CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

The Restrainer

2018-03-09T19:32:00.000-08:00

(Written by Daymond Duck, from Rapture Ready.com)
“And you know what is holding him back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes. For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding back steps out of the way.”
(2 Thessalonians 2:6-7, New Living Translation)

The identity of the Restrainer is the subject of much debate. Some say it is the Holy Spirit. Some say it is the Church. Some say it is both the Holy Spirit and the Church. And there are a few less widely held interpretations.

His identity is important because He is holding back the man of sin, also called the son of perdition (the Antichrist) in verse 3. And if the Restrainer is the Church, this means the Church must be removed from the earth before the Antichrist can appear. And that is a compelling reason to believe in the Pre-Tribulation Rapture.

We believe the Restrainer is BOTH the Holy Spirit and the Church for several reasons:

1) If the Restrainer is the Holy Spirit ONLY, removing the Holy Spirit would leave behind a Church that is not indwelt by the Holy Spirit. There is no such thing as a Church that is not indwelt by the Holy Spirit.

2) If the Restrainer is the Holy Spirit ONLY, removing the Holy Spirit would leave the Church behind to go through the worst and most dangerous time the world has ever faced (the Tribulation Period) without the help of the Holy Spirit. This is not like Jesus who said, “I will not leave you comfortless” a reference to the fact that the Holy Spirit will always be with the Church (Jn. 14:18) and “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5). This is always true, but it is most especially true at times of great danger.

3) If the Restrainer is the Church ONLY, the removal of the Restrainer would have the Church going to heaven without the Holy Spirit. Again, there is no such thing as a Church that is not indwelt by the Holy Spirit.

4) If the Restrainer is the Church ONLY, it could not hold back the Antichrist who will receive his power from Satan (Revelation 13:4). The Church could not restrain the Antichrist (and Satan) without the help of the Holy Spirit. The power to restrain evil comes from the Holy Spirit.

AFTER THE RAPTURE
The Holy Spirit works in many ways. He was present at the Creation, but the Church didn’t exist (Genesis 1:2). He came upon Othniel, Gideon and others during Old Testament times, but the Church didn’t exist (Judges 3:9-10; 6:34). He caused holy men of God to write Scripture in Old Testament times, but the Church didn’t exist (II Peter 1:21). Those who limit the work of the Holy Spirit to the Church don’t understand the Holy Spirit or the many ways He works.

Today, the Holy Spirit baptizes people into the body of Christ, the Church (I Corinthians 12:13). He will continue to save people after the Rapture, but He will turn back to Israel and work like He did in Old Testament times. He will seal the 144,000 Jewish evangelists (Revelation 7:3). He will save multitudes of Gentiles and Jews (Revelation 7:9). He will protect the Two Witnesses for 1260 days (Revelation 11:3). He will be poured out upon the Jews at the Second Coming (Zechariah 12:10). But He won’t baptize people into the Body of Christ.

CONCLUSION
We can conclude at least five things:
1) The Restrainer is both the Holy Spirit and the Church.
2) The Holy Spirit is empowering the Church to restrain evil.
3) The Holy Spirit and the Church will be removed together before the Antichrist can appear.
4) The Pre-Tribulation Rapture is valid because the Church won’t be here when the Antichrist comes on the scene.
5) God saves people without adding them to the Church which is what will happen when He works through the 144,000, the Two Witnesses after the Rapture.

Christians in Marriage - Unequally Yoked

2018-01-12T20:43:00.000-08:00

"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." (2 Corinthians 6:14-16, King James Version)

What does it mean "Unequally Yoked"?
"Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together." (Deut. 22:10 KJV)
This passage from the Old Testament reads in the NIV: "Do not plow with an ox and a donkey yoked together."
They would not be of equal strength, disposition and ability, thus the plowing of the field would be made far more difficult than was necessary. It's possible one would fall under the unequal burden. To offer an even more dramatic illustration, if a large horse and a small goat are yoked together, it is highly unlikely that the farmer will be able to plow a straight furrow in his field. His team is clearly "unequally yoked," thus one member will easily and inevitably overpower the other, with negative results!

Paul uses this picture to inform the saints from Corinth, that it is unwise, foolish and even against God's advice, to marry an unbeliever. Everyone, who does not confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and has accepted Him as his or her Saviour is an unbeliever.
Clearly, Paul is focusing on the idea of an unequal yoking. He certainly does not discourage all association with those who are outside of a relationship with Christ Jesus. This is not a passage suggesting exclusion and isolation from the world around us.
Obviously, we can't remove ourselves from association with the world about us. One day the Lord will do that for us, but that day is yet future. Until then, we are to be in the world (physically), but not of the world (spiritually). On the night of His betrayal and arrest, Jesus prayed to the Father, "I do not ask Thee to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one" (John 17:15). Paul's advice is along these same lines.

How would "Unequally Yoked" affect your Marriage?
I don't believe that marrying an unbeliever is committing a sin but certainly it is going against God's advice and therefore will have consequences. God wants always the best for His children, He has created us and knows best, what is good for us. Marriage is more than just man and woman living together, it is also a spiritual bond between two beings.
The implication is that the union of a Spirit-filled body with another human somehow carries spiritual dimensions. Therefore, the body bought by Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit, should not bond with an unbeliever. Please consider the following points which speak against marrying an unbeliever:

An unbeliever is blind to spiritual things and can't see God's ways. There is a fundamental spiritual incompatibility. (2 Cor. 6:14, 7:1, Eph. 2:1-3)
While on a human level a believer and an unbeliever may love each other. It is like two lines meeting at a tangent or a ships crossing at sea. They are driven by such fundamentally different principles that there can be no life-long agreement. The difference is between the principles of righteousness and lawlessness, light and darkness, Christ and Belial, the temple of God and the temple of idols. The incompatibility is absolute, basic, and vast.

You are not immune - even the smartest wisest people can be led astray from God by unbelieving partners. (1 Kings 11:1-12)

A typical example is King Solomon, the son of David. God gave him wisdom, wealth and even appeared to him in dreams. However, even Solomon's heart was turned away from God by his unbelieving wives, so that in his old age he became an idol worshipper.

Marrying an unbeliever is like marrying someone with a dose of spiritual ‘flu. We keep on getting their spiritual ailments passed on to us and because we are so close to them we keep on getting "re-infected". Unfortunately goodness and virtue does not seem to be as contagious as sin and spiritual apathy. Solomon did not improve his wives - rather the reverse - he became an idol worshipper and lost his kingdom. You can be wiser than Solomon if you stick to believers when you make your choice of a marriage partner.

Believer and unbeliever have two different wave lengths. It is like two different radio stations playing to the same time.
When we hear classic music in one ear and rock music in the other ear, we will be very disturbed after a short time. There will be different view and beliefs about life style, education of children, different attitudes towards smoking, drinking, partying and worldly things in general. A unbeliever doesn't feel acountable to anyone, especially to God.

Because the children may go astray from God (Deut 7:3,4, Neh 13:23-27)
The Lord has a real heart for children. He knows, that they copy their parents in their lives. Its not just theoretical, children do go astray, children are lost forever because of an ungodly upbringing. In Nehemiah we see a whole generation of mixed up children, unable even to speak Hebrew or Aramaic but adopting the language, culture and beliefs of the nations around them. This undoubtedly included their religious beliefs.
It leads to a lifetime of defeat (Joshua 23:11-13)
How many Christians have I seen living defeated lives because they married an unbeliever! They are so numerous. There are three stages to the catastrophe. Firstly God is no longer powerfully present and giving victory and miracles. Then there is a time of bitter frustration and pointlessness, a feeling of being trapped. Lastly everything you work for goes up in smoke there may be a foolish financial decision or an affair, alcoholism, unbelieving children, even a deception. You look back on a life that should have been prosperous and rewarding and instead you have ‘perished from the land". Look around you and see. This is not an idle threat from God. It really does happen.

Because of the pain it causes to other family members (Genesis 26:34,35, 28:6-9)
Unbelieving partners often cause real grief to the family of the Christian partner. Their ways are just not Christian ways and Satan, with his controlling strings attached to their lives, can create pain, hurt and discord through them. This puts even more strain on a marriage between a believer and an unbeliever.

What if you are already married to an unbeliever?
If you are already married to an unbeliever then you need to love him/her as best you can, set a good example of being a Christian, and pray for your spouse's salvation. You cannot leave your spouse (unless there is physical abuse, adultery, or if you are abandoned). You need to stick it out. Seek the Lord.
"But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.
For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.
But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.
For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife? (1 Corinthians 7:11-16, KJV)

Conclusion
If you are a re-born Christian you should be very careful in choosing a husband. Ask the Lord to help you with your choice and don't rush into something, you would later regret.
Start slowly in developing a relationship and follow some guidelines:
          It should be someone who loves the Lord and has accepted Him as his Saviour and
         Redeemer
         Bring the person before the Lord and ask Him for guidance
        Ask friends and your Church family for their opinion
        Meet the family and find out what they believe, their relationship and circumstances
       Don't get too close and certainly don't have a sexual relationship
         Only meet together with friends or in public places, avoid being alone together
        Have a regular prayer time together, including some Church friends
        Don't live together under any circumstances

Mormonism in a Nutshell

2016-03-10T01:59:00.001-08:00

(Written by Matt Slick)
Mormonism in a Nutshell
(Church of Christ Latter-day Saints)

Mormonism teaches that God used to be a man on another world and that he became a god by following the laws and ordinances of his god on his home world. He brought his wife to this world, a woman he had married on the other world. She is, essentially a goddess.

In his present god-state, he rules our world. He has a body of flesh and bones. Since god and his wife are both exalted persons, they each possess physical bodies. In their exalted states as deities, they produce spirit children that grow and mature in the spiritual realm. The first spirit born was Jesus. Afterwards Lucifer was born along with the rest of us. So, Mormonism teaches that we all pre-existed in the spirit realm having been produced from the union of god and his goddess wife. Therefore, we all existed in spirit form before coming down and entering the bodies of human babies that are being born on earth. During this ‘compression' into the infant state, the memories of their pre-existence is 'veiled.'

God the father, who is called Elohim, was concerned for the future salvation of the people on earth. In the heavenly realm, the Father had a plan for the salvation of the world. Jesus endorsed the Father's plan. Lucifer did not. Lucifer became jealous and rebelled. In his rebellion he convinced a large portion of the spirits existing in heaven to side with him and oppose god. God being more powerful then they, cursed these rebellious spirits to become demons. They can never be born in human bodies.

The remaining spirits sided with God. Since they chose the better way, when it comes time for them to live on earth, they have the privilege of being born in races and locations that are relative to their condition and choice made in the spirit realm.

In the Mormon plan of salvation there needed to be a savior: Jesus. But Jesus was a spirit in heaven. For him to be born on earth, Brigham Young the second prophet of the Mormon church said that instead of letting any other man do it, God the Father did it with Mary. He said that the birth of our savior was as natural as the birth of our parents. Essentially, what this means is that Brigham Young taught that god the father came down and had relations with Mary, his spirit daughter, to produce the body of Jesus. Though many Mormons will not entertain such incestuous thoughts about God and Mary, this is what Brigham Young taught and as far as we know, this has not been denied by the Mormon church.

Nevertheless, Jesus was born, got married, and had children. He died on the cross and paid for sins -- but not on the cross only. According to Mormonism, the atonement of Christ was not only on the cross. It began in the Garden of Gethsemane before he went to the cross.

In Mormonism, men and women have the potential of becoming gods. President Lorenzo Snow said, "As god once was, man is. As God is, man may become." In order to reach this exalted state of godhood, a person must first become a good Mormon, pay a full ten percent tithe to the Mormon church, follow various laws and ordinances of the church, and be found worthy. At this point, they receive a temple recommend, whereupon the Mormon is allowed to enter their sacred temples in order to go through a set of secret rituals: baptism for the dead, celestial marriage, and various oaths of secrecy and commitment. Additionally, four secret handshakes are taught so the believing Mormon, upon entering the third level of Mormon heaven, can shake hands with god in a certain pattern. This celestial ritual is for the purpose of permitting entrance into the highest level of heaven. For those who achieve this highest of heavens, exaltation to godhood awaits them. Then he or she will be permitted to have his or her own planet and be the god of his own world and the Mormon system will be expanded to other planets.

Is Mormonism Christian?
Why is Mormonism a non-Christian religion? It is not Christian because it denies that there is only one God, denies the true Gospel, adds works to salvation, denies that Jesus is the uncreated creator, distorts the biblical teaching of the atonement, and undermines the authority and reliability of the Bible.

I do not deny that Mormons are good people, that they worship "a" god, that they share common words with Christians, that they help their people, and that they do many good things. But that isn't what makes someone Christian. Jesus said in Matthew 7:21-23, " Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" (NKJV). Becoming a Christian does not mean belonging to a church, doing good things, or simply believing in God. Being a Christian means that you have trusted in the true God for salvation, in the True Jesus -- not the brother of the devil, not the god of Mormonism, not the gospel of Mormonism. Mormonism is false and cannot save anyone.

Can Christians worship on a Sunday?

2016-01-13T18:35:00.000-08:00

In the Old Testament, God stated, "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you," (Exodus 20:8-10, NASB). It was the custom of the Jews to come together on the Sabbath, which is Saturday, cease work, and worship God. Jesus went to the synagogue on Saturday to teach (Matt. 12:9; John 18:20) as did the apostle Paul (Acts 17:2; 18:4). So, if in the Old Testament we are commanded to keep the Sabbath and in the New Testament we see Jews, Jesus, and the apostles doing the same thing, then why do we worship on Sunday?

First of all, of the 10 commandments listed in Exodus 20:1-17, only 9 of them were restated in the New Testament. (Six in Matt. 19:18, murder, adultery, stealing, false witness, honor parents, and worshiping God; Rom. 13:9, coveting. Worshiping God properly covers the first three commandments) The one that was not reaffirmed was the one about the Sabbath. Instead, Jesus said that He is the Lord of the Sabbath (Matt. 12:8).

In creation, God rested on the seventh day. But, since God is all powerful, He doesn’t get tired. He doesn’t need to take a break and rest. So, why does it say that He rested? The reason is simple: Mark 2:27 says, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." In other words, God established the Sabbath as a rest for His people, not because He needed a break, but because we are mortal and need a time of rest, of focus on God. In this, our spirits and bodies are both renewed.

The OT system of Law required keeping the Sabbath as part of the overall moral, legal, and sacrificial system by which the Jewish people satisfied God’s requirements for behavior, government, and forgiveness of sins. The Sabbath was part of the Law in that sense. In order to "remain" in favor with God, you had to also keep the Sabbath. If it was not kept, then the person was in sin and would often be punished (Ezek. 18:4; Rom. 6:23; Deut. 13:1-9; Num. 35:31; Lev. 20:2, etc.).

But with Jesus’ atonement, we no longer are required to keep the Law as a means for our justification. The requirements of the Law were fulfilled in Christ. We now have rest from the Law. We now have "Sabbath", continually.

Are we free to worship on Sunday?
Within the New Testament is ample evidence that the seventh day Sabbath is no longer a requirement.
"One man regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Let each man be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God," (Rom. 14:5-6).

The entire section of Rom. 14:1-12 is worth careful study. The instructions here are that individuals must be convinced in their own minds about which day they observe for the Lord. If the seventh day Sabbath were a requirement, then the choice would not be mans’, but God’s. To me, this verse is sufficient to answer the question beyond doubt. Furthermore, "Therefore let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— 17things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ." (Col. 2:16-17).

Notice the time sequence mentioned in Col. 2:16-17 above. A festival is yearly. A new moon is monthly. A Sabbath is weekly. No one is to judge in regard to this. The Sabbath is defined as a shadow, the reality is Jesus. Jesus is our Sabbath. So, if someone is judging you because you worship on the Sabbath, they are wrong. Likewise, if you regard Sunday above Saturday (Rom. 14:5-6), all you need to do is be convinced in your own mind that that is alright.

Is there any evidence in the NT that Christians met on Sunday?
"And on the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to depart the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight," (Acts 20:7).
The first day of the week is Sunday and this is the day the people gathered. This passage can easily be seen as the church meeting on Sunday, though it does not necessitate it. It has two important church functions within it: breaking bread (communion) and a message (preaching/teaching). Additionally, Luke included the Roman system as well as the Jewish system of counting days. The Jewish system was sundown to sundown. But Luke also used the Roman system: midnight to midnight (Luke 11:5; Acts 16:25; 20:7; 27:27). This is a subtle point that shows the Jewish Sabbath system was not exclusively used by Luke.

If the Sabbath was mandatory, why the use of the non-Jewish system?
"Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also. On the first day of every week let each one of you put aside and save, as he may prosper, that no collections be made when I come," (1 Cor. 16:1-2).Notice here that Paul is directing the churches to meet on the first day of each week and put money aside. It would seem that this is tithing. So, the instructed time for the church to meet is Sunday, the first day of the week and it is that day the Galatians were to set money aside collections. Is this an official worship day set up by the church? You decide.

Does this verse apply to Christians today?
It most certainly does.
"I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, 11saying, "Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea," (Revelation 1:10-11).The New Bible Dictionary says regarding the term, ‘The Lord’s Day’ in Rev. 1:10: "This is the first extant occurrence in Christian literature of "te kuriake hemera." The adjectival construction suggests that it was a formal designation of the church’s worship day. As such it certainly appears early in the 2nd century" (Ignatius, Epistle to the Magnesians, 1. 67).
In many churches today, the term "The Lord’s Day" is used to designate Sunday, the same as it was in the second century.

I hope this is evidence enough to show you that the Bible does not require that we worship on Saturday. If anything, we have the freedom (Rom. 14:1-12) to worship on the day that we believe we should. And, no one should judge us in regard to the day we keep. We are free in Christ and not under law, (Rom. 6:14).

Conclusion
The Seventh Day Adventists have every right to worship on the Sabbath and they should if they are convinced that is the right thing to do. However, if any member of any church were to require a person to worship on the Sabbath as a sign of "true" Christianity or "true" redemption, then that is wrong. According to Rom. 14:1-12, we are free.

Additionally, Sunday is the day that the Lord Jesus rose from the dead. The Jewish people who had rejected Jesus continued to worship on Saturday, the Sabbath. But it was the Christians who celebrated Jesus' resurrection and this was most probably the driving force to gather on the first day of the week.

What is the Pre-Tribulation Rapture?

2015-08-08T05:06:00.000-07:00

from Rapture Ready.com
The Rapture is an event that will take place sometime in the near future. Jesus will come in the air, catch up the Church from the earth, and then return to heaven with the Church. The Apostle Paul gave a clear description of the rapture event in his letters to the Thessalonians and Corinthians.
"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." (1 Thess, 4:16-18).

"Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on in-corruption, and this mortal [must] put on immortality" (1 Cor. 15:51-53).

The timing of the rapture is not known. From the Word of God and from sound reasoning--something Jesus used quite frequently--I hope to prove the reality of the pre-tribulation rapture.
The word "rapture" comes from Paul's "caught up" remark in verse 17. The words "caught up" are translated from the Greek word harpazo, which means "to carry off," "snatch up," or "grasp hastily." The translation from harpazo to "rapture" involved two steps: first, harpazo became the Latin word raptus; second, raptus became the English word "rapture."

12 reasons why the pre-tribulation rapture makes most sense of the scriptures
1. There is clearly a difference between the meeting in the air for the saints and the coming of the Lord to the earth with the saints. 1 Thess 4.13-5.11 as opposed to Zech 14.5, Jude 14, Revelation 19.14.

2. A number of scriptures give the expectation that the coming of the Lord for the church could happen at any time therefore believers should be in a continual state of readiness for this. 1 Cor 1.7, 16.22, 1 Thess 1.10, 4.13- 5.11, Titus 2.13, Heb 9.28, James 5.8, 1 Pet 1.13, Jude 21, Rev 3.11, 22.7,12,17,20. If the Mark of the Beast system has to be in place before this event can take place then clearly the Lord cannot come at any time as the 666 is not in place.

3. Jesus said you cannot work out the date of his coming, but if see the 666 system in place you should be able to work out that there are 42 months to go before the coming of the Lord.

4. Paul says people will be saying ‘Peace and safety’ at the time of the event described in 1 Thess 4.13-5.11, but at the second coming of Christ to the earth there will have been 7 years of tribulation with God’s wrath poured out and the armies of the world gathering for Armageddon. Who will be saying ‘peace and safety’ then?

5. Jesus describes a time when life will be going on as normal with people doing things like buying and selling, building and planting, marrying and giving in marriage at the time when ‘one shall be taken and one shall be left’ (Luke 17.26-37) but at the end of the tribulation period life will be totally abnormal and only those who have the mark of the beast will be able to buy and sell.

6. The pre trib rapture gives the best explanation for the gap between the end of the 69th week and the beginning of the 70th week in Daniel 9.24-27. There must be a gap because the 69th week ends before the crucifixion (Robert Anderson’s calculations put it as the Triumphal entry which makes a lot of sense theologically, but are not crucial to this argument). This is then followed by the fall of the Temple (40 years later) and a prolonged period of wars and desolations (contrary to Jewish hopes of peace following the coming of the Messiah). There is no way that the events of the fall of the Temple can be fitted into the 70th week period of Dan 9.27 as some affirm. Nor does this make any sense of Dan 9.24 as this whole period must bring about the sealing of OT messianic prophecy and the anointing of the Holy of Holies which will only take place at the 2nd coming of Messiah to the earth. The gap between the 69th and 70th week is occupied by the spirit filled church composed of Jews and Gentiles which is raptured prior to the events of Dan 9.27 when attention goes back to Israel as the vehicle of God’s purpose.

7. The pre-trib rapture gives the best explanation of why the saints have to be resurrected after the return of the Lord to the earth in Rev 20.4. Since the Lord has returned with the saints (who have been through the marriage supper of the Lamb) why does he then need to resurrect the saints? Only logical explanation is that these were not saints at the time of the rapture but were converted afterwards and for the most part martyred during the tribulation and ‘held under the altar’ and come out of the great tribulation (Rev7.13-14). As they became saints during the tribulation they have a part in the first resurrection (of the saved) and not the second resurrection (of the damned) (Rev 20.6,14).

8. The rapture is the blessed hope of the church (Titus 2.13). If it only comes at the end of the tribulation it is not much of a hope as you are likely to be executed before it happens.

9. Jesus said when you see the signs of his return beginning to happen you should look up because redemption is drawing near, not when they are ending (Luke 21.28).

10. The tribulation, especially the final 3 ½ years, is the outpouring of God’s wrath, but Paul says God has not appointed us to wrath (1 Thess 5.9).

11. Individuals being taken to be with the Lord supernaturally happened in the OT on two occasions (Enoch and Elijah). In both cases life continued on earth afterwards.

12. The hope of the Lord’s return is to purify ourselves (1 John 3.3). If Jesus can come at any time (only possible in the pre-trib position) you have a motivation to purify yourself (wanting to be doing his will and in a right relationship with him at the moment of his coming).

Bible versus Koran (Part Three)

2014-11-13T10:00:00.000-08:00

Part One and Two showed the differences for the following eight topics:
Was Jesus Christ crucified?
Divorce
Born of a Virgin
Only Begotten Son
Same Honour
No Distinction
Intercessor
All have sinned

9. The Other Cheek
The Koran
"The sacred month and the sacred precincts are under the safeguard of reprisals: whoever offereth violence to you, offer ye the like violence to him, and fear God, and know that God is with those who fear Him." (Sura 2:190).

The Bible

"But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also." (Matthew 5:39).

10. Wages

The Koran
"Verily they who recite the Book of God, and observe prayer, and give alms in public and in private from what we have bestowed upon them, may hope for a merchandise that shall not perish: God will certainly pay them their due wages, and of his bounty increase them: for He is Gracious, Grateful, And that which we have revealed to thee of the Book is the very Truth, confirmatory of previous Scriptures: for God knoweth and beholdeth his servants." (Sura 35:26-28).

The Bible
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23).

11. Lead us not into Temptation

The Bible
“Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am tempted by God;' for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.” (James 1:13).

The Koran
"Those who believe shall God stablish by his steadfast word both in this life and in that which is to come: but the wicked shall He cause to err: God doth his pleasure." (Sura 14:32).

"Verily God misleadeth whom He will, and guideth whom He will." (Sura 35:9)

"This is God’s guidance: by it will He guide whom He pleaseth; and, whom God shall mislead, no guide shall there be for him." (Sura 39:24)

12. How Many Daughters?

The Bible
“Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. And they came and drew water, and they filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. Then the shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.

“When they came to Reuel their father, he said, 'How is it that you have come so soon today?'

“And they said, 'An Egyptian delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, and he also drew enough water for us and watered the flock.'

“So he said to his daughters, 'And where is he? Why is it that you have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.'” (Exodus 2:16-18).

The Koran

“And he [Moses] found beside them, two women keeping back their flock: 'Why do ye,' said he, 'thus?' They said, 'We shall not water till the shepherds shall have driven off; for our father is very aged'...One of them said, 'O my father, hire him: for the best thou canst hire is the strong, the trusty.' He said, 'Truly to one of these my two daughters I desire to marry thee...'" (Sura 28:23-27).

It is easy enough to see how the unlettered prophet, knowing of the Bible only at second hand, might make a transmission error like 'two' for 'seven.' What is strange is that his followers are obliged to insist that 'two' is correct, and 'seven' is wrong.

Conclusions
The Bible says nothing about the Koran, but the Koran says a great deal about the Bible. The claim that the Koran 'confirms' prior scripture is a truth claim, because Mohammed recommends his hearers investigate what he is telling them by inspecting prior scripture. Unfortunately, people have been following this advice for more than a millennium, and many have died as a result, because when the People of the Book fail to affirm the Koran's consistency with Bible truth, the Muslims are prone to start killing them. Truth to tell, the Koran does not confirm prior scripture, but deviates from there. Mohammed did not take it well when the Jews of Medina told him so, nor have his followers ever taken it well.

Mohammed was greatly encouraged by the sympathetic hearing he received from Christians and Jews in Mecca:

"And now have we caused our word to come unto them, that they may be warned: They to whom we gave the Scriptures before it, do in it believe. And when it is recited to them they say, 'We believe in it, for it is the truth from our Lord. We were Muslims before it came.'” (Sura 28:51-53).

He was so far elated by this encouragement as to instruct his followers to confirm his mission by inquiring of the Christians and the Jews:

"And if thou art in doubt as to what we have sent down to thee, inquire at those who have read the Scriptures before thee." (Sura 10:94).

"And we sent none, previous to thee, but men to whom we had revealed ourselves. Ask ye the people who are warned by Scriptures, if ye know it not." (Sura 21:7).

Mohammed admitted the inspiration of the Bible, and even demanded his followers believe in it:
"SAY: In whatsoever Books God hath sent down do I believe: I am commanded to decide justly between you: God is your Lord and our Lord: we have our works and you have your works: between us and you let there be no strife: God will make us all one: and to Him shall we return." (Sura 42:14).

"Dispute not, unless in kindly sort, with the people of the Book; save with such of them as have dealt wrongfully with you: And say ye, 'We believe in what hath been sent down to us and hath been sent down to you. Our God and your God is one, and to him are we self-surrendered' (Muslims)." (Sura 29:45).
The unlettered prophet did not himself know the material he was putting out, was shot full of contradiction with the Bible. His followers to the present day are obliged to disobey his command to believe "in whatsoever Books God hath sent down," substituting instead the pretence that the Bible has been 'corrupted,' because far from confirming the Bible, the Koran contradicts it.

Bible versus Koran (Part Two)

2014-11-06T15:00:00.000-08:00

Part One showed the differences for the following four topics:
Was Jesus Christ crucified?
Divorce
Born of a Virgin
Only Begotten Son

5. Same Honour
The Koran
"It beseemeth not a man, that God should give him the Scriptures and the Wisdom, and the gift of prophecy, and that then he should say to his followers, 'Be ye worshippers of me, as well as of God;' but rather, 'Be ye perfect in things pertaining to God, since ye know the Scriptures, and have studied deep.' God doth not command you to take the angels or the prophets as lords. What! would he command you to become infidels after ye have been Muslims?" (Sura 3:73-74).

The Bible
"...that all should honour the Son just as they honour the Father. He who does not honour the Son does not honour the Father who sent Him." (John 5:23).

6. No Distinction

The Koran
"Say ye: 'We believe in God, and that which hath been sent down to us, and that which hath been sent down to Abraham and Ismael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes: and that which hath been given to Moses and to Jesus, and that which was given to the prophets from their Lord. No difference do we make between any of them: and to God are we resigned (Muslims).'" (Sura 2:130).

"Say: We believe in God, and in what hath been sent down to us, and what hath been sent down to Abraham, and Ishmael and Isaac, and Jacob, and the tribes, and in what was given to Moses, and Jesus, and the Prophets, from their Lord. We make no difference between them. And to God are we resigned (Muslims)." (Sura 3:78).

The Bible

"Jesus said to him: I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6).

7. Intercessor

The Bible
The Old Testament promises an intercessor:

"By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities....He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." (Isaiah 53:11-12).

The New Testament reports that He has come:
"Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us." (Romans 8:34).

"Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them." (Hebrews 7:25).

He ransomed lost sinners:

"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45).

The Koran

The Koran rules out the possibility of intercession:
"And fear ye the day when soul shall not satisfy for soul at all, nor shall any intercession be accepted from them, nor shall any ransom be taken, neither shall they be helped." (Sura 2:45)

"And dread the day when not in aught shall soul satisfy for soul, nor shall any ransom be taken from it, nor shall any intercession avail, and they shall not be helped. (Sura 2:117)

8. All Have Sinned

The Koran
Mohammed warns of the Day of Wrath. He diagnosed the ill he could not cure, because he brought no medicine to heal the sin-sick soul. The Koran promises justice on the day of reckoning:

"Fear the day wherein ye shall return to God: then shall every soul be rewarded according to its desert, and none shall have injustice done to them." (Sura 2:281).

The Bible

The Bible does not rule out the theoretical possibility of salvation by works, but reports the set of those thus saved to be empty: "For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..." (Romans 3:23).

The living God does not offer lost sinners justice, and thank goodness for that! Our sins are covered in His blood: "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence..." (Ephesians 1:7).

Bible versus Koran (Part One)

2014-10-19T03:40:00.000-07:00

There are many contradictions between the Bible and the Koran. For this purpose I would like to name only the twelve most important ones, which will show that the God of the Christians is not the God of Islam.

Bible versus Koran will have three parts.

1. Was Jesus Crucified?
The Koran
Was Jesus crucified in fact or in semblance? The Koran says, semblance: "And for their saying, 'Verily we have slain the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, an Apostle of God.' Yet they slew him not, and they crucified him not, but they had only his likeness. And they who differed about him were in doubt concerning him: No sure knowledge had they about him, but followed only an opinion, and they did not really slay him, but God took him up to Himself. And God is Mighty, Wise!" (Sura 4:156).

The Bible
The Bible says, fact:
"Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole." (Acts 4:10)
"But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they broke not his legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water." (John 19:33-34).

2. Divorce

The Koran
"Ye may divorce your wives twice: Keep them honourably, or put them away with kindness." (Sura 2:229).

"Why, O Prophet! dost thou hold that to be FORBIDDEN which God hath made lawful to thee, from a desire to please thy wives, since God is lenient, merciful?...Haply if he put you both away, his Lord will give him in exchange other wives better than you, Muslims, believers, devout, penitent, obedient, observant of fasting, both known of men and virgins." (Koran, Sura 66:1-5).

The Bible
"The Pharisees came and asked Him, 'Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?' testing Him...'But from the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.'" (Mark 10:8-9).

Notice God's order of creation is that "the two shall become one flesh." For God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Cindy and Gloria and Dawn. From where then come the extra three wives the Koran allows the faithful, much less the extra eight Mohammed permitted himself?

3. Born of a Virgin

The Koran
The Koran gives high praise to Mary:
"And remember when the angels said, ‘O Mary! verily hath God chosen thee, and purified thee, and chosen thee above the women of the worlds!" (Sura 3:37)

"And her who kept her maidenhood, and into whom we breathed of our spirit, and made her and her son a sign to all creatures." (Sura 21:91).

"And we appointed the Son of Mary, and His mother for a sign; and we prepared an abode for both in a lofty spot, quiet, and watered with springs." (Sura 23:52).

There is no question about her chastity:
"She said, 'How shall I have a son, when man hath never touched me? and I am not unchaste.' He said: 'So shall it be. Thy Lord hath said: 'Easy is this with me;' and we will make him a sign to mankind, and a mercy from us. For it is a thing decreed. And she conceived him, and retired with him to a far-off place." (Sura 19:20-22).

The Bible
The Bible, of course, concurs: "Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS." (Matthew 1:24-25).

4. Only-Begotten Son

The Koran
"It beseemeth not God to beget a son. Glory be to Him! when he decreeth a thing, He only saith to it, Be, and it Is." (Sura 19:36). "And that it [the Book] may warn those who say, 'God hath begotten a Son.' No knowledge of this have either they or their fathers! A grievous saying to come out of their mouths! They speak no other than a lie!" (Sura 18:3-4).

"And they say, 'God hath a son:' No! Praise be to Him! But — His, whatever is in the Heavens and the Earth! All obeyeth Him..." (Sura 2:110).

The Bible
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16).

The Seventh-day Adventist Church

2014-10-15T15:00:00.000-07:00

(by Matt Slick)
Modern Seventh Day Adventism traces its origins back to the early 1800's to Mr. William Miller (1782-1849) of Low Hampton, New York. Mr. Miller had converted from deism to Christianity in 1816 and became a Baptist. He was an avid reader, dedicated to God's word, and sought to reconcile apparent biblical difficulties raised by deists. He relied heavily on the Cruden's Concordance in his studies and developed a focus on the imminent return of Jesus. He began preaching at the age of 50.

The time was right. America was hot with discussions on the return of Christ. As a result, many thousands (called Millerites) accepted his idea that Jesus would return in the year covering 1843-1844. He had arrived at this date based upon a study of Daniel 8:14 which says, "And he said to me, "For 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the holy place will be properly restored." He interpreted the 2300 evenings and mornings to be years and counted forward from 457 BC when the commandment to rebuild Jerusalem was given (Dan. 9:24-25).1 When his initial predictions failed, he adjusted his findings to conclude that Jesus would return on March 21, 1844 and then later on October 22, 1844. After these too failed, Miller quit promoting his ideas on Jesus' return and the "Millerites" broke up.

On the morning following the "Great Disappointment" of October 22, 1844, a Mr. Hiram Edson claimed to have seen a vision. He said that he saw Jesus standing at the altar of heaven and concluded that Miller had been right about the time, but wrong about the place. In other words, Jesus' return was not to earth, but a move into the heavenly sanctuary as is referenced in the letter to the Hebrews.

Mr. Joseph Bates (1792-1872), a retired sea captain and a convert to "Millerism" then began to promote the idea of Jesus moving into the heavenly sanctuary. He published a pamphlet which greatly influenced James (1821-1881) and Ellen White (1827-1915). It is these three who were the driving force behind the SDA movement.

Numerous reports state that Ellen G. White (1827-1915) saw visions from an early age. Such was the case shortly after the Great Disappointment. Mrs. White claimed to see in a vision of a narrow path where an angel was guiding Adventists. Subsequent visions resulted in interpretations of the three angels in Rev. 14:6-11 as being 1843-1844 as the hour of God's judgment; the fall of Babylon signified by Adventists leaving various churches, and admonitions against Sunday worship.

1849 - First paper, the Present Truth, was printed in Middletown, Conn.
1850 - First issue of the Second Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, printed in
Paris, Maine.
1860 - Name of Seventh-day Adventist adopted by the church.
1863 - First General Conference and formation of the SDA church on May 21st
1871 - First college opened which became Andrews University.
1871 - J. N. Andrews sent to Switzerland as a missionary.
1885 - Missionary work begun in Australia.
1915 - Ellen G. White dies on July 16, at St. Helena, CA.
1941 - Opening of Theological Seminary at Takoma Park.
1942 - Voice of Prophecy radio show begins broadcasting coast to coast.
1950 - Faith for Today TV show begins.
1955 - SDA membership hits 1 million.
1986 - SDA membership hits 5 million.

Today, the SDA church is very evangelical with mission efforts world wide, numerous publications, and many educational facilities. It claims over 8 million members world wide and is growing rapidly with its educational, TV, Radio, and publication based outreaches.

Church structure of the Seventh-day Adventist Church

Each Church elects its own officers: elders, deacons, deaconesses, clerks, treasurers, and department leaders.
The minister of a local church is appointed by the local conference.
The local conference consists of local churches in a designated area.
Officers of the local conference are elected every three years.
Union conferences are comprised of local conference in a designated area.
Union conference officers are elected every five years.
The division is comprised of two or more union conference with officers elected every five years.
General conference encompasses all divisions with officers elected every five years.

What does Seventh Day Adventism teach?

Affirmations
1. The Bible is inspired and the word of God.
2. Trinitarian: The Father, Son, Holy Spirit are all one God in three persons.
3. Jesus is God and has always existed with the Father.
4. The Holy Spirit is a person.
5. Jesus' sacrifice was vicarious.
6. Salvation is by grace, not works.
7. Jesus rose from the dead physically in his glorified body.
8. Jesus ascended bodily into heaven.
9. Baptism is by immersion
10. The literal, visible return of Jesus.
11. Jesus will return to set up a millennial kingdom. They are Premillennial.
12. Literal six day creation, not long periods.

Denials
1. Denies the doctrine of predestination
2. Denies baptism by sprinkling
3. Denies infant baptism.
4. Denies the immortality of the soul.
5. Denies the eternality of hell fire.
6. Denies any use of alcohol (as a drink) or tobacco.

Aberrant
1. Our sins will ultimately be placed on Satan.
2. Jesus is Michael the Archangel.
3. Worship must be done on Saturday (the Sabbath).
4. On October 22, 1844 Jesus entered the second and last phase of his atoning work.
5. Investigative Judgment - the fate of all people will be decided based upon this event in the future.
6. The dead do not exist anymore -- soul sleep.
7. The wicked are annihilated.
8. Ellen G. White, the "founder" of Seventh Day Adventism, was a messenger from God gifted with the spirit of prophecy.
9. There is a sanctuary in heaven where Jesus carries out his mediatorial work.

Conclusion
There are too many problems within Seventh-Day Adventistism to recommend it as a safe church.
One of the problem is Saturday worship. They are certainly free to worship on a Saturday, however, the problem is when any Seventh-Day Adventist group asserts that the proper day of worship is Saturday, not Sunday. The early church practiced worship on Sunday and the scriptures mention the church gathering on Sunday.
(Go to Blog Archive May “Can Christians worship on a Sunday?” for further information)

Furthermore a church which would openly deny the biblical doctrine of predestination (in contradiction to Eph. 1:1-11), deny the doctrine of the immortality of the soul (in contradiction to Luke 16:19-31; Matt. 25:46), and deny eternal hellfire (in contradiction to Rev. 14:11) can not be recommended. Also a church that affirms that Jesus is Michael the Archangel, and that the wicked are annihilated (in contradiction to Luke 16:19-31; Matt. 25:46) differs very much from a true biblical teaching.

Freemasonry in a Nutshell

2014-10-13T12:00:00.000-07:00

Some Background
Freemasonry is veiled in assorted levels of secrecy, legend, and misunderstanding. Throughout the decades, this "social" organization has been referred to as a Christian brotherhood. Others consider it a fraternity of the occult. Freemasonry is often the target of conspiracy theorists, who allege that Masons are responsible for orchestrating entire political, financial and cultural movements throughout the world. For purposes of this website, we will limit our discussion of history, lore and legend, and focus on the basic "doctrinal" positions of today's Freemasonry - although the "basics" can even be hidden or misunderstood in various parts of the Order.

Some Basics
Freemasonry is referred to by numerous names. Some of these names include: the Brotherhood, the Craft, the Order, and the Lodge. Blue Lodge (more formally known as Symbolic Lodge) consists of three degrees: Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft, and Master Mason. The three degrees are a progression with the goal being to become a Master Mason. Master Mason is the highest degree attainable in Symbolic Lodge. There are an additional 29 degrees in the Scottish Rite, and an additional 9 degrees in the York Rite. The 33rd degree is an honorary degree which cannot be sought. One has to be recommended for it. Various signs, tokens, and secrets are made known to the Mason as he graduates to higher levels or degrees. One of the most known symbols for Masonry is the letter "G." Depending on whose interpretation you believe, this symbol can represent geometry, God, or gnosis.

Christians traditionally interpret the symbol as God, whereas others within the Order define it as knowledge or gnosis. There is a great deal of secrecy in Freemasonry. From the beginning, the Entered Apprentice is kept in the shadows regarding the full meaning of Masonry's symbols and ceremonies. A member of the Lodge only receives further enlightenment as he rises through the degrees. Each Mason must swear a series of oaths to keep the secrets of the Craft as he learns them. He also agrees to severe penalties if he ever lets them slip. "Freemasons are emphatically called the Sons of Light, because they are in possession of the true meaning of the symbol; while the profane or uninitiated who have not received this knowledge are said to be in darkness." (Albert Mackey, Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry, 1946) As the Mason passes through the degrees of the Lodge, he receives true light, and is considered elevated above those who have not had the mysteries of Freemasonry revealed to them.

Freemasonry - Is It a Religion?
The Mason's official position states that Freemasonry is not a religion. "Masons who treat it as such are mistaken. Freemasonry strongly encourages its members to belong to an established religion, although this is not a requirement for membership (only that a candidate professes a belief in a Supreme Being). Masonry is a fraternal organization that encourages morality and charity and studies philosophy. It has no clergy, no sacraments, and does not promise salvation to its members."

A close assessment of the degrees of Freemasonry uncovers a basic theology that lies beneath everything in the Order. The degrees instruct that: There is a Supreme Being who created the universe, who has established and revealed a moral law, and to whom we must give account in a life after this. Masons argue that nothing in these five points, which are supported by all the materials, lectures and "working tools" of the degrees, conflicts with any of the major religions of the Western world. As such, all religions are welcome to participate in the Brotherhood, and thus, it should not be deemed a "religious" organization. "The true Mason is not creed-bound. He realizes with the divine illumination of his lodge that as a Mason his religion must be universal: Christ, Buddha, or Mohammed, the name means little, for he recognizes only the light and not the bearer."(Manly Hall, The Lost Keys of Freemasonry, 1976)

Freemasonry - The Nature of God
Although Freemasonry requires members to acknowledge a "god" in order to be accepted into the Lodge, the god of Freemasonry and the God of the Bible are not the same. There is a great difference between the two concepts of God. The Masonic god, "The Great Architect of the Universe" (G.A.O.T.U), or the "Grand Artificer of the Universe," is an all-inclusive "Life Principle" that lies within all living things. In Freemasonry, god is not a personal being, but an impersonal force, an energy that has no substance. In theistic terms, this belief is known as pantheism.

As the unifier of all religions, Freemasonry holds that "the Christian, the Hebrew, the Moslem, the Brahmin, the followers of Confucius and Zoroaster, can assemble as brethren and unite in prayer to the one god who is above all the Baalim." (Pike, Morals and Dogma) In other words, the biblical God is reduced to the level of all the other gods and rendered as equal with the gods of those religions. Therefore, by definition, Freemasonry is a "religion" of plurality that strips all others of there uniqueness.

Freemasonry - The Nature of Jesus
Freemasonry has adopted a pluralist approach toward Jesus Christ. Generally, Masonry teaches, "Jesus was just a man. He was one of the exemplars, one of the great men of the past, but not divine and certainly not the only means of redemption of lost mankind. He was on a level with other great men of the past like Aristotle, Plato, Pythagoras and Mohammed. His life and legend were no different from that of Krishna, the Hindu god. He is the son of Joseph, not the Son of God." (Jim Shaw, The Deadly Deception, 1988)

In Masonry, Jesus Christ is not to be looked upon as the Saviour, Redeemer or God incarnate. He is to be viewed as no different than any other great prophet, spiritual leader or guru. The Lodge does not permit the name of Jesus or Christ to be used in any of its prayers or rituals, and when the Bible is used in ceremonies, all scriptural references to Jesus are removed. "All prayers in Mason lodges should be directed to the one deity to whom all Masons refer to as the Grand Architect of the Universe." (The Maryland Master Mason, March 1973)

Freemasonry - Are There Any Implications for Christians?
Freemasonry is responsible for many noble causes. Nobody can deny the social and charitable works done by the Brotherhood. However, as a "religious" institution, there are beliefs and practices in Masonry that are incompatible with biblical Christianity. The Mason who professes to be a Christian must decide whom he will serve: the God of the Bible or the god of Freemasonry. He cannot serve both. Ultimately, every Christian who participates in Masonry must ask himself, "What does the Lodge teach us to do with Jesus Christ?" "The Mason who is a Christian is put in a very difficult position. Although his Fraternal Order supported his Christianity in its early years, it now no longer allows for it, as there is no question about the pagan orientation of Freemasonry in our day. Therefore, the Mason must ask himself whether he can, in good faith, remain a part of an organization that devalues the God of Christianity." (Russ Wise, Freemasonry and the Christian Church, 2002)

As a reminder to professing Christians, Jesus said: "But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven." Matthew 10:33 (KJV)

Allah Is Not Jehovah God

2014-10-12T21:03:00.000-07:00

(Extract from “Allah is not Jehovah God” by Joseph Chambers)
There is a dangerous and unfounded effort by many church leaders to equate Jehovah God of Holy Scripture with Allah, the god of the Islamic religion. Such extreme ecumenicalism is not just plain wrong; it is totally unfair to Bible-believing Christians around the world. It is also unfair to millions of Arab Christians who know Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord. This is not a matter of treating Muslim people wrong or persecuting them for their religious belief. Nothing is below the action of any genuine Christian more than to be unkind to a fellow citizen of our America or of another nation. It is clear that Muhammad had an extremely good understanding of the Jewish and Christian beliefs but he clearly distorted them throughout his writing. Even his revelations were not revelations that had any semblance of Biblical unity. They were clearly the work of spirits, mental imbalance, or disease-induced fever. The very foundations of Muhammad’s early days were filled with raids on caravans of merchants and nearby communities, terrorist activities that included brutal slaughter of the male population, plus selling the women and children as slaves.

I want to establish the sheer facts of the religion called Islam. My primary information is from the The New Encyclopaedia Britannica, Edition 15, Volumes 22 & 25. This set of encyclopaedias was chosen to make sure my information was unbiased. I have no desire to present a false picture of this religion. The Arab people, as a distinct part of the world’s population, must not be treated unfairly. They are creatures of creation by the Heavenly Father. They are in every sense of the word endowed by the Creator with inalienable rights and to choose their religion is one of the choices they must make. We must not persecute or war against them because of their choices. Neither should we try to blend the religions together as though there is no difference.

The foundations of Islam are dark indeed. The term Muslim means someone that submits himself or herself to Allah. The followers of the Islamic religion are Muslims. Muhammad was the founder of Islam. Actually, the Islam religion was a breakaway from an existing religion with a pantheon of gods and the Kab’ah (shrine) at Mecca had many idols worshipped by the locals and visitors.

It is clear that Allah was a part of the large pantheon of gods and the idea of making Allah a monotheistic god was apparently Muhammad’s decision. There is nothing to suggest that Allah had a relationship to Jehovah God of the Bible. In fact, Allah had previously been worshipped as having three daughters that were gods themselves known as “Allah’s Trinity.” Notice this description. “Where more complex settlement patterns had developed, however, widely shared deities had already emerged, such as the ‘trinity’ of Allah’s ‘daughters’ known as al-Lat, Manat, and al-Uzzah.” (Ibid., p. 105.)

When Muhammad first suggested that Allah was the one and only god, he faced incredible resistance and this was one of the first schisms that caused the people from Mecca to break with him. He was also a threat to their authority because of his visions and the respect of most citizens in those times for superstitious activities.

Muhammad’s Revelations
Muhammad is said to have had visions and revelations almost all of his adult life from about AD 610 until his death. At first he was disturbed by the experiences he had. His first wife, much older than Muhammad, is said to have encouraged him and her cousin began to help him write down the revelations. The first rule for a vision or revelation in the Christian community is absolute harmony with the Bible. While there are some ideas in Muhammad’s revelation that have principles of Bible truth the majority of his thoughts fail miserably.

As the traditions of the Islamic religion are described, there was a very clear explanation of Muhammad’s revelations. Nothing in these revelations has a Biblical precedence. While Gabriel is credited, the explanation shows nothing but a spirit of some nature.

For the Christian, it clearly reveals the impossibility of Allah being Jehovah God. Here is a plain statement, eliminating the trinity of Jehovah God and denying the Sonship of Christ. “The doctrine about God in the Qur’an is rigorously monotheistic: God is one and unique; he has no partner and no equal. The Trinity of God, the Christian belief that God is three persons in one substance, is vigorously repudiated. Muslims believe that there are no intermediaries between God and the creation that he brought into being by his sheer command: ‘Be.’” (Ibid., p. 6.)

They do teach that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, but was saved from crucifixion from the Jews by God. They believe that Jesus was a prophet, but that “All prophets are human and never part of divinity; they are simply recipients of revelation from God.” (Ibid., p. 7.)

No one can follow Muhammad to the letter without becoming a terrorist. From the very beginning, monies to fund his activities were gathered by raids on merchants and communities.
We can hardly comprehend a great prophet receiving direct revelation from God, who at the same time must fund his new religion by stealing and robbing innocent people. The terrorist activities did not end with just robbing and stealing but also unwarranted slaughter and the selling of slaves resulting from his raids.

Holy Warfare (Jihad) from the beginning
Deny it as we may try, “Holy War” or “Jihad” is a fundamental concept in the Islamic religion. Certainly, there are Islamic people that reject that idea. National leaders among the Islamic nations vary in how they see this issue and none of us will know the final purpose of one and all.

The facts are clear. “Although greatly maligned by medieval European scholars – whose opinions still retain some influence – Muhammad came to be viewed more objectively in the 19th century. Some of the evidence against him, such as his connivance at assassinations and his approval of the execution of the men of a Jewish clan, are historical matters that cannot be denied.”(The New Encyclopaedia Britannica, Edition 15, Volume 22, p. 4.)

The idea of “jihad” comes clearly to the front row in the Islamic theology because of this “community concept.” Listen to this intellectual description of the Islamic concept. “With this socioeconomic doctrine cementing the bond of faith, the idea of a closely knit community of the faithful who are declared to be ‘brothers unto each other’ emerges. Muslims are described as ‘the middle community bearing witness on mankind,’ ‘the best community produced for mankind,’ whose function it is ‘to enjoin good and forbid evil’ (Qur’an). Cooperation and ‘good advice’ within the community are emphasized, and a person who deliberately tries to harm the interests of the community is to be given exemplary punishment. Opponents from within the community are to be fought and reduced with armed force, if issues cannot be settled by persuasion and arbitration.

Conclusion
Our purpose in this article is not to create dark emotions toward Arab people. In fact, this article has nothing to do with Arab people, but only with the Islamic religion. Millions of Arabs are American citizens, as well as many spread around the world. A tremendous number are friends of Israel, flag waving Americans, Bible-believing Christians, and indeed wonderful citizens of the world communities.

As already stated, there must not be ill treatments of those who believe in Allah. It is wrong to use your faith to try and impose it on someone against his or her will. The citizens of Islamic countries should be absolutely free to choose the Christian faith, while citizens of any country should be free in the religion of their choice. The Word of God offers no hope of salvation to anyone that does not make his or her own personal choice to receive Jesus Christ. Conversion by cohesion is not possible. You would not have a convert; you would have a slave.

If you are a Bible-believing Christian, it is your responsibility to defend the truth of your God, our Heavenly Father, and one Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. If you compromise this point, there is nothing left worth believing in.

Church of Scientology

2014-10-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

The Church of Scientology is a vicious and dangerous cult that masquerades as a religion. Its purpose is to make money. It practices a variety of mind-control techniques on people lured into its midst to gain control over their money and their lives. Its aim is to take from them every penny that they have and can ever borrow and to also enslave them to further its wicked ends.
It was started in the 1950s by a science fiction writer named L. Ron Hubbard in fulfilment to his declared aim to start a religion to make money. It is an offshoot to a method of psychotherapy he concocted from various sources which he named "Dianetics". Dianetics is a form of regression therapy. It was then further expanded to appear more like a religion in order to enjoy tax benefits. He called it "Scientology".

The Harm it does to a Person
The results of applying their crackpot psychotherapy (called "auditing") is to weaken the mind. The mind goes from a rational state to an irrational one as the delusional contents of the subconscious mind are brought to the surface and are assumed to be valid. It also makes a person more susceptible to suggestion since it submerges the critical thinking faculties of the mind into a partial subconscious state. It results in a permanent light hypnotic trance and so from thenceforth that person can be more easily controlled. The person will, to a much greater extent, believe and do whatever they are told. And of course this is used to the full in persuading them to hand over further money and dedicating themselves further to the cult.

The results of applying their oversimplified and inapplicable rules in life is to lose the ability to think rationally and logically. A person loses the ability to think for themselves and so they lose the ability to challenge incorrect ideas. This makes them easier to control. It also isolates and alienates the person from society so that they withdraw from normal society and into their "Scientology" society. This further increases their susceptibility to the influence of their group. They end up being afraid of society, believing all society to be controlled by a group of drug companies, psychiatrists and financiers all of whom report to more remote masters. In other words they are in a state of mass paranoia. They therefore avoid reading newspapers and the like since they fear it will disturb their safe Scientology world. It is a downward spiral into madness.

The science fiction content of Scientology is revealed to them after they have reached the state they call "Clear", meaning freed from the aberrations of the mind. However, perhaps "brainwashed" would be a more applicable word to describe the mental state of someone who has survived the near entire delusional contents of their subconscious mind brought to the surface and presented to them as "truth". On the "advanced" levels (called OT levels) above the state of "Clear" they encounter the story of Xenu. Xenu was supposed to have gathered up all the overpopulation in this sector of the galaxy, brought them to Earth and then exterminated them using hydrogen bombs. The souls of these murdered people are then supposed to infest the body of everyone. They are called "body thetans". On the advanced levels of Scientology a person "audits out" these body thetans telepathically by getting them to re-experience their being exterminated by hydrogen bombs. So people on these levels assume all their bad thoughts and faulty memories are due to these body thetans infesting every part of their body and influencing them mentally. Many Scientologists go raving mad at this point if they have not done so already.

The "Ethics" Trap
On the surface the Church of Scientology seems reasonable. The insane content of it is only revealed to a person when the early stuff has done its work and made them more susceptible. After a short while a person "believes" that Scientology is doing them good. They are then persuaded to help their new-found group further by donating money and/or working for the organisation for almost no money. Many people do exactly that.

"Ethics" is used to good effect to trap a person. A person’s natural tendency to do good is worked upon. Yes - they want to be more ethical, but what is ethical? This is where a clever trick is pulled! "Ethics" is redefined by Scientology in such a way that to be ethical is to be a better Scientologist and obey the "church". Young people, not yet made cynical through the machinations of life and politics, are very keen to contribute to the world and to be ethical. So the "ethics" trick works easily into persuading them to join the "church". Many of them join an elite group called the "Sea Org" where they become brainwashed slaves. There they work a hundred hour week for almost no pay. There they are subject to every cruel whim of their masters. It is a living hell that they endure because of the conditioning they have received and this now perverted sense of ethics that they have accepted. The "Sea Org" is the ultimate in brainwashed slavery. They are expected to work harder and harder to achieve ever higher targets of production. If they fail to meet their targets there are various penalties. One of them is to be put onto a diet of beans and rice and to miss sleep. Another is to be sentenced to a period on the RPF (Rehabilitation Project Force). This is the equivalent to "hard labour". Such is the extent of their brainwashing that they actually write "success stories" when they complete their sentences.

Jehovah's Witnesses in a Nutshell

2014-09-23T11:30:00.000-07:00

(Written by Matt Slick)
According to Jehovah's Witness' theology, God is a single person, not a Trinity, who does not know all things and is not everywhere. He first created Michael the Archangel through whom He created all "other things," including the universe, the earth, Adam and Eve, etc. This creative work took God 42,000 years. At one point, The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society taught that God ruled the universe from somewhere in the Pleiades star system. They have since modified this to say that the "Pleiades can no longer be considered the center of the universe and it would be unwise for us to try to fix God's throne as being at a particular spot in the universe." Such changes and even contradictions in teaching are frequent in the Watchtower organization and when a doctrine changes, they tell their followers that the light of truth is getting brighter.

After Adam sinned, the paradise which God had created for them was ruined. So, God instituted a system of redemption which was revealed in the Bible and would ultimately lead to the crucifixion of Jesus the messiah. But, in the meantime, God needed to have a visible, theocratic organization on earth to accurately represent Him. Throughout history, this true organization had a remnant of faithful Jehovah's Witnesses (Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, etc.) but it wasn't until the late 1800's that Charles Taze Russell formally began what is now known as the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society which is run out of Brooklyn, New York. This organization claims to be the only true channel of God's truth on earth today and that it alone can properly interpret God's word since it is the angel directed prophet of God on earth.

When it came time for the savior to be born, Michael the Archangel became a human, in the form of Jesus. Jesus grew and kept all the laws of God and never sinned. Finally, when Jesus died, it was not on a cross, but on a torture stake, where he bore the sins of mankind -- but this did not include Adam's sins. Jesus rose from the dead as a spirit, not physically (his body was dissolved and taken by God) and during his visitations to people on earth, he manifested a temporary physical body for them to see and touch. Thus began the true Christian church of Jehovah's followers.

Throughout history there have been faithful Jehovah's witnesses who have managed to keep The Truth in spite of the "demonic" doctrine of Trinitarianism that has permeated the Christian church in "Christendom." Christendom is filled with pastors who are antichrists, in churches run by Satan, and who support the earthly governments which are all of the devil. In other words, all of Christianity is false and only the Jehovah's Witness "theocratic" organization led by several men in Brooklyn, New York, is true.

In the late 1800's, a young man of 18 years, by the name of Charles Taze Russell, organized a Bible class in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1879 he sought to popularize his ideas on doctrine so he co-published The Herald of the Morning magazine with its founder, N. H. Barbour and by 1884 Russell controlled the publication and renamed it The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah's Kingdom, and founded Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society (now known as the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society). Russell served as the teacher and guide for the organization which taught that Jesus returned invisibly in 1914 and is now reigning in heaven. When Jesus finally returns physically to earth, which will happen at the time of the Battle of Armageddon, He will set up his earthly 1000 year kingdom.

During this 1000 year period, people will be resurrected and have a second chance to receive eternal salvation by following the principles of Jehovah's Organization on earth known as the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. After the millennium, those who reject God and His organization will be annihilated; that is, they will cease to exist. The rest of the Jehovah's Witness who have faithfully followed God's organization on earth will be saved from eternal annihilation and reside forever on Paradise earth. Heaven, however, is a place for a special group of 144,000 Jehovah's Witnesses -- the only ones who are "born again" and who alone are allowed to take communion in their annual communion service. These are the ones who have "immortal life," all other Witnesses have "everlasting life." Those with immortal life do not have resurrected bodies. They have "spirit bodies." Those on Paradise Earth have everlasting life and consists of a resurrected body that must be maintained through eating, rest, etc.

When you study with the Jehovah's Witnesses, you agree to attend five meetings a week where you are taught from Watchtower literature. You cannot be baptized until you have studied their material for at least six months and have answered numerous questions before a panel of elders. Men are not supposed have long hair or wear beards and women are to dress in modest apparel. They refuse to vote, salute the flag, sing the "Star Spangled Banner," celebrate birthdays or Christmas, won't take blood transfusions, and they can't join the armed forces. A schedule of door-to-door canvassing is required where you distribute the Watchtower literature, acquire donations, and forward all monies to the headquarters in Brooklyn, New York.

If you ever leave the Jehovah's Witness organization, you are considered an apostate and are to be shunned.
The Watchtower organization of the Jehovah's Witnesses is a non-Christian organization that uses its people to promulgate false doctrines, and collects "contributions" for distribution of a multitudinous amount of literature, and expand its grip into the lives of its members and their families.

It is a non-Christian cult.

A Cult is a Cult

2014-09-16T15:00:00.000-07:00

(Written by Dave Hunt)
The evangelical church today is being seduced as never in its history. It faces a danger so grave that, although we have discussed this problem before, it must be addressed again with new insight and vigour. If evangelicals succumb to the seduction, as they increasingly are doing, then their gospel witness will be submerged in confusion and could eventually be lost—a tragic and new dimension to the apostasy from which the church and the world will never recover. Most astonishing and alarming is the fact that (with few exceptions) evangelical leaders and even the major cult watchers refuse to acknowledge this threat. We are therefore compelled to address the subject once again with renewed concern.

For decades evangelicals have diligently and faithfully attempted to identify, analyse and warn the church against cults. Included in the standard list are Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses, Christian Science, Unity School of Christianity, Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church, etc. Yet the most seductive, dangerous and largest cult (many times larger than all of the rest combined) is not included in the list! Most cult experts refuse to identify this horrendous cult as such! Instead, they accept it as "Christian."

Worst of all, this cult (which preaches a false gospel that is sending hundreds of millions into a Christless eternity) is now embraced as a partner in "evangelizing the world" by many groups which preach the biblical gospel. Major denominations, such as the Anglican and the Episcopalian church, are involved in merger talks with this cult. The Assemblies of God hierarchy has been engaged in "fruitful dialogue" with this cult, whose members are now widely perceived as born-again Christians. As a consequence, the evangelical church faces an unprecedented crisis that threatens its very survival.

The above is a severe, solemn and devastating charge to make—a charge we have documented in the past and in support of which additional evidence will now be given. I challenge any church leader to public debate who declares that this assertion is false. If proven wrong, I will publicly repent. But if this accusation is true, then a major shake-up in the evangelical church is required, including repentance
by many of its most highly regarded leaders. I solicit your help in providing church leaders with the facts they need to identify this cult—facts of which I myself was ignorant years ago when I, too, failed to identify the Roman Catholic Church as the cult it is.

What is a "cult?" In his book, Rise of the Cults, Walter Martin defined cultism as "...any major deviation from orthodox Christianity relative to the cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith." Though unmentioned by Martin, Roman Catholicism is undeniably a "major deviation from orthodox Christianity" on many "cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith," and thus, by his own definition, a cult. Recognition of this fact ignited the Reformation! To deny that Roman Catholicism is a cult is to repudiate the Reformation and mock the millions of martyrs who died at Rome's hands, as though they gave their lives in vain.

But, says someone, since the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), the Roman Catholic Church no longer teaches and practices what it did at the time of the Reformation. That popular idea is false. Rome's foremost theologians met from 1545-63 in the Council of Trent to counter the Reformation. Its Canons and Decrees, which rejected every Reformation doctrine, remain the standard authoritative statement of Roman Catholicism, and adherence thereto is required by Catholic catechisms. Opening Vatican II, Pope John XXIII declared, "I do accept entirely all that has been decided and declared at the Council of Trent." Vatican II went on to reaffirm Trent's Canons and Decrees. No, Rome has not changed since the Reformation—except superficially.

Were Luther, Calvin and the other Reformers alive today, they would denounce Roman Catholicism as the largest and most dangerous cult on earth! Yet the Christian Research Institute (and other counter cult groups) refuses to classify it as a cult. In the above book Martin emphasized that the five major cults at that time had "a following exceeding 8.5 million persons...." Yet he overlooked Roman Catholicism's hundreds of millions!

Mormons must blindly obey Joseph Smith and his successors; Jehovah Witnesses dare not question ‘The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society’; other cultists must submit to their leaders. Such authoritarianism is the primary mark of a cult. The same blind submission is required of all Catholics. Canon 212 of Catholicism's Code of Canon Law requires that Catholics must give absolute obedience to their "sacred pastors." Vatican II states repeatedly that only Catholicism's hierarchy can interpret the Bible and that papal pronouncements must be obeyed without question. Canon 333 (Sec. 3) declares, "There is neither appeal nor recourse against a decision or decree of the Roman Pontiff." Vatican watchdog Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger’s recent 7,500-word "Instruction" declares that dissent about church teachings cannot be "justified as a matter of following one's conscience." No cult demands surrender of mind and conscience more fully or arrogantly than Roman Catholicism.

Roman Catholicism is not only left out of the list of cults by the experts, but it is explicitly approved. For example, in Scripture Twisting, James W. Sire, long time editor-in-chief of Inter Varsity Press, defines a cult as having "doctrines and/or practices that contradict those of the Scriptures as interpreted by traditional Christianity as represented by the major Catholic and Protestant denominations..." (emphasis his) Sire makes Catholicism a standard of orthodoxy against which cults are to be judged! Yet he accuses the cults of twisting Scripture, a technique of which Rome is surely the ultimate master! Sire indicts Mormonism as a cult for adding other revelations to the Bible—but Rome has added far more new revelations to the Bible than the Mormon Church! Sire declares, "There is no guru class in biblical Christianity, no illuminati, no people through whom all proper interpretation must come"—yet that is exactly the situation in the Roman Catholic Church! How, then, does he make it the standard of orthodoxy?!

Consider also The Agony of Deceit published by Moody. Each chapter is written by a leading evangelical about a specific false teaching within today's church. While Agony mostly repeats much that was found in Seduction of Christianity five years earlier, it is another voice issuing many of the same warnings, for which we are thankful. Yet it, too, whitewashes Roman Catholicism. On page 65 it states, "Traditional Roman Catholicism...hold[s] to biblical inerrancy." In fact, Catholicism explicitly denies biblical inerrancy! The next sentence does acknowledge that the "messages [of Protestantism and Catholicism] are poles apart," but moves right on without identifying the vital differences.

Page 111 declares, "The Catholic church resisted the mounting heresies with regard to the Person of Christ, and...Protestants would continue to affirm Catholic Christology." Again, terribly false! Catholicism's Christology is heretical. It denies Christ's exclusive role as mediator between God and man, making Mary "co-mediatrix"; it denies the exclusivity of His redemptive work, making Mary "co-redemptrix" (Vatican II credits Mary with a perpetual "salvific role; she continues to obtain by her constant intercession the graces we need for eternal salvation"); and it denies the sufficiency of His redemptive work, declaring that the redeemed must, in addition to Christ's suffering for them upon the cross, suffer for their own sins here and/or in purgatory, etc. A great deal more heresy is involved in Catholic Christology, such as presenting Him as perpetually an infant or child subject to His mother, perpetually on the cross, but lack of space prevents further detail. The "Christ" of Roman Catholicism is just as false as its "Mary"—as much "another Jesus" as that of Mormonism or any other cult. Let's admit it!

The false portrait of Roman Catholicism persists in Agony. On page 244, after correctly condemning the sale of indulgences which led Martin Luther to nail his 95 theses to the chapel door at Wittenberg's castle, the editor/compiler of Agony, Michael Horton, writes, "It would not be fair, of course, to interpret the entire history and character of Roman Catholicism by this tragic fund-raising scheme...." The implication is that Rome has changed for the better, which is false. Though not sold as blatantly now, indulgences are still an important part of Catholicism's salvation.

The deviation by Catholicism from biblical Christianity goes to the heart of the faith, to salvation itself, and thus affects the eternal destiny of those who are deceived thereby. Roman Catholicism rejects salvation by faith and preaches a false gospel of works that cannot save. Salvation is not in Christ but in the Church through submission to its edicts and sacraments. The Basic Catechism of Christian Doctrine calls the sacraments "the chief means of our salvation."

The first of the seven sacraments is baptism, which is performed upon 98 percent of Catholics as infants. It is declared in Canon 849 to be the means "by which men and women are freed from their sins, are reborn as children of God...." The Basic Catechism declares that baptism "is necessary for salvation ...cleanses us from original sin, makes us Christians...." Another sacrament is the Mass, which the Catechism declares to be "one and the same Sacrifice with that of the Cross, inasmuch as Christ...continues to offer himself...on the altar, through the ministry of his priests." Canon 904 states that "the work of redemption is continually accomplished in the mystery of the Eucharistic Sacrifice," thus denying Christ's triumphant "It is finished!"

Those who believe Rome's lies and follow her gospel of works for salvation are lost. Failing to recognize this fact, many evangelical leaders and cult experts have themselves been deceived by Rome and need to be confronted and informed. How tragic to assume that Catholics are Christians who merely have some peripheral beliefs and practices which seem peculiar to Protestants but which will not prevent them from being saved. A false gospel is a false gospel, and it damns those who believe it, whether preached by Mormonism or Catholicism. A cult is a cult. Roman Catholics, like the members of other cults, need to be treated with compassion, warned of cultic lies, and presented with the true gospel which alone can save them.

To read more about the Catholic Church go to:
http://www.biblebelievers.com/jmelton/Catholic.html
http://cnview.com/on_line_resources/the_truth_about_roman_catholics_final.htm

Why is the resurrection of Jesus Christ important?

2014-04-18T20:40:00.004-07:00

Answer: The resurrection of Jesus is important for several reasons. First, it witnesses to the immense power of God Himself. To believe in the resurrection is to believe in God. If God exists, and if He created the universe and has power over it, He has power to raise the dead. If He does not have such power, He is not a God worthy of our faith and worship. Only He who created life can resurrect it after death, only He can reverse the hideousness that is death itself, and only He can remove the sting that is death and the victory that is the grave’s (1 Corinthians 15:54-55). In resurrecting Jesus from the grave, God reminds us of His absolute sovereignty over life and death.

Second, the resurrection of Jesus is a testimony to the resurrection of human beings, which is a basic tenet of the Christian faith. Unlike all other religions, Christianity alone possesses a founder who transcends death and who promises that His followers will do the same. All other religions were founded by men and prophets whose end was the grave. As Christians, we take comfort in the fact that our God became man, died for our sins, and was resurrected the third day. The grave could not hold Him. He lives, and He sits today at the right hand of God the Father in heaven.

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul explains in detail the importance of the resurrection of Christ. Some in Corinth did not believe in the resurrection of the dead, and in this chapter Paul gives six disastrous consequences if there were no resurrection: 1) preaching Christ would be senseless (v. 14); 2) faith in Christ would be useless (v. 14); 3) all the witnesses and preachers of the resurrection would be liars (v. 15); 4) no one would be redeemed from sin (v. 17); 5) all former believers would have perished (v.18); and 6) Christians would be the most pitiable people on the earth (v. 19). But Christ indeed has risen from the dead and “has become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep” (v. 20), assuring that we will follow Him in resurrection.

The inspired Word of God guarantees the believer's resurrection at the coming of Jesus Christ for His Body (the Church) at the Rapture. Such hope and assurance results in a great song of triumph as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:55, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”

How do these concluding verses relate to the importance of the resurrection? Paul answers, “...you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (v. 58). He reminds us that because we know we will be resurrected to new life, we can suffer persecution and danger for Christ’s sake (vv. 29-31), just as He did. We can follow the example of the thousands of martyrs through history who gladly traded their earthly lives for everlasting life via the resurrection.

The resurrection is the triumphant and glorious victory for every believer. Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose the third day according to the Scripture. And, He is coming again! The dead in Christ will be raised up, and those who remain and are alive at His coming will be changed and receive new, glorified bodies (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Why is the resurrection of Jesus Christ important to salvation? It demonstrated that God accepted Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf. It proves that God has the power to raise us from the dead. It guarantees that those who believe in Christ will not remain dead, but will be resurrected unto eternal life. That is our blessed hope!

Our Resurrection Bodies

2014-01-17T17:34:00.000-08:00

(from Gotquestions.org)
Question: "How will our resurrection body be different from our current body?"

Answer: In his first letter to the church in Corinth, Paul discusses the great differences between our earthly bodies and our resurrected bodies (see 1 Corinthians 15:35-54). Contrasting our earthly bodies with the splendor of our heavenly (resurrected) bodies, Paul says, “The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body” (vv. 42-44, emphasis added). In short, our resurrected bodies are spiritual, imperishable, and raised in glory and power.

Through the first Adam, we received our natural bodies, perfectly suited to an earthly environment. However, they became perishable as a consequence of the Fall. Due to disobedience, mankind became mortal. Aging, deterioration and eventual death now affect all of us. From dust we came, and to dust shall we return (Genesis 3:19; Ecclesiastes 3:20). Our resurrection bodies, on the other hand, will be “raised imperishable.” They will never experience sickness, decay, deterioration, or death. And “when the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable… then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory’” (1 Corinthians 15:54).

As a result of the Fall, we are “sown in dishonor.” We were originally made perfect and in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), but sin has brought dishonor. Yet believers have the promise that our imperfect and dishonored bodies will one day be raised in glory. Freed from the restrictions imposed by sin, our resurrected bodies will be honorable and perfectly suited for pleasing and praising our Creator throughout eternity.

Our current bodies are also characterized by weakness and debility. Our earthly “temples” are undeniably fragile and susceptible to the plethora of diseases that ravage mankind. We are also weakened by sin and temptation. One day, though, our bodies will be raised in power and glory, and we will no longer be subject to the flaws and fragility that pervade life today.

Lastly, our resurrected body will be a spiritual one. Our natural bodies are suited for living in this world, but this is the only realm in which we can live. “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 15:50). After the resurrection we will have a “spiritual body,” perfectly suited for living in heaven. This does not mean that we will be only spirits—spirits do not have bodies—but that our resurrected bodies will not need physical sustenance or depend on natural means of supporting life.

We get a glimpse of what our resurrection bodies will be like when we recall Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances. He still had visible wounds, and His disciples could physically touch Him, yet He was able to travel effortlessly and appear and disappear at will. He could go through walls and doors yet could also eat and drink and sit and talk. Scripture informs us that our “lowly bodies” will be just “like His glorious body” (Philippians 3:21). Indeed, the physical limitations imposed by sin that hindered our ability to fully serve Him on earth will be forever gone, freeing us to praise and serve and glorify Him for eternity.

What are the duties of an elder in the church?

2013-05-17T20:04:00.001-07:00

(from gotqestions.org)
Answer:
The Bible spells out at least five duties and obligations of an elder:

1) The elders help to settle disputes in the church. “While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch of Syria, some men from Judea arrived and began to teach the Christians 'unless you keep the ancient Jewish custom of circumcision taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.' Paul and Barnabas, disagreeing with them, argued forcefully and at length. Finally, Paul and Barnabas were sent to Jerusalem, accompanied by some local believers, to talk to the apostles and elders about this question” (Acts 15:1-2, NLT). The question was raised and forcefully argued, then taken to the apostles and elders for a decision. This passage teaches that elders are decision makers.

2) They pray for the sick. "Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord" (James 5:14). Since the elders have to meet specific qualifications, their lives are godly and therefore the sin in their lives is minimal and is confessed regularly; therefore, they are used to pray for the sick. One of the necessities in prayer is praying for the Lord’s will to be done, and they are expected to do this.

3) They are to watch out for the church in humility. "I exhort the elders who are among you, I being also an elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed. Feed the flock of God among you, taking the oversight, not by compulsion, but willingly; nor for base gain, but readily; nor as lording it over those allotted to you by God, but becoming examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, you shall receive a never-fading crown of glory” (1 Peter 5:1-4). Elders are the designated leaders of the church, and the flock is entrusted to them by God. They are not to lead for the pay or the reward but because of their desire to serve and shepherd the flock.

4) They are to watch out for the spiritual life of the flock. "Yield to those leading you, and be submissive, for they watch for your souls, as those who must give account, that they may do it with joy and not with grief; for that is unprofitable for you" (Hebrews 13:17). This verse does not specifically say “elders,” but it is talking about the church leaders. They are accountable for the spiritual life of the church.

5) They are to spend their time in prayer and teaching the word. "And the Twelve called near the multitude of the disciples and said, ‘It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brethren, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word’” (Acts 6:2-4). This is for the apostles, but we can see from the passage above in #3 that Peter equates himself as an apostle and an elder. From this verse you can also see the difference between the duties of elder and deacon.

Simply put, the elders should be peacemakers, prayer warriors, teachers, leaders by example, and decision makers. They are the preaching and teaching leaders of the church. It is a position to be sought but not taken lightly—read this warning: "Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, for you know that we who teach shall be judged with greater strictness" (James 3:1). The role of elder is not a position to be taken lightly.
Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/duties-elder-church.html#ixzz2Tbqkk2cq

Nice People Go To Hell

2013-05-13T19:08:00.000-07:00

(Written by Grant Phillips)

The title of this article is a tragedy of all tragedies, because it is true. Apostate ministers, ignorance of God’s Word and a “warm, fuzzy, make me feel good” society is providing information that is completely antithetical to the Truth.

I cannot begin to count the times that I have heard someone make a statement that basically states their deceased loved one was with God because …….. (You fill in the blank.) I would keep waiting for, “Because …….. They believed in Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour and asked Him to save them, but that isn’t what is said.” Sad, Sad, Sad!

The Bible says.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

“8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

These are only two verses among many more that make it very clear about what we all must do to be saved. It isn’t rocket science! A child can understand this! Jesus wrote it this simply, so we could all understand!

Then why do they say because, “they were so good,” “they gave so much,” “she raised us well,” “he worked hard to support us,” “he was a good husband,” “she was a great wife,” “they loved everybody,” “they were so well liked,” “they always paid their bills,” “they belonged to the church,” “they were baptized,” “they walked the aisle,” “they headed up all these organizations,” they donated to various organizations?” This list could go on and on and on infinitum, but only one thing is important at this point. Did they put their trust in Jesus Christ to save them? That’s it!

It amazes me that people will rest the eternal destiny of their soul upon what everybody says, except the One who gives them the correct information. That correct information is called the Truth. The Bible says, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)

There you have it! Jesus will tell you the Truth. He even goes on to say that if you want to go to Heaven after you die, He is the only way to get there. We must go through Him by faith or we don’t go at all.

It certainly isn’t up to me, or you, to even attempt to determine if so-and-so is saved when we notice their actions. Christians can be “naughty” too, and the Heavenly Father does discipline His children, unlike most earthly parents of today. Nevertheless, I have seen folks live for the Devil and think they’re okay. They can live for the Devil down here, and live for Jesus in Heaven I guess. Where did that come from?! I don’t know where it came from, but it is widely practiced.

Okay, so I do know where it comes from. Notice this passage.

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” (1 Peter 5:8)

Satan, the Devil, is a roaring lion, and I can assure you he isn’t going hungry. Every day people are dying, good people, and going to hell, because they are being swept up in his lies.

Satan says, “Live any way you want, there is no hell,” “Your good deeds will out-weigh your bad deeds,” “There are many ways to God,” “Blah, blah, blah.” It is all a lie. Only Jesus will tell you the Truth. Listen to Him.

Jesus isn’t out to devour us. Satan is. Jesus is out to save as many as will come to Him. Satan is out to prevent it.

One final thought: are any of us really good? Notice what God has to say about that.

“¹⁰ As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: ¹¹ There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. ¹²They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10-12)

“And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.” (Mark 10:18)

We may think our loved one is now in Heaven with God because they were “good,” but that isn’t what God says. If they are now in Heaven with God, it is because they believed upon His Son Jesus and Jesus saved their soul.

What about Mark 10:18 above? I suppose someone is thinking, “Jesus wasn’t good either. He said so.” That is not what Jesus said. He said, “Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.” Is He not God? Notice what He says in the book of John.

“²⁹ My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. ³⁰ I and my Father are one. [emphasis mine]” (John 10:29-30)

In Mark 10:18 Jesus was trying to get the young man to recognize who was standing right in front of him. He was telling him, “I am God; you must come to the Father through Me.”

If you will read the entire passage of Mark 10:18-22, you will find that this young man was a “good person.” That wasn’t enough though. It didn’t count.

Why did Jesus tell him to sell all he had and give to the poor? Would that save him? No. So why did Jesus tell him this? He told him this to change his heart. The young man was all caught up in his good works and possessions. He loved them more than anything else, and wasn’t ready to give Jesus first place in his life. A “good” person walked away from Jesus that day. I imagine that as Jesus watched him walk away, the young man got smaller and smaller as the distance between them became greater and greater, until he was out of sight. A “good” person walked out into eternity lost.

Nice people go to hell, but they don’t have too.

The Groom Returns For His Bride

2013-01-08T01:37:00.001-08:00

(Written by Kathy Overshiner)

When I was a small child at Christmas time, I would thumb through the pages of the Sears, JC Penny and Montgomery Catalogues. I was looking at the Christmas toys. My eyes would focus on the doll section and one particular doll. I admired the beautiful bride doll. My heart was set on this doll. There was a time that I had to leave during the middle of school as I was ill and I had to go to my great grandmother’s for her to take care of me until it was time to go home. During my visit with my great grandmother, she took me to her neighbor. This lady made dolls. I was taken into her crafts room and to my surprise the room was filled completely of dolls. It was a little girls dream. On each wall there were many shelves that went to almost the ceiling and on each self, there were dolls that lined it. But once again, my eyes and heart focused on the bride doll. There was only one there. A year or two later, my great grandmother asked my parents if she could see me. So my folks took me to her. She was by then in a wheel chair. She told me she had something for me that I had wanted. She looked for it, but she could not find it. The only thing that I remember wanting was the bride doll. I never was told what she had wanted to give me. I am left with the mystery, was it the bride doll I had been waiting for?

There is also a mystery foretold of the rapture of believers, Jesus coming for his bride-the church. It is likened to a Jewish wedding in which after the betrothal, the groom would return to his father’s house to prepare the wedding chamber. Because the groom could return for his bride unexpectedly, the bride had to be ready at all times. When the groom returned, he would take the bride back to his father’s house and be closed in the chambers for seven days. When they emerged, a great wedding feast would be celebrated, Matthew 25: 1-13; Matthew 24: 36-44; Matthew 24. As the groom waited for his father to prepare the wedding chamber, and give his okay to go take his bride, so too only the Father knows when the time of Christ’s return for his bride the church saints. Jesus statements of his coming have a double reference to his coming in the first stage, the rapture of the church, and the second stage his coming after the tribulation.

John 14:3 And I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going. Revelation 3:10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. John 14: 1-4; Luke 12: 35-36.

The word “rapture” is derived from the Latin word “raptu,” which means “caught away or caught up.” This Latin word is equivalent to the Greek word “harpazo translated as caught up. 1 Thessalonians 4:17;

1 Corinthians 15: 51-53 Listen, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” This refers to the catching up of the church (believers) from the earth to meet the Lord in the air. It involves the faithful of Christ’s churches. Believers will be united with loved ones who died in Christ. They will be removed from all distress. 2 Corinthians 5:2, 4; Philippians 3:21. Christ will deliver us from the coming wrath. 1 Thessalonians 1: 10 And to wait for his son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead-Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.

1Thessalonians 4:14-18 Paul inspires us with hope and for us to encourage each other and tells us not to prepare for martyrdom during the time of “the day of the Lord,” tribulation but by telling us about the rapture, and knowing this, we will be encouraged.

1 Thessalonians 5: 1-6 Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you brothers are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like the others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self- controlled.

Like a thief in the night is a metaphor and means that the time of the Day of the Lord when it begins is uncertain and unexpected. There is no way that one can date the timing of the Lord’s returning for the church. Peace and safety- it is the unbeliever who will be saying peace and safety. This may mean the world is expecting hope and peace when the day of the Lord and its world- wide distress will suddenly come upon them dashing all hope of peace and safety. The day will not overtake faithful believers like a thief. Believers are appointed to receive salvation, not wrath, they will be alert and self- controlled , living in faith, love and righteousness. I do believe that believers will be taken out in the rapture. Just as Noah and Lot were protected, so will the believers. Enoch was raptured out and can be likened to the church just before Noah’s time. Noah and Lot were protected and can be likened to some of the tribulation saints during the tribulation that will be protected. What groom would beat up his bride, and afterwards take her for his wife? It would not make common sense for the Lord to abuse his bride and then take her for his own.

Titus 2:13 While we wait for the blessed hope- the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

There are obvious signs all about us that we have entered the end days. Israel is compared often to the fig tree and on May 14, 1948 Israel became a sovereign nation. Prophecy had come true. In June 1967, Jerusalem was regained by the Jews in the six day war. Jerusalem remained under gentile rule 1,897 years and the gentile age ended June 1967.

Romans 13: 12-14 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. We all must be spiritually ready and put aside our deeds of darkness and repent, accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior for forgiveness of sins, and enter in fellowship with our Lord.

The Apple Of God’s Eye

2012-11-15T16:44:00.002-08:00

(Written by Grant Phillips)

“For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.” (Zechariah 2:8)

“And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3)

“For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.” (Deuteronomy 14:2)

Our country, the United States of America, has always been a supporter of the nation of Israel, until this current administration. Never, in its short modern history has Israel and its leaders been treated with such disrespect; such outright contempt, by a “friend.” If we were descendants of Ishmael it could be expected, but we are not.

Our forefathers set the foundation of this country upon the Word of God, and for generations we, as a whole, have respected that Word and loved His chosen nation Israel. But guess what, we don’t want God in our lives anymore. We care not for His Word, and our hearts have turned to stone toward Him and the “apple of His eye.” Thanks to our new found Godlessness, we have cast our bread upon the waters and our profits are going down the tube. We have become fools.

“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.” (Psalms 14:1)

Israel is precious to Almighty God, the apple [pupil] of His eye. He is simply saying, “You touch my chosen nation Israel. You poke me in the eye.”

God called Israel a “peculiar people,” and he did not mean oddball. He is saying that Israel is specially chosen by Him. They are the nation He called out from among all the other nations, and he holds them in the strength of His own hands.

Try harming lion cubs and see what mama lioness does. When it rains in the barnyard, mama hen covers her chicks with her wings to keep them dry. Take a walk back through history and see what happened to those nations who struck out against Israel.

Even when God allowed other nations to strike Israel, He did so to bring her back to Him, and He also dealt with those nations severely. Even in modern times, consider what happened to Germany. Take a stroll through the book of Revelation and comprehend what God is going to do to all nations of this earth who afflict the apple of his eye. It isn’t a pretty sight.

I’m sure most of us saw the fiasco at the Democratic National Convention. Obama and company wanted no part of God on the program. That also included not recognizing Jerusalem as the legitimate capital of Israel. But alas! Obama would lose some votes! “Put them back! Put them back!” Well, they voted God back in (as if He would want any part of it anyway) and also included recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, but did you listen carefully to the voice vote? My wife and I listed very carefully. As a matter of fact, we kept rewinding, and playing it back, over and over. It was very clear, no doubt in our minds, the majority did not, I repeat did “not” want to restore these two “slight” omissions. Anyway, for the sake of Obama’s votes, the majority was overruled, and these two “omissions” were restored to the platform. Sigh! “Whew! That was close!” What a bunch of phony jackals!

If that weren’t enough, Obama has decided he doesn’t have time to meet with Benjamin Netanyahu this month, the Israeli Prime Minister. He has more important things to do. Yeah, I can think of two of them; campaigning and another round of golf (which is well over 100 trips since he has been President).

Folks, we need to seriously consider voting for someone who strongly supports the nation Israel and only one of the three candidates fits this description.

Recall that the majority of the Democratic delegates did not want to restore God and Jerusalem/Israel to the platform. I pray that is not the case with those who say they are Christians.

I may not always agree with some things that Israel does, such as their continual rejection of their own God, but God can deal with that, and He is doing so. I love Israel as a nation and the people who compose that nation, and I’m sure you do too. These dear people have given us the greatest gift of all; i.e. the knowledge of the one true God, and I am ever so grateful for that.

Union And Fellowship Expanded

2012-10-09T17:36:00.003-07:00

(Written by Jack Kelley)
I’m frequently asked why I believe we should continue confessing our sins after being born again, since all our sins are already forgiven. People who ask point out that 1 John 1:9 is the only place this is mentioned and if it was so important wouldn’t Jesus have taught it?

Well it turns out 1 John 1:9 isn’t the only place confession is mentioned for believers and as a matter of fact Jesus did teach it. But before we get into that, let’s review what I call the two sided nature of our relationship with the Lord so you can see where the idea came from in the first place.

Union And Fellowship
I call one side Union. It’s eternal and unconditional, based only on our belief in the Lord.Ephesians 1:13-14 describes our Union with God, sealed and guaranteed. Once we’re born again, we can’t become unborn. We’re His forever. The Holy Spirit is sealed within us from our first moment of belief until the day of redemption to guarantee that. 2 Cor. 1:21-22 is even clearer, saying it’s God who makes us stand, and that he’s put His mark of ownership on us as well as sealing His Spirit in our hearts. In 1 Cor. 6:19-20Paul wrote, “You are not your own; you were bought at a price.” God purchased us with the blood of Jesus and then He put His mark on us. You could say after He bought us He branded us, like a rancher brands his cattle, as proof of ownership. We’re His forever. We’ve covered these verses many times in support of the Bible’s promise of eternal security.

I call the other side Fellowship and it’s a bit more complicated. Fellowship is that state of closeness to God that enables Him to bless us in our daily lives in the here and now, both by protecting us from enemy attacks and by making good things happen for us (Romans 8:28). It’s like He’s taken our side to give us a supernatural advantage.

Fellowship is defined by 1 John 1:8-9 as being both earthly and conditional upon our behavior. Even as believers, as long as we’re here on Earth we’ll continue to sin (Romans 7:18-20). Since God can’t abide the presence of sin (Habakkuk 1:13), our unconfessed sins can interrupt our earthly relationship with Him and deprive us of blessings we might have otherwise received. Because of our Union with God we’ll still be saved in the eternal sense, but here on Earth we’ll be out of Fellowship. And when we’re out of Fellowship, we have to make it on our own while being legitimate targets for our enemy’s mischief. The remedy is to confess when we sin so we can be restored.

One reason that many Christians live such defeated lives is that having only learned about the Union part of being a believer, they only know that God has forgiven their sins and that they’ll go to be with Him when they die or are raptured. They don’t realize that they still need regular confession to stay in Fellowship here in the mean time.

Now by defeated lives, I mean they lack the spiritual success all Christians are promised (John 10:10). They might be doing all right from a worldly perspective, although many are deprived even of that, but their lives do not reflect the Spiritual well being for which there is no substitute in worldly living. Nor do they feel the sense of peace and satisfaction that we all desire.

Where Did This Idea Come From?
Union and Fellowship are not just New Testament ideas. Consider the plight of Job, a man of God and the main character in the oldest book of the Bible. He was such a good man that God bragged to Satan about him. But he was not perfect. His sin was self-righteousness and what he said to his friends proves it.

“Although I am blameless, I have no concern for myself; I despise my own life.” (Job 9:21).

(Speaking to God) “Does it please you to oppress me, to spurn the work of your hands … though you know that I am not guilty?” Job 10:3,7

(To his friends again)“I have become a laughingstock to my friends, though I called upon God and he answered— a mere laughingstock, though righteous and blameless!” (Job 12:4).

I will maintain my righteousness and never let go of it; my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live. (Job 27:6).
In addition all 41 verses of Job 31 are devoted to Job giving evidence of his righteousness.

Because he wouldn’t confess his sin, he was out of fellowship. When asked to do so, God had to let Satan afflict him in order to bring him to his senses. Once Job confessed(Job 42:1-6), he was restored (Job 42:10-17). Even though he was the most righteous man on Earth, Job still had to confess to be restored to fellowship with God.

Later, in Old Covenant times, the priests had to sacrifice a lamb on the altar every morning and every evening for the sins of the people. Even though God was dwelling among them and providing for all their needs, the Israelites still had to perform a twice daily sacrifice for sin to stay in His good graces.

1 John 1:9 is the New Testament equivalent of those daily sacrifices for sin. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

This verse was written for believers who are forever saved, but are in danger of being out of Fellowship because of their sins. When we confess in faith, we’re immediately forgiven and purified from all unrighteousness.

This is the real underlying issue of Hebrews 6:4-6. We know this because in the preceding verses the writer said he was leaving elementary teachings about Christ and going on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, etc (Hebrews 6:1-3). This alone tells us he wasn’t talking about our salvation in verses 4-6.

The key is the phrase “renew again to repentance” in verse 6. Jewish believers were being pressured into keeping the law, especially where it concerned the sacrifice for sin. Those who relied on sacrificial lambs instead of confessing directly to God were in effect crucifying the Lord all over again, since He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). The daily sacrifice was a foreshadowing of Him, and when He came the shadow gave way to the reality. The old way was no longer sufficient to restore them to fellowship. All a believer needs to do now is offer a prayer of confession to be purified from his or her unrighteousness.

What Did Jesus Say?
The Lord had quite a bit to say about this. For example, at the end of His teaching on the Lord’s prayer, He said, “If you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matt. 6:14-15). In Matt. 6:9 Jesus said to begin our prayers with the salutation “Our Father” and in verses 14 and 15 He called God “your heavenly father” and “your father”.

John 1:12-13 says only we who receive the Lord and believe in His name have the authority to become children of God, and therefore to call Him Father. Romans 8:15-16and Galatians 4:4-6 confirm this. That makes the Lord’s Prayer a prayer for believers only. But if we’re believers we’ve already been forgiven, so how could Jesus warn us that our Father would not forgive our sins unless we forgive everyone who sins against us? No where in Scripture are we commanded to forgive everyone else before we can ask for our own salvation. We have only to believe we’re sinners and that the Lord died for our sins and rose again to ask for and receive eternal life.

The answer can be found in Matt. 18:21-35, the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant. It’s about a king who, in the process of settling his accounts with his servants, discovered a servant who owed more than he could possibly pay. The King ordered that the servant, his wife and children and everything they owned be sold to pay off the debt. The servant begged for mercy and for the time he would need to find a way to pay everything back. The king took pity on him and canceled the debt entirely.

As the servant was leaving he came across a fellow servant who owed him a few dollars. He immediately demanded payment. When the fellow servant begged for patience, he refused and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay off the full amount.

Other servants heard about this and told the king what had happened. The king was enraged because he had forgiven his servant everything, and now the servant refused to forgive a fellow servant even a little thing. He had the forgiven servant turned over to the jailer to be tortured until he could pay off his debt to the king.

Jesus ended the parable by saying, “This is how My Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart” (Matt. 18:35).

Parables have been called heavenly stories placed in an earthly context. They’re meant to teach a divine truth in a way that earth bound humans can understand it. Every character and major component of the parable is symbolic of something else. In this parable the King represents the Lord, the servants are you and me, the debt is our accumulated sin, and the jailer is Satan.

We’ve been forgiven everything, but when we refuse to forgive each other even a little thing it creates a debt of sin that suspends our relationship with the Lord until we repay the debt. We don’t stop being one of His children (the servant wasn’t discharged or sold) but during that time we’re out of fellowship with the Lord. We may not receive blessings that would otherwise be ours and like Job we can even be open to attack. But thanks to what the Lord has done for us, we can repay the debt by confessing our sin. Sincere confession purifies us from all unrighteousness and restores us to Fellowship.

Now let’s look at the parable of the Prodigal Son. (Luke 15:11-32) Seeking a life of independence from his father, the Prodigal Son left his father’s house and struck out on his own. He had soon squandered his wealth in wild living and would have happily traded places with one of his father’s hired hands. Swallowing his pride, he returned to his father’s house where he confessed and was immediately restored. While He was away, he never stopped being his father’s son (Union), but during that time there was no communication and he didn’t receive any of the blessings that might have been his had he remained in his father’s house (Fellowship).

Like the Prodigal Son, we still belong to our Father’s family while we’re out of Fellowship with Him, but there won’t be any communication and we won’t receive the blessings we might have otherwise had. And like the Prodigal, when we return to our Father and confess our sins, we’re immediately purified from all unrighteousness and restored to Fellowship.

Since Paul clearly taught that our salvation is guaranteed from the moment we believe, we also have to understand that all his teaching on proper Christian living was to help us stay in fellowship with God and was not meant to imply that keeping our salvation requires that we maintain a certain standard of behavior. This thought is beautifully summarized in Phil. 3:16 where he said, “Let us live up to what we have already attained.”

Why Do We Resist?
Since the penalty for all the sins of our life is already paid (Colossians 2:13-14) and therefore there is no more condemnation for us (Romans 8:1), why do many believers resist the idea of confessing when they sin? Don’t they know forgiveness is automatic? What’s the problem?

One reason is lack of knowledge. Most people have never been taught about this. They’ve learned how to be saved, which brings Union with God, but they haven’t learned about the importance of staying in Fellowship with Him. Paul taught that becoming a believer is only step one in achieving an intimate relationship with God. It’s what qualifies us to become one of His children, but many, many more blessings are available to those who go on to live victorious lives (1 Cor. 9:24-27). Along the way we stumble repeatedly, and when we do confession wipes the slate clean again and it’s like our stumbling never happened.

But there’s also a fair amount of pride contained in our fallen human state. Having to repeatedly admit to being a sinner can be embarrassing even when we’re only admitting it to God who already knows all about us and saved us anyway. That pride itself is a sin that interrupts our fellowship.

And finally, at least in the US, there are still many believers who have it too good to even realize they’re out of fellowship. They judge themselves the way others judge them, by worldly standards, and think they’re OK. They never stop to consider their lack of spiritual wealth.

Jesus was warning us about being out of fellowship when He said, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). He said if we don’t remain in Him, we’ll be like a withered branch, unfruitful, no matter what we think we’ve accomplished. At the Bema Seat judgment believers like this will discover that whatever worldly success they achieved is meaningless in the Kingdom, and their life as a believer is mostly devoid of eternal value.

What’s The Point?
Because of our unbreakable Union with God we never have to worry about losing our salvation. Nor do we have to wonder if we’ll be included in the rapture. But to make our relationship with Him here on Earth as good as it can be and to accomplish all that He desires of us requires that we confess when we sin so that we never find ourselves out of Fellowship with Him.

Confessing when we sin is like apologizing to a loved one. You know you’ll be forgiven but you feel bad about disappointing someone you love and want to make sure you’ve restored the relationship to its previous condition. Confession. It really is good for the soul.

We Will Have A New Body

2012-08-12T20:10:00.000-07:00

(Written by Grant Phillips)
One of the most exciting Scripture passages in the Bible is written by the Apostle Paul and found in 1 Corinthians 15:35-58. For your convenience, I will include this passage below in the New Living Translation (NLT).

The Resurrection Body

³⁵But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?” ³⁶ What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first. ³⁷ And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting. ³⁸ Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed. ³⁹ Similarly there are different kinds of flesh—one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.
⁴⁰ There are also bodies in the heavens and bodies on the earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the glory of the earthly bodies. ⁴¹ The sun has one kind of glory, while the moon and stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each other in their glory.
⁴² It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. ⁴³ Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. ⁴⁴ They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.

⁴⁵ The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.” But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit. ⁴⁶ What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later. ⁴⁷ Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. ⁴⁸ Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man. ⁴⁹ Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like the heavenly man.

⁵⁰ What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever.

⁵¹ But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! ⁵² It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. ⁵³ For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.

⁵⁴ Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:“Death is swallowed up in victory.

⁵⁵ O death, where is your victory?O death, where is your sting?”

⁵⁶ For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. ⁵⁷ But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁵⁸ So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

Now if that doesn’t get your heart pumping, nothing will. Every child of God can rejoice in these verses and eagerly anticipate a new perfect body like our Lord’s. Death may take our body to the grave, but death has no victory or sting over us. The Lord said through the prophet Hosea,

“I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.” (Hosea 13:14)

There is not a person among us who is not familiar with some kind of physical weakness in our earthly bodies. The hospitals and nursing homes are filled with those whose bodies are in chronic condition, perhaps dying. Sin has wreaked havoc on these mortal bodies, and will continue to do so until Jesus brings it all to an end.

Many of my loved ones, and yours, have succumbed to the disintegration of their bodies to the point of death, but that will be no more.

So far, I am a fairly healthy 65 year old. Some arthritis is starting to set in, and I tire much easier than when I was younger, but that is just a natural process of aging. In my new body there will be no aches and pains and I will not tire out. All of us will be perfectly healthy and capable of doing things that would not be possible in these earthly bodies.

Paul explains the necessity of our dying in order that our new body can be provided for us, as a seed that goes into the ground and comes up as a glorified product of its own kind. He also states, if you notice, that some will not die, but will be transformed (verse 51). He is referring to the Rapture.

Just think of any vegetable, flower, shrub or tree you choose and look at what comes from a small seed that is buried in the ground. The finished product is nothing like the seed that was buried. To the contrary, it is a totally different product of what it started out being. It is much more beautiful, much more productive in its final state. So will be our new bodies.

Why will Jesus give us new bodies? These earthly bodies cannot exist anywhere but on earth. For us to traverse the universes to our final destination in the Father’s house, we must have a body that is capable of that feat. Our earthly bodies are laden down with sin, so He gives us a new body that is without sin. We are made holy and pure not just in spirit, but also in our new heavenly bodies. A fish cannot exist on land, and humans cannot exist away from the earth in heavenly spaces, but with a heavenly body, we can.

The New Jerusalem will be our home with the Lord Jesus Christ. The new earth will be our field of service as will the entire universe. We will traverse the heavens in our glorified bodies, performing whatever work our Lord assigns us. We won’t need telescopes, spaceships and space suits to behold the glory of God’s creation. We will reign with God on high in whatever position he gives us.

Instead of a broken down body that dies with age, we will be eternal in a heavenly body that will never know the aging process. There will be no aches and pains. There will be no broken hearts. There will be no sinful thoughts and deeds. All will be perfect, because Jesus has transformed us in body, soul and spirit to be in the family of the one and only true God. We will not be gods, of course, but we will have His cloak of righteousness forever upon us. We will live in peace and harmony with all that is around us and actually walk with God, as Adam and Eve before the fall. However, unlike Adam and Eve, we will not be confined to earth or have to worry about being tempted by Satan or his forces. They will have already been put away for good.

We may enter a room without opening the door if we choose. We may eat if we choose. We will know our loved ones, and know all who live among us in the Heavenly kingdom.

It is my opinion that God will erase from our minds those we loved on earth who did not come to Him through His Son Jesus, and are not with us in Heaven.

Unbelievers call this our day-dreaming of “pie in the sky,” but the Word of God, which cannot lie, confirms this will be more real than anything we know now. Look up, for it may not be long now, until He calls us home.

Get behind me Satan

2012-07-31T17:53:00.000-07:00

(Written by Jack Kelley)
He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” (Mark 8:31-33)

In Matthew's version of this exchange we can read what Peter said to cause such a strong response. His reaction to the Lord's prophecy had been, “Never, Lord! This shall never happen to you!” (Matt. 16:22. It was an emotional statement, made on the spur of the moment out of a desire to protect the Lord from harm, and spoken with pure motives. You or I might have said something like, “Over my dead body!”

Although the Lord's response was strong in the extreme it wasn't off the top of His head like Peter's had been. Remember, Jesus could not say anything on His own. Instead, He explained, “Whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say” (John 12:50).

Was Jesus saying that no matter how well intended or pure of motive, if what we say doesn't conform to the will of God, but instead reflects the desires of men, then it's really from Satan? Let's find out.
The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned (1 Cor. 2:14).

During their time with the Lord, the disciples often seemed like they just didn't get it. More than once, He appeared to have exhausted His patience with them. Matt. 15:1-20 is a good example. Some Pharisees had criticized Jesus because the disciples didn't perform the traditional ceremonial hand washing before eating. Jesus responded by pointing out instances where their traditions contradicted God's Law. He called them hypocrites and said it's not what goes into a man's mouth that makes him unclean, but what comes out of it. When the disciples told Him the Pharisees were offended by His comments, Jesus told them a parable about the blind leading the blind.

Peter didn't understand and asked Jesus to explain the parable. “Are you still so dull?” Jesus exclaimed, and then told them how things that go into our mouth go to our stomach and then out of our body, but things that come out of our mouth come from our heart, and include evil thoughts of all kinds. These are what make us unclean, He said, not eating food with unwashed hands.

And in the very next chapter of Matthew, they completely misunderstood His reference to the “yeast” of the Pharisees. Although He had recently created enough bread out of thin air to feed multitudes of people, they thought He was saying they didn't bring any bread.

Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. (Matt. 16:8-12)

Even after the resurrection, some did not understand. On the road to Emmaus after listening to two disciples sorrowfully recounting the events that culminated in His crucifixion, Jesus said, “How foolish you are and slow to comprehend all the prophets have spoken.” While they walked along together He explained all the Old Testament prophecies concerning His death and resurrection (Luke 24:13-27).

Then we learn that the disciples didn't receive the Holy Spirit until the evening that followed the Lord's resurrection (John 20:22). Even three years of daily teaching by the Lord Himself couldn't substitute for this gift. Peter's sermons in Acts 2:14-41 and Acts 3:11-26 show the remarkable difference the Holy Spirit can make in a person.

From this we can see that it shouldn't surprise us when unbelievers can't understand God's word. After all we couldn't understand it before we became believers either. But that doesn't necessarily mean that the person with the Holy Spirit will immediately understand all the things of God, and automatically yield his or her will to the will of God like the disciples did. It means that unlike non-believers we have been given the potential to understand the things of God and follow his will for us. But to realize this potential we have to allow the Spirit of God to retrain our minds.

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephes. 4:22-24)
Paul made it clear that this is something we have to decide to do. We have to put off our old self, that's been steeped in the ways of the world, and put on our new self, the new creation we became when we accepted the Lord's death as payment for our sins (2 Cor. 5:17). We have to be made new in the attitude of our mind.

An attitude is simply a habit of thought. As non-believers we all developed habits in the way we think. We acquired them from exposure to the world around us, and since the whole world is under the control of the evil one (1 John 5:19), many of the attitudes we formed are in opposition to the things of God, and they didn't go away just because we became believers.
We have to make a choice to exchange our old worldly attitudes for new Godly ones. And even with the indwelling Holy Spirit, this takes time and it takes practice. Remember, He's only here to guide us into all truth (John 16:13), not to control us. That's why He's called the counselor instead of the commander. We still have to make the choice to allow Him to change the way we think. The reason so many believers today still live the same way and want the same things as they did before they were saved is they haven't made this choice, and therefore the Holy Spirit can't change them (Matt. 13:22).

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2-4)

Offering our body as a living sacrifice means choosing to live in a manner pleasing to God in gratitude for the priceless gift of salvation. Renewing our mind means rejecting any worldly attitudes that aren't consistent with God's word and replacing them with those that are.
In 1 Cor. 6:19-20 Paul reminded us that we are no longer our own, but have been bought at a price. According to 1 Peter 1:18-19, that price was not silver or gold but the precious blood of Christ, and when we agreed with God to let it constitute payment in full for our sins, He put His seal of ownership on us and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come (2 Cor. 1:22). We belong to Him now, and nothing can change that.

The world tells us we're free to choose what ever lifestyle, vocation, and world view we want. But Paul said to experience the full benefit of God's will for us, we should not blindly conform to the world's patterns, but instead should yield our lives to Him, and allow Him to give us the abundant life He desires for us (John 10:10). There's no real sacrifice involved here, because when we delight ourself in the Lord, He will give us the desire of our heart (Psalm 37:4). Most people never realize their heart's true desire, but sooner or later settle for much less. It's only those who delight in Him who can look forward with assurance to getting it all.

Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:13-16)

So ultimately everything that's not from God really is from Satan. Even the things of this world that we think we've freely chosen are really only an illusion, because if they're not drawing us toward God they're drawing us toward His enemy. There is no independent position. For example, do we really believe that by excluding God from our society we've gained more freedom for ourselves? Or does the evidence around us point to the conclusion that we've only acquired a different master, one who does not have our best interests at heart. Having abandoned God are we not conforming to the evil desires men had when they lived in ignorance of Him?

Look around you. Are we healthier? Are we happier? Are we more secure? Are our children better off? Can they look forward to a life of opportunity and promise? Can we trust our elected officials not to betray us? Have the prospects for the future improved? Is there any evidence at all that life is better in a society that's breaking free of God? People ask me if I think it's too late for the US, but I think a better question would be, “Is it too late for the world?”

King David had our day in view when he prophesied,
Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.
“Let us break their chains,” they say, “and throw off their fetters.”

The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, “I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill.” (Psalm 2:1-6)
While this prophecy will see its ultimate fulfillment in the Battle of Armageddon, it's reasonable to conclude that the world is already in open rebellion against God. Can His wrath be far behind?

1 Peter 1:13-16 contains good advice for us upon whom the end of the age has come. We're to prepare our minds for action, be self-controlled, and set our hope fully on the grace to be given us when Jesus Christ is revealed. To me this means get ready to leave, don't panic, and trust in the Lord's promise to rescue us before His wrath comes crashing down (1 Thes. 1:10).

We're to turn away from the evil desires of this world and be holy, as the One who called us is holy, not depending on the world to somehow right itself without God, but staying focused on His plan for our future instead.
Remember, holiness is not a function of behavior, it's a function of purpose. To be holy is to be set apart for God, and the clear message of the Bible is that God's people are to be set apart from the world. We're not to conform to its ways (Romans 12:2) or be deceived by its promises (Matt. 13:22) or store up its treasures (Matt. 6:19). We've been redeemed from the world and set apart for Him. Although for a little while we're still in the world, we're not of the world (John 18:36). Our citizenship is in Heaven (Phil. 3:20) and our destiny is to dwell there. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal (2 Cor. 4:18). Anything less is not having in mind the things of God but the things of men.

Hermeneutics

2012-06-17T01:58:00.001-07:00

“God is a spirit and all his words are spiritual. His literal sense is spiritual.”William Tyndale 1494–1536¹

“It shall greatly help ye to understand Scripture, If thou mark Not only what is spoken or written, But of whom, And to whom, With what words, At what time, Where, To what intent, With what circumstances, Considering what goeth before And what followeth.” John Wycliffe (1324-1384) or Myles Coverdale (1488-1569)

Hermeneutics is the art and science of interpretation. The key factor for a hermeneutic is that it have rigor, discipline, and consistency. How we approach language is foundational to how we determine meaning. Language is of two sorts; it is either figurative or literal. Meaningful understanding of this subject is dependent upon specific examples in order that the reader may comprehend when a passage is interpreted. For this reason, specific examples (passages) are examined. An example of literal (or normal) meaning is the following passage by Matthew:

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, …” (Matthew 2.1).

This is a simple historical statement. The literal or normal meaning and interpretation is that Jesus was born in a place called Bethlehem (a real geographical place) when Herod (a historical personage who reigned in a real time) was king (a real position) over Judea (a real geographical place). By means of such a statement, Matthew rooted Jesus’ birth in a real place in a real time. Contrast Matthew’s literal statement to the following by Jesus:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep” (John 10.7).

We understand that Jesus was not saying that He was a literal, wooden door in a sheep pen. We understand that he was using a figure of speech (cf. John 10.6), a metaphor. But even though He used figurative language he communicated a literal truth, namely, that He is the entrance way for salvation. Just as a wooden door is the entrance to a house or to a sheep pen, Jesus is the “door”, i.e. entrance through whom God and salvation is found. Jesus was not talking about animals, i.e. sheep, but human beings–Jews.

Almost all communication is literal. Think about daily conversations. We talk about going out to dinner, watching a movie, what our children are doing, ongoing projects, what we’re reading, what’s going on at church, politics, sports, our job etc. These communications are literal. Were it not so, we would find it impossible to communicate. We employ conventions regularly in speech without thinking of them as such. A new car is called a “nice set of wheels”. We use expressions such as, “She’s the apple of his eye”. In doing so we understand that we’re talking about a whole car and not just its wheels. We know that someone’s eye does not have an apple in it but that the apple stands as an object of appeal and favor. Figurative language is, in most cases, readily understood as such by its context. It can also be identified by the kind of literature. For example, poetry lends itself to figurative language. But what is essential is to remember that figurative language always communicates literal truth. When Isaiah penned the poetic line,

“All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field” (Isaiah 40.6).

we understand we are mortal. The literal truth is not that flesh is grass–that makes no sense–but that human beings have a temporal life upon the earth. Isaiah conveyed literal truth through figurative language.

Most difficulties arise in interpreting the Scriptures from neglecting a passages’ context. The guiding principle of sound interpretation is to take a passage literally (that is, in its normal sense) unless strong reasons are present not to do so. Without such discipline, interpretation of a passage becomes so elastic that it can mean almost anything. The result is erroneous or ridiculous interpretations. Following the rule cited above by Tyndale and Wycliffe, the interpreter needs to ask the following questions: To whom was a passage written? What did it mean to it’s audience? When was it written? Under what circumstances was it written? What was the historical context? How does the passage compare with other passages the writer has written? What light do other passages shed on it? Other questions pertinent to interpretation include: What knowledge do the original languages shed on the passage? Do cognate languages offer insight into the meaning of the passage? What customs were in place? Are idioms or conventions present? Does archaeology shed linguistic or historical light on the passage? These are some of the many factors an interpreter must consider to determine meaning.

An example of interpretive confusion concerns the meaning of David’s throne. Great controversy has resulted about this subject. The controversy is whether Jesus will occupy David’s throne literally in a future day or whether he is occupying it now figuratively or symbolically. A literal or normal reading of the Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7.8-17), indicates that God promised to establish the throne of David forever. The Davidic Covenant was unconditional. God made the promise to David sovereignly without qualification or consideration of the failures and weaknesses of men and promised that David’s house, throne, and kingdom would endure forever. We know from history that no son of David occupied the throne of Israel since the time of Nebuchadnezzar. We also know that both Mary and Joseph were members of the tribe of Judah and descendants in the royal line of David. The angel Gabriel announced to Mary that God would give her son the throne of David. He said,

“He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end” (Luke 1.32-33).

A normal reading of the prophecy is that God would give Mary’s son, Jesus, the Davidic throne. His reign would be over the house of Jacob, i.e., Israel, and it would last forever. Thus, the promise was wholly and totally Jewish. How would Mary have interpreted the words of the angel? She would have remembered the David covenant and the prophecies that had been made for hundreds of years that promised Israel a Messiah-King who would reign.

The context indicates that Gentiles or the Church were not in view. An interpretation that denies this is an erroneous interpretation. Jesus was a Jew. He was from the tribe of Judah and his ancestor was King David. Herod occupied David’s throne during Jesus’ time on earth. Herod was not from the tribe of Judah. Herod was a Gentile, an Idumean. Jesus never occupied David’s throne during his life on earth. Is he now sitting on it? Can one visit Jerusalem and find Jesus sitting on a throne there? No, Jesus is seated presently at the right hand of his Father’s throne (Psalm 110.1). Therefore, we can conclude that the prophetic promise awaits fulfillment. A future day remains in which Jesus will rule from Jerusalem on David’s throne and fulfill God’s promise to David as reiterated to Mary (Daniel 7.14; Zechariah 14.9; Isaiah 9.6-7, 16.5;Jeremiah 33.17, 20-22, etc.).

Some maintain this throne is not literal but symbolic. This is where one’s hermeneutic comes in. What is the normal reading of the passage? Those who maintain that the throne is symbolic have abandoned the discipline of a literal, grammatical, and historical hermeneutic. The question we must always address is “Do the Scriptures govern theology or does theology govern the Scriptures?” If the former, then we have an inductive, scientific method of interpretation with rigor and discipline. If the latter, then we have a deductive system in which the Scriptures become so elastic that the interpreter can mold them to mean whatever he wishes. That is what has happened in most of Christendom.

The Davidic Covenant was prophetic. How were other prophecies associated with Jesus fulfilled? Were they fulfilled literally or figuratively? Were they types? For example, were his garments parted? Did soldiers cast lots for them? Literally or figuratively? Was he betrayed literally for 30 pieces of silver? Did his disciples literally forsake Him? Did Jesus literally die for us? Or was his death only figurative or symbolic? Did Jesus literally rise from the dead or did he rise only figuratively or symbolically? Some maintain a figurative interpretation for Jesus’ resurrection–that Jesus rose in the hearts of his believers but did not rise literally, physically. The answers are obvious. The above prophecies and many others were fulfilled literally. If we follow a consistent grammatical, historical interpretative method, then a interpretation that maintains that Jesus is now occupying the Davidic throne in heaven is nonsense. The Scriptures are clear that a future day remains in which Jesus will reign from David’s throne in Jerusalem as the King of the Jews.

Another example of interpretive confusion regards the events that took place at Pentecost as recorded in Acts. At Pentecost, Peter told his audience that they had crucified their Messiah. His words pierced their hearts and they responded to his message and asked him what they should do. Peter told them to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2.38) and that they would receive the promise of the Holy Spirit. He then went on to say,

“For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God shall call to Himself” (Acts 2.39).

In Peter’s second sermon he spoke similar words,

“And likewise, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and his successors onward, also announced these days. It is you who are the sons of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘AND IN YOUR SEED ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH SHALL BE BLESSED’” (Acts 3.24-25).

The great challenge of this passage is not to read in future revelation, i.e., Paul, into the passage. What was the situation? Peter’s audience was all Jews. No Gentiles were present. Pentecost was meaningless to Gentiles except as a curiosity. Remember that our Lord’s ministry was all Jewish with a couple exceptions. Jesus never had a ministry to Gentiles. All his apostles were Jews and his audience was the nation of Israel. He proclaimed the kingdom of God to the Jews “repent for the kingdom of God is near” which kingdom the Jewish prophets had foretold. Jesus Himself had no ministry to Gentiles and He forbade His disciples to go to to Gentiles (Matthew 10.5-7). Thus, the kingdom Jesus proclaimed was Jewish. It was a kingdom in which the nation of Israel would be preeminent among all the nations of the earth (Deuteronomy 28.1, 13). Through this kingdom Gentiles would be blessed (Zechariah 8.23;Is. 42.1). This kingdom was to be the fulfillment of all that the Jewish prophets had proclaimed.

Peter’s quoted Joel because he recognized that the last days (Hebrews 1.2) had come upon Israel. He and his fellow apostles knew the prophecies concerning Israel were being fulfilled. Interpretive errors arise when expositors interpret Acts 2 and 3 with reference to the Church, the Body of Christ. As we have seen, Pentecost was a Jewish feast. It applied to the Jews, to national Israel, not the Church. Those who interpret Acts 2 and 3 as Church doctrine have abandoned sound exegesis and have departed from the historical context. They read Church (Body of Christ) doctrine into Israel doctrine. Another way to express this is that they read Pauline theology into Petrine theology. But the Church (the body of Christ) is different from Israel. How do we know this? We know it because the Scriptures explicitly tell us so. The Body of Christ did not exist when Peter gave his early Acts sermons. Peter’s sermons in Acts indicate that he knew nothing about the Body of Christ. Everything in Peter’s sermons (Acts 2-3) indicate that his focus was upon national Israel, that is, his kinsmen after the flesh. At that time, only the Jewish Church of national Israel existed and Jewish priority was the rule. Those who believed in the Messiah were either Jews or under the aegis of the Jewish program, i.e., the kingdom of heaven.

Today, the situation is completely different. In the Church, the Body of Christ, we have no distinction between Jew and Gentile and no Jewish priority. Why not? Because God revealed to the Apostle Paul the doctrine of the Church. Peter knew nothing about it nor the other apostles. Why not? This teaching was still a “mystery” (Ephesians 2.11-22; 3.3-9; Colossians 1.26-27). Do you realize that neither Peter nor any of the other writers of the New Testament even mention the Body of Christ? Peter knew only of God’s prophetic program in which Gentiles were to be blessed through Israel. His knowledge of the Church, the body of Christ, came later, from the Apostle Paul. To force later revelation and Church doctrine onto the early chapters of Acts is to abandon a literal, historic, and grammatical hermeneutic. For further study on this matter see The Church.

Maintaining a literal hermeneutic has been a challenge throughout history. One form of figurative interpretation is allegorical interpretation. Allegorical interpretation came to influence Christian interpreters of Scripture by way of the Greeks. The allegorical hermeneutic provided a solution to a Greek scholarly dilemma. The Greeks had an established religious heritage from Hesiod and Homer. When the philosophers and scholars began to reject the religious heritage and philosophical traditions of earlier ages they created a political problem. It was impossible for them to reject completely the writings of the earlier Greek poets due to their popularity with the people. Therefore, to preserve Hesiod and Homer in an intellectually acceptable form they allegorized their religious heritage. The stories of the gods were not to be taken literally but figuratively or allegorically. This new hermeneutic proclaimed that beyond and beneath the literal sense lay the real meaning of the story.

Using hermeneutical methods applied to Greek pagan texts, scholars, primarily from Alexandria, began to influence biblical interpretation. While Rome was the political center of the ancient world, Alexandria was the intellectual and cultural center. It was one of the chief centers of scholarship and had the greatest library of ancient texts and writings in the world. A large Jewish population had come to reside there and later, a great Christian population. Jewish scholars adopted an allegorical hermeneutic and used it to reconcile the biblical Scriptures with Greek philosophical tradition. The Christian church, influenced by these scholastic trends, later accepted this hermeneutic. It dominated Christian interpretation until the Reformation. The man who is probably most responsible for introducing allegorical interpretation into the Christian church was Origen (c. 185-254) who sought to harmonize New Testament theology with the teachings of Plato.

Augustine, the Bishop of Hippo (354-425), incorporated Origen’s methodology and devised a unified theology. Augustine’s ideas influenced Christian interpretation for a millennium. Allegorical methodology and its effect on theology led to several false interpretations of the Scriptures including the view of eschatology (the doctrine of last things) called amillennialism. Earlier, Augustine had held a pre-millennial eschatological viewpoint as had almost all the earliest Church fathers. As Augustine systematized his theology under allegorical methodology, he abandoned premillenialism and became an amillennialist. According to amillennialism, no literal millennium or kingdom of God exists in which Christ will personally reign as Israel’s king for a thousand years. The amillennialist interprets the “millennium” figuratively or allegorically as our present Church age. In other words, there is no millennium except what is now and it began when God created the Church. It is identical to the Church age. As an aside we won’t delve into, as to when God created the Church (examples: with Adam, with Christ, in Acts 2) is a real problem for those who refuse to take the Scriptures literally. For those who do take the Scriptures literally, the answer is simple.

Teaching began as early as the second century that the Church had replaced Israel.² The idea that became cemented into theological teaching was that because the Jews had rejected their Messiah, God had rejected them (nationally) and given their promises to the Church. These promises were not to be fulfilled literally but figuratively. Throughout the Middle Ages, belief that Israel been irrevocably replaced by the Church solidified. Thus, the Church came to replace Israel. This error is held by almost all of Christendom under the theological system known as covenant, reformed, or replacement theology. Theologians call it supercessionism. While it is the predominant theological view in Christendom and has a long pedigree, it is an errant theology. Its has a hermeneutical foundation of sand.

Despite the prevailing theological climate in the Middle Ages, certain groups such as the Syrian School of Antioch and the Victorines rejected the allegorical method. When the Reformers emerged, they revised current theological thought and established a more disciplined method of interpretation. Literal interpretation began to reassert itself as the dominant methodology, primarily in the realm of soteriology (the doctrine of salvation). As a result of this they were able to recover and rediscover the great doctrine of justification by faith alone. The bywords of the Reformation were sola Scriptura, sola gratia, sola fides–the Scriptures alone, grace alone, and faith alone. They saw that the Scriptures, when read in a normal way, taught that salvation was based solely on faith in Christ alone. But old habits and traditions die hard. The reformers did not apply their methodology into other realms of theology such as eschatology (doctrine of last things) and ecclesiology (doctrine of the church). While the reformers failed to exploit a historical, grammatical, and literal hermeneutic into other areas of theology their failure can be understood. They were under tremendous pressures and what they achieved was nothing less than remarkable. But the great tragedy in Christendom is that since then almost no progress has been made to bring hermeneutical rigor into other areas of theology. The vast majority of scholars, pastors, and theologians fail to apply a consistent literal, grammatical hermeneutic to the Scriptures and are in essentially the same place as the reformers were almost 500 years ago. Covenant theology abandons a literal hermeneutic in dealing with prophecy and with Israel and the Church. Because of this they are blinded to the difference between Israel and the Church fail completely to understand prophetic passages.

The degree to which interpreters reject the normal reading of the text is stunning. The have imprisoned themselves in a flawed hermeneutical system and most want to stay enslaved. They reject God’s sovereignty and His faithfulness for they refuse to believe that God will fulfill his word literally as he did in the past. God has proven he is faithful by fulfilling hundreds of promises already. How were they fulfilled–figuratively or literally? Consider the following. How would non-literal interpreters interpret the Scriptures related to the Lord’s first advent had they lived before that advent? Would they not “spiritualize” alway all the prophesies related to the Lord’s first advent? Think about it.

Those who hold a non-literal hermeneutic also often uncritically follow tradition. While tradition has certain virtues it can also seduce one into rigidity and blindness. Jesus’ condemned the religious authorities of his day for two reasons. One was their hypocrisy. The other was their tradition. The religious leaders in Jesus’ day placed tradition alongside or above the Scriptures. The teachings of the Church Fathers, Augustine, Luther, Calvin, and other reformers and theologians certainly have value but they also contain many errors. The Scriptures are supreme and when commentary conflicts with the normal reading of the text, the text trumps.

The gospels reveal that when Jesus referred to the Scriptures, he always interpreted them in their literal sense. Jesus made references to the biblical figures of David, Abiathar, Jonah, Solomon, Isaiah, Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Abel, Daniel, Noah, Elijah, and Elisha. He taught that they were literal personages and that the events surrounding them were historical. He also noted the events and places of Sodom, Nineveh, the creation of man, and the Flood. In each case he interpreted the events and places as literal and historical. Consider the following statement by Jesus:

“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished” (Matthew 5.17-18).

More familiar as “jot or tittle” in the King James translation, the “smallest letter or stroke” is the Greek expression ἰῶτα ἓν ἢ μία κεραία (one iota or one point) which referred to the smallest Hebrew letter “yod” and part of a letter such as the “horn” part of a letter. Did Jesus believe in the literal fulfillment of Scripture? According to his above statement, not just down to the word but down to the smallest letter and to the smallest part of a letter. Can one be more literal than that?

The figurative, allegorical, “spiritualizing” interpreter is at odds with his Master. As the root of the hermeneutical problem is unbelief, the remedy is faith. This one fact should be exceedingly sobering to those who “spiritualize” texts: they will one day have to account for their unbelief to the Lord Himself.

¹Lewis, C. S. English Literature in the Sixteenth Century Excluding Drama, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1954, p.186.

²This should not be surprising to the reader who has read Paul (cf. 2 Timothy 1.15, 4.10-11).

The Parable Of The Wedding Banquet

2012-06-01T05:53:00.001-07:00

(Written by Jack Kelley)

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.

“Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

“But they paid no attention and went off–one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless.

“Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

“For many are invited, but few are chosen.” (Matt 22:1-14)

Why All The Parables?

The Greek word for parable literally means to set along side. A fictional earthly story is set alongside a heavenly truth to help convey its meaning. When the disciples asked Jesus why He spoke to the people in parables He said,

“The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.” (Matt. 13:11-12)

In effect this means a parable was meant to accomplish two things: 1) to instruct His followers, and 2) to confuse everyone else. These seemingly conflicting objectives can both be accomplished because it’s the Holy Spirit who gives us the understanding we need. Without the Holy Spirit no one can comprehend the things of God. Paul put it this way;

The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Cor. 2:14)

The parable of the wedding banquet is a good example. It’s either very instructive or very confusing depending on your understanding of the Bible. (A working knowledge of Jewish wedding customs during Biblical times can also be helpful but is not essential.)

The Wedding Planner

First century Jewish wedding customs held that the father of the groom was in charge of the event and bore all the expense associated with the wedding and the banquet that followed. I’ve been told that in case of royalty or the very wealthy this often included providing a specially made garment to be worn over a guest’s regular clothing. This wedding garment was presented to the guest upon arrival and donned immediately. Refusal to wear it was an insult to the Father of the groom and could get a guest ejected from the festivities. In case of large gatherings it also served as identification to discourage uninvited guests from crashing the party.

As I said, the Parables of our Lord Jesus are earthly stories meant to explain heavenly truths. Each person or object is symbolic of someone or something else. Understanding the symbolism is crucial to discovering the lesson of the Parable. In fact receiving the full theological impact of a parable requires such an understanding.

The King represents God the Father, His Son our Lord Jesus. Invited guests who declined His invitation symbolize Israel’s rejection of the Messiah and the servants He sent to invite them are the prophets. The city He destroyed is Jerusalem, and the wedding banquet is the Kingdom of Heaven. This puts the timing of the parable at the Second Coming.

Do You Know The Bride?

Some say the last group He sent His servants out to invite represents the Church, but the symbolism and timing are wrong. The Church is the Bride of Christ (Ephes. 5:25-27), not a group of last minute substitute guests. Since Israel had already declined His invitation, and the Church (being the bride) would not need an invitation, who could these guests be?

They have to come from a time after the Bride is chosen and prepared, because the wedding banquet is ready and only the guests are lacking for the festivities to begin. They’re from a group we call Tribulation believers, those who come to faith after the Rapture of the Church in Revelation 4 but before the Wedding Banquet of Revelation 19.

Here’s The Real Lesson Of The Parable

The wedding garment represents God’s righteousness. This is a concept explained on several occasions in both the Old and New Testaments. Isaiah described our righteousness as filthy rags (Isa 64:6) and God’s righteousness as “garments of salvation” and “robes of righteousness” (Isa 61:10) where the acquisition of these qualities is likened to clothing given us at a wedding.

I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels (Isa 61:10).

In Revelation 19 the church has been prepared as a bride having been clothed in white linen, representing our righteousness. But as in Isaiah 61:10, the righteousness symbolized by the clothing is given to the bride, not purchased or earned. Paul said that ours is a righteousness that comes to us through faith (Romans 3:21-22).

The fact that a guest is thrown out into the darkness for not wearing wedding clothes indicates these last minute guests are required to be clothed in “garments of salvation” as well. Rev. 16:15 tells us Tribulation believers will have to “keep their clothes with them.” In other words they’ll be responsible for maintaining the righteousness they will have been given by obeying God’s commandments and remaining faithful to Jesus (Rev. 14:12). Only the Church has been promised the gift of eternal security.

Therefore the guest who was escorted out had been a Tribulation believer who was now trying to gain entrance to the banquet in his own clothing, having lost or discarded the “garment of salvation” he’d been given. He was hoping to gain entrance to the kingdom in his own righteousness, which as Isaiah said, is like filthy rags in God’s sight.

This is another slant on the parable of the 10 bridesmaids (Matt. 25:1-13). The setting there is also the time of the 2nd Coming. And again, the Church is not a bridesmaid. The Church is the bride and could not be refused admittance to her own wedding banquet. The five who were excluded were tribulation believers who had lost their salvation either by not obeying God’s commandments or by not remaining faithful to Jesus or both. This is indicated by their lack of sufficient oil, which is symbolic of the Holy Spirit. Since the Holy Spirit is sealed within the Church as a deposit guaranteeing our salvation (Ephes 1:13-14), the bridesmaids who were excluded from the banquet have to represent a post rapture group from whom the Holy Spirit had departed for lack of faith.

Many are invited, but few are chosen (Matt 22:1-14). God doesn’t desire that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). But whether it’s the Bride or the wedding guests, the only righteousness that gains us admission into His presence is that which is given us as a gift and accepted in faith (Rom 3:21-22). All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ (Gal 3:27). For God made Him Who had no sin to become sin for us, that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor 5:21).