Mysteries – Page 3

Is the End of the World at Hand?

February 12, 2014 Joseph Dewey

This entry is part 21 of 57 in the series Mysteries

Question 22

Is the End of the World at Hand?

Believers have often talked about the end of days, or the end times, as if they are just around the corner. As I write this I am 69 and this attitude has not changed in my lifetime. I remember back when I was a kid that religious people were telling me that the Second Coming of Jesus, the end, or some type of general apocalyptic doom or collapse was coming within a couple years. “The time is so close at hand that it’s scary to think about,” was the general tone I heard.

After I learned a little history I discovered that the end times has been seen as something just around the corner for thousands of years, dating back to the Bible itself. The Apostle Paul wrote this:

“For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: I Thess 4:15-16

The fact that Paul said, “we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord” indicates that he personally believed that many in his day would live to see the end times.

Talk of the end times did not cease with the death of Paul and his generation. Each succeeding generation had their prophets and teachers warning the people that the time was short. As the year 1000 approached concern about the time of the end increased and then faded for a while when nothing happened.

In the 1800s there was a renewed interest in the end of days. The Mormons officially called themselves “Latter -Day Saints” because they thought the Second coming and the end of times were at hand. Most of those who joined at the founding of the church believed they would live to see Jesus coming in clouds of glory. Now more than 180 years has passed since the founding of the church and life is still going on as normal.

The Adventist movement was another in that century that was anticipating the end of days. William Miller and Samuel S. Snow were famous for preaching that Jesus was going to arrive no later than sometime in 1844. Many thousands were expecting this and some went so far as to give away all their possessions. After the date came and went the followers were greatly disappointed to the extent that the time was even named “The Great Disappointment.”

Charles Taze Russell who founded the Jehovah Witnesses predicted that 1914 would mark the time of the end. When that didn’t materialize other dates surfaced and failed.

Since that time there have been too many end time predictions to mention. We read about some strange ones in the news on a regular basis. Several known to most people involve the Hale Bopp Comet, Y-2K and the 2012 Mayan prophecies.

So what is the reason that so many have such a high expectation of the end of the world? Does the Bible spell it out?

It appears on the surface that Jesus is responsible for all this expectation of the end of the world. In Matthew Chapter 24 we read of an answer he gave to his disciples’ inquiry:

“And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” Matt 24:3

There it is. The disciples asked for signs of the end of the world and Jesus answered them with lots of predictions.

The problem is that a key word here is mistranslated which alters the whole meaning. The Greek word from which “world” is translated is AION. This is the word from which the English “eon” was derived and has a similar meaning. The disciples were not asking about signs of the end of the world, but of the end of the age. Most of the newer versions now translate this correctly, but until recently this mistranslation set a false tone for an end, which was not really predicted.

An age has a beginning and an end. The end of an age is the end of a cycle of time, not the end of the world.

The second Biblical scripture that gives people the idea that the world is coming to an end is the Book of Revelation. If a believer reads this through and expects the events predicted to literally take place then, yes, it would seem that the Bible predicts the world is coming to an end, and soon. After all, that is what the first verse of the book says – that the things in the book “must shortly come to pass.”

Actually, the grasping of that first verse is the key to understanding that the Book of Revelation has been misunderstood for 2000 years. Let us take a look:

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.” Rev 1:1-3

John was shown things “which must shortly come to pass.”

This seems to be an odd statement indeed when almost 2000 years has passed since it was written and most believe that the events have still not come to pass. Where is the great comet striking the earth? Where is the antichrist and where are the waters that are turned to blood, etc? 2000 years is not a short time by any standard, yet the scripture says these things would “shortly come to pass.”

Now note the end of verse three: “the time is at hand.” Not only is the time short, but the time is at hand.

2000 years is a long time in anyone’s book and who would say today, that “the time is at hand,” if they were writing today and predicting events that would take place in the year 4000 and beyond? No one.

If we take the scripture at its word then obviously it was not talking about the end of the world. The first sentence gives us a key of understanding. It says the book is a “Revelation of Jesus Christ.” “Revelation” here comes from the Greek APOKALUPSIS. Does this Greek word look a little familiar? It should, for it is the word from which “Apocalypse” is derived. The book is sometimes called “The Book of Revelation” and other times “The Apocalypse,” but in reality the name is the same. “Apocalypse” is the Greek rendition but “Revelation” is the English of the same original word. Let us examine the Greek word a little more carefully. APOKALUPSIS is translated in a variety of ways including, “revelation, be revealed, to lighten, manifestation , coming and appearing.” It is derived from the Greek APOKALUPTO which means “to take off the cover.” This is perhaps the reason the Concordant Version translates the word as “unveiling.” In fact, their translation does not name the book Revelation, or the Apocalypse, but “The Unveiling Of Jesus Christ.”

“Unveiling” has a deeper meaning than the word “revelation”. A revelation of Jesus Christ could occur by having a brief vision and seeing his image. But an unveiling is a different story. A brief vision could not do this. To unveil Jesus Christ would imply the revealing of his mystery, layer after layer until there is a full understanding of the Master himself.

That which will shortly come to pass for the reader is not the end of the world, but the understanding of the mystery of Christ. This understanding is presented throughout the book in symbolic language that reveals this mystery and was not intended to tell us the world was going to end soon.

I have written a whole book, called “The Unveiling” explaining the meaning of the Book of Revelation. Here the reader will be amazed to discover a fascinating interpretation unlike any seen before.

The original question was, “Is the end of the world at hand?”

The answer is no. The world will continue for millions of years. The real question should be, “Is the end of the age at hand?”

The answer is yes. A new age is dawning upon us and the old is passing away. It is up to us to make sure the coming age is a good one.

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Is Jesus Coming Again?

February 14, 2014 Joseph Dewey

This entry is part 22 of 57 in the series Mysteries

Question Twenty-Three

Is Jesus Coming Again?

According to a Pew Research poll taken in 2006 79% of Christians believe that Jesus is going to come again sometime in the future. Then another Pew poll taken in 2010 shows that 47% of Christians, or 41% of the general population, believe that he will show up by 2050.

A large percentage of these believers see the world as we know it ending when he returns. Others see his return as less disruptive but marking a transition into a new and better age.

There are also differing beliefs about how he will manifest. Many see him literally showing up in the clouds of the sky with millions of angels to wipe out the wicked and forcefully establish his kingdom on the earth or rapture the righteous into heaven.

Still others tell us the Greek for “coming” in Matt 24:3 is PAROUSIA and should be translated as merely “presence.” Therefore, the world will somehow be endowed with his spiritual presence, rather than him showing up in a physical body.

Then others who believe in a Second Coming see Jesus as showing up as one of us, but having extraordinary talents that will help humanity move toward the goal of “peace on earth, goodwill toward men.”

So, what is the truth of the matter here? Will Jesus really show up again, and if so, how?

The answer to the first is a definite yes. He said he would come again and indeed we can look for him to show up in some manner. The scriptures themselves provide some clues on the matter.

Will he show up in a blaze of glory and destroy the wicked by fire? To see if this may be true let us examine how he dealt with those who rejected him 2000 years ago:

“And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?

“But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.” Luke 9:52-56

Here we gain a grand insight into the thinking of Jesus. The apostles had the idea that since this particular village rejected them they needed to be taught a lesson and that Jesus should command fire to come down out of heaven and consume them. If this were to happen, they wouldn’t have that problem any more as other towns wouldn’t want to suffer the same fate.

To this idea Jesus gave them an unexpected rebuke saying, “Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.”

And what manner of spirit is it that wants to destroy men’s lives? That is the spirit of evil, not the good that is in Christ.

There may be great destructions and calamities in the future but they will come from either men or Mother Earth, not from Jesus throwing down destruction upon us as his mission is to save, not destroy.

So how about the second option? Will we somehow be endowed with his presence and how could that happen?

A clue is given in the Book of Revelation:

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” Rev 3:20

According to this there will be those who hear the knock, will open the door and Christ “will come in to him.” If the actual presence of Christ is in your neighbor, John Smith, then the presence of Christ is on the earth, is it not?

This makes sense. After all, Jesus said, “I am with you always, even unto the end of the age.” Matt 28:20

So one of the ways that his coming materializes is through the dwelling in various disciples which allows his presence to be with us always till the end of the age.

And what happens at the end of the age? Will he actually walk among us again? Perhaps the scriptures give us a clue as to when this shall be.

In giving the signs of His coming Jesus says that first there shall be great tribulation, as never seen before. When Daniel talks about this tribulation he tells us that it applies to the “holy people.” (Dan 8:24) This would most likely mean the Jews.

So what was the greatest tribulation that ever happened to the Jews that, if it was not shortened, then none of them would have been saved? (Matt 24:21-22)

That would have been the systematic extermination of the Jews under Hitler, the greatest antichrist in our history.

After this tribulation Jesus is quoted as saying:

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”Matt 24:29-30

This is a description of “the sign of the Son of man in heaven.” Most think this will be some great sign they will see in the sky telling them that Jesus is coming. They overlook a very important point. The scripture says that this sign will make “all the tribes of the earth mourn.” If this is a sign that Jesus is coming then why would everyone on the earth mourn when they see it? Surely someone would be happy to see a sign that indicates his Lord is on his way.

Well, there was such a sign that did cause all the peoples of the earth to mourn. It even caused the most sincere believers in Christ to mourn. What was it?

The answer is given in the name and description of the sign itself. Remember, it is called, “the sign of the Son of man in heaven.” “Heaven” comes from the Greek word OURANOS. And what other modern word comes from this?

Uranium.

If we substitute “uranium” for heaven we can see a startling new meaning revealed for instead of the sign being in the sky it would read “the sign of the Son of man in uranium.”

And what does it say about this sign given right after the tribulation of the Jews?

“The powers of the heavens shall be shaken.” If we substitute uranium for heaven it then reads:

“The powers of uranium shall be shaken.”

We know the powers of heaven will not be shaken but right after the genocide against the Jews was ended the powers of uranium were shaken and the first atomic bomb exploded.

This great sign did indeed cause all the peoples of the earth to mourn. Even though it helped to end the war all were terrified about its use in the future.

Could you imagine someone two thousand years ago trying to describe an atomic blast. Perhaps he would say that it would be so bright that it would blot out the light of the sun and the moon and would appear with “the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”

Wait. That is exactly what Jesus did say and it is a perfect description of an atomic blast.

So, does this give us a clue as to when Christ will again appear?

It does, for after talking about this sign he says, “This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” Matt 24:34

This tells us that of those who were alive in 1945, when the atomic bomb first exploded, will not all pass away by the time Christ comes again. A number from that time will live to be over 100 so according to this logic he should show up before 2050.

But consider this. His presence may have already been among us. Remember his promise that he will come into certain disciples and abide with them. Since 1945 it is quite possible that his presence has rested upon a number of disciples and servants to the human race and worked directly through them.

But will he come as a physical being walking again among us? I believe that is the plan and it is the hope of many millions including myself.

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Are We the Most Wicked Generation?

February 18, 2014 Joseph Dewey

This entry is part 23 of 57 in the series Mysteries

Question Twenty-Four

Are We the Most Wicked Generation?

There is one message that most people who have attended church have heard many times which is this:

We are living in the wickedest time of all history. As evidence of this, we are told to look around and witness the wars and rumors of wars, man’s inhumanity to man, the high divorce rate, abortions, crime and many other things. Preachers also cite the Bible as evidence. For instance Jesus said, “But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Matt 24:37

The idea here is that the people at the time of Noah were so wicked they had to be destroyed, so if the last days are like that then the people today must be pretty bad also.

On the other hand, the scripture referenced does not talk about the wickedness of the people but the fact that the people were caught off guard by the flood. Even so, will the people not be prepared for the coming of Christ.

When I was younger I accepted this idea that the people of the world were getting worse all the time without questioning. I seemed to receive verification of this each time I picked up the morning paper and read about the outrages of the day.

Then one day, decades ago, I was reading an interesting book and the author made the statement that the world was not getting worse but better and gave several examples. I immediately saw that he was correct. I felt kind of embarrassed that I did not see this sooner as it seemed so obvious when one thinks about it.

Yes, there are lots of terrible things happening in the world but overall we are doing much better than we used to. Here are some examples;

(1) The elimination of slavery. Slavery for most of our history was a common practice among most nations and races. It is just the past few centuries that most of the world has ceased this practice and we are much better for doing so.

(2) Human sacrifice and cannibalism. This was a common practice in the ancient world, but very rare today.

(3) Fewer deaths from war. Since the close of World War II there has been a smaller percentage of the people die in war than any time in recorded history.

(4) Longer Life Spans. We have went from an average life span of around 25 years in the Roman era to advancing to about 40 by the 1800s. In the United States it is now 78 years and higher than this in some parts of the world. Part of the reason for this is fewer people are murdered and killed in war.

(5) Child labor and abuse. It wasn’t long ago that pre-teen children were forced to work up to 15 hours a day 6-7 days a week. We have now risen above such abuse.

(6) Torture and inhumane death sentences. During most of our history torture of enemies, or even dissidents was common procedure. We’re not talking about something mild like waterboarding several individuals. Instead, authorities did things like:

• Stretching victims on the rack.

• Roasting them slowing alive. If they were lucky they were just burned at the stake.

• Gouging out their eyes cutting off tongues, ears and other members.

• Hanging the victim until he was unconscious, resuscitating him and then hanging him again.

• Disemboweling the victim and pulling out his beating heart while he is still alive.

• Drilling holes in his head.

• Feeding victims to the lions.

All these things are unheard of in the United States and other civilized countries that are condemned by many religions as being the wickedest ever.

(7) Insensitivity to human needs. In the old days it was often “each man for himself” attitude. Now whenever there is a catastrophe people reach out to help the victims. Even in times of war the Red Cross is usually allowed to assist the wounded.

(8) Insensitivity to animals. It is only in recent times that the general population has shown much concern for pain and distress we may cause to animals.

An incident that seemed to be a turning point happened in my home state of Idaho. In 1981 the southern part of the state was experiencing an overpopulation of jackrabbits, which were eating millions of dollars worth of grain. 600 farmers decided to do something about it and rounded up over 15,000 of the rabbits and clubbed them to death with baseball bats, tire irons and ax handles.

This made the national news in a big way. The image of Neanderthal farmers clubbing poor little bunnies to death really struck a chord. If they had burned them, shot them or poisoned them it probably wouldn’t have raised such eyebrows, but the image of clubbing rabbits with baseball bats and tire irons was just too much. The nation expressed outrage toward the farmers and had little sympathy for their financial loss.

I remember thinking at the time how unusual this outrage seemed to be as, until that time, no one seemed to care what happened to jackrabbits as they were somewhat of a nuisance to many.

Yes, until recent times, cruelty to animals was generally overlooked by the masses. Just a few centuries ago cruelty to animals, even cats and dogs was seen as good clean sport. In Medieval Paris it was considered fun to slowly roast a cat alive and laugh as it shrieked in pain as it was lowered into the fire.

In England they would nail a cat to a post and players would batter it to death with their heads. Until recently dog and cock fights were popular entertainment. When I was a kid in the Fifties my Dad would often take me to cockfights where they fought to the death.

(9) Homicides and violent crime is much lower today than in centuries past.

The bottom line is that humanity has its flaws and there are a few bad apples among us, but overall we are making progress and becoming better as a whole, not worse.

Here’s my judgment derived from a lifetime of observing and interacting with people. About 90% of the population are fairly decent people trying to live their lives the best they know how. Of the remaining, about 9% are just plain irritating or obnoxious. The remaining 1% range from somewhat crazy to outright dangerous and should be avoided at all costs.

I don’t see God as being angry at the 90% of decent people we see about us or even a large percentage of them. If calamities befall them it will be from natural cause and effect.

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Do I Have To Join A Church To Be Saved?

February 22, 2014 Joseph Dewey

This entry is part 24 of 57 in the series Mysteries

Question Twenty-Six

Do I have to join a church to be saved?

Some churches maintain that salvation comes through their organization and you must join them to be saved. Others have the idea that you must fellowship in one of a number of churches deemed to have the right idea of who and what Jesus is. Still others have no specific doctrine concerned with the church and salvation but insist that their church will bring you closer to God. Many of them joke that they are supplying believers with “fire insurance,” to protect them from the fires of hell.

In our last question we learned that salvation really means to be delivered from error. After all, the word “salvation” comes from the Greek SOLTERIA which literally means “to rescue or deliver.” Therefore salvation from sin is really a deliverance from error.

Therefore, any church that claims to offer or aid the seeker in obtaining salvation must offer a deliverance from error.

And how does a church or any entity deliver from error?

Quite simple. We are delivered from error by knowledge of things that are true.

People at one time thought the earth was flat. Great thinkers and explorers proved that this was and error, that the world was round and not the center of the universe. They delivered, or saved us from, that error, or sin of ignorance.

One reason that Jesus was called a savior was that he delivered us from a number of huge errors.

And how did he do that?

He told us that it was by the power of his words. That only makes sense since he was called “The Word” in the Gospel of John.

Jesus emphasized again and again that the words he spoke have power to save and deliver us from error and that the saving “word is truth.” John 17:17

In the great parable of the Sower we are told that “The sower soweth the word.” Mark 4:14 Here we learn that those who treasure up the words of truth in their hearts will be saved.

Words are so powerful that words such as those spoken by Jesus were called “words of eternal life.” John 6:68

Not only were the words of Jesus important to salvation but so are our own for he said, “ For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” Matt 12:37

But Jesus emphasized the power of his words of truth to deliver when he said, “the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” John 6:63

Salvation then comes from words that are true, which deliver us from error. The bigger the error that we are delivered from the greater is the salvation.

The biggest errors of all that we make are those that take us away from eternal life and the words of Jesus correct, or save us, and set us on the right course.

Now let us get back to our original question. To ask if we need churches to be saved is like asking if we need a church to find words of truth that deliver us from error. The answer is that we do not. It matters not where we find the words of truth. They are what they are and if we accept them then we are delivered from error.

Does this mean that the churches have no purpose?

No. They teach truth in differing degrees and assist many people in their search for the words of truth. Most churches offer little depth of knowledge, however, and the true seeker must go beyond that which they offer. He must study and contemplate using his own initiative.

Some of the greatest words of Jesus that all must take to heart are:

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” Matt 7:7-8

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What Does It Mean to be Saved?

February 20, 2014February 21, 2014 Joseph Dewey

This entry is part 25 of 57 in the series Mysteries

Question Twenty-Five

What Does It Mean to be Saved?

One of the most common questions that comes up when anything from the Bible is discussed is:

“Are you saved?”

I have an unorthodox approach on many lines of thought and my dialog in a discussion may go something like this.

Him: Are you saved?

Me: I’m saved from a number of things. What did you have in mind?

Him: Are you saved from sin?

Me: What do you mean by that?

Him: Well, I mean, are your sins washed away?

Me: And what do you mean by that?

Him: I mean that if you accept Jesus into your heart your sins will be forgiven and you will be saved.

Me: It doesn’t say anything in the Bible about accepting Jesus into your heart.

Him: Sure it does.

Me: Where?

Him: (He looks but can’t find it for it is not there.)

Me: Look, You’re just not clear what it is I’m supposed to be saved from.

Him: Are you an idiot? You need to be saved from your sins.

Me: And what is sin?

Him: Everyone knows what sin is.

Me: Then you should be able to tell me.

Him: Sin is the transgression of the laws of God.

Me: Does that include all the laws of the Old Testament such as putting gays, witches, disobedient children and Sabbath breakers to death? Are you a sinner because you do not put your neighbor to death who goes to work on the Sabbath?

Him: Well, no. The law of Christ superseded those draconian measures

Me: So what law can I break that would be considered a sin?

Him: Any of the Ten Commandments

Me: I thought the Ten Commandments came from the Old Testament. Are you saying they are a part of the Law of Christ?

Him: Well, Jesus supported obeying the Ten Commandments.

Me: So are the Ten Commandments the Law of Christ we are supposed to obey?

Him: They are not specifically the Law of Christ.

Me: So what is it in the Law of Christ that was supposed to have replaced the Laws of Moses that will be sin if transgressed?

Him: (He does not have a clear answer.)

Me: Let me help you out here. Let’s read the words of Jesus. He was asked, “Which is the great commandment in the law?

“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Matt 22:36-40

Would you agree then that all the commandments supported by Jesus “hangs” or is summed up in these two commandments?

Him: Yes, I suppose. That seems to be what he is saying.

Me: Jesus reinforced this idea when he said, “ Matt “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” Matt 7:12

So to sin then I would have to violate the spirit of these two commandments. For instance, if I stole something from my neighbor that would violate the idea of loving him as I love myself, correct?

Him: Yes, I suppose.

Me: To better understand sin it may be helpful to examine the Greek from which the word was translated. The word “sin’ in the New Testament comes from HAMARTIA which is derived from HAMARTANO which means “to miss the mark.” In other words, when the Greeks 2000 years ago shot at a target with an arrow and missed they “sinned” (HAMARTANO) or missed the target. Thayer’s Greek Lexicon tells us that the Greeks also used it to mean “an error in understanding.” I suppose that if you error and miss the truth you are missing the mark, wouldn’t you say?

Him: I suppose.

Me: So when we sin we are really making an error and not seeing or acting on what is true. Do you agree?

Him: Sounds right.

Me: If we apply this understanding then we could say that when we are saved from sin we are saved from error. In other words, salvation is seeing and acting on what is true rather than illusion. Do you suppose this is why Jesus said, “The truth shall make you free?” (John 8:32)

Him: Interesting to think about.

Me: That was almost the same as saying, “The truth will save you.”

What do you suppose is the main error that Jesus came to save us from?

Him: I suppose it would be errors that take us away from loving God and man.

Me: Yes, and there is one huge error, above all the others that takes us away from that love. Do you recall what Jesus often said about the sins of the people he healed?

Him: He told them that their sins were forgiven.

Me: Yes, and right after he told them that they were healed physically. Do you suppose they also felt different within themselves?

Him: I would imagine there was a big difference.

Me: And what would that difference be?

Him: Before their sins were removed they probably felt weighed down with guilt. I’m sure it was a great relief to have that removed.

Me: I agree. Does guilt serve any useful purpose rather than make us feel sick emotionally and physically?

Him: It makes us realize the seriousness of our sins.

Me: But it also paralyzes us and takes us away from the love of God and man. Now remember the original Greek for sin meant to “miss the mark.” When the Greeks shot at a target and missed they were said to have sinned. Let us suppose we have two archers trying to perfect their aim. The first one feels no guilt when he misses and the other one does. Which one will perfect their shooting first?

Him: Probably the one without the guilt.

Me: Yes. When the one without the guilt misses he may get a little irritated with himself but he immediately picks up another arrow and tries again. But imagine the other guy missing and then feeling weighed down with guilt because of his error. He may feel unworthy to shoot again until he feels punished. It may be a month before he shoots again. How long will it take this guy to become a perfect shot?

Him: Quite a while, if ever.

Me: In fact, it would be plain silly to punish yourself with guilt just because you make a mistake, wouldn’t it?

Him: But many would not change their ways if they didn’t feel guilt.

Me: And you have just struck on the great error that Jesus came to save us from. To understand, consider the archers again. They both want to be perfect in their craft. Guilt has nothing to do with this desire. It exists independent of guilt. The one who allows guilt to get in the way is at a standstill in his progress.

This same principle applies to any error we make. Let us look at two men who decide to be better people. The first has made a lot of mistakes but realizes that feeling guilty does not change the past and just moves ahead correcting his mistakes and doing his best. The second man also has a lot of mistakes in his past but feels very guilty when reflecting on them. He doesn’t feel worthy to move ahead. His guilt makes him feel like he needs to be punished first and he feels paralyzed with fear. Which man is taking the most common sense approach?

Him: I never thought of it that way, but I suppose it would be the first.

Me: Do you recall a popular greeting Jesus made when encountering his disciples?

Him: He often said, “Peace be unto you.”

Me: Yes, and he is also called the “Prince of Peace.”

Could his disciples accept the peace he offered if they were weighed down with guilt?

Him: Probably not.

Me: Considering this line of reasoning we can conclude that all the acts and teachings in the life of Jesus had the great purpose of removing our greatest error. His salvation was to save us from the error of guilt, for when guilt is removed the door to peace is open to us. Is this not wonderful knowledge?

Him: You’ve guided me toward some interesting thinking but I doubt if many regular Christians will accept it.

Me: All have difficulty thinking outside the box, but truth cuts its own path and it is always just a matter of time before it is accepted.

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What’s With the Draconian Commandments in the Old Testament?

March 1, 2014 Joseph Dewey

This entry is part 26 of 57 in the series Mysteries

Question Twenty-Seven

What’s With the Draconian Commandments in the Old Testament?

Many critics justifiably question some of the draconian measures attributed to the God of the Bible. These are mostly found in the Old Testament and if strictly followed it would make the Taliban look like the good guys.

Here are some of them.

• Gays caught in the act were to be put to death.

• Witches, fortune tellers, false prophets and anyone who blasphemes were to suffer the death penalty.

• Anyone who worked on the Sabbath was to be put to death.

• A woman who was found to not be a virgin on her wedding night was to be stoned to death.

• Adulterers were to be put to death.

• Unruly children were to suffer the death sentence.

• Those who did not accept the verdict of a judge or priest are included with those who suffer death.

• On top of this the Israelites were sometimes commanded to slay all the inhabitants of the cities they conquered. We’ve all heard the story of the Battle of Jericho. Here is just one quote of many available:

“When the people heard the sound of the horns, they shouted as loud as they could. Suddenly, the walls of Jericho collapsed, and the Israelites charged straight into the city from every side and captured it. They completely destroyed everything in it – men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep, donkeys – everything.” (Joshua 6:20-21 NLT)

Wow. This sounds a lot different than the words of John from the New Testament, “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” I John 4:8

There are four ways that this huge difference in approach is explained.

(1) Atheists say that all the supernatural stuff in the Bible is just made up and this pretty much proves it.

(2) Others say that the God of the Old Testament couldn’t have been anything like Jesus and must have been a mean SOB.

(3) Some say that God is evolving and is just becoming a nicer guy as time goes forward.

(4) Many will cite this scripture.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isa 55:8-9

The thinking of this group is this. Yes, it does sound that God was very harsh in those times, but we do not understand all his ways. What he did was really loving if we could just understand His will and higher ways of thinking.

It is true that those of lesser intelligence cannot always understand the ways of those of higher intelligence so there is some obvious truth to this scripture. Unfortunately, many claiming to speak for God have used this idea to convince followers to accept a lot of illusion, and sometimes harmful teachings.

So what is the real truth here? Here it is in a nutshell for your consideration.

Any inspiration or revelation that comes from God is filtered through the minds of fallible humans and then put into words. The end product is always adapted to the consciousness of the individual or group who is receiving at that time. In addition to this many teachings and commands that are claimed to have been from God are merely from the minds of men and are in harmony with their thinking and desires at the time.

Therefore, the highest the minds of men reach toward the heart of God will depend on the consciousness of the people in the age in which he resides.

Now we may read some of the draconian measures the Israelites used and think that they were the meanest people on the planet, but we would be wrong.

Their strict rules and actions were actually a step or two above most of the other nations that surrounded them.

Other peoples conducted human sacrifice even resorting to using virgins, children and babies. Israel was forbidden such practices.

Outrageous measures to torture enemies and criminals were used by nations surrounding Israel. When the Israelites did kill their enemies the act was done as clean and swiftly as possible but not so with many other peoples at that time. They often made their enemies suffer as much as possible by means of fire, skinning them alive, disemboweling them, gouging out eyes, cutting off body parts a piece at a time or pouring molten metal down their throats.

So, as draconian as the actions of ancient Israel was, they were the good guys in comparison to many of their neighbors.

When you clime a ladder you must take one step at a time. We cannot expect an ancient people to have taken ten steps at once so they would suddenly be at the same state of civilization that we have achieved in the present.

Consider this, just a few centuries ago not only were there many black slaves but there were saves of all races and it was just accepted as a necessity to civilization.

We in the present have difficulty looking at actions of people in the past and understanding the difficulty in moving their consciousness forward.

Hundreds of years from now people will look back on us and have difficulty understanding why we do many ignorant things. A book could be written as to what those things may be.

Conclusion: It doesn’t matter how loving God is, He cannot snap His fingers and instantly pass this love on to us. The best of humanity will take the highest they understand from God and teach the rest of us, and then the rest of us always dumb the teaching down so our mindsets are not overly disturbed. In the end, we wind up not taking ten steps but one small one at a time.

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Are the Bible Teachings Right or Wrong About Gays?

March 5, 2014 Joseph Dewey

This entry is part 27 of 57 in the series Mysteries

Question Twenty-Eight

Are the Bible Teachings Right or Wrong About Gays?

The first order of business here is to clarify exactly what the teachings of the Bible are about gays. A lot of people including some gays I have encountered actually think the Bible doesn’t actually condemn homosexual relationships, that such things are just a dogmatic misinterpretation.

Actually, there is not much to interpret here for the Bible makes itself pretty clear.

Here was the law spelled out in the Old Testament:

“If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them.” Leviticus 20:13 NKJ

That is pretty clear. Not only was homosexuality against the law, but it was seen to be deserving of the most extreme of punishments – death.

How about the New Testament written after the time of Jesus? Is it equally harsh?

It doesn’t recommend the death penalty but still condemns the act.

“Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.

“Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” I Cor 6:9-11 NLT

Obviously Paul did not support the death penalty here for he said of his followers that, “Some of you were once like that.” In other words, some of his fellow Christians were converted homosexuals and were now accepted as long as they lived up to expectations.

Apparently, there was a softening in the view toward homosexuals. It was still harsh by today’s standards but lenient by Old Testament commands.

Why the change?

Many explanations have been given but the basic one is that Christ brought a new focus on the spirit of the law rather than the letter. The author of Hebrews gives an interesting take:

If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.” Heb 7:11-12

So, according to this the coming of Christ brought a new priesthood that changed the old black and white laws of Moses. An upgrade in the law seems to have taken away with the death penalty for many minor infractions in the Law of Moses, but the New Testament writers still condemn homosexuality.

All this brings about several items of thought. Let us first consider the Draconian approach of the Old Testament. What is the explanation for them? Here are several popular ones.

(1) God hates the sin of homosexuality and wants them put to death so they will not contaminate the people.

(2) God loves all people, including homosexuals, but because Israel worshipped the golden calf when Moses was on Mount Sinai, God dealt with them harshly to teach them a lesson of strict obedience. This included drastic measures that do not apply to us today. This is kind of like a parent disciplining his kid for disobedience telling him that he cannot play on his computer, but in normal times playing on the computer is fine.

(3) Even though the Bible was inspired parts like this just came from the minds of men to deal with the attitudes of the time.

(4) The whole Bible was conjured up by the minds of men and this proves it.

Now how about the New Testament? Even though it is not so harsh, it still condemns homosexuality with a firmness with which many disagree. What is the explanation? Here are some opinions.

(1) God condemned homosexuality in the Old Testament as well as the New and is still against it today and always will be. It is a sin, plain and simple.

(2) Just as punishments on it softened after Jesus, even so today we are justified in taking a new look at how to treat gays.

(3) Both the Old and New Testament teachings on the subject are outrageous and out of date and need to be ignored.

That said, the question now is what is the real truth of the matter here?

Since we have concluded that sin is really error we must ask where the error is in homosexuality if we are to call it a sin?

First, is it a sin to be born with homosexual tendencies?

Some see this in itself as a sin but all of us have natural tastes and tendencies toward all kinds of things good and bad as we go through life. It is not our natural desires that corrupt us but the misuse of them. All of us like food but too much of it can lead to an early grave.

So, are sexual relations between homosexuals an error then?

Since society reasons that there are a number of sexual practices that are wrong for heterosexuals then obviously homosexuals can also misuse their sexual energies.

Instead of decreeing what is right or wrong with various sexual behaviors, I’ll just give several guidelines so the reader can judge for himself.

Guideline one: Does my behavior create harm, or cause myself or others injury or hurt?

For example, we can all agree that adultery causes a lot of hurt to the spouse, kids and maybe others.

Guideline two: Do my actions disturb my inner sense of peace?

Deep within the core of our being is a sense of whether or not our actions are taking us the right direction. We sometimes cover them up because of our own corrupt desires. For instance, the drug addict ceases to reflect on his inner self and just thinks of what he wants at the moment.

Reflecting on that deep part of yourself that has a connection with God will always lead the seeker correctly.

“But,” says one, “All you have to do is read the Bible and do what it says.”

Answer: The Bible is good to use for inspiration, but the seeker gets into trouble if he attempts to follow it too literally without balancing it off with inner guidance and good judgment. It certainly doesn’t feel right to the spirit within most of us that we should follow the Bible literally and put gays to death or even point them out and scorn them as sinners.

If there is a choice between inclusion of our brothers and sisters, or exclusion, it is best to error on the side of inclusion.

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What is the Beast?

March 7, 2014 Joseph Dewey

This entry is part 28 of 57 in the series Mysteries

Question Twenty-Nine

What Is the Beast?

For thousands of years believers have been asking this question and coming up wit all kinds of answers. Many books have been written on this subject alone. I have also written quite a bit on it myself, but since I want to keep these chapters short I’ll just cover the subject briefly and refer readers who want to know more to my other writings.

So, what are the common ideas on what the Beast is? Here are a few.

(1) A dictator worse than Hitler that shall arise and control the world.

(2) An evil one-world government headed up by the European Union, or some other country.

(3) The Internet.

(4) Some evil business group

(5) The Muslims, Mormons, Catholics, Jews or even a new age religion.

(6) International bankers

There is one giant clue given in the Bible that eliminates all of these guesses. Most are aware that the Beast is an antichrist, often called the antichrist.

“And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.” I John 4:3

“…even now are there many antichrists.” I John 2:18

So the antichrist, or the Beast was already in the world 2000 years ago. Could it have been here even longer? Perhaps so, for here is what we are told of the system ruled by the Beast:

“And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of ALL that were slain upon the earth.” Rev 18:24

So all the prophets and saints who lived even thousands of years before Jesus were slain by the beast. What in the world could this beast be that has always been here fighting against the saints and taking away lives and freedom?

Paul gives us a clue in a famous scripture usually linked to the antichrist:

We are told he “opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.” II Thess 2:4

Most Christians suppose the temple here will be a building but there is another interpretation given by Paul:

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.” I Cor 3:16-17

So then the temple of God can be the physical body. Keeping this in mind the antichrist or beast could be just a human in a physical body representing himself as speaking for God. In other words, this guy’s words are to be seen as God’s words.

That said, I will now summarize what the beast is and you will see that he has indeed been here on earth for thousands of years. This will make even more sense after we cover the mark of the beast and the mysterious number 666.

The beast represents a man or woman, any human being, who replaces the voice and authority of God with his own. In other words, it is a false outer god that replaces that inner voice which is within. After all, Jesus said, “the kingdom of God is within you.” Luke 17:21

If the Kingdom of God is within us then so is God, or the Spirit of God. We are supposed to look within for verification of knowledge, but when a person comes along and demands we follow his words blindly without understanding then he has replaced the true God, setting himself up as a false god.

The beast represents unearned authority throughout the world and there are thousands of people who are agents of this false authority. Many of them work through various religions and cults but the beast is not limited to spiritual matters. Unearned and unjust outer authority that tells us what to think is found in all departments of life. We find them in politics, education, science, medicine, the arts, many businesses and organizations. When a member challenges this beastly authority he is attacked and ostracized from the system.

These powerful unjust authorities that take the place of the inner voice were here in the days of Jesus and from the beginning of civilized society. Just about all of us have the mark of the beast now, as we shall see.

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What Is The Mark of The Beast?

March 9, 2014 Joseph Dewey

This entry is part 29 of 57 in the series Mysteries

Question Thirty

What Is The Mark of The Beast?

The mark of the beast has also been a subject of much discussion and speculation over the millennia. Here is the scripture behind it all:

“And he (the beast) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Rev 13:16-17

First, let us itemize some of the popular interpretations of the mark.

(1) The Barcode. From the beginning of its use in grocery stores this has been accused of being the mark of the beast. Believers say that the number 666 is embedded in every barcode. Others claim this is a misreading but this has not deterred believers from warning us that we will soon be required to receive a barcode on our right hands or foreheads.

(2) A Computer Chip. The idea here is that a beastly dictator will cause us to receive a computer chip implanted in the right hand or forehead and unless this is scanned in at the point of purchase no one can buy or sell anything.

(3) A tattoo of some kind, maybe a Social Security number.

(4) Recognizing Sunday as the Sabbath instead of Saturday.

These are perhaps the most popular ideas heading up an almost endless list of guesses.

But according to the scripture all of these guesses are not correct.

Why?

Again, it is written, “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark…”

The word “causeth” comes from the Greek POIEO which is written in the present tense. Also the word “all” comes from PAS which can be translated as “all” or it can refer to a selection of people. If we translate the verse mare accurately it reads, “And he is causing certain people, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark…”

In other words, when the scripture was written 2000 years ago the beast was then, at that time, causing people to receive the mark.

We know that “all” was not the correct translation because all did not receive the mark. 144,000 redeemed, mentioned in Rev 14:1 received the Father’s name in their foreheads rather than the mark. Then in Rev 20:4 we are told of those “which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands.”

Taking this into consideration we must conclude that both the beast and the mark were alive and well 2000 years ago, before computer chips, before the barcode, before Social Security and before the day of rest was changed to Sunday.

So, what then is the mark which the masses have been receiving all through history?

To understand the mark we must understand the symbolic meaning behind the forehead and the right hand. It should be obvious that this is not likely to literally happen. For instance, the closest thing we have seen to the predicted antichrist was Hitler and he did place a mark on the arms of the Jews, but instead of choosing the right hand he placed the mark on their left arm. Why? He probably knew of the prophecy and didn’t want to be identified with the antichrist. He therefore chose the left arm rather than the right.

Any future bad guy who wants to mark his people is also likely to not place a mark on the forehead or right arm to avoid being accused of being in cahoots with the beast.

On the other hand, when we look at the symbolic meaning everything makes sense and we can see that the mark has been here with us all along.

The forehead symbolizes thought and the right hand a person’s labor. He who receives the mark of the beast in his forehead will think as the beast tells him to think. He will not question an outward authority that he has given greater allegiance to than the inner voice of the Spirit.

He who receives the mark on the right hand will do what he is told to do by the beast. He will obey without question. He will obey his prophet, priest or king without question. He will follow doctor’s orders without question. He will submit to political leaders without question and believe his teachers without question.

Many there are who see themselves as independent thinkers and doers who are not independent at all but are merely like a beast herded about in the direction some leader is pushing them. Many realize that if they do give authorities a problem that they will lose their job or source of income and may not be able to buy or sell because their source of income will be gone.

Fortunately, there are a small number of people who do not believe something just because an authoritative person demands it. A handful does escape the mark and will listen to the inner voice of the Spirit above the outer voice of established authorities.

A clue as to whether one has the mark of the beast lies in this question.

If you won a lottery and the authority who you most admired asks you for some of the money, would you give it without question, or checking with your inner self, or even checking into how the money is to be spent? If you were to give the money just because you trust your leader and not check with your inner core then you are in danger of having the mark of the beast and being led about like a beast is led by his master, never questioning but just going in the direction of the herd.

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What Is The Meaning Of 666?

March 11, 2014 Joseph Dewey

This entry is part 30 of 57 in the series Mysteries

Question Thirty-One

What Is The Meaning Of 666?

The mysterious number of the beast comes from this scripture:

“Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the Beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.” Rev 13:18

Notice the wording here. “Let him that hath understanding.” In the Greek it more literally reads “Let him who has a mind calculate or figure it out.” In other words, the meaning of the 666 is not obvious, bur requires mind and understanding to comprehend.

The 666 has been traditionally linked to the mark of the beast. Many think that a great world dictator will arise and force all but the redeemed to receive a mark in their forehead or right hand and somehow the number 666 will be a part of that mark.

Others have reduced various names to a numerical value and have tried to identify the beast this way. Historically the most common interpretation has been Nero who persecuted the early Christians. On the other hand, those who see the beast as appearing in the present or near future have identified him with quite a number of powerful people including most recent U.S. presidents.

In our last chapter we came to the unusual conclusion that the beast and the mark are not future events or tied to one point in history, but they have always been with us. This also applies to the 666. This number has been with us all along.

The orthodox translation has misled many people into thinking the number just applies one man for it says it is “it is the number of a man.” “Of a man” comes from the Greek ANTHRŌPOS and it rarely refers to one individual and often refers to a group of men or mankind in general.

The question then that we need to ask is this. What possible link is there to 666 and powerful unjust and unearned authorities who seek to control the lives of others? Obviously the number 666 doesn’t control anyone so we must look for the meaning behind this number. Since it is linked to the beast we must ask where this beast came from. John says saw the beast “rise up out of the sea.”

Now water has ever been a symbol of the emotions so this symbolic language is telling us that the beast gains this great power through manipulating emotion.

All sales training tells us that people are rarely sold through reason, but instead one must appeal to their emotions to sell them.

So what do the emotions have to do with the sixes? For thousands of years the seat of the lower emotions have been identified with the solar plexus and the solar plexus is governed by the number six. The higher emotions of spiritual love have been identified with the heart but these lower emotions, which fear outer authority, are a part of ourselves that can be controlled and manipulated.

The three sixes thus represent three areas of life that are controlled by the beast through great authority manipulating the emotions.

* Control over the physical (the first 6)

* Control over the emotional (the second 6)

* Control over the mental by negation (the third 6)

Through manipulating our feelings the powerful authorities of the world seek to replace the voice of the inner spirit with their own and control our actions, our feelings and our thought process.

The encouraging thing is the very next verse tells us how to escape the mark of the beast and the 666. It tells us that the redeemed who have escaped the mark have the “Father’s name written in their foreheads.” Rev 14:1

In other words, correct thinking from God is in the forehead, or the thinking processes of those who escape the mark of the beast is in harmony with Spirit. To escape the mark we must not allow others to control us through emotions but must think for ourselves and maintain a link with divine spiritual thought so we can break free of unjust control over our lives. Then we can truly comprehend the great words of Jesus:

“You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free.”

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