שלום חברים
Shalom Dear Friends,
As I write this newsletter, Israel’s former Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, has just died. He had been comatose since suffering a massive stroke while in office, eight years ago. He was a monumental figure in the history of the modern State. Born a Sabra (native Israeli) on a Moshav (cooperative agricultural community) in 1928, he fought in many of Israel’s wars rising to the rank of Major General, the second highest rank in the Israeli Defense Forces. When his military career was completed, he served his nation in various capacities: as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Energy and Water Resources, Housing and Construction, Industry Trade and Labor, Defense and, finally, as the 11th Prime Minister of the State of Israel.
Whether loved or hated, and he was both, his contribution to the State of Israel was more than enormous. His name literally means “Lion of God.” He indeed was a “lion” who made an indelible mark on the history of Israel.
My current class, “The First Regathering: Zionism and the History of Israel,” is underway with *** students. We are very grateful to the Lord for the excellent response to this important class. As we go through the material, Ariel Sharon’s name will pop up again and again. He will leave his mark on this class as well. Please pray that God will empower me to do a good job presenting this material and that the students will benefit greatly as they get exposed to the biblical and historical material surrounding the modern State of Israel.
Back in October I ran across a fascinating article from BBC News. The article was entitled, “Diamond rain” falls on Saturn and Jupiter. The general idea of the article presented the idea that is summed up in the opening sentence, “Diamonds big enough to be worn by Hollywood film stars could be raining down on Saturn and Jupiter, US scientists have calculated.” This might seem a little out in “left field” or maybe “out of the ballpark,” but the scientists are dead serious. Here are some excerpts from the article (emphases mine):
New atmospheric data for the gas giants indicates that carbon is abundant in its dazzling crystal form, they say. Lightning storms turn methane into soot (carbon) which as it falls hardens into chunks of graphite and then diamond. … “The bottom line is that 1,000 tonnes of diamonds a year are being created on Saturn. People ask me – how can you really tell? Because there’s no way you can go and observe it. It all boils down to the chemistry. And we think we’re pretty certain. …Uranus and Neptune have long been thought to harbour gemstones. … The findings are yet to be peer reviewed, but other planetary experts contacted by BBC News said the possibility of diamond rain “cannot be dismissed.” “The idea that there is a depth range within the atmospheres of Jupiter and (even more so) Saturn within which carbon would be stable as diamond does seem sensible,” says Prof Raymond Jeanloz, one of the team who first predicted diamonds on Uranus and Neptune.
Now, why in the world do I find this fascinating? This article is intriguing because the Bible teaches that the career of Satan can be traced through six “abodes” or habitats. A detailed study of the career of Satan can be obtained through Ariel Ministries Messianic Bible Study Manuscript #001: The Six Abodes of Satan. Here is Dr. Fruchtenbaum’s explanation of the biblical material (emphases mine).
It is known from Job 38:4–7 that all of the angelic beings were already created prior to the creation of the heavens and the earth. Satan was created and dwelling in his first abode at the Throne of God and, chronologically speaking, after an unknown duration of time comes God created the heavens and the earth in Genesis 1:1. When God created the heavens and the earth, He gave different portions of the universe to the authority of certain angelic beings. When God created this particular planet, He gave authority over this planet to Satan, and it served as his second abode.
This is described in Ezekiel 28:13a: You were in Eden, the garden of God. The Eden of Ezekiel 28 is not the same Eden of Genesis 2–3. The Eden of Genesis 2–3 is a vegetable garden, but the Eden of verse 13a is a mineral garden. Verse 13b describes how this planet looked when it was originally created. There were no oceans or seas. It was a beautiful mineral garden covered by the precious stones listed in verse 13b. Satan walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire according to verse 14. For that reason, Satan’s second abode can be called the “Mineral Garden of Eden” as over against the “Vegetable Garden of Eden” of Genesis.
Ahh, now do you see why I am so intrigued by the BBC News article? It might seem a bit “far out” for the Bible to indicate that the original earth was a mineral garden. However, recent evidence gathered by scientists indicates that the information is not outlandish in nature at all. Planets within our own Solar System: Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune could very well be dominated by diamonds.
Of course, everything in God’s creation has become changed and disrupted and corrupted and disfigured by the fall of Satan (Ezekiel 28:16-17) and the fall of man (Genesis 3, Romans 8:19 22). What scientists examine today is a far cry from the beauty and perfection that originally existed. However, it appears that remnants of the Divine handiwork are still apparent. Not only so, we also have the promise that God’s creation will one day be returned to its original, pristine state:
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
– Romans 8:20–21
What a great promise for all who trust in Him!
Thanks for being part of our ministry team!