Once again the Norwegian Nobel Committee has surprised the world with its Peace Prize Award by granting it to President Barack Obama. Keep in mind this is the same group that gave the award to Al Gore in 2007 and Jimmy Carter in 2002.
What was Al Gore’s accomplishment? The production of a documentary film that propagandized the myth that global warming is due to carbon emissions. Big deal!
And Jimmy Carter? Well, the worst president of the 20th Century distinguished himself as a rabid anti-Semite, a vociferous America-basher, and a gushing tyrant-lover.
And then, of course, there was the worst Nobel Peace Prize of all of them — the one awarded in 1994 to the world’s leading terrorist, Yassar Arafat, a modern-day Hitler. When that occurred, I lost all respect for the Nobel Committee and their meaningless prize.
So, why would the Committee award President Obama the Peace Prize when he has been in office only nine months and has no notable accomplishments on the international scene? There are several reasons:
1) The President has engaged in America-bashing everywhere he has spoken in the world, as if this nation is the world’s greatest threat to peace, when, in actuality, we have always been the world’s best defender of freedom.
2) The President has denounced the “Lone Ranger” foreign policy mentality of the Bush Administration, a foreign policy that rightfully put this nation’s interests first and successfully protected us from terrorist attacks for seven years.
3) The President has praised the immoral values of European law and has expressed a desire to align our laws with those values.
4) The President has committed himself to instituting domestic reforms that would undermine Capitalism and produce a mirror-image of the failed Socialist economies of Europe.
5) The President has taken every opportunity to praise the ungodly and violent religion of Islam.
6) The President has made it clear that he is willing to abandon Israel for the sake of “peace” in the Middle East.
7) The President has indicated that he is willing to surrender American sovereignty to international organizations.
No wonder the world is enthralled with him and cheering him. No wonder the world desires to give him encouragement.
But his day of reckoning is coming. His terrible mis-management of our economy will catch up with him as unemployment continues to mount and the dollar continues its dive in value. Most important, he is going to suffer the wrath of God on the international scene due to his mis-treatment of Israel.
In short, we are headed for disaster on both the national and international scenes, so the President had better enjoy the world’s spotlight now before all the lights go out.
Showing posts with label sin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sin. Show all posts
Friday, October 16, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
The Nobel Farce
Once again the Norwegian Nobel Committee has surprised the world with its Peace Prize Award by granting it to President Barack Obama. Keep in mind this is the same group that gave the award to Al Gore in 2007 and Jimmy Carter in 2002.
What was Al Gore’s accomplishment? The production of a documentary film that propagandized the myth that global warming is due to carbon emissions. Big deal!
And Jimmy Carter? Well, the worst president of the 20th Century distinguished himself as a rabid anti-Semite, a vociferous America-basher, and a gushing tyrant-lover.
And then, of course, there was the worst Nobel Peace Prize of all of them — the one awarded in 1994 to the world’s leading terrorist, Yassar Arafat, a modern-day Hitler. When that occurred, I lost all respect for the Nobel Committee and their meaningless prize.
So, why would the Committee award President Obama the Peace Prize when he has been in office only nine months and has no notable accomplishments on the international scene? There are several reasons:
1) The President has engaged in America-bashing everywhere he has spoken in the world, as if this nation is the world’s greatest threat to peace, when, in actuality, we have always been the world’s best defender of freedom.
2) The President has denounced the “Lone Ranger” foreign policy mentality of the Bush Administration, a foreign policy that rightfully put this nation’s interests first and successfully protected us from terrorist attacks for seven years.
3) The President has praised the immoral values of European law and has expressed a desire to align our laws with those values.
4) The President has committed himself to instituting domestic reforms that would undermine Capitalism and produce a mirror-image of the failed Socialist economies of Europe.
5) The President has taken every opportunity to praise the ungodly and violent religion of Islam.
6) The President has made it clear that he is willing to abandon Israel for the sake of “peace” in the Middle East.
7) The President has indicated that he is willing to surrender American sovereignty to international organizations.
No wonder the world is enthralled with him and cheering him. No wonder the world desires to give him encouragement.
But his day of reckoning is coming. His terrible mis-management of our economy will catch up with him as unemployment continues to mount and the dollar continues its dive in value. Most important, he is going to suffer the wrath of God on the international scene due to his mis-treatment of Israel.
In short, we are headed for disaster on both the national and international scenes, so the President had better enjoy the world’s spotlight now before all the lights go out.
What was Al Gore’s accomplishment? The production of a documentary film that propagandized the myth that global warming is due to carbon emissions. Big deal!
And Jimmy Carter? Well, the worst president of the 20th Century distinguished himself as a rabid anti-Semite, a vociferous America-basher, and a gushing tyrant-lover.
And then, of course, there was the worst Nobel Peace Prize of all of them — the one awarded in 1994 to the world’s leading terrorist, Yassar Arafat, a modern-day Hitler. When that occurred, I lost all respect for the Nobel Committee and their meaningless prize.
So, why would the Committee award President Obama the Peace Prize when he has been in office only nine months and has no notable accomplishments on the international scene? There are several reasons:
1) The President has engaged in America-bashing everywhere he has spoken in the world, as if this nation is the world’s greatest threat to peace, when, in actuality, we have always been the world’s best defender of freedom.
2) The President has denounced the “Lone Ranger” foreign policy mentality of the Bush Administration, a foreign policy that rightfully put this nation’s interests first and successfully protected us from terrorist attacks for seven years.
3) The President has praised the immoral values of European law and has expressed a desire to align our laws with those values.
4) The President has committed himself to instituting domestic reforms that would undermine Capitalism and produce a mirror-image of the failed Socialist economies of Europe.
5) The President has taken every opportunity to praise the ungodly and violent religion of Islam.
6) The President has made it clear that he is willing to abandon Israel for the sake of “peace” in the Middle East.
7) The President has indicated that he is willing to surrender American sovereignty to international organizations.
No wonder the world is enthralled with him and cheering him. No wonder the world desires to give him encouragement.
But his day of reckoning is coming. His terrible mis-management of our economy will catch up with him as unemployment continues to mount and the dollar continues its dive in value. Most important, he is going to suffer the wrath of God on the international scene due to his mis-treatment of Israel.
In short, we are headed for disaster on both the national and international scenes, so the President had better enjoy the world’s spotlight now before all the lights go out.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Oprah Winfrey: Billionaire Blasphemer
Oprah Winfrey is a blasphemer against the God of Holy Scripture. How does a very intelligent lady come from a deeply Christian home of an apparent Godly grandmother to become a full-blown New Ager? It is reported that she began public speaking by reading or quoting the Bible and sermons to her grandmother’s church family at the age of three. She was actually named after Orpah, the sister of Ruth from the Bible; but the name was misspelled on her birth certificate. Being raped by a family member for years certainly had a chilling effect on her young life.
The sad story is that her incredible mind and personality has been turned into a force for occultic powers. Satan goes about as a roaring lion seeking the best and the smartest lives to use for his kingdom of defiance against the God of the Bible. The New World Order of the Antichrist is exploding and he needs teachers and devotees to spread his high-sounding deception. Oprah Winfrey has become one of his most successful tools to help lead a multitude to hell. The present day acceptance of all religions on an equal level sets the perfect stage. In this atmosphere the villains are saints of God that identify these lies. Hatred for Biblical Christianity has never been so loud.
Oprah has made numerous statements that show her devotion to New Age ideas, but the real proof is in her key radio series for 2008. The entire year has been proclaimed as a study on the book, A Course In Miracles. First, let’s document the source of this study. An atheistic psychologist received this course by demonic revelation in 1965. This same study has been a mainstay with Robert Shuller’s church for years and probably played a large part in the confused mind of Rick Warren. This study came to this psychologist by “mind dictation” and the source identifies himself as Jesus Christ. She recalled, “The voice made no sound, but seemed to be giving me a kind of rapid inner diction, which I took down in a shorthand notebook.”
Another psychologist with whom she is reported to have had a very troubled relationship agreed to participate in these dictations and serve as a kind of secretary and confidant. For several years William Thetford was often with her as she received the volume of materials that constitute this course. He believed she was receiving the original teachings of Jesus Christ to give to the world.
The Oprah Winfrey Enterprise has now become the window to the world for these satanic teachings. It is scary when you consider her entrance into the political campaign of Senator Barack Obama and the impact the media suggests this is having on his candidacy. Satan is determined to put the prettiest face with the least substance in the American White House. With all of our sins and failures, America and Israel are still the two nations hated by the unbelieving world. To think of having a president that believes in the ideas of Oprah Winfrey and A Course in Miracles should drive us to our knees.
Let’s review the heart of this dubious course in miracles. You will find that every idea is totally foreign to the Holy Scripture. It is basically the language of humanism, psychology, and the occult. It has no kin to the Lord Jesus Christ and above all it hates the sacred blood of the cross. If there is one thing Satan and all his ilk love to attack, it is the blood and the very purpose of that blood, which is to cleanse sin.
A Course in Miracles states, “The atonement is the final lesson he (the human family) need learn, for it teaches him that, never having sinned, he has no need of salvation.” (Text, p. 237.) That statement is the unfailing love of the devil. There is no such thing as sin to Lucifer. To admit sin is to admit righteousness and rebellion against righteousness. And that truth demands a Sovereign God that is an eternal being that gave His only Son to redeem man out of sin. The heart of this false system is the denial of the Holy God that rules in His universe.
The false premise of the above statement moves quickly to the next main thrust that is the heart of Pantheism or New Age teaching. Here are the author’s words, “The oneness of the creator is your wholeness, your sanity, and your limitless power.” (Text, p. 125.) This incredible statement is claiming that the universe is God, that every part is part of the whole, and that we fit in the whole as a cog in the wheel. There is no separate individual, either God or ourselves. It is all an elusion, and we move up the ladder of that elusion by our positive mindset. Of course, we move in the reverse when we are negative or harbor negative thoughts of sin, sickness, or failure.
It can only get worse when you start with such rebellion against the Heavenly Father. Here is a list of dark things in this book:
"There is no sin." (Text, p. 9.)
"A slain Christ has no meaning." (Text, p. 10.)
"The journey to the cross should be the last useless journey." (Text, p. 11.)
"The name of Jesus Christ as such is but a symbol ... it is a symbol that is safely used as a replacement for the many names of all the gods to which you pray." (Text, p. 13.)
Oprah Winfrey has probably crossed the line in the sand to which there is no return. Believe me, the great Creator and His Eternal Son is beholding it all and the cup of wrath is near the top. The crash of a life like Oprah will leave a heartrending aftershock. We may not hear it here, but the sound will touch eternity.
Tell every soul that you have opportunity to tell that judgment is near at hand. Do not fail to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ as the Redeemer and Saviour of all that call on Him in surrender.
The sad story is that her incredible mind and personality has been turned into a force for occultic powers. Satan goes about as a roaring lion seeking the best and the smartest lives to use for his kingdom of defiance against the God of the Bible. The New World Order of the Antichrist is exploding and he needs teachers and devotees to spread his high-sounding deception. Oprah Winfrey has become one of his most successful tools to help lead a multitude to hell. The present day acceptance of all religions on an equal level sets the perfect stage. In this atmosphere the villains are saints of God that identify these lies. Hatred for Biblical Christianity has never been so loud.
Oprah has made numerous statements that show her devotion to New Age ideas, but the real proof is in her key radio series for 2008. The entire year has been proclaimed as a study on the book, A Course In Miracles. First, let’s document the source of this study. An atheistic psychologist received this course by demonic revelation in 1965. This same study has been a mainstay with Robert Shuller’s church for years and probably played a large part in the confused mind of Rick Warren. This study came to this psychologist by “mind dictation” and the source identifies himself as Jesus Christ. She recalled, “The voice made no sound, but seemed to be giving me a kind of rapid inner diction, which I took down in a shorthand notebook.”
Another psychologist with whom she is reported to have had a very troubled relationship agreed to participate in these dictations and serve as a kind of secretary and confidant. For several years William Thetford was often with her as she received the volume of materials that constitute this course. He believed she was receiving the original teachings of Jesus Christ to give to the world.
The Oprah Winfrey Enterprise has now become the window to the world for these satanic teachings. It is scary when you consider her entrance into the political campaign of Senator Barack Obama and the impact the media suggests this is having on his candidacy. Satan is determined to put the prettiest face with the least substance in the American White House. With all of our sins and failures, America and Israel are still the two nations hated by the unbelieving world. To think of having a president that believes in the ideas of Oprah Winfrey and A Course in Miracles should drive us to our knees.
Let’s review the heart of this dubious course in miracles. You will find that every idea is totally foreign to the Holy Scripture. It is basically the language of humanism, psychology, and the occult. It has no kin to the Lord Jesus Christ and above all it hates the sacred blood of the cross. If there is one thing Satan and all his ilk love to attack, it is the blood and the very purpose of that blood, which is to cleanse sin.
A Course in Miracles states, “The atonement is the final lesson he (the human family) need learn, for it teaches him that, never having sinned, he has no need of salvation.” (Text, p. 237.) That statement is the unfailing love of the devil. There is no such thing as sin to Lucifer. To admit sin is to admit righteousness and rebellion against righteousness. And that truth demands a Sovereign God that is an eternal being that gave His only Son to redeem man out of sin. The heart of this false system is the denial of the Holy God that rules in His universe.
The false premise of the above statement moves quickly to the next main thrust that is the heart of Pantheism or New Age teaching. Here are the author’s words, “The oneness of the creator is your wholeness, your sanity, and your limitless power.” (Text, p. 125.) This incredible statement is claiming that the universe is God, that every part is part of the whole, and that we fit in the whole as a cog in the wheel. There is no separate individual, either God or ourselves. It is all an elusion, and we move up the ladder of that elusion by our positive mindset. Of course, we move in the reverse when we are negative or harbor negative thoughts of sin, sickness, or failure.
It can only get worse when you start with such rebellion against the Heavenly Father. Here is a list of dark things in this book:
"There is no sin." (Text, p. 9.)
"A slain Christ has no meaning." (Text, p. 10.)
"The journey to the cross should be the last useless journey." (Text, p. 11.)
"The name of Jesus Christ as such is but a symbol ... it is a symbol that is safely used as a replacement for the many names of all the gods to which you pray." (Text, p. 13.)
Oprah Winfrey has probably crossed the line in the sand to which there is no return. Believe me, the great Creator and His Eternal Son is beholding it all and the cup of wrath is near the top. The crash of a life like Oprah will leave a heartrending aftershock. We may not hear it here, but the sound will touch eternity.
Tell every soul that you have opportunity to tell that judgment is near at hand. Do not fail to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ as the Redeemer and Saviour of all that call on Him in surrender.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
The Origin Of Evil
I received a great question this week. A regular visitor wanted to know, Is evil a "thing" or the "absence of good"? The writer went on to say, “I understand how evil entered creation via the fall, but it seems to me that something (evil) that had never existed before suddenly came to be.”
It seems to her that this thing we call evil which didn't exist in God's perfect creation had to have an origin.
“Was that Satan?” she asked. “Did he/does he have a form of destructive de-creative power to bring something to be that wasn't?”
In essence, did Satan "create" evil? Let's find out.
In his Gospel, the Apostle John addressed the issue of whether evil is merely the absence of good. Speaking of Jesus in terms of light and darkness, he wrote;
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. (John 1:3-5)
The word translated understood here also means overcome, but either way if the darkness John referred to was simply the absence of light, as we know it to be, then by it's very presence the light would have replaced it. Darkness is not an entity or force and can neither understand nor overcome. It always yields to light, returning only when light is withdrawn.
And if John was talking merely in terms of physical life and death, as some understand the passage, the same would be true because by definition death is the absence of life. So John had to be speaking in the spiritual sense. The light represents the Lord Jesus, the personification of good. The darkness that cannot overcome Him represents Satan, the prince of darkness and the personification of evil. So evil is not simply the absence of good.
John 1:3-5 also contains the answer to another question. Did Satan create evil? Again, speaking of Jesus John wrote, Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
Paul confirmed this in his letter to the Colossians.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. (Colossians 1:15-16)
If you read these two passages as being all inclusive, as I do, then you have to conclude that Satan, who is himself a created being, did not create evil.
Where Did That Come From?
So where did evil come from? Ezekiel and Isaiah have the answer.
The word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
" 'You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared.” (Ezekiel 28:11-13)
Through the first 10 verses of chapter 28 Ezekiel had been speaking to Ittobaal, the human ruler of Tyre, calling him the prince of Tyre. Beginning in verse 11 the Lord had him look past the the human figurehead to the power behind the throne, Satan, who Ezekiel addressed as the King of Tyre.
Some commentators see the mention of precious stones as representing the fact that Satan was clothed in light. But one fact is clear to all. Satan was created, confirming what John and Paul said. He was not created to be evil, and in fact was the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
“You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones.” (Ezek. 28:14)
Satan's original role was to head up the squadron of Cherubim who guard the Throne of God. Among men, those chosen for the palace guard are considered to be the most loyal, highly skilled, and trustworthy, the finest examples of the King's warriors. As the leader of such a group charged with protecting the Throne of God, Satan would have been among the most admired of all created beings.
“You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor”. (Ezek. 28:15-17a)
It Didn't Need To Turn Out That Way
Like I said, Satan was not created to be evil. But like all of us, he had the potential for choosing evil. He was the most beautiful, wise, and powerful of all God's created beings and became very proud of these things. It was this pride that caused his downfall , and when he was caught out his pride would not let him submit, so he rebelled. Isaiah 14:13-14 tells how he set out to elevate himself above the angels once again, to sit enthroned in the place of God, and become like God.
You said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High."
In his pride Satan demanded that glory due only to God be redirected toward himself. In doing so he gave us the Biblical definitions of good and evil. Everything that yields to God or or glorifies Him is good, and everything that rebels against God or glorifies someone or something else is evil.
God Himself appears to hold this view. Look at Isaiah 42:8;
"I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.
Shortly after the Creation, Satan introduced this evil into the world by convincing Adam and Eve to break the only rule God had given them. This seemingly minor act of rebellion caused all of mankind's potential for evil to be greatly magnified and made rebellion man's natural state. Paul called it our sin nature and it turned the Creation upside down. Where Satan had been made as the model of perfection with the potential for choosing evil, mankind would hereafter be predisposed toward evil with the potential for choosing to be made perfect. (In other words, Satan had to choose evil. We have to choose good.) And what's more Satan no longer had to personally see to every act of evil. By orchestrating that one act of disobedience he had set mankind on a downward spiral that soon resulted in a state where every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time (Genesis 6:5).
Things Are Not Always As They Seem
It's important to recognize that evil is not merely a type of behavior. In fact it's more a function of intent. That makes evil a motivating force behind behavior. It's easy for us to judge behavior that's obviously destructive, cruel, or immoral as being evil. But behavior that outwardly seems to produce much good can still be considered evil in God's sight unless it's undertaken in submission to Him for the purpose of glorifying Him. The end does not justify the means with God. Motives must be pure to make actions pure.
This is something most people simply do not understand. We think something that looks good or produces a good result must be good. But the Bible is clear. It's the motive energizing our behavior that really counts, no matter how good the result looks to us or to others. Like the Lord said, “A bad tree cannot bear good fruit.” (Matt. 7:18)
Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God. (1 Cor. 4:5)
So evil is a spiritual power, a motivating force that began with a choice. It originated when a created being demanded to be treated as if he was the Creator and went downhill from there. The consequences of that choice are suffered by each one of us every day. It took the death of God's own Son to reverse its effect on us, and then only if we choose to allow it.
For those who don't, God will again say;
“I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.” (Genesis 6:13)
The choice is clear and the time is near. Even so come Lord Jesus.
It seems to her that this thing we call evil which didn't exist in God's perfect creation had to have an origin.
“Was that Satan?” she asked. “Did he/does he have a form of destructive de-creative power to bring something to be that wasn't?”
In essence, did Satan "create" evil? Let's find out.
In his Gospel, the Apostle John addressed the issue of whether evil is merely the absence of good. Speaking of Jesus in terms of light and darkness, he wrote;
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. (John 1:3-5)
The word translated understood here also means overcome, but either way if the darkness John referred to was simply the absence of light, as we know it to be, then by it's very presence the light would have replaced it. Darkness is not an entity or force and can neither understand nor overcome. It always yields to light, returning only when light is withdrawn.
And if John was talking merely in terms of physical life and death, as some understand the passage, the same would be true because by definition death is the absence of life. So John had to be speaking in the spiritual sense. The light represents the Lord Jesus, the personification of good. The darkness that cannot overcome Him represents Satan, the prince of darkness and the personification of evil. So evil is not simply the absence of good.
John 1:3-5 also contains the answer to another question. Did Satan create evil? Again, speaking of Jesus John wrote, Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
Paul confirmed this in his letter to the Colossians.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. (Colossians 1:15-16)
If you read these two passages as being all inclusive, as I do, then you have to conclude that Satan, who is himself a created being, did not create evil.
Where Did That Come From?
So where did evil come from? Ezekiel and Isaiah have the answer.
The word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
" 'You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared.” (Ezekiel 28:11-13)
Through the first 10 verses of chapter 28 Ezekiel had been speaking to Ittobaal, the human ruler of Tyre, calling him the prince of Tyre. Beginning in verse 11 the Lord had him look past the the human figurehead to the power behind the throne, Satan, who Ezekiel addressed as the King of Tyre.
Some commentators see the mention of precious stones as representing the fact that Satan was clothed in light. But one fact is clear to all. Satan was created, confirming what John and Paul said. He was not created to be evil, and in fact was the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
“You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones.” (Ezek. 28:14)
Satan's original role was to head up the squadron of Cherubim who guard the Throne of God. Among men, those chosen for the palace guard are considered to be the most loyal, highly skilled, and trustworthy, the finest examples of the King's warriors. As the leader of such a group charged with protecting the Throne of God, Satan would have been among the most admired of all created beings.
“You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor”. (Ezek. 28:15-17a)
It Didn't Need To Turn Out That Way
Like I said, Satan was not created to be evil. But like all of us, he had the potential for choosing evil. He was the most beautiful, wise, and powerful of all God's created beings and became very proud of these things. It was this pride that caused his downfall , and when he was caught out his pride would not let him submit, so he rebelled. Isaiah 14:13-14 tells how he set out to elevate himself above the angels once again, to sit enthroned in the place of God, and become like God.
You said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High."
In his pride Satan demanded that glory due only to God be redirected toward himself. In doing so he gave us the Biblical definitions of good and evil. Everything that yields to God or or glorifies Him is good, and everything that rebels against God or glorifies someone or something else is evil.
God Himself appears to hold this view. Look at Isaiah 42:8;
"I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.
Shortly after the Creation, Satan introduced this evil into the world by convincing Adam and Eve to break the only rule God had given them. This seemingly minor act of rebellion caused all of mankind's potential for evil to be greatly magnified and made rebellion man's natural state. Paul called it our sin nature and it turned the Creation upside down. Where Satan had been made as the model of perfection with the potential for choosing evil, mankind would hereafter be predisposed toward evil with the potential for choosing to be made perfect. (In other words, Satan had to choose evil. We have to choose good.) And what's more Satan no longer had to personally see to every act of evil. By orchestrating that one act of disobedience he had set mankind on a downward spiral that soon resulted in a state where every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time (Genesis 6:5).
Things Are Not Always As They Seem
It's important to recognize that evil is not merely a type of behavior. In fact it's more a function of intent. That makes evil a motivating force behind behavior. It's easy for us to judge behavior that's obviously destructive, cruel, or immoral as being evil. But behavior that outwardly seems to produce much good can still be considered evil in God's sight unless it's undertaken in submission to Him for the purpose of glorifying Him. The end does not justify the means with God. Motives must be pure to make actions pure.
This is something most people simply do not understand. We think something that looks good or produces a good result must be good. But the Bible is clear. It's the motive energizing our behavior that really counts, no matter how good the result looks to us or to others. Like the Lord said, “A bad tree cannot bear good fruit.” (Matt. 7:18)
Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God. (1 Cor. 4:5)
So evil is a spiritual power, a motivating force that began with a choice. It originated when a created being demanded to be treated as if he was the Creator and went downhill from there. The consequences of that choice are suffered by each one of us every day. It took the death of God's own Son to reverse its effect on us, and then only if we choose to allow it.
For those who don't, God will again say;
“I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.” (Genesis 6:13)
The choice is clear and the time is near. Even so come Lord Jesus.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Holy, Holy, Holy
"Holy, Holy Holy" will be the first song we hear when we are Raptured up to Heavenly Jerusalem. The highest level of praise to which a saint might ascend is that place of worship that God Himself quickly inhabits. His Word has promised that He inhabits the praise of His saints. “O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel” (Psalm 22:3). We were created to love our Heavenly Father and to voice our greatest emotion is to join His cherubims in singing, “Holy, Holy, Holy!” Just as soon as we reach His celestial throne, the great living creatures will be sounding out Heaven’s highest praise. The character of Heaven is not love. That is Heaven’s undying emotion. It is not mercy, although mercy is the reaction of God to His fallen race. The character of God is Holiness, so the song of the angelic throng is “Holy, Holy, Holy!”
It is impossible for the Rapture not to occur between the first and fourth verses of Revelation chapter four. Immediately the scene moves from the troubled churches of chapters two and three to a transcending view of Almighty God and His worshipping creation. The Son is there because He is the voice of the grand event. The Holy Spirit is there because He is the Seven Lamps of Fire. The angelic multitude is there to lead in worship by the thrice sounding of the “Holy” chorus. Occupying center stage are twenty-four lesser thrones, the grand seats of triumphant saints. Sixty-five previous books of the Holy Truth could never boast of such a movement.
These saints are seated in regal splendor. This splendor was not earned by human birth or obtained by careless promotions. The position of popes, priests, bishops, or deacons was not even considered in these rewards. These are blood-washed saints that represent an unnumbered multitude that have paid the price of being overcomers. They have forsaken the world to follow the highest calling. They have counted earthly attainment as loss compared to the glory of following their Master. They have reached the star-studded triump of entering the Heavenly Jerusalem. The moments of man’s greatest hope has finally arrived.
The Heavenly Father is welcoming His Son’s Bride. They are properly attired in the purity of spotless white robes. Sacred blood spilled on a cruel cross has prepared the wedding garments for this grand event. The cherubims are prepared to worship the thrice revealed and thrice Holy God. “And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come” (Revelation 4:8). Nothing in the Bible has ever been revealed to match this scene.
The Throne of God is wrapped in a rainbow of brilliant colors. The Father that walked with Noah and Enoch, but made Himself invisible because of human sins, is once again visible to the redeemed multitude. Satan’s payday has arrived and the process of reclaiming a lost world has been set in motion. The redeemed of the earth are no longer struggling with the daily temptations and no longer facing the despite of evil enemies. They are elevated, glorified elders ready to join the action of divine judgment. The days of triump have arrived.
Our Heavenly Father will be personally present and will be seated upon His throne in the Heavenly sphere. Saints of His kingdom have longed to look upon Him and drink in the majesty of His revealed glory. The Psalmist David prayed, “As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness” (Psalm 17:15). It is impossible to walk with God in the graces of Calvary and not long for the day when we shall enter His presence. Christ’s redeeming and sanctifying blood will not just cleanse a soul from sin, but will also fill that soul with a righteousness that is fixed on Him and Him alone. If you walk in grace, you will long for the day when you are free from the encumbrance of this flesh.
John the Revelator struggled for words to describe Him on His throne. Without a doubt the Lord Jesus inspired this description, “And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God” (Revelation 4:3-5).
As the host of cherubims -- living creatures -- watches the unfolding drama of this reunion of the Father and His separated family, they can contain themselves no longer. They prepare themselves to burst forth into Heavenly praises declaring, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty” (Revelation 4:8). The name of their song is clearly, “Holy, Holy, Holy!” We do not yet know all the words of this refrain.
As they sing praises to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, it is then stated, “And . . . those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever” (Revelation 4:9). Now, the saints either join or follow after these great angelic creatures in praise to God. With united voices, “The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:10-11).
In chapter four the Raptured saints sing of the Father and praise Him with voices that are unlimited by flesh. But, then, in chapter five they sing of their Redeemer, Jesus Christ. The Bible says that we sing a new song to Him, “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:9-10). Music was created as the language of praise. Every time you sing you praise something or someone. The saints of God -- the Rapture-ready believers -- must prepare for this triumphant day. We must be freed from the lust of this world and sanctified to praise and worship. We are getting ready to go.
The greatest worship of human experience is just ahead for the Saints of God. Revelation chapter four opens to the grand hour of “Hallelujah’s,” “Amen’s,” and the Heavenly Song, “Holy, Holy, Holy!” Will you be ready to ascend and break forth in Heavenly music? There will not be a notice for last minute preparations. The call of God is clear, “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh”
It is impossible for the Rapture not to occur between the first and fourth verses of Revelation chapter four. Immediately the scene moves from the troubled churches of chapters two and three to a transcending view of Almighty God and His worshipping creation. The Son is there because He is the voice of the grand event. The Holy Spirit is there because He is the Seven Lamps of Fire. The angelic multitude is there to lead in worship by the thrice sounding of the “Holy” chorus. Occupying center stage are twenty-four lesser thrones, the grand seats of triumphant saints. Sixty-five previous books of the Holy Truth could never boast of such a movement.
These saints are seated in regal splendor. This splendor was not earned by human birth or obtained by careless promotions. The position of popes, priests, bishops, or deacons was not even considered in these rewards. These are blood-washed saints that represent an unnumbered multitude that have paid the price of being overcomers. They have forsaken the world to follow the highest calling. They have counted earthly attainment as loss compared to the glory of following their Master. They have reached the star-studded triump of entering the Heavenly Jerusalem. The moments of man’s greatest hope has finally arrived.
The Heavenly Father is welcoming His Son’s Bride. They are properly attired in the purity of spotless white robes. Sacred blood spilled on a cruel cross has prepared the wedding garments for this grand event. The cherubims are prepared to worship the thrice revealed and thrice Holy God. “And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come” (Revelation 4:8). Nothing in the Bible has ever been revealed to match this scene.
The Throne of God is wrapped in a rainbow of brilliant colors. The Father that walked with Noah and Enoch, but made Himself invisible because of human sins, is once again visible to the redeemed multitude. Satan’s payday has arrived and the process of reclaiming a lost world has been set in motion. The redeemed of the earth are no longer struggling with the daily temptations and no longer facing the despite of evil enemies. They are elevated, glorified elders ready to join the action of divine judgment. The days of triump have arrived.
Our Heavenly Father will be personally present and will be seated upon His throne in the Heavenly sphere. Saints of His kingdom have longed to look upon Him and drink in the majesty of His revealed glory. The Psalmist David prayed, “As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness” (Psalm 17:15). It is impossible to walk with God in the graces of Calvary and not long for the day when we shall enter His presence. Christ’s redeeming and sanctifying blood will not just cleanse a soul from sin, but will also fill that soul with a righteousness that is fixed on Him and Him alone. If you walk in grace, you will long for the day when you are free from the encumbrance of this flesh.
John the Revelator struggled for words to describe Him on His throne. Without a doubt the Lord Jesus inspired this description, “And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God” (Revelation 4:3-5).
As the host of cherubims -- living creatures -- watches the unfolding drama of this reunion of the Father and His separated family, they can contain themselves no longer. They prepare themselves to burst forth into Heavenly praises declaring, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty” (Revelation 4:8). The name of their song is clearly, “Holy, Holy, Holy!” We do not yet know all the words of this refrain.
As they sing praises to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, it is then stated, “And . . . those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever” (Revelation 4:9). Now, the saints either join or follow after these great angelic creatures in praise to God. With united voices, “The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:10-11).
In chapter four the Raptured saints sing of the Father and praise Him with voices that are unlimited by flesh. But, then, in chapter five they sing of their Redeemer, Jesus Christ. The Bible says that we sing a new song to Him, “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:9-10). Music was created as the language of praise. Every time you sing you praise something or someone. The saints of God -- the Rapture-ready believers -- must prepare for this triumphant day. We must be freed from the lust of this world and sanctified to praise and worship. We are getting ready to go.
The greatest worship of human experience is just ahead for the Saints of God. Revelation chapter four opens to the grand hour of “Hallelujah’s,” “Amen’s,” and the Heavenly Song, “Holy, Holy, Holy!” Will you be ready to ascend and break forth in Heavenly music? There will not be a notice for last minute preparations. The call of God is clear, “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh”
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
“I’m Not a Practicing Christian”
Whenever I’m confronted by someone who says they are a Christian but not a practicing Christian it really makes me cringe. I don’t know where that phrase first came from, but after studying the Bible for years my first thoughts go to what Jesus taught about those who think their saved. “Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.” Matthew 25:11. And also “Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.” Luke 13:26-28.
I recently received an email from a lady, who is a fairly new believer, who had a complaint against a friend of hers. She’s known this friend for 30 years. When this lady told her friend that she had become a born again believer in Christ, the friend told her that she, too, was a Christian. For 30 years they had known each other and had enjoyed a close relationship, but the friend had never brought up Jesus Christ in conversation.
If we are truly born again, Jesus is our best friend and we love Him more than anything. Is there any chance we would live thirty years as a follower of Jesus Christ and never mention Him to others? If we are truly living the Christian’s experience, the lost will take notice of that fact. That’s our opportunity to discuss the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them, unless we are no longer a practicing Christian.
If someone who at one time considered themselves a Christian but no longer has a desire to practice Christianity (live a Christ centered life) then they will have no desire to promote the truth of God’s word, and so the question arises are they really born again? Are they following Jesus’ commands? “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.” Proverbs 11:30. Certainly if anyone makes the claim “I’m not a practicing Christian” they aren’t standing up for Jesus Christ by winning souls.
When someone admits to no longer being “a practicing Christian” it tells me they are much more concerned with the world and with all of its tentacles than with Christ. This concern for the worldly pleasures will result in a thorough neglect of the truth of God’s word. They will quickly revert back to their old way of life. They want little or nothing to do with other believers. This, in itself, is quite telling. Think about it, just where is Jesus in their heart? And, of course, reading their Bibles becomes non-existent.
When Christians stop associating with likeminded brethren and become embroiled in worldly affairs and with worldly folks who have no use for God and certainly no regard for His word, they will begin to renounce Christianity, and the following mantra will become their phrase of choice “I’m not a practicing Christian”. It’s offensive and discouraging to be confronted by someone making that statement. You’re either a Christian or you’re not. “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.” Titus 1:16.
Recently I came across an old friend from high school and began an email correspondence with this person. I knew my friend had attended a Christian elementary school until entering high school. We talked about our families and the old days in school. Before long, my emails began to include Jesus and what He has done in my life. As I broached the subject of Christ with my friend, I also began sending this person my commentaries. Almost immediately I was asked to discontinue our email exchange. Why? Because the views I now hold are quite different than those I held as a senior in high school, some forty years ago. I had changed and this old friend had become worldlier. The last email I received from this person held almost exclusively these words, “I’m no longer a practicing Christian, and I do not agree with your conservative stance on things.” I was then asked not to email again. “He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.” Proverbs 5:23.
I may get a lot of email on this subject and that’s fine, but personally I see a huge gulf between a Christian, that is a true believer and follower of Jesus Christ, and a person who claims “I’m no longer a practicing Christian”. That gulf may very well span the same distance as Heaven and Hell. The chasm between these two concepts of being someone who is devoted to Jesus Christ and someone who declines to have an association with Jesus may very well span eternity. “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” John 14:15. Can anyone honestly love Jesus without keeping His commandments? “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.” 1 John 2:19.
To me the life of a Christian is not just something we practice but it’s a new way of life we’ve chosen to embark on. We live our new life in Christ daily; there are 24 hours in a day and 7 days in a week, and we are to be an active follower of Jesus Christ in every waking moment. Believers don’t turn on and off their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as the hour dictates. We belong to Him. He owns us. He gives us our marching orders and we follow His commands. Believers can’t walk away from everything Jesus teaches and still claim to be a born again Christian; it’s an obvious contradiction which has lead to open apostasy. (Here come the emails). Again, the question must be broached, was that person really ever born again?
I’m not trying to be judgmental with these observations. I am not God and I can’t see into a person’s heart, that’s God’s domain and His alone. Yet He tells us to look to a person for the fruit that they produce to determine their relationship with Him. “Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.” Matthew 12:33. Jesus made this statement while speaking to the Pharisees about blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. In God’s view there is no in between. Rejecting the message given us by the Holy Spirit is the only sin that will not be forgiven, either in this life or the one to come. Aren’t those who are no longer practicing Christians rejecting the message?
True born again followers of Christ no longer want to have anything to do with that old sinful life. We are filled with remorse each time we stumble and take a step back. Our lives as Christians are focused on our first love, our most precious love, Jesus the Christ. Everything is second to our Lord and Savior. Jesus wants to be where we know He should be in our lives – at the highest rung on the ladder of our lives. The reason the Bible warns us so vividly against apostasy and false prophets is because true conversion can only be measured by visible fruit. “Ye shall know them by their fruits...” Matthew 7:16a. Non-practicing Christians will find it virtually impossible to bear fruit for the Kingdom of God because they aren’t interested in doing so. They want their cake and to eat it too (they want to live like the world but inherit Christ’s promises).
Those who make the claim “I’m no longer a practicing Christian” wish to remain neutral. They are fence setters. From afar they see the path of least resistance and are able to change their colors like a chameleon so as to not be detected as a rival by whomever they see approaching. To be truly born again is not an easy road. Persecution can and will come into the lives of all believers, even from one’s own family and friends, and this, my brethren, can be daunting. But there is no neutral ground when it comes to following Jesus. “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.” Matthew 12:30. Jesus Himself tells all those who would make such a statement as “I’m no longer a practicing Christian” they are in big trouble. Therefore one must weigh the cost to see whether or not following Jesus is worth the final prize.
Folks such as those who claim this status of “I’m a Christian but I don’t really want to live my life like you other Christians” can be easily manipulated by God’s adversary. They grow in their acceptance of the worldly influence and before long they can no longer see truth. They become adverse and blinded to the truth. What was once preached to them at church is foolishness, and now they put their faith and trust in what is preached to them from their television sets. Blindness to God’s truth turns the world upside down. Black is white, up is down, right is wrong, good is evil, love is hate, and on it goes.
I am a firm believer that once a person is born again, born from above, born from God, that that person is forever in God’s hands. It’s God’s responsibility to keep us that way. I can almost hear the computers being fired up and readied to bombard me with an onslaught of emails refuting my claim. Guess what? God’s declares it so. Of course I must agree with God. “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:30. Paul tells us that those who are born from above, born from God, have the Holy Spirit of God sealed within them unto the day of redemption. That’s God claim, His promise. Who am I do argue the point?
There’s an old movie that includes the following line “It’s not my fault, I only read it”. Those who were listening to him read from that particular news story tried to blame this guy for the bad news he continually read to them. In my case, though, it’s only good news; you can’t lose your salvation if you are truly born again, period. Here’s the rub, those who were once professing Christians but who now recite the statement “I’m no longer a practicing Christian” may not have the Holy Spirit sealed within them, thus they may be in for quite the surprise as they reach their eternal destination.
There are many people, especially here in America, who claim the title of “Christian”, yet haven’t a clue as to what that title encompasses, which in turn makes it easy to claim a position of non-practicing Christian. They have no comprehension of what it means to live a life devoted to Christ therefore they have no idea the consequences of that statement and how it puts them at odds with the Savior of the world. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22, 23. These nine characteristics will become evident in the life of a true believer in Christ.
How can anyone take the position “I’m no longer a practicing Christian” when they know the truth? Perhaps they never really believed and what they heard about Jesus was robbed from them at some point by Satan. Take a look at the explanation Jesus gives His disciples when asked about the parable of the sower. “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.” Luke 8:5-14. In this parable Jesus is speaking about those who would make the following statement “I’m no longer a practicing Christian”. They no longer hold on to the hope and joy of knowing who Jesus really is.
“These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.” John 16:1. Offended in the Greek is “skandalizō”. The complete meaning behind the rendering of this word is: To put a stumbling block or impediment in the way, upon which another may trip and fall, metaphorically to offend, to entice to sin, to cause a person to begin to distrust and desert one whom he ought to trust and obey, to cause to fall away. Jesus taught all things to His disciples and to us so that we “should not be offended”, fall way.
I’m continually being bashed about by my brethren for my biblical stance on abortion, homosexuality, same sex marriage and the fact that I believe Obama is the worst and most offensive Muslim to invade the U.S. in the last 233 years. Those who make the statement “I’m no longer a practicing Christian” will never feel the heat of persecution and maybe that’s why they continue to recite that statement. Perhaps it just got too hot in the kitchen. Those who make that offensive statement are most certainly at odds with the Creator of the universe.
I recently received an email from a lady, who is a fairly new believer, who had a complaint against a friend of hers. She’s known this friend for 30 years. When this lady told her friend that she had become a born again believer in Christ, the friend told her that she, too, was a Christian. For 30 years they had known each other and had enjoyed a close relationship, but the friend had never brought up Jesus Christ in conversation.
If we are truly born again, Jesus is our best friend and we love Him more than anything. Is there any chance we would live thirty years as a follower of Jesus Christ and never mention Him to others? If we are truly living the Christian’s experience, the lost will take notice of that fact. That’s our opportunity to discuss the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them, unless we are no longer a practicing Christian.
If someone who at one time considered themselves a Christian but no longer has a desire to practice Christianity (live a Christ centered life) then they will have no desire to promote the truth of God’s word, and so the question arises are they really born again? Are they following Jesus’ commands? “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.” Proverbs 11:30. Certainly if anyone makes the claim “I’m not a practicing Christian” they aren’t standing up for Jesus Christ by winning souls.
When someone admits to no longer being “a practicing Christian” it tells me they are much more concerned with the world and with all of its tentacles than with Christ. This concern for the worldly pleasures will result in a thorough neglect of the truth of God’s word. They will quickly revert back to their old way of life. They want little or nothing to do with other believers. This, in itself, is quite telling. Think about it, just where is Jesus in their heart? And, of course, reading their Bibles becomes non-existent.
When Christians stop associating with likeminded brethren and become embroiled in worldly affairs and with worldly folks who have no use for God and certainly no regard for His word, they will begin to renounce Christianity, and the following mantra will become their phrase of choice “I’m not a practicing Christian”. It’s offensive and discouraging to be confronted by someone making that statement. You’re either a Christian or you’re not. “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.” Titus 1:16.
Recently I came across an old friend from high school and began an email correspondence with this person. I knew my friend had attended a Christian elementary school until entering high school. We talked about our families and the old days in school. Before long, my emails began to include Jesus and what He has done in my life. As I broached the subject of Christ with my friend, I also began sending this person my commentaries. Almost immediately I was asked to discontinue our email exchange. Why? Because the views I now hold are quite different than those I held as a senior in high school, some forty years ago. I had changed and this old friend had become worldlier. The last email I received from this person held almost exclusively these words, “I’m no longer a practicing Christian, and I do not agree with your conservative stance on things.” I was then asked not to email again. “He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.” Proverbs 5:23.
I may get a lot of email on this subject and that’s fine, but personally I see a huge gulf between a Christian, that is a true believer and follower of Jesus Christ, and a person who claims “I’m no longer a practicing Christian”. That gulf may very well span the same distance as Heaven and Hell. The chasm between these two concepts of being someone who is devoted to Jesus Christ and someone who declines to have an association with Jesus may very well span eternity. “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” John 14:15. Can anyone honestly love Jesus without keeping His commandments? “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.” 1 John 2:19.
To me the life of a Christian is not just something we practice but it’s a new way of life we’ve chosen to embark on. We live our new life in Christ daily; there are 24 hours in a day and 7 days in a week, and we are to be an active follower of Jesus Christ in every waking moment. Believers don’t turn on and off their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as the hour dictates. We belong to Him. He owns us. He gives us our marching orders and we follow His commands. Believers can’t walk away from everything Jesus teaches and still claim to be a born again Christian; it’s an obvious contradiction which has lead to open apostasy. (Here come the emails). Again, the question must be broached, was that person really ever born again?
I’m not trying to be judgmental with these observations. I am not God and I can’t see into a person’s heart, that’s God’s domain and His alone. Yet He tells us to look to a person for the fruit that they produce to determine their relationship with Him. “Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.” Matthew 12:33. Jesus made this statement while speaking to the Pharisees about blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. In God’s view there is no in between. Rejecting the message given us by the Holy Spirit is the only sin that will not be forgiven, either in this life or the one to come. Aren’t those who are no longer practicing Christians rejecting the message?
True born again followers of Christ no longer want to have anything to do with that old sinful life. We are filled with remorse each time we stumble and take a step back. Our lives as Christians are focused on our first love, our most precious love, Jesus the Christ. Everything is second to our Lord and Savior. Jesus wants to be where we know He should be in our lives – at the highest rung on the ladder of our lives. The reason the Bible warns us so vividly against apostasy and false prophets is because true conversion can only be measured by visible fruit. “Ye shall know them by their fruits...” Matthew 7:16a. Non-practicing Christians will find it virtually impossible to bear fruit for the Kingdom of God because they aren’t interested in doing so. They want their cake and to eat it too (they want to live like the world but inherit Christ’s promises).
Those who make the claim “I’m no longer a practicing Christian” wish to remain neutral. They are fence setters. From afar they see the path of least resistance and are able to change their colors like a chameleon so as to not be detected as a rival by whomever they see approaching. To be truly born again is not an easy road. Persecution can and will come into the lives of all believers, even from one’s own family and friends, and this, my brethren, can be daunting. But there is no neutral ground when it comes to following Jesus. “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.” Matthew 12:30. Jesus Himself tells all those who would make such a statement as “I’m no longer a practicing Christian” they are in big trouble. Therefore one must weigh the cost to see whether or not following Jesus is worth the final prize.
Folks such as those who claim this status of “I’m a Christian but I don’t really want to live my life like you other Christians” can be easily manipulated by God’s adversary. They grow in their acceptance of the worldly influence and before long they can no longer see truth. They become adverse and blinded to the truth. What was once preached to them at church is foolishness, and now they put their faith and trust in what is preached to them from their television sets. Blindness to God’s truth turns the world upside down. Black is white, up is down, right is wrong, good is evil, love is hate, and on it goes.
I am a firm believer that once a person is born again, born from above, born from God, that that person is forever in God’s hands. It’s God’s responsibility to keep us that way. I can almost hear the computers being fired up and readied to bombard me with an onslaught of emails refuting my claim. Guess what? God’s declares it so. Of course I must agree with God. “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:30. Paul tells us that those who are born from above, born from God, have the Holy Spirit of God sealed within them unto the day of redemption. That’s God claim, His promise. Who am I do argue the point?
There’s an old movie that includes the following line “It’s not my fault, I only read it”. Those who were listening to him read from that particular news story tried to blame this guy for the bad news he continually read to them. In my case, though, it’s only good news; you can’t lose your salvation if you are truly born again, period. Here’s the rub, those who were once professing Christians but who now recite the statement “I’m no longer a practicing Christian” may not have the Holy Spirit sealed within them, thus they may be in for quite the surprise as they reach their eternal destination.
There are many people, especially here in America, who claim the title of “Christian”, yet haven’t a clue as to what that title encompasses, which in turn makes it easy to claim a position of non-practicing Christian. They have no comprehension of what it means to live a life devoted to Christ therefore they have no idea the consequences of that statement and how it puts them at odds with the Savior of the world. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22, 23. These nine characteristics will become evident in the life of a true believer in Christ.
How can anyone take the position “I’m no longer a practicing Christian” when they know the truth? Perhaps they never really believed and what they heard about Jesus was robbed from them at some point by Satan. Take a look at the explanation Jesus gives His disciples when asked about the parable of the sower. “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.” Luke 8:5-14. In this parable Jesus is speaking about those who would make the following statement “I’m no longer a practicing Christian”. They no longer hold on to the hope and joy of knowing who Jesus really is.
“These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.” John 16:1. Offended in the Greek is “skandalizō”. The complete meaning behind the rendering of this word is: To put a stumbling block or impediment in the way, upon which another may trip and fall, metaphorically to offend, to entice to sin, to cause a person to begin to distrust and desert one whom he ought to trust and obey, to cause to fall away. Jesus taught all things to His disciples and to us so that we “should not be offended”, fall way.
I’m continually being bashed about by my brethren for my biblical stance on abortion, homosexuality, same sex marriage and the fact that I believe Obama is the worst and most offensive Muslim to invade the U.S. in the last 233 years. Those who make the statement “I’m no longer a practicing Christian” will never feel the heat of persecution and maybe that’s why they continue to recite that statement. Perhaps it just got too hot in the kitchen. Those who make that offensive statement are most certainly at odds with the Creator of the universe.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Two Roads, Two Gates, One Goal
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matt. 7:13-14)
This passage is often quoted in reference to the different roads traveled by unbelievers as opposed to believers. Unbelievers are said to be on a broad road with many fellow travelers, all on the way to their destruction. Believers on the other hand are a small segment of humanity and are on a narrow road to salvation. This difference is further defined by some as pertaining to our behavior. The unbeliever's gate is wide and his road is broad, supposedly indicating that there's room for all kinds of sinful behavior, while for the believer it's a small gate and a narrow road suggesting that there's very little latitude for misbehaving. A careless step or two and you may find yourself being rerouted onto the broad road.
If you look at these 2 verses alone it's easy to understand why so many see them this way. But in the context of the chapter a different picture emerges.
In Matthew 7 the people in focus all claim to be believers, and the emphasis is on their fruit. The Lord began by admonishing us against judging others,
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Matt. 7:1-2)
Verses 3-5 have to do with judgment within the community of believers.
"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.”
We're all sinners and hypocrites who have a tendency to pounce all over even the “minor” sins of others while ignoring our own massive list of transgressions. Why is it that those who test the Lord's patience to the max are often the most acrimonious in their accusations of others?
You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? (Romans 2:1-3)
Intolerant, judgmental believers are convinced they're defending the faith and that they'll receive the commendation due them from the Lord. But these verses indicate quite the opposite.
As much as we ignore the warnings in verses 3-5, our disregard for verse 6 is even more glaring. It has to do with our attitude toward unbelievers.
“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.”
Expecting the unbelieving world to conform to our moral standards is ridiculous. And yet to the world the church is known primarily for its holier-than-thou hypocrisy in doing just that. Like the Pharisees of old we demand that others live up to behavioral standards we ourselves don't keep. For example studies show that our divorce and abortion rates are no different from theirs. And it's a known fact that we indulge in more than our share of adultery, theft, gluttony, avarice, greed, and so on, as well.
It's like we have forgotten all about the Lord's advice that the best way to convert the world is for the Church to become what it was meant to be, an agent of His love (John 13:34-35). Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance? (Romans 2:4) It's God's kindness and mercy that bring people to Him, not threats of condemnation.
Some think it's persecution when unbelievers pass laws that contradict our beliefs and restrict our freedoms while promoting the freedom of others. But maybe it's just them turning on us for the way we've pushed our beliefs on them, like the Lord said they would.
In Matt. 7:7-12 the way to salvation is explained to us. It's summarized in verse 8. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. It doesn't matter who you are or what you've done. If you ask for it, you'll receive it. It's this message of hope that's needed for our time, not judgment and condemnation.
I don't think it's an accident that in verse 10 the Lord asked, “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?” The comparison of bread with a stone takes us back to the Wilderness Temptation when Satan challenged Him to turn stones into bread. He replied, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matt. 4:4) God's Word is life, and Jesus is the bread of life (John 6:35). Stones are dead. If we ask for life will the Lord give us death instead?
But the comparison of a fish to a serpent symbolizes the central thought of the entire chapter. The fish stands for Jesus and became the symbol of His followers. The serpent stands for Satan. Jesus called the leaders of His day's organized religion children of the devil (John 8:44), who with their insistence on a mindless obedience to their laws (Isaiah 29:13) rather than faith in a coming Redeemer, made their converts twice the son of hell as they were (Matt. 23:15). They had turned God's love into a tool of the devil, and sadly there are many in the church still doing the same thing today.
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.(Matt 7:12) The phrase Law and Prophets was a Jewish idiom for their Scriptures, the Old Testament. While we think of the Golden Rule as a New Testament idea, Jesus said it summarized the Old Testament as well. If you don't want to be judged, don't judge. If you don't want to be condemned, don't condemn. If you want mercy, be merciful. If you want to be forgiven, forgive. If you want to receive, give. (Luke 6:36-38)
There's a reason why verses 13-14 are in the middle of the chapter and not the beginning or the end. Up till now we've been looking at misdirected believers who think they're defending the faith but instead will find themselves defending fruitless lives at judgment time. Now we'll see examples of those who claim to be in the Church, but will actually be left behind when the Rapture comes.
Matt. 7:15-23 warns us against following false prophets, saying, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' (Matt. 7:22-23)
Appearing to perform miracles in the Lord's name does not make someone His follower, so we shouldn't blindly accept them as such, but should inspect their doctrine. Remember Satan will appear to perform miracles and will deceive many. (2 Thes. 2:9-10) Only those who do His father's will can claim the Son, regardless of what else they say or do. And what is the father's will? Here's the Lord's answer. “My Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:40)
Nowhere is the Father's will as it regards our salvation stated more clearly. Anyone who adds any requirement or qualification to this declaration (or takes anything from it) is a false prophet even if they perform miracles in the Lord's name.
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." (Matt. 7:24-27)
Here is the Lord's summary statement complete with one final comparison, this one aimed at the liberals. In Matt. 16: 16-18 Jesus called Peter's confession that He was the Christ (Messiah), the Son of the Living God, the rock on which He would build the Church. Paul wrote that the rock Moses struck to provide water for the Israelites represented Christ. For they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. (1 Cor. 10:4) From ancient times, the priest would call God's people to worship saying, “Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.” (Psalm 95:1) And today we sing, “On Christ the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.”
A doctrine of salvation that's built upon anything other than the personal relationship with Jesus that comes from being born again rests precariously on sinking sand. (John 3:3) He alone is the foundation of our faith, and unless our salvation is built exclusively upon this Rock, it will be of no avail to us when we stand before Him on that Day.
From the context of the chapter, we can see that the Lord's topic was salvation. We don't deserve ours so we shouldn't judge others when it looks to us like they don't deserve theirs. We have no right to think of ourselves as being better than unbelievers, so we shouldn't try to impose our values on them. We received our salvation simply because we asked for it in faith. There was no merit or worthiness involved, nothing to commend us. But we should be very wary of those who would propose alternatives to salvation by grace through faith alone, whether by adding to or subtracting from it, even if they perform miracles.
Now let's go back to verses 13-14. Each of the two roads is thought by its travelers to be the way to salvation. But the name engraved above the wide gate is Works and multitudes who call themselves Christians are striving to get there. They run the gamut from extreme legalism to extreme liberalism, but have in common a belief that it's their behavior that saves them.
The legalist proudly proclaims, “Jesus may have begun my salvation, but I finished it. I have kept the commandments and no longer sin. I have earned the right to call others to account for their behavior. How else will they learn?”
The false prophet says, “I'm a miracle worker, just like the Lord was. Who can doubt that I'm His.”
The artificially modest liberal says “I'm a good person and I've tried to live a good life. There are many roads to salvation and as long as we're sincere in what we believe, the Lord will understand and accept us.”
None of them realizes the road he's on leads to destruction.
But at the end of the narrow road stands a small gate on which the word Faith is inscribed. As we come alongside the few travelers on this road we can hear them softly singing,
“Just as I am, without one plea,
but that thy blood was shed for me,
and that thou bidst me come to thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.”
This is the road to Life.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.(Ephesians 2:8-9) Selah.
This passage is often quoted in reference to the different roads traveled by unbelievers as opposed to believers. Unbelievers are said to be on a broad road with many fellow travelers, all on the way to their destruction. Believers on the other hand are a small segment of humanity and are on a narrow road to salvation. This difference is further defined by some as pertaining to our behavior. The unbeliever's gate is wide and his road is broad, supposedly indicating that there's room for all kinds of sinful behavior, while for the believer it's a small gate and a narrow road suggesting that there's very little latitude for misbehaving. A careless step or two and you may find yourself being rerouted onto the broad road.
If you look at these 2 verses alone it's easy to understand why so many see them this way. But in the context of the chapter a different picture emerges.
In Matthew 7 the people in focus all claim to be believers, and the emphasis is on their fruit. The Lord began by admonishing us against judging others,
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Matt. 7:1-2)
Verses 3-5 have to do with judgment within the community of believers.
"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.”
We're all sinners and hypocrites who have a tendency to pounce all over even the “minor” sins of others while ignoring our own massive list of transgressions. Why is it that those who test the Lord's patience to the max are often the most acrimonious in their accusations of others?
You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? (Romans 2:1-3)
Intolerant, judgmental believers are convinced they're defending the faith and that they'll receive the commendation due them from the Lord. But these verses indicate quite the opposite.
As much as we ignore the warnings in verses 3-5, our disregard for verse 6 is even more glaring. It has to do with our attitude toward unbelievers.
“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.”
Expecting the unbelieving world to conform to our moral standards is ridiculous. And yet to the world the church is known primarily for its holier-than-thou hypocrisy in doing just that. Like the Pharisees of old we demand that others live up to behavioral standards we ourselves don't keep. For example studies show that our divorce and abortion rates are no different from theirs. And it's a known fact that we indulge in more than our share of adultery, theft, gluttony, avarice, greed, and so on, as well.
It's like we have forgotten all about the Lord's advice that the best way to convert the world is for the Church to become what it was meant to be, an agent of His love (John 13:34-35). Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance? (Romans 2:4) It's God's kindness and mercy that bring people to Him, not threats of condemnation.
Some think it's persecution when unbelievers pass laws that contradict our beliefs and restrict our freedoms while promoting the freedom of others. But maybe it's just them turning on us for the way we've pushed our beliefs on them, like the Lord said they would.
In Matt. 7:7-12 the way to salvation is explained to us. It's summarized in verse 8. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. It doesn't matter who you are or what you've done. If you ask for it, you'll receive it. It's this message of hope that's needed for our time, not judgment and condemnation.
I don't think it's an accident that in verse 10 the Lord asked, “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?” The comparison of bread with a stone takes us back to the Wilderness Temptation when Satan challenged Him to turn stones into bread. He replied, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matt. 4:4) God's Word is life, and Jesus is the bread of life (John 6:35). Stones are dead. If we ask for life will the Lord give us death instead?
But the comparison of a fish to a serpent symbolizes the central thought of the entire chapter. The fish stands for Jesus and became the symbol of His followers. The serpent stands for Satan. Jesus called the leaders of His day's organized religion children of the devil (John 8:44), who with their insistence on a mindless obedience to their laws (Isaiah 29:13) rather than faith in a coming Redeemer, made their converts twice the son of hell as they were (Matt. 23:15). They had turned God's love into a tool of the devil, and sadly there are many in the church still doing the same thing today.
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.(Matt 7:12) The phrase Law and Prophets was a Jewish idiom for their Scriptures, the Old Testament. While we think of the Golden Rule as a New Testament idea, Jesus said it summarized the Old Testament as well. If you don't want to be judged, don't judge. If you don't want to be condemned, don't condemn. If you want mercy, be merciful. If you want to be forgiven, forgive. If you want to receive, give. (Luke 6:36-38)
There's a reason why verses 13-14 are in the middle of the chapter and not the beginning or the end. Up till now we've been looking at misdirected believers who think they're defending the faith but instead will find themselves defending fruitless lives at judgment time. Now we'll see examples of those who claim to be in the Church, but will actually be left behind when the Rapture comes.
Matt. 7:15-23 warns us against following false prophets, saying, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' (Matt. 7:22-23)
Appearing to perform miracles in the Lord's name does not make someone His follower, so we shouldn't blindly accept them as such, but should inspect their doctrine. Remember Satan will appear to perform miracles and will deceive many. (2 Thes. 2:9-10) Only those who do His father's will can claim the Son, regardless of what else they say or do. And what is the father's will? Here's the Lord's answer. “My Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:40)
Nowhere is the Father's will as it regards our salvation stated more clearly. Anyone who adds any requirement or qualification to this declaration (or takes anything from it) is a false prophet even if they perform miracles in the Lord's name.
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." (Matt. 7:24-27)
Here is the Lord's summary statement complete with one final comparison, this one aimed at the liberals. In Matt. 16: 16-18 Jesus called Peter's confession that He was the Christ (Messiah), the Son of the Living God, the rock on which He would build the Church. Paul wrote that the rock Moses struck to provide water for the Israelites represented Christ. For they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. (1 Cor. 10:4) From ancient times, the priest would call God's people to worship saying, “Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.” (Psalm 95:1) And today we sing, “On Christ the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.”
A doctrine of salvation that's built upon anything other than the personal relationship with Jesus that comes from being born again rests precariously on sinking sand. (John 3:3) He alone is the foundation of our faith, and unless our salvation is built exclusively upon this Rock, it will be of no avail to us when we stand before Him on that Day.
From the context of the chapter, we can see that the Lord's topic was salvation. We don't deserve ours so we shouldn't judge others when it looks to us like they don't deserve theirs. We have no right to think of ourselves as being better than unbelievers, so we shouldn't try to impose our values on them. We received our salvation simply because we asked for it in faith. There was no merit or worthiness involved, nothing to commend us. But we should be very wary of those who would propose alternatives to salvation by grace through faith alone, whether by adding to or subtracting from it, even if they perform miracles.
Now let's go back to verses 13-14. Each of the two roads is thought by its travelers to be the way to salvation. But the name engraved above the wide gate is Works and multitudes who call themselves Christians are striving to get there. They run the gamut from extreme legalism to extreme liberalism, but have in common a belief that it's their behavior that saves them.
The legalist proudly proclaims, “Jesus may have begun my salvation, but I finished it. I have kept the commandments and no longer sin. I have earned the right to call others to account for their behavior. How else will they learn?”
The false prophet says, “I'm a miracle worker, just like the Lord was. Who can doubt that I'm His.”
The artificially modest liberal says “I'm a good person and I've tried to live a good life. There are many roads to salvation and as long as we're sincere in what we believe, the Lord will understand and accept us.”
None of them realizes the road he's on leads to destruction.
But at the end of the narrow road stands a small gate on which the word Faith is inscribed. As we come alongside the few travelers on this road we can hear them softly singing,
“Just as I am, without one plea,
but that thy blood was shed for me,
and that thou bidst me come to thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.”
This is the road to Life.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.(Ephesians 2:8-9) Selah.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Why the "Epicenter" Could Shake the World Sooner Than You Think
There is a lot of speculation these days about Israel's recent missile class warships sailing through the Suez Canal. This was just shortly after an Israeli submarine was spotted, capable of launching a nuclear missile strike in preparation for a possible attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.
All of this was confirmed by Israeli officials, and it was a clear signal that Israel is able to put its strike force within range of Iran on short notice.
Additionally, Israel has strengthened ties with Arab nations that also fear a nuclear-armed Iran. In particular, relations with Egypt have grown increasingly strong this year over the "shared mutual distrust of Iran." Israeli naval vessels would likely pass through the Suez Canal for an Iranian strike.
These exercises are a message to Iran that Israel is serious about defending herself. It is believed that Israel's missile-equipped submarines, and its fleet of advanced aircraft, could be used to strike at in excess of a dozen nuclear-related targets more than 800 miles from Israel.
Is this just saber rattling with little substance? No. Israel knows it must strike Iran's nuclear plants before Iran is capable of seriously launching nukes at Israel's main cities in retaliation. If Israel strikes now, Iran is not yet capable of retaliating with her own nukes. Yes, she would retaliate in other ways, but they wouldn't decimate Israel. The region could be spared devastation if Israel acted in the next few weeks to a few months. If Israel waits a year or more, Iran will have the nuclear capability to send the region -- and world oil supply -- into utter chaos.
The Jews ignored the warnings of the 1930s to get out of Europe. They could not comprehend that a mad man had come on the scene who was serious about exterminating all of European Jewry. The Pharaohs and Hamans of Bible times weren't enough of a signal that such evil abounds then and now. The "new Hitler," Achmadinejad, is far more dangerous than the old Hitler. He did not have technology and nucleaer weapons.
In 1973 during the Yom Kippur War, Israel was caught by surprise. Israel kept delaying the deployment of troops. Not until the morning of Yom Kippur (October 6), about six hours before the Arab offensive, were Israeli officials convinced that war was imminent, and a mobilization of the reserves ordered. By then it was almost too late. But Israeli action, even though delayed, was so stunning that the Soviet Union threatened direct military intervention. Again, the world could have been plunged into a global disaster all because Israel waited too long.
Israel's victory in this war cost 2,400 lives and an estimated $5 billion of which more than $1 billion was airlifted by the U.S. during a time in the war when Israel's outcome looked bleak. There actually could have been a military escalation between superpowers in 1973, all because Israel did not heed the proper warnings before October 1973.
She will not make these mistakes again! It's kill or be killed now.
Any kind of military strike in the Middle East will affect you directly. You need to take these issues seriously and be in prayer. The Middle East is called the "epicenter" for a reason. It is the center of the earth geographically, politically, and religiously.
It does not help to have America's president tell Jewish leaders, as he did last week, that they must engage in self-reflection. Obama says there is a narrow window of opportunity for advancing the peace process and that he plans to speak openly and honestly with Israel just as he did with the Arab nations in Cairo. But in Cairo, he primarily praised Islam, his own Islamic heritage, and bad-mouthed America. Obama ignored the rejectionism of the Arab world against Israel and the ongoing wars and waves of Arab terror directed against the Jewish state since the day of its creation. He also compared the Palestinians to the U.S. civil rights movement.
His "engagement" and benign relationship with corrupt and despotic Arab regimes contrasts starkly with the tough talk conveyed to Israel at a time in history when once again, without God's intervention, Israel is facing extinction if she doesn't act and act quickly. She knows America is no longer her trusted friend. And no, God would not allow her extinction.
It's time Obama tell the Arab/Muslim world -- and not Israel -- to engage in self-reflection! It's time he tell them that the world's economy, already in a free fall, could spin out of control if there is a war in the Middle East sparked by Iran's thirst for nuclear weapons as soon as possible! It's time he tell them to dismantle all suicide bombers whose target is innocent Israelis (and other victims such as those in Jakarta last week). It's time Obama leave Israel alone, quit telling her to dismantle settlements, and quit trying to divide Jerusalem.
Obama's policy can be summarized as "Israelis should give and Palestinians should take." It amounts to appeasing the Arabs, humiliating Israel and, in the process, undermining the security of the Jewish state, the entire Middle East, and the rest of the world. Right when Israel needs every friend she can get (although the Bible says just the opposite will be the case), when Iranian nukes are being designed to fly down smokestacks in Tel Aviv and Haifa, America's president is lecturing and scolding Israel and telling her to "engage in self-reflection"? I suggest President Obama exercise some of his own self-reflection! (Also see Ezekiel 38:22, 23 for more of God's miraculous intervention when no nations come to Israel's defense.)
American Jews who voted overwhelmingly to elect Obama should not remain silent. They are entitled to press him to adhere to his commitment and treat the Jewish state in an even-handed manner. Together with other friends of Israel, they should discourage Obama from offering Israel as a sacrificial lamb on the altar of Arab appeasement. In urging Obama not to abandon Israel, they would also be promoting the U.S. national interest. History cannot point to a single instance in which appeasement of jihadists or tyrants has ever borne fruit.
Yet appeasement seems to be Obama's middle name. John Lennon would be happy were he still alive. The world's superpower, America, just loves to give peace a chance in all the wrong places.
Keep your eyes on the epicenter. It could literally explode in the coming weeks or months. Israel must act quickly no matter what the cost.
All of this was confirmed by Israeli officials, and it was a clear signal that Israel is able to put its strike force within range of Iran on short notice.
Additionally, Israel has strengthened ties with Arab nations that also fear a nuclear-armed Iran. In particular, relations with Egypt have grown increasingly strong this year over the "shared mutual distrust of Iran." Israeli naval vessels would likely pass through the Suez Canal for an Iranian strike.
These exercises are a message to Iran that Israel is serious about defending herself. It is believed that Israel's missile-equipped submarines, and its fleet of advanced aircraft, could be used to strike at in excess of a dozen nuclear-related targets more than 800 miles from Israel.
Is this just saber rattling with little substance? No. Israel knows it must strike Iran's nuclear plants before Iran is capable of seriously launching nukes at Israel's main cities in retaliation. If Israel strikes now, Iran is not yet capable of retaliating with her own nukes. Yes, she would retaliate in other ways, but they wouldn't decimate Israel. The region could be spared devastation if Israel acted in the next few weeks to a few months. If Israel waits a year or more, Iran will have the nuclear capability to send the region -- and world oil supply -- into utter chaos.
The Jews ignored the warnings of the 1930s to get out of Europe. They could not comprehend that a mad man had come on the scene who was serious about exterminating all of European Jewry. The Pharaohs and Hamans of Bible times weren't enough of a signal that such evil abounds then and now. The "new Hitler," Achmadinejad, is far more dangerous than the old Hitler. He did not have technology and nucleaer weapons.
In 1973 during the Yom Kippur War, Israel was caught by surprise. Israel kept delaying the deployment of troops. Not until the morning of Yom Kippur (October 6), about six hours before the Arab offensive, were Israeli officials convinced that war was imminent, and a mobilization of the reserves ordered. By then it was almost too late. But Israeli action, even though delayed, was so stunning that the Soviet Union threatened direct military intervention. Again, the world could have been plunged into a global disaster all because Israel waited too long.
Israel's victory in this war cost 2,400 lives and an estimated $5 billion of which more than $1 billion was airlifted by the U.S. during a time in the war when Israel's outcome looked bleak. There actually could have been a military escalation between superpowers in 1973, all because Israel did not heed the proper warnings before October 1973.
She will not make these mistakes again! It's kill or be killed now.
Any kind of military strike in the Middle East will affect you directly. You need to take these issues seriously and be in prayer. The Middle East is called the "epicenter" for a reason. It is the center of the earth geographically, politically, and religiously.
It does not help to have America's president tell Jewish leaders, as he did last week, that they must engage in self-reflection. Obama says there is a narrow window of opportunity for advancing the peace process and that he plans to speak openly and honestly with Israel just as he did with the Arab nations in Cairo. But in Cairo, he primarily praised Islam, his own Islamic heritage, and bad-mouthed America. Obama ignored the rejectionism of the Arab world against Israel and the ongoing wars and waves of Arab terror directed against the Jewish state since the day of its creation. He also compared the Palestinians to the U.S. civil rights movement.
His "engagement" and benign relationship with corrupt and despotic Arab regimes contrasts starkly with the tough talk conveyed to Israel at a time in history when once again, without God's intervention, Israel is facing extinction if she doesn't act and act quickly. She knows America is no longer her trusted friend. And no, God would not allow her extinction.
It's time Obama tell the Arab/Muslim world -- and not Israel -- to engage in self-reflection! It's time he tell them that the world's economy, already in a free fall, could spin out of control if there is a war in the Middle East sparked by Iran's thirst for nuclear weapons as soon as possible! It's time he tell them to dismantle all suicide bombers whose target is innocent Israelis (and other victims such as those in Jakarta last week). It's time Obama leave Israel alone, quit telling her to dismantle settlements, and quit trying to divide Jerusalem.
Obama's policy can be summarized as "Israelis should give and Palestinians should take." It amounts to appeasing the Arabs, humiliating Israel and, in the process, undermining the security of the Jewish state, the entire Middle East, and the rest of the world. Right when Israel needs every friend she can get (although the Bible says just the opposite will be the case), when Iranian nukes are being designed to fly down smokestacks in Tel Aviv and Haifa, America's president is lecturing and scolding Israel and telling her to "engage in self-reflection"? I suggest President Obama exercise some of his own self-reflection! (Also see Ezekiel 38:22, 23 for more of God's miraculous intervention when no nations come to Israel's defense.)
American Jews who voted overwhelmingly to elect Obama should not remain silent. They are entitled to press him to adhere to his commitment and treat the Jewish state in an even-handed manner. Together with other friends of Israel, they should discourage Obama from offering Israel as a sacrificial lamb on the altar of Arab appeasement. In urging Obama not to abandon Israel, they would also be promoting the U.S. national interest. History cannot point to a single instance in which appeasement of jihadists or tyrants has ever borne fruit.
Yet appeasement seems to be Obama's middle name. John Lennon would be happy were he still alive. The world's superpower, America, just loves to give peace a chance in all the wrong places.
Keep your eyes on the epicenter. It could literally explode in the coming weeks or months. Israel must act quickly no matter what the cost.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
The Crusades
Like the army from Rome, which decided to “liberate” the Holy Lands a thousand years ago, there is a new Christian initiative to bring peace to the region. This time the sword has been replaced by the pen, blogs, and the microphone.
Despite the head-in-the-sand attitude of some of my pro Israel friends, it is clear to me that liberal Christians are making inroads into American churches, regarding Israel and the Palestinians. One such group, Churches for Middle East Peace, recently held a conference that professed concern for “both peoples,” Israelis and Palestinians. As usual, it’s quite a bit more one-sided than that.
Episcopal Bishop of Maryland Eugene Sutton was one of the CMEP participants, and his obvious dislike for Israel came through:
"Reflecting on his travels to the Holy Land and the impact of the separation barrier that cuts through Jerusalem, Bishop Sutton remarked that while the Israeli government built the wall ‘ostensibly to give to its people its desired and well-deserved security, there is every indication that that wall won't do what it set out to do because walls never do.’"
This is classic disinformation. It impacts Christians who have never been to the region who, after reading Sutton’s statement over their morning coffee, decide that, by golly, the “wall” does fail in its objectives.
No, it doesn’t fail. And not by a long-shot. The security barrier in Israel has prevents countless deaths and that should be preeminent in our minds. Sutton’s statement is either disingenuous, or ignorant.
Anyone who’s seen the security barrier knows that it is a solid wall around Israeli communities, and wire everywhere else. Does anyone seriously believe the Israelis would go to such extremes and such expense because they just don’t like Arabs? Please.
I received this week a communication from a friend with ties to Israel, who said: “the only reason there has been a shut-down of terror attacks in Israel is because of the incredible ability of the IDF [Israel Defense Forces].
These liberal American Christians who like to bash Israel are able to do this from the safe confines of America; would that they actually took notice of the terrible danger Israel finds herself in.
Further from the CMEP Advocacy Conference, June 7-9 in Washington:
Something called the Christians Support Bold Action for Holy Land Peace campaign was launched; a letter signed by 50 leaders included Tony Campolo, Joel Hunter (president of the NAE); Bill and Lynne Hybels; Richard Mouw, President of Fuller; and David Neff, editor-in-chief CT.
This, my friends, represents a thrust deep into the heart of evangelicalism, so long a community that by and large supported Israel. That support is no longer guaranteed, and the presence of Hunter and Hybels cements the fact. It matters little that neither is a classic, Bible-believing leader; they represent organizations that ostensibly are evangelical. This makes hay with pro Palestinian factions.
I visited this week with a dear friend in Washington, one who has a hand on the pulse of the American Jewish community. My friend also lamented not only that community’s wavering on Israel, but acknowledged my statements in the same vein regarding evangelical support for Israel.
It is necessary for all of us to educate ourselves as much as possible in these days, these last days, as Israel is squeezed even further. We must meet the liberal efforts with efforts of our own, including educating all those within our circles of influence. You can do it, no matter where you are.
My friend, who knows, told me that, yes, American government pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu is unlike anything anyone has ever seen aimed at an Israeli prime minister. These forces are incredibly emboldened by anti-Israel forces within the evangelical community. Many of these people also have roots in the power centers of our country, especially Washington.
Our world has changed forever, and we are hurtling toward the conclusion that Bible-loving Christians have longed for. Israel stands at the center of end-times events, and we should all resolve to watch.
Despite the head-in-the-sand attitude of some of my pro Israel friends, it is clear to me that liberal Christians are making inroads into American churches, regarding Israel and the Palestinians. One such group, Churches for Middle East Peace, recently held a conference that professed concern for “both peoples,” Israelis and Palestinians. As usual, it’s quite a bit more one-sided than that.
Episcopal Bishop of Maryland Eugene Sutton was one of the CMEP participants, and his obvious dislike for Israel came through:
"Reflecting on his travels to the Holy Land and the impact of the separation barrier that cuts through Jerusalem, Bishop Sutton remarked that while the Israeli government built the wall ‘ostensibly to give to its people its desired and well-deserved security, there is every indication that that wall won't do what it set out to do because walls never do.’"
This is classic disinformation. It impacts Christians who have never been to the region who, after reading Sutton’s statement over their morning coffee, decide that, by golly, the “wall” does fail in its objectives.
No, it doesn’t fail. And not by a long-shot. The security barrier in Israel has prevents countless deaths and that should be preeminent in our minds. Sutton’s statement is either disingenuous, or ignorant.
Anyone who’s seen the security barrier knows that it is a solid wall around Israeli communities, and wire everywhere else. Does anyone seriously believe the Israelis would go to such extremes and such expense because they just don’t like Arabs? Please.
I received this week a communication from a friend with ties to Israel, who said: “the only reason there has been a shut-down of terror attacks in Israel is because of the incredible ability of the IDF [Israel Defense Forces].
These liberal American Christians who like to bash Israel are able to do this from the safe confines of America; would that they actually took notice of the terrible danger Israel finds herself in.
Further from the CMEP Advocacy Conference, June 7-9 in Washington:
Something called the Christians Support Bold Action for Holy Land Peace campaign was launched; a letter signed by 50 leaders included Tony Campolo, Joel Hunter (president of the NAE); Bill and Lynne Hybels; Richard Mouw, President of Fuller; and David Neff, editor-in-chief CT.
This, my friends, represents a thrust deep into the heart of evangelicalism, so long a community that by and large supported Israel. That support is no longer guaranteed, and the presence of Hunter and Hybels cements the fact. It matters little that neither is a classic, Bible-believing leader; they represent organizations that ostensibly are evangelical. This makes hay with pro Palestinian factions.
I visited this week with a dear friend in Washington, one who has a hand on the pulse of the American Jewish community. My friend also lamented not only that community’s wavering on Israel, but acknowledged my statements in the same vein regarding evangelical support for Israel.
It is necessary for all of us to educate ourselves as much as possible in these days, these last days, as Israel is squeezed even further. We must meet the liberal efforts with efforts of our own, including educating all those within our circles of influence. You can do it, no matter where you are.
My friend, who knows, told me that, yes, American government pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu is unlike anything anyone has ever seen aimed at an Israeli prime minister. These forces are incredibly emboldened by anti-Israel forces within the evangelical community. Many of these people also have roots in the power centers of our country, especially Washington.
Our world has changed forever, and we are hurtling toward the conclusion that Bible-loving Christians have longed for. Israel stands at the center of end-times events, and we should all resolve to watch.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
The Good Samaritan
On one occasion an expert in the Law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" "What is written in the Law," Jesus replied, "How do you read it?" He answered: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind [Deut. 6:5] and love your neighbor as yourself [Lev 19:18]." "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied, "Do this and you will live." But he wanted to justify himself and so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" (Luke 10:25-29).
In reply to this question, Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37) the obvious point of which is that our neighbor is anyone in need of our assistance. We all learned this point of the story as children. But parables are heavenly stories put into an earthly context where every character is symbolic of someone or something else, and the Parable of the Good Samaritan is no exception. Therefore we should also expect to find a glimpse of Heaven contained there in. The word parable literally means "to place along side" so the obvious "earthly" story has to be accompanied by a hidden "heavenly" one. Put another way, if the obvious story is the children's version then the hidden one is the adult version of the story. Let's find it.
Who Are The Samaritans?
First, a little background. The Samaritans were the offspring of marriages between Jewish farmers the Assyrians left behind when they conquered the Northern Kingdom in 721 BC and the pagans they re-located there. Mixing up the conquered populations was standard procedure for the Assyrians because it reduced the threat of organized rebellion. The Samaritans were despised by the Jews because of these mixed marriages and because they had incorporated pagan rituals into their worship of God (both were forbidden by Jewish law.) A generation or so before the time of Jesus, a son of the Jewish High Priest had run off and married the daughter of the King of Samaria, built a replica of the Temple on Mt. Gerizim and instituted a rival worship system which caused a huge scandal. In her encounter with Jesus (John 4:4-42) the Samaritan "woman at the well" makes reference to this (vs. 19).
The region called Samaria was named after the capital city of the former Northern Kingdom and is located in what's known today as the West Bank. Because their laws prohibit marrying outside their own, the Samaritan population has dwindled to a point where only about 700 exist today. They're not Palestinians, but they're not regarded as Jews either and keep pretty much to themselves. Some have equated the Jews' treatment of Samaritans during the time of Jesus with the southern whites' treatment of blacks in the 19th century in the US, so to have a Samaritan as the hero of this story must have gotten the attention of the Lord's audience right away. By the way, the ruins of the Samaritan Temple were discovered about 10 years ago and are being excavated for public display.
The old Jericho Road was a steep narrow passage along one wall of a deep canyon. In the 17 miles from Jerusalem to Jericho, it dropped 3200 vertical feet through a rough wilderness area fraught with danger from attacks by wild animals in the best of times. In the Lord's day there was also the threat of being attacked by robbers lurking in the rocks. The Temple renovation was nearly complete and many workers had been laid off. Having lost their source of income, some turned to stealing to provide for their families. The people were all too familiar with reports of violence there, and had nicknamed this road Adumim, the Pass of Blood. The area where the canyon opens up at the bottom, near Jericho, is traditionally known as the valley of the Shadow of Death, from Psalm 23.
And Now, Back To Our Story
You know how the story goes. A man traveling along the old Jericho Road is beset by robbers who strip him of his clothes, beat him and leave him half dead. First a priest and then a Levite pass by, but simply cross to the other side and ignore him. Then a Samaritan comes along. He comes to where the man is, binds up his wounds applying oil and wine, and places him upon his own donkey. He takes the man to a nearby inn and cares for him. The next day he pays the man's present and future bill asking the innkeeper to look after him and promising to pay any balance due when he returns. The two silver coins he gave the innkeeper would have paid a man's hotel bill for up to 2 months in those days.
So, understanding that there's supposed to be a glimpse of Heaven here and that everyone in the parable is symbolic of someone else let's look for the hidden meaning.
"A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead."(Luke 10:30)
The man was an ordinary person who represents you and me on the road of life. Who it is that would attack us, strip us of our clothing and leave us for dead? We know that our spiritual covering is often referred to in terms of clothing. "All our righteous works are as filthy rags," says Isaiah 64:6 whereas the Lord clothes us with "garments of salvation" and "robes of righteousness" (Isaiah 61:10). So who would strip us of our covering of righteousness and leave us spiritually dead? Only Satan, the stealer of our soul.
A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. (Luke 10:31-32)
The priest and the Levite represent organized religion that in and of itself is powerless to restore spiritual life and leaves us just as dead as when it found us. The Lord had Isaiah say, "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men." (Isaiah 29:13) Jesus didn't come to start another religion. He came so that God could be reconciled to His creation, to restore peace between the two. But sadly, in some parts of the Church, the rules of men still carry more weight than the Word of God.
But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. (Luke 10:33)
And that leaves the Good Samaritan. Though despised and rejected by His countrymen, He comes to where we are after we've been attacked and beaten by our enemy, stripped of all our righteousness and left hopelessly dead in our sins, beyond the ability of all our religious works to restore us to God's favor.
He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. (Luke 10:34)
He binds up our wounds (Isaiah 61:1), pours on oil and wine, and carries us to a place of spiritual comfort where He personally cares for us. Oil was used to aid in healing because of its soothing and relaxing properties. Applying it to the skin brings comfort. It represents the Holy Spirit, our Comforter. Wine was an antiseptic, a cleansing agent. It symbolizes His blood, shed for the remission of sin. At the moment of salvation we receive the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of our inheritance and are washed clean in the Blood of the Lamb. He has taken up our infirmities and carried our sorrows (Isaiah 53:4) and will bring us to a place of comfort. In Matt. 11:28 He said, "Come to me you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.' (Luke 10:35)
Before He left this earth He paid the debt of sin we owe to God (represented by the innkeeper), entrusting us to His care. Silver was the coin of redemption (Exod. 30:12-15) . Please notice that He also accepted responsibility for all of our future sins. We weren't just redeemed up to the time we became believers, but for all of our lives. (Col. 2:13-14)
So the Good Samaritan could only be the Lord Jesus, our Savior and our Redeemer.
And what did the man do to deserve all of this? Nothing. He neither earned his rescue nor provided any contribution to his restoration. It was a gift, a manifestation of the grace in the Good Samaritan's heart. And so it is with us. For when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:4-7)
And now you know the adult version.
In reply to this question, Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37) the obvious point of which is that our neighbor is anyone in need of our assistance. We all learned this point of the story as children. But parables are heavenly stories put into an earthly context where every character is symbolic of someone or something else, and the Parable of the Good Samaritan is no exception. Therefore we should also expect to find a glimpse of Heaven contained there in. The word parable literally means "to place along side" so the obvious "earthly" story has to be accompanied by a hidden "heavenly" one. Put another way, if the obvious story is the children's version then the hidden one is the adult version of the story. Let's find it.
Who Are The Samaritans?
First, a little background. The Samaritans were the offspring of marriages between Jewish farmers the Assyrians left behind when they conquered the Northern Kingdom in 721 BC and the pagans they re-located there. Mixing up the conquered populations was standard procedure for the Assyrians because it reduced the threat of organized rebellion. The Samaritans were despised by the Jews because of these mixed marriages and because they had incorporated pagan rituals into their worship of God (both were forbidden by Jewish law.) A generation or so before the time of Jesus, a son of the Jewish High Priest had run off and married the daughter of the King of Samaria, built a replica of the Temple on Mt. Gerizim and instituted a rival worship system which caused a huge scandal. In her encounter with Jesus (John 4:4-42) the Samaritan "woman at the well" makes reference to this (vs. 19).
The region called Samaria was named after the capital city of the former Northern Kingdom and is located in what's known today as the West Bank. Because their laws prohibit marrying outside their own, the Samaritan population has dwindled to a point where only about 700 exist today. They're not Palestinians, but they're not regarded as Jews either and keep pretty much to themselves. Some have equated the Jews' treatment of Samaritans during the time of Jesus with the southern whites' treatment of blacks in the 19th century in the US, so to have a Samaritan as the hero of this story must have gotten the attention of the Lord's audience right away. By the way, the ruins of the Samaritan Temple were discovered about 10 years ago and are being excavated for public display.
The old Jericho Road was a steep narrow passage along one wall of a deep canyon. In the 17 miles from Jerusalem to Jericho, it dropped 3200 vertical feet through a rough wilderness area fraught with danger from attacks by wild animals in the best of times. In the Lord's day there was also the threat of being attacked by robbers lurking in the rocks. The Temple renovation was nearly complete and many workers had been laid off. Having lost their source of income, some turned to stealing to provide for their families. The people were all too familiar with reports of violence there, and had nicknamed this road Adumim, the Pass of Blood. The area where the canyon opens up at the bottom, near Jericho, is traditionally known as the valley of the Shadow of Death, from Psalm 23.
And Now, Back To Our Story
You know how the story goes. A man traveling along the old Jericho Road is beset by robbers who strip him of his clothes, beat him and leave him half dead. First a priest and then a Levite pass by, but simply cross to the other side and ignore him. Then a Samaritan comes along. He comes to where the man is, binds up his wounds applying oil and wine, and places him upon his own donkey. He takes the man to a nearby inn and cares for him. The next day he pays the man's present and future bill asking the innkeeper to look after him and promising to pay any balance due when he returns. The two silver coins he gave the innkeeper would have paid a man's hotel bill for up to 2 months in those days.
So, understanding that there's supposed to be a glimpse of Heaven here and that everyone in the parable is symbolic of someone else let's look for the hidden meaning.
"A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead."(Luke 10:30)
The man was an ordinary person who represents you and me on the road of life. Who it is that would attack us, strip us of our clothing and leave us for dead? We know that our spiritual covering is often referred to in terms of clothing. "All our righteous works are as filthy rags," says Isaiah 64:6 whereas the Lord clothes us with "garments of salvation" and "robes of righteousness" (Isaiah 61:10). So who would strip us of our covering of righteousness and leave us spiritually dead? Only Satan, the stealer of our soul.
A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. (Luke 10:31-32)
The priest and the Levite represent organized religion that in and of itself is powerless to restore spiritual life and leaves us just as dead as when it found us. The Lord had Isaiah say, "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men." (Isaiah 29:13) Jesus didn't come to start another religion. He came so that God could be reconciled to His creation, to restore peace between the two. But sadly, in some parts of the Church, the rules of men still carry more weight than the Word of God.
But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. (Luke 10:33)
And that leaves the Good Samaritan. Though despised and rejected by His countrymen, He comes to where we are after we've been attacked and beaten by our enemy, stripped of all our righteousness and left hopelessly dead in our sins, beyond the ability of all our religious works to restore us to God's favor.
He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. (Luke 10:34)
He binds up our wounds (Isaiah 61:1), pours on oil and wine, and carries us to a place of spiritual comfort where He personally cares for us. Oil was used to aid in healing because of its soothing and relaxing properties. Applying it to the skin brings comfort. It represents the Holy Spirit, our Comforter. Wine was an antiseptic, a cleansing agent. It symbolizes His blood, shed for the remission of sin. At the moment of salvation we receive the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of our inheritance and are washed clean in the Blood of the Lamb. He has taken up our infirmities and carried our sorrows (Isaiah 53:4) and will bring us to a place of comfort. In Matt. 11:28 He said, "Come to me you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.' (Luke 10:35)
Before He left this earth He paid the debt of sin we owe to God (represented by the innkeeper), entrusting us to His care. Silver was the coin of redemption (Exod. 30:12-15) . Please notice that He also accepted responsibility for all of our future sins. We weren't just redeemed up to the time we became believers, but for all of our lives. (Col. 2:13-14)
So the Good Samaritan could only be the Lord Jesus, our Savior and our Redeemer.
And what did the man do to deserve all of this? Nothing. He neither earned his rescue nor provided any contribution to his restoration. It was a gift, a manifestation of the grace in the Good Samaritan's heart. And so it is with us. For when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:4-7)
And now you know the adult version.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
The Rapture: Satan's Final Defeat
The anger of Satan against the Rapture of the saints is because this event will be his final defeat. Calvary, the Resurrection, and all the victory of Jesus' death and life were certainly Satan's greatest defeat. It has been downhill for him since he was cast out of Heaven. The Rapture will seal his doom forever. From the time that he deceived Adam and Eve in the garden, he has attacked the family of God. When Jesus descended into upper Sheol, Satan lost his hold on the First Testament saints. He could not damn them nor could they escape the prison house of the righteous dead. Jesus took the keys of death and hell and led this victorious company out of their prison into His resurrected presence. Their spirit and soul is with Him in Heaven, but the majority of them are still awaiting the Rapture and the Resurrection to receive their glorified bodies. Matthew records that a firstfruits number were resurrected and caught up when He arose from the dead.
There are complexities to the Rapture and the Resurrection that must not divide us. I personally believe that not one blood-washed soul (Old or New Testament) will be left in the grave when the Pre-Tribulation Rapture occurs. The earth must be free of the saved dead before the traumas of the seven years of judgment can begin. The judgments of Jesus Christ will shake this earth to its very core so that nothing of sin will be left to defile or destroy in all of creation. The wicked dead will be in death and hell until the Seven Years of Tribulation and the Millennium are finished. Then they will be resurrected unto damnation to be judged.
Satan has waged war against the saints for six thousand years. His very thought of the dead in Christ being resurrected with glorified bodies forever out of his reach is terrifying to him. Add to that the Rapture and Resurrection of the living saints that he has pursued since the moment they were born again being removed totally beyond his reach. But the Rapture and Resurrection of the righteous is only the beginning of his future troubles. The saints that he has terrorized will become the Lord's elders during the seven years, and we will be used of the Lord to direct the judgments against him and his false trinity. We will be glorified saints; and the Bible says that we will judge the angels, and Satan is one of them.
Let's begin by contemplating the defeat for Satan that will occur in the first heaven as the saints are removed to the presence of the Lord. Satan is called the prince of the power of the air. "Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience." (Ephesians 2:2) This is the area of his stronghold, where his kingdom of fallen angels is organized and operates. From this realm, he rules as the god of this world. He is called the god of this world and the prince of this world. He affects everything that constitutes the world system, nature, and especially the weather patterns. God created a perfect world. There was no destruction until the destroyer deceived Adam and Eve. Satan usurped his way into control of the world system. Nature is berserk today because it is greatly affected by the devil and his princes of destruction.
The Bible warns us of the struggle that this horde of evil personalities will create for us we serve the Lord. Apostle Paul stated, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Ephesians 6:12) Notice those terms the Holy Ghost inspired Apostle Paul to use, "rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." This is an epic struggle, and natural men and women are absolutely no match for these great and strong spirits of evil. Every spiritual victory we win must be by the Blood, the Word, and the Spirit
Understanding these strong, experienced, and wicked angels operating under the leadership of Satan; we can see the battle that is developing to hinder God's Prophetic program. When the Rapture occurs, we must travel right straight up through the middle of Satan's stronghold. Hearing many strange stories about unidentified flying objects is not so strange when you know what is about to occur. The devil will stop at nothing to accomplish his goals and to defeat the saints of God.
Victory is already assured because "For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven." (Ps 119:89). Apostle Paul said, "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." (I Thessalonians 4:16-17)
We will not need to fight our path through Lucifer's stronghold. The Lord comes down to meet us in the midair, and with His Heavenly Host (multitude) He leads us back right through Satan's horde. The event of the saints being Raptured up out of their graves, joined together with the Raptured living, following the Lord of Hosts back to the Banquet Hall in New Jerusalem is too grand to consider. There has never been an army marching from some great victory back to the fatherland to match this picture. Satan has got to know that this is soon to happen, and he certainly has a counterattack planned.
His great defeat at our victory right through his stronghold will leave him vulnerable to the heavenly host of angels. He will never recover from seeing "ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands." (Revelation 5:11) pass untouched through his hands into the presence of the Heavenly Father. A multitude of angels led by Michael will then engage Satan to finish his reign as the "prince of the power of the air." Weakened by his losses, the angels of Jesus Christ will cast him down to the earth never to appear in heaven again.
John recorded the future scene of Satan's great heavenly defeat. "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night." (Revelation 12:7-10)
His territory will now be restricted to the earth and he will know that he has but a short time. This loss for Satan is incredible. He has accused us to God throughout human history. The defeat of Adam and Eve gave him legal right to act as an accuser to every saint of God. He has been the world's prosecutor for six thousand years. The reason for many great defeats in the church has been man's failure to stand solely on truth in their battles with evil powers and dark spiritual authorities. Our only rights against evil are those legal truths of Scripture contained in our blood covenant.
Now, ultimate truth prevails and Satan's reign as prosecutor is over forever. "Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time." (Revelation 12:12)
Satan finally understands that he is losing and his last efforts will be efforts of desperation. By the end of the seven years, no creature on earth will doubt that he is a serpent, unquestionably corrupted, and a loser.
The victorious saints will be elevated to elders during the coming Great Tribulation. We are never called the church again after Revelation chapter four. We will be to the Father and the Lamb, elders participating in all the events of righteousness and righteous judgment. Too often we think only of judgment during these dark seven years but more than judgment is redemption. The elders will share the glory of cleansing this earth from every curse of sin until righteousness will be ready to spring forth when we come back with Him to reign on this earth.
In Revelation chapter nineteen when the harlot religious systems led by Satan have been gloriously destroyed, worship by the saints will explode. The saints are heard to say, "And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand." (Revelation 19:1-2) The Scripture states that this was the voice of much people in heaven, not angels but "much people." A voice came from the throne of God to this multitude saying, "Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great." (Revelation 19:5b) Then a voice proclaimed that the Marriage of the Lamb and His Bride had come and the glorious event of the Marriage Supper was in progress.
Now, John is so awed by this great vision that he falls on his face to worship at the feet of the messenger that stood before him. Listen to this messenger, "And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." (Revelation 19:10) Careful attention to the Book of Revelation will reveal the wonderful presence of His saints acting as elders in all the processes of the seven-sealed book. Redemption is the business of the Lord and His saints; and we will surely judge the Antichrist, the False Prophet, Satan, and his kingdom of fallen angels.
Saints Will be as Angels
What a defeat for the devil to be judged by the very saints he persecuted so relentlessly. The Scripture stated, "Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?" (I Corinthians 6:3) All through the great events of judgment in this Book of Revelation are angels or messengers proclaiming, participating, or directing the course of events. Often we cannot know whether they are heavenly angels or glorified saints now as "angels" with the same glorious powers that angels of God already possess.
The Word of God clearly states that when we are resurrected from the dead, we will be "as the angels." "For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven." (Mark 12:25) As we read the Book of Revelation after chapter four we forget we are viewing the scene after the Resurrection. The saints will then be "as the angels" or in the "likeness of angels" from that moment on.
The Armies from Heaven
When the Marriage Supper is finished, we will return with Jesus Christ to the earth that we left at the Rapture. It certainly will be a redeemed earth, but the battle will not be finished. There is no record of where Satan is hiding during the Battle of Armageddon. His Antichrist and False Prophet are leading this great army of angry, godless followers. What a defeat for the Antichrist and False Prophet. The spirit of Antichrist is already at work as they wait somewhere in preparation for the last days of evil. At this time they will be finished and the mopping up operation is the duty of His saints. "And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean." (Revelation 19:14)
We descend with the Son of God riding on white horses and fully prepared for battle. There is no need for us to draw our swords because of the "Faithful and True One" that leads this great procession. It will be our joy to arrest the Antichrist and the False Prophet and to cast them alive into the Lake of Fire. "And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone." (Revelation 19:20)
How long the Lake of Fire will be visible on the earth is not recorded in Scripture, but it will be visible to all the earth's inhabitants at this time. I think it will probably be visible during the entire thousand years of the reign of Jesus Christ and His saints. Israel, as the most glorious nation on earth, will also reign and be the capitol of the earth during this thousand years of glory. The Old Testament prophets spoke often of Israel's triumph during this great kingdom of the Messiah. The judgment of the Antichrist and the False Prophet will be evident to the entire earth's population. The world must see the contrast between wickedness and righteousness. In the First Covenant, Isaiah described the Lake of Fire into which the saints of God cast into these two champions of darkness. He spoke these words, "And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD. And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh." (Isaiah 66:23-24) What a defeat to Satan that he is required to watch. The devil will witness the saints, that he has hated, cast his champions alive into the Lake of Fire. The Father created this Lake of Fire for the devil and his angels, not for earth's population.
The Rapture and the Seven Years of Tribulation have been one defeat after the other for Satan. He will know it is over as he watches his last kingdom, the long anticipated "One World Order," go up in smoke. His great army, gathered by his last world conquerors will also be judged and utterly defeated. Then, its leaders will be cast alive in an open Lake of Fire for the entire world to see. Six thousand years of Satan being the prince of the power of the air and the god of this world will have ended.
The Glorious Moment of Satan's Arrest
The very Raptured saints that he fought to defeat, the glorious hope of the church that he hated and labored to destroy, and the very Tribulation Period that Satan thought to stop by his influence against Bible truth will now be completed and finished by his arrest. I believe this messenger, called "an angel" in Revelation chapter twenty, is a "great saint" of God. The honor for Satan's arrest could not possibly be given to a heavenly angel. It has already been settled that the saints will judge the angels, and Satan is nothing but a fallen one.
Let's read as a redeemed saint is sent to cast Satan into a bottomless pit. "And I saw an angel (messenger) come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season." (Revelation 20:1-3) This bottomless pit is the depth of hell in the heart of the earth. The torments in this location could not be worse, and he will fester in this dark place for one thousand years. He will then be given one reprieve before he will be cast into the Lake of Fire for eternity.
Conclusion
It is not hard to understand Satan's hatred for the prophetic truth of Holy Scripture. The hope of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture is especially an object of his attacks. It is no wonder that the Catholic Church hated the original text of Scripture. Once the Catholic Church came to power, it destroyed many of the early copies of the original text and enlisted its own supporters to produce what we now call the Alexandrian Manuscripts. These corrupt copies have a bent towards post-millennialism and are a part of the reason for the present bias against the Pre-Tribulation Rapture.
Bible-loving and truth-obeying saints are still dedicated to the great hope of the saints. The Rapture of the believing church is certainly at hand. The road map to the end is visible. The coming of the Lord will soon occur, maybe today, maybe tomorrow. Our duty is to be "Waiting on Ready."
There are complexities to the Rapture and the Resurrection that must not divide us. I personally believe that not one blood-washed soul (Old or New Testament) will be left in the grave when the Pre-Tribulation Rapture occurs. The earth must be free of the saved dead before the traumas of the seven years of judgment can begin. The judgments of Jesus Christ will shake this earth to its very core so that nothing of sin will be left to defile or destroy in all of creation. The wicked dead will be in death and hell until the Seven Years of Tribulation and the Millennium are finished. Then they will be resurrected unto damnation to be judged.
Satan has waged war against the saints for six thousand years. His very thought of the dead in Christ being resurrected with glorified bodies forever out of his reach is terrifying to him. Add to that the Rapture and Resurrection of the living saints that he has pursued since the moment they were born again being removed totally beyond his reach. But the Rapture and Resurrection of the righteous is only the beginning of his future troubles. The saints that he has terrorized will become the Lord's elders during the seven years, and we will be used of the Lord to direct the judgments against him and his false trinity. We will be glorified saints; and the Bible says that we will judge the angels, and Satan is one of them.
Let's begin by contemplating the defeat for Satan that will occur in the first heaven as the saints are removed to the presence of the Lord. Satan is called the prince of the power of the air. "Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience." (Ephesians 2:2) This is the area of his stronghold, where his kingdom of fallen angels is organized and operates. From this realm, he rules as the god of this world. He is called the god of this world and the prince of this world. He affects everything that constitutes the world system, nature, and especially the weather patterns. God created a perfect world. There was no destruction until the destroyer deceived Adam and Eve. Satan usurped his way into control of the world system. Nature is berserk today because it is greatly affected by the devil and his princes of destruction.
The Bible warns us of the struggle that this horde of evil personalities will create for us we serve the Lord. Apostle Paul stated, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Ephesians 6:12) Notice those terms the Holy Ghost inspired Apostle Paul to use, "rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." This is an epic struggle, and natural men and women are absolutely no match for these great and strong spirits of evil. Every spiritual victory we win must be by the Blood, the Word, and the Spirit
Understanding these strong, experienced, and wicked angels operating under the leadership of Satan; we can see the battle that is developing to hinder God's Prophetic program. When the Rapture occurs, we must travel right straight up through the middle of Satan's stronghold. Hearing many strange stories about unidentified flying objects is not so strange when you know what is about to occur. The devil will stop at nothing to accomplish his goals and to defeat the saints of God.
Victory is already assured because "For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven." (Ps 119:89). Apostle Paul said, "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." (I Thessalonians 4:16-17)
We will not need to fight our path through Lucifer's stronghold. The Lord comes down to meet us in the midair, and with His Heavenly Host (multitude) He leads us back right through Satan's horde. The event of the saints being Raptured up out of their graves, joined together with the Raptured living, following the Lord of Hosts back to the Banquet Hall in New Jerusalem is too grand to consider. There has never been an army marching from some great victory back to the fatherland to match this picture. Satan has got to know that this is soon to happen, and he certainly has a counterattack planned.
His great defeat at our victory right through his stronghold will leave him vulnerable to the heavenly host of angels. He will never recover from seeing "ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands." (Revelation 5:11) pass untouched through his hands into the presence of the Heavenly Father. A multitude of angels led by Michael will then engage Satan to finish his reign as the "prince of the power of the air." Weakened by his losses, the angels of Jesus Christ will cast him down to the earth never to appear in heaven again.
John recorded the future scene of Satan's great heavenly defeat. "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night." (Revelation 12:7-10)
His territory will now be restricted to the earth and he will know that he has but a short time. This loss for Satan is incredible. He has accused us to God throughout human history. The defeat of Adam and Eve gave him legal right to act as an accuser to every saint of God. He has been the world's prosecutor for six thousand years. The reason for many great defeats in the church has been man's failure to stand solely on truth in their battles with evil powers and dark spiritual authorities. Our only rights against evil are those legal truths of Scripture contained in our blood covenant.
Now, ultimate truth prevails and Satan's reign as prosecutor is over forever. "Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time." (Revelation 12:12)
Satan finally understands that he is losing and his last efforts will be efforts of desperation. By the end of the seven years, no creature on earth will doubt that he is a serpent, unquestionably corrupted, and a loser.
The victorious saints will be elevated to elders during the coming Great Tribulation. We are never called the church again after Revelation chapter four. We will be to the Father and the Lamb, elders participating in all the events of righteousness and righteous judgment. Too often we think only of judgment during these dark seven years but more than judgment is redemption. The elders will share the glory of cleansing this earth from every curse of sin until righteousness will be ready to spring forth when we come back with Him to reign on this earth.
In Revelation chapter nineteen when the harlot religious systems led by Satan have been gloriously destroyed, worship by the saints will explode. The saints are heard to say, "And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand." (Revelation 19:1-2) The Scripture states that this was the voice of much people in heaven, not angels but "much people." A voice came from the throne of God to this multitude saying, "Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great." (Revelation 19:5b) Then a voice proclaimed that the Marriage of the Lamb and His Bride had come and the glorious event of the Marriage Supper was in progress.
Now, John is so awed by this great vision that he falls on his face to worship at the feet of the messenger that stood before him. Listen to this messenger, "And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." (Revelation 19:10) Careful attention to the Book of Revelation will reveal the wonderful presence of His saints acting as elders in all the processes of the seven-sealed book. Redemption is the business of the Lord and His saints; and we will surely judge the Antichrist, the False Prophet, Satan, and his kingdom of fallen angels.
Saints Will be as Angels
What a defeat for the devil to be judged by the very saints he persecuted so relentlessly. The Scripture stated, "Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?" (I Corinthians 6:3) All through the great events of judgment in this Book of Revelation are angels or messengers proclaiming, participating, or directing the course of events. Often we cannot know whether they are heavenly angels or glorified saints now as "angels" with the same glorious powers that angels of God already possess.
The Word of God clearly states that when we are resurrected from the dead, we will be "as the angels." "For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven." (Mark 12:25) As we read the Book of Revelation after chapter four we forget we are viewing the scene after the Resurrection. The saints will then be "as the angels" or in the "likeness of angels" from that moment on.
The Armies from Heaven
When the Marriage Supper is finished, we will return with Jesus Christ to the earth that we left at the Rapture. It certainly will be a redeemed earth, but the battle will not be finished. There is no record of where Satan is hiding during the Battle of Armageddon. His Antichrist and False Prophet are leading this great army of angry, godless followers. What a defeat for the Antichrist and False Prophet. The spirit of Antichrist is already at work as they wait somewhere in preparation for the last days of evil. At this time they will be finished and the mopping up operation is the duty of His saints. "And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean." (Revelation 19:14)
We descend with the Son of God riding on white horses and fully prepared for battle. There is no need for us to draw our swords because of the "Faithful and True One" that leads this great procession. It will be our joy to arrest the Antichrist and the False Prophet and to cast them alive into the Lake of Fire. "And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone." (Revelation 19:20)
How long the Lake of Fire will be visible on the earth is not recorded in Scripture, but it will be visible to all the earth's inhabitants at this time. I think it will probably be visible during the entire thousand years of the reign of Jesus Christ and His saints. Israel, as the most glorious nation on earth, will also reign and be the capitol of the earth during this thousand years of glory. The Old Testament prophets spoke often of Israel's triumph during this great kingdom of the Messiah. The judgment of the Antichrist and the False Prophet will be evident to the entire earth's population. The world must see the contrast between wickedness and righteousness. In the First Covenant, Isaiah described the Lake of Fire into which the saints of God cast into these two champions of darkness. He spoke these words, "And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD. And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh." (Isaiah 66:23-24) What a defeat to Satan that he is required to watch. The devil will witness the saints, that he has hated, cast his champions alive into the Lake of Fire. The Father created this Lake of Fire for the devil and his angels, not for earth's population.
The Rapture and the Seven Years of Tribulation have been one defeat after the other for Satan. He will know it is over as he watches his last kingdom, the long anticipated "One World Order," go up in smoke. His great army, gathered by his last world conquerors will also be judged and utterly defeated. Then, its leaders will be cast alive in an open Lake of Fire for the entire world to see. Six thousand years of Satan being the prince of the power of the air and the god of this world will have ended.
The Glorious Moment of Satan's Arrest
The very Raptured saints that he fought to defeat, the glorious hope of the church that he hated and labored to destroy, and the very Tribulation Period that Satan thought to stop by his influence against Bible truth will now be completed and finished by his arrest. I believe this messenger, called "an angel" in Revelation chapter twenty, is a "great saint" of God. The honor for Satan's arrest could not possibly be given to a heavenly angel. It has already been settled that the saints will judge the angels, and Satan is nothing but a fallen one.
Let's read as a redeemed saint is sent to cast Satan into a bottomless pit. "And I saw an angel (messenger) come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season." (Revelation 20:1-3) This bottomless pit is the depth of hell in the heart of the earth. The torments in this location could not be worse, and he will fester in this dark place for one thousand years. He will then be given one reprieve before he will be cast into the Lake of Fire for eternity.
Conclusion
It is not hard to understand Satan's hatred for the prophetic truth of Holy Scripture. The hope of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture is especially an object of his attacks. It is no wonder that the Catholic Church hated the original text of Scripture. Once the Catholic Church came to power, it destroyed many of the early copies of the original text and enlisted its own supporters to produce what we now call the Alexandrian Manuscripts. These corrupt copies have a bent towards post-millennialism and are a part of the reason for the present bias against the Pre-Tribulation Rapture.
Bible-loving and truth-obeying saints are still dedicated to the great hope of the saints. The Rapture of the believing church is certainly at hand. The road map to the end is visible. The coming of the Lord will soon occur, maybe today, maybe tomorrow. Our duty is to be "Waiting on Ready."
Monday, July 6, 2009
Attack of the Media-ites
Aren’t the media wonderful? Overall, I mean. A bigger bunch of Israel-haters you’re never likely to see.
Every time I run across the kinds of reports I saw this week in the New York Times and The Economist, I am reminded of the great label my late friend, David Lewis, ascribed to the media: the Media-ites. David was a funny guy.
The allusion to the ancient foes of the Israelites, the Midianites, is well-placed in today’s world, as “reporters” savage the Jewish state at every turn.
There in the NYT — “The Old Gray Lady” — is a feature on a “peace activist” working in the West Bank. Even better for Leftist writers and readers, this activist is an Israeli Jew. Even-even better, he’s gay.
Ezra Nawi, a plumber by trade, goes from Palestinian village to Palestinian village, helping with various projects and protesting the “occupation.” The writer of the piece, Ethan Bronner, begins his story with a description of Nawi bouncing along in his jeep, near Hebron. Trailing him is another vehicle, manned by Israeli troops, who are “stalking him.”
Also, the Palestinians in that area are “exceptionally poor” and unable to claim the land they “bought decades ago.” Bonner then goes on to chronicle alleged beatings of Palestinians by Jewish “settlers.”
After quoting Yehoshua Mor-Yosef, an “Israeli settler” who says that Nawi doesn’t want a real solution to the conflict, he just wants to “cause trouble,” Bonner begins the next paragraph with the words, “True or not…” goes on to describe Nawi’s legal troubles, as we awaits sentencing on a charge of striking a policeman during a confrontation.
These kinds of stories from the media have circulated for decades and notice this: they are stories. Advocacy journalists — those who report in order to further their own world views, not necessarily to report news — often employ “story,” because they know it is emotionally effective with readers. It is much easier to get readers to believe that the Palestinians are merely abused peaceniks, rather than try and frame that argument in factual terms.
(By the way, this is also an effective tool of American religious leaders, such as mainline protestors against Israel, and the Emergent community. They successfully employ emotive stories in order to influence.)
Then, The Economist, that British propaganda tool, had a plethora of stories concerning Israel and her place in the Middle East. Suffice to say, subtly, these media reports hammer home the point-of-view that in fact Israel does not have a place in the Middle East, or anywhere else. They don’t like Jews.
Three separate articles in the June 20 edition implore/demand Israel to shrink herself to the point of disappearance.
In the first article, we read that:
“Israel’s prime minister has at last accepted that a Palestinian state must exist alongside an Israeli one if there is to be any chance of a durable peace between Arabs and Jews in that tragic sliver of land that three great faiths consider holy.”
Interesting. What The Economist editorial staff fails to understand — deliberately, I believe — is that the Palestinians have not, do not, and never will recognize Israel. This is known not only by Israel’s supporters, but also by her detractors. Do not think for a moment that international diplomats, American presidents, and religious “peace activists” do not know this. They know it.
They do not care.
Incredibly, The Economist quoted Egypt’s dictator, Hosni Mubarak, as saying that Netanyahu’s demand that Arabs recognize Israel as the Jewish state would “scuttle the chances of peace.” This kind of lunacy passes for diplomacy, and shows just how flawed current peace efforts really are. The Israelis must accept a 23rd Arab state, but none of the Arabs will accept the lone Jewish state?
Crazy, man.
And this stuff doesn’t just come out of thin air. England was prepared for modern Jew-hating centuries ago, as intellectuals and scientists like Charles Lyell, Herbert Spencer, and John Tyndall began tinkering with Scripture. In short, they didn’t like Scripture and began to allege that early Bible books were myth or legend.
It took some decades, but their agenda survived them and is now in full bloom: Israel-bashing is in high-fashion, since, for one thing, so many do not put any credence in the Bible as a book of history and truth.
That’s why The Economist and The New York Times can insist that Israel recognize Palestine at the same time they allow “Palestine” to refuse to recognize Israel.
This is insanity, and it passes for journalism in our day.
Every time I run across the kinds of reports I saw this week in the New York Times and The Economist, I am reminded of the great label my late friend, David Lewis, ascribed to the media: the Media-ites. David was a funny guy.
The allusion to the ancient foes of the Israelites, the Midianites, is well-placed in today’s world, as “reporters” savage the Jewish state at every turn.
There in the NYT — “The Old Gray Lady” — is a feature on a “peace activist” working in the West Bank. Even better for Leftist writers and readers, this activist is an Israeli Jew. Even-even better, he’s gay.
Ezra Nawi, a plumber by trade, goes from Palestinian village to Palestinian village, helping with various projects and protesting the “occupation.” The writer of the piece, Ethan Bronner, begins his story with a description of Nawi bouncing along in his jeep, near Hebron. Trailing him is another vehicle, manned by Israeli troops, who are “stalking him.”
Also, the Palestinians in that area are “exceptionally poor” and unable to claim the land they “bought decades ago.” Bonner then goes on to chronicle alleged beatings of Palestinians by Jewish “settlers.”
After quoting Yehoshua Mor-Yosef, an “Israeli settler” who says that Nawi doesn’t want a real solution to the conflict, he just wants to “cause trouble,” Bonner begins the next paragraph with the words, “True or not…” goes on to describe Nawi’s legal troubles, as we awaits sentencing on a charge of striking a policeman during a confrontation.
These kinds of stories from the media have circulated for decades and notice this: they are stories. Advocacy journalists — those who report in order to further their own world views, not necessarily to report news — often employ “story,” because they know it is emotionally effective with readers. It is much easier to get readers to believe that the Palestinians are merely abused peaceniks, rather than try and frame that argument in factual terms.
(By the way, this is also an effective tool of American religious leaders, such as mainline protestors against Israel, and the Emergent community. They successfully employ emotive stories in order to influence.)
Then, The Economist, that British propaganda tool, had a plethora of stories concerning Israel and her place in the Middle East. Suffice to say, subtly, these media reports hammer home the point-of-view that in fact Israel does not have a place in the Middle East, or anywhere else. They don’t like Jews.
Three separate articles in the June 20 edition implore/demand Israel to shrink herself to the point of disappearance.
In the first article, we read that:
“Israel’s prime minister has at last accepted that a Palestinian state must exist alongside an Israeli one if there is to be any chance of a durable peace between Arabs and Jews in that tragic sliver of land that three great faiths consider holy.”
Interesting. What The Economist editorial staff fails to understand — deliberately, I believe — is that the Palestinians have not, do not, and never will recognize Israel. This is known not only by Israel’s supporters, but also by her detractors. Do not think for a moment that international diplomats, American presidents, and religious “peace activists” do not know this. They know it.
They do not care.
Incredibly, The Economist quoted Egypt’s dictator, Hosni Mubarak, as saying that Netanyahu’s demand that Arabs recognize Israel as the Jewish state would “scuttle the chances of peace.” This kind of lunacy passes for diplomacy, and shows just how flawed current peace efforts really are. The Israelis must accept a 23rd Arab state, but none of the Arabs will accept the lone Jewish state?
Crazy, man.
And this stuff doesn’t just come out of thin air. England was prepared for modern Jew-hating centuries ago, as intellectuals and scientists like Charles Lyell, Herbert Spencer, and John Tyndall began tinkering with Scripture. In short, they didn’t like Scripture and began to allege that early Bible books were myth or legend.
It took some decades, but their agenda survived them and is now in full bloom: Israel-bashing is in high-fashion, since, for one thing, so many do not put any credence in the Bible as a book of history and truth.
That’s why The Economist and The New York Times can insist that Israel recognize Palestine at the same time they allow “Palestine” to refuse to recognize Israel.
This is insanity, and it passes for journalism in our day.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
His Name, Our Hearts
There are many people today who claim they have a relationship with Jesus Christ and are basking in what they perceive to be their salvation security. They feel they are secure in knowing their eternal salvation is in Heaven just by saying Jesus Christ is the Son of God, but if you press them they may actually confess something else, something very disturbing. Listen carefully and you might just hear them say “I don’t actually believe Jesus Christ is God”. Are they really saved if they don’t believe Jesus is God? “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. Does that verse actually say we must believe Jesus is the Son of God or does it say we must believe in Him? The Greek word for believe is “pisteuō” The following are all of the words my concordance gives as the English equivalent to this Greek word: believe, commit unto, commit to (one's) trust, be committed unto, be put in trust with.
When anyone says yes to Jesus Christ, they’re saying, “yes this sinner believes”. They’re saying, “Lord Jesus, I believe you paid the price for my sins, that you died for me on that cross, and that you were buried, but rose from the grave after three days just as the scriptures state. I believe who you are and what you did for me, and I’m sorry you had to die that horrible death to save your creation”. Surely this should be the response to the calling of the Holy Spirit as another sinner becomes truly born again. “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:18. What’s in a name?
Jesus explains unequivocally that he who does not believe is condemned already. Why? Because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. We believe He is the Son of God, that’s true, but a complete understanding comes only after we confess that we believe He died on the cross for us and rose again on the third day. “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” John 20:31. Through His name we might have life.
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6. God gave us His only begotten Son and He shall be called what? Wonderful – Counsellor – The mighty God – The everlasting Father – The Prince of Peace. So, what’s in a name?
What does Jesus mean by His statement “hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God”? John 3:18b. Here’s what it means to believe in the “name”. His name defines His authority, character, rank, majesty, power, excellence, etc. His “Name” represents “the title and dignity” of our Lord. “Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:” Ephesians 1:21 and also “... as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name ...” Hebrews 1:4. That’s what He means when He tells us to believe in His name. But is that all of what He means when He says “whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”? “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” John 3:36.
“Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” John 6:28, 29. Recognize that phrase “believe on Him” in the above two verses? That phrase is also in John 3:18. We must understand the meaning behind those verses. The original Greek used here actually signifies continual and unbroken succession, until the end. As we can clearly see there is more to the Greek word “pisteuō” translated into English as “believe” than our English rendering conjures up.
“Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him. John 9:36–38. Jesus had just healed a man and then asks him whether or not he believed on Him. By the way, if Jesus weren’t God why would He allow the man to worship Him? We are only to worship God.
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Romans 10:9. Paul is telling us we must believe in our hearts. What’s he mean by that?
“Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament words gives us this explanation for the word heart: Our hearts are the seat of physical life. The heart also denotes the seat of our moral nature and spiritual life; it’s the seat of grief, joy, desires, affections, perceptions, thoughts, understanding, reasoning powers, imagination, conscience, intentions, purpose, will, and faith.” There is so much more to believing than what comes across from reading the English word “believe”.
What do people believe in? Let’s take evolution for example. Many believe in evolution because that’s what they are taught in public school. Even though there is absolutely no proof of that fairy tale? Students believe their teachers and grow up and teach their children the same. They might just as well say they believe in the tooth fairy since there is actually more proof of a tooth fairy then there is for evolution. It’s easy to say we believe in something without actually placing our faith and trust in that something. To believe in Jesus means we place our absolute and total trust in Him. This is at the core of what it means to believe in Jesus Christ which is what we plainly see from the original Greek renderings. To admit that Jesus is the Son of God stems from believing everything else about Him including the fact that He is God. Even the Pharisees of Jesus’ time knew, without a doubt, that Jesus, when admitting He was the Son of God, was actually saying He is God. That’s why they always tried to kill Him. It was blasphemy for anyone to say they were God except God.
It’s really only been since moving to the Mid-West portion of the United States with my wife and daughter that I’ve encountered folks who profess to be Christians and yet openly admit they don’t believe Jesus Christ is God after admitting He’s the Son of God. To tell you the truth I’m literally shocked each time this occurs. Why? Because I’ve only been confronted by this anomaly in Christian Church services. I’ve even encountered pastors who tell me they aren’t sure Jesus is God or that He is the only way to Heaven. One pastor actually told me we can’t be dogmatic about whether Jesus is actually God or not. Folks, if Jesus Christ, the Old Testament prophesied Messiah, who came into this world and died on a cross as our kinsmen redeemer, who took upon Himself the sin of the world isn’t God, then I must tell you flat out that there’s not one person saved, past, present, or future, and our Christian faith is only a vain pretence and we have no assurance of eternal salvation.
“Depend upon it, my hearer, you never will go to heaven unless you are prepared to worship Jesus Christ as God. They are all doing it there (in Heaven)” Charles Spurgeon
Only a perfect God could possibly have sacrificed Himself for His Creation as Jesus did. Then this perfect God raised Himself again from the dead. These are two of the main beliefs we as believers must have if we are to be called by His name. If you believe Jesus died on a cross two thousand years ago for your sins and yet you don’t believe He’s God, then you believe in human sacrifice. No human sacrifice could possibly suffice as the propitiation for the sins of mankind.
“Well I believe Jesus is the Son of God, but I don’t believe He’s God.” That very statement is a damnable heresy. It isn’t enough to simply say Jesus the Christ is God’s Son but believe He’s some sort of lesser god or no God at all. How can we possibly believe everything He did and not believe He’s God? After all we believe in the virgin birth, we believe He had an earthly ministry, we believe He changed water into wine, He healed the sick, cast out demons, raised the dead, gave sight to the blind, walked on water, made the lame to walk, and fed thousands with just a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish. We believe He went willingly to the cross, that He died on that cross, and that He told one of the thieves hanging next to Him that he would, that very day, be with Him in Paradise. We believe He spent three days in the grave and rose from the dead on the third day all according to the scriptures. Isn’t that what Christians believe? And much more? How can Jesus the Christ not be God Almighty?
“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name (there’s that phrase again) of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.’ ‘And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life,” 1 John 5:13 and 20. Jesus is the true God and eternal life.
In a Bible study class I attend there’s a man who professes to be a Christians yet he doesn’t believe Jesus is God. He was asked what he does with the scripture verses where Jesus said “when you’ve seen me you’ve seen the Father” and also “I and the Father are one”. He said he had never heard those verses before. Then I asked this professing Christian man if he believed the Bible is the inerrant word of God. He said ‘No. Man has corrupted it over the years”. This man obviously needs a lot of help, but it’s interesting that he’s been attending a Christian Church for years. What’s he come away with in all the teachings that he’s attended? “I don’t believe Jesus is God”.
Is this man, along with his apparent complete lack of biblical knowledge, indicative of many in our churches today? Possibly. There is a huge void where the word of God is concerned. I’m at a loss to understand the reasoning behind such a lack of biblical knowledge in these final days especially since there is so many different teaching aids available for those seeking the truth. Aha, there it is, the key words here are “seeking the truth.”
What is the purpose of attending church services if you don’t believe the book the pastor is teaching from? Why attend a Christian Bible study class if you don’t believe in the book you’re supposedly studying from? What’s the point of calling yourself a Christian if you believe the One who is called the Christ was only a nice guy or a good teacher? If necessary, would you lay down your life for this good teacher?
Some of the most obvious scriptures proclaiming Jesus’ deity are in John’s Gospel. Jesus refers to Himself as the I AM in the Gospel of John chapter 8, verse 58. He’s claiming to be God Almighty. John refers to Jesus as the Creator of the world “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” John 1:3. Paul does the same thing in Colossians 16 and 17. Jesus Christ is the Creator God who created this Universe.
The verse that is most often overlooked when we seek to point out to those who doubt the deity of Jesus Christ is, “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am [he], ye shall die in your sins.” John 8:24. Jesus is stating emphatically that He is God; By making the statement “I AM” Jesus is claiming to be the voice which spoke to Moses from the burning bush in Exodus 3:14. In the original Greek language the he in the above verse is not present. I AM is in the original language and it’s “egō eimi” in the Greek but there’s no “he” to be found in that verse in the Greek. The phrase which follows stating “you shall die in your sins” is the Greek word “apothnēskō” and is speaking of eternal death, to be subject to eternal misery in hell. This is a scathing indictment for all those who can’t seem to get their minds around the fact that Jesus is God.
If you’re one of those individuals getting your biblical knowledge from the discovery channel you might want to actually pick up your Bible and read it for yourself. Stop listening and parroting what you hear from the secular establishment about the fallacy of the Holy Bible and start believing. The truth of the matter is the Bible is the inerrant word of God. Jesus is God, and the Bible states that fact more times than I have room for here in this commentary.
I could write a book on the fact that Jesus is God using both Old and New Testament scriptures but for now this commentary will have to suffice. The first five words in the book of Revelation tell us whose revelation it is. This is Jesus the Christ speaking as John wrote it down. “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:8.
Not to discount the rest of the verse, but did you get those last two words “the Almighty”? The Greek word used here is “pantokratōr” and can be translated into English as Omnipotent and when it’s used it refers only to God.
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:5-11.
If you’ve been wrestling with this idea of whether or not Jesus Christ is God you had better make up your mind in a hurry. Life, as we’ve grown accustomed to, is drawing to a close. There’s an evil dawn on the horizon, and the rapture of Christ’s Church is imminent. We must all choose to place our faith, trust and our entire lives in Jesus’ hands because Jesus is God.
When anyone says yes to Jesus Christ, they’re saying, “yes this sinner believes”. They’re saying, “Lord Jesus, I believe you paid the price for my sins, that you died for me on that cross, and that you were buried, but rose from the grave after three days just as the scriptures state. I believe who you are and what you did for me, and I’m sorry you had to die that horrible death to save your creation”. Surely this should be the response to the calling of the Holy Spirit as another sinner becomes truly born again. “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:18. What’s in a name?
Jesus explains unequivocally that he who does not believe is condemned already. Why? Because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. We believe He is the Son of God, that’s true, but a complete understanding comes only after we confess that we believe He died on the cross for us and rose again on the third day. “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” John 20:31. Through His name we might have life.
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6. God gave us His only begotten Son and He shall be called what? Wonderful – Counsellor – The mighty God – The everlasting Father – The Prince of Peace. So, what’s in a name?
What does Jesus mean by His statement “hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God”? John 3:18b. Here’s what it means to believe in the “name”. His name defines His authority, character, rank, majesty, power, excellence, etc. His “Name” represents “the title and dignity” of our Lord. “Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:” Ephesians 1:21 and also “... as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name ...” Hebrews 1:4. That’s what He means when He tells us to believe in His name. But is that all of what He means when He says “whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”? “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” John 3:36.
“Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” John 6:28, 29. Recognize that phrase “believe on Him” in the above two verses? That phrase is also in John 3:18. We must understand the meaning behind those verses. The original Greek used here actually signifies continual and unbroken succession, until the end. As we can clearly see there is more to the Greek word “pisteuō” translated into English as “believe” than our English rendering conjures up.
“Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him. John 9:36–38. Jesus had just healed a man and then asks him whether or not he believed on Him. By the way, if Jesus weren’t God why would He allow the man to worship Him? We are only to worship God.
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Romans 10:9. Paul is telling us we must believe in our hearts. What’s he mean by that?
“Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament words gives us this explanation for the word heart: Our hearts are the seat of physical life. The heart also denotes the seat of our moral nature and spiritual life; it’s the seat of grief, joy, desires, affections, perceptions, thoughts, understanding, reasoning powers, imagination, conscience, intentions, purpose, will, and faith.” There is so much more to believing than what comes across from reading the English word “believe”.
What do people believe in? Let’s take evolution for example. Many believe in evolution because that’s what they are taught in public school. Even though there is absolutely no proof of that fairy tale? Students believe their teachers and grow up and teach their children the same. They might just as well say they believe in the tooth fairy since there is actually more proof of a tooth fairy then there is for evolution. It’s easy to say we believe in something without actually placing our faith and trust in that something. To believe in Jesus means we place our absolute and total trust in Him. This is at the core of what it means to believe in Jesus Christ which is what we plainly see from the original Greek renderings. To admit that Jesus is the Son of God stems from believing everything else about Him including the fact that He is God. Even the Pharisees of Jesus’ time knew, without a doubt, that Jesus, when admitting He was the Son of God, was actually saying He is God. That’s why they always tried to kill Him. It was blasphemy for anyone to say they were God except God.
It’s really only been since moving to the Mid-West portion of the United States with my wife and daughter that I’ve encountered folks who profess to be Christians and yet openly admit they don’t believe Jesus Christ is God after admitting He’s the Son of God. To tell you the truth I’m literally shocked each time this occurs. Why? Because I’ve only been confronted by this anomaly in Christian Church services. I’ve even encountered pastors who tell me they aren’t sure Jesus is God or that He is the only way to Heaven. One pastor actually told me we can’t be dogmatic about whether Jesus is actually God or not. Folks, if Jesus Christ, the Old Testament prophesied Messiah, who came into this world and died on a cross as our kinsmen redeemer, who took upon Himself the sin of the world isn’t God, then I must tell you flat out that there’s not one person saved, past, present, or future, and our Christian faith is only a vain pretence and we have no assurance of eternal salvation.
“Depend upon it, my hearer, you never will go to heaven unless you are prepared to worship Jesus Christ as God. They are all doing it there (in Heaven)” Charles Spurgeon
Only a perfect God could possibly have sacrificed Himself for His Creation as Jesus did. Then this perfect God raised Himself again from the dead. These are two of the main beliefs we as believers must have if we are to be called by His name. If you believe Jesus died on a cross two thousand years ago for your sins and yet you don’t believe He’s God, then you believe in human sacrifice. No human sacrifice could possibly suffice as the propitiation for the sins of mankind.
“Well I believe Jesus is the Son of God, but I don’t believe He’s God.” That very statement is a damnable heresy. It isn’t enough to simply say Jesus the Christ is God’s Son but believe He’s some sort of lesser god or no God at all. How can we possibly believe everything He did and not believe He’s God? After all we believe in the virgin birth, we believe He had an earthly ministry, we believe He changed water into wine, He healed the sick, cast out demons, raised the dead, gave sight to the blind, walked on water, made the lame to walk, and fed thousands with just a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish. We believe He went willingly to the cross, that He died on that cross, and that He told one of the thieves hanging next to Him that he would, that very day, be with Him in Paradise. We believe He spent three days in the grave and rose from the dead on the third day all according to the scriptures. Isn’t that what Christians believe? And much more? How can Jesus the Christ not be God Almighty?
“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name (there’s that phrase again) of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.’ ‘And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life,” 1 John 5:13 and 20. Jesus is the true God and eternal life.
In a Bible study class I attend there’s a man who professes to be a Christians yet he doesn’t believe Jesus is God. He was asked what he does with the scripture verses where Jesus said “when you’ve seen me you’ve seen the Father” and also “I and the Father are one”. He said he had never heard those verses before. Then I asked this professing Christian man if he believed the Bible is the inerrant word of God. He said ‘No. Man has corrupted it over the years”. This man obviously needs a lot of help, but it’s interesting that he’s been attending a Christian Church for years. What’s he come away with in all the teachings that he’s attended? “I don’t believe Jesus is God”.
Is this man, along with his apparent complete lack of biblical knowledge, indicative of many in our churches today? Possibly. There is a huge void where the word of God is concerned. I’m at a loss to understand the reasoning behind such a lack of biblical knowledge in these final days especially since there is so many different teaching aids available for those seeking the truth. Aha, there it is, the key words here are “seeking the truth.”
What is the purpose of attending church services if you don’t believe the book the pastor is teaching from? Why attend a Christian Bible study class if you don’t believe in the book you’re supposedly studying from? What’s the point of calling yourself a Christian if you believe the One who is called the Christ was only a nice guy or a good teacher? If necessary, would you lay down your life for this good teacher?
Some of the most obvious scriptures proclaiming Jesus’ deity are in John’s Gospel. Jesus refers to Himself as the I AM in the Gospel of John chapter 8, verse 58. He’s claiming to be God Almighty. John refers to Jesus as the Creator of the world “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” John 1:3. Paul does the same thing in Colossians 16 and 17. Jesus Christ is the Creator God who created this Universe.
The verse that is most often overlooked when we seek to point out to those who doubt the deity of Jesus Christ is, “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am [he], ye shall die in your sins.” John 8:24. Jesus is stating emphatically that He is God; By making the statement “I AM” Jesus is claiming to be the voice which spoke to Moses from the burning bush in Exodus 3:14. In the original Greek language the he in the above verse is not present. I AM is in the original language and it’s “egō eimi” in the Greek but there’s no “he” to be found in that verse in the Greek. The phrase which follows stating “you shall die in your sins” is the Greek word “apothnēskō” and is speaking of eternal death, to be subject to eternal misery in hell. This is a scathing indictment for all those who can’t seem to get their minds around the fact that Jesus is God.
If you’re one of those individuals getting your biblical knowledge from the discovery channel you might want to actually pick up your Bible and read it for yourself. Stop listening and parroting what you hear from the secular establishment about the fallacy of the Holy Bible and start believing. The truth of the matter is the Bible is the inerrant word of God. Jesus is God, and the Bible states that fact more times than I have room for here in this commentary.
I could write a book on the fact that Jesus is God using both Old and New Testament scriptures but for now this commentary will have to suffice. The first five words in the book of Revelation tell us whose revelation it is. This is Jesus the Christ speaking as John wrote it down. “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:8.
Not to discount the rest of the verse, but did you get those last two words “the Almighty”? The Greek word used here is “pantokratōr” and can be translated into English as Omnipotent and when it’s used it refers only to God.
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:5-11.
If you’ve been wrestling with this idea of whether or not Jesus Christ is God you had better make up your mind in a hurry. Life, as we’ve grown accustomed to, is drawing to a close. There’s an evil dawn on the horizon, and the rapture of Christ’s Church is imminent. We must all choose to place our faith, trust and our entire lives in Jesus’ hands because Jesus is God.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
