“Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up, it knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn’t matter whether you’re the lion or a gazelle-when the sun comes up, you’d better be running.” by Christopher McDougall, Born to Run

A while back I watched a documentary about wild hunting dogs in Africa. These dogs are very beautiful and are sometimes called the “painted hunting dog” because of their beautiful colors. The reason for the documentary was to show the hunting techniques of the dogs. The dogs will line up along a path, strategically waiting short distances from one another for about a mile. Then one dog will pick out the prey and chase them into the path heading toward the other dogs. As the prey passes one by one, each dog will fall in line for the chase. The dogs just keep a steady pace swapping out the lead. After a while the prey will eventually slow, giving the lead dog a chance to nip at the legs further slowing it down. Then one by one each dog comes in until the prey gives out of energy and gives into the chase.

Why you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. James 4:14

Recently we were at a family and friends gathering for a summer holiday, there were a small group of friends and relatives that came to enjoy the fun, fellowship and food. We set up a water slide and a small pool in the backyard for the children, while inside there was cool air and lots of food. The grandchildren along with other children played from the time the waterslide was set up until just about dark. As the day was coming to a close, we had to run the children off the waterslide in order to take it down. Then we started drying them off getting them ready for a fireworks show. They were so disappointed to see the fun come to a close. They were all trying to devise how to make the day last just a little longer. They were asking if they could spend the night with each other, anything to keep the fun that was fading fast, alive.

I remember watching their faces sink as I pulled the plug on the air blower that kept the slide inflated. Time seemed to slow down as I watched the smiles on their faces deflate as the slide turned into a pile of wet cloth. What once was a castle streaming with a seemingly never-ending flow of water, glowing from the laughter and fun, now lay on the ground lifeless.

“I was in the Virgin Islands once. I met a girl. We ate lobster, drank piña coladas. At sunset… *That* was a pretty good day. Why couldn’t I get *that* day over, and over, and over…” Phil Connor “Groundhog Day”

The children couldn’t comprehend why the day should end. The parents were already discussing the trials of early morning jobs. Everyone was almost in panic mode, cleaning before the sunlight was gone. The time for fun and frolic was over and now life would get back to…life.

“Well those drifters’ days are past me now, I’ve got so much more to think about Deadlines and commitments, What to leave in, what to leave out” “Against the Wind” – Bob Seger

This life will sometimes feel endless, day after day of working, trying hard to survive. Each family has their own set of demons to deal with. There are those that struggle with finances, while others struggle with health, each person has their own circumstances of stress and concerns. Most days, we are glad to see come to an end, we get tired and are ready to find a quiet place of restful sleep. Each day stacks on top of another as it turns into an endless dream, a blur of trying to navigate the treacherous roads and tasks before us.

We start out life’s path with youth on our side, we think how easy it is to outrun our problems, but then we catch a glimpse of the predators as they are lined up for the chase. Age is usually the first to come out at a slow but steady pace. We pay little attention at first, but then realize more predators are joining the hunt. So, what started out as easy, begins to wear us down, stress, health, all of the life issues start coming out and piling on as we grow weary from the chase.

“Now don’t hang on, Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky It slips away, And all your money won’t another minute buy” Dust in the Wind, Kansas

One day this world, our world will end. As it does, we will be able to look back over all the things, that we thought were so important. Overpaid sports figures, actors, politics, houses, cars, things…the fan that blows and keeps our perceptions of this life inflated will be unplugged, all the air will be let out of everything. We will then be able to see this world from an eternal perspective.

“It’s a dream
Only a dream
And it’s fading now
Fading away
It’s only a dream
Just a memory without anywhere to stay”
It’s a Dream, Neil Young

We try to keep memories and people alive forever, we name highways after them, buildings, ball fields, stadiums, and the list goes on. Yet eventually no matter how important they are or how many statues erected to their memory, they will be gone. The memory of the person will die when the last person that was alive and knew that person dies. I have watched my parents’ lives come to an end, eventually, my children will watch my life end. Eternity is written in our hearts, we want people, days, things, to last forever, we need them to last, but they all end,

And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: …for there shall be no night there. Revelation 21:23-25

The cape dogs hunt to survive another day, its prey runs faster so it can survive another day, the world turns as we go to work by the sweat of our brow, to survive another day. This was not a part of God’s original design for our lives. We were designed to live forever in a world of endless days, wherein the cool of the evenings we could join our Creator having fun, food, and fellowship. Where the stress we feel in this life does not exist, pain, health not a factor. There is a world that is coming where there will be no more night, we will live in the never-ending day.

“Oh, they tell me of a home far beyond the skies Oh, they tell me of a home far away Oh, they tell me of a home where no storm clouds rise Oh, they tell me of an unclouded day

Oh, the land of cloudless day
Oh, the land of an unclouded sky
Oh, they tell me of a home where no storm clouds rise Oh, they tell me of an unclouded day

Oh, they tell me of a home where my friends have gone Oh, they tell me of that land far away Where the tree of life in eternal bloom Sheds its fragrance through the unclouded day”

Unclouded Day, Josiah Kelley Alwood

Does anyone know where the love of God goes

When the waves turn the minutes to hours?

The searches all say they’d have made Whitefish Bay

If they’d put fifteen more miles behind her.

“The Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald “Gordon Lightfoot

Talk about, God in His mercy, Oh, if he really does exist

Why did he desert me, In my hour of need?

I truly am indeed, Alone again, naturally

“Alone Again, Naturally” Gilbert O’Sullivan

Once you begin to analyze the basic reasons why someone either does not believe in God, is uncertain or just uncaring about God. It is usually not science or the arguments of the age of the earth. It usually comes down to just a few hard questions of how we just cannot reconcile why or what God allows. If God is Love, then why would He allow evil to exist in the world? How could a loving God allow me to be left alone, or allow this heartache and pain?

…He has also set eternity in the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Eccl 3:11

I do not pretend to have the mind of God that I could answer these questions. But I did want to share my take or personal views of these questions and ideas. As I have discussed before, the Journey in Wisdom is a lifelong journey, not always pleasant and fun, sometimes the journey is difficult and treacherous. If you happen to get your theology from bumper stickers, millionaire television evangelists, articles or memes on Facebook, you may want to skip this step/blog of our journey.

Hebrews chapter 11 sometimes referred to as the “Faith chapter” or “Faith hall of fame” is a summary of personalities in the Bible that were the best of the best in their exercise of faith (“the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”). The results were different for each person. For some it was their slain blood crying out to God from the ground, for others it was the rescue of their family from a flood or becoming the father of a great nation, still, others were stoned to death, faced lions or were tortured.

So, if I were able to choose my faith story, it would be the one with a happy ending, not the one where I am tortured or facing lions. But the problem we all wrestle with in our experiencing God is…. we cannot totally choose our path or our ending. So, we are left with a struggle of faith that we cannot get around. We sometimes then create in our mind a view of God that is more like the genie of a magic lamp, than a God we cannot control. So, when the lions come (and they do), our blame is directed at the only one that could have stopped the madness…God.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1

As God spoke the world into existence, he distinguished elements of light and dark, he separated the waters and firmament, day from night and the various seasons. In so doing he was creating order from the void, rules from chaos. For this creation to last, the rules and order would have to stay in place and be absolute. If the rules of separation and order ended, then creation would go back to void and chaos. I do not understand the order of the universe, I only understand there is order. I do not understand the ways of God, I only understand He has ways.

These absolutes would have to be followed for as long as this creation exists. God himself would be subject to the absolutes as He interacts with His creation or they would not be absolutes. God set the rules and then follows these rules for His creation/kingdom building. As we are made in the image of God, the world we create has rules. As we build infrastructures and houses we hire architects and engineers to assure us that all the absolutes are taken into account before we begin. Each phase of a project is built on the foundation of the previous step. If we bypass any of these steps the finished product will fail, the bridge will fall.

In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. John 14:1,2

Of the increase of his government and peace, there shall be no ends. Isaiah 9:7

Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.” John 18:36

God is continuing to build an ever-increasing kingdom, not of physical reality but of a spiritual reality. As we accept our place in His kingdom we also accept the risks. When Jesus called the disciples, their choice to follow was not without cost, each disciple eventually stood up for the kingdom, then each one, in their own way had a unique and sometimes horrifying end. The bible is a play by play book of how God continued to stay true to His own while maintaining the absolutes and building this spiritual kingdom. If we read and meditate on scripture, we can get a since of the absolutes that this spiritual kingdom is built upon.

I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” Isaiah 14:14

Satan crossed the line and broke the rules of creation. He is now confined to the restrictions of the absolutes. Satan is only allowed short-term freedom because the rules do not allow him to be judged until the end of the age. Satan once a part of creation, knew the absolutes, he also knew how to use Adam and Eve to create a fracture in the kingdom. Through the influence of Satan, man breaks the laws and violates the principles of creation, thus continuing the proliferation of evil in the world. Pain and suffering continue as a byproduct of this growing evil, all starting from the original fracture. God works through the absolutes to help mitigate the damage, while Satan works to thwart the rules whenever and wherever possible.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. Revelation 21:1

One day at the end of this age, this world as we know it will end. Satan will be judged, and a New Heaven and New Earth will be formed. God can once again be a daily part of all creation. Old things will be passed away, all things will be made new. This is where the Love of God goes…not just in the here and now, but also in an eternal future, a place that Jesus is continuing to prepare, where the pain and sorrows of this life will all be wiped away. Many of the personalities in the Bible described and mentioned this future kingdom:

Abraham – For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. Hebrews 11:10

Job – I know that my Redeemer lives and that in the end, he will stand on the earth. Job 19:25

Isaiah – The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. Isaiah 11:6

Daniel -In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. Daniel 2:34

John – And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Revelation 21:2-4

If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. 1 Corinthians 15:19

The roses in the window box have tilted to one side

Everything about this house was born to grow and die

“Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding” Elton John/Bernie Taupin

Everything we experience in this life is just temporary, the high places and the low places, neither will last. There is evil in this world, we do go through heartache and pain, and sometimes feel deserted, but It was never a part of God’s original design. If we only keep our focus on this life (the here and now) we will never understand the ways of God. We have to set our focus on the bigger picture of eternity. For the love of God reaches out to us, and takes all the fractures of this life, while preparing us for a greater eternity.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 1 Corinthians 2:9

When I was in grammar school (as they called it then) in the 60s, one of my favorite things was going to the school library and checking out a book to carry home. I usually ended up checking out the same books over and over. One of my favorite all-time books was called “Fish out of Water” by Helen Palmer (aka Mrs. Dr. Seuss). The story was about a boy that goes to a pet shop and purchases a small fish in a bowl. The owner of the pet store Mr. Carp warns the boy, not to give the fish too much food.

The boy brings the fish home and names him Otto, as he is feeding him he notices that Otto still looks hungry, so the boy ends up dumping the whole box of fish food in the bowl. Otto begins to grow, so from page to page the boy must continually find larger bowls or pots to hold the fish, Otto then ends up in the bathtub still growing. The boy calls the Police and Fire Department for help. Eventually, Otto is carried by the Fire Department to the public swimming pool still growing. So, the boy finally calls Mr. Carp and confesses to the total disregard of his warning. So, amidst a crowd of onlookers with the Police and Fire trucks, Mr. Carp shows up with snorkels and a black box. He jumps into the swimming pool and goes out of sight, the giant fish slowly begins to shrink, disappearing under the water. After a few minutes, Mr. Carp comes out holding a small bowl containing the original size fish.

Two views of history
The Accidental View: Historical events occur by accident, for no apparent reason, rulers are powerless to intervene.
The Conspiratorial View: Historical events occur by design for reasons that are not generally made known to the people.
Ralph Epperson “The Unseen Hand”

The Bible starts off with ideas of innocent beginnings trees, gardens, rivers, a place where man and woman can live in paradise forever. Then out of nowhere a simple question is asked by a subtle serpent. Did God really say? It was that simple question that started the avalanche of deception for the entire history of the world. The one question that opened Pandora’s box to release murder, hate, rebellion, and war.

The trail of the serpent’s deception can then be followed throughout the bible. Starting in Genesis with the fall of man then leading through Isaiah with a brief description of how a third of the angels rebelled. The physical world and spiritual world all affected by the serpent. The book of Job also details how Satan (no longer described as a serpent) has access to God’s throne, to come and affect the seen (physical) and unseen (spiritual) world of man.

Then continuing in the New Testament one of the first stories in the gospels is about Satan (the god of this age), now acting as an arrogant demigod tempting Jesus in the wilderness. So, as we read this interaction we can easily see a part of the bigger picture. It was not, just a simple serpent in the garden, Adam and Eve were just pawns in a cosmic battle, unknowing participants in an age-old rebellion. So, continuing into Revelation there is revealed a Great Dragon, described as the old serpent called Satan. This serpent/Dragon’s journey has left in its wake, seas of deceived people, along with fallen angels, all doing their part to create the beast system that in the end will cover the whole earth seeking ultimate power.

…because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2 Thessalonians 2:10,11

So how does the serpent in Genesis become the Great Dragon in Revelation? Who is disregarding the warnings of the Bible and overfeeding the serpent? There are numerous occults and cults that do not have the same worldview of this evil serpent in the garden. These secret societies and mystery religions see the serpent as good, the great liberator of mankind. In their worldview Adam and Eve were being held in a spiritual prison of morality and rules, unable to think for themselves. Then enters the serpent to become the great emancipator to free them from their oppressor. Instead of rules of morality, mankind is now free to explore any and every pleasure they can imagine, having no consequences to their actions. If it feels good do it.

…every man did that which was right in his own eyes. Judges 17:6

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 1 John 2:16

So, in this worldview man can become his own “god” or choose to worship made up gods. This deception is the foundation for the anti-God rebellion or the anti-Christ system. It started before the garden and has been at work since time begin, it continues to grow and feed on millions of deceived and unsuspecting people from past to present. The Dragon, heading up the beast network with its goal to control the whole earth and its inhabitants.

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this, you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming and is now already in the world.”
1 John 4:1-3

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him
1 John 2:15

So, we sometimes watch and wonder, why is the world we live in so upside down. Education more concerned about teaching sexual depravities than basic reading, writing, and arithmetic. Television that has hundreds of channels and choices yet nothing with any values worth watching. Movies that continue to push the line of what society accepts as normal. Music that promotes entertainers that have no natural talent they are just puppets there to promote demons and symbology. All this is part of the beast system feeding and growing, sending a constant bombardment of brainwashing to nearly every person on the planet.

Wars and rumors of wars are all created and promoted for no greater purpose other than to feed the beast. Big pharmaceutical companies keep the world asleep and numb with the “right” drugs that are legally hawked and dispensed at every corner. These same drugs then fuel the “wrong” drug market becoming illegal all the while making exorbitant profits for all involved. Evil is promoted as good, and good is considered evil as people advance planned parenthood in the banner of women’s health, while at the same time babies are thrown away or sold for spare parts. All the while religion has sold its soul to prosperity. Churches and denominations are so divided and fractured they have become for the most part ineffective.

…for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
2 Corinthians 11:14,15

But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, Ephesians 2:4,5

…For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. Romans 5:15

And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; Revelation 5:9

In the book “Fish out of Water” when the boy did not follow the rules for feeding Otto, he had to call on Mr. Carp to come and solve the problem that no one else could solve. In Revelation chapter 5 There is a narrative of a search of all of heaven and earth and under the earth to find someone worthy enough to open a scroll. This scroll is sealed with seven seals and contains the title deed to earth and all its souls. Jesus Christ who was never deceived and only spoke truth even in death, is found to be the only one worthy to open the scroll.

When Jesus breaks open the first seal the agonizing process of reversing the deception begins. Eventually, the Great Dragon is bound in chains and the world is rid of this great deceiver the very father of lies and his beast system. The problem that begins with Adam and Eve and their total disregard for God’s warning, would now be solved by the only one worthy. Through His own innocent blood, Jesus paid the price of redemption and the right to break the seals and open the scroll.

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Revelation 12:11

He which testifieth these things saith, Surely, I come quickly.
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Revelation 22:20,21