short url to this post: http://wp.me/p8DawH-67
By Dahni
© 2017, all rights reserved
Arrows splitting arrows each one dead center- Bulls-Eye
History is so that we are not ignorant. And if we are not ignorant, then we are to be informed, we are to be educated. The whole aim of education is action. The Goal of education is simplicity in presentation, that all, young, old, all people, and that even a fool or a child can understand, can hit the target dead-center (bulls-eye)!
History is the target of seven things. Students of history are to aim towards hitting those targets dead-center. Actually, it is one target with the aim of hitting it seven times, dead center. I believe putting an arrow into dead center of a target and placing another one (or six more) into center of each one, is called, ‘A Robin Hood.’
A ‘Robbin Hood’ – One arrow shot into the center of another arrow
History is in the past. And recently, in the recent past, there are those so offended by the past that they want reminders of this past, as statues of the offending past, to be removed from view, from the present and likely, for the future. Some seek to remove statues of confederate soldiers from the American Civil War, because, slavery is offensive to them. I’m not sure why, because slavery is in the past, at least in the United States of America. But even the Lincoln Memorial has been defaced. Cries from public persons and even congressional leaders have called to remove many of these offending pieces, from our nation’s capitol. When it comes to slavery, within the United State’s past, Abraham Lincoln (the emancipator of slavery), George Washington (the first president of the United States), and Thomas Jefferson (3
rd president of the United States and writer of The Declaration of Independence), are not immune because, all three either owned slaves or employed them (Lincoln’s White House). Why stop with statues of confederate soldiers or just these three? Why not get rid of (an attempt to rewrite history), The Declaration of Independence and The Constitution of the United States of America? These were both written by and consented to by, pale or lighter skinned (so-called white), men (not women or children or of any other color), and most of them had slaves. Yes, why not get rid of these two documents from history, our history? It has been considered. It is being considered. Should those of darker skinned be also removed? Do they not remind some of slavery? Oh how irrational are these things! Irrational thought precedes irrational action.
Can history be re-written?
One can forget the past, not recall it, not share it, write it or teach it, but it cannot be re-written. Even to re-word something, to add, omit or change something does not re-write it. That is an irrational thought which moves one to irrational action.
We are not born to be irrational creatures. We differ from all other animals in potential, for scope and activity. Beyond emotions and instincts to just survive, we can reason and thrive, more abundantly (more than abundant), than mere animals. All animals have memory including us, which are, biologically, animals. Memory is a storage of the past, the history of some living thing or as in the case of the non-living, like the memories on our cell phones, they were designed and made by the living. Memory may exist in our present, but only as, records of the past. The past is past. It only becomes what we may call history, if someone(s) record it in some manner or write it down. But recorded or not, it is still history; it is still in the past, whether or not it is recorded.
We cannot escape or rewrite history. NO, No it cannot be done because, it is in the past. Whether we believe it, like it, are offended by it, remember it, recall it, are motivated by it or not, we cannot escape it or rewrite it because, it is our past; it is our history.
So what is the purpose of history?
Some or many may be familiar with the following:
“Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.”
The quote is most likely attributed to, Jorge Agustín Nicolás Ruiz de Santayana y Borrás, known in English as George Santayana, born December 16th 1863 in Madrid, Spain and died September 26th, 1952 in Rome, Italy. He was a philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist. The original words read:
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
Likely written by: George Santayana
But are these things true? They are indeed facts, thought by and written and known by some, but are they true? Is this a true statement for once and for all people, for all time? People that have not known history have certainly repeated mistakes of the past, so this appears to be a true statement. But people that have known history, have also, repeated the same mistakes of the past. Therefore, the quoted texts above would NOT be a true statement. Having been born in and grown up in Missouri, but of course I would share a favorite author, essayist and humorist of mine, native son, Samuel Clemens, aka, Mark Twain. What did he have to say about history?
“History doesn’t repeat, but it does rhyme”
Mark Twain
Well, what does that mean? It means the past is past. Events and things in the present and in the future may be similar (they might rhyme in time), but they are not identical, they are the past. It is history. So, what good is history then?
Without history, there is ignorance. The opposite of ignorance is, to be informed; to be educated. Education is like a target. The purpose of a target is to aim for a bull’s-eye, to hit in the center of the target. There are two Greek words that are apropos in this study:
Agnoeō (pronounced: ag + no + eh + oh) άγνοέω
Skopeō (pronounced: sko + peh + oh) σκοπέω
The English word agnostic is transliterated from the Greek word. Agnoeō. It is a combination word made up of nous “mind’ (the organ of metal perception), and ag, “without.” The literal translation according to its usage (agnoeō) is, “without mind.” In the vernacular language it would be, [out of their (his or her) mind].
The Greek word Skopeō means, “to aim towards” [with the intent of hitting the target and hitting a bulls-eye, hitting the target, dead center.
Now you can continue on here primarily if you are a Christian, profess to be a Christian or perhaps instested in learning about being one, but anyone can learn from the following.
There are Seven Things God Does Not Want Us Ignorant of . And being informed, being educated and not ignorant, there are seven things we are to aim towards.
- Not ignorant of our watching over you—
“ Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.”
Romans 1:13
Aim towards the goal of watching over the things of others—
“Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.”
Philippians 2:4
- Not ignorant of The Mystery—
“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.”
Romans 11:25
People classify others by many things i.e. race, color, creed and etc. The Bible classifies all people as follows:
“Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:”
I Corinthians 10:32
Notice first off, those of the church of God are not to give a reason to any of an offense. Secondly, the promises God initially made were to and for, His chosen and adopted people, the 12 Tribes of Israel. Gentiles would be favored as long as they lived in harmony with Israel, but the Gentiles (all other peoples), were not promised as God had promised His people. This “mystery,” which God hid in Himself, even before the world came to be was that a day would come in the future that out of the Jews and Gentiles, would come a new classification of people, the church of God.
Aim Towards the Goal of Things not seen, but eternal—
“While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
II Corinthians 4:18
- Not ignorant of Old Testament Believers and Their Walk—
“Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.”
“ Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.”
I Corinthians 1:1-6,11
Aim Towards the Goal of Other Believers and Their Walk in Christ—
“Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.[example]”
Philippians 3:17
- Not ignorant of Spiritual Matters—
“Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.”
I Corinthians 12:1
Aim Towards the Goal of Light in Our Walk Not Darkness—
“This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth [cleanses] us from all sin.”
I John 1:4-7
- Not ignorant of the Trouble in Asia Out of Which God Delivered Us—
“For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;”
II Corinthians 1:8-10
Aim Towards the Goal of Avoiding Them that Cause Divisions and Teach Other Doctrines [right believing=right thought=right action]—
“Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.”
Romans 16:17
- Not ignorant of Satan’s Devices—
“Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.”
II Corinthians 2:11
Aim Towards the Goal of Watching that You Are Not Tempted—
“Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.”
Galatians 6:1
- Not ignorant of The Return of Christ—
“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”
I Thessalonians 4:13-18
Aim Towards the Goal of The Prize of His High Calling at the Return of Christ—
“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 3:14
The words, “press toward the mark” is, the one Greek word Skopeō. To “not be ignorant,” the Greek word Agnoeō (without mind, out of your mind, emotional, offended, irrational) is, accomplished by aiming towards the bulls-eye, the center of the target.
To summarize, the purpose of history is to not be ignorant, but informed, educated (to have a target), and to be able to aim towards that target with the intent of hitting a bulls eye, hitting it dead center, in the center of that target. This is not a separate thing (being not ignorant, but informed, educated), and aiming towards (the goal of archery), the center. They are both one and the same action. And since is impossible to always hit the target dead center, every single, time, this is a continuous and a continual thing—always in process of being educated (not staying ignorant), and always aiming towards hitting the direct center of life. These may be understood by the 7 things NOT to be ignorant of and to aim towards. Seven numerically and biblically is, the number of perfection.
- Not ignorant of people in the past that watched over you, stood for you, lived, bled and died for you to leave you a target in the present and the future to hit. Aim towards watching over (do the same), for others.
- Not ignorant that all people have the same opportunity. Make yourself an example and let it be recorded as such, let it be your history that you gave no people a cause to be offended. Aim towards the goal of things not yet seen.
- Not ignorant of other’s examples in the past. Aim towards following the example others set in the present and the future.
- Not ignorant of spiritual matters. Be educated to use your gifts and abilities to their full potential. Aim towards walking in the light, not darkness. Continue to be educated and use your gifts and abilities. Continue to develop them.
- Not ignorant of past troubles and trouble makers, from which we were delivered. Aim towards avoiding those that cause divisions and offense and teach, for right believing (action), those things that cause the target to be unseen and you to miss the mark (the bulls-eye).
- Not ignorant of emotional and irrational push and pull and manipulation. Aim towards not being tempted, not falling prey to these devices, orchestrated by people out of doubt, worry, fear and the love of money.
- Not ignorant of hope, The Hope. Aim towards the goal of receiving the prize, for hitting your mark.
In the Seven Church Epistles: Romans, I & II Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and I & II Thessalonians, Thessalonians (I & II), was written first, but God placed them seventh in the Epistles. Seven is the number, for spiritual perfection.
All of the 7 church epistles are doctrinal, reproof or correction. Romans is a doctrinal epistle. I and II Corinthians reproves the practical error that crept into the church, for failing to adhere to the revelation in the doctrinal epistle of the book of Romans. Galatians corrects the doctrinal error that crept into the church for failing to adhere to the revelation in the doctrinal epistle of the book of Romans. Next, Ephesians, is a doctrinal epistle. Philippians reproves the practical error that crept into the church, for failing to adhere to the revelation in the doctrinal epistle of the book of Ephesians. Colossians corrects the doctrinal error that crept into the church, for failing to adhere to the revelation, in the doctrinal epistle of the book of Ephesians. There are no corresponding reproof or correction epistles to the books of I and II Thessalonians! Why? Spiritual perfection is obtained (the target is hit dead center), and we shall see him like he (Jesus Christ), is, not as he was, but as he is NOW), we shall be like him, and we shall forever be, with him.
In conclusion, history in the Bible is, His Story. There are 66 books in the Bible— 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New. Jesus Christ is the subject of every single book. His Story is history, and he is coming back!
That’s my story of history (His story), and I’m sticking to it!
Now if you want to dispute any of this. Go for it, but I did not write the Bible. I am just…
…a witness,
Dahni