Merry Christmas to All!

Merry Christmas to All!

Christmas Message on Unifying the Faith

https://unifyingthefaith.blogspot.com/2018/12/presiding-bishop-michael-curry.html?m=1

The Transfiguration: a Moment in the Space Time Continuum?

I'm sure you’re all familiar with the Transfiguration of Our Lord, so you will most likely understand where I'm probably going with this title. Even if an idea is predictable, it is always worth mentioning. I think I came up with this idea during a eulogy that my father was giving recently for a close friend of our family. Of course, my Dad's idea came from a scriptural/theological foundation, but once I insert the phrase space time continuum, science is being referenced. So, let’s see where we go with this.

The Transfiguration is found in the New Testament in the Synoptic Gospels and in the Second Epistle of Peter it is also mentioned. In this post I will simply use the reference from Luke’s Gospel 9: 28-36, which reads as follows:

“28 Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus[a] took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. 30 Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. 31 They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake,[b] they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33 Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings,[c] one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. 34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. 35 Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen;[d] listen to him!” 36 When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen (NRSV).”

Well, what is so unusual about this passage? Suddenly, they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to Jesus. Why is it unusual? That’s simple to say, but not so simple to comprehend using our logic, perhaps. Tapping briefly into biblical chronology, Moses lived about 16 centuries before Jesus, and Elijah about 9. However, in this event both Moses and Elijah are seen by witnesses talking to Jesus in their present time, although all three were supposedly from different time periods. By faith, one can simply say that in heaven (perhaps another dimension) time does not exist; therefore, this sort of interaction like the transfiguration is possible. The problem is that Jesus wasn’t in heaven at the time, he was alive on Earth, but something happened to him for this to take place, seemingly. The verse said: “the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white.” What happened? I have no idea. Can science explain what took place during the Transfiguration? Maybe, maybe not!

The space time continuum idea was developed in 1906 by Hermann Minkowski, Einsten’s former college professor. The following excerpt which briefly explains the idea may perhaps be helpful in explaining or not explaining how the Transfiguration could have taken place.

"space and time, as physical constructs, have to be combined into a new mathematical/physical entity called 'space-time', because the equations of relativity show that both the space and time coordinates of any event must get mixed together by the mathematics, in order to accurately describe what we see. Because space consists of 3 dimensions, and time is 1-dimensional, space-time must, therefore, be a 4-dimensional object. It is believed to be a 'continuum' because so far as we know, there are no missing points in space or instants in time, and both can be subdivided without any apparent limit in size or duration. So, physicists now routinely consider our world to be embedded in this 4-dimensional Space-Time continuum, and all events, places, moments in history, actions and so on are described in terms of their location in Space-Time (einstein.stanford.edu).”

The reality is that I am probably still just as perplexed. The excerpt does say that “physicists now routinely consider our world to be embedded in this 4-dimensional Space-Time continuum, and all events, places, moments in history, actions and so on are described in terms of their location in Space-Time.” The Transfiguration was a moment in history, according to the New Testament, and during this event 3 individuals from different moments in history converged at the same moment in time. How did this happen? I have no idea, perhaps Jesus had a time machine. Since I have no explanation for the event, I simply must conclude by saying: Merriam-Webster's defines a Miracle as "an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs." Blessings, and I hope you enjoyed reading!

Reference:

https://einstein.stanford.edu/content/relativity/q411.html

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/miracle

NRSV Bible

Hebrews 9, Earthly and the Heavenly Sanctuaries

The Earthly and the Heavenly Sanctuaries 9 Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly sanctuary. 2 For a tent[a] was constructed, the first one, in which were the lampstand, the table, and the bread of the Presence;[b] this is called the Holy Place. 3 Behind the second curtain was a tent[c] called the Holy of Holies. 4 In it stood the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which there were a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; 5 above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat.[d] Of these things we cannot speak now in detail. 6 Such preparations having been made, the priests go continually into the first tent[e] to carry out their ritual duties; 7 but only the high priest goes into the second, and he but once a year, and not without taking the blood that he offers for himself and for the sins committed unintentionally by the people. 8 By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the sanctuary has not yet been disclosed as long as the first tent[f] is still standing. 9 This is a symbol[g] of the present time, during which gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, 10 but deal only with food and drink and various baptisms, regulations for the body imposed until the time comes to set things right. 11 But when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come,[h] then through the greater and perfect[i] tent[j] (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation), 12 he entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, with the sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer, sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh is purified, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit[k] offered himself without blemish to God, purify our[l] conscience from dead works to worship the living God! 15 For this reason he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, because a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant.[m] 16 Where a will[n] is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. 17 For a will[o] takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. 18 Hence not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. 19 For when every commandment had been told to all the people by Moses in accordance with the law, he took the blood of calves and goats,[p] with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the scroll itself and all the people, 20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that God has ordained for you.” 21 And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent[q] and all the vessels used in worship. 22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. Christ’s Sacrifice Takes Away Sin 23 Thus it was necessary for the sketches of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves need better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25 Nor was it to offer himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Holy Place year after year with blood that is not his own; 26 for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. Footnotes: Hebrews 9:2 Or tabernacle Hebrews 9:2 Gk the presentation of the loaves Hebrews 9:3 Or tabernacle Hebrews 9:5 Or the place of atonement Hebrews 9:6 Or tabernacle Hebrews 9:8 Or tabernacle Hebrews 9:9 Gk parable Hebrews 9:11 Other ancient authorities read good things to come Hebrews 9:11 Gk more perfect Hebrews 9:11 Or tabernacle Hebrews 9:14 Other ancient authorities read Holy Spirit Hebrews 9:14 Other ancient authorities read your Hebrews 9:15 The Greek word used here means both covenant and will Hebrews 9:16 The Greek word used here means both covenant and will Hebrews 9:17 The Greek word used here means both covenant and will Hebrews 9:19 Other ancient authorities lack and goats Hebrews 9:21 Or tabernacle New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Source: https://www.biblegateway.com

Evidence for Jesus in Ancient Chinese Writings

Happy Fall to everyone! It’s still slightly warm here in South Florida. Thank God for AC! We are back on Standard Time, which I personally love. I even promote a page on Facebook which is titled Abolish Daylight Savings Time. I know persons living north of us in places like Canada would probably prefer to stay on Daylight Savings during the winter, which is understandable since sunset comes rather early for them this time of year. Anyhow, I wasn’t planning on writing or posting anything today. In fact, I was telling someone yesterday that today I was going to relax and perhaps cast videos from YouTube and such on the big screen…maybe go out to lunch and have some delicious Cuban food, which I did. Speaking of Cuban food, I wonder if many people know that many Cuban recipes are heavily influenced by Canary Islands cuisine due to heavy migrations to Cuba in the past from there. Just thought I would share this, but enough sidetracking for now…lol.

While in the middle of doing mostly resting today, I ran into this video on YouTube, and I had to share it because it is a form of apologetics. Best of all, it is apologetics for Christianity found in non-Christian writings. I will share the source, and I will admit that I have not done research into what the person in the video is stating; however, if factual, the evidence is fascinating. I encourage everyone to watch, and research for yourselves. Enjoy the video!

Source:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgi_RW8wDTc&feature=youtu.be

Happy 10th Birthday!

As the saying goes, time flies! I am not sure if that saying is true, but in retrospect it definitely always seems that it moves quickly. Either way, today marks 10 years since the first post ever on this blog. Many changes have taken place in our world as these 10 years have gone by. Time will continue to elapse, and tomorrow hopefully will be 10 years and a day, and hopefully I will continue to write my thoughts on here. Moreover, hopefully more and more readers pass by and continue to read. Thank you all for stopping by this blog and reading my posts. Blessings!

When the Son of Man Comes, Will He Find Faith on Earth?

"And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

The preceding quote is from Jesus and it is taken out of context from the Gospel of Luke 18: 8 (NRSV). Often it is good to read the entire passage to really understand what or why Jesus follows a statement with a question; however, even in context this question seems a bit puzzling, as if Jesus was saying that the future is confusing and uncertain when it comes to the existence of faith on our planet. Yet, if we break up the question we may get varying results with more questions. For instance, what exactly is faith? One can use Hebrews 11:1 as a definition and say: it is “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Moreover, the Book of Hebrews elaborates more on the subject by presenting a history of it using many Bible characters for illustrations. But still, in the end, faith means something different to everyone simply because we all understand things differently in a personal way, although we can associate with many similarities. I still want to share the entire passage where the question is found, it is from The Parable of the Widow and the Unjust Judge. Before the parable, Jesus was making emphasis on always praying and not losing heart. But, another good question is what did faith mean to Jesus? I will stop here and let you answer the questions to yourself. The full passage is below, but what do you think Jesus meant when he said: "And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

‘"The Parable of the Widow and the Unjust Judge

18 Then Jesus[a] told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. 3 In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’ 4 For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’”[b] 6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? 8 I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth (NRSV)?”’

Footnotes:

1. Luke 18:1 Gk he
2. Luke 18:5 Or so that she may not finally come and slap me in the face

Reference:

New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)