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Unicorns In The Bible?

2012/04/28 //
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One of the highlights of the movie will be the nature scenes to be portrayed while God is speaking to Job. During this section, God mentions the unicorn. Of course, many skeptics scoff at this mention of a “fabled” beast in the Bible.

The current day, fairy tale, concept of a unicorn is a horse with a straight spiralled horn projecting from its forehead. Some variants may include:
1. a goatee
2. a tail like a lion’s
3. legs of a deer

The translators of the King James Holy Bible included a footnote for unicorn: rhinoceros. This is quite a contrast with what the modern reader would be thinking.

Noah Webster’s 1828 Definitions:
U’NICORN, n. [L. unicornis; unus, one, and cornu, horn.]
1. An animal with one horn; the monoceros. This name is often applied to the rhinoceros.
2. The sea unicorn is a fish of the whale kind, called narwal, remarkable for a horn growing out at his nose.
3. A fowl.

Fossil unicorn, or fossil unicorn’s horn, a substance used in medicine, a terrene crustaceous spar.

Notice that the above definitions make no mention of a horse. Unicorn was somewhat a general term for a creature with one horn, often the one-horned rhino. The below definition is even more interesting.

RHINOC’EROS, n. [L. rhinoceros; Gr. nose-horn.]
A genus of quadrupeds of two species, one of which, the unicorn, has a single horn growing almost erect from the nose. This animal when full grown, is said to be 12 feet in length. There is another species with two horns, the bicornis. They are natives of Asia and Africa.

The following article goes into more detail why unicorn is a good translation of the Hebrew word as used in the Holy Bible:
http://brandplucked.webs.com/unicorns.htm

But, the main point of our blog post is that the connotation of the word is different today than it was in the many earlier translations where unicorn was used. They were just referring to the one-horned rhinoceros. That is certainly not an excuse to scoff.

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unicorn

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rachelandrew/130177272/

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Romans 15:4

2012/04/27 //
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For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

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Character Sketch Of Job’s Oldest Son

2012/04/21 //
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This is a follow up post to Character Sketches.

Sentence: A budding family man who has a knack for naturally turning the conversation to spiritual topics.

Descriptive words: Spiritual, entrepreneur, faithful, studious, friendly, brotherly, casual, planning, analysing, likeable, methodical, hospitable.

Paragraph: Called to be an evangelist. His wife is due to have Job’s first grand-child in a few months. Has a well established foundation as a business man. Very attentive to Job’s instruction and mentoring. Had been joining Job on visits to Noah for a few years, until he got married.

Phrases: True believer in God, soul winner, truth seeker, eternal student, family provider, brotherly friend, engaging host.

One page: He was a natural at quickly building rapport by asking questions, without seeming nosy. As the conversation moved along, he would add in short thoughts of his own, or quotes from others, or information about himself, that fit with what you were saying, then ask another question.

Job’s oldest son has a specific time of the day when he studies. He likes to “learn to swim while you sleep” by spreading his studies out over several weeks. To do this, he studies a small amount from several topics a day. This way his mind has time, while he sleeps, etc., to absorb and combine with other knowledge, so it is more easily assimilated into long term memory. He also has a time, once a week, when he gives more focus to a particular topic of study, perhaps travelling to learn from a master.

Much of his learning he has received from his father, Job, either directly or by documents in Job’s library. This library has some writings authored by Job, but is mostly copies from Noah’s library written by devout scribes Job hired. Job had personally confirmed each document by reading the original and reading the copy, finding it to be genuine. Writing was not widely used yet, but this library was fairly large, for its time.

On some of the trips Job made to study under Noah in recent years, this son travelled along, but not all of the trips, and none since his recent marriage. This is a decision he made to not travel during the first year of his marriage. At the time of their death, he and his wife were to have born a child in about 4 months. This would have been Job’s first grandchild. Two of his other brothers had also married, one recently and the other to a yet barren wife. None of his other brothers or sisters had yet married by the time they all died.

Physical: At this time in history, people had longer life spans, so people looked the same as when they were 25 for much longer. Job’s oldest son is in his early thirties, so he still looks 25. His beard is short and even. Though he could afford noticeably attractive clothing, he instead wears durable modest clothes that do not attract attention. He is physically fit and lean. His walking speed is moderate.

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Two Heavens

2012/04/14 //
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Without Excuse

Psalm 19:1-4a
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. [There is] no speech nor language, [where] their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.

Romans 1:20
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, [even] his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

God Doesn’t Believe In Atheists

Throughout history about 10% of the people have claimed to be atheists. But what does that mean? They are saying that there is no God.

The declaration, “There is no God,” is what is known as an absolute statement. To make an absolute statement requires absolute knowledge. Here is another absolute statement: “There is no zinc in New Zealand.” What is needed for that statement to be trustworthy?

A) No knowledge of New Zealand.
B) Partial knowledge of New Zealand.
C) Absolute knowledge of New Zealand.

You are correct, “C” is the answer. To correctly make that statement, I must know everything there is to know about New Zealand … nothing hidden. To say, “There is no God,” and to rely on that statement, I must be all-knowing.

Imagine the total amount of knowledge. If atheist Ivan had just 1% of all knowledge, that would be an incredibly large amount of knowledge for someone to have. Some say that is the sum total of all human knowledge. Now grant him 11%. Even with such vast knowledge, is it possible that, in the 89% of the knowledge that Ivan does not have, that there is sufficient evidence to prove God exists?

If Ivan is reasonable, he will have to say, “Having the limited knowledge I have at present, I believe that there is no God.” In other words, he doesn’t know if God exists, so he is not an “atheist,” he is what is commonly know as an “agnostic.” He is like a man who looks at a building, and doesn’t know if there was a builder.

Does it make more sense to follow the teachings of someone who claims that there is no God, even though there is no way for him to know that, or to see what God Himself has to say?

The Holy Bible is indeed the written revelation of all-knowing God to man. It is our Creator’s message to us, His creatures. The single most important part of this message is the Good News – The Gospel.

The Bad News

In order to understand the Good News, it is greatly helpful to first have some understanding of the bad news.

There are many evils in this world; death, disease, suffering, injustice and so forth. Greed, murder, betrayal and perversion are all justified in the minds of those who compare themselves with someone who is far worse. They lie, steal and cheat while the only limit is their desire to avoid the consequences.

I have sinned and you have sinned. We can’t deny it. We have lied, stolen, lusted and hated. Each and every sin is a rebellion against the Holy God. When Adam ate the forbidden fruit, he was rebelling against God.

The Holy Bible tells us that we all, like the first man Adam, have departed from God’s ways; we have gone our own way. This, the Holy Bible calls ‘sin.’ We have all sinned (Romans 3:23, Isaiah 53:6). God created us, and He will hold us accountable for how we live our lives (Romans 14:12, Hebrews 9:27). God’s standard for holiness is so high that He considers hatred to be as murder (1 John 3:15) and lust equal to adultery (Matthew 5:28). Like Adam, every rebel against God’s Throne deserves condemnation in judgement for sin.

Physical death ends this earthly life. The Holy Bible calls this death a curse and ‘the last enemy’ (Genesis 3:19, 1 Corinthians 15:26). Death had no place in the original, perfect creation – paradise. Death came about because of Adam’s sin, when he, by his actions, told God that He was not needed. Adam was going to be his own god. Sadly, each one of us has effectively endorsed Adam’s action, in ourselves rejecting God Almighty’s rule over us (Romans 5:12).

Mislead By Impostors

It is not just atheists who attempt to block the gate to heaven. Many have been turned away from Christ by false Christians who misrepresent the teachings of God’s Holy Word (2 Peter 2). God knows everything about you, and He still loves you. Please don’t allow the impostors to keep you from all that God has to offer.

The Good News

The Good News is that God has provided a way of escape from the curse of death and the judgement to come. ‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ (John 3:16).

Jesus Christ came into the world, born of a woman, to take upon Himself the curse and penalty for our sins. As God in the flesh (Colossians 2:9, 2 John 7, Matthew 16:13), the God-man Jesus lived a sinless life (Hebrews 4:15) and willingly gave Himself to suffer and die for us, in our place (Romans 5:8, 1 Peter 3:18). He took upon himself the severe wrath and punishment we deserved for our sins. His perfect sacrifice is sufficient to pay for the sins of any number of people (Hebrews 7:25-27). And He rose from the dead, proving that He had paid the price and conquered death. Jesus’ death and Resurrection are attested facts of history. Many have tried to explain away the events and have been converted as they considered the evidence.

God offers this free gift of salvation to all who will receive it (Revelation 22:17). He calls upon all to turn away from their sinful ways and trust in what Christ has done for us. There is no achievement, on our part, that can remove our guilt before God (Titus 3:5). Doing good things does not remove our sin. It is only by the mercy of God that we can be saved through what He has already done (Ephesians 2:8-9). If we try to earn God’s pardon, then we are rejecting the free gift He offers us (Galatians).

Whoever spurns God’s offer will suffer His wrath in the judgement to come, of which the Holy Bible clearly warns. This is a terrifying prospect (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9). Jesus spoke much of this, warning people of the danger they faced. The Holy Bible’s book of Revelation uses graphic imagery to depict the dreadful future of those who reject God’s mercy now. This life is your place to decide. Your decision now will touch eternity.

If you want to put off your decision, then please get a calendar and mark the day that you will die. Then schedule in some time just before that, so you can get right with God, before it is too late. As ridiculous as it sounds, that is what people are counting on when they avoid this issue. This is the most important matter in your life, and waiting until later will not only endanger your eternal life, it will also harden your heart (Romans 2:5).

Isaiah 55:6-7
Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

You are thinking in your mind, “It is not humanly possible for me to forsake my sin.” That is correct. It is only through God’s strength that you can turn away from evil.

How can I be saved?

If God has shown you that you are a sinner, deserving of God’s condemnation, in need of His forgiveness, then the Holy Bible says that you must have ‘repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ’ (Acts 20:21). Repentance means a complete change of attitude — that you agree with God about your sin and about who Jesus is and what He did for you. You now want to live a life pleasing to Him. Faith in Jesus Christ entails accepting who He is, God in the flesh (John 1:14), that ‘Christ died for the ungodly’ (Romans 5:6) and that He conquered death in His resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4, 21-22). You must believe that He is able to save you, and you must put your trust in Christ alone to make you right with God.

If God has shown you your need and given you the desire to be saved, then turn to Christ now. Speak to God, the gracious, merciful Father, admitting that you are a guilty, helpless sinner, and ask Him to save you and be Lord of your life, helping you to leave behind your sinful ways and live for Him. The Holy Bible says, ‘if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.’ (Romans 10:9).

Not Ready?

If you are hesitating, that is a good sign. It means that you have a grasp of the cost. If you don’t think you are ready to make this decision, then I challenge you to pray this prayer, “God, if you are real, then reveal yourself to me.” I dare you. What could it hurt?

Growth

There are two activities that will help you in the new life that you have found.

1) In the Holy Bible there is only one command recorded from Mary the mother of Jesus. She is speaking of her son when she says ‘Whatsoever he saith unto you, do [it.]’ (John 2:5). Jesus Christ is the Word of God (John 1:14). Take Mary’s advice: read the Holy Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and do what it says.

2) Find some Followers of the Way, the Truth and the Life, Jesus Christ, those who hold to the Bible as God’s Holy, Authoritative Word, and ask them to help you as you learn to live as God wants you to live (Hebrews 10:25). Perhaps someone gave you this booklet — that person might be able to advise you in contacting a group of such Christians.

Adapted from materials provided by livingwaters.com, answersingenesis.org and several other Gospel tracts.

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My Prayer For This Project

2012/04/08 //
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Prayer

Our Father in Heaven, I honour and fear Your Glorious Name. Both Your Wisdom and Your Power are Perfect. Your Perfection is Flawless, Complete and Pure. By the Power of Your Word, You created. There is no perfect mother who never bore a child. There is no perfect potter who never wrought a vessel. You are The Perfect Creator.

Holy Father, thank You for this calling. I appreciate the insights, the lessons, and the fellowship of the brethren. It blesses me to be a minister of Truth, through this work. Thy Word is Truth.

Any endeavour is folly, if it fails to avail of Your Almighty Arm and Your All-seeing Eye. For this project, may You be the Producer, the Author and the Director. I am a servant and You are the Master and Lord. I am a follower and You are the Leader and Guide. I am a sheep and You are the Shepherd. I pray that You, Elohim, and You alone, will be glorified through this ministry.

Those who hate You, will also hate this project. I pray that You will give us the anointing of Your Grace to forgive them before, during and after the attacks. May Your Charity flow through us to respond in pity and peace. Let the Power of the Resurrection, that we celebrate the first day of every week, draw them to You to receive Your Lordship and Mercy.

I commend this venture to You, dear Lord, so that You have full control. Please burn away the impurities, inspire the artists, and direct our hearts into Your Love. May this project die, at Your Hand, if it is not within Your Perfect Will and Timing. Amen.

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Character Sketch Of Elihu

2012/04/06 //
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hand-sketching-red

This is a follow up post to Character Sketches.

Sentence: Very talkative and has a positive attitude, making him an ample source of good news.

Descriptive words: faithful, studious, devout, spiritual, merchant, reliable, verbose.

Paragraph: Student of the teachings of Abel and Enoch via Noah. Recently ordained as a ministering brother of teaching by Noah, at 30 years old, just before Noah’s death. Looking glass merchant as a business associate of Job. Elihu is now married to Jemima, the oldest of Job’s daughters. He had an earlier betrothal with the oldest of Job’s first daughters. This would explain why he is so engrossed in analysing the arguments. Elihu provides much of the narration as he relates many of the events to Abram.

Phrases: true believer in God, devout student, reliable merchant, verbose optimist, spiritual colleague.

One page: Anyone who enjoys complaining or spreading bad news, learns better than to hang around with Elihu, since it spoils their fun. Not only can he out talk them, but he can turn just about any ill word on its head. Elihu travelled to another language-tribe, where there was a looking glass merchant, since there were no such tradesmen in his language-tribe. He used a contrived sign language and pantomime, along with offering money, to learn the trade over the course of a year. In the years following his return to Ur, he has been building up a production process and a sales process.

His preparation paid off when he met Job and his business went to another order of magnitude and beyond. During these years of growth, he partnered with managers and sales people, reducing his own time spent in the business, and devoting that time to additional studying of spiritual matters. After studying under Job, then Noah, for years, he was approached by Noah to consider a teaching ministry. He opted to turn his focus entirely to the teaching course. Noah announced to his disciples, shortly after Elihu’s 30th birthday, that he was now considered, by Noah, to be apt to teach the Word of God.

Elihu was betrothed to Job’s oldest daughter. When the trial of Job’s faith occurred, and she died, there was only a month left before the planned date of the wedding. Since Job and Elihu were business associates, and they were both disciples of Noah, plus Elihu was betrothed to Job’s daughter, the two men had a lot of interaction and knew each other fairly well. Elihu’s admonition of Job, in no way, stemmed from bitterness at the loss of his betrothed. It is clear, from what Elihu said, that he did not blame Job for the daughter’s death. When Jemima came of age for courtship, Elihu was finally able to see past the grief of his loss, 19 years earlier, and challenged all of her suitors to a competition of hand-to-hand combat, defeating them all with Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.

Physical: He is physically fit and lean. His beard is short except the jaw line whiskers are a bit longer. Since he is 30, he still looks 25 at the time of the trial. At the time of the historian scene, he is 104 years old, and his generation does not live as long, so he is beginning to look a little older than Eber (362 at this scene), but not elderly, with a longer beard, but not quite neck length. Highly proficient with Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. His walking speed is fast.

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April Project Management For Fools

2012/04/01 //
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“If I have done less than is expected, it is because I have giants standing on my shoulders.” — Caasi Notwen

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/268025.html

We have now come to a blog post that is so significant, that it could be compared to the importance of Daylight Saving Time in Antarctica.

Since I am in my mid forties, it seems like it is about time that I make some project plans for my mid-life crisis. I will call it “The Meridian Project.”

As with any well-planned project, it is good to glean the insights of those who have attempted similar endeavours. If nothing else, it might give you the opportunity to practice identifying psycho-bio-reactions that tend to cause defensiveness when we feel that our character is being attacked. Even if you personally haven’t undertaken such a project, I am sure that you have had visibility to others’ projects, for example:

  • motorcycles
  • fast cars
  • body building
  • marathon training

Getting fat, although I am sure it has its benefits, seems anti-climactic.

At the moment, I only have three teenagers. My younger children will too soon join them in their project deliverable to turn my hair gray.

Politically, do you think it would be good for me to begin work at promoting the adoption of the legal policies of Antarctica, since they have the lowest crime level?

Several years ago I started transitioning to a diet that promotes regularity. Therefore, I plan to leave that out of the deliverables for this project. Many people save this for their retirement project anyway.

One project that I have already started is the study of science. Though I don’t intend to become so highly trained in science that I start to salivate at the mention of the name Pavlov.

I would like to include something in the project that is very challenging. Without abandoning my innate talents, like growing hair. Although production has fallen off at certain sites in recent years, its seems that this will continue to be a viable product for many years to come. Besides, I would hate to part with it.

Regards,
Sloof Lirpa

Psalm 14:1 The fool hath said in his heart, [There is] no God.

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Character Sketches

2012/03/31 //
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hand-sketching

In future posts, we are planning to show you a couple of character sketches. Much like the back story, much of the content of these sketches would not be directly included in the story.

We want the looks of each person to be distinctive from the others so it is easy to tell them apart in the movie and easy to visualize them in the book. The artwork in the book will be movie stills, so the individual’s specific details will largely be determined by casting.

Making a movie is a collaborative work of art. The unique talents of each person cast for the roles can be incorporated into the story and would somewhat change these character sketches and even, to a lesser degree, the plot of the story. For example, if one of the performers is also a musician, then we could weave in a sub-plot allowing for them to sing or play a song, though this movie will not be a musical.

Since this post was originally written, we have added two character sketches at the links below.

Character Sketch Of Elihu

Character Sketch Of Job’s Oldest Son

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Compromise Between The Holy Bible And Atheism?

2012/03/28 //
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compromise

You have been repeatedly told that science has disproved The Holy Bible. Do you believe these claims, or do you believe the Bible? Have you decided?

Some take another approach. Instead of deciding which one is true, they make a compromise. They change plain teachings of the Bible to suit the latest fad.

The Bible does not allow a compromise, since it claims to be the Word of God. If the Bible is not true, then you would do well to find a trustworthy source of teaching, rather than attempting to decide which parts of the Bible are true, and “adjusting” the portions you find disagreeable; putting your own authority above The Author.

Science does not require a compromise. When the claims, regarding science disproving the Bible, are examined, it is found that they are merely opinions about the implications of science. The assertions themselves are not properties of nature which are observable, repeatable, and testable, which disqualifies the claims as being science. Rather, they are ideology, yet another faith, the faith of Secular Humanism. No true scientific evidence has ever contradicted the Bible. The contradiction is in the interpretation of the evidence.

This humanist interpretation is to be expected from humanists. The foundational purpose of these assertions is an attempt to explain origins from a completely naturalistic, or materialistic, view point. It is a thesis striving to answer the question, “How could existence have arisen without God?” Thus, this atheist ideology will see all scientific evidence in this light.

If Atheism is true, then the Bible is not true. If the Bible is true, then Atheism is not true. There is no point in compromising between the two, or trying to harmonize them.

John 3:12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you [of] heavenly things?

Luke 16:31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

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Sample Draft Of Story

2012/03/24 //
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SampleCloth

Here is a rough draft of the beginning of The Job Project story line.

Introduction

Our Heavenly Father has given us a great gift in the Holy Bible’s book of Job. The Holy Creator has blessed us with a revelation of truth that we would not have known, a dispensation of wisdom. Thank the Lord for this gem, this precious treasure. Within the pages of this Biblical account is not only human history, but also heavenly history. The veil was pulled back enough to actually see what was happening in Heaven and how it affected human history. Then the veil was cast aside, for a time, when we heard the audible voice of God Himself preaching a sermon as only He could preach it.

The story, in this book and movie, surrounds the historical record of Job’s trial of faith and ties in other historical figures and events from the Bible. What was it like to live in the centuries after the flood, during the ice age? That is what the young lady in our story is trying to imagine. This is not a bad exercise. It is a form of meditating on Scripture.

One of the reasons that these historical events even happened is so that they could be recorded in Scripture and we could learn from them.

Thank you for joining us as we take a stroll within the Biblical boundaries of what might have happened.

The Tornado’s Approach

The green of the sea water cannot be seen over the distant plain, but it’s effect on the weather is quite apparent in the southern sky. As the mountainous clouds of the hurricane approach, many preparations are done, which have been practiced many times before over the stormy years. Many hearts turn from hurry to dread as the colour of the clouds start to take on a green hue.

This time is different than any other tornado in recent centuries, though, as the entire city is dumbfounded to hear music. From the distance is heard a massive brass orchestra, as if it were heralding the approach of the cyclone. It is a new song, composed and performed by Heaven Itself.

[Visual, from high above, of region with approaching hurricane, full of lightning flashes, to the Southwest of the city. The sky directly over the city is clearer, so the city can also be seen. The massive ziggurat is in the foreground with three tiers and huge zodiac sign carvings, three per side, covering the second tier. Just after the viewer descends below the level of the flat cloud ceiling of the hurricane spiral, a large lightning bolt strikes the apex of the building, still in the distance below, yet too close for comfort. As the viewer moves North, the canal can be seen reaching out into the plain to the West, extending the ship trade deep into the city.]

The majesty and power of the music is so compelling that all human activity stops West of the great river, from the region of the canal in the North, to the area around the great ziggurat in the South, as the wind halts, signifying the near presence of the powerful whirlwind.

[As the viewer approaches the heart of the city, the view turns to the West, seeing the funnel cloud, and bolts of lightning, in the plain outside the city. People are tentatively leaving the heavily fortified stone storm shelters, not knowing what to think of the music.]

It was as much as their hearts could take. But, then their hearts melted in terror when they heard the voice. Each thunderous word rolled echoes along the valley to the north.

Everyone knew the pronouncement of Eber that they would hear a message from God today, but no one could have imagined the form that it took.

A supernaturally large lightning bolt washes out the view of the tornado a split-second before the first word, “Who …” The thunderous voice shook the earth as the music continued. [Lightning bolt] “Is …” as the shout of a distant company of warriors, as the voice of many waters. [Lightning bolt] “This …” each word transformed to rolling thunder as its echo died.

Tea time

“Jane …” No response. “Hello … Jane,” her smiling mother persisted, slightly amused at her daughter’s daydreaming. Mom is coming into the parlour from the kitchen and found Jane gazing out the window at the springtime view of the garden, with a book open in her lap.

“Sorry … what Mom?” Jane said a bit sheepishly, shaking her head as if trying to wake up as she turned her head toward her mother.

“Sorry to interrupt your thoughts,” said Mom caringly, then smiled, “what were you dreaming about?” She sat down across from Jane to listen to her answer.

“I was imagining what it might of been like for them to hear the voice of God from the tornado. They must have been quite scared of the thunderous voice.”

“The tea is ready,” said Mom, “do you remember seeing the tornado when you were much younger?”

“Yes, I remember a green funnel-shaped cloud, but not very clearly. That was a nice visit to our family in Oklahoma. I was thinking about the Bible study this evening about the book of Job. The preacher said that it was the first book of the Bible that was written, so I wonder who wrote the book of Job.”

Mom stood up as she answered, “That sounds like a question for your dad. Let’s go see what he has to say about it after we get some tea for him.”

As they carry the tray over, they hear Dad and Jane’s brothers talking with some visiting guys about fishing, and stop to listen for awhile. As the banter wears down, Mom steps forward to offer the tea. Setting the tray down and pouring, she hands out cups and snacks while she talks to Dad. “Jane has a question for you about the Bible.”

“OK, what is your question?” He asked, then he sampled the snack and sipped the tea.

“Well, I was wondering who wrote the book of Job? Did Job write it himself?” She asked, then she sampled the snack and sipped the tea.

Finishing chewing and swallowing, “That’s what some of the commentaries say,” said Dad, “but the Bible doesn’t say, does it?” Then he took another bite.

“Not that I remember,” confirmed Jane, then she took another bite.

“So do we know who wrote it?” Asked Dad.

“I guess not, but who do you think wrote it Dad?”

Dad was thoughtful as he took another sip, then said, “Well, considering the high commendation of Job, it seems unlikely to me that he wrote it himself. His righteousness would prevent such boasting.”

“That makes sense to me too,” said Jane nodding thoughtfully.

Dad continued, “I think there must have been a prophet at the time who is not necessarily mentioned in the book of Job. He could have been the one to have the heavenly visions and to keep a historical record of these events. In the book of Job, there is a narrator, this would be the inspired prophet explaining how everything fits together and the lessons we can learn.” Then Dad took another sip and held up his finger as if he thought of something interesting, “If you notice carefully, after Job repents, God rebukes Job’s three friends, but this time it doesn’t say that God is speaking from the whirlwind any more. So, this message might have been delivered by the prophet as well.”

“Oh, I never thought of that, wow, thanks Dad!”

Jane’s brother chimed in, “Dad, what about when preacher said Elihu was preaching the gospel? I thought the gospel was in the New Testament.”

Dad thought through another sip, “In a way, the gospel is a New Testament thing, but not completely. The atoning blood of Christ was shed once for all human history. When we do baptism and communion, we are looking back to what Jesus did [as he points behind]. In the Old Testament, their rituals were looking forward to what the Messiah would do [as he points forward]. So, all believers in history are saved the same way.”

“OK, I get it, thanks Dad,” said his son, with his mouth full of food.

Dad half-smiled, slightly amused by his son’s garbled answer and said with a wink, “Some day, when you are more mature, you will eschew talking with food in your mouth.”

Fishing trip prep

As Jane walks away, sipping tea, her imagination gets the best of her again as she finds a comfortable chair. As she sits, you can see in her hand a book called “The Puzzle of Ancient Man” with her finger holding her place.

…

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