Genesis 1:14 ?

Katie,
I have read a commentator, though I cannot remember which, I will search for the source, that stated these were representative of the Church.

The Sun---Christ the head of the Church, whose light shines forth into the world and into the darkness.

The moon--the church, serving inferior to the Sun, reflecting the light of the Sun into the dark night.

The stars---individual believers operating in the world under the light from the moon and the authority of the Sun to guide travellers along the way.

Just saw your post and thought I would add this. I think the commentator was an old Scottish preacher McIntosh or something, I will look for the source and post it.

God Bless.
Bro. Dallas Eaton

 

Scientifically, Katie, there is great insight in that verse, for there are several methods of keeping time! God told us to use the sun, moon, and stars. This is called 'gravitational' or 'dynamical' time. This is steady and does not change.

On the other hand, there is something called 'atomic time' which is measured by the atomic processes taking place, and this does change with time! People didn't think so for a long time, and this is why radiometric dates give us such ancient ages, but the fact is that the atomic clock and the gravitational clock are NOT together, as shown by Van Flandern -- during the interval 1955 to 1981 Van Flandern examined data from lunar laser ranging using atomic clocks and compared them with dynamical data. He concluded that: “the number of atomic seconds in a dynamical interval is becoming fewer. Presumably, if the result has any generality to it, this means that atomic phenomena are slowing down with respect to dynamical phenomena” [55]. The quote is from http://www.setterfield.org/quantumredshift.htm (right after equation #21), and the reference for the Van Flandern quote is
T. C. Van Flandern, in “Precision Measurements and Fundamental Constants II,” (B. N. Taylor and W. D. Phillips, Eds.), NBS (US) Special Publication 617 (1984), 625.

The seasons, possibly, did not actually occur until after the Flood. What we read in our modern texts is along the lines of

As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
day and night
will never cease.
in Genesis 8:22

But the actual Hebrew reads a little differently. The last line actually translates "and day and night never they will cease." -- but the word for 'just as' is after 'day and night'. Many translators put it with the sentence before, having to do with the Flood. But if the meaning is that the seedtime, harvest, summer, winter, cold and heat will not cease just as day and night do not cease, then we have a different meaning!

However, regardless of that, the Lord has given us the sun and the moon not just for light, but for time measurement. Seasons, and days, and years.

And so they do.

 

Also for directional purposes. Ships were sailed across the seas long before maps and compasses were developed, according to the position of the stars.

 

Katie,
I just posted this on another thread, before I saw this one, so sorry for the double answer. I believe it is saying that God gave the stars to act as an early calender, so that man would know when to plant, harvest, seek shelter, ect.

 

Romone16:

Bro. Dallas:

 

It is simply because they have lost the ability to discern the seasons otherwise. My grandfather would never plant whenever the wind was blowing from the east, not because he was superstitious, but because the crop would not produce as good as when the wind was blowing from another direction.

Also, we have government programs to pay modern farmers to prevent them from raising "too" much and thus to control "prices", not cost, but price, fewer than two percent of our population harvests enough to feed the world and most of it rots in storage bins, just to maintain prices. It's a good thing there is no starvation in the world...whew!...for a minute there a possible end to world hunger was in site...but since the problem doesn't exist, there is no need for a fix.

I do not believe there is anything wrong with looking at the stars and the moon and the earth and the sun in ways that are glorifying to God, did he not create these things for a purpose, were they not for lights and for seasons? Were these not for navigation, location etc. The 'church' has lost its view because it has bought into the 'profit' margin rather than the simple economy of God.

I believe the church is letting the world tell to it what is offensive and is fearing to tell the world what is offensive, and I believe this is because the church (particular members etc) fear the overshadowing of the 'world' the laying aside of an eternal institute that Christ has purchased with his blood

Acts 20:16  For Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus, because he would not spend the time in Asia: for he hasted, if it were possible for him, to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost.
20:17  ¶And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church.
20:18  And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons,
20:19  Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews:
20:20  And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house,
20:21  Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
22  And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there:
23  Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.
24  But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
25  And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more.
26  Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men.
27  For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
28  Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
29  For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
30  Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
31  Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
32  And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.
33  I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel.
34  Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.
35  I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

Some how or the other the church has moved to a position where the world tells it what is acceptable and what is not.
God Bless
Bro. Dallas Eaton

 

That's exactly what I said. The church sees all this false occultism in the world and steers away from the proper teaching on the topics the cults have claimed as their own should the church fear to teach properly the scriptural reasons whereby the celestial bodies bring glory to God because some voo-doo person claims they hold an underworld power or something? I agree with Dr. Bob. Further I see there is a way to pervert every teaching that is in scripture, satan is the king of perversion. It is failure of the church to provide sound teaching that he is able to forward his perversion. This is the 'failure' of the church. I would submit that in earlier days farmers (husbandmen) could understand more easily that God the Father was the husbandman and that Christ the vine, they understood the sovereignty of God in all things to bless the harvest. Men rely on synthetic fertilizer, soil tests, etc. What happened to leaving the fields fallow?

Bro. Dallas Eaton

 

You're right. The stars didn't tell early man anything about the crops either. They just told him what time of year it is. That is part of why God created them. We don't need to do this anymore, because we know what time of year it is. Man still begins to prepare for planting when he knows springtime is approaching. This is the same thing early man did, except that he used the stars to tell him that spring was approaching.

It becomes astrology when someone thinks the stars have some kind of magical power to predict the future, or somehow control events on earth. God gave us a very stern warning about such things. When man does this, he is worshiping the stars, instead of the God who created them, which is sin. When man used them as in the above paragraph, he is simply using them as a tool the way God intended.

Love in Christ,
Larry