Is There a God?
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According to the Psalmist, there is a way in which the very heavens themselves talk to us — though they don’t use words to do it.
It’s not just “You just look up at the beautiful sky and you can see that there is a God.”
For Paul, everyone had heard (or should have heard) about the coming of Jesus because “their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.”
Paul in
Paul’s proof-text from the Old Testament for suggesting that people everywhere had heard about Jesus is . His quotation of the verse in comes from the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament. For Paul, everyone had heard (or should have heard) about the coming of Jesus because “their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.”
Whose voice is Paul talking about? The heavens! Let’s look at the source of Paul’s quotation, :
How can Paul make the claim here that everyone has heard “the word of Christ?” Impossible! Christianity was pretty new back then. But still, he says “indeed they have (heard),” and then immediately follows that assertion with a quote from . “Their voice has gone out to the ends of the world.” Whose voice? Well, if Paul knows his Bible (and if we know ours), then “their voice” is the voice mentioned in the Psalm — and it’s not the voice of the apostles and evangelists or even the early church at large. Rather, it’s the voice (the message, the word, the communication) uttered by the very heavens (the sky, sun, moon, and stars) themselves. They’ve been “preaching” a long long time. And there have been a few occasions when their message was heard around the world! For instance…
1 The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words,
whose voice is not heard.
4 Their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun,
18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for
“Their voice has gone out to all the earth,
and their words to the ends of the world.”
Whose voice is Paul talking about? The heavens!
Paul’s proof-text from the Old Testament for suggesting that people everywhere had heard about Jesus is . For Paul, everyone had heard (or should have heard) about the coming of Jesus because “their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.”
Whose voice is Paul talking about? The heavens!
There are a number of terms used in this passage to convey the idea that the heavens communicate information:
The heavens “declare”; the sky “proclaims”; the cycle of days and nights “pours out speech” and “reveals knowledge”; the heavens have a “voice” and “speech” and “words” that can be heard since their message “goes out through all the earth.”
connects this idea to Scripture. The more we learn about the universe, the more clearly we can see the work of God. A perfect example of this is modern “Big Bang” cosmology. Prior to this theory, scientists and atheists assumed that the universe was eternal. The combination of Einstein’s theories and advances in physics made it clear that, in fact, the universe did have a “beginning.” At first, this idea was rejected by scientists as being theology, not science. Over time, however, it became impossible to deny. The fact that the universe “began” is something we can see purely by observing the heavens and the sky—just as says.
General Revelation
General Revelation
General revelation is the term theologians most often use to refer to the revelation of God in nature, which is where begins.
General Revelation is Continuous
The psalmist says of the heavens that “day after day they pour forth speech” and of the skies that “night after night they display knowledge” (v. 2).
General Revelation is Universal
19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
Astral theology was the idea that the One who made the celestial objects in the heavens (sun, moon, stars) to be for “signs and seasons” and to mark time () could use those objects to communicate.
The key questions for the present chapter are, “How did Paul think the heavens communicated the coming of Jesus?” and “Is there evidence elsewhere in the New Testament that the heavens did anything like this?”
God has revealed enough of Himself in nature that nobody has an excuse for rejecting Him or for doing what is wrong.
A View of Atheism
A View of Atheism
General revelation is the term theologians most often use to refer to the revelation of God in nature, which is where begins.
General Revelation is Continuous
The psalmist says of the heavens that “day after day they pour forth speech” and of the skies that “night after night they display knowledge” (v. 2).
General Revelation is Universal
A View of Atheism
19:5 bridegroom … chamber. The chamber of a bridegroom was the specially prepared room in which the marriage was consummated. The use in suggests this in its parallelism. It has this meaning in early rabbinic Judaism, but after the destruction of the temple in AD 70 it takes on a reference to the pavilion in which the formal wedding ceremony was conducted.
19:6 rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit. In many ancient Near Eastern cultures, it was assumed that the sun ran a daily course through the heavens. Mesopotamian texts refer to the gates of the heavens where the sun enters and exits. In these texts, all of the heavenly bodies follow paths or courses, which are represented as bands across the sky.
Atheism Worldview
Why it is Attractive: No need to be held accountable to any moral standards or religious doctrine
No need to be held accountable to any moral standards or religious doctrine
Autonomous = self law
Implications of Atheism
If God does not exist , our lives are ultimately meaningless, valueless, and purposeless despite how desperately we cling to the illusion to the contrary
If each individual person passes out of existence when he dies, then what ultimate meaning can be given to his life
If there is no God, then life itself becomes meaningless. Man and the universe are without ultimate significance.
No Ultimate Value If life ends at the grave, then it makes no ultimate difference how you live.
As the Russian writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky put it : “ If there is no immortality … then all things are permitted.
However, If God does exist, then life is meaningful.
TELEOLOGICAL ARGUMENT – FINE TUNING
TELEOLOGICAL ARGUMENT – FINE TUNING
The laws of nature are amazingly fine - tuned; there is very little room for alteration. The smallest modifications of these laws would completely destroy the possibility of life in the universe.
Measuring tape example
Now imagine stacking just as many dimes again on another billion continents the same size as North America. If you marked one of those dimes and hid it in the billions of piles you’d assembled, the odds of a blindfolded friend picking out the correct dime is approximately 1 in 10 to the 37th power — the same level of precision required in the strong nuclear force and the expansion rate of the universe.
Measuring tape example
Imagine stretching a measuring tape across the entire known universe. Now imagine one particular mark on the tape represents the correct degree of gravitational force required to create the universe we have.
If this mark were moved more than an inch from its location (on a measuring tape spanning the entire universe) , the altered gravitational force would prevent our universe from coming into existence
Firing a bullet example
Imagine trying to fire a bullet at a one - inch target on the other side of the observable universe. The accuracy required to accomplish such a feat has been calculated at 1 in 10 to the 60th power.
Compare this to the precision required in calibrating the mass density of the universe ( fine - tuned to within 1 unit in 1059 )
Our Earth
Our Earth
Distance from Sun
Earth orbits the sun within a tight habitable zone where , statistically speaking , it is highly unlikely for a planet to happen to exist . If Earth were very slightly more distant from — or slightly closer to — the sun, a stable water cycle would be impossible.
Orbital Tilt
Small changes in the orbital tilt of our planet , or minor variations in the tilt of Earth’s axis , would disallow our climate
Length of Rotation
If Earth rotated slower, our days would be too hot and our nights too cool to support life ; shorter, and the wind speeds would be too extreme
Our Atmosphere
Earth’s atmosphere has a finely calibrated ratio of oxygen to nitrogen — just enough carbon dioxide and adequate water vapor levels to promote advanced life , allow photosynthesis (without an excessive greenhouse effect), and provide sufficient rainfall.
Our Moon
Our large moon is just the right size to stabilize Earth’s orbit and rotation, limiting the variations in our climate and temperature. Without a large moon, the axis of our planet would likely have wobbled dramatically — perhaps by as much as 90 degrees.
Jupiter
If Jupiter were not in its current orbit, the earth would be bombarded with space material. Jupiter’s gravitational field acts as a cosmic vacuum cleaner, attracting asteroids and comets that might otherwise strike earth
Fine Tuner is necessary
In many ways , the remaining explanation is the most intuitive and reasonable : perhaps fine - tuning is the result of a purposeful Fine - Tuner. This seems even more reasonable when we remember what the universe appears to be fine - tuned for: life , carbon - based life , capable of observing and interacting with the universe around us .
The inference toward purpose is palpable . Could any impersonal set of physical laws be said to operate with such a goal? Or is the more likely alternative of an intentional, creative Designer the better inference ?
It would seem to deny this as anything other than requiring a Fine Tuner would require more faith than someone who believes in God.
The Concept of Astral Theology
The Concept of Astral Theology
Astral theology was the idea that the One who made the celestial objects in the heavens (sun, moon, stars) to be for “signs and seasons” and to mark time () could use those objects to communicate.
The key questions for the present chapter are, “How did Paul think the heavens communicated the coming of Jesus?” and “Is there evidence elsewhere in the New Testament that the heavens did anything like this?”
19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
as Astral Prophecy: The Birth of Jesus Christ
The celestial messaging Paul had in mind in can be found in . This passage has several items that, if taken at face value, are astronomical signs associated with the birth of the Messiah.
18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for
“Their voice has gone out to all the earth,
and their words to the ends of the world.”
1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. 3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. 4 His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. 5 She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, 6 and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.
7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back,
1. The Woman
The key figure, and logical starting point, for interpreting astronomically is the woman. Since the woman gives birth to the messianic figure (Jesus) and then is persecuted and has to flee into the desert, scholars agree that verses 2–6 “reveal that this woman is a picture of the faithful community (Israel), which existed both before and after the coming of Christ.
What is John signifying when describing this woman?
This much is certain: the woman in the first three verses is featured as being in heaven and both the sun and the moon are in association with her. gives us clear details: the woman is “clothed” with the sun, there are twelve stars around her head, and the moon is at her feet. She is an astronomical (heavenly) sign.
The only time in the year that the Sun could be in a position to “clothe” the celestial woman called Virgo (that is, to be mid-bodied to her, in the region where a pregnant woman carries a child) is when the Sun is located between about 150 and 170 degrees along the ecliptic. This “clothing” of the woman by the Sun occurs for a 20-day period each year.
The detail that the moon was located under the feet of the woman (Virgo) must not be forgotten in all this. The sun must be in the Virgin constellation while the moon is simultaneously at her feet for John’s vision to be accurately interpreted astronomically.
Because of the moon’s “behavior” relative to the ecliptic and Virgo in any given year, the twenty-day window narrows to a roughly ninety-minute period in which to astronomically pinpoint the birth of the child.
2. The Child
is very explicit that the child is Jesus, the promised Messiah: “She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne.” This description is an allusion to , which prophesied that the Messiah would defeat God’s enemies and be installed as ruler over all the nations.
5 She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne,
7 I will tell of the decree:
The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
3. The Dragon
Hydra has the advantage of matching the description of the seven heads atop the Dragon in (cf. 13:1; 17:3, 7, 9). Hydra was also conceived as a sea serpent, imagery that matches descriptions in Revelation (13:1), which in turn come from the Leviathan material of the Old Testament () and can correlate as Scorpio.
3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems.
1 In that day the Lord with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea.
Other Astronomical Events in
The constellation directly above the head of Virgo in the zodiac is Leo, the lion. The lion was the symbol associated with the tribe of Judah, from which the Messiah would come. The association arose from , where Jacob blessed him, referring to him in leonine terms while prophesying that a ruler would come from Judah’s lineage
9 Judah is a lion’s cub;
from the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He stooped down; he crouched as a lion
and as a lioness; who dares rouse him?
10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until tribute comes to him;
and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
The lion-king association is confirmed in : The constellation Leo, then, was a royal constellation for Jewish astro-theologians. Leo was considered a royal constellation since it was dominated by the star Regulus, which was known by astrologers as the “King Star.”
5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
This combination of astronomical signs produces a unique set of circumstances that can only be accounted for by one date (and in point of fact, a ninety-minute window on that date). This date, as we will see momentarily, has dramatic significance in the Jewish calendar. According to these signs in the heavens, the date of Jesus’ birth was September 11, 3 B.C.
Jupiter is also important because it is the best explanation for the “star” whose movement was tracked by the Magi. Jupiter is well known for “retrograde motion,” the appearance of movement back and forth in the night sky. Jupiter’s first conjunction with Regulus began on September 14, 3 B.C., and continued through September 11, 3 B.C.
On December 1, 3 B.C., Jupiter stopped its normal course through the fixed stars and began its annual retrogression or “backward motion.” In doing so, it once again headed toward the star Regulus.
Then on February 17, 2 B.C., the two were reunited. Jupiter continued on in its motion (still in retrogression) another forty days and then it reverted to its normal motion through the stars. The timing is right, as the Magi embarked on their journey a year or so after Jesus was actually born.
Incredibly, the astronomical reconstruction of the circumstances of that produces a birth date for the Messiah of September 11, 3 B.C., was also the beginning of the Jewish New Year in 3 B.C. (Rosh ha-Shanah)—Tishri 1, the Day of Trumpets.
The Feast of Trumpets/Tishri 1 was also the day that many of the ancient kings and rulers of Judah reckoned as their inauguration day of rule. This procedure was followed consistently in the time of Solomon, Jeremiah, and Ezra. This is a powerful piece of evidence for the astronomical reading of as celestial signs of the birth of the messianic king.
Jewish tradition also held that the Day of Trumpets commemorated the beginning of the world—the very first “first day” of the human calendar.
Heiser, M.S. (2017). Reversing Hermon: Enoch, the watchers & the forgotten mission of Jesus Christ.
111:7–9. All the works of His hands are truth and justice, and His precepts (cf. 19:8) are sure (certain and unfailing; 19:7). He is to be praised because He has sent redemption to His people by the giving of His covenant forever (v. 9) beginning with the promise of the Redeemer in the Abrahamic covenant (cf. ; ). Holy and awesome is His name (cf. comments on ; ).
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