Today was a really great day at church. The preaching was really really good. The sermon was from 1 Peter 1:10-12. It's one of those passages that's easily overlooked and read through. Honestly, I've probably read it a few times in my life but quickly read over it and didn't digest it at all. On a side note, one of the best things about the Bible is that you can draw a different lesson or point from the same passage and it be completely in harmony with it's context. I don't know too many other books like that! :-)
What Peter is talking about here is the beauty and magnificence of salvation. See, the prophets from the Old Testament studied about and talked about a time when the Messiah would suffer something terrible and then follow it up with something wonderful and eternal. They didn't really understand, it didn't make sense.
We currently live in the Age of Grace. We are in that time period between Christ's Ascension and His return. This is the period of history where this new religion (Christianity) is growing because more and more are accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior. We are not bound by the old sacrificial system where we have to sacrifice pigeons, cows, etc., to God for attonement of our sin. What does that mean? Well, it means that there must be a payment for our sin. Our Holy God cannot tolerate sin and in order for us to have any fellowship (relationship) with God then our sin must be accounted for. This is the reason Jesus Christ left Heaven to come to earth and be sacrificed for our sin.
It's really tough to get a grip on that sometimes. It is so hard to fathom leaving what He did, coming down and submitting Himself to His own creation! Get this, the Creator allowed the created to beat, scourge, and crucify Him. Why? Well, it's because He loves us. We are His children who have turned their backs on Him. We have voted Him off the island. We don't want Him to have a relationship with us. Yet He still loves us!
We are truly blessed to be living during this age of grace. We know that the Lord is coming back soon. I for one cannot wait! I'm so excited about it. I do know one thing for sure. I am so sin filled that it's not even funny. I wish I was the man I know I should be. I wish I was "slow to anger" and that my life reflected what I know the Lord expects from me. I've failed Him in so many ways that I just don't know anymore. The only thing I have is that I know He still loves me and that I am forgiven for all time for the sins that I've committed. I can't wait for the day when I shed off this sin filled flesh and put on perfection. I look forward to having the strength to persevere and to worship my Lord in truth and grace for eternity.
There are so many today who simply don't see it. I'm thankful that God chose me. I'm thankful that He saw me in eternity and wanted me to be His child. I gladly accept Him as my God and I pray for my friends who do not know Him and who sin against Him. I pray that there is enough time for someone to get through to them. Salvation is a wonderful wonderful thing! You don't want to go to hell for eternity. Jesus talked more about hell than He did heaven. That's because He knew how many would reject him. It's a real place. Don't allow your pride or comfort level to send you to hell. It's an eternal punishment that you don't want any part of.
Your brother in Christ,
Kevin
Coming Soon to a Planet Near You
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012
Final Thought on Tebow
I know there has been a great deal made about Tim Tebow. Of course I don't know him and probably won't (this side of Heaven anyway). But I'm very curious about him and the attention that surrounds him. I'll start by saying that I only know what I've read and what I've heard. I've listened to his press conferences and have heard the stories of how his Gator teammates did their best to protect him. To me, in this day and age, that's pretty admirable. How many 19-21 year old guys do you know who would do such a thing as worry about another guy's honor?
There are two sides to this coin. On one side is the football ability side and the other is his faith. Can't split the two because there's only one coin. You can't have one without the other. So, let's take a look at the football side. Well, he runs a great 40 yard dash and can throw a football 50 plus yards in the air. He's smart enough to understand the complex defenses he faces and he's tall enough to see over the D-Lineman in front of him. He also has the ability to evade the rush and has that 6th sense about him to know when the pocket is collapsing. Pretty good skills if you ask me. But what I want to know is can he lead and is he a winner? I think we would all agree that those are two characteristics that Tebow possesses.
How about the faith side of the coin? Look, the guy loves Jesus, pure and simple. He doesn't hide what he believes and he prays during a football game off to the side alone. He doesn't waive at the cameraman to film him, he just quietly kneels down and bows his head. Only in today's world would that seem weird or stupid. Of course I don't personally have any problem with what he does whatsoever. It's not as if the guy gives a press conference and then asks the media covering him to repent and turn to Jesus Christ. THAT WOULD TRULY BE NEWS WORTHY!!!!
I don't need to worry about his career and I don't think he worries about it either. I think Tebow has completely offered himself to his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I believe Tebow is 100% ok with any other line of work out there as long as it's what Jesus wants him to do. We don't need less star athletes like him to look up to and admire, we need more. Much more!!!!
Please turn to Jesus if you haven't done so. You'll be so happy you did!!!!!
There are two sides to this coin. On one side is the football ability side and the other is his faith. Can't split the two because there's only one coin. You can't have one without the other. So, let's take a look at the football side. Well, he runs a great 40 yard dash and can throw a football 50 plus yards in the air. He's smart enough to understand the complex defenses he faces and he's tall enough to see over the D-Lineman in front of him. He also has the ability to evade the rush and has that 6th sense about him to know when the pocket is collapsing. Pretty good skills if you ask me. But what I want to know is can he lead and is he a winner? I think we would all agree that those are two characteristics that Tebow possesses.
How about the faith side of the coin? Look, the guy loves Jesus, pure and simple. He doesn't hide what he believes and he prays during a football game off to the side alone. He doesn't waive at the cameraman to film him, he just quietly kneels down and bows his head. Only in today's world would that seem weird or stupid. Of course I don't personally have any problem with what he does whatsoever. It's not as if the guy gives a press conference and then asks the media covering him to repent and turn to Jesus Christ. THAT WOULD TRULY BE NEWS WORTHY!!!!
I don't need to worry about his career and I don't think he worries about it either. I think Tebow has completely offered himself to his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I believe Tebow is 100% ok with any other line of work out there as long as it's what Jesus wants him to do. We don't need less star athletes like him to look up to and admire, we need more. Much more!!!!
Please turn to Jesus if you haven't done so. You'll be so happy you did!!!!!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Ultimately, it comes down to this.
I was watching the debate last night when my wife said something that got me thinking. She said, "you know this stuff doesn't matter because none of these guys have a chance at beating Obama, espcially if he adds Clinton as his VP." Now I may agree or disagree which isn't really relevant but what she said really got me thinking about this, it is our views on certain fundamental things which guides our thoughts perspectives on everything. For example, you may believe that Mike Brown is the worst owner in professional sports and that everything he touches turns to poison. That line of thinking would preclude you from seeing how special this Bengals season was. Get my point?
Well, the same rationale is true especially when you think about where this country and world is heading. I've had to tell my parents more than once that the damage has been done. This country is so in debt that it doesn't matter who wins the next election. That person may be able to improve things short term but ultimately we've outspent ourselves to such a point that sometime real soon a major correction will have to be made, on a global scale.
I believe in the Word of God, literally. I believe it to be inspired and infallible (when taken in context). It's that fundamental view that totally shapes my views on all things political. You see, I've read the end of the Book without necessarily reading EVERYTHING in the middle (I'm working on it) so I've kinda cheated. I know that this world will not be some stable, happy, and loving place when Jesus Christ comes back for His church. Oh, if you don't think that'll happen then you really are lost. Anyway, the Bible says that the world will be anything but a happy garden. It will be a place of corruption where evil runs amuck (sp?) It will be a place where war can break out at any moment, where people will be focused on pursuing their own self interests, where natural love and affection becomes foreign. Basically, the Bible says that when traditional good becomes bad and bad becomes good then we know the end of near. Are we there yet?
If you believe that the right candidate can be elected and fix all this mess then you sorely mistaken. The place we find ourselves now didn't just happen over night. It's been an ongoing problem and sin has intricately woven itself into our society, our families, and now our churches. It has fundamentally changed our views and turned our sense of right and wrong on its head. Up is now down and down is now up. That's where we are, exactly as God said it would be. If He was right about that then are we really stupid enough to think that He won't come back, remove His church, and judge the lost? He said He would and He's been proven out to be right on everything He's ever said. He has a perfect record!
Don't be foolish and think that you can take the parts of the Bible that you're comfortable with and stop there. Read the whole Book. Know where we're heading, if the end is too harsh for ya then you probably need to get saved. Ask Jesus into your heart and your outlook gets a whole lot better.
I was talking to my buddy John yesterday. I bought him a great book for Christmas. The book's title is Heaven, it's by Randy Alcorn. I highly recommend it!!! Anyway, John and I were talking about this book when he brought up a great point. You see, Alcorn's main example in the book has to do with a woman who swam the English Channel. She started to get really really fatigued, she was surrounded by fog, she didn't think she could make it. Even though there were boats sailing alongside of her with her own mother giving her words of encouragement to keep going she just couldn't do it. Well, they pulled her out of the channel only to have her look up and through the fog she could see that she was approximately 3/4 of a mile from shore!!! She was so close. She went on to say, "that if only she could have seen the shore that she could have made it." That's the same way about Heaven. We don't know enough about it to get excited about it. It's like packing for a vacation that you don't know anything about. You don't know where you're going.
I think if more people knew about Heaven then they could get excited about it. They would be more receptive to the gospel. Sadly, I know that won't happen as I've read the end of the Book. Please take the chance you have right now to accept Christ and avoid judgment. Heaven is much better hell, don't EVER forget that!!!
God Bless You!
Well, the same rationale is true especially when you think about where this country and world is heading. I've had to tell my parents more than once that the damage has been done. This country is so in debt that it doesn't matter who wins the next election. That person may be able to improve things short term but ultimately we've outspent ourselves to such a point that sometime real soon a major correction will have to be made, on a global scale.
I believe in the Word of God, literally. I believe it to be inspired and infallible (when taken in context). It's that fundamental view that totally shapes my views on all things political. You see, I've read the end of the Book without necessarily reading EVERYTHING in the middle (I'm working on it) so I've kinda cheated. I know that this world will not be some stable, happy, and loving place when Jesus Christ comes back for His church. Oh, if you don't think that'll happen then you really are lost. Anyway, the Bible says that the world will be anything but a happy garden. It will be a place of corruption where evil runs amuck (sp?) It will be a place where war can break out at any moment, where people will be focused on pursuing their own self interests, where natural love and affection becomes foreign. Basically, the Bible says that when traditional good becomes bad and bad becomes good then we know the end of near. Are we there yet?
If you believe that the right candidate can be elected and fix all this mess then you sorely mistaken. The place we find ourselves now didn't just happen over night. It's been an ongoing problem and sin has intricately woven itself into our society, our families, and now our churches. It has fundamentally changed our views and turned our sense of right and wrong on its head. Up is now down and down is now up. That's where we are, exactly as God said it would be. If He was right about that then are we really stupid enough to think that He won't come back, remove His church, and judge the lost? He said He would and He's been proven out to be right on everything He's ever said. He has a perfect record!
Don't be foolish and think that you can take the parts of the Bible that you're comfortable with and stop there. Read the whole Book. Know where we're heading, if the end is too harsh for ya then you probably need to get saved. Ask Jesus into your heart and your outlook gets a whole lot better.
I was talking to my buddy John yesterday. I bought him a great book for Christmas. The book's title is Heaven, it's by Randy Alcorn. I highly recommend it!!! Anyway, John and I were talking about this book when he brought up a great point. You see, Alcorn's main example in the book has to do with a woman who swam the English Channel. She started to get really really fatigued, she was surrounded by fog, she didn't think she could make it. Even though there were boats sailing alongside of her with her own mother giving her words of encouragement to keep going she just couldn't do it. Well, they pulled her out of the channel only to have her look up and through the fog she could see that she was approximately 3/4 of a mile from shore!!! She was so close. She went on to say, "that if only she could have seen the shore that she could have made it." That's the same way about Heaven. We don't know enough about it to get excited about it. It's like packing for a vacation that you don't know anything about. You don't know where you're going.
I think if more people knew about Heaven then they could get excited about it. They would be more receptive to the gospel. Sadly, I know that won't happen as I've read the end of the Book. Please take the chance you have right now to accept Christ and avoid judgment. Heaven is much better hell, don't EVER forget that!!!
God Bless You!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
New Commitment
It's really hard to maintain the level of intensity for this subject that I feel is required to carry on a "ministry" like this. It's not that I love the subject matter less it's just that it's been difficult to process everything that's happening in the world and then try to share my thoughts and feelings about it. My fear is twofold, I don't want to sound like a broken record and I don't want to say something wrong Biblically speaking. I guess I always need to be clear about what is MY opinion and what God has to say on the topic.
It's kinda funny how a town in Arkansas has seen approximately 5000 black birds fall from the sky last night. Does this sound familiar? It should because I wrote on this very same phenomena last year when the same thing happened.
I can't explain why this has happened or how this fits into prophecy. What I can do though, is to comment on the symptom. That's basically all we do, right? We comment on the event and then examine it's relevance to the Word of God. This is simply another birth pang that Jesus spoke about in His sermon on the mount in Matthew 24. The Bible says that creation groans because of Adam's sin. Does this event fall under that category? Yes, of course it does. There are so many things happening in the world right now. They're happening with such frequency that it becomes extremely difficult to catalog and keep track. In a way it reminds me of golf. Huh? Well, my dad and I were just talking about it the other day. If you've ever played golf then you'll understand the analogy. In order to hit a golf ball perfectly you have to remember to do approximately 35 things at once. What we're seeing today is pretty similar. There are so many events happening (global economic issues, natural disasters, earthquakes, tsunamis, tornados, diseases, famines, etc).
Did you know that 2011 was one of the worst years on record with natural distasters? It's true. Well, you may be wandering what makes it so special if it's not the worst year ever on record? The answer is simple, what makes it worse is when you ALSO consider the other birth pangs (i.e. wars and rumors of wars, societal breakdowns, global economic crisis, Israel). So many people really don't understand how significant Israel really is to prophecy.
Do you know that until 1948 the Jewish people were dispersed around the world? AD 70 the Roman army sacked Jerusalem and removed the Jewish people their home. Until that time Israel had been the Jewish peoples' homeland for well over 1000 years. God had warned the Jews that if they turned away from Him (which of course they did) that He would judge them. God is ALWAYS true to His word. But, He also said that in the last days He would return them to their homeland which He did in 1948. From AD70 to 1948 the land of Israel was mostly under Turkish control. It was essentially a wasteland, a dump. That is, until, Muhammed started his religion and it spread across the Middle East. They claimed Jerusalem, built their mosque, and there you have it until 1948.
Following WWII the Jewish people crawled out of the concentration camps and work camps and decided to go home. Instictively, collectively, they started their way back to their home, Israel, from all parts of the earth. On May 14, 1948 the US officially recognized the Jewish State of Israel. This was the first time in almost 2000 years that the Jews had a land of their own. This started the end. Catch the significance? See how important it is? Well, our Lord had something very important to say about this. He said, that the generation which saw that happen will not all sleep before the end. What does that mean? Well, it means that the generation that saw the rebirth of Israel won't all die before the Lord comes back to set up His Kingdom. A person born on that day would be approaching their 65th birthday. Now, add a 7 year buffer to that (I'll explain in a later post) and really puts that person's real age at 72.
If you're reading this and you don't know Jesus as your Savior I pray that you'll seek Him out. I'm going to set a modest goal of one post per week on this blog. I must stay vigilant as time is truly running out. I know I must sound like the boy who cried wolf but you must listen. Prepare yourself. Study God's Word. Find a Bible believing, Bible preaching church. Do not be afraid or confused because God is not of those things.
Talk to ya next week (hopefully)
kevin
It's kinda funny how a town in Arkansas has seen approximately 5000 black birds fall from the sky last night. Does this sound familiar? It should because I wrote on this very same phenomena last year when the same thing happened.
I can't explain why this has happened or how this fits into prophecy. What I can do though, is to comment on the symptom. That's basically all we do, right? We comment on the event and then examine it's relevance to the Word of God. This is simply another birth pang that Jesus spoke about in His sermon on the mount in Matthew 24. The Bible says that creation groans because of Adam's sin. Does this event fall under that category? Yes, of course it does. There are so many things happening in the world right now. They're happening with such frequency that it becomes extremely difficult to catalog and keep track. In a way it reminds me of golf. Huh? Well, my dad and I were just talking about it the other day. If you've ever played golf then you'll understand the analogy. In order to hit a golf ball perfectly you have to remember to do approximately 35 things at once. What we're seeing today is pretty similar. There are so many events happening (global economic issues, natural disasters, earthquakes, tsunamis, tornados, diseases, famines, etc).
Did you know that 2011 was one of the worst years on record with natural distasters? It's true. Well, you may be wandering what makes it so special if it's not the worst year ever on record? The answer is simple, what makes it worse is when you ALSO consider the other birth pangs (i.e. wars and rumors of wars, societal breakdowns, global economic crisis, Israel). So many people really don't understand how significant Israel really is to prophecy.
Do you know that until 1948 the Jewish people were dispersed around the world? AD 70 the Roman army sacked Jerusalem and removed the Jewish people their home. Until that time Israel had been the Jewish peoples' homeland for well over 1000 years. God had warned the Jews that if they turned away from Him (which of course they did) that He would judge them. God is ALWAYS true to His word. But, He also said that in the last days He would return them to their homeland which He did in 1948. From AD70 to 1948 the land of Israel was mostly under Turkish control. It was essentially a wasteland, a dump. That is, until, Muhammed started his religion and it spread across the Middle East. They claimed Jerusalem, built their mosque, and there you have it until 1948.
Following WWII the Jewish people crawled out of the concentration camps and work camps and decided to go home. Instictively, collectively, they started their way back to their home, Israel, from all parts of the earth. On May 14, 1948 the US officially recognized the Jewish State of Israel. This was the first time in almost 2000 years that the Jews had a land of their own. This started the end. Catch the significance? See how important it is? Well, our Lord had something very important to say about this. He said, that the generation which saw that happen will not all sleep before the end. What does that mean? Well, it means that the generation that saw the rebirth of Israel won't all die before the Lord comes back to set up His Kingdom. A person born on that day would be approaching their 65th birthday. Now, add a 7 year buffer to that (I'll explain in a later post) and really puts that person's real age at 72.
If you're reading this and you don't know Jesus as your Savior I pray that you'll seek Him out. I'm going to set a modest goal of one post per week on this blog. I must stay vigilant as time is truly running out. I know I must sound like the boy who cried wolf but you must listen. Prepare yourself. Study God's Word. Find a Bible believing, Bible preaching church. Do not be afraid or confused because God is not of those things.
Talk to ya next week (hopefully)
kevin
Sunday, January 23, 2011
This Crazy 'Ole World
So much has happened recently in Bible prophecy. I'm blown away by all the political upheaval, the pc police, etc. I visit Drudgereport Daily for my dose of both domestic and international news. Go there and you will see the hand of God.
My Lord my Lord, please forgive us for our transgressions!!!
My Lord my Lord, please forgive us for our transgressions!!!
Revelation Bible Study
I am teaching a Bible Study on the Book of Revelation. I think I'm going to post my notes on here for my two followers to see... :-)
Much information is quoted from KJV of the Holy Bible and from Tim LaHaye's book, Revelation Unveiled.
“Almost one hundred years ago the author of the Scofield Reference Bible said in his notes on Revelation, “Doubtless, much which is designedly obscure to us will be clear to those for whom it was written as the time approaches.””
Reasons to study Revelation:
A special blessing to those who read it 1:3 (only book in Scripture that says this) and repeats blessing at the end for those who keep it. 22:7
Reveals the plan for our future
Gives clearer detail concerning Bible prophecy than any other book.
It completes the circle of Bible truths, the Scriptures predictably reveal superb planning and organization
Suggestions for Studying the Book:
1. Follow golden rule of interpretation: when the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense; take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning unless the fact of the immediate text, clearly indicate otherwise.
2. Locate the scene of the activity (i.e. Heaven or earth). The action should also be followed closely for sometimes a scene in heaven results in action on earth. Example, chapters 4 and 5 take place in heaven while chapter 6 on earth.
3. With exception to chapters 12 and 17 most of Revelation unfolds chronologically. This is important as the Tribulation plays out. We’ll see that Seal Judgments of chapter 6 takes up 1st quarter of Tribulation while Trumpet Judgments of chapters 8 & 9 complete 2nd quarter of Tribulation. The Bowl Judgments of chapter 16 take up the last half of the Tribulation, known as the Great Tribulation.
4 Major Types of Interpretations:
Futurist Interpretation: This was interpretation of early church through the 4th Century where events of Ch 4 and on were yet to be fulfilled. This is the view held by most premillennial Bible teachers.
Historical Interpretation: This view suggests that John was describing major events that would take place during the history of the Church. It suggests that we would see these events as we look back in history. This tends to distort the plain and literal meaning.
Spiritualizing Interpretation: The figurative and metaphorical way to view things: John was talking more about a spiritual struggle than a physical one. This view is held by amillennialists and postmillennialists.
Preterist Interpretation: This view holds that John wrote the book prior to the destruction of the Temple in AD 70 and was referring to events of his own day.
John outlived all the other apostles in fulfillment of Christ’s prophecy John 21:20-24. John was banished to Patmos as an enemy of the State during the reign of Domitian (AD 91-96). The traditionally accepted date is AD 95, near the very end of John’s life.
Rev 1:7- This is a reference to His coming at the end of the Tribulation Period to set up the Millennial Kingdom. Christ said this in Matthew 24:30-31
Rev 1:8 Trinity: “…who is, and who was, and who is to come.” A reference to the Trinity or triune of God. Whenever the word God appears in Scripture, the context should be examined closely to figure out whether it is referring to God the Father, God the Son, or God the Holy Spirit. It does not always refer to the Father but rather the triune God. The expression, “…who is, and who was, and who is to come” is an expression that connotes the eternity of God. The triune nature of God is revealed in Rev 1:8.
Rev 1:10- The Lord’s Day is not a reference to the Sabbath. The Lord’s Day is the first day of the week which is why we worship on Sunday. The idea is that Christ rose bodily on the first day of the week and that is why we go to the Lord’s House on that day as a testimony to our beliefs. The church was freed from the Old Testament day of worship. In fact, 9 commandments are repeated in the New Testament EXCEPT for the command to worship on Sabbath.
7 Basic Divisions of Church History:
Ephesus-Apostolic Church (AD 30-100)
Smyrna- Persecuted Church (AD 100-313)
Pergamos- State Church (AD 313-590)
Thyatira- Papal Church (AD 590-1517)
Sardis- Reformed Church (AD 1517-1790)
Philadelphia- Missionary Church (AD 1790-1900)
Laodicea-Apostate Church (AD 1900-)
Characteristics of Christ:
“…someone “like a son of man” – human in appearance and not a supernatural creature. ref Dan 7:13
“…dressed in a robe reaching down…” - typical of long robes of the high priests
“…with a golden sash…”-a symbol of strength and authority common in ancient world.
“…His head and hairs were white…”-ref Dan 7:9-13, where Christ is called Ancient of Days. Whiteness refers to righteousness of God, who is from everlasting to everlasting.
“…eyes were like blazing fire…” indicates Christ was indignant over something.
“…his feet were like bronze…” bronze speaks of judgment. Reminds us of brazen altar of tabernacle, where sin was judged
“…voice like sound …” attitude of the Son of God as He comes on the Day of the Lord in judgment
“…in His right…”- interpreted in vs 20
“…out of His mouth…” –ref Eph 6. God’s Word.
“…His face was like…”- ref Matt 17
***FIRST 3 CHURCHES ENDED WITH THE START OF THE NEXT CHURCH. LAST 4 ARE HERE TODAY.***
Pergamum: Indulged Church: City was given over to worship of many Greek idols
Local Roman rulers demanded cooperation of all religious groups
Constantine: Emperor of Rome- claimed to be Christian, edict of tolerance of Christianity
Many pagan temples were taken over by Christians and practices were adopted
The word Pergamum means marriage or elevation. Until these things started to happen around AD 312
all churches were locally operated and worked together with others for common causes but dominated by a central authority.
AD 300: Prayers 4 dead
AD 375: Make sign of the cross
AD 394: Mass was first introduced
AD 431: worship of Mary begins
AD 500: Priests dressed differently than lay people
AD 526: Extreme Unction
AD 593: Doctrine of Purgatory introduced
AD 600: Worship conducted in Latin
AD 600: prayers directed at Mary
The church was doctrinally sound (Christ for salvation) but sinned by adopting ceremonies of paganism which ultimately corrupted the church.
Condemnation: Doctrine of Balaam: Numbers 22-31> whenever Balaam cursed Israel the exact opposite occurred and a blessing was the result. So, Balaam talked Balak (King of Moabites) into having his people intermarry with Israel and defile themselves.
The problem with Pergamum is that although they had the doctrine right they didn’t separate themselves from paganism.
Nicolaitans: doctrine of strong ecclesiastical hierarchy ruling over the laity. This isn’t conducive to a strong spiritual condition of the Church. Laypeople were not given a voice in Church affairs, but were required to obey blindly. The clergy eventually drifted away into an “ivory tower” type existence and separated themselves more from the membership. Faithful ministers should “search the Scriptures” but they must also “do the work of an evangelist.”
Thyatira: city founded by Alexander the Great 300 yrs before Christ. Lydia was Paul’s first convert in Philippi (Acts 16:14). This church age produced the Dark Ages. “Dark” indicated that the program of merging Paganism with Christianity, begun under Pergamum, continued and increased the demonic influence.
CHANGES ADOPTED BY THE CHURCH:
AD 607: Boniface III made first POPE
AD 709: Kissing Pope’s foot
AD 786: worshipping images and relics
AD 850: use of “Holy Water” started
AD 995: Canonization of dead saints
AD 998: fasting on Fridays and during Lent
AD 1079: Celibacy of Priesthood
AD 1090: Prayer beads
AD 1229: Bible forbidden for laypeople
AD 1870: infallibility of Pope declared
AD 1965: Mary proclaimed Mother of the Church
“Thyatira” comes from two words meaning “sacrifice” and “continual”. The church denies the finished work of Christ and believes in a continuing sacrifice that produces sacraments, and praying for dead, burning candles, and so on.
Heresy falls into two categories: a false concept of the personal deity of Christ or mixing works with faith. Church of Rome declares deity of Christ but mixes in salvation through works.
CONDEMNATION: SON OF GOD, NOT SON OF MARY!!!
Jezebel: name of the woman who brought Baalism into Israel and perverted the nation. It’s a point of comparison for those bringing paganism into the church.
Her teaching took two forms: “…misleads my servant into sexual immorality” is a symbol of idolatry and the second “..eating of food sacrificed to idols” is a reference to the union of the church with the world. During this period Rome sought to bring the Kingdom of the world under dominion of the POPE in Rome. (Jezebel ref I Kings 19)
Church of Sardis: the Reformation (AD 1517-1790): Means “escaping ones” or those who “come out.”
The twofold condemnation of the church: 1: Became a State Church, the Lutheran Church became the state church of Germany, as did others throughout Europe. With the church as the head of the state the need for a personal relationship with Jesus is diminished and REPLACED. 2: Reformed churches didn’t change customs of Church of Rome (still had infant baptism, sprinkling, and ritualism). Ritual and formality are forms of pagan worship where the Scriptures teach us to worship God is SPIRIT AND TRUTH. Ritual from paganism does not come from the Holy Spirit. Main purpose of the church is the proclamation of gospel of Christ. If people leave a church with ritual “worship” and haven’t been brought face to face with Jesus then they’ve been worshipping in a DEAD CHURCH.
Christ’s commendation: “I know they works that thou has a name that thou livest” refers to the early period when Martin Luther and others chose to defy Rome and obey the Bible’s teaching on salvation by faith and that their reputation was a church faithful to Christ.
CONDEMNATION: “But you are dead.” Reformation leaders began well, they didn’t proceed to complete the works of reforming the church, but stopped short.
Christ’s counsel: 1. Wake up
2. Strengthen what remains: strengthen the good doctrinal teachings of the early days
3. Remember, therefore what you have…: return to days of blessing by searching the Bible
4. Obey it: adhere to the doctrines taught in Scripture
5. “… and repent”: repenting involves not only an act of turning to God but a submissive heart
Christ’s warning: they will be unaware when the Lord comes back. Currently they are leaders in the World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical program. They want to unite the world’s religions. If they read and obeyed Scripture they would know that they are aiding the Antichrist’s program for that will be his church during first half of Tribulation.
Church of Philadelphia: Missionary church (AD 1790-1900): a throwback to churches of Ephesus and Smyrna:
Name means “brotherly love.” Came out of church of Sardis just like Sardis came out of Thyatira. This produced the modern missionary movement. Biggest factor led to this movement had to be printing of Bible to different languages. William Carey read our Lord’s command to “go into all the world and preach the gospel” so he did!!! The second biggest factor for this movement was the doctrine of the Second Coming. Those who look for Christ’s coming are more inclined to preach the gospel and stick to the Scriptures due to imminency.
Commendation: 1. I know your deeds… an open door no one can shut…: Oppty to preach the gospel
2. “you have little strength”: refers to minority status of believers in this church. Except for America, this church is characterized by small congregations, which are not strong by human standards.
3. “you have kept my word..”: They not only believed the Word but obeyed it. The reformed church believes but does not obey by comparison.
4. “and have not denied my name..”: greatest increase in false Christ’s and false religions began during this age.
Promise: 1.Vindication: those false religionists and heretics will realize that in persecuting the saints they turned their back on Christ. 2. Preservation: Obvious reference to the Tribulation period and a strong argument to pre-trib rapture.
Church of Laodicea: (AD 1900-Tribulation): wealthy inland city 40 miles from Ephesus.
Has distinction of not having a commendation.
“Lukewarm”: not on fire or lifeless, instead it is indifferent. These churches are characterized by social action than gospel action. This church doesn’t see transformation of soul from darkness to light.
I am grateful to men like Tim LaHaye and his ministry. I have learned a great deal from him and the Lord has blessed me with an understanding of Bible Prophecy. Maranatha!!!
Much information is quoted from KJV of the Holy Bible and from Tim LaHaye's book, Revelation Unveiled.
“Almost one hundred years ago the author of the Scofield Reference Bible said in his notes on Revelation, “Doubtless, much which is designedly obscure to us will be clear to those for whom it was written as the time approaches.””
Reasons to study Revelation:
A special blessing to those who read it 1:3 (only book in Scripture that says this) and repeats blessing at the end for those who keep it. 22:7
Reveals the plan for our future
Gives clearer detail concerning Bible prophecy than any other book.
It completes the circle of Bible truths, the Scriptures predictably reveal superb planning and organization
Suggestions for Studying the Book:
1. Follow golden rule of interpretation: when the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense; take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning unless the fact of the immediate text, clearly indicate otherwise.
2. Locate the scene of the activity (i.e. Heaven or earth). The action should also be followed closely for sometimes a scene in heaven results in action on earth. Example, chapters 4 and 5 take place in heaven while chapter 6 on earth.
3. With exception to chapters 12 and 17 most of Revelation unfolds chronologically. This is important as the Tribulation plays out. We’ll see that Seal Judgments of chapter 6 takes up 1st quarter of Tribulation while Trumpet Judgments of chapters 8 & 9 complete 2nd quarter of Tribulation. The Bowl Judgments of chapter 16 take up the last half of the Tribulation, known as the Great Tribulation.
4 Major Types of Interpretations:
Futurist Interpretation: This was interpretation of early church through the 4th Century where events of Ch 4 and on were yet to be fulfilled. This is the view held by most premillennial Bible teachers.
Historical Interpretation: This view suggests that John was describing major events that would take place during the history of the Church. It suggests that we would see these events as we look back in history. This tends to distort the plain and literal meaning.
Spiritualizing Interpretation: The figurative and metaphorical way to view things: John was talking more about a spiritual struggle than a physical one. This view is held by amillennialists and postmillennialists.
Preterist Interpretation: This view holds that John wrote the book prior to the destruction of the Temple in AD 70 and was referring to events of his own day.
John outlived all the other apostles in fulfillment of Christ’s prophecy John 21:20-24. John was banished to Patmos as an enemy of the State during the reign of Domitian (AD 91-96). The traditionally accepted date is AD 95, near the very end of John’s life.
Rev 1:7- This is a reference to His coming at the end of the Tribulation Period to set up the Millennial Kingdom. Christ said this in Matthew 24:30-31
Rev 1:8 Trinity: “…who is, and who was, and who is to come.” A reference to the Trinity or triune of God. Whenever the word God appears in Scripture, the context should be examined closely to figure out whether it is referring to God the Father, God the Son, or God the Holy Spirit. It does not always refer to the Father but rather the triune God. The expression, “…who is, and who was, and who is to come” is an expression that connotes the eternity of God. The triune nature of God is revealed in Rev 1:8.
Rev 1:10- The Lord’s Day is not a reference to the Sabbath. The Lord’s Day is the first day of the week which is why we worship on Sunday. The idea is that Christ rose bodily on the first day of the week and that is why we go to the Lord’s House on that day as a testimony to our beliefs. The church was freed from the Old Testament day of worship. In fact, 9 commandments are repeated in the New Testament EXCEPT for the command to worship on Sabbath.
7 Basic Divisions of Church History:
Ephesus-Apostolic Church (AD 30-100)
Smyrna- Persecuted Church (AD 100-313)
Pergamos- State Church (AD 313-590)
Thyatira- Papal Church (AD 590-1517)
Sardis- Reformed Church (AD 1517-1790)
Philadelphia- Missionary Church (AD 1790-1900)
Laodicea-Apostate Church (AD 1900-)
Characteristics of Christ:
“…someone “like a son of man” – human in appearance and not a supernatural creature. ref Dan 7:13
“…dressed in a robe reaching down…” - typical of long robes of the high priests
“…with a golden sash…”-a symbol of strength and authority common in ancient world.
“…His head and hairs were white…”-ref Dan 7:9-13, where Christ is called Ancient of Days. Whiteness refers to righteousness of God, who is from everlasting to everlasting.
“…eyes were like blazing fire…” indicates Christ was indignant over something.
“…his feet were like bronze…” bronze speaks of judgment. Reminds us of brazen altar of tabernacle, where sin was judged
“…voice like sound …” attitude of the Son of God as He comes on the Day of the Lord in judgment
“…in His right…”- interpreted in vs 20
“…out of His mouth…” –ref Eph 6. God’s Word.
“…His face was like…”- ref Matt 17
***FIRST 3 CHURCHES ENDED WITH THE START OF THE NEXT CHURCH. LAST 4 ARE HERE TODAY.***
Pergamum: Indulged Church: City was given over to worship of many Greek idols
Local Roman rulers demanded cooperation of all religious groups
Constantine: Emperor of Rome- claimed to be Christian, edict of tolerance of Christianity
Many pagan temples were taken over by Christians and practices were adopted
The word Pergamum means marriage or elevation. Until these things started to happen around AD 312
all churches were locally operated and worked together with others for common causes but dominated by a central authority.
AD 300: Prayers 4 dead
AD 375: Make sign of the cross
AD 394: Mass was first introduced
AD 431: worship of Mary begins
AD 500: Priests dressed differently than lay people
AD 526: Extreme Unction
AD 593: Doctrine of Purgatory introduced
AD 600: Worship conducted in Latin
AD 600: prayers directed at Mary
The church was doctrinally sound (Christ for salvation) but sinned by adopting ceremonies of paganism which ultimately corrupted the church.
Condemnation: Doctrine of Balaam: Numbers 22-31> whenever Balaam cursed Israel the exact opposite occurred and a blessing was the result. So, Balaam talked Balak (King of Moabites) into having his people intermarry with Israel and defile themselves.
The problem with Pergamum is that although they had the doctrine right they didn’t separate themselves from paganism.
Nicolaitans: doctrine of strong ecclesiastical hierarchy ruling over the laity. This isn’t conducive to a strong spiritual condition of the Church. Laypeople were not given a voice in Church affairs, but were required to obey blindly. The clergy eventually drifted away into an “ivory tower” type existence and separated themselves more from the membership. Faithful ministers should “search the Scriptures” but they must also “do the work of an evangelist.”
Thyatira: city founded by Alexander the Great 300 yrs before Christ. Lydia was Paul’s first convert in Philippi (Acts 16:14). This church age produced the Dark Ages. “Dark” indicated that the program of merging Paganism with Christianity, begun under Pergamum, continued and increased the demonic influence.
CHANGES ADOPTED BY THE CHURCH:
AD 607: Boniface III made first POPE
AD 709: Kissing Pope’s foot
AD 786: worshipping images and relics
AD 850: use of “Holy Water” started
AD 995: Canonization of dead saints
AD 998: fasting on Fridays and during Lent
AD 1079: Celibacy of Priesthood
AD 1090: Prayer beads
AD 1229: Bible forbidden for laypeople
AD 1870: infallibility of Pope declared
AD 1965: Mary proclaimed Mother of the Church
“Thyatira” comes from two words meaning “sacrifice” and “continual”. The church denies the finished work of Christ and believes in a continuing sacrifice that produces sacraments, and praying for dead, burning candles, and so on.
Heresy falls into two categories: a false concept of the personal deity of Christ or mixing works with faith. Church of Rome declares deity of Christ but mixes in salvation through works.
CONDEMNATION: SON OF GOD, NOT SON OF MARY!!!
Jezebel: name of the woman who brought Baalism into Israel and perverted the nation. It’s a point of comparison for those bringing paganism into the church.
Her teaching took two forms: “…misleads my servant into sexual immorality” is a symbol of idolatry and the second “..eating of food sacrificed to idols” is a reference to the union of the church with the world. During this period Rome sought to bring the Kingdom of the world under dominion of the POPE in Rome. (Jezebel ref I Kings 19)
Church of Sardis: the Reformation (AD 1517-1790): Means “escaping ones” or those who “come out.”
The twofold condemnation of the church: 1: Became a State Church, the Lutheran Church became the state church of Germany, as did others throughout Europe. With the church as the head of the state the need for a personal relationship with Jesus is diminished and REPLACED. 2: Reformed churches didn’t change customs of Church of Rome (still had infant baptism, sprinkling, and ritualism). Ritual and formality are forms of pagan worship where the Scriptures teach us to worship God is SPIRIT AND TRUTH. Ritual from paganism does not come from the Holy Spirit. Main purpose of the church is the proclamation of gospel of Christ. If people leave a church with ritual “worship” and haven’t been brought face to face with Jesus then they’ve been worshipping in a DEAD CHURCH.
Christ’s commendation: “I know they works that thou has a name that thou livest” refers to the early period when Martin Luther and others chose to defy Rome and obey the Bible’s teaching on salvation by faith and that their reputation was a church faithful to Christ.
CONDEMNATION: “But you are dead.” Reformation leaders began well, they didn’t proceed to complete the works of reforming the church, but stopped short.
Christ’s counsel: 1. Wake up
2. Strengthen what remains: strengthen the good doctrinal teachings of the early days
3. Remember, therefore what you have…: return to days of blessing by searching the Bible
4. Obey it: adhere to the doctrines taught in Scripture
5. “… and repent”: repenting involves not only an act of turning to God but a submissive heart
Christ’s warning: they will be unaware when the Lord comes back. Currently they are leaders in the World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical program. They want to unite the world’s religions. If they read and obeyed Scripture they would know that they are aiding the Antichrist’s program for that will be his church during first half of Tribulation.
Church of Philadelphia: Missionary church (AD 1790-1900): a throwback to churches of Ephesus and Smyrna:
Name means “brotherly love.” Came out of church of Sardis just like Sardis came out of Thyatira. This produced the modern missionary movement. Biggest factor led to this movement had to be printing of Bible to different languages. William Carey read our Lord’s command to “go into all the world and preach the gospel” so he did!!! The second biggest factor for this movement was the doctrine of the Second Coming. Those who look for Christ’s coming are more inclined to preach the gospel and stick to the Scriptures due to imminency.
Commendation: 1. I know your deeds… an open door no one can shut…: Oppty to preach the gospel
2. “you have little strength”: refers to minority status of believers in this church. Except for America, this church is characterized by small congregations, which are not strong by human standards.
3. “you have kept my word..”: They not only believed the Word but obeyed it. The reformed church believes but does not obey by comparison.
4. “and have not denied my name..”: greatest increase in false Christ’s and false religions began during this age.
Promise: 1.Vindication: those false religionists and heretics will realize that in persecuting the saints they turned their back on Christ. 2. Preservation: Obvious reference to the Tribulation period and a strong argument to pre-trib rapture.
Church of Laodicea: (AD 1900-Tribulation): wealthy inland city 40 miles from Ephesus.
Has distinction of not having a commendation.
“Lukewarm”: not on fire or lifeless, instead it is indifferent. These churches are characterized by social action than gospel action. This church doesn’t see transformation of soul from darkness to light.
I am grateful to men like Tim LaHaye and his ministry. I have learned a great deal from him and the Lord has blessed me with an understanding of Bible Prophecy. Maranatha!!!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
What Is Going On?
I don't normally get too stirred up over the things going on in this 'ole world (i.e. earthquakes, tsunamis, fires, floods, volcanoes, etc.,) but this has me a little on edge. It's just weird. The strangest thing is that it's not just limited to birds. People are finding massive amounts of dead fish, starfish, crabs, jellyfish, bees, and even bats. What gives???? In fact, use the attached link and you can see a map of the world where all this is going on: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=201817256339889828327.0004991bca25af104a22b
I know that we are in an age where more and more strange things will happen but to be honest with ya I'm dumbfounded with all of this. Perhaps this is all part of things which are about to take place. The Bible talks of the oceans and rivers turning to blood and nothing will survive. I don't believe this has anything to do with that but I do think we're a lot closer to that event than a lot of people think. Stay tuned Christians. If you don't know Christ as your Savior then I beg you to seek Him out and ask Him to forgive you for your sins and accept Him as your personal Savior. Time is running out!!!
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