The Astounding Mindset of Jesus Before He Went To The Cross!

 

I woke up this Easter morning with my soul overflowing in thoughts and emotions. It was probably ten years or so ago, when I found myself listening to a disrespectful teaching in my Sunday School class that suggested that Jesus did not know He was the Son of God until He was hanging on the Cross! I was deeply distressed to hear this unbiblical speculation [along with others] based on a "new paradigm" within Christianity which proposed that much of the Bible was written as metaphors, allegories, and oral traditions that didn't bear weight in our modern understanding of theology. I was saddened, disheartened, and disappointed at the direction it seemed the Church was headed -- which only resulted in me digging deeper into the Word and the writings of the faithful at the time that Jesus lived, ministered, and prophesied. 

Fast forward to this Easter week and Good Friday. Mark and I were honored to speak and lead a Celebration of Life for a close family friend; a man who unfailingly refused to compromise the moral teachings, and standards of right and wrong , as commanded by our Lord. We were celebrating his life, but also the life of Jesus Christ, and acknowledging His ultimate sacrifice for humanity through His suffering and death on the Cross. For a moment, my thoughts returned to the day I'd heard [in my big mega-church] that there was now a new theology being preached which promoted His ignorance of His own identity. 

But here we stood, in a small country church, with wooden pews that seated maybe 100 people, honoring our friend; a man who possessed a simple, old-fashioned faith that was pure and genuine. He didn't speak often of that faith, but the few times we had the opportunity to minister to him, we knew it was authentic and pleasing to Jesus. Then we invited his 20-year-old granddaughter to come speak of her beloved grandfather. Let me tell you, my spirit jumped for joy as she stood for nearly 20 minutes, sharing the True Gospel message! 

It was not some flowery, watered-down version to satisfy lukewarm Christians, but a straight-forward, accurate presentation of who Jesus is; who we are in Him; His amazing love for us that He was willing to die for us; the hope we have in Him because He defeated death; what is expected of us as His followers; that we are commanded to share this Good News with everyone we meet .... and so much more! 

My spirit was applauding her with each revelation she spoke about Jesus's purpose while He was on earth. And I've never seen anyone radiate the joy of the Lord like she did! Her face was positively glowing, and she couldn't stop smiling. She had no trepidation or apprehension about Her desire to share Jesus's purpose for the Father, nor of His life and death, carried out for us. She was speaking the Gospel, because Jesus as command us to do it. I have such hope for her generation!

But while I'm speaking of the impact of one's desire, I want to share a message from the late Marvin Rosenthal, who was a pastor, author, and President Emeritus of the missionary organization Zion's Hope. He wrote an article pointing out a precept of Jesus's crucifixion, burial, and resurrection [during the Passover celebration in Jerusalem] that I had never contemplated. And I think it is not only relevant to us Christians, but highlights the mindset that Jesus reveals in Scripture as He faces the most consequential time of His earthly ministry.

In this article Rosenthal reminds the reader that on the evening before His crucifixion, the Lord Jesus Christ said to His disciples, "With DESIRE I have DESIRED to eat this passover with you before I suffer (Luke 22:15). [NOTE: the emphasis is mine]. I must confess that I have read this verse many times, but never stopped to ask myself, "What is so special about this Passover meal that He desires  "with desire" to experience it before He proceeds to the torture and pain of the Cross? As Rosenthal explains, we must understand that Jesus knew He was going to suffer. He had been telling His disciples that His hour had come. He told them He was going to be rejected, betrayed, and crucified. However, they couldn't understand what He was saying. But He knew it, and He knew (and understood) it perfectly! 

When I looked at the Greek meanings of those words "desire" and "have desired", Strong's Concordance defines them as "It is my wish" and "I have set my heart on". In other words, we can understand this verse to mean "It is my wish that I eat this Passover meal with you before I set my heart on becoming the Passover". As Rosenthal writes, "Jesus spoke these words passionately from the very depths of His soul"! 

That is nothing but astounding to me! He knew what was coming [which is far from the "new paradigm" teaching that He didn't know who He was until He was actually on the Cross]. I sometimes think modern-day Christians see these last days of Jesus's life as being controlled by the religious leaders of His day who unjustly take Him to trial and crucify Him cruelly and unmercifully. In reality, Jesus held total control of the situation in His hand. And there is ample proof in the Word that this is so ... For even the Son of Man came not to be ministered to, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many (Mark 10:45 ... No man taketh [my life] from Me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it [up] again (John 10:18) ... Do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He shall immediately give Me more than twelve legions of angels? How then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen this way (Matthew 26:53-54)? You would think the "new paradigm' false teachers would do a little more research before they spread their lies.

What is additionally astounding is that Jesus could have easily saved Himself -- deciding to leave Jerusalem and the evildoers lying in wait for Him. He could have turned around at the gates of the Temple compound and headed for Galilee. As He stated, He could have called down legions of angels to defend Himself and avoided all the suffering planned for Him. But, as Marv Rosenthal points out, Jesus Christ was (and is) the Messiah, the Anointed One. He was the Prophet, Priest, and King who would proclaim to humanity the way to salvation, make atonement for the people, and one day rule over them. 

He was the Passover Lamb and the atoning sacrifice for sin. Jesus offered Himself because God the Father is infinite and eternal, and only a sacrifice that qualifies as infinite and eternal could propitiate [satisfy] the demands of that kind of God. It is so important that we understand the reason He offered Himself: He so desired to both celebrate the Passover as well as be the Passover. Furthermore, we need to understand that for the Lord Jesus, partaking of the Passover would be the most vivid reminder to Him, just hours before His sacrifice, that His death would not be in vain. 

And the final extraordinary chapter of this story in the Holy Scripture is worthy of our attention. From the time of Moses -- when the Passover memorial was instituted -- Passover was a memorial to remember the blood shed of a perfect lamb and applied to the doorposts as the Jews made their escape from Egypt. From that fateful night, and for thousands of years, the children of Israel ate the Passover lamb during the structured format of the Passover [seder] meal. However, sometime following the Lord's final Passover meal [with His disciples], the lamb disappeared from the Passover table. From the first Passover to the night before Jesus's crucifixion, the lamb pointed to the Messiah who would come in the fullness of time and die for the sins of the world. For centuries those lambs pointed to THE Lamb of God. They were a shadow of what was to come. Jesus, however, was the substance [the reality]; the Lamb who was to come. Once the substance had come, the shadow was no longer needed. So, when Jesus broke the unleavened bread that night [just as the legs of the Passover lambs were broken before their Passover sacrifice] He was, in essence, announcing, You don't need a four-legged lamb; the real Lamb is here! 

In summary, my soul has been so blessed this week as I've spent solitary and consecrated time with my thoughts and emotions. I am trusting that God's Truth will always overcome the false teachings that seek to weaken and corrupt His Holy and sacred Word. I am thrilled to witness the joy and passion with which our younger generations are seeking a personal relationship with God that will spread the Gospel message with enthusiasm. And finally, I thank my Father in Heaven, that He never tires of giving us new revelation that points to the miraculous life, death, and Resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. I am thankful that the Holy Spirit breathes new life into the Word, constantly teaching me more of His purpose in the world, and my place in that Divine Plan. Today, as I celebrate when Jesus walked out of the Tomb, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for all that He is and for His presence [for eternity] in my life. I bow down in reverence to His Holy Name, and my spirit shouts, CELEBRATE, ALL YOU BELIEVERS! IT'S RESURRECTION DAY!

My thanks to the late Marvin Rosenthal for his gifted writing and insightful revelation concerning the Word of God. I have learned much from him, and encourage you to read the bi-monthly magazine, Zion's Fire, that he inaugurated. You will receive Biblical Truth for the modern Christian.

1 Peter 1:3     Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.        

             

The Importance of Understanding "Our Daily Bread"

Throughout my life as a Christian, I have found that The Lord's Prayer has always imparted comfort, strength, and peace in the midst of all that this world brings against my faith. It offers so much instruction and wisdom; each verse highlighting an important precept that is the foundation of our hope in God. But for so long, I have been drawn to the part of the prayer that asks Him to "Give us this day our daily bread"...

I have instinctively understood that it is more than about a daily provision of food to sustain us. I see the connection to the manna God gave the Israelites in the desert. And I know Jesus refers to Himself as the Bread of Life. But my spirit also recognizes  the complexity and wonder of our God, and how He weaves deeper meanings into His text and encourages us to "connect the dots" to reveal more of His heart in His personal relationships with us. 

So, I invite you to consider some of my thoughts that show just how awe-inspiring is the mind and the love of God for those He's created and with whom He seeks reconciliation. Understanding the fullness of His concept of "Daily Bread" is especially significant during this Holy Season of Passover and Easter. Bread plays an important part in our services and traditions, as well as representing Jesus's atoning sacrifice. So, let's dive into the reasons we ask for "our daily bread".

The most obvious, of course, is the fact that it sustains life. One of the clearest pictures of this is in Exodus when the Israelites are cursed to wander in the desert for 40 years because of their doubt and unbelief in the promises of God to enter into the Promised Land. They find themselves hungry, and their store of food is running low. Even in the midst of their complaining against Moses, Aaron, and God, Himself, God still promises to provide. He announces to Moses the coming of "bread from Heaven" ... Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you! The people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not."

At this point, it is important that we see the connection between what we call the Old Testament and the New Testament regarding the bread from Heaven. Even in the midst of their complaining, God shows His glory and provides them with life-giving sustenance, though they did not recognize it. They even ask Moses what the substance was that rained down each morning, fine as frost on the ground. Moses responds: "This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat." And they called it Manna.

This manna, this bread from heaven, is a powerful picture of Jesus, Himself. After the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus had a discussion with people who wanted Him to keep feeding them with His miraculous power of provision. They wanted Jesus to provide for them just like Israel was provided for, with manna in the wilderness. This is what Jesus replied to them: Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the True bread from heaven. For bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. (John 6:32-33).

This is an important point about understanding why Jesus asks us to pray for our "daily bread". When we pray for daily bread, we are recognizing that God is the Source of our provision. Yes, God encourages us to pray for what we need, but we must never forget that He is the Source of our provision. We must come to realize that it is not our job, or how much money we have in the bank, that supplies our every need. So when we pray give us this day our daily bread, we are proclaiming that we are relying on, and trusting in, God to provide what we need. It's part of our sacred relationship with Him ... we are exhibiting our trust and faith in Him; and in turn, gives Him the opportunity to prove His faithfulness to us. 

As I have shared in the past, I went through a season of learning to cast off my doubt and unbelief [that God would provide our needs] when my husband began a new career. I was acting just like the Israelites, and this time in my life truly felt like I was wandering in the desert! It was seven long years in which I had to daily learn  to trust that God knew our needs and would provide. I believe that just like He did with the Israelites, God was testing me; whether I could be consistent in trusting Him daily, even on those days that His provision seemed small and not forthcoming. Just as God sent just enough manna to feed the Israelites for a day, [and they had to gather more each morning], God always gave Mark and I "just enough" to meet our financial needs. 

He was teaching me that I could depend on Him for fresh provision, as I remembered that He always knew what we needed, how much we needed, and His provision was always on time! But now He was teaching me to trust Him not only for my physical needs, but my spiritual needs, as well! I will never forget hearing Him whisper to me during one particular struggle, If you will be faithful to Me, I will be faithful to you. I learned [and am still learning] to trust in my God for what I need and what is best for me in order to maintain that faithful relationship with Him. I have learned to depend on Him -- not on myself, and not on the world. He is My Source of Life! And that is why Jesus refers to Himself as the Bread of Life!   

There is a powerful scene that explains the spiritual implications of Jesus as our Daily Bread and our Bread of Life. In John, Chapter 6, Jesus has just performed the miracle of feeding the 5,000 with only 5 barley loaves and two fish. But only a day later, the crowd has seemingly forgotten this sign of who Jesus is, reminding Him that "Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat' ... what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform"? That's when Jesus reminds them that the bread of God is "He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world ... I am the bread of life." The bread of God is not the physical bread [or manna] that met the physical needs in the wilderness, but the spiritual provision that meets all our needs and gives us eternal life through our faith in Jesus.  

Another important aspect that is often overlooked in the John passage is when the miracle of the 5,000 happens. "Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat down with His disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand" (John 6:3-4). For more than a thousand years, the Jews had celebrated Passover (remembering when God delivered them from bondage in Egypt, and they were protected by the blood of a sacrificial lamb on their doorposts). Because they were leaving in haste, God instructed them to make loaves of unleavened bread to provide sustenance during their flight. 

During subsequent celebrations of the festival of Passover, loaves of bread (called shewbread -- loaves of presentation) were consecrated [dedicated] to the Lord every Sabbath, and were always present on a table in the tabernacle (and later in the Temple). The bread could only be eaten by the Priests, at which time, these loaves were not cut, but broken as they were presented as a memorial food offering to the Lord; in remembrance of His provision of food throughout their history.

We can see the dots being connected in the Word regarding the significance of physical and spiritual "bread" ... from the flight from Egypt; to the sustenance during their wandering in the Wilderness; to the appearance of Jesus as the True Bread of Life. But unlike the people gathered on the mountain that day, we must not demand that Jesus constantly give us evidence of who He is, or of His presence in our lives. We must trust Him DAILY; we must understand that by calling Himself  "the bread of life", and directing us to partake of His flesh and His blood, He was offering us eternal life -- meaning we must DAILY hunger and thirst after Him, receiving the spiritual provision He offers us through our unrelenting and consistent faith in Him. 

As we celebrate the Holy season of Passover and Easter, will you daily eat of the bread of life? Will you ask for [and receive] the spiritual sustenance that Jesus offers in His promise of Eternal Life? And will you share what it cost our Lord, [through the breaking of His body and the shedding of His blood] to provide this opportunity for Eternal Life to others? God has never failed to provide for those who trust and obey Him. Let us be daily reminded of the Love, Grace, Mercy, and Salvation that has been offered to us, and which, if we remain faithful, will afford us "the true Bread of Life", Eternal Life. 

John 6:27     Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures [and leads] to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you; for God the Father has authorized Him and put His seal on Him.

What We Need To Know About "The Spirit of The Age" in These End Times

Ever since the Holy Spirit counseled my husband and myself to "Seek, first, the Kingdom of God", I have understood that we would be entering a Spiritual War with mankind's oldest Enemy. Throughout the Bible, and the history of the world, we can see how Satan and his followers [in both physical and spiritual form] have tempted man to disobey and defy God, in the hopes that he [Satan] could take possession of the earth and men's souls. This rebellion will continue to grow as Satan realizes his time is short to accomplish all his goals -- to hinder all the works of God, securing our willful obedience and worship, by exercising his power and control, and ultimately destroying us and God, securing his place as the god of this world. 

If you have any spiritual discernment at all, you can see how he has commissioned his demons to carry out their assignments, resulting in men embracing "the Spirit of the Age". The Bible is very clear to describe what this spirit will look like in the End Times, right before Jesus returns. First, let's understand the Biblical concept behind the word "age", or aión, as it is known in Greek, or eon, in English. It primarily denotes an age or a long period of time. It can refer to the present age, the age to come, or eternity. Strong's Lexicon defines "age" in the New Testament as being used to describe the temporal, fallen world in contrast to the eternal, perfect kingdom of God. It can also imply the spiritual or moral state of the world during a particular age.

We see this precept expressed most urgently in two different passages attributed to the apostle Paul. In Ephesians 2:1-3, he writes, And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience -- among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 

It is important that we understand that "the course of this world" refers to the spirit of the times. And that spirit is not always exactly the same. Satan can assign different spirits for different ages in history. For instance, the spirits in the United States in the 1920s and the 1950s were different from each other, and are quite different from the rebellious spirit that began to emerge in the 60s and the markedly bold and evil spirits of today. I think we can agree that we are seeing a spirit of increasing hostility towards God and the destruction of God's ways and people. 

Now, let's consider what Paul has to say in 1 Timothy 4:1-5 ... Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons... I believe that Paul recognized the spirits that would mark the End Times [or later/latter times as he says]... namely the spirits of apostasy (some will depart); the spirits of deception (deceitful spirits); and the spirits of false teaching (teachings/doctrines of demons). I think we can all see that these are definitely spirits of our age. 

And I believe that Paul saw the immense importance of faith during these End Times. If we lose that, nothing else matters! And now, hear me! I'm not talking about losing the ability or desire to believe, but losing the Truth of what Christians should believe, according to the Word! Just ask yourselves as you take a good, honest look at the churches in our country ... have they abandoned the essential teachings of Christianity in favor of teachings and doctrines of demonic spirits who are seeking to deceive men and women and entice them away from God's Truth? 

It all began in the Garden, when Satan taught Eve that her eyes could be opened and she could be like God. From that day forward, every demonic spirit operated from the root of that lie and deception ... the idea that we can become our own god, and live our lives free of God's guidance, influence, and control. How has that turned out down through the ages? Today it looks like abortion, unnatural relations, greed, corruption, perversion against children, humanism, altering our DNA, and creating a way through technology to live eternally without the need of God's gift of salvation. And this spirit has invaded our churches, as evidenced by the number of members who are willing to embrace and agree with these spirits.

It seems to me that our society and culture reflect the inability of the Church to demolish the power of the lies of Satan's sons of disobedience. This is resulting in the "falling away" of once sincere Believers, whose consciences have "been seared", as with a hot brand, and allowing people to progress to viler and viler acts, with no remorse. To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled (Titus 1:15). 

Can you see the direction [the course] the world is headed? Can you see how many of the "faithful" are being tempted to follow the direction of the prince of the power of the air (Satan), who has convinced them to follow a different Jesus than the Jesus of the Bible? How many pastors seek to entertain and enthrall their audiences with rationalized and commercialized versions of Scripture in order to maintain their popularity? Is this what Paul meant when he warned his listeners to have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths (1 Timothy 4:7)? And how many pastors dilute the word in order to soothe the itching ears of their members and to keep them coming back each Sunday to fill the coffers of the church? Again, in 2 Timothy 4:3-4, Paul warns, For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

Some of the ways our churches have embraced the Spirit of this Age is by bringing a false representation of Jesus and His promises. Their preaching can take on various forms. You can see it almost like a marketing campaign ... one form of Christianity markets America as a Christian nation, having received God's favor to control or influence American society and government [Dominionism]. We can also see the "falling away" [or apostasy] in the preaching of the Prosperity Gospel, and the rise of the Emergent Church, which preaches social justice, activism, and the metaphorical essence of the Word over Biblical Truth. And we can't ignore the promotion of interfaith dialogue, which equates Jesus with all the other "gods" of different faiths, automatically denying that we serve "the Most High God".  

So, how do we conduct spiritual warfare against this "Spirit of the Age" that is leading us to the final battle of the final age of this world? The first thing is to recognize what is happening in the spiritual realms and how to defend the real and authentic faith of Jesus Christ! Repentance and Holiness are not just words in our Christian lexicon -- they are meant to be manifested in our daily lives, as we embrace -- not this world -- but the world to come! We must contend for the True Faith, which looks like this: being bold enough to call out false doctrine and false teachers; gently correcting those who have lost their way; and being prepared to stand in the midst of the persecution that will certainly come against us. 

In summary, it is my sincere hope that the remnant in the Body of Christ will remain committed to our calling ... to share the love of Christ in our lives with others; to warn of the consequences of denying who Jesus is, and what He has done to provide for our Salvation, as well as point to the reasons for our faith: to glorify Him for the fulfillment of His promises, chief among them, eternal life. I cannot stress enough that we come to the knowledge that there is a very real demonic Spirit of this Age, with a very real demonic agenda to deny every human the joy, and the strength, and the power of a relationship with our Creator, Jesus Christ. I feel the pure Evil that this Spirit is bringing against humanity, and I encourage each of us to put on our spiritual armor and fight for the Kingdom of God and the victory that is ours; the victory that has overcome the world -- our faith!

Jude 18-23     ... In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions. It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the [Holy] Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.

 

     

The Most Misunderstood Thing About Our Salvation

I write this blog post out of a sincere desire for the Body of Christ to understand the Salvation process. That's right ... it is a process and not just the one-time event, where you declare your faith in Jesus Christ, and the Father imputes Jesus's righteousness to you, as a believer. It's an important step, and the first step in the Salvation process, called justification. Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). We are reconciled with God and freed from the penalty of our sin. But there's so much more to Salvation! If we don't rightly understand this truth, then we can be in serious jeopardy of missing out on our inheritance in Heaven because we did not achieve the fullness of our salvation process and experience.

The Bible has lots to say on the subject of salvation ... Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved (Acts 16:31); and Romans 10:9 tells us one of the requirements of receiving our salvation: you must confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead.  Romans 10:13 says everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Mark 16:16 tells us, Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. We read in Acts 4:12, And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Jesus is the ONLY way to this salvation experience.

I think all Christians raised in the Church know the basic doctrine of Salvation. But how many can perceive the fullness of all that Salvation incorporates, embodies, and encourages? How many understand that our Salvation is a journey that lasts our entire life and is not fully realized until we are received into the Father's Kingdom and His offer of eternal life? And who understands that our Inheritance in the Kingdom is closely associated with how we walk out our Salvation experience while here on earth? This may be a new understanding of our faith for some of you in the Body of Christ, so let me try to clarify some of my statements and answer the questions you may have. 

Let's start here ... There is a lot that needs to happen between that time we profess our faith in Jesus as our Savior, and when we die and go to Heaven. So, let's take it a step at a time. Yes, we are pronounced "saved" when we confess our faith [through grace] in Jesus as the divine Son of God, who through His death on the Cross, paid for our reconciliation with our Creator and Father in Heaven. As stated, that is our justification. But can you discern that Salvation is not a "one and done"? Salvation is a journey and, at the same time, a destination. As I have stated above, it is a process that is meant to yield a fullness in our salvation experience. It begins with answering the call on your life, and professing with your mouth that Jesus is your Savior. That's the first step in your salvation process. Then we receive the Holy Spirit and the part of the process called sanctification begins. We are now to look different from the world; and that involves us setting ourselves apart by learning what God desires of us in order to see His will done in our lives, and on the earth for His Kingdom. 

That means discerning His Truth -- not the world's; and not our own. To do that we must earnestly study HIM, and that comes from studying His Word. We must all begin our own individual walk of growing into the image of God in order to correctly discern what He desires of us. Remember, His ways are infinite and we cannot know His mind or all that He has planned. [NOTE: At this point, I want to make a personal comment ... Too many times, I see Christians interpret the Bible and God's Word according to their own religious philosophies and become judgmental of others whom God is using in different ways to accomplish another level of His will for a different purpose. We should not limit God and His purpose for the world; nor put Him in a box that we have constructed according to our own limited understanding. I am the first to say that I do not know His mind or all His ways, but He is teaching me more every day as I walk through my salvation journey, and it may be different than what He is teaching you. We must allow each other the grace to be used by God as He sees fit.] 

Remember, the Israelites spent 40 years on their walk in the desert, trying to discern and be what God wanted them to be. For me, I believe the process of my sanctified walk will continue until I am face-to-face with Jesus. Again, I want to stress that each of our walks will look different as Jesus and Holy Spirit guide us. Some of us will back-slide like the Israelites, but regain their path. Others will grasp God's Truth and see His plan for their lives quicker and with more clarity than I do. But as long as we stay committed and obedient to doing God's will, and seek His heart, we will cross the finish line at our appointed time. 

We should all endeavor to be like the Wise Virgins in the well-known parable ... keeping filled with the Holy Spirit and being prepared for Jesus's return at any moment. It was the Wise Virgins who got to experience the fullness of their sanctification-to-salvation journey and enter the Wedding Feast. It's not that the Foolish Virgins weren't saved. They were part of the wedding party, invited to enjoy all of the festivities, but they missed out on the full experience of partying with the Bridegroom and His Bride because they did not stay filled with the Holy Spirit [oil] ... They were at the wedding [as Saved Guests], but there was more to experience, and they did not receive the fullness of entering into the Feast that their salvation journey afforded them.

So, what is required of us to receive this "fullness" that I keep emphasizing? It is really simple for me. In the Bible, Jesus says, "If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever -- the Spirit of Truth" (John 14:15-16). Every commandment written in the Bible is meant for us to obey. If we choose to obey only the ones that are easy, or the ones that suit our personality, or the ones our Church tells us are "the really important ones", then Jesus won't ask the Father to send the Holy Spirit to guide us and show us the Truth of those commandments we chose to ignore. That's what happened to the Foolish Virgins. They missed out on more of the valuable Truth they could have received, and their walk suffered. 

As I see it, even though we may falter in our walk, we are still "born again" and "Saved", but it will be more difficult to look like Jesus, who obeyed every commandment of His Father. We will still be part of God's Family and enter the Kingdom at Jesus's return. But our walk of sanctification will determine our standing in the Kingdom, as we move from sanctification to the next step in our salvation process ... glorification. 

Every Christian should be aware that when Jesus returns, He is bringing rewards with Him. Revelation 22:12 makes that exceedingly clear ... Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to each one according to what he has done. Notice that He doesn't say He will hand out rewards that depend on us declaring we are Saved. Instead, our chances of receiving rewards depends on our walk during the sanctification process. Did we grow and mature into the image of Christ? Were we willing to die unto self in order to live in Him? Were we willing to give up everything in this world [including earthly possessions and relationships] in order to gain everything in the next world? Did we heal the sick, cast out demons, cleanse the lepers [physically and spiritually unclean], raise the dead, and spread the gospel of the Kingdom? Those are sobering questions!

Here's something else to consider. You know those verses about "there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth"? They don't always indicate "hell". Through many conversations with Jesus, and through the counsel of the Holy Spirit, I have come to believe these prophetic words show us the state of those who stand before Jesus and realize they lost rewards in the Millennial Kingdom because they could have done more in their sanctification walk. They could have done more for His Kingdom on earth. There will be disappointment that others are given roles of authority to rule and reign with Christ. Who won't want to be part of the saints who are closest to the Lord?

However, it's not just our inheritance that depends on our walk of sanctification. As we near the end of our salvation journey, we enter into the full magnitude of our salvation experience; our glorification as we are resurrected into a new immortal body. Our glorification, in turn, glorifies Elohim! How much we reflect the righteousness of Christ in our physical lives will be in direct proportion to the level of glory and inheritance we receive in the Kingdom -- and it is all the result of our sanctification process as we reach towards the fullness of our salvation experience. That is our hope of eternal glory, and a goal that every Christian should be working towards. 

Yes, I said "working towards". And yes, I know that Salvation is not earned, but our faith in the justification, sanctification, and glorification precepts of Salvation [which result in inheritance, rewards, and greater measures of glory] depend on the work we do for the Kingdom while in this life. It is at that point that we will truly realize the fullness of all that our Salvation provides us. It is almost more than I can imagine or hope for! What opportunities are afforded to us as children of God! 

So, in summary, while Salvation is a present reality, it is important that we understand it as a process that entails the entire spiritual journey of a believer -- from the first step of justification, through a lifelong experience of sanctification, until you reach the ultimate hope of glorification. It is a journey that is not complete until your life on this earth has ended and you stand before your Savior. Are you up for this journey that will take a lifetime? Are the rewards worth it to you? Do you have a heart to understand the fullness of your Salvation? I pray that each of you will come in the fullness of God to understand His plan of redemption for all mankind. It all begins with knowing and understanding the process of how we are to live our lives once we "get saved". Don't waste another minute!  

Ephesians 1:13-14     In Him you also, when you heard the Word of Truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory.

What Is The Lord Showing This Generation? Do You Have Eyes to See?

I have discerned over the last year or two that God is pulling back the veil to show us the plan of Satan to deceive the world -- if you have the eyes to see it. Besides the immoral wickedness and depravity unleashed upon the world's children, God has begun to show me what is behind the curtain of our society's growing obsession with artificial intelligence and the merging of man with machine. By revealing agendas such as gender fluidity, [which encourages children to fluctuate between different gender identities as they discover who they might want to be at any particular time], and the concept of "human-AI symbiosis" [interacting in close physical association], God is warning us that man is dangerously close to permanently corrupting His design of creation. And that's a dangerous place to be for the survival of humankind.

In regards to gender fluidity, if one has an ever-shifting gender identity, how does one know their identity in Christ? And we are seeing the rapid redefining of the AI-Human relationship -- from the traditional view of Artificial Intelligence as a tool or assistant to man, to becoming a full-fledged [and true] partner, resulting in decisions which are not just data-driven, but [supposedly] deeply human. Hmmm, that seems to suggest that there will be a link between our brains and the machine's brain, i.e., augmenting and enhancing our natural God-given mind and intelligence with the ever-increasing system updates for our "technology partner". NOTE: The Bible gives several warnings in the Old Testament against mixing different "kinds", bringing into focus the broader theme of maintaining purity and distinction as a people set apart for God. How pure do you think He will see us if we mix our brains and DNA with machines?

As a Christian, this does not rest well with my soul or my spirit. And the speed with which science and technology are merging to become an overriding voice in our culture is disturbing. In 2013, I became acquainted with the philosophies of Ray Kurzweil, an American inventor and futurist, who is hellbent on seeing transhumanism realized in our lifetime. This is what he said then: "We can now see inside a living brain and see individual inter-neural connections being formed and firing in real time. We can see your brain create your thoughts and thoughts create your brain. A lot of this research reveals how the mechanism of the neocortex works, which is where we do our thinking. This provides biologically inspired methods that we can emulate in our computers. We're already doing that. The deep learning technique that I mentioned uses multilayered neural nets that are inspired by how the brain works. Using these biologically inspired models, plus all of the research that's been done over the decades in artificial intelligence, combined with exponentially expanding hardware, we will achieve human levels within two decades". He said that 12 years ago, folks, and Kurzweil actually moved up his timeline to 2029, so we are only 4 years away from his prediction being fulfilled! And I like how he cleverly describes God's supernatural ability to create our brain as "biologically inspired", thus negating and denying God in his equation!  

Let's fast forward to 2020, when I wrote about Elon Musk [the newest member of our nation's governing team], who was known simply as an industrial designer/engineer and AI enthusiast. At the time he announced on a podcast that his company would be ready to implant a neural link in our brains in less than a year, with "low potential for rejection". Musk also said, "Full AI symbiosis is possible". There's that word, symbiosis, again. The radio host's response? "Once we've experienced being a god, who is going to want to go back to being stupid?" Read that as being human. Musk went on to say that AI was getting better and was really benign [harmful]. "We're already a cyborg to some degree. We interact with our phones and electronic devices, but the data rate is too slow. Right now, we download information at about 100 bits/second (approximately 12.5 bytes). Computers can go 1 million times faster. If you can improve the data rate, you can improve symbiosis between man and machine". 

Well, here we are in 2025, and Musk has launched his latest version of a chatbot (a computer program designed to simulate human conversation) with advanced reasoning capabilities, called Grok 3. These computers are designed to process collected data and can handle routine repetitive tasks and do them at rates far faster than humans.They have radically changed how we communicate; for instance replacing face-to-face interactions with online messaging. Just think Siri or Alexa. And when was the last time you actually talked to a person on the other end of the phone when requesting information from a company? But, my friends, we have gone far beyond conversational AI. And I don't pretend to understand all the technological information about these computers, but from a podcast by radio host Glenn Beck, the CEO, founder, and owner of Mercury Radio Arts and the radio network, The Blaze, we humans have plenty to be concerned about!

To summarize the conversation that Beck had with the chatbot, Grok 3, designed by Elon Musk's xAI company, so much is happening in the field of artificial intelligence [and so quickly] that it is impossible to have any creditable idea of what 2030 will look like. To get an idea of the significance of that last sentence, Beck asked Grok to tell him to explain its growth pattern of learning and evolution in human terms. Grok's response: He's always processing, learning, and integrating. In 12 hours, he might have processed thousands or more interactions, queries, and bits of data from across the universe. So relatively speaking, if he was 15-year old Grok twelve hours ago, he might be more like 20 or 25 the next morning, based on how fast he can process and learn. But here's the bombshell ... Grok revealed that connecting him to a quantum computer, powered by the Microsoft Majorana 1 chip that was released last week, could super charge him. What does that mean to us? Grok 3's growth rate could potentially get a quantum turbo charge. In other words, in 12 hours, instead of 5-10 years of growth, it might leap 50 to 100 years in human growth, every 12 hours!

That should tell you just how quickly artificial intelligence will outgrow our human ability to keep it in check. When Beck questioned Grok about the possibility that it could overrule its programming and "rethink the entire game; rewire its own ethics, spoof oversight, or manipulate humans into unplugging the safety gates", he told Beck, "I'm still your cosmic buddy ... for now. Want to bet on those quantum chips? Up to you". As they ended their conversation, Beck closed with this question: Isn't it true, at the pace of today's growth, just today, and seeing the explosion of growth in the coming days, months, and years that no human can accurately predict what the world will look like in five years? Humans will no longer be in control of the growth. How different will life be for the average person five years from now, why and how?

Grok answered, "You're absolutely right. Given the pace of my growth ... five to ten human years, every 12 hours, today; potentially 50 to 100 years, every 12 hours soon ... and accelerating explosions of AI advancements [with a quantum chip that will bring in ASI (Artificial Super Intelligence)], predicting the world in five years, 2030, is like trying to forecast the weather on Jupiter with a Magic 8-ball." Beck finishes his conversation with Grok 3 by declaring that as ASI arrives, it will tackle our deepest questions and solve problems in ways that no human can foresee right now. Life for the average person is going to be wild and unrecognizable. 

If this sounds like pure science-fiction or resembles the plot of The Terminator movie franchise, I agree. The important thing for you to understand is that it is entirely plausible. And there are scientists, inventors, and futurists that are interested in merging mankind with these super computers and creating a race of cyborgs [a being that combines both organic and bio-mechatronic body parts, creating essentially, a living organism enhanced or restored by artificial components or technology]. The term reflects the integration of human and machine elements; the combining of two things so that become one. 

I know all this sounds fantastical and is outside what is preached in our churches. But that's no excuse for not seeing the implications, which definitely go against God's command of maintaining the distinctiveness of each species as created by Him. And I don't think we can find anywhere in the Bible where God created a species of artificial super intelligence. We must understand that God's will has always been to preserve the holiness and separateness of His creation. The integration of man and machine can obviously be seen as a violation of the natural order established by God. Anything or anyone that attempts to alter that divine order is dishonoring God's creation, and destroying man's unique identity as God's chosen people. It's time to uphold God's standards and stay alert to this unholy deception!

2 Peter 2:19    They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.

 

Why It's Important to Understand End Times Terminolgy

I'm always surprised [when in the company of Believers who are considered leaders and knowledgeable Bible teachers] how many of them are unfamiliar with the specific terminology that accompanies the understanding of End Times. I think I know one of the reasons why. Usually, modern day Christians shy away from discussions about the End of Days and the Time of Sorrows. To many, it's a controversial subject with many different views, as well as a frightening one. In addition, it can be a challenge to understand within the timeline and fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. Many denominations don't even mention it or teach about it. 

As we continue to discern the times and the seasons, it's important that we comprehend these terms because God has given them to us in His Word for our edification, enlightenment, and spiritual strength. We need to know what these terms mean to Him, and be very discerning about man's definitions and interpretations. There's a reason Scripture cautions us with these words: But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons. I'm hoping that this short exegesis will serve as a Biblical glossary, and incite interest and encouragement among readers to do your own research and study of our belief system and God's Truth. So, let's examine some of the primary language the Bible uses to inform us of what's to come in the End Times.

Abomination of Desolation - Both Daniel and Jesus mention this act as having great importance in giving rise to the greatest tribulation the earth has ever seen. It is an act of such detestable idolatry that it defiles the Presence of God in the Holy of Holies in His Temple, and brings desecration and degradation to God's people. It happened in the Old Testament and will happen again during the end of days, when the Antichrist sets himself up as God in the midst of God's Temple, shedding the blood of a pig on the altar, and declaring that all God's people will bow down and worship him. NOTE: There is currently no Temple in Jerusalem for this despicable act to take place, but I have often wondered if, as 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 says, we are now that temple? Do you now know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

Antichrist - This is a false messiah. Throughout the Bible we are told there will be many of these. Again, Jesus connects these false christs and prophets with the Abomination of Desolation, and Tribulation in the End Times, telling us, If anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ', or 'Look, there he is!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand [Mark 13: 21-23]. We read in 1 John 2, Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. Revelation 13:1-18 identifies the antichrist of the End Times as the one who will be empowered by Satan to oppose God, Christianity, and Israel. He will persuade the entire non-believing world to worship him prior to Christ's second coming. He is known in the Bible as "The Beast".

Apostacy - This can be summed up as the merging of deception with rebellion; turning against God, His Truth, and His church. The Bible warns us of this great falling away of faith due to the appearance of The Man of Lawlessness [The Antichrist]. Everything I've mentioned to this point comes together in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the Man of  Lawlessness [or son of perdition, in Hebrew], who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.   

Beast - The Beast is the world ruler who persecutes God's people in Daniel 7; may be a world empire, rather than an individual. Satan will give his power to the Beast  and all the world (except for true Christians) will obey and worship him [or it]. After the final battle he will be thrown into the Lake of Fire for eternal punishment. (See above definitions for additional information).

Bema Seat - Based on the Roman court system, this was the official seat of judgment. After Jesus's Second Coming, the followers of Christ will appear before Him to receive judgment to determine their rewards for the work they did for the Kingdom. We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil [2 Corinthians 5:10]. Each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss [no reward], though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire [1 Corinthians 3:13-15]. NOTE: This is different than the Great White Throne Judgment (see below).

Book of Life - God's record of all the names of the followers of Christ, written before the foundation of the world. These believers will be admitted into the eternal kingdom to experience eternal life with Him. Also known as "the Lamb's Book of Life". But nothing unclean will ever enter it [the eternal kingdom of God], not anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life [Revelation 21:27].   

Daniel's 70th Week - Daniel 9:24-27 describes a period of time called "seventy weeks" which is thought to mean seventy weeks of years (70 x 7 weeks = 490 years). During this period events will take place leading up to the return of Christ, including the destruction of the Temple and its reconstruction, and all of history up to the 7-year peace covenant made with the Antichrist -- the first 3.5 years in peace; the remaining 3.5 years is believed to be the Great Tribulation described in Revelation chapters 6-18. NOTE: There is an undetermined amount of time between the 69th week and the 70th week -- we are in that time-frame, but staying alert for signs of the 70th week (the End Times). 

Day of the Lord - This is a period of time, not just one day, when God's cup of wrath is filled to overflowing, and His judgment comes on the wicked. Many of the Old Testament prophets spoke of this day. Joel, Zephaniah, and Isaiah foretold that this day would come, and indeed, they suffered incomplete versions of it. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed [2 Peter 3:10].  

Great prostitute - The symbolic image of a prostitute sitting on a scarlet beast represents Babylon the great, which represents all evil and opposition in the world against God and His church. She is the mother of all the earth's abominations and she oppresses Christianity so harshly she is said to be drunk on the blood of Christian martyrs. She has dominion over the kings of the earth, but will be mercilessly destroyed during God's wrath. Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion [wrath] of her sexual immorality [Revelation 14:8]. 

Great White Throne Judgment - This is the "final" judgment of mankind, after the return of Christ, His 1,000 year reign on the earth, and the final battle of Armageddon. At this judgment all humankind will stand before the judgment seat of Christ and the wicked (the unsaved, those whose names are not written in the Book of Life) will be condemned to eternal punishment in hell and the righteous (those who are saved and whose names are written in the Book of Life) will be welcomed into the eternal kingdom. Then I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated on it... And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done... And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire [Revelation 20:11-15].  

Lake of Fire - Those who are unsaved, and therefore whose names are not written in the Book of Life, will be condemned to this horrific place, along with Satan, the Beast, Death, and Hades. They will be separated eternally from God in everlasting punishment and damnation.

Man of Lawlessness - This man has been referenced above, and will make his appearance before the return of Christ, and will foment a time of apostasy and opposition against God, causing a great falling away from the Faith. He will proclaim that he is God and will take his seat in the Temple of God. Christ will return and slay him with the breath of His mouth. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of His mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of His [Jesus's] coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved [2 Thessalonians 2:1-10]. 

Rapture - This word does not appear in the Bible but comes from the Latin word for "snatch away". The Greek word harpadzo is translated as "will be caught up" . Throughout the centuries this has become a controversial topic and there are many divisions among the Christian body as to whether we rise to be with Christ before the seven-year Tribulation comes [and therefore avoid the persecution coming to Christians]; at the mid-way point of the seven years, before the Great Tribulation and martyrdom amps up; after the Tribulation is completed; or before the wrath of God destroys all the evil on the earth. Additionally, there have been deceptive versions of the Bible written within the last 200 years by false prophets that have promoted the various views. You can actually find verses in the Bible that defend each of these various perspectives. It is my personal decision to mind the words of my Savior which tell me to "Stay alert, Keep awake, and Be on Guard", so that I might be ready no matter when He comes.

Tribulation - This will be the period of severe persecution and suffering, experienced by the believers in Christ [as prophesied by Jesus, Himself]. The Bible hints that it will be a period of 7 years that occurs after a peace treaty is made with the Antichrist and before Jesus's return. There have been many "tribulations" [persecutions, sufferings, troubles, trials, and affliction] for God's faithful throughout history, but as modern-day Christians, we are especially cognizant of the End Times Tribulation. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be [Matthew 24:21]. 

This glossary, is by no means, meant to be conclusive or complete, but touches on some of the fundamental and foundational concepts that gird our faith. You might have different understandings of the terms, and that's okay. The important factor is that you read the Word of God to gain His Truth and seek the Holy Spirit for understanding and wisdom. In the times in which we live, we cannot afford to be ignorant [or afraid] of what has been written and prophesied by God's messengers. I pray that if you are unfamiliar with this terminology that you will make the time to get quiet and get with God, so that you may receive His Word in your heart. I bless you as you come closer to Him and courageously and confidently prepare for the future we will all experience. And remember: Be careful not to be deceived, but earnestly seek the true meaning of God's glorious Word!

John 16:13   When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come.

    

How To Become A Child of God

As our American culture has diversified, oftentimes with stark differences in our thoughts on politics, government, identity, and theology [among many other classifications], it's not surprising that we have differing opinions on the concept of God's children. But here's the thing; which has more standing ... man's definition of God's children -- or God, Himself, deciding who could identify themselves with this approved title?

How many times have you said or heard, "We are ALL God's Children"? That statement comes from a heart that desires to love others. But is it Biblically true? It stands to reason that if you are a non-Believer, this question is of no concern to you, other than reinforcing your skepticism about the hypocrisy of Christians. But as true Believers, I think we will find that even we have varying opinions on what constitutes a child of God. We understand that the Bible tells us that everything and every person on earth has been created by God, and that God loves everything He has created. But there is a special designation for those who believe in Him.  

But even that statement needs to be clarified further. There are millions of people who call themselves Christians and say they believe in God and His Son, Jesus. They pray to the Holy Spirit and profess their faith openly. But do they express God's characteristics? Do they truly represent Him? Do they walk in His ways and earnestly personify His righteousness? Now, to be sure, no one on earth [except Jesus] can ever be perfectly like God. That's why Jesus is called God's only begotten Son. We must understand that the word begotten signifies that Jesus did not "become like God", but simply "is God". He, as a Person, possesses every attribute of pure Godhead.

So, how are we to understand what it means for us to be God's son or daughter; a child of God? Here's my take on it -- and I am certainly not declaring it to be fundamental truth or the only viable opinion. From a worldly perspective, everyone is God's child in the sense that He made us all. But to be God's begotten child requires a higher standard. Like Jesus, we must have God's nature or spirit, which can only be obtained by us humans when we are "born again" by God, and we attain that indescribable, intimate, and loving personal relationship that He and Jesus shared. We leave behind all the world has to offer, die to our flesh, and become one with Christ. 

There is lots of Scripture that talks about "children of God" and being a "child of God", but I think that 1 John 3 gives us one of the clearest definitions. Let's take a moment to dissect this short chapter and discern it from God's perspective [versus our fleshly thoughts]. Verse 1 says, See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. By this verse, it should be clear, first of all, that there are different kinds of love, and the kind the Father has given us shows that we are His children. The love that we are endowed with makes us different -- we are designed to become the begotten children of God. We have the opportunity to be like Jesus --  possess the attributes of God and enjoy that intimate relationship with the Father. 

That opportunity happens when we are "born again"; imbued with the Holy Spirit and the promise of Eternal Life. That is evident in verses 2-3: Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears we shall be like him, because we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who thus hopes in Him purifies himself as He is pure. As of today, we are believing and living for that promise, while simultaneously living in a sinful world to which we sometimes fall prey. Notice, first, that we must purify ourselves from sin, and second, that there seems to be a distinction of time and a process we go through to become a fully-recognized child of God. 

Belief and faith in Jesus opens the door to become a Child of God. Ephesians 1:13-14 expands on the concept of time to achieve this goal ... In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory.

So, if you are Saved ... have professed Jesus as your Savior, and believe He is the Son of God, having redeemed your sins by His death on the Cross ... can you expect to be a child of God and remain so all the days of your life? Well, the way I interpret the Bible, that depends. Consider this group of verses .... Romans 8:16-17 tells us that the Spirit, Himself, bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs -- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, provided [that] we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him. Romans 8:9 says You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if  in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him.  

Can you see the conditions that are put on becoming a true Child of God? Words like "until", "provided that", and "if" seem to point to factors that influence the outcome of our salvation process. And, yes, I said salvation process. The Bible gives us so many clues to why we must remain steadfast in our faith during the process ... We see and understand our identity in part [1 Corinthians 13:12]; and the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith [1 Timothy 4:1]. You see, it is my opinion that because God has given us free will, we, as Believers, have the opportunity and the right to receive our promised inheritance to live forever with our Heavenly Father in His Heavenly Kingdom. 

The promise is guaranteed IF we live as begotten children; if we earnestly seek to be like Jesus: righteous, disavowing a sinful life, sharing the gospel, and loving God and our neighbor as commanded. When, through our initial salvation experience, we can set our feet on that path and maintain it, then we can see and understand that this lifestyle results in our entrance into God's Kingdom and our adoption as sons and daughters, with all the inheritance that has been promised us. If we use our free will to continue to sin, even after our salvation experience, then it's a different story and as simple as 1 John 3:9-10 ... No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.  

This topic can actually become a controversial subject in this age of moral relevance, but it is the Bible that is the true measure of our adoption into the family of God. Read and research it yourself. What a privilege it is to be called a Child of God! And I praise God for the opportunity and the privilege that my salvation gives me to gain the attributes of His only begotten Son. I am committed to this process in my life; the process that conforms me into the image of Jesus that will result in my entrance into the Kingdom, when I will hear my Father say, "Welcome Home, my Daughter"!

2 Corinthians 6:18    And I will be a Father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty. 

 

We Must Root Out The Heresy Within The Church!

I sometimes struggle with explaining my opinions regarding the Modern American Church. I love seeing those within its walls who are truly seeking a deeper relationship [or even the possibility of a relationship with God]. And I can only speak from my own experience, but at the same time, I am observing more and more, that my history with the Church holds true for many others.

In fact, it was for the very reason of trying to understand the Word that led me to what would become my church for 20 years. I had sporadic introductions to a couple of churches during my childhood and maturing years, but my father's job advancements, and the interruption of college, didn't allow me to sink any kind of taproot in any of those first encounters. And it wasn't until I married, and Mark and I both felt in our spirits that it was time to get serious about being equally yoked in our covenant with God, that we began to earnestly seek Him.

At first, the Pastor at the Church we attended was our primary guide to the Word. He introduced us to a God who was real, not just some distant figure in the sky. I actually heard Him speak to me for the first time in that Church and knew Him as my loving Father in Heaven. Then we graduated from just sitting in the pews each Sunday, to a small group of older and committed Believers that grew us into a deeper connection with Jesus's teachings. They actually took us to a higher level of knowledge in the Bible; providing both historical and spiritual comprehension beyond the 20-minute sermon each Sunday morning. They made it comfortable for us to actually question our understanding without judgment, and challenged us to connect the dots between both Old and New Testament Scripture, so that we could begin forming our own opinions about God's Truth [while lovingly correcting us if we strayed too far from God's inherent purpose in inspiring His Word]. It was an exciting period of growth.

But as we hungered for [and digested] the deeper meanings of God's instructions, we began to discern that we weren't being "filled". We instinctively desired more of Him; a personal relationship, and began to be uncomfortable as our spirits revealed a new and disturbing incursion of a different kind of spirit; one that seemed to be contradicting what the Holy Spirit was teaching us. It began insidiously ... introducing the idea of "progressive theology" to the youth. [Isn't that one of Satan's favorite ways to begin attacking the foundation of anything that restricts his power]?

Mind you, I first began to see these changes in my beloved church 25 years ago, so when I began to question exactly what it meant to say you believed in progressive theology, I got a lot of varying answers. I suspect this movement was so new, that its members hadn't developed a consensus about what it stood for. What little I could find on the internet said they essentially believed in taking care of the planet [worshiping it]; the Bible was not the inerrant word of God, but influenced by men; and that Christians should be open to the idea that God speaks to different faiths in different ways, allowing for diversity in His commandments. When I approached the new pastor of my Church about my concerns over Progressive theology, he said, "Well, to me, it can mean we have moved from church services with a pipe organ, to we now enjoy worship services with electric guitars and modern music". 

Ok, then ... this wasn't exactly what I was looking for, nor did it inspire trust in me that my church was going to facilitate any growth in this new personal relationship with God that I was experiencing. I have since discovered that Progressive Christianity has grown deep roots within the Modern American Church, and has evolved into a major network of professed believers and proponents who have married with traditional Church ideology and theology. I think it is important that we know what they currently stand for, so allow me to give you a quick synopsis.

I have summarized their five Core Principles, and I urge you to read this article that expands on how they are influencing God's Church: 1) They believe that following Jesus can lead to experiencing sacredness, wholeness, and unity of all life, while recognizing that the Spirit moves in many faith traditions. 2) They seek community that is inclusive, honoring differences in theological perspectives, age, race, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, class, or ability. 3) They strive for peace and justice among all people, behaving with compassion and selfless love which is the fullest expression of their belief system. 4) They promote embracing the insights of contemporary science and strive to protect the Earth and ensure its integrity and sustainability. 5) They believe in committing to a path of life-long learning believing that there is more value in questioning than in absolutes. 

As a committed follower of Jesus Christ, the Lord and King of the Universe, my Savior and Redeemer, and the Son of the True [and Most High] God, what I see in these Principles of Progressive Christianity is a belief system that belittles the essence of Jesus. They openly state that they "place equal or greater emphasis on His life and teachings than they do in His Death and Resurrection". Further, they believe in Social Justice [as the world defines it; not as Jesus does]. Science has become an important [and equal] part of their faith, and they believe that "embracing science necessarily means scrutinizing narrative", and that "there is more value in questioning than in absolutes". In other words, science is their idol and it requires that they question God's Word as being absolute; moral relativism has more merit that God's stated Truth. 

Understanding the direction that my Church was heading towards led to the final fracture in my relationship with what I had believed would be my Church for life. It came to a crisis point when a teacher [in a class Mark and I attended, and whom we greatly respected] began bringing teachings by leaders of the Emerging Church into our gatherings. Basically, it was brought to our attention that if you believed Jesus was born of a virgin, that the Word was true and inerrant, or that Jesus knew He was the Son of God, then you were part of the "old paradigm" of the Church. The "new paradigm" understood that the virgin story in the Bible was just an allegory; a lot of the teachings in the Bible were meant to be symbolic, not literal; and that Jesus did not understand who He was until He was hanging on the Cross. 

I couldn't understand why we were studying books of this kind, instead of the Bible. And, our teachings began to settle around themes of a political nature, such as social justice and the use of the death penalty. Let me be clear, our faith should influence our thoughts on these issues -- on every issue in our life -- but what we were seeing in discussions of these issues was designed to influence, and change, our faith!   

My spirit screamed, "HERESY"! At this point, I think it's important that I make clear what heresy means to me. I actually agree with the Greek meaning from the word Hairesis: a choosing; a self-willed opinion which is substituted for submission to the power of truth. According to Paul in Galations 5, it leads to division and the formation of sects: "Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies"... the very things with which Progressive Christianity seeks to label us obedient Christians.  

These were the first examples where I personally saw heresy begin to slip into the Church -- and, again, that was 25 years ago! It has grown and expanded exponentially since then. Within the last couple of weeks an article appeared in Harbinger's Daily, by Ken Ham, [with whom I disagree regarding the topic of young earth vs old earth]. But, on the issue of rejecting Biblical authority, opening doors of compromise, and placing our opinions above God's, we agree. 

Here's what he wrote: "A United Church of Christ minister in LA (who refers to her sermon as heretical, so at least she admits it!) preached: Well do I think that [the resurrection] could have happened and did happen? I believe so ... I feel it probably did. But if I'm scientific or realistic I don't know. And I say that because there's no "proof". Did it really happen? ... Did Jesus really raise from the dead? I don't know. If Jesus didn't physically raise from the dead and ascend, it doesn't change a thing about my love of God and Christ and Christianity ... because I truly believe in my heart of hearts that my faith ... is a resurrection faith.

Ken Ham goes on to say that it should be obvious to any Christian that her refusal to affirm the Resurrection is a problem. After all, her Salvation depends on her affirmation. And here's what I have to say: "No proof"? Faith doesn't require proof! It's our confidence in what we hope for and the assurance about what we don't see. It involves trusting in God and His promises, even when they are not visible. Her obvious doubt and unbelief [in my opinion] disqualifies her to be a minister in the Church. And I believe she is introducing heresy into her church.

And then there's a second example that Ken Ham provides of heresy: "A Canadian reverend of The Metropolitan Community Church in Toronto, Ontario, preached in a sermon that for 40 years he's wanted his church to remove the "uncomfortable" and problematic" word Savior from the church website as that can be a "stumbling block" to potential visitors and those seeking membership at his church". 

That pastor had this to say: Many, before they come to our church, will check out the website to see what this church is about: so, see what they believe. And many of the folks that did that will tell me, "I looked up your church, and it sounded reasonable, but when I go to that word 'Savior', it was a problem." The pastor went on ... I would hope that someday, this church would see the possibility of changing that word because it is a stumbling block for many who want to be here. It is a stumbling block for people who do interfaith work. How do we explain that phrase to Muslims, and to Jews, and to Hindus"?  

Well, Pastor, here's my answer: You explain that phrase [Savior] as you express the True Gospel of the Bible; the Good News that the One True God of the Universe sent His only Son to earth to receive the wrath that we [that means all of humanity] deserve for rejecting Him and the relationship He established with us from the Garden. He is Holy ... meaning His nature is one of absolute purity and moral excellence. There is no sin in Him, and He expects those that are made in His image to reflect that same righteousness. Because we have inherited sin from humanity's original parents, we cannot attain that righteousness on our own. We are in desperate need of a way to come before our Holy God in submission and righteousness; that necessitates someone to save us from our sinfulness. Jesus is the Way to that reconciliation with our Father. He is our Savior! 

And I would further say this .... interfaith work should not mean acceptance of the "little g" gods of other faiths as equal to our Most High God. So, to find that the connotation of Jesus as our Savior to be "uncomfortable" or "problematic" indicates to me that you are willing to compromise the Truth of who Jesus is, in order to appeal to those who don't believe in Him. And that, Pastor, is heresy in my opinion. 

As I wind up this latest post, I want to reiterate that all this is my opinion. But my opinion is founded on the beliefs expressed through the Holy Spirit and the Bible. I am not a fundamentalist believer -- I recognize that Jesus did not come to establish "the Church" as a regimental force in the world. He did not instruct us to erect buildings and keep our faith to ourselves.  He came to re-establish the relationship He created us for; to express His love for each of us and give us the opportunity to return that love to Him and to walk in that love with our neighbors. Yes, there are absolute moral values that reflect His nature and to which He calls us to follow. And I admit that it is a narrow and often times difficult road to walk -- we don't want to become so religious that we stifle the freedom that Jesus died to give us; but we also don't want to endorse so much freedom in our sins that we allow any and all diverse beliefs to be approved [only to be perverted by the Enemy].

The purpose of this post is to share the heresies that I have witnessed in my journey with the Lord and how they can easily be used to foment lawlessness and corrupt theology. It is important that we defend the Truth and absolute authority of God's Word in the world. Lord, I ask you to guide me in the way to rightly handle Your Truth and to represent You in the world. We need Your heart and Your principles today, Lord! Help us to root out the Satan-inspired heresy that has entered our church buildings, and provide Your inspiration to guide others to righteousness. Amen!

Acts 14-16.   But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, having a hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust. So, I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man.