Liberalism Denies Clear Doctrinal Teachings Of Bible

I discovered an article written by Harvey Cox of the Boston Globe that attempts to state that the so-called "new generation of evangelical leaders who are rediscovering their progressive roots" are taking the place of "old time religion" in evangelical circles.

I do see this progressive movement happening in the liberal-left-leaning churches. Evidence of such differences can be seen every day through the comments of disagreement posted by liberal-left Christian bloggers which are in sharp contrast to the comments posted by conservative Christian bloggers.

However, by no means do I agree with the author of the article when he assumes that such churches (and their followers) are about to "take over" in the evangelical world. The way I see it is that such liberal ideas are typical of what the book of Jude warns us about; namely, that heresy and apostasy will increasingly infiltrate those denominations that choose to adhere to more "worldly" doctrines within their churches the closer we get to the End Times. The good news is that there will always be that remnant of the faithful who will hold steadfast and contend for the faith.

Jude 3,4 - Contend for the Faith
3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord *God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

In fact, if we look at the Top Ten Stupid Leftist Ideals, (sorry, but that's the name of the post!) we find that many "progressive ideas" are in stark contrast to what the Bible instructs and even further, some of the "ideas" listed are downright abhorrent (e.g. abortion) and anathema to what conservative, evangelical Christians believe that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ would approve of.

Focusing just on #3 (where the author labeled abortion as a "sacrament") and #1 (which is the obvious liberal left loonie idea that appeasing evil will somehow ensure peace) we can vividly see the hypocrisy of their thinking. Chapter 4 of Ann Coulter's new book points this out as well. She states:

"To a liberal, 2,200 military deaths [Note: amount of brave men and women who gave their lives for our freedom at time of publication] in the entire course of a war in Iraq is unconscionable, but 1.3 million aborted babies in America every year is something to celebrate."

I was going to type out an analysis of the article, but Larry R. Lawton posts an excellent reply over at SharperIron called, Harvey Cox's Fatal Assumption. Here's what Lawton stated:

Thanks for posting this article. Surprisingly, the author, Harvey Cox, is at least familiar with evangelicalism that is starkly non-existent with the 'news media'. The problem with his analysis is his 'fatal assumption' by equating liberal/moderate evangelicals as being more serious with their faith than those who are conservative. Nearing the conclusion with his article, he states this,

Quote:
"One reason the future may belong to these new evangelicals is that they take the life and teaching of Jesus more seriously than the religious right, which bases its positions not on the gospels, but on what they call ``traditional values" and ``family values." But Jesus himself had little to say about family values; rather, he emphasized love of neighbor, and even of the enemy. And he often criticized the ``traditional values" of his own time so harshly that the anxious guardians of those traditions viewed him as a menace."

I've boldened the section that I thought was obviously a swipe at conservative evangelicals and fundamentalists. Cox states that evangelical conservatives have a political agenda, yet doesn't realize that he himself possesses just the same: a liberal, modernistic political agenda that is more 'progressive', hence more biblical, than that of conservative/fundamentalist evangelicals. This assumption smacks of the kind of self-absorbed superficial religiousity that he condemns conservative evangelicals of being: Pharasaical and corrupt. What he doesn't propose, even hint at, is why his brand of evangelicalism is more biblical. He equates progressive (liberal) evangelicals as having a better understanding of who Jesus is and what Jesus said, and that conservative evangelicals are actually heretical in their beliefs of who Jesus is. Even worse is Cox's understanding (rather ignorance) of what a political agenda really is. He accuses conservative evangelicals as possessing an unbiblical political agenda, but doesn't realize that his own liberal/progressive ideas are as equally politically driven. In the end, Cox assumes something about progressive evangelicalism that cannot be substantiated: liberalism denies the clear doctrinal teachings that the Bible states and cannot be made to look more spiritual or biblical than the beliefs that true Bible believing conservative evangelical Christians hold dearly to and have historically held to. His analysis of evangelicals in history shows his ignorance of what is biblical versus what is 'progressive'. I'm sure that William Jennings Bryan wouldn't want to be associated with the liberal progressive evangelicals of today. Liberalism of today isn't the same kind of progressive evangelical thought that it was in the nineteenth or early twentieth century. The evils of slavery were fought by those who believed in the principles from the Scriptures, and fought it because it was wrong. Associating modern progressive liberalism of today to the progressive thought back then distorts the beliefs of evangelicals of that time. Secondly, Cox ignores the implosion of new evangelicalism which has spun off into his camp of unbelieving 'progressive' Christianity. Fundamentalists and evangelical conservatives have held onto Biblical Christianity, and this is why so-called evangelical progressives will fall to the wayside of liberalism and die off just as much as mainline denominations have.
__________________
Larry R. Lawton
"Standing on the Shoulders of Giants" -- Inscription on the edge of the British 2 Pound Coin, 2000.

HT: SharperIron

Discerning Between Judgments, Admonitions and Warnings

Today's Turning Point email message is called, "Leave Judging to the Judge." Here's the message:

Tuesday, July 11

Leave Judging to the Judge

Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts.
1 Corinthians 4:5a

Recommended Reading Matthew 7:1-6

In a 1993 Christianity Today article (April 5, p. 17), Stephen Brown recalled the words of the British preacher F. B. Meyer concerning judging others. Meyer pointed out that when we see a brother or sister in sin, there are two things we do not know: First, we don't know how hard he or she tried not to sin; second, we don't know the strength of the force that assailed him or her. Brown added a third unknown: We don't know what we would have done in the same situation.

To those three wise observations, we can add a fourth from the apostle Paul: The true Judge, Jesus Christ, is coming and He will bring to light everything that is now hidden to the eyes and heart of man. Therefore, since the true Judge is coming, we should "judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes." When we judge another, we usurp the role given by God to Christ alone (John 5:22). Next time you're tempted to judge another, remember these four reasons not to judge - especially the last one.

The only person we are qualified and authorized to judge is ourself (1 Corinthians 11:31).

If you judge people, you have no time to love them.
Mother Teresa

Read-Thru-the-Bible

Proverbs 30:1 - Ecclesiastes 1:18

Now I ask. What Christian has never been accused of judging others? Can you honestly name anyone? I know I can't. Even Billy Graham, as beloved as he is throughout the world has been judged by others for some of the things he has done and said in the past. One that comes to mind was how people judged his decision to preach in the former Soviet Union (when it was still under communist rule).

I appreciate Dr. David Jeremiah's teaching, preaching and email messages of encouragement. But I think that this particular email did not cover the subject of judging clearly enough.

Does that statement make me guilty of "judging" Dr. Jeremiah?
Is that statement more of an admonition than judgment?
Is it a statement of warning?
Or, is it a discernment on my part?


Before I continue, lets list the definitions of all these words. (All from Dictionary.com)

1. Discerning -

v. dis·cerned, dis·cern·ing, dis·cerns

v. tr.
To perceive with the eyes or intellect; detect.

To recognize or comprehend mentally.

To perceive or recognize as being different or distinct; distinguish. See Synonyms at see1.

v. intr.
To perceive differences.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Middle English discernen, from Old French discerner, from Latin discernere, to separate : dis-, apart; see dis- + cernere, to perceive; see krei- in Indo-European Roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth EditionCopyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

discerning

adj 1: having or revealing keen insight and good judgment; "a discerning critic"; "a discerning reader" [ant: undiscerning]

2: unobtrusively perceptive and sympathetic; "a discerning editor"; "a discreet silence" [syn: discreet]

3: quick to understand; "a kind and apprehensive friend"- Nathaniel Hawthorne [syn: apprehensive]

4: able to make or detect effects of great subtlety; sensitive; "discerning taste"; "a discerning eye for color"

WordNet ® 2.0, © 2003 Princeton University

*******

2. Judgment -


judg·ment also judge·ment
n.

The act or process of judging; the formation of an opinion after consideration or deliberation.

The mental ability to perceive and distinguish relationships; discernment: Fatigue may affect a pilot's judgment of distances.

The capacity to form an opinion by distinguishing and evaluating: His judgment of fine music is impeccable.

The capacity to assess situations or circumstances and draw sound conclusions; good sense: She showed good judgment in saving her money. See Synonyms at reason.

An opinion or estimate formed after consideration or deliberation, especially a formal or authoritative decision: awaited the judgment of the umpire.

Law.
A determination of a court of law; a judicial decision.
A court act creating or affirming an obligation, such as a debt.
A writ in witness of such an act.
An assertion of something believed.
A misfortune believed to be sent by God as punishment for sin.
Judgment The Last Judgment.
[Middle English jugement, from Old French, from jugier, to judge, from Latin idicre. See judge.]

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3. Admonition -

ad·mo·ni·tion
n.
Mild, kind, yet earnest reproof.
Cautionary advice or warning.
[Middle English amonicioun, from Old French amonition, from Latin admoniti, admonitin-, from admonitus, past participle of admonre, to admonish. See admonish.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth EditionCopyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights
reserved.

admonition
n 1: cautionary advice about something imminent (especially imminent danger) [syn: monition, warning, word of advice] 2: a firm rebuke [syn: admonishment, monition]

WordNet ® 2.0, © 2003 Princeton University

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4. Warning -

warn·ing
n.
An intimation, threat, or sign of impending danger or evil.
Advice to beware.
Counsel to desist from a specified undesirable course of action.
A cautionary or deterrent example.
Something, such as a signal, that warns. adj.
Acting or serving to warn: a warning light; warning words.

warn
v. warned, warn·ing, warns v. tr.
To make aware in advance of actual or potential harm, danger, or evil.
To admonish as to action or manners.
To notify (a person) to go or stay away: warned them off the posted property.
To notify or apprise in advance: They called and warned me that they might be delayed. v. intr.
To give a warning.
[Middle English warnen, from Old English warnian. See wer-4 in Indo-European Roots.]

Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

warning
adj : serving to warn; "shook a monitory finger at him"; "an exemplary jail sentence" [syn: admonitory, cautionary, exemplary, monitory, warning(a)]

n 1: a message informing of danger 2: cautionary advice about something imminent (especially imminent danger) [syn: admonition, monition, word of advice]

WordNet ® 2.0, © 2003 Princeton University

*******
O.K. With those definitions in mind, let's look at some Scriptures.

Discern:

1Ki 3:9 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?

1Ki 3:11 And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment;

Job 6:30 Is there iniquity in my tongue? cannot my taste discern perverse things?

Eze 44:23 And they shall teach my people [the difference] between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

Mal 3:18 Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

Mat 16:3 And in the morning, [It will be] foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O [ye] hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not [discern] the signs of the times?

Luk 12:56 [Ye] hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?

Hbr 5:14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, [even] those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

What do we find within these verses? We find that we are to:

1. Discern between good and bad.
2. Understanding to discern judgment.
3. Discern between the righteous and the wicked.
4. Discern between those who serve God and those who do not.
5. Discern perverse things.
6. Discern between the holy and profane.
7. Discern between the clean and the unclean.
8. Discern the signs of the times.
9. Discern both good and evil.

Practicing and utilizing discernment is not the same thing as imposing judgment. This is the error that is being promoted (unfortunately) between today's liberal Christian leaders and thinkers and today's traditional Christian leaders and thinkers.

Let's look at the term "admonition" in the Bible:

1Cr 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

Eph 6:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.


Tts 3:10
A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;

Tts 3:11
Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.

Ouch on those last two verses from Titus! It helps to read most of the chapter in Titus along with those verses in order to better understand what is being said.


Tts 3:1
Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,
Tts 3:2
To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, [but] gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.
Tts 3:3
For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, [and] hating one another.
Tts 3:4
But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
Tts 3:5
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Tts 3:6
Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
Tts 3:7
That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Tts 3:8
[This is] a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.
Tts 3:9
But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.
Tts 3:10
A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;
Tts 3:11
Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.

What do we learn from these verses? Is it right to admonish a fellow Christian believer who is perceived as a heretic, subverted and sinneth? I would think so, wouldn't you fellow Christian believers? If I am wrong about something that Scripture doesn't support as true I know that I would want fellow believers to call me on it! That is known as correction...not judgment!

Pro 15:10 Correction [is] grievous unto him that forsaketh the way: [and] he that hateth reproof shall die.

Jer 5:3 O LORD, [are] not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, [but] they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.

Jer 7:28 But thou shalt say unto them, This [is] a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the LORD their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth.

Hab 1:12 [Art] thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, mine Holy One? we shall not die. O LORD, thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction.

Zep 3:2 She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the LORD; she drew not near to her God.

2Ti 3:16 All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17
That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

Admonition is a way for someone to be corrected when their worldview has been skewed away from the truth in Scripture!

Let's look at the term "warning."

Jer 6:10 To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear [is] uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it.

Eze 3:17 Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.

Eze 3:18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked [man] shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

Eze 3:2 Again, When a righteous [man] doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

Eze 33:4 Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.

Eze 33:5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.

So, I ask each person reading this to answer whether or not the "judgment" verses can be seen as a blanket statement against judgment of any kind, or, is it more in keeping with the eternal judgment that is reserved exclusively for the Creator of the universe?

With all the verses calling us unto discernment, telling us to admonish others who are in error, and warn those who do not believe by sharing the Gospel with them, I have to conclude that the type of judgment stated in Matthew 7:1-6 is not a statement meant to say that we should throw away all judgment and discernment. However, it is meant more to guide us towards proper discernment, admonitions, and warnings and the importance of sharing this in such a way as to help lead others towards the kingdom of God.

One of the reasons that I think this is so is because of what Jesus says next in Matthew 7:6 -

Mat 7:6
Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

How would you perceive Jesus' words here?
Discernment?
Judgment?
Admonition?
Warning?

Deceive-Proofing Our Minds

Today's Turning Point email message contains one of my Bible verse favorites that doubles as one of the most important verses (IMO) to live by. It is one of the verses that I often included below my signature when I was actively posting on messageboards.

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.
Colossians 2:8

The following Old Testament verse instructs us that God is looking for those who would be fully commited to Him. And, according to the gospel message of the New Testament, that commitment involves depending upon His Son, Jesus Christ.

The eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth to show Himself strong to those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.
2 Chronicles 16:9

As the Turning Point message will clearly show, it is so easy to be deceived when we either don't know or doubt God's Word. Depending upon "human tradition" and/or the "basic principles of this world" can, and often does, lead us astray. Depending on what "the world" tells us rather than depending on Christ alone is what gets us into trouble.

Jesus warned us about what the Prince of darkness desires:

Jhn 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly.

That "thief" will continually put up "mirages" in front of our eyes that are designed to lead us astray. Often, it is something sinful that we have been led to wrongly desire. We can be drawn to it so strongly that we make the mistake of putting blinders on; not recognizing the flashing warning signs that God has placed on either side of us. And, just like in the story of the soldiers below who didn't listen to their trusted commander and instead, followed their own delusion into the desert sands, it ultimately leads to death.

*******

Today's Turning Point message:

Monday, July 10

Deceive-Proofing Our Minds

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. Colossians 2:8 NIV

Recommended Reading
Psalm 119:137-144

Years ago, when Egyptian troops first conquered Nubia, a regiment of recruits was crossing the desert. The heat was oppressive. Their supply of water was nearly exhausted. On the horizon, they seemed to see a lake bordered with palm trees. The experienced Arab commander told his men that there was no lake in the distance, and that what the soldiers saw was only a mirage. But the thirsty men trusted their sight more than the words of their commander. The men ran toward what they believed to be the cool waters of an oasis. Weeks later, authorities found the soldiers, all dead, far out in the desert where they fell in their vain search to find water where none existed.

We are so easily deceived - particularly when we do not have a trustworthy guidebook to direct our way. Fortunately, God has provided such a guidebook in His flawless written Word, the Bible. The Scriptures truthfully reveal who God is, mankind's greatest need, and the loving lengths to which God went to meet that need. Our task is to read the Word and then do what it says.

Opportunity To Preach Or N. Korea Propaganda Stunt?

There is no doubt that the success of Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life book has stirred up a lot of controversy within many Christian evangelical circles. I have read several blogposts, opinions and comments from various Christian blogs and message boards. Some praise Warren for his book and efforts, others fear that he is pointing people in the wrong direction through a watered-down gospel message often known as the "seeker-sensitive" kind of approach to evangelism. Others even go so far as to believe that he is guilty of "preaching another gospel".

When I read the "Purpose" book, I really enjoyed it and got a lot out of it. However, when our church began a home group Bible study series based on the book, I had my concerns right from the start. I wrote about this in a former blogpost called Seeking to Save?

The crux of the matter and debate (for me, at least) can be summed up in this portion of my "Seeking to Save" blogpost:

All the leaders gathered to view a video done by Pastor Rick Warren as an introduction to the study course. When the video came to the portion where accepting Christ was involved, an alarm went off in my heart and mind as I noticed something missing from Pastor Warren's prayer. There was no mention of the need to confess personal sins and repent of them. I had arrived late to the meeting so I thought that perhaps I missed that part in the beginning. During the question and answer time, I raised my hand and brought this up to the assistant pastor leading the class. He said he would "look into it" and quickly called on someone else with the next question. His lack of reaction and abrupt answer was close to an outright dismissal about my concerns!! I was shocked! Two other women sitting nearby said they felt the exact same way about that prayer! I was hoping that this would be brought out to the general congregation (because my pastor ALWAYS SPECIFICALLY EMPHASIZES THE NEED TO CONFESS SIN AND REPENT BEFORE RECEIVING CHRIST AS SAVIOR) but I don't think it was ever brought up.

As a leader of two study groups, I felt that it was my obligation to be sure that the sinners prayer was included in this study so I led such a prayer myself to give people the opportunity to receive Christ at any time during the 8 week study. If I had to criticize the "Purpose" book for one reason, it would be its lack of this important point within its pages.

This is why the book, "The Way of the Master" SHOULD ALSO BE READ BY EVERY BORN-AGAIN BIBLE-BELIEVING CHRISTIAN. It picks up where the "Purpose" book is lacking (IMO).

Today, I read an article on WorldNetDaily about Rick Warren's upcoming invitation to speak in North Korea. Best intentions aside, Christians everywhere cannot help but be concerned about this visit. The tendency for Kim Jong Il to use anyone and anything for propagandist reasons and/or intentions in order to advance his own dictatorial agenda cannot be easily dismissed. The recent firing of missiles with one aimed at Hawaii doesn't do much to lessen Kim Jong's ILL image of being a crazy madman, either.

I was particularly worried when I read these disturbing paragraphs from the article:

"Scholte questions what message Warren will be allowed to deliver.

"Kim Jong Il has set himself up as a god. Is he going to say, 'Kim Jong Il is not your god – God is God'?" she asked. "They are raised to believe Kim Jong Il is god and that the God we worship doesn't exist. And so, what is he going to preach?"

Since 2001, North Korea has been designated a "country of particular concern" for violations of religious freedom. Its citizens may not belong to unauthorized religious groups, and believers who proselytize or have ties to evangelical groups in China are arrested, tortured or executed, a 2005 State Department report said.

Given North Korea's history of persecution, Scholte's fear is that the government will use the crusade to identify Christian believers who will be "rounded up and sent to a political prison camp" once Warren leaves the country."

What are your thoughts concerning Rick Warren's "Purpose Driven Life" book? What do you think about his upcoming visit to North Korea?

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Add-On

Two brief, but excellent reviews on The Way of the Master book at Amazon.com! Many more great reviews at the link, too.

Essential Reading!, January 22, 2005
Reviewer: Brian Bomar - See all my reviews

This book is probably the most foundational, and much needed book on salvation, conversion, and proper evangelism today. You can't get far into the book until you realize that the modern styles of trying to crank out decisions and more programs simply isn't working - and it's all backed up by statistics.

Besides that, Ray really uses down to earth logic to back up all of the hard-hitting Biblical points that he makes. This book is essential - required - for anyone who has any desire to ever lead a person to Christ.

Good News isn't "Good" without the Bad News, January 20, 2005
Reviewer: J. Leone - See all my reviews

"I am very impressed by this work. Preaching the Law must precede the Gospel of grace, and this book exposes the error-filled methods of today's milquetoast 'preachers' who entice with the call of love when they should be expounding first on the terrors of the Lord Almighty.

Spurgeon and Edwards would be happy with this effort, I believe."

GPS Tracking of Sex Offenders - Good Idea

Over at X-Treme Right Wing, there is an article about More States Move to Use GPS Tracking of Sex Offenders.

I agree that this is a good idea. Has anyone reading here ever seen the MSNBC series, To Catch A Predator? It’s on tonight. Truly eye opening as to how easily sexual predators can lure kids and teens into anonymous sexual hook-ups through internet chat rooms. If GPS were required for offenders, then they could no longer take advantage of online chat rooms and anonymous hook-ups with teens. Their location would constantly be known and monitored.

If you haven't seen the above mentioned series and you have children who access the internet, you owe it to yourself to see what goes on in chat rooms. Truly scary!

We need to do everything possible to protect our children from these sleezy offenders. I'm willing to see taxpayer money used for this great idea. What do you think?

The Rise of the Antitheist

I must admit that I have not been paying much close attention to Christopher Hitchen's beliefs. This was because I knew that he virulently opposes anything Christian and/or having to do with faith in particular, and the Bible in general.

I found the following article by Al Mohler intriguing. It caught my attention because of the title. Then, when I began reading it, I was surprised to discover that an extreme "leftist" actually supports the War on Terror. Of course, we find that Hitchen's bitter hatred of all things religious is the main reason why he is for the war. And, he doesn't mince words when he states his opinion that all religions are guilty (at some point or another) of causing great harm. It appears to me that Hitchens sees the current Islamofacist form of terrorism wrecking havoc upon our world happening today mainly because it is only to be seen as religiously motivated. There is no discussion about the fact that not all Muslims practice the extreme form of jihad that Al-Qaeda uses as their excuse to attack America, Israel and any other nations or groups that it deems as "infidels." Hey Al-Qaeda crazies...want to see genuine infidels? Take a good look in the mirror!

Back to the article. It is certainly a fascinating read and I thought that it might generate a lot of interesting debate and discussion here.

Christine

P.S. GMpilot, it appears that Hitchens could be considered like "a man after your own heart". Except for his agreement on the war, of course.

*******

The Rise of the Antitheist
by Albert Mohler July 7, 2006

Intellectuals have largely reacted to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 with a mixture of moral confusion and ideological denial. The root of this moral ambiguity, even in the face of undiluted terror and unquestionable evil, is a particularly dangerous form of moral relativism – relativism buttressed by intellectual prestige.

Rejecting this moral relativism as both dangerous and intellectually bankrupt, Christopher Hitchens took many observers in the literary and political worlds by surprise when he became an ardent supporter of the "War on Terror" and declared himself the sworn enemy of any relativistic ideology that would confuse the evil of terrorism with the good of freedom.
Hitchens, born in England in 1949, made his reputation as a man of the radical left. At one point, he clearly identified himself as a Trotskyist, and his formative intellectual influences have included radical theorists such as Noam Chomsky. Nevertheless, the events of September 11, 2001 transformed Hitchens' worldview. He calls for a firm line of opposition and military action against Islamic extremism and every other form of terrorism, as well as what he calls "Theo-Fascism."

Nevertheless, the most interesting dimension of Christopher Hitchens' thought is not the transformation of his political theory, but the contours of his radical atheism. In an interview with World magazine, published in its June 3, 2006 edition, Hitchens declares himself the enemy of all religious belief.

When asked what he hates, Hitchens responds: "Religion. I quite simply identify it with barbarism and backwardness and human stupidity. The methods of theocracy in action are a cult of death."

In his 2001 book, Letters to a Young Contrarian, Hitchens explains his opposition to belief in God in much greater detail. Baptized as an Anglican and educated in a Methodist boarding school, Hitchens was raised in the context of institutional Christianity. He appreciated the religious education he received as a matter of cultural influence, but suggests that he was never tempted to take the truth claims of Christianity seriously.

He recalls: "I was sitting in a Bible-study class at the age of about ten ("divinity," as we called it, begun as mandatory as daily church attendance, and one of my favorite subjects then as now) when the teacher began to hymn the work of God in Nature. How wonderful it was, she said, that trees and vegetation were green; the most restful color to our eyes. Imagine if instead the woods and grasses were purple, or orange. I knew nothing about chlorophyll and phototropism at that age, still less from the Argument from Design or the debate on Creationism versus Evolution. I merely remember thinking, with my childish and unformed context; Oh, don't be silly."

Hitchens distills his thought in Letters to a Young Contrarian – a book intended as a briefing for young intellectual skeptics. Hitchens suggests that they might think of themselves as dissenters or freethinkers, but his choice of the word "Contrarian" to describe himself is rather fitting. Hitchens clearly enjoys upsetting the apple cart of ideas.

As he briefed his imaginary young contrarian reader, Hitchens reveals the contours of his thought concerning God.

"You seem to have guessed, from some remarks I have already made in passing, that I am not a religious believer. In order to be absolutely honest, I should not leave you with the impression that I am part of the generalised agnosticism of our culture. I am not even an atheist so much as I am an Antitheist; I not only maintain that all religions are versions of the same untruth, but I hold that the influence of churches and the effects of religious belief, are positively harmful. Reviewing the false claims of religion I do not wish, as some sentimental materialists affect to wish, that they were true. I do not envy believers their faith. I am relieved to think that the whole story is a sinister fairy tale; life would be miserable if what the faithful affirmed was actually the case."

One can hardly accuse Hitchens of mincing words. He opposes and dismisses all belief in God as harmful, dangerous, subversive of the common good, and delusional. He goes further than many atheists in rejecting any form of sentimentality concerning the loss of faith. In this, Hitchens sets himself at some distance from the skeptics and mild atheists common to the British intelligentsia. Hitchens is not only an unbeliever – he is the enemy of belief in God.

For the most part, Hitchens does seem to understand what he rejects. He wants nothing to do with an omniscient and omnipotent Deity. "Well, there may be people who wish to live their lives under a cradle-to-grave divine supervision; a permanent surveillance and monitoring. But I cannot imagine anything more horrible or grotesque. It would be worse, in a way, if the supervision was benign."

As Christopher Hitchens sees it, any form of belief in God is absolutely opposed to true human freedom. The very existence of God would be, he asserts, a virtual denial of human freedom and autonomy.

Furthermore, he argues that belief in God compromises the intellect of believers. "I have met many brave men and women, morally superior to myself, whose courage in adversity derives from their faith. But whenever they have chosen to speak or write about it, I have found myself appalled by the instant decline of their intellectual and moral standards."

Yet, Hitchens' main case against belief in God is based in his rejection of the very possibility of divine revelation. He asserts that believers in God must pose an arrogant and presumptive truth claim.

As he argues: "This arrogance and illogic is inseparable even from the meekest and most altruistic religious affirmations. A true believer must believe that he or she is here for a purpose and is an object of real interest to a Supreme Being; he or she must also claim to have at least an inkling of what the Supreme Being desires. I have been called arrogant myself in my time, and I hope to earn the title again, but to claim that I am privy to the secrets of the universe and its creator – that's beyond my conceit. I therefore have no choice but to find something suspect even in the humblest believer, let alone in the great law-givers and edict-makers of whose 'flock' (and what a revealing thought that is) they form a part."

In that paragraph, Hitchens gets right to the heart of the issue. The question of belief in God is inescapably linked to the question of revelation. He is on absolutely firm intellectual ground when he insists that anyone who claims to believe in God must "also claim to have at least an inkling of what that Supreme Being desires."

Of course, Hitchens sees all claims to divine revelation as evidence of "arrogance and illogic." Nevertheless, he does understand the basic structure of the Christian truth claim – a claim that the one true and living God has indeed spoken and has revealed Himself to His human creatures.

This argument can be turned on its head, of course. If God has revealed himself, we are then intellectually obligated to accept His revelation and to believe in Him. Hitchens accuses believers of moving from the conclusion of faith to its evidence, but he created his own intellectual problem by dismissing the very possibility of revelation without argument.

The important dimension of Hitchens' argument is his recognition that belief in God and confidence in divine revelation are inseparable. This is a point that seems all too often to be missed by some theologians. In contrast to the vapid and vacuous "spiritualities" which populate America's postmodern religious scene, Hitchens understands that a faith based on revelation is the only faith worth rejecting.

Hitchens is indeed a contrarian intellectual, as well as an atheist and antitheist. His rejection of Christianity extends to a rejection of the logic of atonement, redemption, and punishment. Nevertheless, his own contrarian line of thinking can help Christians to understand what is at stake in the great intellectual conflict of our times.

At the center of this conflict stands the doctrine of revelation and the existence of Scripture as the Word of God. Without this Word, we would have no basis for belief in God, Christ, the Gospel, or any hope for the future.

As has been so often the case throughout the history of the church, the sworn enemies of the Gospel often assist the believing Church to understand the crucial intellectual issues of the day. Indeed, many of these sworn enemies, understanding what truly is at stake, become converts to Christianity over time. We can only pray that this will be the case with Christopher Hitchens. In becoming a Christian believer, he would truly demonstrate his contrarian attitude against the Spirit of the Age.

Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., serves as the ninth president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary - the flagship school of the Southern Baptist Convention and one of the largest seminaries in the world.

Widely sought as a columnist and commentator, Dr. Mohler has been quoted in the nation's leading newspapers, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Washington Post, The Atlanta Journal/Constitution and The Dallas Morning News. He has also appeared on such national news programs as CNN's "Larry King Live," NBC's "Today Show" and "Dateline NBC," ABC's "Good Morning America," "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" on PBS, MSNBC's "Scarborough Country" and Fox's "The O'Reilly Factor."

Click here to contact Dr. Mohler, or visit his website at www.albertmohler.com.

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The Eternal Verdict

Today we learned that one of the notorious leaders of the Enron scandal, convicted felon Ken Lay, died of a heart attack at age 64. He was to be sentenced to prison in about 2 weeks, but also had an appeal request in to the court for the purpose of trying to overturn his conviction. Many news websites, such as this one at Fox News will have articles about this man. We will read about his life, his involvement in the scandal, the fact that after conviction he still maintained his innocence, and now, the fact of his physical death.

I found it ironic that this morning's Turning Point message email discussed courtroom verdicts and their affects upon people. But even more important than temporal courtroom verdicts, is the future verdict that we will each have to face in eternity.

The decision will be made by the Judge of the entire universe as to whether or not each of us will face the future Great White Throne Judgment in eternity, or, whether or not each of us will escape it because we have repented of our sins and no longer have any condemnation through acceptance of what Christ did for us at the cross.

Here's the Turning Point message:

Wednesday, July 5

Standing in the Dock

How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? Hebrews 2:3

Recommended Reading
Revelation 20:11 -15*

Every day in courtrooms around the world, the tension is palpable as impartial juries deliver their verdicts. Lives hang in the balance, and justice is meted out swiftly and objectively. Recently in a South Carolina murder trial, the defendant, hearing the guilty verdict, collapsed in the courtroom and had to be carried out by deputies. In a recent Missouri case, the defendant was declared innocent; and family members of the victim, feeling justice was denied them, screamed aloud and fell into each other's arms like toppling dominos. Can you imagine the soul-crushing strain of standing before the Judge of the entire universe, awaiting the condemnation that will banish you swiftly and inexorably to hell? That will never be the Christian's experience, for the blood of Christ saves us from standing before the Great White Throne of God. Jesus bore our penalty, accepted our death, and issued His abundant pardon for sins on Calvary's Cross. Today, praise God that His "so great a salvation" is for you and me, and that there is no condemnation to those who are in Him!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah for the cross!
Horatius Bonar

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Proverbs 12:1 - 14:35


*Revelation 20:11-15 (New King James Version)
New King James Version (NKJV)
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.



The Great White Throne Judgment

11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God,[a] and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.[b] 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

Footnotes:

a. Revelation 20:12 NU-Text and M-Text read the throne.
b. Revelation 20:14 NU-Text and M-Text add the lake of fire.

How Provocative Can A Rogue Nation Get?

On Independence Day, the 230th anniversary of our nation's birth, with celebrations going on across America (including the successful launch of the space shuttle Discovery), that lunatic leader of North Korea decides to launch missles, including a long-range one which supposedly could have reached the west coast! Thank God the missile launch failed!

Fox News host David Asman had the quote of the day, "What a day to rattle our cage!"


North Korea Fires Three Missiles

U.S. Chides N. Korea on Missile Testing

Telling the Truth About Yourself

I have been following a conversation going on over at Generation X-Pose There are several people chiming in with comments, however the discussion is mostly between Dani and Deb. Deb is a lesbian living with her partner. She claims that it's O.K. with God for her to be a Christian and continue to engage in a homosexual relationship. Dani has been pointing out that impenitence of such a sin keeps Deb's soul in eternal danger.

I shared the following in the comments section:

There is no question about homosexual behavior being sin in God's eyes. We know this to be true, but those who don't know God's Word apparently do not. All we can do is witness and share God's truth, pray for them, and hope that one day their eyes will be opened and they will realize the deception they are currently living under.

You have been steadfast in your loving witness towards Deb here. I haven't read all of the posts, but the ones I have read show the agape love of Christ in you while pointing out the dangers of impenitence.

As Christian believers, willful sinning is not to be on our radar screen! This is where we get the saying, "God forbid" from. Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." Jesus did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. Not one jot nor tittle shall pass from the law until all is complete. The salvation, mercy and grace of Jesus Christ is not to be used as an excuse to continue sinning!

There are many verses that share this concept. Here are just a few:

1Cr 6:15 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make [them] the members of an harlot? God forbid.

Gal 2:17 But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, [is] therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.

Rom 3:31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

Rom 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

Rom 6:15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.

All we can do is plant such seeds of God's Word. Ultimately, it is up to the Holy Spirit's prompting to convict the heart of a person to turn from their way(s) of sin.

In Ray Pritchard's book called The ABC's Of Wisdom there is a chapter all about confession. He makes the point that as fallible, sinful human beings, we tend to want to conceal our sin.

Proverbs 28:13 - He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

Pritchard writes:

The last words of each clause contain the most important truth. If you conceal your sin, you will not prosper. If you confess it and forsake it, you will find mercy. How hard it is to believe these words and to take them at face value. When we sin, everything within us screams out, "Cover it up. Turn off the lights. Bury the evidence. Destroy the tapes. Make up an alibi. Leave the scene of the crime. Run! Run! Run!

[Note from Christine: Have you been there and done any of that? I know I have!]

Something in our spiritual bloodstream causes us to run from the pain of confession. When God confronted Adam with his sin, the first man made the first excuse in history: "The woman you put here with me - she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it" (Genesis 3:12). Not a very noble answer. In the end he grudgingly confesses, but not before blaming Eve and, by implication, God.

Two key words deserve special attention. The first is confess, which means "to tell the whole truth." when we confess, we are not only admitting our sin; we are also agreeing with God's assessment of what we did. True confession begins with the notion that God is God and that we have knowingly violated His standards. The second word is renounce, which means "to abandon, forsake, desert, turn away from." True confession always leads to renunciation. If after confessing our sin we quickly return to it, or if we long to return to it, then we have missed the teaching of this verse and we will not find God's mercy.

Several years ago one of my brothers sent me some material from a Christian counselor. On one of the sheets he had done a takeoff on the words of Jesus in John 8:32, "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." The counselor had added the phrase: "The truth shall make you free...but it will hurt you first."

[Note from Christine: Can anyone say Amen to that!!?? Sometimes the truth does hurt!!]

That strikes me as an extremely important insight. This explains why so many people struggle with their problems for years. They don't want the truth to hurt them...so they avoid the truth at all costs.

Do they want to get better? Absolutely.

Do they know the truth? Intellectually, yes.

Then why don't they get better? Because they won't let the truth get close enough to hurt them. Instead, they erect a thousand defense mechanisms that deflect the truth before it hits home.

Which explains why you can go to church for years, listen to sermons for years, read the Bible and pray for years - and still not get better. "The truth will set you free, but it will hurt you first." When you are finally willing to be hurt by the truth about yourself, then - and only then - will you be set free.

Most people don't enjoy confessing their sins, so they avoid it whenever possible. But when we dare to take God at His word, we discover the joy of forgiveness. If you are willing to tell the truth about yourself, you can be set free.

Heavenly Father, give me the grace to tell the truth so that Your grace might make me clean. Amen.

Questions of self-examination to ponder:

Is it getting easier for you to say, "I was wrong"?

Why is confession such a crucial part of the spiritual life?

What happens when we refuse to confess our sins?

What sin do you need to confess right now?

Crescendo Of Worship In Heaven

Scripture reveals that there will be music and singing in heaven. Most people enjoy listening and participating in both of these pleasurable skills here on earth. I don't think I know anyone who has ever said, "I hate music." They may say that they hate (or dislike) certain kinds of music, but most have their favorites that they enjoy listening to over and over again.

Personally, I like many kinds and types of music. Always have. But my favorites are Christian contemporary. For many years now, I have found myself rejecting the secular radio stations.

To borrow a line from the movie Forrest Gump, "[Secular music] is like a box of chocolates...ya never know what you're going to get!" And, what you often get is unwanted sleaze!

So, instead, I listen to Christian artist CDs or a trustworthy radio station like K-Love. Parents do not have to worry about their kids hearing something that they object to or a song that's depraved. Go to the link and listen online! I love songs that lift up the soul; songs that fill my ears, mind and heart with the glory, honor and praise of God, especially those that recognize and celebrate the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ.

I wonder. Might God have His favorites too? If so, I would be led to think that songs sung and music played for praise and worship in honor of Him would be favored.

In the book of Revelation, the doxology (an expression of praise to God, especially a short hymn sung as part of a Christian worship service) gradually increases within four chapters which ultimately leads to a crescendo (gradually increasing in volume, force, or intensity) of worship. Whether spoken or sung, let's take a look at the increase of worship in these verses:

Revelation 1:6 - And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him [be] glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Glory and dominion is expressed. A two-fold doxology.

Revelation 4:11 - Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

Glory, honor and power is expressed. A three-fold doxology.

Revelation 5:13 - And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I heard saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, [be] unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

Blessing, honor, glory and power is expressed. A four-fold doxology.

Revelation 7:12 - Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, [be] unto our God for ever and ever. Amen

Blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power and might is expressed. A seven-fold doxology.

We see and feel the movement of worship in these verses in Revelation. In our churches, we like to end our worship (often with a praise song) big! We are rehearsing for our role in eternity!

The praise revealed in Revelation increases in expression, volume, force and intensity. It follows the timeline of God's purpose. The crescendo of it is a signal of nearing the end.

We experience great worship today in our churches. One day, we will be that way in heaven!

Dr. Jeremiah mentioned the contrast of worship in heaven. Everything is alive there!

In C.S. Lewis' book, "The Great Divorce," he shows the contrast between hell, earth and heaven. Hell is just "a fleck of dust." Our lives here, in this world, become smaller and smaller. Just a glimpse of heaven can be described like standing at the Grand Canyon and being speechless at the sight.

Think, again, about John. He was experiencing discouragement, exile, separation from his friends. Then, in a moment, he went to the "control room of the universe" to witness what God has in store for those who belong to Him!

Our reality is in contrast to eternal reality.

John's earthly life was transferred into the reality of eternal life and worship done there.

When we worship God, the relationship we share with Him keeps us from the ups and downs of this life. When we read and study His Word, the Bible, we see how things really are.

Satan has not won.

Evil has not triumphed.

What can we learn?

Worship is not about us; it's about Him.

Have you ever experienced the following? What should you be thinking when something happens in a service or style of worship that you don't particularly like? What should be your attitude? It's not about me, it's about Him!

Worship is not about here, its about there.

When we gain spiritual eyes and can see heaven, though we currently only see "as through a glass darkly", it still makes sense of what we are experiencing here on earth.

Colossians 3:1-3
Col 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.


Col 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.


Col 3:3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Worship is not about now - its about then!

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

2Cr 4:16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward [man] is renewed day by day.


2Cr 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding [and] eternal weight of glory;


2Cr 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen [are] temporal; but the things which are not seen [are] eternal.

Read those verses again and take note of the contrasts. It could not be clearer!

1. Our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day!
2. Our light affliction is but for a moment, but it works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory!
3. We look not at the things which are seen that are temporal, but those that are not seen which are eternal!

Worship leads us from the emptiness of this world to the wholeness of eternity!

We were created to worship God. If we don't, then we fail to express the purpose of being here!

Worship is not about one - it's about many.

Who can really and genuinely worship on a golf course on Sunday mornings? We need the church and each other. The Scriptures reveal that there is massive worship in heaven. Did you ever notice that the term "saints" is always in the plural?

Revelation 5:11,12

Rev 5:11 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;


Rev 5:12 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.

Revelation 14:2,3

Rev 14:2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:


Rev 14:3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred [and] forty [and] four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.

Revelation 19:6 -
And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

When John heard this, he described it as thunder!

David Guzik's commentary on Revelation 19:1-9 describes the joyous occasion of "The Marriage Supper of the Lamb."

Revelation 19 - Christ Returns As Conquering Lord

A. Praise in heaven

1. (1-5) Praise for the judgment of Babylon

a. This section is really the climax of chapter 18 - there, Babylon's friends mourned her fall; here, God's people celebrate it

b. "Hallelujah" (or, Alleluia) occurs four times here, and not again the New Testament

i. Hallelujah is Hebrew for "Praise the Lord," in the imperative (do it!) sense

ii. Some seem afraid of saying Hallelujah, but we'll all be saying it in heaven; but we should never use such a glorious word without thinking

c. A great multitude (similar to the tribulation martyrs described in 7:9,14), the twenty-four elders, and the cherubim all join in praise

d. Here, the focus of worship is on the great works of God, specifically, His work of righteous judgment

e. The voice from the throne (saying, Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great) might be Jesus, but more likely it is from one of the angels who attends the throne of God

2. (6-9) Praise for the marriage of the Lamb

a. The height of praise on earth is only a dim shadow of what is described in these verses; this approaches the consummation of God's plan through history, so we also come to a summit of praise

b. The marriage of the Lamb, who is the Messiah, is a frequently used picture throughout the Scriptures

i. In the Old Testament, Israel is presented as God's wife, who is often unfaithful (Hosea 2:19-20; Isaiah 54:5; Ezekiel 16)

ii. In the New Testament, the church is presented as the fiance' of Jesus, awaiting the day of marriage (2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:25-32)

iii. "In Biblical times a marriage involved two major events, the betrothal and the wedding. These were normally separated by a period of time during which the two individuals were considered husband and wife and as such were under the obligations of faithfulness. The wedding began with a procession to the bride's house, which was followed by a return to the house of the groom for the marriage feast. By analogy, the church, espoused to Christ by faith, now awaits the parousia when the heavenly groom will come for his bride and return to heaven for the marriage feast which lasts throughout eternity." (Mounce)

iv. The idea of marriage is also the most powerful analogy of intimacy among God's pictures of our relation to Him (creator-creature; shepherd-sheep; master-slave; father-child; husband-wife)

c. What do we do to make ourselves ready for this wedding? There is much for us to do, but it is ultimately a work God does in us (Ephesians 5:25-27) - to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright

i. "Clean (katharos) reflects purity, loyalty and faithfulness, the character of the New Jerusalem" (Johnson)

ii. "Bright (lampros) is the color of radiant whiteness that depicts glorification." (Johnson)

iii. Believers are created for divinely prepared good works; these "righteousnesses" (righteous acts) are what fill the "hope chest" of the bride of Jesus

d. Jesus Himself eagerly anticipates this marriage supper; He spoke longingly of the day when He will drink of the fruit of the vine again, with His disciples in the kingdom (Matthew 26:29)*

i. The thought is of a banquet or party; of tremendous joy. In Jewish culture, there was no more joyful occasion than a wedding. In fact, according to Rabbinic teaching, obedience to the commandments was suspended during a wedding celebration if obeying a commandment might lessen the joy of the occasion

e. These are the true sayings of God is a necessary note of assurance for us; this anticipated consummation will take place, and though it seems too good to be true, it will happen.

*******

*Mat 26:29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.

The Heavenly City

Dr. David Jeremiah of Turning Point Ministries has been doing a series on T.V. called What's Up With Heaven I listened to the broadcast last week and it was fabulously informative! I wish I had taken some notes. The website provides an outline of the Scripture verses used, but I need to get the book or the audio series so I can get all of the information from each of the broadcasts. For now, I want to share one segment that stuck in my mind from last week. Next, I will share the notes I jotted down as I listened to today's broadcast.

Last week, the topic of discussion was called, "The Heavenly City." It is based on Revelation 21:15-27 and Dr. Jeremiah shares several biblical cross references (click on outline link above).

The entire portion of Scripture is described through the use of the beauty of precious stones. One part that I remember so vividly is when he was describing The Pearly Gates (Revelation 21:12, 17-18, 21.)

Revelation 21:21 - And the twelve gates [were] twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city [was] pure gold, as it were transparent glass.

Revelation 21:12, tells us how high the walls and gates were. They were huge!

Revelation 21:12 - And had a wall great and high, [and] had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are [the names] of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

Now, notice that every gate was of one pearl. Dr. Jeremiah shared that human logic (and scientifically knowing how large oysters usually grow) might tend to lead a skeptic from believing that such a passage is meant to be taken as literally true. But what he said next astounded me. He mentioned that in order for an oyster to create a pearl, it needs to be injured first. His analogy of Christ's wounds and sacrificial death for our sakes can be seen as symbolism leading to the creation of 12 giant pearl gates at the entrance to heaven. I thought that was fascinating to realize!

If you go through the outline and read the Scripture verses, you will get additional information about that segment of the series.

Now, I would like to share the notes that I took on this mornings sermon.

It was on the subject of Worship in Heaven.

To Christians who are serving God here on earth, there are three elements that comprise worshipping God.

1. Praising of God.
2. Praying to God.
3. Preaching for God.

Notice that when believers get to heaven, only #1 will be done there!

There will be no need to pray anymore.

There will be no need to preach either - for all believers will know the full counsel of God.

Therefore, praise and worship should be a priority in our lives! Learning to praise and worship while on this earth will prepare us in doing so for all eternity!

In Revelation 4:1, through a vision provided by Jesus himself, John looks through an open door into heaven.

Rev 4:1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door [was] opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard [was] as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.

John sees the worship service going on in heaven!

Remember. John was the one disciple who was with Jesus during the crucial moments in his ministry here on earth.

1. He was with Jesus at the Garden of Gethsemane. (see Matthew 26)
2. He was with Jesus at the Crucifixion, when most of the disciples ran and hid in fear. (see John 19:25-27)
3. John outran Peter to the tomb. (see John 20:3,4)
4. John was there at the Transfiguration. (see Matthew 17:1-8)
5. John was there when Jesus ascended into heaven. (see Acts 1:9-11)

John also experienced much pain in his life. He was in exile on Patmos,(Rev. 1:9) alone, old and without any information about his friends and family and their fates. In the midst of this, John was able to mentally walk through that door to heaven! It must be hard to describe what that was like!

Rev 4:1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door [was] opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard [was] as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.

In Revelation 4:2-3, the key word is "throne." That term appears 46 times in the book of Revelation. It speaks of sovereignty.

The contrast of these two pictures cannot be missed! Even though the events on earth seem chaotic, God is seated on the throne in heaven. He is in control!

Rev 4:2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and [one] sat on the throne.

John tries to describe what he sees. He symbolically describes it all by using the beauty and magnificience of precious stones.

Rev 4:3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and [there was] a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.

John is witnessing a worship service in heaven and describes it:

Rev 4:4 And round about the throne [were] four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.


Rev 4:9 And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,


Rev 4:10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,


Rev 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

John wrote about the magnificence of the occasion. The 24 seats of the elders represents all of the church (people, not a building).

There was an excellent quote that I missed (unfortunately) because I couldn't write it down fast enough! But I did copy down a part of what Dr. Jeremiah said:

What is praise? Praise is worship designed to quicken the heart to the holiness of God. [He listed several other points too. If anyone else knows who this quote came from and can add to this, please post it in the comment section! Thanks!] This should be the goal of every worshipper on earth.

Here, Dr. Jeremiah focused in on Revelation 5:8-10. I want to expand upon this.

In a Bible study that I participated in on the book of Revelation, we did an inductive study on Revelation 5:1-14. Here is the NKJV of that portion of Scripture:

The Lamb Takes the Scroll

5And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?" 3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it.
4 So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open *and read the scroll, or to look at it. 5 But one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and *to loose its seven seals."
6 And I looked, *and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.
Worthy Is the Lamb
8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying:


"You are worthy to take the scroll,
And to open its seals;
For You were slain,
And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
10 And have made *us kings* and priests to our God;
And *we shall reign on the earth."


11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice:


"Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
To receive power and riches and wisdom,
And strength and honor and glory and blessing!"


13 And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:


"Blessing and honor and glory and power
Be to Him who sits on the throne,
And to the Lamb, forever and ever!"


14 Then the four living creatures said, "Amen!" And the *twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped *Him who lives forever and ever.

Footnotes:
5:4 NU-Text and M-Text omit and read.
5:5 NU-Text and M-Text omit to loose.
5:6 NU-Text and M-Text read I saw in the midst . . . a Lamb standing.
5:10 NU-Text and M-Text read them.
5:10 NU-Text reads a kingdom.
5:10 NU-Text and M-Text read they.
5:13 M-Text adds Amen.
5:14 NU-Text and M-Text omit twenty-four.
5:14 NU-Text and M-Text omit Him who lives forever and ever.


Who is this Lamb who is worthy? Jesus Christ! Notice in verse 4 that John weeps because no one could be found worthy to open the scrolls! But then, the elders point to Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God who is worthy! (Rev. 5:5-10).

Pastor Chuck Smith commentary on Rev. 5:1-5:

v.1-5 The scroll contains the title deed to the earth. When Jesus gave His life on the cross, He redeemed the earth back to God, but God hasn't taken possession of it yet.

Next, notice this.

10 And have made *us kings* and priests to our God;
And *we shall reign on the earth."

We get a "do over" here on the new earth!

For the sake of clarity, here is a commentary by Jamieson, Fausett & Brown:

we shall reign on the earth--This is a new feature added to Rev 1:6 . Aleph, Vulgate, and Coptic read, "They shall reign." A and B read, "They reign." ALFORD takes this reading and explains it of the Church EVEN NOW, in Christ her Head, reigning on the earth: "all things are being put under her feet, as under His; her kingly office and rank are asserted, even in the midst of persecution." But even if we read (I think the weightiest authority is against it), "They reign," still it is the prophetical present for the future: the seer being transported into the future when the full number of the redeemed (represented by the four living creatures) shall be complete and the visible kingdom begins. The saints do spiritually reign now; but certainly not as they shall when the prince of this world shall be bound (see on JF & B for Re 20:2-6). So far from reigning on the earth now, they are "made as the filth of the world and the offscouring of all things." In Rev 11:15, 18 , the locality and time of the kingdom are marked. KELLY translates, "reign over the earth" (Greek, "epi tees gees"), which is justified by the Greek (Septuagint, Jdg 9:8 Mat 2:22 ). The elders, though ruling over the earth, shall not necessarily (according to this passage) remain on the earth. But English Version is justified by Rev 3:10 . "The elders were meek, but the flock of the meek independently is much larger"
[BENGEL].

Look at the numbers of the worshippers:

11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice:

Everyone will recognize the honor, glory and power of God the Father and the Lamb of God, His Eternal Son, Jesus Christ!

13 And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:


"Blessing and honor and glory and power
Be to Him who sits on the throne,
And to the Lamb, forever and ever!"


14 Then the four living creatures said, "Amen!" And the *twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped *Him who lives forever and ever.

-to be continued-

Next: The Crescendo of Worship in Heaven.

The Faux Pas Of Trying To Appear "Religious"

Yesterday, I started reading Ann Coulter's latest book, "Godless: The Church of Liberalism." I have already laughed at least seven times after reading just the first chapter. Her ability to share truth while throwing much witticism into the mix is a great gift.

Coulter mentions how Al Gore tried to attract Christians during the second presidential debate in the 2000 campaign. She writes:

"...he utterly mangled Scripture - and not one mainstream media reporter noticed. By way of explaining his nutty environmental beliefs, Gore said, "In my faith tradition, it is written in the book of Matthew, 'Where your heart is, there's your treasure also.' And I believe that we ought to recognize the value to our children and grandchildren of taking steps that preserve the environment in a way that's good for them."

Gore had not merely transformed a core Christian belief into a Confucian fortune cookie, he had reversed Christian doctrine. The actual Bible - Matthew 6:21 - says precisely the opposite of what Gore said, admonishing us to make heaven our only treasure - "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

Ann goes on and mentions how the Bible illiterates in the media totally missed Gore's faux pas. What's worse is how absolutely clueless the mainstream media (msm) really is when it comes to Bible knowledge and Godly wisdom because they praised him for his brilliant use of Scripture to appeal to the God voters!

She mentions several other liberal politicians and their 'Bible relating faux pas while trying to appear religious', such as Howard Dean's famous, "my favorite book of the New Testament is Job" one. But I will save an analysis of Dean (on second thought...do I really have to?) for another post.

Getting back to Gore, it's interesting to see the verses in Matthew just before 6:21

Mat 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:


Mat 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:


Mat 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Gore (and Clinton) sure have shown us a lot about (and how to get away with) corruption in the 8 years that they were in office. But I don't really want to get into any of that. I'm just so glad those days are over.

Notice how the additional verses show how ridiculously and inaccurately Gore used Matthew verse 6:21 while trying to make his own point. This is a typical mistake made by those who do not actually read and study the Bible. They attempt to apply their own interpretation (esogesis) to what is written rather than discovering the true meaning(s) being conveyed by the writer(exegesis).

I'll be back for more commentary a bit later. Feel free to share any comments. And, for my leftists readers, try to keep calm and keep it civil. Wouldn't want anyone to burst a blood vessel!

Meanwhile, I wanted to share a review (by someone who hasn't read the book yet...heh heh!) of the over 460 reader reviews about Ann's book from the Amazon.com link.

Fred Jones (Bubba) writes:

This lady has driven some of you mad. If you are a liberal by choice... no need to read it, or at least beyond the part that puts your blood pressure over the edge... that's part of what makes a liberal a liberal... gotta love'em... God does, and most of them truly know it... just before they expire. If you are in the middle... you laugh at the sarcasm... and wish you understood what all the controversy is about... and some may wonder if God is going to really forgive you for all the things you did wrong... as you pick up and dust off the old Book to look up some of the references and find... it is still just too hard to interpret. If the conservative gets a hold of this stuff... watch out... as if banging people over the head with their Bible and Rush Limbaugh wasn't enough... this stuff will cut like a razor and drive like a sledge hammer. Liberals... I love you because I see through the eyes of the One who paid for you and me... and that's what He said to do. Middle of the roads... I love you for the same reason and because you almost always end up following the One who called you in the end. Far Right... I love you for the same first and right reasons and because even though you bruise most of the fruit or try to pick it before it is ripe as you 'fight for the right' at least you are in the field and working at it... and when your hair turns grey... usually wisdom takes over if you persevere. Since so few actually enter at the Narrow Gate... it would bring great joy if this stuff at least mindfully helps some detour off the broad road of the herd, and find there true pilgrimage through this short temporary existence and find themselves connecting to the One who filled there body with a unique one of a kind being. Look deep into your own eyes in the mirror today... look beyond the physical shell you see... and ask God... show me the way... now. Ask Jesus if He is real... to show you a confirmation of the truth. If you mean it... He will touch you with His Holy Spirit... guaranteed. And to the reviewer of reviews... you have way too much time on your hands bubba.

*******
Add-on: Found this commentary about Matthew 6:19-21 fascinating!

From Jamieson, Fausett & Brown:

Mat 6:19-34 . CONCLUDING ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE KINGDOM--HEAVENLY-MINDEDNESS AND FILIAL CONFIDENCE.

19. Lay not up for ourselves treasures upon earth--hoard not.
where moth--a "clothes-moth." Eastern treasures, consisting partly in costly dresses stored up ( Job 27:16 ), were liable to be consumed by moths ( Job 13:28 Isa 50:9 51:8 ). In Jam 5:2 there is an evident reference to our Lord's words here.

and rust--any "eating into" or "consuming"; here, probably, "wear and tear."
doth corrupt--cause to disappear. By this reference to moth and rust our Lord would teach how perishable are such earthly treasures.
and where thieves break through and steal--Treasures these, how precarious!

20. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven--The language in Luke ( Luk 12:33 ) is very bold--"Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not," &c.

where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal--Treasures these, imperishable and unassailable! (Compare Col 3:2 ).

21. For where your treasure is--that which ye value most.
there will your heart be also--"Thy treasure--thy heart" is probably the true reading here: "your," in Luk 12:34 , from which it seems to have come in here. Obvious though this maxim be, by what multitudes who profess to bow to the teaching of Christ is it practically disregarded! "What a man loves," says LUTHER, quoted by THOLUCK, "that is his God. For he carries it in his heart, he goes about with it night and day, he sleeps and wakes with it; be it what it may--wealth or pelf*, pleasure or renown." But because "laying up" is not in itself sinful, nay, in some cases enjoined ( 2Cr 12:14 ), and honest industry and sagacious enterprise are usually rewarded with prosperity, many flatter themselves that all is right between them and God, while their closest attention, anxiety, zeal, and time are exhausted upon these earthly pursuits. To put this right, our Lord adds what follows, in which there is profound practical wisdom.

Adding on the following verses, we see further the difference between man's wisdom and God's wisdom:


Mat 6:22

The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.

Mat 6:23

But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great [is] that darkness!

Commentary continued:

22. The light--the lamp.

of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single--simple, clear. As applied to the outward eye, this means general soundness; particularly, not looking two ways. Here, as also in classical Greek, it is used figuratively to denote the simplicity of the mind's eye, singleness of purpose, looking right at its object, as opposed to having two ends in view. (See Pro 4:25-27 ).

thy whole body shall be full of light--illuminated. As with the bodily vision, the man who looks with a good, sound eye, walks in light, seeing every object clear; so a simple and persistent purpose to serve and please God in everything will make the whole character consistent and bright.

23. But if thine eye be evil--distempered, or, as we should say, If we have got a bad eye.

thy whole body shall be full of darkness--darkened. As a vitiated** eye, or an eye that looks not straight and full at its object, sees nothing as it is, so a mind and heart divided between heaven and earth is all dark.

If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!--As the conscience is the regulative faculty, and a man's inward purpose, scope, aim in life, determines his character--if these be not simple and heavenward, but distorted and double, what must all the other faculties and principles of our nature be which take their direction and character from these, and what must the whole man and the whole life be but a mass of darkness? In Luke ( Luk 11:36 ) the converse of this statement very strikingly expresses what pure, beautiful, broad perceptions the clarity of the inward eye imparts: "If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light."

*******

*pelf: Wealth or riches, especially when dishonestly acquired.

**vitiated:
To reduce the value or impair the quality of.
To corrupt morally; debase.
To make ineffective; invalidate. See Synonyms at corrupt.