Tag: universe

A Profile In Genesis

Dale Pollard

The first book of the Bible is one that has always intrigued its readers. Here’s a profile of the contents and context of this inspired work.

Earliest Date

The traditional view says that Moses composed Genesis during or shortly after the Exodus (1400-1200 BC). This was the standard belief of ancient Israel and early Christianity. Later, there was some debate (lacking satisfying proof) over whether it was written closer to 900-500BC. However, nearly everyone seems to agree that the accounts themselves preserve much older material.

Historical Coverage

Genesis spans from creation to the death of Joseph in Egypt. During this period, major events like the Flood, the Tower of Babel, and the Patriarchs. Depending on what source you use you’ll find timelines from 2,600 years (Masoretic chronology) to over 5,000 years (According to Flavius Josephus). 

Incredible Accuracy

The universe had a definite beginning, but before that was acknowledged, it was something that even 19th century scientists resisted.

Humans are made from the “dust of the earth.” Modern biochemistry shows the human body is literally made of the same elements found in soil—carbon, iron, oxygen, trace metals.

Purpose

To explain the origins of the world and humanity. It answers big questions like where everything came from and why we exist. It explains why the world we live in is both beautiful and broken.

It establishes Israel’s Identity. The twelve tribes and their ancestry would trickle down through history to produce the promised Messiah (Gen. 49.8-12).

How Do You Describe His Love?

Carl Pollard

Ephesians 3:17–19 says, “that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.”

Looking at the context of these verses, Paul tells us that through the power of the Spirit, and because of the indwelling of Christ, we are to become established in love and being established in love, we have power to comprehend the love of Christ. 

But how do you describe such a love? Paul says, “comprehend what is the breadth, and length and height and depth.” But he purposefully left off what it is that he was describing. So what does he mean? It takes in the eternity of God. God is Love; and in that, an infinity of breadth, length, depth, and height, is included; or rather all breadth, length, depth, and height, are lost in this immensity. It comprehends all that is above, all that is below, all that is past, and all that is to come. All of this is said in reference to human beings. The love of God, in its breadth, is a net that encompasses the globe; its length reaches from the eternal purpose of the mission of Christ, to the eternity which is to be spent in his glory; its depth reaches to the lowest sinner, and to the deepest depravity of the human heart; and its height to the infinite glory of the throne of Christ.

How do you describe the love of Christ? We can’t. No one has ever shown this amount of love for this many sinful people. And yet we still act like we have power, like we are above God. Man on his own has no power. 

But God has given us the opportunity to have the power to comprehend His Son’s love. 

Comprehension is defined as “to process information, understand, grasp.” A child growing up hears from their parents that they love him. He hears it every day, but he never fully comprehends that love until he has kids of his own. A person will go through something traumatic, and the first couple of hours he is in shock. He knows what happened, but he hasn’t comprehended it yet. Sadly, we can hear about the love of Christ, and we can hear God’s Word. But this isn’t the same as comprehension. 

Growing up, I hated literature. I can remember reading the Iliad, eyes glazed over, and just seeing words on a page. I couldn’t tell you a thing about what I was reading. I wasn’t comprehending. Paul says, “And to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:19). And to GNOSKO the love of Christ. A working knowledge as opposed to factual knowledge. This is comprehension, a useful knowledge of Christ’s love. As a faithful Christian, you can comprehend the love of Christ. And knowing His love is power. We sing, “Amazing love! How can it be? That you, my God would die for me.” To be powerful is to comprehend the love of Christ. And in comprehending we live out his love. That is our purpose as Christians.

Does Humanity Have A Goal?

Gary Pollard

Another one of the most commonly asked questions is, “What is humanity’s goal?” This seems to be a “purpose” question, but one that specifically asks if we’re pursuing some kind of unity. Many have tackled this question, and most of them are far more qualified to deal with it than I am. But the ancient writings God gave humanity have proved reliable for millennia, so I’ll lean on its principles in this abridged look at our unifying goal(s). 

The concept of a “unity” has been explored for a very long time. It serves as the foundational principle for many world religions because we all have an intuitive sense that we’re connected somehow, or that we all come from a common source. We understand that all of us together are greater than any one person, so our destiny must be just as awesome! 

The short answer (from a believer’s perspective) is: Humanity’s goal is to see God. 

  1. We believe that the Logos created our planet and made it habitable. The universe is the creative expression of his nature and power.  
  2. Humanity’s original goal was the explore the Earth and enjoy it (Gen 2.1-15). 
  3. We were in a state of perfect harmony with the Creator and his creation. 
  4. We lost that when we chose to pursue forbidden gnosis. 
  5. All of history (and what remains of our future) is a story — its unifying narrative is our journey back to that initial harmony. This story is only possible because the Creator sacrificed himself to change our inevitable destiny! 

Our immediate goal is to emulate the Creator’s character as much as we can. This necessarily means we acknowledge his existence and primacy. He is light and love, so we try to be the same. Done properly, this benefits all people (especially people who struggle). Why voluntarily pursue other peoples’ needs over our own? Why struggle against the body’s impulses? Why view other people as more important than self? Why hold on so tightly to a belief in a God no one has seen? He promised us a return to perfection, an eternal life without any suffering, and a fully-repaired, personal relationship with the Creator (cf. II Pt 3.13; I Jn 3.1-3, Rv 21.1-2). 

Now I am coming to you. I will not stay in the world, but these followers of mine are still in the world. Holy Father, keep them safe by the power of your name — the name you gave me. Then they will be one, just like you and I are one (Jn 17.11). 

A person has only one body, but that body has many parts. Yes, there are many parts, but all those parts are still just one body. Christ is like that, too (I Cor 12.12). 

There is one body and one spirit, and God chose you to have one hope. There is one master, one faith, and one baptism. There is one God and Father of us all, who rules over everyone. He works through all of us and in all of us (Eph 4.4-6). 

The Symphony Of World And Word

Neal Pollard

The early light and birds’ first song
Declare God’s presence and glory
Nature assembles its impressing throng
To declare the wondrous story

The evening shades announce the stars
A light show will quickly appear
A bright moon glow, all heaven bars
Any reasonable doubt God isn’t here

From smallest pond to biggest sea
Tides to tadpoles preach to you and me
From deepest depths and highest height
Say, “See God’s wisdom and His might!”

Or take a moment, look in a mirror,
Have a medical exam of what’s inside.
The cells and systems, make it clearer
How fearful and wonderful, His skills applied.

Where will you look, where will you go
To escape His omnipresence?
How will you explain, how can you know
The meaning of life apart from His essence?

Look up, look down, look all around
See fingerprints of Deity.
Or close your eyes, take in every sound
That declares His glory to you and me.

Such evidence, when sorted and sifted
Provide an airtight affirmation,
My purpose is vital, my identity lifted
By His perfect Word, the cosmos’ confirmation. 

Secrets!

Gary Pollard

The greatest secret in the universe has been revealed to humanity: Jesus himself (Col 2.2-3). This is perhaps a hint that the groups harassing the believers at Colossae were Gnostic as well as Jewish. Gnostics were all about secret knowledge and asceticism (at least in this group, cf. 2.18). Paul addressed the Jewish elements in this section too. I’m certainly not dogmatic about this, but it does seem possible that at least elements of Gnostic thought were influencing Colossae, on top of the pervasive traditionalism of the Jewish Christians. 

Either way we should pay attention to an important point — all of humanity from the dawn of civilization has been trying to figure out what a specific something is. We’ve always been impressed with a sense that something bigger than us is out there. Since we’ve recently been able to take a crude glimpse into the cosmos itself, we’ve only been more impressed with how powerless we are on this little blue marble. Cosmic scales are something we can’t even wrap our minds around. There’s so much raw power that can only be viewed from distances so vast that we could never hope to travel them physically (eg. supernovas). But a simple cometary fragment could wipe out our little rock, if God willed it! 

Most early civilizations deified some element or other natural force on this planet, or they deified what they could observe with the naked eye in the heavens. Many ancient cultures worshipped powerful or beautiful animals, stars, or even political/military celebrities (sometimes all of the above). They were searching everywhere, desperate to find the source of infinite cosmic power, wisdom, and guidance that they instinctively knew existed, but could not identify. Since God is invisible (cf. 1.15), he had to be revealed to us. This great mystery was solved once and for all with the arrival of Jesus on the planet he created (2.16-17). He is that power, and he cares about us! That means he wants to take us with him when this earth is destroyed (2.18-20). The mystery is far more profound (and practical and humbling) than we thought. What is that thing every ancient culture has tried to identify and worship? The Great Mystery of the Eons — Jesus: Creator, Teacher, Civilizer, Rescuer, God.

This message is the secret truth that was hidden since the beginning of time. It was hidden from everyone for ages, but now it has been made known to God’s holy people. God decided to let his people know just how rich and glorious that truth is. That secret truth — which is for all people — is that Christ lives in you, his people. He is our hope for glory (2.27). 

Who Is Man? Unraveling Our Identity In Psalm 8:3-4

Brent Pollard

“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained; What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him?” (Psalm 8.3–4 NASB95)

We discover divine wisdom hidden in the heart of these lovely words as we delve into their heart. Consider King David, the author of this psalm. David, a humble shepherd who rose to become king, was astounded by how the Lord created the world and chose him to lead His people.

Even though the universe, the moon, and the stars are all beautiful, they pale in comparison to God’s choice of David, an ordinary person. But the Bible repeatedly demonstrates that God’s ways are not our ways. He selects the humble, familiar, and overlooked and then uses them to accomplish amazing things (cf. 1 Samuel 16.7). For example, the Sanhedrin even thought that Jesus’ chosen twelve were “uneducated and untrained men” (Acts 4.13 NASB95).

David’s words reassure us that God genuinely cares. Even though he has done many bad things, David claims that God has been thinking of him because of His great love and mercy. Let this serve as a reminder to all of us that God loves us regardless of what we’ve done or have done in the past.

The second way to interpret this psalm is as a representation of Christ, the true personification of the psalms. We encounter divine awe in Christ. The wonder of His birth, His teachings, the extent of His love that cost Him His life, and His miraculous resurrection demonstrates how much God loves people. He is mindful of us.

The psalm demonstrates how much God the Father loved His one and only Son, even though He allowed Him to die for us. This gracious gift is the most effective way to demonstrate how much God loves and cares for us.

Finally, let’s look at the psalm through our own eyes. The psalm asks us to view ourselves honestly. We seem so insignificant and unworthy compared to the marvels of God’s creation. Nonetheless, amid all this, we find an acknowledgment and a joyful realization that God cares about us, despite our smallness. God watches out for us. He is concerned about us (cf. Matthew 6.25ff). This truth allows us to learn more about God, His promise, and His love for each of us. 

The psalm also makes us reflect on ourselves. What are we as individuals? We are born into a fallen world and will inevitably choose sin with our free moral agency, but God’s grace makes us new. God loves and selects us despite our flaws.

Ultimately, this psalm drives home an important truth: we need to give God the same amount of thought He gives us. We should not view this requirement as a burden but as a source of comfort. Even though we know God is always present, He calls us to maintain a deep, loving relationship with Him.

Let’s keep our eyes fixed on God and constantly remind ourselves of His presence and the eternal future He has promised us as we navigate life with its ups and downs, joys and sorrows.

Space & Scripture 

Tuesday’s Column: Dale Mail

THE WAY UP THERE

Dale Pollard

“If you held a grain of sand on the tip of your finger at arm’s length, that is the part of the universe you are seeing — just one little speck of the universe…”

NASA Administrator  Bill Nelson

Isaiah Chapter 40

“Surely you understand who made the earth. It is the Lord who sits above the circle of the earth.” 

V.21b-22a

“He rolled open the skies like a piece of cloth…He stretched out the skies like a tent to sit under.”

V.22b

Lift up your eyes on high and see: 

“who created these? Who created all those armies in the sky?

Who knows every star by name?

“He is very strong and powerful,

so not one of these stars is lost.

Surely you know the truth.
Surely you have heard.

The Lord is the God who lives forever!”

V.26-28a

The City Of Atlantis Has Been Found?

Tuesday’s Column: Dale Mail

Dale Pollard

It was just about 2,400 years ago that a philosopher by the name of Plato would write about a place that has captured the imagination since. The legends of that fabled Atlantis have been the inspiration behind movies, TV shows, and countless documentaries. 

Some believe that it was a place that held secrets and hidden knowledge of the universe. Some will even claim the inhabitants had access to advanced technology— surpassing even our own! 

Disney’s movie, “Atlantis,” depicts hover crafts which are powered by crystals and robotic stone giants that guard the city. 

There’s some credence to the idea that the mythology around the “City of the Sea” was a product of a pre-flood civilization. It’s not hard to see how an earth-altering event like the flood could inspire stories of a great city vanishing beneath the waves. There was a time when people’s hands grew idle after they were no longer focused on their own immediate survival. History paints a picture time and again of the spiritual and physical destruction that follows when we have time to sit and scheme. Nimrod was one of the first “mighty men” mentioned in the book of Genesis, as well as a visionary nation builder (Gen. 10.8).  He broke away from the nomadic life that was modeled before him and he instead— decided to build. The end result would lead to a catastrophe that is symbolic of our own, were we to reject the invitation to board the ark (Gen. 6.5, Heb. 11.7ff). 

In 1830 and almost every year since, there have been those who claim that the ancient city of Atlantis has finally been found. From Africa to Europe, archeologists and self-proclaimed experts have hotly contented the whereabouts of a place that likely doesn’t exist. 

It’s undoubtedly fascinating to listen to the latest Atlantean news and it’s never in short supply but it’s a tragedy that so many people give their lives chasing a city they’ll never find. 

There’s another group of people on a quest to find a city far more incredible and beautiful than Atlantis, though. Unlike Plato’s writings, the city of Heaven is based entirely on the writings of God Himself. 

It’s a place made up of inhabitants spanning every generation on earth (Phil. 3.20). 

A place so difficult to describe, even inspired writers struggle to find the words (2 Cor. 12.2). 

It wasn’t built with advanced ancient technology, but by two hands bearing the marks of the ultimate sacrifice (2 Cor. 5.1). Oh, and it’s a place literally to die for (1 Thess. 4.16-17). 

Why would anyone spend the time searching for a place the pales in comparison to the city of God? We’ve got the map and we’ve got the promise, let’s not settle for anything less than. 

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. – 2 Corinthians 5.1 

Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things. – Colossians 3.2 

Not Atlantis, but Lake Powell, Utah

God’s Solutions For Our Problems

Tuesday’s Column: Dale Mail

blond man with goatee smiling at camera with blazer on
Dale Pollard

It’s been said that the there are more stars in the known universe than all of the sand on earth combined. That being said, in just one grain of sand there are more atoms than all of the stars. That’s pretty amazing. Our planet is but a speck in the grandeur of space. Countless stars, planets, galaxies, lightyears and somehow God is well aware of the happenings of people. Have you stood on the mountain tops? Have you observed the power of the oceans as the waves crash on the shore? Has your heart almost stopped after the vibrating sensation of a thunder clap resonates in your chest? The might of the Creator is everywhere in the world around us and at times it just demands to be noticed. 
A section of scripture that is mysterious and fascinating is found in 1 Kings 19:11-13. The Lord of hosts is about to show Himself to a depressed and exhausted Elijah, but in a way that he would never forget. “The Lord said, ‘go out on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out to stand at the mouth of the cave. Then the voice said, ‘what are you doing here Elijah?’” In the solitude of Horeb, Elijah seeks to avoid the troubles of his world. 
The acoustics of the mountainous area along with the time spent in silence must have made the shattering rocks, raging fire, splitting hills, and rumbling earth all but deafening and definitely a terrifying display of divine power. Then in sharp contrast, a still whisper comes. This gentleness, no doubt, is the reason Elijah decides to cautiously emerge from his hiding place. God is teaching His worn-out servant a lesson that holds true for us today. The fact is, there is no more God, His wisdom, power, and presence in an earthquake than there is in the sweet breath of a blooming flower. The quiet ticking of a wrist watch reveals just as much intelligence and purpose as does the striking of a clock tower’s bell. 
One may walk out into an open field at night and stare up into the vast sky, lit up with numerous twinkling stars and declare, “I’ve found God!” But God is no more in the sky than He is in the blades of grass flattened beneath your feet. The question came to Elijah from that still voice, “What are you doing here?” To the prophet, his problems were too great and too large and his solution was to run and hide. God, in a magnificent way, is trying to remind Elijah of his place.
 Our place in life is not to take matters into our own hands or solve life’s many difficulties on our own. The answer is not to run away, but to walk humbly with our awesome God. He is strong enough to lift our burdens, wise enough to counsel us, patient enough to allow us to learn, and loving enough to constantly forgive. 

Word Studies: “MAJESTY”

Wednesday’s Column: Third’s Words

Gary III

Gary Pollard

We will be looking at the word “majesty” by request in today’s article. This series will look at words used in our English translations that aren’t used in modern communication or are otherwise unusual. Today, majesty usually shows up as an adjective for natural phenomena (a majestic sunrise/sunset, majestic scene, etc.). 

As a disclaimer, Hebrew studies are not my forte. For those of you with a knowledge of Hebrew, I welcome corrections. All material concerning Hebrew usage comes from the Theological Lexicon of the Old Testament or Hebrew & Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament: Volume 5. 

In the Old Testament, it is used to describe the beauty or awesomeness of nature. Leviticus 23.40 uses “splendid.” In Isaiah 53.2, and it means “physically attractive.” Being impressive or inspiring awe/wonder is how the word is used in reference to God, although descriptions of kings are also appropriate (Isaiah 35.2). Speaking of royalty, majesty is used to describe their power and accomplishments (see Daniel 4.30, 5.18 for examples). In the Old Testament, majesty can be understood as impressive, having honor, or as the effect left on an observer of a display of power or awesomeness. 

In the New Testament, it means to have high respect or incredible qualities (see II Peter 1.16). In that passage, Peter says that he was a firsthand witness of the majesty of Jesus. This is incredible, considering Isaiah 53 says that His appearance wasn’t special or spectacular. The majesty Jesus had on earth was due to His nature, not His appearance. Majesty is also used in reference to having high respect because of an impressive performance or display of power (Luke 9.43). In that passage, Jesus healed a boy who had a particularly violent demon. After returning him to a normal state, witnesses were blown away at God’s majesty. It was obvious that the power necessary to correct the boy’s issues was preternatural. They observed an incredible event and understood its source to be God’s power. That power is an aspect of God’s majesty. 

We are impressed with God’s majesty when we look at nature. The universe is vast and incredible! There are stars so massive they make the sun look puny. Even single-cell organisms on earth are incredibly complex. As advanced as medical science is today, we still do not understand many of the processes of the body. Count how many times some variant of the phrase, “We’re not sure how this works,” is used in clinical studies on multiple classes of medications or treatments. The complexity of our makeup is awe-inspiring! When we are impressed by nature’s power or beauty, we get a glimpse of God’s majesty.