They Followed The Stars And Found The Tree Of Life: Part 5
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| God has clarified to all who have ever walked the earth He who may have been unknown. In His work we can take comfort, although we may be clueless to the details of His work. When some religious people condemn notions they consider 'wrong', perhaps they need to first love. In loving first, perhaps things thought 'wrong' or 'strange' can be clarified or corrected through love. This is what God has, after all, done for all of us. |
To conclude this article series, let us explore what may be labeled 'man's perspective'.
Let us briefly consider the ideas mankind has believed about himself, the world around them, and concepts of 'God' (or gods).
In doing so, we may learn how even the most unusual or seemingly objectionable information from a 'worldly' point of view can easily be reconciled in the light of Christ.
Similar to what happened here:
Instead of attacking and denouncing their ideas, Paul did what was wise and spoke in Love.
It is this very rudimentary and considerate manner Christ is to be preached to the world Today.
When looking at the Zoroastrian perspective and highlighting of a few themes from that point of view, we have glimpsed through that lens.
This was done in the hope of showing some unseen ways; how God worked in the past to bring about glory, then and Today.
Let us consider the stars and planets for a moment.
Let us ponder how God purposed such things to bring people to Christ.
We can reflect this manner when looking at ourselves and how God used certain things in our lifetime that, although not 'kosher' in a religious sense, eventually brought us nearer to Him.
The planet Jupiter is believed to have been one of (if not 'the') celestial object(s) the Magi may have seen and thought was a 'star'.
Since the Magi were like 'astronomers' according to that definition, they were very much aware of celestial bodies and their movements.
They did, after all, include 'worship' of the stars alongside their concepts of 'God'.
The interpretation of things on earth and themselves included celestial observations.
The Magi, according to the biblical record, had information they believed would lead them to the King of the Jews, whom they came to worship.
In reading this article about the 'Star of Bethlehem', notice the various other ideas and concepts that astronomers have considered in trying to visualize what it was the Magi saw rising in one place and settling over Jerusalem.
Jupiter is usually the third brightest object in the sky (excluding the sun) from a human's observation, behind the Moon and Venus.
Let us briefly consider the ideas mankind has believed about himself, the world around them, and concepts of 'God' (or gods).
In doing so, we may learn how even the most unusual or seemingly objectionable information from a 'worldly' point of view can easily be reconciled in the light of Christ.
Similar to what happened here:
Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said:
“People of Athens!
I see that in every way you are very religious.
For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship,
I even found an altar with this inscription:
TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.
So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—
and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.
The God who made the world and everything in it
is the Lord of heaven and earth
and does not live in temples built by human hands.
And He is not served by human hands,
as if He needed anything.
Rather, He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.
From one man He made all the nations,
that they should inhabit the whole earth;
and He marked out their appointed times in history
and the boundaries of their lands.
God did this so that they would seek Him
and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him,
though He is not far from any one of us.
‘For in Him we live and move and have our being.’
As some of your own poets have said,
‘We are His offspring.’ ”
- Acts 17: 22-28Notice how Paul reflected upon that people's ideas, concepts, and religion... and used such things to proclaim Christ.
Instead of attacking and denouncing their ideas, Paul did what was wise and spoke in Love.
It is this very rudimentary and considerate manner Christ is to be preached to the world Today.
When looking at the Zoroastrian perspective and highlighting of a few themes from that point of view, we have glimpsed through that lens.
This was done in the hope of showing some unseen ways; how God worked in the past to bring about glory, then and Today.
Let us consider the stars and planets for a moment.
Let us ponder how God purposed such things to bring people to Christ.
We can reflect this manner when looking at ourselves and how God used certain things in our lifetime that, although not 'kosher' in a religious sense, eventually brought us nearer to Him.
The planet Jupiter is believed to have been one of (if not 'the') celestial object(s) the Magi may have seen and thought was a 'star'.
Since the Magi were like 'astronomers' according to that definition, they were very much aware of celestial bodies and their movements.
They did, after all, include 'worship' of the stars alongside their concepts of 'God'.
The interpretation of things on earth and themselves included celestial observations.
The Magi, according to the biblical record, had information they believed would lead them to the King of the Jews, whom they came to worship.
In reading this article about the 'Star of Bethlehem', notice the various other ideas and concepts that astronomers have considered in trying to visualize what it was the Magi saw rising in one place and settling over Jerusalem.
Jupiter is usually the third brightest object in the sky (excluding the sun) from a human's observation, behind the Moon and Venus.
Jupiter is now defined as a planet, but to ancient observers without telescopes, this planet resembled a star due to its brightness.
However, its movement was considerably unlike stars.
Stars seem to be 'stationary' or moving along / with their neighboring constellation background.
Jupiter's brightness, and its movement being different from other celestial objects, likely led ancient minds to believe this object in the sky was 'special' or worth noting.
Some went as far as 'worshipping' it as a 'god'.
Let us look how God used this error to bring about light and people together.
Looking through this Jupiter article, you can find some ancient ideas and concepts from past stargazers.
From the east to the west and several points in between, cultures have been observing the sky and developing ideas when trying to make sense of the world around them.
In tracking movements and putting their wonderments into ideas, one product was religion.
Broadly, when ideas are collected, 'believed in', and made to direct society, such ideas can be considered 'religious' when observing how people adhere to such ideas.
Another product was a vast background of information that Today is clarified in a most amazing way.
A clarification that gives praise and glory to the Lord God of heaven and earth: the Magi came to worship Christ.
Contemporary to the Zoroastrian religion was another eastern religion in Babylonia.
The Babylonian 'god' was called Marduk (meaning "calf of the sun / solar calf").
Interesting the mention of 'calf' grants an opportunity to proclaim the Lamb of God as Christ.
A western perspective from a later time also viewed Jupiter as a 'god', and from this ancient Roman perspective comes the name 'Jupiter' western culture calls that planet.
For the Romans, Jupiter was the 'king of the gods' and 'father sky god'.
Stars seem to be 'stationary' or moving along / with their neighboring constellation background.
Jupiter's brightness, and its movement being different from other celestial objects, likely led ancient minds to believe this object in the sky was 'special' or worth noting.
Some went as far as 'worshipping' it as a 'god'.
Let us look how God used this error to bring about light and people together.
Looking through this Jupiter article, you can find some ancient ideas and concepts from past stargazers.
From the east to the west and several points in between, cultures have been observing the sky and developing ideas when trying to make sense of the world around them.
In tracking movements and putting their wonderments into ideas, one product was religion.
Broadly, when ideas are collected, 'believed in', and made to direct society, such ideas can be considered 'religious' when observing how people adhere to such ideas.
Another product was a vast background of information that Today is clarified in a most amazing way.
A clarification that gives praise and glory to the Lord God of heaven and earth: the Magi came to worship Christ.
Contemporary to the Zoroastrian religion was another eastern religion in Babylonia.
The Babylonian 'god' was called Marduk (meaning "calf of the sun / solar calf").
Interesting the mention of 'calf' grants an opportunity to proclaim the Lamb of God as Christ.
A western perspective from a later time also viewed Jupiter as a 'god', and from this ancient Roman perspective comes the name 'Jupiter' western culture calls that planet.
For the Romans, Jupiter was the 'king of the gods' and 'father sky god'.
Interesting how those two definitions are also very useful in reconciling He who is revealed as 'King of kings', 'Lord of lords', 'Lord of heaven and earth', 'Everlasting Father', and 'Mighty God' in reference to Christ.
These ancient concepts, being initially thought about in a physical sense (stars / planets in the sky being 'gods'), was reconciled in the spiritual sense regarding how saints become part of the great cloud of witnesses.
God does call His children 'gods', after all.
That term relates to matters of the spirit and not to the flesh, since God is Spirit.
We can read about how mankind has searched and tried to find their connection to God, or to a concept of something eternal despite man's momentary existence and variant ways.
From a Hindu astrological perspective, the planet Jupiter is called 'teacher of the gods', and 'guru' meaning 'heavy one'.
Terms such as 'Wonderful Counselor' reflects the spirit-wisdom in Christ, and how Christ is the 'Teacher'.
Consider:
He has made everything beautiful in its time.
He has also set eternity in the human heart;
yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
- Ecclesiastes 3: 11Here I am, a man, attempting to point a few beautiful things regarding what God has done since the beginning.
Here I am, a soul, attempting to show how any given man, living at any time past, may have considered a thing beautiful.
Here I am, fashioned in His image, wondering how I can encourage you to also wonder about how God brought about what is most beautiful: knowledge of the Holy One.
Although these ancient motifs are now labeled 'myths', to the ancient world such beliefs were very real since individuals and societies defined themselves and their world according to such ideas.
We should effort a wider gaze when consider others and the things they hold to as 'true'.
Doing so may help us, as Paul did, reach others in teaching them according to their understanding.
When proclaiming Christ out of love for others, we may also realize why God / Christ is described in a variety of ways in the Old Testament / New Testament (to speak to the hearts of all mankind according to their varied understandings).
It seems that God knew exactly which terms, phrases, ideas, and concepts would draw someone's heart.
We may realize that it was not only those of the Hebrew heritage that Christ descended to when He descended and preached in certain depths.
This is how and why the Gospel speaks to every human being, whether past or present.
This is why Love speaks to every notion man has had since ancient times, since God is Sovereign over this earth and the hearts of mankind.
Read Part 1.
Read Part 2.
Read Part 3.
Read Part 4.
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