What is Reality, Part 2..Reality as Self-Created

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

Continued from What Is Reality, Part 1...Reality As Matrix Illusion

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)

This is the second in a four-part series on reality: how did the universe come into being? What is reality?

Anyone who is serious about sharing their faith effectively needs to understand the different views on how the universe came to be. Satan doesn’t just attack physically but through doctrines that dishonor God as both Creator and Redeemer. Unbiblical views of cosmology have led many people away from God and His precious gospel. That is why they are doctrines of demons.

The most basic philosophical question is: why is there is something rather than nothing? We looked at the first explanation for reality as an illusion last time, and saw its irrationality and unbiblical nature. Let me remind you of the four basic explanations of reality as we confront it.

1. Reality is an illusion
2. Reality is self-created
3. Reality is self-existent and eternal
4. Reality was created by self-existent God

So, this time we shall look at the notion that the reality we confront each day is self-created. Many who believe this notion don’t necessarily say this explicitly, but it’s what they mean.

The statement/proposition ‘self-created’ is what is known in logic as being analytically false. It is false by definition. It is a logical absurdity. Every unbiblical view of reality is at odds with biblical epistemology (view of knowledge and how we attain it) and logic, and leads to irrationality; these basic principles of logic are not negotiable.

For something to create itself, the effect has to be its own cause which flies in the face of not only logic but science as well; nothing has to create something; it has to exist before it existed; and it has to be and not be at the same time and in the same relationship. This violates the law of non-contradiction in order to create life. And as we said, all non-biblical views of origins violate logic at some point, and more importantly the Word of God, as expressed in Genesis 1:1 and innumerable other places. But, as we’ll see, the utter irrationality of this notion has not prevented it from popping up in various forms and becoming very popular.

Imagine this discussion: 1.“Who made the grass?”  “God did.”…2.”Who made you?” “God did.”…3.”Who made God?”  “God made Himself.”  Sorry, but not even the omnipotent, Living God could create Himself! It’s logically absurd. He’s always been, and He is the Supreme Being, from whom all other being is derivative…including human beings. To be, or not to be..that is the question. Indeed!
During the Enlightenment in the 18th century, the French Encyclopedists (e.g. Diderot, d’Holbach)asserted that the ‘God hypothesis” was no longer needed as a sufficient cause of the universe. In place of God, they posited spontaneous generation as the causal factor behind all reality. Things just simply begin to be.

For example, they noted  that there was a puddle in the road, but soon after mosquitoes were being formed. Hence, it appeared that the insects were spontaneously generating(self-creating). Without the benefit of microscopes many such anomalies must have appeared as mysterious. However, as thinking people, these folks should have remembered the basic maxim-ex nihilo nihil fit—out of nothing, nothing comes, and they should have come to the conclusion: “We don’t know.” But they seized upon these examples because of their anti-God assumptions and extrapolated them backwards to creation—self created.

Today the notion of spontaneous generation has been thoroughly debunked as ludicrous in scientific circles. We now know that there all sorts of microscopic entities that can explain many of the past mysteries. You may recall this being discussed in High School biology.

Surely the notion of spontaneous generation is passé, right? Not so fast because there is the field of physics! One Nobel Prize winning scientist stated that the universe came into existence by a ‘gradual spontaneous generation’! In other words, you can’t get something from nothing quickly but, given enough time, it will happen! Sheesh.This reminds me of the saying: “A rose by any other name is still a rose.” What this Nobel Prize winner is asserting is still self-creation, which is logically absurd. No matter how long the interval, spontaneous generation cannot occur.

The Hubble Telescope has given us astonishingly lovely pictures of God’s cosmos. It has also caused one very famous astrophysicist to say that that 15-18 billion years ago the universe exploded into being. The key word is ‘being’. If had said that 18 billion years ago matter was shaped into its present form, then there would not have been anything logically wrong with his comment (though you many disagree with the time factor) But, my question to this astrophysicist is this: what was there before this explosion? Non-being…nothing? To say that the “universe exploded into BEING” is making an ontological and philosophical statement. If that’s what he is saying, then that is philosophical nonsense. Non-being cannot explode into being. Or, nothing cannot explode into something. Maybe that’s not what he meant, but there are others who would argue in this fashion.

The esteemed Stephen Hawking, leading cosmologist, co-authored “The Grand Design” in which he argued that the universe was self-created. This notion is absurd, as we’ve seen, because it would have to exist before it existed…or there was an effect without a cause. All of his comments about gravity miss the obvious point: where did gravity come from?  If he is going to say that the universe is self-creating then he needs to be stick to it and frankly say that nothing created something…but the most intelligent people can shroud absurdities in so much abstruse language that it sounds profound, when in reality it is absurd nonsense.

The most frequent form of self-creation today is creation by chance. Since I was in college, I developed a fascination with cosmology and cosmogony, but I am not a scientist, nor the son of a scientist! I am definitely not a physicist.  I applaud the developments in the area of theoretical physics.
However, I can observe and analyze the way that they interpret the data and the conclusions drawn(which is often subjective and hidden assumptions peek through)as well as their propositions to see if they are rational. One doesn’t have to be a physicist to see if their propositions are logically absurd or not.

Arthur Kessler stated that the reigning principle of chance in physics made God an anachronism; outdated and unneeded.

Over and over we hear highly intelligent scientists assert that the universe was created by chance. It was created by the impersonal plus time plus chance.

Take an example of flipping a coin. What are the chances of it landing on ‘heads’? Fifty-fifty. But what did ‘chance’ have to do with the outcome of the coin flip? Nothing, it is simply a way of speaking of mathematical possibility.

However, the notion of chance has taken on mythological status—even ontological status. Ontology has to do with being. But when you thing about it, chance is nothing. It is not a thing. It does not have extension or energy. It is no-thing, nothing. Chance has no power because it is ontologically nothing. It has no causal power. Again, chance is merely a way of expressing mathematical probability regarding an event, but it can’t cause anything.

However, many physicists and other scientists assert that chance created the universe! Not a chance! Yet, if you dress your verbiage up in enough abstruse, technical details, as scientists often do, they get away with saying that chance created the universe, when chance can’t even flip a coin!

When scientists state that the universe was created by chance, then they are necessarily implying that it was self-created, which is a logical absurdity.  You may couch it in scientific jargon so that it seems profound, but it isn’t. It grieves my heart to see so many college students mis-led by the logical jibberish of professors that sounds so persuasive to them regarding the origins of reality.

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

Wrong views of reality and how the universe came into being have to be debunked if we are going to be faithful to Christ. And some views of origins naturally lead to occult activity (e.g. illusion). Hence, we need to lovingly ‘destroy’ arguments raised up against the knowledge of God…but do so with tears.

When I was in college, I coined a term for myself which I wanted to use as rule: seek epistemological humility. It seemed to me that many of my professors were quite the opposite. They were seeking knowledge of God’s world in an autonomous fashion, and that always leads to hubris and irrationality. Autonomous thinking is the attempt to analyze and interpret God’s world apart from God’s Word. Does that sound wise to you? Remember Proverbs 1:7: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge/wisdom.”

In physics, and in every academic field, it is important to be able to say “I don’t know or I don’t understand” when we bump into a mystery we can’t unravel. In God’s world we should expect and rejoice in mysteries. That is proper epistemological humility before God’s wondrous, and mystery filled creation, which reveals His wisdom and other attributes(Romans 1:18ff). However, it is quite another thing to say, in light of these mysteries: “Nothing is producing this event.” In order to say that, one would have to know all the variables yet unknown to science. In other words, one would have to be omniscient to say: “It had to be nothing that caused that event, because it seems unfathomable and contradictory to me.” That’s not only bad theology, its bad science as well.

Self-creation is absurd because the effect has to precede the cause, or nothing gives rise to something. More profoundly, it is anti-biblical. We know from scripture this blessed truth: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Amen.

Since God is your Creator then you are accountable to Him. And since He is infinitely holy, then we all have fallen short, way short, of His glory.  Your problem is not metaphysical; it is moral and spiritual. You don’t need to overcome your finitude by union with the Absolute. No, we need a Personal Savior from our sins. Jesus died and rose again so that we might have eternal life. We are saved by the finished work of Christ on the cross, plus nothing. Lift up your empty hands of faith today and bow before the Lord as your Savior and Master, and the angels will sing in heaven over your eternal salvation!

Next time we’ll look at reality as self-existent and eternal.

Here is part 3: http://eyeontheparanormal.blogspot.com/2017/12/what-is-reality-part-3reality-as.html

Mark Hunnemann is the author of Seeing Ghosts Through God's Eyes: A Worldview Analysis of Earthbound Spirits. It's also available in eBook format.

The Charlie, Charlie Challenge…What's the Big Deal?

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

“Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the Lord your God. Leviticus 19:31

6 “If a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people. 7 Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. (Leviticus 20:6-7)

“When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. 10 There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer 11 or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, 12 for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you. 13 You shall be blameless before the Lord your God, 14 for these nations, which you are about to dispossess, listen to fortune-tellers and to diviners. But as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you to do this. (Deuteronomy 18:9-14)

Psalm 36:9 says that “in His light, we see light.”  That is, without the light from God’s revealed Word, we have no basis for assessing this Charlie phenomenon….or anything for that matter. Only a biblical worldview can make sense of life, as it is the inspired Word of He who created all things.

So, at the very outset, you have a choice: rely upon your autonomous reason, or humble yourself before the Living God by seeking His ‘opinion’ on this matter. Only in God’s Light can we attain light we can trust regarding this Charlie Challenge.

So, why is this Charlie craze a big deal? Primarily because God says it is a big deal, which is abundantly clear from texts above. God has not changed since these words were penned, and the warnings are trans generational and transcultural in their divine authority. They have up-to-the-second relevance, as does all of the Word of God.

Sometimes called the ‘Charlie, Charlie Challenge, this is an occultic game that has recently gone viral around the globe, especially among Middle School and High School students. It evidently originated in Mexico but only recently caught on elsewhere, including the USA. The spirit is thought to be a spirit name ‘Charlie’.

The way this game works is by taking a piece of paper and dividing it into four quadrants, with ‘yes’ and ‘no’ written on it. Then, two pencils/pens are set on top of each other at 90 degrees on top of the paper—kind of a simplified Ouija Board.

Then, by asking questions that can be answered either ‘yes’ or ‘no’, the participants inquire if the spirit of Charlie is present, and this spirit uses the rotating pens to answer this initial inquiry and their additional questions. At middle/high school age, one can does not have to think long about what kind of questions may be asked. And given the loss of faith amongst American families, as well as the God-given longing to experience spiritual reality, students are engaging in seriously dangerous activity in their pursuit of entertainment or even in serious, but seriously misguided, pursuit of truth.

The first thing to note is that a spirit is explicitly being summoned or invoked. Furthermore, additional attempts to communicate with this mysterious ‘Charlie’ are part and parcel of this game.

According to God, He detests any/all attempts to attain special knowledge from the spirit realm. The texts quoted above from Leviticus and Deuteronomy reveal that the kind of activity behind the Charlie, Charlie Challenge is an abomination to Him—that is a very strong word in both Hebrew and English. Whether the person is attempting to speak to what they think is a human spirit, or a demon, or just going through the motions for fun, the bible has serious warnings for all three. First, it is dishonoring to God to seek supernatural wisdom apart from God’s written revelation. We are told to be holy as He is holy, and this is seriously un-holy activity. Second, God enacted these prohibitions because He loves us and does not want us to get hurt. And the Charlie game most certainly opens doors that were meant to stay nailed shut. Between the things we see and the unseen are doors; once they are opened nightmares can become reality.

Let me anticipate a question/objection: most of these kids are simply bored and just seeking harmless fun. Additionally, one may object, that they know a person who used this Charlie game (or the Ouija) and nothing happened. How do we respond?

First, we must remember that we live every day in spiritual warfare with the demonic. They know the bible very well, and they know what gives them legal rights to come at us in accelerated ways. They are acutely aware of the above texts and seek to lure folks, regardless of intent, to disobey God’s warnings because they know that summoning spirits gives them the right to attack, and they don’t give a hoot about fun-loving naiveté. They don’t ‘play fair’.

There are many, many people who have used the Ouija board (and now the Charlie game) who would give anything to go back and do things differently, because their lives have become a living hell. Additionally, the demonic can act in subtle, long term ways. They don’t always infest a home and then possess people who use these forbidden games. They can attack one’s health, their relationships (especially with the Lord), their sanity, etc., without revealing themselves overtly. Yet, the use of “Charlie, Charlie Challenge” gives the diabolical a legal right to attach and attack, either overtly or covertly. They can be inhumanly patient, luring a person in a long walk in the wrong direction spiritually. Put differently, they can act like spiritual radioactivity—slowly and quietly wreaking havoc in innumerable ways. So, to the person who says that nothing happened after playing the game, I would ask: how do you know nothing happened?

We are all involved in spiritual warfare, and if we participate in an occultic practice, then this gives the devil a foothold he otherwise would not have had. Some sins are more serious in God’s eyes, with the possibility of extremely serious consequences (e.g. demonic oppression/possession).

There is not a Mexican demon which is harassing people who play this game. It is local demons who are looking for an opportunity and go along with the charade. Demons are the ultimate opportunists. By demons I mean fallen angels or vice versa—they are synonymous in the bible, along with unclean spirits.

It matters not what one’s intentions are. Though demons cannot read our minds, often intent is verbally expressed or through body language.  Nevertheless, and this is important and tragic, no matter how sincere one might be, or no matter if it is intended as mere fun, those who play this game are at high risk of coming under serious demonic attack.
A child may not heed his parent’s warnings to stay away from the hot stove, and all his sincerity and fun-loving curiosity will not protect the child from being burned by the hot stove. As there are laws in nature which we break to our harm, so there are laws in the supernatural which we break to our harm as well, regardless of sincerity or intent.

Since our country has become increasingly anti-God (the real God) and increasingly inquisitive regarding the paranormal, the floodgates of diabolical darkness have been opened. Meaning that “more bullets” are being put in the spiritual Russian roulette gun. Hence, the likelihood of being oppressed as a result of playing this game has risen exponentially In other words, more demons are overtly active today than ever since the First Coming of Christ, and this makes any occultic practices all the more dangerous.

Where is a soldier more at risk: at the rear of his own army or in the middle of an enemy camp? It saddens me to say that our beloved country is becoming increasingly like the latter. The consequence is that playing occultic games is now more dangerous than ever before.

Our youth are being entertained to death and seem to embrace anything that will cause some excitement. Whether it is Bloody Mary, Ouija Board, attempting to acquire EVP’s, or Charlie Challenge, they are all attempts to communicate with the “other side”, which God forbids in the strongest language.

One of the problems with the Charlie Challenge is that it can lead to increasing involvement with the occult. There is no such thing as an ‘innocent interest in the occult’. Joseph Smith was said, in his youth, to have had an innocent interest in the occult. No wonder high weirdness ensued. One can be sincere but sincerely wrong.

Perhaps you could ask your pastor or Sunday school teacher if this topic could be addressed. Millions of kids are being affected and we need to have the compassion to stop them from committing what could become spiritual suicide, if not physical suicide.

My mom was fond of saying, ”Better safe than sorry!” A moment’s communion with common sense will reveal that it is truly better safe than sorry when dealing with supernatural evil. And we have to decide if we are going to humble ourselves before our Creator and Redeemer by heeding His warnings, or insanely cling to our spiritual preferences and desires.

One does not even need a ‘device’ to commit this cosmic treason against a holy God. All one has to do is call out to any kind of spirit—to seek advice, etc. However, actually summoning a spirit like ‘Charlie’ takes it to an even darker and more dangerous level. Never, ever attempt to invoke or summon a spirit, or you very likely will encounter one, and it will not be kind-hearted deceased ‘Uncle Bob’ or an alleged spirit named Charlie. It will be a fallen angel who hates you and will do all he can to destroy you and your loved ones.

This Charlie craze is symptomatic of spiritual emptiness. In my last blog I spoke of how God wants us to find in Him our highest treasure….to take supreme delight in Him and to display His glory. To enjoy and glorify Him. If we do this, then those in our circle of influence will see the spiritual reality that they long for. Consequently, they will be less likely to fall prey to the Charlie Challenge or something similar, because they will be exposed to true spiritual reality and beauty.

If you or someone you know has become involved in this Charlie craze, then please feel free to contact me and I will try to help, or get someone to help.

Educate….educate….educate---talk with our kids or grandkids and gently warn them of supernatural evil-in an age appropriate way. And for now, please take every opportunity to expose this Charlie Challenge as the satanic scheme that it is. That is why this Charlie Challenge is such a big deal.

Mark Hunnemann is the author of Seeing Ghosts Through God's Eyes: A Worldview Analysis of Earthbound Spirits. It's also available in eBook format.

Diabolical/Paranormal Encounters in Job

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

Chapter 1 of Job (background for entire book)
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. 7 The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” 8 And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?”

 Job 4

Eliphaz Speaks: The Innocent Prosper

1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:

2  “If one ventures a word with you, will you be impatient? Yet who can keep from speaking?

3  Behold, you have instructed many, and you have strengthened the weak hands.

4  Your words have upheld him who was stumbling, and you have made firm the feeble knees.

5  But now it has come to you, and you are impatient; it touches you, and you are dismayed.

6  Is not your fear of God your confidence, and the integrity of your ways your hope?

7  “Remember: who that was innocent ever perished? Or where were the upright cut off?

8  As I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same.

9  By the breath of God they perish, and by the blast of his anger they are consumed.

10  The roar of the lion, the voice of the fierce lion, the teeth of the young lions are broken.

11  The strong lion perishes for lack of prey, and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

12  “Now a word was brought to me stealthily; my ear received the whisper of it.

13  Amid thoughts from visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on men,

14  dread came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones shake.

15  A spirit glided past my face; the hair of my flesh stood up.

16  It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance. A form was before my eyes; there was silence, then I heard a voice:

17  ‘Can mortal man be in the right before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker?

18  Even in his servants he puts no trust, and his angels he charges with error;

19  how much more those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed like the moth.

20  Between morning and evening they are beaten to pieces; they perish forever without anyone regarding it.

21  Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them, do they not die, and that without wisdom?’

Psalm 8... A Psalm of David.

1  O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.

2  Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.

3  When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,

4  what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?

5  Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.

6  You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,

7  all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,

8  the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

9  O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

In the first chapter of Job, God declares what is the truth regarding Job; he is a blameless and righteous man. He says this to Satan's face, but the devil argues with God.

Oblivious to Satan's schemes behind the scenes (Job, that is), there is an all-out assault by the roaring lion to attack, and then further destroy this man of God through demonic/Satanic influence on the counsel given to Job from his friends.This poor man who has lost everything, including his children, is attacked relentlessly by his friends who have fallen prey to Satan's suggestion that one's circumstances reveal one's character. Jesus deals with this persistent lie in John 9. The notion that there is a one-to-one correspondence between one's circumstances and their sin, is a lie from hell. Many righteous people have suffered chronic and acute pain.

In the dialogue of chapters 3-31, and then Elihu later, the friends are seeking to judge the nature of the very thing to which the reader has been made privy: God's evaluation of Job as a righteous man.Neither Job nor his friends are aware of this heavenly encounter between God and Satan, in which the Lord sets the record straight regarding the integrity of Job. This background needs to be kept in mind while reading the entire dialogue, and especially the text quoted above.We find that his three friends are playing right into the hands of the evil one and contradicting God's assessment of Job, as mentioned in the first two chapters.In 1:8 the Lord says there is no man on Earth like Job, that is how highly esteemed he is in God's eyes!

Eliphaz is the first to speak to Job after he and his friends sat in compassionate silence for 7 days. They should have kept their mouths shut, but they didn't. I have not read any commentators that agree with what I'm about to say, so I am a bit hesitant. Although Eliphaz begins with a fairly gentle tone (4:3-4) sympathy for Job quickly fades. The character of Job is consistently, and with increasing viciousness, probed under the assumption that his moral failures account for his present plight.How cruel...and how common.

Eliphaz (v. 5-11) begins his attack, and he then appeals to a "paranormal" experience he had to buttress the authority of what he is saying (v.12-16). Notice how he describes his encounter.

He infers that an authoritative word from God came to him quietly and stealthily in the middle of the night via a spirit being. He saw an apparition which caused the hair on his neck to stand on end, dread and trembling...ever heard/felt that?! This spirit glided past his face, and then stood still. While he could see a form, he could not make out its appearance. Perhaps he was seeing what we call a "shadow figure."

I must confess that this description has a very familiar ring to it, doesn't it? Here is my interpretation. Eliphaz was so over-awed by this singular experience that any discernment went by the wayside.

Given the context of this book, it makes sense that Satan had an angel of Light experience with Eliphaz. He told God he had been wandering the Earth, and perhaps he paid this guy a visit...a very convincing paranormal encounter. Satan had a vested interest in making sure that Job's friends were his unwitting accomplices in accusing/destroying Job...in making him unravel, and thus making God look like the fool.

After trying to impress Job with the immensity of his supernatural encounter, Eliphaz then relays what this being said. I ask: does it accurately communicate what we already know is God's assessment of Job, or does he accuse, which is Satanic by definition?

It is my opinion that this book is the longest and clearest expression of diabolical influence on believer/s in the bible. Peter expressed Satanic influence, and was rebuked for it, when he told Jesus that the atonement wasn't cool.

The being waxes mystical in a way that brings accusation in through the back door. Trying to sound "holy" one can easily see this short paranormal sermon (v 17-21) so accents the transcendence of God, that He is transcended right out of the picture. Please read these verses and see if they reflect what we know is the truth regarding God's assessment of Job in chapter 1-2?

Why should He care for puny man (this is not the celebratory theme as found in Psalm 8--it is a diabolical mangling of our finitude) I have included Psalm 8 above so you can see the contrast between the Word of God and what I believe is a diabolical mirror image of Psalm 8. Psalm 8 is a hymn of praise, celebrating our privileged place in the created order, which speaks of the glorious Creator.There is utter astonishment that the God who is great enough to create the universe, has such tenderness towards us, and has made humans the pinnacle of His grand creation.In contrast, read verses 17-21 in Job, which comes from the mouth of this mysterious apparition.God's greatness is extolled, but man is left crushed and "little"  in God's  eyes. See the contrast? Would Satan extol God? Sure, if the end result is crushing Job in the process! In addition God's covenantal name (Yahweh) is mentioned twice in Psalm 8 (verses 1, 9) which accents our Lord as our Redeemer, and covenental love (hesed). Again,in contrast,  the apparition never uses covenantal language for God. He wants to keep God so "way out there", that He has no time for us puny creatures.I could spend a long time contrasting these two texts, but would simply ask the reader to compare/contrast them for yourself and come to your own conclusion.

The question asked in v.17 has already been answered by God in chapters 1-2. JOB IS RIGHTEOUS IN GOD'S EYES. And given what we know, why would a messenger from God speak of crushing humans (like Job) every day..perishing with no one regarding it? This is hardly the kind of thng God would have had said--especially at this stage in the dialogue, but it is the slippery, religious sounding words that are designed to crush...to give supernatural authority to Eliphaz's torrent of accusations against Job. I mean, who can argue with what a spirit says?!

To state that this section is a quote from Satan does not detract from the authority/inerrancy of Scripture because the bible quotes many things from evil men or diabolical  beings, without affirming that they are true--it is is simply a historical narrative of the ongoing reality of spiritual warfare and the drama of redemption. Eliphaz's assault on Job continues in chapter five, and the others chime in with same diabolical accusation.

Do you allow your spiritual experiences to eclipse the authority of the Word of God? Do you criticize others...especially behind their back, or when they are struggling? Hurting people hurt people, and we need to be tender.. I know you/we do, because James says that nobody has tamed their tongue..NOBODY. To avoid causing the same damage as Job's friends, please think before you speak.And I would be remiss if I didn't remind us that we are in spiritual warfare  just as real as Job's was.It is very easy to wonder if God is displeased with us if we are hit with wave after wave of troubles.A thousand times NO! We live in a Fallen world in which everything is bent.There is nothing we can do, as God's children, to make Him love us any more, nor is there anything we can do to make Him love us any less. Discipline is real but beyond the scope of this blog.

“Remember that my life is a breath; my eye will never again see good.

8  The eye of him who sees me will behold me no more; while your eyes are on me, I shall be gone.

9  As the cloud fades and vanishes, so he who goes down to Sheol does not come up;

10  he returns no more to his house, nor does his place know him anymore..

I had to add these verses because they explicitly state that once a man dies he will NOT come back to Earth...not come back to his home. Is that not the main contention of the paranormal community? However, the bible explicitly denies it!

In Chapters 35-37 Elihu, the youngest, does what young men often do--blow off arrogantly.

"Seeing Ghosts through God's Eyes" (also in a Kindle edition)...please consider purchasing my book which uses science, logic, and the bible to analyze the true source of power behind paranormal activity.

Gleanings from Jonathan Edwards on the Soul's Experience in Heaven

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

In October of 1747, at the age of 30 years old, David Brainerd, who was the son-in-law of Jonathan Edwards, died. He was known as an exceptionally godly man, loving pastor, and very fruitful missionary to the Native Americans. Last night I read Edwards funeral sermon for this occassion, and I was so moved by it that I wanted to share some of the main points of his message. Edward's is arguably the most intellectually gifted man ever born in this land, and certainly one of the most godly and annointed of God.

This had to be at least a two hour sermon and was packed with biblical content--alas, I will not be able to quote most of the verses due to space. His text was 2 Cor.5:8..."We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." In this section Paul is explaining why he was able to press on with such boldness and immovable steadfastness while suffering such relentless opposition and torment. Answer: the glories that await us in heaven the moment we die (as with Brainerd)--if we are in union with Jesus Christ--far outweigh the momentary afflictions of this life. Principally, "the souls of true saints, when they leave their bodies at death, go to be with Christ." (Vol.2, pg 27) The sweetness begins as he explains what that entails.

The believer is instantaneously perfected or glorified as they enter the "third heaven" and are in the presence of the glorified human nature of Christ. He piles up biblical references supporting our conscious existence in heaven. In addition, we are reminded of two states of Christ's church--the church militant (still fighting the good fight), and the church triumphant (resting from their labors)--our mutual union with Christ unites all believers of all ages.

"The souls of true saints, when they leave their bodies at death, go to be with Christ, to dwell in the immediate, full, and constant view of Him." (pg. 28) Though we see through a glass dimly here, in heaven the beatific vision ravishes the soul with pleasures and joy unspeakable. The spirits of just men made perfect (Heb.12:22-24) Jesus Himself spoke of His longing that we would share with Him the exceedingly wondrous glory, joy, and beauty in heaven (John 17:24) The infinite beauty of the Lord Jesus will elicit unending pleasures in us which the greatest pleasures on earth were but dim glimpses.

Please remember all this occurs immediately after death, and is only magnified once we attain our glorified bodies (after Second Coming). The impediments of indwelling sin, temptations, and our frail bodies all tended to dwindle vital communion with Christ here, but upon death our union with Christ will burst forth in full flower.

At conversion we are espoused to Christ, but when we enter heaven's palace, the fullness off marriage intimacy begins. The tenderness, closeness, and sweetness of our constant interaction with Jesus is the essence of heaven. Christ shall be "unbosomed" to us and His infinite endearment shall sweep our affections into ravishing pleasure and joy. "Thus they shall eat and drink abundantly, and swim in the ocean of love, and be eternally swallowed up on the infinitely bright, and infinitely mild and sweet, beams of divine love; eternally receiving that light, eternally full of it, and eternally encompassed round with it, and everlastingly reflecting it back again to its fountain." (pg.29) So close are we to Jesus that we partake with Him in His own enjoyment of the Father--which infinitely magnifies our joys and privileges. The Trinitarian delight and eruptions of sheer joy, are shared with us. The angels shall marvel at us and we shall rule over them.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses..." (Heb. 12:1) The church triumphant observes (with no sorrow) their brothers-in-arms still on earth.We (deceased believers) participate in Christ's current reign over the church and the universe."The saints, when they ascend to heaven, and are made to sit together with Christ in heavenly places, and are partakers of  His exaltation,are exalted to reign with Him." (pg.30) As kings and priests we reign with Christ over heaven. and earth, and its all inhabitants--visible and invisible. Our hearts and minds are in perfect union/agreement with Jesus and we truly sit in dominion with Him over all. The text above from Hebrews clearly is speaking of departed saints  (hall of fame in ch. 11 symbolizing all believers) observing the welfare of the church militant...partaking with Christ  in the joy of the advancement of gospel and kingdom of God.

(It is Edward's observations on the CURRENT reign of deceased believers that I found so edifying and glorious)

"The happiness of the saints in heaven consists very much in beholding the glory of God appearing in the work of redemption..." (pg.30). Departed saints have a vantage point which allows them to see the working together of all things, how Satan is baffled and overthrown, and what seems confusing to us they see the excellencies of divine wisdom. It is because of the intimacy of our union with the Lord Jesus that we shall be privy to the divine plan, which angels long to look into. Listen to these words..."The saints in heaven (are now) as much participating with Christ in reigning over the nations, and in the glory of His dominion"...as we shall after the Second Coming. The departed saints are kings and queens over all creation, as we are co-heirs with Christ. Which is why when Jesus appears to slaughter the anti-Christ, we are by His side (Rev. 19:14)

Of course the highest joy of heaven will be our praise and worship of our Creator and Redeemer.The praise itself shall be of excellent sweetness and ravishing to the soul. Whatever dullness of heart we have in worship here shall be transcended in heaven, and the corporate nature of the praise shall only magnify it's pleasurablness. In Heb.2 we see Jesus as the choirmaster leading His Bride in worship of the Father.

In speaking directly of his dear son-in-law, Edwards states...

"...how infinitely greater the privilege of being with Christ in heaven, where He sits on the right hand of God, as the King and God of angels, and of the whole universe, shining forth as the great light, the bright sun of that world of glory; there to dwell in the full, constant, and everlasting view of His beauty and brightness; there most freely and intimately to converse with Him, and fully to enjoy His love,as his friends and spouse; there to have fellowship with Him in the infinite pleasure and joy He (Christ) has in the enjoyment of His Father! How transcendent the privilege there to sit with Him on his throne, to reign with Him in the possession of all things, and to partake with Him in the joy and glory of His victory over His enemies, and the advancement of His kingdom in the world, and to join with Him in joyful songs of praise to His Father and their Father, to His God and their God, for ever and ever! Is not such a privilege worth seeking after?"