Posts filed under ‘Posttribulational Rapture’
Using Scripture in the Argument or Debate
In truth, when people become angered by someone who cannot or refuses to see any truth in their opinion, it says a great deal about them as people, not the person they’re trying so hard to convert to their way of thinking. Their insecurities are often the driving force behind why they argue and debate. They have to continually prove to themselves that they are correct because of their own ever-present doubts. I have found this to be the case with people in cults. They chafe under that label and have to prove to people that they are “Christians” too so they are in attack mode most of the time, seriously on the defensive.
Romans 8: Life in the Spirit, Part 2
The perfect life that Jesus lived actually “condemned sin in the flesh.” Jesus was the only One who did that. No one else came close. Jesus kept the righteous decrees of the law at all points, at every turn. So if He actually lived among us today and drove a car and owned a cell phone, you would never see Him texting while driving. He would never break the law at any point. Because of that, the perfection of His life (righteousness) condemned sin. It is because He condemned sin in the flesh, with the righteous requirements of the law being met fully, that He was able to offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sins (and sin nature) – yours and mine (Revelation 5).
Romans 8: Life in the Spirit, Part 1
Romans itself, in its entirety, is a book that in all likelihood, surpasses others in explaining how pitifully weak man is in being able to help himself out of the predicament that he has gotten himself into, through the fall. Paul spends much time developing the narrative and presenting the truths – one after another – that proves beyond doubt that man, beset with sin, is incapable of saving himself. It doesn’t matter whether we are referring to Jew or Gentile, male, female, slave or free. All are in the same boat and that boat is sinking. The only survivors will be those who trust not in themselves but in Someone outside of themselves to save them from the wrath that is to come.
Ins and Outs, Debates and Arguments Related to Eschatology
Folks, we need to get rid of the acrimony within Christendom. Frankly, I would choose never to preach on the last days again except to note that Jesus is coming back one day and He will reign over all the earth if that eliminated at least some of the acrimony that exists. The rest of Eschatology is up for grabs even though I have strong views concerning it. If discussing it does not cause me to be more loving to my brothers and sisters in the Lord, then I should not discuss it. End of story.
Bible Warns of Apostasy and Persecution, Part 2
Aside from mockers who come mocking the idea of Jesus as God returning to claim what is His, there is also the general tone of society that will exist during the end times and we will see it worsen as things lead directly up to the physical return of Jesus at the end of the coming Tribulation period. One thing to remember is that the Bible is a complete book. It must be allowed to interpret itself because even though there are roughly 40 human authors, physically writing their own book within a book over a period of approximately 1,600 or so years, the reality is that God is the main Author. He chose individuals to write down parts of His book, but it was God Himself who oversaw the writing of each book. The Bible is the only book that can claim this. No other comes close.
Bible Warns of Apostasy and Persecution, Part 1
I don’t want to get into setting dates, times, days, or hours. That’s not the point of this short series of articles. The point is for us to understand God’s prophetic timetable in light of society and it appears that it comes together. Can we…should we look for anything? If so, what? Should we become so preoccupied with the subject of the end times that we wind up being so focused on it that we fail to realize when we stop evangelizing and therefore fulfilling the Great Commission? Should our study of the end times cause us to want to be even more involved in the Great Commission? I think so. The way I look at it is that we are all one breath away from death anyway. No one alive now knows when they will die. That’s God’s department. If the study of the end times brings us to a greater awareness of just how close death is to everyone and helps us to lose the “ballast” in our lives that keep us from walking closer to God, then it has served it’s purpose (1 John 3:2-3). If we – on the other hand – tend to study the end times to simply gain “knowledge” and become puffed up, then it would be far better for us to not study that subject. I cannot emphasize how important this is for all to understand.
Israelites Went In and Out of Fellowship Constantly
Much like the Prodigal Son who deliberately chose to leave his father’s presence to live a life of sin (Luke 15) and had to deal with the consequences of his actions, Christians today make decisions all the time that directly impact whether or not we are and/or remain in fellowship with God. Just as Achan chose to disobey God and take what God warned he should not have taken (to enrich himself), the consequences of his actions resulted in death for Achan, his family, and animals. I don’t take this to mean that Achan lost salvation (if he actually had it). But it is clear that God was much quicker to judge those who fell out of fellowship with Him during the Old Testament times than He does during these times.
Continue Reading January 16, 2016 at 8:35 AM Leave a comment
Christ, Our Fellowship, Part 9
To fellowship with God – I believe – means to live in the present as He is in the eternal present. This does not mean we don’t consider what has happened in our lives. It also doesn’t mean we never think about future events. It means that we do not allow those things – either past or future events – to rob us of living in the present because God is at work in our present. He is working now and in order to “see” what He is doing, we also need to live in our present.
Continue Reading December 25, 2015 at 8:54 AM Leave a comment
Why Are You Interested in Studies of End Times?
The goal of studying anything related to the end times is this: it should cause us to focus on the fact that eternity is always a breath away…for everyone. This fact should create within us a strong desire for one thing. That is, we should become more focused regarding the Great Commission. The thought of eternity, whether it is in Jesus’ return or our going to meet Him in death, should refocus our thinking onto what is right, what is true, and what is worthy as Paul tells us in Philippians 4:8. What is more praiseworthy than focusing on spending eternity with Jesus?
StudyGrowKnow 