Soft versus Hard

I work in the Aerospace and Defense business, and there are two types of "kills" in a military mission. There is the "Hard Kill" where something explodes, disintegrates, or otherwise dies in a fairly certain fashion. A "Soft Kill" is a result that renders the target unable to fight, but not necessarily dead. This "soft kill" is hard to figure out if it has worked in most cases, leaving the slight doubt that the target might still be able to shoot. It occurred to me that this is analogous to how people in general view sin. They haven't done the "hard sins" of praying to budda, allah, or some other deity. They haven't stolen from a bank, shot anyone, committed adultery, or used God's name in vain. Often, however, the "soft" sins are committed with abandon. They deny God's deity through evolution and trust in their 401k and job security. They steal what is other's due by skipping payment here or there. They support murder through abortion and murder in their hearts by wishing evil on another. They lust after pictures of women/men as long as they "look but don't touch." They hit their hand with a hammer and the next words are "G-- D--- IT!" These "soft kills" are just as deadly, even if they seem less dangerous. Just a different way of terming it, but the end is the same. Thank God for the sacrifice of Christ!

Victor's Parade

Pastor's sermon today spurred an interesting thought in my mind. The background are verses discussing Christ's return to heaven at Ascension. One of the verses Pastor used was from Psalm 24:7 "Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in." There is a "challenge and response" methodology in Psalm 24. One demanding the doors be opened, and the challenge being "Who is it?" The response between the two is a victor's style request of a king returning from battle victorious. It reminded me of the parades Rome would put on when a general returned from a successful campaign. The general would parade through Rome's streets, trailing behind him the spoils of war. Usually captives, treasure, and exotic beasts would be behind him, showing a sample of the spoils for the emperor. It occurred to me that Christ, upon returning to Heaven's Gate, was doing the same thing. He was returning as the victor. He paraded through the gate to show the victory and the spoils. The spoils were Himself as the resurrected Christ- the first resurrection of any man.

I found it to be interesting the duality carried even to Heaven with the Ascension, as it has to if Christ is truly raised man and God in one. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, but one is always learning and finding new things in the Word.