Alex Salmond

The former Scottish first minister has been accused of sexual harassment by a Scottish government staff member. The claims may be true, or they may not be.

Now, I am most certainly no fan of Mr Salmond or the SNP, an ungodly man and political party, however, from what I have read so far there are no witnesses, so it is this woman's word against Mr Salmond. What does God's word say about all this? (not that the SNP or any court in the land now seem to care about it!).

One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses shall a matter be established. Deut. 19.15.

Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses. 1 Tim. 5.19.

Can we not see the wisdom in these God breathed words? I realize that Mr Salmond is not a believer, and will hardly be calling on God's Word, but people in high positions shouldn't put themselves in potentially compromising positions, especially in this day and age.

Job, a book of poetry?

Whenever people (believers as well, sadly) speak of any portion of Scripture as being poetical, you know that it is a prelude to the dumbing-down of God's written word. We read into Scripture this poetical notion because of our 'teachers', and it becomes very hard to shake-off deeply entrenched beliefs. Take for example Job 38.7; "When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?" what does this mean? Do stars sing? apparently so-the world is absolutely cluttered with popular (pop) music 'stars', we all know this! To someone (even highly 'educated') that has a low view of the Bible, it is not too difficult to see why they attribute the verse under discussion to be poetical, for obviously they have never studied it. But who exactly are the morning stars? we know that Ps. 19. 1-4 speaks of the heavens as having a voice, and as the stars are high in the heavens, then how natural it is to ascribe this voice to them!
As believers we should ever be on our guard before dismissing Bible verses as poetry, for these verses are inspired by God's Holy Spirit Himself! Should we not therefore tremble at the thought of ascribing a poet's imagination to His word? We should remember that as well as the 42 chapters in the book of Job which give much information on the creation, and God's almighty power, God's Book confirms the veracity of the life of this saint and his conversation with the Almighty; Ez. 14. 14-20, and Jam. 5.11. In the Ezekiel Scriptures, Job is twice named alongside Noah and Daniel, and James speaks of the patience of Job, and in the context it is abundantly clear that James was very familiar with the sublime teachings contained within this awesome book.

When people (believers and unbelievers alike) talk of heaven, they know intuitively that heaven is an eternal state, that it is outside of the mortal realm in which we currently exist; in an ethereal parallel existence. They also know that heaven is very high above us, that it cannot be penetrated as the tower builders in Genesis 11 found out, and indeed our modern day space explorers are also finding out! Indeed, there is no new thing under the sun, Ecc. 1.9! The methods are different, but the results are the same.

The Lord Jesus is known as "the bright morning star" Rev.22.16, does He speak? what of the Adversary, Lucifer the day star, Is. 14.12, who is the heavenly musician of  Ez. 28.13? stars then, are not inanimate objects; Scripture should ever interpret Scripture! I might be able to make the case for the morning stars being the elect in Christ chosen in eternity past, this would fit in with my supralapsarian theology. But, it is said that the morning stars sang together at the time when God "laid the foundations of the earth" Job 38.4, and we would be 'baffled' as to how they can possibly be in song at the same time as the sons of God (the angelic host) are shouting for joy before they have died and been resurrected in Christ. But, remember, heaven is eternity (where the holy angels are, for they are currently immortal) it is outside of time: When we are looking at the starry host on a cloudless night, it may be that we are looking at Christ's elect, even possibly seeing ourselves! Sounds barmy? well consider that evolutionary (and 'Christian') scientists would have us believe that when we look at the stars, we are not seeing them real time, but as they were aeons ago! in fact they tell us they might have extinguished long ago, because of the time light takes to travel! Scripture delineates the seed of  Abraham as the stars of heaven, Gen. 22.17! (is there not more to this verse, than just comparison?) One thing I do know is that the stars are not gigantic balls of burning gas, or whatever, millions or billions of light years away from us, as our heliocentric inspired evolutionary scientists would have us believe! No, they are intimately close to us, we have a relationship to them that we presently do not fully understand, though study we must, and from whence do we learn? There is only one Book!

If we believe that the Bible is truth, the inspired word of God (in the original tongues), then we know that angels and men had much interaction together in the OT and NT alike, and for the last near two millennia we haven't seen or heard of angels, unless of course we believe the 'experiences' of persons that have had so-called angelic encounters. I dismiss all of these claims, for the vast majority of it contradicts what is plainly taught in Scripture. Besides which, why would we need extra biblical revelation? what need is there for angels to reveal themselves to us in the present day? we have all we need pertaining to godliness and salvation; Hebrews 1.2 tells us that God hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, and we have the Revelation which reveals precisely how the end of the age, the broad panorama thereof, will terminate. Granted, though I say precisely, that doesn't mean we understand everything! there is much we can be dogmatic about, and much we can't be, though this ultimate book of the Book confers a blessing to those that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein Rev. 1.3 (my emphasis). In the last chapter there is a severe warning to those who would add unto these things or take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, Rev. 22.18-19.

The sons of God in Job 1.6 & 2.1, the angels that is, came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. Theologians are in general agreement that the sons of God in Job 1.6 & 2.1 are the sons of God who shouted for joy in Job 38.7, but if  they are also the morning stars in the self same verse, why the distinction? Does Genesis 32.1 throw any light on this difficulty? here we read of Mahanaim (two hosts, RV margin) where the angels of God met him, why was the place called such by the Patriarch? was it because the heavenly host met the earthly host from whom the seed would arise from the woman, Gen. 3.15?

A work in progress....

Colossians 3. 1-3. A few thoughts.

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

To fully set one's affection (mind RV) on things above can only be possible if one is truly born again of the Holy Spirit, for how could it be otherwise? James says there is such a thing as a double minded man who is unstable in all this ways (Jam. 1.8) such an one could never fully set his mind on seeking the kingdom of God, he would be like Lot's wife, looking back at the things which are seen (2 Cor. 4.18) for of these, the apostle goes on to say for the things which are  seen are temporal; but the things that are not seen are eternal. It can only take the eye of faith to believe this, for the earth is tangible and has a sense of permanence about it; the vast majority of 'educated' people think it to be billions of years old! Hebrews 11.1 says Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. But, what are the things not seen? well, for one thing, we cannot see them, this is why we need faith which is the gift of God, Eph. 2.8, for all men have not faith, 2 Thess. 3.2. The true believer is dead with Christ, Col. 2.20, he knows that Christ died for him, his affections are on things above, the apostle described these things in an ethereal way that we can only apprehend through faith; Eye hath not see, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. 1 Cor. 2.9. Paul was caught up to the third heaven...caught up into paradise (2.Cor. 12.2-4) where he heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter, yet how often do we hear of professing Christians who 'have' been to heaven and back and written of what they have seen and heard? Rom. 8.4 informs us that we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? Those who make such claims then have nothing to hope for, do they? for they claim to have already seen Him! what then of that blessed hope Titus 2.13? its future tense loses all meaning!

The fashion of this world passeth away 1 Cor 7.31, 1 John 2.17, and of the earth it is written that the works that are therein shall be burned up. 2 Pet. 3.10. The believer should not put his hope in this present world, he should lay up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. Matt. 6.20. The world will set us off course if we cling to it, for whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Jam. 4.4.

Fearfully and wonderfully made?

I don't know about you,but when I ponder upon Psalm 139.14 which reads;

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; And that my soul knoweth right well.

I look upon my frame (weak as it is!) but nevertheless consider how marvelous I am! The Bible says that I am created in the image of God Gen.1.27, that settles the matter! I marvel at the things that I do, insignificant that many think them to be, how fragile my body is, yet contrariwise is strong, I cut and bruise, yet surely mend, I eat and digest, plan and execute, talk, see, hear, think, smell, hurt, love, feel, laugh, cry, walk, run, and many other things beside. All these functions are considered by the masses to be ordinary; talk about taking things for granted! what an ungrateful bunch we all are? why is this? The Psalmist considered his frame, he knew the truth; the feeling expressed in his words is no shallow sentiment, they should sink deep down into our innermost being! Yet, sadly, many will dismiss all of this and believe that we are not created, that there is no God, that our very existence is but a cosmic accident! How can all this be? yet it is so. There is a natural enmity against the Creator, without the miraculous agency of His Holy Spirit none could be born again, and yet the Bible says, For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse. Rom. 1.20, the RV renders understood as perceived. Is this not true? I remember in my unregenerate days always feeling guilty when doing wrong, my conscience always 'told' me! I couldn't figure this conscience of mine out, why it was there. I always felt like I was being watched, (how true!) But as time went on it spoke less and less to me, I hardened my heart, you might say, I seared my conscience as the apostle says elsewhere, and by God's grace alone many years later, I heard His voice! I knew that I had offended my maker.

Adam was the first man, since he was made I don't know how many souls have been born, still born, miscarried, aborted, died in infancy, through accident, murdered, lived to a ripe old age, or whatever, but what I do know is that God, when He made Adam, he was a perfect microcosm for what became the macrocosm, for if God knows the number of the hairs on our head, how could it be otherwise? We are all numbered, there is a book of life with names in it, only God knows the number of names, and the identities thereof. It is only when a man studies God's word does he realise just how great He is, and if Christ doesn't increase in us with every passing day, examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith. 2 Cor. 13.5.

As fearfully and wonderfully made we now are, the words "you ain't seen nothing yet!" came to my mind, for the Saviour said in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. Matt. 22.30! Can you imagine this? really we can't, it is too high, for the apostle said, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. 1 Cor. 2.9!

Does time fly?

How often do we hear of this! as a youngster I would often hear my mother saying "Goodness, doesn't time fly, I don't know where it has gone, it must have wings!"

Obviously time does 'fly', for the Scripture says so; For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. James 4.14 (emphasis mine). We can apply this verse to Methuselah and the death of an infant alike. What is time compared to eternity? it is like comparing the finite with the infinite, as Isaiah said Behold the nations are as a drop of a bucket Isa. 40.15, a single drip of water then is how big all the nations are compared to the Almighty! When we talk of time "flying" we mean that it travels very fast, as Daniel said of the archangel Gabriel, being caused to fly swiftly Dan. 9.21. "flying" therefore, is a metaphor for the passage of time.
The fashion of this world passeth away 1 Cor. 7.31, And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever 1 John 2.17.

Time would appear to be an 'accident'; for it is but a parenthesis in God's great scheme of the ages, it came to be through the sin of our first parents, effected by the great adversary himself, Satan. If Satan didn't rebel, who would have caused Adam and Eve to sin? What of Redemption; the true apprehension that we are not automatons? (do we understand this?) Could time have any meaning in eternity? When God said thou shalt surely die to our first parents if they were to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, He said your eyes shall be opened. When they took of the fruit at that precise juncture the time clock did start ticking, that is the curse of death entered the scene for death reigned by one, Rom. 5.17, Satan caused the first Adam to sin, the last Adam redeems His own from his grasp, for He was made a quickening Spirit, 1 Cor.15.45.

Time will end shortly after Satan is loosed for a little time, Rev. 20.3. This will be at the end of Christ's soon coming thousand year reign when the thousand year sabbath rest will end, bringing in eternity.
Is it not without significance that some near six thousand years have elapsed since the creation; and as the Bible says one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day, 2 Pet.3.8, therefore, can we not deduce that six days have now very nearly run their course? God explicitly said that every seventh day was a day of rest, and so was every seventh year (Exod. 20.10-11, Lev. 25.4. By analogy, the doctrine of the thousand years  of Rev. 20 will also be a sabbath day.

It is hard for the finite mind to understand the infinite, but what I do know is that the more time (a precious commodity!) we spend in His written word, the more tangible eternity becomes. The day is soon coming when this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 1 Cor 15.54. This victory is only ours through the crucified Saviour, for the Scripture says thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Cor. 15.57.

Spiritism 1 Timothy 4.1.

When God, the true Spirit of the universe is ejected from the house of man's soul, other spirits from Satan will come to occupy the empty house. Paul says, as some depart from the faith they will give attention to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.

Pay due diligence to this verse: can we not see that the seducing spirits and doctrines of demons (RV margin) are not ethereal, but are actual words, yes only words? What are doctrines but words? And is not the spirit behind them nothing but a lie? originating from the father of lies, what is an evil spirit but anything that is contrary to the truth? The seducing spirit is in the lie, the spirit is nothing of itself if you get my gist! Just as the idol is nothing 1 Cor. 8:4. What is said in 1.Tim. 4.1 is in fact the very same spirit and teaching that Satan uttered in the garden when he said to Eve; hath God said? There are believers who attribute acts of wickedness to literal demon possession, they never credit the spirit of the spoken word; the suggestions therefrom that the perpetrators of such acts have listened to, as being the cause of evil doing. I remember as a young man, when in bad company (as I was a lot of the time!), being egged on to do things that I wouldn't otherwise have done. As the apostle said; Be not deceived: Evil company doth corrupt good manners 1 Cor. 15.33 RV.

When a man is not a true believer, he is open to all suggestions, he is but an empty house, Matt. 12.44*, without the restraint of God's Holy Spirit, who knows to what depths he will plunge? The name escapes me, I think it to be either Evelyn Waugh or his son, but the quote goes something like this,
"If anyone could see into my mind at any time they would see nothing but a cesspit of moral depravity, the  worst imaginations that a man can think!"
As the laws, not just here in the UK, but practically everywhere, have become increasingly anti-Christian, objective truth exists no more. We have now entered a post-truth age, where one doesn't care that truth exists, or what it is, especially if it doesn't agree with one's preferences. But the important fact is, is that Truth does exist, for the Incarnate Deity said I am the way, the truth, and the life (John 14.6). Unbelievers foolishly think that denying the truth as it is in Christ, will somehow make it go away. Truth determines the validity of one's belief, believing a lie, doesn't make it true, and conversely, failing to believe the truth doesn't make it a lie. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is true because Jesus Christ is true, not just because Christians believe in Him. His resurrection proved the veracity of His claims and underpins the objective basis of our faith as declared by Rom. 1.4 & 1 Pet. 1.3.
The true believer, then puts his entire hope in Christ, for religion apart from Christ is merely a satanic counterfeit of the truth. All false religions at their heart teach that man can be reconciled to God by many and various methods, such as meditating, good-deeds, philanthropy and such like. Remember, it is possible to be worshipping a false Christ Matt. 24.24, but thanks be to God for election, for He said these false Christs will not deceive the very elect. The Apostolic admonition is to make your calling and election sure 2 Pet. 2.10. The Truth will not go away! the Truth is coming back! yes He is Coming back, in judgment as King. But, now is the day of salvation 2. cor 6.2. We come to God the Father through the cross of Christ by confessing that we are sinners and repenting of our sins, and believing that He has died for us on His blood soaked cross. My sheep hear my voice, they will not listen to another spirit, they will only believe that it is the Lord Jesus who is the way, the truth, and the life, granted, we stumble, fall and make many mistakes (Jam. 3.2, 1 John 1.8), but, of His sheep, He said no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand John 10.29.

It would appear when Paul said in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, that it is possible to lose one's salvation, but it is clear he is talking about false professors such as Demas, who hath forsaken me, having loved this present world. 2 Tim. 4.10. When we survey the religious scene in our present day, you don't have to do too much searching to see the spirit of Demas is alive and well today within apostate Christianity.

Needless to say, the study of angels and demons, the unseen spirit world is no easy work, demon possession was rife in the Gospel/Apostolic age as the Bible clearly reveals. However, many errantly think that demons existed in the OT dispensation. The word translated as "demons" does not refer to anything what moderns think of as demons, it is but a pejorative term to refer to the idols of Baal worship that are no gods at all, they were he-goats (Lev. 17.7) that they sacrificed unto demons which were no God. Deut. 32.17 RV.




*Reading the context of this verse, it would seem as its parallel account in Luke 11.24-26 clearly avers, that the unclean spirit must be a fallen angel (demon) that entered in and out of men at will, for words can't speak! (a contradiction in terms!) but they do speak, however in the verses under consideration, the Saviour must be teaching the fact of demons entering in and out of men and women that God had allowed them to do so, at that time. But, we must remember that when the miraculous gifts ceased, likewise the need for them to be utilized would have also ceased.

His work, His strange work...

Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously? Jeremiah 12:1.

The prophet asks a very pertinent question! it was true back then as it is today, truly there is no new thing under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1.9. But, God has a plan! Isaiah gives us great insight into it;

For the LORD shall rise up as in mount Perazim, He shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that He may do His work, His strange work, and bring to pass His act, His strange act. Isaiah 28:21.

Many think the wicked to be having a "whale of a time" as it were, that there is no judgment, and that all will be well in the end. Even many professing Christians in our day are no doubt irked about the fact that the wicked are 'progressing' in this age and that everything is going contrary to how they think it should be. They know that the powers that be (Romans 13.1) are passing increasingly ungodly laws, and cannot make sense of these things.
But these things pose no problem to the pre-millennial believer, for he knows that Antichrist must come first, then the Lord Jesus shall slay him with the breath of His mouth, " 2 Thessalonians 2.8.

The way of the wicked has to prosper in order for the Antichrist to come to power!

Increasingly in our day the Gospel message is being met with greater hostility than ever before, people have so much, and a great many 'pleasurable' activities to smother the sound thereof. As was the case with Pharaoh (a forerunner of the Antichrist), when he saw there was respite, he hardened his heart (Exodus 8.21); is it not true that there is MUCH more than a temporary respite if one responds to the Gospel call? It is true that God first hardened Pharaoh's heart (Exodus 7.13), but why did He do this? Well, even a simpleton like me can see that if He had softened Pharaoh's heart, then whence cometh the great deliverance with a stretched out arm? For God had previously said I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments (Exodus 6.6)!
God raised up Pharaoh up solely to bring to pass His act, His strange act, Romans 9.17 (RV) says of Pharaoh; for this very purpose did I raise thee up, that I might shew in thee my power, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. And then the apostle continues with his treatise on election.

Of the Assyrian (another forerunner of the coming Antichrist) God used him as the rod of mine anger, and though he performed his own 'freewill', it was being used to fulfill God's purposes! For God declares; Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so. Isaiah 10. 5-7. Likewise with Nebuchadnezzar that other great despot, who accredited his greatness to the might of his power (Daniel 4.30), after his subsequent humiliation he "sang a totally different tune", for he said all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay His hand, or say unto Him, what doest thou? Daniel 4.35.

The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever He will. Proverbs 21.1. If the kings heart is in the hand of the LORD, how much more his subjects?
THINK on these things!

B.W. Newton the learned 19th century Bible expositor paraphrased much of what I have written above when he discovered pre-millennial truth, in the following succinct words:

"The moment I saw the awful future and viewed the now approaching close of our Dispensation in the light of God's Word, I saw the fearfulness of my error. The Bible became like a new book to me. I saw that Evil was advancing - not Good."

p. 498  BABYLON & EGYPT THEIR FUTURE HISTORY AND DOOM

B.W. NEWTON.

Lordship Salvation, what is it?

This is a subject that gets many a believer hot under the collar, there are those who would own Jesus as Saviour but not as Lord. The root of this controversy is borne out of Dispensationalism, which is another gospel. We may call this 'gospel' Dispensational Antinomianism which declares that a person may have Christ Christ as Saviour but refuse to accept him as Lord of one's life. This battle is known as the 'Lordship Salvation' controversy.

How did it originate?

To cut a very, very long story short; along came J.N. Darby who was influenced by (shall we say through an ambiguous source) a novel doctrine circa 1830 that the church would not go through the coming great tribulation, that is she would be raptured some seven years before the Lord's Second Advent. Darby travelled widely to promulgate this new doctrine, and it spread literally like wildfire throughout conservative evangelical churches in the USA and beyond with no little help from the Scofield Reference Bible which had marginal notes next to the relevant verses regarding the new rapture theory.
At the core of the new teaching was that the Lord's warnings in Matt. 24 were not for the believing NT church , but only to unbelieving Israel! The Dispensationalists taught that the gospel of the kingdom was for Israel and the gospel of Christ was for the church, (in effect two gospels!), Israel were saved by keeping the law, the church by grace! Salvation was always by God's grace alone, God first saved His people out of Egypt and afterwards gave them the law (613 commandments, of which Ten are eternal). This nefarious teaching drove a wedge right through the gospel separating the law from grace, whereas the two are one component whole, they cannot be separated: For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.  Ever remember, Who gave the law to Moses! I and my Father are one. John 10.30. Jesus is not some new 'improved' God that is different to the OT God, which was the Marcionite heresy. As a 'young' believer, I recollect many times hearing the mantra "We are not under law, we are under grace!" and for a while I was very comfortable with this strange notion. The 'fact' that you can be saved for eternity under your own terms without any obligation to be obedient to God slowly but surely began to trouble me. Why did God say to Adam thou shalt not eat of it, if he wasn't under God's law? Certain verses began to speak loudly to me, such as Matt. 7. 21, Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. and Matt. 12.50: For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. and 1 John 2.3, And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. (my emphasis's). John says in no uncertain terms that He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar , and the truth is not in him. 1 John 2.4. At this juncture, I must stress that I am not advocating salvation by works! this is where the the 'rubber hits the road' so to speak regarding the controversy of Lordship Salvation. The law is the way of life, the way to life is the cross. As believers we should have a very high view of the law, Jesus even said, Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets, I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. Matt. 5.17. But, what law is this? Is not this law the Ten Commandments? Jesus paraphrases the Decalogue into the two commandments, Matt. 22. 36-40. In these verses the great commandment is the first four Commandments of the Ten; to walk in obedience to them will be to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. These four Commandments are between us and God. The second six of the Decalogue are contained in the second like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. To obey these six Commandments is to fulfill our obligation to our fellow man, they are between us and him. Paul enforces this doctrine in Romans 13. 1-10, especially with regard to our neighbour.

Parable after parable and teaching after teaching, illustration after illustration reveal that those who do not take up the cross of Christ and follow Him, do not have saving faith in Him and will be disowned and damned by Him on the Day of judgment.
Antinomian theology is rife today in the church of Christ, and has penetrated and permeated schools, colleges, and institutions alike at every level. Easy believism is an integral part of this 'gospel', I recollect being at a Barnabas Church summer camp in Cornwall back in 2004 when the evening altar call took place after the sermon, the band playing contemporary Christian music, emotions were running high, tears were a flowing, and you were invited to "raise your hand for Christ" as it were, and come up to the altar where you would be prayed over by a 'Christian worker' who would ask the respondent to recite the sinners prayer and receive Jesus into one's heart.
If there were any chosen (that is of the names written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world) by God in that place, above all the dross, they will hear my voice. John 10. 16. They will be awakened and make their calling and election sure, 2 Pet. 1.10. They will not rest on the 'assurance' of a 'Christian worker' that they have been saved!

I quote A.W.Pink;

"They want to make their experience, their feelings, something within themselves, the basis of their assurance. This is a favourite device of Satan, to turn the eye downwards upon ourselves. The Holy Spirit ever directs the eye away from ourselves to God and His Word." (Mr Pink's italics).

This false gospel is also being proclaimed by missionaries in foreign lands. And one thing is for sure, there will be no widespread reformation-things will only deteriorate further. Lawlessness will increase until the king of lawlessness, the man of sin himself arrives on the scene, only to be destroyed with the brightness of His coming. 2 Thess. 2.8.

Revelation 22.18; does God mean what He says?

I recently had occasion to read Dr. Norman Spurgeon MacPherson's book "Tell It Like It Will Be". In this concise and well written work, the author critically examines the pre-tribulation rapture theory against what is written in God's word.

On page 29 MacPherson writes;

 "The pre-tribulationist believes in three resurrections: the "first" resurrection of Rev. 20.5, the second resurrection that follows the millennium, and a "first" some seven years prior to the "first" mentioned in Rev. 20. This takes place before the great tribulation at the coming of Christ to take away the Church. Although in no place in the New Testament does it state there will be a coming and resurrection prior to the tribulation, their belief that the Church will not be in the tribulation necessitates this assumption. They cannot think of the "first resurrection" of Rev. 20.5 being actually the first because there it states that martyrs under the Antichrist, who is the chief figure in the tribulation, share in the "first resurrection" which would make it necessary for them to believe in the Church passing through the tribulation. My personal conviction is that to assume a first resurrection takes place before the "first resurrection" explicitly referred to in Scripture is a case of adding to Scripture which, according to Rev. 22.18, carries with it a very severe penalty, if deliberate.

Dr MacPherson adds the caveat "if deliberate", and I can well understand this, but when I read God's written word, the admonishment is "Let NO man deceive you" Eph. 5.6, 2 Thess. 2.3, 1 Cor. 3.18, and UMPTEEN other verses beside! Whether willingly, or blindly deceived, is not the final result the same- do not the deceiver and deceived "both fall into the ditch" Matt. 15.14, Luke 6.39?
However, God's word informs us that there awaits a greater condemnation (heavier condemnation (RV)) for those who would be teachers (James 3.1).

Now, I find it impossible that those who teach from the Bible would knowingly deceive themselves, for why would a 'believer' do such? It was said of the princes of this world that had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 1 Cor. 2.8. Admittedly, that was the ultimate crime! however, the psalmist says For thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name, Psalm 138.2, so, is it a light thing to add to what is written? The thought of doing so should make us tremble! but, I fear that as peddling His word has become so commercialised today, many evangelicals would seem to be devoid of godly fear, making merchandise of God's word (John 2.16, 2 Pet. 2.2-3 etc). The pre-trib bandwagon is big business for many; it is not just books but films as well, most notably the 'Left Behind' series. Deception is a peculiar thing when we think about it, from where I am sitting, I can only believe that it is fame and the financial 'reward' that comes with it to be the (only? primary?) motivating factor to deceive. The Bible teaches us that it was covetousness that ensnared Balaam: 2 Pet. 2. 14-16, Jude 11. It was reward that was the error of Balaam, and Jude says he ran greedily after it. Balaam's 'reward' was the wages of unrighteousness (2.Pet. 2.15). When we do anything contrary to what God would have us do, are we not walking toward danger? On this theme, 1 Tim. 6.10 says the love of money is the root of all evil, mark that the apostle said all evil! (my emphasis). The RV says a root, as opposed to the root, nevertheless, he goes on to say, which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (my emphasis). It is clear to me, at any rate, that when those who teach from God's Book know that what they are teaching is error, and continue to receive an income from it, surely they are speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared ?(1 Tim. 4.2). The greater the reward these evangelical peddlers receive, the more danger they are in. Those who receive little, or nothing, are more likely to recant should they be convicted of their error, for they have less motivation to go on deceiving.

Is teaching a first resurrection before the first resurrection, (for that is what the pre-tribulation rapture theory amounts to!) adding to God's word? This is a fearful thing to consider in light of the Lord's words in Rev. 22.18, but will an honest mind say otherwise?