Vacation

Hi everyone, and a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your families. My family and I just returned from sunny Mazatlan after a week's stay Oceanside. We were blessed with a hotel room overlooking the hotel's pool and the Pacific Ocean. Yes, there were palm trees and a gentle breeze most days that made me almost forget about what winter is like in Minnesota. But as we returned on Saturday night, the cold reality of our winter hit us – as well as a driveway almost filled knee high with snow (I am very grateful to our neighbor who before we arrived shoveled a path for our car to get up our steep incline of a driveway.)

 

But as I was relaxing this past week, one thought kept returning to me: how powerful and destructive nature is. The ocean's wave's relentless and never-ending pounding of the shore destroyed everything it touched. My son Elijah and daughter Olivia built several sand castles on the edge of where the water would come up to on the beach. And they were able to mostly protect their construction with a protective wall on the side that the waves would come. But it turns out that the water rushing back was even more destructive to the sand castles than even the on-coming waves. The pull of the water back to the ocean was so strong that it would tear away the backside of the castles. But the combination of the wave's pounding and drawing back leveled every castle in short order.

 

So why did I think about nature's destructive power during this trip? It made me appreciate God our Creator all the more, the Maker and Creator of all of life around us. You see, the atheist belief is that nature's forces can build and create the marvelous designs of creatures, plants and animals by itself, without the need for Divine aid – that life started simply with even a single one-celled life, and then life through nature's forces grew more and more complicated, even to the point of creating the human brain/central nervous system/circulatory system, etc. And somehow the process of variation and mutation of the cell's DNA, the argument goes that nature can creatively make more and more complex living creatures, with the aid of nature naturally selecting the survival of the fittest life.

 

But let me ask the question – does this make any sense? Does it make sense to believe that nature alone can create a plant, an animal, or even man itself? I don't believe the atheist/naturalistic position makes sense. There is nothing in the world around us that shows that nature can create anything. The sun decomposes and breaks down anything left in its rays, as shown by an apple left out. Oxygen is the same way. The wind, the ocean's waves, rivers all cut and destroy everything in it's' path. Lightning? Of course, lightning destroys anything it hits – and yet people still cling to the 1950's Miller-Urey test tube experiment (over 50 years ago, and it is still relied upon – crazy?! The experiment showed that amino acids were created when an electrical current was run through a mixture of chemicals), as somehow proof that life can originate on its own. The hit of a lightning bolt kills life, and doesn't create it, the movie Young Frankenstein notwithstanding.

 

So with nature so clearly destroying order, and creating disarray in its' path, how have we departed so far from the path that lets us see that God is responsible and the Originator of everything in the world around us? Join me in praising the Triune God, Creator of the Heavens and Earth, and of all life around us.

Immanuel

One of best known Titles for Jesus is that He is the "Son of God". It is used in reference to Jesus over 45 times in the New Testament. Jesus being described as the Son of God is used in all four Gospels, it is how the Gospel of Mark starts out (Mark 1:1 – "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God"), and it is sometimes mentioned along with Jesus being the Messiah (see as an example, Luke 4:41 – "And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God.") But my question for this positing is that when the Bible says that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God does this somehow make Jesus less important than God the Father? Is the Messiah on equal footing with God the Father, or is God the Father more important than the Son? And I will tip my hand right from the start – Jesus the Son of God is to receive the same glory and recognition as God the Father. Let me explain how I come to this conclusion as follows.

 

As the title of this Blog entry suggests, I tie in Jesus being the Son of God with His also having the Title Emmanuel, which means "God with us". So in the Old Testament we have the prophecy of the coming baby who will be called "Immanuel", which means God with us" (Isa. 7:14). And in the Nativity story contained in the Gospel of Matthew, we see in Matt. 1:23, that an Angel appeared to Joseph saying that the birth of Jesus means that He is the Immanuel, by quoting Isaiah's prophecy in Isaiah 7:14, repeating this important Title of the baby - that this child born of the virgin is Immanuel, God with us.

 

And so we see that Jesus' name being the Son of God is further clarified by His Title of "Immanuel". Although Jesus is fully human, He had flesh and blood, and also the nature of humans. But He was also fully God. This makes Jesus in His first Advent being God in the flesh: Jesus is both fully human and also fully God. This is what is meant by Jesus as Immanuel, God with us. A human in our midst Who is Divine. And so, we see that God Himself came to earth in the body of a newborn. And His reason for coming to earth is given away by His name - Jesus. His name means "He will save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). Therefore, Jesus Immanuel is God coming as a human being to save us from our sins. It is all spelled out in His names and titles: Son of God, Immanuel (God with us), Messiah (foretold by Old Testament prophecy), and Jesus (Savior of those who believe He is the Son of God and Savior, who saves believers from God's punishment for our disobedience, rebellion, and all of our sins.) So you see, His Names say it all.

 

The Westminster Confession has a beautiful summary of the Triune God – as best I recall, it says: There is God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. One God in Three persons. They are the same in substance, and equal in power and equal in glory.

 

Why I like the Westminster's description is that it matches up with what is contained in the Bible, and recognizes the Three Persons of God are of the same nature/substance, and it also gives all Three equal glory and recognition to the persons of the Godhead. All three are needed for our salvation, and all three are active today. And so, I answer my opening question of whether God the Father is more important than Jesus the Son by saying that both are equally important, and both are entitled to our full worship, praise and the glory that we give out.

 

So my Application for those who find this a challenging subject, is to consider why did God have to come to earth? What did He have to accomplish while He was here? If you have a good understanding of the answers to these questions, you may have the assurance of salvation described in 1 John 5:13. If you would like to talk to me more about this, please let me know.

Chess

The game of Chess makes me love God more. Let me explain this as follows - last year, I purchased a computer game called ChessMaster, and I really enjoyed playing it for awhile. It lets you play against different fictional players, and as you win more and more games, your Chess rank goes up. As your rank increases, you are supposed to play other Computer players (players who are imaginary, designed by the game) with the same rank as you. But I liked playing players who had a lower rank than me, because I could beat them most of the time. But there was one player in the game, even though he was lower ranked, every other game or so, he would set me up and do a three turn move that always caught me in check-mate. He caught me with my King boxed in behind my pawns, and his Queen taking a piece next to my King with it being protected by one of his other pieces, I lose – check-mate!

 

What Chess has taught me is that I am not very good because my brain can't think three turns ahead. I have some friends who are very good at Chess because they know some of the best Masters' openings, and they can anticipate their opponent's moves, and plan their own attacks several moves ahead. My brain doesn't work that way, and at best I can think a turn or two ahead. And so, if I face an opponent who can plan an attack a few turns ahead, I am an easy target for this kind of player. I am envious of this ability to think ahead in Chess.

 

So what does this have to do with my love of God? I know there are some super-computers that can beat even the world's best Grad-Masters of Chess. But they are limited by the programmer's ability to use the computer to think ahead of all possibilities in the game. But when I think of Chess, I think of God's perfection and of His great mind. I have a great appreciation for the work of Chess-playing super-computers and Grand-Masters. But the Mind of God that can do so much more not just in playing a game like Chess, but in my life. For example, God place the stars, planets, galaxies on a perfect course around us. And the way God has placed friends and family around me in my life to provide me with the love and support I need. And how He uses me to help and supports others in my sphere of influence. It makes me stand in awe of how much greater the mind of God is, even compared to a Chess-Master's ability in Chess compared to mine. I rejoice that I can communicate with this overwhelming Mind of God through prayer, and even study His Wisdom through the life of Jesus Christ His Son. I praise You the Amazing God of the universe, for Your Mind and how You are able to make it all work together!

 

So Dad, if you happen to read this Blog, would you play me in a game of Chess the next time I see you? It's been too long.

Prophecy in the Bible

Is there anything special about the Bible, or is it just a collection of books that were written by men without any inspiration from God? I saw some old friends who I really enjoy spending time with last night, and the topic of the Dead Sea Scrolls came up. So I think it is a wonderful topic to look at both the Dead Sea Scrolls and how they show that there is something amazing, and supernatural about the Bible.

 

The Old Testament of the Bible speaks of a coming Messiah. And the claim is that Jesus Christ, or more properly Jesus the Messiah is this person who was described in the Old Testament prophecies. And some of the coolest prophecies of the Bible are contained in the major Prophet Isaiah's book. Here is a few of the prophecies that Isaiah by inspiration from God, wrote about: Isa. 7:14 - THEY WILL CALL HIM IMMANUEL WHICH MEANS GOD WITH US; (So here we see that the Messiah is actually a person who is also God.); Isa. 9:6, 7 TO US A CHILD IS BORN, A SON IS GIVEN, AND HIS NAME SHALL BE CALLED WONDERFUL COUNSELOR, MIGHTY GOD, EVERLASTING FATHER, PRINCE OF PEACE. (The Messiah will come to earth in the form of a baby, whose titles include Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, and Prince of Peace. Incredible, a person who is also righteous, and both Man and God?!) But the centerpiece of Isaiah's prophecies is contained in Isaiah where the description of the Messiah as a Suffering Servant is contained. It is described in Isaiah 52:13 through chapter 53. Here is what Isaiah wrote, tradition holds sometime earlier than 701 years before Jesus was born (701 BC), about the Messiah in Isa. 53:

 

Who has believed what they heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

²      For he grew up before him like a young plant,    and like a root out of dry ground;   he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,

          and no beauty that we should desire him.

³      He was despised and rejected by men;    a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

⁴      Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.

⁵      But he was wounded for our transgressions;    he was crushed for our iniquities;

     upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,   and with his stripes we are healed.

⁶      All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

⁷      He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,

          so he opened not his mouth.

⁸      By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?

⁹      And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.

¹⁰      Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for sin, e shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;

     the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

¹¹      Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,

          make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.

¹²      Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death

          and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

 

And so we see the God-inspired Prophecy predict there would be a man despised and rejected, whom God would lay the sins of the world upon. The Messiah would be sacrificed not for His own sins, He was righteous, but for "our transgressions", "our iniquities". And through His sacrifice He will "make many to be accounted righteous" in God's eyes. We will no longer have to pay the price for our own sins, because Jesus paid the full charge for any sin that could ever be committed: any sin that deserves death was paid for by an innocent Man's death on the Cross.

 

A common charge for why we should not trust what is written in the Bible, is that because we do not have what was originally written that through 2,000 years of copying, people made mistakes and intentional errors to change what was originally written. The charge is that the Bible is not trustworthy because there are many copying errors. But that is the importance of what the Dead Sea Scrolls show: The Dead Sea Scrolls show that the Bible is extremely reliable, and that there are no significant changes or errors made through 2,000 years of copying.

 

Let me show you why the Dead Sea Scrolls are great proof that the Bible is given to us today without error. The Dead Sea Scrolls were found in buried jars and in the Qumran caves near the Dead Sea. Here is the REALLY AMAZING fact: the Isaiah scroll was carbon-dated to somewhere between 335 BC and 107 BC (source: Wikipedia)!!!!!! Yes, you read this right – we have copies of the original Isaiah manuscript that are over 107 years BEFORE Jesus was even born. So all of the prophecies by Isaiah, including the ones shown above, were written at least 100 years before He was born, AND WE HAVE THE COPIES of what was written. This means that we have an untainted, uncopied manuscript of the Isaiah prophecies dated before Jesus was even born.

 

The Old Testament books were provided by a group known as the Masoretes. So how does the Masoretic copied of the manuscripts compare to what is written in the uncopied Dead Sea Scrolls? You guessed it, there are some minor variations, but nothing of substance.

Dead Sea Scrolls roughly 100 AD -------------------------------------à 1950 AD discovered (no copies made – it copied manuscripts from 350 BC-107BC and these are in our hands. The Dead Sea Scrolls were not touched or copied for 2,000+ years)

Masoretic Text of the OT copied again and again for over 2,000 years

        llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllà copied many times over 2,000 years. And it still is 95% the same as what is contained in the Dead Sea Scrolls. And no significant doctrine is affected by any of the copyists' differences. Instead, most of the differences are insignificant spelling variations.

The Masoretic Text is the same as the Dead Sea Scrolls. Example of Isaiah 53. The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Masoretic text are 95% identical. If any Old Testament text was going to be changed by Christian copyists it would be the prophecy about the Messiah contained in Isaiah 53. But instead there are only a total of 17 differences between the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Masoretic text.

1. 10 of the 17 differences is alternate spellings (similar to in America 'Judgment' is spelled without the 'e', while in Great Britain it is spelled 'judgement' with the 'e' in the middle.) These differences have no effect on any meaning,
   
2. 4 of the 17 differences are the addition of a conjunction. Again, no change in the meaning.
   
3. 3 of the 17 changes are contain in Isaiah 53:11, where it says 'They shall see", and the DSS add "light" which is not contained in the Masoretic text. Again no change in the meaning.
   

 

And that's all of the changes between the Dead Sea Scrolls that are pure, uncopied, untouched for 2,000+ years and the Masoretic text of the OT which was repeatedly copied for over 2,000 years. They are identical in meaning, with only a very few, minor changes, with most of these differences being spelling changes. And it is the same with the other portions of the OT as well. The text contained in the DSS is the same as the Masoretic text, again with only a few, immaterial differences between the two manuscripts. This is the best example showing that copyists of the Bible took their job seriously, and any errors or changes are easily discovered.

 

So what is the conclusion that we can draw about whether or not the Bible is reliable? Clearly, people who copied the books of the Bible took their job seriously. The Bible is reliable, and there are real, God-inspired Prophecies that show the supernatural character of the Bible. What do we make of the claim made in Hebrews 4:12 that the Bible is "living" and full of the Holy Spirit? This is what makes the Bible different from any other book that has ever been written. It contains God's Spirit, and changes lives. It has changed my life – and if you are open to learning about Who the Creator of the Universe is, and why He has put us here on earth, the Book will change your life too. Open up your Bible today, and find out what the Creator of the universe would like you to hear and understand better today.

Repentance – How Does It Happen?

In my last blog post, I (and emergent leader Rob Bell) discussed whether or not there is any value of street witnessing where the objective of the witness is to ensure that the people know that they are sinners. The characterization is a Guy with a Bull-Horn who does not talk to people but loudly proclaims everyone's sinfulness. The purpose of this post is to look at some Scriptures that make clear that God is the sole source of repentance, and perhaps also showing that the technique used by the Bull-Horn God is not the best method for leading people to repentance. But first, let me share my first encounter with a 'Bull-Horn' Guy. This was done at the University of Minnesota. His name was Brother Jed and Sister Cindy helped him, and sat outside Coffman Union to dozens of students yelling and screaming about all of us being fornicators and we are damned to hell! I was a violent agnostic at the time, but I enjoyed listening to him mainly to hear how other people used Bible verses to show points where he was wrong. But I felt at the time that it wasn't very effective, and I still don't see much benefit to this kind of witness encounter.

 

But let's start by looking at some Bible verses on repentance. The best place to start is with God's command of repentance to ALL people: God commands everyone to repent (Acts 17:30), but also desires that everyone should repent (1 Peter 3:9). This seems contradictory to me, but let's leave this off to the side for now. The Source of Repentance is Jesus Christ – Acts 5:31. And the way that God causes people to repent is through His Holy Spirit: And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment (John 16:8, I love this verse - a GREAT verse!). And it appears that the Triune God is the one who determines whether or not to give out repentance (Acts 11:18) - When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, "Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.

 

But one verse stands above the others in teaching us about repentance. Turn with me (OK, look with me) at the verse that follows. Romans 2:4:

 

Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

 

So Romans 2:4 says that it is God's kindness in sending His only begotten Son as a sacrifice on Calvary that is meant to lead people to repentance. So if this is true, doesn't it call into further question the value of those like the Bull-Horn Guy whose entire focus is to tell people about our sinfulness? Rather shouldn't Christ and He Crucified be our only focus in helping others to repent? That God's amazing gift of Grace through God's sending of His Son to pay the full punishment for the world's sin, shows His colossal love for everyone, including you and me. And it is God's design that this love He has shown through the death of Jesus on the Cross that is meant to lead us to repentance (Romans 2:4, above). Shouldn't this be enough? I hope you will tell me what you think.

Bullwhip Guy vs. Bull-horn Guy

I enjoy looking at the website 'A Little Leaven', because it nearly always gives me some quick mindless laughs at what other people do in the name of Christianity. They show things like people selling the Jesus Sandals, Perfume of Heaven, silly board games, all of which the bloggers feel are clear heresy in the Church. But they recently posted a video that was dealing with an issue that I have a hard time wrestling with – the evangelistic value of the Emergent Church movement (Bull-whip Guy) versus the Bible thumpers who preach on street corners making sure everyone knows that they are sinners (the Bull-Horn Guy). I would appreciate anyone can provide to help me sort through who is right. The videos can be seen on 'A Little Leaven' (the link is to the side of my blog), and look for the entry on I believe Friday November 30^th.)

 

First, let me give you a little background of this fight. The Emergent Church is viewed by most older Christians as being without foundation because they rely on personal experience of God over reading the Bible. Emergents are young, Protestant, and designed to engage other young post-modern unchurched people. Rob Bell is one of the Emergent Church leaders whose Church grew really large in a short period of time. He has written a wonderful book entitled 'The Velvet Jesus', that I enjoyed. In the video 'Bull-horn' Guy, Rob Bell is there telling the Bull-horn Guy to put his bull-horn down, and stop telling people that they are sinners because no one is listening. He doesn't like the Bull-horn Guy's method because he doesn't think it is loving, and because he is hurting other Christian movements.

 

Bull-Whip Guy is a video of a more conservative point of view. They point out that Jesus took out a bull-whip and overturned the temple money-changers tables. Jesus Himself was critical of those who were making money at the expense of giving God glory in His Temple in Jerusalem. And He certainly was critical of the Pharisees and other religious leaders who did not care for other people, and were only focused on their power and prestige.

 

I appreciate both viewpoints, but I am having a difficult time sorting out which of the two positions is more right. I understand that traditional Evangelicals feel it is the most loving thing they can do to make sure people know that they are sinners, and that they need a Savior. But the Bull-horn Guy doesn't seem that interested in the people he is speaking to, and so doesn't seem very loving to me.

 

But I also see problems with what the Emergent Church is doing. I love God's Word, and I have been very blessed by it, and I hate to see any group lessen its importance. And the video of the Bullwhip Guy is right – Jesus was very critical and even attacked some people and groups. But Jesus also was very engaged with the problems that the people He talked to were going through. If someone was ill, He healed them. If they were demon-possessed, He freed them. If they were hungry, He fed them. He made sure that a person's most basic needs were met first, before providing God's teaching. But the Emergent point is that we can trust the Holy Spirit to convict the world of its sin (John 16:8-11), and so do we really need street evangelists like Bullhorn Guy doing his work?

 

So I am not sure of what to do with all of this. If you can provide any thoughts I would appreciate it.

What Can We Learn About A Cells’ Flagellum?

Last post, I looked at the factory like structure of the inner-parts of a cell. But though the cell is an amazing structure, it is truly amazing to see what the individual parts of a cell do and look like. In this post, I will look at the cilia/flagellum of a cell. Please don't let the sciency words throw you, I will try and keep this information so easy even a lawyer can understand it! J

 

Cilia are found in cells with a nucleus (eukaryotic cells). They are on the surface of nearly every one of the 250 trillion cells inside our human bodies. Cilia are thin, tail-like projections extending outwards from the cell body. But there are cilia even on one-celled algae. And when one cilium is cut off, another replacement cilium will re-grow in about one hour. That's a good replacement system!

 

Prof. Behe's first book was called 'Darwin's Black Box' and it described the flagellum (basically the same as cilia) on the outside of the bacteria's cells. Don't get thrown off if I say 'bacterial flagellum', it just means the extended whips on the outside of a bacteria cell. The flagellum is a slender whip-like projection that motors the bacteria's movement. In 'Edge of Evolution' Prof. Behe also discusses the updated information we have learned about bacterial flagellum in the last 10 years, and he does this through easy to understand illustrations. He likens the cilia to the construction of a tower, which is built from the bottom up. Although there is still much to learn about how cilia are built, we do know that the plans are contained in the cell's DNA. The DNA provides all of the information for what parts are needed to construct the cilia, what proteins are needed, how much is needed (controls that turn on and off), and directions for where they should go.

 

from Wikipedia entry for flagellum.

 

Just as an outboard motor on a boat consists of a large number of parts, so does the bacteria's outboard motor, the flagellum. The physical construction in the cell is done by proteins. Proteins basically do the same work as bulldozers, steam shovels, train engines, train cars, railroad tracks, and all of the tools you can possibly use on a construction project. What is really interesting is that there is a protein in the cell that is essentially a foreman of the construction project. It is not a part of the flagellum or the construction machinery. Instead, it tells the other proteins what to do. When a flagellum is needed, the foreman protein binds to the control regions of the DNA that turn on the making of the proteins used in the construction project. One after another, proteins are made that are necessary for the construction of parts of the flagellum. The picture above shows all of different and various parts that make up the bacterial flagellum.

 

And it only keeps getting cooler! One of the early construction projects of the foreman is to assemble a pump. When the pump is completed, it is directly linked to the switching on the genes necessary to make the final, last parts of the flagellum. The perfect timing, the original plan for the construction secretly hidden inside of the DNA, the proper turning on and off of the proteins needed to make the flagellum, and the use of sequences to make just this one small part of a cell is mind blowing. I know some people look up at the stars and see God's majesty in His handiwork. But when I see the workings of the inside of a cell, I am in awe as I see what He has done. I wish I could do a better job of describing all of what takes place in the construction of the bacterial flagellum, but my hope is that I have at least given you the flavor of what is going on in the microscopic world in our bodies.

 

So what is the point of all of this? Prof. Behe describes the construction of the bacterial flagellum as being "irreducibly complex". By this he means that just as a mousetrap has 5 pieces that are needed to make a functional mousetrap (the board, the spring, the latch, the arm, etc.), and the mousetrap WON'T work until it has all 5 pieces in place. In the same way, the bacterial flagellum must have dozens of pieces in place before it will work. And this is something that Darwinism cannot do. Instead, the Darwinist claim is that small changes will lead to the making of the machinery that is useful in a cell. But as this post describes, these are not small changes. You need lots of BIG changes to make the flagellum. And they all need to work together, and in the right sequence, and with a proper plan in place to begin with. This is the domain of something that is shown to be Designed, and not the work of random forces as Darwinism is.

 

The Irreducible Complexity of the bacterial flagellum points to Design of life here on earth. It is yet another example of the 'Consilience' of scientific evidence that shows we are part of God's creation. I hope you find this persuasive as well.

 

 

The Three Heavens

2 Corinthians 12:2-4 speaks of the "Third Heaven", it says: I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. ³ And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— ⁴ and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter.

So what is the "third heaven"? And what are the other two heavens? That is what I will be taking a look at in today's blog. First, I think that we know what two of the three heavens might be right of the bat. Let's see if you agree with me. The first heaven is merely a reference to the sky above us, and all of the stars. Like when we say that the heavens opened up with rain. A great example of the use of this is in Genesis 15:5 - where God tells Abram, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars." This type of use of "heaven" is used in both the Old and New Testaments, as is done in Deut. 11:11, Psalm 19:6, Isaiah 13:10, and James 5:8. So let's call the sky and the stars above as the First Heaven.

 

And we know that God the Father and His Son sitting at His right hand are living in a place we call Heaven, this being the majestic home of God. This is the glorious place where the Prophet Isaiah was transported to, the very throne room of God in Isaiah 6. This is where the Apostle John was caught up in the Book of Revelation (Rev. 4-5). And this is where Jesus said He was going to prepare a place for His believers (John 14:2-3). This is also the place that Paul is speaking of in 2 Cor. 12:2-4 (quoted above.) So let's call this the Highest Heaven, or the Third Heaven.

 

So what is this place that is the Second Heaven? Pastor Jack Hayford has a great study on Revelation (called Focusing on the Future), and in this study he explains that the Second Heaven is a reference to the unseen, spiritual world that surrounds us here on earth. And this is well supported in the Scriptures. There are two great examples of this – first, in 2 Kings 6:15-17 we see the Prophet Elisha involved in a war between Syria and Israel. When Elisha's servant freaks out because the Syrian army is so large, Elisha prays that the servant's eyes are opened. Here is what he sees: ¹

 

⁵ When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" ¹⁶ He said, "Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." ¹⁷ Then Elisha prayed and said, "O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see." So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

 

Cool, cool, cool! There are armies of unseen armies of God, in the unseen, spiritual realm around us. This is the Second Heaven. And they help us! But we know from the world around us, that there must also be unseen demonic activity around us. And this is shown in the second verse that gives us as an example of the unseen spiritual realm around us, which is in Daniel 10. In Daniel 10, the Prophet Daniel is a godly man, who is fasting for three weeks and in prayer to God. 21 days after he started his prayer, Daniel receives a visit from the Arch-Angel Gabriel who explains that he was delayed for 21 days because he was in battle in this unseen Second Heaven around us with the ominous Prince of Persia. Here is what God's Word says about this battle:

 

¹² Then he (i.e., the Angel) said to me, "Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. ¹³ The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia, ¹⁴ and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come."

 

Whoa, what a cool verse with all sorts of implications that we can draw from this. This shows that the Arch-Angel Gabriel was in battle with an evil Prince of Persia. This was such a ferocious battle that it delayed the intended response for Daniel for 21 days. And the spiritual battle was turned when the Arch-Angel Michael came to help. Lots of meat in this chapter, but for now, let's just understand that the unseen spiritual realm around us, the Second Heaven, is a place where there are both forces of God and Satan.

 

Finally, in the New Testament we see references to thrones, dominions, principalities and powers (also called rulers and authorities). See, Ephesians 1:20-21, Colossians 1:16. I believe this is a reference to this unseen realm of the Second Heaven. And the most important point of this entire writing is that Jesus is far above every created thing, including all principalities and powers, rulers and authorities. Jesus triumphed over Satan and his kingdom by His death on the Cross. The battle is won. As is made more clearly than I can ever say is what is contained in Colossians 2:15 –"And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross." And nothing in the Second Heaven, no principalities or powers can separate a born again believer from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:38).

 

If you would like to study more about the unseen principalities and powers, here are a few more verses to look at: Eph 3:10, Eph. 6:12, and Col. 1:16. Thanks to my Mom who first raised this question a few weeks ago over lunch. God bless you!