Posts filed under ‘Atheism and religion’
Numbers: Census and History of Israel
The book of Numbers is a book that should remind us of our propensity to wander away from God if left to our own desires. We must be diligent in serving Him and reminding ourselves that we need to do whatever it takes to remain true to our calling. Our calling is to faithfully submit our will for His at every turn.
Continue Reading October 12, 2016 at 1:33 PM Leave a comment
Psalm 2: Puny Man Waging War Against God, Part 4
Truth is very difficult to come by in today’s society. It really is up for grabs and most adopt some perceived truth that is not truth at all. Psalm 2 speaks to this problem that unfolds the closer we get to the physical return of our Lord and Savior. But in spite of this, God speaks a warning that these rulers and judges should be wise. Clearly, God would not warn them to do this if actual truth was impossible to ascertain. In their heart of hearts, truth – absolute truth – is there, but the kings and judges (along with each and every individual person), must be willing to look for it and acknowledge it when they find it.
Continue Reading October 10, 2016 at 8:57 AM Leave a comment
What Does Work Out Your Salvation with Fear and Trembling Mean?
Can you imagine if someone bought you a house, gave you the key and said, “This is yours! All you have to do is make monthly payments on it!” What kind of a “gift” is that?! Sure, they put the down payment on it, but you are now left with coming up with the monthly mortgage! It wouldn’t be a gift at all, but a true burden. Now if someone gave you a house where you owed nothing on it (no monthly mortgage or taxes), that would actually be a free gift. Certainly, you might be expected to keep the home up so that it did not go into disrepair. However, even if you did allow that to happen, the house itself would still be yours. No one could take it away from you because it was completely paid for by someone else, leaving you with absolutely no debt on it.
Psalm 2: Puny Man Waging War Against God, Part 3
People might rightly wonder about this. How could the Millennial Kingdom rule of Jesus not be a time of unbroken peace? Oh, it will be peaceful, but it will not be without its problems (implied in the need for Jesus to rule with a rod of iron). The main reason for that is due to the fact that people who have survived the Tribulation and enter it as well as those human beings born during it will still have sin natures. This is not excised from individuals (who are saved) until after death (or the Rapture). As long as we are living here on earth as human beings who have yet to die (or be Raptured), the sin nature is, unfortunately, very much apart of our lives.
What the World Needs Now is…TACT, Part 1
The art of being able to respond from the heart in a way that reduces hostility is something that all people – especially Christians – need to have and exercise. I think back over my life and remembering some of the ways in which I blurted out some sarcastic rejoinder to someone makes me shudder. I’m not saying that anger itself is never appropriate. I’m saying that as Scripture tells us, we should learn how to be angry and refrain from sinning (Ephesians 4:26). At the same time, as Paul notes in that verse, if we allow our anger to last long and into the next day, we are also doing something wrong (“…let not the sun go down upon your wrath,” v. 26b).
Psalm 2: Puny Man Waging War Against God, Part 2
By the time King David wrote the words of Psalm 2, much of what I’ve related was already behind him. Of course, the birth of the Messiah was yet in front of him, but the hard work of creating Israel from Abraham (and everything that included), was done! King David could understand Psalm 2 from his perspective knowing that God had already been faithful because of all the things He had promised and brought to the fore.
Psalm 2: Puny Man Waging War Against God, Part 1
During King David’s day (and he is the assumed author of Psalm 2 based on the testimony of Acts 4:25), the Holy Spirit prompted David to see a larger picture and gave him an eyeful about how desperate humanity is to throw off the “bands” and “cords” (Psalm 2:3) of God’s rule. This has been Satan’s goal since he first fell and after he managed to succeed in getting Eve and Adam to fall, he put his plan to use humanity to help him break free of God’s rule. That’s what it’s all about. Satan wants to be God (Isaiah 14:14) and he’ll use humanity in his attempt to make that happen. Will he succeed? Psalm 2 tells us he won’t.
Political Correctness’ Tragic Effects on Society
I’m not a prophet, but it’s not difficult to see that things are coming to a head in society. It’s not pretty at all. It’s rather ugly and it will get worse as time progresses. We are moving rapidly toward the time when things will be perfect for Antichrist to take up his position as world leader. I know that’s difficult to believe that in 2016, there would even be thoughts of having a one-world government with one individual reigning over the entire world. It’s very difficult to believe but the world is being moved in that direction. It’s been the purpose of the United Nations since its inception and the failed League of Nations before that. Scripture tells us that at some point, the world will become as one.
Continue Reading September 26, 2016 at 8:12 AM Leave a comment
Synthetic Bacteria Causing Death
By the way, I’m not saying that something like “Cynthia” is what the Bible is talking about. It may well be that God simply pours out one plague after another supernaturally onto human society and the earth. I’m simply saying that at least some of the things created by science have unexpected effects that are similar to or even parallel the events described in Scripture. Because of that, it is not difficult to understand how these things referenced in the Bible could easily occur. Science may have been unwittingly providing the very things that God will use at the end of this age. It’s not far-fetched and those who have had a difficult time taking Scripture in its plain and obvious sense should see these things as quite possible.
Continue Reading September 23, 2016 at 8:01 AM Leave a comment
Focusing Too Much on Evil Creates Unhealthy Outlook
If we look at the gospels alone, it seems clear enough that Jesus did not go out of His way to take on Satan. He didn’t avoid him and certainly knew Satan was there. Jesus understood evil existed in society and Satan was the primary cause of it, coupling with fallen individuals who would allow him to gain access into their lives in whatever form. Jesus also seemed to understand that He was not going to be able to eradicate evil from society at that time because of God’s main purpose for allowing it to exist in the first place. As I’ve stated repeatedly in past articles, God allows Satan and evil to continue to exist because of the coming head-to-head battle that will occur (and end in the blink of an eye), between God and Satan. It never has been a contest and will not be a contest at the coming point in the future when Jesus physically returns to this planet and destroys Antichrist, who will be at that time, the physical embodiment and representation of all that is evil in one person (cf. 2 Thessalonians 2).
Continue Reading September 16, 2016 at 9:39 AM Leave a comment
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