"She’ll say, 'You need to clean up your room,'" Grace said. "And I’ll say, 'Mom, it doesn’t matter, if the world’s going to end!'"--Grace Haddad Carson, teenage daughter of parents who believe Harold Campings' false prophecy about May 21 being the end of the world, from a story in The New York Times. Now THAT'S a sharp kid!
To the parents, Abby and Robert Haddad Carson: Look, you have three beautiful teenage children who love and cherish you. They're sticking by your side through all this. So will you PLEASE read my previous post, re-examine what Jesus says in Mark 13:32 and Acts 1:7, and PLEASE stop following Harold Campings' false teachings and prophecies? You are all in my prayers.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
The end is coming May 21!!! ... and the danger of making such predictions
Mark 13:32: But as for that day or hour no one knows it—neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son—except the Father. (NET Bible)
A friend reminded me this week that yes, the world is going to come to an end this coming Saturday (with this friend's eyes firmly rolled to the back of the head). A faction of Christians are going around the country proclaiming this "truth," which they said was only "recently" revealed by God in the Bible (you can read about them here). I’m sure they’ll get their share of "Good morning, we’re still here" messages on Sunday, and plenty of believers are correctly pointing to verses such as this one, to show them their error.
So what to make of this prediction in light of the above verse? For one, it’s made by a man (founder of a radio network) who does not identify himself with any church. Yet another person, who has chosen to cut himself off from all those "religious" people in the Body of Christ, claims that God has given him "direct revelation"—and that we should ignore any other teachings on the scriptures and the voices of past believers, to get the "real truth" from him. Of course, this leads to all sorts of dangerous directions; some cults have been formed this way.
And it illustrates the error of this "prophet" in disobeying Hebrews 10:24-26: “And let us take thought of how to spur one another on to love and good works, not abandoning our own meetings, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and even more so because you see the day drawing near. For if we deliberately keep on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins is left for us …” (NET Bible) The latter part of this passage is jarring to me: that to deliberately avoid Christian fellowship is not just a "bad choice," but willful disobedience of God--a sin. John Calvin rightly observed that for God to be your Father, the church must be your mother, and to cut oneself off from the church was "always fatal." In Christian fellowship there is accountability and safety in the "multitude of counselors" (Proverbs 11:14) as the Word of God is handled correctly by pastors and teachers, and those being taught (2 Timothy 2:15; Ephesians 4:11-16).
This also shows the danger of missing the essence of Jesus’ statement in Mark 13:32. Jesus plainly states that He, the Son, does not know the hour of His return. Some commentators say that Jesus, in His humanity, did not know, while He did know in His divine nature as God. However this aspect of the verse is interpreted, William Barclay correctly points out, "There can be no greater warning and rebuke to those who work out dates and timetables as to when he will come again. Surely it is nothing less than blasphemy for us to enquire into that of which our Lord consented to be ignorant."
So when we see and hear such "predictions," we should be moved to pray for those making them, that God would open their eyes. If they are prone to be "lone prophets" separating themselves from the church, we need to pray they would see their need for Christian fellowship. And we should earnestly pray that they would heed Jesus’ words here and in Acts 1:7: "You are not permitted to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority …" (NET Bible) Only when they hear Jesus’ voice through His Word, will they get their focus back on Him (Hebrews 12:1-2).
A friend reminded me this week that yes, the world is going to come to an end this coming Saturday (with this friend's eyes firmly rolled to the back of the head). A faction of Christians are going around the country proclaiming this "truth," which they said was only "recently" revealed by God in the Bible (you can read about them here). I’m sure they’ll get their share of "Good morning, we’re still here" messages on Sunday, and plenty of believers are correctly pointing to verses such as this one, to show them their error.
So what to make of this prediction in light of the above verse? For one, it’s made by a man (founder of a radio network) who does not identify himself with any church. Yet another person, who has chosen to cut himself off from all those "religious" people in the Body of Christ, claims that God has given him "direct revelation"—and that we should ignore any other teachings on the scriptures and the voices of past believers, to get the "real truth" from him. Of course, this leads to all sorts of dangerous directions; some cults have been formed this way.
And it illustrates the error of this "prophet" in disobeying Hebrews 10:24-26: “And let us take thought of how to spur one another on to love and good works, not abandoning our own meetings, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and even more so because you see the day drawing near. For if we deliberately keep on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins is left for us …” (NET Bible) The latter part of this passage is jarring to me: that to deliberately avoid Christian fellowship is not just a "bad choice," but willful disobedience of God--a sin. John Calvin rightly observed that for God to be your Father, the church must be your mother, and to cut oneself off from the church was "always fatal." In Christian fellowship there is accountability and safety in the "multitude of counselors" (Proverbs 11:14) as the Word of God is handled correctly by pastors and teachers, and those being taught (2 Timothy 2:15; Ephesians 4:11-16).
This also shows the danger of missing the essence of Jesus’ statement in Mark 13:32. Jesus plainly states that He, the Son, does not know the hour of His return. Some commentators say that Jesus, in His humanity, did not know, while He did know in His divine nature as God. However this aspect of the verse is interpreted, William Barclay correctly points out, "There can be no greater warning and rebuke to those who work out dates and timetables as to when he will come again. Surely it is nothing less than blasphemy for us to enquire into that of which our Lord consented to be ignorant."
So when we see and hear such "predictions," we should be moved to pray for those making them, that God would open their eyes. If they are prone to be "lone prophets" separating themselves from the church, we need to pray they would see their need for Christian fellowship. And we should earnestly pray that they would heed Jesus’ words here and in Acts 1:7: "You are not permitted to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority …" (NET Bible) Only when they hear Jesus’ voice through His Word, will they get their focus back on Him (Hebrews 12:1-2).
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Obama's "Christian" voice silent on Muslim persecution of Coptic Church
You would think that the "Christian" and Matthew 25 Network-supported President Obama would speak out against the recent violence against Coptic Christians in Egypt by Muslims, stoked by the Muslim Brotherhood. But mum's the word from our president and his "progressive Christian" friends. Keith Koffler at White House Dossier has the story here.
Soros and mainstream media: the puppet strings exposed
Check out this link on ultra-liberal billionaire George Soros' multiple connections to the mainstream media--and keep it in mind next time you here about those "evil" conservative commentators and their "monopoly" on talk radio and Fox News.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Devotional on current events: David Wilkerson
I wrote this devotional after hearing about the homegoing of David Wilkerson:
APRIL 27
Luke 17:10: So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. (KJV)
We need to especially remember this verse, when Jesus asks the extraordinary of us—and through the impossibilities and dangers, comes through with miracles. I wonder if this was the verse that kept David Wilkerson humble before God, in serving millions around the world through Teen Challenge and Times Square Church. God called him from a quiet community in Pennsylvania to minister to street gangs in New York City. And with all the impossible situations he faced, God responded to his faith, setting gang members free from all kinds of addictions and birthing an anointed worldwide ministry. Through all that God brought him and his family through, it was all too evident that he maintained the attitude of the unprofitable servant, who just wanted to do what God had commanded him.
“Theirs not to make reply/Theirs not to reason why/Theirs but to do and die,” wrote Tennyson in The Charge of the Light Brigade. Let us have such a faith—and an attitude that, whatever God does through us, we are simply content to give Him the glory. Rev. David Wilkerson, RIP.
APRIL 27
Luke 17:10: So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. (KJV)
We need to especially remember this verse, when Jesus asks the extraordinary of us—and through the impossibilities and dangers, comes through with miracles. I wonder if this was the verse that kept David Wilkerson humble before God, in serving millions around the world through Teen Challenge and Times Square Church. God called him from a quiet community in Pennsylvania to minister to street gangs in New York City. And with all the impossible situations he faced, God responded to his faith, setting gang members free from all kinds of addictions and birthing an anointed worldwide ministry. Through all that God brought him and his family through, it was all too evident that he maintained the attitude of the unprofitable servant, who just wanted to do what God had commanded him.
“Theirs not to make reply/Theirs not to reason why/Theirs but to do and die,” wrote Tennyson in The Charge of the Light Brigade. Let us have such a faith—and an attitude that, whatever God does through us, we are simply content to give Him the glory. Rev. David Wilkerson, RIP.
Some devotional thoughts on current events
I've been writing a devotional where I comment on a Bible verse for each day. I do this the very first thing to start the day, before anything else. I thought that with all that's going on in our country, several recent posts seemed especially relevant:
MAY 2
Ezekiel 33:11: Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked … (KJV)
The demise of terrorist leader Osama bin Laden, which had occurred in a fire fight with US Navy SEALs the day before, sparked celebrations around the world (and consternation among Islamic countries). The page-size headline on the New York Daily News over a picture of bin Laden even read, “ROT IN HELL!”
To be sure, bin Laden needed to pay for masterminding the murder of 3,000 people on Sept. 11, 2001. The US forces who killed him, and President Obama who gave the order for the strike, acted honorably in defense of our country. But one dimension caused me to take pause: bin Laden is one more soul who has been consigned to eternity in hell. In light of the verse above, we are forced to consider whether God is “celebrating” bin Laden’s death—and what our reaction should be as followers of Jesus.
According to scripture (and putting aside the pretzel logic of a certain “emerging church” leader in a recent book), hell is such a terrible place, it forced a sinner who was there to ask Abraham to send warning to his brothers, so they would NOT share in his misery (Luke 16:27-28). Is the fact that anyone is sent there worth celebrating? And as one campus evangelist asks lukewarm college Christians, do we really live and share our faith as if hell actually exists?
MAY 3
Esther 4:14: “Don’t imagine that because you are part of the king’s household you will be the one Jew who will escape. If you keep quiet at this time, liberation and protection for the Jews will appear from another source, while you and your father’s household perish. It may very well be that you have achieved royal status for such a time as this!” (NET Bible)
It would have been easy for Queen Esther, raised from being a humble captive to a ruler over a pagan nation, to stay silent when Haman’s plan to wipe out the Jewish people—including her uncle Mordecai—were about to be carried out. For some reason, she appeared to be in some sort of disfavor with the king at this point, for she had not been allowed to approach his throne for 30 days. Whatever the circumstance, Mordecai reminded Esther of the Divine hand that had brought her this far—and that saving the Jews from an approaching slaughter could well be the reason she was placed at the king’s side as queen.
“For such a time as this”—what powerful words I need, to remind myself that God’s unseen hand is in control of all situations and circumstances, that He makes the divine appointments in my life in which I must show my faith by obedience to Him! Winston Churchill, in his World War II memoirs, said that he felt everything that had happened in his life—good and bad—had all prepared him for the moment when he would take the reins of the British Empire in its darkest hour, when it appeared conquest by Nazi German was imminent. We must also see that anything we have come through in our lives could well be preparing us to serve God in a special way. Even the simple, humble tasks could be special training for a ministry He is preparing for us, as Moses and David found out in shepherding sheep before being raised up to shepherd God’s chosen people. As the Karate Kid found out, the seemingly innocuous “paint brushing” and “floor waxing” tasks his instructor put him through made him a powerful fighter—and those simple “insignificant” tasks we do could well be sharpening us into being powerful tools in God’s hands!
It has always fascinated me that this book does not mention the Name of God even once—but how can one miss the Divine hand at work, is raising up Esther to save her people! Whether or not we see God’s hand visibly moving in our lives, we can nonetheless be assured that He is always at work in and around us, to prepare us “for such a time as this.”
MAY 12
Psalm 9:17: The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. (KJV)
The word here in the Hebrew that the KJV translates “hell” is actually “sheol,” which in Hebrew thought generally refers to the underworld of disembodied spirits. However, some Bible commentators believe there is an implied punishment in the context, which is more accurately reflected by the KJV translation.
I wonder about how our country has forgotten God—and what I as a Christian could do to reverse this. Part of the answer for the church lies in the next verse: “For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.” (ESV) Is the church making the needs of the poor and needy a MAJOR priority, as did the first century church?
This forgetting the needy is a result of a people who do not have God in their thoughts—including a good many in the church. “They will not live in his fear,” Adam Clarke observes. “There are both nations and individuals who, though they know God, forget him, that is, are unmindful of him, do not acknowledge him in their designs, ways and works. These are all to be thrust down into hell. Reader, art thou forgetful of thy Maker, and of Him who died for thee?”
BreakPoint columnist Regis Nicoll made the following observation about the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer—the German pastor and theologian who opposed Hitler in defending the Jews and paid with his life—which offers a sobering thought for the church in America: “But perhaps the greatest lesson from Bonhoeffer is that the strength of a nation will not exceed that of its moral foundation. If the foundation is laid with the gold, silver, and costly stones of God’s Word, the superstructure will endure. But if it is laid with the wood, hay, and straw of the world’s principles and values, it will endure for a while but, eventually, collapse. Bonhoeffer reminds us that it is the Church’s duty to lay that foundation and build on it with 'living stones' whose rule of life is conformed to, and aligned with, the Cornerstone ... Bonhoeffer was a man who ‘understood the times,’ and took seriously the call of God upon him, even to the point of death. Despite his all-too-brief time on earth, Bonhoeffer is a towering example to Christians everywhere of incarnational faith, and of what it means to be the Church.”
MAY 2
Ezekiel 33:11: Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked … (KJV)
The demise of terrorist leader Osama bin Laden, which had occurred in a fire fight with US Navy SEALs the day before, sparked celebrations around the world (and consternation among Islamic countries). The page-size headline on the New York Daily News over a picture of bin Laden even read, “ROT IN HELL!”
To be sure, bin Laden needed to pay for masterminding the murder of 3,000 people on Sept. 11, 2001. The US forces who killed him, and President Obama who gave the order for the strike, acted honorably in defense of our country. But one dimension caused me to take pause: bin Laden is one more soul who has been consigned to eternity in hell. In light of the verse above, we are forced to consider whether God is “celebrating” bin Laden’s death—and what our reaction should be as followers of Jesus.
According to scripture (and putting aside the pretzel logic of a certain “emerging church” leader in a recent book), hell is such a terrible place, it forced a sinner who was there to ask Abraham to send warning to his brothers, so they would NOT share in his misery (Luke 16:27-28). Is the fact that anyone is sent there worth celebrating? And as one campus evangelist asks lukewarm college Christians, do we really live and share our faith as if hell actually exists?
MAY 3
Esther 4:14: “Don’t imagine that because you are part of the king’s household you will be the one Jew who will escape. If you keep quiet at this time, liberation and protection for the Jews will appear from another source, while you and your father’s household perish. It may very well be that you have achieved royal status for such a time as this!” (NET Bible)
It would have been easy for Queen Esther, raised from being a humble captive to a ruler over a pagan nation, to stay silent when Haman’s plan to wipe out the Jewish people—including her uncle Mordecai—were about to be carried out. For some reason, she appeared to be in some sort of disfavor with the king at this point, for she had not been allowed to approach his throne for 30 days. Whatever the circumstance, Mordecai reminded Esther of the Divine hand that had brought her this far—and that saving the Jews from an approaching slaughter could well be the reason she was placed at the king’s side as queen.
“For such a time as this”—what powerful words I need, to remind myself that God’s unseen hand is in control of all situations and circumstances, that He makes the divine appointments in my life in which I must show my faith by obedience to Him! Winston Churchill, in his World War II memoirs, said that he felt everything that had happened in his life—good and bad—had all prepared him for the moment when he would take the reins of the British Empire in its darkest hour, when it appeared conquest by Nazi German was imminent. We must also see that anything we have come through in our lives could well be preparing us to serve God in a special way. Even the simple, humble tasks could be special training for a ministry He is preparing for us, as Moses and David found out in shepherding sheep before being raised up to shepherd God’s chosen people. As the Karate Kid found out, the seemingly innocuous “paint brushing” and “floor waxing” tasks his instructor put him through made him a powerful fighter—and those simple “insignificant” tasks we do could well be sharpening us into being powerful tools in God’s hands!
It has always fascinated me that this book does not mention the Name of God even once—but how can one miss the Divine hand at work, is raising up Esther to save her people! Whether or not we see God’s hand visibly moving in our lives, we can nonetheless be assured that He is always at work in and around us, to prepare us “for such a time as this.”
MAY 12
Psalm 9:17: The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. (KJV)
The word here in the Hebrew that the KJV translates “hell” is actually “sheol,” which in Hebrew thought generally refers to the underworld of disembodied spirits. However, some Bible commentators believe there is an implied punishment in the context, which is more accurately reflected by the KJV translation.
I wonder about how our country has forgotten God—and what I as a Christian could do to reverse this. Part of the answer for the church lies in the next verse: “For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.” (ESV) Is the church making the needs of the poor and needy a MAJOR priority, as did the first century church?
This forgetting the needy is a result of a people who do not have God in their thoughts—including a good many in the church. “They will not live in his fear,” Adam Clarke observes. “There are both nations and individuals who, though they know God, forget him, that is, are unmindful of him, do not acknowledge him in their designs, ways and works. These are all to be thrust down into hell. Reader, art thou forgetful of thy Maker, and of Him who died for thee?”
BreakPoint columnist Regis Nicoll made the following observation about the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer—the German pastor and theologian who opposed Hitler in defending the Jews and paid with his life—which offers a sobering thought for the church in America: “But perhaps the greatest lesson from Bonhoeffer is that the strength of a nation will not exceed that of its moral foundation. If the foundation is laid with the gold, silver, and costly stones of God’s Word, the superstructure will endure. But if it is laid with the wood, hay, and straw of the world’s principles and values, it will endure for a while but, eventually, collapse. Bonhoeffer reminds us that it is the Church’s duty to lay that foundation and build on it with 'living stones' whose rule of life is conformed to, and aligned with, the Cornerstone ... Bonhoeffer was a man who ‘understood the times,’ and took seriously the call of God upon him, even to the point of death. Despite his all-too-brief time on earth, Bonhoeffer is a towering example to Christians everywhere of incarnational faith, and of what it means to be the Church.”
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