Alan Bartling © 2024 All Rights Reserved
The most asked question is why; we don’t mostly know. Another popular question is, do you go to Heaven when you die? Speculative religious orators shoveling your loved one off to Heaven while passing the money bucket around aren’t credible. Did the Pharaohs go to Heaven? We have their mummies; they look like Hell (Rameses #2; ouch).
Bringing musings down to our spectacular day, we live bedraggled lives wondering why. Did you miss something, couldn’t jump high enough to grab the brass ring, said a wrong word, followed to many urges? Middle class America hasn’t made the cut. Every advance ends in a “one-off”. Depressing no doubt.
Is there hope? Maybe, but never the easy way. Life is circular, you suspect that don’t you? Today’s American reality is right back in concert with George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and others when they realized there was no other way out than confrontation. But, it’s a very different world now.
Are we responsible for current tyrannical abuses? Isn’t God using predestination to drive Civilization? Our founding Fathers were mostly agnostics; believed God arraigned things and left the responsibility to man’s control. Why does it say then “he that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.” (Rev. 13:10). Revolution is out; no more killing, raiding abortion clinics, mass shootings. Insurrection is in; philosophical misdirection of actions (just say no to politicians, cops “respectfully of course”, abhor rock bands in churches). There must be some foundational instructions for this supposition.
Isaiah (Ch. 40-54) prophesies the current religious climate in America, believe it or not! “For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee.” (Isaiah 54:7-9). “But thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities. I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” (Isaiah 43:24,25). “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” (Matt. 24:37). Again, “what goes around comes around”.
The “Servant of God” is the Hebrew philosophical religious prophecy. “Behold, my servant (Jesus Christ) shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. As many were astonished at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:” (Isaiah 52:13,14). They beat him mercilessly, unrecognizable. “He was oppressed, and opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth…for the transgression of my people was he stricken…because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin…because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”” (Isaiah 53:7-10,12).
This is historic; two thousand (2,000) years ago. Jesus Christ was Crucified, Resurrected from the dead and Ascended to Heaven. Faith in the authenticity of these events is what modern people look to for Salvation, not Egyptian mummification. The Servant of God accomplished these historic confluent events. At this point a dichotomy develops in the definition of “Servant of God”. “And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord. As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever.” (Isaiah 59:20,21). The transition is made from a “person” into “spirit” and “words”.
Theologians that study Ancient Hebrew script are familiar with the predicate nature of this language beginning with Aristotle; words have dual meanings. The transition from person (Jesus Christ) to spirit and words (Revelation of Jesus Christ) is the correct exegesis of this passage of Hebrew Scripture. In true predicate form the subject hasn’t changed just the object. What isn’t said is just as important as what is stated. As a reader of Old Testament Scripture, you are required to “clue in” on this change or be left behind theologically. This is why John wrote Revelation and exactly what Isaiah is referencing. It’s the initial divination of modern spiritual orientation.
The attitude and behavior of God to his Son “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46) is being duplicated today causing great confusion as it did to Jesus Christ. “I hid my face from thee” is Isaiah’s prophecy of God’s action at the Crucifixion of Christ. Is this not exactly what is happening today? Certainly, the New York Times thinks so as they declared “God is Dead” Jan. 9th,1966. Did Friedrich Nietzsche 1800’s proclamation become reality in the 1960’s? This sounds like an accurate description of God’s proclamation in Isaiah.
Ok, why?
Somewhere along the way from 3200 B.C. to A.D. 31 God changed his mind, seemingly. What we know or think we know.
1). God got mad and drown the whole world’s population except Noah’s family.
2). This might have been to balance the scales for Abel’s murder.
3). No one said sorry or offered a sacrifice (something has to die; predicate/prophetic).
4). God sent Jesus to apologize, maybe? (1Peter 3:19,20).
Isaiah says, there will not be a repeat of this anger and behavior by God. So, that means the situational orientation we think is oppressive today is a Godly behavioral discipline upon mankind instead of drowning us all again. “And the Lord God said to Noah, A period of all men is come before me” (Gen. 6:14, Septuagint), a predicate dualistic statement instructional for today; circular history repeating itself. God is furious again; you know that’s true! Would you rather drown today or speculate on your fragile condition? Since you’re not drowning it would be circumspect to contemplate your spiritual position and behavior (me too). God said he would divorce us (“bill of divorcement” Jeremiah 3:8), there’s an apt analogy; feels creepy.