2012

Yeap. I watched the movie just today (28th Nov 2009). Overall, the movie was good as many people have testified. I was one of those chair-gripping, action packed movies. But I think the characters were not very well developed. It could be understandable since they are trying to give more screen time to the end-of-the-world theme. Just my two cents though. I seldom watch movies so I can’t criticize much. Haha.

The movie portrayed the so-called ‘end of the world’ but Man was still alive by the end of the movie. True, all the known world was destroyed and the Earth’s geography changed dramatically but Man was still alive to face another 600,000 odd years before the next period where the planets align, cause another mega-solar flare and repeat the whole process again.

I want to say a few things. Firstly, no one on Earth knows when the end of the world will come. This is echoed throughout the pages in the Bible. No Mayan or Mormon will be able to tell when the world will come to an end. Only God the Father knows when the world will come to an end and the time of the final judgement. But you may say, “That is not fair. How do you know the Mayans were not wrong and the world will come to an end at 2012?” All I can say is that we will wait and see. Countless ‘prophecies’ and ‘predictions’ were made on when the world will end and all the dates have come and gone with life going on as usual. So, we will just wait and see what will happen. Honestly, even if I knew the world was going to end in December of 2012, I would just go on living life as normal. Why? I can’t do anything to stop it, can I? So why worry? Just continue living as God would have us live.

Secondly, I would say that the events of the movie could occur at the exact date but the end is yet to come. Why? Because Jesus warned about it before in Matthew 24: 3-8:

3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"
4 Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 5For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,[a]' and will deceive many. 6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of birth pains.

And in Luke 21: 10-11:
10Then he said to them: "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.

“Famines and earthquakes” , “great earthquakes”, “fearful events” and “great signs from heaven.” But the Bible says that these are “beginning of birth pains”. All these are just the beginning! Even if the Mayan’s were right, they were only right in the sense the predicted “great earthquakes”. But they would be wrong in the prediction of the end of the world, for the end was yet to come.

Lastly, it was interesting to watch in the movie where buildings burned, high structures collapse to the ground like a stack of cards, great monuments destroyed and communications (radio, tv) rendered useless. No, I am not becoming sadistic. But think about it for a moment. All that humans live for and built for thousands of years are all wiped out in a couple of days. Wiped out by what? Wars? Nope. By nature. We as humans have become proud. We think we have made it all by our intelligence, strength and power. “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” said King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4:30. We forget the One who actually does hold the power to give life and to take it away. Because of this pride, we have turned from the decrees of God and gone our own way. We do as we like, committing heinous sins against God and one another.

But God was patient with his dealings with Man. He even send His own Son, Jesus to die for the sins of the whole world, to redeem Man from their prideful rebellion against Him. Even though Jesus resurrected and ascended into heaven, he is coming again; not as Savior but as Judge. Even after God has revealed so much, Man intensifies His rebellion against Him. It is good to notice that Christianity would probably be the most heavily criticized and attacked of all the world religions. Many cults arise out of Christianity, perverting the message of the Gospel and presenting mythical interpretations of who God is. After all God has done and Man still rebel, only wrathful judgement of God is reserved for those who do not believe.

I better stop here. Getting too wordy already. Haha. If I have anymore thoughts, I will post it in a different post. Haha.

Soli Deo Gloria

Ian

Oh The Deep Deep Love of Jesus

Lyrics:
Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus,
Vast unmeasured, boundless, free!
Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me, is the current
Of Thy love
Leading onward, leading homeward to
Thy glorious rest above!

Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus,
Spread His praise from shore to shore!
How He loveth, ever loveth, changeth
never, nevermore!
How He watches o'er His loved ones,
died to call them all His own
how for them He intercedeth, watcheth
o'er them from the throne!

O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
love of ev'ry love the best!
'Tis an ocean vast of blessing,
'tis a haven sweet of rest!
O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
'tis a heav'n of heav'ns to me.
And it lifts me up to glory,
for it lifts me up to Thee!

********************************************************

An adaption from a hymn. I knew of this song from the church I am currently attending. For the good old methodists, the same tune is used in the hymn "God Hath Spoken by the Prophets".
I find this song quite meaningful. The video above is only one of many on Youtube. Just search it by the title for more videos and remixes.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Ian

Ignorance vs. Stupidity

There is a difference in being ignorant and being stupid. You are ignorant and that is why you come to university. You are not stupid because you actually got into university
This is the key difference between ignorance and stupidity: Ignorance is saying "I don't know". Stupidity is saying "I don't care".

Dr. Robert Mann
Physics Lecturer

(words not exact)

author's note: this encouraged me quite a bit.

A Bit of Math

CLAIM: If "a divides b" (a|b) and "b divides c" (b|c), then "a divides c" (a|c)

Example:
2 divides 4 (4/2) and 4 divides 8 (8/4) . So, 2 divides 8 (8/2).

You might go "duh" but can you prove it to me that it is true ALWAYS? XD

PROOF
If a|b, there exists an integer q such that b=qa. [Eq 1](from the Division Algorithm)

If b|c, there exists an integer r such that c=br [Eq 2](from the Division Algorithm)
Substituting b from Eq 1 into Eq 2, we obtain

c=rqa

We notice that 'rq' are integers and can be represented as Q (a result of multiplying two integers together is an integer)

Therefore, c=Qa

From the Division Algorithm, a|c. [Proven]

Note: Division Algorithm states that if 'a' and 'b' are integers and 'a' divides 'b', there exists an integer 'q' such that b=qa.

I am a Friend of God? Part 2

Yeah..it is called part 2 because I wrote something about this quite some time back. I have been thinking about the phrase “I am a friend of God” for awhile now. As I recall the Scriptures I read, I can recall very few verses that relate to that theme that applies to us.

Wait, Ian. Isn’t there that verse in John where Jesus tells his disciples
“14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:14-15)?

Yes. I don’t deny that the verse does exist. However, look it in context. The disciples were with Jesus for 3 years into his ministry. They ate and drank together. Wherever Jesus went, they went. They witnessed his power. They had the privilege of Jesus explaining meaning of parables to them. Sometimes they vexed Jesus. They rejoiced together. After going through all that, surely they would form a bond beyond servant/disciple and master. They knew Jesus intimately. Therefore, it was appropriate for Jesus to call them his friends.

Though verse 14 could be used as an extrapolation, but simply plucking a verse out like this is not appropriate. In verse 14, Jesus was referring to his disciples, that if they do his commands, which are stated in the previous verses, they are really his friends.

Furthermore, instances in the Bible where individuals were labelled as friends of God, the pronouncement was made by God Himself. Take Moses for example. God himself said that Moses is his friend and with Moses God speaks face to face. Moses did not confer that title on himself. Coupled with the pronouncement of Jesus to his disciples as highlighted above, we can see that only God bestows the privilege of being called a friend of God.

In addition, by calling myself a friend of God, it would seem that I am placing myself on a nearer level to God than I ought. There is that tinge of pride, proud of wanting to be on a nearer level to God. It could be the same pride that Lucifer had when he met his downfall. For Lucifer said
13 You said in your heart,
"I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne
above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,
on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain.
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High." (Isaiah 14:13-14)

However, it is good to note that we can call ourselves friends of God but by a different definition of ‘friend’. Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose again as proof of his finished work. Those who believe in him are no longer condemned but made peace with God. In this sense, we are no longer God’s enemies. Thus, we become his friend in the sense that we are no longer his enemies.

You all might be think “Blasphemy!” However, let me say that God has conferred a title on us that implies a relationship that far surpasses any level of friendship. He urged us to call Him “Abba, Father”. By believing in Jesus, it is written that we are given the right to become children of God. We are God’s child! How cool is that?? Isn’t that a more intimate, more reassuring relationship? Yet, it still puts us in our place, we are the children and God is the Father. Children are called to obey their parents. Children are helpless but they depend on their parents to fend for them. Isn’t that wonderful?

Remember John 15:14? There is a verse that is very similar to it but implies something else to all believers. This is what Luke 8:19-21 says:
19Now Jesus' mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. 20Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you."
21He replied, "My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice."

Similar, right? Both issue a command to obey. But the latter is a better context for believers at large than the former.

After all I said above, for me, I would be careful of calling myself a 'buddy' friend of God. Look at Moses and his relationship with God. He spent so much time with God. Like i wrote in the previous post before, to call oneself a friend of God is a bold statement since Jesus said that we are friends, IF we do what he commands. Do we do his commands always? compared with the characters in the Bible, at least for me, i don't think i match up. though i will say that i am no longer an enemy of God because of what Christ has done.

Just my two cents of thoughts. Feel free to comment. :P Haven't done this in awhile. :P

Soli Deo Gloria!
Ian