sapphireslinger

Immersion / Baptism Verses

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, immersing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit

(Matthew 28:19)

He who has believed and has been immersed shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.

(Mark 16:16)

Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be immersed in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

(Acts 2:38)

Paul believed, repented, and prayed for 3 days, and he still was not yet saved because he had not yet been immersed into forgiveness, had not yet been immersed to wash away his sins:

Now why do you delay? Get up and be immersed, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.’

(Acts 22:16)

Or do you not know that all of us who have been immersed into Christ Jesus have been immersed into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through immersion into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,

(Romans 6:3‭-‬5)

Corresponding to that, immersion now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

(1 Peter 3:21)

having been buried with Him in immersion, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.

(Colossians 2:12)

one Lord, one faith, one immersion,

(Ephesians 4:5)

For all of you who were immersed into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

(Galatians 3:27)

Paul believed, repented and prayed for 3 days and he still：

* had not yet been immersed, calling on His name. (Acts 22:16)
* had not yet been immersed, washing away his sins. (Acts 22:16)
* had not yet been immersed into forgiveness. (Acts 2:38)
* had not yet been immersed into the saved state (aka salvation) (Mark 16:16, 1 Peter 3:21)
* had not yet been immersed into the death of Christ, in order to be buried with him, and then, united with Him in the likeness of His resurrection, walk in a new life. (Romans 6:3‭-‬5)
* had not yet been immersed into Christ. (Galatians 3:27)
* had not yet been immersed into being clothed with Christ. (Galatians 3:27)
* had not yet been made a disciple by being immersed in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19)

No wonder Ananias told him: "Why do you delay? Get up and be immersed, and wash away your sins."

浸禮的經節

English

所以，你們要去，使萬民作我的門徒，奉父、子、聖靈的名給他們施浸。

(馬太福音 28:19)

信而受浸的，必然得救；不信的，必被定罪。

(馬可福音 16:16)

彼得說：「你們各人要悔改，奉耶穌基督的名受浸，叫你們的罪得赦，就必領受所賜的聖靈；

(使徒行傳 2:38)

掃羅相信､悔改､禱告三天了，還不算得救，因為還沒受浸得赦､還沒受浸洗去罪:

現在你為甚麼躭延呢？起來，求告他的名受浸，洗去你的罪。』」

(使徒行傳 22:16)

豈不知我們這受浸歸入基督耶穌的人是受浸歸入他的死嗎？所以，我們藉着浸禮歸入死，和他一同埋葬，原是叫我們一舉一動有新生的樣式，像基督藉着父的榮耀從死裏復活一樣。我們若在他死的形狀上與他聯合，也要在他復活的形狀上與他聯合；

(羅馬書 6:3‭-‬5)

這水所表明的浸禮，現在藉着耶穌基督復活也拯救你們；這浸禮本不在乎除掉肉體的污穢，只求在神面前有無虧的良心。

(彼得前書 3:21)

你們既受浸與他一同埋葬，也就在此與他一同復活，都因信那叫他從死裏復活神的功用。

(歌羅西書 2:12)

一主，一信，一浸，

(以弗所書 4:5)

你們受浸歸入基督的都是披戴基督了。

(加拉太書 3:27)

掃羅相信､悔改､禱告三天了：

* 還沒受浸求告神的名 (使徒行傳 22:16)
* 還沒受浸洗去罪 (使徒行傳 22:16)
* 還沒受浸得赦 (使徒行傳 2:38)
* 還沒受浸得救 (馬可福音 16:16, 彼得前書 3:21)
* 還沒藉着浸禮歸入基督的死，和他一同埋葬､在基督復活的形狀上與他聯合，有新生的樣式 (羅馬書 6:3‭-‬5)
* 還沒受浸歸入基督 (加拉太書 3:27)
* 還沒受浸披戴基督了 (加拉太書 3:27)
* 還沒奉父、子、聖靈的名受浸，作耶穌的門徒 (馬太福音 28:19)

難怪亞拿尼亞跟掃羅說：你為甚麼躭延呢？起來，求告他的名受浸，洗去你的罪。

Chuck Horner's Videos for World Video Bible School

Found out today that my dad's classmate, Chuck Horner, passed away on June 26. My dad remembers him always saying about death, "I'm ready. Looking forward to it."

Here are some of the videos he did:

Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus, Numbers & Deuteronomy
Joshua, Judges, Ruth
1 & 2 Samuel
Kings & Chronicles
Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther
Isaiah
Jeremiah & Lamentations
Mark
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
Galatians
James
1 & 2 Peter
1 2 3 John & Jude

Reaction to Stephen Hawking's "Grand Design - The Meaning of the Universe"

By Sapphireslinger
Updated 2020.06.26 14:04

Two months ago I saw a video clip from Voice Tube called "Stephen Hawking's Grand Design - The Meaning of the Universe".

* My Day 1 reaction (March 31) to the video is this color.
* My Day 2 reaction (April 1) to the video is this color.
* My last few thoughts before posting are this color. (I ended up writing almost every other day these past two months.)
The pink boxes are quotes from the video transcript.
Here goes:

"It may seem crazy to doubt that our concept of reality is true.
But I think, to find the meaning of life we must answer the question: Is there an independent reality or not?"

My last remarks: He will claim that it is impossible to know this, and that therefore every meaning of life is equally valid.

"Imagine a scenario that is straight from a science fiction movie.
The world around you is actually nothing more than an elaborate fabrication
of some unknown superior intelligence.
A giant supercomputer provides you with all your senses
from what you see to what you smell, hear and touch.
But in fact you have no senses.
Your body does not exist. You are just a brain in a jar.
It may sound bizarre, but this is a genuine scientific hypothesis called:
The simulation theory.
For all we know, every one of our perceived reality is simply fed to us
by some all-powerful supercomputer.
And the simulation is so perfect that we never even notice.
But here’s the crack: It doesn’t actually matter.
It’s as Descartes said: We think, therefore we are.
The hamburger could be nothing more than a piece of computer code.
But our desire to eat it, is still our own desire.
We still feel hunger.
Our minds still exist, even if we are in a simulation.
So doubting the true nature of reality serves no purpose.
It’s simpler to just accept that there are fundamental limits to what we can know."

Last remarks: In other words, no more consideration of the question, "Is there an independent reality or not?"

The world around you is actually nothing more than an elaborate fabrication of some unknown superior intelligence...
But here’s the crack: It doesn’t actually matter.

Giving up so early in the video, Hawking? First you say, "To find the meaning of life we must answer the question: Is there an independent reality or not?" And a few sentences later you say, "It doesn't actually matter." You say it's because we still feel hunger to eat the hamburger even if it doesn't exist, so the feeling of hunger is the main thing not the existence of the hamburger. Ah, but the existence of the "superior intelligence" in control of the "fabrication", that would matter, because he has the ability to wipe away all hunger, to wipe every tear from your eye; and suppose he expects you to find him and establish a relationship with him?

Day 2 Response:

It’s simpler to just accept that there are fundamental limits to what we can know.

Except that the Bible implies that we will eventually know an awful lot more even if we come to know it too late. Every eye will see him, and every knee will bow. (Rev. 1:7)

"Take this table, for example.
How do you know if a table still exists if you go out of the room
and can no longer see it?
For all you know, the table could pack up and disappear out the window.
It could take a visit to the International Space Station.
Perhaps even fly to the moon.
All this before returning to the exact same spot and instance before you reenter the room.
This, of course is a pretty unlikely scenario.
But one we can’t rule out.
It is much simpler to assume that the table stays put when we are not there.
It is our best fit model of reality.
This is essentially what we do in science.
We create best fit models of how we believe
the universe actually works.
The ancient Greeks were the first
to build such scientific models.
They suggested that the earth was a large sphere, motionless
And fixed at the center of the universe.
But later pioneering scientist like Copernicus and Galileo
found a much simpler and completely revolutionary model to describe these same observations.
They proposed that the earth itself was spinning and orbiting the sun at the same time
along with all the other planets.
But neither can be said to actually be true.
Because they, like all models, are just models in our heads:
The best fit of reality we perceive.
In fact, physicists are forever creating ever more sophisticated models
And the truth of those models is impossible to establish.
...."

Let me repeat that again:

"And the truth of those models is impossible to establish."

Not exactly, or we wouldn't be able to tell that a later model is more accurate than an earlier model. The fact that you can tell that one model has more truth than another model, and that a model can have less truth than another model, means that truth is quantifiable and knowable. It means that it is possible to establish some truth even if it is a slow progression. It may not be knowable all at once, but if you can know more and more of it as time goes on, then you shouldn't relapse into saying that because you can never know it all, then let's scrap this whole idea of truth and return to saying that all models are equally valid.

Because that is what this video will eventually get around to implying, it starts off saying how our models of reality change as they get more accurate, but it ends by saying you can make it all up and it will all be equally accurate. Is it just my imagination, or is there a bait and switch going on here?

"[...]
So, do quarks exist?
The answer is they exist only as a model that works.
That is as far as we can go."

Day 2 Response: No, we can go further and say that if quarks exist then they have a real existence separate and apart from our ever-evolving, more-or-less-accurate, perception of them. The video appears to be trying to say that because our perception of them changes, they don't have an actual existence apart from our perception of them. They do, and therefore we have an obligation to know them more and more accurately. Never can we relapse into saying that because our perception of them is faulty therefore we can make it all up and it will all be equally accurate. Which is what this video gets around to implying at the very end. Bait and switch.

[My eyes skipped ahead here and answered a later quote first.]

"All this, the entire ... history of the universe
exists as a model inside our minds."

Yes, one person's PERCEPTION of history does exist as a model inside the mind, but ACTUAL history, what actually physically happened regardless of what I think happened, also exists as a separate entity from that.

So there are two things we are dealing with here:

* What actually happened
* What we think happened

It's important not to confuse the two.

[But to return to the next sentence in the transcript...]

"This is called the concept of model dependent reality."

Our brains construct models to make sense of what we are perceiving, but the things we are perceiving exist apart from our perception of them. Therefore reality is not dependent on our models/perception of it.

At the same time you can say that your individual sense of reality is dependent on the model for it inside your head. The term "model dependent reality" is a tricky bit of wordplay. It should read "model dependent perception of reality". Otherwise, here is where the discussion makes a subtle fork into falsehood, that will have consequences further on in the video.

To summarize:

There are no model dependent realities.
There are only model dependent perceptions of reality.

Reality is what actually happened.
Perception of reality is what you think happened.

If Stephen Hawking manages to obfuscate the two and blur them into one, that would be diabolical.

"And I believe that leads us directly to the meaning of life."

Your perception of the meaning of life will only be as accurate as your perception of reality. Or should I say, your perception of the meaning of life will be either helped or handicapped by the degree of accuracy in your perception of reality.

Because he will go on to conclude that because our perceptions of reality all differ, we should all make up our own meanings of life and they will all be equally valid without reference to actual reality.

If some perceptions of reality are more accurate than others, then I would venture to say that likewise some perceptions of the meaning of life are more accurate than others.

"[...]
That consciousness creates a three-dimensional model
of the outside world:
A best fit model that we call reality.
This reality is much more than what we see around us in our everyday life.
[...]
All this, the entire [...] history of the universe
exists as a model inside our minds.
So, where does this leave us with finding a meaning to life?
The answer, I think, is pretty clear.
Meaning itself is simply another piece of the model of reality
that we each built inside our own brains."

There is one false word here that will have consequences in his chain of reasoning later:

"Meaning itself is simply another piece of the model that we each built inside our own brains." [Emphasis added.]

I believe he feels that there is only ever perceived meaning, that actual meaning can not exist, because of where he goes with this later in the video.

Remember, if your models of the universe can get more and more accurate, that means that an absolute truth must exist even if you haven't arrived at it yet. And if meaning is dependent on your perception of that truth, then a BETTER if not ABSOLUTE meaning also exists, even if you haven't arrived at it yet.

But the whole drift of this video derails at this point to say, there is only PERCEIVED meaning, therefore have at it everybody, create your own perceptions of reality and perceptions of meaning, they are all equally valid and equally good without regard to accuracy of harmony with actual reality and actual meaning. As the last sentence of the video says, we are "The Lords of Creation". Forget discovering reality and meaning, make it up. Don't discover God, become God. What Stephen Hawking appears to be peddling is the same old lie as the very first lie in the garden of Eden. You can be like God, making up good and evil. Ironically God does want us to become ever more like him. But through discovering him, not through blocking him out. He wants our creativity and authenticity to be built on an ever more accurate perception of reality. Jesus, during his time here on earth, said that he was the chief corner stone whom the builders rejected and "Blessed is anyone who does not stumble over me." Whereas this video concludes by encouraging everybody to make up their model of reality without any special reference to actual reality. A very subtle derailment.

Last remarks: If an intelligence created the universe and humans with a purpose, then there would an actual meaning to life outside our own individual perceptions of that meaning.

An independent reality exists outside of our perceptions of it. (And we bump into it every time our perceptions of reality stray too far from it. If you don't perceive the actual chair in your path accurately enough, you will bump into it.)

An independent meaning of life can likewise exist outside of our individual perceptions of it. (And according to the Bible we will all bump into that independent meaning of life on the Judgment Day, if we haven't sought it out in the pages of the Bible beforehand. So we will each give an account of himself to God, Romans 14:12.)

Hawking started off the video saying:

"But I think, to find the meaning of life we must answer the question: is there an independent reality or not?"

In other words, he's saying the meaning of life depends on whether there is an independent reality.

It turns out there IS an independent reality outside our own individual perceptions of reality, therefore it appears that there would likewise be an independent meaning outside our own individual perceptions of meaning; ESPECIALLY if an independent intelligence created this independent reality in which we live and move and have our being, obviously he would have his own independent meaning for it all.

But now Hawking appears to be concluding that simply because we all have our own individual perceptions of reality, there is NOTHING MORE to meaning than what we can make up:

"Meaning itself is SIMPLY another piece of the model of reality that we each built inside our own brains."

After saying that perceived reality is "much more" than actual reality ...

"This [perceived] reality is much more than what we see around us in our everyday life."

... he appears to have dropped any attempt to connect the meaning of life with actual reality. From this point on it will be: everybody perceives reality in various degrees of accuracy, but you don't even have to strive for accuracy any more, make up the meaning as well.

It reminds me of Romans 1:21-22,25:

"For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools... For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature, rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever, Amen." (Romans 1:21‭-‬22,25 NASB)

Hawking appears to be encouraging:

Don't connect meaning to an independent reality (and by extension God, the Creator of that independent reality) outside of yourself. Both the independent reality and the Creator of that independent reality are off limits to your consideration. Worship the creature instead. Meaning will only ever exist as an outcome of the model you build inside your head. We will not discuss whether the meaning becomes more meaningful and helpful as your model becomes more observant of independent reality and cognizant of the Creator's purposes, no, just give it your own meaning, you Lord of Creation, you.

"The meaning of life is what you choose it to be....
Meaning can only ever exist within the confines of the human mind....
[T]he meaning of life is not somewhere out there ...
[no connection to reality]
[don't look for God either]
... but right between our ears."

FIRST DAY RESPONSE TO THE VIDEO:

[Here, at this late point in the video is where I was finally spurred to start responding that first day. But now you can understand that response from all the commentary up to this point.]

"That consciousness creates a three dimensional model of the outside world: A best fit model that we call reality."

I think a better word would be "perceives". [Consciousness perceives a model of the outside world.] After all, an outside person can track the stimulus as it interfaces with your body and then travels up your nerves to your brain.

Last remarks: His choice of words was fine. Our consciousness perceives the outside world by CREATING a model with stimuli received through the senses.

However, because he had already begun to hint that looking for ultimate reality was irrelevant, and because later he will conclude that all perceptions are equally valid without reference to that ultimate reality, my instincts to begin raising reservations to his statements were correct.

All this, the entire ... history of the universe, exists as a model inside our minds.

Physical reality can exist outside our minds at the same time our sensory derived perception of that reality exists inside our minds. That statement felt like it was trying to establish one at the expense of the other. Because the author himself will draw this conclusion with the very next sentence...

"So, where does this leave us with finding a meaning to life? The answer, I think, is pretty clear. Meaning itself is simply another piece of the model of reality that we each build inside our own brain."

He is subtly denying the possibility of an outside reality again. He's saying that meaning is "simply" (i.e., NO MORE THAN) what you decide it is, that there is not something outside yourself that might be real and concrete and have meaning beyond yourself, that you can interact with.

It is true that our own PERCEPTION of meaning exists entirely within our heads, but he ignores the fact that there can be a reality and meaning outside ourselves that pretty regularly interacts with us, i.e.:

* things like daily life (someone bumps into you, or a car crashes into you, and alters your perception of reality whether you wish to allow it to or not)
* the universe (it rains on you and intrudes itself via your senses into your perception of reality)
* and God (who communicates with us through his completed written Word, the Bible, that unless we harmonize with what he considers Good, our future perception of reality is going to resemble an eternal lake of fire.)

It reminds me of the time Margaret Fuller said, “I accept the Universe!” And Thomas Carlyle said, “Gad, she'd better!”

So the video is saying here, you ONLY have the meaning INSIDE your head, because whatever exists outside yourself can NOT be known and can NEVER be known (sounds pretty arrogant and unscientific to me), so YOU make the rules (you don't have to listen to some outside-your-head God.)

The statements in this video sound like a variation on Satan telling Eve, “in the day you eat of it you will be wise like God, knowing good and evil.” Well, they sure found out about good and evil but not quite in the way Satan implied it: You will finally be wise enough to know good and evil for yourself, you won't have to listen to God tell you what it is.

Likewise here is this video saying everything is in your own head anyway, including this God you think wants you to do something, so God doesn't really exist because he is a creation of your brain, so you make the rules, not God!

Nice try!

This video jumps from MAYBE there is no outside reality, to directly asking you to live your life as if there IS NO outside reality.

"Take this mother and child.
They each create their own little bubbles of reality in their conscious minds.
The youngster can create a detailed mental model of his surroundings.
Even though he may not fully appreciate the fact he’s on the fifth floor.
The mother’s reality is also produced by her mind."

Sloppy, misleading terminology.

The mother's perception of reality is produced by stimulus received through her senses interacting with her mind. At least two crucial differences there.

Did you see what happened? The video completely glossed over the fact that there can be perceived and actual reality, and asks us to take for granted that our synapses are firing on their own, and are not being triggered by an outside reality.

"And for her, her love for her boy is as real as the telephone in her hand."

Her perception of the telephone in her hand came through her senses coming in contact with the physical object, and her perception of her love for her boy came through her accumulated past value choices.

"In short: the brain is responsible for not only the reality we perceive…
but for our emotions and meaning too.
Love and honor, right and wrong
are part of the universe we create in our minds
just as a table, a planet or a galaxy.
It’s pretty remarkable to think that our brains
which are essentially a collection of particles working to the law of physics
have this wonderful ability to not only perceive reality
but to give it meaning, too.
The meaning of life is what you choose it to be.
Personally, I like to think that it is everyone of us that gives meaning to the universe.
We are, as cosmologist Carl Sagan once said:
The universe contemplating itself.
Meaning can only ever exist within the confines of the human mind.
And in this way, the meaning of life is not somewhere out there
but right between our ears.
In many ways, this makes us The Lords of Creation."

[End of Video]

Day 2 Response: Our PERCEPTION of right and wrong is part of the universe we create in our minds. ACTUAL right and wrong would be something very different, and dependent on ACTUAL reality.

The last part of that quote is very interesting, it can be both true and false.

Yes, you can give life whatever meaning you want it to have. Whether it will actually make you happy or healthy depends on how accurate your perception of actual reality has become, and how much you are in harmony with the purposes of the Creator of your brain. Yes, the Creator created us in his image so we are all "lords of creation" with free will to use that creative power for good or evil in harmony with truth or deception.

However, I believe Stephen Hawking does not believe in the existence of the Creator so his "Lords of Creation" are being encouraged to make up their own perceived realities and perceived meanings without reference to actual reality, nor the ultimate Lord of Creation.

The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)

My First Day Response to the end of the video:

"In short: the brain is responsible for not only the reality we perceive but for our emotions and meaning too."

Again, that should read PERCEIVED meaning. I may value you, God may value you, but you may not value yourself and commit suicide.

Also, he left something out. The brain is just a tool like our heart or lungs, but the buck stops with our soul, the “ghost in the wires”. We have emotions and we choose how much to control those emotions and how we act on those emotions. On the Judgment Day God is not going to accept, “Well you see, Lord, it was this brain I was born with, that made me hit him.”

Yes, we can be born with malfunctioning equipment, born with a brain put together with fewer checks or even non-existent checks on a flaring temper, and it can be either easier or harder to forge usage pathways through our neuronal networks with the accumulated traffic of our daily decisions and actions. God will take into account any extenuating circumstances.

But normally speaking, your brain doesn't make you kill someone, you as a soul make a decision to do so.

Likewise, if your perception of reality and the meaning of yourself is a collaboration of your soul making decisions after reviewing the stimuli making its way to your brain through your senses, and if the stimuli is actually coming from outside your body, and it is not your brain firing off neurons on its own and hallucinating, then there IS an outside reality that your brain can perceive and interact with.

Your life is not a hallucination of your brain. I am really separate from you and you are really separate from me. I can honor you for being you and not something my brain made up. You can honor me for being me and not something your brain made up. I did not create you and I am not your God.

So, if there is a reality outside the brain and our brains can perceive it and interact with it, then there could be a God who created us and told us what our meaning is. (It is up to your soul to use its brain and senses to engage with the world outside your brain to sift the evidence for God.) Then your meaning would NOT be SOLELY whatever you decide it to be.

"Love and honor, right and wrong are part of the universe we create in our minds, just as a table, a planet, a galaxy."

Woah! Are you saying love and honor, right and wrong are whatever I say they are? Right and wrong are whatever I want to pretend they mean? There is no REAL right? There is no REAL wrong? There is only what feels right to you and feels right to me and if they are different may the strongest man win?

Besides you aren't real anyway. This video says you might not really be outside my brain, and this video keeps encouraging me to act as if everything is a dream inside my head, so I can do whatever I want to you. Nothing I do to you will be wrong, because you don't really exist, I am dreaming you up. My brain is the universe. I am God.

The very fact that you are standing there disagreeing with me means I have seriously lost control over my brain. I need to focus and you will disappear. Why not steal that car, kill that baby, set that house on fire? It's all inside the head. It won't hurt anyone.

Really!??

"The meaning of life is what you choose it to be."

It depends on what you mean by that. To a CERTAIN extent, I have always kept in mind that life is what I make it, life is what I allow it to be, what I am allowing others to do to me. If I am not satisfied with my life, I look at myself first, I don't wait around for other people to change my life for me. I usually don't go around saying I have to do this, or I can't do that. I simply sit down and think real hard about what I need to change to make myself happy. I actually appreciate the feeling of pain. It makes everything real simple. Look for the pain and change that area. I truly am a fan of the phrase, “Life is what you make it.”

But people, I only do that within the boundaries of God's standard, with my sense of right and wrong bowing to him. Otherwise I might feel pain that I don't have what is yours, and take it.

But this video is completely leaving out God.

"Meaning can only ever exist within the confines of the human mind."

There's no me outside your mind? There's nothing outside your mind, not even God? You are sooo lonely.

"And in this way, the meaning of life is not somewhere out there but right between our ears. In many ways, this makes us The Lords of Creation."

[end of video]

There you have it. You are God. Along with everybody else. Don't know how all those Gods are going to settle their differences. Might makes right, I guess. It reminds me of Animal Farm. All animals are equal. But some animals are more equal than others.

Seriously people, there IS a whole universe outside your mind, and God, the real Lord of Creation, beyond that. You can find Him in the Bible.

Because some day your perception of reality is going to perceive Him whether you want to or not. And then it will be too late when you find out He's all you ever wanted, and you are already being consigned to the outer darkness. "In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 22:13, 25:30).

However right now, “In Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). The entire material universe could be said to be a simulation that God constructed. Hawking talks about brains in jars, but our whole material universe is a jar. In an eternal spirit.

God is still more than the universe, not the universe itself. God is still eternal while the universe had a beginning. And each one of us will still give an account of himself to God at the appointed time.

“Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit ... Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them ... You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect." (Luke 12:35-37,40)

We are constantly called into fuller perception. We come out of non-existence into existence. We come out of the womb into the world. We come out of the domain of darkness into the kingdom of His beloved Son. At the end of our lives, we are called out of temporal life into eternal life, out of mortality into immortality, out of time into eternity.

God, who dwells in unapproachable light, calls us out of darkness into His marvelous light. (1 Timothy 6:16, 1 Peter 2:9)

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me." (Revelation 3:20)

"The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost." (Revelation 22:17)

God WANTS us to see more and more, and you need light to see, which is why he calls us to His Light, to walk in it, because that is where He is. (1 John 1:7) And where he is, everything else is. (Romans 11:36)

"But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light." (Ephesians 5:13)

"God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all." (1 John 1:5)

“I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” (John 8:12)

"There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man." (John 1:9)

In God's book, you can never have too much light for perceiving ever more accurately.

"The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day." (Proverbs 4:18)

"He who practices the truth comes to the Light." (John 3:21)

"Then watch out that the light in you is not darkness." (Luke 11:35)

"He who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6)

"Light is sown like seed for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart." (Psalms 97:11)

Whatever it is that you want that is good, God is the way to it.

"For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen." (Romans 11:36)

"Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die." (Revelation 3:2)

"Blessed is the one who stays awake ..." (Rev. 16:15)

Video Recommendation: "Tower of Babel: Origin of Races with Ken Ham"

I love finding a video I want to show all my friends. To date I've watched this one 6 times over with 8 friends, and they all liked it. It's a keeper.

I usually start at 24:58 minutes in. But you can also start from 9:01, which is where this video is set to start.

If you find this interesting, you may also want to read this other article on the net which I am also reading with different ones: Bill Nye/Ken Ham Debate Review: Tying Up Really Loose Ends

Microchipping and the Tower of Babel (bilingual)

I wrote most of this on November 4, 2019. I thought it would be ready to post in two days, so I stopped doing anything else on my blog until I should have posted. Unfortunately 2 days turned into 3 months as I would tinker with it off and on, and then get sidetracked with other projects. For a two day article, I like it, but three months is overkill. It would be interesting to re-write this article in light of the recent virus epidemic, but enough is enough.

我在2019年11月4日編寫了大部分內容。我本來以為可以在兩天內發布，因此我停止在部落格上進行任何其他什麼，直到我應該發佈為止。不幸的是2天變成了3個月，因為我會不斷地修改它，然後又陷入其他項目的困境。對於一篇為期兩天的文章，我很喜歡，但是三個月太過分了。鑑於最近的病毒流行，重新撰寫這篇文章會很有趣，但是我覺得這樣就夠了。

I found this video on the net: They're Spending Billions To Chip Our Brains

我在網上找到了這個視頻: They're Spending Billions To Chip Our Brains

After watching that video, how do you feel about these verses?

觀看完該視頻後，您對這些經文有何感想？

“The Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.” (Genesis 11:6-7)

耶和華說：“看哪，他們同是一個民族，有一樣的語言，他們一開始就作這事，以後他們所要作的一切，就沒有可以攔阻他們的了。來，我們下去，在那裡混亂他們的語言，使他們聽不懂對方的話。” (創世記 11:6‭-‬7)

I have had nothing but positive feelings toward those verses for a long time now.

我已經很久以來對那些經文只有積極的感覺。

But only today did I catch “And this is what they began to do.” Can you see it? “Here they are with all this ability and THIS is what they choose to do with it.” Evidently it was an ominous indication of how we would be using our abilities in the future.

但是直到今天我才注意到「這就是他們開始做的事」那部分。了解麼？「他們擁有這些能力，而這就是他們選擇要做的事。」顯然，這不祥的預示著我們將來如何使用我們的能力。

What was so heinous about building a tower? Is God threatened by skyscrapers and technology?

建造塔樓可算那麼的滔天麼？神受到摩天大樓和科技的威脅嗎？

Nothing's wrong with towers, except that only four generations back when they got off the boat, “God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth'” (Genesis 9:1) and in the number of generations that it took Shem's son (born 2 years after the flood) to become a great-grandfather, society was off to the dogs again and saying, “'... OTHERWISE we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11:4)

建造塔樓沒什麼問題，除了只有四代以前人下船後的時候「神賜福給挪亞和他的兒子，對他們說：“你們要繁衍增多，充滿大地。」(創世記 9:1 CNV) 而洪災兩年後所出生的閃的兒子變成了曾祖父的世代數目之內，社會再度陷入衰落，說：「…免得分散在全地上。」(創世記 11:4 CNV)

In other words, God said, “Scatter,” and only 4 generations later they are saying, “Don't scatter.” In 4 generations, they have reversed the command.

換句話說，神說：“分散”，而只有四代以後人類就開始說：“不要分散”。只花了4代的時間來，他們就扭轉了，使命令反向。

And can you imagine the tyranny that would have been required to keep themselves from scattering? Thank God he broke up that dictatorship.

尤其您能想像為了要阻止大家散佈會造成的多少可怕的專制嗎？感謝神，祂打破了那次的獨裁統治。

“This is what they've chosen to do with their abilities? Let's get them separated up for a few thousand years so they can't destroy themselves completely, at least until they're smart enough to invent Google Translate and instantaneous communications, and the Cultural Revolution on steroids.”

“嗯，這就是他們選擇用自己的能力做的事嗎？讓我們將他們分開幾千年，以使他們無法完全毀滅他們自己，至少直到他們足夠聰明以發明Google Translate和即時通訊，而可以如虎添翼的進行文化大革命為止。”

If you don't know what the first Cultural Revolution was, read these 2 books:
如果您不知道文化大革命是什麼，請讀這兩本：

* Fox Butterfield's China, Alive in the Bitter Sea
* 福克斯·巴特菲爾德（Fox Butterfield）的《中國：苦海余生》

* Jung Chang's Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China (which you can read here at Library Genesis.)
* 張戎的《鴻：三代中國女人的故事》 (可以在這裡閱讀［英文版］：Library Genesis.)

That is what would have had to occur to keep people from escaping the Tower of Babel. In the Tower of Babel incident God was for scattering and freedom, and man was not.

那將是阻止人逃離巴別塔的事。在巴別塔事件中，神爭取驅散與自由，而人不是。

Image credit:asofterworld

But I'm not trying to paint God as a Luddite. Throughout the Bible it is God who is for life and knowledge, and Satan who is for death and ignorance.

我並不是說神排斥科技。在整本聖經中，就是神認可生命和知識，而就是撒旦推銷死亡和愚昧。

God didn't dumb humans down at the Tower of Babel, he just got them loosened up and spreading in all directions. If you knew there was someone interested in killing off the human race, like the Devil, wouldn't you have done the same?

神並沒有在巴別塔把人類弄笨了，他只是鬆開了人類並讓他們向四面八方驅散。如果您知道有誰對殺死人類感興趣 (例如魔鬼)，您不會也這樣做麼？

Obviously, God has faith in the human race surviving until he comes again. He designed us, so he knows what we're capable of. And since he knows the future, he knows all the twists and turns we'll make to the end of our story. And because he is God, he can and will stop anything that gets too close to ending us. Earth is not an experiment for him but a testing ground for you, for God to see who loves the truth.

顯然，神對人類的生存到祂再次來世為止有充滿的信心。祂設計了我們，所以祂知道我們的能力。而且由於祂知道未來，所以祂知道我們將在故事的結尾處所經歷的所有曲折。而且由於祂是神，祂可以而並且一定會阻止任何事情變得過分失控。地球不是祂的實驗，而是你的試煉場。

.. For this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” (Jesus, Gospel of John 18:37)

“…我要為真理作見證，我為此而生，也為此來到世上。凡是屬於真理的人，都聽我的聲音。” （耶穌，約翰福音 18:37 CNV）

and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.(2 Thessalonians 2:10‭-‬12 NASB)

並且在那些沉淪的人身上，行各樣不義的欺詐，因為他們不領受愛真理的心，使他們得救。因此，　神就使錯謬的思想運行在他們當中，讓他們相信虛謊，叫所有不信真理倒喜愛不義的人，都被定罪。(帖撒羅尼迦後書 2:10‭-‬12 CNV)

Do you think I've missed something in the Tower of Babel story? Comment below.

您是否認為我錯過了巴別塔故事中的某些意思麼？評論一下。

So how does it help you to know all this?

那麼知道所有這些對您有什麼幫助？

1. You will have a more accurate picture of the world around you.

1.您將對周圍的世界有更準確的了解。

2. You will be more aware of what's at stake in your obedience or disobedience to the will of God.

2.您會更了解自己對神的旨意的服從或不服從的重要性。

3. You will know more about the pros and cons of microchipping.

3. 您將進一步了解微芯片的優缺點。

4. Life is not boring, is it?

4.生活不是無聊的，對嗎？

5. Now you can appreciate a boring life.

5.現在您可以欣賞無聊的生活。

6. Pretend like the whole world got un-microchipped last month. Are you happy now? Have you thanked God for the freedoms you do have?

6.假裝整個世界都被微芯片，直到上個月每個人都同時擺脫了他們的微芯片。地球不是光榮的地方嗎？（《哈利路亞》合唱插曲）到目前為止，您是否感謝上帝賜予您生命中的祝福？

7. Now you can teach your kids not to grow up and inflict microchipping on others!

7.現在，您可以教您的孩子長大的時候，不要對他人施加微芯片！

8. The web links are great for teaching your kids reading, vocabulary, spelling, discussion and writing what they would do to help make the world a better place.

8.網絡鏈接非常適合教孩子閱讀，詞彙，拼寫，討論和寫作，他們將做些什麼來幫助世界變得更美好。

9. The video in this article makes for exciting social studies! (English teachers take note.)

9. 本文中的視頻有助於進行激動人心的社會學課程！（英語老師請注意。）

10. When children learn stuff young, it doesn't shatter them when they're older.

小時候知道這些東西，就不會長大的時候學感到那麼震驚。小時候學的東西，就不想長大以後所發現的東西感到那麼的震驚。

I once shared a news headline with a 13-year-old boy and he said his elementary school teacher had already told them that stuff 3 years ago. When I asked if the news had bothered him, he shrugged.

有一次我跟一個13歲的男孩分享一個新聞的時候，他說他的小學的老師已經跟他們說了。我問他聽到那個新聞的那時候有沒有感覺不舒服，可是他說他就不覺得怎樣。

11. If someday your company asks you to microchip, have you made yourself indispensable to your company, or kept other jobs going on the side, so that you can afford to say no, and vote with your feet, sending a message that makes companies think twice about demanding certain things of their employees and giving others the room to say no as well? Preparing for freedom and making use of your freedom makes those around you freer as well, which in turn makes your own freedom more certain.

如果你的公司有一天要你裝微芯片的話，你是否已經對他們那麼重要，或維持備份工作，為了有選擇說不要裝否則你會離開公司，讓公司怕繼續勉強人員，這樣給同事一份自由。預備維持你的自由，以及使用這自由所給你的選擇，也會堅強你周圍的人的自由，而他們所加強的自由會互相保護你自己的自由。

Are you raising your kids to be psychologically prepared and equipped with the skills that will allow them to say no as well?

你是否裝備你的小孩讓他們有心裡而學歷準備為得有同樣的拒絕資格和能力？選擇？

12. What if airlines eventually decide to demand microchipping before you can travel? Some child out there who doesn't know his “limits” may have already begun equipping himself to start his own airline to allow people to circumvent this requirement. If enough children are made aware of the problem they will feel more purpose in their studies and come up with solutions in time for the future.

如果航空有一天堅持你裝微芯片才讓你旅遊呢？也許已經有一個不知道自己的限制的小孩開始預備開自己的航空為了讓人避免這個要求。足夠的小孩理解這問題的話，他們會更感覺到讀書的意義，而有可能來得及發明未來的解決。

What can you add to the list of things to prevent or get around this situation and make the world a better place? Comment below.

您將在事情清單中添加什麼來預防或避免這種情況並使世界變得更美好？評論一下。

Other stuff on the net that sparked this post:
引發此帖子的相關外部新聞：

It’s Spreading: Now the British Media Is Pushing Microchipping In The UK [2018]

Thousands Are VOLUNTEERING to Be MICROCHIPPED in Sweden: Can the Rest of the World Be Far Behind? [2018]

Why People Will Happily Line Up to be Microchipped Like Dogs [2017]

Microchipping and the Tower of Babel

I found this video on the net: They're Spending Billions To Chip Our Brains

After watching that video, how do you feel about these verses?

“The Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.” (Genesis 11:6-7)

I have had nothing but positive feelings toward those verses for a long time now.

But only today did I catch “And this is what they began to do.” Can you see it? “Here they are with all this ability and THIS is what they choose to do with it.” Evidently it was an ominous indication of how we would be using our abilities in the future.

What was so heinous about building a tower? Is God threatened by skyscrapers and technology?

Nothing's wrong with towers, except that only four generations back when they got off the boat, “God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth'” (Genesis 9:1) and in the number of generations that it took Shem's son (born 2 years after the flood) to become a great-grandfather, society was off to the dogs again and saying, “'... OTHERWISE we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11:4)

In other words, God said, “Scatter,” and only 4 generations later they are saying, “Don't scatter.” In 4 generations, they have reversed the command.

And can you imagine the tyranny that would have been required to keep themselves from scattering? Thank God he broke up that dictatorship.

“This is what they've chosen to do with their abilities? Let's get them separated up for a few thousand years so they can't destroy themselves completely, at least until they're smart enough to invent Google Translate and instantaneous communications, and the Cultural Revolution on steroids.”

If you don't know what the first Cultural Revolution was, read these 2 books:

* Fox Butterfield's China, Alive in the Bitter Sea

* Jung Chang's Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China (which you can read here at Library Genesis.)

That is what would have had to occur to keep people from escaping the Tower of Babel. In the Tower of Babel incident God was for scattering and freedom, and man was not.

Image credit:asofterworld

But I'm not trying to paint God as a Luddite. Throughout the Bible it is God who is for life and knowledge, and Satan who is for death and ignorance.

God didn't dumb humans down at the Tower of Babel, he just got them loosened up and spreading in all directions. If you knew there was someone interested in killing off the human race, like the Devil, wouldn't you have done the same?

Obviously, God has faith in the human race surviving until he comes again. He designed us, so he knows what we're capable of. And since he knows the future, he knows all the twists and turns we'll make to the end of our story. And because he is God, he can and will stop anything that gets too close to ending us. Earth is not an experiment for him but a testing ground for you, for God to see who loves the truth.

.. For this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” (Jesus, Gospel of John 18:37)

and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.(2 Thessalonians 2:10‭-‬12 NASB)

Do you think I've missed something in the Tower of Babel story? Comment below.

So how does it help you to know all this?

1. You will have a more accurate picture of the world around you.

2. You will be more aware of what's at stake in your obedience or disobedience to the will of God.

3. You will know more about the pros and cons of microchipping.

4. Life is not boring, is it?

5. Now you can appreciate a boring life.

6. Pretend like the whole world got un-microchipped last month. Are you happy now? Have you thanked God for the freedoms you do have?

7. Now you can teach your kids not to grow up and inflict microchipping on others!

8. The web links are great for teaching your kids reading, vocabulary, spelling, discussion and writing what they would do to help make the world a better place.

9. The video in this article makes for exciting social studies! (English teachers take note.)

10. When children learn stuff young, it doesn't shatter them when they're older.

I once shared a news headline with a 13-year-old boy and he said his elementary school teacher had already told them that stuff 3 years ago. When I asked if the news had bothered him, he shrugged.

11. If someday your company asks you to microchip, have you made yourself indispensable to your company, or kept other jobs going on the side, so that you can afford to say no, and vote with your feet, sending a message that makes companies think twice about demanding certain things of their employees and giving others the room to say no as well? Preparing for freedom and making use of your freedom makes those around you freer as well, which in turn makes your own freedom more certain.

Are you raising your kids to be psychologically prepared and equipped with the skills that will allow them to say no as well?

12. What if airlines eventually decide to demand microchipping before you can travel? Some child out there who doesn't know his “limits” may have already begun equipping himself to start his own airline to allow people to circumvent this requirement. If enough children are made aware of the problem they will feel more purpose in their studies and come up with solutions in time for the future.

What can you add to the list of things to prevent or get around this situation and make the world a better place? Comment below.

Other stuff on the net that sparked this post:

It’s Spreading: Now the British Media Is Pushing Microchipping In The UK [2018]

Thousands Are VOLUNTEERING to Be MICROCHIPPED in Sweden: Can the Rest of the World Be Far Behind? [2018]

Why People Will Happily Line Up to be Microchipped Like Dogs [2017]

Does God Have to Obey a Higher Law?

(中文這裡)

This is something I left out of my last article Fathers, What Are You Teaching Your Children? because it was getting too long.

Part of this section was prompted by a conversation with a friend who seemed to be saying that God had to obey the universe and that he was still learning on the job.

** ** ** **

So it seems like God has the authority to set the standard for good and evil for at least two reasons so far:

1. Freedom of Association (the terms on which he will not withdraw his presence from you in the day of judgment).

2. The right of the Creator to do what he wants with his creation.

But you might say, “No, just because I create my own children doesn't mean I have the right to torture them as soon as they are born. There is a higher law that trumps my position as creator. Furthermore, if I as creator have to obey some undetermined-by-me idea of Good, then so does God as Creator have to obey some Universal Idea of Good higher than him.”

First of all, your right of Creator over your own children would still be limited by the right of the Creator of All, God, to tell you it is wrong to torture your children just because you created them.

But even if we run with this idea that even Creators, whether high or low, have to obey a law outside themselves, that God is not The Good himself, that goodness does not derive from God's being, but is some mysterious force or law that derives from the texture of the Universe that even God has to obey (as one friend claimed) ... the problem is that before that Universe existed, God spoke the Universe into existence, and thus presumably any so-called moral “Law of the Universe” would still be only a creation and derivative of God. A thing would still only be “good” because God said “Goodness is me, I am What-Is-Good”, and then created a universe that operates on his laws.

So technically, God is higher than any so-called law of the universe, because he existed before the universe and then created the universe and...

Practically, God is higher because even if you want to say that goodness only exists through some perceived construct of the universe, the universe itself was constructed by God, so God still remains the de facto constructer and arbiter of good.

And he communicated that good to us through Jesus:

“He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:31)

** ** ** **

Other posts you might be interested in:

Fathers, What Are You Teaching Your Children?

God's Changes

Have You Considered This Evidence?

Does God Have to Obey a Higher Law? 神必須遵守一個比祂高的律法嗎？

This is something I left out of my last article Fathers, What Are You Teaching Your Children? because it was getting too long.

這是我從上一篇文章父親們，你在教孩子們什麼所遺漏的內容，因為那文章已經太長了。

Part of this section was prompted by a conversation with a friend who seemed to be saying that God had to obey the universe and that he was still learning on the job.

本節的一部分是由於與一位朋友的交談而引起的，似乎在說神必須服從宇宙，而他仍在學習這份工作中。

** ** ** **

So it seems like God has the authority to set the standard for good and evil for at least two reasons so far:

到目前為止，看來神有權制定是非善惡的標準的原因至少有兩個：

1. Freedom of Association (the terms on which he will not withdraw his presence from you in the day of judgment).

1. 結社的自由（就是在某日他不會跟你永遠隔絕的條款）。

2. The right of the Creator to do what he wants with his creation.

2. 創作者有權根據自己的創作做自己想做的事情。

But you might say, “No, just because I create my own children doesn't mean I have the right to torture them as soon as they are born. There is a higher law that trumps my position as creator. Furthermore, if I as creator have to obey some undetermined-by-me idea of Good, then so does God as Creator have to obey some Universal Idea of Good higher than him.”

但是你可能會說：“不，僅僅因為我的孩子是我所生的並不說我有權力酷刑他們。有一條更高的律法凌駕於我作為創作者的地位。如果作為造物主的我必須服從某個比我高的善良觀念，那麼作為造物主的神也必須服從一些高於他的善良觀念。”

First of all, your right of Creator over your own children would still be limited by the right of the Creator of All, God, to tell you it is wrong to torture your children just because you created them.

首先，你對自己的孩子的創造者權仍然會受到全人的創造者(神)的權利的限制，告訴你僅僅因為你創造了孩子而折磨你的孩子是錯的。

But even if we run with this idea that even Creators, whether high or low, have to obey a law outside themselves, that God is not The Good himself, that goodness does not derive from God's being, but is some mysterious force or law that derives from the texture of the Universe that even God has to obey (as one friend claimed) ... the problem is that before that Universe existed, God spoke the Universe into existence, and thus presumably any so-called moral “Law of the Universe” would still be only a creation and derivative of God. A thing would still only be “good” because God said “Goodness is me, I am What-Is-Good”, and then created a universe that operates on his laws.

但是，即使我們懷著這樣的觀念來說，即使是創造者，無論高低，都必須遵守一個他們之外的律法，即神不是善良本人，即善良並非源於神的存在，反而是來自宇宙的構造的某種神秘的力量或律法，甚至連神也必須服從（正如一位朋友曾經說過），問題在於，在宇宙存在之前，神就說話讓宇宙存在，因此，任何所謂的“宇宙的道德法則”仍然僅僅是創造物，神，的衍生。一件事仍然只能算是“善”，因為神說，「善良是我，我就是善良的定義」，然後他創造了一個遵循他的法則的宇宙。

So technically, God is higher than any so-called law of the universe, because he existed before the universe and then created the universe and...

所以從技術上講，神比任何所謂的宇宙法則高，因為神在宇宙之前已經存在，然後就是他創造了宇宙，並且...

Practically, God is higher because even if you want to say that goodness only exists through some perceived construct of the universe, the universe itself was constructed by God, so God still remains the de facto constructer and arbiter of good.

實際上，神是至高的，因為即使你想說善良僅通過所感知宇宙的構造或法則而存在，宇宙本身乃是神所構造的，所以神仍然是善良的建構者和仲裁者。

And he communicated that good to us through Jesus:
而他通過耶穌向我們傳達了這善良的標準：

“He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:31)

「要藉著他所立的人，按公義審判天下，並且使他從死人中復活，給萬人作一個可信的憑據。」 (使徒行傳 17:31）

** ** ** **

Other posts you might be interested in:
您可能感興趣的其他文章：

Fathers, What Are You Teaching Your Children?

父親們，你在教孩子們什麼?

God's Changes

Have You Considered This Evidence?

Fathers, What Are you Teaching Your Children?

(Click for English / Chinese bilingual version 中英版這裡)

I do try to give my own thoughts on things, not just re-post the news I've been reading.

This event: Who Protected Epstein for Decades, and Why? and this earlier event: The Truth Dies In Darkness see also Belgium's silent heart of darkness , sparked this article.

** ** **

Some people say, “How could there be a God that allows bad things to happen to little children?” Other people say, “How could there be a God that puts people in hell for all eternity?”

Some people say, "How can a loving God not step in?" but then castigate him when he does step in.

God cares about everything that happens to children. Jesus said:

“... but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes! (Matthew 18:6‭-‬7 NASB)

“God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:30‭-‬31)

Then... I can say, “Pedophilia is wrong.”

And you say, “Who says?”

And I say, “God says.The God who said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. The God who says that you will be excluded eternally from his presence (libertarian freedom of association), in what will feel like a lake of fire and brimstone to you in an eternal hell of outer darkness. So yes, you're not a robot, but neither is God. You can choose to not follow his standard, but he also can choose to completely withdraw his presence from you in the day of judgment, if you don't choose to walk in the light as he sees it.”

If you reject the right of God to set the standard, you essentially reject all appeal to right and wrong, because no one can decide for another what is right and wrong.

So back to our original premise: The Buddhist or atheist Mother Theresa herself is not a child molester, but every time she tells someone they can decide what is right and wrong apart from God, she opens up the pathway to child molesting. And that is why God sees her, if not the main perpetrator, still as an inexcusable accomplice, inasmuch as she set aside God's right to set the standard.

The Buddhist or atheist Mother Theresa did not choose to molest children with her repudiation of God's authority to set the standard … but others will … others will certainly so use this freedom. She has sown the wind and will reap the whirlwind.

...Because they have transgressed My covenant and rebelled against My law....With their silver and gold they have made idols for themselves, that they might be cut off... For they sow the wind and they reap the whirlwind.... (Hosea 8:1‭-‬5‭, ‬7)

I have spread out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, who walk in the way which is not good, following their own thoughts...(Isaiah 65:2)

I know, O Lord, that a man’s way is not in himself, nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps. (Jeremiah 10:23 NASB)

“You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.” (Deuteronomy 6:7 NASB)

For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him.” (Genesis 18:19 NASB)

If one of your great-grandchildren becomes a child molester, will not God hold you partially responsible, who chose not to read God's Word to your children from the cradle?

“For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!”

As a father you can many times make or break your child's relationship with God, because how your child experiences his earthly father, will color how he sees his Heavenly Father.

You represent God to your children, before they are able to come into their own relationship with him.

And if up to now you didn't realize the consequences of neglecting God's standard, yet you have cultivated a good relationship with your children, then you still have something that is very precious in the sight of God, and on which you can build a different future for your family.

We were born into this world in order to leave it and meet our God. Have you told your children about their Heavenly Father? Do you patiently teach them to follow him? Are you preparing them to meet their God?

Have you thought what it must feel like for God to see each baby born pure and innocent and then watch the outside world gradually darken their minds? Are you a part of the darkening or the lightening? How many times has he had to watch that with every human born since the beginning of the world? His longsuffering and lovingkindness must be vast. And how dear to him must be those who hold fast to what is good.

Related posts you might be interested in:

Does God Have to Obey a Higher Law?

Fathers, What Are you Teaching Your Children? 父親們，你在教孩子們什麼？

I do try to give my own thoughts on things, not just re-post the news I've been reading.

我嘗試對時事發表自己的觀點，而不是僅有轉發新聞。

This event: Who Protected Epstein for Decades, and Why? and this earlier event: The Truth Dies In Darkness see also Belgium's silent heart of darkness , sparked this article.

在閱讀了這篇文章：《誰保護了Epstein 十年了，為什麼？》與稍早的：《真理在黑暗中死亡》以及《比利時沉默的黑暗之心》之後，讓我開始寫這篇文章。

** ** **

Some people say, “How could there be a God that allows bad things to happen to little children?” Other people say, “How could there be a God that puts people in hell for all eternity?”

有人說：“神怎麼可以讓壞事發生在小孩子身上呢？” 也有人說：“神怎麼會讓人陷入一個永恆的地獄？”

Some people say, "How can a loving God not step in?" but then castigate him when he does step in.

有人說：“一個有愛心的神怎能不作什麼呢？” 但當神作了什麼的時後，人們又譴責神的作為。

God cares about everything that happens to children. Jesus said:

“... but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes! (Matthew 18:6‭-‬7 NASB)

神關心孩子發生的一切的事。耶穌說：

「凡使這信我的一個小子跌倒的，倒不如把大磨石拴在這人的頸項上，沉在深海裏。這世界有禍了，因為將人絆倒；絆倒人的事是免不了的，但那絆倒人的有禍了！（馬太福音 18:6‭-‬7 CUNP-神）

但無論誰使一個信我的小弟兄犯罪，倒不如拿一塊大磨石拴在他的頸項上，把他沉在深海裡。 “這世界有禍了，因為充滿使人犯罪的事。這些事是免不了的，但那使人犯罪的有禍了！(馬太福音 18:6‭-‬7 CNV)

Some people say, “What about the Buddhist or atheist Mother Theresas? What if Mother Theresa had a twin as selfless and sacrificial as herself, but the twin was Buddhist or atheist. How can God put her in an eternal hell along with the child molesters just because she is not a christian?”

有的人說「那，身為佛教(或無神論者) 的特蕾莎修女呢？假設有人像她一樣無私奉獻，但卻是佛教徒或無神論者。神怎能只是因為她不是基督徒將她跟著猥褻小孩的人一起陷入一個永在的地獄呢？」 ( 德雷莎修女這裡的語意我推測應該是要表達：神是否僅僅因為一個人不是基督徒而將他陷入地獄──即使他為人像德雷莎修女一樣無私奉獻 )

A Buddhist or atheist Mother Theresa is saying, “I am going to do this good deed because I am the one who decides what is good and evil, and not my Maker. And if I decide that something is good that the Maker considers evil, that will I do.” Therefore, the good that the atheist Mother Theresa decides on will only arbitrarily and accidentally coincide with what God considers good.

蕾莎修女說：「我將做這件善事，是因決定善惡的人是我，而非我的創造主有權柄來命令我的。所以，倘或我認為某一件事是好的，即便造物主認為那件事是邪惡的，那我還是會照自己的意思來作。」然而，特蕾莎修女所認為的善，只是形似神所認定的善。

She herself is not a child molester, but every time she tells someone they can decide what is right and wrong apart from God, she opens up the pathway to child molesting. And that is why God sees her, if not as culpable, still as an inexcusable accomplice, inasmuch as she set aside God's right to set the standard.

每當她宣揚人們可以不透過神而自行決定對錯，便是為猥褻小孩的人開路———即便她不是一個猥褻小孩的人。從神的角度來說即使她不是罪魁禍首，也仍然承擔同謀或幫兇的部分責任———因為她拋棄了神設定標準的權柄。

Only God can set the standard of right and wrong, because all men are equal. I can not set the standard for you and you can not set the standard for me.

只有神才能設定對與錯的標準。因為所有人都是平等的；我無法為你設置標準，你也無法為我設置標準。

I cannot set the standard for you even if I persuade 99% of mankind to agree with me. What if I persuaded everyone to take up cannibalism, or ritual pedophilia (like India's temple child prostitution), would that make it right?

即使能說服99％的人類認同我，我也無法為你設定標準。假使我說服所有人都接受食人症或攣童儀式———例如印度廟的兒童賣淫，也無法改變它的正當性？

But how can you tell me I am wrong, if all men are equal?

但是，如果所有人都是平等的，你怎麼能告訴我我不對呢？

So there is no way to appeal to right and wrong unless it comes from something outside of man, something that is higher than our individual opinions.

因此，除非是基於某些來自人類之外且高於我們的個人觀點，否則就沒有辦法訴諸對與錯。

Everything in the universe is morally equal to everything else in the universe ... unless ... the Creator of the universe exists, then he would be higher.

宇宙之間的一切，在道德上都是平等的。唯有宇宙的創造者能高於一切。

If God exists, and he gave us an objective standard, along with PROOF that he gave us that objective standard...

只要神存在，而他賦於我們一個認證的標準，例如…

“God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:30‭-‬31)

「他卻吩咐各處的人都要悔改，因為他已經定好了日子，要藉著他所立的人，按公義審判天下，並且使他從死人中復活，給萬人作一個可信的憑據。」 (使徒行傳 17:30‭-‬31）

Then... I can say, “Pedophilia is wrong.”

那麼... 我就可以說：“猥褻小孩是不對的。”

And you say, “Who says?”

然後你說：“誰說的呢？”

And I say, “God says.The God who said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. The God who says that you will be excluded eternally from his presence (libertarian freedom of association), in what will feel like a lake of fire and brimstone to you in an eternal hell of outer darkness.

然後我就說：“神說的…就是那位說「那些殺身體卻不能殺靈魂的，不要怕他們；倒要怕那位能把靈魂和身體都投入地獄裡的。」（馬太福音 10:28）說你將永遠從祂的面前被排除在外（自由注意的結社自由），在那外面的黑暗裡的永恆地獄中，對你來說就像硫磺的火湖裡中。

So yes, you're not a robot, but neither is God. You can choose to not follow his standard, but he also can choose to completely withdraw his presence from you in the day of judgment, if you don't choose to walk in the light as he sees it.”

是的，你不是機器人，但神也不是。你可以選擇不遵循祂的標準，不在祂所願所認為的光中行走，但是祂也可以選擇在審判日與你完全撤消祂的存在。”

So if you reject the right of God to set the standard, you essentially reject all appeal to right and wrong, because no one can decide for another what is right and wrong.

因此，如果你拒絕神設定標準的權柄，那麼你實質上就是拒絕所有對是非的訴求，因為沒有人能為他人決定是非，善惡。

So back to our original premise: The Buddhist or atheist Mother Theresa herself is not a child molester, but every time she tells someone they can decide what is right and wrong apart from God, she opens up the pathway to child molesting. And that is why God sees her, if not the main perpetrator, still as an inexcusable accomplice, inasmuch as she set aside God's right to set the standard.

回到我們原來的前提：一個佛教徒或無神論者的特蕾莎，她本人不是一位猥褻兒童的，但是她每當告訴人他們可以決定除神以外的決定對與錯時，她都會開闢猥褻兒童的道路。這就是為什麼神認為她，即使不是主要的犯罪者，卻仍然是必承擔部分責任的同謀或幫兇，因為她拋棄了神設定標準的權利。

The Buddhist or atheist Mother Theresa did not choose to molest children with her repudiation of God's authority to set the standard … but others will … others will certainly so use this freedom. She has sown the wind and will reap the whirlwind.

佛教徒或無神論者特蕾莎並沒有選擇用她拒絕神設定標準的權威來騷擾孩子……但是其他人會的……其他人肯定會這樣使用這個不必不遵循神的標準的自由。她播下了風，將收穫旋風。

...Because they have transgressed My covenant and rebelled against My law....With their silver and gold they have made idols for themselves, that they might be cut off... For they sow the wind and they reap the whirlwind.... (Hosea 8:1‭-‬5‭, ‬7)

...因為這民違背我的約，干犯我的律法。...他們用金銀為自己製造偶像，以致被剪除。...他們所種的是風，所收的是暴風... (何西阿書 8:1‭-‬7 CUNP-神)

I have spread out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, who walk in the way which is not good, following their own thoughts... (Isaiah 65:2)

我整天伸手招呼那悖逆的百姓；他們隨自己的意念行不善之道。(以賽亞書 65:2 CUNP-神)

I know, O Lord, that a man’s way is not in himself, nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps. (Jeremiah 10:23 NASB)

耶和華啊！我知道人的道路是不由自己的；人行走時，也不能確定自己的腳步。(耶利米書 10:23 CNV)

And you, gentle reader. Perhaps you are otherwise a good father to your kids, but you never told them about their Heavenly Father, and God's right to set the standard, and how he expects them to learn that standard and follow in his steps, if he is to be able to welcome them into his presence on the day of judgment.

你呢，溫柔的讀者? 也許你是一位好父親，但你從來沒告訴過你的孩子關於他們的天父，以及神設置標準的權威，以及祂希望他們如何學習這個標準，並遵循祂的腳步，如果他能夠在審判日歡迎他們加入祂的天家團員。

Have you allowed your children to grow up assuming they can know what is good on their own, when in reality a person's sense of right and wrong is to a great extent an accident of upbringing:

你是否讓自己的孩子長大，讓他們一直以為他們可以自己來感受知道什麼算是絕對的好絕對的壞。而實際上，一個人對於是非的認定，很大程度上是透過教養形成的。

Cannibal children grow up thinking cannibalism is the order of life, North Korean children grow up thinking whatever North Korea wants them to think, children of alcoholics often grow up to be alcoholics, children of idol worshippers, Muslims, Buddhists, atheists, Catholics, and other denominations often grow up to be whatever their parents were.

食人族兒童長大後，認為食人族是正常的生活，北韓的小孩長大後會相信北韓所教他們相信的什麼，醉鬼的孩子通常長大後成為醉鬼；拜偶像的，穆斯林，佛教徒，無神論者，天主教徒和其他教派的小孩都往往長大後就像父母一樣。

So you, oh gentle father, may be allowing your children to grow up like an atheist Mother Theresa, with their sense of right and wrong eroding from generation to generation under the winds of change, until your grandchild or great-grandchild becomes a moral Frankenstein in God's sight, one of those who destroy the earth and its children in a great way instead of the usual small and insidious ways.

因此，你呢，溫柔的爸爸，可能目前正在讓你的孩子像一個無神論的特蕾莎一樣長大，他們的對與錯感在變革之風下代代的侵蝕掉溜走了，直到你的孫子或曾孫中有一位成為道德上的科學怪人在神的眼中，比一般的小而陰險的方式的人更嚴重的來迫害世界合世界的小孩。

If that happens, will not God hold the great-grandfather partially responsible who knew God's standard but chose not to lead his children in the Way?

如果發生這樣來的話，神會不會讓你這位曾祖父承擔部分責任，因為你知道神的標準，卻選擇不帶領你的孩子們進入那個道路中走？

God, the father of fathers, expects all earthly fathers to pass on his standard and the knowledge of him to their children, to the next generation.

神，萬父之父，預期你們爸爸們將祂的標準還有認識神的知識傳給下一代。

“You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.” (Deuteronomy 6:7 NASB)

你要把這些話不斷地教訓你的兒女，無論你坐在家裡，或行在路上，或躺下，或起來的時候，都要談論。（申命記 6:7 CNV）

For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him.” Genesis 18:19 NASB

我揀選了他，是要他吩咐子孫，和他的家屬，遵守我耶和華的道，秉公行義，好叫我耶和華應許亞伯拉罕的話都可實現。” 創世記 18:19 CNV

If one of your great-grandchildren becomes a child molester, will not God hold you partially responsible, who chose not to read God's Word to your children from the cradle?

如果你的曾孫中有一位成為猥褻小孩的人，神會不會讓您承擔部分責任，因為你選擇不從搖籃裡時向你的孩子們宣讀神的話麼？

“For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!”

「絆倒人的事是免不了的，但那絆倒人的有禍了！」

As a father you can many times make or break your child's relationship with God, because how your child experiences his earthly father, will color how he sees his Heavenly Father.

作為父親來說，你可以建立或破壞孩子與神的關係，因為你的孩子如何體驗其塵世間的父親，將使他如何看待他的天父。

You represent God to your children, before they are able to come into their own relationship with him.

你的孩子與神建立關係之前的時候，你就向他們代表神。

And if up to now you didn't realize the consequences of neglecting God's standard, yet you have cultivated a good relationship with your children, then you still have something that is very precious in the sight of God, and on which you can build a different future for your family.

如果直到現在你還沒有意識到忽視神標準的後果，但是你已經與孩子們建立了良好的關係，那麼在神的看來，你仍然擁有一個非常珍貴的東西，而你可以在此基礎上為家人建立了一個不同的未來。

We were born into this world in order to leave it and meet our God. Have you told your children about their Heavenly Father? Do you patiently teach them to follow him? Are you preparing them to meet their God?

我們出生於這個世界是為了離開它並遇見我們的神。你有沒有跟孩子說到他們的天父？你耐心地教他們跟隨祂嗎？你是否準備他們好迎接他們的神？

Have you thought what it must feel like for God to see each baby born pure and innocent and then watch the outside world gradually darken their minds? Are you a part of the darkening or the lightening? How many times has God had to watch that with every human born since the beginning of the world? His longsuffering and lovingkindness must be vast. And how dear to him must be those who hold fast to what is good.

您是否想過神看到每個純潔無辜的嬰兒，出生後被環繞的世界逐漸變暗的想法，這對神會有什麼樣的感覺？您是那變暗還是變亮的一部分？自世界之初以來，當每個人出生，神必須多少次忍受這過程呢？祂的忍耐和仁慈一定是巨大的。那些堅持善良的人必須對他多麼的珍惜。

** ** **

Article correction: “God cares about everything that happens to children” originally read “God sees all the children in dungeons” which left the erroneous impression the dungeons were mentioned in the Bible and not the news articles under discussion.

文章更正：“神關心孩子發生的一切的事”最初讀為“神看到所有綑在地牢裡的小孩”，這給人留下了錯誤的印象，即聖經中提到地牢而不是討論中的新聞文章。

Thanks to Sizkacoder for correcting the Chinese!
十分感謝Sizkacoder修改中文！

Other posts you might be interested in:

神必須遵守一個比祂高的律法嗎？

Recommended Video - Unplanned

Immersion / Baptism Verses

浸禮的經節

Chuck Horner's Videos for World Video Bible School

Recommended Video - looking for the Chinese subtitles to these

Reaction to Stephen Hawking's "Grand Design - The Meaning of the Universe"

Video Recommendation: "Tower of Babel: Origin of Races with Ken Ham"

Microchipping and the Tower of Babel (bilingual)

Microchipping and the Tower of Babel

Recommended Video: Brimstone (found at Sodom and Gomorrah)

Does God Have to Obey a Higher Law?

Does God Have to Obey a Higher Law? 神必須遵守一個比祂高的律法嗎？

Fathers, What Are you Teaching Your Children?

Fathers, What Are you Teaching Your Children? 父親們，你在教孩子們什麼？

Bible Conversations

Projects

Latest Posts

What I've Been Reading Stream

document.write(ssyby);

document.write(ssyby);

document.write(ssyby);

document.write(ssyby);

document.write(ssyby);

document.write(ssyby);

document.write(ssyby);

document.write(ssyby);

document.write(ssyby);

document.write(ssyby);

document.write(ssyby);

document.write(ssyby);

document.write(ssyby);

document.write(ssyby);

document.write(ssyby);

Latest Posts

What I've Been Reading Stream