The Mark of the Beast

Here is an interesting take on the Mark of the Beast:

Tefillin are worn in obedience to the second part of the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4f).  They are a symbol of a commitment to Torah observance.

Because Tefillin are worn on the head, and the Mark is also worn on the head, essentially Lizorkin-Eyzenberg is saying that the Mark is anyone who has rejected obedience to God's commandments.

If correct, then in this age where the prevailing wisdom is that to faithfully follow the Torah's commandments is considered "legalism," then many Christians may be unwittingly bearing the Mark already.

Sage advice for any business person

Henry Blackaby

Much is said in business circles about leadership and management.

For followers of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, their views on leadership and management must be informed by the biblical worldview.

Today's entry from Henry Blackaby's Experiencing God Day by Day is a timely reminder of this thought:

Servants of Christ
"In the same way, when you have done all that you were commanded, you should say, “We are good-for-nothing slaves; we’ve only done our duty.””--(Luk17:10)

The servant carries out the master's will. The servant doesn't tell the master what to do. The servant does not choose which tasks to perform for the master, nor does the servant suggest days or times when it would be convenient to serve the master. The servant's function is to follow instructions. The master, on the other hand, gives directions. The master does not tell the servant to develop a vision that will guide the master. The master is the one with the vision; the servant's task is to help fulfill the master's purposes.

We are the servants; God is the Master. We tend to try to reverse this! God's revelation of Himself, His purposes, and His ways depends directly upon our obedience. He may not reveal today His intentions for the next five years, but He will tell us what our next step should be. As we respond to God's revelation, He will accomplish what He desires, and He will be the One who receives the glory. 

Our fulfillment comes from serving our master. 

The world will encourage you to strive for positions of authority and power. God wants you to take the role of a servant. As God's servant you should have no other agenda than to be obedient to whatever He tells you. God does not need you to dream great dreams for your life, your family, your business, or your church. He simply asks for obedience. He has plans that would dwarf yours in comparison (Eph 3:20)

God speaks

The other day I was recruiting a CEO with several other board members of a Christian organisation.

After three rounds of interviewing the final two candidates, two weeks of deliberations, here we were on the last night of the period in which we had decided that a decision had to be made.

The analysis was exhaustive, every angle had been analysed in fine detail.  But as with many decisions such as this, one ultimately ends up comparing apples with oranges.

Does a visionary outweigh the experienced?  Should polish and eloquence, trump a down to earth street fighter?

I had deliberately left the 64-million dollar question to last, as I realized that there was a diversity of Christian traditions represented around the board.

Nonetheless, this was the eleventh hour and after six ballots, we were tied 6-6.  However, all acknowledged that both were capable of successfully fulfilling the role.

So after a deep breath, I said, "OK everyone, I'm sure we have all prayed about this decision, what has God said to you?

No don't be ashamed if God has said nothing.  God chooses whoever He wills to speak to.  It is no reflection on anyone's character or acceptance in God's eyes as to who He decides to speak to."

The Dutch Reformers all rolled their eyes, their body language shouting, "OK, here we go, hold on while we go to la-la land!"

Realizing that the others had seen the Dutch Reformers' reaction, I stepped in and said:  "This is a question that goes to the heart of our organization's Special Character, do we believe that God is living and speaks to His children?  Are we not a Christian organisation?  Then let His voice be heard at this table."

Even half of those who were from the Charismatic-Pentacostal traditions, said, "I believe that God gave us brains and facts to work with, in the end, we trust the analysis."  Yet the analysis had not been conclusive.

The remainder said, that despite their analysis suggesting that they should select the other candidate, only one name came to mind when they prayed.  It was the same name that the still small voice had given them all.

Five minutes later another ballot was held and we had a decision, 11-1.

Too often, we Christians rely only on our domain knowledge and common sense to make our life and business decisions.

This is not just true of our own contemporary experiences but is also described in the biblical record.

The prophets chide the kings of Israel for overly relying on alliances with pagan powers for national security, for relying on idols and seers from other cultures and religions for guidance, instead of relying on the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Our behavior calls into question whether we truly believe that God is alive, interested in our affairs and is our King.

If we are thoughtful and honest, we will realise that our analysis can only take us so far, but ultimately it is only God who can see into the hearts of humankind and can see around corners.

God speaks.  Be still and hear Him, and then you will know that He is God.

Ensure that it is God and not just confirmation bias.  Don't be ashamed of testing what you hear.  The bible commands you to test all things.  God is truth.  Trust that the cream will rise to the top.

His revelation to you must be objectively evidenced.

If you've never heard from God before and the very idea seems absurd to you, but you are nevertheless intrigued, then the bible has a way forward for you.

It says to seek Him with all your heart, mind and soul; and God promises, that He will be found by you.  So run Him down.  Don't stop chasing Him until you catch Him.  Your pursuit will be successful.

A J Heschel: Judaism and Legalism

A J Heschel

In the spirit of Spinoza and Moses Mendelssohn, many of those who take the law seriously, as well as those who pay lip service to it, maintain that the science of law is the only authentic expression of Judaism; that agada -- in the strict sense of the non-legal rabbinic literature and in the wider sense of all post-rabbinic attempts to interpret the non-legal ideas and beliefs of our faith -- is not "within the mainstream of Judaism."  Theology, it is claimed, is alien to Judaism; the law, "An ox who gores a cow," is Jewish theology, for Judaism is law and nothing else.  Such pan-Halachic "theology" claims that in Judaism religious living consists of complying with a law rather than of striving to attain a goal which is the purpose of the law.  It is a view that exalts Torah only because it discloses the law, not because it discloses a way of finding God in life.  It claims that obedience is the substance rather than the form of religious existence; that the law is an end, not a way.

This indeed, has been the contention of those who attacked Judaism that "the law of Moses commands only right action, and says nothing about purity of heart."  Albo rejects as being the opposite of truth.  "For do we not read, circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart (Deuteronomy 10:16); and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart (Deuteronomy 10:16); and you shall love your neighbour as yourself (Leviticus 19:18); but you shall fear your god (Leviticus 19:14); you shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people (Leviticus 19:15).  The reason it commands right action is because purity of heart is of no account unless practice is in agreement with it.  The most important thing, however, is intention.  David says, create me a clean heart (Psalm 51:12).[1]


Judaism is not another word for Legalism.  The rules of observance are law in form and love in substance.  The Torah contains both law and love.  Law is what holds the world together; love is what brings the world forward.  The law is the means, not the end; the way, not the goal.  One of the goals is "You shall be holy."  The Torah is guidance to an end through a law.  It is both a vision and a law.  Man created in the likeness of God is called upon to re-create the world in the likeness of the vision of God.  Halachah is neither the ultimate nor the all-embracing term for Jewish learning and living.  The Torah is more than a system of laws; only a portion of the Pentateuch deals with law.  The prophets, the Psalms, agadic midrashim, are not a part of the halachah.  The Torah comprises both halachah and agada.  Like body and soul, they are mutually dependent and each is a dimension of its own.


Agada is usually defined negatively as embracing all non-legal and non-halachic parts of rabbinic literature, whether in the form of a tale or an explanation of scripture; an epigram or a homily.  Significantly, though the Bible, like rabbinic literature[2], embraces both legal and non-legal teachings, the distinction between halacha and agada was never applied to it.[3]  The fact remains that, central as is law, only a small part of the bible deals with the law.  The narratives of the bible as holy as its legal portions.[4]  According to one rabbi, "the conversation of the servants of the patriarchs is more beautiful than even the laws of the later generations."[5]

Source:  A J Heschel, God in Search of Man, page 322f.

---

[1] Joseph Albo, Ikkarim, Part 3, Ch. 25

[2]. Rabbi Samuel Hanagid, Mevo Hatalmud.

[3] On the basis Genesis Rabbah 44, 8, it was suggested that originally the term agada was also applied to the narrative portions of the bible, including the Pentateuch.  See M Guttmann, Clavis Talmudis, I, 453.

[4] Compare Genesis Rabbah, 85, 2.

[5] Compare Genesis Rabbah, 60, 8.

Christchurch Mosque Attacks

The massacre on Friday, has deeply affected New Zealand. 

On the killer’s guns and ammunition magazines, he had listed a number of conflicts dating back several hundred years before the crusades between Christian and Muslim societies.

Historically many Christians and Muslims have considered themselves enemies of the other. 

Hundreds of verses of the Koran incite its followers to violence against those who refuse to acknowledge Islam as the only one true religion.

Today the majority of terrorist attacks reported in the Western world are carried out by Muslim extremists.  

Consequently Muslims have often been stereotyped  as untrustworthy, vulnerable to being radicalised  and potentially dangerous.

On the other hand, few Islamic believers know what the Koran says because it is written in Arabic, most are unaware of its incitements to violence and genuinely believe that Islam is a religion of grace, kindness and compassion.  

Even amongst many that do know of them, there are efforts to spiritualize them as allegories and metaphors, to discard them as commandments meant to be literally obeyed.  

Let’s read from Matthew 5:39,

Do not resist the one who wrongs you.

But if anyone who slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.

And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.

You have heard it said, “You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.  

For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and unjust.

For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?

You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly father is perfect.

So to summarize:

If the person is an enemy, Jesus said to love him (Matt. 5:44). 

If he persecutes you, you are to pray for him (v. 44). 

If she publicly humiliates you, you are not to retaliate (v. 39). 

If someone takes advantage of you, you are to give even more than he asks (v. 41). 

The world preaches “Assert yourself.” Jesus taught, “Deny yourself.” 

The world warns that you will be constantly exploited.

Jesus' concern was not that His disciples be treated fairly but that they show unconditional love to others regardless of how they were treated. 

Can you sense the crisis of belief as you consider the practicalities of following these commandments?

These words seem absurd even to our ears today.

Jesus says love those who wrong you.

Brenton Tarrant thought he was exacting revenge on those who had wronged Christians and Western Civilisation for centuries. 

Remember, few Islamic believers know what the Koran says because it is written in Arabic, most are unaware of its incitements to violence and genuinely believe that Islam is a religion of grace, kindness and compassion. 

Men spat upon Jesus and nailed Him to a cross. His response was our model: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34).

With that in mind, how then should we live?

In Matthew 5, Jesus re-affirms the commandment to love our neighbour without saying who that neighbour is, because our neighbour is all around us.

The bible is replete with examples of Jesus crossing lines of prejudice and intolerance to carry out the will of God.

Some prominent examples include the healing of the Syro-Phoenician woman, the healing of the centurion’s child, and the conversation with the Samaritan woman come to mind.

This theme is carried on by God as he reveals his, to the Jewish mind, radical, plans to bring salvation to us “dirty” Gentiles. 

Though we may be separated by language, culture, belief, worldview, ethics and history from our neighbours, we are still called to love as we would love ourselves.

Therefore what Tarrant has done is not just a crime against a mosque, nor a crime against the Islamic community, nor just a crime against Christchurch, nor a crime against the people of New Zealand, nor a crime against humanity but a crime against God.   

Land monopolies

Every so often, Christian leaders in churches all over the world, gather together in leadership meetings to discuss how the church might become more relevant.

It has concerned me that many Christians don't realise that the bible has much to say about issues that are top of the mind in society today.

Let's take concerns over housing and the property market.  

All over the world, low interest rates, lax lending policies and globalization have resulted in rising land and real estate prices as cashed up investors look for bargains, bolt holes from potential conflicts or just to launder ill-gotten gains.

This has created enormous pressures for those who are entering adulthood, want to find cost effective housing for their families and increasingly the lower and middle classes are feeling like hard work is not going to allow them to own their own homes.

For example, in New Zealand, for most of the 20th Century, the average home was worth between 3-5 times the average salary.  Now it is sitting between 9-10.  The OECD reports that NZ housing ranks amongst the highest nations with overvalued housing when compared to long term averages price to income ratios. 

The social result is alarming:

1. Young families crammed into garages, living out of cars, 3-bedroom homes with a dozen or more people living together; no surprise that respiratory diseases such as colds, flus and pneumonia are common amongst these households.
2. Young couples putting off having families until they are well into their thirties, when their bodies are best suited to bear children in their early twenties.
3. An increasing gap between the haves and the have nots.
4. An increasing number of absentee landlords living in foreign countries.
5. Rising numbers of land bankers evidenced by an increasing number of unoccupied households and undeveloped land.

Social commentators are talking about generations of people who will forever be tenants, with no chance of owning their own homes, with an air of acceptance and inevitability.

This is not God's view of how life should be.  Consider these scriptures (hover over them with your mouse to read them:

1. Isaiah 5:8:  Land monopolies are a wrong.
2. Leviticus 25:8-13:  In God's society, people were allocated land, and every 50 years, land transactions were unwound, so that each family had their allocation returned to them.
3. Micah 2:2: Permanently disengaging a person from their land (their heritage) is an act of oppression.  

We have all played the game of monopoly.  We know how it ends.  It never ends well.

When discussing this problem with Christians the responses are less than encouraging:

1. I saved for my house, no one helped me, why should I help anyone else?
2. Everyone can own a house, said one Christian, it just needs good budgetting.
3. It's a free market, the incentives are there for all to work hard and progress in the world.
4. They should have saved, spent less, worked two jobs, used birth control...

But centuries of feudalism, class societies, aristocracy, slavery and oppression tell us unfettered free markets do require moderation and even intervention.  Without it, experiences such as the French Revolution and the rise of Communism, tell us that the inequalities become so severe that civil anarchy breaks out with much deadly violence.

The genuine Christian should be inspired by the bible to act vigorously to counter-act this great wrong.

Sometimes Christians throw their hands in the air, frustrated that though they might like to see social justice done, they are perplexed and clueless on what can be done about it.  In fact, the actions required are well developed and have been for many years.  They are not difficult to implement where there is a will:

1. Vote for land value taxes and reduce income and company tax.  In 1891 more than 60% of freehold land in New Zealand was held by fewer than 600 individuals or companies.  The Liberal Party of the day broke those land concentrations via land taxes.
2. Introducing standards of abandonment.
3. Adopting principles of usufruct eg Leviticus 19:9-10 and Leviticus 23:22.
4. Other ideas that include the application of easements, and real covenants.

How to cut down Logos 8's start up time

Faithlife's Logos 8 was released just before Christmas.  

One of the first thing's I noticed after installing it was how long it took to load up.  I don't have a huge collection of books (about 7GB) but it took over a couple of minutes to load.  

Painful.  

Logos 7 was sometimes slow too but I noticed this mostly around searches, I'm glad to report that searching resources seems much slower in 8.  

Here's a fix for greatly speeding up Logos's start up time:

1. Open Program Settings, find At Startup Open to and select Most recent layout - local


2. In the Command Box at the top of the Logos Window (with green GO in Logos 8), type Set Use Ngen to Yes and hit Enter.

My load up time fell to around 20 seconds.  Nice.