Tuesday, December 16, 2014

“Has God indeed said ....” (Genesis 3:1)



[The Serpent to Eve] “ Has God indeed said ....”  (Genesis 3:1)
 “And the Serpent said to the woman, ”You will not surely die” (Genesis 3:4)

The Serpent in Genesis is later revealed to be Satan. A shrewd and cunning adversary who presents himself as an angel of light. His true character is only revealed when his hold is strong (e.g. the occult). Until then, he drips piety, goodness and kindness. His purpose however, is to  undermine the Word of God and bring death. The apostle Paul tells us that we are not ignorant of  his devices (2 Cor 2:11). In other words, his mode of attack is well known.  His goal has not changed and neither have his methods. He will always undermine or challenge the Word of God. His first words to Eve were “Has God indeed said...” He challenged her respect for God’s Word and found her lacking. Knowing something was terribly wrong he proceeds to call God a liar! “You will not surely die” and she believes him! His strategy is the same today. He undermines the Word of God by calling into question what is written in the Bible. His schemes never change. His attack is always the same. He whispers... God really doesn’t mean what He says? These are just stories written by men.  If you believe the Bible, who knows what madness could take hold of you?!  And surely there is certainly no fearful judgment. That’s just fear mongering! Scare tactics! That is how religion works ... fear! The Bible is not to be taken too seriously! Let’s not get carried away! Do you want to be an extremist? A religious fanatic?

But God never lies. He tells the absolute truth, all the time. The Bible foretold Christ’s first coming hundreds of years in advance and everything came to pass. Everything! And Jesus promised “for assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.” (Matt 5:18). 

Who do you want to believe? Who do you trust?  You can trust Christ. He never lies!

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie ( see 2 Thess 2:9-12)



"The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thess 2:9-12)


This prophetic passage refers to the emergence of a future prominent powerful political figure who will draw many followers through his supernatural powers. Powers which will not come from God. The Bible has much to say about this character but our interest here is not on his exploits. We also learn something about God. He influences the hearts of those who reject the truth and take pleasure in unrighteousness. He moves them to follow a false leader. He sends “strong delusion, that they should believe the lie.” The passage highlights some points that are worth considering: (1) Miracles
are not always from God. (2) God allows the use of miracles to deceive those who reject the truth (3) God seals the fate of those intent on following a lie (4) There is condemnation.

Some will find this message objectionable. Some may say, “How could God do such a thing” or “my God would never lead any to believe a lie and certainly not “send strong delusion,” heresy! heresy!” But there is a problem isn’t there?  How can something that is clearly stated in the Bible be heresy? Is it not far more important to know who God really is than to think we know and be very wrong!  This passage may offend but wouldn’t you prefer to know the truth? The most important revelation in the Bible concerns who God really is.  

Yes, there are difficult passages in the Bible and some do confront us. Some things are hard to understand but much is straightforward and easily grasped.  Yet, it is from God and it does concern you. It is the Truth.   

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

"For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen" (Rom 1:20)



“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the ”things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20)
 
Yes modern day science and the Bible are at odds. Evolution teaches that our world evolved over millions of years. From nothing to staggering complexity. From nothing to man, animals, plants, planets and solar systems. Yet the simplest living thing is a wonder of ingenious design. The very eyes used to read this short article can see images instantly in three colorful dimensions, effortlessly. Every organ in the human body possesses the same incredible perfections and all work together! Lungs inhale air containing oxygen which is passed to the blood which in turn is passed to cells providing energy for the body. Carbon dioxide is removed from these same cells and exhaled through the lungs. Kidneys cleanse the blood and on and on the marvel of the human body unfolds. The Bible claims that we, and all in our world, were created. Evolution claims that our world is a product of random chance. Pope Fracsis has recently attempted to marry the two by saying “when we read about creation in Genesis, we run the risk of imagining God was a magician, with a magic wand able to do everything. But that is not so” and, “evolution in nature is not inconsistent with the notion of creation, because evolution requires the creation of beings that evolve.”

This may satisfy those who seek the comfort of a middle ground but it is utterly contrary to the Word of God! According to the Bible our world was created in six days and that moment of creation took place about 6 thousand years ago! Evolution rests on the argument that given enough “time” anything can happen. This however is not science. A theory of science is repeatable and observable. Evolution is not a theory, it’s an hypothesis. Evolution is faith. A faith placed in man. 


The Bible states that man is “without excuse” because the things of God are “clearly seen” in His creation.  We believe “all things were made through Him [Christ]” (Gospel of John 1:3)