Many thanks to Steve Lumbley at Apostasy Watch, for this excellent teaching. Hope you’ll check it out.
“People come from all over the world to pray at the Wall, the epicenter of God’s presence on earth. We will place your prayer request in the Wall. What will you ask Him?”
Is there anything in those words that seems a bit disturbing to you as a Christian? Do you believe that God’s presence on earth can be found at the Western Wall?
Strange how we are not hearing anything (more) about Blood Moons and such. Hagee and company really pulled the ‘wool’ (again) over the eyes of many ignorant Sheep….while making a bundle on books, videos, and tapes concerning all the “Blood Moon” nonsense.
For an interesting report on this see: Premillennial False Prophecies Fizzle Again…
[Pastor] John Hagee made predictions (oh yes he did!—see below). John Hagee set dates. John Hagee’s predictions and dates have failed. He is now to be regarded as a false prophet on the same order as Harold Camping.
Folks, this is a false teacher. Period. Worse, he is a false teacher whose false teachingscould help provoke warfare and the deaths of millions of people unnecessarily—andwill persuade millions of Christians to sit by gleefully, consenting to those deaths.
This is a good article found at The Guardian.
Last year the Texas pastor John Hagee presided over the ninth annual summit of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), which describes itself as “the largest pro-Israel organisation in the United States”. Five thousand evangelicals gathered in Washington to hear a distinguished roster of speakers including six US senators, a former director of the CIA and the Israeli ambassador to the US. Binyamin Netanyahu sent a recorded message; he couldn’t be there because Israel was at war in the Gaza Strip. Nearly a thousand civilians had already been killed, and even Israel’s staunchest allies were calling for restraint. But Hagee demanded that Netanyahu be allowed to “finish the job” in Gaza. When he had finished, the pastor led other delegates up Capitol Hill to lobby those lawmakers who hadn’t shown up….
Continued HERE
Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis would do more for the Gospel by stepping down rather than continuing her legal fight to deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
As a New York-based, media-centric individual who has been ensconced in this faith world for over forty years, I understand the Evangelical mind-set all too well that drove Davis to her decision.
Ms. Davis is the latest lightning rod in the increasingly divided cultural arena between people of faith and the rest of the world that does not share that faith. She felt that she could not grant a marriage license to a gay couple because, she says, she cannot acquiesce to a government decree that does not square with her Christian faith. The only problem is that she is the county clerk who provides that service.
I find it helpful to refer back to the Bible (from which most faith followers derive their marching orders) to read what Jesus and others did in cases of conscience and baby splitting when confronted with similar issues. In the Kim Davis situation, I think we have to look deeper into what Jesus taught…
(I agree with this author)
See remainder of this article at the CPost
(HT) This is an important message folks. I hope and pray you will take time, follow the link, and read it.
From Bill White at Soul Refuge:
It is absolutely amazing when you take a look at what is happening in the world today, and I have to remind myself often that the Bible prophesied these things. The Jewish apostle Paul was speaking in the Spirit (Holy Spirit) when he wrote this:
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times SOME shall DEPART from the FAITH, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; (1 Timothy 4:1)
If the Spirit of God inspired Paul to warn us about those who would depart from the faith, then it IS going to happen even as it is written.
Continue HERE
This is a very good article which goes through point by point showing why Evangelicals must not be joined with Catholics.
Its been interesting (and surprising!) to watch what has occurred over the past 35 years. When first coming to Christ my Church preached that Catholics needed the Gospel; over the years evangelizing of Catholics has all but stopped. Catholicism has been accepted as biblical Christianity by American Evangelicals in America.
I hope you will take the time to read this short article…
quote,
As the evangelical world in America seems rather excited about the Pope’s visit, I can’t help but remember how I 
felt when I discovered theEvangelicals and Catholics Together document(ECT).
In 1995 the unthinkable happened. Well known evangelical pastors signed a document in which they joined themselves with Catholic priests and Philosophers, in an ecumenical fashion in order to promote the agreements over the disagreements that have plagued Protestants and Catholics for centuries dating back to the greats: Calvin, Luther, Zwingli and Knox. They agreed to no longer “proselytize” each other, agreeing that Catholics are indeed brothers, and sisters in Christ.
This article was successful in its endeavor. The vast majority of Christians in America do not evangelize Catholics. Someone like me who has shed many tears over the deception of the Roman Catholic Church is seen as hateful. I totally understand the desire to believe people are saved. I also desperately want Roman Catholics to go to heaven, but we can’t let our desire for people to be saved or our desire to please men, lead us to cheer them on as they run towards hell. We must love them.
When I first found out about the ECT, I was shocked. I was fresh off the boat and never in a million years did I imagine such confusion over what seemed to be such a clear issue to me and any Italian believer. Most evangelical churches in Italy, many of which we would never step foot into, recognize this truth.
I wondered why there was such confusion in America, and I concluded that it must come down to the Easy-Belivism mentality. In America people believe that all you have to say is, “Jesus come into my heart”, and you are saved, and it doesn’t matter what you actually believe. The devil loves to comes as an angel of light. He loves to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and as Spurgeon said, he has created a masterpiece with the Roman Catholic Church. Here are some of the reasons protestants and Roman Catholics will never agree (based on the RCC’s teaching) and why ultimately a Born again Christian who attends a Roman Catholic Church must come out and join God’s true Church.
Please continue HERE
No surprise here.
Politico reports today that Donald Trump is courting prosperity televangelists in an effort to “keep his momentum from ebbing.” The subtext of the Trump televangelist outreach is that despite the polls, the only kind of evangelicals who really like Trump are those who love mixing not just religion and politics, but religion and money:
Roughly three-dozen leaders attended the two-and-a-half hour meeting at Trump Tower, including televangelists Gloria and Kenneth Copeland and Trinity Broadcasting Network co-founder Jan Crouch, who is also the president of a Christian theme park in Orlando.
As it came to an end, televangelist Paula White said Trump wanted them to pray for him. Trump nodded, and the faith leaders laid hands on him and prayed.
Many evangelical leaders look askance at the crowd the businessman is courting. “The people that Trump has so far identified as his evangelical outreach are mostly prosperity gospel types, which are considered by mainstream evangelicals to be heretics,” said outspoken Trump critic Russell Moore, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, the country’s largest Protestant denomination at 16 million members.
Now let’s be honest here. Cast your eyes to the right of this text and you’ll see a link to my 2008 book, God’s Profits: Faith, Fraud, and the Republican Crusade for Values Voters. That book is about how the GOP, despite the fact that many mainstream evangelicals consider the prosperity gospel to be heretical, has long courted televangelists in the quest to consolidate the conservative Christian vote. Although the televangelists are primarily focused on the health-and-wealth gospel (sow your seed into my ministry and God will bless you with a hundred-fold return!) they have long been coveted politically for their influence over their audiences and their history as loyal foot soldiers in the culture wars.
Don’t read too much into Politico’s assertion that the televangelists would be “less turned off by his brash style and history of socially liberal positions,” or by the suggestion that Trump, by this meeting, has somehow stepped outside the typical Republican boundaries for courting the evangelical, Pentecostal, and charismatic Christian vote. Trump is following a GOP playbook established in the 1980s, and followed by his current rivals, and in particular, by one current rival’s family. Indeed Trump himself followed the playbook during his unsuccessful 2012 presidential bid when he met with televangelists.
See full article with video (which is priceless!) HERE
Good message at American Vision
John Hagee made predictions (oh yes he did!—see below). John Hagee set dates. John Hagee’s predictions and dates have failed. He is now to be regarded as a false prophet on the same order as Harold Camping.
I have previously written about this here and here. I have demonstrated first that Hagee did indeed make predictions and set dates, even though he tried to cover himself with disclaimers. Second, I have demonstrated from Scripture how his interpretation of Joel 2 and Acts 2 cannot possibly be true. (Hint: Peter makes it clear that Acts 2 was the fulfillment then of Joel 2. There is nothing about it left to be fulfilled.)
While it’s no surprise to many discerning Christians that this man is a false prophet, I am astounded that the number of “Christians” who still follow him, continues to grow. It doesn’t appear to matter to his followers that he makes false prediction after false prediction, and becomes rich from the book sales which promotes the continual hogwash he offers.
If anyone has the answer to why people continue to follow this guy, and run out to buy his latest book of false predictions and lies, I’d love to hear it.
*Also check out at Pulpit and Pen: Four Blood Moons and Shemitah Bring Judgment…Upon Charismatics
Excellent post at Soul Refuge.
Quote,
The person whom the Roman Catholic church declares to be the “Vicar of Christ on Earth” has arrived in the United States of America. I just happened to catch a live video of the Pope’s arrival at the airport, and the screaming reminded me of the reception that the Beatles got when they arrived at Kennedy Airport in New York City. There was a military entourage there to greet the Pope, and many young school children were in a fenced off area nearby. It reminded me of the time when Pope Paul VI came to visit the USA in 1965, and I went with my Catholic grammar school class to Kennedy Airport to await his arrival. I can remember seeing the Pope ride by in his bubble back limousine, and the whole thing lasted no more than a few seconds.
Well here I am all these years later, having come out from one of the most deceptive religious systems on planet earth, still warning others to leave that system as soon as possible. It does not matter whether the Pope rides on the inside of a large limousine (as Pope Paul VI did), or if he hops inside a small black Fiat (as Pope Francis did), they are both preaching the gospel of Rome, and that gospel is false according to the scriptures. Here is a warning from Jesus Christ, who has some pretty amazing credentials, including the fact that he is the creator of ALL things. (Genesis 1:1, John 1:1-3, Isaiah 44:24)
“And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, TAKE HEED that no man DECEIVE you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” Matthew 24:3-5
My precious Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ LOVINGLY warned his followers that there would be many who came in his name, and that many would be deceived! That word still stands true today, as much as it did when Jesus spoke those words. The Pope has been described in recent days as “The World’s Pastor,” “The Prince of Peace,” and he has also been called “Our Pope” by the famous Pastor Rick Warren who will be speaking at the Philadelphia event.
” . . . TAKE HEED that no man DECEIVE you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” (Matthew 24:4-5)
Keith Green described the Roman Catholic church as “an empire” and he was right about that. The Roman Catholic system is an empire of darkness for sure, and they have been deceiving souls for centuries. Keith Green wrote a series of gospel tracts called “The Catholic Chronicles” where he exposed the false teachings of the Roman Catholic church with the TRUTH of the scriptures. Those tracts are no longer in print, but I have a copy of all of those tracts and I did a video review of them on this website, which I encourage you to watch. In the third tract of “The Catholic Chronicles” Keith Green ended the tract with these words:
With its own ruler, its own laws, and its own subjects! The empire has no borders, it encompasses the globe with its eye on every person who does not vow allegiance. It calls the members of other faiths “separated brethren” (The term used by Vatican II to describe the members of Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Protestant churches.) and has as its goal the eventual bringing together of everyone under its flag.
I know that many will not be convinced or moved by this article (or any of the others) to make such a conclusion. They are impressed by what they’ve heard about recent stirrings among the Catholics in the “charismatic renewal”. Many evangelicals (especially Charismatics) have been thrilled by the reports of Catholics speaking in tongues, dancing in the Spirit, having nights of joy and praise, even attending “charismatic masses”.
Mouths that used to speak out boldly against the Church of Rome have been quieted by the times. It no longer is in vogue to speak of the pope as “the antichrist” or the Catholic Church as the “whore of Babylon”. Now Protestants unwittingly believe that “our differences are not so great”. Ah, that is just what She needs us to think!
I’ve never completely understood why God led me to write these articles. But it becomes more clear with each day of study, and each page of research. Never has something so black and wicked, gotten away with appearing so holy and mysteriously beautiful . . . for so long! (Keith Green-The Catholic Chronicles)
*See more HERE
Words fail me…
From the Guardian
Pope bands? So boring. Pope dolls? So kitsch. In the great panoply of papal merchandise, congressman Bob Brady of Philadelphia may just have clinched the very best: the Holy Father’s glass of water.
Pope Francis was sipping from the glass during his speech to Congress on Thursday, and when he made his way out of the chamber he left his drink unattended. That’s where Brady stepped in.
Like a bachelor party attendee spotting a discarded pint, the Democratic congressman plucked Francis’s glass from the lectern. Rather than immediately down the drink, however, he carried it to the confines of his office, to enjoy the pontiff’s water in peace.
“I took a sip out of it,” Brady told the Philadelphia Daily News. His wife Debra and two of Brady’s staffers also quaffed some. “How many people do you know that drank out of the same glass as the pope?” Brady said.
The Daily News said a presumably excited Brady invited Senator Bob Casey into his office to behold the glass of water. “The three dipped their fingers into the glass. Pictures were taken, joy was in the air,” the paper reported.
Once the trio had withdrawn their fingers Brady “poured the rest of the water into a bottle”. He now plans to bless his four grandchildren with the fluid.
Hate stories like this because they’re not true.
From an Israeli Newspaper (The Jerusalem Post) writing about Jimmy Carter’s cancer:
For some Jews (and evangelical Christians), the cause apparently is obvious. No, it’s not his genetic makeup, or the spread of a mass from his liver to his brain. It’s divine punishment for his behavior toward the Jews.
See blurb at Mondoweiss
One word for this: Hogwash!
Without knowing all the details, such as who this prophet is, I can’t say much more then, if this be a true word from God to MacArthur, he better take heed. There have been many things John denies as biblical, in which I disagree with him. I have posted about this previously. The only other thing I can add is I have felt John MacArthur has been treading on the dangerous ground called ‘pride’ for some time.
From Evangelical Focus:
One of America’s leading Evangelical preachers –Dr. John MacArthur- has been accused of heresy by a self-proclaimed prophet in Grace Community Church. The confrontation took place during this week’s Sunday service whilst the pastor ministered from the pulpit of his home church in Sun Valley (California), a place where he has served for over 45 years.
The prophet, speaking with a Scottish accent, managed to get up to the church’s platform and before being escorted away by the security team, he accused MacArthur saying: “You have grieved the Holy Spirit of God. Your doctrine of cessationism is an error. He has been grieved, John MacArthur. I’ve been sent here to tell you that. You’re sharpening a sword and they’re cutting each other”. He continued: “If you don’t believe in prophets; you’re looking at one. God have mercy on your teaching of truth. Your doctrine of cessationism is an error, John MacArthur. It’s an error. I’ve been sent to tell you it’s an error. For the unbeliever: repent of your sins! The Kingdom of heaven is close! You don’t have much time! Jesus Christ is coming back soon! God bless you, people of God”.
After some moments of silence, MacArthur began to take control of the meeting again and responded to the prophet (now escorted out of the meeting) with the command from 1 Corinthians that the spirit of the prophets be subject to the prophets. He added: “If he were a prophet, he would not act like that”. He then resumed the service. The doctrine of cessationism is the idea that the more spectacular spiritual gifts –such as speaking in tongues, prophesying and healing- ceased after the closing of the New Testament canon or the death of the early apostles. MacArthur dedicated his famous Strange Fire conference in 2013 to the defense of a classical cessationist interpretation of Scripture.
Interesting, frightening, article. Who are these US citizens who support this? There must be quite a number for this warmonger to be running third in the polls.
Huffington Post: Netanyahu and His Marionettes
Benjamin Netanyahu is laying siege to the Congress of the United States, not for the first time. He has thrown his voice and channeled his influence into the arena of American legislative politics, to abort the P5+1 nuclear settlement with Iran, which was signed on July 14 by the US, Britain, France, Germany, China, and Russia. The Israeli strong man’s latest intervention is in keeping with the rest of his political career. Netanyahu owes all his importance and his success to actions that have been purely destructive.
He was first elected in 1996 on the wave of Israeli settler chauvinism that followed the signing of the Oslo Accords. His rise came in the wake of the assassination of his opponent, a courageous defender of the accords, Yitzhak Rabin. A public memorandum detailing the strategy for Netanyahu as leader of Israel was written by the neoconservative war propagandist Richard Perle, along with a small committee of others. The strategy document, “A Clean Break,” called for Israel to free itself from the tedious demands of diplomacy once and for all, curtail its efforts to negotiate with Palestinians toward the creation of a state, and give up the idea of joining a neighborhood of nations in the Middle East. With American help, instead, Israel could stand alone as the dominant power, a position it should never compromise by bargaining for peace. To achieve this end, three countries had to be undermined, subdivided, or destroyed: Iraq, Syria, and Iran.
So far, things have gone roughly according to plan. Iraq and Syria are out of the picture — the latter with considerable satisfaction to the people around Netanyahu. But Iran has continued to pose a stumbling block; and as early as 2008, Barack Obama’s interest in lowering the terrorist threat to the US by calming the violence of the region was perceived by Netanyahu as a threat to his plan for dominance.
From their first meeting in 2009, Netanyahu made it plain that Obama was an obstacle to be overcome by any means necessary — political assaults from the rear and flanks; concocted international incidents; speeches to Congress and the United Nations and AIPAC and Congress again. Obama was to be treated as an enemy in all but name. The story was to be circulated that Obama, possibly from motives of racial resentment, was profoundly unfriendly to the state of Israel. In the six years that followed their first meeting in May 2009, a continuous strand of Netanyahu’s foreign policy has been devoted to weakening the Obama presidency.
(more at above link)
HT to Steve Lumbley (Apostasy Watch)
The leader of a far-Right Israeli group has risked arrest by apparently voicing support for arson attacks on Christian churches amid an official crackdown on Jewish extremism.
Benzi Gopstein, the outspoken head of Lehava – which has drawn notoriety for its violent assaults on Jewish-Arab assimilation – made the remarks at a panel discussion for Jewish yeshiva students when asked by a fellow panelist if he believed burning down churches in Israel was justified.
He later tried to evade accusations of inciting his followers to fire-raise, saying it was the government’s responsibility to carry out what he presented as a religious teaching of the 12th century Jewish philosopher, Maimonides.
“Did the Rambam [Maimonides] rule to destroy [idol worship] or not? Idol worship must be destroyed. It’s simply yes – what’s the question?” Mr Gopstein told the panel.
Please also see article at Mondoweiss: Rightwing Israeli violence on the rise as leader calls for arson attacks on churches –
Judaism is a false religion, except to many dispensationalists and all Christian Zionists, but still, this article is surprising.
I grew up in a Modern Orthodox community. While the day school I attended was devoutly pluralistic, I was wrapping tefillin (phylacteries), praying three times a day, and keeping strictly kosher. My faith in God was the center of my life and my Judaism. Eight years later, I’m an atheist, but my commitment to Judaism is just as strong.
Read more at Haaretz
Also see: Contrasts: Judaism and Christianity
Posted for a friend….
Charles Spurgeon once said, “The wilderness is a way to Canaan. Defeat prepares us for victory. The darkest hour of the night precedes the dawn.” Therefore, unless we look at this period of time through God’s eyes (through His Spirit), and try to understand what His overall plan is, we can slide into the darkness and never come out. If we keep our eyes upon Him, like that eagle, He promises that He will eventually turn the darkness into light. “Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness…” (Psalm 112:4)
The dark night of the soul is where God focuses on our “outward man” and what we do,whereas, the dark night of the spirit is where God focuses on our “inward man” and who we are.
[Now, it’s important to understand that God cannot be “boxed in” and that He will act upon each of us in His own way. In other words, He will perform His own individual will in each of our lives as He sees fit. First Corinthians 12:11 tells us that God gives gifts “severally as He will” and I believe, it’s the same with His plans for our lives. He accomplishes them as He alone knows best.]
The difference between the two nights can be seen in the analogy of the fire and the log.
In the first night (soul), the fire simply blackens the log, whereas, in the second night (spirit) the fire actually consumes the log. In the dark night of the spirit, God goes after our human nature itself. He exposes our “root systems”—all of our preconceived belief systems, our secret habits, our hidden motives and all of our self-centered ways. God wants these things exposed and eliminated also.
Very often we are hindered from a life of freedom in the Spirit, because of what we think and perceive down deep. Much of what we “do” is based upon what we “believe.” Our belief system not only under girds and supports every thought and feeling that we have, it also influences every action we take. Thus, if we want to change our behavior, we must discover what untruths we are believing. Once we can expose, acknowledge and replace these, then our behavior will change automatically. For example, if we believe that God manifests His Love towards us by allowing only “good and wonderful” things to happen in our lives, then when something “bad” occurs, our belief system will tell us that God does not love us anymore. Therefore, it’s imperative that we exchange the lies of our natural, soulish ways for God’s absolute truth.
So, it’s not necessarily sin that God is focusing on in this second dark night (most people at this stage already love God and already are walking in fear of Him), but on our human nature itself—our natural self-orientation, self-reliance and self-love and all our “natural habits” that do not reflect Him. These are the kinds of things that God wants to expose and eliminate, because these are the attitudes that so often lead us to sin (and become the “roots” of our sin). So, the dark night of the spirit is where God fractures our inner being and strips us of our inward and sometimes hidden soulish ways.
Job is a perfect example of this. He was already daily confessing his sin when God allowed horrendous things to happen in his life. God even comments in the beginning of the book that Job was a “righteous man.” He was “perfect” and “upright” and “one who feared God.” (Job 1:8) But, in the suffering and dark night that God allowed into his life Job died to his religious ways, his domestic affections, his rigid theology and his misconstrued views of God, all of which hindered his spiritual union with God.
The dark night of the spirit is the actual working out of Hebrew 4:12. It’s God’s way of dividing our soul from our spirit.
It’s the gradual penetration of God’s spirit through the levels of our soul down to its innermost hidden depths. In this night, God forces us to look at things that we really don’t see as in conflict with God: our reason, our hopes, our affections, our views, our zeal, our narrow culture, our creeds, our senses, our religious experiences and our spiritual comforts. These are some of the belief systems that often feed our pride and our ego and our self-life.
These habits and self-centered ways of ours will never change, unless God exposes them and uproots them. Again, these attitudes are not necessarily sin, but simply the result of being who we are—human. These “natural ways” come from our upbringing, from the influence of others in our life, from our preconceived value systems, from our habits and from our self-oriented thought processes. This “humanness” will never go away; it will always be there. It’s called the flesh. Nevertheless, God wants to expose it to us, so that we will recognize it and choose to crucify it at the cross. In order to enter the Holy Place of our hearts where God dwells not only must sin be dealt with, but also self must be crucified. Then, and only then, can we be filled with the “fulness of God” and begin to bear much fruit for the kingdom.
A dangerous area during this critical period of time is demonic depression or thefeeling of quitting, and giving up. This period of time when the Lord begins to take away all our internal supports can be one of the most dangerous times in a Christian’s life. Many believers become overwhelmed with discouragement and give up the journey here, which is exactly what the enemy wants. He wants us to be so downcast and so depressed that we’ll throw in the towel and totally give up. We have talked extensively about discouragement and doubt. Remember, if we give the enemy a foothold in our soul by entertaining these attitudes, then we’ve had it. We are “dead in the water” before we have even begun.
All the enemy needs is one small opening.
Now, the sad part is that many people give up just before they break through the darkness into the light, just before the victory. People often say that the hardest part of faith is the last half hour, just before the dawn. And it’s certainly true here.
Charles Spurgeon once said, “The wilderness is a way to Canaan. Defeat prepares us for victory. The darkest hour of the night precedes the dawn.” Therefore, unless we look at this period of time through God’s eyes (through His Spirit), and try to understand what His overall plan is, we can slide into the darkness and never come out. If we keep our eyes upon Him, like that eagle, He promises that He will eventually turn the darkness into light. “Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness…” (Psalm 112:4)
The book of Job represents a last day’s believer to whom a series of events happened that seem totally opposed to the loving designs of God. Many of us are in similar circumstances.
We have been stripped of everything: our children, our homes, our finances, our dreams, our hopes, our ambitions, our views, our feelings, our memories, our self-interest, etc. Although Satan desires to pour out upon us a spirit of fear and despondency at this time, just as he did Job, God wants to use this time not only to conform us more and more into His image, but also to separate the fleshly things in our lives from the spiritual and to bring us into experiential oneness. Then we will be able to “meet with Him” and enjoy His presence and He can give us the Love and the intimacy that we have been searching for all our lives.
*Also see the three messages below:
The Goal and Purposes of the Dark Night of the Spirit
This quote speaks the truth.
Mickey Maudin, senior vice president at HarperOne wrote in 2011 – amid yet another controversy involving an evangelical leader – of his concern for the church.
“As a young evangelical, I was socialized to see the biggest threat to the church as theological liberalism,” Maudin said. “But now I think the biggest threat is Christian tribalism, where God’s interests are reduced to and measured by those sharing your history, tradition and beliefs, and where one needs an ‘enemy’ in order for you to feel ‘right with God.'”
From a story at Ethics Daily: Franklin Graham and the Politics of Fear
If you really want to see your biggest enemy, look in the mirror.
(Photo of statue at website)
DETROIT (WWJ/AP) – A group is planning to unveil an 8-foot-tall bronze statue featuring a goat-headed Satan in Detroit during a gathering that’s being billed as the “largest public satanic ceremony in history.”
The Satanic Temple has said Saturday’s private event will be open only to people with tickets, $25 each. Invitations to “The Unveiling” summoned guests to prepare for “a night of chaos, noise, and debauchery… Come dance with the Devil and experience history in the making.” The event location is not being announced publicly and is known only to those with tickets.
The group said the bronze Baphomet monument, which weighs about one ton and has never been seen before in public, “is not only an unparalleled artistic triumph, but stands as a testament to plurality and thepower
of collective action.” The statue, which backed by an inverted pentagram and flanked by statues of two young children gazing up at the creature, shows Satan with horns, hooves, wings and a beard.
The group went on to say the unveiling event “will serve as a call-to-arms from which we’ll kick off our largest fight to date in the name of individual rights to free exercise against self-serving theocrats.”
Photography is strictly prohibited at the 18-and-older event unless, of course you’re a $75 VIP ticket holder. Those partygoers will have an exclusive opportunity to be photographed seated on the Baphomet monument.
The event originally was to take place at a Detroit restaurant, but the venue’s owner said he canceled it after learning of the statue’s unveiling and of the Satanic Temple’s involvement. The group said they were very transparent, though, signing the contract as the “Satanic Temple.”
Many wonder how Christians will respond to the ceremony. Minister Todd Sanders, of Strictly Biblical Bible Teaching Ministries in Detroit, says this is a great opportunity for the church.
“The church can benefit from this because we can view this as an opportunity to get at the truth in terms of what the Satanic Temple believes,” Sanders said. “I don’t think it’s anything we should be afraid of at all, we don’t need to cower in fear — we have the truth on our side as Christians.”
Sanders said that this satanic unveiling is indicative of the end times spoken of in the Bible.
(More at link)
This reminded me of one of the letters to the 7 Churches in Revelation in which the “seat of satan” is mentioned.
This man is a dangerous warmongering nut who can’t seem to understand he doesn’t rule and reign in the United States.
Quote (read complete article at link)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looks defeated. He was ashen-faced on Tuesday next to the Dutch foreign minister at their joint press conference in Jerusalem; his appearance was that of a desperate gambler who had lost everything. The Iranian nuclear agreement, against which he had vigorously and repeatedly warned, had become a fait accompli. The deal over which he had declared political war on the president of the United States, while breaking all the rules of diplomatic relations between friendly countries, had become a reality, for better or worse.
Even before the details of the agreement were known, and without having any idea what was or wasn’t included, senior Likud officials were firing cannon shells through the electronic media. Talking points that had been sent to them in advance contained three main points: 1. The agreement is bad, terrible, and awful; 2. If not for Netanyahu, the situation would have been much worse, much earlier; 3. The opposition is to blame and ought to be ashamed for not being supportive enough/for being critical now/for not standing tensely quiet at the side of the prime minister, meaning the State of Israel.
The prime minister himself hastened Tuesday to call on the opposition to “put petty politics aside and unite for the State of Israel’s national interests,” as if the Iranian nukes hadn’t served as an effective political weapon for him during every recent election campaign.
Netanyahu’s spokespeople said he plans to “kill himself” pursuing the last remaining option for scuttling the deal – preventing its ratification by the U.S. House of Representatives – by persuading Democratic congressmen to defect to the Republican camp and vote against their president. The destruction and devastation he avoided inflicting on the nuclear facilities scattered throughout Iran, he now wants to wreck on what’s left of U.S.-Israel relations. Here we again see his compulsive gambler syndrome: After losing his pants, he’s now putting his underwear on the roulette wheel in a move that experts on American politics say hasn’t much of a chance.
In this context, the call by Likud ministers for “internal cohesion that’s been lacking until now” sounds pathetic. Why exactly is Netanyahu demanding that Labor’s Isaac Herzog, Yesh Atid’s Yair Lapid, Meretz’s Zehava Galon and Yisrael Beiteinu’s Avigdor Lieberman join him? So they can share responsibility for the worsening of the fight between Israel and the leader of the free world?
Inside each blog dashboard is a section which tells you the most searched for topics by people Googling. Last evening I noticed what the most searched topic was and was shocked. This is what topic Christians are looking for information on:
prayer for money, prayer for money miracle, money angels, prayer to angel of god for money
Does this shock or surprise anyone else?
From Voice of the Martyrs Radio
Lead in:
The sheikh had just exited Syria, where he’d been providing Islamic theological training to ISIS fighters. Now, he was looking for a Bible. Not to burn it—but to learn more about Jesus Christ. This Islamic teacher is not alone; God is working in the hearts of Muslims all over the Middle East—even the hearts of radical ISIS fighters trained to find glory in bloodshed. After years in the Middle East as a part of Operation Mobilization, “Julian” will share amazing true stories of God’s Kingdom advancing among Arab Muslims. He’ll also share how Christians are facing persecution, and being empowered by God to stand strong, and even to forgive those who kill their family members. Celebrate with us the stories of God’s advancing Kingdom this week on The Voice of the Martyrs Radio Network.
This was shared with me by Teresa at Facebook this evening. I hope you will follow the link and read it all—it’s very much worth reading. As I commented back to her, the narrow road is definitely less traveled these days and can be, on occasion, a “lonely” road.
From A Cry for Justice, by Jeff Crippen:
I thought I would share the first portion of the sermon I will deliver tomorrow morning at Christ Reformation Church in Tillamook as an encouragement to our readers:
The Large Majority of Professing Christians Travel on Broadway, and thus are not Christians at all
Matthew 7:12-16 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
Now here is a point that I am trying to emphasize more and more lately. These kinds of warnings in Scripture are primarily addressed to people who claim to be followers of Christ….
And so it is here in Matthew 7. Christ is telling us about two ways: the narrow gate, and the way that leads to destruction. He compares and contrasts the two:
Narrow Way Broadway
| Narrow (difficult) | Wide and easy |
| Leads to life | Leads to destruction |
| Few travelers | Packed with traffic |
| True Prophets | False Prophets |
Continue reading this excellent message here
Came across this at Facebook. Surprisingly, and sadly, many American Christians do not know this.
Thinking of the remnant this evening, wondering if they are experiencing many of the same emotions I have been experiencing for many months. The Spirit led me to Ezekiel chapter 9: 1-4
Then I heard him call out in a loud voice, “Bring near those who are appointed to execute judgment on the city, each with a weapon in his hand.” 2 And I saw six men coming from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with a deadly weapon in his hand. With them was a man clothed in linen who had a writing kit at his side. They came in and stood beside the bronze altar.
3 Now the glory of the God of Israel went up from above the cherubim, where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple. Then the Lord called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side 4 and said to him, “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.”
Are you lamenting and grieving over what we call Christianity here in America? Does it break your heart to see the emptiness within the eyes of those you pass on the street or see at work daily…or worse yet, the fact that many others don’t have a clue as they keep living their lives as though there will be no day of judgment…no “calling to account” what has been done in this life?
I believe the remnant is deeply grieving and lamenting what we are witnessing. Silently.
Excellent bible teaching by Steve Lumbley at Apostasy Watch.
The question before us is this: should one interpret the Old Testament through the lens of the New Testament or should one interpret the New Testament by the Old Testament?
Dispensationalism rests largely on the latter while I (and the authors of the New Testament) believe the former is the correct way to interpret scripture.
Let’s start with a very basic and fundamental example of each style of interpretation using Genesis 12:2-3
We’ve discussed the misinterpretation of Genesis 12: 2-3 on a number of occasions, but if you still have questions, check out Steve’s post: Abrahams Blessing – The Dispensationalist Dilemma
Below are more segments from Philip Mauro’s (1927 edition) book, The Gospel of the Kingdom. These segments are taken from chapter (12), titled;
THE KINGDOM OF GOD COMING WITH POWER.
THREE of the Gospels record a prophecy of Christ concerning His Kingdom, which, by His express word, was to be fulfilled in the lifetime of some who heard it. This is Mark’s record of it:
“Verily I say unto you, that there be some of them that stand here which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power” (Mark 9:1).
Matthew records the same prediction, but with a slight variation of language, the time of the predicted event being stated thus: “Till they see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom” (Mat. 16:28). In Luke it reads: “Till they see the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:27).
Have we then the authentic record of any event happening within that generation that answers to this prediction? There were two happenings that claim attention as we seek an answer to this question. Both those happenings were of great importance in the accomplishment of God’s revealed purposes concerning His Kingdom, and both occurred within the time so emphatically limited by our Lord’s words.
Those two events were, first the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost; and second, the destruction of Jerusalem and of the Jewish nation by the Romans in A.D. 70. Each of these events may be regarded, and without straining at all the meaning of the words, as a coming of the Kingdom of God. And each, moreover, may be regarded, in the light of Scripture, as a coining of that Kingdom with attendant circumstances that answer to the phrase “with power”; circumstances such as were absent during Christ’s earthly ministry.
For the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was unquestionably a coming of that Kingdom which the apostle Paul afterwards defined as “Righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Rom. 14:17). We recall, moreover, in regard to the phrase “With power,” that our Lord, in speaking to His disciples concerning the then approaching advent of the Holy Ghost, had said, “Ye shall receive power”(Acts 1:8). Power was needed and was promised for the effective preaching of that gospel whereby those who believe it are translated into the Kingdom of God’s dear Son” (Col. 1:12, 13); that gospel which is “the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” (Rom. 1:16).
The appalling destruction of the Jewish nation, their beautiful city and their magnificent temple–which unprecedented catastrophe was described anticipatively by Christ Himself (Mat. XXIV, Mark XIII, Luke XXI)–was likewise a most evident and impressive coming of the Son of man “in power.” It was a coming in final judgment upon that nation; and its awful details prefigure the final judgment of the world.
Unhappily the significance of that world-shaking event is greatly minimized in the teaching of our day. And my conviction is that, unless one sees the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans and the events attending and consequent upon it in their true relation to the whole scheme of God’s dealings with the human race in its two divisions of Jews and Gentiles, he will not be able to understand the general purport of Bible prophecy.
Of the two events referred to above as possible fulfilments of our Lord’s prophecy, one occurred within a year of the time the prophecy was uttered, whereas the other lay much farther in the future–about forty years. Nevertheless, some who were standing there, notably the apostle John, lived to “see” that great work of divine “power” and judgment, which Moses had foretold (Deut. 28:49-64), and the like of which had not been “since the beginning of the world” (Mat. 24:21).
After much deliberation upon the matter, my conclusion is that, if choice must be made between those two events, it is the one later in date–that is, the annihilation of the Jewish nation, that being the manifest taking away from them of the Kingdom of God (according to the word of Christ recorded in Matthew 21:43)–that our Lord had in view when He uttered the prophecy we are considering. I will indicate, in what follows, my main reasons for so thinking.
1. The words, “There be some standing here that shall not taste of death” indicate that He had in contemplation an event that lay at a considerable distance in the future relatively to the ordinary duration of human life. His reference to the death of some then standing by would hardly be appropriate with respect to an event that was to happen within the space of a year.
2. But a stronger reason is found in our Lord’s Olivet prophecy, which is recorded by each of the three Gospel-writers who record the prophecy spoken at Caesarea Philippi. For in Christ’s Olivet prophecy, the desolation of Judea, the siege of Jerusalem, the demolition of the Temple, and the world-wide dispersion of the Jewish people, were foretold in detail. Specially is it to be observed that our Lord made use in that prophecy of expressions that are strikingly similar to those used in the earlier prophecy. Thus, referring in the Olivet prophecy to the approaching desolation of Judea and Jerusalem, He said, “Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass until all these things be fulfilled” (Mat. 24:34). Manifestly the words I have italicised are the exact equivalent of “There be some standing here which shall not taste of death till –” Moreover, in each case we have the emphatic introductory clause, “Verily I say unto you.” Furthermore, the preceding chapter records the judgment pronounced upon the leaders of the nation, whereof the closing words are, “Verily I say unto you, “All these things shall come upon this generation” (Mat. 23:36). And then follows His sore lament for Jerusalem, in which occur the words, “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.” These correspondences afford good reason for the belief that our Lord’s prophecies at Jerusalem were amplifications of the brief prediction spoken at Caesarea Philippi.
3. But there is yet another reason in support of the view stated above; and this reason I regard as conclusive. In foretelling those coming “days of vengeance,” in which “all things that were written” were to “be fulfilled” (Luke 21:22), Christ gave His disciples a sign whereby they should know that the predicted days of vengeance were come, so that they might save themselves by flight; the sign being the encircling of Jerusalem with armies (v. 20). And then, in order to impress the lesson upon their minds, He spake a parable concerning the fig tree and all the trees, and said: “So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the Kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass till all be fulfilled” (vv. 31, 32). Thus we have Christ’s own statement to the effect that the destruction of Jerusalem and the scattering of the nation was a coming of the Kingdom of God. And this He again coupled with the affirmation that his prediction would be fulfilled before the passing of that generation.
In studying the three accounts of our Lord’s Olivet prophecy, the student should observe that the period designated in Luke’s account “the days of vengeance,” wherein there should be “great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people,” is the same period that Mark designates “the days of affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation . . . unto this time” (Mark 13:19) and that is designated by Matthew the “great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time” (Mat. 24:21). The context of the several passages make it certain that one and the same period of unprecedented calamity is referred to in the three passages.
Comparison should be made also with Daniel’s prophecy. “And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book” (Dan. 12:1). The close similarity between the language of this prophecy and that of our Lord’s Olivet prophecy gives assurance that both refer to the same event. The words of the angel to Daniel refer expressly to the Jewish nation (“the children of thy people”). Those who were to be delivered in that time of unparalleled distress–those “found written in the book”–were, of course, the disciples of Christ, who took warning by their Lord’s utterance, and fled for their lives when they saw His predicted sign. Happy for them they did not have some of our modern expounders of prophecy to instruct them as to the meaning of this prediction.
And particularly it should be observed, as fully confirming what is said above touching both the place, and also the time of that season of distress and tribulation, wherein all the prophecies of “wrath upon this people” were to be fulfilled, that the locality is expressly limited to JUDEA (Mat. 24:16), and that the time is expressly limited to THE GENERATION THEN LIVING (id. 34).
THE IMMENSE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM
By pondering the Scriptures cited above the reader will be enabled to perceive the truly immense significance of the execution of God’s long deferred, though oft threatened judgments and the pouring out of His wrath upon that nation which He had chosen for Himself, and with which He had dealt for a millennium and a half as He had never dealt with any other. For this was the nation He had so marvellously delivered out of Egypt; the nation to which He had given His holy law amidst the terrors of Sinai; the nation He had brought into the land of promise, driving out before them nations greater and mightier than they; to which He had sent His prophets with warning and with promises; and to which, last of all, He sent His only Son. And if one but calls to mind the many prophecies, beginning with Deuteronomy 28:49-68, that pointed to and were fulfilled in that stupendous event, (the destruction of Jerusalem) he will surely realize something of its unique place and importance in the scheme of God’s dealings with mankind.
Finally, we have our Lord’s own word for it that those were to be the days of vengeance wherein all things that were written should be fulfilled (Luke 21:22); and He was then speaking of a period that was to come within that generation; a period of great distress in the land (of Judea) and of great wrath upon that people. Hence the words “All things that are written” can mean nothing less than the many predictions of the prophets of Israel concerning the judgments that would be executed upon them if they persisted in their disobedience and apostasy.
To this also the Apostle Paul manifestly had reference when, writing to the Thessalonians, twenty-five to thirty years later, he said of the Jews that they “both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men”, because of all which, “the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost” (1 Thess. 2:16).
THE DISCIPLES’ TWO QUESTIONS
In view of all the foregoing, it seems clear that the first question asked by the disciples of their Master (“When shall these things be?”) (Mat. 24:3) had reference to the demolition of the temple, whereof He had just spoken (v. 2); and that the other question (“And what the sign of Thy coming and of the end of the age?”) had reference (a) to His “coming” for the destruction of the temple, and (b) to “the end of” the then elapsing Jewish age. For that coming judgment would be “the day of the Lord” for that people. It was an event such as the prophets of Israel might well have described in the very strongest terms, and portrayed by means of the most impressive prophetic symbology.
THE TIMES OF THE GENTILES AND THEIR FULNESS
The destruction of Jerusalem marks not only the ending of the Jewish nation but also the beginning of “the times of the Gentiles.” It is appropriate therefore to refer at this point to two expressions that are familiar to all students of prophecy: “The times of the Gentiles,” and “The fulness of the Gentiles.” The first occurs in a prophecy of Christ concerning the city of Jerusalem. The second is found in a prophecy of Paul concerning the Jewish people.
Our Lord, after having foretold the world-wide dispersion of the Jews, said:
“And Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled” (Luke 21:24).
And Paul, after having set forth under the figure of an olive three the method of God’s salvation for both Jews and Gentiles, said:
“I would not, brethren, that ye be ignorant of this mystery, let ye be wise in your own conceits, that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in” (Rom. 11:25).
The outstanding feature of each of these prophecies is that it describes a condition that was to last, in the plain sight of all mankind, throughout the entire era of the gospel. The first puts a conspicuous and age-long mark upon the city of Jerusalem. The other puts an equally conspicuous and permanent mark upon the scattered Jewish people.
My purpose is, in what follows, to show how, in the interest of dispensationalism, the significance of these exceedingly important Scriptures has been changed and the object for which they were given has been in a large measure frustrated. For these are prophecies of what was to be during this present age, and they are strictly limited thereto; whereas they are commonly treated as prophecies of what is to take place after this present age shall have come to an end. For our Lord’s word concerning Jerusalem is generally interpreted as a prediction that, when the times of the Gentiles are ended, then Jerusalem will be repossessed by the Jews and will become the capital city of a revived Jewish nation. But in fact (and it ought not be necessary to point this out) the passage says not a word and gives not so much as a hint concerning what will happen to Jerusalem after the times of the Gentiles shall have come to an end.
Similarly the passage in Romans XI is often presented–not as a prophecy that was to be fulfilled throughout this gospel-dispensation, but–as a prediction that, after the work of the gospel shall have been completed, then the Jewish people are to be saved nationally and by a special salvation of earthly character, different from gospel-salvation. The passage, however, not only says not a word concerning a post-gospel salvation for the Jewish nation, but on the contrary teaches plainly that there is but one “common salvation” (Jude 3) for all men, viz, that figured by the olive tree of this passage.
A TWOFOLD WITNESS TO THE AUTHENTICITY OF BIBLE PROPHECY
Let it be noted that the fulfilment of these prophecies demanded the continued existence of both the city and the people, though sundered the one from the other, to the very end of the gospel era; and it demanded also that the city should be in the hands of strangers, and the people should be in the lands of strangers, during all that great stretch of time. Here then is a two-fold and a conclusive test of the Divine authorship of the prophetic Scriptures. For if, in the course of these “times of the Gentiles,” either the city or the people had passed out of existence, or if the city had come into Jewish hands again or the Jewish people as a whole had changed their characteristic attitude towards Christ and His gospel, the prophecies would have been falsified and the entire New Testament discredited. On the other hand, seeing that none but God could have declared how it would fare with the city and people throughout this long age, these prophecies, by their fulfilment, furnish an unimpeachable witness to their Divine authorship, and hence to the Divine origin of the Book whereof they are an integral part.
A CONTINUING FULFILMENT
What gives these prophecies their surpassing value as witnesses to the Divine authorship of the Bible is the fact that they have the extraordinary character of demanding a continuing fulfilment. Prophecies which foretell the happening of a specific event–as the destruction of Jerusalem–are of no value at all as evidence until the predicted event occurs. And then the full effect is felt only by the generation living at the time. But these prophecies are of such a nature as to bear witness to every successive generation; and not only so, but are such that their testimony becomes more and more impressive as the centuries roll on.
Moreover, the fulfilment stands prominently before the eyes of the whole world. For Jerusalem is a conspicuous city; and so likewise as to the Jewish race, they are everywhere; and wherever they are, they are Jews, and known as such.
Therefore, God has made it possible by means of these two prophecies alone, even if there were no other proofs available, for all honest inquirers at all times throughout this gospel dispensation, to have convincing proof of the Divine inspiration of the Holy Scriptures; and particularly of the certainty of the predictive element therein.
“THIS IS JERUSALEM”
Special heed should be given to the fact that these prophecies relate wholly and exclusively to this present age. Our Lord, in the Olivet prophecy which we are considering as recorded in Luke’s Gospel, foretold that there should be “wrath upon this people,” that they should “fall by the edge of the sword,” and “be led away captive into all nations”; and finally that Jerusalem should “be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” And there His prediction ends. But in all the modern expositions I ever heard or read, the actual prediction of our Lord is virtually ignored, and He is made to say that when the times of the Gentiles are ended, then the Jews will be reconstituted as a nation, and will repossess their ancient homeland, with Jerusalem as their capital city. Thus a prophecy that is limited to a state of things which was to prevail during this present age, is converted into a prediction of a supposed state of things after the age shall have ended.
What our Lord took upon Himself to foretell in this prophecy is that the storm of judgment soon to break upon Jerusalem would not blot it out of existence, as Sodom and Gomorrah were obliterated, notwithstanding that her sin was likened to that of the cities of the plain (Isa. 1:10, and see Luke 10:12). Nor was it to be entirely abandoned and fall into ruins like Babylon and Tyre. Prophecy had previously declared concerning those famous cities (whose greatness and prosperity seemed to guarantee their permanence) that the former should become “heaps of rubbish,” “a dwelling place for dragons,” and be “no more inhabited forever” (Jer. 50:39; 51:37); and that the latter should be scraped bare and become like the top of a rock, and a place for the spreading of nets (Ezek. 26:4, 5, 21;27:36; 28:19). And even so it was (and is) with those once mighty and flourishing cities. Jerusalem, on the contrary, though for its crimes it merited a severer punishment, was decreed to remain intact, but with a mark of Divine retribution abiding upon it (for it was to be perpetually in the hands of aliens), and thus was to serve as a conspicuous monument to the truth of God’s word. Had the prophecies concerning the above named cities respectively been the products of mere human foresight, based upon the probabilities of the several cases, their terms would have been reversed, and the longer existence predicted of the Gentile cities.
As to what will befall Jerusalem after the times of the Gentiles are ended, I observe: (1) The Lord did not see fit to speak of that in this prophecy. This is a noteworthy fact; for had He meant to make known that the Jews were to regain possession of their ancient city, He would not have left the passage as it stands in the Bible. (2) Other Scriptures, moreover, reveal clearly that when the work of the gospel among the nations of the world is ended, the Lord will come again; that He will then remove His own redeemed people from this doomed earth, and will pour out the vials of exterminating wrath upon the rest. He Himself has pointed to the destruction of the earth in the days of Noah, and to that of Sodom in the days of Lot, as the typical foreshadowings of the universal judgment to come; and in so doing He laid emphasis upon the fact that the very day that Noah entered the ark “the flood came and destroyed them all,” and “the same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:27, 29). It is certain therefore that when “the times of the Gentiles” are ended, there will be no Jewish people left on earth.
THE VAIL ON THEIR HEARTS
It was the Lord’s decree from of old (Isa. 6:9-12; Mat. 13:14) that the people of Israel, because of their gross and long continued wickedness and rebellion, should be blinded and hardened to the Word of the Lord, The apostle Paul refers to their spiritually blinded state in figurative terms, saying that the veil which Moses put over his face now lies upon their hearts (2 Cor. 3:14, 15). And here (Rom. XI) he adds nothing to this but the fact that the predicted state of “blindness in part” was to continue “until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in” (v. 25). And there he leaves the subject. Again, however, as in the case already noted, modern expositors interpret the Scripture in such manner as to change its meaning in a material respect. For my experience has been that, when this passage is cited, it is not for the purpose of showing that the divinely imposed blindness of the natural Israel was to continue until the work of the gospel among the Gentiles should be completed; but for the purpose of lending support to the doctrine that there is to be a special salvation for the Jewish people (a salvation earthly in kind) after the day of gospel salvation is ended. But the apostle’s next words (Rom. 11:26) are–not “and then all Israel shall be saved” (as it should read if this new teaching were true) but– “And so all Israel shall be saved.” To this deeply interesting passage we will return in a subsequent chapter.
Teaching Sound Doctrine & Glorifying Christ
Lead me O Lord
It's the end (of the end) of the world as we know it...
Sola Dei Gloria 