Text 422, 168 rader
Skriven 2005-06-25 06:03:26 av Bob Hoffman (8:8/2)
Ärende: A Staircase to Heaven
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From: "Bob Hoffman" <bhoffman@fmlynet.org>

      Faith's Checkbook - Powered by InJesus

      Saturday 06-25 / A Staircase to Heaven
      Robert Prodoehl
      Jun 24, 2005


A Staircase to Heaven

"And He saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see
heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of
man" (John 1:51).

Yes, to our faith this sight is plain even at this day. We do see heaven
opened. Jesus Himself has opened that kingdom to all believers. We gaze into
the place of mystery and glory, for He has revealed it to us. We shall enter it
soon, for He is the way.

Now we see the explanation of Jacob's ladder. Between earth and heaven there is
a holy commerce; prayer ascends, and answers come down by the way of Jesus, the
Mediator. We see this ladder when we see our LORD. In Him a stairway of light
now furnishes a clear passage to the throne of the Most High. Let us use it and
send up by it the messengers of our prayers. We shall live the angelic life
ourselves if we run up to heaven in intercession, lay hold upon the blessings
of the covenant, and then descend again to scatter those gifts among the sons
of men.

This choice sight which Jacob only saw in a dream will turn into a bright
reality. This very day we will be up and down the ladder each hour: climbing in
communion and coming down in labor to save our fellowmen. This is Thy promise,
O LORD Jesus; let us joyfully see it fulfilled.

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What you need to know about The Da Vinci Code By Susan Verstraete

Do you know someone who has read The Da Vinci Code? If you don't by now, you
probably will. Dan Brown's suspense novel has been on the NY Times best-sellers
list for over 100 weeks and, according to Brown's website, "has become one of
the most widely read books of all time."1 A quick search of a national
bookseller's website yielded no less than 13 books written about this novel,
and a major motion picture based on the book is in the works, to be directed by
Ron Howard, and starring Tom Hanks.2

So what does this mean to Christians? The bad news is that the novel is
blatantly anti-Christian. Using fiction, Brown presents half-truths and
mis-information as factual, endorsing a belief system that seems appealing, but
cannot rightly be called Christianity. The good news is that since The Da Vinci
Code deals extensively with Christian history, the authenticity of the Bible,
and the life of Jesus, unbelievers may be interested in discussing these
issues, perhaps for the first time. Christians need to take advantage of this
opportunity to discuss why they believe what they believe, offering direction
to those confused by the claims in Brown's book. While a comprehensive critique
is beyond the scope of this article,3 the following two points are important to
the discussion.

The Da Vinci Code misrepresents what happened at Nicea. Emperor Constantine
called the counsel of Nicea in the year 325 AD. Official persecution of the
church had only recently ended, and some of the approximately 318 bishops who
attended the council bore the marks of scourging and other tortures endured
because of their loyalty to Christ. These men did not come together to create a
new belief system, but to write a creed expressing what the church already
believed and what they had personally suffered to embrace. The chief doctrine
under attack at the meeting was not the deity of Christ (a belief clearly
taught by the apostles4 and held by the early church fathers). The main point
of discussion at Nicea was the teaching that Jesus was co-eternal with the
Father. Only two of the representatives present refused to sign the final
creed, which stated:

We believe . . . in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the
Father, only-begotten, that is, from the substance of the Father, God from God,
light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one substance
with the Father, through Whom all things were made . . .

As Dr. James White comments, "Nicea was not creating some new doctrine, some
new belief, but clearly, explicitly, defining truth against error."5 The
members of the Counsel had no illusions that they created doctrine; they only
codified it, believing that Scripture alone was the authority by which all
teaching was to be judged.

The Da Vinci Code gives undue credence to unbiblical writings. The gospels of
Thomas and Philip were two of fifty-two ancient texts discovered at Nag
Hammadi, Egypt, in 1947. Scholars agree that the texts are dated around 350-400
AD, but they disagree about the dating of the originals from which these may
have been copied. Irenaeus, the Bishop of Lyons, writing in about 180 AD,
declares that heretics "boast that they possess more gospels than there really
are.''6 So it is conceivable that the original versions of these false gospels
may be dated as early as the second century AD. But how did Irenaeus know how
many gospels there really were? Are the "secret" gospels of Thomas and Philip
authoritative gospels as many modern writers suggest? If they were written
early, and known of by Christian leaders like Irenaeus, why were they not
viewed as authoritative then, and included in the canon of Scripture?

Unlike the questionable dating of the Nag Hammadi texts, all the New Testament
books were undoubtedly written during the first century. All were accepted by
the church as inspired Scripture because they taught doctrines in harmony with
all the other books of the Bible. This cannot be said about the "gospels" of
Thomas and Phillip which are filled with inconsistencies. The early church
recognized some New Testament books as Scripture even as others were being
written.7 Others were recognized over time as God directed His church in the
truth.8 Existing papyrus manuscripts from the early church (before A.D. 325)
contain parts of every book of the New Testament, except 1st Timothy, showing
that the canon of Scripture was certainly established before the Counsel of
Nicea and not by it as some have suggested. Simply said, God created the canon
through the evolving acceptance of the early church. There is no evidence that
the "gospels" of Thomas and Phillip were ever given such acceptance.

Summary
When talking to someone about The Da Vinci Code, it might be tempting to get
entangled in he-said-she-said arguments over historical and factual errors in
the book. Rather than speculating about what Da Vinci may or may not have
hidden in his paintings, instead of entertaining the question of Jesus' marital
status, encourage those interested in this fictional book to read the true
historical accounts of Christ's life—the four canonical Gospels. Talk to them
about the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and explain why it was necessary.
Tell them what your life was like before and after you encountered the
resurrected Jesus. Make the most of this opportunity!

______________

1 Dan Brown, in a statement at http://www.danbrown.com/index.html

2 This movie is scheduled for release in 2006.

3 For a comprehensive study, we recommend the book Breaking The Da Vinci Code
by Darrell Bock.

4 John 1:1, 14; 20:28-29; Romans 5:15, 18-19; 9:5; 1 Corinthians 15:47-49;
Philippians 2:7-8; 1 Timothy 2:5; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8; 2:17

5 Dr. James White, in an article for the Christian Research Institute which may
be viewed at http://www.equip.org/free/DN206.pdf. Much of the information in
this section is from that source.

6 Elaine Pagels, The Gnostic Gospels, (Vintage Books, 1979), page 17.

7 Peter recognizes Paul's authority in 2 Pet. 3:15-16; Paul quotes Luke 10:7 in
1 Tim. 5:18, and Jude recognizes Peter's apostolic authority, quoting from 2
Pet. 3:3 (cf. Jude 18).

8 John 14:26




Copyright C 2005 Susan Verstraete. Permission granted for not-for-sale
reproduction in exact form including copyright. Other uses require written
permission. Write for additional materials.

www.CCWonline.org

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