In Genesis 3:15, God refers to the seed of the serpent. Many Bible-believing students have seen this as a reference to the antichrist who, in imitation of the virgin birth, will have a miraculous birth. Modern movies have played on the theme of the devil's seed. But the real seed of the serpent will be accepted as the true "Christ" and his birth will be heralded as a wondrous proof of his divine heritage. This viewpoint is seen in ancient myths. According to "The Virgin Birth" by Robert Gromacki (p.212): "Alexander the Great made the priests say that he was a son of Zeus. He denied that he was the son of Philip and affirmed that he was begotten by a serpent cohabiting with his mother. Later, the Roman Caesar Augustus wanted the story spread that his mother, asleep in the temple of Apollo, was visited by the god in the form of a serpent. Conceived, he was later born in the tenth month." As the Bible tells us, "there is no new thing under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9).
Today's Wall Street Journal reports some of the recent actions of the Presbyterian Church (USA). In 2004, the Presbyterian Church decided "to initiate a process of phased, selective divestment in multinational corporations operating in Israel." That is, they decided to boycott Israel. On the other hand, the pro-Palestinian stance of the Presbyterian leadership has been astounding. In the fall of 2004, senior church leaders met with and praised Hezbollah, the Lebanese terrorist organization responsible for the death of thousands, some of them Americans. The church funds pro-Palestinian committees and wrote "congratulatory letters to the terrorist leaders of Hamas on their recent election victory." Further, they verbally attack Israel and "blame the U.S. and capitalism in general for most of the world's catastrophes." God told Abraham four thousand years ago concerning him and his descendants: "I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee" (Genesis 12:3). Is it any wonder that the Presbyterian Church (USA) is suffering from "declining membership and dwindling financial support?"
According to an article in today's "Wall Street Journal," cellphone providers in Asian countries are offering many innovative services. In India, Hindu worshippers can send text messages to their god Ganesh at the Siddhivinayak Temple in Mumbai. Ganesh is the god in charge of destroying obstacles that might keep you from successfully completing personal goals (like getting a job or purchasing a house) and he is particularly receptive to requests on Tuesday's. So visitors on that day may wait in a line for up to five hours just to get Ganesh to obliterate the hindrances in their path. However, for only four cents per text message (a fee split between the cellphone company and the temple), participants can use their cellphone to send a text message request which will be printed out, neatly folded, and placed in a box next to the temple's idol--with the hope that he takes time to read them. Presently, about 70,000 text messages are coming in from all over India each week.
Note: What follows is an introduction I just wrote to a lesson on Mark 6:1-26 entitled "Changes in the Ministry of Christ." I thought it might be an encouragement to someone who is presently going through some great changes.
An editorial in today's Wall Street Journal reports on the growth of Anti-Semitism (hatred toward the Jewish people) in the Western world. It should come as no surprise that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the leader of Iran, calls for the "destruction of Israel." But such hatred is getting much closer to home. The Nowegian writer Jostein Gaarder declared in Aftenpost, Norway's leading newspaper, "There is no turning back. It is time to learn a new lesson: We do no longer recognize the state of Israel... The time of trouble shall soon be over... The state of Israel does not exist."
"When burdened with sins from 2006; just burn them up for a real quick fix." Martin Luther dealt with a Roman Catholic agent who sold indulgences with a catchy ditty. Perhaps the preceeding one might work for the new sellers of quick fix forgiveness. Thursday's "Wall Street Journal" revealed a growing trend in churches and the modern spiritual community. More and more congregations are meeting for a service in which they write the sins and failures of the previous year on a piece of paper. Then, in a heart uplifting ceremony, they burn the pieces of paper to symbolize the doing away of these sins and their readiness to face a new year clean and ready to do better. The ceremony is getting rave reviews from many religious groups.
Mathematics can be quite complex, yet one of the most basic divisions of mathematics is called arithmetic. You may better grasp what I am talking about when I say that the most basic operations of arithmetic are addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. A grasp of these basic operations is a necessity for anyone who desires to grasp any of the more complex divisions of mathematics. Interestingly enough, the same things hold true for the Christian life. It can be quite complex, but at the same time we could break it down to the simplicity of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
