Saved, If Ye Keep in Memory? #1

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:1,2 KJV).

Although a stumbling block to many, today’s Scripture is not difficult to understand when we consider the context….

Can our soul salvation unto eternal life be lost? Today’s Scripture is often used to deny the “once saved, always saved” position because it reads: “[we] are saved, if [we] keep in memory what [Paul] preached unto [us], unless [we] have believed in vain.” Does that mean we will go to hell if we forget Paul’s Gospel? What does it mean to “believe in vain?”

Interestingly, the (Roman Catholic) New American Bible reads in 1 Corinthians 15:2: “Through it you are also being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you, unless you have believed in vain.” The NIV agrees: “By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.” These perversions do not make the Bible easier to understand; contrariwise, they intensify the confusion surrounding today’s Scripture. Must we “hold firmly/fast,” lest we lose our salvation, as these modern translations suggest?

Verses 12-17 provide some insight into the meaning of today’s Scripture: “Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: and if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.”

Let us continue scrutinizing the context to understand today’s Scripture….

A Permanent Government Shutdown

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

“The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15b KJV).

God has His own government shutdown planned, and we need it more than ever!

The American people are becoming increasingly aware of Satan’s evil world system. Never in our nation’s brief existence has the devil’s policy of evil been more clearly manifested than we are seeing today. Let us not be shocked—ancient Israel went “due south” politically, spiritually, morally, and economically as soon as she also threw away the Holy Scriptures!

How fervent are the cries for political reformation… their tones are becoming more urgent. Rising healthcare costs, increasing poverty, and rising unemployment are just some of the issues that are present in society because God’s Word is absent from society. That will change!

We who have trusted alone in Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection as sufficient payment for our sins (Paul’s Gospel of 1 Corinthians 15:1-4), let us use these days to thank our Heavenly Father that we have been spiritually delivered from such a mess. While we are still here physically, we have God’s peace. Thankfully, we are not here forever.

While we are here, tarrying for the Lord as He tarries for more souls to be saved, let us use this time to the advantage of God’s Word. We should utilize the current events as conversation starters to share the Gospel of the Grace of God with all we meet.

Jesus Christ died on Calvary’s cruel cross so that He could one day shut down this world’s (evil) governments and replace them with His glorious kingdom (Colossians 1:16,20)! “And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one” (Zechariah 14:9; cf. today’s Scripture). Howbeit, in order to allow more people to trust Jesus Christ and avoid His impending wrath, Jesus Christ’s earthly kingdom is delayed, and so Satan’s policy of evil will continue.

As we patiently wait for our Lord’s return to get us, let us continue to tell others that their only hope out of this mess is Jesus Christ, not a political party! 🙂

Of the Light, Not of the Night

Monday, October 14, 2013

“There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: the same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him” (John 3:1,2 KJV).

Why do you suppose Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night?

Today’s Scripture, excerpted from the Bible’s most recognized passage, involves a Pharisee asking Jesus questions to which he should already know the answers. Nicodemus is a religious leader who studied the Old Testament Scriptures, and yet he is totally ignorant of the spiritual rebirth that Israel needs because of her biological link to Adam (the Old Testament prophets discussed this “heart circumcision” in Deuteronomy 10:16, Deuteronomy 30:6, Jeremiah 4:4, Jeremiah 31:33, et cetera).

Space prevents an in-depth discussion of John chapter 3, but here, we want to briefly discuss why Nicodemus has come to Jesus “by night” (today’s Scripture). John 7:50 confirms, “he that came to Jesus by night.” Nicodemus is sneaking about at nighttime, lest his colleagues see him talking with Jesus. He knows that if he is seen in public in broad daylight speaking with Jesus Christ, he will lose his reputation, livelihood, income, everything.

John 12:42,43 are an excellent commentary as to how the Pharisees treated those who confessed Jesus as Messiah: “Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.”

Sadly, like Nicodemus, many church leaders today “creep about in shadows,” too fearful to publicly stand up for God’s truth. They avoid embracing a “King James only” position, lest they be considered “unscholarly.” They withhold the fact that Paul’s epistles are written to and about us, lest they be called “unorthodox.” They dare not speak about the sins of the world, lest they be deemed “unloving.”

Saints, may we boldly stand in God’s grace to us in Jesus Christ, unapologetically preaching Him from God’s Word, the King James Bible, rightly divided! 🙂

A Fruit-Bearing Gospel

Sunday, October 13, 2013

“[The gospel] Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:” (Colossians 1:6 KJV).

As today’s Scripture teaches, God’s Word never returns to Him void.

Verse 23 says the Gospel of God’s Grace had reached the Colossians, as well as the whole then-known world, via Paul’s ministry: “…the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister….” The Gospel “[brought] forth fruit” in that it accomplished God’s intention.

Isaiah 55:10,11 affirms: “For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”

Read 1 Corinthians 3:9: “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.” God is a farmer, and Christians are His crops. Once Paul and his ministry coworkers had preached the Gospel of the Grace of God, Christ’s finished crosswork as sufficient payment for one’s sins, the Holy Spirit used those words to convict lost souls of their need of that salvation through Jesus Christ. Some, though not all, who heard Paul’s Gospel believed that message and trusted it alone for soul salvation.

“I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:6,7). Like the Corinthians, the Colossians had believed Paul’s Gospel once they heard it (today’s Scripture). They recognized God’s grace “in truth;” they knew what Paul preached was true and they gained an understanding of everything that God could do for them through Jesus Christ’s finished crosswork.

May we, by faith, let the Gospel bear fruit in us.

The Great Things The Lord Jesus Hath Done #7

Saturday, October 12, 2013

“And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel” (Mark 5:20 KJV).

Who is this man, and what “great things” hath the Lord Jesus done for him?

The crowd rushes to see the rumors are true—the savage is now sane, sitting at Jesus’s feet, submissive to His will and Word! They are astonished at such a transformation: “And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine. And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts” (Mark 5:15-17; cf. Luke 8:35-37).

“And when he [Jesus] was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee” (Mark 5:18,19; cf. Luke 8:37-39).

Now healed, the Gadarene symbolizes redeemed and restored Israel. When she accepts and trusts her Messiah-King Jesus at His Second Coming, He will bring her kingdom and deliver her from Satan and sin. Just as with the Gadarene, He will remove the evil spirits from the land (Zechariah 13:2). Jesus Christ will have compassion on Israel, just like with the Gadarene, and restore her unto Himself (Zechariah 12:10; Zechariah 13:8,9).

Israel will have a “sound mind,” just like the Gadarene, for once the New Covenant is instituted, God will put His laws in her mind (Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 8:10). She will be forgiven and clothed with God’s righteousness (Isaiah 1:18; Acts 3:19; Hebrews 10:17; 1 Peter 2:9,10). Israel will submit to God’s will. Her transformation will be just as amazing as the Gadarene’s.

And so, just like the Gadarene, Israel will go into her kingdom, liberated to proclaim to the Gentiles “the great things the Lord hath done for [her]!” 🙂

The Great Things The Lord Jesus Hath Done #6

Friday, October 11, 2013

“And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel” (Mark 5:20 KJV).

Who is this man, and what “great things” hath the Lord Jesus done for him?

While the story of the exorcism of the Gadarene (today’s Scripture) was indeed literal and should be believed as historical fact, it should also be understood as typical of (illustrative of) redeemed and restored Israel (prophetic fact). Whenever Jesus Christ cast out devils during His earthly ministry, it was literal, physical, visible proof for all Israelites to see and recognize as fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. Remember, “for the Jews require a sign” (1 Corinthians 1:22a). In Israel’s program, the preaching of God’s Word was accompanied by miracles that validated those words of God.

The Bible says the Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles preached, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2; Matthew 4:17; Matthew 10:7; Mark 1:14,15). This was “the Gospel of the Kingdom” (Matthew 9:35), and miraculous demonstrations—casting out devils and healing the sick—followed its proclamation (Matthew 10:5-8; Mark 16:17-20; Luke 8:1; Luke 11:20; Acts 2:22; Hebrews 2:3-5; Hebrews 6:4,5). In that earthly kingdom of Jesus Christ, there would be no sickness or evil spirits.

“And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land” (Zechariah 13:2). When Israel’s Messiah would come, He would rid her and her land of satanic captivity. Every time Jesus cast out devils, He was evicting Satan’s minions (although Israel rejected Jesus’ efforts; Matthew 12:24-32; Mark 3:22-30). Since Israel rejected Christ at His First Coming, and refused to let Him cleanse them and their Promised Land the first time (just as the Gadarenes asked Jesus to leave), Zechariah’s prophecy will not be completely fulfilled until Christ’s Second Coming (Revelation 20:1-3).

Let us now conclude the narrative and see Israel’s (future) restoration to her God….

The Great Things The Lord Jesus Hath Done #5

Thursday, October 10, 2013

“And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel” (Mark 5:20 KJV).

Who is this man, and what “great things” hath the Lord Jesus done for him?

The devil-possessed Gadarene of today’s Scripture is a perfect picture of the nation Israel when her Messiah, Jesus, came to her, saying, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24; cf. Matthew 10:6).

This Gadarene has been possessed of devils for a long time, just as Israel has been in satanic captivity for centuries. The Gadarene lives out in the mountains and wilderness, just as Israel is “in the wilderness,” spiritually speaking—she has wandered far from JEHOVAH’S ways. Just as the devils have corrupted the Gadarene’s mind so he cannot think properly, so Satan has used apostate religious tradition to prevent Israel from having the mindset God had given to her through the Old Testament Scriptures.

As the Gadarene is physically naked, so Israel is destitute of God’s righteousness (spiritual clothing). One can neither tame the Gadarene nor “stiffnecked” Israel. The Gadarene prefers to live in and among tombs; Israel is content to physically live while remaining spiritually dead in her trespasses and sins.

The Gadarene screams, drawing attention to his devil-inspired lifestyle that led to ridicule, just as Israel’s sinful behavior grabbed the attention and generated mocking from the Gentiles. Neither the Gadarene nor the nation Israel can free themselves from Satan’s power. It is this very nation Israel for which Jesus Christ has come to die, so that He may give them a new life when He resurrects!

For a long time, the Gadarenes have heard of the wild man living nearby. No one can help him—humanly speaking, he literally is hopeless and helpless. The only Person who can deliver him from such a miserable existence is the one and the same Person who alone can save his nation… and this former miracle He will perform to demonstrate He can also accomplish the latter….

The Great Things The Lord Jesus Hath Done #4

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

“And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel” (Mark 5:20 KJV).

Who is this man, and what “great things” hath the Lord Jesus done for him?

The Gadarene of today’s Scripture, possessed by many unclean spirits, consequently pursues a rather bizarre lifestyle. When the Lord Jesus confronts him, and commands these evil spirits to leave him, notice what the unclean spirits desire of Jesus.

“Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea” (verses 11-13; cf. Luke 8:32,33).

The Lord Jesus commands these unclean spirits to leave the man, but He gives them permission to possess a nearby herd of almost 2,000 swine (pigs), animals God considered “unclean” for Israel’s consumption (Leviticus 11:7; Deuteronomy 14:8). These pigs then run into the sea and perish.

Notice how these evil spirits sought safety and solace in a body of water. They possessed and drove the pigs into the water. In fact, throughout the Middle East, evil spirits such as these still hide in various bodies of water (rivers, lakes, et cetera). During the future seven-year Tribulation, God will dry up these water masses to expose these evil spirits—these creatures will kill one-third of the human race (see Revelation 9:13-15, for example)!

“And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done” (Mark 5:14; cf. Luke 8:34). Those who fed the pigs are aghast. They have just witnessed 2,000 pigs wildly stampede into the sea and violently drown. As they flee for their lives, they spread the news to the neighbors!

A crowd is now approaching Jesus, and what they discover is quite shocking….

The Great Things The Lord Jesus Hath Done #3

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

“And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel” (Mark 5:20 KJV).

Who is this man, and what “great things” hath the Lord Jesus done for him?

Notice how Jesus addressed the unclean spirit in the Gadarene, “What is thy name?,” and how the spirit responded, “My name is Legion: for we are many” (verse 9). There are actually many unclean spirits within this man, so his condition is very serious.

Verse 10 is particularly noteworthy: “And he [the unclean spirit] besought him [Jesus] much that he would not send them [all the unclean spirits possessing the Gadarene] away out of the country.” Again, the unclean spirit admits that they prefer to stay in the land of Israel. If Jesus is to cast them out of the man, they at least want to possess the swine of the land. Those unclean spirits know the torments of hell, and they do not want to be thrown into it! In the companion verse, we read: “And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep” (Luke 8:31). Understandably, they do not want to go to hell, but why do they want to stay in Israel?

Pay attention to how that chief evil spirit addressed Jesus as “thou Son of God most high” (Luke 8:28) and “thou Son of the most high God” (Mark 5:7). The title “most High God” implies “possessor of heaven and earth” (Genesis 14:19,22). Satan originally desired to be “like the most High” (Isaiah 14:14)—the devil wants to rule heaven and earth. In order to prevent Jesus Christ’s kingdom from being established on earth, Satan has possessed the nation Israel (which was to be God’s chief nation on earth; Exodus 19:5,6; Deuteronomy 7:6,7; Isaiah 2:1-4; et al.). Hence, Jesus Christ told apostate Israel, “But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you” (Luke 11:20).

So, now we begin to see that the Gadarene is a picture of the nation Israel in satanic bondage….

The Great Things The Lord Jesus Hath Done #2

Monday, October 7, 2013

“And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel” (Mark 5:20 KJV).

Who is this man, and what “great things” hath the Lord Jesus done for him?

Read an excerpt from the companion passage of the context of today’s Scripture: “And when he [Jesus] went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not. (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.)” (Luke 8:27-29).

Jesus and His disciples meet this Gadarene (an inhabitant of Gadara, in northern Israel). Being possessed with many devils, this man acts very strangely—he howls, lives among tombs, cuts himself with stones, wears no clothes, and has bursts of amazing strength that enables him to break chains (Mark 5:1-5)!

Notice, the Lord Jesus says: “Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit” (verse 8). When the unclean spirit in the man sees Jesus, the spirit replies: “What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not” (verse 7). The evil spirit audaciously commands Jesus “by God” not to “torment” him: the spirit does not want Jesus to cast him into hell. Instead, the evil spirit and the other unclean spirits want Jesus to allow them to possess a herd of swine grazing nearby (verses 11,12; Luke 8:32).

Why do these unclean spirits not want to leave the land of Israel? Let us see what will happen to the Gadarene, and what God is trying to teach Israel with this miracle….