The Bear (The Big Dipper)
Recently I posted a bit more on, w my perspectives on the Astro-theological nature of many of the stories and prophecies in the Bible. Astro-theology is based on the concept of "as above, so below" where over time humans have seen the story they need to see and tell in the movement of the constellations thru the signs of the zodiac and along the ecliptic from season to season. I mostly do this to give a different perspective to all our background in the Bible as understood by the Churches of God and most others. Most cultures have done this over thousands of years and the writers of the Old Testament and New, in particular the Book of Revelation were no exceptions.
As I have said before, the night sky was the Netflix of the times. It's where you got your stories and brought them down to earth to explain life and "all that up there" to yourself. Job was challenged that if he was so smart could he do or know the following
Job 38:31-33
"Can you direct the movement of the stars--binding the cluster of the Pleiades or loosening the cords of Orion?
(we know today what binds this and Orion is not held by cords.)
Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons or lead out the Bear (The Big Dipper) with its cubs?
(We know they bring forth themselves because the earth rotates which gives the impression of movement in the heavens when it is we who are moving)
Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up God's dominion over the earth?
(We're getting there nicely)
We also know where snow , hail and rain come from and how they form. Contrary to Bob Thiel's archaic view that weather is still "God's way of trying to get our attention." To which I have always said, "God has to try?"
Job 9:9
Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south.
Orion with Shield and Flaming Sword held high
(There are no chambers in the South. Only locations. Arcturus, also called Alpha Boötis, one of the five brightest stars in the night sky, and the brightest star in the northern constellation Boötes, with an apparent visual magnitude of −0.05. It is an orange-coloured giant star 36.7 light-years from Earth. The Pleiades is visible star cluster and Orion is a Constellation of the Winter sky. Orion is probably also the Angel placed in the East with a flaming sword to keep Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden but I spare you. It never occurred to them evidently to sneak back from the North, South or West. Orion rises in the East.
The fact is that today all the challenges of the Book of Job, by God to Job are pretty well understood. Today we'd have to challenge Job that if he was so smart, did he understand quarks, muons , the Cosmic Background Radiation and the double split experiment. And aside from the average person who could care less, we do understand these things as well.
I was very sincerely sent a long paper on how the heavens DO explain the entire plan of God through the movement of the Sun and constellations through the Zodiac (Ecliptic) tell the story of our salvation and it was God who put it there for us to understand. In my view, it was man who evinced the story of his salvation and theology by imagining what he thought he saw in the constellations , seasons and journey of the sun through the year with the light and dark cycles as well as times to plant and reap.
I know it is hard to accept, and can be argued until proverbial cows come home, but the SUN is the original God Most High (Noon) in human history. It is the SUN that is born on Christmas day. It is the Sun that takes away the darkness (sins) of the world at "Easter", when it comes up due East and the days are now longer than the nights at the Equinox (equal days/nights). Even the Pass-over over is when the SUN passes over this line in the seasons.
I only include this final exchange to illustrate the conclusion of this exchange.
There are vast differences between REASONS and EXCUSES
In religion apologetics are the excuses of theology. It is when you simply can't admit to being mistaken about something Biblical and must keep it so to keep one's beliefs, which are not the same as truths, intact. IMHO
2000 years ago reasons given outside of Biblical perspectives were considered excuses to rebel against God as understood in that day. With increased knowledge of how things actually are, excuses must yield to reasons to think outside the boxes of the past. Just as 2000 years ago, those who asked "where is the promise of his coming" were called scoffers who would get theirs in time, so today we'd simply see they were noticing the obvious. No one who notices Jesus has not returned "soon" after 2000 years cannot be called a scoffer. They are simply noticing what is evidently and obviously so.
So it is with where many of our theological concepts and stories come from in reality.
I am a great believer in the astro
theological nature of many bible tales. I just don't believe the origin is God
putting his plan in the
constellations.
---------------------------------------
Dennis,
"If that is your
belief, then please tell me what was God's intention for creating the heavens
and universe? There MUST be a reason, for God does nothing without a purpose in
mind."
-------------------------------
"Actually we humans come up with the concept of "there
must be a reason" etc. The fact is the universe and our evolution from ape
ancestors to conscious of our mortality does not care and we are not special in
it any more than earth is special will billions of them out there just being
discovered.
I don't believe in the existence of the bible God. That is a literary
and human construct to help us cope . I don't believe it took a god to bring the
universe, which may also be just one of billions to pass. It's a huge topic but
I go with science on this stuff"
"I'm sorry, but I didn't realize you were
an atheist. Based on your website, I always thought you were part of the COG. With that in mind, I won't bother you any more. I have no desire or time to converse with anyone who
doesn't believe in a Creator
God.
Romans 1:19-2019 What
can be known about God is clear to them because he has made it clear to
them.
20 From the creation of the world, God's invisible qualities, his
eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly observed in what he made.
As a result, people have no excuse.
(GWN)
Dennis, you have NO excuse."
Exactly! they are reasons......
