Judgment Joy
and the best theological jokes...
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1/ Joy on Judgment Day (Psalm 98:8-9)
Let the rivers clap their hands;
let the hills sing for joy together before the LORD,
for he comes to judge the earth.
2/ What does Jacob’s Ladder signify?
Here’s Luther on Genesis 28:12-14. (We’ll study this today at 10a in the Worldwide Bible Class. Join us live if you can.)
But what is this ascent and descent?
I reply that it is this very mystery that in one and the same Person there is true GOD and man. Accordingly the unity of the Person fulfills this mystery. And we, who believe, fulfill the Word of Christ (John 1:51): “You will see … the angels … ascending and descending.” For we believe in the one Lord, His only-begotten Son, born of the Virgin Mary, true God and man.
This mystery is so great, so grand, so inexpressible, that the angels themselves cannot marvel at it enough, much less comprehend it. But, as is stated in 1 Peter 1:12, these are “things into which angels long to look.” For angels cannot rejoice and marvel enough at that inexpressible union and unity of the most diverse natures which they do not reach either by ascending or by descending. If they lift up their eyes, they see the incomprehensible majesty of God above them. If they look down, they see God and the Divine Majesty subjected to demons and to every creature.
These are marvelous things: to see a man and the lowliest creature humbled below all, to see the same creature sitting at the right hand of the Father and raised above all the angels, and to see Him in the bosom of the Father and soon subjected to the devil, as is stated in Ps. 8:5: “Thou hast made Him a little lower than the angels.” Likewise in Eph. 4:9: “He had descended into the lower parts of the earth.”
This is a wonderful ascent and descent of the angels, to see the highest and the lowest completely united in one and the same Person, the highest God lying in the manger. Therefore the angels adore Him there, rejoice, and sing: “Glory to God in the highest” (Luke 2:14). On the other hand, when they consider the lowliness of the human nature, they descend and sing: “And on earth peace.” (LW V:218)
How can our hearts hold the wonder and joy of the incarnation, what Christ has done for us!
3/ Summer Theological Adventure Travel
If you're looking for an adventure this summer, the best two options I know of are:
The Lutheran Heritage Tour in Germany with me and Dr. Fickenscher
The Ultimate Holy Land Tour of Egypt, Jordan, and Israel with Pr Flamme and Andrew Gerike
4/ BWV 552 Prelude and fugue in E-flat major
Hold on to your hats.
This will be one of the pieces on the opening night of the Back Festival in Leipzig this year. (And is part of our Lutheran Heritage Tour!)
5/ Best Theological Jokes
are being collected here:
My favorite so far:
Jesus and Melchizedek enter a bar. The bartender says to Melchiedek, "Get out of here!"
Jesus, puzzled, says, "Why."
Bartender says, "We don't serve your type."
Second place goes to this dad-joke:
A priest, a pastor, and a rabbit went to give blood. The nurse asked the rabbit what his blood type was. He responded, "I’m pretty sure I’m a type-o"
This was pretty funny.
6/ Evolution as a Dangerous Philosophy
Dr. Joel Heck gave two excellent lectures last week at our Austin Creation Society meeting. (I’m hoping to post the audio and slide decks for all four presentations soon. I’ll send you all the link.)
In the meantime, I’ve started an Evernote Note with some great quotations supporting the thesis that Evolutionism is a Dangerous Philosophy. (An Evernote Note is nice. It’s nice to have the quotations handy for apologetic conversations, and Evernote syncs to your phone, is easy to search, etc.)
Here’s my Evolution as a Dangerous Philosophy and Worldview note. It should stay up-to-date as I add things to it.
Here is one section:
Evolutionism destroys ethics
“… at the bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil and no good, nothing but pitiless indifference” (Richard Dawkins, 1995. Scientific American. November, 85).
“Let me summarize my views on what modern evolutionary biology tells us loud and clear … There are no gods, no purposes, no goal-directed forces of any kind. There is no life after death. When I die, I am absolutely certain that I am going to be dead. That’s the end for me. There is no ultimate foundation for ethics, no ultimate meaning to life, and no free will for humans, either” (Provine, W. B., Origins Research 16(1), 9, 1994).
Morality without God (Willaim Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith)
"If there is no immortality of the soul, then all things are permitted." Dostoyevsky, Brothers Karamazov
(If you have quotations to add, please post them in the comments!)
7/ Why does Jesus tell us about the second coming?
Here’s a reflection.
Remember to go to your pastor's Bible Class this week and, read old theology books. (If you don't have a pastor or congregation, click here. If you don't have old theology books, click here.)
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Thank you, again, for your time and attention, and for your prayers. Please keep in touch.
Lord's Blessings, Pastor Wolfmueller
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
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