Category: bibliology / study of the Bible itself

Satan and Dispensationalism #10

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

“Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant” (1 Corinthians 12:1 KJV).

Today’s Scripture is one of the six key areas that Satan has found to be advantageous regarding confusing God’s people in this Dispensation of Grace, the Church the Body of Christ!

Satan wants ignorant Christians. After all, he can only rule over people who are unaware of what really matters. As one dear brother often says, “Ignorant brethren are the world’s largest denomination!” To add insult to injury, the exact six instances where Paul says not to be ignorant of some doctrine, they are the very doctrines of which Christendom is totally ignorant today! Awful! Shameful! Awful!

The fourth exhortation not to be ignorant is in today’s Scripture. It is part of Paul’s answers to the Corinthians’ list of questions (cf. 1 Corinthians 7:1; 1 Corinthians 8:1). Chapters 12-14 are his instructions concerning spiritual gifts operating during the Acts transitional period. The Corinthians were so carnal (fleshly, worldly) (1 Corinthians 3:1-3), using their spiritual gifts without charity (chapter 13) and glorifying their flesh with “flashiness” in the assembly. “Look at my gift—I speak gibberish, I heal the sick, I blah…blah…blah…!” (Sound familiar?) Paul had to sternly rebuke them. They were not led by God’s Spirit. Furthermore, they were so unhealthily fixated on those spiritual gifts, their Christian lives would finish falling apart in the coming years when those gifts would finish falling away.

There is still a satanic agenda today to deceive Christians concerning spiritual gifts. So many Christians believe God is currently operating the gifts of tongues, healing, prophesy, knowledge, et cetera. Friends, let us ever be mindful of it. Spiritual gifts were for a sign to unbelieving Israel (1 Corinthians 1:22; 1 Corinthians 14:21,22) and only temporarily (1 Corinthians 13:8-13). Christendom proudly refuses to acknowledge those sign gifts fell away when the written Word of God was completed. Like the Corinthians, they are still stuck on selfishness and immaturity—using spiritual gifts to gratify the flesh and glorying in limited Bible understanding. Like Israel in Hebrews 5:11-14, when they should be able to teach God’s Word to others, they themselves must first be taught it. Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon, are largely ignored… thus, Christendom is largely ignorant!

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Does God give us faith?”

Thy Eternal Word of Truth

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

“Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever” (Psalm 119:160 KJV).

The Bible critics can whine and complain, “Never!,” but today’s Scripture says God’s Word will last forever.

Recently, National Geographic published the book, “100 Events That Changed the World.” Listed in chronological order, they started with “man discovers the use of fire” and ended with “the Nobel Peace Prize awarded for youth advocacy.” (Should not number 1 have been how the world and man came to be?!) The list included: the birth of agriculture, construction of the pyramids of Egypt, establishment of the United Nations, founding of Islam, invention of the telephone, Elvis declared king of rock-and-roll, the two World Wars, the Code of Hammurabi, Moses and the Torah, Watson and Crick’s discovery of the DNA helix, Mao Zedong and communism, United States President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, and the Space Race.

Traveling up through history, number 19 on the list was Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry and the foundation of Christianity, the Protestant Reformation was number 38, and number 46 was “the Bible gets a new translation.” There, it was a little article about one King James of England and a book called the Authorized Version. Yes, my friends, believe it! While some “Bible-believing Christians” (?) would object, unsaved people rightly concluded our King James Bible was so important in world history that it belonged on that list. The NIV, the NKJV, the ESV, the NASB, the Voice, the NLT—all popular “bibles” today—did not make one appearance in that book! They do not have God’s blessing. They will never, ever have it. They will never, ever impact the world as much as God’s preserved Word and words in English.

Friends, God’s Word is truth, and it will surely endure forever. We as English-speaking people have it in the form of our King James Bible. In this world of itching ears, we do not consult modern Bible scholarship for spiritual insight. We look to the Book that God Himself has used for over 400 years to impact the entire world. Holding that blessed old Book up high, we uphold the very words of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself! 🙂

Closed Minds, Closed Hearts, Closed Book

Sunday, September 13, 2015

“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14 KJV).

“Why do more people not see dispensational Bible study?” Today’s Scripture explains.

A few years ago, a Christian friend invited me to her house to give a Bible study for her friend stuck in a “Christian” cult. Others attended as well. It turned out to be almost three hours of teaching! (Search YouTube for three videos titled, “Intro to Pauline Dispensationalism.”) The woman was without excuse after hearing that clear Gospel of Grace and clear outline of the Bible dispensationally considered.

Sometime later, she told my friend, “I felt so sorry for you all. You are all so deceived.” (Strangely, she never told me that, never corrected anything I said, and never “blessed” the group with any of her “spiritual insight.” In fact, strangest of all, throughout the study, she smiled, cheerfully listening to the verses, and even declared, “I know JEHOVAH God is working here!” Despite her “compliments,” we have not seen her since!)

More recently, I had an online discussion with a Bible critic, atheist, and evolutionist. Several others soon joined in. Once I contrasted their “idle speculation and ever-changing hypotheses” with “the Bible’s clear testimony,” one individual grew ballistic: “The Bible’s plain and clear testimony?!” Even with a saint of the Most High God expounding the Bible for him, he still could not understand it. Why? The Spirit of God was there (with me), but the man did not “receive” the things of the Spirit of God. He was not willing to see. He was no different from the cult member mentioned earlier.

Lost people lack God’s indwelling Holy Spirit. They have no capacity to understand God’s Word. It is foolishness to them. What about genuine Holy-Spirit-indwelt Christians trapped in denominations? They too are guided by the flesh (church tradition perpetuated by lost people), hindering the Holy Spirit from working in them (1 Thessalonians 5:19). However, as Jesus Himself said, whenever they are willing to hear and see, “[they] shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself” (John 7:17).

For Students This is Safe

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

“Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way” (Psalm 119:128 KJV).

As a new school year dawns, let us awake unto spiritual truth!

The autumnal equinox is a few weeks away here in the Northern Hemisphere, and summer is finally beginning to wind down for most of us. Students—with long faces and deep sighs—have returned or are beginning to return to school. (Thankfully, I am finished with school. Exactly a month ago I finished nine years of college, obtaining a master’s degree in geology!) As students return to the classroom, they need to be particularly mindful of the following.

Firstly, learning in and of itself is not a sin. Moses was “learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians” (Acts 7:22). Luke was a medical doctor (Colossians 4:14). Daniel and his companions were skilled in science (Daniel 1:4). Adam was the first taxonomist (Genesis 2:19,20). The God of the Bible is never against learning new things—remember, He gave us His Holy Bible so we can have plenty to learn for all of eternity!

Secondly, what the God of the Bible opposes is when we believe/trust ideas that do not seek our best interests, that contradict the way He designed our lives to function. Certainly, we Christians should never go around believing anything and everything heard and seen. Just because the professor, preacher, pope, or president says it is true, that does not make it so. Scientific consensus has been wrong before, religion has been wrong before, politicians have been wrong before. Much of the ideas that permeate our world today are wrong.

Lastly, there are many wonderful, exciting ideas and concepts out there—medical advancements, technological breakthroughs, and so on—but there are equally detrimental ideas that will mess up your life—religious traditions, secular humanism, and other philosophies. Daily intake of the King James Bible rightly divided will cleanse our souls of the filth and foolishness that we hear and see day in and day out in this evil world system. We highly exalt God’s Word, we know it is right “concerning all things,” and we hate and ignore the error.

Have a wonderful school year in our Lord Jesus Christ! 🙂

Moses the Learned

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

“In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father’s house three months: And when he was cast out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son. And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds” (Acts 7:20-22 KJV).

Was Moses some “backwards hick?” Oh, certainly not!

Bible critics have a great hatred for anything and everything in the Scriptures. That includes doubters within the ranks of Christendom’s “scholarship!” One of their many attacks on the Old Testament is to deny Moses as writer of Genesis through Deuteronomy. They claim Moses was nothing more than an unlearned, illiterate buffoon who herded sheep, so he could not have penned one sentence, let alone five books! On the contrary, the New Testament (today’s Scripture) reminds us of what the Old Testament already said about Moses.

Moses’ birth and childhood are briefly described in Exodus 2:1-10. Moses was born of Hebrew parents enslaved in Egypt. His mother hid him three months, before placing him in a basket in the river. When Pharaoh’s daughter came to the river to wash herself, she noticed the basket and sent a maid to fetch it. She opened the basket to see three-month-old Moses inside! Moses’ older sister Miriam watched nearby, and asked if she could return the child to his mother for nursing. Pharaoh’s daughter agreed.

When Moses was weaned, perhaps as old as four or five years old, he was returned to Pharaoh’s daughter. For the first few years of his life, his mother Jochebed had instructed him in Jewish culture and the Hebrew language. Pharaoh’s daughter later adopted him, and he grew up as an Egyptian prince. As a member of the royal family, Moses was trained in history, literature, grammar, music, geography, philosophy, and particularly Egyptian hieroglyphics (word pictures). See today’s Scripture.

JEHOVAH God used Moses’ education to enable him to write down His words, Genesis through Deuteronomy, on papyrus, a rough paper used in Egypt. Using God’s wisdom, Moses was able to lead his people Israel into fulfilling God’s plan for them. And as they say, “the rest is history!” 🙂

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Was John the Baptist really Elijah?”

What the Bible Writers Knew

Friday, September 4, 2015

“Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever: That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD” (Isaiah 30:8,9 KJV).

Did the Bible writers know that their writings were divinely-inspired and perpetual? Yes!

A superficially clever—but actually ridiculous—defense used to try to deny the Bible’s constant authority, is to claim that none of the Bible writers knew we would read (or intended us to read) their books thousands of years later. (Oddly, the same people who use that argument still quote “2,000-plus-year-old” verses to support their denominational biases and they also cite the many-centuries-old writings of the “church fathers” who “also” did not intend for us to use their works centuries later!)

The Lord Jesus in His earthly ministry never said, “Hey, men of Israel, Moses never expected you to read his writings these 15 centuries later! They were only applicable back then so you can just throw away that old Torah!” (Imagine such rubbish anyway!)

Stop and think about today’s Scripture. The LORD is telling Isaiah to write down some words that will last forever and ever. In fact, we are reading those very words right now… some 2,700 years later! Isaiah knew exactly how long his divinely-inspired book would last because God Himself told him. People would read it for a literal eternity. In fact, we have 66 books of the eternal Bible today… amazingly, the same number of chapters in Isaiah’s eternal book!

David wrote, “The spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue” (2 Samuel 23:2). Paul recognized he wrote “the commandments of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 14:37). And we know the word of the Lord lasts forever, Isaiah 40:6-8 says (cf. 1 Peter 1:23-25). As Isaiah realized, “And in that day [the Millennial Kingdom beyond our present-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” (29:18). 🙂

The King Immortal and His Words Eternal

Monday, August 31, 2015

“The words of the LORD are pure words; as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever” (Psalm 12:6,7 KJV).

Dear friends, we know the King immortal by reading His eternal words. Yea, He is the greatest Person ever known, and He speaks the greatest words ever heard!

From Satan’s finagling Eve to question and deny God’s Word (Genesis 3:1-5) all the way up to our present-day with nearly 200 modern English versions (disparities) all allegedly “Holy Bibles,” there is a very subtle and wicked plan to prevent mankind from knowing God’s eternal words. Despite all the “illuminating” manuscript discoveries and new “helpful” translations, we are not getting closer to the truth. Though the average “scholar” will disagree, the fact is that we are getting further from the original manuscripts. During the past few centuries, there has been an increase—not a decrease—in Bible ignorance.

Take today’s Scripture, for example. Did you know modern English versions attack it by watering it down? As it sits in our King James Bible, David describes how God will “keep them” and “preserve them.” The “them” of verse 7 is the noun of verse 6—“the words of the LORD.” This is one of the clearest passages on the doctrine of Bible preservation. Demonstrating their utter incompetence and downright unbelief, the translators of nearly all modern English versions replace “them” with “us” twice. So, the “revised” reading says God will guard believing Israel from her oppressors and He will preserve believing Israel from her enemies. Why this textual change? Because their underlying manuscripts are not those of our King James! They are using a different Hebrew (and Greek) Old Testament text (and a different Greek New Testament).

Beloved, faith leads us to believe the Bible’s testimony of itself. God’s Word is “pure” and “preserved.” We can present our King James Bible for examination and it is vindicated. We can scrutinize the modern versions. They thoroughly condemn themselves. If we claim to believe the Bible is perfect, but we cannot produce a perfect copy, then that, friends, is as worthless as believing nothing to start with. Think on it! 🙂

Cracknels

Thursday, July 30, 2015

“And take with thee ten loaves, and cracknels, and a cruse of honey, and go to him: he shall tell thee what shall become of the child” (1 Kings 14:3 KJV).

Just what in the world are “cracknels?”

As you know, our King James Bible is belittled for its “archaic language.” Modern Bible translators and publishers, greatly endeavoring to recommend and $ell their product, remind us that our “old” King James is “irrelevant,” “obsolete,” and “hard-to-understand.” If we really want to learn what God has to say, they claim we need an “updated” Bible. If we want a “richer” Word of God, we must appeal to them with their “advanced” scholarship and “new” manuscript readings. The rank and file Bible reader (consumer) repeats these “scholarly words of wisdom,” and discourages other Christians from using the “old-fashioned” King James Bible. Yes, Christians launch an attack against the Bible!!!

The English language is a very rich pool of words, but, unfortunately, our vocabulary has become very limited in recent decades. There are countless words today that we English speakers no longer use. Elegant speech and majestic writing is largely “archaic.” People want to “dumb down” the Bible, having it speak the “language of the street.” Such mentality popularizes and $ells “contemporary Bible paraphrases.”

What does “cracknels” mean? We do not need a Hebrew dictionary or Bible commentary, which would probably contain the anti-KJV comment, “‘Cracknels’ is a poor translation!” Firstly, we can use some context clues. “Cracknels” is used in conjunction with “ten loaves [of bread]” and “a cruse of honey.” Perhaps “cracknels” are a grain-related food item? Secondly, we can find a decent English dictionary—for example, The Oxford English Dictionary or Webster’s 1828 English Dictionary—and… horror of horrors!!!!… learn a new word. “Cracknel” is “a light, crisp, savory biscuit.” It can also be “small pieces of crackling.” Incidentally, here in southern Louisiana, we Cajuns are known for “cracklins,” or fried pork skins.

When teaching the King James Bible, one does not need to remove the “archaic” words (that generates doubt concerning the Bible text). He should leave the archaic words in the text and then define the word for his students. Fellow Bible teachers, that is how we expand our vocabulary and generate faith in the Bible!

Our 175th Bible Q&A: “Is Acts 16:31 a sufficient Gospel message?”

Malachi and Dispensationalism

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

“Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts” (Malachi 3:1 KJV).

What can the Prophet Malachi teach us about dispensational Bible study?

A half-dozen Old Testament passages combine the two comings of Jesus Christ: from these prophets’ perspective, it appeared to be one coming. From our perception, however, we can look back and see two comings were planned. Why were two comings not originally apparent? (There were two secret comings hidden between!)

Today’s Scripture describes Messiah coming twice: the first time Israel denied and crucified Him, but the second time Israel will delight in and crave Him. These two comings are according to prophecy, “that which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:21). What the Old Testament prophets did not know was that there would be two additional comings of Jesus Christ to divide the two prophesied comings—one coming to start our Dispensation of Grace (save Saul of Tarsus and start the Body of Christ) and one to end it (save the Body of Christ from enduring the seven-year Tribulation). These are the two comings according to mystery, that “which was kept secret since the world began” but was manifested through Paul’s epistles (Romans 16:25,26).

In today’s Scripture (cf. Mark 1:1-3), John the Baptist announces Christ’s earthly ministry (First Coming). Then, Israel accepts Jesus Christ to establish the New Covenant and the Millennial Kingdom on Earth (Second Coming). Is there any hint of our 2,000-year-long Dispensation of Grace? No, Malachi knew nothing of our Dispensation of Grace and the Body of Christ. The mystery was not only “hid in God” (Ephesians 3:9), but it was also completely hidden from the prophets of old. God kept a secret from Satan, and it was how He would use Calvary’s crosswork to form the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:6-8). The Dispensation of Grace (and its two comings) that involved the Body of Christ was also withheld from the Old Testament prophets, including Malachi. What a marvelous Book the Bible is!

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Why could Moses not enter the Promised Land?”

Ancient False Witnesses and Modern-Day Doubters

Monday, July 20, 2015

“Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses,…” (Matthew 26:59,60 KJV).

As two false witnesses challenged the living Word of God, so two false manuscript witnesses attack the written Word of God!

The following question was asked on “Christian” television: “I’m afraid to believe what the Bible says because of all the changes that people have made to it over the years. Is it really God’s Word? The Bible says, ‘Blessed are those who believe and don’t see,’ but what if that’s not even true? … How can I strengthen my faith to believe in God’s Word?” [How to strengthen your faith in God’s Word? Doubt the “Bible scholars” and believe your King James Bible!]

Unlike most church leaders, the preacher answering the question admitted that there are differences in Bible translations because there are varying readings in Bible manuscripts. Yet, like most church leaders, he encouraged the questioner to use various Bible study tools, to track those translation changes, and then “make her own judgment.” Imagine! He said she could decide what words and verses were inspired of God and which were not. Reminiscent of cults, she could be her own authority. If she did not believe a certain part of the Bible was “really Scripture,” she had the preacher’s permission to omit it!

When lost people—those who lack the indwelling Holy Spirit—dictate to us Christians how to handle Bible manuscripts, and to embrace two error-filled Roman Catholic manuscripts (Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus) as having closer readings to the original autographs, we adopt a lost person’s mindset about the Bible. This poor lady doubted her Bible because people who doubted the Bible taught her. Her questioning the Bible as God’s Word demonstrates that Satan has extensively damaged her soul. The on-air preacher who provided little helpful insight into the matter, many like him lead our churches, Bible colleges, and seminaries the world over. No wonder no one believes the Bible! They are encouraged not to! Beware, dear friends, of “unbelieving Bible scholarship!”