The Jewel called Earth

The earth is as a jewel in the hands of God!

Gentle reader,

 I trust that you have sufficiently recovered from the previous nights revelry to read a wee bit. I love getting photos of America and the earth. From, Ireland I took them or they were more recently sent to me. The subject today is as you read the title NOT Global warming as it might appear. But in fact (facts and truth often have little to do with one another) a continuation of what I started yesterday the subject (fan fair please ) The Universe or Kosmos And the jewel in Gods hand. 

All of us should be aware of the picture of the earth shot from the surface of the moon -- the blue crescent of the earth in the distance and the drab lunar surface in the foreground. It has been captioned, "In The Beginning God … " Earth is, indeed, a beautiful ornament hung in space. It was in this sense that the Greeks looked at this word, KOSMOS, especially as they looked out into space and discerned the order and beauty of the universe. Aristotle, lib. 1 De Mundo, defines KOSMOS: "A system composed of the heaven and the earth, and the beings contained in them; otherwise, the order and beautiful arrangement of the universe is called KOSMOS."

The Hebrew writers, in contrast to the Greeks, spoke of the "Heavens and the Earth" when they wanted to define the universe, with the added word, "host" of them. Where they used this word, "host," the Greek translators of the O.T. in the LXX translated KOSMOS. Note the LXX of the following:

And the heavens and the earth were finished, and the whole KOSMOS of them, i.e. the whole order of them. Gen. 2:1.

… and lest having looked in the sky, and having seen the sun and the moon and the stars, and all the heavenly bodies (KOSMON), i.e., the order of the heavens. Deut.4:l9, so also 17:3. LXX.

For the stars of heaven, and Orion, and all the host (KOSMOS) of heaven ... Isa. 13:10.

And God shall bring His hand upon the host (KOSMOS) of heaven. Isa. 24:21.

Lift up your eyes on high, and see, who has displayed all these things? Even He that brings forth His host (KOSMOS) by number: He shall call them all by name by means of His Great Glory and by the Power of His Might. Isa. 40: 26. LXX.

The Septuagint (Greek O.T.) adds to the Hebrew text of the A.V. in Prov. 17:6 the following interesting words:

The faithful has the whole world (KOSMOS) full of wealth: but the faithless not even a farthing.

There is a Greek word, Ge-land, as distinct from water or earth, as distinct from heaven; generally a specific region or country with its own inhabitants, or even the "soil." This is the word used in Acts 1:8, translated "earth."

There is another Greek word, OIKOUMENE (the inhabited world), from OIKEO, to dwell, inhabit. It denotes the inhabited as against wilderness, an ordered society of some nature. To the Greek and to the Roman it meant where law and culture dominated; that is, their own empire.

This was the sense of the taxation command in Lk. 21:26. Satan showed Christ the kingdoms of the inhabited earth in Luke 4:5 but on a subsequent occasion (Matt. 4: , he shows Him the full kingdoms of the KOSMOS and offers them to Christ for His worship. The first Offer in Luke was only concerning the AUTHORITY.

Nothing in the Greek mentions a mountain, but as Satan AGAIN tries the same type of temptation but increasing; the prize offered, the answer of Christ is to command Satan in "GO," whereas, in the first, He had asked him to gel behind Him, which desire was not obeyed by either Satan or Peter when it was spoken to them. The kingdoms of the inhabited earth may, indeed, be very limited; that of the KOSMOS might well include those Princedoms of which war is spoken in Eph. 6 and in the book of Revelation.

Abraham, according to Rom.4:i3, was to inherit a KOSMOS - this, before there was an Israel. This would include the land of his sojourn, but also the New Jerusalem out of heaven. See Heb. 11:16.

In Luke 21:26, we again hear this word referring to the inhabited earth and men experiencing heart failure for fear and from looking at the terrible things coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens themselves were to be shaken, In Rom. 10:18, Paul uses both GE, and OIKOUMENE. The context is that there must be SOMETHING given to all to believe, God's Voice in one manner or another, the results of His speaking either in attestation to Christ as His Beloved Son (and Redeemer), or in creation as in Rom. 1:19-25 -- all demand some response from His creatures. We might add, the KOSMOS, of Romans 1:19 (the world) was created (as in Gen. 2:1). This was done by HIS WORD, and the Gospel of John identifies THIS WORD with the LORD CHRIST. Heb. 1:6, interestingly enough, speaks of God bringing His FIRST-BEGOTTEN (Prototokos) again into the inhabited earth; angels will again worship Him as at the first, but the sequence thru will be the THRONE OF God on earth, a sceptre of righteousness, and Christ as fulfilling His Name, "Anointed. "

Ge, KOSMOS and Creation

In Heb. 1:10, Christ is spoken of as having laid the foundation (i.e. readied) the earth, GE. The various steps in Genesis were, of course, to make the earth suitable for man. In Matt. 13:35, Christ is The REVEALER (as He is in the Book of Revelation) of things kept CRYPTIC (secret-kekrummena, fr. kruptos, obscured) from the down-casting of the KOSMOS. Foundation (A.V.) is Gr. kataboles, lit., down-casting. Some only see in this word the waste and ruin of Gen, 1:2; however, the term was used by the Greeks of a dog's droopy ears, paying down earnest money, advancing credit, or just playing with a ball. In this text and in Matt. 25:34; Heb. 4:3; 9:26; Rev. 13:8; 17:8 (where KOSMOS and foundation, kataboles, are joined), the meaning may well be just God casting forth this KOSMOS into its present solar system, although it doesn't arrive into the orbit of our sun, moon and stars until the fourth creation day, according to Gen. 1:14-19. In a very cryptic way (not the secret of Eph. or Col.), God's kingdom program was known. Hints and prophecies drew the picture of a world ruled by Messiah, but in the words and person of Christ, the empty places were filled in, especially the predicating the whole on His redemptive work. As Rev. 13:8 mentions, with the down-casting of the KOSMOS, and God envisioning and creating moral responsible creatures capable of choice, then it was but the responsibility of such a Creator to accept the consequences of such a creature making the wrong choices, and providing redemption -- a way back for them in the pre-figured slain Lamb dated from the very casting-down of the KOSMOS. Certainly, if man is to be free in any degree, it means freedom to make the wrong choices as well as the right, or there is no moral character. Precipitous choice of evil before learning the consequences of such a choice (as Adam, or those taking hard drugs) is indeed tragic, but redemption and The Redeemer are provided, even though the consequences cannot be arrested entirely.

KOSMOS is again identified with heaven and earth (Ge) in Acts 17:24: "God that made the world (KOSMOS) and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of Heaven and Earth ..." This text was part of Paul's address to the Greeks on Mars Hill In Athens. He uses KOSMOS as any Greek would, meaning the orderly COSMIC system observable in God's creation of the heavens and earth. Paul at once shows the imminence of God in creation and yet that He is above it. Paul shows God's care and relationship to His creatures, and that man can search for and find Him, but not in man-made buildings, or in things of man's devising, or in human merit, for Paul adds, "He needs nothing." He is close to us; we can find Him in the Creator, surely, bait more fully in The CHRIST, Whom He has appointed to be Judge of all men. Thankfully, we were judged with Him on Calvary -- we were already "put to death."

This same concept is given by Paul in Rom. 1:20:

For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the KOSMOS are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made ...

In looking at the earth and the heavens, surely every heart is impressed with the great power displayed, and, as we reach out still beyond the limit of our usual telescopes into the radio stars, we finally must say "HOW GREAT THOU ART." But should it not also impress another message upon our minds? Is there not a GODHOOD THERE? Is He to receive no glory from His creatures? No fellowship with His moral sentient creatures? Would we again demand that The Creator come forth in creature-form and die again and again for man's sin to win him back? Must God always seeker be? Must He always cry, "Where art thou Adam-man?" "His off-spring we are," cried Paul. Yet we wonder in our folly if He loves at all.

I wonder if any of us can scan the whole of our lives? If so, may not 1 Tim. 6:7 have an application?

... we brought nothing into this KOSMOS nor can we carry anything out ...

We are here just a short time, our few possessions are only on loan for a moment, may not the things of the spirit, as Paul calls them forth in 1 Tim. 6:11, be the really vital possessions that go beyond the grave? Or is righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience and meekness of no value? Is not there a tightness between God and man? A spiritual relationship that is true, vital and living? A faith that honors what God is and what He has revealed for our affirmation? A divine love, Christ-like and abiding? A patience or endurance when all else seems to be wrong? A meekness that is not enamored with self, but knows its own stature and looks to God?

Ah, gentle reader, can you imagine that each of you are a jewel in God's eye and how can we treat none another with such utter disregard when men kill, rob, rape and steal What will you take out of this World but what you send on ahead!

To be continued . . .

 Love, Denis