Sunday, August 31, 2014

The Spiritual Reality #2: The 5th Dimension

On September 22, 1922 the entertainment world made a radical leap when the first 3D movie debuted, making images came alive on the big screen. This radical leap gives us a significant illustration of the reality of the spiritual dimension! Prior to 1922, people could only see things in 2D on the big screen, yet much of life takes place beyond those 2 limited dimensions.
Similarly, for a long time now, many have been living in a ‘2D’ world, not recognizing the spiritual dimension that has always been there. I have entitled it the 5th dimension (the 4th dimension is time). Yet in reality there are way more than 5 dimensions; the modern scientific field of quantum physics has proven this! As we journey, our exploration of this new dimension will require that we use specific 5th dimension glasses (similar to how in 1922, the first audience had to put on special glasses to view these new 3D films). To begin our study, we will consider the proof that this dimension does in fact exist.
First, the 5th dimension is revealed through history. The most significant historical event revealing this reality is Jesus’ resurrection. When Jesus rose from the dead, the normal laws of the physical dimensions were superseded. It is natural to question the validity of someone rising from the dead. Some common questions I have encountered, and even raised myself include:
·         What does one do with all the eyewitness accounts? 
·         What about the lack of evidence against His resurrection from ancient historians?
·         Additionally, what does one do with 39 ancient non-Christian historians who support His rising from the dead (Gary Habermas, The Verdict of History)?
If you want to know the answer to these questions you can find them, along with others, at: http://www.eugenechristianchurch.blogspot.com/search/label/Matt%27s%20Matters).
I encourage you to study these answers for yourself. I am confident that as you study these truths, you will join me in coming to the conclusion that Jesus did rise from the dead. And thus, we have our first solid instance of the spiritual reality.
The second proof of the 5D is revealed through predictions of future events. This is not referring to mere luck or calculated reasoning; anyone can guess what will take place. What I am referring to is specific, detailed predictions of the future – predictions that did come to reality. There are 2 examples of such predictive prophecy which I want to draw our attention to:
The first is of a guy named Cyrus. Cyrus was a Persian king who was prophesied about by name 150 years beforehand (Isa. 44-45) who would restore and rebuild Jerusalem which hadn’t been destroyed yet! Furthermore, Cyrus was specifically mentioned before he was ever born.
And the second example comes from Jesus Himself. There are 313 specific prophecies in the OT stating exactly what Jesus was going to be like and do. Some of the prophecies would have been impossible to arrange, like where He was born, how His parents took Him to Egypt shortly after His birth, and how He would die, not to mention the resurrection. Plus, there are numerous historians, both Christian and non-Christian which support what He did.
The statistical probability of any one person fulfilling just 8 of those 313 prophecies is the same as filling the entire state of Texas with silver dollars waist high and placing 2 gold coins at random; then requiring a blindfolded individual to locate those 2 coins in just one attempt per coin. These prophecies supersede the physical dimension and are therefore, a part of the spiritual reality.
The third evidence of our spiritual reality is that of life transformation, especially of individuals radically opposed to Jesus and Christianity. These individuals may have gone so far as to torture and kill Christians. Yet once they encountered the One who transcends the physical realm, Jesus Christ, in a special way, they were never the same. Individuals like Jesus’ own brothers’ James and Jude had rejected Him prior to seeing the resurrected Jesus. Yet after this encounter James became the leader of the church in Jerusalem, and Jude was influential as well. Or who can forget the Apostle Paul who formerly persecuted Christians. Yet after encountering Jesus on the road to Damascus, he became one of the most influential missionaries in history. Then there are modern examples of Lee Strobel, Josh McDowell, and C.S. Lewis. All of these individuals’ lives reveal a kingdom that is not of this world—the spiritual reality.
Based on these three evidences, a case has been made for the spiritual dimension of our world. The only question which remains is whether you will choose to look at the world through the lens of the 5th dimension.
Because of God’s love,
     Matt



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