I am increasingly disturbed by what I call "Christian Witchcraft". I believe this stems from the "cookie cutter Christian Syndrome". I talked about that in another blog post. Briefly, by this I mean, the idea that we all have to be the same. There is no room for individual beliefs, even if it is not a doctrinal issue. Christians do need to agree on anything that someone could lose their soul if their belief is not the same as the other Christians. However, most of the things Christians disagree about, are not that serious.
When a Christian does not agree with his/her fellow Christians, often, the disagreeing Christian is often manipulated, shunned, shamed or worse. This idea that there is no new ideas, no new ways of doing things in a different way is not allowable.
If the Wright Brothers did not do something different, they would never have built an airplane. I believe that the problem for Christians is often is that the other Christians wish they had thought of it first. Christians are prime targets to get into a rut. Even those who have changed recently can get into a rut of not wanting to make the next change.
What is disturbing to me is how other Christians are often used to tell their fellow Christians how they should run their life. Most of the time these Christians can't keep their own lives straight but are ready to tell others what they would do, if they were them. Let's use what day to go to church as an example. Some worship on Saturdays, some on Sundays, some Sunday and Wednesdays and some every day of the week. What does the Apostle Paul say about this? Romans 14:5 says "One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers
every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own
mind." This is a principle that applies to everything that is not a doctrinal issue that could cost someone their soul.
So you go to church 3 times a week every week. I go to church 2 times a week. Is this a problem? Not if each person is convinced this is what God requires of us.
However, tell the average Christian this and you will get some "shoulds" thrown at you. The enemy of our souls uses well-meaning Christians to abuse other Christians. The "should" syndrome has been used in churches for many years. And I might add in many Christian homes. I lived with the should syndrome for many years.
It is my opinion that it really is a matter of the heart. In the scripture above, Paul states that one should be fully convinced in their mind. If a persons belief is not contrary to scripture, then it really is a matter of what God requires of you. God very well could require one person to go to church weekly and another to go one time a month.
The reason I call this Christian witchcraft is because of what witchcraft is. Boiled all the way down to the basics, witchcraft is control or manipulation of another person. When Christians manipulate other people it is witchcraft as well, regardless of the first person's intentions. As Jesus said in Matthew 7:5, "
You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you
will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." In other words, don't try to get another person to do what you think is right for them, until you are complete/perfect.
One final note: Hitler used manipulation to gain power over the people. I have been reading a very interesting book called When a Nation Forgets God by Erwin W. Lutzer. I believe that we can learn from the past. One of the things Hitler accomplished is to make the church powerless. This is happening today in the USA. One of the ways to make this happen is to turn people against each other. A house divided cannot stand. The USA is becoming more and more divided, both inside and outside the church.
Showing posts with label earth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label earth. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Monday, February 16, 2015
Mercies of God
What an honor it is to serve God! Each day is a new day. Anne of Greene Gables said something like each day is a clean slate with no mistakes. Lamentations 3:22, 23 says: "Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness." There is a sweetness to beginning every day with God.
I confess that I need the mercy of God. I do not believe that this is a failure. I am of the race called humans. I make mistakes. God knows and understands how we are made. After all, God took the dust of the earth, formed man and breathed into him the breath of life. (See Genesis 2:7) Psalm 139 reaffirms that God loves me. He loved me before I was even in my mother's womb.
What is even more exciting is that God loves you. He has thoughts about you. In Jeremiah 29:11, God tells Jeremiah, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." God is concerned about you and about your future. God is not just concerned about your beginning and what you are doing now, He is concerned about your entire life. He gave you the Bible to learn about His ways. When we learn about God's ways, we begin to make better decisions. This affects our tomorrows.
Another great thought is to read a chapter of Proverbs every day. If you are a brand new Christian, you may want to read just a few verses each day and as God to show you what they mean and how you can incorporate them into your life. It is great to read the Bible cover to cover, but in the beginning you may want to start with the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Just as a baby starts with milk, new Christians benefit the most by reading the New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs. After a while, you will want more solid food, so to speak, and then you can move on to other books like Galatians and Ephesians.
The most important thing is to ask the Holy Spirit to help you to understand what you are reading. You may need someone to help you understand. If you have questions, please feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to answer.
Don't get upset if you don't understand everything. We likely never will while living down here on Earth. However, as time goes by you will understand more and more. Don't get down on yourself if you make mistakes. God knew you (and I) would make mistakes and He still formed us and cares about us. His thoughts toward us cannot be me counted. That is so amazing.
Forgetting: All the mistakes of yesterday and today, all the mistakes before this moment.
Remember: I (and you) are created by the Creator of the Universe. When we ask forgiveness He forgives us. He takes our sins and never remembers it again. Forgive youself!
I confess that I need the mercy of God. I do not believe that this is a failure. I am of the race called humans. I make mistakes. God knows and understands how we are made. After all, God took the dust of the earth, formed man and breathed into him the breath of life. (See Genesis 2:7) Psalm 139 reaffirms that God loves me. He loved me before I was even in my mother's womb.
What is even more exciting is that God loves you. He has thoughts about you. In Jeremiah 29:11, God tells Jeremiah, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." God is concerned about you and about your future. God is not just concerned about your beginning and what you are doing now, He is concerned about your entire life. He gave you the Bible to learn about His ways. When we learn about God's ways, we begin to make better decisions. This affects our tomorrows.
Another great thought is to read a chapter of Proverbs every day. If you are a brand new Christian, you may want to read just a few verses each day and as God to show you what they mean and how you can incorporate them into your life. It is great to read the Bible cover to cover, but in the beginning you may want to start with the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Just as a baby starts with milk, new Christians benefit the most by reading the New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs. After a while, you will want more solid food, so to speak, and then you can move on to other books like Galatians and Ephesians.
The most important thing is to ask the Holy Spirit to help you to understand what you are reading. You may need someone to help you understand. If you have questions, please feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to answer.
Don't get upset if you don't understand everything. We likely never will while living down here on Earth. However, as time goes by you will understand more and more. Don't get down on yourself if you make mistakes. God knew you (and I) would make mistakes and He still formed us and cares about us. His thoughts toward us cannot be me counted. That is so amazing.
Forgetting: All the mistakes of yesterday and today, all the mistakes before this moment.
Remember: I (and you) are created by the Creator of the Universe. When we ask forgiveness He forgives us. He takes our sins and never remembers it again. Forgive youself!
2 Corinthians 6:14
"Don't team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a
partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness?" 2 Corinthians 6:14 New Living Translation
I'm deeply disturbed by something that is happening in the church today. It's the idea of using wicked things to draw people into church to preach the gospel to said people. I am hopeful that this idea has not permeated the church, but I do see it in quite a few churches.
Here is an example: A church is doing a sermon series entitled "50 Shades of Grey". Now in the church's defense, the pastor told the people from the "stage" that he does NOT recommend anyone go to see the movie or read the book. He then proceeded to preach a very good message on sex and boundaries. I want to be clear that I believe the church should talk about sex. We should stand up for the Biblical viewpoint on sex and marriage. The pastor did do that. I think that sermon series can be used to help Christians delve deeper into the Bible principles.
My problem comes into place because the church is using a title of a book/movie that is totally unbiblical. One might say that it is wicked. So how can a church say it is ok to draw people into the church using something that is totally against what the Bible teaches about sexuality and marriage. Do the ends justify the means? I don't think so.
Does the church not know that friendship with the world is enmity against God? We are at war with the darkness that is growing in our world. We are to be a light to the world. How can we have light in one hand and darkness in the other and say: "God is on board with this."
What happened and when did it happen that God said it is okay to use the things of the world to bring people to Him? Then they can preach the gospel. It is justified by saying that our church is growing and prospering. I wonder what would happen if they had nothing to do with unrighteousness, and preached the gospel? What then? Perhaps, God would have added twice or three times as many people to the church? What if they are settling for good when they could have had what is best?
Is it possible that "God will bless places He will not dwell?" (Rick Joyner). I believe that is a key truth for pastors everywhere. I want to be a dwelling place for God. I want to go to a church where God dwells. If God is dwelling in a people, it is hard to imagine how much they could do for God. If God said of the people at the tower of Babel, "
"6 And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do." Genesis 11:6
What could be accomplished through a group of believers who refused to have anything to do with wicked things and came together to see God's will established in the earth?
For any pastor reading this that thinks that the above way is the way to bring in people to their church, I ask you to do research. Here is one to start on: Dr. David Berman of New Hampshire. His church's website is http://clfchurch.com/
I'm deeply disturbed by something that is happening in the church today. It's the idea of using wicked things to draw people into church to preach the gospel to said people. I am hopeful that this idea has not permeated the church, but I do see it in quite a few churches.
Here is an example: A church is doing a sermon series entitled "50 Shades of Grey". Now in the church's defense, the pastor told the people from the "stage" that he does NOT recommend anyone go to see the movie or read the book. He then proceeded to preach a very good message on sex and boundaries. I want to be clear that I believe the church should talk about sex. We should stand up for the Biblical viewpoint on sex and marriage. The pastor did do that. I think that sermon series can be used to help Christians delve deeper into the Bible principles.
My problem comes into place because the church is using a title of a book/movie that is totally unbiblical. One might say that it is wicked. So how can a church say it is ok to draw people into the church using something that is totally against what the Bible teaches about sexuality and marriage. Do the ends justify the means? I don't think so.
Does the church not know that friendship with the world is enmity against God? We are at war with the darkness that is growing in our world. We are to be a light to the world. How can we have light in one hand and darkness in the other and say: "God is on board with this."
What happened and when did it happen that God said it is okay to use the things of the world to bring people to Him? Then they can preach the gospel. It is justified by saying that our church is growing and prospering. I wonder what would happen if they had nothing to do with unrighteousness, and preached the gospel? What then? Perhaps, God would have added twice or three times as many people to the church? What if they are settling for good when they could have had what is best?
Is it possible that "God will bless places He will not dwell?" (Rick Joyner). I believe that is a key truth for pastors everywhere. I want to be a dwelling place for God. I want to go to a church where God dwells. If God is dwelling in a people, it is hard to imagine how much they could do for God. If God said of the people at the tower of Babel, "
"6 And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do." Genesis 11:6
What could be accomplished through a group of believers who refused to have anything to do with wicked things and came together to see God's will established in the earth?
For any pastor reading this that thinks that the above way is the way to bring in people to their church, I ask you to do research. Here is one to start on: Dr. David Berman of New Hampshire. His church's website is http://clfchurch.com/
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Matthew 24 - Are We in the End Times?
In Matthew 24, Jesus talks about the signs of the end times. So lets take a look and see what will happen in the end times.
"And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you."
--From this we can see that in the end time there will be deception. That has definitely come true. Everywhere we turn there is deception. People are deceived by people who are pushing their views and propaganda.
"5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many."
--This has also happened. Throughout history there have been people coming and saying that they speak for God. Some have said that they are the "Messiah".
"6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet."
--Throughout history there have been many wars. However, it seems like since World War II the world has been almost continually at war.
"7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows."
--Almost every month we hear of a famine, and earthquake or some awful thing happening somewhere in the world.
"9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake."
--This is another that has been almost continual throughout history. However, more Christians are being martyred for their faith now, than ever in history.
"10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another."
--This may be debatable. However, it seems like people are very easily offended at this time. I believe the news bear witness that there is a lot of hate as well
"11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many."
--The list of false prophets in recent history is long. To name a few: Jim Jones, Rev. Moon etc
"12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved."
--Sin is definitely on the rise. It seems at times that people do not have love that should come naturally. An example would be a parents love for their children.
"14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."
--This has not happened as the end has not come. However, the gospel has been preached in much of the world.
"15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:"
--There is debate amongst theologians as to whether or not this has taken place. Some say this will take place in the future. Others believe that it was when Antiochus Epiphanes interrupted temple sacrifices between 168 and 165 B.C. The abomination would be when he sacrificed a pig on the altar in the temple complex.
"21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."
--Great troubles in the world, like there never have been before. Trouble so bad that unless God shortened the time, no flesh would be left on earth. People saying they are the Christ and all other false things. These false prophets will do signs an wonders. I believe we are at the beginning of this time.
"25 Behold, I have told you before.
26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:"
--This has not happened yet in my opinion.
"30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."
--This also has not happened yet. The Son of man has not been seen in the clouds of heaven.
"32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only."
--Here I believe Jesus is saying that like one looks to nature to see what the season is, we can look for these signs to know that the end of the age is near.
"37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh."
--It will be as in the days of Noah that people will be only concerned with pleasure. There is much more in this verse that we will cover in a future blog. But for this discussion, our world is getting very close to meeting this requirement.
"45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
--This is a goal. We want to be told by God on that day that we were a good and faithful servant.
So we see in the end times there will be:
* Deception
*Many coming in the name of God saying "I am he", deceiving many
*Wars and rumours of wars
*Famines, pestilences and earthquakes
*Being killed and hated for Christ's name sake.
*Many are offended and betrayal and filled with hate.
*False prophets
*Sin abounds, love grows cold
*Gospel preached to all the world.
*Abomination of desolation
*Tribulation and deception so great that even the saints could be deceived.
*The sun is darkened and moon shall not give her light, stars fall, and the heavens are shaken.
*sign of Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, earth mourns, angels with a great sound of a trumpet and gather his elect
*It will be like it was in the days of Noah.
Not all of these have been fulfilled, but most have or are happening in our world right now. I believe we can accurately conclude we are in the end times.
"And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you."
--From this we can see that in the end time there will be deception. That has definitely come true. Everywhere we turn there is deception. People are deceived by people who are pushing their views and propaganda.
"5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many."
--This has also happened. Throughout history there have been people coming and saying that they speak for God. Some have said that they are the "Messiah".
"6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet."
--Throughout history there have been many wars. However, it seems like since World War II the world has been almost continually at war.
"7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows."
--Almost every month we hear of a famine, and earthquake or some awful thing happening somewhere in the world.
"9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake."
--This is another that has been almost continual throughout history. However, more Christians are being martyred for their faith now, than ever in history.
"10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another."
--This may be debatable. However, it seems like people are very easily offended at this time. I believe the news bear witness that there is a lot of hate as well
"11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many."
--The list of false prophets in recent history is long. To name a few: Jim Jones, Rev. Moon etc
"12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved."
--Sin is definitely on the rise. It seems at times that people do not have love that should come naturally. An example would be a parents love for their children.
"14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."
--This has not happened as the end has not come. However, the gospel has been preached in much of the world.
"15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:"
--There is debate amongst theologians as to whether or not this has taken place. Some say this will take place in the future. Others believe that it was when Antiochus Epiphanes interrupted temple sacrifices between 168 and 165 B.C. The abomination would be when he sacrificed a pig on the altar in the temple complex.
"21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."
--Great troubles in the world, like there never have been before. Trouble so bad that unless God shortened the time, no flesh would be left on earth. People saying they are the Christ and all other false things. These false prophets will do signs an wonders. I believe we are at the beginning of this time.
"25 Behold, I have told you before.
26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:"
--This has not happened yet in my opinion.
"30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."
--This also has not happened yet. The Son of man has not been seen in the clouds of heaven.
"32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only."
--Here I believe Jesus is saying that like one looks to nature to see what the season is, we can look for these signs to know that the end of the age is near.
"37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh."
--It will be as in the days of Noah that people will be only concerned with pleasure. There is much more in this verse that we will cover in a future blog. But for this discussion, our world is getting very close to meeting this requirement.
"45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
--This is a goal. We want to be told by God on that day that we were a good and faithful servant.
So we see in the end times there will be:
* Deception
*Many coming in the name of God saying "I am he", deceiving many
*Wars and rumours of wars
*Famines, pestilences and earthquakes
*Being killed and hated for Christ's name sake.
*Many are offended and betrayal and filled with hate.
*False prophets
*Sin abounds, love grows cold
*Gospel preached to all the world.
*Abomination of desolation
*Tribulation and deception so great that even the saints could be deceived.
*The sun is darkened and moon shall not give her light, stars fall, and the heavens are shaken.
*sign of Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, earth mourns, angels with a great sound of a trumpet and gather his elect
*It will be like it was in the days of Noah.
Not all of these have been fulfilled, but most have or are happening in our world right now. I believe we can accurately conclude we are in the end times.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Day 12: Genesis 1:1-1:2 gap?
Is there a gap between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2? Many theologians believe that there is. In Genesis 1:1 God created the heavens and the earth. In verse 1:2, the earth is without form and void and darkness was on the face of the deep. The word for form is tohuw (Strongs hebrew 8414). It means lie waste, desolate, worthless. It can also mean vain, confusion, nothing or wilderness.
Void is from bohuw (Strongs 922). It means empty, a vacuity, empty or void.
This poses the question, did God create something so undesirable? Perhaps the question is could He create something that was worthless? God can do anything, so He could. But would He? I think the argument could be made that it is presented in an order. If this were the case verse 2 should come before verse 1. However, if that were the case then where did the formless and void place come from?
I believe that God is a God of order. So perhaps verse 1 is a statement of what happened and verse 2 begins the description of how it happened.
No matter which way you believe, you have to deal with something worthless being there.
If there is a gap, what happened during that time? How long was the gap? Why didn't God intervene? I do not believe we will ever know this side of eternity.
If there was a gap, it may help to bridge the distance between the age of the world, as seen by the world and the church view. It could be a day or millions of years.
As this is not something that I consider as a doctrinal issue, I mention it. I tend to subscribe to the gap theory. I think it is likely that the fall of satan and 1/3 of the angels happened during this time. When he was cast out of heaven, Isaiah states that lucifer did weaken the nations. (Isaiah 14:12) He was cast out into the earth (Revelation 12:9). Revelation 12:12 says 'woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! For the devil is come down unto you having great wrath, because he knows he has a short time.'
Void is from bohuw (Strongs 922). It means empty, a vacuity, empty or void.
This poses the question, did God create something so undesirable? Perhaps the question is could He create something that was worthless? God can do anything, so He could. But would He? I think the argument could be made that it is presented in an order. If this were the case verse 2 should come before verse 1. However, if that were the case then where did the formless and void place come from?
I believe that God is a God of order. So perhaps verse 1 is a statement of what happened and verse 2 begins the description of how it happened.
No matter which way you believe, you have to deal with something worthless being there.
If there is a gap, what happened during that time? How long was the gap? Why didn't God intervene? I do not believe we will ever know this side of eternity.
If there was a gap, it may help to bridge the distance between the age of the world, as seen by the world and the church view. It could be a day or millions of years.
As this is not something that I consider as a doctrinal issue, I mention it. I tend to subscribe to the gap theory. I think it is likely that the fall of satan and 1/3 of the angels happened during this time. When he was cast out of heaven, Isaiah states that lucifer did weaken the nations. (Isaiah 14:12) He was cast out into the earth (Revelation 12:9). Revelation 12:12 says 'woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! For the devil is come down unto you having great wrath, because he knows he has a short time.'
Forgetting: That I think I know about God. That I think I know all His ways and wisdom.
Remembering: God's ways are higher than my ways, His thoughts are not my thoughts. He promises to give me all things pertaining to life and godliness.
Day 11: In The Beginning
Forgetting: Any thought that usurps the place of God on the throne of my heart.
Genesis 1:1 states: 'In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.'
This is probably one of the first few verses I memorized at a young age. It is pretty self-explanatory. However, there are a few points I would like to make.
The Hebrew word for beginning is re'shiyth: the first, in place, time, order or rank. Strong's 7225.
So what was it the beginning of? I believe it was the beginning of time as we know it. This is just my belief, it is not something I can prove. Thus it is not something I hold as a truth. In Revelations 1:8, Jesus says: ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, saith the Lord, which is, and was, and which is to come, says the Almighty.‘
We know that creator God has always been. He has no beginning or end.
The second point is that God created the heavens. Note that it is plural. The heaven that we can see is what we call the Earth's atmosphere. Then there is what we consider space. Finally, there is heaven as in the dwelling place of God. We do not know precisely where God dwells. In John 14:2, Jesus said, 'In my Fathers house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.' So we know there are places to dwell in heaven.
Finally, the word Earth (Strongs Hebrew 776) is from a root 'to be firm, common, country, earth, land, wilderness'. This is interesting as in a few verses the word firmament is used. I find it notable that earth is singular, not plural. When God created the Earth it was the beginning of time as the Earth and its inhabitants would know. I find it interesting that the word common is used. It may be that the Earth is only one of many places that God created. However, we do not have evidence of other inhabited planets.
This is probably one of the first few verses I memorized at a young age. It is pretty self-explanatory. However, there are a few points I would like to make.
The Hebrew word for beginning is re'shiyth: the first, in place, time, order or rank. Strong's 7225.
So what was it the beginning of? I believe it was the beginning of time as we know it. This is just my belief, it is not something I can prove. Thus it is not something I hold as a truth. In Revelations 1:8, Jesus says: ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, saith the Lord, which is, and was, and which is to come, says the Almighty.‘
We know that creator God has always been. He has no beginning or end.
The second point is that God created the heavens. Note that it is plural. The heaven that we can see is what we call the Earth's atmosphere. Then there is what we consider space. Finally, there is heaven as in the dwelling place of God. We do not know precisely where God dwells. In John 14:2, Jesus said, 'In my Fathers house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.' So we know there are places to dwell in heaven.
Finally, the word Earth (Strongs Hebrew 776) is from a root 'to be firm, common, country, earth, land, wilderness'. This is interesting as in a few verses the word firmament is used. I find it notable that earth is singular, not plural. When God created the Earth it was the beginning of time as the Earth and its inhabitants would know. I find it interesting that the word common is used. It may be that the Earth is only one of many places that God created. However, we do not have evidence of other inhabited planets.
Remembering: God was there in the beginning. God was there before there was anything. He knows my end from the beginning. Psalm 139, His thoughts about me are many.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)