Ezekiel and the Whirlwind

Ezekiel 1:3
3 the word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Chebar; and the hand of the Lord was upon him there.

[came expressly unto Ezekiel] - Expressly cannot mean "only". It must mean something like "in very deed, or in reality to Ezekiel". We know this because Jeremiah was called the prophetic office at roughly the same time as Ezekiel was. Thus, "expressly" cannot mean that God spoke only to Ezekiel alone.

[the priest] Both Ezekiel and Jeremiah were priests called to the prophetic office. There were not many priests who are also Prophets in the Old Testament, but both Jeremiah and Ezekiel did so in this capacity because they also stood in the presence of God, a privilege reserve for the priest alone.

[the hand of the LORD was there upon him] An expression in prophecy used to denote the power or constraining influence of the Holy Spirit operating through men as they yield. There are pictures of God looking over the shoulder of men as they do various things with His hand on their shoulder. The use of imagery in many of these pictures goes a little further than I'm comfortable with, but in this instance it conveys the idea. It was God's "hand" that enabled Ezekiel to do all that he did.

As is usually the case with true servants of God, this is an important matter to get very clear at the very beginning of this great book. This is especially true as there are some very unusual things recorded in this book, unusual even for a prophetic book. Ezekiel wants us to be very clear that it was the hand of God that both enabled him and directed him in all that he did. This is speaking both of power and of wisdom.

Ezekiel 1:4
Then I looked, and behold, a whirlwind was coming out of the north, a great cloud with raging fire engulfing itself; and brightness was all around it and radiating out of its midst like the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire..

As is usually the case there is much to observe in the simple description the "whirlwind" here in verse four:

[And I looked, and behold ...] What Ezekiel sees is a fivefold vision of the "whirlwind" or cloud:
1. A whirlwind came from the north
2. A great cloud
3. A fire infolding
4. Brightness was about the cloud
5. Out of the cloud and out of the fire came a color of amber

This recalls the traditions of the ark of the covenant (Ex. 25:10–22 ), especially within the context of Solomon's temple (1 Kings 8:6–8 ), and stands at the head of what came to be the later mystical merkavah (Hb. for “chariot”) tradition within Judaism

It is a stormy wind (Hb. ruakh se‘arah) and heralds the approach of the Lord, as in Job 38:1 and 40:6. Likewise, the north is associated with the divine abode (see Ps. 48:2 ), and in Jeremiah it indicates the source of divine judgment (Jer. 1:13–15). All of those are appropriate in this context.

The phrase as it is translates the Hebrew preposition ke-, “like,” which is used 18 times in this description; half of those are in Ezek. 1:24–28 . Clearly Ezekiel is groping for language to describe the vision.

The phrase [whirlwind] itself is interesting - Four whirlwinds in the Scripture:
1. Elijah taken to heaven in one ( 2Ki. 2:1, 11 )
2. The Lord answered Job out of one ( Job 38:1; 40:6 )
3. Ezekiel saw one ( Ezek. 1:4 )
4. The Lord will come to the earth in one ( Isa. 66:15 ; Zech. 9:14)

There are those who see this whirlwind as emblematic of God's judgments (Jer. 23:19; 25:32). The would interpret its' coming "out of the north" as meaning from Chaldea, whose hostile forces would invade Judea from a northerly direction. They picture the prophet as conceiving himself in the temple. fire infolding itself--laying hold on whatever surrounds it, drawing it to itself, and devouring it. But it seems much more likely that this is a vision of the coming of Israel's Lord to execute justice Himself. This is much more in keeping with the rest of the book and with the subsequent visions that Ezekiel sees.

There is a terrible and awesome beauty to this "side" of God isn't there? We are so wrapped up in the love of God in the mercy and patience of God, and rightly so! He reveals himself as a god has given chance after chance to those who are wayward and for those who wander.

But here we see a God Who is coming, in His "terrible beauty". It is an awesome majesty that is unfathomable even to one of his priests! Even Ezekiel cannot find the words to describe what he sees. And rightly so, for there are no words to adequately describe what he sees coming down from the north! This is God in all of his Holiness; all of his righteous beauty; all of his furious and thunderous magnificence.

He called Abraham out to serve Him in holiness and righteousness before the entire earth. Abraham's seed failed and failed roundly in that charge, bringing the judgment promised instead of the blessings promised. (Now, remember that not all Israel is Israel according to the NT...there are are many, many believers who are of the seed of Abraham by faith by grace through, not by physical lineage.)

The point here is that He is coming in all of His glory, but that glory is and awesome and fear-inspiring glory.

We've just come through a month when our southern central area had many tornados. Quite a number of them were captured on film and they were, in a word, simply awesome to behold. Earlier this year huge tidal waves wept through much of the eastern coastal area of Japan, doing terrible and extensive damage. The film of the wave surging inland was, likewise, awesome to behold.

But neither those, nor any other human or earthly condition can hold a candle to the arrival of the presence of God in His glory. Whether we are speaking of the "interim" occasions that are recorded (such as this one) of His final coming at the dissolution and reconciliation of all things. The ultimate coming of the Lord will be glorious beyond all imagining. That, surely, is a coming worth looking eagerly for!

The Beauty of His Holiness

by Stephen Charnock,
From “The Existence and Attributes of God.“

The holiness of God is his glory and crown. It is the blessedness of his nature. It renders him glorious in himself, and glorious to his creatures. “Holy” is more fixed as an epithet to his name than any other. This is his greatest title of honor. He is pure and unmixed light, free from all blemish in his essence, nature, and operations. He cannot be deformed by any evil. The notion of God cannot be entertained without separating from him whatever is impure and staining.

Though He is majestic, eternal, almighty, wise, immutable, merciful, and whatsoever other prefections may dignify so sovereign a being, yet if we conceive him destitute of this excellent perfection, and imagine him possessed with the least contagion of evil, we make him but an infinite monster, and sully all those perfections we ascribed to him before.

It is a contradiction for him to be God and to have any darkness mixed with his light. To deny his purity, makes him no God. He that says God is not holy, speaks much worse than if he said there is no God at all.

Where do we read of the angels crying out Eternal or Faithful Lord God of hosts? But we do hear them singing Holy, Holy, Holy. God swears by his holiness (Psa. 89:35). His holiness is a pledge for the assurance of his promises. Power is his hand, omniscience his eye, mercy his heart, eternity his duration, but holiness his beauty. It renders him lovely and gives beauty to all his attributes.

Every action of His is free from all hints of evil. Holiness is the crown of all his attributes, the life of all his decrees, and the brightness of all his actions. Nothing is decreed by him and nothing is acted by him that is not consistent with the beauty of his holiness.

The Blows That Beckon Us Back…

Originally Taken
From the Ligonier Web Site 

 

"It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes" (Ps. 119:71).

 

Why is it that something which would be absent in future glory be deemed by the Psalmist as something good?

 

Because suffering brings us back to God. It is reality on a megaphone blaring in our ears, "Creature!" It puts us in our rightful place—close to God, in a relationship of humble and grateful dependence on Him for everything pertaining to our well-being:

"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit" (Ps. 34:18).

Calvin, commenting on Ps. 119:71 says:

"He here confirms the sentiment which we have previously considered — that it was profitable to him to be subdued by God’s chastisements, that he might more and more be brought back and softened to obedience. By these words he confesses that he was not exempt from the perverse obstinacy with which all mankind are infected; for, had it been otherwise with him, the profit of which he speaks, when he says that his docility was owing to his being brought low, would have been merely pretended; even as none of us willingly submits his neck to God, until He soften our natural hardness by the strokes of a hammer. It is good for us to taste continually the fruit which comes to us from God’s corrections, that they may become sweet to us; and that, in this way, we, who are so rebellious and wayward, may suffer ourselves to be brought into subjection."

And on Ps. 34:18 he says:

"David here exemplifies and extends still more the preceding doctrine, that God is the deliverer of his people, even when they are brought very low, and when they are, as it were, half-dead. It is a very severe trial, when the grace of God is delayed, and all experience of it so far withdrawn, as that our spirits begin to fail; nay more, to say that God is nigh to the faithful, even when their hearts faint and fall them, and they are ready to die, is altogether incredible to human sense and reason. But by this means his power shines forth more clearly, when he raises us up again from the grave. Moreover, it is meet that the faithful should be thus utterly cast down and afflicted, that they may breathe again in God alone. From this we also learn, that nothing is more opposed to true patience than the loftiness of heart of which the Stoics boast; for we are not accounted truly humbled until true affliction of heart has abased us before God, so that, having prostrated ourselves in the dust before him, he may raise us up. It is a doctrine full of the sweetest consolation, that God departs not from us, even when we are overwhelmed by a succession of miseries, and, as it were, almost deprived of life."

Prayer for the Class of 2011

by Fred Sanders
Reposted From The Scriptorum Daily: Middlebrow

Father in heaven, Lord of hosts, God of Israel: you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are the God, you alone, who made these students and gave them to us for a season. We pray for them today in the same way as King Hezekiah prayed for his people two thousand seven hundred years ago. When the Assyrian armies of Sennacharib came against Jerusalem, their spokesmen were not content to threaten your people; they mocked your very name and declared you powerless. They made a bold and blasphemous speech, wrote it down in an obscene and scatological letter, announcing that the downfall of Jerusalem would prove that you, the God of Israel, were a figment of the pious imagination.

King Hezekiah, son of David, did not argue with them. He did not try to refute the Assyrians or cheer up the Israelites. Instead he came to you, and Isaiah (37:14) says he “spread the letter before the LORD.” The threatening message was too much for him. He didn’t hit reply, he hit forward. The care of Jerusalem was not Hezekiah’s problem, but yours. So Hezekiah spread out the letter in front of you and said, “Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God.”

Father, as parents and professors we bring these students to you today and display them before you. Their upbringing and their education has been our responsibility for these years, and we have loved raising them and we have loved teaching them. But their souls and their futures are too much for us. So we spread them before you and admit that they are too much for us. They are not our problem. These seniors are your problem. Take care of them. Make them know your nearness and your forgiveness. We put them in front of you and ask, “Have you seen them? Do you know what they’ve accomplished? Do you see how many books they’ve read, how many pages they’ve written, how many conversations they’ve kept going?”

And Father, we also ask, have you seen what the world wants to do to them? Are you watching the trend of the culture, the way of the world we are sending them into? Have you seen the leading economic indicators? Have you seen the job market? Have you seen the divorce rate? Have you heard the harsh words and felt the tension in their families and their friends’ families? Have you seen how Satan wants to sift them, to steal their faith, to kill their hope, and destroy their love? Have you seen how their downfall would cause your name to be blasphemed among the nations, and their backsliding would hide your own glory from the world that watches them?

Yes you have. Like Hezekiah, we know you are fully informed about the past, present, and future of everything that worries us, and everything that makes us rejoice. All we are doing is bringing them before you, spreading them out in your presence, and confessing that they are your problem, not ours.

Save them! Save them from prayerlessness, loneliness, purposelessness, filthiness, from worldliness, from unworldliness, from always learning but never coming to a knowledge of the truth. They are your glory, not ours; they are your projects, your disciples, your students. Hallowed be your name in their lives, may your will be done in their lives, as it is in heaven.

Amen.

A Heartfelt, but Hope-Filled Lamentation...

I have done so little since I came into the world of the great work I was sent into the world about, so very little to answer the end of my creation or of my redemption, of my birth and of my baptism; I have certainly profited no more by the means of grace, and though in close fellow with You, taking in even the symbols of Your body and Your blood, I gain no more benefit than from any other bread and juice...

I have been as a fig tree planted in the vineyard, and You have come many years seeking fruit from me but have found none, instead You have, sadly, all too often found the remnants of the old, fleshly tree. Therefore You might justly have cut me down and thrown me into the fire (Matthew 3:10) for using up the ground: (Luke 13:6-7)

Ah, but Lord, as is Your wont, You have exercised grace and patience! Though You have come looking for grapes, but beheld wild grapes; (Isaiah 5:4) [for I have been an empty vine bringing forth fruit to myself.(Hosea 10:1)], again Lord, Your eyes were patient, and You looked to that One Who came in my stead. There can be nothing but a falling to the ground in thanksgiving and worship before such good and gracious God!

Lord, I have, time and again, known the right thing to do, but have failed to do it. (James 4:17) I have hid my Master’s money, so to speak, (Matthew 25:18) and therefore, like the wicked and slothful servant deserve the doom of my Master. (Matthew 25:26) But once again Lord, Your eyes are not on me, but on the crucified One. I have been an unfaithful steward who has more than wasted my Lord’s possessions; (Luke 16:1) just as You Word says: "one sinner destroys much good". (Ecclesiastes 9:18)

O Lord, how often has there has been money in my hand to buy wisdom, and yet I have had no sense todo so? (Proverbs 17:16) Or, like the fool, my heart has been inclined to evil. (Ecclesiastes 10:2) As life passes all too quickly I see that my youth and the dawn of life were vanity, (Ecclesiastes 11:10) and I am bringing my years to an end like a sigh. (Psalm 90:9)

But all of this Lord, all of it is under Your torn flesh and Your shed blood… And thanks be to God, for apart from that truth there would be no hope, I would have not hope at all. How could I hope to make amends for even one offense, let alone for the enormity of all of my offense together? Oh Lord - thanks be to Your mercy and to Your grace - given before the world ever began...

A Clear Statement of the Gospel…

  

From www.ellerslie.com - May we be unashamed of the Gospel - Romans 1:16

Christ Came to Save and Redeem His People…

Rejoice and be glad at the finished work of Christ!

O Lord, What Shall I Do?

Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; (Psalm 51:4)  Neither have I obeyed the voice of the LORD my God by walking in his laws, which he has set before me, (Daniel 9:10) though they are holy and righteous and good. (Romans 7:12)

One thing of which I do not often think but should, being consumed with how much I do fail, is how much I offend my Lord without even knowing it! I get so consumed with the things in which I do fail that I'm sure that many things pass by the wayside without my even noticing.  “Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults”. (Psalm 19:12)

How foolish, how dangerous, and how is dishonoring to God it is to be so consumed with the few things that I can see in which I fall; and to ignore the many things in which the Word of God tells me in which I soon. Not that I should ignore that which I am aware of. Certainly not! But I need to be aware that there is much more in which I offend.  James said: “In many things I stumble…”, (James 3:2) and David proclaimed: “…my iniquities are more than the hairs of my head.” (Psalm 40:12) These passages mean more than that “I just sin a lot”. They mean that there is a wealth of offense within me and in my life of which I am not even aware. They mean that there is sin working and sneaking about in the corners and in the darkness of my life that is an offense to my precious Lord that has yet even to rear its ugly head and to my conscious sight.

I am responsible, as a growing and maturing believer before the Lord, to seek this sin out and, by God's power, to destroy it that I might walk in holiness before Him.

I must also recognize that, as a part of my remaining fleshly nature, my heart keeps its desire to sin alive, ready and willing, in spite of my godly desire to walk righteously before God.  “As a well keeps its water fresh, so my heart keeps fresh its evil;” (Jeremiah 6:7)  “This has been my way from my youth up, that I have not obeyed your voice.” (Jeremiah 22:21) If this is the truth in one such as Jeremiah, how much more so is it the truth in my life?

As always, Lord, I have nothing left but to cry out for Mercy. And of course, this is a good thing, a very good thing! For this is where Your Law and Your desire was to bring me from the beginning.    Thus, “I entreat your favor with all my heart”, (Psalm 119:58) “for in this I labor, that whether I am at home or away, I may please the Lord”. (2 Corinthians 5:9)  “Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my pleas for mercy; in your faithfulness answer me”, (Psalm 143:1) and “be near to me whenever I call upon you”; (Deuteronomy 4:7) for “you have never said to the offspring of Jacob, ‘Seek me in vain.’” (Isaiah 45:19)

O the mystery and the wonder of a God who leads us to the end of ourselves and then shows us mercy! Glory to God!

Even at This Late Stage...Patience and Mercy

9 and said to them, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition before Him: 10 If you will still remain in this land, then I will build you and not pull you down, and I will plant you and not pluck you up. For I relent concerning the disaster that I have brought upon you. 11 Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid; do not be afraid of him, says the Lord, for I am with you, to save you and deliver you from his hand. 12 And I will show you mercy, that he may have mercy on you and cause you to return to your own land. (Jeremiah 42:9-12)

It is a marvel and a real tribute to both the patience and the great mercy of God that, even at this late stage in Jeremiah's ministry to Judah, God is more than willing to extend mercy to his people, for his glory's sake. 

This is one of those interesting and challenging situations that call for us to think based on what the Bible actually says, and not read any more into what is said than what is there, no matter what our theological predispositions.  Those of us that are more of the Calvinistic disposition need to take care that our understanding of Theology does not color what we think of this one.  At the same time, we do need to be sure that what the Bible, as a unit, does indeed influence what we think of this passage.  It is critically important that we compare Scripture with Scripture and allow the whole Bible to speak to subject and not take a single passage and make it the source for a doctrine or a point of view.

Likewise, those of "other" theological perspectives (Arminians, Pelagians and Semi-Pelagians, etc.); we're talking about many Baptists, Main Line Presby's, Episcopalians, RC's, etc.  There are many, many groups who embrace the ideas that are a part of the "Free Will" camp and bear on the theological point of view and lend weight to the way that all matters touching these thing will be understood if one is not careful (this, of course, goes for the Sovereignty folks also btw). 

This is precisely what cannot happen.  If we are to be honest, on either side of the equation (and that, after all ought to be the goal of any serious and genuine believer and student of the Word), our desire MUST be to discern what the Spirit of God intended when He spoke to the original author of the passage at hand.  It cannot be to use the passage to support decisions or points of view already held.

Now, this is a delicate matter.  We, of course, want our interpretation of any passage to be consistent with our understanding of both our theology as a whole and with our understanding of other passages as well.  The Word of God does not contradict itself either singularly or as a unit.  It is important that we do not "make" it do so.

  

Now, as we were saying, this is one of those interesting passages.  It portrays the offer of grace and mercy on God's part to His people.  The terms are plain and clear and unmistakable.  If, and that is a major IF, this was a passage that stood by itself in the Bible, we might  say it was a clear conditional statement - if...then.  We would interpret it as such and be content that God was saying that IF Israel would DO what the condition said, THEN God would DO the promise portion of the statement said.

On the surface, of course, that is so.  But other Scripture tells us that this was, not only not a possibility (Judah would not repent) but it was not even God's intention (Remember that God had, long ago, prophesied that Judah, in the hardness of her heart, would go to Babylon).  The offer is surely genuine and very real; we must be careful to recognize that. But we must also be careful to take ALL that God says into account (as God Himself did when He spoke it).

In this, sadly, many fall short.  Many approach a verse, not on its' own merits, but on the merits of what they already think and seek to fit into an already existing theological system.  Many do this "innocently", being of the mindset that they already understand the truth, and this verse "must" fit in with with what they already know.

Certainly, this is often so, perhaps even often so.  But it is not ALWAYS so.  As those charged with seeing to it that we properly understand the passage that we are reading; it lies to us to be sure that we are careful to see that we do, indeed arrive at the proper conclusions concerning that meaning. 

The only way to securely do so is to give ourselves over to the “normal” interpretation of the Scripture. What we mean by this, is to allow the Scripture to simply mean what it says. It is not our purpose here to go into a discussion of how to deal with figures of speech, etc., but rather, it is our desire to underscore the truth that this is the only way that we can be sure that we are secure in holding on to what the Scripture actually says and not coming up with a figment of our own imaginations.

In that way, when we come to passages such as this one, that  seem to contradict other passages, we can rest in the assurance that it is God Who has placed them before us and not man. We can be certain, then, that the “conflicting” ideas are there for a reason. Our responsibility with regard to the particular passage in view then becomes the searching out of that reason. Why is it that God would say one thing in one place and seemingly another thing altogether in another place? Of course, there is at least one reason - that is, the demonstration of His larger purpose for the entire nation of Israel.

Whereas God certainly had a desire, a fervent desire, to be involved with many individuals within the nation of Israel as time passed by in Israel's history; He also had a larger purpose that he was pursuing with regard to his dealing with the nation as a unit. These two purposes were neither mutually exclusive, nor contradictory.  This is the only fashion in which we can make any sense of these kinds of passages. Otherwise, we end up being forced, like many "expositors" into the declaration that the Bible contradicts itself, or other such foolish conclusions.

We must take great care to allow the Bible to simply say what it says, and be sure that, neither our presuppositions, nor the overwhelming "background noise" of our fallen nature to crowd out the truth that it declares to us. To fail to do so means that we fail to hear the Scriptures message. And to fail to hear the Scriptures message, means that we fail to hear the message of God!  We don’t get to make it up as we go along…

My Iniquities Are Too Heavy For Me!

Selections Taken From
Matthew Henry’s Method For Prayer

My iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me; (Psalm 38:4)  But, being weary and heavy laden under this burden, I come to Christ, who has promised that in him I shall find rest for my soul. (Matthew 11:28)

Knowing the affliction of my own heart, (1 Kings 8:38) may I look on him whom I have pierced, and may I mourn and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. (Zechariah 12:10)  That I may grieve after a godly sort, with that grief which produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret; (2 Corinthians 7:10)  That I may remember and be confounded, and never open my mouth again because of my shame, when you have atoned for me for all that I have done. (Ezekiel 16:63)

O that I may bear fruit in keeping with repentance! (Matthew 3:8)  Let it be that I may never again turn back to folly; (Psalm 85:8) For what have I to do anymore with idols? (Hosea 14:8) For sin will have no dominion over me, since I am not under law but under grace. (Romans 6:14)  I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments. (Psalm 119:176)

The more knowledge I have of good and evil, the greater is my sin!  I have known my Masters will, but I have not done it; and therefore I deserve a severe beating! (Luke 12:47) - "And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes."

I have known the way of the Lord and the justice of my God and yet have broken the Yoke, and burst the bonds (Jeremiah. 5:4-5).  I have known God's decree, that those who practice such things deserve to die, and yet have not only done them, but have given approval to those who practice them (Romans 1:32). I have taught others, and yet have not taught myself (Romans 2:21).  While I profess to know and follow the Lord, I have denied Him by my works (Titus 1:16). The greater the profession I have made of my religion, the greater has been my sin!  I call myself after the Holy City and stay myself on the God of Israel and confess His Name, but not in truth and righteousness (Isaiah 48:1-2).  I have dishonored that worthy Name by which I have been called (James 2:23) - "And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.' And he was called the friend of God."

·        I bless you for the redemption I have through Christ’s blood, for the forgiveness of my trespasses, according to the riches of your grace, which you have lavished upon me. (Ephesians 1:7-8)  That you have forgiven all my iniquities and healed all my diseases; (Psalm 103:3) I thank You That in love you have delivered my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back. (Isaiah 38:17)  When you brought me into the wilderness, there you spoke tenderly to me, and gave me my vineyard from there, and made the Valley of Achor a door of hope. (Hosea 2:14-15)

·        I bless you that by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified; (Hebrews 10:14)  That he has finished transgression, Put an end to sin, Atoned for iniquity, And has brought in an everlasting righteousness. (Daniel 9:24)

·        I thank You that He has redeemed me from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for me. (Galatians 3:13) and that God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do, by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, who by a sacrifice for sin, condemned sin in the flesh. (Romans 8:3)

·        I thank You that he was wounded for my transgressions and crushed for my iniquities, and that upon him was the chastisement of my peace, and with his stripes I am healed; and that the Lord having laid upon him the iniquity of all his people, (Isaiah 53:5-6)

O Lord, I beg You...Build in me the Fear of God and the Love of God that is Rooted in You, work in me that fear of you, Which is the beginning of wisdom, (Psalm 111:10) which is instruction in wisdom, (Proverbs 15:33) and which is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death. (Proverbs 14:27)  Unite my heart to fear Your Name, (Psalm 86:11) that I may keep your commandments, which is the whole duty of man. (Ecclesiastes 12:13) 

Dear Father, I beg that You put the fear of you in my heart, that I may not turn from you. (Jeremiah 32:40)  Let me be devoted to your fear, Psalm 119:38 and let me continue in the fear of the LORD everyday and all the day. (Proverbs 23:17)  Let the love of God and Christ be rooted in me and, to that end, that the love of the world may be rooted out of me.

Give me grace, I beg you, to love you, the Lord my God, with all my heart and soul and mind and strength, (Mark 12:30) which is the great and first commandment; (Matthew 22:37-38) Let me hold fast to you in love, (Psalm 91:14) Let me delight myself always in you; because therein I shall have the desires of my heart. (Psalm 37:4) Circumcise my heart to love you, the LORD my God, with all my heart and with all my soul, that I may live. (Deuteronomy 30:6)

O that God’s love may be poured into my heart through the Holy Spirit. (Romans 5:5) O that Jesus Christ may be very precious to me, as he is to all who believe, (1 Peter 2:7) Let Him be in my account distinguished among ten thousand, (Song of Solomon 5:10 and altogether desirable; and that He may be my beloved and my friend: (Song of Solomon 5:16)

Lord, though I have not seen Him, yet I may love Him; and though I do not now see Him, yet I may believe and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory. (1 Peter 1:8)  Let the love of Christ to me control me to live, not to myself, but to him who for my sake died and was raised. (2 Corinthians 5:14-15)  And, Lord, grant that I may not love the world or the things in the world, because I know that if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him; (1 John 2:15)  Help me that I may set my mind on things above, and not on things that are on earth. (Colossians 3:2)

John MacArthur on President Obama

 

See It For What Is–An Assault on Biblical Truth–Not Politics!

True & Better

  

A Great Video by Tim Keller…

Truly–It’s Not About You and I–The Sooner We Get That in Our Heads The Better!

Humiliated and humbled: sadly, not synonyms

by Dan Phillips
From the Pyromaniacs.com Blog 

Once there was a man with much to boast of; and boy, did he.

The man was a builder/conqueror/despot Nebuchadnezzar. A dream, brought home by a genuine prophet, had warned him of the consequences of his arrogance and called him to humble himself before God (Dan. 4:2-27). Nebuchadnezzar shrugged off the prophet's pleas and doubled down (Dan. 4:28-33). The king was instantly humiliated by a word from Heaven, and spent seven periods of time (?; don't ask) living like an animal (Dan. 4:32-33), until he saw himself in true proportion to God (Dan. 4:34-36). Now Nebuchadnezzar wasn't so big, but God was.

In this case, Nebuchadnezzar was both (outwardly) humiliated, and (inwardly) humbled. That is, God undid him, and he received the message. It's actually a pretty happy story. Many believe ol' Nabu-kudurri-usur was saved through the encounter. Possible. Only God knows.

Too many of the similar stories I know, first-hand and second-, do not yet have such happy endings.

I know of a number of folks who have been massively and/or repeatedly humiliated, but never humbled. I could name politicians past and present, preachers past and present, religious bodies past and present, and individuals past or present. I could name a name leading the news recently. Some of these folks I've never met; some I knew (or thought I knew) as well as I will ever know anyone who isn't me.

In each case, the natural process of following (sinful) choice A led to (foolish) choice B, which then led to disaster. Anyone with two functional neurons to fire in sequence, observing the situation, could make the connection: A led to B; A is the root-problem. Humble yourself. "Own," then disown A.

But, see, children, here's a crucial axiom of fallen humanity. It should probably be added to the 25 Things I've Learned sermon (which seem more timely than ever)... though that would mess up the title. But here it is:

Everyone caught in a sin will either repent, or double down

 

Sin snowballs.

There's only one way to be rid of a sin, and that way lies through repentance. Repentance is the way of humility. Repentance loves God, so it hates the sin. Repentance sees God as big, so it sees the sin as despicable. Repentance admits culpability, because it craves forgiveness — and only guilty people can be forgiven. Hence the need for "owning" — for confession — and for "disowning" through repentance.

By contrast, refusal to be rid of the sin inexorably takes one in the other direction. All defenses go up, and all assailants must be repulsed. Rationalization, blame-shifting, evasion, equivocation, lies, excuses... all these and many other baleful tools lie in the arsenal of the unrepentant.

 

Solomon's words, however, stand as true today as they were when first spoken and written:

Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy (Proverbs 28:13) ...and its companion warning:

One who becomes stiff-necked, after many reprimands
will be shattered instantly— beyond recovery
(Proverbs 29:1 CSB) The lesson to us is clear: we should humble ourselves, lest we be humiliated. "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you," Peter admonishes (1 Pet. 5:6).

Refuse to do so, and we will learn Nebuchadnezzar's lesson: that "those who walk in pride he is able to humble" (Dan. 4:37).

The fall back lesson is no less clear: if it comes to humiliation, take the message to heart. Don't be the last to know. Don't wait until the two saddest words in the English language become your epitaph:

 

"Too late"

This WAS America…

Reposted From The Fundamental Baptist List

There WAS a time in America when people meant it when they said "In God We Trust"!

There WAS a time in America when character was respected and appreciated!

There WAS a time in America when people were united in the fight to defend, preserve, and protect our nation and its values.

America MUST return to those times!

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

Our Founding Fathers and other important figures in America's history had some important thoughts on FAITH, CHARACTER, and PATRIOTISM.

© 2010 Joshua Goodling - All Rights Reserved

As Adam, So Christ

Taken from the The Thirsty Theologian Blog

12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned— 13 for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. 16 The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification. 17 For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
18 So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. 19 For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. 20 The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord - Romans 5:12–21

But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. . . .So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.—1 Corinthians 15:20–22, 45

Can one believe in theistic evolution and still be a Christian? Yes, he can, given enough ignorance,* and lacking logical thinking skills. But no one who knows what the New Testament says about the gospel and about Adam, and can perform simple mathematic functions, can hold to any evolutionary theory without denying the gospel.

John MacArthur, commenting on Romans 5:12–14, explains:

The fact that Adam and Eve not only were actual historical figures but were the original human beings from whom all others descended is absolutely critical to Paul’s argument here and is critical to the gospel of Jesus Christ. If a historical Adam did not represent all mankind in sinfulness, a historical Christ could not represent all mankind in righteousness. If all mankind did not fall with the first Adam, all mankind could not be saved by Christ, the second and last Adam (see 1 Corinthians 15:20–22, 45).

—John MacArthur, MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Romans 1–8 (Moody, 1991), 294.* I know: “given enough ignorance” is not a logical phrase, but you know what I mean.

A Sad Experience

By Rev. Dick Sparling

There are many words that in themselves describe some experience in our lives. There are those that bring positive thoughts and those that are negative. One of the negative words is "regret". .

Webster defines regret as

"Remorse implying a sense of sorrow about events in the past, usually wrongs committed or errors made. Regret is a feeling of sorrow or disappointment for what has been done or not been done."

With this definition in mind, no one can say, "I have no regrets," for that would mean that we have lived a perfect life. For me and I believe for all who read this article, the regrets are more than we would like to admit. These can be from things that are not very serious all the way to very serious incidents that have hurt us or others.

The Psalmist wrote,

“I will declare my iniquity; will be sorry for my sin.”

A classic example in Scripture comes from the life of Peter.

Matt. 26:31 “All you shall be offended because of me this night.” (The words of Jesus).

Matt 26:33

"Peter answered and said unto Him:, 'Though all men shall_ be offended because of you, yet will I never be offended.'

Matt. 26:34

“Jesus said unto him, 'I say unto you that this night before the cock crows, you shall deny me three times.'”

Matt. 26:35

“Peter said unto Him, 'Though I should die with you, yet will I not deny you.'”

His Actions

Matt. 26:69-74

"Peter sat ,outside in the courtyard."

He denied knowing Jesus 'three tittles ,(vs. 70,. 72, 74) His denial was harsh. We are told he denied knowing Jesus "…with an oath.

" and :began to curse and to swear, saying, know not the man." -

Jesus had told him in Matt: 26:34 that he would deny Him three times. After the third denial,

"…immediately the cock crowed:" (vs. 74).

Peter's' Reaction

Matt. 26:75 Peter remembered the words of Jesus,

“…and he went out and wept bitterly”

He was experiencing REGRET or SORROW. What he had done was bad, but Worse; it could not be undone.

In looking at this story, it is interesting to note that Peter's regret is for not doing What he promised - and doing what he promised not to do. The result was emotional upset from-the regret or sorrow.

Another classic example in the New Testament is in the life of Judas. In Matthew 26:35 he was with the other disciples who promised never, to deny Jesus. He not only denied Jesus but betrayed Him in an unbelievable way.

Matt. 26:47 -

"While He yet spoke, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came and with him a great multitude with swords and clubs from the chief priests and elders of the people.

Matt. 26:48, 49 -

Now he that betrayed Him gave them a sign Saying, ‘Whomsoever I shall kiss that same is He; hold Him fast’ ...He came to Jesus... and kissed Him.”

Matt. 26:50 -

“Then came they and laid hands on Jesus and took Him.”

His Regret

After seeing what he had done there was deep regret.

Matt. 27c:

“He hanged himself.” (Read Matt. 27:3-5)

Regret can obviously be a sad and upsetting experience for us. For myself, the regrets are probably enough to fill a book. In fact, - I am finding it hard to pick one as an example. Even though I've been forgiven by the Lord, when I think about some. things I did in past years, particularly my years in the Navy and in my early twenties, I feel regret. The sad thing is, I can't do anything about it.

Regret is experienced because of what we do, acts, words spoken, promises made and broken, bad decisions, and so on. It can be anything where we hurt ourselves . or others: There is no way every area can be discussed in this short article. I will concentrate on one, the use of our tongue. An example from my life comes from my relationship with my mother. I said something where my father spoke to me later and said, "You know, you hurt your mother." I can't remember what I did to her but I remember the words of my father and to this day experience regret. It is now many years since Mom's home going and when I think of it, I still feel regret and sorrow.

The challenge for us is to guard our tongues so we will eliminate the experience of regret. In counseling I used to tell folk to "get holes in your tongue!" meaning bite your tongue, don't say what you later will regret. .

James wrote,

"Wherefore, my 'beloved brethren, let every man be slow to speak, slow to wrath." James 1:19.

Eph. 4:29

"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth but that which is good to the use of edification, that it may minister grace to the hearers."

Col. 4:6

"Let your speech be always with grace."

I Peter 3:10

"For he that will love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil and his lips that they speak no guile."

What do We do when we are experiencing regret? First, we should when possible correct the action or problem we created. The Scriptures tell us ,what else we can and should do.

"Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry (regrets) but that you sorrowed to - repentance, for you were made sorry after a: godly manner." II Cor. 7:9.

Repent and be forgiven.

The garment which the Savior always wore

From “Grace Gems”
www.gracegems.org

(James Smith, "Christ Exalted, Saints Comforted, and Sinners Directed" 1855)

HUMILITY is a most precious grace--it is filled with beauty, loveliness, and glory. This is the garment which the Savior always wore. This is the grace which gave such a charm to all that He did and said. It is one of our best garments, and without it the soul is generally naked.

"All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another." 1 Peter 5:5.

For lack of humility--the Church is rent and torn with divisions. For lack of humility--believers bring many trials and crosses on themselves, and sow the bitter seeds of trouble and remorse.

If I were truly humble, I must be happy, for it is with such Jehovah dwells: "For this is what the high and lofty One says--He who lives forever, whose name is holy: I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and humble in spirit." Isaiah 57:15. To such He looks with esteem, love, and delight: "This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at My Word." Isaiah 66:2.

"I hate pride and arrogance!"
Proverbs 8:13.

Pride is . . .

most loathsome to God, injurious to men, and a stronghold of Satan within us.

The words of James 4:6:

"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble!"

He keeps the proud at a distance, and will not allow them to approach him:

"Though the Lord is great, He cares for the humble--but He keeps His distance from the proud!" Psalm 138:6.

He threatens them with everlasting destruction. "The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this:

They will not go unpunished!"
Proverbs 16:5

Lord, give me true humility, and let me be clothed with it from day to day!

Our Ancient Foe

by Keith Mathison
Taken From the Ligonier Ministries Blog

Talk of the Devil and spiritual warfare makes some people roll their eyes. We live in an age of particle accelerators, microchips, and organ transplants. The Devil? Why, he’s nothing more than a medieval superstition created to scare naughty children. We can’t take any of that seriously.

Martin Luther would have disagreed. He took it very seriously and wrote often of his ongoing battle with the Devil. He was very aware of the forces of evil. Most of us have heard the story about Luther throwing an inkwell at the Devil. Whether truth or legend, such an act would not have been out of character for Luther. It is also well known that Luther believed in using contempt to fight the Devil, and some of the things he said to and about the Devil were colorful, to say the least.

According to the skeptics, Luther may have meant well, but his encounters with “the Devil” say more about his fragile mental state than they do about reality. This is what our demythologized world would have us believe, and, frankly, it is what the Devil himself would have us believe. As the French poet Charles Baudelaire said, “The devil’s best trick is to persuade you that he doesn’t exist!”

Luther’s language about the Devil wasn’t always crude. Sometimes he was more tactful. His hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” is a magnif icent description of spiritual warfare and our place in it.

A mighty fortress is our God,
a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood
of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe
doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great,
and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

The Devil is quite real, and there is a spiritual war going on every minute of every day (Rev. 12:17). It was foretold by God when He cursed the Serpent and said, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring” (Gen. 3:15). This war is not a dualistic Manichaean battle between two essentially equal forces, good and evil, light and darkness. Satan is not omnipotent or omniscient. God alone is sovereign and all-powerful. All that the Devil does is done only by God’s permission and ultimately will be used by God for His own purposes.

Did we in our own strength confide,
our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side,
the Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name,
From age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

It is important for believers to understand that the outcome of this war is not uncertain. As God also said to the Serpent, “He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” The decisive battle has already been won at the cross. The Devil may have thought he had won when Jesus was crucified, but this was actually the point in redemptive history when his head was crushed. It was by means of His death on the cross that Jesus destroyed the Devil (Heb. 2:14).

Some theologians have used World War II as an analogy of what happened. The cross was D-Day in the spiritual war. It was the decisive assault that sealed the doom of the enemy. The final victory, analogous to VE-Day, occurs at the final judgment when the Devil is cast into hell. Christians today live between D-Day and VE-Day. During this time, the armies advance against the enemy, slowly but surely, in a bloody and painful battle until Christ has put every last enemy under His feet. Some days see advances while other days see retreats, but overall there is an advance until the last day, the day of the enemy’s complete surrender.

And though this world,
with devils filled,
should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim,
we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,
for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers,
no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours
through Him Who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go,
this mortal life also;
The body they may kill:
God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.

The fact that we live between the decisive battle and the final battle explains why Peter must still warn his readers that the Devil prowls around like a lion seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). The Devil has suffered a fatal wound, but he is not dead. He remains dangerous, and we must remain watchful against his schemes. He does not always come at us looking as evil as he is. He and his servants can disguise themselves as angels of light (2 Cor. 11:14). In spite of this, because we are united with Jesus Christ, the One who crushed his head, we can resist the Devil, and he will flee from us.

Harold Camping Like Rome

Reposted From A Piece By James White

I was listening to Camping's Open Forum program tonight. I was struck by two callers.

• One called to ask about 1 Corinthians 15:28, "When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all." Camping's reply was that he does not understand this text, his mind is too small for it. So, when someone asks about the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the relationship of Father and Son---i.e., about real theology, the knowledge of God, Camping throws up his hands and admits he hasn't a clue.
• Then, with a caller only a few minutes later, he claimed that there is nothing in the Bible more clearly testified to with more proofs than his own May 21, 2011 date.

How does this make Camping like Rome? Simple. Rome can tell us all about Mary's physical condition at the birth of Jesus, and about indulgences, and purgatory, and celibate priests, but she cannot tell us about the sovereign decree of God in salvation. In other words, Camping and Rome both illustrate the reality of unbiblical religion: you can't answer the deep questions, the meaningful ones, but you can have terrible certainty about utter irrelevancies. Of course, those irrelevancies are the very keys to your religious system, the things that make you differ from others, but the fact is that false religion can give you absolute certainty about unimportant things, but cannot answer the important questions of faith.

That's very much to Brother White for his insightful comments...they are extremely helpful in this matter and we are very grateful!

Into the Very Heart of the Word of God

Oh, that, you and I might get into the very heart of the Word of God, and get that Word into ourselves! As I have seen the silkworm eat into the leaf, and consume it, so ought we to do with the Word of the Lord; not crawl ever its surface, but eat right into it till we have taken it into our inmost parts. It is idle merely to let the eye glance over the words, or to recollect the poetical expressions, or the historic facts; but it is blessed to eat into the very soul of the Bible until, at last, you come to talk in Scriptural language, and your very style is fashioned upon Scripture models, and, what is better still, your spirit is flavoured with the words of the Lord.

I would quote John Bunyan as an instance of what I mean. Read anything of his, and you will see that it is almost like reading the Bible itself. He had studied our Authorized Version, which will never be bettered, as I judge, till Christ shall come; he had read it till his very soul was saturated with Scripture; and, though his writings are charmingly full of poetry, yet he cannot give us his Pilgrim’s Progress— that sweetest of all prose poems— without continually making us feel and say, “Why, this man is a living Bible!” Prick him anywhere; his blood is Bibline, the very essence of the Bible flows from him. He cannot speak without quoting a text, for his very soul is full of the Word of God. I commend his example to you, beloved, and, still more, the example of our Lord Jesus. If the Spirit of God be in you, he will make you love the Word of God; and, if any of you imagine that the Spirit of God will lead you to dispense with the Bible, you are under the influence of another spirit which is not the Spirit of God at all. I trust that the Holy Spirit will endear to you every page of this Divine Record, so that you will feed upon it yourselves, and afterwards speak it out to others.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon
1834 – 1892

A Call To Anguish…

David Wilkerson, the author of “The Cross and the Switchblade” and many other great and godly books and writings, famous for his work for the Lord in New York City and elsewhere was killed just days ago in an automobile accident.  Today he walks with his Master in realms of glory…something far better and something, I’m sure that he longed for.

My brother-in-law drew my attention to this snip of a sermon of his: “A Call to Anguish”.  Do we wonder why God uses some and not others, some and not me?  Perhaps this is a part of the answer…

Where Is Our Anguish?

The End is Near? The False Teaching of Harold Camping

by Albert Mohler
http://www.albertmohler.com

Harold Camping is now warning the world that the Day of Judgment will begin at about 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 21, 2011. The 89-year-old founder of Family Radio has made such pronouncements before, most recently in 1994. He now says that he simply miscalculated then, but he is absolutely certain that he has the right calculation now. You have been warned.

Actually, millions of people in America have been warned through Camping’s radio program and by means of the more than 1,200 billboards his ministry has put up across the nation. According to press reports, Family Radio has put up 2,000 billboards in other nations as well.

Camping is no stranger to controversy, but this one has caught national and international attention. He was wrong before, but this time he is absolutely certain that he is right. As he told New York magazine:

God has given so much information in the Bible about this, and so many proofs, and so many signs, that we know it is absolutely going to happen without any question at all. There’s nothing in the Bible that God has ever prophesied — there’s many things that he prophesied would happen and they always have happened — but there’s nothing in the Bible that holds a candle to the amount of information to this tremendous truth of the end of the world. I would be absolutely in rebellion against God if I thought anything other than it is absolutely going to happen without any question.

If you know the Bible and this statement confuses you, you are in good company. Harold Camping believes that God has revealed to him the exact dating of biblical events and the timeline of the judgment. He says that God revealed some “exquisite proof” that enabled him to determine a “finished product” timeline that ends on May 21, this coming Saturday.

As Michael S. Rosenwald of The Washington Post explained, Camping “…says he came up with the very precise date of May 21 through a mathematical calculation that would probably crash Google’s computers.” Further, Camping’s mathematical formula “involves, among other things, the dates of floods, the signals of numbers in the Bible, multiplication, addition and subtraction thereof.”

As many have noted, the math seems to make sense only to Harold Camping.

Yet, in a strange way, this just serves to affirm Camping in his teaching. On his Web site he states:

However, it was not until a very few years ago that the accurate knowledge of the entire timeline of history was revealed to true believers by God from the Bible. This timeline extends all the way to the end of time. During these past several years God has been revealing a great many truths, which have been completely hidden in the Bible until this time when we are so near the end of the world.

These “true believers” turn out to be Harold Camping and his disciples. Others, even professing Christians, will be in big trouble when Saturday comes, he believes.

The Christian church has seen this kind of false teaching before.

• William Miller and his Adventist followers (known, surely enough, as Millerites) believed that Christ would return on March 21, 1844.
• In the 1970s popular Christian preachers and writers predicted that Christ would return on various dates now long in the past.

All this is embarrassing enough, but now we have the teachings of Harold Camping to deal with. Given the public controversy, many people are wondering how Christians should think about his claims.

First, Christ specifically admonished his disciples not to claim such knowledge. In Acts 1:7 Jesus said,

“it is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.”

In Matthew 24:36, Christ taught similarly:

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.”

To state the case plainly, these two verses explicitly forbid Christians to claim the knowledge of such dates and times. Jesus clearly taught that the Father has not revealed such dates and timing, but has reserved that knowledge for himself. It is an act of incredible presumptuousness to claim that a human knows such a date, or has determined God’s timing by any means.

Second, the Bible does not contain hidden codes that we are to find and decipher. The Bible has been given to us in order that we might know the truth, and the truth is clearly revealed in its pages. We are not to look for hidden patterns of words, numbers, dates, or anything else. The Bible’s message is plain and requires no mathematical computation for its understanding. The claim that one has found a hidden code or system in the Bible is an insult to the Bible as the Word of God.

Third, Christians are indeed to be looking for Christ to return and seeking to be found faithful when Christ comes. We are not to draw a line in history and set a date, but to be about the Father’s business, sharing the Gospel and living faithful Christina lives. We are not to sit on rooftops like the Millerites, waiting for Christ’s return. We are to be busy doing what Christ has commanded us to do.

In Hebrews 9:28, we are taught that Christ will come a second time “to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” That is the faithful Christian response to the New Testament teachings about Christ’s coming. The Church is not to be arrogantly setting dates, but instead to be eagerly waiting for him. Of that we can be truly certain.