Category: King James Bible Authority

The Ravings of a Madman! #6

Wednesday, October 12, 2022

“And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself” (Mark 3:20,21 KJV).

Who here is “beside himself?” Why has this designation been applied?

Read Luke 6:6-11 in your own Bible. When religious, but lost, Israel watched Christ heal a man’s right hand that was “withered” (deformed, dry, lacking bodily fluids, shrunken), they responded negatively because it was the Sabbath Day. The rabbis taught that medical aid was not to be rendered on the Sabbath unless for life-threatening conditions. In their confused minds, Jesus should have healed that crippled hand the day prior or day after. Verse 11: “And they were filled with madness [lunacy/craziness]; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus.” Instead of connecting this Sabbath miracle with the Sabbath rest of God’s future earthly kingdom—thereby failing to appreciate this miracle that validated the Gospel of the Kingdom—they plan Christ’s murder (Matthew 12:14; Mark 3:6)!

As Jesus is nailed to Calvary’s cross after three years of earthly ministry, utterly rejected of His own people, He cries out in Luke 23:34: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” Israel is spiritually insane, murdering their innocent Messiah because they think He is a criminal. The nation has been completely given over to the spiritual darkness they have preferred (see John 12:37-50). Peter the Apostle, preaching after Christ’s resurrection, says to his fellow Jewish people, “And now, brethren, I wot [understand] that through ignorance ye did it [refused and killed the Prince of life, verses 13-15], as did also your rulers” (Acts 3:17).

If a man is accused of being “beside himself,” the imagery conjured is that he is standing in one place but his mind is standing off to his side. He is isolated from his wits (mental faculties). Unbelieving Israel “diagnosed” Jesus as such in today’s Scripture (cf. John 10:20). Dismissing Him as “mentally ill” was the only way they could account for His extraordinary words and conduct. Actually, nothing was wrong with Him. They were lunatic, dead in their trespasses and sins, totally unable to welcome Almighty God’s wisdom and work….

The Ravings of a Madman! #5

Tuesday, October 11, 2022

“And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself” (Mark 3:20,21 KJV).

Who here is “beside himself?” Why has this designation been applied?

Apostate Israel, not Jesus Christ, is really the madman. So as to appreciate the depths of their spiritual lunacy, we consult the Apostle John that he inform us in chapter 8 of his Gospel Record: “[31] Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; [32] And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. [33] They [not the believers of verse 31, but the unbelieving Pharisees of verse 13] answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?”

Their answer was strange, to say the least! Whereas Jesus spoke of freeing people, some in His audience denied they were ever enslaved to anyone. Why this is utterly absurd is simple: they are in bondage to the Roman government at that very moment, with the Roman soldiers patrolling their land (Matthew 8:5; Luke 7:6), their taxes going to Roman emperors (Luke 2:1-5; Luke 3:1), their fear of losing their clout and position to aggravated Roman officials (John 11:47,48), and their political inability to carry out the death penalty unless they appeal first to the Roman Governor of Judaea (John 18:29-32).

Of course, however, these Jewish people would never admit how God had given them to Gentile dominion because of their national sins centuries prior (Daniel chapter 2). They were slaves to Rome because they were slaves to sin—and, to their eternal detriment, they overlooked both problems. Jesus announced to them, “Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do…” (John 8:43,44). It is offensive, yes, but it is true.

Let us see unbelieving Israel’s spiritual mental illness found elsewhere in Scripture….

The Ravings of a Madman! #4

Monday, October 10, 2022

“And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself” (Mark 3:20,21 KJV).

Who here is “beside himself?” Why has this designation been applied?

Quoting Messiah seven centuries in advance, the Prophet Isaiah penned in chapter 50 of the Book that bears his name: “[4] The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned. [5] The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. [6] I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.”

When Christ Jesus conducted His earthly ministry, He did so according to what He had studied and believed in the Hebrew Bible (our Old Testament Scriptures). His Father was speaking to Him through these words, and, as a faithful and obedient Son, He listened to those words and lived according to them. He was “about [His] Father’s business” (Luke 2:49). “…I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things” (John 8:28). The words Christ said and the works He did, were to fulfill Bible prophecy (for example, compare Isaiah 61:1,2 with Luke 4:16-21). Had Israel been walking by faith in these very Scriptures, they would have recognized and accepted Jesus as their promised Messiah/Christ.

Since Jesus Christ had a “renewed mind” (thinking like Father God), but they did not (they were thinking like “father” Satan; John 8:44), they failed to value what He was doing and saying among them for those three years. They supposed that listening to Him was a complete waste of time (see John 10:20): “Why pay attention to that nutcase, that loon, that mentally-unstable person?!” Again, in actuality, it was just the opposite. They were the crazy ones, and they themselves were expressing the ravings of a madman….

The Ravings of a Madman! #3

Sunday, October 9, 2022

“And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself” (Mark 3:20,21 KJV).

Who here is “beside himself?” Why has this designation been applied?

Read the context of today’s Scripture: “[7] But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judaea, [8] And from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him. [9] And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng [swarm, trample, stampede] him. [10] For he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues.”

Christ ordains His 12 Apostles in verses 13-19; “And they went into an house” (verse 19). We now reach today’s Scripture: “And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.” The sense of, “And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself,” is something like this: “We had better go restrain and detain ‘crazy’ Jesus and bring Him back to where we can supervise Him, lest He get into further ‘trouble.’ These crowds will not leave Him alone [see verse 20]. His ‘mental illness’ allows others to take advantage of Him. We need to take Him home.” To state it another way, their only explanation for Christ’s “unconventional” conduct is He has lost His mind! (With such “friends,” does Jesus need enemies?!) Rather, these “friends” (HA!) of Christ should have rejoiced: “Praise God all these masses are coming to the Lord! They appreciate God’s wisdom as spoken by Christ!”

Later, in John 10:20: “And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad [lunatic]; why hear ye him?” Again, the Lord Jesus is insulted as a “madman.” No, He is not crazy. They are….

The Ravings of a Madman! #2

Saturday, October 8, 2022

“And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself” (Mark 3:20,21 KJV).

Who here is “beside himself?” Why has this designation been applied?

Observe Ephesians chapter 4: “[17] This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, [18] Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: [19] Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness [rampant/wild/unrestrained acts], to work all uncleanness with greediness.” Like Romans 1:18-32, this is the description of the world’s nations ever since the Tower of Babel 4,000 years ago.

While the LORD God was dealing with and imparting spiritual light to Israel (Romans 2:17-24; Romans 3:1,2; Romans 9:3-5), He had given the Gentiles (non-Jews) over to Satan and sin’s darkness (Acts 14:15-17; Acts 17:22-31; Ephesians 2:11,12). That was “time past.” However, with the “but now,” the Apostle Paul’s ministry, salvation and blessing from Israel’s God were now going to the Gentiles without Israel’s national conversion and without her rise to kingdom glory (see Romans 11:11-14; cf. Isaiah 60:1-3).

Paul’s converts, including the saints in Ephesus, were to no longer think and live like lost people because they no longer were lost people. They were now fellowshipping with the one true God through Jesus Christ’s heavenly ministry (Paul’s ministry). Ephesians chapter 4 resumes: “[20] But ye have not so learned Christ; [21] If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: [22] That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; [23] And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; [24] And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”

That evil world system to which lost Gentiles belong, Israelites during Christ’s earthly ministry had allowed it to contaminate their own nation, causing Israel to have a negative view of Jesus Christ Himself (today’s Scripture)….

The Ravings of a Madman! #1

Friday, October 7, 2022

“And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself” (Mark 3:20,21 KJV).

Who here is “beside himself?” Why has this designation been applied?

Throughout the last 20 centuries, believers in the Lord Jesus Christ have been ridiculed (and even tortured, imprisoned, and murdered!) for their alleged “craziness.” It is not uncommon for the lost family members and friends of new Christians to reply even now, “What in the world happened to you?! You have completely lost it, you are totally flipped out, you are utterly fanatical!”

Imagine the pious lady who walked to her local “church” every day for 30 years before finally realizing she was in a cult and headed for Hell. Someone told her about the Gospel of Grace, she trusted it, and how bizarre it was that she never again visited her long-time “assembly.” (True story!) Consider the former marijuana-plant grower now talking about the Lord Jesus Christ. Friends and relatives could not fathom such a change. (True story!) Think of the woman who, having just trusted Jesus Christ as her personal Saviour, was so excited to share that good news with her religious—but unsaved—mother. Content to be lost, the mother exclaimed, “Stop talking about ‘God’ so much!” (True story!) Imagine the man who met an old classmate after many years apart: when she asked what he had done with his life, he replied that he was a pastor, so she rejoined in disbelief, “You?!” (True story!) Think of the drunkard couple, once dead in trespasses and sins, now alive in Christ and sober—their relatives stunned at the reversal. (True story!)

When the God of the Bible is at work in souls, people look and act differently. The change is unmistakable. Their thoughts and conduct show improvement; they bear no resemblance to what they used to be. To unregenerate people, they appear to be lunatic, mad, crazy, insane (their minds left behind). If we happen to be labeled as such, so be it….

Talking With Dictation Taken

Monday, September 26, 2022

“The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness” (Proverbs 15:2 KJV).

We can talk with sense—or talk nonsense….

One researcher estimated the average person spends in excess of 13 years talking overall. Roughly 18,000 words are used during daily conversation—equivalent to a 54-page book. Annually, each person generally speaks over 6.5 million words—some 66 books of 300 pages each! The most talkative men can utter more than 47,000 words a day—a staggering 17 million words every year (66 books of 770 pages each). Concerning the least talkative people, they may speak as few as 500 words daily—approximately one 550-page book a year.

Dear friends, if the above “books” of our individual days and entire lifetimes were actually printed and available for purchase, would we care to buy them and read them ourselves? Under what genres (categories) would they be listed—fiction, romance, thriller, satire, drama, spirituality, horror, mystery? Having read what we spoke that day, or even that lifetime, would we be proud of those words or ashamed and wishing a “do-over?”

The following has been rightly observed: since we have two ears and one mouth, we ought to listen twice as much as we speak. This is wise counsel that parents should especially impart to their children. We would also be prudent to take particular care that we are “using knowledge aright [properly],” not “pouring out foolishness” (today’s Scripture). Are we communicating sound Bible doctrine we read and heard (good), or something else we read and heard (evil)?

Addressing unbelieving Israel, the Lord Jesus Christ alerted: “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle [unprofitable, useless, worthless, unhelpful] word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned” (Matthew 12:34-37). The world’s people would do quite well to remember their words are being recorded—those aforementioned “books” exist!!!

Bible Q&A #995: “What is a ‘latchet?’”

Saved or Lost? #25

Sunday, September 25, 2022

“My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you, I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you” (Galatians 4:19,20 KJV).

Are these people really saved—or really lost?

They were really saved people, just thinking and acting like lost people. Such is still true of millions! Had God’s Word rightly divided actually been received and believed in the heart, we the Church the Body of Christ would be walking in God’s power and will: “For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13).

While the number of genuine Christians has always been low, the percentage of confused Christians has always been high. It is not that “Satan is so powerful,” but rather they have allowed his evil world system to place them into a mold of silly thoughts and unsightly deeds. The Holy Spirit wishes true believers in Christ heed His advice in Romans 12:1,2: “I beseech you therefore, brethren [Christians!!!], by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world [it can happen!!!]: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

We close with the following true story. Several years ago, I tried to prevent it but nevertheless witnessed it come to pass. It was the fall of my spiritual mentor, someone under whose ministry I trained for over a decade and whom I still love dearly in the Lord. The entire controversy was painful and devastating beyond words, but, lest I fall with that grace Christian leader, I had to separate from him because of his apostasy (willful doctrinal error and unapologetic dishonesty and treachery). Indeed, we will meet in Heaven and only then will we be restored to fellowship, two saved men whose ministries Satan’s evil world system targeted—one destroyed and the other still not immune from ruin!

-FINIS!-

Saved or Lost? #24

Saturday, September 24, 2022

“My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you, I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you” (Galatians 4:19,20 KJV).

Are these people really saved—or really lost?

The Apostle Paul’s last epistle (2 Timothy) communicates in chapter 4: “[1] I charge [instruct, order] thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; [2] Preach the word; be instant [ready, prepared] in season [convenient times], out of season [inconvenient times]; reprove [cause them to see], rebuke [criticize them], exhort [encourage, urge them] with all longsuffering [patience, put up with it, suffer it a long time!] and doctrine [teaching worth trusting].” Why?“[3] For the time will come when they will not endure [bear/tolerate/stomach] sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; [4] And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. [5] But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.”

By the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, Timothy was (we are) to keep on with ministry (sound Bible teaching, Pauline, grace-oriented information), despite the prevalent doctrinal perversion and apostasy (forsaking the truth, whether in or out of churches). Saints, we should be willing to do what we can to reach confused Christians and confused non-Christians alike—and, yes, they are usually nearly impossible to distinguish from each other. I know it is easier to throw up our hands and give in, exclaiming, “This is just not worth it! No one wants to listen! We live in a hopelessly chaotic world! Let them all go to Hell in their ignorance!” Yet, the fact remains we have in sound Bible doctrine all the answers they need—and, if we escaped their errors, they can too… those few who want it. We should make special effort to be a light to them, if at all possible, particularly those who have eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to believe.

Let us (finally) conclude this devotionals arc….

Saved or Lost? #23

Friday, September 23, 2022

“My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you, I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you” (Galatians 4:19,20 KJV).

Are these people really saved—or really lost?

Scripture describes church leaders as God’s doorkeepers, watching over and guarding local assemblies from any and all error (re-read Acts 20:28-32!). If pastors, bishops, teachers, and preachers would believe and teach sound Bible doctrine (God’s Word rightly divided), false teaching (even non-rightly-divided verses) could be easily refuted. Neither these leaders nor their vulnerable congregants would be led astray.

Alas, for 20 centuries now, the professing church (especially its leadership) has paid almost no attention to the Lord’s special ministry through the Apostle Paul. Sure, they know of Paul, and a great many actually study and quote his writings, but nearly all people throughout church history have made Paul’s ministry a continuation of the 12 Apostles’ ministry, a mere commentator on “the church Jesus founded in Matthew to John,” an extension of the prophetic program, thereby hiding and destroying the very reason for Paul’s ministry (to operate the mystery program, separate and distinct from prophecy—to form the Church the Body of Christ, separate and distinct from the nation Israel).

For 2,000 years now, to Satan’s delight, we have wasted an unfathomable amount of time and energy teaching “another Jesus,” “another spirit,” and “another gospel” (2 Corinthians 11:3,4)—too willful and proud to change our course even up to this present hour. Behold, the dismal results! So many souls profess “belief in Christ,” but it is extremely difficult to discern who is a confused Christian (bound for Heaven, yet thinking like someone headed to Hell) and who is a confused non-Christian (bound for Hell, and lacking discernment to realize it).

Verily, verily, the Lord reads the hearts of all, and He knows the difference between a true (albeit misinformed) member of the Body of Christ and just some lost member of a counterfeit group. Brethren, we need to make sure we are walking in the spiritual light that we have, for, if we are grateful, we will gain more understanding concerning God’s will for us.

Let us (finally) summarize this devotionals arc….