Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Get Moses Out of the Way--The Peril of Preacher Religion

And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.
Exodus 20:19

What an invitation!  God was calling an entire nation to have a close personal relationship with Him.  Again, what an invitation!  However, Israel rejected His prompting and chose to have the "preacher" draw close to GOD for them--relationship by proxy.  The sad fact is that they never learned about the LORD for themselves, they chose to have another walk in their anointing, and their lack of the knowledge of the LORD and His teaching led them in ways that was an affront to the holiness of God.  The record of their calamity is for our example so that we will not walk along that same treacherous trail, but scripture clearly warns those living in the last days of this age repeat their folly.  " 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 (2 Timothy 4:3-4)."

Don't get me wrong, having a godly pastor and ministerial staff is important.  Moses was all that and more to those wilderness wanderers.  God raised him to be a mighty leader through years of training in the courts of Pharaoh and the pastures of Midian.  His leadership was rock solid because his skills were honed by the Rock, Himself.  There is a limitation to what godly leaders can do, nevertheless.  They cannot do your praying for you.  They cannot study the Word personally for you.  They cannot lead your family at times of family devotion for you. They cannot adequately train your children nor enhance your marriage for you. They cannot filter out the distractions that stand in the way of your relationship with God and others.  They cannot draw close to God for you.  Simply put, they cannot live out your dependence on the LORD while you sit by and warm a pew.



The Almighty is absolutely amazing!  His power is unmatched, His presence is limitless, His understanding is immeasurable, and His person is unchanging.  As the church, He wills for us the exact same relationship extended to those who witnessed the miracles in the Exodus.   "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light...(1 Peter 2:9)."  It just may be God's glorious power that makes us fear and draw back from Him.  Like the Israelites, we are apprehensive as we get close to the LORD.  Is this not what happened in Exodus 20?  As the awesome power of El Shaddai began to rumble the mountainside in a gracious and glorious display meant to ease their fears about His strength, guidance, and providence, the people cried out in fear.  They chose to allow someone else to experience His presence and rejected the voice of the LORD at a personal level.  They promised to listen to God via Moses, but the truth is that they never listened because they failed to get to know God for themselves.  "... but let not God speak with us, lest we die."

Who was used to change the Nile to blood?  Who spoke for God and sent the plagues of frogs, flies, and locusts?  Who heard from God and gave instruction for the first Passover?  Whose staff was raised as the sea rolled back?  Who saw the heavenly shadows of Messiah in the Tabernacle?  Moses! Moses! Moses! Moses!  Moses!  Always Moses!  Why do we not read of the exploits of others like we do in Acts?  We want the miracles if someone else labors in prayer.  We want the fresh bread of the Word if someone else does the study. We are a culture of ease wanting things to always go smooth and painless.  God, however, has called us to do valiant deeds in Christ through the presence of the Holy Spirit.  Don't you want to lead many souls to Him?  Don't you want the LORD to unlock greats truths in study?  Don't you want to pray and see the miraculous?  Don't you want to see the enemy flee as you call out in prayer?  Don't you want to pray the enemies of friends and family away and see their deliverance?  You! You! You! You! You! Let it be you in Christ and not another for you!

Exodus 32 reveals a horrid problem with preacher religion.  It can lead to false notions about God.  It manifests itself as impatience with the preacher when things do not go the way we think they should.  Why should they go "our way" when we cannot pray and draw close to God for ourselves.  When Moses was enjoying a mountain top experience a bit too long, the people got a bit too antsy and called for a replacement.  Not just a replacement of the preacher, but a replacement of God, Himself.  Their lack of a personal relationship led to a situation that caused them never to fully appreciate the holiness and majestic power of the LORD.  They never learned of His awesome, sovereign strength for themselves, and they failed to heed the Word they promised in the verse above to enact.  They made God a "thing" after their ideas, a god that they could control and manipulate.  Would this have happened had they sought out His awesomeness for themselves, learned His ways for themselves, and drew near to His heart for themselves?  It is doubtful!  And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.



Israel and Judah could not even recognize the LORD in the day He walked this earth as a man.  A greater than Moses, and Solomon, and Jonah was among them and they could not see but they could not see past Moses, Solomon, and Jonah.  The fulfillment of Abraham's promise, Isaac's dream, and the blessing of Israel was among them and He was missed. They could not see past Abraham, Isaac, and Israel.  A greater than all of those great leaders is speaking to you even now, can you hear Him for yourself or do you need another to speak to your heart for Him?  He wants to know you!  He is knocking--let Him in.  The Spirit of Jesus Christ is there with you now and His physical presence is Soon2Come!

We will have to revisit Paul's warning of heaping teachers in the last days!  Blessings in the LORD!

Signs of the Times
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Monday, September 3, 2012

So What Are You Building?

Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
1 Corinthians 9:24

The word reminds us through precept and example to finish well.  Paul used the word picture of a race to convey this message.  The Bible also gives us many examples to emulate; however, it also gives us many examples to deviate from.  Giving both good and bad illustrations, God wants us to learn to run the race of life in Christ and end it well.  Thank God for grace!  Again, I say, thank God for grace.  Yet thank Him also for the grace of sharing truth in the lives of even the greatest of saints so that we can avoid their failures and finish well.  Thank Him for the grace that keeps us running well and obtaining all we can in Him!

One of those great saints has to be Noah.  Who has not been inspired by the man who lived in a civilization so vile and degraded that God saw the need to send the flood and cleanse the world  from such sinfulness?  Imagine how it must have been building a boat so large while being railed, mocked, and jeered.  The pressure of his neighbors and friends must have been intense, but His obedience to God was even more intense.  He will forever be immortalized as the obedient boat builder.  He not only built boats, he also built altars (see Genesis 8:20).  It was his altar building, a sign of a close and intimate relationship with the LORD, that  saved his family.  His righteous was a blessing to them all. 

By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

Hebrews 11:7

Scripture also records an event in Noah's life that is often overlooked which occurred after the flood.  Noah created a situation that brought a curse on a portion of his family.  He should have stayed at the altar, but the Bible records that he also planted a vineyard.  A vineyard is a place planted for personal pleasure. God recorded its planting to teach us to beware once we have had a great victory.  This is a time where many let their guard down. They have triumphantly overcame a great trial.  Rather than stay on guard, they feel that just a bit of play won't hurt.  It is at these vulnerable times that testimonies can be marred and curses can be inflicted.  Be careful! 



And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.

Genesis 9:20-21

Genesis 9 goes on to tell us that Noah's son Ham saw his drunken, naked father.  I wonder what it did to his view of the man he knew who spent so much time at the altar?  What a testimony troubler!  It also seems that Ham's son, Canaan, also saw the scene.  Canaan is forever cursed due to this mess.  It was Noah, however, who was ultimately to blame.  Had he not went pleasure seeking, stayed SOBER and vigilant, surely he would have seen the enemies plot to curse a family so blessed of the LORD.

So many today are following the bad example of Noah.  Church is neglected for the lake.  The altar is neglected  for the television.  Godly giving is neglected to sate with this world's temporary goods.  Business trumps Bible study.  Choir practice cancels personal devotion and worship.  Sermon study tops private study.  Temptations topple devotion and obedience.  There are just so many "vineyards" out there and they are different for us all.  Yet each one has the potential to wreak the same havoc as did Noah's.  The sad thing is that the cause of the curse is often not seen as the result of pursuing personal pleasures over promoting our personal relationship with God.

I feel like praying to end this one.  "Father, help us to see our hearts with your eyes.  We often cannot connect our actions with later repercussions.  We also have the terrible tendency to justify our actions and make wrong seem right.  Help us, then, by allowing the Holy Spirit to illuminate any vineyards we are planting in our lives.  Help us to see those areas where we are following our desires and not yours.  Make us to see our need to rely continually on the cross and to stay at the feet of our Savior, Jesus.  Help us as we know that Jesus Christ is Soon2Come.  Amen"
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Thursday, August 30, 2012

As Time Gets Shorter The Roaring Gets Louder

And he said, The LORD will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither.


Amos 1:2

After doing a long study and a series entitled, The Lion Roars, on the book of Amos, I was still drawn back to this book again during my personal devotions.  Immediately I was drawn to this verse.  There are three things that need noticing.  First, it is the Lord who is roaring from Jerusalem.  Next, He is addressing the land from North to South.  Finally, the land is mourning.  Let's briefly take a look at each and see if this might just apply to us today as well.

 So why is it important to see that the LORD was shouting out to the people from Zion/Jerusalem?  Simply put, this was the place where the temple was and where the established seat of government was.  The problem was that the people of Israel were looking to Dan, Samaria, and Bethel for leadership and guidance rather than the one place God authorized.  They were seeking God in places easy for them to reach, but places where God did not wish for them to go.  The LORD was roaring from Jerusalem to remind an erring people that there was but one place to look--the throne God, Himself, establish and the temple that He allowed to be built in that one place.  It was/is Zion that represents the throne of Christ as the Priest and King.  It is Zion where He paid your debt of sin.  Look to the cross of Zion for salvation!
This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Acts 4:11-12


The Lord's shout was heard from North to South.   Amos was a sheepherder.  Volumes could be written on the word he used to described his job as he purposefully did not use the standard word for shepherd.  The word roughly translates to a "sheep raiser".  It was a job that ensured the flock was the best it could be and that the flock was without without spot or blemish.  It was the job of a common man.  This working man was called on by God to deliver his message about coming judgment, but he too suffers as he saw the drought brought on the land.  The pasture lands were said to be mourning.  Amos was from the pasture region of Tekoa which was about 12 miles south of Jerusalem.  Mt. Carmel was/is a lush region to the north of Isreal, but it too had dried up.  The whole land was agonizing from the roar of the LORD.  Everyone was suffering, including the prophet.  I wonder if he began to seek God with all of his heart to find out what was going on and in the process God called him?

Yes, the land was mourning.  So what?  Does land mourn?  Shouldn't the shepherds have been mourning?  Why were the people not mourning and crying out to God?  It does not say that the priests mourned, so it seems no one was seeking God at all.  This probably goes back to the first note, they all were too captivated with the idols of Dan and Bethel.  God roars through a crisis to get people's attention.  Maybe they were taking the easy worship route without the sacrifice of agonizing, repentant prayer?  They should have cried out to him, but their refusal to mourn, weep, cry, and repent only exacerbated an already bad situation.  Now God will make them mourn so that they will turn.  Sadly, few turned and within just a few decades the people of ten tribes were scattered worldwide until their regathering this century--a key sign that we are in the last days of the church age.  We need to read and heed!  We need to hear God's roar and take action!

 The LORD is roaring worldwide!  Heaven is shouting that it alone has the right to rule and set the only parameters for truth.  That truth is Christ.  The offended God, offended by our sin, set the only available means to reach Him through the sacrifice of Christ the Son on Calvary's cross.  Sadly, men today wish to do things their way and ignore God.  As God allowed a 7.7 to 8.2 earthquake and a drought to strike Israel as warnings in Amos' day, God is doing the same today.  Fish and animals are mysteriously dying worldwide.  Earthquakes are intensifying. I read today that there have been 7,163 quakes in just the past 30 days.  Droughts are plaguing countries globally while cutting the amount of available food.  Middle Eastern countries could start the next war over the supply of water not oil.  What is not hit by drought is being destroyed by floods.  The wars and rumors of war are only more intense. Hurricane Isaac was a sure sign that God will not put up with rebellion as this storm affected the city where a wicked event was about to start exactly seven years after Katrina--which also hit the wicked event and shut it down.  Yes, God is roaring loud and He is not happy with those who will not turn to Christ.  His grace has limits, and the limit has just about been reached.

Where are the "shepherds" and "sheep" crying for the harvest.  The fields are rotting and mourning, and there is no one tending them.  Is it not time to share the word of hope and salvation that is inherent in the gospel of an old rugged cross?  What was the first message the Son of God preached?  It is one that seems lost to a church that is too busy with Dan and Bethel to notice.  Here is Christ's first message,  From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 4:12)."  Don't be one of those who is looking to a man or a ministry for direction--seek God.  Don't look to worldly government to better your life--look to Christ.  Dan and Bethel are in ash heaps as this whole world will one day be.  Those who are Christ's, however, will  live forever!  Please do it quickly.  God's roaring will only get louder as a warning to all that time is short and Jesus Christ is Soon2Come!


 Please Take Action!
Petition Calling for the Immediate Release and Safekeeping of Rimsha Misrak « Persecution of Christians & Persecuted Churches

Other Posts on Amos
Jesus Christ--Soon2Come: When the LION Roars
Jesus Christ--Soon2Come: The Lion Warns
Jesus Christ--Soon2Come: Understanding the Lion's Warnings

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http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/08/30/global-christian-group-takes-up-cause-11-year-old-down-syndrome-girl-facing/
Eerie Bible coincidence for Hurricane Isaac?
*****Water Deficit May Cause New War In Asia: Voice of Russia
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Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Can You Take It? No More Warning

Yet let no man strive, nor reprove another: for thy people are as they that strive with the priest. Therefore shalt thou fall in the day, and the prophet also shall fall with thee in the night, and I will destroy thy mother. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
Hosea 4:4-6

What a conundrum!  Israel is ever nearer to the destruction that is about to be brought on them by the Assyrians.  Yet, they cannot see that this judgment is from the LORD for their sin.  Rather than hear, they argue about whether it is sinful in the first place--sound familiar?  They will not hear the message that they are erring from God, so they are destroyed for lack of knowledge.  God would love for them to have the knowledge of truth that leads to repentance, but rather than heed the word, they argue and fuss with those sent to warn them.  This is the message of the verses above.  Israel will not understand their undone condition before God.  The LORD commands that they are no longer challenged to repent because they will only debate with those who are sent (v.4).  Then we are told that this lack of knowledge, willfully ignored knowledge of what it will take to have a right relationship with GOD, leads to their destruction.  Hosea was the last prophet sent to Israel.  Soon their rejection of truth and inability to take a rebuke led to their demise.  Yes, what a conundrum!

The Spirit of the LORD will not always strive with man (see Genesis 6:3).  His word is clear enough on what is right and wrong, but when sin reigns and God is rejected in a society, out come the "experts" who wish to philosophize over what God's word "really says".  Just the other day I was reading a news article about a church that was using some fairly worldly means to draw numbers into the church.  The word was clear--their actions were an affront to God's holiness and a mockery of the sacrifice of Christ.  One person dared say that the actions of this congregation were wrong.  Out came the experts.  There were comments like, "It doesn't ever take too long for the Pharisees to show up."  "You are not our judge--God is!" "Take your old-fashioned ideas elsewhere."  This is exactly the message that is shared above.  When people will not hear the truth of the word and those anointed to share it, GOD quits warning and allows them to go along in their delusion.  He has to because they willfully reject His counsel. That is a scary place to be.


Let me say again that we need to understand what sin is so that we can take it to the cross and seek forgiveness and cleansing.  Think of the message of this verse. "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us (1 John 1:8)."  Or what about this verse?  "If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us ( 1 John 1:10)."   Sandwiched in between is the often quoted verse 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  Just reason with me a minute.  How can you confess if you argue with God about his valid claim that it is wrong?  You can't!

Hosea warned!  He was their last chance.  Hear God as He is shouting to turn to Him before it is too late.  Hear those who lovingly rebuke, reprove, and exhort even as they are commanded by scripture.  Hear Jesus as He calmly knocks on the door of your heart awaiting the permission to enter.  Don't delay when He corrects.  After all, He is Soon2Come!

I highly suggest this page:  Easy-Believism: Another False Gospel | Amos 3:7
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Saturday, August 25, 2012

Can You Take It?

Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.
Leviticus 19:17


Hate speech.  It is a term that seems to appear more and more in the news and on the lips of many--including Christians.  There are many who seem to misunderstand the message of love that underlies a loving rebuke from God's word or a close friend.  In essence, anything that does not fit into our opinions, viewpoints, and beliefs could be labeled as hate speech.  However, the problem is that we are fallible, prone to error, and sometimes in desperate need of the kind of love that sets us straight.



Consider the verse above from Leviticus.  It is in two parts but has the same message--don't hate; love.  The first part of this verse informs us that we are to reprove another believer if we see grave error.  To not do so is hatred; furthermore, to see a friend or loved one in sin and allow them to go along in the delusion that it is OK is not seen by GOD as love.  An attitude that does not speak out against things that destroy is deceit plain and simple.  Is deceit love?  Think on the message of the following verses for just a moment:

Open rebuke is better than secret love.  Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. Proverbs 27:5-6

He that rebuketh a man afterwards shall find more favour than he that flattereth with the tongue.  Proverbs 28:23

Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities.  Psalm 141:5

Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.  Matthew 18:15

Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. Luke 17:3

Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.  Galatians 6:1

Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.   2 Timothy 2:4

There are many more, but these are enough to prove the point--are they not?

The second portion of Leviticus 19:17 gives us the reason for loving another enough to share a sharp rebuke.  Sin brings suffering.  To see someone struggling along with a sin which often dulls their senses and blinds their reasoning is to allow the effects of their error to hurt them or others they are associated with.  

Just imagine that you lived in ancient Israel and had knowledge that King David was about to commit adultery with Bathsheba.  Should you have confronted him?  Think for a moment.  What sort of suffering came from that one sin?  David murdered Uriah, as well as many other good soldiers who rushed the walls of Rabbah (see 2 Samuel 11:17 as more than Uriah died that day).  Think of the suffering of those families.  What about the death of the child, the rape of Tamar, the embarrassment brought by Absalom and Ammnon?  All of these events, and others, are directly related to that one sin.  So, in time, do you not think David would have been thankful?  



This post was intended to get to a prophetic verse from Hosea as GOD reveals that a people who will not take rebuke are already under judgment.  Many today consider anyone who lovingly rebukes another as being a hate monger while God sees it as an act of love.  The problem is that too many are focused on what the world says and not what "Thus saith the LORD."  Think about what the world is saying.  Just this week we saw a group put up billboards that said Jesus promotes hate and calls it love.  What would you expect the world to say?  Come out from among them and be ye separate.

I do know that there are those who are hateful and feel it is their mission to be a judgmental prude.  That happens. As an example, I knew a lady who believed that God gave her the spiritual gift of pastoral rebuke--no joke.  I am not talking about Pharisaical hypocrisy!  This is about those friends and loved ones who see the potential danger in our actions, and who warn us in a spirit of love.  More on this later.  Until then, keep your eyes skyward and your ears perked.  Jesus Christ is Soon2Come!

Hate or Love?
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Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Blinded

But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.
2 Corinthians 4:3-5

The Bible is clear.  Mankind has a very real and malevolent enemy who continually seeks to destroy.  Jesus said of this enemy that He comes to steal, kill, and destroy while He, Jesus, comes to give abundant life (John 10:10).  Paul, as shared above, pointed to Satan's ability to blind men's minds.  The sole purpose is to keep them from the cross as it is the only means of salvation.  The devil only wants to keep men from God, and he is working overtime to do it in these last days.

It is always important to remember the tactics of the enemy. Let's take today's hot button issue, homosexual marriage, as an example. What is the devil's purpose in justifying this sin (or any sin for that matter)? It is to destroy for eternity. If a person is convinced that their sin is normal behavior or that it is not wrong in God's eyes, they feel no need to repent and seek restoration with God. To them, it is not wrong, so why do they need a savior? Satan has effectively hid the gospel. 



I give no pretense nor place to hide. Homosexuality is sin and it needs God's forgiveness in Christ. Yet, the destroyer of men's souls wishes our "enemies" to think that it is ok. This is why Jesus always asked us to pray for our "enemies" as He does not enjoy sending them to destruction; furthermore, He wishes that all would repent and be saved. As proof, consider the words the Holy Spirit spoke through the prophet, Ezekiel.  "Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?"  Or consider the words given by inspiration to Simon Peter.  "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

Another trick is to make our opinions or the opinions of others replace GOD.  This makes them an idol.  All belief systems, including atheism, require faith to be placed somewhere. As such, they become idols when they rise against the Word of GOD. Our problem is that we are in a pluralistic, materialistic, and relativistic society which is clearly in the process of casting the word of GOD aside. In essence, the Post-modern culture is saying that there is no clear, ultimate truth and every culture and religion seems to have portions of truth. The fact is that there is a solid truth that cannot be altered, changed, nor broken. It was clearly defined by Jesus who, by His life, death, and resurrection, has proven Himself to be the authority. His miracles, ministry, and life are clearly indicators of His qualifications. Even His contemporary critics had to work hard to explain away His power, but their attempts only made it evident that He is who He claimed to be–God our Savior.


 Just a reminder, Truth is true even if no one believes it, and a lie is a lie even if everyone believes it! This means that many are choosing to place their faith in their own opinions and theories while discrediting and discounting God and His word. Men place faith somewhere, for instance, Dawkins places His faith squarely in Darwinistic evolution all the while maligning the Lord. Man is by nature a creature of faith. He has to trust in something. Why not trust the Word of God that lasts forever and has infallible evident proofs like an empty grave, a 100 percent accuracy at prophecy, historically validated evidence, and more? Not to mention the thousands of changed lives of those who wholeheartedly gave themselves to Christ and the word. 

Don't become willfully blinded.  Our true enemy is working overtime because he knows his time is limited.  He knows he has an abyssal appointment and then a long swim in the lake of fire.  He also knows that Jesus Christ is Soon2Come,  Do you?

Speaking of Poor Souls Blinded
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Monday, August 20, 2012

A Clash of Worldviews--Without the WORD

But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
Jude 1:10
If you have ever shared the truth with someone only to find that they seemed to be speaking a different language with respect to morality, it may be that they are.  The underlying issue is the world view from which they are basing their life.  Both Simon Peter and Jude mention that in the last days a pervasive worldview would arise that had men acting like natural brute beasts.  The Greek word zoon that is translated as beast simply means that they are acting like animals who follow base instincts.  Compare this to the word used for both the Antichrist and the False Prophet--therion.  This word implies a wild and ferocious animal.  In the use of both, there is the idea that men in the last days will be driven by their own fleshly "instincts" over the truth of GOD's word.  This is amazing to note since this is precisely the basis of the naturalistic, evolutionary worldview held by so many.  Sadly, the warnings of scripture clearly show that this idea invades Christ's church and is the structure on which false teachers rest. They deny God's power and presence while they have an empty shell of religion.  It is a form of godliness that denies the power of the Almighty.

At the core of this worldview is the concept that all there is just randomly happened.  All the universe, humanity included, is just a random and chance arrangement of molecules driven by blind forces of nature.  Nature, not GOD, is in control.  Therefore, this world view is anti-supernatural in that it sees no need for a creator nor His agency.  Since there is no God guiding and directing the affairs of the universe, there is also no divine truth--truth being a relative issue.  In essence, God's revelation in the Bible is a lie equivalent to a fairy tale.  Paul chimes in here to note that it is these very folks in the last days who are following fairy tales.  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine...And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables (2 Timothy 4:3a & 4)."


Jude also warns that this worldview will seemingly have the advantage in the last days.  Since God is a myth, and we are products of nature, we are equal to the animals.  Animals, then, have the same rights as humans.  This is the very scenario that Peter, Jude, Paul and others outlined clearly in scripture.  As we see this dominant worldview, one nearly peculiar to this age, it is a clear sign that we are near the coming of the LORD.  This is also why men are acting like animals.  They have been taught that they are nothing more than a brute beast.  Even animals are treated better.  It is safer to be a whale or a dog than it is being an unborn human!  

Back to the word.  It is always important to remember this statement.  Truth is true even if no one believes it, and a lie is a lie even if everyone believes it!  The word, brute, used in both 2 Peter and Jude in the statement, brute beasts, is interesting.  It is the Greek word, alogos!  The "a" prefix means without.  Logos means the WORD!  This is the definitive statement of those who put faith in godless ideologies, they are without the Word.  This word is a person as well.  Peter's close friend, John, said it best, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1)." Don't put faith in fallible humanity and its limited knowledge.  Trust Jesus, the WORD, as He alone is truth!  He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  Furthermore, He is Soon2Come! Why not trust Him in the full pardon of your sins today.  Call on Him in prayer, and HE will answer!

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