(no title)

Salvation: an illustration by Action Jones

Posted on February 15, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Action Jones made his illustrations freely available for ministry. Here is one titled Salvation

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life” – Jesus Christ, from the Gospel of John 6:63

Only the Holy Spirit of God can bring a dead sinful soul to cry out to Jesus for eternal life – and if we are to be saved, this is exactly the miracle that must happen.

If you’re reading this and do not love Jesus and trust Him as your Master and Savior – this can happen to you right now if you’d just recognize your desperation and call out to Him.”

More Action Jones on:

Deviantart
Tumblr blog: Full of Eyes
Youtube

corvette, earthquake, repent, siloam, sinkhole kentucky, south carolina

Quake in SC; sinkhole in KY with slo-mo footage, and other earth shakings

Posted on February 15, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

The earth sure is an active celestial body, isn’t it. There are several volcanoes erupting now, major storms affecting millions, air travel has come to a near-standstill and now a pretty big (for us in GA) quake.

The earthquake happened last night at 10:23 pm. I had closed down my computer and was doing the going-to-bed routine. I had just turned off the light in the living room on my way to the bedroom, and I felt a shaking. The air conditioner began to rattle in the window, the metal clanking against the sill. Outside no trucks were going by. The rattling continued for some seconds, and I said to the cats, “Boys, we are having an earthquake.” Then the neighbor’s dog began barking (who only barks when his mommy comes home) and I knew for sure. Quake.

A few minutes later we received a robo-call from Emergency Management, stating that a quake had occurred in SC, that Madison County residents had felt it, and please don’t call 911.

The quake, a 4.4, downgraded to a 4.1, occurred in Edgefield SC, near the border of GA. The epicenter was 88 miles from were I live.

Interesting!

The USGS put the quake in pink because it is considered a ‘significant’ quake

Small quake in SC felt hundreds of miles away
“COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – The snow and ice dumped by an unusually severe winter storm were melting, once-frigid temperatures were rising and residents of South Carolina and Georgia finally had begun to relax. Then the earth shuddered. A small earthquake shook both states late Friday, shaking homes and rattling residents hundreds of miles away. The quake happened at 10:23 p.m. and had a preliminary magnitude of 4.1, according to the U.S. Geological Survey’s website. It was centered 7 miles west of the town of Edgefield, S.C. , and was felt as far west as Atlanta and as far north as Hickory, N.C., each about 150 miles away. “It’s a large quake for that area,” said USGS geophysicist Dale Grant. “It was felt all over the place.“”

SC is a seismic area, though it seemed to have been sleeping prior to 1886, when a 7.3 quake struck. Wikipedia says that very little to no historical earthquake activity occurred in the Charleston area prior to the 1886 event, which is unusual for any seismic area. A factoid about the SC quake last night from USGS: There were 11,743 responses in 880 zip codes in 53 cities.

USGS explains of earthquakes in the Inland Carolinas Region, that the largest earthquake in the area (magnitude 5.1) occurred in 1916. Moderately damaging earthquakes strike the inland Carolinas every few decades, and smaller earthquakes are felt about once each year or two.

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It’s been interesting to watch some earth happenings this last week. This quake in SC is not the only interesting earth or seismic event happening. There was a quake in Massachusetts a few days ago, too. Actually, a pair of them, which is unusual.

Big Boom: quake’s epicenter in Bliss Corners area of So. Dartmouth
For the second time in just over a month, SouthCoast felt the earth move. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the 2.4 magnitude earthquake was centered about 1.8 miles below ground in Dartmouth’s Bliss Corner area in South Dartmouth. There were no immediate reports of damage from the temblor which hit at 5:46 p.m. Tuesday. But the quake was felt across much of the region with many people taking to social media to share their stories and a number of police departments reporting a flood of calls.

Jeff Price, who lives in Padanaram, said he and his wife heard “a rumble” and then felt their house shake. “It lasted for a couple of seconds,” he said. “It scared the bejabbers out of the dog.”

There were a pair of quakes I read about occurring elsewhere in New England this week, too. On February 7th, there was a small quake in Mexico Maine, and then one in northern VT/So. Quebec

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was an interesting event that occurred a few days ago. My blog hits spiked as the search term ‘sinkhole’ was input. Here is the vivid headline from NatGeo:

Kentucky Sinkhole Eats Corvettes, Raises Questions
“Early Wednesday morning a sinkhole opened beneath the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky. No one was injured, but the 40-foot-wide (12-meter-wide), 25-foot-deep (7.5-meter-deep) fissure swallowed eight valuable sports cars shortly after 5:30 a.m.”

Security Camera sinkhole footage in slo-mo

Engineers were dispatched to inspect the building and geologists swarmed to the location. OK maybe not swarmed but they certainly were curious. Geologists said the area is in a place ‘geologically primed for sinkholes because it’s in a karst area rife with caves and underground springs.’

They intimated that the incident was really only a matter of time until something like this occurred. In addition to being atop a porous area, “Caves are a common feature in this part of the state,” he says. And we usually see sinkholes here after a hard rain. But as far as I can tell, what happened in this case was that drainage water has been coming off the museum building improperly for some time. And it focused and built up at one point on the soil.”

NatGeo

Sinkholes and earthquakes seem to shake people up more than just about anything, no pun intended. It is more than disconcerting to have walked on what feels like solid ground under your feet all your life only to feel it swaying, shaking, and even turning to liquid. Even worse is seeing that the very ground user us can open up all of a sudden and swallow us. Scarier still is when it happens inside a building. We think buildings are sturdy and can protect us, but we are sooo vulnerable on this earth it isn’t even funny. It was heartbreaking to see such beautiful classic cars tumble into the earth, but it’s so terrible when it happens to a person. Remember a year ago in March 2013 when a sinkhole suddenly opened up under a sleeping family, swallowing a man as he slept in his bedroom?
But Christ challenged the people’s notion that they were morally superior to those who suffered in such catastrophes.
~John MacArthur
“A loud crash, then nothing: Sinkhole swallows Florida man”
“The ground just swallowed him up. A Florida man fell into a sinkhole that opened suddenly Thursday night beneath the bedroom of his suburban Tampa home, calling out to his brother for help as he fell, the brother said Friday.”

In Numbers 26:10 those who had contended against Moses and Aaron were gathered and the LORD made the earth open and swallow them.

“and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up together with Korah, when that company died, when the fire devoured 250 men, and they became a warning.”

They became a warning, in other translations, a sign. Pulpit Commentary says, “something made conspicuous in order to attract attention and enforce a warning“

“But if the LORD creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you shall know that these men have despised the LORD.” (Numbers 16:30)

Matthew Henry said of the Numbers 16 verse,

God has, when he pleases, strange punishments for the workers of iniquity. It was very significant. Considering how the earth is still in like manner loaded with the weight of man’s sins, we have reason to wonder that it does not now sink under its load. The ruin of others should be our warning. Could we, by faith, hear the outcries of those that are gone down to the bottomless pit, we should give more diligence than we do to escape for our lives, lest we also come into their condemnation.

You know, there are curses for those who are disobedient. Deuteronomy 28:46-47 says

The Curses of Disobedience
…”So all these curses shall come on you and pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you would not obey the LORD your God by keeping His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you. “They shall become a sign and a wonder on you and your descendants forever. “Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and a glad heart, for the abundance of all things;”

He smote the priests offering strange fire (Leviticus 10:1). Also read Ezekiel 5:15 where the LORD says He will punish Israel as an example, or, 2 Peter 2:6, where the destruction of Sodom Gomorrah (and Admah and Zeobiim) were an example to the ungodly.

On the other hand, we can’t presume that this incident or that incident is an example of the Lord’s displeasure. Sometimes things happen. The Tower of Siloam is a good example.

When the Pharisees questioned the Lord Jesus, an incident had obviously occurred which were still on the minds of the people. They were still talking about it. A tower had fallen on people and killed 18 of them. Here is the verse and Matthew Henry‘s wise commentary, which we should take to heart regarding sinkholes, volcanoes, earthquakes, or any other sudden disaster or destruction.

There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:1-5)

Matthew Henry said,
Mention was made to Christ of the death of some Galileans. This tragical story is briefly related here, and is not met with in any historians. In Christ’s reply he spoke of another event, which, like it, gave an instance of people taken away by sudden death. Towers, that are built for safety, often prove to be men’s destruction. He cautioned his hearers not to blame great sufferers, as if they were therefore to be accounted great sinners. As no place or employment can secure from the stroke of death, we should consider the sudden removals of others as warnings to ourselves. On these accounts Christ founded a call to repentance. The same Jesus that bids us repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, bids us repent, for otherwise we shall perish.

Ultimately, since everything is under God’s control, He causes or allows it all to happen so that His plan will be executed, everything is a warning.

John MacArthur’s commentary explains, It was the belief of many that disaster and sudden death always signified divine displeasure over particular sins (cf. Job 4:7); [and Numbers 16:30 as above]. Those who suffered in uncommon ways were therefore assumed to be guilty of some more severe immorality.

Jesus did not deny the connection between catastrophe and human evil, for all such afflictions ultimately stem from the curse of humanity’s fallenness. (Gen 3:17-19). Furthermore, specific calamities may indeed the the fruit of certain iniquities (Proverbs 24:16). But Christ challenged the people’s notion that they were morally superior to those who suffered in such catastrophes. He called all to repent, for all were in danger of sudden destruction. No one is guaranteed a time to prepare for death, so now is the time for repentance for all (cf. 2 Cor 6:2).

We live on borrowed time, a sinful earth, and no tomorrow is guaranteed. The answer to the events happening, including the earthquake last night, is…repent.

christian living, daily bread, holy, lord's prayer

Be a Daily Christian

Posted on February 14, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Christianity is not a one time moment when we are justified. That is simply the beginning. Our sanctification means we are being continually transformed into the image of Christ.

To that end, we submit to the transformative efforts of the Spirit and speed His work along with deliberate actions of our own. We should be a daily Christian. The bible is replete with admonitions about how to live a holy life. It means doing certain things, consciously and purposefully. These things are not and should not become a prescription for rote legalism, but guides for holy living.

Because the devil is so powerful, so destructive, we need Jesus every day. As the hymn says, every hour. But as we go along in life we often forget that. We begin to believe our own press, that we can handle things…that we’re all right.

No.

We need Him daily. If we are to live according God’s word it means doing certain activities every day. See a few of the biblical admonitions for what to do to be a Daily Christian.

CC, by Rachel Titiriga

The first priority in life is this: Salvation.

For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2)

Once we have been saved from His wrath and forgiven of sins, declared righteous (justified), now begins the life of sanctification, living holy.

“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile… (1 Peter 1:13-25).

‘Prepare your mind for action’… the verse doesn’t say lay around and wait for inspiration. We must prepare ourselves, ready our minds, and be willing to engage in action. What actions? Some follow below.

hardened clay pebbles, Wikipedia CC

“But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Hebrews 3:13)

Sin hardens the conscience. We must exhort and encourage each other constantly, so sin does not deceive us or that the church falls into apostasy. The very fact that we must do this daily is the clear indicator of how short a time it takes for us to harden. We humans are fast-setting clay!

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. (Luke 9:23)

Pulpit Commentary explains, This readiness to give up ease, this willingness to bear suffering, will be a matter, they must remember, of everyday experience. The terrible simile with which the Lord pressed his stern lesson home was, of course, suggested to him by the clear view he had of the fearful end of his own earthly life

The Lord’s Prayer reminds us to ask for bread, daily. And not only that, but there are other daily admonitions in the prayer as well. To praise Him daily, to ask for help daily, to seek the Kingdom daily, and ask for forgiveness daily.

“The Lord’s Prayer” Creative Commons, art by navalatanjjnn

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil (Matthew 6:9-13)

We are noble if we search the scriptures daily.

Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. (Acts 17:11)

It goes without saying that if we are to pray ceaselessly and rejoice always, we are doing these things every day.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; & see also Romans 12:12)

Creative Commons, by Eva, flickr

Far from being a burdensome or legalistic rote activity, do these things with gladness. We serve a holy and mighty Jesus, who loves us deeply. What are some things we do daily without even thinking about it, easily and habitually? Give the kids a bath? Cook supper for our husband or wife? Have a drink of water? Yet Jesus is the Living water, how much more refreshing would our lives be if we actually did these things daily as the scriptures and the Father’s will command?

Christianity is not something to trot out once a week in the pew. It isn’t something to fall back on when the dreaded diagnosis comes in. Living a vibrant life submitted to the Holy One is a daily activity. Sin wants to deceive us into thinking we can go a few days, or a few weeks, or a few years without ‘our daily bread’, but we can’t. And we shouldn’t. What joy there is in Him! We abound in His hope! We are filled with peace!

“Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory.” (1 Peter 1:8)

birth pangs, extreme, pax, slovenia, weather

Slovenia Is Still Frozen Solid: ‘This Is Crazy, Really Crazy’, & 3 other meteorological crises in the world today

Posted on February 13, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Millions of people in the United States south were affected by a massive storm this week inaptly named Pax. It stretched from Florida and Texas to North Carolina and brought ice, snow, sleet, freezing rain, wind, and tornadoes. Tens of thousands are without power and the cities of Augusta GA, Columbia SC and Raleigh NC were hit hard. Over 4000 flights were canceled. At the height of it, the Weather Service was so perplexed by this storm’s behavior and what was to happen that they sent up the US Air Force planes to check it out, something they usually only do for hurricanes.

Twitter: “USAF Hurricane Hunters flying winter storm recon mission over Gulf of Mexico 2nite obtaining vital atmospheric data”

Slate

Slate reported, “One measure of the storm’s severity, scaled to roughly correspond with similar indexes used to gauge tornadoes and hurricanes predicted today’s ice storm would reach Category 5, the highest level on the Sperry-Piltz Ice Accumulation index. That’s an increase of one category since yesterday’s forecast from Atlanta eastward into South Carolina.”

Here we see the accompanying ice map, and the black blotch indicates that aforementioned category 5, very rare.

The economic toll of a three-day shutdown in 7 states can’t be calculated. And now Pax is barreling up the eastern seaboard and hammering Washington DC, the Mid Atlantic states and tomorrow, New England.

Here is the view of Pax as it began its dirty deeds Tuesday, February 11. Image courtesy geo-stationary satellite from NASA

Headlines this morning like these tell the story:

Northeast: More Than a Foot of Snow to Come
Ice Storm Pummels Eastern US
Winter Storm Pax: Raleigh-Durham Drivers Deal with Atlanta-like Gridlock Wednesday
North Carolina Is a Mess. Here’s What to Expect Tonight There, in NYC

One person on Twitter plaintively asked, “Are they naming winter storms now because they are as intense as hurricanes?“

As the people in the south begin to climb, scrape and plow out of the massive winter storm Pax, and the people in the middle and northern parts of the nation begin to deal with it, did you know that there was another, massive and impressive storm battering millions of people in another location?

As the storm began at around the same time Pax began, Darwin battered the UK-

120mph storm leaves 70,000 homes without power as RED ALERT warns TAKE ACTION NOW
“The Met Office has issued a rare RED WARNING for severe weather urging those living along the west coast of England to TAKE ACTION now. Hurricane-force gales of 110mph have ALREADY been recorded off the south coast of Ireland with onshore winds of more than 90mph rocking southern Britain. The storm has also triggered torrential downpours across the south and south-west with several inches likely over the next 24 hours. The Government has put out a raft of nation-wide alerts for brutal gales, rain and even snow in the north which is braced for blizzards. The public have been urged NOT to travel tonight unless it is absolutely necessary. Storm Darwin, currently battering the west coast of Ireland, will rip into Britain this afternoon before tearing though the country through today and into tomorrow.“

Darwin marched across the islands of the UK and today the UK Independent reports,

UK storms: 100mph winds batters the UK as power cuts and travel chaos continues today
Communities across Britain were met with hurricane-force 100mph winds yesterday as stormy weather continued to batter parts of the UK, causing travel chaos and leaving tens of thousands of homes without power. Today, 80,000 homes remain without power and further travel disruption is expected. Gusts of 112mph were recorded in Aberdaron in North Wales, the strongest so far in the storm on the day dubbed “wild Wednesday”. Britain remains on alert with the River Thames expected to rise to its highest level in more than 60 years and more than 400 flood warnings in place across England and Wales.

The headlines tell the story about the world weather

UK weather: Nature shows no mercy to flooded Britain
Winter Olympics Facing Dwindling Options In a Warming World
4 Extreme Weather Events Are Causing Havoc Around the World

As for that last headline, let’s take a look at what “meteorological crises” are occurring.

PolicyMic reports,
“As unpleasant as the winter weather across eastern and central portions of the United States and Canada has been, it’s nothing compared to the meteorological crises currently being faced in other parts of the world-

In Brazil, for instance, a historic drought is threatening the Sao Paulo’s water supply. The Cantareira water system, which serves over 10 million people, is usually flush at this time of year, as January is generally the height of the region’s rainy season. However, this year has seen so little rain that the city’s water could dry up in as little as six weeks; companies that depend on water for manufacturing have already had to close shop until rain comes.

In California, the drought there is “the driest year in its history, leaving the snow pack in some of California’s Sierras is at as little as 4% of its normal levels. For the first time in half a century, areas that depend on the mountains for moisture will have to do without…”

In Australia, “record temperatures have caused large-scale conflagrations throughout the country, from Western Australia, to South Australia, to New South Wales. Meanwhile, a town of 3,000 is considering evacuating in Queensland after all but going without rainfall for two years.”

But this, this, is amazing to me. Slovenia as a nation is frozen over.

Slovenia Is Still Frozen Solid: ‘This Is Crazy, Really Crazy’
Three days of blizzards and a freak ice storm have inflicted “the worst devastation in living memory” in the small Alpine country of Slovenia as life in half of the country is frozen in place. Unexpected rain in the west rapidly turned to ice, entombing cars, trains, ATMS, and power lines in addition to half of Slovenia’s forests (roughly 1.2 million acres). “Slovenia has witnessed a major natural disaster,” Prime Minister Alenka Bratusek said while visiting the badly-hit town of Ljubno ob Savinji. “In the 35 years I’ve worked here, I’ve never seen anything like this,” A railway worker told Reuters. “It will take another two months before trains can run again.”

REUTERS/Srdjan Zivulovic

Life as they knew it has come to a halt in Slovenia and won’t resume full force until the ice melts. That is simply amazing to me.

In other earth news, if not climate news, did you know that there was an earthquake in Massachusetts this week?

A small earthquake was felt in southeastern Massachusetts Tuesday, but no damage or injuries were reported. The US Geological Service confirmed that a 2.4-magnitude quake centered near Dartmouth occurred at 5:46 p.m. Within minutes of the jolt, WCVB’s Facebook fans started commenting about what they felt. “Jumped off the couch it was so loud in Acushnet,” Lori Souza commented on Facebook. “Heard a rumble then a boom in Fairhaven,” wrote Nancy Vigeant. “Felt it in the far north end of New Bedford. I thought the dogs were running around but they were laying still on the floor,” said Greg Cormier.

Small quakes happen now and then in New England. There was one in Mexico, Maine last week, accompanied by a 2.8 in Canada/northern Vermont.

There was a strong quake in China this week, a 6.9. Some damage in the sparsely populated area but no casualties, thank goodness. There was a 6.0 in the Scotia Sea and a 6.5 in Vanuatu, both areas of which are very seismic. Since January 1, 2014 there have been 12 strong quakes in the world.

So people climbing out from winter storm Pax, if there is comfort to be had just know that there are many other places in the world experiencing the same if not worse weather. The headline above claims that climate change is causing all this havoc. News reports use words like crises, unusual, and rare. Most of the news stories I posted presented a statistic that stated the particular event hadn’t happened in 30, or 40, or 50 years, if ever. The Slovenia situation has never happened before, despite being an Alpine nation sandwiched between Austria and Croatia.

The Church of England has vowed to fight the ‘great demon’ of climate change. Okey dokey, good luck with that.

Climate change used to be called global warming. Since they figured out that the world isn’t warming but the extreme winter temperatures and storms have grown over the last 5-10 years, the scientists simply renamed it to climate change. That was clever. The climate is always changing, so they can’t be tested on it. Read this general definition from Wikipedia,

“Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions, or in the distribution of weather around the average conditions (i.e., more or fewer extreme weather events).”

I’m not a scientist but as a lay person I’d agree with this. The climate is changing.

The place where meteorologists and I diverge is the point at which they explore why the climate is changing. Ultimately, it is because we are in the end time (have been since the ascension of Jesus) and it will end when Jesus returns and restores the earth and reverses the curse. Scientists claim that humankind’s impact on climate in using fossil fuels and emitting greenhouse gasses is causing the change. Christians say it is God. As this essay ‘Christians and global warming‘ explains,

• Global temperature changes from past millennia, according to available data, were often severe and rapid, long before man supposedly had any impact at all. That is, the current climate change is not as unusual as some alarmists would like to believe.

• Recent recorded history mentions times of noticeable global warming and cooling, long before man had any ability to produce industrial emissions.

• Water vapor, not CO2, is the most influential greenhouse gas. It is difficult to determine what effect, if any, mankind has on worldwide water vapor levels.

However, the climate IS going to change, drastically, and it already has. There is a reason why the world is experiencing ever-heightening meteorological crises and natural disasters: the birth pangs. Jesus said that as His time of appearing came closer the world would experience birth pangs as it labored under the curse. The last two thousand years have plunged the world into ‘the end of days’ and as each day progresses we see leaps and bounds of prophetic indicators occurring.

Because the world is cursed, the only way it can go is down. (Genesis 3:17-18, Romans 8:22, Revelation 22:3). The timing of its downward spiral, of both the earth itself and the creatures upon it, began slowly but as birth pangs do, the downward spiral speeds up as the time grows near. The “Known effects of the Fall” according to this author at AIG wrote,

“Let’s begin by discussing what the Bible clearly states about the Curse. The Curse meant that humans and animals would now suffer pain, disease, and eventually death. Work would be difficult and sometimes painful as thorns and thistles now compete for the ground. Clearly, the earth, the plants, and all living creatures were changed as a result of the Curse. … Although the second law [of thermodynamics, the law of decay] is not intrinsically bad, one difficulty remains. As a result of the second law of thermodynamics, the universe is “running down” as its usable energy decays to a useless form. Consequently, the universe cannot last forever. It must eventually run down completely. (Psalm 102:25–26).”

If the second law of thermodynamics states that energy in a closed system will become less useful over time (decays) and the Lord said that the UNcreation of the universe will happen faster and faster as the time nears, then I wonder if there is a ‘circle the drain’ effect that impacts the 2nd law of thermodynamics. It might seem so. I don’t think the rate of decay stays constant, but increases as The Day of the LORD nears. I personally believe that the extreme weather we are seeing, happening faster and faster, is an example of the nearness of the actual birth pangs, when the Lord will judge the world during the Tribulation.

The church will be raptured to Jesus in heaven before that time, and we’ll enjoy our rewards ceremony while that is all going on. You can be part of the blessed group, the church, AKA the Bride, if you appeal to Jesus for forgiveness of your sins and make Him the Lord of your life. Truth be told, are you really happy right now with satan as your lord and master? Because if you’re not born again, that is who you serve. (Galatians 1:10, Matthew 6:24, Romans 6:16).

Climate change, global warming, it is all in God’s hands. He created it, He sustains it, and He will judge it. Earth and its perfect climate will be restored. Jesus is currently in heaven, He “whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.” (Acts 3:21).

The time of restoring will happen, and I can’t wait! Come soon, Lord Jesus!

———————

This is My Father’s World", Music of the Spheres, Maltbie Babcock, and Pythagoras, part 3

Posted on February 12, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Part 1
Part 2
In part 1 of “This is My Father’s World”, Music of the Spheres, Maltbie Babcock, and Pythagoras, I looked at how Pythagoras intuitively understood the harmony and order of the natural world, and the cosmos. Pythagoras in effect discovered music theory, and within it, musical spacing, octaves, and vibrations. He extrapolated from his discovery that a similar harmony and order in the planetary cycles and orbits must exist, and named his astronomical theory Music of the Spheres because of the order and harmony within it. Pythagoras even thought the planets made music in their courses. When you sing Pastor Maltbie Babcock’s hymn “This Is My Father’s World, Babcock references music of the spheres and it is specifically to Pythagoras’s concept Babcock refers.

This is my Father’s world, and to my listening ears

All nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres.

This is my Father’s world: I rest me in the thought

In Part 2 I looked at how Pythagoras is thought to the be the progenitor of string theory, the notion in physics that everything vibrates and strings are the elements that make up the universe. Pythagoras was very smart, and his experiments were carefully done. However, he was too smart for his own good, and wound up on the other side of God, promoting knowledge as the thing to be worshiped. More on that in a moment.

We looked at Kepler, the 16th century astronomer whose brilliance pushed forward Pythagoras’s theories much further, and we ended up in the twentieth century by looking at modern string theory.

Al this to say that Romans 1:18-23 are amazing verses.

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.”

Pythagoras, and Plato who brought Pythagoras’s concept to the people, for that matter, had incredible intellects. Yet when the truth was shown to them, they went away from it. See what Pythagoras and his followers believed:

“Pythagoras conceived the universe to be an immense monochord, with its single string connected at its upper end to absolute spirit and at its lower end to absolute matter–in other words, a cord stretched between heaven and earth. Counting inward from the circumference of the heavens, Pythagoras, according to some authorities, divided the universe into nine parts; according to others, into twelve parts. The Pythagoreans believed that everything which existed had a voice and that all creatures were eternally singing the praise of the Creator. Man fails to hear these divine melodies because his soul is enmeshed in the illusion of material existence. When he liberates himself from the bondage of the lower world with its sense limitations, the music of the spheres will again be audible as it was in the Golden Age. Harmony recognizes harmony, and when the human soul regains its true estate it will not only hear the celestial choir but also join with it in an everlasting anthem of praise to that Eternal Good controlling the infinite number of parts and conditions of Being.“

Pythagoras and Plato saw a creator, but not the God in creation. You see the almost in Pythagoras. he almost got it right. There is a cord which connects us to the Creator. Job 30:11 speaks of it, and Solomon speaks of our connection to eternity by God’s setting it in our heart. (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

You see the almost in the belief that all creatures have a voice and respond to the Creator. Jesus said in Luke 19:40 that we cannot keep silent, if we did, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” And we know from Romans 8:22 that “For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time” and that “all creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.” (Romans 8:19).

However, it is not true that ‘Man fails to hear these divine melodies because his soul is enmeshed in the illusion of material existence.’ We fail to connect to the ‘divine’ because of our sin, we are separated from God and in a discordant relationship with Him. We are His enemy and He is our judge. The material world isn’t the enemy, our flesh and sinful nature is.

“Pythagoras was not only the first to call himself a philosopher but also a priest -initiate of a mystery religion influenced heavily by Orphism, which taught that the essence of the gods is defined by number. Numbers, indeed, expressed the essence of all created things.” (source)

Out of Pythagorean cults came Gnosticism, which teaches based on Gnosis, the knowledge of transcendence arrived at by way of interior, intuitive means. This is exactly as Pythagoras said, we escape the material world by self-empowered actions.

Pythagoras suppressed the truth about his helpless state, and instead believed he could raise himself to a satisfactory level of spiritual attainment on his own power. God had made it plain to them. Yet they suppressed the truth in unrighteousness and worshiped the creation. In Pythagoras’s case, he worshiped self, knowledge, and numbers. As far as numbers go, Pythagoras saw God’s harmony but worshiped the numbers. Out of his teachings came Sacred Numbers and Occult Mysteries:

Pythagoreans … believed that man can realise his divine nature by knowing the universal principle which governs the cosmos (a word coined by Pythagoras himself, meaning “world-order,” a world ordered in a state of mathematical harmony). This principle is Number, which is “the principle, the source and the root of all things”.

Wikipedia explains, The tetractys, or tetrad, is a triangular figure consisting of ten points arranged in four rows: one, two, three, and four points in each row, which is the geometrical representation of the fourth triangular number. As a mystical symbol, it was very important to the secret worship of the Pythagoreans.

Plato was one of the three sources from which we understand Pythagorean theories, since no writings by Pythagoras survive. Plato said, “Geometry is knowledge of the eternally existent. Numbers are the highest degree of knowledge. It is knowledge itself.”

Out of Pythagorean mysticism came Rosicrucianism, a secret society still around today and which heavily influenced the Freemasons.

is it so surprising that one man who responded to the harmony and order of the world could go so wayward with the truth? No, for the bible explains it. In Genesis 3 when the serpent spoke with Eve, a few simple sentences gave rise to the false doctrines. 1 John 2:16 says “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”

Johannes Kepler saw the same thing as Pythagoras yet he was a committed Christian. According to this essay from Answers in Genesis, “
During his youth, Kepler had become a committed Christian and dedicated himself to serving God. As he said shortly before he died, he believed ‘only and alone in the service of Jesus Christ. In Him is all refuge, all solace. Kepler intended to serve God as a Lutheran minister after completing his university education. However, God had other plans for this uniquely gifted young man. … Kepler strongly believed that ‘The world of nature, the world of man, the world of God—all three fit together.’ In particular, Kepler reasoned that because the universe was designed by an intelligent Creator, it should function according to some logical pattern. To him, the idea of a chaotic universe was inconsistent with God’s wisdom.”

Where Pythagoras, brilliant as he was, saw the logical pattern, he attributed it to Number, where Kepler attributed the logical pattern to God.

In the 20th century, plenty of scientists are born again but not one I mentioned who is an important contributor to understanding of string theory: Dr. Brian Greene. In answering an interview question whether he is religious, he said,

I think there’s a compatibility as long as your religious sensibility’s not literal. If you try to literally interpret teachings of the Bible you run smack into some pretty significant problems with what we’ve discovered in science. But if you’re willing to view religion more in a Spinozan or even Einsteinian way—that there is an overarching order and harmony that the laws of physics represent and reveal, and that order and harmony, if you want, ascribe it to some deeper theological origin—then I don’t think science has much to say about that.

As this writer at the University of Connecticut Physics Department stated, “Most of the founders of Quantum Mechanics started out with studying music. Strangely enough, the motion of the electron in a hydrogen atom actually does follow the Music of the Spheres, to a certain extent.”

Yet many of them went the way of Pythagoras or Greene, and not Kepler. And lest one think that Pythagorean theory is old news, it is still influencing people today with its Gnostic appeal. This article from Psychology Today attests, “Can Pythagorean Philosophy Help You to Live a Better Life?”

“In keeping with these musical/mathematical aspects of the universe, a key construct of Pythagorean philosophy was maintaining personal harmony. In my book, How Plato and Pythagoras Can Save Your Life (Conari, 2011), I describe the Bios Pythagorikos (The Pythagorean Way of Life), whereby a person endeavored to “tune” themselves in order to be in harmonic alignment with the larger universal harmony via a healthy mind, body and spirit that are nurtured by rigorous physical exercise, a healthy diet, daily meditational walks, as well as deep contemplative meditations on math, music, cosmology and philosophy.”

“Once a person was well-tuned and in vibrational alignment, they could then self-actualize and become fully engaged human beings. The mystic Pythagoras even believed that such a well-tuned person could raise their level of consciousness and awareness and thus be able to “peek behind the veil” and experience what some have called “ultimate reality”.

When you hear that claptrap, of vibrations and harmony of the body and self-actualization and contemplative endeavors and alignment…now you know where it came from. Solomon, wise Solomon, said there is nothing new under the sun. All false doctrines, and all false reactions to true doctrines come from satan, who began his quest to divert us from the truth in heaven and then on earth in the garden.

Look at Maltbie Babcock’s reaction to the creation. He responded to the harmony and order of creation and the progression of the planets and included the phrase ‘music of the spheres’ rightly in his hymn. Maltbie Babcock saw the creation, the order and harmony of the advance of seasons, the planets, and the natural world itself, and worshiped the Creator. Same knowledge, different reactions.

“When Maltbie Davenport Babcock lived in Lockport, he took frequent walks along the Niagara Escarpment to enjoy the overlook’s panoramic vista of upstate New York scenery and Lake Ontario, telling his wife he was “going out to see the Father’s world“. (Wikipedia)

Babcock saw beauty and harmony in his Father’s world, and praised the Creator for it. What is your reaction? Do you praise Jesus Christ, the sustainer and Redeemer of our fallen world? Our Creator who paints sunsets int he sky and twinkled the named stars for his own pleasure? Praise and worship of God is the only reaction acceptable. Not worship of numbers or intellect or the spiritual world or the body. God. He is the Alpha and Omega, the Creator, and He saw fit to create us and put us on our Father’s world.

Don’t be seduced by the Music of the Spheres, be entranced with the Maker of the heavenly harmony, which He has set in our heart.

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Part 1
Part 2

kepler, music of the spheres, mysticism, pythagoras, romans 1

This is My Father’s World", Music of the Spheres, Maltbie Babcock, and Pythagoras, part 2

Posted on February 12, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

In part 1 of “This is My Father’s World”, Music of the Spheres, Maltbie Babcock, and Pythagoras, I looked at how Pythagoras intuitively understood the harmony and order of the natural world, and the cosmos. Pythagoras in effect discovered music theory, and within it, musical spacing, octaves, and vibrations. He extrapolated from his discovery that a similar harmony and order in the planetary cycles and orbits must exist, and named his astronomical theory Music of the Spheres.

This theory, brought to the masses by Plato, spawned a plethora of false constructs, including a sect of philosophy whose followers were called Pythagoreans, and also the philosophies of Gnosticism, Rosicrucianism, and other “Mystery” philosophies which ended up worshiping the knowledge or the numbers rather than the God who created them.

However, Pythagoras’s notion that “everything vibrates” is a good one. Until 1970 when string theory was said to have been invented by Yoichiro Nambu, particle physics had no real, satisfactory explanation for they way things were. Why is there a numerical beauty behind everything? Why does the human soul respond to beauty the way it does? Why is there beauty? How did the cosmos come to be so orderly?

Christians know the answer to these questions, and all other questions, asked and unasked: God. He is the Creator of Life, the sustainer of life, and the judge of life. But others, like Pythagoras, brushed up against the truth which had been made plain to them, and rejected it so as to worship the creation —

As for string theory, Pythagoras was on the right track that everything vibrates, something that waited 2000 years to be more fully explained, until 1970 when Yoichiro Nambu founded string theory.

“Prior to that time, elementary particles were analyzed in some cases as points — an attribute which was clearly an approximation at best, and at worst, untenable. Even the idea that elementary particles were made up of quarks, was not wholly satisfactory, in that this concept had its own stable of problems.”

“However, a perhaps equally valid viewpoint is that “string theory” actually began with Pythagoras, whose philosophy centered about the power and harmony of numbers (e.g. the Pythagorean Theorem) and that mystical tetrakyts, or foursomes, held the secret to the universe. It is, after all, strings where we most easily encounter the harmonies.”

“Pythagoras’ theories have a lot of appeal, particularly in the manner in which the beauty of numbers correspond with the melodies and harmonies so pleasant to the ear. Eugene Wigner, a theoretical physicist has noted what he calls “the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics. Again and again, abstract and beautiful mathematical relationships explored for their own aesthetic sake, are later discovered to have exact correspondence with the real world — a coincidence that is quite remarkable.” The unique relationship between mathematics and Music is but one example of this “unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics.” ” (source)

One of those numerical and harmonious aesthetics is seen in the orderliness of the numbers that medieval mathematician Fibonacci discovered, including the Golden Mean, the Golden Spiral, the Golden Section, and the Golden String. I’ve written about Fibonacci numbers before. Dr. Knott at the University of Surrey in the UK wrote about the relationship between the Fibonacci sequence and Pythagorean triangles.

Fibonacci spiral!

Fibonacci numbers in nature!

Creative Commons, flickr photo by Fantômette *

Wow! More Fibonacci!

Creative Commons, flickr photo by Mark Strozier

But as much as I’d love to write more about Fibonacci numbers, I must not get sidetracked, lol. You see the orderliness of nature! Pythagoras and Kepler saw the same in the universe, expressed through math. What Pythagoras was really saying, if he could say it in the 20th century, was that everything is a vibrating superstring. Continuing with Dr. Knott,

“Modern Superstring theories are based on generalizing the notion of a point particle to that of a string-like object. “In an analogy to a string of piano wire, the lowest note of the string corresponds to massless or very light particles, such as the photon, graviton, or electron; the harmonics or higher modes of the string correspond to the very massive particles… ””

And of course, these strings vibrate, just as Pythagoras envisioned when he noticed the harmony in the lyre’s octaves, and in the universe’s precision of planetary orbits.

Johannes Kepler took Pythagoras’s theories and extended them much further.

Born in 1571, Johannes Kepler was a precocious and brilliant (if sickly) boy plucked from the mire of his impoverished circumstances and given a first-rate education. He discovered, among other things, the three laws of planetary motion. His constant accuracy in his experiments and maths did much to establish the truth of heliocentric astronomy, which was the theory that that planets move around the Sun rather than the Earth. Pythagoras thought the opposite.

Wikipedia sums up Kepler’s cherished work, begun in 1599, a tome called “Harmony of the World“, (Harmonices Mundi).

“While medieval philosophers spoke metaphorically of the “music of the spheres”, Kepler discovered physical harmonies in planetary motion. He found that the difference between the maximum and minimum angular speeds of a planet in its orbit approximates a harmonic proportion. For instance, the maximum angular speed of the Earth as measured from the Sun varies by a semitone (a ratio of 16:15), from mi to fa, between aphelion and perihelion.“

“Kepler discovers that all but one of the ratios of the maximum and minimum speeds of planets on neighboring orbits approximate musical harmonies within a margin of error of less than a diesis (a 25:24 interval). The orbits of Mars and Jupiter produce the one exception to this rule, creating the unharmonic ratio of 18:19. In fact, the cause of Kepler’s dissonance might be explained by the fact that the asteroid belt separates those two planetary orbits, as discovered in 1801, 150 years after Kepler’s death.”

Pretty neat. Kepler definitely had a brain in his head.

Cut to today and we see that the physicists are still attempting to explain the harmony of the movements of the celestial bodies.

According to physicist Brian Greene, author of The Fabric of the Cosmos (2004) and considered one of the founders of string theory: “According to superstring theory, every particle is composed of a tiny filament of energy…which is shaped like a little string. And just as a violin string can vibrate in different patterns, each of which produces different musical tone, the filaments of superstring theory can also vibrate in different patterns.” (source)

Not unlike from Pythagoras’s universe being a giant lyre-like instrument, vibrating heavenly harmonics, is it? Nowadays with the ability to translate astronomical data into sound (sonification) we can listen to the music of the spheres that Pythagoras said was inaudible.

Here is a sonification of the transits of the remarkable Kepler 11 planetary system. It is developed by Alex Harrison Parker of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. He explains his sonification, here

You can go to the Kepler/NASA sonification page and listen to more. They’re cool!

Solomon said that there is nothing new under the sun. This includes all the science modern man has extracted from his engagement with the world (or the cosmos). Pythagoras, Kepler, Greene…no matter what the century, God has already made it plain to them, as the verse in Romans 1:18-20 says.

As man advances in technology, we can refine what God has made plain to us, such as with a Kepler telescope. But in the old bible are the ‘new’ scientific facts that the earth is a sphere, the universe is expanding, the number of stars exceeds a billion, the second law of thermodynamics indicating the universe will wear out, that the earth is suspended in space, and so on. Any person in the Spirit who reads the bible will have these facts illuminated to him, and it has been so since God revealed them.

Pythagoras’s discovery isn’t new, neither are Kepler’s or Nambu’s or Greene’s. They aren’t new because God told us and made it plain, but when man discovers these things apart from God, it makes all the eternal difference. More on that in the final part three.

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Part 1
Part 3

"This is My Father's World", creator, Maltbie Babcock, music of the spheres, pythagoras

"This is My Father’s World", Music of the Spheres, Maltbie Babcock, and Pythagoras

Posted on February 11, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Part 2 here

This is My Father’s World is a hymn written sometime in the 1800s by Maltbie Babcock, a preacher in upstate New York. It was published after his death in 1901, and set to music by Frank L. Sheppard. It references Psalm 104; Psalm 24; Acts 4:24; Acts 4.

If you ever heard the hymn “This Is My Father’s World” there is a lyric in the first stanza that mentions the “music of the spheres”. Hymnary.org explains the hymn’s lyric in context-

The text is a confession of faith and trust, a testimony that all creation around us is the handiwork of our Father, who made the creation (st. 1), charged us to take good care of it (st. 2), and continues to exercise his kingship over it … The phrase “music of the spheres” in stanza 1 refers to the ancient belief that the planets made music or harmony as they revolved in the universe.

Pythagoras, Plato, Kepler, Bohr, and Pastor Babcock all brushed up against the same order and harmony in creation in math, astronomy, and music, and each of these people throughout the centuries reacted to the divine knowledge of this creation differently, just as Romans 1 said they would. Some saw harmony and order in creation and worshiped it, while others saw harmony and order in creation and worshiped the Creator.

Musica Universalis is the Latin term for the Pythagorean philosophy called Music of the Spheres. Pythagoras initially developed the thought that the planets made music. This notion is not as far off as it sounds- Pythagoras was really on to string theory. Stay with me during this three part essay series as we look at the harmony of the order of the universe, math, and music.

Pythagoras and the Harmonious Blacksmith

“Musick has Charms to soothe a savage Breast” William Congreve, ‘The Mourning Bride’, 1697. Pythagoras was a mathematician and philosopher who lived in the 6th century BC. He is widely accepted to have founded music theory. Here is how he did it:

He was walking past a blacksmith’s shop one day and heard the different tones of differently weighted hammers striking the anvils- in harmony. He heard the difference between discordant notes and harmonic notes, and realized after further exploration that there was an explanation- ratios.

By some divine stroke of luck he happened to walk past the forge of a blacksmith and listened to the hammers pounding iron and producing a variegated harmony of reverberations between them, except for one combination of sounds.” According to Iamblichus, [4th century scholar who wrote about the Pythagorean sect] Pythagoras immediately ran into the forge to investigate the harmony of the hammers. He noticed that most of the hammers could be struck simultaneously to generate a harmonious sound, whereas any combination containing one particular hammer always generated an unpleasant noise.

He analyzed the hammers and realized that those that were harmonious with each other had a simple mathematical relationship–their masses were simple ratios or fractions of each other. That is to say that hammers half, two- thirds, or three-quarters the weight of a particular hammer would all generate harmonious sounds. On the other hand, the hammer that was generating disharmony when struck along with any of the other hammers had a weight that bore no simple relationship to the other weights.” (source)

Listen to Handel’s “Harmonious Blacksmith” from his fifth suite for harpsichord here.Whether the blacksmith story is legend or truth is hard to say- there is so little written about Pythagoras himself, though lots about the sect he founded.

Already steeped in music for pleasure, Pythagoras was an excellent lyre player and after the blacksmith incident he began to notice ratios in stringed instruments also. Pythagoras knew what much of previous antiquity had long understood but had not known why: audible tones based on low-number relationships produce harmonious sounds that are easy on the ear and soothe the soul. Apparently at some point, blacksmith incident or not, the penny dropped for Pythagoras and he discovered octaves.

Frontispiece to Theorica Musice, Franchino Gafurio, 1492

The upper left illustration depicts Jubal, the biblical father of music, and six blacksmiths with differing size hammers striking an anvil. This relates to the story that the young Pythagoras was first moved to investigate musical intervals on hearing the notes produced by different size hammers at a blacksmith’s shop. The upper right illustration depicts Pythagoras testing the interval of an octave between bells of size 16 and 8 and between glasses filled in the proportion 16 and 8. The lower left illustration shows Pythagoras testing intervals on a stringed instrument and the lower right illustration shows Pythagoras and his pupil Philolaus testing intervals by means of flutes. (source)

Early musicians had little to no understanding of why particular notes were harmonious and had no objective system for tuning their instruments. Instead they tuned their lyres purely by ear until a harmony emerged– i.e., until it sounded good. Pythagoras used to say they were torturing the pegs. Yet Pythagoras thought intuitively that music held deeper properties. The hidden ratios were one such deeper property, and its soothing effect was another. He said the vibrations of the music went “to the brain and the blood and transmitted to the soul.” (quote from Nichomachus, a Pythagorean who wrote the “Manual of Harmonics.”).

Pythagoras and Music Therapy

Pythagoras believed that music’s harmony on earth, in the universe, and through the body was so unified and so pervasive that the soul could be calmed by certain compositions. If Pythagoras had just read the bible, he would know this to be true.

In 2 Kings 3:15 it is written, “But now bring me a minstrel.” Pulpit Commentary says, “A player on the harp seems to be intended. Music was cultivated in the schools of the prophets (1 Samuel 10:5; 1 Chronicles 25:1-3), and was employed to soothe and quiet the soul, to help it to forget things earthly and external, and bring it into that ecstatic condition in which it was most open to the reception of Divine influences.”

So, music was the precursor to prayer and petition and thanks and praise! Music was used as a vehicle to alter a physical, emotional, and biological state; and to prepare the heart and mind for close communion with God. Pythagoras however missed the point of music, which was to praise God and not to self-actualize by engaging in works that raise our vibrations so as to meld with the Good.

Mike Mora of Morart Stewdios explains the music theory Pythagoras discovered, including musical spacing and its effects:

“In ancient Greece, singers would use a simple stringed instrument called the lyre. This had many “versions” with the most common being 4-string, 7 -string and 10-string. Pythagoras, using the 7 string lyre discovered that when tuning a lyre to “standard” tuning that the invoked mood was light. Yet when tuning another lyre a note higher … that the mood was somewhat darker. The main key here is that the same notes were played but the mood was different.” (source)

There is geometry in the humming of the strings, there is music in the spacing of the spheres. ~Pythagoras.While musical spacing is a terrific advance in music theory, using music to calm a soul devoid of Holy Spirit is a pointless endeavor. Pythagoras came so close in understanding the divine nature of music but veered so far away from it when suppressing the truth about God in pursuit of mystical musical meanings.

He applied music to healing and health rather than praise and petition. To that end, Pythagoras claimed to have cured various ailments of the the spirit, soul, and body by having specifically composed musical selections played for the one who needed curing.

The therapeutic music of Pythagoras is described by Iamblichus (ca. 245-330) Preeminent Neoplatonist of his age) thus: “And there are certain melodies devised as remedies against the passions of the soul, and also against despondency and lamentation, which Pythagoras invented as things that afford the greatest assistance in these maladies. And again, he employed other melodies against rage and anger, and against every aberration of the soul. There is also another kind of modulation invented as a remedy against desires.” (source)

In this way, Pythagoras replicated without understanding the fact of music’s effect upon the soul, as 1 Samuel below shows. He had invented a sacred music, but not the sacred music based on the God of the bible, as the Psalms are.

The only remedy against ‘desires’ is repentance, salvation, and the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence to help the person resist ‘desires’ AKA sins. (Galatians 5:16, Colossians 1:29). We see the effect music has upon the soul not from Pythagoras but in 1 Samuel 16:23,

So it came about whenever the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would be refreshed and be well, and the evil spirit would depart from him.

Gill said, “so Saul was refreshed, and was well; became cheerful, his grief was removed, his black and gloomy apprehensions of things were dispersed, and he was cured of his melancholy disorder for the present…”

As for Pythagoras and the music of the spheres, the music of the heavenly bodies,

Pythagoras and his followers conceived of the universe as a vast lyre, in which each planet, vibrating at a specific pitch, in relationships similar to the stopping of the monochord’s string, harmonized with other heavenly bodies to create a “music of the spheres,” a concept which remained viable for centuries. Even though his theory was primitive, it serves to give us a picture which was later developed by philosophers such as Boethius, Johannes Kepler, … Robert Fludd, and, in contemporary times, by scientists working with quantum relationships.” (By Melanie Richards, M.Mus.,)

[**note: Robert Fludd was a 1600s occult philosopher]

The astronomy of the Pythagoreans marked an important advance in ancient scientific thought, for they were the first to consider the earth as a globe revolving with the other planets around a central fire. They explained the harmonious arrangement of things as that of bodies in a single, all-inclusive sphere of reality, moving according to a numerical scheme. Because the Pythagoreans thought that the heavenly bodies are separated from one another by intervals corresponding to the harmonic lengths of strings, they held that the movement of the spheres gives rise to a musical sound-the “harmony of the spheres.” (Encarta encyclopedia 2000)

In the Pythagorean concept of the music of the spheres, the interval between the earth and the sphere of the fixed stars was considered to be a diapason–the most perfect harmonic interval. ~From Stanley’s The History of Philosophy.

Pythagoras thought that the celestial bodies vibrated too, that the heavens themselves made a harmonious music in their orderly progressions around orbits. In effect, Pythagoras thought that “everything vibrates,” which isn’t far off the mark given what we now know about electromagnetic vibrations and waves.

Unfortunately, in none of these philosophies connected to Pythagoras did the Pythagoreans in the main connect to the One True God, who created that order and harmony. They went Hermetic, they went Gnostic, they went Rosicrucian. They went every which way except Christian. More on that in part 3.

In the second part let’s look at Pythagoras’s notion of string theory, from his time in 500BC to Kepler in the 1600s, to Niels Bohr and the modern quantum physics of the early 20th century. In part 3 I’ll take a look at how close but how far Pythagoras came to the truth, and how easy it is for satan to divert us when our soul intuitively responds to God in creation. I’ll finish part 3 with Preacher Babcock and My Father’s World.

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Part 2 here
Part 3 here

creation grace, flowers, God

Creation Grace: Flowers

Posted on February 9, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Flowers are a gift from God

charles manson, evil, father of lies, pope, salvation, timothy mcveigh

What do Joel Osteen and the Timothy McVeigh have in common? Mother Teresa and Hitler?

Posted on February 8, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Pastor Don Green of Truth Community Fellowship preached an excellent sermon on February 2, 2014 titled Who is Satan?

He posed a question at the beginning of the sermon, asking, “Have we underestimated satan?” It is a question that I believe has a resounding ‘yes’ for an answer. I recommend the sermon, which is unvarnished truth about satan, satanic schemes, and the demonic horde, combined with a look at the grace of Jesus. Meanwhile, here are some transcribed excerpts,

Paul wrote, “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,” (1 Timothy 4:1)

These doctrines of demons, Pastor Green said, are “not necessarily going to be fiery displays of evil, it will be things cloaked in things that sound palatable to the human ear, things that sound plausible. Things that give you the sense that you can work your way into heaven, or that ultimately God is going forgive everyone and no one will go to hell. Or perhaps that God isn’t as holy, or that you’re not as bad as the scripture says you to be. The vast diversity of evil that the devil propagates through so many different systems shouldn’t confuse us to the ultimate fact that there is a common root.“

Pastor Green made the point that there are only two sides. There is the Spirit of truth, and the father of lies. There is no in between. He said, “Satan is the father of every lie that opposes the Gospel. He is a liar and the father of lies.“

You know that if someone is not from God, they are of the devil. Truth is not relative. Biblical truth is either/or. (Mark 9:40).

Pastor Green explained,

When we see false doctrine being taught, we need to understand there is more going on than a man who is mistaken. There is a spiritual force at work whether the man is aware of it or not. Men become the mouthpiece of the deceiver of souls. What should frighten us is that satan has the supernatural capacity to make himself look like, to present himself as one who is bringing light, not darkness.

In my never-ending quest to starkly illustrate the truth of the bible’s words, and that it is the same evil behind all that opposes God, no matter how ‘gentle’ it first appears, here are a series of paired photographs.

The same evil that spurred Charles Manson to become a cult leader and a murderer is behind the Pope, too, who is also a cult leader and a murderer of truth and souls, creating sons of hell. (Matthew 23:15)

The same evil that whispered to Hitler to roast Jews in ovens

is behind the Catholic Mother Teresa, whose refusal to share the Gospel sent many to roasting in hell forever, and who said, “There are so many religions and each one has its different ways of following God. I follow Christ”.

The same evil that is behind Timothy McVeigh and his bombing of the Murrah building in Oklahoma City, killing children in the daycare there along with many others,

is behind Joel Osteen, whose doctrines of demons delude millions every week. Many wither on his vine and die weekly

Too awful to contemplate? Yes, it is. The murderous, unsaved men such as Manson, Hitler and McVeigh are children of the father of lies and it is the same spirit that popes, preachers, and religious workers in false religions serve, too. When they die, unless they repent, they all will go to the place where the father of lies is prepared for, hell. Popes, “Mother” Teresa, and Joel Osteen all present themselves as workers of light, but they are in fact all darkness and their evil deeds are the same as the aforementioned men in the murderous category. They all have a common root. Satan.

Here is another either/or:
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” (Galatians 6:7-8)

The good news is that satan has been vanquished by our holy and wonderful Jesus. Jesus came to live as a man for 33 years, teaching and preaching for the last three. He was unjustly killed, shedding His blood for sinners, and exhausted God’s wrath for us. Pleased with His Son’s sacrifice, Jesus was raised from the dead by the power of God on the third day, and has ascended to the Father. Jesus will return in glory to judge the living and the dead.

I’ll paraphrase what Pastor Green said about the urgency of the message. I don’t know if you will be here tomorrow to read these things on this blog or any other blog. I don’t know if I’ll be here tomorrow to repeat them. Your eternal soul is at stake. Please take this seriously. Satan is real, he is a devourer of souls, and if you’re not in Christ at this moment, you’re blinded to the fact that you’re standing on a gossamer web hanging over hell. Your foot shall slide in due time, and your fate will be sealed. Come to Christ now,

“And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain– for He says, “AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU.” Behold, now is “THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,” behold, now is “THE DAY OF SALVATION.” (2 Corinthians 6:1-2)

fear, jobless, promises of god, unemloyment

"Times are hard, I can’t find work…" The bible On Working

Posted on February 7, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Unemployed men outside a soup kitchen
in Chicago, 1931.

For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. (2 Thessalonians 3:10)

God has been working up to now and Jesus is working too. (John 5:17). God created man to work. “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” (Genesis 2:15).

As God told Adam after the Fall, labor is a curse but it is commanded and expected. (Genesis 3). Even before the Fall, God set Adam in the Garden and told him to shepherd it. (The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. Gen 2:15). In the very next verse, God said to Adam, “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,” First work, then eat.

Jesus was referred to as “the carpenter” in Mark 6:3. Several of the Apostles were fishermen, and Matthew was a tax-collector. Paul worked ceaselessly. He was a tentmaker and even at times lived with fellow tentmakers. (Acts 18:3).

As Pulpit Commentary says, given our fallen nature “idleness is the parent of many crimes.”

We are called to live a quiet life, work with our hands. “…and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you,” (1 Thessalonians 4:11).

So what happens if your company downsizes and you’re left without a job?

flickr cc, Maia C

This Free Bible Study Guide is a very good study on the topic of unemployment. It begins with a testimony of a Christian in Georgia,
“Life was good working for a major automobile manufacturer. I found myself suddenly unemployed when I was fired because I kept God’s Sabbath. I had one small child, and my wife was pregnant with our second. Money was now scarce, but the bills were plentiful. I prayed to God for help. The only job I could find was construction work. Pay was sporadic, and I was away from home a lot. More than once there was no food in the house for my expecting wife and young daughter. But God kept watch on us, as many times neighbors would bring food, or invite them over for breakfast or dinner.”

“The construction work dried up, so I took a job with a recycling facility making barely above minimum wage. As grateful for the job as I was, the pay would not cover all my bills. I couldn’t afford my car anymore. But once again, God came through. My supervisor discovered that I qualified for an apprentice program, which increased my pay by exactly one dollar more than my car payment! It was almost two years before I got my job back with the automobile manufacturer. But when I got my job back, I also received all of my back pay! Yes, during this trial God always took care of me and my family.”

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6)

Depression

But that doesn’t mean that once you’ve made your request to God, to lay around and wait for God to show up and deliver you a job or a pile of money. It means plea for provision but also go out and beat the bushes for a job.

The Study Guide poses the following question. Where is the first place you should go for help when you become unemployed?

To your Sunday School class? To the church? To Mom and Dad? To the unemployment office? No. To God.

In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears. (Psalm 18:6)

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

The Free Bible Study Guide divides the rest of the essay into a series of good questions.

flickr cc, by photologue_np

Why should you turn to God for help?
What attitude should you have while you’re unemployed?
How did the patriarch Job react after he lost everything?
What does God expect you to be doing while you’re unemployed?
What must you be doing to receive God’s blessings?
How will God help you find work?
How will God help you pay your bills while you’re unemployed?
What was King David’s observation of those who live God’s way and trust in Him?

[Excerpts posted by permission, Credit is given to United Church of God, an International
Association (www.ucg.org), authors of Free Bible Study Guide]

Proverbs 19:15 says “Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless go hungry.”

flickr cc, the half-blood prince

We are to remember to help the weak (Acts 20:35). We are supposed to help real widows (1 Tim 5:3), which just goes to show, even in the very first church, there were some who tried to take advantage of the generosity of others and live on the dole when they were able bodied. (1 Tim 5:1-11). If younger widows are enrolled for temple dole, they learn to be idlers, says the verse in 1 Timothy 5:13.

As for those non-believers who take advantage of the system to be idle, do not envy them. Proverbs 6:6 says, “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!” Therefore, to be a sluggard is UNwise. Do not envy those who instead of earnestly seeking a job, choose to sit around the unemployment office having a party and collecting checks. Would YOU want to be on the angry side of our Holy God?

God always deals with sinners. Do not be surprised when a non-believer does these things. It’s what they do…they sin.

If a believer does them, they will reap the consequences of their sin, if they do not repent.

Meanwhile, I draw your attention back to the Georgian Christian’s testimony posted at the top. Our wonderful God looks out for us, and He is just as concerned as we are, if not more, when we lose a job. He is not surprised by it, and in fact all things are working to the good for those who love Him. (Romans 8:28). It may not feel so, when you’re love a job and you’re wondering how to feed the kids. But that stomach-clenching feeling of being on the cliff is the perfect time for God to show off. And He will!

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