Thinking Aloud

  HEAVEN IS THE ABODE of God and of the hosts of angels although the Almighty’s presence is not really confined to any region ( 1Kings 8:27).   In   Isaiah 66. 1  the Lord asserts “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Could you build me a temple as good as that? Besides, Could you build me such a resting place?”  Psalm 11:4   says “the Lord is in His holy  Temple ; the Lord still rules from heaven. He watches everyone closely, examining every person on earth”.   St. John’s  vision in   Revelations 4:2   reports ‘’And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and  One  sat on the throne’’ . The structure of heaven itself is never fully discussed in the Bible. Old Testament envisioned the heavens as having multiple layers.  St. Paul  describes three layers. There is almost no mention in the Old Testament of heaven as a possible afterlife de...

    THE WORD "WORLD" here doesn’t refer to the physical universe and the total system of intelligent creatures that occupy it, but to the humanity in its sinful aspect, the spirit and forces of fallen humanity that defy God and His goodness, powers and influences that oppose faith and holiness, and what St. Paul warns us against in Romans 12:2 --“conforming to the pattern of this world”. In this connection, Satan is said to be “the god of this world” ( 2Corinthians 4:4).   Another example that explains this point is: John 1:10 NLT --He came into the very world He created, but the world didn’t recognize him. Here “the world” appears first to denote earth and man simply as the creation of “the Word,” and then mankind as sinfully alienated from their Creator. We should not be surprised accordingly to read on the one hand that “God ... loved the world” ( John 3:16 ), and on the other that the Christian must “not love the world” ( 1John 2:15 )! The Holy Bible contains n...

    For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.                  I Peter 1:18-19 NLT It was only 400 years ago that the English physician William Harvey “discovered” the circulation of blood and did extensive research on the subject. But the exalted status the concept of blood enjoys (as a substitute for life itself) is as old as history itself. The first reference in the Old Testament to blood found in Genesis 4:10 where Yahweh rebukes Cain and says “What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground” might be figurative but is highly illustrative. It is also the first reverential teaching on the subject. What is impressive and amazing is that there is no trace of...

    During the early days of Israelite history, warfare was not only a patriotic duty, but was also considered a religious responsibility. The Hebrews were the people of Yahweh, and they were reminded in their wars by the priests who accompanied their armies that Yahweh was with them to fight their battles. Deuteronomy 20:1-4 makes this clear:   “When you go out to battle against your enemies and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you.  When you are approaching the battle, the priest shall come near and speak to the people.  He shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, you are approaching the battle against your enemies today. Do not be fainthearted. Do not be afraid, or panic, or tremble before them, for the LORD, your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you’”.   Sacri...