Hello I am new here.

Through me; the way to the eternal city.
Through me; the way to eternal sadness.

Justice moved my supreme maker:
I was shaped by divine power,
By highest wisdom, and by primal love.

Before me, nothing was created
That is not eternal: and eternally I endure.
Abandon all hope, you that enter here.

The Divine Comedy
by Dante Alighieri
Inferno: canto 3, v.1-9

Dante's Divine Comedy is called a comedy because it has a happy ending as opposed to a
tragedy; at least for Dante anyway. The souls he and Virgil pass along the way through the
Inferno portion of Dante's odyssey will never, nor anon, have a happy ending; hence the sign
above the entrance to the netherworld: "Abandon all hope, you that enter here."

Pop Clock Update: 9 days have elapsed since beginning the thread. If the figures in post #1 are within reason, then something like 539,598 new arrivals have checked into the fiery sector of hades since Aug 17, 2026.

Buen Camino
/

Gen 1:26

†. Gen 1:26a . . And God said: Let us make Man

No doubt by the time Adam arrived, the world of his portion of day six scarcely resembled the world that existed when day six began . I'm confident in my own mind that quite a number of millennia elapsed by the time human life came on the scene, and the Earth had already undergone some large-scale geological incidents resulting in mass extinctions and colossal effects upon the earth's topography and its various climates and environments; which is not all that bad a thing. A world suitable for humanoid mammals is, of necessity, going to be different than a world suitable for giant reptiles and whatever else roamed the earth prior to man.

The introduction of the plural pronoun "us" into the narrative at this point has given rise to some interesting speculation regarding the identity of the antecedent. To whom was creation's God referring when He spoke to us?

According to Jewish folklore, "us" indicates that holy angels assisted God in putting the cosmos together. And who really knows?

†. Job 38:4-7 . .Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?

To others "us" indicates the presence, and the activity, of the Word of John 1:1; whose counterpart in sacred Jewish literature is a divine entity known as the Memrá; and in targums Jonathan and Onkelos known as The Word of The Lord God.

According to the pragmatist "us" is merely a rhetorical kind of expression; like when you see a link on a web page and click on it, thinking to yourself: hmmm; let's see where this goes. The possibility of creation's God talking to Himself may seem odd; but I really don't think that's so strange-- I mean, after all, humans talk to themselves all the time, and nobody seems to think much of it.

According to some, the plural pronoun indicates there's more than one God out there.

And to others, the plural pronoun indicates that creation's God, although a lone individual, is somehow a composite unity-- a man of many parts; so to speak.

One way to resolve this issue is to simply parse the words in the verse. The Hebrew word for "God" is 'elohiym (el-o-heem') which is, you guessed it, a plural noun; so that, grammatically, "us" is correct.

All the other acts of creation up to this point were impersonal; like when a building contractor erects a shopping center. It's just a job . . just a task. But when that same contractor comes home and remodels his wife's bathroom on the week-end; then it becomes personal. The words "let us" indicate to me that when it came time to manufacture Man; God really rolled up His sleeves went to work; viz: Man is the only thing God ever created in this cosmos that His heart was really in it.

The lack of details regarding the incredible processes of creation aggravates many intellectuals because Genesis reveals so little-- hardly any scientific information at all. Many, many questions still remain unanswered regarding the origin of the universe. But that stuff is biblically superfluous. I think the first parts of creation actually made God impatient and He could hardly wait to get to the people part of creation because the soul of the Bible's God desires interaction with human beings. Why? I don't know; and David didn't know either.

†. Ps 8:4 . .What is man that you are mindful of him: the son of man that you care for him?

Some of the atheists with whom I've dialogued allege that the Bible's God is an egotist who craves a following; viz: an entourage of admirers. Well, if that were the case, then He certainly didn't need man for that purpose; I mean, after all, the Bible's God already had a following of angels if admiration were His goal. Besides, David wrote that God "cares" for man. Egotists usually regard their entourages as expendable commodities; and they'll scrape you off at the drop of a hat with no more regard for your loyalty than a man who cheats on a faithful wife.

Other atheists allege that the Bible's God is a bully who isn't happy unless He has someone to dominate. (chuckle) That one's my favorite-- not that I agree: it's just that it's so grossly contrary to the Bible God's nature.

†. Ps 103:13-14 . . Like as a father pities his children, so The Lord pities them that fear Him-- for he knows our frame; He's aware that we are dust.

People mean something to Man's creator. They're creatures with whom He desires not to dominate; but rather, to interrelate. I really like that because it makes me feel special. I'm not just another mass-produced swarm of wild beasties, or dumb animals, or screeching dinosaurs, and bugs, birds, fishies, crabs and earthworms. I'm somebody. All the other creations-- the water, the land, the air, space, stars, and all the rest-- were merely tasks; just chores. But Man himself was neither a task nor a chore. People were a Divine labor of love. Humans were what God was really after all along; and the rest is just habitat.

†. Prv 8:30-31 . .Then I was the craftsman at His side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in His presence, rejoicing in His whole world and delighting in mankind.

†. Gen 1:26b . . in our image, after our likeness.

Because of the terms "image and likeness" there are some who believe that creation's God is a human being; or at least resembles one. But according to the Bible's Christ, creation's God consists of spirit.

†. John 4:24 . . God is spirit

Spirits don't have solid physical bodies.

†. Luke 24:36-39 . . Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them: Peace to you. But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. And he said to them: Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Handle me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.

Moses warned Yhvh's people to avoid making any kind of mannequin, figurine, totem pole, or statue representing God since no one has any true concept of what creation's God actually looks like in person. (Ex 4:10-19)

There exists absolutely nothing in nature physically resembling creation's God; except maybe the air in front of your face-- neither Man, nor beast, nor plant, nor bird, nor bug, nor reptile nor anything out in the void (Rom 1:21-23). Concepts that portray creation's God as a human being are purely fictional. (Rom 1:25)

The terms "image and likeness" in relation to creation's God therefore don't indicate a reproduction of God; no, not by any means. Rather; those terms indicate the status of a son; for example:

"When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and named him Seth". (Gen 5:3-4)

The Bible's God clearly labels Man a son of his creator.

†. Ps 82:6 . . I said: You are all sons of the Most High.

It's important to note that Man was "made" a son rather than born a son; ergo: his status as a son is conferred rather than intrinsic.

It's also important to note that Man's status wasn't conferred upon other of God's creatures. Therefore Man easily outranks everything else in the whole cosmos: all animals, all vegetables, and all minerals; because a king's son outranks the king's servants and they all have to bow and scrape to the king's son out of respect for the king; for example: Moses was, in a manner of speaking, the chief steward in God's house; but Christ is God's heir, so he easily outranks Moses.

†. Heb 3:5-6 . . Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house . . . But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house.

In other words: Moses was "in" God's house; but Christ is "over" God's house and that's because he's kin, whereas Moses was just an employee.

†. Gen 1:26c . .They shall rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the cattle, the whole earth, and all the creeping things that creep on earth.

The word for "rule" is from radah (raw-daw') and means: to tread down, i.e. subjugate; specifically: to crumble off.

I saw a pretty interesting bumper sticker some time ago that went like this:

We are not above the Earth; We are of the Earth.

Well . . I appreciate the Native American cultural feelings behind that statement; and must admit that I agree with it whole-heartedly. But creation's God decreed that Man is very definitely above the Earth, and has the God-given right to subjugate every living thing on the planet including the whole earth itself: its forests, its grasses, its rivers, its seas, its soil, its rocks, its air, its minerals, its mountains, its valleys, and even its tectonic plates and the very atmosphere itself.

†. Ps 8:4-9 . .When I behold Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and stars that You set in place-- what is man that You have been mindful of him, mortal man that You have taken note of him? You have made him little less than divine, and adorned him with glory and majesty; You have made him master over Your handiwork, laying the world at his feet, sheep and oxen, all of them, and wild beasts, too; the birds of the heavens, the fish of the sea, whatever travels the paths of the seas.

/

--- For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.--- Romans 12:4-5 NIV

The illustration of the body and it's many members, shows the dependence of the church on it's varied members with their different gifts to be healthy and thriving. Not all the same, but with the same goal. Different in form and function, unity in call and purpose.

The church will only prosper when each individual operates within this rule; others before ourselves. With Christ as the head and all others members of the body operating in conjunction with Jesus. We can become the church that God intended, but only when we being different can come together and operate in unity.

--- even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. --- 1 Corinthians 10:33 NIV

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For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. Romans 12:4-5 NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com

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There is lasting peace for those who love your teachings. Nothing can make those people stumble. Psalm 119:165 GWT

http://www.biblegateway.com

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Gen 1:24-25

Now we come to the sixth day when all terra life was created; including dinosaurs and homo sapiens.

†. Gen 1:24-25 . . God said: Let the earth [produce] every kind of living creature: cattle, creeping things, and wild beasts of every kind. And it was so. God made wild beasts of every kind and cattle of every kind, and all kinds of creeping things of the earth. And God saw that this was good.

This grouping of creatures (except for Man) isn't specifically given the blessing of fertility. But if God would bless sea creatures and those with wings, why ever would He not bless the cattle too who are just as important? But since they've been reproducing all this time, then I'd have to say there is sufficient empirical evidence to support the assumption that that they were equally blessed with fertility just like everything else.

The Hebrew word for "living creature" is nephesh (neh'-fesh) the same word used in verse 20 regarding winged creatures and aquatic life. Terra critters consist of the very land masses upon which they live. They, like Man, weren't created out of thin air; but rather, God used all-natural earthly materials and ingredients already at hand to manufacture them. Neat-O. Not only are the various plants and animals indigenous to planet Earth; but they are part of it too and blend right back in when they die and decompose.

For example: trees that investors cultivate for carbon credits lose their value as credits the moment they're harvested or left to rot on the forest floor. In other words: trees are viable carbon credits only while they're alive taking carbon dioxide out of the global air because when they're dead; they stop and begin giving it all back. But their release of carbon dioxide back into the global air isn't pollution; no, it's a natural cycle.

Carbon credits for growing trees is ridiculous when it's taken into consideration that all trees, even mighty redwoods, eventually die of old age, get harvested, or end up felled by storms and/or insects and disease. At best, trees are temporary containments for carbon dioxide because it's only a matter of time, due to one cause or another, before that stockpiled carbon is released back into the global air. But even if trees covered every square foot of arable soil in the world, it wouldn't be near enough to keep up with the millions of tons of carbon dioxide being released into the air by burning fossil vegetation; e.g. oil, coal, and natural gas.

The word for "cattle" is behemah (be-hay-maw') and means: a (mute) dumb beast; especially any large quadruped or animal (often collective) e.g. cattle, pigs, horses, wildebeests, goats, sheep, deer, elk, giraffes, zebras, et al. These kinds of animals are the herd species from which come those that can be domesticated for Man's uses. They can pull plows and wagons, provide tallow for candles and soap, and hide and wool for clothes, meat and dairy for table, carry loads on their backs, and give people rides. Not all herd animals can be tamed. Zebras, for instance, and male elephants are not particularly suited to domestication.

The plural of behemah is behemowth (be-hay-mohth') a word which some have construed to indicate dinosaurs; citing Job 40:15-24 as their proof text. But even if Job 40:15 did indicate a species of dinosaur, it would be limited to one that ate grass like an ox, lived near lakes and rivers, and drank lots of water. However, it's easily proven that the era of monster reptiles was long gone before Mr. Job was even born.

It's no accident that some of the animals are so useful to Man. God made them for the express purpose of serving people. Although they're nephesh, same as Man, that doesn't make them equals with Man. However, although they are below the rank of Man, people have no right to be cruel to animals. But Man does have the right, by the Creator's fiat, to take advantage of them; and to induct them into slavery for Man's benefit.

"creeping things" is the word remes (reh'-mes) and means: a reptile; or any other rapidly moving animal. Dinosaurs would've been included in this grouping.

Some Christians are embarrassed by the big guys because paleontologists have easily dated them to cease existing a good many thousands of years prior to the emergence of mammals; but that's not really a problem if we but permit creation's days to be epochs rather than 24-hour calendar events.

"wild beasts" is from chay (khah'-ee) which doesn't mean wild beasts at all. It simply means animal life: as opposed to vegetable life. It also means: alive, living, raw, fresh, and strong. Man himself is chay. It's just a nondescript classification and is the very same word as in verse 20 where it regarded swarms of aquatic life. This time chay regards swarms of terra life; viz: herds and hives, et al.

Parenthesis

When I was a little boy, my dad bet me that he could make a dollar bill stand on edge. Well, I passed on the bet because I didn't own any money at the time. So my dad proceeded to fold a dollar bill in half into a vee and it easily stood on edge like that. When I protested, he replied: You didn't say I couldn't fold it.

We have a really interesting museum in the Portland Oregon metro area called OMSI with lots of interesting exhibits, a real Navy submarine (it had a brief role in the movie Red October) and some brain-busting puzzles too.

One of the puzzles consists of maybe five large jig-saw looking wooden pieces that when correctly arranged depict a jockey riding a horse. Try as I might, I could not make those pieces come out right. Well, a museum volunteer came by and asked me if I had tried stacking the pieces. I replied by telling him that the instructions don't say I can stack the pieces. He responded by asking me : Do the instructions say you can't stack the pieces one on top of another? No, they don't, and that's the secret to the puzzle. My mind assumed all the pieces had to be arranged side by side but in reality, the instructions don't say one way or the other.

As a follow up to reinforce the reality of the human mind's propensity to make assumptions; the volunteer told me he had two coins in his pocket adding up to 55¢ and one of them wasn't a nickel. He then proceeded to extract a 50¢ piece and a nickel from his trouser pocket. When I protested that he said one of the coins wasn't a nickel, he calmly replied : That would be the half dollar. You see; he said "one" of the coins wasn't a nickel, rather than neither coin. The volunteer then proceeded to lecture me on the importance of paying attention to words and grammar.

Moral of the story: It's just as important to discern what words do say, as well as discern what they don't say; thus avoiding false conclusions derived from a so-called "argument from silence" a kind of logic which essentially believes that if something isn't clearly stated, then it's inferred from the silence that there was nothing to state.

It was a humiliating experience, but a valuable one too because in time; I began applying that principle to the Bible in regards to what it does say, and in regards to what it doesn't say; and one thing it does not say right from the outset is that creation's six days consisted of twenty-four hours each; but most of us assume the terms evening and morning insist upon it; when even those terms only define daytime rather than daytime plus nighttime.

This has been a chronic problem for just about everybody who takes Genesis seriously. We assume the "days" of creation consisted of twenty-four hours apiece; so we end up stumped when trying to figure out how to cope with the 4pt5 billion year age of the earth, and factor in the various eras, e.g. Triassic, Jurassic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic, Cretaceous, etc, plus the ice ages and the mass extinction events. It just never seems to occur to us that it might be okay in some cases to go ahead and think outside the box. When we do that-- when we allow ourselves to think outside the box --that's when we begin to really appreciate the contributions science has made towards providing modern men a window into the Earth's amazing past.

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---But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.
—1 Thessalonians 2:4

As believers we have the sacred trust of the gospel message. Jesus has given us our command to "go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). Everyone is called to do that. Everyone should get the gospel out.

In his letter to Timothy, the apostle Paul mentioned "the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to [his] trust" (1 Timothy 1:11). Again emphasizing the sacred trust of the gospel, Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 2 that "we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts" (verse 4).

Here is what it means. As Christians we all have the same gospel. And we each have to ask ourselves the question, "How am I getting the gospel out?" It is not about how someone else is getting the gospel out. How are we doing it? That is our call as followers of Jesus. We need to think about our family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and our sphere of influence and ask, "Am I getting the gospel out?"

Jesus said, "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work" (Revelation 22:12).

That reward will be directly connected to how faithful we were in this life. We place far too much stock in this life alone. We act as though everything that is going to happen happens here. A lot of significant things do happen here. The most important decision we ever will make happens in this life: the decision about what we do with Jesus Christ.

Our faithfulness here will result in rewards there—in heaven and when heaven comes to earth, when we go home.

http://www.harvest.org

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Gen 1:20-23

†. Gen 1:20 . . God said: Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and birds that fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.

The Hebrew word for "birds" is 'owph (ofe) which just simply means covered with wings rather than covered with feathers. It's a rather unusual word because it includes not only aerial creatures with feathers, but according to Lev 11:13-23, 'owph also pertains to bats and flying insects. The English word "birds" was obviously an arbitrary choice since owph is ambiguous.

What did those early winged creatures look like? My money is on the Pterosaurs (pterodactyls). Precisely when God phased out those early skin-winged creatures and replaced them with feather-winged creatures isn't stated; but since no winged creatures are reported created on the sixth day, then we have to give the birdies a share of the fifth; so I think we're talking about a pritt-tee long fifth "day" with quite possibly some carry-over into the sixth. What I mean is; I don't think it prudent to rule out the possibility that those early skin-winged creatures were the ancestors of later-to-come feather-winged creatures.

How can water be used to create both winged creatures and sea creatures? Well, it can't be any harder than creating terra creatures from the dust of the earth seeing as how the very same elements are dissolved in earth's waters; and in point of biological fact, land creatures are composed of not only dust, but also water. Dehydrate an air-breathing land creature, and it will die.

"bring forth swarms" is derived from sharats (shaw-rats') and means: to wriggle, i.e. (by implication) swarm or abound. Sharats, strictly speaking, simply indicates large numbers; like in Ex 1:7 where Yhhv's people multiplied like rabbits, and in Ex 8:3 where ka-zillions of frogs infested the land of Egypt.

Sharats is a different word than the ones translated "bring forth" in Gen 1:12 and Gen 1:15. The word in Gen 1:12 is from dasha' (daw-shaw') which means: to sprout. The word in Gen 1:15 is from yatsa' (yaw-tsaw') which is a word of action and/or motion and means: to go, to cause to go, send away, or to bring out, or proceed.

It's important to note that winged creatures were just as distinct a creation as aqua creatures. So winged creatures didn't evolve from creatures who once lived in the sea. Winged creatures are a separate genre of life in their own right, and absolutely did not evolve from some other order of life.

The word for "creature" is from nephesh (neh'-fesh) and means: an air-breathing creature, viz: one that breathes atmospheric gases to survive-- whether in free air or dissolved in water. A nephesh is different than vegetation. Although vegetation is alive, it isn't sentient.

This is the very first mention of nephesh. According to Gen 2:7, nephesh are not only animal creatures, but homo sapiens himself is a nephesh too. The word nephesh implies an innermost being, a mind, a consciousness of one's existence, a sense of individuality, and a consciousness of one's surroundings. Some say that animals are people too. Well . . they're certainly not human, but according to the Bible, they are very definitely just as much a nephesh as a human being. So I guess we could consent, at least to some degree, that beasts are people too; in their own way.

†. Gen 1:21a . . God created the great sea monsters, and all the living creatures of every kind that creep, which the waters brought forth in swarms,

"sea monsters" is from tanniyn (tan-neen') and/or tanniym (tan-neem') which mean: a marine or land monster. Tanniyn is sometimes translated "dragon" as in Isa 27:1

It wasn't a tanniyn, however, that swallowed Jonah. That creature was either a dagah (daw-gaw') a dag (dawg) or a da'g (dawg). All three words mean a fish.

NOTE: the reason I quoted the three Hebrew words for "fish" is because to tell the truth, translators are not always confident what they're looking at. In point of fact, there are ancient Hebrew words that nobody really knows what they mean so translators are forced to take educated guesses here and there.

"of every kind that creep" in this case regards only aquatic creatures that creep e.g. starfish, lobsters, clams, and crabs et al. The terra creepers are coming up in a little bit.

But what about aquatic dinosaurs? Well . . according to Discovery's web site "Walking With Dinosaurs" paleontologists believe there were some amphibious reptiles such as plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs, but those creatures didn't have the gills necessary to be truly aquatic like Nemo and his dad Marlin.

†. Gen 1:21b . . and all the winged creatures of every kind.

"kind" is from miyn (meen) and means: to portion out: to sort; viz: species.

In other words: God created a variety of winged species all at once, rather than just one specie like He did with man.

†. Acts 17:25-26 . . From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth;

Man is a one-of-a-kind specie. From just one man's genetic chemistry came all the other variations of Man; ranging anywhere from Pygmies to Eskimos; and has to make you wonder how that works if evolution is total bull. Well; I don't think it's wise to relegate Darwin to the category of total bull. I mean, just look at how well pathogens adapt and mutate in order to cope with antibiotics. That's a natural process and the pathies don't even have to give it any thought. I believe Darwin was on to something, but shot himself in the foot by leaving intelligent design out of the equation. An origin of living species theory is incomplete without an origin of life.

God built mysterious genetic reactions into living organisms that give them the ability to make adjustments to themselves in order to survive-- adjustments that are triggered by conditions in their respective environments. It's because of those kinds of involuntary adaptations and mutations that I'm very curious sometimes what the original homo sapiens really looked like.

†. Gen 1:21b-22a . . And God saw that this was good.

Well; I have to agree it's good too. I love exploring tide pools, watching birds, feeding peanuts to the squirrels in my backyard, and going to the zoo once a year.

†. Gen 1:22b . . God blessed them, saying: Be fertile

Without the blessing of fertility, nephesh couldn't reproduce. Although reproductive systems are built into all nephesh; those systems are merely glands and plumbing without the miracle of fertility. God himself personally enabled the reproductive systems of nephesh to not only reproduce their own bodies; but also to transfer their own life. That is very interesting, and to this good day, the transfer of nephesh life from one generation to another is still a great big mystery. The transfer of flesh is biological. But the transfer of life isn't; hence; it's a bit more complicated.

†. Gen 1:22c . . and increase, fill the waters in the seas, and let the winged creatures increase on the earth.

Sea creatures exist in the most unlikely places. When the crew of the bathyscaphe Trieste descended into the 35,761 feet Challenger Deep located in the deepest part of the Mariana Trench in 1960, they didn't really expect to find anything living down there; but to their surprise, the saw some flat fish similar to sole and flounder where the pressure is about 15,945 pounds per square inch which is roughly equal to the weight of a block of Portland cement measuring 5pt5 feet x 5pt5 feet x 5pt5 feet

If all the weight of that block were concentrated on an area no larger than a 25¢ piece, you'd have a pretty good idea of what 15,945 pounds per square inch represents. The palm of my hand can be covered with approximately fourteen 25¢ pieces, which at a the bottom of the Challenger Deep would represent a weight of 223,230 pounds sitting on my hand which is roughly equal to the combined weight of two D9 Caterpillar Tractor bulldozers.

But those fourteen 25¢ pieces don't really tell the whole story. The dimensions of my palm and fingers are roughly 4" x 7" which is 28 square inches. At the bottom of Challenger Deep, the cumulative force on palm and fingers would be about 446,460 pounds. But in water, the pressure is all around, so if we add the pressure from the backside of my hand, then the combined pressure on my hand would be 892,920 pounds (446 tons) and that's not factoring in the edges of my hand nor the inside surfaces of its fingers. Those tons aren't just dead weight, but rather, the measure of a squeeze-- a monster hand-shake --that would compress my entire hand into a rather grotesque sight in no time at all if the pressure inside my hand were only atmospheric; which is a mere 14pt7 psi which isn't near enough to resist the vice-grip pressure of 892,920 pounds.

You know, the earth's creator must regard the oceans as His own private aquarium or why else would He put fish where nobody sees them but Himself?

†. Gen 1:23 . . And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

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--- I love the Lord because he hears my voice, my pleas for mercy. I will call on him as long as I live because he turns his ear toward me. --- Psalm 116:1-2 GWT

In the first verse the psalmist declares his love for the Lord, and then he explains why: BECAUSE HE HEARS MY CRIES FOR MERCY! The writer knew God's love extended far beyond his circumstances, deliverance might come in the form of a falling giant, but it may just come in the calm assurance that the Lord was with him always!Either way he was convinced his cries did not fall on deaf or uncaring ears!
Now, since God was both willing and able to hear his plea, the psalmist would continue to call on Him. In our times of trouble, who else can we trust? Who better than the one who loves and hears us to turn to in times of distress? Lifelong gratitude and praise should be our duty, and live in the assurance our God hears us!

--- I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer. --- Psalm 17:6 GWT

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I love the Lord because he hears my voice, my pleas for mercy. I will call on him as long as I live because he turns his ear toward me. Psalm 116:1-2 GWT

http://www.biblegateway.com

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Are you a "Bondo Believer"?

Have you ever bought a used car? One thing you have to beware of is a car that has been in collisions and has a lot of "Bondo" on it. Bondo is a resin product that is used in the place of proper body work or to cover up some kind of problem with the body of the car. Sometimes I wonder if we have some "Bondo believers" out there. By that, I mean people who appear to be one thing but really are another.

The apostle Paul wrote what his prayer was for the believers living in Philippi. "And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ" (Philippians 1:9-10).

A definition of the word sincere that Paul uses would be "without wax." The origin of this goes back to ancient Rome, when they would make fine pottery, which was relatively thin, and fragile cracks would develop after firing. So, rather than remake the piece, unscrupulous shops would fill the cracks with hard, dark wax (first-century Bondo). This would be revealed when the object purchased was placed in bright sunlight, as the wax would melt.

So Paul uses this phrase "without wax" to speak of being a genuine, not a fake believer. As we wait for Christ's return, let's pray that we are not "Bondo believers," but rather genuine followers.

http://www.harvest.org

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The wrath of God is interesting. For example:

†. Isa 13:9 . . Behold, the day of The Lord comes-- cruel; with both wrath and fierce anger

The Hebrew word for "wrath" in that statement is `ebrah (eb-raw') which indicates an outburst of passion. In other words: the wrath of God won't be weeping big wet crocodile tears while it's punishing people at the Great White Throne event depicted at Rev 20:11-15; no, they will be terminated with extreme prejudice; viz: the wrath of God will be furious against them. (cf. Isa 63:1-6, Rev 19:15)

Webster's defines "fierce" as a behavior exhibited by humans and animals that inspires terror because of the wild and menacing aspect of fury in attack. Ferocity is an aspect commonly seen among roaring, snarling lions savagely attacking prey. There's neither sportsmanship nor sympathy in ferocity; only sheer terror, brutality, and blood lust.

"cruel" is defined as: disposed to inflict pain or suffering; viz: devoid of humane feelings

†. Heb 10:27 . . A certain fearful expectation of . . . fiery indignation

"fiery indignation" is quite a bit more severe than ordinary indignation. "fiery" speaks of someone who is seriously ticked off; and so angry that they're actually red in the face.

There are people out there in cyberspace who have been so brain-washed by greeting cards, religious art, Broadway plays, Christmas carols, and Hollywood movies that they have no concept of the magnitude of the fecal storm they're headed into.

An interesting aspect of the wrath of God is the person appointed to administer it-- none other than the sweet little baby away in a manger.

†. John 5:22-23 . .The Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father.

†. Acts 17:31 . . For God has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.

†. Rev 19:15 . . He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

Pop Clock Update: 6 days have elapsed since beginning the thread. If the figures in post #1 are within reason, then something like 359,532 new arrivals have checked into the fiery sector of hades since Aug 17, 2026.

Buen Camino
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John 1 said: Just my thoughts.

They're my thoughts too; for example 1John 1:6 testifies that sin interrupts one's fellowship with God; but according to Heb 13:5 has no effect upon either His presence or absence.

Buen Camino
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Parenthesis

Scientists have attempted to estimate the age of the universe by calculating the number of light years between Earth and distant objects. For example: this past decade, Hubble telescope detected a galaxy at a distance of 12pt8 billion light years; and given the label A1689-zD1.

Chronologically; the cosmos' creator began constructing the Earth before He began constructing the stars; which indicates, biblically, that as a physical structure, the Earth is older than the sun, moon, and stars. But geologists have pretty good reasons to believe the Earth to be only something like 4pt5 billion years old; while A1689-zD1 appears to be a minimum 12pt8 billion years old. So then, it seems reasonable to conclude that A1689-zD1 is Earth's senior by at least 8pt3 billion years; but there's a rub.

An article in the May 2026 issue of Astronomy magazine said that the "horizon" of the so-called observable-- a.k.a. visible --universe is approximately 46 billion light years away from Earth in all directions. No one has actually detected light from that far away yet but the figure represents a distance beyond which light coming from objects farther away will never reach us. In other words; it's theoretically possible to detect light coming from objects 46 billion light years away; but light coming towards the Earth from beyond that distance has not yet reached us; nor ever will reach us due to a couple of factors which we'll discuss below. Suffice it to say: 46 billion light years represents the practical limits of observation.

How is it possible to observe light that's 46 billion light years distant when the age of the universe is estimated to be only 13pt77 billion years? Well; nobody yet, to my knowledge, has resolved that rather curious paradox. Some say that light from objects like A1689-zD1 appears to be that old because the cosmos is curved. In other words; light from very distant objects doesn't arrive to us via a straight shot like the chord of a circle, but rather, takes a curved path like a circle's arc. For example: a baseball pitcher's fast ball takes a direct route to the plate; while a curve ball takes a longer route to go the same distance. If we were to gauge the distance between the rubber and the plate using the length of a curve ball's arc, it would seem farther away than a distance gauged using the length of a fast ball's path. There's yet another factor to contemplate.

The available data suggests that the universe is expanding in all directions. In other words: every galaxy in the cosmos appears to be moving away from every other galaxy (with the exception apparently of the Milky Way and Andromeda, which astronomers-- according to an article in the Mar/Apr 2026 issue of Science Illustrated --predict will collide in 4 billion years). And not only is the cosmos expanding; but the velocity of its expansion isn't slowing down as might be expected; but rather, contrary to expectations, the velocity of the cosmos' expansion is accelerating; which means that the stars God created on the fourth day are quite a bit farther away from Earth now than when He first made them. How much farther away I don't know; but it's my guess the difference is significant.

Some theorists contend that the cosmos' galaxies aren't actually flying around out there; but rather, only appear to be because the fabric of the cosmos is stretching. Try this experiment. Find a rubber band and draw some dots on it at various intervals. Now stretch the band. You'll note that the dots stay where you drew them. In other words; their locations on the band are unchanged: only the distance between the dots changed due to stretching the band. This theoretical stretching of the fabric of the cosmos has to be taken into account when astronomers attempt to calculate the distance to extremely remote objects based upon the characteristics of their observable light. The only trouble is, nobody really knows how to do that yet.

If somebody ever figures out a way to calculate the age of electro magnetic radiation, then maybe astronomers will have something to go on. But even so, knowing a light's age only tells you how long the light has been en route to your location; but not the distance to the location due to the theoretical curvature of space: a curvature for which the radius is currently unknown. And what if the theoretical curvature of space is aspherical; viz: elliptical or ovate? Then things really get complicated.

All the above suggests to me that the estimated age of the cosmos is only loosely theoretical rather than actual. In other words; current dating methods are grossly unreliable and it's very possibly true that the Earth really did precede the stars just as the Bible says.

A theory that satisfies me is that stars, regardless of their distance, became visible on Earth the instant God created them-- no delay, and no waiting period. He just punched their light right on through because it was His intent in Gen 1:15 for the cosmos' first stars to shine upon the Earth on day four; and they did.

But what's the point of putting all those objects out there in deep space? Well, for one thing, they're not only brain teasers; but they're actually quite pretty. Celestial objects decorate the night like the ornamentation people put up during holidays. The night sky would sure be a bore if it was totally black. But decorated with stars; the night sky is like a beautiful tapestry, or a celestial Sistine Chapel. Stars makes better sense that way than to try and find some other meaning for them.

†. Ps 19:2 . .The heavens declare the glory of God, the sky proclaims His handiwork.

The universe is simply a magnificent work of art-- just as intriguing, if not more so, than the works of Picasso, Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Monet, Vermeer, and da Vinci -- testifying to the genius of an engineer-artist without peer. It was never meant to be a home for Mr. ET. Sadly, many intelligent people like Carl Segan look to the sky for the wrong reasons. Personally, I think it's futile to look to the sky for SETI reasons. Why not just look to the sky for inspiration instead of intelligent extraterrestrial life? What's so bad about visiting the sky as a Metropolitan Museum of your maker's many-faceted talents?

†. Rom 1:19-22 . . For what can be known about God is evident to them, because God made it evident to them. Ever since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what He has made. As a result, they have no excuse; for although they knew God they did not accord Him glory as God or give him thanks. Instead, they became futile in their reasoning, and their senseless minds were darkened. While claiming to be wise, they became fools

Which would you rather be: a fool, or an idiot? Well, I'd prefer being the idiot. At least the mentally challenged man has an excuse for being stupid.

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Gen 1:14-18a

†. Gen 1:14a . . God said: Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky

On the fourth day, God spent time up in the higher reaches of the Sky. It might seem odd that He began work on the surface of the Earth, and then before finishing, stopped short and moved off into space. Why not finish building down here on the planet first?

Because many types of plants and animals need sunlight if they're to be strong and healthy. At this point in the creation, planet Earth was very dark and freezing cold. The dark side of the Moon gets down to like 279º below zero; so it was time to turn the Earth into a greenhouse. And besides, temperature variations play a role in the process of erosion; which assists in soil formation.

Oxygen is a must gas for sustaining life on earth and a very large percentage of it is produced by photosynthesis which is a chemical process that works best in sunlight. No doubt the original atmosphere contained oxygen enough, but would eventually be absorbed by oxidation and other kinds of chemical activity. Plant life plays a major role in both filtration and replenishment; hence the need to get the Sun shining as soon as possible.

The atmosphere contains about 19pt5 to 23pt5 percent oxygen at any given time and even with all the fossil fuel burned around the world, along with the destruction of savannas, prairies, woodlands, wetlands, and rain forests, coupled with volcanic activity, the percentage remain fairly stable.

The lights created in verse 14 are luminous objects; and one of them; the Moon, doesn't generate its own light. It reflects light from the Sun. But for practical purposes, both of them shed light upon the Earth just as God intended for them to do.

†. Gen 1:14b . . to distinguish Day from Night;

On the first day; God defined Day as a condition of light; and Night as a condition of darkness. Here, it's further defined that Day on earth is when the sun is up; and Night on earth is when the sun is down. These definitions occur so early in the Bible that they easily escape the memories of Bible students as they slip into the reflexive habit of always thinking of Days as periods of one earth rotation of 24 hours. That's okay for calendars but can lead to gross misunderstandings when interpreting biblical schedules, predictions, and/or chronologies.

†. Gen 1:14c . . they shall serve as signs for the set times-- the days and the years;

The word for "signs" is from 'owth (oth) and means: a signal; such as a flag, beacon, monument, omen, prodigy, evidence, etc.

The Sun and the Moon are very useful time keepers. The period of time between full moons, roughly 29pt5 earth-rotations, is handy for dividing the year into major divisions. Though the moon doesn't divide the year into equal months, it is nevertheless close enough for practical purposes. If you were to tell somebody your intention to visit them in five moons, they would have a pretty good idea when to get ready for your arrival.

The Earth's orbit is handy too because it makes the Sun appear to move along a vast circular path in space called the Ecliptic. The Sun's location along the Ecliptic, relative to the stars, at any given time, is always against the backdrop of one of the constellations of the Zodiac. So a person familiar with those signs, can, without even looking at a calendar, come pretty close to telling you the month of the year. That may seem superfluous to us modern city slickers, but if you were a farmer or a rancher living in ancient times, or even today living in a third world country, that information might come in very handy. When the Sun gets back to the same place in the Zodiac, everyone is older by one solar year, depending on their sign.

†. Gen 1:15-18a . . and they shall serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth. And it was so. God made the two great lights, the greater light to dominate the day and the lesser light to dominate the night, and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth, to dominate the day and the night, and to distinguish light from darkness.

Stars illuminate the Earth too. They may appear too dim for that purpose, but that's because the unaided human eye isn't all that sensitive. If you have never looked at the universe through a pair of binoculars on a pitch black night, by all means try it sometime. You will be amazed at its brilliance! Some animals' eyes are more sensitive to light than the human eye so starlight is perfectly adequate for their nocturnal way of life.

George Ellery Hale, the man who concerted construction of the Palomar telescope, was dismayed at all the starlight going to waste in our world. That's why he was so obsessed with building instruments with huge mirrors to collect and focus starlight from a surface area much larger than his own eye.

The pupil diameter of the average human eye in the dark is roughly 7 millimeters; yielding a surface area of about 38 square mm. Palomar's 200 inch mirror yields a surface area of approximately 20,268,299 square mm. That is a significant gain in light collection; a ratio of about 2,895,471 to 1.

Every square inch of your neighborhood is bathed in starlight on a clear night. If you could see all of it falling around your house, you might have to squint or wear dark glasses when you went out at night.

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--- When I said, “My feet are slipping,” your mercy, O Lord, continued to hold me up. When I worried about many things, your assuring words soothed my soul. --- Psalm 94:18-19 GWT

This is further evidence in which the godly, even though suffering affliction, are blessed. God upholds their tottering feet, and, when they are in danger, keeps them from falling. A person cannot be more miserable than his own wickedness will make him. For God is our safety and our support.

Internal comfort is given by God himself to the perplexed and troubled in spirit, whereby they are "delighted," or, rather, "soothed and solaced." Anxiousness is a enemy to peace and joy, our comfort is found in the Lord.

--- I have seen their ways, but I will heal them; I will guide them and restore comfort to Israel's mourners, --- Isaiah 57:18 GWT

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When I said, “My feet are slipping,” your mercy, O Lord, continued to hold me up. When I worried about many things, your assuring words soothed my soul. Psalm 94:18-19 GWT

http://www.biblegateway.com

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The List of David’s mighty warriors in 1 Chronicles 11:22 introduces us to Benaiah, whose exploits included overcoming two of Moab’s best men. He also killed a lion in a snowy, slippery pit. Perhaps most amazingly, he took on an Egyptian tall enough to be a starting center for the Chicago Bulls. This seven-and-a-half-foot giant wielded a spear with a shaft as sturdy as a lead pipe while Benaiah had only a wooden club.

Even so … Benaiah “snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada … He was held in greater honor than any of the Thirty” (1 Chronicles 11:23–25).

It was not a Ph.D. degree that brought honor to a person in those days. Honor did not necessarily flow to the person with money or leverage or media access. Honor came as a result of doing exploits for the king.

Who is doing exploits for God today? Where is the enemy being driven back? That is the great yearning of all spiritually minded people. They are not enchanted with polished sermons and slick organizational technique. Where are the mighty men and women anointed by God to truly make a difference?

What is it really that stops us from becoming mighty warriors in the Lord? God has not changed. He is still superior to anything the enemy can throw against us.

No personal or church situation is too hopeless for the all-sufficient power of the Holy Spirit. God will be no more eager to act tomorrow than he is right now. He is waiting for us to take his promises seriously and go boldly to the throne of grace. He wants us to meet the enemy at the very point of attack, standing against him in the name of Christ. When we do so, God will back us up with all the resources of heaven.

--- Whatever you do, do it wholeheartedly as though you were working for your real master and not merely for humans. You know that your real master will give you an inheritance as your reward. It is Christ, your real master, whom you are serving. --- Colossians 3:23-24

From "THE NIV DEVOTIONS FOR MEN"
http://www.biblegateway.com

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Thank you.
I have heard these two points taught by many in churches, but I think it is just a point of emphasis.
Because, it seems to me that God is indeed "present" in hell, or hell is in His presence, depending on how one looks at it. God is and will forever be omnipresent. He will always know what is happening in hell. However, this fact does not mean that the souls imprisoned there will have a relationship with God or any communication with Him. Separation from God does not mean God is absent, for that is something God cannot be.

Jesus used the term, "cast into outer darkness." In his parable of the Wedding Feast. This is most probably not visible darkness, but a mental, and spiritual darkness. As Jesus is the light of the world, those who reject Him reject the light of His love. Then, they are left destitute, grieved, and tormented with eternal regret. That could constitute the darkness.

Just my thoughts.

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Post deleted by Webers_Home.

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John 1 said: Is hell the "absence of light"?

I should think that a place renowned for its eternal flames would never experience a shortage of illumination.

John 1 said: Or the "absence of the presence of God"?

God is omnipresent; which Webster's defines as present in all places at all times.

Buen Camino
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--- God didn’t spare his own Son but handed him over to death for all of us. So he will also give us everything along with him. --- Romans 8:32 GWT

The Bible story of Abraham furnishing his only son Isaac as a sacrifice offers us a glimpse into the affection God has for us. He did not keep His only Son, but because we had to have Him to live, God offered Him for us. Self- sacrifice is one thing, but to offer up innocence in the place of guilt in the death of His only [from the Father] Son. If God will not keep the precious gift of His Son from us, the what can we say he will keep from us, only that which we do not need. All other gifts pale in comparison to the greatest gift of the Son. Thank you God that you did not keep your Son for yourself, for without Him I would be lost!

--- God had Christ, who was sinless, take our sin so that we might receive God's approval through him. --- 2 Corinthians 5:21 GWT

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God didn’t spare his own Son but handed him over to death for all of us. So he will also give us everything along with him. Romans 8:32 GWT

http://www.biblegateway.com

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---And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ--everything in heaven and on earth.
—Ephesians 1:10

From the beginning of time, mankind has searched for peace. He has joined peace movements. He has marched for peace. He has awarded prizes for peace. He has even gone to war for peace. And when you hear of someone being arrested for disturbing the peace, you wonder where they found any to disturb.

There are people today who put bumper stickers on their car that say, "Visualize world peace." Then they cut you off on the freeway.

One day there will be peace. But it won't be brought about by the United Nations. It won't be brought about by any nation. It will be brought about by God Himself. It will happen when the Creator Himself returns, takes possession of what is rightfully His, and hangs a sign over this war-weary planet that says, "Under new management." Christ will return, and He will bring lasting peace.

God's perfect plan, according to Ephesians 1:10, is to "bring everything together under the authority of Christ."

Peter preached in Acts 3:21 that Christ "must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets." God is going to make earth into heaven and heaven into earth. Just as the wall that separates man and God was torn down as a result of the Cross, so too will the wall that separates heaven and earth be demolished.

Have you ever seen a completely restored classic car cruise down the street? It catches your eye. You think, That is awesome! That is beautiful! That is incredible! That is because you love to see something restored to its original condition.

God is into restoration. He is into restoring lives. He is into restoring bodies. And He is even into restoring our planet.

http://www.harvest.org

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Is hell the "absence of light"?

Or the "absence of the presence of God"?

Or Both?

What do you think?

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Amen...

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Eternal life is one of the crucial elements of Christianity that doesn't get enough press these days if you ask me. For example, according to God's testimony, as an expert witness in all matters pertaining to eternal life; people who lack it also lack His son. In other words: they are eo ipso quite christless.

†. 1John 5:11-12 . .And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in His son. So whoever has God's son has this life; whoever does not have this life, does not have His son.

People in a christless condition like that are outsiders; viz: not one of Jesus' sheep.

†. Rom 8:9 . . If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.

Buen Camino
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Gen 1:11-13

†. Gen 1:11a . . And God said: Let the earth sprout vegetation

Before God could set out plantings; He first had to create soil for them to grow in; which is only barely alluded to in Genesis' reference to dry land making its appearance: and this is where young-earth theories run into trouble because it takes a long time for nature to manufacture soil-- upwards of three hundred years to a millennium to produce just one inch; which indicates that it took an enormous number of years after the formation of dry land for the earth's crust to weather and break down on its own to make soil enough for plantings; hence the proliferation of "aged earth" creation theories which essentially postulate that God got vegetation up and going with a starter kit of fertile dirt; which can't be argued with since there's no really no telling exactly how God proceeded with the manufacture of soil. But since the earth was designed with the capability to manufacture soil on its own, I rather think that God let nature take its course.

The soil requirements of different species vary widely, and no generalizations can be made concerning an ideal soil for the growth of all plants; e.g. avocado trees; which thrive just fine in the relatively dry, sunny climate and alkaline soil of San Diego; do poorly in the acidic soil and much wetter, not-so-sunny climate of Oregon's Willamette valley. There are upwards of 30,000 different soils in the USA alone.

†. Gen 1:11b-12 . . seed-bearing plants, fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it. And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: seed-bearing plants of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that this was good.

All vegetation was created on the third day. Every plant since then, and all plants that will ever be, pre-existed in the cell structures, and in the DNA, of the original flora because God created nothing else after the sixth day.

God produced the origin of species, but from then on, the various species reproduced themselves with subsequent adaptations and mutations; which is okay except that the ability to adapt and mutate has made possible serious problems with organisms like Escherichia coli O157-H7.

That deadly little pathogen didn't exist in nature till the 20th century. It's the progeny of regular E-coli adapting itself to overcome the antibiotics used to control disease in large-scale, overcrowded, unsanitary feed lots where animals are rapidly fattened up on a brief diet of genetically modified grain prior to slaughtering them for food.

Although the creator made O157-H7 possible; I doubt if anybody would have any luck suing Him for product liability since it's homo sapiens' own greed and stupidity that forced E-coli O157-H7 into the food distribution system. Its mommy was just trying to give her lethal little offspring the tools necessary to survive. It's like chaos theorist Dr. Ian Malcolm said in Jurassic Park; "Life finds a way"

†. Prv 1:32 . .The prosperity of fools shall destroy them.

†. Gen 1:13 . . And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.

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Gen 1:6-10

†. Gen 1:6a . . God said: Let there be an expanse

The word for "expanse" is from raqiya' (raw-kee'-ah) and means: a great extent of something spread out, a firmament, the visible arch of the sky.

The expanse here in Gen 1:6 is doubtless included in the "heavens" of Gen 1:1 where the sky is labeled shamayim (shaw-mah'-yim). Raqiya' is distinct from shamyim in that it indicates the location of the earth's atmosphere; which is sort of sandwiched between the earth's surface and the vacuum of space.

†. Gen 1:6b-8 . . in the midst of the water, that it may separate water from water. God made the expanse, and it separated the water which was below the expanse from the water which was above the expanse. And it was so. And God named the expanse Sky.

We can easily guess what is meant by water that's below the sky. But is there really water that's above it? Yes, and it's a lot! Earth's atmosphere holds roughly 2,900 cubic miles of water in the form of vapor. That may seem like a preposterous number of cubic miles of water; but not really when it's considered that Lake Superior's volume alone is estimated at nearly 3,000.

Suppose we had a tank one mile wide, and one mile high. What length would it have to be to contain 2,900 cubic miles of water. Answer: 2,900 miles; and the tank would stretch from San Diego California to the Brooks Range in Alaska.

Now supposing we again make the tank one mile wide, but this time only as tall as the Eiffel Tower. How far would a tank of those dimensions containing 2,900 cubic miles of water go? Answer: the Eiffel Tower is 984 feet tall; which is point1863636 miles. So a tank 1 mile wide, and point1863636 miles tall, whose volume is 2,900 cubic miles, would be 15,561 miles long.

If that tank was poked into the Earth, it would go all the way through the planet, out the other side, and keep going for another 7,634 miles into space; which is roughly 31 times further out than a Space Shuttle orbit. Laid South to North, the tank would stretch from Antarctica past Bangladesh to the North Pole and keep going over the pole southwards for yet another 3,151 miles to Minneapolis Minnesota.

The number of gallons of water in a single cubic mile is 1,100,956,999,000 gallons. That's over 1point1 trillion gallons of water. Multiply those gallons by 2,900 to obtain the number of gallons in the form of vapor dissolved at any given time in Earth's atmosphere; and you get 3point2 quadrillion-- which is fourteen zeroes after the 2; and looks like this:

3,200,000,000,000,000

A quadrillion is a thousand trillions. The US national debt hasn't topped a hundred trillion yet, and still a good ways off from a quadrillion. God help us if it ever gets to a quad. By then, we'll all be working side by side with the child labor in Chinese factories.

Global warming isn't as unnatural as some folks would have us to believe; but rather, it's an essential element in our environment. Global warming is the result of two sunlight catchers: gases and water vapor. Some of the more familiar global warming gases are carbon dioxide, fluorocarbons, methane, and ozone. But as popular as those gases are with the media, they're bit players in comparison to the role that ordinary water vapor plays in global warming. By some estimates; atmospheric water vapor accounts for more than 90% of global warming; which is not a bad thing because without atmospheric water vapor, the earth would be so cold that life as we know it couldn't exist here.

†. Gen 1:8b . . And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.

†. Gen 1:9 . . God said: Let the waters below the sky be gathered into one area, that dry ground may appear. And it was so.

If you're a student of geology, then you know Gen 1:9 speaks volumes and fully deserves some serious consideration. Shaping the earth's mantle in order to form low spots for the seas and high spots for dry ground was a colossal feat of magma convection and volcanism combined with the titanic forces of tectonic plate subduction; all of which require beaucoup centuries to accomplish.

At the ocean's deepest surveyed point-- the Challenger Deep; located in the Mariana Islands group, at the southern end of the Mariana Trench --the water's depth is over 11,000 meters; which is about 6point8 statute miles (36,000 feet). That depth corresponds to the cruising altitude of a Boeing 747. At that altitude, probably about all you're going to see of the airliner without straining your eyes is its contrail. Were Mt Everest to be submerged in the Challenger Deep it would still have about 7,000 feet of water over its peak.

Note: The discovery of fossilized sea lilies near the summit of Mt Everest proves that the Himalayan land mass has not always been mountainous; but at one time was the floor of an ancient sea bed. This is confirmed by the "yellow band" below Everest's summit consisting of limestone: a type of rock made from calcite sediments containing the skeletal remains of countless trillions of organisms who lived, not on dry land, but in the ocean.

†. Ps 104:5-9 . . He established the Earth on its foundations, so that it shall never totter. You made the deep cover it as a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. They fled at your blast, rushed away at the sound of your thunder-- mountains rising, valleys sinking to the place you established for them. You set bounds they must not pass so that they never again cover the Earth.

Psalm 104 is stunning; and clearly way ahead of its time. It says that the land masses we know today as mountains were at one time submerged; and it isn't talking about Noah's flood. The speech of "mountains rising, and valleys sinking" isn't Flood-speak, no, it's geology-speak. I seriously doubt that the Psalmist knew about the science of tectonic plates, magma pressure, and the forces of subduction, but he was clearly somehow aware that the Earth's crust is malleable. And that's true. With just the right combination of temperature and pressure, solid rock can be made to bend; even forced to hairpin back upon itself like taffy.

†. Gen 1:10 . . God called the dry ground Land, and the gathering of waters He called Seas. And God saw that this was good.

"good" meaning not that the dry ground and seas are perfectly moral, but rather, perfectly suitable for the purposes that God had in mind for them.

NOTE: there are Hebrew words in the Bible for marshes, impoundments, rivers, and streams; but none for natural lakes and ponds. In other words "seas" suffices not only for oceans; but also for all the smaller bodies of naturally occurring water.

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John 1 said: "something to think about."

Hell is a very unpleasant place to think about. But even worse than contemplating what's there in hell, is thinking about what's not there; and it's a lot.

Buen Camino
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--- The Lord commands his mercy during the day, and at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life. --- Psalm 42:8 GWT

The Lord will command - Every day the Lord will give an special commission to his loving-kindness to visit me. During the night I shall sing of his mercy and goodness; and alternately mix my singing with prayer for Him to continue His mercy, and for power to make the best use of this great mercy.
The Psalmist knew of God's mercy. He had experienced God's love and mercy working hand in hand all through his life. He would absorb the mercy like a dry sponge does water, and he would then praise and thank God for the gift that had been given. His mercy is ours, to enable us to live a life free from the guilt of sin, and free from the fear of the wrath of God.

--- Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. --- Psalm 71:3 GWT

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The Lord commands his mercy during the day, and at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life. Psalm 42:8 GWT

http://www.biblegateway.com

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---Heaven on Earth
Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.
—Ephesians 1:11

What does it mean when we say that God is sovereign? It means that God is ultimately in control. Nothing happens without His permission.

While it is true that God is sovereign, it is also true that God allows us to exercise our free will. God actually respects the free will of mankind. Some people think that mankind will solve all its problems. They are foolish enough to believe that a politician can fix things . . . or technology . . . or psychology . . . or a focus on ecology. But it isn't politics or psychology or technology or ecology that will fix it. It is only theology, the study of God.

We need to turn to God. One day the Lord will right all the wrongs in our universe. He will take this sin-sick world and turn it right side up. Today it is upside down. Everything is topsy-turvy. What once was perceived as good is now viewed as bad. What was once thought of as bad is now being elevated to a position of good.

But one day it will be made right. God will right all of the wrongs. God won't abandon His creation; He will restore it. Christ has not yet established His kingdom on this earth, but one day he will return to our planet and bring it back to its Eden-like state. Known as the Millennium, it will last for one thousand years.

In his book called Heaven, my friend Randy Alcorn writes, "We won't go to heaven and leave earth behind. Rather, God will bring heaven and earth together into the same dimension, with no wall of separation, no armed angels to guard heaven's perfection from sinful mankind."

A new world is coming. One day, heaven will come to earth.

http://www.harvest.org

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Before I try to answer that question directly, let me make a distinction that is important at the outset. There's a difference between objective proof and the persuasion or conviction that follows. John Calvin argued that the Bible carries both persuasion and conviction in terms of its internal testimony—the marks of truth that could be found just by an examination of the book itself—as well as external evidences that would corroborate that substantial evidence to give solid proof for its being the Word of God.

Yet the last thing people would want is a book telling them they are in desperate need of repentance and of a changed life and of bowing in humility before Christ. We don't want that book to be the truth. Calvin claimed that there is a tremendous bias and prejudice built into the human heart that only the influence of God the Holy Spirit can overcome. Calvin distinguished between what he called the undicia—those objective evidences for the trustworthiness of Scripture—and what he called the internal testimony of the Holy Spirit, which is necessary to cause us to surrender to the evidence and acknowledge that it is the Word of God.

But I think this is a critical issue upon which so much of the Christian faith depends. The Bible makes the claim that it is the unvarnished Word of God, that it is the truth of God, that it comes from him. God is its ultimate author and source, though indeed he used human authors to communicate that message.

In speaking with people about this, we have to go through the laborious process of showing first of all that the Bible as a collection of historical documents is basically reliable. The same tests that we would apply to Herodotus or Suetonius or any other ancient historian would have to be applied to the biblical records. The Christian should not be afraid to apply those kinds of historical standards of credibility to the Scriptures, because they have withstood a tremendous amount of criticism from that standpoint, and their credibility remains intact. On the basis of that, we come to an idea. If the book is basically reliable, it doesn't have to be inerrent or infallible; it gives us a basically reliable portrait of Jesus of Nazareth and what he taught.

We move from there in linear fashion. If we can on the basis of general reliability come to the conclusion that Jesus Christ did the things that history claims he did, it would indicate that Jesus is more than an ordinary human being and that his testimony would be compelling. I would move first to a study of the person of Jesus and then ask the question, what did Jesus teach about Scripture? For me, in the final analysis, our doctrine of Scripture is drawn from the teaching of Jesus and from our understanding of who he is.

From "TOUGH QUESTIONS WITH R.C. SPROUL"
http://www.biblegateway.com

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