Probably the most asked and most concerning question for most people is what happens when we die. This is a question that is by nature an uncomfortable one, but one that needs to be answered, for the one thing we are all guaranteed in life, is that one day it will end. As everything else that we might think of, the Bible is by far the best place to find the true answers for man. True, there are countless different beliefs on what happens after death, but all of these are based on man's beliefs or a misinterpretation of scriptures. Some believe that there is no afterlife, while others believe in a place called Purgatory, while others believe that the soul simply 'sleeps' until Christ returns on the day of judgment. All the answers to these questions can be found in one place, the Bible.
Now naturally, being Christians, we believe that where we end up depends upon how we live our life and whether or not we are obedient to the commands of the Lord. If we have lived a good and righteous life, we will have our reward as promised by God, while if we choose to ignore God and His commands, and live our life by our own personal laws, will spend eternity in torment in hell. Of course that is to say our souls or spirit, for our fleshly bodies will return to the dust of the earth. But I'm getting ahead of myself here, let's see what the scriptures say.
There is not a lot of passages in the Bible that go into great detail, so we must read and study all the passages on this subject. We do know that when we die, our bodies return to the earth, but our souls leave the body upon death (Gen. 35:18, James 2:26). Once our souls leave our fleshly vessels, they will enter into a depository of Spirits of sorts, as can be seen in the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31. This story, which some believe to be a parable, while others believe this to be an actual story, perhaps gives us the best insight into this place. There appears to be two separate places where souls go after death, that is separated by a wide gulf between them. One area is where the evil and wicked go, an area where they are tormented in their punishment for turning their backs on God. The other are, called here as Abraham's bosom (Luke 16:23) is a place where the saved will be under protection of Abraham himself.
The souls will be in either one of these two places until the 'Last Day', when all will be raised up and judged (John 6:44, 54). Then it will be raised up in a new form, an immortal body (Daniel 12:2, Matt. 10:28, 1 Cor. 15:54). This 'spirit' state that our souls will be in, is called Hades some 10 times in the New Testament. The word Hades is a letter for letter translation from the original Koine Greek that the New Testament was written. The King James version renders the Greek term Hades as Hell in Luke 16, but most Greek scholars believe this is a mistaken translation. Hell was always the final place of the damned, while Hades was the generic term for the spirit state, both the righteous and the wicked. Jesus' spirit was also in this place (Luke 16:22), which was also called Paradise (Luke 23:43), while His body lay in the tomb (Acts 2:27). The tormented rich man from the story in Luke, was in Hades (Luke 16:23), being the same state that is called 'hell' but is actually correctly given the term Tartarus, where rebellious angels who are "chained by darkness" (2 Pet. 2:4), and remain until their ultimate destination in hell, also called Gehenna. This is the final destination of the wicked (Matt. 25:41, Rev. 20:10). At the time of Christ's return, ALL will be raised for the final judgment (John 5:28-29, Acts 24:15).
When the Lord descends from heaven, He will bring with Him the righteous of those whose bodies "fell asleep" as they died (1 Thess. 4:14, 16). The apostle Paul speaks of "the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints (3:13). Now to be very clear here, the word 'sleep' is never used in terms of the souls, but of the body (Dan. 12:2, John 11:11f). At this time, Hades will surrender its meaning (Rev. 1:18, 20:13-14), since both the righteous and the wicked will be assigned their final destinies; with their incorruptible bodies (1 Cor. 15: 53-54), and their immortal souls reunited (Dan. 12:2, Matt. 10:28, 2 Cor. 5:1ff). Since no single text contains all that is to be known, again we must study all of them to understand the full picture. This is what the Bible teaches us about what will happen to us.
So to put it in perhaps more simple terms, when our bodies die, which they will, our souls enter a place called Hades. In this place are two areas, one for the righteous who have done what God commanded them (Paradise/Abraham's Bosom), and one for the wicked and evil who have chosen to ignore their Father (Tartarus), which will be a place of torment. Our souls will remain in either one of these two areas until Christ returns to judge all, and all will be placed in their final destination of either heaven or hell. All other beliefs and doctrines that men have arrived at, they did so without consulting the scriptures.
The doctrines of Soul Sleeping, which is the belief that our souls sleep until the judgment and then are awakened, is not found in the scriptures nor does it fit in with the descriptions we have in the Bible. Lazarus and the rich man were obviously aware as was Jesus in this state. Another false doctrine that is very popular, is the Catholic doctrine of Purgatory. Not much can be said of this because it can be found nowhere in the Holy scriptures. Purgatory is place where the dead go to suffer punishment in order to be purified. This belief was not introduced until the sixth century, and wasn't made doctrine until 1439. The scriptures teach against this (Heb. 9:27), and Christ taught there is no second chance for the willful sinner (Luke 16:19-31). This is a false and very dangerous doctrine, allowing people to do as they wish, for even after death, they have a chance to make things right.
Along with these false doctrines, something new has been on the rise which seems to be so ridiculous to even be believed. It is the belief found in many 'mega-churches' that there is not even a place called hell, but just different levels of heaven. Many people find this attractive, for they like to tell themselves how can a loving God condemn anyone to eternal damnation. Of course, this is for people who have no want to study the scriptures at all, or simply like to twist them to fit their lifestyles.
Again, this is a subject that most do not like to talk or think about, but one that we will all one day face. As a Christian however, if you have done what God commanded and Christ taught, death is nothing to be feared, and even something that can be looked forward to. You will be in a place of eternal rest and great joy unlike anything you have ever witnessed here on earth (Phil. 1:23). A place of quiet rest with our God and savior for all eternity. This is what God has promised us, just as He promised that those who laugh or thumb their noses at His Word, will be punished in eternity. The truth here is shown to us for us to understand, all we have to do is follow what God has shown us.
A Christian Blog that uses the Bible as it's only source of doctrine.
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Once Saved Always Saved?
There is a large group of people in Christendom today who follow the belief that once you have been saved, no matter what you do in the future, there is nothing you can do to fall out of favor with God. In short, once saved, always saved. This is a concept that is nothing new, and one that John Calvin and his followers faithfully believed. But when one thinks on this logically, it really doesn't make any sense. Do we really think that after we have been saved, we can do whatever we want without repercussions? What if we converted to Islam, or became Agnostic? Would God still be happy with that decision? Let's look at this in another way besides logic, let's see as we always should do, what the Lord says about this important topic.
Calvinism, to be fair, doesn't actually say you can do whatever you wish, but they say basically that the Holy Spirit will force you to obey and stay faithful. John Calvin wrote this, "They, whom God hath accepted in His beloved, effectually called and sanctified by His spirit, can neither totally or finally, fall away from the state of grace: but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved." So, God will not allow one to fall away and be eternally lost, at least according to John Calvin. Is this in agreement with the scriptures, or is this simply a doctrine of man? Calvinists like to use 1 John 3:9 which they say means the child of God cannot fall from grace because he cannot commit sin. Part of the reason for this is because the KJV wrongly used the word commit here. According to Vine's Expository, the correct translation should be "doeth" as the RSV and ASV uses. In this sense, what the Bible is saying is that if you are walking with God, you can do no sin. If you sin, you are not with God!
This thought continues with Paul in his letter to the Romans in chapter 6:1-2. "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may abound? God forbid. We who died to sin, how shall we any longer live therein?" And in Hebrews 10:26 the author (most likely Paul) says if we sin after we have received the knowledge, there is no more sacrifice of sin, but we must repent of those sins. Why would Paul bother to tell us what we must do after we have been saved, if we can't sin after we've been saved? It seems there is a contradiction between Calvin and the Apostle Paul! John, one of the 'Sons of Thunder' writes in 2 John 9 "Whosoever goeth onward and abideth not in the teaching of Christ, hath not God". This is important, for he states 'onward', meaning from baptism. Again, why would John need to state that anyone who falls away after being saved, falls away from God if he is automatically saved? When we depart from the Word we no longer abide in Him, there is no preservative.
Other verses that we can see the truth are as follows: Eph. 4:30 says we are sealed by the Spirit unto redemption only as long as we do not grieve Him. Jude 24-25 says God is able to keep us from falling but we must allow Him to lift us up. It isn't a question of God's ability but of our willingness to allow Him to do so. No one can separate us from Christ, not even Satan, if we don't allow it to happen. 1 Cor. 10-12 and James 4:10 says God provides a means of escape if we are willing to walk after Him. What more evidence do we need?
Just in case you still aren't sure there is enough evidence, let's see what the Bible says about someone falling from grace. Gal. 5:4 says "Ye are severed from Christ, ye who would be justified by the law; ye are fallen away from grace." Paul again is showing there were some who had fallen away from Christ. The Apostle Peter also tells us that if we return to sin AFTER having obeyed the truth, we will fall from grace. There are many more verses that support this, but let's look at two examples in the Bible of this happening.
The first one would have to be one of the closest men to Jesus. That of course would be Judas. Now some like to argue that Judas never was faithful to Christ, but by reading the scriptures, that would be a complete assumption. Nowhere does it say that Judas was a spy, or always knew he would betray Christ, but leans more to temptation and a moment of weakness and love of money. We must also not forget about the angels, who were created by God, yet some of them fell as well (Jude 5-6 and 2 Pet. 2:4). In short, our name can be removed from the book of life (Rev. 20:14-15). If it is, we will be eternally lost. The proof is right there before us, it is just a matter of whether we want to believe God, or the doctrines of men.
Calvinism, to be fair, doesn't actually say you can do whatever you wish, but they say basically that the Holy Spirit will force you to obey and stay faithful. John Calvin wrote this, "They, whom God hath accepted in His beloved, effectually called and sanctified by His spirit, can neither totally or finally, fall away from the state of grace: but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved." So, God will not allow one to fall away and be eternally lost, at least according to John Calvin. Is this in agreement with the scriptures, or is this simply a doctrine of man? Calvinists like to use 1 John 3:9 which they say means the child of God cannot fall from grace because he cannot commit sin. Part of the reason for this is because the KJV wrongly used the word commit here. According to Vine's Expository, the correct translation should be "doeth" as the RSV and ASV uses. In this sense, what the Bible is saying is that if you are walking with God, you can do no sin. If you sin, you are not with God!
This thought continues with Paul in his letter to the Romans in chapter 6:1-2. "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may abound? God forbid. We who died to sin, how shall we any longer live therein?" And in Hebrews 10:26 the author (most likely Paul) says if we sin after we have received the knowledge, there is no more sacrifice of sin, but we must repent of those sins. Why would Paul bother to tell us what we must do after we have been saved, if we can't sin after we've been saved? It seems there is a contradiction between Calvin and the Apostle Paul! John, one of the 'Sons of Thunder' writes in 2 John 9 "Whosoever goeth onward and abideth not in the teaching of Christ, hath not God". This is important, for he states 'onward', meaning from baptism. Again, why would John need to state that anyone who falls away after being saved, falls away from God if he is automatically saved? When we depart from the Word we no longer abide in Him, there is no preservative.
Other verses that we can see the truth are as follows: Eph. 4:30 says we are sealed by the Spirit unto redemption only as long as we do not grieve Him. Jude 24-25 says God is able to keep us from falling but we must allow Him to lift us up. It isn't a question of God's ability but of our willingness to allow Him to do so. No one can separate us from Christ, not even Satan, if we don't allow it to happen. 1 Cor. 10-12 and James 4:10 says God provides a means of escape if we are willing to walk after Him. What more evidence do we need?
Just in case you still aren't sure there is enough evidence, let's see what the Bible says about someone falling from grace. Gal. 5:4 says "Ye are severed from Christ, ye who would be justified by the law; ye are fallen away from grace." Paul again is showing there were some who had fallen away from Christ. The Apostle Peter also tells us that if we return to sin AFTER having obeyed the truth, we will fall from grace. There are many more verses that support this, but let's look at two examples in the Bible of this happening.
The first one would have to be one of the closest men to Jesus. That of course would be Judas. Now some like to argue that Judas never was faithful to Christ, but by reading the scriptures, that would be a complete assumption. Nowhere does it say that Judas was a spy, or always knew he would betray Christ, but leans more to temptation and a moment of weakness and love of money. We must also not forget about the angels, who were created by God, yet some of them fell as well (Jude 5-6 and 2 Pet. 2:4). In short, our name can be removed from the book of life (Rev. 20:14-15). If it is, we will be eternally lost. The proof is right there before us, it is just a matter of whether we want to believe God, or the doctrines of men.
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
We Need Godly Zeal
I hear so many people today complaining about the state of our society in America, and how bad it has become. They claim it is due to many different reasons such as the downfall of the family dynamic, the socially liberal movement of the government, T.V. programs, movies and even video games. These are all correct in their way, but they can also be put into one major category: We have lost our zeal for God. This doesn't mean we have lost our love for God, or we don't attend worship correctly, although that is a part of it. The biggest issue I believe, is that the majority of people are afraid to stand up for God and respect the beliefs of all others. Now I'm not condoning the disrespect of people at all, but we must stand up for God and the Bible and what is right without fear of being talked down to. Far too many Christians allow others to say evil things about God, and then just shrug their shoulders and say "Well, that's how they believe." They don't realize that 'belief' will lead to destruction.
Our society has reached a point today where it is the popular thing to go against God and Biblical values. Now, this has always been an issue, but the difference today is that Christians seem to be too timid and let things slide for fear of offending anyone, and out of fear of being persecuted. As far as being persecuted goes, what we experience in this country is far from a true persecution that was experienced in the past. How can we put ourselves into the same category as those who were arrested, tortured and executed? Being called names and laughed or scoffed at is not persecution, it is ignorance. But, if we continue to allow this to happen, and not show our offenders that they can do or say whatever they want, it will escalate more and more. This has happened in the past many times and will again, however in the past, there were great people who stood up against the accusers and still spread the Word. When one does this, others will listen. If we remain silent, how can anyone ever learn the truth?
As far as offending someone, we do not want to hurt anyone's feelings, but we must care for their salvation above anything else. The Bible has always been offensive to unbelievers, but the only way to get someone to believe, is to educate them, try to get them to listen to the truth. If we let others say and believe what they want without saying something, they will be lost. In order to do this properly, we must have the proper zeal, a Godly zeal to do this. Think about this, what if Paul, Peter and the other Apostles and disciples in the first century were timid and afraid to say anything? All of the Apostles suffered persecution and all but one gave their lives for their belief, and knew they would go through it, yet were unafraid and did it without violence of any kind, but out of love for the lost.
When we have the correct zeal for the Lord, good things come from it. The first time we read about zealous workings, is in Numbers 25:11. God said He spared the people of Israel because of the zeal of Aaron's grandson Phineas, that he was able to bring Israel away from God's wrath. Much later in Paul's letter to Titus, Paul calls Christians peculiar people, wanting to have zeal in good works of God (Titus 2:14). Staying silent, being afraid to speak, is not a work at all and can do nothing for the lost. In Revelation 3:19, we are also told that we must be zealous and repent for our past sins. We can't just give lip service and simply say something, but we must truly want to this, and strive to do what is right in the eyes of God.
I love the story of Peter in Acts chapter 2, mostly because of the zeal that he showed. Just prior to this event where he was preaching to the Jewish leaders, he was running from these same men, and even denying Christ three times. Now, Peter has been empowered and encouraged, and is no longer afraid of what men could do to him. His only goal for the rest of his life was to spread the Word of God to all who would listen, even those that would eventually kill him. Possibly no one had more zeal than Paul, who was a great example of both the wrong type of zeal and Godly zeal. When he was still known as Saul, he went out and arrested as many Christians as he could find, and did so with the love of God in mind. It wasn't until his experience on the road to Damascus that he realized Christ was the Messiah. and his zeal for the rest of his life was for Christ. He was even brought before the Sanhedrin (Acts 23:1-5), the Pharisees (Acts 23:6-10), Felix (Acts 24), Festus (Acts 25), and King Agrippa (Acts 26). Each time, even though he knew if he simply remained silent or denied his offenses, he might be released, he used each opportunity to teach the leaders about Christ. He was not afraid of what the future would bring or what others thought of him.
The brave men and women of the Bible were not afraid to stand with God and preach the truth, no matter what might happen. In doing this, many people wanted to know what their message was, why it was so important that they were willing to risk their lives for it. Today, when we remain silent, other will simply think that our message is not important enough to speak of it, and will turn away. The American government is the perfect example of this. Politicians used to be proud to stand for their religious convictions, and oftentimes were elected for this. Now, we poke fun at the ones who have a strong Christian background, and even hold up those who have no convictions at all, or support those that lean more toward a Muslim background. What's wrong with that? Simply paying attention to Muslim countries and how they treat people will tell you that this is not what anyone wants. These people are making headway though, because we remain silent, and are afraid to rock the boat.
One of the last thing that Jesus said to His Apostles, was to go out into the world and spread the Word (Matt. 28:19-20). Are we doing this today, and being zealous in all of our works? We might be helping the poor by feeding them, or going to other countries and building schools and digging wells, which are all good and right things to do, but our priority must be to teach the message that Christ brought, to save all those that might listen. We are judged by how we came to God and live our lives by Christ, and having the correct zeal, a loving Godly zeal, to bring other to Him as well. This is what is wrong with our society today, and I thank God that the Apostles were not like most today, and were much more afraid of doing nothing, than doing what God commanded them, and us to do.
Our society has reached a point today where it is the popular thing to go against God and Biblical values. Now, this has always been an issue, but the difference today is that Christians seem to be too timid and let things slide for fear of offending anyone, and out of fear of being persecuted. As far as being persecuted goes, what we experience in this country is far from a true persecution that was experienced in the past. How can we put ourselves into the same category as those who were arrested, tortured and executed? Being called names and laughed or scoffed at is not persecution, it is ignorance. But, if we continue to allow this to happen, and not show our offenders that they can do or say whatever they want, it will escalate more and more. This has happened in the past many times and will again, however in the past, there were great people who stood up against the accusers and still spread the Word. When one does this, others will listen. If we remain silent, how can anyone ever learn the truth?
As far as offending someone, we do not want to hurt anyone's feelings, but we must care for their salvation above anything else. The Bible has always been offensive to unbelievers, but the only way to get someone to believe, is to educate them, try to get them to listen to the truth. If we let others say and believe what they want without saying something, they will be lost. In order to do this properly, we must have the proper zeal, a Godly zeal to do this. Think about this, what if Paul, Peter and the other Apostles and disciples in the first century were timid and afraid to say anything? All of the Apostles suffered persecution and all but one gave their lives for their belief, and knew they would go through it, yet were unafraid and did it without violence of any kind, but out of love for the lost.
When we have the correct zeal for the Lord, good things come from it. The first time we read about zealous workings, is in Numbers 25:11. God said He spared the people of Israel because of the zeal of Aaron's grandson Phineas, that he was able to bring Israel away from God's wrath. Much later in Paul's letter to Titus, Paul calls Christians peculiar people, wanting to have zeal in good works of God (Titus 2:14). Staying silent, being afraid to speak, is not a work at all and can do nothing for the lost. In Revelation 3:19, we are also told that we must be zealous and repent for our past sins. We can't just give lip service and simply say something, but we must truly want to this, and strive to do what is right in the eyes of God.
I love the story of Peter in Acts chapter 2, mostly because of the zeal that he showed. Just prior to this event where he was preaching to the Jewish leaders, he was running from these same men, and even denying Christ three times. Now, Peter has been empowered and encouraged, and is no longer afraid of what men could do to him. His only goal for the rest of his life was to spread the Word of God to all who would listen, even those that would eventually kill him. Possibly no one had more zeal than Paul, who was a great example of both the wrong type of zeal and Godly zeal. When he was still known as Saul, he went out and arrested as many Christians as he could find, and did so with the love of God in mind. It wasn't until his experience on the road to Damascus that he realized Christ was the Messiah. and his zeal for the rest of his life was for Christ. He was even brought before the Sanhedrin (Acts 23:1-5), the Pharisees (Acts 23:6-10), Felix (Acts 24), Festus (Acts 25), and King Agrippa (Acts 26). Each time, even though he knew if he simply remained silent or denied his offenses, he might be released, he used each opportunity to teach the leaders about Christ. He was not afraid of what the future would bring or what others thought of him.
The brave men and women of the Bible were not afraid to stand with God and preach the truth, no matter what might happen. In doing this, many people wanted to know what their message was, why it was so important that they were willing to risk their lives for it. Today, when we remain silent, other will simply think that our message is not important enough to speak of it, and will turn away. The American government is the perfect example of this. Politicians used to be proud to stand for their religious convictions, and oftentimes were elected for this. Now, we poke fun at the ones who have a strong Christian background, and even hold up those who have no convictions at all, or support those that lean more toward a Muslim background. What's wrong with that? Simply paying attention to Muslim countries and how they treat people will tell you that this is not what anyone wants. These people are making headway though, because we remain silent, and are afraid to rock the boat.
One of the last thing that Jesus said to His Apostles, was to go out into the world and spread the Word (Matt. 28:19-20). Are we doing this today, and being zealous in all of our works? We might be helping the poor by feeding them, or going to other countries and building schools and digging wells, which are all good and right things to do, but our priority must be to teach the message that Christ brought, to save all those that might listen. We are judged by how we came to God and live our lives by Christ, and having the correct zeal, a loving Godly zeal, to bring other to Him as well. This is what is wrong with our society today, and I thank God that the Apostles were not like most today, and were much more afraid of doing nothing, than doing what God commanded them, and us to do.
Monday, August 3, 2015
We Need Preachers of Truth
Ever since the death and resurrection of Christ, men have gone around preaching and spreading the Word. Unfortunately, in many cases, the truth has been twisted or misunderstood and the message they are spreading is their own and not that of God. How can we tell the difference, or can we know what the truth really is? Some people believe that much of the Bible can't be fully understood and God left it up to man to freely translate His Word. Of course we all know what man can do to the truth of anything, so why would God allow fallible men to distort it? Besides, Jesus Himself said "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32). There are many who teach this as "You CAN know...", but Jesus actually was saying you will know. How can we know what the truth is? Well John wrote in John 21:24 that his testimony is true, all we need to do is study it.
Too many preachers and T.V. evangelists preach a message that is either far from truth, or deliver a message that their listeners want to hear. Their message is often a feel good one and is often uplifting, but should it always be? Jesus was accused of being too negative, and on many occasions taught about the dangers of hell. Yet today, there is a new movement teaching that there is no such place as hell because God loves us too much to ever condemn us there. Is that truth? John Calvin, whom millions of people today still follow his teachings, taught that God chooses who is to be saved and who is not before we are even born. This is would mean that it doesn't matter if you are faithful or not because the decision has already been made. If this were true, what is the point of having scripture to teach us anything?
Then we have those that are simply afraid to rock the boat, not wanting to offend anyone in this new age of 'tolerance'. An example of this is the popular televangelist Joel Olsteen. For years Mr. Olsteen taught against the dangers of homosexuality, that is until Sixty Minutes pressed him for being bigoted. When they did, he stated he still believes it is sin, but he won't preach against it so as not to offend anyone. Others have even gone as far as encouraging same-sex couples to join their congregation and will marry them. How often do we hear a sermon on what Jesus taught about the truth of marriage? Oh, we hear many sermons on family, but rarely do we hear about Christ condemning divorce except for the case of adultery (Matthew 19:9-10)? With the divorce rate in this country well over fifty percent, very few want to teach about this, knowing that many in their audience have been married more than once. The truth isn't always pleasant, but if it isn't taught, it will lead to those who believe otherwise.
Jesus tells us to go out into the world and preach His message which we can only find in the Bible. Paul wrote in Romans 12:11 that we should be zealous in every good work, to know the teachings of Christ and teach others. But probably the best books in the Bible to read about a preacher and his work is Paul's letters to Timothy and Titus. In Titus 1:9-16, Paul informs his young friend to "hold to the faithful word according to the teaching...to convict the gainsayers. For there are many unruly men, vain talkers and deceivers...whose mouths must be stopped." Paul goes on to say that his testimony is true, and false teachers should be reproved sharply. He ends in verse 16 by saying "They profess that they know God; but by their works they deny Him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate." Paul, arguably the greatest preacher that ever lived, shows us that we just can't believe or teach whatever we want as long as we do it in God's name, but teach the truth only.
In his letter to Timothy, Paul writes to not be ashamed of the gospel, and to preach not according to our works, but to His purpose and grace. The only way to know what He wants is to study for yourself, and know what the truth is. After all, you are responsible for your own actions, and can only reach salvation for what you do, not what your preacher does. Recently, I was speaking to someone about a certain topic. They gave me their interpretation on it, but when I tried to show them what the Bible said, they actually told me they didn't know for sure, and I should talk to their minister. How sad that is that they completely rely on someone else's teaching, and not searching it out for themselves. What if that teacher is wrong, or misleading and you are blindly following? Will God just shrug and say "It's ok, it's not your fault."? We need more preachers who preach the truth, and we must know the truth even before the sermon!
Not long ago, there was a documentary on the growing atheist population. One case stuck in my mind more than the others. A college student had started an atheist club at his campus when he stopped believing in God. The reason for his apostasy? His father, who was a Baptist preacher, told him that God would literally speak to him when he was saved. Well, after a few years of waiting to hear God's voice that never came, the boy could only arrive at two conclusions. Either God was not happy with him, or He doesn't exist. Sadly, he chose the latter. It never occurred to him that maybe the message from the start was wrong, and that God can exist without ever hearing His voice. Because of false teaching, that boy, and many others, are in a lost state.
We need more preachers who are willing to teach the truth, even when it hurts, or might offend some. We need preachers who care about the souls of the lost, and only aim is to help save and teach the truth. Not someone who examines the Bible and comes up with their own conclusion, and then wants millions to preach on television. Have you ever wondered if someone like Joel Olsteen, or Joyce Meyer would continue if they got paid only 30 or 40 thousand a year? Could they continue that lifestyle, and keep teaching a warm and fuzzy message that offends none and is tolerant of all? Again, our reward depends on what we do and believe, not on what a preacher says. We need more preachers of truth.
Too many preachers and T.V. evangelists preach a message that is either far from truth, or deliver a message that their listeners want to hear. Their message is often a feel good one and is often uplifting, but should it always be? Jesus was accused of being too negative, and on many occasions taught about the dangers of hell. Yet today, there is a new movement teaching that there is no such place as hell because God loves us too much to ever condemn us there. Is that truth? John Calvin, whom millions of people today still follow his teachings, taught that God chooses who is to be saved and who is not before we are even born. This is would mean that it doesn't matter if you are faithful or not because the decision has already been made. If this were true, what is the point of having scripture to teach us anything?
Then we have those that are simply afraid to rock the boat, not wanting to offend anyone in this new age of 'tolerance'. An example of this is the popular televangelist Joel Olsteen. For years Mr. Olsteen taught against the dangers of homosexuality, that is until Sixty Minutes pressed him for being bigoted. When they did, he stated he still believes it is sin, but he won't preach against it so as not to offend anyone. Others have even gone as far as encouraging same-sex couples to join their congregation and will marry them. How often do we hear a sermon on what Jesus taught about the truth of marriage? Oh, we hear many sermons on family, but rarely do we hear about Christ condemning divorce except for the case of adultery (Matthew 19:9-10)? With the divorce rate in this country well over fifty percent, very few want to teach about this, knowing that many in their audience have been married more than once. The truth isn't always pleasant, but if it isn't taught, it will lead to those who believe otherwise.
Jesus tells us to go out into the world and preach His message which we can only find in the Bible. Paul wrote in Romans 12:11 that we should be zealous in every good work, to know the teachings of Christ and teach others. But probably the best books in the Bible to read about a preacher and his work is Paul's letters to Timothy and Titus. In Titus 1:9-16, Paul informs his young friend to "hold to the faithful word according to the teaching...to convict the gainsayers. For there are many unruly men, vain talkers and deceivers...whose mouths must be stopped." Paul goes on to say that his testimony is true, and false teachers should be reproved sharply. He ends in verse 16 by saying "They profess that they know God; but by their works they deny Him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate." Paul, arguably the greatest preacher that ever lived, shows us that we just can't believe or teach whatever we want as long as we do it in God's name, but teach the truth only.
In his letter to Timothy, Paul writes to not be ashamed of the gospel, and to preach not according to our works, but to His purpose and grace. The only way to know what He wants is to study for yourself, and know what the truth is. After all, you are responsible for your own actions, and can only reach salvation for what you do, not what your preacher does. Recently, I was speaking to someone about a certain topic. They gave me their interpretation on it, but when I tried to show them what the Bible said, they actually told me they didn't know for sure, and I should talk to their minister. How sad that is that they completely rely on someone else's teaching, and not searching it out for themselves. What if that teacher is wrong, or misleading and you are blindly following? Will God just shrug and say "It's ok, it's not your fault."? We need more preachers who preach the truth, and we must know the truth even before the sermon!
Not long ago, there was a documentary on the growing atheist population. One case stuck in my mind more than the others. A college student had started an atheist club at his campus when he stopped believing in God. The reason for his apostasy? His father, who was a Baptist preacher, told him that God would literally speak to him when he was saved. Well, after a few years of waiting to hear God's voice that never came, the boy could only arrive at two conclusions. Either God was not happy with him, or He doesn't exist. Sadly, he chose the latter. It never occurred to him that maybe the message from the start was wrong, and that God can exist without ever hearing His voice. Because of false teaching, that boy, and many others, are in a lost state.
We need more preachers who are willing to teach the truth, even when it hurts, or might offend some. We need preachers who care about the souls of the lost, and only aim is to help save and teach the truth. Not someone who examines the Bible and comes up with their own conclusion, and then wants millions to preach on television. Have you ever wondered if someone like Joel Olsteen, or Joyce Meyer would continue if they got paid only 30 or 40 thousand a year? Could they continue that lifestyle, and keep teaching a warm and fuzzy message that offends none and is tolerant of all? Again, our reward depends on what we do and believe, not on what a preacher says. We need more preachers of truth.
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Consequences
All of our actions have consequences, whether they be good or bad. Sometimes we don't see the results of our actions for many years, maybe not even until we have passed from this life. This may be the reason why so many of us are afraid of death, because deep down we know we haven't always done good things in our life and we know there will be consequences for that. It isn't a fear of the unknown, but a fear deep inside of the known. The consequences. Now of course, not everything we do does major damage to ourselves or someone else in the immediate future, but everything we do does have some type of impact.
When we look at history, we usually can see what consequences people face. When Hitler began his reign of terror on Jews, it ended badly for him when he took his own life. Or we can see the opposite in someone such as Ghandi, who through his peaceful actions, led his country to freedom without firing a shot. The same thing can be seen over and over again in the Bible, both good and bad. Herod The Great was a perfect example of this. He was a leader, but a vicious killer as well, killing all children under the age of two years old because he heard that a future king had been born. Shortly after, he was eaten by worms and died a horrible death. Then we can look at the actions of a brave woman named Ruth, who chose to turn away from her people who were idolaters, and chose to stay with her mother-in-law who walked with God. The consequences of her actions? She fell in love and married, and a couple of generations later, a child was born from their family line by the name of David, the future king of Israel. So what does this have anything to do with us?
There is a growing population of people today who don't believe in God. They say we are no different than animals or a grain of sand. They don't believe in an afterlife and so therefore live their lives in a hedonistic style. If it feels good, then it can't be bad, and can do no harm. They commonly use drugs, alcohol, have sexual relations with anyone at anytime, and they do this without fear of harm to themselves or to anyone else. Yet how many people die each year due to drugs (not just in overdosing, but murders as well), alcohol (drunk driving, alcohol poisoning, liver disease, murder), and die from sexually transmitted disease? Our prisons are filled to capacity because of drugs, alcohol and sex. So how does the world try to combat these issues? Well, the number one concern is the prison population, so they decide to legalize drugs, and go easy on constant offenders of drunk driving or prostitution. 58 million babies have been aborted since Roe v. Wade and euthanasia is now being considered in some states. Why worry about this? When we die, they believe there will be no consequences for their actions. There is little in the way of a moral compass.
Then we have a large population of people who say they believe in God, yet still do what they wish. These people may or may not attend church, and will many times, more often than not, believe that all they have to do attain salvation is simply believe in God. Quite often we will hear something along the lines of "Our God is a loving and forgiving God, and He would never condemn anyone who believes in Him." If this were true, that all we must do is simply believe, then there is no fear of consequences of what we do in our lives, as long as you mostly do good things. They may even claim that attending worship services is not that important, and an occasional drink now and then is fine because hey, even Jesus drank wine, right? (I disagree, but that's a different topic for a different day.) This is a very dangerous and misleading belief.
Many, if not most people, do not do a good and proper study of the Bible, and therefore do not know exactly what God wants us to do. So when someone wants to change their life, or might have questions about God, they will listen to false teachers who will tell them what they want to hear. They often will follow a minister and his teachings without knowing the Truth or even checking the Bible to see what is true. I was once having a discussion on the topic of baptism. The other party was telling me what they believed, and when I began pointing out certain verses that said something different, they immediately said they didn't know, and I should ask their minister. Friends, our ministers are not responsible for our actions, so we wouldn't it make sense that we found out for ourselves? If all we had to do was believe, then why did Peter in Acts 2:38ff tell the Jewish leaders they had to do more? They already believed, but they had to repent and be baptized and obey! Why did James tell us in James 2:18, we must have work with our faith? Why didn't God just tell us that instead of giving us the whole Bible? Because they are trying to warn us that there are dire consequences for our earthly actions.
There of course another group of people that we should look at. This group wants to believe, or maybe even does, but are afraid to admit it for fear of ridicule or persecution from family or friends. They know there are consequences, but do not want to offend anyone, so they remain silent, secret Christians in their mind. It seems to them that God will understand their larger fear of man over Him. Deep down though, they know God will not be pleased with this, and know time is running out. None of us know when our time will run out. When it does, we will have to face the consequences.
When we are young, we don't think much about death or the consequences of our lives. That is, unless someone close to our age and someone we know, dies. Then you might think on it some, but as time goes by, this fear will slowly fade. I know this first hand, when a classmate of mine in high school, a star football player and one of the most popular kids in school, died. He didn't die from a car accident or was the victim of a crime or disease, but was struck by lightning while on the practice field. The point is, we just simply don't know when the end will come.
All of our actions we do in our life, no matter how large or small, affects someone or something at some time. Why would it be any different after we are gone? The difference is, we have an advantage to face good consequences if we choose to. Everything we need to know has been revealed to us in the Bible. God will judge us by how we not only live our lives, but if we live our lives according to His will. Even if we don't believe, we will still be judged.
But here is the most wonderful aspect of all of this. Living a good Christian life, according to the Law of God, just think of what this world would be like. Though we don't like to admit it, time is running out for all of us to do what God has asked. It isn't near as complicated as what some people think, and the reward is what matters the most. Following God means peace, love, hope and salvation, not division, strife and war as some claim. Those who do these things and call themselves Christians are not being true to the teachings of God, and will face horrible consequences. God has given us a way out, a way of love and salvation. What better consequence could there be?
When we look at history, we usually can see what consequences people face. When Hitler began his reign of terror on Jews, it ended badly for him when he took his own life. Or we can see the opposite in someone such as Ghandi, who through his peaceful actions, led his country to freedom without firing a shot. The same thing can be seen over and over again in the Bible, both good and bad. Herod The Great was a perfect example of this. He was a leader, but a vicious killer as well, killing all children under the age of two years old because he heard that a future king had been born. Shortly after, he was eaten by worms and died a horrible death. Then we can look at the actions of a brave woman named Ruth, who chose to turn away from her people who were idolaters, and chose to stay with her mother-in-law who walked with God. The consequences of her actions? She fell in love and married, and a couple of generations later, a child was born from their family line by the name of David, the future king of Israel. So what does this have anything to do with us?
There is a growing population of people today who don't believe in God. They say we are no different than animals or a grain of sand. They don't believe in an afterlife and so therefore live their lives in a hedonistic style. If it feels good, then it can't be bad, and can do no harm. They commonly use drugs, alcohol, have sexual relations with anyone at anytime, and they do this without fear of harm to themselves or to anyone else. Yet how many people die each year due to drugs (not just in overdosing, but murders as well), alcohol (drunk driving, alcohol poisoning, liver disease, murder), and die from sexually transmitted disease? Our prisons are filled to capacity because of drugs, alcohol and sex. So how does the world try to combat these issues? Well, the number one concern is the prison population, so they decide to legalize drugs, and go easy on constant offenders of drunk driving or prostitution. 58 million babies have been aborted since Roe v. Wade and euthanasia is now being considered in some states. Why worry about this? When we die, they believe there will be no consequences for their actions. There is little in the way of a moral compass.
Then we have a large population of people who say they believe in God, yet still do what they wish. These people may or may not attend church, and will many times, more often than not, believe that all they have to do attain salvation is simply believe in God. Quite often we will hear something along the lines of "Our God is a loving and forgiving God, and He would never condemn anyone who believes in Him." If this were true, that all we must do is simply believe, then there is no fear of consequences of what we do in our lives, as long as you mostly do good things. They may even claim that attending worship services is not that important, and an occasional drink now and then is fine because hey, even Jesus drank wine, right? (I disagree, but that's a different topic for a different day.) This is a very dangerous and misleading belief.
Many, if not most people, do not do a good and proper study of the Bible, and therefore do not know exactly what God wants us to do. So when someone wants to change their life, or might have questions about God, they will listen to false teachers who will tell them what they want to hear. They often will follow a minister and his teachings without knowing the Truth or even checking the Bible to see what is true. I was once having a discussion on the topic of baptism. The other party was telling me what they believed, and when I began pointing out certain verses that said something different, they immediately said they didn't know, and I should ask their minister. Friends, our ministers are not responsible for our actions, so we wouldn't it make sense that we found out for ourselves? If all we had to do was believe, then why did Peter in Acts 2:38ff tell the Jewish leaders they had to do more? They already believed, but they had to repent and be baptized and obey! Why did James tell us in James 2:18, we must have work with our faith? Why didn't God just tell us that instead of giving us the whole Bible? Because they are trying to warn us that there are dire consequences for our earthly actions.
There of course another group of people that we should look at. This group wants to believe, or maybe even does, but are afraid to admit it for fear of ridicule or persecution from family or friends. They know there are consequences, but do not want to offend anyone, so they remain silent, secret Christians in their mind. It seems to them that God will understand their larger fear of man over Him. Deep down though, they know God will not be pleased with this, and know time is running out. None of us know when our time will run out. When it does, we will have to face the consequences.
When we are young, we don't think much about death or the consequences of our lives. That is, unless someone close to our age and someone we know, dies. Then you might think on it some, but as time goes by, this fear will slowly fade. I know this first hand, when a classmate of mine in high school, a star football player and one of the most popular kids in school, died. He didn't die from a car accident or was the victim of a crime or disease, but was struck by lightning while on the practice field. The point is, we just simply don't know when the end will come.
All of our actions we do in our life, no matter how large or small, affects someone or something at some time. Why would it be any different after we are gone? The difference is, we have an advantage to face good consequences if we choose to. Everything we need to know has been revealed to us in the Bible. God will judge us by how we not only live our lives, but if we live our lives according to His will. Even if we don't believe, we will still be judged.
But here is the most wonderful aspect of all of this. Living a good Christian life, according to the Law of God, just think of what this world would be like. Though we don't like to admit it, time is running out for all of us to do what God has asked. It isn't near as complicated as what some people think, and the reward is what matters the most. Following God means peace, love, hope and salvation, not division, strife and war as some claim. Those who do these things and call themselves Christians are not being true to the teachings of God, and will face horrible consequences. God has given us a way out, a way of love and salvation. What better consequence could there be?
Saturday, June 27, 2015
Preventing Backsliding
What is backsliding, and how do we prevent it to stop a complete falling away? Some might argue that it is not possible to fall away once you believe or are baptized, but that is another discussion for another day. Backsliding, simply put, is when you begin committing sins, usually small ones at first then gradually increase them, after you are a Christian, until complete apostasy (or a falling away) occurs. In man's world, problems occur all the time, and man tries to come up with ways to prevent these problems. In medicine, hospital workers are trained to wash hands when entering and leaving a patients room to prevent the spread of disease. In the auto industry, car makers are constantly inventing new and safer cars to prevent accidents and injury such as seat belts, airbags and new braking systems. So are there ways to prevent one from falling away from God so he/she can do as God wants? Here are some things to consider.
We should let God SAY something to us every day. I don't mean by His physical voice, but by His Holy Word. Psalms 119:105 "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." When we listen to God, we don't have to be afraid and walk in the dark. Psalms 1:1-2 "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night." When we walk in the dark, we use flashlights to guide our way, and show us any dangers that might lay ahead. His Word is our light to show us the dangers of the world, if we would just listen. We should take great delight in listening to God talk to us.
When we listen to the Word and read the Bible, we should do more than just take a mere glance at the particular subject, but study the complete topic to hear all God is trying to tell us. Jesus told us He wants us to study the scriptures. John 5:39 "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." Paul tells us in his letter in 2 Timothy 2:15 "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." Not only are we told to study the scriptures, but we are given an example of some who did this in the first century in Acts 17:11 "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." Why would all the time and effort be taken to write the Bible if God felt there was little need to study it daily? Did you ever know of someone backsliding who allowed God to talk to them everyday? We are far more likely to fall away when we stop searching the scriptures daily.
We should also Say something TO God every day, not only starting our day off with a prayer to Him, but pray throughout the day. We should thank Him for our many blessings, and no matter your situation, you have many. Not to thank Him shows ingratitude for all that He has done, including giving us His only son to be crucified for us. One preacher put it this way, "Either prayer will stop sin, or sin will stop prayer." This goes along with studying of the scriptures, because if we don't His Word and do as He commands, why should He listen to us? The Bible says this in Proverbs 28:9 "He that turneth away his ear from ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be an abomination." Too many people think that God will listen to us and grant our prayers without listening to Him. This is not the case though as we just read in Proverbs.
You can always tell much about a man when he is a faithful praying man. A faithful man is filled with love, is kind and normally is one who will do all that he can to help someone else. An angry, hateful person is usually one who does not pray or read the scriptures. James 5:16 "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
We should also make sure we say something FOR God everyday. Many are afraid to stand up and say something about God for fear of being ridiculed. We live in a world today where we must tiptoe around and be careful what we say so as not to offend. But when it comes to God, what does He think of us if we don't stand up for Him, or teach someone about Him? When we talk, our speech should have more of God in it so others can learn more about Him. After all, it our job to spread the Word and bring lost souls to Him, or bring those who have fallen away, back to Him. This is the greatest work we can do. James 5:19-20 "Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins."
There are opportunities that we find ourselves in everyday where we should be speaking for God. Philippians 1:27 "Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye started fast with one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel." We should not be ignoring these chances speak up for God, and you never know when you might be saving a soul, and help us from losing ours.
Finally, we should DO something for God everyday. Our days of full of things that we do, whether it be work, school, playing golf or fishing, we do something. However, most if not all of what we do, has anything to do with God. We should look for opportunities to do something good in the name of God. Galatians 6:10 "As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith."
One of the greatest things we can do as a Christian is let our light shine, show men what our good works are all about. Matthew 5:16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." We should let our light shine, but not shine our lights. We have all seen the T.V. evangelists who thrive on the attention the receive, instead of letting the Word of God be the center. Some of us go to a certain church, or watch someone because of how entertaining they are, but the lesson we are learning from are often times far from the truth. If we do something for God, no matter what it is, it is never in vain. 2 Corinthians 15:58 "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, foreasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord."
So if we do these four things, letting God say something to us, saying something to God, saying something for God, and doing something for God, everyday, we will live righteously, and have no fear of slipping down that slope of apostasy. The Israelites in the Old Testament failed to do this, and every other generation would fall away, and God would punish them for this. We cannot be like them, but we must do as God says, for He loves us and wants to us to be happy, truly happy. It is amazing how good your and satisfying your life will be, not to mention your eternal salvation.
We should let God SAY something to us every day. I don't mean by His physical voice, but by His Holy Word. Psalms 119:105 "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." When we listen to God, we don't have to be afraid and walk in the dark. Psalms 1:1-2 "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night." When we walk in the dark, we use flashlights to guide our way, and show us any dangers that might lay ahead. His Word is our light to show us the dangers of the world, if we would just listen. We should take great delight in listening to God talk to us.
When we listen to the Word and read the Bible, we should do more than just take a mere glance at the particular subject, but study the complete topic to hear all God is trying to tell us. Jesus told us He wants us to study the scriptures. John 5:39 "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." Paul tells us in his letter in 2 Timothy 2:15 "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." Not only are we told to study the scriptures, but we are given an example of some who did this in the first century in Acts 17:11 "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." Why would all the time and effort be taken to write the Bible if God felt there was little need to study it daily? Did you ever know of someone backsliding who allowed God to talk to them everyday? We are far more likely to fall away when we stop searching the scriptures daily.
We should also Say something TO God every day, not only starting our day off with a prayer to Him, but pray throughout the day. We should thank Him for our many blessings, and no matter your situation, you have many. Not to thank Him shows ingratitude for all that He has done, including giving us His only son to be crucified for us. One preacher put it this way, "Either prayer will stop sin, or sin will stop prayer." This goes along with studying of the scriptures, because if we don't His Word and do as He commands, why should He listen to us? The Bible says this in Proverbs 28:9 "He that turneth away his ear from ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be an abomination." Too many people think that God will listen to us and grant our prayers without listening to Him. This is not the case though as we just read in Proverbs.
You can always tell much about a man when he is a faithful praying man. A faithful man is filled with love, is kind and normally is one who will do all that he can to help someone else. An angry, hateful person is usually one who does not pray or read the scriptures. James 5:16 "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
We should also make sure we say something FOR God everyday. Many are afraid to stand up and say something about God for fear of being ridiculed. We live in a world today where we must tiptoe around and be careful what we say so as not to offend. But when it comes to God, what does He think of us if we don't stand up for Him, or teach someone about Him? When we talk, our speech should have more of God in it so others can learn more about Him. After all, it our job to spread the Word and bring lost souls to Him, or bring those who have fallen away, back to Him. This is the greatest work we can do. James 5:19-20 "Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins."
There are opportunities that we find ourselves in everyday where we should be speaking for God. Philippians 1:27 "Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye started fast with one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel." We should not be ignoring these chances speak up for God, and you never know when you might be saving a soul, and help us from losing ours.
Finally, we should DO something for God everyday. Our days of full of things that we do, whether it be work, school, playing golf or fishing, we do something. However, most if not all of what we do, has anything to do with God. We should look for opportunities to do something good in the name of God. Galatians 6:10 "As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith."
One of the greatest things we can do as a Christian is let our light shine, show men what our good works are all about. Matthew 5:16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." We should let our light shine, but not shine our lights. We have all seen the T.V. evangelists who thrive on the attention the receive, instead of letting the Word of God be the center. Some of us go to a certain church, or watch someone because of how entertaining they are, but the lesson we are learning from are often times far from the truth. If we do something for God, no matter what it is, it is never in vain. 2 Corinthians 15:58 "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, foreasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord."
So if we do these four things, letting God say something to us, saying something to God, saying something for God, and doing something for God, everyday, we will live righteously, and have no fear of slipping down that slope of apostasy. The Israelites in the Old Testament failed to do this, and every other generation would fall away, and God would punish them for this. We cannot be like them, but we must do as God says, for He loves us and wants to us to be happy, truly happy. It is amazing how good your and satisfying your life will be, not to mention your eternal salvation.
Thursday, June 25, 2015
One Faith: Age of the Earth and Dinosaurs Part 1
One Faith: Age of the Earth and Dinosaurs Part 1: With the new blockbuster movie about dinosaurs out in theatres, it amazes me how people just believe what "educated" people...
Monday, June 15, 2015
Age of the Earth and Dinosaurs Part 2
We left talking about dinosaurs, a subject that almost all people love, and definitely watch at the movies. The common belief is that dinosaurs are millions of years old and died out long before man ever evolved from the apes. However, this is what the scientists have told us, but what do the facts say? Well, let's take a look and see if the Bible mentions anything about them.
At first glance, there is no mention of them. Of course the word dinosaur would not be in it because dinosaurs were not "discovered" until the early 1800's. However, there is something interesting written about two specific creatures in the book of Job. In chapter 40 starting in verse 15, Job talks about a creature called Behemoth. Modern day dictionaries and even the American Standard version's dictionary say this is simply a hippopotamus, a large but not giant animal that is or at least was common in this area. But there is a problem with this by the description Job gives. This animal eats grass like an ox (hippos do not), his tail is like a cedar (a hippos is more like a reed), his bones are like tubes of brass and iron, and the mountains bring him food. He does not fear floods (which is the only likeness to a hippo), and there is no animal that he is afraid of. After reading this description, Job is clearly not speaking about a hippo, but something much, much larger. In fact, if you describe a Brontosaurus, it would sound much like Job's description would it not?
In the same book in the next chapter, Job begins describing a sea creature called Leviathan. Again, modern interpretations say this is a crocodile, a creature commonly found in the middle-east. In Job's description, notice he never mentions this animal being on land, where a croc spends much of his time. Leviathan is very large, can't be caught with a hook or rope, and has mighty scales that can't be broken. In verse 30 his underparts are "sharp potsherds", whereas a croc's is tough, yet penetrable. This animal also lives in the deep, much like a whale, which of course does not have scales nor tough skin. Job's leviathan appears to be uncatchable, a monster that man can't tame. Although crocs are large, mean, tough and cannot be tamed, Job not only calls it by a different name, but does not fit the description as given by the patriarch. Both animals appear to be something different than what we are familiar with today, possibly animals that are extinct.
All scholars believe Job is the oldest written book in the Bible, probably written before Moses, Abraham and even Noah, seeing as though none of them are mentioned in his book. So, if these were dinosaurs, they would be a just a few thousand years old, not millions. This could also mean that most of these beasts died during the great flood, could it not? If that were the case though, didn't Noah save at least a pair of each? The answer is yes, but we don't know when these animals died off either. Recently, a statue was found in Peru that was believed to be about 900 years old and was made by the local Indians. In the middle of this statue, with many other animals depicted all around it, was an obvious stegosaur, which of course would be "unknown" for around 1100 more years, and millions of years since their "extinction". How could it be possible that Peruvian Indians knew of these creatures unless they had seen one? Maybe, just maybe, scientists are wrong about when they died off and how.
First, the how. There are many different theories as to how dinosaurs became extinct, with the most popular being a meteor strike. That does not hold water though when considering that it only killed off "some" and not all of the animals on earth. After all, alligators, birds, insects and most mammals survived, and no crater large enough has ever been found. Disease is always a possibility, but again, there were other reptiles that were not affected. When you also consider that there may not have been near as many dinosaurs as we think, a simple dying away, something that happens very often, could have been the culprit. That, coupled with a worldwide flood that evidence of has been found on all continents, could have been the doom of these great animals.
What about the when? Scientists have convinced most that millions of years have passed since the last dinosaur walked the earth. How did they get that number? Mainly by using carbon 14 dating, which there is a long mathematical calculation that has to be considered. In this calculation, it must be determined how much C14 is forming in the atmosphere against how much is decaying and so on. To understand the whole process, please visit sites like anthropology.msu.com, livescience.com and others. According to Michigan State University, there is a major problem with C14 dating. The rate at which C14 is decaying is much larger than originally thought, almost 35% more, meaning that their numbers on dating could be off by extremely high numbers. In other words, no one can possibly know for sure how old anything is. This explains why trees on Mt. St. Helens known to be planted in the 1940's were dated 350,000 years old, because the decay was much larger than normal.
So what does all this really mean? Scientists are no closer today disproving God than Darwin was when he came up with his theory. They constantly must change their theories and calculations because as new things are discovered, they are forced to backtrack. Yet the truth of God and what He has told us never changes, and still is the only plausible reason. Why do men continue to try to prove the Bible is wrong? Because they don't believe in God, and many people simply follow along without doing due diligence themselves. You can do as I did and review all this yourself, and use the Bible in reference, and come up with the same conclusion. God is the true creator of all things, and no man or unproven theory will ever be able destroy Him. Grace be with you.
At first glance, there is no mention of them. Of course the word dinosaur would not be in it because dinosaurs were not "discovered" until the early 1800's. However, there is something interesting written about two specific creatures in the book of Job. In chapter 40 starting in verse 15, Job talks about a creature called Behemoth. Modern day dictionaries and even the American Standard version's dictionary say this is simply a hippopotamus, a large but not giant animal that is or at least was common in this area. But there is a problem with this by the description Job gives. This animal eats grass like an ox (hippos do not), his tail is like a cedar (a hippos is more like a reed), his bones are like tubes of brass and iron, and the mountains bring him food. He does not fear floods (which is the only likeness to a hippo), and there is no animal that he is afraid of. After reading this description, Job is clearly not speaking about a hippo, but something much, much larger. In fact, if you describe a Brontosaurus, it would sound much like Job's description would it not?
In the same book in the next chapter, Job begins describing a sea creature called Leviathan. Again, modern interpretations say this is a crocodile, a creature commonly found in the middle-east. In Job's description, notice he never mentions this animal being on land, where a croc spends much of his time. Leviathan is very large, can't be caught with a hook or rope, and has mighty scales that can't be broken. In verse 30 his underparts are "sharp potsherds", whereas a croc's is tough, yet penetrable. This animal also lives in the deep, much like a whale, which of course does not have scales nor tough skin. Job's leviathan appears to be uncatchable, a monster that man can't tame. Although crocs are large, mean, tough and cannot be tamed, Job not only calls it by a different name, but does not fit the description as given by the patriarch. Both animals appear to be something different than what we are familiar with today, possibly animals that are extinct.
All scholars believe Job is the oldest written book in the Bible, probably written before Moses, Abraham and even Noah, seeing as though none of them are mentioned in his book. So, if these were dinosaurs, they would be a just a few thousand years old, not millions. This could also mean that most of these beasts died during the great flood, could it not? If that were the case though, didn't Noah save at least a pair of each? The answer is yes, but we don't know when these animals died off either. Recently, a statue was found in Peru that was believed to be about 900 years old and was made by the local Indians. In the middle of this statue, with many other animals depicted all around it, was an obvious stegosaur, which of course would be "unknown" for around 1100 more years, and millions of years since their "extinction". How could it be possible that Peruvian Indians knew of these creatures unless they had seen one? Maybe, just maybe, scientists are wrong about when they died off and how.
First, the how. There are many different theories as to how dinosaurs became extinct, with the most popular being a meteor strike. That does not hold water though when considering that it only killed off "some" and not all of the animals on earth. After all, alligators, birds, insects and most mammals survived, and no crater large enough has ever been found. Disease is always a possibility, but again, there were other reptiles that were not affected. When you also consider that there may not have been near as many dinosaurs as we think, a simple dying away, something that happens very often, could have been the culprit. That, coupled with a worldwide flood that evidence of has been found on all continents, could have been the doom of these great animals.
What about the when? Scientists have convinced most that millions of years have passed since the last dinosaur walked the earth. How did they get that number? Mainly by using carbon 14 dating, which there is a long mathematical calculation that has to be considered. In this calculation, it must be determined how much C14 is forming in the atmosphere against how much is decaying and so on. To understand the whole process, please visit sites like anthropology.msu.com, livescience.com and others. According to Michigan State University, there is a major problem with C14 dating. The rate at which C14 is decaying is much larger than originally thought, almost 35% more, meaning that their numbers on dating could be off by extremely high numbers. In other words, no one can possibly know for sure how old anything is. This explains why trees on Mt. St. Helens known to be planted in the 1940's were dated 350,000 years old, because the decay was much larger than normal.
So what does all this really mean? Scientists are no closer today disproving God than Darwin was when he came up with his theory. They constantly must change their theories and calculations because as new things are discovered, they are forced to backtrack. Yet the truth of God and what He has told us never changes, and still is the only plausible reason. Why do men continue to try to prove the Bible is wrong? Because they don't believe in God, and many people simply follow along without doing due diligence themselves. You can do as I did and review all this yourself, and use the Bible in reference, and come up with the same conclusion. God is the true creator of all things, and no man or unproven theory will ever be able destroy Him. Grace be with you.
Age of the Earth and Dinosaurs Part 1
With the new blockbuster movie about dinosaurs out in theatres, it amazes me how people just believe what "educated" people tell them about the age of the earth, and the truth about dinosaurs. Of course when I say truth, I am talking about actual evidence and not a theory that can never be proven, a claim that even the most famous scientists admit. But few want to listen, and fewer even know the truth and what the Bible says on these matters. Like most everything else, the Bible is not silent on this. Again, these are not my opinions, but facts that are stated by experts and scientists, which I am neither, and I list when possible, where you can find these statements and search them for yourself. This is what I think is the most important issue in all of this, decide for yourself. Don't take the word of people as complete truth just because they have a P.H.D. or Masters, but yet can't prove anything. Study the evidence as well as the logic, and you might be surprised at the results.
First, let's take a look at how old the earth is. An exact date cannot be proven on either side, but what does the Bible say? In Genesis chapter 1, the Bible says God created the earth and everything on it in 6 days. Science of course says this is not possible and even laughable. Remember this though, most scientists are atheists, and will come up with any theory to counter anything in the Bible. In one theory, and the most famous one, they believe the universe was created by the "Big Bang", an incident that is very detailed and thought out, but cannot (according to Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking) ever be proven. This theory states that the whole universe was compacted into a very small mass, and the energy was so great that it exploded and after eons, the matter eventually formed into solar systems, with earth included. Eventually, after more eons, single cell life formed, crawled out of the ocean, and the rest is history. This of course is a much shortened version, and I am not trying to be disrespectful for some have spent lifetimes studying and writing this, so I encourage you to read more on this, but there are many problems that they can't seem to answer.
Not only does this go against God's Word, but science itself says there are many issues with it. One is this, how can life simply begin out of lifeless matter? Granted, they don't say it happened right away, but at some point it did happen, right? Well, science (or at least natural law) says this is impossible. The Law of Thermodynamics and Biogenesis, both of which are proven laws, states that matter when going through changes, is always weaker than it was in it's original state. For instance when you bend a piece of metal, it is weaker than before. It is never stronger, unless given added support by something with intelligence, such as man. Biogenesis proves that life cannot come from non-life, period. It cannot happen, no matter how hard science tries, it is impossible. Scientists all agree on this, except in the case of the beginning of the world and life on it. Where did life on earth begin? How did it begin if the laws of nature say it can't be done? Even Charles Darwin on his deathbed said he couldn't see how life started without a higher being designing it. So this should be a slam dunk for Christians, right? Enter the somewhat new theory of Theistic Evolution.
Theistic Evolution is the theory that the days in Genesis do not mean actual 24 hour periods, but could be hundreds or even thousands years apart, and evolution happened after creation by God. This appeases Christians who believe anything a scientist will tell them, but actually goes against both science AND the Bible. This theory also cannot be proven due to the facts stated above, but also goes against God's Word. How can they say the Word of God absolutely true, but was mistaken in the very beginning of the first book? Unfortunately, they are mistaken in a very key element. The Hebrew word used in Genesis chapter 1 is Yom, which is used many other times in the Old Testament, and every other time it means a 24 hour period. Hebrew does have a word for millennia, eons, centuries and other long periods of time which all can be found in the Old Testament as well, but is not used in Genesis. Why would the inspired writers do this? Because they were writing what God was directing them to write, the truth. Also, look at what things were created in order in Genesis. First there was light, then the land, then the plants which would need both land and light, and then the animals, which would need light, land and plants to survive. Granted, it may not take much to figure this out, but couple this with the other evidence and lack of evidence from science and theistic evolution, what makes logical sense? Friends, the earth and all that was on it was created in six 24 hour periods, just as God proclaimed. He was not mistaken nor misleading.
So now we come to another "confusing" subject to many. If the earth was created in six true days, the earth would still have to be millions of years old because dinosaurs are that old right? Well, what do we really know about our ancient friends? Many of us believe that there were countless dinosaurs roaming the entire earth and dominating their time. This may be far from the truth. So far, we have only found 700 different species of dinosaurs and a whopping 2,100 complete skeletons (pubs.usgs.org). Granted, there are many more to find, but how many? Compare those numbers with the numbers of other animals. There are 10,000 species of birds, 27,300 fish, 5,416 mammals and 950,000 insects. By these numbers, there were never anywhere near the amount that we really believe existed. Does this really matter though? Well, if what we originally believe was wrong, what else could be? Their age? Did they live at the same time as humans? Laughable again, right? Would it interest you to know that there is evidence that these animals might have lived with man, did not die off in a massive single disaster, and may not be near as old as once thought? Science again will tell you no, but again, is there a possibility they could be wrong? You bet. In the second part, we'll look at this as well as the problems scientists have with carbon dating and how old could the earth be?
First, let's take a look at how old the earth is. An exact date cannot be proven on either side, but what does the Bible say? In Genesis chapter 1, the Bible says God created the earth and everything on it in 6 days. Science of course says this is not possible and even laughable. Remember this though, most scientists are atheists, and will come up with any theory to counter anything in the Bible. In one theory, and the most famous one, they believe the universe was created by the "Big Bang", an incident that is very detailed and thought out, but cannot (according to Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking) ever be proven. This theory states that the whole universe was compacted into a very small mass, and the energy was so great that it exploded and after eons, the matter eventually formed into solar systems, with earth included. Eventually, after more eons, single cell life formed, crawled out of the ocean, and the rest is history. This of course is a much shortened version, and I am not trying to be disrespectful for some have spent lifetimes studying and writing this, so I encourage you to read more on this, but there are many problems that they can't seem to answer.
Not only does this go against God's Word, but science itself says there are many issues with it. One is this, how can life simply begin out of lifeless matter? Granted, they don't say it happened right away, but at some point it did happen, right? Well, science (or at least natural law) says this is impossible. The Law of Thermodynamics and Biogenesis, both of which are proven laws, states that matter when going through changes, is always weaker than it was in it's original state. For instance when you bend a piece of metal, it is weaker than before. It is never stronger, unless given added support by something with intelligence, such as man. Biogenesis proves that life cannot come from non-life, period. It cannot happen, no matter how hard science tries, it is impossible. Scientists all agree on this, except in the case of the beginning of the world and life on it. Where did life on earth begin? How did it begin if the laws of nature say it can't be done? Even Charles Darwin on his deathbed said he couldn't see how life started without a higher being designing it. So this should be a slam dunk for Christians, right? Enter the somewhat new theory of Theistic Evolution.
Theistic Evolution is the theory that the days in Genesis do not mean actual 24 hour periods, but could be hundreds or even thousands years apart, and evolution happened after creation by God. This appeases Christians who believe anything a scientist will tell them, but actually goes against both science AND the Bible. This theory also cannot be proven due to the facts stated above, but also goes against God's Word. How can they say the Word of God absolutely true, but was mistaken in the very beginning of the first book? Unfortunately, they are mistaken in a very key element. The Hebrew word used in Genesis chapter 1 is Yom, which is used many other times in the Old Testament, and every other time it means a 24 hour period. Hebrew does have a word for millennia, eons, centuries and other long periods of time which all can be found in the Old Testament as well, but is not used in Genesis. Why would the inspired writers do this? Because they were writing what God was directing them to write, the truth. Also, look at what things were created in order in Genesis. First there was light, then the land, then the plants which would need both land and light, and then the animals, which would need light, land and plants to survive. Granted, it may not take much to figure this out, but couple this with the other evidence and lack of evidence from science and theistic evolution, what makes logical sense? Friends, the earth and all that was on it was created in six 24 hour periods, just as God proclaimed. He was not mistaken nor misleading.
So now we come to another "confusing" subject to many. If the earth was created in six true days, the earth would still have to be millions of years old because dinosaurs are that old right? Well, what do we really know about our ancient friends? Many of us believe that there were countless dinosaurs roaming the entire earth and dominating their time. This may be far from the truth. So far, we have only found 700 different species of dinosaurs and a whopping 2,100 complete skeletons (pubs.usgs.org). Granted, there are many more to find, but how many? Compare those numbers with the numbers of other animals. There are 10,000 species of birds, 27,300 fish, 5,416 mammals and 950,000 insects. By these numbers, there were never anywhere near the amount that we really believe existed. Does this really matter though? Well, if what we originally believe was wrong, what else could be? Their age? Did they live at the same time as humans? Laughable again, right? Would it interest you to know that there is evidence that these animals might have lived with man, did not die off in a massive single disaster, and may not be near as old as once thought? Science again will tell you no, but again, is there a possibility they could be wrong? You bet. In the second part, we'll look at this as well as the problems scientists have with carbon dating and how old could the earth be?
Monday, March 30, 2015
Premillenialism and the Rapture
The subject of Premillennialism is important to me and to many millions of other people, but for many different reasons. This is a doctrine that I used to believe and subscribe to, even being the reason that I first started becoming interested in the secrets and mystery of the Bible. Many people from all types of Christian denominations believe that the Rapture is fact, and the time of it happening is at hand. There have been countless books and movies on this subject, the most famous of which was the "Left Behind" series, which I have read and must admit was very entertaining, but after close study, completely false. Please, let me explain by using scripture, and then I absolutely would love to hear what your opinions, and or facts are. The length of this post will be longer than others, so I will put the chapter and verse numbers up, but not write out the verse, so I encourage you to read these verses as you go.
People believe in the doctrine of Premillennialism because it is what they have been taught by their ministers or priests, but have not done a good study on this subject. Remember, we are to study the Word for ourselves and not rely on just what someone tells us (2 Tim. 2:15), for we are responsible for our own salvation. If someone teaches us something false, we should know or at the very least study what we are told, to ensure the Truth of the God's Word. And, after a close study, this doctrine is not found in scripture, it has been mistranslated and twisted.
The term Premillennialism comes from Latin, meaning "before", "1,000 year", "doctrine", and was first written and used in the late 1800's openly. The belief really appeals to man's love of the unknown, his love of mystery and secrets, which many falsely believe the Bible is all about. Jesus tells us though, "We can know the truth, and the truth will set you free." There is no mystery in the Bible. God has revealed to us exactly what He intended to, and it is up to us to accept it or not. It has been said you can prove or disprove anything with the Bible, but this is only true if you take one verse here, and put it with another verse there to come up with something that you want. We don't do this with any other book, so why do we do it with God's Word? This is what has happened to Premillennialism, or the belief that Christ will one day return to earth and sit upon a physical throne in Jerusalem. Here are the basic claims of this system.
1) God did not fulfill all of the land promise to the Israelites as first given to Abraham, then Isaac and Jacob.
2) Christ came to establish literal, earthly kingdom in Jerusalem.
3) The Jews foolishly rejected Christ, which was not expected, so God had to change plans.
4) The church was the substitute plan, temporary until kingdom would be established.
5) Christ, at this time is not on David's throne.
6) When the Lord comes to earth again, then He will be enthroned for 1,000 years.
7) When this happens, then the prophecies will all be fulfilled.
If any of these claims are proven to be false, then it only stands to reason that the whole doctrine should be ruled false. Again, because it would take a lot of time, and even more room, we will look at a couple of items that I think will make someone who believes in this, take a harder look at the scriptures.
First, let's look at the claim that the Jews rejecting Christ, caught God by surprise. This must be false without even question! If we are to believe that God is all-powerful and all-knowing, how could He have not known this? God created the universe, He parted the Red Sea and brought the ten plagues upon Egypt, and was able to feed His people manna while they were in the wilderness. Jesus healed many people, raised Lazarus from the dead, and He himself arose from the dead. Yet are we to believe that He was blindsided by the rejection of the Jews, and could not do anything to ensure God's plan? What many don't seem to realize, and the scriptures back this up, that this was indeed a part of the plan, God's grand scheme.
The church, which could not have been established until Christ sacrificed Himself, was and is God's eternal plan to redeem man. The plan was in place before the foundation of the world and God could, and did see that in time, man would sin, and He loved us so much that He made provisions so we can be reconciled with Him. That provision was sending His only son to be sacrificed for us (Luke 19:10). Without Him and the shedding of His blood, there would be no remission of sins according to Hebrews 9:22.
Jesus said seven things while He was on the cross, one of which was "It is finished" (John 19:30). What was finished? He came to earth to do the will of God who sent Him (John 5:30). He completed His task, this is why He said "It is finished". To say otherwise is to say either Christ mislead us, or God mislead Him in order to mislead us! God's eternal purpose (Eph. 3:10-11) was to offer sinful man a chance to redeem himself through the church which Jesus purchased with his blood (Acts 20:28). We can read that the kingdom has been established already (Mark 1:14-15; Mark 9:1; Luke 24), and happened exactly as the Old Testament predicted that it would (Isa. 2:2-3; Dan. 2:44; Micah 4:1-3). The kingdom that is talked about in the Old Testament is clearly the same as the church. When Peter exclaims in Acts 2:14-16, "This is that which was spoken of by Joel" is the kingdom AND the church! Peter was saying that what Joel had prophesied about, had now come to fruition.
Paul writes also that the kingdom and the church are the same (Eph. 3:9-11). If the kingdom was not established, how were Christians "in" the kingdom in Colossians 1:13? John also says that he was in the kingdom in Revelation 1:9. The writer of Hebrews also speaks of a present kingdom in Hebrews 12:28, which Christ is the head of (Eph. 1:22; Col.1:18).
Nowhere in scripture does it say Christ will reign over an earthly kingdom. In fact, Jesus denied this (John 6:15). Why would He establish a physical reign today when He taught against it? We know that His kingdom is eternal (Isa. 9:6-7), which is not a physical kingdom, nor ever says so. There is also no verse found in the Bible where Jesus will ever step foot on the earth again. This is a false man-made belief. The truth of the Word says that on the last great day, the Day of Judgment, Christians who believe and obey, will meet Him in the air (1 Thess. 4:17). Revelation also speaks of meeting Christ "In the clouds".
So what about Jesus sitting on the throne of David? The Bible tells us this is now the case, not something to take place in the distant future (Acts 2:29-33, Eph. 1, Rev. 1:5-6, Heb. 1:3-13, Joshua 21:43-45, Zech. 6:13, 1 Chronicles 29:23). With all of this combined, we can see how Christ is king of kings (1 Tim. 6:15), He gives us the Law (James 4:12), all authority was given to Him (Matthew 28:18, Eph. 1:22) and He will reign over His kingdom until death is destroyed (1 Cor. 15:24).
Those who teach the Premillennialist theory, rely on Revelation 20:1-3 as the basis of their belief, and as we have already seen, this is mistranslated to fit their doctrine. But let's look at the 1,000 year reign, as seen in this passage. We are expected to believe that literally, but not the other parts of that passage such as the bottomless pit, or the great chain. Why? I have not been able to find a good answer to that. Notice in this passage, nothing is said about Jesus' return, His physical rule in Jerusalem, an earthly kingdom, a literal throne, or a 1,000 year reign. And the Bible speaks of the great rapture and Christ's return to earth exactly zero times. Not once. Why? Because it is man-made and first introduced 1,800 years after the Bible was written.
So why is this doctrine so dangerous to believe? Because it is not from God, and in fact at times belittles God, and takes away the importance of Christ's sacrifice upon the cross. Anything that people claim is from God but isn't, is a doctrine of the devil, and must be avoided, as well as teachers who teach this. We can tell who is trying to mislead us by studying the Word, and trying what fallible men have told us. There will be a judgment day, and we will be judged by what we do and believe while we are here. But if we are waiting and teaching about the rapture, Satan is surely encouraging us to continue to do so. Follow God, and put your trust in His Word. Grace be with you.
People believe in the doctrine of Premillennialism because it is what they have been taught by their ministers or priests, but have not done a good study on this subject. Remember, we are to study the Word for ourselves and not rely on just what someone tells us (2 Tim. 2:15), for we are responsible for our own salvation. If someone teaches us something false, we should know or at the very least study what we are told, to ensure the Truth of the God's Word. And, after a close study, this doctrine is not found in scripture, it has been mistranslated and twisted.
The term Premillennialism comes from Latin, meaning "before", "1,000 year", "doctrine", and was first written and used in the late 1800's openly. The belief really appeals to man's love of the unknown, his love of mystery and secrets, which many falsely believe the Bible is all about. Jesus tells us though, "We can know the truth, and the truth will set you free." There is no mystery in the Bible. God has revealed to us exactly what He intended to, and it is up to us to accept it or not. It has been said you can prove or disprove anything with the Bible, but this is only true if you take one verse here, and put it with another verse there to come up with something that you want. We don't do this with any other book, so why do we do it with God's Word? This is what has happened to Premillennialism, or the belief that Christ will one day return to earth and sit upon a physical throne in Jerusalem. Here are the basic claims of this system.
1) God did not fulfill all of the land promise to the Israelites as first given to Abraham, then Isaac and Jacob.
2) Christ came to establish literal, earthly kingdom in Jerusalem.
3) The Jews foolishly rejected Christ, which was not expected, so God had to change plans.
4) The church was the substitute plan, temporary until kingdom would be established.
5) Christ, at this time is not on David's throne.
6) When the Lord comes to earth again, then He will be enthroned for 1,000 years.
7) When this happens, then the prophecies will all be fulfilled.
If any of these claims are proven to be false, then it only stands to reason that the whole doctrine should be ruled false. Again, because it would take a lot of time, and even more room, we will look at a couple of items that I think will make someone who believes in this, take a harder look at the scriptures.
First, let's look at the claim that the Jews rejecting Christ, caught God by surprise. This must be false without even question! If we are to believe that God is all-powerful and all-knowing, how could He have not known this? God created the universe, He parted the Red Sea and brought the ten plagues upon Egypt, and was able to feed His people manna while they were in the wilderness. Jesus healed many people, raised Lazarus from the dead, and He himself arose from the dead. Yet are we to believe that He was blindsided by the rejection of the Jews, and could not do anything to ensure God's plan? What many don't seem to realize, and the scriptures back this up, that this was indeed a part of the plan, God's grand scheme.
The church, which could not have been established until Christ sacrificed Himself, was and is God's eternal plan to redeem man. The plan was in place before the foundation of the world and God could, and did see that in time, man would sin, and He loved us so much that He made provisions so we can be reconciled with Him. That provision was sending His only son to be sacrificed for us (Luke 19:10). Without Him and the shedding of His blood, there would be no remission of sins according to Hebrews 9:22.
Jesus said seven things while He was on the cross, one of which was "It is finished" (John 19:30). What was finished? He came to earth to do the will of God who sent Him (John 5:30). He completed His task, this is why He said "It is finished". To say otherwise is to say either Christ mislead us, or God mislead Him in order to mislead us! God's eternal purpose (Eph. 3:10-11) was to offer sinful man a chance to redeem himself through the church which Jesus purchased with his blood (Acts 20:28). We can read that the kingdom has been established already (Mark 1:14-15; Mark 9:1; Luke 24), and happened exactly as the Old Testament predicted that it would (Isa. 2:2-3; Dan. 2:44; Micah 4:1-3). The kingdom that is talked about in the Old Testament is clearly the same as the church. When Peter exclaims in Acts 2:14-16, "This is that which was spoken of by Joel" is the kingdom AND the church! Peter was saying that what Joel had prophesied about, had now come to fruition.
Paul writes also that the kingdom and the church are the same (Eph. 3:9-11). If the kingdom was not established, how were Christians "in" the kingdom in Colossians 1:13? John also says that he was in the kingdom in Revelation 1:9. The writer of Hebrews also speaks of a present kingdom in Hebrews 12:28, which Christ is the head of (Eph. 1:22; Col.1:18).
Nowhere in scripture does it say Christ will reign over an earthly kingdom. In fact, Jesus denied this (John 6:15). Why would He establish a physical reign today when He taught against it? We know that His kingdom is eternal (Isa. 9:6-7), which is not a physical kingdom, nor ever says so. There is also no verse found in the Bible where Jesus will ever step foot on the earth again. This is a false man-made belief. The truth of the Word says that on the last great day, the Day of Judgment, Christians who believe and obey, will meet Him in the air (1 Thess. 4:17). Revelation also speaks of meeting Christ "In the clouds".
So what about Jesus sitting on the throne of David? The Bible tells us this is now the case, not something to take place in the distant future (Acts 2:29-33, Eph. 1, Rev. 1:5-6, Heb. 1:3-13, Joshua 21:43-45, Zech. 6:13, 1 Chronicles 29:23). With all of this combined, we can see how Christ is king of kings (1 Tim. 6:15), He gives us the Law (James 4:12), all authority was given to Him (Matthew 28:18, Eph. 1:22) and He will reign over His kingdom until death is destroyed (1 Cor. 15:24).
Those who teach the Premillennialist theory, rely on Revelation 20:1-3 as the basis of their belief, and as we have already seen, this is mistranslated to fit their doctrine. But let's look at the 1,000 year reign, as seen in this passage. We are expected to believe that literally, but not the other parts of that passage such as the bottomless pit, or the great chain. Why? I have not been able to find a good answer to that. Notice in this passage, nothing is said about Jesus' return, His physical rule in Jerusalem, an earthly kingdom, a literal throne, or a 1,000 year reign. And the Bible speaks of the great rapture and Christ's return to earth exactly zero times. Not once. Why? Because it is man-made and first introduced 1,800 years after the Bible was written.
So why is this doctrine so dangerous to believe? Because it is not from God, and in fact at times belittles God, and takes away the importance of Christ's sacrifice upon the cross. Anything that people claim is from God but isn't, is a doctrine of the devil, and must be avoided, as well as teachers who teach this. We can tell who is trying to mislead us by studying the Word, and trying what fallible men have told us. There will be a judgment day, and we will be judged by what we do and believe while we are here. But if we are waiting and teaching about the rapture, Satan is surely encouraging us to continue to do so. Follow God, and put your trust in His Word. Grace be with you.
Friday, February 13, 2015
Scriptures on Marriage
The subject of marriage is one that many preachers and ministers try to stay away from because so many today think it is ok to divorce, and many in their congregation have even been divorced. Chances are, you probably even know someone who has had a failed marriage, and probably for any reason that they thought was right. According to the Pew Research Center, for those who even choose to get married, the majority of marriages (60%) now end in divorce. Not surprisingly, those numbers drop dramatically for couples who belong and are active in their church. The numbers are higher for more liberal churches than conservative, but still lower than those who do not attend church at all. Of course, scriptures are not silent when it comes to marriage, in fact God has a lot to say on this subject, and if we follow Him, as we should, marriage would be treasured and not just thrown away.
First off, let's clear up the topic of same sex marriage. Supporters of this like to claim that the Bible says nothing about homosexuality and same sex marriage. Well, the word homosexuality is not in scriptures, but there is plenty about sexual deviancy, man laying with man, etc. that there is no need to speak of that here. We also know that in Old Testament times that God accepted marriage, and under Mosaic Law, one could divorce for any and all reasons. This changed however with the coming of Christ and the New Law. God still accepted marriage, as we read in John chapter 2 where Christ performed His first miracle at a wedding in Canna. But later on His ministry, we read in Matthew chapter 19, the Pharisees challenged Him on reasons for divorce. Christ, as always, does not hold back, and tells them what God expects. Chapter 19: 8-9 "He saith unto them, 'Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, Whosever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her that is put away doth commit adultery."
We can clearly see that even during Moses' day, divorce was tolerated by God due to the hardness of the people's hearts, but He didn't accept it. Now, however, the only acceptable reason for divorce, is when one party cheats on another. In verse 12 of the same chapter, the disciples asked Christ if it were best if men didn't marry, but Jesus answers in the negative, saying "He that is able to receive it, let him receive it." Through Christ's own words, it is good to find someone to share your life with, someone to have children with, someone to help you find heaven. But marriage is and should be for life, with only adultery being a Godly reason for divorce. Even with adultery though, it doesn't mean you must get a divorce, it is simply allowed by God. The symbolism of marriage can be used when reading about the Jewish people in the times of the Old Testament.
In Jeremiah 3:14, God is pleading with His "bride", the Jews, to come back to Him and turn away from idolatry. They were cheating on God, yet He asked them to come back. "Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family; and I will bring you to Zion." The point being made here is what I stated earlier, you don't have to divorce, but if you forgive, you must do so with all forgiveness, not holding the actions of your spouse over their head forever. If you can't do that, it might be best to divorce from them, but remember that to be a Christian, we must be able to forgive those who have trespassed against us. God was able to forgive the Israelites for their adultery for a time, but now Christ has come and we can only have forgiveness if we truly repent.
Marriage should not be taken lightly. God is, according to His own words, not pleased when we throw away our marriages for any reason. When we take those vows, we make them with God as well, and He expects us to uphold them. According to Him, we need to know that if we remarry after an unscriptural divorce, we are not married in His eyes. This is why it is so important that we truly know the person that we are to marry. Will they make a good mother or father to our children, will they follow God and do as He commands and help us achieve our goals? Too many of us marry too quickly without getting to know that person. Usually, we will be able to see the person's character after spending more time with them. It may not always be the case, which sometimes raises problems.
I have been asked a few times, what if the wife is living in a violent relationship? Usually, someone who is abusive becomes abusive while they are dating. Of course, if this happens, do not marry that person. But if they become abusive after marriage, is the woman commanded to stay? In searching scripture, there is nothing that states you must stay when a man is beating you. You should be allowed to protect yourself and your children by getting away from that person, but unfortunately, the rules for divorce still apply. Most times, if a man is coward enough to beat on a woman, he doesn't have enough morals to stop himself from cheating as well. Again though, this is why it is so important to know, truly know, everything about the person you want to spend the rest of your life with.
As I said, this is not always a very popular subject to write or speak about, but it is very important to know what God expects out of us. He wants us to love our spouse just as Christ loved the church, and treat them just as we should treat God. Marriage is so much more than a piece of legal paper, it is a vow with each other and with God that we should uphold at all times. Many churches have either split over this subject, or have lost many members because they have been divorced and are now remarried for unscriptural reasons, and they believe that this should be allowed. However, God makes it clear what is and isn't allowed, and we can't change His laws to suit our needs, no matter what the law is. I have been blessed with being married to my wife for 19 wonderful years, and pray for many, many more. As always, I am more than happy to discuss with anyone this or any other issues that you might have. Grace be with you.
First off, let's clear up the topic of same sex marriage. Supporters of this like to claim that the Bible says nothing about homosexuality and same sex marriage. Well, the word homosexuality is not in scriptures, but there is plenty about sexual deviancy, man laying with man, etc. that there is no need to speak of that here. We also know that in Old Testament times that God accepted marriage, and under Mosaic Law, one could divorce for any and all reasons. This changed however with the coming of Christ and the New Law. God still accepted marriage, as we read in John chapter 2 where Christ performed His first miracle at a wedding in Canna. But later on His ministry, we read in Matthew chapter 19, the Pharisees challenged Him on reasons for divorce. Christ, as always, does not hold back, and tells them what God expects. Chapter 19: 8-9 "He saith unto them, 'Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, Whosever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her that is put away doth commit adultery."
We can clearly see that even during Moses' day, divorce was tolerated by God due to the hardness of the people's hearts, but He didn't accept it. Now, however, the only acceptable reason for divorce, is when one party cheats on another. In verse 12 of the same chapter, the disciples asked Christ if it were best if men didn't marry, but Jesus answers in the negative, saying "He that is able to receive it, let him receive it." Through Christ's own words, it is good to find someone to share your life with, someone to have children with, someone to help you find heaven. But marriage is and should be for life, with only adultery being a Godly reason for divorce. Even with adultery though, it doesn't mean you must get a divorce, it is simply allowed by God. The symbolism of marriage can be used when reading about the Jewish people in the times of the Old Testament.
In Jeremiah 3:14, God is pleading with His "bride", the Jews, to come back to Him and turn away from idolatry. They were cheating on God, yet He asked them to come back. "Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family; and I will bring you to Zion." The point being made here is what I stated earlier, you don't have to divorce, but if you forgive, you must do so with all forgiveness, not holding the actions of your spouse over their head forever. If you can't do that, it might be best to divorce from them, but remember that to be a Christian, we must be able to forgive those who have trespassed against us. God was able to forgive the Israelites for their adultery for a time, but now Christ has come and we can only have forgiveness if we truly repent.
Marriage should not be taken lightly. God is, according to His own words, not pleased when we throw away our marriages for any reason. When we take those vows, we make them with God as well, and He expects us to uphold them. According to Him, we need to know that if we remarry after an unscriptural divorce, we are not married in His eyes. This is why it is so important that we truly know the person that we are to marry. Will they make a good mother or father to our children, will they follow God and do as He commands and help us achieve our goals? Too many of us marry too quickly without getting to know that person. Usually, we will be able to see the person's character after spending more time with them. It may not always be the case, which sometimes raises problems.
I have been asked a few times, what if the wife is living in a violent relationship? Usually, someone who is abusive becomes abusive while they are dating. Of course, if this happens, do not marry that person. But if they become abusive after marriage, is the woman commanded to stay? In searching scripture, there is nothing that states you must stay when a man is beating you. You should be allowed to protect yourself and your children by getting away from that person, but unfortunately, the rules for divorce still apply. Most times, if a man is coward enough to beat on a woman, he doesn't have enough morals to stop himself from cheating as well. Again though, this is why it is so important to know, truly know, everything about the person you want to spend the rest of your life with.
As I said, this is not always a very popular subject to write or speak about, but it is very important to know what God expects out of us. He wants us to love our spouse just as Christ loved the church, and treat them just as we should treat God. Marriage is so much more than a piece of legal paper, it is a vow with each other and with God that we should uphold at all times. Many churches have either split over this subject, or have lost many members because they have been divorced and are now remarried for unscriptural reasons, and they believe that this should be allowed. However, God makes it clear what is and isn't allowed, and we can't change His laws to suit our needs, no matter what the law is. I have been blessed with being married to my wife for 19 wonderful years, and pray for many, many more. As always, I am more than happy to discuss with anyone this or any other issues that you might have. Grace be with you.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Is Anger a Sin?
Many people say one of the biggest problems with the nature of man, is his anger. There are countless books on the subject, therapists and psychologists make a very good living dealing with people with anger issues, and many churches have begun teaching that anger in itself is a sin. They teach that a good Christian does not get angry because he has nothing but love in his heart. However, this is not even a logical argument because it is in human nature, and okay to become angry, but it is how you deal with that anger that effects you spiritually. Even Christ Himself wasn't above getting angry, as we read in John chapter 2. In reading this incident though, we can see the example that Jesus gives us as to why He was angry, but also how we should handle it.
In John chapter 2, Jesus has entered Jerusalem to observe Passover, and upon arriving at the temple, he finds what can be best described as a market that is set up on the grounds. Verse 15ff: "And he made a scourge of cords, and cast all out of the temple, both the sheep and oxen; and he poured out the changers money, and overthrew their tables." He then tells them in verse 16, "Take these things hence; and make not my Father's house a house of merchandise." Jesus was angry over what they were doing, but His actions were not sinful, because we know that He was sinless (Heb. 4:15). What He did, however, was stand up for what He believed, and stood for God. He does this many times in His ministry, standing for what is right, and showing those that were in error how they were wrong.
Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:26 "Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down on your wrath". It is okay and natural to get angry, especially when someone mocks you for believing in God or standing for scripture, but he warns us to not let that anger smolder and build up. We are expected to stand up for what is right, even when it's unpopular, like the Bible is and always has been. But if we don't fight for God, and just let the argument alone, can we say we truly care for that other person's soul if we don't try to show them the truth? Ephesians 5:11 says that we should stay away from evil, and reprove those who spread it. 1 Corinthians 16:13 tells us we are to stand fast in the faith. How can we do that if we don't have a discussion when someone attacks God? And when they do, and they will, you might become angry, but be slow to anger, and use the Bible as your weapon. Not to hit someone with of course, but by using the scripture that God gave us to defend Him, and save souls.
There are those out there that seem to be angry all the time, those that are looking for a fight and just love to argue, even when they're wrong. I used to be that type of person, but upon study of the Bible, I have learned not to argue out of anger, but with truth. And there comes a time when we must walk away from those who will not hear or reason, for a discussion will easily lead to an argument, but we must also be good stewards of our time. If we spend all of our time arguing with one who won't listen, how many have we lost in the process? I'm not saying we should ever give up, but probably approaching them later, after the seed has been planted, might be a better idea. We should also note what the Bible says about those who are angry all the time as well. Proverbs 14:17 Tells us to control our anger and not be foolish, and Proverbs 22:24 and 29:22 warns us to stay away from foolish anger.
The reason why I wrote on this subject, is because it has become common place for those who don't love God or are not willing to listen to the Word, want to accuse Christians of being pushy, or just let all believe they want and leave well enough alone. In fact, the men at the temple that day asked Jesus what right did He have to do this. God has given us the right to stand fast in the faith, and fight for Him. What a wonderful present we are giving to Satan when we don't, because he doesn't need us to worship him, he just needs us to remain silent, and not spread the Word of God. Losing our temper is a tool of Satan's, but going the opposite is useful to him as well, but using our heads, speaking from our hearts and scripture is the last thing he wants. Fight the good fight of faith, and stand on the promises of God. Grace be with you.
In John chapter 2, Jesus has entered Jerusalem to observe Passover, and upon arriving at the temple, he finds what can be best described as a market that is set up on the grounds. Verse 15ff: "And he made a scourge of cords, and cast all out of the temple, both the sheep and oxen; and he poured out the changers money, and overthrew their tables." He then tells them in verse 16, "Take these things hence; and make not my Father's house a house of merchandise." Jesus was angry over what they were doing, but His actions were not sinful, because we know that He was sinless (Heb. 4:15). What He did, however, was stand up for what He believed, and stood for God. He does this many times in His ministry, standing for what is right, and showing those that were in error how they were wrong.
Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:26 "Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down on your wrath". It is okay and natural to get angry, especially when someone mocks you for believing in God or standing for scripture, but he warns us to not let that anger smolder and build up. We are expected to stand up for what is right, even when it's unpopular, like the Bible is and always has been. But if we don't fight for God, and just let the argument alone, can we say we truly care for that other person's soul if we don't try to show them the truth? Ephesians 5:11 says that we should stay away from evil, and reprove those who spread it. 1 Corinthians 16:13 tells us we are to stand fast in the faith. How can we do that if we don't have a discussion when someone attacks God? And when they do, and they will, you might become angry, but be slow to anger, and use the Bible as your weapon. Not to hit someone with of course, but by using the scripture that God gave us to defend Him, and save souls.
There are those out there that seem to be angry all the time, those that are looking for a fight and just love to argue, even when they're wrong. I used to be that type of person, but upon study of the Bible, I have learned not to argue out of anger, but with truth. And there comes a time when we must walk away from those who will not hear or reason, for a discussion will easily lead to an argument, but we must also be good stewards of our time. If we spend all of our time arguing with one who won't listen, how many have we lost in the process? I'm not saying we should ever give up, but probably approaching them later, after the seed has been planted, might be a better idea. We should also note what the Bible says about those who are angry all the time as well. Proverbs 14:17 Tells us to control our anger and not be foolish, and Proverbs 22:24 and 29:22 warns us to stay away from foolish anger.
The reason why I wrote on this subject, is because it has become common place for those who don't love God or are not willing to listen to the Word, want to accuse Christians of being pushy, or just let all believe they want and leave well enough alone. In fact, the men at the temple that day asked Jesus what right did He have to do this. God has given us the right to stand fast in the faith, and fight for Him. What a wonderful present we are giving to Satan when we don't, because he doesn't need us to worship him, he just needs us to remain silent, and not spread the Word of God. Losing our temper is a tool of Satan's, but going the opposite is useful to him as well, but using our heads, speaking from our hearts and scripture is the last thing he wants. Fight the good fight of faith, and stand on the promises of God. Grace be with you.
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Is War Ever Righteous?
More to the point, is joining the army of your country, ok with God? This is a question that has been debated in just about every denomination, non-denomination, and religion in the world. Even in the Muslim world, there are some who live to fight, and others who claim killing is wrong. I live in the United States (some who read this live in Africa and India), and other than a questionable reasoning with the Indian wars of the 1800's, the U.S. has used it's military for the defense of our country or for defense of friends. I always believed this to be righteous, and after reading scripture, I still do. But what if the country you live in, starts wars for the reason of land, money, oil or any reason other than defense? What if it starts a war for defense of Christ? The scriptures are not silent on this subject, and history has shown us men will start wars for any reason.
Romans chapter 13 tells us that we are to respect our government. "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosever resists the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation." 2 Peter 2:13-14 might explain it better, "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto the governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well" Now this tells us that we should obey the laws of our respected governments, as long as they obey God's, which should always come first, but says nothing of military. It has been argued that you have an obligation to defend your government as part of this obeying, but unless it is a law, such as a draft, I don't see this in scripture. It has also been argued by preachers in every belief, that we should not join or take an oath to anyone other than God. However, there is little or no evidence of this in scripture either. In the United States, the argument became a major one in the 1850's until the end of the great Civil War.
Of course few Americans had brought this up until the Civil War, but when they saw that a war would break out that pitted brother against brother, and men from every Christian belief would be fighting against each other, and both sides believed God was on their side. It can be argued that the North was fighting for the end of slavery and keeping the Union intact, while the South could argue they were living under submission of aggressive administration impeding on their rights. Was God with either side? It is truly hard to say, and no answer will be found searching scriptures. When American military began fighting against the Indians for land, this is not something I believe God would be in favor of, yet soldiers had to follow orders and do as they were commanded.
England however, considered another Christian nation, has a somewhat darker history. In the late 1600's through the early 1900's, Britain was putting soldiers on the ground for the purpose of spreading their empire. There was no reason for defense or defense of their allies. Is this the proper actions of Christians who teach to love one another and respect governments?
During the Middle-Ages, the nations of Europe under the leadership of the Catholic Pope, joined together in the Crusades and fought for the Holy Land under the banner of God. I don't believe these actions are by any stretch authorized in scriptures. God does not care about land, He only cares about the souls of men. Yes, there was a time when God commanded men like Joshua and the judges of Israel to conquer and destroy lands in the Old Testament, but that was for the establishment of the Promised Land where our savior was to come from. But does God hold accountable the soldiers that fought for evil leaders? The only thing I can say for sure, is that God holds each of us accountable for our own actions, and we don't have to join the military if we so choose. If you live in a country where you must join by law, then you must follow the commands as set forth in Romans and 1 Peter.
In closing, we should remember the example of the conversion of the house of Cornelius in the Book of Acts. Cornelius was a centurion, a Roman commander who served under Caesar who was not exactly friendly to Christians. After Peter baptized Cornelius, nothing was said about his resigning from the army before he was baptized, or resigning after. We have to assume that Cornelius went on being a soldier for Rome, but now as a Christian. I believe what we can come away with in the end is that God wants us to be with Him, and if we decide to join the military, He still expects us to walk with Him and do what is right. We must pray for our world leaders, even if we don't agree with their policies, that they use their armies for reasons of defense only, and to allow all to worship freely. The veterans of this country, such as members of my family like my father, uncle, grandfather, cousin, should be honored and thanked for their service. For without them and those like them, we would not be free to worship God, and live in a free society.
If all nations of this world believed one belief, and worshipped in unity, we would have no reason to have militaries and worry about oppressive governments. Ephesians 4:4-6, Paul pleads with us to do this, but of course he knew as God did, that this could never be. So, yes, armies are needed in my opinion, but are only righteous when protecting those who cannot protect themselves. Grace be with you.
Romans chapter 13 tells us that we are to respect our government. "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosever resists the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation." 2 Peter 2:13-14 might explain it better, "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto the governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well" Now this tells us that we should obey the laws of our respected governments, as long as they obey God's, which should always come first, but says nothing of military. It has been argued that you have an obligation to defend your government as part of this obeying, but unless it is a law, such as a draft, I don't see this in scripture. It has also been argued by preachers in every belief, that we should not join or take an oath to anyone other than God. However, there is little or no evidence of this in scripture either. In the United States, the argument became a major one in the 1850's until the end of the great Civil War.
Of course few Americans had brought this up until the Civil War, but when they saw that a war would break out that pitted brother against brother, and men from every Christian belief would be fighting against each other, and both sides believed God was on their side. It can be argued that the North was fighting for the end of slavery and keeping the Union intact, while the South could argue they were living under submission of aggressive administration impeding on their rights. Was God with either side? It is truly hard to say, and no answer will be found searching scriptures. When American military began fighting against the Indians for land, this is not something I believe God would be in favor of, yet soldiers had to follow orders and do as they were commanded.
England however, considered another Christian nation, has a somewhat darker history. In the late 1600's through the early 1900's, Britain was putting soldiers on the ground for the purpose of spreading their empire. There was no reason for defense or defense of their allies. Is this the proper actions of Christians who teach to love one another and respect governments?
During the Middle-Ages, the nations of Europe under the leadership of the Catholic Pope, joined together in the Crusades and fought for the Holy Land under the banner of God. I don't believe these actions are by any stretch authorized in scriptures. God does not care about land, He only cares about the souls of men. Yes, there was a time when God commanded men like Joshua and the judges of Israel to conquer and destroy lands in the Old Testament, but that was for the establishment of the Promised Land where our savior was to come from. But does God hold accountable the soldiers that fought for evil leaders? The only thing I can say for sure, is that God holds each of us accountable for our own actions, and we don't have to join the military if we so choose. If you live in a country where you must join by law, then you must follow the commands as set forth in Romans and 1 Peter.
In closing, we should remember the example of the conversion of the house of Cornelius in the Book of Acts. Cornelius was a centurion, a Roman commander who served under Caesar who was not exactly friendly to Christians. After Peter baptized Cornelius, nothing was said about his resigning from the army before he was baptized, or resigning after. We have to assume that Cornelius went on being a soldier for Rome, but now as a Christian. I believe what we can come away with in the end is that God wants us to be with Him, and if we decide to join the military, He still expects us to walk with Him and do what is right. We must pray for our world leaders, even if we don't agree with their policies, that they use their armies for reasons of defense only, and to allow all to worship freely. The veterans of this country, such as members of my family like my father, uncle, grandfather, cousin, should be honored and thanked for their service. For without them and those like them, we would not be free to worship God, and live in a free society.
If all nations of this world believed one belief, and worshipped in unity, we would have no reason to have militaries and worry about oppressive governments. Ephesians 4:4-6, Paul pleads with us to do this, but of course he knew as God did, that this could never be. So, yes, armies are needed in my opinion, but are only righteous when protecting those who cannot protect themselves. Grace be with you.
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