Seeds For Thinking

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” (1 Corinthians 15:52, American King James Version)

The prophets spoke of a period which they called "the last days" (Isaiah 2:2; Micah 4:1; in Hebrew, "the after days"), as the period in which the Messiah would live and reign. Peter wrote that the resurrection of Christ has brought the faithful
“to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fades not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith to salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1;4-5)
The Savior expressly said that it was not designed that anyone should know when future events would occur. Thus, prior to His ascension, in answer to an inquiry whether he then would restore the kingdom to Israel, he said Acts 1:7, "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his own power."
Still, question abounded then, as now, concerning the form, the body, that the dead shall have. Paul speaks not of the time of the coming of the last day, but of how it shall take place. He wrote to the Corinthians about the bodies of the living,
“Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed” -A mystery, a secret, which could never have been discovered by reason, or the light of nature. And it shall happen “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.”
The Greek word used here for "moment" is ATOMOS. This passage is the only place in the Greek New Testament where this word is used. ATOMOS is the word from which is derived from our English word "atom." The Greeks believed that the atom was the smallest particle of matter that existed, therefore it could not be divided, cut, split, or reduced in any way. The translators have taken this to mean that our bodies shall be changed in "an atom of time," that is, in an instant of time so brief that you could not make it any quicker, or reduce the time in any measure.
To further illustrate the quickness of this transformation, Paul uses the expression, “In the twinkling of an eye.” So how fast is that? The eyes can wink, blink and twink, it is said. A wink is a controlled movement of the eye and so it's length of time is indeterminate, but the quickest wink lasts for a half second. A blink is a reflex action of the eye and lasts somewhere between 300 and 400 milliseconds. The twinkling of the eye is caused by an involuntary, very wide dilation in the eye, estimated by some number crunchers to be 1/6,000,000,000th of a second to make a person's eyeball twinkle: This expression means 'very fast' or 'instantaneously'.
Plainly and unquestionably it concerns our change, our transformation into the image of Christ. See 1 Cor. 15:35-50, which precedes the scripture passage. Our change from mortal to immortal, from corruptible to incorruptible is a promise of God that can no more fail or pass away than any other of God's promises. Jesus states the promise in John 3:16; “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
Since we are not given to know in advance the day or the hour, we should be ready at all times. Waiting to set our spiritual affairs in order just won’t work. It will be very difficult to make changes during that “twinkling of an eye!”

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

* The Better Part
* Scripture: Gideon said, “ Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?” Judges 8:2b, NKJV

Anyone who has had to deal with more than one child at mealtime has likely had to mediate the “She got more than me!” battle. Isn’t it amazing how the other piece of pie, the slab of cake, always looks bigger on the other plate. Or, as the farmer said to his cow as she leaned over the fence, “The grass is always greener on the other side, isn’t it?”
Sadly, it is not just children and livestock that want their full share, and maybe just a little bit more. Groups, clans, even nations, are subject to this malady. At the least, there is grumbling and ill will; at the worst, envy, jealousy, and anger.
Let’s take a look at just one of many examples found in the Bible.
If you have been around for awhile, you have heard the story of Gideon in the Book of Judges. How God called him to save Israel from the Midianites, the tests that eliminated all but three-hundred men, and the night time raid that sent the Midianite army, “as numerous as locusts” (Judges 7:12), fleeing in disorder. Oh, how we thrill at the hearing of the God-inspired selection of these few men, of how their torches and trumpets terrified the enemy so much that they struck out against even their own brethren with their swords. (7:22)
Most of the sermons that I have heard end there with the enemy fleeing before Gideon’s “army.” But that is not the end of the battle, nor the tie-in that I must make with my lead-in about squabbling over one’s portion.
Follow up by reading Judges 7:24, 25. Gideon sent word to the men of the tribe of Ephraim AFTER the Midianite’s camp was abandoned, instructing them to seize the fleeing Midianites as they tried to cross back over the Jordan River. This they did, and captured two Midianite princes in the process. (Think sacking the quarterback in football!) Were the Ephraimites happy? No way! They likely missed out on looting the Midianite camp - the old “You got something that we didn’t!” complaint. They were angry!
The key to understanding Gideon’s reply lies in the word ‘gleaning.’ God made provision for the welfare of the poor by instructing the landowners to leave the corners of their fields unharvested, and to leave some of the fruit in the orchards and vineyards. The people who gathered those set-aside crops were called “gleaners.”
Gideon’s father was Joash, the Abiezrite. Thus, the Ephraimites ‘gleaned’ a greater honor than did Gideon’s army.
“You’ve got the better part!”
Think about it.
September 18, 2005