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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 Thess. 4:16-17 Pre-Trib Fib, Part I (A timely look back...) December 13, 2001 - Sincere "Christians" ask me all the time why I don't believe in a PRE-TRIBULATION "rapture." Well, first of all, let me say that I DO BELIEVE there will be a RAPTURE. First Thessolonians 4:16-17 makes this quite clear. However, it's the whole TIMING of the RAPTURE that is in question. Pre-tribbers vehemently contend that the "calling away of the saints" will occur PRIOR to the beginning of tribulation. I contend that the Lord WILL RETURN and WILL RAPTURE "His TRUE Church", but that this "calling away" will occur near the END of the period we commonly call "tribulation." Unfortunately, my opinion is not popular because it means we will have to endure the coming tribulation. And, this goes against the grain of what the "institutional 501c-3 church machine" wants to think will happen. To be sure, God doesn't really care what you or I think, because He will bring about His plan and His will in spite of us. But, don't "discount" my understanding on this subject just because it's not "palatable." This is too important a subject to just "glaze" over. Now, as you might imagine, I get a lot of email on this subject. Here's a typical response: "Eagle, I agree with most everything you write, but I have to take exception with you on your take on the RAPTURE. I think I will be raptured out of here BEFORE things get too bad. Afterall, Hal Lindsay, Jack Van Impe and MY pastor can’t ALL be wrong, CAN THEY?" Well, first of all, let me say that I hope that THOSE GUYS are right. NO ONE WANTS to believe that they will have to go through "tribulation." In fact, as I have alluded earlier, I’m ALL FOR a PRE-TRIB rapture! The problem is... The PRE-TRIB theory doesn't hold water Scripturally. Folks, stick with me here. The "pre-trib rapture" position is IMPOSSIBLE to justify without doing great violence to the Holy Scripture, and the character of Almighty God. Not only that, it is LOGICALLY UNTENABLE. In other words, as you look into it, it makes no sense that it could happen that way. Suffice it to say, I will explain all of this in detail, forthcoming. So, hang in there. To begin our EXAMINATION of this doctrine, let's say right UP FRONT that ANYONE [including me] could pull out a few "select" scriptures, read their "opinion" into it, and make it go along with THEIR own selfish, pre-disposed "theory." I give you that. MEN have been doing it forever. Justifying this, compromising that, all to serve THEIR needs. And, it's only going to get worse and worse in THESE LAST DAYS. Some people have attacked me saying that my standing on this issue is my own SELFISH, PRE-DISPOSED opinion. They accuse ME of straying from the "truth" of the Word because I have some sort of manipulative agenda. Oh really? Honestly folks, what SELFISH reason could I have for exposing this PLEASANT flesh-satisfying doctrine? IF I were appealing to my flesh or pocketbook, I WOULD ACCEPT IT and teach it as fact like everyone else. As I have said, I would LOVE to to believe it, too. Who wouldn't? But, let's look at MY situation here. Will I be bringing in lots of money for writing that you most likely will have to go through the most perilous time in history? Will I be winning friends and influencing my enemies? Will I be BUILDING my audience? My pocketbook? Not a chance. Truth doesn't sell. Never has, never will. I learned a long time ago that it's best not to "prosper financially" from ministry. I have CHOSEN to KEEP MONEY completely out of my ministry. In this way, I am able to be HONEST, unbiased and tell the WHOLE truth. You see, I prefer to "work" and "eek" out a modest living on the side. But, you know what? That's just the way I like it. Now, I am not going to tell you that I have not been tempted to go into traditional "PAID" ministry. But, I could never do it. PAID ministry ALWAYS causes MEN to eventually compromise THEIR message for the almighty dollar. On the other hand, what does Corporate Churchianity have to gain from propagating this ear-tickling DOCTRINE? Hmmm. Let's see... How about not running THEIR existing paying customers off? How about gaining MORE tithing customers to pay THEIR growing debt-load? How about a larger auditorium or sanctuary? Folks, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but YOU have UNWITTINGLY been TAUGHT AS FACT, a DOCTRINE, that is in fact ERROR, by big-name RELIGIOUS people that YOU TRUST. What's more, EVERYONE WANTS TO BELIEVE IT! It's ONLY human nature to want to HANG ONTO ENTICING and EAR-TICKLING DOCTRINES such as this one. I hated letting this particular doctrine go myself, so I can speak from firsthand experience. But, the fact still remains: SOMEONE had to care enough about me to make me take a harder look at the issue. Thank God I listened. You know, it's strange, but MEN are an interesting lot. IF we hear something OFTEN ENOUGH, regardless of whether it is true or not, we TEND to believe it. REALITY no longer matters. What we have heard is transformed into "truth" by consensus. But, when a group of people choose to believe an ear-tickling lie rather than facing the REAL truth of a matter, would that not be considered a consensus of fools? Sure. With this in mind, let's pretend you are standing in your average corporate "church" library. Look around you. You see tons of books written about END-TIME Biblical events. I guarantee MOST, if not all, SUPPORT and TEACH the pre-trib rapture theory/doctrine. I know because I've read a lot of them. These books are written by FABULOUS, RICH, and FAMOUS "MEN" such as Dr. Tim LaHaye, Dr. Jack Van Impe, Dr. Hal Lindsey, Dr. Pat Robertson, Dr. Benny Hinn, Dr. Rob Parsley, Dr. James Robinson, Dr. Paul Crouch, Dr. Kim K., Dr. Jesse Duplantis, Bishop T. D. Jakes, Dr. John Hagee, Dr. Matthew Hagee, Pastor Dan Lawson, Dr. Bob Larson, Dr. Oral Roberts, Dr. Charles Stanley, and Dr. James Kennedy, to name a few. Now, do you think TBN would provide EagleEye "equal time" on one of their TV Programs to voice OPPOSITION to the traditional PRE-TRIB RAPTURE doctrine? No way. To do so would scare the "hell" out of THEIR nominal paying "christian" viewer. At a minimum, INCOME would go down. And, if it affects the "bottom line" it just don't matter if it's TRUE. Heckfire, it ain't getting on the air. As I have read these MAN-MADE books and listened to the clap-trap on "christian" TV, I am amazed at how UNIMPORTANT Truth is to these people. Fact is, the ENTIRE TBN/Churchianity Community has COMPLETELY BOUGHT INTO THE "PRE-TRIB" rapture theory. It's obvious that they don't want to take a hard, HONEST look at the problems with their doctrine. Their thought is, that if SOMETHING is a proven money-maker, why change it? Folks! Let's not be naive. This "doctrine" SELLS and it sells well. It sells millions of Novels. It even sells millions and millions of movie tickets. "Truth" is no longer critical to these people. At least, not at the expense of income. I am shocked at how PRESUMPTIVE and ARROGANT these MEN have become. I hate to say it, but in MANY, MANY areas, these self-proclaimed modern "profits of god" have traded the truth for a lie. They are now "willingly" MANIPULATIVE and DECEPTIVE. They speak with a forked tongue, yet assure each other that what they are doing is Ok. And, for what? A few bucks? No. A lot of bucks. THESE big-name "church" mouth pieces have created their own version of the "gospel." It's a gospel that sells and feels good. The openly twist and pervert Scripture to support THEIR ill-conceived and pre-disposed viewpoints. It's all about the MONEY. They are ALL in this together. They are all profiting off this deal. And, when it comes to BIG-TIME "christianity" it's a "fall in line or get cut off the vine" ballgame. THEIRS is truly a "Cut and Paste" mentality. Every single one of these MEN OPENLY AVOID the "obvious" logical and scriptural obstacles to THEIR "pre-disposed" viewpoints and push on with gleeful ignorance towards the calling of a higher bank account. This "new group" of last days self-proclaimed "elitists" have REDEFINED "the faith." We are NOW led to believe that "you and I" live under a new "politically-correct" god. He is a Mayberry R.F.D., kinder, gentler god. According to the new "PROFITS" this is a wonderful new world order. Unlike past history, WE somehow NOW merit and DESERVE to be spared persecution and tribulation in OUR standing for the Faith. They CONVENIENTLY FORGET that the greatest men and women of God were persecuted and killed for upholding THE Faith. I contend that these MINDSETS represent two totally different types of "FAITH." Now, not to make excuses for their actions, but, I do understand that these latter day "christian" LEADERS, AUTHORS and TV personalities, while quite "FAMOUS", are STILL just MEN. And, you know what that means. MEN tend to be corrupt. MEN also tend towards self-preservation. And, it's no secret that MEN have a LONG history of teaching "traditions of MEN" and other easily palatable "self-serving" doctrines that boost their personal agendas and pocketbooks. Think about it. WHERE have all our wonderful spiritual Guru "Doctors" gotten their credentials? Did they not learn the BUSINESS of running their profitable "church machines" in state-certified "Semetaries?" Of course they did. Once these MEN have gotten their first PAID position in a "church", they naturally become pacifist purple-robed pulpit pimps. They are NOT LIKELY to EMBRACE anything that goes against the grain of what the rest of the organized harlot "church" teaches. Certainly, they WOULD NOT TEACH something (anything) that would end up costing them money, and/or the very existence of their bricks-and-mortar "church" corporation. Falling more and more into depravity and rebellion against the TRUTH... Visit any lovely corner "church" today. THEY will smile broadly. THEY will roll out the red carpet for you. And, THEY will go to great lengths to "justify" their position on the pre-trib rapture with utter and total disregard of logic and Scripture. With that in mind, allow me to begin my multi-part series called the "PRE-TRIB FIB." In this informative series I will be looking at THE GIANTS of MODERN-DAY "churchdumb" and their foolish consensus ARGUMENT for a pre-tribulation "rapture" of the church. I will be exploring the very "scriptures" they use to "back up" their erroneous teaching. I trust this will be an "enlightening" study for you! To begin Part One of this series, let's take a look at what is probably "the most famous" RAPTURE scripture in the entire Bible: First Thessalonians 4:16-17. The SECOND (and THIRD?) Coming of Christ "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout..." From the above passage we see that just BEFORE we get "raptured" our Lord Jesus Christ will have to DESCEND FROM HEAVEN. This means that He will have to get up out of His throne [located at the right hand of the Father] and RETURN to this Earth. It logically follows that this passage describes the "Second Coming" of Christ. "...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..." Here, we see that CORRESPONDING WITH our Lord's return, several things are going on. The VOICE of the archangel, the TRUMPET of God [which we later discover to be the 7th trumpet described in Revelation], followed by the literal RAPTURE or "calling away" of the saints. So, the BIBLE teaches us that the dead in Christ will rise first, then those who are alive and remain (who have not yet been killed for the Faith) will ALSO meet Him in the clouds. Somehow, pre-tribbers believe that AFTER Jesus RAPTURES them, He is THEN going to have to GO BACK to heaven (do not pass Go do not collect $200) and RESEAT Himself on the right hand of the Father for, oh, about another 7 years (or so) until the "tribulation" winds down. Isn't this the same as saying that He will be forced to RETURN a THIRD time??? Folks, THEY don't tell you this, but what they are really advocating (hoping for) is a THIRD COMING OF CHRIST?! Huh? Now, while Christians worldwide will often encourage one another by talking about Jesus' "Second Coming", I doubt you will get many to talk about His "Third Coming." Folks, that's because no one in their right mind would dare argue for TWO SEPARATE "Second" Comings of Christ. I know it sounds crazy, but this is exactly what PRE-TRIBBERS must try to say. Oh, they can twist and contort words, but it still boils down to the necessity of reading into Scripture a THIRD COMING of Christ. No scripture could be twisted to make that a believable possibility. Oh, but wait. There is another possibility, a much more SIMPLE and LOGICAL explanation of First Thessalonians. How about this: Jesus Christ RETURNS to get His TRUE Church (after they have been PURIFIED and REFINED in fire), THEN metes out His WRATH on the rest of the World (all unbelievers), including the Anti-Christ and False Prophet, and THEN sets up His NEW Earthly Kingdom for a thousand years. Too simple, you say? Folks, the Bible is clear on this. Jesus will RETURN. But, only one more time! NEXT: Origins of the Pre-tribulation rapture doctrine. May the grace of God, EagleEye
These Have No Root January 11, 2010 -- The truths contained in God's Word are eternal. These timeless truths are applicable to all Believers through all generations. (Many, whose intent it is to selectively nullify the things that they do not want to acknowledge, will disagree with this statement.) Nevertheless, truth is truth. It is what it is. One such truth is that many who once appeared to be "among us," will eventually return to their own vomit and "go away from us." Of course, I'm referring to pretend Christians and the vast religious apostasy that was foretold to occur at the end of days. As the Word teaches us, sadly, "these have no root." But, where are you in your spiritual life today? Are you a pretender? Do you have no root? In nature, we know that a plant must have roots to live. If there is a hard rock hidden just beneath the surface, the plant may grow at first. But then, when it does not have any place for the roots to grow deep and thrive, it will die. Does this analogy apply to you? Now, before I get into this any further (and because I'm sure to get more hate mail if I don't preface this message properly), let me say this: my comments herein shall list no names. Fact is, I've never put people's names in any of my articles for over 10 years now. Rather, I choose to address the Body as a whole. Still, in the past, offended, many have sent me hate mail. Two 'brothers' once even tried to pick a fight with me at my home when I exited my vehicle. (Their names were not in any article that I had written either, yet they were "offended.") Folks, rest assured that when you preach TRUTH and it sheds light on people's poor behavior, that they can (and often will) become incensed. Many have said, "it doesn't matter that you didn't mention my name, I know you were talking about me..." My response, "Er, ok, and uh... tell me again where I mentioned you by name?!" I guess my point is that, yes, "if the shoe fits, then wear it." If your conscience is pricked, then good. Maybe some repentance is in order. Very often, God has used the articles He put on my heart to hit ME between the eyes. In any event, I will continue my long-standing policy to NOT mention names. However, do not expect me to compromise on truth. I will continue to shed light on the darkness and to proclaim that which is good, right and seemly in the Christian life. With all that in mind, I wanted to say this: I think we have all been around very vocal "christians" who have jumped on some bandwagon theme and like a good Amway salesman, went around loudly proclaiming whatever new 'truth' they had "latched onto" at the time. Sometimes their 'truths' were actually true. (a good thing.) Other times, their 'truths' were actually deceitful lies, more often their 'truths' were actually half truths full of damning leaven. (that way which seems right to a man but the end thereof is death.) Then, some time later, we see these SAME "christians" compromising the very truths they once defended. We see them actually bastardizing and doing the opposite of the very 'truths' that they once were vocally advocating. Here's one example of what I'm talking about. (I could mention many more examples, but these came to mind because they are the most recent.) Just in the past few weeks I saw several who were once (correctly) vocal against the pagan catholic invention/tradition of Christ Mass, who in just a few short years have gone back to celebrating that which they KNOW is pagan. Tellingly, they have now conformed themselves back into the world. They have re-compromised their original (and again correct) stand against the mixing of the holy and the profane, as the Word so plainly teaches. Sadly, these have re-embraced a holiday that can in no wise be biblically supported or defended in the life of any true Believer (no matter how hard a great many "Christians" try.) So, with great violence to the Word of God (and apparently not to their own consciences), they have returned back to the "wide road." One of these persons was seen online wishing folks a "merry christmas" which is shocking to me since they once correctly spoke boldly against this man-made religious abomination. Another, who was in recent years an encouraging example to me, who once stood firmly against falsehoods and pagan traditions, and who had no problem telling people to "NOT do as the heathen do, who go into the forest and cut a tree with the axe, dragging it into the house to adorn it with silver and gold..." (see Jer. 10:3) -- this year actually put up a so-called "christ mass" tree in their home. (the tree is one of the oldest and most vile of the pagan traditions having to do with the celebration of the winter solstice). Email me if you don't understand any of this!!!! Anyway, my point is that "you shall know them by their works." And today we see a great many professing 'christians' out there falling away. This is a tragic reversal of their once bold, brave and proper stand FOR TRUTH AND AGAINST WICKEDNESS, such as is evident in the late December traditions of men in the guise of 'christianity.' My heart is heavy for any and all who at one time appeared to be lively defenders of the faith, who have now wilted back into their own shallow mediocrity with a just a tinge of "religion." Their ACTIONS (which speak much more loudly than 'words') are not a good sign. Rather, these should take a step back, and look at their actions, to see if they be pleasing to the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of kings. After all, we can all make excuses such as "ah, its ok... the Lord knows the motives of my heart..." and spout a great many other such nonsensical platitudes in defense of error. But, the truth is, that your ACTIONS (not your supposed good intentions) ARE the manifestation of where your true heart lies. And this realization, in the case of those whose actions point to "no root" should be sobering. May God continue to keep us until the end -- for otherwise none of us would make it.
2010: Final Preparations Begin January 4, 2010 -- I've been on vacation for the past week and as I returned home last night, it finally hit me like a ton of bricks. 2010 is here. So today, with some earthly sadness, yet ironically with a greater amount of spiritual jubilation I must tell you: time is short. Let me explain. Much earthly time had elapsed from the creation of Adam until 35 years into the reign of King Herod in Jerusalem when our Lord Jesus Christ was born unto this world. In fact, it was about 3,990 years after Adam that the Lord Jesus Christ (God Himself), came to the world to institute a new covenant and to redeem a remnant for Himself. Of course, His plan was simple. Institute a new testament, a merciful and perfect covenant of grace that clearly included (for the first time) Gentiles, as well as Jews. Hallelujah! However, in order for this NEW testament to become of effect, (like all wills and testaments) it necessitated the death of the Testator. And so, again in the fullness of time, the Lord Jesus willingly laid down His life. As the perfect High Priest and perfect, blameless Sacrifice, he went on to fulfill all the tenets of the old law, the first covenant that God had instituted for the remission of sins (albeit the old covenant was an imperfect, temporary one year expiation of God's wrath only) on behalf of His Bride. All that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished, He accomplished ONCE -- for all those that the Father had given Him before the world was even created. He accomplished this new covenant for "the Elect" in the real Holy of Holies, in the real tabernacle, the one that was not built with hands. Instead of having to be re-performed annually, this timeless sacrifice, this perfect act was only needed to be performed just the once. What's more, it covered eternally, backward and forward in time, all that were given Him! Now, as we move forward in time to January 4, 2010, it is easy to see that it has been about 2010 years since the Lord's first advent, His earthly birth in Bethlehem. If we rightly divide the Word of Truth, if Almighty God has given us eyes and ears to see and hear the truth, then we know that He promised to return to the earth a second time. This second appearing, will be a "very visible to all" SECOND ADVENT. And, we see from the Word that His return is promised to occur after six days (that is to say, after a full six thousand years of earth history are completed from the creation of Adam.) Folks, I've written detailed discourses on this in the past. Indeed, the fulfillment of time (six God days) is upon us. So, what does all of this mean? Well for one, the events of Revelation including a single unified world (beast) government and leader (with ten regional sub-leaders) will soon become reality. As it is written, this anti - christ, global gov. must occur BEFORE He returns. When He returns He will come with "fire in His eyes" as a conquering Warrior King! Make no mistake, this is no secret event -- not one person will miss this event. In it, He will first gather His elect from the four corners of the world, THEN, in Godly vengeance, He will mete out His wrath on all remaining mankind who have saved their flesh by taking the mark of the Beast. Finally, He will create a new heaven and a new earth and rule and reign over it (with the saints) for a day -- that is to say for a true one thousand earth years. If you don't understand any of this??? Please write me. I say all of that to prepare you for this: Let us NOT squander this opportunity to put our houses in order. Time is indeed short. Our King nears. Therefore, let us not waste time wrestling with the cares of this world. As much as it is possible, let us fill our storehouses and set our sights on the things of God... and let us "grow in GRACE, and in the knowledge of our LORD!" With great love for all the saints,
Ho, Ho, Ho: The Christ Mass and How It Relates to Christians Today December 25, 2009 -- Today is an interesting holiday. Actually, today's Christmas holiday is a totally man-concocted idea, a "holiday" that was created out of thin air by "religious" men in the 4th century (Constantine and his Romish crew). They called their new holiday Christ Mass (shortened over time to just Christmas). The pagans had long partied and reveled on and around the winter solstice (December 21). The Romish religion hoped to "convert" the pagans into their catholic religion, and so mixed together the most popular pagan winter solstice traditions, the tree (see Jeremiah 10:3), the wreath (celebrating the female form), mistletoe (sexual freedom), santa (Nimrod, Father of the Occult), etc., and mixed them together with a holiday that supposedly celebrated Christ's birth. "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one." -Job 14:4 Obviously, today we know this holiday as Christmas. Fact is, the Lord Jesus Christ never celebrated His human "birth" day, nor did He ever celebrate the human side of His character (of which He in fact only lowered Himself down to in order that He might redeem a Bride unto Himself.) Oh and by the way, the wise men (perhaps as many as 14) did not get to see the Lord Jesus until he was between 1 and 2 years old; they were much too late to view Him in the manger as a new born. In the bible we are warned to NOT mix the holy and the profane, so as for me and my family, we don't celebrate the Catholic-invention of CHRIST MASS. My hope is that most of you reading this are also able to discern the difference between the holy and profane, and the unclean and the clean, and not compromise your Christian values to just go along with the hell-bound crowd. Nevertheless, on a day when the whole misguided world "wanders" after it (a huge clue that this "holiday" is not truly Christian), I'm not going to delve into all the ridiculous abominable Pagan rituals and traditions that surround it. (I've penned many articles on all that in the past.) Rather, today I want to truly glofify our Lord Jesus Christ by taking a closer look at his actual birth which took place while the shepherds were still in the fields (late September, early October) and those events that surrounded His first appearing! Let's begin by reading some of Matthew Henry's comments concerning the Lord Jesus' first advent: "It was a mark of humiliation put upon the Lord Jesus that, though he was [prophetically] the Desire of all nations, yet his coming into the world was little observed and taken notice of, his birth was obscure and unregarded: herein he emptied himself, and made himself of no reputation. If the Son of God must be brought into the world, one might justly expect that he should be received with all the ceremony possible, that crowns and sceptres should immediately have been laid at his feet, and that the high and mighty princes of the world should have been his humble servants; such a Messiah as this the Jews expected, but we see none of all this; he came into the world, and the world knew him not; nay, he came to his own [the Jews], and his own received him not; for having undertaken to make satisfaction to his Father for the wrong done him in his honour by the sin of man, he did it by denying himself in, and despoiling himself of, the honours undoubtedly due to an incarnate Deity; yet, as afterward, so in his birth, some rays of glory darted forth in the midst of the greatest instances of his abasement. Though there was the hiding of his power, yet he had horns coming out of his hand (Hab_3:4) enough to condemn the world, and the Jews especially, for their stupidity. The first who took notice of Christ after his birth were the shepherds (Luk_2:15, etc.), who saw and heard glorious things concerning him, and made them known abroad, to the amazement of all that heard them, Luk_2:17, Luk_2:18. After that, Simeon and Anna spoke of him, by the Spirit, to all that were disposed to heed what they said, Luk_2:38. Now, one would think, these hints should have been taken by the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and they should with both arms have embraced the long-looked-for Messiah; but, for aught that appears, he continued nearly two years after at Bethlehem [before Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt], and no further notice was taken of him till these wise men came. Note, Nothing will awaken those that are resolved to be [blind] regardless. Oh the amazing stupidity of these Jews! And no less that of many who are called Christians! Observe, I. When this enquiry was made concerning Christ. It was in the days of Herod the king. This Herod was an Edomite [an area which lay much to the South and East of Jerusalem. Esau, whom God hated, also resided there in more ancient times], made king of Judea by Augustus and Antonius, the then chief rulers of the Roman state, a man made up of falsehood and cruelty; yet he was complimented with the title of Herod the Great. Christ was born in the 35th year of his reign, and notice is taken of this, to show that the sceptre had now departed from Judah, and the lawgiver from between his feet; and therefore now was the time for Shiloh to come, and to him shall the gathering of the people be: witness these wise men [they understood the prophecies on His birth], Gen_49:10. II. Who and what these wise men were; they are here called Magou - Magicians. Some that it in a good sense; the Magi among the Persians [modern day Iran] were their philosophers and their priests; nor would they admit any one for their king who had not first been enrolled among the Magi; others think they dealt in unlawful arts; the word is used of Simon, the sorcerer (Act_8:9, Act_8:11), and of Elymas, the sorcerer (Act_13:6), nor does the scripture use it in any other sense; and then it was an early instance and presage of Christ's victory over the devil, when those who had been so much his devotees became the early adorers even of the infant Jesus; so soon were trophies of his victory over the powers of darkness erected. Well, whatever sort of wise men they were before, now they began to be wise men indeed when they set themselves to enquire after Christ. This we are sure of, 1. The wise men were Gentiles, and not belonging to the commonwealth of Israel. The Jews regarded not Christ, but these Gentiles enquired him out. Note, Many times those who are nearest to the means, are furthest from the end. See Mat_8:11, Mat_8:12. The respect paid to Christ by these Gentiles was a happy presage and specimen of what would follow when those who were afar off should be made nigh by Christ. [In the New Covenant, salvation is made nigh to the Gentiles!] 2. That they were scholars. They dealt in arts, curious arts; good scholars should be good Christians, and then they complete their learning when they learn Christ. 3. That they were men of the east, who were noted for their soothsaying, Isa_2:6. Arabia is called the land of the east (Gen_25:6), and the Arabians are called men of the east, Jdg_6:3. The presents they brought were the products of that country; the Arabians had done homage to David and Solomon as types of Christ. Jethro and Job were of that country. More than this we have not to say of them. The traditions of the Romish church are frivolous [Henry speaks here of the Romish church creation: Christmas], that they were in number three (though one of the ancients says that they were fourteen), that they were kings, and that they lie buried in Colen, thence called the three kings of Colen; we covet not to be wise above what is written. III. What induced them to make this enquiry. They, in their country, which was in the east, had seen an extraordinary star, such as they had not seen before; which they took to be an indication of an extraordinary person born in the land of Judea, over which land this star was seen to hover, in the nature of a comet, or a meteor rather, in the lowers regions of the air... so that this extraordinary phenomenon was construed as pointing to that king; and we may suppose a divine impression made upon their minds, enabling them to interpret this star as a signal given by Heaven of the birth of Christ.
IV. How they prosecuted this enquiry. They came from the east to Jerusalem, in further quest of this prince. Wither shall they come to enquire for the king of the Jews, but to Jerusalem, the mother-city, whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord? They might have said, "If such a prince be born, we shall hear of him shortly in our own country, and it will be time enough then to pay our homage to him." But so impatient were they to be better acquainted with him, that they took a long journey on purpose to enquire after him. Note, Those who truly desire to know Christ, and find him, will not regard pains or perils in seeking after him. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord. Their question is, Where is he that is born king of the Jews? They do not ask, whether there were such a one born? (they are sure of that, and speak of it with assurance, so strongly was it set home upon their hearts); but, Where is he born? Note, Those who know something of Christ cannot but covet to know more of him. They call Christ the King of the Jews, for so the Messiah was expected to be: and he is Protector and Ruler of all the spiritual Israel, he is born a King. To this question they doubted not but to have a ready answer, and to find all Jerusalem worshipping at the feet of this new king; but they come from door to door with this question, and no man can give them any information. Note, There is more gross ignorance in the world, and in the church too, than we are aware of. Many that we think should direct us to Christ are themselves strangers to him. They ask, as the spouse of the daughters of Jerusalem, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth? But they are never the wiser. However, like the spouse, they pursue the enquiry, Where is he that is born king of the Jews? Are they asked, "Why do ye make this enquiry?" It is because they have seen his star in the east. Are they asked, "What business have ye with him? What have the men of the east to do with the King of the Jews?" They have their answer ready, We are come to worship him. They conclude he will, in process of time, be their king, and therefore they will betimes ingratiate themselves with him and with those about him. Note, Those in whose hearts the day-star is risen, to give them any thing of the knowledge of Christ, must make it their business to worship him. Have we seen Christ's star? Let us study to give him honour. V. How this enquiry was treated at Jerusalem. News of it at last came to court; and when Herod heard it he was troubled, Mat_2:3. He could not be a stranger to the prophecies of the Old Testament, concerning the Messiah and his kingdom, and the times fixed for his appearing by Daniel's weeks; but, having himself reigned so long and so successfully, he began to hope that those promises would for ever fail, and that his kingdom would be established and perpetuated in spite of them. What a damp therefore must it needs be upon him, to hear talk of this King being born, now, when the time fixed for his appearing had come! Note, Carnal wicked hearts dread nothing so much as the fulfilling of the scriptures. But though Herod, an Edomite, was troubled, one would have thought Jerusalem should rejoice greatly to hear that her King comes; yet, it seems, all Jerusalem, except the few there that waited for the consolation of Israel, were troubled with Herod, and were apprehensive of I know not what ill consequences of the birth of this new king, that it would involve them in war, or restrain their lusts; they, for their parts, desired no king but Herod; no, not the Messiah himself. Note, The slavery of sin is foolishly preferred by many to the glorious liberty of the children of God, only because they apprehend some present difficulties attending that necessary revolution of the government in the soul. Herod and Jerusalem were thus troubled, from a mistaken notion that the kingdom of the Messiah would clash and interfere with the secular powers; whereas the star that proclaimed him king plainly intimated that his kingdom was heavenly, and not of this lower world. Note, The reason why the kings of the earth, and the people, oppose the kingdom of Christ, is because they do not know it, but err concerning it. VI. What assistance they met with in this enquiry from the scribes and the priests, Mat_2:4-6. Nobody can pretend to tell where the King of the Jews is, but Herod enquires where it was expected he should be born. The persons he consults are, the chief priests, who were teachers by office; and the scribes, who made it their business to study the law; their lips must keep knowledge, but then the people must enquire the law at their mouth, Mal_2:7. It was generally known that Christ should be born at Bethlehem (Joh_7:42); but Herod would have counsel's opinion upon it, and therefore applies himself to the proper persons; and, that he might be the better satisfied, he has them altogether, all the chief priests, and all the scribes; and demands of them what was the place, according to the scriptures of the Old Testament, where Christ should be born? Many a good question is put with an ill design, so was this by Herod. The priests and scribes need not take any long time to give an answer to this query; nor do they differ in their opinion, but all agree that the Messiah must be born in Bethlehem, the city of David, here called Bethlehem of Judea, to distinguish it from another city of the same name in the land of Zebulun, Jos_19:15. Bethlehem signifies the house of bread; the fittest place for him to be born in who is the true manna, the bread which came down from heaven, which was given for the life of the world. The proof they produce is taken from Mic_5:2, where it is foretold that though Bethlehem be little among the thousands of Judah (so it is in Micah), no very populous place, yet it shall be found not the least among the princes of Judah (so it is here); for Bethlehem's honour lay not, as that of other cities, in the multitude of the people, but in the magnificence of the princes it produced. Though, upon some accounts, Bethlehem was little, yet herein it had the pre-eminence above all the cities of Israel, that the Lord shall count, when he writes up the people, that this man, even the man Christ Jesus, was born there, Psa_87:6. Out of thee shall come a Governor, the King of the Jews. Note, Christ will be a Saviour to those only who are willing to take him for their Governor. Bethlehem was the city of David, and David the glory of Bethlehem; there, therefore, must David's son and successor be born. There was a famous well at Bethlehem, by the gate, which David longed to drink of (2Sa_23:15); in Christ we have not only bread enough and to spare, but may come and take also of the water of life freely. VII. The bloody project and design of Herod, occasioned by this enquiry, Mat_2:7, Mat_2:8. Herod was now an old man, and had reigned thirty-five years; this king was but newly born, and not likely to enterprise any thing considerable for many years; yet Herod is jealous of him. Crowned heads cannot endure to think of successors, much less of rivals; and therefore nothing less than the blood of this infant king will satisfy him; and he will not give himself liberty to think that, if this new-born child should be indeed the Messiah, in opposing him, or making any attempts upon him, he would be found fighting against God, than which nothing is more vain, nothing more dangerous. Passion has got the mastery of reason and conscience. Now, 1. See how cunningly he laid the project (Mat_2:7, Mat_2:8). He privily called the wise men, to talk with them about this matter. He would not openly own his fears and jealousies; it would be his disgrace to let the wise men know them, and dangerous to let the people know them. Sinners are often tormented with secret fears, which they keep to themselves. Herod learns of the wise men the time when the star appeared, that he might take his measures accordingly; and then employs them to enquire further, and bids them bring him an account. All this might look suspicious, if he had not covered it with a show of religion: that I may come and worship him also. Note, The greatest wickedness often conceals itself under a mask of piety. Absalom cloaks his rebellious project with a vow. 2. See how strangely he was befooled and infatuated in this, that he trusted it with the wise men, and did not choose some other managers, that would have been true to his interests. It was but seven miles from Jerusalem; how easily might he have sent spies to watch the wise men, who might have been as soon there to destroy the child as they to worship him! Note, God can hide from the eyes of the church's enemies those methods by which they might easily destroy the church; when he intends to lead princes away spoiled, his way is to make the judges fools. May our Great and Glorious Sovereign God be your guiding light this day!
Torah, Torah, Torah: The Old Testament Law and How It Relates to Christians Today - Part I November 9, 2009 -- As you might have surmised, one of the things Christians have long had trouble with, as they try and figure out how the Old Testament Law applies to them, is all the various types of Law that are discussed in the Old Testament. Depending on which religious group you talk to there are a great many labels applied to the various types of Old Testament Law. Here are a few: Mosaic Law (Law of Moses, Moral Law), Levitical Law (Ceremonial Law), Covenant Law, Civil Law, Casuistic Law, Case Law, Apodictic Law, Absolute Law, Ritualistic Law, Deuteronomic Law, Holiness Law, Priestly Law, and a myriad of other names referring to Old Testament Law types. Some will say there are just two types of Old Testament Law. Other groups will say there are 3 types, others 4 types, and so on. Obviously, many of these names are used interchangeably, and some of the various terms will actually mean the same thing, even as the various religious groups disagree on how to differentiate and LABEL them. With all the varied terminologies, it can get a bit confusing. Biblical scholars today tend to group the "Law" into four major collections of Laws: 1) Covenant Law [or code] (Exodus 20:22-23:33), 2) Deuteronomic Law (Deuteronomy 12-26), 3) Holiness Law (Leviticus 17-26) and 4) Priestly Law (Exodus 25-31; 34:29-Leviticus 16; parts of Numbers) . Obviously, as I stated, all this can be quite confusing. I am providing the background information in this article as a starting point so that the reader will at least have a basic foundational understanding. (I will save any detailed discourse on all these types for another article and another time.) But, as we look at how the Law has been traditionally viewed, the Law is typically divided into two main parts, the moral and the ceremonial. The ceremonial, often referred to as the Levitical Law or Priestly Code, was clearly fulfilled in Christ (read all of Hebrews to see how Jesus fulfilled this Law), as He became the perfect High Priest and the perfect blameless eternal sacrifice on behalf of His Bride. Some would argue that the moral Law (Law of Moses) is universally applicable. However the Bible itself does not make such a differentiation as both moral and ceremonial commandments are often found mixed together (see Exod. 23; Lev. 19; Deut. 22-23). Without question, both "parts" of the Law equally point forward to Christ. To be concise, the Old Testament Law represented God's covenant with the nation of Israel. Because all Scripture is useful and inspired by God (2 Tim. 3:16), it would be ignorant to say that many of the underlying principles contained in the commandments are not relevant for us today. Of course they are! Also, the Law reveals God's character and standards. These never change. But, the Law ultimately points to Jesus Christ, the One who fulfilled it by His teaching, sinless life and sacrificial death.
Clearly, Jesus taught that He came not to abolish the Law (speaking of the ceremonial Law particularly) but to fulfill it (Matt. 5:17-18). Only He could accomplish so great a feat, once for all it was intended. The Apostle Matthew in his gospel spent much time emphasizing that Jesus was not saying that the Law (contained in the Torah or first five books of the Old Testament) was no longer the Word of God, but rather that the true purpose of the Law was to point beyond itself to His teaching, person and atoning work. (see Matthew 1:22; 2:15, 17, 23, 4:14) So again, it comes back to grace through Jesus. As for keeping the civil Law of Moses, Christians today should have an inward compulsion and conscience to keep it according to its spirit and intent. Jesus exhorted us to "...judge righteous judgment." Of course when He said this, He was talking to the Pharisees who were more concerned about the clean look of the "outside of the cup" (religious appearances) than the inside of their cups. They were also concerned about losing their religious jobs and the prestige that they got from it. Tellingly, Jesus' religious law-keeping detractors watched Him like a hawk, hoping to discredit Him to the jewish people, as they understood all the jewish traditions of the Law very well.
When Jesus did not keep the Sabbath as per the letter of the Law, the Pharisees seized on the opportunity. Jesus was often accused of being Antinomian (Lawless) by the Pharisees. (They also accused Him of performing His many miracles by the power of Satan, to which Jesus' replied "can a house divided against itself stand?") But, the one thing they kept going back to was that He and His disciples were not keeping every dot and tiddle of the Old Testament Law regarding the sabbath. They accused Him of being out of line. Of course, Jesus understood that HE was the fulfillment, THE VERY IMAGE of the old Sabbath SHADOW and type.
Now, I believe rest from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday is a very good thing for Christians today. But the bible is clear, the old shadow of sabbath keeping is no longer required and we are in error if we try to make some big religious duty out of it. Clearly, today we most definitely do KEEP the Sabbath; but today we do it in spirit and truth, remembering the intent of the shadow, which is to honor Christ, the very image of the Sabbath in our lives. But, our duty now is to honor THE SABBATH everyday, not just the one day.
I make no secret that the Lord Jesus is my Sabbath, and I rest in Him, not the old shadow. Yet, men judge me on this and I often get what I can only view as back-handed complements. "He doesn’t keep the Sabbath (they mean the old shadow) - EagleEye is Antinominan." Many also wrongly assume that because I believe in Sovereign grace (outside of all human merit) that I do not understand the Law and its various uses in the Old Testament. Shame on these, who as you might expect are typically very full of themselves and their own religiosity. I think I have made my point. The commands of the Old Testament are not binding on Christians except where they are specifically renewed under the New Covenant. Now, it might seem like it would be a simple matter to locate New Testament renewals of many of the commandments, but that is not necessarily the case. Extreme care must be taken to understand the context in which an Old Testament commandment is mentioned in the New Testament. As I stated, Old Testament commandments do not apply directly to Christians today except when specifically renewed in the New Testament. As I've shown, the keeping of the old Sabbath typology is a perfect example of a commandment that was not specifically renewed in the New. In like fashion, the tithe, instituted to provide for Levitical priests and their families, is another Old Covenant practice that does not apply to New Testament Christians. (Although Churchianity hates this fact.) As we study, we need to keep in mind that references in the Gospels or Acts are sometimes made to a certain Law simply because it was Jewish practice, and not because it was being renewed by Jesus or the apostles. Jesus' discussion of the practices of the Pharisees is a good example of this (see Matt. 23:23; Luke 11:42). Also, Jesus mentioned tithing in passing as something that the Pharisees did, but there is no evidence elsewhere in the New Testament to suggest that tithing was practiced by the early church or that it was a requirement for Christians. In closing part I of this series, I pray our focus as Christians will not be washing our hands and keeping the outside of the cup clean, as is evident in those who today make a big deal out of keeping the strict letter of the Old Testament Law. Rather, I think I have shown that OUR FOCUS today should be on the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled that old Law on behalf of His Bride. It is by His fulfillment of the Law, and not their own futile efforts in that regard, that allows every born-again believer today to receive the promise of the Spirit, the promise of Abraham, through faith. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days! Please look for part two of this important series, coming soon. In it, we will take a look at the curse of the law. The Jewish peoples were repeatedly warned by Jesus and the apostles that if they continued to look to the Law rather than to Jesus, if they continued to "live" a spiritual life dependant upon and based upon the Law (and not faith in Jesus), then they would effectively bring the curse of the Law upon themselves.
Torah, Torah, Torah: The Old Testament Law and How It Relates to Christians Today - Part II November 10, 2009 -- Modern "Churchianity" (99% of all that calls itself 'christian' today) does a terrible job of teaching its people about Old Testament Law and how it relates to Christians today. This is because they don't really understand its importance in the salvation equation. Instead of understanding that the law is the foundation of salvation, that only by Christ's fulfilment of the law for a specific group of people (the Elect) is salvation even possible, they have fallen for a false, free-will "gospel." Today's "Christian" community is nearly 100% blind to the fact that without the old testament, and the temple made with hands, any new testament covenant leading to eternal salvation, would have been impossible. So, they teach the false doctrine of dispensationalism. Let me say right up front that I have come out of the visible Christian harlot. Also, I am not a dispensationalist. Dispensationalists will say that the Old Testament has NO relevance whatsoever. They would tell you that all that was "done away with" at the advent of the New Testament. Of course, this is damning and absurd on the face of it. I am also not of the camp that sees the strict keeping of the Law (as it was given to the nation of Israel) as some critically important modern-day religious messianic duty. This too is not consistent with the overall teaching of Scripture and what is required per the NEW TESTAMENT. While many of the principles of Old Testament Law most certainly do apply to Believers today, the truth of the Law’s relevance to the Christian today is somewhere in between the two opposing camps. I will caveat this study of Old Testament Law by saying that it can be confusing. To the lazy, uninterested, and simple minded, I would say that this will require some study and a keen desire to seek out the truth. In the final analysis, the subject is so important that I would hope that even the unlearned would somehow find the personal discipline to follow along in this very meaty and important series. Ok, let's start Part II of this series with a simple truth: ALL scripture is profitable. This means that yes, both testaments are fully valid and have application to us today. With that said, it becomes doubly critical that we are able to divide and correlate the two testaments properly. In doing so, we need to be able to "judge righteous judgment," not just appease our religious sensibilities or pre-conceived notions. Rather, let's look at the plain, face value truth. As you will learn in this series, many of the rituals and shadows of the Old Testament Law CLEARLY do not transfer over into the New Covenant. Rather, much of the Law was specifically designed by God for those specific peoples and for those specific times. The most important thing we can do as we proceed herein, is to stay focused on the BIG PICTURE. My prayer is that this series of articles on the Law will start you in the right direction to understanding its relevance in the life of every Believer. In the end, my hope is that you would study the material for yourself, because it is truly foundational Christian truth, needful to have a proper understanding of the atonement. Now, I understand that it is the Holy Spirit, God, Who leads His people into all truth, and not me. So, please study everything for yourself. If you do, I believe you will be able to see God’s reasoning and plan behind the Law. In due time, I believe that you will agree that the bottom line is that Old Testament Law always points us back to the One Who would fulfill it with His death and ressurection. That, of course, was and is the Lord Jesus Christ. Obviously, we will need to dig deeply into both testaments in order to get a proper understanding of what the gospel is, how salvation works, and how the Old Testament Law relates to Christians today. A good place to begin today's study is Galatians 3:13. This verse uncovers a startling truth, a truth that has to be considered in its proper context if we have any hope of understanding the Law’s application in the New Testament era. Curiously, this passage speaks about Christ freeing us from the curse of the Law. Some have asked me, "You mean to tell me, that the Law was actually a curse?" My answer is always a simple, "YES." Folks, this is not good news to modern-day "Law lovers," but a curse is exactly what the Bible calls the Law. A CURSE. Thankfully, it also tells us that Christ has redeemed elect Believers from this curse. Therefore, the Law, while impossible for men to PERMANENTLY keep, was kept and fulfilled perfectly (and permanently) in our Lord Jesus Christ. And because of Christ's efficacious, one-time atoning sacrifice, Almighty God turned the curse of the Law into a true blessing for all those covered under its fulfillment!
Now, many Christians misunderstand the meaning of the "curse of the law." I’ve heard some say that the curse of the law spoken of here refers to the covenantal curses put on the nation of Israel by God. But, the proper context of Galatians 3, the true meaning of the curse spoken of here, is the curse of relying upon strict obedience of the Law for salvation. (Gal. 3:10-12). Because Christ had come and redeemed us from the curse of the law, most of the religious leadership of the day, those who made their living from from performing the rituals of it, and derived great religious pride and accolades as a result of their positions, were not happy and as you might imagine, unwilling to give it up.
Here, we see that in the Old Testament law it is stated that "cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them." At first glance you would think you are cursed if you do NOT continue in all things written in the book of the law. Then, the text turns that passage 180 degrees on its ear. We are told immediately that "BUT now [through Christ] it is EVIDENT that no man is justified by the Law in the sight of God - the JUSTIFIED shall live by faith!" Clearly from this passage in Galations, men are justified ONLY by living by faith, and not by some strict religious adhering to the Law. Salvation comes by grace, through faith. By the way, IF you have been given the gift of faith, please remember to remain humble, for there is no room for pompous arrogance in the Body of Christ. The Word of God is clear on this subject. If you see a religious leader that is full of himself, then more than likely he is not a true spiritual leader. You see, faith is not of ourselves, it is the FREE GIFT of God, lest any man should boast of his own "wonderful" works - such as the strict keeping of the Law. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Now, some groups will try to say that the curse spoken of in Galatians chapter 3 is some satanic curse passed down the family line of heredity based on verses found in Exodus 20:6 and Deuteronomy 28:15-66. First of all, note that it is God Himself that does the cursing in those verses - neither Satan nor his demonic minions are mentioned anywhere. Clearly then, these verses refer to God's covenant with Israel and not to Christians. Additional biblical evidence to refute the belief that 'there is some hereditary curse upon Christians' is that Jeremiah states that under the New Covenant that 'no one will be punished for someone else's sin.' (Jeremiah 31:29-30) I said all that so as to prove that the Lord Jesus Christ came to this earth with this purpose: to redeem His Bride, the Elect, from the CURSE of the Law. He did this by His perfect fulfillment of the Ceremonial Law. Because Christ fulfilled all its ritualistic tenets [in the real, that is to say the spiritual holy of holies], and because God can swear an oath to no One greater than Himself, He must accept His Son's propitiation for our sin which expiated His own wrath against the sins of all that Christ's sacrifice specifically covered. And, Christ's sacrifice covered all that His Father had given Him (the elect, the called AND chosen), from before the foundations of the world (predestination and election)! So, while Almighty God intends the Law to serve as a paradigm of timeless ethical, moral and theological principles, it is of utmost importance that we properly interpret it. To interpret the Law properly, we need to uncover all the timeless truths beneath its cultural mask. Of course, this requires careful study of literary, historical and cultural factors, all of which give us the proper viewpoint and context of the Old Testament Law and how it applies to Christians today. Of course, we need not delve too deeply to uncover the fact that while all of the Old Testament applies to Christians, none of the Old Testament Law applies to us today apart from its fulfillment in the Lord Jesus Christ. In II Timothy 3:16 we see that all of the Old Testament Law is "useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." Again however, this verse must be viewed within the context that its modern usefulness is valid only as one discovers how the Law has been fulfilled in Christ. In my own study I discovered, to my surprise, that in some cases the New Testament takes the Old Testament understanding of that Law to an even more strict level. Read these amazing words from Matthew chapter 19:
Also, some Laws no longer have ANY literal validity because of New Testament teachings. We see that plainly in the tenth chapter of Hebrews when speaking of the Ceremonial (Levitical) Law:
Other Old Testament Laws clearly retain literal validity into the New Testament. (e.g. Love the LORD thy God, and Love one’s neighbor as thyself) In Leviticus 19:18 we find the commandment to "love your neighbor as yourself." And in Deuteronomy 6:5 we are commanded to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might." (see also Matthew 22:40) In the New Testament (II John 5 and 6) God commands Christians to obey two basic Laws which He communicated to the people through Moses. And, Jesus further expounds on these two Laws in His response to the Pharisees in Matthew 22:34-40. We also see in II Kings 23:25 where Josiah is praised because he "turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, ACCORDING TO THE LAW OF MOSES!" Notice how plain all of this is. The [civil] Law of Moses provides us with Ten Commandments. Indeed, the Believer should have an inward compulsion to KEEP this part of the Law. But, rather than keeping it according to the strictness of the letter of the law, as they did in the Old Covenant, we now keep it in spirit and in truth, remembering to keep alive its original spirit and intended purpose. When some shadow or type is fulfilled, it usually goes from the natural or physical (the shadow) to the real and spiritual (the very image.) This is true now of the Law of Moses. Rather than being written on cold, hard tablets of stone... The Law of Moses has now been written upon the soft, warm, pliable and regenerate hearts of every genuine Believer. Please look for the third installment of Torah, Torah Torah: The Old Testament Law and How It Relates to Christians Today coming soon. We will take a look at the book of Hebrews. The entire book of Hebrews does a great job of describing to the jewish people how the Ceremonial Law was completely fulfilled IN CHRIST. As we see in so many other New Testament scriptures, the Jews are warned that if they continue to look to the Law rather than to Jesus, if they continue to "live" the Law, they have effectively brought the curse of the Law upon themselves.
First and Second Causes October 9, 2009 -- Following my previous article on the faith of Job's wife, I've had some emailing for further explanation on first and second causes. I now realize that I have never addressed this important foundational truth with my readers. You probably have never been taught (at least not accurately) this truth in any modern "church." So, I am writing this article on the subject, in what I'll call the Cliff Notes version... FIRST CAUSE pertains to God's sovereign election, in essence HIS WILL for all men from the foundation of the world. For example, He predestinated the fate of every man, the time of their earthly birth and death, and whether or not they would be elect or reprobate from before the foundations. All men will live their lives seemingly as they please here on this earth, BUT their actions here (second causes) are only reflective of God's created design (first cause) for them. As an example, first cause tells us that if we be elect we will eventually be saved. Not one whom the Father gave the Son will be lost. Contrarily, a reprobate man/woman has not been given the eyes and ears to see or hear the truth. They can believe in God (the demons believe and shudder), they can be religious, but they are unable to hear God's genuine voice and be saved. It pleased God to blind the majority, and as we see plainly in the world today, they will live their lives accordingly. (Nevertheless, we are compelled to preach to them, because we do not know who is and who is not ultimately elect.) SECOND CAUSES deal with our perceived free will as we live our life here on this earth. Truth is, our so-called free will is only free as long as it does not contradict first causes. In other words, we are "free" to go stand in traffic and get run over by a car. But, unless God truly appointed that as the way we will die our earthly death (via His will and first causes), we are not going to wander out in the street to get hit by a car. If we are stupid enough to die that way, then that was God's predestinated will for our death here on this earth, via first cause. The person that gets runned-over (excuse the southern slang), only thinks he has acted on his own free will. In like manner, the religious person who thinks that he has played an integral part in his perceived "salvation" is in serious error and has attempted to steal some of the glory for himself for something that only God can perform and effect in otherwise spiritually-dead men. I was doing some research on this subject on the internet and here is what one mis-guided religiousite (a Catholic) wrote concerning his view of first and second causes.
Note that he attempts to say that BOTH causes are necessary for salvation. This is because Catholics, like most modern apostates, make their own works an integral part of their dead and lifeless "salvation" process. Yet, Ephesians 2:8 and 9 plainly teaches that we are saved by GRACE through faith, and that faith not of ourselves lest any man should boast. The bottom line is that God created one vessel for honor and one vessel for dishonor. This is FIRST CAUSE. All men, via the predestination and pre-decree of God Almighty, will act out their lives here on this earth (SECOND CAUSES) according to His predestinated will for them (FIRST CAUSE.) From our current limited three-dimensional existence, it is easy to 'think' we have something to add to our own salvation, or that WE can impact it in some significant manner. But, God is both the AUTHOR and FINISHER of our faith. He finds us, we do not find Him. If we call out to Him and believe unto salvation, then it is only because He first chose us from the foundation of the world, then sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ to make the efficacious and atoning sacrifice, and ultimately finished this most AMAZING GRACE via the Holy Spirit, God's quickening of our soul here on earth. And, for all of that, like Lazarus who lay stinking and dead in the tomb prior to Jesus raising him to life, we can be eternally thankful.
Do You Have the Faith of Job's Wife? October 8, 2009 -- A few years back some coal miners got trapped down in a West Virginia coal mine after a collapse in the general area of where they were mining. Many of you will remember the incident. The media came out in full force and was present with bright lights and cameras blazing throughout the ordeal. Mostly, they stayed right on top of the openly religious wives (free-will Baptists I think) of the trapped coal miners. These women went through many emotions. At first, they put on a strong face. "We are just trusting in God..." As news came that the miners 'may' actually be alive, the wives quickly seized on this new development as a "sign from God that our prayers had been answered." Although nothing was certain as per the safety of the men, a great many wives happily stepped in front of the cameras to openly thank and praise God. "God has heard us," they cheerily retorted. As the hollywood-like attention grew, the wives rambled on, even giving themselves the credit for this apparent good fortune. "WE stand together. WE have an undying 'faith' in God. What a wonderful church WE have. God has heard OUR prayers." (and so on.) But, when alas all hope was extinguished and the miners were found dead, there was a great weeping and gnashing of teeth. The general mood of the women went from prideful religious fervor, to "Why hath God treated US, WE great and wonderful women of Gog, this way?" Oh God, "Why hast Thou afflicted us so?" These religiousites quickly turned bitter and angry against God. Of course, the antichrist media was happy to show their meltdown of 'faith' and the ladies that were now openly questioning their "God." They found it quite funny that the ones who had been the most vocal just a few minutes earlier, who boldly gave their 'God' all the glory, were now some of the ones who were most vocal in questioning their God and their so-called 'faith' in Him. In fact, the media came up with a few women who actually openly bashed and railed against their Creator, in effect, putting Him to open shame. As I say, the media had a field day portraying the false "christian" faith that was on display there that night. Obviously, this was not real faith, but pretend faith these women possessed, and it was based on nothing more than "what have you done for me lately God" emotion. The fact is, that TRUE God-given and God-originating faith, is humble and strong, no matter the difficulty of our present afflictions or circumstances. And HIS faith, freely given to those that He wills, is the only faith that has the power to cause any true Believer to endure hardships and trials, and moreover to endure to the end. Without HIS FAITH, we would all fail, just as the coal miner wives did so miserably that night. They mistook their religious fervor and emotion as 'faith.' But that is not faith, it is nothing more than religious fervor and emotion! Like most who claim religion, they felt secure in their 'faith' as long as everything was going well for them. But, as soon as tribulation and calamity showed up in their lives, they were quick to question God and to abandon their comfy pretend 'faith' completely. Was the 'faith' exhibited by these religious women who had for many hours put on a show for television, true and genuine faith? I think not. Will we rail against the Creator in similar circumstances? I would most certainly hope not. "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? - 1 Cor 15:55 Not one West Virginia wife quoted any relevant scripture expressing a subservient and humble understanding as to God's sovereignty over life and death. Not one mentioned the UTTER VICTORY that death provides to the Believer. Not one was humble enough to understand and then convey that life and death are in the hands of an omnipotent and all-knowing SOVEREIGN Creator. Not one said anything near to this: "While we don't understand why things happen, we can rest assured that ALL THINGS happen for a reason and that God is in control of all things. With His help, our family will get through this." No, there were no "Jobs" among these powerless, free-will, modern 'christians.' But, there were a great many that acted just like Job's wife. "Job, God has forsaken you. Why don't you just curse God and die..." Now, it is most assuredly ok to WONDER why God allows this or that to happen to us or our family. But, lest we forget, GOD IS SOVEREIGN over the affairs of men. The bible teaches us that a healthy fear (reverence) of Almighty God is the beginning of wisdom. It also teaches us that all things, including our death and the death of our loved ones, are in His able hands. And, like it or not, these events will transpire according to His good will and pleasure. If we be truly saved, then the fact is that He is ultimately in control of all things. These truths, like all truth, are written on the regenerate heart of every Believer. Bottom line is this: In every situation, by inward compulsion, we humbly submit to His will and His divine decree and predestination over first causes. (Write me if you don't understand first and second causes.) In the end may we, as Believers, soberingly take comfort in the fact that He alone has ultimate control of our destiny and the destinies of our loved ones. Folks, quit trying to over-control 'your ship.' Do what is right and good, and then leave the rest to the Author and Finisher of your faith.
Are You Overwhelmed??? September 22, 2009 -- Almighty God said He would give the Antichrist and his minions free reign in the last days. Well, its happening. The world is in incredible turmoil and chaos. To many, what is going on is not only unsettling, but nearly overwhelming. After all, most of us grew up in a pretty decent country. Most of us grew up in neighborhoods that were peaceful and safe places. Most of us grew up with some hope of a brighter tomorrow -- for our later years, and of course for our kids. Yet, no matter your take on eschatology, it is clear that the whole enchilada is starting to come apart at the seams. Here in this country (the final puzzle piece they need to fall before they can institute world gov.) there is a torrid push to dismantle the Republic, the constitution, and to destroy the dollar and the American way of life. This, in favor of globalism, and what 'they' like to call democracy, which by the way has been redefined. The new democracy they speak of is nothing more than thinly veiled socialism and communism. This push for world domination is coming from those invisible powers that really control things behind the scenes. Unfortunately, the whole Democrat/Republican thing is now nothing more than a muse to keep the people's focus off what is really going on. Again, their goal is the complete and utter dismantling of our whole way of life and then assimilation into a new way of life; a new world odor. (order from chaos) . The two visible political parties are a farce. They have become like 2 sides of the same coin, dissimilar in many ways, but still with the same ultimate ending value and goal, world government and nation states. Interestingly, tired of British Royalty and the tyranny it forced upon them, our founding fathers created a Republic, not a Democracy. They wanted true freedom and independence from governments, which tend to become corrupt and self-serving at best. Thus, the constitution, bill of rights, gov. of the people, etc., etc., etc., of which are all founding principals and institutions which are today ignored by the power elite. Anyway, the bottom line is that we are seeing the rise of the proverbial Phoenix, which is exactly what Revelation explains to us will occur just prior to our Lord's second advent. (if we look at the FACE VALUE layer of interpretation of it.) Is this collapse of all we know disconcerting and overwhelming? To most, it is. Without the Lord Jesus Christ to give us peace and hope (for eternity) the circumstances are most certainly grim. Nevertheless, let us NOT put our faith in things of this world, but let us comfort one another with the hope of His soon coming return. Then and only then, will our tears be wiped away. Then and only then will He mete out His justice to the unjust. Then and only then, will there be a fresh new start. My prayer is that we might learn to fully depend upon Him for our all. May Almighty God smile upon us in this dark hour. Avoid Such As These September 11, 2009 -- There has been some buzz lately concerning the reasoning behind why I befriend some and avoid others. To many, my choices seem to make no sense. These detractors have stated "Why does he deal with that sinner over there and not this one over here?" Indeed, I can see how some might have difficulty understanding how I can be friends with one brother who has historically shown an affinity towards sin and poor judgment, and yet completely avoid another brother that the accusers would say "has done no worse in their life." This is a valuable topic, with genuine benefit for the Body of Christ, so let me expound further on the matter. First of all, if we have read and studied the life of our Lord Jesus Christ, of Whom we would all do well to emulate, the fact that I do not automatically avoid "sinful" people (as is the case with many ‘religious’ types) should not be a surprise. Did not our Lord Jesus Christ deal and meal with sinners? Of course he did. In Matthew 9, verses 10 and 11, we find these words, "And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? " So, yes the Lord Jesus did often speak and eat with the publicans (political types, such as revenue collectors) and sinners. Simply stated, He would associate with many sinners. Yet, there were some sinners that He avoided. So, what was the difference between the two? Why did he have no problem sitting with some sinners and yet completely avoided others? Let's find out. First off, lest any of us boast, we as people, are all sinners. In fact, with Adam as our corporal head, we were born into this world with the curse of sin upon us. While this is certainly not an excuse for us to continue sinning (God forbid), in our lives ALL of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Since we are all sinners, I can assure you that the Lord Jesus Christ was not choosing who He would and who He would not associate with at any given time by pulling up their "sin summary" from His all-knowing memory bank. Rather, we get a good glimpse into the mindset of the Lord Jesus Christ, and why we should avoid some people from this telling passage located in Romans chapter 16 (note: Paul teaching):
Now, some would say that these valuable truths from Romans 16 are only applicable to those that were present at that time, to those that were there and being addressed. To these I’d say that they may as well put their bibles away and go read a different "history book," as that is all they have reduced the bible down to. (Of course, these same folks will gleefully use all passages that advance their agenda.) However, to my brothers and sisters who have the spiritual eyes and ears to see and hear the TRUTH, the Word of God is a wonderful divine book of valuable truths for every Believer from every generation. Those with the eyes and ears to see and hear the truth, please continue. All others, quit reading this and go grab a history book now. NOW I BESEECH YOU BRETHREN... Paul begins by saying I beseech you, brethren. In other words, he is boldly imploring us to listen intently to what he is about to say... MAKE NOTE OF, AND AVOID THOSE WHO CAUSE DIVISIONS... That is, avoid those who are quick to make factions. Especially in religious groups, the very attempt to form factions is evil. The reason it is evil is that those who seek to cause divisions in any fellowship are commonly motivated by some evil, selfish, or ambitious design. Rather than to be content with proper order, those who cause a division, cause a faction because they seek to move forward with their own evil ambitions and agendas. As a quick example, a few years back one sister in the home fellowship I attended was particularly adept at causing division within our group. She felt she had to talk a lot during the meetings. Even though she had nothing of substance to say, it was apparent that she liked to hear herself speak. It aided her own "self-importance." In the group’s infancy, when her son and another male friend of hers were not immediately GIVEN leadership roles in the group, she went ballistic... on me. (A screaming, spitting, verbal and even physical tantrum and assault.) Good thing is she was not even five feet tall. Rather than understanding that there has to be biblically-based order in any fellowship, that leadership is earned, not bullied, this Jezebel’s subsequent power posturing lead to the fracturing of the group. After this woman caused this great division, the leader of the group decided (by the way, I was not the leader) that it would be best if we all went our separate ways. He’d had enough of the nonsense, and I don’t blame him. It was time for all of us to move on. As a side note, this good brother has since moved out of country to set up Sovereign Grace churches and to preach and disciple the indigenous peoples there. (not to discount this woman's divisive actions, but to show that God is ultimately in control.) Of course, after the group disbanded, the division-causing woman and those that were "with her" splintered off on their own. Prone to cursing and excessive drinking, their experiment in "Christian community" did not last long. The saddest part of all, is that these overbearing self-serving users found some unsuspecting, good-hearted people to take advantage of, both financially and in just about every other way. As you would expect, their mis-guided effort to have their own "christian community" ended in dismal failure. The group devolved into basic chaos, with lots of drinking, cursing, lust, adultery and fornication thrown in for good measure. The biggest lesson here: MARK THOSE who cause divisions and AVOID THEM. AVOID THOSE WHO CAUSE OFFENSES CONTRARY TO THE DOCTRINE WHICH YE HAVE LEARNED... I have compassion for "the simple minded," that is to say those Christians who don't know a whole lot. I will temper that statement by saying that my compassion for the simple only extends to a certain point. When they try to put on the appearance that they know something and go around pushing false doctrines and acting all superior, my compassion turns to righteous indignation. The fact is, that a great many of God’s elect have never or will never see a bible. Many may only know a few verses. Others, like the believing thief on the cross, likely knew no scripture in his life, yet believed on the Lord Jesus Christ in his dying hour. Of course today we have no excuses. There are King James bibles everywhere. And yes, we are instructed to "study to shew ourselves approved, workmen rightly able to divide the truth." So yes, we should and need to be studied in the Word of God. If you are not where you need to be, then today is a good day to start. But, the fact remains that the unstudied simpleton is only hurting himself with his ignorance of the Word of God. Nevertheless, as long as they are NOT going out and trying to recruit others into some false doctrine and representing themselves as some kind of RELIGIOUS know it all, then I have no problem associating with them. On the other side of the coin, I am sickened by those who love giving outward appearances of being "religious." I am angered by those who have no genuine fruit of the spirit, nor wisdom, yet ACTIVELY go about loudly and boisterously pushing their false doctrines, even as they try to recruit new members. Sadly, some won’t figure it out and will become twice the child of hell that their recruiter is. So, let us do as we are taught in the scripture. Let us mark those who push false doctrines. Let us make note of those who jump from ear-tickling false doctrine to ear-tickling false doctrine. May we recognize GRACE and those who cause great offense to GENUINE doctrine with their confused ramblings. And, if God permit, may we mark those who cause confusion in the Body. In each of these cases, the instruction in the Word is clear to us: AVOID THEM!!! A Brother Wanders Into the Hornet's Nest August 16, 2009 -- Not long ago, a street preacher friend of mine found his travels had taken him to Oregon. One sunny morning, he decided to walk his dog and saw a group of people up on a hill. These people were working furiously on what was clearly some kind of church. Innocently, the brother decided to go check out what was going on up there on that hill. A friendly, social creature by nature, this brother was hoping for some good Christian fellowship. What he found instead was the building of another Jehovah Witness "Kingdom Hall." While these folks were very, very nice to him, it was not quite the kind of "Christian" fellowship he was hoping for. Isn't it curious how, from time to time, God brings us across people like this to show us, even when men smile broadly and treat us well, they can still be sincerely deluded and in damnable error. When this good brother reached the top of that hill, the JW's welcomed the "strange visitor" with warm smiles and open arms. No doubt they were excited and sure that "Jehovah" had sent them a new convert. Indeed, the JWs, like most cults, are very kind. But as we all know, there is no amount of external kindness, or any other good human traits that will get us to heaven. When you truly understand Christianity and you understand what our Glorious Lord Jesus actually accomplished with His atonement, then you can not be taken in by the charms and subtle (and no so subtle) errors of what the Jehovah Witnesses actually teach. In looking at what the JWs actually teach, the one place that really stands out is their utter disdain for and denial of the Trinity. Here's the problem: You cannot deny the Trinity and call yourself Christian. This is the main reason they had to rewrite their bibles: they had to remove Christ's deity. Clearly, Jesus came to this earth as God Himself, Incarnate in human form. He had to. The Levitical law could only have been fulfilled perfectly by Almighty God, offering up Himself. And, the ultimate purpose of the Lord Jesus Christ, God, in His First Advent was to save a bride, a group of lost men for Himself. The bible calls that remnant of men, the elect! To say that Jesus was just another good prophet, is to strip Him of all the glory of Who He is, and what He has done. If you say, as the Jehovah Witnesses do, that Jesus was just another great prophet, then His sacrifice was in vain. As this brother soon learned, it was disheartening to see that these people, while ultra sincere in their delusion, had totally missed one of THE critical cornerstone Christian doctrines, that of the Trinity. It saddened him to find out that they looked with disdain on the idea of a Trinity, in fact placing the concept into the same basket with miscellaneous pagan "multi-god" theories. Of course, the truth is that Almighty God is ONE GOD, but has chosen to manifest Himself in three distinct Persons. Yes, the Trinity is an undeniable biblical fact. Men fail miserably when they deny this fact, even if it is difficult for them to understand. The law could not have been fulfilled, the age of grace initiatied, unless Jesus is Himself God. The bottom line is that we best believe in the Trinity if any of us have any hope of getting home. Jehovah Witnesses and Apostasy August 10, 2009 -- As we look around us, the JWs are similar to most every other modern apostate religious group in that: Of course, as I've stated many times before over the years, the JWs biggest error is in the fact that they deny the TRINITY. Folks, let's not mince words here: if you don't believe in the Trinity, if you don't have the Trinity as part of your doctrine, if Jesus Christ is not God in your manner of teaching, then you are apostate and promoting a damning false doctrine. Without the Trinity you have no possibility for salvation, because it was necessary for perfect blood and for a perfect high priest (after the order of Melchizadek) to properly and finally, once and for all, fulfill the requirements of the law - PERMANENTLY!!! If Jesus were not God Himself, then His atonement for the elect would have been pointless and without merit to accomplish that which it did. The law could not have been fulfilled, once and for all it was intended, had the Lord Jesus Christ not have been fully God as He accomplished what He set out to do during His first advent. So, if you are looking for salvation, you need only look to Calvary and the grace that was purchased there by the Lord Jesus Christ, God Himself. Now, you certainly can perform all kinds of religious duties to make you "feel" as though you are working your way to heaven. But... Wearing nice white starched shirts, riding bicycles, knocking on doors, and promoting false doctrines and false bibles will not get you there, no matter how hard you try. The Muddy Waters of Egypt July 20, 2009 -- Brethren, too often we have wandered after the muddy waters of Egypt. If we are honest, we would all admit to having been drawn in by the glittering lights of the world. And, we've all - at least for a season - been deceived by the ear-tickling false doctrines that false religion has tried to push upon us. In fact, for many of us, our lives started out in this or that well-meaning "christian" harlot... But, thank God for His intervention. If we have now returned to our First Love, we can only thank God for our being awakened to the truth. If we be truly saved, then Almighty God is not only the author of our faith, but moreover the FINISHER of that faith which He alone quickened in us. In the end, we are humbled that our spiritual ears and eyes have gotten opened by Him. As a result of His love for us, we have finally come to the realization that this world, its ear-tickling false doctrines, and its shiny rocks, have nothing lasting to offer us. In the end, Egypt offers only bitterness and heartache. Unfortunately for many of us, these startling revelations about deceitful Egypt are not learned until after we've been burned in Egypt a number of times. Sadly, for most of us, this realization does not manifest itself until we get much older and mature in our spiritual walks.
There's no question that the vast majority of us have, like the prodigal son, wandered into Egypt and been blinded for a time by its offerings. No doubt, most of us have fallen for the allure and temptations of the world for a time. Interestingly, even prominent men of God, men like C.H. Spurgeon, were not immune to Egypt. One need only to read some of his early ministry writings. While I'm still researching it, I believe that he clearly returned to his First Love as he matured. You see that in the edifying Sovereign grace writings he put out later in his life. You've seen it in his deep devotional writings. You mean Spurgeon got it wrong for awhile? Yes, he did. And, it would be easy to puff out our spiritual chests and "throw out the baby with the bath wash." However, lest we forget, NOT ONE of us have been immune to the muddy waters of Egypt. In closing, let me relay a short story from my own life and experience. I had many opportunities to become a pastor in my youth, especially from about age 20 to age 30. (I'm over 50 now.) Thankfully, Almighty God kept me out of all those earthly, visible, man-made religious "systems." Why? I wasn't ready. (Still not ready for that I'd say.) I understood that I had much more to learn before teaching any flock. And, I knew that the teacher bears a great and fearful responsibility in teaching TRUTH, real truth, and nothing but the truth. I also sensed that there were problems in those systems -- although at the time I could not pinpoint the errors as definitively as I can today. As I look back, had I taken a position in the pulpit in my youth, for a time I might have taught much of the error coming out of TBN la-la land. I may have been swayed to agree with Arminian error, that is that "salvation" in men is partly due to their own "goodness," works, and actions, rather than wholly by Almighty God's pre-ordained Sovereign grace. But in the end, God was in control of my life. He kept me out of all of that. I thank Him everyday. Hopefully today, we, like the Prodigal, will all leave the muddy waters of Egypt behind and head home. How wonderful it is to know that our Heavenly Father will soon welcome us home. And while we certainly do not deserve it, when we do get home, like the prodigal, there will be a mighty feast and celebration. With that in mind... Why would we want to drink from the muddy waters of Egypt? Celebrating the Legacy of John Calvin, THE Theologian July 14, 2009 -- Born exactly 500 years ago this year, it would benefit us all to take a look back at one of the greatest Reformation preachers and teachers, John Calvin. This man of God did not seek to take a philosophical system and make it somehow fit into the bible. Rather, he understood that the entire bible in its entirety had a CONSISTENT AND UNIFIED message for man. Of course, because of the work of great men like Calvin, we know understand that this consistent message culminates in the understanding of our Triune God's gift of AMAZING SOVEREIGN GRACE to a group of men and women the bible refers to as the ELECT. This amazing gift of grace is unparalleled in that it was accomplished by God in all 3 persons. To quote one of Calvin's proteges, A.W. Pink put it thusly: "Salvation is of the Lord" (Jon_2:9 ), entirely so, from beginning to end. It is God’s "great salvation," in its origination, in its effectuation, in its application and in its consummation. Man contributes nothing to it whatsoever. All the Trinity are concerned and engaged in it. The Father is the Author of salvation from sin, Christ the Purchaser, the Spirit the Conveyor. It is the Father who begets the elect (Jam_1:17-18 ); yet, they are declared to be the "seed" of Christ (Isa_53:10 ), while they are "born" of the Spirit (Joh_3:6 ). Though it has many aspects, and may be considered from various angles, nevertheless, it is one and the same salvation." Thus the consistent and unified Gospel message of the entire bible is that the Father purposed our salvation; Jesus purchased our salvation and the Holy Ghost conveys, in time, this most amazing salvation to us. Truly, we have nothing to boast about. Its all God from start to finish. If we be saved, then God is the Author and FINISHER of our faith. Hallelujah! But, before A.W. Pink, before C.H. Spurgeon, and all the other wonderful thinkers influenced positively by the Christian Reformation, John Calvin was at the forefront of those who came out of the dark ages of Roman Catholic oppression, persecution, and biblical suppression. As you will see in the article below, Calvin truly is deserving of the moniker "The Theologian." May God richly bless you with grace and mercy untold, The Theologian
Thinkers in the ancient world sought to plumb the depths of ultimate reality. With that quest for ultimate reality came the birth of the discipline of philosophy. Some philosophers focused on one particular aspect of philosophy called metaphysics (ultimate being). Others focused their attention on epistemology (the science of knowing). Still others stressed in their investigation the basic principles and elements of ethics (the study of the good and the right). And others focused on the ultimate foundations for aesthetics (the study of the beautiful). One philosopher stood out as being deeply involved in the study of all of these matters as well as others. His name was Aristotle. Because Aristotle’s philosophical investigation was so comprehensive that it encompassed all of the above concerns of philosophy, he earned for himself the supreme epithet, namely, "the Philosopher." Among students of philosophy, if passing mention is made of the title "the Philosopher," everybody understands that that title can be a reference to only one person -- Aristotle. In a similar manner, the study of theology historically has brought to the surface outstanding thinkers and scholars. Some are known for their specific ability to create a synthesis between theology and secular philosophy. Augustine, for example, was known for his ability to take precepts from the philosophy of Plato and blend them with biblical theology. Much of Augustine’s theology was therefore of a philosophical kind. The same could be said to a certain degree of Thomas Aquinas, who gave us a similar synthesis between Aristotelian philosophy and Christian thought. Among the sixteenth-century magisterial Reformers, we notice that Luther, being a brilliant student of language, brought to the theological table an uncanny ability to provide vignettes of insight into particular questions of truth. But Luther was not a systematician by nature, and so he could not be the theologian of theologians. He never developed a full-orbed systematic theology for the instruction of the church. That task in the sixteenth century was left to the genius of the Genevan theologian John Calvin. Calvin brought to the study of theology a passion for biblical truth and a coherent understanding of the Word of God. Of all of the thinkers of the sixteenth century, Calvin was most noted for his ability to provide a systematic theological understanding of Christian truth. His magnum opus, Institutes of the Christian Religion, remains to this day a titanic work in the field of systematic theology. Luther did not live long enough to recognize the full impact of Calvin’s work, though he did see that Calvin would become a towering figure. It was left to one who knew Calvin and his work more extensively, namely, Philip Melancthon, Luther’s assistant and an impressive scholar in his own right, to give Calvin the sobriquet "the Theologian." Thus, if one mentions "the Philosopher," we understand that to mean a reference to Aristotle. On the other hand, if one mentions "the Theologian," the heirs of the Reformation think exclusively of John Calvin. In our day there seems to be an ongoing battle between advocates of systematic theology and advocates of biblical theology. We are living in a time of unprecedented antipathy toward rationality and logic. Where systematic theology used to reign supreme in theological seminaries, it has all but vanished, exiled to the perimeter of academic studies. This antipathy toward rationality and logic finds its nadir in the modern allergy against systematic theology, with nothing to fill its place except the expansion of biblical theology. A possible tendency exists in biblical theology to interpret the Bible atomistically without a concern for coherency and unity. This dichotomy between biblical theology and systematic theology is a classic example of the fallacy of the false dilemma, sometimes called the either-or fallacy. If we look to John Calvin, we see a scholar whose mastery of the content of Scripture was unparalleled. Calvin had a passion for the Bible, as well as a monumental knowledge of the Bible, and yet he is known as a systematic theologian. He was not a systematic theologian in the sense that he took some extra-biblical philosophical system and forced it upon the Bible. For him, a system was not a preconceived Procrustean bed to which the Bible was forced to conform. On the contrary, Calvin’s system of doctrine was the result of his attempt to find the coherent substance of the Bible itself. That is, Calvin worked out the system that is within Scripture, not a system that is imposed upon Scripture. Calvin was convinced that the Word of God is coherent and that God does not speak in contradictions or in illogical statements. It has been said a multitude of times that consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds. If that is in fact true, then one would have to come to the conclusion that the smallest mind in the universe is the mind of God, because God in His thinking is altogether consistent and altogether coherent. It is in that appreciation of the nature of God that Calvin sought passionately to set forth the unity of the Word of God. In that regard, he has done a masterful service to the history of Christian thought. Some people see Calvinism, bearing the name of John Calvin, as an odious distortion of the Word of God. Those who appreciate Calvin’s commitment to biblical truth see Calvinism as "a nickname for biblical Christianity," as Spurgeon said. Calvin in debate could draw on his encyclopedic knowledge of biblical passages, as well as the ability to quote at length from ancient thinkers such as Augustine and Cicero. But above all things, Calvin sought to be true to the Word of God. He was the biblical theologian par excellence who was at the same time a singularly gifted systematic theologian. We owe a great debt to this man. He is God’s gift to the church, not only for the sixteenth century but for all time. We therefore join the multitudes who are celebrating the 500th birthday of John Calvin in the year 2009. NOTE: While this article on Calvin is well written and insightful, HisFaith.org does not agree with all the teachings of Dr. R.C. Sproul. Time is Short: We Need to Look Inward June 26, 2009 -- Sure, there are a great many other signs of the end of the age. But, religious APOSTASY is the most telling sign of all that we are indeed in the last days and that our Lord Jesus Christ's second advent is near. How many sad souls, people you know, are currently following after false doctrines, certain in their own minds that they are doing "God's work?" How many of these get easily puffed up like bandy roosters when you call their "faith" and "doctrines" into question? How many are incredibly prideful of their "knowledge" and religiosity? How many of these are quick to tell you that you are going to hell if you don't believe their gnostic position on eschatology or some other non-salvific issue? When you evidently expose the errors in their belief system, how many run back to their Amway leaders for ammo and "bunker down" in their position, remaining as the bible puts it "willingly ignorant?" The world and those who have put their faith in its riches should not be surprised, but the APOSTATES will be surprised when they die and Almighty God says "Depart from me for I never knew you." This sobering fact alone is a very good reason for us to take account of our own selves today. As Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett found out yesterday, this life is short; it is temporary. No matter how much money, power or fame you have, or how much "understanding" you think you possess, only one thing matters when you depart this earth. That is, has Almighty God quickened you to the truth? Has He given you the gift of faith to believe upon Him? Are you now saved?
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that [FAITH] not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Time is short. Now is the appointed time. We need look inward, even backward at our life. What is, and what has been the theme and focus of our lives? Finally, we must ask ourselves: Are we part of the elect? Or... are we just playing religion, making sure that we feel good about ourselves in that department? Are we looking for some special knowledge instead of seeking to understand Christ Crucified? Have we found a great leader and now are just lazily following after his every word and whim? Are we truly following after proper doctrine? Has the Lord Himself given us the spiritual eyes and ears to see and hear the truth and to discern the oh-so-close to the truth popular gnostic religious trends of the day? Do we quickly understand the biggest lie of all, that false free-will gospel which elevates man into a role as an integral component of some imaginary "salvation" either through his "understanding" or his "actions?" One thing we must examine is this: If we be elect, there will be fruit. Is there genuine fruit, or are you a lightning rod for chaos and confusion in the Body? Also, is your life selfless or do you serve your own belly? Truly, good works will follow every genuine conversion. Are you prone to good works, or are people turned off to God by your hypocrisy? As we see in Galatians chapter 5 the Christian may fall prey to some of these things (as King David and most of us have) -- but if we be elect we will not have displayed a Christian life which includes consistent acts of adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and the like. And, another sure sign is that those who are elect will display genuine fruit of the Spirit. These include Agape love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. Also, there will be genuine humility, not the fake, smiley cocktail-party variety. So, are you just going through the motions of a religious lifestyle? Are all your efforts driven by your mind, your emotions and your will, and thus not sustaining? Unsatisfied, are you one of those who jumps from one religious trend to another? It should be easy to look back and get the answer to that one. Or, are you one of the few who are Spirit driven, who can only meditate and think on the Lord Jesus Christ, His Kingdom and His Glory all the day long? (rather than some gnostic religious knowledge that you and your ilk have pride in?) O' to God, that we might be found accepted in the Beloved, a true part of His fold today. O' that we might be found full of good fruit, exhorting and encouraging others towards God Almighty and good works, by our life and the words which emanate from our regenerate hearts. O' too that we might not be found wanting in the last day, spreading all manner of religious confusion and sowing chaos into the Body of Christ; promoting false doctrines that we have eeked out of our "conforming" and prideful Amway meetings -- rather than the simplicity of THE GOSPEL. Today, let us begin by taking a good hard look around our own shop, looking in the mirror, and tending to our own goods. And most of all, may God Almighty be merciful to us all... For only by His power will any of us be able to endure to the end! He Chooses the Lowly May 28, 2009 -- Have you noticed that it has pleased the Lord to most often choose the lowly of the world as His Bride?
It is true. Like Mephibosheth, who was lame on both feet, the elect are rarely dazzling beauties or the most handsome of men as we look upon their exterior features. Also, as we search the earth, we see that the elect of God are rarely the most intellectual of men. While not typically the world's idea of beautiful or smart (or rich), the elect do have something the world's best do not. Inner beauty. They also tend to have more common sense and wisdom. These are wonderful internalized traits that can not be faked but must come from God Himself. You can not help but be repulsed by the shallowness and temporary nature of the attributes the world finds attractive. And, you can not help but be attracted to the renewed and regenerate spirits of those that God has called and chosen for Himself. The elect are givers. They are joy to be around. Contrarily, the best-looking and smartest people in the world tend to be vain, proud, boisterous, loud, and arrogant. They are takers. They are self-absorbed, even to the point that they do not recognize that they are temperamental and difficult to be around for any length of time. While often religious, the favored of the world are not genuinely Christian people. They are not people that you look at and say "Wow. There goes a wonderful, joyful and self-less human being, a true servant of the King."
So interestingly, it has pleased our Heavenly Father to go into the side streets, the alleys and the by-ways to find a poor, and more lowly and humble people to claim for Himself. It is amazing that He has chosen less than perfect men, men like Mephibosheth to sit and feast at His table. And like Mephibosheth, we have nothing to offer God. Literally, we bring NOTHING to the table. Nothing. In fact, with Adam as our corporal head, we were born into this world with the curse of sin upon us. We were born completely dead in our trespasses and sins. Thankfully, that was not the end of the story... O' gracious God, Who has pulled us out of the gutter to eat at His table! Pre-Tribulation Rapturism and Preterism: Dangerous Similarities May 23, 2009 -- For the simple minded, that is to say the biblically challenged, as well as for all those who are blinded by God Himself, the false doctrines of Preterism and Pre-Tribulation Rapturism offer convenient escape vehicles from harsh coming realities. As for Preterists, they are not overly concerned about all that bad last days’ stuff that the bible talks about. This is because they teach that most; if not all that crazy end times junk has already happened. Secondly, they think that we are already living in the wonderful millennial reign of Christ. This is particularly perplexing because their "millennium" has now taken over 1900 years. Not to mention that the bible says that Christ will actively and physically rule all during that 1000 year period on a new earth, underneath a new heaven. As for the Pre-Trib Fib crowd, (the TBN-loving dispensationalists), they errantly teach that they will be raptured off the planet PRIOR TO any discomfort arising from tribulation. They, like the Preterists, are gnostic (have what they feel is very 'special' knowledge), are full of pride, and are in most cases WILLINGLY IGNORANT of the truth. Both of these false doctrines are carefully crafted to make their adherents feel all comfy and secure in their present lives. However, in both cases, their lovely delusional state will ultimately gain them only a temporary feeling of euphoria and personal safety. Sadly, 99% of those who abide in these two camps won’t have a clue (won’t want to have a clue) when the final ACTUAL last days events spoken of in Matthew 24 and MANY other places do actually begin to unfold. The very few who may have a clue as to what is really going on, will likely be quick to dismiss such a notion and go back to their feel-good Amway meetings; you know that place where other like-minded delusionals continually reassure one another that their masters are not naked. As the great tribulation and other last days events unfold, these two similarly deluded groups will have to deny the obvious. Why? Because they have long cornered themselves with their false teaching. They will be forced to tell their questioning adherents: "Sheeple, pull the rugs back over your eyes because this ain’t the tribulation! Men are just wicked. We are not naked. Go back to sleep." Rather than admit they were wrong they will deny that these are the events spoken of in The Revelation, Matthew 24, and confirmed in so many other places in the Word. Rather than say they were in error, they will be forced to cover their collective butts. Most will simply pass off what is happening and attribute it to you know, the "wickedness inherent in men." They certainly will not be able to swallow their sinful pride and say, WE WERE WRONG, THIS IS THE TRIBULATION. PEOPLE BEWARE!!! (although I do hold out hope that a few current adherents might have the eyes and ears to see and hear the truth before its too late.) A DANGEROUS CIRCUMSTANCE: DENYING THE TRIBULATION Indeed, the Pre-Trib Fib TBN crowd will deny the tribulation because they have taught their people that none of them would be there to see it. And, the prideful Preterist bunch will deny they are experiencing THE tribulation because they have been brian-washed into thinking that all that stuff happened back in 70 A.D. "Er, uh, so this can’t be any of that last days stuff, can it?!" Here is the problem for all who delude themselves into believing that all things continue as they were, for all who WILL NOT accept that we are in, or quickly heading into the great tribulation... The most damning feature of both of these false doctrines is that those who fall for them will have every reason to justify taking the mark of the beast. They will literally have no reason to NOT take the chip when it is served up and thrust upon a world still quaking from financial meltdowns and other assorted calamities. Now, most of my readers understand that the mark [is likely a biochip implant that] allows for identification and financial transactions. Most of you know that it will be used to enslave the people to their "beast system" and that only by getting this [chip] will you be able to work and buy and sell within their wonderful new world economy and system. But, IF this ain’t the tribulation (as so many will be told) then hey let’s all go out and get us one of 'dem dar chip thangs! And here’s the kicker. Eternal damnation is the end for all who take the mark. We see this plainly in in Revelation 14, verses 9-11 where we read: "And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name." So, IF the Preterist or Pre-Tribber is deceived into thinking "hey, no big deal" and takes the mark, then they have this to look forward to: First, they will get burned up in the firestorm that Christ will bring at His ACTUAL glorious Second Coming (by the way, not a secret deal). Second, they will then go straight to hell, they will not pass go, and they will not collect $200. The sad thing is that most who call themselves Christian currently fall into one of these two camps. Most "christians" today are either pre-tribbers or they are preterists. Folks, the last days falling away is almost complete and the last sheep are being brought into the fold. As I wrap this installment up, may we thank Almighty God for His mercy and grace to see and hear the truth... For if it were not for the wonderful grace of God, there we go also. The Flesh is Weak, the Spirit Willing May 22, 2009 -- I don't know about you, but to me the Christian life and our struggle between our renewed spirit and our corrupt flesh is often akin to a roller-coaster ride. When the Spirit is strong in us, we are at the top of the coaster. We feel joy unspeakable and all is well with our soul. When our flesh rises up, we often find ourselves stumbling, and before you know it, we are downtrodden and back down at the bottom of the coaster. As it was happening, the descent may even have seemed quite a fun ride. Yet, when stillness and the morning sun arises, we have grieved the Holy Spirit within us with our actions. How is it that even the most seasoned of Brethren can be tossed about and knocked so easily off their lofty [spiritual] perch of yesterday? Of course, the simple answer is that the flesh is indeed weak, even while the spirit remaineth willing. We are in constant battle. Nevertheless, the victories come more often as we grow towards spiritual maturity! All Christians deal with the frustrations of living in these filthy human containers, these temporary holding tanks made of carnal flesh. Our human experiences and the topsy-turvy changes that we all have gone through (and are going through currently) ultimately point us to this: to be still and wait on the Lord's holy will -- even when, especially when His purposes are so very hard to see. The bottom line is that our destiny is ruled by Almighty God. Therefore, if we be elect we can rest assured that we are in His able hands, not only today, but every day until He returns victoriously. Let us rejoice because surely... He will finish the good work He hath begun in us. Let us be thankful today, for His mercy endureth forever, hallelujah! EagleEye Prayer Warrior or Pretentious Religious Pretender April 17, 2009 -- Sadly, I know of many "self-proclaimed" Sovereign-grace believing Christians who almost never pray (except when they can be seen doing so in public). Apparently, the reason they hold prayer in such low esteem is they inaccurately deem that since God has already predestinated all things, there simply is no need for prayer. Of course, lethargy ensues.
I have heard some of these "christians" show great pride (a sin, by the way) in their lack of prayer time. They tell me that they have learned to pray in this manner: "God, you know." And, then they say that they are done because "after all, God already knows what you are going to pray before you pray it anyways." Folks, this is an incredibly disrespectful disregard for the powerful tool of prayer. Clearly, such a sad belief shows that a person is either deluded, stupid (unable to learn), fully ignorant of the Word of God, or a combination of the three.
The fact is, if we truly be born again, fervent prayer becomes a delightful part of our inward compulsion towards Godly obedience. The Lord Jesus (our greatest example) very, very often went off to pray by Himself. As we should know by now, the Lord's prayer is not a succinct "God, you know." Rather, the example of prayer that our Lord gave us to use as our guide is a wonderful, effectual and fervent outline, an all-encompassing plea to our Heavenly Father, that gives Him the praise He is due for Who He is! It asks for His daily guidance and physical and spiritual support in many areas for ourselves and our families by extension, all according to His will. So, why would we want to short change our time with our Heavenly Father??? As true believers, we would not. Of course, we do understand that our Great Triune God has pre-ordained all things according to His will and own good pleasure. But nonetheless He is inextricably drawn to move upon those who pray (especially those who pray fervently in private) and He acts powerfully (and effectually) upon prayers that are humbly presented. Since our Lord Jesus Christ, God incarnate in human form did not neglect so great a privilege, how is it that we would think it ok for us to neglect so great a weapon??? Yes, ALL-MIGHTY God created you to be exactly who you are today. He knew from the foundation of the world whether you’d become a mighty prayer warrior or a pretentious religious pretender who neglects prayer, er, uh, unless it makes you look good in public. As we close I would only ask... Which type of Christian are you? Preterism: A Dangerous False Doctrine, Part I March 19, 2009 -- In case you all haven't heard there is currently a big movement in "christian" circles towards a false doctrine called PRETERISM. Preterists have many obtuse and differing views, factions, divisions and contradicting offshoots. But, nearly all Preterists purport that: 1) the world is ALREADY in the Millennial Reign of Christ, and 2) MOST of "end times" prophecy, including the tribulation and various renditions of a "secret" return of Christ, already occurred back in 70 A.D. at the destruction of Jerusalem. Preterists contend that we have been ruling and reigning with Christ, in the Millennium since 70 A.D. Are you kidding me??? And get this, THEY TEACH THAT SATAN IS BOUND!!! Also telling is the fact that their 1000 year Millennium has already taken over 1900 years. (but they can use their slick-willy "hermeneutics" to explain that away.) As for me and my house, we are thankful that when the bible tells US to "COMFORT ONE ANOTHER WITH THESE WORDS" it is in reference to the Lord Jesus Christ actually, physically COMING TO EARTH A SECOND TIME, and ruling and reigning (here on earth) with the saints during the literal one thousand year Millennium. Folks, this is a STILL FUTURE EVENT!!! Even with the obvious and tragic errors of preterism, many good folks have actually fallen for this pretentious, gnostic garbage. Anyway, the final nail in their coffin is this: the Apostle John did not even receive the REVELATION until nearly 100 A.D. Let's forget their utter butchering of Matthew 24 for the moment... how could ANY of the events of REVELATION, including the great tribulation and the oh-so-visible SECOND ADVENT of Christ, have taken place some 25 to 30 years earlier??? That Revelation was received and written long after 70 A.D. is a verifiable historic fact. Yet the arrogant, hell-bent Preterists, like they do with anything else that gets in their way, will wiggle and squirm and try to deny this truth. Of course, they would have too, as this ONE FACT ALONE destroys their entire house of cards. Of course, the preterists, like so many others pushing their own brand of "special knowledge" and "enlightened" falsehoods, will find a way to "hermeneutics-ize" any biblical or historical obstacles. Using their disingenuous bible interpretation methods they attempt to explain away all the things which don't fit in order that they can keep up appearances of superior spirituality. After all, they need to "feel" superior, and oh so very, very good about themselves. Preterists, good luck with that. Folks, needless to say preterists are dangerous. AVOID THEM. RUN THE OTHER DIRECTION!!! They sow tremendous confusion into the Body of Christ. (and who is the author of confusion???) Some even take it to the extreme where they actually tie salvation itself into a proper knowledge of their particular brand of Preteristic thought. NOTE: Good preterists are commonly taught to deny the salvation tie-in, not unlike how good Amway converts are taught to deny they are inviting you to an Amway meeting. If you are approached by a Preterist, I beseech you to try and avoid them. Or, listen to their "schlemiel" and say NO THANKS. If you have already got sucked in, please DO NOT go to their damning "hermeneutics" classes and spend your valuable time learning to defend the false doctrine of preterism. Your time needs to be spent on your knees in prayer, and in the Word of God, which by the way does have a specific audience... IT IS A WONDERFUL GIFT OF GODLY TRUTHS TO ALL BELIEVERS SPANNING ALL AGES! Folks, we are on the precipice of the great tribulation and the TRIUMPHANT return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Put on the full armor of God. And just so you know... ...that armor does not include false doctrines! The Revelation [Author's Note: The article below is something I wrote after several years of intense personal study in the book of Revelation. The reason I'm bringing this back out is that there is currently a big movement in "christian" circles towards a false doctrine called PRETERISM. The final nail in their contention that "most all of prophecy was fulfilled in 70 A.D." is that John did not receive the Revelation until close to 100 A.D., so how could the great tribulation, the second coming, etc. have been fulfilled earlier.) "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
October 20, 2004 -- I've heard people say that they don't enjoy reading the Book of Revelation. I've heard others say that they don't understand it. But, basically the Book of Revelation is simply the Revelation [the revealing] of our Lord Jesus Christ! It is a wonderful book. It is a book that ultimately provides the diligent student with a great deal of information concerning Christ's return to this earth, and all the events that we can expect surrounding it. No wonder the Devil wants to keep people out of this book. No wonder Satan desires to cloud and obfuscate the PLAIN TRUTH for most every man who ventures into it! But, rest assured brothers and sisters that Revelation describes a time of great glory, because it culminates in the revealing of the KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS, our Lord Jesus Christ, to all mankind, once and for all! Of course, lest we forget, Revelation also describes some trials by fire for the people of God. Even though it often uses symbolism, it provides those with the eyes to see it, great insight into some of the very literal and very sobering STILL FUTURE events that will occur before He returns. In addition, the Book of Revelation describes in vivid detail a great many of the events that we can expect to occur AFTER His glorious return! But, without question, the MOST REASSURING part of Revelation is that it describes to us the revealing of Christ our King! As we read, we cannot help but anticipate the return of our King. We are compelled by the Holy Spirit within us, to look up for our redemption draweth nigh. And rightfully, we comfort one another with these words!!! But, the Book of Revelation also tells us about a great many other things. It tells us how God plans to bring this wicked age to a close. It tells us how every foul and prideful thing on this earth, which holds itself up against the knowledge of God, will soon be brought low. So, for the sake of clarity, I'd like to do a quick recap of just a few of those FUTURE Revelatory events right here. Now, this will not be a detailed discourse [I'll save that for later], but is intended only as a brief summary of some of the more important FUTURE topics that we find in Revelation, topics that we all would do well to be aware of and to understand, and to prepare ourselves for. So folks, all of this is really not all that difficult to understand and comprehend as long as you have the ears and eyes to receive it. If it still seems difficult to you, try getting out of your own way, and get out your King James Bible and study it for yourself! There's a whole lot to get ready for. Most of all, it is time to gird our loins with the TRUTH of God's Word and to look skyward... Truly, our redemption draweth nigh! May the GENUINE grace of God, EagleEye End of Days: The Fulfillment of Time is Upon Us March 1, 2009 -- This may be one of the most important articles I’ve ever penned. Why? Because I will show conclusively that we are living at the very end of the end of days. The fact is that we are on the precipice of 6000 years of human history. I wholeheartedly believe that this means that God is bringing the current age to an end and is about to rest (from Satan) for a 1000 years! For some of you, this news is not going to be well received. For others, those who are particularly tired of this wicked planet and ready to meet their Lord in the air, this will be joyous news, and a wonderful article to read. Indeed, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the world is crumbling before our very eyes. This news is both exciting and sobering. For some, you look with great eagerness to the Second Advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. He will fulfill ALL the prophecies concerning Himself, even the ones in the Old Testament which were not fulfilled at His First Advent. This is great news (for Believers!), and is interesting news that I will save for another article and another time. But, today's article is about the end of days. And the centerpiece of the end of days is when the Lord Jesus Christ gets up out of His heavenly throne and returns to the earth a second time! When this occurs, He will come with eyes of fire and thankfully He will mete out His perfect justice on a wicked planet that finds itself in a great tribulation.
My favorite part of the above scripture is "and so shall we (the Elect) ever be with the Lord!" And, as it pertains to His oh-so-public Second Advent, the bible says we should "comfort one another with these words..." And, should we ever! True Believers everywhere look forward with great anticipation to the fulfillment of "time" and the physical return of the Lord Jesus, not to mention a promised one thousand year reign of Christ thereafter. This article is not going to deal so much with the timing of the great tribulation, or the Lord's Second Coming. Nor will it attempt to delve too deeply into the details of the coming one thousand year millennial reign of Christ. Rather, this article has been written to encourage the Body of Christ, to prove the INEVITABILITY of His soon return and the fact that the fulfillment of time is upon us! Of course, the naysayers (of which I have many) will be quick to point out that we can not know the exact day or hour of His return. I agree. However, for those with the eyes and ears to see and hear the truth of this matter, we can most assuredly KNOW THE SEASON. And folks, we are living IN THAT SEASON. Hallelujah! HOW OLD IS THE EARTH REALLY? To begin, let me say that I’m constantly amazed by the number of people who are deceived by the "scientific" community’s assessment that the world is millions, even billions of years old. For example, they will look at the Grand Canyon and say "it took millions of years for the canyon to have eroded to where it is today..." Folks, the truth is, the rapid receding of the flood waters from the flood of Noah could have eroded away the Grand Canyon in only a few hours. Rushing water is perhaps nature’s most violent destroyer. With a large enough volume of rushing water, the Grand Canyon could have been carved out in only minutes. Further, it is conceivable that the vast flood waters even shifted the continents far from their original positions. Now that's power. We just need to understand that it has always been Satan’s game plan to confuse as many people as he can, on as many subjects as he can. But, there is no reason to be confused as to the actual age of the earth. Clearly from scripture, the earth is only about 6000 years old. I don't know about you, but I'm putting my faith in God's word. And, a close examination of the Word of God allows us to get to the actual age of the earth by going through six fairly simple steps. I will summarize these steps below:
STEP TWO: In Genesis, Chapter 11, nine generations are covered from Shem (Noah’s Son) to the death of Terah (Abraham’s father.). It is very interesting to note that Terah died the very same year that Abraham received the promise of God in Genesis 12:1-4. As a side note, Abraham was born the same year Noah died, which was when the world was 2006 years old. According to Genesis 12:4, Abraham was 75 years old when he received the promises of God. Add 2006 to 75 and we learn that the world was 2081 years old when the promise was given to Abraham. STEP THREE: Galatians 3:16 and 17 declares, "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. (17) And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect." Abraham received the promise when the world was 2081 years old. By adding the 430 years spoken of in Galatians 3:16 and 17, we discover the world was 2511 years old when the law (the ten commandments) was given Moses soon after Israel’s exodus out of Egypt. STEP FOUR: I Kings 6:1 states, "And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD." This verse allows us to add another 480 years to 2511 so that we arrive at 2991 years from creation to the fourth year of Solomon’s reign. STEP FIVE: We know from secular history books that Solomon reigned about 1,000 years before Christ. Therefore, we can add 1,000 years to the previous 2991 (the age of the earth when Solomon began to reign) to arrive at 3991 years. While certainly not exact, this does give us the approximate age of the earth when Christ was born. STEP SIX: This is the easiest step. The year 2008 ended two months ago. If we add those 2008 years that have elapsed since the time of Christ’s birth, the earth is approximately 5999 years old. That means that AT THE END of this year (2009), the earth will be approximately 6000 years old! Ok, so you ask, "Why is that so important?" Well, to the scoffers, it won’t be. And, I'll give you that this number could be off by perhaps a year or two. But, this number is very, very close to the age of the earth. So, stick with me through the rest of this article and see for yourself if 5,999 years of earth history has any significance for us today. Folks, hang on. This is where it gets interesting!!! In the 2nd Epistle of Peter, Chapter 3: we are told to "not be ignorant" of one specific thing when it comes to understanding the end of days. Now, I have started with the third verse of II Peter, Chapter 3. But, as you read this entire passage, pay particular attention to verse 8. It gives us the tidbit of information that we should "not be ignorant" of, if we are to understand the timing of the last days:
Clearly, when it comes to understanding the last days, it is of critical importance that we UNDERSTAND (if the Lord allows you to understand it) that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. According to this scripture, and we know that all scripture is inspired by God, God wants us to "not be ignorant of this one thing!" And so we shall not be ignorant of that one thing! Here’s what we know. The Earth was created in six days and the Lord rested on the seventh. Could God be giving us a very real glimpse into His ultimate timeline for the history of this planet and when we could expect the end of days? Could He be telling us that after "six days" (6000 years) that His Second Coming is IMMINENT? I think so!!! In a nutshell, God’s plan for our current Earth provides for 6000 years (six days to the Lord) for the fulfillment of time. His plan also provides for another 1000 years (one day to the Lord) of rest, during which we know that Satan will be bound and the Lord Jesus Christ shall rule and reign victoriously with the saints! Now, I’m sure many will scoff at this information. They will choose to "fill their own bellies" with false last days doctrines, walking after their own lusts. They may accusingly shout, "You don't know what you are talking about. Christ has already come invisibly in the first century. We're already in the millennium." Some will glare, "The end is not upon us. Where is the promise of His coming?" Still others will latch onto any lie or false doctrine which gives them hope of more time on this foul planet. Doesn't matter. The tribulation is upon us and the Lord Jesus Christ's Second Advent can not be far behind! Folks, you have been given PROOF that we are on the verge of 6000 years of human history on this planet since Adam. Yes, the 5,999 number could be off by a year or two. Nevertheless, we are knocking at the door. So, my sincere advice would be to get ready. Get your spiritual house in order. Certainly, as II Peter, Chapter 3 advises concerning the last days, you should "NOT be not ignorant of this one thing: that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day!" Yes, the great tribulation is upon us. Yes, very, very soon the Lord Jesus Christ will return. Yes, the dead in Christ shall rise first and those of us who are alive and remain will meet Him in the air. And so, we shall ever be with Him! And yes, the Lord is then going to mete out His fiery judgments upon the Antichrist and a world that has taken his mark to conform and survive. And finally, and this is the good news: our Lord is going to create a new heaven and a new earth which will usher in a wonderful new age... a literal 1000 years (one day to the Lord) of rest... the glorious millennial reign of Christ... May we continue to comfort one another with these words!!! Are You Content? February 16, 2009 -- The fulfilling of the lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life can only bring temporary satisfaction on this earth. On the other hand, genuine and lasting contentment is reserved ONLY for the saints of God. It is spirit-bourne, a wonderful gift from our Great Triune God. If you've ever been congested and had difficulty breathing, its like the difference between being able to take a full breath and not. Now, I've heard it said by many worldly counselors that we should never be content in life. They tell us to never be content as it would cause us to become lackadaisical and quench our desire to "achieve" greater things in life. I say that such a philosophy is fully carnal. Anyone who would say such a thing has never experienced true contentment. Fact is, the world will never be content. Why? Because such a glorious state of being is only achievable for those who were chosen from the foundation of the world. Only those who are IN CHRIST can ever experience real and lasting joy and contentment. Oh, what a grace God has bestowed upon His own!
But as for the world and all those who are of the world, both the rich and privileged and the misguided religiousites, they are never content and never will be content. Therefore, earthly philosophers formulate catchy "slogans to live by" to make them think that their uncontented disposition is normal, even a GOOD thing. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. They have formulated the "never be content because..." slogan in order to turn their own horrible human deficiency into something that they can perceive as a positive thing, on their way to more revelry and earthly gain, or powerless religious ceremonies. It is likely that most who live by this and other false creedos actually do believe that they can eventually become contented. Er, uh, you know, IF they acquire enough success and enough "wonderful" earthly experiences and knowledge. Then, they can be "content." Of course, lasting contentment will never come to those who are of the world. It is reserved for the Elect. The so-called privileged rich and famous that Robin Leach lavishes over, can only vainly continue in their pursuit for more wealth, lasciviousness and power. In the end, they are still empty, lifeless shells. No contentment awaits any who love the world or the temporary satisfactions of false religion. These have only the following sobering words to look forward to: "Depart from Me, for I never knew you." So, let us praise Almighty God for His precious gifts. And, let us praise Him for contentment, because contentment regardless of earthly circumstance is one of the best gifts we could ever know. May you and yours find God-originating contentment today. Our Faith or His Faith??? February 7, 2009 -- This past week, a street preacher brother named Monte posed an interesting question to his mailing list, a list which I've been on for the past three years or so. He asked his readers basically this question: "Is the faith we possess OUR Faith (that WE create) or HIS Faith (that He freely gives to us)?" The reason he posed the question is that he is on the Kenneth Copeland mailing list. The previous day's Copeland devotion was entitled "Four Words That Work." Here is that devotion, which I believe most of my readers (sovereign grace believers) will find quite telling: "Therefore I say unto you, What things so ever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." (Mark 11:24) Dear Monte, Believing. That's the key to everything in the kingdom of God. It's the way we tap into the very power of Almighty God. Most of us know that. But do we know how to put it into action? Actually it's so simple, it's startling. It's as simple as saying, "I believe I receive." Something happens in your spirit when you say those words. I don't understand how, but it does. I don't understand how my digestive system knows what to do when I swallow something, but it does. All I have to do is take a bite of food and it goes to work. I don't have to make it happen. I don't have to feel it happen. It just happens. That's the way the body is made. In much the same way, when you feed on God's precious promises and "swallow" them into your spirit by saying, "I believe I receive," faith is released. You don't have to make it happen. You don't have to feel it happen. It just happens. The reborn spirit is made that way. When you constantly say with your mouth, "I believe I receive my healing" or "I believe I receive my financial needs met," and then quote the scriptures that back those things, faith is released to bring power to bear on those needs. As Dr. Kenneth Hagin says, you need to "keep the switch of faith turned on." And Gloria and I have discovered that speaking out that phrase, "I believe I receive," is one way to do it. We say it when we pray. We say it when we praise God. We say it when we read the Word. We especially say it in the face of darkness when it looks like we're not receiving. When everything looks the worst, we say it the loudest. I believe I receive! Do you want to activate your faith today? Then make these four key words the most important words in your vocabulary. Use them every day. You'll soon discover, just as we did...they work! Scripture Study: Mark 11:12-24 Well, given that my website is called HIS Faith, you know how I stand on the question of where faith originates! In any event, here is my email response to this dear Christian brother who has long been called into the field, to preach in the streets and on campuses in the United States and Canada. He basically lives out of a small camper with his dog. Please keep him in your prayers on a regular basis. Dear brother... I'll give you my take on this matter via the recounting of another story that happened to me probably twenty-five years ago. A couple of friends of mine and I had worked out at the gym one morning. My buddy was driving me to my apartment afterward. On the way back to my place, we were driving about 45-50 mph on a busy throughfare when all of a sudden a guy on a bicycle gets smashed by a car. As you'd expect, the bike rider went flying and was thrown through the air like a wet sack of 'taters when the car struck him. He hit the ground with a thud and his bicycled was tossed way off to the side. It was a strange sensation, but at the very moment of impact (and I reiterate that I had no conscious control over any of this that happened to me), what I can only describe as "faith" (actual, uncontrollable and unquestioned belief) washed over me. There was no doubt what I had to do, and KNOWING what I had to do, I immediately yelled at my friend to stop the car. I blurted out, almost simultaneous to the bike rider being struck: "You gotta stop the car... I need to go pray for this guy!" Interestingly, no memorized mantras came to mind, and I had no worry of being sued by somebody for infringing on their so-called rights to not believe in God. Rather, at the very moment of contact, at the instant that the guy was hit and thrown for a loop, this uncontrollable faith to see that guy healed and whole came over me. And before I could even get out of the car, the guy miraculously jumped up. The thing is, the Lord taught me a great lesson that day. He was teaching me that while it only takes a mustard seed of faith to move a mountain, that mustard seed must come from Him. YOU can not manufacture it, no matter how hard you try, no matter how many cool mantras you learn and subsequently chant. If you do that, then you are no different than the new agers or the for-profit "faith healer" sham artists. Fact is, with HIS faith, you may not have to even get out of the car... God's faith, being REAL FAITH, is ever powerful!!! No, I'll leave the chanting of "believe it, receive it" and other catchy phrases to the misguided famous "christian" folk... I'll leave the interpretation that the bible's call to prosperity primarily means monetary gain to them. WE KNOW that it is all about spiritual reward and true joy, peace and happiness. God has always met my needs, but I'll leave the fancy cars, planes, wealth and egotistical power trips to the dishonorable "profits." Folks, I learned a most valuable lesson that day. I learned that it is only HIS faith that has the power to set the captives free. It is HIS faith alone that has the power to heal the sick, but even then only according to HIS will and timing. (Jesus did not heal most of the people that He came in contact with.) I learned that only HIS faith is effectual faith. All other "faith" is a poor facsimile. Pretend faith is just that, loud, obnoxious and emotional maybe, but just that, pretend. The bottom line is this: unless our faith truly originates from God Himself, then we are just fooling ourselves that we have any faith, at all. We are only misleading people AND putting on a religious show. (And that, haven't you noticed is usually for a tidy profit.) Anyway, that's my take on Copeland and the entire rich and famous TBN, TV "faith" crowd... they are all religious imposters who have no real idea what genuine faith really is. They are deluded and have not been given the eyes and ears to see or hear the truth. They are no prophets. They are profits who serve "another jesus." It is a sad state of affairs, but Jesus said it would be this way in the last days. He also said: Unless I (Almighty God) build the house, they labor in vain who build it. Well, those guys can "name it and claim it" all they want.... they labor in vain. Jehovah Witnesses Come to Visit January 31, 2009 -- Used to, I hated to see the Jehovah Witnesses and other deluded Religiousites come to my door. Now, I look forward to such visits with great anticipation because it is a wonderful opportunity to share the true Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. The other day, two such religiousites, JWs in fact, happened upon my residence. They gave me their usual greeting and I calmly told them that I did not agree with their doctrine. "Really, they asked?" "Yes," I answered. "What is it that you don't agree with?" the leader prodded. I replied, "Well, let me start with the Trinity." (JWs do not believe in the Trinity.) And with that I firmly but gently began explaining that while we as human beings have a hard time getting our little minds around spiritual concepts, that does not automatically make those spiritual concepts false. The fact is that One True Jehovah God has chosen to manifest His Omnipotence in three persons. Still, even in 3 persons, He remains one... of one mind and one accord and singular purpose. Obviously, this is hard for us to understand. We live in only three dimensions and naturally we have a hard time grasping anything outside of our 3-dimensional reality. Nevertheless, as we study the Word of God we find out that spiritual things transcend our 3 dimensions. AND, whether we understand it or not, it is Biblically clear that it took all 3 persons of the Glorious Trinity for salvation to be even possible for those born under the curse of sin -- that was inherited through our corporal head Adam. "Guys, if you don't have the Trinity, you don't have salvation. Here's why..." And, I went on to preach the Gospel thusly: "Father God, Jehovah, declared and instituted the law. This was a way by which He would accept a sacrifice, a propitiation, for sin. Albeit in the old covenant it was a temporary covering due to the fact that the law was performed with imperfect priests and the blood of imperfect animals being shed. Later, in what the Bible calls the fullness of time, it was the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, God incarnate, Who came to earth, and acting as the perfect High Priest and blameless, perfect sacrifice, gave Himself on behalf of the Elect (all that the Father gave Him). To be succinct, He fulfilled the law, every dot and tiddle, once and for all it was intended. Finally, it is the Holy Spirit God Who finishes the work here on earth, quickening the "spiritually dead" so they can hear and see, and with the faith now mercifully given them, believe and receive the gift that was long ago purchased for them. As for all those that the Son died for -- NOT ONE that the Father gave to His Son as a Bride WILL BE LOST!!" Of course, the JWs had many more questions along the way, (including as you might expect John 3:16) all of which the Holy Spirit answered. But perhaps one of the more interesting was "If you are truly set free in Christ and your sins are covered by grace alone, then why not go out and just do whatever you want??" Good question. And one that those who get the cart before the horse and think their works help get them to heaven always ask. As a side note, I'm often accused (interestingly, the devil stands before the throne accusing the Elect daily, to naught) of being antinomian, which would mean that I am in effect "lawless" or do not believe in "the law." This is a ridiculous accusation on the face of it because I preach the law as an integral part of our current testament of grace. The law is imperative in the salvation equation, not so that we try and keep it perfectly ourselves, which by the way is impossible, but because it was fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ and is the very vehicle by which God's wrath against us has been expiated!!! Another interesting side is that it was the legalistic Pharisees (void of Agape love and full of themselves and religious appearances) who did not practice righteous judgment and therefore accused Jesus of being antinomian. The fact is that the Lord Jesus Christ understood that HE was the fulfillment of the Sabbath typology, We now rest in Him daily. If keeping the old Sabbath type were so important, why then did He and the disciples VERY, VERY OFTEN do things which were unlawful on the old Sabbath (Fri evening to Sat. evening). The reason they accused our Lord Jesus, and why I stand accused is because "Religious Pharisees" love appearances of righteousness, not TRUE righteousness. Devoid of the Holy Spirit, they can not truly comprehend grace and righteousness in Him! Rather than tablets of stone, we now have the commandments written upon our regenerate hearts. Today, our commandments are simple, Love our neighbor as ourselves (treat others as you'd like to be treated) and Love the Lord Thy God with all thy heart and soul and mind. In these, are all the commandments! Now, you can try as hard as you like, but you'll never keep the whole law. Mess up one time and you are guilty of all. Anyway, back to the answer the Holy Spirit gave me to give to the JWs on why true Christians do not wish to bastardize God's eternal grace with unsavory, carnal living: "I will give you that there are a great many who loudly, obnoxiously purport to be Christians yet live like hell. With so many, the whole of their life has been a testimony to selfishness and the "filling of their own bellies." It is disturbing that the most verbal "christians", are the very ones who you look across the street and see living like hell -- cussing, smoking, and drinking to excess. But, let's not be naive here: MOST of these are not Christian at all. Others of these are like the Prodigal Son. If they truly be children of the King, they will eventually quit that lifestyle and in all humility come home. Like the prodigal, they will be joyfully received by the Father." "The bottom line is this: those who are truly born again have no inkling to serve their own bellies and to live in sin. Sure, we will all sin and have sinned. (constrained by this vile container of flesh in the here and now.) But, to willingly sin is not in the character of any true Christian. The reason is simple. IF WE TRULY believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died on our behalf, if we heartily believe that we are indeed part of the Elect; then the Lord Jesus had to PHYSICALLY endure the excruciating pain and suffering for every single sin we commit in our lives, past, present and future. That is, every sin that we would have otherwise had to go to hell and pay the painful price for ourselves. So... WHY WOULD I WANT TO INFLICT MORE PUNISHMENT UPON HIM? I would not!!! I don't need a religious man browbeating me into holy submission. I willingly and joyfully submit to the Lord Jesus. I wish to live a holy life because He dwells in the innermost part of my being and being IN HIM, my greatest desire is to please Him! (not my own belly)" After preaching to them for over an hour (on the doorstep) we parted ways and I sent them off with "May the Lord be gracious to you both." And, I hope He is. I pray they would be positively and eternally affected by the truth they heard. Of course, as with all men, their fate lies totally in God's hands. Maybe it was refreshing for them to discover that not all "Christians" are arrogant and rude. For once, someone claiming to be a "christian" knew something and did not call them names or belittle them, or scream them down. (By the way, like all cults, the JWs actually are emboldened by this behaviour in apostate christians. They take it as persecution for "the good" they are doing and take comfort in it.) Most of all, I hope they left my door with a more complete understanding of THE GOSPEL. Maybe they said to each other. "That was refreshing. That guy didn't insult us. Instead, he took the time to explain the reason for the hope that was in him. He was firm about it, but not overbearing or rude." Please don't misunderstand: I seek no glory for my actions whatsover. I humbly submit that any good works I do are attributed to HIM!!! And I know that my (and your) best works are still as filthy menstrual rags in the sight of God. But, I do hope that my conveying of this experience this past week will be of encouragement to the Body of Christ. With the shape of the world we currently live in, we all could use some encouragement! As I close, let me ask you "what have we learned?" Well, first of all, may God grant us the patience and wisdom to NOT too quickly condemn. This is a most favorite custom of so many arrogant people who call themselves "chrisitian" and love outside appearances. Don't get me wrong. Stand for right. Disagree with false doctrine. Come against arrogant and prideful legalists and religious tyranny. But, as much as it is possible, do it in love. Even these men, brainwashed as they were, needed to hear the truth. Perhaps more than most, they needed to hear that keeping an ecclesiastical Sabbath is no feather in their cap. They needed someone to explain God's election and sovereignty. They needed to be told that going door to door was not going to get them any brownie points in their quest for the promised land. Rather, we would all do well to seek Jesus and to understand Christ crucified and the whys and wherefores of Christ's atoning sacrifice on behalf of the Elect. How it works and why. Truly, it is the Lord Jesus Christ Who has become the righteousness of all who the Father gave Him. May we seek His righteousness today. May we seek Him more fully every day. And more importantly, may He mercifully and graciously seek us! Finally, my prayer is that we all would be less critical and judging of everyone and everything. Yes, stand for right. But speak that truth in love, as the Lord leads. Ah, to be in His Sovereign grace... Glory of glories!!! Promised "Change" Upon Us January 20, 2009 -- With all the "change" that was recently promised and is certainly going on around us, it is important that we stay aware of what's really going on in the world. In a nutshell, here's some of the changes that the powers-that-be have in store for us: a complete worldwide financial meltdown, a collapse of moral and sociological foundations, a mandated, new-age, one-world false religion, and closer to home here in the U.S., an aggressive gun-grab and the literal destruction of all those American bulwarks (like the constitution) that we once took for granted. So yes, with all the changes going on, it is absolutely proper that we understand the wicked forces behind these events (like nine one one) and the subsequent falling societal dominoes. We do well when we truly understand the cadre of characters behind all of this chaos. Indeed, we would do well to be aware of THEIR collective desire to CHANGE the world in their father's image, and very soon, to bring forth a "wonderful" new-age, Luciferian "phoenix" (the beast system) from out of the chaos. (that they are causing.) But, lest we forget, isn't it more important that we gird ourselves with spiritual wisdom, knowledge and understanding? Is it not more valuable that we put on the full armor of God?! Of course. Only by understanding the hope that is within us, and building up the God-given faith that has mercifully been put in us, will we be able to withstand that which is coming, to bear all of the fiery darts of the evil one. Only by shoring up our spiritual foundation, will we have the greatest chance of NOT being lead astray by all manner of last days temptations, false teachers, and subtleties. Yes, we'd do well to spend more time on our knees in prayer and in our reading chair with our KJV! Painting and Sculpting God??? January 15, 2009 -- Our great Triune God is sorely vexed and forbids the creation of sculptures, statues, paintings and anything else that man creates to try and represent God or heaven. (The second of the ten commandments.) As Almighty God is omniscient (all knowing), omnipresent (everywhere at once), and omnipotent (all powerful), we can not fathom His GREATNESS!!! It is most definitely a sure slap in His face for us to try and make an image, particularly of Him, in just 2 dimensions (paintings and such) or 3 dimensions (statues, sculptures, jewelry, and the like). Interestingly, most any "church" you go to, you will see all manner of "heavenly" representations, whether that be in the form of graven stain glass windows, paintings, or obnoxious statues out front or inside as you come in to "worship." God also forbids us to make graven images of anything in heaven above or in that which lies beneath us in the sea. Folks, that covers a lot of stuff. Still, we need to agree with God! Taking the "graven image" thing even a bit further, we should not even wear "religious" jewelry, such as crosses. Isn't it interesting that the world loves their crosses? Fact is, every carnal joe, dick and sherry love to wear a cross even though their words and life are an abomination to Him. But let's reason on the cross thing even further... Even for true Christians, if the Lord Jesus Christ had been put to death in an electric chair, would we glorify Him by wearing little electric chairs around our necks?? I think not. The glory of the Lord is that He is risen and that He conquered death and hell and redeemed a Bride unto Himself. His glory is certainly not in the vile earthly instrument that was used by the reprobates to try and silence Him. I leave you with just a couple scriptures on the matter:
"They that make a graven image are all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed. Who hath formed a god, or molten a graven image that is profitable for nothing? Behold, all his fellows shall be ashamed: and the workmen, they are of men: let them all be gathered together, let them stand up; yet they shall fear, and they shall be ashamed together." -Isa 44:9-11 May we always give our Great and All Mighty God the fear and reverance that only He deserves!!! The Foundation of Christianity September 22, 2008 -- Make no mistake; we are living in the last days. We know this because the bible tells us that there will be a great falling away from the [true] faith in the last days. And as we survey the religious landscape in the world today, it could best be summed up in one word: APOSTATE.
By the way, it is the King James Version of the Holy Bible, checked against the actual Greek and Hebrew word translations, that is the preferred English translation to use, quote, and study from. Later "copyrighted" bible translations can not be trusted, at all. (I've written about this many times in the past. Email me for more info, if needed.) Ok. But why is the religious world today apostate? Well, the primary reason for this apostasy, or falling away from the true Christian faith, can be traced back to the false gospel that 99.9% of all that calls itself "christian" today teaches. This is a "palatable" gospel that sounds good to men. It "seems" right and makes sense to men, and usually involves a various and assundry (and often regularly changing) list of works that one must do to "be saved." The problem is that any gospel that involves the works of men to initiate "salvation" or to retain one's "salvation" is a damning gospel. It is damning because it is a gospel that has no power to save men, only to place men under bondage to a religious system (and religious leadership) that has been fully created by men. Man-made gospels deny God’s sovereignty. Most religious leadership will give some "lip service" to God's sovereignty, but their teachings, words, and actions say just the opposite! Most religious sects today fully misunderstand everything that makes the salvation of men even possible. Instead, they find it easier to control their "flock" by replacing God's mercy and grace with all manner of works and burdens, mostly of a seemingly religious nature.
You see, salvation begins and ends with Almighty God, Who is not only All Mighty (omnipotent), but also omniscient (all knowing), and omnipresent (everywhere at once.) Religion will tell you that you must "choose" God, that you walk an aisle and repeat some canned prayer. Then they tell us, God will accept you. The real truth is and the bottom line is that we can only "choose" God IF He first chose us. Salvation is wholly in His hands. Many would say, "but I want to have a part in the salvation process." Well, if you have anything to do with it then you are doomed because there is no good in you that God would accept into heaven. We are utterly and completely doomed outside of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are without hope unless we are part of THE GOSPEL plan which He set in motion for His Bride even before the world was created. Sadly, the visible "christian" church is fully apostate today because it does not acknowledge nor does it even comprehend that God alone is the AUTHOR and the FINISHER of every true Believer’s faith.
Since we have no effectual part in the process of salvation, if we have any hope of being saved, then that hope is in God, the Holy Spirit. He must plant that effective mustard seed of faith in us. This is called the quickening. Then and only then are we able to believe [I speak here of God's merciful saving belief, not cognitive belief] unto salvation. We have nothing that we "add" to the process. It is all God, a gift that we can only RECEIVE. It is all Him from start to finish. He is the Author and Finisher of that miraculous work that He began before the world was formed, and has now finished in the here and now! It is like the story of Lazarus who lay stinking and dead in the grave for 3 days before Christ, taking his sweet time to get there so there could be no question that Lazarus was completely and utterly DEAD, got to his tomb. Even rotting and foul, when the Lord Jesus Christ cried out for Lazarus to arise, Lazarus was quickened to life. No maggots, no stink, Lazarus arose alive! He was once stinking and dead without hope, then God acted upon him and gave him new life. This is the perfect analogy for salvation. What effective part did Lazarus have in his coming to life? I’ll tell you: NONE WHATSOEVER. In like manner, we are spiritually dead in our sins and trespasses. If we ever hope to attain salvation, it is with the understanding that WE have no effective part in that plan. He must quicken us, and then and only then are we able to RECEIVE the gift of eternal life that He long ago authored for us, that is if we be part of what the bible calls the Elect.
In order to truly become saved then, we must first be ORDAINED to eternal life. If we have been ordained BY ALMIGHTY GOD, then we shall believe, at least at some point in this life before we die. [God will not lose even one of HIS sheep!] But, the world loves to believe a different gospel, a gospel far removed from God's sovereign grace. They prefer to "believe," rather pridefully THINK, that it is they who have an integral say-so in the salvation equation. So, they have come up with a false gospel, a gospel which is powerless and false because it is intertwined with differing levels of a man’s so-called "free will" involvement. This free-will gospel is the critical error [or leaven starting point] that has brought the visible "christian" church today to its current foul state of apostasy. But, don't get me wrong, its doing great and growing by leaps and bounds, and bringing in tons of money, because it tickles men's ears to think they control their own destiny. But, they do not. Its all in God's worthy hands!
How God Saves Men Ok, if Almighty God is the author and finisher of men’s faith, if He does it all, then exactly how did He accomplish this "so great a salvation" for all the men [and women] that He chose it for? Given that all men are born dead in trespasses and sin, and that sin cannot inherit the kingdom of God , how does salvation actually work? Well, it began with His creation of the Levitical Law which we learn about by reading the Old Testament. [For purposes of this discussion, we will just refer to it as "the law". ] Without going into great detail, Almighty God instituted the law [the old testament] in order to provide an acceptable vehicle, a way that He would accept as an atonement or an atoning for the sins of the people. The High Priest (a Levite man) would once a year go into the Temple and offer up a sacrifice on behalf of all those that he represented. In fact, the High Priest wore a breastplate, or golden girdle, which had THE NAMES of his people engraved in it. These were the people that he represented. A blameless sheep was a typical sacrifice. It was killed, its blood spilled for and on behalf of the people that the High Priest specifically represented. Problem was, because this process involved an imperfect High Priest and an imperfect sacrifice, this could only be a temporary atoning for the sins of the people and God required it be redone each year. Nevertheless, with the law, God had established a precedent, a method instituted by and pleasing unto Himself, which was a valid propitiation (or substitute) for sin, and expiation (or the nullification) of His wrath against the sins of the people represented in that sacrificial act. Of course, these were sins which would otherwise have had to have been paid for by the sinners themselves. As I stated before, the problem with the old covenant was that this covering for sin was good for only a year. Nevertheless, in this type and shadow of the real thing that was to come later, Almighty God had established a vehicle by which the sins of men could be forgiven them and this vehicle was called THE LAW. Then, later, according to God’s perfect and holy will, a perfect High Priest and perfect sacrifice for sin was born. As the bible tells us, in the fullness of time, the Lord Jesus Christ, God incarnate in human flesh, was born into this world. His birth was the literal fulfillment of thousands of scriptural prophecies that we find in the Old Testament. To be succinct as possible, the Lord Jesus Christ became the perfect High Priest to all those that the Father had given Him. And, He offered Himself up as the perfect sacrifice. The Lord Jesus Christ went into the true, spiritual Holy of Holies and offered up Himself. With the specific names of all He represented on His breastplate, He literally endured the pain and punishment for every sin for every single person that He was given by the Father. The Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled, once and for all it was intended, the requirements of "the law." In short, His atoning sacrifice saved a specific people for Himself, that is to say, a Bride for all time. Hallelujah! Because the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled the law (for a specific people), it is utterly impossible for even one that the Lord Jesus died for to not become saved, or for that matter, for even one of those who find true salvation to "fall from grace." This is because the law has been fulfilled on their behalf. It does not have to occur yearly, as it has now been fulfilled once and for all it was intended! By and large, the visible "christian" world today does not understand this foundational fact that Jesus is truly the AUTHOR and FINISHER of salvation. In fact, in most cases the visible church not only denies God's sovereignty, but actually despises the fact that it is God alone, in His infinite wisdom, Who has chosen a Bride for Himself. This oh-so-wondrous election of the saints grates against all man-made religion. They gnash their teeth at it, because they do not want to relinquish power and control over their paying customers. It pays to keep their paying customers in bondage. They want to feel as though they, in their own pompous religious wisdom, have something to add to the salvation mix. But such thinking is ridiculous on the face of it, just as ridiculous as it would be to think that Lazarus could be part of bringing himself back to life. The Lord Jesus Christ did not need Lazarus’ permission to bring him to life. He does not need our permission or help to save us. He did it all Himself and the Holy Spirit, God, plants real and genuine faith in every member of the Elect. It is this gift of faith that ultimately allows us, in fact causes us to believe unto salvation. Any other faith is not really faith at all. Nay, the fact is that the true biblical foundation for the salvation of men revolves around God’s election and predestination of men before the world was even created. This is a salvation that was only made possible by the one-time utter fulfillment of the law by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and that act necessarily accomplished and acceptable to God. And mercifully, the bible tells us that it "expiated" [took away] God’s wrath upon that specific people, a people the bible refers to as the "Elect" or "Bride of Christ." Therefore, as we look around us, it is important that we understand FIRST the root cause of the apostasy around us; the horribly foul condition of Christianity today. It began in earnest around the early 1800’s and was caused by an errant understanding of how men are saved. This salvation error has now progressed to the point where basically all denominations and "christian" offshoots have bought into to the damning false premise of a man’s so-called "free will." As stated, 99.9 % of all that calls itself Christian today, have included themselves as an "integral" part in the process of their "salvation." And, in most cases, the apostate churches teach that men have a part in "keeping" or retaining this so-called salvation, that THEY somehow invoked. Lazarus Receives New Life, But Had No 'Effectual' Part In That Process Lazarus had no choice but to get up and walk when Jesus called him back to life. But, he didn’t have any effectual part in coming back to life! In like manner, we will have no choice but to react to God’s calling to salvation if we have been gifted what the bible calls "ears to hear and eyes to see." The sad fact is that the vast majority of that which calls itself "Christian," preaches some form of salvation whereby a man has an integral part in that religious process. [i.e. the man’s free will is involved.] No matter where you look, from Catholicism [the mother of error] down to just about every branch of Protestantism today, religious men think they have a part in gaining and retaining their own so-called salvation. But, the truth is that [thankfully] our so-called free will is not involved in the salvation equation. It can’t be, remember we’re dead! Rather, God’s will, by necessity, is the only will that is involved in the salvation of mere men. Like the Lord Jesus’ will in the life of Lazarus, if we hope to be saved [brought to life spiritually], that process has to be effected on our behalf by God entirely, and that new life brought to existence through a very meticulous and miraculous plan. [As I have summarized herein previously.] For any religious entity to teach anything other than God’s absolute sovereignty over all affairs of men, especially those involving election and salvation, is to teach a very, very serious, grave and grievous prideful error. God help those "leaders" who teach error for they will have the blood of a great many upon their hands. Ultimately, we can understand nothing spiritually until we understand God’s election of all who ever have been or will be saved. Yes, it is the false manmade gospel of "free will" that is the root cause of the current last days falling away and apostasy. The free will false gospel is the "way that seemeth right unto a man" but the end is death. If you believe that YOU have personally added anything of importance to your salvation, then you have believed a free-will lie. Unless you repent and fall completely on God's mercy, the bible says your end is death. Of course, you will first experience natural death (here on earth), but more soberingly you will also experience the second death, that is to say spiritual death or eternal separation from God in a place called Hades. Various renditions of a carnal free will gospel is THE root cause of today's full out apostasy. If we can not understand the true source and foundation of salvation (Almighty God 100% in all phases thereof) then necessarily all other doctrines and teachings that we might believe in will be tainted and mixed with error to some degree. The fact is then, that no discussion on spiritual matters will have any effect, unless we understand the varying degrees of error which springs forth in the visible religious world today from this primary and most critical of the doctrines, the doctrine of salvation. May God, and not mere men, get all the glory for what He alone has done! *If you appreciate this column and want to help me distribute these articles to an ever-growing audience, donations may now be made by credit card, check, or Money Order. Use this link. |
