DOES GOD WEAR A ROLEX AND DRIVE A DELOREN?

By Dr. M. R. Dowler

We live in a physical world dominated by time. And New Years is all about time. Since 1582 our calendar (the Gregorian calendar) indicates that at a specific second within a specific minute on a specific day in a specific month time moves from one year to an-other. We celebrate this yearly transition as a holiday. In a few days millions will crowd into Times Square and millions more will watch at home the brilliant 1,212 pound ball drop 141 feet in sixty seconds to usher in 2016.

Physics tells us that time is a property of physical matter. In 1907, Albert Einstein’s pro-fessor Hermann Minkowski proved his protégé’s theory of relativity (E=mc2) by showing that we live in a four dimensional universe; (length, width, height/depth and time). Marty McFly unwittingly proved Einstein and Minkowski’s theories of matter and time by driving his modified DeLoren forward and back in time in the movie Back to the Future.

Theologically, God created time as a measuring device for the benefit of mankind. He created the twenty-four hour day-cycle (Genesis 1:5, 8, 13, 17-19, 23, 31) as well as the four seasons of the years (Genesis 1:14). But time is not eternal within God’s disposable universe (2 Peter 3:10-12, Revelation 10:6). One day, time as we know it will end.

Sarcastically, God does not drive a DeLoren back and forth in earth time, nor does “Jesus wear a Rolex on His television show” (as Ray Stevens sang about). God lives outside the bounds of time (Psalm 90:2), and because He is a spirit (John 4:24), He is timeless (Isa-iah 57:15; 2 Peter 3:8). And yet, Jesus consciously limited Himself as a human (Philip-pians 2:7-8) when He stepped into His created earth time (Galatians 4:4). Think about it. Happy New Year.

WHEN THE BETHLEHEM SHEPHERDS ARRIVED HOME

By Dr. M. R. Dowler

In light of Christmas this week, we briefly return to the subject of angels. There was a strange story that emerged from the tragic events of September 11, 2001; a story that was reported by several national and international news agencies. It goes like this---an FBI official arrived several hours after the United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in Pennsyl-vania, killing all 44 onboard. The official was called upon to serve as liaison between the victim’s families and law enforcement.

After first responders had secured the crash site, the official claims she saw a mist emerging from the wreckage crater and hundreds of brightly clad angels seemingly standing guard over the remains. Strange? Undoubtedly. Most disbelieve the FBI official’s claims, thinking she was merely trying to capitalize on a horrendous tragedy. Admittedly, the official’s story lacks credibility for several reasons---one, no one else made the same claims; two, she told no told one at the time of her supposed angelic encounter, and three, the first time she ever mentioned the incident was in a book she wrote two years after 9/11.

Theologically, most of the time, angels are not visible. When they are seen, they are human-like in appearance, so that they are naturally mistaken as human men (Genesis 18:2; 19:1; Mark 16:5; Acts 12:7-10; Hebrews 13:2). The Bible speaks of several occasions when the bright shimmering glory of God shined from the angels making them brilliant to look upon. This was their appearance on the night of Jesus’ birth and the morning His resurrection (Luke 2:9, 13; Matthew 28:2-4).

The Bible describes the angel of the Lord’s message to the shepherds of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem (Luke 2:8-12). After the message a multitude of angels appeared to the shepherds (Luke 2:13-14). There were probably some that didn’t believe the shep-herds’ story when they returned home, just as there are some that do not believe the FBI official’s story of angels. However, the difference between the shepherds’ claims (which I believe) and the official’s story (which I do not) is that the shepherds account has cred-ibility because it was related to Luke from the very lips of the Creator God Himself (Psalm 33:4; 2 Timothy 3:16). Think about it. Merry Christmas.

WHEN MARY HELD THE CREATOR IN HER ARMS

By Dr. M. R. Dowler

Atheists are ridiculously funny. God thinks so too (Psalm 2:4; 37:12-13; Proverbs 1:26-31). Atheism has, as Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias noted, “never lacked a spokesman.” One of atheism’s most articulate spokesmen was the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), whose 1882 “God is dead” thesis spawned the socialistic philosophies of Sigmund Freud, George Bernard Shaw, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin and Benito Mussolini. And Nietzsche’s atheism continues to influence 21^st century minds.

Friedrich Nietzsche’s radical hatred of God is ironic (and tragic) in that he was the son and grandson of traditional Christian Lutheran ministers. Consider his vile contempt for God, Jesus and Christianity; in his book entitled Antichrist, Nietzsche wrote, “I call Christianity the one great curse [and] the one enormous and innermost perversion.” But Nietzsche’s and other atheist’s arrogant shaking their fist in God’s face doesn’t change His character or attributes.

Central to the Christian faith is the belief in the absolute deity of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:1, 8:58, 10:30, 20:28, Philippians 2:6), and attacks on His deity are nothing new. Jesus confronted several attempts to discredit Him by those who questioned His deity (Matthew 22:41-42). Simply stated, the baby in the Christmas Bethlehem manger was (and is) the Creator God (Colossians 1:15-17).

The incarnation of Jesus Christ is the most extraordinary and amazing event in human history, referred to in the scriptures as a great mystery (1 Timothy 3:16). The actual word “incarnation” means enfleshment, but does not appear in the Bible. Christ’s incarnation was purposed and planned by God before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:3-4, 1 Peter 1:20). And here’s a theological conundrum---When Mary held her Baby, she was actually holding her Creator in her arms. Think about it. Merry Christmas.

ROBOTS AND FREE MORAL AGENCY

By Dr. M. R. Dowler

I, Robot is a compilation of nine science fiction short stories written between 1940 and 1950 by the late Isaac Asimov. One of those stories, Little Lost Robot, written in 1947 was adapted for the 2004 motion picture, I Robot. The story and the movie is about a robot that develops human emotions and the ability to choose. Far fetched? Not really. Not today.

A 2014 London Independent news article reported about ERWIN, the first functional robot with human emotions. ERWIN, standing for Emotional Robot With Intelligent Network was developed at the University of Lincoln (UK) with five human emotions. But the ethical questions emerge---Can a robot learn right from wrong? Can a machine be taught to be “good”?

Other than salvation by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9) and the scriptures themselves, the greatest gift God ever gave His human creation is freedom of choice. Simply stated, God did not create us as mindless, emotionless robots. We were created as free moral agents with the ability (and freedom) to choose (Deuteronomy 30:19; Joshua 24:15; Revelation 3:20).

In a broad sense, the theological aspect of free moral agency affects how some Christians minister to those around them. If we believe the fate of humans has already been determined by God’s foreknowledge and predestination (as in Calvinism), rendering them hopeless to change their eternal destiny, why bother to present the gospel to them? Conversely, if we believe mankind has a free-will to choose between heaven or hell (as in Arminianism), why would we not try to win them to Christ? (Romans 10:14-17) Think about it.