Revelation 6:9-10: And when He had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: and they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
Luke 16:23-24: And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
Now, in the above Scriptures we read of dis-embodied souls that have not yet received their resurrection bodies, yet they have tongues; can speak, hear, touch, feel, have memories, thoughts, and therefore are still in full possession of all their previously held bodily functions before their bodies gave up the ghost, Gen.25:8. It is said in Luke 16:26 that there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot: neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. This great gulf is what separated the righteous and unrighteous dead in Hades*; is not a similar great gulf presently in place between the departed and the living? With this being the case, it is not too difficult to understand the truth of the unseen angels, as real as they are, there is a great gulf betwixt us and them; we cannot interact with that realm, and, of those angels which kept ...their proper habitation (Jude 1:6 RV) they will not step aside from God's decrees, as opposed to those that did, in order to wreak havoc, for all those fallen angels are now currently incarcerated, unable to cause any further harm until the appointed time when God releases them as described in Rev.9, to perform His future judgments on the inhabited earth. Angels are spirits, they too, have bodies, but are ethereal, not subject to the physical world as we are. So, the dis-embodied human souls now seem to share some of the characteristics of angels as described throughout Scripture, but are unable to manifest themselves to us here on earth, as depicted by Eccl. 9:5-6; for neither have they (the deceased) any more a portion for ever in anything that is done under the sun. thereby proving that the departed are not able to come back as entities known as ghosts.
Many believers struggle to take on board the fact that the Bible clearly teaches that the dis-embodied soul still retains all its faculties at death (the physical body apart), they are also not able to communicate with those living on earth in any form or fashion. As Abraham said to Dives when he asked if Lazarus could be sent back to his surviving brethren, that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment, to which Abraham said unto him. If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. Luke 16:27-30. The same it is today, One has risen from the dead, and the Gospel proclaiming the truth as it is in Christ has been preached far and wide, and yet what unbelief persists! It is only the body that dies at death, not the soul, that never dies, the body is effectively dust, for dust thou art, Gen. 3:19, is what God said to Adam. Eccl. 12:7 says Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. We are but dust! and how many times throughout the ages has this been confirmed? for every time a body dies, that is what it eventually becomes. The spirit returns to God, for He says; behold, all souls are mine, Ezek. 18:4. Many struggle to be dogmatic on the tripartite nature of man, clearly we have a body, a soul that lives forever, but what of our spirit? I don't pretend this to be an easy subject, A.W. Pink remarked with words to the effect that it is not easy to distinguish between the soul and spirit. If we are tripartite beings as 1 Thess.5:23 and Heb.4:12 strongly suggest, then we have a spirit and soul and body, the body we know, and the soul is the life in the body, that living ethereal part of us that is immortal in the elect and the non-elect alike, then what of the spirit that is in us? The apostle says of the natural man that they are spiritually discerned. 1 Cor. 2:14. We must remember that the people he was addressing in 1 Thess.5:23 were his brethren, they were spiritually awake, they had the Spirit of God in them. The awakened spirit in a regenerate soul is something that obviously does not exist in an unregenerate person. In Heb.4:12, the dividing of soul and spirit (RV) strongly suggests that the two, though being separate entities are inextricably united, and only God alone can separate them. It is said in Rom.8:16 that The Spirit Himself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God, so the spirit in the regenerate person has an inherent consciousness of God's Holy Spirit in them as opposed to the unregenerate who whilst also being a living soul, has not a spirit that has been enlivened from above.
Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His. Rom.8:9. There is that spirit of antichrist, 1 Jn. 4:3, but can the unregenerate realize he has this spirit? Is it not true that practically the whole world has heard of the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world. Rev.12:9, yet what multitudes think that he doesn't exist? truly a masterstroke of deception!
The death of the believer, despite all appearances to the contrary, does not not come about by accident, nor by consequence of any 'mistake' made by a doctor. The ultimate cause thereof proceeds from God in Christ Himself, promoting, or permitting certain things to terminate the life of a saint. As Bishop Thompson rightly remarks; "The literal translation of 1 Thess. 4:14, 'them...which sleep in Jesus' is 'them...which are laid to sleep by Jesus.' Here is a beautiful illustration and consoling fact." Death, therefore is analogous to sleep, or vice versa, and this doesn't warrant the awful (and unbiblical) soul-sleep theory, as the case of the Rich man and Lazarus clearly demonstrates, since both are in their disembodied state before the resurrection.
Many Christians are troubled by the fact that certain close relatives and friends who profess no faith in Christ (and may never do so), will be eternally separated from them, and even worse, that their destiny will be one of everlasting ruin where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. Mk.9:48. So, how can one of God's elect having an eternally conscious soul be eternally in bliss, whilst mourning over the never ending ruin of a loved one? How do we reconcile this dilemma?
I don't know, but it may be that Paul had some very close family members in mind when he exclaimed I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, that I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh. Rom.9:1-3. Scripture, as ever, should guide all truth seekers, and the apostle in 1 Cor.13:12 said; For now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. Are these inspired words telling us that when all is revealed to us, that we will then see clearly, that is that those whom we hitherto had loved, we will now see them as they really are - children of Satan? Now, I am bordering somewhat into speculation here, but going as far as I perceive is allowable from what I believe is taught in Scripture. At this juncture we may take a lesson or two from the Redeemer Himself; I have heard it said more than once that He was more than a tad too harsh with His earthly family in Matt.12:46-50, where He said Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And He stretched forth His hand toward His disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. (emphasis's all mine). Is this not a hard pill to swallow? What did the Saviour mean by these (very hard?) words? If we are not brutally honest with ourselves; is He not telling us in very plain English, so to speak, that we should love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. The second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Matt. 22:37-39? How can we claim to belong to Him if we reject these plain words of His? In other words, He is telling us in no uncertain terms that we should obey (or at least make every effort to try to!) the Ten Commandments that were thundered down from Sinai in Exodus 20! But, how is it possible for one to even attempt to do this if he, or she doesn't believe? All prejudices aside, any sane thinking individual would surely agree?
If we can glean anything from this, one thing is for sure, God will not countenance any god before Him; Exodus 20.3.
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*Those that have died in Christ since the crucifixion, do not now enter into Hades, which the righteous OT saints entered. When Christ led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men...He also descended first into the lower parts of the earth. (Eph. 4:8-9). What was Christ doing down there in the depths? or rather as the Scripture says; He was three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Matt. 12:40. Truly He led captivity captive, for has He not the keys of hell and of death? (Hades and death RV). Some errantly think it to be a "Popish notion" (John Gill on Eph.4:9-10) that Christ descended down into hell (Gk. Hades), yet "the Scripture plainly declares that the soul of our Lord was in Hades during the time that His body was in the grave, it is equally evident that that part of Hades in which His blessed and holy soul was, was not a place of torment, or of suffering." (B.W. Newton). Would our Lord have used words such as so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth if He only meant that His blessed body was going to rest in a ground level tomb for that duration of time? No! the heart of the earth is a subterranean place far deeper below than man is capable of digging. The Patriarchs fully expected to go to Sheol upon death as depicted in Gen. 37:35, 42:38, 44:29, Job 14:13 etc. In Luke 16:26 the great gulf fixed was evidently an impassable barrier between the righteous and unrighteous dead in the subterranean regions known as Hades or Sheol. So, the dis-embodied saints that were in Hades/Sheol at the time of the cross ascended with the Saviour When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts unto men, Eph.4:8, Ps.68:8. Subsequently, after the cross all the righteous who die thereafter also ascend upwards to heaven; their bodies are left in the grave awaiting bodily resurrection, and their dis-embodied souls are now present with the Lord, 2 Cor.5:8, awaiting union with the new spiritual body, 1 Cor.15:42-44. 1 Thess.4.16 says; the dead in Christ shall rise first, this obviously means those decomposed dust particles, or even ashes, shall miraculously formulate into a glorified spiritual body which will house the soul that descends from heaven to meet it, for there is nothing dead in heaven! Some may think that 'poor' old righteous Abel (being the first man to die) has had a rather long wait! some near 6000 years, awaiting the resurrection, as maybe suggested from Rev.6:10; How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? But, as Abel is now with Christ (and has always been in His keeping), is it not true that a thousand years is as one day with the Lord? (2 Pet.3:8) Then, now being in eternity as it were, that long passage of time may seem to him as only six days!
"There was in Hades a division prepared for the souls of the blessed, and another division called the lowest Sheol (Hades) RV Deut.32:22 assigned to the souls of the lost; and that the souls of those who died in the faith of a promised Saviour, did until the resurrection and ascension of that Saviour, remain in that division of Hades that was allotted to the souls of the blessed, being there sustained and comforted by the power of God, and proving the words of the Psalmist, if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, thou [Jehovah] art there. Ps.139:8." (B.W. Newton).
A work in progress; to be continued and edited.
Friday 30 November 2018
Sunday 25 November 2018
How To Go To Heaven....according to David J. Stewart
Recently I had reason to visit David J. Stewart's www.jesus-is-saviour.com website. It is a site that I visited on and off until about ten years ago, hoping to glean truths from God's written word. The site, according to its counter has now had over one hundred million hits (100,100,736) at my last visit! a quite staggering number, I am sure you will agree?
His site reminds me of Monty Pythons Flying Circus, very comical in its structure; confusing and full of half truths, a veritable jumble of everything thrown into the mix as it were!
One thing caught my eye on my latest visit, Stewart says;
"It is very simple to be saved and takes only a minute to explain. Please let me show you how to get to heaven from the Bible, God's Word...."
and then he proceeds with his formula.
But, is it really "very simple to be saved" as he so confidently asserts? I can only speak from my own personal experience, and I can tell you that it was anything but "simple", in fact, I did all that I possibly could to resist the truth as it is in Christ with every bent of my body! I fought and struggled against Christ with all my heart and soul, as His citizens did; to not have this Man reign over us, Luke 19:14. But, praise God, I lost! so what is it that finally bends a man to submit to His Lordship? Can a man simply say to himself; "I think it a pretty darned smart idea to be saved, after all it really does make so much sense, doesn't it, for why would one want to be forever burning in hell?" Scripture says; For who maketh thee to differ from another? 1 Cor.4:7, indeed, Who?
I was having a conversation with a believer in Stornoway who had an Arminian mindset some weeks ago on the subject of salvation, and he appealed to the words in Acts 7:51; ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye, as to mean that a man can resist God's Holy Spirit! But, what does this verse really teach? if you read the first part of the aforesaid verse, you will see that Stephen was addressing the stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, that is those that had not been born again of God's Holy Spirit, that is His indwelling presence was not in these people. They were resisting (as the natural man ever does!) the Spirit's words that were spoken through the prophets, and more latterly the apostles and disciples of the Lord. They were resisting the external work of God's Holy Spirit, not the internal, for it is impossible to do the latter.
It was well said by William Secker of Tewkesbury (around 1622):
"Repentance, though it be the act of man, is but the gift of God".
The whole testimony of Scripture bears record to this veritable fact, and I think only a couple of consecutive verses will suffice here, though a great many more can be adduced.
But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name:
Which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
John 1:12-13.
His site reminds me of Monty Pythons Flying Circus, very comical in its structure; confusing and full of half truths, a veritable jumble of everything thrown into the mix as it were!
One thing caught my eye on my latest visit, Stewart says;
"It is very simple to be saved and takes only a minute to explain. Please let me show you how to get to heaven from the Bible, God's Word...."
and then he proceeds with his formula.
But, is it really "very simple to be saved" as he so confidently asserts? I can only speak from my own personal experience, and I can tell you that it was anything but "simple", in fact, I did all that I possibly could to resist the truth as it is in Christ with every bent of my body! I fought and struggled against Christ with all my heart and soul, as His citizens did; to not have this Man reign over us, Luke 19:14. But, praise God, I lost! so what is it that finally bends a man to submit to His Lordship? Can a man simply say to himself; "I think it a pretty darned smart idea to be saved, after all it really does make so much sense, doesn't it, for why would one want to be forever burning in hell?" Scripture says; For who maketh thee to differ from another? 1 Cor.4:7, indeed, Who?
I was having a conversation with a believer in Stornoway who had an Arminian mindset some weeks ago on the subject of salvation, and he appealed to the words in Acts 7:51; ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye, as to mean that a man can resist God's Holy Spirit! But, what does this verse really teach? if you read the first part of the aforesaid verse, you will see that Stephen was addressing the stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, that is those that had not been born again of God's Holy Spirit, that is His indwelling presence was not in these people. They were resisting (as the natural man ever does!) the Spirit's words that were spoken through the prophets, and more latterly the apostles and disciples of the Lord. They were resisting the external work of God's Holy Spirit, not the internal, for it is impossible to do the latter.
It was well said by William Secker of Tewkesbury (around 1622):
"Repentance, though it be the act of man, is but the gift of God".
The whole testimony of Scripture bears record to this veritable fact, and I think only a couple of consecutive verses will suffice here, though a great many more can be adduced.
But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name:
Which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
John 1:12-13.
Thursday 15 November 2018
Westminster Confession of Faith ch. xxxiii v.2.
The Last Judgment.
The end of God's appointing this day is for the manifestation of the glory of His mercy, in the eternal salvation of the elect; and of His justice, in the damnation of the reprobate, who are wicked and disobedient. For then shall the righteous go into everlasting life, and receive that fullness of joy and refreshing, which shall come from the presence of the Lord; but the wicked who know not God, and obey not the Gospel of Jesus Christ, shall be cast into eternal torments, and be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power.
The supporting Scriptures that underpin the truth of this statement are; Matt. 25:31-46, Rom. 2:5-6, 9:22-23, Matt. 5:21, Acts 3:19, 2 Thess. 1:7-10.
The end of God's appointing this day is for the manifestation of the glory of His mercy, in the eternal salvation of the elect; and of His justice, in the damnation of the reprobate, who are wicked and disobedient. For then shall the righteous go into everlasting life, and receive that fullness of joy and refreshing, which shall come from the presence of the Lord; but the wicked who know not God, and obey not the Gospel of Jesus Christ, shall be cast into eternal torments, and be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power.
The supporting Scriptures that underpin the truth of this statement are; Matt. 25:31-46, Rom. 2:5-6, 9:22-23, Matt. 5:21, Acts 3:19, 2 Thess. 1:7-10.
Wednesday 14 November 2018
Do nice people go to hell?
There is this really strange notion that exists in Christendom that God in Christ will somehow accept nice people into His heavenly mansions, even though they don't profess any saving faith in Christ's atoning blood! As C.H. Spurgeon used to preach; "The one great sin is unbelief, they are condemned already, because they have not believed in the sacrifice of God's only begotten Son."
It is written;
The times of this ignorance God winked at, but now He commandeth all men everywhere to repent: Because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead. Acts 17:30-31.
God has emphasized that He is talking about every man, woman and child alive (all men, everywhere), now as to those without the intellectual capacity to understand the Gospel message, we leave them entirely to His jurisdiction, for it is vain to speculate; Shall not the judge of all the earth do right? Gen. 18:25. Recently, a friend of my wife's was very upset because her minister preached on hell one Sunday morning, to the point that the preacher's wife apologized to her afterwards for upsetting her! Now, this begs the question; why would the minister's wife apologize for him preaching the truth? Sadly, I can only believe it is because he doesn't believe what he is preaching! I think there are a lot of what we may call "clockwork preachers", that is, they preach on topics in God's written word, because they are in there, and of course it is right to do so. Sometimes in a congregation very few hearts are pricked (Acts 2:37), if any at all, they just sit there and it all just goes over their heads, as it were. Now, this is where it all starts, folk need to be pricked in their hearts on the question of repentance. The narrative reads; Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do? (my emphasis) what did they hear? they heard that they had crucified the Son of God! and of course, Peter duly commanded them to repent! Granted, these men were those that the Saviour asked the Father to forgive; for they know not what they do. Luke 23:34, nevertheless, the siren call of repentance goes out to every person; For the promise is unto you , and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. Acts 2:39. However, it is written that many are called, but few are chosen. Matt. 22:14, and to those who respond, let us give dilligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fail. 2 Pet. 1:10.
Although the lady in question who was upset regarding the biblical truth of eternal damnation, is a professing Christian, it is my belief that because she has an unbelieving daughter, and dotes on her, she is troubled that such a one's eternal destiny will be in hell. But, of course, there is still time for her to be pricked in her heart and repent. Now, it is only natural for a parent to love their child, but as believers we should take especial notice of our Saviour's words in Matt. 10:37; He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. This admonition is brought out more fully by our Lord in His discourse with a lawyer; Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thy shalt love thy neigbour as thyself. Matt. 22:36-39. We cannot give God what He requires of us, unless we love Him more than our fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters. For, to do so is idolatry; it is written in the Decalogue that Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Ex. 20:3; therefore to love any person more than God, is a flagrant denial of this first Commandment!
Now, I for one don't like the fact that hell is a real place where unrepentant sinners will spend eternity, nevertheless, it matters not what I like, or dislike, but what saith the Scriptures? I find it simply incredulous that many deny the reality of the existence of hell (Heb; Sheol, Gk; Hades), yet such they do. The Saviour spoke more on eternal damnation than eternal bliss, and to quote all the Scriptures here would double the size of this posting! What is this but a severe case of myopia? Some say that hell has an end, that it is not eternal, if this be so, then what of eternal bliss?
Our Lord mentions the fire that shall never be quenched five times in Mark 9.43-48! Now if God tells us something once, we should sit up and take notice, but, five times?
It is impossible to placate people regarding the Scriptural teaching of the permanent abode of the lost, nor should we attempt to, if I were to say to one such; "Have no fear! no! Jesus didn't really mean what He was saying, those words were really only directed to those nasty Jewish Pharisee types!" I should be none other than a hell deserving liar myself.
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Gk. unto the ages of the ages) Rev. 20:10.
It is written;
The times of this ignorance God winked at, but now He commandeth all men everywhere to repent: Because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead. Acts 17:30-31.
God has emphasized that He is talking about every man, woman and child alive (all men, everywhere), now as to those without the intellectual capacity to understand the Gospel message, we leave them entirely to His jurisdiction, for it is vain to speculate; Shall not the judge of all the earth do right? Gen. 18:25. Recently, a friend of my wife's was very upset because her minister preached on hell one Sunday morning, to the point that the preacher's wife apologized to her afterwards for upsetting her! Now, this begs the question; why would the minister's wife apologize for him preaching the truth? Sadly, I can only believe it is because he doesn't believe what he is preaching! I think there are a lot of what we may call "clockwork preachers", that is, they preach on topics in God's written word, because they are in there, and of course it is right to do so. Sometimes in a congregation very few hearts are pricked (Acts 2:37), if any at all, they just sit there and it all just goes over their heads, as it were. Now, this is where it all starts, folk need to be pricked in their hearts on the question of repentance. The narrative reads; Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do? (my emphasis) what did they hear? they heard that they had crucified the Son of God! and of course, Peter duly commanded them to repent! Granted, these men were those that the Saviour asked the Father to forgive; for they know not what they do. Luke 23:34, nevertheless, the siren call of repentance goes out to every person; For the promise is unto you , and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. Acts 2:39. However, it is written that many are called, but few are chosen. Matt. 22:14, and to those who respond, let us give dilligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fail. 2 Pet. 1:10.
Although the lady in question who was upset regarding the biblical truth of eternal damnation, is a professing Christian, it is my belief that because she has an unbelieving daughter, and dotes on her, she is troubled that such a one's eternal destiny will be in hell. But, of course, there is still time for her to be pricked in her heart and repent. Now, it is only natural for a parent to love their child, but as believers we should take especial notice of our Saviour's words in Matt. 10:37; He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. This admonition is brought out more fully by our Lord in His discourse with a lawyer; Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thy shalt love thy neigbour as thyself. Matt. 22:36-39. We cannot give God what He requires of us, unless we love Him more than our fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters. For, to do so is idolatry; it is written in the Decalogue that Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Ex. 20:3; therefore to love any person more than God, is a flagrant denial of this first Commandment!
Now, I for one don't like the fact that hell is a real place where unrepentant sinners will spend eternity, nevertheless, it matters not what I like, or dislike, but what saith the Scriptures? I find it simply incredulous that many deny the reality of the existence of hell (Heb; Sheol, Gk; Hades), yet such they do. The Saviour spoke more on eternal damnation than eternal bliss, and to quote all the Scriptures here would double the size of this posting! What is this but a severe case of myopia? Some say that hell has an end, that it is not eternal, if this be so, then what of eternal bliss?
Our Lord mentions the fire that shall never be quenched five times in Mark 9.43-48! Now if God tells us something once, we should sit up and take notice, but, five times?
It is impossible to placate people regarding the Scriptural teaching of the permanent abode of the lost, nor should we attempt to, if I were to say to one such; "Have no fear! no! Jesus didn't really mean what He was saying, those words were really only directed to those nasty Jewish Pharisee types!" I should be none other than a hell deserving liar myself.
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Gk. unto the ages of the ages) Rev. 20:10.
Sunday 11 November 2018
Remembrance day...for what?
This very day is "Remembrance Day", it is in honour of those that fell in the two great wars; it is yet another man-made celebration that takes one away from Christ; look at all the preparations, pageantry, ritualism, and formalism that goes into this event!
We are supposed to be thankful to those that have died in the two great wars for giving us the peace, prosperity, freedom etc, that we are now supposed to enjoy today.
Truly, if I were a born-again soldier that fell in the first world war, and I could be shown today's 'Great' Britain and what I had died for, I should now be well and truly grieved!
Lets have a look at some of these things...abolishing the death penalty,legalizing sodomy, abortion, same-sex marriage, no fault divorce/adultery, LGBT rights and 'freedom' to assign to yourself your own sex, and making nearly everything under the sun to be a 'hate crime'! (and much of this has been signed onto the statute book by our so-called 'Christian' monarch, the defender of the Faith!). Is this freedom as Emma Silk so proudly says? I quote her from BBC online:
"I want to honour the memory of my grandfather - what he did for our freedom," says Emma Silk, grand daughter of Harold Victor Silk, who lost his left arm in battle the day before Armistice Day.
Now, I have read of other accounts, that I am sure could be multiplied without number on this vein; that speak of men dying, and fighting for our 'freedom', yet, where are we today? Those who would preach God's word in the open places and streets can now be prosecuted under the name of "hate speech"! What freedom is this? I see Islamism and secularism expanding in the 'market place' as it were, and Christianity being marginalized at an ever increasing rate!
Did not our Saviour say, the truth shall make you free. John 8:32? Is this not the full Gospel?
"I want to honour the memory of my grandfather - what he did for our freedom," says Emma Silk, grand daughter of Harold Victor Silk, who lost his left arm in battle the day before Armistice Day.
Now, I have read of other accounts, that I am sure could be multiplied without number on this vein; that speak of men dying, and fighting for our 'freedom', yet, where are we today? Those who would preach God's word in the open places and streets can now be prosecuted under the name of "hate speech"! What freedom is this? I see Islamism and secularism expanding in the 'market place' as it were, and Christianity being marginalized at an ever increasing rate!
Did not our Saviour say, the truth shall make you free. John 8:32? Is this not the full Gospel?
It should make any true believer in Christ think on these things, especially when practically ALL the nations are celebrating this 'peace' event? That is all who are part of the 'globalist' agenda, bringing the nations under Antichrist! The BBC posted this headline today; "Armistice Day: Macron (president of France) urges world leaders to reject nationalism." In other words, reject God in Christ, for was it not He Who gave us the nations?! Read Genesis 10!
Lets not remember the dead, leave them to God, for it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. Hebrews 9:27.
However, let us remember, and never forget the One who was dead: and behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen: and I have the keys of hell and of death. Revelation 1:18.
Amen.
Amen.
Thursday 8 November 2018
Christian witness...
From my own personal standpoint, being brutally honest, (would I be otherwise?) I must confess that my own witnessing for Jesus and His Gospel has had the effect of hardening hearts; certainly not softening them! Now, I take absolutely zero delight in this, furthermore, if I could save everyone on the face of the earth, I would do so! Now, I would never think to compare myself with those great OT and NT saints; Moses and Paul, yet, what was their mindset, what did they say on this?
Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin -; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written. Ex. 32:32.
For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh. Rom. 9:3.
It is clear (to me at any rate!) that these saints were expressing their desire to save their own brethren, even to the point of having their own names thrust out of God's book of life! Would we be so bold as to speak thus? Yet these words are inspired!
The true Gospel is offensive! it makes us realize exactly what we are..sinners in the hands of an angry God! without exception, apart from God's free sovereign electing grace alone, we are all worthy of eternal, never ending damnation - burning forever in the lake of fire, Rev. 19:20.
A few thoughts on 'Christian Voice'.
On 7th November 2018, Christian Voice's national director Stephen Green writes under the heading; "Transgender Conference". He says:
"I have been praying about this transgenderism nonsense, and I asked the Lord to show me if any of their conferences were coming up where we could go and witness. Well, three have turned up this month. The first is in London's Holloway Road on Saturday 10th. I want to have a witness there from 9 am to say 11 am, giving out leaflets - street evangelists and prayer partners will be welcome. I'll let you know more details tomorrow, but you can start praying into it now."
What are we to make of all this? Don't get me wrong, Green is quite correct on transgenderism, it is utter "nonsense". I am all for witnessing to the lost as per the great commission as stated in Matt. 28:18-20, But, these people running these conferences must have hearts as hard as an adamant stone (Zech. 7:12), for the prophet says Yea, they made their hearts as hard as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law. Truly, for any to 'change' one's sex and thenceforth to start running conferences on such wickedness, it is obvious that God must have given such over to a reprobate mind, in order to mutilate their bodies as they do, (Rom. 1:24-25).
The Bible is explicit on the fact that wickedness must increase in order for the Lord Jesus to return and destroy the Antichrist with the brightness of His coming, 2 Thess. 2:8. It is evident to any with a little discernment that wickedness is increasing at an ever alarming rate. Briefly, in these last days in which we live, I believe it was the abolishing of Capital Punishment in our land in 1965 which started the rot. Abortion (child sacrifice) is now accepted by most, adultery is now not considered an offence, same sex marriage has not only been passed into law, the so-called state Churches in the UK will bless such 'unions' by marrying them! All this has been brought about by democracy, and the help of an ungodly monarch. Most think democracy to be a wonderful thing, but when people increase in wickedness, it is only natural that they will vote for wicked policies, for the government of the day will "listen to the people"! There is a verse in the very last book of God's word that had troubled me prior to seeing premillennial truth; He that is unrighteous, let him do unrighteousness yet more: and he that is filthy, let him be made filthy yet more. Rev. 22:11 a (RV). In other words; leave them to it.
Now, I am not saying there is absolutely no hope for certain individuals that have become entrapped into transgenderism, and therefore any witness is better than no witness, but Mr Green and Christian Voice are not premillennial, they actually believe that God is speaking directly to them, and that it is their mandate to claim the kingdom for Christ!
Yea, making it my aim so to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named, that I might not build on another man's foundation. Rom. 15:20. The 'silent' witness in Holloway Road is staggering! the LGBT community will have to pass significant church buildings with towers and spires; St. John's Church dominates the northern end of that road!
Sunday 4 November 2018
More on predestination and prophecy...
"His not choosing them (the reprobate) was the fruit of His sovereign will; but His condemning them after death and in the last day is the fruit (not of their non-election, which was no fault of theirs, but) of their own positive transgressions." (Augustus Toplady).
In my last post I mention the strife that David brought upon his house through his sin. No doubt (some will say) "if David didn't sin, then this bloodshed would never have happened." and true this may be, but, it was predestined to happen, otherwise it wouldn't have taken place!
Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? Isaiah 53:1.
That the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? And to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? For this cause they could not believe, for that Isaiah said again, He hath blinded their eyes, and He hardened their heart; lest they should see with their eyes, and perceive with their heart, And should turn, And I should heal them. John 12:38-40 (RV).
It is said in no uncertain language that God chose to harden Jewish hearts (among others), and blind their eyes from seeing the truth as it is written in Scripture, truths, that had they been revealed to all prior to the cross, then the crucifixion would never have taken place, for it is written that had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 1 Cor. 2:8. But! what then of salvation? for, apart from shedding of blood there is no remission. Heb. 9:22(RV). The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Rev.13:8) would never have been slain! and Satan would have defeated the eternal purposes of God, and none, bar none of the human race would be saved! The mind boggles! the mere thought of all of this is utterly preposterous!
On John 12:37-40, Augustus Toplady writes:
"Without certain prescience there could be no prophecy; and without predestination no certain prescience. Therefore, in order to the accomplishment of prophecy, prescience, and predestination, we are expressly told that these persons 'could not believe', they were not able; it was out of their power. In short, there is hardly a page in St. John's Gospel which does not, either expressly, or implicitly, make mention of election and reprobation."
I find it simply incredulous that many mature and intelligent (Bible believing?) Christians in our day will deny the Bible's clear teaching of predestination, and election. Man is a 'free' agent to do what he will, but 'free-will' as we are asked to believe it, is contrary to the plain teaching of Scripture. If man truly had 'free-will' (as they aver) how would any prophesied event in Scripture come to pass? Could there be a more sure word of prophecy (2 Pet. 1:19) if God left everything to the vagaries of man?
It matters not what I believe on all of this, it is not that I want the Bible to teach this, or that, per se. I only want to know the truth as it is taught in God's Book! And by reading through its pages; election and predestination (the causation of prophecy) leaps out of its sacred pages like a cat might jump off a hot tin roof!
Think on these things!
In my last post I mention the strife that David brought upon his house through his sin. No doubt (some will say) "if David didn't sin, then this bloodshed would never have happened." and true this may be, but, it was predestined to happen, otherwise it wouldn't have taken place!
Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? Isaiah 53:1.
That the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? And to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? For this cause they could not believe, for that Isaiah said again, He hath blinded their eyes, and He hardened their heart; lest they should see with their eyes, and perceive with their heart, And should turn, And I should heal them. John 12:38-40 (RV).
It is said in no uncertain language that God chose to harden Jewish hearts (among others), and blind their eyes from seeing the truth as it is written in Scripture, truths, that had they been revealed to all prior to the cross, then the crucifixion would never have taken place, for it is written that had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 1 Cor. 2:8. But! what then of salvation? for, apart from shedding of blood there is no remission. Heb. 9:22(RV). The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Rev.13:8) would never have been slain! and Satan would have defeated the eternal purposes of God, and none, bar none of the human race would be saved! The mind boggles! the mere thought of all of this is utterly preposterous!
On John 12:37-40, Augustus Toplady writes:
"Without certain prescience there could be no prophecy; and without predestination no certain prescience. Therefore, in order to the accomplishment of prophecy, prescience, and predestination, we are expressly told that these persons 'could not believe', they were not able; it was out of their power. In short, there is hardly a page in St. John's Gospel which does not, either expressly, or implicitly, make mention of election and reprobation."
I find it simply incredulous that many mature and intelligent (Bible believing?) Christians in our day will deny the Bible's clear teaching of predestination, and election. Man is a 'free' agent to do what he will, but 'free-will' as we are asked to believe it, is contrary to the plain teaching of Scripture. If man truly had 'free-will' (as they aver) how would any prophesied event in Scripture come to pass? Could there be a more sure word of prophecy (2 Pet. 1:19) if God left everything to the vagaries of man?
It matters not what I believe on all of this, it is not that I want the Bible to teach this, or that, per se. I only want to know the truth as it is taught in God's Book! And by reading through its pages; election and predestination (the causation of prophecy) leaps out of its sacred pages like a cat might jump off a hot tin roof!
Think on these things!
Thursday 1 November 2018
A little study in how predestination and prophecy (fulfilled & unfulfilled) are inextricably linked.
And 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? Dan.4.35.
The words of Nebuchadnezzar! yet seven years earlier before being abased by the Almighty;
The king spake, and said, is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power and for the honour of my majesty? Dan. 4.30.
The words of Nebuchadnezzar! yet seven years earlier before being abased by the Almighty;
The king spake, and said, is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power and for the honour of my majesty? Dan. 4.30.
And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh. Jer. 45:5a. Worldly ambition is what then? utter folly! to embark on any venture without uttering words akin to Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? (Acts 9:6) as Paul asked, is then to tread the path of uncertainty! But, how can one ask God to be a light unto my path (Ps.119:105b) if he doesn't believe? He cannot! Yet, of the times of this ignorance ,God winked at, but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent. Acts 17:30. The paradox is; that repentance unto life (Acts 11:18) is the gift of God (Eph. 2:8), it is a gift, yet it is also the act of man!
Every thought and action of the small and great alike comes from where, but the Master Puppeteer! a quite humbling thought is this! for how can predestination work apart from the Almighty ordering our steps? Can action flow, without the thought being first implanted in a man's mind? It is said that The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, Ps. 37.23 a. The translators have inserted good in italics for the word good is not in the Hebrew, although in the context of this verse, we can clearly see why they have done so. The RV reads; A man's goings are established of the LORD, which is the correct reading. The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: He turneth it withersoever He will. Prov. 21.1. Of the Assyrian, who was (and will yet be, in the coming Antichrist) the rod of mine anger, used by God to bring His purposes to pass, the Almighty said Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so. Is. 10:7!
Throughout Scripture we read of adversaries being raised up (by God!) to afflict God's people, a notable example being David, who was told by God through Nathan the prophet, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house (2 Sam. 12:11a). Was it ever right that Amnon, Absalom, and Adonijah, went awry, only on account of the sin of their father, David? Absalom assassinated Amnon, Joab killed Absalom, and Solomon slew Adonijah. How can these things be? The "what iffers" (or free-willers) would say; "If David didn't sin then this bloodshed within his own household would never have taken place." But, clearly it was God's plan for these events to take place, otherwise they wouldn't have come to pass! Did not these sons of David die for the sins of their father? Clearly, God's written word says that they did (nevertheless they still died for their own sins!). A few hundred years hence God reveals to the prophet Ezekiel that The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father. Ez. 18:20a. (my emphasis). The sons of David that perished as a direct result of his sins were what? unlucky? Most assuredly God doesn't play dice! John Wesley in his notes on 2 Sam. 13:39 writes; "He can almost find in his heart to receive into favour the murderer of his brother. How can we excuse David for the sin of Eli, who honoured his sons more than God?" I find this a strange thing to say as Eli's sons hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because the LORD would slay them, and David knew the whole sorry saga (for want of a better description!) was entirely due to his sin, he brought this bloodshed about in his house. Granted, there is no forgiveness without repentance, and we see none of that coming from Absalom. nevertheless, I would have no doubt that David yearned for this, considering his words in 2 Sam. 18:33; Would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!
We cannot go beyond what is written, for who can say unto Him, What doest thou? Dan. 4:35b. Nebuchadnezzar (at that time) had the understanding that all His works are truth, and His ways judgment, and those that walk in pride He is able to abase. Dan. 4:37b.
We cannot go beyond what is written, for who can say unto Him, What doest thou? Dan. 4:35b. Nebuchadnezzar (at that time) had the understanding that all His works are truth, and His ways judgment, and those that walk in pride He is able to abase. Dan. 4:37b.
Many today (even among professing Christians) still harbour the notion that the generational curse syndrome, as it were, is still in force. And no doubt, to those names not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Rev. 13:8, this is true? yet, sons and daughters of believers, and unbelievers, alike, will, and will not, have their names written in the book of life. In our own day, circumcision and baptism alike are steeped in superstition of a kind; for those who put their trust alone in these fleshly rites will indeed reap what they sow. Unless God has put one's name into His book of life, then, none will be there. A "hard pill to swallow" this? What, unless God has put the names of the "saved" (the elect) into His book of life, none will be there? But! some will exclaim, what of all those who "accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour" those who "invited Jesus into their hearts" through the so-called "sinners prayer"? Well, this is where the "rubber hits the road" so to speak. I have absolutely no doubt, that since the sinners prayer has been utilized in these latter days, that those who have prayed it sincerely will no doubt be saved, but only with the proviso that their names were written in God's book of life! Is not this junction the very point where man's 'free-will' and God's predestination meet? Who is sufficient for these things? (2 Cor 2:16).
Can a prophetic word come to pass in all its fullness, unless it wasn't predestined by God to do so? Many today, (believers and unbelievers alike) talk of "cause and effect", those who do so, know that absolutely nothing can happen unless there be a causative force behind it; how much more so from the Creator God in whom we live, and move, and have our being, Acts 17.28? The Old Testament abounds with prophesied events which came to pass in that dispensation, being fulfilled to the last jot and tittle, and if we believe the sixty-six books of the entire Bible to be God breathed in the original tongues, then the unfulfilled prophecies in the Old Testament and New Testament alike, will also come to pass in like manner.
'Divina predestinatio' says he, (Melanchthon) 'libertatem homini adimit: Divine predestination quite strips man of his boasted liberty; for all things come to pass according to God's fore-appointment, even the internal thoughts of all creatures, no less than their external works. Therefore, Eph. i. the apostle gives us to understand that God performeth all things according to the counsel of His own will.
'Divina predestinatio' says he, (Melanchthon) 'libertatem homini adimit: Divine predestination quite strips man of his boasted liberty; for all things come to pass according to God's fore-appointment, even the internal thoughts of all creatures, no less than their external works. Therefore, Eph. i. the apostle gives us to understand that God performeth all things according to the counsel of His own will.
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