The Three-Hundred-Nineteenth (The Middle)
Before we really get into this week’s topic, I want to touch on something that occurred to me this week that loosely ties into it. I was listening to a teaching that Dr. Heiser gave where he was talking about Christianity eventually turning wholly into Gnosticism in the future and he mentioned the scientific view of quantum physics. The words he used, interestingly enough, reminded me of scripture.
What he said was that according to quantum physics, the things that make up matter are random and chaotic. The reason he was talking about this is because he was referring to something that we talked about a few studies ago when we considered the belief that everything we see, feel, and do is a part of a simulation. His point was that if we believe everything is a simulation and matter isn’t real, then we’re more likely to believe that there is no distinction between us and YHWH, which effectively means everything is YHWH and YHWH is everything.
However, despite me knowing what he was referring to, when Dr. Heiser said the building blocks of matter, which is a scientifically well-defined and structured thing, are random and chaotic, I immediately thought of the account of creation in Genesis. We’ve talked before about how death and evil is consistently connected to darkness and chaos in scripture. We’ve also talked about how scripture connects the sea, especially a stormy sea, to that chaos as well, and the theme throughout is that YHWH is the only one with the power to control and order that chaos.
What if both quantum physics and the scriptural account of creation are true? What if YHWH’s voice speaking things into creation was His ordering of those basic, random, chaotic quantum elements into complex, systematic, ordered material elements? In fact, given that scientists believe these quantum particles are still the basic building blocks of matter and don’t just get replaced by matter once the matter exists, what if this ordering and structuring by YHWH is a constant, continuous, ongoing thing that has continued to occur since He started creating the universe by saying, “Let there be light?”
Let’s assume that’s all true for a moment. How hard would it be then, for YHWH to restore a withered hand? How hard would it be for Him to change water into wine? How hard would it be for Him to restore a dead body to life, or create baskets and baskets of fish and bread from a few loaves of bread and a couple fish?
All He would have to do is change the chaotic quantum movement from one ordered material movement to a different ordered material movement. If we believe that material elements are made up of atoms with a certain number of protons, neutrons, and electrons, all He would have to do is change the quantum movement from one that produces a certain number of these things to another that produces a different number of them and he’s changed hydrogen to plutonium, for example. He could easily change the open space, the air, in the baskets into fish and bread!
If none of that made sense to you, don’t worry. The only point I’m making is that we don’t have to assume all science is flawed and in contradiction to scripture, but we absolutely need to test the science with scripture and examine what the scientific theories could mean using scripture as the foundation. And that’s the loose tie to this week’s topic! I promise you’ll see how it connects in a moment. :)
One of the concepts of scripture that Christians like to focus on for some reason is the idea of being lukewarm. It’s understandable because there is a very serious consequence of being found to be lukewarm by Yeshua (Revelation 3:16). He will violently throw you up!
In context, Yeshua is talking about the works of the believers in Laodicea, and how those works show they are neither hot nor cold. He connects this to their attitude of being wealthy according to the world and thinking they didn’t need anything. Then He tells them that spiritually, with this attitude and their lukewarm works, they actually have nothing. Not only that, they are wretched and pitiful.
These believers were also referenced specifically by Paul when writing to the believers in Colossae (Colossians 2:1-5). In that letter, he expresses the desire that they become filled with the riches of complete understanding and find the treasures of wisdom and knowledge that are found in Yeshua. He wants them not to be deceived by “smooth rhetoric.”
That Greek word for smooth rhetoric is pithanalogia, and it means persuasive language. Sounds a little like what Dr. Heiser was talking about, doesn’t it? It’s pretty convincing that if we use the basis of quantum particles being random and chaotic, all matter is an illusion and therefore everything is no different from YHWH, isn’t it?
I also find it interesting that this Greek word is a compound of peitho and logos. When we look at how peitho, to persuade, is used in scripture, we find that it’s used in verses to talk about trusting in YHWH (Matthew 27:43). In other words, to be persuaded that YHWH exists.
Isn’t that really what it comes down to? It’s all about whether we’re persuaded that YHWH exists or we’re persuaded that He doesn’t exist, isn’t it? That’s probably no surprise to you, but we have to take it to the next level.
What does being lukewarm, or in the middle, mean? I’m sorry to say that the more and more I look at the world and at Christianity specifically, I find that what many Christians believe is being in the middle is not actually the middle. Many see the middle as being something like an agnostic, or one who is non-committal about if there is a God.
These Christians believe that being on the side of evil is being one who believes in and worships Satan, being on the side of good is being one who believes in and worships YHWH, and being in the middle is being one who hasn’t taken either side. It’s no secret how they came to this conclusion, though. Much, if not all, of mainstream Christianity has reduced the process of salvation down to simply believing that YHWH exists and that His Son died to save the world.
The problem is that simply believing something doesn’t necessarily mean you’re on the side of that thing. I believe that Satan exists, but I’m certainly not on his side. Demons believe that YHWH exists, but they’re certainly not on His side.
Before you respond by saying, “yes, but I believe that YHWH is all-powerful so that makes me on His side,” don’t forget that the demons also recognize the power of YHWH (James 2:19). What James wrote there is that the spiritual side of evil recognizes that there is one, all-powerful God: YHWH. They acknowledge His power, and are in fear of it, yet they are still in opposition of Him.
If you haven’t figured it out yet, this week’s topic is a warning. A dire warning. What you likely believe is the middle, that you think based on your beliefs you have no danger of being in, is not the middle.
Being on the side of YHWH, as one of His people, is not simply about belief in Him, checking into church each week, and being a “good person.” It’s about a mindset shift. One that results in a change of what you do, how you view and interpret things in the world, how you determine right from wrong, how you interact with other people, and most of all, what the foundation of your life is made of.
Do you know why the foundation of New Jerusalem is the apostles (Revelation 21:14)? Because they were taught directly by Yeshua how to think and live according to YHWH’s word and then went out into the world to teach that to others. Note that John’s description there used “apostles” not disciples. It’s focused on the part of their lives when they went out into the world vice the part of their lives when they were under the instruction of Yeshua.
The majority of Christians probably agree that part of being a Christian is being kind to others and helping those in need. Whether or not they put this into practice is a different story, of course. However, I can almost guarantee that the majority of Christians do not look at the things in the world from the perspective of trying to identify how the enemy is working in those things.
The belief that has permeated Christianity ever since it started dividing itself from the apostolic roots of being a remnant of Israel is that because of Yeshua’s death and resurrection, Christians have the ability to somehow sanctify what once was associated with evil. Pagan rituals, pagan beliefs, pagan symbols; once Christianity takes them, the belief is that they are now good because Christians have some sort of authority to associate them with YHWH and Yeshua. A fish that was the symbol of the false god Dagon, a holy day that was for the false god Saturn, a rabbit and eggs that were associated with the god of fertility are all now connected with and representative of the one true God, YHWH, just because Christians made it so and justify it as those things now being sanctified.
Just ignore the fact that no matter where you look in scripture you won’t find such a precedent or such authority given to believers. In fact, quite the opposite because YHWH has always told His people from the beginning to not be associated with evil (Deuteronomy 16:21, 29:18-21, Jeremiah 10:3-4, Ephesians 5:11, 1 Corinthians 5:11, etc.). Unfortunately, the leaders in Christianity throughout the millennia were looked to, and trusted to, study and interpret scripture vice all believers studying all scripture and testing those interpretations against it.
This view of being able to sanctify things has subconsciously resulted in the lack of questioning things. I have heard many Christians state that the field of medicine is a result of the intellectual abilities that YHWH created in man. Seems reasonable, doesn’t it? And of course, if it was borne out of something YHWH put in man, we should just assume that whatever is done in that field is intended for good and we should accept it as such, right?
Obviously, when you frame it like that, it sounds ridiculous. Weapons were, and are, developed through the intellect of man, aren’t they? Should we believe the same thing about them?
It’s not just big things like war and medicine we should question as believers based on the mindset shift we should have gone through when coming out of the world and becoming one of YHWH’s people. It’s the mundane, or seemingly mundane, things as well. Actually, it’s the seemingly mundane things that are, in some respects, the things of which we should be even more vigilant in trying to determine where evil is working.
I remember growing up in the 90s with the explosion of sitcoms on TV. I thought nothing of sitting down for the Friday TGIF marathons, the Nick at Nite series’, and other shows, laughing along with the laugh track or the “live studio audience.” Shows that included things like a teenage witch and step brothers and sisters trying to get along.
What did these shows ultimately do through jokes and comedic storylines? They desensitized audiences, which included Christians, to things like the idea of witches. They normalized things like divorce, and sometimes presented them as a good thing. They presented things like premarital sex as just something everyone does, as “a part of life,” and in some cases even encouraged it, as a way to make sure you don’t marry the wrong person, for example. Yet the majority of Christians, myself included, didn’t bat an eye, didn’t question if evil was working in it, and just kept “tuning in.”
Making sure you’re not in the middle and in danger of being vomited out by Yeshua is more than just checking the boxes of Christianity and believing what those leaders say you should believe. It’s about looking at things in the world, around every corner, to find the devouring lion of the enemy (1 Peter 5:8) and then living your life resisting his efforts and avoiding his traps with the help of the power of the Holy Spirit within you. We can’t just go about our day assuming that as long as no direct references to evil are made, whatever we see or hear is fine for us to accept or join in on.
If there’s one thing I hope you have taken away from all the studies we’ve done so far, it’s that there is a spiritual aspect to YHWH’s creation that we need to be aware of. I hope that after this week’s topic you start looking for the spiritual aspect of things and what side it is on in whatever it is that you see and hear in the world. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you figure it out, and really try to listen for what He wants to show you.
We hope you have a great week! Shabbat shalom and YHWH bless you!
-Rob and Sara Gene
The Gospel
We are born sinful as a result of Adam and Eve's sin (Genesis 2:17, 3:6, 1 John 1:8)
The consequence of sin, which is unavoidable through our own works, is death (Romans 6:23)
Yeshua, the Son of YHWH, lived sinless and was put to death (Hebrews 4:15)
His death, therefore, cleanses us of sin that would have required our death
He rose on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:4)
Because of His resurrection, we are confident in our future resurrection and eternal life
Comments