Undeniable Proof—Every Jot & Every Tittle (XXXV)

The greatest miracle of all time is available and now present for you to participate in.  One might think the greatest miracle of all time to be Jesus raising the dead, healing the maimed, stilling the raging sea, or even the creation of the earth and the universe itself.  Grand and glorious as these miracles are, there is a miracle so unimaginably huge it swallows all of them combined in a single gulp. 

“Show me the miracles,” the critics clamor!  “Show me!!”

The greatest miracle of all time that pertains to the fallen sons and daughters of Adam is revealed for the first time in John 3:1-3:

1There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

John 1:12:

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

“Born-again” means born a second time—born of the Spirit of God, not born as sons and daughters of Mr. and Mrs. So-and-So, who begat So-and-So, and so on—but as sons and daughters, direct descendants, of God.  Jesus Christ made this possible and presently available to all who will call upon His name—and the implications are beyond staggering.

The earth, all its lifeforms, and its universe were created in six, literal, 24-hour days just over 6,000 years ago—and the earth’s life expectancy appears to be just over 7,000 years.  Take note of II Peter 3:10-12:

10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

Keep in mind, everyone Jesus healed died.  Everyone Jesus raised from the dead died.  These were temporal deeds, but everyone Jesus saves lives forever.  One commentator observed that if you add one billion years to eternity, it gets no longer, and if you subtract one billion years from eternity, it gets no shorter. 

What does this new birth produce?  Through Christ’s shed blood on Calvary, we become direct descendants of God, with lives here upon the earth filled with praise, promise, and purpose.  Here, we evolve into the likeness of Jesus Christ and war against Satan and his devils to deliver his captives—our old friends and family members—from the chains of darkness.  All this in itself is beyond marvelous, but the promise on the other side of this vapor gets so much bigger—unimaginably huge. 

The Word of God declares that when we see Jesus face-to-face, we will be as He is; this Christ is called the “bright and morning star” (Revelation 22:16) and that the sun is ashamed in His presence (Isaiah 24:23).  Also note that at the end of the battle of Armageddon, Jesus destroys the enemies of God “with the brightness of His coming” (II Thessalonians 2:8). 

Consider the implications of the following verses:

✟ Daniel 12:3:

And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

✟ Revelation 22:5:

And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

✟ Matthew 13:43:

Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

In eternity, we will be one with the Farther through Christ—and they are light, so will we be light—and this transformative miracle lasts forever! 

I speak facetiously, but if I am a light source and had no need for a candle, electricity, or other external power source, I could power my own toaster and travel at the speed of light: 186,282 miles per second or 670,615,200 miles per hour.  Imagine: The New Jerusalem is 1,500 miles wide, which means I could travel from one side to the other in about one hundredth of a second!  I would simply vanish and show up someplace else.  This reminds one of Luke 24:30-31:

30 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.

31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.

Remember, when we see Jesus, we will be as He is and we will do as He does.

Born-again is beyond glorious here on earth, but its future is unspeakable.  I Corinthians 2:9:

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

Have you been born again?  Will today be the day you participate in the greatest miracle that can happen to man?  Today, your sins and shame will be washed away, and all Satan’s bondages broken.  Will you choose Jesus Christ?  Follow me in this simple prompt: Click onto “Further with Jesus”  for childlike instructions and immediate entry into the Kingdom of God.  NOW FOR TODAY’S SUBJECT.

GOD SAID, Romans 12:2:

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

GOD SAID, Exodus 17:6:

Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

GOD SAID, John 13:34:

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

MAN SAID: Hogwash!  That’s just what the Bible is! 

Now THE RECORD: Welcome to GodSaidManSaid feature article 955 that will again certify the supernatural inerrancy of God’s Holy Bible.  All of these powerful features are archived here in text and streaming audio for your edification and as a proof platform from which to convince the gainsayer.  Every Thursday eve, God willing, they grow by one.  Thank you for visiting.  May God’s blessings be multiplied unto you. 

This is feature number 35 in the “Jot and Tittle” series where, in rapid fashion, we list one God-proof after another.  Today, prepare for God-proofs 257-263:

257. Romans 12:2:

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

All through the Scriptures, you will find strange groupings of words that, when meditated upon, yield the treasure trove of revelations—revelations recorded thousands of years ago—insights only the Maker would understand.  Today’s neuroscientists have arrived at the Book.  God’s Word speaks of the brain and the renewing of the mind that transforms or causes the changing of form—a concept neuroscience now knows as neuroplasticity.  Dr. Andrew Newberg, whose list of accreditations is long, and M.R. Waldman, co-author of the book How God Changes Your Brain, write about the amazing phenomenon that occurs when one meditates and focuses thought on God:

Contemplating God will change your brain, but I want to point out that meditating on other grand themes will also change your brain.  If you contemplate the Big Bang or immerse yourself in the study of evolution—or choose to play a musical instrument, for that matter—you’ll change the neural circuitry in ways that enhance your cognitive health.  But religious and spiritual contemplation changes your brain in a profoundly different way because it strengthens a unique neural circuit that specifically enhances social awareness and empathy while subduing destructive feelings and emotions. This is precisely the kind of neural change we need to make if we want to solve the conflicts that currently afflict our world.  And the underlying mechanism that allows these changes to occur relates to a unique quality known as neuroplasticity: the ability of the human brain to structurally rearrange itself in response to a wide variety of positive and negative events. 

If we combine all of the research on neuroplasticity, we must conclude that neurons do not have fixed properties or positions.  Instead, they are changing all the time, triggered by competition, environmental changes, and education. 

So, what does neuroplasticity have to do with God?  Everything, for if you contemplate something as complex or mysterious as God, you’re going to have incredible bursts of neural activity firing in different parts of your brain.  New dendrites will rapidly grow, and old associations will disconnect as new imaginative perspectives emerge. 

Our research has led us to the following conclusions:

1. Each part of the brain constructs a different perception of God.

 
2. Every human brain assembles its perceptions of God in uniquely different ways, thus giving God different qualities of meaning and value. 

3. Spiritual practices, even when stripped of religious beliefs, enhance the neural functioning of the brain in ways that improve physical and emotional health. 

4 Intense, long-term contemplation of God and other spiritual values appears to permanently change the structure of those parts of the brain that control our moods, give rise to our conscious notions of self, and shape our sensory perceptions of the world. 

5. Contemplative practices strengthen a specific neurological circuit that generates peacefulness, social awareness, and compassion for others.

“…be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” 

258. Philippians 4:8:

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Unheard-of things, things that had no name even 50 years ago, are common in today’s dialogue and one of them is called anxiety attacks.  As you should expect, God’s Word has the remedy.  Focusing on Christ and His Words, shifting your stress to His big shoulders, is commanded in the Word of God.  Matthew 11:28-30:

28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Meditating on, and contemplating about, God and His Word delivers powerful results.  Again, from the book How God Changes Your Brain, we read about meditation and its effect on stress:

This is why we believe that meditation will help maintain dendrite function: It lowers the overall levels of stress while simultaneously stimulating cognitive alertness.  In fact, evidence now suggests the more you exercise your brain, the more you can slow dendrite deterioration, and thus preserve your memory and cognitive skills.

The authors conclude with this warning:

I want to bring up an important but often overlooked point.  What you choose to meditate upon, or pray for, can do more than change your brain.  You can damage it, especially if you choose to focus on something that makes you frightened or angry.  In psychology, this is called “rumination,” and it is clearly hazardous to your health.  In a Stanford brain-scan study, people who focused on negative aspects of themselves, or on a negative interpretation of life, had increased activity in their amygdala.  This generated waves of fear, releasing a torrent of destructive neurochemicals into the brain.

You want to kiss those panic attacks goodbye?  Do God’s Book.  Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely and more—think on these things.    

259. Deuteronomy 15:1-3:

1 At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release.

2 And this is the manner of the release: Every creditor that lendeth ought unto his neighbour shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbour, or of his brother; because it is called the LORD''S release.

3 Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it again: but that which is thine with thy brother thine hand shall release;

A host of observances we allow and social structures we embrace find their genesis in the Word of God.  Have you ever wondered why a woman marries a man and then takes on her husband’s name? At the completion of a wedding ceremony, the minister will typically say, “Allow me to introduce Mr. and Mrs. John Doe!”  This principle is established by God in Genesis 5:2:

Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.

The world’s legal structure, the seven-day week, and more, is formulated in the Holy Bible. 

A very common financial tool in the credit industry is the lease, where one contracts for the use of something—a vehicle, for example—for a set period of time.  At the end of that set period, the property (whatever it is) returns to the owner.  This business transaction is clearly defined in the seven-year release in Deuteronomy 15:1-3.  This was one of God’s systems for controlling debt and the maintenance of Israel’s inheritance.  The signature of God pervades all of this existence. 

260. Exodus 17:3-6:

3 And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?

4 And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.

5 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go.

6 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

Yes, There was a great man of God by the name of Moses.  His existence has been challenged and the great miracles he performed by the hand of God have been ridiculed.  Is the Bible record true?  Imagine, the children of Israel are in the desert without water—the very sentence of death—and God instructs Moses to strike a rock.  Moses obeys and out of that rock poured enough water to supply the needs of an estimated two million-plus people as well as the needs of their livestock.  Could it be?  T.J. Dailey writes of the phenomenon in his book, Mysteries of the Bible:

While this action may be unimaginable to the modern mind, Bedouins of times past or present would realize exactly what happened.  In the desert wadis of the Sinai, the scarce rainfall filters down and collects in porous layers of limestone.  These layers are exposed at the base of the mountains, but just as water deposits can eventually clog a faucet, the water cannot escape because of a thick build-up of limestone crust.  Bedouins know how to look for these hidden water sources.

There are accounts of this phenomenon in recent times.  In the 1930s, Major C. S. Jarvis, the British Governor of the Sinai, was leading a camel expedition through a dry wadi when his men came across a trickle of water coming out of the limestone rock.  Trying to dig into the ground where he thought there might be a pool of water, one of his men by mistake struck the rock instead.  To everyone’s surprise and delight, the hard crust fell away and out of the crevice shot a powerful stream of water.  [End of quote] 

The ancient and very famous Jewish historian Josephus wrote concerning Moses striking the rock:

They again turned their anger against Moses; but he at first avoided the fury of the multitude, and then betook himself to prayer to God, beseeching Him, that as He had given them food when they were in the greatest want of it, so He would give them drink, since the favour of giving them food was of no value to them while they had nothing to drink: and God did not long delay to give it to them, but promised Moses that He would procure them a fountain, and plenty of water from a place they did not expect any; so He commanded him to smite the rock which they saw lying there, with his rod, and out of it to receive plenty of what they wanted; for He had taken care that drink should come to them without any labour or painstaking.  When Moses had received this command from God, he came to the people, who waited for him, and looked upon him; for they saw already that he was coming apace from His eminence.  As soon as he was come, he told them that God would deliver them from their present distress, and had granted them an unexpected favour; and informed them, that a river should run for their sakes out of the rock; but they were amazed at that hearing, supposing they were of necessity to cut the rock into pieces, now they were distressed by their thirst, and by their journey—while Moses, only smiting the rock with his rod, opened a passage, and out of it burst water, and that in great abundance, and very clear; but they were astonished at this wonderful effect, and, as it were, quenched their thirst by the very sight of it.  So they drank this pleasant, this sweet water; and such it seemed to be, as might well be expected where God was the donor. They were also in admiration how Moses was honoured by God; and they made grateful returns of sacrifices to God for His providence towards them.  Now that Scripture which is laid up in the temple, informs us, how God foretold to Moses, that water should in this manner be delivered out of the rock. 

This rock is there at this day, as the travelers agree, and must be the same that was there in the days of Moses, as being too large to be brought thither by our modern carriages. 

261. Genesis 1:26:

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

If I have been created in the image and likeness of God, I then have unimaginable Godlike brainpower between my ears—and today’s science confirms! 

As of 2006, Gary E. Schwartz, PhD, had a bio that looked like this:

Gary E. Schwartz, PhD. is a professor of psychology, medicine, neurology, psychiatry, and surgery at the University of Arizona and director of its Laboratory for Advances in Consciousness and Health.  After receiving his doctorate from Harvard University, he served as professor of psychology and psychiatry at Yale University, director of the Yale Psychophysiology Center, and co-director of the Yale Behavioral Medicine Clinic, before moving to Arizona in 1988.  He has published more than four hundred scientific papers and co-edited eleven academic books. 

Dr. Schwartz, along with William L. Simon, wrote the book The G.O.D. Experiments.  Excerpts follow:

Before we can appreciate the extraordinary capacity of the mind to guide, organize, and design, we must come to understand the profound potential of the mind to envision and imagine.  The capacity of the human mind to envision its apparent infinite potential is as vast as the universe itself.  Moreover, the mind is ultimately beyond anything we have yet witnessed in the physical universe.  The mind’s inherent potential not only goes beyond anything it has seen to date in the physical world; its potential goes beyond anything it can currently imagine.  It can even be demonstrated through simple experiments that your mind’s potential is bigger—in fact, much bigger—than the universe itself.

Which is greater in scope: the currently known physical universe, or the human mind that contemplates it?  “Who can hold what is in one’s hand?” Yes, the universe is outrageously larger than our material body.  This is an obvious fact.  However, the scope of our mind is extraordinarily larger than the known physical universe.  This is a less obvious psychological fact but a fact worth remembering and celebrating.  It is the key to awakening to the power of our minds and their role in the cosmos. 

The truth is, no one knows what the actual potential of the mind is—because whatever greatness we have already achieved as a species suggests that there is no apparent limitation to the mind’s ultimate potential.

In Chapter 12, I took you through a simple psychological experiment that convincingly demonstrates how even the mind of a young child can envision holding objects that vary in size from the infinitely small (a photon of light) to beyond the All (the entire universe) in the palm of their hand.  The human mind has the power to learn how to invent technologies that can enable us to see the paths made by subatomic particles, on the one hand, and superclusters of galaxies, on the other hand.  The human mind has the power to conceive of imaginary numbers and even infinities of numbers. [End of quotes]

Our brains have dazzling, Godlike capabilities because we were made in His likeness.  I can hold the whole world in my hands—even the whole universe—but one thing I cannot hold in my hands is the mind of God, for that is the mind that created mine. 

262. Psalm 53:1:

The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.

W.R. Bird, Atlanta attorney and Yale Law School graduate, is the author of The Origin of Species Revisited, volumes that deal directly with the questions that arise between creation and evolution. The following paragraphs are from Volume 1:

The Information Content Argument: Natural Laws of Information Science

Information content is a measure of the difference between a random arrangement and a meaningful arrangement. The information content argument is based on the vast information content (a) of the least complex single-celled organism, and (b) the genetic coding system of all organisms.

That information content is so great that it affirmatively supports the biochemical theory of abrupt appearance and undercuts the biochemical theory of evolution, as Haskins reluctantly concedes in connection with the genetic coding system:

Did the code and the means of translating it appear simultaneously in evolution?  It seems almost incredible that any such coincidences could have occurred, given the extraordinary complexities of both sides and the requirement that they be coordinated accurately for survival.  By a pre-Darwinian (or a skeptic of evolution after Darwin), this puzzle surely would have been interpreted as the most powerful sort of evidence for special creation.

To underscore the information content argument, Bird writes the following concerning single-celled organism, the paramecium:

The least complex single-celled organism (like paramecium) has information content “comparable to about a hundred million pages of the EncyclopediaBritannica.”  [End of quote]

And imagine:  This all happened by chance.

263. John 13:34-35:

34   A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Love is the mark of Christianity.  We are even directed to love our enemies and seek their good (Matthew 5:44).  The following story is from Raymond McHenry’s book, McHenry’s Quips, Quotes, and Other Notes:

 A little six-year-old girl became deathly ill with a terrible disease.  She needed a special blood transfusion, and her rare blood type further complicated the problem.  The girl’s nine-year-old brother qualified as a donor, but everyone was hesitant to ask him since he was so young.  When the prospects of another donor dissolved, they talked with the boy about it. He didn’t understand all of the dynamics, but he said, “Sure, I’ll give blood for my sister.”  When the transfusion began, he took the needle in his arm, closed his eyes, and lay silently on the bed.  After the transfusion was completed, the doctors thanked the boy for saving his sister’s life.  The brave brother began to quietly cry.  He asked, “Doctor, when do I die?”  The doctor understood the magnitude of what this boy had done and quickly reassured him that he would not die.  He was amazed at the boy’s courage and asked, “Why were you so willing to risk your life for her?”  The boy said, “Because she is my sister…and I love her.”  Jesus said, “Love one another, even as I have loved you” (John 14:34-35). [End of quote]

Because of the message of the love of Christ, more hungry have been fed, more widows and orphans cared for, more homeless housed, more abused ministered to, more grief-stricken comforted, more outcasts embraced, and more missionaries dispatched to spread the word of this love than the rest of the world’s religious efforts combined.  All are dwarfed in the presence of Christ.  Remember, too, that these listed services were provided free of charge. 

God’s Word is true and righteous altogether, a place to build a life that will last forever.

GOD SAID, Romans 12:2:

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

GOD SAID, Exodus 17:6:

Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

GOD SAID, John 13:34:

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

MAN SAID: Hogwash!  That’s just what the Bible is! 

Now you have THE RECORD.

 

 

References:

Authorized King James Version

Bird, W.R., The Origin of Species Revisited (Vol. 1), Regency, 1991

GodSaidManSaid, “Geologists Floored by Water Rock”

Josephus, F., The Complete Works of Flavius Josephus, Kregel Publications, 1960

McHenry, R., McHenry’s Quips, Quotes, and Other Notes, Hendrickson Publishers, 2004

Newburg, A., How God Changes Your Brain, Ballantine Books, 2009

Schwartz, G., The G.O.D. Experiments, Atria Books, 2006

 

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