On this rock … Something happened at that rock. Something incredible. It could literally save the world. Unfortunately, too many people either don’t know or don’t care. Do you? Do you care enough to risk everything? That rock represented the start of a revolution. One that you can take part in. If you’re willing.
On this rock Part 1 - Who doesn't love to win? is article #1 in the series: On this rock. Click button to view titles for entire series
All the world’s a stage.
And all the men and women merely players;
from As you like it, by William Shakespeare.
It’s a famous line. But that’s boring.
“merely players”
How about a life where life really matters? Not as a mere player, but as an active participant? A participant in the greatest revolution of all time?
On this rock – Rule #1
Imagine being told this by the leader of the revolution:
Congratulations!
You have successfully figured out rule #1. Since you’re the first to do it, your task now is to get the rest of the world to believe rule #1. No pressure, but the fate of every living person hangs in the balance.
There are too many people for you to do this alone – so you must get others to help you. All of you will be hated, tortured, and rejected for what you believe. Some will actively work against you. Others will just not care.
Either way, all of those who don’t believe rule #1 will die.
Your task is simple. And yet difficult. But I know you will not back down. You will come to wish you hadn’t been the first. You will even deny knowing rule #1. But you will turn back to me and complete your mission.
As you know, I have already won. You will join in my victory, along with everyone else who comes to believe rule #1. I cannot be with you physically, but I will be with you until the end. You and those who believe rule #1 with you will be my representatives in this battle. I will see all of you at the celebration feast at the end.
What is On this rock?
Sounds like the intro to Mission Impossible.
Or maybe the start to a really cool video game.
But this isn’t a movie.
And it’s not a game.
This isn’t about a play either.
Let’s change the As you like it quote a bit.
Let’s say that all the world’s involved in an epic battle between good and evil.
And whether they believe it or not, all the men and women are involved.
Failure to accept their part in this battle means the player will lose, by default, due to lack of interest.
This is about real life. Or real death.
Your life. Or death.
Actually, everyone’s life. Or death.
On This Rock is based on something Jesus said.
I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
It’s written as though you, the reader, are Peter. And the time is now, not 2,000 years ago.
Some personal notes about On this rock
This is a multi-part series. When I started it, I kind of had an idea where I thought it was going to go. While writing it, I eventually realized that it wasn’t going to be close to what I expected. It’s so much bigger.
One thing that has changed – most of 2016, one of our little guys – Dewey, a Shih-Tzu – went through treatment for lymphoma. It was an incredibly up and down 8 months. During those months – the traditional chemo approach failed. At the end, when it should have been going into remission, it came roaring back. He was accepted into a trial for a new drug. One of the conditions for getting into the trial is no chemo of any kind for a week. Talk about the cancer roaring back. After a week totally unchecked, we were praying that he even lived long enough to start the trial.
Ultimately, Dewey didn’t make it. He did start the trial, and the drug was acting very quickly. Unfortunately, the cancer went to his brain. Because of the makeup of the canine body and this drug, the drug cannot get to the brain. So once it went there, the only humane thing to do was put him down. He went from OK to suffering within a matter of hours.
Why do I bring this up?
It’s really let me look at my relationship with God – viewing it through the eyes of Dewey’s relationship with me, my wife, and all the people he has come across during his chemo treatments, emergency room visits for side effects, and others. It’s a real look at something that may be as close as we’ll ever see of God’s unconditional love – this side of Heaven.
It’s really affected the way I look at life – at God – at the importance of winning the battle discussed on these pages.
BTW – to read more about Dewey, check out the Learning From A Dog series. All of them are about members of our “family”. Dewey is the pensive-looking “Ewok” clone, and the one running on the grass. I definitely invite you to read all of them – especially if you’re a dog person, or more properly a “dog’s person”.
Now it’s 2022. Obviously more things have changed. We lost two more dogs. Hachiko, probably a Chow Chow – German Shepherd mix. He’s also written up in the Learning From A Dog series.
And Donnie. Most likely Donnie was a Havanese, but since he was abandoned, we really don’t know. Or care. Donnie was just plain awesome. It’s been months since he lost his battle with kidney failure. I still haven’t been able to write about his passing. It’s just too painful, still.
But then, Donnie’s life is also what led us to recently adopt Mikey. Mikey was also abandoned. Probably lived on the streets for at least a year. He’s a combo-plate of unknown origins, although we may do a test on him to find out. Mikey was scared of literally everything. But living on the street also made him tough. Fourteen pounds of aggression when he’s scared.
In four and a half months, he’s come so far! Mikey’s the smartest dog I’ve ever had. And one of the things he picks up on is when he’s safe. Inside the house, he’s very much a member of the family, very playful and funny. Outside, he’s got a way to go. With the vet and groomer, pretty much still at square one. But we’re confident he’ll get there.
Mikey’s also really good for me on the cancer front. You can read what’s happening at Don’t waste your cancer. For now, suffice it to say Mikey gives me plenty of reason to not go down a rabbit hole of depression because, in order for him to get better, I have to be better.
Anyway, in all of these things, I see the way all the different dogs have reacted with me. And I can’t help but think of our relationships as ways to learn what our relationship with God should be like. That thought is too long to explain here, but you can read it in the Learning From A Dog series.
The bottom line for On this rock is that everything I’ve learned, everything I’ve written, points to the importance of every Christian playing our part in this revolution that Jesus started.
And now, here’s the second update of On this rock.
On this rock …, said Jesus
Here’s what Jesus said, in the full context of a section the NIV titles Peter’s Confession of Christ.
Peter’s Confession of Christ
16:13-16 pp — Mk 8:27-29; Lk 9:18-20
Mt 16:13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
Mt 16:14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
Mt 16:15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Mt 16:16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Mt 16:17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.
Notice something else Jesus said in there. this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. We can “know ” this in our head.s But the only way to “know” it in our hearts is that it’s revealed by God. These days, it’s the Holy Spirit. At baptism. That’s been the case ever since Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit, promised by Jesus. And the Holy Spirit is the only way we can accomplish our tasks. Both in this life, and in what you’re about to read – the first portion of On this rock.
On this rock, a fantasy about real life
On this rock is written as a fantasy. Not because it is – but because people seem to be into that genre now.
That may sound weird to some. Maybe sacrilegious to others, although, the Jewish leaders had a hard time with the way Jesus conducted His revolution – so maybe I’d be in good company doing it like this. Still others will just be turned off. That’s OK.
Jesus had a different message for different people – so why shouldn’t I? And if you don’t get His message from me, there are plenty of others out there who are involved as well. It doesn’t matter who you hear it from. What matters is that you get to hear it. After that – it’s between you and God.
As God told His disciples at the time –
Mt 10:11 “Whatever town or village you enter, search for some worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave. 12 As you enter the home, give it your greeting. 13 If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. 15 I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. 16 I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.”
So if you don’t like my approach – please don’t blame Jesus. This one probably just wasn’t for you. However, I feel led to write this for Jesus, so it must be for someone. If it’s not your thing just shake the dust off and move along. No problem. But please do look someplace for His message. As you’ll see, here or somewhere else, you are involved, so it would be good to know what you’re into.
So – here we go.
On this rock – Prologue
The revolution began nearly 2,000 years ago. Peter was our very first “human only” leader. Peter was the first to figure out rule #1. Yes, there was another who was human as well, but his father was one of the ancient ones, so we look at him differently.
If you’re not familiar with the ancient ones, it’s actually kind of a misnomer. There was only one ancient one. And yet, somehow that we still don’t really understand today, He appears to us as something called a trinity. Three-in-one. Those three are the one called father, his son, and the spirit of the ancient one.
The events that made the revolution necessary took place thousands of years before that. Oddly enough, those very same events came with a prophecy that a revolution was to come. A revolution that’s still in progress today. Although, as we know, the ancient ones have already won. There’s some kind of time disconnect/wormhole/something that allows them to know things that haven’t yet happened. But they assured us, if we stay with them, we will share in the final victory. And not only us, but anyone we bring with us. That is, anyone who follows rule #1, from the letter at the top.
A long time ago
A long time ago, in a dimension located right here in our own galaxy, the ancient one that we now call Father walked with the very first of our kind. They lived in a place called Eden, literally a paradise.
But there was another creature there. One who looked like he should have been a prince of the light, but who would eventually come to be called the prince of darkness and would be the prince of the earth.
He tricked the residents of Eden into having an election of sorts. He wanted to be their leader. To replace the one called Father. In this “election”, he ran the very first smear campaign. He lied about the one called Father. He lied so well that the residents of Eden never bothered to check with the one called Father to verify what was said. It was unanimous. The residents rejected the one called Father.
The Fall of Man
Ge 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
Ge 3:2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ”
Ge 3:4 “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Ge 3:6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
The lie was spoken. The woman recognized it wasn’t quite right. But rather than check with the other man or the ancient ones, she gave her own version, which wasn’t quite right.
Both Eve and Adam realized they messed up. Messed up big time!
Ge 3:8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”
Ge 3:10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
Uh oh. Things just got worse from there. The cross-examination was about to begin.
Here’s the thing about that though. It’s not like the one called Father needed to ask any questions. In fact, He already knew all the answers. No, the cross-examination was for the benefit of those first two humans. And for us. Let’s see what happened.
Ge 3:11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from? ”
Ge 3:12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
Ge 3:13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”
The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
The blame game began. It makes me wonder, were they really deceived? Or did they know what God said, but they hoped against all reason that this strange creature in the Garden might be right? Or maybe that question is for us today? Probably both. Even those of us in the revolution today still have trouble with this.
Justice
It’s time for justice. Punishments. Consequences. And hope.
Justice for the serpent
Ge 3:14 So the LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,
“Cursed are you above all the livestock
and all the wild animals!
You will crawl on your belly
and you will eat dust
all the days of your life.
Ge 3:15 And I will put enmity
between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
and you will strike his heel.”
Yes, the ancient one meted out justice in verse 14. But he also sent out a message of hope for us. Even after what we did. And that hope is the person behind our revolution today The ancient one known as the Son.
Justice for the woman
Ge 3:16 To the woman he said,
“I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing;
with pain you will give birth to children.
Your desire will be for your husband,
and he will rule over you.”
Justice for the man
Ge 3:17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it,’
“Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat of it
all the days of your life.
Ge 3:18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.
Ge 3:19 By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return.”
The conclusion to the “Eden Incident”
Ge 3:20 Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.
Ge 3:21 The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22 And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” 23 So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
Because so much wrong had been done, and because Eden was such a paradise, the residents had to leave Eden. The one called Father could not have them stay in Eden any longer. So he drove them out. And hid Eden from their sight.
No – Eden was not destroyed.
Yes – Eden is still hidden from sight, even from us today, these thousands of years later. Although we have learned about dimensions other than length, width, height, and time – and can pretty much prove they exist – we still can’t see into them. Many who are sure these dimensions must exist still refuse to accept that Eden could possibly be hidden in one of them. The lies from that first election continue to have an impact on us.
The one called Father accepted the election results, although he vowed to eventually correct this injustice. Since the one who would be called the prince of the earth had lied in the election, there was a price to be paid. Since the residents believed his lies, and didn’t even bother to check them out, there was a price to be paid. Justice had to be served. This was an absolute requirement for the one called Father.
For thousands of years, the one known as the prince of darkness has continued his smear campaign against the one called Father. It is well documented. But still – like the Eden incident, many refuse to believe that this battle exists at all. Most unfortunate. Because we are all in it, whether we know it or not. More effects from that first lie and first election.
Notice though, even though He lost the election, the one called Father still made better clothes for Adam and Eve. Everything was about to change drastically. And not for the better.
The next installment will get into justice. Justice and love are extremely important to the ancient ones. And that’s what we always talk about. And yet, there’s something else we just don’t seem to associate with them. It’s freedom of choice. Some of us scream bloody murder when things like, for instance our freedom of choice over whether or not to be vaccinated, is taken away. But will we acknowledge that the ancient ones give us the freedom to choose to love them or not?
We’ll get into justice and love next in On this rock Part 2 – Justice and Love to the Ancient Ones
For more on the “Eden Incident”, please see Why were Adam and Eve kicked out of the Garden of Eden?, Free Will in the Garden of Eden, and The “knowledge of evil” versus “actual evil”.
Image by myungho lee from Pixabay