About John part 2

Text Box 10

The most amazing mystery of all… at least on this short list… is “you personally.”  How is it that “you” are conscious and aware of all these facts… all these realities, all these Truths… including the Truth of your own present existence?  Why is that?

I mean, here you are right now, living out your somewhat fragile and altogether temporary life on the earth, as an individual “human being,” and "you yourself" are fully aware of this fact… i.e. that you exist, and you are alive and living in the universe at this very moment.  Ever thought about that?

Well of course you have!  Everyone has.  Our self awareness demands it!  Whatever way we “go” in life, we all contemplate our existence at times along the way.… at least for a few moments now and then, here and there.

I say, “for a few moments now and then,” because for most twenty-first century people, that’s all it amounts to.  Indeed, even though it might happen numerous times over the course of a person’s lifetime, this contemplation of oneself and one’s existence typically lasts only for a few moments, before he or she returns to the more immediate and “pressing” matters of daily life.  Talk about self-neglect.

To be fair though, one reason this vital contemplation only lasts for a few moments, is that a person can only get so far in reasoning through the facts involved… i.e. the pertinent, remarkably simple and straightforward, universal Truths of the universe… without getting really frustrated!  It’s almost as if there were some kind of built-in “veil” there too, prohibiting our personal operations from operating past a certain point, in this kind of contemplation. Have you ever noticed that?

Whether you have noticed it or not, the fact is, we human beings simply cannot reason our way “backward,” “forward” or in any other direction “out of” our present existence in the physical universe, for as long as we are part of it.  That’s the way it is.  Period.  So much for our superior brains and technologies.

And why is it that we have this “self awareness” and comprehension of our existence?  Where does it come from?  Really now, what in the world does the theory of relativity have to “say” about that?  Answer: "nothing at all.”  Here’s what the Bible has to say about it:

10 I have seen the task which God has given the sons of mankind with which to occupy themselves.  11 He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, without the possibility that mankind will find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.  [Ecclesiastes 3]

And while we’re at it, how come, of all the many different forms of life on this planet, the human being alone has this “self-awareness?”  Why is it that of the millions of life forms on the earth, only one has this totally unique, individual to individual consciousness of “self,” “Truth” and “existence,” including these many realities of the universe we have been talking about?  Really now, right or wrong, what does the theory of evolution have to say about that? Nothing that I’ve ever heard.

Oh the mysteries of life!… “you yourself" being one of them, and the universe itself being the biggest one of all.  I mean, here we all are… each and every one of us… existing for what amounts to a few fleeting moments, living out our brief lives on the surface of this gigantic spinning ball, which, in reality, is but a tiny speck of cosmic dust in a vast “physical universe” of incomprehensible proportions.  Zowwie! 

Just in case you haven’t noticed, these are the very two things we have been “conversing” about, right from the beginning… i.e. “you” and “the universe.”  That assumes, of course, that you have been “listening.”  Otherwise, it’s just been “me” talking.

And if you haven’t been listening, then let me spell out my mission for you in two, simple, run-on sentences.  That way, it will be all in one place for you to review, should you want to.  Plus, you will also be able to do it really quickly… so as not to waste any more of your precious time than necessary. 

My mission is to unravel the mysteries of life for you, break them down into their individual, extremely simple and easy-to-understand parts, explain each part to you in the simplest way(s) possible, hope that “you” will clearly see the simple Truth for yourself, then help you put it all back together correctly, so you can clearly see the full picture of the Truth you need to know in life, allowing you to clearly and fully understand it… or at least adequately understand it… so you can follow the Truth to the greater and higher Truth in life, which is essential to know for the continued life and well-being of the “you” temporarily housed in your physical body.  That’s one.

In addition to that, I have to do this in such a way as to insure that you will have the necessary confidence in the determinations of Truth you make, sufficient to act upon them in real life, and in the process, point out to you just what it is that you need to do about the Truth you have determined for yourself, right here and now, in your already booked-up, over-loaded, time-challenged, busy and hectic daily life, while sternly warning you of the consequences of not doing it.  That’s two.

Put those two run-on sentences together, and you have my entire mission from God in a nutshell.  Just don’t put them together in one paragraph, or you will have the mother of all run-on paragraphs, too difficult to listen to, let alone to clearly understand.

And just to be sure, I will also add that when I say “essential to know” in talking about Truth and knowledge, I mean “necessary,” “needed,” “must have in order to be sufficient.” In other words, mandatory.  And when I speak of “necessary confidence”… i.e. “necessary faith in one’s own beliefs”… I mean essential, needed, must have in order to be sufficient.  In other words, mandatory.  So in the event that you are under-noticing things, be sure not to under-notice that.

On the other hand, in the event that you are noticing more than you need to, you might also have noticed that I added, “that’s one” and “that’s two” after each of those run-on sentences, in order to make what I said into two legal paragraphs… which requires that there be two sentences in each one, no matter how long a run-on sentence might be.  But then, I’m sure “you yourself” aren’t one of those over-observant types, so I probably didn’t need this paragraph to explain that to you after all.

Personally, I find it very difficult, time-consuming and really frustrating to follow all these grammatical requirements and writing procedures.  But with as much trouble as I am having with it, I’m trying to at least follow “the rules of the road,” and keep my writing “legal.”  To be sure, I don’t want any trouble with the legalists yet.  Talk about sharp teeth.

So that’s it.  That’s the mission in its entirety.  Just as it was the first time, I have been sent forth before THE LORD… i.e. the God of the Bible, Who, according to the Bible, Created the universe and all things within it, including “you,” “me” and everyone else… to inform, remind and warn you about a number of different things.  Then, should you “hear” the Truth of God, and you are willing to “go,” I am to guide you along in the Way of Truth, so you can get as far along as possible, in these last moments left to you.

As you are now keenly aware, there is no going back and changing anything about your life to this point.  Same goes for “me” and everyone else, too.  That’s the way it is, and it is the same for all human beings, in all places and times, and in all situations and circumstances.

We might not like things being that way, but, as I just “said,” that’s the way it is, and there is nothing we can do to change it.  At least it’s the same for everyone.  What could be any more fair than that?

So do get it right the rest of the way.  That you can do, if you want to... we all can.  And do keep in mind as well, that who you are at present, who you become over the course of your life, and who you turn out to be, are the most important parts of the story.

But then, maybe you already realize these things.  In fact, as I have “said” a couple of times now, it is indeed possible, that you already know the Truth you need to know… i.e. the essential Truth you need to know about yourself and your existence.  But I must also “say” that I seriously doubt it… very seriously doubt it.  And that, no matter how certain you might be to the contrary, no matter how badly you don’t want it to be True, no matter how badly you don’t want to hear it, and no matter how convinced you are that my head should be chopped off for daring to say such a thing about you.

Whether you know what you need to know or not, that’s my mission, the whole mission, and nothing but the mission… unless I’m forgetting something.  If I am, it will probably come back to me somewhere along the way.  And if so, I will either add it there, or come back here and paste it into one or the other of those two run-on sentences.  In any event, it’s the same basic mission as it was the first time.

What’s different this time, is that this is now the second and final coming of THE LORD to the earth, rather than the first.  What’s also different this time, is that I have to do what I have been sent to do in writing, and as you have both “seen” and “heard” for yourself, I can't write worth a donkey’s rump!

I don’t know how it could possibly be, but I suppose it might be that neither of those two items I just mentioned are readily apparent to you… i.e. that THE LORD Jesus Christ is about to return, and I am an extremely poor writer.  But whether they are apparent to you or not, neither one is any less True.

I particularly don’t know how the second one… i.e. about my poor writing… could have escaped your notice.  But actually, I hope it did, because unlike the first matter... i.e. the imminent return of Christ, which I have been trying to make as apparent as possible… I have been trying really hard to make my poor writing less apparent.  In fact, that’s one of the main things that has been holding me up and slowing me down… i.e. trying to make what I write clear and understandable, which is really hard for me to do.

Seriously.  My mission difficulties and personal problems are all very real.  Very real.  If you must know, they are emotionally excruciating… especially my personal issues.  The Truth is, I am barely able to endure them.  Truly.  In fact, were it not for THE LORD, “I myself” would have succumbed to my miseries a long time ago.

If you can’t tell that my inability to write properly… let alone well… is real, it’s only because I have rewritten every paragraph on this website numerous times, just to get it as “correct” and readable as it presently is.  And that includes the short paragraphs too.  Most of the time, those short ones are only there, because they were part of something left out of a previous rewrite of a nearby paragraph, which ran on too long and got too lengthy and complicated for me to handle.

For some reason, I find it easier to “talk” in run-on sentences when I write, but I’m trying to cut down on them as much as possible, because I know that they are even harder for you to read and easily understand.  Unfortunately, some of them just won’t cut down, so with them, I don’t even try.  Instead of spending even more highly frustrating time trying to shorten them, I just let them go long, hoping you can handle them better than I can.

Really.  I do.  And I’m really not making this up either… any of it.  From “Easter Sunday” to now, I would say that it has taken me ten rewrites per paragraph on average, and I regard that to be a very conservative estimate.  In fact, it is not at all uncommon for me to spend several days rewriting a stretch of twenty or so paragraphs, twenty or more times.

So unfortunately, me being “me”… for all the reasons I have mentioned so far… my ability to fully complete my mission is questionable in the first place, and in the second place, it is also questionable that sufficient time remains for me to do it.  What that means for “you,” is that even if I am able to do it, there may or may not be enough time left for you to hear what you need to hear from me, so you will know what you need to know, so you can do what you need to do in time, should you choose to do so.

To be sure, THE LORD has equipped me to do what He has given me to do, by providing me with the Truth you need to know.  So if I am unable to do it or to do it in time, it would be a failure on my part alone.  I am trying hard to avert that for my own sake, but also for yours.  After all, if I’m not able to do it, you might have to hear it from someone who takes even longer to do it and/or isn’t nearly as pleasant as I am.

But do you “see” what I’m getting at?  Not only do you have “me” and my numerous personal disabilities and problems to deal with, but we have a constantly ticking clock and looming deadline to deal with as well.  And anyway you cut it, that’s a bad combination… for both of us.

And I really am sorry about it too.  Hopefully, my writing will improve somewhat as we go, but in the meantime, it is what it is.  So do the best you can with it, and let’s press on, shall we?

The fact is, you need to know all of these most basic and important Truths of the universe and keep them in mind, if you are to correctly understand the Truth of God you need to know.  The reason is, the Truth of God you need to know comes directly from God Himself through the Truth of the Scriptures, and it “speaks” directly to these most basic and important Truths of the universe, regarding “human beings”… including you.

But God or no God, you also need to know these Truths of the universe, if you are to live a life based on sound reasoning and decision-making, about the realities of life.  The reason is self-evident, and beyond obvious, but I’d better point it out to you anyway.

Whether you realize it or not, your determinations of Truth in these most basic and important facts of life, become the basis of your thinking, feeling and reasoning about who and what you are, as a human being.  And, seeing as how “you” are an individual human being yourself, that equates to who you are as a “person,” and how you live your life.

“See” my point?  Surely you must.  What I’m “saying,” is simply that the way you live your life is based on your understanding of yourself and the world around you, and that, in turn, is based on your determinations of Truth… right and wrong… starting with these most basic and important Truths of the universe.

To be sure, the way you live your life is the direct result of your determinations of Truth... i.e. what you believe to be real and so... especially in these most important, fundamental and life-controlling of all matters.  And as we have already discussed, how you live your life… i.e. the things you say and do day to day… is also the real-world evidence of who you are as a person.  By this, I mean who “you” Truly are, in reality.  Really now, what could be any more self-evident than that?

Speaking of reality, in case you haven’t noticed, there are a whole lot of things in life beyond our control, including some very important things in which we have no choice to make and no say in the matter.  You know, like whether or not to believe in God.  Life is full of these kinds of obligatory situations and choices we can’t do anything about, but the matter of who you are as a human being is definitely not one of them.  That’s something you most surely can do something about… and surely will.

"You yourself" are the one who has the say-so in this life-determining matter, and you yourself are the one who makes the choices about who “you” are as a person, and what your life is all about.  I mean, it is your life, isn’t it?  It does belong to “you,” doesn’t it?

Well of course it does!  You are the rightful owner and operator of your own self and your own life.  You have the full, inalienable right and complete authority over your “self,” regardless of your personal circumstances, and no matter what anyone else says or does.  And unlike the inalienable rights people so often take away from one another, the “built-in” right and authority I am talking about, cannot be taken away from you.

The reason is, it is given to you by your very nature as a human being.  Or, if you prefer, it was “given to you by nature”... i.e. “by the physical universe itself,” “by the given order of the universe,” or however else you want to think about it and/or express it in words.  It all means the same thing. "You" are yours to do with as you choose, no matter what your personal abilities and circumstances might be. 

However you word it, it all means the same thing. "You" are yours to do with as you choose, whatever your personal abilities and circumstances.  And obviously… beyond obviously… if God EXISTS, all of this is part of God’s design for the universe, and for the life and living of human beings in the universe.

In the Bible… except for some of the newer versions of it… this combination of absolute personal rights and authority is referred to as a person’s “sovereignty.”  The adjective form of the word is: “sovereign.”  It refers to the inherent power and authority of every human being, over his or her own life and “self.” 

You may or may not be familiar with this word, because it has fairly recently fallen out of common usage among most English-speaking people in the present day… except, perhaps, when talking about kings and queens.  Nonetheless, that’s what the word “sovereignty” means in the Bible, for which reason, that’s what it means when I use the word too.

So if I should happen to use this word again, don’t blame me if “you” don’t understand it. Having defined my use of this word, that would not, therefore, be “miscommunication” on my part.  It would rather be “misunderstanding” on your part.  In fact, it would be entirely on your part, and I want that on the record… which is why I just put it there.

@ The Universal Realities

What we have hopefully established with certainty by now, is that together, the innumerable Truths of the physical universe combine together in their totality, into the reality of all that physically exists and happens in the universe.  However, contrary to popular opinion… getting more popular by the day… the existence of human beings in this universe consists of considerably more than physical things and forces alone.

As I have hopefully made clear, Truth itself is the first and foremost of the many immaterial “things” that exist and operate in the universe.  In fact, among the many non-biological aspects of human life and living, Truth is the key ingredient.

I say “key ingredient,” because there are, indeed, other ingredients to human life as well… many other ingredients.  “You yourself” are composed of a variety of different things, and so is your life on the earth.  Some of these are surely physical in nature, but some are surely not.

As you undoubtedly realize, your physical body is made up of many different material substances and “forces”… or, if you prefer, call them “energies” or “interactive activities.”  But in case you don't realize it, the “person” you are is not strictly and only the sum total of the material substances and forces present and working in your physical body.

No doubt our personal characteristics are in many ways influenced by our physical makeup… in other words, the biological and chemical substances present in one’s body, along with his or her physical size, shape, appearance and bodily characteristics.  But these physical attributes surely do not, in and of themselves, constitute a “person.” 

There is nothing in any way physical about the mind or “inner self” of a human being.  In fact, there are numerous immaterial things present and working within every human being, such as thoughts, feelings, ideas, attitudes, opinions, apprehensions, suspicions, hopes, expectations and on and on.   Surely you can “see” that there is nothing at all physical about such things.  Yes, I’m all but certain you can.  You couldn’t possibly not see that.

Really!  I’m quite sure you can discern that this is True.  I mean, how could it not be True?  It is entirely obvious and self evident… a solid “10” in both categories!

To be sure, the human brain and the human mind are not the same thing.  One is physical and the other is not.  As I said… and as is obvious… the brain is material, and the mind is immaterial.  It is not composed of anything physical at all.  So by definition, these two essential parts of the human being… i.e. “mind” and “brain”… are two different things, and not one and the same.

Material and immaterial things are separate, distinct and different from one another in some way, if not in many ways.  Yet when they combine together, they are 100% “part of” one another and inseparable from one another... like the human mind and brain.

Just as obviously, for any two or more things to coexist and work together in harmony, this “combining together” must be present.  There must be some form of “connection” between them, some kind of “joining together,“ a way of harmoniously “uniting.”  If not, they would remain apart, unrelated, unconnected and unable to coordinate and operate together.

Really now.  That’s just plain, simple, common sense… which is the basis of all sound reasoning, not to mention, all good science.  It's also the basis of understanding the Bible correctly too.

Apart from joining together and working in coordination, separate things wouldn’t be able to do anything together at all, or, for that matter, have anything to do with one another.  That’s because in the absence of some kind of “connection,” there would be no relationship between them at all, let alone a way of working together “in concert.”  For example, apart from there being a physical connection and bond between them, hydrogen and oxygen could never combine to form water.

In that case, the only way things could exist in the same physical universe… or in any other “state of being”… would be in a condition of total separation, or worse, in a state of constant disharmony or even conflict.  In either case, it wouldn’t be a very appealing state of existence.

The same goes for human beings of every description.  There must be some kind of “connection between” and some form of “coming together” of the material and immaterial parts of the human being, which there surely is, whether we understand how it happens or not.  And to be sure, just because we can’t see it or understand it, that doesn’t mean that there is no such thing.

The same is also True of relationships between two or more individuals.  There must be some sort of connection between them, encompassing both the physical and nonphysical aspects of the persons involved, as well as the physical and nonphysical aspects of the relationship itself, whether it be a friendship, marriage, family or business relationship, organization or whatever else.  

And there is nothing hard to understand about that either.  It’s the same as with inanimate objects and forces, but with two important differences.

Unlike the material substances and forces that make up the physical universe, relationships between and among human beings are first and foremost immaterial in nature.  In fact, other than when reproducing, fist-fighting, touching and embracing, human relationships are entirely immaterial in nature.

The other difference, is that human relationships are established and managed by the individuals involved… in most cases, intentionally and voluntarily.  And, in fact, they are formed and dissolved by deliberate action, resulting from an intentional, personal choice, which is 100% immaterial in nature.

That’s the way it is with relationships between and among human beings.  That’s the way they work... not that they always work well.

And in case you haven’t noticed, the two essential ingredients in any good and successful relationship are trust and Truthfulness.  This is True of all interpersonal relationships of every kind and purpose.  In fact, in any interpersonal relationship, Truth and trust are essential, to a good and productive relationship.

According to Scripture, this is also True of the personal relationship between the human being and the God of Creation, except that in this particular relationship, any and all questions of trust and Truthfulness lie strictly and only on the human side.  100% on the human side.

But do notice, that according to the Bible, this personal relationship between the human being and the Creator of human beings comes about in one and only one way: God’s Way.  To be sure, the “coming together,” “joining together” and “uniting as one” between Creator and human being is brought about only by God Himself.

The voluntary choice on the part of the human being in forming this relationship is simply to accept God’s offer of a personal relationship, through faith in Jesus Christ.  Both of these essential Truths are made clear and explained in the Gospel of Scripture… which is why I am desperately trying to get myself back to that “page,” and get it written. 

Sadly enough, relations between human beings are not always harmonious and productive, let alone “good” and mutually beneficial… especially nowadays.  And this, despite our superior brains and best intentions.  I’m also sure you have noticed that too.

Fortunately, there are still some good, productive and mutually beneficial relationships to be found among human beings today, but unfortunately, there seem to be fewer and fewer by the day.  Does it seem that way to you?  If not, then try “looking” closer… “more closely.”

Unfortunately, you can see examples of these kinds of bad relationships everywhere you “look” these days.  They are all around you, all around the world, and all along the scale from bad to worse.

In fact, in case you haven’t noticed it, relationships between and among human beings these days… individuals, groups, societies and nations alike… are becoming more and more characterized by disharmony and conflict by the day.  And this, despite the numerous “cooperative arrangements” people have managed to come up with, in order to “work together” for the common good… like, for example, a marriage vow, a business contract, or an international treaty.

If you have noticed that, then you might also have noticed that forming these kinds of “cooperative relationships” is becoming harder and harder to do by the day these days, as well.  And again, that’s True of arrangements and agreements between individuals, groups, organizations and entire societies…including the nations of the world.

In case you don’t monitor world events and/or you haven’t noticed it, nations are moving in one or the other of two directions these days.  Some are becoming more and more totalitarian, and others more and more libertine… each reacting to and defending against the other.

By “totalitarian,” I mean "totally and dictatorially in control of what everyone in the society does."  And by “libertine,” I mean "given to unrestrained personal freedom, to do whatsoever anyone wants to do.”  And human nature being what it is, what people most want to do, is what they themselves consider to be “good,” “right,” valuable, important and most of all, in their own personal interest.

And in case you haven’t noticed, human beings can be highly reluctant to give up on getting the things they want.  Hence all the conflicts between and among human beings, which have so characterized human civilization on the earth.

On the individual level, it wouldn’t surprise me to see a group of children in a small-town neighborhood, meeting with their respective attorneys, in an effort to formulate the rules for their next game of marbles… and shortly thereafter, suing each other for millions of dollars over what went wrong.  And I’m sure there would be no shortage of lawyers around, more than ready and willing to “help” them too.

Sorry, I need to stop doing that.  Those kinds of digressions aren’t getting me any closer to getting back to the Gospel page.  All they do is make me write more and irritate people more… as I have been known to do.  Again, I’m trying hard not to do that on this “about John” page of the website, which I consider to be a sort of “welcome page.”

In any and every case, the Truth is, there must be some kind of relationship between any two or more people or things, for there to be any kind of association or interaction between them, be it good or bad, voluntary or involuntary, physical or immaterial, short term. long term or anything else.  Apart from there being some kind of “coming together” between them, there could be no interaction between them of any kind, at any time.  In other words, apart from having some kind of relationship between them, there would be no relationship between them at all.

Wow!  Did I just say what I think I just said?  Talk about too obvious to mention!  I guess I should have just said, “apart from there being some kind of relationship between them, no two or more people or things could have anything to do with one another.”  But then, I think I already said it that way… maybe even more than once.

As you just observed, one can only oversimplify things so much, and when it reaches the point of saying things like that, it has definitely gone too far!… i.e. further than I need to go, in order to make the Truths you need to know clear and plain, simple and easy to understand.  It can’t be necessary for me to go that far, no matter who you are and what you don’t know!

Nevertheless, what I just oversimplified too much is True.  In fact, when it comes to human relationships, no Truth could be any more plain, simple, clear and easy to understand, and no Truth could be any more certain and reliable.

Suffice it to say then, that human beings are composed of things both material and immaterial, and so are the lives they live.  Numerous aspects of human life and living involve numerous immaterial things and activities, and there is no mystery about it.  It is simply an inescapable, universal Truth of the universe… i.e. a universal reality.

So if you were unclear about the coexistence of the material and the immaterial before, you’re not now, right?  I’m sure I could over-explain it some more, but neither of us wants that.  So let’s move on to a new section, even though it will make this another too-short chapter… for the rules, that is, not for “me personally.”  No chapter is too short for my liking.

@ The Human Soul

In the Bible, the invisible, undetectable, non-physical realm in which immaterial things exist and happen… and in which our minds freely operate… is not referred to as being “immaterial.” It is rather referred to as being “spiritual.”  And the invisible, undetectable, immaterial part of the human being is referred to as a person’s “spirit” and/or “soul.”  These two words mean almost the same thing, but not quite.  

Simply put, the human “spirit” is the “life-force,” which operates within and in conjunction with one’s physical body.  And, I might add, until recently… extremely recently… this understanding of the human being as an immaterial spirit within a physical body, has been virtually universal among all human beings and all human societies, in all places and times, throughout the long history of human civilization.

And this, despite the enormous differences between these unconnected if not isolated societies and cultures, from place to place and time to time, over the ages of human history.  This has been the case since as far back as we can physically investigate… i.e. as far back as archeologists and anthropologists can find and evaluate the historical evidence that still exists.

And the further back one “goes” in history, the more apparent it becomes that this fundamental human belief was even more uniform, central and important to human beings and human societies.  So while it can no longer be proven by means of historical evidence, it is clear that things were this way among human beings and societies considerably further back still… in other words, in the centuries even earlier in history, so long ago as to be beyond the “reach” of physical investigation in the present day.

What I’m trying to help you “see,” is that this universal belief that human beings are “part material and part immaterial”… i.e. part “physical body” and part “non-physical spirit”… has been common to all human beings from the earliest days of human civilization on the earth. And argue about when the beginning of human civilization was all you like, but the fact is, by anyone’s accounting, it was a very long time ago.

If you know anything about world history, you know that the variations in the beliefs and practices of these many different societies related to this subject… i.e. their respective “religions”… have been incredibly diverse, but the common, underlying, core human belief I just mentioned, has been remarkably uniform.  And if you don’t know that, then you’d better rely on another person’s inventory of Truth on the matter right away.  The next person you meet will probably do.

Strangely enough… well, not really… many people today believe there to be no such thing as a “spiritual realm” or a human “soul.”  Very many, in fact, and their numbers are increasing ever more rapidly, with each passing day.  Truly a sign of the times.

I hope you’re not one of them, but even if you are, please give a “listen.”  I will do what I can to bring you back to reality, by means of the Truth. 

Whatever you do, please don’t be troubled about the words, “spirit” and “soul.”  They are just words, and once again, the terminology is not the issue.  The Truth is the issue… the issue that Truly matters.

And don’t be confused about the difference between the human “spirit” and “soul,” either.  In the Bible, these words are used almost interchangeably, but technically, the word “soul” refers to the immaterial union within the human being, in which one’s immaterial spirit and mind are “joined together” to coexist and work together in unison.

After all, what would a “life-force” be, without a mind of its own?… i.e. to make it distinct and independent from all others, not to mention, capable of operating independently, as a distinct, individual, “living being.”  In essence, it is the union of human mind and spirit, which constitutes the human “soul”… i.e. the “inner self,” the inner “person.”

Now whatever you do, please don’t overthink this!  “Look” for the simple Truth.  The immaterial human mind and spirit combine together to form the immaterial “person” or “self” within the physical, human body, having it’s own self-awareness and consciousness, along with its own memory and unique set of mental and emotional characteristics… which together, not surprisingly, are commonly referred to as an individual’s “personality.”

What’s not to understand about this?  God or no God, one’s mind and brain coexist and operate together in unison.  But just as clearly, the “mind” and the “brain” are not the same thing.

As I have pointed out a number of times now, the human brain is 100% material, and the human mind… the one we are constantly “making up” and “changing” day by day… is 100% immaterial.  Yet the mind and brain coexist and work together in combination at the very same time, and in the very same place… i.e. within the physical skull of the human being.  The same is True of the physical human body and the nonphysical human spirit.

I mean, what is a “union” or “joining together” of two different things, if not that?  Whatever it is, however it is “put together,” however it works, and regardless of how anyone might describe it or name it, this is how material and immaterial things and forces coexist and operate together, in the physical universe.  And this particular union of “life-force” and “mind” in human beings, is the human “soul.”

It just so happens that this is the way it is referred to in the Bible, which is why I refer to it that way myself.  If “you yourself” don’t like the word “spiritual,” just think “immaterial.”  And when you see “spirit” or “soul,” just think “the immaterial part of a person.”  Either that, or substitute some other words.  Just try not to confuse yourself any more than you already are. 

But whatever you do, don’t miss this essential Truth about “the human being”… that we are part physical and part immaterial.  This is not only an essential Truth of the universe, it is the essential Truth about “you yourself.”  And this is so, regardless of what you believe on the matter, and regardless of what you call those two aspects of “you.”  It simply is what it is.

Honestly!  What could be more simple and obvious?  You don’t need a Bible to “see” the Truth of this reality.  It’s entirely self-evident!  Seriously.  That’s exactly what it is.

The fact that human beings have both a physical nature and a spiritual nature is nothing more or less than a plain and simple, clear and straightforward, vitally important, certain and reliable Truth of the universe, which is essential to know about yourself.  I do hope you can “see” that.  Do I ever.

And of all things, there is nothing at all to be confused by or bothered about in regard to the human “spirit” and “soul,” nor in the terminology involved in thinking and talking about them.  The word “soul” is simply a larger, more inclusive and descriptive term for the thinking, feeling, reasoning, human “self” or “inner person”… i.e. the nonphysical part of the human “being.  In other words, the immaterial part of “you.” 

Nevertheless, as I said at the start of the chapter, there is a difference between the human spirit and soul.  And it surely is a distinction made in the words and teachings of the Bible, as is evident in the following verse of Scripture:

 12  For the Word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.  [Hebrews 4]

Clearly enough, “joints’” and “marrow” are two different things.  But what would a human being be without both?  And referring to a person’s “bones” in one way on a given occasion, doesn’t automatically mean that some other way of referring to them isn’t also valid, does it? Well of course not. 

It also doesn’t mean that something not mentioned in a given statement isn’t real or doesn’t exist.  In other words, just because someone refers to a person’s skeletal system as “bones,” doesn’t mean that they contain no marrow, or worse, that there is no such thing as marrow!

In the same way, referring to the inner person of a human being as a “soul” doesn’t automatically mean that this inner self does not also consist of a “spirit,” let alone does it mean that there is no such thing as a human spirit.  It also doesn’t mean that we are not part of the physical universe at the same time, which we surely are.  In Truth, we are “all of the above”… i.e. body, spirit and soul.

The fact is, when thinking or talking about the human skeletal system, it doesn’t really matter how one refers to a person’s bones, nor does it matter what particular words are used in doing so, except, perhaps, in a hospital operating room.  So indeed, it sometimes does matter what words are used.  But when it does, this is always readily apparent from the context of what is being spoken about or written about, as the case may be. 

Almost always, there are various different ways of thinking about things and saying things, and a number of different commonly used words available in one’s vocabulary, with which to do it.  And very often, in fact, the best way to communicate something fully and clearly, is to say it in two or more different but complimentary ways, which can be combined together into a larger, more complete understanding of a given matter. 

So except on occasions where there is a need to be precise… like in an operating room or a Bible verse like the one above… the ways and words used matter little, as long as the person being spoken or written to adequately understands the meaning of the speaker or writer.  And to state the overly obvious again, that’s the whole point of “communication” by means of human language.

And as long as we’re on the subject, this is also why different Bible passages on the same topic are worded differently, and why the subjects written about in the Bible are “spoken” of in different ways, from one passage to another and from one author to the next.  It’s also why the individual authors of the Scriptures used words differently from one passage to another, even within the same document.

This is especially so, if the document is a long one, and/or different topics are being discussed in different places in the document.  And this is even more common in the case of multiple documents, written by the same author on separate occasions… of which there are numerous examples in the Bible. 

To be sure, there are numerous examples of the same author using the same words in the same ways from occasion to occasion, as well as numerous examples of the same author using the same words in different ways with different meanings, even in the very same document.  All of this is totally normal.  It happens all the time when people communicate with one another.

 A few “steps” back, I myself used the word “trip” in two entirely different ways, in the very same paragraph!  It wasn’t all that long ago, so perhaps you still remember it.

It’s not common practice to use the same word with two different meanings in close proximity to one another like that, but whether intentionally or not, people do sometimes do that when they communicate with one another.  And there’s nothing “unusual” about that either, let alone hard to understand… if one is listening/reading the least bit carefully.

Really.  There is nothing at all to be confused about, and nothing at all unusual about any of this.  To the contrary, it is altogether common, ordinary, normal, standard practice for human beings, whenever they communicate with one another… whether by means of a written document, or in the next conversation you have with someone.

No stopping for a class on communication, but on this matter, one sentence makes for a short course, all by itself.  In order to correctly determine the meaning of the words of any speaker or writer on any given occasion, all one has to do is take note of the context of the remarks… i.e. the topic under discussion and the surrounding words and grammar being used.  Most of the time, even a tiny bit of attention will suffice.  That’s because communication by means of language is so normal, so regular, so commonplace and constant, that people do this almost intuitively, with little or no thought and effort.

It must be said however, that in matters that are more involved, difficult and/or important, a bit more care and effort is often called for.  I mean, who doesn’t know that?

Whether they do it well or not, this is what people do when they communicate with one another, by means of “verbal” language… i.e. language using words, whether in spoken or written form.  And "you" surely do it yourself.  If you didn’t, you would understand very little of what you read and hear. 

When called for, I’m sure that “you yourself” are also more careful about your own speaking/writing and listening/reading.  And when talking about something important, you too likely put more effort into it as well, to make sure you are doing it effectively… or at least adequately.  At least I think you do this.  It is, for sure, common practice among people… not to mention common sense… whenever interpersonal communication takes place.

 But then, some people are fairly careless and/or lazy in their speaking and writing, and even more so in their reading and listening to others.  Believe it or not, but this even happens when people read or hear the words of Scripture.  Not “you” of course, but many people do this very thing… i.e. read or listen to the words of Scripture carelessly.

Regrettably, very many people do this, these days… of the few who read the Bible at all.  But to be sure, the very thing one should do, is think carefully, whenever reading, hearing and/or studying the Bible.  And that’s not because anything in the Bible is the least bit difficult to understand.  It’s due to the importance of the subject matter.

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And to be equally sure, “you yourself” should be doing this very thing on a regular basis… i.e. reading the Scriptures, thinking and most of all listening carefully.  You really should.

And that’s not just my opinion.  It’s just common sense.  For to state the obvious, the Bible is the most consequential, widely read, life changing, world impacting and history affecting

collection of documents ever known on the earth.

So if for no other reason than that, one really should be aware of what the Bible “says” and teaches…  at least, “the main things,” “the basics,” “the most important parts,” which, by no accident or coincidence, I have been sent to “show” you.  That too, is just common sense.  But there are other reasons as well.

Given the number of people these days who supposedly “go by the Bible” in life, and the significant influence many of them exert in society… which includes “you yourself"… it would also be nothing other than common sense to know something about what the Bible actually does and doesn’t “say” and teach, for that reason too.  And the only way to do that, is to read or hear it firsthand, and determine the Truth for yourself.  More common sense.

And to state the obvious again… in order to know what the Bible “says” and teaches, one must first read or hear the words of the Bible.  And that’s not an opinion either.  That’s the only way to do it, because that’s the only way “you yourself” can do it for you yourself.  Talk about obvious!

Should you choose to do this, you will find that reading and thinking carefully when you read the Bible will enhance your ability to “see” and “hear” the Truth of the Bible.  In other words, whatever the Truth is or isn’t, if you “listen” carefully, you will “hear” it better.  Maybe I should have just named this chapter “obvious common sense!”

But that doesn’t mean you have no other option than to read the Bible and learn for yourself what you need to know of it.  Not at all.  It’s entirely up to you whether to do that or not.  And to be sure, there are other options.

One option is to let someone else understand the Bible for you.  Really.  You can do that.  And to be sure, that’s the easier option.

While making it easy for you, they can also decide for you, whether or not the teachings of the Bible are important for you to know, and if so, which ones.  Or, they can simply tell you what the teachings of the Bible are, in their own ways and words.

While they are at it, they can also tell you what you should do about it, if anything.  And while they are doing that, they can also determine for you whether or not the Bible is True and reliable, and whether or not any of these are things you should decide for yourself.

Really.  They can do that.  In fact, they will gladly do all of that for you and more! ¨  And so they do.  People and religious social institutions have done this for other people all along, and they are doing it right now on this very day, all over the world.

So yes, that’s definitely an option, and it is by far the easier way to go.  I mean, why read it, think about it, and decide these things for yourself, when someone else can do it for you? That's much easier

To no surprise, that’s also the more popular choice of people by far.  In fact, it’s just what the vast majority of people have done over the course of the centuries, to this very day.  And when I say, “the vast majority,” I mean 99.9%+ of those who regard themselves as “children of God”… i.e. the God of the Bible… and/or as being among the “people of God,” bound for “heaven.”

And actually, this is True of anyone who regards any written documents as in any way representing “divine communication”… whatever those writings might be, and whatever their religion might be.  So very few of these “worshipers of God” actually know what their own “divine writings” actually say and teach.  So very few.  Yet they readily… and in some cases zealously… follow the leadership of other human beings, in accordance with the traditions of their culture and religion.

Another option is to simply ignore everything about the Bible.  That too you can easily do.  In fact, that’s the easiest way of all!… which, undoubtedly, is why it’s also the fastest growing and rapidly spreading approach to the Bible among people everywhere, in these increasingly dark and difficult days.

@ The Ultimate Issues

What you can't do, however, is ignore the main and most important issues the Bible deals with.  For God or no God, they are the main and most important issues of your life on this earth, as a human being.  And regardless of what you do or don’t do about anything, you deal with these life-controlling issues constantly, on a daily basis… every minute, of every hour, of every day of your life.

The ultimate issues of life correspond to the ultimate realities of life, some of which are as unpleasant as unpleasant can be… things like sickness and injury, decaying with age, death and dying among the worst.  Another unpleasant reality human beings constantly live with, is the unknown, increasingly dangerous and foreboding future, in which bad things invariably happen, often unexpectedly.

We all live with these realities 24/7, every "step" of the way, whatever way we "go."  And to be equally sure… absolutely positive… they are what they are.  They are the realities of your earthly life, and there is nothing you or anyone else can do to change them, get around them or escape them.  Nothing whatsoever.  Truly.  They are 100% fixed, set, unavoidable and not optional.

So like I said, don’t be an ostrich!  What will happen will happen anyway, and what will come to pass will surely come to pass.  Keeping your mind off it and closing your eyes to the Truth about it will just make matters worse.

Keeping your mind off the inalterable Truths of your existence will do nothing more than keep you from reasoning about them.  Pretty hard to reason through things you are not thinking about, don’t you think?  Or don’t you think?

And of all things not to reason through!  There can be no wise thinking,  judgment, decision, choice or course of action, apart from it being grounded in reality!  Simply put, there is no wisdom in ignorance, and the worst thing in the world to be ignorant of, is the Truth about your own life and existence!  What could be worse to ignore than that!  Answer: nothing could be.

And so given its profound role in human life and living over the last two thousand years, why be ignorant of the Bible’s teachings on these most important and consequential of all matters in life? … or worse, allow others to determine your personal beliefs for you.  Besides a desire to know the Truth and a mind open to it, all that is required in doing it for yourself, is a little time, effort and care.

And the Truth is, even a little will do.  For there is nothing difficult about doing it… i.e. correctly and adequately understanding the words and teachings of Scripture.  Of all things, the most basic and important Truths of the Bible are easy to “see” and “hear,” for all who seek to know them.

At the very least, read the Scriptures I quote for you, and think carefully about what I am “saying,” in light of the words of the Scriptures themselves.  Whether you have noticed it or not, what I say before and/or after the quote… in fact, everything I “say”… is designed for one purpose: to help "you" see and hear the Truth for yourself. 

So that’s also what you should be doing on this website… i.e. listening and thinking carefully… including right here and now.  You should particularly pay close attention to the highly important topic presently under discussion… i.e. “the spiritual realm.”  But here too, it’s not because there is anything complicated about it or difficult to understand.

The Truth is, with a little common sense, even a middle-aged child can easily understand the basic, most important Truths of the Scriptures.  And for the most part, that’s all it takes to understand the most important parts of what I “say” as well… although that part might take a little extra time and effort. 

No doubt… none at all… my own personal communication and writing deficiencies make it more challenging to read what I write and “listen” to what I “say”… especially in terms of quantity.  But nothing about it is hard to understand, at least to an adequate degree.  So don’t use that for an excuse to not listen to what I have to say to you either… unless, of course, you’re fine with invalid excuses.

As with the Scriptures, nothing I say is in any way complicated or difficult to understand.  But as with the Scriptures as well, you do need to understand it correctly, if you are to know it.  That’s the way it works… the only way it works… and that’s the way it is.

Right?  If you don’t understand it, then by definition, you misunderstand it.  If you misunderstand it, you don’t understand it.  And if you don’t understand it, you do not know it.  For one cannot  know something… anything… that he or she does not understand.  Sorry, it can’t be done, physically or otherwise.

And to be sure, those are not my rules.  All the more reason for taking the "extra” time, care and effort called for.  But that’s entirely up to you.

And before we go any further, don’t misunderstand me when I speak of “more important parts” and “less important parts” of the Bible.  In case I forgot to mention it earlier, it’s all important, but some parts definitely are more important than others.  For example, how to receive eternal life from God… which is what the Gospel of the Bible is all about… is more important than the details of the tabernacle furnishings.  Far more important. Talk about arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic! 

Not only do the Scriptures echo this sentiment, it’s also just plain common sense to think this way and approach the Bible with this in mind.  And as I "said," common sense is the first rule and primary requirement for correctly understanding the Bible.  Fortunately, that’s something free and easy to supply… at least for most people.

The other good thing is this.  The more important a subject or statement of Scripture, the more strongly and prominently it is stressed, and the more often it is repeated, restated and explained.  Those are the teachings of Scripture to concentrate on first and most… the Gospel first of all and most of all.

And so, you need to carefully read, think about, and “listen” to what I am telling you, and to the words and teachings of the Scriptures even more so, especially the ones most often and strongly emphasized.  You need to do this not because of anything being difficult to understand, but due to its importance… to “you personally.”

It may be a little early for you to “see” the Truth of that statement yet, but the fact is, the Truth of the Scriptures is of the utmost importance to you personally.  Seriously.  What I just said is True... as is everything else on this website.

And even if you already understand all of it so far, who knows what’s coming next?  I know I don’t… most of the time, anyway.  I rarely know what I’m going to say next, until I have finished saying what I was saying.  So do “listen” and think carefully as you continue to read... assuming you do.

Of course, “you” are also the one who makes the determination of Truth about whether or not what you are reading is important.  That’s part of your personal sovereignty and free will too.  So by all means, choose and do as you will… which you surely will.

All in all, having the free will to choose and act independently is a good thing.  But it does leave open the possibility that you will fail to see the Truth you need to know, and “go” the wrong way.

You may also fail to “see” that what you are reading about on this website is True and important… highly important to “you personally,” regardless of the fact that it's coming from the likes of “me.”  I hope you won’t fail to see that, but as with everything else having to do with “you personally,” that’s entirely up to “you personally.”

The Truth is, the things I have been sent to tell you are about the most important things in life by far, whether you can “see” that yet or not.  So given the importance of the subject matter, you really should “listen” carefully to what I have to say to you… even the long, lumbering, boring parts.

And what I just said goes for the words and teachings of Scripture even more so… except that there are no “boring parts,” at least not for those who want to understand the Bible more fully and clearly.  Nevertheless, we will have to skip those for now too.

Although actually, I’m not literally “afraid” of that at all.  I am rather “overjoyed” by it… i.e that I don’t have to do all that writing.

Not that I want to leave out the details, I don’t.  As you might have noticed, “I myself” am pretty keen on details.  But given the return of Christ being upon us and all, who begat who, how long they lived, and how many soldiers were in King David’s army will just have to wait.

But then, doing that is up to you too… i.e. putting in the needed time and effort.  So, as I keep repeating, do as you will, which you surely will.  It really is up to “you” and you alone.  And that’s just as it should be.  After all, it’s your spiritual life.

All I can do, is hope for the best… for “you,” I mean.  Well, actually, I can also do one more thing.  I can tell you with confidence, that if you don’t presently “see” that I am not only talking about the most important things in life but also speaking the Truth about them, you eventually will… if you keep reading, following the Truth, and doing so with a little thought, care and effort.

And I will also add this.  If you don’t want do listen and think carefully, then you might as well stop reading right now.  Really.  I mean it.  Personally, the only thing I can imagine being worse than reading all of this, is reading it without adequately understanding it.  Talk about a miserable waste of time!

And this is exactly what will happen, if you don’t read and think carefully and put a little time and effort into it, as you should.  And if you are going to keep reading, you might as well do that anyway, so you can at least determine for yourself whether or not the things I am “saying” are True and important to you personally.  If you just do that, and you understand me correctly, you will eventually find out that I am, indeed, talking about the most important things in life, and speaking the Truth in all that I say.

So getting back to what I was in the middle of talking about, for all intents and purposes, the immaterial human “soul,” is simply the combination of one’s immaterial “spirit” and “mind”... i.e. where one’s thinking and reasoning, thoughts and intentions, feelings, emotions and memory reside, and his or her “personal operations” operate.  You know, the immaterial part of “you,” in which you deal with the immaterial things in your life, which, except when your physical wellbeing is in peril, matter far more than the material things.

Regardless of the terms used on any given occasion, it is the living spirit and mind, that invisibly combine together to form the living "soul," which, when joined together with a physical body, makes the human being a human being.  And as you undoubtedly do know, it is the immaterial human mind that is, in turn, joined together with the material human brain… at least in some people… allowing a person’s personal operations to operate, in his or her daily life in the real world.

I say again, what’s not to understand about this?  For the life of me, I don’t know how anyone could be confused or troubled about any of this!  But the Truth is, this crowd of the confused… most of whom prefer to think of themselves as “enlightened”… is growing larger and larger by the day, and rapidly so.

And when I say, “don’t be confused or troubled about any of this,” I don’t just mean by the terminology.  I also mean by the existence and operation of both material and immaterial things and forces in the world around you and within your very own physical body.

This may not be an undeniable fact, but it surely is an inescapable fact.  Some people do, indeed, choose to deny the existence of the human soul… most, on the basis of yet to be discovered information, which they expect will eventually come to be known and disprove the existence of the human soul.  Talk about a risky assumption!

Nevertheless, it must also be said that everything about the spiritual realm… including the nature of the connection between the material and the immaterial… is, indeed, beyond the access of physical investigation.  After all, what does, “invisible, immaterial and undetectable” mean, if not that?

But in and of itself, that’s a pretty poor reason to determine that something doesn’t exist.  In other words, to conclude that just because something can’t be physically proven to exist, that automatically means it doesn’t, and, therefore, that it isn’t real.  Talk about a shaky conclusion!

Personally, I wouldn’t want to live my life on the basis of that conclusion!  But then, untold millions of people do just that these days… more and more by the day.

And frankly, the conclusion that the teachings of the Bible on the subject are outdated and irrelevant is no better.  Neither is the conclusion that the Bible is “too difficult to decipher,” “too mysterious to be known,” too confusing to understand, and/or impossible to be sure about.  Just as invalid, is the conclusion that there is “nothing to be concerned about,” in regard to the Bible’s teachings.  All of these conclusions are far beyond “shaky.”

Truth itself is invisible, immaterial, and in no way physically detectable.  But does that mean “Truth” is irrelevant and not worth a second thought?… or worse, that “Truth” doesn’t exist?  Well of course not!

In the same way, there is nothing physical about “friendship” or “loyalty” is there?  They are not composed of atoms, are they?  Well of course not.  So does that mean there is no such thing as “friendship” or “loyalty?”  Of course it doesn’t.  Talk about a ridiculous way of reasoning!

Really.  What reasonably sane person could possibly think that way?  Strangely enough, when it comes to the subject of human spirituality, the twenty-first century answer seems to be: “a very large and rapidly growing number of people.”

Neither does “invisible,” “immaterial,” “undetectable” or “mysterious” in any way mean “untrue.”  Things True are just as often about things that are nonphysical in nature, which are themselves, not physically detectable in any way.

The Truth is, all kinds of things exist that can’t be seen, heard, touched or in any other way physically detected and analyzed.  We have already named a few of these immaterial “things”… i.e. thoughts and intentions, feelings and motives, attitudes and expectations, friendship and loyalty, and all the rest.  And you know darn well that such things really and Truly do exist.  Things of this nature… i.e. of an immaterial nature… are in no way “physical,” but they are as real as real can be!

So please note that, “not physically detectable” doesn’t mean “not True,” “not real,” “not so,” or “doesn’t exist.”  It simply and only means: “not detectable by physical means.”  Really now, how much careful thought does it take to “see” the Truth of that statement?

And as I said, the words used to describe these immaterial aspects of the human being are not the issue.  Neither is the issue about how the physical and nonphysical “parts” of the human being are “joined together” within the human body.

The issue is the Truth of the matter at hand.  And the vitally important Truth of the matter at hand is this.  No matter what they be called or how the parts are “attached,” “connected,” “united” and/or “combined together,” the human being is part material and part immaterial.  It’s as simple as it is obvious, and as obvious as it is simple.

In other words… and only in differing words… the human being is part “physical” and part “spiritual.”  Or, if you prefer, “the human being consists of an immaterial living soul, within a physical human body.”

And so, God or no God, human beings simultaneously live a physical life and a spiritual life.  One’s physical life consists of all things material and biological.  One’s spiritual life consists of… well, everything else.  By this, I mean all of the thoughts, feelings, emotions and personal operations that go on within a person, as well as in his or her relationships with other people.

What more can I say?  Surely I have said this enough times now, in enough different ways.  So it is now for “you yourself” to see the Truth in these matters… or not.

Come to think of it though, I can add one more thing.  Not one single, solitary, provable fact, finding or shred of physical evidence exists, that in any way contradicts this essential Truth about the human being.  Not one.

No evidence to the contrary of any kind is to be found in ancient history, nor has any come forth since, to disprove the existence of these spiritual aspects of the human being.  No contradictory evidence was discovered during the Renaissance, none during the rise of science, none in the revolutionary advances of the last century, and none lately… just plain none at all.  Never has been, never will be.  For nothing True contradicts the Truth, in any way, at any time.

Of course, the fact that there is no “evidence to the contrary” also doesn’t prove that immaterial things do exist and happen, nor that the human being does, indeed, consist of an immaterial soul in addition to a material body.  It definitely doesn't.  To be sure, “no evidence” proves nothing at all.

The proof of these facts, is to be found in the realities of human life and living.  And it also lies within the human being, each and every.  It is to be found in one’s own self-awareness… for one thing, a person’s realization that he or she is not composed purely and entirely of material substances and activities.

Those who choose to believe that everything about them is strictly and only the sum total of their physical makeup, consciously disregard the Truth about themselves.  And in so doing, they can have no explanation whatsoever for the immaterial thoughts and feelings, attitudes, intentions, reasoning, decision-making and other personal operations, which go on within them and in their interpersonal relationships with other people.

Such things… and plenty more… are clearly not the product of the physical body parts or biological functions of human beings.  Can you not “see” that?

It is not the eyeball that causes a person to feel jealousy or resentment.  It is not the ear that tells one to be offended by an insulting remark.  No clump of brain tissue falls in love with anyone.  No chemical in the body causes one to pursue an objective, and no electrical current makes any decision of any kind.

And to be sure, it is not the material human brain that determines Truth and chooses a course of action.  It is the immaterial “person” within, who controls these personal operations and directs the actions of his or her own physical body.

See it or not, but the existence of this immaterial “inner-person” is a certain reality.  This is a Truth known to all adequately functioning human beings.  To deny the existence of this "inner self" is to intentionally suppress the Truth about oneself… and an essential Truth it is.

To call this inner person a “soul” is merely to give it a name.  And what better name to give it?  It has to be called something, so why not call it a “soul?”

The same goes for the “life-force” within us… you know, the one that ceases to function in a human body, after a few minutes without oxygen.  “Spirit” is the name most commonly given to it.  It has been since the English language was first spoken!  So why change it now?  Just to confuse people?  That’s all it would do… i.e. making up a new name for the life-force that animates the human body.

As I said, the names we give to things are not what matters.  Names are not the issue.  The issue is the Truth.  And the Truth is, to deny the existence of a human spirit and soul is to deny the existence of these immaterial aspects of the human being, which so dominate our daily lives.  Surely, no right-thinking person would do such a thing as that.

So now, that really is all I can say on the subject.  Surely it is time to move on to a new topic. 

@ Spiritual Atoms 

Wait though!  I just thought of something else I can say about the coexistence of the human body with the human spirit and mind… i.e. the human “soul.”  Sorry.  As I just “said,” that happens to me a lot.  It especially happens just as I finish saying what I have to say about something, trying desperately to stop writing any more about it than I have to.  And that’s pretty much all the time.

So here’s what else I have come up with to “say” on the subject.  If you are still struggling with how the immaterial person within you can coexist with your physical body, think of your mind, spirit and/or entire soul as being made up of some kind of unknown, non-physical substance, yet to be discovered.  In other words, a different kind of “matter,” we currently know nothing about… because not only can't we see it or physically detect it, we have not yet discovered it.  So at the present moment, we don't even know what it is.

So whatever it might be, it’s not listed on that table of the “elements” of the physical universe, which hangs on the walls of high school science classrooms.  

Now imagine that this unknown, totally different kind of “matter,” is also made up of atoms, but they are “nonphysical atoms.”  I would suggest we call them “anti-matter,” but I think that name is already taken.  So just for the sake of discussion, let’s call them “spiritual atoms”… i.e. the hypothetical “atoms” the immaterial part of you is composed of, which are not physical in any way.

One of the things I did hear in science class, was that just like the physical universe itself, the vast majority of every individual atom consists of empty space.  So the way I picture it, the “spiritual atoms” are present within our physical atoms, occupying the empty space.

In this way of thinking, the human spirit and soul can be envisioned to exist within the physical body… i.e. within every atom and molecule of every human being, or, if you prefer, within the individual atoms of the brain.  The immaterial and material coexist without a single "atom" of one’s spirit physically touching a single part of a single physical atom… not a “proton,” “neutron,” or “electron.”  Not even a “subatomic particle,” whatever those are.  From what I gather, they are even smaller and harder to detect than the "larger" parts, which you can’t see anyway. 

And right there is a perfect example of previously unknown information, which subsequently became known!  Human beings knew nothing at all about the atomic structure of matter, before it was discovered and figured out… at least to the extent we presently have.  And in the historical scheme of things, this too took place extremely recently.  Extremely recently.

To be sure, before we discovered the Truth about the atomic structure of physical substances and forces, we didn’t even know that atoms existed, let alone what they were made up of and how they work.  Isn’t that so?  Well of course it is.

 And just because we knew nothing about the atoms within us, that didn’t mean there was no such thing as an “atom,” did it?  Well of course it didn’t.  Atoms were there in our bodily makeup all along and 100% real.  We just didn’t know it at the time.

There is also nothing strange or confusing about this process of “learning” either… i.e. going from not knowing to knowing.  It has gone on throughout the history of the human race, and it happens to human beings all the time, in the course of their earthly lives.  It happens in matters large and small, important and unimportant.  It happens intentionally and unintentionally, individually and collectively.  In fact, learning takes place in people over time, on a fairly constant basis… most people, anyway.

 So maybe think that way about your body and soul.  Try it.  Think and reason about the immaterial part of "you" as being composed of “spiritual atoms,” occupying the physical atoms of your body, but never being one and the same or coming in actual contact with one another. “See” if that helps.  I hope it does.

 Personally, I doubt that this is how it actually works in reality.  But what I do think, is that if someone like me can come up with a plausible scenario like this one, then at the very least, there must be other unknown explanations that I am presently unaware of, and some that I can’t even conceive of.

Yes.  I know.  You’re not supposed to end a sentence with a preposition.  Pesky little words they are.

But while I am not particularly confident in the explanation I came up with… i.e. about “spiritual atoms”… I am entirely confident that one of the explanations I don’t presently know, actually is the explanation for how the immaterial and material can coexist and operate together in the same place and time, in the same human body.

Sometimes in life, the best we can do in thinking about the unknown… including what lies ahead in the future… is to do the best we can, by reasoning through the information available to us, in the ways we are presently capable of.  And that too, is precisely what intelligent, thinking, reasoning human beings do in life… at least most of the time.

And the Truth is, how physical and spiritual things coexist and work together doesn’t really matter anyway.  Really.  It's interesting to contemplate, but in the overall scheme of things, it’s just not important.  For knowing how it works doesn’t make it happen, and not knowing how it works doesn’t keep it from happening.

As with all the realities of the universe, if it exists it does, if it happens it happens, and it works the way it works because that’s the way it is… regardless of whether we understand it or not.  In fact, regardless of whether we even know about it or not.

“See” what I mean?  Lots of things in life are like that.  They are what they are, and they do what they do, regardless of what we think, believe, say or do, and whether or not we even know about them.

Do you “hear” what I’m “saying?”  While it might be nice to know things like that… i.e. how spiritual and physical things are joined together… these are not things we need to know, in order to function and operate properly.  I’m sorry if you don’t like that… i.e. not knowing all the details with certainty... but as I just explained, however it works is how it works, and however it works is the way it is.

So just live with it!  You might as well, because that’s exactly what you have been doing all your life.  That’s what you are doing right this very minute, and that’s what you will be doing in the future, at every moment of what’s left of your present, earthly life.

However they work, we can’t do anything at all to change the realities of our existence, be they material or immaterial, known or unknown.  Human beings simply cannot affect these realities in any way.  We have no say about it and no choice in the matter whatsoever, whether we like it or not.  None at all.

So I “say,” let’s not waste any more time talking about things we can’t know… or at least don’t know at the present moment... and let's concentrate on the things we can know and do something about.  "You" don't have to if you don't want to, but you do if you keep reading this website.  I do have a say in that, because I’m the one doing the writing.

If this way of thinking about the immaterial parts of “you” helps, then great.  It was probably worth the extra writing.  If not, then just toss it out and disregard it.  But remember, there is always a valid explanation for what is True and real, whether we know it or not, and, in fact, regardless of whether or not it can be known or even imagined at the present time.

Just make sure to remember that just because something can’t be physically investigated and proven to be True and real, that doesn’t automatically mean that it doesn’t exist, isn’t True, and isn’t real.  Spiritually speaking, this is not only a foolish assumption, it is a highly dangerous assumption… God or no God.

And in many cases, the result of this faulty conclusion is, indeed, a spiritually fatal leap of faith… i.e. to believing that nothing immaterial exists.  That’s almost as silly as the idea that, “what you don’t know can't hurt you."  Talk about silly!  Most of the things that hurt us are things we didn’t know about!… or, at least, weren’t paying attention to.

Unfortunately, this does happen all too often in life… i.e. a mistaken leap of faith.  In fact, it happens all the time in the lives of human beings.  Fortunately, most such blunders aren’t fatal, but sometimes they can be, and in some matters “it only takes one.”

So whatever you do, don’t rely upon there not being things you don’t know about, which could be detrimental to your life and wellbeing… physically or spiritually.  There most certainly are such things.  Even a fool knows that.

So now, finally, that really is all I have to say on the subject… at least for the moment.  However, when I say, “on the subject,” I mean the subject of how spiritual and physical things can coexist and interact.  Actually, I have a bit more to “say” on the larger subject of “spiritual things” in general.  So kindly bear with me… but only if you want to, of course.

For one thing, I should probably point out that you are not likely to find the words “material” and “immaterial” in any of today’s English Bible versions, except maybe for some of the newer ones… more of which seem to be coming out by the day.  From the vantage point of earlier times, the idea of a “physical universe,” made up of “material” substances and forces… i.e. “matter, space and energy”… was unknown, so it represents a later and more modern set of concepts and terminology.

In the original documents of Scripture, simple concepts were explained in the simple terms of the time.  And as reflected in most English translations of the Bible, the “physical/material” part of the human being is referred to in several different ways, from one passage to another… as are most other things spoken of in the Bible.  But most often, this physical/material part of the human being is called: “the body.”  How simple is that?  Not exactly what one would call a challenging issue of interpretation.

The human body is also at times referred to as, “the flesh.”  And if you read long enough and pay attention to what you’re reading, you will even find that the same author sometimes uses the words “body” and “flesh” interchangeably, in different passages of Scripture.

And, I might add, the people who wrote and originally received the documents of Scripture, knew full well that the human body also consists of “bones,” “blood,” “organs” and several other things.  So in referring to the human body as “the flesh,” no writer of Scripture meant to imply that the human being consists of nothing more than muscle tissue.

In the same way, referring to the inner-self of the human being as a “soul” doesn’t mean that there is no such thing as a “spirit,” or vise versa.  The Truth is, there is nothing at all contradictory about these kinds of differences in wording from one passage of Scripture to the next, and there is nothing at all to be confused about… which is why I keep telling you not to be.

So I suppose that to some extent, the problem people have with this subject really is just a matter of the terminology involved… which varies from person to person, not to mention, from language to language, culture to culture, and century to century.  Unfortunately, however, the problem most people have with this subject today, stems from something considerably more than a issue of terminology.

 Personally, I don’t know how anyone could be confused by such simple facts, but what I really can’t understand, is how anyone could deny the existence of immaterial/spiritual things and happenings.  Regardless of what anyone calls them, they are everywhere present and going on all over the place… within us, as well as all around us… and we all think about them, talk about them, and deal with them constantly in life, on a daily basis.

And, I might add, this is almost certainly the main reason they do escape our conscious notice.  These spiritual aspects of our lives are so prevalent, so commonplace, and so familiar to us, that we can easily fail to notice the fact that so many things about us and our lives are entirely immaterial in nature.

But still, regardless of the words used, it’s befuddling to me that people have any problem at all with understanding this vitally important Truth about themselves… i.e. that we human beings are composed of both a physical body and an immaterial spirit.  Or, “body and soul,” if you prefer to think and talk about it that way.  Again, both ways are correct, and in agreement with Scripture.

Actually, I hope you do prefer using the words “spirit” and “soul,” because that matches the way these things are spoken of in the Bible.  So that would definitely help.

In fact, when talking about the words and teachings of the Bible, it is extremely important to use the words of the Bible in the same ways they are used in the Bible.  Unfortunately, this is happening less and less by the day these days, and that may well be the number one cause of needless misunderstandings, as to what the Scriptures actually “say,” teach and mean.

As I was saying, the people who originally wrote and received the Scriptures, didn’t use the words “material,” “immaterial” and “nonphysical”... even in the languages they spoke at the time.  They didn’t think and talk about things in those terms.  They thought and talked about physical things in several different ways, but they thought and talked about nonphysical things as being “spiritual.”

So using the English words, “spirit,” “soul” and “spiritual” in the same way, will make it a little quicker and easier for us to connect the Truths of the universe to the Truths of the Bible… if we ever get there.  And as I said at the start, I’ll take all the quicker and easier I can get, especially when I’m writing.

I myself have never had any problem at all with understanding that as a human being, I am something more than merely "matter, space and energy."  And I have known for a long time, that the presence of biological activity within my body, is not the only difference between "me" and the inanimate things and forces around me.  You too?  I do hope so.

No doubt, the reluctance of people to think and talk about this Truly important subject is also partially due to the word “spiritual” itself.  This is especially so, given all the strange, superstitious and in some cases downright silly nonsense people have come up with over the years, regarding “the spiritual realm.”  You know, things like disembodied “spirits” invisibly lurking about, meetings in dark rooms to communicate with the dead, fortunetelling, and all the rest.  

The same can be said for the concept of the “supernatural,” and that particular word, as well.  For most people, the word “supernatural” conjures up all kinds of weird and wacky, far-out science fiction ideas, and every manner of make-believe fantasy.

Nowadays, in fact, to most people, the word “supernatural” is virtually synonymous with “imaginary,” which, by definition, means "not real."  And this is particularly so, in the minds of people who have overdosed on cartoons, movies, TV shows, books and/or video games of the sort, which have multiplied and spread like an out-of-control virus over the last half century.

Not that there is anything wrong with a little make-believe now and then, but when people spend more time in “pretend land” than in the real world, this can become a real problem.  And by this, I not only mean “a genuine and consequential problem,” I also mean an actual, real-life, spiritual problem.

Nevertheless, if the material realm of the physical universe be defined as “natural”… as so many people do these days… then what would one call something that isn’t physical in nature?… like a person’s ideas or feelings.

We couldn’t very well refer to these as being “non-natural” or “unnatural,” because there is nothing in the least unnatural about them.  They are totally natural, in the sense of something being a normal, common occurrence, in harmony with “nature.”

So it’s probably best to leave the word “natural” out of the discussion altogether, in any form… like “supernatural," “non-natural” or “unnatural."  Even on an intuitive level, it could… and does… cause confusion, and we don’t want any of that.

Having now thought about it, I am inclined to just leave it at referring to things not physical as, “not physical” and/or as “nonphysical.”  And instead of referring to immaterial things and activities as being “supernatural”… with all it’s mind-polluting and misleading connotations… we will simply refer to them as being “spiritual,” like the Bible does.  I will anyway.  As you know, “you” can call anything or anyone anything you want to.

So just to be clear… as I was told to be… we will continue to refer to physical/material things and operations as being “physical in nature,” just as they surely are.  And we will continue to refer to immaterial things and activities as being “spiritual in nature,” just as they surely are.  I will anyway.

The far more important matter… i.e. the Truth of the matter… is this.  Regardless of how anyone might think, feel or talk about spiritual matters, the existence and operation of completely nonphysical, immaterial “things,” in this “natural” universe is not only natural, but completely undeniable… except, perhaps, for a complete spiritual idiot.  I’m sure that “you yourself” are not one of those, of course, which is why I figured it was okay to use that word.

And even if some spiritual idiot does deny it, that does absolutely nothing whatsoever to change the Truth.  Nothing does anything to change the Truth!  For Truth cannot be changed by anything or any one, at any time… least of all, a spiritual idiot.

Truth is 100% unchangeable in nature, anywhere and everywhere in the natural, physical universe.  And the Truth continues on unchanged over time without ceasing… ever.

So if you have been all hung up on one or more of these annoying terminology issues, perhaps you can now get yourself untangled from it.  If so, that will allow you to move forward and make better progress along the path of Truth… assuming that’s the way you want to go.

These words and concepts do trip up a lot of people.  And unfortunately, many of these people have a swift and negative, knee-jerk reaction to them.  Some of these knee-jerkers react by neglecting or disregarding the entire subject.  Some completely ignore it, and others... more and more by the day... do something worse still.

Regrettably, many people living in these highly “scientific” times come to realize that the existence and operation of immaterial/spiritual things can neither be explored, nor can anything about them be proved or disproved by physical means, and they immediately jump to the conclusion that this means: “there is no such thing.”  In other words, if it can’t be physically proven to exist and/or happen, it doesn’t.  Talk about idiotic.

And the amazing thing is… to “me” anyway…. they do this, even though they are fully aware of all the immaterial things and activities that fill their lives and their relationships with other people.  You know, things like love and trust, jealousy and animosity, forgiveness and resentment, courage, grief, happiness, kindness and all other such things, which, like "right," "wrong," "good" and "bad" are not themselves physical in any way.

In so doing, they make the fatal leap of faith to the belief that there is no such thing as an immaterial realm in which nonphysical things exist and happen, and, therefore, that there is no such thing as a human “spirit” or “soul.”  At the very least, they conclude that given the uncertainties involved in these nonphysical matters, there is nothing human beings can know about such things, and/or that they are nothing to be concerned about.  So foolish.

Among these types, the word “spirit” is now used only as a synonym for “spunk,” “resilience,” and/or “determination in one’s efforts”… as in expressions such as, “team spirit” and “that’s the spirit!”  And they are quite comfortable in thinking and talking that way, because nowadays, most everyone thinks and talks that way, regardless of what they believe about spiritual matters.

Text Box 12

I would like to think that if you made it this far… both on the website and, more importantly, on the path of Truth… then “you yourself” must not be one of this kind.  In other words you are not a denier of the human soul.  And for sure, that would be a good thing… for “you personally” most of all.

But then, who knows why people do the things they do these days?… let alone why they think the way they think, not to mention, what they are actually thinking, feeling, wanting, planning and so on.  I sure don’t.

I could probably come up with a number of possibilities in any given situation, but I surely couldn’t be sure about any conclusions I might reach on such purely spiritual matters.  Neither could “you," and neither can anyone else.

The reason is, there is just no telling what goes on in the human soul… i.e. the “inner self”… of another person.  None at all.  God or no God, the inner person of a human being exists and operates in a purely immaterial region, into which other people have no access, physically or otherwise.

And when you think about it… assuming you would… that’s reason enough in itself not to pass judgment on another person’s personal operations, conclusions, beliefs, character, motives or other such purely immaterial things.   Truly.  It’s one thing to “make judgements” about the thinking and behavior of other people, but “passing judgment” on another person’s inner person, is quite another matter.

As most people know, the Bible clearly instructs that we not do this very thing.  Here are two such clear and straightforward statements of Scripture, the first being the words of Jesus Himself:

1 Do not judge so that you will not be judged.  [Matthew 7]

12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?  [James 4]

On the other hand, we human beings constantly “make judgments” in life, including judgments about the thinking and behavior of other people, and rightly so.   In fact, this is not only unavoidable, it is prudent and often necessary, for the sake of our own wellbeing and that of others.

And so say the Scriptures.  For example, here is what the Bible “says” about God’s people settling their interpersonal squabbles in “secular” courts, instead of making the needed judgements among themselves:

5 I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not among you one wise man who will be able to decide between his brethren, 6 but brother goes to law with brother, and that before unbelievers?  [1 Corinthians 6]

And by the way, this is a good example of how correctly putting together multiple passages of Scripture can bring about a greater and clearer understanding of the teachings of Scripture.  I could give you many other examples… a whole Bible full… but that will have to wait.  I’ve already gotten us off the subject again, and I need to get us back on it. 

@ The Pull of the Crowd 

The unfortunate Truth is, very many people today outrightly deny the existence of all things spiritual.  Worse still, their numbers are now so rapidly increasing, that the magnetism of their mass movement is growing ever more powerful by the minute.  So much so, that for all I know, “you yourself” may have been “pulled in” by this life-changing falsehood as well… i.e. that “all things are physical.”

And do beware of the fact that people who subscribe to this errant view more often phrase it: “all things are natural,” when they mean "physical."  As mentioned, human life is full of immaterial things, activities and relationships, which are completely natural.  They just don’t happen to be physical in nature.  So don’t be confused by that confusion either, even though so many other people are.

But even if you have taken this spiritually fatal leap of faith into believing that you and your life are purely and only composed of physical substances and forces, I’m still going to try to “talk you down,” or, I should say, “talk you back”… i.e. into the real world.  For the Truth is, this disastrous leap of faith… to believe that there is no such thing as an immaterial realm, in which nonphysical things exist and happen… is not a physical leap, which can’t be reversed.  It’s a spiritual leap, not subject to physical laws and forces.

So in reality, even if you have taken this mistaken “step” of faith… i.e. to believe that you have no soul… it’s a “leap” you can reverse at any time, even on the way down in free-fall.  And in so doing, you can immediately return to reality.

The only “hitch” is, you have to be alive, in order to do it… like you are now.  For to be sure… absolutely positively certain… it cannot be done after you “cross the finish line” of your earthly life... because “you” will no longer be “here” to do it.

Whenever and however it comes, once you have crossed that “end line,” it will be too late to make any corrections of any kind to anything.  At that point and forever after, you will be permanently unable to change a single thing you ever thought, felt, believed, said or did in your life on the earth gone by.

Needless to say… or maybe not… you will, therefore, be permanently unable to determine any Truth and make any connection you didn’t make, in the course of your days on the earth.   And that includes a connection with the God Who Created you, in the event that there IS such a God, and “you" yourself failed to make the connection.  Talk about no second chances!

And keep in mind as well, that even while you are alive, nobody else can conduct your personal operations and make your decisions for you, regardless of what they might claim or how extravagantly they might be costumed.  And even should you try your best to let them do it, in reality, no one but no one can make your determinations of Truth for you, nor can anyone but you form your own personal beliefs, make your own choices, and live your own life.  To be sure, no one but “you” can control your inner person, set your “course,” and “travel” your journey of life.

No matter what, “you yourself” are the one and only person who does your thinking, feeling, reasoning, decision-making and choosing in life, as well as the real and actual acting upon your own personal choices.  So do keep that in focus.

“Spirituality” is also a word immediately associated with "religion," which highly consequential subject has now been all but banished from public discourse… at least in most western societies.  With it has gone free and open communication about the topic, and about the great majority of related subject matter… in fact, pretty much anything that anyone might disagree about or be bothered by. 

No doubt people also avoid the subject of spiritual matters, because they don’t like to think and talk about things they don’t understand… which, in large part, is why they don’t understand them.  As with the teachings of the Bible, it surely is much easier to simply ignore the entire subject, than it is to deal with the unavoidable, spiritual issues in life… simple as they are.  As with every other approach, the plain and simple facts of life remain unchanged and unaffected by this ignorance and lack of attention.  

So believe it or not, but the Truth is, many people living today intentionally disregard, ignore or even totally deny the existence of any and all things “spiritual,” including their own souls and their own spiritual lives!  Hard to imagine, but regrettably, it’s True.

Spiritually speaking, it’s a Truly sad state of affairs, and the Truth is, it’s getting worse by the day.  This is yet another sign of the times.  It’s also testimony to how badly some people don’t want things to be what they are, which they are anyway, regardless of what anyone thinks, feels, wants, believes, says, does or doesn’t.

The fact is, some people just plain don’t want the Truth to be the Truth, especially when it comes to their own spiritual nature, not to mention their ignorance on the subject, not to mention their misaligned conduct in life, in regard to the Truth.  I do hope you aren’t part of this misinformed and misguided mob.

In case you haven’t picked up on it, what I am rather hoping, is that you are one who can “see” the essential Truth about the existence of an invisible, immaterial, human spirit and soul within you.  Really hoping.

But here too, if you can you can, and if you can't you can’t.  If you can, I can help you with the rest of the Truth you need to know.  Unfortunately, however, if you can’t “see” this essential Truth about yourself… well, it’s back to the weeds/forest/deep dark waters you go.  “Of your own doing,” I might add.

As I keep saying, “you” are the one who determines the Truth for "yourself."  I have no say in that matter whatsoever, and neither does anyone else, other than you.

Not that I don’t care, I do.  And not that I won’t keep trying to help you out of the spiritual darkness into the light of the Truth.  I will.  I will keep trying to help you “see” the Truth you need to know, to the extent I am able and in the time allotted.

I don’t know how anyone could fail to “see” all this self-evident Truth, but I suppose it is possible.  The other possibility is  simply that your “glasses” get “fogged up,” whenever you contemplate this "spirit within" issue.  It does give people trouble, especially here in this overly complicated, overly technological, overly “enlightened,” overly materialistic and troubled, “bold new millennium” we have just begun.  It troubles me too, but for an entirely different reason.

That’s what happened to me on the Gospel page, the very day I started it... which, I will thank you to note, was the very day I was told to begin speaking.  The problem is/was, as soon as I did, my “glasses” suddenly went opaque, just when I really needed them to be clear and unobstructed!  “Opaque” is just a fancy word for “you can’t see through it at all.”

And to be sure, that was a day I am highly unlikely to ever forget.  I won't forget when it happened either, seeing as how it was "Easter Sunday,” 2020.  And on that very day, just when I most needed my vision forward to be 20/20, I couldn’t see where to “step” at all!  I mentioned that back at the start of this page(s), in the very first section I wrote, all those months ago.

Passover and Ramadan were also underway at the same time, but I don't remember the exact dates.  I suppose I could get the dates off the calendar and include them for you, but a) the dates themselves don't matter, b) they change from year to year anyway, and c) you can look them up for yourself without my help, if you want to.  I don't know why you would want to, but if you do, you can.  Who knows, maybe you can't find anything better to waste your time on.

These annual, religious "anniversary commemorations" are another topic we don’t have time to stop and “talk” about.  So before I get sidetracked again, let’s get back on task.

When I said, “this is what happened to me on the Gospel page”... i.e. about things being "foggy" on the issue of the human soul... what I meant was that I no sooner started writing, than I couldn’t “see” what to “say” next.  And as you undoubtedly know by now, that’s not ordinarily a problem for me.

What I was struggling with, was what to “say” about your soul, that you would clearly and easily understand.  And as I have been writing about for some time now, the problem with that is not that the subject is mysterious or complicated.  It isn’t.  It is entirely simple and straightforward.

The trouble lies with all the confusion over these immaterial aspects of human life and living these days, not to mention the terminology involved.  That’s why I have taken so long in repeatedly rewriting the previous chapters of this “page” over the months… especially the last few chapters… trying to clear up the confusion.

As to the terminology, it matters not whether you say “immaterial” and think about things that way, or you say “spiritual” and think about things that way.  And it matters not if you say “spirit,” “soul,” “self,” “inner person” or whatever else.  The Truth is, you are what you are, regardless of how you think about it and talk about it.  Thinking and talking about it as it is spoken of in the Bible, simply makes it quicker and easier to connect and understand what the Bible says and teaches about these matters. 

In fact, what I have been trying to do on this entire “about John” page(s), is to tell you everything you need to know before considering what in the Bible is called, “the Gospel.”  And by “considering the Gospel,” I mean reasoning through the Gospel of the Bible after hearing it explained correctly, in order to be sure that “you yourself” understand it correctly.  For if you don’t understand it correctly, you don’t know it, and if you don’t know it, you can’t do anything about it, one way or the other.

As you know, I am also really bad about getting off the subject I am on.  I actually do try not to do that, but even so, I still find it extremely difficult to stay on the topic I am "talking" about.

One reason for this, is that I don’t know what Truth is and isn’t in your own personal inventory, and currently present in your mind.  Neither do I know what Truths you do or don’t have properly connected together.  So, because my default setting is to not take any chances, I wind up talking about all these simple and obvious things... just to be sure you are aware of them... thinking each will take only a couple of short paragraphs.

The other reason I don’t restrain myself from taking these “side trips,” is that in the process of writing this “about John” page, I am trying to find a route back to the Gospel page.  In other words, I keep on “talking,” trying to cover everything you need to know prior to hearing the Gospel of Scripture, in the hopes of figuring out in the process, how to get past my “roadblock” on the Gospel page.

In all sincerity, this whole process of conducting my ministry “online," by writing on a computer,  is a highly frustrating, really difficult undertaking for me.  But I am trying.  After all, where else and how else could I possibly reach the people of God, scattered around the globe in this increasingly intertwined, interdependent and electronically "connected" world?

Speaking of staying on the subject, let’s get back to the topic we were on, before this latest digression.  The subject was, “the pulling power of the crowd” and how it affects the way people determine not only what is True or false, but what they themselves regard as being right or wrong, good or bad, and important or not, in the myriad of spiritual matters in life. 

My computer says that a “myriad” is, “an enormous and uncountable number.”  And so they are… i.e.  the spiritual aspects of human life and living.  

As I’m sure you now realize, our determinations of “good” and “bad,” “right” and “wrong,” and, in fact, "what is what" in all matters physical and spiritual, are based upon our determinations of Truth.  So in order to overcome the negative effects of the pulling crowd, one must determine Truth correctly and then rely upon the Truth to “go” by in life, rather than the persuasive power of popular opinion.

So as I hope you now have firmly in mind and in focus, our personal determinations of Truth are the very basis of how we think, feel, reason and live our lives.  And they are not only the basis of what we regard as being real and factual, they are the basis of what we regard to be right, wrong, good, bad, important, valuable, reliable and whatever else... in other words, everything we regard as being whatever we regard it to be. 

And so it is that our personal determinations of Truth are the basis of our entire way of life!  In a sense… a very real sense… they lie at the very center, the very core, the very “heart” of who we are as individual human beings… Truth itself being the “lifeblood” of the human soul.

And by the way, in case I forgot to mention it, we human beings are the only living creatures with this unique capability.  Darwin or no Darwin, no other life-form on the earth has this very special capacity… i.e. to discern and reason in Truth, and then follow the Truth to higher and greater Truth.  My my, what a coincidence. 

Coincidence or not, our personal determinations of Truth… correct or not… direct and control our lives.  They form the basis of how we think, feel and reason, how we deal with other people, how we handle the various situations we encounter in life, and how we plan for the future.  In the process, they become the basis of our choices and actions in life, which proceed from them and correspond to them.

Notice it or not, but the plain, simple and inescapable fact is, we human beings live our lives on the basis of our established and ongoing determinations of Truth, right and wrong.  Hence the paramount importance of making correct determinations of Truth. 

And as I have been harping on all along, the one and only True, sound, solid and reliable basis for our determinations of Truth, is Truth itself.  To be sure, when it comes to the “journey” of life, Truth is the one and only, certain and reliable “path” to follow.  

And that’s why it is so critically important that we make correct determinations of Truth, especially in matters of importance and consequence.  For it is only when our determinations of Truth are correct, that we are connected to the Truth, and its flowing power. 

Figuratively speaking, Truth is like “electricity,” bringing “power" and "light” to the human mind.  Making a correct determination of Truth is like “turning on a light switch,” and making an incorrect determination of Truth is like “turning one off”… or keeping one off that's already off.  It’s just that simple. 

Literally speaking, our personal determinations of Truth are the only means of our own personal connection to the Truth.  When they are correct, we are connected to the Truth.  When they are incorrect, we are disconnected from the Truth, and from its power and guidance.  It’s just that simple.

Really.  What could be simpler?  That’s also why it is so vitally important to seek the Truth in life and determine Truth correctly, when it is encountered.

And speaking figuratively again, that’s also why it is so vitally important that you set your course and “compass” on Truth, and navigate by means of the Truth, on your “voyage” of life. That’s up to you, of course,  but if you ask me… actually, whether you do or not… the Way of Truth is the only way to go.  It really is.  For God or no God, that's the only way to “see” where you are “going.” 

But needless to say… or possibly not… if there actually IS a God of Creation, then it can only be that the Way of Truth is the one and only Way that leads to Him.  And to be equally sure, it can only be that Truth is our only means of knowing anything about Him and connecting with Him, if this be possible.  According to Scripture, it most definitely is.  So please do go this route.

In fact, whether you ask me or not, I would more than strongly advise you to seek and follow the Truth in your journey of life.  Like I just said, that’s entirely up to “you,” but that’s what I have been told to tell you.  And now, I just have… again.  I say, “again,” because I told you that right up front, right on the “home” page. 

But whether you do that or not… i.e. seek and follow the Truth in life… know this for sure.  The path of Truth is the one and only Way that leads to the higher and greater Truth in life and ultimately, to the ultimate Truth.  And to be equally sure, Truth itself is the only means of traveling this path.  

Still, even for those who do strive to follow the Truth in life, the magnetic power of the crowd remains an extremely powerful, competing, spiritual force.  Whether we realize it or not, we are all highly affected by the thinking and behavior of other people... especially in large numbers… and these days, unfortunately, rarely for the better.

I’m sure you have noticed this persuasive “pull of the crowd” effect yourself.  In fact, I’m sure you have experienced it firsthand.  It is, indeed, a powerful and always present force, constantly at work among human beings… except, perhaps, for hermits. 

If you have never realized that… i.e. the pulling power of the crowd… or it had slipped your mind, then do realize it now, keep it firmly in mind, and beware of it.  If you don’t, you will surely fall further and further under the influence of this all-to-often detrimental, social force.

So as I was saying, the mission-related problem I encountered on the Gospel page, was in realizing that "you yourself" might very well have a problem with understanding that “you” are a thinking, feeling, reasoning, immaterial, spiritual being with a soul, in addition to a physical body, composed of atoms, molecules, bones, tissues, and all those other physical things.  If so, that would spell trouble for you in understanding the Gospel correctly… which is the one and only Way in which the Gospel works.  In other words, it’s the one and only Way in which you can personally connect with the Truth of the Gospel, and the power of the Gospel can connect with “you.” 

Unfortunately, many people today do fail to “see” that this is so… i.e. that there is an immaterial part to all human beings.  Very many, in fact, and more by the day.  Nevertheless, it’s True anyway, and there is no getting around it.  The fact is, we are what we are, whether we “see” it or not.

The Truth is, we human beings are not purely and only physical beings, we are, at the same time, immaterial beings… or as described in the Bible, "spiritual" beings.  That’s what we are… all of us.  And this is True, even if everyone on the planet believes otherwise.

Can you “see” that this is True?  I hope so, because it is True… whether you can “see” it or not.  When it comes to reality, what we think and believe about ourselves changes nothing.  "See" it or not, each of us is a living soul, residing within a physical body.

God or no God, and regardless of the terminology used to talk about it, that’s what we are, and that’s the way it is.  And as I also keep “saying,” the Truth is the Truth, no matter what anyone does or doesn’t think, feel, believe, say or do.

And in this particular matter… i.e. the spiritual life of the human being… the key word is: “believe.”  For no matter how compelling the case might be made for either view… i.e. “soul or no soul”… no physical proof ever has or ever will render either determination of Truth a physical certainty.

In reality, any and every determination of Truth in immaterial/spiritual matters is entirely a matter of faith and thus, a personal belief.  And that’s the Truth, no matter how many people agree together about it, for or against.

As you might have noticed, never before in all of human history, have more people had more differing and conflicting beliefs about every imaginable subject, than they do this day.  And to be sure, one’s personal beliefs about spiritual matters in general and the human spirit in particular, are high on the list of differing and conflicting beliefs… except, of course, for those who choose to ignore the subject altogether.

So unfortunately, as with all questions and issues about the spiritual realm, the spiritual nature of the human being has become a confused, contentious and thorny issue among people, especially of late.  And back in the spring of 2020, when I began to write this website, I decided that I should avoid all the thorn-bushes I possibly could early on… most of all, on the Gospel page.

Come to think of it, I'm getting that same feeling again now.  But at this already dangerously late date, there is no way I am starting another “page” to deal with it.  As far as I’m concerned, writing and rewriting this “about John” page(s) all these months, when I was supposed to be writing the Gospel page, is already plenty dangerous enough as it is… spiritually speaking… especially for “me personally.” 

What happened was, not long after I started the Gospel page, I realized that apart from understanding this first and foremost Truth about yourself... i.e. that "you" are part physical body and part non-physical mind and spirit… there would be no way you could understand the Gospel correctly.  And at the same time, I realized that given the times we live in, there would also be no way I could explain what needed to be explained on this contentious issue, in the course of explaining the Gospel.

So even though I am anything but a writer, I had a monumental case of “writer’s block,” soon after I started writing the Gospel page.  I saw no way to explain the Gospel simply, clearly and concisely… as I was told to do… and at the same time, cover all the Truth you need to know, in order to correctly understand this simplest and most important of all subjects in the Bible… which I was also told to do.

So, I decided to work on this “about John” page(s) instead, considering that to be the better alternative to standing still… i.e. writing nothing… which was the only other alternative I could “see” at the time.  And for all those months since, I still couldn’t find another alternative… hence all the writing and writing and writing.

But now I can “see” something I couldn’t before!  Funny how that happens, isn’t it?  No, actually, it isn’t.  “Ordinary” is the better word for it.  It’s nothing more than the way life works over time, that's all.  We very often cannot see what we eventually come to see, until we reach a different vantage point at a later point in time, from which to “see” the Truth we were lacking.

That’s the way life is too.  In fact, this happens fairly constantly, all the way through life.  At any rate, I do believe I can now “see” the resolution to my dilemma.

@ Back to the Gospel Page

Seeing as how there are three already-written chapters left to go on this “about John” page, this would be a strange place to end it, but perhaps I will.  If so, I will come back to this chapter later on, give it abetter title, and delete the remainder of the "page"… unless, of course, I forget to or change my mind about it for some reason.  In whatever case and however it be titled, allow me to explain. 

As I mentioned, where I got stuck on the Gospel page, was very early on.  It was right when I was about to spell out the Gospel of the Bible, which even for me, would have taken only a few short sentences.  After doing that, all that would be left for me to do, would be to over-explain it a few times, just to be extra-sure I had explained it adequately, in order to be extra-sure it could be adequately understood, even by a child… as I was also told to do. 

. 

And that is vitally important, because according to the Scriptures, the Gospel of the Scriptures is the Bible’s explanation of the one and only Way in which human beings living in this age can enter into eternal, spiritual Life and relationship with their Creator, for the remainder of their earthly lives and beyond.  And when I say “beyond,” I do mean beyond.  I mean what the Bible means.  I mean, “forever after, in a state of never-ending coEXISTENCE with the God Who Created the universe and all things within it.”

This state of eternal coEXISTENCE with THE LORD is another thing referred to in the Bible in several different ways, but as most people know, it is most often called, “heaven.”  And as most people also know, it is clearly said to be a state of total “good” and “right,” in the complete absence of all things “bad” and “wrong.”  According to Scripture, “heaven” is this and more… much more.

While there are far fewer details given about it in the Scriptures than we might like, the main and most important things about "heaven" are made abundantly clear.  This “eternal state” is clearly said to be the “place” where God’s people live together in fellowship with Him and with one another forevermore, in His perfect Love and Righteousness.  There are other details provided as well, but they are not on the present subject.  Maybe another time and “page.” 

On the present subject, I believe you can now “see” why my “writer’s block” occurred on the Gospel page.  That next paragraph I couldn’t “see” to write about your soul, would have required that you be aware of your spiritual nature, in order to understand the Gospel correctly… which at the time, I couldn’t figure out how to explain to you.

And given the vital importance of the Gospel of Scripture, I was not about to avoid using the words “spirit” and “soul,” which are the key words that appear in the Scriptures, when this most important of all matters is being “talked" about.

So I was in no doubt that among those who might read this website, some would have an insurmountable problem with what they were reading, at the worst possible moment… i.e. when they were reading about and hopefully “hearing” the Truth of the Gospel.  That would be the last thing I would want to happen.

“See” the problem?  Apart from understanding their own spiritual nature, they wouldn’t be able to “see” the Truth of the Gospel, due to being in a spiritual “fog” … i.e. the fog they were already in, regarding the immaterial part of being a living being.

So that “fog” had to be cleared up first.  Otherwise, I would have had no other choice but to stop right then and there, and explain what they needed to know about the human soul, so they could correctly understand the Gospel.

I couldn’t very well just say, “all human beings have an immaterial soul, which is the part of the human being capable of knowing God,” now could I?  Anyone who didn’t already know and believe that wouldn’t just take my word for it, would they?  I know I wouldn’t.

And even more so, how could they adequately understand what they needed to know about their spiritual nature, without having it explained in such a way as to allow them to easily understand it and “see” the Truth for themselves?  I don’t see how anyone could have.

So at a minimum, I would have needed to explain everything I explained in the section called “The Human Soul,” before explaining the Gospel.  And that would have been the end of explaining the Gospel concisely, as I was told to do!

So now maybe you can “see” this one of my mission-related problems more clearly.  I would have had to explain everything I  just explained about the immaterial human spirit and soul in the course of explaining the Gospel, and that would have been a catastrophe all around!  So what was I to do?

Rightly or wrongly, what I was to do is what I did.  I started writing this “about John” page instead… which I was also told to do… looking for a way to resolve my dilemma and write my way back to the Gospel page, somehow managing to explain what you need to know about your soul, in the process.  And, I might add, I did this while waiting for the help from THE LORD I had asked for… apart from which I couldn’t do it at all… as the “page” kept getting longer and longer.

And how could I not have needed to do that first?  Really.  How could you possibly understand anything about “you” having a spiritual relationship with God and “going to heaven,” if you didn’t adequately understand the Truth about your own spiritual nature?  So obviously, I had to explain that first!

And so, my realizing that you might be confused about your own spiritual nature became the reason for my “writer’s block” on the Gospel page, back on “Easter” Sunday, 2020.  At the time, I just couldn't figure out what to “say” next!

But don’t get me wrong, I was more than fine about the need to explain the Gospel concisely.  In fact, given its utter simplicity and brevity, that’s definitely the way it should be explained. And given my passionate dislike for writing, that’s precisely the way I would want to do it... at any time… i.e. to make it quick, easy, short and to the point.

Of course, no matter what I might “say” or how I might say it, most people will reject the Gospel anyway, for any number of different reasons, not one of which ever was or ever will be a valid reason.  There is nothing at all new about that.  This is what the vast majority of people have done… i.e. reject the Gospel… right from the start of the age and in every century since, to the present day. 

Nevertheless, the last thing I would want, would be for my lengthy explanations about what people need to know in order to understand the Gospel correctly, to be one of those invalid reasons.  So even had I not been specifically told to do so, I knew from day one sentence one, that “succinctly” was and is the only way for me to explain the Gospel.

And as I just said, that’s precisely what I wanted to do in the first place… i.e. make it short and to the point… especially since I have to do it in writing.  Unfortunately, however, I just couldn’t manage to do it.

But now perhaps, I can!  Now that I have explained the obvious Truth to you about the human spirit and soul, I am inclined to go back to the Gospel page and try again to get it written.  And maybe this time, I will be successful!  I sure hope so.  Do I ever.

But do you “see” what happened?  To repeat myself again, what happened was, no sooner did I begin to write the Gospel page, than I quickly faced a major, mission-related problem.  I realized that if you didn’t already know what you needed to know about yourself … in other words, if you didn’t have an adequate understanding of what it is to be a human being and have that in mind first… nothing I might “say” would explain anything to you, let alone would it correct anyone’s incorrect thinking and personal beliefs about the Gospel, upon which one’s spiritual life and eternal relationship with God depend.

I immediately realized that being a twenty-first century human being, you might very well have a problem with understanding that “you” are a spiritual being with an immaterial soul. And if so, you wouldn’t be able to understand the Gospel, because that’s what the Gospel is all about… i.e. the life of your “soul” and its relationship to the God Who Created you.

And that would have been spiritually fatal, because according to Scripture, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the one and only means of having a relationship with God.  Indeed, as the Scriptures make clear, the Gospel represents the one and only Way provided by God in this age and thus, the one and only means of knowing God, person to Person.  And that, of course, is why it is essential that the Gospel be understood correctly. 

So were this missed connection to occur, that would have been the end of that, right then and there!  Crash and burn!  Done for!  Failed mission, in my very first steps!  Talk about a worst-case scenario!… for "me" too.

What would have undoubtedly happened… as you can well imagine… is that me being “me,” I would have written paragraph after paragraph after paragraph on the subject of spirituality, trying to say what I felt needed to be said about that first, to make sure that you understood what you needed to know about it.  That’s everything you just read through, in the last few chapters… assuming you did.

So now, perhaps, you can better “see” this mission-related problem for yourself.  I was specifically told in no uncertain terms to explain the Gospel to you plainly, clearly and concisely.  But like all of the most basic and important Truths of the Bible, the Gospel is about your soul and your spiritual life.  So I needed to be sure you understood that first.

And that includes everything pertaining to your daily, physical life and activities on the earth, as well… because your spirit is operating at every moment, in everything you think, feel, say and do in your life, everywhere you are and everywhere you go in your physical body.  The Truth is, your body and soul are joined together as if they were one and the same, even though they are clearly not. 

So as you can imagine, taking all those paragraphs to explain all these spiritual Truths to you in the middle of explaining the Gospel, would have been a total disaster!  Really.  It would not have worked for anyone.

Can you imagine what a disaster that would have been?  I can’t.  That’s why I “fled” to another page… i.e. this one.  But now, LORD willing, I’m done with it!  I am finally finished writing this “about John” page(s).

As it happened, this page about “me personally”… the one I most didn’t want to write… was the only page available to write anything on.  And as I said way back when… as well as a few paragraphs ago… I thought writing this page to be a better choice than doing nothing.

So now that I have finally explained all of that to you, I can’t think of anything more to say on this matter either… i.e. the subject of why I have written so ridiculously much on this “page.” And as far as I’m concerned… you too, I would think… that’s a “good” thing.

I have also now come to realize that this “about John” page(s) turns out to have had a good and positive purpose all along, even though technically speaking, I wasn’t supposed to be writing it yet.  And, I now realize, that purpose is actually made up of four specific, individual purposes… just like the one True Gospel of the Scriptures is made up of several specific, individual Truths.

Indeed, according to Scripture, those specific, interrelated, individual Truths of the Gospel are essential to understand correctly.  In other words, they are Truths you need to correctly determine and connect together for yourself, if you are to avail yourself of what the Gospel has to offer.  You simply must understand these Truths correctly, if the Gospel is to work for “you personally”… because according to Scripture, that’s the only way it will.

The first specific purpose of this page, is that it provided the place for me to tell you what you need to know about me personally, as I was told to do.  To be sure, I was told to begin with the Gospel page, but I was, nonetheless, also told to tell you what you need to know about “me personally.” 

So please note that when I got stuck on the Gospel page and stopped writing it, I stopped doing as I was told, but I did, at least, do something else I was told to do.  So I’m thinking that maybe this not-so-little failure of mine wasn't all that entirely bad.  I certainly hope it wasn’t.

As it turns out, the second specific purpose of this page was to provide a place for me to move forward instead of standing still, and in doing so, find some route back to the Gospel page along the way… which I have hopefully now done.  As I have now come to “see,” that was to tell you everything I could think of that you might need to know before considering the Gospel, and/or which might have come up in the middle of explaining the Gospel concisely, as I was told to do.

The third specific purpose of this page… which I began to notice a few weeks in… was to give me the time and place to learn how to write better. Not that I have, I obviously haven’t. But still, I think… and hope… I have now learned to make myself at least adequately clear, which is all I need to do, in order for you to understand me adequately, which is all you need to do, in order to know what you need to know.

And as I just finished explaining, the fourth purpose of this “about John” page was to provide the place for me to explain what you needed to know about your own spiritual nature, before explaining the Gospel of Scripture to you.  You know, your “soul”… i.e. the unity of your spirit and mind… which is the 100% real but 100% immaterial part of “you.”

And as I’m sure you can also now “see” for yourself, the subject of the human spirit and soul is as simple as it is important.  In fact, this essential Truth about the human being is so simple, it really can’t be “complicated.” As with the Gospel, the only way to do that, would be to leave something out that is part of it, or add something to it that doesn’t belong… neither of which I will do.

And of all things, I will surely not do that with the Gospel.  For as I hope would be obvious, leave something out that is part of the Gospel or add something to it that doesn’t belong, and by definition, it is not the Gospel of Scripture.  Talk about a fatal mistake.

So now… “now” being the autumn of 2021… I am thinking that I have finally done what I needed to do!… i.e. explain your spiritual nature to you, in a way you can easily understand for yourself.  I may not have done it well, but I think  I have at least done it adequately.  And while I haven’t told you everything there is to know about your spirit and soul, I have told you what you need to know… along with a host of other things you might have missed, misunderstood or let slip your mind. 

And so, it seems that my “help” has finally arrived! And, in fact, it was there all along! I wasn’t sure where I was going on this “page,” but as it turns out, I was going to where I needed to get… i.e. right here and now, in this section of the page. At least I hope so.

And just In case it wasn’t or isn’t obvious enough, by “help from THE LORD,” I mean God’s Spirit enabling me to “see” the solution, resolve my dilemma, and do as He directed me to do… i.e. write the Gospel page.  And seeing as how it was THE LORD Who told me to embark on this mission in the first place, I felt confident that this was the appropriate course to follow… especially since I couldn’t see any other way anyway.

But now, I see no reason why I shouldn’t stop right here and get back to work on the Gospel page… again… clearly and succinctly explaining the Gospel of Scripture, as I was directed to do. Perhaps I can actually do that now… i.e. now that you are adequately prepared to “hear” it.

But I have, indeed, changed my mind.  I’m not going to end the page with this chapter and delete the rest of it after all.  Instead, I will just leave the remainder of what I had originally written “as is”… i.e. “as was”… and resume working on the Gospel page without further delay.  That way, you can read the rest of what I previously wrote or not, as you please. 

As it turns out, there are only three chapters left to go anyway.  They have been little changed since they were first written, so if you do read the rest of this page, you might find it a bit more challenging to read than what you have read from the beginning of the page to this point… but then, probably not all that much, because my writing really hasn’t improved all that much, if it has at all.

And please note that even though the final section ends with my going back to the Gospel page to finish it, that’s not what actually happened.  When I had originally "finished” this page back in 2020, I still couldn’t “see” what to “say” next.  That’s why I have spent the last many months rewriting the previous however many chapters of this page there are, however many times it has been.  I hope it will be different this time.  Do I ever.

Text Box 13

So just a quick navigational note, if you haven’t already picked up on it.  What follows from here to the end of this page is pretty much the same as it was, when it was first written.

Yes.  I actually finished this “about John page” fairly promptly after starting it.  As I just “said,” however, when I finished it, my “writer’s block” on the Gospel page had gone nowhere.  So I went back and rewrote this page again and again and again, trying to make it better and clearer, while at the same time, looking for the solution to the impasse I so quickly came to on the Gospel page.  I don’t know that I made anything any better or clearer, but I surely did make it longer… way longer.

And believe me when I tell you, I am sorry about that!… i.e. the length of this page.  Am I ever. Nevertheless, that’s what it took me to say what I needed to say, before I could succinctly explain the Gospel.  That part, I’m not sorry about at all.  It had to be done.

Sorry or not, the text to follow is apt to be even harder for you to read and listen to than what I have written to this point… i.e. what you just read, up to this section.  And that’s the way it will have to stay, because I am not taking the time to improve it any further.  So do the best you can with it… assuming you choose to read it.

It’s going to take me some time to finish writing and posting the Gospel page anyway, so perhaps you should read the rest of this page in the meantime.  Who knows, maybe it will be of some further help to you.  Something you read might be something you need.

And one last thing.  Before I rewrote this "about John" page(s) from the beginning to here, this next section came right after the chapter called, “Truth, Time and the Physical Universe.”  It got pushed all the way down to here, by all the extra rewriting.  Perhaps it will also help you to know that, as well.

Make that two last things. From the start, I have asked only one thing of you, in helping me with my mission to you… that you put in the necessary time and effort, carefully reading, “listening,” thinking about, and reasoning through what I “say” to you. As I said, this was/is entirely for your own benefit. But if it happens that you actually would like to do something to help “me personally” and/or to “support my ministry,” here’s what you can do.

Should anyone ask "you personally" if you are the one writing this website, simply decline to either confirm or deny it, as requested on the website... right here in this paragraph.  That will allow me to do the same thing... should anyone ask me… without my own refusal to answer being taken as “proof” that I myself am the person in question.  Who knows, that just might help me keep my head attached to my body, for a little while longer.  

In any event, here is the remainder of “about John” page, finished in the early summer of 2020… back when it was still one “page.”  Hope it helps. 

@ Dinner and a Movie

So are you “seeing” and “hearing” the Truth so far?  If you can’t clearly see the Truth in all these simple statements about time and the physical universe, then you must be overthinking it.  If so, think simpler!  Maybe I can help you do this, by means of an analogy.  I’m actually pretty good at those.

Among other things, many people have been watching movies during the Corona lock-down, to pass the time and escape reality for a while… which can, indeed, be done in one’s mind, even though it can’t be done in real life.  So I’m thinking that a movie analogy would be a good choice.

Actually, I myself have been isolated and locked down for many long, miserable years now, since way before the present, radical, worldwide, sudden and unexpected change for the worse in human life and living, brought on by the covid pandemic.  So the current misery is nothing new to me.  But talk about a double whammy!… not to mention adding misery to misery.

No, on second thought, let’s not.  That’s my problem… one of the many… not yours.  “You” have enough problems of your own, so let’s not talk any more about mine.  

I am calling the analogy, “dinner and a movie,” but unfortunately, since the restaurants are all closed at the moment, we'll have to skip the dinner part.  Maybe another time... assuming there is one.  Meanwhile, let's go straight to the theater… i.e. the “theater” of life, which doesn’t close for pandemics. 

Pretend for a moment, that your life is a feature film, and you yourself are the main character, in the leading role.  The title of the movie is: “The earthly life of (your name goes here).”  To a large extent, you are also the writer and director of this epic story of your life.  In every sense, you are “the star of the show.” 

In the making of this movie, the camera follows you around everywhere you go, every single moment of your life on the earth, from beginning to end.  And no matter what, the filming never stops, even for a second.  

The earth itself is the physical "stage," "set," "studio" and "on location" location of your feature film, at every moment of your life.  Actually, the physical universe is the “film” that your life is recorded on, but for all intents and purposes, it’s the physical earth on which we human beings live our lives.  Obviously, we don’t stray very far from our earthly environment into the rest of the universe, nor do we do so for very long.  And only a very few of us ever do that. 

Obviously as well, time is the "motor" that makes the "reel in the camera” go round and round as your life is being captured on it, “frame by frame,” moment by moment, and day by day.  Round and round you go, day after day, for however many days the movie runs.

The “filming” never stops for a second, because you live your life second by second.  And so, the story of your life continues on without interruption, and it’s not over until the words, "The End" appear on the “screen.”

Most movies don’t end that way anymore, but that doesn't really matter… because in the analogy, you wouldn't be there to see it anyway.  That's because your "part" in the movie ends, the moment before those words would appear. 

Nonetheless, your own personal ending… however it might come… is not only part of the story, it is the completing event of the "final act.”  And to be sure, no matter how long the movie runs, or what the highlights and lowlights might be, the conclusion of the story is one of the most important parts… if not the most important part. 

So even if the conclusion isn’t the climax of your life, it is, for sure, the final act in the drama, in which you end up being “who you were in the end"… i.e. at the end of your earthly life, just finished.  And regardless of the ending, “who you were,” what you did, how you lived, and who you turned out to be, will remain that way forever after.  Afterlife or no afterlife, that’s the way it will remain forevermore… all of it. 

When the filming finally ends, the whole of your life story is complete in its entirety, and in its every detail.  Every single thing you did or didn’t do in your life is on that film, and proof positive that it did or didn’t happen. 

And don't forget that “did it” includes “said it” as well, because whether it be said out loud or in writing, "communicating" is one of the many things people consciously and intentionally do in life.  Every word spoken or written is a conscious, intentional act .  In fact, “communication" on both ends... i.e. both the communicating and the receiving of communication… are things that human beings physically do in the real world, by means of their physical, human bodies.

Don’t forget too, that intentionally not saying or doing something, is every bit as much a personal choice and conscious act.  So indeed, whatsoever you didn’t say and do in the course of your life, is not on the audio/video record.  Nonetheless, its absence is every bit as conspicuous, certain, verifiable and unalterable. 

Once finished, the movie of your life on the earth is complete in its entirety, and ready for its public and/or private viewing.  It’s also ready for whatever else it might be used for… i.e. historical information, entertainment, evidence of some kind, or whatever else.  

In whatever case, the facts of your very real life are real and on the record, regardless of who is or isn’t aware of them, whether or not the "movie" can be accessed, and whether or not there is anyone "there" to access it.  Once finished, your life story is over and done, past and permanent, and forever unchangeable.  For no matter what does or doesn’t come after your life is over, what is real, actual, factual and True about your life gone by is what it is, and thus it will ever be. 

In any and every case, every one of these real-life, real-world, real-universe events and non-events, is the physical evidence and indisputable proof, of all that you did and didn’t say and do at any and every moment of your life, as you lived it in real time.  So at the same time, the story of your life is the undeniable Truth of who you were as a person, and what you did in your earthly life, in the real world in which you lived it.

And don't forget either, that not only is your entire life on the imaginary "film" of the very real and actual, physical earth you lived your life on, but so is your “supporting cast.”  Everyone and everything in your entire life story is on that film, and part of the very same permanent record.  Everything you did and didn't do that affected others, as well as everything others did that affected you, is right there in its entirety, forever on the film.

Perhaps I should caution you at this point, that as the saying goes, “never make an analogy walk on all fours.”  In other words, along with figurative language of all kinds, analogies, should never be taken beyond their intended meaning.  That goes for parables too.

In this case, the analogy is that of an actual, physical making of a film.  And what I’m "saying," is that this isn’t exactly the same thing as “living one’s earthly life,” in every single respect.

So in thinking of your life as the ongoing making of a "movie," you shouldn't think that every point of comparison is exactly the same in every way and in every detail.  For example, in the real-life story of your very real life, you will never hear anyone yell "cut," because the camera never stops recording at any time, even when you're sleeping. 

Frame by frame, every single event and every single moment of your earthly life is part of the story, permanently recorded on the “film” of the real world.  And the filming continues on without interruption, day after day, all the days of your life. 

Events in a movie can also be reenacted any number of times, and even after the filming is over, the many different parts of it can be rearranged and spliced back together as desired.  For that matter, undesired segments can be "cut out" and left out of the movie altogether. 

But in the real-life, real-world making of your life story, not a single word, deed or event can ever be deleted or edited in any way, nor can any part of your life be rearranged or moved elsewhere after it happens, let alone after the story is over.  Good or bad, small or great, consequential or not, once something happens it’s on the “film” to stay.  And once it has ended, so has your life story in its entirety.  It is entered into the inalterable and indestructible record of history, and there it will remain forevermore. 

From the moment your life begins and at every moment to follow, nothing about your life can ever be redone, touched up, or edited in any way.  So that’s not only True when the "filming" is over, it is True at every moment of your life.  The moment anything happens or comes to be, it is permanent and unalterable thereafter, whatever it might be.

That’s the way things work, whenever “time” and “reality” collaborate on a “joint venture” in the physical universe… which is just what your life on the earth is, at every moment and in its entirety.  Indeed, everything that exists and everything that happens in the universe, is a co-production of “time” and “reality.”

And to be sure, each and every human being and life story is unique and different from all others, in many different ways.  Each is composed of innumerable combinations of differing events and experiences... both material and immaterial... which take place at different times, in different locations, and in different circumstances.  Many movies are similar, but no two are ever alike, even for identical twins living together in the same place and time.

No matter what the category or contents, and whatever the particulars might be, every human being has a very real life story to live and “movie” to make, be it good or bad, long or short.  And without a doubt, that includes “you”... and “me” too.

Whatever it might be and however it might turn out, each and every life story has three things in common: a unique beginning, a constantly changing middle, and a final ending.  And in every case, the story is not complete, until the ending is reached, and the words, “The End” appear on the screen.

From the opening scene, the story continues on without intermission, until it is finished in its entirety.  And when the ending comes, the filming stops, never again to be resumed.  At that moment, the story is complete and the movie is over, never again to be made.  And if these Truths aren’t physically verifiable, I don’t know what is.

To be equally certain, when it comes to the story of your life, there is no walking out in the middle… not for you, anyway.  The reason is, those who intentionally leave the "theater" before the end of their own “movies,” do nothing but turn the middle of their story into a bad ending.

People who take this route... i.e. an early exit... also insure that their life stories will be less than a “full-length feature.”  And no matter how good the good parts might have been, they also insure that their stories are permanently listed in the category of "human tragedies.”  In most cases, they also spin off sequels… i.e. tragedies in the lives of others, and in their own respective life stories. 

If you ask me, it's hard to imagine that anyone would want to star in a movie like that.  Even a mindless comedy would be better.  But the additional tragedy, is that a leading role is always available to anyone and everyone, on any and every day of one's life, in a story about a person who seeks and follows the Truth.  To be sure, this role is available at any time, no agent needed and no audition required. 

The Truth is, no matter the budget, the scenery, the plot changes, ticket sales, or audience reaction, a life lived in harmony with the Truth is never a failure or a flop.  And even in the worst of horror stories, one can change roles and scripts to something better, even as the end draws near.

In fact, anyone can become a seeker and follower of the Truth at any time, in a matter of moments… even on one’s deathbed.  The thief on the cross knew that.  He chose to "cast" himself in this role, at the last possible moment. 

Of course, while nothing can be changed in any way after the “movie” ends, any number of things can and do change during the “filming.”  Many “plot changes” are thrust upon us, some foreseen and some not.  But more than anyone else, it is the leading actor/director who controls the most consequential aspects of the story.  And in this analogy, that would be you.

But to be sure, when the final moment arrives, the story of your life is over and done forever, and no longer subject to change, by you or anyone else.  When the ending comes, the “filming” stops, never to be started again.   At that moment, the full and complete, epic saga of your life on the earth is over forever and forever permanent.

Once complete, everything you did and didn't do in your life, everything you experienced, all that happened to you and affected you, everything you did that affected others, who you were as a person, and everything about you from beginning to end is part of your life story, in reality and “on the record.”  And once the filming stops, the story cannot be changed in any way, ever again.

From that moment on, the “movie” of your life can never again be added to, altered or “edited.”  No matter how it might be received by the public or the critics, your life on the earths is what it is as it happens.  And once over, it was what it was, preserved intact thereafter, in the impregnable, climate-irrelevant, "film vault" of history. 

Of course, whether or not anyone is actually there to review the “footage” of our earthly “movies” after they are over, is another matter… entirely another matter.  It also happens to be the matter that accounts for my being here on this website “speaking” to you.

What is certain, is that when “the end” comes, extremely few human beings leave behind no trace of their time on the earth.  In fact, everyone leaves behind a “legacy” of the life they lived, known to those who continue living.… at least to some people and to some degree. 

But the real question regards the existence of an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-seeing God, Who knows every detail of every life story from beginning to end, be they visible details or otherwise.  Indeed, the ultimate question is: “Does God EXIST?”

Much to my surprise… to put it mildly… I will also be addressing that very issue, on this very website, given the time and wherewithal.  I never saw that one coming either, but here too, given the times we live in, I probably should have.

As I have hopefully made clear, my mission is to the unfaithful and disobedient people of God living in this day, who, one would suppose, are already convinced of the EXISTENCE of God.  Right?  I mean, it’s pretty hard to be one of God’s people, if you don’t believe in God.  Impossible, in fact.

The problem today is, more and more of these “believers in God”  are becoming less and less convinced by the day.  Said differently, more and more people by the day these days are loosing faith in their own beliefs about God, starting with their ultimate belief in God’s EXISTENCE.  And likewise, it’s pretty hard to be faithful to God, when one’s faith in God is not adequate.  Impossible, in fact.

As it has ever been on the earth and still is, the matter of a "God of Creation" is the matter of all matters, among all the matters that matter in the life of the human being... each and every.  This Truly is the ultimate issue in life.  For if there Truly IS a God of Creation, the implications are considerably different for the human being, than if there is no God of Creation.  Now that one’s in the running for "understatement of all time.”

So, assuming we make it that far, I will prove to you by means of the Truth, that the God of Creation spoken of in the Bible really and Truly, actually does EXIST.  Truly I will. 

Unfortunately, however, before I can do that, I have to finish tying up a few "loose ends.”  So let's wrap this analogy up, so I can finish this page and get on with my mission.

The Truth is, living one’s earthly life actually is similar in many ways to the making of a movie, though not in every way.  The comparison simply illustrates the similarities, so the realities of life can be “visualized” and thought about in a “parallel” manner.

My purpose in using the analogy, was/is to help you more readily “see” these certain realities of life in your mind, in a different way than the customary manner… i.e. facts, figures, statistics and other kinds of “standard information.”   That’s the purpose of all analogies, and of figurative language in general.

The objective is to help people better and more fully understand the information being communicated to them, by providing an alternate way of thinking about it, in which familiar patterns of similarity exist.  The use of analogies and figurative language allows one to “visualize” the information and understand it in a different way, from a different perspective, and in so doing, obtain a better understanding of it.

In this case, I am trying to help you better understand yourself and your life on the earth… which subject, strangely enough, we human beings are prone to neglect.  That’s because we tend to take our existence for granted, and not think much about it.  This especially happens to people when they are immersed in the day-to-day details of their everyday lives, focused on the things of the world going on in the present moment, and/or on things about to happen in the future.  

In the process, one can easily loose sight of the “big picture”… i.e. the larger, more important and consequential matters and overall aspects of life.  This debilitating condition is especially common in these complicated, busy and hectic days of the twenty-first century.

What I have been trying to “illustrate” by the movie analogy, is that each and every human being has a very real and actual, True-to-life life to live, and life story to create.  This is what everyone does, in the daily living of their lives, during their days on the earth.

And note well, that while the analogy is meant to help you think about your life in an imaginary way, there is nothing whatsoever “imaginary” about it… i.e. the living of your life.  Nothing at all.

As I’m sure you know, there is nothing whatsoever imaginary about “you” either.  You yourself are an entirely real human being.  You are as real as the physical universe you are part of, and the earth you live on.  And so is your very real life and uncertain future.  These are as real as they can be, and it is the same for all human beings, in all times and places.

Another thing the same for all, is that God or no God, once it comes to an end, one’s earthly life is complete, finished, and over forever.  After that, not one, single, solitary detail about it will ever change in any way, nor will any individual Truth about it ever cease to be True.

All of this very real and actual Truth is something one should never loose sight of or be distracted from thinking about for any reason, least of all, by the less important and less consequential concerns of everyday life.  And if you don’t mind my saying so… actually, whether you do or not… to let this happen for any significant period of time, least of all, day after day after day, is a very real, major and dangerous mistake.  So whatever you do, please don’t make it.  

So did it help?  The movie analogy, I mean.  I hope it did.  If not, then I’m sorry it didn't work for you, and sorry too for all the extra reading.  I figured it was at least worth a shot.

If you didn’t like the analogy, then go right ahead and chuck it.  Just remember the very real Truth I have conveyed to you by means of the analogy... assuming you understood it correctly and gave it some thought.

If my little figurative comparison did help you more readily "see" the Truth I was trying to convey to you, so much the better.  Better for me too, because it would mean that all that extra writing wasn’t for nothing.  I suppose that would be some consolation.  But enough of that.

Now, let's get back to reality... which, in Truth, we never left.  By this I mean, there is nothing whatsoever imaginary about the Truth you were just imagining!  It was only the way in which you were thinking about the Truth, that was imaginary.  Note that carefully.  It’s important.  Very important. 

So get real!  Stop pretending!  Really.  There is nothing to pretend about!  All of these very real Truths of the universe I have just explained to you... in a mixture of literal and figurative ways... are nothing more or less than highly obvious, basic and important, True and actual facts about  human life on the earth, which every human being past early childhood should know, understand clearly, and keep constantly in mind.

Do you “hear” what I’m saying?  The figurative parts in the analogy about “film” and “cameras” and "shooting a movie" are not real, but the Truth of the analogy is.  As real as it gets!  That’s because what I explained to you in the figurative language of the analogy, squares with what is so… i.e. what is real and actual.

God or no God, what I just described to you is precisely what is happening right here and now, and at every moment of your life on the earth.  It’s for real, and without a doubt, the very real end of your life is most surely approaching… and getting closer by the second. 

You can “see” that, can’t you?  I don’t know how you possibly couldn’t.  I mean, who doesn’t know that?  And talk about certainty!

I’m sure you do know that, but just in case this certain fact has managed to slip your mind, let’s get it back in there right away.  Realize that your present existence in the physical universe is temporary and becoming shorter with each passing day, which it most definitely is.  And do be fully confident of this certain and inalterable Truth, for it is 100% certain… no faith required.

To be sure, there is nothing at all imaginary about “you personally” and your temporary life on the earth… right?  I mean, you really do exist, don’t you?  You really are living your life at this very moment, aren’t you?  Well of course you are!  Imaginary people don’t read websites!

Surely you know the difference between "imagination" and “reality," don't you?  If you imagine your favorite restaurant… perhaps wondering whether or not it will still be there after the covid pandemic is over… no part of that restaurant is literally, physically in your brain, right?  Right.  You are just imagining the restaurant in your mind. 

But just because you are imagining it, does that mean the restaurant isn't real?  Well of course it doesn’t!  The restaurant is not imaginary, the restaurant is real... i.e. it literally, physically exists.

The same is True of your life.  You literally, physically actually do exist, and you actually are living your life on the earth at this very moment.  And while there isn't literally an actual, physical camera on you at all times, you really are being literally and physically watched by other literal, physical people.

And you actually do leave behind literal, physical evidence of yourself everywhere you go... like, for example, fingerprints on everything you touch.  In fact, the physical results of your physical presence and  actions are physically registered on all kinds of things, in all kinds of places.

And there actually are various physical records and photographs on file about you and your life, in various agencies, offices, businesses, organizations and so on.  There are more and more of these by the day, in fact.  And there is nothing "imaginary" about any of those either, is there?  Of course not.

And how interesting is this?  Here I am, describing things to you in figurative language, that are all of a sudden getting very close to being “literal”… i.e. actual, visible and physical!  For example, given the sudden emergence and widespread use of computer and internet technologies, the physical records of individuals are now extensive and readily accessible to everyone.  And there are more of these than you might think.

For most adults living in technologically current societies, a quick check of a person’s background is apt to produce a fairly lengthy, real and actual document.  It may not make for the full script of a movie, but in many cases, it would qualify as a small book… or for some, a fairly large one… complete with all the main events and details. 

And nowadays, most everything we do actually is being recorded on literal, physical cameras and various other high-tech devices, most everywhere we go!  Maybe we aren't being recorded at every minute yet, but things certainly are headed in that direction in a hurry, don't you think?  Or don’t you think?

In fact, given the number and technical capabilities of the cameras in the sky and in outer space these days, we may actually be there already!  Some of the night-vision technologies may not quite be up to full operational capacity yet, but they are surely getting close, and the remaining gaps in coverage are rapidly shrinking too.

My point is this.  The things you actually do in your physical body in the real world, are True and real, actual and factual events, which take place in the real and actual, physical universe.  There is actual, physical evidence of you and your life, all the way through, from birth certificate to death certificate.  And every single bit of it, is part of the very real and actual history of your very own, very real life on the earth. 

And no matter how inconsequential or world-changing it might be, your very real life is, in turn, part of the very real, actual and factual history of the world… even if only a tiny part of it.  There is nothing at all “figurative” about that either.

The simple Truth is, among the many things we encounter, conceive of, and think about in life, some things are real, some things are not, and human beings can conceive of and think about things of both kinds.  Right?  Surely you can “see” that too.

But then, maybe that Truth… i.e. that we can imagine things that are real as well as things that are imaginary… is so obvious and simple, that it’s too obvious to notice.  That does sometimes happen with the most obvious, simple and taken-for-granted Truths of the universe.  I mean, except for those who choke on it and/or can't see through it, who notices the air they breathe? 

The amazing but simple Truth is, human beings can conceive of, think and reason about things that are visible, as well as things that are not... like "trees" and “air.”  We can also think and reason about things that are material, as well as things that are immaterial... like "rocks" and "resentment."  And we can also envision and contemplate things that are real, as well as things that are imaginary… like "human beings" and "fire-breathing dragons.”

@ Truth, Faith and Figurative Language 

To be sure, we human beings can do all kinds of amazing and wondrous things, but one thing we can’t do, is visualize immaterial things.  For not only are immaterial things invisible, they have no size, shape or form of any kind.  I mean, what does “resentment” look like to you?

“Resentment” is something real, but it isn’t physical in any way, so it doesn’t have any appearance of any kind.  Indeed, when it comes to immaterial things… all things immaterial… there is nothing to visualize… at least not in normal, customary ways.

That’s where figurative language comes in.  It allows us to visualize, think about, and talk about immaterial things, by comparing them to the physical things in life we are familiar with… like, for example, comparing “anger” to a “fire.”  And even without using the full analogy, we do this all the time, by means of using words figuratively… like when we say, “a hot temper” or “a burning anger.”

When we think and talk about the things we encounter in life... things of all kinds... we routinely make comparisons and draw contrasts between them.  Then, we think and talk about those too... along with our experiences, observations, thoughts, ideas, reasoning, conclusions, feelings, questions, concerns and so on and so forth.

To no surprise, this makes up the great majority of what people discuss, when they communicate with one another.  In fact, add in some news sharing and some updating of information held in common, and one can fairly say that this is what interpersonal communication is all about.

In addition, figurative language also allows us to visualize things we know nothing about, due to the fact that they are not part of our normal, physical, everyday, earthly experiences… things like “heaven,” for example.  And to be sure, figurative language is frequently used throughout the writings of Scripture, for this very purpose.

For some reason, however, even though people do it all the time in daily life... i.e. use and understand figurative language... when it comes to the Bible, many people can’t seem to figure out what is real and what is imaginary.  They mistake things real for being imaginary, and they mistake things imaginary for being real.

One reason for this, is that they understand what they read in the Scriptures “literally,” when it is meant to be understood “figuratively,” and in other places, they understand things figuratively, which are meant to be understood literally.  Unfortunately, people do that all the time, when they read and study the Bible. 

Unfortunately as well, when it comes to understanding the Bible correctly, this is a real problem.  In fact, it is a very real and very big problem.   And the sad thing is, there is no reason at all for any of this misunderstanding and confusion.

There are various reasons for this problem, but to be sure, there is no good reason, and it is not in the least the fault of the Scriptures.  Not at all.  The problem is on the receiving end of the communication.

Sometimes, the problem is simply that people don’t read carefully and thoughtfully.  Sometimes, their reasoning in the Truth of the Scriptures is incomplete, because they lack information found in other parts of the Bible, which they have not read or heard… or don’t remember.  And sometimes, it’s because they have been misguided in their understanding of the Scriptures by other people.  In most cases, the problem is: “all of the above.”

Nevertheless, having ways to enhance our ability to communicate and think about things is a good thing.  And we definitely should use these techniques, when and where they are helpful.

That, of course, is why people so often do just that… i.e. use enhancing techniques, when they speak or write.  It’s common practice among human beings, and that definitely includes those who wrote the Scriptures.

The simple Truth is, even in the best of cases, when it comes to the exchange of what's in the mind of one person to the mind of another, communicating by means of human language can only do so much.  And that’s where figurative language becomes extremely helpful.

To start with, our human minds have capabilities far in excess of our vocabulary words and grammatical conventions.  So even the most capable and well-executed instances of communication by means of verbal language are inherently lacking in capabilities… both in terms of fullness and accuracy.

As the saying goes, "Some things are hard to put into words.”  And this is especially True of things we are not familiar with from personal experience, let alone things that are not part of our day to day, earthly lives.

To be sure, there are many things of that sort in the Scriptures.  And to be equally sure, that’s the main reason why one will so often encounter figurative language in the Bible.

The Truth is, all but the most common of the things that go on in the lives of human beings are difficult to put into words, and some are even difficult to think about… some harder than others.  The Truth is, all these observations, evaluations, conclusions, concerns, questions, ideas, feelings, attitudes and perceptions we deal with in life, must be taken back out of those same limited words, by the person or persons on the receiving end of the communication.  And that can be harder still to do, for any number of additional reasons, personal and circumstantial.

One additional reason, is that the best any reader/listener can do, is to achieve 100% accuracy in fully understanding the information received.  But if the party conveying the information is only 80% successful in fully and accurately conveying the information, that means the receiving party can be no more than 80% successful in understanding what the speaker or writer meant to say... and that, only from being 100%  successful in understanding the speaker/writer’s meaning.

That's why we human beings really should put some time and effort into our episodes of "interpersonal communication”... including most of all, our evaluation of the important information we receive by means of the Scriptures.  And for those who believe the words and teachings of the Bible to be True and reliable,  to say “important” is an understatement.

We need to do this… i.e. put some care and effort into it… in order to make our use of language as effective as possible, so as to achieve the best possible results.  And this too, is especially so in matters of importance and consequence... the more so, the more so.

This is the very thing I am trying hard to do on my end right now, in my communication with you, by means of this website.  I am trying to be as complete and clear as I can be, and I am trying to “say” the things I “say” in several different ways, so you will better and more readily, understand these things for yourself.

Whenever possible, it’s also better to get the information we receive firsthand, and when that isn’t feasible, by as few successive “hands” as possible.  That’s why I keep urging you to learn the Truth of the Scriptures firsthand, directly from the Bible itself.  My role in this regard, is simply to guide you to the most basic and important Truths of Scripture, and most of all, the ones that are essential for you to know.

In addition, I’m trying to help you put all these very simple and very important Truths together in the right way, so you can fully and clearly understand them together in “concert”… i.e a good concert… both in terms of the “big picture” and in terms of the necessary details.  And I’m also trying to help you put these important Truths together in the right order.

Generally speaking, the most basic and important Truths in life can be learned in any order.  But as is often the case, there are some things we can’t understand, without knowing other things first.  After all, Truth is built upon Truth, the “higher” and “greater” Truths built upon the more basic and foundational Truths.  At the very least, it is better and easier to learn some things before others. 

Even when not necessary, it is always better to learn the more elementary things first, before proceeding to the Truths about matters that are less so.  This is the very way in which human beings learn and grow.

Think about childhood schooling, especially formal schooling, which proceeds from one grade level to the next.  Certain subjects belong “higher up,” and in order to understand them, one first needs to know the subjects “below”… which provide the base of information to build one’s understanding on.  For example, learning to spell “cat” before “catastrophe.”  For another, learning to add and subtract, before proceeding to multiplication and division.  And it’s the same with understanding the Bible.


One of the things I struggle with, is that no sooner do I tell you something, than I realize you might not know something you should have learned beforehand.  Said differently, I sometimes explain a second-grade Truth, and then it occurs to me that you might not have learned a necessary first-grade Truth, which you need to know first.

So in addition to telling you the many things you need to know and keep in mind,  I’m also trying to say these things in the right order, and to then explain them to you in different ways, so you can more easily put them all together and better understand the Truth for yourself.  And even when I’m sure you do know some particular Truth, I realize that you might have let it slip your mind after learning it.  That means I have to deal with that possibility, as well.

All of this takes extra time, and worse still, extra writing.  So that’s also why there is so much of it on this “page.”  All I can do about that, is hope that you can endure it, and make your way through it. 

But do you “see” what I mean?  It’s really frustrating... for "me" of all people.  And obviously, this also accounts in no small part, for the large quantity of the already too-much information I have written on this "page."  It has resulted in even more writing for me and more reading for you, piled on top of what is already pushing the limits of toleration… mine, for sure. 

But my reason for doing this is very simple.  That’s the only way in which I can help you make informed and reliable determinations of Truth for yourself, about the things you hear from me, and even more importantly, the things you read in the Bible.

Like it or not… I sure don’t… but that’s the only way you will have all the Truth you need to know, put together and understood together correctly in your mind.  And that’s what you must do, if you are to have the necessary confidence in the determinations of Truth you make, in order to rely upon them in what you actually do in your real life in the real world.

And that part is key.  As the Bible “says” and teaches, when it comes to the most important Truths of Scripture, this confidence is itself essential… i.e. “necessary,” “required,” “mandatory.”  For apart from the actual doing in your real life in the real world, the things you know remain nothing more than knowledge alone… i.e. ideas, concepts, personal beliefs, and Truths of various kinds, which exist only in your head!

And I’m sorry if you haven’t noticed, but we human beings do not live our lives in our minds alone!  We most definitely do use our minds in living our lives… at least some people do… but the actual living of our lives takes place in the real world, where things actually and factually exist and happen. 

The Truth is, apart from having confidence… i.e. faith…  in one's own determinations of Truth, no one would do anything about anything they believe to be True!… at least, nothing of any importance and consequence.  The reason is, we human beings tend to be reluctant about acting upon information we are uncertain about.  And this is especially so, in matters we consider to be of importance and consequence… our own wellbeing, most of all.

And indeed, things being what they are in this world... especially nowadays... we do this for good reason: the world is a dangerous place!  And the Truth is, it is becoming more and more dangerous by the minute, in all kinds of different ways.

At the same time, the importance, role and place of Truth among human beings these days... from our interpersonal dealings with one another, all the way to the affairs of world governments... has been on the rapid decline lately.  And this, in itself, has steadily lessened our ability to be certain about the Truth of the information we take in, by which we inform our thinking, reasoning, decision making, and daily living.

If you ask me, the place of Truth in the affairs of human beings in these early years of the twenty-first century has been trending downward faster than a stock market plunge in the early days of a global pandemic!  I don’t know what you think about this, but to me, it seems impossible to miss… especially if you follow the daily news and keep up on current events.

Speaking of which, given the recent “explosion” of social media and internet “news” sources, that in itself… i.e. following current events… has become a major challenge.  So when it comes to the facts about living in the twenty-first century world, good luck deciphering what is True on the global scene. 

But whether you ask me or not, and whether you agree with me or not, let "me" ask "you" something.   Tell me this... by which I mean, “tell yourself this”... aside from food, water, safety, shelter and the other things necessary to the sustaining of your physical life, what could be more important and consequential than the Truth about the immaterial aspects of your life?… i.e. “love,” “”trust,” “fairness,” “justice,” "happiness," “satisfaction,” “peace of mind,” "security" and so on.

I mean even our sense of safety is purely immaterial.  Same goes for our sense of wellbeing… which most people are having less and less of these days.  Do you "see" what I am "saying?"  The Truth is, all of the most important things in life are immaterial.


And of all things… and I do mean all things… what could be more important than the very nature of your existence, your brief life on the earth, the issue of a “God of Creation,” “heaven,” and a few other related matters?  Nothing that I can imagine.  And like I told you, I have a pretty good imagination.

My imagination is where the "movie" analogy came from.  And by using it in "speaking" to you, I'm just doing what human beings do all the time, when they use analogies and figurative language.  As I said, that almost certainly includes “you” too, and it definitely includes the human authors of the Bible.

Text Box 14

By using the movie analogy, I am simply calling your attention to the very real, literal, physical "ingredients" that go into the making of real, literal, actual movies... which so many people regularly watch these days.  Most people are also familiar with the process of making a movie, and they know the basics about it.  That’s why it makes for a good comparison to some of the things I am trying to explain to you and remind you about.

As I also said, this is precisely why people regularly and often use figurative language, when they communicate with other people, whether by way of spoken or written language.  And as inefficient and frustrating as communication can be at times... especially by means of writing... the help that figurative language provides is a great advantage.

Normal, straightforward, "literal" language allows us to compare and contrast things in our common, human experience, through the use of words in the normal, straightforward, customary manner.  "Figurative" language allows us to do this too, but with greatly enhanced capabilities.

For one, figurative language allows us to compare and contrast thoughts, ideas and concepts across all categories, including things invisible, immaterial and even imaginary.  For two, it allows us to create "mental images," in which to "depict" the things we are trying to explain and describe in words.

This is extremely helpful to human beings, who, as you know, operate visually in the universe… especially when moving about in their physical bodies.  The Truth is, we also operate visually in our thinking and reasoning, as well.  And in both regards,"a picture is worth a thousand words,” as the saying goes.

It must also be said though, that figurative language does have a downside, namely an increased potential for miscommunication, especially on the receiving side.   Fortunately, the risk of miscommunication with figures of speech, analogies, parables and the like can be greatly reduced very easily.  In most cases, all it takes is a little careful thought and effort… usually, for just a few seconds.

Unfortunately, people can become a bit lazy and/or sloppy about doing this.  And as a result, they can all too easily fail to understand figurative language correctly.  In fact, that’s the main reason people fail to understand things said in normal, customary, “literal” ways, as well.

I myself am trying not to go to the opposite extreme… i.e. to be too careful, and to explain more than I need to, too many times and in too many ways.  But as you can probably tell from what you have been reading, if I do miss the mark, I intend to miss it on the extra-careful and over-explained side of the scale, rather than the sloppy and under-explained side.  And that,  no matter how much extra writing it takes.

Nevertheless, so as to not unnecessarily prolong this discussion, just keep this simple fact in mind, whenever you find yourself on the receiving end of figurative language.  In most cases, a little thought and attention is all that’s required, in order to understand it correctly and adequately.

And remember, just because you are imagining something in your mind, that doesn't automatically mean that what you are imagining is imaginary.  As discussed in the last chapter, if you imagine your favorite restaurant, that doesn’t mean the restaurant is imaginary.  It isn't.  The restaurant is real. People don't eat in imaginary restaurants, and neither do "you." 

On the other hand, what you are imagining may very well not be real.  But even if so, that doesn’t automatically mean that who or what it is being compared to isn’t real.   For example, I could describe my high school English teacher as, "a fire-breathing dragon."  But just because there is no such thing as a fire-breathing dragon, that doesn't mean my English teacher wasn't real.  Trust me on this one, she was definitely real.

The fact is, the human mind is capable of imagining things that are real, as well as things that are not.  So never automatically assume that just because figurative language is being used, who or what is being depicted isn’t real... things in the Bible, most of all.

Whether in speaking or in writing, the entire point of using figurative language is the same as the entire point of using language “literally.”  The reason for doing it is to communicate what is in one person's mind, to the mind of another person or persons.

That’s the very reason people communicate with one another and thus, the whole purpose of interpersonal communication.  And obviously, if it is to work… i.e. if it is to be successful… both parties must do their part. 

Speaking of Obvious, if the communication is to be "constructive," "productive," "informative," "beneficial," "helpful" or in any other way “good,” it should be done as effectively as possible.  And for communication to be effective, the information must be conveyed as fully and clearly as possible, so it can be understood as fully and clearly as possible, by the receiving party… i.e. the person or persons hearing or reading it. 

That’s the way it works… i.e. "interpersonal communication"... when it does.  That’s what it is to communicate successfully and effectively.  And obviously as well, this is all the more necessary, in the case of important and consequential information. 

I’m sure all of these simple and obvious Truths are already obvious to you, from firsthand, personal experience.   But just to be on that “safe side,” I thought I’d better mention them anyway… which is why I just did. 

Apart from successful communication, the inevitable result is miscommunication, which is the guarantee of missing and misunderstood information, leading to all manner of interpersonal misunderstandings, disagreements and conflicts.  Unfortunately, this happens all too often, between and among individuals, groups and societies of all kinds and sizes.  Over time, these get progressively worse, and the outcome is always bad. 

If you want proof, just look around you.  Look around your immediate vicinity, and all around the world.  There are various other reasons as well, but from broken marriages, families and friendships to the worst of world wars, miscommunication, poor communication, and/or lack of communication have, more than anything else, been the cause of the many interpersonal problems of human beings, and of the ills of human civilization as a whole. 

In any language and adequate rendering, the Bible is far beyond “adequate” in conveying the information it provides, about the most important and consequential issues in the life of the human being, each and all.   Far beyond.  History itself is proof of that.

In fact, over the last two thousand years, nothing has more profoundly affected the course of world events than the words and teachings of the Bible.  No person, tribe, nation or natural phenomenon even comes close.

Regrettably, some of the most consequential, widespread and enduring effects have been for the worse… if not the horrendous… but that is in no way the fault of the Bible.  In no way at all.  Each and every such adverse incident and course of events has been the direct result of misunderstanding the words and teachings of the Bible, if not the outright misuse of them. 

So at the very least, those who read the Bible… and especially those who study it… should do their part as well.  For no matter how you define “success,” successful communication is achieved only when the information exchanged is understood correctly and adequately, by the receiving party.

So indeed, at the very least, if one wants to know the Truth conveyed in and by the Bible, he or she really should strive to understand the Scriptures correctly and adequately.  And to be sure… absolutely positive… this is the one and only way to “see” and “hear” the Truth of God, conveyed by the Scriptures.  Fortunately… very fortunately… all it takes to do this is a little time, effort and thought, along with some simple, common sense.

And that Truly is fortunate.  In fact, it is far beyond fortunate.  But don’t take my word for it, consider the implications.  According to the Bible, the Bible conveys the Truth of God to human beings.  If this is True… and, therefore, there really IS a God of Creation… then there is no more important and consequential Truth in the life of the human being!  Talk about common sense.

So needless to say… which I will anyway… for those who in any way regard the Bible as representing “communication from God,” to not seek to know the Truth of the Bible, and not expend the modest amount of time and effort required to do it is far beyond careless.  Far beyond.  In Truth, it is the height of personal negligence, made all the worse by the fact, that the most basic and important Truths of the Bible are clear, plain, simple, straightforward and in no way difficult to understand… even for a child.

All of that was too obvious to mention, but my additional purpose in bringing these things up on this “page” instead of on another page, is that I don’t want to have to do this in the middle of talking about something else… especially something important.  Another reason, is that I am trying to head off any potential misunderstandings you and I might have about my own use of figurative language, and much more importantly, about the use of figurative language in the Scriptures.

This too, is really important and worth the over-discussion, because as I keep “saying,” the Bible itself is overflowing with figurative language.  And despite the fact that most people are fully capable of effectively using and understanding figurative language in daily life, this capability seems to go haywire in many people, the minute they get anywhere near a Bible.

And just to practice what I “preach”… talk about a misused and misunderstood word… I will clarify that my high school English teacher wasn't really a fire-breathing dragon, even though I thought so at the time.  And she surely wasn’t one in the literal sense either, because there is no such thing.  That was just a manner of speaking, and one must be careful not to automatically assume that expressions, examples and illustrations are meant to be taken as statements of fact.

As also discussed in the last section, one must also be careful not to take figurative language beyond its intended meaning.  It is rare that every detail in an analogy, parable or illustration is a perfect match for every detail of the reality it represents. 

In considering the meaning of figurative language, the person who hears it or reads it should simply recognize it as such, identify the comparison(s) the speaker/writer intends to make, and then make it... i.e. do the comparing, connect the parallels and consider the information both ways. In other words, just use a little careful thought and common sense with figurative language, and don’t get carried away.

Due to the fact that people use figurative language so often and regularly in daily life, its correct interpretation typically requires little if any additional time or effort on the part of the listener/reader.  Neither does it present any additional interpretive problems or difficulties in any other way.  In fact, figures of speech and analogies are so commonly used and easily understood in everyday life, that most people don't even realize they are doing it when they do it… i.e. using or hearing figurative language.

Nevertheless, when hearing or reading it, one should be careful to take figurative language only to the extent intended by the speaker or writer, and only to the extent that the details of the comparison are parallel, harmonious and complementary.  And this particularly applies to the words and teachings of Scripture.

One last thing... or two... about figurative language in general, and in the Bible specifically.  One should never get technical with figurative language… analogies and parables most of all. That's because throughout human languages and cultures, including those of the Bible, figures of speech and figurative stories were/are not used to directly convey specific, detailed information, let alone information that is highly so… i.e. "technical" in nature.  By this, I mean specific information and/or instructions, which must be understood with a high degree of accuracy and clarity.

The obvious reason figurative language isn't used for this purpose, is that the "regular," “ordinary,” "literal" use of words and grammar is much better suited to the exchange of such information.  In fact, that's why it is the "regular," "standard," "typical," “normal,” ”customary" way in which the words and grammar of human languages are more often used to convey information. 

In contrast, figurative language is used to call attention to similar situations and patterns of activity and/or behavior, in various familiar, real-life or imaginary situations, for the purpose of comparison.  Doing this provides an additional, and alternate method of explaining and/or describing things... usually, something previously mentioned and explained in the normal, customary way, which most people refer to as being "literal," or as being “meant literally."

And indeed, when exchanging all but the simplest of information from one human mind to another, doing this purely by means of vocabulary words and grammar used in the ordinary, conventional manner is a bit limiting.  In Truth, it's very limiting... which is the very reason why people so commonly and regularly use figurative language, when they communicate.  And that includes the human authors of Scripture, as well.

After all, the grammar and vocabulary words used in any instance of communication, must be shared in common by both parties, and there are only so many words and grammatical conventions available to use, in any given area of subject matter.  That's where the enhancing capabilities of figurative language become particularly useful, and very often, extremely helpful.

@ Some Personal Remarks

So do you “see” what I am “saying” about figurative language?  I do hope so.  If you didn't do the “envisioning” when I was speaking figuratively in the movie analogy, then you missed out on more fully understanding the information I was attempting to convey to you, and along with it, the Truth contained in that information.

Unfortunately, people do that all the time.  And worst of all, they do it when they read or hear the words of Scripture.  In the process, they miss and/or misunderstand the Truth of the Scriptures they need to know.

I hope this has not happened with you, because I actually do want to help you.  Really.  I do.  And it's not just because I was told to.  I also want to.

And if you think that's not possible because I don't know you, you are wrong.  I know for sure that if you are reading and understanding what I am writing, you are a human being.  I am too, so that means we share many things in common, and I automatically know all kinds of things about you, and about other people as well.  And being a human being yourself, so do you. 

As to caring for other people... particularly people I don't even know... that's simple.  I myself once chose to believe in a "God of Creation," and then actually did so… i.e. I trusted in Him, in "real life."  In seeking to know of Him, I began to learn the Truth of the Bible, and in due time, I came to realize and trust that the Bible is True and reliable.  Thereupon, I began to follow the Truth of the Scriptures in the things I said and did in my life… at least to some extent. And even to the limited extent that I did, the result was transforming and life-changing.  

In so doing, I came to realize that the words and teachings of Scripture are not only True, but highly reliable and beneficial to follow.  And as I continued to live in accordance with these Truths of the Bible, they began to change the way I thought, felt, spoke and acted toward other people for the better.

That’s all it takes… i.e. doing as directed… for one to adequately understand and follow the most basic and important teachings of the Bible in life.  This is not always easy to do, but it is always simple to do. In fact, it’s amazingly simple to do, and the results are simply amazing. 

This is the process of “spiritual growth,” which God brings about in His people, who trust and obey Him, after coming to know Him.  After the Gospel, it is the most important subject in the Bible.

But unlike the Gospel, which is so widely and fatally misunderstood in the world today, the problem with spiritual growth is not one of misunderstanding… not that the Gospel has a “problem.”  The Gospel has no problem at all.  Any problem with the Gospel lies solely on the receiving end.

When it comes to spiritual growth, the problem is also on the receiving end, but it is not merely one of misunderstanding and misinformation.  The problem is no information.  In other words, the needed information is not so much “misunderstood” as it is missing altogether!  Indeed, in these last days of the age, the Bible’s teachings on this key subject are rarely heard, more rarely understood, and even more rarely practiced in the “household” of God.

The unfortunate fact is, knowledge of the Truth of the Scriptures in this area is all but absent from the minds of God’s people in this day.  And obviously, if one is unaware of this vitally important process of spiritual growth and how it comes about, there is apt to be very little of it going on in his or her life… if any.  Talk about a monumental problem!

In essence, spiritual growth is the process of becoming more like Jesus Christ, bringing with it a greater knowledge of God, a closer relationship with Him, and a greater capacity to please Him and serve Him.  And, in fact, for the “child of God”… i.e. those Truly “born” of His Spirit… this is the very purpose of life, after coming to know THE LORD.  For according to the Bible, who we become in this life is who we will be in the Life to come… i.e. in our eternal Life with God in heaven.  Talk about important!… vitally important.

As much as I would love to do just that… i.e. “talk” about the eternity-impacting importance of spiritual growth… I can’t stop now to do it.  In fact, I can’t do it on this “page” at all.   This page is supposed to be “about me,” and I need to get that over with first.

So let’s get back to what I was saying before that last digression, and get it finished without further delay.  As I recall, I was giving you a few details of my “personal testimony,” which might be helpful or even necessary for you to know.  So let’s return to that, and get it finished.

Fortunately for me, I also learned early on not to take anyone's word for what the Bible "says" and teaches, no matter how sincere, well-meaning or persuasive they might be, no matter how many in number they are, and/or how many letters might come after their names.  And I will add as a precaution, that having this mindset is even more necessary now than it was back then... many times over, in fact.

My "following the Truth of the Scriptures" began with "the Gospel of Jesus Christ," as the Gospel is defined and explained in the Bible, by the Bible itself.  Actually, I myself  heard the Gospel of Scripture from someone who heard it from someone else, who heard it from who knows how many other people in succession.  But fortunately for me, all of the people in this "chain"... myself included... understood the Gospel correctly, by which I mean, “as it is defined and explained in the Bible.”

Then, I also responded to the Gospel correctly.  By this, I mean "as the Gospel itself requires."  In other words, I “complied” with the Gospel.  I did as the Gospel directs... as do numerous supporting, explanatory passages of Scripture.  And fortunately… very fortunately… this was and is amazingly straightforward and simple to do.  Simply put:  I trusted in Jesus Christ according to the Gospel of Scripture, for my eternal Life and relationship with God.

In the Bible, doing this is referred to as “obeying the Gospel.”  As here: 

 17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the Gospel of God?  [1 Peter 4]

We can’t get into the judgment of God’s people yet either, but suffice it to say that while God’s “children” are forgiven for their every sin, that in no way means that there are no consequences to the sins we commit after coming to know Him as our “Heavenly Father.”  In no way at all.

According to Scripture, there are profound consequences to the things we do "wrong" and "right" before THE LORD, after becoming "children of God."  There are consequences during the remainder of our earthly lives, and in our eternal lives with God in heaven.

Here’s what one of God’s children had to say to the rest of us, about that “second part”… i.e the ultimate consequences of one’s Life in Christ: 

10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.  [2 Corinthians 5]

Talk about plain and simple!  This is another of the most badly misunderstood if not totally missed of all the most basic and important Truths of Scripture.  And another vitally important Truth it is.  Nevertheless, for reasons just mentioned, it too will have to wait for another “page.” 

After many wasted years and very much ado... to put it mildly... I eventually started doing a little more of what the Bible says to do, after which, I started caring more about other people, which, Truth be told, I previously had not done much of... even though I thought I did.

Of course, I'm talking here about caring for other people in general, and people I don’t know, in particular.  I did care about family members and a few others here and there, but that's about it.

In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a  lot of that going around these days too… i.e. people caring only about themselves, and little if at all about other people.  Is there ever.  And a rapidly worsening “disease” it is, readily spread by the highly infectious pull of the crowd. 

Skipping ahead a bit more, here I am now, actually caring about whosoever might be “listening” to what I have to “say” on this do-it-yourself website… including “you.”  Of course, you are free to believe that or not.  But whether you do or not, it's True anyway.

So that's it now!  There should be nothing left to explain, at least to this point.  And surely by now, I have told you enough of what you need to know about “me personally.”  So maybe now, I can focus on wrapping up this “about John” page toots sweet, so I can go back to the Gospel “page” and try again to get it written. 

But speaking of explanations, "toots sweet" is actually French for "very quickly."  I just spelled it for you in English, so when you read it, it will "sound" in your mind, like it sounds when it is spoken out loud in French.  I myself would rather just say, "very quickly,” but not everyone seems to feel that way about it.

Apparently, some people prefer to say “very quickly” in French, even though they are otherwise speaking in English, with perfectly adequate words like "very" and "quickly" available to use… which words they surely must know.  Go figure.  But then, that’s "people" for you.  For all I know, "you yourself" might be one of these people. 

Speaking of toots sweet... which is why I did... did you know that "amen" is just a very common, very ancient word spelled in English letters?  It was an ancient Hebrew word, that was later made into a Greek word, that was later made into an English word.   Isn’t that interesting?

This is actually so.  The word, “amen” is now to be found in English Bibles of all kinds, spelled in English letters, so it sounds in English like it sounded in those ancient languages.  Really.  It’s True.  In fact, that's precisely what it is: “True.”  Indeed, the very old and common word, "amen" simply means, “Truly.”

Do you understand what I am "saying?" This simple word that sounds like "amen"... because it is “amen"... is used as an adverb in the Bible to mean “Truly.”  And so, that’s what the word “amen” means in the Bible.

In other words, according to Scripture, “amen” means "Truly." It doesn’t mean “the end,” and it isn’t meant to be used only at the conclusion of prayers… which is just about the only place it is to be heard these days.  It is rather a simple, descriptive word, sometimes used before and after important statements, as a personal affirmation that one is speaking the Truth.

But to be sure, that’s a good thing to affirm at the end of prayers.  For according to Scripture… not to mention common sense… “speaking the Truth” is the only Way there is to “talk” to God.  And to be equally sure, Truth is also the only Way of “hearing” God, as well.  Indeed, for human beings living on the earth, Truth itself is the one and only Way and means of communication with God… in both directions. 

But don't ask me why it is that in different English Bibles, “amen” gets written "amen" in some places and translated "Truly" in others.  You will have to ask the Bible translators about that.  But good luck with them.  They’re a strange bunch… “bunches,” I should say, and of all different kinds, too.  

It’s hard to estimate how many English words that come from the Bible are being misused in the English language every day these days, and in how many different ways they are being misused, but it’s a lot.  What all such words have in common, is that they are not being used in the same ways they are used in the Bible. 

So when you hear words from the Bible used in everyday conversation, don’t assume for a second that those words mean to the person speaking or writing them, what they mean in the Bible.  Like “amen,” all of these misused words have been given entirely new and different meanings in today’s everyday use of the English language, which are not in accordance with the Scriptures.  Talk about confusion.

Conversely and for this very reason, when you read the Bible… or hear it read aloud… don’t automatically assume that these words of Scripture mean what they mean in everyday conversation and daily life.  Very often... very often... they don't.  They mean what they mean in the Scriptures... i.e. as defined and explained by the Scriptures themselves... not what they mean to every Tom, Dick and Mary.

For example, in everyday life and conversation, the word “church”… another badly misunderstood and misused word… is most often used of a building and/or of a religious institution, but it is never once used in either of these ways, anywhere in the Bible.  In the Bible, there is no such concept!… either one.

In the Scriptures, the word “church” is rather used to refer to “the people of THE LORD” themselves… specifically, God’s people in the present age, who have entrusted their souls to THE LORD, through faith in Jesus Christ, according to the Gospel of Scripture.  I could say more on the subject of the church too… much more… but let’s get back to “amen,” and to finishing this “page.”

Sometimes, ”amen" is also used twice in a row in the Scriptures for extra emphasis, and in most Bible versions, “amen amen” is translated: "Truly Truly”… like here for example:

3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, Truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” [John 3]

This could just as well have been left untranslated, and written: “amen, amen.”  Both ways mean the same thing.  And since it has come up, I will also mention that the Gospel of Scripture is the Bible’s explanation of how one is “born again.”

Also note, Jesus was speaking figuratively when He said one must be “born again.” In so doing, He was comparing something spiritual to something physical and readily familiar, in order to make what He was saying clearer and easier to understand.  He did that a lot… as did the writers of the Scriptures themselves.

“Truly, Truly” is how most English Bible versions translate “amen, amen.”  And, as a mater of fact, the one I am using on this website happens to be one of them.

The Bible version I most often use is called, “The New American Standard Bible,” which I myself take to be the best version for standard Americans living at this time, including the standard American people of God.  And considering the fact that Americans are people of so many different kinds, I also regard the NASB to be a good Bible version for the many different English-speaking people of God living around the world today, at the end of this troubled age.  They too are of all different kinds.

Unfortunately, while a few of these folks are reasonably familiar with the Bible… in whatever version… the great majority of them are acutely unfamiliar with it.  And while this is True world-wide, it is especially True of the standard American people of God, who don’t adequately know the Truth of the Bible. 

Worse still, among the extremely few who are familiar with the Bible, the vast majority miss and misunderstand the words of the Scriptures left and right… sometimes slightly, but far too often, badly if not horribly.  As a result, they misunderstand to the same degree, what the Bible actually does “say” and teach.  And regrettably, that includes numerous matters of great if not extreme importance and consequence. 

In the absence of such knowledge, they also typically think that the Bible “says” and teaches all kinds of things that it does not.  This is an entirely different kind of error, but all too often, one that is equally harmful, if not spiritually lethal. 

As a direct result of both kinds of errors, they believe themselves to know the Truth of the Bible adequately, when they most certainly do not.  Worse still, some of these mistaken and misguided types are prone to spreading this spiritual “disease” to others.  And worst of all, some of them are, indeed, “super-spreaders”… i.e. spreading their false and corrupted beliefs and practices to other people, with great zeal and determination.

So whatever you do, be sure that “you yourself” are fully immunized against this spiritual “virus,” with the Truth of the Scriptures.  Not only is it 100% effective in every case, there are no adverse side effects at all, in any case… none whatsoever. 

As to the verse of Scripture you just read, note that I myself added the two underlines.  As with adding capital letters here and there, I underline certain words for emphasis, thinking it might further help you as you read and think.  But just to be on the safe side, I should probably point out that these words are not actually underlined in the Scriptures themselves.

People didn't use underlines for emphasis back in those ancient days, especially not when they were speaking out loud, like Jesus was, as quoted by the apostle John some years later.  So saying words twice like that, was a good way of making one's point clearer, stronger and “louder.”  But I underlined them for you anyway, just to call your attention to them.

Come to think of it, we don't do that today either… i.e. underline words, when we speak them out loud.  In fact, no human language in the world uses underlines for emphasis when it is spoken out loud.

What people most often do to add emphasis when they talk out loud, is to talk louder.  And come to think of it, if there is anything good about “me” speaking to “you” in writing instead of out loud, that would have to be it.  I myself have been known to get a bit loud when I talk… especially when speaking to the disobedient and unfaithful people of God, who are incredibly hard of “hearing.” 

None of that was really important, but since I used the word "amen," I am entitled to explain it… obligated, in fact.  So I thought I would just throw that in for free.

But then, everything on this website is free anyway... monetarily speaking, that is.  You will have to work it off in reading, hopefully, with a little thinking to go along with it.  As you well know by now, the way I write results in some fairly steady overtime in this regard, but that's about it in the way of cost... to you, anyway.

And speaking of money, should you decide to contact me on the “ask a question” page, be assured that I will never sell your email address to anyone.  In fact, it will be kept strictly confidential, short of an issue of law.  For example, if you tell me you are going to shoot somebody, I’ll rat you out in a nanosecond.  

The same goes for anything you say to me by email messaging.  It won't go anywhere and/or be attributed to “you personally” without your permission, except, once again, if there is some issue of law involved.  I mention these things, just in case you are leery of using the contact page, for either of these reasons.

So if you didn't already know that "amen" means "Truly," Now you do.  Consider it a small "welcome gift" for reading this “welcome page” of the website.  It’s just a little "tidbit" to amaze and amuse your friends when you get back to school or work, after the pandemic ends... assuming, of course, it does, and that you would talk about such things in front of other people, especially, your own friends.

And just to be clear, I meant, "when the viral pandemic is over."  The spiritual pandemic I am everywhere talking about, will probably last a little while longer.  Probably.  If it does, it will certainly get worse in an ever-increasing hurry, with each passing day.  Certainly.  

It is interesting though... not to mention distressing... how many millions of people all over the world are using so many straight-out-of-the-Bible words like "preach," "church" and "amen" on this very day, not even knowing what these words actually mean in the actual Bible they actually come from.  And without need of test-kit or waiting period, I can also tell you for certain, that there is a lot of that going round these days too.

In fact, this disorder is so infectious, virtually everyone has a touch of it.  But unfortunately, here in the early years of the socially-connected, mass-media frenzy of the twenty-first century, most people have come down with a really bad case of it.... all over the world.

I don't have the exact statistics, but I would estimate the infection rate to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 99.9%+.  Unfortunately, that’s the way it is with "these days."

As I said, while some of these misunderstood and misused words of the Bible are fairly inconsequential, many are decidedly not… very many.  In fact, a very large number of these misunderstood and miscommunicated words are highly consequential, as are the resulting misunderstandings of Scripture they cause.   Worse still, these misunderstandings are cumulative, as well… i.e. they compound, widen and increase in severity, as one is added to the next.

To be sure, when it comes to the words of the Scriptures, this “disease”… i.e. misunderstanding the words of the Bible… is highly contagious and always debilitating.  It too, is rapidly spread by the pull of the crowd.  And, in fact, when the “infection” gets into words like "Gospel," “Son," “believe" and “church,” it can, indeed, be spiritually deadly.  Truly.  

My point is this.  When reading or hearing the words of the Bible, it is vitally important to understand these words correctly... i.e. as they were used and meant to be understood in the Bible, not in the ways these words are used in everyday conversation.  And this is especially so, in the case of especially important words… like the ones I just mentioned.  

So "amen" means "Truly," and "amen amen" means "Truly Truly," either way these words are spoken or written.  What do you know about that!  Actually, at this stage of the page, you should know many things about what the Bible “says” and teaches, including that.  Some really important things too.

And the Truth is, at this present time we refer to as "now," it really doesn't matter whether or not you knew these things before "now" or not.  What matters "now," is that you do know these Truths, keep them in mind, do as the Truth itself leads you, and do it now... while it is still "now."

But didn't it help that I told you about "toot sweet" before "amen?"  I thought it might.  That's why I did it, even though it required more writing.

And that's another reason why there already is and everywhere will be more writing on this website than you might prefer.  There is already ever-so-much more writing on it than I ever would have preferred to do, prefer to be doing right "now," and ever will prefer to do, in whatever time as might be left in which to do it.

Did you "hear" that?  If so, I don't know how.  I rewrote that last sentence in the last paragraph numerous times, and that's all I could come up with.  I can barely understand it myself.

Fortunately, what I “said” in that paragraph wasn’t really important.  In fact, nothing I say about “myself” is.  All I was trying to say, is that thanks to "me personally,” you will have to read much more than you want to on this website, if you are to learn the Truth you need to know, which God has given me to give to you.  Beyond that, I was just trying to console you about it, by letting you know that no matter how long and hard it might be for you to read, it is even harder for me to write and worse for “me” to endure than it likely is for “you”... or anyone else.

But enough of that.  Let's end this “page” with things clear, simple and Truly important, toots sweet.

I will now conclude this "page," by saying that my mission this second time is the same as it was the first time, except for a few "adjustments."  For example, my mission here in the early years of the twenty-first century is to an entirely different "people of God" than it was in the early years of the first century.  And that’s not just because those people are long gone.  That's not what I mean.  What I mean, is that the people of God in this age are of an entirely different "flock."

I will also give you another example of what is exactly alike about it, with the help of some more figurative language.  Once again, this stage of the "game" where I come in, equates to the last tick of the clock, at the end of double overtime.  That’s when I’m sent in to take my one, last, best shot, a split-second before time runs out.  Here’s hoping that you can “hear” what I am “saying.” 

So there you have it!  At long last, this “page" is now finished and ready for the worldwide web!... such as it is.   It's actually a very big deal to me, but by all means, do with it as you will.  After all, it's your will.

Listen to the Truth I have been sent to speak to you, or don't.  It's entirely your choice.   But if you don’t listen, don't blame me for not having the Truth you need to know when you need it, should the time arise.

Of course, technically speaking, time doesn't actually "arise."  That's just a figure of speech for when something in the future becomes something in the present... which it has a way of constantly doing.  And when it does, it sometimes bring things upon us very suddenly and unexpectedly... all kinds of things.  I’m sure you have noticed that. 

At times, time can bring good things, but at other times, it can bring things unpleasant, unwanted and even catastrophic… especially when we are not forewarned and prepared for them.  I'm sure you are aware of that too.  If not, please do be, and whatever you do, don't let that happen to "you," in regard to the things of THE LORD I have been sent to forewarn you about.

As you have also undoubtedly noticed, time yet to come is also very difficult to see into with any degree of clarity… let alone certainty.  Although technically speaking, one cannot literally see time at all.  That’s because there is nothing to see… or, for that matter, to hear, touch, taste or smell. 

The reason is, time is not only invisible, it is 100% immaterial.  There is nothing "material" about it in any way… no atoms, no molecules, nothing physical at all.  Time surely does exist and operate though.  No getting around that. 

Another thing about time, is that even when it seems to be quietly minding its own business and doesn't appear to be bothering anyone, it silently and secretly is.  Every second, in fact.

Time often helps at the start, but then it quietly and steadily causes things to get old, wear out, start to fail, and then totally fail… “things" of all kinds, but especially living “things.”  And to add insult to injury, it doesn't seem to care in the least about doing this to people.  In Truth, time doesn’t care at all about anything or anyone... "you" and "me" included.

Perhaps you have had such an experience or two in your own life, with this unpleasant aspect of the forward movement of  “time."  If not, just give it time… not that time “moves” or gives you any choices. 

While you're waiting, you can stay right where you are, or run in the opposite direction… figuratively speaking.  You can also hide yourself away, or build yourself an impregnable fortress to lock yourself up in, for maximum protection.  It won't make a bit of difference, but if any of that makes you feel better, you can surely do it.  Many people do. 

Nevertheless, no matter what you do or don't do, it won't affect time at all, and it won't change the Truth in the least.  Nothing technical about that.

The Truth is, the future becomes the present, moment by moment nonstop, for everyone and everything in the universe.  And in the life of the human being, it brings... you name it, good and bad.

This is something time definitely does do, and it never stops doing it for a nano-second.  That's just the way it is with time.  And there is nothing we can do about it, except try to manage it and deal with it as it comes, for as long as it does.  Such is "life."

I am fairly positive you have noticed this, even if like me, you don't know what a "nano-second" is.  All I know about it, is that it's supposedly shorter than a split-second.   I don't know whether this is True or not, because who says how short a split-second can be?

In any case, what I do know for certain, is that the indisputable and unavoidable Truth is, time goes from "future" to "present" to "past" in a split-nanosecond.  And it keeps on doing this nanosecond by nanosecond, in all places and times.

I’m sure you know these Truths about time, but sometimes, we all know them all too well and so well, that they can easily escape our notice or slip our minds after we have noticed them.  That's something else time helps us do… and that's not good either.

Time also has a way of sneaking back up on you at the worst possible moment, and that’s also not good.  Frankly, there are a lot of things about time that aren't good.

On the other hand, there is nothing at all bad about Truth... except, of course, when one is at odds with it, has done something wrong with it, wrong about it, wrong before it, and so on.  But then, none of that kind of "bad" is in any way the fault of Truth, nor on Truth's account.  Not in the least.  That kind of "bad" is on account of people, when they get themselves out of alignment with the Truth or run afoul of it.

I do hope you won’t do such things with the Truth you have come to know in life, because one way or another it will wind up on your account.  And the Truth is, these accounts are all eventually settled and closed, be it sooner, later or in the end.  I would think you are already aware of that Truth too, but if not, please do be.