“Snowflakes are frail, but if enough of them stick together they can stop traffic.”

~Vance Havner

 “He is with us now. George Muller had on his desk a motto of two words, AND TODAY, from the great verse, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8). Most of us believe in Christ come and in Christ coming, but we are weak on the middle span of that all-encompassing verse, Christ contemporary. “…lo, I am with you always” is not a promise, it is a fact – not “I will be with you” but “I am with you all the days, including today.”

~Vance Havner

Who is the God of the Earth?

The apostle John records three times how Jesus referred to Satan as “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). Years later, while writing to the Christians in Corinth, the apostle Paul actually referred to Satan as “the god (theos) of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4). Even Satan appeared to understand something about his reign on Earth when he showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, and said, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours” (Luke 4:5-7; cf. Matthew 4:8-9). Yet, how can Satan be the god and ruler of this world if numerous other passages clearly distinguish Jehovah as the “Lord of the whole earth” (Micah 4:13; Zechariah 4:14)? How can the devil be the ruler of the world if Jesus claimed, “all authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18)? Is the God of heaven not the “Lord of heaven and earth” (Acts 17:24)? Are these two different thoughts completely contradictory (as skeptics allege; cf. Wells, 2015)?

One fundamental interpretation principle that must be considered in any attempt to correctly understand written or spoken communication (which on the surface may seem contradictory) is whether or not the compared words or phrases are used in the same sense. A fan may say about his favorite basketball player, “He is smoking,” and mean the player is shooting the basketball very well. Later, however, the fan may see the same player outside the arena with something in his mouth and shout with astonishment, “He is smoking!” The two statements are exactly the same; they are both true, yet they communicate very different thoughts.

The Bible is very clear that the infinite, eternal Creator of the Universe, Who is “upholding all things by the word of His power” (Hebrews 1:3), is the one, true God, “the Most High over all the earth” (Psalm 83:18). Jehovah is the Creator of all things, including Satan (Colossians 1:16; see Lyons, 2005). In the most complete and ultimate sense imaginable, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the Ruler of heaven and Earth. However, there is a sense in which Satan is “ruler” and “god” of the world—not in the ultimate sense, but, indeed, in a sense.

In what respect could the devil ever be considered a “ruler” or “god”? The answer to this question is rather simple when one considers the fact that most of God’s human creation through the millennia have chosen to serve Satan, rather than submit themselves in obedience to the true God of the Universe. During the days of Noah, “the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). During the days of Moses and Joshua, the land of Egypt was full of idolatry (Exodus 12:12), the land of Canaan was overrun with abominable immorality (Leviticus 18), while people of Israel struggled for centuries with the fleshly desire to serve “other gods.” When Jesus came to Earth, He acknowledged the fact that whereas “difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:14), “wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it” (7:13).

Tragically, most accountable individuals willingly choose to reject the true God—their Creator and potential Savior—and instead make Satan their “god” and “ruler.” Most unbelievers do not literally worship Satan as “god,” but, as Lenski noted, “‘The god of this eon [age/world]’ is apt in this connection…because he [Satan] is the embodiment of all wickedness and ungodliness in this world, the author and the propagator of hostility to God. He originated the perdition in which men perish” (1963, p. 960, bracketed items added). A man who chooses to love the world and “all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father,” but of Satan and his sinful world (1 John 2:16). When a person rejects the true God as Ruler of his life, by default he pledges allegiance to Satan, making him “god” and “ruler.” No contradiction exists among the statements of the Bible about who rules the Earth.

REFERENCES

Lenski, R.C.H. (1963), The Interpretation of St. Paul’s First and Second Epistles to the Corinthians (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg).

Lyons, Eric (2005), “Has Satan Always Existed?” Apologetics Press, http://www.apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=817&topic=87.

Wells, Steve (2015), The Skeptic’s Annotated Bible, http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/2cor/4.html; http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/contra/lord.html.

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Nothing Happens Without God

March 16, 2015

The LORD called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting. — Leviticus 1:1

The Torah portion for this week is Vayikra, which means “and He called,” from Leviticus 1:1–5:26, and the Haftorah is from Isaiah 43:21–44:23.

The beginning of this week’s Torah portion begins with a scribal anomaly – only noticeable in the original Hebrew. The very first word is vayikra, which means “and He called.” The “He” in the verse is God and He was calling out to Moses. However, the word is written in such a way that the last letter of the word, the Hebrew letter aleph, is written smaller than the preceding letters.

What is the message of the small aleph?

One answer is as follows. With the aleph so small, one could mistakenly overlook it and read the word vayikar, instead of vayikra. The Hebrew word vayikar means “and it happened.” The words vayikar and vayikra represent polar opposites on the theological spectrum. One word represents the idea that everything in life is happenstance. Things just happen. People just happened as a result of unintended evolution. However, the word vayikra represents the idea that God is behind everything.

The difference between vayikar, “and it happened,” and vayikra, “and He called,” is the tiny letter aleph. Aleph is also the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet and has the numerical value of one. In Judaism, aleph represents THE One; it represents God.

There are two ways that we can look at life. One way is that God isn’t involved in anything; life is a sequence of random events. The other way to look at life is that God is involved in everything. The aleph is written small – you have to look for it. If we look casually at our lives and only on the surface level, we won’t see the One behind it running the show. But when we take the time to really look and see what is unfolding in our lives, we will see how God is present and involved in everything.

This is the Jewish perspective on life – God is behind every single thing, down to the fine details. He is at the core of the smallest molecule and Creator of the great Milky Way. God directs the movements of the tiniest ant on earth and He is the force behind the orbit of the planet Mars. The Talmud teaches that God assigns an angel to every tiny blade of grass whose job it is to encourage it to grow. God calls out to each of us encouraging us to grow as well.

This week, pick three things that happen to you and ask the following question: “What can I learn from this and why is this the best thing for me right now?“ You might notice that nothing happens to you randomly, but rather everything occurs as planned by a loving and caring God who designs our lives for our very best.

With prayers for shalom, peace,

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein

Glorious Prospect

by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam

To the true Christian one of the most wonderful passages in the Bible is Ephesians 2:7, where we read of God’s purpose, “That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” This passage appears the more wonderful when viewed in the light of its context.

Verses 2-6 tell how we were all once the “children of disobedience,” and therefore “by nature the children of wrath, even as others.” But then we read those wonderful words of hope, “But God.” “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love wherewith He loved us…” And the next verses tell how He has taken believers in Christ from the lowest position of condemnation and wrath and given them the highest place of favor and blessing in Christ at His own right hand in the heavenlies.

The simplest, humblest believer in Christ has been given this position in the heavenlies, for God no longer sees him in himself, but in Christ, who died for his sins. This is why the Apostle Paul so often writes about “those who are in Christ Jesus.”

It is for the believer now to occupy this exalted position, to appropriate by faith the “all spiritual blessings” which are his in Christ (See Ephesians 1:3). Like Paul, he may be lifted by grace, through faith, above the troubles and sorrows of “this present evil age” and enjoy his position and blessings in the heavenlies in Christ. And even this is not all, for looking far ahead to the future the Apostle, by divine revelation, goes on to say (in Ephesians 2:7) that God has done this all for us, “that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.”

Don’t Follow the Herd

March 19, 2015

“‘If the offering is a burnt offering from the flock, from either the sheep or the goats, you are to offer a male without defect.’” — Leviticus 1:10

The Torah portion for this week is Vayikra, which means “and He called,” from Leviticus 1:1–5:26, and the Haftorah is from Isaiah 43:21–44:23.

Earlier this year, Christian blogger Veronica Partridge caused quite a stir. She wrote a controversial post that has been shared more than 100,000 times and earned her an appearance on “Good Morning America.” What was the contentious topic that brought Partridge into the spotlight? She wrote a piece about why she chose to give up wearing tight-fitting pants.

Partridge described how the conviction weighed heavily on her heart for a long time before she made her decision. After a conversation with some friends and corroboration from her husband that such tight-fitting pants were a stumbling block for most men, Partridge decided to forgo such clothing. She feels that dressing more discreetly is a way to honor her husband and God.

Now, whether we agree with Partridge’s conviction is not the point. The point is that she took a stand for God against the mostly negative feedback that she has received and the widely accepted values of today’s society. But if we are truly God-centered people, we will base our behaviors on what God deems acceptable and not upon the whims of fluctuating societal norms.

In this week’s portion, we learn about the ritual sacrifices that were brought into the Tabernacle and the Temple. Scripture lists different types of sacrifices that were brought, and the Jewish sages delve extensively into the meaning and symbolism of each type of sacrifice. One sacrifice that was brought “is a burnt offering from the flock, from either the sheep or the goats . . .”

The sages explain that these animals represented the herd instinct – the tendency to follow the crowd because everyone else is doing so. The message for us today is that we need to sacrifice our tendency to follow the flock and instead follow only God. We need to burn up the desire to conform and become inspired to inform. We need to stand up and speak the truth even if we are standing alone.

It has been said that when the herd is running toward the cliff, the one running in the opposite direction looks crazy! When we take a stand for what we know to be right, we might look crazy to others around us who have chosen to follow the crowd. However, our interest has to be in how we look in the eyes of God, not in the eyes of people.

Great men such as Abraham, Moses, and countless others became great because they were brave enough to stand alone. Know that when you stand apart for what is right, you are never really alone. You are in the company of history’s finest individuals.

With prayers for shalom, peace,

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein

Seeing the Unseen

March 17, 2015

“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When anyone among you brings an offering to the LORD, bring as your offering an animal from either the herd or the flock.’” — Leviticus 1:2

The Torah portion for this week is Vayikra, which means “and He called,” from Leviticus 1:1–5:26, and the Haftorah is from Isaiah 43:21–44:23.

As we begin the book of Leviticus this week, I am faced with the same question that I confront every year when we begin learning about the sacrificial rituals that took place in the Tabernacle: How are these ancient rituals, which seem so removed from our modern culture, still relevant to us today?

Every year, my answer begins by remembering that the Hebrew word for sacrifices, karbanot, is a derivative of the Hebrew word karov, which means “close.” The essence of the rituals was to bring us closer to God.

Let’s say we lived in a world where every time we committed a sin, a lightning bolt came out of the sky and struck us. We wouldn’t sin very often, would we? And let’s say every time we obeyed the Word of God, we earned $1,000. More than likely, we would be a lot more obedient! However, God doesn’t run the world that way because He wants us to have free choice. Instant consequences for our actions would basically deprive us of the challenge and choice to be obedient or to sin.

God gave us the next best thing to keep us on track — sacrifices. In Temple times, when someone sinned, the elaborate, intricate, and sensory experience of bringing a sacrifice profoundly affected the person bringing it. “That should’ve been me” is what the person was supposed to feel as the animal was sacrificed. It reminded a person of the evil effects of sin and how truly harmful it was. The worshiper walked away with new resolve and a deeper commitment to obey God.

Today, we don’t have sacrifices. We have no visual experience of how sin harms us, so what can we do to help us stay on track?

A story is told about a rabbi who was approached while in the synagogue because he had an important phone call. However, the rabbi just stood in the synagogue without moving to answer the call because another man was in prayer just outside the synagogue door. By Jewish law, one cannot enter the immediate space surrounding a person in prayer because God’s presence is there. To the rabbi, it was as if a wall was blocking the door. To the rabbi, spiritual law was as real as physical existence.

We need to make up our minds to do the same. Let us see gossip as garbage. Let us see sin as poison. Let us see disobedience as breathing in harmful fumes. By the same token, let us see good deeds as bringing warmth and light. Let us see obedience as medicine that heals. Let us see the unseen for what it truly is so that we can clearly see the path that leads to God.

With prayers for shalom, peace,

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein