On The 6th Day of Christmas the Lord Revealed To Me ......

...... modern bible translations are grossly falling short of the truth. If the translation says "New" it's probably best to avoid it. In fact, there is nothing "new under the sun" when it comes to these faulty translations. In fact, there was a movie a few years ago called "Lost In Translation" and boy are these "New" versions ever lost.

A great example of this is the birth of Jesus Christ as told in Luke 2, specifically verses 10-12.

Let's see what the New International Version or NIV has to say about this:
10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

This is how the New American Standard tells it:
10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;
11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12 "This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

This is how something called the New Century Version tells it:
10 The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I am bringing you good news that will be a great joy to all the people. 11 Today your Savior was born in the town of David. He is Christ, the Lord. 12 This is how you will know him: You will find a baby wrapped in pieces of cloth and lying in a feeding box."

Now, in contrast, let's look at this scripture in the King James Version.
10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

Did you notice the words in bold in each translation and the distinctive difference in the King James version of this account? The King James version is the only one that uses the term "swaddling clothes". You may say, "so what". Well, I am here to tell you what. This is tremendously significant and symbolic and is just another example of losing so much meaning in translation.

The "New" versions just say the baby Jesus was wrapped in a "cloth".

But the question arises, why would a baby in cloth be a "sign" to the shepherds that this was the Christ-child? The angel didn't mention the manger first, he mentioned the swaddling clothes. What is it about swaddling clothes that would be a sign?

The term swaddling clothes is still used today by nurses who wrap the baby after birth. Unfortunately, that term is a 2000 year old misnomer. The origin comes as a result of the harsh countryside in the Middle East. As people took off on trips that often lasted days into months, it was not uncommon for sickness or accident to take place. There we deaths in these journeys.

The Middle Eastern culture developed a way to deal with in-journey deaths. Each person would take a long, thin, gauze-like cloth and wrap it around their waist many times. This would be one of the bottom layers of clothing. This cloth would be reserved for death. If someone died during the journey, their friends or family would remove the "swaddling cloth" and wrap them from head to toe so they could compete the journey.

The baby Jesus was wrapped in Joseph's death cloth. The sign for the shepherds wasn't that they'd find a baby wrapped in a blanket in a manger. The sign was that they'd find a baby prepared for death. Jesus came to earth to die for our sins. That was his purpose. This was shown even from the instance of his birth.

By the way... this makes the wise man's gift of myrrh even more appropriate. Myrrh was the spice used for death. It was basically deodorant for the dead. Even though the wise men didn't actually show up until he was toddler, the theme continues.

Another neat fact is the baby Jesus was wrapped in the death clothes of a man named Joseph, and thirty three years later was buried in the tomb of a man named Joseph?

It's sad to think of how many people are going to miss the significance of this scripture because they only read the "New" versions of the Bible and never are exposed to such great truths.

Or what about Colossians 1:14, where it says "In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins." Why has "through his blood" been removed from all of the "New" translations? Do you really believe that you can be saved without the shed blood of Jesus Christ?

On The 8th Day of Christmas, the Lord Revealed To Me ......

........ that Angels do not look like the above pictures as they are not children nor female and they do not sing.

Are angels male or female?

Angels are referred to in the Hebrew language as bene elohim, or "sons of God." Bible scholar Dr. Henry Morris says about the angels:

"The only obvious and natural meaning [of the designation, “sons of God”]... is that these beings were sons of God, rather than of men, because they had been created, not born. Such a description, of course, would apply only to Adam (Lk. 3:38) and to the angels, whom God had directly created (Psa. 148:2, 5; 104:4; Col. 1:16)." Dr. Morris explains further:

"Whenever angels have appeared visibly to men, as recorded in the Bible, they have appeared in the physical bodies of men. Those who met with Abraham, for example, actually ate with him (Gen. 18:8) and, later, appeared to the inhabitants of Sodom in such perfectly manlike shape that the Sodomites were attempting to take these ‘men’ for homosexual purposes. The writer of Hebrews suggests that, on various occasions, some ‘have entertained angels unawares’ (Heb. 13:2).

‘It is true that the Lord Jesus said that...in the resurrection they ‘neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven’ (Mat. 22:30). However, this is not equivalent to saying that angels are "sexless," since people who share in the resurrection will surely retain their own personal identity, whether male or female.

Furthermore, angels are always described, when they appear, as ‘men,’ and the pronoun ‘he’ is always used in reference to them. Somehow they have been given by God the capacity of materializing themselves in masculine human form when occasion warrants, even though their bodies are not under the control of the gravitational and electromagnetic forces which limit our own bodies in this present life."

Yet how many times do we see figurines of Angels as female and often as babies. Yet another "tradition of man" that we have bought into as a society.

As far as angels singing, there is a famous christmas carol called "Hark The Herald Angels Sing" yet not once in scripture does it record angels singing. See Luke 2:8-14
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, (not singing) Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

I am not saying don't sing the song Hark The Herald Angels Sing if it gives you the warm fuzzies, but realize you are singing incorrectly.

Incidently, one of the arguments some have that claim angles sing is in Revelation verse 5:11-12 "Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang:
"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!"

There is one problem. This is from the NIV which has more errors in it than I care to go into.

Compare this same scripture in the King James

"And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing."

In Job 38:7, even the NIV doesn't mention that the angels sing
"while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?" Obviously, there is a great difference between shouting and singing.

This time of year is a great time to dig into the Bible and see what it really says and not rely on the church or the "traditions of men" for your doctrine.

On the 9th Day Of Christmas the Lord Revealed To Me ..........

.......... Santa Clause or "St. Nick" is no saint at all.



While Saint Nicholas was originally portrayed wearing bishop's robes, today Santa Claus is generally depicted as a plump, jolly, white-bearded man wearing a red coat with white collar and cuffs, white-cuffed red trousers, and black leather belt and boots.

Let's look at 4 characteristics of Santa Claus and see how they falsely parallel those of Jesus Christ's. In a sense, Santa Claus is a type of anti-christ. In fact, the very name is close, just take the "n" and move it to the end and you have "satan".

1) Santa is portayed as "all knowing".
You've heard the song... "he knows when you've been sleeping, he knows when you're awake, he knows when you've been bad or good ..."

Here, Santa is said to be able to know all about you and to be able to see you at all times. Not only you, but everyone in the world. This ability is only something God can do.

2) To piggy back off of # 1, Santa judges based on works. According to the rules, the only way kids will get toys is if they are good. The bad kids will go without. In contrast, Jesus imputes his righteousness to us when we trust Him for our salvation. True, He knows when we are obedient and not obedient but it does not affect our salvation, only our fellowship.

3) Santa is portrayed as being able to be everywhere at one time.
It is physically impossible to cover the entire globe in one night yet that is what Santa is supposed to be able to do with the special power of his magical reindeer. Even Jesus could not be everywhere when He was walking the earth. This is the reason when He left He sent the Holy Spirit to endwell us. Because it indwells us, He (the Holy Spirit) can be anywhere we are.

4) Santa dresses in all red. Red is the color of sin. Scripture says our sins are scarlett (red) yet Jesus washes us white as snow. In contrast, white is the color of purety. Jesus is always seen in a white robe. When the lost are to be judged before being condemned to Hell, they will stand before the Great White Throne.

Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, and let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."

Revelation 17:3 "So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns."

Daniel 12:10 "Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand."

Matthew 17:1-3
1 And after six days Jesus takes Peter, James, and John his brother, and brings them up into an high mountain apart,
2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.

I know many people are well intentioned with this whole Santa Claus thing, but thanks to "tradition", young children are deceived and when they become adults they pass on the tradition of deception to their children. I don't believe the deception is intentional but founded in ignorance of the truth. As Jack Nicholson said in the movie "A Few Good Men" some ... "can't handle the truth."

On The 11th Day of Christmas, the Lord Revealed To Me .....

.... The Wise men were no where near the Manger that night. Also, there is no mention in the Bible of the exact number of wise men. Since the Bible lists 3 gifts they are carrying, human tradition chooses to say there were 3 wise men, but there is no biblical proof of this.

We have all seen it and probably even have it in our homes. I am talking about a nativity scene, usually a decorative add on to the christmas tree. What does every nativity or manger scene have? Everyone I have ever seen has the baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, shepards, farm animals and yes, Wise Men. Most do not even question it because including the Wise Men is a "tradition". I believe that if we are going to display a nativity scene that we should at least be accurate.

If we go to the scriptures (always a wise idea don't you think?) we will find the account of the Wise Men in Matthew 2:1-16

1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:
6 ‘ But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’”

7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”
9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.
The Flight into Egypt

13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”
14 When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, 15 and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”[b]
Massacre of the Innocents

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.

As we can see in verse 11, the Wise Men did not arrive at the manger the night Jesus was born. Because their journey was so long, they arrived at the "house" of Mary and Joseph some 2 years after the birth of Christ. This is shown in that King Herod ordered to have all male children up to 2 years old killed. This was Satan's attempt to kill Jesus before He could fulfill the will of God to be the Messiah for us.

There are also some interesting observations that can be made about the gifts that were brought by these Wise Men. In our modern christmas celebration, the Wise Men would have exchanged gifts with each other. How silly would that have looked? Let's look at the 3 gifts closely.

1) Gold
Gold symbolizes kingship on earth. The Wise Men knew Jesus was King of The Jews and this is why they brought gold as one of the gifts. It is also believed that the gold gift symbolized virtue.

2) Frankincense

Frankincense is an incense that symbolizes priesthood.
Hebrews 7:23 "Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them."

Frankincense is also said to be symbolic of prayer. Jesus is at the right hand of the Father and is constantly making intercessory prayer on our behalf.
Hebrews 7:25 "Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever lives to make intercession for them."

3) Myrrh
Myrrh is an embalming oil and is used to symbolize death. The baby Jesus had but one main function and that was to die.. to die for the sins of the world so we could be made right with God the Father. Myrrh is also said to symbolize suffering. We all know how Jesus suffered (both physically and emotionally) shortly before His death. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He suffered in the thought of what He had to do so much that he perspired drops of blood.

So we can learn something from the entire account. This christmas season when we see a nativity scene with Wise Men we know it's historically incorrect but we can use it as a teaching lesson. We can see how the gifts given were not just random gifts but they all had meaning and were very symbolic of the nature of Jesus.

Thanks-Living

As the famous 4th Thursday in November approaches, I thought it was only reasonable to take a look at the things we can be thankful to God for. After all, make no mistake about it Thanksgiving is a spiritual holiday or rememberance. It was established by the early settlers to thank God for bringing them to the new world and giving them the freedom to worship as they chose to do. While I am sure they were thankful to the Indians for giving them food and showing them how to survive, the thanks in Thanksgiving was reserved for God alone.

I believe God wants to hear us thank Him for what He has given us. It's not enough to say that God knows we are thankful.. HE WANTS TO HEAR IT FROM US. Much like a woman likes to hear a man say he loves her (even though she knows he does) God wants to hear from us that we love Him and that we are thankful for what He has done for us. Our ultimate thanks to God is for sending Jesus Christ to pay our sin debt on the cross through the shedding of His precious blood.

So on Thursday, besides just thanking God for the food you are about to eat, thank Him for all the blessings He has given you and for the ones He will be giving you in the future. As a means of gratitude to God, go find someone else who needs a kind word or prayer or anything and be a blessing to someone else. Let's not be "spiritual turkeys" and think this day is only about stuffing ourselves and watching football.

Phillipians 4:6-7 "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

Psalm 26:
1 Vindicate me, O LORD,
For I have walked in my integrity.
I have also trusted in the LORD;
I shall not slip.
2 Examine me, O LORD, and prove me;
Try my mind and my heart.
3 For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes,
And I have walked in Your truth.
4 I have not sat with idolatrous mortals,
Nor will I go in with hypocrites.
5 I have hated the assembly of evildoers,
And will not sit with the wicked.

6 I will wash my hands in innocence;
So I will go about Your altar, O LORD,
7 That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving,
And tell of all Your wondrous works.
8 LORD, I have loved the habitation of Your house,
And the place where Your glory dwells.

9 Do not gather my soul with sinners,
Nor my life with bloodthirsty men,
10 In whose hands is a sinister scheme,
And whose right hand is full of bribes.

11 But as for me, I will walk in my integrity;
Redeem me and be merciful to me.
12 My foot stands in an even place;
In the congregations I will bless the LORD.

The ABC's of the Rapture of the Church

Between many well meaning Christians there has been a disagreement about whether we will have a Pre-Tribulation or Post-Tribulation Rapture. While not knowing this doctrine will not keep a Christian from going to Heaven, every Christian ought to know this doctrine correctly. The problem today is a general ignorance in the modern church. For the most part churches just don't want to talk about this subject.

I firmly believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture and after reading this you will know why (and hopefully you will believe the same). The doctrine of the Rapture is not confusing. No Bible doctrine is really all that confusing when you know how to interpret and understand the Bible. The Bible always interprets itself. We are not to interpret the Bible against our own intellect or another writing. A Pre-Tribulation Rapture just makes sense and I will present an "A B C" approach to it.

First the "A" standing for "Apostolic Sense". What do I mean by that? I am going at this from an Apostle standpoint. The greatest of the Apostles was the Apostle Paul. The Apostle Paul in his writing to the church in Thessalonica gives a clear picture of the events that will happen beginning with the Rapture and then leading into the Great Tribulation. The people in Thessalonica were concerned because they thought they had missed the Rapture. Someone had sent a forged letter (pretending to be Paul) to them saying the Rapture had already taken place. Paul's 2nd Epistle of Thessalonians was written primarily to correct the error.

Let's look at the outline as Paul presents it. First, the Great Tribulation can not begin until the Holy Spirit is removed. 2 Thess 2:3 "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition." The falling away spoken of is speaking of apostasy. The English word "apostasy" is a transliteration of the Greek word apostasia. By definition an apostasy is a departure, an abandoning of a position formerly
held. Let's continue to verse 7 "For the mystery of iniquity does already work: only he who now hinders will hinder, until He be taken out of the way."

The He being referred to is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit indwells the earth by living inside of each and every believer in Christ. The church body as a whole is currently restraining the evil in this world. However, one day when the Church is suddenly no longer here (through being caught up in the air to meet Christ), Hell will have a holiday. There will be no restraint on the evil that will be unleashed in the Great Tribulation. Since the Anti-Christ can not be revealed until the Holy Spirit has departed and since the Great Tribulation can not begin until the Anti-Christ is revealed, it follows as night follows day that the Rapture of the Church must occur BEFORE the Great Tribulation begins.

In his writing to the Thessalonians Paul mentions several times to "comfort others with his words". If all the believers had to look forward to was going through The Great Tribulation, how could they comfort anyone else?



Ok, now the "B" which I call "Biblical Sense". Not only did The Apostle Paul talk about this but the Bible talks about the Rapture also. Jesus Himself said He did not know when He would return. This has to refer to the Rapture because we know that the 2nd coming will be exactly 7 years after the beginning of the Great Tribulation. Also, in the book of Revelation the church is mentioned in the first 3 chapters but beginning with the start of chapter 4 when John is told to "come up here" (which is a representation of the rapture) the church is never mentioned again until the final chapter of the book. The reason is the church has been taken up.

Two examples come to mind of people who were rescued from impending doom, albeit on a smaller scale. When Sodom and Gomorrah was about to be destroyed, the angel told Lot to hurry because the city could not be destroyed until Lot left. This is found in Genesis 19:16-22

"16 When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them. 17 As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, "Flee for your lives! Don't look back, and don't stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!" 18 But Lot said to them, "No, my lords, please! 19 Your servant has found favor in your eyes, and you have shown great kindness to me in sparing my life. But I can't flee to the mountains; this disaster will overtake me, and I'll die. 20 Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it—it is very small, isn't it? Then my life will be spared."

21 He said to him, "Very well, I will grant this request too; I will not overthrow the town you speak of. 22 But flee there quickly, because I cannot do anything until you reach it."

The second example is of course Noah. Before God flooded the world He took Noah away by preserving him in the ark. The rain did not come until Noah and his family (along with a lot of animals) were safely tucked away in the ark.

It would seem logical that if the church was going to be made to go through the Great Tribulation that the scriptures would be full of things like "warning all you who follow Christ, brace yourself to be tortured!!!" or Could you imagine adding another few verses to the end of 2 Thessalonians chapter 4 that go something like this:

"Brethren, we have all fought the good fight, we have been obedient to our Lord and Savior and one day soon we will be with the Lord. However we must first suffer at the hands of the Anti-Christ for a short while and then we will be rescued." Not exactly words you could share with others to comfort them now are they.

Finally, "C" and that stands for "Common Sense". The Church is Christ's bride and the individual believers are God's children. Common sense says that Jesus will not let His bride and God will not let His children have to suffer through the Great Tribulation. Matthew 7:9-11 "9 Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"

If we had the power, we would not willingly let our children or spouse go through the Great Tribulation. What makes anyone think the God would allow His children and Christ's bride to have to go through it.

I found a great blog article by Kent Crockett on 16 proofs that the Rapture will take place prior to the Great Tribulation. It is so good I felt compelled to share it. Enjoy.

16 Proofs of a Pre-Tribulation Rapture
by Kent Crockett

Proof #1: Revelation 19:11-21 doesn't mention a resurrection.

The rapture is a resurrection of those "in Christ" (1 Thess. 4:13-18). Isn't it a little bit odd that in Rev. 19:11-21, which is the clearest picture of the second coming of Christ, there is no mention of a resurrection? The rapture will be the biggest event since the resurrection of Jesus where hundreds of millions of Christians will be resurrected and translated, yet there isn't any mention here. Don't you think it deserves at least one verse? The rapture isn't mentioned because it doesn't happen at the second coming.

Proof #2: Zechariah 14:1-15 doesn't mention a resurrection.

This is an Old Testament picture of Jesus returning to earth at the second coming. Again, no mention of a resurrection.

Proof #3: Two different pictures are painted.

In the Old Testament, there were two different pictures painted of the Messiah—one suffering (Isa. 53:2-10, Ps. 22:6-8, 11-18) and one reigning as King (Ps. 2:6-12, Zech. 14:9,16). As we look back on these scriptures, we see they predicted two separate comings of the Messiah—the 1st coming as a suffering Messiah and the 2nd coming (still future) as a reigning King.

In the New Testament, we have another picture added. Again, we have two pictures painted which don’t look the same. These two different descriptions of Jesus’ coming point to two separate events we call "the rapture" and "the second coming."

Proof #4: The Known Day and the Unknown Day

Concerning the return of Jesus, the Bible presents a day we can't know and a day we can know. Matthew 25:13 says Jesus will return at an unknown time, while Revelation 12:6 says the Jews will have to wait 1,260 days for the Lord to return. The 1,260 days begins when the Antichrist stands in the Temple and declares himself to be God (Matt. 24:15-21, 2 Thess. 2:4) This event will take place at the mid-point of the seven year Tribulation (Dan 9:27). The Antichrist has authority to rule for 42 months, which is 1,260 days (Rev. 13:4) and will be destroyed by Jesus at His second coming (Rev. 19:20, 2 Thess. 2:8). The known and unknown days must happen at different times, meaning they are two separate events.

Proof #5: A door open in heaven (Revelation 4:1)

The door in heaven is opened to let John into heaven. We believe John's call into heaven is prophetic of the church being caught up at the rapture (see proof #6). In Revelation 19:11, heaven is opened again, this time to let the armies which are already in heaven out. This is the Church, which has been raptured at a previous time, following Jesus out of heaven at the second coming.

Proof #6: "Come up here." (Revelation 4:1)

A voice called for the apostle John to "Come up here," and immediately he was in heaven. This could be a prophetic reference to the rapture of the Church. The words "Come up here" are spoken to the two witnesses who are killed in the middle of the Tribulation, who are resurrected and ascend into heaven (Rev. 11:12). Therefore, the phrase "Come up here" could mean the church is raptured in Rev. 4:1. The word "church" is mentioned 22 times in Rev. 1-3, but is not mentioned again until Rev. 22:17.

Proof #7: The 24 elders have their crowns.

After John is called up into heaven, he sees the 24 elders with their crowns (Rev. 4:4-10). We know that Christians will receive their rewards (crowns) at the rapture (2 Tim. 4:8, 1 Pet. 5:4). We will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous (Luke 14:14). The elders couldn't receive their crowns unless the resurrection (rapture) has taken place.

Proof #8 Holy ones are already with Jesus in heaven (Zech. 14:5, Rev. 19:14)

The armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, follow Jesus out of heaven at His second coming (Rev. 19:14, Zech. 14:5, Col. 3:4). These are not angels because Rev. 19:8 tells us the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. In order to come out of heaven we first have to go in, indicating a previous rapture.

Proof #9: Kept from the hour of testing (Rev. 3:10)

Revelation 3:10 says we will be kept out of the hour of testing which will come upon the whole earth (the Tribulation). Some have wrongly believed "keep" means to keep through, or protect through the Tribulation. Suppose you approach a high voltage area with a sign that says, "Keep Out." Does that mean you can enter and be protected? No, it means you are forbidden from entering the area. But this verse also says He will keep us from the hour of testing. It is not just the testing, but the time period. If a student is excused from a test, he still may have to sit in the class while others take the test. But if he is excused from the hour of testing, he can go home. The Church will be called home before the hour of testing.

Proof #10: Angels don't resurrect people when they gather them for judgment.

When the angels are sent forth to gather the elect at the second coming (Matt. 24:29-31), some have wrongly interpreted this as the rapture. There is one huge problem with this interpretation. If we are resurrected at this time, why would we need angels to gather us? In the resurrection, we will be like the angels (Matt. 22:30), able to travel in the air at will. Obviously, these people who are gathered are not resurrected, therefore it can't be the rapture. No one would claim the wicked are raptured at this time, yet Matthew 13:39-41, 49 says the angels will not only gather the elect, but also the wicked. This gathering is not a resurrection.

Proof #11: Both the wicked and the righteous can't be taken first.

First Thessalonians 4:13-17 says the righteous are taken and the wicked are left behind. Matthew 13:30, 49 says the wicked are taken first and righteous are left behind. This points to two separate events, the rapture and the second coming.

Proof #12: Jesus returns from the wedding.

When Jesus returns to earth at the second coming, He will return from a wedding (Luke 12:36). At the rapture, Jesus is married to His bride, the Church. After the wedding, He will return to earth.

Proof #13: Jesus will receive us to Himself, not us to receive Him (John 14:2-3).

Jesus said He would prepare a place for the Church in heaven, then He would come again to receive us to Himself. Why would Jesus prepare a place for us in heaven and then not take us there? At the rapture, He will come to receive us to Himself, "that where I am (heaven), there you may be also." If the rapture occurred at the same time as the second coming, we would go up to the clouds and then immediately come back to earth. That would contradict John 14:2-3.

Proof #14: The one who restrains is taken out of the way.

In 2 Thess. 2:6-7, Paul says "the one who restrains will be taken out of the way" before the Antichrist can be revealed. We believe this refers to the rapture because the Church is clearly the biggest obstacle to the Antichrist becoming a world ruler.

Proof #15: The separation of the sheep and goats (Matt. 25:31-46)

If the rapture occurred at the second coming, why would the sheep and the goats need to be separated immediately after the second coming? A rapture at the second coming would have already separated the sheep and the goats. With a Pre-Tribulation rapture, the people saved after the rapture will need to be separated after the second coming.

Proof #16: Who will populate the Millennium?

If the rapture occurs at the second coming and the wicked are cast into hell at that time, who will be left to populate the millennium? Only people in their natural (non-resurrected) bodies will be able to have children (Matt. 22:30). With a Pre-Tribulation rapture, the people saved after the rapture who are alive at the second coming will populate the earth during the Millennium.


----------------
CONTRASTS
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RAPTURE

1. Rapture of all believers
I Corinthians 15:51

2. Believers Only
I Thessalonians 4:14

3. Raptured Saints go to heaven
I Thessalonians 4:16-17

4. Believers Raptured to heaven
I Thessalonians 4:13-18

5. Unbelievers left to enter tribulation
I Thessalonians 5:2-5

6. Earth not judged

7. Imminent
I Thessalonians 4:17

8. Invisible
I Thessalonians 4:17

9. Not in the Old Testament

10. Before the day of wrath
I Thessalonians 5:3-4,9

11. No reference to Satan

----------------------------------

SECOND COMING

1. No Rapture at all
Matthew 25:31

2. Affects All men
Matthew 24:30

3. Raptured Saints return to earth
Jude 14

4. Unbelievers killed
II Thessalonians 1:8-9

5. Believers left to enter millennium
Matthew 24

6. Earth judged and righteousness established
Revelation 19:11-15

7. Follows definite predicted signs including the tribulation
Matthew 24:3

8. Visible
Revelation 1:7; Matthew 24:30

9. Predicted often in the Old Testament
Zechariah 14:1-5; Daniel 7:13; Malachi 4:1-4

10. Concluding the day of wrath
Matthew 24:29-30; Isaiah 13:9

11. Satan bound at second coming
Revelation 20:3

Getting Motivated

I'd like to discuss the 6 Motivations for being a soul winner. Making an effort to win souls to Christ is work, make no mistake about it. Well, when you go to your job and put in time working don't you expect to be paid? Of course you do or else it would be called volunteering. It is the same in soul winning. It is a work we can, and should, do to earn rewards in Heaven (much like being paid at work). Many people get the idea that Heaven will be the same for everybody. This is not so. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:19-21 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." If Heaven is the same for everyone, then Jesus' statement makes absolutely no sense at all. Question, what is the only thing from this earth that is going to be in Heaven? .... Answer: people.

With this in mind, let's think about 6 motivations for Soul Winning. The primary scripture reference is from 2 Corinthians 5:9-20 which states,

"9 Therefore, we labor, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
11 Therefore, knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences.
12 We are not again commending ourselves to you but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart.
13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.
14 For the love of Christ constrains us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;
15 and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.
16 Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer.
17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,
19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

To make these a little easier to remember I will make each point start with the letter "C".

1) "Compulsion."
Look again at the scripture in verse 9. We labor to win souls so that we may be pleasing to Him. We are compelled to win souls so that when we stand before God to give an account of how we lived, we will be pleasing to Him.

2) "Compensation"
Look in verse 10. Much like the first point, we must appear before the judgement seat of Christ. This is where we will earn compensation or crowns for work done. There is no negative here. The judgement is to see whether you have earned rewards or not and, if so, what kind and how many.

3) "Conviction"
Look in verse 11. Knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. There has been some half truths taught about God in recent years. All I ever hear is "God is Love." While this is true, God is also a God of Judgement and He will require payment for all sins. And if we talk about the Love of God without talking about the wrath of God, we are only giving half of the truth and when a half truth becomes the whole truth, it becomes an untruth. The good news is that when we get saved through Jesus, the payment is made on our behalf, but for the lost souls, they will have to stand at the Great White Throne Judgement and God will be judge, jury and executioner for the lost. As children of God, we have already settled out of court. It is the terrorizing thought that potentially one of our loved ones will be sent to eternal torment in Hell that should motivate us to witness to them.

4) "Compassion"
Look at verse 14. For the love of Christ constrains us. As a child of God, we know, appreciate and are so grateful for what Jesus did for us we can't help but want to tell others about it. Sadly, a person is more likely to go tell someone how they saved $2 on a sale at Kohl's then they are to go tell someone how they were saved by Christ.
Remember the conversation between Christ and Peter not long after Peter denied Christ? It is in John 21:15 "So when they had dined, Jesus said to Peter, Peter, son of Jonas, do you love me more than these? He said unto him, Yes, Lord; you know that I love thee more. He said unto him, Feed my lambs." Well, if we say we love Jesus, we should "feed the lambs".

5) "Commission"
Look at verses 18-20. We are given the ministry of reconciliation. Another popular scripture for this is in Matthew 28:18-19 " 19 Go therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen." This, of course, is the Great Commission.

6) "Count Down"
One of the sneakiest thing Satan can do to people is to get them to procrastinate and let them be ok with putting things off for another day. The problem with this is that we don't know if we will have another day on this earth. All the soul winning we will ever do, will be done on this earth. Once we get to heaven, it's too late. The Bible has several verses which speak of the urgency in winning the lost to Christ.

2 Corinthians 6:2 "behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation".

James 4:14 "Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away."

Proverbs 27:1 "Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth."

Hebrews 3:13 "But encourage one another daily, as long as it is still called 'Today,' so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin."

Unbelieveably, even Pharoah had the "tomorrow syndrome". When God was bringing the plagues to Egypt to let the Israelites go, one of the plagues was frogs. There must have been millions of them because the Bible says they covered the land of Egypt. Pharoah then told Moses he would let the people go if he would take the frogs away. When Moses asked him when he wanted this done, Pharoah said "tomorrow". Incredibly, he wanted one more night with the frogs.

Exodus 8:9-10 "9 Moses said to Pharaoh, "The honor is yours to tell me: when shall I entreat for you and your servants and your people, that the frogs be destroyed from you and your houses, that they may be left only in the Nile?" 10 Then he said, "Tomorrow."

Sadly, many lost people intend to get saved........ tomorrow. Most want at least "one more night with the frogs". Almost as sadly, many Christians intend to witness to a lost person............. tomorrow.

I think perhaps this factor of count down is the most important motivation. We never know when
a) a person we need to witness to will die and
b) when we will die. No one is ever promised tomorrow.

Psalms 118:24 says "This is the day which the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."

We only get one "Today" each day, let's try to make the most of it. Let's be thankful we are given each day and live like it could be our last... because it just might be.

Cheerios That Make God Want To Vomit

I woke up last Saturday Morning with a mild headache. As the morning wore on, the headache intensified. I mistakenly thought that if I ate something, I might feel better (even though I was not hungry). Since it was morning, I opted for a bowl of Rice Krispies (The generic Food Lion brand version) and I ate that down with no problem but I felt no better also. In fact, I started to feel worse. Finally, it all came to an end when I deposited the once eaten cereal back into the same bowl from which it came. I disposed of the vomit and went into the bedroom for a nap. Four hours later I woke up and felt good as new. It ended up being something that seems to afflict me at random every so often... a migraine.. or a milder version of a migraine. These hit me about once every 3 months or so and there is no rhyme or reason as to when I get them and no real warning that I am getting one.

I say all the above to say that once that happened, the scripture came to mind from Revelation Chapter 3. God is addressing the church at Laodicea about their apathy. I normally do not like the Message paraphrase at all but it had the word vomit in it so I went with that. Look at verses 15-20 "I know you inside and out, and find little to my liking. You're not cold, you're not hot—far better to be either cold or hot! You're stale. You're stagnant. You make me want to vomit. You brag, 'I'm rich, I've got it made, I need nothing from anyone,' oblivious that in fact you're a pitiful, blind beggar, threadbare and homeless.
Here's what I want you to do: Buy your gold from me, gold that's been through the refiner's fire. Then you'll be rich. Buy your clothes from me, clothes designed in Heaven. You've gone around half-naked long enough. And buy medicine for your eyes from me so you can see, really see.
The people I love, I call to account—prod and correct and guide so that they'll live at their best. Up on your feet, then! About face! Run after God!
Look at me. I stand at the door. I knock. If you hear me call and open the door, I'll come right in and sit down to supper with you"


I'll touch back on these verses in a second but I was watching TV the other day and I saw a commercial about Frosted Mini Wheats. A Frosted Mini Wheat was being compared in size and significance to one piece of Cheerios. In the commercial, this Frosted Mini Wheat is in a boxing match with the Cheerio piece. The Mini Wheat towered over the Cheerio for an easy knock out as the Cheerio piece basically fainted.

As I look at some who call themselves Christians, I can't help but think that most are like the little Cheerios. The trial of a little milk (spilt or not) makes them soggy, weak and not fit for consumption; insignificant when it comes to making a difference in the lives of others. Much like those in Laodicea where God tells them they are stale and make him want to vomit. As Christians, we need to be like that Frosted Mini Wheat, bold in our testimony, someone others are drawn to, able to stand firm in the trials of having milk poured on us and people that God can look at us and be pleased.

Notice in the later verses God says "The people I love, I call into account." The King James version says in verse 19 "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent."

This is similar to the passage in Hebrews 12:6 "For whom the Lord loves he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives."


Friends, we can not live life in a shell thinking only of ourselves. We will have to give an account of how we lived our life once we become children of God. There is a vast difference between hearing "well done thou good and faithful servant" than hearing "get out of my sight. You make me want to vomit."

I believe we can learn a lesson from that square of Mini Wheat... be bold in the Lord, strong in your christian beliefs, and don't compromise them for anyone or anything.

Jesus is saying in verse 20 that He stands at the door and knocks and wants to sup or eat with us. In other words, He wants to fellowship with us like family. If Jesus was going to come eat with you in fellowship, would he be eating a big bowl of Frosted Mini Wheats or a big bowl of soggy Cheerios?

Perhaps had I been eating a bowl of Mini Wheats instead of Rice Krispies, I may have been spared the vomiting, but then again probably not. I know I will never look at a Frosted Mini Wheat the same again.

Bi Polar or Minding Their Manna

I myself am guilty of not reading the Old Testament enough. A few posts back I wrote about seeing Jesus in Noah's Ark. Now I would like to talk about seeing Jesus in the Old Testament again.. this time in the wilderness. The primary scripure text is in the Book of Numbers 21:5-9, Amplified Version.

"5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses, Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, neither is there any water, and we loathe this light (contemptible, unsubstantial) manna.
6 Then the Lord sent fiery (burning) serpents among the people; and they bit the people, and many Israelites died.
7 And the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord, that He may take away the serpents from us. So Moses prayed for the people.
8 And the Lord said to Moses, Make a fiery serpent of brass and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.
9 And Moses made a serpent of brass and put it on a pole, and if a serpent had bitten any one, when they looked to the serpent of brass [attentively, expectantly, with a steady and absorbing gaze], they lived."

The Israelites were whining, sniveling ingrates. God had rescued them out of bondage and was prepared to lead them into the Promised Land. God was providing their nourishment with the Manna that fell from Heaven each day, but that wasn't good enough for them. (I guess they wanted more quail). When they spoke out against God and Moses, God decided to take action so He sent serpents among them. Let me rephrase that, God didn't send the serpents. It was their disobedience to God that brought the serpents upon them. Remember, these were God's people that He loved and whom the Lord loves, He chastens. The sending of the snakes was their chastening, but within the chastening God provided an escape.
In verse 6, when the people repented (very important) God instructed Moses to place a bronze serpent on a pole and erect it in which anyone looking upon it would live.
One important thing to notice here. When the people repented and prayed to God, God did something interesting. Instead of taking away the serpents, He provided a remedy in the form of a serpent. This parallels what happened when Adam sinned and was forgiven. Just as God did not take away the penalty of sin (which is death) when Adam sinned, God provided a remedy in Jesus Christ who died in our place to pay for our sins on the cross.

Three questions...
1)Why did God use a serpent? A serpent was a reminder of the curse. It was through the serpent that Adam and Eve were seduced and brought under the curse of sin. On the cross, Jesus was made a curse for us. (see Galatians 3:13)
2) Why Brass (or bronze in some translations)? In the Bible, Brass is a symbol of Divine judgment. In Revelation 1:15 Jesus is described as having "feet like fine brass" and again in Deuteronomy 28:23 when the Israelites were disobedient this verse says ""And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron."
3) Why a pole? The pole represents the cross. In John 12:32-33 Jesus said, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me This he said, signifying what death he should die."

So look at the scenario.. God told Moses to make a fiery serpent of brass, fix it on a pole and invite the bitten Israelites to look upon it so they could live. This is Moses teaching them the Gospel of Grace. Notice what Moses did NOT instruct the Israelites to do.

1) They were NOT told to go find some herbs and make a serum. Religion (the Law) would offer the serum of good works, church membership, keeping the commandments, etc.

2) They were NOT told to go help others who were bitten so that they might be healed. Religion (the Law) would tell us to engage in works of charity with the expectation that relieving others would take away the deadly poison of sin which is in our souls. This is also known as the Mother Teresa philosophy.

3) They were NOT told to make an offering to the serpent on the pole. God does not ask us to pay anything for our salvation, it is a free gift. If anything is required to be paid, then grace is no longer grace. The common modern christian term counterfeit I hear a lot relating to this is "give your life to Christ." We give our lives to Christ to follow Him or be a disciple, but not for salvation.

4) They were NOT told to pray to the serpent on the pole. Religion would have the bitten person pleading with God for forgiveness and mercy which has already been freely given to those who believe. Remember when the Israelites prayed to God, He did not destroy the serpents. He provided a remedy.

5) They were NOT told to look at Moses. God instructed them (through Moses) to look upon the serpent on the pole (picture of Christ). Moses was the Law giver. Here we have a picture of the Law not saving anyone, but showing them the way to be saved. Galatians 3:24 "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith." However, some are still looking to Moses (The Law) and trying to be religious with their own works to get them to Heaven instead of looking to Christ.

6) They were NOT told to look at their wounds after they were bit. Some think that they need to be more occupied with the work of examining their own wicked hearts in order to promote a religiousness that they deem necessary to qualify them for heaven. Religion can't save. Only Christ can save!

To look at the serpent on the pole is the same as looking to (trusting) Christ's death on the cross for salvation.

Going back to the scripture in Numbers 21, look at verse 9.
"And Moses made a serpent of brass and put it on a pole, and if a serpent had bitten any one, when they looked to the serpent of bronze [attentively, expectantly, with a steady and absorbing gaze], they lived." This is similar to the passage in James 1:23-24 "23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;
24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was."

In this passage James is talking about people who only make a casual glance at God's Word and don't "Look Upon it". The same way with the Israelites. It wasn't just a casual glance at the serpent on the pole that would save them, it was an attentive look, a steadfast look, and absorbing gaze. Not only do we need to read the Bible, we need to meditate on it and the only way to do that is to be steadfast and absorb what it is saying in us as a sponge absorbs water. God gave us the Bible as "living water" and we need to "soak it up".

Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers

I believe one of the most intimidating things for some Christians to do is to share their faith with someone. Not just share their faith, but to be able to explain to an unsaved person how to be saved. The Bible gives us clear instructions on this.

1 Peter 3:15 "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear."


There are two types of people who are the most difficult to reach for salvation.... those that think they are too far gone to be saved and those who think they are so good that they don't need to be saved. The latter group is far more prevalent and far more difficult to convert due to pride.

The first group is easy to deal with. Jesus died for the sins of the entire world. Romans 10:13 states

"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Whosoever means anybody at any time. No one can slip so far down that Jesus will not save them. A person may slip so far down that they will be at such a hard-hearted state that they will not seek the Lord, but Jesus rejects no one who comes to Him. This one simple verse settles the argument that anyone is beyond salvation.

The tough nuts to crack are the self proclaimed "Good People". The problem is that there are no "Good People" apart from the saving grace of God. The Bible says in Romans 3:10 "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one."

The reason is that the only way we can obtain righteousness is to have it imputed to us. Impute simply means to assign to someone or put it on their account. The NIV uses the word "credited". The next time you are shopping, don't say charge it, say impute it. (or better yet pay with cash).

We can not earn this righteousness by anything we could do ourselves. This goes all the way back to Abraham. He was called Abram at the time.

"Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness."

The Bible clearly teaches that belief (complete trust and confidence in God) is the only path to righteousness. Paul addresses this in Romans 10:3

"For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God."

Jesus addresses similar people in Matthew 7:22-23

"22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

These people casted out devils, prophesied or preached in Jesus' name and did many wonderful works all in the name of Jesus. However, they did not trust what Jesus did on the cross for them. This is why Jesus said "I NEVER knew you". He did not say, I once knew you but now I lost you, for that would be impossible. These people were trusting in their own brand of righteousness instead of trusting on the righteousness which is imputed based on faith in Jesus. In fact, Jesus called their righteousness as iniquity.

Many people will end up in Hell with a laundry list of good works to their name, but they will be lacking the one thing that could save them... that being trust in Jesus Christ alone.

There is no "step by step" plan, per se, to lead someone to Christ. However, every point on this checklist (with the scripture verses to back it up) needs to be included in your discussion with a lost person. (or a "good" person who doesn't think he or she is lost, but really is.... sadly, this could and does include many church members)


I. STEPS IN LEADING A SOUL TO CHRIST

A. Establish the fact that all men are sinners.
(Romans 3:10; 3:23; Isaiah 64:6; Jeremiah 17:9; James 2:10)

B. Establish the fact that the penalty of sin is death.
(Romans 6:23; Ezekiel 18:20)

C. Establish the fact that you must be perfect to enter heaven.
(Revelation 21:27; Habakkuk 1:13; Psalm 5:4)

D. Establish the fact that a person can do nothing of themselves to obtain this perfection.
(Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 2:16; Romans 4:5)

E. Show how God provided a sin-bearer (Jesus) & credits to man His righteousness.
(II Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:9; Isaiah 53:6; I Peter 3:18)

F. Establish the fact that man needs only belief in the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Savior for salvation.
(John 3:16; Romans 10:9-10; John 1:12; Acts 16:31)

G. Establish the fact that man can be certain of his salvation now, and that his salvation cannot be lost because eternal life is eternal.
(John 6:37-39; 10:28; I Peter 1:5; Hebrews 10:10-14; I John 5:13)


Everyone will have their own style of explaining the salvation process to a lost person but these are great guidelines to use. For a Reader's Digest version just think of it like this:


1) We are sinners and our sin has separated us from God
2) The penalty for this sin and separation is eternal damnation in hell
3) In order to enter Heaven, we must be perfect
4) We can not achieve this perfection by any form of good works of our own
5) Jesus (by his death, burial and resurrection) has made a way for us to exchange our sin for His righteousness so that in the eyes of God we are perfect
6) The way we obtain this righteousness is by trusting in Jesus' work on the cross alone and not by trusting in any works of our own
7) Once we have trusted Christ, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit as a child of God forever and we can never lose this relationship. We can lose fellowship with God and the joy of our salvation (see David's words in Psalm 51 about restoring the "joy of his salvation, not restoring his salvation"), but not our salvation itself because it is not based on our actions, but by our belief.

Judas "Not A" Priest

I was in the public library today perusing through the "Christian" book section and was appalled at what I found. As hard as it is for me to believe, I actually found 3 books on the subject of "The Gospel Of Judas". Really???? One of the books even had the sub title of "The Story of the Misunderstood Disciple and His Lost Gospel". (Emphasis mine) Judas was not "misunderstood", he was evil, plain and simple. Any good work he did was for his own gain and notoriety.

Let's look at why Judas could never have written a "Gospel". I am not saying he didn't write "something", it just wasn't God inspired. First of all, a Gospel would be scripture. As the Bible tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16, "All scripture is inspired by God (more specifically the Holy Spirit) so that would disqualify Judas' so called Gospel right there. The Bible is also called "perfect" (James 1:25). The Biblical definition for perfect is "complete". Thus, if what Judas wrote was really a "Gospel" then it would have been canonized in the Bible or else the Bible would not be complete as written. We know Judas did not have the Holy Spirit in him because Jesus said that He knew from the beginning who it was who did not believe (John 6:64). We know from the Bible that the only way the Holy Spirit comes to someone is after they have believed. (Acts 10:44)

We need to be very careful of falling into the curiosity trap of wanting to read pieces of literary crap like these Judas books. Paul said in Galatians 1:8&9 that if anyone preaches another Gospel other than what he preached, they were to be accursed. And what was the Gospel that Paul preached but the TRUE Gospel found in 1 Cor 15:3-4. But we should not be surprised that many people want to read these type of books. The Bible speaks about this in 2 Timothy 4:2-5 that in the latter days people will not care for the sound doctrine of the Bible but with itchy ears gladly listen to what interests them and their imagination.

2 Timothy 4:2-4
"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."

Sadly, many in the modern churches fall into the itching ears category and believe whatever some preacher tells them. I don't want anyone to believe what I write in this blog because I write it. I want people to verify what I say is based on the Bible and then believe it because the Bible said it.

I would also caution anyone about reading (and believing) these books about people who claim to have been to Heaven or Hell and back. I assure you based on the Word of God, NO ONE who has gone to Hell (or Hades) has ever come back. Just look at the account of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man found no escape once he got there. He was not even able to warn his family. Many have called this a "parable" but Jesus never did. This was an historical event, not a parable. For one thing, Jesus always used the word parable when he told one and for another thing, Jesus never mentioned anyone specific by name in His parables, yet He mentions Lazarus by name. So take it to the bank, this was an actual historical event. (See Luke 16:19-31)

As for Heaven, the Apostle Paul was actually given a thorn in the flesh to humble him so he would not reveal what he saw when received an out of body glimpse of Heaven. In fact, Paul even said he heard things that it is unlawful to be repeated. (See 2 Cor 12:2-9) God made sure he wouldn't utter them by giving him that thorn in the flesh. No one is quite sure what this actually was... speculation is an eye disease but that is only speculation.

We should just keep things simple. Whether it is our personal reading or a small group study, the BEST book to use as the topic of study is The Bible. (what a novel approach that would be).

Invite Jesus Into Your Heart..... Really???????

This morning as I was getting ready for work, this phrase was running through my mind and the more it did, the more it bothered me. In fact, I got so worked up about it, I was going to use this Blog page to blast this false message. However, in perusing the Internet, I found someone who did as good of a job, if not better, of discussing this than I could have (but I will add my 2 cents in first).

Before you think I am off of my rocker and think I have turned Anti-Christian, continue reading for an explanation and hopefully you will see why I am so worked up about this. I hear it over and over again said by ministers (many of them well meaning) that all you have to do is "ask Jesus into your heart". There is a major problem with that, it is not found in the Bible. Salvation comes from obeying or believing The Gospel. And what is the Gospel? For that, we need only turn to 1 Cor 15 verses 3&4.

"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures."

That's it. That is the Gospel. Nothing more, nothing less. My eyes play tricks on me sometime but I do not see any mention of "asking Jesus into my heart" in these verses.
Any other presentation of the Gospel that does not include this is false. Those who preach a different Gospel are to be accursed according to Galatians 1:6-9. Let's look at this closer.

"I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."

Paul was so adamant about it, he repeated himself in verses 8&9 to make sure everyone got the point.

Lets read on. The Philippian jailor asked the Apostle Paul in the book of Acts 16:29-31

"Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm... how come Paul didn't tell the jailer to invite Jesus into his heart? Isn't that what we are supposed to do?

************NEWSFLASH*********

Jesus is not in my heart, your heart or anyone else's heart. He is at the right hand of God the Father until His enemies are made His footstool. If you are saved (a BIG if) then it is the Holy Spirit that en dwells you (lives in your heart if you will)

John 14:16 "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever."


Here is the article I was referring to earlier written by Carol Brooks. I don't think she would mind me copying it here. The web site is www.inplainsite.org and I encourage everyone to check it out. There are lots of good articles and resources there.


Why NOT To Ask Jesus Into Your Heart

Carol Brooks.



Also See Is The Sinner’s Prayer Effective?

The most fundamental, vital question that anyone can ask is what must I do to be saved?...the answer to which is perhaps the most crucial point of the whole New Testament. Yet there are no end of well meaning Christians who, in answer to that life and death question, will inform you that You have to ask Jesus into your heart. In fact you will find this phrase liberally sprinkled through the Christian world... it is found in Christian tracts, preached from pulpits and taught by evangelists. While it is undoubtedly well meaning and well intended, the questions to be asked are… Is it Biblically accurate or just a confusing cliché? Is it (like the prayer of salvation) a magic key into the kingdom or meaningless jargon that is based on emotions with little understanding of what is really involved in salvation. Is someone who has simply asked Jesus into their heart saved? Or does the whole issue boil down to a matter of mere semantics?

Here are some of the reasons never to use this man-made phrase.


It Is Very Confusing
Although the expression is common enough, I am still unsure of what it is supposed to mean even after close to twenty years of being a Christian. If I am still puzzled by this cliché, I can only imagine the effect it has on a non-Christian adult, leave alone a child… any child.

can only imagine what a non believer must think when exhorted to ask Jesus into their hearts?.. How does it work? Is it literal or is this some kind of metaphysical/ supernatural experience? Is it symbolic? If so.. What is it supposed to mean and what is it supposed to do? The confusion is completely understandable considering no good clarification of this phrase actually exists. Is it any wonder that so often presented with completely meaningless phrases that communicate nothing intelligible, much of the world dismisses us as a credulous superstitious bunch?

The confusion can only be intensified with children who think in very literal terms and who probably imagine a literal Jesus literally living inside their hearts. Lower ventricle anyone?

Bob Wilkin testifies of the far reaching implications this inaccuracy can have ..

"Years later I was teaching an evangelism course at a Bible College in East Texas. I had my students write out their testimonies after I had explained what I have recounted above. I found that quite a few of the students went through years of confusion because someone told them as children that if they asked Jesus into their hearts they would be saved. They wondered if they had done it right. They wondered if they had been sincere enough. So they asked Him in over and over again for years. They couldn’t gain assurance. Finally someone shared with them that to be saved they had to trust in Christ alone. Only then, by their own testimony, did they come to faith in Christ. Years of inviting Him into their lives had only confused and frustrated them."
[Bob Wilkin. Don't Ask]

But worse…


It is NOT found anywhere in the Bible.
If you had never read a Christian book or tract, talked to another Christian or ever attended a Christian service or evangelistic crusade, but had simply read the Bible from cover to cover half a dozen times, you would never have known that you had to ask Jesus into your heart to be saved.

Why?

Because it simply isn’t there.

The book of Acts tells us of the spread of the very early church and exactly how and what people did to be saved and become Christians. Yet there is not one single instance of anyone asking Jesus into their heart. Jesus never said it, the apostles never said it. In fact, nowhere in the Scriptures is there even one example of any individuals ever asking Jesus into their heart. So if it is never found in the Bible, why use it? Especially when the Bible is very clear about how to be saved.


It Is Not How One Is Saved.
When the Philippian jailor asked Paul and Silas the million dollar question, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?", note that they did not tell him to Ask Jesus into his heart.. Nor did they tell him to recite the sinners prayer, read the Four Spiritual Laws nor any of the other contrivances we have since invented. Their answer was simple and concise… "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house." (Acts 16:30-31)

Here are a few examples of what the Bible unambiguously teaches [All Emphasis Added]

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. (John 3:36)

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24)

I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. (John 8:24)


It Bypasses A True Understanding Of The Gospel.
The biggest problem is not that we may phrase something a little differently, but that this ill-defined cliché, whatever it may mean, misses the point entirely. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the good news of who Jesus Christ is and what He has done to save lost sinners from the just penalty of their sins. That God releases us from the demands of eternal justice on the basis that someone else paid our fine.

“For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ [Romans 5:1]

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of god: not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

God has also instructed believers to proclaim the Gospel to others…

And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.[Mark 16:15]

and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. [Luke 24:47]

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. [2 Corinthians 5:19]

…and obscuring the primary issue is not how to do so. Anyone one, young or old, can ask Jesus into their hearts without the faintest idea that salvation is by God’s grace, based solely on Christ’s death on the cross and that it is received through faith in Christ alone. They could ask Jesus into their hearts without any knowledge of the person, work, and accomplishment of the Lord Jesus Christ, or the need to trust in and follow Him.

How exactly then can this popular phrase be construed as the Gospel? When speaking to a non believer the only issue is sin and the need for forgiveness… “Repent” and “believe” are the Biblical instructions given to any non converted person.

From that time Jesus began to preach and say, " Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." [Matthew 4:17]

and saying, " The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." [Mark 1:15]

"I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. [Luke 13:3]

"I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance." [Luke 5:32]

[Perhaps the best way to realize someone’s understanding of the Gospel message is by asking them the simple question.. "If you were to die tonight and God were to ask you, 'Why should I let you into my heaven?' What would you say?". The answer to that question will tell you whether they are on track or not]


It Puts The Results Of Salvation Ahead of Salvation Itself.

The Bible tells us that on the day of Pentecost, Peter told the crowd to…

"Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. [Acts 2:38]

Note that the Holy Sprit came to those who had already repented. The gift of the Holy Spirit is the result of repenting and believing.

Other verses reiterate the message ..[All Emphasis Added]

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." [John 1:12]

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

"And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. [Galatians 4:6]

Therefore according to the Bible the Spirit of Jesus comes into your heart because you are already a son through repentance and belief. Telling an unconverted person to ask Jesus into their hearts is not only putting the cart before the horse, but is little more than an empty platitude.

Furthermore the Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit indwells and seals every believer at the point of salvation, when they believed… an automatic process that follows on the heels of repentance and faith.

In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise [Ephesians 1:13-14]


It Could Create a False Assurance of Salvation
It is to be again emphasized that there is NO instance of anyone in Scripture being saved by asking Jesus into their hearts. It is not possible for anyone to be saved by this fallacy.

However it is completely plausible that someone may fully understand the Gospel and trust Jesus as their Saviour when they ask Him into their hearts, in which case there is little doubt that they are saved in spite of this confusing cliché. But they are saved because they have been reconciled to God through their faith in Christ, not by asking Jesus into their heart. However there is still no excuse for Biblical inaccuracy.

But the other side of the coin is very worrisome.. that someone may NOT have a clear view of the Gospel and may not be trusting Jesus’ work on the cross for their salvation. That they may not know Christ died for them, but are relying on an ambiguous, imprecise instruction to save them for all eternity.

"In inviting men and women to come to Christ, we must invite them to do what the Scriptures ask them to do trust Christ to get them to heaven. We must make that clear. And to be clear, we must avoid misleading and confusing phrases. Invitations such as… "give your life to Jesus," "pray to receive Christ," and "invite Jesus into your heart," are not only not used in Scripture but can result in a person's trusting in a prayer or depending on something he or she did instead of trusting Jesus Christ and what He did” [Larry Moyer, Free and Clear. p. 42].

While asking Jesus into your heart may be an expression of the Biblical repentance and faith, it certainly is not synonymous with faith in Christ. The two may go hand in hand but are not interchangeable.


THE OBJECTIONS

It Can Not Be That Bad If So Many People Use It
If the accuracy of what we believe is determined by sheer numbers we would all be Catholics or Muslims. The issue is not how many people or even which people believe a certain thing, but whether it Biblical or not. And in this case the burning question is whether this phrase accurately communicates the truth of Scripture.


Don’t Romans 10:9 And Revelation 3:20 Support Asking Jesus Into Ones Heart?

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Romans 10:9)

Behold , I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20)

Revelation 3:20: Read the verse again and tell me where you find ask, Jesus, and your heart in it? In fact Revelation 3:20 does not even deal with personal salvation. The context is a letter from Jesus to the church of Laodicea, within the larger context of the seven letters written to seven real churches that existed at the time. The church of Laodicea was a particularly well to do church, but their material prosperity had somehow caused them to believe that they were spiritually rich as well. Jesus was warning them that He was still ‘outside’ of their church.

Using Revelation 3:20 to support this cliché is superimposing a meaning on the text that simply does not exist.

Incidentally Revelation was the last book of the Bible to be written and was not available to any of the earliest Christians. Apparently they did quite well without the benefit of sharing this verse.

Romans 10:9 Unlike Revelation 3:20, at least the context of this verse does deal with personal salvation and is addressed primarily to the Jews who believed in God, but who fell short of believing that God raised Jesus from the dead, which is the cornerstone of salvation..

“believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead”

simply says that if a person sincerely and truly believe this, so that the external profession of faith corresponds with the real, internal feelings.. the person shall be saved.


Isn't This All Simply A Matter Of Semantics?"
The single most consequential decision a person will make is to determine where they will spend eternity..

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." (Romans 1:16)

Yet, when it comes to pointing a person towards eternal salvation we tolerate biblical inaccuracy and doctrinal fuzziness, yet in matter of considerably less importance we demand extreme accuracy and exact wording.

As has been shown above… trusting in Jesus Christ alone and asking Jesus into your heart are not necessarily saying the same thing.

Even believers in other religion may be willing to ask Jesus into their hearts as many of them believe that He was a very wise man and a great teacher. However trusting in Jesus alone for your salvation involves a basic understanding of the Gospel and that Jesus died for your sins. It involves believing He is the only way to salvation and forsaking all other ‘gods’ and following Him come what may.

Those who believe in the inerrancy of the Bible ought especially to be concerned with accuracy in communicating the truth. Words are the means God chose to tell us the good news, and words are the means we employ to explain the Gospel to others. Therefore “a correct choice of words is important, even essential, in stating the Gospel well." [Charles Ryrie. So Great Salvation. p. 24]

Is Gospel clarity really that big of a deal? Yes, it certainly is according to Paul …

But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. (Gal. 1:8-9)

There is an interesting verse in 1 Corinthians, which, although directly referring to the interpretation of tongues, is perfectly illustrative of the principle…

For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle? (1 Corinthians 14:8)

The battle is on for the souls of men and if the trumpet sound is garbled and not understood by the army, the soldiers cannot know what is required of them.

Do you?

Exercising Your Faith and Having A Dog-Eat-Dog Lifestyle That Is Pleasing To God

This post was inspired by two things... one, the excellent message given today at church and two, the perspiration I was losing when I went to the gym directly after the service. As I was exercising I could not get the message out of my mind and then it hit me how there is a parallel between bodily exercise and spiritual exercise.

As I was exercising, my body was ridding itself of contaminates and impurities (i.e. sweat). The body does this as a means to get rid of the bad in us and in the process we get the side benefit of being cooled down. This is also what is happening when we exercise our faith by worship, prayer, and reading the Bible. Those of us who have trusted Christ as their Savior have two natures in us... the old Adamic nature (named after Adam) and the new Spiritual Nature (named for the Holy Spirit). Anytime two things try to inhabit one body there is going to be conflict, and a lot of it. Metaphorically, the example used many times is that we have two dogs in us, a good dog and a bad dog. The one we feed is the one that grows. But it is not only feeding the dog, but nurturing the dog, spending time with the dog, and giving top priority to the dog that determines which dog prevails. When any of these is given to one dog, it is automatically taken away from the other dog.

The scripture reference used in the message today is from Romans 7:15-25

15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

The Apostle Paul, arguably the most obedient person who ever lived and writer of 2/3 of the New Testament struggled with this very thing himself. No matter how much we think we can win this battle in our own strength, we can not. If we think we can, than we are fooling ourselves. The best liar we all know is ourselves... if you don't believe me, then you just proved my point. On the surface this sounds like a no win situation. Many Christians "cop out" and just say they can't help thinking certain thoughts, or doing certain deeds, but that is a cop out. We can help it... just not on our own. We need God's power to overcome our sinful nature and have the "Good Dog", if you will, reign in us. So, how do we do this. There are several ways but I want to focus on three:

1) Getting serious about our faith and spending quality time in the presence of God.

Going back to the physical example of exercising our bodies, if we do not spend the time in the gym or on our own putting our bodies in motion and exercising them, then we will not be victorious in that area and there will be no change in our bodies. And so it is with our Christian walk. We have to make the conscious decision to give God Priority 1 in our daily lives. We can't just fit God into our schedule... we must fit our schedule around God. For a newer believer or someone not as strong in the faith, I would suggest setting aside at least 15 minutes (don't call Geico, instead call out to God). Pray to God or open the Bible and ask God to speak to you through His Word. If you don't even know where to begin reading, pick a Proverb. There are 31 Proverbs so just pick the one that corresponds to that particular day of the month.

2) I know this will seem impossible and unrealistic, but as you slowly begin to spend more time with God, slowly begin to spend less time with the "world".

When I say the world I mean the world's influence such as TV, rock music, the Internet, sports, etc... basically anything that the world thinks is important, but only keeps you from becoming closer to God. I am not saying any of these are bad on their own, but if they take priority in your life over God, they are an "idol" and they are wrong. The Bible says we are to be "in the world, not of it".

3) If you don't already have some, choose Godly friends to spend your time with. See Proverbs 17:17 and 18:24.

Proverbs 17:17 "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity."

Proverbs 18:24 "One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."

You can see that the Bible has plenty to say about who we should be friends with and who we should avoid. A true friend is someone who makes you a better person by knowing them and by being in their presence. A true friend shares your joys as well as your sorrows and is also not afraid to keep you accountable for your words and actions.

We can not go through this Christian walk alone; we need each other. An isolated Christian is a paralyzed Christian. God never intended for us to go it alone. It is why He gave a man a wife and it is why Jesus sent his disciples out 2 by 2. Even Jesus chose not to go it alone, He had his 12 disciples.

This is just an introductory scratching of the surface, but I believe if we will begin to do these three things, then just like our bodies will have a noticeable change in them from exercising, so will our lifestyle. Perhaps then we can make Satan "The Biggest Loser".