Friday, May 6, 2011

bin Laden not in this blog, but the key point of life is

Ah. Now we have it figured. To get big readership, one must have bin Laden in the title. We'll try that today: bin Laden not in this blog, we'll call it. We will, however, include justice, and he ever-widening search for peace. With peace, there are no bin Ladens. Without peace, bin Ladens flourish, as the dark side covers more.

We get an early start on separating light and dark, and we never really finish with that opening. The Bible says of darkness in Genesis 1:4:  "God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness." Imagine that. Four verses in and God is already separating darkness from light."

Darkness was one of the plagues of Egypt. As the Israelites began to get their luggage together for their trip from that country, Moses said this: "[ The Plague of Darkness ]Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness spreads over Egypt—darkness that can be felt.”

Ever dealt with a darkness that can be felt? If your answer is no, I suggest you've never had depression, for that is a plague that can be felt. When Jesus walks into the synagogue and reads from the scroll of Isaiah these words, you feel that darkness lifting: "“In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. 5 And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

Job has multiple thoughts about darkness and light as does the Psalms and Proverbs; in fact, all the prophets write about that huge battle between the two.

But the next real, meaningful reference comes in John's Gospel where the old evangelist writes, "1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God."

For all practical purposes, this is a commentary on what has happened in scripture and what will happen. God made the Word (Jesus) John explains, sent him to earth to be the light of all mankind, to battle the forces of darkness. John the Baptizer would announce this coming (as he did). The world did not recognize him (Jesus).For those who did recognize him (Jesus), God accepted those people as children of God.

John concludes early in his writing (the third chapter): "19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil."

It was too early a verdict, as John must have come to know since he write several chapters after that.

The bin Ladens of the world knew and know darkness because their deeds are evil. One can not argue that. The question is did they also know light. The apparent answer is no, though they would argue that. They would argue there God is telling them to do what they have done. Our answer is no they have not. When those persons come, I would gently pull them toward the many Biblical points about light and darkness. It is important to note that darkness must be overcome by the light, not by the witnesses of light. We are not talking about sunshine verses the dark of the evening. We are talking about Sonshine taking us out of the deeds of darkness. Murder is a deed of darkness. One can not argue that the killing of persons who have had nothing to do with the killing of "your people," and whom are not armed with weapons is not murder.

Therefore you have committed a deed of darkness.

When Jesus came into the world, the world changed, or should have. John's Gospel is the most clear representation of what should have occurred.

John wrote,
 "9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness.
10 Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble.
11 But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them."

Bin Laden missed the key point of life. Anyone "following" him must not.

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