Departure time.

A time to be born, and a time to die, a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which was planted. Ecclesiastes 3:2

Recently I visited our city’s airport, and as always I enjoyed the atmosphere that seems to make such places so different. People hugging, crying, saying goodbye to family and friends as they depart for destinations near and far; there is also lots of crying and hugging as people are reunited. I have never been able to work out which event evokes more emotion….

Have you ever read those TV screens or electronic boards at airports that announce the arrival and departure times of planes? Have you ever read birth announcements in the newspaper? How about the obituaries? These little notices give the arrival and departure times of people, some of whom you will know.

Have you ever thought about the moment when you will be departing this earth?

When you were conceived, you were allotted a certain amount of time here on this earth. That time could be as short as a few minutes or it could be a hundred years or more. You were born at a certain minute, hour and year. You will also die at a certain minute, day and year. Throughout the earth’s existence, there have been many people daily arriving and departing this earth. We are all just pilgrims and strangers here, journeying through this world for our allotted time.

Where were we before we were born? Jeremiah 1:5 gives us some vital clues…

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations. NKJV

Yes, we came to world from the Lord. King David wrote this in Psalm 127:3 “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward.” NKJV

Image by Chris Higham at Christian Art

Where do we go after our departure from this earth? The answer to this question is found in Luke Chapter 16. There are two very different men involved in this story. One was a beggar who was born and destined to live in a life full of poverty. The other was a very rich man who had all the things and comfort money could buy. 

Here is what the Bible says about them in Luke 16, verses 22 and 23: “And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and sees Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.” The beggar and rich man both had departure dates. One man’s destination was heaven, and the other’s was hell.

Each day that we live on this earth is a day closer to our final destination. Will you be like the beggar and go to heaven or like the rich man and go to hell? Call upon the name of the Lord and you shall be saved.

The apostle Paul was born and he died. His life on earth was a life of two very different seasons. In his first season, he persecuted Christians because he thought he was doing the right thing. He was serving the devil. He did not know the truth. When Jesus gave him spiritual sight, he became a new man and began a new season of his life. He became a servant of Jesus Christ, and diligently worked for his Master. At the close of his life, Paul spoke these words in 2 Timothy 4: 6-7 “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. NKJV

The latter season of his life was what counted...the first season of his life was washed away by the spilled blood of Jesus Christ. His flight departed to glory-land. His battles and struggles were over...he went home to be with Jesus.

How about you; are you living “forward” with an eye on your departure time? 

I've read your book!

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:32

 

George C. Scott, the American actor, portrayed George Patton in the film biography of the famous World War II general’s career. There is a scene in the movie when Scott as Patton, reflects on the defeat of the German Field Marshall, Erwin Rommel. He says something like, “Rommel, I have read your book.”

Like most military leaders, Patton put a lot of stock in getting to know his enemy. He believed that if he could think like Rommel, he could “get his head around” his strategy, and eventually defeat him.

We have an enemy who is far more devious than any human foe. His sinister tactics and malignant purposes are matched only by his almost universal influence. We are unlikely to overcome him unless we know something about him. 

That enemy is known variously as Satan, Lucifer, the evil one, the devil, the accuser, or the adversary. Revelation refers to him as the age-old serpent, or dragon. More than 80 times he is named in the Bible as Satan, or the Devil. Some refer to him as the tempter, and he was well-known to the ancients as Beelzebub. To a generation of movie goers he was personalized as Darth Vader.

But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebub the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.” Matthew 12:24

Beelzebub was an ancient and malignant personality, who was the god of the Philistines at Ekron. The word means “a masterfly” or the “lord of the flies”. (See 2 Kings 1:2-3 & 2 Kings 6:16)

The enemy of our souls has been known in various cultures by myriad names, for his hatred of humanity is universal. The world-wide and age-long works of Satan can be traced to one singular motive. He hates both God and man and does all that he can to defeat God’s plan of grace and to establish and maintain a kingdom of evil, the singular aim of which is the seduction and ruin of humankind.

Regrettably, Satan has “earned” a reputation that greatly exceeds what the Bible has to say about him. Popular Satanology is full of absurd, implausible stories concerning his appearances, tricks, and supposed power among us. A careful reading of the scriptures that directly relate to him, together with the “prologue” of Job reveal the fact that Satan’s direct influence in the physical world is limited. Sadly most of us prefer to accept as truth the lies that the greatest liar of all has spread about himself. It is perfectly evident that Satan’s power consists principally in his ability to deceive. 

It is interesting and characteristic that according to the Bible, Satan is fundamentally a liar and his kingdom is a kingdom founded upon lies and deceit. 

You belong to your father the devil, and you want to carry out the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and has never stood for truth, since there is no truth in him. Whenever he tells a lie he speaks in character, because he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44 ISV
 

We should never loose sight of the fact that Satan, while super-human, is a created being, and his power is clearly delineated. He is doomed to final destruction as a world-power. His entire career is that of a secondary and dependent being who is permitted (by God) to hold a certain limited scope of power and authority.

And he (Satan) said to him (Jesus), “I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.” Luke 4:6

If there is one thing that the Bible tells us about Satan, it is this, much of the current “doctrine” of Satan is mythological in origin, and it can be proven that most of that mythology grew out of the ancient Babylonian religion of Zoroastrianism.   

The Bible is clear: “Satan’s empire had a beginning; it will have a definite and permanent end. Satan is God’s great enemy in the cosmic sphere, but he is God’s creation, exists by divine will, and his power is relatively no more commensurate with God’s than that of men. Satan awaits his doom.” 1.

If only we would “read the book” we would know the nature and limits of our enemy, and thus we would be in a better position to apply the words of scripture.

So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you. James 4:7 Amplified Bible

1. International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia 

Are you a chicken...or an eagle?

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 KJV  

The story is told of an early American pioneer who found an eagle’s egg and put it into the nest of a prairie chicken. The eaglet hatched with the brood of chicks and grew up with them.

All its life, the eagle, thinking it was a prairie chicken, did what the prairie chickens did. It scratched in the dirt for seeds and insects to eat. It clucked and cackled. And it flew in a brief thrashing of wings and flurry of feathers no more than a few feet off the ground. After all, that’s how prairie chickens were supposed to fly.

Years passed... the eagle grew very old. One day, it saw a magnificent bird far above in the cloudless sky. Hanging with graceful majesty on the powerful wind currents, it soared with scarcely a beat of its strong golden wings.

“What a beautiful bird!” said the eagle to its neighbor. “What is it?”

“That's an eagle - the chief of the birds,” the neighbor clucked. “But don't give it a second thought. You could never be like him.” So the eagle never gave it a second thought and it died believing it was a prairie chicken.

Hens are referred to but once in the Bible, when Jesus mentions them symbolically as a “type” of people in Jerusalem who could not/would not hear His message nor heed His call. This mass of people lived lives that kept them earthbound, with eyes locked on things of this world, scratching out an existence, unaware of the One who is above us all.

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killeth the prophets, and stoneth them that are sent unto her! How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her own brood under her wings, and ye would not! Luke 13:34 ASV

Female prairie chicken

Chickens are afraid of life, seldom bothering to fly or reaching any potential they might have. They are lazy birds, content with the mediocre, satisfied with grubs and grains. The eagle, however is a different character altogether… it is an A+ waiting to happen. The eagle, for its size is the most powerful bird alive, a 2kg eagle can kill an animal weighing 6x its weight.  

Eagles are born to be monarchs of the sky, fearless of storm, beast or man. It is a bird of war, yet they mate for life and are devoted to their chicks, going to great lengths to provide for and protect them. Our Lord likens Himself to an eagle… “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall rest under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of Jehovah, my refuge and my fortress; my God; in Him I will trust. Surely He will deliver you from the fowler’s trap and from the destroying plague. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall trust. His truth shall be your shield, and buckler.” Psalm 91:1-4

Haast's Eagle, full size model.

The eagle has been used as a symbol of nationalism since humanity first "clubbed" together in nations: its attributes have always been recognized, and envied. The tribe of Dan, one of the 12 tribes of ancient Israel had an eagle as its standard. I don't know of one nation today that has a chicken as a national bird; at least 13 modern nations incorporate eagles or another member of the raptor family as part their national "symbol". The biggest eagle in the world, Haast's Eagle, once ruled supreme in the skies of New Zealand's South Island. It went extinct about 1400 A.D

Why an eagle? The eagle has swiftness of flight. The eagle can fly higher than most birds, and can, in level flight, fly up to 60 kph and dive in excess of 240 kph . The eagle is a symbol of strength, and builds her nest in inaccessible places, often on or near the tops of mountains. The eagle has powerful vision, their eyes are about the same size as ours, but their vision is 8 to 10x more powerful than ours. The eagle is a fierce fighter, and a powerful defender of her offspring. Eagles are monogamous and usually mate for life. What the lion is to the animal kingdom, the eagle is to the avian world.

God uses the analogy of an eagle to challenge us as believers; no one will ever train a chicken to catch fish, yet He made eagles experts at catching fish, and He has made us fishers of men and women… if we will but “mount up with wings as eagles”.