Truth and Song - Rick Schworer's Articles

What's the Big Deal about the KJV?

2012-02-07T13:29:00.000-07:00

What's the Big Deal about the KJV? from Andrew Garcia on Vimeo.

A Blessing: Job and the Millennium

2011-11-01T17:32:00.004-06:00

Something in the book of Job thrilled my soul to read today, and I think it will for you too. What a wonderful Lord we have. So I'm working on a study about the Millennial Kingdom, and what it meant to people all throughout the Old Testament. To Adam and Eve, the promise in Gen. 3:15 meant that maybe they'd get back to the garden. To Enoch, well, in Jude he was the first man to preach about the Second Coming about 2,500 years before the first coming.

I can't believe I made the mistake of overlooking Job! To him the promise of the Kingdom meant seeing his Redeemer and having a new body.

Job 19:25-26, "For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
26) And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:"

That is one of the most exciting passages in the Bible to me. Job is talking about something that Paul speaks about in I Cor. 15 - a new body. Job KNEW that his soul wouldn't simply see God, but that his weak and frail body that had been devastated by boils would one day die and be resurrected to a new and a glorious body free from disease and imperfection. Job knew it 2,000 years before Paul told us the same thing in the New Testament!

But that's not where it ends. Try to put yourself where Job was. His family, other than his wife, is dead and he's alone and miserable. Maybe he wants some recognition or understanding or something. He's one of the most dedicated servants of Jehovah, and is this how he is to die? A broken, beaten, hurting man? Is this his legacy?

Every man wants to leave a legacy. Every man wants to be remembered by something, by someone. Before Job cried the words about one day seeing his Redeemer, he said the following...

Job 19:23-24, "Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book!
24) That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever!"

Job wanted to be remembered and he wanted his life to count for something.

And every hurting saint ever since then has turned to the book that contains the words of Job to find peace and comfort.

God answered the prayer of Job's heart. His words were put in a book.

The best book ever written - the Bible!

Don't Toss the Baby out with the Bathwater!

2011-10-20T16:14:00.005-06:00

I see all the time where people toss books and teachers because they do not agree with everything they say. That’s fine to do, but in the end you could really miss out on learning something that God wants you to know. From Moses and Aaron to Samson and David, God’s pattern is using imperfect men to accomplish impossible tasks.

If you wind up tossing every book (or preacher!) that happens to have something wrong in it, you’ll wind up with nothing but the Bible. That may be okay for a while, but that Bible tells you that we’re supposed to learn from teachers (Eph. 4:11, I Cor. 12:28, Acts 13:1).

Other than God and the Bible, every book and teacher will have problems. So what do you keep and what do you let go? What is serious and inexcusable and what can you overlook? What helps me is viewing these “problems” in three categories.

1. Doctrinal Errors.

Doctrinal errors are usually little hangups and ideas that someone may have that don’t affect things outside of the actual teaching itself. Bible doctrine is Bible teaching, sometimes it's major and sometimes it's minor. I knew a guy once who thought he was going to get rewards at the Judgment Seat of Christ because he abstained from ice cream.

Really? Not worth it! Give me my Rocky Road!

Of course the Bible doesn’t say anything about this. It was just a weird little idea he got in his head somehow and no one was going to tell him otherwise. Now it’s true that God expects us to show temperance in our lives and there’s a reward for putting your body under subjection… but there’s nothing wrong with a little Georgia Mud Fudge now and then.

Back to the ice cream man: does this idea he had make him ineligible to serve the Lord? Does it mean that anything he says, teaches, or writes is akin to trash burped up from the Bottomless Pit? Of course not!

YOU – the reader of this article – is of course right on everything. So if you find someone that disagrees with you on something ask yourself three questions:

1. Does this teaching directly affect other doctrines in the Bible?

2. Does this teaching affect any practical areas of Christian conduct?

3. Is this teaching emphasized too much by the teacher?

If you answered “no” to all three then what you are dealing with is a doctrinal error. Everyone makes them. Get over it and cut the guy some slack, he might have some good things to say.

2. False Doctrine.

There are many teachings that directly affect other doctrines and Christian conduct. Depending upon the severity and the emphasis placed upon them by the teacher, they are going to be either false doctrine or heresy.

Here’s a couple of examples:

1. Calvinism. Teaching that God specifically chooses some people to go to Hell and others to go to Heaven without giving either a specific say in the matter is wrong. That being said, Jonathan Edwards and Charles Spurgeon were Calvinists.

They were not hyper-Calvinists (Hyper-Calvinism is heresy). In other words, they believed Calvinist doctrine, but thankfully they didn’t make it a part of their practical lives. Calvinism is serious stuff, but God still uses Calvinists.

2. Arminianism.

These folks believe you can lose your salvation. That’s false doctrine, and for many it holds them in a position of always questioning their salvation. What sin can damn you, which ones are okay and which one aren’t? This teaching affects other doctrines and it can daily affect the Christian’s life and walk with the Lord. It’s serious.

Ever heard of John Wesley? The John Wesley who God used to save England from a bloody revolution? He believed you can lose it.

There are many good Christians that believe some false doctrine. Does that mean that false doctrine doesn’t matter? Of course, not, but it needs to be put in the proper perspective. If God is willing to use the man for good, then maybe he’s worth listening to in some areas. Just be careful.

3. Heresy.

Okay, this is the inexcusable stuff. Teaching that salvation comes from anything other than faith in Christ is inexcusable. Teaching that Jesus was anything other than God is heresy. The Holy Spirit told us in II John 1:7-11 that we are not to consort with people at all that abide not in the doctrine of Christ or we risk losing rewards in Heaven and partaking in “his evil deeds.” Stay away.

These are wolves in sheep's clothing and are to be identified as such according to the Bible. God doesn't expect you to be "nice" about it (see how nice Jesus was in Matthew 23). I'm not talking about innocent well-meaning people caught up in a wicked system such as the Roman Catholic Church, the Jehovah's Witness organization, the Seventh Day Adventist "denomination," the Church of Christ, or Mormonism. I'm talking about people who push these heretical teachings and organizations. God doesn't expect you to treat them with kid gloves, they are active tools of Satan to damn people to Hell.

Read what the Bible says about them:

II Peter 2:1-3, "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. ²And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. ³And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

Matthew 7:15, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves."

I Tim. 6:3-5, "If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;

⁴He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, ⁵Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself."

     Jude 1:3, "Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints."
Romans 16:17, "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them."

     Titus 3:10-11, "A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;
¹¹Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself."

     I don't see any allowance for studying underneath a heretic and seeking to learn or be inspired by one. We are not to look up to them as great examples of "whatever." Just the words "damnable heresy" should clue us in to the fact that God doesn't have a high opinion of the people who push them.

     According to these verses, when dealing with heresy God exepects to do three things:

1) Identify it.
2) Fight against it.
3) Withdraw from the heretic.

     In conclusion, this is how I disipher who I should listen to and who to not. I find most carnal modern-day Christians are very hard on the preacher or teacher who may have made a mistep in what he said or taught, but they will give a lot of room to the people who fall in category number three. At best they might withdraw, but you'll never find them actually taking a stand against wickedness. The SOP of a Laodicaen Christian is that a grumpy preacher is dreadfully rude and unacceptable, and we should be very quick to condem him - but a nice man who'll lead your children to Hell is okay.

     Try to look at things the way God does. For those who lead people to Hell, God has nothing good to say. But God is gracious and merciful to those with a good heart that may be wrong in a couple areas, and we should be too.

Problems with Preterism

2011-04-20T16:52:00.015-06:00

Imagine if I told you that almost everything in Revelation has already happened, and that just about none of it is future? What if told you that Jesus already has returned, and that right now we’re living in the Millennium? What if I told you that Jesus Christ was ruling over this Earth, the way it is, and that the saints in Heaven are ruling with Him?

If I told you those things, I’d be a Preterist. I am not a Preterist, I’m a Futurist. I believe that most of Revelation is yet future, and I believe that because I take most of Revelation to be literal to mean exactly what it says.

So how does a Preterist believe what he believes, and how does he get there? Obviously I’m biased, but from my understanding here’s how it works:

Jesus said in Revelation 1:3 that He was coming back very soon, and furthermore he stated in Matthew 24:34 that the generation that stood before Him would see all events in Matthew 24. If you read Matthew 24, you’ll see that it ties in directly with much of Revelation, therefore much (if not all) of Revelation has already been fulfilled.

Jesus said He was coming back in Matthew 24, and since we know Matthew 24 has been fulfilled Jesus has already returned, spiritually of course. Following Christ’s return in Revelation 19, we see the next event being the Millennium; therefore we are now in the Millennium OR possibly even the New Heavens and New Earth. Either way, the “great tribulation” that Christ spoke of in the Olivet Discourse was the events before, leading up to, and during the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D, which is easily understood in light of Luke 21.

That’s how it works. Preterism basically means “past,” and do you see why? The whole idea of Preterism is that almost all prophesy, if not all (that would be full Preterism), has already been fulfilled.

Here are my problems with the teaching.....

1. It assumes immediacy of Christ’s return, not the imminency.

Yes, Jesus said “behold I come quickly” and He said in Revelation 1:3 that the events and prophesy of the book of Revelation were “at hand.”

You know what? That’s not the first time He said something like that.

Duet. 32:35, "To me belongs vengeance and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come on them make haste."

Is. 13:6, 9-10, "Howl ye; for the day of the LORD [is] at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.

9) Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.

10) For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.

20) It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there."

Joel 2:1, 30-32, "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for [it is] nigh at hand;

30) And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

31) The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

32) And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call."

Zeph. 1:14, "The great day of the LORD [is] near, [it is] near, and hasteth greatly, [even] the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly."

The above verses all deal with what Futurists understand to be the Second Advent of Jesus Christ, an event that still hasn’t happened yet. They’re talking about apocalyptic judgments of God and “the day of the Lord” – all things that a Preterist relegates to 70 A.D. If these passages were in the book of Matthew or Revelation, a Preterist would claim that because they used the words “at hand,” “little while,” and “is near, and hasteth greatly” that surely that must mean that the Second Advent happened right after these passages were written.

The problem with that is, they were written hundreds of years before Christ was born.

Look at this one:

Haggai 2:6-7, "For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;

7) And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts."

Ever sing that song, “…come, desire of nations come…” around Christmas time? This is a prophecy of Jesus Christ, written 500 years before He was born. The events described are supposed to take place “in a little while” – 500 years before Christ was born?

Does this give you a whole new perspective on Revelation 1:3, when it says, “Blessed [is] he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time [is] at hand.”

Jesus said that people needed to drink His blood and eat His flesh in John 6; do you think He meant that we really need to eat His flesh and drink His blood? Of course not, that’s cannibalism! Jesus clearly explained that His words were “spirit,” that the “flesh profiteth nothing,” and that it is the “spirit that quickeneth” (John 6:63). What Jesus was saying was that we needed to live off of Him spiritually the same way we live off of food and drink physically.

God means what He says; sometimes we just don’t understand Him right. When God says something is “at hand” He doesn’t mean it exactly the same way that a Preterist thinks He means it.

So what does He mean?

He means that it could happen any moment, not that it’s guaranteed to happen right away. He wants us to be ready! This is called the imminent return of Jesus Christ. It’s looming, it’s impending, it’s approaching, it’s forthcoming – that is what the promise is. The promise is not that He’s coming, guaranteed, a few years after Revelation was written.

(Side note: that’s IF you want to believe that Revelation was written in 60 A.D., which is THE bedrock belief of Preterism and has no internal or historical evidence to support it and it contradicts the word of Irenaeus who spoke of John’s apocalypse being written towards the end of the reign of Domitian, which is where people get the dating of around 95 A.D.)

Not only is the return of Christ imminent versus immediate, we also have to remember that God looks at things differently than we do. To Him, a thousand years are as a day, and a day is as a thousand years (II Peter 3:8). So when He says He’s coming soon, well, who really knows when that exactly is? “Soon” to me is a very different thing than “soon” to my kids. “Grandma is going to come over soon” could mean she’s going to be here come summer time, but to my kids that means before dinner. When God says He’s coming back soon, it’s going to be relative because He’s not giving us a specific period of time.

However, we can know three things about when Christ is coming back:

1. It could happen at any moment.

2. We’re closer than we were yesterday.

3. All the signs of the times point to it being soon (II Tim 3, Matt. 24).

Based on that knowledge, we should all obey the admonition given to be ready, watching, and working until the Lord’s return.

2. It has stretches that would give Gumby a hernia.

So maybe you don’t like my interpretation of Revelation 1:3 and how God says that His coming is “at hand” being something that is imminent and not immediate. Maybe you think I’m spiritualizing or weakening the text, or maybe you think I’m not taking the text literally enough.

Well, I’d rather be accused of not taking Revelation 1:3 literally enough than not taking the whole rest of the book literally enough! Preterists hyper-literalize Rev. 1:3 (just like the Catholics hyper-literalize John 6:54) and then take the whole rest of the book of Revelation and stand it on its head. The Tribulation events, clearly and painstakingly described in chapters 6-19 are simply described as being the sacking of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.

70 A.D. was bad. What happened to Christians under pagan Rome was terrible. But it wasn’t every drop of water on Earth turning to blood, all sea life being killed, the sun scorching people alive, darkness that inflicts pain, boils over all millions of people, flying locusts that sting and torment people, one-third of all green grass being destroyed, and the list goes on and on. The Preterist will take the square peg of the events described in Revelation and try to cram it into the round hole of their quirky system of interpretation. They force all these events into 70 A.D.

Let me show you something in Matthew 24 that the Preterist say has already happened:

Matthew 24:29-31, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

30) And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

31) And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

Now what a Preterist will tell you is that none of that really means what it says. He may not put it that way, but that’s what he means.

“All the tribes of the Earth” just means whoever happened to be in Jerusalem in 70 A.D., the stars and “powers of heaven” just mean nations on the Earth and have nothing to do with anything or anyone in the sky, “…the sign of the Son of man in heaven…” just means that the Jews see smoke rising up from their burning houses and understand God’s judgment on them, and (saving the best for last) the phrase “…they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven…” doesn’t mean that they actually SEE HIM (see Rev. 6:16) – it just means that God’s vengeance is so terrible on Israel that it’s ALMOST like they saw Him – what they really saw was just smoke in the sky.

I’m not joking, this is how Preterists operate; this is “how they roll.”

They have about three verses that are tough and tricky to understand (who doesn’t?), and they use them to stand all of the prophetic passages in the Bible on their head. Tim LaHaye calls it “exegetical gymnastics,” and Preterists do it all the time.

Preterists get so hung up on when Revelation was written and that it HAD to be written before 70 A.D. This, supposedly, is rock-solid proof that Revelation was fulfilled in 70 A.D.

My only response to that is: “Whoopee.”

Not “whoopee” as in “I’m going down a roller coaster and I’m really excited!” “Whoopee,” as in “whoopee, big deal, I don’t care.”

It doesn’t matter when Revelation was written to me because I have enough common sense to understand that those terrible and horrific things that we read in it haven’t happened yet, or any other time in history, and certainly not all at once in 70 A.D.!

(Brief interjection: Hey, you know how many Preterists it takes to change a lightbulb? None! It was already changed back in 70 A.D.!)

3. It claims that Christ is ruling over this mess.

Do you think that God is “okay” with what is going on in the world today? Do you think that Jesus Christ thinks it’s “peachy-keen” that our nation murders well over one million unborn babies every year? Do you think He’s “cool” with Communism and Islamic-fascism? Do you think He’s fine with the idea that there were more Christians killed in the 20^th century than all other centuries combined?

I don’t think He is.

I don’t think He’s in charge of this mess, in fact I know He isn’t.

I Peter 5:8, Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:"

II Cor. 4:4, “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”

Whether you and I like it or not, the “god” of this world (small ‘g’) is Satan. Yes, God is sovereign in the fact that Satan can only do so much. God is not responsible for the wickedness that goes on in this world – it’s not His fault. In the Millennium and in the New Heavens and New Earth you have Jesus Christ ruling with a rod of iron. Partial Preterists believe we’re in the Millennium, and full Preterists think we’re in the New Heavens and New Earth – that Christ is reining over the Earth right now.

You may get away with saying that in a roundabout way Jesus is “ruling” over the Earth now, and that would involve a very lengthy discussion about the sovereignty of God. One thing is for sure He’s not ruling “with a rod of Iron.” The verses that describe Christ’s reign describe the whole world being filled with the knowledge of Jesus Christ with everyone in submission to Him. That’s not happening now, it’s never happened before, and it’s not going to happen until Jesus Christ really does return to this Earth.

Zech. 8:23, “Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days [it shall come to pass], that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard [that] God [is] with you.”

Is. 2:3-4, “And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

4) And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”

Is. 31:34, “And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

You can spiritualize these verses until you’re blue in the face but it won’t change the fact that the vast majority of people on Earth today are rebellious against God and the Gospel and they always have been – the whole Earth is NOT filled with the knowledge of the Lord (yet).

4. It can’t tell the difference between 1,000 and 2,000 years.

If you have a basic understanding of the end times from a Futurist perspective, then you know that at the end of the Tribulation we have the Battle of Armageddon in which Christ destroys the Antichrist and his armies. Following that is the Millennium in which Jesus Christ rules the Earth for 1,000 years. It actually says specifically 1,000 years, SIX times in Revelation chapter 20.

Revelation 20:1-7, “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

2) And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

3) And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

4) And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

5) But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

6) Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

7) And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison…”

Preterists think that we are in the Millennium right now, and that the Millennium started back in 70 A.D. That would mean two things:

1. Satan is currently bound in chains in the Bottomless Pit.

2. The Millennium is in extra innings, overtime, whatever – it’s about 1,000 years longer than what God said it would be.

“Wait! Wait! You said that God views time differently than we do in point one! You said “a little while” to God can mean a really long time to us…”

Yes, I did – but there’s a difference between God saying “I’ll be back in a little bit so be ready…” and God saying, “For 1,000 years we’re going to…”

Here are two examples:

1. God said to Abram that his seed would be strangers in a land that was not theirs for 400 years.

Gen. 15:13-14, “And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;

14) And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.”

And how many years were they there?

Ex. 12:40, “Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, [was] four hundred and thirty years.”

430! To which the Preterist would say, “Gotcha! When God gives numbers He speaks in vague generalities and so 1,000 years can mean 2,000!”

(Brief interjection: Did you hear about the accident at the Preterist convention in Ireland? Apparently an elevator that said it only held 1,000 lbs was overloaded with 2,000 pounds of Preterists that think numbers don’t mean anything!)

The promise that was given to Abram in Genesis was given to him thirty years into the 430 years of wandering, so that’s why God said 400 years. When God gives an exact number of years, He means it.

2. Specific time periods in Daniel 9.

I picked this because I wanted to kill two birds with one stone. In order to justify their abusing the 1,000 years in Revelation 20, Preterists point to Daniel’s 70 weeks and accuse Futurists of being hypocritical. The best answer to that is, “And when did the 100 pound hailstones fall in 70 A.D. again?”

In all actuality, Daniel’s 70 weeks is another great example of just how detailed God is when He gives us specific time periods in prophecy.

Daniel 9:24-27, “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

25) Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

26) And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

27) And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”

Okay, this passage is the barn-burner of Bible prophecy, it’s a really, really, really important passage. I especially recommend Clarence Larkin’s commentary on Daniel and Sir Robert Anderson’s book The Coming Prince is good too if you want more info on what I’m about to lay down here.

In a nutshell, you have a few different periods of time, referred to as weeks. These are “weeks of years,” meaning every week in this passage is a reference to seven years. Here are the time periods:

1. Seventy Weeks. (Vs. 24)

2. Seven weeks and thirty-two weeks (69). (Vs. 25 – a “score” means twenty in the Bible.)

3. Sixty-two weeks (Vs. 26)

4. One week. (Vs. 27)

A few things happen before that, to say the least.

1. These are the obvious divisions of these weeks, and they all mean different things. In verse 24 we see that the weeks are a direct reference to the nation of Israel and what will happen to them. By the time these weeks are over all the things in verse 24 will be done to Israel and the Holy City Jerusalem, including all her sins being put away and everlasting righteousness for her.

2. The first division of the seventy weeks is the sixty-nine mentioned in verse 25. Gabriel tells Daniel that from the going forth of the command to rebuild Jerusalem up until Christ is crucified is going to be sixty-nine weeks to the day. That’s 483 years. That’s exactly what happened, and all Bible historians and theologians agree on this. It’s an amazing example of the exactness of God in Bible prophecy. It doesn’t stop there.

3. The next division in verse 26 is sixty-two weeks. In that verse it says there are sixty-two weeks until Christ is crucified. At first that may seem confusing, but look again at the verse right before this one, verse 25. It says “…seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks…” There are two divisions there. The first one is seven weeks, or 49 years, and the second one is sixty-two weeks, or 434 years. What’s the difference? It took 49 years to rebuild Jerusalem, that’s the first seven weeks, and after that comes the 62 weeks that are left of the original 69 weeks we just looked at. Another example of God’s precision in Scripture.

4. Ah, but there is one last week, and that’s what all the hubbub is about. It’s called Daniel’s 70^th week, and suffice it to say it hasn’t happened yet. How do we know that? Look again at the things in verse 24. It’s talking about a bunch of wonderful things that will happen to Israel after the 70 weeks are up. They haven’t happened yet.

The reason the passage was worded the way it was and why that last week is set apart from the other weeks is because for ALL the weeks to be complete was conditional based upon the Jews accepting Christ as their Messiah. They didn’t, so we’re in a hold pattern and God is dealing with the church (Acts 13:46, 28:28). Once He’s done dealing with the church, He’ll go right back to the last week where He left off. Daniel’s 70^th week is the seven year Tribulation period that is described all throughout Revelation; at the end of it all the things described in verse 24 will happen to Israel. They’ll all be saved and accept Christ, there will be everlasting righteousness and the Holy City Jerusalem will be the place of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Because Futurists simply state that the last week, being clearly separated from the other sixty-nine weeks, is parenthetical and conditional upon Israel’s acceptance or rejection of the Gospel, Preterists call us inconsistent when it comes to the 1,000 years. In turn, what they do is take all the promises of Israel and steal them away and give them to the church after they spiritualize them into meaning nothing at all in accordance to what the actual prophecy states in plain English!

Another good answer to them, so you don’t have to explain all of this, is “How exactly did the Euphrates River dry up in 70 A.D., releasing four angels to slay one-third of mankind?”

What’s the point of all this? The point is when God gives specific numbers He means exactly what He says. When He says 1,000 years, SIX times in Revelation 20 – that’s what He means.

5. It teaches a hopeless Second Coming and a possible third coming of Christ.

Full blown Preterism is ridiculous to no end. I give credit to partial Preterists, because they at least believe that Jesus Christ is coming back one day and that the next thing on the calendar is the New Heavens and New Earth. Full Preterists think we’re IN the New Heavens and New Earth, which is just hairball-craziness. Sorry.

They both believe that the Olivet Prophesy is complete. In that prophecy, you have the return of Christ and the Great Tribulation. They say Jesus Christ came back, spiritually, in 70 A.D.

It blows me away every time I think about it! In describing what we know to be the Second Advent, Jesus says…

Luke 21:28, “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”

Your redemption draweth nigh - as your city is destroyed and you either die in the process or have to run for your life? If this is describing the destruction of Jerusalem, as every Preterist believes it does, then what was the redemption? Where was the blessed hope that was supposed to be there in 70 A.D.? There wasn’t any! The Jews had to run for their lives or die – there was NO redemption “drawing nigh.”

As a Futurist, I understand that one day the Jews will be running for their lives from the armies of the Antichrist and Jesus Christ will return in triumphant glory to save them – He will be their redemption drawing nigh!

When Jesus describes the events of the Great Tribulation in Matthew 24 He makes a very powerful statement:

Matthew 24:21, “for then shall be great tribulation, such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever shall be.”

Jesus says that whatever the “Great Tribulation” is, that there’s never been anything like it before and there will never be anything like it ever again. The sacking of Jerusalem doesn’t really fit that qualification. Jerusalem was destroyed in 606 B.C. by the Babylonians (before), and under Hitler six million Jews were killed (after). This verse should really go in under the “stretches that give Gumby a hernia” section because you should see what they do to try and get out of it.

There is no such thing as a “spiritual return” of Jesus Christ anywhere in the Bible. Look at what the Angels said about exactly how Jesus would come back:

Acts 1:11, “Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”

It’s so simple! Jesus left bodily, physically, and visibly. He’s coming back bodily, physically, and visibly.

To further exacerbate the problem, partial Preterists believe that Jesus Christ will come back (for real this time) a third time. Yes, they believe He came back (somehow) in 70 A.D., but that He’s coming back again for a third time one day!

Amen!

Hurray!

I’m so confused!

6. It ignores the differences between the Millennium and the New Heaven and New Earth.

God commands us to “rightly divide” when it comes to Bible study (II Tim. 2:15). Preterists and Amillennialists are masters of the hodgepodge, throw-it-all-in-the-same-pot, casserole dinner of eschatology. I’m sorry, I hope my sarcasm doesn’t offend anyone but the Bible isn’t Thanksgiving Day’s meal, you can’t let it all run into itself and expect it to still taste good - there must be division!

One of the biggest divisions is the difference between the Millennium and the New Heavens and New Earth. As already stated, partial Preterists believe we’re in the Millennium, and full Preterists believe we’re in the New Heavens and New Earth.

To justify this point of view, the Partials say that all the wonderful promises in the Old Testament that Futurists understand to be the Millennium are actually promises for the New Heavens and New Earth. At least they think things are going to get better than they are today, I’ll give them that, but there are clear and distinct differences between the Millennium and the New Heavens and New Earth (Everlasting Kingdom). For a full Preterist – we can’t be in both time periods at the same time, and for a partial Preterist, the Millennium is a wonderful time still yet in the future.

Let’s look at the differences between the Everlasting Kingdom and the Millennial Kingdom, and the events surrounding them:

1. The sea.

In the everlasting kingdom, there is no sea.

Rev. 21:1, “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.”

In the Millennium, there is a sea. The partial Preterist will claim that this passage is talking about the Everlasting Kingdom, but it’s not because it mentions the sea. If we’re in the Millennium right now, then the Preterist needs to explain why my kids can’t have a lion for a pet because I’m sure they’d really, really like one.

Is. 11:6-11, “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

7) And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

8) And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.

9) They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

10) And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.

11) And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.”

2. Death.

In the Everlasting Kingdom, there is no death.

I Cor. 15:26, “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.”

Rev. 21:4, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” (One of the best verses ever!)

In the Millennium, people still die. That is a huge difference between it and the Everlasting Kingdom. However, the difference between the time period we’re in right now and the Millennium is that people live for hundreds of years during the Millennium. What we understand by comparing these two passages is that there are clearly three different ages at work here – the current age, an upcoming age, and an everlasting age. In the upcoming age, you’re still considered a youngster at 100 years old, but you still can die. In the everlasting age, no one dies.

Is. 65:20, “There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.”

3. The Temple.

In the Everlasting Kingdom, there is no Temple.

Rev. 21:22, “And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.”

In the Millennium, there is. (See also Is. 33:20 and Ez. 40-48)

Is. 2:2-4, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

3) And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

What we read about in the above verses cannot happen under the New Heavens and New Earth, because there is no temple then. It’s not happening now, and it’s never happened in the past. It’s part of a future golden age, though imperfect, in which there is a temple and people go and worship Jesus Christ on Earth. The only way around that is to spiritualize it until it means nothing of what it actually says.

4. The Beloved City.

If you read Revelation chapter 20, you’ll see that during the Millennium there is a beloved city. This beloved city of the saints is attacked by a huge army, who God very quickly destroys. If we are in the Millennium right now, then where in the world is this beloved city? There never has been a “beloved city” of the saints anytime after Calvary, and there won’t be one until the Second Advent.

That beloved city is Jerusalem during the Millennium. Before the New Heavens and New Earth begins, God destroys the entire universe and remakes it again (II Peter 3:10, Rev. 21). The Earth is remade, and Israel gets a better chunk of ground than before, they probably get the whole Earth instead of just part of it.

5. Armageddon versus Gog and Magog.

Preterism teaches that it’s the same battle. That’s ridiculous! If you read Revelation 19 and 20 you’ll see there’s 1,000 years in between the two battles and that Satan is bound in the Bottomless Pit during those 1,000 years. They teach that somehow both of those battles occurred during 70 A.D., and that they’re not anything like what you actually read. Do you see a pattern?

The point of all this is that there are clear differences between our age, the upcoming Millennium, and the New Heavens and New Earth. No two are the same, and all three are distinct from each other. To fail to recognize this is to fail to obey the biblical command in II Timothy 2:15 to rightly divide the Scriptures.

7. It teaches promise breaking.

Last, and certainly not least, to make their system work, Preterists must roll an old man in the desert and take the dear, sweet promises of God away from him by violent and unmerciful exegesis.

Genesis 13:14-17, “And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:

15) For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.

16) And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.

17) Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.”

Gen 17:6-8, “And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.

7) And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.

8) And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”

The way they rob Abraham is by failing to recognize the difference between the promise of the seed and the promise of the land. God promises Abraham that of his seed all nations would be blessed – the fulfillment of that promise is Jesus Christ. The Bible says that spiritually we are of the “seed of Abraham” (Romans 4).

And here you thought the only reason we had the kids sing “Father Abraham” was to wear them out before the Bible lesson!

But there’s more to the promise than that. There’s the land that is supposed to be an everlasting possession of the children of Abraham. So the question is: is that promise for us or for the nation of Israel?

This question is at the very heart of Preterism and Replacement Theology, because if the church fulfills all the promises to Abraham then there is no need for a future Millennium, and perhaps, just maybe, the 1,000 years are to be spiritualized. That would mean all those wonderful things that we read about in the Old Testament for Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and his kids (including Daniel 9:24) are not really for Israel – they’re for us. And even though Abraham THOUGHT that God was giving him a promise that his biological children would have a special piece of property for all eternity… he was wrong.

Was he?

Romans 9:1-6, “I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,

2) That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.

3) For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:

4) Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;

5) Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.

6) Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:

Paul clearly explains in this passage that there are two Israels. One is spiritual Israel (saved Christians) and the other is national Israel. So we know God’s plan for spiritual Israel, but what about the other one?

It’s all in Romans 11.

“1) I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

2) God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying,”

Paul says God hasn’t “cast away” his people. He’s speaking in the context of verse 1 – ethnic, national Israel. The Preterist would respond by saying, “Of course, Jews can still get saved!” But that’s not what Paul’s talking about here.

“7) What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded

8) (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.”

Whenever you run into a passage that talks about promises to Israel, a Preterist will tell you it’s talking about spiritual Israel. We see here in verse 7 that Paul is talking about one Israel not getting what they were seeking, and the other Israel (the election, in this case) receiving it. The Israel that doesn’t get it is “blinded.”

“25) 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.

26) And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

27) For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

28) As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes.

29) For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”

This passage explains it all. A Preterist will tell you the “all Israel shall be saved” in verse 26 is talking about spiritual Israel (us), and the “covenant unto them” is talking about Christ’s taking away our sins. They stop there, ignoring the very next verse in which the Israel in verse 26 and the “them” in verse 27 are identified as being an enemy of the Gospel! Saved people are not enemies of the Gospel!

What God is saying is that there is a promise to the ethnic nation of Israel that they will all be saved one day. This is the whole point of the Tribulation, Second Advent, and Millennium. During the Tribulation, Israel will be taken through the fire and come out the other side a saved nation. They will call upon and receive their Messiah. The Millennium will follow that, at which time the nation of Israel will receive the land promised to Abraham, thousands of years ago.

Jer. 30:7, “Alas! for that day [is] great, so that none [is] like it: it [is] even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.”

Joel 2:26-32, “And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.

27) And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.

28) And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

29) And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

30) And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

31) The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

Well, that’s it. Sure, there are a few last bastions of defense that the Preterist will run to after all of this. Yes, there are still a couple tricky verses left on the table. Everyone from the Mormons to the JWs have a few tricky verses, and I could go into them, but if I haven’t lost you yet I’ll probably lose you then. Suffice it to say, this article should clearly demonstrate that the weight and principles of Scripture are clearly in the camp of the Futurists. Sure, there’s a passage here and there that we might not take literally or we might symbolize, but that’s probably less than 10% of the Scriptures on the end times whereas the Preterist will stand the words of God on their head for the sake of about three verses. They interpret that which is clear in light of that which is not clear.

So why write all of this? For a couple reasons. To be honest, what spurred me originally was that my book was criticized a little (not a big deal) for simply brushing aside the Preterist interpretation so quickly. So I thought I might as well put something on my site about the subject. I didn’t really go into this in my book because it isn’t an attack of Preterism or a defense of Futurism, as you read here, it’s a harmony of Revelation – a specific book for a specific purpose.

The other reason, to be frank, is because God cares about this kind of stuff. Did you know that the only book of the Bible that guarantees that you’ll be blessed if you read it is Revelation (Rev. 1:3)? Did you know that there are eight times as many prophetic passages concerning the Second Coming of Christ than there is the First Coming?

God cares about His Son, and He cares about the day that His Son is crowned King of Kings and Lord of Lords. There’s nothing more important than that, and there’s no greater hope and joy for the Christian than to know that one day Jesus will come back again! I hope this article has helped to strengthen your belief and hope in the imminent return of our Lord and Saviour.

Titus 2:13-15, “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

14) Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

15) These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.”

Ten Simple Rules For Dating My Daughter

2011-04-14T09:21:00.002-06:00

Someone sent this to me awhile ago, and I thought it was pretty good.

It’s a good start.

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TEN SIMPLE RULES FOR DATING MY DAUGHTER

Rule One:

If you pull into my driveway and honk you'd better be delivering a package, because you're sure not picking anything up.

Rule Two:

You do not touch my daughter. You may glance at her, so long as you do not peer at anything below her neck. If you cannot keep your eyes or hands off of my daughter's body, I will remove them.

Rule Three:

I am aware that it is considered fashionable for boys your age to wear their trousers so loose that they appear to be falling off. Please don't take this as an insult, but you and all of your friends are complete idiots. Still, I want to be fair and open minded about this issue, so I propose this compromise: You may come to the door with your underwear showing and your pants ten sizes too big, and I will not object. However, to ensure that your clothes do not, in fact, come off during your date with my daughter, I will use my electric nail gun and fasten your trousers securely to your waist.

Rule Four:

I'm sure you've been told that in today's world, sex without utilizing a "barrier method" of some kind can kill you. Let me elaborate, when it comes to sex, I am the barrier, and I will kill you.

Rule Five:

In order for us to get to know each other, we should talk about sports, politics, and other issues of the day. Please do not do this. The only information I require from you is an indication of when you expect to have my daughter safely back at my house, and the only word I need from you on this subject is "early."

Rule Six:

I have no doubt you are a popular fellow, with many opportunities to date other girls. This is fine with me as long as it is okay with my daughter. Otherwise, once you have gone out with my little girl, you will continue to date no one but her until she is finished with you. If you make her cry, I will make you cry.

Rule Seven:

As you stand in my front hallway, waiting for my daughter to appear, and more than an hour goes by, do not sigh and fidget. If you want to be on time for the movie, you should not be dating. My daughter is putting on her makeup, a process that can take longer than painting the Golden Gate Bridge. Instead of just standing there, why don't you do something useful, like changing the oil in my car?

Rule Eight:

The following places are not appropriate for a date with my daughter: Places where there are beds, sofas, or anything softer than a wooden stool. Places where there are no parents, policemen, or nuns within eyesight. Places where there is darkness. Places where there is dancing, holding hands, or happiness. Places where the ambient temperature is warm enough for my daughter to wear shorts, tank tops, midriff T-shirts, or anything other than overalls, a sweater, and a goose down parka zipped up to her throat. Movies with a strong romantic or sexual theme are to be avoided; movies which feature John Wayne are okay. Hockey games are okay. Old folk’s homes are better.

Rule Nine:

Do not lie to me. I may appear to be a potbellied, balding, middle-aged, dimwitted has-been. But on issues relating to my daughter, I am the all-knowing, merciless god of your universe. If I ask you where you are going and with whom, you have one chance to tell me the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I have a shotgun, a shovel, and five acres behind the house. Do not trifle with me.

Rule Ten:

Be afraid. Be very afraid. It takes very little for me to mistake the sound of your car in the driveway for a chopper coming in over a rice paddy outside of Hanoi. When my Agent Orange starts acting up, the voices in my head frequently tell me to clean the guns as I wait for you to bring my daughter home. As soon as you pull into the driveway you should exit your car with both hands in plain sight. Speak the perimeter password, announce in a clear voice that you have brought my daughter home safely and early, and then return to your car--there is no need for you to come inside. The camouflaged face watching you from the window is mine.

Why Women Shouldn't Take Men Shopping

2011-02-21T10:28:00.004-07:00

This is a really good one, enjoy!

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After I retired, my wife insisted that I accompany her on her trips to Target. Unfortunately, like most men, I found shopping boring and preferred to get in and get out. Equally unfortunate, my wife is like most women - she loves to browse. Yesterday my dear wife received the following letter from the local Target.

Dear Mrs. Samuel,
Over the past six months, your husband has caused quite a commotion in our store. We cannot tolerate this behavior and have been forced to ban both of you from the store. Our complaints against your husband, Mr. Samuel, are listed below and are documented by our video surveillance cameras:

1. June 15: Took 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in other people's carts when they weren't looking.

2. July 2: Set all the alarm clocks in Housewares to go off at 5-minute intervals.

3. July 7: He made a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading to the womens restroom.

4. July 19: Walked up to an employee and told her in an official voice, 'Code 3 in Housewares. Get on it right away'. This caused the employee to leave her assigned station and receive a reprimand from her Supervisor that in turn resulted with a union grievance, causing management to lose time and costing the company money.

5. August 4: Went to the Service Desk and tried to put a bag of M&Ms on layaway.

6. August 14: Moved a 'CAUTION - WET FLOOR' sign to a carpeted area.

7. August 15: Set up a tent in the camping department and told the children shoppers he'd invite them in if they would bring pillows and blankets from the bedding department to which twenty children obliged.

8. August 23: When a clerk asked if they could help him he began crying and screamed, 'Why can't you people just leave me alone?' EMTs were called.

9. September 4: Looked right into the security camera and used it as a mirror while he picked his nose.

10. September 10: While handling guns in the hunting department, he asked the clerk where the antidepressants were.

11. October 3: Darted around the store suspiciously while loudly humming the "Mission Impossible" theme.

12. October 6: In the auto department, he practiced his 'Madonna look' by using different sizes of funnels.

13. October 18: Hid in a clothing rack and when people browsed through, yelled 'PICK ME! PICK ME!'

14. October 21: When an announcement came over the loud speaker, he assumed a fetal position and screamed 'OH NO! IT'S THOSE VOICES AGAIN!'

And last, but not least:

15. October 23: Went into a fitting room, shut the door, waited awhile, then yelled very loudly, 'Hey! There's no toilet paper in here.' One of the clerks passed out.

Who Is Rick Schworer?

2011-01-26T15:23:00.021-07:00

I’ve had a number of people online ask me who I am, and where I came from. I’ve had several ask me if I’m a pastor and I was amused to receive a snail-mail letter this week addressed to a “Rev. Rick Schworer.” About a week ago I was looking at what people typed in google to find this site, and someone typed in “Who is Rick Schworer.”

Well, I suppose it would be a good idea if you knew who I was, now wouldn’t it? I mean, why bother reading anything I have to say - for all you know I may be some maniac on a smoke break from his prison cell or a loser living in his mother’s basement.

I was born in 1979 in Sunrise Hospital, within Las Vegas, Nevada. Fortunately, my parents didn’t raise me in that hell-hole. The city that is, I'm sure the hospital is just dandy. My parents both got saved around the time that I was three years old, and they moved to Idaho and began attending Treasure Valley Baptist Church when I was five. Part of the motivation for them moving out of Vegas was when I began to ask questions about women stripping on billboards. While I do understand that there are those called to hold the line as best they can in places like Las Vegas, I’m very thankful my parents were not and that they had the common sense and decency not to raise me around that sort of debauchery.

At Treasure Valley Baptist Church in Meridian, Idaho, we found a home. I was saved the very next year at our church’s very first Vacation Bible School. TVBC didn’t have another VBS for another twenty years; it was exciting to see it again not too long ago.

I discovered Superman and Batman as a kid.

At thirteen years of age, God moved us to Phoenix, Arizona, and my father was an assistant pastor in a small church in a run-down, bad side of town. It was fairly common to hear gunshots in the neighborhood and see a prostitute here and there. The church was dying, and when my dad came it brought a last breath of fresh air to the people there. We were able to be a blessing and to be used. I discovered Basketball and became a rabid Phoenix Suns fan as I watched the Suns, led by Charles Barkley, squash team after team only to fall to MJ's legendary Chicago Bulls.

One year later, the Lord moved us to Georgia. Dad taught in the Word for the World Baptist Bible Institute for the next three years, and while I was being homeschooled I took about twenty classes in this institute and also worked for my dad who was a painter. I discovered coffee at Bible class. Actually, I discovered that coffee is good if you mix it with a lot of sugar and cream.

We moved back to Idaho for a short while and eventually the Lord led us to go somewhere that no Schworer had gone before… Papua New Guinea. I was eighteen, and loved every minute of it over the next two years. I purposed in my heart that while I was there I’d do a few things: learn to preach and teach the Bible, learn the language, and learn the guitar. I did all three, for the most part. I haven’t really played a guitar since PNG (that was eleven years ago), and if someone asked me if I could play today I’d say, “I know a couple chords,” which really is the truth.

I did learn how to preach and teach the Bible; in fact I fell head over heels in love with the word of God. I would work in the garage area we had for hours on end, listening to Bible preaching and teaching tapes. I ingested hundreds of hours of Bible teaching and preaching during those years. I preached on the streets, in churches, and regularly in high schools.

I also learned the language. I got to where I was fluent in it, and I could translate on the fly, although I don’t know how well I’d do now. It was common for me to translate for an English speaking preacher. After doing this one evening, I was approached by a member of the translation committee for the PNG KJV. At that time there was no KJV Old Testament, but people were working on it. He asked me if I’d be interested in helping out, and I agreed. Over a course of time, I translated the book of Daniel.

Coming back to America was tough; all I really wanted to do was go back to PNG and have fun serving the Lord. As of yet, God has not chosen to allow that, but I’m still hoping He changes His mind. I jumped back into church and started serving the Lord and going to Bible school.

One night, while checking my e-mail, I decided to see if I could find a pretty girl online who was a Christian. What a dumb idea! God was merciful, and I found my wife today, who apparently was looking for a young man who was handsome and an amazing tap dancer, marksman, and writer, though a little sarcastic and somewhat of a whiner in real life. I contacted her, and the rest is history.

My wife, Melissa, is wonderful. She is very big-picture oriented and strives for holiness more than anyone I know. She is and forever will be my best friend. She puts up with me, encourages me, and spends time doing things with me. She was my very first real girlfriend, and the only woman I've ever kissed. It's a little known secret that she's a granddaughter of the late Bruce Cummons, but she'd rather be known as my wife. She has a Master's Degree in biblical counseling, and is an amazing stay-at-home mother to our children.

We were married on May 16^th, 2003. I graduated from Bible Institute, bought a house, and got married all within a two week period. Who says men can’t multi-task! We’ve had our bumps in the road, but overall we’ve had a wonderful marriage.

My father died on September 1, 2004. I had always dreamed of a time in which my children would get to know and grow up loving my dad. That dream died too; all my kids know about Grandpa is a few pictures and stories here and there. Outside of my wife, he was my best friend and I will forever miss him. Every year we go to his grave to celebrate his life. Before Mom and Dad, there was no Christianity with the Schworers.

On April 4^th, 2006, Kiera Elise was born. We moved into a different house so we’d have room for her and more kids. Kiera is our sanguine/melancholy type. She’s very silly, and very detail oriented.

On November 25^th, 2007, a day that will forever live in infamy, Lily Marie Schworer was born. Depending upon which way the wind is blowing at the moment, she is either the happiest little girl in the world or the saddest. Don’t get the wrong idea though; she is a wonderful little girl. She is by far the most compassionate little one we have in our family, the other two are slightly antagonistic. I have no idea where they get that. The same year Lily was born I graduated from a secular college.

My clone, in female form, was born on August 11^th, 2009. Charlotte Jane has my laid-back and slightly goofy personality and is the only person I know who loves chocolate milk more than me.

Why do I tell you about my family when this is supposed to be about me? Because my family is a lot of who I am. We do everything together, in fact we feel kinda weird and lonely when we do things by ourselves. We love our kids, and plan on having more - the Bible says they are a blessing! Melissa is pregnant with our fourth, and I’m hoping that maybe this time it will be a boy - ya right, who am I kidding?

My wife and I have been active in several ministries. She has a beautiful voice and has made two cds which are available at our website and in a few books stores here and there across the nation. She is very active in our church’s music ministry and kid’s ministries. I run the rescue mission ministry, and teach a Jr. Church class for bus kids.

I work in the insurance industry and have taken writing up as a hobby. When I was in PNG I used to try to study and figure out doctrinal subjects, and then I’d write an essay on them and give it to my dad to review and straighten me out. Years and years later I picked up a book by Sam Gipp called How to Get Your Book Published. It was a call-out for people who could write to write, and Brother Gipp’s publishing company would help you out. While studying the insurance industry and working three jobs I thought I’d go ahead and try it – why not? The book is finished now and published through Daystar Publishing, and it has been dedicated to my dad.

I have been so blessed and lived a very fulfilling and happy life up to this point. I’ve learned that sin only brings heartache and the happiest times in life are found in being busy serving the Lord. Though I’d love to be someday, I’m not a pastor or a missionary; but I am a husband, father, preacher, and writer. I’m just flesh, and all flesh is grass – “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love!” God has truly been merciful to me in not pounding me at times I deserved it (I'm not big into expounding on those times), and He’s been gracious in giving me so much more than I ever deserved.

Who is Rick Schworer? I’m one of the ones in Luke 17:10; I am an unprofitable servant: I have done that which was my duty to do.

UPDATE: Silas Richard was born on 07/10/2011. Yes, Silas, as in a boy. :-)

BatChristian

2011-01-03T10:28:00.004-07:00

This is how we exercise church discipline at Treasure Valley Baptist Church.

This video was made by Andrew Garcia, a friend of mine at church. He did the cover for my Revelation book, and does all things media for a living. Click HERE for his website.

This was made for our New Year's Eve special service. It even has a cameo of Pastor DeMichele in it as well as Andrew's dad, who is an assistant pastor at our church!

You'll love it. Click on the four arrows between "HD" and "Vimeo" to view it in full screen.

BatChristian from Andrew Garcia on Vimeo.

Christmas – The Three Gifts

2010-12-10T16:42:00.005-07:00

Christmas is all about, or at least it should be, Jesus Christ. Things that are said over and over again are often times considered cliché, but much of the time they are deepest truths: “Jesus is the reason for the season”.

Yes, there’s plenty of controversy amongst Christians about whether or not we should celebrate Christmas, and both sides have valid arguments. In this essay, I’d like us to sit back and just get the focus off of the holiday and onto Him. The baby Jesus received three gifts, and they clearly represented who He was, and what He came here for.

Matthew 2:11, “And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.”

The first present Jesus received was gold. This represents several things, from His deity to His kingship. In Isaiah 9:6 the Bible says, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

The child born is the human side; the Son given is the divine part. Jesus came to rule. This is what it means when it says that the government shall be upon His shoulder. Regardless of your theology or eschatology, Jesus Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We need to let Him rule in our hearts today, but one day, whether you believe it's in the Millennium or the New Heavens and New Earth, Jesus Christ will rule this Earth and everything will be set right. There will be no such thing as world hunger, crime, disease, hurt, pain, death, sorrow, betrayal, grief… for the last enemy that shall be defeated is death.

Secondly, Jesus received frankincense. This is a gum or tree resin that is used to create incense, and it was used in worship. This represents how Jesus Christ is our High Priest, and it lets us see His human side. He represents us to God the Father. He is a High Priest who was tempted in every area of sin, but came out spotless. We require no other mediator; He is our advocate to God the Father. Our High Priest can understand us, the Bible says He is “touched” by the “feelings of our infirmities”. Not only did God make you, He understands you because he’s felt the pain and struggles you go through like no one else.

Lastly, He received myrrh. Myrrh comes from the Hebrew “murr” or “maror”, which means "bitter." It was used for embalming dead bodies. What a strange gift to give to baby! Ladies, this would be the equivalent of another lady bringing you a small coffin to your baby shower! It’s practically offensive.

But no present could represent Jesus better, than something that was associated with bitter death. He came to die. This was His last present, and it represents Jesus Christ as our suffering Savior. It also shows Him to be a Prophet, He represented God to us. Thankfully, the story doesn’t end with Jesus dying, and how wonderful it is that one day He will return! What a glorious hope we have in His soon return!

Titus 2:13-14, “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
14) Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”

Gong Show! Dealing With Disputes, and How Abrasiveness Is Not a Fruit of the Spirit!

2010-11-10T17:26:00.010-07:00

You’re peacefully laying on the couch with a good book, all bundled up by the fireplace. Peeking over the book you can see out the window that it’s snowing outside in the dark. You just ate your favorite dinner about forty minutes ago, and everyone in the house is in bed for the night. You’re all alone, and you’re as cozy as cozy can get. You lazily bring a cup of hot chocolate to your lips when all of a sudden...

**BWWWWWWOOOONNGGGGGG!**

Imagine being in such a wonderful situation and then having someone slam one of those old Chinese gongs right behind your head!

The sound of the gong pulsates through your body shaking you like a cat at a dog park! Scalding yourself in the process, you spill the chocolate all over your clothes, the book, and your blankets. The kids run into the room screaming, lights go on in every house on the street, dogs start howling, and a car slides off the road and into your driveway! What a wonderful thing!

Guess what? We do the same thing in conversations with people! It’s called sounding brass, and it’s when we conduct ourselves without charity. When I say “we” I’m including myself in this, because this is an area that I’ve struggled with from time to time. We are all going to have disagreements and disputes from time to time, whether they be in the normal every day things or in Bible discussions. What do the Scriptures say about how we should conduct ourselves? We, who are so eager to stand up for truth and righteousness, ought to know what the Bible says about exactly how to it!

There are several passages on this in the Bible, some are outright commands and some are examples given in Scripture. I believe you’ll be surprised to see what the Bible has to say.

1. Contend for the Faith Once Delivered to the Saints!

Jude 1:3, “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”

We love this one! To contend means to compete, engage, argue, and fight! God expects us to hold the truth of the word of God as something precious and not let it fall in the streets. According to Psalm 138:2 God holds His word above His very name! What a precious thing we have in the Bible, we are commanded to fight for the truth.

2. Humor Is Not a Sin!

It blows me away, but for some reason in the minds of some believers we can make jokes about everything in the world, but in the middle of a serious biblical conversation its taboo to make a joke to lighten the mood. I believe the shortest distance between two people is laughter, and there's nothing wrong with taking a look at the situation you're in from an outside perspective and getting a laugh out of it. Sarcasm is also an effective tool for making a point at times, but somehow it's become a sin. Let's look at a few examples in the Bible where individuals use humor and sarcasm:

God the Father:

Is. 41:21-23, “Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob.

22) Let them bring them forth, and shew us what shall happen: let them shew the former things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come.

23) Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together.”

God challenges Israel to bring forth their strong reasons to Him, and then He says something that would strike you a little odd if you really thought about it. “…yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together.” The “we” in that passage is a reference to the Godhead. God is basically telling Israel to go ahead and do good or bad, so He can sit back and be worried about it. There’s no way He was serious when He said that! Here we see God the Father being sarcastic in what He says to a nation of people that need to get right.

Jesus Christ:

Luke 13:31-32, “The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee.

32) And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.

33) Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.”

Do you see the sarcasm in this verse? Jesus is telling the Pharisees that He’s not worried about what Herod is going to do to Him, then He calls Herod a fox, and lastly He makes the sarcastic comment that a prophet can’t "perish out of Jerusalem". He follows that up with the next verse lamenting the very fact that Jerusalem has made a habit of killing and stoning the prophets that God sends to it! This is the very same Jesus who never sinned – what He said here out of a frustrated and broken heart was not wrong.

This same sarcastic Jesus was a name caller as well, glossing His foes with such wonderful titles as “hypocrites”, “generation of vipers”, “serpents”, “blind guides”, and “children of Hell” (Matthew 23).

Lastly, our Lord exaggerated things sometimes to make a point. Who ever heard of having a piece of wood the size of a railroad tie stuck in your eye (Matt. 7:3) or swallowing a camel whole (Matt. 23:24)? Christ was exaggerating things to make a point. Jesus Christ has a lot more personality than most people realize, it’s okay to demonstrate a little personality when you’re dealing with people, and sarcasm and name-calling isn’t always wrong – that or Jesus was wrong!

Elijah:

I Kings 18:26-27, “And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made.

27) And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.”

Elijah is making fun of the enemies of the Lord. Apparently, when He lit the altar up, Jehovah God didn’t have too much of a problem with Elijah’s apparent lack of charity. In fact, it looks as though God approved of Elijah further rubbing in the victory to the point that He lit up the altar after Elijah had dumped twelve barrels of water on it!

Micaiah:

II Chronicles 18:12-16, “And the messenger that went to call Micaiah spake to him, saying, Behold, the words of the prophets declare good to the king with one assent; let thy word therefore, I pray thee, be like one of theirs, and speak thou good.

13) And Micaiah said, As the LORD liveth, even what my God saith, that will I speak.

14) And when he was come to the king, the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go to Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And he said, Go ye up, and prosper, and they shall be delivered into your hand.

15) And the king said to him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou say nothing but the truth to me in the name of the LORD?

16) Then he said, I did see all Israel scattered upon the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd: and the LORD said, These have no master; let them return therefore every man to his house in peace.”

To be honest with you, the sarcasm that Micaiah uses here blows me away! Right after he gets done telling a servant (who was trying to get him to say nice things) that he’ll say whatever God tells him to say, he out and out lies to the king! I can't help but think that Micaiah knew the king well enough to know that the king wouldn’t believe him, so you can say he was being sarcastic and not technically lying – but he sure does walk the line doesn’t he?

3. Being Judgmental Isn’t As Bad As We Think It Is.

One the fundamental, bedrock truths taught in modern day Christianity is that the most important thing to being a Christians is making sure that you’re never accused of being judgmental. Christians today flee from the judgmental card faster than politicians run away from the race card. This is done without even knowing what the Bible says about the subject!

Matthew 7:1-5, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.

2) For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

3) And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

4) Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

5) Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.”

All Jesus is saying here is that if you’re going to judge someone make sure you’re not doing the same thing that you’re judging them about. Nowhere in Scripture does it prohibit Christians from judging each other in every situation. In fact, I Cor. 2:15 says, “But he that is spiritual judgeth all things…” and we are told to “…judge righteous judgment” in John 7:24.

If you are going to judge someone, be careful. There’s a difference between judging righteously and presumptuously jumping to conclusions and making an idiot out of yourself. Remember, only God really knows the intent of someone’s heart and you’re much better off judging a person’s actions. Lastly, it's always best to do this in an attempt to help the other person, not condemn.

Gal. 6:1, "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted"

4. If You Live Your Life Without Charity Everything You Do Is Useless.

I Cor. 13:1-3, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

2) And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

3) And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.”

I’m not the first to think of those first three points; I’ve seen them used over and over again to excuse bad behavior. Don’t think for a second that Jesus was speaking with charity when He called those Pharisees snakes, vipers, and children of Hell. At the same time though, don’t think for a second that Jesus ever lacked charity!

What’s the difference? The difference is in HAVING charity and SPEAKING with charity. It is impossible to always speak with charity, but you should always strive to have charity within you. I’ve heard people say that charity is “love in action” – and I supposed that definition is okay, but the Bible clearly lays out exactly what it is. So what is charity, and how are we supposed to have it in of us?

I Cor. 13:4-7, “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

5) Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

6) Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

7) Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”

BEFORE you do or say anything related to the first three points, ask yourself these questions:

1. Do I have longsuffering?

2. Am I kind?

3. Do I avoid envying?

4. Do I avoid vaunting myself above others?

5. Do I do my best to stay humble?

6. Do I act appropriate to the situation?

7. Am I interested in the needs of others?

8. Do I show self-control?

9. Do I avoid the carnal desire to plot or rejoice in the demise of others?

10. Do I avoid the avoid rejoicing in iniquity?

11. Do I rejoice in what is true?

12. Do I obey the Scriptural command to bear one another’s burdens?

13. Do I have faith?

14. Do I anticipate God working?

15. Do I endure hardness?

If you answered yes to all fifteen of those questions, then you got charity! God expects us to have charity in our lives, how we operate, and how we relate to others. Yes, there is a time for humor, name calling, sarcasm, and even being judgmental, but all that MUST be kept in check by living a charitable life.

5. Don’t Get Rebuke-itis.

I Tim. 5:1, “Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren;”

Some of the brethren live to rebuke anyone who crosses them, like a fat kid lives to eat cake. While there is a time for rebuke (II Tim. 4:2), the primary model and commandment laid down in Scripture for personal conversations is not to rebuke, but to intreat. Rebuking is secondary, and should only be done after intreating the person peacefully. Truth be told, most rebuking should be done by the pastor of your local church and done over the pulpit!

6. Do The Best You Can to Get Along.

Romans 12:18, “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.”

God expects us to do everything we can to get along with everyone. That’s really all there is to it. We’re not to have a hair trigger mechanism for anger; we’re to have a hair trigger mechanism for forgiveness and forebearance. To forbear is to restrain one’s self.

Col. 3:13, “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”

Romans 12:9-10, 14, “Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

10) Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

14) Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.”

7. Always Strive to Operate with Sound Speech.

Titus 2:8, "Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you."

We should always strive to maintain a good testimony in how we conduct ourselves. Many times if we ask ourselves the fifteen questions of charity we'll wind up saying something in a way that would be more pleasing to the Lord. The principle of operating with sound speech means saying something in a way in which you do not give the other person leverage or opportunity to besmearch you. The truth of the word of God is much of the time offensive enough to the carnal nature, the messanger himself doesn't need to be offensive.

I hope by this time you’re beginning to the see that balance that is in the word of God. If all you did was read the first three points of this article, you might be heading out the door to lop off some heads. If all you did was read the last four points you might be leaning towards the idea that God expects us to sit by and never take a stand for anything. God is a real person with a real personality, and He doesn’t expect us to be devoid of personality ourselves. All seven of these points are valid biblical points and demonstrate the importance of having balance in our lives and how we handle disputes.

Prov. 11:1, “A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight.”

How to Make Decisions

2010-10-14T11:23:00.005-06:00

We all have to make decisions; sometimes they seem irrelevant and sometimes they seem really important. The truth is, God cares about everything we do, be it what we eat, where we go, how we entertain ourselves, and how we manage our finances. Many times when faced with two options, neither one may be a sin but one choice is usually better than the other.

This is article is going to be simple and practical. By operating by these principles, each and every decision can be more along the lines of what God wants us to do. No one is going to “bat-a-thousand”, but if you can improve in the small areas the entirety of your life will no doubt be more in line with what God wants out of you.

Many young people stress out about what God wants them to do with their entire life. In the examples given in the Bible, people were already busy working in smaller areas before God called them to the greater tasks. Gideon was threshing wheat, Saul was obeying his father’s command to find the lost donkeys, and Peter and Andrew were busing fishing as part of their livelihood. God wants us busy today doing what He wants us to do today, and to let Him worry about the future.

Getting Pre-Qualified

There are about five good question you should ask yourself before making a decision. But before asking yourself these questions, it’s important that you’re pre-qualified to ask them, and that requires three things:

1. You’re in the will of God.

I John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Are you operating within the known will of God? There are several things that should be obvious. Are you entangled with a sin or a vice? If so, your primary focus should be getting that right. Ask for forgiveness today and put it behind you. Are you under the authority of a local church? God wants you to be! Get that straightened out between you and God as well. Is there someone you should forgive or reconcile with? Get these clear cut things taken care of first!

2. You’re habitually reading your Bible.

Ps. 119:140, “Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it.”

Scores and scores of Christians have testified to having read in the Bible exactly what they needed for that day. Say you’re planning on giving someone a piece of your mind that day, but you read “…a soft answer turneth away wrath…”

3. You’re habitually praying.

Luke 18:1, “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;”

Prayer is a huge difference maker. How are you to have a relationship with someone that you never talk to? For God to lead and direct us we need to be in prayer with Him each day, it needs to be a priority.

The Five Questions

Once you’ve gotten those things established, then when faced with a decision you’re much better able to answer these following questions correctly. You can try to answer these questions when you’re out of the will or God, or not reading your Bible, or not praying, but your answer is very likely to be skewed and incorrect.

1. What does the Bible say?

Is. 8:20, "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them."

When making a decision, what does the Bible say in reference to it? Don’t automatically assume the Bible doesn’t have anything to say about what you’re about to do! Say you’re about to tell a “white lie” to cover your backside or avoid an uncomfortable situation – does the Bible have anything to say about that? Say you’re about to whip out that credit card because you don’t have the money for something – does the Bible have something to say about that? Music, recreation, time management - there isn't a single area of life that the Bible doesn’t have something to say about it one way or another!

2. What does the law say?

Rom. 13:3-4, "For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:

4) For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil."

Are you about to do something illegal? Laws and governments are things that were ordained by God to keep us in check. According to the above passage that police officer is a minister of God, and should be treated with honor and respect. Yes, we ought to obey God rather than man, but God set up the government and unless it tells you to do something that is blatantly against Scripture you are to obey it. Christians cheat on their taxes and break copyright laws all the time without giving it a second thought. It’s sin to break the law!

3. What does wise counsel say?

Pr. 24:6, "For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety."

It is possible to get a quirky idea now and then and twist a scripture out of context to support it. That’s why it’s important to consult wise counsel before getting hasty and making major decisions. This is one of the biggest reasons why God wants us to be faithful in a local church. We are to bear each other’s burdens and help each other out. Every Christian should have some “older-wisers” that they consult from time to time when making a decision. The only exception would be if you’re as old as they get and there are no “older-wisers” for you…

4. What does the Holy Spirit say?

John 14:26, "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."

The Holy Spirit indwells us upon salvation and seeks to lead us according to His will. The Holy Spirit will not violate Scripture, and the Holy Spirit always seeks to glorify Jesus Christ and not Himself. Because it can be easy to confuse the Spirit’s leading with our own imagination, God instructs us to yield to the Scriptures and the wise counsel of our leaders as well.

5. What does your pastor say?

Heb. 13:17, "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you."

You are to be in a church, under the authority of a pastor. There is no allowance in scripture for going rogue and claiming to be only under the “authority of God”. The redundant New Testament pattern is for Christians to be under the authority of a church and pastor, and to obey them. Just as the Holy Spirit will not violate Scripture and not seek to glorify Himself, so a good pastor will not as well. A good pastor will love the sheep and want to take care of them. He is your friend and wants to help you, when you have a tough decision consult him about it.

You Will Eat Your Dispensations and You Will Like Them!

2010-10-07T10:11:00.002-06:00

I’m hearing more and more about people who claim to be “non-dispensational”. From time to time, I can’t help but think that maybe well established truths become stale to some and they have to come up with something new or “out of the box”. Whether or not this is the heart motive of those that claim to be non-dispensational or not, I don’t know, but I’ve personally seen the mess that people get into when they do not apply the command to rightly divide the scriptures.

Before we jump into the problems of being non-dispensational, let’s clear up some common misconceptions about dispensationalism:

Common Misconceptions about Dispensationalism

1. Dispensationalism Teaches Multiple Plans of Salvation

I have been in Baptist churches all over this country and in a few in other countries as well. Dispensations in its purest form have nothing to do with how people were saved before Christ and after the Rapture. There are many believers that teach dispensations and believe everyone was and ever will be saved the same way, regardless of what dispensation they are in. There are also many who believe otherwise as well. Regardless, dispensationalism is not limited to believing a certain prescribed form of “multiple plans of salvation”, that is just another study along with many others that may overlap the study of dispensations.

2. Dispensationalism Teaches That We Only Read the Pauline Epistles

True dispensationalists believe that the entire Bible can apply to us one way or another and that we should read it and study it. At the same time, a dispensationalist understands that there are passages that do not apply to us doctrinally and to try to apply them would be to mishandle the word of God.

I am not a Calvinist, but I recognize the fact that there is such a thing as Calvinists and Hyper-Calvinists. A Hyper-Calvinist takes the teaching to the extreme of not bothering to witness to anyone; a Calvinist believes the five points of T.U.L.I.P., but thankfully he just doesn’t act like he believes them (click here to read my articles on Calvinism). A Hyper-Dispensationalist is the person that only studies the Pauline epistles, among other things.

3. Dispensationalists Teach That God’s Grace Only Applies to People Today.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Nobody stands a chance without God’s grace being involved in their life, be it past, present, or future.

4. Dispensations Are Just Some People’s Way of Explaining Things They Don’t Understand.

No, dispensations are the logical way of explaining why God would tell one person one thing in the Bible, and another person 1,000 years later the complete opposite. Without a working understanding of dispensations, you won’t know what to believe.

What Does Dispensationalism Teach?

In its most basic and accurate form, dispensations is the teaching that over the course of history and into the future God has dealt with different people and groups of people differently, and that it’s important to recognize that when studying the Bible.

Strictly for the purposes of simplicity, one may say that for the most part dispensations refer to time periods, however there are cases in which more than one dispensation is taking place at the same time. To “dispense” is to “give out”, therefore a dispensation is a giving out of a special commandment, promise, purpose, program, etc, for a specific person or group of people.

I hope that didn’t confuse you, if so, the important thing to understand is that everyone is going to draw their lines a little differently, but it’s important that you do in fact draw thoses line when you study your Bible. By the time we get to the end of this article, I’ll show you how I draw my lines, and I hope it will help you in your own personal study.

Why Draw Dispensational Lines?

In this section, we’re going to look at several train wrecks that happen if you do not apply the Dispensational method.

1. Piggy Eaters?

Deut. 14:8, “And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it [is] unclean unto you: ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcase.”

Versus

Acts 10:9-14, “On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour:

10 And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,

11 And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:

12 Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.

13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.

14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.

15 And the voice [spake] unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, [that] call not thou common.”

It is a very common teaching amongst some heretical organizations that God forbids us from eating pork. Yet it is very clear in Acts 10 that God is perfectly fine with it, and He calls it "clean". These two verses are in direct contradiction to each other. You cannot obey both, you must pick one or the other. When you run into these situations, the teaching of dispensations will help you to understand which verse you are to defer to. In this case, you defer to the Acts passage, and understand that the Deuteronomy verse was for those under the Old Testament law. We will cover some of the basic ideas of deferment later in this article.

2. What? Huh? To Whom Am I Allowed to Witness?

Matthew 10:5-6, “These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into [any] city of the Samaritans enter ye not:

6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Versus

Matt. 28:18-19, “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:”

In one verse Jesus commands his followers to only witness to Jews, but later on he commands them to witness to everyone. We defer to the Matthew 28 passage here, as it is chronologically closer to where we are today in history. You don’t have to understand every little minute detail of the Bible to have a basic idea of how to rightly divide it.

3. Quit That Weekend Job?

Deut. 31:15, “Six days may work be done; but in the seventh [is] the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth [any] work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.”

Versus

Col. 2:16, “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath [days]:”

In the Deuteronomy verse we’re supposed to kill each other for working that second job on Saturday morning, in the other verse we are not supposed to even cast dispersions or judge someone if they work on Saturday. Which is it? We defer to the New Testament over the Old Testament. There are several groups who ignore the clear teaching of the Colossians verse and command their people to keep the Sabbath.

4. When Do People Get Baptized?

Acts 19:4, “Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.”

Versus

Acts 8:35-38, “Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.

36 And as they went on [their] way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, [here is] water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?

37 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.

38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.”

When Paul is recounting the type of baptism that John the Baptist performed, he explains that many of the people actually got baptized before Jesus arrived, and before they trusted in Christ. In Acts 8, we see Philip point out to the Ethiopian that the thing that hinders him from being baptized was that he needed to believe in Jesus first – then he could be baptized.

The doctrine of baptism is one of the most fouled up doctrines in the Bible! From the Church of Christ down to the Roman Catholic Church there are so many different ideas about how, when, and why you should baptize. All of these problems are a result of failing to rightly divide the Scriptures and apply dispensations where they fit.

5. Burn Heretics?

Duet. 22:18,19 “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. He that sacrificeth unto [any] god, save unto the LORD only, he shall be utterly destroyed.”

Versus

II John 1:10-11, “If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into [your] house, neither bid him God speed:

11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.”

Ok, in one verse God commands his people to kill those who worship other Gods, and in the next verse we’re just told to… not invite the guy into our house for coffee and crumpets. If the whole Bible applies to you, then what are you going to do here? In case you think I’m making a big deal out of nothing, for over a thousand years the Roman Catholic Church burned whoever they believed to be heretics and their justification for doing it was the Deuteronomy passage! Obviously they weren’t dispensationalists, now were they?

5. Divorce Your Spouse… Because You Just Don’t Like Them Anymore?

Deut. 24:1-2, “When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give [it] in her hand, and send her out of his house.

2 And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's [wife].”

Versus

Matthew 5:31-32, “It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:

32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.”

Divorce and remarriage is such a hot topic, and one of my absolute least favorites to discuss, so I hesitated to put it in here. I felt compelled though, because the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament is so remarkable. Whether you believe divorce is not allowable, or allowable under fornication only, or allowable under fornication or desertion, or that remarriage is really the big “no-no” (do you see why I hate this subject?) – you can’t help but see in these two passages that there is a HUGE difference between what God told his people in the Old Testament and what He tells them now.

6. Kill Or Love Your Enemy?

Ps. 139:19-22, “Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.

20 For they speak against thee wickedly, [and] thine enemies take [thy name] in vain.

21 Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?

22 I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.”

Versus

Matthew 5:43-44, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”

Here we see David praying against his enemies and praying for God to kill them. Jesus in turn told us to love our enemies and pray on their behalf. Not a big deal? Consider the fact that during the Dark Ages the Roman Catholic Church’s modus operandi was to try to invade and destroy the nations that were not part of the Holy Mother Church. Why, they were simply following the example laid down in the Old Testament!

7. Chug that Drano for Jesus!

Mark 17:17-18, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”

Versus

I Cor. 1:21-22, “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:”

According to the passage in Mark, believers have the ability to cast out devils, speak in tongues, snake handle, and drink poison all in interests and for the purpose of convincing others to believe in Jesus. It was a package gift given to those who believed the word of the Apostles. In I Cor. 1, it is made very clear that it is the Jews that require a sign and that the Gentiles require knowledge, furthermore it is preaching that God uses to convince the lost to trust Christ. My fellow Charismatic believers, many of whom love the Lord and are good soul winners, tend to do amazing feats of exegetical gymnastics when they are confronted with the fact that if they can speak in tongues they had better be able to further convince me of their gift by chugging the bottle of Drano underneath the sink as well!

8. Do I Witness or Not?

Jer. 31:24, "And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."

Versus

Mark 16:15, "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."

According to Jeremiah, there's no point in witnessing because everyone knows Jesus, but in Mark 16:15 we're told to go out and preach the gospel to every nation. You have to recognize that the two passages are talking to different people in two different ages.

I think you get the point by now. There are passages in the Bible that simply do not apply to us on a doctrinal level. While all Scripture is certainly applicable on some level (I Tim. 3:16), not all is applicable to us on a doctrinal level or there wouldn’t be the eight examples (and many more) where both sides CAN’T be applicable that I just listed.

When and How Do You Draw Dispensational Lines?

I always though this picture was a little creepy...

We understand the need for recognizing dispensational boundaries, but where do we put these lines? When do we draw them? Do we automatically dismiss everything in the Old Testament? We’re going to look at some guidelines for looking at passages dispensationally. These are not always hard and fast rules, but they are guidelines to help you correctly apply the Bible.

When you run into a case where two passages conflict, that is usually a good time to consider if there’s a dispensational boundary.

1. Defer to the New Testament Over the Old Testament

Many times God changed things when going from the Old Testament to the New Testament. This should be abundantly clear when reading Leviticus and Deuteronomy. In such cases, defer to the New Testament.

2. Defer to the Pauline Epistles Over the Rest of the New Testament

Throughout the gospels and Acts, the manner in which God was dealing with people was constantly changing. Baptism, signs and wonders, the Holy Spirit, and other things were all in a state of flux. An example of this is especially apparent when people were getting saved early in the book of Acts but didn’t get the Holy Spirit until later (Acts 8:15). There is no middle ground once you reach the Pauline Epistles, if you do not have the Spirit you’re not saved (Rom. 8:9).

We conclude therefore that the Pauline epistles are more applicable to us doctrinally than the gospels or the book of Acts is. This doesn’t mean that we throw out the gospels or the book of Acts, but rather that we defer to the Pauline epistles if there is confusion or an apparent contradiction.

3. Put the Emphasis Where God Puts It

There’s nothing wrong with using verses in the Old Testament to teach solid truths. While it is certainly possible to bring a truth out of the Old Testament and apply it us today without New Testament backing, it’s better if you can find something in the New Testament or the Pauline epistles to support it.

Along these same lines, be careful about putting an incorrect emphasis on something. If God said it in the Old Testament, but He never reiterated it in the New Testament, you need to put the appropriate amount of emphasis on it that God did. In other words don’t live and die, or alienate and besmirch all your fellow believers over one verse or principle in Leviticus that has no New Testament backing. Yes, God said it. Yes, it is the word of God. Yes, you should apply it if it is compatible with Church Age doctrine. But no, you should not demonize other Christians (in direct contradiction of the New Testament commandment to do all things in charity) and leave or split your church (please click here to read my article on the importance of the local church) over it just because there are others who may not take your interpretation.

Where Rick Draws His Lines

You don’t have to draw all your lines the way I do, but here’s an idea of how I do. Every dispensation has a different test of obedience, and in every dispensation man fails the job, other than the last one. This is going to be very brief, but it will give you an idea of how to study the Bible on your own and how to understand the chain of events leading up to where we are and where we’re going.

1. Innocence.

This is the first dispensation, with Adam and Eve. In it man is commanded to not eat of the tree. He blows it, and is kicked out of the garden.

2. Conscience.

Man now lives by his conscience. There is no revealed law written down for men to follow. God communicated with men personally and audibly. Among other things, Cain rocking Abel’s brains out shows that man isn’t up to the job.

3. Human Government.

In this dispensation, right around Genesis 11, men begin to form laws and governments to be a law unto themselves. What results is mankind getting together to overthrow God at the Tower of Babel.

4. Promise.

God begins working with a family, Abraham’s family, and promises that one day Someone from his line will bruise the head of the serpent and end this whole mess. This dispensation ends in failure as the Jews wind up in Egypt instead of the Promised Land, serving as slaves to the heathen.

5. Law.

God raises up Moses to lead the nation of Israel out and into the Promised Land. They barely make it, with only Joshua, Caleb, and the little ones actually making it in. The nation grows and becomes a great kingdom. Towards the end of the Law, King Jeconiah is cursed by God saying that “…no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.” Therefore the future promised seed must be from a virgin woman of the tribe of Judah because all male seed from the line was just cursed and could not rule with the blessing of God. The age ends in utter apostacy, again.

6. The Apostolic Age.

John the Baptist arrives on the scene, followed by Jesus and then the apostles. The nation of Israel rejects Christ, and following His resurrection they are still given the opportunity to accept Him. Over the course of the book of Acts, the Jews repeatedly reject Christ. While this transition is occurring, the gospel is going more and more to the Gentiles.

7. Church Age.

The Church Age and the body of Christ begin at the cross, with the death of the Testator, Jesus Christ. This mystery is revealed to Paul, and throughout the Pauline Epistles the Church Age doctrine is spelled out. This dispensation ends with Christians becoming liberal and lackluster about God and the Bible all the while compromising with the world.

8. Tribulation.

The church is raptured out before the Tribulation begins. During the Tribulation, a program similar to the Apostolic Age reappears on the scene with signs, wonders, and miracles as God is once again dealing with the Nation of Israel and drawing them back to Him. Under the direct rule of Satan, this is the most terrible time period ever, and man utterly fails.

9. Millennium.

Jesus Christ returns at the end of the Tribulation in war against the armies of the Antichrist. He then rules the world from Jerusalem with rod of iron. At the end of the 1,000 years, Satan deceives the nations to turn on Christ. Jesus then wipes them out, again. As my niece puts it, “Epic fail.”

10. Everlasting Kingdom.

God burns up the universe and makes a new one that is perfect. New Jerusalem comes down to Earth. There is no more sin and death, everyone lives happily ever after.

The End!

This is one of the dispensational charts by Clarence Larkin,
I recommend his works though I don't agree with all of the content.

Let's Go to a Local Church - the Pillar and Ground of the Truth!

2010-10-04T15:42:00.007-06:00

“But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”

I Timothy 3:15

The church is not the truth, the word of God is. It is the responsibility and mission of the church to hold up the truth by being the ground and the pillar on which it stands. Without the local church, the truth falls to the ground and into obscurity. As a Christian, you need to find a good church and stick with it.

I’ve gone to church my whole life, and I’ve seen the good fruit of it in my life, my wife’s life, and my children’s lives. For every one bad story that you tell me, I can tell you about fifty good ones, no sweat. Christians hurt themselves, their families, and their potential for their Saviour and eternal rewards when they fail to find a church to get plugged into.

Concerning church attendance, there are those that are sick and can’t go to church even though that is what they would like to do, but there are also Christians that don’t go to church on purpose. There are biblical reasons for everyone to go to church. If someone is willingly abstaining from church, they are a backslider.

There are four types of backsliders that do not regularly attend church (all a backslider is is a person that is going backwards). Please be willing to examine your heart in light of the Bible. Look at these groups and see if you may find yourself identifying with one of them.

The Four Backsliders

1. The Struggling.

These are folks that haven’t dropped out of church completely, but unless a change is made in their hearts and minds, they will soon. Perhaps at one point they were very active in the church, but over time they’ve drifted back into seclusion. Church has become irrelevant, tedious, and maybe even boring to them. They find it harder and harder to attend because of work and family commitments, and when they do finally have the free time to go to church, other recreational things take precedence.

2. The Sanctified.

These folks live extremely separated lives. Many are trying to live as holy a life as they can. Regardless, the mindset is the same. They’ve tried church, after church, after church, and none of them meet their qualifications. The young people are too worldly, the pastor won’t preach their pet doctrine or hobby horse, and some people in the church don’t dress according to their standards. In the very end, the only church good enough for them is one in which they are the only members, in other words, a home church.

3. The Slackers.

This isn’t a person who’s looking for a church, or finding it hard to attend the church of which they are a member, or even the person who thinks they’re too good for any of the churches in the area. This person just chooses not to take the effort to go to church. They would rather sleep in on Sundays and relax on Wednesdays.

4. The Stubborn.

These folks are full of excuses. I’ve heard the same ones for years and years: “I knew this one guy at my old church who…”, “That church doesn’t love…”, “That church is full of hypocrites…”, “They’re just after my money…”, “They’re too judgmental…”, “I worship God in my own way…”

I’ve yet to hear something original. For some, the excuses might be legitimate in their own minds, for others, they are willfully rebellious and stubborn. Many times these are good "salt of the earth" people that you would love to have as a neighbor, but they’ve found a reason in their mind to not go to church and they’re holding onto it.

The Purpose of the Church

1. Exalt the Saviour.

Exalting the Saviour is done primarily through the song service and special music. While the other church ministries do work towards the ultimate goal of glorifying Christ, the music ministry is primarily geared towards glorifying the Lord.

2. Edify the Saint.

The saints receive edification through many ministries of the church. The preaching is primarily the means of edifying the saint. The Christian also receives spiritual encouragement through the fellowship of other believers and is encouraged to bear each other's burdens through prayer and counseling.

3. Evangelize the Sinner.

Sinners are reached and brought to salvation through the ministries of the local church. The purpose of the alter call is to call sinners unto repentance. Revivals begin within the efforts of a local church, and missionaries are sent from the local church with the purpose of winning souls to Christ.

Who’s In a Church?

1. Sheep.

Sheep give wool which help meet the needs of others and keep them warm. For those hurting, the warmth of a church family means the world to them.

Before being processed, the greasy substance, lanolin, is extracted from the wool. Lanolin is used in most every cosmetic product available. In other words, it helps to make the ladies look good. Good sheep in a church make the Bride of Christ look good, or present a good public testimony to the world, and in turn glorify the Saviour.

1.3% of all dairy products come from Sheep. Without having to die, sheep can still feed people! Good Christians seek to teach each other the word through Sunday school classes and other various ministries that the Pastor may not actually be involved in.

Sheep eat weeds like nobody’s business. When you have a large body of Bible believers, you’ll find that false doctrine and spooky-weird and extra-biblical ideas have a hard time taking root. Heresy finds its most fertile ground in small and clandestine groups of people who profess a certain form of elitism and superiority over the lowly and faithful church member.

2. Sinners.

According to the Bible, church isn’t for perfect people, and we all know Christians certainly aren’t perfect people. It’s one thing to separate yourself from a church because the leadership is worldly and completly "out there" doctrinally, but to demand a perfect church is unbiblical. The closest thing we have in the Bible to a perfect church was the Philadelphian church, and it’s only briefly mentioned in the book of Revelation. Every other church in the Bible had its share of problems and sinners.

The Corinthian church was carnal and had infighting, lacked church discipline, had problems with idols, and had big doctrinal problems. Paul did not tell the Christians in Corinth who were holy to bail out on the church. When reading II Corinthians you see that the church also had many good saints there as well, and the church had made a lot of progress since Paul’s first letter. (I Cor. 1-3, 5-6, 10, 15:12)

As you read about the seven churches in Revelation to which John wrote, they all had problems except for the Philadelphian church. If you are expecting your church to be perfect, you are expecting more than what God expects. God expects church to be a place where people get saved, learn and grow in grace, encourage each other, and over time become weaned off the world and its philosophy. If you have a church that is full of nothing but other super spiritual holy people, chances are that church is not a growing church and is failing in obligation to evangelize the sinner.

3. Sleepers.

In Acts 20, you read about a young man names Eutychus, who fell asleep during Paul’s message. If you’re a pastor, don’t get too worried about a person here and there falling asleep during your message; if they did it to Paul they’ll do it to you! There always have been and always will be sleepers in the church, people who come to church over and over again but never seem to get it. Thank God these people come to church, but unfortunately it typically takes something dramatic in their lives before they take action for the Lord.

4. Soldiers.

A soldier’s primary job is to break things and kill people. That’s why you want to have the best soldiers fighting on your side. The only form of Christianity is militant Christianity. God expects his people to directly uphold a standard of righteousness before the world, and to go out into the highways and the byways and try to win them to Christ.

The soldiers in the church are the ones on the front lines. Those who take to word of God out to the lost and try to make a dent. This can be a number of ministries, but the main thing that they all have in common is mustering up the courage to go to someone who is not saved and trying to get them to accept Christ. This is not “lifestyle evangelism.” We are called to this duty; it is very clear in the Bible that God expects his people to endure hardness and to be aggressive, evangelistic soul winners.

A church is a military unit placed within a specific location by the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ. Its responsibility is to maintain a stronghold and a place of rest for the soldier, and then from there to go out into the world and win more to Christ. It is to be constantly striving to be growing and advancing into enemy territory, all the while not compromising the word of God. The newly saved are to be discipled, encouraged, trained, and sent out to win others to Christ so that the lost in that area do not have to spend all eternity burning in a lake of fire. If there was ever a good cause, that is it. II Tim. 2

What Is a Church?

A church is more than a few people getting together to hold a Bible study. God has promised to be in the midst of two or more getting together in His name, but that is not a church.

1. A Church Has a Pastor.

Every local New Testament church has a pastor, or is actively seeking to have a pastor. That is the New Testament model. There is no such thing in the Bible as a group of people who regularly meet, with a different man standing up to preach every week, and where there is no pastor who is in charge of the church. The head of the church is Jesus Christ, and the only New Testament model is to have an under-shepherd who is placed in authority over that same local independent church. In every case where there is no pastor of a local church that church is expected, as Paul instructed Titus, “to set things in order the things that are wanting and ordain elders in every city” - in other words, to get a pastor. When you have a church being run by committees, deacons, women, and the Christian form of “special interest groups” - you have an unbiblical mess. The church is supposed to be run by a pastor. Titus 1:5-16, Acts 14:23

2. A Church Is to Have a Biblical Pastor.

Not everyone can up and call themselves a pastor. A pastor has to meet several qualifications which are listed clearly in the New Testament. These qualifications run quite the gamut, from being knowledgeable in the scriptures and being able to teach, to being kind and hospitable, to being blameless, and plenty of other things.

A pastor must not only meet the biblical qualifications, but he must also be called of God, and he must be confirmed and ordained by another local New Testament church. God set it up this way on purpose, a man sent from God to start a church must have the stamp of approval from another church. This helps to weed out the weirdos, the rebels, and the rogues. This isn’t some form of apostolic succession of one true church as the Catholics like to teach, this is the biblical model found in the book of Acts. In every instance in the New Testament, a man is sent out from a local church in order to start another local church. You will not find a single example in the Bible where someone gets mad at their local church, and then starts his own church in his house with Mamma and their two kids. I Tim. 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-11, Acts 14:23

3. A Church Is an Organization with Authority.

The local church is to have authority over its members. This is one of the biggest reasons why people do not want to join a church. In the Bible the Christian is commanded to put themselves in submission to a pastor and a body of believers. It is not a loose knit gathering of folks without a head and without structure just there to have a good time and enjoy the Bible. There’s nothing wrong with that. That’s called a Bible study and it is a wonderful thing for Christians to do should always be accompanied with snacks and coffee. But that’s not a church. A church has structure and authority.

God expects church to be a big deal to us. Just as a military commander doesn’t expect his soldiers to be casual about war, God does not want His people to be casual about church. God wants you get plugged into a church, submit to the authority of the pastor, and do everything you can from there to promote the cause of Christ. A Christian is supposed to serve the Lord through the ministries of his local church as much as possible. In the Bible, God clearly states that the leaders of the church are to “rule over” the members of the church. You may balk at the idea, but this is the biblical method and a pastor who is qualified to lead a church understands the responsibility and does not abuse it. Heb. 13:17, I Peter 5:1-4

Why Go to Church?

1. Somebody Really Important Thinks It’s Important.

So why bother going to church? How about the fact that Jesus Christ Himself established the idea of the local church? You’re a Christian, right? That means you’re a follower of Jesus Christ, right? Then why aren’t you following His orders? When coming up with an excuse for not going to church, people talk all the time about “worshiping God in their own way”, but Jesus told us specifically to worship Him in church.

God commanded his disciples to go out into all the world and preach, teach, and baptize. Throughout the book of Acts, Jesus Christ worked directly with the apostle Paul and the others to start local New Testament soul-winning churches. In Revelation, Jesus speaks directly to the local churches in Asia Minor and commends and rebukes them accordingly. Never once is there ever a hint of the idea that Jesus expected people to stay home on Sunday or truck off into the mountains to worship God. According to the Bible, your Saviour who died for you expects you to find a church and go to it. If you live somewhere that there is no good church, move to an area where there is a church. Or as the man from Macedonia did, call the closest good church there is and ask for help. There is no allowance given for able bodied people not going to church, given in the Bible. Matthew 28:18-20, Acts, Revelation 1-3

2. The Christian Is Specifically Commanded to Go to Church.

As if the example of God working to and through the local church given in the entire New Testament isn’t good enough, God specifically told us to not forsake meeting together in Hebrews 10:25. In that verse we are commanded to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, and throughout the rest of the New Testament that assembling is done in a local church setting where there is a qualified pastor or the assembly is seeking a qualified pastor. That is the biblical method given, anything outside of it is unbiblical and out of the will of God. Heb. 10:25, Acts 2:42

An Exhortation to the Four Backsliders

You who are struggling, does this help to remind you how important your church is? Without people, there is no church. There’s no higher purpose in life than to seek to bring pleasure to God (Rev. 4:11). Yes, there are always other things to do besides church, but none of those things are going to be used of God to bring you the message He has for you like the local church will. If everyone quits going to church, everyone will stop supporting missions, and then how will the lost hear the gospel? Do you want to be part of the problem, or do you want to do your part to see people get saved from going to Hell? Your church needs you, and you need your church.

For the sanctified, is your home church following all of the Bible? Yes, many churches do start in the home, but they must be done biblically. It’s very clear that you are not exalting the Saviour if you are not out evangelizing the lost - is your home church actively doing that? Have you brought any lost sinners to your home church, or is there no room but for you and your family and perhaps one or two other families? Are you proselytizing the sheep of other pastures, or are you obeying the biblical command to go out and preach the gospel to every creature? Is there a pastor of your home church? Is he qualified, ordained, and sent out by another church, as is the clear cut and only method given in the Bible for starting a church? Are you “at peace amongst yourselves” with the other churches in the area, or did your home church start out of rebellion? Are there sinners in your home church that are there to grow and learn, or do you unscripturally expect everyone in your assembly to be as holy as you?

To the slacker, what would happen if everyone was like you? Do you want to be ashamed before Jesus Christ when you reach Heaven? One day you will stand before Him and give account for how you served Him. It’s very clear in the scriptures that He expects you to use your life for His glory. How does your attitude affect others, your other saved friends and family members? Are you an encouragement to them to follow Jesus?

For the stubborn one, I hope you don’t mind if I ask you some hard questions. This isn’t meant to attack you or accuse you of anything, but rather to point out the benefits of going to church and how it will help you as a Christian, and how you in turn can help other people.

In fact, these questions will apply to anyone who isn’t faithfully attending church:

1. If you like to worship God in your own way, are you regularly performing any of the above responsibilities laid down upon you by God as a Christian?

2. When was the last time you did anything in the form of evangelism, be it organized or not? A New Testament church will constantly remind its members of the necessity of personal evangelism.

3. What other Christians do you pray for on a regular basis? You may very well pray for other believers, and I commend you if you do, but going to church will help to remind you to do this more often. Also consider that there are other Christians that could use your prayers, but you won’t know about them if you don’t go to church looking to be a blessing and a help to someone else.

4. Where does your encouragement to live a holy life come from? We’re all human, and much of the time we study, listen, and read the things we only want to read. God may have something special for you that you never thought of. God uses the preaching over the pulpit to help us in areas that many times we didn’t even know where to look.

5. Are you living a life that is glorifying to the Savour, and would all of your friends and enemies agree that you are a Christian living for Jesus instead of self? It’s hard for any Christian to maintain a good testimony in front of lost friends and to be faithful in witnessing to them. If you find yourself lacking in this area, a local church can be an encouragement to you.

6. Lastly, if you refuse to go to any church at all for any reason, how do you justify that particular reason with the fact that Jesus specifically set up and used the church as the model for worshipping and serving Him throughout the entire New Testament?

Conclusion

There really is no legitimate reason to not go to church. God’s plan is for Christians to serve Him within the sphere and authority of a local New Testament church. Just as there is no perfect Christian, there is no perfect church, be it in doctrine or practice. They all had problems with some doctrine and practice in the New Testament; the ones that didn’t, well, we probably just didn’t know everything about them.

Do the best you can to find a church where you can be a blessing to other people. Go to church with a humble spirit, looking to learn and to be a help where you can. Become a member and jump in with both feet. Be willing to submit yourself to good Bible preaching. When you go to church, you never know what’s going to come across the pulpit and many times it’s exactly what God had special for you. Don’t hurt and deny yourself the blessing of living a life in accordance to God’s will.

Where Do Babies Go When They Die?

2010-10-04T11:11:00.004-06:00

A reader recently asked a question on the Calvinism articles about what happens to babies when they die. The answer is very clear in the Bible, and it’s a blessing to be able to know for sure that when the tragedy of losing a baby occurs, that the child will be in Heaven forever. I can’t think of anything more tragic then losing a little baby! Rest assured, the Bible has an answer for this concern.

Let’s look at two very clear examples of how God deals with children and babies:

1. David and His Son.

In II Sam. 12 we read about David and his struggle with having to lose his infant child. David knew the baby was going to die, and so he fasted and prayed in hopes that perhaps God would allow him to live. When the child died, and David learned of it, he stopped praying and fasting. His reasoning was that he couldn’t bring the baby back to him, but that one day he would go to where that baby was.

II Sam. 12:18-23, “And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead?

19) But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead.

20) Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the LORD, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat.

21) Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread.

22) And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?

23) But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.”

2. The Innocent Israelite Children.

In Numbers 14 the Israelites kept complaining and failing to put faith in God, even after seeing miracle after miracle. God told them they would have to wander in the wilderness for forty years. However, he made an exception for the little ones, because they had no choice in the matter. God therefore allowed the little ones to go into the promised land, and punished the parents for their actions.

Numbers 14:31-32, “But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.

32) But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness.”

The idea behind all this is that a child is not held accountable for a decision he or she cannot make. A baby and many little children do not have the mental ability to understand the meaning of righteousness and judgment before God. While they know there’s a good and a bad and that Mommy and Daddy will be upset with them if they’re “naughty”, but they just don’t get it when it comes to the idea of an afterlife and being held accountable before God for their actions. The New Testament gives us very clear doctrinal teaching on why a child is “safe” in the eyes of God and goes to Heaven if it dies too early.

Here is the New Testament doctrine on this:

1. A Baby Has a Spirit, Soul, and Body.

I Thess. 5:23, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Obviously, the body is on the outside, and the spirit and the soul are on the inside. When a child is born, it is born with all three parts and they are all alive. When a person dies, the spirit leaves the body (James 2:26). Seventh Day Adventists will try and teach you that there is no such thing as a soul, but it is very clear in the Bible that there is a body, soul, and spirit. There are many verses that demonstrate this, but one of the most obvious is the account that when Rachel died the Bible clearly states that her soul left her (Gen. 35:18).

2. A Child’s Spirit Dies at Some Point.

Rom. 7:9, “For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.”

The body remains alive, and the soul remains alive, but at some point the spirit dies within all of us. Paul clearly stated that he had died, and yet he was in the middle of writing the book of Romans. He was speaking of his spirit. God told Adam and Eve that if they ate of the forbidden fruit, that in the day they ate of it they would surely die (Gen. 2:16-17). They continued to live full lives, but their spirits inside of them had died the moment they ate of the fruit.

What Paul is saying is that there came a time in his life when “the commandment came” and his spirit died. He was talking about the time in which he understood sin for what it was. The commandment is the law that is given in the heart of every man and woman. This point in time is different for every child, it is commonly referred to as the age of accountability.

3. A Child Is Not Held Accountable If They Have Not Reached the Age of Accountability.

Rom. 5:13, “For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.”

As we already saw, the law of the heart, or as Paul puts it, “the commandment”, is not there early in the life of a child. This verse shows that when there is no law, sin is not imputed. A little boy or girl does not have to bear the consequences of sin if he doesn’t have the ability to accept Jesus. For a person to get saved they have to be able to recognize in their heart that they are a sinner. That doesn’t happen to a child until the age of accountability, and until that point the child’s spirit is alive and it is in an innocent state before God.

Water, Water, Everywhere, and Not a Drop to Drink! - The Seven Baptisms

2010-09-02T16:52:00.008-06:00

While it seems that most of the time denominations argue about what method of baptism to use, little attention is paid to the fact that there are actually seven baptisms in the Bible and that only three of them actually involve people getting wet! It’s very important to familiarize yourself with these baptisms, because they play a critical role in rightly dividing the scriptures.

If you start applying things from one baptism where it wasn’t intended, you could wind up getting crazy ideas like thinking baptism has something to do with salvation, receiving the Holy Ghost, or some other kind of nonsense.

We’ll start chronologically from the first recorded baptism to the last.

1. The Baptism of Moses.

I Cor. 10:1-2, Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;

2) And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;”

Isn’t that peculiar? A baptism in the Bible, 1500 years before John the Baptist ever showed up!

This refers to the time when the entire nation of Israel passed through the Red Sea on dry ground, and not a Jew in the whole bunch of them got wet! This was a baptism of identification. At the moment of Israel passing under the cloud and through the sea, it was a public identification for the entire world to know that these people were God’s people, and that the Lord God Jehovah was their God.

2. John the Baptist’s/Peter’s Baptism.

Matthew 3:1-6, “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
2) And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
3) For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
4) And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.
5) Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,
6) And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.”

Before we delve into this, it’s critical to point out some very important facts. Do you realize at this point in history, no one knew who Jesus was? They would shortly, but these people were getting baptized before anyone had ever even seen Jesus! They were getting baptized before Jesus had even started His earthly ministry, let alone died on the cross, and certainly before anyone was talking about trusting in His atonement on the cross. John the Baptist would have made a terrible Baptist today, he was a bacon avoiding, Mosaic Law abiding, Sabbath keeping Jew!

The formula here was preparation for the Messiah. The idea was for people to get their hearts right and to make it known publically. The Kingdom of Heaven wasn’t Heaven, it was the national kingdom promised to the Jews all throughout the Old Testament, specifically Isaiah. If the entire nation repented of their sins and accepted Jesus Christ as their Messiah, following the crucifixion (which would have to have happened as it was prophesied) and the Tribulation, Jesus Christ would have returned 2,000 years ago and set up His earthly kingdom then – not sometime still yet in the future.

Acts 19:2-5, “He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
3) And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.
4) Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
5) When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.”

Paul made it very clear that the purpose of John’s baptism wasn’t people getting saved and getting the Holy Spirit, it was a matter of repentance and it was all about the people believing on the Messiah which was to come later on.

The “remission of sins” that people were getting baptized for under John had nothing to do with getting rid of their sins on an individual level. It had to do with the nation of Israel having its sins forgiven on a corporate and national level.

Peter preached the same thing in Acts 2, the whole context of his message can be tied to the second coming as prophesied in the book of Joel. Everyone that was there was a Jew or at least a Jewish proselyte, and it was one of Israel’s last few opportunities to turn to God lest the Holy Spirit and the gospel turn to the Gentiles (Acts 13:46).

National forgiveness for Israel isn’t a foreign concept, under the law every year the priest would enter in and offer a sacrifice for the entire nation (Heb 9:7-8); this baptism was working towards doing the same thing. If you had repented of your sins, wanted to be identified with the future Messiah and kingdom, and wanted the corportate forgiveness of the sins of Israel (which would be acomplished later by the cross) you would get baptized.

If you’re a Campbellite, whatever made you think that these people that John was baptizing were getting their sins remitted? Have you completely ignored what God said about remission in Hebrews?

Heb. 9:22, “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.”

Nobody gets their sins forgiven in the eyes of God unless blood has been shed! Where was the blood in Matthew chapter three? Jesus hadn’t even arrived on the scene yet! Blood wasn’t going to be shed until three and a half years later. No one's ever had their sins forgiven by getting dunked in a river!

Amazingly enough, these people were getting baptized before they got saved. Did you read that part in Acts 19? Those baptized under John were supposed to believe later, once the Messiah arrived on the scene. Now days, we get baptized after we get saved. There’s a big difference! Don’t take your doctrine of salvation from Matthew chapter three instead of the book of Romans.

3. The Water Baptism of Jesus.

Matthew 3:13-17, “Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
14) But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
15) And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
16) And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
17) And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Have you ever wondered why in the world Jesus got baptized? If so, you’re not alone, John the Baptist voiced the same thing to Jesus when he said, “I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?”

The answer Jesus gave him was short and to the point, “…Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.”

Did you see how Jesus said it “becometh us” to fufil all righteousness? Some people try to say that this was one step in Jesus becoming God, which is heresy. The first reason why Jesus got baptized was one of the same reasons why John got baptized, to be an example to the rest of the people on what to do.

The second reason Christ was baptized was to identify Himself as the Son with God the Father. This was made apparent by what happened immediately after He was baptized. This is very important as the Jews are monotheistic and needed a sign from Heaven showing them that Jesus is God as well. Not that there are multiple Gods, but that Jesus Christ was God as well.

4. The Baptism of Suffering.

Matthew 20:22-23, “But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.
23) And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.”

This baptism has nothing to do with water. It is a baptism of suffering. Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist early on in the book of Matthew, so this has nothing to do with any water baptism. When Christ was on the cross, he was immersed in suffering. As we know, He suffered for all the sins of mankind, past, present, and future.

Apparently James and John would be baptized with the baptism of suffering as well. My only explanation for this would be that they both suffered immense pain physically for the cause of Christ; James, as a martyr by the sword, and John, who was dropped into a vat of boiling oil.

5. Baptism of the Holy Ghost.

The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the body of Christ is a little cookie.
This picture is meant to mock such an ridiculous idea.

Matthew 3:11, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:”

First of all, the baptism of the Holy Ghost and the baptism of fire are two separate baptisms, and will be thoroughly explained by once we get to the last point of this article. They do not overlap; they are not connected in anyway other than you as a reader will get one or the other.

Upon salvation, a person is indwelt with the Holy Spirit of God. A person, in this dispensation, cannot be saved without the Holy Spirit being in him. The Bible is very clear that you cannot have Christ without having the Holy Spirit as well:

Rom. 8:9-11, “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
10) And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11) But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.”

A modern day group of believers will try and convince you that you have to be baptized or speak in tongues to receive the Holy Spirit, but as is evident here you can’t be saved without the Holy Spirit. There was a time when you could say a person could be saved without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit early, but those days are gone now.

This is what John was talking about; the day in which the Holy Spirit would indwell believers on a permanent basis (Eph. 1:13, 4:30). This wasn’t happening before the cross. Either at or after the cross, a spiritual organism known as the “body of Christ” was formed. As the Holy Spirit indwells a saved man, he is also placed within the body of Christ, and on some sort of spiritual level he is one with Jesus Christ.

I Cor. 2:13, “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”

John 17:21-23, “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22) And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
23) I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.”

Do you see why it’s important not to monkey around with things before the cross? Under John’s baptism, the body of Christ didn’t even exist and people were not indwelled by the Holy Spirit. Why would anyone look for how to be saved there or try to get any church age doctrine from there?

6. Believer’s Baptism.

I Peter 3:21, “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:”

At first you might come to the conclusion that this verse supports the idea that baptism has something to do with salvation. Looking at several other scriptures in Romans, Galatians, and Ephesians you’ll see that salvation is of faith alone. So that begs the question, why does it say “…baptism doth also now save us…”?

The first thing I’d ask you is do you think women have to have babies in order to go to Heaven?

I Tim. 2:15, “Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.”

“Save” or “saved” doesn’t always mean having your sins forgiven, being indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and being placed within the body of Christ. Women are being “saved” here in the sense that they can overcome the stigma that was put upon them after the fall (see the context of the verse) by following the God given pattern for submitting to the authority of their husbands (not a very popular idea today, nonetheless).

In I Peter 3:21, the words “save us” are clearly defined by the following parenthetical statement, “(not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,)” The Putting away the filth of the flesh ("the flesh" is the old sin nature as defined in Romans, so the putting of the filth of the flesh is forgiveness of sins) is not what this baptism is about, this baptism is about having a good conscience towards God after salvation. Furthermore, the beginning of the verse shows us that baptism is a “figure” of salvation, it only pictures it.

Pastor Rick DeMichele, in his pamphlet on Believer’s Baptism, points out the four things that believer’s baptism pictures and proclaims:

“It PICTURES and PROCLAIMS four important things:

1. Scriptural baptism PICTURES and PROCLAIMS the believer's death, burial, and resurrection with Christ. "Buried with Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with Him, through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead." Colossians 2:12

2. Scriptural baptism PICTURES and PROCLAIMS the death of our old life to sin, and our resurrection to walk in newness of life. "As Christ was raised up from the dead, by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." Romans 6:4

3. Scriptural baptism PICTURES and PROCLAIMS our faith in the Trinity of the Godhead. "Baptizing them in the NAME of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Matthew 28:19

4. Scriptural baptism PICTURES and PROCLAIMS our "putting on" of Christ. "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Galatians 3:26,27.”

Believer’s baptism is a decision made by the Christian to follow Christ as a disciple. It happens after salvation, not before, and it has nothing to do with actually being saved.

7. Baptism of Fire.

Matthew 3:11-12, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
12) Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

We already saw that the baptism of the Holy Ghost occurs at salvation and was promised to believers before Christ died. The baptism of fire is something else. It is defined in the very next verse as burning the chaff with unquenchable fire.

That’s not good. The people that heard the message that John the Baptist was giving were going to get one or the other.

This baptism occurs at the Great White Throne Judgment, when all those who have rejected Christ will be judged according to their works, and whether or not their names are written in the book of Life.

Rev. 20:11-15, “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12) And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13) And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14) And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15) And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Those not found written in the Book of Life will be cast into the Lake of Fire. Their bodies will be resurrected before the judgment begins. The saved are given a new resurrection body that is identified with Christ (I John 3:2), those that are resurrected and cast into the Lake of Fire will have a resurrection body that is identified with their father, the Devil (John 8:44, Is 66:24). Baptism usually always has something to do with identification, the Baptism of Fire is no exception. Whatever that is, it’s not something good and pleasant.

Don’t let this happen to you. If you happen to be reading this and have not asked Jesus Christ to save you from the penalty of your sins, understand the fact that you are a sinner in need of a Savior. Today, pray and ask God to forgive you of your sins based upon what Jesus Christ did for you.

How Satan Destroyed America

2010-08-24T00:07:00.009-06:00

I am a flag waver. I blink back the tears at the sounding of the national anthem, my heart swells with pride when hearing the stories of my country's history. I believe America is a nation blessed by God and has been used by God to do more for the cause of Christ than any other nation.

She's come a long way, baby.

According to Revelation 13, there will come a day in the future when the world will submit to one man who is indwelt by Satan himself. The world will operate on one currency, one socialist-communist political system with nations having little to no individual sovereignty in of themselves, and the only accountability will be to the State government run by the antichrist. Over the first couple hundred years of its existence, the United States of America has epitomized the exact opposite of what is necessary to accomplish the Enemy's final plan of total world supremacy.

It would be reasonable to conclude that the Enemy has done everything he can to destroy America, and in this article we will look at some of the ways in which Satan tried to destroy America, and what strategy he is successfully employing today. This article isn't meant to be all-inclusive. I'm sure the one who is wiser than Daniel has several other strategies that he's employed that I'm not aware of. This article is meant to be realistic, not pessimistic. I believe in my heart that there is still hope for our country.

First Tactic: Military Force

George Washington at Valley Forge

The most obvious one, destroy and enslave by military force. Upon declaring its independence from the tyrannical English throne, the colonies were locked in war with the strongest nation on the planet. The colonies represented religious freedom, freedom from the state religions to be found all throughout Europe.

They also represented economic freedom. Under William Bradshaw, the colonies learned the hard way that Socialism does not work. Before the War for Independence ever happened, back in 1620, the settlers of the Plymouth colony had entered into a merchant-sponsor contract with London that called for all the goods and resources gathered to be collected into a common store, with each member being owed a common share.

What resulted was a disaster. Half of the pilgrims died, including Bradford's wife. There was no motivation. Bradford wrote, "For young men that were most able and fit for labor and service did repine that they should spend their time and strength to work for other men's wives and children without any recompense...that was thought injustice."

The next year he tried something different. He tried implementing the principles of freedom and personal responsibility. He gave every man a plot of ground to work, and individuals were responsible for what happened to them and their families.

The colony thrived. According to Bradford, "This had very good success, for it made all hands industrious, so as much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been." Free trade with the Indians blossomed, there was more than enough food for everyone. This was just one principle that was instilled early in the hearts of our nation's founders. Freedom and individual responsibility.

Under the antichrist's rule during the Tribulation, there will be no such thing. All the world will be enslaved to a one world system that will destroy the idea of individuality, personal freedom and responsibility, and most importantly the fear of God. Satan wants the people of the world to view their "god" as the State. If the State is the supreme authority above all else, then all Satan has to do is rule the State and then he'll rule the hearts and consciences of the masses.

Obviously this idea of personal freedom was an affront to Satan, so he moved the most powerful nation in the world to destroy the tiny group of rebels on the North American continent. History is replete with stories of the narrow escapes and amazing resilience of the American revolutionary soldiers. Under the leadership of George Washington, and the protecting hand of God, America won its independence.

Hitler and Arch-Bishop Orsenigo, 1939.

The next most notable attempt to destroy America by military force was during World War II by Nazi Germany. It is a well known fact that Hitler was a practicing Catholic, and that he had signed a concordat with Rome. If the Nazis had won, the world would have been plunged into another dark ages where Bibles would be burnt and the State church would have ruled the hearts and consciences of men.

Thank God that He didn't allow that to happen.

Second Tactic: Divide and Conquer

The worst war ever occurred in 1861. In it America saw 620,000 of its fathers and sons die. Regardless of who you think was right or wrong, there's no doubt this war was a tragic thing, and no doubt Satan wanted to use it to divide our country up to be destroyed.

No one knows for sure what would have happened if the South had won, but regardless God's hand of protection was over our nation during and after this war. We're very fortunate that we still have a country after the devastation that was left.

In Charles Chinquy's book, Fifty Years in the Church of Rome, he quotes Abraham Lincoln's recounting of the influence that the Catholic Jesuits had in this war:

"This war would never have been possible without the sinister influence of the Jesuits. We owe it to popery that we now see our land reddened with the blood of her noblest sons. Though there were great differences of opinion between the South and the North of the question of slavery, neither Jeff Davis nor anyone of the leading men of the Confederacy would have dared to attack the North, had they not relied on the promises of the Jesuits, that, under the mask of Democracy, the money and arms of the Roman Catholic, even the arms of France would be at their disposal if they would attack us. I pity the priests, the bishops and the monks of Rome in the United States, when the people realize that they are, in great part, responsible for the tears and the blood shed in this war. I conceal what I know, on that subject, from the knowledge of the nation; for if the people knew the whole truth, this war would turn into a religious war, and it would at once, take a tenfold more savage and bloody character.”

Once again, God saved America. Regardless of who was right or wrong, Satan wanted this war to happen, and he wanted to use it to destroy America.

Third Tactic: Economic Slavery

Our nation’s founders warned us about a central banking system in America, and twice the attempt to enslave America to a central bank was shut down. The third attempt stuck, and we now know it as The Federal Reserve, the bank that prints money for our treasury and sells us the paper. They charge us the interest on the paper they give us, and the only way we can pay off the interest is by printing more paper, going deeper into debt. There is no limit to the amount of money drunk politicians can spend because they can always print more – and the Fed is always happy to charge us the interest.

That is only half of it, our government relies on other nations loaning it money to keep it afloat. The last president who got us out of debt, Andrew Jackson, also abolished the second attempt at a central bank in America. He knew that debt was evil and it was the one sure way to control a man or a government. Now there is no going back. The financial system of our nation is now built on a system that God hates. God’s way is freedom and personal responsibility, Satan’s way is debt and enslavement.

The media will try and teach you that Communism is on the far left, Fascism is on the far right, and Socialism is somewhere in the middle. This is a lie. They are all big government, all designed to control you as much as possible. The truth is that there is big government on the far left and no government on the far right, also known as anarchy. The more government you have, the less freedom you have. No one is saying you can’t have any government, but every time we add more we lose more.

Ironically, regardless of what “ism” it wears at the time, big government has never been guilty of what it has commonly been accused of: sharing and redistributing the wealth. Freedom lovers are interested in sharing the wealth as they see fit without the interference of the government. What big government wants to do (and will always do) is consolidate and control the wealth. The antichrist’s future financial grip of the world has its foundations in people giving up their freedoms in the name of peace and safety.

Our country was built as a Constitutional Republic, towards the right side of the bar with limited government. States acted independently with limited federal government interference and there was no central banking system. We are a far cry from that now. States rely on federal money for survival and bailouts, and the federal government relies on the Fed and other nations to keep it afloat. All the while our money becomes less and less reliable. The groundwork was laid a long time ago for our nation to be as the other nations.

Bloated government, debt, and the central banking system has put our nation on a crash course to be on the same socialist level as all the other nations of the world.

Sadly, this tactic has worked. It will eventually destroy our nation's economic system to the point that it will need the man of sin to bail it out. It's only a matter of time and a matter of God's mercy and grace on us. This is the third tactic, and though successful, it is not nearly as diabolical and as the last tactic that has been employed for at least fifty years.

Fourth Tactic: Infiltrate and Dismantle

George Washington said, "It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible."

Here's what American's don't realize: You can't have freedom without morality. When you have complete freedom without a sense of morality to restrain it, you have anarchy. The more Americans become lax in the areas of what is right and wrong, the more laws have to be created to keep the populace in check. The more laws you have, the less freedom you have. It's very simple.

Satan knows this, and after failing at militarily destroying America he tried something else. He tried corrupting it. He knew that if he could corrupt the building block of the nation, he could destroy the nation from the inside out. The less God and the less Bible you have in a nation, the more government you have. It's plain and simple, something must take the void. If man is not to be restrained by the law of his own conscience in submission to the principles of God, he must be retained by the law of the State. At that point, the State has become the ultimate authority, the state has become "god".

This is the goal of Communism, to destroy the Bible and make the government "god".

I'm not interested in debating with you whether or not Communism is dead, but what I will do is point out to you some of the actual documented and stated goals of Communism dating back to 1963 as listed in The Naked Communist by Cleon Skousen:

1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.
2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war.
3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament [by] the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.
4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.
6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.
7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N.
11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.)
13. Do away with all loyalty oaths.
15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.
16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.
17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks.
18. Gain control of all student newspapers.
20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions.
21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.
22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms."
23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. "Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art."
24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press.
25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.
26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy."
27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a "religious crutch."
28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state."
29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.
30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man."
31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.
32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.
36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.
37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business.
38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand [or treat].
39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals.
40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.
41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.
44. Internationalize the Panama Canal.

These goals have been realized, or at least are in the process of being realized. The person behind these goals was none other then Satan, the god of this world. Many of these goals are aimed directly at the family unit to destroy it. Satan wants the State to raise your children, not you. All of this is aimed at discrediting God and removing Him our society. Like I said, if he can do that the State will become "god."

Wait, that hasn't happened yet though, at least not completely!

HOPE

I've got news for you, any hope we have for this nation is NOT going to be found in the so called conservative movement, Tea Party movement, talk radio, and certainly not in the Republican Party.

Our hope is found in the pages of the Bible. Christians need to live their lives in submission to God's word, and allow the influence of the Holy Ghost to spread throughout our nation forcing blatant sin and wickedness back into the shadows. Only that will create a moral populace. You can keep trying to change our political system, and keep trying to throw your vote against the wall for your favorite Constitutionalists, but if you have an immoral populace you will ALWAYS have an immoral government.

The best verse I've found on revival for a nation is this one:

II Chronicles 7:14 "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

I understand the context is Solomon praying over the temple and talking about the nation of Israel, but if you're going to find a verse in the Bible that will tell you how to get a nation healed - this is the best one there is.

Very simply put, this is the formula:

1. God's people must humble themselves. This has to do with the heart attitude. Many Christians today have a heart of rebellion towards God and the clear cut principles in the Bible. God doesn't expect you to be able to do an instant 180 degree change in your life, but He does expect that your heart be turned towards Him in an attitude of repentance. You can't repent until you've come to a mental accent that the way you are living is in violation of clear cut scriptural commands and principles.

2. God's people must pray and seek His face. This means prayer. I will admit, this is the weakest area in my walk with the Lord. It seems like it is the weakest part in many Christian's walk. Prayer is so important and yet we neglect it for other things. It's really a matter of priority. For the power of the Holy Ghost to spread across our land there must be Christians seeking God in earnest prayer. Seeking Him isn't a quick prayer before lunch and bed time, it is earnest prayer, fervent prayer.

3. God's people must turn from their wicked ways. Once you've humbled yourself, and once you've begun earnestly seeking God in prayer, the next step is to act upon what God has revealed in your life. Stop tolerating wickedness! It has been said over and over again, that the last virtue of a completly depraved society is tolerance. Why do many Christians tolerate so much wickedness and never lift a finger in protest, but get bent out of shape so easily at a preacher who just trying his best to preach righteousness? Why is there so much grace for illicit sex, profanity, and out and out blasphemy on the TV and in music, but no grace at all for the preacher? God's people need to support their preachers, even if they make mistakes now and then!

We need Bible thumping preachers across our land preaching against sin with a two foot flame coming out of their mouths! In the 1800s, if you went into a Baptist church, you got told you were a wicked sinner and deserved to split hell open and your only hope was in Jesus Christ. If you happened to stumble into a Catholic church, you were told you were wicked at that you had better repent and join the Holy Mother Church. If you found yourself in a Presbyterian church, you were told you were wicked, totally depraved, and that if you weren't part of the elect you were predetermined by eternal decrees unto damnation! Talk about hard preaching!

Now days, you walk into just about any church and salvation is boiled down to you needing help in your life for self fulfillment, and that God is some sort of cosmic psychologist here to help you overcome all your difficulties in life. What people need to hear across the pulpits in America is that sin is offensive and repulsive to a thrice holy God, and that their only hope is in Jesus Christ.

If you are a Christian, this is where our hope is. Our hope is in Christ. America as we know it will be destroyed one day, either before the Rapture or during the Tribulation. The responsibility to maintain our nation is not in the hands of the politicians, it is solely in the hands of God's people. If God's people as a whole follow these principles, preachers rain down fire like they did over a hundred years ago, and saved Christians focus on winning souls instead of stuffing ballot boxes there is hope that America will last at least until the Christians are gone.

There are many other things as well, such as stop letting the State raise your kids in public schools so they can indoctrinate them. There's the fact that what is still somehow keeping America under the protection of God today is that is still the most active country involved in world wide missions. Do not stop supporting missions! Moms, find a way to stay at home with your kids so you can train them, that's God's perfect will! If you have to sacrifice some things, then do it for your kids! Don't you want what's best for them?

We may lose America, we may lose our freedoms, we may lose everything, but we won't lose our souls. That's one thing the Enemy can't touch. Suffice it to say, Christians, hold the line. Follow course. Run the race, with no remorse. Fight the fight, keep marching on. Our hope is Christ and the victory's won.

ABCs of Salvation

2010-08-22T23:19:00.007-06:00

If you were to die today, your body would go in the ground. But there's more to you than that, there's your soul. It can feel everything just like you can, and it's shaped just like you are. When your body dies, you continue to live and experience things in your soul.

Here's an example:

Luke 16:22-24, "And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
[23] And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
[24] And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame."

In Luke 16, Jesus lays out a factual account of a man who died and went to Hell. He experienced loneliness, fear, fire, and torment. It's a horrible but very real thing. It doesn't have to be that way though.

I Peter 1:9, "Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls."

II Peter 3:9, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

We see here that God wants to save your soul from having to go to Hell, He loves you and He has provided a way out of having to go to Hell. God made it simple in His word; here are the ABCs of getting saved from Hell.

A. Admit You are a Sinner.

What is a sinner? Simply put, a sinner is a person that sins. Here are a few examples from Scripture of what I'm talking about.

Gal. 5:19-21, Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
[20] Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
[21] Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Rom. 1:25-32, "Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
[26] For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
[27] And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
[28] And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
[29] Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
[30] Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
[31] Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
[32] Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them."

It's pretty natural to think of one's self as a good person. Let me ask you this though, if you think you're a good person, do you think that God in turn thinks you're a good person?

One way to know is to ask yourself if you've kept the ten commandments. Better yet, do you know the ten commandments?

Here they are:

Ex. 20:1-17, "And God spake all these words, saying,
[2] I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
[3] Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
[4] Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
[5] Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
[6] And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
[7] Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
[8] Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
[9] Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
[10] But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
[11] For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
[12] Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
[13] Thou shalt not kill.
[14] Thou shalt not commit adultery.
[15] Thou shalt not steal.
[16] Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
[17] Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's."

To break this down to where it's a little easier to understand, let me explain the ten most basic commandments that God gave. The word of God is the word of God, and I'm certainly not changing it here, but I'd like to elaborate on the ten commandments above that might make them more applicable to you:

1. Put God first. Do you put God's will ahead of your own in your every day life?
2. God should be worshipped over things. Do you adore the Lord God Jehovah or do you love your car, ipod, TV, etc.. more?
3. Do not take the Lord's name in vain. Have you ever used the name of Jesus as a cuss word?
4. Set a day aside for the Lord. When was the last time you went to church?
5. Do you respect your parents?
6. Do not murder anyone. Jesus elaborated on this and said that if you've ever hated without a just cause you've murdered them in your heart and in the eyes of God. Have you ever done that? Are you a murderer in the eyes of God?
7. Do not commit adultery. Jesus also elaborated on this as well. He said that if you look upon a woman to lust after her you've committed the act with her in your heart and before God. Are you an adulterer?
8. Ever stolen anything?
9. Ever lied?
10. Don't covet things that don't belong to you. Have ever been jealous that someone else has something you wanted?

No one, other than Jesus, has ever managed to not commit any of the sins previously listed as well as follow all of the ten commandments. Even if you've only broken only one of the laws of God, in His eyes you might as well have broken all of them according to James 2:10-11, because the same God made all of the rules and it's HIM who you have offended.

The question is, are you willing to admit that you are a sinner and have a need for forgiveness before God?

B. Believe Jesus Died to
Pay the Penalty for Your Sins.

When you go to work, you earn a paycheck, or another word for that would be "wages". The Bible says that your sins earn you wages as well:

Rom. 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Physically, your sins will kill you eventually. While not everyone that dies early in life did so because they lived overtly sinful, but have you noticed how people who do live wild and sinful lifestyles show the wear and tear of those lifestyles in their face and health? Rockers, movie stars... suffice it to say, there are many examples of this, and few exceptions.

On the flip side, there's your soul. While there is physical death, and everyone must suffer it because of sin (regardless of whether it is your sin or it was passed down to you), there is also spiritual death:

Rev. 20:14-15, "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
[15] And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."

Your sin will wind you up in Hell if you don't get rid of it somehow. What are you doing to do about it?

If you started living a perfect life right now, you'd still have to somehow pay for all the sins you committed. If you sin against man, you get a "life sentence", that would be sixty or seventy years. Your sins are against God, He is an eternal being, so you'd have to pay an eternal sentence in Hell to pay your wages.

The wages of sin is death.

It doesn't stop there, thankfully.

Rom. 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins. He suffered physically, and in some spiritual way that only God truly understands He suffered for all the sins of mankind past, present, and future. He paid for your sins, and there's nothing you can do to pay for your sins that you've committed in the past and the ones you'll commit in the future (and you will, Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven). The only thing you can do to solve your sin problem is take hold of the solution that God gave for you. Believe from the heart, the best way you know how, that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and rose again.

I Cor. 15:3, "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
[4] And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:"

Many people are willing to believe that they are sinners, but still somehow they have confidence in themselves and think that there is a way to overcome this and earn salvation. It's not possible in God's eyes, and to try to do that is to pit your righteousness against Jesus Christ's. Jesus Christ will win every time. You need to surrender your pride and trust Him and what He did for you on the cross for salvation.

Salvation is a gift that is not earned by you or your good works, now, or ever.

Eph. 2:8-9, "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."

The next question is, do you believe Jesus died for you and that He is the only way you could be forgiven of your sins?

C. Confess Jesus Christ As Your Savior.

By now, if you know you are a sinner in need of a savior, and you know Jesus Christ is that Savior, the next part is very easy.

It's not baptism. Remember that part about works?

It's not church membership. Jesus is a person, not a building or an organization.

The hardest part about getting saved is getting people to realize that they need to get saved. Jesus is a person, if you want Him to save you it's really easy.

Just ask Him.

Rom. 10:9, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."

Heb. 4:16, "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."

Don't try and imagine that Jesus Christ is in the same room as you, know that He is. Bow your head, close your eyes, and pray. Ask God to forgive you of your sins because of what Jesus did. There are no special words that you need to pray, the only thing that matters is that you mean what you're saying.

Here's an example of a prayer that you might use:

"Dear God, I know I'm a sinner and deserve to go to Hell. I need your forgiveness, and I know there's nothing I can do to earn it. I believe that Jesus died for me, was buried, and rose again. I know he paid the penalty for my sins. The best way I know how, I put all my faith and trust in Him and what He did for me. Please save me because of what Jesus did for me. Thank you God. Amen."

If you prayed that prayer, and you meant it, you are on your way to Heaven and there's nothing you or anyone else can do to change that. Just like you couldn't earn it before you were saved, there's no way you can earn it after you are saved. The Bible says in I Peter 1:5 that you are "kept by the power of God" - not by your own power. This is something to be thankful for!

Read the Bible, pray to the God, and find a good church that will help you grow in the Lord. These are all good things to do because you are saved, not in order to be saved. We serve the Lord because we love Him for what He did for us, not in order to try and earn His love. His forgiveness and His love are given to us freely in the person of Jesus Christ.

The question is, what will you do with Jesus? Will you reject Him or accept Him?

Rev. 22:17, "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."

Three Places to Look for Revival

2010-08-22T01:34:00.002-06:00

What brings revival, is it something that mysteriously happens?

Is it possible in a day like ours, where does one look for revival?

1. Look Up!

Luke 21:8, “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”

The first place we need to look for revival is to Heaven. Our affection must be set on things above, not on things on this earth. The ambitions of this world must be placed secondary to the anticipation of the eternal redemption of our bodies. On a day by day basis, believers must always be looking for and eagerly hoping that this very day will be the day Jesus Christ will take us home. Nothing must be more important than that.

II Tim. 4:8, “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”

2. Look In!

I Cor. 11:31, “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.”

The second place to look is at our hearts. Once we are eagerly anticipating going home to heaven TODAY, it is only natural to want to be right with God. All bitterness, secret sin, jealousy – EVERYTHING must go. If we judge ourselves, God will not judge us in our lifetimes. If we get right with Him, everything is cleared. Just as a homemaker cleans the house in anticipation of guests arriving, we should also clean our hearts as though we were to see Jesus face to face today.

I John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

3. Look Out!

James 5:20, “Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins."

The last place to look is outward. When a person is saved, looking forward to Heaven, and living a clean life in humility, they can’t help but spread the word of Jesus Christ.

The Moravians of the 1700s were a very humble and holy people. They prayed for 110 years straight, with at least three men praying at one time unceasingly. These people descended from the martyr John Huss, who burned at the stake resisting the Roman Catholic Church. After much persecution, they finally found safety at the residence of one Count Zinzendorf, who became their leader.

After finally finding peace, these soldiers of the cross were not content to rest within their safe haven. They were moved by the Spirit to go to every continent on Earth as missionaries. They willingly went into the dark places of the earth to suffer diseases, hostility, and death. There are stories of some of them selling themselves into slavery to be able to witness to slaves, because there was no other way to reach them.

The Christians of that day thought these men and women were out of their minds, going all over the world to win souls. They didn’t care about man’s glory; they didn’t even care about denominations. They would enter a dark area of the world, live with the people, start winning souls, start a work – and then hand it off to another Christian denomination to run for them so they could go somewhere else.

You might say they were radicals.

Once, on a ship that appeared to be in a fatal storm, an Anglican preacher was concerned for his soul. He did not know if he had done enough good works to go to Heaven. This man overheard a bunch of Moravians, singing, shouting, and praying to God, unafraid of the storm. He went to them, and they led him to Christ.

His name was John Wesley.

Rom. 10:14, "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?"

Total Depravity - Trampling through the T.U.L.I.P.s

2010-08-22T01:27:00.012-06:00

We are the Lord's elected few, let all the rest be damned; there's room enough in hell for you, we won't have heaven crammed!"

(Actual Calvinist song as documented in The Other Side of Calvinism by Dr. Laurence Vance)

This article is not meant to mock Calvinists. There are many God loving people who have held to Calvin’s system of soteriology, not the least of whom was Charles Haddon Spurgeon. On the flip side, there have always been very good Christians who’ve held to the opposite view, Armenianism, such as John Wesley.

Pointing out the errors in doctrine is not the same as demeaning those who believe it.

That being said, Calvinism, if taken to its logical end result can be very harmful. Those who take it there are called hyper-Calvinists, and they tend to spend their time in groups muttering about the elect, eternal decrees, and doing everything but soul winning. Thankfully, Charles Spurgeon was not a hyper-Calvinist and he actually spoke out against them.

Regardless of whether your beliefs lean towards Armenianism or Calvinism, it’s important to take a step back and examine them. I’ve seen many Calvinists accuse those who do not adhere to their doctrine as being lazy, unwilling to study the scriptures, and taking the easy way out. If you are a Calvinist, I hope you will hold yourself to the same standard of diligence that you hold others to as we take a look at the five points of T.U.L.I.P, starting with Total Depravity.

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

The idea behind this point in Calvin’s system is that man is so totally depraved that he lacks the ability to be able to come to God or seek Him out. Calvin is correct on this point, to a certain degree. On his own, man is so depraved that he will not seek after God. That’s easily ascertainable in the above passage.

The story doesn’t end there though; consider this woman who just wouldn’t give up:

Matt. 15:21-28, “Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. 23 But he answered her not a word.”

This woman came to Jesus for help. He did not seek her out at all, she went out of her way searching for Him, and when she found Him she asked Him for help.

Jesus gave her the cold shoulder, first rejection.

“24 And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.”

Second rejection. The disciples ask Jesus to tell her to go away, right in front of her. Does this deter her?

“25 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Third rejection, right in front of the woman Jesus ignores the woman again, and tells the disciples that at that time the gospel wasn’t intended for the gentiles. At this point, the woman has experienced rejection three times and Jesus still hasn’t spoken to her directly.

“25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. 26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.”

After being rejected three times, the woman pleads with the Lord to help her. He rejects her, insults her, and insinuates that she’s not good enough to even be able to hear the gospel. The plan was not for her at the time.

In Matthew 10:6-7 Jesus clearly told his disciples to ignore everyone who was a Gentile and to only bring the gospel to the Jews. Sure, the Gentiles were going to get a “crack at it”, but not until the Jews had heard it first. The reasons behind this have to do with dispensations and the gospel of the kingdom, something that is another Bible study in of itself. Regardless, Jesus rejects this woman directly after ignoring her twice.

“27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. 28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.”

After being rejected four times, the woman doesn’t try to defend herself at all. She understands that she is a lost, hell bound sinner who deserves nothing. She doesn’t argue with the Lord, she agrees with Him. Jesus is moved by this woman’s persistence and faith and goes outside of His own dispensational guidelines to save her.

How does THAT line up with the idea of total depravity, or better put, total inability?

Does this mean we take the verses in Romans 3 and throw them out the door?

Of course not. Then how do we reconcile the woman in Matthew 15 with what is written in Romans 3?

John 12:32-33, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. 33 This he said, signifying what death he should die.”

Jesus Christ is the game changer. Jesus Christ is the bridge between God and man; the woman in Matthew 15 couldn’t help but be drawn to Jesus Christ. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and anyone in the same room as Him would know it instinctively regardless of any dispensational boundaries that may exist! We read in John 12:32 that when Christ was lifted up (“lifted up” is defined as crucifixion in the very next verse) that all men would be drawn unto Him.

Before Christ, there are many instances of men choosing of their own free will to obey God. Obviously the depravity of man does not extend to his will, when given light from God and given a choice man is able to respond to it. Without the light, man doesn’t seek out God, but with light he certainly has the ability to choose God.

So the “T” in T.U.L.I.P is a moot point. It doesn’t matter whether or not man can come to God on His own or not, Jesus promised that if He was crucified that He’d draw all men on earth to Himself one way or another.

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Unconditional Election - Trampling through the T.U.L.I.P.s

2010-08-22T01:23:00.005-06:00

Eph. 1:5, 11, “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will… In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:”

The idea behind Unconditional Election is that those who trust Christ were meant to do it from the foundations of the earth. The idea is that not only did God know who would trust His Son Jesus before they were ever born (which no Christian would dispute), but He actually predestinated them to make that decision. Some He predestinated to get saved, others He left out. Even if such a thing were true, such election would be based upon foreknowledge so as to not violate man’s free will.

Most Calvinists hate to admit this, but if God unconditionally (that is the key word) predestinated some to go to Heaven that means that God also unconditionally predestinated some to go to Hell. In fact, it would mean it is God’s sovereign will that most people go to Hell. In order to help take the teeth out of this John Calvin taught that God predestinated all babies to go to Heaven, very convenient to say the least and doesn’t exactly fit with the idea that the election is “unconditional” to some people and not to others. Of course all babies go to Heaven (Rom. 7:9; 4:15, 5:13; II Sam. 12:23), but it’s not because they’re predestined to salvation.

What Calvinists who are hung up on God’s sovereign will consistently ignore is the fact that God’s will is VIOLATED every time we sin, every time someone rejects the gospel, and especially every time someone goes to Hell.

1. When we Sin:

I Thess. 4:3, “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:”

I Thess 5:18, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

2. When the Gospel is Rejected:

Acts 17:30, “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:”

II Tim. 2:4-6, “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”

3. When a person goes to Hell:

II Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

John 3:16, “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.”

God is not some sadist that loves you enough to send His Son to die for you, but willingly chooses for you to go to Hell. You won’t find that anywhere in the Bible.

What you will find is a couple verses here and there that talk about people being predestinated. Once again, do we ignore those verses because at first glance they do not seem to fit with the rest of scripture? Of course not.

Here’s the critical statement:

Nowhere in the Bible will you ever find anyone ever being predestinated to get saved, what you find is people being predestinated who already are saved.

Example:

“Those in the bus are predestinated to arrive at the bus station in two hours.”

Being predestinated is conditional on one thing – being in the bus!

The same thing applies to being predestinated in scripture; you have to be “in Christ”. Being “in Christ” (I Cor. 12:12-13, Rom. 6:3, Gal 3:26-27, II Cor. 5:17) means being in the body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23), being in universal church (Col. 1:18, 24), and being part of the bride of Christ (Rev. 21:9, Eph. 5:23-32). They’re all the same thing. The only way you get “in Christ” is by getting saved.

In both cases in Ephesians chapter one, if you look at the verses that are talking about predestination you’ll see that they’re talking about people who are in Christ. Those who are chosen are “in Him” or “in Christ”.

Eph 1:4-5, “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,”

Eph. 1:10-11, “That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; [even] in him: 11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:”

The term “predestinated” means basically that you establish to do or receive something before it actually happens. Calvinist assume that these verses mean that a person is predestinated to get “in Christ” (or get saved) before they actually receive Christ.

In both sets of verses, the people in question are predestinated to two things, the adoption of children and an inheritance. Neither verse says these people are predestinated to receive these things before they are saved, it just says that those who are in Christ are predestinated. The next logical question is what is the adoption of children and what is this inheritance that these people are predestinated to?

1. The Adoption of Children:

Rom 8:23 “And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.”

According to this verse, we haven’t yet received the adoption, we’re still waiting for it. The adoption is the redemption of our bodies that happens to believers at the resurrection (I Cor. 15). So this verse on predestination is actually one of the strongest verses on eternal security in the Bible, because if you’re saved and in Christ you are at that point predestinated according to the will God to have your body changed into a glorified body.

2. The Inheritance Incorruptible:

I Peter 1:2-5, “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

I Peter 1:2-5 takes care of several questions. First of all, what is the inheritance that is spoken of in Ephesians? In Ephesians it says we already have it, and here it says it’s reserved in Heaven for us. The only thing I can imagine it would be is a mansion (John 14:2). We, in Christ, are predestined to receive this. Not surprisingly, in the same context, we see in verse 5 one of the strongest and clearest verses on eternal security in the Bible. Predestination falls under the doctrine of eternal security for the believer who is within the body of Christ, not an unbeliever who the Bible says is dead and “in Adam”. If you’re in Adam, you’re not predestinated to anything.

The second thing this solves is how a person becomes part of the elect. Calvin would tell you that a person is part of the elect “unconditionally”, even though you’ll never find a passage anywhere in the New Testament that says someone is saved without putting their faith in Christ. I feel like saying that once isn’t good enough, no where in scripture is anyone saved unconditionally! Salvation is conditional on you putting your faith in Jesus Christ. Do you see how if you take a verse and start building a doctrine around it you can find yourself ignoring hundreds of verses in the Bible in favor of your strange isolated interpretation?

So how does one become part of the elect then? It’s very simple; it’s through sanctification of the spirit. Look, if someone is part of the elect before they’re saved that means they have the promises of a new body and a home in heaven, something that is reserved for members of the body of Christ, while they are still “in adam” and “dead in trespasses and sins”. Do you see how ridiculous this is?

There’s one last passage on the subject of predestination in the Bible, and once again it has nothing to do with anyone being predestinated to be saved.

Rom. 8:29-30, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”

The saved people in this passage are predestinated to be conformed to the image of His son, that happens at the resurrection, it goes right back to the adoption which is the redemption of the body. The subsequent event to the foreknowledge in this passage is not salvation! Does it say “For whom he did foreknow, he did predestinate to receive redemption?” No, it doesn’t say that. The event that follows the foreknowledge is a Christian getting predestinated to get a new body; it has nothing to do with salvation.

Calvinists take a couple verses in Ephesians 1 and this passage in Romans 8 and completely get the cart before the horse. The foreknowledge and predestination in this passage and I Peter 1:2 are both conditional upon “…sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ…” In other words getting saved. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, because we’re told over and over again in the New Testament that salvation is conditional upon faith, and the benefits of being saved are conditional upon (amazingly enough) actually being saved.

Before we stop on this subject, there’s one last verse that should be considered:

II Tim. 2:10, “Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.”

Ok, so the Calvinist will tell you that this shows that the elect aren’t saved, and that Paul’s ministry was to get the elect saved. Wait a second though, according to Calvinism, Paul wouldn’t have to endure anything for the elect to get saved, they’ll get saved regardless. What’s the point? While you’re mulling that over, let’s consider another verse to help us understand this verse.

I Tim. 2:14-15, “And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. 15 Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.”

Does this mean that women have to have children to qualify for salvation, and that ladies who never get married, have physical difficulties, or are married to men who are sterile are bound for Hell regardless of whether or not they’ve put their faith in Jesus? Of course not, being “saved” in this passage has nothing to do with the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Consider another verse along the same lines:

I Tim. 6:11-12, “But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 12 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.”

This verse is commanding a preacher to lay hold on eternal life by living right. Wait, I John 5:11-12 tells us that eternal life is a present possession, not something we get later on! Also, eternal life is not conditional upon good works (Eph. 2:8-9), so what is it talking about in this verse when it says for us to lay hold on eternal life if we already have it? It’s talking about the same thing that Paul was suffering for in II Tim. 2:10. What would that be? Does Paul clarify what he’s talking about when he says that he’s working for the elect to receive salvation? Where would the best place to look be?

How about the very next few verses:

II Tim. 2:10-13, “Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. 11 It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: 12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: 13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.”

The “salvation” in II Tim. 2:10 is the same thing as the “eternal life” in I Tim. 6:12, it’s talking about earning rewards in Heaven. Paul wanted his converts to receive a “full reward” (II John 8, Phil. 3:14). We don’t know this because it sounds nice, we know it to be true because within the immediate context of II Tim. 2:10 the scriptures talk about Christians suffering to reign with Him. As a Calvinist, if you’re going to protest this then you had better make childbirth a part of salvation for a woman (I Tim. 2:14-15) and start preaching works salvation (I Tim. 6:11-12).

So the “U” in T.U.L.I.P is ridiculous because any student of the Bible can tell that salvation is not unconditional. As far as predestination, scripture is very clear that it occurs after salvation and not before. The only way predestination works with all the scriptures on free will is if you subscribe to a corporate election of the body of Christ.

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Limited Atonement - Trampling through the T.U.L.I.P.s

2010-08-22T01:18:00.003-06:00

John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”

This passage is used to demonstrate that Jesus ONLY shed His blood for the sheep.

When you adhere to the “U” in T.U.L.I.P. you’ll find yourself going down the slippery slope of having to believe in “L”, “I”, and “P”. The last three letters of T.U.L.I.P are completely ridiculous, and hardly merit much of a response. The first one, Limited Atonement, is the blasphemous teaching that Jesus only shed His blood for the elect.

When you start believing that God controls everything we do in life, most importantly acceptance and rejection of the gospel, then the sky’s the limit. If God only chose a select group to go to Heaven and created billions of others for the purpose of going to Hell, then it is only rational to conclude that Jesus only shed His blood for the elect and they are the only ones capable of making use of it for redemption. If there’s no such thing as free will, then of course this makes sense.

Let’s look at a couple of clear verses that debunk this idea:

I Tim. 2:4, “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”

I Tim. 2:6, “Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”

The Calvinist will insist that “all” means “all the elect” in these verses. Ok, fine, show me in the context of those verses where the elect are mentioned.

There’re not.

They’re not mentioned in the entire chapter. In fact, nowhere in the entire book are any “elect” human beings mentioned at all. The only elect in I Timothy are “elect angels” in I Tim. 5:21. All “elect” means is “chosen”, Israel is an elect nation (Is. 65:9) and Jesus was called God’s elect (Is. 42:1-4).

I Peter 2:1, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.”

Jesus shed His blood for false prophets and false teachers in this passage.

I Tim. 4:10, “For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.”

Jesus Christ is the Saviour of all men, and a clear distinction is made between those who believe and do not. He is especially the savior of those that choose to accept Him.

I John 2:2, “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”

His blood atonement is not only available for those who accept Him, but for the whole world.

If there’s really such a thing as limited atonement, then Hell was made for the billions of people that God would put in Hell. Why was Hell made?

Matt. 25:41, “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:”

Hell was made for Satan; it was not originally intended for people. Hell was created after Satan fell, and it was intended for Him and the angels that rebelled against God. What the Calvinist is saying, whether he wants to admit it or not, is that God willfully creates people so that He can put them in Hell.

Meaning, it’s God’s will for most people to perish.

II Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

Yes, there are plenty of verses that talk about Christ’s blood being shed to redeem men and that His blood was shed for the saved, His bride, and His sheep. That is doesn’t mean that His blood was only shed for those who would accept Him. His blood was shed for every man, woman, and child that ever lived.

II Peter 3:9 tells us that it is specifically against the will of God for anyone to go to Hell. That means, contrary to Calvinism, the atonement at Calvary is unlimited.

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