The Image of God- A World of Violence_M 12_17_23

In this transcription, Philip Black discusses the question of where is God amidst all the violence and chaos in the world. He emphasizes that it is humans, not God, who commit acts of violence. He explores the reasons behind such violence, including ideologies and a sense of superiority. He also raises the issue of how humans can claim to be children of God while acting like wild beasts. He mentions that God observes all the evil in the world but is not helpless. He reads from Matthew 24, where Jesus warns about deception and the signs of the end times. He mentions wars, famines, and earthquakes as the beginning of birth pains leading to the kingdom of God. He also mentions persecution and hatred towards his disciples. Hello, this is Philip Black once again with Voice of Humanity, and today is a time that many question, where is God? With all of the chaos, all of the wars, all of the senseless killing, the innocent blood that has been shed, those who are not in the conflict, but are caught between those who are waging war. As we can see, it does not matter, violence does not have a respective person. Violence does not care whether you are innocent or you are guilty. All humans will suffer in the midst of strife. Now you have to wonder, and I do, and I'm going to say it in this fashion, but I'm really speaking from my observations. I can understand why another human, when you talk about God, talk about Jesus, talk about man's redemption, that people struggle with the idea of, does the living God really care or is there a God? When they see the things that men do to other men and the horror, the callousness, the viciousness, the brutality that another human commits upon another human and justifies it, and the question begins, where is God? I want to say this and I hope that this answers the question, is God committing the acts? I think whenever you answer that question, you know that it's a clear no. It is humans committing these acts upon humans. What is it that drives or calls another human to feel that it has to destroy another human? For whatever ideology it may hold or that it may believe is just, it is not something that was given to them from their creator. Now I'm not speaking of when another human is defending or protecting its own life when it is being attacked. That is not what I mean. I'm meaning and I'm discussing violence that comes about from ideologies. Ideologies usually come from dark thinking. Analysis and interpretations of things that people believe to be just. And that means that when another human sees something and gravitates to the idea or the notion that it is for some reason, for some purpose, above all other humans, then we have the issue of wars. Because another group believes that it is above or more important than another group. And for some reason, they always try to use the creator to legitimize their actions. Folks, once again, I want to say this, God is not committing the violence, it's human beings. So what is it that causes another human being to believe it is justified in destroying something it did not create? In fact, the human being that is bringing the destruction did not create themselves. They did not put in an application for their birth, for their families, for their ethnicity, the race in which they are born. They did not put in an application for the place that they live. But yet, but yet, they believe they have a right to destroy another human being without consequence. This is one of the things that is concerning, and it should concern any human being. How is it that man, or a human, has the capacity to act like a wild beast and at the same time proclaim to be a child of the creator? That's a difficult thing to reconcile. And I say this because, as I say, it is not only Israel that is fighting against someone who seeks to destroy them. Wars are happening all over the world. And I'm using this and saying this because their question is, where is God? And God is where he always has been. He's in eternity observing all of the madness, the chaos, the evil imaginations that are in the heart of man. And so, if you are, at this moment, viewing from the heavenly realm and looking down upon this being that was created in your image and in your likeness, would it not horrify you of what you're seeing? And I want to make it clear to say, I'm not saying that he is helpless. When I say he, I'm referring to the being that created all things. I'm not referring to gender in any fashion because God is a spirit. He's not male nor female. So I think at times when we try to describe God as a he, we do indeed do it in justice because I don't know if we have an adequate word in English to describe truly who this being, all-powerful God, is. So with that said, I'm going to continue with my thought. So if I were the being that made this human race, I would be terrified of what I'm seeing because that is not what was in my mind. I'm beholding something that I never intended to be. But because of the fact this being that I made has a free will, this being is operating based on its own imagination and it's only producing evil. Evil is a general term for things that don't go well, that does not work in unity, that does not work to benefit humanity. It covers a large spectrum. So whenever it references a human walking in its own evil imagination, it is saying that it is walking in its own thoughts that originate within itself, not from God. For God intended the world to be a world of shalom, a world of peace, a world that worked well for all humans in unity and harmony, not a world that only works for a few. So with that said, I'm going to read some things and hopefully we'll get an opportunity to continue on with this discussion later. But all of it still continues to evolve around one thing and one thing only and that is the image of God in the earth. So today I'm going to read Matthew 24. And I know Matthew 24 is in most circles, what we call the Christian circle, it's a familiar passage. And it begins this way. Matthew 24.1, Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came to him to call his attention to its building. Now I want to make a point here. Buildings are structures that humans make. I hope you keep that in mind. Do you see these things, he asked, and this is Jesus, truly I tell you not one stone here will be left on another. Everyone will be thrown down. Now the reason why I put the emphasis on these structures, man-made structures, as we can see the rule of man must come to an end. God will bring to an end the rule of humans to restore shalom or peace to the earth once again. Man takes pride in his structures, his building. In these things man seems to arrogantly believe that he's invincible. That's what these buildings represent. This is what I see when I read it, because from the very beginning when the first human refused the counsel of God and turned to the counsel of a creature that did not make him nor create him, but turned to the counsel of a creature that would allow him to turn away from the counsel of God, this is truly the pride of man, the pride of life, the pride of the lust of or the desires of the body. This is the thing that causes man to walk in his own imagination. Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives. The disciples came to him privately. Tell us, they said, when will this happen? And what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age? The disciples asked three questions. And those questions are important, but we'll continue to read and see what Jesus answered. Jesus answered, watch out that no one deceives you. Now I find this very interesting because when we first see the first encounter of the human with this being, this serpent is translated in the garden. This is what happens to the human. The first thing they were not watching out for is deception. Deception is the first thing that you must watch out for. This is what he says in answering their question. Watch out that no one deceives you. We live in an age where deception is everywhere. It runs rampant and we must be watchful and discern these things. This is a personal thing. This is not a group thing. This is what the Lord is saying to his disciples individually. You must watch out for those who are there to deceive you. Those who are trying to bring you to their cause and justify it by using the name of God or the name of Jesus. For many will come in my name claiming I am the Messiah and will deceive many. They will use his name to gain your trust. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nations will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. Now I've heard many people debate and they say, um, God is in control. There will be no sicknesses or diseases. This is not true. If Jesus said there will be famines and earthquakes, that includes all of the struggles and calamities that could come and harm a human being. So I find it strange that for some reason or another there is a debate that these things are not possible. They are. He said they would be. And all these things are the beginning of birth pains. What birth pains are we talking about? I'm going to say it from this perspective and there are many other scholars that read and understand it and they have different opinions, but I'm just going to read it exactly from the text where he says these birth pains are the beginning of the birth of the kingdom. Not the birth of a natural realm for a new ruler to come and make promises. That is not here what's being referenced. The reference is Jesus came to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God, not the kingdom of man. So the birth pains that are now beginning, these birth pains are going to bring forth the kingdom of God. Once man's judgment is complete, that's what will come forth. When I say man, I'm speaking of humanity. Once humanity is completely judged for all of its sins, and it's hard to use that word to give it a reference, for I would say man's failure to reflect the image of God. Once humanity is judged for that, then the kingdom of God will come forth. So in this sense it says that nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in the various places. All these are the beginning of birth pain. Then you will be handed over to be persecuted, put to death, and you will be hated above all nations because of me. Now understand this answer because this answer is directly connected to his disciples. It is not connected to anyone else. These are the disciples of Yahshua, the disciples of Jesus. Jesus is, in Hebrew, Yahshua. So when he's speaking to his disciples, he's telling his disciples, the world is going to prosecute you because I bring the message of the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God. I am not here to support any group other than those who come into the kingdom of heaven. This is my message to you, and this is the message you bring to the world, and the world will hate you for it. This is what a true believer will face in the world, the hatred, because they do not want to receive the true message. They want to receive their message. They want to be exalted above all other groups and saying that they have the approval of God. This is what he says to them, at that time, many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Most people believe a prophet is someone that wears a robe or a priestly garment. A false prophet is one who speaks things that are not true concerning the kingdom of God. It can be anyone. They speak things that are not true. They speak lies. They slander God. They try to use God as a way to gain authority. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. So we talk a lot about salvation. We talk a lot about Christianity, but this is Jesus' answer. Jesus says the only ones that will be saved are the ones who stand firm with the message of the kingdom. As he says, and this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end shall come. So the whole key, the whole trigger, as I would say, to this whole process, as he said, is that this gospel of the kingdom will be preached to the whole world as a testimony. Testimony is important because whenever a judge brings judgment, he has to rely on the record, the true record. Not the record of hearsay, not the record of someone creating a reality and saying this is what it is. The record is the true record, not a false record. The testimony is to all nations, then shall the end come. So all the world must truly see and hear the true gospel of the kingdom, not the counterfeit gospel, not the gospel that is created by men, but the true gospel of the kingdom. And then he says, then the end comes. So folks, as I see this and I read it and I pray, God does give me the endurance of what's ahead. It says that all nations must hear the true gospel, not this counterfeit, false gospel of the kingdom. Now, one of the things that I see that is very clear, and it's in verse 12, the reason that we have all these wars, all of this chaos, all of this destruction, all this human corruption is because in verse 12, in Matthew 24, verse 12, Jesus said, because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will wax cold. That is how another human is willing to dehumanize, to slander, to destroy, to demean, to debase another human. It's because they are lacking that natural affection for another human being. This is what is being, I guess you say, in quieted in many people's hearts and minds that gives them the justification to exalt themselves above another human and become judge and jury so that they have lost a natural affection for another human being. Now where else can you think of that we see this coldness, this heartlessness, this cruelty? The first place is in Genesis 6. When we go to Genesis 6 and read Genesis 6, let's see what Genesis 6 has to say about all of the things similar to what Jesus talks about and what I'm saying here. I'm going to read Genesis 6, 7. So the Lord said, I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created, and with them the animals, the birds, the creatures that move along the ground, for I regret that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Now I'm going to jump to verse 611. He found the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence, violence. So this world at this time when humanity and civilization was first beginning to be formed, when there were no institutions, there were no governments, we didn't have religious groups, we didn't have political groups, we didn't have government institutions. None of those things existed. So we need to understand and read this in the fact that none of these things existed. So we can't point to one group or to another group and say this group is that and this. No, God said he saw that the world was corrupt and full of violence. This is the picture he sees of humans being cruel to other humans. He did not see his image. So we can't say that this group caused this or that group or that person. No, it was individuals that were walking in their own imagination of what it meant to be a human, of what it meant to have authority over another human. This is the problem, this is what causes this natural affection to cause another human being to say it is justified what I'm doing and God is on my side. These people had gotten so corrupt in their imagination in justifying their cruelty that God says God saw how corrupt the earth had become for all the people on the earth had corrupted their way. Now that word violence in Hebrew is Hamas and we know that there is a group that is now attacking Israel by that name but that group didn't exist then. I find it strange to adopt, for them to adopt a name for a group to be identified but this is what it is in Hebrew in Genesis 11, 6-11. It was full of Hamas, full of people who had lost their natural affection for other humans and the chaos that came from it all causes the creator to groan and moan from what he sees, not that he is powerless because he will eventually judge it all and no one can stop him, no human, no matter how much we believe or we don't believe, it's really irrelevant because no human can control their life, no human can. So with that being said and it's been good to be able to share the concerns and the things that I see and what's happening in the world because I am part of the human race and I like many seek answers to why do things happen what we are seeing today, how can it cease and the only way and the only answer is that man or humans will humble themselves and say you know what, we are not getting this thing right, we need another answer and that answer is what I read in scripture is Jesus Christ. So you may believe it, you may not but this is a certainty, we all shall die just as this word said, if you don't believe anything else you cannot dispute that one fact that every human being shall die and that alone should give you questions in your mind, how do we escape the judgment to come. So with that said, I'm going to say this to you all, I hope that you individually will seek, not to seek to cling to a group, it's good to have a group to be able to discuss and study with but the true answer comes when you meet an individual and know them yourself, you know this in life, no one can truly tell you anything about another human being more than the human being themselves, that is where you learn and you understand their ways. So as I say in this, in ending, seek to know individually what is true and not, so I hope in the next session, in the name of Jesus we say, we hope that you continue to seek to know Him, Amen.