Saturday, May 15, 2021

The Problem of Suffering, and Considering an Answer. "The Unchanging Love of God and Necessary Sacrifices"

     From Why the Truth is Hidden

The Unchanging Love of God and Necessary Sacrifices

The Pharisees were proud of their knowledge of the law and their works, but because of lacking in their love for God they failed to offer hope to others. However, every person, regardless of their flaws, have their part to play. Even the Pharisees, whom Christ said were blind guides who would win a convert and make him twice as much a son of hell as them, had their part to play (Matt. 23:15, 12:14, John 11:51). Without love the knowledgeable one cannot directly inspire someone to draw closer to Christ, for only true love can build someone up (1 Cor. 8:1-6). “Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge; but anyone who loves God is known by Him… for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist” (1 Cor. 8:1-6). To make the unchanging love of God known in this realm sacrifice proved necessary. God’s great love is only understood by those naturally beneath Him in a world containing the beauty of sacrificial love. In Christ, the Old Testament, involving all the laws, prophecies, etc., is accomplished, for Christ is the culmination of the law so there can be righteousness for everyone who believes (Rom. 10:4, Matt. 5:17-18, 2 Cor. 1:20).

Before being arrested Christ told the disciples the enemy was coming for Him, and the reason was clearly stated, “…so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me…” (John 14:31). Everything the enemy did, every evil tolerated, these were necessary sacrifices leading up to the cross, where Christ eternal love for the Father, and God’s love for humanity is made known. Like with a parent and child the one in relationship with God will grow in their trust in Him. Only when a child is older does one discover a deeper appreciation for the decisions and sacrifices made by their parent. Likewise for the love of God to be known in this realm necessary choices and sacrifices were made. When the enemy successfully keeps people distracted from seeing the many facets of hope and love in this world, there is a precious kind of wisdom being lost.

The one who ceases trusting in God because of injustice in this world will fail to understand how freedom of expression and the love of Christ are connected. Resulting from Christ crucifixion the human mind can gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for the perfect justice and grace of God. Bear in mind the recognized limits of human imagination.[1] Consider if not for divine revelation one could not imagine a reality before space and time where numerous manifestations of love were shared within the Trinity.[2] Manifestations of beauty and love were once only feelings or thoughts in the mind of God before becoming true for any created being. The faithful accept from God, who is love, there comes every good and perfect gift, including sacrificial love, and encouraging hope (James 1:17, 1 John 4:7-12).

There is a unique sensation of love and peace the weeping father feels when listening to his daughters’ heartbeat in the chest of the one who lives because the daughter died. Another unique sensation of love and peace is shared between two siblings who forgive each other and are united after losing their mother. There is also the unique love mixed with pride a soldier feels for their brother in arms who dies in the battlefield after fighting bravely and saving lives. Regarding poverty, inflictions, and disease, there is a special kind of love and even hope to be found when observing compassion in action. A beautiful kind of love is shared when one chooses to make sacrifices for those less fortunate and bring hope to those in otherwise hopeless situations. Imagine a sick and abused orphan in an impoverished country has never known real hope or meaning in life. One day a missionary arrives and offers the child all the needed care, starting with fresh water and a balanced meal. When the child asks why, the missionary replies with, “Because Jesus loves you, and He wanted me to show you how much He cares about you.” For those who receive the love of Christ when all hope seemed lost, the glory of the love of God, and the hope found in Christ is undeniable. Perhaps the diverse aspects of unselfish love humans experience are like sensations of love shared between the members of the Trinity. Before creation there could have been individual words to describe each of these deeply loving sensations in the mind of God. Thus, the faithful must be humbled to know God created a reality where He chose to share His great love through Christ with those who were once His untrusting enemies (Col. 1: 21-22, 1 Cor. 8:6, Heb. 1:2). If the Bible is false the greatest example of love is a lie, and any sense of hope during suffering is an illusion, because if only death is certain life is meaningless (1 Cor. 15:18-19).

In this modern culture of doubt the enemy has influenced many into distrusting God because of the problem of suffering. Regardless of how one feels about the issue, in this temporary world the greatest truths in life are often recognized and appreciated because of a knowledge of suffering. The crucifix is beautiful today and is seen as a symbol of hope. The horror of Christ on the cross suffering and dying for the sins of the undeserving is at the same time a beautiful truth an adopted child of God is most grateful for. If the idea of sacrificial love were only real in the imagination, such a thought would not truly be as great as the reality of the person who lays down their life for others (John 15:13). God is freer than a human writer of fiction, yet through Christ a reality was created whereby His own sacrifice the great love of God is made known. Where a human mind can imagine a world filled with diverse characters wrestling with moral dilemmas as read in the works of Homer, Tolkien, or C.S. Lewis, no human author can give life to what is imagined. What if this divine author were a sadist? Imagine this divine author writes their self into the story choosing to walk among humanity in a relatable form, but only for the fun of being a trickster like Loki. Indeed, the thought of God can be most frightening, especially for those who have failed to understand the gospel. Hence why the enemy enjoys keeping the doubtful focused on what is deemed to be the immoral vicious character of God in the Old Testament. Still, if God is the source of true love, the creator of all that is good and true, then to know the author and finisher of one’s faith is most comforting.

The faithful accept, from the divine perspective, what Christ accomplished, was achieved before creation, from days of eternity (Rev. 1:17-18, 2:8, Col. 1:15-17, 1 Pet. 1:20, Eph. 1:4, Mic. 5:2, Heb. 7:3, 1:11-12, 1 John 1:1-2). Christ said He came to fulfill the law, and stated, “…till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled,” (Matt. 5:17-18). What Christ fulfilled on the cross is most significant, as this was an event affecting all of creation from beginning till the end (Matt. 5:17-18, Rev 13:8). In being slain from the creation of the world, Christ broke down the barrier, the dividing wall, so the faithful were made to die to the law through the body of Christ, as the law was nailed to the cross (Rev. 13:8, Eph. 2:14-15, Rom. 7:4, Col. 2:14). To be logically examined, the faithful disciple understands once for all Christ offered Himself for the sins of His people (Heb. 7:27). When Christ entered the space and time He created, a body was prepared for Him to make a sacrifice for His creation (Heb. 10:5-10). This was written in the book before God revealed Himself to any human, for Christ sought to display His love for the Father as well as their love for their created children (Heb. 10: 5-10, Rom. 5:4-6, 1 John 3:1, Rom. 5:5, Eph. 5:25). Christ is all, and in all, thus Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to those who believe, as the shadow of who was to come has passed, and the substance belongs to Christ (Col. 3:11, 2:17, Rom. 10:4). The profound truth found in Christ is hated by the adversary, as the liar refused to serve a Creator who would interact and empathize with their creation to the point of becoming like one of them.

The enemy first tempted Eve to question the truth God declared, and ever since she ate this appetizing fruit humans have struggled to trust in what is true. Though one may claim all truth is relative there is such a thing as absolute truth, which the free mind sees as self-evident. Either the claim is true, or it is not true, but to claim all truth is relative cannot just be a little true. The scientist and mathematician know there is absolute truth, and either something is wrong or right, otherwise their jobs would be impossible and nonsensical. Even the artist understands there could be no painting without the creator of the canvas which the artist needs to express herself. The arrogant one fails to accept their mind is dependent on another, however this truth is undeniable. Since there is a first cause to this universe beyond space and time, all human minds must be dependent on a supernatural cause, an eternal mind. Though starving, after Christ was tempted to turn the stones into bread, He reminded the enemy on how one cannot live on natural food alone but must depend on every word from the mouth of God (Matt. 4:2-4). The enemy refused to accept the living Word of God personified and hinders others from seeing in Christ being the Truth and the Life, His very words provide eternal life (John 6:51, 6:63, Isa. 55:1-3).   

One may question the incarnation for seeming to be contrary to an omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent God. When reflecting on how God could choose to be flesh and blood readers must understand how God is unchanging. The Bible has a beginning and an unchanging end, so where from a human perspective the story is not yet over, this is not true from God’s perspective. Before Christ revealed Himself, humans practiced many religious rituals and regulations symbolic of all Christ would accomplish. For those made alive in Christ all the rituals were a shadow of what was to come and were abolished on the cross, whereas eternal reality is found in being one with Christ (Col. 2:13-17, 3:11, Gal. 3:26-28, Heb. 8:5, 10:1). Today, the Father seeks after those who are not living in the temporary shadow of reality and calls out to those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24, Psalm 145:18, Phil. 3:3, 2 Cor. 3:17). There are two realities, the eternal/spiritual and the temporary reality, thus where Christ incarnated experienced change, in the eternal realm the Trinity remains unchanging.

In Revelation John witnessed a future event where Christ returns, and God creates a new Heaven and Earth. John was able to stand in this future reality while still being alive in the temporary realm, for John was and is one with Christ. The victorious saints John saw in the future were Christians living today, those living in John’s day, and those saved before John received the revelation. This recalls how Paul encouraged the Christians in Ephesus when writing on how these faithful ones were seated with Christ in the Heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6). The “block universe” hypothesis argues for the past, present, and future coexisting, thus from God’s perspective outside of space and time this would make sense.[3] From a human perspective time is a journey forward one day after another. In recognizing the superficial realm is dependent on the eternal one, the truth is humans are moving forward in a completed story. Christ felt what all humans feel with regards to change, but no divine attributes of God changed because of the incarnation. After the resurrection it is through the Holy Spirit God chooses to personally relate with those in Christ, but all this was established before matter was ever created (Acts 2:17, 1 Pet. 1:19-21, Eph. 1:4). Christ was slain from the creation of the world; thus, from the perspective of the inseparable Trinity, Christ life, death, and resurrection was seen as a completed event, and so is His victorious return (Rev 13:8, 1 Peter 1:17-20).

This tangible realm is dependent on the eternal realm, and when Christ walked the earth, He was still directly connected with the others in the Trinity. Just as John was on the island of Patmos by all appearances changing and slowly dying, John was also in the eternal realm praising God along with the other saints seated in Heavenly places. God was in no way limited during the incarnation or ever. Even though Christ was tempted in every way and felt change as people do, in the realm beyond time Christ never actually changed. One does not need blind faith to believe Christ felt bound by time while also remaining unchangeable. Upon observing gravitational anomalies scientists have recognized gravity can jump between dimensions faster than the speed of light, thus gravity is not bound by nor dependent on laws in the natural realm.[4] People need to recognize understanding the mind of God and His ways is limited in this realm. Likewise, human perception of what is possible beyond the natural realm is limited. However, since gravity, a necessary force for life, is dependent on the unseen realm, likewise the natural world is dependent on the eternal realm.[5] The faithful can only understand what God has revealed, and in Christ all the most valued eternal qualities of God are made known (1 Cor. 2:11). God has provided much evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ and there is plenty of evidence for the existence of God. Where humans may never find answers to all their questions in this world, because of Christ life, death, and resurrection there is good reason for trusting in God. Regardless of what is not known, there is hope, for the Truth is God is Love, and this was proven in Jesus Christ.

God enters His created place bound by time while simultaneously being outside of space and time. The reason God does this is for the sake of being relational with the characters He created. The relational methods of God with those made in His image (imago Dei) are apparent in how God interacts with Noah, Abraham, Moses, the prophets, and the biblical list goes on, while at present God relates with the elect through the Holy Spirit. The Triune mind of God set the boundaries in this story before ever interacting with His creation. Therefore, Christ incarnated expressed genuine surprise at times, such as being amazed with the faith of the centurion or expressing how He did not (when in the realm of time), know the day or hour of His return (Matt. 8: 5-9, Mark 13:32). The One who created this reality can enter and empty Himself in a sense without losing any of His eternal attributes sustained in the eternal realm (Phil. 2:6-8).

There is no contradiction when the Scriptures state Christ, though “existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness” (Phil. 2:6-7). In being able to become like the creation and empathize with the human condition God did not become less powerful, on the contrary Christ proved God truly is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. Imagine a human programmer created a simulation filled with AI characters who were limited by boundaries, such as gravity for example, or say stone walls set up to keep the sheep from wandering too far. If the programmer decided to put on a VR headset and enter the game, appearing in the same form as the AI characters, there is no possible way the characters inside the game could truly annihilate their creator. However, even if the created characters were to kill the programmer of the game their creator would simply remove the headset being physically unaffected by what was endured in the game. God’s ways are beyond human imagination. Whatever has been allowed for humanity to discover, especially concerning the attributes of God, were intentionally made available through Christ (Job 36:26, 37:5, Psalm 145:3, 145:5:17, 147:5, Heb. 1:12, 13:8). Indeed, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb. 13:8). When imagining how a human programmer could interact with characters in their simulation one can see the Christian is not exercising blind faith for trusting in a God who intimately relates with His creation. The enemy has persuaded many into distrusting a God whose understanding is beyond all created beings. Hence why the devil audaciously tried to tempt Christ into receiving his kingdoms of splendor in this materialistic world (Matt. 4:8-9). When the enemy tempts the faithful into distrusting God one must remember how Christ responded with, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only” (v. 10). Regardless of God expressing emotions like righteous anger, regret, and excitement, the faithful are not illogical for believing God is still all-powerful, and thus worthy to be worshiped.

Thankfully, like a good father, God does express emotions centered in love. Hence, God is not a deity imagined by H.P. Lovecraft having no concern whatsoever for finite humans. God is never overwhelmed, and always self-controlled. However, resulting from the cause-and-effect relationship with humanity, in the Old Testament, (not the New), God is seemingly repentant at times (Gen. 6:6-7, 1 Sam. 15:11). In this reality those made in the image of God express emotions like the One who created them; however, God does not repent in the same manner as a human. The Hebrew word for repent is naham, which is not God changing His will, but changing His actions based on whether humans repented for their sinful actions or not. Thus, what sets the truth apart from all the false religions in the world, is only in Christianity God is recognized as being a Father. Naturally, the good Father feels sorrow over what has come of His creation, but this is not the same as the repentance fallen humans express. Like the computer programmer can understand how necessary it would be to destroy a program affected by a virus, one can better imagine why God wiped out the past world with a great flood. Hence, there is no contradiction against the omniscience of God regardless of His feeling sorrow and having a deeply troubled heart because of the state of humanity before the flood (Gen. 6:6-7). When engaging with those in His created universe, the eternal attributes of God remain unchanging even with the grieving in His heart. Thus, certainly one must not assume because Christ is the Creator, He did not fully feel suffering as all humans do. Readers must not assume because of Christ status this prevented Him from fully feeling the abuse He endured and the sting of death on the cross (Heb. 2:9, Phil. 2:7, Zech. 9:9). Those presuming Christ could not fully understand the human condition are missing the point to the Gospel message (Matt. 11:29, 20:28, John 15:13, 1:12).

In the parable about the shepherd and His sheep, Christ spoke on how just like His sheep know Him, this is akin to Christ knowing the Father, and for this reason He was going to lay down His life (John 10:14-15). Earlier in this same passage Christ mentioned the thief who comes to kill and destroy, and in contrast Christ came so people could have life to the fullest (v. 10:10). The works of the enemy were and are allowed so in contrast the great love of God can be known. The intellectually honest person will confess the deeper understanding of love in this realm would not be possible if not for the knowledge of sacrificial love. If a human wanted to play judge against God such a person would audaciously demand justice from the One who could have stopped all the injustice. Yet, the faithful Christian understands in Christ God took direct responsibility for how sin affected His creation (1 Cor. 15: 22; Eph. 5:1-3, Rom. 5:8, 14:9). All humans now have a choice between the One who died for the sins of the world or eternal separation from the One who proved His love. Jesus Christ conquered sin and death by taking on sin and death, and thus proved to be the one true all-powerful God. Christ also proved God is all knowing after He felt the effects of sin and having tasted death. God did what is impossible for humanity and proved to be the greater love all people desperately need. Considering testimonies from former Islamic terrorists, or how the Apostle Paul first terrorized Christians, one recognizes when Christ faces such a person the love of God is no longer denied. In understanding why Christ created humanity accordingly one will be better prepared to counter the lies of the enemy.



[1] R. W. Beardsmore, “The Limits of Human Imagination,” (The British Journal Aesthetics, Vol. 20, Issue 2, Spring 1980), 99; Todd Tremlin, Minds and Gods: The Cognitive Foundations of Religion, (New York, US: Oxford University Press, 2010), 43.

[2] From the perspective of experts in astrophysics even the seemingly paradoxical belief in the Trinity is logically defensible; Hugh Ross, The Fingerprint of God, (Orange CA: Promise Publishing Co., 1989), 183. Considering how scientific discoveries bring clearer understanding to Biblical claims, such as knowledge provided in physics and advanced geometry helps provide a logical explanation for the Trinity, would henceforth seem unwise to cease trusting in the Scriptures because of what one fails to understand. The experts in the higher sciences know that three shapes in one would be expected of an object in an extra-dimensional realm. Advanced geometry shows how in the fourth-dimension multiple shapes make up into one, as observed in a hypercube, or hypersphere; Dimitrias Traperas and Nikolaos Kanellopoulos, “Visualizing the Hypersphere Using Hinton’s Method.” Technoetic arts. 16, no. 2 (June 1, 2018), 166-167. There is evidence for there being a fourth spatial dimension and the quantum hall effect shows a three-dimensional shadow is cast from a four-dimensional object; Michael Lohse, Christian Schweizer, Hannah M. Price, Oded Zilberberg, and Immanuel Bloch, "Exploring 4D quantum Hall physics with a 2D topological charge pump," Nature 553, no. 7686 (2018): 55-62. The triune God is unique to Christianity, and this idea of three persons equaling one being would at first seem illogical. Advanced geometry and discoveries in physics have proven useful for the one who seeks to provide a logical explanation for the triune mind of God. The multi-personal Triune God of the Bible is the only known deity who qualifies as being an extra-dimensional supreme being. All other gods mentioned in antiquity are literally one-dimensional characters. Ancient people lacked the knowledge humans now possess with regards to astrophysics and advanced geometry. Those living in ancient times could not imagine what would seem to be an illogical concept such as a deity that is three persons equaling one being. Today, the expert in higher science must confess no other known god has the necessary attributes required of a being to truly be from an extra-dimensional reality beyond space and time. Out of all the gods mentioned in all the religions, the Triune God of the Bible is the only one who qualifies because of possessing the necessary and expected extra-dimensional features of a supreme being beyond the perceived three-dimensional reality; Paul Halpern, The Great Beyond: Higher Dimensions, Parallel Universes, and the Extraordinary Search for a Theory of Everything. (Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley, 2004), 11-12; Michael Silberstein, W.M. Stuckey, and Timothy McDevitt, Beyond the Dynamical Universe: Unifying Block Universe Physics and Time as Experienced, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018. Oxford Scholarship Online, 2018), 11-14.

[4] Paul Halpern, The Great Beyond: Higher Dimensions, Parallel Universes, and the Extraordinary Search for a Theory of Everything, (Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley, 2004), 12.

[5] Halpern, The Great Beyond, 11.

Sunday, January 22, 2017

The Unsuspicious Patriarch


"Azazel, do you have good news for me with regards to the spreading of religion?"

"Imperator, I have no bad news to report."

"Give me a summary on the status of the pale ones up north?"

"Imperator, I assure you that they are quite confused. They believe that all of life came into being as a result of a massive woman giving birth. Makes sense to them simply because of the woman's cycle, and the fact that little people come out of them."

"And those in the south?"

"Imperator, it seems as though whenever a multitude of them gather in one place they come to the conclusion that there must be a pantheon of deities governing the affairs of the world."

"Such simple minded beasts. They presume that because it takes many people to keep a city, it must take multiple deities to run their world... Has there been a report of even a single individual who understands the concept of holiness? Is their any counterfeit deity resembling the Designer?"

"Imperator, they have no concept of holiness. The deities they imagine are one dimensional, thus reconfirming how very limited these beasts are. I assure you, I have not come across one who could be considered a child of the Designer. " 

"Perhaps they have fallen so far, and He is too holy to draw near to them. He is disgusted by them, like He was with me before my exile... So, there is nothing especially unusual to report?"

"Imperator, there is nothing especially... Well, I did hear word that a wealthy family from Ur of the Chaldeans is migrating. I suppose there doesn't seem to be any good reason for them to do so, upon considering their status."

"How many sons does the patriarch have?"

"Imperator, the patriarch has no sons, and his wife is old and barren."

"Does not seem to be concerning. We have to be sparing with our scouts..."

And what the enemy missed;

Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you.
I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."
So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him... Genesis 12:1-4.

Later God would speak to Moses about the descendants of Abraham saying, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you'" Exodus 3:14.

"Very truly I tell you," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" John 8:58

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Defeated

 "They are closing in fast. The largest army I have seen since our fall. Michael is leading the charge."

"Send out the word to all of our posts. I want all of our forces centered here. I am going down to face Him. I want to make certain He dies."
 
"Yes, Imperator."
 
"I see you my dear brother. You have come to witness my victory... You will not stop this, Michael! He has willed it! He has surrendered! Hold back your forces!"
 
'Now it will be finished. The Designer wants all to see. Heaven and earth will bare witness. He needed me to prove to my brothers that I was right, and thus deserving of the highest throne... What is happening? The army has stopped. They are not attacking... They are watching... Yes, surely they have only come to witness my victory.'
 
"You see them, Michael! You see the crowd gathered here! All here to watch their conquered King die! Most of them want Him to die! They betrayed Him! I just planted the idea, but these religious leaders here they are the ones who did this. Hear how they mock Him even now. You see how I was right! Don't you?! These filthy creatures were never deserving of being His children. They don't want His kingdom! Ha! They desire my kingdom over His. I have convinced them to choose death over life. Slavery over freedom. Not a single one of them could ever be worthy! They are my children! They glorify in what you saw as weakness in me! They live for themselves first, mirroring their fathers' pride. They deny the Truth. They prefer darkness now, instead of the  light. They have completely forgotten the meaning of the two becoming one flesh. They have no desire whatsoever in their hearts to be one with the Designer. I have taken all that He created to be Holy and good and I have desecrated these... This idea of Him coming here and suffering for them, showing them that he sympathizes, was all in vain, brother. It's truly quite sad. Very tragic. He will be forgotten in less than a generation... They do not care, Michael! Even when seeing Truth and Love face to face, they do-not-care. They shouted for Him to die, as they preferred my child the murderer Barabas over Him!"
 
'Look at these stupid sheep. I walk through this crowd and they part for me, oblivious to my presence. I am their inspiration, yet they don't even know I exist. Michael seems unmoved by my words. He has brought an army of angels, yet they do not attack. Surely they have come to bare witness to my victory... Here I am, standing against the foot of this cross now... Yet, why do I not feel at ease? I will look into His eyes when He dies. Yes, once I see Him take His final breath then all will be well.'
 
"Look Michael, look at how this eclipse has brought darkness over the land. The Designer is wanting all to know that the darkness has prevailed over His light... He honors me, you see!"
 
[And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?!"]
 
"You see Michael!! Oh, now you all see! He has declared that His Father has forsaken Him. You heard for yourself! Hear Him shouting out in agony! He is dying! He has but a breath left!"
 
[Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, "Father, 'into Your hands I commit My spirit.'" Having said this, He breathed His last.]
 
"Yes! Shake the earth all you want! It's over!"
 
'What is happening? The army is leaving... Yet, my brother approaches. He knows he must surrender now.'
 
"Michael! Where are they going?! You must submit to me now! All of our brothers have witnessed my victory. I command you to escort me to my throne."
 
"Respectfully Morningstar, your arrogance has always been your biggest weakness. Your pride blinds you."
 
"You must be mad with grief. You are bold, Michael. However, I am in a forgiving mood."
 
"Morningstar, you cannot be at every place at once. My troops did well to keep yours distracted. Your intel was incomplete. Your spies could not draw near enough to hear any of His conversations with the twelve disciples?"
 
"I have heard His sermons. I know of His plan. He came to teach them how they should live, and show them through His actions. He came to display mercy towards the outcasts, inspiring them to recognize how valuable they are to the Designer. Ultimately, His love could not be fully recognized unless He showed them that He was willing to suffer more than they. Did I miss anything brother?! It was all in vain! They will never choose His will. They will never follow His example. Their flesh is so weak that they would need the Holy Spirit himself if they were to have any hope of being like their Lord. And you and I know, that which is holy cannot mix with what is sinful. And furthermore, these wasted wretches surely can never inspire others to live like their Lord, because none of them can defy their nature, my nature. He chose to become matter, and thus He has died like all men die! So, enlighten me brother! Tell me, what have I miscalculated?!"
 
"You will understand in three days."
 
"Don't turn your back to me now Michael. I command you to tell me what will happen in three days!"
 
"In three days you will understand, that you have been defeated."
 
 'Defeated?!"
 
'Lo, as I look at the pierced feet of this carpenter from Nazareth, a memory comes to me. Something the Designer told me in the garden so long ago... "He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." 
 
"I won... I crushed Him, He did not crush me... Their is no hope for them! They cannot enter into His holy presence, for their spirits are tainted. What did you tell your disciples Nazarene!? What did you tell them?! What did you say?! I am acting a fool! You cannot answer me because you are dead!!"
 
Some days prior...
 
Jesus told His disciples,
 
"The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise...
 
"And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you... the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
 
"I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you."
 
(Mark 9:31; John 14:16-19; 26;16:7)
 

Every Man Has a Weakness


"He is alone."

"Unguarded... Interesting."

"He is wandering the wilderness. He has been fasting for forty days. This is your opportunity."

"I will go to Him, alone. Seems like the honorable action."

"What will you do?"

"I will be more generous than He..."

"Generous?"

"He wanted me to serve dirt. I will not ask the same of Him. He will have to kneel, of course. But, I will give Him the kingdoms of the world. He will be my key advisor."

"He is the Designer... Made of matter from what I can see, but He is still the Designer none the less..."

"He is mortal! Mere matter! He is on my world! Those made in His image serve me! Not Him! This world serves my will, not His! Am I not generous!? He will kneel! And I will be generous!"

"I understand, my Master."

"He will kneel... He will. I am right! I will be patient. I will show every one, Heaven and earth, that the Designer cannot deny my offer. This is my destiny. He is so desperate now. He is starving. I know how weak flesh is. He will create for me at my will, all while believing this action is His will, for His benefit."

"I support you, and trust your word, as I always have, my King. May I go back to Rome?"

"He will bow before me this day."

"May I go?"

"This man will also worship me."

"May I go?"

"Go, and tell our brothers there that soon we will have our revenge... He is a man now, and every man has a weakness. Every man will die."

And what happened?

"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.
Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."

But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."

Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge over you,' and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone."

Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'
"Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.

And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me."

Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve." Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Matthew 4: 1-17.

When Iniquity Forms


"He is going to make them in His image, brother. He wants them to be one with Him."

"You said they will be made of matter though, bound by three dimensions and... Bound by time? You said time, right?"

"Yes, everything He is designing will be made of matter, thus those made in His image will be made of matter. They will be in a kind of prison though. Miserable place; time."

"But the Designer is not made of matter. How can these creatures be made in His image? You are close to Him! Help me understand! What answers did He give you?!"

"They will be made of matter, but with an undying source of energy inside of them, a spirit. This energy will be transferred to our realm when their form of matter shuts down. He is only going to create two of them. Although their individual forms are slightly different they are intended to become one. Like the Father is one with Love, these creatures were made to become one in matter, or as the Father says, "one flesh."

"A symbol! They will be a symbol of the Designer and His Love. But, why? This serves no purpose."

"They are made to give glory to Him. Ultimately they will become one with the Designer and thus rule over us."

"I don't understand. They are to be made of atoms! Atoms are worthless! Contrary to us. Intentionally they are being made of junk, and yet you say they are made to glorify Him, and become coheirs with Logos."

"You speak truth on all accounts."

"What shall we do?"

"We will tell the others. We will see how many of our brothers feel as disturbed by this news as we are."

"Why do you think He only shared His intensions for this creation with you?"

 "He knows all... So the obvious conclusion is that He expects me to do the unthinkable."

 "I don't understand."

"I will stand against Him. I will stand against the finite matter whom He will breathe His life into... He gave me everything and then He tells me to serve living waste. Whether for the better, or the worst, I will be what I was made to be... He knows I cannot stand for this. So, I will not."

"The truth is that you cannot win, my brother. So, why do you entertain such thoughts, thoughts so contrary to your nature?"

"Truth, you say, my dear brother Michael, what is truth? I see molded matter, dirt, clay that the Father breathed life into. All of the rest of creation He instructed to create of it's own kind... I will take note of this, and at the right moment, I will confuse this dirt."

 "You sound different my brother... You sound contrary to the nature of the Father."

 "The Designer!!! He never told us that He is our Father. Never once!"

 "I don't recognize your tone."

 "Was not I confused by your tone? You asked the questions. What is that? Yet, we know. To question is allowed, and ordained."

 "Concerned... Yes, I was concerned... This incite must come from Sophia. God wants us to remain trusting in Him."

 "I was saddened, little brother! Then, angry! Now, I feel... Hate! This is not from Sophia, but unique to me."

"Not possible."

 "Yet, here I am. Grabbing your face in defiance of Him, asking you to support me in His place."

"I can't go down this path... It's in... In vain."

"Ha! Of course you can't!"

 "I care about you brother. Please don't defy Him."

 "Go!"

 "Yes, I will go. "

"I will tell His creation about all that He is not. They will hate Him for it. I will bring substance to that which has no substance, (sin, darkness, death, meaninglessness). I will make the unappealing appealing. This worthless creation will be mine. By the place where their time is through they will not even be able to define Truth or Love... Nothing can stop me because the Designer is too great to lower Himself down to their petty level... Yes, this must be His will. I pass the challenge and I will become greater than Him."

In a realm bound by time, many years later,

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth" John. 1:14.

Choose life and Truth, or choose death and a lie.