Christ Support

2012-02-28T17:32:00.001-05:00

Who is Jesus?

In chemistry,

He turned water to wine.

In biology, He was born without the normal conception;

In physics, He disproved the law of gravity when He ascended into heaven;

In economics, He disproved the law of diminishing return by feeding 5000 men with two fishes and 5 loaves of bread;

In medicine, He cured the sick and the blind without administering a single dose of drugs,

In history, He is the beginning and the end;

In government, He said that He shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace;

In religion, He said no one comes to the Father except through Him;

So.

Who is He?

He is Jesus!

Join me and let's celebrate Him;

He is worthy.

The eyes be-holding this message shall not behold evil, the hand that will share this message with everybody shall not labor in vain, and the mouth saying

Amen to this prayer shall smile forever.

Remain in God and seek His face always.

Amen!

In God I've found everything!

The Greatest Man in History Jesus had no servants, yet they called Him Master.

Had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher.

Had no medicines, yet they called Him Healer.

He had no army, yet kings feared Him.
He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world.

He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him.

He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today.

I feel honoured to serve such a Leader who loves us!

If you believe in God and in Jesus Christ His Son.

Share this with everyone you know.
Let someone know of the works of the Lord thy God.

Also note, you are sharing this without any threat but just let the whole world appreciate the Lord of Lords.
Do not hesitate........

Holiness And Victory Over Sin

2012-01-17T19:20:00.002-05:00

Holy Father, we humble our hearts before you. We want to rightly divide your Word. We want to understand your Word. We want to live your Word. We want to glorify you. In Jesus' mighty name! Amen!

Last time when we stopped, we were in the middle of a study of Heb. 10:8-18. Now we're ready for Heb. 10:14, a very important verse. For a start I'll read Heb. 10:10, 14 from the "New American Standard Bible," 1977 edition, which was used in my book. The book is titled, "Holiness and Victory Over Sin: Full Salvation Through the Atoning Death of the Lord Jesus Christ." (The book is available at my website and at amazon.com.) Hebrews 10:10, "By this will [the will of God, which was spoken of in verses 7, 9] we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. ["We have been sanctified." That's a perfect tense in the Greek, which communicates the idea that we have been sanctified and we now live in an abiding state of holiness.] (14) For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified."

I'll read what I said in my book under the words, "For by one offering He has perfected" (but as I have mentioned, sometimes I modify what is written in the book for these articles). The old covenant sacrifices could not perfect the worshippers, because, as we have seen, they could not dethrone sin, impart spiritual life, or sanctify the hearts and lives of the believers (see Heb. 7:11, 19; 9:9; and 10:1). I'll read Heb. 10:1, "For the Law [the Mosaic Law, which was the foundation for the old covenant], since it has only a shadow of the good things to come [referring to new covenant salvation, which is based on the sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus Christ] and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near."

"By one offering," however, the Lord Jesus Christ has dethroned sin, imparted spiritual life, sanctified believers, and removed the veil at the entrance to the holy of holies, thereby opening the way into the presence of God. "For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified" (Heb. 10:14). The PERFECTIION of believers includes having spiritual life and being sanctified, and it includes having access to God (see, for example, Heb. 7:19, 25; 10:19-22; and Eph. 2:18-22). On the words, "He has perfected," see Heb. 11:39, 40. I have an endnote that discusses these verses. I'll read the endnote, Since these verses (Heb. 11:39, 40) are quite important, and since their meaning is not especially obvious, it will be helpful to discuss them.

First I'll read Heb. 11:39, 40, "And all these [the believers from Old Testament days, who are spoken of throughout Hebrews chapter 11], having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, (40) because God had provided something better for us [for us new covenant believers], so that apart from us they should not be made perfect." The believers who lived in the days of the Old Testament could "not receive what was promised" until it became available through the atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ and new covenant salvation. "What was promised" includes the being "made perfect" spoken of in Heb. 11:40 (and in Heb. 10:14 and other verses). Hebrews 11:40 says that "apart from us they could not be made perfect." They had to wait for the Lord Jesus Christ to overthrow spiritual death and sin by His atoning death and to open the way into the presence of God. Now that this salvation has become available, these believers HAVE BEEN MADE PERFECT along with us, the new covenant believers.

Although this perfection has been provided for new covenant believers, many Christians have not been walking in the fullness of this perfection. For one thing, THIS PERFECTION INCLUDES BEING SANCTIFIED AND LIVING IN A STATE OF HOLINESS. True Christians can sin, but to the extent we sin, we are not living in a state of holiness, or walking in the perfection spoken of here. But as long as we are living in the center of God's will, by His saving grace, by faith, it can be said that we have been perfected, even though it is understood that we still have the potential to walk in the flesh and to sin, even though it is understood that we still have a need to grow in the things of God, and even though it is understood that we have not been glorified yet.

Let's briefly discuss what it meant for those Old Testament believers to be perfected. Hebrews 12:23 speaks of those believers with the words, "the spirits of righteous men made perfect," and it shows that they are now in heaven. They are called "spirits" because they died physically and have not yet received their resurrection bodies. They are called "righteous" because they were believers and were accepted by God; and as Hebrews chapter 11 and many other passages show, those believers lived (relatively) righteous lives (by grace) through faith (see Heb. 11:4, 7, 33; and Gen. 6:9, for example). I'll read part of Gen. 6:9, "Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God."

Although those believers lived relatively righteous lives, they are saved by grace through the atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ. Before He had dethroned sin and death (both spiritual death and physical death) and made them perfect, those believers were in spiritual death, like all the descendants of Adam. At death they went to Sheol/Hades (the abode of the dead), but not in the sense that it was a place of punishment for them (see, for example, Gen. 37:35; Psalm 16:10; Isa. 38:10; Luke 16:22-31; 23:43; and Acts 2:27-32). ("Sheol" is a Hebrew word; "Hades" is a Greek word.) The name "Paradise" was sometimes used for the believer's compartment in Sheol/Hades. (These things are discussed in more detail in my verse-by-verse discussion of Ephesians chapter 4 on my internet site: Google to Karl Kemp Teaching.) Now that the sin problem has been solved and spiritual death has been overthrown through the atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ, those believers have been taken to heaven. This is a big part of what it meant for the Old Testament believers to be "made perfect."

Those believers are still waiting for their resurrection bodies (with the exception of the select group mentioned in Matt. 27:52, 53), even as new covenant believers are waiting. The glory reserved for us in the future, including reigning with the Lord Jesus Christ, will come to us (all believers) through His all-important atoning death. (I recommend the commentary by F. F. Bruce on these verses ("Epistle to the Hebrews," published by Eerdmans in 1964) and the commentary by F. Delitzsch ("Epistle to the Hebrews," a 1978 reprint by Klock and Klock). That completes the endnote, now I'll turn back to where we were on page 159.

I'll read Heb. 10:14 again, "For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified." I'll read what I said under the words "for all time." This "one offering" solved the sin problem for all believers, including the believers from Old Testament days (see Heb. 11:39, 40). Every person who enters God's new Jerusalem will enter because of this one offering (see Rev. 21:27, for example). And if a Christian should slip into sin, restoration is provided when they repent through this same "one offering" (see 1 John 2:1, 2, for example).

I'll comment briefly on the words, "those who are sanctified" of Heb. 10:14, "Those who are sanctified" are the one who "have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" of Heb. 10:10. They have been set apart by God for God, set apart from everything unholy and sinful.

Now we come to the subheading, "A Discussion of Hebrews 8:6-13 and 9:13, 14." These passages are very important, and they will help us understand Heb. 10:8-18. I'll read Heb. 8:6-13 from the NIV, "But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs [the old covenant high priests] as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises. (7) For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. (8) But God found fault with the people and said: 'The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. ["The Lord" is Yahweh in the Hebrew throughout this passage. We Gentiles can be very thankful for the fact that God has invited us to be saved through the new covenant too.] (9) It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord. (10) [This is a very important verse. It speaks of God's sanctifying His people by an inner transformation.] This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws within their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. (11) No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, "Know the Lord." Because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. (12) For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.' (13) By calling this covenant 'new,' he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear." The very important quotation contained in verses 8-12 is from Jer. 31:31-34, a very important prophecy.

I'll read what I said under Heb. 8:9, This verse shows why a new and better covenant was needed. The people of Israel were sinners (like the rest of the offspring of Adam), and they rather consistently broke the old covenant"they did not continue in [God's] covenant."

I'll read Heb. 8:10 again, then comment on this super-important verse. "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people." This verse is extremely important to help us understand the nature of the new covenant salvation that became available through the all-important atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ. At Mt. Sinai God had given the people of Israel His laws, but in general, they did not take His laws into their hearts and live by them (see Heb. 8:9). By the new covenant, however, God dethroned the sin and spiritual death that was reigning in the hearts of His people; by His indwelling, life-giving, sanctifying Spirit, He puts His laws "in their minds" and "on their hearts." (The renewal of the mind by the Word of God and the Spirit of God is discussed under Rom. 8:5-7 in chapter 6 of this book.) These words through Jeremiah were an effective way for God to say that He would make His people (true Israel) righteous and holy. Christians (as they walk by faith and by the Holy Spirit) fulfill the requirement of God's Law in their daily lives (see Rom. 8:4, for example).

Under Heb. 8:11 I said, God's people know Him on and experiential level through His indwelling Spirit (see, for example, John 17:3; Rom. 8:14-16; and 1 John 2:3, 4, 12-14). And under verse 12 I said, This verse speaks of the all-important forgiveness of sins that has been provided through the atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now we come to the subheading Hebrews 9:13, 14. These verses are very important, but I'll skip them for this article. Now we come to Heb. 10:15-18. We have already discussed Heb. 10:8-14. I'll read these verses from the New American Standard Bible, 1977 edition, but I don't fully agree with this translation. We'll get into the details as we continue. "And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, (16) 'This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws upon their heart, and upon their mind I will write them.' He then says, 'and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.' (18) Now where there is forgiveness [Greek aphesis] of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin."

Hebrews 10:15 says "the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us." The writer of Hebrews means that the Holy Spirit bears witness to the truthfulness of what has been said in the preceding verses about the sin problem (which was not solved by the old covenant) being solved now through new covenant salvation. The idea is that the Holy Spirit bears witness in that He was the One who spoke through Jeremiah the prophet, who is loosely quoted in the two verses that follow, verses 16, 17.

Now we'll discuss Heb. 10:16, 17. This loose quotation from Jer. 31:31-34, which was quoted in fuller form in Heb. 8:8-12 (verses that I quoted above), confirms that the sin problem has been fully solved by the new covenant. In Heb. 10:16, 17 the writer just loosely quotes that part of Jer. 31:31-34 that directly deals with salvation from sin. Especially relevant is his loose quotation of the words, "I will put My laws upon their heart, and on their mind I will write them" in verse 16. This "quotation" effectively shows that a major feature of new covenant salvation is the inner transformation (sanctification) of believers. New covenant believers are set free from the authority and power of sin and enabled to live in the righteousness and holiness of God. He puts His righteous laws upon the hearts and minds of Christians, and as we walk by the Holy Spirit (by faith, in accordance with the gospel), we fulfill the requirement of God's moral Law (see Rom.8:4; 2:26, 27; and Ezek. 36:26, 27). That part of Jer. 31:31-34 that is quoted in Heb. 10:17 speaks of complete forgiveness as God remembers our sins and lawless deeds no more.

At the end of verse 16, the NASB has the words "He then says" in italics. The KJV has nothing to correspond with these added words, and my United Bible Societies' "Greek New Testament" (fourth revised edition) does not include these words. The manuscript evidence for these added words is extremely weak. I believe it is very important that we do not include these added words. If we add these words, we set the stage to misunderstand verse 18, which is a very important summarizing verse The super-important words "I will put my laws upon their heart, and upon their mind I will write them" of verse 16 are wrongly isolated from verse 18 by these added words.

It is true that we expect some words like "He then says" because verse 15 ends with the words "for after saying," and we expect the counterpart for these words. However, if we were to add words like "He then says," we should add them in the middle of verse 16, just before the words, "I will put my laws upon their heart." That way the added words would not lead to a misinterpretation of verse 18. As quite a few commentators have pointed out, apparently the writer of Hebrews used the words that were translated "says the Lord" to serve as the counterpart for the words at the end of verse 15.

Now we come to Heb. 10:18. I'll read the verse again, but I'm not satisfied with this translation, "Now where there is forgiveness [Greek "aphesis"] of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin." Rightly understood, this verse well summarizes the fact that the sin problem has been fully solved in the One Sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, very much including the inner transformation (sanctification) spoken of with the words, "I will put my laws upon their heart, and upon their mind I will write them." I believe it is clear that "forgiveness" is not an adequate translation for aphesis here in verse 18, at least not if we think of forgiveness in the widely accepted narrow sense of the forgiveness of the guilt of sin. In earlier articles we rather thoroughly discussed the fact that aphesis is sometimes used in a much fuller sense in the New Testament.

I believe an expanded translation like the following conveys the intended meaning, "Now where there is RELEASE from these things [that is, release from being under our sins with the guilt and the penalties (back to Adam)WITH THE EMPHASIS ON OUR BEING RELEASED FROM THE PENALTIES OF SPIRITUAL DEATH AND BONDAGE TO SIN]there is no longer any offering for sin." Since His one Sacrifice fully solved the sin problem, there is no longer a need for further sacrificial offerings.

Actually, if all we had was the forgiveness of the guilt of sin, we would still need a Savior to set us free from bondage to sin, spiritual death, and Satan. We would still be spiritually dead sinners in rebellion against God and His laws. However, since the One Sacrifice was fully effective and met every need, as the writer of Hebrews says again and again, there is no need for any further sacrifice. Also, if a Christian should slip into sin, forgiveness and restoration are provided through the One Sacrifice (see 1 John 2:1, 2, for example). That concludes our study of Heb. 10:8-18, very important verses.

Now I'll turn to the last chapter of my book; the chapter is titled, "Holiness and Victory Over Sin Through the Lord Jesus Christ and His Atoning Death." This chapter originated with the study of the meaning of the words "we have been sanctified" of Hebrews 10:10.

The Greek verb behind the words "we have been sanctified" is "hagiazo." This Greek verb, which is used twenty-eight times in the New Testament, is normally translated "sanctify" (in some form) by the NASB and the KJV. The NIV translates it "sanctify" (in some form) thirteen times. The NIV also translates hagiazo as consecrated, hallowed, made holy, make(s) holy, makes sacred, and set apart.

Hagiazo was derived from the adjective hagios, which is used over two hundred times in the New Testament and is normally translated Holy/holy or saint(s) by the NASB, KJV, and the NIV. The Greek noun hagiasmos, which was derived from the verb hagiazo, is used ten times in the New Testament and is normally translated holiness or sanctification by the NASB and KJV. The NIV has holiness four times. It also has be sanctified, holy, holy life, and sanctifying. The Greek noun hagiosune, which was derived from the adjective hagios, is used three times in the New Testament.and is translated holiness by the NASB and KJV. The NIV has holiness two times and holy one time.

It is beyond the scope of this study to discuss the range of meaning of hagiazo, hagios, hagiasmos, and hagiosune. This study will be limited to one very important, but not well understood, New Testament use of these words. These Greek words are frequently used to communicate the idea that Christians are actually to be SET APART from sin and to live for God in an abiding state of holiness (basically) from the time of conversion. This is the ideal, and the New Testament does not present it as an unrealistic or unattainable ideal.

I have observed over the years that many Christians do not have an adequate understanding of the meaning of words like holiness, holy, saint, and sanctify. There are at least two ways in which these words are often misunderstood:

1. Some reduce holiness to the mere positional or ceremonial. From this point of view, Christians are automatically holy, even if they are living in sin. I'm not saying that these words are never used in a positional, ceremonial sense, but this is not the typical New Testament use of these words.

2. Others agree that holiness means that Christians are actually set apart from sin for God, but they deny that Christians can be holy now, during this present life. According to this widespread viewpoint, the best a Christian can hope for (have faith for) is to be in a process (a sanctifying process) in which the amount of sin is decreasing as the years go by. I agree that Christians must be growing (see 2 Cor. 3:18, which speaks of our being transformed from glory to glory), but the New Testament doesn't normally use the words sanctify, holiness, etc. to speak of this growth. And, significantly, the New Testament makes it very clear that Christians are actually to be set apart from sin (to be dead to sin). In the ideal case, we will be living in a state of holiness, and we will be growing. This is good news!

Our faith must be based on what the Bible actually says. If we believe that the Bible says that we cannot have the victory over sin now, we certainly will not have the victory over sin. The world, the flesh, and the devil are very real opponents, and we cannot walk in victory over them apart from the sufficient grace of God in Christ, which is appropriated by faith. I'm not talking about the power of positive thinking; I'm talking about trusting God and being sanctified by His saving power and for His glory. It is necessary for us to understand the Word of God, but we will never understand it (to a satisfactory extent) if we wrongly define key words like sanctify and holiness.

In the following study the verses listed under hagiazo, hagiasmos, hagiosune, and hagios were chosen because the context, and sometimes the form of the verb (for example, "we have been sanctified") helps demonstrate that these Greek words fit the ideal pattern we are discussing in this chapter: that we are actually supposed to be set apart from sin and to live in an abiding state of holiness now. I have not included every verse that fits this pattern, but I believe the verses I have listed are more than sufficient to demonstrate that this pattern is widespread in the New Testament.

Several verses I have listed do not quite fit the ideal pattern, but they help demonstrate this pattern. These verses deal with situations in which some Christians were not adequately set apart from sin. Four such verses are 1 Thess. 5:23; 2 Tim. 2:21 (both verses are listed under the verb hagiazo) and 2 Cor. 7:1; 1 Thess. 3:13 (both verses are listed under the noun hagiosune). In each of these verses the apostle Paul was concerned that this inadequate situation be soon rectified and these Christians become sanctified.

We come to the heading, "Some Verses that Use 'Hagiazo' and Fit the Ideal Pattern." I listed Acts 26:18 (discussed in chapter 7 of this book); 1 Cor. 1:2 (discussed below); 1 Cor. 6:11; Eph. 5:26 (discussed below); 1 Thess. 5:23 (discussed below); 2 Tim. 2:21 (discussed below); and Heb. 10:10, 14, 29 and 13:12 (Hebrews 10:10, 14 are discussed in chapter 7 of this book, and we have discussed these verses in this article and the last article.)

I'll reread Heb. 10:10, 14; then I'll read Heb. 10:29 in its context with Heb. 10:26-31. Hebrews 10:10, "By this will [the will of God] WE HAVE BEEN SANCTIFIED through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." "We have been sanctified," using the perfect tense in the Greek. Hebrews 10:14, "For by one offering He has perfected [using the perfect tense in the Greek] for all time THOSE WHO ARE SANCTIFIED." "Those who are sanctified" in verse 14 are the ones who "have been sanctified" of verse 10.

Hebrews 10:26-31, "For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, (27) but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. (28) Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. (29) How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant [the new covenant] BY WHICH HE WAS SANCTIFIED, and has insulted the Spirit of grace [the Holy Spirit, through whom Christians are born again and sanctified]? (30) For we know Him who said, 'vengeance is mine, I will repay.' And again, 'the Lord will judge His people.' (31) It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

The writer of Hebrews very strongly exhorted and warned his Christian readers here (and other places in this epistle) of the awesome seriousness of turning their backs on the new covenant that had sanctified them. He was dealing with the super-serious sin of apostasy in context, but his words don't leave room for any willful rebellion (sin) against God and His covenant.

We must take this warning against falling away from the faith very seriously, but the Bible also speaks quite a bit about Christians who have fallen away from the faith to one degree or another repenting and turning back to God. Quite often the devil has convinced backsliden Christians that they have gone too far and there is no possibility that God will forgive and restore them. God is merciful toward the repentant. I strongly encourage every Christian who has fallen away from the faith to one degree or another, to turn back to God.

We'll continue with this important study in the next broadcast. God bless you!

http://www.karlkempteachingministries.com Karl Kemp worked as an engineer in the space field throughout the 60s. He became a born-again Christian in 1964. He received an MA in Biblical Studies in 1972. He has been a Bible teacher for 45 years. See the website for more info on his books, papers, etc.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com

"ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED":A Genuine Horror Story

2011-07-21T15:08:00.001-04:00

by DEAN CROSBY

Man that guy never gives up does he? Now Satan has come up with a new outreach;this one is to convince Christians that God is so full of love that He will grant them salvation no matter how much evil or sin they engage in.

Satan has drastically changed his message since his early days in the garden when he worked overtime in order to persuade Eve that she could do anything she wanted to because God wouldn't mind.Being the clever pitch man that he is,Satan changes the content of his message to appeal to different population groups.Most recently in churches you are likely to hear this message,"Beloved our Lord loves us so much that He has given us His assurance of the eternal security of salvation." But when Satan starts hanging out on the street he will change the language in his message to turn street people on.In that environment it sounds something like this:"Hey Babe,let me lay this down for you. You can get down on anything you dig. You got that? Don't make no difference to God.You know how much chicks turn Him on don't you? Don't your preacher man keep telling you that?Yeah baby! Ok girl let's go get your grove on now."

Those who seem to revel in the "once saved always saved" heresy usually quote a few Bible verses that seem to support Satan's teaching while totally ignoring the content of those verses that make it abundantly clear that the false sense of security Satan is instilling in the minds of some Christians will prove in the worst imaginable way to be deadly wrong.The best examples I have personal knowledge of are my two counseling clients who firmly believing the "once saved always saved" fantasy trip their churches had taught them, decided that God wouldn't mind their suicides one single bit;exactly what Satan pushed them to carry out.Never more than today do Christians need to heed this dire warning:

Matthew 7:15-16 (New Living Translation)

15 "Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. 16 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?

The horrible irony is that while trying to increase the attendance in their churches by peddling a "Big Sugar Daddy In The Sky" theology,ministers are actually diminishing their congregations by encouraging disgraceful sin that will make their church members ashamed to even consider returning to their churches.If only ministers would warn their church members with Bible verses like these:

Hebrews 6:4-6 (New King James Version)

4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 if they fall away,to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.

Hebrews 10:26-27 (Contemporary English Version)

26 No sacrifices can be made for people who decide to sin after they find out about the truth. 27 They are God's enemies, and all they can look forward to is a terrible judgment and a furious fire.

Is that graphic enough for you all or do you need more?

The spiritual peddlers who keep trying to sell "once saved always saved" seem to derive almost erotic-type pleasure quoting verses that upon examination can not be validly used for Satan's mission either because the wording in the verses contain conditional statements or because they are modified by other verses in the Bible.

The best known example of the first type of deceit comes from what is probably the most famous verse in the entire Bible :

John 3:16 (New King James Version)

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

The words "believes in Him" make it clear that obedience to Jesus' teachings based on the belief that He is indeed our Savior and has taught us divine truth,is a requirement for salvation.

The second type of deceit is illustrated very well in the Apostle Paul's writings.Here are some verses that appear to support the "once saved always saved" heresy:

Colossians 1:12-14 (Contemporary English Version)

12 I pray that you will be grateful to God for letting you have part in what he has promised his people in the kingdom of light.13 God rescued us from the dark power of Satan and brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son,14 who forgives our sins and sets us free.

The problem is that Bible verses can not be taken out of the context of the entire New Testament.It is essential to also read the rest of the Apostle Paul's writings such as this powerful warning:

Galatians 5:19-21 (New King James Version)

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will NOT inherit the kingdom of God.

There are numerous warnings in the Bible that our salvation is conditional upon our continuing faithful obedience to God but absolutely none of them are more astonishing than the following verses which explain that billions of people who receive a temporary salvation and are granted admission into Jesus' thousand year kingdom, which He will establish after His "Second Coming", will later be destroyed by Him due to their sin.

REVELATION 2O:7-9 (Contemporary English Version)

7 At the end of the thousand years, Satan will be set free.(FROM HELL) 8 He will fool the peoples of gog and magog,(THESE TWO WORDS MAKE UP A HEBREW TERM WHICH IN ENGLISH ROUGHLY MEANS "MULTITUDE AND MAGNITUDE" WHICH INDICATES THAT SATAN WILL HAVE THE POWER TO DECEIVE PEOPLE IN ALL AREAS IN A SEARCH TO FIND NEW RECRUITS FOR HIS KINGDOM) which are at the far ends of the earth, and their people will follow him into battle.(AGAINST JESUS) They (THE SATANISTS) will have as many followers as there are grains of sand along the beach, 9 and they will march all the way across the earth. They will surround the camp of God's people and the city that His people love.(JERUSALEM) But fire (THIS COULD BE A FRIGHTENING LIGHTNING STORM THAT STARTS NUMEROUS FIRES) will come down from heaven and destroy the army.

Well so much for the once saved! Hopefully the truly satanic nature of the "once saved always saved" deceit campaign can now be easily understood.Satan will continue to peddle it to spiritually stupefied minions and due to their persuasive authority they will be able to convince billions of those who have been saved that they can not lose their salvation no matter what they do, even if they join an army to launch a military attack on Jerusalem.

It is so tragic and of course morally sick that some Christians will refuse to accept the "Thou Shalt Not Kill" Commandment due to Satan's deceit,until they are sent to hell for engaging in it!

For the final proof of the purely satanic nature of the "once saved always saved" campaign we should turn to the words of Jesus Himself.The always savers claim that since they have the assurance of eternal salvation,not only are acts of repentance unnecessary but in fact they are an insult to Jesus because asking Him for forgiveness reveals a lack of faith in His alleged guarantee of salvation.

Luke 13:3 (New King James Version)

I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.

PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT BE DECEIVED BY THOSE ATTEMPTING TO DESTROY YOUR ETERNAL LIFE !!

Here is the Christian teaching on salvation in Jesus' own words:

Matthew 10:22 (New King James Version)

And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the E N D will be saved.

I would love to believe that this will be the E N D of this argument but tragically the Book of Revelation tells me differently.

Dr. Dean Crosby is a published author,instructor in New Testament studies, and Christian therapist. He holds a bachelors degree in communication,a masters degree in counseling,and a doctoral degree in psychology.He is the founder and director of the Christian Caring Center,a non-profit internet counseling agency.Dr. Crosby can be personally contacted at drdeancrosby@yahoo.com but information about his counseling center should be requested at appointments@christiancaringcenter.every1.net

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com

Partakers of Spiritual Fullness

2011-07-21T15:07:00.004-04:00

by Rabon Byrd

Ephesians 1:3

Blessed [is] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who did bless us in every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. -YLT

Colossians 2:9-10

Because in him doth tabernacle all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are in him made full, who is the head of all principality and authority. - YLT

2 Peter 1:3-4

According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. - KJV

John 1:16

And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. KJV

The preceding verses stress a reality that seems to be unknown in the heart of so many believers today. The assertion is that in Christ, we have been made to be partakers of all spiritual fullness. How? It is because the Beloved Son, in Whom all spiritual substance is embodied, now abides within our souls. Understand that the fullness is not something He gives to us or that we acquire through different religious efforts, nor is it a fullness that we are still awaiting until a future time. The fullness of which we are now partakers is Christ Himself and because He indwells our souls, our souls are the dwelling place of His fullness, His allness, His completeness. There is absolutely no scriptural argument against that. I did not say that many would not argue against such a statement, but I am saying that no such argument has any scriptural support.

To so many, such fullness seems to be vacant because the evidence of that fullness seems to be lacking. I remember a time when that was my condition. I cried out daily to the God that I loved, "This cannot be everything, there has to be something greater than what I have". The fact is that there was nothing greater than what I already had residing in my soul, but I was unaware of the fullness that was present. What we, as believers, perceive to be an issue of accomplishment on God's part is a matter of comprehension on our part.

Union with Christ has indeed made us partakers of all things pertaining unto life and godliness. Christ is now made unto our souls all that He is. However, it is possible to have been made to be a present partaker of spiritual fullness by union with Christ and not be inwardly partaking of that fullness by the revelation of Christ. Unfortunately, most born again believers, who have within their souls such fullness by reason of Christ's presence, have absolutely no inward realization of their present state because they are living in ignorance of Him Who is present. While it is true that our ignorance of the indwelling fullness of Christ does not diminish or nullify that fullness in any way; such ignorance does hinder our soul from actively partaking of Christ as that fullness.

One reason I believe that this is so prevalent is because we have been taught to look for the evidence of spiritual fullness in a realm in which it will not and cannot be observed. That was my condition. I was expecting to observe the validation or proof of my Salvation with my natural faculties. This caused me to seek after a vain expectation for many years. Sadly, most sincere Christians are actively pursuing "false evidences" by which to define or identify the spiritual fullness for which their souls are longing. In other words, we are seeking on the earth the evidence of a reality, which can only be realized or evidenced in heaven. Not heaven as a place we will go, but heaven as the present state of being in which we live as those who are blessed with all spiritual blessing in heaven, in Christ and as those who have been quickened, raised and seated together in heaven, in Christ.

Jesus plainly states that the Kingdom of God does not come with observation. The actual Greek word for observation there is defined as "ocular evidence". Nevertheless, we are told that we are still to look for that very kingdom and the evidence of its presence to be observable to our natural faculties. Remember, He also said that the Kingdom of God is within us, so that should give us some idea of where the evidence of that Kingdom will be made known. So, how do we observe the evidence of spiritual fullness? It is by faith. For it is faith that beholds the evidence of that which was not, is not and cannot be naturally perceived. Faith is not, our believing for something that is invisible to the natural eye until it becomes visible to the natural eye. Faith is God revealing in us that spiritual substance that will never be made visible to the base faculties of man. Faith is the soul beholding the indwelling Christ as the evidence and substance that we have in our ignorance sought for on the earth or in ourselves.

In 2 Corinthians 5:7, Paul says, "For we walk by faith, not by sight." We quote this verse, but what does that mean? He says the same thing in 2 Corinthians 4:18, "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." This is not admonishing us to live in some invisible fantasy world, but is declaring that the view of our souls should be set within a realm that is much more real than anything the natural eye can behold. The Greek word for "look" in this verse is transliterated skopeo. It is from this word, that we get the English word scope. Paul is saying that the scope of our perception, the range of our observation, if we are to behold the spiritual fullness of which we are partakers, cannot be through the means of natural sight, but must be the spiritual sight called faith. In other words, the extent of our view cannot be constrained within the parameters of this natural realm of sight and sound, but in Christ, Who is the length, breadth, depth, and height of all spiritual fullness. Paul gives us the means and the basis of such a view in 2 Corinthians 4:6, "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." Man's viewpoint is naturally bound to the earth. We must 'lift up now our eyes' that God may reveal in our souls the present and glorious Christ. In His revealed presence, our souls are ushered into a participation with eternal fullness that we may have been told was only possible in the distant future.

If my natural eyes can observe it, there remains no need for the Spirit of God to reveal it. Therefore, such naturally perceived happenings or manifestations can never give evidence to spiritual fullness, for spiritual fullness can only be discerned and revealed by the Spirit of God. That which comes with ocular evidence is always contrary and stands in opposition to spiritual reality. Whether it be righteousness, holiness, perfection, glory, love, peace or power; except Christ be revealed in us as their spiritual evidence and eternal definition, we will still vainly seek for them to be evidenced on the earth and that will never happen. We may convince ourselves or deceive ourselves into believing that such outward evidence exists, but it does not.

My point is that we can be made to be partakers of fullness and still not be actively partaking of that fullness. Therefore, we can continually believe that there is something missing or something lacking, but there is only a lack of faith, an absence of spiritual comprehension. I have said many times that we have a perfect Salvation, but an imperfect comprehension of that perfect Salvation. In your soul presently dwells the fullness that you may believe to be lacking, but the eyes on your head will not observe its evidence. It is the eyes of your soul or as Paul says, "The eyes of your understanding" that must be flooded with Light. The eyes on your head were not created for that vision; only the eyes of the soul were created to behold such substance.

I am reminded of the angel's words to those who came to the tomb after Jesus had risen. A very literal translation is, 'Why do you seek the Living One among the dead ones'. He was telling them, 'The One you are seeking will not be found by you or made evident to you within the realm in which you seek, for He is not present in that realm, He is risen.' Then Paul, would say to us, 'In view of the fact that you are risen with Christ, seek that which is above, not that which is on the earth'. The attitudes or moral codes of humanity will never evidence righteousness or holiness. Glory is never evidenced by flashes of light or outbursts of emotion. Peace is never evidenced by the absence of hardships or the presence of agreeable situations. The power of God is given no evidence by physical or any other external manifestation. I am not say that these things are wrong or that they do not happen; I am saying that these things and others like them can never give evidence to the spiritual reality of which they speak. These and every other aspect of spiritual reality are embodied in the indwelling Christ and are only evidenced in our souls when the Father reveals that same Christ.

Seeing that we are Raised with Him, and are complete in Him in Whom dwells all spiritual fullness, let us set the affection and attention of our souls on Him Who is above and no longer occupy our time attempting to know Him, define Him, or validate Him on the earth. May the evidence of our perfect Salvation be revealed in us this day.

Rabon Byrd is a Bible Teacher and Research Editor at Covenant Ministries International Bible Research Center in Leslie, Arkansas. For more of his writings, audio and video teachings, please visit www.cmintl.org. Or you can email him at cmi_rabon@yahoo.com.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com

While We Look Not...

2011-07-21T15:07:00.002-04:00

by Rabon Byrd

While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. - 2 Corinthians 4:18

Paul, in every epistle, declares that we who are born of the Spirit, have by union with Christ, been brought out of the earth, out from the natural and earthly. We have been brought from that age of observable elements and external symbolisms to the Spiritual Substance in view of whom all of those elements stood and by reason of whom they existed. One place Paul says this is in Galatians 1:4, "Who did give himself for our sins, that he might deliver us out of the present evil age, according to the will of God even our Father." He is speaking to them concerning their having been raised, up out from that evil Old Covenant age. What made it an evil age? We know that it was not evil as long as its testimony was legitimate, but it ceased being a valid testimony and became an evil perversion when the elements of it were held to and Christ, their spiritual meaning and fulfillment was disregarded. They held to the external elements that testified of the perfection of Christ and had intruded into those things attempting to become the intended measure of their testimony. In other words, they had held to the righteousness they perceived themselves to possess through their external observances and actions, but had refused the inward and unseen reality embodied in the person of Christ Himself. Paul said that it was a "present evil age", so what did he mean by present? He meant that the visible elements of that age, which God had put away by the Cross, were still standing among them possessing an external and material presence. However, the Galatians had been brought into a spiritual and eternal fulfillment which had no earthly or natural evidence at all, but that into which they had been brought was evidenced only by Faith; which is to say "God revealing The Son in them as the spiritual consummation of every testimonial element that stood before them". The external and material edifice of that system, which God had by His Cross abolished, remained visibly present. God did not take away, those visible elements immediately.

There is a school of Theology that teaches that the New Covenant, The Kingdom, Full Salvation, etc. did not actually come and was not actually available until the visible emblems of that Old Covenant system were destroyed in 70AD. However, that is not true at all. If it is, Paul was declaring a Salvation that was not yet available, an indwelling Kingdom that had not arrived, a New Covenant that was still on hold. Yet, that disregards the finished work of the Cross and the sufficiency of the indwelling of Christ in our souls. Paul was always praying for the Church that they would inwardly experience, inwardly come to the realization and enjoyment of that present perfect salvation given in the Person of the indwelling Christ. You see, His soul was experiencing a reality that superseded anything that could be erected by man, any edifice that stood, any external observance that continued, or event that would take place. His comprehension of reality and his confidence in its validity was not contingent upon any external, physical manifestation or natural destruction. The rites, ceremonies, and edifices of that system of externalities, did not have to be removed from eyesight for the soul to experience that better thing, that greater glory that Christ is made unto it.

What does this have to do with us? Why have I interjected such an example? I believe that the same condition that is sited above is a condition that is prevalent in the church world today. The verse with which I started this article states what should be the perspective of the believer. It sounds unnatural does it not? That is because it is not natural at all. Such a view, such a perspective is called Faith. I recently heard someone define faith as looking at "heavenly, unseen things", until they become visible in the earth. However, that is a misconception? Faith is a God given comprehension and perspective, which peers into that eternal realm into which the natural faculties cannot reach. Faith beholds the substance and the evidence that CANNOT be evidenced or observed by the eyes of man.

I say this because the Christian religion is bound to external manifestations and bound to outward measurements that they can perceive with their natural eyes. Such a condition keeps the heart looking at the improper object (that which is seen) and inhibits the soul to ever see, know and experience the Life that can only be perceived by Faith, can only be seen when God reveals that Life (Christ) IN US. Sooner or later, spiritual reality has to supersede visibly evident things in our hearts. The Righteousness which is of Faith has to finally replace, in our comprehension, that which I judge to be Righteousness because it meets with my concept of Righteousness and I naturally perceive the attributes that I believe to be attributes of Righteousness. Righteousness is never achieved or perceived by us, but is revealed in us.

Just as Abraham, we have come into the "land" that must be SHOWN unto us! The characteristics of this realm of Spirit and Truth can only be known by those in whom the source and substance of that realm is made known or revealed. Again, in Galatians you see Paul experiencing a transition in his soul from the external elements of the religion of the Jews, to the overriding spiritual fullness of the indwelling Christ. Such a transition took place when God revealed His Son in Paul. Many do not believe that Love, Righteousness, etc. have true validity until they are observed by the natural eye, but the true essence of these SPIRITUAL attributes are not defined, measured, or validated by observable manifestations. Just as with those who believe that the destruction of the external elements of the Old Covenant system made the New Covenant a valid and available entity; many believe that our observable demonstrations of "spiritual" attributes validate the reality itself. Yet, I believe Paul is saying that external things never determine spiritual reality. What is externally observable (manifestations, buildings, events, etc.) does not determine the efficacy of the reality of the Spirit.

The Spirit of God works in our souls upon the basis of that eternal and unseen substance that Christ is. Not so that we can ultimately manifest it externally, but so that our souls will be fully occupied in and transformed by that unseen reality of Christ which supersedes anything that is outwardly observable. I do not mean to imply that external actions and activities will not result from beholding the eternal reality in the face of Jesus Christ. I am simply saying that none of them give "evidence" to the spiritual reality that Christ is in us and is being known to be in us. Our single desire, the one unto which our affection should be set is the inward revelation of Jesus Christ. We should not waste our time debating, imagining, or attempting to define what the resulting effects of that revealing will be. I assure you that they will always be totally other than what we have imagined. The revealing of Christ will first be devastation to my measurements and definitions. The way I have supposed righteousness, love, holiness, etc. to "look" will be fully erased in the Light of the excellency of Him. Whatever actions that may result from such an inward realization and judgment will be rightly seen to be but a by product of the true manifestation of Christ taking place in us. They will not be perceived to be the intended end and emphasis of the work of the Spirit.

It is important to notice the basis of such a statement as, "we look not" 2 Corinthians 4:6 -For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Not looking at that which is seen (by ocular evidence) is not something we decide to do, but is an automatic in the soul that has seen and is seeing the superseding excellence of the Eternal Son of God. May we who are above, set our affection upon that which is above; that which is only known and experienced by the Faith of the Son of God working in us.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com

Jewish Monotheism Developed Over A Period Of Many Centuries

2011-07-21T15:06:00.000-04:00

by Robert Randle

Judaism has been praised as one of the world's most endearing major religions, principally for belief in the One true God and its teaching of monotheism. The thing is, however, that this concept did not happen overnight but rather evolved over nearly a millennia, and this was despite divine revelations, visions, dreams and the performance of miracles in their midst.

Exodus 15: 11a

Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods?

Exodus 18: 11a

Now I know that the LORD is greater than all the gods.

Exodus 20: 3

You shall have no other gods before Me.

Deuteronomy 3: 24b

For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do anything like Your great works and Your mighty deeds?

Deuteronomy 10: 17a

For the LORD your God is God of gods and LORD of lords, the great God.

Joshua 22: 22a

The LORD God of gods, the LORD God of gods.

1 Chronicles 16: 26a

For all the gods of the peoples are idols.

2 Chronicles 2: 5b

For our God is greater than all the gods.

Job 33: 4

The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

Job 38: 1, 4a

Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?"

Psalms 96: 5

For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens.

Psalms 136: 2

Oh, give thanks to the God of gods! For His mercy endures forever.

Isaiah 43: 10b

Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after me.

Isaiah 45: 5a, 6b, 14b

I am the LORD, and there is no other; there is no God beside Me; that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is no other [also vs. 18b, 21b].

Jeremiah 32: 27a

Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh.

Hosea 3: 1

Then the LORD said to me, "Go again, love a woman who is loved by a lover and is committing adultery, just like the love of the LORD for the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love the raisin cakes of the pagans.

Jeremiah 7: 14

The children gather wood, the fathers kindle the wood, and the women knead dough to make cakes [raisin cakes??] for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink offerings to other gods, that they may provoke Me to anger.

Ezekiel 8: 14, 16

So He brought me to the north gate of the LORD'S house [Temple]; and to my dismay, women were there weeping for Tammuz. So He brought me to the inner court of the LORD'S house [Temple]; and there was a door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east, and they were worshipping the sun toward the east.

Ezekiel 13: 18a

Thus says the LORD God: "Woe to the women who sew magic charms on their sleeves and make veils for the heads of people of every height to hunt souls!"

Hosea 13: 4

Yet I am the LORD your God ever since the land of Egypt, and you shall know no God but Me; for there is no Savior besides Me.

COMMENTARY: Although the Bedouin Semitic patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob received supernatural revelations from God, He was known to them mostly by the name El-Shaddai, or a derivative of the main root word El. When God sought to gather to Himself a particular people that would become a holy nation unto Him, the descendants of Joseph in Egyptian slavery were chosen. God led them out from the midst of Egypt with a mighty display of divine power through the leadership of Moses [Moshe] and while in the Wilderness of Sin, instructed the Israelites in His Law. There are two prominent themes that were stressed from that point in time and throughout their unique history, namely: (1) I am the LORD your God; (2) you shall not have any other gods before [alongside] Me. This injunction is repeated throughout the entire Jewish Bible [Tanakh], starting in Exodus, which was written around 1440 BC through the book of Zechariah, written around 475 BC.

In reading through the many passages of the Old Testament, one thing is increasingly apparent, and that is, the Israelites or Hebrews did believe in the LORD God [YHVH-El] as the Highest God, Father of the gods, the Mighty God, ruler of Heaven and Earth, but not necessarily as the "only" God. Through the mouth of such prophets as Job, David or Isaiah, and perhaps a few others, God's "oneness" and uniqueness was proclaimed. The Major Prophets like Daniel and Ezekiel both deal with the time of the Babylonian captivity and Jeremiah mentions events before this time and afterwards, when the captives return back to Judea. The Minor Prophets Haggai and Zechariah write about the rebuilding of the Second Temple back in Jerusalem during the reign of Darius the Mede. In reading Ezekiel's account which is dated between 593and 573 BC, the Israelites are still worshipping idols at this late date, and certainly would not be considered to be totally committed to the One True God of their forefathers.

Interestingly, the term "Jew" first appears in the Scriptures after the Israelites are led captive to Babylon [2 Kings 25: 1-25, 27] and there is no indication if it was used in a religious connotation or not. It was probably during their seventy years being led away in chains from the Promised Land that their social experiences including exposure to Babylonian culture, literature and writing that influenced these immigrants significantly and helped them form the basis of a monotheistic faith, the forerunner of modern "Judaism;" which had its early formation under the leadership of Zerubbabel, Joshua and Ezra. At no time prior to the return from Babylonian exile and leading back nearly 965 years or so to the Egyptian enslavement can it be proven with any degree of certainty that there was ever a concept or understanding of 'monotheism;' at least in the modern sense of the word.

Robert Randle

776 Commerce St. #B-11

Tacoma, WA 98402

April 22, 2011

robertrandle51@yahoo.com

pbks@hotmail.com

http://choirboy51.blogspot.com

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com

Should Christians Celebrate Easter as a Moveable Feast?

2011-07-21T15:04:00.004-04:00

by Sandor Balog

From the Bible we cannot determine the exact date of Jesus's death. At least, this is the widely-held view on this topic. The question necessarily arises: What if Christians today knew definitely the exact day Jesus was killed on? Would they then continue celebrating Easter, or rather the resurrection of Jesus according to the Passover traditions of the Old Testament? Or would they change this custom and switch to celebrating it every year on that very calendar day when Jesus was killed?

As we know, Easter is a Pagan feast and Passover is a Jewish feast rooted in the Old Testament. Pagans celebrate the rebirth of nature and fertility, with cute bunnies, painted eggs and many other disgusting customs and "traditions". The Jews celebrate their Passover, their exodus from Egypt, while Christians celebrate the ransom sacrifice of Jesus, His Last Supper, as He instructed us. The Last Supper or Lord's Supper occurred after sunset, on March 24, 31 CE.

Accordingly, there are three different feasts at "Easter time": a Pagan, a Jewish and a Christian. Our feast should be clearly distinguished from the other two feasts.

In my article entitled "How Could Jesus Spend Three Days and Three Nights in the Tomb?" I expounded my views on the chronology of Jesus's death and resurrection. If the facts mentioned and supported by evidence in my article cannot be refuted, that would mean that Jesus died on March 25 (Nisan 15), on TUESDAY, at 03.00 p. m., 31 CE (Common Era) and was resurrected by His Father, i. e. by the Almighty God, Yahweh, on March 28 (Nisan 18), on FRIDAY, at around 06.00 p. m., 31 CE. This would necessarily rule out any debate about the day of Jesus's resurrection, if it happened on a SATURDAY or a SUNDAY, since it happened on a FRIDAY. Jesus instructed His disciples at the Last Supper when He broke the bread and lifted a cup of red wine, they should do the same in remembrance of Him. Consequently, we should only celebrate the Lord's Supper every year after sunset on March 24, whichever day it falls on.

________________

Word Count: 370

URL: www.magyarbattila.hu

Sandor Balog (pen name: Attila B. Magyar), born in Budapest, in 1954, has traveled widely, seen biblical sites and been dealing with biblical issues since 1989. His book Palm Wednesday has been available on Amazon. since Sept 29, 2010 (Kindle Edition since Nov 7, 2010).

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com

The Law Of Moses Was Given Through The Administration Of Angels

2011-07-21T15:04:00.002-04:00

by Robert Randle

It is commonly believed that the Law [Torah], which is the foundation stone of Judaism and indirectly, Christianity, was given to Moses on fiery, Mount Sinai came from God; but in actuality it came through the administration of the angels of God. Of course, it is believed that these commandments, statutes and ordinances were directed by God Himself and therefore were obligatory for the children of Israel to observe and practice in the worship of their LORD.

Acts 7: 30, 52a, 53

And when forty years had passed, an Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush (Cp. Exodus 3: 2-5), in the wilderness of Mount Sinai. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute; who received the Law [Torah] by the direction of angels and have not kept it.

Colossians 2: 8, 15, 18a, 20

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the principalities [angelic powers or administrations] of the world, and not according to Christ [Messiah], having disarmed principalities and powers, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them. Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of [from] angels. Therefore, if you have died with Christ from the basic elements [angelic powers or rulers] of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourself to regulations [ordinances, statutes]. . .

Ephesians 6: 12

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Galatians 3: 19

What purpose does the Law [Torah] serve? It was added because of transgressions, until the Seed [Jesus Christ] should come to whom the promise was made; and it [the Law] was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator.

NOTE: The phrase, "it was added" would seem to indicate that it was attached to something already previously in place. If it were something entirely new, the wording might go something like this: "it was given" because of transgressions.

Galatians 4: 3

Even so we, when we were children, were [held] in bondage under the elements of the world [angelic powers or administrations].

Hebrews 2: 2

For if the word [is the Law under consideration here?] spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense [punishment].

Exodus 23: 20-21

Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place that I have prepared. Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name [YHWH] is in Him.

Genesis 32: 30

So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel ('face of God'): "For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved."

John 5: 37

And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.

John 6: 46

Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.

John 18: 17-18

For the Law [Torah] was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ [Yeshua Moshiach]. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared [revealed] Him.

Jeremiah 7: 21a, 22-23

Thus says the LORD of Hosts [YHWH Sabaoth], the God of Israel: "For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. "But this is what I commanded them, saying, 'Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you that it may be well with you." '

COMMENT: This study is not to minimize the importance or significance of the Law [Torah] but rather to show that it came about from the interaction or administration of angels. The attitude of the Apostle Paul toward the Law [Torah] is that it is holy, good, and spiritual (Cp. Romans 7: 12, 14a), and the psalmist says, "The Law [Torah] of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul (Cp. Psalms 19: 7)." Be that as it may, the Apostle Paul sums it up in this manner: Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by "faith" apart from the deeds of the Law [Torah]. Christ is the end of the law [Torah] for righteousness to everyone who believes [demonstrates 'faith'] (Cp. Romans 3: 28; 10: 4).

Robert Randle

776 Commerce St. #B-11

Tacoma, WA 98402

May 2, 2011

robertrandle51@yahoo.com

pbks@hotmail.com

http://choirboy51.blogspot.com

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com

Where Does The Allmighty Stand On Our Perseptions Of Hell?

2011-07-21T15:03:00.003-04:00

By Paul Killingbeck

The requirements of one seeking the truth of God on matters such as hell, takes a well committed individual that seeks God through his word; The Holy Bible. Both old and new Testiments need to be deeply investigated in order for one to get a clearer understanding of God and his desire for his creation to receive righteousness. Not all humankind have the abilities to conceive the wisdom that is offered here. It takes commitment to God through our Lord Jesus Christ, which begins upon what Christians call rebirth. Seek ye first the kingdom of God. From Jesus' own lips, came the command for those who would overcome the temptations of life by dedicating their love to him because of their new found life of a forgiven sinner. Knowing God's everlasting righteousness, and that he is the only God with true love for all creation, one would understand that he does not desire anyone to be thrown into hell. He sent his only son Jesus into this world out of love for us, to give his life in death for our salvation. Why are we constantly reminded that we can have but one God? If we serve any other God we are doomed to this place called Hell. Back up to the place where I mentioned that God is about love, where he is the God of righteousness. His desire is no different than a normal parent whose child raising years are stressed to mold that child into one who does good. When that child is disobedient to that parent what happens? And why? God knows that hell exists. He knows why it was made. He is the one in control and all should know that good always prevails over evil.

I am a 41 year old Christian man from Michigan. Married and no kids, yet. I haven't always been on the good path. but through it all God found me and continues to teach me his ways, as I'll learn each day that he allows me to live.

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Some of the Most Misunderstood Words in the Bible

2011-07-21T15:03:00.001-04:00

by DEAN CROSBY

In the sixth chapter of John you can find some of the most controversial words that Jesus ever spoke,words that without a proper understanding,appear on the surface to be both shocking and disgusting.In fact they appear so offensive,again without a proper understanding,this is what happened when Jesus spoke them,"Because of what Jesus said, many of his disciples turned their backs on him and stopped following him." (JOHN 6:66)

A few controversial remarks shouldn't be a concern to us in this day should they? OH YES THEY SHOULD WHEN THESE WORDS ARE USED TO CREATE THE BASIC PURPOSE AND MEANING FOR SOME CHURCH SERVICES.

I'll copy the remarks from John chapter 6 and then,in caps I will print what I believe is the correct interpretation of Jesus' seemingly shocking words.

48.I am the bread that gives life (JESUS GIVES LIFE TO THE BELIEVER) 49.Your ancestors ate manna in the desert, and later they died. 50.But the bread from heaven has come down (HERE JESUS IS REFERRING TO HIMSELF), so that no one who eats it (REFERS TO A SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE RESULTING IN A UNION WITH HIM) will ever die. 51.I am that bread from heaven. Everyone who eats it will live forever. My flesh is the life-giving bread that I give to the people of this world.(THIS SENTENCE REFERS TO JESUS SACRIFICING HIMSELF ON THE CROSS ) 52.They started arguing with each other (EVIDENCE OF UNBELIEF THEN AND NOW !!) and asked, "How can he give us his flesh to eat?" (THIS INDICATES THEIR MINDS WERE FIXATED ON THE PHYSICAL WHICH IS TRUE OF MANY CHRISTIANS TODAY.HOWEVER JESUS WAS TALKING IN SPIRITUAL TERMS.IT'S EXTREMELY DIFFICULT FOR HUMANS TO THINK LIKE JESUS !!)53.Jesus answered: I tell you for certain that you won't live unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man.(HERE JESUS IS REFERRING TO HIS AGONY ON THE CROSS DURING WHICH HIS BLOOD WAS SPILLED AND HIS FLESH SHREDDED.JESUS WAS TEACHING THAT THE CROSS AND HIS SUFFERING ON IT FOR OUR SALVATION MUST BE ONE OF OUR CORE AND MOST PASSIONATELY HELD BELIEFS.IF WE FAIL IN THAT,WE WILL NOT BE GRANTED SALVATION) 54.But if you do eat my flesh and drink my blood, you will have eternal life, and I will raise you to life on the last day.(HERE JESUS COMES UP WITH STILL ANOTHER IN A LONG LIST OF REQUIREMENTS THAT MUST BE MET BEFORE SALVATION IS GRANTED)55.My flesh is the true food, and my blood is the true drink.(THIS IS A CALL TO "TAKE UP YOUR CROSS DAILY" JUST AS YOU EAT AND DRINK DAILY) 56.If you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you are one with me, and I am one with you.(THE WAY TO INSURE THAT WE WILL REMAIN CLOSE TO JESUS AND THAT HE WILL REMAIN CLOSE TO US IS TO KEEP THE CROSS ON WHICH JESUS' BLOOD WAS SPILLED AND HIS FLESH DESTROYED AT THE CENTER OF OUR THOUGHTS AND BELIEFS ABOUT HIM)

Until I stopped attending two churches because the ministers literally refused to display any crosses in their buildings,I did not realize that these verses threatening hell to those who do not keep Jesus' suffering on the cross at the center of their beliefs,were even necessary teachings for today's church.If you could have seen all the seemingly dedicated Christians who flocked to these hidden cross churches (I actually found the storage area where one of the churches keeps its one and only cross concealed) you would instantly develop a new appreciation for Jesus' admittedly harsh teaching on this subject.

The principal problem however is that there are some churches that teach that Communion, which Jesus taught should be observed not to obtain salvation but only to remember Him, is the prime purpose for all of their worship services.They believe this because they teach that participation in a Communion service is the way to obtain salvation.Taking the physical interpretation rather than a spiritual interpretation of the verses above,they then teach their members that the wine that is served mysteriously changes into Jesus' blood, while it continues to taste like wine, and the bread that is served mysteriously changes into Jesus' skin while it continues to taste like bread.

There are several reasons why this practice and belief are so wrong.Of course taking a sip of wine and popping a piece of bread into ones mouth will not save anyone.Salvation does not come from filling our stomachs but rather by filling our minds with faith and then allowing God to fill our souls with His Holy Spirit.The drinking of blood or even thinking you are drinking human blood and the eating of flesh or even thinking that you are eating human flesh is an evil act of cannibalism that is ritually practiced in Satan worship services and by witchcraft covens (groups).

BOTTOM LINE:Obviously pagan blood drinking rituals and the cannibalistic eating of a body is NOT the way to find your way into heaven and of course no way to honor the Son of God and His astonishing sacrifice for us on the cross. This needs to be remembered periodically through a purely symbolic Holy Communion ceremony as the difficult to interpret words in John 6 teach us.

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Don't Mind God- The Age-long Tactic

2011-07-21T15:02:00.002-04:00

He is the prince of this world, the serpent of old, the morning star, the persecutor and thief to mention just a few. Every child of God knows-or should know- that the Devil is a force to reckon with. If not anything, he has at least six thousand years experience in dealing with man so he has an upper hand. But thanks be to God who has given us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. we can resist him and he shall flee.

Satan has many ways to capture people but one that he has been using almost without fail is what I call the "Don't mind God" tactic.

From the Garden of Eden and probably before then, he used this tactic with mother Eve. "Did God say you shouldn't eat that? Don't mind Him". Of course, you know the story.

He did the same with Abraham and today the whole world is suffering the result. terrorism is a worldwide menace today.

God said Do not commit adultery but the devil says "Don't mind God". Most of our films and adverts have sexual intonation to them. The result? HIV and AIdS.

When God gave the world our Lord Jesus, the devil told the world: "Don't mind God". He sent Mohammad to say Jesus is a fake. Where was Mohammad before Jesus? No where! There can't be a fake without the original. Jesus is the original so the fake had to come after him.

Recently, Satan has told the whole world "Don't mind God". He did it in the form of a book: The Da Vinci code. The question is what was he responding to? Well, I'll tell you.

The Lord of heaven has once again told the world his stand that Jesus is His only begotten son and he is to be accepted for salvation. He did it in the form of a film: The Passion of the Christ. That film got a lot of people into the fold of God. I was actually expecting the Devil's reaction so it was not a surprise when the Da Vinci code hit the market and was spreading like a wild fire.

The devil could be saying to you in one way or the other that you shouldn't mind God. One way he could be doing that is by using Just one letter: the letter I. God said "you should not kill" but the devil would say, "Don't mind God". He does not do that by saying "may be you should kill yourself and end all the problems" but by saying may be I should kill my self and end all the problems. That way, you would think that you are the one thinking whereas it is the devil suggesting to your heart.

I can't go into details of how the devil could be asking you not to mind God in this piece of writing, may be someone would see this article and do that but before then, "let him that thinketh he satndeth take heed lest he falleth".

Stay blessed.

I hope you enjoyed this article. If you did, please visit this site for more info: www.myrectitude.blogsopt.com

Thanks

Sammy

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Abundant Life

2011-07-21T14:58:00.002-04:00

by Steve Countryman

John 10:10 I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. Life for the here and now and for the hereafter. Jesus endured so much for us to have that abundant life. Isaiah 53:5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. When Pilate ordered Jesus to be scourged it was to appease the angry crowds. In the Roman Empire scourging was carried out using whips with small pieces of metal and/or bone at the tips. Such a device could easily cause disfigurement like the loss of an eye and serious trauma, such as ripping pieces of flesh from the body leaving exposed bone. In addition to causing severe pain, the victim would approach a state of hypovolemic shock due to loss of blood. The Romans reserved this treatment for non-citizens. Typically, the one to be punished was stripped naked and bound to a low pillar so that he could bend over it, or was chained to an upright pillar so as to be stretched out. Alternated blows from two or more guards, lictors, from the bare shoulders down the body to the soles of the feet. Some victims died while still bound to the post. Scourging was referred to as "half death" because many died shortly thereafter. Jesus received thirty-nine lashes by scourging because it was believed that forty lashes would kill a man.

Jesus knew at all times that He being the Son of God had command of legions of angels. Jesus also knew that He could at any time call down angels to destroy the guards, free Him and have His wounds all healed. Jesus had to suffer the torture and shame of the scourging as foretold in the Old Testament. While Jesus was being scourged He showed continued awesome restraint. Jesus had thirty-nine reasons or thirty-nine opportunities to call down angels but He didn't out of obedience to God the Father. Jesus knew that this day would come when He would suffer for our total healing, our afflictions and did so in total obedience to God the Father.

Father God had to watch all of this from heaven as terrible as it was. God the Father also had tremendous restraint as His one and only Son was beaten and near death. What earthly father could stand by and watch his child tortured and not want to jump in and do something about it. I pictured an earthly father who would have to chain himself up to keep himself from rescuing his son. Then there were the angels too, they wanted to do something but were not allowed. Father God had to keep His eyes fixed on Jesus the entire time so as to help strengthen and comfort Jesus while He endured the punishment. For God to look away would be for God to turn His back on His only Son and separate Himself and His love from Jesus which He would not do until all of mankind's sins were laid on Jesus at the cross. How difficult that had to be for Father God and yet not let earthquakes, thunderous clouds of lightening, tornadoes and heavy winds and rains rip through the land. As awful as it was, as horrible a thing to watch, as much as God the Father wanted to rescue His Son Jesus He knew that His plan had to be fulfilled.

For great is God's love toward us and love was the restraint used by both God the Father and Jesus His Son. And yes God the Father loves His Son Jesus and God the Father loves you too! This was part of the abundant life that Jesus said He came to give us for the here and now. Total healing for our bodies His temple so we could be God's witnesses of His love to the world. The rest of the abundant eternal life He gave to us on the cross for the hereafter. Pain and suffering that the Creator of all things went through for His creation, us. No expression of love has ever been so extremely expressed as it was in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus all for us!

My name is Steve and I was born and raised in a good Christian home in Phoenix Arizona. In 2004 God spoke to me to let me know that He would start sharing things with me that I would share with others. Little did I know how powerful and meaningful those things would be! Thank you Lord!!

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The Ten Commandments

2011-07-21T14:57:00.010-04:00

by Dave Ingram

The ten commandments given to Israel by God in the book of Exodus stand out among many ancient codes of law as a set of governing principles that have stood the test of time. The ten commandments have done more to influence the tenants of government around and societal norms across the globe than any other body of law. A study of the ten commandments can reveal much to modern readers about the way humanity is meant to function in a perfect world.

Duty to God in the Ten Commandments

The first four of the ten commandments (Exodus 20:1-11) deal with humanity's duties to God. In the first commandment, God states, "I am the Lord your God...You must not have any other god but me." The second commandment is an extension of the first: "You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind."

The third commandment is often misunderstood by modern believers. The New King James translation renders the third commandment as "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain." The New Living Translation sheds more light on this statement by translating it as "You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God." The Amplified Bible reveals that the verb used in this context refers to using God's name lightly, frivolously, in false affirmations or profanely, which extends the prohibition given by this commandment far beyond a certain two-word phrase.

The fourth commandment is a call to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. God created the Heavens and the Earth in six days, and rested on the seventh. Not only does resting one day per week honor God as our creator, it is also proven to be physically, mentally and emotionally healthy to set aside one day per week for relaxation.

Social Duty in the Ten Commandments

Commandments five through ten deal with humanity's duties to each other, setting forth the precepts necessary for peaceful coexistence and social harmony.

The fifth commandment reads, "Honor your father and mother." The second part of this commandment promises a long, full life, which has been commonly misunderstood. Parents too easily point to this commandment to warn their children of God's wrath against disobedient kids, but this antecedent phrase carries deep, practical meaning for all ages. Proverbs 22:6 reads, "Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it." The fifth commandment speaks about the fact that obeying parents' guidance as a child can instill good habits and tendencies, keeping people out of trouble and danger throughout their lives.

The sixth commandment warns readers not to commit murder, which is a serious crime in all developed nations. The seventh commandment prohibits readers from committing adulterycommonly understood as sex outside of marriage--and the eighth reads, "You must not steal." Notice how each of these commandments ties in to each other in some way. Not following parents' guidance, for example, can lead someone to steal or sleep with someone else's spouse, which can then lead to murder.

The ninth commandment states, "You must not testify falsely against your neighbor." This commandment has generally been understood to be forbidding lying in general. God's word speaks against lying in general in a number of places, but it is important to note that this commandment deals specifically with knowingly accusing someone of something they did not doa very specific type of lie. The final commandment sums up all of the previous four by stating, "You must not covet your neighbor's house...or anything else that belongs to your neighbor." In Luke 10:25-37, Jesus gives the parable of the good Samaritan in answer to the question, "Who is my neighbor?" implying that everyone is our neighbor, not only those who live next to us.

Dave Ingram writes for multiple online publications, focusing on Bible Studies and issues in Business Management.

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Truth in the Bible

2011-07-21T14:57:00.009-04:00

by Dave Ingram

God's Word is filled with practical lessons on everyday living, including life lessons on lying and telling the truth. Psalm 51:6 reads "You desire truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom." The Lord knows the hearts of mankind, and He always knows when someone acts deceitfully. Jesus described himself as "the way, the truth and the life" in John 14:6, further showing the importance of the concept of truth in the kingdom of God.

The Truth Will Set You Free

"The truth will set you free" has made its way into American colloquialism, but this phrase has its root in John 8:32 of the New Testament. One of the compelling evidences of the truth of the Gospel is the fact that most of Jesus' original followers were eventually tortured and killed in terrible ways for their confessions of faith. Each tortured disciple had ample opportunity to deny Christ publicly, but each was willing to die rather than forsake the truth they had seen with their own eyes. Martyrs around the world and throughout history have realized that a strong commitment to the truth is more liberating than the temporary freedom that comes from casting one's lot in with the world.

The Apostle Paul urges believers in Philippians 4:8 to dwell on things which are true, rather than deceitful or malicious thoughts. Again, in First Corinthians 5:8, Paul exhorts readers to embrace sincerity and truth over malice and wickedness.

The Truth About Lying

Modern American society includes a general understanding that lying is acceptable in certain situations and to certain degrees. In actuality, however, the white lies we tell are often evidence of a lack of faith and trust in God. A job applicant may lie on his resume to make himself look more experienced, for example, justifying it by the fact that it is a common practice. However, a job applicant with the faith of a mustard seed (Matthew 17:20) would trust the Lord to provide a way to find employment regardless of what his resume looks like.

God places such an emphasis on truthfulness that He included it as one of the Ten Commandments, recorded in the book of Exodus. The Bible tells us in Titus 1:2 that God himself cannot lie, whereas Jesus refers to the devil as the father of all lies (John 8:44). Proverbs 19:5 solemnly warns that "a false witness will not go unpunished, and he who tells lies will not escape." The Psalmist proclaims in Psalm 119:163, "I hate and despise falsehood, but I love your law." Setting your sights on God's law and truth by committing yourself to honesty can bring you into a closer walk with the Lord and strengthen your relationships with family, friends and co-workers.

Dave Ingram writes for multiple online publications, focusing on Bible Studies and issues in Business Management.

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Is Jesus Coming Back Soon?

2011-07-21T14:57:00.008-04:00

by Jim Barringer

I'm writing this a few days after the failed May 21 prophecy, which set off a frenzy of discussion within and outside of the Christian community. Now that the chaos has died down a little, I think it's time to take an objective look at Scripture and see if Jesus is really coming back imminently. In Matthew 24 he gives us four signs, by which we can know that the end is near. Are these four signs being fulfilled in our time?

Before I answer that question, I have to introduce you all to a psychological phenomenon known as confirmation bias. Simply put, confirmation bias is the tendency of all humans to notice evidence that supports your viewpoint and ignore evidence that doesn't. This is why scientists manage to find support for evolution and a lack of support for God in every study they do, regardless of what the objective data say. It also shows up in marital conflicts; a spouse may put his laundry away 80% of the time and leave it on the floor the other 20%, and the other spouse will often say something like, "You never put your laundry away!" Well, 20% doesn't equal "never;" she's just selectively seeing certain data and ignoring the rest. On a more personal level, a lot of people are genuinely convinced that they encounter more red lights when in a hurry. I bet if you actually counted the red lights when you're in a hurry and when you're not, you'd find that's not true; confirmation bias just causes it to appear true when your brain latches on to certain data and ignores data that would cause you to reach a more balanced, and more correct, belief.

I say this because confirmation bias frequently plagues those people who believe that Jesus could come back at any moment. They know two or three of the signs that Jesus gave, such as earthquakes, so after every major earthquake you'll hear some fellow go, "You know that's a sign of the end times." A month after that earthquake, though, what has happened? Jesus hasn't come back, but that doesn't stop the person, the next time he hears about a war or a rumor of a war, from going, "That's a sign of the end times!" All of this emphasizes the need to be objective when we evaluate the four signs that Jesus gave us. Otherwise we're likely to leap to incorrect conclusions on the basis of confirmation bias.

The four signs that the end is near are: (1) "Many will come in my name, saying 'I am the Christ,' and lead many astray;" (2) "You will hear of wars and rumors of wars;" (3) "there will be famines" (4) "and earthquakes in various places." Are these four signs present in mid-2011?

Regarding the first, I can only observe that there is a serious lack of claimants to the throne of Christ. The few who are out there are certainly not leading "many" astray. In fact, there hasn't been a serious person with a messiah complex since Sun Myung Moon started the Unification Church back in the 1970s. He has a decent-sized following in South Korea, but he hardly fulfills the qualification of "many" falsely claiming to be Christ or leading "many" astray. This sign certainly does not seem to be present in the world today.

The second claim, wars and rumors of wars, gets trotted out quite bit, but the objective data don't bear it out. The 21st century, so far, has been one of the least violent and least bloody centuries in the history of the world. True, the United States is tangled up in two wars overseas and is assisting with the bombing of Libya, but those wars have not resulted in significant casualties. Most of the rest of the world is at peace. If we look at the actual numbers of how many wars are going on right now, and how many people are dying right now, 2011 matches this particular sign worse than almost any other century since Jesus rose from the dead.

Regarding famines, I'd challenge you to name me two or three places in the world that you know for a fact are seriously experiencing famine. What percentage of the world's population are these famines affecting? A fraction of 1%? I don't think that a few low-level famines are what Jesus intended as a sign of his return.

I'd also say the same about earthquakes. What are the last major earthquakes you know of? The one that struck Japan earlier this year certainly qualifies, but in case you didn't know, Japan sits right smack on a 10,000-mile-long fault line called "The Ring of Fire." They have major earthquakes regularly. What was the last major one before that? Many people would say the one that hit Haiti, but that was actually a very mild 6.5 on the Richter scale. The only reason it caused such destruction is that Haiti is a very poor nation and so their buildings are not up to what we would consider code. What about the last major one before that? Can you think of any? So basically, we have one major (8.0+ on the scale) earthquake in the last ten or so years. That hardly fits the sign that Jesus was talking about.

These are supposed to be "signs," after all, and like street signs, they're supposed to be big enough and bold enough that you look at them and know exactly what they mean. One small (or even one large) famine, two or three earthquakes, a tsunami that kills a quarter-million people, these are terrible and violent, but also isolated, incidents. Jesus was talking about things on a massive - can I say Biblical? - scale, things that would indicate to everyone who saw them that the end is near.

So if we put away the confirmation bias and objectively evaluate the data, we find that there are very few false messiahs out there and they are certainly not leading "many" astray. There are fewer wars in this century than at almost any other point in all of history, especially the previous three centuries. There is very little in the way of famine, and there are definitely not large numbers of violent earthquakes. We have to conclude, if we're going purely by the four signs that Jesus gave, that his return is extremely unlikely at this moment.

Now granted, God is God and can (and does) do whatever he pleases (Psalm 115:3). But he also gave us these signs so that we would know when the end is near. He could send Jesus back whenever he wants, but if he sticks to his word and gives us these signs as warnings, then we have to conclude that none of the signs, and most assuredly not all four, are present in the world today. This could all change six months from now, or next week. My point is not to say when Jesus is or isn't coming back. It's really to teach you how to evaluate this prophecy for yourself, to be aware of confirmation bias in your theology and to run the numbers instead of saying, "Well, it seems to me..."

May God grant you success in your study and may he grant you love for him.

Jim Barringer is a 27-year-old writer, musician, and teacher serving at The Church of Life (.com) in Orlando, FL. More of his work can be found at facebook.com/jmbarringer and ExtantMagazine.com. This work may be reprinted for any purpose so long as this bio and statement of copyright is included.

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Any Cures For The Struggle Of Our Sins

2011-07-21T14:56:00.002-04:00

by Shemariah Yeung

When we be honest with that question, we all can say the same thing - we wanted to do right, but we ended up sinning against God many times in many ways....and we are still struggling with sin...though many of us have believed in God for far too many years.....and deep down we might have times that we doubted and we wanted to know why....why are we still struggling on the inside of us. Some chose not to bother it, ignore the sins in us....trying to cheer up at church, straighten ourselves up.

What causes it....and why are we still struggling when we have placed our trust in God....

In Romans 7:5, "When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death."

Yes, it was in 'past tense'...but it explained that....the sinful desires are at work within us because we allowed our old nature to control us..

Can you see that.......we ALLOWED our old nature to control us....we have not rejected the temptations...we have not rejected the old nature in us...we ALLOWED them to trigger us in our walks with God.....

Therefore, not that God needs to be blamed...but the problem perhaps is from us.....we failed to overcome our old natures....we still yield to our old natures at times....also in previous Romans 6, we are reminded that...we are no longer mastered by 'Sin'...'Sin' is no longer our master...we are not under the control of sin but grace.

In Romans 6:10, "When he died, he died once to break the power of sin..." Do we really believe that the power of sin has been broken by the death of Jesus, many times we got that knowledge up on our heads but not in our hearts....we might not truly believe this as we are struggling with sins....but the truth is....He has conquered death and 'sin' should not have power over us....

'Sin' should not have power over us....believers.

In verse 11, We are reminded to remember this truth - So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.

May we declare today, we are dead to sin and alive to Christ....declare that we know the power of sin is broken by Jesus Christ for us all.

God bless, may God fills you with His peace and love, that you will yield to Him alone not sin. Be free in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Shemariah- passionate about the sexually-broken. Now some of my ebooks are ready for purchase, please visit the ebooks section on faithwriters and visit my ministry site. I welcome any donations, you can send to shemariah@ovi.com

http://hope4change.weebly.com Thank You.

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The Fruit of the Spirit

2011-07-21T14:55:00.003-04:00

by Dave Ingram

Galatians 5:22-23 lists the fruit of the spirit as "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. In the Bible, the word "fruit" is frequently used to refer to the results of someone's labor, behavior or attitudes. Thus, the fruit of the spirit consists of those traits which manifest themselves in believers' lives as a result of leading a Spirit-filled life and continually seeking after God. In John 16:7-15, Jesus explains that He is about to send His Holy Spirit as an advocate and guide to the believers until Jesus' return. Guided by the Holy Spirit, each of our lives can begin to display all nine characteristics of the fruit of the spirit.

Emotional Health Love, Joy, Peace

When asked to list the greatest commandment in the law, Jesus answered in Matthew 22:37-39, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind... And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself," quoting Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and Leviticus 19:18. The ability to love others is a sure sign that Christ is at work in someone's life.

Philippians 4:4 reads, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Joy is a crucial component of a healthy emotional state, superseding temporary circumstances to keep believers truly at peace, resting in the assurance of God's grace and free to truly experience unbridled joy.

In what has come to be known as the Beatitudes, Jesus promises that peacemakers will be blessed by being called the sons of God (Matthew 5:9). Those who have love in their hearts and joy in their lives can extend love and joy to others, promoting peace everywhere they go.

Christian Duty Patience, Kindness, Goodness

In Matthew 18:22, Jesus answers Peter's question of how many times one should forgive another by saying "..not seven times, but seventy times seven." Jesus modeled perfect patience for us on Earth, patiently enduring persecution and the pain of the cross for our sake, for the forgiveness of humanity's sins. Long-enduring patience is a sure sign of the Spirit at work in someone's life.

Paul urged the church at Ephesus to be kind and tender to one another just as God in Christ is kind to us (Eph 4:32). Hurting others or doing downright mean things takes on a new light when we consider that Christ gave his life for our sins, rising from the dead three days later to assure our eternal salvation in His kingdom. Contemplating the depth of God's love and kindness can cause kindness to manifest in our lives, as well.

The Bible does not use the word "goodness" more than a few times, depending on the translation, leaving only a few verses to analyze. In Psalm 31:19, the psalmist declares "O, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind!" (ESV). Experiencing God's goodness first hand can cause a believer to manifest goodness and decency in his or her own life.

Christian Integrity Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self Control

Proverbs 28:20 encourages readers that a faithful man will abound in many blessings. Ephesians 2:8 encapsulates the entire New Testament by asserting that "by grace you have been saved through faith." Faith is the foundation of Christian doctrine. Salvation through Jesus Christ comes through faith alone, so that no one has any right to boast except in the Lord (Jer 9:23-24).

Gentleness is grouped with mercy and peace in James 3:17, reiterating the fact that true gentleness can only come through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and a genuine seeking after God.

The famous saying "turn the other cheek" has its origins in Matthew 5:38-39, where Jesus encourages all people to display self control in interpersonal conflicts. Self-control is the end result of combining all eight traits mentioned above, making it the ideal final entry in this list. Self-control is the result of a mature faith, love for God and people, inner joy and peace, patience, true kindness, goodness, gentleness and faith in Christ.

Dave Ingram writes for multiple online publications, focusing on Bible Studies and issues in Business Management.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com

How to be Saved

2011-07-21T14:53:00.002-04:00

by Dave Ingram

People often hear the terms "born again Christian" or "saved by grace", but for many the meaning remains a mystery. The Bible offers firm guidance on what it takes to be saved, and how any individual can become a born again Christian.

Assurance of Salvation

The first thing to understand on the path to salvation is that God created the world and humanity, that He loves every individual, and that He has a desire to save every individual.

Genesis 1:27 - male and female He created them.

John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.

After this, the next step is to acknowledge that everyone has sinned, and cannot be saved by their own merits.

Romans 3:23 - for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Isaiah 59:2 - But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God.

Next it is necessary to understand that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to earth, lived a sinless life, was executed to atone for the sins of humanity, rose from the grave three days later, and ascended to Heaven. The story of Jesus' life can be found in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

John 14:6 - Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through me".

1 Peter 3:18 - for Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit.

Salvation through the blood of Jesus is available for all humanity. All that is required is to accept the Lord and believe what the Bible says about Him.

Romans 10:9-10 - that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

John 1:12 - But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.

Prayer of Salvation

According to the Scriptures listed above, all one has to do to be saved by grace and saved by faith is to believe in Jesus and accept Him into their hearts and lives. Anyone who desires to be saved and accept Jesus as their Lord can pray this prayer:

Dear God, I know that I have sinned, and that my sin has separated me from you. Thank you for the sacrifice you made for me that my sins may be forgiven. I pray that you would forgive my sins, come into my heart, and be my Lord and savior.

Dave Ingram writes for multiple online publications, focusing on Bible Studies and issues in Business Management.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com

Basic Christian Doctrine

2011-07-21T14:52:00.002-04:00

by Henry Miranda

There is only one God:

Isaiah 43:10

"You are my witnesses," says the Lord, "And My servant whom I have chosen,

that you may know and believe me, and understand that I am He.

Before me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after me.

Isaiah 44:6

"Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:

"I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God."

Isaiah 44:8

Do not fear, nor be afraid; have I not told you from that time, and declared it?

You are my witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock;

I know not one.

God is a Trinity:

2 Corinthians 13:14

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion

of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

1 Peter 1:2

Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit,

for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ:

Grace to you and peace be multiplied.

Jesus is God:

John 1:1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:14

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 10:30 - 33

"I and My Father are one." Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone me?" The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone you, but for blasphemy, and because you, being a Man, make yourself God."

John 20:28

And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!"

Colossians 2:9

For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

Philippians 2:5 - 8

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God,

did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation,

taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death,

even the death of the cross.

Hebrews 1:8

But to the Son He says: "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of

righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom."

Jesus became man:

Philippians 2:5 - 8

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God,

did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation,

taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient

to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Jesus has two natures divine and human:

Colossians 2:9

For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

1 Timothy 2:5

For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.

Jesus died for our salvation:

Romans 5:6

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

1 Corinthians 15:3

For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received:

that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.

2 Corinthians 5:15

And He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves,

but for Him who died for them and rose again.

Jesus resurrected from the dead:

2 Corinthians 5:15

And He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves,

but for Him who died for them and rose again.

Romans 8:34

Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

Romans 14:9

For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of

both the dead and the living.

Hebrews 13:8

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

When it comes to religion it is hard for all of us to agree. We all have our own opinion as to the meaning of a certain verse in the Bible. A Christian denomination is an identifiable religious body under a common name, structure, and doctrine within the churches, and they all have their doctrines of Christianity, for example:

1. Evangelical and fundamentalist denominations do not generally practice Infant Baptism.

2. Some denominations teach that baptism as a repenting adult is necessary for salvation.

3. Other denominations consider baptism as an act of obedience and identification with Jesus.

4. Other denominations consider themselves Christians just by adhering to the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Those are just a few, and as we can see in America, there is practically a church on every street. All denominations have their own doctrine to which they adhere. Yet, just because we don't agree with some of their doctrine doesn't necessarily mean that they are wrong, as we are all one body in Christ. Who are we to know who is right and wrong in the way others worship God?

Remember the disciples came to Jesus and said those others are casting out demons in your name and Jesus said if they are for us, they are not against us. They were not part of Jesus 'disciples but they were doing the ministry of Jesus. We need to respect each other and pray for each other's ministries.

Luke 9:49-50

Now John answered and said, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons

in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us."

But Jesus said to him, "Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side."

There are others who follow wrong doctrines, blinded by Satan and unable to see the light. They fall prey to a group of religious fanatics. These fanatics are usually very convincing that their way is the right way and if you don't follow their ways you will be damned. That is why so many people fall into a cult, which may be led by a religious fanatic.

Note: The word cult pejoratively refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre.

Note: A religious fanatic is: One who lets his mind drive every opinion and decision in his life, be it political, cultural, or legal, in absence of God or faith or any rational thought or any consideration of evidence and not relaying on what it says in the Bible, and even then usually in ignorance of what it really says in the Bible. Religious fanatics tend to pick and choose the chapters and verses that support their own prejudices. They have no interest in or curiosity about the world around them, they are quick to paint anybody who presents them with a differing opinion as a heretic, even if that differing opinion comes from some of the greatest and most well-regarded preachers in the world. They would rather blow up an abortion clinic than think clearly about the issue. They preach love, but their driving force is hate. (from an article I read once in a Christian magazine)

If we are not careful we will end up in the same predicament as the ones that followed Jim Jones into the jungles of South America. They followed their leader and not Jesus Christ. Everything said to us must line up with the Scriptures.

Henry Miranda is a Bible teacher, preacher and author has published five Christian books

most recent "THE PATH TO ETERNAL LIFE" Currently had his latest book "Beware the Winds of Doctrine" proof read and is ready to find a publisher. http://henrypmiranda.com

http://www.authorsden.com/henrymiranda

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com

Regarding Jeremiah 29:11 and the Sovereignty of God

2011-07-21T14:51:00.002-04:00

by Christine Hunt

A while back, some Facebook friends were rejoicing over God's promise in Jer. 29:11 that His plans are for our welfare and to give us a hope and a future. That is a promise worthy of deep joy it's also a promise which must be taken in context, something that can be difficult to do when that context is the suffering of deportation and enslavement.

My statement: He's telling them that the plan He has for them is to be conquered, exiled to a foreign land to be ruled over by a pagan king for 70 years, then at the end of those 70 years He will call some of them back home to Judea. That's not exactly what a lot of us think of, though, when we hear that God's got these great plans for us.

The Response: God's plan wasn't for them to be exiled. They brought that on themselves by breaking their covenant, and bringing on the discipline. God warned them over and over that if they didn't turn from their ways, they would face the consequences. It's NEVER God's plan for us to suffer or be disciplined. It breaks His heart when we won't listen and disobey. If they had followed God like they said they would, they would have only seen the blessings of the covenant. I relate, because I turned away from God and made choices that had devastating and life-long consequences. This was NOT God's plan for me. I am so deeply thankful that God is a merciful and loving God, who patiently waited for me to see the truth, and turn to Him.

My Open Response:

What you say, above, has a depth of consequences and ramifications that, if true, would alter our theological realitywhich is why the core of this topic has been debated for millennia. And I'll be the first to acknowledge that I in no way have enough knowledge or intelligence to produce any kind of final word on the subject; what theologians have been discussing, debating, and pondering for generations, I'm not going to be able to definitively answer. Please allow me, though, to share with you some observations and ask some questions, because it's crucial to not be in error regarding the core of this topic: the sovereignty of God.

There is a divine tension here between two realities, like a rubber band stretched between your index fingers. Pulling one end is the reality of God's sovereignty; pulling the other, the reality of our freedom to make life choices and bear, not only the consequences (good or ill) of those choices, but also the responsibility before God for the choices made. Scripture is clear that both realities coexist in infinite harmony.

Of those two, I think it's God's sovereignty, His divine Providence and position as final authority and Righteous Judge, that we struggle with the most. It's tough to get our finite brains around 'transcendence' or to see how suffering could be His preconceived idea, but Scripture is clear that Christ was "slain before the foundation of the world," (Rev 13:8) and "at the right time Christ died for the ungodly" (Rm 5:6). If Jehovah would establish a specific, right time and intend suffering for the second part of Himself, why should we expect Him to not intend it for us?

Also, to say < It's NEVER God's plan for us to suffer or be disciplined.> is not only to assume that we know His mind but also contradicts Hebrews 12: "It is for discipline that you endure. God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline (of which all have become partakers), then you are illegitimate children and not sons." Or how could Paul "deliver such a one [unrepentant sinner] to Satan for the destruction of his flesh that his spirit may be saved" (1 Cor. 5:5)? Or John record from outside time and space, "If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes" (Rev 13: 10)?

#1 ~ We always learn far more through suffering hardship and rebuke than we ever do during ease; even the cliché 'taking the easy way out' implies times and paths of ease are of little ultimate benefit. So, if this is our natural bent, the way we function, then God intentionally "knit and wove us together" this way for a purpose. And being intentionally fashioned in this way by our Creator would seem to imply He also intends us to experience those hardships and rebukes.

Why? I think Paul gives a partial answer just before those verses in 1 Cor. In 4:20, he says, "For the kingdom of God does not consist in words, but in power." As human beings, we can talk a good line, but how few of us ever truly repent and believe until we come to the end of ourselves and see who we are, our corrupt, immoral, sinful nature; broken, sick, depraved, and hopeless.

I rejoice with you that < I am so deeply thankful that God is a merciful and loving God, who patiently waited for me to see the truth, and turn to Him >. Me, too!! Preach it, Sister!! But would we have gotten there if we hadn't gotten to the end of ourselves? Would we have realized our only hope was in Christ Jesus if we never realized we were totally without hope in any other form? Would we be at all inclined to turn away from anything we call our own strength if we had never gotten to the end of that strength and realized it left us in a dark, powerless place? I don't think so. And it's at that point where we realize only the power of God is sufficient for salvation.

How do we really know that those horrible decisions we made, the ones that we must bear the consequences and scars for (and I hope you remember I have my share), were not part of His divine Providence for our lives? It is precisely those consequences that led me to Him; without the pain from those choices, I would be an arrogant narcissistand I'm not alone in that; it's called the fallen, sinful human condition and was what caused Israel to rebel against God and to be enslaved.

God is either sovereign and all-knowing or He's not. Israel's rebellion and subsequent captivity were either known from before creation by an all-knowing God or it crept up on Him in spite of His pleadings and He was forced to punish them in order to keep His word.

That God never wanted Israel's captivity to happen and, indeed, was powerless to stop it from happening is the very thing Reformed theology is fighting against today. Did God know or did He not? Did He ordain or is He not all-powerful? Is He in absolute, total control over everything or not? If He's not, then the decisions we make will affect His outcomes and what He does will only be in response to the decisions we makewe, in essence and literally, force His hand. If He's in total control, though, the implication must include that He foreknows, fore-intends, and fore-ordains every clock-tick of all creation, including the suffering that comes from our disobedience.

#2 ~ Seeing God as Righteous Judge has taken an interesting turn for me lately. The last few years, I've been working with some high-powered lawyers in the Twin Cities, doing research for a book I've been asked to write. It's been interesting to see the U. S. judicial system at work from the unique vantage point of being neither civil plaintiff nor defendant, neither criminally charged nor prosecuting, but merely an interested observer of some people who really know what they're doing.

The reason laws are written in the first place is because people do things that other people determine are not acceptable; a civil society concludes that certain actions or inactions are detrimental to the on-going benefit of their desired social structure. They design laws and rules and regulations, etc., to say 'this is the type of community we want to live in and civilization we want to maintain.'

The interesting part, to me, comes from the fact that laws are never written until someone has already done what it is the law says not to do; laws are written because man's inclination is to do harmful things and make injurious statements; laws are accepted by a society because the people in that society have already seen the damaging effects of those behaviors and don't like what they see or how they have to live as a result of those effects. The penalties for breaking those laws are included with each law as a deterrent to usdon't do it or this will happen, not because legislators and judges hope we won't break the law but because they know some of us will.

When Jehovah God presented Moses with the Ten Commandments, mankind already had a long history of doing everything on the list God said not to do. When He told the Israelites to follow Him and Him only, He already knew there'd be no one who could do it; the isolated few who would even want to would only do so because He was with them in a unique way. I think it's possible God intended their story to be a sign, a shadow (Heb. 10) of how hopeless we are without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit gifted to us by Christ Jesus' ultimate sacrifice, resurrection, and return to the Father.

In Jehovah's position as Righteous Judge, He knew Israel could not fulfill the law, that they would ultimately disobey Him, and so before the foundation of the world He readied His paints and brushes to produce a portrait of sin, punishment, sacrificial substitution, and restoration in the lives of those Hebrews.

Fair? Who am I to say it is or isn't. I'm not the ultimate Judge. One of the beauties of God's design of salvation is that even one of us fallen creatures has an opportunity to know Him, to be called to love and worship Him rather than reap what we deserve and be thrown into the fires of hell forever.

God has made Himself evident to me both as absolute, benevolent Sovereign and as divine, Righteous Judge. God has shown me that I can trust Him to know what's best for my children, even when, right now, it looks like they've fallen into the deep end of the ungodliness the world has to offer. If I thought their being where they are today was solely and only a result of the choices they've made and not guided by a larger, higher purpose, then what reason would I have to hope they would ever know anything else?

Immediately following Jehovah's statement in Jeremiah 29:11 is, "'Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. And I will be found by you,' declares the Lord" (12-14a,23).

I am convinced that our Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End is not hamstrung, surprised, or changed by our choices. If Jehovah could give a picture of the coming of the Messiah by having Moses strike the rock for water only once (Ex 17:5-6 with Num 20:6-12) and by having him place a serpent upon a pole so that all who looked upon it were healed (Num 21:8-9 with John 3:14-15), then I'm convinced that same God, not only foreknows we will fail and at times will suffer, but He has provided the perfect solution. "'And I will be found by you,' declares the Lord, 'and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,' declares the Lord, 'and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile" (Jer. 29:14).

"For we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined conformed to the image of His Son He who did not spare His own Son but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?" (Rm 8:28-29a,32).

- - -

Just as a side note, the movie The Encounter with Bruce Marchiano contains a good depiction of how and why both self-determination and divine providence are true, as well as the interplay between them. It's available on Netflix.

(c) 2011 Christine Hunt.

For over 35 years, Christine Hunt has been Bible teacher and storyteller, worship leader and home educator, writer, editor, publisher, and film reviewer at www.GoodNewsFilmReviews.com.

Learn story structure & God's place for story at www.YouAreWhatYouSee.com.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com

Christ Our Passover, Christ The Firstfruits

2011-07-21T14:50:00.001-04:00

by Dan Wafford

It has long been held within the Christian Church that Christ was crucified on the sixth day of the week, the day that we now call Friday -- hence the term "Good Friday."



      This is a misunderstanding: Christ was in fact crucified on the fifth day of the week, the day that we now call Thursday. Proof of this assertion will follow below, but that proof is not the critical point of this essay: no one will be admitted into the kingdom of heaven, nor will anyone be denied admittance because of his or her belief or teaching on this point. What is more critical is misunderstanding regarding the one day of God's calendar on which Christ absolutely must have been crucified. We will deal first with the misconception regarding the day of the week on which the Lord was crucified, and will then go on to the greater significance of the overall timing of His crucifixion.

      How was it decided by the early Church fathers that Jesus must have been crucified on a Friday? This misunderstanding arises from the following passages (and related passages from the other gospels): when Jesus was brought before Pilate, the gospel of Mark reports: "And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus" (Mark 15:42, 43).



      What is "the sabbath" but the seventh day of the week, and what then would be "the day before the sabbath" but Friday? It is therefore easy to conclude that Jesus was crucified on Friday. This is an incorrect conclusion, however -- but only the gospel account of John provides the information necessary to reach the correct conclusion. But before we read the clarifying passage in John, we must have a better understanding of the term "sabbath." For this we turn to the 23rd chapter of the book of Leviticus.



      First, in Leviticus 23:3 we read, "Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings." This, of course, is the meaning that is usually intended and understood by the term "sabbath" -- the seventh day of the week, the day which the Lord commanded the Israelites to observe each week as a day of holy rest. But the term encompasses much more. Let us read further in this chapter.



      In Leviticus 23:5-8 we read, "In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD's passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein." Compare the language from verse three (regarding the weekly seventh day sabbath) with the language of verse 7 (regarding the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread). Both are "an holy convocation"; on both the Israelites are commanded to "do no (servile) work therein." We see then that the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread fits the definition of the word "sabbath," although there is no specific definition of this day as a "sabbath." But let's explore further in the chapter.



      Regarding the Feast of Weeks, today commonly called Pentecost, we read, "And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering [this was the day of the feast of firstfruits]; seven sabbaths shall be complete: Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD" (Leviticus 23:15, 16). Skipping over verses 17-20, which describe the offerings to be made on this feast day, we read in verse 21, "And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations." Note again that this day is defined as "an holy convocation," and the Israelites are commanded to "do no servile work therein" -- again the definition of a "sabbath." But we still haven't seen the actual word "sabbath" used in connection with any day other than the seventh day of each week. We will now close that gap by examining the instructions for the Feast of Trumpets.



      In verses 24 and 25 we read, "Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD." Here we have a clear connection beyond any doubt: the Lord is instructing the Israelites to observe each of these feast days as a "sabbath" -- a word which He here defines Himself as "an holy convocation," a day in which the Israelites are to "do no (servile) work." (I put the word "servile" in parentheses because it appears in some of these passages but not in others.)



      We will not cite the descriptions of the Day of Atonement and the feast of Tabernacles, but by reading the remainder of the 23rd chapter of Leviticus, one can easily confirm that these days were also sabbaths in the very strictest sense of the word. So we see that when the term "sabbath" is used in the gospels, as well as elsewhere, it can refer to a weekly seventh day sabbath or to any of the seven high feast days which the Lord instructed the Israelites to observe throughout the year.



      Returning now to the gospel of John, we read in 19:31 the passage referring to the same point of time that was the subject of the passage cited above from Mark 15: "The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away." Only John tells us this important detail: the following day was not an ordinary 7th-day sabbath, but rather "an high day." "An high day" means that the approaching day was a sabbath because it was a feast day -- one of the seven high feast days ordained by God -- and not because it was the seventh day of the week. It could also have been a Saturday, because the Passover (14 Nisan) and the Feast of Unleavened Bread (15 Nisan) could fall on any two sequential days of the week : they were scheduled according to the day of the month, not the day of the week. But by exploring further we will see how we can be certain that in this year the "high day," the sabbath of the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, did not fall on a Saturday, and that the day in question must actually have been the sixth day of the week, which we now call Friday -- meaning that Jesus was crucified on Thursday.



      The strongest argument for a Thursday crucifixion is a statement made by the Lord Himself: "For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (Matthew 12:40). Note carefully the specificity, both of the passage in Jonah, "... Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights" (Jonah 1:17), and of Jesus' quotation of this passage, "... so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (Matthew 12:40). The passage in Jonah could have said "three days," or even "three full days," and so Jesus would have quoted it. The Israelites reckoned days from sunset to sunset, so it was clear to them as well as to us that the term "day" can mean either the period of sunlight or the 24-hour period that includes both sunlight and darkness. But the specificity of the passage in Jonah, and of the Lord's quotation of that passage, shows clearly that God intended us to understand this not as some vague period of approximately 3 days, but as three periods of daylight and three periods of nighttime: "three days and three nights."



      Note also how clearly Jonah's experience was intended by God as a vivid picture or type of Jesus' death, His time in the grave and his pending resurrection, though it was written hundreds of years in advance: "... out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice" (Jonah 2:2); "Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple ..." (Jonah 2:4); "The waters compassed me about, even to the soul ..." (Jonah 2:5); "... the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God" (Jonah 2:6).



      We know from unambiguous statements in all four gospels that the Lord arose from the grave just before dawn on the first day of the week, which we call Sunday. (See Matthew 28:1-6, Mark 16:1-9, Luke 24:1-6, and John 20:1-8.) No one should take the position of contending with the Lord's own statement that He would spend exactly three days and three nights in the grave. So if we count backward three days and three nights from early Sunday morning, we can arrive at a crucifixion only on the fifth day of the week, our Thursday. The "three nights" can only be Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights; the "three days" can only be the portion of Thursday afternoon between the Lord's death and sunset, plus Friday and Saturday.



      Confusion has been created on this point by a number of well-meaning scholars who have tried to reconcile the traditional Friday crucifixion with the required three days and three nights in the grave, but the arguments will not stand up to close scrutiny.



      First there is the argument that the three days included a portion of Friday, all day Saturday, and a portion of Sunday. Careful reading of the passages cited above from all four gospels will show that Jesus arose and departed from the tomb before sunrise on Sunday, so He could not have intended that day to have been one of the three periods of daylight that He would spend in the grave. It is also impossible to reconcile "three nights" with a Friday crucifixion, because only two nights, Friday and Saturday, would have fallen between the crucifixion and the resurrection. Some have tried to overcome this obstacle by counting the three hours of darkness (see Matthew 27:45) as a "night." There are, of course, two problems with this argument, even if one were to accept that Jesus meant this period of darkness as a night. First, there still would be only two periods of daylight -- Friday afternoon and Saturday -- and second, Jesus was not in the grave during this period of darkness, but died following it.



       Crucifixion on Wednesday has also been argued, chiefly by reckoning that Daniel's "threescore and two weeks" until the cutting off of Messiah (see Daniel 9:6) would result in a crucifixion date of 32 AD, in which year Rabbinic calculations indicate Passover falling on Tuesday. But we must give the Lord's precise statement more weight than such questionable calculations, and a Wednesday crucifixion would clearly require four periods of daylight and four periods of darkness prior to a Sunday morning resurrection.



      The "three days" therefore must have been the portion of Thursday afternoon between Christ's death and sunset, all day Friday and all day Saturday. He arose before sunrise on Sunday. And the "three nights" must have been Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.



      So here is the proper timing of the Lord's crucifixion (using our modern English names for the days): He was nailed to the cross on Thursday morning. He died on Thursday afternoon. When Joseph of Arimathaea and the other Jews discussed the removal of His body from the cross with Pilate, their sense of urgency was that His body (and those of the two thieves crucified with Him) be taken down before sundown, which would mark the beginning of the High Sabbath (see John 19:31) which was the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Note carefully then that the approaching sabbath which created the urgency for removing the bodies from the crosses and the sabbath following which the women went to the tomb were not the same sabbath: the first was the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, "an high day," which in this particular year occurred on a Friday and was therefore followed immediately by the usual 7th-day sabbath on Saturday.



      Again, however, the importance of establishing this timing lies not so much in which days of the week the events occurred, but rather in the significance of that one and only day on which God's plan absolutely required the Lord's crucifixion must take place. We will now examine this aspect carefully.



      There actually is an apparent conflict between the synoptic gospels and the gospel of John with regard to the timing of the Lord's last supper with the disciples. As an example typical of the synoptic gospels, Matthew reports, "Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover? And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples. And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover. Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve" (Matthew 26:17-20).



      It is important to understand that the Jews generally treated the first three feasts of the religious year -- Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of Firstfruits -- as one extended feast, which they referred to collectively as the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Therefore, this passage is intended to convey that the disciples made the upper room ready on "the first day of the feast of unleavened bread," which would be Passover day -- therefore the preparation to "eat the passover."



      Between this account and the parallel accounts in Mark and Luke, it is widely believed and taught that Jesus and His disciples ate the passover meal on the day of the Passover feast, and that Jesus was crucified on the following day, which would have been the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Once again, however, the gospel of John shows us that this is not a correct understanding of the timing of these events.



      Let us examine John's account of this last supper which the Lord celebrated with His disciples. "Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him; Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded" (John 13:1-5).



      Note the language very carefully: even though the supper had already been eaten ("And supper being ended ..." v.2), the Passover feast had not yet arrived ("Now before the feast of the Passover ..." v.1). John here shows us that Jesus ate the Passover meal with His disciples the evening before the actual Passover feast day. As we saw above, John 19:14 shows us more precisely that this last supper was actually eaten on the day before Passover: when Jesus appeared before Pilate on the following day, it was "the preparation of the Passover" -- "preparation" was the killing of the lamb before sunset, so that the Passover meal could be eaten after sunset. This is also clear from John 18:28, where we see that the Jewish leaders would not enter into Pilate's judgment hall: "... they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover" -- which would take place that evening.



      Why would Jesus eat the Passover meal with His disciples on the day before the feast was scheduled to be observed? His decision to do this arises directly from one of the most central and critical doctrines of the Bible, the most important aspect of the work that Christ accomplished on behalf of fallen man. In order to understand this doctrine and its importance in the timing of Jesus' crucifixion, we need to review some very important history.



      When God sent Moses to lead the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt, He found it necessary to inflict a series of plagues upon the Egyptians before Pharaoh would agree to release the Israelites from slavery. The last and decisive of these plagues was the visit of the death angel to every Egyptian household. God decreed that all the firstborn of Egypt would die, both man and beast.



      When the first nine plagues were visited upon the Egyptians, the Israelites were automatically exempted. But with this tenth and final plague only, God required the Israelites to take a positive action in order to prevent the death of their own children. He instructed them to select a perfect lamb for each household, to slay it and apply its blood to the doorposts and lintels of their houses. When the death angel saw the blood on the door, he would "pass over" that house and not bring death to the firstborn.



      The Passover feast was ordained by God as an annual commemoration of this milestone event. Unfortunately, the Israelites may never have fully understood the full significance of this ceremony. But the New Testament Scriptures have revealed to us that all of the passover lambs that were sacrificed through the hundreds of years of this celebration were types of the One True Passover Lamb Who would be sacrificed on the cross for the sins of all mankind. This shedding of Christ's blood and the atonement covering it provides for sinful man is the central fact of the Bible, foretold in the Old Testament and recorded in the New. The Holy Spirit revealed through Paul that "... Christ our passover is sacrificed for us." (I Corinthians 5:7).



      Now, if Christ is our Passover, and if the Passover feast was instituted by God to point forward to this central fact in His covenant relationship with man, on what other day than Passover could Christ possibly have been sacrificed for the sins of man? Christ could have chosen any time of the year to push the antagonism of the Jewish leaders over the brink and force the decision to put Him to death. But He chose this exact time because it was critical that He establish Himself in this final act, as He had done in all His actions to this point, as The Passover Lamb.



      So now we can return to Jesus' decision to celebrate the Passover feast with His disciples one day early. It was impossible for Him to observe the feast on the actual feast day of Passover, because on that day, He could not eat the Passover lamb: He would be the sacrificial Passover Lamb. On Passover He would be on the cross until just before sundown, and then in the grave. The Jews killed the Passover Lamb as was required, they shed His blood as was required on this day, but they did not receive the promised atonement because they did not recognize Him for Who He was: they did not apply His shed blood to the doorposts and lintels of their own hearts. Jesus said, "... Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life ..." On that one Passover to which all their history had pointed, the Jews ate the flesh of the wrong lamb, and therefore did not receive eternal life.



      There remains one critical point to examine, and that is the timing of Jesus' resurrection -- again, not with regard to the day of the week, but with regard to God's calendar for Christ's work in redeeming fallen man.



      Recall that Jesus was crucified on Thursday, which was Passover. The following day was a High Sabbath, because it was the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which was then followed by a weekly sabbath on Saturday. The next feast the Israelites were instructed to observe was the Feast of Firstfruits. This feast was to be celebrated on "... the morrow after the sabbath." (Leviticus 23:11). From the context, the sabbath here referred to could be either the High Sabbath of the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread or the next following ordinary seventh day sabbath. But a careful reading of the following verses (which describe the timing of the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost) shows that it must have been the ordinary weekly sabbath to which reference was made. The importance of this is the relationship of Jesus' resurrection to the feasts ordained by the Lord. Why is this?



      The importance here is the same as with Christ's crucifixion on Passover. All of the Israelite observances of the Passover feast were types pointing toward the one true Passover Lamb Who would be sacrificed on the one true Passover that would end the need for further observations of this feast. Just so, all of the Israelite observances of the Feast of the Firstfruits were types pointing toward the one true Firstfruits from the dead Whose resurrection would end the need for further observations of this feast as well. Just as "Christ our passover is sacrificed for us," (I Corinthians 5:7), so also "now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept," (I Corinthians 15:20); "... in Christ shall all be made alive ... Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming (I Corinthians 14:22, 23).



      Just as it was crucial to God's revelation of His plan of redemption that the true Passover Lamb be sacrificed on Passover, just so was it crucial that the Firstfruits be born the first of the kingdom of heaven on the Feast of Firstfruits.



      So in summary, here is the correct timing for the events of the Passion Week, the Lord's crucifixion and resurrection:



      Wednesday: Christ observes the Passover feast one day early with His disciples in the upper room.1

      Thursday/Passover: Christ is condemned and crucified, dying shortly before sunset.

      Friday/First day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread -- a High Sabbath because it is one of the seven ordained feast days: Christ is in the grave.2

      Saturday/a second consecutive sabbath, this one an ordinary weekly sabbath day: The Lord is still in the tomb. It is "in the end" (Matthew 28:1) of this sabbath "as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week" that the women come to the Lord's tomb and find it empty.

      Sunday/Feast of Firstfruits: Christ the Firstfruits arises from the dead to become the firstborn of many whose eternal lives will spring directly from Him, the Seed.

Dan Wafford lives in beautiful coastal Georgia. He holds a BS in Civil Engineering from Oklahoma State University and an MBA from Stanford University. He writes Christian articles, essays, songs and books, as well as novels and popular music. His book The DiVine Code, which reveals details of encoded messages in the Bible, is currently available at Amazon.com. More information about The DiVine Code is available at http://thedivinecodebook.com

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com

IS JESUS A CREATED BEING?

2011-07-21T14:48:00.005-04:00

by Jeremiah Opusunju

Knowing that the view that Jesus is the spoken word of God en-fleshed has gained a lot of popularity in the church, it will be pertinent for every believer to address this question; if Jesus was the spoken word of God en-fleshed, at what point in time did God speak the word that created him?

John's testimony is that the Word was in the beginning with God (John 1:1-4); and it is also a fact that we can live with our thoughts, but not with our words. We can only live with the consequences of our words.

Since we can live with our thoughts, it is important to know that a thought can never be said to be a word until the lips have proclaimed it. As it is with humans, so it is with God. His thoughts which he could live with are differentiated from his words.

Speaking of his thoughts he said: "I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil" (Jeremiah 29:11).

Concerning his words he said: "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it" (Isaiah 55:11).

Even with God, a thought is not a word until it has gone out of his mouth. Therefore if Jesus was the spoken word of God en-fleshed, for him to have been with God in the beginning, then God must have spoken him into existence before the beginning.

John's testimony is that: 'the Word was in the beginning with God', 'the' as used by John is a definite article, which should mean that a particular word must have proceeded out of the mouth of God (and its product made manifest before the beginning), for that Word to have been with God in the beginning.

If this was the case, then Christ would have been created long before Mary's conception, thereby giving credence to those that argue that he was God's first creation.

However since Jesus referred to himself as the Almighty; the creator and upholder of all creations; the First and Last (Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:1-3; Revelation 1:8), one is then tempted to ask, did God create an equal to himself before the beginning?

Isaiah's testimonies made such thought baseless; for God said: "before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me"; and that he is: "God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me".

Speaking of creation, God did it alone of which he said: "I am the LORDthat stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself" (Isaiah 43:10; 44:24; 46: 9).

Therefore Jesus, by and for whom all things were created (Colossians 1:15-19), is the same person as the Most High God. No wonder John, speaking of the Word which was in the beginning with the Father, said 'the Word was God'.

However while on earth, clothed with corruptible flesh, he was made lower than the angels which he created, as such the Father was then greater than him ( Hebrews 2:9; Philippians 2:5-11; John 17:1-5).

It is also pertinent to note that the only throne attributed to the person of Jesus in heaven, is the throne of the Most High God. While on earth, Jesus said he was returning to where he came from, which is in the veil, at the right hand of the Majesty on high, on the throne of his Father (John 6: 62; Hebrews 6:19-20; 1:1-3; Revelation 3:21).

Therefore he had been in the veil (in the bosom of the Father) upon the throne of his Father; even before the world began (John 1:18; 17:5, 24) as God and all things were created by him and for him.

This was why God's first introduction of himself to humanity is: "In the beginning God (Elohim or many who are one) created the heaven and the earth" (Gen. 1:1 parenthesis added).

Since the act of creation was done by many who are one (Elohim), we can confidently conclude that Jesus Christ (who is one of the creators of the universe), was not, is not and never will be, a created or formed Being.

A Nigerian aged 44; Holds a BSc and an MBA degrees in social sciences. A devout christian and a scholar of the scriptures; an anointed teacher of the gospel of Christ. Married with two children

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com

My Pencil War

2011-07-21T14:48:00.003-04:00

by louis gander

It will erase the phrase it writes,

that's written on a page -

at other times it writes more words...

it's difficult to gage.

There is a war that's going on,

that's not on land or sea.

A thousand times my pencil flips,

the two just can't agree.

The selfish lead, the soft eraser -

the two can't get along.

They both appear so far apart.

Each thinks the other wrong.

Their battles seem to linger on -

Confusion wills to grow.

This poem is of truth and love.

Conclusions, can we know?

Am I just like my pencil,

that I take off the shelf -

fumbling between my fingers,

at war within myself?

Am I just like my pencil,

in incoherent bind?

Does warring begin or finish,

within my mixed-up mind?

Seek I, the left, or to my right -

or back, or simply stop?

My mind runs in full circles as

the pencil fights nonstop.

The truth still lives - the answer, one,

to settle this whole score -

until then I, a traitor am,

inside my pencil war.

The truthful words, I'll never find,

or my complete reward -

unless I search the Holy Word

and listen to my Lord.

I compromise my writing,

and it is always blurred -

if I can't lay my pencil down

to comprehend God's Word.

http://www.ganderpoems.org/

Written 7-11-11 by louis gander. FREE to print and use ONLY with copyright information attached - NOT for resale.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com

The Harvest

2011-07-21T14:47:00.004-04:00

by Mike Shoemake

People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall. People who wink at wrong cause trouble, but a bold reproof promotes peace. (Proverbs 10:9-10) NLT

As you look back on your life, isn't it true that much of the pain you've experienced in your life has been self inflicted? Obviously this doesn't apply to things like your parents' divorce, abuse you may have experienced as a child, etc. But I'm sure most of us can look back on our lives and see how our own sin (lust, selfishness, pride, etc.) has caused pain and suffering not only for us but in many cases for those around us. Even if we can't see it in ourselves, we can certainly see it in the lives of people we know. What we do matters. In fact, who we are matters-- our character, our integrity, our capacity for self control.

Don't be misled--you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. (Galatians 6:7) NLT

In other words, you reap what you sow. A pornography addiction can derail a marriage. A sex addiction while you're single can actually derail your future marriage (not intuitive, I know). A gambling addiction can derail your finances. A drug addiction can derail your entire life. Worse than that, you don't even have to sow for a long time to experience the consequences. One night of indiscretion can get a 15 year old girl pregnant (or worse). Fifteen drunk minutes behind the wheel can end somebody's life. Sometimes a single seed is all it takes.

The outcome of our lives depends not only on our general wisdom in the various areas of life (ex. should I buy a new or used car?) but it depends even more so on how closely we are following our Savior. When we have a relationship with God, He leads us toward things like honesty, integrity, purity, holiness... These things are the foundation for living a life that avoids pitfalls and avoids being on the receiving end of punishment and justice. God honors and blesses us as we strive to be who He wants us to be. When we choose the wrong paths, we are wise to expect correction in one form or another.

The Bible is full of passages that make it clear that what we do will catch up to us. Here are a couple more:

Justice is a joy to the godly, but it terrifies evildoers. (Proverbs 21:15) NLT

Can a man scoop a flame into his lap and not have his clothes catch on fire? Can he walk on hot coals and not blister his feet? So it is with the man who sleeps with another man's wife. He who embraces her will not go unpunished. (Proverbs 6:28-29) NLT

Are you doing something that, if you were caught, would likely create serious difficulty in your life? What is it in your life you least want someone to know about? Examine the risk associated with being found out. If you assume that what scripture says is true (ie. you will be found out eventually), is it worth it?

Mike Shoemake is a former worship leader and youth minister who grew up as the son of an Army chaplain. He lives in Alpharetta, GA with his wife and son.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com

Take Away Value: Appreciating the Multifaceted Nature of Scripture

2011-07-21T14:47:00.003-04:00

by Cory Tucholski

It's a problem in dealing with skeptics as often as I've done in the past that we get hung up in discussions about the historicity of this or that story in the Bible. Common hang-ups occur with Adam and Evedid they really talk to a snake? Or the global flood of Noah's daythat would cause serious issues and create unanswerable problems and difficulties such as issues with salt water and freshwater fish and predator/prey ratios.

Christians don't help the matter, either.

There's those of us who believe in an Old Earth, siding with science in concluding that the earth is really millions of years old. There's others who defend a Young Earth, concluding that the Bible tells us so and therefore we ought to believe it even when the evidence for an Old Earth is far more conclusive. There's people who think that Adam and Eve were actual, historical people. There's those who think otherwise. There are camps who believe in a Flood that covers the entire earth, and there's others who believe that the Flood only covered a large geographic area.

And then there's the liberal camp. They don't think that any of it happened. Not a syllable of the Bible is a real, historical event. They think that all of the stories were morality tales no different than Aesop's Fables or the Arabian Nights, with just as much historicity.

If we can't get our stories straight, how can we expect the skeptic to? One group is right, and everyone else is wrong. To believe otherwise is the death of objective, knowable truth.

I believe in an Old Earth. I believe in a local Flood. I believe in a historical Adam and Eve, who talked to a snake and ate a literal fruit from a literal tree. Many good Christians would side against me on all of those issues. Which one of us is right? I don't know.

I think that there's a step we should come to before we try to decide who is right. Let's illustrate.

There's what I call Picking the Story to Death, which is what skeptics often do; and there's the Take Away Value, which is what I think that we need to get from the story before we ever consider its implications from a historical or archeological or paleontological perspective.

In other words: We can sit here and debate a historical Adam and Eve until the cows come home. We can scoff at the talking snake and speculate that an omnipotent/omniscient God would never have made the Fall of man so easy as taking a bite of a single fruit from some tree. Or, we can just forget the historicity of the story for a moment and try to find the Take Away Value. What can we get out of this story that is objectively true, and all sides will agree with?

God made man in his image. God gave man a choice--obey him, or find our own understanding of right and wrong. We chose to go our own way. Now, we are separated from God. That's what's important.

You can scoff at the silly story of the Tower of Babel. God punished people for building a skyscraper? How tyrannical is that! Or, you can realize that the people were building a man-made structure to try to bridge the gap between earth and heaven. God wants to define how salvation works, and reconnecting us to heaven is his sole domain. Not ours. Hence, cultures and geographic distribution, leaving us essentially to our own devices to create philosophies and theologies without the benefit of cooperation. We can't get to heaven by anything man-made, religion, philosophy or an added layer between the people and Christ. That's your Take Away.

The Take Away Value of the Flood is simple: God is so intolerant of sin that he wiped out all flesh in an unprecedented display of might and power. It wasn't just flooding; the Bible talks about earthquakes and volcanoes, too. It was a divine judgment, the first of many. And God has promised not to cut off all flesh with water anymore; indeed, the waters of baptism now restore us to him, symbolizing our death to sin and our burial with Christ, and reminding us of the great Flood that God used to judge all flesh. So, as the rainbow seals God's promise for no more water judgments, water itself now seals our covenant with God to walk in the footsteps of his Son.

The immediate and obvious criticism is that I'm saying that we shouldn't care about the veracity of God's word in the Scriptures. That's not what I'm saying at all. I believe not just in a historic Adam and Eve, but in the necessity of a historic Adam and Eve. I will stand up for that to anyone who disagrees, skeptic or Christian.

I think, however, that sometimes an undue emphasis is placed on historicity, when we should really be using the Bible to teach people how God has dealt with mankind, and will deal with mankind. Treating the Bible as any other historic document, we can find problems and doubts about it. Contrary to the beliefs of some, it cannot be used to age the earth. Hebrew genealogies were often abbreviated for clarity or for ease of memorization, and the "date of creation" is arrived at using the genealogies in Genesis.

The Bible, however, has held up better under scrutiny than any other historical document, so its difficulties shouldn't trouble us. Given the divine superintendence over its authorship, we should have no difficulty placing our hope in the fact that many (if not most) of these problems will be worked out as we gather more evidence from archeology and read more corroboration in other ancient scrolls as they become available.

The skeptic who just wants to talk about the historicity of events in the Bible is missing one of the great complexities of Scripture, and how multifaceted God's word really is. And, when we Christians get embroiled among ourselves in these types of debates, we also lose sight of the rich depth built into God's word. I don't think our interpretation of it matters so long as we never lose sight of the Take Away Value--what the story reveals about mankind and (most importantly) what the story reveals about the character of God.

Cory Tucholski is a passionate defender of the Christian faith. He is the husband of one amazing woman and the proud daddy of two fantastic children. Cory runs the apologetics blog Josiah Concept Ministries (http://josiahconcept.org).

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com

Christianity - Game Over?

2011-07-21T14:46:00.002-04:00

by Sandor Balog

Christianity today seems to have lost its real meaning. Countless churches and denominations claim to be the only true followers of Jesus. Are any of them worth joining?

In my view, if a church or denomination wants to be a true follower of Christ, first of all it must get rid of all traditions that have their roots in Pagan customs and habits like Easter and Christmas. It should clearly distance itself from such non-Scriptural legends, theories and beliefs, as the Holy Grail, the Trinity and Saints and condemn all sins committed by or in the name of the Church throughout history, such as the Crusades, the Mediaeval Inquisition, the Church's involvement in warfare etc. As a next step, it must free itself from the bondage of Jewish customs and traditions.

There are millions of people all over the world who claim to be Christians. They are members or sympathizers of numerous Churches and countless denominations. They have their church leaders or pastors who interpret for them the message of the Bible. However, it is by no means certain that these top churchmen understand correctly what the Bible says. These leaders or pastors may have certificates testifying to their knowledge of theology. They are surely well-versed in the Bible. Nevertheless, it is far from certain that all this is enough. There are also top theologians that I call media theologians bathing in the limelight of the mainstream media who are also well-versed in the Bible, give lectures and interviews, partake in public debates, publish articles and books. Their activity is useful in the sense that they call the attention of Christians to what the Bible teaches. Nevertheless, let me warn you that it doesn't hurt to check what they say, as the Bereans did (Acts 17:11: " they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.").

There are several branches of Christianity:

The so-called traditional churches they and their teachings are well-known to most people, they are full of traditions and Pagan-rooted customs and habits (just look at the fish-mouth cap worn by Catholic priests, which is a Pagan symbol of fertility and consider their celebration of religious feasts in combination with Pagan fertility symbols, such as Easter eggs and bunnies and Christmas trees and drink and meat offerings, which was an abomination to Yahweh in the Old Testament (Ezekiel 20:28: "[For] when I had brought them into the land, [for] the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to them, then they saw every hill, and all thick trees, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they presented the provocation of their offering: there also they made their sweet savor, and poured out there their drink offerings." Idolatry remained an abomination to Jesus too (see Acts 15:20 below);

Denominations that prefer to emphasize the Jewish roots of Christianity, including an insistence on the Ten Commandments, especially on keeping the Sabbath holy it seems that they cannot decide if they should follow the Ten Commandments, and thus the Jewish religion, or the Two Commandments of Jesus complemented with Acts 15:20: "But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and [from] fornication, and [from] things strangled, and [from] blood." To follow both is not reasonable. In fact, it is nonsensical. Some of these denominations are against papal infallibility and others are also against Pagan-rooted Christian feasts, such as Easter and Christmas, and against Jesus' Sunday resurrection and many of them agree with the doctrine that Jesus was three days and three nights, i. e. 72 hours, in the tomb, however they teach that the Crucifixion happened on a Wednesday or Thursday and that the Resurrection was on a Saturday or Sunday, being silent about the exact calendar day, month and year when these momentous events happened. They seem to have a problem with determining this so important date. They sometimes mention the year 30 AD as a "probable" year. Jesus abolished the Ten Commandments by including them in His Two Commandments. He also said that He was the Lord of even the Sabbath day (see Mat 12:8 below).

Some denominations have problems with their identity, which they do not readily admit. These denominations strictly adhere to the Ten Commandments that were given by God to the Hebrews. Sabbatarianism is a one-way street. Furthermore, Sabbatarians, despite their claims to the contrary, cannot be the true followers of Jesus, who stated clearly in Mat 12:8: "For the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath day." You can twist this sentence however you like, but what Jesus says is unambiguous. The problem with these denominations is that they favor the Old Testament (OT) over the New Testament (NT) but they claim to follow the teachings of both of them. They might as well belong to the Jewish religion that does not accept Jesus as Savior, in fact they hold Him to be a liar and an impostor. They feel entitled to talk about Jesus in such a disrespectful manner because they claim that He was a Jew. Their allegation is, however, false and I will tell you why.

Jesus was born a Jew and lived, died and was buried as one too.

The twelve (12) sons of Jacob became the twelve heads of the (12) Hebrew tribes. The name "Jew" comes from the name "Judah". Judah was the son of Jacob, who was the son of Isaac. Isaac was the son of Abraham.

As we know, if a fertilized embryo is implanted in a woman's womb, her genetic characteristics do not influence those of the child that is later born. In the light of this, Jesus' lineage is of no importance. His genetic characteristics were determined exclusively by the embryo that God created him with. In accordance with the divine principle of balance (a sin committed by a human being must be redeemed by a human being), to create Jesus, God didn't use the genetic material of one of Adam's descendants (who were "born in sin"), which differed from that of Adam. Instead, He used the genetic material of Adam. Any people could claim Jesus as their own, since Adam was the ancient father of everybody. However, the Hebrews (the Jewish people) cannot, precisely because they were the chosen people (see the genetic modification by God of Abram and Sarah). Thus, they have less to do with Jesus either genetically or morally than other people. God sent Jesus into the world in the form of a man to redeem the sins of every person that was ever conceived and lived and died on earth, and the sins of every person living now and alive at the time of the Last Judgment. He implanted an embryo that He had already fertilized into the womb of Mary. Her physical characteristics had thus no effect on Jesus, whom she carried in her womb. Joseph, since he had nothing to do with Jesus from a genetic standpoint, played the role of a foster father.

God needed a lineage and a family for Jesus to be born into so that the main events of his life: his birth, life, death and resurrection could be easily followed chronologically.

In accordance with Moses' law, Jesus was circumcised eight days after his birth and on the fortieth day he was presented in the temple in Jerusalem. Jesus was brought up to obey the mandatory prescriptions of the Jewish religion. He lived AS a Jew since his earthly foster parents ensured that he obeyed the Jewish religious laws and later he continued this observance. However, after the age of thirty, when he began to preach, he was often in trouble for criticizing the religious leaders for making the religious regulations unnecessarily strict, and in so doing, imposed extra burdens on the Jewish people. Jesus was crucified AS a Jew and his body was placed in a tomb AS a Jew. The emphasis being on the word "AS".

In the light of the above, we can conclude that Jesus was not genetically Jewish and could not have been Jewish.

In the light of this, it is even more difficult to understand the determination with which some Judeo-Christian denominations cling to Jewish roots. They even try to make use of Christians' imperfect knowledge of the Bible, (which is not only their fault!). Namely, they try to connect the OT and the NT through the death and resurrection of Jesus. They refer to Leviticus and Exodus where God gave instructions to the Hebrews on how to celebrate their feasts. In so doing, they make a confusing amalgam of OT instructions and NT events. They say that Jesus died on Wednesday and was resurrected on Saturday, which is in harmony with the OT, namely, Leviticus 23:11 says: "And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it." They say that Jesus died on Abib or Nisan 14 and Nisan 15 was the Feast of the First Fruits (barley). They misinterpret the word "morrow", the correct interpretation being that this feast of the First Fruits was held on the second day (the day after tomorrow) after the Sabbath. The Sabbath referred to was Nisan 14, which was simultaneously the Day of Passover and the First Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The Feast of the First Fruits was on Nisan 16. However, Deuteronomy 16:9 says: "Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from [such time as] thou beginnest [to put] the sickle to the corn."

This clearly refers to the day of Jesus' death. Accordingly, this means that the barley sheaf was harvested and taken to the temple on Nisan 15 but the priest offered this sheaf as an offering on Nisan 16. It is all very straightforward. Jesus died on Nisan 15, thus the attempt made to connect the day of His death with His being the First Fruit from the dead on Nisan 16, i. e. the next day, is rather problematic. He rose from the dead on Nisan 18, thus we can rule out any correlation between the day of His resurrection and the Feast of the First Fruit on Nisan 16. Some denominations claim that the resurrection of Jesus on a Saturday has a correlation with God's day of rest. This is impossible, since He was resurrected on a Friday, thus posing a problem for the Sabbatarians' belief in a Saturday resurrection.

With Jesus' death, His followers ceased to follow the Jewish traditions as regards sacrificing animals. The last occasion in the NT that refers back to the OT is when at the time of Pentecost, to fulfill Jesus' promise, 120 people, including the 12 apostles in the upper room, were filled with the Holy Spirit. We may debate whether it was selected by God as a ritual date or just as a time marker for future readers of Scripture. Whatever the truth may be, that was the last reference made to OT feasts.

Pentecostal denominations are not really acceptable to me since, according to Scripture, after the Apostles, miracles ceased to occur. Thus, all "evident" miracles cannot be of divine origin. These Pentecostal denominations also tend to connect the Jewish religion with Christianity through the death of Jesus. They, as some other similar denominations, have a problem with their identity and cannot decide if they should make friends with religious Jews who hate Jesus and hold Him to be a liar and an impostor, or follow Jesus and do not make friends with those who hate Him.

You may have noticed that I have not mentioned any Christian Church or denomination by name. This is a deliberate choice. The only denomination I mention here by name is the Jehovah's Witnesses. I feel entitled to speak of them since I attended their gatherings and congresses from 1991 to 2001, though I was not baptized by them as I always had questions (which they could not answer). Thus, our parting was inevitable. I still sympathize with them, though there are quite a few things I do not agree with them about. In my view, their organization is divine. They have a problem with filling that divine framework with appropriate content. Their biblical literature is amazing, both in terms of volume and content. Without those ten years of contact with them and without their literature I would not have been able to come to my conclusions.

What I have noticed in general is that the members of no church or denomination are striving to determine the exact calendar date (day, month and year) of the death of Jesus. Thereby, they ignore the only possible solution to the issue of the three days and three nights. I could understand their point of view about celebrating the Last Supper and Passover in harmony with the Jewish celebrations. I could do so right until the point when I was privileged to establish the exact date of Jesus' death and announce it as widely as I was able. From that moment, the chains of Jewish religion and Pagan customs were loosened and now we are "free" to throw off of those shackles with ease. Why should we continue celebrating the Last Supper in the shadow of the Jewish Passover and Pagan Easter? We can now celebrate our unique Christian feast, the Last Supper, as the disciples, and through them we, were instructed by Jesus. Now we can do that after sunset on March 24, every year, whatever day it may fall on.

In this regard, I recommend reading my article entitled "Should Christians Celebrate Easter as a Moveable Feast?" available on the web.

Now we have once more come to a point where we would need "redeeming".

The situation is rather complicated. We have a great many Bible translations that more or less differ from one another and from the original Scripture alike. Even the first sentence of the Bible is problematic and not rendered precisely in any Bible version that I have encountered thus far. ("In the beginning, God created the heaven (or heavens) and the earth." In a literal translation, it reads: "In the beginning, gods [plural] created [singular(!) this contradiction does not appear in English because there is only one form of the verb in the simple past] the sky and the earth.") Not to speak of the rest! Without a Bible translation that renders the Scriptures as literally as possible, indicating the various possible meanings as footnotes, we shall not be able to get closer to understanding the real content of the Bible. We shall be compelled to believe what the Christian leaders and/or theologians tell us. But, what if they are mistaken. Then, we shall also miss our target, i. e. salvation. We should bear in mind Galatians 1:10: "For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ."

Let me give you an example:

Some years ago, I examined the issue of the three days and three nights that Jesus was in the tomb (Mat 12:40). To make a long story short (please read my article entitled "How Could Jesus Spend Three Days and Three Nights in the Tomb?" available throughout the web), I established and supported by historical and biblical evidence that Jesus was three days and three nights in the tomb and not about 33 hours from Friday afternoon till the early hours of Sunday. The only way to establish correctly exactly which day of the week it was that Jesus died on was to determine the calendar day He died on. At first, it seemed to be a "mission impossible" but I felt it my duty to prove Jesus' prophecy, especially when it came to my notice in the meantime that some "intellectual militants" of other non-Christian religions claim that Jesus was a liar as He foretold that He would be three days and three nights in the tomb but He was there no more than 33 hours. And, what is more, these people were quoting from Mat 12:40(!).

To be frank, at first I could not understand why nobody had dealt seriously with this issue. After some years' work, I discovered that Jesus died on March 25, 31 CE [Common Era], at 3.00 p. m. on a Tuesday and was resurrected on March 28, 31 CE, at about 6 p. m. on a Friday. In my view at least, there can be no other solution! Using calculations based on biblical prophecy, I also determined Jesus' exact date of birth: September 26, 4 BCE [Before Common Era], at 3.00 p. m. (there was no birth during the night) and of His baptism: September 26, 27 CE, at 3.00 p. m.

I also explained the apparent discrepancy between Luke's Bethlehem story and that of Matthew, by pointing out that the events in Luke's Gospel happened six months before the events described in Matthew's Gospel. We should not simply stop at Luke 2:40 but go on and read Luke 2:41, where we learn that Joseph and Mary, after returning to Nazareth with the child Jesus, went to Jerusalem every year for the Passover. And that's the point where Matthew's story begins. The magi who visited Him found Him already in a house and not in a manger. Then came the flight into Egypt and the return after Herod's death to Nazareth. It is as simple as that I am sure you were not aware of this. Ask any theologian or clergyman or pastor or even Pope Benedict XVI about this! I do not think anyone of them would be able to explain these things by using reasonable evidence. They would probably "argue" by questioning the credibility of the person (me) who presents this doctrine and would underrate its importance. There are some denominations that believe and proclaim the doctrine of three days and three nights but they differ in determining which day of the week Jesus died and was resurrected on. Some say that the Crucifixion/Resurrection happened on Wednesday/Saturday, others say on Thursday/Sunday. The only possible way to determine this is to identify the exact calendar day, month and year of Jesus' death. There is no other way around it!

You may ask if all this is of any importance to anyone. After all, God and Jesus did not instruct us to determine the exact calendar date of Jesus' death. This is true. On the other hand, neither God, nor Jesus instructed us not to do so. Determining this date is closely related to determining what day of the week Jesus died on. It is important for us to know this, so that we can prove that Jesus fulfilled what He had foretold about His being three days and three nights in the tomb. If we cannot prove this, Jesus would remain the target of a false accusation. We should feel it our duty to clear His name. We should be able to say: No, Jesus was not a liar. He fulfilled His own prophecy. He was three days and three nights (exactly 72 hours) in the tomb. Only proclaiming this is not enough. We should present proper and credible evidence from the Bible and from secular history alike. I have already done this for you. You may, however, think this pointless. Well, is it not worth investigating this date just in order that some non-Christians can be convinced that their accusation is false? That's not the main reason, however. No matter how important that is, there is something that is even more important. Namely, this issue of three days and three nights is connected with what Jesus called "the sign of Jonah". No sign would be given to this generation (both that in Jesus' day and that in our day) other than the sign of Jonah. It is clear that God will bless those who believe in the sign of Jonah! Those who do not may find themselves in an uncertain position with regard to their salvation.

Most probably, an appropriate yardstick for Jesus to "measure" our faith in Him and His Father can be whether we believe what He, in His capacity as the Son of God who resurrected Him, foretold about His fulfilling Jonah's sign. It may not be sufficient to just say: "Yes, I believe in the sign of Jonah." If such belief were not supported by a firm conviction, these words, lacking true belief, would ring hollow. My advice to you is that if you want to give yourself more chance of salvation, you should take the trouble to study this issue. You may ask your pastor about this but be careful, since people are only "human" and they may feel it is their duty to try to persuade you that this issue is not important for your salvation or try to underrate its importance and relevance (even the writer in person, without knowing him) or try to mention some "arguments" against this "new" doctrine, maybe even without having read it (!), but do not allow them to distract you from your target!

So many Pagan customs and habits, idolatries, lies and false accusations have stuck to the name "Christian" and to the notion "Christianity" that it is time to recover the original content of these terms. To this end, I propose the terms Christ follower (or CF) to replace Christian and Christ followership (or CFp) to replace Christianity. Let us celebrate our unique and only feast, i. e. the Last Supper, after sunset on March 24 every year, whichever day it may fall on.

I ask you to examine the above and make your decision at your own discretion and responsibility. For this, I can only wish you much insight.

By Sandor Balog

Word Count: 3654

Copyright: free

Sandor Balog (pen name: Attila B. Magyar), born in Budapest, in 1954, has traveled widely, seen biblical sites and been dealing with biblical issues since 1989. His book Palm Wednesday has been available on Amazon. since Sept 29, 2010 (Kindle Edition since Nov 7, 2010).

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com

To Be(lieve) Or Not To Be(lieve)?

2011-07-21T14:44:00.007-04:00

by Sandor Balog

Firstly, we should consider the Old Testament (OT) as God's account of the origin of the earth, life on earth and of the universe. The OT tells us about original sin, God's judgment and His scheme for salvation to be implemented by Jesus. The OT also tells us about the Hebrews, whom God chose to be His people, most probably for experimental and demonstrational purposes. The main theme of the OT, apart from revealing and praising God and His works, is constituted by God-inspired prophecies concerning Jesus.

Secondly, from the Bible, we can learn about Jesus' earthly ministry. He fulfilled the prophecies of the OT. He also performed miracles, the greatest one being the resurrection of Lazarus, with the special help of God and God's Holy Spirit, foreshadowing the future resurrection of all the dead. Jesus left His Testament, i. e. His teachings to His disciples and, through them, to all of His subsequent followers. With the death of His disciples, the age of miracles was over. Any "miracles" that might have happened since then cannot be of divine origin.

Thirdly, since, as various signs show, we are now living in the end times, should we not ask ourselves how we should behave to please God?. It is not mentioned in the Bible that Jesus will judge people by their denomination or whether or not they go to church. What then is the criterion we need to satisfy? I know of only one such criterion: the sign of Jonah. Jesus said that this would be the only sign. This means that if someone truly believes and proclaims, after having duly examined this topic in the Bible, that Jesus was three days and three nights in the tomb as He had foretold, they will be in a favorable position before Jesus. The accent is on "truly" as this is not a kind of "deal". This, however, goes together with keeping Jesus' Two Commandments complemented with what we are told in Acts 15:20: "But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and [from] fornication, and [from] things strangled, and [from] blood."

I assume your target is salvation. Picture yourself with a bow in your hands, aiming at the target, being continuously distracted by churchmen and pastors of various churches and denominations, as well as theologians, media theologians, writers of books and articles (I do not mean myself, of course:-)) on biblical issues. If you are not careful, their babble will put you off and you will miss the target. Let the Bible be your only basis, and what is more, not only one Bible version but as many as are available, including literal translations. You should then judge things for yourself, since it is your everlasting life that is at stake. So, do not accept at face value what I say to you either. Check it out for yourself you cannot shirk your personal responsibility. There is not much time left for making your decision on "pleasing God rather than men". The assistance I can render to you in doing so is contained in my article entitled "How Could Jesus Spend Three Days and Three Nights in the Tomb?" available throughout the web. Just consider: is it not at least interesting that someone who was born in 1954, in Hungary, baptized a Catholic, educated in atheist schools in socialist Hungary, obliged to learn Russian and Marxism-Leninism and socialist economics, obliged to join the Communist Youth Association, took an interest in studying the Bible, voluntarily joined the Jehovah's Witnesses, attended their regular gatherings and congresses from 1991 to 2001 but was not baptized by them due to his always having questions (which they could not answer), wrote a book in Hungarian and had it translated into American English so that it could be spread worldwide? And that he wrote the above-mentioned article on the three days and three nights, available, of course, free of charge to those seriously interested in this topic? And that he also determined the exact calendar day Jesus died on, consequently also the exact calendar date of Jesus' birth and baptism? You can ask ANYONE in the world, including Pope Benedict XVI, if these dates are known. Their answer will be: No, it is not possible to determine them. All churchmen and theologians are fully aware that they have three options: 1) to remain absolutely silent on the issue, 2) to argue, without having read the article, against this doctrine by underrating the writer in person, comparing him either with the multitude of churches, churchmen, theologians and other scholars that have not been able to discover these facts or with the mystical notion of the Early Christian Fathers, and underrating the significance of what he has discovered (which I have experienced several times), 3) to accept that the findings of the writer are correct. This latter is rather difficult as not only reputation but a huge amount of money is at stake. So, for them, the situation can be summarized by the highwayman's familiar demand: "Your money or your life!"

Having all this in mind and inspired by Hamlet's celebrated words, allow me to suggest you should ask yourself the following, by no means rhetorical question: To be(lieve) or not to be(lieve)? Your answer is literally of vital importance to you.

By Sandor Balog

Word Count: 887

Copyright: free

Sandor Balog (pen name: Attila B. Magyar), born in Budapest, in 1954, has traveled widely, seen biblical sites and been dealing with biblical issues since 1989. His book Palm Wednesday has been available on Amazon. since Sept 29, 2010 (Kindle Edition since Nov 7, 2010).

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com