Category: atheists

The Bible Critic and the Discerning Bible

Sunday, November 1, 2015

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12 KJV).

Dost thou dare stand in judgment of the B-I-B-L-E? Be careful, mortal man, for it is the Judge of thee!

The God of the Bible is truly gracious. For nearly 2,000 years, He has let sinful man tamper with His Holy Word, omit His holy words from it, water down His incriminating remarks, and He has still been willing to forgive them for it. The “intellectuals” persistently boast they have found “errors” in it. The “textual critics” constantly reassure us they have “fixed” the Holy Ghost’s mistakes to the best of their (fallible) ability. The Bible “scholars” incessantly produce a more “understandable,” more “scholarly” version. (Ha! Luke 10:21 is brutal, Greek or English!)

Today’s Scripture says that God’s Word is no ordinary Book. It is “quick” (Greek, zao, “living and life-giving”) and “powerful” (Greek, energos). It is also “sharper than any twoedged sword.” Bypassing (superficial) flesh and blood, it penetrates the very soul (heart) and spirit (mind) of every person who reads or hears it. As a dear friend says, “The Bible is the only Book in the world that will read you when you read it!”

We also learn in today’s Scripture that the Holy Bible is “a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” That word “discerner” is kritikos (“critical”), from the word kritos translated “judge” (see Matthew 5:25; Matthew 12:27; Luke 11:19; Luke 12:58; Luke 18:2; Luke 18:6; Acts 10:42; Acts 13:20; Acts 18:15; Acts 24:10; 2 Timothy 4:8; Hebrews 12:23; James 2:4; James 4:11; James 5:9). The Bible is the “critic” of us all. How dare we think that God’s eternal Word is subject to we who have assorted letters following our names and pieces of paper hanging on our walls!

Beware the Lord Jesus Christ’s words: “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (John 12:48).

Our latest Bible Q&A: “What about those ‘strange distractions’ when we witness to others?”

In the Beginning

Saturday, September 5, 2015

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1 KJV).

Have you ever wondered about those first three words of the Bible?

Someone recently asked me, “‘In the beginning?’ God had a beginning?!” Oh no, dear friends, the Bible’s opening words “in the beginning” do not refer to God Himself. Rather, they define a point in time when He began to labor to construct creation from nothing. Let us think about some verses.

“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God” (Psalm 90:2). Before creation, there was nothing but God—Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. There were no people or angels, no animals or plants, no rocks or minerals, no bodies of water, no oxygen and other gases, no sun, moon, stars, planets—nothing. All matter was non-existent. Our feeble, little minds cannot comprehend it but ‘tis true. “He that built all things is God” (Hebrews 3:4b).

No, the universe is not eternal, as some claim. It had a definite beginning. It was Genesis 1:1. Some people do not like that, and they do not have to like it, but whether they are for it or against it, does not change what Genesis 1:1 says… both in Hebrew and in English! No, the universe is not self-sustaining. It needed the triune Godhead to bring it into existence just as Genesis 1:1 says, and a universe left to operate without a holy Creator God would be far worse off than it is today!

If God had a beginning, He would not be God, for that which existed before Him would be God. (So, when atheists and agnostics haughtily ask us, “Where did God come from?,” we can simply reply with confidence, “It is as you say, He most definitely is God,” and let them figure out what it means!) The heaven and the earth had a beginning: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…. All things were made by him [the Lord Jesus Christ]; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:1,3). 🙂

You may enjoy our related study, “Was God ‘bored’ before creation?”

Knowing Your Purpose

Saturday, July 11, 2015

“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” (Revelation 4:11 KJV).

Yea, “For by him [the Lord Jesus Christ] were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him” (Colossians 1:16).

Usually, the origin of life is reduced to a naturalistic, rationalistic “random mutations resulting in molecules to man,” or “primordial soup to highly-evolved apes.” However, when we come to the Bible, there is absolutely no room for mindless evolutionary theory and universal unpredictability. The heavens and the earth did not suddenly appear without cause or design. Unless we have a mind game to play in order to ease our guilty conscience, we will simply believe today’s Scripture. All things were created by and for Jesus Christ.

The word “things” here in the context are positions of government. It was in God’s grand design to make offices of government to control the heavens and the earth. Angels were created to function in heaven and humans were to function on earth. That entire unit was to operate to the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Creator (Ephesians 1:9-11). However, Lucifer led an angelic rebellion to corrupt heaven with sin and he influenced Adam to corrupt earth with sin.

In the Bible, God formed (and will form) the nation Israel to restore His authority in the earth (Exodus 19:5,6). Today, however, God is forming the Church the Body of Christ, which He will use to reconcile the heavens to Himself (Ephesians 1:20-23). Our purpose today, until heaven, is to glorify Jesus Christ on earth.

Nevertheless, our sin problem must be dealt with first. We need to be redeemed from Satan’s control and his policy of evil. Dear friend, you can spend your earthly lifetime looking for meaning, value, and security in fame, fortune, drugs and alcohol, education, sex, to no avail. You have a hole in your heart, a void that only Jesus Christ can fill. Search no further than your Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ!

* NOTE: Tonight, July 11th, at 7PM Central U.S. Time, the 2015 Summer Family Bible Conference will begin in St. Charles, Illinois. This grace Bible conference will continue until Thursday, July 16th. It will be streamed live online, so you are highly encouraged to join us for two-dozen wonderful studies in the King James Bible rightly divided! For times, topics, speakers, and the video feed, visit http://understandgrace.com/conference/summer-family-bible-conference/.

Knowing God

Friday, July 10, 2015

“For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20 KJV).

Yea, “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened” (verse 21).

I was not startled to hear results from a sidewalk video-survey conducted here in the “Christian” United States. Eighteen people were asked, “Do you believe in God?” One was “atheist,” refusing to “get involved either way.” Two believed in a “higher power.” Another believed in a “higher calling, a greater force.” One was Buddhist. One response was literally unintelligible. Two people said it was “important to believe in something” so they “believed in God.” There was a “believer in spiritism, karma, and negative energy.” One believed in “positive thinking.”

One man babbled about “we are carbon-based life forms.” A lady responded, “I am not religious, I do not believe in a god, but I am spiritual.” (Fret not—not even she could explain it!) One man claimed to be a god himself. Of course, he did not demonstrate his “divine powers” for us. Two said they “believed in God” but did not elaborate. One said, “There is probably a God but no one has all the answers.” Another said, “I want to believe in God but I have a lot of questions. I would like to ask God if He exists.” (Strangely, he bragged about attending weekly church services!!!) Only one person polled—or five percent of the participants—“believed in Jesus Christ!”

In a country that has had much exposure to the Holy Bible and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we cannot imagine the answers people would give in the nations that have never heard of Jesus Christ. If the nation that has the Bible is ignorant of said Book, what of those people that do not have it? Friends, creation (today’s Scripture) and our conscience (Romans 2:13-15) prove there is a God whom we will face in judgment. May we come to know Him as Saviour now and not as Judge later!

Our latest Bible Q&A: “How can a loving God send people to hell forever?”

Four Verses to Bible Understanding

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV).

This is the first verse in Bible understanding. What are three others?

When one scans Christendom’s thousands of contradictory denominations, one is more likely to forsake the Bible because all hope in understanding it is abandoned. Faith destroyed, people grow angry with God. Some may turn to atheism, agnosticism, or some other Bible skepticism. They may embrace other world religions.

Dear friend, today’s Scripture and two of its companion passages will save you a literal lifetime of apostasy, burden, confusion, and disappointment. Yes, these verses are largely unknown—hence the widespread confusion!—but they will help you if you let them. Your Bible understanding will be totally revolutionized. Many years ago I experienced it and countless others testify that the following is the key to Bible understanding.

We are to “study” and “rightly divide” the Bible (today’s Scripture), but what does “rightly divide” mean? Rather than running to a commentary, a Greek lexicon, or a priest or preacher, we can go to God Himself. Peter preached in Acts 3:21: “[Jesus] Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” Contrast this with what Paul wrote in Romans 16:25,26: “[25] Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, [26] But now is made manifest….”

Father God kept some information secret (“mystery”) while He was revealing other information (“prophecy”). In Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon, God finally revealed the secret. Outside of Paul’s writings, that secret is still a secret. Therefore, Paul’s doctrine starkly differs from the rest of the Bible. Paul is our apostle (Romans 11:13) and Jesus Christ gave him “the Dispensation of the Grace of God” so he could give it to us (Ephesians 3:1-3). Let us study all of the Bible, but let us mainly focus on Paul’s writings to understand and do God’s will for us today!

God’s Grace Grants Great Gain

Friday, June 26, 2015

“And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” (Romans 2:3,4 KJV).

God’s goodness and grace grant us great gain!

Chapters 1 through 3 of the book of Romans are God’s controversies with mankind. It is like a court setting, where the accused (mankind) is indicted and convicted of being wretched sinners, worthy of eternal damnation, the everlasting lake of fire. After discussing the sins of the Gentiles (nations) in chapter 1, God moves on in chapter 2 to review the actions of the “goody-goody” Jews, people who say they are “not as bad as the Gentiles.” As today’s Scripture says, just as divine judgment would come on the unbelieving Gentiles, the unbelieving Jews would experience that wrath, too!

The verses after today’s Scripture say: “[5] But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; [6] Who will render to every man according to his deeds: … [8] But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, [9] Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; [11] For there is no respect of persons with God.”

There are many today who have failed to realize that God’s goodness is temporarily keeping them from dying and going to hell. They enjoy His oxygen, His food, His water, His provisions, but they spout their ignorance about how “God does not exist!” They despise His goodness, His unmerited favor. They haughtily forget that He, if He so chose, could swat them and mash them as one would do a pesky fly. Grace delays the wrath! Oh, dear friends, may we turn from such silliness, foolishness, before it is eternally too late. Let us humbly come by faith alone in Jesus Christ’s finished crosswork, the epitome of God’s grace, that we one day not see God’s angry face.

Out of Season

Sunday, May 17, 2015

“And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness” (Isaiah 29:18 KJV).

What does today’s Scripture have to do with the current spiritual affairs of “Christian” United States of America?

According to a recent poll, in 2014, about 71 percent of Americans claimed to be “Christian.” In 2007, it was 78 percent. Some 23 percent of Americans polled in 2014 claimed to be “atheist, agnostic, or of no specific faith.” Back in 2007, that percentage was 16. In other words, it seems that Christianity is losing its majority. Why do I say “seems?”

One of the greatest misconceptions is the widely held belief that every person who claims to be “Christian” is a Christian. If we were to re-poll the above persons, and ask them to define what a Christian is or believes, many would be unable to tell us. The actual percentage of Christians is far lower. There may be 224 million church members in our beloved nation, but certainly not 224 million members of the Body of Christ! From Genesis through Revelation, the God of the Bible has never had a majority. I doubt there are 224 million true Christians in the whole world!

What is happening in our nation is we are reverting to pre-Christian times. When Christianity spread through pagan lands in New Testament times, there was increasing light and truth. Now, the opposite is occurring. That light and truth are becoming scarcer—not just here, but in all places history once knew as “centers of Bible believers.” This world is heading for the seven-year Tribulation, and rightly so. Two thousand more years of unbelief have been credited to mankind.

The spiritual ignorance that so gripped Israel millennia ago is suffocating the whole world spiritually. Thankfully, today’s Scripture says that God’s Word will still be preserved beyond our present-day, to convert Israel in the future. If that Word will exist then, it must exist today. Despite all the false religions, false teachers, and false Bibles, our King James Bible is a beacon ever so bright and true. ‘Tis the preserved Word of God that shall see us through! 🙂

Behind the Scenes #2

Friday, March 13, 2015

“The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations” (Psalm 33:11 KJV).

In the form of the Holy Bible, the Creator God has given us a “behind-the-scenes” look at creation! Will we humble ourselves to take a sneak-peak?

Have you ever wondered what is God doing? Some may say, “It seems like He has been out on vacation for quite a while!” Others may say, “I cannot believe that a loving God could exist because there is much suffering and injustice!” There is a creation, so there must be a Creator. (And, because He is the Creator, He is God, and being God, He has neither creator nor origin, or He would not be God!) But, where is He? Why does He not do something about all of the world’s problems?

Psalm 33 begins: “[1] Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright. [2] Praise the LORD with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. [3] Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise. [4] For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth. [5] He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.”

The God of the Bible, known as “JEHOVAH” to Israel and “the Lord Jesus Christ” to Christians, should be praised. It is proper for us to exalt Him, to sing songs to Him, to play musical instruments and communicate His doctrine to others. Why? His Word is “right,” and “all his works are done in truth.” How the God of the Bible loves “righteousness and judgment.” He is upright and fair: everything He does is honest. “The earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.” How is that?

Verse 6 says: “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.” Creation itself testifies to the goodness of the LORD, and in the Holy Bible, we learn why there is a creation in the first place….

The Indestructible Book

Sunday, August 17, 2014

“…[T]he word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever…” (1 Peter 1:23b-25a KJV).

Praise be to our Lord Jesus Christ, that the Bible critics, no matter how hard they try, can never destroy it!

A local atheist once wrote about how she disliked the fact that Bible verses were everywhere in society—on bumper stickers, T-shirts, billboards, television programs, church signs, websites, and so on. She complained how she was so sick of being surrounded by a “Christian” culture and, oddly enough, she said that she wanted minority religions to have a more prominent voice in our area.

Just shortly after its completion, Roman emperors tried to rid the world of its manuscripts. For centuries, the Church of Rome burned copies of it, as well as burned those who believed it as their final authority in all matters of faith and practice. Yet, despite all that, the Bible is one of the world’s oldest books, and, even today, it has more surviving manuscripts to support it than does any other ancient literature (including famous works such as the writings of Plato and Shakespeare). In fact, the book of Job may be the world’s oldest book, even pre-dating Moses!

If only the Bible’s critics would have learned that today’s Scripture was no bluff, they could have saved themselves much energy and prevented many headaches. The Apostle Peter, quoting Isaiah 40:6-8, had the very words that the Prophet had written over 700 years earlier. Man is here today and gone tomorrow, just as the grass and the flower of the field. The Word of God, however, the Truth of the LORD, “endureth to all generations” (Psalm 100:5). Our Lord Jesus Christ said it so eloquently, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33). He said that 2,000 years ago, and those words still exist—and will exist long after their critics pass away. Yea, the word of the Lord endureth for ever, and ever, and ever, and ever! 🙂

Evil Seen and Punished

Saturday, July 26, 2014

“The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3 KJV).

Certainly, God sees evil, and in due time, He will punish it!

One of the lamest so-called “arguments against God’s existence” is the presence of unpunished evil (this is also an “argument against the police’s existence!”). Oddly, these Bible scoffers then ridicule the “cruel, vengeful God of the Old Testament.” It seems like that sinful man is determined to criticize God no matter what He does!

A very wise Christian once pointed out that the atheist really defeats himself or herself with their mind-games, conceding that evil unpunished will forever remain unpunished because God supposedly does not exist. To say that evil does exist is to presume that good also exists, and that just as there is one source of evil there is also one source of good. To say that God does not exist is to make our lives meaningless. What we do in our lives really will not make a difference in the long run. No, certainly the atheist would disagree with us when we continue their assumptions into the long-term; their ideas are more comfortable when applied only to the here-and-now.

Ecclesiastes 8:11-13 reminds us: “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him: But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God.”

The wicked, Bible rejecters, haters of the Lord Jesus Christ, have “days which are as a shadow.” Until God stops them from breathing His air, drinking His water, eating His food, and enjoying His world, He will continue to offer them His love, grace, mercy, and peace through Jesus Christ our Lord. Indeed, the atheist’s evil will not remain unpunished, so may he or she come to God through Jesus Christ to have that wrath satisfied before it is eternally punished.

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Does God chasten us when we sin?”