Thoughts 7/26/26

 

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