The End of the Game

A good name is better than good oil, and the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth.  Ecclesiastes 7:1  NASB Day of one’s death – Qohelet (Koheleth, “the Teacher”) is an empirical pessimist.  That alone made the decision to place this work within the canon quite controversial.  It’s virtually impossible that the material was written by…

Six Feet Under

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”  Psalm 23:4  Woman’s Day Death – After that rant about Deuteronomy 31:8 you’re probably wondering why I would ever decide to pick another “out of…

Significance

Then God said, “Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness;”  Genesis 1:26a  NASB Our likeness – First, let’s look at the Hebrew: וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים, נַעֲשֶׂה אָדָם בְּצַלְמֵנוּ כִּדְמוּתֵנוּ Now the transliteration: Va•yo•mer Elohim na•a•se a•dam be•tzal•me•noo kid•moo•te•noo And lastly, the translation: And said God let us make man in representation (copy) ours and…

Kissing cousins (3)

and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.  Revelation 21:4  NASB Death – What do we do to blunt the reality of dying?  The answer isn’t quite so straightforward as you might imagine.  Since death…

Kissing cousins (2)

and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.  Revelation 21:4  NASB Death – Inevitability!  The quip “death and taxes” isn’t always true, but “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” and “the…

Kissing cousins (1)

and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.  Revelation 21:4  NASB Eros and Thanatos What do you see in this sculpture?  What pulls you in? Does the sexuality of this angel assault you?  She exudes…

Modern Marcionites

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.  Romans 8:28  NASB Good – Marcion of Sinope was born in 85 C.E. in Turkey.  Before he died in 160 in Rome, he changed the entire Christian world forever after.  How did…

The Jacob Syndrome

And he said, “Surely I will go down to Sheol in mourning for my son.” So his father wept for him.  Genesis 37:35b  NASB Mourning – What happened to Jacob when he thought his son Joseph was dead?  By carefully examining this narrative in Genesis we discover a lot about psychological trauma, family dynamics, and unconscious…

Enoch’s Mortality

And I put sleep into him and he fell asleep.  And I took from him A rib, and created him a wife, that death should come to him by his wife, and I took his last word and called her name mother, that is to say, Eva (Eve).  1 Enoch 30:16 Death should come to…

The Sleeper Awakens

He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.  I will satisfy him with a long life, and show him My salvation. Psalm 91:15-16  NASB My – Do you think we’ve plumbed this verse?  Is there nothing more to mine here?  Well, maybe we…