Mastodawn

Belgian Ecclesia Brussel - Leuven Oct 9, 2018

Cap 3000 a Valhalla blinding consumers

On my last day at the Cote d’Azur I at our walk in Saint Laurant du Var we also went walking in a huge shopping centre Cap 3000, opposite the airport Nice Cote d’Azur.

a veritable institution at the heart of the French Riviera: a shopping mall in a fabulous location, standing on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.

Located on the western edge of Nice, right next to the international airport

It offers an attractive and diversified range of shops for all the family, from major high-street names to small boutiques. There’s something for all tastes and all budgets! You can meander through the mall until 9pm from Monday to Saturday

“Valhalla” (1905) by Emil Doepler

At the moment it has 180 shops in a magnificent building, which is being made to a much bigger place, with an additional two floors full of shops. When walking through the beautiful shopping mall I felt in the Walhalla of mankind or Valhalla, a splendid palace, roofed with shields, where the warriors feast on the flesh of a boar slaughtered daily and made whole again each evening. They drink liquor that flows from the udders of a goat, and their sport is to fight one another every day. It is the grand place for lust and indulgence, where today is not thought of the Ragnarök or Doomsday.

So many people have to work hard for the wages they might get, but here it looks like all those walking around have enough money to spend for hours in hundreds of attracting shops.

For sure all those people seem to trust in all those things or gadgets beautifully presented in those places which cry to come in and feel as if you can be the honourable guest of fortune.

Having walked through that “Palace of abundance” or better “superabundance” I could not resist looking at a lot of people who have their heart sold to all those material products but have no eye for what can not be seen.

At the Biblestudents you can read how Jesus fed many people and shall be able to read (from 2018, October 19) about Jesus who once more was concerned about real hungry people (Matthew 15:32-39 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: 4000 Fed). There too there was a material problem, food or something for the stomach. Though in the gospels we also receive the lesson for more important food, whereof not many seem to think about today. Most people are not hungering for the right things (James 4:3). Their eyes and heart are focused on the material things of this world. Consumption has become the new god today, after we had money as the new god entering our world from the golden 1960ies. Money and consumption are the male and female god who feel very nice together and who have a better marriage than most couples today. They are namely a very jealous couple which like to get people to want for more and more all the time,getting them into a state of never feeling to have enough.

The Mammon or god of this world has the Dollars and Euros flying in the air,many people jumping up to catch them, for soon going to spend them, often on things they really do not need or which pollute our world further. (Think of all those capsules of Nespresso for example.)

What is most important for many today is that they can enjoy their life with as many gadgets and handy tools as possible. Many go about their lives feeding on the thoughts of their own mind and of their greed. Anxieties, worries, and cares of this life creep in and rob us of the One Who Looks at this world and can see how man does not really want to see Who and what is important for their life and future. I wondered how many would feel His abiding presence.

If we feed on sports, worldly entertainment, social media, material wealth, creature comforts and trivia, is it no wonder that we hunger for those things rather than the things of God?

These days in the Provence I could enjoy beautiful countrysides, lovely small villages, like Tourettes sur Loup, Saint Paul de Vence, etc. and the lovely city Nice where like in many French places people did not take away their dog droppings. In those bigger places we could see many clustered at their phone or walking like they do not like the day, or are taken away from the world by the music from their earphones. Feeding themselves with worldly entertainment, social media, material wealth, creature comforts and trivia.

Clearly we could feel to be in a world where the hunger was or is on other things than the spiritual, though we encountered many Buddha sculptures and yoga places.

Wherever we look around us we can see that in this world many have grown cold by feasting on the things of the flesh and therefore no longer hunger for God. Lots of people love to be filled, but are focussing on things which pass or have limited value. They are filled with worldliness and are thus deceived into being comfortable and contented (Rev. 3:17-18).

When we see how at several occasions Jesus took care for the people around him, we notice how God was with Jesus and provided enough food for the crowd. Throughout history of mankind we can find examples where God was with His people and took care of them.

We should not be afraid. Even when we have not a filled purse, God shall take care that we would be able to manage. His Word and His blessings shall provide for those things we really need in life.
At all times we should not forget that He is the Maker and Provider, the Rock and our Protector.

When people “rend their hearts” and turn back to God (Joel 2:13) God shall receive them with open arms. As any Father would do, He shall look for the best of His children. But as any Father He also would like to be recognised and respected as Father.

We must seek Jehovah God for who He is and not what He can provide. As we devote ourselves to prayer and His word, we will begin to sense His presence and draw near to Him.

From the gospels we learn that God provided a man,who not only could speak in the name of God but also act in the name of God. By believing in that sent one from God, as the scripture says, will have rivers of living water flowing from his inmost heart. (John 7:38) If much more people would know the generosity of God and who Jesus is, they would be feeling much better and would appreciate others with the same fate with the knowledge or certitude that together they can count on Jesus giving us fresh, living water, so that we should not be thirsty any more. Because the water Jesus gives will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life. (John 4:10; John 4:14) Therefore let us look for a better meal than the one offered by all those consumer needy tents. Let us remember that Jesus said,

“I am the Bread of Life. The person who aligns with me hungers no more and thirsts no more, ever.
(John 6:35)

Find also to read and think about

A multifold of elements in creation and a bad choice made

Life isn’t unfair

Matthew 14:14-22 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: 5,000 Fed

Focusing on being a blessing

Less… is still enough

Selfishness can become our biggest ally for the Money Free Movement

Being ‘broke’ a state of mind

Listening to the lessons of the Bible and looking for ways to please God

God should be your hope

Ability (part 4) Thought about the ability to have ability

True riches

Good to make sure that you haven’t lost the things money can’t buy

Count your blessings

Not everything has to be reciprocated with money

Blow to legitimacy of the capitalist system

2013 Lifestyle, religiously and spiritualy

Greed more common than generosity

How we think shows through in how we act

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#1960s #Abundance #Anxiety #BelievingInJesus #BreadOfLife #Cap3000 #Consumption #CoteDAzur #CountOnJesus #Doomsday #Entertainment #Food #Fortune #FrenchRiviera #GadgetS_ #GenerosityOfGod #Greed #HungerForGod #Hungering #John410 #John414 #John738 #MakerGodAlmighty #Mammon #MaterialWealth #Money #Nice #PresenceOfGod #ProtectorGod #ProviderGod #RiversOfLivingWater #RockGod #SeekGod #SentOneFromGod #SocialMedia #Spending #ThingsOfGod #toDrawNearToGod #Unseen #Valhalla #Worldliness

Centre commercial | Cap3000

Retrouvez vos boutiques de mode, sport, beauté, décoration… ainsi que vos restaurants préférés (cuisine américaine, italienne, chinoise…) dans le centre commercial Cap3000. Une belle journée de shopping et de détente en perspective !

CAP3000

Belgian Ecclesia Brussel - Leuven Oct 15, 2016

The 1st Adam in the Hebrew Scriptures #5 Temptation, assault and curse

After the choice Adam and Eve made to go against the Will of God, eating of the fruit of the Tree of knowledge of good and evil, God came to deal with three parties in the fall of mankind: Adam, Eve and the serpent. An alleged fourth – the devil – is not mentioned in Genesis narrative. This for the simple reason the symbolic tempter (satan), the serpent, or the evil thoughts in Eve’s mind are the evil itself.

Book of Genesis, Fall of Man. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The most common presentation of Adam and Eve does not reflect clearly enough their theological significance, at least as seen in the New Testament. Too many people forget where the trouble started and do not come to see the essence of our suffering today being the cause of man its own choice. Eve decided herself, by her own choice to go against the wishes of God. She herself wanted to be like God. The apostle Paul, being a Jewish scholar knew very well the problem of evil and suffering. For him it was also clear what choice Adam and Eve had made and why.

For Paul the wrath on mankind was caused by the anger of God (Romans 5:9) It does not have to mean we are enemies of God, but Eve her action showed God how man doubted His position. For the opposing attitude of Eve God reckoned against the sinner. In the story of Adam and Eve in the Book of Genesis, we hear God giving a first commandment: not eating of the fruit of the tree of conscience (the Tree of knowledge of good and evil). He is aware that they could see death reigning in the world form Adam’s time to the time of Moses (Knox).

Romans 5: 14 1But death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over 2them also that sinned not after the like 3manner of the transgression of Adam, 4which was the figure of him that was to come.

In his letter to the Romans we get to hear that Adam foreshadows another person who had to come. The first Adam or the first man, corresponds in some degree to the man who was to come, and whose birth 2020 years ago we remember this year. That man being born was a gift to mankind, from God, which more powerfully affected mankind.

Romans 5: 15 1But yet the gift is not so as is the offense: for if through the offense of 2that one, many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

Adam and Eve committed an offence on which God had to react. He could directly destroy them and start all over again by creating some new living beings in his likeness which would keep to His commandment. Moreover, the boon of God exceeds the fruit of Adam and Eve’s sin. On that contrast between the gift and the results of that one sin, we shall come back in later chapters.

By their act, going against God’s Will, and by wanting to be like God, their Maker gave them the opportunity to show how much they themselves could make of it all. God’s right to govern was doubted, so know they could come to govern themselves and could come to make something of the world. Because all the children of Adam and Eve came after their choice of adversary they all fell under the spell or curse God came to bring over them. Adam and Eve after eating of the Tree of knowledge came to know the difference between good and evil and became weaker than before, because they now had knowledge. We can not escape the relationship from the first human beings. For just because of their relation to Adam and Eve all men fall under the spell of God and have to bear the consequences of that rebellion of the first carnal man. Being the descendants of Adam and Eve we all became members of a sinful race and we all shall have to face death.

1 Corinthians 15: 21 1For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be 1made alive.

In the letter to the Corinthians we are also told there is a solution. In those Greek Writings we find another confirmation of the same consequent: for Christ is to be considered as opposite to Adam, that as from one man Adam, sin came over all, so from one man Christ, life comes unto all: that is to say, that all the faithful, as they die, because by nature they were born of Adam, so because in Christ they are made the children of God by grace, they are quickened and restored to life by him. {annotation of the 1599 Geneva Patriot’s Edition}

The way the apostle Paul looks at the 1° and the 2° Adam places the Adam-story within a royal context, because the essence of the matter were Adam and Eve impeaching the Divine Creator. Them to query God His Most High position, is the biggest issue. This way a battle over kingship and its relation to the universe was initiated. The position of the one sent from God as a solution is too often missed by the majority of people, even by those who call themselves Christian.

In the Garden of Eden sin entered in the world of man. In a royal garden or orchard Jeshua (Jesus Christ) accepted the fact he must follow not his will but the Will of the Most High God, and should go to the stake. (Matthew 26:36-46)

In the Holy Scriptures a garden is used to express joy, peace and satisfaction.

Jeremiah 31: 12 Therefore they shall come, and rejoice in the height of Zion, and shall run to the bountifulness
of the Lord, even for the 1wheat and for the wine, and for the oil, and for the increase of sheep and bullocks: and their soul shall be as a watered garden, and they shall have no more sorrow.

Adam and Eve by Peter Paul Rubens (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Adam and Eve had no sorrow in the Garden of Eden. They had everything they needed. But God did wanted to teach them a lesson and did not want them in His Garden any more. Since Adam listened to his wife and ate from the tree whose fruit Jehovah God commanded him not to eat, the ground is cursed because of him. So his deed became the cause of the earth coming in problems by man. It is often by the wrong actions of men that something bad happens in the world, for example mudslides because men took away all the trees.
All our life now we will have to struggle to scratch a living from it. God told man that it will grow thorns and thistles for us, though man will eat of its grains. This time not for nothing any more, like it was in the Royal Garden. From then onwards man had to make his own garden and work with his own hands for it. By the sweat of our brow, will we have food to eat until we die, i.e. return to the ground from which man were made. Because we shall have to be reminded that we were made from dust, and to dust we will return.
But woman certainly could not escape. For him and her there was first no pain, but knowing now good and bad they also came to know pain and sorrow. The pain of woman’s pregnancy was going to be sharpened, and in pain she will give birth. She still was going to be able to give children, but concerning having control over things it would be more difficult. God warned her that though she still will desire to control her husband, it will be him who is going to rule over her.

Genesis 3: 16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly increase thy 1sorrows, and thy conceptions. In sorrow shalt thou bring forth children, and thy desire shall be subject to thine husband, and he shall rule over thee.
17 Also to Adam he said, Because thou hast obeyed the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, (whereof I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it) cursed is the earth for thy sake: in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.
18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat the herb of the field.
19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return to the earth: for out of it wast thou taken, because thou art dust, and to dust shalt thou return.
20 (And the man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living)
21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God 1make coats of skins, and clothed them.
22 And the Lord God said, 1Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil. And now lest he put forth his hand, and 2take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever,

23 Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the earth, whence he was taken.
24 Thus he cast out the man, and at the East side of the garden of Eden he set the Cherubims, and the blade of a sword shaken, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Adam, Eve, but also we should see that the transgression of God’s commandment was the cause that both mankind and all other creatures were subject to the curse God spoke in that Kingdom of God, the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve, fell from the estate of integrity in which God had created them and now had to build their own kingdom (a kingdom of man) in their own world.

Temptation was the occasion; it was not the cause. To be subjected to temptation is not sinful for the tempted. Embrace and acquiescence constitute sin, i.e. going in against the Will of God.
Eve succumbed to the ideas in her head. Her heart wanted to have so much as God. She herself made the choice to take the fruit and to eat it. She came to the point of overt disobedience to the divine prohibition. Adam trusted his partner and with her in the adventure, hoping also to get the knowledge of good and evil and wanting to become wise (Genesis 3:6 ASV)

The tempter had gained the trust of the first human beings. Eve had accepted as true what was a blasphemous assault upon the veracity of Good and came to regard the tree as desirable in the direction that contravened the divine prohibition. Eve served herself as carnal creature rather than the Divine Creator.

The mannin her failure to recoil with revulsion from the temptation and the idea that she would not die (Genesis 3:4) is evidence that defection had already taken place and that she exemplified the invariable psychology of sin that overt action proceeds from the inward disposition of heart.

Proverbs 23: 7 For as though he thought it in his heart: so will he say unto thee, Eat and drink: but his heart is not
with thee.

Man loves to give the fault of their wrong doing to others or say it is not from them. But In the Messianic Scriptures the sent one from God clearly warns man that there is nothing outside man. Summoning the multitude rabbi Jeshua (Jesus Christ) addressed the crowd close to him and told them that we should worry about what comes out of man. It is that what is inside and comes outside that pollutes or defiles man. It is from inside, out of man’s heart that come evil thoughts and actions, like self-seeking, pride, jealousy or envying, slander, malice, double-dealing, lying, deceiving, misleading, betraying, sexual vice, adultery, fornication, theft or stealing, wickedness, murder, all things that make a person unclean.

Mark 7: 21 For from within, even out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, uncleanness, a wicked eye, backbiting, pride, foolishness.
23 All these evil things come from within, and defile a man.

We may not be mistaken, it is all from within ourselves. The satan or adversary comes from our inner thoughts which we allow to go wrong and where we give in. We can choose not to follow certain ideas, but when we chose to follow the wrong path then we sin. There may be manyfold temptation but it is how we react on them.Whenever you find yourself surrounded by various temptations do know that it all depends on your choice and on your faith which shall demand action (works of faith), leading to steadfastness, developing endurance. But to withstand such temptation man shall need now the courage to choose the right path and let patience finish its work that you may become fully developed and perfectly equipped, lacking in nothing or in no respect deficient. So when you are drawn away, enticed and baited by your own evil desire, like Eve was, let yourself not be beguiled and allured by your own evil desire and enticed by a bait. Remember that when passion or desire conceives and gives birth to sin, than when the bad act or sin runs its course and get fully matured it shall give birth to death. We may not be mislead and make no mistake about this.

James 1: 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own concupiscence, and is enticed.
15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth 1sin, and sin when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
16 1Err not my dear brethren.

* Bible quotes from 1599 Geneva Patriot’s Edition

Preceding articles

The 1st Adam in the Hebrew Scriptures #1 Beginning of everything

The 1st Adam in the Hebrew Scriptures #2 Beginning of mankind

The 1st Adam in the Hebrew Scriptures #3 With his partner

The 1st Adam in the Hebrew Scriptures #4 The Fall

The Seed Of The Woman Bruised

Jesus begotten Son of God #10 Coming down spirit or flesh seed of Eve

Sayings of Jesus, what to believe and being or not of the devil

Not about personal salvation but about a bigger Plan

A book of life and a man born more than two thousand years ago

When having found faith through the study of the Bible we do need to do works of faith