The Snake Spotter... :o

Three men are moving through a jungle, working as a team.  One guy has a machete, another has a compass... and the third guy seems empty-handed.  But he is the "snake spotter."  The compass guy shows them the direction, the machete guy hacks on forward, and the snake spotter... well, he spots snakes.   When this team functions as designed, all goes well.  When it doesn't things can quickly get dangerous.

The snake spotter doesn't seem like much of a help most of the time.  He seems more of a hinderance, really.  Just when good progress is being made, with the compass guy pointing the way, and the machete guy cutting the path, the annoying snake spotter just has to yell "SNAKE!" :o   Often it takes a bit of time before the others will even believe that he indeed does see a snake. They suspect that he's imagining things, or trying to exalt the importance of his position in the group.  And sometimes they never see the snake... they just stop long enough for it to go away, or they begrudgingly go around the point that the snake spotter has alerted on...  but there are worse times, unfortunately.  The snake spotter isn't always heeded.

It's an inglorious thing, being a snake spotter.  But it's a needed thing.

In the body of Christ, we are gifted differently.  I've turned out to be a snake spotter, with a reasonably good track record that I can only thank God for; it's not from me.  I'm not a machete guy (too lazy for that), and I'm not a compass guy (I have no good ideas of where we go next)... I'm just a boring, annoying snake spotter. :(

1 John 4:1 says "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."

Yes, we are to "try the spirits" to see where they are from.  To see whether a particular idea might be bad or good, it's helpful to see what entities are in agreement with that idea.  Bad bed fellows are a clue that the spirit and therefore the idea is probably not from God.  If an evil leader is pressing for the completion of a certain plan, that plan may not be from God.

When the gifts of the Spirit are being delineated in 1 Corinthians 12, we see the following:

⁷ But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
⁸ For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
⁹ To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
¹⁰ To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
¹¹ But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.


So the gift of discernment is one of the spiritual gifts.  I know that I cannot work miracles... and I'm not much of a prophet... I've not had much luck at healing people... but God has given me the gift of discernment--I'm confident of that fact.

Christ has harsh words for the one who is given a talent, and refuses to use it. We are all gifted in one or more ways, and the expectation of the Lord is that we use the gift or gifts that He has given us.

Romans 12 has this:

⁶ Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
⁷ Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
⁸ Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

Those who are at the front line of godly Christian movement, with their sleeves rolled up and hearts "all in" are the most inspiring of all believers in my opinion.  These are the folks who love, and "always hope" as described in 1 Corinthians 13.  All believers have much to learn from such ones as these.

But I'm the snake spotter.  The curmudgeon.  The pox on the body, as many would have it.  Others with the same gift that God has given me probably feel the same way at times.  Maybe I could do better.  Maybe I could be more loving in the way I announce what I know to be true.  Maybe that would help...  But even if I must soften my declarations, it is still needful that I make them.  I'm a snake spotter, after all. :)

Shall I be derelict in my duty to please a few?  Shall I stand idly by and say nothing while a better Christian than I "hugs the cute little polar bear?"  I think not.  I must sound the alarm, as God has equipped me.

"So you're right and we're wrong, huh?"

"On this particular thing... yes, I am right."

"But look at this verse here, and that verse there" I'm told.

"I have. But have you seen this verse over here?"

"So how is it that you get to pick the verses you want to support your intolerant positions?  Why are you right in this matter, and we're wrong?"

"Yeah... (dare I say it) ... Because I have the gift of discernment. That's why.  It's not a fun gift, really.  One spends more time in the belly of the beast studying the enemy than might seem prudent.  But it must be done.  Lots of small problems out there, like the Rob Bells and Tony Campolos and Pope Frankies puttering around, and lots of very big problems out there like our nation being handed over to our enemies.  It's not pretty, and it's not fun (I promise you it isn't)... but it must be done."

"So you get to speak for God in this matter, and we don't?  Is that it?"

"Just in this singular matter, yes, I have been gifted by Him to speak thusly."

"Bull. You've no grounds to make such a claim, and you'd better be careful saying such things, presuming to speak for God!"

"God speaks for Himself, through His word. We apply that Word correctly, understanding by the Spirit what is good, and what is not.  I'm not speaking for God, I'm merely the discerning messenger in matters of spotting the enemy."

"And what of us?  Do we not also have the spirit of discernment?"

Allow me to answer that final point in this way:   If it has to do with a matter of church involvement in which I've not been gifted, I will always defer to those who have been gifted in that particular way.  However... if it involves discernment of spirits, I'd be remiss in my duty as a servant of Christ to say nothing while well-intentioned but differently equipped believers play with snakes.

I'm used to watching out for the enemy.  And dealing with the enemy, sounding the alarm, and shrugging off stinging dissent from within is really just all in a day's work.


And yes, I can handle this. I'm a snake spotter, you know. :)





Dan Newberry




 

Eating our own... Walid Shoebat and Jonathan Cahn

Okay... I don't blog a lot.  It's not a passion of mine.  But there are times that I need to get something off my chest, and so I come here... and write. :)

We're living in an age where the church (Christians, that is) are being persecuted world-wide.  Many are dying, many are being displaced from their homes.  Even in America, we are experiencing what I call "soft persecution" as a result of the militant homosexual lobby.  We need to wise up (wise as serpents, gentle as doves) in this age in particular.  The enemy is real--and he's roaming around like a lion, seeking ones to devour.

That much said, we have another enemy in our midst that is harming the body of believers too, and this threat comes from within our own boundaries.  We criticize and mock one another, pouring on derision until some no longer feel free to speak.  We argue over pointless things such as whether one can lose salvation or not... or whether it's okay to drink a moderate amount of wine or not... and such.  Some folks have fairly large followings on Facebook and their own blogs where they come to put down other believers... other members of the same body.

Case in point, Walid Shoebat.  Walid's testimony has been a favorite of mine for years.  He was a Muslim terrorist who was magnificently saved by Christ, and he is doing the Lord's work--most of the time.  However, he recently put up a blog page mocking and bashing Jonathan Cahn for telling Americans that he believes that there is a "great shaking" coming to America.  Cahn doesn't say that he is a prophet (though Walid claims that he does).  Cahn doesn't say "thus says the Lord" before he says what he believes.  Cahn is entitled to his well studied opinion, and I do happen to agree with his points of view--I do believe, based on the evidence, that America is going to hear from God in the not too distant future.  Cahn never once said that something would definitely happen on a given date--though he did say to watch carefully around mid September 2015, and he advised to get out of the stock market.  It's no different than telling folks to get into a shelter if there's a tornado in the area.  Whether it hits or not isn't the point; it's that the chance was quite significant that it could hit, so prudent folks duck for cover.  On two previous 7 year cycles, the stock market crashed.  Did it not seem wise to wonder if it would happen again this time around?  I think so.  This period that we're in will continue for some time ahead, particularly through the end of September 2015.  It's wise to be cautious.  Do you believe God will spare America?  It is hard for me to believe that He will.  We've become every bit as wicked as Sodom.  Judgment is coming, without a doubt.

But back to Walid Shoebat.  He's got a webpage where he claims that he predicted what would take place on September 13th of this year.  His predictions were pretty "spot on"... but there is a problem.  He modified the page on September 14th, at 7:29PM EST.  I posted on that blog page, asking him about the discrepancy.  He removed my post quickly, and he has now modified the entire page to remove all of his "predictions"... well at least I did some good there. :)  Here is that page, modified once again today (September 19th) apparently.  http://shoebat.com/2015/09/10/jonathan-cahn-is-a-false-prophet/

Just right click on the page, and click on "page info" and you'll get the data.

I found the very same thing on another blog, called "The Pen and the Pulpit"... more supposedly pre-September 14th, 2015 predictions, but the update of the page showed that it had been modified on September 15th, 2015.  I didn't ask that guy what was up there... but my guess is that his predictions were just Monday morning quarter-backing, just like Shoebat's were.

You have to wonder if there's an end to what some will do to discredit someone they don't like.

Is Jonathan Cahn perfect? No, none of us are.  He should not allow himself to be called "rabbi" (see Matthew 23), nor should he cover his head with a prayer shawl when he is praying before his congregation (See 1 Corinthians 11).  But fortunately, we don't have to be perfect in every jot and tittle of Christian theology in order to be used mightily by the Lord.  Want an example?

The apostle Peter was the "man of the hour" so to speak at Pentecost.  He gave that amazing sermon in Acts chapter 2 that saw thousands come to Christ for salvation.  But Peter, even then, had issues.  See Galatians chapter 2--Paul withstood Peter to his face because he was telling the gentiles they had to live by Jewish laws as regards foods.  Peter did not listen to Paul in this, as we can tell from what happens in Acts chapter 10 where God Himself has to take the matter up with Peter.  So don't assume that a person has to have his theology in perfect lockstep with your own before you can learn from him.  All of us are learning, always.  If you're not, you're paddling backwards. ;)

Calvinism and Islam... shudder the similarities! :o

I delivered some of this to my study group some weeks ago, regarding how the issue of predestination (as defined by Calvinists) seems to have too much in common with what Islamic scholars say about the matter. We find these two philosophies in lock-step with regard to the deliberate and foreordained damnation of hapless souls to whom God never intended to give a chance. :o

Below are some quotes, randomly cut and pasted, juxtaposing Calvin's views (taken from his "Institutes of the Christian Religion") on predestination with those of Mohammad, in his Quran. I'll put Calvin's words in green, and those of the Quran and Islamic scholars in orange...

Calvin said, "We call predestination God's eternal decree, by which he compacted with himself what he willed to become of each man. For all
are not created in equal condition; rather, eternal life is foreordained for some, eternal damnation for others.

“And if your Lord had pleased, surely all those who are in the earth would have believed, all of them; will you then force men till they become believers? And it is not for a soul to believe except by Allah’s permission; and He casts uncleanness on those who will not understand.” S. 10:99-100

With Augustine I say: the Lord has created those whom he unquestionably foreknew would go to destruction. This has happened because he has willed.
......salvation is freely offered to some while others are barred from access to it.

“Had Allah willed He could have made you (all) one nation, but He sendeth whom He will astray and guideth whom He will...” 16:93

"But since he foresees future events only by reason of the fact that he decreed that they take place, they vainly raise a quarrel over foreknowledge, when it is clear that all things take place rather by his determination and bidding."

Risaleh-i-Barkhavi (Islamic scholar) says: “Not only can He do anything, He actually is the only One Who does anything. When a man writes, it is Allah who has created in his mind the will to write. Allah at the same time gives the power to write, then brings about the motion of the hand and the pen and the appearance upon paper. All other things are passive, Allah alone is active.”

Orthodox Islam teaches the absolute predestination of both good and evil, that all our thoughts, words and deeds, whether good or evil, were foreseen, foreordained, determined and decreed from all eternity, and that everything that happens takes place according to what has been written for it. (sound familiar)??

Geisler wrote, "While many Muslims wish to preserve human responsibility, they can only succeed in doing so by modifying what the Qur’an actually says. Consider the very words of the Qur’an: “Say: ‘Nothing will happen to us Except what God has decreed for us” (9:51); “Whom God doth guide, -- He is on the right path: Whom He rejects from His guidance, -- Such are the persons who perish.” (7:178-179)…"

Calvin wrote: "Man falls according as God's providence ordains, but he falls by his own fault." HUH???

Calvinist, R.C. Sproul, "clarifies": “The distortion of double predestination looks like this: There is a symmetry that exists between election and reprobation. God WORKS in the same way and same manner with respect to the elect and to the reprobate. That is to say, from all eternity God decreed some to election and by divine initiative works faith in their hearts and brings them actively to salvation. By the same token, from all eternity God decrees some to sin and damnation and actively intervenes to work sin in their lives, bringing them to damnation by divine initiative. In the case of the elect, regeneration is the monergistic work of God. In the case of the reprobate, sin and degeneration are the monergistic work of God.

Let us also look at the following Hadith by Bukhari [Bukhari 6:60:473]: "While we were in a funeral procession in Baqi Al-Gharqad, Allah's Apostle (Mohammad) came and sat down, and we sat around him. He had a small stick in his hand and he bent his head and started scraping the ground with it. He then said, "There is none among you, and no created soul but has his place written for him either in Paradise or in the Hell-Fire, and also has his happy or miserable fate (in the Hereafter) written for him.


And how many pillars are there in Islam?  Five, yes.  And how many "points" of Calvinism?  Five again.  Coincidence?  Maybe.  But five in the Bible is the number of division ("from now on there will be five in a family, three against two, two against three")... so it's something to think about.  My guess is that these two heresies have a common author.

Jesus likely WAS born on December 25th! :)

We're seeing more and more of the self appointed mall cops of Christianity blowing their gumball machine found whistles and disputing the notion that Jesus was born on December 25th.

What are some of the things they say?

Well, they'll tell you that shepherds would not have been in the field near Bethlehem tending their sheep when Christ was born. Too cold in the winter, they say. I bought into this for some time, but a quick visit to the weather channel ( www.weatherchannel.com ) will show you that overnight lows average in the mid 40's in Bethlehem in late December. Go to the weather channel website and type in Bethlehem, West Bank and see for yourself. So that argument goes into the can...

Next, you'll often hear that Christmas was actually a "pagan" feast, Saturnalia by name, and that the Catholic Church decided to celebrate the birth of Jesus this time of year to hopefully keep new Christians from reengaging the pagan festivities. Saturnalia was celebrated on the 17th of December, however, not the 25th. And even when Saturnalia got so popular that they extended the drunken orgies for a week, it was still over by the 24th.

What reportedly did occur on December 25th, on 165 BC (according to Charles Ryrie's research), was the temple was cleansed by the Maccabees and the menorah burned for eight days on a small amount of oil--reportedly enough to burn the lights for only one day! A miracle of God, according to the Jewish people. And I believe they are right, it was a miracle. :)  note: as will be mentioned later, it can be a bit cantankerous to transfer the 365 day calendar date to the Jewish calendar date, but Ryrie's notes are still worth considering).

So here we have the Jewish festival Hanukkah instituted by a miracle which some scholars say happened on December 25th! What is mildly amusing is the fact that many Judiazers (those who like to force law keeping onto Christians as a requirement of their salvation) like to mock Christmas as pagan for being held on Saturnalia's date (which it isn't, of course)... but they keep the Hanukkah celebration faithfully--perhaps not realizing Hanukkah's December 25th connection.

Jesus attended the Feast of Dedication, or the "festival of lights" as it's often called, in John chapter 10. This was Hanukkah, there is little dispute. So if we understand that Hanukkah is the festival of lights, and that Jesus is the light of the world, what more appropriate time for Him to come into His creation than during the festival of lights? :) Jesus went about fulfilling prophecy, and He fulfilled Passover, First Fruits, and by the institution of the church He fulfilled Pentecost on the occasion of His first coming. Perhaps His attendance of the Feast of Dedication (festival of lights) in John chapter 10 was a subtle fulfillment of the Jew's feast of Hanukkah. The True Light walked right into their feast of lights... but most did not notice, as they did not know the time of their visitation (Luke 19)...

Some try to use the priestly courses laid out in 1 Chronicles 24 to reckon the birth of John the Baptist, son of Zechariah, whose priestly course of Abijah had just ended shortly before John the Baptist's conception. Since Jesus was born six months after John the Baptist, they work out a date of Christ's birth based on John's. This is a very problematic manner in which to estimate the timing of John the Baptist's birth, for several reasons. Foremost among them is that these courses occurred twice each year, and the Jewish calendar was a 360 day calendar, rather than the Gregorian 365 day calendar we use today. We do not know which of his two courses Zechariah had just returned from, nor do we know how soon after his course was finished that John the Baptist was conceived, nor can we be sure how to juxtapose the Jewish calendar to the Gregorian calendar to arrive at a Gregorian date. We don't even know exactly how long each mother carried her child. So it's really a mess to even attempt such a vain effort.

As an aside... history does show which priestly course was in session when the temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. By counting backwards to a suspected birth year of 4 BC (I believe it was), they affirm a late December birth of Christ. Even though one may agree on the late December date (as I do), we still should not put too much stock in calculations based on the priestly courses.

One other point to note is the census by Caesar Augustus. It is generally reported that the Roman government would call for the census after the harvest season, and of course much like our tax season people had a few weeks to comply. It would not be unreasonable at all to find many citizens in Bethlehem in late December, there to be taxed for the census.

But the most compelling evidence for the December 25th birth date of Christ is the source of the early church fathers. Hippolytus, John Chrysostom, and Cyril of Jerusalem all affirmed the 25th of December as Christ's birthday. Cyril of Jerusalem actually wrote to the Roman government, asking that the record of Jesus' birth be checked, and the date confirmed. Cyril reported that Rome sent back the December 25 date. Interestingly, there are no known writings from any credible early church fathers that suggest any other date than December 25th--that date was not questioned by anyone!

Think about it this way. If I were to write a paper of some sort and within the context of that paper I mention that the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on August the 5th, I wouldn't get far with my proliferation of that document until I had been soundly corrected by a chorus of people, both scholar and lay, pointing out that December 7th was the Pearl Harbor attack date--NOT August 5th. So it should follow that with at least three early church fathers setting forth the December 25th birthday of Christ in their writings, were that not factual, we would see some derision or dissent coming from someone. In truth, were that not the actual date (December 25th), and if that date were in question at all, these early writings would have fallen from favor as unreliable, being replaced with more credible sources. But that did not happen--because no one apparently questioned the late December birthday of Jesus.

Not until very recent years did we even begin to see the December 25th date come into question. And oddly, this was not because some new, smoking gun style document was uncovered. The naysayers regarding the late December date base their notion on suppositions such as "too cold for shepherds to be in the field in December" or the priestly course calculations, both points that have been sitting there unappealed to for nearly two thousand years. Is it just that after all this time we're finally "smart" enough to question what the church has not questioned for two millennia? I think not. I think it's more sinister than that, unfortunately. It all goes toward making Christians look foolish, that we could be duped into believing a lie.

What you have in Christianity today is a "body" of so called believers, about 3/4's of whom are not yet even saved, attending and working in our churches, teaching in seminaries, and publishing documents calling everything sacred into question. We must be careful not to be led astray by those who masquerade as teachers, but whose true commodity is doubt. Satan deceived Eve by introducing doubt (Did God really say...?) ...

Granted, the actual birthday of Jesus is not recorded in the Bible, and we are not even told to celebrate it (any more than the Jews were commanded to celebrate Hanukkah), but what we do with sincerity unto the Lord, is honored by Him (see Romans 14).

One last point. There's some work you'll find on the internet using astronomical computation software to go back to 4 BC to show a convergence of several heavenly bodies that would "explain" the star of Bethlehem. This software pins down a September birth date for Jesus. I don't buy the notion for several reasons, but the foremost of which is that the Bible said it was "A" (singular) star, not "stars"... I'm a biblical literalist, and I believe it was ONE star, of a very special and singular design.

Let us be ever careful of deception, no matter how inconsequential it may seem on its face. Where subtle and seemingly harmless error creeps in, there is generally more "not so harmless" deception to follow.

Dan Newberry

How To Concoct False Doctrine (It's easy) !! :)

I was thinking the other day about false Christian doctrine, and how so many people fall for it... then I began to wonder just how this stuff comes about. I think all false Christian doctrine follows the same basic process, delineated in the following five steps...


The "five points" of birthing a false doctrine...

1. Decide what you want to believe. (note: it is really best to do this before ever cracking the cover of your Bible).

2. "Search the scriptures" to find passages, verses, and even portions of verses that seem to support your fledgling notion.

3. Purpose to ignore other verses in the Bible which unquestionably refute what you've chosen to believe.

4. When challenged with those verses mentioned in step 3, resort to eisegesis--meaning that you read a new and different meaning into those bothersome passages and then hope that your antagonist will just go away and leave you alone. It may also help to act aloof during such encounters, which can give your opponent the impression that he or she is not intellectually advanced enough to see things as they actually are.

5. Lastly and very importantly, purpose to consort only with other Christians who share your newly contrived point of view, avoiding at near any cost fellowshipping with those who may have a tendency to bring up verses that you really just wish weren't in the Bible in the first place.


...and voila! You're done. It will also help a lot if you'll be careful not to read anything other than the writings of those who agree with your point of view. Once you have a following, you can begin working to ensure that your members avoid these same troublesome publications. And watch out for those pesky ministers who remain uninitiated to your new understanding. ;)

Emergent Church tripe... (don't tell me what's in my hotdog)

I like hotdogs as much as the next guy, probably more than the next guy, to be quite honest. But one thing that we hotdog lovers don't want to hear is a list of ingredients of what's in our beloved wieners. We just want the food police to put a sock in it and let us enjoy our hotdogs. (I like to claim Mark 7:18-19 over my food when I eat such things, by the way).... :)

Hotdogs and other such "meats" will often have listed among their ingredients "tripe." But what is tripe?

Websters defines it:

1: stomach tissue especially of a ruminant (as an ox) used as food

2: something poor, worthless, or offensive

Yuk. So I'm eating guts. Disgusting, rancid guts. Fourteen quarts of greasy grimy cow or pig or who-knows-what guts. See why I just wanted you to leave me and my hotdog alone?? :)

But much like the hotdog aficionado who will stop his ears and keep chomping on his dog when the truth of what he's eating is revealed to him, I have found the misled masses who are involved in the emergent church movement to do much the same. Many of these Christians should know better than to eat the tripe that emergent church "pastors" such as Rick Warren, Tony Campolo, Rob Bell, Brian McLaren, Tony Jones and others feed them--but they seem blissfully complacent... lulled by the pie-in-the-sky pseudo-gospel of "kingdom now" theology.

The kingdom now, or "dominion" theology advocates follow a philosophy that says the church is going to make the world such a better place that Jesus will one day look down from heaven and declare "Now that's more like it. I think I'll just initiate operation 'second coming' right now because I just love what you've done with the place!"

What a crock.

The satanic motive behind such a theology is pretty obvious. The Bible is explicit about how there will be a great falling away in the last days. Paul, Peter, and Jesus Himself have told us what to expect. In spite of an abundance of scripture that shows us how the apostasy will grow worse--and humanity will get more evil by the decade--kingdom now (emergent church) followers have been duped into thinking they can turn this puppy around somehow. We are seeing hundreds of thousands of church members buying into this false premise, and the aforementioned satanic motive is this: When these idealists eventually realize that the world is (just as the Bible foretells) getting worse and worse--rather than better and better--they will fall into a spiritual depression, feeling they have championed a lost cause. They will become complacent in their service to Christ, and multitudes who were never truly born again will fall away. Perhaps this is the mass falling away that we see mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 2.

Our Lord has written in Hosea 6:4a My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

I have become more and more painfully aware that emergent church followers really don't want to hear the truth about what they are believing. As the lies get more and more obvious (even to the novice Christian), they just stop their ears all the more. They like the music, the camaraderie, and the feeling that they are "making a difference." In such settings they learn all kinds of "neat stuff." Rob Bell has recently informed his congregants (and the lost world around him) how all mankind will go to heaven. So we get to spend eternity with Adolph Hitler and murderous child molesters and the like. Thanks for clearing that up for us Rob.

One of the things that many emergents will declare when asked about Bell or Campolo or other apostate teachers is... "Well, I don't agree with everything he has to say, but a lot of his stuff is really good--really worth listening to." I've heard this several times from various people. They seem to be advocating the "eat the meat and spit out the bones" approach, when in reality all they're doing is eating around the tire track on the road kill. :o

Satan twisted God's Word to deceive Eve in Genesis chapter 3. “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”(NIV)

Did God really say that?? (emphasis mine)

And this is what is going on still today, with Satan's ministers putting various new "twists" on the truth, leading people deeper into error, all the while causing them to think they're doing the right thing. When you tell the emergents that their soup lines and social gospel approach aren't going to fix the planet (Jesus said we would always have the poor), they view you as cold hearted... as uncaring. But if you merely feed a poor person and deprive him of the Truth that will truly save him, is that love? If you hand him a sandwich and a blanket and a pamphlet leading him to the nearest emergent church, where he'll find out wonderful "truths" such as how homosexuality is perfectly natural and how Islam is just another way to God and how you can just "love" your way to heaven... if you direct such a soul to a place where Christianity and pagan rituals seem to peacefully coexist--then what earthly good are you doing him? Without question, you've done more harm than good.

At Rick Warren's Saddleback church, that wayward, hungry soul can learn how to "get fit" from some new age pagan types who will hypnotize you and teach you "Christian yoga" (Hinduism, actually)... check out some of what Warren is actually doing in his "church" to see it for yourself.

http://airocross.com/2011/02/08/rick-warren-daniel-plan-news-dr-oz-hypnotizes-america/

http://airocross.com/2011/01/28/daniel-plan-news-dr-oz-and-deepak-chopra-promote-meditation/

Why does Warren let such hellions take the stage in his church?

We are commanded in 1 John 4:1 to "test the spirits, to see whether they are from God." But in order to test spirits, we have have God's Holy Spirit in us. That requires regeneration, or being "born again" as Christ put it. This is sadly what may be lacking in most emergent church congregations. John 16:13 tells us that the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth. When professing Christians continue to putter around in falsehoods, and dabble in eastern mysticism, we must ask where the evidence of the Spirit actually is.

Check out the testimonies of Nazarene church members who blew the whistle on emergent false teaching in their own churches. In these interviews, Eric Barger reveals how many are having to leave their churches because the false teachers and false brethren have come to greatly outnumber those who are truly saved.

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs018/1102797716062/archive/1102946701045.html

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs018/1102797716062/archive/1102968389949.html


None of this is to advocate letting hungry people starve. Jesus has certainly commanded us how to treat the poor, the hungry, and the otherwise needy around us. And so we should obey by sharing what He has given us. But being generous will not get you, or anyone else into heaven. The Mormons are more generous than all the emergent church followers put together, but unless they repent and get saved they're going to be doing time for all eternity with other advocates of works based theologies... in the place Rob Bell says doesn't exist: Hell.

Check out what your pastor is reading. Ask him who his influences are these days. Find out where the Sunday school material is coming from. Youth ministers are particularly subject to getting duped by emergent church tripe. It's getting tough out there, and it's almost certainly going to get a lot worse before our Lord returns.

Statement of Faith...

It occurred to me recently that although an official "statement of faith" is something you would typically expect to see decreed by a church denomination--or local assembly--it's not such a bad idea for each of us, as believers, to fashion a personal statement of faith, putting into words what we believe and why we believe it. For me and my household, we believe the following...

1. We trust that the the Bible as we have it, unadulterated from the most reliable texts, is God's Holy and Inspired and Inerrant and Infallible Word. We believe that God has not failed to exercise His sovereignty over the translation of His Word, and that while there are many good translations available, we note that the King James Version has been proven in use for more than 400 years. We therefore conclude that God considers it sufficient to this day, and we believe that Christians do well to compare the modern translations to the King James Version during study.

2. With God's printed Word as our guide, we have been taught to affirm that God indeed has come to visit His creation, in the Person of His Son Jesus Christ, and He has paid the owed penalty for all of the sins of ALL mankind. We reject notions of "limited atonement," affirmed by some doctrines of men, and do so based on 1 John 2:2 and 2 Peter 2:1. Jesus has paid the price for the sins of every man, and salvation is available to all mankind.

3. We further affirm that there is no other way to be saved, except through faith in Jesus Christ as our savior. We believe that the grace of God which brings salvation has appeared to ALL men, which we learn from reading Titus 2:11. We understand that not every man has heard the gospel spoken to him directly; however, Psalm 19 tells us that God's Heavens have declared--and continue to declare--His Glory. We find further evidence of this doctrine in Romans chapter 1. Therefore we affirm that God has made salvation available to every person, for all ages, through His Divine Providence, holding each man and each woman accountable for what he or she has known of God. Acts 17:30 and the full text of Psalm 19 give us hope for peoples who have lived and died having never heard the gospel preached verbally.

4. Salvation is, in its totality, the work of God. Man has nothing to add to the finished work of Christ. We reject as heresy any teaching that asserts that man must perform some sort of additive work to either take hold of, or else to maintain his salvation.

5. We have noted the intrusion of false doctrine in these seeming last days, as the Apostle Paul warned us about. We believe we must stand firm for what the Bible actually teaches, and that we must speak out against the heresies of false teachers whenever and wherever we hear them.

6. We believe in a pre-millennial rapture of true believers in Christ. Prior to the tribulation period to come, Christ will take His bride--the church--away from this world while judgment is poured out upon those left behind. We believe that many will come to true faith in Christ during this time, and we praise God for that. We know these things from reading the book of Revelation and accepting its literal Truth.

7. We reject the allegorical interpretation of scriptural prophecies, and trust that where no obvious reason is given in the text to take these prophecies in a symbolic manner, we should take them literally. Since the prophecies which have been fulfilled so far in the Bible were all fulfilled in a literal manner, we trust that those yet remaining to be fulfilled will come true literally.

8. We believe in Bible study. Not occasionally reading a verse or chapter here and there, but rather applying ourselves to the understanding of God's Word. Since we are commanded to study to show ourselves approved (2 Timothy 2:15), we seek to zealously apply ourselves to this task.

9. We are told in 1 Thessalonians 5 not to despise prophecies. We understand that God has included a substantial amount of prophecy in His Word, and we would be remiss not to study it. The Jews in Jesus' day missed their Messiah because they did not understand the PROPHECY which God had given them. Therefore we study prophecy, and ask God to reveal to us the Truths therein, by His Holy Spirit. We must understand the times in which we are living.

10. We believe that those who sew discord among the brethren will be dealt with by God. Therefore we truly seek to avoid doing such. Romans 14 shows us that we are not to divide ourselves over disputable matters. We must accept each other's differences on non-essential matters such as which Bible version they favor, dietary issues, eschatology, and such. We must treat each other with love.

11. We believe in sharing our faith as Christ commanded us to do, and we understand that as Christians we represent Jesus Christ to the world around us. Since Jesus died for the sins of all mankind, we know that we can truthfully tell everyone who will listen that He died to cover their sins. True believers will have a heart for lost souls, and we therefore pray that God will make opportunities for us to share the Truth with the unsaved people in our lives.

12. We know that once we are saved, we have become Christ's sheep. Since Jesus is the Good Shepherd, we trust that He will keep us in the fold. Just as any earthly shepherd is the one charged with keeping account of his sheep, we trust that our Lord will keep us, as His Word affirms in Jude verse 24. Therefore we fear God, and know that He will chasten those who are His (Hebrews 12), but we do not fear losing our salvation, as that would be His failure, not ours, and our Sovereign and Loving and Long Suffering God does not fail! :)

Favorite anchors of Calvinism... another view.

One of the most often quoted Bible passages of Calvinism is the one in Ephesians, chapter one, which speaks of predestination. By using the following passage, John Calvin (and many since his time) have taught that only those chosen and predestined are going to heaven, and all others will haplessly go to hell.

Here is that passage, from the NIV:

³Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. ⁴For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ⁵he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— ⁶to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. ⁷In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace ⁸that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. ⁹And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, ¹⁰to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

¹¹In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, ¹²in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. ¹³And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory.

Now... if you examine the initial verses of Colossians, Romans, and 2 Corinthians, you find that Paul uses persuasive language intended to show the reader what his credentials are--in other words, "this is why you should believe us." Read especially 2 Corinthians 1 to really see this trait of Paul's letters.

Further, you see Paul use the "us and we" and then transition to the "you" elsewhere in his letters. Here are the first six verses of 1 Thessalonians 2:

1 For yourselves, brethren, know our entrance in unto you, that it was not in vain: 2 But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention. 3 For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile: 4 But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts. 5 For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness: 6 Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been ^F2 burdensome, as the apostles of Christ.

So now, let's look afresh at the same passage of Ephesians shown earlier, but I am going to insert in parenthesis "the apostles" where it seems obvious that Paul is indeed speaking of the apostles. I will also color ORANGE some parts of the passage that really need to be considered and understood...

³Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us (the apostles) in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. ⁴For he chose us (the apostles) in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ⁵he predestined us (the apostles) to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— ⁶to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us (the apostles) in the One he loves. ⁷In him we (the apostles) have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace ⁸that he lavished on us (the apostles) with all wisdom and understanding. ⁹And he made known to us (the apostles) the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, ¹⁰to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

¹¹In him we (the apostles) were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, ¹²in order that we (the apostles), who were the first to hope in Christ (are we among the first to hope in Christ, living in the year of our Lord 2011?), might be for the praise of his glory. ¹³And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory.

It should seem obvious now that Paul is initially speaking of the apostles (the first to hope in Christ, vs 12), and it is the apostles who are the ones who were chosen and predestined, and this for the benefit of all of us who could not have heard the gospel unless God had provided some specially selected people to share that gospel. By the way, "chosen" with reference to the apostles does not mean "invited," it's a different Greek word and it means hand picked, selected... so the apostles were hand picked according to God's good pleasure, and the majority of the church are those who have accepted an invitation from the Holy Spirit to be saved. Accepting that invitation means that God the Father will draw you to Jesus Christ, His Son.

In verse 13 of Ephesians 1 the focus shifts to the believers in the Ephesian church (and to all other believers, of course), when Paul says, "you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth." So it's pretty clear... the apostles were chosen... they were predestined for a mission... hand picked by God to spread the Gospel...

And when were all others included in Christ? When they heard the word of truth... and believed.

To interpret the verses preceding verse 13 as referring to all Christians, for all time, we have to satisfactorily explain two key issues: First, why would Paul refer to all believers for all time as "the first hope in Christ," and secondly, why the change from "us" and "we" to the pronoun "you?" (verse 13).

It would not seem wrong to say that God may effect the conversion of apostles differently than with the rest of the church. Even today, we see the phenomena of Muslims being visited in visions and dreams by Christ Himself, and they come away with a true conversion. Then they go about spreading the gospel--usually at great risk--in their communities.

Most Christians come to the faith after being persuaded... Paul "reasoned" in the synagogues. God says "Come let us reason together."

I believe it is of vital importance to understand at what points in Paul's letters the focus shifts from the church (usually addressed as "you"), to the apostles themselves, referred to as "us." Granted, there are passages that apply both to the apostles and also the church as a whole where Paul writes "us", so we need to really observe the surrounding text to know for sure exactly who is being referred to.

Dan Newberry

On Starting a Home Church...

Romans chapter 16:
³ Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, ⁴ who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. ⁵ Likewise greet the church that is in their house.(NKJV)

Colossians chapter 4:
¹⁵Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea and also Nympha and the church that is in her house.(NASB)

From reading the two passages shown above, we find that in the early days of the church, home churches were not only sanctioned by God, but likely the norm. Brick and mortar buildings for the specific purpose of meeting together for worship and teaching were not always practical and affordable, so smaller groups would meet together in homes. We find this very thing going on today in China, and also in other parts of the world where the church is growing so well.

I find this manner of assembling ourselves together to be a wonderful blessing. Each Christian in attendance gets an opportunity to bring what he or she is led of the Lord to share. In 1 Corinthians 14 and verse 26, Paul says this:

How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.(NKJV)

From this passage, you can see that the early church assembly was likely a lot more interactive, with some folks wanting to share a hymn (psalm), or a doctrine, or tongue or interpretation or revelation. I have learned through our Thursday night Bible studies that folks often get a lot more blessing from interacting with other believers than they do from the typical Sunday sermon.

Of course order must be maintained, and this was one of the many problems that Paul was addressing when he wrote to the Corinthians. If chaos and confusion is allowed to get a foothold in the assembly, no one will be edified...

The traditional American church service, held as it most often is behind stained glass windows, can be quite intimidating for many new Christians--and for many "would be" Christians as well. These individuals feel as though they don't fit into such a template, and they often feel unaccepted by the rest of the congregation.

But here is the thing: The very humility they feel as they nervously sit in the plush sanctuary of a "Church Street Church" for the first time is exactly the humility that Christ would want us to have as we approach the Throne of God. That feeling of unworthiness, that downcast heart--that is the mindset that moves us toward salvation in the first place.

Many folks will try a new church once, or maybe twice... but they'll ultimately leave that final Sunday with a feeling of emptiness and rejection. Rejected by the church... by its people... and by association they feel rejected by God Himself.

In many cases we have turned the church assembly into just such a machine. We have become, to use the words of J. Vernon McGee "knife and fork clubs." Our congregations are filled with unsaved people, who are typically the first to unfairly judge newcomers. Love has been replaced with pride. We tolerate what we ought not, and we are often very intolerant of Truth. Our leaders are careful not to ruffle any feathers, lest the numbers (and collections) drop off. Men (and even women) go into the ministry for selfish gain, never having been called of God to pastor and teach...

But where, then, can a true seeker go? Can there be a friendly haven where he or she can find true Christian love and fellowship? A place where the Word of God is trusted, followed and believed? A place where they won't be taught by Laodiceans and false converts that the Bible is full of mistakes? Is there somewhere these can go to learn what Christianity truly is, and also (and of equal importance) what it truly isn't?

Many of you reading this may be members of good churches, where the Bible is held in high esteem and the Word is being taught with such fervor that the false converts sitting in the congregation scatter like startled mice--or else get saved. That is what preaching should do. As the minister conveys the Word, it divides bone from marrow--sharper than any two-edged sword (see Hebrews 4:12)...

Still others of you may have that bothersome feeling that you are missing something in your worship, and in your assembly. Perhaps you have invited people you have witnessed to to your church, and they have come a time or two then they've fallen away. They say they just don't feel right... they can't put their finger on it...

Or perhaps you would like to see friends or even family members begin regularly attending church, but you can't think of a church within 50 miles that would seem to fit their needs...

Perhaps you should prayerfully consider whether God might be calling you to begin a home church. This does not mean you have to leave your current church--and you don't even have to hold your meetings on Sundays (though that would be preferred, if possible, since more people are available to come on Sundays due to work, school, etc.). If you don't feel qualified to lead the meetings, you could ask around for someone who may be willing to do it for you. Begin with as few as three or four people... then start getting the word out. :)

Serve a light refreshment (cookies, cinnamon rolls, donuts...), and coffee and hot chocolate and iced tea...

The leader of the assembly should keep in mind the spiritual maturity of each individual attending, and make sure that they get useful and edifying teaching from the Bible. You don't want to bore the advanced Christians, nor do you want to go over the heads of new Christians and seekers. Fortunately, God's Word is so incredible that you can choose a simple passage of scripture, read through it together, then discuss it as a group and everyone will be blessed. When the Holy Spirit is allowed to lead the meeting, it will always be good.

Be sure to include prayer requests and praises in every meeting, and have a question and answer segment near the end, so that folks can get clarification on things they're unsure about. Remember that iron will sharpen iron, and even if you're the leader of such a group you will learn from even the most novice of Christians in attendance--so keep your mind ready to learn, and ready for a blessing. :)

I believe that you will find that many new and would be Christians will feel more comfortable coming to your home (since you're inviting them) than they will to a traditional church. Let them know that your home church meeting is geared toward reaching out to new believers, and to those who are seeking God. God's word says in Jeremiah 29:13

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.(NKJV)

So could it be that someone will seek and find God through having been invited to a church meeting in your home? Remember that God does work in mysterious ways... :)


Dan

Atheists: God's rebellious teenagers

I've recently drawn what I believe to be a rather interesting paradigm between atheists and rebellious teens.

For those of us who have raised children (or are still in the process of raising our children) we know full well how rebellious our teenagers can sometimes be. It is part of the "growing up" process some will say. They are asserting their independence; their individuality. But if the behavior is allowed to go unchecked, the young person's life is sure to spiral out of control.

The rebellious teen believes that he can run the household better than you can. He questions your authority, and may often even mock your decisions. He rolls his eyes when you tell him to clean his room. He knows better than you, and hard presses himself to stop seeking your advice (because to seek your advice would be to acknowledge that you have wisdom above his).

But all the while, he feels entitled to the amenities that you provide. He wants that warm, dry bed at night (even if it is surrounded by mounds of clothes, books, and junk which he never picks up)... he wants to find the pantry stocked with his favorite foods. He wants the lights to come on whenever he flips the switch...

And in truth, he knows where that food in the 'fridge comes from... he knows that it is dear old dad who pays the electric bill... and the phone bill... and the mortgage.

But this "knowing of the truth" about how the amenities he enjoys are provided is bothersome to him. He doesn't like being under your authority. If he's under your authority, he must obey your rules, right? So what's a rebel to do?

This rebellious teen fosters his sense of entitlement by telling himself that you "owe him." You brought him into this rotten world, and it's all your fault that he is here. You don't know what is best for him, and you don't even know what is best for yourself, he reasons. This is a comforting thought for him, because it assuages his guilt for taking the things you make available to him, while simultaneously defying your authority in every way he can get away with.

Such a teen often stays home well into his adulthood. He likes the security of the parental units, so to speak--but he does not like their authority. The older he gets, the wiser he believes himself to be... and he uses his "wisdom" to reason against your authority, and further to "reason" that it's okay for him to keep free loading because after all, you created him and he is entitled to your support.

Let's look at Romans chapter 1 here...

18The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. 21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. (NIV)

Paul is saying a lot here, and there are multiple lessons we can learn from this short passage of scripture, but most pertinent to our discussion here are the following points:

Note that Paul says in verse 19 that God has made His existence plain to even these ungodly people. The word says that they knew God. God has shown us all through His creation that He is real, and is deserving of worship. Should we not wonder how all these wonderful things we find on the earth and in the heavens were really made? If an organism has obviously been designed, does it not follow that there is a designer?

What Paul is saying here is that God has given us the ability to reason, and we should ALL be able to realize that God is our Creator. The word says that if we do not acknowledge God we are without excuse. (An aside... it's impossible to reasonably accept the "total depravity" plank of the Calvinist platform in view of Romans 1:20--this verse proves that we all can and we all should acknowledge and worship God).

Paul points out that these reprobates chose not to worship God, even though they did know Him.

They chose instead to worship created things, rather than the Creator. The modern day equivalents would be the tree huggers and the PETA-types and the global warming alarmists, I would suggest. :)

24Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

In the same way that a rebellious teen feels entitled rather than grateful as he indulges himself in the amenities provided by the parents, the atheist--to use J. Vernon McGee's phraseology--is "breathing God's air, and drinking God's water, and soaking up God's sunshine"--all the while denying that God even exists.

The atheist is God's rebellious teen who thinks he knows it all. He thinks his heavenly father is not worth acknowledging, but he'll take his father's gifts because he feels justified by birthright. He will then go on to be "greater than his father." By his own wisdom he'll be his own god, he reasons. He will go on to be, as the vilest of all creation once said, "like the most high."

We should always pray that atheists will come to the Knowledge of Truth in Christ.

Dan Newberry

How do you know you can trust the Bible?

As Christians, we often get asked by atheists and agnostics a very contemplative question: How do we know that the Bible is truly the word of God--and not just something that man made up?

I think the prudent Christian should be equipped to answer this question succinctly. But how?

I personally believe that all of the answers to mankind's dilemmas can be found in scripture. But how can the Bible prove, from its own pages, that it is God's Word?

Here are some things worth considering...

Isaiah 40:22 says It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:

Note that phrase "circle of the earth." Could a man have known when the book of Isaiah was written that the earth appeared as a circle?

Job 26:7 says He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.

Job is reported by many Bible scholars to be the oldest book in the Bible, written perhaps as long as 5000 years ago. Who would have known in that time that the earth was hung on "nothing?"

Here is a point worth pondering... In Luke chapter 17, talking about His return to us, Christ says:

34I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.

35Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

36Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

37And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.

Does anyone else find it curious that Christ is describing His worldwide simultaneous return (here He is speaking of the rapture, I believe, but that's another subject) as an event that will be occurring when some of us are asleep at night, and others are in the field working? Is He not demonstrating a knowledge of a spherical, turning earth, knowing that it will be daylight for some of us, but night for others? In the days that this scripture was written, people thought the world was flat.

Then there are the curious instructions for hygiene throughout the Old Testament that God gives to the Israelites.

In Leviticus chapter 15 we find instructions from God as to how a man who has infected wounds should be treated. Turn to your Bible and read chapter 15 of Leviticus, or if your Bible isn't handy just click this link:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus%2015&version=50

What you see in Leviticus 15 is an amazing demonstration of knowledge of micro-biology, and the instructions as to how to clean an infected person and his or her bedding and garments (note the call for running water, for instance) are indicative of an intelligence far above that of mankind at the time Leviticus was written, which was around 1425 BC. Waiting for a period of time before being declared clean is also a common command in the Old Testament. This would allow time for germs on the surfaces of the skin and hair to potentially die of exposure or else be purged from the body via flaking skin, or perspiration. Note too, that the wooden vessels that the contaminated person touched were only to be washed, but the clay vessels were to be destroyed. Can you think of a reason why wood would only need to be washed, but clay could not be washed clean of germs?

Now lets look at another book of the Old Testament, written about 1450 BC--the Book of Numbers, particularly, chapter 31. God's instructions to those who had gone in and slain the Midianites were as follows:

19And do ye abide without the camp seven days: whosoever hath killed any person, and whosoever hath touched any slain, purify both yourselves and your captives on the third day, and on the seventh day.

20And purify all your raiment, and all that is made of skins, and all work of goats' hair, and all things made of wood.

21And Eleazar the priest said unto the men of war which went to the battle, This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD commanded Moses;

22Only the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead,

23Every thing that may abide the fire, ye shall make it go through the fire, and it shall be clean: nevertheless it shall be purified with the water of separation: and all that abideth not the fire ye shall make go through the water.

24And ye shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and ye shall be clean, and afterward ye shall come into the camp.

We see again in this passage an amazing knowledge of micro-biology. God is telling them to put whatever can abide the fire into the fire, so that it will be clean. And we know that fire kills germs! But what about that which cannot abide the fire?

God says to put whatever cannot abide the fire (clothing, animal skins, leather, etc.) through the "water of separation." What's this stuff? (other translations call this the "water of cleansing," or "water of purification")... could this stuff kill germs?

God gave an answer to my friend Ousman and me as we studied this issue one afternoon. No search of the internet's vast resources gave us a cogent explanation as to what the water of separation was. But the Holy Spirit did. :)

Turn to Numbers chapter 19 where there are instructions regarding the sacrifice of the Red Heiffer. It is through the Red Heiffer sacrifice that we get the "water of separation."

5And one shall burn the heifer in his sight; her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, with her dung, shall he burn:

6And the priest shall take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet, and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer.

7Then the priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp, and the priest shall be unclean until the even.

8And he that burneth her shall wash his clothes in water, and bathe his flesh in water, and shall be unclean until the even.

9And a man that is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them up without the camp in a clean place, and it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for a water of separation: it is a purification for sin.

If you read all of Numbers chapter 19, you'll notice that there is a very ceremonial tone to the proceeding of the Red Heiffer sacrifice. God is making sure that His instructions have noteable form, and that they are followed. But there appears to be a practical aspect to this sacrifice as well.

The ashes of the Red Heiffer are to be used in the water of separation, and the water of separation has the ability to clean up unclean things. We have some interesting ingredients in the heap of ashes of the cedar wood, laying on top of the dead bovine. Realize that God's instructions were to place the wood on top of the animal, not underneath it. This would likely ensure that some of the animal's fat would survive the fire. Are you getting it yet? :)

We make from animal fat and ashes... soap. Realize, too, that the cedar wood would contain evergreen oil, which has disinfecting qualities as well. The scarlet wool bits may have been to cause the substance to clump better, or else as a scrubbing agent to aid in cleaning. The Hyssop called for may have some similar effect, or else it may simply be for fragrance.

In any event, it seems clear that the water of separation was a soapy water, which indeed would have the effect of cleaning up things which can't pass through the fire.

Again, there are a lot of ceremonial things which are being performed during the practical intent of the act, so it might be easy to miss what is actually going on here if you focus too much on the ceremony.

So when someone asks you how you know that you can trust the Bible, remember that there is ample evidence within the pages of the Bible itself to prove that man could never have written these things, uninspired of God.

Dan Newberry

First Mate Calvin and the Captain

The ship was sinking, and there was nothing that could be done to stop it. The captain called first mate Calvin to his side, and informed him of the coming tragedy. The captain said that some would certainly perish, though it grieved him that this was the case.

"Unfortunately, many will not make it into the life boats in time," the captain grimly told Calvin. "Some will stubbornly refuse to believe that the ship could be sinking and will therefore ignore the call to enter the life boats. Some will be so paralyzed with fear, they'll remain in their cabins. Nonetheless, go on and get the word out to all souls aboard."

"Which passengers shall I go to first?" Calvin hurriedly asked.

"Simply tell all who will to board the life boats. We have twenty-four life boats on deck. That is enough to save all souls aboard, but some will not be saved. You don't know who will be saved and who will not, so just let everyone aboard know about the life boats. Better some saved than none at all."

"Aye aye, captain!" first mate Calvin dutifully shouted.

Calvin left the captain's bridge and grabbing a bull horn on his way to the passenger's quarters he then began considering the dire circumstances of all the passengers and the crew. Calvin also began to mull over bits and pieces of the conversation he'd had with the captain.

"Hmmm," Calvin thought, "the captain says that he wants all on board to be saved, but then again he says that all won't be saved... he says some of them are stubborn and afraid and therefore they won't be saved... I wonder how the captain knows that? Well, no matter... he's the captain so I'm sure he knows a lot more than I know. I wouldn't save those stubborn ones either if it were entirely up to me, so I see the captain's point. And the scared ones will just get what's coming to them too. That just means more room for the rest of us..."

Calvin then walked the hallways and common areas of the ship, shouting:

"This ship is sinking! The captain says that some of you will be saved! Get into the life boats immediately so that those who will be saved can be saved!" Calvin felt a sense of authority that he'd never felt before as he shouted this message all over the ship.

But a woman with a very young child came to him and said: "My brother is on board somewhere and I cannot find him. You said that some of us would be saved. Will my brother be saved?"

"Only the captain can answer that," Calvin smugly informed her. "The captain has said that not all will be saved. I'm sure he knows which ones will be saved and which ones won't. He has a complete list of all souls on board, and I'm sure he has a list of the ones who will be saved."

"But I won't leave my brother behind. Can't he, too, be saved?" the woman desperately wondered aloud. "Where is this list?"

"You can't see the captain's list," he told her. "You, your child, and your brother may all be on that list. But then again, only some of you may be. Or possibly all of you will die. It's all up to the captain."

"Well, what if we go on and get into a life boat now? Will that mean that we're probably on the list?" the woman asked.

"No," Calvin said. "Your act of climbing into the life boat means nothing in and of itself. If you're not on the captain's list and he finds you in one of his life boats you'll be thrown out. There is nothing you can do to ensure that you're on that list--it is entirely up to the captain."

And so with that Calvin again raised the bull horn to his lips and continued shouting his warnings to all souls on board.

A middle aged man approached Calvin and asked: "Why are you telling everyone that only some of us will be saved? Shouldn't you just call everyone into the life boats? Isn't there enough room in the boats for everyone?"

"There is enough room for everyone, but the captain says that all won't be saved," Calvin said. "That's not my rule, that's his rule. I'm just the messenger."

But the man was not satisfied with Calvin's answer. "Do you mean to tell me that everyone on board could be saved, but that the captain has declared that only some will be saved? How do we know who will be saved and who will be lost? What can I do to ensure that I'm one who will be saved? And what about my wife, can I bring her onto the life boat with me?"

First mate Calvin paused a moment and pondered these questions. He did his best to remember the words that the captain had spoken to him, and made the best sense of those words that he could. "Only the captain knows who will be saved and who won't. It is not up to you or your wife whether either of you will be saved," Calvin said. "There is nothing either of you can do to affect the captain's decision--it is entirely up to him who will be saved and who will go down with the ship. So don't attempt to get into good graces with the captain now because unless you are on his list to be saved, you're going to be lost."

Continuing, Calvin then said: "But I have some good news! If you are on the captain's list to be saved, you cannot lose! So rejoice! He's a great and wonderful captain because he has picked a few of us for his good pleasure to put into the life boats. The rest of you will drown, as you well deserve to!"

"We deserve to drown?" an elderly woman shouted? "Is that what the captain said?"

"Well... yes," Calvin replied. "If you're not on the captain's list, you deserve to drown."

"And do you deserve to drown?" the woman asked Calvin.

"We all deserve to drown," Calvin said, because we're all on this ship and we're all bad people. Remember this is a casino ship, and all of us on board are gamblers. We all deserve to drown, but it is the captain's good pleasure that some of us be saved."

The woman then asked "What if we go now and beg the captain to put us on his list? Will he then do that, and so save us?"

"No," Calvin was certain. "If you were not on the captain's chosen list when you came on board, then you're not going to get on that list at all. You can't ask the captain to add you to his list because it is not up to you whether you are on that list or not. You're either on it, or you're not on it. If you asked him to put you on that list, that would mean that it is something which you did which got you onto the list. And that is not how it is. So don't waste the captain's time."

"This isn't making any sense" another woman said. "First you tell us that there is enough room in the life boats that we all could be saved. Then you say that the captain has wished that we would all be saved. Then you tell us that only some of us will be saved, and that the rest of us will perish. Then you say that it is not up to us whether or not we can be saved--you say it's entirely up to the captain no matter what we do or don't do. But you have already said that the captain would like us all to be saved. How can he wish that we all be saved and at the same time sentence some of us to drown?"

"Captain's orders," Calvin smugly replied. "That is just the way it is, and he's in charge of this ship. Deal with it."

An elderly man named George stepped forward and addressed the first mate: "Then why are you telling us these things? Assuming you are right--assuming you have not misunderstood the captain--why are you telling us these things? If the captain's list cannot be changed, why tell those of us who are not on the list that we are about to drown? Why cause such discord among the passengers? If what you say is true--if nothing can be done to affect the captain's decision as to who goes and who stays--why fret those who will drown? Why take their hope now? I see that one young man has already returned to his cabin to drown. He was about to board that life boat over there, but then he heard your words. I heard him say as he passed by me that he's sure that he can't possibly be on the captain's list. He has returned to his cabin to drown because of what you have said."

Calvin was contemplating a reply when a young woman yelled: "We want to speak to the captain ourselves. This cannot be the way of it!"

Just then a woman named Mary ran to join the crowd. "I have already spoken to the captain" she said. "I've just come from the captain's bridge and if I understand the captain correctly, it is up to each passenger whether or not they board the life boats. Room on the boats is plentiful, the captain says. He does not want any of us to die--but he says it's up to us whether or not we avail ourselves of the life boats."

"Not so fast!" Calvin scoffed. "That's not what the captain told me. And who are you anyway--some mere passenger? And you have dared to approach the captain to bother him at such a time as this?"

"The captain was very gracious to me, even loving," Mary said. And I did not get the impression that I was bothering him at all. I could feel just from being in his presence that he is very concerned for every one of us. 'Tell all who will be saved to enter into the life boats!' This is what he told me to say."

"Well I don't believe you," Calvin flatly stated. "The captain has a list and I'm sure of it. Some of you aren't on that list so you just deceive yourselves into thinking that you can ask the captain to put you on that list, even at this last minute, and he will. Ha! Go on and think such foolishness! You'll die anyway!"

Then the elderly man named George asked the first mate: "What if Mary is right? Wouldn't that be good news to you? What if any of us could ask to be put on the captain's list, and so find a place on the life boat? You seem as if you would not be happy if the captain had so arranged things."

"It doesn't matter whether I'm happy with that or not," Calvin retorted. "The captain will only save those whom he will."

George asked "What about the crew? What about you, first mate? Are you on the list? Do you plan on being in one of the life boats?"

"Certainly I do," Calvin said confidently. The captain would surely not allow me to be lost. I'm his messenger to all on board. He has confided in me, and I'm so very respectful of his authority and his total sovereignty. I believe this pleases him."

"Have you seen the captain's list?" George wanted to know.

"Well, not exactly," Calvin admitted. "But since I'm the one who the captain first told about the list, I'm certain that I'm on that list. Otherwise I'm sure he wouldn't have told me about it. And besides, I have very strong admiration for the captain and I especially revere his total authority because I know how much he likes that... so I'm sure I'm on that list."

"What did you do to get on the list?" George wondered.

"Nothing. It was just the captain's good pleasure that I be on that list! That's what's so great about it! But I'm beginning to suspect that you, sir, are not on the list and you're just jealous because you're not. That's why you keep badgering me with all this nonsense! It's not my fault you're not on the list. And it's too bad for you that you can't do anything to get on the list. Too bad indeed!" The first mate seemed quite happy with himself.

And so Calvin continued, going all about the ship as it slowly sank, shouting to everyone on board that if they were one of the lucky ones--one of those chosen by the captain--they could be saved. But no one--not even those who were already seated in the life boats--could understand how Calvin could so gleefully--even pridefully--tell everyone on board that only certain ones were designated by the captain to be saved. This caused a great deal of confusion among the already frightened passengers.

Then Mary turned from the crowd and announced: "I'm going into the passenger's quarters to tell everyone what the captain has told me--that they can be saved if they'll just come up and board the life boats."

"Knock yourself out," Calvin sneered. "The ones who are actually on the captain's list are already in the boats. There's no hope for the rest of these hapless souls. You're just wasting your time!"

But within a half hour, when the water was beginning to flood the ship's deck, Mary emerged from below, leading a dozen passengers who had believed there was room on the life boats for them too. These were soaking wet, humble, and afraid, but so very thankful that someone had shown them that they could still be saved. As they boarded the life boats, first mate Calvin strolled over and announced:

"These were obviously on the captain's list the whole while! Thank goodness the captain has chosen these also!"

"We thought sure we would all drown," a man named Paul said. "We had been told that it was not the captain's will for all to be saved. Earlier this day, I had stolen money from another man's cabin while he was having his lunch. When the ship's officers came around to question me about the theft, I lied and said I had nothing to do with it. But I knew that the captain suspected me. Therefore, when I was told that only those on the captain's list could be saved, I was certain that I would not be on that list. But this woman," he said, pointing to Mary, "assured me that the captain still had room for me--even me--in one of the life boats. And this made me very happy, but also very sad. I was happy that I might not die, but I was very sad about the crime I had committed. I wanted to tell the captain that I was guilty, and would pay back double for what I had done. I wanted to apologize to the man whose money I had taken. I wanted to make things right. And I still feel terrible to even be here with you fine folks, trying to save myself from drowning. But I'm so glad that there are enough boats! I praise the captain that he will not allow me to perish for this awful thing I've done."

"Are there any other souls below deck?" George asked Mary.

And Mary's eyes welled with tears. "I called out to one young man and I told him that there was still time for him to be saved. He said that he did not deserve to be saved, and therefore he was sure that he wasn't on the captain's list that the first mate had told everyone about. I told him to just come, and not to worry about any such list. I told him I had spoken to the captain and that anyone who was willing to come would be saved." She paused a moment, her tears now streaming down her cheeks. "But he wouldn't believe me. He's still down there."


Dan Newberry