Christmas Tree Truth

TREE TRUTH- CHRISTMAS IS THE REASON

THE CONFLICT

This year, my family has decided NOT to have a Christmas tree in our home. After much research, we have discovered that the origins and symbolism is- to be plain- ungodly. Now, we are a Christian family, and we take our faith quite seriously. In order for me to share our decision, I first need you, reader, to have an open mind.

If you are Christian, consider this: When you speak to an unbeliever, you hope for them to abandon their ways and turn to Christ. If they have believed for their entire life that we came from nothing and evolved from fish and monkey hybrids, you want them to accept truth and reject those false teachings. If they are grounded in a false religion, you hope that they see the folly of their way and believe in Christ Jesus as Savior. It is with the same principal that we must also approach a subject such as this. Are you willing to accept the possibility that you and your beliefs may be wrong in at least one area? Just as you expect them to listen with an open mind, you also must have the same mind, to acknowledge the idea that, just as evolution, even though millions believe something is true, it may not be.

Imagine if a pastor or some mega-preacher, wanting to draw in the worldly, decided to publicly reestablish the meaning of the symbols of Halloween. “From now on, we’ll call ‘trick-or-treat’ the Exodus journey. The passing out candy will be representative of Christ‘s gift to us. We‘ll call the costumes a depiction of 2 Corinthians 11:16.” Now, any real Christian knows the real root of Halloween is evil. It’s a reenactment of witchcraft rituals, Satanic practices, and it honors death, Satan, demons, and wickedness. No real believer in Jesus, the Son of the Living God, would follow this practice. So again, we must be willing to consider that our heritage in some rituals are formed in the same fashion. What if, generations ago, our ancestors weren’t so cautious about adopting pagan practices? The same way the world picks up trends so easily today?

 THE STORY

A few years ago, while listening to one of my favorite radio programs, a subject was mentioned which I had never before considered- The discussion made mention of not having a Christmas tree in a Christian home. My first response was disappointment. Here, one of my favorite personalities had turned, as I thought, too radical. He was obviously taking things too far. I mean, what Christian wouldn’t want a Christmas tree? The whole holiday is about Christ, right? This bothered me for a period, but I quickly put it out of my mind.

It wasn’t long, though, before I heard the issue again, this time in greater detail. Christmas trees, I was told, are idols of pagan worship. We only call them Christmas trees, but that doesn’t make them represent Christ. I decided to investigate a bit more. What I found was shocking.

THE REASON

As it turns out, we have a cultural and spiritual dilemma. An icon of an annual seasonal major event has a history unbecoming to its modern supposed purpose. I took a step back, decided to investigate impartially, allowing for whatever I found to affect me as truth, no matter my personal position or history. It is a difficult thing to be impartial to something that affects all of our society. Christmas trees are not only used in Christian homes, but secular as well, store windows, town squares, at Rockefeller Center, and even in atheist homes. So, as with most research I do, I pretended I had never heard of such a thing. How strange to take a few steps back and consider why we cut down a tree, fix it up in our home, put lights and decorations on it, and store gifts beneath it. An odd practice, don’t you think?

I had heard that it was a practice of a pagan god, so I wanted to find out who this “god” was, and what the practices involved were. I found that the god was named “Asherah”. Asherah is also known as the “Queen of Heaven” in Scripture (see Jeremiah 7:18; 44:18-19), and as Artemis (Acts 19:27, 34) by the Ephesians. Some even liken her/ it to the Roman goddess Venus. Asherah was worshipped in ancient Israel as the consort of El, and also in Judah as the consort of Yahweh. This may be linked to the term “Mother Nature”, which is also found in paganism and forms of witchcraft. The Hebrews involved burnt offerings, the baking of small cakes, and poured out drink offerings as worship, and plainly refused to adhere to the Word of the True God (Jeremiah 44:16-19). Asherah poles are mentioned in the Biblical books of Exodus, Deuteronomy, Judges, both first and second Kings, the second Book of Chronicles, and the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Micah.

Scholars have indicated, however, that the plural use of the term Asherahs, as Asherim or Asherot, provides ample evidence that reference is being made to objects of worship rather than a transcendent figure. Typical practice included cutting a tree down to affix in a central or convenient location for worship. They would often carve a figure into the base of the tree trunk to give an image to the deity. (Similar to the statues at temples, the Israelites golden calf, Egyptian stone carvings, etc.) Decorations were often fashioned of silver, gold, wood, or were woven. (See Jeremiah 10:4; 2 Kings 23:7) The tree was meant as a phallic symbol, the hanging balls as testes, types of tinsel & garlands signified semen, and wreathes as a symbol of the womb, yet still representing a male sun deity.

During the late middle ages, the little balls were interpreted by Christians to be “witch balls”, borrowed from witchcraft, to attract, then capture “evil” spirits. Gift offerings were placed under the tree to the god. (Sound familiar yet?)

 Trees were put in an accessible location. So are Christmas trees. Both are decorated, often with spherical balls. Both are often accompanied by a wreath. Both have gifts put under them, although we’ve turned the gifts into a teaching of a commercialized approval of greed and selfishness for children, not a representation of Christ’s gift as some claim. (Jesus gave us a gift of salvation, so I’m giving you an ipod and a bike and candy and Play Station. And we get up at 3 a.m. on Black Friday and angrily fight crowds for the latest toy or gadget because…? Sure, it’s all about Jesus’ birth…)

Additionally, in the ancient lunar calendar that became the Islamic calendar, the Day of Ashurah, transliterated also as Aashurah, Ashura, Ashora or Aashoorah, falls on the 10th day of Muharram. On that day, in the year of the Hejira 61 (AD 680), Husayn bin Ali, the grandson of Muhammad was killed by Umayyad forces at the Battle of Karbala (now in Iraq). Still called by its ancient name, the Day of Ashurah, (also spelled Ashora) it has been observed ever since as a day of mourning by Shī`ites.

Even the date, proven to be linked to many other wicked practices and traditions, is nowhere near the actual birth of Jesus. How do we know this? Jesus was visited by shepherds the night of His birth. In late December, the area is easily frosted and entirely too cold for flocks to be out. Meteorological science has shown no appreciable differences is the average temperatures in the time since. The very latest time of year would have been sometime in October. Just for informational sake- the magi, or wise men, never were at the manger at all. They were following a star and showed up sometime later, at a house Mary, Joseph & Jesus were staying, well after Jesus‘ circumcision, which would have been on His eighth day. This is found in Matthew 2:11, the only verse that indicates the actual place the magi met the Christ child. This makes most nativity sets incorrect, showing yet again how little we know about our heritage in Christ. If we easily miss this straightforward fact, how about something more complicated like a tree in our house?

 In Europe, during the Roman celebration of the feast of Saturnalia, Pagans decorated their houses with clippings of evergreen shrubs. They also decorated living trees with bits of metal and replicas of their God, Bacchus. Tertullian (circa 160 – 230), an early Christian leader and a prolific writer, complained that too many fellow-Christians had copied the Pagan practice of adorning their houses with lamps and with wreathes of laurel. They also placed 12 candles on the tree in honor of their sun god.” Their mid-winter festival of Saturnalia started on DEC-17 and often lasted until a few days after the Solstice.

Writes T. G. Crippen in Christmas and Christmas Lore, “Now in December and the beginning of January there were several festivals which were intimately associated with the daily life of the Roman people. First, from the 17th to the 21st December, was the Saturnalia, the great Roman holiday….One might call it the Feast of Topsy-turveydom; when slaves were allowed for a few days to enjoy the semblance of freedom, were waited upon by their masters, and chose from amongst themselves a mock king to preside over their revels. Next, on the 22nd, came Sigillaria, the Feast of Dolls, when a fair was held, and dolls and other toys, mostly of earthenware, were given to children. Then, on 25th, came Brumalia, otherwise Dies Natalis Invicti Solis, The Birthday of the Unconquered Sun, when the days began to lengthen after the solstice….It is believed to have been instituted … by the emperor Aurelian, in honour of Mithras, the Persian sun-god…” (p. 8-9).

From Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturnalia): Christians in the fourth century assigned December 25 (the Winter Solstice on the Julian calendar) as Christ’s birthday (and thus Christmas) because pagans already observed this day as a holiday. As the dates of Saturnalia are not precisely coincident with Christmas, a more refined argument is that Christmas was set on the feast of Sol Invictus, which was on December 25, and which had supplanted Saturnalia. However, with many of the traditions of Saturnalia incorporated into Sol Invictus, it is likely that some of those traditions — such as the exchanging of gifts — were also carried forward as a part of the Christian holiday.

Christians went deeper and deeper into apostasy as they ADOPTED the Pagan customs from those around them. The green ivy and holly were common symbols of “Saturn”, the Roman deity. Early believers thought that if they decorated their homes with these trappings, they would appear to be conforming to the Pagan culture as everyone around them was observing Saturnalia. Thus they would “blend-in”, and they would suffer less persecution. As time passed, the custom became part of the Christian world, and you will see the wreaths and Asherim trees in their assemblies and homes today. If we don’t “join-in” with the celebration, we’re considered to be freaks, or “Scrooges”.

This tradition, like so many others, is rooted and grounded not in Christ, but in Roman and Grecian mythology, paganism, and Muslim celebratory tradition, and accompanies several sexual and fertility based rituals. As their popularity grew, the church did what it thought was best: join in. It is believed that during the reign of Constantine the church accepted some of the practices and “Christianized” them as a way of drawing pagans into the church. This was during a time of prominent political standing of the Catholic church, and the pagans were growing in number and strength. The tradition was carried to the early United States. There, Christians initially protested the idea of Christmas trees, and even the celebration of Jesus’ birth being placed in late December, “conveniently” the week of Saturnalia, the Yule Tide and Asherah. The Pilgrim’s second governor, William Bradford, a Puritan, tried hard to stamp out all “pagan mockery” at Christmas time. Christmas trees were not used by Puritans in colonial times. In 1851, Pastor Henry Schwan of Cleveland, OH appears to have been the person responsible for decorating the first Christmas tree in an American church. His parishioners condemned the idea as a Pagan practice; some even threatened the pastor with harm.

Some argue- “It still doesn’t mean that now! We do it for other reasons- not those things.” But the question I must submit is this- At what point does an evil, pagan ritual; a practice rooted in self-mutilation, anti-Christianity and witchcraft; when does it suddenly become acceptable to our never-changing Lord? If He is the same yesterday, today and forever as the Bible says, then what is the cause of His mind change? I don’t believe there is one. An evil practice remains evil, no matter what we fallen humans call it.

THE CORRECTION

 As we reflect on the true meaning of Christmas, perhaps it would be best to choose a symbol that actually represents the birth of a Savior, the Christ Child. One of the most beloved themes of the Holy Day is the nativity. My family is creating a nativity ourselves- a simple one, and we plan to improve bit by bit as an annual tradition. Of course, I won’t have the wise men (or magi), because they weren’t at the actual birthplace. Let’s make it about Christ, about the birth of our Lord in body and blood and bone, the Word become flesh who would one day die a cruel and unjust death because He loves us so much. Let’s celebrate Him. Even though we aren’t exactly sure of the date Jesus came to be with us as a helpless babe, we can still honor Him. Let us honor Him with a practice worthy of His respect. Find a symbol that your family can focus around that emphasizes Christ, not tradition. The nativity, the child, the reason for His coming, something that centralizes the day of remembrance on Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Son of Man who came to us a baby so He could be killed as a man.

 

Tags: Asherah, Asherahs, Asherim, Asherot, Ashurah, Birth of Christ, celebration, Christmas, Christmas Tree, Day of Asherah, Day of Ashurah, gift exchange, Islamic, Islamic caladar, Muhammad, pagan trees, paganism, Roman, Saturn, Saturnalia, Sol Invictus, truth, William Bradford, Winter Solstice, christmas tree evil, evil tree, lies, pagan christmas tree, gifts under the tree, presents under the tree, gift exchange, meaning of Chirstmas,

 

Coming soon!

See What’s Coming Soon!

NEWEST EDITION ADDITIONS:

• Re-edited: Reality of Halloween. What ARE You Celebrating?
• Think being a believer is easy?  The Cost of Being Christian gives insight to the hadships some believers will face. Jesus never said we’d have a picnic.
• If you read the peviously mentioned article, you must know that there is another side to the coin! Reward for Following Jesus tells us of they marvelous payoff we can and will receive if we are faithfull in following Christ! We have the mightiest treasure to look forward to!
• “BIG Questions” series- I will briefly answer some of the “Big Questions” that are frequently asked about the Christian faith. These will most likely come one or a few at a time. Part one is posted now at BIG Questions- Part 1: “Who made God?” “What does He look like?” and “Who wrote the Bible?”  and Part two is at BIG Questions- Part 2: “Is getting a tattoo a sin?” “Is it a sin to smoke or do drugs?” and “Is it really a big deal if I sin?” Be sure to look for more to come! If you would like your question answered, just leave it as a comment below.
• The Rapture- Is there going to be one? When will it be? The answer will surprise most Christians! Will There Be A Rapture?
• Is the swine flu something to worry about? Is it going to turn into a deadly plague? Or is this just the latest hype to keep us entertained? Find out here: Swine Flu a Hoax?
• No one likes to admit it, but nearly everyone, including most Christians, denies Christ more often than they’d like to think. For a unique perspective and a much needed reminder, read DENYING CHRIST

What’s being worked on:

I’m working on a new series that will discuss some of the most controversial and denominationally dividing issues; issues that, if we read Scripture correctly, would have no quarrel. Some topics are:

• The Trinity/ Oneness argument
• A short(er) summary on the timing & placement of the rapture. (See also the article Will There Be A Rapture?)
• Baptism: Water vs. Spirit
• Tongues- Types & Uses in the Church
• Dependability on the Bible- Literal, Metaphorical, or False?
• As always, the fight between Creationism and Evolution marches on. I will provide a list and summary of more evidence that the earth is young, not million of years old. (See also the article The Evolutionary Lie: Biblical Reality Proved)

As always, I’m researching and working on my book, Confessions and Professions. In the book, I examine the gifts of speech and language, and their impacts on our lives both physically and spiritually.

Will There Be A Rapture?

 Will there be a rapture? If so, when will it be? There are so many views and doctrines, yet this is one of the most important issues facing the church today.

Let me first say that our fellowship as a body of believers is not concerning the timing of the rapture. Our relationship and closeness with Jesus Christ collectively is the basis for which we call ourselves the body of Christ, the church, brothers and sisters in our Lord.

 That being said, I will attempt to show you that there will not be a “pre-trib” rapture. For those unaware, a pre-trip rapture (short for pre-tribulation) is the theory that prior to Christ’s return and just before any of the end-time tribulations, most of which are laid out in the book of Revelation, that all the true believers in Christ will vanish, disappearing from the earth to be spared from the horrors to come.

 While that is a wonderful idea, and I would most certainly hope to dodge that bullet, it is based on a few misunderstood and misguided Scriptures, taken just slightly out of context. There will be a rapture, also referred to as a vanishing, calling up, a meeting in the air. The question isn’t whether it will happen; it’s a matter of when. Theories mainly include four timelines: 1. pre-trib, happening prior to any tribulation. 2. mid-trib, a rapture in the midst of the terrors to come, sometimes taught as a collective rapture and sometimes as seemingly random vanishings. 3. pre-wrath, after all the tribulations and trials, but just prior to God’s pouring out of His full wrath. 4. and post-trib, a rapture after the trials, test, and tribulations, which the church has experienced and thereby proven their faithfulness to Christ, at least in part. There is evidence to support a post-trib or end-trib rapture.

 Let’s proceed very carefully, setting aside any pre-conceived ideas you may have, whatever side they may be on. Let us look very carefully at Scripture, examining who said it, what was said, and why it was said. I will use a lot of Scripture in its context and in its paragraph form, to assure that it is used and quoted properly.

 In Matthew 24, we read;

  ³As He [Jesus] was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

 ⁴And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you.

 ⁵“For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many.

 ⁶“You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.

 ⁷“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.

 ⁸“But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.  (vs. 3-8, NASB)

 So we are told, by Jesus, not to let anyone mislead us. That means that we (the church) will be around to be misled. The warning has no merit if there is no one to lead astray.

We are told that “You will be hearing of wars…” Who is “You”? The church; the believers will. We are the ones are not to be frightened by these things. The unbelieving will be frightened, for they do not know Jesus, they have no assurance when they perish. Clearly, the church will see these things. Yet, these things are “merely the beginning”, so let’s find out what happens next. Continuing in Matthew 24:

  ⁹“Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.

 ¹⁰“At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another.

 ¹¹“Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.

 ¹²“Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.

 ¹³“But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. (vs. 9-13, NASB)

 Remember Jesus’ audience- the believers. Followers of Jesus. What we today call the church or Christians. “They will deliver you to tribulation” How can we be delivered if we are gone in heaven? Hmm. The church must still be here for that part, but maybe it isn’t the tribulation. Jesus continues to describe a coming time when all believers are hated, handed over and killed, if they don’t turn away and follow a false religion. Love is cold, which would help explain the hatred for Christians, who preach a doctrine of love. Also, He makes a point of those who will “endure to the end”, leading us to believe that it will be difficult. He’s speaking of those who survive, both physically and spiritually, the bombardment of killings, hatred, false religions and prophets, and the excessive lawlessness. But “the end” of what? He is still speaking of the end of the tribulation in which we’ll be handed over.  Still, we have not found solid evidence, in Jesus’ words, of anyone whisking away suddenly. So, we continue searching.

  ¹⁵“Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),

 ¹⁶then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.

 ¹⁷“Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house.

 ¹⁸“Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak.

 ¹⁹“But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!

 ²⁰“But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath.

 ²¹“For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.

 ²²“Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. (Matthew 24:15-22)

 Nearly every Biblical scholar agrees that the “Abomination of Desolation” is the, or at least an, Antichrist. Jesus’ audience is still the church, yet He says, “When you see…” Again I ask; how can we see if we are not present? We must therefore still be on earth. At that time, not a moment later, everyone in Judea is told to flee to the mountains. No one may spare even a moment to gather their belongings; they must take flight immediately. He warns of how horrible it will be, especially for pregnant and nursing women, or in winter. Imagine running to a mountain in winter without your extra cloak. Jesus also mentions the Sabbath, so we must assume that the Sabbath day is still honored by His faithful. This may also have to do with the fact that even Jesus had no idea when the last day would be, as He admitted in Mark 13:32.

 Yet after this revealing of the Abomination of Desolation, “then there will be a great tribulation”, the worst the world has ever or will ever know. So bad will it be, that if God had not cut short the time, no one would be able to last; everyone would die.

Part of the pre-trib rapture theory tends to agree that after the “vanishing” many will become believers, through messages left by others, people who have fallen away, etc. The problem with that here, is that there is no time for people to discover the Truth before the Abomination is revealed. The believers have to flee at once! If they have to leave so fast that they cannot even grab a jacket, how can they watch a video left by people who’ve disappeared, or read the Bible and repent into a relationship with Jesus? This is a big problem in timing. The issue here with mid-trib rapture theory is that Jesus tells us that some believers will endure to the end, a part of the church Jesus calls “the elect.”

 The elect being present represents another issue with timing. If, as some teach, those found to be worthy in God’s sight are whisked away, and those remaining were found deserving of these horrible judgments on the earth, we must ask, “Why would God cut short His own judgment on the wicked, unless some of those present were righteous?” What I mean is this: Since all the believers who are commendable by God’s Book of Life are supposedly gone from the earth; secure in God’s presence, there would be none of that category left. That being said, only those unworthy would be left on the earth. According to pre-tribulation theory, those “left behind” are deserving of the punishments they are about to endure, the outpouring of God’s wrath upon the earth. God, then, in deciding the punishment is righteous. Therefore, the days should not be cut short. The only reason to shorten the time of these disasters and unbelievably bloody wars is because it is not justified over the elect, the church of Jesus Christ, who must still be present at this time.

 But, to be completely fair, let us not judge an entire doctrine by one passage. Let’s look further in Scripture.

  ⁷“Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.”

 ⁸It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

 ⁹Then he said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb ‘” And he said to me, “These are true words of God.”

 ¹⁰Then I fell at his feet to worship him But he said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (Revelation 19:7-10)

 This takes place after all the bowls of wrath are poured out, after the doom, fall, and lament of Babylon. In verse seven, the bride, that is the church, is ready. What does a bride get ready for? A wedding! In this case, we are not told that she is married; only that she is ready. The marriage, that is the union between Christ and the church, has not yet happened. She isn’t yet arrived, because the end has not come. She is given clothes of fine linen, a representation of righteous acts by the saints. For the saints to be clothing the bride at this time must mean that the church is still present to do these acts. The church is “invited” (vs. 9) to the marriage supper. If the supper had already happened, there would not be any more invitation.

  ¹¹And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.

 ¹²His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself.

 ¹³He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.

 ¹⁴And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.

 ¹⁵From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.

 ¹⁶And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

 ¹⁷Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, “Come, assemble for the great supper of God,

 ¹⁸so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great.”

 ¹⁹And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. (Revelation 19:11-19)

 At this time, after the pouring out of wrath, after the fall of Babylon, after the invitation to the supper, comes the blessed return of Christ. After a glorious description we can only imagine, comes the command to assemble (vs. 17). At this point, there are many varying ideas on the meaning. Some believe that they are literal birds, some that they are angels, and others believe that this is a symbol of the saints who wage war alongside Christ. Should it be the latter, it is safe to say that at this point, prior to the battle, yet after the tribulations, we have arrived into the company of Jesus. If not, it may have happened prior, or it may be yet to come.

 ⁴Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

 ⁵The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection.

 ⁶Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.  (Revelation 20:4-6)

 Between verses 20 and 21 of chapter nineteen, and the first three verses of chapter 20, Satan is seized and bound into the abyss. Then, in verse four, comes the judgment of those who were beheaded for the sake of Jesus’ testimony; the Christians who were killed in the midst of the tribulation, at the hand of the beast and Antichrist because they stood for God’s Word. Those who refused to take the mark of the beast, and would not worship him also receive judgment. These are the ones who reign with Christ for 1,000 years. When the thousand years has been completed, the other dead arise. We are told that this is “the first resurrection”. All believers will be a part of that resurrection, an will not face the second death, which is hellfire. (See verse 14)

 There is also some controversy over whether or not the thousand years is literal or figurative. However, the length of time as we see it has little bearing on who will be a part of it. But let us look into the glorious return according to Matthew.

  ²⁹“But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

 ³⁰“And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory.

 ³¹“And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. (Matthew 24:29-31)

Jesus continues to instruct us on sign in the sky immediately after the tribulation. The sun is darker, the moon is not visible and the stars fall. In verse thirty, He continues with, “And then,” showing the timeline continues from there. After the tribulation and after these signs, the sign of the Son of Man appears, and He is seen by every tribe on earth coming in the clouds of the sky. What He does next is both remarkable and forever permanently altering. He sends the angels to blast a trumpet and to “GATHER TOGETHER His elect” from the four winds and from the sky.

This is a very important piece here. The four winds are representative of the earth, like the four corners, or north, south, east and west. This means, along with “one end of the sky to the other”, that Jesus will, at His return, call all believers of both the earth and those in heaven. This is the first thing that Jesus has mentioned that sounds anything remotely like a rapture. This is the first place He mentions gathering up His elect, the church; and this is after all the events and signs of the tribulation. At that time, and no sooner, Jesus will gather up believers from the earth, those who have survived the terrible tribulation faithfully, as well as those who have died and are in heaven. This is the call of the trumpet of Jesus Christ, and, according to Jesus Himself, it occurs after the signs, after the tribulation, and after the darkening of the sun and moon and falling of stars!

 Well, this tends to offend a lot of people who have decided to believe in a pre-tribulation rapture. So, to be completely fair, let’s look at other Scriptures pertaining to the end times.

  ¹Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him,

 ²that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.

 ³Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,

 ⁴who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4)

The first thing we are told in this passage is a warning, not to be shaken or disturbed. Now, the church of Thessalonica had apparently received false documents, or there was a fear that such a thing would happen. So Paul encouraged them to beware and be aware of any information that came their way, so they would carefully consider the doctrine before just accepting it. Then he gives us a huge clue as to the timing of the return of the Lord. “For it will not come unless the apostasy comes first.” We can be sure of one of two things: Either this passage is wrong and we should discount it; and therefore we can’t trust anything else of Paul’s, if he’s a false teacher. Or, just possibly, Paul knew what he was saying and the return of Jesus won’t be until after the sign of a great renunciation of Christ.

A very powerful but small word follows; one that is easily overlooked: “and.” So the apostasy will happen before Christ returns, and so will the revelation of the man of lawlessness, the son of destruction, who we call the Antichrist. Paul gives a few details of what this man of destruction will do, and in doing so he gives us a real understanding of who he is. Verse four serves mainly to reveal this evil man to us, and there is more of a narrative in verses seven through ten. Again, we should ask, “Why would we need to be told these things if we won’t experience them?”

We now have another set of Scriptures telling us that the Lord will not return for us until after a great abandonment of believers and the disclosure of the Antichrist. But, let’s continue to search the Scriptures.

 ⁵¹Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,

 ⁵²in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)

Another easily misread verse. I have heard countless times the phrase “twinkling of an eye” used from this verse in favor of a pre-trib rapture, but what follows shows us a different timeline. “At the last trumpet…” Well, if it’s the last trumpet, the other trumpets must have sounded by then. Every other judgment has come already, then, at this last trumpet, we will be changed, the dead will be made imperishable!

 ¹Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you.

 ²For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.

 ³While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.

 ⁴But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief;

 ⁵for you are all sons of light and sons of day We are not of night nor of darkness;

 ⁶so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. (1 Thessalonians 5:1-6)

One of the largest arguments for the pre-trib rapture is that there are verses depicting a suddenness by which we depart. While the theme of “suddenly” is certainly in the end-time verses; no one can argue that reasonably; the verses are most often used out of their full context. Here, in verse two, we read that the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, and in verse three, Paul even uses the word “suddenly”. The day will come as a thief in the night, but to whom? To everyone, or just certain people? Perhaps it simply means that it’ll sort of “sneak up” on us, the way Christmas does, or our birthdays.  Verse three begins with “While they,” which means not you. While they, the unbelieving, the worldly, the lost, are talking about peace and safety, the destruction will come upon them suddenly, and they will not escape.

In verse four, Paul contrasts “them” with “But you, brethren,” and points out that since we know the truth, that day shall not overtake us as a thief. He points out that we are not of the darkness, the ignorance of the world, but we who believe are in the truth and light of Christ Jesus. Then in verse six, another conundrum: He tells the brethren to be alert and sober. Remember that the entire context of this passage is in the day of the Lord. Why, then, would we need to be alert and sober if we aren’t going to be here to be overtaken? Apparently, we will be here when some, who are unbelieving, are swept over by the sudden devastation. Let’s look at another of the commonly misrepresented verses:

⁴⁰“Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left.

 ⁴¹“Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left. (Matthew 24:40-41)

This is one of the most- if not the most- commonly used passages to depict a rapture. The belief is that the one who disappears is being taken up to heaven to be with Jesus until His return, while the unbeliever is left to endure the tribulations. Well, if you look at just these two verses that would be very believable, but let’s look at what precedes and follows this selection.

³⁶“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.

 ³⁷“For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.

 ³⁸“For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,

 ³⁹and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.

 ⁴⁰“Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left.

 ⁴¹“Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.

 ⁴²“Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. (Matthew 24:36-42)

This puts a different spin on things. Verse 36 tells us that even Jesus Himself does not know the day or hour; only the Father knows. The days to come are likened to the utter destruction of Noah’s day. In that time everyone had 100 years to repent, but they did not, and they would not believe Noah of the coming doom. As a result everyone on earth died, save for Noah and his family. In the same way, everyone will ignore the prophecies, ignore the signs, ignore the Bible, and they will carry on with their lives as normal, eating, drinking, marrying, etc. Suddenly, a massive flood the likes of which the world had never see, nor has seen since, swept over everything, annihilating everything and killing them all. In that instant, they understood Noah’s warning, but it was too late. When we compare this to what is said here, the story is quite diverse from the pre-trib teaching. Nowhere in this passage does it say that the believer will be swept up and spared, but we know from Genesis that the wicked were wiped out. With that in mind, lets read the passage in this manner:

For as in those days before the flood they (the wicked) were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, … and they (the wicked) did not understand until the flood came and took them (the wicked) all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then there will be two men in the field; one (the wicked) will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one (the wicked) will be taken and one will be left. (Matthew 24:38-41)

Jesus is comparing the two, so we should not assume it to be an entirely new idea. It will be as it was in Noah’s day, not completely different, or Jesus wouldn’t have made the comparison. In Noah’s day the wicked were taken by wrath. In the Lord’s day the wicked will be taken by wrath.

 ¹“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.

 ²“In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.

 ³“If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. (John 14:1-3)

Here again Jesus talks about His return. We are told that He is preparing a place for us; heaven. Jesus promises to return for us, that the church may be received unto Him, that we may be together. No matter when you believe this will happen, one thing is certain: it will be magnificent. Yet, no timing is offered here, just that it will happen sometime. But we do know this: Jesus receives us to Himself when He returns. If we read other places in Scripture, we know that He comes at the end of the tribulations, so we could conclude from this passage that we, the church, will be gathered together with Jesus Christ at His final return, which leaves us collectively on earth until that time.

Another of the commonly misinterpreted verses comes out of Revelation 4:1, in which we are told that the church is called to, “come up hither” (KJV). This is once again taken entirely out of context. Much of the prophecies in the book of Revelation are figurative metaphors, such as the woman clothed with the sun (Rev. 12:1); however this verse is not a metaphor. It is John’s explanation of how he came to know what was to follow in the next nineteen chapters. Here it is in the full context (in NASB):

  After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.” (Revelation 4:1)

 The phrase is actually John being called up to see heaven and the prophetic events to take place so that he could write them for the church. (And aren’t you glad he did?!) There is absolutely nothing about this verse that relates the phrase to the church being called away then, now, or in the future.

Another out of context argument is that the word church is not present in the book of Revelation after Chapter three; therefore the church must not be present on the earth. This is an absurd argument.

There are eleven books of the New Testament (NASB) which do not contain the word church. So, should we ignore those books? Surely not. Even though the word church is not present, we know full well that the church is the intended audience. Advocates of the pre-trib rapture say that the word is gone from the text until after the resurrection. This is true typographically, but the church is certainly implicit in the text from Revelation 1 to Revelation 22.

The last time I checked the Christian Church was still made up of saints. (See Ephesians 4:12) The word, saints occurs 13 times (in NASB, ESV & KJV; 14 times in AMP, NKJV, & Darby’s Translation) between Revelation 4 and Revelation 21. That being said, we must conclude that the church, specifically named by their sainthood, or sanctification in Christ, is present in the end-time periods described in those chapters of Revelation.

 ⁹And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.

 ¹⁰And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them.

 ¹¹They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:9-11)

 In looking for an example of a rapture, many have turned to Jesus’ ascension. Some say that He was showing us how we will just go up one day. What we need to remember though, is that Jesus died first, and then was raised from death, before His ascension. Not only that, but when we look at this passage, there is nothing listed about it being either an example for us or the way we will go up. In fact, the two men, believed to be angels, tell us that Jesus will come back in the same manner as they watched Him go. If anything, this passage points to the church waiting for His return on earth. The Lord’s re-descension is reaffirmed in the next passage:

 ¹⁶For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

 ¹⁷Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

 There are some big clues hidden in this selection. First, we are told that the Lord will descend with a shout, the voice of the archangel, and the trumpet of God. This will not be a quiet sneaky return; it will be loud and powerful. At this point, some argue that the Lord comes back as a thief, silent and sly. The reference to this is in the context of suddenly and without warning, as we talked about in describing 1 Thessalonians 5:2. We are next told that the dead in Christ will rise first. This phrase has many translations, but the most likely is that it refers to all the saints who have “passed on” prior to this point are given their new bodies (as promised in 1 Corinthians 15:49 and 1 John 3:2) and return alongside Jesus. Then those who remain on the earth are caught up together with them in the clouds, meeting Jesus in the air. We aren’t meeting Him directly in heaven, but in the air and clouds of our earth. From this point on, all believers will be with the Lord forever. There is nothing here to point to us whisking away prior to this event. Instead, it points to our having two alternatives: 1. die before this event “the dead in Christ will rise first”, or 2. Remain until this event “we who are alive and remain”. We will either be with Him already, by our bodies dying on earth, or we will be here for Jesus’ return, having gone through the tribulations described in the book of Revelation.

²⁰For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;

 ²¹who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself. (Philippians 3:20-21)

 Scripture refers to waiting for the return of Jesus. If we aren’t to do so, but be raptured beforehand, this verse might say, “For our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await our arrival there to meet Jesus,” but that isn’t what it says. It says that we are waiting for Him here. Then He will transform our bodies into that wonderful eternal spirit-body that we will have forever. We are waiting on His return so that He will transform us into the unending embodiment with which we can be ceaselessly in His presence.

 Let’s stop and ask ourselves, “Why do we even study the End Times?” What is the great significance? We study the End Times because the generation in which the Lord returns is the most written about generation in Scripture. Over 100 chapters in the Bible have the End Times as their main theme. Scripture gives significant divine information about the End Times. Jesus spoke more about the last generation of natural history than the generation that He was born in. Why? To prepare the Bride to be victorious in love and power during the most dramatic time in world history. What a wonderful thing for Jesus to see His church stand for Him in the midst of the most desperate, treacherous and perilous time that will ever be. Jesus will be proud of His faithful.

We do not know the exact day because Jesus said that no one knows the day or the hour. However, Scripture requires those in the generation the Lord returns, to know the prophetic signs and to respond appropriately. We will be able to see these signs and know the season is near.

 Now learn this parable from the fig tree: Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. (Matthew 24:32–33)

Jesus and Paul emphasized the know-ability of the prophetic signs of the End Times (Matthew 24:32–34; Luke 21:25–29; 1 Thessalonians 5:1–6; 2 Thessalonians 2:1–11).

²⁵“There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves,

 ²⁶men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

 ²⁷“Then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN A CLOUD with power and great glory.

 ²⁸“But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:25–28)

 

¹Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. ²For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. ⁴But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; ⁵for you are all sons of light and sons of day… ⁶so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. (1 Thessalonians 5:1-2, 4-6)

 God promised to give prophetic signs in the generation that the Lord returns as an expression of His mercy, so people may make the necessary preparations for what is coming. These prophetic signs serve the Church like a weather station that signals trouble before it comes, so people can prepare and save lives.

 And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God …and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. ⁵The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. (Revelation 20:4-5)

We know that the time will come when Christians will be hated with a passion like never before. We know that it will be a terrible time and very many will be deceived by the false prophet, and the Antichrist. Christians will be beheaded for the sake of their testimony of faith in Christ as well as their, and anyone else’s, refusal to take the mark of the beast. I cannot imagine that in a time of such distinct separation, hatred, and prejudice that anyone from the other side would say, “Hey, those hater Christians who are against everyone else’s views are being beheaded and persecuted. They can’t buy or sell anything and the punishment for being one is death. I think I’ll stop hating them and convert.” I cannot imagine such an event happening when all the true believers have been wiped off the face of the planet prior to any real distress.

Another reference to the unleashing of Christian persecution is found in Revelation 14:19-20, which tell us that the blood of the believers will flow “up to the horses’ bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles.” That’s a lot of blood to come from only converts during a time of extreme hate for the faith. Do you really think that many unbelievers would become believers without preaching and outreach from the church? Is that kind of conversion seen today even with church resources available? No, it isn’t.

In the selection above, we are also told that the beheaded believers will be brought to life to reign with Christ first, then the rest of the dead come to life. And that is the “first resurrection”. Not the second, third, etc. Also, there is no mention of a category of believers that did not die and were raptured. No, only the dead before, and the dead because of the tribulation. The very first resurrection, according to Scripture in the book of Revelation, is after the tribulation.

 Neither Daniel 2 nor 7, both of which contain prophetic visions which render historical sketches of the Gentiles from the time of the Roman Empire to the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, give any indication of a pre-trib rapture, or secret catching away of the church before the tribulation. In fact, the following seems to be quite contrary:

²¹“I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them ²²until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom. (Daniel 7:21-22)

The horn is a representation of the Antichrist who takes power of the kingdoms of the earth. In Daniel’s vision, he sees that this horn wages war against the saints until the return of the Ancient of Days, or Jesus Christ, also called the Holy One. The Antichrist combats Christian church all the way until Jesus comes in glory to give the kingdom to His Church. Nowhere in Daniel’s prophetic visions is there mention of any disappearance, vanishing, rapturing, etc. of the saints. All indications point to our being here in order to be confronted by the evil powers that rule the land prior to Jesus’ arrival.

If we are really honest, there is just no evidence to support a pre-tribulation rapture. It would be a great thing to know that we won’t have to endure the trials to come, but we must stop teaching these false ideas. Our hope to be whisked away cannot be sound doctrine with this much contrary Scriptural evidence. This is a dangerous doctrine for a few reasons. People believing that they will not endure tribulations are not going to be prepared for what is to come. Consider the mark of the beast, from Revelation 13:16-18. Anyone who takes it is in the Devil’s hands, yet we are warned to be cautious and able to discern the mark. If a believer is under the impression that he will not be around for the true mark of the beast, he will accept the mark, thinking, “This can’t be the mark; I won’t be around for that.” Many will accept the false prophet as true and from God, and become deceived with false teaching. Many will be lead astray by the beast because they won’t deem him to be the real deal. Part of Satan’s plan is to make people believe he isn’t real. For those that know he is, he must make them think that he is someone else, even someone great. He will be hailed as a hero, savior, messiah and a champion. Paul warns in his letters to Timothy:

 ¹But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, ²by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron… (1 Timothy 4:1-2)

³For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, ⁴and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

With warnings so vivid and so stern, we must consider the possibility that some of these doctrines and theories could’ve crept into our theology. We can tell that the season is near, that times are drawing near. Things are intensifying all over the world. It is very possible that this theory that we needn’t be concerned about our tomorrows at all is a lie. We will be here. We, the church, will endure ever-increasing hardships, persecutions, and sufferings. We will be insulted for our faith, jailed for our faith, beaten for our faith, and even killed for our faith in Christ Jesus. Many are already undergoing such harsh treatment today. We must reaffirm all doctrine with in-context Scripture, no matter who is teaching that doctrine. Any teacher is able to be sought by Satan, and we will not know until it is too late. Do not be fooled with fancy words and tickled ears. In all things, we must, MUST, return to the unadulterated Word of God for solid wholesome Truth, praying fervently for the Lord Himself to show us what it is we need to see.

…looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,” (Titus 2:13)

God’s Will Be Done?

God’s Will Be Done?

“Oh, well. I guess it wasn’t God’s will.”

“Well it’ll happen if God wants it to.”

These are sayings I’ve heard countless times. They are modern clichés in our churches and even in our secular society. Although, sometimes the thought is misdirected as karma or luck or fortune. Whatever you call it, the principal of it is wrong. Dead wrong.

            It would certainly be nice to take solace in the fact that no matter how bad a situation gets, that if it happened, God wanted it to. The fact that it would be God’s plan and not our folly makes it all the more easily acceptable. The blame is off of us and we feel as though God is still in control. It would give us hope that all will turn out okay. It makes us believe that we deserved what we got, and that has to be somehow sanctioned.

            The truth of the matter is simply this: God’s will is not always done. God doesn’t always get His way. To many, this comes as a complete shock.

“What about God’s plan? What about His control?”

Allow me to be clear on this: God is always in control, even when His will is not done. God is so multi-dimensional, that He can maintain absolute control over the entire cosmos and still be disappointed. God’s plan is so diverse that every possible mistake that every person could ever make, and the consequences thereof, has been accounted for. At the same time, God has allowed us the ability of free will and the exercise of that will.

Many times, a preacher will make reference to the fact that God is a God of second chances. Does that mean He wanted us to sin? Would God ever sanction something He told us not to do? Of course not. That’s why He’s all about another chance. Each time you go against His will, He is agreeable to forgive you and let you carry on with a clean slate.

Consider the Fall of mankind. Did God want Adam and Eve to sin? Of course not. If that were the case, He could’ve made it a lot easier for them to do so. He wouldn’t have offered Paradise as a reward for their remaining in perfection.

Then there’s the Flood. Do you suppose that God took joy and pride in having to destroy all of mankind, save eight? Do you really believe that He wanted the earth to be so corrupt that all the people of His planet, all His would-be followers, would instead choose to be evil? I don’t believe that for a minute. I believe that it was, and still is, God’s will that all of mankind follow Him; that we would all choose life eternal in His Kingdom.

Lest we not forget the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah; two cities destroyed because of their wickedness, not because God wanted to be mean and destructive. To say that God’s will is always done would make Him nothing but a bully. That would mean that God took pride in every robbery, burglary, rape, scandal, slander, act of adultery, lust, pornography, every death, disaster and form of destruction, every lie and act of hate. This isn’t my God. Yes, He occasionally allows things to happen, as in the case of Job, but that does not mean it is His divine will. God is simply being truthful. He promises to punish the wicked, and both the wickedness and the punishment come in many forms. Friends, sin doesn’t please God, it angers Him.

Ø          “But God was angry…” –Numbers 22:22

Ø          “Now the LORD was angry with me…” –Deuteronomy 4:22

Ø          “Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul mightily when he heard these words, and he became very angry.” -1 Samuel 11:6

Ø          “Now the LORD was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned away from the LORD…” -1 Kings 11:9

Ø          “Behold, because the LORD, the God of your fathers, was angry with Judah…” -2 Chronicles 28:9

Ø          “O God, You have rejected us You have broken us; You have been angry…” –Psalm 60:1

Ø          “Why should God be angry on account of your voice and destroy the work of your hands?” –Ecclesiastes 5:6

 

So now you have read many times over that God is indeed angered by sinfulness and disobedience. But God is also love, so He does not strike just because He’s angry; God only strikes when and where it is somehow earned.

 

Let me back this up. As we consider eternity, let’s examine a few points of Scripture.

“This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” -1 Timothy 2:3-4

This verse is very clear, and hard to take out of context. It is obvious that the Scriptures here refer to God our Savior. The fact about Him is that He desires all men to be saved. Let me ask you, is that what is happening? Are all men being saved? Will there be no one in hell, then, because God wills that all be saved? Sadly, that isn’t true. I would hope that somehow it could be factual, but I cannot ignore this:

 

“But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” –Revelation 21:8

 

By that verse alone, we know that hell will not be empty. Not to mention anyone whose name isn’t written in the Book of Life and all the fallen angels. If God’s will is always done, we’d be able to strike out that verse (and the ones like it) entirely.

God doesn’t like to make that choice. What father would? But God did promise His Kingdom for His faithful. By act of disobedience, those destined for hell have in a sense chosen it over God. They begin “paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons” (1 Timothy 4:1) rather than choosing to follow God. That does not mean that God is pleased.

If God’s will is always done, then hell will be empty and all men will be saved. That would mean that there would have to be no consequence for any wrongdoing. Anyone could rape, kill, steal, blaspheme, etc. and be completely pardoned without ever admitting any faith or Lordship in Jesus Christ. So I ask again, is God’s will always done? No. It cannot be. God wills that all men be saved, and sadly, they won’t all be.

What does this reality mean? We must consider that we may not be doing God’s will. There can be, and have been, churches that perform a variety of ministry that is not what God wants them to do. In the same way, many have utterly ignored God’s divine will.

Say, for the sake of argument, a member of the church is very faithful in prayer- a real intercessor. One night while on their knees, asking for the Lord’s direction, the Lord speaks to this person. The Lord says, “I want you to start a homeless outreach.” The intercessor takes this to the Pastor, who brings the suggestion before the elders of the congregation. The elders bat the idea back and forth, concluding that they don’t have the capacity of staff or the finances set aside to start a new form of outreach. They justify it with all the other things they do, saying, “We have a food pantry, Sunday school, youth group, Bible studies, and we sponsor a child in India. We don’t need to do everything, so we’ll pass on this.”

Now imagine how this intercessor must feel. None of the elders or the Pastor was there when God spoke this command, but they chose not to do it. The intercessor knows that it is what God willed, but he cannot complete the mission alone. What is he to do? Without other faithful believers, the will goes undone.

 

How can we apply this to our own lives? We must take with all seriousness any person who claims to have heard from the Lord. If God has truly asked that something be done, we cannot justify its ignorance. It is our duty as proclaiming Christians to follow the will and direction of God.

“Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;” -1 Thessalonians 5:20

“Please receive instruction from His mouth; And establish His words in your heart.” –Job 22:22

“For this is a rebellious people, false sons, Sons who refuse to listen to the instruction of the LORD;” –Isaiah 30:9

“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” –Ephesians 6:4

When the Lord speaks, be faithful in carrying out His will.

 

“So Jesus answered them and said, ‘My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.’” –John 7:16-18

May God “equip you in every good thing to do His will,” –Hebrews 13:21

 

 

Preparing the End-Time Church as a Bride

Preparing the End-Time Church as a Bride

I. God’s Mission statement: to provide an eternal companion for Jesus

 

⁶ I heard…the voice of a great multitude…saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! ⁷ 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.” ⁸ 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. ⁹ He said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!'” (Rev. 19:6-9)

A. Marriage of the Lamb – God’s eternal purpose for His creation is to provide a family for Himself and an equally yoked bride for His Son as His eternal companion (Jesus’ inheritance).

⁹ The LORD’s portion (reward) is His people; Jacob is the place of His inheritance. (Deut. 32:9)

 

¹⁷ That the…Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of…revelation…18 that you may know (experience)…what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints… (Eph. 1:17-18 )

B.  His wife has made herself ready (prepared) – to walk in mature voluntary love and holiness. God has zeal in this hour to train and purify the Church on the earth as a Bride that is fully ready. This is glorious and terrifying that God would be zealous in His commitment to see that we are ready.

C.He granted her to be arrayed in fine linen – these are distinctive wedding garments that are given individually to each believer according to their behavior (acts of obedience). All saints receive the robe of righteousness because of Jesus’ death on the cross (2 Cor. 5:21; Isa. 61:10).

¹⁰ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. (2 Cor. 5:10)

 

⁴¹ There is one glory of the sun…another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory. ⁴² So also is the resurrection of the dead. (1 Cor. 15:41-42)

D. The Bride’s garments will be comprised of different elements: glory, fabric, color, fragrance, etc. 

E. A Bride chooses her wedding garments with great care and love. This is different than the way that she chooses her other clothing. We will resist the temptation to sin (compromise), to quit (lose heart), to neglect diligence (laziness) because of love for Jesus as our Bridegroom God.  

F. The wedding garments that we will possess forever are being formed now by our obedience that is done in the spirit of love. We are making choices now that we will literally wear forever. What we do now has impact far beyond our natural lives. Our choices before the wedding are preparation for the life of the redeemed after the wedding.

G. Lord God Omnipotent – God is praised for releasing His power to prepare the Church (v. 6).

II.  The church will be filled with glory at the Second Coming (Eph. 5:26-29)

 

²⁶ That He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the Word, ²⁷ that He might present her to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle…but that she should be holy and without blemish. ²⁸ Husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies…²⁹ No one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church… (Eph. 5:26-29)

A. In this passage, Paul gives us key details and defines what it means for the Church to be made ready at the time of the Second Coming. The Church will be so filled with glory, sanctified and cleansed that she will not have spots or wrinkles (her garments reflecting her actions) or blemishes (her skin reflecting her inner life). The Church’s mind, emotions and actions will be radically cleansed while on earth before Jesus’ Coming. This is glorious and terrifying because the Church worldwide is far from walking in purity in this hour. What will make the difference?

B.  How will this glory be released in the Church? The causes of pressure on a compromising believer are 3-fold. They include Satan’s rage, man’s sin and God’s zeal to discipline us for our good (Heb. 12:5-11). However, the means of grace that God prefers to use to cleanse the Church is His Word (v. 26) and prayer (Rev. 22:17) in context to understanding that we are cherished by Jesus i.e., the Church must feed on portions of the Word that reveal His tender emotions for Her.

C.  God will release great grace on our private times in the Word as well as raising up vessels that will sing and proclaim His Word in great power so as to help transform the Church.

D.  Prayer, fasting, meditation on the Word, and obedience positions our heart before God to freely receive. These activities do not earn us God’s favor. Analogy: we put our cold heart before the bonfire of God’s presence by seeking Him in the Word in spirit and truth.

E.  We give our heart to God and receive from Him as we read Scripture in a way that creates an active dialogue in our heart with God. Scripture gives us the “conversational material” in our prayer life. We pray truths back to Him that exhort us “to believe” His Word by thanking God for such truths and by asking God to reveal them to us. We dialogue with God by praying truths back to Him that exhort us “to obey” His Word and by committing ourselves to obey God in the specific way set forth in a passage. Make simple declarations of your resolve to obey the Word and ask God to empower you to obey a particular truth.

III. The necessary 3-fold cry of the Bride’s intercession 

 

¹⁷ The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come!”…20 He…says, “Surely I am coming…”(Rev. 22:17, 20)

A. This age will end with a worshipping and praying Church in a bridal identity. This passage is the most significant, comprehensive and clearest End-Time prophecy. It reveals to us what the Spirit is saying and doing. The Church will be in unity with the Spirit as she will be anointed with power, engaged in intercession, established in her bridal identity and effective in the harvest.

B.  The 3-fold cry for God to come in power (Holy Spirit breakthrough)

1.    Come NEAR US in intimacy (renewal or personal encounter): touch my heart 

2. Come TO US in revival (historic visitation of the Holy Spirit): touch our city with signs, wonders and apostolic authority until we see the Habitation of the Lord established

3.  Come FOR US in the sky (Second Coming of Jesus): touch the earth

C. God has delegated the earth to authority or domain of the human race (Gen. 1:26-28; Ps. 116:15).

¹⁶ The heavens, are the LORD’s…the earth He has given to the children of men. (Ps. 115:16)

 

²⁶ Let Us make man in Our image…let them have dominion over…all the earth… (Gen. 1:26)

 

⁷ You have crowned him (man) with glory and honor, and set him over the works of Your hands. ⁸You have put all things in subjection under his feet…He (God) left nothing that is not put under him. (Heb. 2:7-8 )

D. Each person has a specific sphere of authority or domain entrusted to them by God that includes their inner man, ministry, finances, family relationships and the geographic area they live in, etc.

³² He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. (Prov. 16:32)

 

¹³ We, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us–a sphere which includes you. ¹⁴ For we are not overextending ourselves…as though our authority did not extend to you… (2 Cor. 10:13-14)

 

The Kingdom…is like a man (Jesus) traveling to a far country (heaven), who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. ¹⁵ To one he gave five talents… (Mt. 25:14-15)

 

¹² A certain nobleman (Jesus) went into a far country… ¹³ So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’ (Lk. 19:12-13)

E. Prayer is a covenantal way in which we open the windows to that which is under our domain (heart, circumstances, geographic area, etc.). Our prayers invite the Holy Spirit on a covenantal basis to come into the areas that are under our domain (inwardly and outwardly). Prayer provides the covenantal tracks on which the Spirit works. He comes to the measure that He is invited. The key of David and the keys of the Kingdom operate by covenant with justice before God’s court.

F.   The Bride will prepare a place for the coming of the Lord to dwell individually, corporately, and geographically, as she invites Jesus to come near us, to us and for us (Ps. 132:1-5).

² How he (David) swore to the LORD…, ⁴ “I will not give sleep to my eyes…⁵ until I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.” (Ps. 132:1-5)

IV.  The exhortation to acquire wedding garments

A. We can buy white garments or acquire them in the ways that the grace of God teaches. They declare the measure of our love for Jesus in this life. Jesus wants to give us more white garments.

¹⁸ I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire…and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness (lack of garments) may not be revealed… (Rev. 3:18 )

B.  Some will suffer the loss of their rewards while keeping their salvation.

¹⁴ If anyone’s work…endures, he will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. (1 Cor. 3:14-15)

 

⁸ Look to yourselves, that we (you; NAS, NIV, RSV) do not lose those things we (you; NIV, RSV) worked for, but that we (you; NAS, NIV, RSV) may receive a full reward. (2 Jn. 8 ) 

C. God will wipe away all tears and sorrow after the Millennial Kingdom is completed.

¹ I saw a new heaven and a new earth…there was no sea. ³ I heard a loud voice …saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men…⁴ God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying…no more pain… (Rev. 21:1-4)

D.  Jesus exhorted us to watch (pray) as the way to keep our garments in the End-Time pressures. We can keep our garments; however, some will lose the garments that they could have had.

¹⁵ Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame. (Rev. 16:15)

E. Believers can defile their testimony and lose some of their wedding garments by compromise.

⁴ You have a few…in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. ⁵ He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments. (Rev. 3:4-5)

F.  John exhorts us to “now” abide in Jesus so we do not draw back in the shame of denying our faith at the Second Coming of Jesus.

²⁸ Now…abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed (not shrink away from Him in shame; NAS, RSV) before Him at His coming. (1 Jn. 2:28 )

G.  There will be people on earth at the Second Coming who will seek to celebrate the wedding banquet. “Friend” is the same term that Jesus used with Judas (Mt. 26:50). To bind him is to take him prisoner and cast him into darkness (Lake of Fire).

² The kingdom of heaven is like a certain King who arranged a marriage for His Son 3 He sent out His servants to call those who were invited to the wedding…⁴ saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “I have prepared my dinner…all things are ready. Come to the wedding.”… ¹¹ When the King came in…He saw a man who did not have on a wedding garment. ¹² He said to him, “Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?” He was speechless. ¹³ The King said, “Bind him…and cast him into outer darkness…” (Mt. 22:2-4, 11-14)

7 Deep Things of God

7 Deep things of God – 1 Cor. 2: 7-12

But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory…But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. (1 Corinthians 2:7-10)

Part I. 7 DEEP THINGS THAT GOD WILL REVEAL TO THE CHURCH

1. Deep love and affection –

That you may be able to comprehend….what is the width and length and depth and height– to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge… (Ephesians 3:18-19)

Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? (Romans 2:4)

2. Deep displeasure – because of His deep love unto deep judgment

Then He shall…distress them in His deep displeasure (Psalm 2:5)

My own fury, it sustained Me. I have trodden down the peoples in My anger, made them drunk in My fury… (Isaiah 63:5-6)

3. Deep judgments – complex in purpose and nature

Your judgments are a great deep; O LORD (Psalm 36:6)

How unsearchable are His judgments…(Romans 11:33)

4. Deep thoughts – hidden plans of the mystery of God

How great are Your works! Your thoughts are very deep. (Ps 92:5)

His ways are past finding out! (Romans 11:33)

We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory… (1 Corinthians 2:7-8 )

Also see Eph 3:9; Col 1:26; Luke 19:42

5. Deep wisdom – administration of His plans

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! (Romans 11:33)

…in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Colossians 2:3)

6. Deep knowledge – possesses vast info

Oh, the depth of the riches of …the knowledge of God… (Romans 11:33)

7. Deep secrets – hidden manna

He reveals deep and secret things; he knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him. (Daniel 2:22)

“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. (Deuteronomy 29:29)

The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him… (Psalm 25:14)

His secret counsel is with the upright. (Proverbs 3:32)

Part II. ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK

Called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,” of whom we have much to say and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. (Hebrews 5:10-11)

Order of Melchizedek – Holy Spirit merger with perfect harmony of kingly and priestly dimension of kingdom.

1. Warring with worship .2. Outreach with gazing 3. Working with loving 4. Ruling with adoring – NOTE: ruling that is in the flesh is “me” focused however, adoring is “God” focused.

Dull of hearing makes a false distinction between the kingly and priestly heart and function. This false distinction exists within the heart of the dull.

 

Source: Friends of the Bridegroom www.FOTB.com

 

The Judgment Seat of Christ

The Judgment Seat of Christ

A.                What matters most about our life is what Jesus thinks when our eyes meet. I fear “regret” more than anything else in my life. I pray, “Lord, shock me now, do not wait until then”.

B.                 The Judgment Seat of Christ is a place to receive rewards not penalties. The “judgment seat” in the Greek is the “bema seat”. The bema seat was a familiar term that described the raised platform where a judge rewarded the victors in an athletic contest (Olympic games). We will give an account for what we did with all that God gave us which includes time, money and energy along with a mind to think and emotions to feel and our talents and opportunities.  

 We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body… (2 Cor. 5:10)

C.                 This life is the only time in our eternal existence with such a high “exchange rate”. We offer our weak devotion and obedience to God and receive eternal rewards. God pays us so well for all that we do. He remembers the movements of our heart toward Him along with every small act of love such as giving a simple cup of water to someone (Mt. 10:42)

D.                Our God is a consuming fire of desire. Jesus’ eyes of fire will test our works (Deut. 4:24).

 For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. (Deut. 4:24)

 

 The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire… (Rev. 2:18 )

II.                Gaining insight into the value of time: money is power but time is life

 

 So teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Ps. 90:12)

 

⁴Lord, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am. 5 Indeed, You have made my days as (short as) handbreadths, and my age (lifetime, NAS; the span of my years, NIV) is as nothing before You; certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. 6 Surely every man walks about like a shadow; Surely they busy themselves in vain… (Ps. 39:4-6 emphasis added)

 

 For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time then vanishes away. (Jas 4:14)

 

¹⁴Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light. 15 See that you walk circumspectly (vigilant, guarded or cautious), not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. (Eph. 5:14-16 emphasis added)

III.             we will all stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ

 

¹¹ No other foundation can anyone lay than…Jesus Christ. ¹² If anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, ¹³ each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. ¹⁴ If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. (1 Cor. 3:11-15)

A.                The foundation of our life in God is our relationship with Jesus as born again believers who possess the free gift of righteousness (2 Cor. 5:17-21). Some believers are saved, yet as through fire. This speaks of being like one who is “pulled out” of the fire just in the nick of time.

B.                 We can suffer the loss of some of our potential glory and position in the Millennium.

Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, that you may be rewarded fully.

(2 Jn. 8; NIV)

IV.             eternal rewards: different expressions in different degrees

A.                There will be a vast range of degrees of glory and greatness among the redeemed. These rewards include gold, silver and precious stones and a varying measure of God’s glory in our resurrected bodies, clothing, dwellings, position of responsibility and relationship with God.

⁴¹There is one glory of the sun…and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory. ⁴² So also is the resurrection of the dead. (1 Cor. 15:41-42)

B.                 God’s glory will be manifest in our resurrected body in varying measures (Dan. 12:2-3).

Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. (Mt. 13:43)

C.                 Our work assignment and authority over cities will bring us in close proximity to Jesus.

Because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities. (Lk. 19:17)

D.                We will receive varying praise from God (Jn. 12:26; 1 Pet. 1:7; Mt. 25:21, 1 Cor. 4:5).

…My Father will honor the one who serves me. (John 12:26)

Will bring to light the hidden things…then each one’s praise will come from God. (1 Cor. 4:5)

E.                 Those who endure temptation are given crowns (Jas 1:12).

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. (James 1:12)

F.                  Our communion with Jesus will vary according to the degree that we have the spiritual capacity to receive from Him as the Morningstar (Rev. 2:28; 22:16; Gen. 15:1).

I will also give him the morning star. (Rev. 2:28 )

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” (Rev. 22:16)

G.                Our garments have varying dimensions of God’s glory (Rev. 3:4-5, 18; 16:15; 19:7-8 ).

⁵He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. (Rev. 3:4-5)

⁸Arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts…(Rev. 19:7-8 )

H.                Treasures and rewards in heaven will include many things (Mt. 5:12; 6:4, 6, 18, 20; 10:41-42; 16:27; 19:21; Mk. 9:41; 10:21; Lk. 6:23, 35; 12:21, 33; 16:11; 18:22; Rev. 2:9; 3:18; 22:12).

Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven… (Matthew 5:12)

…Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matt. 6:4 [verses 6 & 18 similar])

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. (Matt. 6:20)

⁴¹Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. ⁴²And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.” (Matt 10:41-42)

…and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. (Matt 16:27)

[Jesus] said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”(Mark 10:21)

Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. (Luke 6:23)

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great… (Luke 6:35)

Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted… (Luke 12:33)

I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! (Rev. 2:9)

I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich… (Rev. 3:18 )

Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. (Rev. 22:12)

 

The Origin of The BIBLE

ORIGINS of the BIBLE

 

All right, I know! Someone is going to say that I haven’t recorded everything about every book. Then I’ll hear that there are all these secret societies that chose these writings and altered them for just their own causes. Phooey! There are too many people watching these hell-ywood movies like DaVinci Code and, although it was a great adventure story, National Treasure. Sorry, but as cool as it would be that there are hidden secrets and the one guy who no one would suspect as a hero is about to discover them all as he brazenly escapes certain doom!- That’s all for the movies. In the Bible, many did not escape their doom. Disciples were killed for what they preached. If they were going to take out the things that made the church look bad, they missed a few things. The truth is, the Bible is a history book, and its events actually happened.

 

Moses is believed to have written Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy (although there is some question to his authorship of Deuteronomy). These were written approx. 1500 years before Jesus.

David wrote 500 years later, or 1000 years before Jesus (approx).

The written Hebrew alphabet is proven to be at the very least 3000 years old.

(More on Biblical authors below.)

 

One of the greatest confusions stems from the fast that, in the days of the Old Testament, authors didn’t write chronologically. They would instead tell story by story, not in a “day by day” arrangement. That’s why it seems to be out of order sometimes. Let me give an example. I’m Justin, my dad is Tom and my grandpa is Dave. Back then, they would tell Dave’s entire story, from beginning to end, possibly including the birth of Tom. Then they would tell Tom’s story. After writing about Tom from birth to death (or current), they would go back and write about Justin’s birth and life. Since I’m still alive, the story would bring us up to the end of the point the author wants to make. So if you just read along line by line, you’d think quite often that you missed something, like the fact that Adam and Eve had other kids than Cain and Abel. Genesis 3 is about Adam and Eve’s life. Genesis 4 is about Cain and Abel. Then in chapter 5, we learn (verse 4) that they had “other sons and daughters”. Later in the Old Testament, it gets even more confusing if you don’t know how to look at it.

 

 

 By Jesus’ day, the Old Testament was translated into Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic. In the Hebrew, there were no vowels. You would have had to know what to put where. For example, “Shlm” would be the way to write “Shalom”. The writings were copied carefully, and were put into the area’s common language. As a result, the one copying would often take notes. Quite often these notes or commentaries would accompany the actual letter or scroll. These commentaries are believed to be responsible for the few typographical errors or slights when someone from the New Testament quoted the Old Testament. The New Testament writers and speakers often had to go by the four different common languages/ dialects in which the scrolls were written. In each respective language, they were VERY careful to write l-e-t-t-e-r by l-e-t-t-e-r.

 

In 1947, the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. One of them was the entire book of Isaiah. This was an opportune time to test what so many critics had claimed. Was the Bible changed over the years? Had we bent the stories to suit the church’s desire? Was there a massive conspiracy to cover up a secret religion? When comparing the newly discovered treasure to the Holy Bible in every church pew, there were only 11 differences. Seven of them were a different way to spell a word. The other four were minor typographical errors that didn’t change the meaning of a single thing. All the years of accusation would be put to rest. (At least until the next generation of blind-hearted deceived unbelievers.)

 

Joshua is traditionally, thought by many scholors, believed to have authored his own book. There are, however, other possibilities. Considering that the book describes Joshua’s death at the end, and includes in the middle (specifically Joshua 15:13-19; cf. Judges 1:1, 9-15) an incident the occurred after Joshua’s death, we need to explore other options. There are references to “we” and “us” in Joshua 5:1 and 5:6 perhaps suggests an eyewitness to the events was the author of the book, such as a close companion or scribe- something to that effect. The book would thus date to either the 15th or 13th century BC, depending, again, upon exactly when the Exodus from Egypt occurred. Either someone close to Joshua wrote for him, thereby they would know the events of his death, or Joshua was co-authored, and someone else filled in the pieces after Joshua’s death. The only other possibility is that Joshua prophecied, or was shown, the events of his demise prior to their occurrence.

The following are widely debated or simply unknown:

Judges (c. 10th century BC)

Ruth (c. 10th century BC)

1-2 Samuel (8th-6th century BC)

1-2 Kings (6th-5th century BC)

1-2 Chronicles (400 BC would be the earliest possible date for composition)

Esther (5th century BC)

Job (c. 10th century BC at the earliest)

Lamentations traditionally ascribed to Jeremiah the prophet. There is, however, little in the book itself suggesting who the author might be, other than that he is obviously an eyewitness to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians (c. 586 BC).

Psalms, the longest “book” of the Bible, is actually a compilation of many authors’ work. A conglomerate written by numerous people, the authorship of individual psalms, as attributed by their titles, breaks down as follows (of the 150 psalms, 116 are provided with a title):

Moses – Psalm 90

Heman the Ezrahite – Psalm 88

Ethan the Ezrahite – Psalm 89

Solomon – Psalm 72, 127

David (73 times) – Psalms 3-9, 11-32, 34-41, 51-65, 68-70, 86, 103, 108-110, 122, 124, 131, 133, 138-145

Asaph (12 times) – Psalms 50, 73-83

Sons of Korah (9 times) Psalm 42, 44-45, 47-49, 84-85, 87

Author unknown – (49 times) the remainder

The Septuagint (an early Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible from around 200 BC) gives some additional authorship identification, as follows:

Jeremiah – Psalm 137

Haggai and Zechariah – Psalms 146-147

Ezra – Psalm 119

Hezekiah (15 times) Psalms 120-134

Though the titles prefaced to the Psalms clearly date back before 200 BC (since they appear in the Septuagint, along with the extras that translation gives), how authoritative they are is subject to much debate.

The psalms, based on the authorship attributions, would then date between the 15th century (or 13th, depending on the time of the Exodus) and the 5th century, by which time the book probably took the form it currently has.

Proverbs- Again, the book is a composite, so far as authorship is concerned.

1:1-24:22 is attributed to Solomon (thus dating to the 900’s BC)

24:23-34 are attributed to “the wise”

25:1-29:27 are attributed to Solomon, but were collected and recorded by “Hezekiah’s men”.

30:1-33 is attributed to Agur

31:1-31 is attributed to Lemuel

Ecclesiastes is attributed to Solomon by some. If that is the case, the book dates to the 900’s BC. Others would argue for an unknown author, and put the date of composition around 390 BC.

Ezra-Nehemiah. They are treated as a single book in the Talmud, Josephus, and the Canon of Melito (AD 171). They are also treated as a single book in the Masoretic Text (traditional Hebrew Bible).

The author of the book of Ezra-Nehemiah is unknown, though Ezra’s chapters 7-9 apparently were written by Ezra, since they are in the first person. The account in chapters 1-6 is compiled from records, including decrees (1:2-4; 6:3-12), genealogies and name lists (2), and letters (4:7-22; 5:6-17). There are two sections that have been preserved in Aramaic (4:8-6:18 and 7:12-26). Aramaic was the diplomatic language during this period. Sources for the section labeled “Nehemiah” in our text include what appear to be memoirs of Nehemiah, written in the first person: Nehemiah 1:1-7:73a; 11:1-2; 12:31-43: 13:4-31. The date of the final composition of the book is generally accepted as being sometime during the 4th century BC.

Song of Songs is attributed to Solomon, which would place its date of composition in the 900’s BC.

 

The following are attributed to the person from whom they are named:

Isaiah; it consists several oracles given by him over several years (740-690 BC). Its final form as we have it (assuming a single, unitary authorship to the book) would thus be sometime during the 7th century BC.

Jeremiah, who lived from about 627 to 580 BC.

Ezekiel, who was born around 622 BC. Based on internal dating, the book covers the time from about 593 through about 570 BC.

Daniel, and thus would have been written sometime between 605 BC and about 530 BC.

Hosea. His prophesies cover the period from 753-715 BC.

Joel. The date of the book is uncertain, with dates ranging from the early pre-exilic (800’s BC) to late post-exilic period (500-400 BC).

Amos. Dates between 767 and 753 BC.

Obadiah. Dates between 847 and 841 BC.

Jonah. Dates to the 700’s BC.

Micah. Dates between 740 and 695 BC.

Nahum. Two different dates are generally accepted as possibilities for Nahum’s ministry: 661-612 BC or 722-701 BC.

Habakkuk. Dates to sometime between 612 and 587 BC.

Zephaniah. Dates sometime during the reign of Josiah (640-609 BC)

Haggai. It is possible to date his prophesies very exactly (since he gave us the precise day he uttered his prophesies):

1:1 August 29, 520 BC

1:15 September 21, 520 BC

2:19-20 December 18, 520 BC

Zechariah. Chapters 1-8 are attributed to Zechariah and can be dated precisely.

1:1 October, 520 BC

1:7 February 15, 519 BC

7:1 December 7, 518 BC

Chapters 9-14 were not written by Zechariah and cannot be easily dated. That they were not written by Zechariah is clear from both internal and external evidence. 9-11 were written by Jeremiah, according to Matthew 27:9-10, which quotes Zechariah 11:12-13 and attributes it to Jeremiah. The date would then be sometime between 627 and 580 BC. Chapters 12-14 are titled “an oracle” and are attributed to no one.

Malachi. Based on Mark 1:2-3, the book called “Malachi” was apparently actually written by Isaiah, since there the author of Mark quotes from “Malachi” but attributes it to Isaiah. The title “Malachi”, taken from 1:1 is simply the Hebrew phrase “my messenger”, and the word is so translated in 3:1. The date of the book would then be sometime between 740 and 690 BC.

 

 

The New Testament:

All four gospels were written by the person whose name they bear.

Matthew was originally written in Hebrew, not Greek as much of the rest of the New Testament. Also by Jewish tradition, the vowels were still excluded from Lord or God, and still today many orthodox Jews write those words as “L-rd” and “G-d”. This practiced was continued so as not to desecrate His name. Jesus died by 32 (possibly 33) A.D. By 50 A.D., Matthew had been translated at least three times, into three different languages.

Mark’s gospel was written and copied so much that it was often included in non-Christian collections, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls. This all happened within 18 years.

Luke was the author of his gospel and the book of Acts. Since the book of Acts was written afterward, and since Acts was apparently written before Paul’s execution during the reign of Nero, the book of Luke is apparently relatively early, perhaps before AD 60. Luke does refer to his gospel account in the book of Acts.

John- Attributed to John, the apostle of Jesus. Probably composed between AD 85 and 90, though some scholars have suggested dates as early as AD 66 and as late as AD 110. John’s gospel, along with his 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd letters, as well as the book of Revelation (all attributed to him), are probably the only books of the Bible not written by 66 A.D.

Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy. Titus, Philemon all written by Paul between 50 and 67 A.D.

Hebrews – Traditionally Paul has been given credit for the book, though there is little in the book to suggest that he is the author, since it was written anonymously. Written as early as AD 60, but certainly written before the destruction of Jerusalem AD 70.

James, Peter and Jude all wrote the books that contain their names.

 

Notice how many of these writing recount first-hand knowledge. These aren’t campfire legends that someone’s great-great-grandkids decided would be “neat” to have in writing. These were testimonies from the hands of the people who experienced it. So many overlooked facts could only have been recounted by those who were present. For example, in John 12:3 “Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” John was obviously present when this occurred, or how would he know the strength of the perfume’s fragrance?

 

Many historians hold to the belief that it was the Christians who first used books. They had many writings from different sources. Some, like the letters o John and Jude, are very short and would only contain a small page, not enough for an entire scroll. Christians bound the paper together on one side, using yarn or string or some kind of lacing. Thus was born the book.

 

Before 100 A.D., all churches shared the attitude to what was considered Scripture. There were four gospels. This is the earth number (see my post, Numbers in the Bible- What do they mean? ) There are four “corners” of the earth, four seasons, four winds (north, south, east, west), four faces on the creature in Ezekiel. It made sense that there should be four gospels.

 

In the terror of a book-made-movie, The DaVinci Code, the characters mention a meeting between church officials, who decided what the Bible would or wouldn’t say. That’s half true. The meetings that took place, there were actually several, were usually to discuss doctrinal interpretations. How do we define the gift of tongues? Baptism of water, or of Spirit, or both? Can we eat pork or has that law been eradicated? True, the discussion of books to be included was at first an important part of the dialogue. When it did come up, there were rules in place to determine that no false information was entered into Holy writings.

To be considered a part of the Bible, the writing had to be from either 1.) A direct disciple of Jesus, or 2.) A direct disciple of a direct disciple of Jesus. This way, the author would always be able to honestly say, “I saw it,” or “My teacher saw it.” No one would be able to say, “My neighbor’s cousin heard from a friend that Jesus could fly.” That wouldn’t be good enough. It HAD to be a 1^st hand experience, or learned from the one who had the 1^st hand experience. That is why so many other books were not included in the Bible. No conspiracy, just an issue of credibility.

 

The only books not accepted into the collection by 100 A.D. were Hebrew, 2^nd Peter, 2^nd & 3^rd John, and Jude. All but Hebrews because they were so little. The church leaders wondered, “Why would God say so little at once?” They were all ultimately accepted, despite their sizes, because God can deliver a message of any size He wants. Hebrews was accepted because they believed it to be from Paul.

 

There are 14 books called Apocrypha. These are books accepted by the Roman Catholic Church. These are not in the Christian Bible, only in Catholic editions. None of these books were referenced or quoted by Jews, apostles, or any other early church leaders before their induction. They are considered by most to be extra-Biblical, and therefore not considered as Holy Scripture.

 

Jude and James are the only exceptions to the “1^st hand apostle” rule. James was a leader of the Jerusalem church. He is actually mentioned earlier, in Acts 15:13, which says, “After they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, ‘Brethren, listen to me.’” And in verse 20, James even suggests to his fellow council that, instead of troubling Gentiles who turn Christian, they write to the Gentiles about the things of God to encourage them. Thus, he was familiar to both Paul and Barnabas, and had already been mentioned in other Scripture.

Jude, a form of the Hebrew name for Judah or Judas, was quite a common Jewish name. There are generally two possibilities considered as author of the short letter. They are 1.) Judas the apostle (not Judas Iscariot; See Luke 6:16). 2.) Judas, the brother of the Lord. (See Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3) The latter is more likely. So, while Jude was not a disciple of Jesus Christ, he was probably his brother, born of Mary and Joseph.

 

By AD 500, the Bible was translated into over 500 languages. By 600, only 1 was allowed by the “official” Catholic church, and that was the Latin Bible. Anyone caught using any other translation, not ordained by the Roman Catholic church, was subject to death.

 

Needless to say, but there were many who did not follow the Catholic Church’s teaching, and so went their own ways. They continued to use other Bibles, but it remained that the Latin was by far the most common. It wasn’t until the 1500’s that the first official English Bible was translated. Whatever translation, whatever language, the Bible had remained in tact for centuries. Its text endured for at least 2,500 years. Sadly, there are many “newer religions” that have translated the Bible for their own purposes, agendas and doctrines. This is one thing I beg you to beware of. Do not take the words of Holy Scripture lightly, but instead meditate on their meaning and prayerfully endeavor to understand what the Lord is speaking to you.

Happy reading. Be blessed.

 

The Evolutionary Lie: Biblical Reality Proved

From many different sources, I’ve pieced just some of the evidence against the evolutionary process. Bottom line: the earth is created, there is a Creator, and the Bible is true. I won’t add a lot of bantering commentary, but let you jump right into the hard facts. Enjoy. 

 

–Formation of life

        Dead chemicals cannot become alive on their own. The cell is a miniature factory with many active processes, not a simple blob of “protoplasm” as believed in Darwin’s day. Lightening striking a mud puddle or some “warm little pond” will never produce life. This is another view of the core issue of information as the simplest living cell requires a vast amount of information to be present. The “Law of Biogenesis” states that life comes only from prior life. Spontaneous generation has long been shown to be impossible (by Louis Pasteur in 1859). Numerous efforts to bring life from non-life (including the famous Miller-Urey experiment) have not succeeded. The probability of life forming from non-life has been likened to the probability of a tornado going through a junkyard and picking up all the parts of a house, only the parts of a house, and assembling all the pieces to make a complete home with electricity and plumbing, cupboards and shelving, and everything in working order. Reference: Why Abiogenesis is Impossible, Jerry Bergman, CRS Quarterly, Volume 36, March 2000

 

–Design of living things

Design is apparent in the living world. Even Richard Dawkins in his anti-creation book The Blind Watchmaker admits “Biology is the study of complicated things that give the appearance of having been designed for a purpose.” The amazing defense mechanism of the Bombardier Beetle is a classic example of design in nature, seemingly impossible to explain as the result of accumulating small beneficial changes over time, because if the mechanism doesn’t work perfectly, “boom” – no more beetle! This is also another view of the core issue of information, as the design of living things is the result of processing the information in the DNA (following the blueprint) to produce a working organism.

 

–Irreducible Complexity

        The idea that “nothing works until everything works.” The classic example is a mousetrap, which is irreducibly complex in that if one of its several pieces is missing or not in the right place, it will not function as a mousetrap and no mice will be caught. The systems, features, and processes of life are irreducibly complex. What good is a circulatory system without a heart? An eye without a brain to interpret the signals? What good is a half-formed wing? Doesn’t matching male and female reproductive machinery need to exist at the same time, fully-functioning if any reproduction is to take place? Remember, natural selection has no foresight, and works to eliminate anything not providing an immediate benefit. Reference: Darwin’s Black Box

–2^nd Law of Thermodynamics

        The Second Law of Thermodynamics refers to the universal tendency for things, on their own, to “mix” with their surrounding environment over time, becoming less ordered and eventually reaching a steady-state. A glass of hot water becomes room temperature, buildings decay into rubble, and the stars will eventually burn out leading to the “heat death” of the universe. However, the evolutionary scenario proposes that over time, things singlehandedly became more ordered and structured. Somehow the energy of a “Big Bang” structured itself into stars, galaxies, planets, and living things, contrary to the Second Law. It is sometimes said that the energy of the Sun was enough to overcome this tendency and allow for the formation of life on earth. However, application of energy alone is not enough to overcome this tendency; the energy must be channeled by a machine. A human must repair a building to keep it from decaying. Likewise, it is the machinery of photosynthesis which harnesses the energy of the Sun, allowing life to exist, and photosynthesis is itself a complex chemical process. The maturing of an acorn into a tree, or a zygote (the first cell resulting from fertilization) into a mature human being does not violate the Second Law as these processes are guided by the information already present in the acorn or zygote.

 

–Existence of the Universe

        By definition, something must be eternal (as we have “something” today and something cannot come from “nothing”, so there was never a time when there was “nothing”). Either the universe itself is eternal, or something/someone outside of and greater than the universe is eternal. We know that the universe is not eternal, it had a beginning (as evidenced by its expansion, see ‘Expansion of Space Fabric’, below). Therefore, God (the something/someone outside of the universe) must exist and must have created the universe. Einstein showed that space and time are related. If there is no space there is no time. Before the universe was created there was no space and therefore no concept of time. This is hard for us to understand as we are space-time creatures, but it allows for God to be an eternal being, completely consistent with scientific laws. The question “who created God” is therefore an improper/invalid question, as it is a time-based question (concerning the point in time at which God “came into existence”) but God exists outside of time as the un-caused first cause. Reference: The Second Law of Thermodynamics (www.answersingenesis.org)

 

–Fine-Tuning of Earth for Life

        Countless parameters are “just right” for life to exist on this planet. For example, if the Earth were just a little closer to the Sun it would be too hot and the ocean’s water would boil away, much further and it would be covered continually in ice, and we’d freeze. Earth’s circular orbit (to maintain a roughly constant temperature year-round), its rotation speed (to provide days and nights not too long or short), its tilt (to provide seasons), and the presence of the moon (to provide tides to cleanse the oceans) are just some of many other examples.
The presence of large amounts of water, with its amazing special properties, is also required. Water is a rare compound in that it is lighter in a solid state than in a liquid state. This allows ponds to freeze with the ice on the surface allowing the life beneath to survive. Otherwise bodies of water would freeze from the bottom up and become solid ice. Water is also the most universal “solvent” known, allowing for dissolving/mixing with the many different chemicals of life. In fact, our bodies are 75-85% comprised of water.

 

–Fine-Tuning of our Physics

        The fine-tuning of the physical constants that control the physics of the universe – the settings of the basic forces (strong nuclear force constant, weak nuclear force constant, gravitational force constant, and electromagnetic force constant) are on a knife’s edge. A minor change in these or any of dozens of other universal parameters would make life impossible.

The “multiverse” idea that there may be many universes and ours “just happened” to have these proper values is outside of science and could never be proven. Even then we would have to ask “what was the cause of all these universes?”

 

–Abrupt Appearance in the Fossil Record

        The oldest fossils for any creature are already fully-formed and don’t change much over time (“stasis”). The “Cambrian Explosion” in the “primordial strata” documents the geologically rapid appearance of most major groups of complex animals. There is no evidence of evolution from simpler forms. Birds are said to have evolved from reptiles but no fossil has ever been found having a “half-scale/half-wing”. A reptile breathes using an “in and out” lung (like humans have), but a bird has a “flow-through” lung suitable for moving through the air. Can you even imagine how such a transition of the lung could have taken place? Abrupt appearance and stasis are consistent with the biblical concept of creation “according to its kind”, and a world-wide flood that scoured the earth down to its basement rocks, depositing the “geologic column” and giving the appearance of a “Cambrian Explosion”. Smarter, more mobile creatures would escape the flood waters longer, becoming buried in higher-level strata, leading to a burial order progressing from “simpler” forms to more complex/higher-level forms, which people now wrongly interpret as an evolutionary progression. Reference: Fossils Q&A (www.answersingenesis.org)

 

–Human Consciousness

        A person is a unity of body + mind/soul, the mind/soul being the immaterial part of you that is the real inner you. Chemicals alone cannot explain self-awareness, creativity, reasoning, emotions of love and hate, sensations of pleasure and pain, possessing and remembering experiences, and free will. Reason itself cannot be relied upon if it is based only on blind neurological events.

 

–Human Language

        Language is one of the main things that separates mankind from animals. No animal is capable of achieving anything like human speech, and all attempts to teach chimpanzees to talk have failed. Evolutionists have no explanation for the origin of human language. However, the Bible does. It says that the first man, Adam, was created able to speak. The Bible also explains why we have different human languages, as God had to “confuse” the common language being used in Babel after the flood, in order to force people to spread out around the world as He wanted. This was only a “surface” confusion though, as all languages express the same underlying basic ideas and concepts, enabling other languages to be learned and understood.

 

–Sexual Reproduction

        Many creatures reproduce asexually. Why would animals abandon simpler asexual reproduction in favor of more costly and inefficient sexual reproduction? Sexual reproduction is a very complex process that is only useful if fully in place. For sexual reproduction to have evolved complimentary male and female sex organs, sperm and eggs, and all the associated machinery in tandem defies the imagination.

 

–The Biblical Witness

        The Bible is true. The history of the Bible is true. The words of the Bible concerning our origins were given to men to write down, by God, who was the only living being present. We were not there! God said He created the universe. God said He created all living things. We know that life is much more than chemicals. God put His life into Adam and that life has been transferred from generation to generation all the way down to us! Reference: The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict(McDowell, and a book I highly recommend)

 

–Decay of Magnetic Field times in sync with Biblical Creation

        Dr. Thomas Barnes, Emeritus Professor of Physics at the University of Texas at El Paso, has published the definitive work in this field.⁴ Scientific observations since 1829 have shown that the earth’s magnetic field has been measurably decaying at an exponential rate, demonstrating its half-life to be approximately 1,400 years. In practical application its strength 20,000 years ago would approximate that of a magnetic star. Under those conditions many of the atoms necessary for life processes could not form. These data demonstrate that earth’s entire history is young, within a few thousand of years

 

–Global Flood

        The Biblical record clearly describes a global Flood during Noah’s day. Additionally, there are hundreds of Flood traditions handed down through cultures all over the world. ⁵ M.E. Clark and Henry Voss have demonstrated the scientific validity of such a Flood providing the sedimentary layering we see on every continent. ⁶ Secular scholars report very rapid sedimentation and periods of great carbonate deposition in earth’s sedimentary layers.⁷ It is now possible to prove the historical reality of the Biblical Flood.⁸

–Population Stats

        World population growth rate in recent times is about 2% per year. Practicable application of growth rate throughout human history would be about half that number. Wars, disease, famine, etc. have wiped out approximately one third of the population on average every 82 years. Starting with eight people, and applying these growth rates since the Flood of Noah’s day (about 4500 years ago) would give a total human population at just under six billion people. However, application on an evolutionary time scale runs into major difficulties. Starting with one “couple” just 41,000 years ago would give us a total population of 2 x 10⁸⁹. ⁹The universe does not have space to hold so many bodies.

 

–Radio Halos

            Physicist Robert Gentry has reported isolated radio halos of polonuim-214 in crystalline granite. The half-life of this element is 0.000164 seconds! To record the existence of this element in such short time span, the granite must be in crystalline state instantaneously.¹⁰ This runs counter to evolutionary estimates of 300 million years for granite to form.

Recently there have been evolutionists online in newsgroups and on blogs that have claimed Polonium 214 doesn’t exist. Main reason being is because they declare the Granite in the earth’s crust took many millions of years to form and finally cool and Polonium 214 takes less then a second to expend all its half-lives. In order to save face, some evolutionists have decided to lie and say Polonium 214 simply doesn’t exist. HOWEVER, if you go to http://www.scorecard.org/chemical-profiles/summary.tcl?edf_substance_id=15735%2d67%2d8,you will see one of many online scientific websites that list the element Pulonium 214 to be found on Planet earth. On that page they share evidence that Polonium 214 is in fact a chemical profile that can and has been recorded by many scientists. Praise the Lord we have yet another factoid to prove evolution is a lie of Satan. For a look at how radio halos work, visit http://www.ichthus.info/Creation-Evidence/Polonium-Halos/intro.html

 

–Atmospheric Helium Content

        Physicist Melvin Cook, Nobel Prize medalist found that helium-4 enters our atmosphere from solar wind and radioactive decay of uranium. At present rates our atmosphere would accumulate current helium-4 amounts in less than 10,000 years.¹²

–Expansion of Space Fabric

            Astronomical estimates of the distance to various galaxies give conflicting data. ¹³The Biblical Record refers to the expansion of space by the Creator¹⁴. Astrophysicist Russell Humphries demonstrates that such space expansion would dilate time in distant space.¹⁵ This could explain a recent creation with great distances to the stars.

 

–Design of Living Systems

            A living cell is so awesomely complex that its interdependent components stagger the imagination and defy evolutionary explanations. A minimal cell contains over 60,000 proteins of 100 different configurations.¹⁶ The chance of this assemblage occurring by chance is 1 in 10 ^4,478,296 .¹⁷

–Design of Human Brain & Body 

           The human brain is the most complicated structure in the known universe.¹⁸ It contains over 100 billion cells, each with over 50,000 neuron connections to other brain cells.¹⁹ This structure receives over 100 million separate signals from the total human body every second. If we learned something new every second of our lives, it would take three million years to exhaust the capacity of the human brain. ²⁰ In addition to conscious thought, people can actually reason, anticipate consequences, and devise plans – all without knowing they are doing so.²¹ Without giving a single thought to it, we breathe, digest, blink, and our heart beats. We’re made to have and be a completely functional operating system without reflection.

 

–Biblical Archeology

Here are just a few examples of how archeological discoveries have verified the authenticity of Biblical accuracy:

Ø        Egyptian armor, chariots and human and horse bones found at the bottom of the Red Sea, proving Moses’ exodus from Egypt to Israel. In the image, you see a gold chariot wheel. Since coral doen’t grow on gold, that part remains clear to see. Unfortunately, the wood beneath the gold has deteriorated to the point that the wheel cannot be moved. Visit the web site below for more photos and info.

o       Source: http://users.netconnect.com.au/~leedas/redsea.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ø        The discovery of the Ebla archive in northern Syria in the 1970s has shown the Biblical writings concerningthe Patriarchs to be viable. Documents written on clay tablets from around 2300 B.C. demonstrate that personal and place names in the Patriarchal accounts are genuine. The name “Canaan” was in use in Ebla, a name critics once said was not used at that time and was used incorrectly in the early chapters of the Bible. The word tehom (“the deep”) in Genesis 1:2 was said to be a late word demonstrating the late writing of the creation story. “Tehom” was part of the vocabulary at Ebla, in use some 800 years before Moses. Ancient customs reflected in the stories of the Patriarchs have also been found in clay tablets from Nuzi and Mari.

Ø        The Hittites were once thought to be a Biblical legend, until their capital and records were discovered at Bogazkoy, Turkey.

Ø        Many thought the Biblical references to Solomon’s wealth were greatly exaggerated. Recovered records from the past show that wealth in antiquity was concentrated with the king and Solomon’s prosperity was entirely feasible.

Ø        It was once claimed there was no Assyrian king named Sargon as recorded in Isaiah 20:1, because this name was not known in any other record. Then, Sargon’s palace was discovered in Khorsabad, Iraq. The very event mentioned in Isaiah 20, his capture of Ashdod, was recorded on the palace walls. What is more, fragments of a stela memorializing the victory were found at Ashdod itself.

Ø        Another king who was in doubt was Belshazzar, king of Babylon, named in Daniel 5. The last king of Babylon was Nabonidus according to recorded history. Tablets were found showing that Belshazzar was Nabonidus’ son who served as coregent in Babylon. Thus, Belshazzar could offer to make Daniel “third highest ruler in the kingdom” (Dan. 5:16) for reading the handwriting on the wall, the highest available position. Here we see the “eye-witness” nature of the Biblical record, as is so often brought out by the discoveries of archaeology.

o       Source: http://www.christiananswers.net/q-abr/abr-a008.html

 

–T-Rex: A Vegetarian?

1. The roots of T-Rex teeth were only 2 inches deep. Had he bit into the hide of another dinosaur he would have lost teeth. Hides were thick and animals would struggle for their lives. A two inch root would pull out with little force.
2. They cut a tooth in half of an unearthed T-Rex and found it deeply impureated with CHLOROPHYLL! That’s right, Chlorophyll is the main substance found in PLANTS not meat!

By the way, this discovery validates the Bible once again! How so? See this passage…

Genesis 1:29-30, “Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.’ And it was so.”

Now before proclaiming you MUST eat meat because the proteins in meat will help you to gain weight, look around on planet earth for a moment. Look at all the HUGE animals like cows… horses… Hippos… Elephants… Rhinos… etc. What do THEY eat? That’s right. PLANTS!

 

–Giants of Biblical Proportion

            According to the Bible, there were once giants on the earth. Goliath, the most famous of the giants, was said to be over nine feet tall (1 Samuel 17:4).  Bones and skeletons have been found of these colossal humans. Some were called the Nephilim, Anakites, Emites, and Amorites. Goliath was a Philistine. (Numbers 13:28-33; Deuteronomy 1:28; 2:10; 9:2) Below is a photo of a man next to a 47 inch human femur. Similar finds have included entire skeletons, most too far decomposed to move. There are a number of skeletons, skulls, and footprints of giants as tall as 30 feet. They appear in almost every culture’s folklore and legend, most of them the “big bully” variety, and a hero dispatches almost all. Theories about the builders of pyramids, stone circles, and other monolithic examples of ancient construction find giants as a possible answer. Big blocks mean big builders.

 A few other minor points to ponder: If we evolved,…

• Why do still get so easily sunburned?
• Why can’t I go outside without a coat on in the middle of winter?
• Were did the gills go? I really could’ve used them when I almost drowned!
• Why lose the tail? I could really use it right now.
• Why can’t we stand being in extreme heat, extreme cold or underwater? If we evolved into a better life-form, we should’ve overcome these huge inconveniences to our everyday existence. To be truly above everything else and focussed on the survival of our species, we’d become a flying, asexual rock.

 ¹Woodmorappe, John, “The Essential Non-Existence of the Evolutionary Uniformitarian Geologic Column: A Quantitative Assessment,” Creation Research Society Quarterly, vol. 18, no.1 (Terre Haute, Indiana, June 1981),pp. 46-71
²Nilsson, N. Heribert, as quoted in Arthur C. Custance, The Earth Before Man, Part II, Doorway Papers, no. 20 (Ontario, Canada: Doorway Publications), p. 51
³Corner, E.J.H., Contemporary Botanical Thought, ed. A.M. MacLeod and L.S. Cobley (Chicago: Quadrangle Books, 1961), p. 97
⁴Barnes, Thomas, ICR Technical Monograph #4, Origin and Destiny of the Earth’s Magnetic Field (2^nd edition, 1983)
⁵Blick, Edward, A Scientific Analysis of Genesis (Oklahoma City: Hearthstone, 1991) p. 103
⁶Clark, M.E. and Voss, H.D., “Fluid Mechanic Examination of the Tial Mechanism for Producing Mega-Sedimantary Layering” (Third International Conference on Creation, Pittsburg, July 1994)
⁷Ager, Derek, The Nature of the Stratigraphical Record (New York: John Wiley and Sons) p. 43 and p. 86
⁸West, John Anthony, Serpent in the Sky: The High Wisdom of Ancient Egypt (New York: Julian Press, 1987) pp. 13-14
⁹ See Morris, Henry, Scientific Creationism(El Cajon, CA: Master Books)
¹⁰Gentry, Robert, Creation’s Tiny Mystery (Knoxville, Tenn.: Earth Science Assoc.,1988 )
¹¹Baugh, Carl, Why Do Men Believe Evolution AGAINST ALL ODDS? (Oklahoma City: Hearthstone, 1999)
¹²Cook, Melvin, “Where is The Earth’s Radiogenic Helium?” Nature, Vol. 179, p. 213
¹³Cowan, R., “Further Evidence of a Youthful Universe,” Science News, Vol. 148, p. 166
¹⁴Psalm 104:2; Isaiah 40:22
¹⁵Humphries, Russell, Starlight and Time (Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 1994)
¹⁶Denton, Michael, Evolution: A Theory in Crisis (Bethesda, Maryland: Adler & Adler, 1986) p. 263
¹⁷Mastropaolo, Joseph, “Evolution Is Biologically Impossible,” Impact # 317(El Cajon, CA: Institute For Creation Research,1999) p. 4
¹⁸Restak, Richard, The Brain: The Last Frontier, 1979, p. 390
¹⁹The Brain, Our Universe Within, PBS Video
²⁰Wonders of God’s Creation, Moody Video Series
²¹Weiss, Joseph, “Unconscious Mental Functioning,” Scientific American, March 1990, p. 103

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Numbers in the Bible- What do they mean?

With all the buzz about the “Mark of the Beast”, and his number, 666, many have been getting curious about numerology. Make no mistake, though. The Antichrist will not be so easy to find that we just count the letters in his name. We won’t go, “Oh, three names, six letters each. Must be the Antichrist!” Not so. The number 666 will most likely be the numerical value of the total of the Hebrew letters to his name, or his names’ meanings.

I’d like to take this opportunity to explain briefly the meaning and significance of certain numbers in Scripture. This isn’t the popular number crunching nonsense that says you can add up numbers and find your true love or your winning lottery ticket combo or your fortune. That type of belief is actually sin. But God has given a specific meaning to certain numbers, and used those numbers at precise times. God created the earth in six days and rested on the seventh. Many believe He was foreshadowing the world’s time-line. The Bible tells us that one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years as one day to the Lord. So the model of Creation is a prophecy toward the 6000 years, or 6 “days”, earth has, with the 7th “day”, or last 1000 years being the reign of Christ on earth. This is just a detail of one example of the use God has for numbers. Here, now, is a list of numbers, their significance, a few examples and other verses where they are used. There are MANY more than I have listed, but this is a good sample to give you the idea.

1= Primary number, signifying, absolute singleness.

    One God, One Creator, One Way (Jesus), “there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.” (1 Corinthians 8:5-7) “There is only One who is good.”(Matthew 19:17) “since there is only one God, who will justify…”(Romans 3:30) “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy…”(James 4:12)

The word “ONE” shows up 2207 times in the NIV Bible, 2369 in NASB, and 2304 in the NKJV Bible.

 

2= The number of witnesses and support. 

    Two angels at Sodom, 2 cherubim on the Ark of Covenant, 2 tablets for 10 commandments, 2 witnesses during tribulation, see Gen 1:16; 19:1; Exod 25:22; 31:18; Deut 17:6; Matt 26:60; Num 14:6; Josh 2:1; Eccl 4:9; Luke 10:1; 24:4; Acts 1:10; Heb 6:18; Rev 11:3

 

3= The number of unity, accomplishment and the universe.

     Noah’s 3 sons, Israel’s 3 yearly feasts, Jonah in the fish for 3 days, Christ dead for 3 days, 3 areas to the tabernacle (inner and outer court, Holy of Holies),

Gen 6:10; Josh 1:11; Exod 23:14, 17; Judges 7:22; Ezra 10:9; Neh 2:11; Esther 4:16; Jonah 1:17; Luke 13:7; 22:61; John 2:19; Acts 9:9; 10:13; 1 Cor 13:13; 1 John 5:7-8; Rev. 21:13;

 

4= An earth-related number.

     4 directions- north, south, east, west; 4 seasons- summer, winter, fall, spring; 4 gospels- Matthew, Mark, Luke, John; 4 earthly kingdoms (Dan7:3), 4 kinds of spiritual soil (Matt 13), 4 horsemen of the Tribulation (Rev 6)

 

5= The number of grace.

     Benjamin’s portion 5 times larger (Gen 43:34), 5 Levitical offerings (Lev 1-5), 5 Israelites to chase 100 enemies (Lev 26:8), David took 5 stones to slay Goliath (1 Samuel 17:40), 5 wise and 5 unwise virgins (Matt 25:2), 1 Kings 7:39, 49; 2 Kings 25:19; 1 Chron 2:4,6; Isaiah 19:18; Matt 14:13, 17, 19, 21; Matt 25:20; John 4:18;

 

6= The number of man.

     Six days of creation (Gen 1:31), Six cities of refuge (Numbers 35:6), Israel marched around Jericho 6 times (Josh6:3), Goliath 6 cubits tall (1 Sam 17:4), Nebuchadnezzar’s statue was 60 cubits by 6 cubits (Dan 3:1), The number of the Antichrist is 666 (Rev 13:18), Jeremiah 34:14; Ezekiel 4:11; 9:2; Matthew 17:1; 27:45; Luke 11:37-52; John 2:6; Acts 11:12; Rev 4:8

 

7= The number of God, of divine perfection.

      God rested on the 7^th day (Gen 2:2), God’s Word is as silver purified 7 times (Psalm 12:6), Jesus taught to forgive 70 times 7 (Matt 18:22),  Seven miracles in the Gospel of John, Seven branches on the candlesticks, John wrote to seven churches (Rev1:4), Dan 9:24;  Rev 1:12,16; 5:1; 8:2

 

8= The new beginning number.

      8 saved from the flood (Gen 7:13, 23), Circumcision on the 8^th day (Gen 17:12), Thomas saw Jesus 8 days after the resurrection (John 20:26), Judges 12:14; 1 Samuel 17:12; 2 Kings 22:1; 1 Chronicles 27:11; 2 Chronicles 21:5; Ezekiel 40:8-9, 31, 34, 37, 41; Luke 9:28;

 

9= means the fullness of blessing.

     The fruit of the Spirit is ninefold (Gal 5:22-23), Sarah was 90 at the birth of Isaac (Gen 17:17), and there are 18 [9×2]gifts of the Spirit (Rom 12:1; 1 Cor 12; Eph 4)

 

10= Human government number.

      10 commands given to men at Mt. Sinai (Exod 20), The revived Roman empire will have 10 nations (Dan 7:24; Rev 17:12), The northern kingdom had 10 tribes (1 Kings 11:31-35), the local government of 10 men decided Ruth’s fate (Ruth 4:2), Josh 15:57; 21:26; Judges 12:11; 17:10; Ruth 4:2; 1 Kings 6:23-26; 11:35; Job 19:3; Jeremiah 42:7; Daniel 1:12-15; Matthew 25:1; Luke 17:11-12; Rev 17:12

 

12= The divine government number.

      There were 12 tribes of Israel (Revelation 7), There were 12 apostles (Matthew 10), There will be 12 gates at New Jerusalem (Rev 21), Gen 25:16; 35:22; 49:28; Numbers 1:44; 7:84, 87; 2 Kings 21:1; Ezekiel 43:16; Luke 2:42;

 

30= Associated with sorrow and mourning.

       Israel mourned 30 days after Aaron’s death (Numbers 20:29), Israel mourned Moses 30 days (Deut 34:8), Prayer prohibited for 30 days (Daniel 6:7, 12), Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15; 27:3), Gen 41:46; Numbers 4; Judges 10:4; 12:9; 14:19; 1 Samuel 13:1; 2 Kings 18:14; Esther 4:11; Proverbs 22:20; Jeremiah 38:10; Zechariah 5:2; Luke 3:23; John 2:6

 

40= The number for testing and trial.

      It rained for 40 days and 40 nights during the Flood (Gen 7:4), Moses spent 40 years in the desert (Exodus 3), Israel spied out the land for 40 days (Numbers 13:25), Moses spent 40 days on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 24:18), Israel wandered the desert for 40 years (Numbers 14:33), Goliath taunted Israel for 40 days (1 Samuel 17:16), Jonah preached to Nineveh for 40 days (Jonah 3:4), Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the desert (Matthew 4:2), There were 40 days between the resurrection and the ascension of Christ (Acts 1:3), Genesis 25:20; 26:24; Exodus 16:25; Joshua 4:13; Judges 8:28; 1 Samuel 4:18; 1 Kings 11:42; 19:18; 2 Kings 8:9; 2 Chronicles 24:1; Psalm 95:10; Ezekiel 29:11-13; Acts 23:12-13, 21

 

50= Associated with celebration and ceremony.

      The Feast of Weeks was 50 days after Passover (Lev 23:15-16), The 50^th year was to be a jubilee for Israel (Lev 25:10), Absalom appointed 50 men to run before him(2 Sam 15:1), Pentecost occurred 50 days after Christ’s resurrection (Acts 2), Gen 7:24; Numbers 4; 8:25; 1 Kings 1:5; 18:4; 2 Kings 1:9-13; 2 Chron 3:9; Nehemiah 5:17; Luke 9:14-15; Acts 19:19

 

70= Associated with human committees and judgment.

      The Sanhedrin was made up of 70 men. Moses appointed 70 elders (Numbers 11:16), Tyre judged for 70 years (Isaiah 23:15), Israel spent 70 years in Babylon (Jeremiah 29:20), the desolation of Jerusalem would last 70 years (Daniel 9:2), Jesus appointed 70 disciples (Luke 10:1, 17), Numbers 11:16, 24-25; Deut 10:22; Judges 8:30; 9:5; 2 Kings 10:1; Ezekiel 8:11; Daniel 9:20, 24; Zechariah 1:2; 7:5; Matthew 18:22; Acts 23:23

The Mission- What will you do?

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Fruit of the Spirit- Part 9- SELF-CONTROL

SELF-CONTROL

 

 

 

 

-Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law.

 

The last mentioned of the Fruit of the Spirit, self control is the one most people would probably prefer to leave out. It can often be the hardest to practice, and it encompasses all the preceding Fruit of the Spirit. Perhaps that is why it was mentioned last; to leave it afresh in your mind. We know that a lack of SELF-CONTROL has a detrimental effect on us, but it also affects our relationships; those we come into contact with.

 

~Proverbs 25:28- Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.

 

Without self-control in our lives, we become vulnerable to all kinds of problems. Anything out of CONTROL in your life can harm others and cause damage in relationships. Including (but not limited to):

-Uncontrolled anger

-Uncontrolled lust

-Uncontrolled spending (The #1 cause for divorce is financial stress & money problems)

-Uncontrolled drinking

-Uncontrolled ambition (The workaholic who’s never at home with the family)

-Uncontrolled tongue

~How do we obtain self-control? Here are 9 key ways that will help in maintaining your self-control:

1) Master your moods– Keep you attitude in check, do what’s right even when you don’t feel like it; live by commitment, not by emotions

 

2) Watch your words–Put your mind in gear before you talk.

-Proverbs 13:3 He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.

 

3) Restrain your reaction– How much can you take before you lose your cool?

-Proverbs 19:11 A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.

 

4) Stick to the plan– If you don’t determine how your time is spent, others will; Remember though, we are to follow God’s will & His plan 1^st. Have control enough to be in it.

-Ephesians 5:15-17 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

 

5) Manage your money– learn to live on less than you make; invest the rest. The value of a budget is that it tells your money where you want it to go, instead of wondering where it went.

-Proverbs 21:20 In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has.

 

6) Maintain your health– (to the best of your ability) Thus, you can accomplish more & enjoy your achievements.

-Psalm 38:3 Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; my bones have no soundness because of my sin.

 

7) Avert your eyes– This one’s tough. You can’t control everything you see, but you can control how much you look at it

-Matthew 5:28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (I’m pretty sure the same standard applies to ladies looking at men; sorry, you’re not off the hook)

 

8.) Don’t allow anger to bring sin– like it plainly says in Ephesians 4:26, “In your anger do not sin” God let us know that we will get angry, but we must release the pressure before the top blows, no matter how we’ve been wronged.

-1 Thessalonians 5:15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.

 

9) Know when to “Cork the Bottle”– The Bible doesn’t specifically say that we can never drink, but it’s clear that we are not to get drunk.

-Ephesians 5:18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

 

~Now, where do you need self-control?

 Discipline today will help you determine success tomorrow. We must realize that we cannot accomplish this on our own, but we need Holy Help.

 

–2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

 

The key to self-control, is giving up control to God. With Him in the driver’s seat, you’re sure to get where you need to be. The more our progression, the further He’ll take us.

 

–Matthew 25:23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

 

 There is tremendous potential to be used in positive ways that honor Christ. In reality, we are still subject to sin and death. Although we are not totally evil ourselves, we are still susceptible to weakness & fleshy desires. Our body can be used for good if the flesh is not in control.

 

-Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship..

 

~How can we be living sacrifices?

 

-Self-discipline isn’t in our nature. Spirit-Control, not self-control, makes the difference. The Holy Spirit can control the things I can’t. Ask God to help you, through the Holy Spirit, to help you do right in His eyes.

 

-Philippians 2:13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

 

-Open the door to let the Holy Spirit fill you, and close the door of flesh to Satan by confessing sin & claiming Christ’s crucifixion.

 

-Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

 

-Renew your mind with God’s word

 

-Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

 

-Allow the Holy Spirit to help you master your emotions (with the fruit of the Spirit); Present yourself as an instrument of righteousness.

 

  -Romans 6:12-13 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.

 

  -Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, & strength.

 

 -Mark 12:30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

 

-The key to self-control is surrendering control. Surrender your control to God; allow Him to move in your life. Who better to run your life, than the One who made your life?

 

 

 

 

 

“Fruit of the Spirit- Self-Control” Bible Study prepared by Justin Lessard. Email: ferventservant1@hotmail.com

Web: https://justinlessard.wordpress.com & http://www.myspace.com/justinlessard

If you wish to use this study, all I ask is that you leave the credit info lines, including the name, email, & web address, above.

Fruit of the Spirit- Part 8- GENTLENESS

Gentleness

Galations 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such there is no law.

——-

Gentleness is described as: compassionate, delicate, sensitive, merciful.

Exhortations to be gentle-

~2 Timothy 2:24-26 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to every one, an apt teacher, forbearing, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant that they will repent and come to know the truth, and they may escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

~Titus 3:1-2 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for any honest work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all men.

~James 3:17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity.

~Acts 24:4 But‑‑not to be tedious‑‑I beg you, with your accustomed fairness, to listen to a brief statement of our case.

-Why do you think wisdom is 1^st pure, then peaceable, gentle,…(James 3:17)?

 

-Why might listening to the gospel be “tedious”?

 

–We are to be gentle toward unbelievers, not to force them into an uncomfortable obligation, not to be rude, or too forward, but with sensitivity of the Spirit, discern the need delicately, tactfully, and explain to them that Christ is the Answer.

~1 Thessalonians 2:6-8 …nor did we seek glory from men, whether from you or from others, though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse taking care of her children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

~2 Corinthians 10:1 I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ‑‑I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold to you when I am away!–

-Why is it important not to be self-seeking or a “glory-hound” in our evangelism?

-Why might Paul have been more timid in the presence of the Corinthians, and bold when away?

~Galations 6:1 Brothers, even if a man is caught in some fault, you who are spiritual must restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; looking to yourself so that you also aren’t tempted.

~1 Timothy 6:11 But you, man of God, flee these things, and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and gentleness.

-We are also to be gentle toward other believers, as well; our brothers and sisters in Christ. As such we are called to greater peace. (Hebrews12:14 Strive for peace with all men, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord; Romans 12: 18 If possible, so far as it depends upon you, live peaceably with all.) If an issue arises, talk about it, carefully, and not too hastily. We are permitted to anger, but it should be “known not shown”. ( Eph 4:26 Be angry but do not sin;..) If the issue is regarding them, how might Jesus Himself talk to the person, knowing the importance of the problem better than we would? (In short, W.W.J.D.?) If we shout “Repent or DIE!!” or “Stop screwing up all the time!”, we will get a poor response more often than not.

 

~Ecclesiastes 10:4 If the spirit of the ruler rises up against you, don’t leave your place; for gentleness lays great offenses to rest.

 

~1 Corinthians 4:20-21For the Kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?

 

-These verses show us that these are spiritual battles.

-What place should we not leave? (Eccl. 10:4)

-What power is there in the spirit of gentleness?

~James 3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his good conduct that his deeds are done in gentleness of wisdom.

 

~Philippians 4:5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

 

Gentleness of the Lord

~2 Samuel 22:36 You have also given me the shield of your salvation; Your gentleness has made me great.

 

~Psalm 18:35 You have also given me the shield of your salvation. Your right hand sustains me. Your gentleness has made me great.

 

~Isaiah 40:11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arms, he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.

 

-Is this verse literally talking about sheep? What does it mean by “carry them in his bosom”?

 

~Matthew 11:29-30 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

 

-What is an easy yolk to you?

 

-What can we learn from Christ about gentleness?

-How can gentleness give us rest?

-What can YOU be gentler with/ about?

 

“Fruit of the Spirit- Gentleness” Bible Study prepared by Justin Lessard. Email: ferventservant1@hotmail.com

Web: https://justinlessard.wordpress.com & http://www.myspace.com/justinlessard

If you wish to use this study, all I ask is that you leave the credit info lines, including the name, email, & web address, above.

 

 

Fruit of the Spirit- Part 7- Faithfulness

 

Faithfulness

-Galatians 5: 22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self‑control; against such there is no law.

-Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

– What do you hope for?

 

-James 1: 5-8 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

 

We see that the essential component of faith is trust. In order to have faith in God, you must first believe that He exists, and that He rewards you when you seek Him. (Heb. 11:6)

– Where do you think your faith would be if you trusted God completely in everything?

There are 3 main acts of faith in this passage from Luke 5:1-11:

      1One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, 2he saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

 4When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

 5Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

 6When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

 8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

   Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.” 11So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

 

-Luke 5: 1-7 -1^st act of faith in this passage- lowering the nets

-Luke 5: 8-10a -2^nd act of faith in this passage- bowing and confessing Jesus as Lord

-Luke 5: 10b-11 -3^rd act of faith in this passage- leaving everything to follow Him, at His Word.

That they would leave their entire lives, careers, families & possessions behind and follow this man would say that they completely dismissed any possibility of the great catch to be a coincidence. Jesus calls us, as He called the apostles then, to follow after Him, not just see a marvelous work and say, “Wow. That was neat.” He has called us into a lifestyle of keeping faith; we are called to faithfulness.

 

-2 Corinthians 5:7 We live by faith, not by sight.

 

– What things have you had to leave behind in order to walk by faith?

 

-Exodus 15: 22-24 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) 24 So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”

– When you face hardship, or painful experiences, how is your attitude toward God affected?

 

-Exodus 15: 25-26 Then Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.
      There the LORD made a decree and a law for them, and there he tested them. 26 He said, “If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.”

 

– What does it cost you to be faithful to the people you love and care for?

 -When is it most important to be there for them?

 

– Joshua 1: 1-9 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Great Sea ^[a] on the west. 5 No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

 6 “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

 

Moses is dead, and Joshua is now in charge of a wandering nation. Recall a task you took on that seemed to large to handle.

– How did you feel when you took that task on?

 

 

In verse 5, God promises Joshua, “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you”.

– How can it be a comfort just to have someone by your side during challenging times?

 

-Romans 10:17- Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.

 

So faith, then, comes from the word of Christ. Scriptural faith must be according to God’s Word. It is also a condition of the heart, not the mind; it is present, not future, and, if we look back to vs 10 of that chapter, “For man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved.” Thus, verbalizing our faith in Christ leads to justified salvation.

Even Jesus, faithful to the call of His mission, quoted scripture three times against Satan in the desert.

-Are you strengthened/ supported by scripture?

 

– 1 John 5:4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 

 

We know that one who is saved through faith is sanctified by the sacrifice of Christ’s blood, but what does it mean to “be sanctified”? “sanct-“ comes from the word saint, or holy one. “-ication” means ‘to make’. For example: purification= to make pure; clarification= to make clear; so sanctification means to make saintly, or more literally, to make holy. So, then, one of the outcomes of faith is holiness.

 

In verse 9 of Joshua 1 (above), God commands us to be strong and courageous.

– Why is this command necessary?

 

Simon could’ve said, ”You’re nuts! We won’t catch a thing.” Moses could’ve said, “A piece of wood? That can’t be right.” Joshua could’ve said, “This is too much. I can’t handle it.” They could have, but they didn’t. They were faithful to the call on their lives. In response, fish were caught, water was made pure, and a lost people were shown the way home. However, if they had said these things, they would have been right. Simon didn’t fill the nets, the Lord did. The wood didn’t purify the water, the Lord did. Joshua didn’t deliver the nation, the Lord did. And all that the Lord required was an act of faith.

 

– Habakkuk 2:4- … but the righteous will live by his faith

 

– Romans 14:23- But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

 

– 1 Corinthians 16:13- Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.

– What are some of the resources Christ has given you to live faithfully?

-What does Christ expect of you?

 

 

“Fruit of the Spirit- Goodness” Bible Study prepared by Justin Lessard. Email: ferventservant1@hotmail.com Web: https://justinlessard.wordpress.com & http://www.myspace.com/justinlessard

If you wish to use this study, all I ask is that you leave the credit info line, including the name, email, & web address, above.

 

Fruit of the Spirit- Part 6- GOODNESS

Goodness

Discussion-

– Do you consider yourself to be a pretty good person?

 

-Proverbs 14:14 A perverse man will be filled with the fruit of his ways, and a good man with the fruit of his deeds.

-What do you think you would be like if God withdrew goodness from you entirely?

 

 

-Psalm 107 can be divided into 5 illustrations of God’s goodness- verses 4-9, 10-16, 17-22, 23-32 & 33-43

 

 

Psalms 107

 1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
       his love endures forever.

 2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say this—
       those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,

 3 those he gathered from the lands,
       from east and west, from north and south.

 

-How do verses 1-3 intro the theme of this Psalm?

 

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Psalms 107

 4 Some wandered in desert wastelands,
       finding no way to a city where they could settle.

 5 They were hungry and thirsty,
       and their lives ebbed away.

 6 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
       and he delivered them from their distress.

 7 He led them by a straight way
       to a city where they could settle.

 8 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
       and his wonderful deeds for men,

 9 for he satisfies the thirsty
       and fills the hungry with good things.

-How is God’s kindness shown in this section of verses?

 

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Psalms 107

 10 Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom,
       prisoners suffering in iron chains,

 11 for they had rebelled against the words of God
       and despised the counsel of the Most High.

 12 So he subjected them to bitter labor;
       they stumbled, and there was no one to help.

 13 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
       and he saved them from their distress.

 14 He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom
       and broke away their chains.

 15 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
       and his wonderful deeds for men,

 16 for he breaks down gates of bronze
       and cuts through bars of iron.

-How is God’s kindness shown in this section of verses?

 

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Psalms 107

 17 Some became fools through their rebellious ways
       and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.

 18 They loathed all food
       and drew near the gates of death.

 19 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
       and he saved them from their distress.

 20 He sent forth his word and healed them;
       he rescued them from the grave.

 21 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
       and his wonderful deeds for men.

 22 Let them sacrifice thank offerings
       and tell of his works with songs of joy.

-How is God’s kindness shown in this section of verses?

 

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Psalms 107

 23 Others went out on the sea in ships;
       they were merchants on the mighty waters.

 24 They saw the works of the LORD,
       his wonderful deeds in the deep.

 25 For he spoke and stirred up a tempest
       that lifted high the waves.

 26 They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;
       in their peril their courage melted away.

 27 They reeled and staggered like drunken men;
       they were at their wits’ end.

 28 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
       and he brought them out of their distress.

 29 He stilled the storm to a whisper;
       the waves of the sea were hushed.

 30 They were glad when it grew calm,
       and he guided them to their desired haven.

 31 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
       and his wonderful deeds for men.

 32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people
       and praise him in the council of the elders.

-How is God’s kindness shown in this section of verses?

 

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Psalms 107

 33 He turned rivers into a desert,
       flowing springs into thirsty ground,

 34 and fruitful land into a salt waste,
       because of the wickedness of those who lived there.

 35 He turned the desert into pools of water
       and the parched ground into flowing springs;

 36 there he brought the hungry to live,
       and they founded a city where they could settle.

 37 They sowed fields and planted vineyards
       that yielded a fruitful harvest;

 38 he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased,
       and he did not let their herds diminish.

 39 Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled
       by oppression, calamity and sorrow;

 40 he who pours contempt on nobles
       made them wander in a trackless waste.

 41 But he lifted the needy out of their affliction
       and increased their families like flocks.

 42 The upright see and rejoice,
       but all the wicked shut their mouths.

 43 Whoever is wise, let him heed these things
       and consider the great love of the LORD.

-How is God’s kindness shown in this section of verses?

 

 

-What do these illustrations have in common?

-What needs do the people have in each of these sections?

vv. 4-9

10-16

17-22

23-32

33-43

-What needs do you most relate to?

 

-In each situation, the people call to God for help. Is this your first reaction to distress? If not, what is?

 

-Repeatedly, the psalmist tells us to thank the Lord. Why do we need this reminder?

 

-What are some ways we should give thanks to God for His goodness and love? (vs. 21-22 & 31-32)

 

-Verse 43 says to “heed these things”. What things are we to heed?

 

-How does seeing God answer people’s cries for help make the fruit of goodness more real to you?

 

-In what ways can we imitate the goodness of God displayed in this psalm?

 

Mark 10:17-18 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18″Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.

 

-If no one is good but God, how can we be called to be good?

 

 

Mark 10:27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

Micah 6: 8 He has showed you, O man, what is good.
       And what does the LORD require of you?
       To act justly and to love mercy
       and to walk humbly with your God.

Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Matthew 7:15-20 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

 

–Personal reflection– What kind of fruit are you bearing? What kind of seeds have you sown?

 

Luke 6:27-36 “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 30Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31Do to others as you would have them do to you.

32″If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. 33And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that. 34And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ lend to ‘sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full. 35But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

 

 

Here we have a lesson in how to be of good character. What are some of the more difficult commands from this passage to follow?

 

 

“Fruit of the Spirit- Goodness” Bible Study prepared by Justin Lessard. Email: ferventservant1@hotmail.com Web: https://justinlessard.wordpress.com & http://www.myspace.com/justinlessard

If you wish to use this study, all I ask is that you leave the credit info line, including the name, email, & web address, above.

 

Fruit of the Spirit- Part 5- KINDNESS

Kindness

 

Galatians 5:22-23- But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self‑control. Against such things there is no law.

      

Kindness is the language that the mute can speak and the deaf understand. Kindness lives in open hearts and opens hearts to live. It’s a message we can all comprehend; the message is timeless.

 

-1 Cor. 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

-Psalm 141:5 Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness; let him rebuke me—it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it. Yet my prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers

-Titus 3:3-6 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior,

 

-What is kindness? How would you define it?

 

 

 

-Why is it a kindness to “let a righteous man strike me”?

 

 

-Proverbs 12:25 An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.

-Proverbs 11:16-17 A kindhearted woman gains respect, but ruthless men gain only wealth. 17 A kind man benefits himself, but a cruel man brings trouble on himself.

-How does it benefit us to be kind?

-Proverbs 19:17 He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.

-Proverbs 14:31 He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.

This serves as a reminder that God is the Maker of all, including the needy, poor and oppressed.

-Ruth 2:19-20 (after Ruth had worked serving a kind Boaz) 19 Her mother-in-law asked her, “Where did you glean today? Where did you work? Blessed be the man who took notice of you!” Then Ruth told her mother-in-law about the one at whose place she had been working. “The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz,” she said. 20 “The LORD bless him!” Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. “He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead.” She added, “That man is our close relative; he is one of our kinsman-redeemers.”

 

-Is Ruth & Naomi’s response typical? Should it be?

 

 

-How might the Lord bless/reward us for obeying this command?

 

 

-Proverbs 14:21 He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy.

-Titus 2:1-5 You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. 2Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. 3Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

-Luke 6:35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

 

– What are some things we need to correct about ourselves to be kind?

 

 

-Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

-1Thessalonians 5:15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.

-Jeremiah 9:24 “but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the LORD.

 

-How can we boast in the Lord’s kindness?

 

 

-Isaiah 63:7 I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the LORD has done for us— yes, the many good things he has done for the house of Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses.

-Acts 14:17 Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”

-Genesis 39:20-21 Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.

 

-These are some specifics of God’s kind nature- What are some today?

 

 

-Isaiah54:8 (re: the future glory of Zion) In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,” says the LORD your Redeemer.

-Genesis 32:9-10 (note that God’s kindness isn’t failing, it is everlasting, even though we’ll never deserve it) Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O LORD, who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,’ 10 I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two groups.

-Ephesians 2:6-9 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast.

-Notice the similarities between 2 Samuel 22:50-51 & Psalm 18:49-50. Words worth repeating.

-2 Samuel 22:50-51 Therefore I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing praises to your name. 51 He gives his king great victories; he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever.”

-Psalm 18:49-50 Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O LORD; I will sing praises to your name. 50 He gives his king great victories; he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever.

 

-Psalm 106:7-8 When our fathers were in Egypt, they gave no thought to your miracles; they did not remember your many kindnesses, and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea. 8 Yet he saved them for his name’s sake, to make his mighty power known.

 

Though the kindness of God was forgotten/ ignored, He showed another kindness, by sparing them again and again in the desert place. When we are without kindness, we can be in a spiritual “desert place”, a dry place of emptiness.

 

– What is the difference between kindness and brotherly love?

 

 

 

– What are the similarities between kindness and brotherly love?

 

 

 

– What is the difference between kindness and mercy?

 

 

 

– What are the similarities between kindness and mercy?

 

 

 

-How can/ will YOU practice kindness?

 

 

 

“Fruit of the Spirit- Kindness” Bible Study prepared by Justin Lessard. Email: ferventservant1@hotmail.com Web: https://justinlessard.wordpress.com & http://www.myspace.com/justinlessard

If you wish to use this study, all I ask is that you leave the credit info line, including the name, email, & web address, above.

Fruit of the Spirit- Part 4- Patience

…Patience…

 

*Job 6:11 What strength do I have, that I should still hope? What prospects, that I should be patient?

*Proverbs 14:29 A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly.

*Proverbs 15:18 A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel.

Are you patient? Here’s one way of knowing: I believe it was Pastor John Hagee who said this of patience: “Do you find yourself in front of the microwave oven screaming, ‘Hurry up!’?”

 

*Romans 8: 24-25 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

 

-What things are we patient for?

 

-How can being patient seem different depending on the situation? For Ex: Lets say you had to wait a week sitting alone in a jail cell.  Seems like a LONG time. You also have a week before school starts after a great summer. Doesn’t seem like long enough. So how can patience be compared to the situations?

 

*Proverbs 16:32 Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.

*Proverbs 19:11 A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.

*Proverbs 25:15 Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.

 

-What does that mean to you, when he says, “a gentle tongue can break a bone”?

 

*Psalm 37:7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

*Psalm 40:1  I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.

*Habakkuk 3:16 heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us.

*Romans 12:10-12 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

 

-Contrast the difference between momentary and long-term patience. i.e.: waiting for popcorn vs. waiting for the right spouse.

 

*Ephesians 4:2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

*Colossians 3:12-13 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

* 1 Thessalonians 5:14 And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.

* 2Timothy 4: 2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.

 

-Who should we be patient with? Why do we need patience in preaching the Word?

 

 

*Romans 9:22-25 What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? 23What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory— 24even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? 25As he says in Hosea:
   “I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people; and I will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved one,”

 

-Answer the questions asked in the verses in your own words.

 

 

* 1Timothy 1:15-16 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.

* 2Peter 3: 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

* 2Peter 3:15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.

 

– What is the ultimate source of patience?

 

 

* 2Timothy 3:10 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance,

*Hebrews 6: 12-15  We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. 13When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, 14saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” 15And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.

*James 5:7-11 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. 8You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. 9Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! 10Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

 

-Why is it important to have patience during times of suffering?

 

*Revelation 3:10 10Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.

*Revelation 14:11-12 And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name.” 12This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.

 

-What promises might we inherit with patience? What will we avoid with patience?

-What will YOU practice patience with?

“Fruit of the Spirit- Patience” Bible Study prepared by Justin Lessard. Email: ferventservant1@hotmail.com Web: https://justinlessard.wordpress.com & http://www.myspace.com/justinlessard

If you wish to use this study, all I ask is that you leave the credit info line, including the name, email, & web address, above.

 

Fruit of the Spirit- Part 3- PEACE

Peace

 

-Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self‑control; against such there is no law.

 

-Ephesians 6:13 Therefore, put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. 14Stand therefore, having the utility belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. 17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

 

Peace is not only a fruit of the Spirit, but an important part of the armor of God.

–What’s up with God and all this talk of peace; why not just let us fight it out?

 

-Romans 5:1 Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;

 

-Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be on his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

 

-John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful.

 

Peace I leave with you; as my parting gift. The allusion is to the Hebrew form of benediction, which is, “Peace be with you.” My peace; that which resembles his own, and which he alone can give: “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding.”

 

 -John 16:33 I have told you these things, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have oppression; but cheer up! I have overcome the world.

 

–Did Jesus leave in a peaceful way, or a violent way?

–Why did He experience such pain, while giving us complete peace; don’t we deserve even a  little punishment for our sin? 

 

-Psalm 85:10-11 Mercy and faith have come together; righteousness and peace have given one another a kiss. Faith comes up from the earth like a plant; righteousness is looking down from heaven.

 

 -Ecclesiastes 11:10 Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity

 

-What things will accompany peace? Or… What things will peace accompany?

 

                                                                                                               

 

 

 

-Romans 12:18 If it is possible, as far as rests with you, live peaceably with every one.

 

-2 Corinthians 13:11 Finally, brothers  rejoice. Be perfected, be comforted, be of the same mind, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.

 

-1 Corinthians 14:33  For God is not a God of confusion, but of peace. As in all the assemblies of the saints…

 

-Who is the job of spreading peace left to?

 

-Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.

 

-Phil. 4:6-7 In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 7The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.

 

-Isaiah 11:6-9 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. 7The cow and the bear shall feed; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8The sucking child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. 9They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.

 

 My holy mountain; mount Zion, which here represents the kingdom of Christ.

 The gospel has power to subdue the fiercest hearts, and tame the most savage.  When all nations submit themselves to the power of God’s peace, violence will cease, and humanity will live together in harmony and blessedness.

-In what ways do you think the peace of Christ will work its way into humanity?

 

– Ephesians 2:14-16 For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of partition,

 15 having abolished in the flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man of the two, making peace;

 16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, having killed the hostility thereby.

 

– 1 Thess. 5:12-14 But we beg you, brothers to know those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, 13 and to respect and honor them in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves.  14 We exhort you, brothers, admonish the disorderly, encourage the fainthearted, support the weak, be patient toward all.

 

-What good is our example of Christ’s peace if we ourselves are not living in peace?

 

-How can we conduct ourselves better to show the world that the peace of Christ is in us?

 

 

 

  *VARIOUS TRANSLATIONS

“Fruit of the Spirit- Peace” Bible Study prepared by Justin Lessard. Email: ferventservant1@hotmail.com Web: https://justinlessard.wordpress.com & http://www.myspace.com/justinlessard

If you wish to use this study, all I ask is that you leave the credit info line, including the name, email, & web address, above.

 

 

Fruit of the Spirit- Part 2- JOY

Joy

*Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

*Romans 14:17 “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

 

-Joy is defined as “A very glad Feeling; happiness; delight”

 

*Joel 1:12 “The vine is dried up
       and the fig tree is withered;
       the pomegranate, the palm and the apple tree—
       all the trees of the field—are dried up.
       Surely the joy of mankind
       is withered away..”

*Matthew 13:20-21 “The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.”

*Lamentations 5:15-16 “Joy is gone from our hearts;
       our dancing has turned to mourning.

 16 The crown has fallen from our head.
       Woe to us, for we have sinned!”

 

–What are some of the ways we can acquire an absence of joy?

 

*Nehemiah 8:10 “…This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

*Psalm 116:3-5 “The cords of death entangle me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the Lord: ‘O Lord, save me!’ The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.”

–What happens to our trouble when we call on the Lord?

 

*Psalm 6:6-9 “I am worn out from groaning;
       all night long I flood my bed with weeping
       and drench my couch with tears.

 7 My eyes grow weak with sorrow;
       they fail because of all my foes.

 8 Away from me, all you who do evil,
       for the LORD has heard my weeping.

 9 The LORD has heard my cry for mercy;
       the LORD accepts my prayer.”

 

 

-What are some effects that lack of joy has on us?

 

*Isaiah 60:20 “Your sun will never set again,
       and your moon will wane no more;
       the LORD will be your everlasting light,
       and your days of sorrow will end.”

 

 

*Jeremiah 31:12 “They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion;
       they will rejoice in the bounty of the LORD—
       the grain, the new wine and the oil,
       the young of the flocks and herds.
       They will be like a well-watered garden,
       and they will sorrow no more.”

-What happens when we give the Lord control, and He takes over?

 

 

*2 Corinthians 7:7-10 “and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever.

 8Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— 9yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

 

–When does God want us to have sorrow?

 

-What is the difference between godly and worldly sorrow?

 

 

*Luke 10:21 “At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, ‘I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.’”

*John 3:29 “The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.”

*3 John 3-4 “It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth. 4I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

*Acts 14:17 “Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”

-Where does joy come from?

 

*1 Thessalonians 1:6 “You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.”

*1 Peter 1:8-9 “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

*John 15:9-11 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

-How do we acquire this joy from the Lord?

 

 

*Habakkuk 3:17-18 “Though the fig tree does not bud
       and there are no grapes on the vines,
       though the olive crop fails
       and the fields produce no food,
       though there are no sheep in the pen
       and no cattle in the stalls,

    18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
       I will be joyful in God my Savior.”

–Can we have joy in the midst of our drama?

 

 

*Luke 1:14 “He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth”

*Luke 6:23 “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.”

–How should we react to joy/ What do we do with it?

 

-What do you have joy in?

 

-Testimony time!!! Tell of a sorrowful, sad or depressing time that was washed away by the joy of the Lord.

“Fruit of the Spirit- Joy” Bible Study prepared by Justin Lessard. Email: ferventservant1@hotmail.com Web: https://justinlessard.wordpress.com & http://www.myspace.com/justinlessard

 

 

If you wish to use this study, all I ask is that you leave the credit info line, including the name, email, & web address, above.

Fruit of the Spirit- Part 1- LOVE

Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

Read:

-1 Corinthians 13:4-8

-1 John 4:11

-1 John 3:18

-What are some examples of how we can love one another with action and in truth?

 

Read:

-1 John 4:16-19

-Do we deserve God’s love?

-Why do think He still loves us?

 

Read:

-John 3:16

-Psalm 145:20

God loves us. We love God. God loves others. We love others. All is well in this big circle of love.

-What does it mean to have God watch over us?

 

Read:

-Mark 12 :28-34

-Deuteronomy 6:5-6

–Why do you think this commandment is greater than “Thou shalt not steal” or “…kill”

 

-How can this verse (Mk.12:31) relate to 1 Peter 4:8 (Love covers a multitude of sins)?

 

–Let us compare for discussion-

   -How is physical love (from “sex” to “significant others” love) different from spiritual love (brotherly/sisterly; as Christ loved; as God loved)?

-How can we obtain stronger ability to love others as Christ loves?

 

Read:

-Luke 23:32-43

 (After reading) His love was patient, kind, not envious, boastful, or proud. He was not rude and certainly not self-seeking; nor was He angered and He kept no record of wrongs; He, in fact, erased them. Christ did not delight in evil, yet He rejoiced in truth. He protects us; He’s trustworthy, He is our hope and He perseveres. Jesus Christ never fails.

 

-1 Cor. 13:13 Says, “These three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

-Why is love greater than hope or faith?

 

Read:

-1 Thess. 4:9

-Jn 13:35

-1 Jn 2:10

-1 Jn 4:7-8

 

–The Lord brings us together, makes us into a family, teaching us to love our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are His Church. Yet, we are all different in countless ways. We are rich, poor, man, woman, some are leaders, some are followers, each according to the talents and guidance given to us by God through the Holy Spirit, as well as the needs of the community. In many ways, we are more different than alike, l yet God’s love knows no boundaries. We are family.

At times, we can get caught up with others’ doings and feelings. The only way to love one another wholly is to keep our eyes focused on the One who loves all, unconditionally; regardless of race, color, creed, ethnicity, history, physical condition, offences, opinions, attitudes, wrongs,…etc. God loves. God is love. To love like God is to be more like Christ.

 

“Fruit of the Spirit- Love” Bible Study prepared by Justin Lessard. Email: ferventservant1@hotmail.com Web: https://justinlessard.wordpress.com & http://www.myspace.com/justinlessard

 

 

If you wish to use this study, all I ask is that you leave the credit info line, including the name, email, & web address, above.