https://indiegospel.net/ken-rich Sat, 18 Apr 2026 10:31:50 -0230 https://indiegospel.net/ken-rich/blog/7059/jesus-the-rock-of-offense https://indiegospel.net/ken-rich/blog/7059
I once had a Messianic Jew try to tell me that Eph. 2:20 teaches that the Church is built on the apostles and prophets, rather than Christ. Although he claimed to follow Yeshua, his Jesus was just another prophet, less than divine, and for him the New Covenant did not supersede the Covenant with Moses.

However, Paul tells the Ephesian believers that they are being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets - in the Greek genitive case (the case which shows possession). Paul is referring to the foundation which is laid by the apostles and prophets - which is Jesus Christ. He is NOT saying that the apostles and prophets themselves are the foundation.

Ephesians 2:19-20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone

See also 1 Peter 2:4-8, Psalm 118:22, Matt. 21:42, 44-45, Acts 4:11, Luke 6:47-48. All of these passages (and more) make clear that Jesus is the foundation. The chief cornerstone was the foundation stone in ancient architecture - from which all measurements began. Every other stone was laid in relationship to the cornerstone. Clearly, this position belongs to Jesus.

Moses and the other prophets foretold Christ's coming and thus played an important part in redemptive history. In that sense, they are part of the building, they were servants who were used to prepare the way, to foretell the glory which was to come - but they themselves are not the foundation.

Isa 28:16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation : he that believeth shall not make haste.

Both Jesus and Paul make clear that the rejection of Christ as the Messiah (rejecting the cornerstone) is the fatal mistake that the Jews made, which caused the Kingdom of God to be taken from them and given to the Gentiles.

Matthew 21:42 Jesus said to them, Have you never read in the Scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone (Psalm 118:22). That is why I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you (Jews) and given to a people who will produce fruit for it (Gentiles) . The person who falls over this stone (Christ) will be broken to pieces, but it will crush anyone on whom it falls.

Romans 9:30 What can we say, then? Gentiles, who were not pursuing righteousness, have attained righteousness, a righteousness that comes through faith. But Israel, who pursued righteousness based on the law, did not achieve the law. Why not? Because they did not pursue it (righteousness) on the basis of faith, but as if it were based on achievements (law keeping). They stumbled over the stone that causes people to stumble...

In Matt.16:13-18 When Jesus said, upon this rock I will build my church , what exactly did he mean?

Catholics and Protestants have argued over the meaning of this text for centuries. Catholics believe Peter to be the foundation of the Church. However, Peter himself does not agree.

1 Peter 2:4 And coming to Him as to a living stone , rejected by men, but choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones , are being built up as a spiritual house...

So Peter himself tells us, that Christ (not Peter) is the foundation, the living stone . In a secondary sense, we too by faith in Christ, can become living stones, built into the spiritual house which is the Church the body of Christ.

As the first among the disciples to express faith in the Messiah (Matt. 16-18), Christ used Peter as an example. Peter became a living stone in the building, just as we all can, through faith. Thus Christ (foundational rock) renamed him Peter (small stone) as an illustration.
The Catholic position relies on a subtle misuse of language. By ignoring the Greek text it was written in, and using an Aramaic translation (we do not have), the same word (Kipha) is used for both 'Peter' and 'rock'". The ignorant are thereby tricked with linguistic subtleties. The meaning is lost and the foundation of the erroneous teaching of apostolic succession is laid by deceit.

The Greek text makes the distinction between Peter (Petros - a small stone) and faith in Christ (Petras - the large unshakable, unmovable, bedrock). If you are in doubt about the nature and importance of this distinction please read - HERE
The Bible does not leave room for any doubt about who the true foundation is. Jesus himself taught about the importance of basing our foundation in Him .

Matthew 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock ...

Paul makes it absolutely clear who the foundation of the Church is, and it's not Peter who he publicly rebuked ( Gal. 2:11) , and it was not James the leader of the fledgling Church (Acts 15).

1 Corinthians 3:11 After all, no one can lay any other foundation than the one that is already laid, and that is Jesus the Messiah . Whether a person builds on this foundation with gold, silver, expensive stones, wood, hay, or straw, the workmanship of each person will become evident, for the day of judgment will show what it is, because it will be revealed with fire...

Therefore, consider carefully on what your life and Ministry are based. I have dear friends in Catholicism who believe Peter is the rock upon which to build their Church and apostolic succession from him is their claim to ecclesiastical power.

I also have dear friends within a segment of Messianic Judaism, who claim they are following Yeshua (for those of the Holy name movement), but think him somehow less than divine. Moses is given a higher place than Christ and his true significance and divinity escapes them.

They argue that Rome fooled the poor ignorant goyim into elevating Christ from prophet to divinity and favor a form of the Arian heresy. They say many verses are misinterpreted since Gentiles lack the Jewish mindset required for a proper understanding. For instance - gives eternal life (Jn 3:16), one with the Father (Jn 10:30), omnipotent (Mt 28:18), omnipresent (Mt 18:20), accepts worship due to God (Mt 14:33).

What they refuse to acknowledge, is that their own beloved Hebrew Scriptures prove the divinity of Christ over and over again. Consider how Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies concerning him, ...we find the chance that any one man fulfilled all 48 prophecies to be 1 in 10 to the 157th power. The estimated number of electrons in the universe is around 10 to the 79th power. It should be quite evident that Jesus did not fulfill the prophecies by accident. He was who He said He was: the only way (John 14:6). (This information was taken from the book Evidence that Demands a Verdict, by Josh McDowell.)

Not only did Jesus fulfill the Messianic prophecies which had to take place before the second Temple was destroyed, but more will also be fulfilled upon his return. Also, it is clear from scripture, that Abraham, David, and Moses, all had a relationship with the pre-incarnate Jesus.

John 8:56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day, and he saw it and was glad. Then the Jews asked him, You are not even 50 years old, yet you have seen Abraham? Jesus said to them, Truly, I tell all of you with certainty, before there was an Abraham, I AM !

We see that Jesus claimed divinity, to be the great I AM - the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

2 Sam. 22: 2-3 And he said, The Lord is my rock , and my fortress, and my deliverer; The God of my rock ; in him will I trust:

David claimed a relationship with the rock of his salvation!

John 5:46-47 For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me . But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?

There are many places where Moses wrote about Jesus. The first prophecy of the coming Lamb of God, was when God clothed Adam and Eve in lambskin, to cover their nakedness.

In fact, Jesus is the God of Moses, notice how Paul drives the point home by explaining how it was Christ, who was leading Moses and the Jewish nation in the desert.

1 Cor. 10: 1-4 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ .

This is inconceivable to the understanding of an Orthodox Jew since the Hebrew Scriptures teach that God is one. Jesus himself taught this - God is one! Yet God is one with a complex nature, manifesting himself through Christ and also the Spirit, while simultaneously dwelling in unapproachable light as the Father - who no man has seen.

Christians don't worship three Gods, as some Jews accuse us of, we worship the same God as they do, but recognize his complex nature.

John 1:18 No man hath seen God (the Father) at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

It had always been the pre-incarnate Christ, who was the visible expression of God, in the Hebrew Scriptures. He appeared to Moses (Ex. 33:20-23, Deut. 4:12), to Isaiah as the Lord of hosts (Is. 6:5) and to Joshua (Jos 5:14).

He chose to cloth himself in flesh and reveal himself as fully God and fully man - the suffering Messiah. Dying for the sins of the whole world - reconciling his creation to himself.( Jo. 1:3, Col 1:16-20).

When Philip asked Jesus show us the Father , he responded (John 14:9-11) The person who has seen me has seen the Father... Believe me, I am in the Father and the Father is in me.

A time prophecy, the seventy weeks of Daniel, gives a precise time when the Messiah would appear, the time of his crucifixion, the end of probation for the Jewish people, and when the Gospel would go to the Gentiles. Of course, like many other things in the Bible, the Rabbins choose to ignore this . The Rabbins then held a meeting and pronounced a curse upon any Jew who should attempt to ascertain the chronology of this prophetic period. Their anathema was this: May his bones and his memory rot who shall attempt to number the seventy weeks '. The Midnight Cry, August 10, 1843.

Roman Catholic futurism (the "gap theory" now accepted by most of Protestantism), is also defeated by a proper understanding of the seventy weeks. Many Christians and Jews have had the wool pulled over their eyes .

This one prophecy in Daniel 9 could shatter the errors of traditional Judaism and Roman Catholicism - no wonder it has been cursed, hidden, twisted, and manipulated. In the middle of the last week, it is Christ who confirms the Covenant, and who is cut-off, but not for himself (when he was crucified).

Rome has thrown this text into the future (with no scriptural support) and says it is fulfilled by the anti-Christ. This was done in response to the reformers charge that the Papacy is the anti-Christ system. To deflect scrutiny away from the Pope, a Spanish Jesuit named Francisco Ribera (1537-1591), proposed an alternative view.

The founder of this system [Futurist] in modern times appears to have been the Jesuit Ribera, about A.D. 1580. (Henry Alford, The New Testament for English Readers, vol. 2, part 2, p. 351 [bottom numbering].)

For 300 years, most Protestants rejected this rather inventive interpretation, but it is widely accepted now, especially among Evangelicals. An end time deception, providing a smokescreen which allows the anti-Christ system to continue - virtually unopposed.

I love the Jewish and Catholic people and so does God. However, some of the errors propagated by those systems, are grievous to the cause of Christ.

Soon the Lord will return and sweep away all the castles in the sand . The kingdoms of men, the apostate Churches, the deceitful workers - all have a divine appointment with a rock .

Daniel 2:34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands... and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

Everything not built on the rock , the true foundation, is doomed to fail. Are you ready to come to Jesus as to a living stone ?

John 5:39 You examine the Scriptures carefully because you suppose that in them you have eternal life. Yet they testify about me . But you are not willing to come to me to have life.

If you haven't already, go to Jesus and receive eternal life! Allow him to transform you into a living stone, and place you in his spiritual building. Become part of the body of Christ the true Church!

There is no more Jew or Gentile, male or female, all are one in Christ (Galatians 3:28). The Church is not a denomination, an institution, an organization, or any such thing those are man-made distinctions - which divide us.

It's about relationship, not religion, we are adopted into the family of God, through Christ, the only mediator between God and man (1 Tim 2:5, Eph 1:5).

The God of the Bible, the stone the builders rejected, transforms us into living stones and makes us part of a spiritual building (1 Peter 2:4 ).

Ken Rich
]]> Sat, 21 Jul 2018 11:03:58 -0230 https://indiegospel.net/ken-rich/blog/6635/the-end-of-the-age-and-the-strong-delusion https://indiegospel.net/ken-rich/blog/6635 It was placed in the notes of the Scofield Reference Bible, and various Bible commentaries. It was popularized by best-selling books such as  The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey and the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye. It is loudly trumpeted by numerous televangelists such as Jack Van Impe , and John Hagee.
I am talking about a false view of end time prophecy, or eschatology. A counter-reformation doctrine called futurism which was developed by the Jesuit Francisco Ribera (1590). What makes it so dangerous, is that it was designed to obscure the identity and timing of the anti-Christ, bringing grave consequences to the victims of this corrupt power.
Most  grassroots dispensationalists haven't the slightest clue of futurism's counter-reformation pedigree, errors, or how it made its way into supposedly Protestant seminaries.These highly respected scholars below (and many more), have no problem identifying the source.
O. T. Allis D.D. - Theology Professor Princeton:
The Futurist interpretation is traced back to the Jesuit Ribera (AD 1580) whose aim was to disprove the claim of the Reformers that the Pope was Antichrist. Prophecy and the Church, page 297
Dr. George Eldon Ladd - Professor Fuller Theological Seminary:
Ribera applied all of Revelation but the earliest chapters to the end time rather than to the history of the Church. Antichrist would be a single evil person who would be received by the Jews and would rebuild Jerusalem, abolish Christianity, deny Christ, persecute the Church and rule the world for three and a half years. ... This futurist interpretation with its personal Antichrist and three and a half year period of tribulation did not take root in the Protestant church until the early nineteenth century . "The Blessed Hope".
Some of its adherents are embarrassed by Futurism's Jesuit pedigree and claim a patristic origin. They point to earlier writings since by selective quote mining of the Church Fathers, and extra-Biblical writings, Ribera laid a foundation for his theory.

However, a close investigation reveals that the " Fathers " borrowed Futurist elements not from the Bible , but from the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha , which greatly influenced their views of end-time events. Futurism is nothing more than a fanciful extrapolation of the  Beliar myth, convoluted around real scripture, and neatly packaged by the Jesuit Ribera.

Cherry picking quotes from the " Fathers " is a well-worn path to heresy that the Jesuits have made into a highway to hell. The writings of the " Early Father's " are not to be trusted as either inspired or genuine. Besides the obvious pagan influences in the writings of the Fathers, Rome is notorious for promoting forgeries to bolster its claims, the most famous (admitted) forgery being The Donation of Constantine .
They have corrupted many of the ancient fathers, and reprinting them, make them speak as they would have them. . . .They have written many books in the names of these ancient writers, and forged many decrees, canons, and councils, to bear false witness to them." Ephraim Pagitt Christianography, part ii. p. 59, London, 1636.
Dr. Adam Clarke the great Bible commentator, had this to say about quoting the Fathers: "... nor a heresy that has disgraced the Romish church, that may not challenge them as its abettors. In points of doctrine, their authority is, with me, nothing. The word of God alone contains my creed. Commentary on Prov.8.
Protestants use the  Bible alone as their rule of faith (with good reason), and verifiable facts of history to constitute fulfilled prophecy. However, if one was to abandon the word of God and go by what the Hellenized " Fathers " actual taught, it is not what modern Futurists claim .

In some aspects (as in their adopted Beliar myth), it cannot be denied that some of the Fathers seem to advance elements of futurism, but only when taken out of context . In actuality, the writings of the Fathers DISPROVE  modern futurists - something the " quote miners" don't like to talk about.

The Fathers saw the restrainer not as the Holy Spirit, but Pagan Rome, just as Historicists teach. ( Documented HERE )
Also, the Fathers  were not proponents of a pre-tribulation rapture, no matter how much pre-tribbers would like to believe so today.

We can find no trace of pretribulationism in the early church; and no modern pretribulationist has successfully proved that this particular doctrine was held by any of the church fathers or students of the Word before the nineteenth century . Dr. George E. Ladd (Documented HERE )
In other words, many of the " Fathers " expected the anti-Christ (personal like the mythical Beliar) to appear immediately after the fall of Pagan Rome (not removal of Spirit), to rise among its 10 divisions, and for the Church to go through tribulation . Two of the Fathers predicted the end would come before 400 AD, three of them predicted it would come in 500 AD and several more before 800 AD.

Despite these facts, some futurists follow Ribera in attempting to legitimize their views with  selective quotes from the Fathers, while ignoring quotes that flatly refute modern futurism . This is intellectually dishonest and completely misleading .

The Fathers did not have the perspective that history gives us (this was a future event to them), but looking backward, we can see a power did indeed rise from the 10 divisions of Rome that fulfills the prophecies. It conducted its reign  of terror  as prophesied, and it's still with us today heading into it's predicted  final judgment and doom.
Some futurists object to the historicist interpretation on the grounds that the anti-Christ must be a single person (beliar myth ) , not a power or dynasty. Yet what does the Bible say ? Daniel 7:23 tells us that the fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom (not a man) upon the earth. In Dan.7:24 the horns are Kingdoms (not individuals). Of course, Kingdoms have a dynasty of individual Kings or rulers at their head, so they can be represented figuratively by their ruler(s).

The little horn power (universally acknowledged to be THE anti-Christ ) is styled as a horn (Kingdom) with a man at its head (a ruler) Dan. 7:24.The Bible defines its own symbols and figurative language. To ignore God's own definitions and impose your own by forced literalism, is unwise, to say the least.
Another dimension to this prophecy is time. Futurists are totally inconsistent in that they quite rightly adhere to the Bible's " day for a year " principle for the 70 weeks of Daniel, but ignore it completely for the 1260 days (years) prophecy. They also follow the Jesuit Ribera in inserting a gap of 2,000 plus years in Daniel 9, with no scriptural authority . This unconscionable butchery of scripture is exposed later in this article by an extract from " Approaching End of the Age " by H. Grattan Guinness D.D.

...it is estimated by careful and credible historians, that more than fifty millions of the human family, have been slaughtered for the crime of heresy by popish persecutors..." History of Romanism," pp. 541, 542. New York: 1871.
Traditional Protestant eschatology (historicism), has no trouble identifying who claimed the prerogatives of God and waged war against the saints of the most high. It fulfilled all points of the prophecies, only it's final judgment and destruction remains.
A Great Cloud of Witnesses: "Wycliffe, Tyndale, Luther, Calvin, Cranmer, Bunyan, the translators of the King James Bible and the men who published the Westminster and Baptist confessions of Faith; Sir Isaac Newton, Wesley, Whitfield, Jonathan Edwards; and more recently Spurgeon, Bishop J.C. Ryle and Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones; these men among countless others, all saw the office of the Papacy as the antichrist ." Taken from All Roads Lead to Rome, by Michael de Semlyen. Dorchestor House Publications, p. 205. 1991.

Most futurists believe they will be secretly raptured away before the tribulation, so why even be concerned? Of course, not all are pre-trib, and not all ignore the prophecies that point to the Papacy, but since they still push the anti-Christ (and tribulation) into the future, and see him as one man (not a dynasty), they do not feel compelled to take action in the present .
Dave Hunt is a dispensational futurist and his timeline and tribulation scenario is far from the Historicist position. However, I applaud him for at least identifying the Papacy as the woman of Rev. 17-18 in his book " A Woman Rides the Beast ". He explains his position in this video .
Unfortunately, Hunt like others of his ilk, summarily dismiss a well-known  FACT of history. It's such a huge, glaring, obvious, and incredulous omission, that one wonders are they blind, or simply being intellectually dishonest?
Pagan Rome split into 10 Kingdoms centuries ago (FACT OF RECORDED HISTORY), and the predicted little horn power (Papal Rome) already rose and fulfilled most of the prophecies in the Dark and Middle Ages. We need not look for another split into 10 divisions of the NWO, or a personal anti-Christ to reign in the future. We are heading into the final judgment of the great whore of Rev. 17-18 (not it's reign). The Bible is clear about when the end will come... Daniel 2:44 - ...in the days of these Kings...
"The historian Machiavelli, without the slightest reference to this prophecy, gives the following list of the nations which occupied the territory of the Western Empire at the time of the fall of Romulus Augustulus (476 A.D.),... ten in all......And the division is as apparent now as ever... ...it confronts the skeptic with its silent but conclusive testimony to the fulfillment of this great prophecy. Who can alter or add to this tenfold list of the kingdoms now occupying the sphere of old Rome ? Italy, Austria, Switzerland, France, Germany, England, Holland, Belgium, Spain, and Portugal - ten, and no more; ten, and no less." -"The Divine Program of the World's History," by H. Grattan Guinness D.D., pages 318-321.  
Futurists like Hunt have departed from orthodox Protestant Eschatology (Historicism), and it's timeline. Historicism quite easily and forcibly  proves the Papacy to be the little horn of Daniel 7, the man of sin, the anti-Christ, and the whore of Babylon. Not some future individual but a dynasty, a centuries-old system with an ever-changing individual at its head. At least Hunt still manages to identify Rome as the power we are warned about in Rev. 17-18.
Unfortunately, many futurists do not share his concerns. In fact, a false ecumenism for political expediency has even led to alliances with this corrupt system as evidenced by the 1984 document Evangelicals and Catholics together. Similar agreements and conciliatory statements by Anglicans, and astoundingly even Lutherans have become commonplace.
The naivety and compromise involved are illustrated by this  2007 statement  where the Papacy reaffirmed that it's doctrines (which it  martyred millions of Christians for refusing to accept in the past) have not changed, and that it alone (through apostolic succession ) constitutes the true Church -  claiming all others as false .

Every Reformer , without exception, spoke of the papacy as Antichrist " - R. Allen Anderson, Unfolding the Revelation, p.137
The scandals making headlines today pale in comparison to its past activities , and it seems no matter how many times this pretensions power makes headlines  for its evil activities, futurists are unable to admit that a system claiming the prerogatives of God and fulfilling all the prophecies of anti-Christ, is ALREADY in our midst.

To maintain their delusion, futurists sweep wars and inquisitions under the carpet, along with vice, tyranny, corruption, persecution, bank scandals, stolen babies, pedophilia, political manipulation, and gross doctrinal " differences ". All are glossed over, truth is sacrificed on the altar of unity, and history becomes an exercise in revisionism.
Unfortunately, the children repeatedly raped and tortured by the Pope's emissaries, do not have the luxury of turning a blind eye to evil, in order to deny eschatological blunders. The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests  (SNAP) is full of victims who can attest that the reformers claims are not just an academic dispute over doctrine or a misunderstanding of history, the evils perpetrated by the Vatican are a brutal, painful, frightening reality - even today.
In 2011, SNAP filed a complaint case with over 22,000 pages of evidence, calling on the ICC to investigate and prosecute the Vatican for crimes against humanity. More specifically the evidence shows in great detail that the Vatican is  responsible for rape and other sexual violence and for the physical and psychological torture of victims around the world .
Even the conservative Catholic Prime Minister of Catholic-dominated Ireland, after reviewing several horrific government inquiries, has denounced the Vatican in no uncertain terms.  
"The rape and torture of children were downplayed or 'managed' to uphold instead the primacy of the institution, its power, standing and 'reputation'.. . because of the horrors it perpetrated, hid and denied , Kenny called for action by the government to make sure the law will always supersede canon laws that have neither legitimacy nor place in the affairs of this country." Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny
A government inquiry into the residential schools for native children in Canada also exposed sexual depravity and murderous violence. Similar inquiries in Ireland , Australia , Denmark , and elsewhere, reveal child torture on a worldwide scale. Much more could be said on this subject, for a deeper view please read this article Vatican - Crimes against Humanity
Why is it, that even in our modern world such monstrous evil is allowed to masquerade as the representation of God himself? As strange as it seems, most Protestants today (and of course Catholics), are allowing the very power the Reformers pointed to as the fulfillment of anti-Christ, to interpret the prophecies of anti-Christ for them.
If the Vatican can't be trusted to tell the truth about the rape and torture of children, how is it that so many  trust it to tell the truth about Bible prophecy? It's like the sheep asking the big bad wolf (in sheep's clothing), to tell them where the wolf is hiding!!!
The response given by the clever wolf is in the future (Futurism), or in the distant past (Preterism), but never in the present where it would be exposed. If people really understood Bible prophecy, the charade would end, the facade would crumble, the pretense of Holiness would no longer be a hiding place for evil - the wolf would lose it's sheep's clothing. Preterism has never been that popular, but futurism has become the strong delusion of the end times .

Christ's statement, you shall know them by their fruits, has become ignore their fruits.

WAKE UP and hear the voice of the true Shepard - JESUS. Flee from this impostor and never trust your children to it again. Don't buy into its false version of prophecy, or it's revisionist history. Heed the words of Christ - you will know them by their fruits .
The tragedy of futurism is that it has everyone scouting the horizon for some future anti-Christ while the real one commits atrocities right under their noses. Those duped by futurism are typically good, well-meaning Christian people, who help spread the deception unawares. WAKE UP.
 

The Papacy's  Concordat With Germany Signed Just Before The War


Futurism has been vehemently opposed by Protestant scholars for centuries , but it was adopted by John Nelson Darby in the 19th century and spread to America. Today it is taught almost everywhere by Conservative Evangelicals as dispensational futurism. The historicist view of the great Protestant reformers and scholars of the past four centuries has in effect been replaced by fables. 
Jesuit futurism is so highly promoted in popular books and movies today, that for most people it's the only interpretation of prophecy they have heard of. So pervasive is the indoctrination into this false paradigm, that Its veracity is assumed. Cognitive dissonance and denial have become the typical reactions when the real truth of Bible prophecy is presented.
Charles H. Spurgeon (often called the prince of preachers) admonished the Evangelicals of his day who were sliding into this erroneous teaching to beware. His words ring even truer today.
Evangelical Churchmen, lovers of the Lord Jesus, how long will you remain in alliance with the defilements of High Churchism? You are mainly responsible for all the Popery of your Church, for you are its salt and its stay... ...Beware, lest you be found in union with Antichrist, when the Lord cometh in his glory. Come out for Christs sake. Be ye separate, touch not the unclean thing! (Spurgeon, The Sword & the Trowel, August 1865)
This short extract from " Approaching End of the Age " by H. Grattan Guinness D.D., shows the main and most grievous theological error of futurism, now taught everywhere by conservative Evangelicals. I present it in love, with a sincere, heartfelt, and benevolent wish, that if you have been blinded by futurism your eyes will open.
---------------------------
One of the gravest evils of futurism is the terrible way in which it tampers with this great fundamental prophecy (Dan.9:27), applying it to the future doings of some ideal Antichrist, (instead of) its Divine description of the past deeds of the historic Christ.
To hear their disquisitions (inquire diligently) on the subject, one would suppose the Antichrists seven years covenant with the Jews was as unquestionable an event as Gods covenant with Israel on Sinai! Few would surmise how frail the foundation on which this cardinal doctrine of Futurism rests.
Few would suppose that the notion has really no solid ground at all in Scripture, but is derived from an erroneous interpretation of one single clause of one single text.
The only basis for the idea is the expression in the 27th verse of the 9th chapter of Daniel. The sentence occurs in the midst of Daniels celebration prophecy of the 70 weeks, a prophecy that does not even allude to Antichrist, but is exclusively occupied with the first advent of Christ, His rejection and death, and the Roman destruction of Jerusalem, which was the result.
Interpreted in the light of history, as a fulfilled prophecy, this remarkable chronological prediction affords conclusive evidence of the Messiahship of Jesus, of the inspiration of Scripture, and the divine origin of the Christian faith .
What are the words of this sacred and marvelous prediction given between five and six hundred years before Christ? 
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and three score and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall even in troublous times.
And after three score and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of a prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
And He (Messiah) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week (Or during the one or last week): and in the midst of the week He shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations He shall make it (i.e. the city) desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate or desolator. Dan. 9:24-27
This prophecy was given just as the 70 years captivity in Babylon was drawing to a close. It announces the duration of the restored national existence of Israel up to the great epoch of all history, the advent of Messiah the Prince. It was foretold that within 490 years from the date of the decree to restore and to build Jerusalem, the long foreshadowed, long predicted supreme atonement for sin was to be accomplished by the advent of Messiah the Prince, reconciliation for iniquity effected, and everlasting righteousness brought in; that vision and prophecy should be sealed up, and the most Holy anointed.
This period was then subdivided into three parts: 7 weeks, 62 weeks, and 1 week; i.e., 49 years, 434 years, and 7 years. The rebuilding of the city, and the re-establishment of the Jewish polity would occur in the first forty-nine years or seven weeks. Four hundred and thirty-four years more would elapse, and then Messiah the Prince would appear.
After that, at some time not exactly specified, but within the limits of the seventieth week or last seven years of the period, Messiah would be cut off; but not for Himself. It is further foretold that Jerusalem and its temple would subsequently, and as a consequence, be destroyed, and that a flood of foreign invasion would overflow the land. But though thus cut off, Messiah would confirm the covenant with many (not the whole nation) during the course of the one week; in the midst of it He would cause sacrifice and oblation to cease. Jerusalem should then be made desolate, until a certain pre-determined doom should fall upon the power that should desolate it; a fact which our Lord afterwards foretold in the words, Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
All this was accomplished with wonderful exactness. The edict to restore and build the city was issued by Artaxerxes, and Ezra and Nehemiah were the two great restorers of Jewish people, polity and religion. Their joint administration occupied about seven weeks or forty-nine years; the wall and the street were rebuilt in troublous times. After a lapse of 434 years more, Messiah the Prince did appear, saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; i.e., the time indicated by this very prophecy. He came unto His own, but alas! His own received Him not! He was cut off; but not for Himself! Shortly after the Roman Soldiery the people of a prince that shall come (Titus) did destroy the city and the sanctuary; the end of Jewish independence came with a flood of foreign invasion, and predetermined desolation fell on land and people. But though the nation was thus judged, Messiah did confirm the covenant with many.
What covenant? and how did He confirm it? This is the new covenant in my blood, which is shed for you, said He to his disciples the night before His passion [Luke 22:20]; or as Matthew and Mark give the words: This is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for many for the remission of sins. He shall confirm the covenant with many, said the angel to Daniel [Dan 9:27]. My blood of the new covenant shed for many, said Christ. 
Is not His blood declared to be the blood of the everlasting covenant. And is not He Himself repeatedly styled the Mediator of the new covenant? [Heb 8:6; 9:15; 12:24] And can any Bible student doubt what is the event predicted, when in immediate connection with the coming and cutting off of Messiah, it is added, He shall confirm the covenant with many? (see also Heb 8).
What excuse is there for introducing into this most solemn and touching prophecy of the life and death and work of CHRIST, the political action of some future Antichrist? It is needless, groundless, unpardonable discord!
Antichrist making a league with the Jews! What? in a prophecy which speaks of the accomplishment of atonement, of the making an end of sin, of the effecting of reconciliation, of the bringing in of everlasting righteousness!
What has Antichrist to do here?
Oh! he is the prince that shall come of v. 26, it is answered.
Impossible! That prince was the prince of the people who did the deed here predicted, destroyed the temple and city of Jerusalem in consequence of the Jewish rejection of Messiah. That must be Titus, for it was his Soldiery that did this. Then where is Antichrist in this prophecy? It is replied that even granting the earlier reference to be to Titus, still it is Antichrist who in the midst of the week causes the sacrifice and oblation to cease. No! the Actor is one and the same in all the clauses of v.27 Messiah Himself.
Who else put and end to the sacrifices offered by the law continually, and caused them to cease by the offering of one sacrifice for sins forever? What was it that did actually as a matter of historic fact, cause the Jewish sacrifice and oblation to cease? The offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all, that offering which took place in the midst of the week that is, in the course of the seventieth of Daniels predicted weeks, the one week which stands alone at the close, the week which comprised the earthly ministry and the atoning death of the Son of God, the giving of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost, and the formation of the Christian Church.
Christ and His work is one great theme of this prophecy. The judgment that should over take the Jews for rejecting Him, and Titus and the Romans, by whom these judgments were to be inflicted, are mentioned, but there is no allusion to Antichrist. How could there be? 490 years includes chronologically the events foretold here, and Antichrist is not yet come according to futurist views! How then could he figure in a prediction, which expired 1800 years ago? Oh, it is said, The angel said 490 years but he meant plus 1800 or 2000 years; there is a chronological gap of the length between the sixty-ninth and the seventieth weeks. The last week has not begun yet. When it does begin, Antichrist will appear and make his covenant with the Jews. To state such a theory ought to suffice for its refutation. Language has lost all meaning if a definite period of 490 years, interposed between two great historical events, may be extended by two thousand years. Prophetic revelations of such a character would be worse than none; for they would be misleading and deceptive.
Not thus was the forty years wandering in the wilderness lengthened! Not thus was the Babylonian captivity measured! If God condescends to give chronological predictions at all, they will be truthful, accurate, and divinely exact. The events mentioned as occurring in the midst of the last week, occurred within 490 years from the Edict of Artaxerxes. They are long, long past. The prophecy is a fulfilled prophecy. The judgments on the Christ-rejecting nation continue, it is true, and will continue till the end of this age; even until the consummation, and that determined be poured upon the desolator. But the object of the prophecy was not to announce these judgments, but to measure the interval to Messiah the Prince. It was given to intimate beforehand the period of the greatest events of all history, the greatest events of time, not to say the greatest events of eternity, the atoning death of the Son of God, and the establishment of the new covenant.
The great anti-christian power, symbolized as the little horn and called the man of sin, and the eighth head of the beast, being the last form of Gentile power, and belonging to these times of the Gentiles, has little to do with the literal Israel, or the literal Jerusalem, or the literal Temple.
He (Antichrist) co-exists not with a recognized Jewish nation, but with the rejection and dispersion of the Jews, and with a recognized professing Christian Church. His sphere is not Palestine, but Christendom; his throne is not Jerusalem, but Rome; his victims are not Jews, but Christians; his end and doom are brought about by that event which marks the commencement of the restoration of Israel to Gods favor the second advent of Christ; when Israel shall look on Him whom they pierced, and mourn because of Him, and when the times of the Gentiles shall be ended.  APPROACHING END OF THE AGE by H. Grattan Guinness D.D. pages 711-717
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"...It is a matter for deep regret that those who advocate the futurist system at the present day, Protestants as they are for the most part, are really playing into the hands of Rome, and helping to screen the Papacy from detection as the Antichrist. " Rev. Joseph Tanner, Daniel and the Revelation, pp. 16, 17.
More Resources HERE
  ]]> Thu, 04 Jan 2018 23:06:04 -0330 https://indiegospel.net/ken-rich/blog/6513/the-popes-globalism-is-against-god https://indiegospel.net/ken-rich/blog/6513
Some people seem to have forgotten that it is God who divided men up into different nations and that he did it for a very important reason. Let's take a look at what the word of God has to say about this topic.

Genesis 6:11   And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do .   Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.  So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.

There are many interpretations of this event and many expositors miss the main point, so let's examine the context. This was shortly after the flood where we see that there was a problem God was trying to rectify.

Genesis 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man  was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually

Mankind had become corrupt and the flood was a purge of evil bringing a chance for a fresh start. After the flood, God ordered men to spread out and multiply but they immediately rebelled and began constructing a city and tower that would have naturally led to centralized power. Why should that be a concern? As Lord Acton once said, “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely”.

In his wisdom, God decided to separate men into different language groups to protect against absolute power with its tendency toward corruption. As we saw in Genesis 6:5, men's hearts before the flood imagined evil continuously and if after the flood they were permitted to do all that they imagined without restraint, evil would once again dominate the earth.

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart  is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Matthew 9:4 For out of the heart come evil thoughts--murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.

The separation of men into competing kingdoms, language groups, and nation states is a bulwark against evil obtaining total control again. If one country becomes too corrupt, God can raise up another against it. We saw this play out over and over again in the saga of Israel and its flirtations with idolatry. In modern times we saw Nazi Germany defeated by an alliance of opposing nations. What if Naziism had been the only system, with no one to oppose them? Do you see the problem?

As I said initially, there are many interpretations as to WHY he did it, but there is no denying that for whatever reason, it was God who confused the languages and separated men into groups. It is his will for us, so uniting everyone into one group, the globalist dream, is against the expressed will of God.

There is of course unity between those joined to Christ, the unity of believers, but false ecumenism for political purposes is not God's will.

Consolidation of power and worldwide dominance has always been sought by the fallen one and there has been no shortage of ambitious men willing to pursue this agenda. God identified the world dominating kingdoms thus formed as "beasts" and prophesied their destruction.

Babylon developed into a corrupt world power so God raised up Cyrus who split the kingdom between the Medes and Persians. Their empire eventually fell to Greece which again split the domain among four generals. Rome then took the reigns of power but the vast territory was further split into 10 divisions.

It is interesting to note that the Babylonian mystery religion survived all of these political upheavals, adapting itself to each culture. It finally covered itself with a thin Christian veneer and ascended to the throne of Caesar.

Great power was transferred from Caesar to the Pope through the Justinian Code penned in 534 AD. Then Caesar put his own puppet on the chair of St. Peter, but the strings were soon cut and the puppet became the master. "Vigilius...ascended the papal chair (538 A.D.) under the military protection of Belisarius." History of the Christian Church, Vol. 3, p. 327 That's right, the Pope's power does not come from God, the pretense is a facade. The power behind pagan Rome, the throne of Caesar, was given to the Popes.

Revelation 13:2 The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.

Papal Rome formed an image of the beast by uniting the political divisions of Rome under the banner of its false religion - a paganized, politicized, apostate caricature of Christianity. A great tribulation of the true saints of God followed, marked by cruel inquisitions and the horrors of the dark age.


The Two Babylons - free download

Napoleon's general Berthier finally put an end to the brutality of Papal supremacy in 1798 when the Pope was captured and exiled to Avignon France. However, the deadly wound was healed in 1929 when the Church brought the fascist dictator Mussolini to power in exchange for the Lateran Pact. This Pact once again restored the Vatican as a political entity, rather than just a corrupt false Church.

Once given statehood, the Vatican quickly made a concordat with Nazi Germany in 1933 and came within a hairsbreadth of re-establishing the power it wielded in the dark ages, through the Third Reich. When this attempt failed, it smuggled it's Nazi stooges to South America through what has been well documented as the Vatican ratlines . Not to mention the Nazi scientists smuggled into the USA under operation paperclip

Today, the Vatican is once again trying to reestablish world dominance through the treaty of Rome and the globalist agenda. The E.U. has grown to become an unelected puppet government through which a conglomerate of once free and independent states are subject to its clandestine control. The participating countries surrendered their sovereignty without a shot being fired. Corruption and guile have succeeded where brute force failed and the Vatican is once again a hairsbreadth from global dominance.


Download the PDF -  The Papacy Is The Antichrist - Rev. J. A. WYLIE, LL.D.


There is no mystery as to why the Pope is calling for hordes of Muslims to be sent into Christian countries, forcing an amalgamation of cultures and religions which destroys national identity. He is pushing for a one world religion and a one world government. For the Vatican, religion is just a tool used for political control. The purity of Christian doctrine was long ago sacrificed on the altar of political power, no one should be surprised at recent developments.

European countries are rapidly being Islamized and the consequences are devastating. However, a push back of nationalism is rearing up. The American political system had all but fallen to the globalist agenda too but recently has begun to fight back against the subversion of its political process. Interestingly, even Ireland which was heavily dominated by Roman Catholicism for years has begun to throw off their control. The rape of its children by Rome's emissaries and the subsequent coverups were simply too much to bear.

These events are hints of what is coming. Doom is prophesied for Rome's New World Order.  The government leaders who have fallen to her corrupting influence will suddenly turn on her. Those who grew wealthy by aligning with her will weep and wail when her riches fail. Those participating in her corrupt practices such as pedophilia and occultism will be exposed. Her wealth, secret societies, and well-placed political puppets will fall.

We were given a picture of the future. The kingdoms represented by beasts in Daniel are also represented by a statue (image). The end of the final kingdom held together by Papal Rome is foretold.

Daniel 2:34  Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.

Again in Revelation 13 we see the sea beast, it's strange appearance a conglomeration of all the beasts (kingdoms) before it (since it absorbed their cultures and territory). The important thing to note that it is the fallen one who has been working through these world dominating systems culminating in Pagan Rome and its successor, Papal Rome.

Revelation 13:2 The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.

As predicted, Papal Rome formed an image of Pagan Rome which came before it, uniting the divisions of Rome under its banner as the "Holy Roman Empire". The latest incarnation of the beast, the EU and supporting globalist structures, will be short-lived. By chapter 18 we see it reach its final doom. The Vatican, riding upon the globalist political system it controls, is utterly corrupt, a religious harlot in the eyes of God.
Revelation 18: 2-8  Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!' She has become a dwelling for demons and a haunt for every impure spirit...   Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues;  for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes...  Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.
 

In Bible times Rome was so identified with Babylonian mystery religion that it was referred to as Babylon.   ]]> Thu, 09 Nov 2017 12:48:54 -0330 https://indiegospel.net/ken-rich/blog/6015/grace-sovereign-free-or-saving https://indiegospel.net/ken-rich/blog/6015  

The Catholic Church maintains that it is possible and necessary for the human will to cooperate with divine grace. For them, that means participation in the seven sacraments of their Church is necessary for salvation. Of course Protestants consider that preposterous. In fact, Rome actually pronounced an anathema on the way of salvation revealed by Christ and his apostles and it has never been rescinded.

Council of Trent - (VII session in canon IV) "If any one saith, that the sacraments of the New Law are not necessary unto salvation, but superfluous; and that, without them, or without the desire thereof, men obtain of God, through faith alone, the grace of justification;-though all (the sacraments) are not indeed necessary for every individual; let him be anathema (excommunicated).”

In this, the Papists make a similar mistake as the Judaizers – legalism (salvation by works). The only difference is the nature of the works, substituting Church sacraments for works of the law (Mosaic law). They compounded their error by torturing and killing those who disagreed with them in brutal inquisitions.
 



The Eastern Orthodox also recognize free will and they teach theosis, which roughly equates to the process of sanctification in a certain sense. They rightly see the need for a transformative process, which brings likeness to or union with God. However, while moral transformation is certainly an important component of salvation, they neglect the aspect of the atonement Paul described in terms of legal justification . 

Enter the Protestant Reformation and the “ Five Solas ”. Grace alone, by faith alone, in Christ alone, as defined by scripture alone, to the glory of God alone. Believe it or not, even among those who identify as Protestants and hold these points to be true, there is little agreement on how to be saved, or what constitutes belief.

First, let's look at Sovereign Grace which springs forth from the Calvinist school of thought. Its problems really go back to Augustine, who wove Manichean fatalism into his theology. Regrettably, his ideas had a great influence on Calvin and other reformers. Strict determinism became read into scripture such that God by meticulous providence predetermined EVERYTHING, including salvation, damnation, and every evil act .

In this view, God's grace is seen as irresistible, perseverance is inevitable, and election is unconditional. Good news for the elect but bad news for those God predestined to damnation. According to the Calvinist, God causes the non-elect to do evil, then tortures them for all eternity for the very evil he caused them to do, this in order to glorify himself. It makes God into more of a devil than Lucifer.
 



Even Calvin called his doctrine of predestination “ the horrible decree ” and acknowledged that the logical implications were grotesque. He conceded he could not explain how God could be the cause of sin, yet not be the author of sin (morally responsible). Still, he denied that it was so, due to some unfathomable “mystery”. At least he was honest in his admission of ignorance, but his appeal to mystery did nothing to dispel the dark clouds that hovered over his doctrine.

Some modern Calvinists are not so honest. They attempt to extradite themselves from the false dilemma of determinism, using subtle philosophical arguments based on 1st/2nd   cause, compatibilism , and the like, but all such attempts fail. In the end, they must be inconsistent in their theology or make God into a monster. They attempt to put lipstick on Calvin's pig, but Arminius thought it better to bring a prettier date to the party.
 



 
To Arminius, God was perfectly capable of giving man free will (in the true libertarian sense) while remaining sovereign. The plan of salvation was predestined but our participation in it is by choice. So instead of being forced into heaven or hell by the arbitrary predetermined decree of God, he wills ALL men to be saved but gives them the freedom to reject his salvation. So unlike Calvinism, salvation is offered to all, grace is resistible, perseverance is not inevitable, and election is conditioned on faith.

To distinguish it from the other views, I call this Saving Grace  since it is more in line with what the Bible teaches. Christ's parables fit this framework. Eternal life is IN CHRIST (not you except as you receive him) and like a branch attached to a vine, you will continue to have eternal life, bear fruit, and persevere as long as you remain IN HIM. Nothing and no one can snatch you away from Christ, but if you choose to separate yourself from him, you will wither and die as surely as a branch removed from the vine that nourishes it.

In both the Calvinist and Arminian views, repentance is a necessary component. The difference is, in Calvinism , the elect are forced to repent, in Arminianism, those who choose to co-operate with God in the salvation process, are empowered to repent. Moral transformation, or right living, is the expected outcome in either case. 
 


There is yet a third major view called Free Grace , otherwise known as cheap grace, or easy believism . The other schools of thought take a dim view of it because moral transformation (repentance) is not required for salvation. Proponents of free grace wrongly take all of the warnings to repent and apply them to discipleship, which they completely separate from salvation. The view finds support mainly in the dispensationalist camp where forced literalism, two Gospels, eschatological novelties,  and applying only a small section of the Bible to believers, are also aberrations.

With free grace, one receives a ticket to heaven the moment they make a profession of faith, and it can never be lost. This view holds eternal security in common with Sovereign Grace , but for a different reason. Instead of perseverance being forced, it is not required at all. In effect, you can make a one-time profession, then sin like the devil and still be saved. You may lose some rewards but you are still glory bound - warts and all.


That is not Biblical. As James said, even the demons believe and tremble – faith without works is dead . In other words, belief that God exists is not enough, the faith that saves is evidenced by works. The free grace movement is wildly popular since it requires nothing difficult and promises eternal life to practicing, unrepentant sinners. It gives a false sense of security which is very dangerous. 



In the Bible, obedience is implicit in the word believe. Belief entails true commitment and relationship, a submission to the will of God, not just mental assent to a doctrine or a quick trip to the altar. He wants to save us from our sins, not in our sins.

Hebrews 5:9 He [Jesus] became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 

Many verses such as John 5:29, Eph 5:5-7,24, Gal 5:24 make it clear that submitting to the will of God in obedience, such that moral transformation ensues, is encompassed in the word often translated simply as belief. Disobedience is equated with unbelief , it is receiving grace in vain. 

1 Corinthians 15:2   By this gospel you are SAVED , IF you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise , you have believed in vain

Paul then goes on to describe the Gospel and warns in verse 34 ... Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning

Did you notice something? He is not talking about discipleship, or losing rewards, he is talking about being SAVED . Did you notice something else? Paul said you could BELIEVE in vain.




Here again, Paul says ... we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain (2 Cor. 6:1)

He goes on to speak about the need to separate oneself from sin and sinners, the very thing the Free Grace camp teaches is not required.

2 Corinthians 7:1 ... let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.



To be absolutely clear, progressive sanctification is in view here, not instantaneous sinless perfection. The same Paul who advocates perfecting holiness confesses that he is not YET perfect  ( Phil. 3:12 ).

Beware of thinking in absolutes and extremes. Some extremists in the"Holiness Movement" claim to have achieved sinless perfection in their personal walk. Some in the "Free Grace" camp completely deny the need for repentance at all. Although they take opposite positions, they share the same error. They both dispense with the need for an ongoing war against sin, only for different reasons.

Until we are glorified, we must continually WAR against our sinful flesh (Gal. 5:17, Romans 6:19, James 4:1, Peter 2:11)  but we can have confidence that Christ will one day finish the good work he starts in us (Philippians 1:6).

The truth is that salvation is a process that must be completed before one is truly free from sin. "We have been saved from the penalty of sin (called justification); we are being saved from the power of sin (called sanctification); we shall be saved from the presence of sin (called glorification)."

To dispense with any part of this process, or to see yourself as already perfect and having already obtained the prize, is error of the most dangerous sort. One must persevere to the end and finish the race. ( Phil. 3:12,  Heb. 3:14, 6:11, 1 Cor. 9:24).

So what went wrong to cause all the confusion and bad theology. Well, besides the Papal Apostasy, the Eastern schism, Augustine's Gnostic fatalism, and Darbyism, a less than nuanced understanding of the term “works” contributed greatly to the divisions.
In response to legalism, a tendency developed to view any good deed as de facto salvation by works. Faith plus nothing became the mantra. Sure legalism is wrong, whether it be the Judaizing of the Galatians or the Monkish works of Romanism, but does that mean we must throw out the baby with the bathwater? Should we refrain from doing deeds of righteousness and repentance for fear of missing salvation by faith?

This error has begun to be been addressed of late, but not without difficulty due to entrenched false doctrine in the hallowed halls of orthodoxy. Some modern scholars have rightly pointed out that final judgment is based on the works of an individual.



Biblically, a distinction is made between “ works of the law ” (Mosaic law keeping for salvation – works salvation) and “ works of faith” (the outworking of your faith leads to works of repentance and righteousness). The apostles and most notably Paul argued against the first ( Eph. 2:8)  while affirming the latter ( Acts 26:20) . This has been brought forward as the “ New Perspective on Paul ”.
Final Judgment According to Works... was quite clear for Paul (as indeed for Jesus). Paul, in company with mainstream second-Temple Judaism, affirms that God’s final judgment will be in accordance with the entirety of a life led – in accordance, in other words, with works. — N. T. Wright

I can't say I agree with Wright in every area of theology, especially his eschatology, but on this point , I must concur. With him, I also acknowledge that good works do not contribute to our salvation but rather they result from it . Therefore, judgment by works is portrayed all through the New Testament as the litmus test of one's faith, to reveal its authenticity . Verses like Matt. 25:31-46 make perfect sense in that light.

In fact, many difficulties melt away when we understand that legalism (works salvation) and performing good works because Christ is in you  are two entirely different things. Other problems are quickly dispatched when we realize that Augustine's Gnostic fatalism has no place in Christian soteriology, free will does. Embracing the Five Solas was helpful in combating the errors of Romanism, but did not by itself guarantee correct doctrine - isms, schisms, and dogmas abound.



Systematic theology sometimes tends to complicate rather than clarify. However, if I had to choose a particular school of thought, the Arminian view is closest to the truth. There are internal disputes over some of the finer points, and divisions, but the broad framework is generally sound.

The Wesleyan Branch differs from Classical Arminianism not just on the nature of perfection, but on the nature of the atonement, and the finality of apostasy. How God's foreknowledge operates is another sticky wicket, giving rise to several interpretations.

Perhaps we should examine some basic concepts and keep it simple. Salvation is a process that has a temporal unfolding (occurs over time) and from first to last each step is by grace – his enabling, his gifts, his power, his calling. It is a gift but we must receive it. The free will God grants, allows us to accept, resist, or even reject salvation.

God initiates and if we choose to respond in faith, we become joined to Christ and can rightly say we have been saved, we are being saved, we will be saved  IF we CONTINUE in Christ. Justification, sanctification, and glorification are all part of a dynamic process that must be completed before we can truly say we are saved (in the finalized sense). Yet by faith , we can reckon ourselves already saved.

Christ's work on the cross is finished , but his work in you is ongoing, final judgment and glorification are yet future. We can have full confidence that Christ will complete his work in us, i f only we hold on to faith to the end (finish the race, stay attached to the vine, remain in Christ). Do you have faith in God's ability to change you, or just his ability to forgive you?




We are given a new nature, but that does not replace the old nature, it wars against it. As we mature we should be more and more dominated by the new nature, but make no mistake, even Wesley who fathered the doctrine of Entire Sanctification acknowledged the old nature was still there, ready to spring up and lead us into sin again if given the opportunity.

... we truly believe in Christ, yet we are not then renewed, cleansed, purified altogether; but the flesh, the evil nature, still remains (though subdued) and wars against the Spirit. John Wesley Sermon 13 - On Sin in Believers (Ch.13 – 2).



That's why Paul warned “ take heed if you think you stand, lest you fall” (1 Cor. 10:12). Wesley placed very heavy emphasis on holy living but even his doctrine of Entire Sanctification does not teach sinless perfection, more of a practical perfection. Most would agree that one can reach a state of maturity where the new nature dominates the old, but few agree as to what degree and in what time frame.

Theologians may argue over such questions but Biblically speaking, there is a progression and temporal unfolding. Discipline and perseverance through trials refine our faith as we move forward. Some believe signs should mark their progress – initial evidence, second blessings, third blessings, manifestations, emotions, experiences. I'm not a cessationist, but I do wish some of the nonsense would cease. Even howling like a dog passes for spirituality in some circles. What test of faith did Paul use?

When speaking on maturity Paul referred to Christ in you , the hope of glory . (Col. 1: 27-29). Again, when he told the Church in Corinth to examine themselves to see if they were in the faith (2 Cor. 13:5), he said Christ is in you  unless you fail the test . What test?

Well if you back up just a little to (2 Cor. 12: 20-21) you find a list of carnal sins. Paul is saying if your behavior is carnal, not spiritual – you fail the test – Christ is NOT in you.



This is where the rubber meets the road. Some very strange teachings have emerged of late, but there is no need to be in doubt or confusion. The Bible is abundantly clear, anyone can know if they are born again and following the way of salvation.

It does not require a degree in systematic theology; nor does it entail instantaneous sinless perfection; neither is it evidenced by vain babbling like the Oracle of Delphi; or flopping on the floor like a fish.

Very simply, do your deeds demonstrate your faith, or do you deny Christ by your actions? Do you have the fruits of the Spirit in evidence (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness), or are you still carnal? Does the Spirit testify with your spirit that you are a child of God?


If you go to Romans 8 and read the whole chapter in context, those who have the testimony of the Spirit and cry Abba (Father) are those who put to death the deeds of the body (repent and overcome) by the power of the indwelling Spirit. That is the witness, that is the sign, that is the test, that is the evidence that Christ is in you , regenerating you, imparting new life.

Romans 8:13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but IF by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
 


 
We must leave room for perseverance to finish its work. A babe in Christ may be on the path but not living as righteously as a mature Christian. There is a growth process, his Spirit works in you, providing both grace and discipline for our many stumbles.

However, if you're not overcoming and are still dominated by your carnal nature such that habitual sin characterizes your life, it is clear evidence Christ is not in you. Don't let emotions, manifestations, or doctrinal knowledge become your yardstick. Not every spirit is of God and not every wind of doctrine is correct.

It doesn't matter if you have a Doctor of Divinity degree from the finest institution. It doesn't matter if you giggle on the floor like a schoolgirl or babble like a Voodoo Priest. It doesn't matter if you can knock down everyone in your Church with a wave of your hand - you can still fail the test.



You will know if you are (being) saved if his Spirit is in you, transforming you, giving you victory over sin, making you an overcomer. If that isn't happening, then whatever you are believing or experiencing does not meet the test – Christ is not in you - Paul was very clear about that.

On judgment day, all of us, regardless of our theological framework, will be in need of grace. Our faith and repentance are themselves gifts of God - graces that make us candidates for more grace.

To those who profess belief but whose works are carnal, the sentence will be “ I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matt. 7:23).

To those who started in faith but fell away, there is NO hope. They can't be “... brought back to repentance” (Heb. 6:6).

To those who “ ...go on sinning after coming to a knowledge of the truth no further sacrifice for sins remains, but only a fearful expectation of judgment” ( Heb. 10:27).

Cor. 5:10 For we must ALL appear before the judgment seat of Christ , so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad






All judgment has been committed to Christ and he can apply the merits of his sacrifice to whomever he pleases. The blood of atonement is an absolute necessity, our works cannot save us. Yet we speak of having been already justified, already washed in his blood, already saved at the beginning, not the end of our experience. How can this be when the judgment is still far off?

When the temporal unfolding of our salvation is properly understood, we know why it is by faith .  We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly to the end the assurance we had at first (Hebrews 3:14). By faith what is future is counted as already ours ,  righteousness WILL be credited — for us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead (Romans 4:24).

It's the use of past, present, and future tenses to describe the process which confuses us, we are used to thinking in time linearly. We have the promise already by faith, but we must remain in faith and wait for its fulfillment. As Paul said -  I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. ...I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:13-14).




If judgment is Christ's, what will be his criteria? As was explained before when I touched on what has become known as The New Perspective on Paul , he examines your works – not that they earn your salvation, or are meritorious, but they demonstrate your faith. No works mean no faith because if his Spirit is in you, good works become natural and sin becomes abhorrent. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ (Romans 8:9).

You can profess faith all you want, attend Church, even perform miracles in his name, but if your works are evil - Christ is not in you . His atoning sacrifice, his shed blood will avail you nothing at the judgment. 

Matthew 7:22 ...and will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name, drove out demons in your name, and performed many miracles in your name, didn’t we?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘ I never knew you . Get away from me, you who practice evil!



The judgment is not simply a handing out of rewards, as some teach, your very soul is on the line. For those found in Christ , the inheritance and rewards are great indeed, but scripture is clear - sin and the suffering it causes will no longer be permitted to exist. The wages of sin are death (Rom. 6:23) and not just the end of your mortal existence here, the second death from which there is no return (Rev. 20:13-15).




God is going to make a new creation where righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:13). You cannot enter without becoming righteous and the power to overcome has already been made available. Don't wait until it is too late, his Spirit will not always strive with man. The day is coming when Christ will say let him who is filthy be filthy still (Rev. 22:11). Paul asks a very pointed question - do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? (1 Cor. 6:9)

Matthew 16:27 ... what can a man give in exchange for his soul.  For the Son of Man will come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will repay each one according to what he has done .

If you say all you need do is believe , I hope you mean in the sense of obedience, trust, commitment, and relationship. I hope you show mercy so that you will receive mercy. I hope that you do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I hope by the Spirit's power you overcome your carnal nature and show your repentance by your deeds.

I am not advocating a vain attempt to earn salvation by works. I am beseeching those who have not already done so, to accept Christ for real - personally, intimately, permanently. If Christ is formed in you, works of righteousness will come naturally. They are a manifestation of the new nature - evidence you are truly born again, your experience is genuine, your faith is authentic.

James 2:14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone  claims to have faith, but has no deeds ? Can such a faith save him?

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works , which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Acts 26:20 I (Paul) preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds .



]]> Wed, 05 Apr 2017 19:09:40 -0230 https://indiegospel.net/ken-rich/blog/5934/the-prosperity-gospel-refuted https://indiegospel.net/ken-rich/blog/5934
Here are a few brief examples. It would take a book, not an article, to cover them all in depth.

2 Corinthians 8:9 " For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich."

In splendid isolation, this text looks very supportive of the prosperity gospel. However, context is everything. As the well-known Bible commentator Albert Barnes said of this verse, Christ " ...was willing to leave his exalted station... and to become poor, in order that we might become rich in the blessings of the gospel... and (we) who have such an example, should be willing to part with our earthly possessions in order that we may benefit others."

It is clear from the weight of scripture, that Christ didn't leave his exalted position in heaven and sacrifice himself to make us millionaires, he did it to secure our salvation. If one would look just a little further in this chapter to verse 13, Paul summarizes what he is trying to communicate. It is NOT that God desires you to be financially wealthy, he was actually imploring the Church in Corinth to divest themselves of their riches in order to help those in need elsewhere. He was using Christ's wonderful example of self-sacrifice to inspire his audience.

Paul did not want one person (or one group) to have abundance while others suffered privation, he wanted those with excess to give to those who lacked. To create equality such that no one had to do without, the giver or the receiver.

2 Corinthians 8:13 " Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality."

Notice in the first two verses of this chapter Paul points to " believers " in need, which would not be the case if the Gospel is supposed to make believers rich (as some teach). If a " prosperity gospel " existed, it was certainly not working for these worthy souls.

2 Corinthians 8:1-2 " ...Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial , their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty ..."

Paul is talking about Churches. These are believers he considers authentic, even praiseworthy, who are experiencing extreme poverty . Does he tell them to just " name and claim " their wealth? Does he suggest they give the little they have to him, so that God will bless them back a hundred fold? Does he say if they would pay God a tithe, the windows of heaven would open and they would be showered with blessings? No, Paul asks those who are wealthy to give up their excess riches and support their poor brethren.

Christ's lofty example of self-sacrifice is simply used by Paul to encourage the Corinthians to sacrifice their lowly money. What the prosperity preachers read into 2 Corinthians 8 is that God desires them to be rich. What Paul actually advocates, is that those who have wealth should support the poor.






Another verse often ripped from its context is Mark 10:30 (below). Notice that they conveniently leave out verse 23 of the same chapter where Christ says " ...it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven ." They also leave out Christ's admonition to the rich man in verse 21 to “ Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor... " Instead, they focus on verse 30.

Mark 10:30 ... will fail to receive a hundredfold in the present age — houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and fields..."

Not seeing the beauty of belonging to the body of Christ and having all things in common, they teach that if you give up a house or field (for Christ), you will literally receive back a hundred houses or fields for your personal profit. It is forced literalism to suit their agenda.

They use this verse to support what some teachers call the “Law of Compensation.” It is quite different than the "Law of Christ" (LOVE). They want you to give them your money, to sow into their Ministry, enticed by the false promise that God will then bless you back 100 fold financially. They manipulate both the greed of the rich and the desperation of the needy.

For example, in a book called  God’s Will is Prosperity , Gloria Copeland says “Give $10 and receive $1,000; give $1,000 and receive $100,000... She is NOT asking you to GIVE TO THE POOR. To receive this blessing you must give to her and her billionaire husband Kenneth Copeland.

However, there is another teacher (named Jesus), in a much better book (called the Bible), who graphically illustrates that such giving is from faulty motives. In Luke 10:29-37 Jesus tells the story of the "good" Samaritan. He took from his own pocket to pay the expenses of a stranger he found in need. He didn't do it in order to receive and be blessed, but to give and be a blessing. His motive was love, not monetary gain, and we are told to do likewise.

Luke 10: 29-37 "...‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ ...Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Again, in Luke 6:35, Jesus taught us to give, even to our enemies, expecting  nothing in return. The false teachers tell you to give to them , expecting 100 fold back in return.

Luke 6:35 - " But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back . Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High , because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked."
Indeed, there is a reward for giving, but it is not monetary gain. It is spiritual gain, to live as a child of God. Both the motive and reward are different than what false teachers read into the text.






Another often used text that they misinterpret contextually and grammatically is:

3 John 1:2 "Beloved, I pray that in every way you may prosper and enjoy good health, as your soul also prospers."

First of all, it is a greeting, not a  doctrinal statement. Not that greetings can't also speak to doctrine but that is apparently not John's intent here. We need not have dollar signs in our eyes and view the text as the prosperity preachers do. Modern translations use language that does not carry the connotations some like to assign to this verse. What John was really saying has nothing to do with money.

3 John 1:2 - " Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit."




Let's take a quick look at a few verses that are often used as the collection plate is passed around. They are sold as God's guarantee that the money will come back to you multiplied.
Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

If you take a look at the train of thought in that chapter, this is actually talking about giving mercy, not money . It is in the context of judging others just as in Matthew 7:2. When you pray the Lord's prayer and ask that " your sins be forgiven just as you forgive others ", you are expressing the same thought. The same common proverbial expression is used in Mark 4:24 where spiritual knowledge is in view . Why make it about money when money isn't mentioned in these texts?

What about this verse, written over 400 years before the first Church even existed? The context is the nation of Israel where by law the various tribes supported the now defunct and obsolete Levitical Priesthood with part of their crops and flocks (not money). It refers to the requirement to store a tenth of their grain for the Levites. It has nothing to do with money, Churches, or the New Covenant - where free will giving , not tithing, is the model exclusively taught.
Malachi 3:10 " Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. "

How did grain become money, the storage silo become the Church, the promise of rain for bumper crops become financial rewards, and Levitical Priests become Christian Ministers? The tithe has no validity in the New Covenant, just as animal sacrifice, stoning, and hundreds of other practices, ended when Christ nailed the Mosaic law to his cross (Col. 2:14).

Just as circumcision of the flesh has now become circumcision of the heart (Romans 2:29), we no longer tithe but give from the heart (2 Cor. 9:7). Not by law, or compulsion, or by a set amount, our hearts determine the gift.

Even the Catholic Encyclopedia admits that the early Church was supplied by spontaneous offerings and it was not until the sixth century that a tithe was imposed based on the old law . Rome used it like a tax to support its massive structures and army of priests and prelates. When the Protestants broke away, some groups followed Rome's tradition, while others faithfully stood on God's Word (sola scriptura).

There is not one tithing verse in the entire Bible that can legitimately be applied to Christians, yet many modern Churches mandate a tithe in order to fill their coffers. The theological gymnastics involved amounts to a shameless twisting of scripture and willful ignorance of history.

Perhaps the most blatant and odious use of a pretext to solicit funds involves Christ's parable of sowing the seed of the WORD and reaping a SPIRITUAL harvest. This is morphed into sowing seed money and reaping a monetary reward up to 100 times what was sown. The underhanded guile of this claim is appalling.

Mark 4:20 " Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word , accept it, and produce a crop-- some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown ."







Matthew 6:24 "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

The prosperity Gospel is highly objectionable in that faith and prayer become tools to acquire material gain rather than justification before God and life in the Spirit. Not that there is anything wrong with provision but there is a great difference between God's promise to supply your daily bread and the expectation that he must make us rich if only we believe and pray in a way that unlocks his power to provide.

James 4:3 "You do not have because you do not ask God. " This verse is often quoted and tied to John 14:14 (and other verses) to support their mantra that all one must do is ask in faith and God will give you "ANYTHING".

By implication, if you do not have health or wealth, or something you desire, it is because you lack faith, or did not ask for it in prayer, or didn't sow into their Ministry to share in their anointing . In other words, you are not a " super " Christian like them, rolling in money, so you must be deficient in some way. You do not have success as they (and the world) measure success.

What they conveniently leave out is the rest of James 4 and other verses that set conditions for God's response to our prayers.

James 4:3 " When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures . "

1 John 5:14 -15 "If we ask anything according to his will ...






Christ did not leave any room for us to wonder about God's will when it comes to our relationship to material wealth. God is a God of provision. He doesn't want us stressing out over where our next meal is coming from. He promises that if you put his kingdom and righteousness first, he will supply what you need (not necessarily what you want). We are not to go chasing after riches like the pagans do, making the accumulation of wealth the goal of our life.

Matthew 6:32 - So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Does this verse teach that God is going to make us millionaires, or supply all of our wants or desires? No, not at all. However, it does mean he will provide for our daily bread, our sustenance. If we have our basic needs met we should be grateful and content with that, not clamoring after riches. Paul made this very clear:

1 Timothy 6:8-9 " But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction." (see also Hebrews 13:5, Luke 12:15 , Proverbs 30:8-9)





Still, prosperity preachers will go to great lengths to justify their lavish lifestyles and swollen bank accounts. They see no reason to be ashamed of their success, for in their minds that is the abundant life God promised.

Is it?  Does God wish us to pile up obscene wealth, live in opulent mansions, fly private jets, and drive luxury automobiles - while at the same time innocent children starve? Does such wealth come from God, or from fleecing those seeking God? It's not just TV Evangelists who follow the yellow brick road.  “Avarice,” by Vatican reporter Emiliano Fittipaldiand, and "Merchants in the Temple" by Italian journalist Gianluigi Nuzzirecently, recently added to the long list of books, movies, and documentaries exposing scandalous corruption in the Vatican.

 



Some point to Bible characters like Solomon to show that God does not object to wealth. I notice that they don't point to the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. The Jews of Christ's day also believed that wealth was a sign of favor from God, so he told that parable to correct their misconceptions.

Be that as it may, it is not a sin to be wealthy and Solomon is a valid example of someone to whom God gave enormous wealth. However, it didn't turn out to be a blessing to him but an example of how wealth can become your undoing. Solomon used his great wealth to surround himself with beautiful women from foreign cultures (despite God's warning and his great gift of wisdom). He had a thousand wives and concubines, a harem of temptation no man of ordinary means could afford. They corrupted him and he ended up building shrines to their pagan Gods.

Job was also very wealthy but God allowed the devil to take away all that he had, in order to test his faith . This raises enormous questions which cut to the very heart of the matter, to the very crux of the issue at hand. What is GOD trying to accomplish in us? How does HE measure success? What is it that GOD wants for us? The affliction of Job was for the same purpose as the affliction of Israel.

Isa. 48:10 Behold, I have refined you , but not as silver; I have chosen you in the furnace of affliction .




 
Some people like to heap up teachers who will paint a rosy picture.They want a cosmic " Santa Claus " in place of God, who will give them everything they want, accept every behavior, and demand nothing difficult from them.

They seem to have forgotten that in response to the fall, God's desire is not for us to be spoiled and lavished with creature comforts. That's what the natural man wants, but is it what God wants for us?

God cursed the ground (Genesis 3:17) for man's sake because in our existential sufferings we learn lessons the ease of the garden of Eden couldn't teach us. Show me someone who has had ease, comfort, prosperity, and health all their life, and I'll show you someone whose self-indulgence has forged the spiritual mettle of a marshmallow . It's trials and tribulations that develop perseverance and proven character, not ease and luxury.

Romans 5:3-5 " ...we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."

Theologians frame this issue in terms of antecedent will versus consequent will. God would prefer to have us live in a garden of Eden, wallowing in eternal bliss. However, he created us with free will and we chose a path of sin and rebellion. He responded with a plan of salvation that involves faith, repentance, discipline, and a process of sanctification.
Consider God's discipline. A small boy may not understand why their Father disciplines them, or forces them to eat right and exercise, or doesn't allow them to go somewhere with their friends. Although the boy can't understand and resents his Father's discipline, it doesn't mean that his Father doesn't love him - correctly understood , it is evidence that he does love him. 

Some teachers deny that God would ever bring affliction, or that suffering can be good for the soul. They promise only health, wealth, sunshine, and lollipops, but what does the word of God say?

Psalm 119:67 " Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word."

Hebrews 12:10-11 "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."




 
Don't get me wrong, I'm not against comfort, abundance, and provision. I'm not saying we should live in squalor, suffer the indignities of poverty, accept ill health, or go live on a mountaintop.

It's OK to want God to bless our finances, our health, our relationships, our circumstances. In the right hands, money can be a force for good. After all, the good Samaritan couldn't help his neighbor if he was in need himself, or home on a sick bed.

However, there is a reason we are given dire warnings about the deceitfulness of riches (Matt. 13:22), not to place our trust in them (1 Timothy 6:17), to guard against greed (Luke 12:15), NOT to live in luxury and self-indulgence (James 5: 1-6). Why did Christ pronounce woe to the rich (Luke 6:24), tell them to sell their possessions and give to the poor (Matthew 19:21), and declare it was harder for a rich man to enter heaven than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle (Mark 10:25)?
We are warned because wealth is no substitute for the far  greater blessing God is trying to produce in us! Worldly riches can actually be an impediment to obtaining spiritual riches. They can give us a false sense of security and attainment. What is the counsel Christ gives to believers who are deceived by wealth?

Revelation 3:17- 19 You say, ‘ I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing .’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked . I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire (faith) , so you can become rich ( spiritually); and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

There is a blessing that brings all other blessings in its train and God will go to great lengths to make sure you don't miss it. He may actually deprive you of your wealth (like Job), or allow various trials, to test your faith which is " more precious than gold" (1 Peter 1:7).

1 Peter 1:4-7 ...we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you... These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold —though your faith is far more precious than mere gold.

This agrees with what Paul said, that " our sufferings are achieving for us an eternal glory in heaven" (2 Cor. 4:17) " where eye has not seen, nor ear has not heard, nor has it even entered into the mind of man what God has prepared" (1 Cor. 2:9).

So do not exchange your inheritance in heaven, for worldly treasures - that would be a fool's bargain. Ask God to increase your faith, even though it may bring you trials and hardships, not luxury.

Mark 8:36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?






James 2:5 Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
It is true that God is the giver of every good gift. It's our perception of what is good for us, and how God should provide his gifts, that may be lacking.

Faith is good, but it needs to be refined in the furnace of affliction. Growth is good, but it comes with pruning. Correction is good, but it comes with discipline. Perseverance is good, but it comes through trials and tribulations. Promotion is good, but it is preceded by tests. 
Physical health is good, but like the child who is upset when his Father forces him to eat vegetables (instead of junk food), and walk (not be driven) to the bus stop, we want spiritual health without the hardships that help produce it. 
Consider the butterfly, it must go through a mighty and heart-rending struggle to escape from its cocoon. If you open the cocoon to make it easier, it will never be strong enough to fly. In the same way, we need the struggles and hardships of our lives to strengthen us spiritually. Lack of faith traps us in a cocoon of helplessness but our struggles strengthen us so that we can one day soar with spiritual power. 
That is the place of ultimate blessing that God would have us obtain. Like a refiner of silver, he holds us  in the fire until he sees himself reflected in us. Then, when the dross is purged away, we are truly blessed and our passage through the flame seems but a light affliction compared to the glory wrought in us. True riches, eternal blessings, pleasures at his right hand forevermore. The worldly treasures men seek cannot compare.

Matthew 6:10 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven... For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

]]> Tue, 28 Feb 2017 18:20:10 -0330 https://indiegospel.net/ken-rich/blog/5270/the-power-of-prayer https://indiegospel.net/ken-rich/blog/5270 Prayer is the breath of the soul. It is essential to the Christian experience. Although much can be found about prayer in the Bible there are three passages that help to put prayer into perspective for me:

Hebrews 10:19   Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us... Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith...

We can have confidence as we approach God in prayer. We can enter the very throne room of grace without fear or shame because of what Jesus has done. If you are like me with a sinful past and are still making mistakes, this is an important concept.

The second passage is the Lord's prayer itself.  Luke 11:2   When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

I usually start my prayer sessions with the Lord's prayer since it is recommended by Jesus himself. It simply and eloquently  covers all the bases . Then I move on to specific issues, which allows me to communicate in a personal, intimate relationship with God. I share all my hopes and dreams and cast all my cares upon him.  I always ask for forgiveness and for God to change me for the better.

He has not let me down. I was a very vile person in my youth. I was addicted to drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes, with filthy language, bad temper, and various other defects of character. Over the years ,God has changed me and taken me from victory to victory. His promises are sure and although I am not yet perfect, I am grateful I am not what I once was. Prayer has had everything to do with the changes wrought in me.

The third passage is  Daniel 6:10   ...Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.  

This passage is a great example and reminder of the effectiveness of a consistent prayer life. While I am sure he had his weak moments, there is no mention of Daniel sinning. How unlike David, Samson, Moses and most other Bible characters who had noteworthy defects of character. Daniel stood firm in his relationship with God, even though he was in a heathen land and in a position of power and temptation. I sometimes pray dozens of times in the course of a day depending on my circumstances. However, I always try to consistently communicate with my maker at least three times a day like Daniel. In fact, I just don't  feel  right if I miss a session.
I am reminded of a Pastor who taught me  before your feet even touch the ground, pray before getting out of bed . Wise advice! It starts you off on the right foot each day. Whatever trials await you, whether known or unknown, can be prepared for in advance. Power and help are available for all situations.

I am also reminded of a line in an old Country Gospel song  Mountains of Gold  (Dave Butler) which says that money  can't  buy  peace when you're sleeping and a conscience that's free . I know what can - prayer.
The power of prayer gives me something for which the rich and powerful would trade kingdoms and fortunes. When I retire for the evening, I review the trials, the sins, the regrets, the worries of the day and lay them at the feet of God in prayer. Then I drift off to sleep with something beyond price,  peace when I'm sleeping and a conscience that's free .



]]> Mon, 18 Apr 2016 14:15:31 -0230 https://indiegospel.net/ken-rich/blog/5176/romans-7-the-divided-man https://indiegospel.net/ken-rich/blog/5176
Personally, I reject Calvinism strenuously for its Manichean fatalism, introduced to Christianity by Augustine and later adopted by Calvin. However, I agree with the Calvinist camp on this particular text, with a few caveats.

With Arminians, I would agree that a regenerate person should have new motivations and be no longer DOMINATED by the sin nature. However, I disagree with the extremists who deny that there is any sin nature left to war with at all. Even Wesley, who fathered the doctrine of "Entire Sanctification", acknowledged the sin nature remains in a believer.

Only let it be remembered, that the heart, even of a believer, is not wholly purified when he is justified. Sin is then overcome, but it is not rooted out; it is conquered, but not destroyed. Experience shows him, First, that the roots of sin, self-will, pride, and idolatry, remain still in his heart. But as long as he continues to watch and pray, none of them can prevail against him. Experience teaches him, Secondly, that sin (generally pride or self-will) cleaves to his best actions: So that, even with regard to these, he finds an absolute necessity for the blood of atonement.  The Sermons of John Wesley - Sermon 123 The Deceitfulness Of The Human Heart

My view is somewhat of a " hybrid ", in the sense that I see the subject of Romans 7 to be Paul and regenerate (as Calvinists generally interpret the text), but I see free will (Arminian - libertarian) as the hinge upon which the war within swings.

There is no doubt Paul is forcefully bringing home the point that the law exposes the wretchedness of our natures, but can't cure us, showing our desperate need of salvation in Christ. Like an alcoholic who first has to admit he has a problem before he will seek a cure, Paul has to expose the wretch within, so that we see our depraved nature, our sin problem.

There is an implicit “ in and of myself ”, which undergirds Paul's statements. He is attempting to emphasize our plight - that we are helpless in OUR OWN power and a legalistic approach is utterly futile.

Romans 7 is not wholly autobiographical. Paul is drawing from personal experience, but laboring to make a point. NOT that wretched failure and depravity should be normative for a Christian, but that we have a REAL sin nature that must be overcome. Therefore, sin must be BOTH atoned for and warred against.

He uses the law to expose the sin problem, at the same time showing that legalism only exacerbates it, rather than solves it. This makes us appreciate more fully the atonement of the cross and the sanctifying influence of the Spirit. They are together brought out so beautifully in chapter 8, as the SOLUTION which brings VICTORY.
However, there is more here. WHY must the subject of chapter 7 (OF A NECESSITY) be seen as regenerate? What makes this important to the overall meaning expressed through ch. 5,6,7 and 8?

I believe it is the "NOW AND NOT YET" nature of the salvation described in the flow of these chapters, that causes some people to miss the meaning. Not maintaining the proper balance of NOW BUT NOT YET also leads some to stray too far toward Gnosticism, perfectionism, or other errors.
In Romans 7:25 Paul thanks God for salvation in Christ, yet in the very same breath reaffirms the CONFLICT REMAINS. In fact, chapter 8 describes how to fight the conflict outlined in 7 (which remains). Still, how can it remain, when Paul also said we are dead to sin and dead to the law (chapter 6)?
The answer is TIMING. We can COUNT ourselves dead to sin and alive in Christ (chapter 6) because it is a surety  IF we meet the condition of continued faith, UNTIL the redemption of our bodies (chapter 8). While inwardly groaning as we wait for the completion, chapter 7 exposes our depravity through the law, and chapter 8 shows us the cure for our depravity through life in the Spirit (and atonement).
So we are NOW dead to sin and alive "in Christ", but not FULLY dead UNTIL glorification. We ARE redeemed and no longer under condemnation, but we must CONTINUE to struggle to overcome the flesh by the Spirit. If we attempt to "freeze" any part of this transaction and remove it from the "NOW BUT NOT YET" context, we open ourselves to error.
Some say Paul (who actually thanks God for his salvation in 7:25) cannot possibly be saved (since his body in chapter  7 is subject to sin and death). These same people have absolutely no problem seeing salvation in chapter  8, YET the body is STILL subject to SIN AND DEATH in chapter 8.
Romans 8:10 But if Christ is in you, then EVEN THOUGH YOUR BODY IS SUBJECT TO DEATH BECAUSE OF SIN, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.
So their reasoning is flawed, and an essential truth is lost. The redemption in Christ applies EVEN THOUGH our bodies are not yet glorified and STILL subject to sin and death. There is NO CONDEMNATION yet our redemption is NOT FINALIZED, until the glorification of our bodies. So there is STILL a VERY REAL struggle to face, a WAR to be fought.
1 Peter 2:11 ...abstain from fleshly lusts which wage WAR against the soul.
The old man of sin does not die easily, nor fully UNTIL we are glorified. We NEED this awareness lest we become either DISCOURAGED or COMPLACENT as we learn to walk by the Spirit and put to death the misdeeds of the body (Romans 8:13).
Encouragement for those who stumble:
1 John 2:1 I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
Warning Against Complacency
1 Cor 10:12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.
We are to strive for perfection (Phil 3:12), but practically speaking we all stumble in many ways (James 3:2) and groan inwardly until the final glorification of our bodies (Romans 8:23). There is no excuse for sin, for the power to OVERCOME is available and we are required to do so. Not that we will never sin, but it shall not be our master , we will not habitually  sin, we will not make a  practice  of sin.

The Spirit can be resisted, grieved, even quenched, so if we do sin it's because of our free will choice, not because the power to overcome is not available. Thus " predestined monergism " and " once saved always saved " are falsified by how we relate to the " already, but not yet " nature of the salvation process. We must cooperate with the Spirit, and it's not over until we are glorified. The process is synergistic and ongoing. If you choose to give up along the way, you will make a "shipwreck of your faith" (1 Tim 1:9). 

Hebrews 3:14  For we have become partakers of Christ  IF we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end...

Rev. 21:7 He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.

Those who deny the struggle of the regenerate taught in Romans 7 and 8 are on a dangerous path. When practical experience doesn't live up to their theology, disillusionment or self-deception are inevitable. We must overcome, but it is not easy or instantaneous.

Perseverance is required, real commitment over a lifetime. We will have difficult battles to fight but the Spirit will help us if we let him. If we have a temporary setback, forgiveness is available. We must not become discouraged - we must keep moving forward - we must overcome.

Romans 8:13  For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but IF by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
"Proclamation of a gospel which promises only pardon, peace and power will result in converts who sooner or later become disillusioned or deceitful about their Christian experience.” (Dunn, Romans 7: 14-25 in the Theology of Paul, pg. 273).

For more on salvation please read this article on soteriology called -  Grace - Sovereign, Free, or Saving . ]]> Sat, 05 Mar 2016 14:58:24 -0330 https://indiegospel.net/ken-rich/blog/5175/why-does-god-allow-suffering https://indiegospel.net/ken-rich/blog/5175 I would not be so presumptuous as to claim an authoritative answer that others have missed. However, I do think there are some insights into this mystery, that God has provided in his Word.

The problem of suffering appears to be centered around free will. God created us (and the angels) with free will, and if he had not, we would be mere robots - not truly alive. He created us as free moral agents with the ability to choose right or wrong. 

Love is the supreme ethic God is trying to establish in us, but it cannot be forced. It cannot exist without the free will to choose it, thus, freedom is an absolute necessity. However, freedom is a dangerous thing, since it can be abused. What if someone chooses not to love?

We can frame this issue in terms of antecedent will versus consequent will. God would prefer to have us live in a garden of Eden, wallowing in eternal bliss. However, he created us with free will and we chose a path of sin and rebellion. He responded with a plan of salvation that involves faith, repentance, discipline, and a process of sanctification.

There is a path back to Eden but it is neither instant nor easy. The restoration of all things will come at the appointed time (Acts.3:21), and until then all creation groans, as we wait in hope for what we do not yet have (Romans 8:22).

We live in a fallen world and although there are different causes of suffering, much of it is caused by sin. It is often horrific, senseless, and certainly not the will of God. Rather, it stems from the abuse of free will by created beings (angels or men) and results in judgment by God.

The Bible says that Satan was once a covering Cherub full of wisdom and perfect in beauty . It says he was perfect in all of his ways until iniquity was found in him ( Ez . 28) . God didn't make a devil, he created a powerful being who chose to become evil. In fact, pride was identified as the cause of his fall. 
The Bible says he rebelled and there was war in heaven. The devil was cast out and his angels ( one-third chose to follow him) were cast out with him (Rev. 12). God could have destroyed them on the spot, but he doesn't want his creation to serve him out of fear, but out of love . In his sovereignty, he predetermined a set amount of time, to allow these issues to be experientially understood by all. That sin causes suffering, that evil must be destroyed because of the terrible consequences it brings.
Ecclesiastes 3:17 God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity , a time for every deed  

In fact, Jesus told us in the parable of the wheat and tares that an enemy has done this. The situation must be dealt with over the course of time , not immediately corrected. Otherwise, harm would come to us and we would be uprooted along with the tares. When the time is right, when it is safe to do so without harming us, God will intervene to bring judgment upon the malefactors, healing for the victims, and restoration to all of creation.

Matthew 13:24-30 - " He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’

Do that miss that critical point - God has very good reasons for not acting immediately. Do not think that means he is doing nothing, or is unaware, or doesn't care, or is powerless. His response involves a time element , which some misinterpret as indifference or inaction. 
To this day, fallen angels, and also fallen men, are in rebellion against God and make war against his saints. Many battles take place in the spiritual realm, and like any war there are casualties. Sometimes innocent children are hurt or killed. No one is more grieved by this than God, but rest assured, not even a sparrow falls to the ground without his knowledge and care (Mt.10:29). 
Vengeance is mine sayest the Lord and although it may seem (from our limited perspective) that injustices and cruelty go unanswered, they do not. God is independent of time (as we understand it), and every crime will meet with judgment in the end (Heb. 10:30). 
Judgment is coming , sin and sinners will be no more - there is a set time and place when all this will end ( Rev. 20:11) . Scripture says affliction will not rise up a second time ( Na.1:9) . God's principles will be vindicated as righteous and all of creation will worship him in love, without doubting his leadership. They will have freedom, but will not abuse it, nothing impure will remain (Rev. 21:27). 
It is written that God is not mocked - we will reap what we sow  (Gal. 6:7). God is not mocked because when you choose to remove God from your life, you have no protection from the devil, or from your own evil impulses. Most of us are self-destructive and our own worst enemies. It's not that God strikes you down, he respects your freedom and backs away. God is not mocked also, in the sense that no one gets away with anything. Judgment is coming and all your secrets are bare before him . 
There will be a happy ending to the story, for all but the unrepentant. Those who turn in repentance to God, and the innocents who suffered at the hands of the wicked, or those who died cruelly from famine or disease before even having a chance to develop - have a God of infinite power and love to restore and heal them. 
The Bible says God himself will wipe away our tears (Rev.21:4), and that eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it even entered into the heart of man the things God has in store for those who love him (1 Cor. 2:9) . Those who have suffered in this short life, have much to look forward to - for eternity (Is.65:17). 
It's our linear view of time, our finite minds, our myopic perspective, that prevent us from grasping the ultimate meaning and purpose of this enigma. The great apostle Paul suffered beatings, scourging, stoning, persecution, opposition, shipwreck, peril, privation, imprisonment, and was eventually beheaded - yet he said this: 
2 Corinthians 4:17 Our suffering is light and temporary and is producing for us an eternal glory that is greater than anything we can imagine.  
There are different reasons and causes for hardship and suffering. Not all suffering is senseless and cruel! There is a form of suffering that is actually good and beneficial. We are told that God disciplines those he loves , like a Father meting out punishment to an erring child. Such discipline is unpleasant, but for our ultimate good (Heb. 12:7-11). We must trust his plan for our lives. Besides corrective discipline, God allows trials and tribulations to strengthen us, and cause spiritual growth. 
Romans 5:3 ...we also rejoice in our sufferings , knowing that suffering works perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope: and hope doesn't disappoint us...  
Gardeners sometimes prune plants to cause them to grow better. Some things (we perceive as bad or unpleasant) God allows because of the harvest it produces in us spiritually. This is another form of suffering that is actually good for us, in the long run. 
You see, God is not a cosmic Santa Claus like some teachers make him out to be. He is far more interested in forming a right character and faith in you than he is in spoiling you with wealth, or lavish creature comforts. He may even allow the devil to deprive you of your worldly comforts, to try your faith. 
Job's faith was tested and he was a better man because of it. The fact that God gave back double what was taken from him, was just an added bonus to the real benefit - faith tried in the furnace of affliction . 
Isa. 48:10 Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have chosen you in the furnace of affliction.  
For a deeper understanding of God's discipline, I recommend this article - Tough Love - In the Furnace of Affliction? I remind you that I am not talking about the sinful, senseless, mindless brutality that sometimes occurs. Sin and the suffering it causes is not God's will. He created the earth to be a garden of Eden , which we forsook. Unfortunately, our way back to Eden is a difficult, rocky, narrow path - not the broad road of ease and self-indulgence.
Acts 14:22 "We must endure many hardships to get into the kingdom of God."

1 Peter 1:6-7 ...you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials ...

Peter says above that the trials have a definite purpose - to test and purify our faith so that it is genuine. He says below that we should consider it normal, not strange, that these fiery trials come...

1 Peter 4:12-13   " Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you...
It is also helpful to keep in mind that the tests God brings, are only for a season. When their purpose is complete, God himself will restore and establish you. Perhaps in a new level of responsibility, or with greater power to operate in. He is growing you up into Christ, refining you, strengthening you, leading you to greater things...

1 Peter 5:10 ... after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

Job 23:10 ...when he has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. 
Why do some blame God? We chose to join the devil in rebellion. God is doing everything that he can (short of taking away our freedom), to lead us to love and truth. He sent the prophets and we stoned them, he sent his own Son and we brutally tortured and killed him. We chose to crucify Christ, rather than repent and learn to love one another, as he taught. 
God loves us so much, that he endured watching us torture his Son - just so he could save those who would choose to turn from sin and suffering. Jesus loves us so much, that he took the abuse, in order to save us from ourselves, and the devil's manipulations. God himself suffers and is grieved, he can identify with you in your sufferings. 
This brings us to grace . Jesus provided a way for you to wipe the slate clean , even if your sins have caused great suffering to others. He took the punishment you deserve, and if you will allow him to (freewill), he will apply the merits of his sacrifice to cover your sin. He will also transform you, by the renewing of your mind, and form a right character in you - if you allow his Spirit to indwell you.

Rev. 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Notice that God is actively seeking entrance to your heart. He seeks, he knocks, he calls, but it's up to you to open the door and let him in . He doesn't force his way in, a synergism exists whereby God initiates and we respond. 
Please don't get lost in the endless arguments between Calvinism and Arminianism. The extremes of both positions are wrong. A strict fatalistic monergism is flawed, as is an over-emphasis on man's part in the synergy, such that God's sovereignty is not acknowledged. 
Our freewill exists within the predetermined limits that God, in His sovereignty, has imposed  
God foresaw the problem of sin. In fact, the plan of salvation was predestined before the world was formed.

Rev. 13:8 the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world...  
The plan of salvation was predestined , but your participation in it is a free will choice  
It's up to you to choose the free gift of salvation by faith in Christ or to continue in sinful rebellion until God is forced to end the suffering you are causing - the hard way. The finally impenitent will meet their fate. 
2 Peter 2:5 he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people...
Psalm 37:38 But all sinners will be destroyed ; the future of the wicked will be cut off...
Romans 6 For the wages of sin is death ...
Ezekiel 33:1 1 - As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live.  
Unfortunately, most people just don't get it. Don't blame God for what the wicked do, blame the wicked for not doing what God does -  love . 
Also, rest assured, judgment will be executed and the rebellion will be put down - along with the suffering it causes. For the people of God, there will be peace, love, and beauty forever - as it should be. 
2 Thessalonians 1 :7-9 This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power
Rev. 21:3-4 Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.



]]> Sat, 05 Mar 2016 14:56:11 -0330 https://indiegospel.net/ken-rich/blog/3719/grace-only-available-to-sinners https://indiegospel.net/ken-rich/blog/3719 We wouldn't need mercy if we were righteous. Whether it is nations and people groups, or individuals, we all have a common affliction and a common need for mercy and forgiveness. I think it is only when we try and fail, when we stumble and fall, do we recognize our true condition and perceive our need for God. Perhaps that's why he gives us so much freedom. 
I like to characterize myself as an  old sinner  saved by grace. None of us are getting saved any other way! I even call the album I am working on " Songs from a Sinner ". It's what I was (big time), and without Jesus, it is what I am. Without him, it's all I can ever be - o nly in Christ,  do I have any claim to righteousness! 
Sometimes, I run into the self-righteous sort, who say things like " what a name for an album - I thought you were supposed to be a Christian - why do you call yourself a sinner ?" However, like Paul, I must declare myself " the chief of sinners " (and do away with any pretense). Only in Christ, am I anything but a sinner. I must get out of bed each day and  crucify  the old man. If I allow myself to live, instead of Christ living in me, I will inevitably sin, despite all the theology I have studied or how valiantly I strive to apply it. Romans 6:6; Ephesians 2:15; 4:22-24; and Colossians 3:9-11 . 

Some sincere Christians deny that believers possess a sin nature which must be warred against and overcome. Often, it is because they have misunderstood Wesley's doctrine of " entire sanctification " and take it to extremes that he did not intend. Yes, we are to press forward in Christian maturity and perfection of character but with the knowledge that until glorification we still have a sin nature to contend with, though it should no longer dominate us.

Only let it be remembered, that the heart, even of a believer, is not wholly purified when he is justified. Sin is then overcome, but it is not rooted out; it is conquered, but not destroyed. Experience shows him, First, that the roots of sin, self-will, pride, and idolatry, remain still in his heart. But as long as he continues to watch and pray, none of them can prevail against him. Experience teaches him, Secondly, that sin (generally pride or self-will) cleaves to his best actions: So that, even with regard to these, he finds an absolute necessity for the blood of atonement.  The Sermons of John Wesley - Sermon 123 The Deceitfulness Of The Human Heart

In fact, Paul says his righteousness as a Pharisee (blameless under the law), was rubbish compared to the righteousness that comes through faith in Christ. (Philippians 3:4-9). You would be hard pressed to find anyone who was more zealous, or better trained, but self-effort didn't result in righteousness for Paul! He came to realize that he was a sinner, who needed salvation by grace, through faith. 
Romans 3 21-24   ...For there is no distinction among people since all have sinned and  continue  to fall short of God's glory. By his grace, they are justified freely through the redemption that is in the Messiah Jesus...  
You see, only Christ's spotless robe of righteousness is acceptable at the marriage supper of the Lamb. Those who think their own righteousness (filthy rags by comparison) are worthy, are in for a shock (Matt. 22:13). We must allow Christ to take away our filthy garments, and be covered in HIS robe. A merciful covering for our sin and shame - a gift we cannot earn and don't deserve. That's grace - it's free, but it's only available to sinners! 
In the story of the Pharisee and the publican, only one went home justified, the one who confessed he was a sinner. The self-righteous, the hypocrites, the presumptuous, do not receive the imparted, or imputed righteousness of Christ. You must come to the place where you realize your true condition before you will perceive your need for a Savior and throw yourself on God's mercy.

That's not to say that we need not repent, or need not war against and overcome sin. He will empower and motivate us to do so, as long as we choose to abide in him. Sin will no longer be our master, we are called to walk uprightly, not in the habitual sin of our former lives. However, if we stumble in our walk, we have an advocate. Grace and mercy for our shortcomings  is  available.


1 John 2:1  My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.  
Proverbs 28:13   He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.  

If you have been confused by the conflicting messages coming from different " camps " within Christianity regarding sin and salvation, here is a little deeper study along these lines Romans 7 - The Divided Man
]]> Thu, 04 Jun 2009 11:17:37 -0230 https://indiegospel.net/ken-rich/blog/3702/powerful-testimony-think-god-cant-change-you-think-again https://indiegospel.net/ken-rich/blog/3702
Barry Mayson had drug addictions, a tough life, some very serious obstacles to overcome, but he was still saved! He even converted the "hit-men" sent to kill him   and later founded a Christian Biker Ministry.
If you think you (or someone you know) is too far gone, too steeped in sin to ever turn back - think again. We serve an awesome God! Isaiah 59:1 Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear...

Click HERE for Barry Mayson's story in text, or HERE for him giving a testimony on video which is extremely powerful. You can also watch the Biker Ministry video below where Barry is the narrator and one of the actors. Visit Biker Heaven for more info about Biker Ministry, or Rey Perez for awesome Biker music and resources.
 
]]> Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:46:35 -0230 https://indiegospel.net/ken-rich/blog/3487/prayer-request-for-a-biker-ministry https://indiegospel.net/ken-rich/blog/3487













It's that time of year again. When bikers from all over the globe converge on the town of Sturgis, South Dakota, for the largest biker rally in the world.




To some, this is a mission field, an opportunity to witness for Christ and spread the Gospel - especially among the notorious 1%'s. If you think you have a tough audience , imagine if you were witnessing to the leaders of the "Hell's Angels", "Mongols", "Pagans", "Outlaws" and other Biker Clubs.




It takes a special breed to fulfill such a calling, and Rey Perez , is one such individual. He has traveled over 350,000 miles doing Biker Ministry - taking the Gospel to the least, the last, and the lost. Before that, he traveled the world with Nicky Cruz , as one of the band members for his Crusades.




Once again, he is heading out, seeking divine appointments, grace, power, and protection - as he crosses several states to witness at Sturgis. Won't you take a moment to pray for him, and the success of his Ministry?




Rey has a smokin' hot Latin Gospel album called " The Road Warrior ". It even includes a track called "Sonny" written especially for Sonny Barger - the founder of the "Hell's Angels". He has a 20 minute Biker Ministry video titled Dead End Road , which dramatizes the eternal consequences of our choices (through the lives of two bikers who are on different paths). He also distributes Gospel tracts, and has one on one conversations (he calls divine appointments), with some of the top people in the biker world.




If you would like to know more about his extraordinary Ministry, read this interview in Divine Inspirations Magazine . It's a view into the heart of a warrior for God - don't miss it.




Personally, I have been so impressed by his life and Ministry, that it inspired me to write a song and produce a music video called The Biker Blues . He also inspired the Biker Heaven Internet Ministry, which has a social group you can join.




Please pray that souls will be won, and Christ will be uplifted. Pray that Rey's Ministry will serve as a light in a dark place, as he once again takes the Gospel to Sturgis this year.




Ken Rich

http://kenrich.me



]]> Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:18:27 -0230 https://indiegospel.net/ken-rich/blog/3217/vatican-crimes-against-humanity-rev-17-18 https://indiegospel.net/ken-rich/blog/3217
This is an article which could be considered offensive if taken out of context. I am speaking about a system, a power, an institution, a city/state that is a sovereign country. I love the Catholic people enough to tell them the truth about the system that subjugates not only them but much of the world. My quarrel is not with the Catholic people, but with the Vatican. In fact, some of my best friends are Catholics, and my own Father was an altar boy.


The Apostle Peter stated what is my sincere hope and prayer for all who read this:
2 Peter 3:14-18 " ...make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight... Be on guard so that you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing. Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
 
Please click the links and pictures for videos, news stories, books, articles, websites, and Bible verses – all of which support the positions taken in this article. Take the time to investigate and examine the evidence for yourself. The truth is not fragile and has nothing to fear from examination or debate. Only darkness fears the withering light of scrutiny. 

 
The Pope has been accused of heinous crimes at the International Criminal Court (ICC) . It's in every major news service from Reuters, the BBC, AFP, and so on. Here is just one of many similar articles - Child abuse victims accuse the pope of crimes against humanity
 
In case you think this is just a few disgruntled victims, or a Protestant ploy, please note that the Prime Minister of Ireland (from a conservative Catholic background) is among those accusing the Vatican of sabotaging efforts to protect children . This, after a government inquiry uncovered horrendous, widespread, systematic abuse by the Church, in the Catholic-dominated country.
>


"The rape and torture of children were downplayed or 'managed' to uphold instead the primacy of the institution, its power, standing and 'reputation'.. . because of “ the horrors it perpetrated, hid and denied , ” Kenny called for action by the government to make sure the law “will always supersede canon laws that have neither legitimacy nor place in the affairs of this country.”" Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny
 
Amnesty International, the world’s largest human rights organization, has also exposed the Vatican for not removing alleged perpetrators from their posts pending proper investigations, not cooperating with judicial authorities to bring them to justice, and not ensuring proper reparation to victims.
 
Vatican officials have been running a massive PR campaign (with more spin than a washing machine), but denial is no longer an option. According to this BBC documentary, the Pope has protected and enabled pedophiles, causing the rape and torture of children - BBC News - Sex, Crimes, and the Vatican
 
Ratzinger (who became Pope Benedict) was the Vatican's enforcer of Crimen Sollicitationis (characterized by legal experts as a blueprint for cover-up), for over twenty years. As Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (formerly known as the Inquisition ), he was responsible when victims were silenced, and pedophile Priests escaped prosecution to offend again.

There is no denying the fact that the worldwide system of covering up cases of sexual crimes committed by clerics was engineered by the Roman Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith under Cardinal Ratzinger (1981-2005). During the reign of Pope John Paul II, that congregation had already taken charge of all such cases under oath of strictest silence. Ratzinger himself, on May 18th, 2001, sent a solemn document to all the bishops dealing with severe crimes ( "epistula de delictis gravioribus" ), in which cases of abuse were sealed under the "secretum pontificium" , the violation of which could entail grave ecclesiastical penalties. Open Letter to Catholic Bishops by the theologian Fr Hans Küng

When facing legal action in America and Belgium (with damming evidence against him), Pope Benedict escaped justice by claiming diplomatic immunity . Now charged by SNAP at the ICC (International Criminal Court) with over 20,000 pages of evidence, the Vatican must now attempt to buy, bully, or ignore the ICC.


This story of abuse and cover-up has been repeated over and over again, all over the world. Will justice finally be served? According to all of the great Protestant Reformers and scholars over the centuries, the answer is a resounding YES. Luther, Knox, Huss, Wycliffe, Calvin, Tyndale, Fox, Wesley, Newton, Bunyan and all the other great leaders of the Reformation, taught the Historicist interpretation of Prophecy .
 
In this view, the great whore of Revelation 17-18 is the Roman Church. She will be judged by God . The very Kings that are now her puppets, will turn on her. Judged not just for child abuse, but for the millions martyred during the inquisitions, the many wars she started to further her power, for piling up obscene wealth while others starved, and for rank heresy - the doctrines of demons. Her cup of iniquity is indeed full. 
 
A Great Cloud of Witnesses: "Wycliffe, Tyndale, Luther, Calvin, Cranmer,  Bunyan, the translators of the King James Bible and the men who published the Westminster and Baptist confessions of Faith; Sir Isaac Newton, Wesley, Whitfield, Jonathan Edwards; and more recently Spurgeon, Bishop J.C. Ryle and Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones; these men among countless others, all saw the office of the Papacy as the antichrist ." Taken from All Roads Lead to Rome, by Michael de Semlyen. Dorchestor House Publications, p. 205. 1991.


Since the Vatican is not just a Church and a city, but also a country, they have in the past used diplomatic immunity to escape prosecution (when legal action against the Pope was initiated). Perhaps they will manage to dodge the bullet yet again, however, such tactics will not be successful forever - according to the sure word of prophecy.
 
Revelation 18: 4-8 ... “ Come out of her , my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes...She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her .
 
This view is in stark contrast to Rome's counter-reformation interpretation called Futurism. It was rejected by Protestant Christians for centuries, but has become wildly popular and accepted today. It entered Protestant circles through men like Darby and Scofield, and has been promoted so furiously that it is now assimilated into the collective consciousness .
 
A type of mass hypnosis , group think , or herd mentality now prevails, whereby the very word anti-Christ is automatically associated with a future political dictator (even by many non-Christians). Futurism is the great end-time delusion , but it is rapidly falling apart as events unfold.
 

2 Thessalonians 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God
 
We hold upon this earth the place of God almighty - Pope Leo XIII Encyclical Letter of June 20, 1894
 
As strange as it seems, most Christians today have allowed the anti-Christ to tell them who the anti-Christ is. As foretold, the people would rather believe a lie than the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:11). The truth is inconvenient, politically incorrect, frightening, and divisive (especially in today's Vatican led climate of compromise and false ecumenism). The truth creates cognitive dissonance in those who have been indoctrinated with the seductive alternative provided by Rome. 
 
" Every Reformer , without exception, spoke of the papacy as Antichrist " - R. Allen Anderson, Unfolding the Revelation, p.137
 
The Reformers include some of the greatest and most respected scholars the world has ever seen. They do not make this accusation against the Papacy lightly, in ignorance, or simply based on the Vatican's notorious evil deeds. They were convinced because the Bible itself points to the Papacy as the anti-Christ system, in many prophetic passages .
 
“In all ages of the Church, from the days of Gregory the Great down to the present, men have pointed to the Papacy as the fulfilment of the prophecy . That interpretation is set forth in the Homilies of the Church of England and by all the Reformed Churches. Dr. Charles H. H. Wright  - “Daniel and His Prophecies,” p. 168. London: 1906.
 

Most modern Christians do not understand that the Vatican has been steeped in vice, corruption, and evil for centuries . If you think Protestants simply vilify the Papacy due to bias, here are excerpts from a book by a highly educated Jesuit Vaticanist , who lays bare the sorted history of the Popes - Peter de Rosa, Vicars of Christ: The Dark Side of the Papacy .
 
Protestants got the name Protestant, because they protested the evils of Popery - at the risk (and very often the cost), of their lives.
 
Many of today's Protestant Churches have been infiltrated , deceived, and corrupted. Some teach Catholic doctrines their forefathers gave their lives opposing in Rome's bloody inquisitions . Churches who once fought against apostasy, are now joining ecumenical councils led by the Popes, and have become harlot daughters in their mother's brothel (Rev. 17:5).
 
I include myself as one who had the " wool pulled over their eyes ". Like almost all Christians today, I too was tricked into scouting the horizon for some future anti-Christ, while his agents of deception were already perverting the Gospel, corrupting governments, and raping little children the world over. The success of Rome's futurist deception, allows the anti-Christ system to operate virtually unopposed.
 
"...It is a matter for deep regret that those who advocate the futurist system at the present day, Protestants as they are for the most part, are really playing into the hands of Rome, and helping to screen the Papacy from detection as the Antichrist. " Rev. Joseph Tanner, Daniel and the Revelation, pp. 16, 17.
 

Intellectual pride is blinding! The mind rebels when we are presented with evidence that we have been duped . Still, even those who do not yet understand how the Papacy fulfills the prophecies of anti-Christ ( Historicist Eschatology ), are being forced to open their eyes. It's an undeniable fact that the Vatican is responsible for unspeakable evil and deception . Even atheists and secularists are aghast at the extent of Rome's horrific depravity.
 
If the Vatican can't be trusted to tell the truth about child rape and torture, how can they be trusted to tell the truth about anything - including Bible prophecy? Yet, self-proclaimed prophecy experts of every stripe, are blindly parroting and promoting Rome's futurist interpretation of prophecy. Somehow, widespread ignorance and apathy prevails, concerning its counter-reformation intent and pedigree.
 
For a sound refutation of the futurist position and a defense of Historicism, please read End of the Age and Strong Delusion . Whatever your current stance on Eschatology, one thing is certain - it's time for us to wake-up and smell the brimstone. We must be roused from our sleepy complacency, and confront the evil that has taken root within the very structures of organized Christianity. History is littered with the record of the Pope's crimes against humanity, so why do our children continue to be at the mercy of these wolves in sheep's clothing ?
 
The corrupting influence, and geo-political power of the Vatican , must come to an end. The Papacy received it's great power and authority not from Apostolic succession, but through the Edict of Emperor Justinian, which was implemented in 538 AD. It laid a legal framework, establishing the Bishop of Rome as the supreme Ecclesiastical power, backed by the weight of Rome's civil law. Justinian deposed Silverius, and installed Vigilius as Bishop of Rome, investing him with the authority of his Decretal Letter. ( “Vigilius...ascended the papal chair (538 A.D.) under the military protection of Belisarius. " History of the Christian Church, Vol. 3 p. 327).
 
The horrors of the dark ages followed, with the succeeding Popes consolidating power, and controlling the politics and religion of Europe with an iron fist . The power of the Papacy was broken in 1798 when Napoleon's General Berthier captured the Pope and he died in exile.

Daniel 7:26  ... they shall take away his dominion, to consume and destroy it unto the end". We have been watching the slow consumption and deterioration of the power it once held in the Middle Ages. The Papacy keeps trying to regain it's temporal power and unite Europe beneath it, but all attempts are doomed to fail.

In 1929 the modern Papacy achieved statehood, via the Fascist Mussolini and the Lateran Pact. Four short years later in 1933, Pope Pius XI signed a Concordat with Hitler (via Cardinal Pacelli and Franz Von Papen), laying the groundwork for WWII.
 
The Vatican and the Nazi's

Read " The Secret History of the Jesuits " by Edmond Paris, for more information about the Papacy's orchestration of both World Wars (and many others). A history the revisionists in Rome don't want you to discover, yet the evidence is not all locked away in the secret archives of the Vatican Library. After WWII the Vatican smuggled their Nazi stooges away to safety, through the now infamous and well documented " rat lines ". Fascism didn't end, but it was forced to regroup elsewhere.
 


The Vatican raped and pillaged the wealth of Europe for centuries. They have an almost limitless supply of " old money " and an unparalleled " old boys " network to promote their interests around the world. They control industries, banks, institutions, and levers of power. From media empires to centers of learning, to secret societies that isolate and compartmentalize their control mechanisms. From hush funds to slush funds, to lobby groups, they are the power brokers behind the scenes and the undisputed masters of political intrigue.   Though under attack from many quarters, and in decline, the Papacy remains a formidable force on the world stage even today.
 

Render unto Caesar? Who's picture is on the coin?

 

Watch this 2002 full-length movie The Bankers of God: The Calvi Affair if you want to catch a glimpse of how the world's oldest political machine operates. Apparently, the only thing they hide and shuffle around faster than their pedophile priests is their money.
 
Despite their well-financed propaganda machine, the Vatican has not been entirely successful in glossing over the disturbing truths of history, or their modern crimes. Even the finest PR companies money can buy, can't absolve them of crimes against children - no matter how much money they throw at the problem, or how much they feign sympathy. 
 

The Catholic church is the biggest financial power , wealth accumulator and property owner in existence. She is a greater possessor of material riches than any other single institution, corporation, bank, giant trust, government or state of the whole globe. — "The Vatican Billions" Avro Manhattan
 
2 Corinthians 11: 13-15 ...such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness.
 
Matt. 7:16 Jesus said - You will know them by their fruits .  
 
In Europe, the woman rides the beast again. What the Vatican failed to achieve by brute force in WWII, they are now attempting through  financial coercion and political intrigue . Corruption grows, money mysteriously disappears, and governments surrender their hard-won democratic rights and freedoms. It's doomed to fail but still, the attempt is being made to once again breath life into an image of the Roman Empire, as it did in times past. The political powers will eventually turn on her in full force (Rev. 17-18), 
 

 
Ratzinger should not be allowed to escape prosecution, and the depths of the Vatican's evils should be thoroughly exposed. Pope Francis brings his own baggage from Argentina but has now become the whitewashed face on an empire of evil. It's subversive and seductive stranglehold on governments, monetary systems, and competing religious institutions, must be fully broken. Otherwise, children will remain unprotected from merciless evil and unspeakable suffering - as recently exposed in Ireland and elsewhere all around the world .
 

 
The Boys of St. Vincent - is a movie based on real-life events at the Catholic Church's infamous Mount Cashel Orphanage, where they raped little boys mercilessly for decades (in Newfoundland, Canada). Inflicting tortures like beatings with pool cues, belt buckles, and so on - to make the children comply with sodomy and other sickening perversions.

I watched a now broken old man, testify on local TV of how the blankets would stick to the wounds inflicted on him as a helpless child - by what he called the " Devil's Advocates ". The blood dried into the sheets as he slept, only to be brutally ripped from his body, tearing the scabs from his wounds and jolting him awake for another day with his tormentors.
The residential schools for native children in Canada were likewise exposed as hellholes of sexual depravity and murderous violence. As inquiries in Ireland , Australia , Denmark , and elsewhere have revealed, governments become entangled and complicit by committing political fornication with the whore of Revelation 17:2. Innocent children are left without protection, and their abuse is sometimes even unwittingly sponsored and paid for from public coffers.
 

 
 
2 Thessalonians 2:11-12  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion , that they should believe a lie : That they all might be damned who believed not the truth...
 
Delusion is involved because there is nothing new or novel in what this article presents. The Vatican didn't suddenly turn evil, and both its evils and it's fulfillment of anti-Christ Bible prophecies has been proclaimed for centuries by both historians and Church leaders. What blinds people to the truth? I implore you once more to read End of the Age and Strong Delusion
 
Arnulf Bishop of Orleans (Roman Catholic)
"deplored the Roman popes as " monsters of guilt " and declared in a council called by the King of France in 991AD that the pontiff, clad in purple and gold, was, " Antichrist, sitting in the temple of God, and showing himself as God " - Phillip Schaff, History of the Christian church, 8 vols., reprint of the 3d (1910)ed. (Grand Rapids Mich.: Wm. B Eerdmans Publishing Co., n.d.)
 
John Wesley: (Methodist)
"He (the Pope) is in an emphatical sense, the Man of Sin, as he increases all manner of sin above measure. And he is, too, properly styled the Son of Perdition, as he has caused the death of numberless multitudes, both of his opposers and followers... He it is...that exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped...claiming the highest power, and highest honour...claiming the prerogatives which belong to God alone."  Taken from Antichrist and His Ten Kingdoms by John Wesley, pg. 110.


Since many doctrines and dogmas of Catholicism are in opposition to a sound exegesis of scripture (or have no scriptural support at all), Catholic apologists often resort to the pretense of Papal primacy and magisterial authority. 
 
Let no one deceive you - Rome's claims to authority are based on   known forgeries and a deceptively selective and inventive use of records left by Church "Fathers ". Their arguments can seem very convincing until you check for historical accuracy and context. See The Church Fathers' Interpretation of the Rock of Matthew 16:18 .

History does not validate the Pope's claims, it actually exposes them as deceivers . If you have been misled about Christian history, this article would make a good start on your quest for truth. Were the Early Christians Roman Catholics?
 
Apostolic succession, the idea that the Bible was given to us by the Popes, and other common errors taught by Rome to bolster it's false claims to ecclesiastical power, are refuted on any number of Christian apologetic websites. I have listed a few below. Some are resources generally suited to lay people, with short simple explanations on a variety of issues. There are also more scholarly resources, some containing articles by ex-Catholics who are highly trained in Catholic history and theology but reject its errors. 
End Times Deception Study List
In Plain Site
Alpha and Omega Ministries     Christian Answers
The Highway       Catholic Arrogance
Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry
A Christian Witness to Roman Catholicism

 


This picture link goes to Occupy Vatican on Facebook
An information page with the latest news on the unfolding judgement

 
Visit SNAP HERE
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests   ]]> Tue, 13 Sep 2011 16:07:51 -0230 https://indiegospel.net/ken-rich/blog/3006/lies-my-father-told-me-papal-authority-is-built-on-known-forgeries https://indiegospel.net/ken-rich/blog/3006  
If you have ever tried to witness to a committed Catholic, you may have discovered how frustrating it can be. However, there are resources available which can be very helpful in leading them to Biblical truth and faith in Christ alone for salvation.

Papal primacy from Peter, the claim that the canon of scripture was given to us by the Popes, and other common errors taught by Rome are refuted on any number of Christian apologetic websites.

Here are a few examples. Some are resources generally suited to lay people, with short simple explanations on a variety of issues. There are also more scholarly resources, some containing articles by ex-Catholics who are highly trained in Catholic history and theology, but reject it's errors.
 
Got Questions?
In Plain Site
Christian Resources
Alpha and Omega Ministries
Christian Answers
The Highway
Catholic Arrogance
Proclaiming the Gospel
Contender Ministries
Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry
A Christian Witness to Roman Catholicism
Catholic Dogma Answered Scripturally
 

Since many doctrines and dogmas of Catholicism are in opposition to a sound exegesis of scripture (or have no scriptural support at all), Catholic apologists often resort to the pretense of Papal primacy and magisterial authority.  

Let no one deceive you - their claims to authority are based on   known forgeries and a deceptively selective and inventive use of records left by Church "Fathers ".  

Their arguments can seem very convincing - until you check for historical accuracy and context. See The Church Fathers' Interpretation of the Rock of Matthew 16:18 .
History does not validate the Pope's claims, it actually exposes them as deceivers . If you have been misled about Christian history, this article would make a good start on your quest for truth. Were the Early Christians Roman Catholics?  

A Jesuit Vaticanist and graduate of the Gregorianum in Rome, gives a very frank assessment in The Hilarious History of Papal Infallibility
 
The Apostle Peter stated what is my sincere hope and prayer for all who read this:
 
2 Peter 3:14-18 " ...make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight... Be on guard so that you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing. Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

Here is link to a comprehensive article, exposing the Vatican's past and present crimes and corruption.
Crimes Against Humanity (Rev. 17-18)
 
 

]]> Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:04:13 -0330 https://indiegospel.net/ken-rich/blog/2516/the-second-coming-of-christ https://indiegospel.net/ken-rich/blog/2516




I recently had the occasion to preach a sermon in Pakistan via Skype (with an interpreter). I've adapted the sermon I wrote for a blog format (below).  



S econd Coming of Christ
The music video above is called " The Lord is Come ". It is a song I wrote to try and express the tension between the wonderful hope and the terrible judgment aspects of the apocalyptic scenario.
In the video, I also try to capture the imminence of Christ's return, by placing it in the here and now, and emphasizing speed and finality. I would like to explore this subject with you today.

The Second Coming of Christ is plagued by many false teachings. For instance, many people have tried to predict the date of Christ's return, only to be embarrassed as their predicted time came and went. The Bible clearly states in Matthew 24:36 "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father...
Jesus quickly followed that statement with keep watch , because you do not know on what day your Lord will come" . We are not to have a casual attitude about his return or be in ignorance of it, we are to keep watch . There are signs we can look for, and we are not left in doubt or darkness about the manner of Christ's return. God's word is our guide.
Do we see these signs today? Daniel 12 says that at the time of the end " many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase ." Up until recently, horse and buggy were the fastest means of travel, and books contained mankind's accumulated knowledge.
Now we have men running to and fro in planes, trains, and automobiles. We even have space travel. We've gone from books to supercomputers, and man's knowledge is doubling at a logarithmic rate. It's staggering when you think about how fast knowledge is increasing in these last days.
In Matthew 24 , Jesus says that "nation will rise against nation", "there will be famines and earthquakes" and "many false prophets shall arise". There is no doubt that the frequency and severity of these types of events have increased dramatically in recent years. I don't need to spend time on this, it is in the news every day.
We are also told that "this gospel must be preached in all the world for a witness to all nations, and then the end will come." In the dark ages, the Catholic Church chained the word of God to Monastery walls and those who dared translate it into the common languages of the people were burned alive at the stake.
Now the Gospel travels at warp speed, bouncing off satellites, to reach the four corners of the earth. For example, I am in Canada, yet preached this message live in Pakistan via the Internet. In today's world, we have TV, radio, Churches, missionaries, books, leaflets, and Internet Ministries. We can see the Gospel going out to all the world, and doors are opening where no door existed before. Even in countries where persecution has historically been widespread and brutal, the Gospel is marching forward undaunted and unstoppable.
In Revelation 16:9 we see the sun given power to scorch people with fire. They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.
Did you know Greenland lost its icecap in just a four-day period recently? Unprecedented heat waves are causing crops to dry up. All over the world heat records have fallen at an alarming rate, and power grids have collapsed under the extra demand. Is this man-made global warming, a natural solar cycle, or prophecy being fulfilled?
In Daniel 2 , a rock comes to hit the feet and smash an image that represents the last day kingdoms of men. That rock is Christ and we are living in the toenails of time. A study of this prophecy reveals that the 10 kingdoms represented by the toes have been here for some time now.
Please do not ignore the signs that are all around. Don't let yourself become a scoffer, or be carried away by the pleasures and cares of this world. Don't join the ranks of the foolish virgins in the parable of Matthew 25 who were unprepared. The consequences are far too grave.
Matthew 24:38-39 ...'For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.'
For those of us who are awake and keeping watch, what type of event should we be expecting? We see signs that Christ's return is imminent, but in what manner shall Christ return?
For one thing, it is clear that this will not be a secret event. Matthew 24:27 says, " For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. "
The Bible teaches that every eye will see him. Christ won't be in some secret chamber, and you won't have to look for him here or there. His return will be obvious and unmistakable to all people everywhere.
Matthew 24:30  " Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."
Besides being obvious and unmistakable, the return of Christ will also be literal and physical, not symbolic, or only on a spiritual level.
Acts 1:9-11 t he angels said: "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven."
Again, this will not be a hidden or secret event and it will be literal, not symbolic. Some teach that Christ returned (spiritually) in AD 70 when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans. This teaching is sometimes proposed by Preterists, but to be kind, it has inherent difficulties.
Besides being seen by all, and a literal physical event, Christ's return will be heard by all.


"We who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who have died. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord." 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
Notice that the dead in Christ shall rise first , then we shall be raptured away. Note the words we who are alive and remain. At the end of time, who is alive and remains to be translated? It is those believers who survived until the coming of Christ.
In Matthew 24:29 Christ himself says it will be “ Immediately after t he tribulation of those days... they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Let me ask you something. If every eye shall see him and all the tribes of the earth will be mourning, if he comes with a shout and the trumpet of God to raise the dead , does that sound like a secret pre-trib rapture?
The Bible nowhere teaches a secret rapture for the Church followed by another rapture for the Jews who convert later, during the falsified tribulation scenario of futurism.
The idea of a secret rapture is b uilt on the mistranslation of a couple of verses, principally the famous “ thief in the night passage ”. However, if you read just a little further in this same passage, you find something interesting. Christ's coming will catch unbelievers by surprise, but not believers. We are given signs to watch for, and his appearance will not be as a thief in the night to us.
1 Thessalonians 5:4 - But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.
In a parallel passage, Peter confirms this has been taught and is known beforehand. Don't let deceit lead you astray.
2 Peter 3:17 - ... beloved, seeing ye know these things before , beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness.
God has given us plenty of warning and a general time frame when these events will occur, but during the counter-reformation, a great deception was foisted upon Christianity. Around 1590 a Spanish Jesuit named Francisco Ribera developed Futurism, which has become wildly popular today.
Now it is even taught by conservative Evangelicals and is perhaps the only view of end-time prophecy you have been exposed to. It may surprise you to learn that what is being taught almost everywhere today, was rejected by Protestant scholars for centuries. That should set off some alarm bells, and cause you to question what you have been taught.
Futurism has popularized (among other errors), the idea that a secret rapture occurs before the tribulation. It has supplanted the Historicist interpretation of the Reformers, which was the predominant Protestant view for hundreds of years.
There is no time for me to develop this further but may I recommend a wonderful book titled " The Blessed Hope " by George Eldon Ladd. It will take you through the prophecies in minute detail. Ladd was a highly respected scholar and Professor of New Testament exegesis and theology at Fuller Theological Seminary.
To recap, let's be clear. Jesus is coming literally and personally. There is a rapture, even though that word is not in the Bible. It is a word that simply means we will be caught away to be with the Lord. However, it will not happen secretly and it will not happen before the tribulation. It happens after the tribulation at the last trump.
  We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump : for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." (1 Cor. 15:51-52)
We have already seen in 1 Thessalonians 4 it is Christ who returns with the trump of God and Matthew 24 , confirms this will happen after the tribulation.
Why is this important? Why has the master deceiver worked so hard to promote futurism. It has three devastating effects. First of all, it destroys the beautiful time prophecy of Daniel 9 which proves beyond all doubt that Christ is who he claimed to be.
It also destroys the time frame of prophecy by pushing most of the events of Revelation into the future. In reality, the events of Revelation describe the era from the Apostles down to our day and only a small portion of these events remain to be fulfilled.
Furthermore, futurism creates a smokescreen for the anti-Christ system to operate, since it has everyone scouting the horizon for a future anti-Christ. Meanwhile, the real anti-Christ flourishes in our own backyard.
This system martyred Christians by the millions when it reigned during the dark ages. It continues to promote doctrines of demons and pagan traditions in the guise of Christianity and is famous the world over for raping children behind its altars. Still, the world's political leaders lend it power and credence, immunity from prosecution, even their respect, and worship. They have been beguiled by the whore of Revelation 17-18.
As the final events of earth's history unfold and the plagues of God rain down, don't let confusion and deception over end-time prophecy undermine your faith. If you belong to the Lord there is nothing to fear, even though a secret rapture does not precede the tribulation.
The devil would like to confuse and deceive you into being frightened, but the wrath of God is coming upon the wicked, not the righteous. Th e saints will not be harmed, just as the children of Israel were delivered when the plagues fell on Egypt. Like Noah and his family were delivered during the flood, or when Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed but Lot was spared. There was no secret rapture to deliver God's people during those past tribulations, yet they were spared. Likewise, have faith that God can deliver you during the end time.
2 Peter 2 ...the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment while continuing their punishment.
Tell me, is it the wheat or the tares who have something to fear at harvest time? It is the wicked who must fear the coming wrath of God.
Matt. 13: 30 " Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters (Angels): First , collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn."
In this parable, does God not deal with the wicked before he gathers his children to his barn?
Has God's arm been shortened that he can no longer provide or protect? Do you believe we have a deliverer who can save you to the uttermost, no matter what the circumstances?
Acts 2:21 " And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Psalm 145:20 assures us, "The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy." Psalm 91:5-8 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
Choose this day whom you will serve and stand watch. For the people of God, this is a time for singing and rejoicing, not fear or confusion.
1 Chronicles 16:33 Then the trees of the forest will sing, they will sing for joy before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth.
See the signs, recognize the time in which you live, and rejoice. Luke 21:28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads because your redemption is drawing near.
If you are among the people of God, do not be alarmed at what is about to take place, remember that God's wrath will pass you by.
Isaiah 26:20 says, Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by. See, the Lord is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will disclose the bloodshed upon her; she will conceal her slain no longer.
Revelation 22:20 He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming quickly." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus



]]> Tue, 14 Aug 2012 15:52:11 -0230 https://indiegospel.net/ken-rich/blog/2376/tough-love-in-the-furnace-of-affliction https://indiegospel.net/ken-rich/blog/2376
To understand why God PERMITS such things to happen, I recommend this article - Why Does God Allow Suffering? Below, I will deal with a different kind of suffering, the kind that is CAUSED directly by God

The Bible is full of references where God causes hardship, suffering, sickness, and even death. Atheists and skeptics often use these verses to attack and ridicule Christians. Some people are unsure how to respond, so they either ignore or downplay these sections of the Bible. Such passages seem irreconcilable with a God of love, but denial doesn't make them go away.
Others think they need to be an " apologist " for God and go through considerable theological gymnastics, trying to defend their " warm and fuzzy " view of God. I think it's much easier to simply accept what scripture says and take God at his word.
For instance, consider the flood. Suffering and death on a worldwide scale, but God didn't just allow it, he says he caused it (Gen. 6:17). The whole human race, even the children and babies , were wiped out except for one family.
How about burning the people of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19:24-25)? Before you say that was Old Testament-style justice, note that Peter says it is an example of what is going to happen again , but this time on a massive scale (2 Peter 2:6). 
How about when God commanded Israel to slaughter entire people groups - including the women, children, and animals (1 Sam. 15:3). There is a word for that - genocide. 
What about the plagues in Egypt? Old Testament again, but plagues from God will come again , as Revelation states, causing suffering, sickness, and death. It's an inconvenient truth for some, but the "slain of the LORD will be from one end of the earth to the other " (Jeremiah 25:33). Isaiah calls it his " strange act " (Isaiah 28:21). Strange behavior indeed for a God of love -  or is it ? 
Some reason that those people deserve it, they are evil, they are enemies (even the babies). Some proclaim that GOD would never do (or allow) anything bad to happen to a righteous person, only the wicked. The book of Job shows that to be an immature view, not in line with Scripture, and incompatible with our existential reality. In Job's case, it was actually because he was right with God that God allowed Satan to bring calamity, loss, sickness, and even the death of his children . Job suffered greatly in the test to prove his faith.
Our view is myopic; we don't see the " big picture " of what God is accomplishing in us, let alone in the realm of the angels. Having lost their position in heaven, the fallen angels have been confined here to the earth, but they are still active and at war. The book of Job lifts the curtain for a " peek " into what goes on behind the scenes. God has reasons for what he does (or allows), his actions only make sense in light of this revelation. 
God makes the point (Job 38-40) that our minds are finite, our lifespans are limited, our perspective is narrow, his ways are above our ways, and past finding out - we must trust and obey, even though we may not understand his actions or motives. There is an unseen world around us, and as Paul says, we wrestle not against flesh and blood . Much of what occurs in our reality can only be understood in the context of a larger reality that is beyond the "ken" of man . 
Theologians and philosophers frame this issue in terms of antecedent will versus consequent will. God would prefer us to live in a Garden of Eden, wallowing in eternal bliss. However, he created us with free will, and we chose a path of sin and rebellion. He responds with a plan of salvation that involves faith, repentance, discipline, and a process of sanctification.
Some teachers deny that God would ever bring affliction or that suffering can be good for the soul. They promise only health, wealth, sunshine, and lollipops, but what does the word of God say?

Psalm 119:67 " Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word."

Hebrews 12:10-11 "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."
Consider God's discipline. A small boy may not understand why their Father disciplines them and forces them to eat right and exercise, or doesn't allow them to go somewhere with their friends. Although the boy can't understand and resents his Father's discipline, it doesn't mean that his Father doesn't love him - correctly understood , it is evidence that he does love him. 
We tend to forget that in response to the fall, God's desire is not for us to be spoiled and lavished with creature comforts. That's what the natural man wants, but is it what God wants for us? He wants us to develop tried and tested faith and proven character. 
He cursed the ground for man's sake because in our existential sufferings, we learn lessons the ease of the Garden of Eden couldn't teach us. Show me someone who has had ease, comfort, prosperity, and health all their life, and I'll show you someone whose self-indulgence has forged the spiritual mettle of a marshmallow . 
It's trials and tribulations that develop perseverance and proven character, not ease and luxury. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. Most of us want the worldly treasures added on, but in seeking the Kingdom of God, you should also expect persecution, trials, tribulations, and tests - we are told to expect them .
1 Peter 4:12-13: " Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you...  
All scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching and correcting, for training in righteousness, but " head knowledge " is not enough. God wants us to " live " our faith, to prove it by what we do , in good times and bad . He wants us to develop a tried and tested faith that can stand strong in the face of adversity .

All the trees are green in summer, but when the cold blasts of winter come, only the evergreens are not left naked and ashamed . Anyone can be a "fair-weather Christian," but when the storms of life come, only those who have truly built on the ROCK will still be standing.
The important thing to remember is that the trials and tribulations do not negate God's love; they prove it . He disciplines all those he LOVES - it's what some people term " tough love" .  He cursed the ground for our sake, he prunes us, he purges us, he refines us, but all for our ultimate good. The trials come only for a season and exist for a reason. God is growing us up, sanctifying us, striving with us, purifying us. 
Job's faith was tested, and he was a better man because of it. The fact that God gave back double what was taken from him was just a bonus to the real benefit - faith tried in the furnace of affliction .  
Isa. 48:10 Behold, I have refined you , but not as silver; I have chosen you in the furnace of affliction .  
This is a HARD TEACHING and some refuse to accept it. Some prefer smooth and pleasant words that " tickle their ears ". They heap up teachers who will paint a rosy picture, and give them a cosmic " Santa Claus " in place of God, who will give them everything they want, accept every behavior, and demand nothing difficult from them. 
Don't get me wrong, I'm not against comfort, abundance, and provision. I'm not saying we should live in squalor, suffer the indignities of poverty, accept ill health, or go live on a mountaintop. God wants to bless our finances, our health, our relationships, and our circumstances. However, there is a greater blessing he is trying to produce in us, and we tend to stifle it with our worldly lusts.

For instance, God may want to bless you financially, but not if it's just going to corrupt you or diminish your dependence on him. There is a blessing that brings all other blessings in its train, and God will go to great lengths to ensure you don't miss it. Like Job, he may deprive you of your worldly wealth to test your faith, or to lead you to an even greater blessing. 

James 2:5 Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
It is true that God is the giver of every good gift. It's our perception of what is good for us, and how God should provide these gifts that may be lacking. Faith is good, but it needs to be refined in the furnace of affliction. Growth is good, but it comes with pruning. Correction is good, but it comes with discipline. Perseverance is good, but it comes through trials and tribulations. Promotion is good, but it is preceded by tests. 
Physical health is good, but like the child who is upset when his Father forces him to eat vegetables (instead of junk food) and walk (not be driven) to the bus stop, we want spiritual health without the hardships that help produce it. 
Consider the butterfly; it must go through a mighty and heartrending struggle to escape from its cocoon. If you open the cocoon to make it easier, it will never be strong enough to fly. In the same way, we need the struggles and hardships of our lives to strengthen us spiritually. Lack of faith traps us in a cocoon of helplessness, but our struggles strengthen us so that we can one day soar with spiritual power. 
This is the place of ultimate blessing that God would have us obtain. Like a refiner of silver, he holds us to the fire until he sees himself reflected in us. Then, when the dross is purged away, we are truly blessed and our passage through the flame seems but a light affliction, compared to the glory wrought in us—true riches, eternal blessings, pleasures at his right hand forevermore. The worldly treasures men seek cannot compare.
For more study, here are a few articles from other Christian authors, which express some of the same concepts:
 
http://www.gotquestions.org/innocent-suffer.html
http://deeptruths.com/letters/sin_suffering.html
http://ericcarp.blogspot.ca/2007/04/question-4-does-god-cause-or-al...
http://bible.org/article/why-there-suffering
  ]]> Sat, 27 Oct 2012 21:32:43 -0230 https://indiegospel.net/ken-rich/blog/2370/natural-revelation-or-scripture-alone https://indiegospel.net/ken-rich/blog/2370 Lets take the role of the written Word in the life of a Christian. Some so strongly emphasize its role that they make an idol out of the Bible. They exchange a living relationship with the WORD (Christ), for " head knowledge " of the Word (scripture).
First of all, this is not an attempted departure from the Reformation. Sola Scriptura is not a denial of other authorities governing Christian life and devotion. Rather, it simply demands that all other authorities are subordinate to, and are to be corrected by, the written word of God. 

The reformers were quite right in denying Romes assertion that that tradition was on par with scripture, and an equally valid basis for doctrine. I do not argue for Prima Scriptura, I agree that scripture alone is authoritative in matters of doctrine. 

However, tradition, experience, and reason all have a place in the Christian experience, as Wesley tried to articulate with the Wesleyan Quadrilateral. Scholars may argue over what weight should be assigned to each, but it is clear that a completely unbalanced view is dangerous.

The reformers rightly swung the pendulum away from Rome's heresy, but is there a danger of it swinging too far? Where does Sola Scriptura end and Bibliolatry begin ?

What I take issue with, is when some " teachers " seize upon the following verse and a few more like it, and in " splendid isolation " from the rest of scripture, dig a theological mass grave for themselves and their followers. 
2 Timothy 3 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work...  
Yes, it is absolutely true that scripture is and does all of these things, but does it say that scripture is all that is required. What about the following verse?
  
John 5:39-40 You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.   
It's as true today, as it was for the Pharisees of old. Salvation is not in the book itself, its in the person the book points to, and the book is not the only means at his disposal for dealing with men. After all, he is the creator of everything around us and great life lessons can also come by existential experience, as you personally  work out your salvation with fear and trembling. 
I'm talking about a " living relationship ", it's one thing to read scriptures and know " about " God, it's quite another to " know " God. The question is - in your daily life, in your day to day experiences, is your faith " authentic ", or just theoretical?
The point I am trying to make is that our faith is dead without actions (James 2:26), no matter how much " head knowledge " we have, it is useless and dead without existential expression. Our actions play a role in the perfecting of our faith. We build character as we react to tests, trials, opportunities, challenges, and " exercise " our faith. Our faith becomes purified and " authentic " by application of the word, not by hearing  the word. 
Mental assent to the truth of scripture is good, but one must not stop there. One must persevere through thick and thin, and have faith that endures amid the challenges of life. There is a need for these experiences, just as there is a need for doctrine. 
2 Corinthians 4:17 For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever...  
In this verse, is it scripture that produces the glory in us, or is it our present troubles (existential sufferings)?
Romans 5:3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings , because we know that suffering produces perseverance ; perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Is it the Word that produces the perseverance, or is it the suffering?
I could go on and on with dozens of verses that completely contradict the idea that scripture alone, is the only means by which God works on mens hearts. It is absolutely authoritative in matters of doctrine, but not the ONLY way God strives with men.
Suppose we have a rowboat with two oars. One is  scripture and the other is existential experience . By this I mean life experience such as trials, tests, challenges, overcoming, sufferings, victories, failures, etc. 
Some theologians completely throw out one oar (existential experience), and can only go in circles, with a dead faith that has " head knowledge " only. No deeds, no trials, no tribulation, no tests to refine and prove its mettle. 
On the other hand, a transcendentalist like Ralph Waldo Emerson makes the opposite mistake and throws out the other oar - scripture. Deprived of " special revelation " and " objective truth ", he is lost on a sea of subjective thought, going in circles of the opposite direction. 
In actual fact, both oars together will allow one to row swiftly on a straight course to a personal relationship with God that is tried, tested, and true. This produces " authentic " faith, which is in harmony with and guided by scripture, but also existentially expressed and proven .
Consider Romans 2, even someone who has no knowledge of the Word is without excuse because there is " natural revelation " and what God requires is written on mans heart - it's " innate ". The " special revelation " of the word is not the only way God reaches out to men.
Existential experience within the boundaries God has set, with the innate moral compass planted within, with the striving of his Spirit, is still limited without the authoritative guidance of the Word - that's true . It is best to have both working in unison. The Word, and the merits of its rational apprehension, should not be ignored, downplayed, or rejected. 
The opposite is also true. Without existential expression and internal witness, the Word does not produce a crop. As in the parable of the seed that fell on rocky soil, or shallow soil, only under certain conditions will the Word produce a crop.
Luke 8:15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop...  Hmmmm... Where have we heard this word persevering before? What produces it?
It is completely right to uplift the Word but a word based faith is dead, untried, and untested, without actions to exercise and purify it within an existential framework. A " head knowledge " religion won't " cut it", there is no " authenticity" until faith is applied and tested. 
On the other hand, faith that has been tried and tested in the furnace of affliction, is like pure gold - it's authentic. That doesn't come by the Word alone, it comes by persevering through the sufferings and challenges born of existential experience.
Jeremiah 9:7 Therefore this is what the LORD Almighty says: "See, I will refine and test them, for what else can I do because of the sin of my people?  
Who is speaking here? It is the LORD Almighty who is doing the refining and testing. Why didn't he just give them more of " the Word " (doctrine), why does he decide to refine and test them instead?

The fact is, they already had the Scriptures, they had theoretical, knowledge-based faith. To purge them of their sin and purify their faith, he needed to have them exercise it. Again and again in scripture, we find God plunging his people into a harsh existential setting, that would challenge their faith. 
Isaiah 48:10 I have refined you, but not as silver is refined. Rather, I have refined you in the furnace of suffering .  
Some say - " If problems were what perfected us, then most Christians would have been perfected long ago, and those who experienced the greatest problems would be the greatest Christians".  
I could use the same logic and say that if the Word alone perfected us, God would have left us in the garden of Eden with a Bible, and we would all be perfect. He didn't, he kicked us out of Eden to learn some hard " life lessons ".

Besides this " natural revelation " of existential experience, he gave us his prophets and apostles, angels, his Son, his Spirit, and the written Word. God works on multiple fronts, in various ways - not just by the written Word. Scripture is authoritative in matters of doctrine, and a source of objective truth, yet it must be applied and experienced. 
Faith must be tested and purified to be of any value. It is not a hearer of the word, but a doer of the word that is right with God. One can be a Bible scholar, in fact, a professor of theology, with scriptures " coming out of their ears ", but not " know " God, be born of love, or have any perfection of character. There are many examples, here is just one:  
Bishop Raymond John Lahey had a Bachelor of Theology, a Licentiate in Theology (L.Th.), and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) but he was still caught lying to protect the pedophile Priests in his charge and was himself caught importing child pornography of the most graphic, horrendous, and torturous kind. Something more is required than rationally apprehending the Word, one must live the Word.
In conclusion, there is a reason why God allows trials of many kinds to enter your existential reality and test your faith. There is also a reason why he disciplines us when we stray, although it can be painful. The reason is -  he LOVES us and wants the best for us, but the best gifts do not come easily, or by simply having the Word. 
James 1:2-15 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. .. Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial , because when he has stood the test , he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.  
For more study here is another article along these lines - http://www.globalchristians.org/articles/messiah/sufferjc.htm ]]> Tue, 30 Oct 2012 13:23:07 -0230 https://indiegospel.net/ken-rich/blog/2357/the-sound-of-hope https://indiegospel.net/ken-rich/blog/2357
For a long time now, the Indie Gospel network has had a mission to " win souls and feed kids ". Today, I am happy to announce a new initiative that can accomplish both of those goals in a way that brings artists and charities together.

I've dubbed it " The Sound of Hope " and it involves producing compilation Cd's with various artists, to fund the over 1,200 orphans in our growing Worthy Charities program. This program was recently featured in Equanimity Magazine .

Our charities are now also members of WAAOM , which provides a rigorous accountability process. Our Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is Teresa Ann Wiggins, who is also the president of WAAOM, so proper management of any funds collected is assured.
Official page is  hopemusic.net
Please like us on  Facebook ]]> Tue, 06 Nov 2012 06:56:35 -0330 https://indiegospel.net/ken-rich/blog/1062/strange-fire-or-gifts-of-the-spirit https://indiegospel.net/ken-rich/blog/1062  
Introduction  
There is a huge controversy shaking the institutional Churches and it has once again been brought to the forefront. One of the principle players in this " in house " debate is John MacArthur, the author of Charismatic Chaos  and sponsor of the recent  Strange Fire  conference. He is not without his critics - here is a well written, downloadable PDF called A Response to Charismatic Chaos  by Rich Nathan.

MacArthur is a rather strict cessationist  and an " old school " proponent of Calvinism. Personally, I reject Calvin's cold determinism and identify more closely with the particular brand of Arminianism  espoused by John Wesley. Nevertheless, I do appreciate the contributions of the Reformed tradition, and the sober minded sincerity of men like MacArthur. His style can be somewhat acrimonious and dogmatic, but I share his concerns.   
While I disagree with his cessationist interpretation of several key scriptures, I can easily relate to many of MacArthur's criticisms of the foolishness, fakery, and false spirituality found in much of the charismatic movement. Some of it appears dangerous, having more in common with the Kundalini  force of Eastern mysticism, than it does with gifts of the Spirit. I agree that it is wise (and Biblical) to " test the Spirits " - since pagans , and  witches  also manifest tongues and various ecstatic " experiences ".  
In other words, just because something supernatural is taking place, does not necessarily mean it is  "of" God. That being said, we also don't want to " limit" God. Part of the problem is that Christendom has put great emphasis on Christology, and ecclesiology, but pneumatology has been largely neglected. God is sovereign and can pour out his Spirit upon men if he chooses. In fact, according to scripture he has already done so.  
Acts 2:17 -  'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams."

Cessationists claim that what is being manifested by the over 500 million charismatic Christians in the world today, is at best fakery and at worst demonic. Continuists acknowledge there are counterfeits and charlatans at work, but the Spirit of the living God is still being poured out upon those whose hearts are open. What is the truth on this issue?   
Proves Too Much    
There is much fodder for cessationist cannons. They can point to many strange and (to be kind) questionable manifestations, such as the embarrassing saga of  Todd Bentley , or the wicked Kansas City Prophets who were embraced by some of the most prominent continuists before they were exposed. Cessationists, rightly (in my opinion) question whether the howling hyenas of the Toronto blessing  are filled with the Holy Spirit of God Almighty, or by something else? They see no discernment, testing the Spirits, or sound doctrine apprehended by a sober mind in such bedlam and chaos. Is God the author of confusion?  
1 Cor. 14:33  For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints...  
No one disputes these type of shocking events  are taking place, but are they being used by MacArthur in an attempt to prove too much ?  He doesn't confine the topic to cessationism. He makes sweeping generalizations from these aberrations, building an " ugly caricature" of the charismatic movement. Then he contrasts his traditional Reformed theology to this " strawman ", as if that somehow lends credence to his dogma. This is a false dichotomy, an appeal to extremes  which employs  reductio ad absurdum to insult the truth.  
MacArthur says  " By contrast , Reformed theology, sound doctrine, is not a haven for false teachers...",  which is a great insult to Reformed Charismatics within his own camp. They are charismatic not because they are ignorant of scripture, or of traditional Calvinism, but because they can't deny what the Bible teaches and their existential experience confirms.  
Moreover, his rhetoric is even more insulting to Arminians . He seems to forget that Arminius, Grotius, Laud, Wesley and many other brilliant and renowned theologians overturned  the dogmas  of Calvinism from scripture . Perhaps this short video will be helpful Why I'm Not a Calvinist .


I love our Calvinist brothers, and since they hosted the conference we must forgive their dogmatism in presenting Calvin as the " touchstone" of Christianity. Not to put too fine a point on it, but that honor belongs to another - Christ.  
In the rather lengthy article which follows, cessationism is refuted and the acknowledged problems with the charismatic movement are put into proper perspective. In the process, MacArthur's deceptive " strawman " argument is skewered on the pitchfork of truth, it's innards exposed to the withering light of scrutiny.   
Undeniable Problems  
Despite his overreach, I do appreciate the good talking points brought out by MacArthur's rhetoric. However, I find his cessationist exegesis of some of the relevant scriptures to be flawed. I must agree (for the most part) with  Andrew Williams in his assessment.  
In fact, I think that the division of the gifts such that the miraculous or " sign " gifts have ceased, including tongues, prophecy and healing, but the " normal " gifts like teaching carry on, is an imposed and artificial distinction based on bias, not sound exegesis. Many of the nuances, subtleties, and vagaries of the opposing positions are touched on  here
For me, the key is that 1 Cor 1:7, 13:10 have the gifts continuing to the perfection  obtained at the second coming of Christ, not the closing of the canon. Joel 2 28-29 places the gifts eschatologically in the last days, not limited to Pentecost but starting there. There is no getting around these facts, however the case for ecstatic tongues is  textually very weak.  
How weak? Early Pentecostals themselves  believed that tongues were real earthly languages ( xenoglossia ) and not private prayer language, or  "ecstatic" tongues. A new interpretation began to receive attention  in the 19th century, but the traditional view still dominated until the mid 20th century. Eventually " categories " of tongues became accepted, accommodating " subjective experiences " with the type of  glossolalia  common among pagans. Biblical and historical support is strained, and some continuists reject ecstatic tongues as  counterfeit , a repeat of the ancient Montanist  heresy.  
S.C. Todd of the Bible Missionary Society investigated eighteen Pentecostals who went to Japan, China, and India ‘expecting to preach to the natives in those countries in their own tongue,’ and found that by their own admission ‘in no single instance have [they] been able to do so.’ As these and other missionaries returned in disappointment and failure, Pentecostals were compelled to rethink their original view of speaking in tongues” (Robert Mapes Anderson, Vision of the Disinherited: The Making of American Pentecostalism). The conclusion was soon reached that their “tongues" were not earthly languages but a “heavenly” or special prayer language -  A Private Prayer Language ?
  This video  was produced by someone who grew up in the Assemblies of God and is well acquainted with tongues. He argues that the  ecstatic tongues commonly practiced today are a counterfeit, but the true gift is legitimate, relevant, not  for everyone, and produces  real  languages. This article  by noted Christian author Ray C. Stedman presents a similar view.  
In addition to accepting  ecstatic tongues, Pentecostals also insist that  ALL  must speak in tongues as initial evidence of Spirit Baptism, though this is not currently accepted by most charismatics. It may come as a shock to some Pentecostals that Charles Fox Parham  (the originator of this doctrine) believed in tongues as real languages ( xenoglossia ), and viewed the  ecstatic type of tongues (glossolalia) widely practiced today as false, even demonic .  
Hear this: three-fourths of the so-called Pentecosts in the world are counterfeits , the devil's imitation to deceive the poor earnest souls. . . . Many hundreds, in seeking Pentecost, were taught to yield to any force, as God would not permit them to be misled; under those conditions they were ripe for hypnotic influence . . . . Two-thirds of the people professing Pentecost are either hypnotized or spook-driven , being seized in the first place with a false spirit or coming under the control of one afterward. We cannot be too careful to try or test the spirits and any person unwilling to have their experience tested by going to God for themselves or with the brethren, reveal the fact that they are demon-controlled . . . . They plead the blood, and claim to be Jesus, giving messages, and imitate every gift of the Holy Spirit and Pentecostal tongues . Charles Parham, 1911 " The Everlasting Gospel " (55, 72, 120-121)
Could it be that continuationism is correct and desiring the gifts is commendable, but the radical changes made to the role and nature of tongues are ill-advised?  
That is a vital question, but it is not the only one we should be asking. Are warnings of a false Kundalini  spirit fear mongering, or some type of conspiracy theory? Is the charismatic movement a repeat of the ancient Montanist  heresy? What about the numerous " anointed " charlatans that keep getting exposed? Can we allow subjective experience to drive our interpretation of scripture? At the very least, these questions should underscore our need to be cautious and discerning - were we not told to test the Spirits?  
1 John 4:1 -  Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God...  
In any case, I must add my voice to the growing chorus of critics on both sides , bewailing the loathsome and repulsive  prosperity Gospel .  It is so vile and heretical as to be beneath the dignity of a critical response. 1 Timothy 6:6-10 condemns it, Matthew 6:19-34 as well, plus many other texts. Contrary to MacArthur's assertions, many leaders and groups within the continuist camp  oppose it .
Why make millionaires out of greedy charlatans while innocent children starve to death? If you have the means, sow into  pure  religion rather than feed wolves. Here are some needy orphans who really do need your help -   Change for Children
Disagreements on Interpretation  
In the " Strange Fire " conference,  Tom Pennington   makes the clearest, most direct case for cessationism. Though logically laid out, his arguments are easily countered as not demonstrably Biblical. The short simple response of  Andrew Williams  destroys both his contentions and the foundation of the entire conference. Nevertheless, Pennington's point on ecstatic tongues vs real tongues is well taken, and Williams neatly sidestepped it.  
Phil Johnson  goes beyond Pennington's clearly stated but unconvincing position. He complains that he can't find the " baby in the bathwater ", and draws the wrong conclusion out of the murk instead.  
Like MacArthur, much of what he says in criticism of the Charismatic movement is true, but he attacks the weakest points, uses the most extreme examples, and paints with too broad a brush. I agree that charlatans abound and there is widespread counterfeiting of gifts occurring, but does that preclude the genuine ?  
His unworkable attempt to deny modern miracles, while simultaneously denying charges of deism, involves some interesting theological gymnastics. Like Pennington, he spends a great deal of time fishing with the " red herring " of primary usage. I agree that the eyewitness Apostles were indeed testified to with mighty signs and wonders, but that in no way limits the gifts to believers .  
1 Corinthians 14:4,26 shows that the specific spiritual gifts being denied, were given to ordinary Christians (not just apostles) for the edification (or building up) of the Church. 1 Corinthians 1:7, 13:8-12 shows they will continue until the  coming of the perfect  which is the perfection obtained at the second coming of Christ (not the closing of the canon).   
Johnson appeals to a need for precision of terms, but then uses providence as a sort of " weasel word ". Within Reformed Tradition itself there is no agreement on how to define the word miracle. The simple truth is lost in a maze of categories and layers of providence, all convoluted around a framework of predestination.  
He mixes in some valid points about fakery and frauds but after all his rationalizing and categorizing is over, the miraculous is buried beneath the skirts of providence, paradoxically acknowledged and denied by his sophistry. Modern miracles are conceded as a technical possibility under the category of rare extraordinary providences, but denied as an experiential reality, or as a continuation of God pouring out his Spirit to edify the Church.  
Slippery semantics notwithstanding, nothing can extradite a cessationist from the dilemma that God is still immanent, still miraculously answers the prayers of the faithful, and still bestows spiritual gifts to edify and build up the body of Christ until he returns.  
1 Corinthians 1:7  Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.    
I would agree with Johnson that miracles are no where near as routine and commonplace as the  shenanigans  in Charismatic circles. There are certainly tares among the wheat, shamelessly counterfeiting signs and wonders to draw huge followings after themselves. Nevertheless, God's arm has not been shortened, and there is no excuse for rank unbelief in the truly miraculous happening in the here and now.  
Musical Machinations  
On the topic of worship music, MacArthur shoots himself in the foot and sticks the other one in his mouth. He promotes anachronistic hymns and pipe organ music as pious and reverent, while sanctimoniously condemning contemporary styles as unfit, irreverent, even dangerous. This is a biased unbiblical position, which is totally SHREDDED in a free e-book entitled In Defense of Contemporary Christian Music .
 
Think about it! His introduction to the conference involves God striking down those who offer improper worship, using Lev. 9,10 as an example. I agree, God is deadly serious about proper worship. In fact, he also struck Uzzah down in 1 Chron. 13:9 for simply touching the Ark . So, as MacArthur suggests we should ask the question - what musical worship style does God accept?  
In answer, was God displeased or did he strike anyone down for their loud and joyous musical merrymaking which obviously employed strong rhythm and even dance - around that  very same Ark ?  
2 Samuel 6:5 And David and all the house of Israel were making merry before the LORD, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals ... And David danced before the LORD with all his might.  
Perhaps in claiming the Word as his final authority, MacArthur should have the integrity to incorporate scriptures like 2 Samuel 6:5 (not to mention Psalm 149, 150, and dozens more) into his theological perspective. Staid, somber, and rhythmless, does not equate to reverent in the Bible. Rhythmic and danceable does not equate to evil in the Bible. God is sovereign and can decide for himself what is acceptable, scripture is far from silent on the subject .  
Wackos vs Brainos    
MacArthur also points to " wackos " in the continuist camp, mired in gross sin and suffering from lack of scholarship. He makes the  Todd Bentleys  of the charismatic movement representative of the whole, such that they become a " strawman " to knock down 500 million confessed Christians. Personally, I find that to be an offensive and fallacious form of ad hominem attack.
  
To illustrate the pejorative nature of this unsavoury tactic, one only has to examine the intellectuals with solid degrees in theology and great ecclesiastical standing, who are often worse than the " wackos " (not that the Reformed tree doesn't have it's share of nuts). Someone may have D.D. behind their name, possess a great depth of Scriptural knowledge, be well spoken and well dressed in a dark suit or flowing robes, but does that mean they are born of love, have correct doctrine, or are even remotely moral? Not according to the sorted history of the Church, or to recent revelations in the modern media.  
Bishop Raymond John Lahey  had a Bachelor of Theology (B.Th), a Licentiate in Theology (L.Th.), and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). He graduated  magna cum laude (with honors - above average). He served as a Professor of Religious studies, and head of the department. He had a distinguished ecclesiastical career with many postings, including chancellor of a top ranked University. Despite the letters behind his name, and his scholastic knowledge of Scripture, this man was caught lying to protect the pedophile Priests in his charge and was himself caught importing child pornography of the most graphic, horrendous, and torturous kind .  
Obviously, s omething more is required than just rationally apprehending the Word , one must be in a saving relationship with the one the Word points to - Jesus. This involves being born again by the Spirit of God who does indeed give gifts, the greatest of which is love.  
1 John 4:7-8 Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.   
Although the abuses of the Catholic clergy are legion and infamous, Protestant Ministers are often guilty of the same crimes, though well studied and holding respected positions in their various ecclesiastical institutions. In my country (Canada) the Catholic, Anglican, and United Churches would ALL be bankrupt if the government did not pay off the abuse claims against them, generated by the long list of horrors perpetrated against helpless native children at r esidential schools .
To listen to MacArthur and Phil Johnson , one would think the perpetrators were all charismatic and ignorant. Perhaps they should look in the Reformed closet for skeletons, starting with Calvin who was no angel as the Jews and anabaptists can attest. Why limit their search engine to only find deviants in the " enemy " camp, this small study below provides a view that isn't colored by their  bias  and deception.

Of the accused clergy, 75 were Catholic priests (39.5%) and 111 were Protestant ministers (58%). (Also charged were 1 Mormon clergyman, 1 occult minister and 2 cult ministers.) Protestant cases involved equal numbers of mainstream and fundamentalist/evangelical denominations .  Clergy Who Molest
A Boat Needs Both Oars  
The sad and disgusting state of affairs in the Churches today serves as a cautionary tale, but don't let revulsion or reaction lead to extreme positions. Perhaps this analogy will illustrate the basic problem. A boat needs both oars working in unison to travel straight and true, throw one away and you are apt to row in circles.
 
Experience and intuition should complement, not replace, supplant, or contradict the objective truth of God's special revelation - the Bible. At the same time, doctrine should not violate conscience, or thwart a living relationship with God. If it does, it is false dogma not sound doctrine . Consider the words of Christ.  
John 4:24 -  God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit  and in truth.  
For instance, It would be a great mistake to follow the transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson in limiting oneself to individualism and the natural revelation described in Romans 2. Granted, history is replete with wars and inquisitions where false religious dogma was enforced to the violation of God given conscience. However, God's word is true and he gave it for a reason - we can't throw it away because of how it's been abused. The natural witness of the inner man is important, valid, and God given, but it should not be the only oar in your boat. The objective truth of scripture keeps one from becoming lost on a sea of subjective thought.  
2 Timothy 3:16  All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.  
Many highly trained Churchmen err in the opposite direction, and throw away the other oar. They view inner revelation as inherently unreliable and a potential lure away from the " truths"  of dogmatic religion. They give no ear to the voice of God in their hearts, having only a dead intellectual understanding of scripture. Well studied and credentialed religious academics, but bereft of relationship.
We need the Holy Spirit and his gifts. HE is our teacher - the one who wrote the book is not limited to the book. He speaks to us generally through creation and directly to our conscience. Even the heathen (who have no scripture) have no escape from God. What he requires is written on their hearts , their own thoughts defending and accusing them (Romans 2:14-15). How much more so those who diligently seek God and are receptive to his Spirit?  
1 John 2:27  But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you , so you don't need anyone to teach you what is true. For  the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true  (John 14:26, 1John 3:24, 1 Cor. 2 10-16, Col 1:9).   
All scripture is God breathed and useful in making one wise to the way of salvation and obedience. It is the final authority on doctrine and sufficient to guide us, but book learning should lead to and inform ( not replace ), a personal  experiential  relationship with God through the Ministry of the Spirit.  
Romans 8:9 ...the Spirit of God  lives in you . And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they  do not belong to Christ .  
Listen to this short clip from John MacArthur and you will realize that he has only one oar in his boat .  He makes the Bible the SOLE  authority and source of revelation, but Sola Scriptura doesn't deny other sources it only subordinates them to scripture. There is a huge difference.   

The Spirit inspired the scriptures and MacArthur is absolutely right that we should study them. They are truth, they are authoritative, they do have a sanctifying effect, we should internalize them, they do speak to us, we should share them, but he leaves out the most important thing - we should do what they say .  
Knowledge of scripture is not an end in and of itself - they point us to Jesus. We must  choose to let Christ into our hearts for real , not just as a theoretical abstraction of intellect. Christ didn't just leave us a book, he left us his Spirit. We must partake of the divine nature, there is a synergism   which must take place and it is more than just studying scripture. We must be led by the Spirit (Romans 8:14).
1 Cor. 6:19  What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you , which ye have of God...  
Ironically, the book itself tells us that, but some are forever studying and never coming to a knowledge of truth . In that short clip, as in many of his diatribes, MacArthur calls upon his " strawman " to deceptively mischaracterize Charismatics as Biblically illiterate. Meanwhile, they apparently know scripture better than he does, because they seek the Spirit of God and his gifts as the book says we should .  
Luke 11:9-13   Ask and it will be given...how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!
1 Cor. 14:12  Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit , try to excel in those that build up the church .  
The Rise of Bibliolatry  
There are currently over 40,000 denominations who disagree over doctrine. Men have argued, fought, and killed over the meaning of scripture for centuries. Why are there so many interpretations when there is only one Spirit?  
Long ago, the Catholic Church elevated it's teaching authority over scripture They claimed that their Magisterium had to interpret it for us, usurping the Spirit's role as teacher. When Protestants broke away, they rightly upheld scripture over tradition, but neglected to restore the Ministry of the Spirit to it's rightful place.  
Cursory acknowledgment was given, but in their great rush to defend the sufficiency of scripture, the role of the Spirit in illuminating scripture was an afterthought at best.  "Nevertheless, we acknowledge the inward illumination of the Spirit of God to be necessary for the saving understanding of such things as are revealed in the Word" (Westminster Confession of faith, 6:6).  
The Reformation left us a wealth of sermons, creeds, and treatises defending the sufficiency of scripture but today they are often misapplied and misunderstood. Originally written to defend against the traditions of Rome, they are now used by some against the Holy Spirit. They think the Spirit's ministry was confined to inspiring the book and is now over. No longer does he speak through nature, or experience, or relationship, or strive with men's hearts. Contact with God has been reduced to a rationalist understanding of scripture.  
Guidance from God through dreams, visions, prophetic words, words of knowledge and wisdom are rejected outright, as a knee-jerk reaction to the counterfeits of charlatans. Fear of receiving a false Spirit has led to exclusion of the true Spirit. Illumination of scripture becomes impossible, and multiplied disagreements among dead religionists  abound.  
This downloadable PDF by J.P. Moreland   Ph.D., Th.M., explains how Bibliolatry has become entrenched in Evangelical Christianity. He is one of the few scholars seeing the issue clearly and raising the alarm. To be fair, here is a defense against the charge of Bibliolatry by John MacArthur .  
MacArthur once again evokes his " strawman " and argues from extremes. He grudgingly concedes to the need for illumination and indwelling, albeit in the most diminished sense possible. He admits he has never really felt the presence of God, and sees the Spirit as a one time permanent deposit that is static, unchanging, and imperceptible, rather than a person we have a dynamic living relationship with.  
We receive the Spirit when we enter into a saving relationship with God, but what of all the verses that explain the nature of this relationship? Whether one believes in a secondary baptism of the Spirit, or being filled and refilled, it is evident that the relationship is not static. God is seeking us, but are we pursuing him, yielding to him, limiting him, or excluding him? Here is a downloadable PDF that explains - We have as much of God as we actually want ~ A.W. Tozer  
It is up to us to let him in (Rev. 3:20). We must ask for the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13). We can quench (1 Thess. 5:19), we can grieve (Eph. 4:30), we can resist (Acts 7:51), we can blaspheme (Mark 3:29), or we can be willingly led by the Spirit (Romans 8:14). The  synergy  created by our desiring, yielding, and cooperating is the key to life in the Spirit. We can be FILLED  (Eph. 5:18) and unlike the barrenness of MacArthur's self imposed desolation, the Spirit's presence  IS known by those who are joined to Him.   
Romans 8:16  The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.  
If the Spiri t lives in you , HE can lead you into a right understanding of the book, since HE inspired it. If you make the book the only oar in your boat, you are doomed to go in circles that lead nowhere, lost on an endless sea of  dead religion .  
1 Corinthians 2:14 -  But people who aren't spiritual can't receive these truths from God's Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can't understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.  
Sufficiency of scripture doesn't mean the book is sufficient to save you, it's only sufficient to guide you into a spiritual relationship  with  the one  who can save you - Jesus Christ. His words to the Pharisees are just as relevant today as they were then:  
John 5:39-40  You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that BY THEM  you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify ABOUT ME , yet you refuse to come TO ME to have life.  
A Question of Balance    
Let's get down to where  the rubber meets the road . Most Christians would agree that there is a great danger to abandoning oneself to sensationalism, subjective experiences, and untested Spirits. On the other hand, the Spirit of God is real and the objective truth of scripture should not be only intellectualized, such that there is no experiential relationship with God. The Spirit of God must  live in us , such that we are born of his indwelling presence. This rebirth is no less than supernatural, experiential, and miraculous.  
The debate is not so much about continuationism vs cessationism, as it is about the influence of rationalism and supranaturalism on the interpretation of scripture. Which philosophical and linguistic hermeneutics are considered to be applicable, what interpretive formula is to be applied. How can bias born of preconceived notions be prevented from coloring the exegesis brought to the table by each camp.  
Most Protestants (including me), believe in Sola Scriptura   which does not deny other authorities but demands that all other authorities are subordinate to, and are to be corrected by, the written word of God. However, as in the   Wesleyan Quadrilateral , some (lesser) weight has to be given to reason, tradition, and experience.  
It's this balance that is at issue . Reformed Protestants are quick to point out the danger of Prima Scriptura (and I agree), but they are seemingly oblivious to Bibliolatry. Scripture is the final authority, but we are not to make an idol out of our Bible such that it replaces a relationship with God. The Enlightenment gave rationalism a prominent place at the table, but we must not become fettered by chains of reason. Tradition shouldn't be undervalued, it bears the witness of history. Personal experience cannot be dismissed, as it validates the Biblical promises of God as realized and present in the life of a believer.  
To know God is to be born of love which is a mystical, supernatural experience. Like the wind in the trees, it's something hard to pin down with words or logic. At some point, we must acknowledge the limits of rationalism and stop trying to catch time in a bottle. God transcends our understanding, his ways are past finding out (Romans 11:33).  
Moreover, it is the immanence of God that is being denied by cessationists, almost to the point of becoming deists (though they deny this). The rationalism of the enlightenment (while beneficial in many respects), swung the pendulum too far, leaving no room for mystery and no possibility for the truly miraculous. Like the people of Christ's hometown, cessationists don't have faith to experience the miraculous. They have no expectancy of God pouring out his power, even though he stands in their midst.   
What About the Gifts?    
Does the Spirit of God still give gifts? Yes, different ones to different members of the body as he sees fit . In fact, we are to desire the better gifts such as prophecy, and use them to edify the body. Paul's question - do all speak in tongues, carries it's own answer - no. Are these tongues real languages? They were on the day of Pentecost when they were first poured out.  
The case for ecstatic tongues, or a private prayer language, is (to be generous) textually very weak. To be fair, that interpretation can be found here , a refutation can be found here  (decide for yourself). In any case, no one should be " babbling " in Church with no interpreter, that is expressly forbidden.  
It must be acknowledged that sincere Christians, genuinely seeking God are speaking in ecstatic tongues, but so are known charlatans . Moreover, Voodoo practitioners, Buddhist and Shinto priests, Muslim dervishes, Indian fakirs, witches, spiritualists, and Hindu gurus can  also speak with ecstatic tongues . Spastic movements, shaking, energy, ecstasy, laughter, love, miracles, and healings are also associated with their manifestations.  
In light of these facts, it seems unwise to allow these subjective experiences to influence our interpretation of scripture. On the other hand, we can't rule out the genuine , just because there are counterfeits. So, where does that leave us? This video below from Pastor Tim Conway attempts to address that question.



  The ecstatic tongues controversy is as old as Montanism , and has flared up again and again  over the centuries . The arguments have grown increasingly sophisticated but the underlying tension remains unresolved. We are right to desire spiritual gifts, but at the same time  we must test the spirits to see whether they are from God (1 John 4:1). The Bible warns that convincing  signs and wonders will be used in an attempt to  deceive  in the last days.  
"For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders ; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive  the very elect." Matt. 24:24 [Mark 13:22; Luke 21:8]  
So, are the gifts really for today? Yes, but given as HE sees fit, in HIS timing, according to HIS will, to fit HIS plan. In longing for them, don't throw caution to the wind and accept counterfeits - test the spirits . The genuine gifts are given to build up the body, not for individuals to draw attention to self, authenticate false doctrines (or teachers), or to replace orderly edifying Church services, with the babbling spasmodic ecstasies of paganism.  
Avoid the extremes  on this issue as in so many others. Rather than become polarized and create a false controversy where none should exist, we should attempt to integrate the objective truth of sound doctrine , with a personal  born again  experience , whereby God's Spirit indwells, gifts, guides, empowers, sanctifies, and most importantly imparts love. After all, if it does not become natural for us to love, then we have missed the boat entirely and our faith is in vain - no matter what theological position we hold on these issues.  
1 Corinthians 13:1-2   If I s peak with the tongues of men and of angels , but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge ; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
 

  ]]> Thu, 24 Oct 2013 17:45:10 -0230