Have We Been Left Behind? (Part 1 of 3)

Is The Rapture A Real Event?

During an impromptu bible discussion centered around the introduction of my latest book, “Understanding The Word of God”, I was asked, “In  view of the events taking place in our country and around the world, do you think we are going through the tribulations spoken of in Revelation, and if so, have we been left behind?”  Being left behind is a concept of the Rapture doctrine that is said to not exist before John Darby invented it in 1830. The Rapture doctrine which is based upon 1st Thessalonians 4:17, “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”  To most, the Rapture doctrine is a confusing entity, there seems to be a lack of knowledge as to what happen next.  There are those who believe in it and there are those who do not believe in it.  Those who believe are divided into at least four groups, pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, post- tribulation and those who say, “I don’t know, I just want to be ready when he comes”.

Quite a few years have passed since I had seen the movie series, Left Behind, and the questions that the movies stirred still remain fresh in my mind.  My search for answers caused me to engage the minds of pastors, ministers and mostly anybody that was willing to engage in a discussion of the subject of being Left behind, or the Rapture.  Regardless of the position chosen, pre-Trib., mid-Trib., or Post-Trib., they all used the Bible to support their belief.  Some denominations teach that there is no scripture support of the “Rapture” taking place, past, present or future.  To place a seal on the subject, many pious prelates are content in stated that the word rapture could not be found in the bible.  Furthermore, any discussion of whether the Rapture is a real event or that it has happened or will happen does not fit the narrative of the modern day churches. 

The proliferation of the churches allows for these diverse doctrines and interpretation.  A doctrine, a set of beliefs that is taught by the church is often more important to the articles of faith than in depth Bible Studies.  Many of us who grew up reading a certain translation of the Bible is appalled that certain Bible publishers are editing the Bible to make it politically correct.  Yet, this is nothing new.  In the early 1500’s Martin Luther preformed a major edit of the Bible, and from his works emerged the King James Bible.  Thus began the division or separation of the Catholic and Protestant Bibles.  Through all of man’s attempts to water down, to shape, and twist the Word of God, it still emerges with power and conviction to those who are willing to lay aside their indoctrination, open up their hearts and study.

Now, there are those who hold the belief that as long as the church is present here on earth God’s wrath will be restrained.  It is after the events portrayed in 1st Thessalonians 4:16-17 have transpired, that the trumpets of Heaven will continue to sound.  According to Revelation the trumpets indicates that the wrath of God is being poured out.  The bases of this belief are, God always protects his own the same as he did in the day of Noah.   Using the church as a marker unfortunately opens the door to a much deeper and divided discussion.   What church is being referenced?  In view of the great proliferation of the church, to use the cliché, the church exists within the heart seemed a bit out of place.  Now the question emerges, did Christ come back and call the church out long before it became a confused and divided body?  Jesus’s message to the seventh or the final church of the church age, (Revelation 3: 14-22) is a message  of rebuke to an apostate church.  The closing of his message is an indication that he is no longer speaking to the churches, he is speaking to the individual.  Revelation 3:22  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches

1 Thessalonians 4:15-18  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be CAUGHT UP together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

These verses seem to make reference to a time when Christ comes back in the clouds; not setting foot on the earth, but calling the saints to meet him in the air.  This reference an event known in the English language as the “Rapture”.  True, the word “Rapture” is not found in the Bible, neither is computers or coffee, but for certain known or unknown reasons, it is a point of contention for many of the different doctrines that make up the realm of Christendom. .  The phrase “CAUGHT UP” is in the Scripture and  “Caught up” means the same thing as “Rapture.”  The same argument used to invalidate the Rapture can be used to invalidate many of the biblical prophecies.   The Bible is filled with prophecies, and it is these prophecies that disturb mankind.  If changing the meaning or eliminating certain words or verses will change the meaning of a prophecy, then this is the route humanity tends to follow. 

The question that plagues many who ascribe to the Rapture doctrine is, can people repent and be saved after the Rapture?  The Bible teaches that millions will repent and come to Christ for salvation during the time following the Rapture of the church.   John was given a vision of that time after the church had been caught up, he saw millions of people wearing dazzling white robes standing before the throne of God. There were so many that they couldn’t be counted by man. An "elder" in Heaven asked John, who these people were. John didn't know, but knew that the one asking did know. Revelation 7.14: "And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, these are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."

Matthew 24:7-14  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

The Bible is explicit in its prediction of the destruction that is to befall this earth before the end of time.  The doomsday scriptures are often overlooked in favor of scriptures that seems to predict peace, love and tranquility.  As I stated earlier, there is a consensus among many Christians that the wrath of God will not be poured out until the church is safe in Heaven.  Now, again, I have injected the word ‘church’ into this discussion, a word  whose modern day definition is dubious at best.  The prophecies of destruction are upon us, and the church with its changing manifestos does not seem to be a haven of protection from the wrath of God.   Where is that glorious church that Jesus spoke of, that church that Jesus said the gates of hell would not be able to stand against?  It has split into more than 30,000 denominations worldwide, each containing varying rules, laws, taboos, rituals, commandments, and doctrines. 

  Luke 21:11  And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. Revelation 6:15  And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; Revelation 6:17  For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?  Daniel 12:4  But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. 

There is no doubt that the age of ungodliness and destruction is upon us.  The scoffers and the intellectuals will agree that this is nothing new.  Rather than trying to establish our own timeline and relativity, maybe we should ask, “how long has it been since the true church was caught up?”  After a moment of reflection and contemplation It is easy to conceded that it seems as if the tribulation spoken of in the Bible is upon us, and maybe, just maybe, we have been left behind.

Next

A Church Left behind

Revelation 3:14-22

A Study Of Hate, Part #2

A Study Of Hate, Part #2

The Reality of Hate and Love

Psalms 139:21-22  Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies. Proverbs 8:13  The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

Standing in the shadows of the church, I was engaged in a very animated conversation with a church member.  Being the victim of an ongoing slander campaign, I spoke with the righteous indignation of a God fearing person concerning my hatred for busy bodies, people who lie and spread false rumors.  My conversation was overheard by a minister who joining in the conversation, I was informed that, contrary to what I had read in the scripture, Christians don’t hate.   As he explained it, “we can hate the sin, but we must love the person”.   The conversation began as nothing more than me venting my frustration in search of a word of support from the household of faith.  Now the conversation was taking me down that road of deliberate confusion.    He further stated that whether a person is a sinner or not it is not for us to judge.  Joining in the conversation, another church member gave the new age testimony of the 'justification of sin'.  “But here's the thing all of it is sin no matter what. I'm not GOD and I'm not judging anyone. As a Christian my job is to love everyone. No sin is greater than the other.”  The smugness of this speaker from out of town seem to indicate that something profound had been stated.  I, like many others who are searching for the true knowledge of God, was not impressed.   For me the conversation digressed into confusing and  irrelevant statements.  To me the statements were like saying, “I love Dr Pepper, but I hate the taste”.  This was my first contact with the religious community toning down its rhetoric in preparation of the governments attack on hate.  In the years that followed I became more aware of the shifting and inconsistent nature of the church.  Cute phrases such as, “don’t hate on me” and “only God can judge” was becoming in vogue.   Both of these phrases seem to have been based upon a shaped  interpretation of the scripture.  

Shaped interpretations of the scripture consist of surgically removing certain words or phrases from a verse, separating it from the supporting scripture, then presenting them as a complete thought.  The scripture, then can reinterpreted to fit the narrative of the speaker.  Thus, sin becomes justifiable, because God loves us and love covers a multitude of faults.  Shaped doctrines have appeared, such as once in Christ, you are never out or even Christ died for my sins, therefore I am free to sin.  Shaped interpretations of the scripture have left many standing by the roadside of despair, waiting for God to deliver a car. 

One of the strangest realities of this modern society is that very little can be said without it being analyzed and declared either “judging” or “hate speech”.   There are those souls standing ready to analyze the words of others based upon their perspective.  They are insulted and resort to name calling if the speaker's rhetoric does not fit within their agenda.  The question of how is it possible to arrive at  the conclusion that a person is judging without first judging, or that a message is hate without hating the message, this does not appear to be a consideration.  

The cauldron of hate is constantly being added to and stirred by the so-called activist of political correctness and leaders of ethnic communities.  Each one is seeking to advance their own agenda.  The freedom of speech for the majority is being infringed upon, and in many venues no longer exist.  This in itself is the greatest producer of hate.  It’s no longer acceptable to voice your opinion, nor is it acceptable to quote scriptures unless they has been shaped to fit the accepted narrative or the minority's agenda.  A minister preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, calling out the sins of humanity is subjected to name calling, which in itself is a reversed form of hate speech.

There are new age messages in and out of the church that proclaim the Bible teaches us that it is wrong to judge, or that only God can judge.  The same holds true with hate.  A careful reading of the scripture fails miserably to validate these arguments, at the risk of being redundant, certain words or phrases are surgically removed from verses and supporting scripture and then presented as a complete thought.  Matthew 7:1  Judge not, that ye be not judged: requires the reading and study of the fifth, six and seventh chapters of Matthew to understand the context of the message, and who was he talking to and what was he talking about.  The same holds true with Matthew 7:7.  There are many who have the false belief that they can ask God for any of their fleshly desires or wants and he will give it to them.  If we allow the evidence to speak, based upon the knowledge of God and the Gospel of the Kingdom, the question should be, “why did we get it wrong”.  Do we not know that there is the fruit of the spirit and there are the works of the flesh.  As far as judging maybe we should contend to understand Corinthians 6:2;  Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? And if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 

Spiritually speaking, there is a love that is evil and there is a hatred that is good.  There are positive and negative aspects of hatred the same as there is with love.  Therefore is it acceptable to hate those things that God hates?  Indeed, this is very much a proof of a right standing with God. “Let those who love the Lord hate evil” (Psalm 97:10a).  Hate existed long before the creation of man.  It first came into fruition when the devil rebelled against God.  In the garden, it existence and influence was contained within the knowledge of good and evil, it was restrained by the knowledge of God.  There are different definitions of hate the same as there is with love.   Hate that is defined according to the knowledge of good and evil is bad, but hate that conforms to the knowledge of God should be considered good.   It could be augured that the problems of humanity began when man lost his hatred for the Devil.

Proverbs 6:16-19  These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:  A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,  an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.  These verses tend to zero in on God’s hatred.  Hate is a taboo subject when referencing the attributes of God.  God is a Good of love therefore he does not hate us is the accepted interpretation of the scripture. Even a preacher who preached, "God hate you", would find himself in trouble with the organized church.

In a contemporary society that embraces the knowledge of good and evil, it also seeks to create a society free of hate.  This is an impossible task, since hate and love must exist as opposites until the emergence of the new heaven and new earth.  Man can only redefined love and hate to allow for the justification of that which was once considered a sin.  The message of salvation becomes a message of hate.  John the Baptist preaching, “ye generation of viper…”, in today’s society is reaffirmed as a hate message.  If in the contempt of God, a type of hate was exercised by Lucifer, it is also fitting that in contempt of the devil a certain type of Godly hatred must also exist.   For the sakes of offending many, hate is a part of our DNA.  Solomon referred to its existence when he stated that there was a time to hate. In the Old Testament there are many instances where God expressed his hatred of those who did not fear him.  In Psalms 139:22, David expressed his contempt, “I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.”  Psalms 97:10  Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.  Based upon the scripture references there is a perfect or godly hate that is of the spirit and there is a hatred that is of the flesh.  In a politically correct society hate is redefined and irrelevant laws are instituted to control it, and the church must perform the daunting task of separate the person from his evil ways.  Imagine a judge in a court of law struggling to punish the crime without punishing the person.

Churches have become big business, basting in grants and  subsidies from the government. The churches that accepted this handout from the government found themselves amending the gospel, to adhere to the guidelines set forth by the government.  Little by little the Gospel of the Kingdom is  is being replaced by the gospel of the world.  Christianity is now being redefined as a religion of hate.   Christianity, the church and America have been made ashamed of their bloody past.  These entities have allowed themselves to become hijacked and become embroiled in useless struggles seeking to  prove that the base of their  existence is free from hatred and violence.

There is a type of spiritual blindness that prevents man from accepting the existence of the God of Abraham or embracing the knowledge of God.   The knowledge of good and evil provides a platform for the devil to do his works, it also allows man to deny the existence of God.  The knowledge of God provided for the singular mission of God, thus God’s first command to man was to  subdue the earth and have dominion over it.  The test of a man’s commitment was to love God and hate the devil.  Kill and destroy was the command given to the Kings and Judges whose mission was to establish a new nation for his chosen people.  

There is a vast difference between the God given knowledge and the knowledge of good and evil.  The knowledge of good and evil is often translated to include the ability to know the difference between good and evil, but this is not true.  Sometime the English translation can be misleading. The knowledge of good and evil does not differentiate between what is good and what is evil; these guidelines can only be established through the knowledge of God.  The knowledge of good and evil combine that which is evil with that which good.  As this knowledge, increase that which was evil become good and that which was good become evil.

A Study Of Hate, Part #1

A Study of Hate

Part 1 of 3

 Ecclesiastes 3:8  A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

The wisdom of Solomon shines brightly in his elucidations of good and evil, or the works of the flesh and the works of the spirit. In this narrative known to us as Ecclesiastes the dichotomies of nature’s are illuminated in his attempt to show the contrast between paradise and eternal suffering.  A dichotomy  defines a sharp division of things or ideas into two contradictory parts, thus we have the flesh and the spirit.  Galatians 5:16  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh… Each element of the dichotomies of life processes the ability to cancel out the other.  One cannot serve God and the Devil, the same as day cancels the effect of night, or love cancels the effect of hate.  In a natural and imperfect world controlled by the knowledge of good and evil, opposites exist as the works of the flesh and the works of the spirit.  Thus we have the proliferation of this once forbidden knowledge of good and evil verses the knowledge of God. 

The knowledge of good and evil or the knowledge of the world is founded upon the love and works of the flesh, whereas the knowledge of God is founded upon the love and works  of God.  Those who love God have a strong desire to be commanded by God.  Galatians 5:16-23  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would…  Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

The scripture list hatred hatred as a work of the flesh along with a rather lengthy list of others vices, such as Adultery and murder.  The work of the flesh was condemned by the Law of God, yet the Law was unable to control the sinful nature of man once he had tasted of the forbidden fruit.  Romans 8:3  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:  John 15:18  If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 

Hatred is a powerful aphrodisiac, it produces a psychological high and its addiction rate is higher than that of drugs.  The narrative of a drug addict will draw others in  and replicate itself, thus creating an epidemic.  The same holds true with hate.  Society has separated itself into groups and each group hate the other.  Hate filled  rhetoric brings together those whose  perception  of hatred is blinded by the rhetoric and they rejoice in the evil and attention produced by hatred.    Groups are often formed to combat hate, but, again because of the lack of understanding of the nature of hate, these groups often succumb to hate an become instruments of hate.  Humanity in his infinite wisdom often creates laws to control or combat hate.  The application of these laws often produces a hatred more intense, more profound than the hatred it sought to suppress.  Consider the war on prostitution, liquor and drugs as a measure of effectiveness of man-made laws against the work of the flesh.  If it was because of what the law of God could not do, God sent his son, how effective can the laws of man be?

What is this ungodly hate and why is the world is so mindful of it?  When did this hate first rear its ugly head?  Why do people hate?  Can hate be controlled by the creation of laws?  What is it that causes hate to spread so quickly?  These are just a few of the questions we will explore as we attempt to get a deeper understanding of hate.  Fix these questions in your mind as I suppose in somewhat of a rambling manner, we will seek to shed a balanced light on the nature of hate.

According to the scripture there are certain facts that we should know.  Before the creation of man, Lucifer, God’s Holy angel in charge of God’s creation became jealous because God had all power and commanded the angels.  Desiring a bigger share of this power he organized a revolt against the Kingdom of God.  Failing in his objective, he was cast out upon the earth.  Jesus alluded to seeing the Devil cast out upon the earth, striking it like a bolt of lightening.  The end result of this cosmic upheaval was, the earth became without form and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep.  Choosing not to make an end to his creative works, judgment was deferred, a restoration process began.  The earth being overrun with evil, God began to create good or opposite to offset the evilness caused or created by the devil.  God said, “Let there be light”, and he separated the light from the darkness, this is indicative of the fact that he did not destroy the darkness, he contain it.  He spoke to the waters that overran the earth and dry land appeared,  He defined his works as ‘good’.  His divine purpose was not to destroy, but to bring about a restoration process through the establishment of opposites and choices.   According to the book of Revelation in the new Heaven and Earth, there will be no night and the seas will no longer exist.  Scripture documentation can be found in my book, “Understanding The Word of God”.

Within the contents of the Kings James Version of the Holy Scripture the word hate is used eighty seven times, there are eighteen occurrences of the word hatred, the word love is used two hundred and eighty six times.  Another comparison is the word day is used 1576 times while the word night is only used 301 times, darkness appears one hundred and forty five times.   There is a subtle message in these facts which is often overlooked. Hate is like a seed, if we nurture it it will grow.  When hate presents itself, it is hard not to stare at it, but If we stare at hate we can become overcome by it.  Hate produces a blinding effect that causes our perception to suffer. We see things through darken lens.  The rhetoric of a hate filled society can be pervasive, which is why the Bible warning us against letting hate into our hearts.  Once hate enters our heart it contaminates our lifestyle and we become the victims of hate. The opposite of hate is love.  Hate is to love what night is to day. The objective of hate in our heart is to choke out or destroy love.  Hate is an emotion that is fed by the lust of the flesh.  It sees what other processes and its lusts after it.

Asked how to get rid of racism or hate, a person of notoriety responded, “stop talking about it.”  To address the issue of hate does not diminish hate, rather it provides a result that is opposite of the intended objective.   The so called discussion on racism has not curbed the spirit of hate, rather there is a divide that is growing, and this country is being torn apart.  The consensus of todays society is to seek out hatred or racism, expose it, discuss it and it will go away.  This is far from the truth. When Nancy Regan instituted a program of, “Just say no” to drugs in our High Schools, the use of drugs increased.  Hate is like a flower, in darkness, it will struggle to exist, but to expose it to the light for all to see its intricate nature, it will flourish and produce seeds.  This hate, the same as prostitution or drugs cannot be controlled by laws.  Laws merely reshape the playing field.  When the playing field is reshaped it is usually at the expense of some other group.  Under the guise of a Utopian society, hate, racism, and civil rights have been exposed and examined, the rights of one group trumps the rights of the other group and Christ has been left standing at the door knocking.

On October 28, 2009 President Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which expanded existing United States federal hate crime law to apply to crimes motivated by a victim's actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability, and dropped the prerequisite that the victim be engaging in a federally protected activity.  The purpose of this act was to insure the protection of all.  This act combined with the Human Rights act of 1964 proposes that we all should be able to live our lives free of hatred, and racism and be able to enjoy a new found freedom based upon tolerance.  These laws or acts are guilty of creating a new form of hatred that is more destructive that the acts they sought to impede.

To be continued

A Question of Faith, Part #2

A Question of Faith, Part #2

Romans 1:17  For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. 

This faith that the just shall live by is called the faith in the gospel.  It should not to be entangled with the natural aspects of life, such as jobs, and finances. Faith is about believing in the gospel, and the gospel is about salvation.  If we begin reading at Romans 1:1, there would be little room for misunderstanding.  In verse 16, Paul began by stating that he is not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. Being not ashamed of this strange gospel as many were in his time, he seeks to establish to the Romans that the righteous of God has been revealed to him, therefore he is not ashamed.  His faith in this new revealed gospel  embodies the substance of all that is contained in the epistle. It is the doctrine which Paul seeks to establish; and there is not perhaps a more important passage in the Bible than this verse, or one more difficult to be understood. 

There are many loose interpretations of faith and the gospel, and a great burden has been placed on the works of God by those who claim to believe.  Because of this burden and the seemly inactivity of God, the believability or faith in the gospel has suffered.   Believability in God is often promulgated through making vast promises as to what God is about to do or even what God is doing.  People are excited when God is showering down blessing, the same as when the government is giving out money.  What is this gospel that the just should have faith in?  Is it a motivational message of Moses floating down the river in a boat?  Is the gospel a message of jubilee as we go through life collecting blessings and favors or is it a message of salvation and repentance?  Jesus came preaching gospel or a message that was different from that of the ancient prophet.  Remember when Peter sought to learn from Moses and Elias, Matthew 17:5  While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.  The message or the gospel preached by Jesus should take precedent over a message of Moses defining the law of God.

 The burden of faith is often amplified when those who speak as messengers of God make a proclamation and the result is not forthcoming.  Cute clichés are cast about as if they contain some hidden message, such as, “God know what he is doing” and “God does not make mistakes”.  These statements are true, but the message can be lost in the over simplification, the same as a message that proclaims the darkness of the night or the wetness of water.   When there is a question of living by faith, before the dialog has ended, a reference to healing and/or money will often be used to validate the degree of faith that one either possess or should posses.  If you have faith God will heal your body.  To some this means refusing to go to the doctor, to other the doctors visit and hospital stay is incorporated into the walk of faith.   If you have faith God will put money in your bank account.  The simplest requirement of living by faith requires that we put God first in our lives, especially when it comes to our finances.  Ten percent of the top of your income to the church will grant you an audience with God and the pastor.  Based upon this modern day interpretation of faith, if you are sick or poor you are not walking by faith, and for a fee, there are those who are prepared to teach us, “how to get what we need from God.”

A testimony of faith can be detrimental  to those who's  indoctrination of faith is suffering.  Imagine the disbelief of a person listening to the testimony of a lady explaining how after prayer God started her car.   After oversleeping and the chance of running late for an important appointment, she dressed and rushed out to start her car.  To her dismay the car did not start and the smell of raw gas emitted from the engine compartment.   She went back into the house, kneeled down and prayed,  being led by the spirit she returned to the car and laid hands on the car.  After prayer and anointing the car, it started on the next attempt.   Her testimony of faith “Can’t God do it” evoked an emotional response that was equivalent to the crowd reaction to a touchdown  by their favorite football team.  This type of testimony has damaged the faith of many who understood the workings of a flooded car engine.

What is more confusing, is that many of todays declarations of faith are founded upon the pretentious nature of humanity.  God is blessing me right now becomes a cliché used to display one wealth.  Another pretentious element is used over the over the internet to attract followers.   If you just type “Amen” under a case full of money God will give it to you.  Bed sheets are often cut into small pieces and sold to the gullible with a promise of God’s interaction.  Many have spent a lifetime donating to religious causes, and have not reaped the fruit of their labor,  while the pious elite dance and prance in the sunshine and proclaim, ‘God is blessing me right now.”  How pretentious.  The sick, the poor and the dying, those that Jesus spoke so fondly of, are not receiving the gospel of salvation, rather they are often left standing along side the roadside of despair wondering if they have been forsaken by God. 

Why are we taught that if we have faith we can ask God for “anything” we want and he will give it to us.  Again, Matthew 7:7 is the basis of this teaching, Jesus said, “ask and it shall be given.”   The question of what was he talking about should be answered, before we become guilty of diluting the word of God and promoting a false faith.  Was Jesus talking about natural things such as asking for a car or money?  Many will say yes, while others will say no.  The testimony of one who was contending for the faith stated, “I have a lot of things that I am asking God for, and I just believe he is going to  answer my prayer.”  Soon afterward, her cancer ravished body was laid to rest.  Her untimely death, was it the result of a lack of faith?  To answer the question, “God knows what he is doing”, or “God doesn’t make mistakes”, to some is considered a non answer.  Maybe we should ask God to forgive us for blaming him for everything that happen to us. 

Luke reveals two important  elements in a true relationship with God.  These two things stand out in the discourse of Jesus and his disciples. Luke 11:1  And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.  Luke 17:5  And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.  There is a strong possibility that prayer has evolved to a level where prayer is no longer prayer, and our concept of faith is not true faith.   Remember Jesus musing in Luke 18:8  I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?  This is a question that seriously requires an answer.   Where is that faith that Jesus spoke of?

The desire for faith which is listed as a fruit of the spirit opens the door to a level of gullibility that is destructive to the process of building true faith, especially when we attempt to mix the natural with the spiritual.  This gullibility becomes a strong asset that is used to manipulate the household of faith.  There are those who are not afraid to make false claims about what God said, or what he is saying.  God often speaks during the offering time when he is telling us to give more money.   A skillful manipulator will twist, turn, shape and surgical remove certain segments of the scripture so that we end up with God saying to the church what he said to the children of Israel.  I have often attended gatherings where the drawing card was, come and get your blessing or come and be healed.  The promise of miracles and blessing once attracted people to worship services like flies to honey.  I have seen people leave the church dejected and confused.

In the first part of our dissertation, we identified the major attributes of faith as a belief, confidence or trust.  All of these things are are relative to a metaphysical god whose image is maintained through his power, and his promise.  Therefore, our faith is our belief and confidence or trust that we have in an unseen entity whose presence is made known through his manifestation.  Faith is a spiritual entity.  Galatians 5:22-23  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long  suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.   Here, the writer is describing faith as a “fruit” of the spirit. James 2:20  But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?  The understanding of faith most defiantly requires the understanding of the works of faith. 

Power and promises are the key words used in the definition of faith.  These two words also allow for the trivialization, proliferation and distortion of God’s word.  To understand faith we need to understand the power and the promises of the “gospel”.  Searching the scripture and looking for promises that God made to Abraham or to the children of Israel and claiming them in the name of faith, is not conductive to faith building.  I have been challenged on this point many times.  Consider this; as a work of faith across the nation. Try as we may, but the promises that God made to Abraham and the children of Israel are  not the same promises that Jesus made through the Gospel to the church. 

Prayer warriors often assemble and pray for the healing of the community and the nation.   The scriptural basis of their action is 2 Chronicles 7:14  If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.  The phrase, “my people”, used by God in the Old Testiment always referenced the children of Israel.  If that is not true, then the faith of many is suffering because the God of our salvation is presented as a God who is not keeping his promise. All over the world, people are praying, but the problems of the world is not being fixed,  According to the testimony of Jesus, things will get worse.  The world has rejected God and the judgment has been decreed.   Yet many are constantly praying and calling it a work in progress.  The only reconciliation of these facts is, we got the message mixed up.  Anoother point to consider is, under the law judgement was swift, under grace, judgement is delayed.

Who is talking, who is being spoken to and what is the subject matter is often the master key to understanding God’s Word.  The messenger must be careful not to shape the message to validate his irreverent position.   Imagine this, a bank president and his new assistant sitting in his office, he had just finished talking to a couple who was applying for a loan.  He sent them back out to wait in the crowded waiting room while he checked some facts.  After making up his mind, looking out of his glassed in office, he spoke to his assistant, “tell them they can  have the loan.”  Rather than the selected couple, the message was relayed to everyone in the waiting room.   Needless to say there were those who expecting a loan and did not get one. 

What does Paul mean by the just shall live by faith?  Some would say, it means waiting on God to provide all the necessities of life.   Some have even testified that everything they want, whether it be a house or car, food on the table, they tell God their needs or wants and He  supplies their needs.  The basis of this assertion is  Philippians 4:19,   But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.  Neither scripture is supportive of the above concept if we  allow the word “need” to reference the spirituality of man rather than the natural aspects of humanity.

A measure of our faith is not believing the sun will rise tomorrow, for makes the sun to rise on the just as well as the unjust.  The measure of our faith is believing in the gospel.  The Bible tells us what the gospel is in 1 Cor. 15:1-4, "Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures . . . "

 Jesus came preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God.  Mark 1:15  And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.  The Gospel is the message of the Kingdom.  What is the kingdom?  Romans 14:17  For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Matthew 5:45  That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.  This verse should teach us that there are those things that are decreed by God or nature, the just and the unjust receive the same benefits or suffer the same consequences.  A drunk, violating the laws of humanity, driving the wrong direction down the freeway is not an instrument of God sent to exact vengeance upon any poor unsuspecting child.  Therefore God doesn’t make mistakes, is not an applicable response.  Surgical removing Bible verses from their supporting scriptures, creating sound bites  that establishes an alien context,  we establish a modus operandi that causes true faith to suffer. 

There are questions of prayer and faith, and in most instances the answers are not forthcoming from the pulpits of our churches.   In many settings prayer has become a loud, boisterous act designed to provoke an emotional reaction from the listener.   The strangeness of may church services is that they seek to obtain the same level of emotions that is achieved when a nationally known performer appears on stage. 

Based upon Paul’s definition of faith the meaning seems can seem somewhat muddled.  It was Peter’s contention that Paul sometime spoke in highly educated language that was hard to understand.  But, it is not the definition of faith, it is the application of faith that bothered me. Some describe the Christian faith as a “personal relationship with Jesus.” But, what type of relationship is the organize church encouraging and developing.  A personal relationship with Christ is defined as leaning and depending on Jesus.  Is this the type of relationship encouraged by Jesus when he said, “Take up your cross and follow me”?  Sadly, our church services, classes, and programs pursue a relationship like, “Jesus will pick us up and carry us.”  Do our faith in Christ means he will carry us through the storm?   Faith is touted as the procurer of our wants or hopes.  Is this an accurate representation of faith...

Think on these things. 

A Question of Faith.

A Question of Faith

I often think of a conversation Jesus had with his disciple, in that conversation he posed the question, “would he find faith when on his return”.  Christianity once a religion of works has now transformed itself into a religion of wants.   Fewer and fewer messages are delivered touting the saving grace of our father while the airwaves, pulpits, and social media are alive with testimonies of what God is doing.   If a church going Christian would respond that God is not doing all of the things we claim he is doing, that church going Christian would be churched and thrown under the bus.

What is faith?  Some years ago, my 90 plus year old mother asked me this question.  We were sitting at the breakfast table about to enjoy our sausage, eggs, conversation, and coffee.   She asked the question with the seriousness of a person searching for an answer, and that caught me off guard.  Our breakfast table discussion was her way of teaching, transferring knowledge and inspiring me to search for and write, with a deeper understanding of God’s word.  In the twilight years of her life, she encouraged me to rethink some of the things that even she had taught me concerning the Word of God.   Often in our varied discussions, she would remind me that as a  Sunday School teacher, she had taught that the earth was square and that man would never go to the moon.  This faulty interpretation  stems from an improper understanding and thus an improper application of the Word of God from a biblical perspective. The angels of Revelation standing on the four corners of the earth was not supportive of a flat earth theory.  Through her years of Bible study, she had learned that the most proficient preachers and teachers use broken scriptures, scriptures out of context, (like broken English) as the basis of their objections or dissertations without considering the full counsel of the Bible. 

 I still can remember the first time I heard my mother explain to her Sunday School class what faith was.  She had begun by quoting Hebrew 11:1, Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.   As an analogy, she used the old fashion method of cooking Turnip greens.    The greens would be boiled in a pot of seasoned water.  Once the greens were served any leftover water would be saved and later eaten with cornbread.  In the old days, they called it “pot liquor”.  Pot liquor was not turnip greens, but it contained the substance of turnip greens.   Therefore, she concluded, faith was the substance of hope.  Years later, I asked my younger brother the meaning of faith, he responded by quoting Hebrew 11:1. 

As I was about to answer my mother’s question by quoting Hebrew 11:1, my mind became a cesspool of unanswered questions.  Is there a difference between hope and hoped, more than just saying one is present and the other is passed.   When Paul speaks of hope is he referencing a certain type of hope.  Is the substance of this hope the basic elements of faith.   Hope for what?  Hope for the healing of the body?  There was a woman with an issue of blood for twelve years, she hoped for a healing.  Jesus spoke the word and she was healed.  My father lay on his bed of affliction for six months, the prayer for healing and restoration was not answered.  What is hope?  Hope for a new car?  There are many who claim that God gave them a new car, leaving them to make the payments.  Hope for salvation?   I mentally reviewed Hebrew 11:1.  Paul did not say faith was the substance of hope, he said faith was the substance of ‘things’ hoped for.  What were the things he was referring to?  This most definitely  did not mean  a Carte Blanche of things.   Was he giving credence to the old adage of, “If you can believe, you can achieve?”  There are good things and there are bad things.  Therefore, there must be a faith that is of God and if the rule of opposites applies, then there is a type faith that originates from the devil.   When she saw my confusion and  hesitation, she smiled.

Often we read the teaching of Paul and we conclude that it means this, as if we have a divine revelation into the mindset of Paul.  Paul was a highly educated man and he spoke the language of an educated man.   In the Book of Hebrews, Paul is speaking to a group of educated Jews and he speaks a  language that they can understand.   There are many statements attributed to Paul that the lay person is hard pressed to understand or reconcile.  Paul’s statement in 1 Timothy 2:12  But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence, once was accepted as doctrine by many, whereas in today's society, good or bad,  it is being reinterpreted and cast aside.    It would seem to me that Peter alluded to a certain problem with Paul’s teaching in his final epistle. 2 Peter 3:16  As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.  There are many who will disagree with me in my assessment of the above statement, but I prefer to let the facts speak for themselves. The question is, what is faith?  Quoting Hebrews 11:1 to a person who is searching for the answer does not necessarily provide the answer.   Acts 8, tell the story of Philip explaining the scripture to the eunuch who was riding along reading the scripture.  It is the preacher's job to explain the scripture so that those who seek answers might understand it.
   

Faith, God, miracles and blessings have been defined and redefined until even the things that God has ordained from the beginning of time is looked upon as a miracle.  The world’s spirituality  has changed and God is in the blessing business.  We go about our daily task, ignoring those unanswered pleas, as we seek to amplify what our Heavenly Father is doing, finding solace in “God is a good God”.   Secretly the faith of many tends to suffer because we are afraid to acknowledge our lack of understanding of the word faith.  When Jesus addressed the subject of faith with his disciples, they responded Luke 17:5  And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.
  

We are encouraged to pray for the healing of the land and our body.  We pray for financial blessings and we often pray for God to deliver us from the storm.   We have a scripture that says God answer all prayers and if we ask we shall receive.  For an outward showing, we pretend  that we are receiving and enjoying the blessing of our Father while inward we are struggling with a question of faith.  The conditions throughout the land are not getting better and our bodies are deteriorating at an early age. We cry out to God for healing as we rush to the Hospital and when we survive the operation, our faith tells us it was God who did the work. 

John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus Christ was locked away in a jail cell.  When his faith began to weaken, he sent runners to find Jesus and ask him a question.   He did not ask to be delivered from jail, there were questions of faith that he needed to be answered.   Luke 7:20  When the men came unto him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?  What would, you are I ask for?  No doubt our testimony would have been, “I am trusting God to deliver me.”  All of the old patriots processed a great degree of faith, they did not abuse their faith.   John the Baptist was marooned on an island alone, no one to talk to except Jesus Christ and his angels.   There is nothing in the narrative that said John asked for deliverance.   Why?  Maybe to do so would have been abusing his faith.   Faith is not a question of or based upon what God can or cannot do.   Faith requires a degree of acceptance.  Philippians 4:11  Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

Now, what is faith?  Every person who professes a belief in God know what faith is, right?  We also know that without faith it is impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6)    According to  Wikipedia, Faith is variously defined as the belief, confidence or trust in a person, object, religion, idea or view.  Therefore, without confidence in God--in his fidelity, his truth, his wisdom, his promises it is impossible to please God.  It is impossible for a child to please his father unless he has confidence in him.  The rules of good and evil or opposites apply.  There is good and bad confidence.  It is impossible for a wife to please her husband, or a husband, a wife, unless they have confidence in each other. If distrust and jealousy exist on either part, there is discord and misery. We cannot be pleased with a professed friend unless he has such confidence in us as to believe our declarations and promises, The same thing is true of God. He cannot be pleased with the man who has no confidence in him; who doubts the truth of his declarations and promises; who does not believe that his ways are right, or that he is qualified for universal empire. The requirement of faith or confidence in God is not arbitrary; it is just what we require of our children, and partners in life, and friends, as the indispensable condition of our being pleased with them.

The problem with our walk of faith manifest itself when we attempt to use faith to get what we claim God promised us, and the result is not forthcoming.  I know that there are many of us who have dealt with this problem privately.  Our testimony speaks of the great thing God is doing for us, while inside we are like John the Baptist, alone on an island.  But, unlike John we are begging for deliverance.  To maintain our degree of faith and sanity we began to trivialize the works of God.  If Bible students could accept that Israel was God’s chosen people and God made earthly promises to Israel, and the church is the bride of Christ, and Christ made spiritual promises to the church, we would not become caught up in begging for the blessings of Abraham.   Israel a natural body received natural promises, the church a spiritual body received spiritual promises.   If this were not true, then sinners would be poor and Christians would be financially rich.

The modern day definition of faith tends to suffer because defining and supportive scriptures have been hijacked and used as a tool for mind control.  The drawing card off too many religious assemblies is based upon how to get what you want from God.  The emerging pious prelates tend to define faith as simply giving money to God and waiting for him to bless you.  The attributes of faith are reduced to healing and  financial blessing as those who seeks to obtain followers make vast promises in the name of God.   The social media are filled with promises of huge sums of money if the reader will type “Amen”  to the status presented.  The use of the phrase, “Somebody will receive this blessing”, is not an accurate representative of God’s power, nor is it an indication of the proper use of faith. 

The problem with trying to determine what is Mustard seed faith is complicated by the changing modern day definition of faith.  Is faith simply a belief in God, or  is faith is believing God will do things for us?   If he did it once, he can do it again, have now become the standard of God’s involvement in our life.   The statement is true from the standpoint of God’s power but is it a true assessment of His involvement in the day to day affairs of humanity.  If he parted the sea, he can do it again, but an exercise in futility might describe as standing on the beach begging God to part the waters.   A deeper understanding of the Word of God would prevent us from making unnecessary and bogus claims of God.

 to be continued

Revelation 13, The Rise of The Beast

In Revelation 13, through the eyes of John we are privy to the things that shall come to pass in the last half of the seventieth week of Daniel’s prophecy.  In Daniel 7:3, “four beasts came up out of the sea.” These four beasts are representative  of the four successive forms of Gentile rule, which are Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece and Rome. Rome fell in A. D. 476. Since that time she has not been a significant power, but she will rise again to become a world power through the ungodly alignment of the European Union and the United Nation  and under the leadership of the Antichrist.  All of this will take place after Christ has come back for his Saints. 

The last sentence of the above paragraph should be accepted as a dire warning to those who have refused to accept Christ as their Savior, and with exceedingly great joy to those who are awaiting his return.   It is the belief of many that when the tribulation began the Saints will be at home with their Lord.  Seeing that the conditions are ripe for a worldwide transition of power, the question is when will Christ return to claim his Saint?

As we have often stated, that as the end of the church age draws near, Jews and Gentiles will become wicked as never before on the face of the earth (Isaiah 60:2).   The authority of God will be challenged , God’s laws will be changed.  Once godly nations will join with the heathen nations in open rebellion against the Lamb of God (Revelation 19:19) and they will fight against Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:2).  Therefore, the earth must be cleared of evil and ungodly men before the Lord Jesus comes back to reign in glory, with His Church.

To stress a point, Christ is nowhere said to come with the clouds to gather the Church out of the earth. On the contrary, the saints go up in the clouds (I Thessalonians 4:17). God provides a royal carriage to convey the saints from the earth to meet the Lord in the air and the church will become a part of the “clouds”.  In this essence, he is preparing his army to return and fight against the evils of this world, the great battle will not be won until he has gathered the wheat into his barn and burned the fields.

After the true Church have been caught up, leaving the Apostate Church behind, the works of the Holy Spirit will be complete.  Once the Holy Spirit has departed the world will be ripe for the rule of the Antichrist, but his rule will be for a season.   He will come promising prosperity and peace.  The changes will not be sudden, as the groundwork is already being laid and the message of peace, change, and prosperity has began to emulate throughout the land. 

Christians should not be looking for the revival of Rome, nor for the Antichrist; the bride of Christ should be looking for the coming of the bridegroom.  After the Rapture, or by what other name we describe the events of portrayed in (1^st Thessalonians 4:16-17), this super-human Beast will emerge and working  miracles.  He will cry peace and prosperity as he attempts to mimic the Kingdom of God.  The working of these miracles such as making fire come down from heaven, will change this ungodly conflagration of Churches and nations into a one world government in a very short time.

Revelation 13:1-10 “And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. 2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. 3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. 4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him? 5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. 6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. 7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. 9 If any man have an ear, let him hear. 10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.”

In Revelation 13; the symbology of the Bible shines brightly.  The sands of the sea are representative of a vast multitude of people.  God told Abraham that He would multiply his seed as the sands of the sea. In Revelation 20:8 God’s army is referred to in number as “the sands of the sea.” Thus the sands of the sea represent multitudes; the sea itself represents unrest and turmoil among the masses.

Daniel visions play an important role in helping us identify these Beasts in Revelation 13. Daniel was an outstanding personality and  Jesus spoke of him in Matthew and declares that he was a prophet. Daniel had the gift of understanding and interpreting dreams. As a prophet, God revealed to him the entire course of “the times of the Gentiles.” The prophecy of Daniel is mainly concerned with things that shall befall the people Israel in the latter days (Daniel 10:14).

One of the many problems with the interpretation of Revelation is that often too much is read into a verse, and other times too much are discarded.  There are two bases of interpretation of the scripture, one is based upon the knowledge of good and evil, (a merism which is indicative of all the knowledge of the world) and the other is based upon the Knowledge of God.  The knowledge of good and evil does not instruct us in the path of righteousness, it gives mankind the power of choice.  Man’s access to the vast knowledge of good and evil allows him to shape or change the Word of God to suit his circumstances.

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The prophecies of The Book of Revelation are not to be explained based upon our knowledge of good and evil or the knowledge of man.  The knowledge of good and evil is based upon the knowledge of science.   Science cannot accept the existence of a metaphysical God, the legalistic and scientific conditions cannot be met.  Man makes a choice based upon his knowledge.

Reading or studying the Book of Revelation without a proper use of biblical symbology is also  a lesson in futility.  The first verse of the book informs us that the message was signified by an angel.  To understand the book we must understand the signs.  In Revelation 1: 11-17, John is using signs or symbols to describe the Son of God in his metaphysical state.   In Revelation 1: 20, the meaning of the signs and symbol unfold.   Here is an example and the meaning of some of the symbology used in Revelation 13. • Beast = Kingdom / government / political power, (Daniel 7:17, • Heads = Major powers/rulers/governments  (Revelation 17:3) • Horn = King or kingdom, (Daniel 7:24) And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: • Crown = A Glorious Ruler or Rulership, (Proverbs 16:31)

A simple analogy to understanding the interpretation of the Holy Scripture, especially the Book of Revelation is comparing it to a cup of lemon juice.   Harsh to the taste and unfit to be used as a breakfast of dinner drink.    But, if we add the right amount of water, sugar and ice we have a drink that will suit the taste of the most discriminating person.  

The ancient Gospel of “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand”, as well as the ancient prophecies of the return of Christ to establish his Kingdom here on earth, is no longer an acceptable message to be presented to our younger generation.  There is a new indoctrination that focuses on the love of God and Heaven is just a place we all go to be with God.  This new watered down version of the Holy Scripture with the right amount of sugar and Ice added to suit our taste, no longer support the prophecies of Revelation.  Words like Pre- Millennial, Post-Millennium and outdated are used to invalidate the book.  Jesus’ message to the churches has been cast aside, and the church said “amen”.

As this once Godly nations and its many different spiritual institutions digress into the final state of apostasy as prophesied in the book of Revelation,  the prospect of a one world government looms on the horizon.  The players seem to have been identified, and the conditions seem to be ripe for the beast to rise up out of the sea.  A beast rising up out of the sea is symbolic and indicative of a new nation rising up out of the midst of confusion.  There is an ethnic divide through the world today that is being manipulated in order to bring about lawless conditions and worldwide instability.  Once worldwide confusion prevails the beast of Revelation 13 will emerge.

If the Beast or Antichrist is preparing to make his appearance, the prayers of the righteous should be, “Lord, when are you coming to get us?”  (1^st Thessalonians 4:16-17) Rather, we spend  our prayer time asking for richness, glory and peace on earth.   When the disciple asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, a key instruction was, “let you Kingdon come, on earth as it is in Heaven.” (Luke 11:2) The signs are indicative of a world out of control.   The ethnic divide is tearing not only this country but the world apart.  There are wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes in different places.  There are dark clouds on the horizon.  Is God about to pour out his wrath that he has been storing up?  The hope of the Church is to be safe in the arms of Christ, the same as it was in the day of Noah, when the tribulation come.  

To be continued

What is Preaching

“What is Preaching”

Part #2

“The Art of Preaching”

After listening to the learned pastor speaking, using clever words and alliterations, an element of confusion engulfed me. There are those of us who came of age within our respective organized denominational church and have experienced the ethnic divides that separates the religious community. In some aspects of religion this divide is so great that Christianity has presented itself as a house divided against itself. On Sunday mornings this divide manifest itself in many forms, most prevalent is segregated assemblies with different interpretations and presentations of the Word of God. There is justification in the argument that the allowance for individual interpretation of the Bible is a destructive force within the household of faith.

One of the most dividing elements of Christendom is the style of preaching.  In a changing religious environment, many church goers are beginning to struggle with the question of, what is peaching.  From the prospective of the pastors and laymen, this is an easy question to answer.  Preaching simply translates into proclaiming a message from God, and some have added, in an entertaining manner.  There are those who have studied the effectiveness of preaching in an evolving society and have found that modern day preaching may not be an effective way to spread the Word of God.   If ‘modern day, high tech preaching’ was effective, then then the true knowledge of God  would prevail through the world.

In our previous post, “The Art Of Preaching”, we presented six guidelines that knowledgeable preachers agree upon.  Preaching should be  Inspirational, Motivational, Relational, Revelational, Confrontational and Proportional (Balanced and Consistent).  Keep these in mind as we twist and turn thru the maze of trying to understand what is true preaching.  Most definitions of preaching is  ambiguous at best, they present us with a God who is constantly giving out new messages, all designed to lift us up and carry us through another day.  The common thread in all of these new messages is, “don’t give up God will do what he said he will do”.  What if we compared todays form of preaching to that which was commissioned by Jesus.   Once we began the comparison our mind began to fill with many relevant questions.

Is there is a difference between spreading the Word of God  and preaching the Gospel?  The consensus seems to indicate that preaching the gospel is the same as spreading the Word of God. Yet, Jesus never commanded his disciple to preach the Word of God, he commanded them to preach the Gospel.    Mark 16:15  And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.   The task  of the ancient prophets  was to proclaim the Words or Message of God.   A deeper understanding of the Word of God seems to indicate that the ‘Word of God’ was synonymous with the actions of God or the intended actions of God.  The Word of God was used to instruct the Jews in the wilderness. When a person or nation was in need of direction, God sent his prophet to prophesy.   The Message of God usually did not carry a repentance clause, the message was simple, “do this and live” or “do this and die”.   Moses proclaimed the Word of God.  John preached the Gospel.   Peter wanted to hear Moses proclaim the Word of God.  Mark 9:7  And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.

In the Old Testament of the King James Bible there are only three references to preaching,  Ne 6:7; Isa 61:1; Jon 3:2.  In the first instance, the King had set up false prophets and appointed them to preach of him.  In the second reference it is used in a prophecy pertaining to the coming and the works of Jesus.  The third reference, the Word of God came to Jonah and commanded him to preach, this message allowed for the penance or repentance.

Teach, rather than preach is the word of choice used in the Old Testament, and it is used seventy five times.  Exodus 18:20  And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.  Leviticus 10:11  And that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses.  It seems as if the Old Testament patriots were instructed to teach the Word of God.

In the New Testament era  the job of the preacher was to preach the gospel, whereas in the Old Testament the focus seems to have been on teaching the Word of God.   Again,  in the King James’  Old Testament there is no reference to the Gospel.   Thus, what is the Gospel become a valid question.

Matthew 11:1  And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.

Teach and preach seems to be two different words used to describe Jesus actions.  Is there a difference between teaching and preaching?    A simple definition is, to teach is to instruct, to preach is to proclaim.   An acceptable definition to many would be based upon ones personal interpretation of the scripture.

Mark 16:15  And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. John’s idea of preaching was, preaching in the wilderness of Judah. In view of the narrative,  it could be said, he was preaching to trees and animals, then people began to come out to see what all of the fuss was about.

Matthew 4:17  From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.  Luke 4:19  To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.  Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand, seems to have been the common theme of the messages preached by the New Testament patriots.   The Gospel was not a  motivational speech that promised sunshine and favors.  The Gospel was not about the life of Moses, nor was it about the life of Jesus Christ.  The Gospel setforth the purpose of Jesus’s suffering and dying on the cross, and his resurrection.  The Gospel is a call to repentance.   1 Timothy 1:15  This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.  1 Corinthians 2:1-2  And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.   The Gospel is the message of the Kingdom of God. 

Acts 10:42  And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.  Testify is another word that’s added to the arsenal of tools used to promote the plan of God. 

There are two knowledges at work, there is the knowledge of good and evil, which encompasses all of the knowledge of the world, and there is the knowledge of God.   We are to teach the Knowledge of God the same as our worldly institutions teach the knowledge of good and evil.   Preach is to proclaim the Gospel.  When John the Baptist preached, it was not about the prophets, his message was simple, “repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand”.   Finally, as in a court of Law, a testimony is a dissertation of the events that has taken place. We testify of what God has done for us, it is vain to testify of what we want God to do.  When a person stands before a congregation, the purpose should be to Teach, Preach or Testify. 

The highjacking of the scripture has turned the Word of God into an entertainment platform.  Religious writer, Ministers and preachers are competing for equal time and space on the world stage, the same as other entertainers.  Preaching the Gospel has become a form of play acting, and the positions within the organized church is being used to promote social standings within the community at large.  The Gospel and the Word of God is combined together to form a polluted motivational type of message that is attractive to the masses.  This has never been the intent of the Gospel.   As the world drifts farther and farther from the knowledge of God, entertainment becomes the driving force of survival.  As the church becomes more apostate, people are flocking to the church to be entertained.   Entertainment played an important role in the building of many great congregations and civilizations.  The Romans flocked to fill the great coliseum to watch the Lions verses the Christians.

A preacher’s style of preaching, his appearance and the promises made plays an important role in determining who come to hear his message.   It is said, the typical "black church" style of preaching, the hooping and the hollering  goes back to the days of slavery.   Now, I know this line of thinking is offensive to some.  The use of clever words, alliterations, screaming, hollering, jumping around is often used to validate a message from God.  In many settings, the preacher hasn’t preached until he “tune up and roar”.   It is said, this technique became in vogue in black churches during the days of slavery.  It was enforced by the owners and was a part of the indoctrination of the slave.  It was used to ensure  that the slaves left the religious services feeling better about being slaves.  They felt good about waking up one more day and doing the master’s bidding. Singing in unison, “Swing low, sweet chariot,  coming for to carry me home”, filled their tortured soul with hope and expectation.  When they left the church they left with false hope, an elevated heart rate and sweaty clothes.  They left with nothing of substance other than with enough joy to get them through Monday, then the misery or reality would set in again, and they just couldn’t wait to get back to church and “throw down.”

The typical "white church" style of preaching was more substance and less flair. Comparing the two delivery systems is like comparing Country Music to Rock and Roll.   Listen to country music  one can easily get caught up in the message of the song, whereas with Rock and Roll, it is easy to get caught up in the ”beat”.  Some church goers were actually learning how to have a proper relationship with God through sound, sit down, shut up and pay attention teaching.  They were learning the concept of a metaphysical God, colorless, while others debated the color of God.  They learned about how to be proper stewards of money, land, family and their bodies. While they were getting something out of church, there were some who were getting nothing but a good cardiovascular workout.

A third style of worship has emerged.  The word crossover is being used to describe a type of worship service that embraces the best of both styles and incorporates the expression of worldly pleasures. 

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A True Call to Worship