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ARKS WAY MINISTRIESAll glory belongs to God in our Lord Jesus Christ: "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life".
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Thanks for visiting! Glorify the Lord Jesus Christ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. Colossians 1:15-18 Maranatha Exit stage Up!
July 04 Mustard Seeds and Mega-Churches“Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it. And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.” Luke 13:18-21
It’s important to see that Jesus, speaking of what the Kingdom of God is like, follows up the large tree and birds of the air parable above with a lesson on leaven. First of all mustard seeds don’t morph into huge trees, they only grow as small bushes. In this parable Jesus is exaggerating the growth of the mustard seed to instill in the reader a reality of massive proportions.
Many see this parable as an explanation of the ever expanding influence of the Church around the world. Some actually preach that the Church will be the all encompassing world influence before the end. But in these same verses Jesus tells us the birds of the air are nested in its branches. In Jesus’ parables, the birds of the air consistently refer to an evil presence, and this evil presence has made their homes in the branches of this huge tree. Certainly we see Jesus referring to something much more sinister in this parable. After all, He commanded us to spread the Gospel around the world, and in that respect His Gospel has been and is being expanded worldwide. What do all the birds of the air and the leaven have to do with the Kingdom of God? Is there something evil lurking in the Church?
Considering the concept of leaven, which is a reference to sin, Jesus has just given us a glimpse of what He saw happening as the enormity of His church became manifest. The birds of the air and the leaven refer to the corruption of His Church. False religions have been around and flourishing since the tower of Babel. As the Church became established it has been bombarded with false teachings to lure people away from the truth. The birds of the air are infiltrators adding infusions of false teachings to the body of Christ’s Church. Our Lord is providing us with a picture of something very disturbing coming upon the body, His very Church, in the last days.
It began with just a small amount of untruth. An insignificant amount of leaven added to the dough and after a while it encompasses the entire mix. Sound doctrine becomes flawed as tiny bits of erroneous teachings begin to spread through the Church. Eventually major doctrinal flaws develop. Consequently these flaws begin to become established as truth all co-habituating in the Church.
The woman has three measures of meal which was a normal grain offering to God in those days. She hides leaven within the grain offering thereby corrupting the whole offering. Many congregations nowadays attempt to place on the altar of God totally corrupt offerings. God doesn’t accept corrupt offerings but He will accept a change of heart and a return to the truth of His word.
Leaders and others in the Church who have been taught through corrupt sources, such as their liberal professors in seminaries, that the Bible is in error try almost with abandon to ingratiate themselves to their flocks so they may teach as experts on the fallacies of the Bible. They will use allegory or twist words, even go as far as to say the Bible has never really been the inerrant word of God. In this way these false teachers can substitute their message for the truth. Their message will be one of deceit, completely untrustworthy, but it will sound as though it were doctrinal, even biblical. Jesus saw His Church growing into a massive gathering of believers, but becoming corrupted from within. As sad as this reality seems, Jesus tells us it will happen and it is.
Many heresies permeate our Churches today and it’s hard to completely identify them and expose them before they’ve actually gained a strong foothold and accomplished their evil goal. It’s Satan’s agenda to corrupt from within and to lead astray whole congregations. Many falsehoods have crept in unawares and like leaven have now corrupted to a point that many of these once sound doctrinal congregations may be un-salvageable.
You’ve all heard the old adage “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em”. Satan has joined the Church. Why? It’s much easier for Satan and his minions of evil to instill their corrupt ideas into an established community of believers who won’t study their Bibles. Especially since many now believe the Bible to be erroneous. All Christian cults began with a smidgen of truth. They continue because they’ve convinced masses of people they’re right and the Bible is wrong.
Satan, for the most part, was hitting a brick wall in his deceptive practices against the established Church until he joined it. Just like the leaven in the above verse, little by little these satanic lies spread among the saints. It’s not difficult to recognize those who have been deceived by his lies. Those who are deceived and leading congregations are the ones taking Satan’s lies to the next level. These are folks who are well trusted by the flock, and thus they are doing Satan’s biding and leading whole congregations down that slippery slope to destruction.
How is it this possible to deceive from within you might ask? It’s really quite simple in these days of self importance and time limitations and constraints. Satan knows many won’t take time out of their busy schedules to read their Bibles. How many will spend a few hours watching an ungodly movie and then turn right around and say they have no time to study their Bibles? Satan knows of the apathetic attitude towards God’s word because he has been the major source leading to that apathy. Satan’s influence in the Church is apparent. The Bible which was once revered and looked upon as God’s truth and sought after, has now, become to many as just an old, antiquated, mythological nuisance. Through Satan’s leadership some have even re-written the Bible so it will adhere to his agenda. He’ll use any means to show the Bible to be of little or no consequence spiritually or truthfully. Many have fallen for his deception and many more continue to allow themselves to be led in that direction.
As we watch the growth of the mega-church we can see, in many cases, a shift away from being a Christ centered community of believers to a worldly outreach center. Just like the exaggerated results of a mustard seed in the above Scripture verse, we watch the growth of the mega-church with astonishment. Corruption is there as those with discernment watch the “birds of the air” – Satan’s minions of evil – landing in those branches spreading their evil influence throughout.
Why are so many weekend Christians attracted to these mega-churches? Could it be because they offer so much in the way of worldly pleasures? Coffee shops, book stores, bowling alleys, really, the list goes on and on. Is Christ the attraction or has He been relegated to a back room where no one really needs to be bothered by Him? Are these weekenders attending so they can return home with the knowledge they paid tribute to their god and his huge new pleasure dome?
There are many pastors, some from the mega-church and some not, who have a skewed view of the Bible. In some cases we see these pastors teaching non-biblical self-reliance and prosperity gospels, writing books and becoming themselves more popular to their congregations than Jesus Himself. Is it the Gospel and Christ that’s being promoted, or is it the pastor who is promoting himself? Many are only tickling the ears of their parishioners to the exclusion of the core teachings found in the Bible. What’s worse, this is exactly what many weekend Christians want to hear. “For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.” Proverbs 1:32.
Convicting messages from pastors are also on the way out these days, and feel good messages are in. Passive messages from pastors that will bring people back to fill pews week in and week out are the current rage, whether or not these folks receive any edifying truths is certainly in question. Church growth at any cost now seems to be the norm. God loves us, no debate there, but neglecting core Christian issues is not preaching the whole truth.
If we need to supply people with creative nuances within our church buildings to draw them in, then we’ve traded the truth of the Gospel for a lie. We’re never told to entertain the masses to achieve high number results, we’re to preach and teach Christ and His doctrine. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the key teaching that will lead a soul to God. We are to pray the Holy Spirit’s conviction upon hearts of the lost people as they sit in those pews.
Jesus tells us that many will hear the message (receive an invitation to the feast) but will come up with many excuses as to why they can’t commit. In Churches where the Gospel message is made fluff and of no significance, many will never come to understand that becoming a born again believer in Christ is a life change and a full life commitment to the One who paid the price “In full” for our salvation and who now owns us.
Jesus tells us in Luke’s Gospel to count the cost before deciding to commit our lives to Him. “For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Luke 14:28-30. If this message never gets preached many will never come to a full understand of just what it means to “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:26-27. Hate is a harsh word used here by our Lord. No, He’s not telling us to hate anyone. Jesus is telling us to be prepared for the cost of following Him. Many, even in our own families will believe we hate them because we put Jesus first before anyone else. Is this a part of the teachings in those feel good, Church growth centered congregations?
Brood of vipers, serpents, (Mat 12:34, 23:33), woe to you hypocrites, (Mat 6:2, 5, 16, 15:7, 16:3, 22:18, 23:14, 15, 23, 25, 27, 29, 24:51, Mar 7:6, Luke 11:44, 12:46), blind Pharisees, (Jhn 9:40), fools, (Mat 23:17, 23:19, Luke 11:40, 24:25), did Jesus pull any punches when He addressed the Pharisees in the midst of the crowds with those words? Most pastors, when addressing their congregations, would not go near those terms today avoiding them like the plague. By using the words “brood of vipers” and “serpents”, Jesus was referring to those whom he was addressing as “the children of Satan”. By using the word “hypocrite”, it would be the same as referring to someone today as “two faced”.
Would it not be appropriate for us to teach and preach as Jesus taught using the same methods as He? Many pastors today could take a lesson from Jesus on how He built His ministry. What truths did He use to convict the hearts of those who listened to Him and followed Him all around Galilee? Can we not assume that, not just occasionally but constantly, we must proclaim the whole truth of God’s word, just as Jesus did? “For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.” Proverbs 2:6. Pastors should be speaking to the heart of every lost soul that sits before them.
Granted, Jesus performed many miracles and through the public viewing of most of those healings He established His ministry. But it was His words that actually brought the people to Him and left them in wonderment. We have those words written within the pages of our Bibles. He wants us to learn His words and to teach others those words. We aren’t to proclaim a new message to the masses. We stand on the truth of the Gospel. We believers are admonished to spread the message, His message which is the truth. That’s our job and it’s been our job for almost two-thousand years now. It’s never changing, it’s ever powerful, and it’s more than adequate for producing the miraculous.
Jesus Christ spoke the truth no matter to whom He spoke or what He encountered. Everywhere He went He had to confront obstacles such as doubt, hatred, even attempted murder, and He always used truth to establish His footing. He never relied on entertainment to pull in a crowd, as a matter of fact Jesus, for the most part, tried to distract those viewing the miracles He preformed, even telling those who were involved to keep silent about them. Most who heard Him speak loved His words which were and still are the core of His ministry. Those same words should be the core of our ministries also.
As I watch in astonishment where the Church heading today, I must ask the question: Isn’t it about time for some old time Gospel preaching? A little hellfire and brimstone Jonathan Edwards’s style couldn’t hurt in these times of political correctness where everything has been watered down through the delivery of milk to the parishioners instead of meat. Think about it.
God bless you all,
Ron Graham
All scripture is from the KJV
That magnificent, triple coincidenceAs the Fourth of July, 1826, approached, Thomas Jefferson lay wasting away in his bed at Monticello. His physical being was not cooperating with his brilliant mind, and he knew his time was short. Our beloved Founding Father had tried with all his might, and to the last ounce of his being, to remain alive until this sacred day.
His last earthly triumph was to survive until the 50th anniversary of the day he and his fellow revolutionaries announced our independence from the economic tyranny and the oppressive government of England. He was a patriot to the bone, and he loved this country to the death. All those around him feared he would not make it to that blessed day and that he would not fulfill his wish, for his body was failing and he was very weak.
It was nearly 1 o'clock on that summer afternoon, July 4, 1826, one of the greatest men ever to walk the Earth, had expired. Surrounded by many friends and family, Jefferson clutched a Bible, several books of Greek tragedy, manuscripts of Socrates, remnants of other great thinkers of history, and accounts of other successful civilizations that had risen to greatness, then collapsed in failure. He had learned much from their history. Jefferson vowed not to make the same mistakes of Rome or Greece, his brilliant, written architecture and verbal designs would see to that indeed. Jefferson was not an extremely pious man, but he knew the importance of God and felt the role He played in the forging of any successful republic. He relied on Him at this hour, as he did during other tribulations before this day.
All our founders' inspiring, biblical quotes in one place – a must-have for your library: "America's God and Country Encyclopedia of Quotations"
About 600 miles north at Quincy, Mass., John Adams lay in his deathbed as well, awaiting his faithful departure from Earth. Two days prior, Mr. Adams showed no signs of the fate to befall him. Surrounded by family and friends, and other notables, John Adams died only a few hours the latter of Mr. Jefferson, and also on the Fourth of July, 1826.
The last words uttered out of his struggling lips were: "Thomas Jefferson still survives," and then Mr. Adams fell silent forever.
Jefferson and his fellow founders forged a new document, a blueprint to design a better, stronger, more perfect union that would stand the temptations of men and their relentless quests for power. However, even the founders may not have foreseen what was to come, or could have conceived such maniacal stresses to our country's foundations. These present tests to the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution have not yet succumbed her to the ravages of man's greed, thus far. Jefferson and Adams, perhaps from beyond the grave, hold out hope that their magnificent design will not fail its intended purpose and our framers' foundations will remain intact.
These great men helped found this nation and suffered greatly for it. But they knew the cause was just and the mission noble, for they understood that without freedom of the individual, tyranny and misery would forever rule men's souls. Even the most ardent atheist could not ignore this magnificent, triple coincidence, and what I believe to be one of Divine providence. Two men, entwined in history and destiny, to both pass on that fateful day, within hours of one another, and for Adams to know Jefferson's fate so immediately, was incredible indeed.
Long live the United States of America, not as our contemporaries may try and transform her into, but long live the America our Founding Fathers entrusted all of us to protect and preserve at all costs. This country was not created for man's pleasure to bastardize or change into his own vision, or to have the audacity to believe it needs to be corrected in any manner whatever. This country is the greatest gift to mankind and the best hope for the world to prosper in peace and the preservation of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Freedom Ain't FreeWe Americans have been taught from childhood about our rights, and we enjoy a glorious freedom and self-rule that we can easily take for granted. We don't have to hold our Bible studies in secret for fear of the government. We don't have to worry about being imprisoned for months or years without facing charges. We accept our freedoms as a normal way of life, easily forgetting that millions of people in other parts of the world do not enjoy the independence that we do.
As we approach and celebrate Independence Day in America, it is appropriate that we spend some time reflecting on our freedoms.
Throughout world history, the power-hungry have constantly fought to overpower and dominate others, whether overtly or through sneaky politicking. Freedom - whether political, religious, or spiritual - is wonderful to enjoy, but at the cost of great sacrifice and vigilant protection. In America, we are the heirs of great sacrifices made to give us a heritage of freedom. Let us guard and protect this inheritance, and not squander it like ungrateful children. To keep our freedoms, we need to appreciate the cost. We need to be willing to understand the sacrifice ourselves, so that we have the same legacy to hand our children:
On Freedom:
"Those who profess to favor freedom and yet depreciate agitation, are people who want crops without ploughing the ground; they want rain without thunder and lightning; they want the ocean without the roar of its many waters. The struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one, or it may be both. But it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand; it never has and it never will." – Frederick Douglass
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it." - Thomas Paine
"A right is not what someone gives you; it's what no one can take from you." – Ramsey Clark
"You can only protect your liberties in this world by protecting the other man's freedom. You can only be free if I am free." - Clarence Darrow [That is, even if you don't like what your neighbor believes in, it's still vital to protect his freedom.]
"So long as the people do not care to exercise their freedom, those who wish to tyrannize will do so; for tyrants are active and ardent, and will devote themselves in the name of any number of gods, religious and otherwise, to put shackles upon sleeping men." - Voltaire
"Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty." - Wendell Phillips
"Freedom is never an achieved state; like electricity, we've got to keep generating it or the lights go out." - Wayne LaPierre
"If a nation values anything more than freedom, it will lose its freedom; and the irony of it is that if it is comfort or money that it values more, it will lose that too." - Somerset Maugham
"The land of the free will cease to be when it's no longer the home of the brave."- Rick Gaber
"A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor and bread it has earned -- this is the sum of good government." – Thomas Jefferson
"If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in peace. We seek not your counsel, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen." – Samuel Adams
"Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value." - Thomas Paine
"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." - Galatians 5:1
"If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." – John 8:36
When something is rare, it has more value, which is why gold and diamonds are valued more than sand. Freedom is growing rarer again – but it must be sought after, dug up, and cherished like the treasure it is. We have readers from around the world – many of which value freedom way beyond those of us who have an abundance of it.
Remember – "For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required" - Luke 12:48 Jews and Greeks
"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?" (Matthew 5:13 NKJV)
The United States has become a place of great religious diversity. Practically every religion is represented in this great land, and they all seem to be thriving. Americans are showing an increased interest in Buddhism, Hinduism, and Paganism. There's even an assortment of Pagan sects for people to choose from. You can become a member of Wicca, you can be a devout Druid, or if you're still having a hard time settling on one, you can join the Eclectic Pagan Society. The religious landscape is getting increasingly crowded, and the cross of Christ is becoming harder and harder to find. It hasn't always been this way. There was a time when American society was synonymous with the Christian faith. Just read what some of our founding fathers went on record as saying: The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were . . . the general principles of Christianity . . . I will avow that I then believed and now believe that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God. -John Adams in a letter written on the day the Declaration of Independence was approved by Congress
We recognize no Sovereign but God, and no King but Jesus !-Rev. Jonas Clarke or one in his company on April 18, 1775, on the eve of the Revolutionary War, after a British major ordered John Adams, John Hancock, and those with them to disperse in "the name of George the Sovereign King of England."
It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religion, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. -Patrick Henry in a speech to the House of Burgesses in May 1765 The list goes on, and it shows how far our nation has drifted in her attitude toward the Christian gospel. Now our children aren't permitted to pray publicly in school, and the Ten Commandments can't be displayed in our halls of justice. Jesus declared that we're the salt of the earth. I pray we would take our call seriously and act with a sense of urgency before we see all semblance of the gospel vanish from our society. July 03 Eagerly Awaiting (Part 2of 2)Eagerly Awaiting (Part 2of 2) - By Benji Carey-Smith – www.raptureready.com
Jude writes in his letter:
‘Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.’ (Jude 21 - NIV)
When will He bring us to eternal life? When He appears to rapture His church and resurrect all their bodies to become eternal bodies.
Here is another clear teaching of this reality in a believer’s life:
‘We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved.’ (Romans 8:22-24 - NIV)
A beautiful verse, this describes basically the deepest desire within us. Our inmost being, our spirit, is groaning to be redeemed from these bodies, and the sin that still is part of our nature. As slaves to righteousness, we long to follow God’s law, yet struggle so much because our sinful nature is restricting us from doing so; it is restricting us from our deepest desire to honor and glorify and serve God, and to obey and delight in God’s law (Romans 7:22). So that is why our deepest hope and desire is to be redeemed into a glorified body and to be adopted as sons of God, so we can do these things without any hindrance or restriction of the enemy’s schemes or our sinful flesh and fallen nature. Again it emphasizes that we are waiting eagerly for this redemption and adoption. When will these things happen? The answer is when our Lord returns. That is another reason why everyone who ‘have the first fruits of the Spirit’ eagerly await Christ’s return. Because in us, the Spirit testifies, it means redemption!
Another interesting point in this last Scripture is that creation also is groaning – and it is groaning like the pains of childbirth as it awaits for its redemption by Christ at His coming, for He will redeem creation; it will be restored for His millennial reign on earth following His second coming. Now I have to admit that I’ve never personally experienced the pains of childbirth (or intend to, you’ll be relieved to know). But I do have a basic understanding of what happens with giving birth to a child. As the birth nears (or redemption in this particular case), what happens? What happens is that the pains (contractions) increase in frequency and size. Paul says ‘we know creation has been groaning’, because we can look around and see natural disasters and extremes of weather, carnivorous and poisonous animals etc. It is under the curse, as we all know. But as the birth is about to happen, so the birth pains increase. As Christ’s second coming (creation’s redemption) is about to happen, we should expect to see natural disasters increase in magnitude and frequency. They have always been there, right up till this present age (since the fall when creation was put under the curse), as Paul has stated: but they will dramatically increase right before Christ’s return. This is interesting, is it not! It is undeniably what we’ve seen the last 50 years or so, and particularly the last 10 years – natural disasters on an unprecedented and unparalleled scale.
Earthquakes, tsunamis, bushfires, droughts, landslides, floods, hurricanes, monsoons, storms, volcanoes, winds – all bigger than ever before and in the news more and more often, in fact almost daily now, over every corner of the world. This is just fact, it is scientific fact. Just the other day I was reading the results of a report: that natural disasters have increased by 400% in the last 20 years. Here is a little of it:
‘The number of natural disasters around the world has increased by more than four times in the last 20 years, according to a report released by the British charity Oxfam. Oxfam analyzed data from the Red Cross, United Nations and researchers at Louvain University in Belgium. It found that the earth is currently experiencing approximately 500 natural disasters per year, compared with 120 per year in the early 1980s. The number of weather-related disasters in 2006 was 240, compared with 60 in 1980........ “This is no freak year,” said Oxfam director Barbara Stocking. “It follows a pattern of more frequent, more erratic, more unpredictable and more extreme weather events that are affecting more people.”’ (From article on NaturalNews.com, 6/5/08, by David Gutierrez – http://www.naturalnews.com/023362.html)
And this report was up till 2006 - the last three years have had even more – just look at the news every day! Having studied geology and seismology, I have seen the recorded rise in earthquakes’ frequency and magnitude particularly over the last decade. It is frightening. Yes there have always been disasters, but major natural disasters fairly few and far between. Today, they are frequent and almost beyond keeping up with. Creation is having birth pains: the birth is about to happen. Of course Jesus actually echoes this very truth. In Matthew’s gospel, He says in response to the disciples question about what the sign of His coming and of the end of this present age would be:
“There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of the birth pains.” (Matthew 24:7-8 - NIV)
In other words, the sign of the end of the age, among wars and many other things Jesus mentions, is that natural disasters such as famines and earthquakes (pestilences also mentioned in Luke 21; very interesting) will increase in numbers and size, like contractions before the baby is born; the beginning of the birth pains. Actually creation won’t be fully redeemed till Christ’s actual second coming at the end of the time of judgment upon the earth. That is when Satan will be bound and the curse lifted, leading into the millennial reign of Christ where creation is restored to as it was before the fall, with the earth as God created it originally to be; flourishing, with no natural disasters, with animals living side by side (Isaiah 11:1-11, 35:1-10, 65:17-25). We will be redeemed from our fallen bodies at the rapture, creation at the second coming (two separate events), so this birth in reference to creation’s redemption is at that second event, the actual second coming of Jesus. This is further shown by a few verses:
“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you – even Jesus. He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.” (Acts 3:19-21 - NIV)
‘The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.’ (Romans 8:19 - NIV)
The sons of God (the church) will be revealed when they return with Christ to earth at the final battle of Armageddon (Revelation 19:7-14). That is creation’s redemption; her re-birth. Of course this makes sense, because during the judgment period on earth, creation will be going berserk (huge contractions) with earthquakes, signs in the stars and heavens like meteor showers and solar activity, famines, plagues etc. (Revelation 3-20). That is why what we are seeing now is nothing compared to what will happen in terms of nature’s extremes. Nothing. It is only the beginning of the birth pains.
Something interesting is that later on in this summery Jesus gives of the signs of the end of the age and His second coming, He says:
“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.” (Matthew 24:32-34 - NIV)
Let me remind you, these are the words of Jesus Himself. He tells us to learn something – to gain
wisdom – from the example of what happens to a fig tree. We can tell the season by what we see happening to the tree; by looking at its twigs and leaves. Using this example, Jesus informs us that when we see these things, his return is near – right at the door. It is about to happen.
There is actually a double meaning here too, because the previous day He had put a curse on a barren fig tree. This was a symbolic prophecy that God would soon pour out His wrath upon the Jewish people because of their spiritual barrenness in rejecting Jesus, His Son (in the bible a fig tree is often a metaphor for Israel). In this same speech, as recorded in Luke’s gospel, Jesus also echoed this prophecy:
"They [the Jews] will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled" (Luke 21:24 - NIV)
These things happened in history of course as the Jews were dispersed among the nations by the Romans under Titus, who conquered Jerusalem in 70 A.D. They really were scattered to all nations; they were cursed by God for their disobedience; they were punished for their rebellion. But in accordance with the prophets (like Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Jesus Himself), God made Israel a nation again in 1948. Jerusalem had remained under Gentile occupation for 1,897 years, but on June 7, 1967, Israel won the city back during the Six Day War. Since it became a nation again, God has been regathering them to this land from all the nations of the earth they were dispersed to for nineteen centuries. It is a modern day miracle, thought impossible even up till the early 1900’s. But it happened because God is in control and ordained it to happen; He has set the times and dates and seasons.
Anyway, the prophetic meaning here with this illustration Jesus gives of the fig tree in Matthew 24 is that when its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know it is the season of Jesus’ return: when we look at Israel and see the leaves comes out, which we saw in 1948 when it became a nation again, and the Jews return to the land again (in contrast to Jesus cursing the fig tree; dispersing the Jews). So in context to both these meanings of looking at the fig tree – with the regathering of God’s people to Israel and re-establishment of the nation, and with these things Jesus had previously described in Chapter 24 beginning to happen – what Jesus says next is just astounding. It is unambiguous. Read the passage above again. He says, “This generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened”. What generation? The generation that were born at the time Israel became a nation again in 1948; that saw the fig tree blossom. This generation has begun to see “all these things”. They have seen the beginning of the birth pains, with natural disasters increasing in size and number over their lifetime. Jesus’ own words are that this generation won’t pass away till all these things happen. In regard to this promise, He says “I tell you the truth”. In other words, we can absolutely trust this to happen. Jesus assures us that His words are true. Maybe He said that because He knew there would be people who would doubt what He said in the future. We can’t just ignore what our Lord has said.
“All these things” includes the time of judgment on earth (the Day of the Lord), which lasts seven years, much of what is described by Jesus in this chapter. For example, the very end of this tribulation period:
“They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.” (Matthew 24:30 - NIV)
“They” is referring to all the nations of the earth, so this is talking of the second coming of Christ, visible to every person, where He again sets foot on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:1-4, Acts 1:11), at the end of the seven years of judgment upon the earth. Jesus says all these things will happen in the lifetime of this generation, because they will see all these things happen! All of them: the second coming of Christ, and the beginning of the birth pains we can all see around us (this is among many other things Jesus speaks of, which I won’t go into detail here). Point is, this generation Jesus speaks of is clearly the one born in 1948, at Israel’s rebirth. They will see in their lifetime the return of Jesus – He has clearly promised this. This generation, as of now, is 61 years old. If the judgment before the second coming of our Lord is seven years, as Scripture tells us, and the rapture of His church is before that (maybe months or years); then that doesn’t leave a lot of time, particularly as the average lifespan is given in Scripture as ‘seventy years – or eighty, if we have the strength’ (Psalm 90:10). Obviously, in fact without any doubt at all, the Bible declares we are in the season and generation of the Lord’s return – it is very, very imminent. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees Sadducees for not being able to interpret the signs of the times (Matthew 6:1-4) and He tells us to know and understand the signs he has clearly given us. The world who will face God’s judgment will have no excuse: they can’t say they haven’t been warned. They have. God is always patient and merciful. What we learned earlier is that many in the “church” will be blind to see the season we are in. But not those who belong to the light. We will see. We can see. The Holy Spirit has opened our eyes and illuminated our vision.
We know Christ’s return to rapture us is in the matter of years, or else our God is a liar. And that He ain’t! No we don’t know the day or hour, only the Father knows the precise time. But we know we are in the season.
So in light of the fact we can see the Day drawing near, what should we do?
‘Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the day approaching.’ (Hebrews 10:25 - NIV)
This says we can see the Day approaching. Some people say, “We can’t know the season of Jesus’ return or if we’re in that season”. Well not according to the bible. Here it says we can and will be able to see the Day approaching. And we are told, in light of this, to encourage each other even more. That is priority number one – because the world will get blacker and blacker, more evil, more chaotic – so we as believers need more courage. Hence why we who are living in this season today (people the writer of Hebrews specifically addresses) should be encouraging each other like mad!
Another decent response is outlined by Paul in his letter to the Roman church (Romans 13:8-14). Basically he tells, understanding the hour we live in, and because the Day is near, to love. Love our neighbors as ourselves. And clothe ourselves with Christ and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
The writer of Hebrews also says:
‘Just as one man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.’ (Hebrews 9:27-28 - NIV)
Jesus will appear a second time, to bring salvation. Who to? To those who are not waiting for Him? No. To those who think they’re Christian, but are not waiting for or expecting Him? No. Only those who are waiting
for Him. Only they will receive this salvation when He appears a second time. It is as clear as day. And if salvation will be granted to every true Christian, which it will (all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved and are redeemed by Christ’s blood), but only those who are waiting for his appearing will receive salvation; then the only logical and biblical conclusion is that every true Christian will be waiting for Him. If you are not waiting for Jesus to return, you won’t receive salvation when He does come (which is very soon as we’ve seen). You see, waiting for Christ eagerly is not merely an option for Christians, it simply is a reality.
In writing his second letter to young Timothy, a pastor, Paul says (right before his death):
‘For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.’ (2 Timothy 4:6-8 - NIV)
Paul goes on from saying that because he’s fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith, he will receive the crown of righteousness as a reward. These things are true for every single Christian. Can someone not fight the good fight and be a Christian? Can someone not finish the race and be a Christian? Can someone not keep the faith and be a Christian? Every person who enters heaven will be able to say they also fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith (endured). So, like Paul, every believer will receive this crown of righteousness in heaven. It suggests perhaps a right standing with God (righteousness), which is through Christ’s blood. Is that not true for every Christian? Paul isn’t some super-spiritual Christian who’ll receive this special reward along with a few others who ‘longed for his appearing’. Rather, Paul says this prize will go to all Christians by saying, ‘and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing’ (obviously including himself in that group). So every Christian will long for His appearing. All who have longed for His appearing = every Christian in history. By context, this verse could not mean anything else.
Jesus said:
“As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” (Matthew 24:37-42 - NIV)
What Jesus is emphasizing here is what the world will look like at His return. Although the days of Noah were evil, and evil certainly will increase towards the end of this age, Jesus is actually emphasizing the fact most people won’t be ready or expecting it. They’ll just be living normal life, eating and drinking and marrying and divorcing, as though nothing is about to happen (clearly this has to be talking about the rapture, because if it was the second coming, people sure won’t be living normal life at that stage, in the midst of the great hour of tribulation). They’ll ignore any warnings of God’s coming judgment, like Noah’s day did; and so they will know nothing of what’s about to happen on earth (a terrible time, in fact Jesus said it will be a time of “great distress, unequalled from the beginning of the world until now – and never to be equaled again” – Matthew 24:21) until suddenly the church are raptured away from this earth and absolute chaos breaks loose across the earth; mayhem, confusion and fear. The restraining power of the Holy Spirit over sin and lawlessness in this world (present in the body of Christ) will be taken away and people will be let loose in their depravity. There will be no second chance to escape it. They will face the Day of the Lord if that time comes suddenly to them/like a thief. Many will turn to Christ during this time (Revelation 7:13-14), but they will face this time all the same, many being martyred for their faith but of course immediately taken to heaven if they are believers. It will come like a thief to most of the world alive right now, and many in the “church” who right at this precise moment are not expecting it in the least. Many in the church are completely oblivious to the fact God is about to judge mankind on earth, or if they have been told they scoff at the idea. It is exactly as Jesus predicted. People are just living normal lives with no awareness – they can’t SEE, because they are not in the light! What is about to happen? This passage above tells us. People will just disappear; they will literally vanish off the face of the planet (that is, Christians). Two people will be working side by side, one will be taken, one left. One raptured, one not touched. It will happen in the twinkling of an eye, at the trumpet call of God (1 Corinthians 15:52). Did you know, that scientifically, this twinkling of an eye takes one six billionth of a second (i.e. 1/6,000,000,000 sec)? That’s how quick and suddenly it will happen; Christ’s bride will vanish. No wonder it will be a surprise! Especially if you happened to, right at that moment, be looking right at a believer. It will particularly be a surprise for those who thought they were really Christians. I just hope lots of them straight away realize the truth of what’s happened and repent and turn to Christ. We are all called, because of this all, to “keep watch”.
Again, Jesus repeats His exhortation:
“So you must also be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” (Matthew 24:44- NIV)
Are you expecting Him? Am I? Most are not....
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or hour.” (Matthew 25:13 - NIV)
Keep watch means open our eyes and look! See Him returning. Or else it will surprise you like a thief, and you will be left behind to face the great judgment of God, the demonstration of our God’s perfect justice and righteousness.
“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back – whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’” (Mark 13:32-37 - NIV)
God has appointed the time; the day and hour. He will blow the trumpet for His Son to return, for our redemption. We’re told to be alert and on guard for
our Master’s return. We don’t know the exact day or hour, so we have to be watchful and ready at all times, and never let down our guard. We are all that servant at the door: and we are all told to “Watch!” Jesus is
sure making it emphatic and clear! We know He’s returning soon: we don’t know exactly what time of day, whether it will be in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn, or in the middle of the day. But we must be ready:
“It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress them himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.” (Luke 12:37 - NIV)
July 01 Babylon being rebuilt as prophesiedRegular readers of this weblog and my books know that Bible prophecy says the ancient city of Babylon, Iraq will be rebuilt and become the greatest center of wealth, commerce and power in the “last days” of history. The books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Revelation are explicit on this subject. Skeptics and cynics abound, to be sure, but the fact is Babylon is being rebuilt right now, in part with U.S. taxpayer funds. Iraqi leaders hope that eventually millions of tourists will come to visit, and real progress is being made. Consider today’s edition of Stars & Stripes, a U.S. military publication. They have a fascinating story this morning headlined: “U.S., Iraqi experts developing plan to preserve Babylon, build local tourism industry.”
Excerpts:
· Soldiers with the 172nd Infantry Brigade are exploring the ruins as part of a U.S.-Iraqi effort to preserve the ancient city and plan for the return of Western tourists.
· Members of the brigade’s 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment escorted a group of U.S. heritage tourism experts to the ruins last week for the first of several visits to develop a preservation and tourism plan for the area. U.S. and coalition troops have been criticized in the past for damaging and contaminating artifacts. In a 2006 report, the head of the British Museum’s Near East department said that, among other things, military vehicles crushed a 2,600-year-old brick pavement, and sand and archeological fragments were used to fill military sandbags. Now the rapidly improving security situation in surrounding Babil province has persuaded the U.S. State Department and the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage to embark on the preservation project, dubbed the Future of Babylon Project.
· The State Department and the World Monuments Fund have committed $700,000 to the project, which will see U.S. and Iraqi experts develop a plan to preserve the site and develop a local tourism industry, said Diane Siebrandt, the U.S. embassy’s cultural heritage officer. The Babylon project is one of several that the State Department is involved in to conserve ancient sites in partnership with the Iraqi government, she said.
· Two people with expertise developing tourism plans for historic sites in third-world nations, Gina Haney and Jeff Allen, have been employed by the State Department to run the U.S. side of the project. They visited the ruins for the first time last weekend. Haney said the pair will involve the local community in the plan’s development, as they did with a similar project encouraging Western tourists to visit Ghana’s Gold Coast. “You could throw money at it and do all this work, but unless you can create a sustainable situation, your opportunities for tourism will run out,” Allen said. “The idea is to develop something that is going to be here 30 to 40 years from now and has benefits for the local people. We don’t want something that will only benefit outsiders.”
· The Iraqi government will be involved in the planning as well. “If you have 200,000 people a year coming to this site, you will have people staying at hotels, visiting restaurants, buying souvenirs,” Allen said. “The site is in some ways a revenue generator for the local community.” Babylon could be comparable to the Egyptian pyramids, which draw millions of tourists each year. But the area lacks the tourist infrastructure that has been built at sites such as the pyramids, he said. “There is nothing for tourists here, but if you interpret and present it in the right way, you can spark interest,” he said.
· Allen, who has experience designing walkways and signs for other heritage sites, said detailed planning won’t happen until authorities have worked out how best to preserve the ruins. The crumbling rocks of the original city are surrounded by more elaborate and modern fortifications, including a maze-like collection of interior walls built on top of genuine ruins during Saddam Hussein’s time.
· “Some of the past restoration work hasn’t been very good,” he said. “Saddam was trying to inherit the power of the ancients and continue that legacy. His restoration methods helped reinforce that vision of himself, and he created a pattern of restoration and repair work that benefited a certain agenda.”
Last month, a British art publication had a story headlined, “Controversial move to reopen Babylon: State board of antiquities and heritage believes site needs more protection.” The story indicated that Babylon would be open for tourists on June 1st. Another recent story out of Taiwan noted that a Taiwanese tour agency is starting to take people to Iraq to tour — among other things — the city of Babylon as it is being rebuilt.
As Iraq becomes increasingly stable and secure, direct foreign investment is going to flood in, and Iraq will become the wealthiest country on the planet. Exxon Mobil, the world’s largest company, for example, is positioning itself to become a major investor in the Iraqi energy sector. Other major oil companies are doing the same. The Iraqi government in recent months has been developing investment incentive packages to draw in such companies. And this week, such energy companies will actually begin bidding for licenses to develop Iraq’s immense but badly atrophied oil exploration, drilling, and refining industry. Consider, for example, this headline from the Associated Press: “World’s big oil companies prepare for return to Iraq.” And this is just the beginning.
Skeptics take note: the Bible is coming true, one prophecy at a time. Eagerly Awaiting (Part 1of 2)Eagerly Awaiting (Part 1of 2) - By Benji Carey-Smith – www.raptureready.com
I sure am! What am I eagerly awaiting? The return to earth of the Son of God – Jesus Christ. I have been really only since God rescued me back three or four years ago. It does make sense. After all, by the power of the Holy Spirit, God created a new heart within me that loves Him exceedingly. So it is no wonder I’ve been longing to be with my Savior since then: it’s no wonder I long for His return. That is true for every Christian; every person whose heart has been recreated by God’s power – because He has put a heart within them that loves Him! If a professing Christian isn’t longing for Jesus to come back (as He Himself has promised to, and commended us to watch for), then it could well be because they don’t have a heart that loves Jesus: that they aren’t saved.
No true Christian feels at home in this world. They always will feel out of place. Jesus said:
‘For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also’ (Matthew 6:21 - NIV)
That is a clear statement that gives evidence of whether you truly are a Christian or not. If your heart is set on the things of this world - your plans and desires and thoughts are all consumed with temporal, earthly things – then that is where your treasure awaits. In other words, if you aren’t focused on eternal things, you don’t have an eternal treasure waiting; meaning eternal life! That is talking about what consumes your time; what the overall pattern of your life is. Of course even true Christians get off track and focus on earthly things at times, but not as the overall pattern of their life – they will be set on eternity. Jesus said:
‘If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.’ (John 15:19 - NIV)
So if you do feel at home with the world, and it loves you and treats you like everyone else (this is talking of the way non-Christians treat you), then chances are you’re not born of God. Because if God is transforming you into the image of His Son, which He is with every Christian – then every unbeliever (all of who have a heart that hates God and the truth, according to the bible) will hate you more and more. Of course they will: the more you become more like the God they are hostile to in their depraved minds. It is inevitable. We truly are aliens and strangers in this world, as the bible says. We don’t belong to the world; we belong to God who chose us out of the world. That is the biblical characteristic of all those with genuine faith in God. Is that your description? Do you feel like an alien and stranger in the world? If not, you probably belong to the world and not to God (Hebrews 11:13-16).
Because of these things, I believe every one of Christ’s sheep will be eagerly awaiting His return. It is clear the early church were, by the apostle’s writings, and it is clear throughout the church age Christians were longing for Christ’s return in their generation and time (just read hymn lyrics from all throughout time – it was simply words coming out of a people that loved God). Today is just the same. But the Scriptures seem to indicate one of the characteristics of this time nearing the end of the age is that:
‘in the last days scoffers will come, following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation. But they deliberately forgot that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.’ (2 Peter 3:3-7 - NIV)
This is talking about people who have an understanding of Scripture; that is very clear in that they know about the Lord’s coming. They obviously have a basic grasp of prophecy and the bible, and the words of Jesus. They scoff at the idea of Jesus returning soon, and maybe even doubt the actual physical return of Jesus (one of the ploys Satan has used since the garden – doubt of the truth of God’s word – or distortion of this truth – or denial of this truth). They claim time continues to go on. If told that there are many signs today of the Lord’s soon return (in nature, society, Israel, the church, and many other arenas), they will say these things always happened (like earthquakes etc). They cannot see that the birth pains are increasing and the birth is about to occur, because these signs are rising dramatically and are all aligning and happening at once. They doubt that God would ever come back to destroy this world and every person who doesn’t have faith in Christ. They hate a God like that who is righteous and holy as well as merciful and full of grace and kindness (the true God of Scripture) because of their evil hearts, so they cannot accept God’s promise to return. They cannot see through spiritual eyes just how evil the world is at this time. I cannot understand why God has not come back to judge the earth yet! When I see the evil around and begin to see how much God hates it, I only start to grasp the riches of His mercy already shown to us. These people, Peter implies, are within the “church” of this age (the ‘last days’). Look around! It fits the description of so many. It used to fit me. A huge number have even embraced a false doctrine that Christ won’t physically return. Pure ridiculous. They cannot accept what scripture clearly says. And many say, “Every generation expected Christ to return in their time, and so far they’ve all been wrong, so why should we now?” Well of course they always did, because they had hearts that loved God and longed to be with Him, and they simply took to heart God’s words when He told us to be prepared and expect His return. Paul and the apostles did – they lived and breathed as though Christ would come at any moment! So how much more should we today? Peter says these scoffers will follow their own evil desires. Their seeking of God will be a self-centered seeking, a lust-based seeking, fuelled by their own desires. The result of this will always be a critical view of God’s warnings. If you look at the Western “church” today, most people have this view, and only a minority are truly believing in Jesus’ imminent return and living it out as the general pattern of their life. Could these ones be the real Christians? Peter infers this. He infers these scoffers won’t see His coming (verse 10 says it will come like a thief to them – and later we will show it won’t come like a thief to true children of the light), in other words, they won’t be taken by Christ along with the rest of the saints of the church age.
There is a link between these people, the scoffers Peter describes, and people Paul describes in his letter to the church in Philippi:
‘For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.’ (Philippians 3:18-21 - NIV)
Here, by context, Paul is speaking of people in the church (professing Christians). He says many will go to hell. Not just a minority, or a few here and there – but MANY. There are two types of professing Christians in the church; one type live as enemies of the cross by the way they walk/their lifestyle. The characteristics of these people are again a self-based seeking of God. They just do whatever their own desires tell them. They feed their desires. Of course they’re living as enemies of the cross, because the cross is all about self-denial and the Lordship of Jesus, and submission to His will and Word. These people, Paul makes clear (a large number in the church setting) will not see the coming of the Lord at His return. He also contrasts them from ‘us’, in other words the true Christians, who are eagerly awaiting the return of Christ. The others have their mind on ‘earthly things’. That goes hand in hand with a destiny of destruction. He says ‘we’ don’t have our mind on earthly things, but on the Lord’s return. Why? Because our very citizenship is in heaven. Of course our mind won’t be on where we truly don’t belong. In other words, if we truly have a citizenship in heaven, we will be focused and thinking about this heaven. If our mind is on earthly things as a pattern, then our citizenship is simply not in heaven. So Paul clearly makes a distinction between two types of people in the church. From the last few scriptures that we have explored, we can draw a table marking down their definite characteristics. Let me say again: these characteristics are the general pattern of their lives; the fruit of their faith or lack of faith; how they ‘walk’:
TRUE CHRISTIANS (T): vs. DECIEVED CHRISTIANS (D):
T: A number who claim to be Christian
D: Many people who claim to be Christian
T: Have a Christ-centered seeking of God, based upon the truth of His Word, denying self and their own fleshly desires. Live in submission to Christ as Lord
D: Have a self-centered seeking of God. In reality are not seeking the true God, but a god they desire formed in their own flesh and mind. Don’t deny themselves, but lives as enemies of the cross
T: Mind on heavenly things
D: Mind on earthly things
T: Eagerly await Christ’s return
D: Don’t eagerly await Christ’s return
T: Destiny/citizenship is heaven and eternal life
D: Destiny is destruction/hell
T: Boast in Jesus Christ, not in their own flesh or strength, and nothing of this world
D: Boast in things they should be ashamed of, like things they’ve done and can do in their own flesh
T: They will see Christ returning. It won’t surprise them. They’ll expect it
D: They won’t see Christ’s coming. To them it will come like a thief and surprise
T: They’ll long for, believe in, and proclaim Christ’s coming, and in love warn of judgment to come
D: They will scoff at Christ’s imminent return, and other promises and warnings of coming judgment
It’s amazing how much truth we can extract from just a few passages of scripture! Paul said in the previous scripture that these destined for judgment within the “church” (quoted because God’s definition of church is different than ours) are ‘living as enemies of the cross’. It doesn’t matter about their profession of faith; that means absolutely nothing. It doesn’t matter about their church attendance or any other religious activity. The general pattern of their how they live (day in, day out) shows they don’t walk in self denial and putting God’s will above their own, but following their own desires. So Jesus doesn’t have Lordship over them. Christians won’t have this as a pattern. They won’t walk like this. They may have characteristics of an unbeliever for a short time. But God will reprove them by His Word. He will discipline them out of His love for them as their Father (Hebrews 12:4-11). They won’t as a lifestyle have a single characteristic of an unbeliever described above. It is not a matter of matching up to most of the above characteristics. If you’re a professing Christian in the church you’ll either have all of one list or the other. If you have a single characteristic of a deceived Christian, that gives evidence you are deceived. Why? Because these characteristics show forth the nature of the heart of a person: they go hand in hand. And you can’t have one nature/heart and another at the same time – we’re talking about the very root of your being. You’re either a new creation or you’re not! To deny that you’re completely a new person in Christ, with new characteristics and nature and fruit, is to deny the power of God to truly and completely change someone’s heart. It is to diminish God’s mighty power, and take away from His nature. This can be done even in a practical way. Someone
who lives in a way that is not completely different than the way they were before they became a Christian (who still has characteristics of an unbeliever, like sinful living, or mind on earthly things) is denying, even without words, that they really are a new creation, that God is truly mighty to save not only from the penalty but also from the power of sin, and the power of the Holy Spirit. How can anyone have a true encounter with the Spirit of God and not be permanently changed? Mind you, Paul also said that these days would be characterized by these very people – people who have a practical denial of God’s power to change their nature in salvation:
‘People will be lovers of themselves........ having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.’ (2 Timothy 3:2,5 – NIV)
And later on, Paul says these same people are:
‘.... loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth........ these men oppose the truth – men of depraved minds, who, as far as faith is concerned, are rejected.’ (2 Timothy 3:6-8 - NIV)
These people Paul is talking about are in the last days. The context:
‘But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.’ (2 Timothy 3:1 - NIV)
Clearly this is our time: the season of the end of this current age, the time of the Gentiles. We know this not only because of the clear signs of the season in numerous quantities. But this passage shows this too
because clearly at this time there is a lot of apostasy in the church, and because of our lack of knowledge of God and ways of God, and how we have been filtered with many false doctrines and teachings (and perhaps also the lack of loving church discipline), the church is filled with people who are practically denying the power of God. They ‘have a form of godliness but denying its power’. I was one of them for a long time, so the only thing in my heart is love and sorrow for these people – the vast majority of our Western “church”. It is also because we have this last century or so watered down and changed the gospel of our Lord. So back to the table on the previous page: If you say you have one of the characteristics of a deceived Christian but call yourself saved, there is a high chance you are lost. Because in identifying even a single biblical characteristic of a deceived Christian (fruit of lack of genuine conversion), but then saying you are still a Christian, you are denying the power of God to change your very nature that leads to this evidence/fruit of conversion. And this denial of God’s power, even of a single characteristic, according to the passage in 2 Timothy shows you, ‘as far as faith is concerned, are rejected’. Wow!
Notice also, a characteristic of lost people in the church is being ‘swayed by all kinds of evil desires’: that self-centered based seeking again. They do whatever their own desires tell them to; their god is their stomach.
They are also ‘always learning, but never able to acknowledge the truth’. In regard to the promise of Christ’s return, that is why they scoff; because they are actually not able to acknowledge this is what will happen, what God has declared it in His Word. That is why they are not eagerly awaiting the return of Christ Jesus, which as we’ve seen, is a characteristic of a true believer.
This indeed is the theme of this piece of writing (believe it or not): that indeed, every Christian will be eagerly awaiting the return of their groom, Jesus Christ. I have explained a few reasons why this is so, like for example how it comes from our love of God and the fact our citizenship is in heaven. As we’ve seen, another major reason is because unbelievers pursuit and seeking of God is a selfish lust-based seeking which leads to an attitude of scoffing God’s Word in regard to warnings (because they are believing only what they want to believe, not true faith which is believing it because God has said it, and His nature is trustworthy) which leads to being apathetic towards Christ’s return. True believers cannot be.
To the church in Corinth, Paul says:
‘Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.’ (1 Corinthians 1:7 - NIV)
Again, Paul emphasizes that they are eagerly awaiting the rapture (note ‘Christ to be revealed; His meeting with them in the clouds. This revealing is for Christians and not for the rest of the world; that will come at His actual second coming back to earth where He will set foot on the Mount of Olives). Paul clearly sees it as being something inevitable with these Christians, something completely expected, not out of the ordinary or unusual or only something a few would do. He is addressing the whole church: all the believers.
Paul addresses the church in Thessalonica:
‘They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead – Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.’ (I Thessalonians 1:9-10 - NIV)
Paul is reporting to these people how he had heard they had become Christian; how they had turned from idols to serve God, and how they also began to wait for Jesus to return. The two are clearly linked. For these things, they are exhorted. This whole passage is talking about Paul’s thanksgiving for the Thessalonians’ faith – how he has heard about their conversion. The things Paul was told about them are the very characteristics of their faith (the evidence), that cause Paul to give thanksgiving as they demonstrated it in these ways. After all, if you didn’t have faith in God and His Word, why would you be waiting for Christ’s return? It actually shows you do have faith. It shows you believe God will do what he said He will do! That is, return to earth for His awaiting bride. This is clearly shown by the parable of the wise and foolish virgins at Christ’s return (Matthew 25:1-13). The wise ones, who we know were Christians because they had oil: the seal of the Holy Spirit, could see their groom coming when He returned at midnight. His bride can see Him coming! Every Christian can see our Lord’s return as imminent; they’re expecting Him. The above passage says that Jesus will rescue us from ‘the coming wrath’. If you
don’t believe Christ will rescue us from the time of God’s wrath being poured out upon the earth (the time of tribulation, or Day of the Lord), then of course you won’t be waiting for Jesus: you’ll be waiting first for the antichrist to appear! If the church is raptured later on, why should we be expecting Christ to come at any moment? And why then does Scripture say above that He will rescue us from wrath to come? And why should we obey Jesus:
“Be always on the watch, and pray that you may able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man”.’ (Luke 21:36 - NIV)
Where His command for us, in the context of the return of Christ, is to pray we’d be able to escape all that is to come, but instead stand before Him? If the church is raptured after the time of tribulation, wouldn’t it make more sense to not eagerly await Christ’s return that is now not at all imminent, but instead wait for the antichrist being revealed which precedes Christ’s appearing to His bride? That is why anything other than what the bible teaches is silly! Christ’s return is imminent! It can happen at any moment. Only our Father in heaven knows when. Nothing needs happen before. Otherwise, why wait for Jesus, ‘who rescues us from the coming wrath’?
Later in his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul talks about the coming of the Lord at the trumpet call of God to take His bride and resurrect them (1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11). We are told to encourage each other with these words. In other words, reminding each other what could happen at any moment will give us as Christians courage to live out our faith with strength. I acknowledge I really haven’t been doing this as much as I should, encouraging other believers with these words. This is very important to do, so that our focus is on this day of our Lord’s coming and not on earthly things. The apostle Paul says some very interesting statements after he describes this coming:
‘Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying “Peace and safety”, destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
But you, brothers, are not in the darkness that
this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled........ For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (1 Thessalonians 5:1-6,9 - NIV)
Paul says he doesn’t even need to write to the Christians about the times and dates of this coming, because they will know when He’s coming! They are sons of light. Every Christian is. Paul says only those in the darkness will be surprised by this day: it will be like a thief to them. If you’re scoffing about an event happening, you’re obviously going to be surprised when it does happen; it will be like a thief. Paul, with no ambiguity, says our Lord’s return won’t be like a thief to us; because we’ll be awaiting, expecting, and aware of it. Again, the idea is of light and darkness: we are in the light so our spiritual eyes are all open, and we can all see His coming. We are all aware of the times and seasons – of the season we’re in; which is why Paul says that he doesn’t even need to inform any other Christian of the knowledge of these times and seasons, because every other Christian will have an awareness of Christ’s soon return. Most in the “church” are asleep. They belong to the night. Every person, even every professing believer, who cannot see Christ’s return, belongs to the darkness – simple as that. This isn’t easy to write, but it is what Scripture clearly says. Paul also says, in the context of the previous teaching on the coming of the Lord, that we as Christians have not been appointed to suffer wrath – so of course Christ is going to come at any moment before the Day of the Lord (He Himself said that no one would know the exact day or hour beforehand – so if it were at the end of the seven-year tribulation period, we would during those years know the exact hour of His coming by counting forward to the end of the tribulation – but He said we can’t know it, so it must occur before the tribulation).
Sorry this writing might not seem to have a lot of structure! I’m kind of just skipping from Scripture to Scripture and expounding on each. But I’m really trying to overall drive home the point that we should as believers in Jesus eagerly await His appearing – it actually is one of our marks. June 28 The Great PauseSurely you have heard about the administration (dispensation) of God’s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. (Ephesians 3:2-3)
One of the most difficult things for someone unfamiliar with dispensational theology to understand is why Israel needs to exist at all in the last days, let alone rebuild their Temple. A recent discussion with a theology professor from a well known West Coast Christian school made this clear.
We were talking about our respective views of the End Times. When I mentioned the coming Temple and Israel’s re-awakening into their Old Covenant relationship, he looked at me like I was from another planet. He graduated from one of the main line denominational seminaries where he had been immersed in liberal theology, so what little he knows about the end times is all allegorical. He had never been taught anything like what I was saying.
Why on Earth, he asked, would God bring Israel back when the Church has replaced Israel in His eyes? And even if He did, why would He bring them into an Old Covenant relationship when He’s told the Church that since the cross the Old Covenant no longer applies?
Good Questions
Most Christians can’t answer these questions, and even among those who take the Bible literally, many can only say , “Because the Bible says so.” They can’t explain why it says so.
It’s only when you understand that the Age of Grace didn’t end the Age of Law, but only interrupted it seven years short of its allotted time, that it all becomes clear. Here’s what happened.
Near the end of the Babylonian captivity the Angel Gabriel told Daniel that Israel was being given 490 years to complete 6 tasks.
“Seventy ’sevens’ (490 years) are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy (place). (Daniel 9:24)
When the Lord was crucified, 483 of those years had passed. Remember, that’s why the disciples were astonished when He told them the Temple would soon be destroyed (Matt. 24:2). It’s also why, 40 days after the Resurrection, they asked if He was was going to restore the Kingdom to Israel now. (Acts 1:6) They thought they were only 7 years away from the Kingdom Age. Ten days later, on Pentecost, the indeterminate Age of the Church began, with the Age of Law still 7 years short of its prophesied end.
After 20 years had passed the Lord’s half-brother James, who was the head of the Church in Jerusalem at the time, explained that Israel had been set aside while the Lord took from among the Gentiles a people for Himself (the Church). After that he would turn again to Israel and pick up where He had left off (Acts 15:13-18). About 18 years after that the Temple was destroyed and has never been rebuilt. In 135 AD the nation ceased to exist in any form. The Roman Emperor Hadrian destroyed what was left of Jerusalem, built a new city called Aelia Capitolina on its ruins, and forbade any Jew from entering it. But the Lord’s promise still stands. As soon as He has taken the Church, He’ll turn again to Israel to complete the last 7 years of the Age of Law.
These facts from both the Bible and history completely undermine any arguments for the validity of replacement theology. They explain why Israel has to exist in the End Times and why the Jews will need a Temple.
The Great Pause
While Pentecost was the official beginning of the Age of Grace, it didn’t signal the end of the Age of Law, as so many in the Church wrongly assume. It was only a Great Pause while the Lord pursued His Church, something He intended to do all along, but had only divulged in a general way in the past.
Speaking to His Messiah, the Lord said, “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” (Isaiah 49:6)
When you understand the Great Pause, lots of other things fall into place. We’ve already discussed the re-birth of the Nation and the re-built Temple. Israel had to be re-born and will have to become a covenant people again in order to complete their final 7 years. This is what makes their re-birth such a powerful sign that the Great Pause is about to end. The only reason for Israel to exist again is to complete the 7 years remaining in the Age of Law. It also explains the return to animal sacrifice during this time. This is the way things were before the Great Pause began, and the way they’ll have to be after it ends. Although people have always been saved by faith, during the Age of Law their faith has to be evidenced by obedience to the Law.
Understanding the Great Pause also helps us see why the Rapture of the Church has to precede the final 7 years. The purpose of the Great Pause is so the Lord can take from among the Gentiles a people for Himself. The Greek word translated “take” in Acts 15:14 is lambano. A look at the primary meanings of lambano reveals that the intent of the word is to describe one who takes something for the purpose of carrying it away. Once the church is complete the Lord will carry us away before turning again to Israel. This is consistent with Paul’s statement in Romans 11:25 that Israel has experienced a partial blindness until the full number of Gentiles has come in. The phrase “come in” means to arrive at one’s destination, as when a ship has “come in”. According to John 14:2-3 our destination is Heaven. Once the church has been carried away to its destination in Heaven the blinders will fall from Israel’s eyes, the Great Pause will come to an end, and Israel will complete its final seven years.
The Rapture has to happen before Daniel’s 70th Week can begin, because the 70th Week is all about Israel. It’s their final opportunity to be reconciled to God through the Messiah and prepare for the Kingdom He promised them so long ago. 2500 years before the fact, Zechariah prophesied that this would take place near the end of the 70th Week.
“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.” (Zech. 12:10)
Paul confirmed this and said it would happen after the rapture.
I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” (Romans 11:25-27)
And the Great Pause explains why post rapture salvation will be like it was in Old Testament times. The only difference is post rapture believers will be looking back to the cross whereas Old Testament believers looked forward to it. Speaking of the time when taking the mark of the beast will be required of everyone on Earth, the Lord said, “This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.” (Rev. 14:12) Again, people have always been saved by faith, but during the Age of Law their faith has to be evidenced by obedience to the Law.
It also explains why the 144,000 servants of God have to be sealed before undertaking their mission. (Rev. 7:3) If the church was still here they would be sealed just the way we are. But during the Age of Law believers were not, nor will they be, sealed with the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of their inheritance as we are (Ephes. 1:13-14). The 144,000 is the only group in the post rapture world that is described as being sealed. By the way, some scholars believe this means only the 144,000 will be supernaturally protected from the demonic locusts spoken of in Rev. 9.
I Can See Clearly Now
I could go on, but I think you get the idea. No other system of theology explains God’s overarching plan as succinctly as dispensationalism. None gives us such a clear understanding of the connection between events before Pentecost and those after the Rapture. No other one helps us see the “why” behind the “what” described in the Bible. None other so vividly demonstrates the absolutely unique nature of the church, while maintaining the integrity of God’s promises to Israel. And best of all it does so in a manner consistent with the literal, historical, grammatical interpretation of His Word.
Blinded by the DarkTalk about the perfect job. Adam had it made in the shade. His job, so to speak, was to discover all that God had created in the Garden of Eden.
Scripture says that Adam was there to tend it, but this doesn't mean Adam was a gardener, per se. It simply means he was there to take in what God had made, to enjoy it, and to discover it.
Only one real restriction had been placed on Adam and Eve, and that was to stay away from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
So when we come to the third chapter of Genesis, where do we find Adam and Eve? We find them standing at the one tree God told them to stay away from.
What is it about human nature? When you say to a child, "Whatever you do, don't go into that room," you know it is only a matter of time until the child is in that room.
We are attracted to and drawn toward the forbidden. It is human nature. In our warped minds, we may even believe that God is somehow keeping us from something that is good and desirable.
But the reason the Lord told Adam and Eve to stay away from this tree was because of the damage it would inflict on them and, as a result, on all humanity.
God gave them a warning. And when God gives us a warning, it is for our own good. But Adam and Eve did not heed that warning. They played into what Satan offered.
The devil is a master at making evil look good and good look bad. Just turn on the television and you'll see what I mean. It is the way of the enemy.
And in the Garden, he took that which was poisonous and wicked and vile and actually made it look attractive. So let's note the tactics he used, because he is still using them today—three in particular.
First, He questioned God's Word. Notice that he did not deny that God had spoken. He simply questioned whether God had really said what Eve thought He had said: "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" (Genesis 3:1 NKJV)
He wanted her to think she had somehow misunderstood God's command. And in the same way today, the devil twists the truth to try and alienate people from God.
Second, he questioned God's love. He wanted Eve to think that God was holding something back: "For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:5 NKJV).
In reality, God had placed those restrictions in Adam and Eve's lives to keep them from sinning. And the barriers God places in our lives are there because He loves us.
Third, he substituted his own lie. He lead Eve to believe that if she ate from the tree, she would become a goddess: "You will not surely die. . . . You will be like God, knowing good and evil" (verses 4–5 NKJV). So she gave into it.
The Bible clearly says that Eve was deceived, but Adam disobeyed. In fact, he was there with her at the tree: "She took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate" (verse 6 NKJV, emphasis mine). Eve was listening to that voice, and Adam was with her.
If he had been the spiritual leader he should have been, then he would have not let her be there in the first place. And certainly he would have taken her away. But Adam was as fascinated as Eve was. They checked it out. And they listened.
Then, when confronted with his sin, Adam not only blamed Eve, but he also blamed God: "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate" (verse 12 NKJV). In other words, "It is the woman You gave me. This was Your idea."
God had put him in paradise with every possible comfort, surrounded by breathtaking beauty such as there has never been since. Yet Adam lashed out at the very God who gave all this to him.
You see, that is what sin does to us. It blinds us. And that is why we need God's provision for our forgiveness, so we can be restored into fellowship with Him.
His Name, Our HeartsThere are many people today who claim they have a relationship with Jesus Christ and are basking in what they perceive to be their salvation security. They feel they are secure in knowing their eternal salvation is in Heaven just by saying Jesus Christ is the Son of God, but if you press them they may actually confess something else, something very disturbing. Listen carefully and you might just hear them say “I don’t actually believe Jesus Christ is God”. Are they really saved if they don’t believe Jesus is God? “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. Does that verse actually say we must believe Jesus is the Son of God or does it say we must believe in Him? The Greek word for believe is “pisteuō” The following are all of the words my concordance gives as the English equivalent to this Greek word: believe, commit unto, commit to (one's) trust, be committed unto, be put in trust with.
When anyone says yes to Jesus Christ, they’re saying, “yes this sinner believes”. They’re saying, “Lord Jesus, I believe you paid the price for my sins, that you died for me on that cross, and that you were buried, but rose from the grave after three days just as the scriptures state. I believe who you are and what you did for me, and I’m sorry you had to die that horrible death to save your creation”. Surely this should be the response to the calling of the Holy Spirit as another sinner becomes truly born again. “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:18. What’s in a name?
Jesus explains unequivocally that he who does not believe is condemned already. Why? Because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. We believe He is the Son of God, that’s true, but a complete understanding comes only after we confess that we believe He died on the cross for us and rose again on the third day. “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” John 20:31. Through His name we might have life.
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6. God gave us His only begotten Son and He shall be called what? Wonderful – Counselor – The mighty God – The everlasting Father – The Prince of Peace. So, what’s in a name?
What does Jesus mean by His statement “hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God”? John 3:18b. Here’s what it means to believe in the “name”. His name defines His authority, character, rank, majesty, power, excellence, etc. His “Name” represents “the title and dignity” of our Lord. “Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:” Ephesians 1:21 and also “... as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name ...” Hebrews 1:4. That’s what He means when He tells us to believe in His name. But is that all of what He means when He says “whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”? “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” John 3:36.
“Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” John 6:28, 29. Recognize that phrase “believe on Him” in the above two verses? That phrase is also in John 3:18. We must understand the meaning behind those verses. The original Greek used here actually signifies continual and unbroken succession, until the end. As we can clearly see there is more to the Greek word “pisteuō” translated into English as “believe” than our English rendering conjures up.
“Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him. John 9:36–38. Jesus had just healed a man and then asks him whether or not he believed on Him. By the way, if Jesus weren’t God why would He allow the man to worship Him? We are only to worship God.
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Romans 10:9. Paul is telling us we must believe in our hearts. What’s he mean by that?
“Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament words gives us this explanation for the word heart: Our hearts are the seat of physical life. The heart also denotes the seat of our moral nature and spiritual life; it’s the seat of grief, joy, desires, affections, perceptions, thoughts, understanding, reasoning powers, imagination, conscience, intentions, purpose, will, and faith.” There is so much more to believing than what comes across from reading the English word “believe”.
What do people believe in? Let’s take evolution for example. Many believe in evolution because that’s what they are taught in public school. Even though there is absolutely no proof of that fairy tale? Students believe their teachers and grow up and teach their children the same. They might just as well say they believe in the tooth fairy since there is actually more proof of a tooth fairy then there is for evolution. It’s easy to say we believe in something without actually placing our faith and trust in that something. To believe in Jesus means we place our absolute and total trust in Him. This is at the core of what it means to believe in Jesus Christ which is what we plainly see from the original Greek renderings. To admit that Jesus is the Son of God stems from believing everything else about Him including the fact that He is God. Even the Pharisees of Jesus’ time knew, without a doubt, that Jesus, when admitting He was the Son of God, was actually saying He is God. That’s why they always tried to kill Him. It was blasphemy for anyone to say they were God except God.
It’s really only been since moving to the Mid-West portion of the United States with my wife and daughter that I’ve encountered folks who profess to be Christians and yet openly admit they don’t believe Jesus Christ is God after admitting He’s the Son of God. To tell you the truth I’m literally shocked each time this occurs. Why? Because I’ve only been confronted by this anomaly in Christian Church services. I’ve even encountered pastors who tell me they aren’t sure Jesus is God or that He is the only way to Heaven. One pastor actually told me we can’t be dogmatic about whether Jesus is actually God or not. Folks, if Jesus Christ, the Old Testament prophesied Messiah, who came into this world and died on a cross as our kinsmen redeemer, who took upon Himself the sin of the world isn’t God, then I must tell you flat out that there’s not one person saved, past, present, or future, and our Christian faith is only a vain pretence and we have no assurance of eternal salvation.
“Depend upon it, my hearer, you never will go to heaven unless you are prepared to worship Jesus Christ as God. They are all doing it there (in Heaven)” Charles Spurgeon
Only a perfect God could possibly have sacrificed Himself for His Creation as Jesus did. Then this perfect God raised Himself again from the dead. These are two of the main beliefs we as believers must have if we are to be called by His name. If you believe Jesus died on a cross two thousand years ago for your sins and yet you don’t believe He’s God, then you believe in human sacrifice. No human sacrifice could possibly suffice as the propitiation for the sins of mankind.
“Well I believe Jesus is the Son of God, but I don’t believe He’s God.” That very statement is a damnable heresy. It isn’t enough to simply say Jesus the Christ is God’s Son but believe He’s some sort of lesser god or no God at all. How can we possibly believe everything He did and not believe He’s God? After all we believe in the virgin birth, we believe He had an earthly ministry, we believe He changed water into wine, He healed the sick, cast out demons, raised the dead, gave sight to the blind, walked on water, made the lame to walk, and fed thousands with just a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish. We believe He went willingly to the cross, that He died on that cross, and that He told one of the thieves hanging next to Him that he would, that very day, be with Him in Paradise. We believe He spent three days in the grave and rose from the dead on the third day all according to the scriptures. Isn’t that what Christians believe? And much more? How can Jesus the Christ not be God Almighty?
“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name (there’s that phrase again) of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.’ ‘And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life,” 1 John 5:13 and 20. Jesus is the true God and eternal life.
In a Bible study class I attend there’s a man who professes to be a Christians yet he doesn’t believe Jesus is God. He was asked what he does with the scripture verses where Jesus said “when you’ve seen me you’ve seen the Father” and also “I and the Father are one”. He said he had never heard those verses before. Then I asked this professing Christian man if he believed the Bible is the inerrant word of God. He said ‘No. Man has corrupted it over the years”. This man obviously needs a lot of help, but it’s interesting that he’s been attending a Christian Church for years. What’s he come away with in all the teachings that he’s attended? “I don’t believe Jesus is God”.
Is this man, along with his apparent complete lack of biblical knowledge, indicative of many in our churches today? Possibly. There is a huge void where the word of God is concerned. I’m at a loss to understand the reasoning behind such a lack of biblical knowledge in these final days especially since there is so many different teaching aids available for those seeking the truth. Aha, there it is, the key words here are “seeking the truth.”
What is the purpose of attending church services if you don’t believe the book the pastor is teaching from? Why attend a Christian Bible study class if you don’t believe in the book you’re supposedly studying from? What’s the point of calling yourself a Christian if you believe the One who is called the Christ was only a nice guy or a good teacher? If necessary, would you lay down your life for this good teacher?
Some of the most obvious scriptures proclaiming Jesus’ deity are in John’s Gospel. Jesus refers to Himself as the I AM in the Gospel of John chapter 8, verse 58. He’s claiming to be God Almighty. John refers to Jesus as the Creator of the world “All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.” John 1:3. Paul does the same thing in Colossians 16 and 17. Jesus Christ is the Creator God who created this Universe.
The verse that is most often overlooked when we seek to point out to those who doubt the deity of Jesus Christ is, “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am [he], ye shall die in your sins.” John 8:24. Jesus is stating emphatically that He is God; By making the statement “I AM” Jesus is claiming to be the voice which spoke to Moses from the burning bush in Exodus 3:14. In the original Greek language the he in the above verse is not present. I AM is in the original language and it’s “egō eimi” in the Greek but there’s no “he” to be found in that verse in the Greek. The phrase which follows stating “you shall die in your sins” is the Greek word “apothnēskō” and is speaking of eternal death, to be subject to eternal misery in hell. This is a scathing indictment for all those who can’t seem to get their minds around the fact that Jesus is God.
If you’re one of those individuals getting your biblical knowledge from the discovery channel you might want to actually pick up your Bible and read it for yourself. Stop listening and parroting what you hear from the secular establishment about the fallacy of the Holy Bible and start believing. The truth of the matter is the Bible is the inerrant word of God. Jesus is God, and the Bible states that fact more times than I have room for here in this commentary.
I could write a book on the fact that Jesus is God using both Old and New Testament scriptures but for now this commentary will have to suffice. The first five words in the book of Revelation tell us whose revelation it is. This is Jesus the Christ speaking as John wrote it down. “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:8.
Not to discount the rest of the verse, but did you get those last two words “the Almighty”? The Greek word used here is “pantokratōr” and can be translated into English as Omnipotent and when it’s used it refers only to God.
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:5-11.
If you’ve been wrestling with this idea of whether or not Jesus Christ is God you had better make up your mind in a hurry. Life, as we’ve grown accustomed to, is drawing to a close. There’s an evil dawn on the horizon, and the rapture of Christ’s Church is imminent. We must all choose to place our faith, trust and our entire lives in Jesus’ hands because Jesus is God.
God bless you all.
Ron Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
All scripture is from the KJV |
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