Thoughts
06/26/26
And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath
desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
Luke
22:31. This verse reminds me of Job where Satan went to God
to ask Gor for permission to test Job. Satan went to God multiple times to ask
for permission to increase the level of temptation. Each time God gave
permission and Job passed the test. Reading these verses, we may think God
causing our problems, this is very far from reality. God keeps a leash on Satan
and does not allow us to be tested beyond what we can handle. (1 Corinthians
10:13) Unfortunately people tend to give up well short of what they can
actually handle. Often the problem is people not having the faith.
Ezekiel 27-28 is a
prophesy that starts by talking about the king of Tyre but immediately starts
to describe Satan, his character, his actions and his downfall. What we read
described here about Satan we can also see very clearly in the world around us.
“So, this passage is not an either/or. It's a both/and. It is King of Tyle in
metaphor of Satan, but it tells us more about Satan than the King of Tyre.
“So, this passage is not
an either/or. It's a both/and. It is King of Tyle in metaphor of Satan, but it
tells us more about Satan than the King of Tyre.”1
God’s
Use of Creation in Miracles
God
often works through the world He created, sometimes directing natural elements
to accomplish His miracles. People frequently try to explain those miracles by
reducing them to ordinary natural causes, but that approach overlooks the
purpose, timing, and outcome of what God has done. “At
the same time, he can still create something out of nothing: "Summoning
things that are from things that are not" in creatio ex nihilo ((Romans
4:17, literal translation).”2
The Burning Bush
One
example is the burning bush Moses saw in Exodus. Some point to a particular
plant that can spontaneously combust and suggest that this is what Moses
witnessed. But Moses had lived in the desert for many years and likely would
have known about such a bush. A burning bush by itself would not have startled
him or caused him to stop.
What
made the sight remarkable was that the bush burned without being consumed. That
was not normal. Plants that spontaneously combust are destroyed by fire, but
the bush Moses saw was not. (Exodus 3:2-3 NIV)
Israel’s Crossing of the Sea
Another
example is Israel’s crossing of the sea. (Exodus 14:21-31) Scripture says
Israel crossed on dry ground, with nothing slowing their passage. When the
Egyptians followed, they were thrown into confusion, and God “jammed the wheels
of the chariots.”
The
text does not explain how God jammed the chariot wheels. Whether through
natural means, supernatural intervention, or both, the emphasis is that God
acted to stop the Egyptians Whatever the cause, the result was clear: the
chariots stopped, the Egyptians were halted, and God’s people were delivered.
Today,
this event is often denied or reduced to a natural occurrence. What is
overlooked is the connection between the cause, the outcome, and the people
involved. When God is removed from that connection, He is treated as either
nonexistent or irrelevant.
Miracles
That Cannot Be Explained Away
Other
miracles cannot be explained “naturally” by any manipulation of science or
nature. Passover, the birth of Jesus, and the resurrection of Christ are three
examples. When scholars, including some theologians, cannot explain miracles
away, they often conclude that the events never happened. “Miracles:
If one presupposes that there is no such thing as a miracle, then he must
explain accounts of such by saying that they were myths.”3
Faith,
Prophecy, and the End Times
This
brings us to the end times. Three common responses during God’s judgments stand
out in Revelation
·
People try to hide from
God’s wrath.
·
They curse God because of
what is happening.
·
They still refuse to repent
of their sins.
Despite
the prophecies and warnings about what will come, many will dismiss them as
irrelevant, ignore them entirely, or view those who believe biblical prophecy
as foolish and anti-intellectual. This is where faith becomes decisive: a
person either believes God’s Word, or they do not. Isaiah 2:10-21; 65; 66;
Revelation 6:15; 16:9-11, 21 are examples of the consequences of rejecting
faith in God’s Word. “The one thing that is common in end-time
prophecy is the judgment on the wicked: "As it was in the days of Noah:
They knew not until the flood came and took them all away"; "As it
was in the days of Lot: sudden destruction came upon them."4
” My
Number 1 Maxim for interpreting prophecy applies: "No prophecy of the
Scriptures can ever be fully understood until after it has been fulfilled."’5
1 John
D. Garr, Ph.D. Th.D., email response 8/7/26, 2:48pm
2 Ibid
3 Ibid
4 Ibid
5 Ibid
