Veritas Unum

No Wrath For His Bride

2011-12-03T15:06:00.001-05:00

For those "caught up" in the rapture debate, not to worry...

...Presented here are the solid Scriptural attestations that there is indeed a rapture of the Church prior to the final seven years of God's Judgment of Israel and the world. Understanding the event of the rapture correctly will bring newfound confidence in one's discipleship to Jesus Christ, as well as rekindled hope in one's future and the zealousness required to effectively share the Gospel.

...Referencing this "zealousness required," two factors merit such missionary zeal: First, the availability of the Bible in common and multiple languages allows every individual to personally experience the "simplicity that is is Christ" (2 Cor. 11:3); for example, when one reads for themselves the Lord's command to "Go, and make disciples of all nations," one is inclined to obey it, literally. And secondly, the past few hundred years have witnessed a resurrection of study and preaching regarding Jesus' appearance in the clouds to gather His Bride, and also His subsequent return to earth, for both had all but disappeared by the end of the third century AD.

...The doctrine of Christ's return, when taught properly in its Scriptural and prophetic contexts, will always result in a consecrated Church that is "in the world but not of it," ever increasing in ardent passion for evangelism and mission outreach toward fulfilling the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20).

The Bride of Christ is the True Church

...To wholly understand the rapture one must grasp who and what the Church is. The New Testament utilizes two senses of "the church": 1) the universal Church (i.e. the Body of Christ), which includes all believers from Pentecost to Rapture, and 2) the local Church, which is geographically and temporally limited yet is a visible and practical manifestation of the Church universal in that local churches act as "members of one Body" reaching the world in diverse ways according to their mission and spiritual giftings (1 Cor. 12:12-14, 27). Herein, the Church exists because of Christ and for Christ, a verdict rooted in Scripture since the Father of glory put all things under Christ's feet and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body... (Ephesians 1:22-23)

...Thus, the Passion of the Christ necessitates the Passion of the Church, for the Church has been saved and sanctified by Him (Eph. 5:25-29), purchased by Him (Acts 20:28), founded on Him (Eph. 2:19-20), built by Him (Matt. 16:18), is subject to Him (Rom. 7:4), and is loved by Him (Eph. 5:25). A picture of the consummation of these truths can be glimpsed in Revelation 19:7-8:

"Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory,

for the marriage of the Lamb has come,

and His wife has made herself ready.

And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright,

for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints."

...The Lamb, of course, is Jesus Christ. The Lamb's wife is the Church (Eph. 5:22-23). Though Israel had been regarded as the "wife of Jehovah" throughout the Old Testament, she was consistently unfaithful and eventually "cut off" (rejected), leading to the Gentiles/non-Jews being "grafted in" to the Root/Christ (Rom. 11:11, 20), thus bringing Salvation to the world. Therefore, Israel cannot be the wife of the Lamb since the remnant of Israel, and thus all Israel, will not be saved until they see Him at His return accompanied by His Church/wife (Rev. 19:7-8, 14). Only then will they see Him as their true Messiah and consequently be "grafted back in" from whence they were cut off (Rom. 11:23, 25-27), being restored to a highly blessed position of authority beside Christ and His Church.(1)

The Rapture of the Church & Marriage of the Lamb

...Keen awareness of ancient Jewish marriage customs leads to greater comprehension and appreciation concerning the rapture and the Lamb's wedding celebration, for Jesus often alluded to three aspects of Jewish marriage as a reference point for His instruction, a method employed to introduce new teaching through familiar means:

1) The parents of both bride and groom formed a marriage contract, with the parents of the groom paying a dowry to the parents of the bride. A betrothal ceremony expressed the agreement that the couple were now man and wife and were expected to act faithfully, though they would not live together for nearly a year. This was the legal marriage.

2) After about a year, the groom, accompanied by his friends, would proceed to his bride's house at midnight by way of a parade of torches and lamps. The bride would be expecting him and would have made herself ready with her maidens; she and her maidens would then join the procession and return with the groom to his father's house for the marriage supper/celebration.

3) The marriage supper was a celebration consisting of all friends and family involved with the bride and groom and could last for several days, as seen at the wedding in Cana (John 2:1-12).

...The first aspect, the betrothal ceremony, is performed on earth when an individual places his/her trust in Jesus Christ as Savior, the dowry having been paid by Christ's own blood. Any unfaithfulness of a believer is spiritual adultery in that such would violate the betrothal/promise to Jesus.

...The second aspect of the marriage is illustrated through the rapture of the Church when Christ appears in the clouds to claim His bride and take her with Him to His Father's house (in heaven) where she is found worthy to be His bride and is "granted to be arrayed in righteousness" (as refined by the Judgment Seat of Christ; 2 Cor. 5:10; Psalm 17:15; Rev. 19:8). Also examine the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25:1-13 for a striking circumstantial evaluation of the present-day Church and the importance of being ready and watchful for Jesus' arrival!

...The third aspect, the marriage supper, is announced in Revelation 19:9 and commences in heaven following the bride being made ready by adorning the fine white linen which represents "the righteous acts of the saints" (Rev. 19:8), offering further proof that the bride is the Church. Succeeding the marriage supper is the preparation for the return to earth with Jesus and the heavenly hosts (Rev. 19:14). And in light of all this it is grandly significant to recall that the Church has been in heaven experiencing these events whilst God's wrath (Rev. 6-19) has poured onto the earth... therein exempting the Church from such Judgment for Christ Himself suffered His Father's wrath in His wife's stead when He endured the Cross (2 Peter 2:5-9; Rev. 3:10).

Two Shall Become One Flesh

"Wives, submit to your husbands, as to the Lord.

For the husband is the head of the wife,

as also Christ is the head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.

Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ,

so let wives be to their own husbands in everything.

Husbands, love your wives,

just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,

that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,

that He might present her to Himself a glorious church,

not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing,

but that she should be holy and without blemish.

So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies;

he who loves his wife loves himself.

For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it,

just as the Lord does the church.

For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.

For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother

and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.

This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church."

(Ephesians 5:22-32)

...In his letter to the Church in Ephesus Paul accentuates the mysterious yet practical correlation between human marriage and the Church's relationship to Christ, particularly the prime detail of "two becoming one flesh," further reinforcing the fact that the Church will not suffer God's wrath at the end of the age, for "there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:1). This truth is echoed again when Jesus Himself extended comforting words to the Church in Philadelphia (and to us today): "Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth" (Rev. 3:10).

...The "hour of trial" is equivalent to the "time of Jacob's trouble" (Jeremiah 30:7), the "seventieth week" (Dan. 9:24-27), and the time of future "tribulation" that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24:9. This period of trial/judgment is hauntingly detailed in chapters 6 through 19 of Revelation and is intended for the hard-hearted unbelievers that "dwell on the earth," and more specifically for the Jews who have yet to recognize Jesus Christ as their Messiah. Those who dwell on the earth in this context are those who will be left behind when Christ gathers His Church unto Himself in the clouds, i.e. the rapture. The prominent unbelieving populous will echo Pharaoh's nihilistic response to God's judgments in that their hearts will harden ever deeper as God's wrath intensifies; the purpose of such Judgment, however, is to provoke repentance... but "they blasphemed God, and did not repent of their deeds" (Rev. 16:11).

...It is notable (for those who deny a pre-tribulation rapture) that Jesus specifies the "hour of trial" as being sent for the benefit of "those who dwell on the earth" as opposed to the Church He is actively assuring will be kept from said "trial," clearly implying that the Church Body will not be on earth during the tribulation/time of Jacob's trouble, for the Church "having now been justified by His blood, shall be saved from wrath through Him" (Rom. 5:9).

The Mystery of the Rapture

...While it is true that the term "rapture" is not found in the Bible, the word is an expression for the Latin words rapere and raptura as well as the Greek word harpazo, each meaning "to be caught up" or "snatched away," two phrases that are indeed found in Scripture. This "snatching away" of believers from the earth is an imminent event and there are no precise signs that must precede it. Jesus will appear in the air (only to be seen by His true disciples) and call all believers to Him in an instant, dead and living. The dead, whose spirits have been with the Lord since death, are reunited with their now incorruptible perfect bodies, while the living at the time of rapture instantly experience a bodily transformation into perfection:

"Behold, I tell you a mystery:

We shall not all sleep [die physically], but we shall all be changed-

in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.

For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible.

And we shall be changed... Death is swallowed up in victory."

(1 Cor. 15:51-54)

"For this we say to you by the word of the Lord,

that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord

will by no means precede those who are asleep [dead].

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout,

with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.

And the dead in Christ shall rise first.

Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together

with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

Therefore comfort one another with these words."

(1 Thess. 4:15-18)

...Comfort one another with these words. Sadly, many do not comfort one another with these words because they feel that topics like the rapture are controversial, even with such truth being clearly and simply taught in Scripture. Apparently, some do not believe previously hidden mysteries to have yet been revealed, despite being in direct contrast to passages such as that above where mysteries are explicitly being revealed!

...It is also important to note that the rapture is not Jesus' Second Advent. At the rapture, Jesus appears in the clouds to believers only, who are called up to meet Him. He does not set foot upon the earth at this time. His return at the end of the seven-year Judgment/Tribulation(2), however, will be witnessed by all, believers and unbelievers, and Christ will literally set foot upon the earth, specifically onto the Mount of Olives just outside Jerusalem. To appraise the distinction between these two events, compare the apostle Paul's description of the rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 to Jesus' description of His Second Advent in Matthew 24:27-31.

...Of course, there will be Gentiles and Jews who experience the saving grace of Christ during the Judgment, having been left behind at the rapture for not being a "born again"(3) believer at the time. And these "tribulation saints" will abide terrible persecution, calamity, and martyrdom for the sake of Christ, although the focus of the "time of Jacob's trouble," as evidenced by the name, is on Israel's unbelief and not the purging of the Church through trials. Further, evidence testifying to God's wrath being focused upon Israel and not the Church rests in the extensive use of Old Testament language (symbols and typology) in Revelation chapters 6-19.

*All told, the purpose of the rapture is to save the Church (Christ's Bride; Rev. 19:7-9) from the Day of God's Wrath, for, as stated previously, Jesus suffered such as He endured the Cross. The Father will not judge His Son's flesh again, for after His Atoning Sacrifice Jesus did avow that "It is finished" (John 19:30).

~Additional Biblical events offer prophetic foreshadowing of the rapture:

*Enoch was translated, or raptured, into God's presence (Genesis 5:18-24; Hebrews 11:5)
*Elijah was also "raptured" into heaven by a whirlwind (2 King 2:1, 11)

*God saved Noah and his family from the global Flood judgment (Gen. 7-8)

*God saved Lot from the fiery destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19)

*Jesus was translated into heaven by rapturous Ascension (Mark 16:19)

...2 Peter 2:5-9 states simply that "the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment."

Notes:
1. Israel's restoration after Christ's return disallows the false teaching of "replacement theology," which insists that the Church forever replaces Israel as the priesthood/Light among nations. In truth, Israel will ultimately enjoy a place beside Christ and His Church as a distinct but equal entity sharing in the "priestly" rule of God's Kingdom. Rev. 21:9-27 reveals the holy city (the Bride's dwelling place prepared for her per John 14:2-3) as having twelve gates with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel inscribed on them, and also having twelve foundations inscribed with the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
That Israel's identity is inscribed on the gates possibly represents the idea that it was through Judaism that Christianity came into the world, while the Church's identity inscribed on the foundations is made explicitly clear in Ephesians 2:19-20, Luke 22:29-30, and Matthew 16:18-19.
2. The seven-year Tribulation refers to the final Judgment of God on Israel and an unrepentant world prior to Jesus Christ's return to establish His Kingdom on earth. The most exhaustive prophecies recorded concerning this end-time Judgment are found in the book of Revelation, chapters 6-19. This time frame is also known as the Seventieth Week, a "week" being a span of seven years in relation to Judaic prophetic reckoning. Daniel 9:24-27 introduces this template with verse 27 describing the final or seventieth week that is, again, thoroughly expounded in Rev. 6-19.
3. See John 3:1-21

Warrior Theology

2011-09-30T02:28:00.003-05:00

War seems to be innate to the human condition, the evidence for such reaching back through history to the "initial conflict" between Cain and Abel (Genesis 4). Many historians, academics, authors, and indeed the distinctive class of military men and women, often understand war to be a result of human evolution and unlikely to change across time and cultures. This is very much in line with the conclusion of the Greek philosopher Heraclitus that "War is the father of all," arising from his belief that permanence is an illusion with everything experiencing a process of perpetual change, the only constant being war, of course.

...Although Heraclitus' statement works as a truism it remains flawed, for if war is the father of all and is the only immutable certainty of human existence then war is effectually God. This may appear overly exacting but my intent is to illustrate that if we desire to cross-examine the matter of war then we must view it within the context of cause and effect rather than edifying it to a place of worship.

...The ancient Spartans forged a warrior culture into a warrior society. They became the best at warcraft on all levels, particularly at the individual level. They made war their God, despite the fact that they appealed to specific gods. And while there is much to be echoed individually from the ancient warrior ethos, particularly regarding the Spartans, it is folly to elevate the warrior ethos and war itself in such a way as to assert that pursuit and/or cognizant mastery of such may impart some measure of personal glory for the sake of glory alone. This, in fact, is the aspiration for many modern war scholars and theorists who fall to the alluring vanity of ancient Greek philosophy, thus surrendering to the deficient materialistic/naturalistic worldview of the classics.

The Origin of Sin is the Dawn of War

Adjusting our "war lens" toward the history before the initial conflict between Cain and Abel and considering the context of cause and effect, we find a cause for the brothers' conflict predating even themselves. The Biblical record reveals that the Creator God created all things with the pinnacle of His creation being humanity (Adam and Eve), formed for the sole purpose of enjoying fellowship and sharing in His Love. Despite being placed in a floral and faunal paradise, the First Couple faced a testing of their intuition, loyalty, and obedience when God told them not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2). This gift of free human choice, i.e. human responsibility, was/is necessary for true reciprocal love relationships to develop, for otherwise humanity could argue a circumstance of being fashioned automatons absent of real "choice." Herein, love relationships are only genuine when the parties involved, out of love, choose to be involved. There is a risk, however, for true freedom also allows rejection. Although, rejection and rebellion fundamentally act as the foil that proves the merit of right choices.

...We find in Job 38:4-7 that God created the angels prior to creating the earth; moreover, the infamous third of the angels had not yet rebelled when Adam and Eve arrived on the scene at the apex of Creation Week, for God said that everything He had made was "very good" (Genesis 1:31). This, then, begs the question of rebellion, the root of war.

...It is evident that upon creating the angels God endowed them, too, with a choice, to serve Him or not to serve Him. And though we have less specifics concerning the angels' "test" of loyalty, by employing logic through deductive reasoning we see a probable catalyst for Lucifer's defiance which ultimately infected a third of the angelic host: Isaiah 14:12-15 exhibits (by historical parallel) both the king of Babylon and Lucifer following identical mental/emotional paths in reasoning out their rebellion, but whereas Babylon's king fell to human pride and want of power, Lucifer perhaps fell to want of power (to rule a newly created earth) augmented by an envy borne of witnessing the unique relationship/intimacy between God and Adam and Eve. Omnisciently reading Lucifer's heart (as well as other rebellious angels' hearts), their Creator cast them from Heaven before an insurrection could manifest.(1) Needless to say, God was not truly threatened but His justness demands Justice.

...In tempting Eve, likely perceived as more fragile than the man, and purposing to corrupt God's newest and most cherished creation, Lucifer began to war against God by proxy, using every tactic permissible, for God's Sovereignty entails particular rules of engagement (Genesis 3:15; Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7). Succumbing to Lucifer's guile, Eve ate the forbidden fruit, as did Adam, thus failing in his leadership and bringing upon humanity the Curse of a broken world and a riven relationship with our Creator God (Genesis 3). After being excommunicated from Edenic Paradise, Adam and Eve began to be fruitful and thus multiplied, though their progeny were born into a cursed world whilst inheriting a sin-nature that seeks to devour and could only be forestalled by embracing the faith-based ethic exemplified by the First Couple (Genesis 4:1-7).

...In this we see that war/conflict did not originate as a human enterprise, but as a consequence of the original rebellion in Lucifer's heart, which God allowed to magnify the testing of humanity's obedience by way of Lucifer's aggravation of the same. Thus, war was borne of an angel's recalcitrant ambition. And to answer those who might inquire as to why (or how) a good and perfect God would (or could) permit the entrance of evil into His perfect creation, I offer that which I have written elsewhere: Allowing angels and humanity to freely determine their own (individual) destiny is a product of God's Love and in that God made evil possible, it is our (wrong) choices that make it actual.(2)

The War Within

Upon realizing that war and conflict are the universal effect of a broken relationship between God and humanity, one is better prepared to glean the practical (and spiritual) lessons from classical and Biblical history. Examining these "lessons" in their proper context aids the individual in building genuine personal identity and integrity and fortifies against empty vainglorious emulation of an Achilles complex. An occasion from the life of Alexander the Great serves to illustrate nicely:

While on campaign in India, Alexander and a party of his men encountered some gymnosophists, or "naked wise men," sitting in meditation near the bank of the Indus River. Alexander's company was pushing through the crowded thoroughfare, with everyone yielding to them except the gymnosophists. A young lieutenant of Alexander's proceeded to chase the holy men out of the king's path, but when one of them resisted he received heavy verbal assault from the officer. When Alexander approached, the lieutenant indicated the king and said to the yogi, "This man has conquered the world! What have you accomplished?"

The yogi opened his eyes and calmly replied, "I have conquered the need to conquer the world." At this, Alexander laughed with delight. He admired the naked wise man, and with approval he said, "Could I be any man in the world other than myself, I would be this man here." (3)

...Alexander realized that despite his own youth, bravado, and tremendous accomplishments as a warrior from the external perspective, it was victory over the inner battles that forged one into a true warrior- one who sought peace and brotherhood first with oneself, and then with all.
...In Romans 7:7-25 the apostle Paul explains the root of war within us, showing that fallen humanity's sin-nature is in conflict with humanity's spirit-nature: For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil that I will not to do, that I practice... But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members (v19, 23).
...What, then, is to be done? Can we overcome or escape this inner war? In both anguish and thanksgiving Paul cries out to the only One Who offers a battle plan and supernatural strength to overcome: O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God- through Jesus Christ our Lord! (v24-25)
...Then he articulates how Christ's Victory was won in saying, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit" (Rom. 8:1-4).
...Thus, just as Alexander had a revelation of truly stabilizing character integrity and wisdom (i.e. Christlikeness), and desired to emulate the gymnosophist, we now have Jesus Christ Himself to mirror as we, as did Paul, recognize Christ's full Identity allowing for a personal spiritual application unavailable to Alexander, for we are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in us... and if the Spirit of Him Who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in us, He will also give life to our mortal bodies through His Spirit (8:9, 11).

Achieving Spiritual Balance

Intimacy with God is only reached through communication with Him and He with us, such being prayer and reading of Scripture. A study of Proverbs 1-3, John 17, 2 Timothy 2, and consideration of Psalm 46:10 will assist abundantly toward finding personal peace and purpose on all levels.

...Most of us, of course, understand that maturing spiritually implies sustained discipline, and most of us also understand that this is where our individual choice and perseverance are sorely tested. Regarding prayer, Bible study, discipling others, and additional protocol, we genuinely desire to do what is required to "walk in the Spirit" but the actual doing is difficult (by design) so we give up, put off, and/or secretly hope that our noble intent somehow excuses us from the necessary obedience. But spiritual discipline is no different than educational or physical discipline in that time, steps, and progressive experience are constituents of the learning and growing process. Recall that Jesus said to the faithful servant "Well done," not "Well thought" or "Well intended" (Matt. 25:23).

...Casting down ideas that suggest spiritual balance an impossibility, thus feeding spiritual laziness, I contend that with perfection being the impossibility it is thus our humility, genuineness, fortitude, and gratitude concerning personal salvation through Jesus Christ that drives our endeavor toward perfection nonetheless.

...Though our souls are entrenched in a war between the flesh and spirit, let us surrender to Christ, practice the art of prayer, and find His power to overcome the flesh. And as Paul instructs us, let us then put on the armour of God and take up the sword of the Spirit (God's Word) daily, for He will not make us mighty warriors for the Kingdom if we shy away from Him testing our skills in battle (Ephesians 6:10-20).

...As alluded to above, growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18) first requires discipline. The next requisite is an awareness that such growth is an everlasting process that shall continue long after death or rapture as one enters into the blessed state of perpetual perfection and eternal fellowship with our Creator and Savior. However, our current earthly context is vital and thus most urgent in that it is our present charge to reveal Christ's Light to a dark world, and we cannot accomplish this if we are not single-mindedly purposeful in our missional strivings to prevail over darkness and be the Light-bearers we are expected to be.

...Paul bids us: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16). At this our flesh may bellow, "True, but not practical and not likely!" Meanwhile, our spirit languishes even in acknowledging the truth of Paul's exhortation... because we choose to feed our flesh more than our spirit. How, then, do we walk in the Spirit? Jesus offers another profoundly simple solution that too many reject for its simplicity: You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind... and you shall love your neighbor as yourself (Matt. 22:37-40). Pursuing these greatest of the commandments will safeguard one from yielding to the lust of the flesh. If you do not understand the gravity of this, I advise you to contemplate it until you do, even asking God Himself to explicitly uncloak any residual mystery.

...Upon grasping the appeals of both Christ and Paul one will be well prepared for the life seasons of cultivation that follow, wherein Christ works out the bearing of the fruit of His Spirit in one's life: love, joy, peace, patience (or longsuffering), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These "fruit" are listed in Galatians 5:22-23 and are each one worthy of serious regard along with a reading of Galatians 6:6-10.

The Will to Victory

Simplicity in Christ is surely achievable (2 Cor. 11:3), though human reason often complicates that which must be left to faith. But when faith leads reason there is more reason to have greater faith, for though faith is evidence of things not seen, more of God is revealed to those who pursue more of God (Hebrews 11:1; Jeremiah 33:3).

...Within us all there is a will to fight. And though this at times manifests negatively, I believe the root of this "will to fight" rests in a deeply planted desire to vanquish darkness and regain the Paradise lost in Eden. A shadow of humanity's failure resides in each of us and condemns us... but... Jesus Christ won the Victory that we could not win for ourselves and He invites us to partake of this Victory, urging us to resist the enemy in their throes of defeat. And in so doing, our inner warrior can be unleashed in proper context, granting for rightly principled leadership to develop and inspire men to be greater than they are.

...Another chapter from ancient history offers astute insight as we see how the brilliant Theban general, Epaminondas, was the first to beat the Spartans... at the battle of Leuctra in BC 371:

The evening before the fight, Epaminondas called his warriors together and declared that he could guarantee victory on the morrow if his men would vow to perform one feat at the moment he commanded it. The men, of course, responded aye. "What do you wish us to do?" "When I sound the trumpet," said Epaminondas, "I want you to give me one more foot. Do you understand? Push the enemy back just one foot." The men swore they would do this.

Battle came. The armies clashed and locked up, shield against shield, each side straining to overcome the other. Epaminondas watched and waited until he judged both armies had reached the extremity of exhaustion. Then he ordered the trumpet sounded. The warriors of Thebes, remembering their promise, summoned their final reserves of strength and pushed the foe back only one foot. This was enough. The Spartan line broke. A rout ensued. (4)

...In trusting their general's wisdom and confidence toward victory, the Theban army faithfully anticipated the signal to push forward just one more foot. The anticipation generated mental toughness that manifested through physical grit which enabled ultimate victory. Epaminondas beat the Spartans at their own game by defeating them on the battlefield of the mind prior to the physical battle.
...From whence comes such faithful anticipation? Just as the prophets of old received their calling and commissioning directly from the LORD Himself, and just as the Twelve apostles and Paul also received their calling and commissioning directly from the LORD Himself, so likewise we receive the same directly from the LORD Himself. For those who struggle to work out the how of this, the answer here is also simple: Prayer. Only in the untarnished and intimate presence of Jesus can one verily accept His commissioning, equipping, and sending out.
...Yet, an insufferable number of "spiritual leaders" are "called" and "sent out" on assumption and self-ambition, and often well before they are spiritually, mentally, and emotionally mature enough to bear the burdens of particular offices, including the default "authority" that may come with new (premature) positions. Additionally, a prevalent mistake made is that of inferring the same approach to spiritual leadership and ministry development as one would to vocational leadership and business/commercial development. This strategy wreaks havoc on the Church (subtly and blatantly) because individuals suffer hurt and neglect at the expense of those "climbing the spiritual ladder."
...Again referencing Epaminondas' defeat of the Spartans, we are emboldened to crush underfoot the spiritual enemy on the spiritual and mental battlefields which will result in victory over the flesh that wars against our spirit. In purposefully turning to Scripture we learn the enemy's tactics and discover our place in claiming and walking in Christ's Victory. In tenaciously and humbly turning to Christ in earnest prayer we receive discernment, resilience, composure, and the power to actually walk in His Victory in that we faithfully anticipate His empowerment and are able to push just one more foot in our personal battles... whereupon the enemy breaks and scatters!

An Absence of Prayer is an Absence of Power

The apostle Paul counseled the church in Thessalonica to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:17). Nineteenth century preacher Charles Spurgeon later elaborated on Paul's counsel in majestic fashion:

Like the old knights, always in warfare, not always on their steeds dashing forward with their lances in rest to unhorse an adversary, but always wearing their weapons where they could readily reach them, and always ready to encounter wounds or death for the sake of the cause which they championed. Those grim warriors often slept in their armour; so even when we sleep, we are still to be in the spirit of prayer, so that if perchance we wake in the night, we may still be with God.

...Let us, then, not lean on our own understanding and intuition but rather enable that of our soon-returning King to lead us into those battles that we must fight, and avoid those that we wrongly suppose we should fight.

Notes:
1. The war in heaven of Revelation 12:7-12 is not a past event that many reckon describes the initial rebellion and casting out of Lucifer and company, though the passage does recall that tragedy; it is, rather, a future event and fulfillment of Daniel 12:1-4, the context being the "time of Jacob's trouble," i.e. last days judgment of Israel and the world. Moreover, this war results in Satan and his angels losing their "place" in heaven, or their "privilege" concerning access to Almighty God purposing to "accuse the brethren," said "accusations" remaining an historical and present reality as Job 1:6-12 and 2:1-7 show, which could not occur had this privilege been barred prior to the tempting of Eve.
2. Jon Scott Birch, Simplifying the Complex in a Simply Complicated World, Classic Publishing, 2011, p27
3. Plutarch, Life of Alexander; Steven Pressfield, The Virtues of War, Doubleday, 2004, p306
4. Steven Pressfield, The Warrior Ethos, Black Irish Ent., 2011, p58-59

Simplifying the Complex: New Book Release

2011-04-07T23:13:00.006-05:00

Discipleship-Apologetics:

What is it? and why every Christian should know!

Discipleship-Apologetics describes a way of life and its worldview (it does not mean apologizing for being a disciple!). A term perhaps unfamiliar to some, apologetics simply indicates "a reasoned argument/defense of the Christian faith." Thus, Discipleship-Apologetics marks a true disciple of Jesus Christ who exemplifies Christlike boldness in proclaiming His Word, knows what they believe and why they believe it (1 Peter 3:15-16), and effectively engages in spiritual warfare through prayer and fasting.
...We live in a hateful and complicated world and far too many people (even Christians) see the world's chaos but do not see God, for to them, the alleged chaos is bigger than God. The problem here is always a lack of resilient intimacy with Christ, which is remedied by an understanding and application of discipleship as a way of living, not as an attachment to be compartmentalized into a few hours of study or worship each week. The most effective Christians are not just "good people," they are individuals who sanctify the Lord God in their hearts while always being ready to explain the Christian worldview (1 Peter 3:15) as well as cast down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God (2 Cor. 10:5).

The How and Why of the Book

...After several years of contemplating which project to publish (a Revelation commentary, a Biblical historical fiction novel, or a non-fiction apologetics work), the Lord God precisely led me toward the non-fiction work here presented.
...Born with an appetite for insight, I have ever sought for "the wizard behind the curtain." And amidst the pursuit of the how and why of things, I often found "him!" As a result, I eventually began to value profoundly the simplicity to be discovered within the perceived and, at times, actual complexities round about us.
...For the past sixteen years, my life sojourn has been more explicitly and rigorously shaped and defined by the instruction and revelation of Jesus Christ, allowing for the acquisition of strong answers to tough questions that are sorely needed in our day (2 Timothy 2:15). This book offers just that while addressing a broad spectrum of topics ranging from the basics of genuine discipleship to the fractured state of the Western Church and its insufferable disregard for Scriptural inerrancy. Moreover, I have written this book to equip the reader with a cogent awareness that the Word of God, i.e. the Bible, is the foundation upon which to anchor all thought concerning every province of education or interest.

Simplifying the Complex

...Though alluded to above, a quote from the book's Introduction summarizes nicely:

"A wide range of topics are addressed and my intent is, as the book title suggests, to simplify the complexity that exists within certain controversial matters as well as to make approachable those subjects that seem unapproachable due to their difficulty to approach, so to speak."

...My prayer is that readers of this work will have the love of learning (and teaching) re-ignite within them, thus launching a newfound life endeavor that only Jesus Christ can bestow!

***NOW available on Amazon ***

Contact author at 302.597.0333 or email: veritasunum@verizon.net

~All revenue accruing from first year's sales will benefit The Joshua Fund~

The "Giant" Void in Christian Doctrine

2011-03-14T01:40:00.000-05:00

"There were giants on the earth in those days,

and also afterward,

when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men

and they bore children to them.

Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth,

and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."

(Genesis 6:4-5)

The New Testament identifies two classes of demons, i.e. fallen angels: those abiding in the spirit realm yet seeking to indwell the bodies of humans and animals so as to interact directly with the physical realm (Luke 8:26-31; Acts 19:13-16), and those imprisoned in chains of darkness and reserved for the day of Judgment (2 Peter 2:4, 9; Jude 6; Rev. 9). The imprisoned ones are in confinement for the abomination they committed against Almighty God, an act that simultaneously placed heightened enmity between fallen angels and humanity due to its reprehensible violation (such enmity originating when Lucifer provoked the Fall of humanity as recorded in Genesis 3).

...Over the years I have been asked about the peculiar circumstance of Genesis 6:1-7, and I have been told that my answer clarifies numerous historical enigmas, theological "gray areas," and/or misconceptions regarding the character of God throughout the Old Testament. However, I am swift to explain that it is our Sovereign Lord, and not I, Who gives us the answers through His Word, though we must study to show ourselves approved unto God, rightly dividing (discerning) the word of Truth from untruth (2 Timothy 2:15). I must also note that while scores of individuals have experienced genuine enlightenment upon learning what follows in this article, there have been a few (surprisingly clergy) who have balked at the matter, dismissing such as fantastical New Age lore or severe misinterpretation.

...I have thus concluded that the Church has fallen asleep in that a lethargy exists relating to specific connections between Biblical and world history, the present, and the future. Choosing to focus on only a few important topics rather than the whole theological Love Story (from Genesis to Revelation) does more to generate eventual doubt and indifference than one might imagine. But more disappointing than this is the fact that many spiritual leaders are ignorant of most Scripture and/or assume a depth of knowledge based on the readings of commentary alone rather than on direct reading and study of the Word of God. Granted, no one can know everything, but too many do not even attempt to learn as much as they can. Thus, long ago, during a rereading of Genesis, the Lord quickened my spirit as I envisioned the antediluvian world and its unfortunate condition at the time of Noah (Gen. 6). I immediately began searching Scripture for other references to giants and their forefathers (the fallen angels of Jude 6 prior to imprisonment). Accompanying research included the histories of every ancient culture and their religion and background. Here is what I found:

The Nephilim and Rephaim

...Genesis 3:15 was the first Messianic prophecy given, stating that the Seed of the woman (proving Divine involvement through a virgin birth) would eventually conquer the seed of the serpent by bruising the serpent's head. The significance of the Seed of the woman rests in that it is physiologically the seed of the man that is needed to fertilize the female egg; also the seed of the man determines the sex of a child. Thus, a Divine human Savior would be miraculously born into the world through a human vessel so as to restore what humanity could not restore to itself.

...At the issuance of this prophecy, Lucifer/Satan (the serpent) straightaway set to work on a diabolical strategy to negate the Seed's entrance into the world. Genesis 6 gives insight into this satanic tactic: Certain fallen angels procreated with human women so as to systematically corrupt the human seed (genome), thereby nullifying the avenue through which a Savior had been promised to arrive. Both the generational lines of Cain and Seth were targeted and ultimately only several individuals were left untainted. All of Cain's cursed lineage were lost, and only eight remained of Seth's lineage before Almighty God responded to the demonic saturation of His creation by way of a great Deluge, destroying the genetically corrupt humanity.

...Noah, Ham, Japheth, Shem, and their wives would survive the Flood by way of an arc, and being of the Godly line of Seth, they would preserve the Messianic Bloodline required for the eventual fulfillment of Genesis 3:15. The references in Genesis 6:9 and 7:1 that Noah and his household were "perfect" and "righteous" in his/their generations are not acclamations of personal, mental, and/or spiritual perfection; these proclamations from God are referencing Noah and his household's genetic perfection, being fully human and uncorrupted by the "seed of the serpent."

...The offspring of the fallen angels that initiated the unholy union between themselves and human women are called "giants," or Nephilim in some translations (Gen. 6:4), meaning "the fallen ones" from the Hebrew word napal, itself meaning "to fall." The fallen angels themselves, or progenitors, are called the "sons of God" because they were originally a part of the heavenly host of angels, until their rebellion under Lucifer. The Nephilim are identified as "heroes/mighty men of old" and "men of renown" (6:4). Why? Such unions between the fallen angels and human women resulted in highly intelligent and supernaturally powerful "giants" who were esteemed as gods, though in reality they were demonic/human half-breeds; therefore possessing already damned souls, or more likely no souls at all, i.e. animalistic. Indeed, one can readily imagine a world of such dark influences fast becoming overtly reprobate and wicked beyond redemption, leading to the situation wherein the Lord God regretted His creation of man and was grieved in His heart (6:5-7).

...Genesis 6:4 reveals that even after the Flood the unions between human women and fallen angels continued: "There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them."

...Thus, after coming so close (within eight humans) to succeeding in his attempt to breed out humanity, Satan must have felt a surge of confidence when God promised to never again flood the earth (Gen. 8:21). And so, Satan began anew with the same strategy, only this time his craftiness disclosed a tactical shift. Perhaps Satan knew or discovered slivers (never the whole) of God's Plan and worked and reworked his defiance accordingly. Following the calling out of Abram (Gen. 12) it would seem that the slow pace of passing generations on earth would give Satan an edge, but history shows that is not the case. As God prepared to raise up a new class of people to be His Chosen, Satan began to saturate Canaan, the Promised Land, with another breed of demonically spawned "giants" in order to contest God's claim on the Land. This second class of giants were called Rephaim, meaning "dead ones," after Rapha, their fallen forefather.

...There were many tribes/cultures of these giants: Kenites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, Jebusites, Anakims, Emims, Zamzummims, and others. The land of Ammon was a land of giants (Deut. 2:19-20). A valley of giants is mentioned in Joshua 15:8 and 18:16. Joshua 13:12-13 speaks of geographical boundaries for Israel's tribes, making reference to Moses' exploits with some of these giants. There is the notorious instance when ten of the twelve spies of Israel saw themselves as "grasshoppers" compared to the Anakim giants (Numbers 13:33).

...Also of note is that Goliath of Gath was one of the Rephaim (1 Sam. 17:4-7), as was Og, king of Bashan, who was nearly 18 ft. tall (Deut. 3:11). In David's later years as king, he leads Israel in a war with Philistia where four of Goliath's brothers are killed (2 Sam. 21:15-22). Intriguingly, 1 Samuel 17:40 records that a younger David, just before confronting Goliath in a duel to the death, gathered five smooth stones for his sling. Some have contended that David lacked faith in the accuracy of his sling shot, or that he believed it may have taken more than one stone to bring down the giant. I assert that David seriously considered the possibility that Goliath's four brothers would attempt to avenge their sibling's defeat immediately upon his death! One stone for each of them... David's faith was solid, in himself and in his LORD.

...Once Israel began the conquest of Canaan under Joshua and Caleb, centuries of war with these giant cultures commenced. And once understanding is achieved concerning the genetic makeup of such giants, one can more readily accept the harshness of instances in Scripture where God commands Israel's armies to destroy every last man, woman, child, and beast of these genetically profane societies, as they were beyond redemption; the beasts thereof being critically unclean. Herein, war is how God eradicated the giants on the earth the second time around, though He settled the issue by imprisoning the fallen angels specifically involved in the genetic manipulation of humanity (Jude 6).

...It is singularly probable that the Rephaim were in fact the "gods" of ancient Egypt and the Titans of Greek mythology as well as the origin of the Roman Pantheon, considering the Romans simply updated and adopted the Greek legends as their own. This thinking illuminates the possibility of some actual truth behind the outlandish ancient legends. Since there were giants on the earth even after the Flood, could not some have ended up in Egypt, Macedonia, Central and South America, or elsewhere? This would associate religious and architectural similarities between many civilizations despite geographical and chronological distance... Truth is often stranger than fiction, and in this case it actually is. And it makes more sense.

...In sum, the angels held captive that kept not their proper domain, but rebelled and gave themselves over to sexual immorality in pursuit of strange flesh, have been held in reserve only to be unleashed upon the earth at God's instruction so as to be His hand of judgment on an unbelieving world prior to their own final doom (Jude 6-7). And that these incarcerated angels are in fact the demon locusts and demon horsemen of Revelation 9 is proven in that nowhere else in Scripture do these "imprisoned angels" of Jude 6 make a post-detention appearance, and further, Rev. 9 reveals the macabre details of their "duty" as foreordained by God upon their confinement. One could not conjure imagery so dark as the nefarious savagery to be wrought by these vile beings upon their temporary future discharge into the world...

...Let us then thank our awesome and loving God for sending us His Son, Jesus Christ, to die in our stead so that we may spend our eternal lives in peace and at peace with Him, rather than with the damned who shall suffer eternal oblivion, anguish, and separation from all that is Good (John 3:16-21).

...The events outlined above, and in the Scriptures referenced, serve to prove with finality that God's Sovereignty cannot be removed or diminished, even when the world might be against Him. Moreover, we find that the "seed of the serpent," though not at all a Divine miracle, was just as literal and supernatural as the "Seed of the woman." However, Lucifer is not on equal footing with God; he is not one side of a divine yin-yang. At the Cross, Jesus Christ crushed the head of the serpent. Thus, Lucifer holds no authority over anyone, unless of course, one permits him such.

..."And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods of which your fathers served... or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD" (Joshua 24:15).

Revelation: Laodicea

2011-02-09T16:32:00.000-05:00

The Apostate/Lukewarm Church

(Rev. 3:14-22)

*Commendation: none given.

*Condemnation: You are lukewarm, wretched, poor, blind, and naked.

*Counsel: Buy from Me refined gold and white garments so you may be rich and cover your shame, anoint your eyes, be zealous and repent.

~The mystery of the seven churches (Rev. 2-3) is revealed in the fact that they outline the prophetic history of the Church from Pentecost to the Lord's appearing in the clouds, an era some refer to as the "age of grace." From the humble, sincere, and zealous beginning to the prideful, blind, and heretical end... the seven letters to the seven churches offer spiritual lessons (founded on their original historical contexts) concerning proper conduct and direction for the Church that is as vital today as when first written.

Prophetic class and hypothesized associated historical era of Laodicea:

Apostate/Lukewarm church {AD ca. 1900 - ?}

...Laodicea was named after Laodice, the wife of (though he later divorced her) Antiochus II who founded the city circa BC 260. The city was liberated by the Romans in BC 129, eventually blossoming into a very influential metropolis of material prosperity, offering upper scale commerce and recreation, hot springs, a popular medicinal eye salve, and a rich wool industry. The opulence of success naturally birthed metropolitan pride, but a spiritual pride also developed within the early Laodicean church, inviting Christ's distinct condemnation concerning their adherence to worldly wealth and religion rather than His righteousness.

...Jesus' comment in Rev. 3:15-16 that the Laodicean church was "neither cold nor hot" but "lukewarm" accentuates the circumstance of an individual being either for or against the Lord as opposed to having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof (2 Tim. 3:5). It is easier to discern, accept, and/or remedy a situation where one is definitively a believer or definitively not, whereas the situation in which one who practices an outwardly convincing religion and ultimately reveals such piety to be an illusion can be an unsavory experience. Indeed, Jesus offers the graphically terse analogy of vomiting out of His mouth those who are lukewarm concerning His lordship.

...This then begs the question of oneself: Am I zealous for Christ, or lukewarm in my devotion and convictions concerning Him? And thus it follows, in accordance with Scripture, that if you are not zealous for Him then you are in a dangerous place. A hard truth for most to digest or accept. Yet the test rests with one's reaction in that if one readily agrees that deep and sincere zealousness is what qualifies and quantifies one's discipleship, then one understands the cost and likely is in fact a true disciple. However, if one's reaction is to take offense at such a bold template of discipleship, then that individual must seriously self-evaluate their standing with Jesus Christ- regardless of where they may think they stand.

...Recalling Jesus' warning to take away a church's lampstand when His Authority is no longer recognized as sufficient (Rev. 2:5), the Laodicean church appears very near to experiencing this reality. Upon review of the preceding church letters, and considering Church history, we may conclude that both the negative and positive aspects of Thyatira and Sardis remain evident within the present-day Church, along with the highly commended aspects of Philadelphia. We may also conclude that the Laodicean apostasy has begun its infiltration and rise, evidenced by an escalating ecclesiastical liberalism (i.e. heresy), particularly in the Western Church.

...As the Sardis Church era represented a dead church transitioning toward enlightenment, so the Laodicean Church era represents a once enlightened church transitioning back toward death. This results in Jesus proclaiming His love for all, including those He rebukes and chastens, for He offers unbounded (but not unlimited) grace for those who would deny Him (3:19). The gold, white garments, and eye salve that Christ offers are representative of spiritual wealth, righteous purity, and the ability to see and discern Truth (3:18). The offer, however, is refused out of Laodicea's perception of self-sufficiency. James 5:2-3 speaks to such pride: "Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days." The endgame of this church is thus evident in the coarse fact that no commendation is offered by Jesus, underscoring the need for watchfulness and sound doctrine on behalf of the true Church as the path toward doctrinal defection (i.e. apostasy) becomes more heavily trod.

...Though truly faithful Christians are indeed scattered throughout modern Christendom, the Laodicean Church era solidifies and ushers in a haughty, compromised, and spiritually blind church that is nothing more than an empty religious shell that will act as a conduit for the rise of the "great whore of Babylon" (one world religious system; Rev. 17) until the Antichrist no longer has use of her "charms," only to demand worship of himself which provokes the final push toward Armageddon and Christ's Second Advent (Rev. 17-19).

...In that the Laodicean church receives only condemnation it is logical to ask whether or not this is due to an absence of all true believers, for Jesus does not reference (as He did for the previous churches) even a small percent within this church that still "hold fast" to Truth. Yet the Laodicean "lampstand" is not mentioned as being taken away, unless perhaps, the "catching away" of the true Church from out of the world is indeed the act that effectively removes the "lampstand," i.e. Light of Christ's Authority. If this is the case, it further supports Jesus' Rev. 3:20 invitation to "anyone" (on earth after the rapture) rather than only "you, of the Laodicean church." Moreover, those who accept His invitation after the rapture, who overcome, and who are "granted to sit with Him on His throne" are possibly the Tribulation saints/martyrs of Rev. 6:9-11. If this is not the case, there is no violation of interpretation and Christ's invitation and promise remain unchanged and open to all. But note that Jesus is standing outside of the door, indicating that He is not inside (the Church).

...The image of Jesus "standing and knocking at the door" is simultaneously an offer (to let Him into one's heart) and a warning (that His return draws nigh, meaning both rapture and Advent). The subsequent image of Christ dining with the one who opens their heart to Him conveys fellowship and foreshadows the Marriage Supper of the Lamb that takes place in Heaven after the rapture and prior to the Second Advent.

...In sum, the Laodicean church is a prophetic shadow revealing the destiny of the institutionalized Papal/Catholic and Reformed/Protestant churches as they trend toward apostasy and ultimate Judgment as a result of neglecting their lamps and oil supply (Matt. 25:1-13).

~The messages to each of the seven churches close with wise counsel: "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." This is hard proof that the messages are not limited to their particular time/place in history, but in fact are prophetic and systematically revelatory. Upon examination of these letters as to their local historical circumstance as well as their relation to the entire circumstance of Church history, we may conclude that the "messages" are in fact "one message" that is eternal; and the Christ Who walked amidst their lampstands is the Christ Who is alive today walking amidst ours.

{excerpted from my commentary, The Revelation of Jesus Christ}

Revelation: Philadelphia

2011-01-15T00:00:00.000-05:00

The Missionary Church

(Rev. 3:7-13)

*Commendation: Works, missions, little strength, kept My Word, not denied Me.

*Condemnation: none given.

*Counsel: Hold fast what you have.

Prophetic class and hypothesized associated historical era of Philadelphia:

Missionary church {AD 1750 - ?}

...Reversing the "death" of Sardis' circumstance, the church at Philadelphia became truly "alive" in its dynamic and faithfulness. Demonstrating this is the fact that while Sardis received the extremely harsh condemnation of being spiritually dead, Christ offered no condemnation whatsoever toward Philadelphia. Essentially getting back to basics, this church's missionary focus brought a spiritual weight and reward that far surpassed Sardis despite Sardis' much larger congregational size.

...Well known is the meaning of the word Philadelphia, "brotherly love." Interestingly, and logically, the reason for the city's name rests in its historical origin. Philadelphia was founded around BC 150 by Attalus II Philadelphos, a former king of Pergamos, and it was due to his deep love and commitment to his brother, Eumenes (an eventual king of Pergamos) that the city gained its name. In AD 17 an epic earthquake annihilated Philadelphia (and Sardis), but was soon restored by the Romans (as was Sardis). By the end of the first century AD a solidly Christian congregation existed in Philadelphia, which remained a Christian city until the late 14th century when it was conquered by the Turks.

...The Philadelphia Church era witnessed a revival of Truth amidst and following the Reformation in Europe, Britain, then eventually in the Americas, leading to a worldwide Christian missionary offensive. Two factors merited this missionary zeal: 1) the mass production/printing of the Bible into common and multiple languages so that every individual could experience the "simplicity that is in Christ" (2 Cor. 11:3); for example, when one read the Lord's command to "Go and make disciples of all the nations," one was inclined to obey it, literally; 2) A resurrection of study concerning the Lord's Second Advent, for it had all but disappeared by the end of the third century. The doctrine of the Christ's return, when taught properly in its Scriptural and prophetic context, will always result in a consecrated Church that is "in the world but not of it," ever increasing in zealousness for evangelism and mission outreach toward fulfilling the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20).

...Rev. 3:8 records Jesus' commendation, including the mention of the church having "a little strength." This is not intended as conveying any sort of weakness, but refers to the initial minority status of believers in Philadelphia in that this church (and Church era) is to be characterized by small though powerfully strong congregations that rely fully on the Holy Spirit, and thus little human strength "lest any man should boast." A modern trend often belittles the smaller church while praising the mega-church; however, as churches increase in size (at times beyond what is effectual), frequently so too does the ego of their leaders. Indeed, a growing church is a blessing, but not when its discipleship, dynamic, and effectiveness are sacrificed for numbers. Tim Lahaye has stated, "There is a tendency to compromise in order to gain opportunities, whereas in truth it is our responsibility to do right and God's responsibility to open the doors of opportunity."

...Rev. 3:9 speaks of the "synagogue of Satan" and Jewish pretenders. This is a warning concerning legalists who will attempt to infiltrate the Church with the heretical teaching of Salvation by works, negating the "free gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8-9). In comparison, the church at Sardis outwardly appeared to be "alive" and seemed to endure no persecution, while the Philadelphia church was actually alive and actually did suffer persecution, evidencing that a truly "living" Church will be under constant attack, spiritual and/or physical. Jesus said, "Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you" (Luke 6:26). From some people it is better to receive enmity and criticism than friendship and praise, for when opposition dies compromise flourishes.

...Rev. 3:10 buttresses our faith with Jesus' words, "Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth." The "hour of trial" is equivalent to the "time of Jacob's trouble" (Jeremiah 30:7), the "seventieth week" (Daniel 9:24-27), and the time of future "tribulation" that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24:9. This period of trial/judgment is particularly detailed in chapters 6 though 19 of Revelation and is intended specifically for the hard-hearted unbelievers that "dwell on the earth," including the Jews who have yet to recognize Jesus Christ as their Messiah. Those who dwell on the earth in this context are those who will be left behind when Christ gathers His Church unto Himself in the clouds, i.e. the rapture. The prominent unbelieving populous will echo Pharaoh's unbelieving response to God's judgments in that their hearts will harden ever deeper as God's wrath intensifies, the purpose of such Judgment, however, is to provoke repentance... but "they blasphemed God, and did not repent of their deeds" (Rev. 16:11).

...It is notable (for those who deny a pre-tribulation rapture) that Jesus specifies the "hour of trial" as being sent for the benefit of "those who dwell on the earth" as opposed to the Church He is actively assuring will be kept from said "trial," clearly implying that the Church Body will not be on the earth during the tribulation/time of Jacob's trouble, for the Church "having now been justified by His blood, shall be saved from wrath through Him" (Romans 5:9).

...Rev. 3:11 proclaims "Behold, I am coming quickly!" This is the only church message that carries such an announcement. Former messages speak of preparation and watchfulness, but Philadelphia alone holds the promise of the Lord's soon return, paralleling Rev. 22:7. The prophetic significance of this invites unequaled anticipation for the Philadelphia Church era in that it is viably the present circumstance and modern believers have reason for a "blessed hope" (Titus 2:13) soon to be realized! The hour cannot be known, but the nearness is perceived by those who have an "ear to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches."

...It is of peculiar interest that the Philadelphia church is given only commendation, praise, and encouragement with no condemnation at all, while the Laodicean church (the last of the seven churches) receives only condemnation and no commendation; this we will find leads to the revelation that Laodicea is a prophetic shadow of none other than the apostate church of the time of final Judgment, filled with foolish virgins and lamps with no oil.

{excerpted from my commentary, The Revelation of Jesus Christ}

Revelation: Sardis

2011-01-13T15:50:00.000-05:00

The Reformed/Dead Church

(Rev. 3:1-6)

*Commendation: Works, reputation of being "alive."
*Condemnation: You are dead, works not complete.
*Counsel: Watch, strengthen what good remains, hold fast and repent.

Prophetic class and hypothesized associated historical era of Sardis:

Reformed/Dead church {AD 1517 - 1750?}

...Sardis, a city of commerce and industry, simultaneously boasted strength and weakness. Enjoying the status of one of the world's mightiest cities in the sixth century BC under King Croesus (better known in the Greek as Kind Midas), the progressive history of Sardis fell to repetitive conquest. Cyrus the Great of Persia overthrew Croesus; Alexander the Great conquered without bloodshed; Antiochus the Great later won the city; and in AD 17 the city fell to an earthquake but was restored by Roman emperor Tiberius Caesar.

...As did the city, the church in Sardis displayed both strength and weakness. First, it was commended for its works and its reputation for being "alive." Second, Christ condemned it as being "dead," in that its works were not complete, thus Sardis' ministry was illusory at best. Prophetically, Sardis represents the condition of Christendom just prior to and transitioning into the Reformation. The Protestant reform itself was a response to the Papal church's adoption of and continual emphasis on pagan doctrines (see Thyatira) rather than strict emphasis on holy Scripture. The local church in Sardis must have offered an enticing ministry on the surface, but at its heart possessed no true power and suffered from spiritual want.

...William Barclay offers commentary concerning dead churches: "A Church which is crowded with people and which is a hive of energy and a dynamo of activity is not necessarily a real Church. It is quite possible for a Church to be crowded, because its people come to it to be entertained instead of instructed, and to be soothed and petted instead of challenged and confronted with the fact of sin and the offer of salvation... A Church may be packed with many activities, but in the abounding energy the centre may have been lost, and it may be a highly successful Christian club rather than a real Christian congregation."

...The Reformation church earned the Lord's condemnation of being "dead" for two reasons: 1) They became state churches, seeking approval from political personas and the government rather than the approval of God, and 2) the Reformation churches did not sufficiently, or completely, change or sever pagan infested customs, rituals, and doctrines of the Roman Church. This failure led to the many eventual divisions within the Protestant movement such as the splintering legacy of the Anglican Church of Henry VIII and the Elizabethan Settlement, bogged down as they were with the burden of ultra-legalism. The infamous date of October 31, 1517, when Martin Luther nailed his ninety-five theses on the door of Wittenberg Church in Germany, surely heralded an era of encouragement and spiritual liberty (due to widespread circulation of the Holy Writ), but the battle for spiritual liberty sadly dissolved into a battle for political liberty, primarily for Christians anxious to escape the political "beast" that the Roman Church had become. This reality stunted the far-reaching vision that originally sparked the Reformation.

...Though Reformation leaders initiated the movement with ideal intentions, the work of actually "reforming" the church fell short of the Scriptural standard, revealing the human tendency to rely on its own understanding, thus forsaking the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This incompetence resulted in Christ counseling the Church to wake up from its spiritual stupor, to be watchful as to its true condition, to strengthen the failing areas, to remember righteous practices and the "first love," to hold fast to Truth, and to repent of apostasy so that a true reordering of the Church could be manifest (3:2-3). Moreover, Jesus warned that if the Church did not wake up, or was not watchful, He would appear to them as a thief, i.e. unexpectedly. This admonition to be watchful so as not to become complacent, or "dead," was also encouragement toward anticipation of Christ's return! And since the Reformation legacy has produced ever increasing liberal theology and clerical compromise, the institutionalized churches of the modern era will be caught unawares when Christ appears in the clouds to gather His true Church unto Him.

...Indeed, the true Body of Christ certainly has some of its numbers scattered amidst the Papal, Protestant, and modern trends of institutionalized ecclesia; however, the predominant houses of worship encompassing the true Church exist independently and in often unorthodox (as compared with mainstream denominationalism) situations, not unlike the first century church which operated as smaller home and communal groups interconnected through discipleship to Jesus Christ and not a human-devised top-down segregated business structure. Also, the true Church is primarily found in areas of the world where believers are under fiercely violent and continual persecution, a foreign concept to the soft existence experienced in medieval and Renaissance Europe as well as the modern West, yet entirely in keeping with how the Church was born and flourished (see Ephesus).

...Despite the "deadness" of Sardis, a small remnant in this church is noted as not having "defiled their garments" (3:4), meaning that they have not turned their hearts and ears unto apostate teaching and doctrine. This remnant that "overcomes" will be "dressed in white," signifying Christ's righteousness, and will not have their names struck from the Book of Life (3:5). This assures believers of the security of being saved from spiritual death and eternal torment (Rev. 20:11-15). [Note: there are two books of life: the Book of Life, which is a record of all who have ever been born (3:5), and the Lamb's Book of Life, a record of all who have called upon the name of Jesus Christ for Salvation (13:8; 21:27).]

*The parable of the ten virgins (Matt. 25:1-13) offers a striking circumstantial evaluation of the Church today; the ten virgins represent the Kingdom of Heaven (i.e. the Church on earth), their lamps represent the Gospel (i.e. the Light of the world) and watchfulness, paralleling the lampstands of the seven churches. The Bridegroom they are desirous to meet is Christ Himself.

...The five foolish virgins did not carry a surplus of oil for their lamps should the Bridegroom tarry. Tarry He does, and thus the wise virgins, well into burning their own surplus oil, are prepared when a cry announces the arrival of the Bridegroom. As the ten virgins awaken from their slumber and prepare to meet Him, the wise rebut the foolish for neglecting to be vigilant, as their lamps have gone dark. Straightaway the foolish endeavor to purchase more oil, yet while they are away the Bridegroom arrives and the wise who were prepared went away with Him to the marriage "and the door was shut."

Upon discovering their misfortune, the foolish virgins foolishly petition the Lord to let them in also. His reply is "Nay, I know you not."

...The true Church, the Body of Christ, are the wise virgins who keep their lamps lit and are constant in their vigilance as they are prepared for the arrival of Christ in the clouds to catch them away to the Judgment Seat and Marriage Supper of the Lamb. The Papal/Catholic and Reformed/Protestant institutionalized churches are the foolish virgins who have lost their zeal for His arrival, tending foremost to their own affairs to which they are more faithful than they are to their Lord Christ (again I will note that members of the true Church are indeed to be found within denominational institutions; it is the overall spiritual blindness of the institutions themselves that renders them "dead").

...At the catching away of the Church, the mainstream ecclesiastical bodies (and likely much of their clergy) will be largely left intact and will begin the polarizing shift toward apostate consolidation at the behest of the Antichrist's unitarian ecumenical push, i.e. the circumstance of one world religion.

{excerpted from my commentary, The Revelation of Jesus Christ}

Revelation: Thyatira

2010-11-29T23:25:00.000-05:00

The Papal/Pagan Church

(Rev. 2:18-29)

*Commendation: Good works, love, service, faith, patience.

*Condemnation: You allow Jezebel to teach idolatry and compromise.

*Counsel: Hold fast what you have until I return.

Prophetic class and hypothesized associated historical era of Thyatira:

Papal/Pagan church {AD 590 - 1517}

...Thyatira was a city dominated by trade guilds and a "happening" social scene where religion was worn as casually as an overcoat, generating high tolerance for all. However, the guilds were each dedicated to their deity of choice, and to become a member (and thus successfully make a living) one had to swear loyalty to the deity of the guild with which they were employed. With less persecution than in other cities (due to religious tolerance) and despite the temptations of social and carnal indulgence, living in Thyatira was considerably easier.

...Though Jesus did commend the church on a number of levels, His condemnation brought to light the lack of evangelistic zeal and adherence to sound doctrine. This was evidenced by the church's liberality in the false teaching of "Jezebel" and its failure to repent of such recusant compromise. Jesus references the Old Testament in His use of the name Jezebel, the pagan wife of King Ahab who corrupted the nation of Israel by introducing Baal worship, i.e. spiritual adultery. This sharp allusion would not be missed by those to whom Christ's Revelation was read, particularly when the level of apostasy to which the church had fallen is forcefully cataloged as "the depths of Satan" (2:24).

...God's grace is displayed when Christ says, "And I gave her (Jezebel) space to repent of her fornication (spiritual adultery); and she repented not" (2:21). No change of mind occurred and, thus, Christ issued a warning of impending judgment for Jezebel and her "lovers." He proclaimed death to her "children" so that all churches would know Christ for Who He is as Savior, Judge, and Lifegiver; the children in this context would be deviant versions (not all versions) of Roman Catholic and eventual Protestant denominations (offspring) spawned from the teaching of false doctrine. Jesus' exhortation to "hold fast until I return" makes plain the idea that the message to Thyatira is not only intended for the local congregation but is likewise intended for the Church universal (2:25); that message being to hold fast to Truth, endeavoring to preserve Light in a dimming world.

...The age of spiritual darkening that began with Pergamos continued through Thyatira, further damaging the Church's spiritual integrity. Two common pagan practices that infiltrated Christianity during this era were chanting and the use of the crucifix. Priests began to chant during services and individuals who prayed would often do so by reciting a word or phrase repeatedly, regardless of whether the meaning of said word or phrase was known or unknown. This contrasts harshly with Jesus' words in Matthew 6:7 where He warned: "When you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they are heard because of their many words."

...The crucifix is meant to evoke Christ's "continual sacrifice," but Christ died once for all (He is not still dying) and in His own words He says, "It is finished" (John 19:30). Moreover, in Revelation 1:18 He proclaims, "I am He Who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore." An obvious difference between Catholics and Protestants is the cross used to symbolize their faith. Whereas the Catholic cross often displays Christ upon it in perpetual remembrance of His "continual sacrifice" for our sins, the Protestant cross is empty, heralding the fact that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and arose in Victory over death on the third day (1 Cor. 15:3-4).

...Compromise led to spiritual blindness for Thyatira, but there were yet those few who remained obedient and strived to hold fast until Christ returned, doing so by refusing to acquiesce to the disintegration and ill teachings of the fattening, politicized ecclesia, and opting to take the Light of Truth into "hiding" until it would be rekindled in full flame at the Reformation/Protestant transition. This was accomplished by the development of monasteries, scriptoriums, and individuals intent on perfectly preserving (by pen and inkwell) the Holy Scripture in its raw uncorrupted state so that the common person would eventually be able to experience God through His Word directly, rather than through priestly proxy. This development was assisted immensely by the invention and perfection of the printing press.

...The Lord's counsel to Thyatira was apparently meant for the faithful remnant of such a darkened time. And to such faithful individuals will be awarded positions of authority during the Millennial reign of Christ on earth (Rev. 20:6), and to such will also be given the Morning Star... revealed in Revelation 22:16 to be Jesus Christ Himself!

...Since the Thyatira era continues the unfortunate trend of compromise, the following list of adopted pagan-based changes and doctrines expands the history of the Church where we left off in Pergamos:

709 AD - kissing the Pope's foot

786 - worship of icons and relics

850 - use of "holy water" begins

995 - canonization of dead saints

1184 - The Inquisition

1229 - Bible and Holy writings forbidden to laity

1414 - Cup forbidden to laity at Communion

1534 - Jesuit order founded

1545 - Church "tradition" granted equal authority with the Bible

1546 - Apocryphal books added to Bible

1870 - Infallibility of Pope declared

1965 - Mary proclaimed Mother of Church

{excerpted from my commentary, The Revelation of Jesus Christ}

Revelation: Pergamos

2010-10-22T01:07:00.000-05:00

The State/Political Church

(Rev. 2:12-17)

*Commendation: Works, held fast My Name, have not denied My faith.

*Condemnation: You have false teachers of Balaam and the Nicolaitans.

*Counsel: Repent.

Prophetic class and hypothesized associated historical era of Pergamos:

State/Political church {AD 313 - 590}

...Pergamos was the capital city of Asia until the end of the first century. Saturated in the worship of Greek and other idols and unable to cope with the plethora of religious divides, the local Roman rulers demanded the cooperation of all groups, despite their differences. This, of course, generated much conflict.

...Revelation 2:13 refers to Pergamos as the place "where Satan has his throne" or "where Satan lives," the idea being that Satan, as god of this world, has specific physical bases from where he conducts his war against humanity (for he is not omnipresent). Though Babylon has possessed the reputation of being the capital city of all things evil since the incident at Babel (Genesis 11:1-9), once her worldly prominence declined and was eventually deserted (but not historically finished), Satan transferred his command locale to Pergamos because it had become perfectly conducive to devilish agendas due to its immensely idolatrous environment. And such were the conditions under which the local church was faithfully preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Moreover, it must be noted that Babylon will once again find itself the center of all things pagan as the Lord God gathers the evil of the world into one concentrated place for final Judgment (Zechariah 5:5-11; Rev. 17-18).

...Keeping in mind that the seven letters to the local churches simultaneously comprise a broader prophetic message to all of Christendom as well as an historically precise message to the original local congregations makes it easier to comprehend Church history (including the present and future) in light of universal local church circumstances. And being that the Pergamos era of Church history begins a trend toward darkness, the unveiling of the information that Satan has a physical worldly throne is an intentional hint toward satanic strongholds actually being established within communities and should thus be taken as a warning to the Church to prepare against such. Also important is the fact that demonic strongholds, while having physical locations, are primarily spiritual and can only be defeated through spiritual warfare under the Authority of Jesus Christ, i.e. prayer.

...When Constantine became emperor of Rome, he thus became emperor of the Western world. Having gained his standing through political intrigue and military victories on the frontier, he solidified his position by cleansing Roman corruption when he marched on Rome herself in AD 312 and conquered under a visionary "sign of the True Cross" as he deposed a military/political rival. Finding new purpose, Constantine styled himself as "the protector of the Christian faith" and issued an edict of toleration for Christianity throughout the empire and gave handsomely to the Church. Government gifts included the changing of many laws to benefit Christians, the conversion of pagan temples to Christian churches, and near unlimited monetary provision. Notably, following an extended period of poverty and severe persecution, such financial assistance appeared to be a true blessing from God.

...Though Constantine was considered a "godsend" to the Church, his interpretation of Christianity was of an ecumenical, i.e. cosmopolitan, slant. Even though many conservative church leaders took note of his liberal intonations and lack of theological proficiency, few spoke ill of the new emperor as they were desirous to please the "world leader," opting not to risk a reversal of his tolerant edict. Consequently, in open expressions of gratitude and at Constantine's request, the local churches began to adopt customs and rituals that were in reality "Christianized" pagan practices. Inevitably, one compromise leads to another and what initially appeared to be a true blessing became, over time, a great curse. The next three centuries witnessed the rise of heathen observances within Church liturgy and ceremony, eventually stealing from the Church its fire and evangelistic zeal.

...Indulging in the power that came with financial wealth, the Church succumbed to liberal theology due to the increasing influence of internal masked paganism as well as external blatant paganism that remained rampant. Spiritual leaders succumbed to (spiritual) pride and began to create an aura of mystery and ritualism in which to enshroud the Church, furthering a patriarchal and elitist agenda that would send the world into a spiritual "dark age."

...The rosary, of pagan origin, was introduced during this era. Likewise, the celibacy of priests and nuns has no Scriptural basis and is a reworked form of the ritual of virgin sacrifice in order to "appease a god." Over time, heretical changes and additions usurped the original teachings of Christianity, some of which are listed below:

300 AD - prayers for the dead

300 - making the sign of the Cross

375 - worship of saints and angels

394 - Mass introduced

431 - worship of Mary introduced

500 - Priests adopt distinguished attire to separate from laity

593 - doctrine of Purgatory introduced

600 - services conducted in Latin to further distance clergy from laity

600 - prayers directed to Mary

...From AD 312 the Church became less Christian and more Roman in its practices and identity. Prior to 312 the Church was an independent body of local churches working together whenever possible, with Christ and His Word as Head. Satan, however, was able to subtly influence the "marriage" of Church to state/government authority, and thus her "divorce" from Jesus Christ.

...As a result, the Church declined in spiritual power and blessing. The doctrine of the Nicolaitans finally found itself widely accepted within church teaching. The Ephesian church/Apostolic era had rejected this heretical idealism while the Pergamos church/State era invited it, Nicolaitanism being the dogma of a strong ecclesiastical (church) hierarchy ruling over the laity. Such a divide has been the root of spiritual pride, spiritual cynicism, and an overall weakened spiritual condition within the Church; it is this very circumstance that fueled the rise of the Roman Catholic (universal) Church. Protestantism brought much healing of this after the Reformation, but even today there are clergy/laity divisions that do more harm than good. Whenever clergy lose contact with the laity, they cease to be effective tools in the hands of God.

...The mention of Balaam in Rev. 2:14 is meant to accentuate the problem of Nicolaitanism in that through the intrigue of Balaam, a prophet hired by Balaak, king of Moab, Israel was deceived into illicit relations with the daughters of Moab. This indicates Satan employing identical tactics against the Church that he used against Israel in the Old Testament period, his purpose being to cast stumbling blocks (and failure) before that which God would bless and ultimately utilize to bring further blessing to the world. The general lesson to be gleaned from Pergamos is that even when believers are faithful to Jesus' Name and hold fast to sound doctrine, we must remain separated from the world, avoiding all compromise.

...In reference to Christ's challenge in 2:17, hidden manna and a white stone are mentioned. Hidden manna is the spiritual sustenance provided in the Word of God that is to be individually sought and gathered, just as the Israelites had to individually seek and gather the heavenly food He sent them in the wilderness. A great mystery was revealed when Jesus proclaimed Himself as the Manna that "gives life to the world" (John 6:33, 51). In essence, then, true believers are to seek for Christ in His Word in that He is the Word, and only in Him can He be found by those who truly seek.

...The white stone most certainly alludes to our assurance in the righteousness of God. White symbolizes purity, as opposed to the "filthy rags" of the followers of Balaam and the Nicolaitans. Another allusion the white stone may signify is that of the stones in the garment of the high priest, worn as the priest approached the Lord God on behalf of Israel (Exodus 28:30). Still another possibility rests with the idea of a white stone meaning acquittal; in ancient days, jurors would disclose their vote of "guilty" with a black stone and "not guilty" with a white stone. And we are surely "not guilty" when covered by the blood of our Savior Jesus Christ...

{excerpted from my commentary, The Revelation of Jesus Christ}

Revelation: Smyrna

2010-10-11T23:48:00.000-05:00

The Persecuted Church

(Rev. 2:8-11)

*Commendation: Works, tribulation, poverty.

*Condemnation: none given.

*Counsel: Fear not, be faithful.

Prophetic class and hypothesized associated historical era of Smyrna:

Persecuted church {AD 100 - 313}

...The early church in Smyrna was heavily persecuted amidst a city of wealth that despised both the Christian philosophy and the efforts to evangelize. Few details are known concerning the history of the church in Smyrna beyond what is offered in the book of Revelation; however, it is known that the city was conquered by Attila the Hun in the fifth century.

...Scripture shows that the Smyrna congregation was intensely faithful despite relentless oppression, and the "Smyrna era" of Church history is in all probability the most violent time of persecution the Church has ever known; after all, the foremost Mystery of the ages (i.e. the Passion, Crucifixion, and Resurrection) "kept since the world began but now made manifest" (Romans 16:25-26) birthed an unwelcome entity (the Church) into Satan's earthly kingdom. Upon realizing that the apostolic assemblies and their faithful preaching of the Gospel were a threat to his pagan empire, Satan unleashed an unholy offensive against the Church in an attempt to annihilate it before it matured. But with each attack, the Church increasingly overcame the one condemning characteristic of the Ephesus/Apostolic era- that of having left its first love. Thus, not one condemnation was uttered by Christ against Smyrna.

...The supernatural aspect of the Gospel is evidenced by the fact that the Church reached its highest numbers in proportion to world population during this period of savage persecution. The works of Smyrna immensely assisted the planting of churches around the known world and included the production of numerous hand-copied manuscripts of sacred Scripture, as well as translation of the same into many languages. As God's written Word was dispersed, studied, and preached, especially amid widespread anti-Christian environments, the Church advanced in number until reaching a level of influence within the Roman Empire that resulted in Christianity being officially legalized by Emperor Constantine in AD 313, and soon thereafter established as the Roman state religion in AD 323!

...Constantine's edict prompted Satan to shrewdly initiate a check on Christian persecution which proved to be a severely effective strategy, leading to extraordinary tragedy for the Church. Satan then buttressed his tactics by infiltrating the Church from within through the avenues of indulgence and endorsement. This is outlined in Christ's next message to the church in Pergamos, itself becoming plagued with paganism and complacency.

...The Smyrna church also suffered immense poverty due to what seemed to be financial persecution, along with the ever-present physical and spiritual hardship. Prevalent hatred of Christians made economic security hard to achieve for the common individual or family. This affected the Church in that there was little, if any, donations, tithing, or other inroads of financial support. Such harsh circumstances were often the catalyst for spiritual growth, as can be seen in the strength of Smyrna and the associative Church era of the 2nd and 3rd centuries.

...Consider that the first three centuries of the Church were often marked by material poverty and spiritual wealth/power, while the Roman Church and modern eras are primarily marked by material wealth and spiritual poverty. The lesson being that the greater our suffering, the greater the blessings God will provide as we turn to Him in our weakness and humility (Philippians 4:19).

{excerpted from my commentary, The Revelation of Jesus Christ}

Revelation: Ephesus

2010-10-01T02:41:00.029-05:00

The Apostolic Church

(Rev. 2:1-7)

*Commendation: Good works, labor, patience, hated the Nicolaitans (heretics).

*Condemnation: You have left your first love.

*Counsel: Remember from where you have fallen and repent.

Prophetic class and hypothesized associated historical era of Ephesus:

Apostolic church {AD 30 - 100}

...The Ephesian Christian congregation is considered by most Bible scholars to have been one of the greatest New Testament churches. The source material concerning the founding of this church is located in Acts 18-20. The name Ephesus means "desired one," prophetically fitting for it became the most desirable of all the churches in its purpose and practice.

...Approximately fifty miles southwest of Ephesus was Patmos, the infamous island to which John (the writer/receiver of Jesus' Revelation) was sentenced by the Romans. At the time of his incarceration John was serving as an elder in the Ephesian church, and upon his eventual release, Clement of Alexandria commented, "the Apostle John... on the tyrant's [emperor Domitian] death, returned to Ephesus from the isle of Patmos, he went away, being invited, to the contiguous territories of the nations, here to appoint bishops, there to set in order whole churches, there to ordain such as were marked out by the Spirit." John was the only one of the original twelve disciples to escape martyrdom, so to speak, despite numerous attempts to kill him (including being boiled alive in a vat of pitch!). Clearly, the Lord God chose to accomplish more through John's life than death. Such examples emboldened the early Church to unashamedly preach the Gospel throughout the known world, revealing the potency of fearless evangelism as one is called to live or die for Christ.

...Of the seven churches mentioned in the second and third chapters of Revelation, Ephesus is the only one in which the apostles are referred to, as they assisted in the establishment of this church personally. This fact alone offers sound reason for the awesome strength and endurance of the early Church, as well as Scriptural support for not commissioning apostles in the post-apostolic era through to the modern era in that such work and doctrinal authority are infinitely laid out in the New Testament canon (in their finality).

...Ephesus possessed a solid work ethic coupled with purity and autonomy, leading them to be hailed as a truly uncompromising church. However, Jesus accused it of forsaking its "first love." These Christians were very confident and "on fire" for the Lord, but eventually the tendency to "take something for granted" began to pervade the Church, resulting in no less than losing the intimate awareness of the spiritual power and privileges and wonder of knowing Christ! It is for this reason that the Lord counseled these early believers to repent and remember the things they had done in the beginning upon first being born into the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus wanted them (and us today) to always be mindful of, and abide in, the absolute excitement of knowing our First Love and realizing our place in the Kingdom. And for those who live for Him continuously, without becoming lukewarm in devotion to Him, there is the Promise of everlasting life (Rev. 2:7; John 3:16)!

...Revelation 2:5 offers a hard truth wherein after Jesus exhorts repentance for Ephesus abandoning its first love, He then threatens to remove the church's lampstand, meaning that upon a church's departure from sound doctrine and/or upon its displacement (even unintentionally) of Christ as the authoritative Head, He will remove that church's influence as a Light in the world. Such a jarring reality is not uncommon among modern congregations, and the churches of today (particularly in the West) would do well to practice steadfast (individual and corporate) prayerful spiritual evaluation of the leadership and laity alike so as to keep constant in both devotion to Christ and discernment of His direction, for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Rev. 19:10).

{excerpted from my commentary, The Revelation of Jesus Christ}

Athletes of God

2010-06-01T23:05:00.000-05:00

There is a corps of great men that our modern minds seldom recall: The Fathers of the Western Church. Among them were gifted philosophers, expert psychologists, proficient poets, and prolific thinkers. Yet, there was one trait possessed by all: a determination to carry the Light of Christ into a darkening world.
...Beginning with Paul, the last apostle, and progressively following Tertullian, Ambrose, Jerome, Augustine of Hippo, Benedict, Gregory, Bernard, Francis of Assisi, and Thomas Aquinas, one can read of the intellectual and spiritual founding of Western civilization. Moreover, immersing oneself in a study of these heroes of the faith will certainly rekindle the spiritual flame and galvanize deeper thought. From the end of the apostolic era and into the medieval age, the Fathers fought against the apostasy, heresy, agnosticism, and rife paganism of the Roman Empire, the world, and even the Roman Catholic Church!
...Italian paintings of the Renaissance captured the regality, inexhaustible wisdom, and even the solemnity of these revered men. Such lofty description is reinforced in the accounts of the Fathers' lives, solidifying a truly heroic image as one encounters the veritable toughness and unshakable discipline that so shaped them. For they demanded the highest potential in both faith and meekness, first of themselves, and then of others. Their training drove them to destroy an enemy through love, and therein gain a comrade in the fight for the Kingdom of Heaven. And despite being citizens of Eternity, they were racing against time. A sense of urgency drove them to "finish their faith" before taken by death or rapture. I am here reminded of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's exhortation on "single-minded obedience" in the third chapter of The Cost of Discipleship (worth the read, I assure you).
...A way of thinking was acquired that enabled the Church Fathers to face the unyielding mysteries of God, and this served to harden the resilience and constitution of mind and spirit as the epic war between heaven and earth raged. There was no impulse to merely contain the devil or his methods; rather, his tactics must be undone and the devil himself must be cast into the pit. There was no room for truce with darkness, only defeat which had been secured by Jesus Christ at His Resurrection.
...Exploring both the immense depths and the immense heights of theistic reality, the Fathers left a cumulative legacy of vast works to be examined and considered. Such has long inspired a way of life that empowers people to live confidently with integrity, temperance, and gallantry amidst the constant siege of darkness. Though the Fathers often disagree or contemplate minutiae ad infinitum, this simply reveals their humanity and tendencies comparable to our own. However, the matters they appraised remain critically important to our lives.
...Today, in part due to neglecting historical awareness, the Western Church has drifted from a brazen faith to one of dithering mediocrity. Relying more upon non-Biblical tradition than on Scripture, establishing "churches" on trends and not on Christ, and building audiences rather than armies has caused the West to witness an increase in spiritual apathy and cynicism. We must resurrect the God-saturated existence of the first century Church and the medieval equivalent wherein God was found everywhere. Miracles are still happening in our lives, but we have lost the capacity to be amazed. Jesus said that anyone who believes in Him will do greater works than even He has done (John 14:12)!
...Why is this not the present status of the Western Church when the book of Acts remains the context of our day? Why are programs and concepts pushed with weightier conviction and passion than with the Gospel? Where are the athletes of God? Let us pray ardently for such to arise who are cognizant of their role in history as they call for individuals to live fiercely for Christ, wielding His Word as deftly as our Victorious King Himself!

New Atheism, Same Paganism

2010-01-13T21:30:00.002-05:00

I can see how it might be possible for a man
to look down upon the earth and be an atheist,

but I cannot conceive how he could look up into the heavens
and say there is no God.

-Abraham Lincoln

This statement by a former American president clearly echoes the wisdom of another former head of state, namely King David of Israel:

"The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the firmament shows His handiwork"

(Psalm 19:1)

...Abraham Lincoln, who presided over a fractured Union during the woeful Civil War, was well versed in Scripture and no doubt understood the great spiritual trauma that coincided with the obvious political and physical trauma of the horrendous conflict over slavery (bondage). Faced with the atrocities of the Civil War, or any war, one could readily dismiss the idea or reality of a completely Good and Loving God if one did not comprehend that the suffering and evil in this world were the consequence of human failure, not an egomaniacal God. In this respect, Lincoln did not wallow in despair or question such a glaring reality as the existence of God when he witnessed the horror and cruelty of fallen humanity in that he was anchored by his spiritual depth and unshakable faith in the Creator. Such conviction enabled the requisite foresight concerning moral victory (as well as the military and political) and the need to fight for it. So it should be with anyone who claims to "know" God, personally and theologically.
...King David, who knew God better than most despite his failings, unashamedly proclaimed his sentiments when he recorded:

"The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.'"

(Psalm 14:1)

This continues to resonate today as "there is nothing new under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9), but consider also the rest of the passage as the psalmist states, "The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt... there they are in great fear..." (Psalm 14:2-5)

...Presently, certain "children of men" and their atheist philosophies "are in great fear" as Truth holds fast against the ancient lie and those of us "who seek God" effectively cast down arguments, accusations, and doctrine that exalts itself against the knowledge of Christ (2 Cor. 10:5). As a cornered animal can do nothing but lash out in fear-borne anger, so it is with the (literally) hopeless atheist.

...The term "new atheism" has been tossed about in recent years as self-proclaimed atheists attempt to band together and foment a more effective assault on religion, faith, and ultimately God Himself. Amusingly, these new atheists offer nothing new. They offer only "faith" in a hopeless worldview, which itself is a "religion" having roots in prehistory when Cain deviated from the one Truth and insisted upon creating his own (untruth). Consequently, he was cursed by his Creator, not because God is cruel but because a just God had revealed His mercy and grace and Cain had rejected it. Ever since, the willfully ignorant among us choose to serve their own intellect and inclinations, purposefully edifying themselves as gods. Herein, the legacy of Cain's rebellion thrives to this day via vehicles of ancient paganism wherein the crown of creation (humanity) refuses to believe in its Creator yet will believe in anything else.
...Atheism is generally understood to mean a disbelief in any god, but particularly a disbelief in the God of the Bible. But allow me to be more explicit; I define atheism as an intellectually constructed buffer against that which the unsaved spirit knows to be true (God exists), enabling one to deny Truth with apparent conviction. Of course, the atheist's folly is eventually exposed as the mind attempts to defend beliefs that defy both the heart (spirit) and logic. Admittedly, some atheists carry significant education and/or articulate reasoning in their defensive arsenal, but they are significantly and articulately wrong. Moreover, atheists lack the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in Whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:2-3). Without such, they are fools indeed.
...The apostle Paul warns against those who peddle untruth wrapped in "plausible arguments" and offers encouragement to stand fast "lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world (naturalism without super-naturalism), and not according to Christ" (Colossians 2:4, 8).

The Acolytes

...We shall now examine a few of these contemporary fools and their vain philosophies, beginning with Christopher Hitchens, whose book God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything (2007) includes the quote, "Religion is violent, irrational, intolerant, allied to racism and tribalism and bigotry, invested in ignorance and hostile to free inquiry, contemptuous of women and coercive toward children."
...Though he attacks God directly at times, Hitchens' primarily accuses all religions of being cults of fear purposed toward controlling their subjects in the name of "God" while the real power is possessed by the cult elite. In fact, this has been historically true at times, but whitewashing all religions and faiths (and therein their adherents) as "corrupt frauds" is juvenile and betrays his vast disassociation with legitimate rationale. Further, Hitchens' judgment concerning religions being "invested in ignorance and hostile to free inquiry" is indeed true for many unsavory creeds; however, Christianity invests in deep knowledge and wisdom, welcomes scrutiny, and exhaustively proves that unbiased scientific pursuits in all fields lead to the self-evident conclusion of an infinitely intelligent Creator Who invests in us. The brilliant success and explosion of Christian apologetics in the past decade has dealt a withering blow to secularism and naturalism, and as empirical science advances, so too does the evidence for God.
...Sam Harris, directly addressing Christians, wrote in Letter to a Christian Nation (2006), "Nonbelievers like myself stand beside you, dumbstruck by the Muslim hordes who chant death to whole nations of the living. But we stand dumbstruck by you as well – by your denial of tangible reality, by the suffering you create in service to your religious myths, and by your attachment to an imaginary God."
...Such banality smacks of the childish mantra, "You are different so you are dumb." I could offer the same in rebuttal with only slight modification: 'Believers like myself stand dumbstruck by you- by your denial of tangible reality, by the suffering you endorse in service to your religious myths, and by your attachment to ultimate hopelessness.'
...Harris also said, "At some point, there is going to be enough pressure that it is just going to be too embarrassing to believe in God." His previous book, The End of Faith (2004), reveals that he expects Christianity to disintegrate at long last due to... peer pressure. I have no further comment for Harris' puerile drivel.
...Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion (2006), expressed his sentiments in the November 2006 issue of Wired, stating, "How much do we regard children as being the property of their parents? It's one thing to say people should be free to believe whatever they like, but should they be free to impose their beliefs on their children? Is there something to be said for society stepping in? What about bringing up children to believe manifest falsehoods?"
...As with Harris, Dawkins' comment could easily be thrown back from the Christian perspective, accomplishing nothing more than a sophomoric exchange of differences. Yet he also said, "Highly intelligent people are mostly atheists." Again, a Christian could reword this, and then cite intelligent Christians such as Louis Pasteur, Michael Faraday, Galileo Galilei, Robert Boyle, Isaac Newton, James Ussher, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Leonardo Da Vinci, et al... continuing to present-day. Dawkins desperately wants his opinion to be fact, and thus prematurely and arrogantly assumes such, only to have his theories and convictions shaken when challenged by Ben Stein in the 2008 film Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed.
...Concerning theology, Dawkins has written, "The entire thrust of my position is that Christian theology is a nonsubject. Vacuous. Devoid of coherence or content." Such retorts serve to discredit any claims to serious research or criticism. One wonders just how much Christian theology Richard Dawkins has been exposed to, even by choice. Through interviews and through his writings, it is overtly clear that Dawkins' comprehension of the Bible is scant at best. And holding the works of Charles Darwin over and above Scripture is laughable when a legitimate understanding of both is effected.
...What is certainly vacuous and devoid of coherence or content is Dawkins' book The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design (1986). The title itself should induce a chuckle in most. In it he references William Paley's Natural Theology (1802) which postulated that finding a watch would lead one to the conclusion of a watchmaker, just as the complexity of life leads one to the conclusion of a Creator. Dawkins dismisses this logic and insists, "All appearances to the contrary, the only watchmaker in nature is the blind forces of physics, albeit deployed in a very special way..." Deployed in a very special way?! He gives no satisfactory explanation, all is blind luck. This is seriously irresponsible science fueled by dementia alluded to in Psalm 14:1.
...Daniel Dennett, a deeper thinking atheist and perhaps less callow, published Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon (2006) purposing to break the spell of the supposed conviction that
the details of any religion are barred from scientific inquiry and/or examination. He suggests that religion is "natural" and that scientific self-analysis of one's deepest beliefs would assist in their discernment between what is good and what is harmful. Though a bit ambiguous in his reasoning, Dennett's point seems generally helpful but ignores the most important aspects of the Christian faith, that being the supernatural and spiritual aspects. This disregard renders his thesis unworthy of meaningful consideration.
...In an interview printed in Wired (same as referenced above) with respect to his book, Dennett was said to give "no quarter to believers who resist subjecting their faith to scientific evaluation. In fact, he argues that neutral, scientifically informed education about every religion in the world should be mandatory in school. After all, he argues, 'if you have to hoodwink – or blindfold – your children to ensure that they confirm their faith when they are adults, your faith ought to go extinct.'"
...I actually agree with this, for if there is true substance, i.e. reality, to one's faith then it should strengthen over a lifetime as it becomes one's life philosophy and ethic. I also agree that Christians should possess a very keen understanding of all other religions and cults, so as to better grasp the import of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) and thus be more proactive toward the call.
...Dennett was also said to take "very seriously the risk of overreliance on thought. He doesn't want people to lose confidence in what he calls their 'default settings,' by which he means the conviction that their ethical intuitions are trustworthy. These default settings give us a feeling of security, a belief that our own sacrifices will be reciprocated. 'If you shatter this confidence,' he says, 'then you get into a deep hole. Without trust, everything goes wrong.'"
...These assessments are not ill-thought in the least, even hinting at Matthew 19:19. The only inquiry I have for Mr. Dennett is, Who programmed the default settings and ethical intuitions, and from whence are our convictions borne?

The Verdict

...Atheism simply advocates choosing despair over hope. A foolish notion indeed when said so plainly. Some contend that God cannot exist because He is so complex. This reasoning parallels that of a child standing in the center of a crowded room with eyes closed, believing himself to be invisible because he cannot see the crowd.
...Indeed, there is a Truth unseen by those who refuse to see, and such are always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth... but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all... they have together become corrupt, and they are in great fear... (2 Tim. 2:7, 9; Psalm 14:3, 5)

Caelum Infinitum

2009-09-25T19:36:00.006-05:00

While Veritas Unum has remained dormant for the past seven months, its author has not... March 1, 2009, witnessed the launch of Recover Church, the fruition of a seed that Christ planted in my heart in 1996, then likewise planted within the heart of a colleague in 2007 (whom God used to make Recover a reality). Reflecting the church template as found in the book of Acts, we and those supporting vessels around us purpose to encourage all to "recover identity, to recover relationships, and to recover life..." as we strive to be imitators of Christ Himself (1 Peter 2:21).
...Also, on September 6, 2009, I entered into the marriage covenant with my betrothed, a seriously devoted disciple of Christ and an illustrious helpmeet... indeed, the Lord God knew I would need assistance in furthering His Truth in this post-modern God-forsaking world! Moreover, the activity of transitioning into new ministry and living locations has assured the presence of frustrations that naturally adhere to such circumstances!
...But therein, a season of establishing foundations and building upon such has arisen in my life and in the lives of many to whom I am connected. Both my wife and myself have received explicit revelation concerning the Lord God's will for us, separately and together. However, despite much clarity there remains a dimness when attempting to see beyond what He has revealed. Thus, past lessons learned and now applied are that faith and trust are requisite when discerning the direction and purpose Jesus Christ has provided. A sense of adventure, and quite possibly zealousness, would be lost if every facet of one's future were known to the individual, thereby negating "steps of faith" as well as the need for continual discernment and fellowship with our Creator Who holds the future we so longingly wish to know and direct for ourselves.
...Often we receive glimpses, hints, or even outright evidence concerning God's direction and will for our lives. Confidence flourishes in that we have "heard from God" and "have a newfound sense of purpose." And while such divine revelation sets us straight and assists us in actually finding the right and true path Christ would have us follow, it is after those first several steps upon the True Path when many cease to uphold continual discernment and fellowship with Jesus Christ. Rather, human reason outpaces faith... and this breeds doubt, confusion, and emptiness. Assuming to know the mind of God based upon a few hints or evidences given to us is akin to assuming that we are in fact godlike. It is when one assumes overt control over one's life that God illuminates the reality of one's bearing to be the polar opposite of His own. Ultimately, the cost of true discipleship will result in more "unknowns" than most are willing to accept. Jesus states this plainly to Nicodemus when He says, "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8).
...So how does one combat the doubts, confusion, and emptiness that such "unknowns" may tempt one to fall into or that may be used as snares by the enemy? The answer is found in Matthew 16:21-23:
..."Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.
...Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, 'Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!' But He turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.'"
...Peter meant well when he privately admonished Jesus that He would not suffer the ill things of which He spoke. And it must have startled Peter, and even hurt deeply, when his Teacher turned on him and identified him with the archenemy! Yet Jesus made His point sharply clear when He accused the enemy of clouding Peter's mind from that which is of God and bending it instead upon the temporal things of men, for Peter did not seem to recall the good news of Christ being "raised the third day" immediately following that which He was to suffer.
...The hard lesson here is to recall that we do not have the mind of God, though we have access to it. The harder lesson is to recall the Good News when we are ignorant of the endgame, ever being mindful of the things of God and not the things of men. In this the enemy is kept at bay and we are free to do and work further into His will and enjoy the meantime as we grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).
...How much of God we receive is determined by how much of ourselves we give to God... and He has already given all of Himself through His Son's Atonement upon the Cross, making it possible to enter into Caelum Infinitum, i.e. "boundless/limitless heaven." Philippians 4:8 instructs and insists that with such grace and mercy offered freely, let us think always on these things...

Missiology and The West

2009-02-21T18:59:00.006-05:00

Missiology? This term has been around for some time, though it is not altogether common. I do find that half the fun of theological studies is the discovery of new terms and then trying to pronounce them... While the textual appearance of the word at hand is slightly more odd than its phonetic utterance, the meaning is not odd at all: Missiology is simply the study of Christian missions.
...On October 31, 1517 an Augustinian monk named Martin Luther nailed his ninety-five theses to the door of Wittenberg Church in Germany, protesting against church offenses. This act birthed what became known as the Protestant Reformation, eventually affecting all of Western civilization. The next four hundred years solidified the concept of the Protestant Church being synonymous with the West, i.e. Europe, Britain, and North America. Interestingly, Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East were rarely even a focus of Protestantism or "Western theology" in that until approximately AD 1800, 98 percent of the world's Protestants lived in the West. This is attested to by the famous shoe maker later extolled as the father of the missionary movement, William Carey. The seeming monopoly on theological advancement occurring in the Western world led Carey to India in 1793 to preach the Word of Truth. The next one hundred years witnessed a grand increase in foreign missions, though by 1900 the West still held nearly 90 percent of the world's Protestants.
...At present, the West may still hold a majority of the world's Protestants, but it does not hold a majority of the world's Christians. The dominant regions of Christian growth are now found throughout what is often considered the "mission field," such being Latin America, Africa, Eurasia, and the Middle East (Status of Global Mission, 2009, 20th-21st Centuries). In the context of global Christianity, the term "World A" represents the unevangelized world, being those who have never heard of Christ, Christianity, or the Gospel message. The Scandal of World A is that "more than 70% of Christian effort and ministry is directed at people who already profess to be Christians, while less than 5% of our total missionary activity is focused on those who have never once had a chance to hear about the good news of the Gospel." The connection between the known "mission field" and "World A" is that the former encompasses the latter, therein proving a significant lack of focus in confirmation of the previous quote.
...In response to this "scandal" I purpose to promote a much greater awareness of our Christian brethren in the non-Western world, for they are of serious import to Christendom in that they are the majority of Christians in the world today. As with a previous article I posted, In the Shadow of Death, I seek to edify those members of the Church where persecution is heavy, martyrdom is commonplace, and miracles abound, affirming that the book of Acts is literally the context of the day. The past several centuries have seen great advances in theology on a plethora of levels. However, Western theological analysis of the world at large has not kept pace with the Spirit (John 3:8), trending more toward intellectual vanity and a focus on God as a subject to be studied rather than Someone to be experienced. Moreover, the West views itself as the ecclesiastical exemplar for the world, all the while suffering more denominational infighting and schism than during the era of protest against Roman Catholic heresies ignited by the Reformation!
...We in the West often believe that our understanding of systematic theology and church history is entirely and readily applicable, and thus normative, to people from all cultures. The folly of this thinking results in frequent relational rifts between Western evangelicals and non-Western believers. Imagine a well-intentioned theologian from the West steeped in academia and ecclesia though lacking in non-Western perspective/experience suddenly engaging in conversation with a devout Christian from Eritrea, Iran, or India. Initial differences and misunderstanding would likely arise from mere terminology. Further rifting would develop as Western orthodoxy was met with the apparent unorthodox template of outright miracles, makeshift, underground, and temporary churches, "unschooled" Christian leadership, minimal Christian resources (even Bibles), and highly frequent violence and brutality.
...So what exactly is normative Christianity? Certainly it is not found in the affluent West where the prevailing aspirations trend toward political correctness and entertainment. What constitutes normative Christianity is that which parallels the circumstance of the first century Church and reflects the faith of the apostles. This is widely observed/experienced in the aforementioned regions predominantly classified as the mission field.
...The Western church has long focused on itself, leaving missionaries and outreach organizations to "indoctrinate" the non-Western world, as if such were merely a project for those willing to take part. Yet the past decade has witnessed vast shifts in global Christianity that the West would do well to analyze and absorb into its own theological perspective, particularly through reflecting on what the non-Western church is writing about and doing. This would equip us for more effective outreach due to more outward thinking in light of what Almighty God is doing in the world, not the Western church.
...Western Christians in general are not familiar with the cross-cultural nature of Christian theology, not yet comprehending that Western theological perspectives are no longer mainstream. Thus the clear and immediate need is for the West to elevate missiology into a priority whilst allowing for development of new theological formulae. Case in point: the more refined and analytical minds of recent generations are desirous toward the application of theology in context of actual life-circumstances rather than being content to remain cloistered behind the walls of universities acclimated to the confines of academia alone. Likewise, missionaries and Christians in World A regions are experiencing an insatiable hunger for systematic theology and a deeper understanding of church history due to ever increasing complexity in light of exponential growth in both the volume of new believers and a desire for spiritual depth in the same.
...As religious divides (and conflict) become increasingly volatile, especially in the non-Western world, the need for decisive Christian apologetics cannot be overestimated. Christianity may very well be the fastest growing faith system in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East (Islam holds this statistic at the global level), but this is not a result of being sanitized so as to be inoffensive to any and all opposing religions and cults. Expanding knowledge planet-wide has set the stage for a war of worldviews to be waged upon the battlefield of hearts and minds, and as Christians engage in cross-cultural encounters the necessity of sound theology and apologetics in the arsenal of faith is self-evident. Christian "missions" recurrently generate the demand for immediate and unspoiled theological ventures, lending severe gravity to the warning found in Colossians 2:8, "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ." This is profound counsel for the Christian who interacts regularly with Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, tribal shamans, or the like.
...I strongly sense that a new era of theological understanding and advancement has dawned. Perhaps a "second Reformation" is in order to salvage the best of Western theology, then graft such into the ideals of true missiology, resulting in a far more exhaustive perception of Jesus Christ's Work in the world. Though for such a grafting to take place a definitive reconciliation must be effected between the differing dispositions of theologians and missionaries.
...How can this be accomplished? Consider the efficiency of missionary theologians, such being individuals well-versed in Scripture, commanding extensive knowledge of church and world history, and also extensively learned in the anthropological and sociological arenas. Consider the apostle Paul, at once the Church's greatest missionary and its greatest theologian.
...Personas of this caliber would benefit Christendom immensely today, but do any exist? Indeed they must, though more are required, in both the non-Western and Western worlds. For I am convinced that, in an appropriately ironic twist, the West has become the "mission field" for the non-Western church.

In the Shadow of Death

2009-01-09T20:53:00.006-05:00

AD 2007, Nigeria: Christianah Oluwasesin, a known disciple of Christ, was soon to leave the government high school in the city of Gombe, and be reunited with her husband, Femi. However, her students first had to complete an exam which would test their knowledge of Islam. She collected backpacks and books to thus prevent cheating, piling them at the front of the class. One student began to cry, announcing that there was a Quran in her bag that was now "desecrated" due to contact with a Christian. The class employed corporate anger and threatened the teacher. A faculty member secured Christianah in one of the school's private restrooms as the angry class dispersed and spread news of the "outrage."
...Radical Muslims living nearby were attracted to the incident and upon discovering Christianah's refuge they forcefully overcame her, dragged her out of the school, clubbed her to death, then burned her body... (Voice of the Martyrs, Jan. 2009, p7)
...AD 304, Roman province of Mauritania: Timothy, a church deacon, and his wife Maura had only been married a few weeks when persecution swiftly struck. The provincial governor, Arrianus, arrested them for the "crime" of preserving and teaching the Holy Scriptures and ordered them to relinquish any written Scriptures they possessed so they could be burned. Timothy refused and proclaimed that had he any children he would sooner turn them over to the governor as a sacrifice, but never the Word of God.
...Furious, Arrianus had Timothy's eyes burned out with a hot iron. Welcoming the torment, thus further infuriating Arrianus, Timothy was then hung by his feet with a weight tied around his neck and a gag jammed into his mouth. Maura was forced to witness her husband's torture, under threat of suffering the same if Timothy did not recant his faith or give up the Holy Scriptures. She begged him to recant lest she suffer. When the gag was removed from his mouth so he could reply, rather than relent in agreement with his wife, he charged her with misplaced love and declared his determination to die for his faith in Jesus Christ. Mustering newfound resolution, Maura resolved to emulate her husband's courage and either follow or accompany him to a glorious death. Unable to break either soul with the severest torments, Arrianus had Timothy and Maura crucified... (Foxe's Book of Martyrs, 2001, p35-36)
..."Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles... And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved" (Matt. 10:16-22).
...Jesus' words may at times frighten the timid disciple, with good reason, for true disciples of Christ will surely encounter persecution of some kind at some point in their life sojourn. Understanding that Jesus came to earth to bring "not peace, but a sword" (Matt. 10:34), is the first step toward "losing one's life for the sake of Christ, in order to find one's life" (10:39). And Jesus Himself reveals to us explicitly how such a path is to be trod: "...he who does not take up his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me" (10:38). Only the true disciple can comprehend this paradigm in that Christ is the only One Who reveals to His own what their crosses indeed are. In the cases above, the "crosses" were ultimately martyrdom, in perfect imitation of Christ, the Ultimate Martyr, Who set before us the prized way to "live life and die death" in full expectation of the Resurrection (Hebrews 5:1-2).
...The first century Church suffered false accusation, inquisition, war, unrelenting torment, and gratuitous death. The Roman Empire did much to induce tremendous violence and then promote spiritual haughtiness through its initially anti-Christian governmental behemoth, then later through its subtly beguiling marriage of church and state.
...Nothing has changed. Persecution, specifically martyrdom, in our modern era alone has surpassed in magnitude the entire span of Roman dominance. North and Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, Eurasia, Belarus, Indonesia, Cuba, Chiapas (Mexico), and Columbia (South America) are categorized as Restricted or Hostile Nations. Restricted nations consist of countries where Christian resources (Bibles, etc) are prohibited and where government-sanctioned practices and/or anti-Christian laws promote the harassment, robbery, imprisonment, or killing of Christians. Hostile nations/areas consist of the circumstance wherein governments attempt to provide security/protection for Christians but routinely fail.
...Though just as the first century Church experienced exponential growth under extreme duress, so too does the twenty-first century Church. Moreover, in stark comparison to the Western Church of today, where affluence and floundering faith are the norm, the "persecuted Church" residing in the aforementioned regions presently displays explosive growth despite being "underground" or in predominantly Islamic territories. Where persecution is minimal, discipleship demands a ferocious adherence to single-minded obedience to Jesus Christ, a concept magnificently detailed in the third chapter of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's book, The Cost of Discipleship.
...When one is not challenged from without toward spiritual growth, one must challenge oneself from within, and this contradicts the tendencies of the flesh which trend toward idleness, apathy, and selfishness... all enemies of self-discipline. Yet in the shadow of death one is driven toward Him Who holds Life, and the darker the shadow the more urgently one desires to remain in His grasp, even to the point of forsaking one's life for His sake. And those who find themselves in such a blessed circumstance assuredly count it a privilege to take up their cross that so resembles that which Christ Himself bore.
...Persecution, of all stripes, allows the Passion of the Christ to become the Passion of the Church, since we must be "crucified with Christ" (Galatians 2:20). The Western Church would do well to be ever mindful of its "soft" persecution in comparison to other members of the Church Body worldwide, for if we do not feel the pain of those who suffer for His name's sake, then we have become dead. The clearer our vision of God, the clearer our vision of life shall be, including discerning the moment we may have to lay down that life.
...Well acquainted with both persecution and sacrifice and their nuanced contexts, whereas deliverance could be "from death" or "from earthly life," David penned a volume of psalms vividly expressing instances of fear, but also of grand contentment designed to encourage the child of the Most High God that He is our Shepherd and we shall not want for anything if He is indeed our Treasure above all else...
..."Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head; they are mighty who would destroy me, being my enemies wrongfully... Draw near to my soul and redeem it, deliver me because of my enemies. Let Your Salvation, O God, set me up on high. I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bull... Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me..."
(Psalm 69:4, 18, 29-31; 23:4)

Not Peace... But a Sword

2008-12-01T04:04:00.001-05:00

"Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." These words are found in Matthew 10:34 and were explicitly stated by Jesus Himself. He immediately follows this statement with an assurance of domestic division (v35-36) and a challenge to one's personal devotion to Him (v37-38). Though He was offering instruction to His disciples in this passage, it includes anyone who would call upon the name of Jesus Christ as Savior.
...Luke 12:49-53 expands this theme with Jesus saying, "I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division..."
...Some may think such assertion is contrary to Christ's Divine nature and/or too exclusive in design. Yet such thinking is borne of human reason in and of itself, for Christ came to reveal Truth, of which there can be only One (Proverbs 14:12). The Purpose of Christ's First Advent was to save us from the ill winds of reason devoid of true faith, thus revealing to humanity "True North," and thereby destroying notions of relativism. Though humanity retains its free will, the "sword" that Jesus brings (signifying division, choice, judgment, and Truth) ultimately shows us that there is only one real choice to make: To be either for or against our Creator. This dynamic demands division and conflict in any circumstance for there will always be some who choose wisely and others who choose poorly, and this simply due to the overall circumstance of a broken world wherein "choice" becomes a requisite construct of existential reality and a waymarker to one's destiny toward an eternity with or without their Creator.
...When Jesus said that He wished the earth were already kindled with the flames of judgment (Luke 12:49) He was expressing His humanity in that He was desirous to hasten the necessary Judgment so as to quicken the circumstance of blessed fellowship with all who would choose righteously. Moreover, God's Judgment is necessary as it is borne of His perfect Justice, and those whom He loves He chastens (Hebrews 12:5-7). Some misinterpret the above passages to mean that Christ indulges in judgment because it is His duty and thus must also enjoy it. This is negated, however, by Jesus' statement in Luke 12:50 concerning His "distress" until His Father's Plan is accomplished.
...Some would label Jesus a pacifist, which by definition means a peacemaker or passive resister. While Jesus was not a peacebringer, as disclosed above, I agree that Jesus was a peacemaker, but He was far from a "passive resister." Many build their view of Jesus with oft recited and pleasingly peaceful verses like those found in Matthew 5:38-44, offering the ideals of "turning the other cheek," "giving away whatever is asked of you," and "loving your enemies." However, when juxtaposing such verses with Matthew 10:34 and Luke 12:49-53 a different view of our Lord may emerge, though to the view of Peacemaker should be added the attribute of righteous fervor! Jesus experienced anger, which is not a sin (Ephesians 4:26)... the sin rests in irresponsible reactions and failure to temper the God-given emotion. Anger may be harnessed and utilized properly on behalf of witnessing for the Kingdom of Heaven: Jesus habitually, and forcefully, declared individuals, generations, and sects (Pharisees/Sadducees) as hypocritical and wicked (Matt. 16:3-6; Luke 11:37-54), He derogatorily called King Herod a fox (Luke 13:31-32), He classified the religious leaders as a brood of vipers (Matt. 12:34; 23:33), and He challenged the Jews' own historical knowledge when they challenged His claims to be their Messiah (John 6:45).
...And then there is the incident when Jesus overturned the tables of the moneylenders and merchants as He drove them out of the Temple (Matt. 21:12-13). It is certain He did not politely warn them before the action, considering the severity of the offense taken. Though neither did He "lose" His temper, rather He effectively employed His anger toward making a very poignant point. It is probable that the transgression of "temple marketry" was never repeated, at least during Jesus' earthly ministry.
...A final comparison to the flawed view of an overtly passive Jesus can be found in Revelation 19:11-21. Here the Lamb of God, upon His return to earth, sheds His suffering servanthood and reveals His true nature as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Conquering Messiah, and the Warrior King of kings and Lord of lords! Of import concerning the context of Christ's Second Advent is that He will bring peace upon His return, after He executes final judgment, "by the sword," upon those who have chosen poorly (Rev. 19:15, 21).
...A lesson to be winnowed from the sword=judgment/Truth concept resides in the fact that all disciples of Christ have been entrusted to wield His sword, meaning that decisions are to be considered and settled upon the foundational Truth of His Word, i.e. the Sword of the Spirit. The Lord God has also entrusted heads of state with His sword, ideally to represent sound diplomacy and law enforcement in the following context:
..."Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil... For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain... he is God's minister, an avenger to execute God's wrath on him who practices evil" (Romans 13:1-4).
..."Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him (king, etc.) for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men- as free bondservants of God, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice..." (1 Peter 2:13-17)
...Governments are often referred to in Scripture as "beasts" because they tend to devour their subjects (especially when ruled by ungodly leaders), but in a world of chaos and brokenness governments act as bringers of order, even if only temporal. They are also purposed to punish evildoers and encourage good, and "good" is to be understood as a part of the "greater good" of humanity in light of Truth. Non-Christian governments (and individuals) can live peaceably while recognizing basic human rights issuing from an ideal of decency or humaneness, and Christian governments (and individuals), recognizing the same, must respect the aforementioned rights and ideals of others even if not Christ-centric; for we must honor all people (1 Peter 2:17).
...However, when such ideals are violated, the systems of national security, law enforcement, public health services, and emergency agencies assist in maintaining and restoring an orderly peace. When governments suffer impotence or corruption and trend toward evil it is the responsibility of individuals within said government or nation to act on behalf of the greater good, thus discerning the right course of action for their own sake and/or the sake of their government (this may include democratic elections or coups- not all coups are violent or evil). When governments become predominantly or entirely evil and rob their own citizens of basic human rights and/or threaten other governments/nations, the time has arrived for a "good" government/nation to become the minister of God and execute His judgment against an "evil" one in order to preserve the "greater good." Judgment in this context can equal war as attempts at diplomacy fail. Some reject this reasoning as a justification for God-sanctioned war. Yet Scripture provides a very simple template in that Almighty God has authorized governments to wield His "sword" to preserve His Truth and order, and war is unfortunately a tool God has used throughout history, even modern history.
...This is NOT insisting that "just" wars are Godly endeavors, it merely alludes to the fact that governing authorities have permission to act on His behalf in defense of the greater good. And though humanity's imperfection will stain decisions and consequences at times, God's Sovereignty usurps our limited autonomy. In fact, His Sovereign influence can indeed be witnessed on occasion: Consider that the American Revolution birthed and forged a grand nation of religious and personal liberty, and the Civil War ultimately united a fractured America. God will work through imperfect means to bring about His perfect endgame, the most powerful example of which is the Passion.
...Not all wars are just, for there are and have been those monsters of humanity who terrorize, murder, and conceive of evil machinations in blatant dismissal of a greater good... but who determines which government or nation is good or evil, likewise its intentions? The answer is uncomfortably simplistic, as human reason effectively clouds the clarity of Scripture with a shroud of ambiguity. The answer is thus: Jesus Christ reveals what is good and what is evil through the Authority of His Word; if a government or individual violates the template of Truth, there is a standard of judgment spanning a spectrum from mild correction to taking one's life, i.e. capital punishment (which remains in effect per the Noahic Covenant, Genesis 9:5-17, and is reinforced by Jesus' words in Matthew 18:6).
...So the answer, then, is simple. The difficulty rests in allowing the Word of God proper ascendancy in every arena of life, from personal discipleship to affairs of state, domestic and foreign. Moreover, the difficulty is by design in that it sifts the disciplined from the apathetic; the same dynamic applies to the art of prayer, exposing the import of (individuals and governments) establishing themselves upon the Wisdom of God found in His Word and through intimate counsel with Him.
...War is not good or ideal, nor is suffering or death. Nevertheless, each of these remain a clear and present reality in our fallen situation. And Christ's own proclamation that there would be "division" is proven by the presence of so much evil. So let us not use our liberty as a cloak for vice, thus rendering God's grace as a whim. Rather, let us use our liberty resourcefully and grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, rightly discerning Truth so that we do not bear His sword in vain; for He removes kings and raises up kings and, like Daniel, He may require our service to a king He has raised up (Dan. 2:20-23).

The Art of Prayer

2008-09-18T00:16:00.006-05:00

C.J. Vaughan, a 19th century English scholar and theologian, once stated: "If I wished to humble anyone, I should question him about his prayers." Any Christian knows that prayer, vital prayer, is encouraged by Scripture and is in fact necessary for the true disciple to commune with our Creator.
...Why, then, do so many fail to pray? Why do we privately convince ourselves that our "intention" to pray suffices for the act itself, all the while fully aware that our failure is borne of spiritual lethargy and an unrepentant heart? Moreover, the excuse of "busyness" thwarting one's prayer time is shallow in that one will find time to do what one desires to do and must do. Great men of God (with full schedules) such as Martin Luther, Charles Spurgeon, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer have testified that as one's duties increase, so must their prayers. In response to this paradigm some will argue the premise as illogical, but I will here state that the skeptical and cynical among us are those who do not seriously practice the art of prayer or fully comprehend its power and import. Further, there is not a "philosophy of prayer" one can study toward attaining a masterful approach. One learns about prayer by praying.
...Intimate understanding of Scripture will strengthen one's prayers and thus one's fellowship with the Lord God. And Scripture holds the highest exemplar of what a prayerful life should look like: Jesus Christ. If prayer were of no consequence then surely the Son of God would not have saturated His life and teaching with it. Luke 5:16 states that Jesus often withdrew Himself into the wilderness and prayed. He was proactive in separating Himself from all that would distract Him from communion with His Father, at times rising before dawn to find solitude (Mark 1:35), seeking His Father's will concerning miracles (Mark 6:46), and even spending full nights in prayer (Luke 6:12).
...It should also be understood that prayer can be a "wrestling match" with God (Colossians 4:12); but to the one who perseveres blessings shall be given, as with Jacob (Gen. 32:24-30). However, vital prayer is rarely easy: Under a Gethsemane moon Jesus warned His disciples that the spirit is willing (to pray), but the flesh is weak (Matt. 26:41), therein further acknowledging His own humanity evidenced by a previous request for their moral support as He experienced deep sorrow and distress, even unto death (Matt. 26:37-38). This shows that while prayerful solitude is indeed necessary, corporate prayer with fellow believers also has its place in the life of a Christian.
...Spiritual, moral, and mental clarity is only achieved and maintained through vital prayer, which will assuredly drain one's vitality when practiced regularly, as such requires extreme determination and discipline. And this difficulty concerning prayer is purposed to sift the half-hearted from the whole-hearted servants of Almighty God. Oft times our prayers are hindered by pride, impure motives, human reason, and/or unbelief (Hebrews 11:6). Psalm 46:10 is the remedy: "Be still, and know that I am God." We are here instructed to quiet our minds and reflect on Who God is, what He has done for us, and what He is saying to us. Listening to God is perhaps of greater import than talking to Him, for His Spirit ever draws us to know His will if only we would have ears to hear and hearts to understand, whereupon absolute conviction is gained concerning our petitions and their alignment to His will (Rom. 8:26-28).
...One can only be still, however, when one learns the value of the "hidden life," meaning the life one leads in Christ apart from the scrutiny of the world. This "hidden life" is where spiritual leaders are called, commissioned, and sent forth by God Himself. It is also where integrity is forged, such being measured by one's conduct in private among a faithful few (spiritual integrity is measured by one's conduct before God alone). The spiritual leader will welcome the strain and sacrifice necessary toward wielding great power with men, for it must first be won by proving oneself in the presence of the Almighty (Ex. 32:7-14, 30-33; 34:5-10). Acquisition of true spiritual power is impossible, unless we hide ourselves within the Glory of the One Who first proved Himself for us.
...Spiritual leaders will command great authority due to great conviction borne only of a great closeness to God, effected by replacing humanity's noise with nature's quiet. Whether or not one's "hidden life" consists of the Judean wilderness, an Arabian desert, a Roman prison, an empty sanctuary, or the woods out back, the undeniable power of such a life will be manifest to all as Christ's glory radiates ever brighter.
...Unfortunately, many Christians pray in the power of their own understanding, thus suffering prayers that avail nothing rather than praying in the power of the Spirit and thus suffering with Christ through prayers that avail much... wherein absolute conviction of Truth moves us from prayers of hope to prayers of faith.

Christianity 101

2008-08-18T13:39:00.006-05:00

Is your Christian walk, and talk, growing stale? Has former zealousness stagnated, becoming infested with uncertainty and laziness? If this is your circumstance perhaps a "wild goose chase" is the remedy! Following his book In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day, Mark Batterson, lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington, D.C., continues with Wild Goose Chase, encouraging us to embrace the unknown and expect a life of grand adventure as we pursue fervently the draw of the Holy Spirit. Mark's clarion call to reignite the flame of true discipleship and warn of prevailing failed philosophies is perfectly timed in our culture of "feel-good" gospels.
...For years I have believed that the book of Acts remains the context of our day and Wild Goose Chase explains exactly why it is in light of the availability of God's power to each member of the Church Body of Christ. Mark Batterson is clearly a voice to be heard and heeded by the "Joshua generation."

Failure to Excommunicate

2008-07-29T22:17:00.011-05:00

The last entry presented the premise of the Church suffering the affliction of Jericho Syndrome. Spiritual victory often fuels ecclesiastical pride when humility is the ideal endgame. Ironically, it often takes failure and defeat to even spark the beginning of humility, a circumstance blatantly apparent throughout the history of both Israel and the Church. Many praise Israel for the victory at Jericho and for successfully initiating the conquest of Canaan. But it is not Israel who is to be praised, for such acclaim is reserved for the Lord God alone.
...Victory at Jericho inflated Israel's pride rather than her faith and humility, resulting in defeat and humiliation in the first attempt to take the city of Ai. This defeat compelled Joshua and the elders to seek counsel from Almighty God, not their own vanity, whereupon they learned that Achan and his family (and thus Israel) had broken God's covenant by taking war spoils, i.e. "the accursed things," from Jericho (Joshua 7). The Lord God Himself said this was the reason for the defeat at Ai and offered assurance that He would no longer protect Israel unless they destroyed the accursed things from among them (7:11-12). Had Joshua and the elders sought God's counsel initially there would not have been a hard lesson to suffer, for the "sin in the camp" would have been revealed and remedied and hearts would have been full of righteous fervor, not haughtiness, prior to the Ai campaign.
...This "hard lesson" concerning "sin in the camp" speaks directly to the Church's present circumstance, and the specific "sin" is of exactly the same stock as that in Joshua's day: Compromise. Many church leaders, both spiritual and administrative, find the Word of God to be an untenable resource in that Almighty God is so clear in what He says and so absolute in His Purpose. The black and white of Scripture is simply too much for some and thus they create a gray area of compromise wherein the challenge of upholding and exemplifying the Christian ethic falls toward an existence of comfortable futility.
...This premise has resulted in the universal degradation of church organizations and congregations, corporations, cultures, and societal morals which directly affect individual mind sets and worldviews. The graying of Scriptural Truth, fueled by those who would insist upon what God may or may not mean rather than trust in His sure Word, has driven many churches toward accepting liberal theologies and "feel-good" gospels that are antithetical to the one true Gospel. And feel-good gospels unintentionally promote the aforementioned comfortable futility wherein the challenge of true Christian discipleship is replaced by those professing themselves to be wise, but becoming fools (Rom. 1:22). Such foolish wisdom is nothing new and is quite familiar (though not considered foolish) to ones seeking a "Christian religion of reason." This phraseology is merely modern agnosticism and entirely rejects the hard truth of Christianity being a relationship with Christ, not a religion. Moreover, the "religion of reason" supposition betrays itself as nothing more than a humanist attempt to comprehend something that cannot be grasped devoid of faith.
...Philosophy and reason devoid of faith prompted Eve to partake of the forbidden fruit and rendered Adam useless concerning his God-given authority/headship (Gen. 3). The apostle Paul issued a severe warning to the intellectually savvy and philosophically inclined populous of Greece when he sent letters to the churches of Colosse and Corinth: "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ... for our faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God" (Colossians 2:8; 1 Cor. 2:5).
...Several years ago I exchanged correspondence with an individual (Mr. X) who was heading up a deviant philosophy within a Bible believing church; his following consisted of nearly a third of the attendees. He insisted upon a belief that Jesus' message to love and act justly is of and from God, but that he and others "do not believe in the virgin birth, physical resurrection of Christ, ancient creeds, or any of the other magic revealed in Christian literature and liturgy." He later expressed a desire to belong to a denomination "open about the mystery, open about the search for truth, and understands that we are called to love all human beings."
...One cannot argue against our being called to love all humans; however, love cannot be truly expressed through ambiguous ideals of truth accompanied by ill-defined parameters of conduct. Discipline (borne of love) plays a vital role in the upbringing of a child, likewise for the child of God. After sharing this thought with Mr. X I explained that he was attempting to deify himself through a "cut and paste" approach to the Holy Writ and that he was thus an exemplar of Lucifer, not Christ. Also, I disclosed that the "mystery" and "truth" he and his coterie are searching for was revealed when Jesus Christ was nailed to the Cross as the ultimate Sacrificial Atonement for humanity's sin (including fallaciousness), and then conquered death through His resurrection, thus proving His Love (even for Mr. X).
...Realizing Mr. X's lack of Scriptural intimacy encouraged me to allow God to speak for Himself, and often. Proverbs 14:12 for instance: "There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof is death." Mr. X then inquired as to what "authoritative principle" gave me liberty to dismiss "his own understanding" as deviant, to which I referenced 2 Timothy 3:16 and 1 Cor. 2:14... "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness... But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."
...In answer to a direct query, Mr. X said that his pastor was handling the "division" in the church with compassion, even allowing Mr. X to oversee an entirely separate service for those in agreement with his heresy! This is troubling. Biblical policy demands an immediate end to such circumstances and offers the remedy effecting such an end. Those openly denying Scriptural Truth (especially within a church) should be rebuked before all, so that others may fear/respect God's direction for the Church (1 Tim. 5:20). But in an age of "grace" how can Biblical policy offer definitive protocol within the Church without risking compromise? In an age of "grace" how can the Church "destroy the accursed things from within?" The answer I offered to Mr. X, and thus received no further response, would strike a withering blow to festering situations presently infecting ecclesia and rests in one word: Excommunication.
...Though highly stigmatized due to severe Roman Catholic abuse in earlier centuries, excommunication is a viable Scriptural solution for numerous conflicts and dissension within the Church, said dissension often originating from pastors, teachers, lay people, etc. who appear to be of the Lord's true flock though in reality are ravening wolves advancing a satanic agenda to kill Truth (Matt. 7:15). No commentary is needed for the following Biblical policy:
..."Mark them which cause division and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you have learned, and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple"
(Rom. 16:17-18).
..."But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us... And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother"
(2 Thess. 3:6, 14).
..."If anyone teaches otherwise (contrary to God's Word) and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments... From such withdraw yourself" (1 Tim. 6:3-5).
..."Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?" (2 Cor. 6:14).
..."For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh... Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God... If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine (of Christ), do not receive him into your house or greet him" (2 John 7-11).
..."But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother (supposed Christian), who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner- not even to eat with such a person" (1 Cor. 5:11).
..."Moreover, if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen..." (Matt. 18:15-17).
...In light of the above references, some may insist on an even stronger Scriptural example of explicit "excommunication" being employed by God Himself. Examine Genesis 3:22-24. The Lord God sent Adam out of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken... Of additional import is the context of the exile: physical and spiritual.
...Scripture speaks of a time when some will not endure sound doctrine and shall replace Truth with fables whilst speaking evil of the Truth they deny (2 Tim. 4:3-4; 2 Peter 2:1-3). Such a time is upon us and the Church must reverse its failure to excommunicate the heretics from within the fold, lest we forget from whence we have fallen and Christ removes our lampstand (Rev. 2:4-5).

Jericho Syndrome

2008-06-21T18:40:00.025-05:00

The Church worldwide, and for some time, has been suffering an affliction I identify as Jericho Syndrome. The cure of such being a significant measure of Ai.
...Examine Joshua 6. Upon taking up Moses' mantle of leadership over the Israelites, Joshua was preparing to unleash the campaign into Canaan (ca. BC 1405) when he was met suddenly by the Commander of the army of the Lord (perhaps a pre-incarnate Christ, or the Person of the Holy Spirit; Joshua 5:13-15). After forty years of wilderness and the cursed generation dying off, the "Joshua generation" experienced renewed fervor and an accelerated longing to forge an identity promised to them by God Himself. If only Israel would trust Him, they would receive their Land and thus their identity. It is certain that Joshua emanated such fervor and longing more than any other, enabling Israel to rally behind his leadership as well as his God-fearing ethos.
...Emboldened and secure following the appearance of the heavenly Commander, Israel obeyed the voice of the Lord and Jericho was the first Canaanite city to fall. The victory at Jericho brought glory to God, renown for Israel, and solid proof that God would bless His people. However, for Israel, the victory at Jericho also brought hubris...
...Examine Joshua 7. Even victory has a price. God had warned Israel to avoid the "accursed things" upon the taking of Jericho (6:18-19), such being precious metals that would be consecrated to the Lord and stored in the Tabernacle treasury. This command was violated by Achan, who "took of the accursed things" (stealing from God), thus drawing the Lord's anger to burn against Israel (7:1). Unaware of Achan's sin, Joshua pressed on with the campaign and bent his will upon the next Canaanite city in line to fall, Ai. He sent men from Jericho to Ai purposing to reconnoiter the city and region. Upon their return Joshua was persuaded to send only a few thousand soldiers rather than the entire army, for the city appeared weak in number. But... they fled before the men of Ai, suffering a loss of both manpower and courage. Why? Joshua, too, desired to know. Clearly distraught, he tore his clothes, put dust on his head, prostrated himself before the Ark of the Covenant, and questioned God. The elders of Israel did likewise.
...Note the reversed context of Joshua's action. Prior to the victory at Jericho he had prostrated himself before the Lord and inquired, "What does my Lord say to His servant?" The Lord responded with a proclamation of assured triumph. Following the defeat at Ai, however, Joshua prostrated himself before the Lord and inquired as to why victory had been denied. Consider the fallacy: Joshua heeded his men's counsel, not the Lord's. In fact, he did not even seek the Lord's counsel before attacking Ai, thus usurping Divine wisdom and assuming his own to be of equal import, i.e. hubris. Hard learned are the lessons that humiliate, yet such lessons do not easily fade.
...As Joshua repented and sought the Lord's favor, the truth was revealed to him concerning the sin of Achan. God commanded Joshua to sanctify His people by removing the accursed from among them, which was accomplished by the stoning and burning of Achan, his sons, his daughters, his livestock, his tent (dwelling), and all his possessions including what he had stolen (7:24-26). Why such harsh judgment? It resonates. And all of Israel was witness to it (7:24). Thus, the lesson having been learned, the second attempt to take Ai ended with a victorious Israel and a reestablished covenant with Almighty God (cha. 8).
...The lesson to be learned by the Church from this example will be readily apparent to most, yet the learning of said lesson remains to be seen. After tremendous and numerous victories gained from Pentecost through the first few centuries of Church history, the Body of Christ has struggled to recover from a great blow dealt to it by the spiritual dark age birthed by Roman unorthodoxy and outright apostasy. The Reformation's protest against such heresy brought a welcome shift back to Christ's original intent, thereby replacing church politics with Biblical policy. But swiftly the Protestant movement began to fracture into multi-denominationalism as Biblical policy was again replaced with church politics due to the hubris of human reason.
...Matthew 28:19-20 reveals that Jesus' command was to make disciples, not churches, of all nations. His command was to baptize, not sprinkle, said disciples in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. His command was to teach what He has said, not what man-devised denominational interpretation assumes He may have meant. I will here clarify that I do not advocate an end to Christian churches in the world; what I do advocate is that said churches are in fact Christian, being Christ-centric and not a regurgitation of paganistic, agnostic, and/or so-called "emerging" philosophical ideals of science and reason.
...True and effective disciples are sold out to Jesus Christ, not their church; they are members of the Body of Christ and the Kingdom of Heaven, not their church. True and effective disciples understand that where there is no vision, the people perish (Proverbs 29:18), and that when there is a vision of any merit, it is given by Christ. The true and effective disciple also understands that a true vision does not entail a mere facade (new service, new order of worship, etc) but is of supernatural origin and transforms lives, not just a church.
...As the Jericho pandemic intensifies, perhaps the Church awaits the appearance of the vetted Commander to cast a new vision through a unifying Word of Truth. I ask, "What is wrong with the original vision?" Moreover, the Commander has already appeared with His battle plan and has assured us of Victory; one need only reexamine the Cross and the events thereof. The Church has taken its eyes off of Christ and is looking at itself for inspiration and is relying on itself for ascendancy. The result? Defeat (Ai). This, then, should inspire newfound motivation to "ask counsel of the Lord" before all else. Indeed there are some in the Church who have awakened from the stupor of pride and complacency and are casting the original Vision and being rewarded with battles won. Yet there are many who remain asleep, thus neglecting the power of the Spirit to do even greater works than Christ (John 14:12-14). The Biblical Canon may be closed but the book of Acts is still the context of our day.
...What, then, is to be done? We are to remove the accursed from among us. How is this to be done? "The accursed" must be identified, such being ill and/or irrelevant practices (religion), false teaching, doctrinal error, supplanting God's will with man's, etc. And "the accursed" often includes individuals that must be removed from the Church as they refuse to repent, which contaminates further the Body to which they are attached. Far too many churches adhere to a philosophy that encourages the false equation of "Higher Attendance = Higher Calling," leading toward a failure to excommunicate out of fear that diminished numbers (especially from leadership) would diminish a ministry's effectiveness.
...Despite the Roman Catholic abuse of excommunication during the aforementioned spiritual dark age (effectively stigmatizing the word), it is no less Scriptural and is entirely plausible within the parameters of Biblical policy. The next entry will examine this.

Biblical Policy vs Church Politics

2008-04-22T15:27:00.002-05:00

Since the Fall of humanity human government and political practice have been a part of history. An additional detail of this reality is the fact that both human government and political practice are stained by the sinful human nature. Being that political practice has existed long before the Church arrived within the historical arena, one may reason that humanity was more comfortable shaping the Church by means of political influence/manipulation rather than allowing the Church to shape political practice.
...The most blatant example of the former is found in the rise of the Roman Catholic Church following emperor Constantine's adoption of Christianity as the state religion of Rome in AD 313. A sudden influx of wealth, both monetary and prestigious, inspired corruption and set the stage for excessive heresy, blasphemy, and compromise that eventually led to Almighty God raising up an individual to cast Light into a spiritually dark age. Thus, in 1517 Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on the door of the Wittenberg Church in Germany, effectively exposing the Church's doctrinal drift away from Scripture and toward realpolitik, i.e. policy based on power rather than ideals.
...Politics is defined as "the use of intrigue or strategy in obtaining or promoting a position of power or control." In light of this understanding, the term "church politics" conveys a paradoxical meaning and is at times, perhaps, an oxymoron. The Church was birthed as something inherently Good with a noble and divine Purpose, yet it too suffers from the stain of imperfect humanity, whereupon rests the necessity of the Church's reliance on the Holy Spirit as Discerner of Truth and Jesus Christ as High Priest. The dividing difference between Church and politics is their origin, one divine and one carnal. This reality alone guarantees perpetual conflict on every level of church politics, i.e. spirit vs flesh. Some argue that proper employment of politics has benefited the Church/church, but who decides what is proper? Too often corruption arises from human nature (as human reason usurps Scriptural Truth), thereby halting and/or reversing any spiritual ground gained for the Kingdom of Heaven, which demands the aforementioned reliance upon the Spirit and Christ.
...What, then, is the alternative to church politics? It is simply found in a shifting of perspective that can be summarized in a new term: Biblical Policy. The previous definition of politics (an already stigmatized word) does not bode well for Christians as we are supposed to avoid manipulative intrigue and are expected to responsibly wield the power we have in Christ through meekness, not coercion. The root of politics is "policy," which is understood as "practical wisdom, principle, strategy, rule, and/or expediency pertaining to a course of action by an administrative body," to which I would attach the phrase "...as determined by Holy Scripture." The essence of policy, as opposed to politics, is of great import in that it better suits the mission of the Church/churches. For how can one insist upon a better way (Biblical policy) if one is not utilizing the "better way" but is still practicing the former way (worldly politics)?
...More intricate examination of the above definition offers key significance to policy over politics within the Church. The terms wisdom, principle, strategy, rule, and expediency are described as "practical," thus replacing intrigue with rational, proficient, and usefully applied ideals. "Expediency" promotes ideals of propriety, judiciousness, and rightness... which speaks directly to Christian ethics. And lastly, the "administrative body," which would be the Church Body, including individual churches/ministries worldwide, are purposed to govern responsibly over the different members of the church as instructed and commanded by the Holy Writ. Hence, Biblical policy, the polar opposite of realpolitik, is based on ideals (of Truth) rather than on power.
...The apostle Paul relays definitive counsel concerning the Church's policy toward comprehending, handling, and conveying properly the Truth of God to a lost world. He describes disciples of Christ as "stewards of the mysteries of God" and that "it is required in stewards that one be found faithful" toward such responsibilities (1 Cor. 4:1-2). This is not to be taken lightly. Moreover, he warns against carnal ambitions of the heart and intellect, that we may learn "not to think beyond what is written (in Scripture)," so that none of us will succumb to arrogance and conceit "on behalf of one against the other" (1 Cor. 4:5-6). In contrast to Paul's words one can readily witness such arrogance and conceit on continuous display amidst both world and church politics. And if the Church adopts and maintains worldly systems and solutions to its own internal governance and external influence how can it expect to receive the authority and righteousness of Christ? Rather, the Church must seek first the Kingdom of God (Matt. 6:33).
...Christians are not of the world, even as Christ is not of the world (John 17:16). Therefore, we are to look to Him in order to identify our place in the world as His ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:20) and, like Christ, be about our Father's business (Luke 2:49), not the world's. Paul's simplistic conveyance of an expectation of unselfish and purposefully righteous ethics within the Church/church render the employment of "church politics" as useless in light of the strictly un-political character and exemplar of Jesus Christ.

Letter to an Atheist

2008-02-09T23:00:00.000-05:00

In a recent online NewsForum, amidst engaging conversation concerning the Middle East, Iraq, and Islam, I soon found myself prodded with inquiries as to my own "religious leanings." This naturally was a consequence of having answered and offered commentary regarding specific inquiries surrounding matters of the aforementioned triumvirate (the Middle East, Iraq, Islam). The instant I divulged my discipleship to Jesus Christ and adherence to His Holy Writ, I was rewarded immediately with both respect and scorn. This is to be expected, of course, and all the more when the medium of discourse is a web-based global discussion forum.
...In effect, an initially healthy debate centered on politics and religion (involving several individuals and myself) soon turned vitriolic as one gentleman in particular began an assault on Christianity in general, then launched specific attacks on Holy Scripture, Christ, and ultimately upon my own person. A self-described evolutionist, anthropologist, and geologist, the gentleman admitted he was no theologian yet insisted upon the irrelevancy of Christian/religious texts and philosophies concerning the realm of science, while subtly implying an overall irrelevancy. Our "debate" spanned several days and covered much territory (to the benefit of many on the sidelines I am certain) as he played to his perceived strengths and attempted to discredit the Biblical Creation model and to edify Darwinist evolution. Often we simply had different interpretations of the same physical evidence. Whereas evolution-based interpretations are legion, heavily biased, and porous, I proved that a sound understanding of Scripture and legitimate sciences leads to a position of solidarity unifying the Biblical and scientific, a circumstance appealing to the core intellect and human spirit.
...Unable to gain an advantage in the arena of evidences and argumentation, my antagonist fell to emotive expression and our cordial parley disintegrated. What follows is my final response, which generated a surprisingly positive stir within the forum... even the venom ceased to flow (at least for a day) following my departure.

"Hmm. Interesting change of tone on your part. The last post I responded to of yours I closed stating my appreciation of your courtesy. Suddenly, the tone of your most recent posts addressed to me has deteriorated. It is evident that your mental state is unraveling toward frustration due to my continued 'defense of my faith.' You clearly put your faith in physical evidence and concrete visible proofs that conform only to your own slant. You have demanded I give you such evidence that I myself have researched, yet you attempt to denounce, twist, or deny anything I offer. Why feed the animal more than it needs? You do not need more physical evidence to be convinced of anything, and this is not a refusal to offer further acquiescence due to having nothing further to offer. I simply refuse because you have now revealed your true state of mind.
..."Like the Romans at their height, you spend too much time at the Forum. You seek only to have an outlet to convince yourself and others of your own knowledge, rather than truly seeking further knowledge beyond that which you already know. Since our discussion began you have stated a few times that you do not regard the Bible or religious texts as being worthy of, or within, the realm of science, and that by quoting Scripture one effectively removes oneself from said realm. Fair enough. This proves, however, your own ignorance on spiritual matters and your fear to confront such matters. Why would that be? I have laid it out for you in several prior posts, and it is clearly wearing you down. Why? The truth is this: you deny Truth and its Author, Jesus Christ.
..."You also wish to keep your arguments grounded in physical evidence, further proving your ignorance of spiritual matters, particularly Scripture. I have effectively highlighted where your worldview is flawed, and what you must do to remedy the situation. Perhaps eventually you will consider all that has been revealed to you, for you are now more accountable to Truth for having been exposed to it so blatantly. Ignoring the spiritual side of the argument has led to your frustration; you are looking at only one side of reality when there are two, physical and spiritual. To deny or ignore one side results in blindness to the one you claim to be privy to. In being privy to both sides, I find that most physical sciences point to the reality of God and His revelation of history found in His Word. You, however, are so entranced by physical evidences fitting into YOUR worldview that you are unwilling to see anything else; a flawed worldview indeed, akin to those who tolerate all faiths but Christianity while claiming total tolerance.
..."Your desperate attempts to distract my focus from your spiritual deficiency are not lost on me, it merely reveals Truth to both of us. You choose to deny it and lash out in anger. We all succumb to negative human emotions at times, a result of the Curse you wish to also deny. Though you are unlikely to engage in a sudden discourse of theology, as you currently lack the faculties of understanding necessary to partake of such a lofty arena, I pray you would choose to attain such faculties. Moreover, I pray that sooner than later you allow the Truth to set you free... but until then you will grapple with your inner turmoil increasingly after having been exposed to specific diagnosis of your spiritual condition, the remedy being a simple confession to Jesus Christ of your proud anti-Christ stance followed by asking Him for eternal forgiveness and entry into the Kingdom of Heaven. I know you are bound by pride at the moment, but in time you shall repeatedly return to this discussion and its gravity. Again, the Truth will set you free, requiring only a new perspective and a willingness to consider it.
..."No points are received for how much physical evidence you can cite or how precisely you can dissect another worldview in an attempt to rid yourself of its haunting Truth. Would you be convinced if Christ Himself were sending you posts in this forum? Likely not, for He would quote Scripture and you would ignore it as you ignore other voices He may use to reach you. Therein rests the paradox; He allows us the choice to determine our destiny so that those who would choose to serve Him are legitimately saved by His grace, and those who choose to reject Him are legitimately damned by their own choice. Absurd? No. It is divinely poetic justice."

Darwin is Dead

2007-12-20T02:13:00.000-05:00

...And so is his theory.
Charles Darwin's theory of evolution was not new when he went public with his musings; the idea had been familiar to ancient Greek thinkers. Despite this, intellectual lemmings continue to solicit Darwin's deceit like peddlers sanctioning an unworthy imitation as authentic. Even constant repackaging of such a concept as evolution has itself evolved into a multi-headed hydra that often differs greatly from what Darwin initiated.
...If he was the avant-garde god that some insist upon, why then are not all of his thoughts advertised, specifically his core beliefs? For example, his racist references are ignored today yet they remain just as influential in all Darwinist philosophy. The complete title to his (in)famous work published in 1859 is partially recognizable to most and attests to his racism: On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. Favoured races? He refers to certain ethnic groups being more primitive than others... a conjecture he establishes more insistently in his later work The Descent of Man (1871). Coversely, Scripture holds to only one race, the human race, as we are all descended from Adam (Acts 17:26).
...Currently, as the post-modern era unfolds, a plethora of cultures subscribe to Darwin's model of human origin (or a reinterpretation of such), particularly Europe, Britain, and Russia. Moreover, cultural enclaves existing in North and South America that defend Darwinism are becoming ever more vocal and vitriolic with the help of humanist thinkers like Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and Philip Pullman (author of The Golden Compass, Bk 1 of His Dark Materials trilogy).
...Why the recent surge in aggressively promoting/propagandizing Darwinism and/or atheism? And why is Christianity often attacked in the same breath? It is because adherents to such fiction as evolution and atheism are threatened deeply by moral absolutes, i.e. Truth, and thus are compelled to employ religious bigotry. An evolution-prone worldview is simply an attempt to escape Genesis 1:1. Within the humanist psyche there is no room for God, only the ego. And sadly, the Church contains some who compromise the Holy Writ as they exalt flawed doctrines on the order of theistic evolution and progressive creation, which venture to accept "evolution" as a Divine "tool" but instead undermine the Gospel since each model involves death before sin and unnecessary lengths of time with no theological purpose.
...The following apologia expands upon two of my previous posts, The Premise of Theistic Reality (Apr '06) and Truth vs The Con of Man (Mar '07), both of which dissect and destroy the philosophies and supposed evidences of evolution and atheism. A comparative construct will be utilized to examine the Darwinist Evolution Model (DEM) and Biblical Creation Model (BCM).
*1) A DEM offers ambiguous ideals of origins, though predominantly the Sun/Cosmos came first; The BCM reveals that a supernatural God created the earth first on Creation Day 1 and the Sun/Cosmos on Day 4 (Genesis 1).
*2) A DEM insists upon an earth age of billions of years since vast epochs of time are required to explain the complexity of life through "natural" means; The BCM reveals a younger earth history (approx. 6000 yrs) proven by Biblical chronologies and genealogies evidencing Divine Purpose and Design, i.e. "supernatural."
*3) A DEM denies a global Flood and replaces it with various catastrophic scenarios (subject to change); The BCM states that a global Flood was enacted by God for a specific purpose and that its reality and consequences remain consistent throughout Scripture (Gen. 6-9).
*4) A DEM misinterprets the global uniformity of the fossil record and promotes any interpretation other than Scriptural; The BCM demands that the uniformity of the fossil record is caused by a global Flood and that only a Scriptural interpretation of the Flood reconciles its cause and effects.
*5) A DEM specifically and purposefully separates dinosaur and man and insists that birds evolved from dinosaurs, ignoring blatant evidences to the contrary in the fossil record; The BCM reveals dinosaur and man being created together on Day 6 (Gen. 1:24-26; Job 40:15) and birds being created on Day 5 prior to the dinosaurs/beasts of Day 6, evidenced by fossils of human and dinosaur footprints found in the same rock strata (view related articles; view)... likewise with fossils of birds and dinosaurs (view; view).
...It is my prayer that atheists/evolutionists the world over would allow themselves a moment of humility, a respite from their cognitive vanity so as to encounter their Creator and experience true awe and His saving grace. "But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so [their] minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ... For men will be always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth... For this they willfully forget: That by the Word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water" (2 Cor. 11:3; 2 Tim. 3:2,7; 2 Peter 3:5-6).
..."Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves" (Matt. 21:12).
...Jesus exemplified proactive righteous anger when he drove out of the temple those who assaulted His Father with their blasphemy. We should do no less, thereby overturning the fables of Luciferian puppets with the gravity of Truth and foundational logic. Truth has forever weathered assaults from those of like mind as Charles Darwin, whose postulations suggested what Friedrich Nietzsche blatantly stated: "God is dead." A sense of Divine poetic justice is confirmed, however, since God and Truth still live whilst Darwin and Nietzsche are now dead. Perhaps the two have met.

The Hubris of Human Reason

2007-09-15T19:21:00.000-05:00

Prevailing attempts at determining Truth recurrently degenerate into the philosophy, traditions, and doctrines of men according to the world, and not according to Christ (Col. 2:8). Some contend that God and His Truth are subject to human reason and certain variants of rationalism (such as agnosticism), thereby asserting that true reality cannot be known and, thusly, God cannot be known. Others insist upon rewriting the Holy Writ, inserting vast or subtle fictions between verses and/or crafting grand allegorical allusions that undermine the literal simplicity that is in Christ (2 Cor. 11:3).
...Shamefully, many within the Church and in positions of great influence easily fall to such intellectual vanity, evidenced by a decreasing level of faith and an increasing number of antagonistic doctrines, theologies, and theories. The Creation account of Genesis 1-2 is an appropriate exemplar of this trend, as it is commonly attacked for its simplicity and brevity. Genesis was written as literal history and was treated as such by Jesus Christ Himself when He said, "But from the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female" (Mark 10:6). Here is nothing less than the Creator of All That Is demolishing the deceit of evolution, millions/billions of years, gap theories, framework hypotheses, and other assumptive fictions infested with the hubris of human reason.
...Even prestigious institutions are not immune from this manifestation of pride, often descending from a position of solid Biblical authority to one of ambiguous conjecture. Princeton and the University of Edinburgh (originally Presbyterian), Harvard and Yale (originally Puritan), Oxford and Cambridge (of multi-Protestant origin)... each of these, among many others, suffered foundational fracturing in their Christian worldview circa the late 1700's through the mid-1800's as the influence of humanist philosophers (Lyell, Darwin, etc) began to rise due to minimal refutation from Christians advocating 1 Peter 3:15-16. Subsequently, America's Christian heritage threatens to crumble as secular humanism, moral relativism, and intellectual elitism run rampant over our great land. However, there exists devastating intelligence in the war of worldviews that rages round about us. It is this: there is only one correct worldview, that being the Biblical one. Further, it is the only worldview that makes sense of and unites every arena of study and endeavor.
...Those who crow against this bold proclamation exalt human reason over and above Truth, displaying and promoting humanity's ineffectual musings regarding self-deification, even if accomplished privately within the psyche. So how can one effectively curtail inclinations of presumptive self-importance whilst combating the same in others? One must be cognizant of human reason in relation to foundational logic and rational thought.
...Analytical and systematic thinking (a.k.a. reasoning) reinforces rational thought and comprehension toward a true perception of reality, yet such a perception is only possible when said reasoning is purposed toward Truth grounded in foundational logic. Since God is a rationally thinking and immutable (unchanging) Being, it follows that logic and rational thought are foundational to Truth and Reality for such is rooted in the infinite Nature of God and are in fact a manifestation of His infinite Character. Thus a reflection of God's Character shall be evident in the disciple who is truly anchored in Christ as he/she brings every thought into captivity to the obedience of Him Who enables us to cast down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God (2 Cor. 10:5).
...For those who would tread the same path as Job and insist upon questioning God and His perfect Word... the Almighty has already issued refute: "Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Prepare yourself... I will question you, and you shall answer Me. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?.. Have you an arm like God?.. Who then is able to stand against Me?.. He who rebukes God, let him answer it" (Job 38:2-4; 40:2,9; 41:10).
...It is my prayer that Job's response would be echoed by all: "I have uttered what I did not understand... Therefore I abhor myself and repent..." (42:3-6)

As the Sword, So the Christian

2007-07-24T21:49:00.001-05:00

The life, indeed the legacy, of a sword can be mundane... or glorious! Likewise the life and legacy of a Christian. The fashioning of a sword, whether the resulting appearance thereof ends in elegance or ugliness, involves undeniable violence and brutality. Of course, the greater care taken toward the crafting of such a tool demands grander durability and mettle imbued upon the finished product. Suffice it to say that the tempering of a sword requires extreme longsuffering and hard work. Indeed, the strength of a metalsmith's character is often reflected in the fruits of his trade. Thus one could say, too, that the strength (or weakness) of a Christian's character is often reflected in the fruits of service, be they poor or noble.
...The transformation of earthbound ore into the enigmatic form of a sword is wrought with pain and peculiarity that is seldom evident when beholding such an icon. The smelting and kilning processes require levels of heat that evoke thoughts of Gehenna, whilst the fierce hammering, folding, and shaping can fast conjure images of insufferable torture. A fiery blade drowned in the cooling bath creates a steaming and hissing racket that rivals even the harsh metallic clanging of the smith's mallet! The ash/ember bed and the precise art of the heat-temper is an endeavor that holds no bias, driving the insanely patient insane. One ill move can require beginning the solemn technique anew. And then there is the painstaking work of honing, dusting, and polishing, and depending upon the item's destiny, etching and wrapping... each step possessing its own procedural protocol.
...When reflecting upon the beating, drowning, tempering, etc. concerning the fashioning of a blade, I cannot help but to think of the parallels to Christian discipleship. Moreover, I cannot help but to think of those who seemed to have undergone similar fashioning, namely Paul and the original twelve disciples/apostles (discounting Judas, as he was replaced by Matthias). And amidst this stalwart group, Paul and John draw my regard. Paul attests to his own "fashioning" in 2 Cor. 11:24-33 concerning his claim of apostleship. He ultimately was killed in Rome.
...John, despite suffering splendidly and often, is an interesting subject, for after numerous attempts on his life (including surviving being boiled alive in a vat of pitch) he became a boon to the Romans who feared angering the God Who upheld John's spirit; thus he was imprisoned on Patmos where he penned the Revelation of Jesus Christ as he received heavenly visions. Eventually he was released and he returned to Ephesus, presiding once again over the Ephesian church and dying a natural death long after leaving Patmos.
...Who then was the sharper sword, Paul or John? Which was the mightier tool in the hand of God? Or perhaps one of the other apostles, the rest of whom were martyred violently, deserves such merit. Whereas Paul established needed beachheads of Light in a dark world, solidified doctrinal teaching, and in the end imitated Christ grandly (after his conversion) through a life of servitude culminating in a martyr's death, John likewise contributed to the work of Christ significantly and finalized doctrinal teaching, but he did not die a martyr's death. Does this disqualify him from a level of Christ-likeness reserved for Paul? Was Paul the better Christian? One could argue either way, though the practical high ground would elicit an understanding of how the Body of Christ operates, for we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function (Rom. 12:4).
...Yet how can we neglect to mention Jesus Christ? Indeed, any argument concerning the greater "sharpness," or fortitude, of one disciple over another is dispelled at the mention of Christ and His Passion. One may insist that the theistic gravity of His Passion is simply a given in light of all discussion among disciples, but I dare not dismiss His Sacrifice so readily! In fact, I strive to maintain such an Act as not only an underlying Truth, but moreso an ever-present reflection upon said Truth. Further, since the Word of God is the sword of the Spirit, then it follows that Christ, as the Word made flesh, is in actuality the Sword of God (Matt. 10:34).
...As the tested sword demonstrates true integrity and flawless craftsmanship in the hands of its wielder, so the tested Christian will exhibit the same in the hands of Almighty God. With the violence and distress of forging and crafting rarely evidenced in the sublime beauty of a finished sword, so it is that the violence and distress of life is rarely evidenced in the mature Christian disciple, for the joy and peace of Christ are the seal and polish that represents His ownership and reflects His glory. It is my prayer that the armory of the Church today would be as stocked with true blades of perfect balance and integrity as the armory of the first three centuries of Christendom, for my life experience thus far has witnessed too few.

Implications of Scriptural Inerrancy

2007-04-30T19:15:00.000-05:00

To determine Truth, humanity must begin with God's special revelation, His written Word. Faith, of course, is requisite. Generally, truth appeals to human intellect when it is self-evidently correct, or when it is supported by an overwhelming volume of convincing rational and logical argumentation. Faith, however, does not require convincing evidence or self-evidential proof that would demand outright intellectual acceptance. Yet Thomas Aquinas insists upon the rationality of Christian faith in that Christian faith (as opposed to other faiths) is the most consistent with human reason properly applied; he further insists that such faith is specifically a response to that which rests beyond human reason, that being divine revelation.
...Sadly, the 1700-1800's witnessed an attack on Scripture that was meant to undo the Reformation's attempt to get back to the absolute authority of the Word of God. Since then there has been an endless assault on Scriptural Truth, and at the vanguard of this offensive is both secular/scientific and "Christian" academia. Where then is the defense against such? It should exist within the Church through its command to exemplify bold proclamation of Truth (1 Peter 3:13-14) amidst a world that does not like to retain God in its knowledge (Rom. 1:28). However, the Church has sorely failed due to a lack of respect for Truth and a dangerous dismissal of the inerrancy of Scripture... and thus the world holds no respect for Truth and dismisses the Word of God as mere literature. This has resulted in over a century of cultural corruption that is not merely a problem to be remedied, it is a consequence of wrong action that must be reversed so as to bring hope to future generations.
...2 Timothy 3:16-17 shows that "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." Proverbs 30:5-6 is foundational to this truth, offers warning to those who would ignore such, and reveals that God will certainly employ His own counsel: "Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar."
...In light of God's own proclamation that His Word is indeed His Word, why is it that so many "academics" and "theologians" fall into eisegetical interpretations of Scripture purposing to defend/promote a particular dogma, in effect telling God what He really means despite what He is clearly saying? Humanity's efforts to understand an infinite and omnipotent Creator results in either faithful acceptance of His complex simplicity, or in further complicating what should be simply accepted through faith. Note that those who further complicate divine simplicity are in actuality undermining the purpose of faith itself as they seek elusive evidences, at times creating such, in what becomes an exercise in futility that creates only confusion.
...To prove this I offer an inquiry: When one attempts to reconcile God's perfect Word with humanity's imperfect opinion/views, which gets modified? Most often it is God's Word that gets modified. How so? Consider how Darwin's promotion of human evolution has affected our approach to Scripture. Also consider that Darwin's influence manifested during the aforementioned era of Scriptural attack. Not until the 1700-1800's was the inerrancy of Scripture seriously challenged, and this due to advances in scientific understanding of the natural world that should have led toward greater understanding of our Creator and His natural order. Rather, humanity's free will and inquisitive nature was thus exploited by the enemy, just as it was when the serpent asked Eve "Has God indeed said...?" (Gen. 3:1). In planting a notion of doubt, one's mind can be turned from truth. Upon expansion of said doubt, one's mind can follow after untruth more vigorously than ever exerted toward actual truth.
...The battle today between Truth and untruth is the same as it was in Eden's garden. Through modern sciences (and individuals) the serpent has employed the same strategy as before, this time attacking the notion of Creation itself, in effect challenging the very foundation of Scripture and thus the integrity of the Creator. What the Christian must comprehend so as to stand unwavering under such assault is that a Christian worldview, particularly in reference to origins, does not begin with Christ, but with Creation (though pre-Incarnate Christ was there as the active Participant in the creative act itself, but this simply proves a sublime profundity; Jesus even refers to Himself as the Beginning of Creation- Rev. 3:14; John 1).
...The majority of polls show that while most people believe God actually created the world and universe supernaturally, they do not believe He created in six literal days. However, this contradicts their own belief in God's creative power, for while quick to accept a supernatural Creator supernaturally creating something from nothing, they then deny Him such power by insisting that He could not have created in six literal 24hr days. In fact, He could have created instantly, or in six seconds if He had so desired. So why did God take so long? "Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God... For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day..." (Ex. 20:9-11)
...The Lord God never acts idly or without reason. He created in six days, resting the seventh, so as to set the example for His creation. It is that simple. And God's profound nature demands that we accept His purpose on both the literal and symbolic levels that are displayed through all Scripture, understanding that the symbolic never supplants the literal, for what is literal always explains the symbolic.
...So why such discrepancy concerning belief in Creation in general, but not in six literal days? It is due to the "supposed" scientific "proofs" of an old earth age as supported or insisted upon by evolutionary concepts/dogma. Yet there is no room for millions/billions of years in the Biblical genealogies from Adam to Christ. Therefore, if one insists on vast millennia negating a literal six day Creation, then one insists also that the Bible is fallible and that Christ's own references to Creation are unreliable (Mark 10:6; 13:19; Rev. 3:14). The idea of millions/billions of years is a common factor between all deviant Creation theories, as developed by human reason alone. Such theories include the gap theory, progressive creation, theistic evolution, and the framework hypothesis. Each of these is an attempt to compromise/modify Scripture by reworking the Creation account of Genesis 1 to permit humanity's tainted ideals, whereas a simple acceptance of God's Word as His Word indeed would allow for only one understanding of the Creation account: the Biblical one!
...The adoption of any of these blasphemous humanist views undercuts the Sovereignty of Almighty God and His creative power through Jesus Christ since Christ was there at Creation and humanity was not. The failure of the Church to combat these deviant philosophies reveals a spirit of compromise as humanity succumbs ever more to human reason divorced from true faith in God's Word, revealing further still the sad fact that most church leaders have not thought through the consequences of what they profess and strive to indoctrinate others into, therein damaging rising generations with bad theology.
...In a weak effort to justify the flux of ever-changing interpretive methods adopted by the Church, Charles Hodge asserts that "The Church has been forced more than once to alter her interpretation of the Bible to accommodate the discoveries of science. But this has been done without doing any violence to the Scriptures or in any degree impairing their authority" (Systematic Theology, p571). This statement is a perfect contradiction in that while professing to hold Scripture as absolutely authoritative the extreme adverse is simultaneously professed! The Church is not to interpret Scripture on the basis of nature and human reason, but must interpret nature and human reason on the basis of Scripture.
...My comment above concerning humanity's tendency to follow more vigorously after untruth whilst professing to pursue actual Truth is supported by the apostle Paul when he warns of those who profess to be wise, yet are fools when they exchange the truth of God for a lie, worshiping and serving the creature and creation rather than the Creator (Rom. 1:22-25). Even Christians fall into this practice of reducing God to the level of the world in their attempts to understand Him through Creation rather than understanding Creation through Him.
...The following quote is an alarming example of brilliant idiocy within theological academia: "We have to admit... that the exegetical basis of the creationists is strong... [But] in spite of the careful biblical and scientific research that has accumulated in support of the creationists' view... Data from various disciplines point to a very old earth and an even older universe..." (Dr. James Boice, Genesis, Vol. 1, pp57-62, emphasis added). Here is someone agreeing that the exegetical basis, i.e. a simple reading, of Genesis 1, coupled with careful biblical and scientific research results in an understanding of a literal six 24hr day Creation. But rather than rest upon the authority of Scripture, as God demands, Dr. Boice holds "data from various disciplines" over and above the Word of God- "various disciplines" being synonymous with millions/billions of years.
...The late Meredith Kline of Westminster Theological Seminary continues the theme of brilliant idiocy in an article entitled Space and Time in Genesis Cosmogony (footnote 47, pp34-35) that appeared in the publication Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith (March '96): "In this article I have advocated an interpretation of biblical cosmogony according to which Scripture is open to the current scientific view of a very old universe, and in that respect, does not discountenance the theory of the evolutionary origin of man... But while I regard the widespread insistence on a young earth to be deplorable disservice to the cause of biblical truth, I at the same time deem commitment to the authority of Scriptural teaching..." Here, Kline even admits to the dishonorable practice of modifying the Word of God so that a compromise with humanist ideals may be presented as scholarly and of genuine spiritual merit.
...If one reads Genesis 1 and 2 as the Lord God intends, one will not suffer the confusion of the tendency to reason oneself out of logical thinking by thinking too much. Genesis indicates Almighty God's authority over and ownership of the world and all creation. Humanity is a part of that creation, with specific roles to play within it. One such role is stewardship of the creation. Genesis 1:26 records God giving humanity dominion over the sea, air, and earth and all creatures therein- yet nowhere does God give ownership of such. Nor does He ever give dominion over His Word. Christians today (disciple or leader, academic or layperson) would do well to remember this.
...To conclude I offer the words of two powerful men of God. Moses, to whom the Lord God gave visionary/literary inspiration concerning our origin, understood the gravity and simplicity of God's sovereign acts, particularly Creation Week. This is evident in one of Moses' prayers found in Psalm 90:12- "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."
...Martin Luther, an individual utilized mightily by God to advance the inerrancy of Scripture, delivers a withering blow to the eisegetical tendencies of humanity: "If you cannot understand how this [Creation] could have been done in six days, then grant the Holy Spirit the honor of being more learned than you are."

Truth vs The Con of Man

2007-03-20T02:21:00.000-05:00

Stephen Hawking, Brian Greene, Carl Sagan, Charles Darwin... the list of brilliant idiots* goes ever on. A harsh statement? Absolutely. Judgmental? Indeed. Yet such judgmental harshness is supported by Christ Himself Who said, "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment" (John 7:24). What is righteous judgment? It is judgment according to the inerrant standard of God's perfect Truth, His Word; it is not judgment according to the imperfections of man's relativism (i.e. the way that seems right to a man- Proverbs 14:12). Therefore, I judge the previous and their wayward colleagues according to what they hold to (convictions), represent (believe), and profess (witness) as such relates to the Truth of God.
...[*Brilliant idiocy is how I refer to those blessed with knowledge and academic tendencies yet have rejected Christ and His Truth rather than glorify and acknowledge Him with their brilliance.]
...What exactly do the aforementioned hold to, represent, and profess? Only this: There is no God and/or God is dead. Physicist Brian Greene attests to this philosophy in a recent essay entitled What is the Universe Made Of? (Wired magazine, Feb.'07, p113). He postulates that "a gaping hole remains in our understanding of a basic question: What is the universe made of? For more than 100 years we've known about atoms, and over the past century or so we've gone further and identified atomic constituents like electrons and quarks, as well as their exotic cousins- neutrinos, muons, and the like. But there is now convincing evidence that these ingredients are a cosmic afterthought... most of the universe is composed of other stuff, which, with all of science's deep insights, we've yet to identify."
...Since astronomy has thoroughly studied the motion of visible/luminous matter in the heavenlies and its gravitational affects and effects, Greene further explains the concept of "dark matter," which is simply the non-luminous (x-ray, microwave, radio, infrared, etc) matter that cannot be viewed by standard telescopes. This dark matter is now known to lack the basic atomic makeup of what is visible. Moreover, in addition to dark matter there is the recent concept of "dark energy," described as "a uniform, diffuse energy spread throughout space [acting] as an antigravity force" that gives off no light and is supported by Einstein's general relativity theory. This new concept came about in the late 1990's by astronomers observing distant supernovas and measuring how the expansion rate of the universe has changed over time. The relentless pull of collective gravity had convinced most that the rate of universal expansion would be slowing, but data shows the opposite: the expansion of the universe is actually speeding up "because something is pushing outward" from the universe's center!
...This "antigravity force" and "something" that is causing the rapid increase of universal expansion is in fact God Himself upholding all things by the Word of His power (Hebrews 1:3) for He has stretched out the heavens like a curtain (Psalm 104:2) and is likely still doing so (as current observations reveal).
...As scientists continue experimentation purposed toward a better comprehension of dark matter, Greene admits that the question of "dark energy" is wide open, even stating that "if the amount of dark energy had been slightly larger, the universe would have blown apart so quickly that life as we know it could not exist." In reference to Greene's comment concerning the "other stuff" in the universe being unidentified despite "science's deep insights," and being that the dark energy question is "wide open," here is my verdict: Though much mystery remains in studying the cosmos, the greatest mystery has been unveiled by Almighty God's special revelation of Himself to humanity by His Word through Jesus Christ- "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it" (John 1:1-5).
...John A. Wheeler, a pioneer in quantum physics and a former colleague of Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr, introduced "information-theory of origin," while Claude Shannon developed "information theory." Both ideas suggest that the universe computes its own destiny; but how, how fast, and are there parameters in relation to available memory on the universal hard drive? James Gleick, author of Isaac Newton, says that inquiries involving information theory "are hard questions, but they are not mystical or metaphorical." While physicists and quantum-information theorists examine anew "the mysteries of thermodynamic entropy" and "those notorious information swallowers, black holes," Wheeler is more attentive to the larger question, How come existence? Gleick posits that such a question is something science cannot answer. I agree.
...Modern cosmology indoctrinates that the universe has taken billions* of years to form, thereby demanding an evolution-based "origin." Scripture, however, proves the explicit adverse: "For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day" (Ex. 20:11). By applying the recognized and definitive laws of physics and the universal and universally exact language of mathematics that have been researched, observed, tested, and proven to be decisively accurate, we see that these "laws" were not developed by mankind but were discovered, or happened upon. It is Almighty God Who set these physical laws of governance into motion so as to better allow His creation to better understand His ways of order and intricacy, and ultimately, His Sovereignty as the God of the Universe He created: "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork" (Psalm 19:1).
[*While Creation only took six 24hr days, God's stretching of the "fabric of space" coupled with gravitational time dilation resulted in billions of years being available relative to distance and velocity in deep space, as can be measured; this does not demand billions of years of history being necessary for Creation or as an age of the Earth and Universe.]
...Why then, if the cosmos declare God's creative power and glory, does such brilliant idiocy so plague humanity, especially within the ranks of those who specifically research the earth and space sciences? "The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine [Truth], but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables [evolution, intelligent design, dianetics, etc]" (2 Tim. 4:3-4). Just as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, the weak-minded are constantly corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ (2 Cor. 11:3). Those who are not intimately familiar with the Word of God will not discern the subtle or the blatant attacks on Truth, resulting in supposed ambassadors of Christ holding the words of ambassadors of Lucifer in higher regard, unaware that scientific merit is horribly stained with the imperfection and pride of humanity and must be judged according to the perfection of the Holy Writ.
...Atheists and agnostics purposefully replace Yahweh God with string theories, Darwin, aliens, spontaneous generation, a sentient cosmos, gravitons, dark energy, etc... the list goes ever on as does the previous list of those subscribing to the "God is dead" mantra. Why is such pride, ignorance, and rebellion on full display? It is a sin-infested world in which we live and upon our entrance into it we inherit a sinful nature as a direct consequence of Adam's pride and rebellion (Genesis 3). But alas! We may grasp hope in that our Creator has sent us His Son to testify to the Truth so that we may escape His abiding wrath (John 18:37; 3:36). And for those who twist the truth of God into a lie (Rom. 1:25), thus mingling darkness with light (untruths with truth), Proverbs 30:5-6 and Revelation 22:18-19 offer stark warning against such perversion.
...Those who do not have God in their life act as the god of their life and advance further the con of man, unwittingly and often joyfully prancing down the road to perdition while convincing other fickle souls to join them in their death parade. Their love of darkness rather than light confirms their rejection of Jesus Christ, for "He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him" (John 1:9-11).
...If individuals that profess to seek truth would actually seek Truth they would no longer slam into the wall of ignorant pride that keeps them in bondage to a lost and rebellious heart. If only such individuals would turn from their wicked way and peer over the pride wall... only then will they see God in all His glory and be thus prepared to surrender their suddenly broken heart to His Truth, knowing that Christ is there offering the right to become a child of God to those who receive Him and believe in His name (John 1:12).
...And only then will those ensnared in brilliant idiocy become truly brilliant as Christ-likeness radiates from a regenerative spirit that hearkens unto Almighty God's invitation: "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things which you do not know" (Jeremiah 33:3).

The Passion of the Church

2007-02-02T15:18:00.000-05:00

Why and for whom does the Church exist? Prior to disclosing the verdict demanded by this inquiry, we must first understand what the Church is. The English word "church" descends from the Scottish term kirk, German kirsche, and Russian tserkov, each of which descend from the Greek word kuriakos which means "belonging to the Lord." Another Greek word, ekklesia, designates "a called out assembly or congregation for political purposes." In the New Testament ekklesia references believers in Jesus Christ who are a called-out group, paralleling the nation of Israel being called out to be separate from the rest of the world as a God-fearing example in the Old Testament era (Acts 7:38). Though the term "church" may elicit numerous definitions, the New Testament utilizes only two senses: 1) the universal Church (i.e. the Body of Christ) which includes all believers from Pentecost to the Rapture, and 2) the local church which is geographically and temporally limited yet is a visible and practical manifestation of the Church universal.
...The Passion of Christ was the catalyst for the ideological shift from the sacrificial and temple-centric system of worship to the church body of believers individually and collectively becoming the Body of Christ on earth, i.e. the literal bodily temple within which Christ would dwell by way of His Holy Spirit, our hearts thus becoming the Most Holy Place. Ultimate intimacy with our Creator is thusly achieved in that our individual physical bodies are His temple as opposed to an impersonal and more restrictive building/structure to be visited only on occasion. Moreover, worldwide persecution enables the Church to suffer His Passion as we are "crucified with Christ" (Galatians 2:20).
...The revelation of the Church was given following the exchange between Jesus and Simon Peter wherein Peter confessed his belief and conviction that Jesus was indeed "the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matt. 16:15-18). To this Jesus responded with the promise "...on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." Despite much discussion as to whether Jesus meant His church would be built on Peter himself (his name, derived from petra, means "rock") or upon his confession that Jesus was indeed the Christ, there need not be any theological murkiness for both answers satisfy Jesus' prophecy, Roman Catholic practices of elevating popes as vicars of Christ on earth notwithstanding; Peter was an apostle and the apostolic era witnessed the founding and establishment of the universal Church, such made possible only by a completely convicting belief and confession that Jesus Christ was Who He said He was. In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus unveils His prophetic purpose for the Church by advancing the great commission to "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded..."
...The relation of the Church to Christ answers explicitly the initial inquiry of this article: the Church has been saved and sanctified by Him (Eph. 5:25-29), purchased by Him (Acts 20:28), founded on Him (Eph. 2:19-20), built by Him (Matt. 16:18), is subject to Him (Rom. 7:4), and is loved by Him (Eph. 5:25). Further, the revelation of the mystery of the Church is found in the third chapter of Ephesians, the foundational program for it having been set previously in Matthew 28:19-20. Within this program we see a dual purpose for the Church: 1) Edification is necessary for equipping the saints for the work of ministry (Eph. 4:12) so that disciples can be made of all nations. Without being edified (built up, encouraged, strengthened) disciples would lose their zeal and effectiveness in promoting the Kingdom; and 2) Glorification of Christ "...to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen" (Eph. 3:21).
...The prior exposition conveys enough data for one to reach a basic comprehension of why and for whom the Church exists, yet my hope is to also promote thought and research beyond what is here written so as to inspire a thorough comprehension of the thesis. Perceived complexity may appear to plague the untested analyst, but the Word of God faithfully provides profound simplicity concerning profound interest. Therefore, I ask again, why and for whom does the Church exist? The Church exists because of Christ and for Christ, a verdict rooted in Scripture since the Father of glory put all things under Christ's feet and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body... (Eph. 1:22-23)
...This Truth is even preserved and grandly proclaimed in the first verse of the great hymn The Church's One Foundation by Samuel Stone and Samuel Wesley: "The Church's one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord; She is His new creation by Spirit and the Word: From heaven He came and sought her to be His holy bride; With His own blood He bought her, and for her life He died..."

Interpretive Logic: The Passion

2007-01-01T03:33:00.000-05:00

At the epicenter of history rests a juxtaposition of Divine ordinance: the Passion of the Christ. It is both the worst and best moment of existential Reality. The Resurrection solidified forever the Atoning Act of Christ and "defied logic" by presenting Truth through an ostensible theological anomaly. Thus, our exemplar for everything is Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul echoes this truth when he says, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).
...Some miracles of history lack a purely "logical" explanation when examined from a naturalist perspective or even a theologically naturalist inclination (as expanded upon in a previous entry, Supernatural vs Natural Theology). One merely acquainted with the Word of God and one intimately familiar with the same will at some point find their minds, in equal measure, sorely taxed upon encountering both the miraculous and prophetic nature of the Holy Writ. The equal measure, however, diminishes as the true disciple accepts that the God of the Universe is beyond complete human understanding, i.e. the mind of God is infinite, the human mind is finite.
...Operating on this premise, one will find answers that defy what is "logical" yet will also immeasurably increase faith. The not-so-true disciple is thus left with intellectual scraps as answers are sought strictly through natural means whereby human reason supplants the supernatural aspect of God-inspired revelation with the ambiguity of allegorical dogmatism. Therefore, caution must be employed when examining miracles within the context of unfulfilled prophecy lest one undermine their own faith in the miracles of history. [Many who insist on the ultra-dogmatic allegorical/non-literal interpretation of prophecy contradict their own doctrinal blueprint in that they believe absolutely, as they should, in the literal understanding and fulfillment of such historical miracles as the Creation, Virgin Birth, and Resurrection. Yet they simultaneously possess a heavy bias against unfulfilled prophecy simply because it is unfulfilled and the difficult prophetic language involved cannot be understood by their particular eisegetical hermeneutics. Believing most prophecy, if not all, to be non-literal and solely allegorical and/or historically fulfilled, with the exception of the Second Advent, such individuals perform an injustice to Scriptural integrity and interpretive logic.]
...Being mindful that Scripture interprets Scripture (a precept I find infallible) and understanding that prayer brings continual revelation of Truth, one will experience conviction toward such sound hermeneutics in their studies (2 Tim. 2:15), regardless of whether or not the human mind can explain all the details. Since God is a God of perfect revelation, and is impartial, every mystery will not be understood in its fullest by every individual; hence, the purpose of specific spiritual gifting throughout the Church.
...To be Christ-like is the high-water mark for a Christian. Jesus Christ is the model for our spiritual, mental, and physical discipline. His promises of a grand and gloriously eternal afterlife, coupled with fellowship sweeter than words can express, encourage us toward exemplification of His character and promotion of the Kingdom. Why then should He not also be our exemplar concerning Scriptural interpretation?
...Three hundred thirty two prophecies are recorded in the Word of God concerning the birth, life, ministry, crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. All 332 prophecies were fulfilled in the Person of Jesus Christ and the events surrounding Him. Moreover, all 332 prophecies were fulfilled literally. Though there are indeed historical reflections, symbolic types and shadows, and ideological transitions involved in Messianic prophecy, each specific prediction retains a literal/actual fulfillment.
...For instance, the betrayal of Christ for thirty pieces of silver, foretold in Zechariah 11:12 and consummated in Matthew 26:14-15, is an actual betrayal for a literal thirty pieces of silver. Of course, this "princely price" was the price of a slave, a fact eliciting scorn and resonant with the brokenness of humanity, yet Christ was never a slave. We see, then, that there is indeed much that is symbolic and figurative blossoming from this particular prophecy, but its fulfillment remains rooted in a precisely literal and actual realization. There is no room for overt uncertainty of meaning. Both prediction and fruition are clear.
...When first recorded, this prophecy (and others) may have been "a hard saying," perhaps inviting numerous interpretations from those who studied its immediate and greater context concerning what the future held. For the generation that witnessed its completion, however, it was profoundly simple and absolute. Any "reasonable theories" spiritualizing or mystifying the comprehension of God's Word to Zechariah would be negligent upon the prophecy's fulfillment, for the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God (1 Cor. 3:19). Examination of each Messianic prophecy and its realization will illuminate within one's heart the truth and import of a literal understanding of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. Furthermore, knowledge that the literal explains the figurative and symbolic is of great necessity when mining for Truth amidst the veins of prophetic literature.
...Referencing again the idea of Christ being the exemplar for Scriptural interpretation, it is telling that a large portion of fulfilled prophecy attaches directly to the Person of Jesus Christ. It is also telling that a large portion of unfulfilled prophecy likewise attaches to the Person of Jesus Christ. Thus the Scriptural evidence supporting a literal fulfillment for what is yet unfulfilled is glaringly favored by the example of Christ Himself. Interpretive logic, then, has a place reserved among esteemed company including discipleship, ethics, obedience, and other prevalent paradigms that demand Christ-likeness to reach their ideal potential.
...Paul urges us to imitate Christ (1 Cor. 11:1), emboldening us to strive for such an ideal on every level. Titus 2:6-15 instructs us to embrace sobriety, showing doctrinal integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, thus revealing the shame of our adversaries and rebuking them with all authority. We are also commanded to reject divisive men and avoid foolish and impractical argumentation, genealogies (partiality), contentions, and legal disputes; for such are useless, self-condemning, and of a sinful nature (Titus 3:9-11). Indeed, our imitation of Christ is assured as we experience the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, made possible by His saving mercy, love, and Passion.

Interpretive Logic: The Revelation

2006-11-10T20:31:00.000-05:00

It is helpful to recall that symbols in prophetic literature convey literal truths, and it is these truths that are meant to be revealed whilst not getting lost in the symbolism. To spiritualize or allegorize overtly is to deny the purpose of prophecy, specifically the book of Revelation whereas the purpose is to reveal a former mystery, not further mystify it.
...This entry will expand the previous, Interpretive Logic, from which I quote: "Antecedent mention is a key to correct interpretation in that throughout Scripture one will find words and phrases previously and repetitively mentioned. In reference to this it is nigh unto impossible to gain a comprehensive grasp of the book of Revelation whilst ignorant of all previous Scripture. Indeed, there is both chronological and foundational logic concerning Revelation's placement at the end of the Biblical canon [it is illogical to turn first to the end of an unread book wherein confusion manifests as ignorance of the complete narrative is realized]. Likewise, there is tremendous significance to Genesis being not only the book of origins, but the foundation to the entirety of Scripture, including prophecy. The language of Genesis assumes basic knowledge on the part of the reader, who is expected to responsibly utilize God-given intellect, reason, and logic...
..."Through Moses, the Lord God revealed to humanity the intricacies of Creation in a very plain, ordered, scientific, and logical manner; a fact easily accepted when the book of Genesis is taken literally... Divorced from faith in taking God's Word as His Word indeed, one who relies on only human intellect to comprehend Creation will fail in their conclusions, stumbling over fanciful theories, endless reevaluation, and divisive dogmatism in violation of Rev. 22:18-19. Likewise, those who refuse to believe what is written as it is written and have fallen to human reason and overt spiritualization have also failed to comprehend the book of Revelation. Therefore, if one strips the Creation of its literality, then one undermines the literality of the entire Word of God, whitewashing prophetic Truth in the process and thus denying oneself of any sincere and unbiased approach toward Spirit-led revelation, for no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation and never came by the will of man, but from the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21)."
...The book of Revelation reveals exactly Who Jesus is, what He has accomplished, and what He will bring to fruition, yet needless trepidation often manifests at the mere mention of "the Revelation." The reason behind the legions of assorted emotions and/or differing views concerning this revelatory book is primarily due to minimal widespread understanding of prophetic literature as well as minimal time spent in personal prayerful study of this magnificent book. The prophetic literary style prevalent in Revelation hearkens back to Old Testament prophetic literature found in books such as Daniel, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Zechariah, Joel, and others. Without a working knowledge of the makeup of prophetic literature (as found in the Old Testament) and how it is used, one cannot hope to comprehend the deeper revelation to be found in the book of Revelation. Effective personal discipline toward constant study (2 Tim. 2:15) is well rewarded with a continuous and systematic revelation of Truth as Christ opens our understanding that we might comprehend the Scriptures (Luke 24:45).
...2 Timothy 2:16 admonishes us to "shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness." This passage is a warning to shy away from the act of simply taking someone's word for absolute truth concerning God's Word. Unfortunately, many people (even Christians) are 'kept in the dark' when it comes to subjects and topics involving the book of Revelation (or prophecy in general), all because 'someone else' said that there is no need to study the book (or prophecy) for whatever reason. When one relies solely on the information passed along by pastors, professors, teachers, friends, television, radio, commentaries, etc., rather than learning directly from the Holy Writ and the Holy Spirit, one can become complacent and unknowingly expose themselves to (and possibly adopt) a false or compromised doctrinal belief. One must spend maximum time with God in prayer and in His Word in order to properly discern His Truth from the chatter of human intellect and world influence.
...Admittedly, much of Bible prophecy and specifically the book of Revelation is intimidating when one first approaches it and is confronted with the oft times peculiar language, including symbols, metaphors, historical reflections, types and shadows of things/events to come, double meanings, etc. It can be daunting and difficult to determine what is to be taken as literal, spiritual, metephorical, and/or any combination of the aforesaid, thus quantifying the necessity of a real and tangible relationship with Jesus Christ Who enlightens our spirit by His Own.
...There are instances, however, when passages cannot be understood fully in the literal sense by the surface text alone due to symbolic referencing or other prophetic literary devices. In such instances Scripture interprets itself through prior and/or later passages relative to the passage of study; thus cross-referencing is a vital aspect in studying eschatology (study of the last days), for it is such referencing that illuminates the literal truths conveyed by the symbolic.
...Another vital practice to be mindful of whilst interpreting prophecy is that of time and place. Upon observing what is happening, one must discern when it is happening and where it is happening. Examine Rev. 5:7-10. After taking the scroll from the right hand of His Father, Jesus prepares to open it, but must first break the seven seals, an act that begins the systematic Judgment of Israel, unbelievers, and the earth. Mark the observation that Christ is in heaven as He initiates the Judgment that befalls the earth; hence, there is a direct correlation between the two distinct places in that heavily symbolic but literal acts in heaven unleash steadily increasing judgment on the earth that is itself heavily symbolic and literal.
...Thus, we can now answer What is happening?: The Judgment of Israel, unbelievers, and the earth. When is it happening?: In the future time of said Judgment after Christ takes the scroll and begins breaking the seven seals. Where is it happening?: Christ is in heaven initiating Judgment to occur on the earth. Prayerfully approaching study and interpretation of Scripture in a plain, ordered, scientific, and logical manner will bring less confusion and greater satisfaction to the student of the Word and disciple of Christ. Moreover, upon exposure to the Truth in the Revelation of Jesus Christ (and indeed the entire Word of God) it is of utmost import that one be disciplined in practicing exegesis as opposed to eisegesis. These Greek terms express the proper and improper way to undertake Scriptural interpretation; Exegesis means "reading from," to be understood as reading from God's Word as it is written, i.e. what is God saying? Eisegesis means "reading into," to be understood as reading into God's Word what one may wish God to mean so that a particular man-devised theory and/or theology can be thus "proven," i.e. humanity tells God what He means regardless of what He is saying.
...Whitewashing prophecy with the allegorical, mystical, and overtly historical brushes leads to more confusion and questions than is necessary. It cannot be stressed enough that the literal understanding of even the most difficult passages leads to greater understanding and a more thorough appreciation of both the Word of God and its Author.

Interpretive Logic

2006-09-30T18:53:00.000-05:00

How does one make sense of the chaos of our day? How does one approach the Word of God in a world of spiritual cynicism and sensationalism? The answer is simply a matter of perspective: We are to interpret world events (past, current, future) through God's Word, not interpret God's Word through world events.
...Oft times when interpreting the Holy Writ, difficult passages result in diminished intimacy with both the Word of God and the God of the Word, whereupon the reader falls toward the tendency to theorize, allegorize, and/or spiritualize Biblical passages that they 1) have been taught in such a way (adopting such a view), 2) find too fantastic to actually occur, or 3) simply cannot or will not understand in a literal sense (often due to the aforementioned "adoption"). Indeed, Biblical prophetic language utilizes multiple levels of meaning, thus requiring multiple levels of understanding; a reference may carry a historical, present, and future fulfillment, or any one or combination of these. Moreover, there are often metaphorical and ideological "shadows" within the (literal) fulfillment of prophecy that point to yet further fulfillment and/or "reflections" of previous prophetic fruition. Thus, prophetic language contains, often simultaneously, concrete and abstract ideals and finality.
...For instance, in Matthew 24:2 Jesus, in response to His disciples' awe of the buildings of the Temple, states that "not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down." This prophecy was realized in AD 70 when Roman emperor Vespasian, assisted by his son Titus, finally suppressed the Jewish revolt that began four years earlier. The Jewish Temple was completely destroyed, not one stone left upon another. Accompanying the literal concrete fulfillment of Jesus' words rests the significance of ideological change; the Temple's destruction effectively ended the ritual offering of sacrifice, thus alluding to the fact that Christ's Sacrifice was a final and permanent Act and the "new" temple was to be the Body of believers worldwide. Further, the date of the Temple's death fell on the tenth day of the fifth month (Jewish 9th of Av), the same day that the First Temple was burned by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in BC 586, thus adding an historical reflection to the AD 70 event.
...It is essential to add that in light of Scriptural symbols, types, and shadows, a symbol is an abstract or concrete thing that conveys literal truth (ex: the American flag). Hence, what is literal must explain the figurative/metaphorical and the figurative/metaphorical should not be used to explain the literal. By faith we believe what is literal and understand what is figurative, if explained elsewhere in Scripture, but never is our interpretation to be solely based upon human reason. In other words, Scripture interprets Scripture. When the Word of God intends a reference to be allegory or spiritual, it says so. For example, Revelation 11:8 speaks of "...the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt..." The apostle John, to whom the Revelation was given, refers to Jerusalem as being comparable to Sodom and Egypt, making it clear that the meaning is not literal. Also, the comparative articles "like" or "as" and the subtle comparative phrases "having the appearance of" and "bearing the resemblance of/to" are indicators of allegorical/spiritual/mystical referencing found in both Old and New Testaments.
...Upon reading the Holy Writ we are to accept and interpret at a surface contextual level unless otherwise instructed by the passage or linked references. This does not require outside assumptions and/or presuppositions, for Scriptural context provides adequate evidence, even on the surface level of interpretation. J.B. Smith states: "If the literal sense makes good sense, seek no other sense... every other sense is usually nonsense. It is generally the case that if words do not mean what they say, no one can say what they mean." The interpretation of prophetic language and indeed all of Scripture is to be undertaken by an understanding of the literal sense (unless otherwise instructed by Scripture), for anything neglecting such a sense will lead down deviant paths, whereupon one shall be "always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth"
(2 Tim. 3:7).
...Turning again to the rule of Scripture interprets Scripture, it is of greatest import to note the rule of antecedent mention, as it applies particularly to prophecy and more specifically to prophetic events of the distant future. Prophecy is simply history written in advance, while history (past, current, future) is simply the totality of events. As prophets disclosed information concerning the future they assumed knowledge of previous events, or prefaced the disclosure by relative events leading to the event of focus. To illustrate: When Daniel prepares to reveal the prophetic details of Nebuchadnezzar's dream he begins with Nebuchadnezzar himself so as to better inform the Babylonian king of his place in history in light of God's Sovereignty (Dan. 2). Prophetic literature is purposed toward inspiring hope among the faithful and a turn to repentance among the wicked. The present is directly related to the past and future; for example, the Church exists because of Israel's failure, yet the Church is prophesied to fall into apostasy, followed by the "catching away" of the faithful to be with the Lord as both Israel and Gentile nations suffer the "day of God's wrath" (Rev. 6-19); after the Judgment, however, a remnant of Israel and of the Gentile nations shall be saved when Jesus Himself returns to earth, a great and ever-present hope and catalyst for change until the event reaches actuality.
...Furthermore, antecedent mention is a key to correct interpretation in that throughout Scripture one will find words and phrases previously and repetitively mentioned. In reference to this it is nigh unto impossible to gain a comprehensive grasp of the book of Revelation whilst ignorant of all previous Scripture. Indeed, there is both chronological and foundational logic concerning Revelation's placement at the end of the Biblical canon. Likewise, there is tremendous significance to Genesis being not only the book of origins, but the foundation to the entirety of Scripture, including prophecy. The language of Genesis assumes basic knowledge on the part of the reader, who is expected to responsibly utilize God-given intellect, reason, and logic. When such is abused, and attempts are made toward telling Almighty God what He really means through the prism of humanity's imperfection, we are thus judging His Word by our standards and not allowing our standards to be judged by His Word. In the course of studying the entire Bible, we should not search for discrepancies and/or contradictions because there are none, God's Word is perfect in that "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
...Through Moses, the Lord God revealed to humanity the intricacies of Creation in a very plain, ordered, scientific, and logical manner; a fact easily accepted when the book of Genesis is taken literally. Yet human reason apart from reliance upon the Holy Spirit will result in intellectual, factual, and spiritual want rather than the fullness and simplicity that is in Christ (2 Cor. 11:3). Moreover, those who complicate simple answers with arguments of bad science, bad logic, and bad philosophy after the "traditions of men" (Colossians 2:8) only complicate more thoroughly and ultimately contribute to bad theology, having "set up idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity" (Ezekiel 14:3).
...Divorced from faith in taking God's Word as His Word indeed, one who relies on only human intellect to comprehend Creation will fail in their conclusions, stumbling over fanciful theories, endless reevaluation, and divisive dogmatism in violation of Rev. 22:18-19. Likewise, those who refuse to believe what is written as it is written and have fallen to human reason and overt spiritualization have also failed to comprehend the book of Revelation. Therefore, if one strips the Creation of its literality, then one undermines the literality of the entire Word of God, whitewashing prophetic Truth in the process and thus denying oneself of any sincere and unbiased approach toward Spirit-led revelation, for no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation and never came by the will of man, but from the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21).
...Intimacy with God's Word, prayer, and Spirit-led revelation are the keys to understanding Scripture and prophecy. One who studies the Word by faith and with prayer can on all levels expect greater understanding than the scholar who replaces faith with reason and prayer with pride. "Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law... Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes..." (Psalm 119:18,33). "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things which you do not know" (Jeremiah 33:3). The former passage accentuates humanity's desire to know; the latter expresses God's desire to show. "And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures" (Luke 24:45).
...A final note on prophetic perspective and interpretation of prophecy: the student of prophecy, and thus of prophetic literature, is by necessity a disciple of Christ and is simultaneously a student of His Word, history, current history, numerous sciences, anthropology, etymology, and statecraft (i.e. politics). This reality demands that we study to show ourselves approved unto God, rightly dividing the Word of Truth from the unsavory theories and divisive doctrines issued often from the lofty perches of those less learned.

Theological Profundity & Complex Simplicity

2006-08-30T17:51:00.000-05:00

In light of the complex simplicity and mysteries of God, there are many who claim that the most prominent and important mysteries of Christianity contradict the laws of thought and/or are irrational and unrealistic. This reasoning is often the result of impractical employment of rationality due to ignorance. That which is unknown (whether unrevealed or unstudied) remains complex, a mystery. Once knowledge is gained, processed, applied, and/or experienced, complexity is replaced with comprehension and with increased comprehension comes simplicity (along with the ability to simplify). And that which remains unknown cannot be labeled irrational since it is beyond human understanding (until revealed or reviewed), not contradictory to it.
...A mystery in Scriptural context is something that is not known until revealed by God via special revelation. The apostle Paul eloquently articulates the unveiling of the mystery of the Gospel: "But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ" (Galatians 1:11-12). Moreover, in his first letter to the Corinthians Paul lays upon all Christians the responsibility toward mining, preserving, and applying such mysteries: "Let a man consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God" (1 Cor. 4:1). It is thus well for us to grasp that, in actuality, the Truth of prophetic history (past, present, future) and the events therein rest within the context of the "hidden wisdom" and "deep things" of God (1 Cor. 2:7,10), as such, the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ is itself the unveiling of the great mystery of the final fruition of God's Plan that had previously only been partially revealed within the Old Testament.
...What follows is a brief exposition concerning the matter of simplified complexity, meaning that there is a complicated truth that presents a core simplicity when one confronts and scrutinizes the complex details. I have chosen to illuminate the Incarnation so as to demonstrate a premise: God's simplicity leads to greater understanding of His complexity, whilst His complexity reveals profound simplicity. Inumerable theological realities can be so illuminated; however, one example shall suffice here due to the theistic gravity of the Incarnation. The method of illumination I have chosen to employ will reveal truth by stripping away putrid layers of bad theology to thus prepare the way for the Spirit to convict and confirm "the simplicity that is in Christ" (2 Cor. 11:3).
...Many former mysteries of old were revealed in the New Testament, most significantly that mystery of the Christ's Incarnation and Passion as laid out in Romans 16:25-27: "According to the revelation of the mystery kept since the world began but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations... To God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever..." Furthermore, prior to its fulfillment, this profound mystery remained unknown to world rulers: "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory..." (1 Cor. 2:7-8).
...If the significance of the events surrounding the Cross had been foreknown by world rulers and/or Satan, diabolical schemes would have been unleashed with the sole purpose of preventing God from fulfilling His Great Plan of Salvation. Hence, the "wisdom of God in a mystery," i.e. the Gospel of Jesus Christ, was purposefully "hidden" until the Lord God ordained its revelation. Ignorance thus became a wonderfully utilized tool in the shaping of history, resulting in self-imposed reverse psychology; Satan, as well as those personally and ideologically involved who sought to destroy Jesus, believed they were doing just that as the iniquity of humanity was laid upon Him (Isaiah 53:6).
...Such was the profundity of the Incarnation and Passion that throughout Old Testament history prophets and sages searched rigorously to understand what they prophesied about concerning this Messianic mystery. Even the angels desired to comprehend it: "Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you... But to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven- things which angels desire to look into" (1 Peter 1:10-12).
...I will now address some of the most prominent, though futile, attacks on the Incarnation that originate primarily within academia and the remainder of the unbelieving horde on the planet that are referenced in 2 Corinthians 4:3-4: "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world (Satan) hath blinded the minds of them which believe not..."
...Some illogically propose that all of God became fully human, consummately negating His deity. Others propose the reverse, stating that after the Incarnation Christ had only a divine nature (monophysite,* meaning "one nature"). In actuality the second Person of the Triune God took on humanity while retaining His deity, thus allowing two natures within one Person, which is logical, whereas two persons in one Person is illogical. By this reasoning we may understand the Triune God as three Persons in one Spirit (Nature), not three persons in one Person. An uncomplicated parallel that may assist one's comprehension toward this reality exists in the circumstance of one man being simultaneously a son, husband, and father (as well as brother, uncle, etc). Many "natures" can be possessed by one person with little complication and with distinct division amidst the differing parameters; however, the depth of difference (and management of such difference) between human nature and the human spirit nature is cause for unwavering Christ-like discipline, naturally. There will, of course, remain an associative mystery concerning the Triune nature of God as humanity's presently finite minds attempt to understand the infiniteness of our Creator. [*Monophysitism was a divisive and controversial view of Christ's divine/human nature that arose in force during the 4th-6th centuries, greatly affecting the Eastern Byzantine churches. The Council of Chalcedon in AD 451, led by Pope Leo I, saw the issue officially settled (though not unchallenged) within orthodox Christendom by declaring that Christ was truly human and truly divine without any confusion, division, separation, or loss of the two natures in the single Person of Christ. The minority that disagreed formed the Monophysite churches.]
...Another futile proposition is that Christ had two wills (bithelitism), human and divine. The reality is that Christ had one will (monothelitism) influenced by two natures, as outlined above. His human nature battled His divine nature, hence the need for the human nature to be held in constant submission to God the Father, exemplified by the constant prayerful nature of Jesus (1 Thess. 5:17; 1 John 3:5). In light of this, fallen humanity's nature is at war with humanity's spirit nature, a circumstance Paul fleshes out, so to speak, in Romans 7:7-25: "For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice... I see another law (nature) in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members" (v20,23). It is exactly this war of the flesh and spirit that Christ overcame through constant prayer to the Father and by solidly adhering to His Father's will, thereby submitting completely His own will to that of the Father: "...if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will" (Matt. 26:39). He also reiterated to the disciples that "the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matt. 26:41). This does not evidence two separate wills, one human and one divine. What is evidenced is that the Incarnate Christ's divine will was subjected to the influence of "human nature" upon His Incarnation. His Victory, then, included the conquering of not only death, but of sin-infested human nature, in our stead, for only Christ was worthy to accomplish such an Act (Rev. 5:2-7).
...Being that Christ alone was worthy to bring Salvation to humanity, there are some who insist that He could not have genuinely experienced free will, or more specifically, the absolute freedom to literally take up His own Cross in that He had entered into a "covenant of works" with the Father. This view is devoid of any merit whatsoever and strips the Christ's Passion of its passion, and thus replaces Love with obligation as the motivation for saving humanity. Further, such a view negates the all-important value of the Christ-like example; as if to say that Christ was "exempt" from any real choice because there was no other choice as to the salvation of humanity (in fact, there was an alternative: if God had chosen not to love us, He could have avoided all of human history by slaying Adam and Eve and beginning anew). Sadly, this level of heresy is on parade within certain Protestant denominations, invoking confusion within the laity concerning whether or not free choice is even a definitive construct of humanity, as decreed by God. Let us now examine what Christ Himself said about taking up His Cross and laying down His Life: "No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again. This command (ability) I have received from My Father" (John 10:17-18). Here is nothing less than Jesus declaring that He alone has the ability to choose whether or not He "lays down His Life." Moreover, if choice were nonexistent concerning the Passion, it would have been illogical for Jesus to have revealed that upon His utterance more than twelve legions of angels would be provided Him (Matt. 26:53).
...The previous information begs the inquiry: If the Christ's Passion did not employ actual choice on the part of Christ Himself, then what value is there to be gleaned from His example? If Christ's "choices" were not borne of love for His Father and for humanity, but were the product of rigid obedience, why then should humanity show love for God at all, when strict legalism for its own sake will suffice? Such preposterous musings are, of course, pointless when the Word of God is taken as God's Word indeed, as opposed to a loose template upon which humanity would impose its imperfection so as to "perfect" that which illuminates said imperfection.
...The prodigious Design of Christ's Atoning Sacrifice demands the circumstance of choice which in turn necessitates the freedom of choice, for both Christ and humanity. Those who argue that such a paradigm is violated by the likes of predestination are guilty of abusing the terminus and context of the word, claiming that free will and predestination are incompatible or contradictory. Yet there is no contradiction in God foreknowing who will be saved while requiring/predetermining that their salvation would be dependent upon their freedom of choice. A contradiction is evident in coerced freedom, for how could one freely choose what they were forced to accept/endure?
...In demolishing bad theology, one can both uncover the core faults of such as well as further develop the merits of "good" theology. Thus, theological complexity can only be legitimately simplified as one seeks Truth from its Author, allowing Him to unravel the mysteries and depths therein, effectively avoiding the con of man, for "the carnal mind is enmity against God" (Rom. 8:7). Only when one purposes to reach Truth for God's glory, in lieu of establishing doctrines and theories for one's own sublimity, will one attain the truly sublime.

Human Responsibility and Free Will

2006-07-16T21:00:00.000-05:00

In all of Scripture the most prominent and fully articulated doctrine is that of Salvation, the great sacrificial and atoning love offering on behalf of humanity wrought by our Savior and King Jesus Christ. It is then no surprise that the second-most prominent and fully articulated doctrine found in Scripture is that of free will, i.e. free human choice. Spanning both testaments, the doctrine of free will saturates the Holy Writ not only in articulation, but in exemplification. Whereas Salvation was prophesied and fulfilled (literally, metaphorically, historically, etc.), free will exists simply as an underlying FACT that serves as a foundational construct to human existence and occupies an intimate role within the Salvation doctrine itself.
...Through the acceptance of His Son Jesus Christ's death as atonement for humanity's sin, each individual has the opportunity to come to a personal relationship with our loving Creator. Yet, Scripture reveals that a large portion of humanity will find their destination to be hell and the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:11-15), despite the fact that such places of torment and separation were not created for humanity but for fallen angels (Matthew 25:41). This begs the inquiry: If Almighty God has offered up a perfect Sacrifice to redeem ALL of fallen humanity (for He does not will/want for any to perish), why is not ALL of fallen humanity redeemed at the end of all things? No human individual is of themselves worthy of redemption, nor can one earn such. Why then does a portion of humanity experience God's saving grace and enter into the Kingdom of Heaven whilst the remainder suffers eternal separation from Him along with a sentence of eternal punishment? The answer consists of such profound simplicity that certain schools of thought and their adherents are given over to vehement rejection of its Truth, often accompanied by ultra-dogmatic venom and pitiful gnashing of teeth directed at those who hold to this Truth. The answer is thus: Each individual possesses the freedom to choose their eternal destination, be it eternal life by acceptance of Christ's Sacrifice, or be it eternal damnation by outright rejection of the same or a failure to make the choice at all.
...This paradigm releases Almighty God of the responsibility for humanity's actions and places the same upon humanity itself, and only the individual with a free conscience can bear responsibility. God has imparted a measure of faith to every soul (Romans 12:3), meaning that each individual born into this earthly plane inherits from the Creator the capacity to believe in something, and it is thus each individual's moral responsibility to choose that in which they would believe (and even belief in nothing is still belief). Thus the opportunity to choose has been placed before us, and it is our responsibility to choose rightly. Certain theologies promote a fatalist doctrine implying that God not only punishes sin but also causes it, which is a blatant perversion of Christianity as a whole. If an individual is "bound to fate," then Jesus' counsel to 'Go and sin no more' is daft! In his book The Victory of Reason, Rodney Stark states: "Christianity was founded on the doctrine that humans have been given the capacity and, hence, the responsibility to determine their own actions" and that "Jesus taught that each individual must atone for moral lapses precisely because these are wrong choices."
...So what is the import of free will and choice?
True obedience cannot exist without the choice to disobey.
...From the tree of knowledge of good and evil to believing, accepting, confessing, and living Christ's Sacrifice to those who reject or accept the mark of the beast during the (future) time of Jacob's Trouble, it has been a grand series of choices that have been set before humanity. Few would deny that individuals have a responsibility to God and toward their neighbor, and responsibility presupposes freedom in that we are free to decide and act as we see fit toward whosoever we encounter in the relational aspect of our existence. And it is this relative premise of ethics that negates the arguments of determinism and indeterminism which hold that mental decisions are subject to the law of causality* rather than one's own self-determinism (choices). Hence, allowing humanity to freely determine our own (individual) destiny is a product of God's Love. And God's Love is persuasive, not coercive. Truly sincere fellowship is only true and sincere when it is chosen, not forced. This fact makes our individual choice to love and live for God so much more relevant. Think of how it must please God to see those of His creation who suffer heavily from the sin-infested world, yet remain unshaken in faith and love toward Him due to their understanding and appreciation of what He has accomplished; such love is borne of choice, it is not forced or manufactured. [*The law of causality as applied to mental decisions would have God causing sin as a necessary evil toward a noble end, even if said cause were indirect, i.e. through human proxy; such an ideology is illogical and assaults the moral perfection of God's nature.]
...True obedience also finds itself coupled with freedom and responsibility. Obedience by itself falls to slavery. Freedom by itself is an unkempt self-will. Micah 6:8 reveals that one must allow themselves to be taught what is right (by God) and to do what is right (obedience); freedom thus enables one to choose to act responsibly, or not. Through obedience one applies the Truth of Scripture to one's life, through freedom one can devise new systematic and doctrinal understanding of this Truth. Likewise, the Lord God chooses to reveal deeper truths to those who pursue Him more fervently (Jeremiah 33:3).
...An individual's creativity is further evidence for the divine gift of free will, regardless of whether that individual is a child of the Kingdom or remains in darkness. One can create or imagine things that are good, neutral, or evil; if free will were an illusion it would mean that God created and/or inspired evil things to be devised by those who were predestined to be damned (as held by some theologies). God would not and could not do this because of His perfection in love and goodness. But, through free will He allows His creation the ability to be creative according to their own choices. We are creative by nature because we have been created; and not only have we been created, we have been created in the image of our Creator.
...Since humanity has been given freedom/free will, we are responsible to the One Who gave it. Thus freedom implies involvement from God, for He blesses it; contrarily, however, if one abuses that freedom they set themselves against God, inviting His involvement without the blessing. In light of this, John 3:36 offers forceful insight into freedom and choice: "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." Ultimately, the final sacrificial Act of Jesus Christ provided the ideal alternative to living under the inherited stain of sin (per Adam's transgression); moreover, His Victory also provided the freedom to remove oneself from beneath God's abiding wrath. Therefore, until one freely chooses to believe in Christ and accept eternal life, one shall remain an obedient slave to sin and death.
...Some argue the case of selective salvation, or predestination- the idea that God preordains an individual's destiny with the appearance of choice, rendering the individual "locked in" to one particular end. This is false. Knowing what men will do with their freedom is not the same as ordaining/coercing what they must do with it. God's foreknowledge does not violate humanity's free will, for He does not dictate, force, or cause our choices. If this were the case, free will and true freedom would be an illusion, a divine deception, and the entire scope of history would be a pointless drama. Even the Incarnation, Passion, and Resurrection would be unnecessary if freedom of choice was in actuality non-existent.
...Others argue that if the individual has actual freedom to accept or reject the Gospel then God is thus made dependent upon humanity and Salvation becomes merely a "possibility," but this is a perversion of perspective that may or may not be intentional so as to construct a point of contention with the doctrine of free will and thus edify the dissenter's philosophy and denomination over and above that with which they disagree.
...Still others (predominantly Reformed/Calvinist thinkers) take the above argument further, suggesting that free will and the necessary responsibility required for its premise constitutes a level of autonomy that undermines God's Sovereignty over humanity. This view assumes a totally illogical ideal and offers a harshly judgmental and broad accusation against any theology apart from Reformed/Calvinist. In opposition I clarify that God's Sovereignty is not undermined by human free will in that free will is a sovereignly given gift from God, just as humanity's dominion over the earth and its flora and fauna is a sovereignly given gift from God; both gifts reflect His Sovereign nature, they do not supplant or attack it. Moreover, our being created in the "image of God" assumes similar characteristics and privileges as compared to God, but within the absolute limitations per our earthly plane of existence, as illuminated in John 3:31- "He Who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth."
...Thus both our dominion and free will have finite boundaries; we do not have dominion over the solar system, galaxy, universe, or spirit realm... nor are we free to become God or enjoy creatio ex nihilo.

The Premise of Salvation Undone

2006-06-28T19:03:00.000-05:00

Within my areas of influence of late I have encountered the inquiry concerning whether or not one can "lose their Salvation." Several years ago this same inquiry prompted me to articulate the solution to this oft perplexing subject. In September 1999 I delivered a message at Woodland UMC entitled Saved... Or Not? I received numerous positive responses from those who had pondered the subject yet had never found (or thought to search out) a satisfactory disclosure. This in itself is disheartening, for it does not reveal a healthy study ethic of those individuals professing to be Christians, not to mention a lack of even the serious desire to study at all (2 Tim. 2:15). How can one profess to having a relationship with Christ, when they do not know His Word? For the Word was made flesh in Christ Himself, thus to know One is to know the Other. Yet such logic is ever undermined as Christians the world over fight unnecessary battles due to improperly balanced spirituality, i.e. intimacy with Jesus Christ.
...Initially, one must realize that the phrase "to lose one's Salvation" is flawed. One cannot lose such in the same way one would misplace a garment or something else of value to their person. And the Gift of Salvation is an eternal situation that eternally shifted the paradigm of existence for all, and on every existential plane. However, the key to understanding the premise of Salvation undone is simply this: Salvation can be rejected. As with anything, especially that which is freely offered, rejection is a result of human choice. Furthermore, rejection can follow initial acceptance; hence, one who has accepted Christ's free Gift of Atonement can later choose to reject it, and such rejection may occur through blatant verbal or mental attestation or through more subtle avenues of compromised lifestyles in that our actions may undo our intentions and confessions. This is why intimacy with Christ must be pursued, achieved, and ever increased. There are some who experience the acceptance of Salvation only to fail in their growth in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. This failure results in unfulfillment, disappointment, dissidence, cynicism, and ultimately despair and/or rejection of one's Salvation, by word or deed(s). The condition of the heart determines where we stand with Almighty God.
...Proverbs 21:16 states, "A man who wanders from the way of understanding will rest in the assembly of the dead...," i.e. hell. See also James 5:19-20. In order to wander from the truth one must first walk in truth. The context of truth here is expressed as "the way of understanding," understood as the way of Salvation. In the parable of the faithful steward (Luke 12:41-48), the antithesis to the point of the parable rests in the actions of the unfaithful steward who wanders from the way of understanding by partaking of illicit behavior in his master's absence, thereby undermining his master's trust and reserving unto himself judgment as a result of rejecting his master's good will. As Christians, we must realize that our Master is never away. We cannot afford to assume that we have ample time until He returns, or that He will look blindly upon our "humanity" as we take advantage of His grace. In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus speaks of those who follow Him only for the benefit of Salvation and entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven. Such persons begin their relationship with Christ legitimately enough, but a lack of commitment eventually reveals itself, going from hot to cold repeatedly in their desire to serve the Lord, and unless they genuinely repent, Jesus will say to them, "I never knew you, depart from Me..."
...Neglecting study of God's Word, prayer with Him, praise and worship of Him, and fellowship with other Christians will cause one to (even unintentionally) wander from the True Path. Spiritual idleness (laziness) renders one's spirit exposed to devouring darkness, often resulting in one falling victim again to worldliness. 2 Peter 2:20-21 is a warning to those who take their Salvation and faith lightly, stating that if "after they have escaped the pollutions of this world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them."
...The writer of Hebrews, in exhorting the need for spiritual maturity, clarifies that such maturity is necessary in order to avoid the tragic decision to "crucify Christ again" by way of apostate responses to persecution, as this particular epistle was written during a time when the Church found itself heavily and horrifically persecuted. Many new converts were denying Christ to save their own lives, and for a believer to recant his/her faith in Christ under threat of death meant that he/she actually loved their life and momentary comfort more than their Lord. Even when this is not the intention, it ultimately is the reality. To choose simple existence instead of faithfulness to Christ strikes a devastating blow to the Church and exposes the recanter as a charlatan. The essence of one's faith rests in the maturity of one's faith at the moment it is truly and sorely tested. And this principle is expressed in Hebrews 6:4-6, one of the harshest texts in Scripture: "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to open shame."
...God does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked, in fact, His desire is for the wicked to turn from their doomed way so that they may live (Ezekiel 18:23). Yet the Lord God is just and "when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die. Yet you say, 'The way of the Lord is not fair.' Hear now, O house of Israel, is it not My way which is fair, and your ways which are not fair?" (Ezekiel 18:24-25) The reverse of this, a turning away (repentance) from unrighteousness, will result in no less than the Lord God's saving grace and forgiveness, whereupon the surety of Salvation brings forth a fount of joy to the new or restored believer!
...It is only when the backsliding believer fails to repent, ignores conviction, and tramples on that saving grace continually that the heart inclines not unto God, but unto self, thus culminating in a rejection of the Salvation freely offered by Jesus Christ. This of course falsifies the claim of "once saved, always saved," rendering it a nefarious tool of enemy doctrine designed to ensnare those who practice spiritual idleness and laziness, hearkening unto facades and intentions rather than unto the true spiritual disciplines of study, supplication, and application.

Foundational Logic and Rational Thought

2006-05-10T01:47:00.000-05:00

After much thought... I reasoned that a more thorough examination of thought and logic would be appropriate in that I purpose to challenge readers to develop, practice, and skillfully apply the tool of logical systematic thinking so as to better discern Truth from both general and special revelation* as revealed by God Himself. The necessity of such a tool cannot be denied as there are ever growing numbers of those who abuse the craft of logic and reason so as to indoctrinate the less intellectually inclined into ultra-dogmatic beliefs that undermine what is actually and simply revealed in Scripture, resulting in a damaging divisiveness within the Church.
[*God's general revelation consists of nature, human nature, and history; God's special revelation is His Written Word.]
...A premise (such as Creation, theistic reality, human existence, etc) can only be understood through rational thought that is grounded in Reality and Truth. Logic is what enables analytical and systematic thinking (a.k.a. reasoning), thus reinforcing rational thought and comprehension toward a true perception of reality. Therefore, logic is essential and necessary for all rational thought, for without logic, lines of thinking are thus irrational and illogical and contradict what is actual and/or what is possible. And since logic is essential and necessary for all rational thought, it follows that it is essential and necessary for all rational thought about God, hence what is theological.
...There are those who argue that epistemology (the theory of knowledge and how we know) subjects God and His Truth to human reason and certain variants of rationalism (such as agnosticism, which asserts that reality cannot be known). In fact, however, God is not subject to human reason, He is the reason for it, for He created humanity in His image. Thus, our thoughtful nature is a reflection of God's thoughtful nature. This simple parallel is meant to draw us toward greater understanding of our Creator through proper utilization of our God-given intellect.
...Yet there are those who would argue that logic (which enables reason) was a human invention birthed from the likes of Aristotle. Contrary to this reasoning, Aristotle discovered and expounded logic, he did not invent it. Likewise, Isaac Newton discovered and expounded the laws of physics, he did not invent or develop them. Both the laws of physics and the laws of thought exist to govern specific parameters while they also beckon humanity onto multiple paths of discovery that lead to the Truth and Reality of the One True God.
...A significant difference between these two sets of laws exists, however. The physical laws were set into place by God Himself so as to govern the physical universe, yet these laws can be superceded and/or suspended at any time by God through "miracles," as He is not bound by such. In like fashion, the realm beyond our physical existence is subject to an entirely different set of "laws." Hence, the laws of physics as we know them do not permeate all Reality.
...The laws of thought are another matter outright in that logical reasoning is not relative to only human existence, but to all Reality. Since God is a rationally thinking and immutable (unchanging) Being, it follows that logic and rational thought are foundational to Truth and Reality for such is rooted in the infinite Uncaused Nature of God. Thus, as stated earlier, foundational logic and rational thought are essential toward understanding Truth and Reality, primarily because logic and rational thought are simply a manifestation of God's infinite Character, as opposed to being a created ideal.
...Wisdom, of course, reveals a thin veil separating proper from improper wielding of rational thought, the latter leading one into reasoning oneself out of logical thinking thereby attempting to determine all Truth by illogical human reasoning. Whereas a proper rationally thinking Christian utilizes logical reasoning to discover already revealed Truth in accordance to God's general and special revelation. It is the attempts at determining* Truth that degenerate into humanist philosophy and the traditions and doctrines of men according to the traditions of the world, and not according to Christ (Colossians 2:8).
[*Determine in this context refers to an "authoritative conclusive decision after reasoning or observation."]
...So we now have a general understanding of the basic "laws of thought," and may thus agree that said "laws" are inescapable for all rational beings, regardless of worldview, since the principle of non-contradiction forbids even the possibility of another and/or multiple forms of logic that operate apart from the basic laws of thought discussed in this article. Meaning that if contradictory thought was indeed possible, then one could think that they were not thinking... which is actually impossible. Therefore, denying foundational logic and rational thought is actually unthinkable.

The Premise of Theistic Reality

2006-04-07T00:05:00.000-05:00

Initially I endeavored to write a thesis on theistic reality; perhaps someday I shall. Presently, however, I wish to offer only brief commentary on the topic, as simplicity and brevity are my goal. Simply put, theistic reality is the fact of God's existence. There is, of course, a multitude of facets to explore concerning this fact, with the complexity multiplying interminably the further one divines the Divine. And true to His infinite wonder, the mystery of God reveals profound Simplicity that increases as one pursues His endless complexity. With that said, I now refer to the most powerful attestation of theistic reality that has been recorded:
..."In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth"
(Genesis 1:1).
...Genesis 1-3 are equally foundational to all Christian doctrine and human existential purpose. Contrary to this, there are many (along with their decrepit theories and hypotheses) who ignore, deny, and/or attempt to undermine the Reality recorded not only in Genesis, but throughout the entire Word of God. In fact, reaching all the way back to ancient Greek thought, we discover the Hellenistic doctrine of the eternity/infinity of matter, a philosophy that is identical to present day secular humanist and atheistic worldviews. Such humanist philosophies seek to isolate theology from science, thereby rendering theology irrelevant. This always creates a trend toward exhaustive circular reasoning and a presupposition that God does not exist, in turn creating a wall of ignorance that cannot be breached until even the possibility of God is seriously considered.
...The secular non-Christian evolution-prone worldview is nothing but an attempt (even subconsciously) to escape Genesis 1:1. Genesis 1-3 puts forth the fact of God's aseity and activity in an unapologetic, undeniable, and simple manner- a perfectly logical method to express Truth, for Truth is not reliant upon belief, it is reliant only upon God. Therefore, all the cumulative unbelief in the universe will not affect Truth, regardless of what one may believe (or not believe if one is an atheist). Furthermore, Truth has no place in the mind of an atheist, only relative truth and relative morality hold sway; and these two relatives supplant true meaning in the life of an atheist. In essence, what is real and actual to the atheist is only a perceived reality, limited by what is "believable," or acceptable. True reality, and thus true meaning, can only be realized once the possibility of God becomes accepted, leading the atheist toward the very real premise of theistic reality. Otherwise, the doom of a perceived reality will reach its conclusion in a damned reality as the non-believer suffers eternal torment and separation from the God he/she refused to accept.
...So how would a Christian defend the Truth of theistic reality against an atheistic argument without falling into needless debate and/or vain babbling?
...There are times when personal testimony, Christian witness, and/or consistent upright living are enough to win a contrary mind to the Kingdom of Heaven. Other instances require having strong answers to tough questions on a wide range of subjects, including Scripture, science, philosophy, logic, and history (past, current, future). However, in order to undercut atheistic tendencies that have deep roots, so to speak, one must reveal that such roots are illusory. Once accomplished, the atheist's worldview begins to crumble and it is merely an issue of whether or not or how long until the non-believer accepts the devastation of his/her humanist position. The method by which this is accomplished consists of turning a defense of theistic reality into an offense against a failed philosophy. Contradiction is a sufficient test for the fallacy of any position. A worldview that contradicts itself or undermines itself as it strives to affirm itself is false; hence, self-destructive circular reasoning.
...We begin by challenging the atheist's worldview in the form of a question: What do you believe and why? The basic response would be: I do not believe in or accept the possibility of God, the universe is uncaused and infinite, life is an accident, thus humanity exists by chance and there is no grand purpose, or cause, for anything.
...A Christian may respond by invoking the principle of existential causality, claiming that every finite, feasible, and variable thing has a cause. This leads to cause and effect reasoning that, if done in reverse, reaches the eventuality of an infinite, immutable, and necessary Being Who set the cause and effect reasoning into motion. This Being is God, the Uncaused Cause of everything that exists. Through this logic, the possibility of God is near undeniable. And there cannot not be a cause for anything, for something caused even the atheist to be born and to choose unbelief as his/her belief. And by the atheist's reckoning, even if life were an accident it still was effectively caused somehow. Something just happening is an impossibility. Therefore, cause and effect reasoning (and actuality) must begin with an Uncaused Cause.
...Now the Christian may turn to dismantling further the atheist's logic by using it against itself. To the atheist an "uncaused and infinite universe" holds meaning, in that everything has always existed and shall always be. Yet this statement defies logic in that the earth and space sciences, including astrophysics and quantum mechanics, show that the universe and/or much in it is experiencing entropy, revealing finite characteristics. If there is an end in sight, there had to have been a beginning; something that is infinite does not display finiteness. Some moderate atheists accept a finite universe, only to disregard or explain away the Beginning with fanciful tales that make great science fiction, but no scientific or logical sense.
...To the Christian an "uncaused and infinte God" holds meaning, in that He has always existed and shall always be. This statement is logical and stands up to scientific scrutiny on all levels, for God Himself is the One Who set up the governing laws of the universe for mankind to discover so as to lead us to Him, increasing our understanding of His Sovereignty and Majesty. When science ventures into the realm of universal origin outside of supernatural Creation, it can only offer conjecture, not facts. God was there in the Beginning, we were not. However, the limits of science are expanded once an omniscient, omnipotent, and infinite Creator are accepted as Fact.
...We now see that the logic of the atheist is devoid of any merit and is contradictory, for in denying the universe or human existence of any meaning, there is yet meaning in their disbelief as it is what they believe. By this same meaningful logic, Christians believe there is meaning that permeates God's Creation, and further meaning can be sought with increased understanding and intimacy with the Creator. Such understanding and intimacy do not resonate with the atheist due to a lack of the meaning they dismiss as nonexistent but claim to possess.
...In denouncing Christian logic, the atheist denounces his/her own logic. In reaffirming their logic, the atheist accepts the possibility of God, intentionally or not. And a possibility of such weight is immovable, and will crush either the ego or the spirit. The former carries the hope of realized theistic reality as humility is borne, the latter carries no hope at all.

Supernatural vs Natural Theology

2006-03-28T20:36:00.000-05:00

Supernatural theology entails Almighty God invading His Creative Order to save humanity. Natural theology insists that humanity can ascend to Almighty God through reason and self-determinism, apart from Scriptural and Spiritual influence.
...The Los Angeles Times quoted Pope John Paul II, "All who live a just life will be saved, even if they do not believe in Jesus Christ or the Roman Catholic Church." This statement is blatant heresy. Jesus Himself stated unapologetically that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and that none could come to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). It is disappointing that someone as beloved as John Paul II would succumb to false teaching; and it is disgraceful that someone widely regarded as the Vicar of Christ on earth would teach such heresy, thus revealing a devastating ignorance of the Personified and Written Word.
...I say with confidence that the former Pope's statement was borne of excessive boasting of orthodoxy that resulted in a disregard of Christ's precepts. How often have we as spiritual leaders and mentors fallen victim to spiritual pride and/or self-sufficiency?
...Intentionally downplaying the demands of Christ and the true cost of discipleship is misleading to others, risks blasphemy, and ultimately undermines one's own Christian virtue. It is well to remember that being a disciple of Christ will render one a source of blessing, and a source of conflict. Often the conflicts will outweigh the blessings, but take heart! So it was with Christ.
...Those who adhere to natural theology view the Father and Son as nothing more than subjects to study, amassing knowledge for its own sake while leaning on their own understanding and catering to their own kind... eventually reaching intimacy with their own intellect, not Christ. These are of the schools of thought that seek to tell God what He means, rather than listen to what He has said through His Word, or is saying through His Spirit. The school of thought I attend clearly states: What God has simply said, in His Word is simply read; What first appears not good, through His Spirit is understood.
...True theology can only be described as supernatural. The fullest comprehension of Almighty God's Character, Purpose, and Activity can only be attained supernaturally; thus a realistic and effective relationship with Him requires supernatural connection. From this we discern that nothing either possible or actual can have meaning without reference to God (Creation, physical/spiritual reality, miracles, relational tangibility, etc). And without God as the universal ground for meaning, there is no meaning in the universe.
...Nothing can have objective meaning unless there is a realm that is objectively meaningful. Thus, the only way to oppose the ontological argument (i.e.- the existence of God) is to make an absolute disjunction between thought and reality. According to Charles Hartshorne*, this is impossible. Meaning and reality must meet at some point; this point is "God," the Source for reality both possible and actual. Therefore, the possibility of a supernatural connection with our Creator (through prayer/fellowship) invites humanity to experience the transitory wonder of that possibility actually becoming a meaningful reality.
[*Hartshorne restated the ontological arguments of Anselm, Thomas Aquinas, and Rene Descartes, to name a few. In so doing, he effectively revived the argument for theism, circa 1950-70.]
...It is only when the supernatural becomes "natural," or real, to a Christian that their newfound perspective becomes useful and meaningful enough to prove to others less inclined that a supernatural relationship with Jesus Christ is the only reality with true meaning and lasting worth. To lack the supernatural aspect of a relationship with Christ is to lack Christ in the relationship.