What did Satan look like to Adam?

I was looking at an artist’s rendition of the devil the other day, a horrible, non-human, scaly sort of creature. Very unpleasant to look at. Something you’d really, really hate to run into on a dark street at night, which is where the creature seemed to be standing in the picture – looking straight at you, as if you would make a good bedtime snack.

Then I thought about II Corinthians 11:14: “… Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.” It was a warning about deception, not to be carried away with pleasant appearances.

I concluded something at that point: we shouldn’t be carried away with unpleasant appearances, either.

The devil didn’t appear to Adam as a creature of darkness. He appeared attractive, charming and delightful. Intelligent, friendly, helpful. Full of advice.

As I thought about what he might have looked like, the Lord said, “Think Solomon.” Handsome, smart, rich, and wise. Oh yes, definitely informed and knowledgeable about eternal things. Wise.

Adam didn’t turn from worship of God to worship of himself at that point, as I sometimes thought in the past. He knew only a life completed by worship. He didn’t contemplate abandoning worship of God. Worship was as natural as breathing.

He did contemplate the idea of becoming like God, however, able to understand and fellowship with God in a better fashion – doesn’t that sound like an excellent idea? What a wonderful gift that would be to present to creator God!

Genesis makes it clear that Adam was by Eve’s side during this conversation with Satan. Eve, the efficient helper, checked out the delicious fruit first to be sure it was okay, then passed it along to Adam.

The moment they took and tasted it, they did it in agreement (read obedience) to a perfectly sensible suggestion from a charming and wise and beautiful person. Their allegiance switched from creator, the real God, to Satan the false god.

Their constant spiritual link to the creator vanished, like losing the signal on your cell phone.

Think what would have happened if they stayed in the garden and decided to partake of another delectable fruit, from the tree of life. Their only chance to ever re-establish their link with God would disappear. In his infinite mercy, God took steps to prevent that further disaster. He removed them from the garden.

Being removed was for their protection, more than a punishment. Through the eventual  efforts of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, the spiritual link between God and human beings was re-established. It seems like it took a long time, to us. But what is a few thousand years to God? Considering eternity…

One more thought. Matthew 27:52-53 may include Adam and Eve, who knows. This refers to the bodies of saints (i.e. those who died in faith, looking for the coming of the Messiah) being raised from the dead after Jesus’ resurrection and being seen by people living in Jerusalem. Neat.

War is planned.

War is planned.

I was thinking about all the wars and rumors of wars in the news the other day. Then as I listened to Christmas carols and thought about the Bethlehem story, the Lord began talking to me.

Men speak peace but they plan war.

Don’t pray for world peace. The angels at Bethlehem didn’t declare peace on earth – they declared peace on earth to men of good will – i.e., men of God’s choosing.

Peace happens in pockets. As one individual at a time is offered terms of peace, he himself must accept those terms, must declare peace between himself and God. As the evidence and benefits of the obtained peace become obvious to others, they may seek peace with God also. On God’s terms, of course, not theirs.

The problem isn’t that God declared war on mankind. Mankind’s beautiful false friend planned war the moment Adam was created. Satan planned it, declared it, and conscripted humans into his ranks to wage it. But he cannot win; God is too skilled a warrior to lose this battle.

Winning the war isn’t the enemy’s only goal, however. It’s his ultimate goal, perhaps, but in the interim corrupting humanity will do, one man at a time. Weaken his faith, strengthen his doubt, neutralize his fighting ability and there’s one less warrior to worry about.

Oh yes, war is planned. It’s a major occupation of the tempter to plan it and plant it in the minds of susceptible human beings.

Whether in little skirmishes or horrific battles, men attempt to gain something by other than honorable means. What is it they want? Control. Power and authority. Godship of themselves and others.

A primary temptation from the beginning of time, this is the first of the ten commandments. Have no other gods before me, the Lord said. Being your own god, making your own rules, ruling your own life and that of other people is so attractive! That’s why war will exist for at least a thousand more years.

Daniel learned about warfare from the angel Gabriel, and he wrote about battles between nations that would happen far into the future from his own time.

He also learned about battles raging even then, fierce enough to delay delivery of a message from an angel (Daniel 10:12-13). The book of Daniel offers fascinating insights into what goes on around us unseen to the human eye, yet affecting us both personally and politically.

So, rather than praying the usual generic, seasonal prayer for world peace, let’s pray for peace between God and individuals; that kind is actually possible.

A great risk

He risked a great deal coming to the earth as a human, Jesus. One-third of the Godhead was at risk. Jesus, God the Son, was “tempted in all points like we are.” He was tempted to quit.

He could have avoided execution. He could have walked away. Even at the point of death he could have called angels to rescue him, or revive him.

Jesus knew who he was. He had always existed. He knew about heaven, about himself and his mission. He had the authority and the ability to go through with it, or not.

The greatest punishment wasn’t physical, emotional or mental. How long is a few hours compared to millions of years? Jesus had seen other men crucified; the Romans were known for it and they were good at it.

No, the split of the Godhead was his greatest test. That critical, essential division away from the Father, becoming guilty, black with sin, an elementally flawed human – that was the greatest punishment possible – and the moment of God’s greatest risk. Jesus could say no.

Oh, surely God knew how it would all turn out in the end. It was all pre-planned, pre-determined, I’ve heard people say, so there really wasn’t any question about the outcome, was there?

If that was true, Jesus faced no real temptation. But he did. And the risk was very real.

God the Father was putting a great deal at risk, he himself, personally. Had Jesus chosen to abandon his mission, his allegiance would be changed.

If he chose to change his mind, who would he then become? Another rebel? Would he draw followers away from Father God, or followers away from Satan?

Or would he become a follower of Satan himself? The deceiver’s abilities were no doubt working in full force, right up to the end. “Save yourself. I’ll give you the earth and all its kingdoms…”

Had Jesus failed, what would that mean for the survival of creation? Spiritual warfare has always been for control of God’s creation, after all. Without a permanent solution for sin, human beings couldn’t be inhabited by God the Holy Spirit.

They couldn’t be enabled to enjoy the Father’s fellowship, to learn, invent, explore the vast reaches of time and space.

The warfare raging between God and Satan would become more vicious and widespread, with no guaranteed survival of the creation that humanity is part of.

As a human being Jesus was excruciatingly, painfully tempted to abandon his mission.  He couldn’t have completed it in any other form, but God risked so much in sending him on it!

That fact, more than anything else I’ve ever contemplated, graphically demonstrates  God the Father’s love towards his children; towards me.

Why bother

I don’t read the Bible like I should. I mean, not every day, not in an organized manner, and not as long as I should when I do read it. I was admitting this to the Lord while driving this morning and asked him a couple of questions.

First, why don’t you make me want to read the Bible more than I do? And second, why should I read it more, anyway?

I was a little surprised that he answered me right away, although he does that often enough that I shouldn’t have been surprised. Here’s how the conversation went.

“Think about language. Like English, your own native language. What is it?”

Hmmm. Okay, what is it?

“It’s a container by which information in one mind is transferred to another mind.”

Okay, I get that.

“By reading scripture, information in God’s mind is transferred to a human mind.”

Okay, I get that, too. But we don’t need to continually read the Bible for that, do we? Can’t we hear your voice and know your mind without reading the Bible over and over? (Meaning, I’ve read it quite a few times in the past, isn’t that enough?)

“Yes, but the Bible is not only a container, it’s a step above a container. Without the Bible, you wouldn’t be able to tell if the words you hear come from God’s mind or some other mind. Would you?”

I guess not.

That was the end of the two-way conversation but the beginning of a longer meditation.

I have read the Bible many times in my lifetime, in several versions. Not all the way through, Genesis to Revelation in any set plan, but when studying a particular subject, particular book, or particular person. And while I do remember a great deal of what I have read in the past, I don’t have total recall. Wish I did. From time to time I have to look up some verse in a concordance to remind myself where it is.

Usually when I sit down to read a chapter or so, I find myself getting sidetracked within just a few verses. A couple of months ago I decided to read Daniel all the way through but found that practically impossible for me. Names, places, times – there were way too many fascinating temptations to do research, look up cross-references, other passages, other books.

I’m not sure I have ever finished reading the book of Daniel, not completely. Somewhere along the way I wound up in the book of Matthew, then Revelation. Once in a while I go back to Daniel and read a little more.

And along the way, having the author comment on what I’m reading is like having Shakespeare by my side to explain his plays, only much, much better! Sometimes the Holy Spirit will nudge me to read something specific, or just tell me point blank where to find a verse.

This morning as I meditated, I reminded myself of all that and decided, it’s worth reading the Bible for that experience.

At the point of His spear

I was reading an article in my church newsletter a few weeks ago. When I came to the bottom and read “In His Hands,” I thought back to a friend who used to sign her notes and emails “In His Grip.”

Suddenly the Lord spoke clearly to me and said, “At the point of His spear.”

I realized – that’s what we are, and that’s what prayer is. The point of God’s spear to overcome the power of the enemy, no matter what form it takes. And whether the prayer is in the mouth of us adults or in the mouth of children, it’s God’s weapon to bring success.

Coins from Era of Biblical Joseph Found in Egypt

MEMRI (Middle East Media Research Institute) Special Dispatch – No. 2561 September 24, 2009

According to a report in the Egyptian daily Al-Ahram, by Wajih Al-Saqqar, archeologists have discovered ancient Egyptian coins bearing the name and image of the Biblical Joseph. Following are excerpts from the article:

“Koranic Verses Indicate Clearly That Coins Were Used in Egypt in the Time of Joseph.” “In an unprecedented find, a group of Egyptian researchers and archeologists has discovered a cache of coins from the time of the Pharaohs. Its importance lies in the fact that it provides decisive scientific evidence disproving the claim by some historians that the ancient Egyptians were unfamiliar with coins and conducted their trade through barter.

“The researchers discovered the coins when they sifted through thousands of small archeological artifacts stored in [the vaults of] the Museum of Egypt. [Initially] they took them for charms, but a thorough examination revealed that the coins bore the year in which they were minted and their value, or effigies of the pharaohs [who ruled] at the time of their minting. Some of the coins are from the time when Joseph lived in Egypt, and bear his name and portrait.

“There used to be a misconception that trade [in Ancient Egypt] was conducted through barter, and that Egyptian wheat, for example, was traded for other goods. But surprisingly, Koranic verses indicate clearly that coins were used in Egypt in the time of Joseph.

“Research team head Dr. Sa’id Muhammad Thabet said that during his archeological research on the Prophet Joseph, he had discovered in the vaults of the [Egyptian] Antiquities Authority and of the National Museum many charms from various eras before and after the period of Joseph, including one that bore his effigy as the minister of the treasury in the Egyptian pharaoh’s court…

“Dr. Sa’id Thabet added that he had examined the sarcophagi of many pharaohs in search of coins used as charms or ornaments, and that he had indeed found such ancient Egyptian coins. This [find] prompted researchers to seek and find Koranic verses that speak of coins used in ancient Egypt, [such as]: ‘And they sold him [i.e. Joseph] for a low price, a number of silver coins; and they attached no value to him. [Koran 12:20].’ [Also,] Qarun [2] says about his money: ‘This has been given to me because of a certain knowledge which I have [Koran 28: 78].’”

“Studies… Have Revealed That What Most Archeologists Took For a Kind of Charm, and Others Took For an Ornament… is Actually a Coin”

“According to Dr. Thabet, his studies are based on publications about the Third Dynasty, one of which states that the Egyptian coin of the time was called a deben and was worth one-fourth of a gram of gold. This coin is mentioned in a letter by a man named Thot-Nehet, a royal inspector of the Nile bridges. In letters to his son, he mentioned leasing lands in return for deben-coins and agricultural produce.

“Other texts from the time of the Third Dynasty, the Sixth Dynasty and the Twelfth Dynasty mention a coin named shati or sat, whose value was equal to that of the deben. There is also a picture of an Egyptian market showing trade being conducted through barter, but one of the vendors puts out his hand, asking the buyer for a deben in return for the goods.

“Studies by Dr. Thabet’s team have revealed that what most archeologists took for a kind of charm, and others took for an ornament or adornment, is actually a coin. Several [facts led them to this conclusion]: first, [the fact that] many such coins have been found at various [archeological sites], and also [the fact that] they are round or oval in shape, and have two faces: one with an inscription, called the inscribed face, and one with an image, called the engraved face – just like the coins we use today.

“The archeological finding is also based on the fact that the inscribed face bore the name of Egypt, a date, and a value, while the engraved face bore the name and image of one of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs or gods, or else a symbol connected with these. Another telling fact is that the coins come in different sizes and are made of different materials, including ivory, precious stones, copper, silver, gold, etc.”

“500 of These Coins Were [Recently] Discovered in the Museum of Egypt – Where They Were [Originally] Classified as Charms and Stored Carelessly in Closed Boxes”

“The researcher also pointed out that the coins made of precious metals or stones usually had a hole in them, like a woman’s ornament, allowing them to be [worn] around the neck or on the chest. Some of them, which bore images of gods and texts from various prayers or incantations, were treasured belongings that were placed into the bindings of mummies or placed [on the chest, close to] the heart. The coins were scarab-shaped. What made the discovery possible was the fact that 500 of these coins were [recently] discovered in the Museum of Egypt, where they were [originally] classified as charms and stored carelessly in closed boxes.”

“One Coin… [Had] an Image of a Cow Symbolizing Pharaoh’s Dream about the Seven Fat Cows and Seven Lean Cows”

“The researcher identified coins from many different periods, including coins that bore special markings identifying them as being from the era of Joseph. Among these, there was one coin that had an inscription on it, and an image of a cow symbolizing Pharaoh’s dream about the seven fat cows and seven lean cows, and the seven green stalks of grain and seven dry stalks of grain. It was found that the inscriptions of this early period were usually simple, since writing was still in its early stages, and consequently there was difficulty in deciphering the writing on these coins. But the research team [managed to] translate [the writing on the coin] by comparing it to the earliest known hieroglyphic texts…

“Joseph’s name appears twice on this coin, written in hieroglyphs: once the original name, Joseph, and once his Egyptian name, Saba Sabani, which was given to him by Pharaoh when he became treasurer. There is also an image of Joseph, who was part of the Egyptian administration at the time.

“Dr. Sa’id Thabet called on Egypt’s Antiquities Council and on the Minister of Culture to intensify efforts in the fields of Ancient Egyptian history and archeology, and to [promote] the research of these coins that bear the name of Egyptian pharaohs and gods. This, he said, would enable the correction of prevalent misconceptions regarding the history of Ancient Egypt.”

A few good men

A few good men, that’s what he needed.

Gideon was the least of the least of his family. At least that’s the way he thought of himself. A descendant of the patriarch Joseph through the eldest son Manasseh, you’d think Gideon’s family would be doing well. But instead, when it came time for the family blessings to be handed out, Joseph’s younger son Ephraim had gotten it instead. By the time Gideon’s generation came along, his family was fairly well impoverished.

But then, at this particular time in Israel’s history, the whole nation was impoverished. (Read Judges chapters 6 and 7 for the story.)

Raiders, Midianite marauders from the other side of the Jordan River would wait until Israel’s crops were mature, then come in and steal everything. They would move in with their camels and their tents, take whatever they wanted and when it was used up they would move out again. There were so many of them, just their camels were “as the sand by the seaside for multitude.” (Jdg. 7:12)

The Lord picked Gideon, the least likely choice, to put a stop to the Midianite raids. And one of the fascinating facts in this story is the way he went about it.

Gideon started out with 32,000 men, a good sized army. But God said it was too many – they would take the credit themselves. He told Gideon to send those who were fearful back home, leaving 10,000.

That was still a fair number. But God said, it’s still too many. He gave Gideon a method by which to choose who should stay and fight, and who should go back home.

Men who drank water by kneeling and bending over to drink directly from the water had to go home. Men who drank by cupping their hands and bringing water to their lips, could stay. In the end, only 300 could stay.

Why make this distinction? It’s a question of wisdom. Common sense. Strategy.

If you’re drinking from a cupped hand, you can see what’s around you. You can see if someone is coming. You can hold a sword in the other hand, and you can stand, walk, run and fight.

If you’re kneeling and face down in the water, you can’t see anything around you. Your back is exposed. Both hands are on the ground supporting your body weight while you bend over to the water. You can’t hold a sword. You can’t stand, walk, run or fight, at least not until you get back up. By then an enemy could have killed you.

Wisdom, common sense, strategy. Gideon took those few, those 300 men and totally defeated the marauding enemy. Of course, they were so few, they had to use God’s tactics as well as his strategy. That’s a fascinating story all by itself.

Side note:

I’m sure you know the difference between strategy and tactics. Derived from the Greek strategos, military strategy deals with the planning and conduct of campaigns, the movement and disposition of forces, and the deception of the enemy.

Tactics, on the other hand, are specific techniques for using weapons or military units in combination for engaging and defeating an enemy in battle.

Choosing the few, the wisest 300 was strategy. Having them break pitchers and blow trumpets at the enemy instead of fighting with swords? That was tactics. God is excellent at both.

In the times we live in today, I think God is looking again for a few good men. And women…

Sheepfold

Some of us are snoopy. Curious. We poke into things, eavesdrop, not from any perverse motives, we just want to know. The apostles were a bit like that too.

“Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (Matt. 24:3)

Jesus answered, “Watch out that no one deceives you… you will hear of wars and rumors of wars… nation will rise against nation… there will be famines, and earthquakes… many will turn away from the faith… many false prophets will appear and deceive many people…” (24:4-11)

“There will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now, and never to be equaled again.” (24:21)

The apostles asked Jesus, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts. 1:6)

That wasn’t any of their business, Jesus said – more tactfully, of course. “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.” (1:7)

The other day I was re-reading these verses, meditating about how things look in the world today. A lot of the front-page news sounds a lot like those verses in Matthew. I asked the Lord a question that I didn’t really expect an answer to, “When is all this going to happen, really?”

I knew Matthew 24:14, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

Okay, I have no way of knowing when the gospel has been preached in the whole world. Nobody does. I was just being my normal snoopy self, asking a question I expected the Holy Spirit to ignore.

But he didn’t ignore it – he answered it. “When the last sheep is in the fold.” But when he said that, he didn’t show me a mental image of sheep, but a mental image of warriors. Suddenly I knew that God is assembling an invasion force in heaven (see http://www.speakingofheaven.wordpress.com). He knows when the last person on earth who will accept his invitation by his deadline has done so. His deadline is described in Matthew 24:14.

I don’t need to know that date, I just need to be ready by that date.

It seemed good to the Holy Spirit – and us –

The other day I was lying down, not watching television or reading a book, just thinking about various things, and asked myself a question. Why am I here?

Meaning, why am I doing volunteer work, writing for a missions organization. Why am I writing blogs. Why am I writing, period. And the larger question not articulated – why am I still here on earth, not in heaven.

I wasn’t really praying so I didn’t expect the Holy Spirit to answer that question. But he surprised me. He instantly answered, as is his usual style when I pray. “Because it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to me.”

That sounded like a Bible verse so I dragged out my Strong’s Concordance, laying it on the bed. I found the reference, turned to it in the Bible I keep on the night stand and read the passage. It’s from Acts 15:28, part of a letter the apostles wrote to Gentile believers.

I laid the Bible on my dresser, still open to that page, then lay back down and let that phrase roll around in my mind, not asking any more questions, just thinking.

Part of that phrase seemed odd to me: “to the Holy Spirit and us.” And us? As if US had any choice in the matter?

The Holy Spirit began to expound on his choice of an answer to my question.

We all have a choice in the matter. We can refuse any of Father God’s requests. Any of his offers. Any of his assignments. Many people do.

We’re not robots, despite some theology about God’s sovereignty. Of course, if we think he will just give up and go away, we’re badly mistaken. He’s very persuasive and very persistent. He won’t give up easy.

He’d like us to go his way without all the messy complications we tend to create for ourselves. If we continually decline, however, he will eventually let us go our own way. We’ll suffer the consequences – not punishment, just consequences. I did, for a while.

I remember the day he told me, “You’ll be a teacher.” It was a simple statement of fact made in a clear, quiet voice. I was in the first grade, sitting in a McKenzie School classroom at the time. I didn’t give him any argument or request any explanation, just took it as one person passing along a bit of information to another.

Of course, I was only 6 years old at the time – what did I know? I’d probably heard wrong, I thought in later years when I was preparing to become a nuclear physicist. Making all A’s on advanced math and science classes in junior high and high school, becoming a teacher was the last thing on my mind.

Entering college with the highest math score they’d ever had, my career path was set, I thought. Then I fell in love, got married and dropped out of college. Horrified everyone I knew, all my family who’d had such high hopes for me. I took a job as a secretary, teaching myself to type from a book.

To digress…

When I was barely old enough to hold a pencil I started writing. Meditations. Stories. Poetry. Letters. Greeting cards. I made excellent grades in English composition. Later on I wrote articles on Bible subjects, two of which were published in a national magazine.

In the late 1970’s I began writing Esther’s Petition, a print newsletter of Bible studies that was circulated to a few hundred people. It didn’t last long, postage was too expensive. But I read, studied, learned, made notes and outlines for my own use in teaching Bible college and Sunday School courses. Note that word, “teaching.”

I had become a teacher. Not of math, not of science, not even of English or literature, and not with a college degree. A teacher of the Bible. The detour had been a little circuitous from first grade days, but the Holy Spirit had been right all along. I could almost feel his amusement the day it dawned on me, as I recalled that first grade statement of fact.

Then one day… clearly and just as determinedly, the Holy Spirit spoke again as if he was standing right by my shoulder. “Write.”

Now, editing for other writers, businessmen and women, had become part of my secular occupation in the 1980’s, but writing anything for others to read had been put on a back burner.

I was busy, taking care of Tim and our business, being involved with politics and other things. I ignored the suggestion. But as though he was following me around, staying right behind my shoulder, every now and then he whispered that one little word, “write.” Not too loud, not too annoying, just persistent.

After several months of stubbornness, I gave in. I started writing again. “Family Memories” newspaper columns. Secular novels and short stories online, personal history articles for myself and a few relatives. After Tim died I began a blog about him. And I started Esther’s Petition again, blog entries instead of paper newsletters this time.

Recently I’ve started another blog, Speaking of Heaven. I have no idea who will read that one; we’ll see. It’s very different…

So why am I here? To write, I guess. Because it seems good to the Holy Spirit, and to me. Patient and persistent, at least he hasn’t written me off as a lost cause yet.

Authority, delegated

When Jesus told the apostles / disciples to do something that they could not do, did he expect them to do it? Certainly. He said if they loved him, they’d do what he told them to do.

If they couldn’t do it naturally, he enabled them to do it supernaturally. We understand that, we accept that, we teach that in Sunday School.

But we act like it doesn’t apply to us today, when in fact it does. In what we call the great commission, Jesus told them to teach other people to do the same things he’d told them.

When a soldier goes through basic training, he’s taught how to fight and how to use weapons. When he gets into a battle with an enemy soldier, he does not yell, “General, come fight this enemy soldier for me!”

Does he?

Then why does the average Christian do that?