Tag Archives: Research

Nathan Dooley

11/20/2022: The Vanity Of Sin’s Cycle

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“What is the world,” I asked the internet: “the earth, together with all of its countries, peoples, and natural features.”

Following that same link you’ll find among a host of interpretations Wikipedia’s excerpt: “In its most general sense, the term “world” refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is.”

I investigated Wikipedia’s article link more in-depth: “In Christianity, the term often connotes the concept of the fallen and corrupt world order of human society, in contrast to the World to Come. The world is frequently cited alongside the flesh and the Devil as a source of temptation that Christians should flee. … In Eastern Christian monasticism or asceticism, the world of mankind is driven by passions. Therefore, the passions of the World are simply called “the world”. Each of these passions are a link to the world of mankind or order of human society. Each of these passions must be overcome in order for a person to receive salvation (Theosis). The process of Theosis is a personal relationship with God.”

It appears the internet “knows” the gospel, although; I don’t exactly align with Wikipedia’s semantics, but it’s useful. For instance: the passions of the World are simply called “the world”. The passions are what the apostle John described, and I’ve diagramed as three mechanisms—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

Diagram – 2

1 John 2:15-17
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

Experience

Whenever I consider all that is in the world, as though holding the world in the palms of my hands, everything accessible to experience the fullness of life and pleasure of it, every place available to travel without boundaries. What an inescapable contraption—the lust of my flesh. I can feel a force of desire for ultimate success and freedom to food and sexual encounters across the globe. I will have wealth and multiply love as the kings of old. I will live like a god in the wisdom of vanity, all is vanity. I love this world, and this world loves me! I will invent and create into this world things upon which generations will remember my name.

If I were your friend saying the above to you, how would you respond? Is there anything wrong with what I’ve said? If so, define wrong.

11/21/2022: The Status Of Sin’s Cycle

While I’m in this contraption that describes “experience” (albeit vanity) , you might be someone in the contraption that describes “status”. That…

Christian Soapbox

Chronological Bible Study-The Beginning of Beginnings

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The Baker Book of Bible Charts, Maps, and Time Lines

Join me on Mt. Sinai with God and Moses to discover the beginning of our beginning. This is a very exhausting study but well worth the time and effort. In my Bible I learn that Moses is the author of the first five books also known as the Pentateuch. These books were more than likely written during the 40-year period of Israel’s wanderings in the desert: 1446—1406 BC

Note: the “BC” given after the calendar year (1446—1406 BC) means “Before Christ” but if you see “BCE” (nowadays), don’t be alarmed, it just means “Before Common Era“. (According to my research). The reasons surround appeasing those not Christian and an arguably inaccurate calculation of  Jesus’ birth. It’s believed that Jesus Christ was born around 6—4 BC, which is why these labels (BCE/CE) “CE” for “Common Era” are being used today by many publications rather than (BC/AD) “AD” meaning “the year of the Lord” as it references a Latin phrase: anno domini (“the year of the Lord”—after Jesus was born.)

So why Moses? “God… Why Moses?”—A prayer guiding me through a lot of scripture to uncover the context of that time. Moses was beautiful in the sight of his mother and lovely in the sight of God. God heard the outcry of the sons of Israel at the time of their oppression in Egypt and remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It’s time to organize the sons of Israel as God’s covenant people and Moses is the man God will be with to do it. It all points to Jesus Christ.