Monthly Archives: February 2024

February 18, 2024 · 10:00

God Is Particular

(For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth. (Deuteronomy 6:15)

This year I have been following a chronological reading plan for reading the Bible through in the year, and currently, I am trudging through the book of Leviticus. Beginning with Exodus 20 when God speaks the Ten Commandments in the hearing of the children of Israel, Scripture goes into tedious detail for the proper worship of God by the Israelites.

Not only do the Scriptures detail the “thou shalt not” commandments, but every minute detail of the construction of the Tabernacle with all of its implements, and the garments of the priests, especially that of the high priest. The methods and occasions for the offering of sacrifices follows that in great detail. Reading the monotonous minutia might make the reader skip over all of those pages to get to more interesting reading, like Numbers. One is tempted to wonder why God would put all of that boring stuff in the Bible and actually expect readers to take it seriously.

For Christians, who are under grace and not under the Law, the reading may seem non-applicable, and to some degree, that is true. We who are born-again, Spirit-filled, children of God ARE the Temple of God[1] and priests unto God.[2] That being the case, where is the value in reading monotonous tedium? Much indeed.

The sacrificial system prescribed by God to Moses made clear God’s view of sin. To God, ALL sin is repulsive. That was true then and it is true today. When one considers the amount of blood shed for every manner of sin, one wonders how their herds were never depleted. To our animal-loving Western minds, the slaughter of innocent animals and the method (the throat was slit to drain blood while the heart continues to pump) for the holocaust is grotesque – it had to be. The revolting procedure dramatically illustrated how abhorrent sin is to God.

God specifies in great detail exactly how the priests were to handle the sacrifice. God gives precise descriptions on how to make the oil for the lampstand, the bread for the showbread, the incense for the altar of incense, and how to maintain all these things on a perpetual basis. Even if one scans quickly through these pages, it becomes readily apparent that God is very particular about how He is to be worshiped. However, this is not a new revelation.

From the beginning, God shed the blood of innocent animals to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve after the Fall.[3] Apparently, the practice of sacrificing animals for sin in worship to God continued because later we find Cain and Abel sacrificing to God. However, Cain did not offer his sacrifice in the prescribed manner, so his offering was rejected by God.[4] The practice continued until the time of Noah and afterward with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel). However, the practice was not codified until God gave the Law to Moses. Not long after the Tabernacle was dedicated and the form of worship was implemented, the first infraction took place. Two of Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu (priests), took fire for the incense altar from somewhere other than from the altar of sacrifice (outside the tent) as prescribed. For their disobedience, God rained fire from heaven and incinerated them instantly.[5] God made His point clear. He is particular about the way He is worshipped.

The modern-day Christian might ask, “What does this have to do with us?” I asked myself the same question. However, as I browsed the minutia, which is not minutia to God, the broad understanding I gleaned is that God is particular about how His people approach Him in worship. We, Christians, are far removed from the sacrificial system and are not bound by the Levitical laws. Jesus is our once-and-for-all sacrifice. “But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us” (Hebrews 9:11-12, emphasis mine).

For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he [the Lord Jesus Christ] cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I [Jesus speaking], Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man [Jesus], after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. (Hebrews 10:1-13, emphasis mine)

So, Jesus, by His sacrifice on the cross, ended the sacrificial system prescribed by the Law. As He breathed out His final breath, He proclaimed, “It is finished”[6] – paid in full. For those who are “born again,” who have placed their faith and trust in Christ, the rigors of the Levitical system of worship have been done away. Does that mean that God no longer cares about how we approach Him in worship? Is He less worthy of awe and reverence now than when He struck down Aaron’s sons for bringing “strange fire” before Him? I think not.

How one comes before God is a matter of one’s personal attitude, so I cannot judge the condition of an individual’s heart. However, as I observe many public gatherings called “worship services,” the focus of the activities seems designed to stir the emotions of the “worshipers,” and even though Christian lingo is randomly repeated, the direction of the “worship” is horizontal (i.e., human to human) rather than vertical.

I follow several well-known pastors who I consider to be very biblically sound and who preach the Gospel without reservation, yet, before they stand to preach, their “band” comes out to warm up the congregation in preparation for the sermon. As the cameras scan the crowd, some stand there unmoved while others raise their hands and sway to the music as if they are at a rock concert.  I wonder how God, Who was so particular in the OT about how He was to be worshipped, feels about the “worship” offered up these days. Indeed, far too often that worship is man-centered, not God-centered; it is not even directed to God. It is all about us and how we feel. Again, I cannot judge the heart of individual worshipers; only God can see into the heart, but what I observe on the surface comes across more as entertainment than worship.

So, regardless of the “atmosphere” of the “worship service” in which we participate, we need to remove all distractions from our minds and focus our thoughts, our minds, and our hearts on the greatness and majesty of our awesome, all-mighty, Creator God. Let Him be the object of our worship, not the performers on the stage.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable [act of worship]. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:1-2).

Notes:

[1]  1 Corinthians 3:16

[2]  Revelation 1:6

[3]  Genesis 3:21

[4]  Genesis 4:3-5

[5]  Leviticus 10:1-2

[6]  John 19:30

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February 11, 2024 · 10:00

The Diorama

Dr. Henry M. Morris III checking on the progress of the Life of Christ Diorama. The beautiful bald head belongs to the author.

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

The Institute for Creation Research (ICR) opened the Discovery Center for Science and Earth History (DC) on Labor Day of 2019. As the year kicked off, the final touches were being added, tweaked, and polished before the big opening day.

The previous year, a wealthy donor presented to ICR his extensive collection of biblical figurines depicting the life of Christ. The collection included thousands of figurines, buildings, and miscellaneous accent pieces. The leadership of ICR decided that they wanted to take what was given and create a “Life of Christ” diorama which would be displayed at the end of the DC exhibit hall. The diorama would be across from the Empty Tomb display and occupy the corner leading to the “Return of the King” theater.

Because space would be limited, the entire collection of figurines and buildings could not be used, so the decision was made to limit the display to 16 significant scenes of the life of Christ. Once the scenes were determined, Dr. Henry M. Morris III, CEO of ICR at that time, tasked me with finding artisans who could create the diorama.

I got to work immediately and started contacting all the railroad modeling clubs around the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Because these clubs are experienced in creating scenery for their railroad displays, I naturally assumed that they would jump at the chance to create something significant and make some serious money for their clubs. ICR would naturally pay a fair wage for their work. However, after several months of making contacts, I did not get a single nibble.

In the process, I located a man who was willing to do the work, but he was a “one-man-band.” He said he could certainly do the work, but he could not possibly complete the task in time for the opening of the DC. Another man was recommended to me by one of my co-workers, but this man looked at our collection and determined that the project was beneath his artistic talents. Finally, I stumbled across a company in Dallas that specialized in these kinds of displays. Their representative came and looked at our collection and after a couple of weeks came back with an estimate to do the job. This company employed a large team of artisans. Even with their large crew, they could not promise completion before the middle of August – two weeks before opening day. Their estimate for the job was a shocking $175,000! ICR is an NPO that exists through the generosity of its donors, so the price was completely unacceptable to Dr. Morris.

It was mid-March 2019 by this time, and I was all out of options. Dr. Morris previously mentioned that he wanted each scene in the diorama to stand alone so that each was distinct and easily identifiable. Having no other options, I went to Dr. Henry and made one final suggestion. Since the room where the diorama would reside was painted black and the platform on which it would sit was black, I suggested that we arrange boxes of varying heights and sizes to accommodate the 16 scenes and cover the whole thing with black cloth. The scenes could then be arranged on the boxes and all spotlighted. This way, each scene would be isolated without distracting one from another. It was not a great idea, but it seemed that we had no other choice, so Dr. Henry accepted my lame idea.

The following week, I left for California for a conference. When I returned a week later, Dr. Henry called me into the office and informed me that the box idea was out and that I would be creating the diorama.

“I can’t do that!” I complained. “I’ve never worked with that material. I wouldn’t know where to begin!” I whined.

“You can do it,” Dr. Henry assured me. “You built the Ark!” (Which is on display in the DC.)

“Yes,” I reminded him, “but that took me five years!  And we only have four months to get this done. Even the professionals said they can’t get it done in that time.”

“You will do it,” Dr. Herny reassured me, “but it needs to be completed by the end of June when we will begin giving previews to our donors.”

I was not so sure, but Dr. Henry assured me that I could recruit all the help I needed to get the job done. I learned that one of my co-workers (JK) had dabbled in railroad modeling and had built several railroad dioramas. He knew how to use the materials for building dioramas. I recruited him as my primary helper. His supervisor objected severely to me taking him away from his primary responsibility, but Dr. Herny overruled his objection.  JK not only knew exactly what to do, but he taught me many of the skills needed to get the job done.

One of the challenges we faced was making the figurines appear to be standing on solid ground. The figurines were made to stand on a tabletop, so they were all molded standing on pedestals. That, of course, would be distracting when they were to be placed on “turf.” We built the landscape by stacking Styrofoam insulation of varying thicknesses to sculpt the Judean topography. So, we carved holes into the foam of the size and depth of the figurine pedestals and set the figurines into the carved-out spaces so that their feet were at “ground level” with the topography. Once the turf material was applied, the pedestals disappeared. (See below.)

One other big challenge I faced was that the collection came with a “Temple” that was clearly of Greco-Roman architecture. It was totally incompatible with the Jewish Temple, so I cast that aside and built a Temple replica that, at least visually, looked more like the Jewish Temple. Once the diorama was completed and in place, I discovered that the graphics created for kiosks in front of the diorama contained images of the Temple that looked almost exactly like the replica I built. That was totally a God thing!

I had a lot of help in building the diorama, so I cannot take full credit for it. JK possessed excellent skills and had a good eye for detail. One lady (KM) was very artistic and re-painted many of the figurines to make them look more Middle Eastern (they were all very European-looking figurines). She also painted the Temple and many of the buildings to look like Jerusalem limestone. She painted a lot of exposed rock formations as well. KM did terrific work! Another lady (RB) was very good at following directions and did not mind getting her hands dirty. She was great at staging the figurines in the proper position for the scene. However, the One who did the greatest work was God. We started the work about mid-April,  completed the entire project, and installed it in place by the middle of June. That was a miracle only God could perform. The professionals with a team of professional artists could not promise the completion in time for opening day, and here, a bunch of amateurs got it done with time to spare. That is a God thing!

After the DC opened, I retired from ICR at the end of the year. In my retirement, I had the opportunity to volunteer as a docent from time to time. It always gave me a great sense of satisfaction to observe visitors as they scrutinized the diorama. They took in every detail!

I live far from DC now, so I do not have the opportunity to visit anymore. But as I remember the work we did there to get the DC up and running, I am reminded of what God can do through us when we place our trust in Him for the outcome. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

I received the picture at the beginning of this post this week from Dr. Henry’s son, H-4. It revived a lot of good memories.

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February 4, 2024 · 10:00

God Hardens Hearts

And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go. (Exodus 4:21)

I am not a pessimist, nor am I an optimist. I see myself as more of a realist. I analyze and evaluate things on a deeper rather than a superficial level. That is not to say that my perception is always accurate by any means, but I do try to assess things without relying on my emotions. That does not mean that I do not have or express emotion. However, I try not to allow emotions to influence my assessment of what I see taking place around me. In my analysis of the world around me, I do not rely on my experience because I have not experienced every situation that there is to experience. Rather, I evaluate things through the lens of God’s Word, which has something to say about every possible experience we may face. My worldview finds its basis in the Bible. Some may say that is a very narrowminded way to look at things, and it may be; however, I have found it to be accurate in every case.

The world is falling apart. The pessimist may want to give up and forgo any effort to improve his situation. He may turn off the news to avoid hearing another bad report. He may immerse himself in all sorts of distractions that drown out the clamor of doom and gloom. The optimist, on the other hand, appears oblivious to all that goes on around him, believing that it will all get better eventually. Because he knows that things will get better, he feels that he must do all in his power to improve the world around him like, saving the planet, saving the whales, feeding the hungry, etc. All the while, he fails to see that his efforts accomplish nothing, but he is happy in the knowledge that he is doing his part and things will get better, eventually.

Without going into specifics, we see the actions of world leaders (especially those of our own administration), and we wonder why in the world they do the things they do that only bring misery upon the peoples of the world. Then when certain leaders, like those of Israel, take the only sensible and logical actions in their self-defense and self-interest, the rest of the world rises up in protest against them. Anyone with the slightest bit of common sense understands that one side is right and the other is wrong. Yet, the protestors persist in their attacks on the righteous one. Why?

In our own country, we have the problem (among many others) of open borders.  We are not the only country with this problem, but this is the one in which I live and which affects me directly. We have thousands of people crossing our southern border daily. They come in such great numbers that our border officials are overwhelmed by the invasion. It is a mistake to think that these are coming from Mexico only. Indeed, they come from all over the world, especially from countries that are hostile to our own. What is more frightening is that the majority of these invaders are young, military-age men, not poor families looking for a better life. Rather than stop the infiltration, our federal government gives them money, gives them phones (supposedly for tracking purposes), and puts them on commercial flights to destinations of their choice. Meanwhile, U.S. citizens must show I.D. and be subjected to x-ray screening of their bodies and luggage. These, on the other hand, walk right on with no screening or vetting whatsoever. They are not even given a health exam to ensure they are not carrying some contagious disease. Those with any common sense say, “That’s crazy!” Yet our President, says there is nothing he can do unless Congress passes a new law that increases the budget for border control, never mind that there are already sufficient immigration laws in place that need only to be enforced. By ignoring and failing to enforce current laws, the President is in violation of his constitutional obligations as President, and in many respects, his lack of action can be considered treasonous. Yet, he says there is nothing he can do about it.

So, we remain astonished at how our leaders appear powerless to solve problems that to the rest of us seem to have a very simple solution. The root of the problem goes deeper than what is obvious on the surface. The fact is that God’s plan for the world is working according to His purpose. Jan Markell has a saying that resounds in truth. She says, “Things are not falling apart, they are falling together.”

God did not leave us clueless about future events. “Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). Indeed, all the problems experienced around the world were foretold thousands of years ago in the pages of our Bible. There is coming a “New World Order” that will attempt to control all of the world. There already exists a cabal of world “elites” dedicated to bringing all the nations of the world under a one-world government. These include the United Nations, the World Economic Forum, and the World Health Organization, all working toward the common goal of unifying all the nations of the world under one governing body. That plan excludes any “super-power” nation. So, the demise of America meets that goal. So, when we consider the actions of our government that result in the weakening of our nation, the only thing that makes sense is that our leaders are in cahoots with the globalists of the world, and they aim to remove America’s super-power status so that they can assume control of the world without opposition.

“Well, that’s just un-American!” you protest. “Why would our leaders participate in the demise of our nation? Treason!” Why would they allow that? I believe Scripture answers the question. First of all, God has His plan, and His plan will supersede the plans of mankind. One way that He does this is by hardening the hearts of leaders so that they are impervious to the Word of God. We find a perfect example in the Book of Exodus.

The children of Israel had been captive in Egypt for over 400 years when God raised up Moses to deliver them from their captivity. Pharaoh’s heart was already hardened against his Hebrew slaves. They were essential to his economy. They provided much-needed labor. He had no sympathy for their harsh conditions. So, when God gave Moses his assignment, He prepared him for the opposition he would meet. “I will harden [Pharaoh’s] heart, that he shall not let the people go” (Exodus 4:21, emphasis mine). God had a plan to demonstrate His mighty power at Pharaoh’s expense. Pharaoh was already predisposed to the hardening of his heart, so God encouraged that attitude. That resulted in 10 terrible plagues upon Egypt that finally broke Pharaoh’s resolve.

In the same way, world leaders, including our own feckless President, have their hearts hardened against God. As Paul described in Romans, they “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen” (Romans 1:25, emphasis mine). The “creature” is all of God’s creation which includes the planet, the climate, and mankind. Paul continues: “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient” (Romans 1:28, emphasis mine). A “reprobate mind” is one that is totally incapable of proper reasoning. So, when you see our leaders make decisions that have no basis in logic or reason, there is your answer. God has hardened their hearts.

I am not troubled by any of this. I am a realist. I see what is going on, but it does not worry me because I know God’s plan is being carried out, and His plan will prevail. He has this in control!

If you want to know more about what is coming, read my articles on Revelation. If you do not know the Savior, read my page on “Securing Eternal Life.”

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