THE HAM/NYE DEBATE- Do I Really Want to Write This?

I have said "No" to this post for three days...... but here goes a fool rushing in where angels fear to tread.....

I watched the Feb. 4 debate between Ken Ham and Bill Nye with concern about the format and what might be left in the wake of the process.

I was relieved and thankful that both men were fairly civil in the presentations AND I'm so grateful for the technology today that allowed both men to use keynote slides and videos.

In the end, there was nothing new... both sides are well documented in their arguments and my guess is that not one single human being was moved off of a settled position.

I do agree with some pundits who proclaimed Ken Ham a 'winner' in that he got the debate in the first place.

The thing I was MOST PLEASED with Dr. Ham was that he presented some great scientists to the audience who were solid believers AND he did not shrink back from presenting the gospel.

A FEW QUESTIONS.....

You can go back to the original publication of Darwin's "Origin of the Species" and find a dividing line that has forever changed the nature of the relationship of reason and faith. Both Christians and non-Christians have failed often in a reasoned response to this theory and document.

And the biggest problem is that the major philosophical pillars that must be put down BEFORE the arguments can actually take place takes a ton of time.. and we are too rash and impatient to ferret it all out.

The human condition is so interesting... two men can look at the same empirical evidence and come to totally different conclusions. Each one looks at the other and shakes their head as to why their opponent can't see that their argument is rock solid.

Here are the questions that I ask, and very few in this debate consider them valid...

Q1 "If God put into place a working creation...wouldn't it APPEAR to be older than it is?"
And again... a lot of assumptions here... but a tree in the garden of Eden that was 45 seconds old, if you cut it down and counted 45 rings.. is it 45 years old?... or is it 45 seconds old?

Q2 Young earth theologians talk about the problem of death before sin...but could the curse in Genesis be merely 'spiritual death' or 'God-kind death'? Man was already given 'dominion'...fish, livestock, creeping things- he was free to work the garden.. in the original mandate- did man have the ability to dig up trees, or did the livestock step on ants? Don't shoot me... but there is natural death and there is spiritual death... couldn't we have one without the other in theory?

Q3- Moses is writing Genesis as dictated by the Lord. Could it be that God is communicating to him TRUTH..but in an accommodated structure that communicates to the people at the time in parallel structures to how they understood the world at that time? Moses was trained with an ancient Egyptian education... could it be that God parallels that knowledge to communicate what is important without violating truth?

Q4- to the naturalists... no doubt that slight successful changes take place as environmental changes take place in living creatures...but is it rational to extrapolate that as proof for the variety and design of life as we now find it? To me, the least likely part of the evolutionary origin theory is the RANDOMNESS of it all. SO a cosmic lottery took place and we have beauty, variety, love, language, logic, and moral laws? To me, that takes more faith than to believe in a designer.... information from non-information and life from non-life is a greater 'miracle' if you ask me.

I have written on this topic before: My Good Nature Views Are Evolving
And if I am honest, I always hold an openness to listen to competing philosophies

A FEW STATEMENTS....

• My position is that I side with a young earth model of creation but I urgently stress that a Christian can maintain alternate theories of time and still hold a high view of Scripture. I believe there is room to debate and implore honest science to help us in our understanding of time and scientific origin philosophy.

• It is an 'unfair' (reverse Scopes trial) position to deny intelligent design as a plausible scientific theory in scientific classrooms across the country. Darwinism and Intelligent Design are both 'belief' systems that look to apply empirical evidence to explain life as we know it.

• A person can do an excellent job of honest science regardless of their belief about the existence of God. The discrimination documented in recent years against scientists who believe in God needs to be stopped.

MY BIGGEST FEAR

Here was my greatest concern coming from the debate. Both men sought to undo the other sides argument as expected. Ham believes that allowing only a naturalistic view in the classroom is wrong and Nye believes that Ham's views are dangerous to children.

But did you feel the chill in the air from one side?.. I did

I got the impression that Ham believes the naturalistic view of origins are wrong, but I don't see him wanting to outlaw their right to be held or articulated.

I felt the chill of Nye's side... they want the ideas stamped out... Ham's views are dangerous... and I know that if that group of elites ever got the totalitarian power they want what the result would be... and that is what frightens me..... ideas have consequences......

Charles Hodge, B.B. Warfield and the Princetonians

To me..these guys got it right...but few in evangelicalism followed...

Princeton received “Origin of the Species” with great interest in 1859.

In 1862, Charles Hodge noted Darwin’s own admissions: “his frank admission of  the difficulties of the theory and in the absurdity of its conclusion”.

Hodge’s main problem with Darwinism was its commitment to random chance and not directed by God. 

According to Hodge, the fatal flaw of Darwinism is the denial of design in nature. “If you deny design,you in effect deny God. Darwin says he believes in a creator, but if the creator, billions of eons ago, called a germ in existence and abandoned its development to chance has pretty much consigned himself to non-existence. So what is Darwinism? It is Atheism.”

Hodge rejected Darwin’s views, with respect, in 1862.

CLOSING QUOTES

As I close this post... please take note of quotes I use when discussing the foundations of these issues:

IRREDUCIBLE COMPLEXITY:

In Origin of the Species, Darwin stated,

“If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed, which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down. But I can find no such case.”

Darwin’s Black Box- Michael Behe

RELATIONSHIP OF SCIENCE AND THE BIBLE:

Hodge: “Science has taught us, the church, a lot about the Scriptures”

Archibald Alexander: “Science and the Bible are allies in establishing truth. God is author of both revelations. The truth has nothing to fear from the truth”.

Hodge: 2 FOLD EVIL

Evil of Science- Formulating theories that ignore Biblical truth

Evil of Church- Persisting in interpretations that conflict with well established objective truth

IF NATURALISM/ATHEISM IS TRUE:

“In the enormous scene of the universe- amid the whirl and hiss of jagged iron wheels- amid the deafening hammer blows- man, a helpless and defenseless creature, finds himself- not secure for one moment- any second an imprudent wheel may seize and rend him, a hammer may crush him to a powder- and worse- the sense of abandonment is awful.”  David F. Strauss

ADVANTAGES OF BIG BANG:

“If time's beginning is concurrent with the beginning of the universe, as the space-theorem says, then the cause of the universe must be some entity operating in a time dimension completely independent of and preexistent to the time dimension of the cosmos. This conclusion is powerfully important to our understanding of who God is and who or what God isn't. It tells us that God is not the universe itself, nor is God contained within the universe.”

Hugh Ross

WHAT EVOLUTION ACTUALLY PROVES:

M.I.T. physicist Geoffrey Schroeder correctly points out in his analysis of the impressive display and tribute to evolution that is found in the Natural History Museum in London. “It is all impressive. Impressive, until you are able to walk out and reflect upon that which they are able to document. Daisies remained daisies, moths remained moths, and cichlid fish remained cichlid fish”.

 (The Science of God pg. 31).

MY PRAYER IS THAT honest science and a high view of the Bible will continue to be allies and not divide us.

By the way- very pleased with the great tone NightLine used in reporting on this:

Nye/Hamm: In the Background

Quite a January: Steps in a Good Direction

I am writing this post a few days earlier than planned, and I won't be pushing this on all the social network channels. But I have had PLENTY of time to work because I have been iced in work. We had an unexpected winter storm spring on us- we dismissed school early, got a lot of people out- but ended up having students, parents, staff, and a few stranded motorists stay overnight at our school.

It has been quite an experience! We opened the lunchroom and served hamburgers, snacks, popped popcorn, candy... almost like an old times youth group lock-in... except there are too many who have been stranded or trying to find shelter.

It is 4:28 AM and waiting on the sun to come up and see if the roads will improve at all.


So what has been up this month?

Had a great consistency on exercise and Bible reading. I started a few days early- so yesterday was actually 31 days of Bible readings and workouts in a row.

I am doing the McCheyne Bible Reading Plan and reading notes from D.A. Carson as well.

I am very appreciative that the Lord has blessed the readings.

There is NO DOUBT that the Word is living and active! And it seems like there has been a personal message and consistent theme in each day.

I have been using a google doc to collect notes and thoughts and hope to use the notes for a 2015 Devotional series. I am also sharing the document with my children and hope it ends up being something they would be glad to have even years from now.

BLOG WRITING:

I have made a lot of changes in how I am blogging. This site http://www.jayopsis.com/ continues to be the MAIN artery of original content, but I tend to use this a personal journaling and chunks of foundational ideas.

I have also developed 4 WordPress sites that allow some organization to my varied topics:

http://jayopsis.wordpress.com/ is called "The Best of Jayopsis" and is a way to pull the most read posts into one site

http://jayopsisfootball.wordpress.com/ is a Football only site and does contain old and NEW content

http://jayopsisdevos.wordpress.com/ is a brand new site where I plan to publish devotional series that will last for an entire year

http://bearbryantmemories.wordpress.com/ is a site I put together that pulls the Coach Bryant series into one place

I have been blown away at the amount of traffic at each site.

The football site has had almost 7,000 views in less than 3 months. It has also allowed me to link up with a network of football coaches from across the nation.

The football gets the most traffic- but I love writing the devotional site and I am very excited about what this will look like as the content grows.

Of course, I WILL NEVER abandon the original jayopsis blog. I am fast approaching 60,000 views for this site that I have stayed fairly consistent with since 2004.

GOALS FOR 2014

I  usually pick a theme for a year and then set monthly goals.

The goal this year is ZEAL 2014 and I will have to explain it in a later post. I'd like to wait until later with, hopefully, a good report.

But Jan is usually a goal for FITNESS and I did well on that.

February is typically a FAST. Last year was a facebook fast... and I am thinking a little bit about a caffeine fast for this Feb- though I am not looking forward to a 28 day headache.

But- time to close. I always feel like I am a very blessed person and I have to always be grateful to the Lord!

New Year's Hike

From time to time I like reflecting on a hike. We did a great one yesterday at Oak Mtn. Chilly but sunny and thankfully no wind. It was  North Trail- yellow/white loop using the yellow/white connector that was the toughest straight up the hill climb we have ever done.

This route was 10.01 miles and took us about 3 hrs and 6 minutes- we stopped to take in a few views and pics and avg. about our normal 20 min per mile pace.

The start of the white/yellow to Maggie's Glenn (about a mile in) was great and somehow I missed the white turn-off and we ended up doing it backwards.

It is mostly flat until you get to Old Lake and spillway which is one of my favorite parts of the park. I wouldn't mind staying there one day.

From there, you have to a little negotiating to get back to the old camp road. We went a red bike trail 'Garrett's Gulch' to the gravel road.
Once you get to the road, your instinct says to go left to "Lightning" but you want to go right and find the Yellow/White connector and CLIMB the mountain to the crest.

I love that part of the White trail and the view was majestic.

This picture (left) is just before Maggie's Glenn.

Leigh Ann was a good sport- she had no way of knowing it was going to be 10 miles... and she never complained.

The low part of the trail was a little muddy- but the streams are beautiful in winter.

Every time I see a mountain stream I think of the Scarlet Letter where Hester Prynne is talking to little Pearl.

To Pearl, the stream was babbling songs of joy, but Hester said the stream was singing songs of sorrow.

Most nature poems speak the truth, that nature seems to always shine according to our disposition at the time. Some days it is walking in sunshine and other days the venerable whispers of melancholy. I seem to always feel hints of both. The grandeur of God's creation never fails to tug my desire to praise Him- but as I get older I sense the truth of sorrow as years make us acquainted with grief.

This stream was singing to me the whole time.... Happy New Year... and also I could feel the hint of the deep cold that is approaching this week as well.

And then the YELLOW/WHITE CLIMB- wow- it was something else- just after the 'experimental toilet' on group camp road, you start the ascension (603 ft at the base) to the top (1229 ft). The thing is- it is a 2.1 mile climb straight uphill for the most part.  IT TOOK US 45 MINUTES TO CREST! My heart was racing and I was pouring sweat. The Map My Run app said we burned 2701 calories- I bet 700 of those was right there!

This is definitely one of our favorite family activities and I am thankful to be healthy enough to do it. There were a lot of folks out yesterday- bikers/hikers/ and horseback. Always friendly people- and the healthy benefits of the sunshine radiate on everyone.

2014 is going to be a great year and already has had a promising beginning!

The next few days in Birmingham are going to be bitterly cold- so I way not be here again for some time. But I was so glad to get to enjoy it again.

My Big Fish Story

I can't recall how many times I have actually gone bass fishing in December. But I mentioned to my good friend, Steve Renfroe, that I was NEEDING to get away and throw a line... and he provided the opportunity.

We left after exams on Wednesday, Dec. 18. Steve had a large group up at the baseball cage watching MLB player Wes Helms crushing the baseball. We jumped in the truck and headed about an hour southeast to an undisclosed part of Coosa County.

The lake was beautiful- the clear blue sky and bright sun had warmed us up to just over 50F and I knew it would be a pleasant day whether I caught anything or not.

It is always so quiet during the winter- but it only added to the peace of the afternoon. After only 5 minutes of just standing and staring, I was feeling the health that God's pristine creation always provides.

We launched the boat and drifted through all kinds of good fish cover- past the faithful feeders that feed the fish that end up being the delicacies of the trophies we hoped to land. This particular lake is managed by Southeastern Pond Management Company and from all external evidence was healthy and excellent.

I always start with plastic- it is just my comfortable base. It helps me feel out the lake- depth, cover, and I feel the temp of the lure to get a sense of how slow I need to go. The water was cold. And there wasn't any activity visible to my eye.

But even then, I loved throwing and working my red ribbon- tailed Texas rig on the end of a faithful old Ambassador reel and sturdy rod.

About 45 minutes in I finally got a tap, likely a bream, but was a thrill to finally have some life on the other end of the line. Two casts later, I finally pulled one in. Very cold and very small 1 lb bass, who was never going to return because of the harvest rules of the management.

It was almost 20 minutes later that I began to experiment with some other presentations. I tried a lizard, but didn't like the dark blue color for those conditions (no clue if the bass care about the color- it has always been what I feel good about). I like the chartreuse firetail on the end of Steve's lizard and he had gotten some action on it.

So I pulled out a light green fluke and put it on my Texas rig.... but it was too heavy.

I wanted something to hang in a slow suspended area near cover.

 I then rigged it totally weightless, but it was too light and really never got out of eyesight. I then put a small slip shot weight about 4-6 inches up the line from the hook and liked what I got from that. Enough to work it with different tugs and twitches, and let it fall and drift.

I wacky hooked it for a few throws, but thought the action was too fast for the temp. I then regular hooked it and let it swim and drop. My first cast like that got a strike. It was like the others we were getting... just a small tap, and not much after that..... I set the hook, but missed.

I have to credit my friend Jody Rogers for a lifelong habit I have done after a miss. I don't cast right back at it. I will go away for 1 cast and then come back. So I turned form the close bank and cast just past a stickup about 10 yards behind me. I twitched the fluke with a little flip right at the stick up and watched it drift down.... and that is where she picked it up. It was a good tug and felt heavy on my hook set. It was a big fish and I began to work it in.

Steve got real excited... "Big fish" and I said "I don't think it is that big" but then I saw her turn sideways and OH BOY... it was no ordinary big fish.

We pulled out the net and for a second I had net and rod. I almost lost her as she took one more dive and tried to get under the boat, but I eased her back to the top and we netted her in.

I have had a 10 lb dumb bell in my hands before... but this felt heavier.

The stats revealed what a whopper catch this was...... 12.5 lbs/ 29"long/ and a girth of 19"- fat full of shad.

In the monster's mouth was the fin of a fish that looked as big as the earlier bass I caught. This fish was stuffed to the gill and still eating!

Steve caught a few more on a crankbait in the same area- all of his fish that day were nice.

But I had done the fishing version of a hole in one..... that lucky shot that rolls in for a rank amateur  that makes him smile for a while and tell everyone about what he has done- but on the inside you know that it will likely never happen again. It was also a huge make-up for all the times the big one has snapped my line or slung the hook back at me- all the former anguish was now joy!

We ended the day filling up the feeders and I got to shoot his pistol for a few rounds.

It was a great Christmas present and I am thankful to the Lord for His creation and to Steve and the gracious lake owner for the opportunity. I will be back...........

Grace in the Shadow of Judgment: Isaiah CH 6

Continuing my study of Isaiah

 In the year that King Uzziah died,

This is 740 BC and we read about King Uzziah in II Chronicles 26. He was a good king. He ascended the throne at 16 and reigned 52 years. He led in such manner as the Lord prospered him. Under his rule, Jerusalem became rich and powerful. But just as Judah had done in Ch 1-5- Uzziah becomes a tragic, real life symbol of a fall. Uzziah, in haughtiness, entered into the temple and tried to burn incense. He was confronted by the high priest and 80 other priests. Uzziah, full of pride and now anger at the confrontation stretched out his hand in defiance and was struck in leprosy. He had to be exiled and lived the rest of his life as an outcast.

Many scholars agree that Isaiah and Uzziah were related. I tend to see this chapter ( and some of it is speculation) as Isaiah grieving over the fall of this great King and kinsman. Possibly compounding his despair over the decay of culture as well.

But in this time of darkness (remember the end of CH 5:30b "behold, darkness and distress; and the light is darkened by its clouds.") Isaiah is given a bright light to say the least.

 I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne;

The Lord (Adonai- ruler/ in authority) is on the throne. It is like The Lord shows Isaiah....yes, the earthly throne is in chaos- but I am still in control.

How could Isaiah 'see' the Lord? The Bible indicates that no man can see God and live. This is a Theophany or more precisely, a Christophany- see the vision of Christ in Rev 1 and the description of the heavenly throne room in Rev 3/4 for parallel comparisons.

The best argument that this 'Adonai' is the transfigured Christ is found in John 12: 37-41. After quoting Isaiah, John writes, "Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him ." I believe the pronoun refers to Christ.

God reveals Himself in ways to us to grasp the ungraspable and perceive the unperceivable. For example, the TRINITY is mysterious, but gives us some handles understanding the transcendent. This is likely a 'vision'- but it is real and represents and even greater reality.

 and the train of his robe filled the (temple).  

The longer the train... the greater the King. This train fills and is ever filling the temple/palace.

Is this a temple or a palace? The Hebrew word can be either one. A throne would indicate a palace- but the altar in vs. 6 would indicate a temple.

The Bible clearly divided the King from the priest in man's government.... this is what Uzziah's act violated. BUT IN CHRIST- He unifies the office of Prophet, Priest, and King.

Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 

Seraphim are 'burning ones'- blazing heavenly creatures- but notice that the HOLINESS and BURNING of Adonai even affects the seraphim. They cover their faces......even they cannot look at such. They cover their feet (Moses, take off your sandals, in front of the burning bush) and they fly (hovering...but not touching). We treat holy things with way too trifle a manner.

 And they were calling to one another:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;    the whole earth is full of his glory.”

We know this- THIS IS THE ONLY THRICE USED ADJECTIVE phrase in the Bible. There is pit/pit in Genesis, gold/gold in Solomon's temple, peace/peace in Isaiah 26, truly/truly in New Testament... but only GOD"S HOLINESS is 3 fold. 

There are two aspects to holiness. "Alien" or nor like us or TRANSCENDENT. God is not like us and the more we get a picture of how big and awesome He is- the better it is for us. This is the Creature/Creator distinction that Dr. Van Til so often referred to.

A second aspect of holiness is purity. But we cannot even contemplate how pure is this purity. We can only think of it in a negative sense... without sin- but this does the idea no real justice.

At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

Earthquakes, fire, smoke are frequently linked to the presence of God among men. Oh that the Lord would us shake and be on fire for Him!

 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”

The very first recorded words of the prophet... "WOE" is me. The word woe has already been used multiple times in the first 5 chapters. We often see it in relation to the sin of others... but it is most applicable to the sin in our lives. This is the 'best' woe...one that creates true contrition and humility.

This is a natural response when men encounter the living God. They fall to the ground. Think of all the great Biblical heroes who were 'knocked down' in humility to be picked up by the Lord for great ministry. Jacob walked with a limp after losing his fight with the Lord. Moses was resigned to 40 years in the wilderness and had a lowly estate when the bush began to burn. Peter fell to the ground and exclaimed "Depart from me, Lord, I am a sinful man.". Paul was struck down and blinded.  

In this world of lifting self esteem and avoiding hard truth- the Bible is very counter-intuitive. An exalted man sins... a humble man serves the Lord for much good.

 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar.  With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

On this declaration of contrition- the burning one 'flies' to Isaiah. God is quick to apply mercy and He rushes to the truly repentant. But notice.. GOD initiates the process. He revealed Himself and He applies the grace. All Isaiah added to justification was sin.

This is why I titled this post: GRACE in the SHADOW of Judgment. God's grace is most fully applicable when His transcendence/majesty/holiness most manifest. The greatest love verse in the Bible is in context of eternal judgment- For God so loved the world that He gave His Son that whoever believes in Him WILL NOT PERISH but have eternal life.

Of course it is also noteworthy how thorough the cleansing is- Your guilt is taken away and your sin is covered (atoned for). WOW- what a gracious Savior!

A MONERGISTIC SALVATION RESULTS IN A SYNERGISTIC SANCTIFICATION

God's mercy is applied by the initiation and act of God. Isaiah responds to grace by a willingness to now cooperate/serve God.

 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

We do not believe in faith plus works to merit salvation... we believe in a grace THAT works.

James and Paul were not opposites... they were unified. Look at Ephesians 2:8-10

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Do I say to God- Here I am, send me? If not, I need more grace, I need to see God and His holiness more, OI need to pay much closer attention to my salvation....

Then we see this strange ministry that Isaiah is called to:

He said, “Go and tell this people:

“‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding;
    be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
 Make the heart of this people calloused;
    make their ears dull
    and close their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
    hear with their ears,
    understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.”

WHAT? G.K. Beale has long helped us to understand this language. In the Bible, sensory organ malfunction (that is figurative) is always in context of idolatry. It is the natural result of idolatry to become blind and deaf, hardened and more lost.

We see this very clearly in Isaiah 42 and 44- Psalm 135 says that we become like the idols we worship. Beale states it this way: What we revere, we resemble, either to ruin or to restoration.

The people of God have forsaken God and now have become like their idols- deaf, mute, blind- of no use at all.

And now, the judgement that God promised in Genesis, in Deuteronomy, all throughout the institutions of the covenant is now going to be certain in the course of Isaiah's 50 years of 'ministry'. He is going to preach and have a 90% failure rate.....

 Then I said, “For how long, Lord?”

And he answered:

“Until the cities lie ruined
    and without inhabitant,
until the houses are left deserted
    and the fields ruined and ravaged,
 until the Lord has sent everyone far away
    and the land is utterly forsaken.
 And though a tenth remains in the land,
    it will again be laid waste.
But as the terebinth and oak
    leave stumps when they are cut down,
    so the holy seed will be the stump in the land.”

Dr. Ortlund speaks of how this hardness takes root:

Every time you hear the word of God preached- you come away from that exposure either a little closer to God or a little hardened- but you are not the same.

The same message that is enliving you to Christ is hardening someone else. James 1:21 “Receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your soul”

His application to this passage goes like this:

“If your heart does not leap at God’s grace in Christ- what you need is more grace. Nothing can save us from our own deadness. We should fear the hardness of our heart more than anything else. Beware of rigidity, beware of a demanding spirit- beware of an unmelted heart that is NEVER satisfied- beware of a mind that that looks for excuses to not believe- beware of the impulse that always finds a reason to delay a response- beware of thinking how a sermon applies to someone else-

Is 66:2 But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

I can't imagine what it would be like to be Isaiah. For 50 years, you were going to pronounce judgment over a proud and prosperous nation who were blind to the truth. Extra-biblical accounts say that he was sawn in two as a result of this 'preaching'.

Even though King Uzziah died in 740 BC- the actual destruction and exile did not happen until 606 B.C. Like the days of Noah, the people would not listen. Just as the parable of Jesus, they will not believe even if someone were to rise from the dead.

Where are we today?

Remember WHY God said the land was going to be laid waste?

Isaiah 5:24(b) "for they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts and they have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel".

Oh Father, please apply your mercy. May we see you and humble ourselves. May we find more grace to soften our dead hearts and our idolatrous ways. May your word be accepted and not rejected. May we love and not despise your truth! Please shower more grace because we see the clouds of judgment gathering!

A Powerful Prologue- Isaiah 1-5

I have admired the Book of Isaiah for so many years. Though not always pleasant to read, it seems like every section has solid, deep, concrete content written in stylistic and literary excellence.

The more I study the Book, the more convinced I am that the first 5 chapters of Isaiah represent a type of prologue, introducing the main themes of Isaiah's 50 years of prophetic and faithful ministry.

After the prologue, in CH. 6 we meet the man Isaiah and his powerful vision of Christ that marks his call and commission as a prophet.

If you have ever been to a musical, you know the importance of a prologue. It is that part, before the curtain opens, where all of the music that will come later is introduced to the audience. It brings memories to those who know the musical, and it tunes the ears of those who are new.

I attended a high school presentation of Roger's and Hammerstein's Cinderella last year. It is quite different from the Disney version. I had not heard those songs for a number of years, but when my daughters were young, we watched the video quite often.

Sitting in the audience that night, our excellent orchestra hit a few bars of each of those familiar songs... and though I had not heard them in years, I immediately remembered the lyrics and tunes and was looking forward to hearing them in a fuller sense later.

This is what you get in the first 5 chapters of Isaiah- a prelude to the great Book:

A Broken hearted God, Resolute in Judging Sin

The word translated "Ah" in 1:4 communicates both a warning and a lament. Over and over, you have this promise from God to judge sin, but it is not capricious, careless, or without feeling. In fact, God presents Himself as a father who has to give grievous consequences to a loved, but wayward son.


A Foolish and Rebellious Nation

Judah and Jerusalem is thoroughly convicted of forsaking God and breaking His covenant promises.
And the worst part of it is that they suffer the results of their own choosing.  5:4 'for they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts, and have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel." And the result?
Rebellion- Laden with iniquity- Sickness - Desolate and burned out- over thrown- ritualistic religion that is of no value- violence- oppression- sexual immorality- crime- loss of leaders- back room bribes- mysticism- syncretism with foreign gods- greed- pride- injustice- famine- depression- lack of discretion- decay- addiction- substance abuse- false witness- calling evil good and good evil- and a coming army of invaders.

The Sin of Pride

Pride/Arrogance/ and Haughtiness seems to rise in the ashes of sin and rebellion like an especially wicked attribute with an equally strong response from the Lord.

Several times the Lord has Isaiah write: "Man is humbled and each one is brought low."


The Sin of Idolatry

Idolatry is when anything other than God is elevated to an ultimate thing. You get introduced to forms of idolatry in the first 5 chapters (fortune telling, alcoholism, consumerism) but this theme isn't as clear until later on. In Ch. 6, you get the eventual impact of idolatry- sensory organ malfunction- blind eyes, deaf ears- as part of Isaiah's calling. But the sin of idolatry ranks up there with pride and will be expounded on later in the 66 chapters of the Book.

The Woes of Life When God is Forsaken

This one is clearly spelled out in Ch. 1-5. The word woe is used 9 times and outlines how difficult life in when one is weighed down in sin. Isaiah 5 has a particularly poignant verse 18:

Woe to those who draw sin along with cords of deceit, and wickedness as with cart ropes,

The prophet himself will utter "WOE" when he sees the high and lifted LORD.


The Coming Judgement

It is scary when God closes the door of mercy and says, "No more delay".  Though it may not be as suddenly as we suspect- he pronounces it at it WILL come.
 And the process is something like this:

JUDGEMENT- all warnings are over. He will now keep His word.

ABANDONMENT- a withdrawal of His divine protection and provision

FAMISHED…..FAMINE- the decay is gradual, but evident. Signs of cursing grow exponentially.

WEAKNESS- No leaders, no fertile land, no productivity

OVERTHROW- In comes the invading army- hungry, disciplined, and destructive.


The Promise of Salvation

But the promise of salvation- even if to a remnant remains......

There are beautiful passages of the future kingdom to those who remain.

CH 1
“Come now, let us settle the matter,”    says the Lord.“Though your sins are like scarlet,    they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,    they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient,    you will eat the good things of the land.

CH 2
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,    to the temple of the God of Jacob.He will teach us his ways,    so that we may walk in his paths.”The law will go out from Zion,    the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations    and will settle disputes for many peoples.They will beat their swords into plowshares    and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,    nor will they train for war anymore. Come, descendants of Jacob,    let us walk in the light of the Lord.

CH 4
 In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel.  Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem.  The Lord will wash away the filth of the women of Zion; he will cleanse the bloodstains from Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire.  Then the Lord will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over everything the glory will be a canopy.  It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain.

If you like a few bars of this prologue...wait until the curtain comes up!

Day 38,414

Words cannot capture how different this has all been and no earthly experience captures the sights, sounds, smells, excitement, peace, and boundless bliss.

Indeed- how dark a shadow it was.

So how can I communicate the continuous upward climb of the inexpressible fulfillment? Love, relationships, adventure, and freshness without an end or even a faint hint of diminishing return.

I still am baffled that I can count the days- that it is tangible- that I experience it in body and concrete memories- who would have imagined?

So today was still a shock. I heard my new name... the one that only He had for me. I quickly turned and the transcendent presence was now immanent.

I smiled with excitement, "RABBONI"!

"Come, it is time to show you something."

And we flew. Dodging and dancing with speed and elegance. It was like children in a game of chase.

It was work, but not tiring. It was supersonic, yet balanced. And we screeched to a blistering stop.

He pointed to a dusty cluster in the distance.

"There is another time and place. That will be the next time we see one another like this. And there are some I am excited for you to see." His voice flooded my heart and I smiled so hard it almost hurt.

"But here is what I planned for today."

At that moment, he held a small globe in his hand and playfully tossed it to me.

It didn't take long for me to realize what it appeared to me.

"The earth?" I asked.

"No.... an earth. The old has passed away- this is brand new and it is all yours."

"No my Lord, please, this is not mine- I....."

"No, my son, all I was given is now for my children."

I bowed low, so adoring of the Lord of the Universe.

He never prevented my worship and I felt His pleasure.

He voiced my private name again- it was good to hear it straight from His lips.

"Let me show you how it works!"

I am not going to be able to explain this in my reality. But basically, it was a world- the same size as my home planet in the Old World. I could hold it small, but with just a thought I could zoom it to full size.

"My Lord and My God- what am I to do?"

"Enjoy it... he laughed out loud."

"It is a present forever- invite loved ones, explore, stay 1,000 years or leave it for 10,000 years- whether you come or go- it is all yours and part of My inheritance. This is how it should be. No more curse."

"What Lord is THAT?"I was mow pointing at a beautiful body of amazing water along the northern hemisphere of the Americas."

He got strangely sober and quiet. "It used to be called Hudson Bay.... But you may name it anything you like. Go to it."

"I never noticed it in my old life."

"You knew about it, but it was never a part of your experience. Now you have time to experience it all in its purest form."

"I will send a messenger for you to herald invitations- you will soon have many dear friends to join you."

I began to weep. He wiped away the tears.

"Thank-you, Rabboni."

He hugged me and was suddenly a transcendent presence once again.

I dove hard down toward the Atlantic and sent a cannon ball splash almost a quarter mile high!

The water was not salty... it was perfectly fresh, cold, and full of flavor.

It was teeming with life and wind and natural music.

I prayed a quiet prayer to Him.

Thank you, Oh Lamb of God.

I was on my way to the Hudson Bay.......