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People of The Living God |
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August 2023
“WITHOUT EXCUSE”
James Sanderson
“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world” (Psalm 19:1-4a). The heavens speak. Day and night they resound with their mighty declaration understood in every language that has ever existed, both heavenly and earthly. What message do they convey? “Glory to God in the highest!” (Luke 2:14). Their lasting theme is God's glory. The word glory describes the majesty and splendor of God.
We serve a great and wonderful God Who has etched His signature into the panorama of the universe. The heavens and the heaven of heavens display His awesome majesty. The Bible clearly teaches that God is the Creator of the universe and everything in it. This truth is a foundation stone of the Christian faith. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Gen. 1:1). It did not take Him eons of time, nor did He depend on an arduous process to accomplish His work. The Word also states, “He commanded, and they were created” (Psalm 148:5). Creation is a constant, clear, and decisive testimony to the existence of an Eternal God who governs the universe.
God is also the Creator and Sustainer of all life. “All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men” (John 1:3-4). Moreover, all life is depended upon God for its continued existence. The Apostle Paul states, “For in him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28a). Life is a precious gift from Almighty God.
Endtime Scoffers
It is unfortunate that many voices have arisen in opposition to these marvelous, fundamental truths. Having relegated the Genesis account to the mythological lore of the ancient world, they now promulgate the theory of Darwinian evolution as the force behind the existence of all living organisms thus denying God the glory due His name. According to a Gallup poll taken in 2019, only 40% of the U.S. adult population support a strictly creationist view of human origin. The rest believe in Darwinian evolution with or without God (Gallup.com).
The Bible warns that scoffers will arise in these last days denying the veracity of God's word and casting doubt on the doctrine of the Second Coming of Christ. “That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished” (2 Peter 3:2-6).
There has been a proliferation of scoffers in these last days, infiltrating our schools, colleges, and universities. They ridicule the doctrine of divine creation and brook no opposition to their illogical and erroneous suppositions. The goal of these scoffers? Undermine confidence in the Bible and turn the hearts of men away from God. Richard Dawkins, the famed atheist and evolutionary biologist, stated that only the “scientifically illiterate” believe man was created for a purpose; the idea of a young earth is “a preposterous, mind-shrinking falsehood;” and “religion is an irrational belief without evidence” (“Richard Dawkins,” Wikipedia).
Darwin's Influence
Ideas have consequences both in individual lives and on the world stage. How those ideas are disseminated, also, plays a role in their impact. “Charles Darwin, Sigmund Freud, and Karl Marx have often been regarded as that unholy trinity who, in the 19th Century laid the foundation for today's pagan society” (“Freud: The Darwin of the Human Psyche,” Ian Taylor, 2021, Creation Moments). Each promoted a purely materialistic view of life in his respective field. Furthermore, of the three, the influenceof Charles Darwin has been more far-reaching. “No biologist has been responsible for more – and for more drastic – modifications of the average person's worldview than Charles Darwin” (Ernst Mayr, “Darwin's Influence on Modern Thought,” 11/24/2009, Scientific American).
Darwin changed the world by replacing Judeo-Christian values with a secular worldview and, tragically, shifting society away from a respect for the sanctity of human life. A biblical worldview is incompatible with Darwinism. If Darwinism is completely true, there is no ultimate purpose, no moral absolutes, no heaven, no hell, no afterlife, and the Bible loses its relevance. These tenets have become the foundation of our modern secular society.
Darwinism is so entrenched in the psyche of academia and considered to be a fact that opposing views are rarely discussed. Students are not taught to analyze this theory scientifically. Healthy skepticism is not encouraged or even allowed. Many students are left with the belief that no intelligent individualshould question the assertions of an evolutionist. Richard Dawkins declared, “Evolution is a fact. Beyond reasonable doubt, beyond serious doubt, beyond sane, informed, intelligent doubt, beyond doubt evolution is a fact... No reputable scientist disputes it” (Dawkins, The Greatest Show on Earth, 2010). Contrary to Dawkins' myopic observation there are reputable scientists who dispute the claims of evolutionists.
Hitler, Stalin, Mao-Tse-Tung, Pol Pot – all embraced and expounded on Darwinism as a foundation stone for their causes. “I had seen the horrific impact of the Nazis and had then experienced the similarly grim effect of communism. Why had such enormous evil been unleashed upon so many people? Hitler's understanding of the history of life, and that of Marx, Stalin, and Mao, was not devised by a German, Russian, or Chinese. It was shaped by an Englishman named Charles Darwin Darwin's book, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, Or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life (1859), laid the groundwork for their worldviews. They each applied the principle of 'survival of the fittest' to their own situation” (Raymond Hall, Darwin's Impact – The Bloodstained Legacy of Evolution, 3/1/2005, pages 46-47).
What Evidence?
“Darwinists have indoctrinated our society for over 100 years in a worldview that has proven to be tragically destructive. Why do so many people believe the pessimistic, nihilistic, and depressive Darwinist view? One reason is that they are convinced that science has proven Darwinism to be true” (Jerry Bergman, PhD, “The Effect of Darwinism on Morality and Christianity,” Institute of Creation Research, 6/1/2001). NPR made the following statement: “The evidence for evolution is overwhelming” (“Why Do So Many Have Trouble Believing in Evolution? 1/18/2012, NPR.org). The Darwinists would love to have everyone believe that the theory of evolution has finally been proven. Such is not the case. The evidence is far from overwhelming. After more than 160 years since Darwin published his theory of evolution, evolutionists have yet to discover the origin of life. They speculate but have not proved anything. “The idea that an unguided process depending on natural selection and random mutations can account for the complexity of life is a huge problem for the Darwinist” (dissentfromdarwin.org).
It takes a far greater leap of faith to believe that a mindless, random process could account for all the complex life forms found on planet earth than to simply accept the fact that an infinitely intelligent God created all things. Just consider one organ such as the human eye with its tremendous complexity. Not only would all the right mutations have to occur (most mutations are failures) for that eye to function properly, but one must also understand that that eye must fit into just the right bone socket. Furthermore, all the necessary blood supply and nerve endings must also exist. Everything must be present at once for the eye to work correctly. Gradual mutations could not produce such an eye. Scientists use the term the concept of irreducible complexity. One doctor used an interesting analogy. “The fundamental and insurmountable problem with Darwinian evolution lies in the remarkable complexity and inherent information contained within DNA. The DNA within each cell is responsible for the production and processing of carefully orchestrated and interrelated functions within the cell. As an analogy, DNA far surpasses the complexity of the blueprints and production of a 30 story building with elevators, electricity, plumbing, computers, and air-conditioning” (Dissecting Darwinism, Joseph A. Kuhn, MD, 1/25/ 2012, pg. 4).
The Darwinist alleges that a belief in creation has no basis in science. Darwinian evolution is actually a theory that, also, has no basis in science. Neither theory is empirically provable. “When debating the validity of Creationism, versus Evolution, many evolutionists seem to believe that the conflict is a disagreement between a well-proved scientific fact and the Christian religion.In reality, it is a battle between two opposing religions and their subsequent worldviews. Evolution is as much a faith-based religion as Christianity, Islam, etc.” (The Ledger, “Evolution is a religion, not a provable science,” Grace D. Alturas, 1/22/2009). For example, the existence of homologous structures on different kinds of organisms prove nothing. One's worldview determines the origin of each structure. If you have a Darwinian worldview, you will say that the two organisms that have these structures have a common ancestor. If you are a creationist, your worldview will say similar structures demonstrate a common designer. If you had personally witnessed the formation of these two organisms and the production of these structures in the past, you would have been able to be more decisive (i.e. scientific). This is a circumstantial case. All evidence is subject to interpretation.
(1) No one has ever demonstrated scientifically nor observed that one organism has evolved into a completely different kind of organism.
(2) Evolutionary theory goes against the law of biogenesis (life comes only from preexisting life not from non-living matter).
(3) The theory of evolution suggests that spontaneous generation, long-disproved by Louis Pasteur, is possible.
(4) The theory of evolution teaches that every living organism on earth came into existence out of nothingness with nothing directing the process except random mutations and natural selection (in other words, by chance and luck).
(5) Darwinists maintain that random mutations and natural selection alone (with no intelligent living input, not even that of a Darwinist) transformed one-celled organisms into all the complex, organized life forms observed on earth today. Nature itself demonstrates that anything left to itself gravitates toward disorder and randomness, not toward complexity and higher intelligence.
(6) The fossil record with its lack of enough transitional organisms does not support the theory of evolution. Where is the evidence for Darwinism?
God's Indictment
One day, as Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, some of His disciples came to Him privately and posed an all-important question, “Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matt. 24:3). His immediate response was, “Take heed that no mandeceiveyou” (vs 4). The first signpost of the last days on Christ's list was deception. Every indication from divine Scripture is that the last days are upon us. This world has become a minefield of deception. One of the greatest deceptions that has swept the world is Darwinism. The Apostle Paul issued this warning, “Beware lest any man spoil (rob) you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ” (Col. 2:8). Darwinism is a philosophy that will rob you of all that is truly important in life: your trust in God, your confidence in His word, and your eternal hope.
The Apostle Paul also wrote, “Let no man deceive you with vain words” (Eph. 5:6a). The word vain means empty. The teachings of the Darwinists are empty, devoid of truth. One major weapon against deception is a devotion to truth. “And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” (II Thess. 2:10). A firmfoundation in the Word of God is vital in these last days.
The Word of God issues a strong indictment against those who reject the clear and irrefutable testimony of God's creation, “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:19-20).
WHAT IS TRUTH?
Al King
Searching for truth is an endeavor in which man has engaged for millenniums in an effort to ascertain something concrete in which he can find security for his insecure soul. Man has sought enlightenment in various religions, in science, in Free Masonry, cults, the New Age movement, and many other avenues, all of which have left him dismally empty and void of the truth for which he has sought. A clear example of this search for truth is seen in Pontius Pilate, who had climbed the ladder of success in the military of the Roman Empire to become the procurator of Judea. In his hands lay the power to judge men accused of crimes, to scourge and even to have them put to death. He had heard the wranglings, excuses and connivings of men on trial striving to justify themselves and spare their lives from death. He had faced the religious leaders in Jerusalem and knew of their hypocrisy, their unjust dealings, and their religious pride and was, no doubt, wearied by their religious stubbornness. Being forced to pronounce judgment upon One Who he knew was innocent was not a duty he relished. Throughout the whole episode, Pilate sought through various means to release Jesus but wearily gave in to the demands of the vicious mob stirred up by the religious leaders of Judaism.
In the middle of this trial, Pilate’s famous words, “What is truth?” comes forth with stinging impact upon those who read them. This man who had gained “success”, status, and power, who had years of experience under his belt, had somehow been eluded by truth and as “The Truth” stood before him, it escaped him again. Though face to face with the very personification of truth, he allowed truth to slip through his fingersaltogether. Being perverted by his position, his pride, and his reputation, he could not do what he knew in his heart was right. (Righteous is akin to truth.) He was a captive, a prisoner to his own ego, a slave to vanity and so he became one of the instruments used to carry out earth’s greatest crime, the crucifixion of the Lord of Glory. Had he walked in truth during his life, he would have not found himself guilty of so great a crime.
The unbelief which springs from the human heart baffles the mind. It is amazing that man will seek every avenue for truth but will not believe the words of the Son of God. When we consider the words Jesus spoke declaring that He is “The Truth” coupled with those in John 8:32, “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free,” one’s mind staggers at the simplicity and yet the profoundness of such remarks. Man who longs for and seeks after peace andtranquilityproceeds on the path to certain bondage not being willing to walk in the truth that sets one free. Jesus declares His words to be the avenue to that for which the heart craves, yet His words are circumvented, compromised, and watered down to a “do nothing” religion. It seems that any intelligent being who would read such words and truly believe them would apply them to his life to obtain that freedom of which Christ promised. Such is not the case, however. Why?
First, let us clearly understand what this freedom is which Jesus promises to those who will walk in truth. Joseph Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon defines being free as, “freedom from corrupt desires, so that we do by the free impulse of the soul what the will of God requires.” This is a radical reformation of the human soul to do naturally what is right and true. An example of how this freedom actually works in one’s heart might be compared to robbing a bank. Most Americans would not even consider robbing a bank. It is naturally against our moral being and would violate our own personal code of conduct. We are, therefore, not even tempted to do so even though we may face some very difficult times financially. Most people are as violently opposed to murder as they are to bank robbing. Everything within our moral being is repulsed by even the thought of such conduct.
We are therefore not only free from those sins but are free from even the temptation of them. The freedom which Christ promises is that same aversion to all sin no matter how insignificant it may seem. Jesus could boldly say He was “The Truth” for when Satan came against Him, He could truthfully say, “the prince of this world cometh, and he hath nothing in me.” He was FREE. This same freedom is what is promised to those who will walk according to His words, which are truth. Pilate missed this freedom although the very Herald of truth stood immediately before him.
Truth is, in its most elementary form, the facts. It is not what you nor I believe. It is not necessarily what society teaches or what the multitudes believe but what is actual fact. The multitudes did not believe it would rain and cause a worldwide flood as preached by Noah. He was looked upon as a fanatic. But what was the truth? What were the facts? That which Noah declared was the truth and those who would not heed the warnings, perished. Truth is not necessarily what your church teaches nor what mine teaches but what is declared by God in His Holy Word. Those are the facts and they are the truth. To think that Jesus did not mean what He said is to be even more foolish than those who did not believe Noah and the consequences are eternally as serious.
The heart of God must be grieved by the admonition of leading evangelists of the past several decades who send new converts to the “church of your choice”: whatever church you are comfortable with, the one you can be assured won’t “stroke your fur” the wrong direction. But, what about truth? It is obvious that all churches do not teach truth. They can’t all teach truth when they do not agree. Someone has to be wrong. The evangelist who would give such ludicrous advice is clearly aware that there is untruth being taught in most of those churches to whom he sends his converts, yet his desire to cater to all people of all denominations, and his aversion to be offensive, to be the salt of the earth, causes him to send the new convert to certain destruction. The prophecy is truly fulfilled in which the prophet Isaiah proclaims, “truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter” (Isa. 59:14). Hosea also spoke of these days in his prophecy, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6).
` In our endeavor to understand truth and the seriousness of rejecting it, it is imperative that we consider the opposite of truth. It is falsehood, or more clearly, a lie. Anything which is not of the truth is a lie. The seriousness of falsehoods, including false doctrine, cannot be made more evident than Jesus’ words in John 8:44. “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”
There are three points which every Christian should very carefully examine in this verse. (1) All untruths originate with Satan for he is the father of lies. (2) There is no truth in him, so all that proceeds from him is a lie and a falsehood. He cannot speak truth, for there is none in him. (3) He is a murderer. This statement clearly identifies his intent and purpose for all that he conjures up. It is to destroy God’s people and God’s truths. His whole demonic aim is to destroy or “murder” and he achieves this through falsehood, whether they be doctrines, spirit activity, or exultation of the flesh through pride and vanity. It’s all a lie. Jesus plainly and distinctly states that man cannot serve God and mammon, yet we are bombarded with a constant barrage of prosperity doctrines which defy the words of the Master. Whom are we to believe, Man or The Son of Man? Heaven must be grieved by the overwhelming “doctrines of devils” which have come out of the pit from the very heart of the master deceiver, cooked up in the kitchen of hell, to lull believers to sleep and bring upon the church a lukewarmness which is detestable to the God of truth. Untruths from the prince of this world are leeches which suck the lifeblood from the Christian until the murderer has accomplished his devilish deed.
Several absurd proposals today which are often heard are, “Lay down doctrinal beliefs and just fellowship around Christ” or “There is only one family in heaven.” These and other similar patronizing statements cause one to wonder if those who promote such things have ever sat down and considered the implications of what they are saying. While there may be a certain element of truth in those statements, at what point will they cease to fellowship with others who call themselves “Christians”? Will they embrace the homosexual churches who claim to be Christian? Will they offer fellowship to free love churches? Will they return to Catholicism from which the early fathers of Protestantism were excommunicated because of all the false teachings and the tyranny of the church? Will they be again entangled therein?
At what point will those who make such unthought-out statements draw the line; do those to whom they make such statements understand where that line is? One church draws the line at one point and the next church draws the line at another point, but the main concern here is, where does God draw the line because this is the TRUE line which should be drawn. The broad way which leadeth to destruction is the church of your choice, the doctrines of your choice, and draw the lines of your choice. What is it about false doctrines that causes one to hold on so tenaciously to them refusing to even consider that they might be wrong?
The words of Isaiah might well be quoted here because we have all, at times, found ourselves on the broad way. “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it,” (Isa. 30:21). The words of Jesus are the truth which will set the captive free, but they also bring us to the strait gate and narrow way which few will ever enter. We all have headed in the wrong direction, but God in love spoke to our hearts and turned us about to see and behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, and that true love has transformed our lives forever. It is in loving Him, Who first loved us, that we begin to put to practice His words. We begin to fulfill one basic truth, that which Jesus declared in John 14:23, “If a man love me, he will keep my words:”
Truth, when examined closely, includes righteousness and the result is freedom. The truth is that when one follows the teachings, words and commands of Jesus, he will walk in righteousness or do what is right in the sight of God. It is in that righteous walk that he finds true freedom. It is liberation from all the things which hinder him from pleasing the Father. It is being loosed from the prison of self-expression and sin and is a metamorphosis from bondage into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Freedom is then achieved as he experiences the ability and power to do the things required of him by God and he no longer is driven by the desires and lusts of the natural heart. His self-love has been crucified and a new love is birthed which causes him to love God with all his heart, soul, mind and strength. Until one comes to this place, he is enslaved to sin, is not free and is not walking totally in the truth. “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” This rarely obtained freedom is made available to him who will recognize the pearl of great price and will sell all that he hath that he might purchase it.
ARE WE HAVING A REVIVAL OF TRUE RELIGION?
A.W. Tozer
Were a resurgence of the true faith of Christ to occur anywhere in the civilized world we would have every right to expect those affected by it to become more spiritual, more saintly, in the best sense of these words. The present wave of religion is having no such effect. Indeed the whole concept of saintliness is absent. The yearning to be holy can scarcely be found among the busy religionists of the day.
Christianity once set out to convert the world and ended by undergoing a reverse conversion. The world converted the church---.
The rise of a new religious spirit in recent years is marked by disturbing similarities to that earlier “revival.” Now, as then, a quasi-Christianity is achieving acceptance by compromise. It is dickering with the unregenerate world for acceptance and, as someone said recently,it is offering Christ at bargain prices to win customers. The total result is a conglomerate religious mess that cannot but make the reverent Christian sick in his heart.
Without the remotest intention to accept the authority of Christ many religious leaders nevertheless use His name as an attractive front to give them entrée to the masses. Whether or not it is the fulfillment of that odd passage in Isaiah, still it reminds one of the words, “And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, we will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach:” (Isa.4:1). Doctrines wholly foreign to the Scriptures are being taught in the name of Christ: and His name is being pronounced over deeds as carnal and earthly as any ever performed under the sun. The “Man Upstairs” of war days is now being invoked to bring success to the selfish schemes of unregenerate men.
One movie star, after a half hour of fighting, shooting and general mayhem closes his radio show with the folksy benediction, “May the good Lord take a likin’ to you.” A night club gossip monger ends his broadcast with the exhortation, “And go with God.” A disc jockey who broadcasts from a saloon has been known to interview religious persons on his program and to draw them out to tell of the power of prayer---.
The sum of all this is that religion today is not transforming the people; rather it is being transformed by the people. It is not raising the moral level of society; it is descending to society’s own level and congratulating itself that it has scored a victory because society is smilingly accepting its surrender.
What too many religious leaders are overlooking is that the faith of Christ makes no concessions, accepts no compromises, allows no terms and makes no deals. Christ offers Himself to men as Lord and Saviour and receives returning sinners only when they turn against themselves and come fully over on God’s side. Fallen men escape the judgment of the world as Lot escaped the destruction of Sodom, by forsaking it altogether, not by getting adjusted to it.
The current vogue religion never says, “Thou shalt not”; that would be negative thinking and contrary to the best psychology. It does not command men; it smiles and cajoles and suggests and ends by letting the man have his own way. Anything goes as long as a sop is tossed to God in the form of “devotions” after the unreconstructed rebel has had his fun. God thus becomes a servant who stands ready to help in a pinch but who will not make any embarrassing demands or expect anyone to live a life much different from the customary easy life made familiar by the radio and the public press.
Undoubtedly, here and there a happy exception may be found. The Holy Spirit has His few, as indeed He has always had, and their holy walk and tear-drenched prayers may yet save the day.
PRACTICE OF THE TRUE CHURCH
Harry Miller
It is necessary for men today to be able to distinguish between the TRUE church of the Lord, and the many imposters, for we are living in the day of great religious activity, and there are many who claim the name of Christ, but their “works deny” Him. Isaiah the prophet said concerning this “latter day,” that “seven women” would “take hold of one man saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be CALLED BY THY NAME, to take away our reproach” (Isaiah 4:1).
John, in the book of Revelation, said: “I know thy works, that thou hast a NAME that thou livest, and art dead” (Chapter 3, verse 1). No man is a Christian merely because he claims Christ’s NAME; neither can any religious group become God’s chosen ones merely by claiming His NAME. The Lord Jesus told us that a tree is known BY ITS FRUIT – NOT BY ITS NAME.
The world has never before seen an age when so many people were claiming the name of “Christian” as are claiming it today. But sad to say, among the great majority of these professing Christians, the “virtues of Christ” cannot be found. The “wayfaring man” finds it very confusing in his search for God’s true people.
The very nature of a truly “born again” Christian is social; he desires the company and fellowship of other Christians. This social desire can be either a good thing or an evil thing. Too many folks have settled for the fellowship of amiable professing Christians. Pleasant human fellowship has caused multitudes to lower their standards and finally compromise moral values rather than offend their fellows. It is never pleasant to be salty SALT, and those “whose deeds are evil” will never welcome your correction.
Beware of fellowship with those who are NOT SCRIPTURALLY CHRISTIANS. Jesus answered the question, “Who is my mother, my sister, and my brethren?” with these words: “He that DOETH the will of my Father which is in heaven.” What is the WILL OF OUR HEAVENLY FATHER? Jesus also answered this question: “That ye believe … Him whom He hath sent.” (John 6:29).
Many people believe ON Jesus as a historical figure, but they refuse to BELIEVE HIM when they read His words of COMMAND. The words of Jesus are not mere suggestions, or recommendations for the Christian: they are COMMANDS. The orders, or commands, of our MASTER have been despised by the lawless element of our day. It is time for us to examine the foundation of our faith, and see if it is according to the pattern shown “ON THE MOUNT.”
To serve the Lord “in word” is unprofitable. He is a great KING and must be served “IN DEED.” The way in which we demonstrate our faith in Him is by the fact that WE OBEY HIS COMMANDS. We seek to know His will through His Word (the Scriptures), and then we conform our lives to the pattern which is given us in the scriptures. In this manner, we honor the Lord and also save our own souls.
There are many “broad-minded” folks who tell us that it is all right to practice the teachings of Jesus, but we need not be too exacting, too technical. In other words, they are saying it was all right for Cain to change the manner of sacrifice just a bit, and it was not so bad for Aaron’s two sons to offer incense with “strange fire” (just a few hot coals, but from the wrong stove). Such things are a very subtle way of MAKING VOID the commands of the Lord. When the Lord tells us to practice anything in a certain way, it is the very peak of insolence to do it in just a little different manner than He has commanded.
It is utter nonsense to say that we BELIEVE His word, and then PRACTICE something different from that which He has commanded. The doctrine and the practice of every true believer are ONE. The true believer practices what he believes, and the things which he believes he has accepted from CHRIST’S COMMANDS. Those who know “the fear of the Lord” will not modify, change, or minimize any of the commands of their Lord. In the spirit of complete devotion they will religiously try to carry out His will TO THE LETTER. For this, they will be accused of “straining at gnats,” and of being “too literal-minded.”
It is quite probable that Noah and his family were known among their fellow men as fanatics. God’s exact COMMAND was their standard. Noah refused to lower that standard for any man. Strict obedience to God’s commands made him God’s man. In any age the thing that characterizes God’s man is the fact that he is willing to be misunderstood by his fellow men rather than lower the standard of the Lord’s COMMAND.
Fellow ministers and missionaries, let us openly declare that it is time for all men to OBEY the words of Jesus Christ, and to put into practice the things which He preached in His Sermon on The Mount. If we do this we have a great reward, for our converts will not merely call themselves members of the body of Christ, but they will in truth be children of the Living God. If, when our Lord returns, His laborers are found feeding the “meat in due season,” what great satisfaction there will be for those wise servants who have “esteemed the reproaches of Christ” of greater riches than all the treasures of Egypt.
IF
Randall Walton
I am constantly being bombarded by flamboyant and fancy notices in the mail from various sources which state that I am the winner of $1,000,000.00, or $10,000,000.00; the last one was $11,000,000.00. But these duds are always followed by the enlightening statement: “Ifyou have the winning number.”! Sometimes the “if” appears at the top of the page, in tiny letters with the $10,000,000.00 winner announcement in huge letters that are unavoidable.
Obviously, the most important word in the entire brochure is that little word, if. It is the same as saying, “on condition that,” or “provided,” or “in case that.” It is the conjunction which joins two clauses of comparable value: millions of dollars, and a winning number. The entire transaction hinges on one little two-letter word.
Some of these Sweepstakes state that the odds of winning the Prize are one hundred million to one, a fact which means that at least one hundred million names are in the running for the money. And if it were possible for us to poll all those people we would most likely find that all, or nearly all, of them would agree that the race hinges upon the word “if.” If they are fortunate enough to have the right number, they receive the Prize; if they do not have the winning number, they receive nothing.
The truly amazing thing about this is that while people will agree that the wordif, (when it is used in secular matters, as per above) sets forth conditions or standards for obtaining certain goals or objectives, they will not apply the same importance to the wordifwhen it appears in the Scriptures. For some reason it takes on a new meaning, a truly different definition. No longer does it possess the authority to determine the outcome of a situation.
For example, the Word of God is full of promises, most of which are conditioned by the wordif. This means, simply, that those promises are obtained only by meeting the requirements which are stated therein, such as: “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:7). Too many people expect to enjoy the last part of this verse without fulfilling the first part. The conditions are highlighted by the very first word,if
In verse 10 of the same chapter of John, there is another astounding declaration: “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love.” What happens to those who do not keep His commandments? Sorry, they do not abide in His love! These are the true sayings of Jesus Himself. It’s not too smart to argue against Him.
So where does this put all these people who fight the commandments of God, yet claim His love? This is like claiming the Superprize without having the winning number – it doesn’t work!
Other Examples
“If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch and is withered.” (There goes the doctrine of unconditional eternal security).
“If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.” (I Cor.3:17)
“Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, IF we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.” liar( Heb.3:6)
“For we are made partakers of Christ, IF we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end” (Heb.3:14)
“For IF these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Chris.” (II Peter 1:8). “These things” to which Peter referred are found in verses 5 through 8: faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. He says these things must be in you and abound – i.e., increase, or else!
“Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: forifye do these things, ye shall never fall” (II Peter 1:10). The implication here is plain and simple: If you do not do these things youwillfall! We make our calling and election sure by our doing “these things” which Peter enumerated.
There is no place in God for a dormant, inactive, non-producing professor. Peter said we must ADD to the divine characteristics to which he alluded. This means that we energize our efforts in our walk with God for the production of these qualities, otherwise we will not qualify for our calling and election.
We realize that this flies in the face of the modern “easy grace” theory, but we also believe that these men of God spoke and wrote as they were anointed by the Holy Ghost.
“IFwewalkin the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (I John 1:7).
Notice, he does not say “sit down in the light,” nor “go to sleep in the light,” but WALK in the light, as He is in the light. Those who do not walk in the light as He is in the light, have no fellowship with Him or God’s people, neither are they being cleansed from sin by the blood of the Lamb.
The Lord Himself has set the limits and bounds and conditions for obtaining and maintaining salvation in Himself. After all, God is God, and He has the right and prerogative to establish the acceptable standards by which He evaluates every individual. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9).
You are a winner IF you have the winning number – otherwise!!!
NOT IN JERUSALEM!
Curtis Dickinson
The conversation Jesus had with the woman at the well at Sychar in Samaria has been memorialized in sermon and song, but one significant statement He made is generally overlooked. He said:“Woman believe me, the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet in Jerusalem, worship the Father” (John 4:21).
He went on to say that true worshippers shall worship the Father “in spirit and in truth” (Vs.23), and many strongly emphasize this statement. However, His statement in verse 21 doesn’t seem to have registered with most people in the churches, as they continue to idolize Jerusalem as “The Holy City” and hanker to visit "The Holy Land” and see the “sacred places.”
While Jerusalem was indeed the special city of God under the economy of the Mosaic law, the prophets did not hesitate to reveal that it was to come under severe condemnation and to be supplanted by something greater and better, as revealed in the 16thchapter of Ezekiel. In fact, it was Moses himself who predicted that the nation would fall into disobedience and, in the 28thChapter of Deuteronomy, he detailed the fearful consequences that Jerusalem would suffer in its destruction.
The message of Moses accords with the words of Jesus after He exposed the gross wickedness of the religious leaders in Jerusalem: “Fill up then the measure of your fathers…Behold your house is left unto you desolate…” (Matt.23:32-39)
The account of Jesus as He moved among the Jews is an account of Jewish rejection of God’s Son and God’s holy purpose. E.E. Gordon notes a seven-fold repudiation of Jesus by the Jews: John 4:14; 7:14; 8:2,59; 10:23; 11:53,56-57; 12:36; 16:3.*
In His discourse on the Mount of Olives, Jesus echoed the prophecy of Moses in declaring that the buildings of the temple would be destroyed: “There shall not be left here one stone upon another.” The city would undergo a period of tribulation which had never been heard of before (Matt. 24:2,21).
In the Gospel accounts there is nothing to indicate that Jesus ever held the city of Jerusalem in high regard. Rather, it was treated either with contempt or pity, never as worthy or sacred. During His public ministry the record shows Jesus returning to Bethany each night, rather than spending a night in Jerusalem. He completely ignored it in choosing the apostles. Eleven of them were Galileans and Judas was a Judean, but not of Jerusalem.
In parable after parable, Jesus showed that the rulers of Jerusalem were under God’s wrath and would soon be judged. In the parable of the vineyard (Matt. 21:33-46) He described how the husbandmen had beaten the servants and killed the son of the owner. It is clear that the servants represented the prophets and the son represented God’s son. The wicked husbandmen were the Jews themselves, to whom Jesus said, “Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken away from you, and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof” (Vs.43). The chief priests and Pharisees “perceived that he spoke of them” but were afraid to take him because they feared the multitude.
The city of Jerusalem was never held in awe or reverence by the apostles, according to the Biblical account. After the resurrection, Jesus told them to “tarry in the city until you are clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:47-49). That power came on the Day of Pentecost, after which the apostles scattered all over the empire and probably to nations far beyond. Jerusalem became the place for Christians to avoid, as shown by the arrest of Peter and John (Acts 3), the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7), the martyrdom of James and the arrest of Peter (Acts 12), and finally the arrest of Paul (Acts 21).
As the Jerusalem Christians were persecuted and many had to flee for their lives, they could be grateful that Jesus had revealed that such a time would come when Jerusalem would no longer be the center of worship, that they could worship in any place and at any time in spirit and truth.
In the last recorded words of the apostle Paul, he quoted Isaiah in the denunciation of the Jews for their hard-hearted rebellion and concluded: “Be it known therefore unto you, that this salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles (nations); they will also hear” (Acts 28:28). Judea and its capital city were no longer to be special places for the work of God, and the city was soon to suffer the fiery destruction that came in 70 AD. There was never any promise, not even a hint, of its restoration.
Writing on this subject, Joseph M. Canfield says, “We submit that when the Lord had Jerusalem destroyed in AD 70, He wanted it to remain so throughout the Church Age.” He writes that the non-existence of the city would be in compliance with the words of Jesus: “Your house is left unto you desolate” (Matt. 23:2). Of course, disobedience didn’t end with the end of the city.*
The first attempt at rebuilding it was in 131, under Emperor Hadrian, who renamed it AeliaCapitolia, a pagan name. It has never been a Christian center since 70 AD.
The Crusades were based on the erroneous idea that Jerusalem was a “holy city” and worthy of any sacrifice made to wrest it from the hands of the “infidels” in order to place the emblems of the Christian faith there. The Crusades were a disaster and a terrible disgrace to the name of Christ. Both Arab and Christian lives were lost by the thousands. Disease and famine followed, as the normal result of medieval warfare. Women were raped and villages pillaged by the Crusaders. Thousands of children who zealously followed the foolish leaders in the “Children’s Crusade” lost their lives through starvation and exposure. Such is the record of the attempt to makeholy acity that was considered by God to be an abomination.
In the early days of the church, a question arose about accepting the uncircumcised Gentiles. A council of apostles and elders was called (Acts 15) at which James cited the words of the prophet Amos about building again the Tabernacle of David. James applied this prophecy to the spread of the gospel, showing that the prophecy had to do with the spiritual household of God and not the building of a material structure.
This is in accord with the apostles’ teaching that each Christian is a temple of God (I Cor. 3:16,17), for God dwells not in temples made with hands (Acts 17:24).
True worship is a matter of the heart and mind – in spirit and in truth – and not a matter of geographical location nor material environment. As the Jews built bigger and bigger structures for worship, they grew farther away from the object of worship until He finally brought judgment upon the nation. (Could the same thing be happening today as the focus is on bigger and bigger church buildings, with vast treasures being invested in them, while evangelism and benevolence are largely neglected?)
Both prophets and apostles, and Jesus Himself held Jerusalem and the land of Israel to be under a curse. Jews who control modern Israel are not descendants of Israel, but a people who adopted Talmudism and/orKabalism, and call it Judaism. They use the gullible Christian’s belief in a “Holy Land '' to advance their political schemes, which are the cause of the violence and turmoil in the Middle East.
A trip to Jerusalem might be interesting, but it cannot draw a Christian closer to God, Who already abides in the true believer. The money spent on such trips might better be spent on endeavors that fulfill the commands of Jesus and glorify the Father.
The Hebrew author writes that we (believers) have “come to Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem…” (Heb. 12:22). The holy city, New Jerusalem, mentioned in Revelation 21, is not the Jerusalem of Palestine, but a portrayal of the entire body of all the redeemed of all ages, in a city that transcends the limitations of the present earth.
The words still apply “when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, shall you worship the Father.”
We do well to cease paying honor to a corrupt city of unbelievers and give that honor to Jesus, who instructed us to worship in spirit and truth.
*From an article by Joseph M. Canfield, “Neither City Nor Land Are Holy.” In Journal For Projects in Eschatology, Vol.3 Nov/Dec 97
THE TARES
Alda Scullin
The Bible records several parables of the kingdom of God. Parables are not plain speech. According to His own words, Jesus used this form of speech deliberately to hide the truth from those who have no love for it (Matt. 13:11, 13-15; II Thess. 2:11). Some parables Jesus interpreted; some He did not. To even understand Jesus’ explanation of the parable of the wheat and the tares, one must realize from his study of the plain teachings of Jesus that His kingdom is present in the world. The parable and its interpretation are found in Matt. 13:24-43.
When His disciples said unto Jesus, “Declare unto us the parable of the tares,” He said, “He that soweth the good seed is the son of man, the field is the world, The good seed are the children of the Kingdom, but the tares are the children of the wicked one. The enemy that sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers are the angels.”
According to Jesus’ interpretation, the field is the world, and that which takes place in this parable is taking place in the kingdom of heaven IN THE WORLD. It is not a physical or material kingdom, but a spiritual state of being. The kingdom of God is in the world but not part of it, even as God’s children are in the world and not part of it (John 18:36; John 15:19).
How could Satan sow tares in God’s kingdom? As Jesus explained to Nicodemus, there is only one way anyone can get into the kingdom of God. “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” and “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom” (John 3:3,5). Therefore, the tares had to be born again because they were sown in the kingdom among the wheat.
In Numbers 21:5-9, God sent fiery serpents into the camp of Israel because of their sins, and many were bitten and died. When they repented, the Lord told Moses to make a serpent of brass and put it on a pole. Anyone that was bitten could then lookto theserpent and live. Since Calvary, anyone who looks to Jesus can live (John 3:14, 15).
In another parable, Jesus likened such people as the tares to stony ground hearers (Matt. 13:20). They received the word anon with joy but had no root in themselves, so they did not endure very long because of persecution and tribulation which offended them. Others lose out becauseof caresof this life, deceitfulness of riches, and pleasures of the world, and they BECOME unfruitful. They, like the tares, are NOW IN HIS KINGDOM.
Perhaps you might think that the devil would not want to get anyone into the kingdom of God, but he knew it would be to his advantage to have some there whom he could influence to be rebellious. In the end of the world, Jesus said He would “...send forth his angels and they shall gather OUT OF HIS KINGDOM all things that offend and them which do iniquity” (Matt. 13:40-41).
Unstable Christians? Those who are religious but not godly? Those who refuse to obey? How do born again Christians become tares? How do they offend? This particular word “offend” in the Greek text is “skandalon” and means a “snare or stumbling-block; occasion of stumbling” (Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon). He further states, “Any impediment placed in the way and causing one to stumble or fall; any person or thing by which one is drawn into error or sin; words or deeds which entice to sin.”
There are many more scriptures which describe this class of “Christians,” of course, and Proverbs 6:16-19 lists six things that the Lord “hates.” “Yea, seven are an abomination unto him.” Since He seems to emphasize the seventh, do you suppose it might be the one He hates the most? It is “He that soweth discord among brethren.”
In the same verse with the word “offend” (Matt. 13:41), Jesus speaks of “them which do iniquity.” This word can also be translated as “those who practice lawlessness.” Since most denominations teach that Jesus did away with all law, most “Christians” practice lawlessness with a feeling of impunity. According to Jesus’ own words, those who love Him are those who keep His law. The tares do not (John 14:21, 23).
I John 2:4 tell us that “He that saith I know him and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” God despises hypocrisy. Those who feign piety may fool their neighbors, but not God.
Bear in mind that these who are posing as Christians are themselves deceived. That is not surprising since they do not walk according to God’s word and have no love for the truth. God, Himself,send them strong delusion so that they might believe a lie and be damned (II Thess. 2:10-12).
Jesus spoke of them in Matthew 6:22, 23. “Many will say to mein thatday, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name cast out devils and in thy name done many wonderful works? and then will I profess unto them, I never knew you, depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Iniquity is lawlessness. These people had supernatural manifestations, but despised God’s law. They tried “another way,” more pleasing to the flesh. Jesus mentions this class again in Luke 13:26-28. When they begin to say to the Lord, “We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets;” then Jesus will say, “I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves THRUST out.”
Though the tares were sown by the enemy and may look like wheat and deceive some of the uninitiated, Jesus said let them grow together until the harvest lest, while the tares are being gathered, some of the wheat should be uprooted with them. In that country, there was a tare known as “bearded darnel” which closely resembled wheat, but near harvest time they can be distinguished one from the other, and the tares were, then, carefully weeded out by hand. The harvest is the end of the world.
In the time of the harvest when the wheat is fully matured, the Son of man shall send forth His angels and they shall gather out of His kingdom first the tares and bind them into bundles to be burned and gather the wheat into his barn (Matt. 13:30).
“Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear” (Matt. 13:43).