Apocalypse, Bible Study, Calendar, Time, The Lord's Feasts, Moedim, Tradition
Charles Blair
Tradition: The Struggle Between the Old and the ...

Teshuvah: A 40-day journey of self-examination and repentance, preparing hearts for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

Tradition: The Struggle Between the Old and the New, and an Invitation to Rediscover Teshuvah
Bible Study, Apocalypse, Old Testament, Purpose, Imago Dei, God's Plan, Tabernacle, Eden
Charles Blair
Making Man - The Purpose of the Image of God

The Genesis account is often read as an origins story. And that it is. As an origins story, it retells the ancient Mesopotamian and Egyptian myths couched in the god stories of the ancients. It corrects those accounts and reveals the One God who has always been the primal cause but whose priority has been let to drift in the memory of His creation. His creation had written its own counterfeit stories. Even yet, these myth stories had echoes of truth that God would now re-reveal to His Israelite prodigies on their way to inherit a promise He had set for them from the beginning.

Making Man - The Purpose of the Image of God
Apocalypse, Calendar
Charles Blair
Time: The Apocalyptic Fall Feasts

In the annual progression of the Feasts, we observe a dramatic pause between the first three feasts and Pentecost. This interlude heightens the significance of the first four Feasts, which collectively commemorate Israel's miraculous redemption from Egyptian bondage by God's unmerited grace. They also foretell of a time when this same redemption would be offered to all the nations of the earth when the Lamb of God will reveal the meaning of the first Passover's lamb.

Time: The Apocalyptic Fall Feasts
Creation, Time, Calendar, F-SP, Appointed Times
Charles Blair
Time and the Calendar Disconnect - Have We Lost ...

Here's a one paragraph excerpt:

In this insightful article, we embark on a profound exploration of the biblical feasts and their intrinsic connection to God's ultimate plan for humanity. Tracing the historical divergence between the Passover and Easter celebrations, we uncover the unfortunate disconnect that occurred when the early church, influenced by prevailing anti-Jewish sentiments, intentionally separated Easter from its Jewish roots at the Council of Nicaea in 325 CE. As we delve into the Summer Feast of Pentecost, we unravel its deep symbolism and continuity with God's promised plan, set in motion at creation itself. Through this illuminating journey, we are invited to rediscover the sacred calendar instituted by God, transcending cultural boundaries, and gain a renewed appreciation for these divinely appointed times that foreshadow the climactic events of the Apocalypse and the glorious return of Christ.

Time and the Calendar Disconnect - Have We Lost Track of Time?
Charles Blair
The Apocalyptic Nature of Time

"The apocalyptic nature of time is that all mankind, indeed, all creation, has a final appointment with our creator."

The Apocalyptic Nature of Time

Gospel

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Seeing and Goodness: Part 3 Unveiling God's Amazing Grace

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In the beginning God... (Genesis 1:1)...

God said, ....God saw that the light was good; ...
and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. ....
The earth brought forth vegetation, ...;
and God saw that it was good. ...
God made the two great lights, ...;
He made the stars also. ...; and God saw that it was good.
God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, ...;
and God saw that it was good.
Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: ...;
and God saw that it was good. God created man in His own image, ....
God saw all that He had made, and behold,
it was very good. ...”
(Genesis 1:4–31, NASB95)

In the first two installments of this series we explored God's steadfast ‘love’ and righteous judgments over creation. In Part 1 , "God's ‘Love’ Revealed," we explored Genesis 1:4 and learned how God 'saw' and this act of "seeing" conveys a deep relationship with and ‘love’ for His creation. Next, "Seeing and Goodness: Part 2 - Here Comes the Judge," we continued our journey by examining God's declarations of 'good'-ness and their implications for understanding God as the divine 'judge' and His purpose for all things.

Now in Part 3, "Unveiling God's Amazing Grace," we will uncover 'grace' as revealed in the opening lines of Genesis. As God spoke into the void, so He speaks into our emptiness, partnering with us to walk in His purposes.

The Path

What can we learn from this? Why does this matter? Here is the treasure I found.

The prophetic pronouncement that creation was 'good' is, perhaps, the first revelation of grace. The earth was not created and then left to itself. It was created, something new that did not exist before, and the new was 'good': It suits God's intent and purpose and aligned with Him in form and function.

It was not declared ’good’ because it pre-existed and was 'good' on its own merits. It was 'good' because it had been made so and declared so by its creator. For it to remain 'good' it must continue to align with the Creator and His purposes. That is the battle recorded throughout the rest of scripture — this is the solution toward which all scripture leads.

An Ancient Story, Ever New

So it is with us according to this F-SP of grace in creation. Humanity, created in God's image, was initially declared 'good.' But, with the "fruit fiasco," perpetrated by Adam and Eve, the alignment for which we were created was interrupted.

Redeemed and Realigned with the 'Good'

Even so, God's mercy was not content to judge us so that we were cut off. He 'judged' us as His. As we follow this story through scripture we find that, just as at the beginning, we were re-created in the image of God in Christ, and in that re-creation, we were re-declared 'good' again.

Word Made "Good": Our Journey from Emptiness to Purpose

It is by God's words spoken over us and in us that we are re-aligned with Him in all things, agreeing with Him about the 'good' that He has re-created in us. Reflect on Paul's words:

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for 'good' works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:8-10 (emphasis is mine)

This is a narrative of mercy, redemption, and our Creator's commitment to His masterpiece. Being re-created in Christ, we are again judged as 'good' and appointed to 'good' works just as when we were first created in His image.

This First-Sentence Perspective (F-SP) principle focuses us on God's character in Genesis 1:1. It's the foundational perspective for comprehending grace and God's intentions for creation. By this, we reflect Heaven's will into the earth through 'good' works according to His grace.

Paul reminds us we are, by His grace and re-created through Christ, new creations:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!  2 Co 5:17

'Good' from Darkness and Emptiness

The darkness and emptiness within us have been separated and the 'good' has been revealed. The 'good' is that which was ascribed to us when we were first created in God's image. Having been drawn back into emptiness, we are now re-created in Christ to again reveal and proclaim God's image. This is a powerful First-Sentence Perspective based on the character of God revealed in this fourth verse of scripture — Our exploration finds grace revealed already in the opening lines of Scripture.

God calls into being that which is formless and empty, speaking goodness and purpose over the void. Through Christ, He does the same for us: reshaping and redeeming our emptiness into something "good."

Finally, in Part 4, we will consider what this grace perspective means for our lives today. As God's workmanship - His poetry - how might we lean into this identity? Finding purpose and meaning as we walk in the goodness He has prepared.

 
 

LOOKING AT scripture from a first-sentence perspective.