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Thursday, 20 July 2023

John Citizen's Cultural Predicament

Copyright © 2023 PJ Stassen
All Rights Reserved.



▌JOHN DID NOT CREATE HIMSELF. John knows he did not create himself. For instance, he did not choose his era, date of birth, country, parents, biological make-up, race, nationality, mother-tongue … not even his own name!
   John also realises that he does not belong to himself. The fact is that he had just woken up one morning (on his birthday!) to find himself in the wonderful world of who-knows-where to be nursed and raised by two people (he was lucky) called his 'mom' and 'dad'. Just unceremoniously ‘dumped’ into the Milky Way galaxy without prior notice, i.e., no dress rehearsal, no preparation, no nothing. In retrospect, it is obvious that, if he did not belong to himself, he had to belong to someone else … but to whom?


▌JOHN IS BEING HAUNTED BY MANY QUESTIONS. Haunted by many questions, John’s world has become tough for him to mentally navigate. Examples:

Why is there something instead of nothing?

 Where do I come from?

 Why am I here?

 Where am I going?

 Is there hope for planet Earth?

 How can I know the difference between right and wrong?

 Is there still hope for humanity?


▌JOHN FEELS ‘IMPRISONED’. John has also been feeling ‘imprisoned lately’, e.g., imprisoned: 

 in the Cosmos!

 in the Milky Way Galaxy!

 in the (local) Solar System!

 on planet Earth!

 on his continent!

 in his country!

 in his state/province/county!

♦ in his city/town/village!

 in his family!

 in his body!

 in his culture!

 in his circumstances!



▌HELPING JOHN ANSWER HIS MANY QUESTIONS. For instance: 

   ►Why is there Something instead of Nothing? There is ‘something’ (a Universe, a world) instead of ‘nothing’ because God created it in the beginning: 

   “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” 

[Genesis1:1MKJV].

   The very majesty, scope, dimensions and beauty of this unfathomable, albeit terrifying, Universe affirms the fact of an intelligently designed, managed and maintained (i.e., orderly) Cosmos and not a (disorderly) ramshackle Chaos. 

   ►Where did John come from?  John is, regardless of his nationality, culture, gender and religion,  here because he was in the beginning [Genesis1:1] created by God: 

   “And He has made all nations of men of one blood to dwell on all the face of the earth, ordaining fore-appointed seasons and boundaries of their dwelling.” 

[Acts17:26MKJV].  

   ►Why is John here? John is here to, in God’s ideal world (irrespective of his race, skin tone, tribe, clan, caste, gender or socio-economic status) by the grace of God become a member of the holy ‘priesthood’ in the Gospel’s ‘House of Faith’ for all believers in Jesus Christ: 

   “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for possession, so that you might speak of the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” 

[1Peter2:9MKJV]. 

   ►How must John decide between Right & Wrong? John only must follow the prescripts and values of God as articulated in the Bible (Hebrew Bible +New Testament: The Ten Commandments & the Gospel of Jesus Christ). God has given John a choice: 

   “I call Heaven and earth to record today against you. I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore, choose life, so that both you and your seed may live.” 

[Deuteronomy 30:19MKJV]. 

   ►Where is John going? If John fears, honours, and obeys God, his name will be written in God’s ‘Book of Remembrance’

   “Then those fearing Jehovah spoke together, each man to his neighbor. And Jehovah listened and heard. And a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who feared Jehovah, and for those esteeming His name.” 

[Malachi3:16]. 

    Psa69:28  "Let them be blotted out of the Book of Life, and not be written with the righteous ...

   Php4:3  "I also beg you, true yoke-fellow, help those women who labored in the gospel with me and with Clement, and others of my fellow-laborers, whose names are in the Book of Life.

   Rev3:5  "The one who overcomes, this one will be clothed in white clothing. And I will not blot out his name out of the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

   Rev13:8  "all dwelling on the earth will worship it, those whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain, from the foundation of the world.

   Rev17:8  "The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to ascend out of the abyss and go into perdition. And those dwelling on the earth will marvel, those whose names were not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

   Rev20:12  "And I saw the dead, the small and the great, stand before God. And books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

   Rev20:15  "And if anyone was not found having been written in the Book of Life, he was cast into the Lake of Fire.

   Rev21:27  "And there shall in no way enter into it anything that defiles, or any making an abomination or a lie; but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

   Rev22:19  "And if anyone takes away from the Words of the Book of this prophecy, God will take away his part out of the Book of Life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which have been written in this Book."

►Is there hope for planet Earth? Not much: 

   “The earth is breaking, breaking! The earth is crashing, crashing! The earth is tottering, tottering! Like a drunkard the earth is staggering, staggering! And it rocks to and fro like a tree-hut! And its sins heavy on it; and it shall fall and not rise again.” 

[Isaiah24:19-20MKJV].

►Is there hope for humanity? Yes, provided humanity accept Jesus Christ as LORD and Saviour [John3:14; Romans6:23]. There is a NEW HEAVEN & NEW EARTH coming [Revelation21:1] and with a NEW HOME for every believer in Jesus Christ in the ‘Father’s House of Many Mansions’ [John3:1-3].

                                                MEDITATIONS & CONTEMPLATIONS

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