I Believe

(Last Revised 2/16/25)

I was raised to believe that I was supposed to apply what the Bible says (about creation, the Creator as “God” & what His Will is) to my worldview. And I did this for 55 years.

But now I realize holding a Biblical worldview is not a good idea. Therefore, I now look at the two separately. The Bible is one thing. And the natural world, as it can be viewed from where I stand, is another.

Concerning the Natural World

First and foremost, I believe there is an intelligent designer & creator of the natural world & its natural inhabitants and a life source from which all breath & spirit comes. I accept the notion that these are comprised in one entity, and I refer to this Being as the Creator.

This Creator set in place both natural & spiritual laws and established an order to it all, employing a natural consequence system, and thereby created a universal justice system.

Human beings are an amazing species…a cut above all other living breathing creatures.

We all inhabit a place that has a sky above us and land beneath our feet, and we have to figure out how to survive & thrive in this place without causing undue harm to one another and do it.

Unfortunately, there are Powers-That-Should-Not-Be in this world who are unjustly hurting us. I aim to not lend them my power, and I work to avoid them as much as possible and be a power-that-should-be for as long as I live.

Concerning the Bible

  • The Bible is a compilation of sixty-six (66) texts written by a series of men over the course of many generations. Thirty-nine (39) of these texts are housed in a section called the Old Testament. The remaining twenty-seven (27) texts are housed in a section called the New Testament.
  • The Bible presents the Creator as God, and more specifically, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who desires fellowship with mankind. And it explains how that fellowship comes to be over the course of its many parts (various texts).
  • The Bible is not the inerrant Word of God, but it contains wisdom and valuable instructions & lessons for life from which we all may benefit.

The Old Testament

Concerning the Torah (or Pentateuch), a.k.a. the Law

  • The story of Creation found in Genesis 1 is not meant to be an accurate explanation of how the world we inhabit came into being. Rather, it is put forth to lay a foundation of knowledge & understanding for the rest of the book.
  • The stories of Adam & Eve, Cain & Abel, Noah & the Flood, and the Tower of Babel are not meant to be accurate depictions of historical figures and events. These early stories are also designed & purposed to lay a foundation of knowledge & understanding for the rest of the book.
  • The stories of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob are not necessarily accurate depictions of the actions and events described therein. Rather, they were written to form a particular back story for the biological household of Jacob, also known as “the twelve tribes of Israel”.
    These stories present particular insight & hope for the physical descendants of Jacob. And they provide information to utilize in understanding events that would unfold throughout the book.
  • The teachings & instructions found in Exodus through Deuteronomy, were specifically for those covenanted with the Creator as their God who had been delivered out of Egypt & for their offspring who would eventually be brought into the Promised Land to keep/guard/obey. (Any beneficial lessons people can glean from those teachings & instructions today are a blessing.)

Concerning the Remainder, a.k.a. the Prophets & the Writings

  • The remaining content of the Old Testament largely tells the story of the descendants of Jacob, commonly referred to as “Israel”, who lived from the time of their entrance into the Promised Land up until several centuries prior to the common era.
    (Please note: This is not the same Israel as the nation state by the same name currently situated in the Middle East today.)
  • In these latter stories promises are made by God to reunite Israel, establish a new covenant with the whole house of Israel, and anoint a physical seed of David to sit on David’s throne, whose kingdom would endure.

The New Testament

Concerning the Gospels

  • The books of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John primarily feature Jesus (Yeshua), who is identified as a biological descendant of King David (from the tribe of Judah, of the house of Israel) by way of his parents, Joseph & Mary, living in the first century CE.
  • Jesus/Yeshua is the Prophet like unto Moses and the anticipated Messiah/Christ, about whom was prophesied in the Old Testament.
  • Jesus/Yeshua prophesied the destruction of the temple standing at that time and the fall of Jerusalem would take place in that generation. And it did — in 70 AD.
  • When Jesus/Yeshua said the Son of Man, referring to himself, would be coming in the clouds of heaven with power & great glory and there would be the gathering of the elect from the four winds, he was referencing Daniel’s night vision and prophecies made by Isaiah, which acted as a carrot of hope for the future of those living in that day.

Concerning the Acts of the Apostles & the Various Letters

  • The book of Acts and the various letters contained in the New Testament were all penned between the time of Jesus’/Yeshua’s death and the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD. They were written to specific audiences that lived in that day. They were not written to us in the modern age.
  • References made in these texts to “the last days“ were referring to the time period in which they were written up until the fall of Jerusalem: between 33-70 AD.

Concerning the Book of Revelation

  • The book of Revelation was written prior to 70 AD and largely pointed towards the events that led up to and transpired in 70 AD.
  • John’s vision of the Son of Man coming in the clouds & the gathering of the elect and a new heaven and a new earth land, was referencing back to the words of Jesus/Yeshua and the prophets of old. It expressed the hope of a new age, post-70 AD.
    Again, this was written for those living in the first century to prepare them for the hard times that were coming in & around Jerusalem and to encourage them to keep the commandments of their God & to keep the faith in the testimony of their Messiah.

If any of these points intrigues or resonates with you, please subscribe to Messyanic’s Findings. And/or if you’d like to get in touch with me personally, email Carrie-at-Messyanic-dot-com.