Subscribe for Notifications of Updates
Unsubscribe from Notifications
About Duke
Subscribe for Notifications of Updates
Unsubscribe from Notifications
About Duke
What prompted me to write these thoughts was a “regular” life experience that explained, to me anyway, some of God’s complex attributes. In writing a novel, I exercised creation, the difference between choice and predestination, and operating outside of time. When I then heard other people struggle over these concepts or challenging questions, I thought it would be helpful to share my perspective.
God is the most important and complex subject you can pick, and the most worthy of your time. Anything we can do to better grasp His character and thinking is worth doing. So, here are a few thoughts and perspectives as we look back at our God who is our author.
A point to recognize - you won’t find any new concept here that isn’t in the Bible and already exposited by some good Bible teacher.
To meditate on; to comment thoughtfully or ruminate on; ponder; contemplate.
This is the first muse because it defines who we are, and our relationship to God. This is the basis for every other muse.
“Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over … [the earth]” (Gen 1:26). This is the first thing God’s word says about mankind, and pretty much sums who we should be.
You are made in God's image, so you are a person - designed to have an identity, purpose, place, motivation. You also have the power and responsibility to choose your identity, purpose, place, motivation, what you think, and what you will do. You have the power and responsibility to communicate, to create, and to guide what has been created.
However, being made in God’s image, remember that you are a reflection and not God’s equal - you do not possess all of His attributes. You are not self-sufficient, you do not know everything, you cannot command all of creation, you are not perfect.
While we are designed in His image, we all are certainly falling far short of that design. You and I are already broken twisted spectres of what we should be because of our pride and choice to be selfish. So, we have also lost the holiness, kindness, justice, faith, and eternal life that are a part of our intended image. God now has to repeatedly grant us such attributes day after day.
[last updated Jan 30, 2022]
I’m more interested here in the impact of our choices, and less in the big arena of how we make choices (motives, priorities, criteria, logical vs emotional thinkers, imagination, and so on).
God chooses what He will do, and his choices have a lasting impact on his creation. Because you are made in His image, you also must choose what you will do, and so also do your choices have an impact on the people and creation around you. Even more importantly, God will judge you for what you choose. Your decisions matter - God makes sure that they do for you and everyone around you. It’s easy to think you are insignificant and what you choose does not matter. But, be assured, God makes it matter. You have a tremendous power and reponsibility in choice - possibly the greatest power that humans have, and the most important measure on which God judges you.
There are some obvious statements about choices: if a choice takes away from your attention and closeness to God, then it’s a bad choice; if a choice would push someone else away from God, then it’s a bad choice. However, in our daily lives we don’t pull out a list of rules to go over for decisions, so let’s not build a list of rules here.
Instead, train yourself to choose. Your spirit trains itself - it builds habits and justifications to follow. There are two points about “soul training” to make.
First, the leading and most subtle choices are what you choose to watch and listen. Matthew 6:22 says, “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light.” If your spirit makes a habit of paying attention to “things that are above” (Colossians 3:1), then its other choices will be cleaner too. You will later think about what you watch. This becomes a double-whammy - not only can you train your soul in a bad way, but then the subsequent subjects of your thoughts are ugly.
Second, life gives you very little response time for many of your choices, including many of the important choices. So if you don’t train your spirit with all the little choices where you have time to build a good thought path, then you won’t be ready for the big choices that surprise you.
One last little note about choices: toying with an option in your mind and and choosing are two different things - there is a distinct step when you commit yourself to a choice, and you know when you have made it.
[last updated Jan 10, 2022]
(This is another one of the muses I wanted to get to based on the experience of writing a novel.)
God’s use of choice and predestination is one of the biggest mind-benders for we humans. However, those folks who have written a novel or story have done a tiny reflection of what God did, and the exercise gives some insight.
Let’s define choice and predestination first. Defining “choice” could be a whole big muse on its own, but let’s stay brief for now. A choice is when I give my attention and commitment to a thought or action. Predestination is God setting a person’s path, including choices that person will make along the way.
So when a person makes a choice, is it really their choice or a command by the author? I think it’s both at the same time. The difference is perspective. From the perspective of the person, who is limited and small, the choice is driven by limited knowledge and priorities and options and his soul. From God’s perspective, who is outside of time and has a story to express, it is predestination (plus some “free play” with the character).
Some characters in a story are key - they are the main characters and very important to what the author is sharing. Much of what they do is detailed by the author, and the author defines the key characters as bad or good or something in between. Is it still the fault of a character if the author sets bad choices for him? Yes, because the character is designed to personify a failure - something the author wants to highlight as bad.
Jesus is the key person in God’s story. In fact, he is the personification of God in the story, and he listens carefully to what the Father (author) wants and does it exactly. He is perfect, and exalted by the author. Judas Iscariot, on the other hand, was doomed before being borne to betray Jesus (John 17:12). God picked him to commit a massive fault and be punished severely.
The other characters in a story are there for context and show more nuances of the author’s interests - they are still important because the author puts attention and effort into them and interacts with them. However, the level of control is lower and there is more free play. An example for myself was a mercenary at the end of the story pursuing the main character. His interaction with the main character was predestined by me, the author, as was his role and some of his personality. However, outside of that interaction, there were few constraints that I put on the character. As I wrote his words, I also conversed with that character in my mind, and formed a more complete and complex person. From the mercenary’s perspective, he made a series of a choices based on the situation and personality that I gave him. From my perspective, I had one specific interaction preset for that mercenary, and the rest of his role added detail, depth, and entertainment to the story. Both perspectives are true, so choice and predestination overlapped.
Side note: For an author, there is a subtle but important difference between predestination and using an impending future choice. I can know that a character will make a choice, and shape the story to use that impending choice. Take Joseph’s brothers for example, they “meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.” Did God predestine them to be jealous and evil? I don’t think so - that was already part of their spirits like all of us. God used their impending choice to set up a significant chain of events.
Another side note: the word “choice” implies “free will” to many people, but what does that mean? My soul and my situation put constraints on all my choices. Free will simply implies my spirit is less bound by the situation, but never entirely “free” of the situation. My will is certainly not free of my spirit - my spirit generates my will.
[last updated Jan 30, 2022]
(This is one of the muses I wanted to get to based on the experience of writing a novel.)
Using the analogy of an author and a book, time progresses for the characters in the book from page to page. However, the author can flip to any and all pages of the book while the contents of the pages don’t change. The characters in the book cannot perceive the author flipping through pages. This is the basis for prophecy and predestination - how God knows what is coming and we do not.
2 Peter 3:8 says, "With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day." Think of an author writing many pages to cover a critical event in the story (like Jesus' ministry), and a couple of paragraphs to cover a long period of time in the story.
[last updated Jan 10, 2022]
There is evil because we, and all our ancestors, chose it. As we said in Muse 2 above, we are made in God’s image, and that means we have the ability and responsibility to choose what we will. Since every one of us pursues his/her own interests, the rest of the world and the people in it are cursed, neglected, and stepped on. Now you have evil, and the resulting suffering. The fact that God allows evil and suffering should tell us how important and serious our choices are. (See Discussion 1)
God often uses suffering to break our pride and deluded perspectives that we are adequate / good enough, bringing us closer to Him, but the origin of suffering is ours alone. The question actually should be turned around: why does God alleviate so much of our suffering from our own choices? Because He is kind and patient. God wants to save us rather than condemn us, but he honors our choices first.
Important note - these are not the words you give to someone who is suffering or grieving. They need comfort, as Jesus demonstrated multiple times, and not a slap in the face. These thoughts are blunt, pointing to our own faults and guilt. Muse on these when not grieving.
[last updated Jan 10, 2022]
We’re already partly dead. By definition, death is loss of life. Since we were created with a spirit and a body, we have two ways to die. All of us (except Jesus) have rejected the living God when we choose to pursue our own twisted interests. In rejecting God, our spirits are separated from the living God and immediately die. Hence, we are already partly dead.
The body must also die for several reasons. First, God said we would die for sinning (James 1:14). Second, our bodies are linked to our spirit by the way God designed us, and a twisted broken spirit will twist and break the body too. It’s like a chicken with its head pulled off - it will run and flop around for a bit before it stops moving. Third, we will exist into eternity, and our bodies must be replaced with something eternal. Fourth, death is the obvious conclusion to suffering.
For the child of God, death of the body isn’t so scary. First, our spirits are already made new by the Holy Spirit when we put our faith in Jesus. Then, when our bodies die, a huge pile of burdens drop away - no more temptation (things that tempt me now will no longer), back spasms, depression, sadness, squinting to see clearly, allergies, forgetting what you just did, painful knees, loneliness. Then, on top of the burdens dropping away, all kinds of blessings are added to us - clarity of spirit (we see as we are seen), contentment, and clear purpose.
Side note: How do our spirits inherit Adam’s curse of being separated from God? Job 32:8 says, “But it is the spirit in a person, the breath of the Almighty, that gives them understanding.” If each spirit is a separate breath from God, then each of our spirits would be alive (connected to God) and not suffer Adam's curse. This means our spirits can form another, or God grants a spirit in the "form" of the parent? Angels, which are spirits, cannot do that - they have no children.
[last updated Oct 10, 2021]
When God stops marking time (when we reach the last page of the book), I will be gazing at Him, beholding absolute perfection, perfect glory and beauty in infinite possibilities that stretch beyond my ability to comprehend. I will never be bored, I will be perfectly content. There is absolutely nothing better to do. It is the perfect end.
[last updated Sep 17, 2021]
When an author writes a novel, the story starts on page 1 with whatever history the author builds in. I believe the universe around me is the same - God created the universe with a history built into it.
In the very first verse, Genesis 1:1, God creates the heavens and the earth. We have the creation of His throne, the spirit plane, the principalities and powers and angels, the physical plane, the stars, and the earth. All of them begin in their proper place in a fully built organization. There is no evening/morning yet to measure the time. This is built-in history.
In the rest of Genesis 1, it’s clear that God creates all the covering of the earth in a short time. It says evening and morning multiple times, so there is no confusing a “day” as a symbol for a longer time. When He is done in 6 evening/mornings, the terrain, weather, vegetation, and creatures are all in place already with the proper behaviors (both instinctive and learned).
Side note: In the Bible, there are three heavens: the plane of the spirit, space with the stars, and the earth’s sky. For Genesis 1:1, it is speaking of the spirit and the stars - there is no sky for the earth yet.
[last updated Jan 30, 2022]
Job 32:8 - But there is a spirit within people, the breath of the Almighty within them, that makes them intelligent.
What is your spirit? It is your who and why. Your spirit carries your identity, role, position, purpose, motive, authority, capability. By the very nature of spirit, authority and power are associated with a name. The following long list of verses give insight regarding "spirit". Many of these verses speak about angels, and because angels are spirits (Hebrews 1:14), these verses are pertinent.
> Judges 13:17 - Then Manoah asked the angel of the Lord, “What is your name? For when all this comes true, we want to honor you.” “Why do you ask my name?” the angel of the Lord replied. “It is too wonderful for you to understand.”
> Revelation 19:12 - His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself.
> Revelation 2:17 - “... And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it."
> Revelation 22:4 - And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads.
> Daniel 10:13 - "But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia." (Note Michael, an archangel, has a name.)
> Luke 1:19 - Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God ..." (Note, Gabriel has a name.)
> Isaiah 11:2 - And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him — the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
> 2 Timothy 1:7 - For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
> Job 32:18 - For I am full of pent-up words, and the spirit within me urges me on.
> Proverbs 20:27 - The Lord’s light penetrates the human spirit, exposing every hidden motive.
> Philippians 1:27 - ... I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, ...
> Matthew 18:10 - “Beware that you don’t look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father."
> Jude 1:6 - And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them but left the place where they belonged.
> Revelation 9:15 - Then the four angels who had been prepared for this hour and day and month and year were turned loose to kill one-third of all the people on earth.
> Revelation 14:18 - Then another angel, who had power to destroy with fire, came from the altar.
> Revelation 16:5 - And I heard the angel who had authority over all water saying, “You are just, O Holy One, who is and who always was, because you have sent these judgments."
In the Bible, both Old Testament (in Hebrew) and New Testament (in common Greek) words translated to spirit have a root meaning of a great breath. Using Strong's Concordance for reference, the Hebrew word translated spirit is "ruwach", which means the spirit of a rational being, including its expression and functions. The Greek word translated to spirit is "pneuma". Likewise, it also means a rational soul, vital principle, mind, angel, demon, or divine. Don't confuse spirit with soul - soul is equivalent to the "life" of a creature (for an in-depth comparison of "spirit" and "soul", see this site ).
Where do our spirits come from? Our spirits are made by God, and made in his image. Job 32:8 (at the top of the muse) is a clear answer. Likewise, Zechariah 12:1, "This message is from the Lord, who stretched out the heavens, laid the foundations of the earth, and formed the human spirit." Genesis 2:7, "Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person."
Spirits interact by words, and convey authority, power, and judgements by words. God and Jesus' interactions with all creatures are by word. Some verses:
> John 6:63 - (Jesus says) "... And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life."
> Psalm 33:6 - The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born.
> 1 Corinthians 2:13 - Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths.
> Hebrews 7:7 - And without question, the person who has the power to give a blessing is greater than the one who is blessed.
> Revelation 19:15 - From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. (Even Jesus' weapon is his word.)
One cool thing about spirit is how we "see" in spirit. We "see" facets of someone's identity and purpose. This leads to some wild descriptions in the Bible, such as Daniel 7 and 8, Ezekiel 1 and 10, Zechariah 1, and multiple chapters in Revelation (4, 5, 12, 13, and 17). Let's zoom in on Revelation 5:6, which is a description of Jesus, "Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth." We know this is Jesus viewed in his role as the Lamb of God. Note how John picks out this facet of Jesus in the context of taking the scroll from the Father. Similarly, in Revelation 1:12, we see Jesus as Lord and judge. As another example, I'd suggest that the four living creatures (described in Daniel, Ezekiel, and Revelation 4:6), who have eyes looking in all directions, can protect God's throne (symbol of authority and power) because no one can sneak up. I have no clue what the four faces on each living creature mean.
[last updated Jan 18, 2022]
1a) Here's the claim: If God is the author with absolute power, then he created evil by including it in the story (creation).
1b) Focussing on the key word, "created", I'd say the claim is not true. God defines a set of attitudes / behaviors that are wrong - behaviors that he rejects. So, God defines "evil". God also creates us in his image, so in a small way, we can choose as he does. Does defining evil and allowing us to choose then mean God created evil? I say no, because we are the ones that actually do evil, and he rejects it (1 Peter 3:12). He does allow evil for a time, but then punishes those who do it.
1c) The follow-on question is why does God allow evil? Perhaps to show that it is wrong, to show holiness and mercy is greater, to make us appreciate God's character more, to see who is really committed to him (a hard test), ... ? Don't forget that God the author knows what is coming in eternity, and he understands how short the time of evil is.
2a) Here are the questions: "Regarding judgement day - how will I (as someone who's repeatedly been presented with scripture and the opportunity to accept Jesus' spirit and grace) be compared with someone in another part of the world who may never hear scripture or get the opportunity to know Jesus or accept him? Are we compared? If so, it wouldn't seem fair (from my human perspective) that people could reject him time and again yet if they accept him at the last minute (like one of the men crucified with Jesus), they are saved. Whereas what if someone is only given one opportunity? Or no opportunity?"
2b) Starting with the first couple of questions: we are each judged according to God's absolute standard - we are not compared. Here are some supporting verses: 1 Peter 1:17 "And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do."; 2 Corinthians 5:10 "For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body."; Ezekiel 18:4 "For all people are mine to judge — both parents and children alike. And this is my rule: The person who sins is the one who will die."; and John 3:18 "There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son."
2c) For the remaining questions, let's start with Romans 1:20, "For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God." So even if a person has never heard the gospel about Jesus, that person is still subject to judgement. That said, God is compassionate, slow to anger, and wants everyone to be saved (Exodus 34:6 and 1 Timothy 2:4). So, God sends people and angels across the world to repeatedly testify about Jesus. That is why Christians should have a serious drive to share the gospel, and the basis for the "great commission" in Mark 16:15. Additionally, God sovereignly chooses some people to be particularly blessed by being taught the gospel as a child, Exodus 33:19 "For I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose."
3a) First comment: "I liked the new muse! We're always fascinated by things we can't see or comprehend, like angels and spirit. Regarding all the verses about being given new names - you'd think that when we're able to see in spirit, we'd be able to comprehend each others new names because we could then see someone's purpose, motivation, identity, etc."
3b) Second comment: "Job's verse about how our spirits are made by God in his image plus the Proverbs verse that mentions the human spirit went against my previous understanding that God's children just shared the Holy Spirit. I never thought of our spirits as being our own - so individualized, so human. Meaning our spirits will be remade along with our bodies. I also wonder what will happen to the fallen angels, if they too will be remade since they were made in God's image."
3c) Third comment: "Would you be able to discuss more about when the Holy Spirit was sent by Jesus in his absence and why? What was it like before Jesus' arrival and departure - was the Holy Spirit not present? As well as when it will be removed during the rapture?"
3d) Response to the first comment (3a): Thanks! Regarding the idea of "seeing" someone's name in spirit, that's a distinct possibility in Matthew 17:3. How did Peter know it was Moses and Elijah? He had never seen them (they died centuries before). Perhaps Jesus said their names and that's how Peter knew. However, there's no mention of a greeting.
3e) Response to the second comment (3b): Your spirit is remade when you put your faith in Jesus, before your body is remade. Notice the past tense in 1 Peter 1:23, "For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end." And here is Jesus' explanation of it in John 3:5, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”
3f) Another response to the second comment (3b): Fallen angels will not be remade - their doom is final. We know they are bound for judgement: 2 Peter 2:4 - "For God did not spare even the angels who sinned. He threw them into hell, in gloomy pits of darkness, where they are being held until the day of judgment.", and Jude 1:6 - "And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them ... God has kept them securely chained in prisons of darkness, waiting for the great day of judgment." We also know there is no redemption for the fallen angels, Hebrews 2:16 - "We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; he came to help the descendants of Abraham."
3g) Response to the third comment (3c) questions about dates: When was the Holy Spirit sent? The Holy Spirit was sent to dwell in the believers of Jesus on the Day of Pentecost, a few days after Jesus ascended. When will the Holy Spirit be removed during the rapture? 2 Thessalonians 2:7 tells us the one who is holding back lawlessness will step out of the way and the tribulation will begin. Holding back lawlessness among men and the Antichrist is something only God can do, so we know that is the Holy Spirit. I believe that it will be simultaneous with the rapture of Jesus' church, but that is a different question.
3h) Another response to the third comment (3c) question: What was it like before Jesus' arrival and departure - was the Holy Spirit not present? We know from the Old Testament that the Holy Spirit was present (Genesis 1:2), and he would "fill" people, especially the prophets, at times. But, the Holy Spirit would not stay with them (because some would be filled again later, like Samson). So people had God's written word and the Holy Spirit and angels to help them, but they were at a distinct disadvantage compared to now because their spirits had not been reborn by the Holy Spirit (see the next response), and sin still ruled them.
3i) And another response to the third comment (3c) question: Why was the Holy Spirit sent by Jesus? This is a big question. One short answer is "Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to be his representative (living extension) to us" because Jesus is seated in Heaven, but I think that skips over some fundamental truths. I'd summarize the answer with "Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to birth new spirits in Jesus' believers and be God's eternal presence with them", or in simpler words, "the Holy Spirit gives us new spirits and lives, and guides us day-by-day". There are hundreds of verses in the New Testament about what the Holy Spirit did and continues to do. Rather than repeat them all here, let's pick out two small groups of key verses. The first group addresses the Holy Spirit giving us new spirits and lives. The second group gives a few examples of how the Holy Spirit guides.
> John 3:5 - but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.”
> Titus 3:5 - giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.
> John 14:26 - But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative — that is, the Holy Spirit — he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.
> John 16:7 - But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. ... When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. ... All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’
> Galatians 5:16 - So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives.
> Galatians 5:22 - But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
> Acts 15:28 - For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay no greater burden on you than these few requirements ...
> 1 Corinthians 6:19 - Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?
During his ministry, Jesus could only be in one place at a time and with a limited number of believers. The Holy Spirit can be with all believers at the same time.