Stuff Michael Meeks is doing
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This is my (in)activity log. You might like to visit
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- Gordon sermon again on
Daniel 2 - The God who lives among us.
- If the 17th/18th centuries 'age of reason', this is the 'age of
credulity' - Boston university sociologist Peter Berger;
33% of Americans believe in Astrology, 54% in psychics,
40% consulted a fortune teller, 1/3 believe the world has
been visited by an alian, 38% believe in necromancy,
national-science-foundation 43% check newspaper
horoscopes from time to time. If the figures even
approximately true, Americans would feel at home in
down-town Babylon.
- The Babylonians virtually the inventors of the
occult. GK Chesterton said 'when people stop beliving
in God, they don't believe in nothing, but believe in
anything'
- This chapter - shows the incredible superiority
of God's wisdom over mantic wisdom.
- Nebuchadnezzar suffering from a recurrent
nightmare dreams vs. the 1 dream interpreted. We can
empathis Job complains 4:7, when I lie down how long
will it be until I wake up. Why didn't he sign up
with a 'sleep technician' - why demand something
impossible backed by a gruesome death penalty.
- What could frighten a man like Nebuchadnezzar
wealthy beyond imagining, whose word was everyone's command,
what could drive him to morose fits of rage, and to impose
this penalty on his closest advisors ?. He's recoiling at
the horrible thought of loosing it all.
- Reinhnold Niever - describes the lust for power as
being prompted by a concious realisation of the profound
insecurity of our existance: Man is tempted by the basic
insecurity of human existance - to make himself doubly secure.
That is why he grasps after position, fame, power - but - the
more he attains, the higher he climbs, ironically the more
anxious and insecure he feels. knowing that at the hight of
his attainments, it can only make his fall all the more terrible.
This is what feeds the vicious cycle of distrust and brutality
that is so often witnessed in petty tyrants and absolute
dictators, this strange insecurity of those who outwardly
you would think have no reason to be insecure. As you were
lying there oh King, your mind turned to things to come - and
the revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen.
- In the 2nd year of his reign all the fighting and
empire building was over; in just 25 years, he had put
together a kingdom, more expansive and powerful than
anything witnessed to that time. Larger than the Assyrians
that took 300 years to build. The realisation that it can
all be lost so easily; indeed within 25 years of his death,
it gave way to the Medo-Persian empire. Ecclesiastes tells
us a dream comes when there are many cares.
- The magicians replied in Aramaic, Nebuchadnezzar
established it as the language of the middle east.
If you do not tell me what my dream was, and interpret
it, I will have you cut into pieces and your houses turned
into piles of rubble - the astrologers reply -
Oh King - live for ever; but he wants those who claim
to know the end from the beginning; you should have no problem seeing
what is veiled in the human conciousness. So then, tell me the
dream, and then I will know you can interpret it for me
- Instead of telling the astrologyer when you were born
and letting him tell you how sensitive, wonderful, brilliant etc.
you are, instead - tell him all about you, and get him to tell
you exactly when you were born.
- Despite all their degrees, the ability to read Sumerian,
for the ancient rites; in the end the false prophets are masters
of deception, and fakery - they can't do it.
- Marcus Aurelius' - struggle with the prophet Alexander,
he had him provide an omen for a major battle against the Germans; he came
up with an elaborate procedure throwing 2 live lions in the Danube with
very expensive spices. The 2 lions promptly swam across the Danube where
the Germans beat them to death; they then lost resoudingly - their greatest
loss in a single battle: 20k men. Alexander's explanation - the oracle hadn't
specified which side would have the resounding victory.
- Cicero - it amazes him that one Auger could meet another
on the street without bursting out into uncontrollable laughter.
-
Isaiah - I am the LORD, who has made all things ... who
who foils the signs of false prophets and makes fools of diviners,
who overthrows the learning of the wise and turns it into nonsense,
who carries out the words of his servants and fulfills the predictions
of his messengers
- What does it imply about Satan and the demonic realm ?
what about the spirits they consulted. Surely a golden opportunity
for them. But, despite the propoganda - Satan is not what he seems to
be; he is not God, only an angel and a fallen one at that. Goodness is
itself; badness is only spoiled goodness.
- Satan has creaturely limitations, much as you and I, he can do
that which is superhuman, but not that which is supernatural.
Can a daemon open the eyes of the blind ? - he can blind
you; close the eyes of the seeing - but so can you or I.
Destruction is simple, it's construction that's difficult.
- Does the enemy of our souls know everything ? - certainly crafty
beyond any, but: These are things into which even Angels long to
look - they don't know everything. Yet of God the psalmist
says
O Lord, you have swearched me and you know me, you know when I sit
down and when I rise, you percieve my thoughts from afar ... before a
word is on my tongue you know it completely - Jesus could read
men's thoughts and hearts.
- The magicians had it right up to a point - What the king
asks is too difficult, no-one could reveal it to the King, except
the gods - but - and they do not live among men - wrong;
Daniel drops to his knees; prayer his first instinct not a last
resort. He receives the answer in a vision of the night a
dream. The King can't sleep, but Daniel under the thread of death
sleeps.
- Daniel intervenes fast to save the lives of his religious
opponents; defends pluralism, to win them over.
Lots of interest.
My content in this blog and associated images / data under
images/ and data/ directories are (usually)
created by me and (unless obviously labelled otherwise) are licensed under
the public domain, and/or if that doesn't float your boat a CC0
license. I encourage linking back (of course) to help people decide for
themselves, in context, in the battle for ideas, and I love fixes /
improvements / corrections by private mail.
In case it's not painfully obvious: the reflections reflected here are my
own; mine, all mine ! and don't reflect the views of Collabora, SUSE,
Novell, The Document Foundation, Spaghetti Hurlers (International),
or anyone else.
It's also important to realise that I'm not in on the Swedish Conspiracy.
Occasionally people ask for formal photos for conferences
or fun.
Michael Meeks (michael.meeks@collabora.com)
