I was thinking recently of a scenario that seems untenable. A scenario where a person has power over you and is shamelessly unethical and 'out to get you.' Like if you were a new recruit in the army and you were the son of a famous political figure, and the sergeant (or whatever) over you hates that political figure, so the sergeant gets it into his mind to make the political figure look bad by having the son wash out of basic training.
So whatever the new recruit does, even if on a scale of 1 to 10 he does everything at a 12 but the sergeant writes it down as a '2' every time, so the recruit is thinking: "There's nothing I can do about this. It will sound like I'm whining if I complain, and this guy isn't going to be honest. It's an untenable situation."
What came to me is this: in this kind of situation there *is* something you can do. You can pray to God to defend you against the person.
I was in a similar situation when my parents were dying. I naturally turned to prayer as an act of spiritual warfare.
But it is a real realization (an "ah ha!" realization) when you remember that you have prayer as a recourse for such situations. And I think God answers the prayers robustly in such imminent spiritual warfare type scenarios. The recruit would still have to give 110 plus percent effort, but with the prayer that sergeant would no longer become an unbeatable force. He would probably be exposed.
But the main thought is the recourse to prayer we have and remembering it.
9.16.2009
9.04.2009
There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body
The fact of cosmoses gives understanding of what occurs at intervals such as death or birth. A human being is a microcosmos, a complete cosmos. When the end happens (end of time, or physical death) you, as a cosmos, a microcosmos, will be just as you are now in terms of being a cosmos. The needs of a cosmos will be sought and met. You will find and settle into your new circumstances and state. You will stand. You won't be in chaos. You will assess the new conditions and you will settle into the mutual self-sufficiency of cosmoses within each other and in contra-distinction to each other.
Luke 21:19 In your patience possess ye your souls.
The above verse is from the chapter in Luke discussing what happens in the day of the Lord.
In other words, at such mysterious and seemingly catastrophic intervals such as death and birth you will still be a cosmos. You will have unity and boundary and completeness. A being. The general thought we have regarding the moment of death is some vague chaos or our being - who we are, what we are - turning into something as steady as smoke in a room. There may indeed be a sort of initial chaos (and each person's ability to 'stand' in that moment will be different due to difference in development of being), but it will be the kind of chaos that is filled with intentional action to discern surroundings, discern a problem, do what is necessary to achieve a settled situation.
Like when a car tire blows out. Chaos, yet all attention is immediately directed to the necessary step-by-step process of taking care of that particular problem, and achieving a normal, settled state.
We're not without a body when our flesh body dies. I can hear someone say reading what I've written above: "But when we die we are incomplete because we don't have our body, so we are in fact *not* a cosmos, or microcosmos, at that point until the resurrection of our flesh body."
We have a spiritual body.
1Co 15:44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
That spiritual body may await glorification at the consummation of God's plan of redemption (the second coming, final judgment, and resurrection of the heavens and the earth), yet at physical death it is a spiritual body none-the-less.
So we are as complete at the death of the physical body, in terms of being a complete microcosm, as we are right now having a body of flesh along with a soul and spirit.
The notion that our flesh bodies themselves resurrect is asinine. Dust to dust. The example of Jesus is unique. He had to maintain a semblance of his flesh body to fulfill God's plan. To show that he did in fact resurrect. Yet notice he could walk through a wall and appear and disappear, doing things a physical flesh body can not do. He even kept his wounds again to show that he was in fact Jesus Christ who was crucified and came back to life on the third day. We don't have that burden on us. Our flesh bodies can turn back to the earth. Turn to dust. Our spiritual body represents our resurrection.
Rom 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
The above verse is spoken by a man *in* his flesh body. He's not referring to the redemption of his flesh body. He's not speaking of 'waiting' for the resurrection of his flesh body. At death he will have a body. A spiritual body. That spiritual body is what is also eventually glorified at the consummation of God's plan. (I.e. yes, it is important to know our bodies resurrect. That is the promised victory over death. But we have a physical body and we have a spiritual body. Our body is sown a physical body and raised a spiritual body. That is the promised resurrection. The promised resurrection *is not* our dead flesh bodies, their molecules or whatever, rising up out of the ground or the sea to reconstitute as a new flesh body for us. That is an asinine reading of Scripture. And where it is held it is held alongside a very juvenile notion that thinks and says: "Hey, flesh is cool! Sex is cool! Cigars and good beer is cool! Christians shouldn't be against such cool things!" Flesh withers as the grass, grasshopper. You can be cool in a spiritual body too, if you must, in whatever way your currently juvenile mind needs to feel cool.)
The hanging loose thread is this: "But don't reprobates have spiritual bodies too? They have to have *some* body to stand at the judgment! So the difference between reprobates and elect is reprobates don't get their old flesh bodies resurrected and the elect do!" No, the difference is: reprobates judged to hell don't get glorified, which is the true resurrection of the body. The spiritual body.
1Co 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
* * * * * * *
...the language of cosmoses. It's a powerful language to see things we can't see without it. We gloss right over the fact that we are a microcosmos of the macrocosmos. The world and the devil and false personality has a motive in keeping us thinking we are incomplete in this sense. (Saying a microcosmos is complete is not the same as saying it has no need for an outside source of nourishment and medium to live in and life source itself.) But the world, the flesh, and the devil want us thinking we are not even a microcosmos and hence not complete on that level. I.e. not having boundaries, and unity, and will and so on. Just a fragmented consciousness living in a hall of mirrors enslaved to the illusions and temptations and fears of the devil's kingdom.
We imagine death and think we will dissolve in some way, even while thinking we won't go into nothingness, but just be some willowy, smoke-like thing at the mercy of whatever is on the other side, YET, we know we are a microcosm. We know we have a soul and a spirit and a body. The theologians even play the world's and the devil's game in saying you won't have a body, but the Bible says you have a spiritual body. You don't cease having a body when your flesh body dies. You have body, soul, and spirit now (hopefully the Spirit of Christ), and you will have body, soul, and spirit when your flesh body dies.
The baby cries when born because it - as a microcosmos - knows what it needs in its new situation. It really takes control. Jesus uses the analogy of father and child saying what father will give a child a stone when he asks for bread? Then he says, do you think your heavenly father doesn't know what you need and won't give it? (Of course we can insert examples of evil people who even abandon and kill their children, but God is not evil, and most humans don't treat their children that way either, so the analogy is not weak because of evil.)
When our flesh body dies our microcosmos, now a spiritual body, will know what it needs and will have power to take care of things.
This gives us something concrete to visualize and understand regarding the mystery of that interval called death. To realize it NOW.
Luke 21:19 In your patience possess ye your souls.
The above verse is from the chapter in Luke discussing what happens in the day of the Lord.
In other words, at such mysterious and seemingly catastrophic intervals such as death and birth you will still be a cosmos. You will have unity and boundary and completeness. A being. The general thought we have regarding the moment of death is some vague chaos or our being - who we are, what we are - turning into something as steady as smoke in a room. There may indeed be a sort of initial chaos (and each person's ability to 'stand' in that moment will be different due to difference in development of being), but it will be the kind of chaos that is filled with intentional action to discern surroundings, discern a problem, do what is necessary to achieve a settled situation.
Like when a car tire blows out. Chaos, yet all attention is immediately directed to the necessary step-by-step process of taking care of that particular problem, and achieving a normal, settled state.
We're not without a body when our flesh body dies. I can hear someone say reading what I've written above: "But when we die we are incomplete because we don't have our body, so we are in fact *not* a cosmos, or microcosmos, at that point until the resurrection of our flesh body."
We have a spiritual body.
1Co 15:44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
That spiritual body may await glorification at the consummation of God's plan of redemption (the second coming, final judgment, and resurrection of the heavens and the earth), yet at physical death it is a spiritual body none-the-less.
So we are as complete at the death of the physical body, in terms of being a complete microcosm, as we are right now having a body of flesh along with a soul and spirit.
The notion that our flesh bodies themselves resurrect is asinine. Dust to dust. The example of Jesus is unique. He had to maintain a semblance of his flesh body to fulfill God's plan. To show that he did in fact resurrect. Yet notice he could walk through a wall and appear and disappear, doing things a physical flesh body can not do. He even kept his wounds again to show that he was in fact Jesus Christ who was crucified and came back to life on the third day. We don't have that burden on us. Our flesh bodies can turn back to the earth. Turn to dust. Our spiritual body represents our resurrection.
Rom 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
The above verse is spoken by a man *in* his flesh body. He's not referring to the redemption of his flesh body. He's not speaking of 'waiting' for the resurrection of his flesh body. At death he will have a body. A spiritual body. That spiritual body is what is also eventually glorified at the consummation of God's plan. (I.e. yes, it is important to know our bodies resurrect. That is the promised victory over death. But we have a physical body and we have a spiritual body. Our body is sown a physical body and raised a spiritual body. That is the promised resurrection. The promised resurrection *is not* our dead flesh bodies, their molecules or whatever, rising up out of the ground or the sea to reconstitute as a new flesh body for us. That is an asinine reading of Scripture. And where it is held it is held alongside a very juvenile notion that thinks and says: "Hey, flesh is cool! Sex is cool! Cigars and good beer is cool! Christians shouldn't be against such cool things!" Flesh withers as the grass, grasshopper. You can be cool in a spiritual body too, if you must, in whatever way your currently juvenile mind needs to feel cool.)
The hanging loose thread is this: "But don't reprobates have spiritual bodies too? They have to have *some* body to stand at the judgment! So the difference between reprobates and elect is reprobates don't get their old flesh bodies resurrected and the elect do!" No, the difference is: reprobates judged to hell don't get glorified, which is the true resurrection of the body. The spiritual body.
1Co 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
* * * * * * *
...the language of cosmoses. It's a powerful language to see things we can't see without it. We gloss right over the fact that we are a microcosmos of the macrocosmos. The world and the devil and false personality has a motive in keeping us thinking we are incomplete in this sense. (Saying a microcosmos is complete is not the same as saying it has no need for an outside source of nourishment and medium to live in and life source itself.) But the world, the flesh, and the devil want us thinking we are not even a microcosmos and hence not complete on that level. I.e. not having boundaries, and unity, and will and so on. Just a fragmented consciousness living in a hall of mirrors enslaved to the illusions and temptations and fears of the devil's kingdom.
We imagine death and think we will dissolve in some way, even while thinking we won't go into nothingness, but just be some willowy, smoke-like thing at the mercy of whatever is on the other side, YET, we know we are a microcosm. We know we have a soul and a spirit and a body. The theologians even play the world's and the devil's game in saying you won't have a body, but the Bible says you have a spiritual body. You don't cease having a body when your flesh body dies. You have body, soul, and spirit now (hopefully the Spirit of Christ), and you will have body, soul, and spirit when your flesh body dies.
The baby cries when born because it - as a microcosmos - knows what it needs in its new situation. It really takes control. Jesus uses the analogy of father and child saying what father will give a child a stone when he asks for bread? Then he says, do you think your heavenly father doesn't know what you need and won't give it? (Of course we can insert examples of evil people who even abandon and kill their children, but God is not evil, and most humans don't treat their children that way either, so the analogy is not weak because of evil.)
When our flesh body dies our microcosmos, now a spiritual body, will know what it needs and will have power to take care of things.
This gives us something concrete to visualize and understand regarding the mystery of that interval called death. To realize it NOW.
9.02.2009
Desert ethic
6/13/08 - If we're in the desert currently (now, not yet; between Egypt and a not-yet place; in the world, not of the world; "strangers and pilgrims on the earth" not mindful of the country whence we came out, but seeking our heavenly country) what is our desert ethic?
Is our desert ethic:
1Th 5:16 Rejoice evermore.
1Th 5:17 Pray without ceasing.
1Th 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Yes.
- C.
ps- The grand attitude of the Kingdom of God: Real-will gratitude over self-will resentment.
Is our desert ethic:
1Th 5:16 Rejoice evermore.
1Th 5:17 Pray without ceasing.
1Th 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Yes.
- C.
ps- The grand attitude of the Kingdom of God: Real-will gratitude over self-will resentment.
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