What the Bible says about light and seed

The True Light "In him, (the Lord Jesus) was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world,…the world didn’t recognize him." John 1:4,9.

The Good Seed and the Weeds “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seeds in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. Matthew 13:24,25.
Showing posts with label ENGLISH Commentaries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ENGLISH Commentaries. Show all posts

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Very Cautiously Optimistic

Reposted from servehiminthewaiting.com


I’ve not been doing much writing for the past few months.  My voice is not what people needed.  I have probably posted more, but I have spend a lot less time doing it.  When I pray consistently and fervently about something, often God will eventually give me a release in my Spirit when that lets me know that my petition has been duly registered, and an answer has been dispatched.  Notice I did not say, He lets me know the answer, just that an answer is determined and will be forthcoming in His time.  I am not boasting when I say that I have spent a very significant amount of time petitioning the Lord on behalf of America for the past eight years.

I have Christian acquaintances and friends who, that I know of, do not feel that burden to pray for this nation, and instead they still cling to a belief in some invincibility they persist in attributing to this nation  Those same people will never know the magnitude of the “bullet” we just dodged.

My hope is that Donald Trump will do all he can to fulfill the promises he has made.  A businessman who is as successful as he is, doesn’t get there by failing to follow through.  He obviously has been “teachable” in listening to his advisers, and reigning in his loose cannon tendencies.  These are all good signs.

But make no mistake.  It was prayer, and God’s grace and mercy, which He prefers to extend whenever we exhibit the willingness to appeal to Him, that painted the map red last night.

I stayed up until they called it for Trump. After three a.m.  I wasn’t about to go to bed, only to wake up and see some craziness during the wee hours had snatched away the victory, and I certainly wanted to say thank you to the Lord for His mercy. I posted a video late last night before the announcement of Trumps win, that asserted the videos by Steve Piecznik were all just Psy-0ps, an attempt to mislead the vigilant and encourage them to let down their guard.  Don’t worry, it was a coup, but we’ve handled it now, so put your guns away.

Frankly, I have no idea whether it was true nor what the truth is behind so much of the filthy revelations via Wikileaks regarding Hillary.  I can tell you one thing, though.  I listened to Tim Kaine in his speech before Hillary’s concession speech.  And he is clearly as delusional as ever, as are those who sat in the audience and cried because Hillary did not win. Kaine praised Hillary’s devotion to “families and children”!  And Hillary kept right on lying when it was her turn to speak talking about how important it is that people be able to practice their religion.  All except for Christians, of course!.  Kaine used an example out of the New Testament about the vineyard owner who hired people at the last minute and paid them the same as the workers who had worked the full day. He compared Hillary to that Vineyard owner.  Who, by the way, is a “type” or metaphor for God Himself, in the way that He is generous and more than fair with us.  The irony is utterly lost on Kaine, Hillary, and all of those in the audience shouting their love to her and vowing to “keep fighting”..

Make no mistake.  This is merely a reprieve.  There is still a lot of praying to be done.  People who go to Washington end up part of the establishment eventually.  I do not expect there to be a lot of reversal of what Obama has done.  It is not the death of globalism as Ann Coulter claims.  We know this, because we look at these developments through the lens of Bible Prophecy.  The pendulum swings, and the arc may seem to go slowly, but only because it is so wide.  The wide swings may ultimately delay the inevitable just a little while, but the extremes, as we have seen these past four years, are getting lethal.  The sheer number of bizarre things that took place in these past eight years are unequivocally indicators of our having gone somewhere we as a world, we have never been previously.

But I am grateful for what feels like a moment to catch my breath, aren’t you?  I cannot imagine what the candidates feel that moment the results are verified.  Despite what any of us thinks of Hillary or Trump, the demands of the appearance schedule, the pressures and the attacks, even if things that are true, wrong, and criminally wrong, this  being exposed  all of that has to add up to exhaustion! I believe both sides were supernaturally sustained.  God allowed it.  Whether friends and associates of Hillary, or she herself were performing Spirit Cooking Rituals, incantations, calling up hoards of demons, participating in pedophilia,  God  allowed the curtain to be lifted and this glimpse into the “sausage-making procedure” of 21st Century politics in the battle of the Elites vs the rest of us, and I think it proves that Americans are not nearly as impervious nor as apathetic about the creep of immorality and debauchery and lawlessness, as television, Hollywood, Washington, and the devil himself, would like us to believe we are. Knowing or even wondering if Hillary was into pedophelia, and things demonic, apparently was deemed creepy enough by enough people, to sway them to go vote for Trump.  It’s a good sign that there is a discernable pulse of conscience left but lets not get carried away.  We all posses a dangerous (deadly) sin nature. Anyone who thinks to themselves, “I would never do anything as sick as that!”, better be careful.  If you believe that, you are exactly the person who has not yet grasped the concept of total depravity.  In us, that is in this flesh, dwells NO Good Thing!

Now, calling a spade a spade, as per the example of our illustrious new POTUS-elect, White America has been vilified.  Especially non college-educated whites, and especially white males.  I really hope that some of the rats will crawl back into their holes and just stay there for a while.  We have established a new standard, and even the rats seem to be behaving a little better today.   I don’t think many blacks are the haters some whites have made them out to be, and neither are whites the haters some blacks have made them out to be.  I think there is a hesitancy though, a guardedness, until we can figure out which way the wind blows when we meet someone who is different from ourselves. This black/white divide,  was a paradigm purposely resuscitated by the Obama administration and globalists.
Isn’t it also interesting how Glenn Beck was so prominent in the tea party days, and then after the Tea Party was co-opted, he became such a moderate and then a total anti-Trumper?

I believe God turned some lights back on in America last night.  A lot of people didn’t even know how badly they have been stumbling around in the dark.
God is the one who sets people up. As to Beck, God used a Mormon, not because he was a Mormon, but I feel that Glenn Beck really did a service to this nation in reminding us of our history, and filling in the huge gaps for those who never were taught history in the more recent generations.

God sets up rulers, and He takes them down. We did get the leader the nation, on the whole, wanted in Obama these last nearly eight years.  We are still on the same trajectory to prophetic fulfillment in relation to Israel and other nations of the Middle East.  Israel is still God’s time clock.  And Obama still has many weeks in which to lay the final groundwork for the next developments over there.  America will not instantaneously recover the influence and power she once had.  What we have possibly done, though, is slowed down the deconstruction of America, preserved a chance of retaining some religious liberty, reaffirmed the Constitution, and firmly established that there are enough people who are not on board with enough of the current administrations policies that they were simply not going to sit home and stay silent.

The map was red, ya’ll!  Not purple, not blue, Red with little patches of blue.  Even now, I don’t believe the report that Hillary won the popular vote.  But to quote herself, what difference, at this point, does it make?

I am pleased that there were no riots, no cities on fire.  I know that there were people who have dual citizenship, who viewed this election important enough to register and absentee-vote.  There probably were a significant number who voted illegally, voted multiple times, and there were probably areas where machines were rigged.  But none of that is an obstacle to God.

I also figured that even among Virginia’s criminals with their newly-restored voting privileges, and America’s Hispanics and Latinos whom the left assumed were  “in the bag” for Hillary, there were plenty of people who saw this as their best chance to “stick it to the man” or assert their autonomy by voting Donald Trump.

You know how God has judged man through the ages by the degree of the dispensation of revelation about Himself of their age?  He gave Adam and Eve perfection, and one singular temptation.  They sinned.  He gave the law, we broke it.  Right now, we are under grace, but we have surely progressed beyond Sodom and Gomorrah, and the time of Noah, yet because it is the age of grace, His cup of wrath has not yet run over.  Even during the reign of Christ, scripture tells us Christ will rule with a rod of iron, where the slightest move into or toward sin, will be nipped in the bud instantaneously without hesitation.

I sort of get the feeling this is what God is doing in America.  Proving us to ourselves for the faithless people we are.  9/11 seemed like a wake up call, but it wasn’t.  And few people will ever know the bullet we may just have dodged here in America.  So, we slowed the hemorrhage, but it is far from over.

Watchmen cannot afford to let down the guard now.  This is for you guys, and was sent by fellow blogger Jean-Louis who has frequently contributed here.
A personal perspective on blog writing and discouragement in the process
Written by Jean-Louis, circa August 2010

This is what I am supposed to do even though the reward will come later at the time of God´s own choosing.

Things, people change, circumstances and landscape will certainly change as the seasons of the year , but the gifts that God gave us remain.
It needs to be practiced, improved and even refined through difficult discipline and constant reach for excellence even though I can´t see the face, hear the voice of my readers and count on positive feedback through comments and critiques except from a few faithful and grateful friends who support me through prayer and kind words.

Another more comforting thought came to mind. That my Lord Jesus, the master teacher could be pleased with my writing. After all, most of it is a commentary of a sort, not a critique, but a way of understanding explaining, elaborating first to myself with the Holy Spirit as guide and instructor the thoughts of God that come as the form of insights with the meditating upon His Word and then sharing with my readers.

This is my part in obeying God and thinking about the most pure, true, holy, excellent of good repute things that Paul talked about in Philippians.
Think of it: God allowing me to write commentaries, notes about His Word that I cherish as my most important treasure in my life and in this world and not being displeased.
It is like a little child that wants to know and understand the secrets of life and comes to His Father to ask questions. Then, as part of the conversation, He listens to what the Father has to say and as a way of letting his Father he understand, he tells him in his own words what he heard His Father say. How patient and gracious our Father is! How full of mercy and understanding He is with us!

It is like us saying Amen! A feedback of agreement and acquiescence amplified that we acknowledge and receive the revelation of who He is in and through His eternal Word, like finding that the puzzle is taking shape all along life´s learning as the Holy Spirit reveals His wisdom, His will and His ways to us.
It gives a sense of security, of being understood and heard without the preconceived notions, the prejudices that are so prevalent in human beings without all the limitations and rules imposed by well-intentioned people to judge and control others.

When we understand that our Lord Jesus is our very best friend, even if we feel abandoned or neglected by the ones we love and at times feel the weight of loneliness, His presence in us is a reminder of His comforting words to His disciples: I will never leave you alone. Peace and joy are ours, we are complete in Him, we lack nothing, we are rich even though we own nothing that we are not going to lose or leave behind one day. Our life is hidden in Him in the heavenlies.

Then, we are not anxious about whether people love us, appreciate us or approve of us. What matters is what our Father thinks of us, whether we obey Him, whether we seek to please Him and do what He commands , whether we preach His word, serve our fellow-man, wait for His return while busy at doing His work as He commanded and being grateful and praising Him, rejoicing in the knowledge that He  “will make known to us the path of life; and that In His presence is fullness of joy; In His right hand there are pleasures forever”,  Psalm 16:11(NASB).
.May God be blessed and glorified in America again!

Friday, May 10, 2013

This week on 'The Hal Lindsey Report' - Hal Lindsey -

Reblogged from www.hallindsey.com
Bill Ayers is the "unrepentant terrorist" in whose living room Barack Obama began his political career. During his notorious Weather Underground days, Ayers lost his girlfriend when a nail-packed anti-personnel bomb she was building exploded and demolished a New York City townhouse. He is now married to a woman with whom he once shared an FBI wanted poster.
Though Ayers has said that he doesn't regret building and planting terrorist bombs during his anti-Vietnam War days -- in fact, he laments that they "didn't do enough" -- he realized that his armed rebellion wasn't succeeding. So Bill Ayers discovered a more effective form of subversive, anti-establishment rebellion: education.
In 2006, Bill Ayers, who is now considered an "Education Theorist," told the World Education Forum, "Education is the motor-force of revolution." And make no mistake, Bill Ayers is no dummy. He knows what he's talking about.
As an "education theorist," Ayers teaches teachers how to teach. He specializes in elementary schools. His goal is to have as much impact as he can on the thinking of as many small children as possible. He does that by influencing their teachers. To that end, he travels and speaks around the country. He writes popular books on the subject. He's honored by universities.
On last week's Report I made a rather clear statement of why I think America is in such trouble today. I said, "At every level of education, the textbooks, the videos, and the day-to-day teaching techniques were all devised in the God-hating ivory towers of American academia." Just one of those "devisers" in God-hating American academia is Bill Ayers. There are thousands more like him.
And these people, who seem to despise everything that America stands for and provides for them, are strategically placed to alter the thinking of America by altering the thinking of her children. And they've now been doing just that for generations!
Folks, it grieves me to say that too many Americans have allowed the schools to replace their influence in the lives of their children and grandchildren. I think it may be too late to reclaim these generations. But you can still have a tremendous impact on your children and grandchildren if you begin today to take an interest in their lives. Help them with their schoolwork; cultivate their knowledge of spiritual things; teach them about our heritage as Americans and Christians; make certain they know who Jesus is and gently lead them to accept Him into their lives. It may be too late for the masses, but it's not too late for the tiny members of your family.
Start today.
Last week, a blogger on CNN's Belief Blog made a clumsy attempt to equate me with Muslim imams who stir up their followers to violent jihad. In so doing, he bought into the prevalent technique practiced by the global media and American politicians. It's called "False Equivalence."
That means claiming that two things are the same when they are actually very different. A "false equivalence" is nothing more than a cunningly crafted lie.
Here's the "false equivalence" that seems most common today. Pundits, politicians, and airhead celebrities keep saying -- or implying -- that fundamentalist Christianity is just like fundamentalist Islam. I suppose they reason -- though I think most are incapable of actually 'reasoning' -- that since both are called religions and both have adherents who practice the 'fundamentals' of their faith, then they must be 'equal.'
Can you see the false equivalence? Radical imams stir up their followers to do things like the Boston Marathon bombing. So the pundits and politicians try to imply that Christian ministers do the same kind of thing, that is, stir up their followers to wreak havoc. Of course, they can't find one, but that's not important to them.
Trying to imply that the two are equal is a lie. But it's a lie with a purpose. And the purpose is not necessarily to turn the masses toward Islam, but to turn them away from Christianity.
On this week's program, I'm going to show you some basic reasons why equating Christianity with Islam is, at best, ignorant or, at worst, a demonic lie. Simply put, to equate the intolerant, violent, domination-oriented teaching of Islam with the love and forgiveness offered by Jesus Christ is not only wildly inaccurate, it is deviously misleading.
I believe that "false equivalence" is an evil ploy devised in Satan's war room. And it's now beginning to yield wildly successful results for the forces of darkness. Just witness the latest assault on Christians and religious freedom in, of all places, the military.
Radical atheist Mikey Weinstein has the ear of the Obama administration and the Pentagon. Somehow, he has intimidated the Defense Department into threatening to court martial any Christian in our armed services who dares to share his or her faith in Christ. Though public outrage has forced the Pentagon to walk that threat back a few steps, it still hangs like the sword of Sophocles over Christians in the military.
And what "false equivalence" did Mikey Weinstein use to convince the Pentagon that Christians are dangerous? He publicly insists that a Christian sharing his or her faith with another person is "a version of being spiritually raped."
Romans 1:28 says, "Just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind." What else but depravity of mind could account for such a jarring inability to reason? And what's even more frightening is that the leaders of history's most powerful military force are apparently dumb or devious enough to buy into the fallacy!
Folks, it's alarming that just 18 months after the military -- at President Obama's insistence -- rescinded its "Don't ask, don't tell" policy governing open homosexuality, the new policy for open Christianity in that same military now seems to be "Don't tell, or else!"
Welcome to the America of the last days.
Don't miss this week's Report on TBN, Daystar, CPM Network, The Word Network, various local stations, www.hallindsey.com or www.hischannel.com

Monday, April 29, 2013

The Coming Blood Moons



Reblogged from gracethrufaith.com/selah
This Week’s Feature Article by Jack Kelley

I first wrote about the so-called blood moons five years ago. (For reasons I’ll explain below, total lunar eclipses are called blood moons.) At the time a video series on the subject was being heavily marketed as revealing the date of the second coming. By now most people no longer believe that, but the series is still popular and since we’re getting closer to the time of their arrival I’ve been getting questions about the blood moons again. So here’s an update.


As many of us already know there are some remarkable celestial events coming in 2014 and 2015. There are two sets of lunar and solar eclipses that will take place on or near Jewish Feast dates. There will be lunar eclipses on April 15 and October 8 in 2014 and on April 4 and September 28 in 2015. What makes them remarkable is that in both these years the spring eclipses will come on Passover and the fall ones will come on the Feast of Tabernacles.

When four consecutive lunar eclipses are all total eclipses the series is called a tetrad. While there will be 6 other tetrads during the 21st Century those in 2014 and 2015 are the only ones that will all come on Feast dates. We should note that of the 2014-15 lunar eclipses only the last one (Sept. 28, 2015) will be visible from Israel, and then only partially.

But there’s more. In 2015 there will also be two solar eclipses, and again one will come in the spring and the other in the fall. The spring solar eclipse will take place on the first day of Israel’s religious year (Nisan 1) fourteen days before Passover, and the one in the fall will come on the first day of the civil year (Tishri 1) six months later, which is Rosh Hashanah, or the Feast of Trumpets.

Does This Happen Often?

Counting the ones in 2014-15 there will have only been 13 tetrads in the last 500 years and of those only 2 have previously come at the time of Jewish feasts. One was in 1949-50 and the other one was in 1967-68. A tetrad being a series of four, that means we’re talking about eight total lunar eclipses. Of those eight only the one in April 1950 was fully visible from Israel, four others were partially visible and the rest were not visible at all. (Since these are being touted as signs to Israel, you might wonder why they weren’t all visible there.)

The tetrad in 1949-50 began a year after Israel’s re-birth as a nation on May 14, 1948. The one in 1967-68 began in April, about six weeks before the 6 day war that ended in the reunification of Jerusalem. The proximity of these occurrences to watershed dates in Israel’s modern history leads some to believe that the tetrads coming in 2014-15 will be similarly important to Israel.

Personally I’m not as impressed with this as some others are. Biblical history tells us God’s signs are clear and specific. The Bethlehem star is a case in point. If you’ve ever tried to follow a star without the benefit of modern equipment, you know the fact that the Magi were able to follow it to Jerusalem from hundreds of miles away is impressive in itself, but then it led them from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, a distance of only 5 miles. According to Matthew 2:9-11 the star led them right to the house where the Lord’s family was staying. Could it be God?

Contrast that with the tetrads in 1949-50. They weren’t specific to the event they were supposed to be heralding. God’s chosen people officially became a nation again after a 1900 year absence on May 14,1948 but the first eclipse in the tetrad didn’t appear until a year later. Signs from Heaven are supposed to tell us that things are about to happen, not that things already have happened. Proponents of this theory had to search through the records to find an event related to Israel’s history that would coincide with the date of the eclipse. They chose the conversion of Israel’s provisional government to a permanent one. Did God wait until then to provide a sign because He was uncertain as to whether Israel would make it? And did anyone on Earth recognize these events as signs from heaven at the time? You could forgive Israel for not noticing. For the most part the eclipses were not even visible there.

To prophecy students, the rebirth of Israel was a long awaited sign that the end times had begun, and everyone of them noticed it. This is the sign God was sending us at that time, not a series of eclipses that arrived a year after the fact, and were only visible to some.
At least the first half of the 1967-68 tetrad bracketed the six day war that led to the reunification of Jerusalem, but again no one noticed it for 40 years. That’s probably because neither of the 1967 eclipses was visible at all in Israel, and of the 1968 eclipses only the one in April was visible and then only partly so. Three out of the four could not be seen at all by the people for whom the sign was supposedly intended.

Some say the tetrads of 1949-50 and 1967-68 happened during two important wars in Israel, the war for independence and the six day war. They use this as support for predicting another important war for Israel in 2014-15. This at least sounds plausible, even though the war of independence ended a month before the first of the 1949 eclipses occurred, and none of Israel’s other important wars happened during a series of eclipses. But there are three wars prophesied for Israel that have yet to happen, any of which could theoretically take place between the spring of 2014 and the fall of 2015. Of course I’m referring to those prophesied in Isaiah 17, Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38-39.

Is That Biblical?

But let’s look at what, if anything, the Bible says about this. The underlying support for the eclipse hypothesis is Genesis 1:14 where the King James translation reads,
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years;
To make the passage read more easily in English, the translators inserted the word “and” in several places in this verse. According to the interlinear Bible, a more literal reading of verse 14 would go like this.
Let there be lights in the expanse of the heaven to separate the day from the night. Let them be for signs; seasons, days, and years.

Inserting the additional articles makes the King James version look like the lights are for signs as well as to mark the seasons, days and years. But I think the interlinear is closer to the original intent of Genesis 1:14. The NIV translation agrees. It reads,
Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years.

All this to say it’s not clear that Genesis 1:14 says one of the functions of the lights in the sky is to serve as signs of important events. This has to be read into the passage. Most likely it simply says that observing the Sun and Moon enable man to keep track of time.
Second, the phrase “moon turned to blood” comes from Joel 2:31 which says this will happen before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. Peter quoted this verse in Acts 2:20. In Rev. 6:12 we find another appearance of the “blood moon” phrase. These three are the only such verses in the Bible and they all agree that a “blood moon” will appear sometime before the beginning of the Great Tribulation. But all three of these references also mention the Sun going dark at the same time.

Most of us know that the Moon doesn’t produce any light of its own. Light from the Moon originates on the Sun and is reflected to Earth. You can’t have a lunar eclipse if the Sun is not producing any light, as is the case in Joel 2:31, Acts 2:20, and Rev. 6:12.
Some explain this as being a case of a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse happening at the same time. But that’s impossible, too. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon. As the light from the Sun bends around the Earth and passes through it’s atmosphere on the way to the Moon it takes on a reddish hue. During a total eclipse this will make the Moon appear to be dark orange in color, causing it to be called a blood moon.

But a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth. As the eclipse progresses the Moon will look like a black ball crossing the Sun. In a total solar eclipse all the Sun’s light will be blocked and both the Sun and the Moon will appear to have turned black.

Matt. 24:29, which speaks of the end of the Great Tribulation, says the Sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. This event is also mentioned in Mark 13:24-25. (In Luke 21:25 it’s referred to as signs in the sun, moon and stars.) It’s what a total eclipse of the Sun looks like, although in this case I believe something much more permanent will be happening. I don’t think the Sun will ever come back, but will be replaced by the New Jerusalem.
The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it (Rev. 21:23-24).

Also, from any given location a lunar eclipse can only happen at night and a solar eclipse can only happen during the day. For these reasons you can’t have a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse at the same time.

How Many Blood Moons Are There?

The Bible only mentions one blood moon, not a series. Nor does it mention a blood moon in connection with any event in world history except the one that will come in advance of the Great Tribulation. All this means the celestial event spoken of in Joel 2:31 and repeated in Acts 2:20 and Rev. 6:12 is unlikely to be an eclipse of either the Sun or the Moon.  Clearly the appearance of a blood moon before the beginning of the Great Tribulation is intended to be a unique and unmistakable sign.

What’s Your Point?

In conclusion we can say that the mention of the sun and moon as signs in Genesis 1:14 probably refers only to keeping track of time. We can also say that the past tetrads do not meet the test of a Biblical sign as exemplified by the star of Bethlehem or the blood moon of Rev. 6:12. Further, tetrads are never mentioned in the Bible at all and therefore can’t be Biblically linked to any significant event in Israel’s history or future. And finally, the blood moon that will signal the coming Great Tribulation is a single sighting, not a tetrad, and most likely isn’t due to an eclipse at all because the Sun will be dark and it’s impossible for solar and lunar eclipses to happen simultaneously.

Therefore, although there’s a high probability that something of prophetic significance will happen in or to Israel between the spring of 2014 and the fall of 2015, I don’t think the tetrads that will occur during that period can be viewed as a sign from God that this will be the case.

Amos 3:7 says, Surely the sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets. It’s still true that if you want to know everything the Lord has revealed about coming events, the best place to look is in the Bible.  Natural occurrences can never substitute for the word of the prophets. Selah 04-27-13

Monday, April 22, 2013

Israel, The Church, And The Hebrew Roots Movement


This Week’s Feature Article by Jack Kelley
Reblogged from  gracethrufaith.com/selah

I have always been a strong advocate of the idea that there is much to be learned about our Christian faith by studying the Old Testament, and especially the  commandments and traditions surrounding the Feasts of Israel.  Having served for a time as the leader of a Messianic congregation where we observed these feasts in their prescribed manner, I saw how dramatically they reveal the Messiah.  In my opinion, Christians who don’t understand or appreciate the Hebrew origins of our faith lack the perspective this knowledge brings us.

Sadly, many in what’s now being called the Hebrew Roots movement seem to be going to extremes with this. It’s like they’re trying to become the polar opposite of Replacement Theology. (Most of you know that Replacement Theology claims the church has replaced Israel in God’s plan due to Israel’s rejection of the Messiah). Where Replacement Theology claims the only place for Israel is as part of the Church, some in the Hebrew Roots movement assert that the only place for the Church is as part of Israel.

While Hebrew Roots appears to teach that because of the Lord’s death, obedience to the Law is a privilege and not a requirement, a number of its teachers seem to be going well beyond that. They claim that in fact Torah observance is a requirement for all believers. Some have also abandoned the Greek based New Testament in favor of translations from Aramaic texts, due to alleged errors in the Greek based texts. They say those who call the Lord by His English name (Jesus) are actually worshiping a pagan god, which according to them makes traditional Christianity a pagan religion. They want us to believe that the only acceptable name for the Son of God is Yeshua (His name in Hebrew), and the only acceptable way to worship Him is by obeying the Torah and observing the Feasts of Israel.

(One of the favorite tactics used by people on both ends of the spectrum who can’t find support for their beliefs in the Bible is to say it wasn’t translated correctly. And yet the best scholars of each generation have poured over the ancient manuscripts to give us the most accurate translations possible. There are about 5600 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament in existence, and cross checking has shown their consistency to be over 99%.  In other words all these ancient Greek manuscripts essentially say the same thing. For additional support there are 19,000 early manuscripts in other languages. This exceeds the manuscript base for any other ancient book by a very wide margin.

Most reasonable people would agree that for all practical purposes our New Testament is an accurate rendering of these early manuscripts.  Therefore the only conclusions we can draw are that either 1) all these scholars have somehow committed identical mistakes in their translation efforts, or 2) they’ve all participated in a massive conspiracy to mislead us that has spanned 2,000 years, or 3) the people who say the Bible is translated incorrectly because it doesn’t support their position are wrong.)
But even more importantly, neither Replacement Theology nor Hebrew Roots seems to recognize that Israel and the Church are uniquely different and that both have roles in the fulfillment of end times prophecies that are mutually exclusive.

Give Us Some Examples

In the Old Testament, God promised Israel that He would return one day to dwell among them in their land on Earth forever (Ezekiel 43:1-7).  In the New Testament, Jesus promised the Church that He would come back and take us off the Earth to be with Him in His Father’s House (John 14:1-3).  Both these promises will come true, so Israel and the Church will fulfill their prophetic destinies in different locations.

The purpose of the rapture of the Church is to remove us from the time and place of the end times judgments that will take place on Earth (1 Thes. 1:10, 1 Thes. 5:9, Rev. 3:10).

The purpose of the end times judgments is to completely destroy all the nations to which Israel has been scattered (Jeremiah 30:4-11) and to purify Israel in preparation for the coming Kingdom (Zechariah 13:8-9).

The Millennium For Israel

The primary purpose of this Kingdom (known to the church as the Millennial Kingdom) is to give Israel its long promised Kingdom Age, although the entire millennial world will benefit from it. After the Lord returns, Earth will be restored to the condition it was in when Adam was created (Matt. 19:28, Acts 3:21). This will include restoring peace between man and the animals, bringing back Earth’s original garden-like environment with its world wide sub-tropical climate, eliminating foul weather, killer storms, earthquakes and extremes of heat and cold.

Israel will be the preeminent nation on Earth during the Kingdom Age, and surviving tribulation believers and their descendants from all nations will come to Jerusalem to learn the ways of the Lord. He will settle their disputes, making war between nations a thing of the past.

The promised land will blossom as never before. The desert and wastelands will be transformed into a garden paradise so lush and beautiful that people will know its been transformed by the Lord himself. Everlasting joy will crown their heads while sorrow and sighing will flee away.

The wealth of neighboring nations will pour into Israel. Camels will be brought from Midian. Gold and incense from Sheba will adorn the Lord’s Temple in Israel. Flocks from Kedar and Nebaoith will be received as offerings on His altar there. (Midian and Sheba were descendants of Abraham and Keturah, the wife he took after Sarah died. Kedar and Nebaioth were sons of Ishmael. Their descendants are all part of the Middle Eastern Islamic nations of today.) The ships of Tarshish (Great Britain) will bring gold and silver from afar. Any nation that refuses to serve Israel will be utterly ruined by divine decree.

Although death will still occur among natural humans, the span of man’s life will begin increasing again to approach those of the Genesis patriarchs. Sickness and disease, those by-products of sin, will be greatly reduced. It appears the population of Earth will be sustained by their return to an agrarian economy, but with all the obstacles Adam faced gone as the curse of Genesis 3 will finally be lifted. The land will become so rich and productive that one season’s crop will barely be harvested before it’s time to plant the next one. Every man will easily produce enough for his family’s use, and enjoy doing it. None will labor unproductively, or for the benefit of others. Children will grow up without fear and adults will grow old in peace (A summary of Isaiah 2:1-5, 4:2-6, 35, 41:18-20, 60:10-22, 65:17-25, Amos 9:13-15, Micah 4:1-8, Zech 8:4-5).

The Millennium For The Church

Meanwhile, life will be far different in the home of the Redeemed Church.  Although the Kings of the Earth will bring us their splendor, no unbeliever can ever set foot in the place, nor even a believer in his natural state. Our mansions in the sky will be built of the purest gold as will the streets that run before them, their foundations made from precious stones. There will be no Temple in the New Jerusalem because the Lamb of God will dwell there and is our Temple. The energy source that will light and warm us is the Glory of God, and our radiance will in turn provide light for the nations of Earth. (Rev.21:9-27)

Other than calling us Kings and Priests, the Bible doesn’t mention any kind of work for us. Our glorified bodies will have been released from their dimensional bonds, allowing us to appear and disappear at will, traveling back and forth through time at the speed of thought as we plumb the limitless delights of God’s Universe (1 John 3:2). No detail will be overlooked where our comfort and happiness are concerned. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain (Rev. 21:4), only the endless joys of exploration and discovery. As it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” (1 Cor. 2:9)

Our eternal home is not on Earth, but it’s not at the Throne of God either. Coming down out of the heavens but never landing on Earth, our home could be called a low orbit satellite in today’s terminology. 1400 miles high, wide and deep, it wouldn’t fit in Israel, let alone Jerusalem. If we did touch down on Earth we’d need a space equivalent to the area from Maine to Florida to the Midwest in the US, or all of Western Europe from Sweden to Italy. The New Jerusalem will be over 4000 times as tall as the world’s tallest building. Being nearly 2/3rds the size of the Moon, it simply won’t fit anywhere on Earth.

One God, Two Destinies

So the destiny of Israel has its place outside of the Church and the destiny of the Church has its place outside of Israel. The two are not the same and were never intended to be seen as such. The only thing these two groups will have in common is their belief that Jesus (Yeshua) died for their sins and rose again on the third day (1 Cor. 15:1-4).

But just as gentiles who converted to Judaism in Old Testament times became part of Israel, Jews who convert to Christianity in New Testament times become part of the Church. No matter what our background happens to be, conversion to Christianity makes us a new creation, neither Jew nor Gentile, part of an entirely new race of mankind.

Paul explained it this way. His (God’s) purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace,  and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility (Ephes. 2:15-16)

Calling it a mystery previously unknown on Earth. He said, This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus (Ephes. 3:6).

In the beginning there was one classification of mankind. But in calling Abraham, God created a new classification. From then on there were two, Gentiles and Jews, and they are forever different. It remained that way until the cross, when as Paul explained, a third classification was brought into existence. Taking some from among the Gentiles and some from among the Jews, but making them different from either, God created a new classification called the Church. No matter what their former status was, from Pentecost until the Rapture everyone who comes to faith in the Lord becomes part of the Church and will inherit the Church’s destiny.

Those who choose to express their gratitude for the free gift of salvation through living by the Torah are free to do so. In the same way, those who choose to express their gratitude by striving toward the victorious Christian life described in the New Testament are free to do so. But anyone who teaches that either form of expression is required to achieve or maintain their salvation has run afoul of clear Biblical instruction to the contrary.

Paul was a great Jewish theologian who, because of the revelations he received, had a better perspective on this than anyone before or since. He admonished us to go beyond “mere” salvation to battle for victory over the flesh (1 Cor. 9:24-27). But in some of the clearest statements in the New Testament he said,
No one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin (Romans 3:20).

Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day (Colossians 2:16).

I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? (Galatians 3:2-3).

There’s Nothing New Under The Sun

This disagreement over the proper response to God’s gift of salvation is not new. In the earliest days of the Church there were those among the Jewish believers who insisted that the only path to salvation for Gentiles was to first put themselves under the laws and practices of Judaism. The council of Jerusalem put that idea to naught and authorized Gentiles to be received directly into Christianity. Still the “Judaizers” followed Paul from city to city trying to undo what he had done. Later, Gentiles who called themselves Christian forced whole communities of Jews to convert to Christianity upon pain of death. Both of these efforts were thought by their proponents to be pleasing to God, but in the end we can see that neither was.

That’s because when God looks into our future it’s not Jews and Gentiles He sees.  It’s Israel and the Church.  Each has its unique origin and each has its unique destiny. Whether it’s called Replacement Theology or Hebrew Roots, or anything in between, the idea of making either one a part of the other is man made and cannot be supported in Scripture. Selah 04-20-13

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

The scarlet thread: present in the Old Testament, absent in "The Bible"

Reblogged from Elizabeth Prata´s: the-end-time.blogspot.com 

This article is on Dr. Adrian Rogers' website "Love Worth Finding." There is a button to share it on blogger so I am taking advantage of that to present this essay to you. Dr. Rogers is in heaven now with the Lord, but his work remains and continues to bear fruit for the kingdom.

If you read the essay then at the end I make a remark about something in today's culture.

The Scarlet Thread through the Bible
Dr. Adrian Rogers

Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by…and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him. Joshua 2:18-19


Rahab, the woman spoken to in this passage, was a harlot in the city of Jericho. As the Israelites came to possess the land, her city was destined for destruction — and she along with it. But she was delivered, and her life transformed, simply by tying a scarlet cord in her window.

This cord represented the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, and it pointed toward the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. In fact, all of the Bible is about Jesus Christ and His blood redemption, and you will find this scarlet thread throughout the Word of God.

The Prophecy of the Blood

From the very beginning of human history, it is revealed. When Adam and Eve sinned, God shed innocent blood in order to make them clothes from animal skins (Genesis 3:21). This is a picture of the covering of righteousness that we receive when the Lord Jesus Christ died for us.

In Genesis four we read that Adam and Eve had two sons, Cain and Abel. They instinctively wanted to worship God. Cain sacrificed the fruit of the ground. Abel had already learned that God demanded blood, so he brought a lamb. God accepted the blood of Abel's lamb, but He did not accept Cain's offering. Why? Because "without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin" (Hebrews 9:22).

And God told Abraham to sacrifice his long-awaited son Isaac (Genesis 22). Just before Abraham plunged the dagger into the quivering heart of his son, an angel stopped him. Abraham saw a ram caught in a thicket. Isaac was set free, but an innocent animal's blood was shed instead.

Then, God wanted to deliver His people from bondage in the land of Egypt. On the night of the Passover, God instructed each house to slay a lamb and put the blood on their door. God said in Exodus 12:13, "When I see the blood, I will pass over you."

And in the tabernacle and later in the temple, thousands upon thousands of sheep, oxen, and turtle doves were killed and their blood spilt as sacrifices for sin.

And finally, the Lord Jesus Christ died upon the cross. His death was the fulfillment of all the prophecy and promises. Revelation 13:8 proclaims that He was slain before the foundation of the world. He came to die; He planned to die; He lived to die; and He was born to die.

Blood is throughout Scripture, but what does Christ's blood mean to us?

The Power of the Blood

His blood redeems us. There was a price against us that we could not pay, but the blood of Jesus redeemed us. 1 Peter 1:18-19 says, "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things.... But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."

His blood brings us into fellowship with God. According to Ephesians 2:13, "But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ." Without the blood of Christ, man is a long way from God.

His blood makes peace with God. Man, by nature, is at war with God; and we can only come to God on His peace terms — the blood atonement. The Bible says in Colossians 1:20, "And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself...."

His blood cleanses. Not only does it remove the punishment of sin, it removes the pollution. I don't care what sin you've committed; "the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin (1 John 1:7).

His blood gives power over the devil. It's the blood that Satan fears. Revelation 12:11 says, "And they overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb...." The devil doesn't want you to learn about the blood. He hates it!

Before this planet was ever swung into space, God had determined in His heart that He would send His Son to die upon the cross. How wonderful it is to trace the scarlet thread of the blood of Christ woven throughout the Bible! How much more wonderful to experience its redemption personally. Praise God for the blood of His Lamb!


~~~~~~~~~end Dr. Rogers~~~~~~~~~


I want you to understand how important the Old Testament is. The scarlet thread runs throughout it. There are pictures and shadows and copies of the Messiah to come. See these verses

Hebrews 8:5
They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.”

Hebrews 9:24
For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.

Hebrews 10:1
Christ's Sacrifice Once for All - For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near.

HE is the scarlet thread and woe be upon anyone who removes Him from the Old Testament as well as the New.

Yet the producers who created the History Channel's series "The Bible" have removed this scarlet thread. We heard nothing of the promise of a redeemer as Noah recited the early Genesis verses. Passover was not explained. The sacrifice of Isaac was not explained and they made a monumentally blasphemous substitution of the lamb for the ram. The sin of Sodom was removed.

As the series unfolds, the doctrines which the series presents are crafty and subtle, just as we would suspect satan to be (Genesis 3:1-2). It subtly overemphasizes man’s acts, underemphasizes God’s sovereignty, and worst, underemphasizes man’s sin. Noah is responsible for reconciling man to God after the flood. Saul is responsible for uniting the two kingdoms. Sins are ‘mistakes’, and judgment comes because of ‘bad decisions.’

As the series moves forward, the reason for the coming of Jesus is repeatedly stated that men will “change the world.” Paul is going to change the world. Peter will change the world.

However, Jesus came to save the world and the second coming will be to punish the world. Nothing about Jesus’s intentions are to ‘change the world’ yet that thread is the one which the series creators have replaced the scarlet cord with. And who will change the world? Men.

It is very well to be aware of the doctrinal problems in The Bible miniseries, but it is hard to use the bible to see what isn't there. It is always harder to detect what is missing than what is present.

The Jesus we know and love and honor is missing, and that is because His scarlet thread is plucked out of the perfect tapestry of the interwoven Word. And you know what happens when a thread unravels from the piece: it comes apart.


Thursday, February 28, 2013

Future primitive: America parallels South Africa

Exclusive: Erik Rush sees chilling prescience in Ilana Mercer's 'Into the Cannibal's Pot'




One of the most distressing things I encounter on a regular basis from Americans is the belief that it can’t happen here and that scenarios representing incomprehensibly radical, dystopian transformations of our society are not only preposterous, but the product of delusional minds. More often than not, when I speak of such things I am referencing the fundamental transformation of America President Obama and his Marxist co-conspirators are foisting upon us.

To those for whom such things as the Holocaust and the Killing Fields are too far removed or farfetched, I would point to the tragic example of South Africa, the dynamics of which are covered in masterful detail by author and WND columnist Ilana Mercer in her book “Into the Cannibal’s Pot: Lessons for America From Post-Apartheid South Africa.” She was born in South Africa; her family left there in the 1960s, but she returned in the 1980s.

While Ilana and her family were staunch and active opponents of the policy of apartheid in South Africa, she has vigorously addressed the rapid societal decline and atrocities that have transpired therein since the end of minority white governance in 1994.

“When South Africa was governed by a racist white minority, it was scorned by the West. … Now that a racist, black-majority government controls the country … it is the toast of the West.”
– “Into the Cannibal’s Pot,” from the Introduction

As related in the book, since the inception of black rule under the African National Congress, South Africa has become one of the most violent countries in the world and has been compared to nations such as Iraq and Colombia in that respect. “Cannibal’s Pot” describes a South Africa that is a cross between the theatrical films “District 9″ and “Dredd” in terms of its surreal level of dysfunction and violence, respectively. Large cities such as Johannesburg occasionally resemble war zones, and whites who cannot afford to reside in gated communities with armed security are essentially “fair game” for angry, unemployed black thugs.

This transformation of South Africa came about almost entirely due to international pressure rather than national referenda – but why was it done? Not so much because apartheid was an odious policy, but because it offended the sensibilities of Western liberal elites that whites held dominion in countries such as South Africa and the former Rhodesia, which were “meant for blacks” (I suppose because they happened to lie on the African continent).

This rationale would, of course, provide ample justification for Scandinavian or European nations wishing to pitch anyone darker than myself into the sea, but I digress.

It was common knowledge even to the marginally informed in the mid-1970s that South Africa’s African National Congress was a Marxist outfit. Similarly, it was well-known then that Robert Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) since 1980, deftly running that nation into the ground economically as well as environmentally, was also a Marxist.

So why would the entire consortium of Western political influence support Marxists at a time when they were ostensibly still fighting the Cold War? Because these nescient parties are no different than liberals who operate on the national level in Europe or America. Those who do not embrace socialism or communism outright are either pathologically narcissistic or intellectually compromised. In the case of the former, they believe that by virtue of their power alone, they are somehow ordained to unilaterally arbitrate justice and determine the course of nations.

They determined that white rule in South Africa, the scourge of Africa and the malignant vestige of white colonialism, must come to an end – and it did. Unfortunately, many of these hold a similar view of the United States; it is clear that this is the case regarding President Barack Obama and his partners in America’s orchestrated decline.

“The farmers of South Africa are being killed off at genocidal rates. …”
– “Into the Cannibal’s Pot,” Chapter 2

Most Americans have no idea whatsoever how dangerous South Africa has become for middle-class whites since the inception of black rule, particularly for farmers, who reside in more remote areas. The reason for this ignorance is of course due to the political bent of the establishment press in the U.S.; they are of the same sentiment as the elites who have shaped international politics in recent decades. The atrocities inflicted upon whites are only proper restitution for the atrocities inflicted upon blacks over the previous hundred years.

Speaking of atrocities: One of the things I found particularly ghastly was the book’s description of the brutality inflicted upon the victims of marauding black thugs in rural areas. Depictions of primal, savage mutilations, dismembering and rape prior to execution of white farmers and their families more befitted Travis the chimp (who attacked a Connecticut woman in 2009, ripping off her hands and face before being shot by police) than human aggressors.

Ilana Mercer infuses “Cannibal’s Pot” with her wealth of knowledge and insight into the dynamic of South Africa’s plight, as well as nearly countless sobering statistics and anecdotes. As she asserts, condemnation of the new racist South Africa is not advocacy for the racist old. However, her warning to America is much more than implied: What occurred in South Africa was brought about by the same machine that is bringing about dangerous transformations in America.

More than its significance as an important historical work, “Cannibal’s Pot” illustrates how South Africa was sold out by the same breed of liberal elites who sold out Europe and Rhodesia, and who are currently selling out America. Within its pages, one can see these chilling parallels in action.
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2013/02/future-primitive-america-parallels-south-africa/#BKUovbm1WezMeJ0r.99

(UPDATED) Pope declares he "is not coming down from the cross", said in 1969 that the Pope takes the place of the Lord

Reblogged from Elizabeth Prata: the-end-time.blogspot.com
In his farewell speech today, Sky News reported that outgoing Pope Benedict said,
"Pope Benedict told the 50,000-strong crowd he was not "coming down from the Cross", but would remain in the service of the Church through prayer."

It is not a misprint.

The Papacy is an office whereupon the occupier of it sees himself as a substitute for Christ. That is what the name of the papal office "Vicar of Christ" means, substitute.

Lest one believe that it is a mis-translation, or that the Pope did not really mean it, let's look at some of the Catholic Position Papers.

In the Catholic position paper titled the "Nature of the Papal Primacy" we read that
"In his chief ministry the Pope is obliged by the objective rules of faithfulness which derive from the revealed word of God, from the fundamental constitution of the Church and by Tradition.'[40] He has the necessary divine assistance to carry out his office. But this does not relieve him of a very grave responsibility before Christ whom God has appointed to judge everyone, alive or dead (Acts 10:42). It demands of the holder of the office of bishop of the Catholic Church humility, prudence and holiness and of the faithful continual prayer to God for the head of the Church on earth."
"However, and this is important, on earth there is no external tribunal, neither in the Church nor in civil society to which one can appeal against his decisions. The Pope must look for advice, take the steps which prudence demands in the delicate function of governing the Church, listen to the opinion of his brother bishops, etc., but 'the judgement of the apostolic See, whose authority is unsurpassed, is not subject to review by anyone, nor is anyone allowed to pass judgement on his decisions."

"We reach here, perhaps, the nerve center of all teaching about the primacy. ... 'The relation of the primacy to Christ is not only historical-causal, but also actual-causal, for in the activity of the Pope Christ himself is audible and visible. Of the Pope it can truly be said: he acts in the person of Christ.'[42] With theological wisdom St. Catherine of Siena called the Pope the 'gentle Christ on earth' but at the same time, conscious of the moral responsibility of the Pope, she urged him to exercise with fortitude his 'service of unity' in the Church, that is to say, to be faithful to his most important mission."

"The Pope,' writes Cardinal Ratzinger, 'is not just someone who speaks in the name of the bishops, a kind of mouthpiece they give themselves and which is there to do their bidding. The Pope is where he is, with a direct responsibility before God, to take the place of the Lord,"
You note the last paragraph, there is a quote by a young Cardinal Ratzinger, who we now know as Pope Benedict XVI, confirming what he said today in 2013 as he did in 1969 and as Catholic dogma states- the pope is in the place of Christ on earth. They really believe the pope is Christ audible and visible.
Over a billion Catholics are in spiritual bondage to this heinous religious system. There are many things they lack spiritually but I can think of three to address that we can point them to. First, we can point to Christ and the bible to help them overcome what it is they lack: knowledge of grace, assurance in their salvation, and trust in Jesus to fulfill all He has said.

~~~~~~GRACE~~~~~~

The simple truth at the center of a born again believer's faith is surrounded by Grace- that Jesus descended from heaven, lived as fully man and fully God for 33 years, died on the cross as the lamb sacrifice for our sins (taking upon His shoulders the wrath of God), was buried and three days later rose again. This is the Gospel.

Any person who believes these facts, and confesses them, is saved. (Romans 10:9, Ephesians 2:8). It is a free gift of Christ due to His work on the cross.

The RCC has overlaid so much on top of these simple facts, and corrupted the Gospel so thoroughly, it is hard to untangle unless a person does one thing- looks at Christ. He is the giver of grace and it is grace through faith that you are saved. A struggling Catholic can be led to these verses and sermon on these verses.  More on Grace, defined and explained, here. Bible verses on Grace, here, and still others, here.

Romans 5:15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
One way to help a Catholic is to point them to grace. They need to be drenched in the facts of grace to cut through the demonic noise in their spirit. Share with them essays and sermons that speak of the Grace of God.


 ~~~~~~ASSURANCE~~~~~~

A Catholic has no assurance of their salvation. First, they are taught they need to work to maintain it. Salvation in the Catholic system is something you earn “by those very works which have been done in God, fully satisfied the divine law according to the state of this life and to have truly merited eternal life.” (source)
It must be spiritually disquieting, to say the least, to know that they must rely on our own selves to attain or to maintain salvation- and to never know where you stand for sure. Committing a "mortal sin" constitutes a rupture in a person's link to God and they become unsaved. It is the worst thing to happen, but there is a chance they can go to Purgatory after death for a period of time to have the mortal sin cleansed out of them. Purgatory is another made-up doctrine that provides a safety net as a last chance effort. Either way, a Catholic is never completely assured of entering heaven. "The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines purgatory as a "purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven," which is experienced by those "who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified". The grace of God and the work of Jesus on the cross was not enough you see. The gap is supposed to be filled by the Catholic.
We not only have assurance, Jesus IS the assurance. Hebrews 11 is a record of that very thing, the assurance we have that is in us and that IS Christ.

Faith, hope, grace... Gills Exposition says- "And were persuaded of them, and embraced them; they had a full assurance of faith, that what was promised would be fulfilled; and they took a kind of possession of them before hand, as Abraham did of the land of Canaan, by sojourning in it; as did also Isaac and Jacob; and all of them by faith embraced the Messiah, and dealt with, and laid hold upon his blood, righteousness, sacrifice, and grace, by which they were saved, as New Testament saints are."
Here is a video on the Divine guarantee of eternal salvation
Send them to verses which speak of assurance. Here is a page listing them.
~~~~~~TRUST~~~~~~

If you put faith in a man, no matter how many assurances he gives you, man will let you down. Popes die. Popes resign. Priests sin. Bishops fall. Trusting in a religious system will become a stumbling block. The born again believer's faith is a relationship with the One who is perfect, loving, and steadfast in His promises. He cannot fail. However, since a Catholic is taught that the atonement of Jesus was not enough, it makes it hard to fully trust a savior who did not complete the work and left it to fallible man. It is one reason that Catholic dogma states that popes are infallible. But as we can see, they are.As a matter of fact, the Catholics install Mary as co-redemptrix, needing two saviors to get the job done. No, wait, three; Mary, Christ, and pope. No wait, four, Christ, Mary, Pope, and Catholic person working toward eternal reward.

And since unregenerated man populates the halls of the Vatican and on down through Cardinals, Bishops, and priests, they sin because they are under bondage to satan. We have seen, oh, how they sin. Scratch the veneer of holiness and the corruption will come out.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness." (Matthew 23:27).

How earth-shaking it must be for a Catholic to put trust in a system that depends on man, and then those very men are seen to be homosexuals, pedophiles, money-launderers, and much more. If they cannot trust an altar boy with a priest, how will they trust their everlasting soul to the Pope?

Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me." (John 14:1 NIV)

Solomon wrote words to the wise, saying "That your trust may be in the Lord," (Proverbs 22:19). It is wise to trust the Lord! 

Isaiah 12:2 says, "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”
Help a Catholic whose world is rocked by misplaced trust in unregenerate men to once again turn to the Lord and trust Him. Once they see that the Lord never lets them down they can begin to renew their trust in their regenerated brethren.

Pastor-Teacher John MacArthur is writing a blog series of the facts of the heresies of the Roman Catholic Church. This is so that as the Pope and the RCC is in the news, we can witness clearly and with understanding of why and how the RCC is a false church. Here are the blog entries so far, in order--

A Timely Critique of the Catholic Church
Exposing the Heresies of the Catholic Church: Grace vs. Works
The Pope and the Spirit of Antichrist
Exposing the Heresies of the Catholic Church: The Pope
Exposing the Heresies of the Catholic Church: Mary Worship
Each entry is concise and biblical. Please take a moment to review them, and see for yourself what the egregious errors are from this longest-running false church on earth are about.

You cal also read more here at Christian Research and Apologetics Ministry's main page on Roman Catholicism.

This moment in time is an opportunity. Never before has the Catholic Church been so prevalent in discussion and in the news. People are listening, wondering. Our opportunity is that as ambassadors of Christ, we can be His light and share the truth.  We share the truth in love, that the RCC is false, and we share the Good news, that there is a way out- the simple Gospel of Grace.

1 comment:

In his blog series "Exposing the heresies of the Catholic CHurch," John MacArthur write last night of the heresy of the Catholic mass. In it, he used a quote to explain the Catholic view of Christ's sin. It speaks ot what the Pope said yeserday in his farewell speech about being on the cross -

"In his book The Faith of Millions, John O’Brien, a Catholic priest, explains the procedure of the mass.

"When the priest pronounces the tremendous words of consecration, he reaches up into the heavens, brings Christ down from His throne, and places Him upon our altar to be offered up again as the Victim for the sins of man."

You can read more here on the Catholic Mass
http://www.gty.org/blog/B130228