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People of The Living God |
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January 2024
WATCHMEN ON THE WALLS
EXCEEDING SINFUL
Randall Walton
We read and hear a great deal of bashing of government employees nowadays. Politicians of every stripe and color are being excoriated and their lives and behavior are examined and exposed for the whole world to behold. They are generally held responsible for most of the corruption and immorality in society.
We agree that politics has had a disreputable record for many decades, but we don’t agree that it is the source of all the moral problems which are prevalent in the world today.
Government officials do not create evil in men’s hearts. They may pass laws which permit immorality to flourish, but that does not constitute the making of evil, in and of itself. For example, consider abortion: it was widespread before the government legalized it. It increased dramatically when it was okayed by the government, but that was because the fear of incrimination was erased. While the government’s approval of abortion contributed to its proliferation, the government was not the cause for women to choose to kill their unborn babies. Irrespective of the laws of men, right is still right, and wrong is wrong: those who choose to do wrong do so at the risk of the displeasure and disdain of God, whether the issue is abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality, adultery, et al.
Actually, there are two outstanding causes for the terrible lack of morals in society at the present time:
1. The wickedness of the human heart. Unregenerate mankind is capable of any and every sort of evil which exists. The Bible is most plain that in the last days “evil men and seducers shall wax (grow, increase) worse and worse” (II Tim. 3:13).
Jesus pointed out that man’s “heart” is the root and source of the vilest of sins (Mark 7:21-23). Consider the days of Noah for a comparison with today’s wickedness. “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence” (Gen. 6:5,11). Notice that the corruption began within the “heart” of mankind.
This condition can be blamed on neither the devil nor the government. It is the prevailing state of being of humanity in general. Women choose to abort their babies, (Pro-choice, remember?). Gays choose to be homosexuals. Thieves choose to break in and steal. People choose to lie, distort the truth, misrepresent facts, and cover up their actions and activities. It is a matter of the will, a determination which takes place within the heart. The only solution for this is a change of heart on the part of the transgressor.
The Bible speaks of this change as being “born again,” or being born from above. Without this divine new birth man is incapable of doing that which is right in the sight of God.
The person who has been converted, or reborn, or regenerated, has been endowed with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit which enables him to make the right choices in moral matters. Of the Spirit, Jesus said, “He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26).
He did not say that the Holy Spirit would control the person, nor dominate his life, but that He would teach and jog the memory of the person, an invaluable guide and counselor for mankind.
2. The failure of the church as the light of the world. It was God’s intention that the church would set the standards for mankind to follow, and those standards were to be based upon the word of the living God. The Bible was given to men as a divine guide to point them heavenward, to God, who alone has the authority to determine the issues of right versus wrong.
The very word church is indicative of the special commission delegated to the followers of Jesus Christ: “the called out ones.” The implication here is that the church is composed of those who have heard God’s call to come out and have so responded to said call. They have “come out” from the world, from its ways, its customs, its practices, its corruption and misbehavior, its selfishness, its pride and arrogance, its immorality, its commerce.
A very careful look at that which calls itself the church today will reveal that this institution (whether Catholic or Protestant) has become one with the world, its ways, its customs, its practices, etc., etc., etc. In order to maintain its membership, it has adopted many of the world’s schemes and P.R. systems. It has “gone along with” many of the immoral practices of the day for fear of losing a few of its clientele.
Rather than upholding and defending the standards of the Holy Scriptures, it has compromised and lowered the requirements for membership and fellowship.
“That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world” (Phil. 2:15). It is most clear that the church should set the standards for the world and itself, and not the other way around.
This “crooked and perverse nation” is in dire need of help before it slides into an irretrievable state of oblivion and demise because of its gross sins which it has brazenly demonstrated before the whole world. It was possible that this nation could have been a light of spiritual acuity to the rest of the world, but the only way to be the light is to “walk in the light as He is in the light.” Jesus Christ has been rejected as Lord and King and Master by the very ones who should have proclaimed His Lordship, Kingship and Mastery. As Jesus stated: “a man’s foes shall be they of his own household” (Matt. 10:36).
This being the case, there seems to be but one solution for this condition: the call of God remains the same, i.e., “come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues” (Rev. 18:4).
“Her plagues,” of course, are the result of “her sins.” And her sins have become so horrible in the eyes of God that it will be necessary to send the plagues in judgment upon “her.” Judgment is sure to come because God is just.
Her sins include the paganistic practices which have been adopted by the majority of Christian religious institutions. You can’t have it both ways: you cannot be both Christian and pagan. Yet pagan practices thrive in most Christian circles today.
License, or permissiveness, is also embraced by the “church.” Men of the cloth have succeeded in “turning the grace of God into lasciviousness” (or license) (Jude 4). They call good evil, and evil good. Such is the state of the “light of the world.”
It is time now for people of conscience to stand up and declare themselves on God’s side on these issues of right and wrong. Don’t blame the government for the evils which abound in society; it did not create the sinful conditions which are extant everywhere. The remedy lies in a determined return to the words, the sayings, and the commands of Jesus Christ who is the Head of the church, and the King of the Kingdom of God.
MERCY AND JUDGMENT
Curtis Dickinson
“For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath showed no mercy: and mercy rejoices against judgment” (James 2:13).
The immediate context of James’ statement teaches us to treat our neighbors with love and mercy, and reminds us that Jesus said that if we do not forgive those who sin against us, neither will The Father forgive us. But there is much more to be learned from the phrase: “mercy glorieth against judgment.”
In spite of the prominence given them in Scripture, mercy and judgment are subjects that have almost disappeared from the vocabulary. The present generation makes light of sins such as lust, lying, adultery and even murder. The educational system has taught that there is no absolute good or evil, and therefore there can be no sin nor need of judgment. Tolerance and permissiveness pave the way for mass lawlessness.
Although the Freudian idea that society, not the individual, is responsible for one’s character, modern man is still burdened down by a guilty conscience, even while denying the reality of sin. Tranquilizers and suicides demonstrate the desperation of our generation. Guilt, although it may not be discussed and admitted openly, seethes deep inside, and subconsciously is like a steel door that bars the way to peace and joy. One does not spontaneously lift his voice in thanks and praise to God; he knows not why, but the reason is this iceberg of guilt. One picks up the Bible, but before reading a dozen verses, lays it down again. The iron door closes, to keep him from hearing God’s voice through the Scriptures. Like Adam and Eve, hiding in the garden, guilt lurks in the heart and deadens any response to God’s mercy and grace.
The Psalms are filled with expressions concerning God’s mercy. When David sang of God’s mercy and justice he was displaying a true comprehension of what that mercy and judgment meant to him personally. It was not until his friend Nathan pointed out that David had committed a horrible crime worthy of death that he came to grips with his need for mercy, and sang, “My sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned and done that which is evil in thy sight” (Psalm 51:3,4). Then he sang over and over of the mercy in which God had cleansed him of that sin.
How much of that awareness of the need for God’s mercy is reflected in the songs we hear in the worship assembly today? Not much, I dare suggest. The popular doctrines are tolerance, everyone is okay, judge not, and love yourself. Instead of crying for mercy, the modern generation begs for satisfaction and seeks a church that has “something for everyone,” where people don’t come for mercy, but for excitement.
David prayed, “According to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions” (Psalm 51:1). He saw God’s mercy as the very nature of God, timeless and always available. His mercy has always been there and is continuously extended to His creatures.
When one comes, after years of trampling under foot His commandments, shaming the good name of Jesus, and spreading evil, God does not say, “If you had come to me five years ago, or last month, I would have been merciful.” He does not say, “Come back in three weeks and I will show mercy.” No, His mercy is timeless. David said, “My sin is ever before me,” but so is God’s mercy. It does not arrive at the beginning of day, nor end at evening, but pours forth all through the day and night from the infinite well of God’s grace.
But to obtain that mercy one has first to grasp the enormity of his sin. The Pharisee gave thanks that he was an upstanding example of a God-fearing man. The Publican bowed his head, and prayed, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner” (Luke 18:13). He received mercy because he recognized the need of it. What a tragedy that the religious leader, the one who stood as an example to all the people, was in great need of God’s mercy and knew it not, just as so many today – the celebrities, the rich and famous who are held up for our admiration – are idolized and honored, as though they are above the need of mercy.
No one appreciates God’s mercy until he has been humbled by the startling realization of his shameful sinfulness. It was not until he was called to a halt and blinded on the road to Damascus that Paul realized what evil he was committing by persecuting the Christians. We never read of Paul writing about being forgiven of his mistakes, shortcomings and failures, as we often hear in today’s public prayers. Rather, Paul wrote that he was the chief of sinners.
The woman of John chapter 8 stood before Jesus after having been caught in the act of adultery. She was stripped of every thread of dignity and respect. Her shame in being exposed to public scrutiny was intense. She knew that, according to the law, she could be put to death by stoning. She could not have been debased any lower as she stood before Jesus, knowing the depth of her sin. But she also came to know the depth of His mercy when He said, “Neither do I condemn thee. Go and sin no more.”
Mercy And Judgment Are Met In The Cross Of Christ
The cross is the focus of the gospel because it was a demonstration of sin, where Jesus embraced all the sins of His people and, like the sacrificial lamb, unresistingly submitted to sin’s punishment, death.
“All have sinned,” wrote Paul, “and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). This covers a wider thought than first meets the eye. The glory of God is His perfection, His purity, His holiness, His profound and immense goodness. This is the image in which we were created, and it is the ultimate goal we are supposed to be reaching for, although many believers have never given that goal a thought. It is this glory which we have lost, or rather cast aside, by ignoring His commandments and thus committing sin.
What greater act of rebellion than this, to ignore the Creator’s instructions for the life and thus smash the image in which we are created? Such action would be called evil. Yet, how many of us would admit to ever being evil? “Yes, I know I have my faults. But, no one is perfect.” Interpretation: “I am not really a sinner. I’m a good guy, certainly not evil. I may need a little help, but why should I beg for mercy like that crooked Publican?”
So we partake of the bread and wine of the communion (showing forth the body and blood of Jesus in His death) and sing songs of praise about Jesus and the cross, then go forth to do business in the world in the popular way, cherishing our faults and defending our shortcomings with no more thought of the image of God which we defile. O God, have mercy.
The cross was a demonstration of judgment. The wages of sin is death. “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin” (II Cor. 5:21). He “bare our sins in his body on the tree,” and there suffered judgment for us (I Peter 2:24). As in the final judgment there will be no defense and no excuse, so Jesus, as a lamb before its shearers is dumb, opened not his mouth, but committed himself to Him that judges righteously (Is. 53:7, I Peter 2:21), and was “cut off out of the land of the living; for the transgression of my people was he stricken” (Is. 53:8). In the last day the judgment upon all the unrepentant will be death, a death that is final and everlasting.
This in itself will be an act of mercy, mercy in that the creation will not be infected with sin forever. Sin will be totally eliminated when all that is evil will be destroyed. Even death, John writes, will be cast into the lake of fire, a symbolic expression to indicate the final abolishing of death so that “death shall be no more” (Rev. 21:4).
The cross was a demonstration of mercy. There by the death of Jesus His son, out of love and by His grace, God was making a way of escape for every believer. “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).
It was because God was “rich in mercy” that He initiated reconciliation, that we might receive forgiveness, salvation from sin and death, and ultimately the resurrection to immortality and glory. “We know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (I John 3:2).
Whatever a person may have in the abundance of material things, the Christian has more: the abundance of God’s mercy.
Sometimes one’s failure and guilt may press upon him as it did on David, when he wrote, “For my iniquities are gone over my head. As a heavy burden they are too heavy for me” (Psalm 38:4). Do not think that you can throw off this burden by your own will power. Only God can take away the sin, and in mercy He will do so through the cross of Jesus. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
“Mercy rejoices against judgment.”
WHO HATH BELIEVED OUR REPORT?
Alfred King
This title is taken from Isaiah 53, the first verse. The second phrase in verse one is, “… and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?” As we continue to read this chapter we find that the prophet is foretelling the coming of the Messiah and what would take place when He came. But Isaiah begins by asking two questions that are appropriate for us to ask in this day in which we live.
The question for today is: Who believes the report we have in the New Testament of Jesus’ descended from heaven, His life, death, and resurrection and that He today sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven with all principalities and powers being subject unto Him? And just as important is the question: Who believes what He taught is for believers today?
Jesus said in John 15:2: “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away:” and in verse 3, “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.” Summing up this parable in John 15, Jesus makes several very important statements: “I am the vine…He that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit.” Then in verse six He states: “If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” Verse ten stresses the divine importance of abiding in the Vine and what one must do to abide there: “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.”
But: Who hath believed the report, Jesus’ report? I meet people very often who tell me they are saved and cannot lose their salvation, using scriptures such as John 10:28-29 which reads, “no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” This is a wonderful promise to all believers, and it gives us tremendous confidence in the power of the Holy Spirit to keep us from falling (Jude 24, another verse that is used for support of the “once-saved, always-saved” doctrine).
Whenever one studies scripture, he must consider every portion that speaks on a certain topic. Being born again (John 3) is the first step in one’s walk with God but it is not the only step. It is just a beginning. We are called to “go on to perfection” (maturity – Heb. 6:1). Paul said he pressed toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God …” (Phil. 3:14). The call to proceed beyond initial salvation is so clear that it cannot be denied. We are all called to “put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ and make not provision for the flesh” (Rom. 13:14).
One of the teachings that was promoted by C.I. Scofield is that Jesus’ commands have been relegated to another dispensation and, therefore, are not intended for today. This teaching is very popular and, while taught in varying ways, they all end with the same conclusion. This provides fodder for the doctrine of “once-saved, always-saved” to find room to grow.
Abiding in Christ’s love involves obedience to His commands, and Jesus’ parable of the vine and branches clearly teaches this. The Apostle Paul taught the very same thing in Romans eleven. Paul was ministering to the Christians in Rome dealing with Jews being cut off from the olive tree and Gentiles being grafted in. “And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee” (Rom. 11:17-21).
Paul taught that the Jews (God’s chosen people) were broken off of the tree and the Gentiles were grafted in. Then Paul warns the Gentile believers to take heed because they could be broken off even after they had been grafted in. How can one come to any other conclusion than that a person who has been born again, thereby being grafted into the Vine, can later be cut off? This is as clear as it can be. But in spite of these clear teachings: “Who hath believed” the report?
The question then arises: How do these scriptures harmonize with the one in John ten which states that “no man can pluck them out of my Father’s hand?” It is irrefutable that a believer can be cut off from the Vine. The words of Jesus in John ten is where the confusion lies. Jesus said “No man can pluck them out…” There are a couple of explanations regarding Jesus’ words here. I have heard it often said that no man except the man himself. In other words, while I am saved and fall into the category of these two seemingly contradictory verses, there is nothing that men can do to me to pluck me from the Father’s hand. However, I can myself leave God and turn back to the world. Paul states that some in his day did exactly this. “For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia (2 Tim. 4:10). And 1 Tim. 5:15, “For some are already turned aside after Satan.” Paul also taught that in the latter days some would be cut off. “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (emphasis mine - 1 Tim. 4:1). Notice those of whom Paul refers actually “depart from the faith.” They once believed and were in the faith but they departed. They are branches cut off.
Another view relative to plucking out of the Father’s hand is not that one deliberately determines to take himself out but through carelessness, spiritual laziness, false doctrines, false pastors (wolves in sheep’s clothing), carnality, love for the world and the things of the world choke the Word of God, he then becomes unfruitful and through other such means, slips out of the Father’s hand. It’s not that God cannot hold him but it’s that he does not treasure his gift of salvation and lives carelessly. I believe this is the best answer to this seeming contradiction. If I lose my salvation (which I believe I can) it’s my fault and no one else’s. “Behold the goodness and severity of God.” God has been extremely good to me, a sinner saved by His grace. But if I take His salvation nonchalantly and live a life in contradiction to God’s order, disregarding His laws and commands, I do not treasure His gracious gift and I thereby forfeit it, and consequently I slip from the Father’s hand. I may not take myself out deliberately or even knowingly, nevertheless, I am in time cut off, gathered, and burned in the fire.
So the question arises again: “Who hath believed our report?” “To whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?” Those who don’t believe will either never respond to the Gospel or they will respond positively and endure for a time but, having no root in themselves and being entangled in the thorns of life, will be choked and perish.
“To whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?” God has revealed His wonderful and gracious salvation through Jesus’ life, death, burial, and resurrection; all acts of God in procuring deliverance from sin and eternal death for sinful men. To receive the full Gospel goes beyond initial salvation, and this is what is revealed through scripture in the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles. The Bible is replete with instructions that obedience is absolutely essential for one to be saved when Jesus returns to judge the world in righteousness (Acts 17:31). In Jesus’ parable of the talents recorded in Matthew 25, we find that the two servants who were faithful were commended by their master. These are the words that we want to hear when we stand before Jesus Christ on judgment day: “Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Matt. 25:23).
These servants (first of all called, “servants” – they served their Master) were faithful. They weren’t just saved several years before the judgment and did nothing afterward. They served God. They were faithful.
One final verse from the mouth of our Lord Jesus Christ: “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.” (emphasis mine - Matt. 16:27)
THE SABBATH, A MEMORIAL UNTO THE CREATOR!
Les Rinehart
The Sabbath was given to mankind at the close of creation by God as a memorial of His creative power (Gen. 2:1-3). That is, He sovereignly chose it to be the thing whereby man would be linked to God by a weekly day of rest. And not just any day, but the seventh day, whereby man’s loyalty to His Creator would be tested, and as a mark of man’s sanctification (Ex. 31:13, Ezek. 20:12). It begins at sunset on Friday and ends Saturday evening (Gen. 1:5, Lev. 23:32).
The Sabbath is NOT Jewish! The Messiah did NOT say it was made for the Jew; He said it was made for MAN! (Mark 2:27) It was made for man 2000 years before the first Israelite was born! The Sabbath was observed by the faithful prior to Sinai (Ex. 16:27-30). The literal translation of Mark 2:27 says “The Sabbath was made for THE man.” The article “the” has reference to a particular man, indicating that Adam enjoyed God’s Sabbath along with his wife. Did not the patriarchs need a day so they could rest just like anyone else, and for worship, too? Who is there that would say they believe Noah and his family worked on building the ark seven days a week? No, God did not sanctify the Sabbath for His own benefit.
The Sabbath was then reiterated by God to Moses as a part of His moral law, written in stone with His finger, with a specific penalty imposed for disobedience (Ex. 31:14-15). A very few specific restrictions were added concerning gathering manna and sticks to kindle fires, which we observe by ceasing from our usual daily labors, but do not enforce in the literal sense with penalties (Heb. 7:12). These added laws could not give life (Gal. 3:21). From the law we are, therefore, able to learn that Sabbath-keeping itself cannot bring salvation to anyone.
In the heart of the 10 commandments we read, “REMEMBER the Sabbath…” Not something new, for how could they recall what they had never heard of before? This is a two-fold command for both rest and work, with an explanation attached. It lets us know that to disparage it or to observe some other day instead of the seventh is to move us toward the onslaughts of atheistic, humanistic, evolutionary thinking in denying the Creator God.
The Fourth Commandment was NOT changed at Calvary, the resurrection, or any other time! Nor do we now have “The Nine Commandments,” as some seem to be teaching. (If only nine were perpetual, why were ten graven in stone?) Under the New Covenant with “separation of Church and state,” the death penalty for Sabbath-breaking (along with blasphemy, idolatry, adultery, and often even murder, too) is not enforced today. Nevertheless, the divine penalties are still in force, and will be meted out to the Romish whore and her Protestant harlot daughters (Rev. 17:5) for idolatrous rites, adultery with the world, names of blasphemy against God, murder of His saints, and for laying impious hands on the Fourth Commandment, as well!
WHY HAS THE ROMAN CATHOLIC “CHURCH” IN THE FALL OF 1996 OFFICIALLY ENDORSED EVOLUTION (“Devil-lution”)? That question can be answered by the day she observes. Is it the seventh-day Sabbath, which is the memorial of creation? Of course not. At the council of Laodicea in the mid-360’s she actually outlawed obedience to the Fourth Commandment, and executed Sabbatarians during the Dark Ages! She declares her authority apart from the Scripture to switch the day of rest and worship to the first day of the week. That is just like human nature because God said to work six days and then rest; man wants to take his rest day first and THEN work!
The real question, however, is this: Why must the leading Protestant and so-called “radical” Anabaptist groups follow her treacherous example? As usual, the mainline churches are OUT of line with God’s Word! They are like children running away from home, but carrying a picture of their mother in their pocket! “…they have hid their eyes from my Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them” (Ezek. 22:26+).
The Messiah arose on Saturday evening, yet most groups teach an “Easter” Sunday resurrection and a Good Friday crucifixion, thus nullifying the sign of the prophet Jonah in Matt. 12:40. That was the only sign given of the true Messiah! No one but Satan could be the author of such confusion. It has been said that truth is so precious that it must be surrounded by bodyguards of lies.
John 5:18 does NOT say the Messiah broke the Sabbath; nor does John 9:16 mean that He did not keep the Sabbath. He disobeyed the Talmud, but not the Torah! In other words, He broke only the Pharisees’ man-made rules or “by-laws” which they had added to God’s Word. He had no “anti-Sabbath attitude!!” He merely corrected the abuses. Otherwise, how could a lawbreaker have become our Savior? He would have been a sinner and unable to save even his own self! Furthermore, He worked every Sunday and is to be our example – for the Scriptures command six days of labor, not five as our popular culture practices. (See Ezek. 46:1) Note this well: The first thing recorded in the Bible is work done on Sunday! (Gen. 1:1-5)
Sunday sacredness was nowhere implied by John, Luke or Paul. The folly of applying the Sabbath law to the first day of the week was left for a later age. Look at Isa. 58:13 and Matt. 12:8 to see what God’s holy day is and which day He says He is the Lord of. There are at least 64 New Testament references to the Sabbath. Where did He ever say that that was to change? In fact, from the Savior’s own words we see that He came for no such purpose, and He warned us against even thinking such a thing (Matt. 5:17).
Isa. 66:23 is a prophecy that proves which day God wills for both Jews and Gentiles to honor Him with. (See also Matt. 24:20) Ex. 31:13-16 says it is a sign for the children of Israel, but Isa. 56:6 says it is for Gentile converts who love God, too. One example of that is the church at Antioch in Acts 13:42-44. Why is there no “change” spoken of here to these Gentiles? Obviously, the next day was Sunday. Wouldn’t that seem like a convenient time for Paul to instruct these Gentiles to keep Sunday (which the Baal-worshiping heathens were already doing!) and to come back the following day to hear him preach? But Paul, rather, told the Gentile converts to follow him as he followed the Messiah. Paul’s manner (Acts 17:2) was the same as the Messiah’s custom (Luke 4:16), and he waited until the next Sabbath to come back.
Rev. 1:10 depicts the Sabbath in particular as a day for the blessing of spiritual revelation. Many have testified of the physical, mental and spiritual benefits which they have reaped from heeding God’s command in this area. (It has been claimed that there are as many as 8 million Sabbatarians worldwide.)
Marking “the LORD’s Day” to be Sunday is a bald-faced lie, firmly established by the dictate of the Roman emperor in 321 A.D. It comes branded with the mark of paganism, and christened with the name of the sun-god, then adopted and sanctified by the papal apostasy and bequeathed as a sacred legacy to Protestantism (Jer. 16:19). The Reformation could have broken the back of the Catholic system had they followed through in this area at the time of the Council of Trent.
Heb. 4:9 tells us the Sabbath rest is one safeguard against unbelief. Yes, mankind does seem to need help to be able to believe God! Even those Bible believers who are most zealous for the cause of a literal creation week will continue to unwittingly aid the causes of Romanism and Darwinism by their long-cherished tradition. They claim that Sunday is in honor of the resurrection, yet we have already proven this to be a fallacy. Paul did not agree with that either, for he said the symbol of the resurrection is not a day of the week, but according to Rom. 6:4 it is water baptism when properly administered.
THE PHARISEES ADDED TO GOD’S WORD, AND THE POPE TAKES AWAY. THEY ARE BOTH ON THE DEVIL’S TEAM! Paul forbids us from being “spoiled” (robbed) by men’s traditions (Col. 2:8,16,18,22). Yet Rome must have the rule over them, for they have obeyed the commandment of the emperor Constantine in accepting a counterfeit, forwarded the cause by upholding blue laws, and dishonor their Creator by trampling His Sabbaths underfoot! God has no regard for obedience to human precepts which do violence to His truth. Let us take heed that it be not said of us as it was of those religionists of old, “In vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Mark 7:7). Salvation is promised only to those who will do His will, for “love” without commandment-keeping and obedience is no love at all (Heb. 5:9; Rev. 14:12, 22:14; Matt. 7:21, 22:37).
REV. 18;4-5, “COME OUT OF HER, MY PEOPLE, THAT YE BE NOT PARTAKERS OF HER SINS, AND THAT YE RECEIVE NOT OF HER PLAGUES. FOR HER SINS HAVE REACHED UNTO HEAVEN…”
Psa. 50:14, “…Shoot at her, spare no arrows.”
THE BOOK OF REVELATION
Randall Walton
The Bible is undoubtedly the most amazing Book in the world. It is probably the least understood of all books due to the complex structure of its contents. There is no doubt that it is a work of a superior Craftsman whose indelible fingerprints are apparent wherever one looks.
Much of it is stupendous and designed by the Great Designer Himself. He alone possesses the solution necessary to understand this masterpiece of the ages. Puny little man with all his prowess and degrees of higher learning stands naked and destitute before God’s Holy Book, even as he claims to know, comprehend and understand it all. Mark this well: no man on earth understands it all, because God has written it in such a way as to hide much of its meaning behind a veil of secrecy!
Long before agents of men’s governments discovered ways of encoding secret messages and documents, God was doing that very thing! True, He said many things very plainly and obviously, but He also used a form of communication with mankind which involved a method called “dark speech” (See Numbers 12:6-8). This form of communication can only be understood by the originator of the message and others to whom the “code” has been revealed.
As a very vivid example, consider Matthew 13:10-11. “And the disciples came, and said unto him, why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.” Then, Jesus unveiled the parable to His disciples: He explained the meaning of the symbols which He had used in His parable.
He deliberately hid His message from the people by disguising it with fairly meaningless terminology. How would anyone know that in speaking about seeds being planted, Jesus was explaining God’s dealings with mankind through His word? (verse 19)
Parables are but one form of dark speech found in the Bible. In addition, there are allegories, symbols, signs, types, shadows, and likenesses. And, God has seen fit to use all of these “embellishments” (and more) in His immortal and glorious Book which He gave to man.
It is obvious that God doesn’t want to share all His secrets with everyone (Many Scriptures bear this out). So, He has chosen a means of communicating with man by which His message can only be understood by DIVINE INTERVENTION!
The Book of Revelation is unique in that the very first verse of the first chapter tells us that God SIGNified the message to John. In other words, God lets us know that there are secrets in this volume that no one understands, nor can understand, except by supernatural understanding! With so many hundreds (if not thousands) of Bible “experts” pawing through this book of signs, it is no wonder the religious world is filled with mass confusion, contradictory beliefs and doctrines, and pandemonium.
Early on, PLG saw the folly of experimenting with symbolic language. This “guessing game” has caused an awful lot of false prophecies to spring forth among the many denominations causing much harm among innocent people.
We, therefore, adopted as a part of our logo the following: “People of the Living God accept no traditions or doctrines of men, but take the whole Bible, and have their doctrine and interpretation of prophecy upon the plain words of Jesus Christ and the apostles.”
Here, we need to underscore the word PLAIN which stands in contradistinction to cryptic or symbolic language. Plain speech needs no interpretation. It may be necessary to define words or phrases when using plain speech, but interpretation, never. This is why we reject all interpretations of symbolic language which are contrary to the plain teachings of Jesus and the apostles. This is why we do not accept people’s interpretation of Revelation 20:1-6.
Their “interpretations” are in direct opposition to the plain teachings of Jesus and the apostles!
Does this mean we throw out the Book of Revelation, or Daniel, Ezekiel or Isaiah? No, not at all. There are areas in all these Scriptures which we can understand in the light of the plain words. But we build our foundation upon the plain, solid words which do not yield themselves to speculation, interpolation, and vain jangling.
In due time, God will reveal His secrets to His servants - as they need to know them or, as Amos 3:7 states it: “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” The big question for us today is, “Where are his prophets?” Quite frankly, I do not know of any prophets. I have heard some claims of prophecy, but so far their prophecies have died for lack of authenticity. When God raises up some true prophets, no doubt He will reveal His secrets to them. And they will agree with the plain words of Jesus Christ and the apostles.
ALTERNATIVE TO THE RAPTURE
PART 5
Warren Berry
In part four of this series, I attempted to show that there is a view relative to the last days that is opposed to the pretribulation rapture which is being promoted by so many in today’s churches. The truth is that there will be no pretribulation rapture. If that is true, then what is the alternative?
One point that we must keep in mind is that God intends to have a glorious church, a body of believers who are prepared to be the bride of Christ. This very truth necessitates a revolution of the church as we know it today. God intends to bring about this revolution.
The Great Tribulation is a part of God’s plan in the production of Jesus’ bride, as it will be one of the means of separating those who are sold out to God and those who are half-hearted. Jesus refers to the half-hearted ones as being lukewarm; those whom He spues out of His mouth. Not a very pleasant thought and certainly not a group we want to be a part of.
The Gathering
Let’s begin looking into what I call, “The Gathering” by reading Zeph. 2:1-3. “Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired; Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day of the Lord's anger come upon you. Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger.” Take special note of two points in the last phrase: “it may be ye shall be hid” and “in the day of the Lord’s anger.”
These verses bring to our attention that before Jesus returns there will be: 1) a gathering of God’s people, 2) God’s people will be despised by the world, and 3) there is a day when God’s anger will fall upon mankind. As believers we are warned to seek God by walking in obedience to His word, for it is those who will be hidden in the day when God sends judgment upon the world. 4) Some will have gathered together and will be hidden.
Before we get into how the gathering will take place, we need to present a few more scriptures to support our interpretation of Zephaniah’s prophecy.
In Matthew 22 Jesus spoke a parable in which a king prepared a marriage for his son. The Greek word translated “marriage” is “gamous” and refers to a marriage feast. (This same Greek word is used in Matthew 25 in the parable of the Ten Virgins: those who had oil went in to the marriage feast and the door was shut.) The king then sent out his servants to call people who had been given invitations to come because everything was ready. However, those bidden started making excuses as to why they could not go. In fact, those bidden took the king’s servants, beat them and killed some of them. (This is very obviously in reference to Israel and the Jews and their rejection of Jesus and the Gospel. Yet there is in this parable a double meaning which we must consider.) Many pretribulation rapturists claim that the marriage feast will be in heaven when Jesus raptures the church. This is false. It is obviously wrong because the man being found at the feast without a wedding garment was thrown out. This feast must then take place on earth.
The wedding feast is to take place when the gathering occurs and at the place of the gathering. With these thoughts in mind, consider Jesus’ words in Luke 17. Jesus spoke of the latter days and warned that it would be as it was in the days of Noah and in the days of Lot (verses 26-30). He refers to the unexpectedness of the event; it came as a shock and people were not ready. Many claim this is in reference to the rapture. This cannot be true, for verses 31 and 32 expose this error. “In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. Remember Lot's wife.” According to the rapture theory, believers will be snatched up suddenly and taken to heaven. Jesus shows that some people will deside to go get some of their stuff. How does that fit into a rapture?
What then does it mean? It shows that God will give a call for those who have ears to hear to go someplace where there will be a gathering of the saints. Reading to the end of Luke 17 we find some more indications that there will be a gathering to some place where believers will congregate which will be a place of safety and protection. “I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together” (Luke 17:34-37).
One more parable that subtly reveals the gathering is the parable of the wheat and tares recorded in Matthew 13. It is clear that this parable speaks of the last days when the tares are judged and cast into fire and the righteous are gathered into “my barn” (verse 30). As with Luke 17, this interpretation leaves us with unanswered questions that revolve around the issue of the Kingdom of God. Jesus’ parable states that God will gather out of His kingdom the tares. Are there tares in the Kingdom of God? Jesus’ interpretation of the parable reveals that there must be a separation, a separation that takes place within the Kingdom of God. This doesn’t take place in heaven but here on earth. Let me digress here to address the teaching of the kingdom of heaven, also called “the kingdom of God,” which are one and the same.
The Kingdom of God
John the Baptist and Jesus came preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom and stating clearly that it was at hand (John - Matt. 3:2 and Jesus – Matt. 4:17). Jesus lived in the power and authority of the kingdom before men, and He gave that to all believers who would enter the kingdom (through the new birth – John 3). Once in the kingdom, believers are to apprehend the power and glory of this kingdom. The closest men have ever come to possessing it was on the day of Pentecost and for a short period following Pentecost. However, the kingdom of God still is available for believers today, and Daniel prophesied that the day would come when the saints would possess it (Dan. 7:18).
Jesus came not to save men and leave them in a state of weakness and as slaves to the world, the god of this world, and to their own carnal natures. He came “to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18-19). Jesus came to save us from our sins.
Establishing the truth that the kingdom is for today and not for some millennial future is crucial to understanding the Kingdom that Jesus preached and lived. We are told by some theologians that because the Jews rejected Jesus as their king, Jesus therefore failed in establishing His kingdom and had to postpone it to a future time. The truth: Jesus never fails. In fact, Jesus sits today as King of kings and Lord of lords and He has all power, not only in heaven but also in earth. As King, He has given all believers His power. Take seriously Jesus’ words in Luke 10:19, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (emphasis mine) Jesus has given His church power to walk as He walked and to work as He worked. The church is to overcome just as He did. “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne” (Rev. 3:21). Not only is Jesus looking for overcomers, He is expecting overcomers; not only over one’s carnal nature but also over all the powers of darkness, which includes all the power of Satan and the world.
The Gathering And The Wedding Feast
This brings us to the purpose of the gathering and the meaning of the wedding feast. There are several scriptures that indicate that there is more to God’s divine plan than saving sinners so they can be in heaven one day. Creation is the means by which God’s divine character, love, grace, power and mercy can be seen. When Lucifer sinned in heaven, he brought accusations that attacked God’s person. Lucifer was so deceptive that he was able to convince a third of the angels to join in his rebellion. God has designed a means by which all doubt created by Lucifer’s accusations relative to God’s integrity would be eradicated forever. He, therefore, created a world and a process which would be the means of producing beings who would be like the Most High: not that they would be equal to God, but beings that could partake of incorruptibility and immortality. This very plan, creating men and women who would be “more than conquerors” through the power of the Holy Spirit has caused Lucifer (Satan) to do everything in his power to thwart God’s plan. But God has promised that some must enter therein (Heb. 4:6).
In Phil. 3 Paul states that he, one of the greatest men of God, had not possessed that for which he had been apprehended. Paul knew that God revealed Himself to Paul so that he might apprehend something yet greater than what he had already experienced. But Paul added, “… forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:13b-14) Paul clearly understood that there was something more for him to apprehend and it compelled him onward. That truth of something more and greater is still for God’s people today. It is for this reason that God will bring some into the true Rest in God where all the powers and influence of Satan are overcome. The gathering and the marriage feast will accomplish this.
The Woman and the Man Child
In Revelation 12, we have the account of a woman (the church) who is pregnant with a man child. The serpent stands ready to devour the babe as soon as it is born, but the child is caught up to God. Since the child is caught up to God, the serpent turns his wrath toward the woman (the true church). The woman then flees into the wilderness where she has a place prepared for her by God and is nourished and protected there. This is one reason for the gathering; her protection.
The man child in Revelation 12 does not refer to Jesus for several reasons. First: the church did not produce Jesus. One might say He came from Israel or Judah but then neither Israel nor Judah fled into the wilderness to be protected when Jesus was taken up. Revelation is clearly speaking of the latter days.
What, then, does it mean that the man child was caught up to God? The Greek word for “caught up” is “harpazo.” It is defined as being seized or taken hold of. This man child is a product of the woman (church). He comes from the church. But this man child is mature. He has entered into a deep relationship with God, so deep in fact that he is no longer his own but he is totally sold out to God. Therefore, he is seized by God to finish God’s work on the earth. The man child is not one person but a group of people who has surrendered their lives completely to God, and God will use them to finish His work on the earth.
There are other shadows and images used in Revelation that are descriptive of this same group. The hundred and forty-four thousand are another type used to describe the people God will use to finish His work. The prophecies in Revelation of the 144,000 and the man child give us some understanding of what this group will do. Their ministry is to fulfill Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:14: “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.” The preaching of the Gospel is not just preaching the word of God but preaching with signs and wonders following, just as it was when Jesus preached the Gospel in His day. The preaching is not in word only but in the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit. This anointing will be received or rejected just as it was in the days of Jesus and one’s response will determine his eternal destiny. This harvest is mentioned in Revelation 14:14-20 and is the last harvest.
Those who respond positively to the message will be led into the wilderness where they will be with the church. While the man child (144,000) are preaching, some of them will be with the church in the wilderness. Their purpose in the place of safety will be to bring spiritual babes (new-born believers and those Christians who are not part of the man child) to spiritual maturity and, thereby, prepared to be the bride of Christ. The wilderness is where the marriage feast will take place and any without the wedding garment will be cast out. Outside the place of God’s protection will be great tribulation, and God’s judgment will fall upon the lost world. What all is included in the judgment of God is unknown, but there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. It is my conviction that many of these judgments will be ordered by the man child (144,000) people and this will cause them to be hated just as Jesus said they would be (Matt. 24:9).
Jesus tells us exactly when the end will come: “immediately after the tribulation of those days” (Matt. 24:29). Not before as the pretribulation rapturists claim. Our great deceiver has been very successful in causing many Christians to have a false hope which could be very destructive to their salvation. Easy believism is everywhere and many, I fear, will be left unprepared for the events which will just precede Jesus’ coming.
There is much more that could be said regarding the events just prior to Jesus’ return which are too involved to include in these short articles. I know that many, and maybe most, will not agree with my understanding of end-time events, but I pray that this will at least stir within each one who reads to consider these things prayerfully before the Lord and will see the fallacy and danger of a pretribulation rapture. In closing, please feel free to write and ask any question you may have regarding the things written in this series of articles on the alternative to the pretribulation rapture and I will attempt to answer as best as I can. May God bless each one as you search the scriptures and prepare yourself for Jesus’ soon return.