Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | March 26, 2012

The Fall, by David Bower

The End of Edenic Bliss

Another point where the Bible is silent is the time involved after the creation of Adam and Eve and the beginning of Satan’s deception of Eve through the serpent. If I were to guess I would say a longer, rather than a shorter time lapse was involved; in other words I don’t think it happened on day eight or nine or even anywhere close to that.

Human nature being what it is, Eve may have repeatedly questioned Adam about that one forbidden tree with the forbidden fruit. Adam may also have experienced frustration with Eve and perhaps told her “Look, just don’t eat the fruit from that tree, in fact, don’t even touch it!”

I doubt that there was anything poisonous about the fruit of the tree; it is possible Eve observed birds and perhaps other animals eating the fruit and doing just fine. That could have made Eve all the more curious about why she and Adam shouldn’t eat that fruit because the animals ate it and they didn’t die.

The problem wasn’t in the nature of the fruit, it was a question of obedience to a direct command of God. If Adam choose to disobey God’s command, he was embarking down a path that would change everything; he would lose the fellowship he had enjoyed with God and would immediately die spiritually, and then die physically later.

One other point it appears had not been clarified was the spiritual death of the entire human race at Adam’s disobedience to God’s command. All human generations including ours died in Adam when he disobeyed God, all of us!

The Deception of Eve

In Genesis 3 we are told of Satan’s deception of Eve using the serpent. During verses 1-5 I believe that Adam was not present. I also believe there was a lapse of time between verses 5 and 6 during which Eve considered what she had been told.

In Genesis 3:1b we read, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” Satan starts with a lie which Eve then proceeds to correct; “The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'”

Now where do you suppose the not touching part came from? See the second paragraph from the beginning for my theory on that.

Satan responded with a direct challenging lie, contradicting the word of God he said through the serpent: “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

I believe at this point there is a period of time that goes by during which Eve considered what she had been told; whether it’s day or weeks I don’t know but I’m of the opinion that some time passed.

It’s likely Eve spent time looking at the tree, it was apparently a beautiful tree to look at and she would watch the animals eating and enjoying the fruit and began to develop an irresistible urge to try that fruit herself.

The animals weren’t dying and they seemed to enjoy the fruit, so why couldn’t she enjoy it too and on top of everything else it would make her wise. One fateful day she decided to reach up and take some fruit and she ate it; and what do you know, nothing happened so had the serpent been right all the time?

To be continued.

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | March 19, 2012

The World Before the Flood, by David Bower

A Different World from What We Know Today

At the completion of day six of creation, the world was a vastly different place from the one we know today. It would be reasonably safe to say that virtually nothing today is the way it was at the end of God’s creative process excluding certain basics such as the earth’s rotation on its axis, its orbit around the sun, and it’s orbiting satellite, the moon.

Although the Bible does not dwell on those differences, it does provide certain clues from which marked differences can be inferred. One of the most significant is the distribution of the waters described in Genesis 1:6-7, “And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.” So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so.”

The expanse in these verses is a reference to the atmosphere surrounding the earth which provides the air we breathe. According to those verses God placed part of the waters above our atmosphere and part below. What, we may ask, does that mean and how would it affect life?

The World in a Greenhouse

The impact of a layer of water above the atmosphere would be profound; it is believed the water existed as a water vapor canopy that completely surrounded the earth. The canopy would serve the earth as a covering and would result in a greenhouse effect that would stabilize the weather, block harmful radiation and equalize the temperature of the earth from North Pole to South Pole.

There would be no such thing as a cold front or a heat wave and tropical conditions would prevail around the entire globe. The North and South Poles would not be frigid but would be semi-tropical where flowers, ferns, trees and mankind could live and prosper.

Another clue from the Bible is given in Genesis 1:5b-6 “for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground–”

One thing about watching the weather on TV is one gets a big dose of information about fronts serving as the triggers for rain; we are told that a cold front meeting warm moist air triggers rain. If the earth were in a greenhouse there would be no cold fronts to trigger the rain.

It appears God used the waters below the expanse to water the ground but does not reveal the exact mechanism used. It has been speculated, based on the available data that a substantial water table under considerable pressure existed around 10 miles below the surface of the ground. It is believed this water table was to become a major factor in the flood and was a possible source for the mist that came up from the ground during the pre-flood era.

Very Long Lifespan

Another clue revealed in the Bible is the remarkably long lives of those who lived before the flood. It would appear the water vapor canopy provided important protection from radiation as well as creating a higher atmospheric pressure. The earth’s atmosphere was richer in oxygen available at a slightly higher atmospheric pressure that created an effect similar to a hyperbaric chamber. Hyperbaric medicine uses special chambers that are oxygen rich at slightly higher pressures as tools for treating various sorts of illnesses. The pre-flood earth was like one gigantic hyperbaric chamber.

It has been estimated that by the time of the flood the earth’s population was close to 9 billion people; that’s greater than the estimated population of the earth today at 7 billion people.

From the creation of Adam to the earth’s drastic change caused by the flood it is estimated, based on the Bible, that 1,656 years had passed. During this period the earth was a place of great beauty even after the fall of Adam had caused God to curse the earth.

What is of great interest to me is how geological research supports the Biblical account of creation; this is a major field of study and has fascinated me for many years. If you have an interest in further study in this area please let me know and I’ll suggest some sources I’ve found helpful.

 

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | March 12, 2012

The Garden of Eden, by David Bower

The Earth was a Very Good Place!

At the end of day six the earth was a place of perfection; a place where mankind could prosper and multiply. Out of all the possibilities God selected a particular place for Adam and Eve to call home, the Garden of Eden.

In Genesis 2:15 we are told “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it;” from this I believe it is safe to assume that the world’s oldest profession is gardener. Adam was not to live a life of ease but was immediately assigned work to do in the Garden of Eden and in addition he had dominion over all of created life, every animal on the earth was in subjection to him.

I don’t know what that says to you but it quickly reminds me of the work involved in caring for our cat, Abby. When we get up in the morning many of our first jobs are involved with taking care of her needs. By way of the application of a principle, I confidently believe that we will all have plenty to do in heaven.

In this supplemental account of creation we learn in Genesis 2:17 of God’s first commandment to Adam: “but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” It is important to note this commandment was made to Adam before the creation of Eve.

The Creation of Woman

The Bible is not specific about the length of time Adam lived before the creation of Eve. It does mention that all of the animals were brought before Adam to be named and one would suspect that would take some time even if Adam was very decisive about his choice of names for the animals.

No help that was suitable for Adam was found so God determined to create another person that would be Adam’s helper. In Genesis 2:20b we read: “But for Adam no suitable helper was found.”

Now we discover another way that God used to create; He took a rib from Adam and used that as the starting point to make the woman. The life that God had breathed into Adam was transferred to Eve through the rib which God then made into a woman.

This process sounds no stranger than the one God used to make Adam’s body from the dust; we are, after all, talking about an omnipotent creator manipulating His creation to accomplish His will.

Can you even begin to imagine Adam’s delight when he first saw Eve? I’m sure anything I try to imagine would fall way short of his actual excitement when he saw for the first time bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh.

Another point where the Bible is silent is the time involved after the creation of Adam and Eve and the beginning of Satan’s deception of Eve through the serpent. If I were to guess I would say a longer, rather than a shorter time lapse was involved.

The Forbidden Fruit

Human nature being what it is, I can imagine Eve repeatedly questioning Adam about that one forbidden tree. I can also imagine Adam experiencing frustration with Eve and telling her “Look, just don’t eat the fruit from that tree, in fact, don’t even touch it! OK?” We know from Genesis 2:17 God tells Adam not to eat of the fruit of the tree but nothing is said about touching it; I suspect the touching part was added by Adam in a moment of frustration; perhaps around the 77th time Eve asked about why they shouldn’t eat its fruit.

I doubt that there was anything poisonous about the fruit of the tree and I can imagine birds and perhaps other animals eating the fruit and doing just fine. That could make Eve all the more curious about why she and Adam shouldn’t eat that fruit because the animals ate it and they didn’t die.

The problem wasn’t in the nature of the fruit, it was a question of obedience to a direct command of God. If Adam choose to disobey God’s command he was embarking down a slippery slope that would change everything; he would lose the fellowship he had enjoyed with God and would spiritually die immediately, and then physically die later.

Next week we will consider the world in which Adam and Eve lived.

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | March 8, 2012

Solar Flares Today – What Can We Expect?

Today Will Not Be Another Carrington Event!

In light of today’s anticipated solar flare event I thought I would republish this blog from last year. If you’ve seen today’s headlines you know we’re going to get a solar blast that may cause some problems. One thing seems rather certain; in light of our cloud cover it is unlikely we’ll see any Northern Lights in our area.

The original blog follows.

The Northern Lights in Texas?

There was considerable interest recently when, on October 24, 2011, the Northern Lights were dimly visible as far south as Del Rio, Texas and were vividly visible from places such as Moodys, Oklahoma as shown in photos taken by Peter Henshaw and others.

Views of the Northern Lights, generally referred to as the Aurora Borealis, are normally restricted to areas of the Arctic and Antarctic regions; it is only on occasions of extraordinary solar activity that they may be seen beyond those areas. The event of October 24th was one of those occasions.

We are beginning to experience a period of increasing solar activity which, according to NASA and NOAA, will peak around the end of 2012 and the beginning of 2013. The homepage for Spaceweather.com provides a wealth of information on solar activity.

It appears we have been in a period of remarkably low solar activity for the last few years but that is starting to change. No one really knows how severe this upcoming solar maximum will be but there is concern that our highly technological society may experience serious difficulties should it get too severe.

A 500 Year Monster

I mentioned the Carrington Event of 1859 in my blog on 2012; this event, which is thought to be the most powerful solar activity in 500 years, resulted in widespread damage to the only electrical system in operation at that point, the telegraph system and displayed the lights as far south as Havana, Cuba, El Salvador, and Hawaii.

The solar flare was noted on September 1, 1859 and the auroral display was noticed early in the morning of September 2nd. The battery powered telegraph was only 15 years old at that time and the only example of an electrical grid in existence. The surge of electromagnetism caused fires to break out in telegraph offices and permitted the sending of telegrams with the batteries disconnected.

It is easy to imagine the disruption today if an event of similar intensity should occur; it has been projected that a similar event could cause between 1 and 2 trillion dollars of damage and take between 4 and 10 years to repair.

A more complete account of this event can be found by typing Carrington Event 1859 into your search engine. To me the story of this event is completely fascinating but also rather intimidating when one considers the consequences to the highly technological infrastructure we have today.

It may well be the solar maximum that is expected to occur around the end of 2012 and the beginning of 2013 may be much less severe than the Carrington Event; one can surely hope that will be the case.

It is difficult for me to imagine a really dramatic change to life as I have always known it; I suspect that you share in that difficulty as well. The Bible tells us major changes will come as the end times draw near and many believe that the first step took place in 1948 when Israel became a nation again.

In Luke 21:29-33 the Lord is telling the disciples the parable of the fig tree and in verse 32 says “this generation shall not pass away, till all this be fulfilled.” This is generally believed to be a reference to the restoration of Israel as a nation which took place in 1948. This makes me think unimaginable change could be in the wind.

It doesn’t appear we have long to wait to find out.

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | March 2, 2012

The Wondrous Mystery of Life, by David Bower

Life, an Amazing Reality!

I am continually amazed by the wonder of life; it is fascinating, for example, when I consider our cat, Abby, as she goes about her simple life of just being a cat. The word simple probably has no place in describing any life. Abby is a unique creation, although many cats have joined our household over the years not one of them has been exactly like Abby; she is different in important ways from every other cat that has ever been a member of our family.

Ninja Cat

Abby

Her life, like all life, is beyond our understanding; it is a gift that may seem so ordinary yet it has characteristics that cannot be duplicated by mankind in any laboratory or factory regardless of the money spent to create it.

Mankind, God’s Special Creation

In the Bible we read that creatures of the sea and air were created on the fifth day of creation by God speaking them into existence. Just as God had spoken His creation into existence on days one through four, He spoke these creatures into existence on day five. On day six we are told He spoke the land creatures into existence “and God saw it was good.”

Then in Genesis 1:26 a major change is made: “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

The first key point is the plurality of the Godhead. The words “us” and “our” are to me a strong, clear indication of the Trinity, the presence of Father, Son, and Spirit who had been specifically introduced in Genesis 1:2b “and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”

The second key point in Genesis 1:26a is God’s decision to make man in His own image: “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness.” That is an unimaginably important distinction from all of His earlier acts of creation. This was something intended to set man apart from all else created; man would be a creation in the image and likeness of the Creator himself!

I’m absolutely certain that none of us can adequately grasp the full significance of that statement! Mankind, all of us, spring from a race created in the image and likeness of God! That alone should be a constant source of amazement and wonder and yet it is minimized or ignored by most people. How is it we can take such a monumental revelation for granted?

The Breath of Life

The third key point is brought out in the supplemental account of the creation of Adam in Genesis 2:7 where we read: “the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”

Before the creation of man, God had spoken life into existence but with man God breathed life into man. Our life came from the breath of the Creator although our bodies are from the dust of the ground. As creations in the image and likeness of the Creator the true essence of who we are is eternal even though our bodies, created from the dust of the ground, are very mortal indeed. I have often mused over the fact that the only part of each other we can see is our mortal, sin cursed bodies, that specific part that cannot join us in heaven.

A New Eternal Body

While it is true that we will be given an eternal body not made with hands, that body is yet future and our present bodies of dust must traverse the aging process and eventually return to the dust from whence it came or be miraculously transformed at the Rapture.

In the second part of verse 26 we see that mankind was to have dominion over all the earthly components that had been created in days one through six: “and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

By the end of the sixth day God’s creative work was finished. We are told in Genesis 1:31, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning–the sixth day.”

Next week we will consider The Garden of Eden.

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | February 27, 2012

The Creation Story, by David Bower

How Did it All Start?

Mankind has speculated endlessly on the questions of who we are, why are we here, where did we come from, and where are we going, among others. It has always fascinated me that so many of those posing those questions seek answers everywhere but where they can be found.

There is one thing for sure, none of us alive today have any first hand experience with events that occurred during creation nor can any of those processes be duplicated in the laboratory. The study of those events falls into the category of historic science, not experimental science.

What is thought of as the “scientific method involves certain steps such as asking a question, doing research, building a hypothesis, experimental testing of the hypothesis, analysis and conclusions, and publishing the results. It is clear that this is not possible when considering the creation of the universe.

What is very strange is that the theory of evolution has been classified by many in the scientific community as science whereas scientific creationism is classified as religion. The validity of either viewpoint can only be determined by its consistency in explaining what is available for study in the ground.

Which consistently does the better job of explaining what’s in or on the ground, evolution or creationism? That is the only valid question; it is at this point that faith becomes a key factor and I propose that evolution requires a greater leap of faith than creationism.

How Old Are the Heavens and the Earth?

I believe the Bible teaches the heavens and the earth are young, no more than around 6,000 years old. The main reason one would require an extended length of time would be to accommodate a theory that dispenses with the power of an omnipotent creator. For the universe to have happened without a creator, one popular theory suggests it would need to have evolved gradually over an extended period of billions of years.

The Biblical account does not require an extended period of time and efforts to reconcile the Bible’s account with the theory of evolution are a waste of time. There is absolutely no need for a “day age” theory or a “gap theory.” An omnipotent God, such as revealed in the Bible, can and will do whatsoever He pleases in whatsoever manner He chooses.

Another reason I believe in a young earth is the fact this heaven and earth will be destroyed and replaced by a new heaven and earth. This destruction will take place at the end of the Millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ and just before the Great White Throne Judgment.

An entire new heaven and earth will then be created by the Lord Jesus Christ and I’m confident it won’t take billions of years.

It pleased our Lord to take six days of twenty-four hours each although I believe He could have created the whole thing in six seconds had He so chosen. The Biblical account provides a summary of the creation, the fall of Adam and Eve and the repercussions resulting from the fall.

The saving work of the Lord Jesus Christ depends on the accuracy of the first six chapters of Genesis. Over the next few weeks, God willing, I would like to consider some key points from these chapters of Genesis. Next week we will consider the creation of animal life and the creation of Adam and Eve.

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | February 20, 2012

The Blood Payment for Sin, Conclusion by David Bower

 The First Sacrifice

We see the principle “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” demonstrated early in Scripture; in Genesis 3:21 we read: “The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.” There may well be a great deal more involved in this simple statement than is revealed in Scripture.

It is generally considered that this was a type of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross for our sins; I think there was even more involved for Adam and Eve. Keep in mind that one of Adam’s jobs was to name the animals; keep also in mind that the animal chosen by God to provide the skins to cover Adam and Eve may well have been one close by.

I think it entirely possible that the animal chosen was known and loved by Adam and Eve and they were likely shocked by its death; a death required because of their rebellion against God. It would certainly be consistent with the typology for the first sacrifice to be an accurate reflection of the ultimate sacrifice; God the Son is greatly loved by God the Father and I can imagine how the Father must have felt as He watched the Son suffer and die in great agony.

A Painful Reminder

Can you imagine the feelings Adam and Eve would have as they wore the skin of a beloved animal that had been their companion in the Garden? Can you imagine your feelings should a beloved pet be killed as a result of your sin? What if you had to wear your pet’s skin as a constant reminder?

I believe Adam and Eve suffered greatly from the death of their animal companion and were painfully reminded of their disobedience every time they saw those skins.

Genesis 4 tells of the offerings of Abel and Cain, how Abel’s offering involved the death of an animal but Cain offered crops from the earth; Abel’s offering was accepted but Cain’s was rejected. Later when the Mosaic Law was given the necessity of death as a payment for sin is made abundantly clear.

The Lord Jesus Christ, Our Kinsman Redeemer

All of this was establishing our need for a kinsman redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, dearly loved by the Father. In Ephesians 1:3-8 we read: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will– to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.”

As our beloved Lord observed all of the sacrifices made for sin over the millennia I suspect He was always mindful of His destiny as the only perfect and acceptable sacrifice for the sins of mankind. In Hebrews 9 we are told the rituals of the Mosaic Law were only an imperfect picture of what our Lord would perfectly do when He died on the cross, shedding His own blood as the price of our redemption.

If one considers these facts, one principle comes out with great force and that is the value God places on life. Material things are all transient and of relatively little value; all the wealth of the entire world is going to be burned up at some point in the future and nothing of this universe will remain.

The only thing that will survive this massive destruction are the eternal lives of mankind. All men are created with everlasting life, we will all live eternally; the only important question for each of us is where we will live. Salvation in Christ means eternity with God in heaven, rejection of the saving work of Christ means eternity in the Lake of Fire; there are no other options.

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | February 13, 2012

The Blood Payment for Sin, Part 1 by David Bower

 Life is in the Blood

One of the interesting things about the Bible’s revelation is the emphasis on blood; there appears to be much more involved with blood than would first appear.

In Hebrews 9:22 we read: “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” In Leviticus 17:11-12 we read: “For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life. Therefore I say to the Israelites, None of you may eat blood, nor may an alien living among you eat blood.”

These verses along with many others establish a special significance for blood and place an emphasis on it. One can understand the confusion that many felt when our Lord told the people in John 6: 53-56, “Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.”

Our Lord knew that many were following Him because He had fed them, not because they sought the spiritual truths He was revealing to them; these “difficult sayings” were made to separate the carnal from the spiritual in the crowd. Jesus knew He had offended them because He seemed to be suggesting something which the Jews had been taught was completely wrong. In John 6:63 the Lord pointed out the spiritual nature of what He was telling them: “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.”

The Centrality of Sacrifice

Throughout the Bible the vital nature of the sacrifice of life for payment for sin is emphasized. As David pointed out after his great sin against God in 2 Samuel 12:13a, “Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” Again in Psalms 51:4, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.”

What we are seeing here is the true nature of any sin; it is a sin against God. While many others were impacted by David’s sins surrounding Bathsheba, the one most offended was God; David clearly recognized this fact as he made his confessions before God.

We too as we sin, and sadly that is a certainty, sin first and foremost against God; although our sins may involve others we are primarily sinning against God. David realized this and turned his attention to God and not man as he confessed his sin.

From God’s perspective sin is exceedingly serious, so serious that casual payment is not possible or acceptable, so serious that the only payment for sin is that which only God can provide, and that is life, the life of one of His creations; “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

Next week, in conclusion, we will consider God’s serious solution to man’s serious problem.

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | February 6, 2012

Heavenly Rewards Redux Conclusion, by David Bower

Peace and Joy on Earth

Previously the joyous nature of the Judgment Seat of Christ was described. It was emphasized that the Bema has nothing to do with salvation but relates to works done in our mortal bodies whether they were done in the power of the Holy Spirit or the power of the flesh.

We know from Galatians 5:22 that love, joy and peace are part of the fruit of the Spirit and God’s gracious gift to His children who walk a Spirit led life. We also know that in heaven we will enjoy a perfect, sin-free unity with God at every possible level so the fruit of the Spirit should characterize our lives all of the time. 

I retired from a 36 year career in homebuilding in 2004 and have really enjoyed my retirement. One of the things I appreciate most is our morning coffee as I watch the traffic report; I commuted through Houston traffic for many years and I’m really and truly happy to simply watch it on TV.

My retirement has generally been a quiet time allowing me to choose what I want to do and when I want to do it. Very few seek me out or ask my advice on anything and that’s quite all right with me.

The point of all this is the fact that I have learned to be content and I do not feel left out or unimportant. I have complete peace with my situation as a nonentity and have absolutely no feelings of envy for others who may have positions of prominence or influence.

The situation of everyone I know is very similar to mine; the people I know all seem generally happy and at peace with their lives. I doubt that any of us are on a first name basis with any world leaders or captains of industry and that suits me just fine and I suspect it suits them just fine as well.

That probably characterizes most, if not all of us even though we still have that annoying old sin nature; we’re pretty much at peace with life. I don’t mean to say our lives are totally free of problems; during out earthly stay that is impossible. We deal with the problems as best we can and then move on.

Peace and Joy in Heaven

If we can generally be at peace now, infected by our old sin nature, then I strongly suspect we’ll be at peace in heaven when our sin nature is gone regardless of the job our Lord gives to us. I believe we will have perfect peace and joy in the role to which we will be assigned.

None of us can even imagine what the Lord has planned for our eternity; I’m confident we’ll be busy and have work to do. Whether it’s watching over some animals, tending a garden, or ruling a planet only the Lord knows. Whatever it is I believe we will be delighted with our assignment and have total joy and peace as we perform the tasks assigned to us by our Lord regardless of how lofty or how humble they may be.

In the meantime may the Lord grant you grace and peace. “Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say, Rejoice.”

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | January 30, 2012

Heavenly Rewards Redux, by David Bower

 The Judgment Seat of Christ

Getting to heaven is a strict pass – fail event with those who pass all getting a perfect score. There is no grading on the curve; there is no getting into heaven by the skin of your teeth. If you go to heaven it is because you have, by faith, accepted Christ as your personal Savior; God has imputed to you the perfect righteousness of Christ, you’re as good as it gets; when the Father looks at you He sees the perfection of His Son.

The Judgment Seat of Christ has nothing to do with gaining or losing salvation; it has everything to do with works done while we are in our mortal bodies before death or the Rapture. The only question is whether these works were done under the power of the Holy Spirit to honor God or done in our own power to honor self.

In November of 2011 I published a blog on heavenly rewards; the motivation for this blog was a desire on my part to describe the Judgment Seat of Christ, the Bema, as more a time of rejoicing and celebration than a time of fear, sadness and mourning on the part of many while a few enjoy their rewards for a job done in the power of the Holy Spirit.

In that blog I compared the Bema to the judges stand at a sporting event where competitors are awarded their prizes based on their performance in the arena. In the third paragraph I emphasized the fact that believers will have their resurrection bodies and will have been once and for all delivered from that pestilent scourge known as our old sin nature.

All in the Family

 Another key factor is the relationship we’ll all enjoy as brothers and sisters in Christ; we will all be one body of believers who share a sin-free love for our Lord Jesus Christ and each other. There will be a unity of conviction that will be a perfect reflection of the will of our Lord.

It is hard for me to imagine sadness and regret in that scenario as each of us will completely embrace and endorse the will of God. All determinations made by the Lord will echo with us as entirely right and appropriate; rebellious, sinful attitudes and thoughts will no longer be a problem for any of us.

I am convinced that there will be absolutely no touch or shadow of jealousy or envy among any of the brethren. You’ve seen the hilarity on the field and in the stands when the home team wins; the joy and rejoicing on the occasion of the Bema will far exceed anything you will ever see on earth.

Next week, in conclusion, we’ll consider the balance between personal peace on earth and personal peace in heaven.

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