Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Good morning, dear people.

Whew! What a weekend! Very ambitious. Nearly 1000 miles driven. We met a lot of familiar friends and family, met a lot of people for the first time, and met several who may have been familiar long ago but were like meeting for the first time. I even forgot some of the scenery…like how spectacular are the mountains surrounding Stevens Pass…even though I used to ski there frequently.

Love, Dad/Ray.

I am convinced that the Bible is the Word of God and discloses all that God wants us to know. At the same time, it clearly does not disclose everything. (Deuteronomy 29:29) Nor could our little cranial computers handle EVERYTHING. The information given is altogether adequate, but we still “see but a poor reflection as in a mirror” (1 Corinthians 13:12). There is a lot of stuff that is simply left out that we just don’t know.

We have a small indicator of such a gap in verses 10 and 11 where at least one of God’s reasons for performing a plan of salvation for man is stated—“His intent was that now through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Without our knowing all the details, it would appear that there is some kind of cosmic wager going on in high places over the souls of men, which contributes to the conflict between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. We have another small glimpse of this kind of thing in the book of Job where Satan, while allowed to be the adversary of God, is subservient to God. (That’s an important point to make. Please get your head and heart wrapped around this vital TRUTH. “What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31)

I’m not going to try to figure it out. But one thing is pretty clear: YOU AND I ARE NOT ONLY ON DISPLAY BEFORE THE EYES OF MEN, BUT ALSO BEFORE THE EYES OF BOTH GOOD AND EVIL RULERS AND AUTHORITIES IN THE HEAVENLY REALMS.

Be reminded of the information and instructions Paul makes in the 6th chapter of this same epistle. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes, for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 6:10-12).

I don’t know how you process this piece of revelation information. But it sure seems to me that if we can grasp even a portion of this fact, it will go a long way toward prompting us toward holiness and righteousness before God even when no one is looking…because there is no such thing as a time or place when NO ONE is looking. Indeed there is a good deal more looking out there than meets the eye. Think about it.