view similar to that of the Amillennialists, while others see the binding of Satan as a future time when the effect of the gospel has reduced his effect to nothing which will bring in a glorious age just before Christ’s return that is symbolic of the 1,000 years. A final attempt of Satan will go nowhere and then there will be a general resurrection and judgment when Christ returns.

The last two chapters deal with a new heaven and earth and thereby have two views of interpretation about this subject:

Literalist: The descriptions in these chapters are taken to be literal and the New Jerusalem will be the eternal home of the redeemed.

Non-Literalist: The whole account is spiritualized with no literal interpretation. Many link these descriptions to the condition of those who are now in a new covenant with God and Christ with the New Jerusalem representing the church itself in its present earthly existence.

It would seem the futurists’ approach, along with the premillennial view and the literal view, to interpreting Revelation is more in line with the prophecy of the Old Testament. One example is with the memorial feasts of Israel. There were seven feasts that God told Israel to keep yearly (Lv 23). Scripture supports that the first four have been literally fulfilled with Christ’s first coming, so it would stand to reason that the next three will be fulfilled in Christ’s second coming.

Passover (Pesach) represents Christ’s crucifixion (Lv 23:5; 1Co 5:7).

Unleavened Bread (Matzah) represents being freed from sin (Lv 23:6-8; 1Pt 2:24).

Firstfruit (Bikkurim) represents Christ’s resurrection (Lv 23:9-14; 1Co 15:20).

Pentecost (Shavuot) represents uniting Jewish and Gentile believers through the Holy Spirit (Lv 23:15-22; Ac 2).

Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) represents the beginning of the tribulation because God remembers his covenant with Israel once the Church, his Bride, is removed (Lv 23:23-25; Dt 30:3-5).

Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) represents Christ Second Coming as Israel is restored to God (Lv 16; 23:26-32; Zc 13:1).

Tabernacles (Sukkot) represents Christ’s Millennial reign as he now dwells with his people (Lv 23:33-44; Zc 14:9).

Jubilee represents the future Eternal State (Lv 25; Rv 21-22).

After Domitian’s death, John was allowed to return to Ephesus where it is believed he died of natural causes in 100 A.D. under the reign of the Emperor Trajan.

We see that the New Testament covers almost 100 years and has had a profound impact for several thousand years and will continue to do so until the end of time. I think it is amazing how the Lord works throughout history to bring people to himself and will use any an all who are willing to be used by him and be empowered by the Holy Spirit.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens