The Ultimate State of Existence

The Bible speaks of Hades (Hell) as an interim chamber for souls. The ultimate end of the alienated soul, however, was illustrated by Jesus in a parable: "Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth'" (Matt. 22:12). Alienation is the natural state of all souls that have not been "regenerated"; as stated by St. Paul in these words: "And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works (Col. 1:21) . . . "among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others" (Eph. 2:3). But for those souls that have been reconciled to God, Jesus "has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.

"Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world" (Eph. 1:4).

Over a decade before my personal repentance and confession unto salvation, the Lord allowed me to have a most profound dream—an utter nightmare. I have never in my life had another dream like it. Based on Eph. 1:4 (above), this experience was one of many revelations that propelled me toward my conversion to the faith.

In my dream, I was in the middle of a spherical dome of light—much like standing anywhere on earth on a sunny day. I was looking up at a normal blue sky with a few scattered clouds. Suddenly, I noticed that slivers of sheer darkness appeared in some sort of geometric pattern. My vision of the sky in all its clarity remained perfectly intact. The areas of pitch darkness, however, began to expand. Rather quickly, there was just as much darkness as the remaining windows of sky. I sensed that the light represented my connection with God, and that the darkness was a very real separation from God—an utter void and emptiness. I should also note, that the patches of light seemed more like they were receding from my proximity, instead of appearing to merely get smaller—the dome of light was moving away from me. I was being left alone in utter darkness—abandoned to myself, to my "Self."

Image resembling the receding light.

I was somehow also aware that this forsaking of my soul was the work of God. It was as real to me as any dream I have ever had. I was terrified. The last of the dream, which I can still remember with perfect clarity after 50 years, was spent frantically appealing to God, not to withdraw His light of life—His presence—from me. I awoke with my heart pounding and I was drenched with sweat.

The Self cannot generate an interactive reality

Now, I need to switch gears and discuss the existence of the spiritual realm; because, after all, that "reality" has everything to do with the eternal state of existence. How did that realm come into being? Who created it? Indeed, the ultimate existence (the philosophical field of "ontology") has very much to do with the creation of that glorious dimension (cosmology). The debate over Creationism vs. Evolution has focused much attention on cosmology. But little thought has been devoted to explaining the creation of the spiritual realm. For this investigation, I rely on a chapter of my book, The Rise of Western Lawlessness (rather lengthy for a short blog, but pretty much says it all):

Metaphysics covers a wide spectrum of philosophical study.  Aristotle first used the term, "metaphysics," referring to his work "after his study of physics."  Nevertheless, subsequent philosophers have applied the word to mean, "beyond physics."  Metaphysics seeks to explain both the source of "being," and the "things," which exist outside of the material realm.  The early philosophers associated the Creator with the realm of ideals because both God and his attributes were outside of the physical realm.  The question of how much of human life is affected by spiritual forces, and how much is determined by man's own mental perception, is still up for debate by philosophers.  The importance of man's perception was magnified as Humanism elevated the importance of man.  Shakespeare incorporated the intrigue of the metaphysical question in Hamlet.¹¹⁵

Why, then, 'tis none to you; for there is nothing

either good or bad, but thinking makes it so: to me

it is a prison. - Hamlet, Hamlet act 2 scene 2

O God, I could be bounded in a nut shell and count

myself a king of infinite space, were it not that I

have bad dreams. - Hamlet, Hamlet act 2 scene 2

To die, to sleep;

To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;

For in that sleep of death what dreams may come

When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,

Must give us pause - Hamlet, Hamlet act 3 scene 1

Shakespeare expressed the aspect of metaphysical perception when he said that a prison could seem like infinite space.  But then he applies the same principle to the afterlife.  If subjective reality only exists in the mind, then one's reality would change according to the whims of one's own imagination.  Shakespeare's assessment of metaphysics is brilliantly carried to its logical culmination in Albert Paine's compilation of Mark Twain's unfinished book, The Mysterious Stranger.  In the excerpt below, Satan is the first-person speaker who has just revealed to the main character that his entire existence is only the subjective manifestation of his own thoughts.

"You are not you - you have no body, no blood, no bones, you are but a thought.  I myself have no existence; I am but a dream - your dream, a creature of your imagination."

"In a little while you will be alone in shoreless space, to wander its limitless solitudes without friend or comrade forever - for you will remain a thought, the only existent thought, and by your nature inextinguishable, indestructible. . . .  It is true, that which I have revealed to you; there is no God, no universe, no human race, no earthly life, no heaven, no hell.  It is all a dream - a grotesque and foolish dream.  Nothing exists but you.  And you are but a thought - a vagrant thought, a useless thought, a homeless thought, wandering forlorn among the empty eternities!"¹¹⁶

Even though Satan professes there is no God, one cannot help but notice the similarity between Twain's ultimate end of subjective reality and Jesus' allusion in His parables to the outer darkness.  Consider the following real-life example of existing with only one's mental capacities.

Born in South Africa in 1975, Martin Pistorius suddenly began to succumb to a mysterious illness when he was 12.  After going home from school with a sore throat one day, he stopped eating, started sleeping almost constantly, and stopped communicating.

He gradually began to lose control of his body. He was treated for both cryptococcal meningitis and tuberculosis of the brain - but no one really knew what was wrong.  Doctors told his parents he was left with the mind of a baby and that they should take him home to die.  But he lived on.  Pistorius left the hospital but spent more than a decade at home and in day care centers unable to move or speak.  His family was told he was unaware of the world around him, but he says he actually began to wake up a couple of years after he became ill.

"For so many years, I was like a ghost.  I could hear and see everything, but it was like I wasn't there.  I was invisible," Pistorius told NBC News in an interview in his hometown in Essex county, England - his first U.S. television appearance.

"It was terrifying at times," he recalled.

"At first, when I was trapped inside my body, my biggest fear was being alone, which I guess is kind of ironic.  Because, in a sense, even though there were people around me, I was alone."¹¹⁷

After about 13 years, Martin had a care worker who spotted signs that he was consciously aware of his surroundings and she explained her observations to her superiors.  In Martin's book, Ghost Boy, he described what it was like to finally have someone come to this realization.  This excerpt is from the book's prologue.  "It took so long to accept that I was trapped inside my body - to come to terms with the unimaginable - that I'm afraid to think I might be able to change my fate.  But, however fearful I am, when I contemplate the possibility that someone might finally realize I'm here, I can feel the wings of a bird called hope beginning to beat softly inside my chest."¹¹⁸

It is worth noting that Mark Twain wrote a book about Christian Science.  In her book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy stated in a chapter entitled, Science of being; "Metaphysics changes things into thoughts, and exchanges the objects of sense for the ideas of Soul."¹¹⁹

However, the Bible says that God changed His pre-ordained thoughts into things, creating that which is visible from that which was unseen.  The "ideas of Soul" sound hauntingly similar to the World Soul of the Platonists.  Both Shakespeare and Twain realized that metaphysics without God leaves man without a pleasant place to spend eternity.

If man's existence were actually the result of his own thinking, how could his spirit know or communicate with other spirits?  Some media must exist to make community possible.  Dimensionality of some type is necessary to recognize borders.  Otherwise how might spirits in the afterlife know where their identity ends and another object begins?  Unless God created the heavens with some type of dimensionality, how would God know Gabriel from Michael?  Heaven must have dimensionality or else Moses could not have received the pattern of the heavenly tabernacle.

Furthermore, for activity to occur in heaven, something must move or change.  No matter the scale, some manner of distinction between moments of movement must exist, or else all of eternity would be perceived as one massive blur.  (Even though God is outside of time, He is able to distinguish one period of time from another.)  Some recognition of time over which change can be observed is necessary to realize that something has happened - to recognize that there has been activity.  Life without movement would resemble man's definition of death.  What Christian would want to spend eternity as part of some homogenous ether - without dimensions and without activity?  That sounds a lot like a world "without form and void." - Gen.1:2

How might a dimensional spiritual platform come into being without a God to create the heavenly realm?  Do the metaphysicians believe all of the disembodied minds might figure out a way to make contact with one another, and then to build their own communal spiritual habitation?  Or perhaps it will evolve from some gooey spiritual pond over billions of years.  The proponents of material evolution have done nothing to explain the existence of the spiritual realm.  Philosophers cannot even explain the existence of the material particles or the energy from which they base their big bang.  Yet the theory of evolution is totally dependent upon the pre-existence of the orderly principles of physics and the pre-existence of the atomic particles - the mysterious media of the present physical world.

Nevertheless, the notion of subjective reality appeals to the self-centered Atheist, so long as he doesn't connect the dots leading into the outer darkness.  The spirit of lawlessness holds out the promise that man doesn't need God.  The devil delights in driving man further into himself, and farther away from reality.  Thus the appeal of video games which offer the players their chance to design and build their own private worlds.  Western man's withdrawal from face-to-face interaction is a prophetic indicator of the man's final state without God.  He prefers texting and online chat precisely because it separates him from others.  The self is willing to be isolated if it means that each soul can be its own god.  Pitifully, most are willing to die rather than to submit to the source of eternal life.

Philosophy is still fumbling with the bane of the Gnostics - how to connect the spiritual and material realms.  God has created man as a complex creature made up of body, soul, and spirit.  Man will never be able to figure out how God has done it.  Man is a miracle.  The only way that man's wisdom can even approximate a solution is to split matter away from spirit, and then to propose different rules for each solution.  The honest Humanist philosopher must choose between the theory of evolution and his faith in an unresolved spiritual realm.  There is simply no way to reconcile a subjective spiritual realm with an accidentally evolved material realm.

Philosophers have not explained the phenomenon of human existence at all.  They have merely formed separate theoretical systems; one concerning matter, and the other dealing with the spirit.  These theories are never considered together because they are hopelessly incompatible.  But they are presented to society separately, espousing the merits of both systems, and expecting that people will believe they have eliminated the necessity for God.  Whereas, in fact, taken together they overwhelmingly prove the existence of an external creator!  A God who is outside of, and set apart from, His own creation.  Thanks be to God that with the same genius by which He designed and created the worlds, He has also created the heavenly abode, and shown man the way into everlasting life through His Son Jesus Christ.

The Humanist theories about the creation of life and the illusion of subjective reality have, none the less, been used to indoctrinate several generations with the reasonableness of Atheism.  (Isn't it hilarious to see cars with evolution bumper stickers, which also sport mystical spiritual crystals hanging from their rearview mirrors?)  "Professing to be wise they have become fools." – Rom. 1:22 Only by blind faith can the Humanist deny his Creator, and, at the same time, believe in the goodness of man, and the value of "spiritual" thinking.  By brainwashing the children with these independent yet conflicting story-lines, the Humanists have convinced them that man has solved the problem of his own existence.  Can mankind ever solve the problem of creation?  No, because it has already been solved.

The only plausible solution to the complexity of man's being is found in the Bible.  The media in which body, soul, and spirit can operate simultaneously was provided by God.  "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." – Gen. 1:1 The unseen things of heaven are real, definable, and living.  They have the ability to act and interact - because they were all created by God through His Son.  "The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him." – Col. 1:15-16.  The faith that the Christian has is the most reasonable explanation ever presented for the existence of all things, material and spiritual.  Therefore, "by faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." – Heb. 11:3

The metaphysics of the Enlightenment ultimately leads its followers into the outer darkness, but the gullible public believes they have a firm footing from which they might forge ahead to create their own godless utopia.  The "enlightened" thought that led man to devise the story of his own creation also encouraged him to create his own ideal government.  Man's attempts to solve the authority question remain as unresolved as his theories about creation.  These experimental governments are the subject of our next chapter.

Now, in a shameless plug, allow me to announce the Second Edition of The Rise of Western Lawlessness which can, at this time, be pre-ordered at a discount.

Amazon book page

“O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Cor. 15:55-57).

Coming June 30, 2021: THE RISE OF WESTERN LAWLESSNESS: Second Edition

 

The Rise of Western Lawlessness: Second Edition is an expansion of Volume 1 and includes a foreword by Douglas W. Krieger. Some chapters have been lengthened to better cover the the philosophies of man and the spiritual systems of wickedness that have exalted themselves against the knowledge of Christ. Steinle takes the reader on a journey through 3,000 years of western history exposing the deceptive spirits of humanism and deism rooted in ancient philosophy- the same ungodly influences that were reintroduced to western thought during the Renaissance and the so-called Age of Enlightenment. Along the way, discover why the modern hodgepodge of spiritism, metaphysics, and evolutionary theories are not only false, but inconsistent and self defeating. Includes more than 150 supporting references and 11 illustrations.

Excerpts: [Today's freedom represents neither the Old Testament concept of freedom from ungodly peoples, nor the New Testament freedom from the enemies of sin, death, and eternal separation from God. The new face of freedom is the liberty of self expression - a personal freedom that perceives as its adversary every form of restriction... freedom to experiment, freedom to sin, freedom from conscience, and freedom from God. Meanwhile, the remnant who still cling to Judeo-Christian ethics look on in dismay as the citizens of the Western nations surrender all of their other rights for the right to sin. Lawlessness is next to godlessness...The Western Church has diminished the perceived authority of God by embracing the philosophical god of goodness. An ideal god that is too good to judge. A universal goodness devoid of power to do anything. Today's nominal Christians are disowning the Lord God and following after this theoretical god; an inanimate god who sees nothing, hears nothing, and knows nothing. The philosophical god is as unlike the living God as the idols of ancient times.

"But their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. They have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell. They have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but cannot walk, nor can they utter a sound with their throats. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them." - Psalm 115:4-8 NIV.

And those who make this theoretical god will be like it! That is, the worshipers of the abstract god will be without discernment, without knowledge, and without judgment. Likewise, those who imitate this god believe that it is wrong to distinguish differences, that it is wrong to claim truth, and wrong to judge anyone. But the True God is the living God; the Father God; the Lord God who is the judge of heaven and earth - the judge of the living and the dead. Thus, this freedom called lawlessness has one great and dreaded enemy - the existence of the one true God.]- end excerpts

Pre-order now at a pre-release discount - $0.99 at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B093CPYDK3

No charge by Amazon until the release date!

Seeking God's Kingdom—His Righteousness

 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matt. 6:33).

More about God / Less about Provision

Hebrews 11:6 says that God is "a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." But what is the depth of this diligence? Some examples from scripture:

• "When You said, “Seek My face,” My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.” - Ps. 27:8
• "So that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us." - Acts 17:27
• "And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart." - Jer. 29:13

Seeking with ALL of the heart means that it is ALL about God, not about me. The "Self" must be utterly cast aside so that the focus is solely on God. Jesus reflected on this self-denying seeking in John 7:18: "He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him." So then, it would seem there is some connection between truly seeking God and avoiding unrighteousness.

Seeking His Righteousness

The righteousness of God is also beyond the Self; beyond the ego; apart from seeking personal provision. St. Paul summed up this self-abandoned righteousness in these words:

"But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith" (Phil. 3:7-9).

A righteousness that is from above

This righteousness of God is nothing short of the Gospel of salvation—the good news. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes . . . For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith'" (Rom. 1:16-17). This righteousness, like the very Kingdom of God, is a free gift that God longs to impart. "For it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:32). This "righteousness of God" is so much more precious than any worldly provision pales in comparison. Therefore, anyone with a true heart, a true love for God, is not motivated by the promise of provision, but rather, by the prospect of reconciliation to God, the salvation of the soul, even eternal life.

Complete in Christ: "Be all you can be."

 

"For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power" (Col. 2:9-10).

"as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness" (2 Pet. 1:3).

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

Jesus said that where our treasure lies, our heart will also be. 

• Our value is in Christ. 
• Our life is in Christ. 
• Our righteous covering is in Christ. 
• Our purpose is in Christ.
• This day are we in Christ.
• Every day on earth we are in Christ.
• Our eternal future is in Christ.

Dear Lord, help us this day to forsake self reliance, selfish ambition, self-focus; and may we "us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith" (Heb. 12:1-2).

THE SINGULARITY PROPHECY: The Coming Convergence of Heaven and Earth

 Coming September 2021

Pre-order for only $0.99. Amazon book page

From the onset of recorded history, religions around the world have predicted the cosmos will climax with an ultimate state—a transformation of the material and mundane into the spiritual and sublime. Although much controversy surrounds this topic—often avoided or downplayed—the ancient Judeo-Christian texts refer to this cosmic metamorphosis into the "New Heaven" and "New Earth" prolifically and in detail.

Because of the esoteric nature of complex religious concepts, theologians have sometimes used popular (secular) examples so that the masses might relate to spiritual ideas. This was the case with Philo, who employed familiar Classical Greek philosophical concepts to interpret the Hebrew writings. Likewise, Augustine expounded upon the Bible making reference to Neoplatonist elements. With this precedent, The Singularity Prophecy sheds new light on the coming convergence by describing this transformation process in terms of Astrophysics and Quantum Mechanics.

This book is purposed to engage international readers possessing a diversity of philosophies and religions. The history of world thought on this subject is presented to provide a broader perspective and to grasp the ubiquity of this supernatural phenomenon in the human mind, which has fueled the present-day obsession with eschatology and apocalypticism.
Amazon book page link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0927DH841