LESSON FOUR
PARABLES
Covering Mark chapter 4
Lamps and measuring baskets


Mark 4:21 And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?
4:22 For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.

These are illustrations to make a point, not really stories.
Question is basically,
Why do people avail themselves of a lamp?
If a person gets a lamp it's probably to see something that is shrouded in some degree of darkness.
It would be totally unproductive to turn a light on and then try to keep it from sending forth it's rays of light.

And yet, in a way that is what happened.
Let's add these verses and see what Jesus may very well be saying in the above text.

John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again saying, I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
John 9:5 I am the light of the world.
John 1:5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 3:19 But this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
3:20 For every one that does evil hates the light, neither comes to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
3:21 But he that wants and does truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

Yes, Christ is THE Light, but Christ's light is also to be reflected in the lives of Christ's followers -- for ye are the light of the world.

It is Christ's lukewarm followers that tend to hid the light under a bushel. They have received light, but they still seek and try to enlarge the corners of darkness. To try to make the light less bright and more conducive for darkness to share the space.


Measuring Baskets
4:24 And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.
4:25 For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.

So it's not only how people respond on a personal level to the light but also, How do Christ's followers reflect or obscure the heavenly light that they are to radiate out to the world?

To try to "reflect" only a little, dimmed down light and seek to shield oneself and others from it's brightness, may cause that light to dim in ones own understanding and life. That person may lose what light he had.
There is something about sharing Christ's light of truth, that causes us to see the light with more brilliance ourselves.

A day is coming when the light will be so exceedingly bright, that nothing can be hid in the darkness any longer. Those who think the darkness is hiding the sins they are clinging to, will find them all exposed.

I never actually heard the word "Integralism" before, but the concept is definitely part of Catholic understanding. It goes right back to Constantine and church "fathers" like Augustine.
One baptist author used the word "sacral society". The idea of a "sacral society" is that a society cannot function when there is a wide diversity of beliefs and values. It needs to be a sacral society in which it's citizens are bound together by a common religious loyalty which is maintained with civil authority .

That was part of Constantine's motive in uniting Rome with Christianity. To have a united society bound together by a common religious loyalty.
When Constantine came into the Church, he did not lay aside his weapons or legions at the door. He entered the church with the understanding that he would be the final arbitrator and defender of this "unifying" sacral society. This put a new weapon in the hand of the Church. History celebrates Constantine's "conversion" as the end of persecution. No, it was NOT the end of persecution, it simply brought the steel sword into the Church for it's use.

The church father's made a doctrine to support the use of this "sword", they took the Bible text in Luke 22:34, "Lord, here are two swords," and reinterpreted that to create a teaching saying Jesus intended His Church to have two swords, one the "sword of the Spirit" which the clergy wields, and "the sword of steel" which the law enforcing soldier uses.

By 1150 AD this interpretation of the two swords was well ingrained. Two swords were said to belong to Peter, one, the religious sword is in his hand, the other (steel sword) is at his command whenever it is needful to draw it. This doctrine was put in use all through medieval history.

Even the Reformers had a hard time understanding that this "two swords" interpretation was WRONG and began to persecute in territories under protestant control. It wasn't until the late 1700's that the two were separated and the church could no longer use a civil sword to enforce their religion. Church and state were separated, to allow religious freedom.

This integralism of course is undoing the very foundation of religious freedom, for the person who believes a sacral society is needed for a country or territory to function in a proper manner will see the union of church and state as a necessary thing. It's giving the sword of civil power back into the hands of the church.

God will take care of it or we would be striking down people right and left with like the disciples wanted, fire from heaven..

It seems today's incident of a "bug" in a Microsoft update, was probably a mistake or accident. But then, on the other hand, maybe it was an experiment to see what would happen, how far the ripples would go? I don't know. But it just shows how easy it would be for our whole society to descend into chaos!

But what caught my attention in your comment is the part about tracking. Loosing their ability to track.
Maybe we look too much on the negative side, just think, off the positive result if, in the last crises, the powers that be can suddenly no longer track anyone when God defeats their schemes.

God hates sin. Why?
But, as we read about His hatred of sin, remember God has a great love for sinners and wants to deliver them from the bondage of sin.

In God's kingdom there is perfect happiness, joy, peace, contentment, honor, nobility of character.
God created a perfect world (Genesis 1) It was very good, beautiful, perfect! He created humans in His own image, to be His friends, His companions, with the potential to enjoy and explore life to its fullness in eternal youth.

What is sin? Sin is flaunting God's law. A law that isn't some arbitrary control by some control system of a tyrant, but a law that is the very essence of happiness and harmony and goodness.

What did this flaunting of God's law do? It deceived the created ones into thinking they could find happiness by flaunting those laws, but under the first "thrill" lay deep pits of emotional trauma, misery, and all manner of hurtful results. Sin ruins happiness, joy, contentment and nobility of character. Sin brought sickness, pain, death, fear, war, destruction we see so rampant in the world.

Why has God allowed sin to do its terrible work ever since created beings chose to flaunt God's law?
There were only two ways to stop sin. 1) stop it by force and immediate extinction of the rebel. But that would remove freedom of choice, and create a kingdom of fear, not love. 2) allow the rebels to set up their supposed "better way" and see the results, while also providing hope and deliverance at great cost, for all who turn to God.

All the truly good things we still enjoy in this world are due to God's hands restraining evil to have full sway. But in the end, that restraining hand will be withdrawn and the world will plunge into TERRIBLE TROUBLE.

"At that time shall Michael stand up, the great Prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, everyone that shall be found written in the book." Daniel 12:1.

At this time (yet future)

Who, according to the quote above, is fully unleashed and uses this unhindered freedom to plunge the world into one great, final trouble of ruin more terrible than what happened in Jerusalem in 70 AD?
But God's people will not be left to perish, God will act.

Yet even the plagues seem to only drive those who have set themselves above God's commandments into greater determination to rid the earth of God's loyal subjects. A date is set to exterminate them. But God will intervene!
Christ will come in the clouds of glory. The wicked can't stand in that glory. They flee, but they have no shelter, no robe of righteousness, no protection against the fires flashing from the throne.
But those who have accepted Christ do not flee now. They are dressed in Christ's robe of righteousness and are fitted to stand in the fiery glory of sinless beings.

"he end will come more quickly than men expect. The wheat will be gathered and bound in sheaves for the garner of God; the tares will be bound as fagots for the fires of destruction. {GC 630.2}

Those in Christ will be caught up in the clouds, while all the things on earth collapse and cease.

It was sin that completely undid God's perfect creation.

But that's not the end of the story!
God will create the earth and it's atmosphere anew! It will be a beautiful world, in which everything is very good, once again. No more tears or pain or death which were all the result of sin. God will recreate the lost dominion where love, harmony, joy, perfect trust and heavenly adventure, and eternal loving fellowship with our Savior, await all who believe and accept Christ, the Savior of love and life!


Yes, love triumphs!
That is the great future!

While scorched earth may surely come, that is after the fact.

But we should not be promoting the tools of the beast.

If anything mankind is doing to affect climate change, it is the cutting down of trees, deforesting the earth.

In the last 100 or so years almost a third of the world?s forests have been lost to land cultivated for agriculture and for housing.

I drove through our province and saw fields of WINDMILLS standing on deforested fields.
What would happen, if instead of erecting hundreds of windmills (unsightly and danger to birds, etc. producing only a minimal of needed electricity and not working at all when it's well below zero and everyone needs heat in winter) What would happen, if instead, they would plant millions of trees?

What if farmers, plant a row of trees every mile or so on their fields. Why have all those miles of open fields for the wind to drift over.

Trees, specifically, forests, both regulate local weather patterns and influence the global climate. The protection of the world?s forests that are still standing and the restoration of forests that have been lost, is an important project if the world is serious about preserving the earth.

Yet, deforestation continues at pace, especially in tropical rainforests, which are some of the most effective carbon-storage systems on the planet. Science now tells us that simply protecting our standing forests is not enough; we must also start to restore our lost forests.

Well I have eight tall fir trees on my property and several smaller leave trees. Hope that's helping.

The Sunday law agitation is mounting exponentially.


What's Up Prof -- Almost there #191

Amazing how things are shaping up.