Category: revelation

Found Out and Fractured in Twain #20

Thursday, January 28, 2021

“But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23 KJV).

Doubtless, we never want to sensationalize or exaggerate. However, the fact remains, some dark days are ahead for the United States and the rest of the world. What can we Bible-believing Christians do?

Anyone who wants to see and hear can perceive our culture is undergoing irreversible transformation. Through eyes of faith, having insight from the Scriptures, we realize our numerous problems have two fundamental sources. Firstly, of course, is our ungratefulness for even the scant Bible knowledge our ancestors had. No matter how shallow they were in doctrine does not excuse our lack of gratitude! Secondly, we have passed on our spiritual thanklessness to our descendants, and those youth have begun the next step in that endless cycle of man’s downward spiral. No matter how shallow we were in doctrine does not excuse their lack of gratitude either!

The LORD knew human tendencies and frailties. Hence, He repeatedly warned Israel about how their nation would be ruined if they allowed sin to enter their land and run its course through their soul. Re-read Deuteronomy 4:1-10. They were to be thankful for God’s words to them. Under no circumstances were they to alter them in any way; adding to or taking from those Divine words was strictly prohibited. These statements were God’s wisdom, and they were to be Israel’s wisdom. Israel was to teach that unchanged Bible to their children.

Verses 9 and 10: “Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons; Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me [Moses], Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.”

Like ancient Israel, we have refused to hear and fear God’s Word. Our carelessness has thus resulted in costliness….

Found Out and Fractured in Twain #19

Wednesday, January 27, 2021

“But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23 KJV).

Doubtless, we never want to sensationalize or exaggerate. However, the fact remains, some dark days are ahead for the United States and the rest of the world. What can we Bible-believing Christians do?

Keep reading Romans chapter 1, paying attention to its final verses: “[28] And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; [29] Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, [30] Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, [31] Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: [32] Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”

Wow! Dear friends, there is our society—in all its “glory!” Despite our innumerable technological advancements, we are still just as evil and savage as our ancestors were 2,000 years ago when Romans was written. In the names of “progress,” “tolerance,” and “inclusion,” we have normalized sin. It is all the more appalling to realize we did it while possessing a completed Bible for the last 20 centuries. During the past 400 years—since the Pilgrims landed on these shores with a Geneva Bible—we Americans have outright ignored the Scriptures. How foolish we were if we thought we would get away with it! No matter the dispensation, the fact remains, “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God” (Psalm 9:17). Sin has a payday someday… whether minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades, centuries, or millennia later. That applies to individuals, families, nations, and the whole world.

As human “civilization” deteriorates with each passing day, is not the reality of sin’s consequences becoming increasingly apparent? Having consistently excused sin, we have made ourselves vulnerable to a whole lot of problems we never dreamed our sin would use to fracture us in twain once it found us out….

Found Out and Fractured in Twain #18

Tuesday, January 26, 2021

“But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23 KJV).

Doubtless, we never want to sensationalize or exaggerate. However, the fact remains, some dark days are ahead for the United States and the rest of the world. What can we Bible-believing Christians do?

Romans chapter 1 provides the reason why human civilization has been ruined: “[18] For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; [19] Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. [20] 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: [21] 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. [22] Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, [23] And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

“[24] Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: [25] Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. [26] For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: [27] And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.”

Mankind was not thankful for knowing God or God’s revelation to him. He could not have cared less about his Creator’s words and will. Therefore, the Creator gave the creature up to proceed on his own path, with destruction the destination, to be found out and fractured in twain….

Found Out and Fractured in Twain #17

Monday, January 25, 2021

“But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23 KJV).

Doubtless, we never want to sensationalize or exaggerate. However, the fact remains, some dark days are ahead for the United States and the rest of the world. What can we Bible-believing Christians do?

Modern society is in grave danger—and, most absurdly, we are just now realizing it. While not original to me, the following illustration is helpful in this regard. Intense flames and thick billows of black smoke have been exiting the windows of our house for several minutes, but we are still attempting to test the fire alarm! We would do well to remember how sin works.

Firstly, our human heart is untrustworthy, just as Jeremiah 17:9 declares: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it” Sin deceives, and since our heart is sinful, our heart misleads us. Two additional simple verses amplify this truth. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). In modern speech, “I may have a fever, but I feel perfectly healthy!” We humans have a sin problem—and no amount of denial or religion will nullify that fact. “For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me” (Romans 7:11). We could paraphrase this as, “Okay, I might be a sinner, but I can manage and conquer it by holding out or holding on, and I can compensate for it by doing the best I can next time!”

Secondly, sin operates extremely slowly; actually, it is barely detectable. Just remember our previous studies in earlier verses—how sin worked in the lives of Lucifer, Adam, Eve, Cain, Abraham, Solomon, and so on. On the surface, their sinful actions did not seem morally or ethically wrong. Yet, upon close inspection, they were evil. By the time the commission of sin was underway, it was too late to undo the damage. It was only later—sometimes decades or centuries afterward—that the scope of the injury was fully grasped. Today’s society should have taken heed to those Bible passages, before the first spark was seen….

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Do Mark 15:25 and John 19:14 contradict?”

Found Out and Fractured in Twain #16

Sunday, January 24, 2021

“But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23 KJV).

Doubtless, we never want to sensationalize or exaggerate. However, the fact remains, some dark days are ahead for the United States and the rest of the world. What can we Bible-believing Christians do?

To receive and possess God’s Word is an awesome privilege, but with it comes a solemn responsibility that is frequently ignored. When remarking on the nation Israel’s prolonged unbelief during the Acts period, the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul penned in Romans chapter 10: “[14] How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? [15] And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! [16] But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? [17] So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

JEHOVAH God had been sending preachers to Israel for centuries, calling her to repentance (change in mind). Whether the Prophets of the Old Testament Scriptures, or the 12 Apostles of the New Testament Scriptures, Israel had been hearing from God but had been refusing time and time again. Even after the Apostle Paul was saved and commissioned, Israel did not want to listen to God’s words through him either! The only way to have faith in God’s words—that is, believe them—is to first have them. Israel had the Bible for over 1,500 years, but was still languishing in unbelief! Quoting Isaiah 53:1 (originally referencing Israel’s unbelief seven centuries before Christ), Paul commented, “But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?”

When God reveals information to man, He expects man to receive it by faith. If man chooses not to believe, however, his sin will indeed find him out and fracture him in twain….

Found Out and Fractured in Twain #15

Saturday, January 23, 2021

“But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23 KJV).

Doubtless, we never want to sensationalize or exaggerate. However, the fact remains, some dark days are ahead for the United States and the rest of the world. What can we Bible-believing Christians do?

Recall Moses’ parting counsel to his Jewish nation, Deuteronomy chapter 4: “[1] Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you. [2] Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you…. [5] Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it.

“[6] Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. [7] For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for? [8] And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?

“[9] Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons; [10] Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.”

Israel deliberately forgot God’s words to her. We, the United States, have done likewise….

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Did Peter use obscenities when denying Christ?”

Found Out and Fractured in Twain #14

Friday, January 22, 2021

“But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23 KJV).

Doubtless, we never want to sensationalize or exaggerate. However, the fact remains, some dark days are ahead for the United States and the rest of the world. What can we Bible-believing Christians do?

Escaping religious persecution in England, the Pilgrims traveled by ship, the Mayflower, to arrive on North American shores in 1620. Establishing Plymouth Colony in what is present-day Massachusetts, these settlers of the “New World” brought the 1599 Geneva Bible with them. (Although the King James Bible had been in circulation for a decade, they disliked it because it was the Bible of King James I and the state Church of England that had oppressed them. Hence, their preference for the Geneva.) As the decades passed, various other Bibles were also used in early America—some printed here and others imported from England. The King James Bible would later be printed in America for the first time circa 1782.

What we want to understand is that, long before the United States officially became a nation, American settlers were aware of Divine revelation. They had a Holy Bible, a copy of God’s words the very moment they set foot on this continent! Unfortunately, as we move into the 18th century, and our Founding Fathers finally declaring our Independence from England in 1776, it is clear early Americans as a whole still languished in spiritual darkness. As evidenced in their writings and our foundational national documents they drafted, despite the presence of the Scriptures in America for over a century, our Founding Fathers operated on varying degrees of theological deficiency.

Although some may have been genuine Bible-believing Christians, it seems as though most of our Founding Fathers were nominal Christians (“in name only,” mere church members) or Deists (“intellectuals” who believed in some “Higher Power,” not necessarily the LORD God of the Bible, and who had very little to no use for the Scriptures). In the coming years, their lack of spiritual stability would prove fatal to that “New World” the Pilgrims envisioned. As per the pattern laid out in the Bible, sin would find out that nation, and fracture it in twain….

Knowledge of Your Purpose

Sunday, January 3, 2021

“For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else” (Isaiah 45:18 KJV).

Friend, would you like to have knowledge of your purpose?

People often spend decades wondering and speculating about the meaning of life. Why am I here? What is my purpose? They pursue happiness, fulfillment, security, and prosperity… usually in the wrong places, too. As the Bible says, this evil world system captivates them and distracts them from the knowledge of God. Read 1 John 2:15-17: “[15] Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. [16] For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. [17] And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

Life is ever so much more than making money, gaining fame, marrying a half-dozen times, vacationing frequently, being entertained, shopping often, being religious, acquiring numerous advanced educational degrees, and so on. We are here for a Divine purpose. Contrary to scientific consensus, life on Earth is not the result of mindless natural processes randomly operating for billions of years. According to Scripture, the heaven and the earth are products of the imagination of the Creator God. He designed them, for the express purpose of populating them with creatures He made. Life in this universe is not an accident, but rather the consequences of the LORD God’s plan, so we should be careful to search for His will. Where is it? Our limitations force us to look beyond ourselves. “Soul searching,” “intuition,” “empiricism,” and “tradition” are useless!

Since there is a Creator God, would He not have already attempted to contact us? Why, yes, He would have… and did. There is a more important question, though. Are we listening? Remember, there is no man as deaf as he who refuses to hear!

The Comforter #5

Friday, March 29, 2019

“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever” (John 14:16 KJV).

Who is this “Comforter?” What are His roles?

John 14:17 says the Holy Spirit will “dwell with [believing Israel], and shall be in [them].” Contrary to popular belief, the indwelling Spirit is not unique to our Dispensation of Grace. Through the Prophet Ezekiel, the LORD God had promised centuries earlier, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them” (36:26,27).

Beloved, our flesh is weak. (Right?) Despite our best efforts, we cannot live the Christian life. Only Jesus Christ can live His life—whether in Israel’s prophetic program or our mystery program. As the nation Israel will be the expression of Jesus Christ’s life in the earth in the ages to come, so we the Church the Body of Christ will be the manifestation of His life in the heavenly places. It is not we duplicating His life but rather He Himself living in and through us. There is no imitation; it is the actual life of Christ!

How exactly does Christ live in and through us though? Does He unexpectedly take control of our bodies and manipulate us as puppets? (No!) Is there some mysterious, hair-raising, gentle breeze? (No!) Bolts of lighting striking the back of our neck? (No!) The Holy Spirit wrote the Bible (2 Peter 1:20,21; 2 Timothy 3:16,17). When we trust Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour, the Spirit of God indwell and seals us (Ephesians 1:12-14). We become “an holy temple in the Lord, an habitation of God through the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:21,22). He strengthens or fortifies us internally as we walk by faith in His Word to us, Romans through Philemon (Ephesians 3:16). Hence, daily Bible study—yea, daily dispensational Bible study—is so critical. Without the Comforter grounding us using God’s Word, neither Israel nor we can be vessels of Christ’s life!

Our two latest Bible Q&As: “What is ‘the mark of the Beast?’” and “Why is ‘666’ the number of the Beast?”

The Comforter #4

Thursday, March 28, 2019

“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever” (John 14:16 KJV).

Who is this “Comforter?” What are His roles?

In the 40 days following His resurrection, Jesus Christ opened the Scriptures so His Apostles could better comprehend them. All they had at the time was Genesis through Malachi (see Luke 24:44-48), but it was enough to get them going without Him. Those “Bible classes” resulted in the Apostle Peter’s astonishing grasp of obscure Old Testament Scripture as seen in Acts 1:16-20!

Just before He ascended into Heaven, Jesus said, “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). The parallel passage is Acts chapter 1, verses 4 and 5: “And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.”

As sworn, the “Comforter” arrived in Acts chapter 2: “[1] And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. [2] And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. [3] And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. [4] And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Here, the Holy Spirit enabled the Apostles to speak in human languages they never formally learned, that their Jewish brethren visiting from foreign lands would understand God’s Word in their native dialect!

Over in Ephesians 3:16, we see Paul praying for us Gentiles in the Dispensation of Grace, “That he [God] would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;….” Here, the Holy Spirit functions as our fortifier, our “Comforter,” our Helper….