Deception

What Makes You Really Angry?

3 Comments / July 27, 2022

I think we’ve all been angry at some point or other. There are probably some universal causes of anger–such as inept or rude customer service representatives; arguing children; or being betrayed by someone you trusted.

And then there are some causes of anger that seem to be more related to our personalities. Some people get angry at laziness or lack of common sense in those around them. Others get angry at circumstances beyond their control. Some people get plain mad at God when things don’t go their way.

We know that anger is not a righteous emotion. Most of the time.

There is that little caveat in Ephesians 4:26 where it says, “Be angry and do not sin.” This means there is sometimes a righteous cause for anger.

What is something that should make us very angry?

As I was studying in preparation for my upcoming study of Galatians, I realized that the main thing that should make us angry is any attack on the Gospel. Read these verses to see just how serious this is–

I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert[a] the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be [b]accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:6-10)

These are not simply Paul’s words but these are God’s words. We can see from these verses that God takes an attack on the Gospel very seriously. Let anyone who warps and twists the true Gospel be accursed (which means devoted to destruction; imprecate evil or misery upon.)

Has the deluge of false gospels being pandered today made us immune? What other reason can there be that Christians aren’t up in arms regarding the countless attacks on the true Gospel? Why aren’t we defending it and refusing to allow the lies to creep in? Even in to our own “Bible-believing” churches?

What must God think?

I am not sure I ever really gave this much thought until reflecting on these verses yesterday (and listening to some sermons regarding these verses.)

There are two specific ways the Gospel gets perverted. Every perversion falls under one of these two.

First, there is grace plus works (legalism) perversion. ANY presentation or teaching regarding the Gospel that adds any works is not the true Gospel. This means that if you “need to get baptized” to be saved, it’s a false gospel. If you need to take communion or pray to saints in order to be assured of your salvation, it’s a false gospel. If you need to eat certain things, wear certain things, do anything to be saved, it is a false gospel.

Second, there is the hyper-grace (licentiousness) perversion. This perversion denies the many passages that call us to live a life pleasing to Christ. It denies that we become a new creation in Christ and, instead, says that, since we are no longer under law, anything goes. Here the Gospel is given without the message of sin and repentance. It is more focused on fire insurance rather than a lost and hopeless sinner’s reconciliation with God. Say a prayer and be saved–no fruit necessary, according to this false gospel.

These false gospels are dealt with all throughout scripture but in Galatians, Paul speaks specifically to both of them. Think with me for a moment what you know about many who lump themselves in with the modern day religion of “Christianity”. What do they teach about the Gospel?

If they are not preaching the true Gospel as is clearly presented in scripture they are not actually our brother and sisters in Christ. And this should upset us! This should make us mourn for the thousands–millions–who believe a lie about their eternal destiny. Not only do they believe a lie –but they believe a lie under the guise of Christianity and true Christians are not doing anything about it. Instead, they are encouraging them in their false faith and joining with them, declaring that “we are siblings in Christ”.

This is simply appalling! When you really think about it–could there be anything more unloving than allowing someone to believe they are truly saved– when they aren’t??

But we tend to get more upset about a spilled drink or an unexpected bill than we do about this tragedy taking place across the globe. Oh, how self-centered we are. How self-centered I am.

If we believe the true Gospel, then we need to not only live by it but pay attention when there is a departure from it. We need to stop making excuses and rationalizing away the damning differences. Like Paul, we should be up in arms and ready to defend the Gospel boldly and courageously!

 

*I have a page on the blog called “What is the Gospel?”, where we take a look at what scripture has to teach us about this subject. You can find it here.

*In 2016, I wrote about in some detail regarding some common false gospels. You can find that post here.

*I am looking very forward to my study of this book. If you are in the 2022 Growing4Life Bible Reading Challenge, I hope you are looking forward to it, as well. And if you aren’t in the challenge, it’s not too late to join for the rest of the year. Find out more information here.

 

Some Thoughts About the Roe vs. Wade Reversal

Leave a Comment / June 27, 2022

The Christian world is full of joy and gladness at the reversal of Roe vs. Wade. And, understandably so. This will hopefully mean lives will be saved. But…

And, yes, I will use the word “but” because there is a huge “but” to consider.

Before I get into that, I want to give a bit of the big picture to what’s going on in America currently. There are two sides– the black and the white; the left and the right; the liberal and the conservative. There is a fight– what most would believe is a fight between the “good” and the “evil”.

But I would submit to you that those two sides are actually two wings of the same bird. They are not separate and opposite but actually working together to aid in bringing in the reign of the Antichrist. (Keep reading to understand what I mean…)

So what does the Bible say about the “culture war”?

It makes it pretty clear that believers are not here to change the culture. We are here to share the Gospel. Our purpose is not to make the world moral (for how would that even be possible without Christ??) but to win the lost. We are not here to change the politics of our nation but to make an impact for Christ. We are not here to build God’s physical Kingdom (do we really think He needs our help for this??) but we are given the privilege to help build God’s spiritual Kingdom (because we know He doesn’t really need us for this either but clearly desires to use us in this way).

Since Matthew 7:13-14 make it abundantly clear that the way is narrow and few are they that find it, we know that the typical response to our sharing of the Gospel will be rejection. We know that relatively few will repent of their sins and turn to Christ. While there have been occasional pockets of revival, it is clear from scripture that we should not expect this.

Now, with this in mind, let’s consider what is currently happening in our culture. You may have heard of the terms “Post-millenialism”, “Kingdom Now”, “Dominionism”, “Optimistic Amillenialism” and “Seven Mountains Mandate”. Basically (in a simplified nutshell), all of these teach that Christians are mandated to build God’s physical Kingdom on this earth right now. That we are to work together to make the world a better place, in order to prepare it for Christ’s return. Some of these say the Gospel will be what changes and prepares this world for Christ (which flies in the face of Matthew 7) and others don’t care a bit about the Gospel. But they all have the same focus: Preparing the World for Christ’s Second Coming.

This goes against all that is in scripture regarding the end of the age and the last days (Matthew 24; 2 Timothy 3). But, beyond that, we can see how it will play into the hands of the coming Antichrist. Why? you may ask. Simply because he will give the impression–at least at the beginning–that he is the Messiah, come to bring in His Kingdom in response to their efforts.

There will be a short-lived hope in the “peace” that he will bring at first (See Revelation 6). But that will last for only a short time before the real truth of the situation sets in for those who are entering the Tribulation.

With this in mind, I want to share something a friend of mine wrote about the Roe vs. Wade decision and its part in this battle between “good and evil” that is really just a theatrical play designed to prepare the world for the Antichrist.

Here is what she wrote–

It is leading more people to follow the post-millenial narrative which is completely unbiblical and dangerous. Even the so called pre-tribbers are joining the “cause.” Instead of looking to God’s Word, everyone is now fighting the “culture,” fighting the government. As if we are going to turn the tide of apostasy back towards God.

This decision has not changed hearts. Yes, praise God for saving babies!

But I even saw a post that said God is gaining ground in America!!? God has always been able to do as He pleases. And, yes, God hates abortion, but people are completely missing the point: A “moral” society does not equal a saved society. We are not to be transforming the culture, but instead sharing the Gospel!

Certainly getting rid of abortion is wonderful, but it is not our focus. In the end the majority of people are still headed to hell.

And the worst part is that the so-called church is in a frenzy to rebel and to fight the culture, but they are not concerned with hearts. Post-millenialists think they need to fix the world so Jesus can return. They actually believe that they literally need to transform society so Jesus can come back! And this will all lead to the Antichrist because as they see society getting better….

Obviously the true Church will be taken in the rapture (on God’s timeline, of course). But as society improves and the Antichrist rises up touting peace and likely morals, he will show them great signs and wonders. They will believe he is Jesus, and they will worship the beast.

This is just another step towards the end, and it has actually led more people into deception. It is all part of the false light agenda. Satan is very clever, and he has shown people the evil in the world on purpose. The tyrannical government has pushed people to rebel. People are completely focused on the world, and they are fighting to fix it. And now the abortion law is overturned, and they think they are making progress. They have completely forgotten the great commission.

This is all part of the set up to pull more people into deception. God has brought judgment on our nation for our wickedness certainly. God sets up rulers to judge wicked nations, but the true wickedness is in the Church which is quickly moving into apostasy. And God has promised to send a strong delusion, and we can already see such blindness in the Church.

Let us stay humble and look to Him and stay in the Word. Let us share the gospel! God will keep His remnant!

I think she has summed up what is happening perfectly. We need to pray that God would show us the truth. That He would keep us from deception and give us wisdom and keep our eyes focused on Him rather than on the culture. To trust only Him rather than those humans who would mislead us into error.

I have been stunned and disappointed at the amount of “prophecy watchers” who are preaching rebellion and “culture-changing”. Something is not right. I have been stunned and disappointed at the amount of “Discernment bloggers” who will call out the obvious but still hob-knob with and promote those in their circles who have clearly fallen away.

Don’t. Trust. Anyone. Don’t trust you favorite author, preacher, speaker. Don’t trust your favorite discernment blogger or prophecy updater. Don’t even trust me.

Trust no one but God and His Word.

Yes, I know this sounds like a very negative way to live. I know many of you will be put off by such a message. But I believe with my whole heart that we are in an age of unprecedented deception that is leading to the Tribulation that we read about in Revelation. We don’t have the luxury to let down our guards. And so we must all put on our armor (Ephesians 6:10f) and view all with a healthy skepticism, just as the Bereans did in Acts 17:11. It is truly our only hope to understand what’s really going on and keep us from getting swept away into apostasy.

 

 

The Ingredient That Is in Everything…

6 Comments / June 21, 2022

A friend of a friend was diagnosed with cancer. The doctor he was seeing suggested that he stay away from a certain preservative that appears to either cause or exacerbate cancer. That friend told me what this doctor said.

I had never noticed this preservative before. In fact, I hadn’t even heard of it.

Before I go on, I must warn you. You may not want to know this. For if you believe what the doctor said (and I am still doing some research on this, although so far my findings would say, yes, it is true), it will eliminate many “good things” from your life. You will see it crop up in literally everything.

It’s in salad dressing. And lemon juice. It’s in every shampoo on a retail store shelf. It’s in fruit drinks and Turkey Hill unsweet tea (that one really surprised me!) It’s in kool-pops and popsicles. And a million other things. I’ve listed only a fraction of the places I’ve found this ingredient. It’s in economical store brand items as well as in expensive organic items.

So, I am just being honest, if you want your life to be easier and you’d rather just not know, just stop reading right now.

But I will continue for those of you who want to know the truth.

It is an ingredient called sodium benzoate. It is just plain old salt, according to one organic shampoo bottle. But is that what it is? Is that bottle being honest?

This preservative is not naturally occurring in any whole food. It is a lab-created ingredient created to extend the shelf life of certain items.

This should be of concern, given no one really knows its long-term affects. From what I can tell, it was only created in 2005 (I might be wrong on that, as it was hard to find the details of its history.)

So should humans be consuming so much sodium benzoate? Even if just a bit is added to a product, doesn’t our consumption of this additive add up quickly if we consume so many of those products?

I’m no chemist, so at this point I am just asking the questions. I think it’s a valid concern. I’ve started doing the work of reading ingredient labels and trying to avoid this preservative as much as I can. It seems nigh upon impossible to avoid it totally.

So are you seeing the comparisons of this ingredient to what we are seeing in Christianity these days?

The new Christianity (the mystic, self-centered, ecumenical version) is literally in everything. Once we are aware and start looking for it, we find it everywhere. While there are still a few pure churches, they are few and far between (as many of you can probably attest to). It’s an additive that comes in just bits and pieces at first. Although, unlike sodium benzoate, it is more like a terrible yeast that grows uncontrollably until it’s taken over the once-sound church or ministry.

But it begins as a bit. Just a tiny promotion of a false teacher here. A joining with a false church there. An almost invisible twist on the Gospel here. A book or movie recommendation there. Little things that look minuscule to the average church goer. But these little compromises spell disaster to the one who has taken the time to compare what is happening in this new Christianity to God’s Holy Word.

You see, you have to know what you are looking for and that it actually exists before you can understand what is taking place.

I had no idea what sodium benzoate was or even of its existence, before that one conversation. Unknowingly, I have been feeding and applying that to my body for years. And, of course, I must trust God’s protection.

But what is my duty now? Do I just ignore the truth and live life as normal? Or do I have a responsibility to share the truth and make some changes in my life? Changes that might mean giving up favorite products that I’ve used for years?

I am guessing you can see the clear parallel here. When we begin to see the truth of this new (i.e. false) Christianity, it requires something of us. And it isn’t a fun process. The truth rarely is. One by one, we start eliminating things that contain it. Books, music, movies, and other forms of compromised “Christian” entertainment. We start evaluating our churches and what they are preaching from the pulpits, teaching in their Sunday Schools, and using as books for their small groups and Bible Studies.

Whether we are discussing an unproven additive or a wave of unbiblical teachings, there will always be scores of people to tell you to relax. Trust the narrative. Stop witch-hunting. Stop being so negative. Stop doing your own research. Just. Stop.

But we can’t stop. Because it is the truth that sets us free. It truly is. It may be an easier road to not know it in the short term. But, in the long-term, knowing the truth is always best. Knowing the truth is what keeps you spiritually and physically healthy. It protects you from the harm and danger of the world. It keeps you from being deceived. Spiritual truth is what keeps Satan from devouring you.

So how in the world do we find this spiritually life-saving Truth?

It is in God’s Word. If we are in the Word and reading it and studying it with a humble heart and a readiness to obey, no matter the cost, God will show us the truth. We don’t need to study the ways of false teachers or make a long list of who has compromised. We can simply compare them to scripture and see, fairly quickly, if someone has compromised.

So what keeps people using sodium benzoate after they know the truth? What keeps people in the midst of false Christianity when they see the truth?

A few things probably.

Maybe laziness? It’s so much work to be diligent in keeping our lives healthy –both physically and spiritually.

Perhaps the cost? We often have to give up some of our very favorite things when God opens our eyes.

It could be the ridicule? The path of the truth is rarely popular and whether you are talking about a lab-created additive or a false teacher, you will deal with eye-rolling and disdain.

It is important we check our hearts for these reasons ourselves. When it comes to our physical bodies, we do have a certain responsibility to keep it healthy. But there is nothing more important than keeping ourselves spiritually pure and 100% committed to God and His Word. What keeps us from doing so? Is it one of the three reasons above? Or maybe something else?

This life is hard, isn’t it? I wish I could say I have this down, but I definitely struggle with the first reason, particularly. I can grow exhausted and in my exhaustion, I grow lazy. My flesh whispers “what does it matter, anyway?” and I give in. (That is one of the things I am looking most forward to in heaven– no whispering flesh!!)

But we must endure to the end. We may cave to laziness or an unwillingness to give something up or to the ridicule that is sure to come, but when God helps us to see it, we must acknowledge it, confess it, and then move on. Thankfully, we have a wonderfully forgiving God and He loves us dearly.

So let’s keep searching for the truth together in a world that hates it. And, I may add, even in a visible church that hates it. Because, whether or not we see it, it is always there and it changes everything.

 

 

The Apostate Church

10 Comments / May 10, 2022

Sometimes it is only when we take some time to reflect on the past that we can see the vastness of the change that has occurred. Take our own kids, for example. We live with them day by day, hour by hour, but we never specifically notice their legs growing longer or their brain maturing. It’s not until they’ve grown up that we think through all the various changes and stages and recognize the enormity of the change. Or take a struggling marriage. Little by little, couples grow apart and possibly turn to others for comfort rather than to each other. It is not until it becomes painfully obvious that the couple stops and wonders how they got to where they are.

All change is like that and enormous change is no exception.

A few years ago, I was talking with my oldest daughter about the many changes that are taking place in the church. She told me that Uncle Dean’s (Pastor Dean Good) series on Jude was so helpful in regards to this subject. Preached in 2009, it gives a great picture of what the church of the last days will look like and gave her much insight.

So I listened. And then I listened another time. And this past week, I’ve listened one more time.

(If you’d like to listen, you will find the series here. Scroll down to the bottom for the first sermon of the series, titled Living in the Midst of the Worldly Church, and then work your way up.)

You see, God doesn’t just leave us wondering what the last days will look like. He actually gives us a picture. And He tells us that as we approach the end of this age, the church will become, by and large, apostate.

So you may be wondering: What does apostate mean, anyway?

Apostate, in this context, means to abandon true, biblical faith.

So, think with me if you will of how this has happened (this is not from the sermon series but from my own reflection of history.). This change has occurred –not over the last five years, not over the last twenty years, but over the last century or more. The change has been so gradual that most of us never took much notice. At first, it was just certain denominations that abandoned biblical faith. Others would soon follow suit. But there was still a core hanging on. For most of the 1900s, there was this core of evangelical, fundamental churches that hung on to sound biblical doctrine.

I was born in the 1960s. By the time I reached high school that core was starting to be carefully and intentionally corroded. But I, along with millions of other believers, had no idea. Now, I can look back and see. The worship battles that took place in churches all over the country were part of that change. As was the “purpose-driven” (or can you say BUSINESS) model for operating a church. The push to move the church’s focus from the Bible to personal experience was not an accident. Neither was the insistence that we must be “relevant” if we were going to reach the lost (a lie from the pit of hell.)

We can probably all look back and see signs of change. Now. We couldn’t see it then. Because we didn’t know.

I remember my youth pastor showing us worldly movies as a “youth activity” in the 80s. And I remember a pastor bringing in the Purpose-Driven church book to the board my husband was serving on. I can see now that many of the “Christian” books I read and the “Christian” music I listened to were filled with mysticism and all other kinds of false (but oh, so subtle) doctrine.

But, as with any change, I couldn’t see it then. It is only in looking back that I can see these signs (and so many others) of a church that was falling into apostasy.

And this is where Pastor Dean’s sermon series was so helpful. Because God gives us a description of this church of the last days. And it matches perfectly to what we have been seeing take place, not only in America but across the world. This simply serves as one more reminder that the time is short. Eschatologically, the mainstream “church” is just where we are told she will be at the end of the age. Remember, this is not the true Church, which is the bride of Christ that contains the remnant of those following the true, biblical faith. This is, rather, an apostate version that uses all the right terms and phrases but is godless.

Titus describes these types of people in chapter 1, verse 16–

They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being [d]abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.

Lots of “professions” of salvation but no turning from sin or from the world. This is an indication that a true life transformation has not occurred. When these “professors” gather together in groups and call themselves a church, they make each other comfortable in their worldliness and acceptance of sin. They gladly grab on to the pleasant promises of God’s Word (if they pay attention to the Word at all) but ignore or rationalize away any of the unpleasant parts.

The church of today (almost without exception) is a church focused on self instead of God. It is a church focused on experiences instead of the Bible. It is a church that views discernment and negative words as evil and instead warmly accepts any and all new fodder that has a the label of “Christian”. And it is a church focused on embracing the world instead of separating from the world.

There are few churches left –even the ones we have counted on to be solid– that have stood firm against the tsunami of change that has washed over evangelicalism.

I was struck when I was studying Titus last week. Chapter 1 gives this qualification for church elders:  holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.

If church elders would have obeyed this scripture, many churches would have been saved. Instead, they were caught up in other trivial matters as the serpent stole his way into the hearts of the churches.

Because of the lateness of the hour, there is no saving the church as a whole. But, with God’s help, you pastors and elders can save your own churches and you moms and dads can save your own families.

So what to do? Jude helps us! Let’s take a look at verses 20-23–

But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

22 And on some have compassion, [j]making a distinction; 23 but others save [k]with fear, pulling them out of the [l]fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.

First, we must build ourselves up in the faith through prayer. We cannot withstand this Tsunami of apostasy without Bible study and prayer. It is truly our only anchor in this unprecedented and giant wave of change. And we must persevere, keeping ourselves in the love of God through our submission and obedience, as we look for Christ’s return that will take us to our eternal home.

And then we act. We take whatever opportunities God gives us to help. Sometimes that will mean showing compassion on doubters as we take them to the Word and other times it will mean snatching individuals from the serious danger of apostasy. The wisdom of what is needed for each opportunity will only come through walking closely with God through prayer and Bible Study.

So this is what God has told us to do as we navigate these last days. But Jude doesn’t end there. He goes on to give these marvelous words to conclude (verses 24-25)–

24 Now to Him who is able to keep [m]you from stumbling,
And to present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
25 To [n]God our Savior,
[o]Who alone is wise,
Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and [p]power,
Both now and forever.
Amen.

What an amazing reminder that it is God who works in and through us for His glory. And we cannot stumble if He is our guide. And, while our path may be difficult during earth’s final days, the day will come when we will be presented faultless before the throne–only because of Christ’s sacrifice. And then there is this wonderful reminder that the God we serve has all wisdom, glory, majesty, dominion, and power. We are loved and protected by the one and only God of the Universe. It’s an awesome thought.

And so we are not left without counsel and wisdom for where we find ourselves in these days–even if we feel lost and lonely in our own church. As Pastor Dean has said–expect to be persecuted by those who call themselves Christians. True, biblical faith is not and will never be popular (John 15:18-19). True biblical faith stands clearly separated from the world (James 4:4). True, biblical faith grows in holiness (I Peter 1:15-16). And true biblical faith avoids false doctrine (Romans 16:17).

As we compare these things above to the church of today, we can see the tragic departure from true biblical faith. May we unapologetically and courageously follow God’s Word as we strive to walk with God in this unique time of history. Only by God’s grace and mercy will we survive what is ahead. But God is able to keep us from stumbling! He will not forsake us.

 

 

The Sick Toddler

2 Comments / April 23, 2022

The mother eyed her whimpering toddler with grave concern. He had stopped crying. Like he had run out of the energy to even cry. That couldn’t be good.

“I think it’s time you take him to the doctor,” her husband said worriedly. The young couple had watched their little son grow worse and worse over the past two days.

Within a short time, the mother had the feverish baby strapped into his car seat and was on her way to the doctor. Every once in a while she’d look in the rear-view mirror to check on him. She grew more worried with each passing mile. What was wrong with him?

When she got to the doctor’s office, she was ushered into a room right away. Holding the hot and limp little boy, she prayed. Soon the doctor was examining him. His expression grew concerned. He sighed, stood up, and turned to the mother.

He explained what was wrong with the baby and said he had medicine to help the baby. The effect would be immediate. But there was a big problem.

“What is it?” said the mother with trepidation.

“The medicine tastes awful,” the doctor spoke as if this mattered, “he might not like it.”

“I don’t care. Make my baby well. Give him the medicine,” urged the mother.

Good health was more important than pleasant-tasting medicine to the mother who loved her son more than she loved herself.

It was more important that he be healthy than that he be happy in that moment.

I heard this illustration on a sermon series by Dr. John Whitcomb today (I’ll include the link below). I felt compelled to share in hopes that this would help you understand why the Bible clearly commands us to expose false teachers. It isn’t about dividing the Body of Christ. It never has been. It’s about loving and protecting the Body of Christ.

A few days ago I put a post on Facebook about a false teacher. He’s much beloved and, as expected, I lost many followers. Some expressed their disgust that I would share something negative about this man. The conclusion is always the same: You are absolutely sinful and wrong to do this.

But is this what the Bible actually says? Does the Bible clearly show that it is unloving and sinful to expose a false teacher? We know it doesn’t when we compare this premise to scripture. (I have written about this in the past so I won’t repeat what I wrote but you can go here for that post.) But let’s dig a little deeper into the why. Why does God want us to expose false teachers? Why does it matter?

The truth is like that awful-tasting medicine. It doesn’t taste good and, as humans, we’d just prefer not to have it. But the truth is the only thing that can keep us spiritually healthy.

There is a spiritual pandemic going on and it’s sweeping across this land and into the utter parts of the earth. It’s a pandemic of wrong beliefs without any biblical basis. It’s a pandemic of strong opinions dominated by personal experience. It’s a pandemic of declarations and prophesies and zero doctrine. The landscape is simply littered with teachers who twist and warp scripture as they shout their opinions and ideas from well-lit stages to packed auditoriums.

This has led to many sick Christians. They are sick because they are listening to and heeding false teachers. And there are so few who are willing to speak up.

But just like that mother who loved her baby enough to give him bad-tasting medicine so that he could be well, so, too, should we love our siblings in Christ enough to tell them the truth.

For only when we know the truth can we begin to be spiritually healthy. The truth truly will set you free.

Jesus said this in John 8:31-32–

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Do you notice that the truth is only known by abiding in His Word? The Bible isn’t just an old book. It’s where we find the truth. It has been provided to give us a litmus test by which to test everything. It is the tool given to us to examine ourselves and to examine any teacher, author, or preacher that comes our way.

And so, if we truly love and care about the body of Christ we must speak up. For only this is truly love.

“Niceness” and pleasant words will never prove your love. For love is proven by actions. As we can see from the illustration above, this mother loved her son enough to frustrate his desires in the short-term because she really cared about him in the long-term. Is this any less true in the spiritual realm? What an important lesson for us all.

Look, I don’t have this down. By no means am I saying follow my example, for I have such a long way to go. The fact that it took me so long to write about Disney (which is so obviously occultic) shows me that I am certainly not immune to compromising in order to please people. Oh, that we may all (myself included) be encouraged to love people enough to speak the truth, no matter the cost.

And so I write to encourage us all. May we be loyal only to God. May we be willing to risk reputations, friendships, and whatever necessary to speak the truth for the sake of sick and hurting siblings. And may we remember that we aren’t perfect. Sometimes it is us who is sick. Let’s be willing to listen when someone speaks truth to us as well!

For only through Truth–both speaking it and listening to it— will the Body of Christ be healthy and unified in the way God intended.

 

 

Here is the excellent series by John Whitcomb that I referred to above:

Truth is Greater Than Love (Part 1)

Truth is Greater Than Love (Part 2)

Truth is Greater Than Love (Part 3)

 

 

Are Disney and God Compatible?

6 Comments / April 8, 2022

A few years ago, I stumbled on to a documentary about Disney. I was so disturbed but the cost of speaking out against Disney was high (as it is dearly loved by so many Christians) and so I am ashamed to say that I just let time slowly fade this content from my mind. I had a vague recollection but decided to not worry about this.

Some of our best family memories took place at Disney World. While we weren’t Disney fanatics by any stretch of the imagination, we did thoroughly enjoy our trips there. My kids watched many of the movies over and over growing up. (Of course, never the ones that were filled with sorcery— as if a “little sorcery” in the ones we did allow was not as worrisome as a lot!) At any rate, I wasn’t prepared to pay the price of turning away from this American staple. Neither publicly or personally. It seemed too hard.

But, recently, not only has Disney been doing some really concerning things in their theme parks, but their content is getting darker and more propaganda-like with each new movie or show.

And so I decided to watch the documentary again. And, friends, Disney has been telling us their direction all along. They have been putting it out there for all to see and we Christians have been completely and utterly deceived.

I decided, this morning, to share this documentary on Facebook. But, unbeknownst to me, the video used a fake photo. I doubt the author of the video knew it was a fake photo, but this was enough for me to remove it. (I am so thankful to the reader who brought this to my attention!) Although the video was otherwise spot on in the information it presented, this one fake photo would discredit the video enough to sour and turn off those who are looking for excuses to ignore this information.

SO this is why I am writing today. I want to take a look at what is wrong with Disney, according to scripture. May we be brave enough to open our eyes to these truths.

Here are the questions I’d like to answer today:

What is Disney’s purpose? And is it compatible with God’s purpose?

I want to acknowledge, right up front, that it took me a very long time for me to get to this point. I am ashamed to admit that I was not willing to face the ridicule of family and friends in order to stand for what is right. I was not willing to marginalize myself that much. How incredibly sad is that?? I am so ashamed.

But no more. I think it’s time we all take our proverbial heads out of the sand and take an honest look at what Disney has been teaching all along.

First, there is sorcery in almost every single movie in one way or another. While we think of these as innocent stories expressing the age-old theme of good against evil, they really are teaching our kids and grandkids about sorcery.

Let’s remind ourselves what God thinks of sorcery:

There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you. (Deuteronomy 18:10-12)

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)

It is fairly clear in these passages (and others) that God HATES sorcery of any type. So why would we Christians bring entertainment into our homes that contain this thing that God hates? (This goes for Harry Potter and Narnia and Lord of the Rings, as well–entertainment that is FULL of magic and sorcery.)  Why do we make exceptions for entertainment?

I believe that Disney paved the way for Christians to accept sorcery as an acceptable inclusion in their entertainment. Oh, how naive I was. How naive we all were.

Second, the theme of almost every Disney movie is “Follow your heart.” Any believer who is familiar with scripture at all must recognize the grave error of such a message. In fact, there we read that the complete opposite is true–

“The heart is deceitful above all things,
And desperately wicked; Who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)

It is Satan who deceived Eve into thinking that she was capable on her own of determining truth. It is Satan who deceives us in this way yet today. We can’t follow our hearts because they will always lead us astray.

And yet this is the main message of the company that is the main entertainer of America’s children. Perhaps of your own children. Really reflect on that for a moment.

Third, Disney is busily changing the definition of family. Again, in almost every film, there lacks a normal family. Think about all of the Disney films you have watched. Almost all are missing a parent. Obviously, this sometimes tragically happens but it has never been the norm. I can’t think of one (even their real life series and movies often are not showing the proper–and what used to be normal– nuclear family structure). This change in the nuclear family structure from these movies of yesteryear have opened the door for other family structures. Can you see the progression?

Fourth, many of these movies promote things that are utterly unacceptable and yet somehow make them seem alright– a young man enticing a teen girl to leave her room (Aladdin); a magical being luring three young children on an adventure (Peter Pan); A magical nanny teaching children witchcraft (Mary Poppins and Bedknobs and Broomsticks).

Oh, Christians, what have we been doing?!?

These are just four (of many) reasons we should stay far away from Disney, although more reasons are being piled up upon these four every day. From the ridiculous changes they desire to make in their theme parks to the ever-darkening propaganda they continue to push forth on the naive culture in their movies and series.

Should we be surprised at this trajectory of Disney?

Absolutely not. Not when we do a little digging into Walt’s past. You see, Walt was a 33rd degree freemason. He was always anti-God and  in direct opposition to biblical themes. From the beginning, he wanted to put occultic themes into the heads of children.

We Christians were just so naive.

Oh, I know that some of you saw this all along. And you were willing to speak up about it, too. I am so glad that you have done so!

But far more are unwilling to face the truth about this company that is deadset on teaching their kids and grandkids all that goes against scripture.

It is my hope and prayer that this post leads even one of you to re-evaluate this company and to start removing the wicked entertainment they are spewing forth from your lives and the lives of the precious children in your care.

And, like I said, I am saying this to myself as much as I am saying it to you. I will be throwing away my Disney movies (those I incorrectly labeled as “innocuous”). I have already canceled my Disney Plus and Disney credit card accounts. I am on a mission, now that God has opened my eyes.

There’s an inconspicuous verse in Daniel 10 (what I am reading this week) that says this:

Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. (verse 12)

The angel came in response to Daniel because he had “set his heart to understand.” Well, I want to be like Daniel. I want to set my heart to understand so that I am not deceived by things like Disney. I am ashamed it took me this long to “set my heart” but better late than never, right?

Will you join me?

 

(If you want to be horrified and further educated regarding what Disney is teaching our young people, then this documentary which I referred to earlier will inform you. However, please be aware that the author included–I am guessing unbeknownst to him–at least one “photoshopped” photo. Unfortunately, this photo will discredit the author when the bulk of what he says is clearly true. So use your own judgment on this.)

 

What Is Your Price?

2 Comments / March 28, 2022

Every now and again I’ll go searching for some new music on Amazon music. There is a lot of good Christian music on there that is outside of the mainstream CCM that I stopped listening to a few years ago.

The other day I found a CD by some random guy that I was thoroughly enjoying. It was just his great voice and a piano and the songs were very appealing to my ear.

But a couple of songs in, I heard a weird phrase. Wait, what? I listened for it again. I wasn’t sure if it was unbiblical, but something didn’t seem right. I kept listening…

The next song came on. In this song, he assured his listeners that God would enable you to listen to your own heart. It was actually a very strange lyric and–no question with this one– definitely NOT biblical (Jeremiah 17:9)

At that point, I moved on.

But, it was a reminder that unbiblical, false teaching comes in all kinds of packages. It comes in pleasant-sounding songs as well as rap music. It comes in theatrical productions as well as in a soft-spoken preacher. In church and at work. On the TV as well as through a friend or your favorite social media account.

Any false or unbiblical teacher has either been deceived themselves or has chosen to compromise.

We can avoid being caught up in deception by careful and correct study of scripture. It is authoritative, inerrant, and sufficient. It is the only source of truth and God’s gift to us to keep us from deception. If we are deceived for a short time, He is faithful to call us from deception at some point if we are His own, dear child.

But let’s talk for just a bit about those who intentionally choose to compromise.

Some say we all have a price at which we will compromise. For many it is popularity, for some it is power or wealth, for others it is fear of what others will think. For many in the west, the price of compromise may be comfort, convenience, security, or stability. And then there is family. Many are unwilling to stand strong because of the ridicule and antagonism they receive from their families.

More and more, we are watching people compromise what is taught in scripture. People we have trusted to not compromise.

It is a most discouraging and disheartening process.

In the face of this most discouraging set of circumstances, how do we respond?

Since we can’t control what others do, we must keep plodding along, serving the Lord, intent only on pleasing Him. When we put our eyes on some other goal or idol, we end up compromising —sometimes without even realizing it.

Pastor Randy Hooper wrote this recently: “Most people, even the unbeliever, will not compromise his belief for ten dollars. But how about ten thousand dollars or ten million? A person is not any more noble because they, in a sense, charge more for their defection and cowardice than others.”

Exactly. Most people have a price. Oh, they may hold out if a small reward is offered. But when the cost gets too high or that thing that is so highly valued becomes available if they but compromise (just a little…) then most who call themselves Christians will cave.

So what is your price? What is mine? Will we compromise?

This is when it is helpful to take an honest and hard look at ourselves. What is our idol? What is more important to us than God? Hopefully nothing but this is a tough one. Sometimes we don’t even realize that something is more important to us until we examine our hearts. And this is our weak spot. This idol is what Satan will use to tempt us to compromise.

And so we pray for protection. We pray that God would enable us to keep Himself number ONE in our hearts, over and above all other things and people.

Others around us may compromise. But may we stand strong until the end!

And let’s not forget: We can only do this through the strength of the Holy Spirit. And this, through prayer and the Word of God.

Alone, we are like little lambs in the wilderness—prey for false teachers and incredibly susceptible to idol-bowing.

May we be people who are both unwilling to compromise, as well as people who refuse to fill our minds with the fodder of compromised teachers as we travel in these very strange times in these last days.

 

 

You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops. Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.

2 Timothy 2:1-6

 

 

IF: Gathering: A Biblical Evaluation

2 Comments / February 24, 2022

Normally when my daughter, Jess, posts on her Anchor for the Soul Facebook page, I will repost on my page over there and then wait a few days (and sometimes a few weeks) to post it here on the blog. However, what you find written here today was on her page late last night. I knew I wanted to get this information into your hands as soon as possible. This IF movement has a lot of steam and is very popular and their gathering is coming up soon.

Although you may already be aware that something is off with this movement, you may not be sure how to discuss this with the women in your life who adore it. What you find written here will easily explain why all biblically sound Christian women should stay far, far away from the IF:Gathering.

I hope what Jess writes below is a blessing to you as you seek to please the Lord above all else and to be a light for Him in the ever-darkening, false religion that they call “Christianity”.

__________________________________________

 

The IF: Gathering was founded by Jennie Allen in 2014. The name is inspired by the question, “If God is real…then what?” and exists to “equip women to fulfill their calling.” It’s a weekend conference that women can attend in-person or livestream with a group in their home or local church. I’ve received a few questions about the gathering and since IF: 2022 is coming up in 2 weeks, I thought it was a good time to answer them. Is it biblically sound? Is it something we can benefit from or something to be avoided? I researched each speaker at the gathering and found an easy – and discouraging – answer.

Before we begin, I’m assuming these 7 things about you as a reader. If you agree with them, then you will absolutely share my concerns over the list of speakers and what they preach and believe.

1. Women aren’t permitted to preach in church (1 Tim 2:12-14)
2. Social justice isn’t a Biblical concept and we can’t seek to resolve racism in any way apart from the Gospel changing individual hearts.
3. Direct revelation from God is no longer occurring. (Rev 22:18)
4. The NAR (New Apostolic Reformation) and Prosperity Gospel movements are unbiblical and must be avoided.
5. We do not seek to unify with other faiths or denominations that compromise the truth. Truth always trumps unity. (Matt 10:34)
6. Dominion theology is false. The Bible is clear that the world will become worse and worse, not better, as the last days approach.
7. There should be no partnering with false teachers (Romans 16:17, 2 John 9-11)

J𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐞 𝐀𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧 – founder of the IF gathering, the idea was born after she heard a “voice from the sky” (that she attributes to God) telling her to gather and equip her generation. She’s a proponent of extra-biblical revelation, spiritual formation practices, unity over truth, women pastors, and dominion theology. Her dream guide states that “when we create and thrive for the good of others, you’re participating in God’s redemptive work of making the world better.” Her end goal always seems to be making the world a better place. What speaks the loudest against her, however, is those she invites to speak at the IF: Gathering.

𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞 – an ordained pastor who preaches at various churches across the globe. She is rooted in the NAR and the prosperity gospel. She calls Joyce Meyer her spiritual mentor and “prayed for an impartation of that teaching anointing and revelation” as she placed her hand on Meyer’s Bible. Her association with false teachers is inexcusable – she is officially part of the Hillsong church and has partnered with Joel Osteen, Paula White, TD Jakes, Beth Moore, and many others.

𝐉𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐬𝐚 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐤𝐞 – they are proponents of ecumenism (especially the joining of Catholicism and Christianity), social justice, and dominion theology. Jefferson stated that the book of Revelation is simply “apocalyptic literature showing the evil of empire versus the goodness of the reign of God.” He’s partnered with multiple false teachers.

𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐫 – Matt has recently jumped on the charismatic bandwagon, preaching about visions or “spiritual impressions” and our requirement to share those with others as a “word from the Lord.” He’s also a champion of social justice, often talking about white privilege and the inconsistencies and ignorance within the white church. He preached about the need for affirmative action within the church. He berates those who criticize CRT or the Black Lives Matter movement – claiming “their brains are broke” and that they’ve “given up on justice.” He believes God can eliminate racism as we partner with the world to reform the broken system.

𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐚 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧 – at a CRU event in 2019, she led a prayer to the stadium full of people where they repeated a prayer of lament for white privilege and systematic injustice in which they were “compliant.” Her book, 𝐵𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐵𝑟𝑖𝑑𝑔𝑒, claims that Christians refuse to actively repent for their failure “to be a credible witness of racial reconciliation.” She claims we all need to “explore our family’s history to discover ways in which you or your ancestors have been complicit in racism” and then make reparations for that. She says that guilt and shame are “communal” and that it’s a sin to benefit from structural privilege. She never talks about the gospel as being the only true solution.

𝐆𝐚𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐛𝐞𝐤𝐚𝐡 𝐋𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐬 – founder of “Q”, an organization that attempts to unite Christianity and other faith groups to bring about change through the “seven channels of cultural influence.” The organization has partnered with false teachers and many from the Catholic church. Gabe Lyons commended the IF: Gathering for “not getting into doctrine” especially over women’s roles within the church.

𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐢 𝐇𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 – a popular Christian figure who is slowly drifting away from Biblical theology. She has recently recanted her participation in “the American Gospel” (a documentary showing the falsity of the prosperity gospel) saying that she “deeply dislikes the tribalism and theological superiority those types of films encourage.” She’s become a proponent for Social Justice and has defended her partnership with Bethel, Hillsong, and other false teachers.

𝐒𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐇𝐮𝐟𝐟 – a rising star in the Christian world, she speaks a very me-centered Gospel. She talks a lot about your worth, dreams, goals, confidence, and the importance of “being you” and very little about sin, repentance, and denying yourself. God is all love and no judgement.

𝐀𝐧𝐧 𝐕𝐨𝐬𝐤𝐚𝐦𝐩 – in her book, she says she “flies to Paris to discover how to make love to God.” She writes that “God makes love with grace upon grace, every moment a making of His love for us. Couldn’t I make love to God, making every moment love for Him? To know Him the way Adam knew Eve, Spirit skin to spirit skin?” The rest of the book is filled with similar verbiage. Besides this abominable erotic language toward a holy God, she is a big proponent for new-age and Catholic-influenced mysticism and believes that God is in all things (panentheism).

𝐃𝐫. 𝐀𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐚 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐬 – a psychologist specializing in trauma, she has partnered with TD Jakes and spoke at his “Woman Thou are Loosed” conference. She hosted a black-only gathering for racial trauma at Saddleback Church and has also partnered with Oprah. She promotes social justice and CRT and has terrible theology all around.

𝐓𝐨𝐧𝐢 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐫 – co-pastor of the Hillsong Atlanta church, she originally served at Andy Stanley’s church and has expressed her admiration for him. Proponent of social justice and the NAR movement.

𝐋𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐚 𝐃𝐞 𝐋𝐚 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐳𝐚 – pastor of a church in Mexico and is “passionate about creating churches that unchurched people love to attend.”

𝐉𝐚𝐝𝐚 𝐄𝐝𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 – another pastor who previously attended Tony Evan’s church where she has returned to preach on occasion.

𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐞 𝐈𝐯𝐞𝐲 – she has a podcast that hosts a variety of questionable guests including Beth Moore, Russell Moore, Mike Todd, Max Lucado, and Amy Grant. Another champion of the ecumenical movement.

𝐁𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐚 𝐎𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐟𝐟 – another pastor who is a big proponent of NAR and Dominion theology. She claims that where the Spirit of God is, there is “unity, prosperity, equality, and supernaturally.”

Because of these many red flags, I cannot recommend the IF: Gathering. It’s simply bound to push social justice, ecumenism, and the NAR movement. Please note that because of limited space, the information above is very basic. I could’ve written an entire post about each person. I encourage you to research on your own and feel free to comment or contact me for resources. Compare what you find with the Word of God. I’m not judging the heart or motivation of any of these speakers. I’m not saying they’ve never said anything true or helpful. I’m simply bringing to light the many concerns associated with them so that you can make a wise choice and help other women in your circle do the same. I pray that it is helpful and encourages you to stand firm on the rock of God’s Truth even when everyone else is stumbling off the edge.

 

(The above was written by my oldest daughter, Jess, and originally posted on her Anchor for the Soul pages at Instagram and Facebook.)

 

The Road is Wide and Has More Than One Lane

4 Comments / October 13, 2023

Can we agree that life is just strange right now? And one of the strangest things of all lies in the “Christian” culture where we have these two sides in complete opposition to one another. On both sides, we find proponents of theories and theologies that are utterly outside or totally against what scripture teaches.

While one side may look better than the other to you, I want to explain why I believe that both sides are clearly not of God.

It always gets tricky to discern when the names of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are used. When words like prayer and church and other Christian terms are flung around with comfort and ease. We’ve come to assume that this means the person is on God’s side.

But that is not the case. Let me say that once more: That is not the case.

Consider these words by Robert Culver in his commentary on Daniel–

Idolatry in Israel as noted above had been always mainly a perversion of the true worship of the one true God rather than a denial or abandonment of it. The gods of their neighbors were worshiped occasionally, to be sure. But the idolatry of Israel was usually an attempt to worship Jehovah-God through some “aid to worship” such as a graven or molten image. p. 50, The Histories and Prophecies of Daniel

Reflect on this carefully. Man has not changed so much since the days of Israel. Oh, we may have replaced bowing at a golden image with bowing to science. Our burnt offerings are replaced with preaching self-help and psychology from the pulpit. And wild dancing in front of a golden calf has been replaced with swaying to apostate and worldly music. But it ends up as the same thing– perverted worship of God.

This always comes when the church tries to marry its idolization and fascination with the world to their worship of God. Always.

So while there is this “black” side that stands for all that God hates (think tyranny, abortion, homosexuality, CRT), there is also this confusing “white” side that seemingly looks pretty good. It seems to cling to biblical principles and to use the right language.

But is this true or is it simply perverted worship? Is it simply the “right” side of the broad road?

A few days ago, I watched a very fascinating video. In it was undeniable proof of the apostasy of so many. Men and women that you knew weren’t on the same team as us, but you weren’t quite sure why. Along with this apostasy came the approval of men and women that we have trusted. People hanging out with them that just shouldn’t be, given their beliefs.

I sent the link to a few people, one of them being my dad. He called me the morning after he watched it and said something like this: It’s almost like people are fighting over which side of the broad road to travel on. There’s two sides but they are both headed the same place.

Bingo.

The more I’ve thought about what he said, the more I realize that he is exactly right.

We are seeing the black, tyrannical side traveling side by side with the perverted worship white side. But they are traveling the same direction even though they look to be in complete opposition.

In fact, I would not be surprised if the black tyrannical side is setting us up for the antichrist system to come in and save the day. The trusted men and women that are joining with all types of “Christians” and even others (specifically “new-agers”) are paving the way and preparing the people.

Now, keep in mind, in saying all of this, I am never judging motives of any given individual. While I believe some know full well what they are doing, I also believe that there are many who are completely deceived. I have no way of knowing which is which. This is not about individuals, per se, but rather about the overall picture that we see taking place.

I want to add here (and I know this is an extremely unpopular statement that may cost me some of my readers) that I can’t find anywhere in scripture where we are told to fight for our rights. Jesus lived during Rome’s reign and yet He never once talked about rights or fighting the government. Neither did Paul or Peter or anyone else I can think of (am I missing one?). When we think of Daniel and his friends (what I am currently studying), there was never any vision that encouraged them to join with their fellow Jews to stand up against the wicked government that they found themselves in. Rather, in scripture, there is a recognition that, as true believers, we stand apart from whatever is happening in the world. We are pilgrims and sojourners (I Peter 2:11). This world is not our home (Hebrews 13:14).

Now, let me add quickly, that I don’t believe this means we shouldn’t {very prudently} stand for freedom. But we must remember that this is not why we are here as believers. This is not our main priority. We never want patriotism and fighting for our rights to become more important than God and obeying His Word.

One of the benefits of being fascinated with history is the perspective it gives. All throughout history (and even across the world today), Christians have been and are treated badly. They have historically been hated in whatever government they have lived under. They have had to have worship services in the deep, dark woods; they have been sent to gulags and concentration camps for doing what is right; they have been imprisoned, shot, and beheaded. This is still happening today.

The leniency and freedom we Christians have had in the west is not normal. And it never has been.

So why am I saying this?

I think some well-meaning believers may be getting too caught up in preserving this wonderful situation we have found ourselves in. As Americans, particularly, we have lived in this unprecedented time with freedoms and material blessings that have been unheard of across the world or ever in history. But we have to recognize that, while God used America greatly for His purposes (specifically to spread the Gospel and to reestablish the nation of Israel), this great country cannot be great in the end. For you cannot have a strong, powerful America to bring in a one world government.

So, if we recognize that Revelation is true and will be fulfilled (and it will, we can certainly see that!), then we can see that America must be rendered useless on the world scene. There is no saving her–at least not for the long-term.

But this should not fill us with despair as believers. We are literally seeing the world get set up for Revelation right before our very eyes.

Of course, we all wonder what the ramifications of all of this will be for us personally. And how long will we need to endure?

No one knows the answer to this but God. What we do know is that we can trust Him (Proverbs 29:25). He is our shield (Psalm 18:30). And our refuge (Psalm 46:1). He will sustain us (Psalm 55:22). His grace is sufficient for us (2 Corinthians 9:8; 12:9) and He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). He offers us a peace that is not of this world (John 14:27) and we can never be snatched from His hand (John 10:28-29).

Our comfort and guidance can only come from the scriptures in this confusing and chaotic time. And there is so very much there to grab hold of. God has not left us destitute and without help to face these coming days.

But, as we face them, may we pray for wisdom and guidance on who to promote and support and join up with. May we use shrewd discernment as we navigate the upheaval all around us. And may we recognize that the two sides are headed the same direction and that the direction is not good.

So let’s make sure we aren’t anywhere near that broad road– on either side.

Yes, the narrow road is lonely and hard and there are few that find it (Matthew 7:13-14). But there are still a few and we are not alone.

May we stand boldly for God and His Word. May we gladly and readily share the Gospel. May we focus on what is of eternal significance.

For, in the end, this will be all that matters.

 

Trends (and when not to follow them)

4 Comments / December 7, 2021

For years now, my family has been giving me a hard time because I choose to put colored lights on my tree. It’s been an ongoing conversation since my husband and I were married. Early on, we settled on white lights outside and colored lights on the tree. But as time has gone on, colored lights have gone more and more out of fashion. Currently, the trend is definitely not colored lights. I really don’t feel that strongly anymore, although I do love colored lights. Something about those bright colors twinkling and glowing. I always did love colorful things. That love doesn’t just disappear when the trend changes, as out-of-style as it may be.

Trends can be demanding things. Even pushing us towards things that we don’t really care for or outright despise. But because we want to look or be like everyone else, we do them anyway. Trends change constantly, making most anything new we buy “out of style” within a few years. Trends can even function as prison bars when “keeping up with the Jones’ ” becomes an obsession.

There is nothing, in and of itself, wrong with following a trend. Many of you prefer white lights. They happen to be on trend. Perfect. Sometimes we like what’s “on trend” and that’s easy. The not-so-easy part comes when we choose not to follow the trend. This is particularly true for those who care a great deal about what people think.

Of course, then there are others who rebel against trends and do everything to not be like the rest of the world.

And then there are those who just don’t care.

However you view the trends of home style, fashion, and any other thing really doesn’t matter too much–unless it leads you into sinning before God. For example, choosing to dress immodestly because you want to follow the fashion trend or choosing to go in debt to buy new “stuff” because the trends are so important to you.

But there is one place trends really matter. There is one place that we have no luxury to follow or not follow any trend.

And that is in biblical interpretation. How we interpret the Bible can never be about a trend and must always be about what does it actually say?

I realize that most of you probably believe that you aren’t touched by the current trends in Christianity (although I believe you are touched by the people you choose to read and listen to much more than you know). You probably don’t realize the sacrifice one must make to actually stand up and say they believe in a future for Israel or a literal Revelation. You see, this belief is definitely not on trend.

What is currently on trend regarding the future of the world?

There are three really popular trends regarding the future of the world in the Christian realm. First, there is Amillennialism which teaches that we are currently in the millennium now and awaiting Christ’s final return. Second, there is Replacement Theology, which believes that the church has replaced Israel as the recipient of God’s promises. And, third, there is Postmillennialism, which teaches that there will be a time in the future where the entire world will be converted to Christianity and usher in the Kingdom of God.

Now, I am not going to take the time to explain why these views are clearly wrong if we examine them through the light of scripture. All I will say at this point is that I have done quite a bit of research–especially on Amillennialism and Replacement Theology, as this is what most of the reformed world believes. Many godly men and women believe this. This is what intellectual Christianity teaches. And if you choose not to believe this, you are viewed with condescension and even ridicule in those circles.

Postmillennialism is pretty much reserved for those in the NAR (New Apostolic Reformation) camp. I do believe, however, that this belief of God’s Kingdom coming to earth will be critical in ushering in the antichrist’s kingdom, so it is definitely worth understanding what it teaches.

But, as Berean believers, who search the scriptures, we want to remove ourselves from the trends and find out what scripture actually teaches. After all, the above views aren’t innately wrong because they are on trend.

And so I want to take a few moments to point out just a few reasons why I believe there will be a future for Israel and why there will most definitely be a literal Revelation.

First, it is clearly what the Bible teaches. If we would come to the Bible as a simple peasant and simply read the Bible from cover to cover (something I highly recommend to come to truly understand God and His plan for all mankind), this will be the view that we come away with. It isn’t until we start reading outside sources that our thinking may be swayed. Let me add here that the early church believed in a literal one thousand year reign (called Chiliasm). It wasn’t until the third century that Augustine, in his fervor to remove the church as far away from Jewish beliefs as possible, came up with allegorical approach to the prophetical scriptures. Interestingly enough, one has to literally do hermeneutical somersaults and backflips to come to an amillenial belief. Oh, they will intimidate you with their intellectual arguments and complicated terms. But when we take scripture as it is written, it is clear: There is a future for Israel and there will be a literal Revelation.

Second, it is the only view that aligns perfectly with God’s character. It wasn’t until recently that this started to especially resonate with me. Many times throughout scripture we read of God’s everlasting love for Israel. We read of His promises of blessing and prosperity to this special people group. We find this throughout the Old Testament. We also find this in Romans 9-11, the passage God used to solidify my belief and understanding that there is most definitely a future for Israel.

Imagine a God who makes these promises and then churlishly decides that the Jewish people haven’t behaved in the way He wanted so He has decided to “transfer” these promises to a group of Gentiles called the “Church.” Is that the kind of God you want to serve? A God who doesn’t keep His promises? A God’s whose “everlasting love” isn’t actually everlasting? I don’t think Amillennialists truly understand what they are saying about God’s character.

Third, history proves this. I challenge you–if you have any doubt regarding a future of Israel–to do a study of their modern history. The fact that they are even still a cohesive people group after being removed from their land and scattered throughout the world is an absolute miracle. The fact that they make up like .2% of the world’s population and have produced 20% of the 900 Nobel prize winners and are responsible for so much innovation and technological advances in this world seems more than some strange coincidence. The fact that the Balfour Declaration issued in 1917, which promised of a Jewish Homeland, coincides, to the very day, the date set specifically by Daniel and Haggai is astounding. These are just three in a long list that show that the Jews are a very special people–God’s chosen ones whom He has certainly not forgotten and will never, ever stop loving with His everlasting love.

Fourth, current events confirm this. For many years, we wondered how a Revelation 13 scenario could possibly take place. Oh, we believed it would, but many things remained a mystery. But, suddenly, particularly over the past two years, many of those mysteries have been solved. As we continue to march into the world’s uncertain future, the one thing that is most certain is that there will be a literal Revelation.

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I have made the choice to not follow the trends when it comes to the Bible and Bible prophecy. I have made this decision because I believe with all of my heart that the trends are definitely NOT what the Bible teaches. If you are in doubt, being swayed by so many these days who would move you with their intellectual arguments, I encourage you to just read the scripture, particularly the prophets and the book of Revelation with an open heart and mind. I encourage you to read of the incredible history of modern day Israel (I only touched on the many miracles and “coincidences” surrounding the birth and ongoing presence of this nation. There are so many more!) I encourage you to view what is happening in the world through the view that Revelation will be fulfilled literally.

I believe that these other wrong views of eschatology are distracting true believers from seeing what is happening right in front of their very eyes. It is disheartening to see how many can’t see that the end is near and the return of Christ is truly imminent.

Now I do realize that I can’t change your mind nor am I trying to. I am simply writing what God has revealed to me through the reading and studying of His Word and also through my study of history and current events. It all fits together so perfectly that is hard to believe people can’t see. The confirmation of the Bible throughout all of history and especially in this current day is truly astounding. And so I choose to believe in the literal interpretation of scripture–no matter what the current trend.

 

 

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