religion – Page 397 – Len Bilén's blog, a blog about faith, politics and the environment.

Thought for the day. Jesus Christ and gravity waves.

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:15-17, NIV)

In 1905 Albert Einstein proposed that the speed of light in vacuum is the same, regardless of the speed relative to the observer. That being the case, if the relative speed of light does not change, then something else must change. After much thinking and a few false starts he determined the dimension that changes is time, and published the theory of specific relativity. He then spent 10 years trying to include acceleration in his equations and published his theory of general relativity in 1915. In it, he determined that massive objects cause a distortion in space-time, which is felt as gravity.

The equation for general relativity is elegant in its simplicity:

R_m_n – ½ g_m_nR = 8pG T_m_n.

It is not as simple as it seems, the suffix _m_n describes curved space-time and the equations grow until the whole blackboard is filled, and then, that was just the beginning.

On Feb 11 it was published that Einstein’s prediction of gravity waves were confirmed. A billion dollar set of gravity detectors verified gravity waves from a pair of rapidly rotating black holes. This was a giant step forward of science, we now can understand mathematically what holds the universe together.

At the other end of the space-time spectrum is the question: What holds the nucleus of an

atom together? Using the curvature of space-time as a model the scientists derived mathematically 11 total dimensions that can explain the glue that holds everything together. They stopped there, for the 12th dimension would be an alternate time, and since we are bound in space-time there is no way to verify the existence of alternate time.

All of these mathematical formulas describing the universe and how it is stable assume that the laws of Physics are unchangeable through time and space. This is the universal question: If the laws of Physics cannot change, how come we exist? There must have been a creation. Current scientific thinking is the Big Bang, creating the whole universe out of a singularity, and maybe an anti-universe as well filled entirely with anti-matter. But even this indicates there was a beginning, during which time the laws of Physics were established.

This begs the question: Are we really only a product of time plus chance plus nothing? The probability of this being the case is much less than finding the needle in a haystack, more like finding the right elementary particle in the universe. Yet, that is what is taught in school.

It is far more reasonable to assume the existence of a God, a God that created it all including the mathematical formulas which rules the universe.

The Bible explains Creation in the first three verses of Genesis: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

To believe the Biblical account requires a step of faith; it is free from all scientific explanations, concentrating on the spiritual truths. In the first three verses it introduces all three members of the Godhead, the Father, the Word and the Spirit. (In other passages of scripture Jesus Christ is described as the Word: And the word became flesh and dwelt among us.) Reading the Bible from a spiritual perspective made a believer out of me, and this explains the meaning of Colossians 1:15-17.

Now the little song for kids makes perfect sense:

He’s got the whole world in His hands,
He’s got the whole world in His hands,
He’s got the whole world in His hands,
He’s got the whole world in His hands.

He’s got my brothers and my sisters in His hands,
He’s got my brothers and my sisters in His hands,
He’s got my brothers and my sisters in His hands,
He’s got the whole world in His hands.

He’s got the sun and the rain in His hands,
He’s got the moon and the stars in His hands,
He’s got the wind and the clouds in His hands,
He’s got the whole world in His hands.

He’s got the rivers and the mountains in His hands,
He’s got the oceans and the seas in His hands,
He’s got you and he’s got me in His hands,
He’s got the whole world in His hands.

He’s got everybody here in His hands,
He’s got everybody there in His hands,
He’s got everybody everywhere in His hands,
He’s got the whole world in His hands.

Thought for the day. The Hew Hampshire Primary or whatever.

So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” (Matthew 21:21-22)

Watching the New Hampshire primary election the thought came to me. How many have prayed for their candidate to win, and if so, how many did it in faith, without doubting? Regardless of how many prayed for their candidate, there can only be so many winners in any election. The rest, having prayed in faith, not doubting will be disappointed. Some will be disappointed in God. Did God fail them?

Some will say yes, God failed them, but even more will question their faith, and acknowledge their doubts that God is capable of doing anything. So they blame themselves, the disappointments mount, and their prayer life takes a hit. Jesus’ half-brother James put it succinctly: You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. (James 4:3). It is enough to forget the whole thing.

Or is it?

Many people are careful to add to their prayers: If it is your will, but even this caveat shows we acknowledge we really do not really know God’s will, and we resign us to the fate that our most sincere prayers are probably useless anyway.

Nothing could be further from the truth. God commands us to “be continually in prayer” and the promise in Matthew is repeated in Mark11:23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. And in John 16:23 the apostle quotes Jesus: “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. These are words from the Lord Jesus himself, so they must mean something, or God’s word cannot be trusted.

The answer is found in the age old question: What is the purpose of our being here on earth anyway? Does God really care? At first glance with terror, war and lawlessness spreading all over the world, God no longer cares. As one who has been reborn from above I can attest that God cares very much, and He really desires to have fellowship with us. There is nothing that compares to knowing you are loved by God and having fellowship with Him.

But back to whatever. The promise is not as ridiculous at it seems at first glance; all factions cannot get their petitions fulfilled. We must dig deeper: Jesus said in John 14:13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. And in John 15:14 Jesus states: You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. Jesus doubles downs in verse 16: You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. And the answer to how we should live is found just above in John 15:9-12:

⁹“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. ¹⁰If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. ¹¹“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. ¹²This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

There it is: The greatest commandment, and if we abide in Him we can ask whatever, because it aligns with His perfect will.

Lest we be puffed up, this is still true: In Isaiah 55:8-9 God states:“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

Yet, the Lord Jesus states in John 16:12-13 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”

There we have it: The Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth, enough to give us grace and lead us day by day, but not so much that we can go forward all by ourselves.

Thought for the day. My fathers testimony song.

⁷If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. ⁸By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.⁹“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. ¹⁰If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. (John 15: 7-10)

My father was a middle school teacher in a city with many immigrants and refugee children from the second world war. There were Finns, Estonians, Latvians, Lithuanians, Polish, Serbs and an occasional Jew. Many children came from single moms since this was a textile city. So naturally he was a flaming liberal. But he had a very developed sense of right and wrong. He had a way with children, so the administrators gave him a large number of children from broken homes. He always tried his best to help them succeed in spite of hardships, and even now, 60 years later they call my mom in thankfulness, even going so far as to say “He saved my life”. Then in the 60’s and 70’s he saw the excesses of a socialist government, year after year taking more than the salary increases in additional taxes, so the take home pay every ear was a little bit lower. Meanwhile we had raging inflation. After his retirement my mom took a job as a therapist for people with cognitive challenges. Many had been in state facilities all their lives. The social administrators decided one day that they too should lead normal lives and gave them a dinner at the town’s most expensive restaurant. Not only did they not appreciate it, but they wanted to go back home and eat what they were used to. When my father found out the size of the bill he said bluntly: That’s it. From now on I am a conservative. But now he had to search out, how shall we then live, so he started going back to his childhood faith, the faith he abandoned as a young man because of the hypocrisy he saw in those to proclaimed to be Christians.

Meanwhile my wife and I had been saved and one of my brothers married a strong Christian, and he searched for the truth.

At his funeral we sang Eventide (Abide with me), and looking through his writings I found this poem:
There is a road that’s leading heaven bound.
A strait and narrow, not like others found.
It ends abruptly at a raging sea,
Don’t doubt, your faith your wanderer’s staff shall be.
That road is leading homeward just the same,
through evil seas of sin, and guilt, and shame.
There is a bridge appearing on the scene;
To land that no-one mortal ever seen.
This land of hope and grace and peace sublime.
Thank God, You let me find that road in time.
Written by my father (in Swedish) in 1978.

©Lars Bilén 1978 (1912-2004), tr. Lennart Bilén 2015

Wow! Looking at the poem I heard the roaring sea and i heard Finlandia in my head for the first verse. Then for the second verse, Eventide became the obvious choice.

My father indeed found the only way, reconciliation through Jesus Christ. Only a few years later he lost much of his creative abilities, but he was ever thankful God had let him find that road in time.

Thought for the day. Everlasting or eternal?

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16, King James version)

Holding up the John 3:16 sign behind homeplate on televised games used to be a time honored tradition, as American as apple pie. The picture above shows the 2012 world Series, game 4, last at bat for Detroit, and the John 3:16 sign was seen live by millions and replayed across the world. Lately, in a pregame, broadcast by ESPN on July 27, 2014, Gino Emmerich arrived at Willie Mays Plaza carrying a sign broadcasting “John 3:16”.

While Emmerich was holding up his sign, a police officer grabbed him from behind by his shirt and neck and moved him out of the view of the camera. Once Emmerich was clear of the cameras, he was surrounded by four police officers and warned, “If you go over there and hold that sign again, we will arrest you and the sergeant will come over here and decide where we are going to take you.” Emmerich then left the plaza to avoid being arrested.

This is how far we have come. It is now offensive to proclaim God’s love in a public forum. How can the promise of everlasting love be offensive?

The New international Bible uses the word eternal instead of everlasting. Is there any difference, and why so?

It is my firm belief that the term everlasting is the correct translation. The universe, and we have a beginning, therefore we are not eternal but everlasting. From Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God” the Bible declared that God was there, pre-existing before the beginning.

From the book of Hebrews (13:20-21 KJV) states: Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Again NIV states the eternal covenant. Am I splitting hairs?

There is a very interesting verse in Revelation (13:8, KJV) telling of the time of the time of the great tribulation: And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. This verse tells that the Lamb was slain before the foundation of the world. Imagine that! Jesus Christ, the Lamb was slain before the universe was formed! The only way I can wrap myself around this thought is that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit pre-existed as one, yet three, and exist independent of time and space.

This is true eternity: Only God exists both in and out of time and space, without beginning and without end. Everything else is less than eternal, but maybe everlasting, with a beginning but without an end.

Thought for the day: Pray continually.

First Thessalonians 5:17 “pray continually” is short and to the point, only two words, as short as “rejoice always” and “Jesus wept”. That is a tall order, it gives no wiggle room, we should always be in an attitude of prayer. How is that possible? I have other things to do.

Prayer is communication with God. It is mostly non verbal, thinking about and listening to what the Holy Spirit living within you wants you to do every moment of every day, certainly in your day-dreams, and maybe even in your dreams. I take this as one of the richest privileges of being a Christian.

The other day I read in the news that about 150 Somali-Muslim employees of a Colorado meat processing plant were fired after they walked out on the job, demanding prayer time, and refused to return.

Approximately 200 employees at Cargill Meat Solutions in Fort Morgan staged the walkout, demanding various blocks of prayer time throughout the day, but a small number returned, according to The Denver Post.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, is demanding their reinstatement and return of their prayer privileges and continuing use of the prayer room the company had generously provided for them until then. This had worked well for many years, the company allowed them to go off and pray in groups of 2 or 3 so as not to shut down the assembly line, but the Somali Muslims started to demand that they all should be allowed to pray at the appointed prayer times and only those times to comply with Sharia law.

Why was that so important that they rather lose their jobs than yield to the company policy of staged prayer?

Muslim prayers are different from Christian prayers. Christians can pray at any time, Muslims are prescribed to pray their “Contact Prayers” at specific times, five are obligatory: Pre-dawn, midday, afternoon, after sunset and before going to bed. I take the midday prayer as an example. It cannot begin until the sun has passed zenith, the highest point on the solar arc. If you start too early Allah will not hear your prayer. This means you cannot use standard time but must use solar time. Solar noon is early in the eastern part of a time zone, and about an hour later in the western part of the time zone. In addition it matters which day of the year it is Solar noon in November is half an hour earlier than solar noon in February. Add two minutes to that, and you are allowed and commanded to do your prayers, you and everybody of like faith, turning to Mecca, thus fulfilling Sharia law.

The purpose of these proscribed prayer times is to round up all believers and exercise mind control. You know who your buddies are, and you also know who is an infidel. This is totalitarianism, following the directives of the Imams. In Muslim dominated territories, when the call to prayer is sung from the minarets everybody stops what they are doing, turns to Mecca, prostrates in a very prescribed position and recites their memorized prayer in Medieval Arabic.

I am so thankful to have access to God at any time, giving praise, giving thanks and asking God for His will for me and others, for the hour, for the day and for the future!

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16

If Pilgrims were refugees, are Refugees Pilgrims? A Limerick.

President Obama said yesterday that the Pilgrims were refugees, too.

What he is really saying is that the refugees are pilgrims, advancing the doctrine of the Islamic totalitarian Caliphate worldwide.
Way to go.
“The Pilgrims were refugees too.”

Are refugees Pilgrims? Who knew?

For the Caliphate’s sake

they spread death in their wake.

That’s how their dominion once grew.

In this Thanksgiving season we are to count our blessings and give thanks. A thankful spirit is a healing spirit. But Jihadists among the refugees is hard to give thanks for. But the admonition from scripture (1 Thessalonians 5:18) is : in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Notice that it does not say for everything, but in everything. Even Jonah gave thanks with a song of thanksgiving (Jonah 2:10) when he was in the belly of the big fish.

Thanks. Now I feel much better.

In everything give thanks. Two Limericks.

Say, What does it mean to give thanks?

In this world, full of rockets and tanks

it is hard to express

when you are in a mess.

Your thanksgiving meal: Beans and franks.

Yes, the thanksgiving spirit is to give thanks. For what? We may be entering WWIII with terror all around. That is why the verse (my life verse) is 1 Thessalonians 5: 18. In context here is 1 Thessalonians 5: 18-24

¹⁵See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. ¹⁶Rejoice always; ¹⁷pray without ceasing; ¹⁸in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. ¹⁹Do not quench the Spirit; ²⁰do not despise prophetic utterances. ²¹But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; ²²abstain from every form of evil.

²³Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.

Notice it did not say we are to give thanks for everything, but to give thanks in everything. This helps, when we are reading the new regulations coming out of the Government trying to regulate every aspect of our life. As the Limerick goes:

Now don’t get me started. You are what you eat.

Don’t eat the hot dogs, they are processed meat.

And the new EPA,

they must have the last say.

With beans you fart methane, which gives greenhouse heat.

On to Paris with the Climate change conference! According to Kerry, Obama, Clinton and Sanders Climate change is the biggest and most urgent threat to mankind.

In everything give thanks.

The Sarah Palin campaign song.

Ode to Sarah Palin. The campaign song.

(Best sung to “This ole house” by Stuart Hamblen.)

Verse 1. Sarah Palin is a leader, Sarah Palin is a wife,

Sarah Palin is a mother, And she knows the way of life

She was born in Sandpoint, Idaho, Alaska got her call,

was called Sarah Barracuda as State Champ of basketball

Refrain:

Ain’t no time to linger longer, Ain’t no time to stay behind,

We must step up to the challenge For she is one of a kind.

Ain’t no time to watch destruction, Nor to take our freedoms light.

Ain’t no time for politicking. We are ready to fight the fight.

Verse 2. The ecology runs better, Thanks to clean, pure CO2.

Grows more food to feed the hungry, That’s what Climate Change will do.

But Obama, Bernie, Hillary Think more of One World Rule;

Dream of Carbon Sequestration; They are stubborn as a mule.

Refrain.

Verse 3. Sarah Palin to the rescue, Sarah Palin to our aid,

Sarah Palin to the forefront ‘gainst the cronies being paid.

On our knees we plead for mercy; On our knees we pray for grace.

For the battle is the Lord’s and In His will we’ll run the race.

Refrain.

Verse 4. In this world of evil people She will stand for what is right.

While as Christians we are humbled It is God who leads the fight.

With the Clintons and their Spirits, And Obama and Islam,

And their hate for true religion, It is hard to keep the calm.

Refrain.

Verse 5. Sarah Palin undefeated, Sarah Palin unafraid,

Sarah Palin uncorrupted By the Devil’s best plans laid.

It is time to stand for virtue, It is time to stand for truth.

It is time to vote, be counted So this land regains its youth.

Refrain.

Verse 67 of the Obama Impeachme nt song. Obama to the dustbin of history. nt song.

Verse 67 of the Obama Impeachme

nt song. Obama to the dustbin of history.

At a news conference Monday at the G20 conference in Turkey, Obama was asked if his “reluctance to enter another Middle East war and [his] preference of diplomacy over using the military makes the U.S. weaker and emboldens our enemies.”

Obama responded: “Some of [my critics] seem to think that if I were just more bellicose in expressing what we’re doing, that that would make a difference, because that seems to be the only thing that they’re doing is talking as if they’re tough. Folks want to pop off and have opinions about what they think they would do, present a specific plan. What I’m not interested in doing is posing or pursuing some notion of American leadership or America winning or whatever other slogans they come up with that has no relationship to what is actually gonna work to protect the American people and to protect people in the region.”

What? The best possible interpretation of what he said is that he is delusional. All other interpretations are worse. This leads to verse 67 of the Obama Impeachment song (as if sung by Obama to the tune of “Please release me, let me go”)

I don’t really want to win

Though ISIS wants to do me in.

Christians take it on the chin

I’ll go to the history’s dustbin.

Here is the complete impeachment song: https://lenbilen.com/2015/02/25/the-complete-obama-impeachment-song/

Ode to Sarah Palin. The campaign song.

(Best sung to “This ole house” by Stuart Hamblen.)

Sarah Palin is a leader,
Sarah Palin is a wife,
Sarah Palin is a mother,
And she knows the way of life

She was born in small town Sandpoint
But Alaska was her call.
Barracuda was her nickname
When she championed basketball

refrain:
Ain’t got time to linger longer
Ain’t got time to stay behind
We must step up to the challenge
For she is one of a kind

Ain’t got time to watch destruction,
Nor to take our freedoms light.
Ain’t got time for politicking
We’re gettin’ ready to fight the fight.

Now this world should run much better
Thanks to more of CO2
Grows more food to feed the hungry
That’s what Climate Change will do.

But the Democrats in Congress
Think much more of One World Rule
Fight for Carbon Sequestration
They are stubborn as a mule.

Refrain.

Sarah Palin to the rescue
Sarah Palin to our aid
Sarah Palin to the forefront
‘gainst the cronies gettin’ paid.

On our knees we plead for mercy
On our knees we pray for grace
For the battle is the Lord’s, and
In His will we’ll run the race.

Refrain.

In this world of evil people
She will stand for what is right
While as Christians we are humbled
It is God who leads the fight.

With the Clintons and their Spirits
And Obama and Islam
And their hate for true religion
It is hard to keep the calm

Refrain:

Sarah Palin undefeated
Sarah Palin unafraid
Sarah Palin uncorrupted
By the Devil’s best plans laid.

It is time to stand for virtue
It is time to stand for truth
It is time to vote, be counted
So this land regains its youth.

Refrain.