Escaping the Lake of Fire

In this short audio excerpt from Pastor Arthur W. Pink, he shows the reason for Biblical preaching that doesn't skirt the issue of sin.

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=218091044224

(4 minutes of your time)

We today want a soft and easy message, one that only speaks comfort and joy and love...but the love of the Bible preaches the necessity to escape the coming wrath, and that Jesus will say to many who thought they served Him: "I never knew you"

Sanctification is a necessary and mostly overlooked aspect of the true believer's makeup. It is the inward working and power of the Holy Spirit. If there is no sanctifying power going on inside a person who thinks they are saved, they are deceived, in the worst possible way, and are headed on the wide path, the easy road that has many on it, leading them all to their terrible fate.

The narrow way is the one that we need to seek, hope for, and find. That is the one that leads to life, and the indwelling Spirit of one who is truly saved, will desire it above all the riches and delusions of this world, even though it brings us many enemies, and much sorrow in this short mortal existence.

Christ-caused Division

There are so many today that are crying for "unity" and "peace", but Jesus said He did not come to bring peace to the world but a sword. David Dykstra speaks on this topic so eloquently, his words melt my heart as his voice seems to tremble with yearning for people to hear the words of the Lord. And his words clearly bring flesh to the dry bones of those who long to hear those life-giving words of truth which do not compromise with the world and with the flesh.

  Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:  For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.  The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. Luke 12: 51-53

Jesus was quoting Micah:

 Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grapegleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat: my soul desired the firstripe fruit.   The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net.   That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth his mischievous desire: so they wrap it up.  The best of them is as a brier: the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh; now shall be their perplexity.  Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.  For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house.   Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.  Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.  I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness. Micah 7:1-9


Hear Pastor David Dykstra preach ever so beautifully and heart-wrenchingly:


http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=1111121445492

The Falling Away of the Church

In this study by David Dykstra which he entitled "The AntiChrist and Apostacy" Pastor Dykstra brings us a study on the third element of evidence for our assurance of our salvation which he says is doctrinal accuracy. Today we are seeing many churches watering down orthodoxy and even introducing mysticism and rituals that come directly out of the occult and New Age mysticism.

1Jn 2:15  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1Jn 2:17  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
1Jn 2:18  Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
1Jn 2:19  They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.




They went out physically and doctrinally, by removing themselves from the truth of what God's word says and introducing their own ideas over and above what God's word actually says.

Pastor Dykstra makes clear what the Bible reveals to us about the truth of eternal security showing  that those who are truly His will remain in the truth of what the Bible says even when the going gets tough, the true ones will still speak up about Him even when it gets uncomfortable and downright dangerous to do so. The elect of God won't bend to every false doctrine that is easier and demands less painful participation. They won't stoop to heretical beliefs over the uncomfortable truth. Many today get their theology from "stupid novels" (David Dykstra's observation) rather than from the Bible itself or from Godly preachers (of course using our God-given discernment and making sure what the pastors teach is correct according to what the Bible says- Acts 17:11).

Part two of this message



Rom 10:9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 


I have seen that verse very often taken out of context. If you read the entire thought on this all the way through it goes on to say:

Rom 10:10  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Rom 10:11  For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 

Confession that Jesus is Lord should be whenever the opportunity arises, especially when it would bring our own dishonor to do so, showing that we are not ashamed to be made a fool of for doing what is right...we have access to a boldness that comes from Jesus Himself to confess who He is and what He has done for us....IF we are saved, the evidence is revealed who we really are, by what we say. The truth will show whether we are truly in Him or not in Him by whether we bear fruit that brings a harvest. It is said that the biggest harvests were fertilized with martyrs blood. Reading this passage in it's entirety reveals that many think their empty words said as a ceremony or religious rite is enough to save them, instead of what the passage is actually saying. We do not "get saved" by saying "Jesus is Lord". We are saved when we confess and are not ashamed to tell others that Jesus is Lord. And we find out from the rest of scripture that we will say it even if it costs us our lives because we have eternal life with Jesus, so what if we lose this temporary one? We will die anyway. It is appointed unto us once to die...but after this, the judgment..

"Gender Confusion"

I was listening to a series on sermon audio (linked to part 3 at the bottom of this post). The series is on the topic of homosexuality. It is a very heavy topic, one that is often treated superficially.. the pastor talks about gender confusion and the problems that the women that pushed for equal rights brought in (and he admits that this is just a symptom of our fallen condition, one of many symptoms, and that there have  always  been sin symptoms since Adam and Eve). 

I want to share with you what I said to my daughter. I don't want to diminish the terribleness of sin, yet we of course need to acknowledge that we all do sin, continually. This is what I wrote my daughter as a preface to this  sermon:

"... it reveals a bigger problem, and we cannot "fix it" by making all of these things appear to be right. That isn't the point. The point is this world is fallen and there are lots of problems that won't get fixed, but we need to admit that they truly are problems and that they stem from our sinful nature. That is the point. The point is we shouldn't make excuses (me included, I keep wanting to make excuses for my sins) no excuses, but we need to acknowledge that we all fall short, and to call sin what it is, sin. No excuses. So we do sin, every day we do, it is part of this world that we live in. It is full of sin. AND we have forgiveness for sin. 

We do need to know what sin is, it is transgression against a holy God.

We need to be aware of it. We cannot stop it, only God can, and will. We will still sin as long as we live in this sinful world…. but when we turn to Christ, He will reclaim us to Himself, and draw us to Himself. And one day when our fleshy life is over, 
He will give us a life that truly is without sin,
 with Him, 
not in this world,
 but one that He makes for His chosen, 
who don't love sin, 
but who love Jesus, 
and are thankful for His forgiveness, 
and proclaim the truth about His hatred of sin, and His forgiveness of sin.
Anyway, hope this makes sense. I hope you will pray about this, and that the boys will be a light for the dark times that are still ahead of us. It is going to get worse."


Link to the sermon:

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=623131528566

If you have time I recommend also listening to parts one and two of this series.

The Coming Final Persecution

This is coming soon to the U.S.A. It is already happening in some areas of the world. The Bible tells us that the tribulation of those days will be worse than it has ever been in any other time in history:

Matthew 24:21  For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

Does Correct Doctrine About the Rapture Matter?

I think it does. 2 hour video explains with the Bible why the pre-trib doctrine is not Biblical, and why it is a tool of the devil to blind the sheep:

How Long?

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Last night while driving home from work, I was pondering the things that I've been looking into...things like "transhumanism", and "channeling", and the new age infiltration into "the churches", and the violence and rampant deception, and the thought "How long, Lord? How long is this going to continue until your return?"
... and then the answer that the Bible gives came to mind:

" and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled." Rev. 6:11

I think that time will be coming soon...praying for the strength and perseverance of  the saints, and praying for the grace and blessing and honor to be counted among that number...

Mat 20:20  Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him.
Mat 20:21  And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.
Mat 20:22  But Jesus answered and said,

 Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? 

They say unto him, 

We are able. 

Mat 20:23  And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.



Come quickly Lord Jesus!

The Tree of Life

Genesis 3:22  Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever--" 

 3:23  therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. 

3:24  He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life. 

Really think about what is said there for a few moments. Was this cherubim placed there to keep people out? Is that what this verse says? Does it say "to keep people out and away from the tree of life"? 

Now that I've got you thinking a little bit about that verse, look at this one, and compare it with Genesis 3:24

John 14:6  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Do you see that the words "way" "truth" and "life" are in both verses? No?

Here's another hint:

Hebrews 4:12  For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.  

 4:13  And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. 

and:

John 17:17  Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 

(another place you can find "truth" being represented by a sword is in the armor of God in Ephesians chapter 6)

Do you see it yet? The way to life is guarded by a flaming sword which is truth.

The way to the tree of life is guarded by a flaming sword of truth that exposes every part of us to the penetrating gaze of God. Without some way prepared God's gaze would kill us instantly because His eyes would slay us...but we have Jesus blood covering us, healing us with His wounds, just as the Israelites were protected by the blood on their doorposts on that first Passover by the blood from the wounds of the Passover lamb.

Ephesians 2:13  But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 

 2:14  For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 

 2:15  by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 

2:16  and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 

 2:17  And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 

 2:18  For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

Transgression came by the partaking of the fruit of a tree (of the knowledge of good and evil) and forgiveness and restoration comes by the partaking of another fruit of another tree.

Partake of the cup of His suffering with Him, all who are His will also suffer with His suffering (although I personally think it is not to the same degree that He suffered, I don't think it would be possible for any of us to endure that degree of suffering).

1Peter 4:12  Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 

 4:13  But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 

4:14  If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 

4:15  But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. 

 4:16  Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. 

 4:17  For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 

4:18  And "If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?" 

 4:19  Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

Punishment

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The past couple of years have been very troublesome for me, to say the least. Last night I got another blow, which I won't go into details but suffice it to say, I was heartbroken, again. Sometimes I wonder: Am I being punished? Am I doing something that greatly displeases Jesus to the point that He's punishing me?

This morning I awoke to thinking about Job. Remember Job? He did everything right, to the point that the devil felt it necessary to tell God that Job was good only because God blessed him, but if God took everything away, Job would be as bad as everyone else. I'm no Job, I have plenty of areas that definitely need an overhaul...but does God correct us through punishment?

I am a believer in "tough love"...and I do agree that tough situations call for tough measures, HOWEVER, when I think about Job's situation, and how Job's friends kept telling him how he was being punished for something he did, and Job's denials, it makes me realize there is so much to this that I really don't know enough about. Job was a human being, so of course he wasn't perfect, only Jesus could say that He was, and Jesus never flaunted that at anyone, He didn't have to. I find it interesting with many of the cults such as the JW's that bring up the fact that Jesus never said He was God. True...but, if you are perfect, why would you have to keep reminding everyone of it?..., it is just a fact. If people were paying attention (some were) they would have known that Jesus is God incarnate, and that it had to be so to fulfill all the prophecies, which Jesus did.

Anyway, at the end of Job's narrative, we discover that God tells Job that he isn't as perfect as he thinks, but that this wasn't the reason he was going through what he was going through. In the end, Job's friends are humbled by God to realize they were wrong about their assumptions about Job. And in the end, God doubled Job's blessings from what he had before all this trouble hit him. What is interesting is his cattle were all doubled in numbers, but the children which he had after this period of testing were equal in number to the number prior to this testing period.  A bible teacher once pointed out that he had double children too, because this was revealing that his previous children were all saved by God, WOW, that is a huge blessing!

What really stood out to me this morning is that a period of testing is to be endured...you just must suffer through it, praying, trusting, growing in His likeness. 

Jas 1:2  Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,
Jas 1:3  for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
Jas 1:4  And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 

Rom 8:14  For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
Rom 8:15  For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"
Rom 8:16  The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
Rom 8:17  and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
Rom 8:18  For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
Rom 8:19  For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.
Rom 8:20  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope
Rom 8:21  that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

The royalty that monarchs of this earth enjoy is nothing compared to the glory that will be enjoyed when we are with Jesus. We are sons and daughters of the King of kings, we are the true royalty. The royalty of this earth is a sham and a fraud. We are heirs to God's throne! Hallelujah!

Pre, Mid, or Post Trib Rapture?

Today's Church is very soft and weak, imho. We have become conditioned to "Have it our way" instead of trusting that even if we (like Daniels 3 friends were) get thrown into a fire, God will see us through...and that even if we (like the early church martyrs) get our heads chopped off for not denying Jesus, He will bless us and bring us into His presence when our mortal bodies expire. So why do so many want to escape all tribulation and think that there is an escape hatch that Jesus is going to keep His true ones from suffering any hardship or pain and persecution? That we will avoid tribulation is exactly contrary to what the Bible REALLY  says. Dr Robert Luginbill had this on his Q & A page, and thought it very good:

Question #2: 

Dear Dr. Luginbill, I believe that faith in our Lord saves and not one's theology i.e., belief in pre-trib rapture, but my question to my friends is if they are not raptured and find they are in the Great Tribulation would they also find that their misunderstanding of scripture had done them no harm and even so be spiritually able to get through it? All said yes, but they still believe they will be raptured. And if you and I are wrong, won't that be a nice surprise! Why do you think so many people are so insistent about being right on this point, and how much difference does it make? Again, thanks and God bless.

Response #2:

The list of good and true believers who wrongly believe in a pre-trib rapture is very long indeed. My main complaint is with pastor-teachers who should know better. Anyone who is reasonably prepared in biblical languages, theology, and some basic hermeneutics – and who reads his Bible diligently every day – could not help but to be at the very least beset with doubts and concerns about this issue. Some doctrines of scripture are plainly difficult to develop and honest disagreements on these are understandable. But in my view, the pre-trib rapture does not fall into this category. There simply is not a single passage in scripture which even seems to teach it prima facie (i.e., it is not something that a person would ever come up with on their own by reading the Bible if they had not been taught it first by someone else). And there are only a scant few passages which may superficially seem to agree with it if one doesn't probe too deeply. On the other hand, that our great hope is the resurrection of the Church at the return of Christ, His parousia, is taught throughout the New Testament and was clearly taken for granted in apostolic days.

So I have to ask myself, why it is that so many prepared men have chosen to stick with this what-I-believe-to-be so dangerous false teaching? The answer seems to be that they have embraced tradition over truth, and that is also dangerous in and of itself, because once one lets go of scripture as the guiding light in exchange for any other standard, no matter how well meant, there is no end to the amount of falsehood that can creep in on the one hand, and on the other hand this attitude becomes both a symptom and a cause of degeneration in the teaching of the truth of the Bible.

Inasmuch as we are on the threshold of the greatest deception and greatest apostasy of believers in world history, being wrong on this issue (and on other issues as a result of not caring enough about the Bible to change one's position even though it may be uncomfortable) has the potential of producing egregious harm to self and to all who listen and accept the wrong view. I know your friends mean well, but the problem is, to use a military example, the time to learn military discipline and procedure is not when you find yourself being shot at for the first time. Without these qualities already drilled in, you are likely to panic and run (as in fact very often happens to conscript armies who have never been properly trained).

The Tribulation is going to be very difficult (what an understatement!), and it will at the very least place those who have squandered opportunities to prepare at a tremendous disadvantage. Add to this the fact that true Bible teaching will likely be very difficult to come by in the Tribulation (see the link:The dearth of Bible teaching in the Tribulation" in CT 3A, and we have a recipe for apostasy among those who have been lackadaisical during the calm before the storm. Failing to understand that they need to prepare contributes to the problem. For if your friends (or any Christian who believes in a pre-Trib rapture) really believed and understood that they were possibly going to have to negotiate the Tribulation, it just stands to reason that on the one hand they would be preparing more aggressively now, and on the other hand that they would be less inclined to have their faith undermined or eroded altogether when it suddenly became clear at that future time that what they had believed was wrong (i.e., thus causing them in the crucible of unprecedented pressure to doubt everything else they have come to believe as well).

Yes it would be wonderful if you and I were wrong. It would be a great relief if, like Enoch, the Lord just took us out of all our trouble. My reading of scripture, however, tells me that we have a very important job to do: to demonstrate to men and angels alike that come what may we are going to remain faithful to Jesus – even in the midst of the Tribulation. For this I am preparing and to this end I am trying to help others get ready as well (see the link: “Coming Tribulation”). But it is hard to motivate people who remain convinced that nothing bad is ever going to happen to them.

In this world you do have tribulation. But be courageous. I have overcome the world.
John 16:33

[They were] strengthening the hearts of the disciples, and encouraging them to remain in the faith, and saying "We must pass through many tribulations to reach the Kingdom of God".
Acts 14:22

And we sent Timothy to you, our brother and co-worker in the gospel of God and of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that none of you might waver in the midst of these tribulations. For you yourselves know [very well] that we have been appointed for this (i.e., to endure pressure in this life). Indeed, when we were with you I was warning you that we [all Christians] were destined to be persecuted (lit., tribulated).
1st Thessalonians 3:2-4

If this is true of Christian life generally (for all those who are truly committed to spiritual growth at any rate), how much more will it not be so during that time of intense pressure to come? Here is the verse which rings in my ears about our likely future job (potentially - none of know exactly what the Lord has in store):

Strengthen the hands that are weak. Steady the knees that are giving way. Say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong! Don't be afraid! Look, your God is coming to avenge you. God [will] recompense [both them and us]! He will come! And He will rescue you!
Isaiah 35:4-5

Whether we are taken home before all this, martyred in the cause of Jesus Christ, or destined to endure until the blessed day of our Lord's return, our purpose needs to be to get ready for all of these eventualities and to help others to do so as well. In my experience and observation, the pre-Trib rapture is a tremendous detriment to all of these things (for reasons I have written about in the series linked above). I certainly don't blame your Christian friends. I love and pray for all my brothers and sisters in Christ. In fact, I commend you both for your willingness to share your point of view with others, and for the appropriately diplomatic and loving way in which you are clearly doing it. I too feel that is very important not to break fellowship over this issue. Observation that there are other genuine Christians who do not share the rose-colored pre-Trib view is the best way to get them thinking. And if they start thinking, they will start reading their Bibles. And if they read long and honestly enough, they will be led to the truth.

In our Lord whose return is our blessed hope,

Bob L.