When you father children and children's children, and have grown old in the land, if you act corruptly by making a carved image in the form of anything, and by doing what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God, so as to provoke him to anger, I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you will soon utterly perish from the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess. You will not live long in it, but will be utterly destroyed. And the Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord will drive you. And there you will serve gods of wood and stone, the work of human hands, that neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in tribulation, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, you will return to the Lord your God and obey his voice. For the Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them. (Deuteronomy 4:25-31 ESV)
Moses is a true prophet. He wrote the outline of the history of Israel even before the Israelites crossed the river Jordan.
Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not spurn them, neither will I abhor them so as to destroy them utterly and break my covenant with them, for I am the LORD their God. (Leviticus 26:44 ESV)
Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the LORD your God will gather you and bring you back. He will bring you to the land that belonged to your ancestors, and you will take possession of it. He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your ancestors. (Deuteronomy 30:4-5 NIV)
For I am with you and will save you," says the LORD. "I will completely destroy the nations where I have scattered you, but I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you, but with justice; I cannot let you go unpunished." (Jeremiah 30:11 NLT)
Israel will be punished, but never destroyed.
The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: "Have you not noticed what these people have said? They say, 'The LORD has rejected the two families He had chosen.' My people are treated with contempt and no longer regarded as a nation among them. This is what the LORD says: If I do not keep My covenant with the day and with the night and fail to establish the fixed order of heaven and earth, then I might also reject the seed of Jacob and of My servant David - not taking from his descendants rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Instead, I will restore their fortunes and have compassion on them." (Jeremiah 33:23-26 HCSB)
Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar - the LORD of hosts is his name: "If this fixed order departs from before me, declares the LORD, then shall the offspring of Israel cease from being a nation before me forever." (Jeremiah 31:35-36 ESV)
God declared that the probability of Him rejecting Israel is the same probability of Him abolishing the laws of nature, which is zero.
Thus says the LORD: "If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth below can be explored, then I will cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done, declares the LORD." (Jeremiah 31:37 ESV)
Apparently, not only those who seek to destroy Israel are doing futile work, scientist that seek the grand unifying theory will not be successful. 不知天高地厚.
For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. (Malachi 3:6 KJV)
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Basic Theology of Christianity on God and Christ
This is what the Bible affirmed about
1. The nature of God:
1. The nature of God:
- God is one.
- God the Father is God.
- God the Son is God.
- God the Holy Spirit is God.
- God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit is distinct.
- Jesus is wholly God.
- Jesus is wholly Man.
- Jesus is one.
Here is a list of heresies on God, collected from the internet:
Denial of the oneness and uniqueness of God
These result from a denial of the statement, "There is only one God."
These result from a denial of the statement, "Each Person is fully God".
These result from a denial of the statement, "The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct, eternal Persons".
Denial of the oneness and uniqueness of God
These result from a denial of the statement, "There is only one God."
- Polytheism
These result from a denial of the statement, "Each Person is fully God".
- Adoptionism
- Arianism - Jehovah Witness
- Apollinarianism
These result from a denial of the statement, "The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct, eternal Persons".
- Modalism - Patripassianism, Branhamism, The Local Church (or "Living Stream Ministry")
- Monarchism
- Nestorianism
- Eutychianism
Thursday, August 25, 2016
Lottery Logic
The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps. (Proverbs 14:15 ESV)
There was a report in the news that someone strike lottery and it was bought from a certain stall. When that happened, many people will go to the store to buy lottery tickets, hoping that the luck from the winning number will repeat itself. But based on the logic of probability, the chances of the same stall selling another winning number is actually smaller.
Likewise, many people just think that there are many religions in the world and they are also confused between religion and culture. To me, a religion has to be true and culture must be tested against truth.
There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. (Proverbs 14:12 ESV)
There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. (Proverbs 16:25 ESV)
There was a report in the news that someone strike lottery and it was bought from a certain stall. When that happened, many people will go to the store to buy lottery tickets, hoping that the luck from the winning number will repeat itself. But based on the logic of probability, the chances of the same stall selling another winning number is actually smaller.
Likewise, many people just think that there are many religions in the world and they are also confused between religion and culture. To me, a religion has to be true and culture must be tested against truth.
There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. (Proverbs 14:12 ESV)
There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. (Proverbs 16:25 ESV)
Saturday, August 20, 2016
Abiogenesis
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. (John 1:3-4 KJV)
Omnis cellula e cellula (All cells arise only from pre-existing cells) Rudolf Virchow, 1855.
The term abiogenesis simply means getting life from non-life. It is used both for spontaneous generation and for chemical evolution.
In the olden days, people believed that life can come out of non-living things. In the 17th century, a physician and chemist named Jean Baptiste van Helmont conducted an experiment. He put a sweaty shirt together with some wheat and claimed that mice were born 21 days later. According to him, the sweat in the shirt was the main ingredient that gave life to the non-living matter.
Then cells were discovered.
In 1665 Robert Hooke looked through a microscope at a sliver of cork and used the word cell to describe microscopic structures he saw.
In 1674 Anton Van Leeuwenhoek used microscopes to view many things and found bacteria and other single cell living things.
In 1839 Theodor Schwann and Matthias Jakob Schleiden discovered that cells were the basic unit of life.
In 1855 Robert Remak proved that cells came from cell division and Rudolf Virchow declared that all cells can arise only from pre-existing cells.
In 1859 Louis Pasteur conducted experiments with meat broth and proved that spontaneous generation is not possible.
By the middle of the 19th century in the face of overwhelming proof that living cells can only come from living cells, the theory of spontaneous generation was effectively disproven. Today if I were to tell you that mice can be made from sweaty shirt and wheat in 21 days, will I be treated as a comedian or some serious person?
In 1859 Charles Darwin published his Theory of Evolution. Cells evolved from cells, but there had to be a Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA) cell which had to come from non-living chemicals. Thus, the modern hypothesis of abiogenesis, that very first living cells had to be evolved from some non-living chemicals, was asserted, but without proof.
Mice came from wheat and sweaty shirt was not a stupid idea in the 17th century. Life coming from non-living chemicals is not a stupid idea today.
Claiming to be wise, they became fools, (Romans 1:22 ESV)
Omnis cellula e cellula (All cells arise only from pre-existing cells) Rudolf Virchow, 1855.
The term abiogenesis simply means getting life from non-life. It is used both for spontaneous generation and for chemical evolution.
In the olden days, people believed that life can come out of non-living things. In the 17th century, a physician and chemist named Jean Baptiste van Helmont conducted an experiment. He put a sweaty shirt together with some wheat and claimed that mice were born 21 days later. According to him, the sweat in the shirt was the main ingredient that gave life to the non-living matter.
Then cells were discovered.
In 1665 Robert Hooke looked through a microscope at a sliver of cork and used the word cell to describe microscopic structures he saw.
In 1674 Anton Van Leeuwenhoek used microscopes to view many things and found bacteria and other single cell living things.
In 1839 Theodor Schwann and Matthias Jakob Schleiden discovered that cells were the basic unit of life.
In 1855 Robert Remak proved that cells came from cell division and Rudolf Virchow declared that all cells can arise only from pre-existing cells.
In 1859 Louis Pasteur conducted experiments with meat broth and proved that spontaneous generation is not possible.
By the middle of the 19th century in the face of overwhelming proof that living cells can only come from living cells, the theory of spontaneous generation was effectively disproven. Today if I were to tell you that mice can be made from sweaty shirt and wheat in 21 days, will I be treated as a comedian or some serious person?
In 1859 Charles Darwin published his Theory of Evolution. Cells evolved from cells, but there had to be a Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA) cell which had to come from non-living chemicals. Thus, the modern hypothesis of abiogenesis, that very first living cells had to be evolved from some non-living chemicals, was asserted, but without proof.
Mice came from wheat and sweaty shirt was not a stupid idea in the 17th century. Life coming from non-living chemicals is not a stupid idea today.
Claiming to be wise, they became fools, (Romans 1:22 ESV)
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
World View, Two Trees and Two Enlightenment
One of the earliest thing I can remember was sitting on my father's shoulder, look at some parade. I don't think it is the National Day's parade, as Singapore was not yet independent. I cannot remember much, except that there was vehicles driving pass and my father would name them and the only type I remember is the fire engine. I saw the vehicles coming from one side and disappearing from view at the other side. In those days my would view is only restricted to what I can see. I wondered where did those vehicles went when they disappeared from my eyes.
Today, my world view is no longer so limited. On the big scale of things, I know the earth, the Solar System, the Milky Way and the universe. On the smaller scale I am aware that things are made of molecules and atoms and also the sub-atomic particles. I also know that the visible universe is not all that there is. There is still a God who created all things and is hidden from our view.
But such knowledge is not always available. Today, we are considered a very much more "enlightened" in our knowledge.
Going back a few centuries to the time of Isaac Newton, they only know the Solar System, but not all the planets, and some of the brighter stars and a bright band in the sky which some ancients correctly guessed that it composed of many faint stars. Today we know that the bright band is the Milky Way.
Here we want to talk about the first story of enlightenment under a tree.
We have the famous story of Isaac Newton, who sat under the apple tree and saw an apple falling. and he thought to himself, "Why should that apple always descend perpendicularly to the ground?" And he went on to develop the theory of gravity.
But for most of the history of mankind, men just thought that the earth is where men lived, and on top are the sky which have the sun, the moon and the stars and gods lived in the clouds above. Below the earth were the abode of the dead.
Into this world view came our second story enlightenment under a tree.
Siddhartha Gautama sought to understand why there were suffering in the world and wanted to solve the problems of disease, old age and death. After trying out many methods, he came to sit under a Bodhi tree to meditate, determined not to leave till he had found the answers he sought. He found it and became Buddha, the enlightened or awakened one. He then went to preach about the four noble truth and eight-fold path.
The story of Newton is quite clear. Newton had a limited enlightenment, basically about gravity. Buddha's enlightenment was more profound. However, I have some questions on Buddha's enlightenment.
When Buddha was awakened, did he knew, besides those that he preached, all the science that we know today and those that we are yet to discover? Or was he still thinking like men of his days, that the earth is where men lived, the heaven which the gods lived and below the earth where the dead were? If his world view was limited to those of India in the sixth or fifth century BC, how can I trust that his enlightenment is true? We have to remember that Buddha was from below. He worked his way up, gaining knowledge. Did he magically gained all knowledge, or just the four noble truth and eight-fold path? If he magically gained all knowledge, did he teach us the secret? I think he did not, otherwise science would have come from China and India. Since his enlightenment is limited to religious knowledge, I am afraid I would consider him unconvincing. I prefer the One who came from above, who created all things, than one who was from below, like me, who was born of a father and a mother, and had died, like all men from below.
If I have told you about things that happen on earth and you don't believe, how will you believe if I tell you about things of heaven? No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven - the Son of Man. (John 3:12-13 HCSB)
"You are from below," He told them, "I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. Therefore I told you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." (John 8:23-24 HCSB)
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 HCSB)
Today, my world view is no longer so limited. On the big scale of things, I know the earth, the Solar System, the Milky Way and the universe. On the smaller scale I am aware that things are made of molecules and atoms and also the sub-atomic particles. I also know that the visible universe is not all that there is. There is still a God who created all things and is hidden from our view.
But such knowledge is not always available. Today, we are considered a very much more "enlightened" in our knowledge.
Going back a few centuries to the time of Isaac Newton, they only know the Solar System, but not all the planets, and some of the brighter stars and a bright band in the sky which some ancients correctly guessed that it composed of many faint stars. Today we know that the bright band is the Milky Way.
Here we want to talk about the first story of enlightenment under a tree.
We have the famous story of Isaac Newton, who sat under the apple tree and saw an apple falling. and he thought to himself, "Why should that apple always descend perpendicularly to the ground?" And he went on to develop the theory of gravity.
But for most of the history of mankind, men just thought that the earth is where men lived, and on top are the sky which have the sun, the moon and the stars and gods lived in the clouds above. Below the earth were the abode of the dead.
Into this world view came our second story enlightenment under a tree.
Siddhartha Gautama sought to understand why there were suffering in the world and wanted to solve the problems of disease, old age and death. After trying out many methods, he came to sit under a Bodhi tree to meditate, determined not to leave till he had found the answers he sought. He found it and became Buddha, the enlightened or awakened one. He then went to preach about the four noble truth and eight-fold path.
The story of Newton is quite clear. Newton had a limited enlightenment, basically about gravity. Buddha's enlightenment was more profound. However, I have some questions on Buddha's enlightenment.
When Buddha was awakened, did he knew, besides those that he preached, all the science that we know today and those that we are yet to discover? Or was he still thinking like men of his days, that the earth is where men lived, the heaven which the gods lived and below the earth where the dead were? If his world view was limited to those of India in the sixth or fifth century BC, how can I trust that his enlightenment is true? We have to remember that Buddha was from below. He worked his way up, gaining knowledge. Did he magically gained all knowledge, or just the four noble truth and eight-fold path? If he magically gained all knowledge, did he teach us the secret? I think he did not, otherwise science would have come from China and India. Since his enlightenment is limited to religious knowledge, I am afraid I would consider him unconvincing. I prefer the One who came from above, who created all things, than one who was from below, like me, who was born of a father and a mother, and had died, like all men from below.
If I have told you about things that happen on earth and you don't believe, how will you believe if I tell you about things of heaven? No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven - the Son of Man. (John 3:12-13 HCSB)
"You are from below," He told them, "I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. Therefore I told you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." (John 8:23-24 HCSB)
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 HCSB)
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