God Is My Judge...Daniel Part #2

                                       Hananiah, Misha'el, & Azariah

Now that King Nebu has had his dream revealed and interpreted for him by Daniel, what does he do? First he promotes Daniel and the Boys to major positions in the government of Babylon. He confirms that Daniel's God is a God of gods, but now that his distress is gone about the dreams, he gets back to doing what wealthy, powerful Kings do...He has a gigantic solid gold statue of himself built in the desert for all to come and see. After all of his subjects from the provences show up, he decrees that upon the sound of musical instruments, they must all fall down and worship the graven image of Nebu himself, as a god. Since Daniel's God was getting all the attention, it appears that he needed something extravagant put in place to pump up his ego. He decreed that everyone had to bow down and worship the statue of himself, never thinking that he would get any opposition from the three Jewish boys that he just finished promoting. 

It appears that the King never gave it a thought that Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego would be so brazen as to not fall down and worship. When they did not bow and stood up, the King's "visage changed," and he became enraged. Despite having just witnessed a miracle of sorts with Daniel and the King's dreams, he went from rational to irrational in a split second. Suddenly he was out for blood, because his position as a deity, a king and the ultimate ruler was being challenged by three Jewish teenagers. There audacious behavior separated them from everyone else, ie., all the rest of the Jews present bowed down with no problem taking the easiest and safest route; after all, why make waves...Sound familiar? Better to duck and pretend to blend in, rather than to stand up or stand out for our God. Most of us do this aware and unawares all the time. For example, if you pray over your meals at home, maybe you will pass on it in a restaurant. Hiding your soul and your love of God, even for a few seconds, instantly kills your relationship with Him, because you literally break His heart. When someone does not stand up for those they claim to love, it shows a serious character flaw, causing a double whammy of momentous proportion. First you hurt the King of Kings in a way that only a parent could understand. It takes the breath away from any parent who loves their children, when they get tossed "under the bus" for the sake of convenience or gain. God the Father, must double over in heartfelt pain every time we deny Him, and yet, we all including me, do it all to often. The second part of this whammy is that you forever stain your immortal soul. Remember when Moses was embarrassed to take the stone tablets to the people for God on Mt. Sinai? That one sin affected our God so much that, even though forgiven, it was never forgotten. God told Moses that he would never enter the the "promised land," because of it. Know this, all you who profess to believe. The time is near when you will literally have to stand straight and maybe be broken, for your faith. If you bend and fall, get back up on God's side, as fast as you can. "His mercy endureth forever," 

                                              Faith of Noah

Imagine a pure white linen table cloth put under your Thanksgiving dinner. It makes everything on the table look incredible, until someone spills the gravy or the sweet potatoes. Those small sins will come out in the wash, but when someone spills a whole glass of red wine on this fine white cloth, the stain is permanent. Oh, you may get most of it off over time, but their will always be a hint or shadow of what happened to that stained soul visible to our Lord and Savior. Throughout the Bible anyone who has not stood solid for God, even for a minute, an hour or a day, has permanently marked the crystal clear purity of their immortal soul for eternity. Forgiven, of course, forgotten, never...

We studied RAGE not long ago. Nebuchadnezzar had the fiery ovens made seven times hotter than normal as he spewed out the orders to throw these three kids into blaze. What teenager do you know who would stand firm under these conditions? What faithful man or women today or any day would tell the King of the known world that they will not bow to him or his golden image, despite the threat of being burned alive...I know none. Many of us will fold under the pressures to come at least once. Never that that stop you!

Let's look at their Hebrew names. The one's we all know were their Chaldean names given to them in captivity:

1. Hananiah     It means Gracious God
2. Misha'el       It means God Provides
3. Azariah        It means God Helps

"What's in a Name," was a prior Posting, and these say it all. Underneath those Chaldean names were three faithful and brave Hebrew young men. 

                                             Faith of Job

For the "Pièce de résistance", they tell King Nebu that they don't know if their God will save them or not. The choice will be His, and they are satisfied with either decision, because they know that our God, the infinite El Shaddai, will save them in life or in death. It quite literally brings tears to my eyes to recount their tiny place in biblical history. This kind of faith puts them in a rare category of believer, right up there with Abraham, Noah, and Job. These were great men of faith that proved it everyday with there lives. As humbled as I will be to meet any of them in the next life, I will stand in line to meet three Jewish kids and be proud to call them by their real Jewish names. 

May God give us all the spiritual mettle necessary to stand up for Him when the road becomes impossible to bear, like the children above.

The Digital Disciple

                                                                 Faith of Abraham

The Book of Daniel (Daniy'el)

Today I have finally felt well enough to share an amazing story of faith, courage, and divine grace. Spending the last week in and out of the hospital has given me pause in my writing, but tonight I feel strong and inspired. As usual my take on Daniel will not be the norm, because there is much more in this small book than could ever be covered in one sitting. To begin, we need to understand that the Word of God is, and always has been true to the last detail. Biblical authors were inspired by the Holy Spirit every time they put pen to papyrus whether they realized it or not. Inspired Scripture does not need any defense no matter what you read, are told or have been led to believe. It has been the beacon of truth from God for almost six thousand years. The other side of this divine coin is that these writings, whether in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Aramaic or any modern language are all truly inspired by God and are used everyday by Him to revive a soul, forgive a soul, and to communicate with a soul. Biblical versions are not the problem. The heart of man is the problem, because Satan loves to cast confusion and doubt amongst us at every turn. If he can take our eye off of pure scriptural truth and get us to fight about issues in the name of the "church," or "religion," we have given his plan of biblical subterfuge new life, where there is only death and destruction. Consider the fact that you can lead anyone to the truth of Jesus Christ with any Bible, from any time in the past you choose. Is the current Canon of Biblical Books correct? Did someone leave out a book or two? Did someone translate with a dogmatic chip on their shoulder? Were mistakes made in translation? Where their copying errors?  Does every religion think that they have the "authoritative" version? If you are honest with yourself, you will understand that the Word of God has withstood six thousand years of these issues and many more. When our finite minds try to grasp the "infinite" wisdom of the only one, "Lord God Almighty," we try to take that which is boundless and beyond border, and cram it into a finite mind that needs boundaries and borders to comprehend. His New Covenant makes clear the path to righteousness. Unfortunately that path is narrow and requires divine wisdom through communication with Him every step of the way home, regardless of version.


Many of us grew up knowing the story of Daniel in the lion's den, along with the story of Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego in the fiery furnace. Whatever you personal scriptural preference, the Book of Daniel should remain near the top. Whether your version has 12, 13, 14, or 15 chapters, God will illuminate every important passage for you, if you just clear away your sin by asking for forgiveness, and  ask Him to grant you divine guidance and insight as you read. If you are led by the Spirit in this endeavor, He will make sure you are not led astray, while your immortal soul heals and grows.

As you might guess there are "boucoup" (tons) of interpretations on this historic passage, and after spending time piecing together the the arguments on who wrote the book, when the book was written, why was it written, why it is in the Canon with 12 chapters even though the Septuagint/Greek version has three additional chapters, and what about the "Dead Sea Scrolls," version, etc., etc? Pick one and read it the way I have delineated above, and you will learn everything God needs you to know. If you are curious about the Catholic Version, read it too. Feel free to learn from it, compare to it and digest it all. Believe it or not, sometimes the Catholic translators get it right, sometimes the Jewish theologians and sometimes the Protestants. Picking one and calling it the only truth is like picking CNN or MSNBC or FOX. Seems to me we have two choices in mining Biblical gold. You can pick a version that appeals to your level of understanding and use the Holy Spirit to keep you on the right path, or you can drill down into the original languages for those diamonds and other gems hidden there for centuries. Remember the more you try to make the Word of God fit into man-made boundaries, the more you missed the point. 


So let's understand the key characters in this passage called Daniy'el. The Prophet Daniel was born a Jew in the southern region of Israel in the early 5th century. During his late teens, the Babylonians made another invasion into the south, taking prisioners and the spoils of victory back to Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzer was a powerful King and believed in the many different gods of the time, including himself. Daniel was an ardent believer in his God, talking to Him daily throughout his life. Assigned to service in the King's royal court, he became noteworthy rather quickly, because he refused to eat the royal food that he was entitled to because of his job. Imagine the finest cuisine of the time was being refused by a Hebrew slave. His piety and deep devotion to God forbid him to eat food that was quite literally "fit for a king." This was the first confrontation with the King, who could not understand why he refused the best food in all the land. The Bible says that the food was "unclean" and for you OT buffs, this probably meant that much of it was used in sacrifice to the Babylonian god of choice or Nebu, himself. Daniel simply chose to eat vegetables and fruit. Was it arrogance or pride on the part of Daniel? Absolutely not, he only wanted to stay sinless in the sight of his God. His testimony on something as simple as food caught the King's attention, and the health of Daniel's method was put to the test immediately. After an allotted period of time the King was satisfied that Daniel's peculiar eating habits were acceptable. For the King it had nothing to do with clean or unclean, it had only to do with seeing if Daniel could live without the mountain of meats supplied daily to the court on his behalf. For Daniel it was all about Mosaic Law passed down through the generations. Most Jews assigned to the court would gladly partake, figuring that they did not make the sacrifice to the pagan gods, so why not enjoy what has been provided for them...From that day forward Daniel was labeled as "different," by not only the King, but all of his ministers, advisors and priests. What would you have done in this situation? Probably what most every modern Jew does today...Enjoy the food. What makes this sequence "priceless," is that a teenager, ripped from his homeland in Judea, was able maintain the value system of his God without compromising himself and going along...That is the story here, and the lesson to be learned. He didn't get preachy about it, he didn't get arrogant, he let the King judge his actions on their own merit. That is why he was mentally marked by the King as truly unique, in a world where everyone said "Yes," to the King's every whim. This was the beginning of the conversion of an infamous King twenty-five hundred years ago who had everything the world had to offer, but was smart enough to see something unique in a young man who was his slave. 

As this story goes, the King had a series of dreams that neither he or any of his priests, soothsayers or magicians could interpret for him.  These were his own holy or otherwise talented minions. When none could help him, he decreed that they would all be killed unless they found someone to interpret his dreams. He made it doubly difficult, because not only was this person to interpret his dreams, but he was also to conjure up the dreams on his own without any assistance from the King. Nebu, the King was a man that valued nothing but power and wealth. He would kill hundreds, just because he didn't understand his dreams. Why is it that power and wealth seem to corrupt the soul? Could it be that they are allowable tools for Satan to use on this earth? Think about it...All through history from the beginning of time that combination has destroyed all that it touched. If you and I have a narrow road to salvation, how much more narrow is the road for the man of means? It certainly gives new meaning to the "eye of the needle" spoken of by Jesus in the NT. Traditionally we believe that this metaphor is about a camel going though the eye of a needle, kind of like our modern variation of having two chances, slim and none! But consider these stories passed down through the centuries:
For the last two centuries it has been common teaching in Sunday School that there is a gate in Jerusalem called the eye of the needle through which a camel could not pass unless it stooped and first had all its baggage first removed. After dark, when the main gates were shut, travellers or merchants would have to use this smaller gate, through which the camel could only enter unencumbered and crawling on its knees! Great sermon material, with the parallels of coming to God on our knees without all our baggage. A lovely story and an excellent parable for preaching but unfortunately unfounded! From at least the 15th century, and possibly as early as the 9th but not earlier, this story has been put forth, however, there is no evidence for such a gate, nor record of reprimand of the architect who may have forgotten to make a gate big enough for the camel and rider to pass through unhindered. 


Variations on this theme include that of ancient inns having small entrances to thwart thieves, or the story of an old mountain pass known as the "eye of the needle", so narrow that merchants would have to dismount from their camels and were thus easier prey for brigands lying in wait. 
Either way this is a metaphor for all time, so back to the Daniel and the King...We all have been taught that the early chapters of this book is about Daniel and the three boys, Shadrack, Meshack and Abednigo. In my next Post I will get to the Lion's Den, the Fiery Furnace, and maybe Daniel's four prophetic dreams, but I cannot stress strongly enough that this is about a devout Hebrew boy, whose flawless testimony and courage eventually dragged King Nebu, himself, through the eye of the needle! To miss this is to miss the perfection and beauty of the divine plan. Nebuchadnezzer had to be led by God down to his knees and maybe all fours, like the camel at the hidden gate above. He had to crawl under the back gate of heaven, but not until he had unloaded all of his baggage willingly and obediently. This is how our God works, if we let him!! He will use the tiniest bit of faith and obedience from us to do great things; in fact, He is waiting for you to stand for Him. I am not talking about picketing and sit-ins, revolution or anarchy, just simple faith and obedience. Faith that He will come through for you, and obedience to his inspired Word. 

God has always used the humble, the tiny and even the sick to bring down worldly giants for centuries. Tiny David and his slingshot took down the mighty nine foot tall, Goliath, with a pebble. 


Daniel's name in Hebrew means, "God is my Judge." True to that name, he never lost his focus, even after being enslaved, mistreated, and misunderstood. If you paint this on your forehead, tattoo it on your arm, print it on a t-shirt or just make it your mantra for life, you will never go wrong. God is the eternal North on our compass called life.


Thanks for your time and consideration of these words. May
God allow you to sift the wheat!




The Digital Disciple

Good Angels, Bad Angels and Us...

                                                               Messenger from God
Angels and/or Angelic Beings  have been a controversial subject of biblical scholars since very early in the OT. I saw, "Angels and Demons," and have read about these heavenly personages in the Bible many times. They too were created by God, predating the creation of man, but who they are and what are they, remains clouded by mystics and interpreters for well over 5,000 years? Some believe they were created just before the creation story in Genesis, others believe these heavenly beings have been in existence much longer. Regardless of when they actually were created by God, they make appearances or are discussed a total of 373 times in the Word of God. That's 108 times in the OT and 165 times in the NT. Don't know about you, but that tells me that this part of creation is worth some serious study and divine understanding. Here are some of the things we know about them:

1. There are at least "a thousand thousand," or 1,000,000 angels. That's one angel for every 7 people on the earth today. If you figure that they were all created together, then back in the early days of mankind there we many more angels than humans. 
2. As a group they are referred to as, "the heavenly host," and they have specific groups with specific duties, that were set up by their Creator as well. 
3. Angels were created incorporeal, smarter than man, stronger than man and immortal. They have the ability to go back and forth between heaven and earth at will, and also have the ability to become corporeal at will, often appearing as one of us throughout the scripture. For example, three angels assumed the appearance of men to get Lot's family prepared to leave Sodom & Gomorrah.
4. Archangels, Cherubim, and Seraphim are just three job descriptions of angels. Many of the their names we have known since we were children, but many are found in other writings that were never canonized centuries ago. My concentration will be on the ones found in our current Bibles, but I believe strongly that their are others whose aid and assistance will remain largely ignored, despite authentic, historical record. Judaism has an angelic hierarchy that calls for 10 different types of angels.
5. Cherubim are not nice "baby" angels as many artists have pictured, they are a group of adult angels whose responsibility it is to be in God's presence at all times, almost like a layer of protection, but mostly used to protect others. Ezekiel described them as having the stature of a man with four faces and two sets of wings.
6. Seraphim according to Isaiah are the "burning ones," with 3 sets of wings hovering above the Throne of God, singing, "Holy, Holy, Holy."
7. Archangels are purported to be the "Chief Angels." This is the highest rank of angel, and they were used by God for specific missions, and they each had a particular skill set. For example Michael was a Warrior, and Gabriel was used to deliver special messages to people on earth.

                                                                         Michael

It's important to understand angels, because chances are you have been in contact with them and never knew. Sometimes they reveal themselves, but mostly they work quietly behind the scenes, like the stagehands in a Broadway play or musical. If you ever see a stagehand, something went very wrong. Usually you only see the results of their impeccable timing and graceful movements. Despite their wonderful characteristics and amazing talent, angels at some point divided into at least two groups. It appears that one group of angels turned away from God, the Creator and decided to begin a heavenly civil war of sorts. Lucifer and God had a falling out, so God let Satan and those he infected by his arrogance and pride, fall from grace and into sin, just like man fell in the Garden of Eden. Even some angels, who were given life by the same God that created us, could not be happy in their paradise any more than we could. The only difference is that most angels continue to live in perfect harmony with their Creator, while all humans have fallen from grace. 

So now you see that the "serpent" in the Garden of Eden was out to get revenge against our Heavenly Father by destroying the creation of man. I wonder what percentage of all angels decided to follow Satan and become independent of the one who created and cared for them all? Satan got Eve, then Adam, then Cain and so on throughout our existence. Today, just like back then, Satan's band of disenfranchised angels are working overtime to build their ranks at our expense. Every soul he controls or steals completely is done without remorse and only to exact his revenge on the Almighty, Creator of the Universe. 

                                                                        Seraphim

                                                                        Cherubim                                

This is not a temper tantrum thrown by an unhappy child...It is and will remain a bitter tug of war between good and evil at the highest level. The rope that they tug on every day is made of our immortal souls. You see, while we remain covered by flesh and blood, underneath that cloak we are made of the same material as the angels. When we shed our human exteriors what are we left with? Only the single most important gift God gave to us all, our what? Our immortal souls! They are incorporeal, they are stronger than we know, they are smarter than we know, and the best news is that they are immortal. Does it sound familiar? It should because that is just how we described the angels several paragraphs back. We are flesh on the outside, but angelic souls on the inside. Satan knows this and wants to build his army of angels with our angelic souls, so that he can defeat the Almighty at Armaggedon.

From my soul to yours, God bless.

The Digital Disciple

                                                                 "Narrow Is The Path"

What's in a Name?

There are at least a dozen reasons to change your name. Some are valid reasons and others are just a whim. One gentleman I read about changed his name to "Pro-Life". Sounds crazy, but in this case absolutely true. Many change their names because they just don't like their name, still others change it for religious reasons. Whatever the reason for changing first name, middle name or nickname, it is a personal decision that is yours alone. Surnames are a different story. Sometimes they must be changed because of marriage or divorce, but for the most part your given surname stays with you forever, and rightfully so...There is something sacred about your family name. It speaks to your family heritage, your nationality, and in some cases your actual roots, including the location of a particular family group. Family names have represented proud traditions including family values passed on to each succeeding generation all the way back to writing on cave walls. With the breakdown of traditionally structured family units everywhere, it is no wonder that future generations will ignore most traditional value systems, including the importance of our surnames. As disconcerting as this is to me personally, I suppose it's logical that the more the family unit disappears in our society, so will the importance of our individual and combined heritage. The social and spiritual homogenization of all people is the process by which our children's independence, our heritage, and our traditions are being scrapped right in front of our eyes, all in the name of progress. If you stick to the principles with which you were raised, you are no longer a strategic, progressive thinker, you are relic of days gone by and belong in a museum. Denial of individuality results in sameness, and even Machiavelli knew that "Where everyone thinks the same, no one thinks much at all."

I am a Scotsman and quite proud of that heritage. The Clan Monro is alive and well in Scotland today, and I have had the privilege to visit my family "across the pond," to make certain that the Monro's in my family never lose their connection with "the old country." You see, I know my heritage, my wife knows her heritage, and that combination extends all that we hold near and dear...My grandfather taught me respect for the traditions and values of all families. That family history has provided a rock solid foundation for all in the global community. Without those family units and the family names, we would lose our precious, unique identity. 

Hopefully, you can appreciate my heritage preamble...There is little choice for me in this, because it burns in my heart and troubles my soul to see so many giving up or giving in to new age thinking that discounts the importance of our families and their names. Soon, I suspect we will see names completely eradicated and replaced by numbers. You see binary numbers represent the foundation of all computer languages, and yes, they do speak, hand shake and work together. Currently they can process on/off electrical impulses 3.8 gigahertz per second! That's 3,800,000,000 cycles or bits each second, and according to Moore's Law this capacity will double ever two years. Where would we be without our numbers? We have dozens of numbers that control our very ability to eat and sleep. We have checking account numbers, credit card numbers, vin numbers, driver's license numbers, security codes, census codes, voting codes, check cashing numbers, debit card numbers, etc. Even banks today have an ABA code to identify themselves to each other. No name, just a 9 digit code. Now, add to all that GPS coordinates, microscopic chip sets that currently track pets for us and what do you get? The ability to track, and soon to control most of the 8 billion people on this planet in real time. Whether the numerologists are right with "666" or not is not the issue. Today significant chunks of your life have been reduced to numbers and stored for future use. And, the trend line is straight up... 


Back in the non-binary days of the OT, and even with Jewish families today, we can trace the history of the 12 Tribes of Israel over centuries. The Bible records each person's lineage, because they understood the importance. Never give up who you are for anyone, and don't waste time trying to be someone you are not...Believe me I have tried, and it only strains your relationship with God and brings pain to your soul.

                                                Paul the Apostle

The Apostle Paul changed his name and for a great reason. He was not only a Jew, but a Roman citizen during the life of Jesus Christ. Earlier in Paul's life, his given name was Saul of Tarsus, and it signified two very important things. First Saul was an important Hebrew name. Saul was the name of the first King of Israel and Judah. He ruled both the northern and southern kingdoms, as did David and Solomon after him. They are the only three to have done so, because after that the kingdoms split north and south. So Saul of Tarsus was  named after a King. This meant that his name had meaning and decades of history attached to it. Saul meant, "asked for or prayed for," in Hebrew, so it was a fitting name for King Saul. Tarsus was a city in southern Turkey, just inland from the Mediterranean Sea, so when you met Saul of Tarsus, you not only  were presented with his historical surname, but you also knew where he was born. It was very important 1000 years BC, and I maintain that it is just as important today.

Saul was a proud, devout Jewish man and scripture tells us he was a Pharisee or a member of a special political/religious group within the Hebrew nation. The name, Pharisee, actually means, "set apart," in the ancient language, and they definitely thought they were better than everyone else in their own race. Saul's lifetime was approximately from 5 AD to 65 AD, so he was five years younger than another important Jew, Jesus Christ. Saul spent much of his life hating new "Christian" converts and especially the apostles later in his life. In fact, he persecuted the "misguided" Jewish or Gentile believers in the Son of God. He stood with approval and watched Stephen, one of the early apostles, be stoned to death. 


Imagine the Lord watching one of his chosen, from the elite tribe of Benjamin, participating in a stoning of an early Christian apostle. This Pharisee was proud to put an end to the life of a man who bravely professed that Jesus was not only the promised Messiah that rose from the dead, but also that Jesus's death was the beginning of a "New Covenant" with God Almighty. Saul believed him to be a heretic whose teachings had to be stopped.

                                                 Saul Blinded
Sometime after the stoning of Stephen, Saul made a trip to Damascus ostensibly to round up more Christians and take them back to Jerusalem as prisoners. The timing of this trip was not long after the death and subsequent resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. We know that Jesus lived to be 33 years old, so that makes Saul approximately 28, when he made this journey. On the road to Damascus, Jesus appeared to him "in a bright light." All we know about that light is that it was so bright, it blistered and blinded Saul. Our risen Saviour tells Saul to go into Damascus and wait. Imagine being blinded by the Son of God for three days and then obediently waiting by the gate of the city for three days. He obviously had no choice, because his life had been changed forever without sight. No one knows why Jesus took his sight from him, but I believe that nothing God does is by accident, so this is my personal theory. After Jesus revealed Himself to Saul, he (Saul)  could no longer see the external world, so he had to turn his sight inward to his own soul. Imagine the consternation in that man's heart. He had spent most of his adult life exterminating anyone that professed belief in the Son of God. Jesus stopped him in his tracks with blindness and may have left him that way, but somewhere in this man's soul was enough light for God to work with, for His glory. His miraculous conversion from Saul of Tarsus to Paul the Apostle resulted in his blindness being healed and the creation of a new leader for the early Christian church.The Apostle Paul spread the gospel of Jesus for the remainder of his life. 


What is so amazing about how our Lord took a proud Pharisee, and humbled him in an instant? Jesus knocked him off of his self-righteous pedestal by making him blind. God knew exactly how to take the winds of pride out of Saul's sails in a hurry. As you may know,  Ananias did not want to heal Saul. He knew full well the history of Saul of Tarsus. After Jesus laid out his plan for Saul, Ananias put his hands on Saul's eyes, repairing the burned skin and restoring his sight. This is how the infamous persecutor of Christians converted from Judaism to Christianity. To be sure the process was no less than a miracle, but what makes it stand out so vividly, is that once again God peered into the soul of Saul and found the leader he was looking for after the resurrection. He taught an important enemy the "New Covenant," and brought him into the fold. If a devout, honorable, Pharisee could be converted to Christianity, then by this example, both Jews and Gentiles could find the truth. The name change from Saul to Paul was done by Saul himself. No one forced him to become Paul the Apostle. As I mentioned previously, surnames in history have meaning, sometimes deep meaning. Saul was named after King Saul, the first ever King of the entire Hebrew nation. It was a powerful, big name, and he spent many years trying to living up to his namesake's stature. Switching to Paul, which literally means "little," was an outward sign of the inward change that took place in his life. He was no longer Saul, the arrogant, important Pharisee, he was the recently humbled believer in the Lord, Jesus Christ, the fulfillment of his former Messianic prophesy in the OT. The winds of arrogance and pride were taken away by Jesus and replaced with divine wisdom and obedience. 

                                               Ananias and Paul
In my opinion, that's a great reason to change your name. If you are renouncing your former self to make it clear to everyone around you where you stand, then by all means make the change. Saul became Paul, just like Cassius Marcellus Clay became Muhammad Ali as he entered Islam. Lew Alcindor became Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Marion Robert Morrison became John Wayne. Bob Zimmerman became Bob Dylan, and so on and so forth. Regardless, the litmus test for me is asking how this name change will change you now and forever. If it is a result of a life changing event that has a deeper meaning for you and makes you a better person, go for it. Just keep in mind that no matter how many times you change your name, God has the name and address of your soul. This will never change. Also, if you are running from family history, never sacrifice your family name on the alter of expediency. Every experience good or bad, right or wrong is part of a process that God puts all of us through for our own good. No matter your personal cross or crosses to bear, each is to be used to draw you unto Himself. No matter what your personal problems, personal history, or personal sin, God wants you to partake in His plan for mankind. The OT Covenant required a level of perfection not achievable by any race, color, or creed. The life of Jesus as one of us, prepared the way for the NT Covenant. His was the ultimate blood sacrifice stripping away the need for the complex system of laws and sacrifices put in place by Moses years ago. This historic Covenant change was made by God out of nothing but lovingkindess for His creation. To me it means that even the Most Holy, God Almighty, is in complete control and plots a new course when necessary.


Of all of the virtues and strengths of the Trinity I fervently believe in, this ONE is why I believe on the Lord Jesus Christ with my whole heart and whole soul. 


May you see it that way too, or at least, pause and think for yourself  with the spiritual assistance of the Holy Spirit...




The Digital Disciple

Salvation Anyone?

Nothing that I have written about in prior posts causes such a stir in all religious circles, as the discussion of human salvation. It is fascinating to watch the scholars of the last two thousand years "duke it out" on this all important subject. Many think it is solely faith based, some believe it is faith and works, still others believe it its faith, works and baptism. These are the major differences along the lines of the various offshoots of Protestantism. There are 320 million Protestants in the world today. Catholicism believes that the "gospel of Jesus Christ," includes faith, but further adds the Seven (7) Sacraments as a critical piece of the "initiation into Christ's Church." These Sacraments form the foundation for living as a Catholic. Catechism provides the manual for day to day living, and finally, ordained Priests of God are empowered to forgive sins after confession. There are 1 billion Catholics in the world today.


Islam, interesting enough, believes in one true God, Allah the Merciful. Their term Allah means God, and their messenger on earth was Muhammed. The Qur'an is their Holy Book, and it contains Muslim Law that has been passed down through generations. They have Five (5) Pillars of Islamic Law that form the foundation for everything else. They pray a minimum of three (3) times daily for, among other things, forgiveness of sin. There are 1.5 billion Muslims in the world today. They are the fastest growing large religion in the world. Faith in Allah, and a life lived in submission to him are the keys to entrance into Paradise.

At first blush it would seem to most of us that Islam is completely different that Catholicism and Protestantism, but the truth is that there are some striking similarities. Keep in mind that modern day Iraq is at the epicenter of where not only mankind began, but Christianity as well. Muslim's recognize Hebrew prophets all the way back to Adam, Abraham, Joseph and Noah. They recognize Jesus as a prophet and believe that Muhammed was the "last" prophet. Aside from the extremists in all three of these religions, they have remarkable similarities, all of which will make them shutter and scream that I am a "heretic." All three believe in God, the Creator of Life. All three have a Holy Book. All three believe 5 or 10 Commandments, all three believe in prayer, all three recognize the existence and life of Jesus Christ. Islamic Law and Mosaic Law have similarities. All three need forgiveness of sin to spend eternity in Heaven/Paradise.


If you are one of the 2.8 billion people described above, you have some things in common, and some things that are not. At the core, the similarities are tangible. When mankind and interpretation got involved, each was morphed into something not necessarily intended by God, the Creator. Where did true godliness and divine wisdom get de-railed down through the centuries? Why do we divide ourselves and sacrifice our holiness on the alter of rigid dogma and closed minds? Only God, the Creator knows for certain, but I am sure Satan/Evil is at the bottom of all the needless persecution and execution.

I have chosen to discuss Salvation, not because it is my favorite subject, but because God, the Creator, wants us to understand this important principle without the weight of Priests, Popes, Pastors, Reverends, Imams or Mullahs. The study of Salvation is called Soteriology, just a 10 cent word for comparing and contrasting all of the many belief systems centered on this topic, some of which are discussed above. Hard to believe that something God intended to be simple, we have caused to not only be complex, but we have both literally and figuratively, killed each other over it. From the Greek, we learn that "soteria" and "soterion," which mean saviour and salvation respectively, are the reasons we call this study, Soteriology. The Latin verb "salvare," or to save further defines the etymology of this word Salvation.


Simply put, Salvation in the OT depended on faithful obedience to the law and being upright in everyday life. Easy to say, but extremely difficult to accomplish for anyone in the world, including the Jewish nation at that time. In the NT, the Apostle Paul wrote that faith in the atoning death of Jesus Christ was sufficient for anyone to inherit eternal life. In the Book of Acts we find more divine simplicity concerning Salvation, "Believe in/on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." Most translations use "believe in," but my personal opinion is that "believe on" is what the author had in mind. Why, you ask? The Bible clearly states that even Satan and his minions all believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, meaning that they know, beyond any doubt, that God in all three (3) personages is alive and well. When Jesus reveals himself to the entire world someday, we will all believe, "in Him," whether you are a satanist, atheist, or gnostic. So therein lies the rub...Belief that He exists does NOT matter! "Believe on," is the correct translation of this all important passage, and here are some reasons for you to consider:

1. "Believe in" means to believe that something or someone exists. You can believe in abstinence from drinking alcohol, or you can believe in the beneficial effects of sea bathing. You can believe in the fact that Jesus came to earth, lived 33 years and died for the sins of many.
2. "Believe on" implies that you accept the Lord Jesus Christ implicitly as the object of your faith, trust and obedience.

This is NOT like Bill Clinton's attorney's arguing over the definition of "is." That was just legal mumbo jumbo and manipulation of the law. This is THE formula for finding the "narrow path," to eternal life in Heaven above. Now that you have an appreciation of the  difference here, you need to decide if you "believe in" or believe on."

When you accept our Saviour into your heart and profess it out loud verbally and by the actions of your daily life, your name has been permanently inscribed, with indelible ink, into "The Lambs Book of Life." Ignore mankind's legalistic machinations to persuade you to believe anything else. We have just under 7 billion people on this planet who need to know that they do not need the Catholic Church, the Protestant Church with all of it's shameful differences of opinion,  

the local Temple, the local Mosque, the local Synagogue or any other man-made religious creation. If you let any of them come between your personal, privileged relationship with the Holy Trinity, you have missed the point. The only thing that matters to God, at the judgement seat, is the condition of your heart and your immortal soul. The day you took your first breath, is the day your received it from God. What you have done with this gift over your lifetime will be judged by His standards, not ours. There is only one thing in this universe that will cleanse the stains on your soul, and that is the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Make Him your battle cry, make Him your leader, make Him your friend and make Him the proud owner of your soul.

John Fawcett wrote an amazing hymn years ago, entitled, "Blessed be the TIE that Binds." It is not the type of knot that counts, it is, and always has been" about the TIE only.

Faithful to the "Tie that Binds",

The Digital Disciple