Ang Lakad ni Enoch

"Enoch walked with God, and then he disappeared because God took him away." (Genesis 5:24, NET Bible)

"By faith Enoch was taken up so that he did not see death, and he was not to be found because God took him up. For before his removal he had been commended as having pleased God. Now without faith it is impossible to please him, for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." (Hebrews 11:5-6, NET Bible)

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"Huwag na huwag mong kakainin ang bungang iyon, sapagkat sa araw na kainin mo iyon ay MAMAMATAY KA" (Gen. 2:17), babala ng Diyos sa ating mga unang magulang sa hardin. Binale-wala nila ang babala at mas pinaniwalaan ang panlilinlang ng ahas. Kaya naman ipinataw sa tao ang parusang ito: "Dahil sa alabok, doon ka nanggaling, sa lupang alabok ay babalik ka rin." (Gen. 3:19). Pagdating sa ikalimang kabanata ng Genesis, naroon ang talaan ng mga pangalan nina Adan at ng mga inapong sumunod sa kanya:

• Sa gulang na 930, si Adan ay bumalik sa alabok.
• Sa gulang na 912, si Seth ay bumalik sa alabok.
• Sa gulang na 905, si Enosh ay bumalik sa alabok.
• Sa gulang na 910, si Cainan ay bumalik sa alabok.
• Sa edad na 895, si Mahalalel ay bumalik sa alabok.

Wala tayong oras at espasyo para isa-isahin ang mga pangalan. Sapat na ang sabihin na mula sa unang pangalang nabanggit hanggang sa huli, silang lahat ay bumalik sa alabok--- MALIBAN SA ISA!!! Si Enoch ay umabot sa gulang na 365 at ang pagkakasabi sa talata 25, sa gulang na iyon siya ay nawala (wala nang nakasulyap pa sa kanya) dahil kinuha siya ng Diyos. 

Sa pagbuklat natin sa Bagong Tipan, mas nabigyang linaw ang nangyari sa kanya: "... si Enoch ay hindi nakaranas ng kamatayan. Hindi na siya nakita sapagkat kinuha siya ng Diyos." (Heb. 11:5).

Ito ang unang pahiwatig ng Bibliya na ang parusang kamatayan na ipinataw sa sangkatauhan ay maaaring matakasan. Ang tao na bihag sa kuko ng kamatayan ay maaaring makaalpas. Ngayon at kumpleto na ang kapahayagan ng Diyos na nakasulat sa Bibliya, unawa natin na ang pagbabalik sa alabok ay hindi ang ating huling hantungan. Ang huling patutunguhan natin ay sa presensya ng Diyos upang makapiling siya araw at gabi at mamangha sa kanyang kadakilaan magpakailanman.

Kung paano nalampasan ni Enoch ang parusang kamatayan ay nandun rin sa Gen 5:24. Sa buong buhay niya, siya ay naglakad kasama ang Diyos o sa talasalitaan (vocabulary) ng sumulat ng aklat ng Hebreo, ang buhay niya ay kalugod-lugod sa Diyos (Heb. 11:5). Sa buong buhay niya, wala siyang ibang inisip kundi kung ano ang magbibigay-lugod sa Diyos. Naging maingat siya sa paglayo sa mga bagay at mga gawaing kinamumuhian ng Diyos. Ang lumakad sa tuwid na daan at mabuhay ng may takot sa Diyos ang nasa puso at isipan niya. Iyan ang ikinatuwa ng Diyos kaya't siya ay kinuha nang hindi dumadaan sa kamatayan.

Maaaring magtanong ang ilan, "Akala ko ba sa pananampalataya naliligtas ang tao at hindi sa gawa? Bakit tila ang kanyang matuwid na buhay ang siyang nagbigay-lugod sa Diyos at naging daan kung bakit siya nakalaya sa parusang kamatayan? Akala ko ba salvation by grace through faith alone?” 

Sinagot 'yan ng may akda ng aklat ng Hebreo. Aniya, ang dahilan kung bakit ganun na lamang kaganda ang lakad ni Enoch na siya namang ikinalugod ng Diyos ay dahil sa pananampalataya. Sa teolohiya ng sumulat, imposible para sa sinuman ang makapagbigay-lugod sa Diyos kung siya ay walang pananampalataya (Heb 11:6). Kaya naman sa konklusyon niya, ang ugat ng pagkalugod ng Diyos kay Enoch ay hindi dahil sa likas siyang matuwid, kundi dahil sa may pananampalataya siya-- pananampalatayang ang dulot ay matuwid na pamumuhay.

Ito ay isang nakakagalak na katotohanan: tayo na may pananampalataya sa Diyos ay kinalulugdan niya. Hindi na bale kung hindi man malugod ang mga tao sa atin sa tuwing naninindigan tayo sa katotohan. Ang tanging may halaga, nalulugod sa atin ang Diyos.

Huling punto: ang Diyos ay nagbibigay gantimpala sa mga masigasig humahanap sa kanya (Heb. 11:6). Kung wala tayong mapapala sa paglilingkod sa Diyos, kung wala tayong mapapala sa pamumuhay nang matuwid, kung wala tayong pakinabang sa pagsunod sa Diyos--- kawawa naman tayo. Mauuwi lang pala sa wala ang lahat. Ganito rin ang saloobin ni Apostol Pablo (1 Corinto 15:19). Mabuti na lang may pakinabang tayo sa pananampalataya ayon sa Heb.11:6. Ang Diyos ay nagbibigay gantimpala sa mga humahanap sa kanya.

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Like Enoch, walk with God, and you cannot mistake your road. You have infallible wisdom to direct you, immutable love to comfort you, and eternal power to defend you."
Charles H. Spurgeon
Morning and Evening

Things that Haven't Changed Before and After the Flood

Photo Credit: Answers in Genesis

In a game show, the participant chose bag #17. When she was asked by the host why, she replied it is the date of her son's birthday. A politician willingly paid a large amount just to acquire a license plate with the figure 777 on it because he believes it is his lucky number. This is numerology, the occultic belief that numbers have special meanings and that they have influence in our lives.

Even bible-believing Christians can fall into numerology. This happens when they ignore sound hermeneutics and exchange it for preoccupation with the alleged meanings of numbers in the Bible. One such case is when Bishop Dan Balais of Intercessors for the Philippines (IFP) added the product of 70 X 7 to 1521 (the year Ferdinand Magellan reached the Philippine Islands) to arrive at the interpretation that 2010 is the Philippines' Jubilee year.

Recently, we have witnessed another case of numerology applied to the bible. Heavy habagat rains brought damages to Luzon. People checked the date and it was August 7, 2012 or 08-7-2012. They turned their bibles to Genesis 8:7-12 and concluded that God has a message for us and it has something to do with the Noah's ark. But for us to hear God's message in the Bible, we must not resort to numerology. We must instead read it through the lens of proper biblical interpretation.

I have read the story. I did not start with 8:7 and end with verse 12. I read the whole narrative and here I offer three things that haven't changed before and after the flood.

1. The Sinfulness of Man hasn't changed
The people of Noah's day were all descended from Adam just like us. Eversince sin entered the world through our first parents, every member of the human race are all born with an inherent moral corruption. So it is recorded that before the cataclysm: "The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time." (Gen.6:5).

Though Noah's son's were flood survivors, they were not left untouched by the sin that originated in Adam. So after the flood, the Psalmist declares: "Even from birth the wicked go astray; from the womb they are wayward and speak lies." (Psalm 58:3)

You may think that because of the advances in civilization, man's heart has improved. No! The malady of man's soul that made him reject Noah's 120-year period of preaching righteousness hasn't changed.  Don't be surprised then if only a few are accepting the gospel message today.

2. The Wrath of God Against Sin and Sinners Hasn't Changed
In the flood account, we we see a God who was furious against sin. He decisively judged that world, and after it was done, there was no hint of regret in him.

Imagine how ugly the world was when the waters subsided. No one would sing All Things Bright and Beautiful then with the sight of mess all around. No surviving forest. No more beautiful gardens. The seas were a mixture of water, mud, sediments and perhaps dead bodies. Everything was ugly. To the survivors, it would have been a testimony of how God deals with sin.

If the sinfulness of man hasn't changed, what would a holy and righteous God feel about it? Was he wrathful against sin and sinners then yet somehow there is a change in his character that makes him indifferent towards wickedness now? Is he not the same yesterday, today and forever? Let post-flood Scriptures speak:

Deuteronomy 9:7-8
"Remember this and never forget how you provoked the LORD your God to anger in the desert. From the day you left Egypt until you arrived here, you have been rebellious against the LORD. At Horeb you aroused the LORD's wrath so that he was angry enough to destroy you."

Psalm 7:11
"God is a righteous judge, a God who expresses his wrath every day."

2 Peter 3:10
"But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare."

3. The saving grace of God hasn't changed
Genesis 6:9 testifies to the fact that Noah was a righteous man in that age of wickedness. Yet that must not be taken as to mean that Noah was sinless. I have a strong proof that Noah was a sinner just like the rest of us. My proof is 9:28 where we are told that Noah died at the age of 950. The wages of sin is death, right? (Romans 6:23). He too deserved God's wrath yet he was shown favor; he was given a way of escape, and righteous Noah obeyed by building the ark.

In our time, God still saves by grace. Just as all who were inside the ark were kept safe and sound, so all who are found in Christ are free from God's wrath.

Romans 5:9
"Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!"

1 Thessalonians 1:9b-10
"They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead--Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath."

"Kapag binato ka ng bato, batuhin mo ng Tinapay" VS. "Lintik lang ang walang ganti"

Basahin muna: Genesis 50:15-21

Dalawang kasabihang magkasalungat ang mensahe. Ang una'y mahirap gawin. Ang pangalawa'y natural sa makasalanang tao. Pero bakit nagawa ni Joseph ang una? Siya na ipinagbili ng kanyang mga kapatid bilang kalakal; Siya na naging alipin sa Ehipto; siya na nabilanggo nang walang katarungan; siya na sa loob ng maraming taon ay nagdusa sa sakit ng damdamin at lungkot ng pag-iisa. Paano niya nagawang gantihan ng kabutihan ang lahat ng kasamaang ginawa sa kanya?

Siyempre, kasama diyan yung kanyang pananaw na ang Diyos na may kontrol sa lahat ng naganap ay may mabuting layunin. Kayang-kaya ng Diyos na baligtarin ang masamang hangarin ng tao para sa kabutihan (Genesis 50:20).

Bukod diyan, isa ring dahilan ang kanyang pagkakilala sa Diyos bilang Tanging Hukom. Sagot niya sa pag-aalinlangan ng kanyang mga kapatid, "Am I in the place of God?' (verse 19) Para sa kanya, ang Diyos lamang ang nasa posisyon upang magbigay katarungan. Hindi nararapat na ilagay natin ang batas sa ating sariling kamay. Kung kailangang sungkitin ang mata ng tao, ang nagbigay ng mata ang siyang may karapatang manungkit. Kung kailangang putulin ang daliri ng tao, ang pinagmulan ng daliri ang may karapatang pumutol. Kung kailangan pumatak ang dugo, ang nagkaloob ng dugo ang siyang dapat magpapatak nito. Kung kailangang kitilin ang buhay ng tao, ang may bigay ng buhay ang siyang may karapatang magpataw ng parusang kamatayan.

Romans 12:19-20

¹⁹ Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. ²⁰ On the contrary:

   “If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
   if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” (NIV)

If wrath is needed, it must not come from sinful beings like us but from the one who remains perfectly holy even in his expression of wrath.

Things that Have Not Changed Before and After the Flood

The Revised and Expanded version of this post is found HERE.

Praise God for the Penal System

When Cain murdered his brother Abel, he forfeited his farming vocation. No matter how much hard work he will invest in tilling the soil, it will yield nothing. He was banished from his land and from the presence of the Lord. He will no longer be farmer but a homeless wanderer.

Cain realizes the gravity of the punishment. He said that the punishment is too hard for him to endure. He expresses his fear that all who will see him as a wandering fugitive shall try to kill him.

God replies, “Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over." (Gen.4:15 NIV). He then put a mark on Cain to warn everyone.

I derive two points from this:

1st, God is merciful. Though his justice demands punishment for Cain’s sin, he also displayed his grace by providing protection for Cain from potential attackers.

2nd, In the very first case of murder in human history, Scripture points out that punishing wrongdoers helps in reducing crime rate. Cain’s mark warned everyone that a more severe penalty awaits them if they would harm the wandering fugitive.  The penal system is thus a deterrent to crime. Have you ever thought before that we can praise God for the penal code?

“he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.” (Rom. 13:4)

Creationism's Perspective on Manila Zoo's Hebra

Photo Credit: LINUS GUARDIAN ESCANDOR II

Genesis 1:25 "God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good." (NIV)

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The newest resident at the Manila Zoo is a "hebra" (a hybrid between between a horse and a zebra).

Zoo officials explain that hebras are extremely rare and most probably, this is the first one to survive in the Philippines. Other cases of hebras in the country were short-lived. Even City Mayor Alfredo Lim is so excited about it that he launched a contest: Suggest a suitable name for the hebra.

Dr. Marites Lagarto explains: “Zebras, horses, and donkeys can interbreed since they come from the same genus which is equus,”

Creationism's perspective on this issue is laid down by Dr. Jonathan Sarfati in his book "Refuting Evolution 2"

"... hybridization is evidence that two creatures are the same kind, but it does not necessarily follow that if hybridization cannot occur then they are not members of the same kind (failure to hybridize could be due to degenerative mutations)"-- page 78

This is significant because evolutionists are often misinformed in Creationism's position. They wrongly accuse Creationists as believing that species are fixed in their form and appearance through time.

Sarfati's book is available online. Click here
News sources: The Manila Bulletin & GMA's 24 Oras