Pagan Nation

Our family just got back from a wonderful vacation at Disney World and now my daughter is on Spring Break from school. We've been filling recent time with a little fun I would say.

These back to back fun filled excursions have broken us from the normal routine. We are somewhat sheltered from what goes on in the world, some of this is intentional. We just don't like the rat race and the keeping up with the Joneses and the constant go, go, go. I always joke I'm going to be the grandma that doesn't know how to work the newest techno gadget and I can't wait to call whatever it is "that darn new fangled thing." 

By: HikingArtist.com

This post is titled Pagan Nation. Pagan means country dweller or heathen, and the word usually conjures up scenes of ancient civilizations harvesting crops and their seasonal festivals and feasts celebrated by sacrifice to their gods. America has its own form of Pagan worship through the guise of taking care of the Earth and depicting humans as thoughtless inhabitors who abuse it but can save it if they change and make the effort to make a difference. The worship doesn't have to be in the form of witches, spells and Hollywood antics. It is an I'm alright your alright everything goes mentality with a focus on nature. (Just look up paganism on google and there's a wealth of information) it doesn't take much anymore to show the Pagan slant our country takes.

Disney World is family oriented and has a rhythm of its own. You do feel time has its own beat and you do not focus too much on what is outside the property line when you are there. My daughter, husband and I were walking along the lake at Epcot leisurely licking the caramel, ginger ice cream we found from the Japanese pagoda nestled among the various restaurants depicting countries of the world. It was dark and that nights fireworks show was about to begin. We parked our tushes under a large fire lit lantern and began to watch the show unfold. It was an amazing show with fireworks reflecting on the lake. Something told me to pay attention to what the announcer said as the details of the show unraveled. I was just happy seeing all the amazing pyrotechnics and wasn't really interested in the narration but I was glad I payed attention. The announcer mentioned how communities around the world gathered around the bonfire and a large barge in the middle of the lake burst into flames and all the lanterns along the lake shot out their fire high into the sky. The announcer proceeded to talk about the earth as a big ball glided into the center of the lake and opened up to reveal more fire and fireworks. The announcer mentioned healing the earth and a few other things that give everyone a feel good message about our duty to come together through community to take care of the earth. Frankly, it was a big production that sickened me. My dad was standing next to me and I leaned over to his ear and told him, "I'm sick of all this Earth worship I see everywhere."  The ice cream just wasn't enjoyable after that.

I just got home from taking my daughter to see The Lorax. We laughed and giggled and had a great time, but I found myself warning her of the messages of indoctrination throughout the film. The overall message was a decent one but the anti-capitalist, humans destroy everything message was loud and sung clearly throughout the show. I remember warning her about the same 'humans stink' message in Wall-E, another annoying film depicting the human race as fat, lazy, stupid idiots who destroy earth.

And to think our kids are bombarded day in and day out with this message. Ive seen this collective minded 'save the world' message in various forms and degrees in schools, businesses, ads, games etc. I know this is why people so blindly shrug it off because it is blanketed within every aspect of our life. Some may not care and go on with girders on, some still don't care and can't even see the spiritual deception of it all and some do know and teach their children as I do.

I am smiling right now as God brings to memory what he showed me a few weeks back in Psalms 104. (I blogged about it) Do you see the wonderful teaching hand of God as I do? He made something I knew (the fact He is in control and is the sustainer of the Earth and all that is in it) so real through the teaching experiences at Epcot and The Lorax. If I wasn't paying attention at those moments, I wouldn't be praising God right now for all He is and does. This gave me an opportunity to worship HIM and to praise HIM for the glorious handiwork I live in and enjoy. If only the world would get it right and worship the one who Created the Earth instead of the Earth itself, what a difference that would make!

What are some every day examples you've noticed of Pagan worship?

 

The Earth Is Eternal

Photo Credit: Nasa, Apollo 13
"The Earth in the Age of Grace"

Here I go again bugging my friends and family with something that I’ve learned and just can’t keep to myself. Have you ever felt compelled to share some news that you’ve learned out of sheer excitement?

I am elated when a wrong doctrine I have held from previous religions teachings or a wrong thought from my own fleshly devices has been brought under the scrutiny of Jesus’ truth and revealed to me so I can submit and change to what He says is true. (Colossians 2:8)

I want to share this specific encounter with God’s truth because the thoughts I had seem to be a main theme talked about in current times in both religious circles and secular circles as well. It is a big topic; this phrase comes with a lot of emotion backed to it. People take this very seriously and many sermons and articles have had countless hours put into them about this subject, and it is one that can keep you from experiencing the full joy God has intended if it is not understood correctly.

The big topic on many minds and has been a recent subject many discuss especially with the current events in the Middle East is “The End Times”.

Let me tell you the wrong thinking I had about this subject and then you can decide if you relate and can read on. Maybe I am one of the few who thought this way and you’ll think, “Where did she get this concept, duh, Chandra how could you think that way”? But I have a feeling many people may have had the same problem I have, so I’ll just explain and go from there.

Anytime I heard or read or listened to preaching about “End Times” I would get this feeling of doom and gloom. It seemed so “final” and I would envision the hobo standing on Times Square in New York with his sign stating “the end of the world” is near. Somehow the phrase “end times” and “end of the world” inter-meshed to mean one in the same. When I heard anyone talk about this subject I would feel fear and hopelessness, wouldn’t you, when you thought the earth was going to be done and gone and void of human life? I would equate this with the end of the human race, the oblivion of the earth and any one who died just lived in heaven or hell, but there was still a nagging sadness at the thought that the earth was no more. I’ve always struggled with this and always thought something was missing.

I’ll throw a jab at myself here, a few brain cells must have been missing. Ha! I’ll blame my youth, it’s the easiest target, but something WAS missing and it was the full truth. The nagging feeling, I should have known was the Holy Spirit trying to get me to let Him show me what that full truth was. Ya know, He does have your best interest at heart.

Then during a discussion about this subject, a light bulb came on. Have you ever had a very slow computer, one that slowly loads information and then you call the Geek squad out and they get it going to full speed and you wonder how in the world did you get anything done on that old, slow version? Well, this is how the full truth finally hit me. I have been studying biblical passages, tweaking things along the way that the Lord has shown me needs changing. This discussion was like the Geek Squad because as I began to talk about what I was learning the thought hit me, “the end times is just that, the end of a time, the end of an age, it has nothing to do with the end of the big physical ball we call earth. In fact, the earth is eternal.”

This is where explanation is due, how can I say the earth is eternal when 2 Peter 3:10-13 talks about the heavens passing away and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat and the earth and its works will be burned up? (This is where a good teacher in the language of the Bible comes in really handy and I’m glad I have someone like that.) The more I study the Bible the more I understand the importance of context, history and original word study.

In order to fully grasp what Peter is talking about, one must also look at Isaiah 65:17 and 66:22-24. In the New American Standard verse 65:17 reads, “behold I create a new heavens and earth, 66:22 read, “which I make” verse 17 had a little mark at the top of the word create, so I looked it up in the Greek/ Hebrew lexicon. The word was ‘Asah’ the basic meaning is “to do” or “make”; in creations context ‘asah’ is a broad scope and deals with refinement. This word is used to define God’s creative activity. BINGO, did that explanation hit you between the eyes like it did me? It doesn’t mean a complete, new act of creating something from nothing, it means an act of refinement, taking something that is there and making it better.

Not only did this help me understand this intense heat that melts the elements isn’t going to annihilate the earth, just change it; the following verse solidified this notion, Isaiah 66:24 talks about man going forth to look on the corpses of the men who transgressed against The Lord after this intense heat is finished. If believers are able to see the corpses on earth the earth has to still be here.

Then a more complete picture comes into view as you read Revelation 21:1-8. Awhile ago I thought when we die or are raptured we go to heaven and stay there. The Holy Spirit dissolved this wrong thinking in verse 2- 3, in verse 2 The Holy City comes down out of heaven, and in verse 3 “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people.” The earth is eternal because God changes it so the city can come down from heaven and He dwells with men here. There has to be something here for the city to come down to.

And then what about Hell, it is a place on Earth. If Earth is utterly gone, a void in space, hell would be gone too, but that is not what scripture says. Revelation 21 verse 8 describes hell as being still here as a warning and reminder.

Another word that helped me see the full truth was the word for “world” is kosmos. Kosmos is “social system” and is used to describe a culture or race. The end of the “world” is the end of all the man manipulated systems that involve our daily lives and have nothing to do with God’s social system. It will be a breathe of fresh air when all the systems that hinder us from knowing God will be burned away forever. And sadly, men will die and their soul’s sent to the Lake of Fire because they chose to rebel against God’s plan, now that is something to look at with doom and gloom. A believer’s perspective should be one of rejoicing.

Can you imagine the sigh of relief, the extreme weight lifted off my shoulders knowing that Jesus the author of history, planned time down to the last detail and it included changing Earth into a place where tears are wiped away, no mourning or pain, death is overcome and God resides among men. (Revelation 21:4-6)Yes, “heaven” (or at least its attributes) will be a place on Earth, a place I speculate is hard for us to truly imagine in our finite mind.

Maybe you read this and think, ‘Duh, why would you ever have been so confused?” Or maybe you can relate and can now rejoice that when you hear the all too familiar phrases, The End of the World is near or, The End of Days is upon us, you will understand that yes, a time is coming to a close so another can take its place. And the next age is always moving towards Restoration of God’s original plan.

I have been reveling in the Joy of this truth. Christ’s message is always one of hope for mankind.
Romans 8:28-39… “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose…For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”