Lighting the Lamp

Will you stand with your King?

2010-02-02T19:37:00.017+11:00

This article was taken from notes made during Pastor Frank's sermon at Faith Baptist Church on 31/01/2010.

The passage we will be discussing is Revelation 14:1-5. In verse one, we see the Lamb of God standing on Mount Zion, and 144,000 men with him. The scene is joyous and triumphant, a beautiful picture of rejoicing.

In verses 1 to 5 the question "what will become of those who refuse to receive the mark of the beast and are killed" is answered. The holy scriptures here reveal 144,000 Jewish men who were set apart to preach the gospel. Also revealed is the Lamb standing firmly on Mount Sion, in direct contrast to the beast who comes up from an unstable sea. In the article "The beast of Revelation" we saw that this sea most likely represents man-made systems which are used to organise society and the way we live. Yet any system that seeks to control man outside of God's plan will, of necessity, fail. Where Jesus Christ is missing, the plan fails, as only He can regenerate sinful people spiritually. We must rest every hope and truth in Him. It should be noted that, in this passage, He makes the 144,000 men stand with Him in triumph: they haven't fallen.

The Lord Jesus is our rock, the foundation on which all believers stand. As Matthew 7:24-27 teaches us, if we do what Jesus tells us, we will have a strong foundation and will remain standing at the end of our lives. Never forget: the key to all this is both hearing and doing His words. We should also realise that it is impossible to live out Jesus' sayings without being born again spiritually - sadly, most people in the world will never do this.

Matthew 7:28-29 shows us that Jesus had the authority to teach these sayings as He - being God - was the one who came up with them. He wasn't just teaching proverbs (ie. short statements of wisdom or advice that have passed into general use) but doctrine. So how important is doctrine in the teachings of the Bible? See the following scripture passages:

As the above examples show, doctrine is the element in a person's walk with God that will determine whether they stand or fall spiritually.

However, 2 Timothy 4:3 is a warning: when you stand up for truth and doctrine, you don't become popular. A walk through the Word Bookstore here in Melbourne reveals, sadly, that this scripture passage is being fulfilled today. Some of the false doctrines being peddled include the doctrine of prosperity, which is explored in greater depth in the following article:

http://www.indefenceofthegospel.com/html/prosperity_doctrine.html

Yet Jesus prophesied that those who fall away from His words (the apostate church) will be destroyed by the devil (Matthew 7:27, Revelation 17:16). Those who throw out doctrine, throw out Christ Himself.

Revelation 6:16 gives us a frightening contrast between those who are standing on judgement day and those who cannot. The 144,000 on Mount Sion learned of Jesus and served Him faithfully until death. The stances they took - and that other people take in their lives - are a result of:

decisions made
counsel taken
accepting certain truths.

All of the above lead a person to say: this is the position I'm taking and I'm going to defend it.

Once you begin taking someone's advice, and you begin living that out (road-testing it), and you have accepted it, you can take a stand. It becomes your truth.

The ungodly also take stands. As Psalm 1:1 shows us, one of the fruits of unbelief is that you become scornful of those who don't follow your "way." When you fear the truth, you have to mask it with prideful arrogance. Unfortunately, some of the biggest critics of biblical fundamentalists (or people who believe God's word) are apostate Christians. Yet we who believe should always speak with people who do not agree with us with utter gravity, as their souls are in peril.

As Revelation 14:1-5 reveals, those who follow the Lamb will be standing at the end of time. So trust more, risk more and remember that love hopes all things (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). We stand by the grace of God through faith (Romans 5:1). God's grace gets you through terrible problems in life and more grace is bestowed upon you by trusting God (James 4:6). Romans 14:4 also reminds us that if a man is truly God's servant, God will make him stand:

Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.

Whatever God has started in us spiritually, He will finish.

However, if you stand for Jesus Christ in this world, you can expect to be attacked. This is why Ephesians 6:11 exhorts us to "put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."

The believers shown in Revelation 14:2-4 overcame persecution and terrible suffering whilst on earth: they set their minds on heavenly things and were faithful in the midst of their afflictions. As a result, at the end of days we see them standing with the Lord in heavenly places (Revelation 14:3, Hebrews 12:22). This should be our hope too.

Will you stand with your King in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation? Doing so is not easy but it does bring much joy. Stand up for Jesus because He stood up for you, in your place, at the cross of Calvary. He deserves to be stood up for, as the 144,000 did. We don't want to be ashamed in front of Him on judgement day for, as it is written:

Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
(Mark 8:38)

When religion joins the state, and the economy joins religion

2010-01-28T19:06:00.007+11:00

This article was taken from notes made during Pastor Frank's sermon at the Faith Baptist Church on 17/01/2010.

The text we will be discussing is Revelation 13:16-18, which shows us what happens when religion joins the state, and when the economy is joined to religion. The false prophet makes worship of the beast an almost universal occurrence.

The mark of the beast

The Greek word for "mark" is charagma. It literally means graven and conveys a sense of being branded. The book of Revelation tells us that recipients of the beast's mark were marked "in" their right hand or forehead. So the mark penetrates the skin, like a hot brand, cut or tattoo. The mark is for all classes of people who worship the beast. The powerless and the great, the rich and the poor, free and bond. No segment of society can escape this edict. The Holy Spirit wants to make it clear that this mark would affect everyone. He also wants to make it clear that the mark is easily seen: people are given the choice of having it on their forehead or in their right hand.

Branding in history

Marking with a brand was common in ancient Rome, whose society was built upon slavery. Masters used to mark their slaves, similar to how cattle are branded today, as a sign of ownership. Roman law regarded slaves as mere chattels. Roman masters could do with them what they desired, even torturing or killing them. Runaway slaves were punished severely by being branded on their forehead with the letters FUG for fugitive.

Slaves were also found in Greek society, though they were branded slightly differently to those in Rome, being. marked with a triangle which represented the first letter of the word doulos (slave).

Branding in the Bible

The branding of Jewish slaves is mentioned in the Bible. Those who owed debts they couldn't pay were required to work as bond servants before they could gain their freedom. If, however, at the end of their servitude they decided that they loved their master and wanted to stay with him, they were then branded by him with a hole in their ear (Exodus 21:5-6).

The mark in Revelation

It is important to realize that the mark spoken of in the book of Revelation is not just a mark. It is the beast's name, his number, and his mark. It may be a logo designed to win the hearts and minds of the people, as corporations do today. Certainly it is true to say that having the beast's name in your skull would be a dramatic sign of devotion to him. It would also be a dramatic way to make a choice between the antichrist and Christ, a way for the beast to identify those not following his state religion. The choice people will be given is to live and take the mark, or get ready to die. Without the mark a person will not be able to support the necessities of life. Yet the Bible says that receiving the mark will permanently disqualify its wearer from heaven. There will be no going back from this decision, which will involve rejecting Christ and pledging allegiance to the antichrist. To receive the mark, a person will knowingly renounce God and Jesus and accept the antichrist, so the fear of many Christians today that they will take the mark accidentally is unfounded.

The number of the beast

The beast's number is 666, which the book of Revelation tells us represents the number of a man. In the Bible the number six stands for imperfection, falling short of God's perfection. It is significant that man was created on the sixth day, works for six days, and all his works are deficient. Yet God's works are complete - the seven days of Creation being an example. For more examples of God's use of sevens in the Bible and in nature, see the following article:

http://www.kjvbible.org/seven_days.html

The seal of God

It is sobering to consider that those who are living through the great tribulation will be reading the book of Revelation like a newspaper. The Lord Jesus revealed it for their benefit, so they don't take the beast's mark. Revelation 7:2-3 mentions God's seal, which will be given to 144,000 men who are completely sold out to Christ. These men preach the gospel and will be hunted down.

Of course, whatever God does Satan has to copy. Hence instead of God's seal we have the mark of the beast, with scripture's solemn warning of the consequences of taking it:

And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

(Revelation 14:9-11)

Notice that scripture always associates the mark of the beast with worship of the antichrist (or an automatic acceptance of him as God). The people who take the mark are sold out to Satan and their end will be sure (Revelation 19:20).

But a person doesn't need to receive a mark in order to go to hell - billions today are unwittingly serving Satan and are thrown into hell when their lives end. Death seals them and they will end up in the same place as Satan, the beast, and the false prophet. This is the terrible consequence of rejecting Christ and His mercy during your lifetime. Most people in this world, tragically, are slaves to Satan.

Romans 6:16-23 serves as a warning to us. Are we living as profitable servants? Are we living as Christ would have us live? Scripture teaches us to be in the world but not of the world. We should be chasing the prize of being the most perfect servant for the Lord we can be - living for holiness.

And we should avoid falling into the trap of judging people, as we are all sinners. One way to prevent this is to tell yourself the following:

I'm no better than them, it's only what Jesus did for me that counts.

And:

There by the grace of God go I.

We should look at people who don't yet believe in God as we would consider a wayward family member, seeking to do everything we can to bring them back to the fold. God gave His Son for them, yet what are we doing?

Are you sold out for Christ? Do you live for Him? How are you serving Him? Are you sharing the gospel with those who are as lost as we were?

The Lord's cycle of trust

2010-01-22T17:15:00.003+11:00

I read the following article today and found it helpful and encouraging:

http://www.khouse.org/articles/2006/632/

Below are two excerpts from this site which others might find enlightening, particularly if - like myself - they are new in the faith and learning to deepen their trust in the Lord Jesus:

The Lord's cycle of trust

First, we must know His basic will. We must know what He desires to do in our lives. Romans 8:29 tells us He wants to "conform us into His image."
Next, we must know He unconditionally loves us. We must know this not just in our heads but in our everyday experience.
As a result of the above two things, we'll be able to trust Him enough to obey Him by faith, not feelings. And, the way we obey Him is:
Choosing to love Him - continually giving our selves over to Him. And,
Choosing to renew our Mind - continually dealing with our sin and self. And,
Choosing to have absolute faith - continually walking by faith, not feelings. If we are doing the above, we'll have the ability to see Him in all things. And, as a result of all of the above, we'll be able to patiently endure all He allows.

The Lord's will for believers:

God's will for all mankind is that we might have a personal and eternal relationship with Him through salvation. As John 3:13-17 says, Christ came so that all might be saved. God's will for believers, however, is much more specific. He wants all Christians to be conformed into His image by the process of sanctification. (Romans 8:29; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 6:1) In brief, He wants to reproduce His Life in us, including the fruit of longsuffering which, as we said, was one of Jesus' most precious characteristics. (2 Peter 3:9, 3:15)

I have always taught that God's basic will for our lives is that we be conformed into Christ's image, but for some reason I never realized the full ramifications of this statement. Not only does God want us to be conformed into His image of love, joy, peace, etc., but also to be conformed into His image of endurance, longsuffering, forbearing and perseverance. This is what the process of sanctification is all about.

Is the King James Bible easy to read?

2010-01-18T19:22:00.003+11:00

It seems counterintuitive but the King James 1611 bible is the easiest to read and learn, compared to more modern bible versions. This is because the King James uses highly effective aids to memory retention such as poetic rhythm, simple sentence structure, a vocabulary of only 8000 words and repetition. The more modern versions are wordier, with more complex sentence structure, and lack the clear poetic flow of their seventeenth century predecessor.

For more details, see the following website:

http://www.av1611.org/kjv/kjv_easy.html

Pertinent quote from this site:

"The King James Bible was published in the year Shakespeare began work on his last play, The Tempest. Both the play and the Bible are masterpieces of English, but there is one crucial difference between them. Whereas Shakespeare ransacked the lexicon, the King James Bible employs a bare 8000 words—God’s teaching in homely English for everyman."

(Robert McCrum, William Cran, and Robert MacNeil, The Story of English, p. 113)

Should we trust modern Bible versions?

2010-01-13T16:42:00.012+11:00

I have been doing a comparison between the texts of the King James 1611 version of the bible (KJV) and the New International Version (NIV). It was an unpleasant surprise to discover that a keyword search for the word "doctrine" produced 55 results in the KJV but a mere seven results in the NIV. The same situation is found with other popular modern versions of the bible when compared against the KJV eg. New King James Version (NKJV), New American Standard Bible (NASB), English Standard Version (ESV), The Message. What is often being substituted in place of "doctrine" in the modern versions is the more ambiguous word "teachings." What is going on here?

Examining key passages in the KJV compared to the NIV reveals a sad and frightening corruption of the original text. It is sad because it is the moral equivalent of defacing a loved one's last will and testament; frightening, because it makes hell a far more likely possibility for the souls who read (and believe) the alterations. Consider the example below:

Mark 10:24 KJV
Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!

Mark 20:24 NIV
Jesus said again, Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!

The KJV is saying that it is hard for people who trust in riches (instead of in Jesus) to be saved while the NIV states that salvation is a difficult matter regardless. As Jack Chick's website comments, this "tilts the meaning of this entire passage away from the free gift of salvation toward (hard) works" - one step closer to the false doctrine of Roman Catholicism, which believes in salvation by a combination of faith, works and sacraments.

Other examples:
1 John 4:3 KJV
And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is the spirit of antichrist.

1 John 4:3 NIV
But every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

Notice that the NIV leaves out "Christ is come in the flesh." This very translation makes those translators guilty of being of the spirit of antichrist.

Acts 8:37 KJV
And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

NIV leaves out the entire verse.

Galatians 6:17 KJV
From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.

Galatians 6:17 NIV
Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.

NIV leaves out "Lord", which is a lack of respect and submission to His authority. This makes it far less likely that readers will surrender their lives to His Lordship, which is what He requires us to do if we are to be saved. You cannot receive Jesus as your Saviour without also receiving Him as Lord (Philippians 2:9-12).

Romans 11:6 KJV
And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

Romans 11:6 NIV
And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.

The NIV leaves out "But if by works, then it is no longer grace; if it were, work would no longer be work" from the main text and includes it as a footnote. The reference to "some manuscripts" having included this phrase in the main part of the text (but not all) serves to cast doubt upon its legitimacy as part of the Word of God. It's a short step from this to leaving it out of the Bible altogether. Casting doubt on the veracity of this phrase is significant because it moves the theology closer to the deadly doctrine of Roman Catholicism, which believes in salvation by a combination of faith, works and sacraments, rather than by grace through faith.

1 Corinthians 11:24 KJV
Take eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: do this in remembrance of me.

1 Corinthians 11:24 NIV
This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.

The NIV leaves out the words "take eat" and "broken". This is the core of communion and its meaning is changed by the NIV, again shifting this bible's doctrine one step closer to Romanism. Roman Catholics don't break bread during communion, nor do they view it as merely symbolic of the body of the Lord Jesus during His sacrifice on the cross. Instead, they consume what they say is the very body, soul, and blood of Christ transformed into their wafer, a practice which is both cannibalistic and idolatrous.

Colossians 1:14 KJV
In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:14 NIV
In whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The NIV leaves out "through His blood." So, what is the source or means of our redemption? Where is the blood? Does not Hebrews 9:22 say, "without shedding of blood is no remission" (forgiveness)? The Lord secured our salvation because, as He was both God and man, His shed blood was the perfect sacrifice (Hebrews 9:11-14). And this sacrifice was required by the demands of a holy God for justice in dealing once and for all with the problem of sin.

1 Peter 4:1 KJV
Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;

1 Peter 4:1 NIV
Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin.

The NIV leaves out the words "for us," the very reason Christ suffered and went to the Cross. This verse in the NIV implies that Christ suffered for His own sins, and we know that He was without sin (John 8:46).

As you can see from the above examples, the doctrine of the KJV has been corrupted in the NIV, in ways that lead us away from the truth of God’s free gift of salvation to sinners.

What did the Lord Jesus say about doctrine? He withstood His first temptation from the devil by stating that we are to live by every word of God. As it is written:

Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
(Matthew 4:4)

To underscore the importance of this teaching for us, the Lord repeated it in Luke 4:4.

So every word in the Bible counts and must be abided by. Yet it is clear that what is happening today is a falling away from the truth of God's words, as Paul predicted would happen in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 at the end of the age:

Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition

Paul also warned that the time would come when people "would not endure sound doctrine" but would instead turn away from the truth and embrace the teachings of demons (2 Timothy 4:3). This again is a feature of the lawlessness and apostasy of the end of the age.

In the book of Revelation, the Word of God warns us about the consequences of adding to, or taking away from, the Holy Scriptures:

And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
(Revelation 22:19)

It is instructive to consider that several people who worked on modern translations of the bible were silenced, losing their power of speech, as per the articles below:

http://www.av1611.org/voice2.html
http://www.av1611.org/voice1.html

Was this God's judgement falling on them, in the hope of leading them to repentance? As it is written:

Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after.
(1 Timothy 5:24)

The modern versions of the bible are corrupt and are moving, with ever increasing pace as each new edition is published, towards embracing an old enemy of the true church, the spirit of Popery (Roman Catholicism). This spirit is truly Anti-Christ. It does not want you to believe in the real Lord Jesus nor to put your faith in Him as your personal Lord and Savior, and it most certainly does not want you to serve Him and obey Him. Its aim is to get you to believe in a historical Jesus, whom you do not put your faith in and trust for forgiveness of your sins, and without bowing your life and heart to worship and serve Him as Lord. Be warned because if it succeeds it will keep you from Heaven and will help send you to Hell for all eternity.

Thank you to the following website for the text comparisons and analysis given in this article:
http://www.hissheep.org/kjv/a_comparison_of_the_kjv_niv.html

When church and state combine

2010-01-10T18:27:00.008+11:00

This article was taken from notes made during Pastor Frank's sermon at the Faith Baptist Church on 10/01/2010.

One of the most dangerous and vicious alliances that takes place occurs when church and state combine. This will be the focus of this article.

In Revelation 13:11 we see a second beast arises from the earth, the earth most likely representing the Jews. This beast is described as having two horns like a lamb, meaning that it comes across as meek and mild but wields great power and authority. It also "spake as a dragon", or begins to speak arrogantly. This last calls to mind Jesus' warning in Matthew 7:15:

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

So who is this second beast? While there are many false prophets on the earth, and many false religions, this beast is the culmination of all of them. He is the false prophet. Revelation 16:13 reveals for us that he is totally corrupt spiritually, taking his power from Satan:

And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

Revelation 19:20 shows us his final destination, to be thrown alive into the lake of fire with the AntiChrist while Revelation 20:10 reminds us that the devil too will have his end in this location.

What does the false prophet do? As John the Baptist directed the world to worship Christ, so the false prophet directs everyone in the world to worship the first beast, the AntiChrist. Revelation 13:13 shows that he deceives men by means of miracles. We need to remember that in the Old Testament prophets proved themselves by the miracles they did. For example, in 2 Kings 1:9-10, Elijah called down fire from heaven, proving that he was a man of God. As the earth's history draws to a close, Satan tries the same trick in the eyes of men.

In Revelation 11:3-7 we see that the two witnesses are given miracles by God to authenticate their message to the Jews to awaken them spiritually. The purpose of this awakening is to get them to accept Christ. It is possible that these miracles are performed with Satan and the false prophet competing against them.

The false prophet then convinces people to make an image to the beast (Revelation 13:14). This could be a statue or some other type of image - at any rate, it becomes a central point of worship for the world. The whole world is able to worship the AntiChrist through this image. At this stage we should consider the terrible warning in Revelation 14:9-10:

And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

Revelation 13:15 reveals that people will begin to worship this image, which looks alive. This will be the world's final state religion and people will have no choice but to worship. This is not the first time in history that such a circumstance has occurred. In Daniel 3:1-6 an image was set up and people had to worship or they would be killed. Likewise, emperor worship throughout the ages has required this sort of worship.

Satan knows that man is a spiritual being. We need to worship something to be satisfied. Hence he has driven the formation of a myriad of false religions to divert people away from worshiping the true God. False Christianity is included in this set of false religions - it has thrown out God's word and embraced secularism, other religions and politics. Of course, once Satan has used the apostate church to fulfill his purposes he will then do what he does to everything: he will destroy it (Revelation 17:15-16). He will then direct the worship of all false religions to himself.

Those who bow down to Satan's image will find out that only God saves you. They will be judged, found wanting, and cast alive into the lake of fire. We need to be careful that we don't get caught up in Satan's devices. An instructive passage to consider is Isaiah 45:20-22:

Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save.

Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.

Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.

Have you turned to God? Have you trusted in Jesus as your Saviour? He is the only way. Humble yourself beneath His hand and believe that He lifted your burdens at Calvary.

Conversations with God - a review

2010-01-07T17:35:00.005+11:00

This article was sparked by a comment I overhead a man make while I was on my way to work this morning. The man stated that he had once read a book called "Conversations with God" and had found that it contained much truth. I was very interested to hear this and hoped that he might be being drawn to the Father's light. However, as I wasn't familiar with the book in question, I decided to do some further investigation into the matter.

The results of my research are that "Conversations with God" is blasphemous and completely unbiblical. It is my firm belief that its author was inspired by those ancient enemies of Christ, the evil demons. Here, for your edification and warning as well as mine, is a brief summary of the book's teachings, with the results of my research added below:

1. We are all one.
This is pantheism, the doctrine that God and His creation are one in essence, and completely contradicts the Bible. The Word of God teaches that God the Father is separate from His creation, dwelling in inaccessible light:

Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;
Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.
(1 Timothy 6:15-16)

Furthermore, the Bible tells us that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are three separate Persons, though one in essence (the doctrine of the Trinity). See Matthew 28:19-20, 1 John 5:7.

2. There’s enough.
This teaching is vague and poorly defined. I believe it may be referring to a global brotherhood of sharing which, in a world full of sinners, is naive and flies in the face of unregenerate man's self-centred nature. And we are all sinners, as it is written:

There is none righteous, no, not one
(Romans 3:10)

And:
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
(Romans 3:23)

3. There’s nothing we have to do.
Not so. The Lord Jesus called us to repent and believe the gospel, as the day of judgement is fast approaching (Mark 1:15).

4. Ours is not a better way, ours is merely another way.
This seems to imply that all paths lead to God, another false and unbiblical teaching. The Lord Jesus warned us that there is only one way to salvation, and faith in His saving grace is it. As it is written:

I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
(John 14:6)

For those who are interested, further reviews of "Conversations with God" can be found at One Truth Ministries and Apologetics Index:
http://www.onetruthministries.com/ConversationswithmySelf.htm
http://www.apologeticsindex.org/370-conversations-with-god-neale-donald-walsch-2

In closing, the book's teachings are to be shunned.

Irene's beloved Alex

2010-01-07T05:56:00.002+11:00

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

(James 1:17)

I wanted to write a few words on the truth behind Irene Pepperberg's observations of her beloved parrot, Alex. Alex was Irene's research animal as she performed extensive investigations into animal intelligence. The two shared a deep bond that went far beyond science. One of the reasons I was drawn to their story was that Alex's haughty intelligence and affectionate, sometimes demanding nature, reminded me much of my little cat Buster.

Here are Irene's words after Alex's death:

He was not ours, he was not mine. Thank you (here, she unconsciously acknowledges God) for sharing him with us. He brought us much joy. We loved him well.

Affliction while still living is a blessing

2010-01-06T21:02:00.002+11:00

The Lord Jesus impressed my heart and mind a few days ago with this truth: affliction while still living is a blessing. This occurred while I was reading the following quote from John Bunyan's book Pilgrim's Progress:

Then said Hopeful, "My brother, you have quite forgot the text where it is said of the wicked, There are no bands in their death, but their strength is firm; they are not in trouble as other men, neither are they plagued like other men. These troubles and distresses are no sign that God hath forsaken you; but are sent to try you, whether you will call to mind that which heretofore you have received of His goodness, and live upon Him in your distresses...Be of good cheer, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole."

The scripture passage Hopeful quoted above was Psalm 73:4-5. Here is another bible passage to inspire you and bring courage:

When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee:

and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee:

when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned;

neither shall the flame kindle upon thee

(Isaiah 43:2)

What are your resolutions this year?

2010-01-04T20:57:00.010+11:00

This article was taken from notes made during Pastor Frank's sermon at the Faith Baptist Church on 03/01/2010.

Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

(Deuteronomy 31:6)

As the year 2010 takes shape before us, it will bring something many people fear in their lives - change. It is both instructive and sad to reflect on the fact that the overwhelming majority of people are not happy with their lives. Across the globe, the top ten New Year's resolutions made include the following:

Lose weight
Get fit
Manage debt
Save more money
Get a better job
Get a better education
Give up smoking
Decrease stress
Take a trip
Spend more time with family

You will notice that around 50% of these resolutions involve physical things, while the other 50% are financial goals. This is probably not surprising given that most people in the world focus on worldly things. There are two interesting points we can draw from this regarding the resolutions people make:

The people making them are unhappy with their circumstances
They believe they have the ability to carry their resolution through.

Yet as we all know most people keep making the same resolutions year after year, and fail repeatedly to keep them.

So what have you resolved to do in your life, or to be? Which resolutions are of a spiritual nature and have to do with the Lord and His Kingdom? Which have to do with you and which are in someone else's hands?

When we examine Deuteronomy, we see that the Israelites responded with fear to God's promise to bring them into the Promised Land. Fear is often an instinctive reaction to change. The Israelites feared the inhabitants of the land, that they were hostile, yet God had promised to drive out the nations for them if they remained faithful to Him.

How does this relate to our own time? Though there are battles that rage in this world, the greatest battlefield by far for the Christian today is the heart. If we are to have victory in our lives, to live for Jesus, we need to learn some spiritual principles that God gives us. He then guarantees our success in holding to our spiritual resolutions.

The first thing we need to bear in mind is that we have witnessed God's love for us in the Cross of Calvary, and His wrath coming down on His only Son. We know that His Son was faithful enough to live His entire life for His Father. We also know that Jesus rose again because, as born-again believers, we have met Him in faith. He has changed our lives and our hearts. We have experienced His grace, His mercy and His meekness. He showed us the Promised Land and made us new creations in Christ. But the greatest act of all that we have witnessed was God taking us and saving us from an eternity in hell. He cleansed us by His Son's blood from sin. We have a new nature and have walked into the Promised Land by faith but the fight isn't over yet. We have a new nature but our old self (the "old man", spiritually speaking) is still there. Granted, we have unseated him and Christ has taken His rightful place in our heart but the old man still desires to sit back on that throne, as Satan did. So the battle continues. God is still working within us. There are things in our nature that need to be driven out, as the Israelites had to drive out the other nations in Deuteronomy.

The second factor we should consider is that obedience is crucial if we are to be strong in our lives. Jesus said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15) and "love one another, as I have loved you" (John 15:12). The Lord Jesus asks of us the highest amount of commitment, the greatest amount of striving. Yet the things that He asks us to do only lighten our load in the world, spiritually. God loves the new you and He wants to bless us, as He promised to bless the Israelites when they entered the Promised Land. He wants us to grow in grace, as part of His family. It is important to realise that when God saves someone, He perseveres to the end with them. He doesn't just let them go. Yet it is also true to say that this process isn't always free of trial and testing for us. Sometimes God digs the wells of joy with spades of sorrow.

Now comes a timely warning for us, about the danger inherent in leaving our first love and following other gods or people who aren't our spiritual parent. Our old man would have us do this and the world itself seeks to pull us back into conformance with its standards. Ultimately, the choice is ours. We can sow to the spirit and cause it to grow, or we can feed the old man and his worldly appetites and suffer the following consequences:

Loss of communication with God
Literal death

How to avoid reinstating the old man on the throne of our heart? The simple answer is that if we are focussed on Christ, on serving Him and being like Him, we shall soon find that the world doesn't want to know us! And God Himself is an ever-present help in times of trouble. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows that we have a weak nature, that we are forgetful, and He has taken measures to counteract this. By repetition, God's word grows within us and bears fruit.

This leads us to the next factor of importance. God wants us to be in His word every day. A few caveats here: the bible version you read is important, as the newer ones tend to be dumbed down. And while reading Christian literature is helpful, this cannot be used as a replacement for God's word. You will stay spiritually weak if you shy away from the scriptures. God wants us to have a complete meal, not subsist solely on someone else's pre-digested musings. We need to remember that Christ Himself is our "bread of life" (John 6:35), so that we partake of His Spirit on a daily basis.

An additional factor that helps us to grow spiritually is telling other people about God's word. Share the gospel, let everyone know what you know spiritually. The more you give God's word, the more you will see God's hand at work in other people's lives, and this will encourage you.

Finally, the greatest lesson from Deuteronomy is that God wants us to put Him first in our lives. If you cleave to Him spiritually, you will go where He is and you can never fail. So love Him and focus on Him: if you do this, He promises to drive out your enemies.

In closing, seven reminders to help you keep your spiritual resolutions this year are as follows:

Your eyes have seen His wonders
Obedience is crucial
God cares for you more than you will ever know
Warning about leaving your first love
Reminder to steep yourself in God's word
Teach God's word to others
Love Him with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. Hold onto the things of this world loosely.

Follow Christ boldly

2010-01-03T08:34:00.005+11:00

Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

(1 Corinthians 11:1)

The Lord gave me a lovely insight this morning into one of the carols I love singing, "Good King Wenceslas." We follow Christ, through the trials and tribulations of spiritual warfare, as the little page boy followed his king. So be of good cheer. The Lord is ever near us and delights to help us. Here are the most relevant words to the carol: I trust that you find them as stirring and inspiring as I did:

"Sire the night is darker now

And the wind grows stronger

Fails my heart I know not how

I can go no longer."

"Mark my footsteps good my page

Tread though in them boldly

Thou shalt find the winter's rage

Freeze thy blood less coldly."

In his master's steps he trod

Where the snow lay dinted

Heat was in the very sod

Which the saint had printed.

Therefore Christian men be sure

Wealth or rank possessing

Ye who now will bless the poor

Shall yourselves find blessing.

Overcoming "weak faith" days

2010-01-02T13:33:00.002+11:00

If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

(Matthew 17:20)

This afternoon I was lead by the Spirit to read Lee Strobel's book "The Case for Faith", as I've been wrestling with what feels like a very weak faith recently. I thought I'd record some quotes here as others might find them strengthening and inspiring too:

"If faith never encounters doubt, if truth never struggles with error, if good never battles with evil, how can faith know its own power? In my own pilgrimage, if I have to choose between a faith that has stared doubt in the eye and made it blink, or a naive faith that has never known the firing line of doubt, I will choose the former every time."

(Gary Parker, The Gift of Doubt)

"When I asked Anderson to elaborate on the roles of faith and the will, he immediately brought up the Old Testament character Abraham as an illustration.

'He was called the 'father of the faith,'' said Anderson, 'but it wasn't that he never doubted, it wasn't that he always did the right thing, it wasn't that his motives were always pure. He failed on all three counts. But listen - Abraham never gave up on his will to follow God. He said, 'I'm going to trust him - will not the king of all the earth do right?' He wouldn't give up on God. And one definition of faith is that it's the will to believe. It's the decision to follow the best light you have about God and not quit.'"

(Lee Strobel, The Case for Faith, p. 520)

"...at its core, faith is a decision of the will that we keep making, but we're given that option by God's grace. We're empowered to keep making it by His Spirit.'

'And,' I observed, 'it's a choice we must make without having all the complete information we'd like to have.'

'That's right. Otherwise, what we would have is knowledge, not faith.'"

(Lee Strobel, The Case for Faith, p. 521)

However, Strobel makes the point that all the things we can do to strengthen our faith - deciding to believe, going where faith is, consuming faith-building materials, clarifying the object of faith - are all good recommendations but one vital factor is missing. And that is to undertake what he calls the "faith experiment." This is where you decide to do what Jesus says in order to experience the validity of His teachings for yourself. And the more we do this, the more we will be experientially woven into a web of faith. As it is written:

O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

(Psalm 34:8)

God's friendship with ordinary people

2009-12-31T15:23:00.002+11:00

Thank you to John MacArthur for the content of much of this article. John wrote "Twelve Extraordinary Women" and much of the material here is taken from p. 156 of his book.

Here is an amazing, humbling and beautiful truth. God had a warm friendship with two of His listeners, Mary and Martha. That He condescended to do so is a lovely truth to ponder. We're not told how this particular household became so intimate with Jesus. Since no family ties are ever mentioned between Jesus' relatives and the Bethany clan, it seems likely that Mary and Martha were simply two of the many people who heard Jesus teach early in His ministry, extended Him hospitality, and built a relationship with Him that way.

In whatever way this relationship began, it obviously developed into a warm and deeply personal fellowship. It is clear from Luke's description that Jesus made Himself at home in their house.

The fact that Jesus actively cultivated such friendships sheds light on the kind of man He was: humble, kindly, down-to-earth, with a refreshing honesty and simplicity to His mode of speech and character. More importantly for us who see the Lord Jesus only with the eyes of faith is the wonderful realization that Mary and Martha saw Him face-to-face. They had God as their direct, flesh-and-blood friend. This too is our hope once we are reunited with Him at His second coming:

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

( 1 Corinthians 13:12)

Called to be salt and light

2009-12-30T17:20:00.004+11:00

This article owes its existence to Dietrich Bonhoeffer's book "Life Together" pp. 17-18. I found his writing inspiring and thought others might too, hence have recorded it online for all to share.

We should not take it for granted that we, as Christians, have the privilege of living amongst other Christians. Jesus Christ lived in the midst of His enemies. At the end of His life, all His disciples deserted Him. On the Cross He was utterly alone, surrounded by evildoers and mockers. Yet for this cause He had come, to bring peace to the enemies of God.

In Bonhoeffer's opinion, the Christian belongs not in the seclusion of a cloistered life but in the thick of foes. His position is supported by the Word of God (Jesus), where believers in Him are called to be salt and light to the world. This is our great commission, our work. As it is written:

Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

(Matthew 5:13-15)

I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

(John 17:15)

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

(Matthew 16:25)

Martin Luther wrote: "The Kingdom is to be in the midst of your enemies. And he who will not suffer this does not want to be of the kingdom of Christ; he wants to be among friends, to sit among roses and lilies, not with the bad people but the devout people. O you blasphemers and betrayers of Christ! If Christ had done what you are doing who would ever have been spared?"

The Holy Scriptures further tell us:

And I will sow them among the people: and they shall remember me in far countries; and they shall live with their children, and turn again

(Zechariah 10:9)

So God's people must dwell in far countries among the unbelievers, but it will be the seed of the kingdom of God in all the world. Again, as it is written:

I will...gather them; for I have redeemed them...and they shall turn again

(Zechariah 10:8-9)

When will that happen? It has happened in Jesus Christ, who died "that He should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad" (John 11:52), and it will finally occur visibly at the end of time when the angels of God "shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other" (Matthew 24:31). Until then, God's people remain scattered, held together solely in Jesus Christ, having become one in the fact that, dispersed among unbelievers, they remember Him in the far countries.

Living in the until

2009-12-28T17:54:00.009+11:00

This article was taken from notes made during Brother Allen's sermon at the Faith Baptist Church on 27/12/2009.

What does living in the until mean? Biblically speaking, we have many examples to draw upon that will help us shed light on this interesting phrase. We will first consider a passage from Genesis, followed by Philippians:

And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.

(Genesis 28:15)

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ

(Philippians 1:6)

With both these passages we have a promise of God's faithfulness, that He will not leave us until He has delivered on all His promises. So be of good cheer. God will not quit with you until He is finished. He won't give up on you until you are completed, in the Day of Jesus Christ.

We will next consider several other passages that are structured similarly to those given above, then analyse whether or not they are referring to the same end point. Our final task is to outline what we should do in the light of this analysis, how we should live from day to day.

Just prior to Luke 21:24, Jesus was asked about Jerusalem and the end of the world. He replied that Jerusalem was to be under the control of the Gentiles until the time of the Gentiles was fulfilled. In our current time we are yet to realise this fulfillment. Decisions about Jerusalem are made in the UN, in Switzerland and in other Gentile countries around the world. The time of the Gentiles has yet to be reached.

This leads us to several important questions. Why does Israel not receive her Saviour? Why is it so difficult to minister to the Jewish people? The answer lies in Romans 11:25 - we are living in the "until":

For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

2 Thessalonians 2:7 speaks of the return of Christ and the events that will be happening on earth just prior to this. One point to note is that the "he" who will be taken away is the Holy Spirit, who indwells believers. This taking away will be accomplished during the rapture of the church.

Acts 3:20-21 mentions that Jesus will remain in heaven "until the times of restitution of all things" while Matthew 26:29 says that Jesus will not drink from the fruit of the vine again until He drinks it with us new in His Father's Kingdom. So the Lord's table ceremonies will cease when Jesus returns. Again, we are faced with the conclusion that we are living in an "until": even Jesus Himself is part of this.

Acts 2:32-34 has a further "until" for us. Here we see that Christ is in heaven waiting until the Father makes His enemies His footstool. With regards to the latter, in ancient times this was done literally by conquering kings.

Romans 8:22 reveals that we are in the "until" of our bodies' redemption. While our souls have been redeemed, we are waiting for our bodies to catch up. A good analogy with what the whole creation is experiencing is the wood that is used in mine shafts. It is used because it "talks" to you as pressure and weight is brought to bear on it. In the same way the creation groans together in travail as it bears the weight of severe oppression due to the effects of the fall and sin.

2 Peter 1:19 shows us that preaching and declaring of the word of God will go on until there is no longer a need for them. This will occur when believers are with the Lord and do not need things explained to them as they will see for themselves (and no longer through the eyes of faith):

We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

All this leads us to the following statement: until the return of Christ, nothing is going to change. So, in the light of this, what do we do and how do we live? 1 Timothy 6:13-14 gives us our answer: keep this commandment. What commandment? We must check further up the scripture passage to find our answer, to verses 11 and 12:

But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

Jesus offers further insight for us in the parable of the postponed kingdom (Luke 19:11-13): "occupy until I come."

God has committed to every one of us a gift, a ministry, a talent. Use it. Because we don't know how long "until" is. We cannot even guarantee that we will have tomorrow. We are to do all the things outlined in Paul's letter to Timothy until Christ comes back. One day the universe's snooze button will be popped and we will then have all eternity to contemplate what we did in the until.

Are you just going to let the until drift until it's too late? Let's occupy until the Lord Jesus returns.

For those who are afflicted

2009-12-23T19:51:00.004+11:00

The Lord Jesus moved me to record a passage from Micah, allowing me to grope towards a final understanding (and real peace) over why I have suffered pain and affliction for five years. Here it is, as you might find it hopeful and inspiring too:

Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy:

when I fall, I shall arise;

when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me:

I will bear the indignation of the LORD,

because I have sinned against Him,

until He plead my cause, and execute judgement for me:

He will bring me forth to the light,

and I shall behold His righteousness.

(Micah 7:8-9)

For a more in-depth look at how suffering can be a blessing spiritually, see the following essay entitled "We have great hope through suffering."

Feeding our spirits

2009-12-23T18:02:00.005+11:00

I wanted to share with you a story the Lord impressed upon my heart and mind today. It was about an old Indian chief who came to know the Lord Jesus. He (the chief) then made an interesting comment. He said he felt as though he now had two dogs fighting inside him, one white and one black. When asked, "Which one wins?" the chief replied, "The one I feed the most!"

The above is instructive for those of us who are seeking to follow the Lord faithfully, leaving the rudiments of this world behind us. The two dogs represent two aspects of a born-again believer, the spirit and the flesh, both warring for dominance. We can help the process along by feeding our spirits every day, strengthening our inner man, by the following disciplines:

Prayer
The word of God
Living a sober, moderate lifestyle as we seek to bring others to Christ ie. being in the world but not of the world, as I wrote about in a previous essay.

My prayer for all of us is the following, as it is written:

That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

(Ephesians 3:16-19)

Being in the world but not of the world

2009-12-21T14:32:00.006+11:00

This article was a huge challenge to write, requiring much searching of the soul, prayer, and scripture reading. But I feel strongly that it needed to be written as it's a topic I have really struggled with spiritually. Others may find the conclusions it reaches helpful in their walk with Christ too.

What are we, as followers of Jesus, to make of the world? I believe the foundation for our answer must come from the Word of God, Jesus, as He alone can be relied upon 100%. Scripture attests for us that the world is both evil (as the prince of the world is Satan) and beloved by God for the sake of those souls He wishes to save. It therefore expresses an ambivalence towards the world which we should share:

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
(1 John 2:15)

And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
(1 John 5:19)

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
(Romans 12:2)

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)

So we are to exist in the world, yet not follow its preoccupations or values. We must follow Christ. And we are to love those people who also exist in the world, whether Christian or not. We are especially called to make friends with people who don't yet know God in the hope of setting their feet on the only safe path there is spiritually - the path back to God through faith in His Son, Jesus.

Yet a further dilemma presents itself. What are we to make of people who call themselves Christians yet whose lives and characters in many ways resemble that of the world? The following examples spring to mind:

Swearing
Off-colour humour
Materialism
Shamelessness

Some pleasures or attitudes connected with materialism may not be wrong in themselves but may lead to sin if abused. This is because our hearts and minds may become so preoccupied with them that we lose our faith-filled devotion to God. The other attitudes - swearing, off-colour humour, and shamelessness - are most definitely spiritual red flags. Something has gone wrong with their walk with Christ and we may even question if they know Him at all. As Jesus warned us:

Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of
thistles?
(Matthew 7:16)

The true fruits of the spirit are in direct contradiction to the above, and these are what we should be maturing towards as believers:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
(Galatians 5:22-23)

The biblical response to Christians who exhibit the false "fruits" above should be to withdraw from them quietly, in hopes that they may come to repentance and be restored to fellowship with us again. As it is written:

Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.
(2 Thessalonians 3:6)

In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
(2 Timothy 2:25-26)

I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest
keep them from the evil.

They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
(John 17:14-16)

The Lord reminded me, by impressing my heart and spirit with this truth, that we tend to copy the people with whom we associate. We borrow thoughts from the books we read and the programs to which we listen, almost without knowing it. God has given us His word which is the absolute pitch of life and living. If we learn to sing by it, we shall easily detect the false in all the music of the world.

CH Spurgeon also reminds us to beware of worldliness. He says, "Be bound to the altar of Christ and be united forever to Him, and I am sure you will not find that you are losers by giving up worldly pleasures...The Lord's ways are ways of pleasantness, and all His paths are peace. God grant us grace to keep in these peaceful paths even though others should call us Puritans and ridicule our holy fear of sin."

Finally, thank you to John Mark Ministries for the following helpful and encouraging prayer, which sums up what I believe our attitude should be in this case towards the world and those who are in it:

Jesus, you lived in the world, you loved 'worldly' people, but you were also 'not of this world.' It's a tricky business, living in a polluted environment without being contaminated by it. Help me to steer a safe course between the rocks of empty pleasure-seeking on the one hand, and an escapist, other-worldly piety on the other. Amen.

Warning - the world will worship the beast

2009-12-20T14:57:00.006+11:00

This article was taken from notes made during Pastor Frank's sermon at the Faith Baptist Church on 20/12/2009.

And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

If any man have an ear, let him hear.

(Revelation 13:8-9)

In verse eight of Revelation 13, we see that the vast majority of the world worships the beast. Many Christians have been persecuted by this stage, tortured and imprisoned for proclaiming their faith in the Lord Jesus.

Worship is an often misused term. It encompasses the whole of a person's life and it indicates the value one puts on the object of one's devotion and attention. It is, in short, the devotion that one has and exhibits throughout one's whole life and it brings honour to the one you are devoted to. Most people spend their time focussed on things other than God eg. their job, sport. Anything that has more of a claim to your heart than God does is worship.

During the tribulation period, most people will follow the AntiChrist. They will be devoted to him. It is important at this stage to note that there will probably be no churches set up specifically to worship the AntiChrist. Satan has never needed to do that. As long as a person's heart is focussed on things other than God, they are the devil's creatures.

A word of warning:

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

(Colossians 2:8)

The Lord Jesus alone is worthy of our worship. Yet all the fullness of Satan will dwell in the man who is the AntiChrist and the world will worship him.

At this point we should do a comparison between Jesus and the AntiChrist by looking at Isaiah 9:6 and the book of Revelation. The first word used in the Isaiah passage is the word wonderful. Part of worshiping God is having a sense of wonder. Jesus is wonderful because of who He is and what He has done for us in securing us a place in heaven at the Father's side. Compare this to Revelation 13:3, where the entire world is described as wondering after the beast.

The next word used to describe Jesus is Counselor. Yet the AntiChrist will be seen as a great diplomat. He will be seen as the world's great counselor.

Then follows the phrase Mighty God. Yet the world will look at the AntiChrist and ask who can make war with him? He will perform great miracles to fool even the elect, if that were possible.

The next phrase is Everlasting Father. Satan will call himself the Eternal One, the Father, when in reality he is a liar and the father of it, as Jesus warned us (John 8:44).

Finally, the phrase Prince of Peace is used. Jesus is the only one who can enter into a person's life and give them peace. You find your value and worth in Him. We have the Holy Spirit indwelling our heart, which brings peace. God's word also brings us peace. Yet...the AntiChrist also promises to bring peace to the world through diplomatic means.

What the above comparison shows is that Satan is intent on putting his man on the earth in place of Jesus. He is the ultimate counterfeiter and can copy almost exactly to the original. Believers need to learn to distinguish between what is spiritually true and what is a clever counterfeit. While Satan cannot create anything new he can imitate and he can - of course - corrupt what's already there.

So what happens to those who get drawn in and fail to see the counterfeit? The Word of God promises that all who receive the beast and have his mark are guaranteed a place in the lake of fire, with no chance of forgiveness or redemption. The opposite promise is given to those who have (and keep) their faith in Jesus. In fact, scripture seems to say that everyone's name starts off in the book of life but is cancelled out as their hearts are overcome by Satan.

Revelation 13:9 states "if any man have an ear, let him hear", clearly indicating that this opening of the heart and mind to understand scripture is a gift from God Himself. As Psalm 10:17 says so beautifully for us:

LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear

Being humble before God opens doors spiritually, while the Word of God is our tool to recognize the false from the real. By the same token, being proud holds a person back from hearing and accepting God's word (Acts 7:51).

God's commandments break down the stones in our hearts. The Old Testament is therefore the schoolmaster that leads us to Christ. We need this to enable us to choose between right and wrong.

Daniel chastened himself before God and humbled himself. He wanted the truth and God gave it to him.

In Luke 21:20, we have a warning from Jesus about the tribulation period. The world turns to their own ways rather than His and begins persecuting Christians for their faith. Yet God promises that those who persecute Christians will be persecuted themselves - herein lies the patience and faith of the saints (Revelation 14:12).

Therefore, if we are mistreated we must not fight back to protect ourselves. We must trust all with God, knowing that the persons responsible will one day be brought to justice by Him.

Finally, never give up on reading God's word. It may take a while for your particular plant of faith to grow and bear fruit but grow it will if you bear with it patiently.

Keep your faith in Christ.

The Lord's eagle

2009-12-18T20:24:00.003+11:00

Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high?

(Job 39:27)

As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings:

So the LORD alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him.

(Deuteronomy 32:11-12)

I had coffee this afternoon with a friend who told me of a strangely moving experience she had at work one day. While sitting at her desk, on the 36th floor of the building, she noticed something that made her skin break out in goosebumps. A huge eagle hung suspended outside her window for several long seconds, staring straight at her, before zooming off into the distance again. Several work mates remarked that the eagle would have had nothing to rest on whilst outside the window and declared the whole episode to have been memorable in its oddness.

When I heard my friend's story I determined to look up passages in the bible that mention eagles, as I felt both curious and inspired. I hope you find these passages moving and inspiring too.

The beast of Revelation - II

2009-12-14T20:05:00.005+11:00

This article was taken from notes made during Pastor Frank's sermon at the Faith Baptist Church on 13/12/2009.

Revelation 13:1-3 describes a beast which can be compared to Nebuchadnezzar's statue in the book of Daniel. When we consider the kingdoms referred to in the statue, we see that they become harder and less glorious with time, the metals correspondingly becoming less precious (ie. from gold, to silver, to brass and, finally, to iron). Yet the beast in Revelation is distinct, being a mixture of all the cultures that have gone before it. Most biblical scholars agree that it is in fact a symbol of the revived Roman empire, which comes to life again in the latter days.

Daniel 2:40-43 again depicts the beast's feet as representative of the revived Roman Empire. Miry clay is wet and sloppy, suggesting something unfinished, which hasn't had time to dry out and harden. In Pastor Frank's opinion the clay represents men and their opinions, and is therefore indicative of democracy. It is interesting to realize that no clay is found in the earlier parts of Nebuchadnezzar's statue, as these kingdoms were run by one man alone, being autocratic or dictatorships. The final kingdom has instability built into it as the iron of the rulers and the clay of the people ruled do not mix. In fact, the rulers in a democracy depend upon the shifting opinions of the populace for their power as the people must give them their backing.

Daniel 7:23-25 can be paralleled with Revelation 13:4-7. Both passages refer to a 3.5 year timespan - the tribulation period - during which God's saints are given into the hands of the 11th horn. These passages, then, help us to identify the beast from the abyss, the eighth head, and the 11th horn. All are symbolic of a creature who is not your friend nor mine, the AntiChrist.

Now for some words on the tribulation. A ten-nation confederacy will be set up as part of the revival of the Roman Empire. As part of this process, a leader will emerge who will bring the ten nations together for one purpose. It seems natural to assume that he will be both a brilliant strategist and a good orator. The purpose for which the nations will be set up may be for climate change or something else.

The AntiChrist could well be an ambassador who brings the parties together to sign a peace treaty, allowing Israel to rebuild their temple. At any rate, a fragile peace will ensue for 3.5 years, after which something happens to cause three kings to rebel. The seventh king then steps down or is replaced (the reason why could be as simple as his term of office coming to an end). At this stage, the eighth head steps into his role and, through either war or diplomacy, wins against the three rebellious kings. The ten nations then give their full allegiance to him and he begins to wield enormous power, culminating in the nation of Israel suffering his wrath and the desecration of their temple. The AntiChrist will then put his image into the temple, demanding to be worshipped as God.

During the mid-point of the tribulation period Satan will be cast down from heaven and enters into the heart of a man, the AntiChrist. It is no coincidence that the AntiChrist speaks great words against the Most High and blasphemes Him - Satan empowers him to do so. At this stage Satan is furious because he has been confined to the earth and he knows that he only has 3.5 years to go before he will be cast into the abyss. His minions from the abyss will be released at this time, venting their fury against heaven with an outcome which will be worse than the holocaust that was unleashed in Israel during the second world war.

Given the above, what should our response be? Our life call should be to a life of faith and obedience, as we know our time on earth is short. Knowing these events in advance should spur us on to love and to seek the Lord's word more in prayer and scripture. We should be seeking to save people on earth as we have been redeemed and have found grace in His sight. We should also remember the following to cheer us: we who are strangers and pilgrims on the earth will inherit heaven. We will have immortality. While the devil will be swimming in a lake of fire with no foundation, we have eternal security to look forward to in the Holy City, New Jerusalem.

The Lord is good

2009-12-08T20:25:00.004+11:00

Today has been a particularly blessed day, so I thought I would write about it here for you in this blog.

My friend Jayesh had a very interesting spiritual conversation with me today about living selfishly versus living with an awareness of the spiritual brotherhood of all mankind. Jayesh and I come from different positions theologically but we still see eye-to-eye over many life issues from a spiritual perspective. He is a lovely, kind man and I am thankful that he has chosen to make me his close work friend.

On the way home I passed by the house on the corner only to hear a tinkling bell as the young grey cat who lives there ran towards me in joyful recognition. The little animal rubbed against my legs, purring happily while I stroked her. Then the owner came out and was pleasantly surprised that his cat was "so spoiled", as he put it. He said she loves to nestle against him as he sits on the couch gazing at the box.

And then, once I reached home, I opened my blog to find that I have a follower! How encouraging and kind. I appreciated this even more because I have gone through periods of feeling really discouraged online, thinking that I was talking to an audience of one. What is even better is that my new friend Bella has joined me in cyberspace so I feel very happy and blessed.

I hope that you do too. :-)

The beast of Revelation

2009-11-29T17:35:00.012+11:00

This article was taken from notes made during Pastor Frank's sermon at the Faith Baptist Church on 29/11/2009.

Why is the beast of Revelation depicted as coming out of the sea (see Revelation 13:1-2)? The answer is that all evil, wars and turmoil in the present world are like a turbulent sea. We rely on man-made systems to organise us and live by but these systems don't deliver what they promise. They don't work because all systems that give us freedom also give us an opportunity to sin, as man has a sinful nature. We then need to implement more and more laws to control us. So man tries to juggle ways of living in society that work and this leads to turbulence. The Beast of Revelation comes up out of this earthly chaos and instability.

As a side note (and, I hope, an encouraging one): we believers have a sure anchor in Christ and His word. While all around us may be turbulent, we have Jesus Himself to fall back on during our lives.

Back to the books of Revelation and Daniel. With these, God has published the enemy's plans in a convenient form for us. It is important to realise that these plans are given for our benefit, not God's, as He already knows the end from the beginning. As 2 Corinthians 2:11 reminds us:

Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

The above underscores the importance of the Bible in a believer's life. Where churches have left God's word and sought to replace it with messages of love and peace, they are in fact in great peril spiritually. What they are actually doing is falling away from the truth (ie. becoming apostate) and helping to usher in the AntiChrist and a one-world church based upon humanism and relativism.

The book of Daniel is helpful in identifying the nature of the beast of Revelation. Daniel 7:3-6 reveals three beasts out of four for us that arise from the sea: a lion, a bear and a leopard. The fourth beast is mentioned in verse seven but Daniel does not reveal what type of animal it is. In fact all four beasts are kings arising from the earth with their various kingdoms. The first beast - the lion - represents the Kingdom of Babylon, which was ruled over by King Nebuchadnezzar. The second beast, in the form of a bear, represents the Kingdom of Persia/Medea. The third, the leopard, represents Alexander the Great's Kingdom, which originated in Greece. Alexander conquered the world quickly, with the speed and agility of a leopard. The fourth beast is not explained until John does in the book of Revelation.

In Revelation 13:2 we see that the fourth beast is a composite kingdom containing the same elements - lion, bear and leopard - as the first three beasts in the book of Daniel.

Revelation 17:9 identifies the city the beast of Revelation is associated with, a city having seven mountains: Rome. The apostle John was living during the time of the sixth king under Roman rule. Hence the beast out of the water represents the revived Roman Empire, rising up once more to rule the earth. Daniel says that a "little horn" will come up and subdue three other horns and control the beast. This little horn is the AntiChrist, who will set himself up as God in the temple during the middle of the seven-year tribulation period.

Revelation 12:3 mentions a "great red dragon" - the devil. This particular vision is seen in heaven, by John. We notice now that the devil has a similar configuration as the beast out of the sea (Daniel's fourth beast). This reflects the fact that an ungodly hierarchy has been set up on earth with a spiritual battle taking place all around us. Satan's plan is to set up a one-world government he can rule over, through one person. Matthew 4:8 shows us the audacity of the devil with the Son of God, while Luke 4:5-7 reports on the same events with more detail. When we examine Luke's passage we see that the devil wasn't lying. He has been in control of all earthly kingdoms since the fall of man, he owns them. And the reason he got control was that, in the Garden of Eden, man decided to follow Satan rather than God. So non-believing man is now a slave of the devil, while believers find that they are "strangers and pilgrims" on the earth and don't fit in with it.

Daniel 10:11-13 mentions the spiritual warfare that is going on around us more explicitly. Here, we see that the angel Gabriel was delayed from approaching Daniel by "the prince of the kingdom of Persia" - he needed the archangel Michael to assist him. Likewise we should realise that behind every world conquering leader (such as Alexander the Great) has been an ungodly demon motivating them to action.

All of our political systems here on earth are controlled by Satan. We are instructed to pray for our leaders not because they are godly men but because they are so easily influenced by evil. A spiritual battle is being waged for the souls of men daily. As followers of Jesus, we need to not rest on our laurels but to keep fighting to save them.

Dealing with trials and sufferings

2009-11-15T18:45:00.008+11:00

This article was taken from notes made during Brother David's sermon at the Faith Baptist Church on 15/11/2009. I was very encouraged by it and I thought you might be too.

There are four ways people typically deal with trials and tests:

Ignore it
Do something, whether good or bad
Perceive that the trial is from God, cursing Him
Perceive that the trial is from God, passively accepting it

What does the Bible teach?

In Job 1:1-5 we see that Job lead an exemplary life and this has been recorded in God’s word for all eternity. Job’s life was upright and he was very wealthy. He was also sensitive to sin and to the results of sin – he never let it fester but dealt with it immediately. Job had an excellent relationship with God.

Verse six mentions the phrase “sons of God.” These are angelic beings and Satan was one of them. In verse nine, Satan threw down a challenge to God. He contended that Job’s love for God was conditional, because of his many blessings. God then took up the challenge and allowed Satan to test Job. There are three things we should note here:

Satan had no power to do anything to Job without God’s permission.
God limited what Satan could do to Job. In this instance, he could not touch Job’s body or his health. As 1 Corinthians 10:13 reminds us, God knows how much we can tolerate. He does not want to break us in tests and trials.
Job did not know what was going to happen to him. There is a spiritual war going on in heaven but we humans don’t see this.

Verses 13 to 19 show us that everything Job had was destroyed in one day by Satan’s power, including his ten children and life savings. How did he respond?

Verses 20 to 22 reveal that Job mourned for his children by shaving his head and tearing his clothes (also see Jeremiah 16:6-7 for an example of this). He then fell down and worshipped God. Job blessed God for his adversity hence Satan failed in this test. Job did not sin.

So how does Job’s experience relate to us? When we undergo trials and tests the first thing we should ask is: why am I suffering? 1 Peter 2:18-19 reminds us to be subject to our bosses, even to those who are harsh. And our ultimate boss is God. Examined in this light we see that suffering comes from God, to bring out the best in us. It also comes from Satan, our adversary, to tempt us and bring out the worst in us.

So what does suffering give us?

Produces fruit in our lives. Suffering can bring forth patience, as per James 1:2-5. Psalm 94:12 tells us that God gives us knowledge while 1 Peter 5:10 reminds us that suffering can give rise to a mature faith.
Silences the devil. In the story of Job, God proved that Job loved Him for who He is.
Glorifies God. An example here is John 9:1-3. Here, God was glorified when Jesus performed a miracle on the man who was born blind. Another example was John 11:1-4, where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. By this action Jesus was glorified and so was God.
Makes us more like Jesus (Philippians 3:8-10).
Teaches us dependence (John 15:1-5). Without Christ, we can do nothing.

There are three ways we can respond to suffering in our lives:

Despise the trial or treat it too lightly (Hebrews 12:5).
Faint or treat it too seriously. We should remember that "who the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receives" (Hebrews 12:6). God won’t test you above what you are able to bear.

Exercised by it. Here we can receive instruction from the circumstances of our trial (Hebrews 12:11-13). If we commit our pain and suffering to God, we can then trust that He will work out all things for our good.

Unfortunately, unbelievers do not have the same assurance. If they do not turn to Christ, they will be punished for their sins with no reprieve.

God sent Jesus to die for our sins. He is our Saviour and, through Him, we who believe have access to the Father to encourage and strengthen us.

The thought of heaven should cheer us

2009-11-14T15:36:00.003+11:00

Yesterday the Spirit lead me to an inspirational and hopeful article on the resurrection of Jesus, and our resurrection, entitled, "Is there life after death?" The article, from Our Daily Bread's website, contended that at Jesus' second coming we will be given resurrection bodies as beautiful and individual as butterflies - though more powerful and substantial. Our bodies on earth are like butterflies' cocoons, or seeds waiting to germinate into new life.

One passage in particular moved me spiritually, and I thought I'd write about it as you might find it hopeful and edifying too. The thought of heaven should cheer us whenever we become discontented with life and discouraged about the future.

And the Lord Himself told us to set our mind on things above this earth if we are to remain faithful to Him unto death. As it is written:

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

(Matthew 6:20-21)