tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4387946323814980332024-03-13T09:46:21.583-05:00Dr. John PappasUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger100125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438794632381498033.post-64903855094400464872024-03-05T17:39:00.000-06:002024-03-05T17:39:06.408-06:00Isaiah receives a prophecy concerning Judah and Jerusalem - Isaiah 3In Isaiah chapter 3, Isaiah receives a prophecy concerning judgment for Judah and Jerusalem. Can the ruling class abuse its power? Can the ruling class overtax its people? Can the rich ruling class cheat in order to get more? Of course they can! Join us as the LORD identifies their sin and pronounces their judgment.
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John Pappashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05474601729663082059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438794632381498033.post-3385636738425373022024-02-20T09:06:00.001-06:002024-02-20T09:06:46.663-06:00Isaiah 2Chapter 2 of Isaiah brings the prophecy of Kingdom blessings to the southern kingdom as Jerusalem, the capital of Judah is suffering from political oppression. Jerusalem will be center of the earth in the Messianic Kingdom age. As Dr. Willmington says, learning worship instead of war. Join us in this audio study of Isaiah chapter 2.
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John Pappashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05474601729663082059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438794632381498033.post-87744671486402209462024-02-14T12:21:00.000-06:002024-02-14T12:21:21.796-06:00Isaiah the Poet, Prophet, Historian<p>Isaiah is known as the poet-prophet, but he is also known as the author of a work known as the "the Book of the Kings of Judah." The prophecies of Isaiah while many are near, focus upon the Messiah. In fact, the Messiah can be found on every page of his work. The source of our knowledge of Christ's first coming work comes first and foremost from this prophet in both an historical-prophetic narrative and a prophetic poetic literary masterpiece from the hand of the LORD of hosts. Join us in this audio series of the prophet Isaiah here:</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p>
<iframe src="https://archive.org/embed/isaiah-1_202402" width="500" height="60" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen="true" mozallowfullscreen="true" allowfullscreen></iframe>John Pappashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05474601729663082059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438794632381498033.post-1291054524282834742020-11-02T08:41:00.004-06:002021-01-22T10:34:09.190-06:00The Gathering Storm<p> The world system is quickly positioning itself for the end times political-economic Satanic dream – a complete takeover of the individual nations autonomy to a one world government. The plan today is for a complete global economic social justice reset. What makes this reset more probable than those plans that have come before? It is the multi-faceted groups that have come together to push for it to come to reality. </p><p><span> </span>The “pandemic” is the catalyst through which these groups see a way to accomplish their goals. The major players are all wealthy ideologues with their own individual yet common agendas – to force their ideology upon all and to control their individual aspect of the world. They push global control and legislation of their individual goals and with the world governments not willing to cooperate, they must find a crisis to take over control – be it peaceful or by force. The survival of the earth is at stake. Their attitude is the same as in the days of Noah and of Lot, the same as in the days of the Tower of Babel where the world came together against God to build their city and tower whose top is in the heavens (Gen. 11). Their heavenly utopia! The group today will “bake their bricks in fire,” that is, they will secure everything they need to build their Satanic, anti-God system, convincing themselves that they can prevail against God and in fact approach God in heaven independent of His righteous demands. They will approach God on their terms. </p><p><span> </span>This group is made up of righteous environmentalists, socialists, and social justice warriors. The common idea behind all these groups is the great reset where the world must be reset economically, politically, and socially. The earth and humankind cannot continue with the economic injustice that exist; the earth cannot continue with the social injustice of today; and the earth cannot exist with the environmental injustice with its massive pollution killing the earth - the population growth is simply unsustainable. </p><p><span> </span>The radical environmentalist of the 1960s have come to a collective breaking point. Their demand? End all fossil fuel production, end all plastic production that is destroying our oceans, and stop human consumption of animals. Regardless of their past wrong predictions, this group insists cardon dioxide is the most existential threat to the world as it is causing human made global warming. With their first powerful advocate, then vice president Gore, this group sought and continues to seek to control one of the most important money making businesses on the planet – the oil industry. They have managed to remove all scientists that counter their claim concerning the causes of the earth’s increasing global temperature. They proclaim Co2 is the undisputed cause to global temperature rise, without any proof. When confronted with the reality of their fallacy, that is, that there is no direct-correlation between temperature and Co2 (if there was, an exact equation could be established and we could say with certainty and prove it by a test in the lab). Instead, this group has their scientists run computer models to prove their fake science and when their results differ from reality, they simply change their model and proclaim its complicated but still a fact. This is not science! </p><p><span> </span>The second group seeks economic justice and sees socialism as the global savior even as every socialist type governmental organization has failed in the past. This group demands leveling the economic ladder for the poor and underrepresented of the world. Even the Catholic pope demands economic justice for the poor and disadvantaged. </p><p> <span> </span>The time is ripe for change, the storm is brewing, as the world experiences this global pandemic. The great power brokers of the world have come together pushing the technological advances of Moderna a startup company backed by many and in particular the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The foundation is the most powerful in the world, its biggest contribution goes to GAVI (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization), the second biggest going to the World Health Organization (WHO). But what is scary is the foundation’s fourth largest benefactor, PATH, a company that produces a vaccine vital monitor, a method that provides a visual indication when a vaccine is good. It is along these lines that Moderna comes into the picture. Moderna technology is a high tech startup that inserts synthetic mRNA (modified RNA) into living cells that reprogram the cells to develop immune responses. All experiments using this technique in the past have been unsuccessful resulting in significant side effects. In fact, Moderna’s latest trial approved in July 2020 for Operation Warp Speed has led to all 15 patients injected with the modified RNA having side effects and the higher doses study was then discarded. </p><p><span> </span>Why the great push for Moderna to succeed as a COVID vaccine? Why is Moderna counted among the top tier companies for the vaccine? Because it had figured out how to get a visual indicator that one was vaccinated – a mark, if you will. While I do not know the details of the science behind the magic of Moderna, the interest by Bill Gates is intense and worrisome.</p><p><span> </span>Why worry about Bill Gates? Because as they say, know the man, and you know what his motives are. And what Bill Gates is very worried and motivated about is the belief that the earth cannot sustain a healthy population much longer due to population growth. </p><p><span> </span>In 2014, WHO used a vaccine in Kenyan for Tetanus resulting in the sterilization in some women. Samples of some of WHO’s tetanus vaccine were tested and HCG antigen was found in the samples which is attributed to the cause of the sterilization in the women. Similar charges were brought in Nicaragua, Mexico, Tanzania and the Philippines. Again in 2014, experimental HPV vaccines were tested on 23,000 young girls in India resulting in seven deaths, 1,200 suffered serious complications including fertility problems and autoimmune disorders. </p><p><span> </span>Yet, apart from Bill Gates push for population control, the most startling revelation is his desire for a global digital tracking scheme. He has been pushing for and researching with digital implants and other methods of what is called a digital certificate in order to get a visual verification that one has been vaccinated and even if one has been tested. If all this startles you, it should. But keep in mind who is in control. </p><p><span> </span>God is in control and nothing occurs outside His will. When Satan approached the throne room of God, he was asked, “from where do you come?” Satan answered, “From going to and fro on the earth, and walking back and forth on it.” Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there us none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?” So Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have you not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But now, stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!” And the Lord said to Satan, Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person” (Job 7-12). Nothing happens in the universe outside God’s knowledge and will. Even if you are the richest person in the world and God fearing as well. God used Satan to attack Job for the purpose of refinement – a test with fire – for the good of Job, for Job’s growth, even as he was declared a blameless and upright man. Job still had spiritual problems which needed correction and God uses whomever he wills to mold His vessels because they are His vessels made for His purpose and the sovereign of the universe will sanctify who He wills. </p><p><span> </span>In 605 B.C., Babylon was the greatest nation on the earth and king Nebuchadnezzar was the most powerful man on earth. Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and took captives back to their kingdom. God used king Nebuchadnezzar as judgment against Israel for her sins. That was the work of God’s hand. Yet, Nebuchadnezzar was judged for his treatment of Israel as he took the his kingdom from him – but only temporarily. With great boasting, Nebuchadnezzar proclaimed, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?” While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice fell from heaven,” “King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you! And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen; and seven times [years] shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses” (Dan. 4:30-32). The most incredible, unheard of thing happened, after seven years the king was restored to his throne and the king proclaimed, “For Him [God’s] dominion is an everlasting dominion. And His kingdom is from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’ (Dan. 4:34b-35). </p><p><span> </span>While the storm looms in the distance, with all the rumblings of wars and rumors of wars, famines, earthquakes, and even a seemingly unending pandemic, one thing is constant - that God is on His throne and nothing happens outside His will. While we do not know what will happen tomorrow and as we are still in this COVID crisis and don’t know where it will lead us nor its outcome, and while we are still in this fallen world with Satan as the ruler of this world, take heed to the testimony of Nebuchadnezzar, “All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’” </p><p><span> </span>Someday the world will come together under a common ruler and proclaim like those of the days of the tower of Babel to come together in unity of voice and build ourselves our own world that will stretch all the way to heaven. But until then, be wise as serpents and harmless as doves (Mark 10:16), carrying on the business of the Lord, proclaiming His salvation though Christ’s shed blood, His death, burial, and resurrection to life. Knowing that by believing that Jesus died, was buried, and resurrected you shall be saved from the penalty of sin. Know that this world is passing away and we who are His are not of this world, therefore turn your mind toward the things of God. As the apostle Paul wrote, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Rom. 12:2). And finally, know this: “For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing” (1 Thes. 5:9-11). </p>John Pappashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05474601729663082059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438794632381498033.post-74951110553976283942020-10-04T16:34:00.000-05:002020-12-16T14:31:12.985-06:00Pope Francis rushes to the Globalist’s Call for a One World Government<p>Pope Francis again urged the world to reject “market capitalism” and move to a “new type of politics,” Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020. Of course, this new type of politics is nothing new for this pope as he has endorsed the socialist movement in central America as a young priest. The central American socialist utopia pushes the classic struggle for financial equality while demonizing the rich and causing division. Pope Francis said, the magic theories of market capitalism have failed and the world needs a new type of politics that promotes dialogue and solidarity and rejects war at all costs. In other words, a new global governmental system that will not tolerate descension. </p><p>Pope Francis summarized his encyclical (a pastoral letter addressed by the pope to the bishops of the whole church) by reflecting upon his agreement with the Grand Imam Ahmad Al-Tayyeb that “God has created all human beings equal in rights, duties and dignity, and has called them to live together as brothers and sisters.” What is the problem with this statement? God never called mankind to live together as brothers and sisters! Moreover, where is the personal individual responsibility? The pope is using the language of the communist which tickles the ears while they stab you in the back. The pope in this encyclical calls for open borders, a plan for economic stability for everyone on the planet - a shared vision and plan for the whole world. Dignity for the individual, according to Francis, is primarily economic. The language is stunning as dignity has changed to be synonymous with human rights. </p><p>What is interesting about this pope is that he is moving the Catholic Church back into a strongly political body where in the past it had sought to deal primarily with church matters. The movement of the Catholic Church to the left has been very noticeable since Francis become pope. He has slowly marginalized the conservative, removing them from positions of power. His close ties with China and agreement with China’s new national security law (where China gets to pick bishops) has angered many in the church. But Francis has a bigger agenda at play – to move the entire Roman Catholic Church away from its historic doctrines to be a more “inclusive” church. What does this new inclusive church look like? Global, political, and socialist. The pope goes so far as to reject the “absolute right to property for individuals.” For Francis, the gospel is not simply the good news of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection – the payment for sin and victory over the final enemy death (1 Cor. 15:1-5). For Francis, the gospel is social, economic, and political - he has redefined it! </p><p>Pope Francis and communist China are closer today than at any time in the past. The pope was eager to drop any mention of Hong Kong from his addresses to the people when China clamped down on Hong Kong’s independence and free speech and assembly early this year causing many world leaders and conservative Catholics to voice their concern. How can the pope preach dignity when Hong Kong is ruled with an iron fist? How can the pope preach dignity when Christians in China are put in prison, killed and forced into labor camps simply for their beliefs? </p><p>With the conservative branch of the Catholic Church removed watch as the pope moves to embrace the globalist’s call for a one world government under the banner of a “new political and economic” paradigm. It is not surprising that the Catholic Church seeks “kingdom now” theology since they spiritualize the literal future kingdom of Christ on earth. They have replaced Christ’s kingdom with their own kind of kingdom with Rome as the city on the hill replacing Jerusalem, Israel and the Messiah Himself. Be watchful Church and share the good news of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who died for the sins of the world - and remember this is not the kingdom! </p><div><br /></div>John Pappashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05474601729663082059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438794632381498033.post-88039440599169196152019-10-28T20:12:00.004-05:002020-12-16T14:31:10.869-06:00The Sixth Great Prophecy of ScriptureLast time we saw Israel was promised a land. Now, in our sixth major prophecy, we look at the prophecy to the nation Israel of the land as an eternal possession. The Abrahamic covenant involved a land, a seed, and a blessing. It is through this covenant, the great Abrahamic Covenant, that one finds not only the promise of a Savior for Israel, a nation of Israel, but the nation Israel will live in the land with a righteous King in peace. Here we find the next major prophecy – the Prophecy of the Future of Israel in the land as an eternal possession.<br />
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This prophecy starts with the Abrahamic covenant, moves to the Mosiac covenant, and will find fulfillment in the kingdom age in what is called the land covenant. The promise made to Abraham was to leave the land he was in, and go to a land the LORD would show him. So he packed up his family and left. The promise stated in unconditional covenant language (Gen. 12:1-3) and promised to him and his offspring (Gen. 12:7). This promise was repeated over and over. However, as Hebrews 11:9-10 declares, “By faith he [Abraham] made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” As Dr. Walvoord says, “The reference to the city is commonly interpreted as meaning the New Jerusalem in eternity future” (Walvoord, Major Bible Prophecies, p. 79). As Abraham never possessed the land, we understand this promise is yet future.<br />
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The boundaries of the land are defined in detail by God in Gen 15:18 as, “On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, ‘To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river , the Euphrates.” <br />
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While this covenant was made to Abraham and his descendants, the LORD hands control over to the Isaac and Jacob (Gen. 26:3-5). And when God brings a drought to the land, Israel leaves to dwell in Egypt, and as promised and prophesied, He brought them back to the promised land. Notice the prophecy of Genesis 15:13-16:<br />
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<i>13 Then He said to Abram: "Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. 14 "And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 "Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. 16 "But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete." (Gen 15:13-16)</i><br />
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The great story of the Exodus was fulfilled literally and the LORD delivered Israel out of bondage in Egypt and brought them back to the promised land. However, peace and prosperity in the land was now made conditional with the Mosaic covenant. And again, the prophecy was give of Israel’s idolatry, slavery, and restoration. <br />
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First the conditional promise found in the law of Deuteronomy:<br />
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<i>Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the LORD your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess, 2 "that you may fear the LORD your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged.<br /> 3 "Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the LORD God of your fathers has promised you--`a land flowing with milk and honey.' 4 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!<br /> 5 "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 "You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 "You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.<br /> 10 "So it shall be, when the LORD your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, 11 "houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant-- when you have eaten and are full--<br /> 12 "then beware, lest you forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.<br /> 13 "You shall fear the LORD your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name. 14 "You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you 15 `(for the LORD your God is a jealous God among you), lest the anger of the LORD your God be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of the earth. (Deu. 6:1-15)</i><br />
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Next, the prophecy of idolatry and dispersion found in Deuteronomy 28:<br />
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<i>36 "The LORD will bring you and the king whom you set over you to a nation which neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you shall serve other gods-- wood and stone. 37 "And you shall become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword among all nations where the LORD will drive you. (Deu. 28:36-37)</i><br />
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Finally, the regathering back to the land prophesied in Deuteronomy 30:<br />
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<i>Now it shall come to pass, when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the LORD your God drives you, 2 "and you return to the LORD your God and obey His voice, according to all that I command you today, you and your children, with all your heart and with all your soul,<br /> 3 "that the LORD your God will bring you back from captivity, and have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the nations where the LORD your God has scattered you. 4 "If any of you are driven out to the farthest parts under heaven, from there the LORD your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you. 5 "Then the LORD your God will bring you to the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it. He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers. 6 "And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live. 7 "Also the LORD your God will put all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, who persecuted you. (Deu. 30:1-7)</i><br />
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While this second dispersion occurred in history with the Assyrian devastation and the Babylon captivity, Israel’s regathering in 605 also occurred in history. However, Deuteronomy 30 also speaks of a future regathering in belief – the final regathering of Israel at the LORD’s second coming. This final regathering is the third dispersion/regathering prophesied in Scripture. <br />
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While the second dispersion/regathering occurred in history, we understand the third dispersion also is historical. This third dispersion involves the rejection of Jesus as Israel’s King. Notice the language in Luke 21:<br />
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<i>20 "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. 21 "Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. 22 "For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 23 "But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. 24 "And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. (Luke 21:20-24)</i><br />
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The third dispersion of Israel started in A.D. 70 with the destruction of the temple and was complete in A.D. 132 when the emperor Hadrian expelled the Jews from the land and renamed it Palestine in an effort to remove any and all Jewish identity and claim to the land. <br />
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The final regathering is prophesied to have two stages. The first stage is a regathering in unbelief, the second stage, however, will be in belief, but both are by the hand of God. The Lord’s regathering of Israel in unbelief is occurring today as Israel exists today as a nation since 1948. The prophecy was given in Ezekiel 20:33-38,<br />
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<i>33 "As I live," says the Lord GOD, "surely with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, I will rule over you. 34 "I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out. 35 "And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will plead My case with you face to face. 36 "Just as I pleaded My case with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will plead My case with you," says the Lord GOD. 37 "I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; 38 "I will purge the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the country where they dwell, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD. (Ezek. 20:33-38)</i><br />
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The second phase of the third regathering will be in belief. This prophecy is found in Ezekiel 39:23-29.<br />
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<i>23 "The Gentiles shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity; because they were unfaithful to Me, therefore I hid My face from them. I gave them into the hand of their enemies, and they all fell by the sword. 24 "According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions I have dealt with them, and hidden My face from them."' 25 "Therefore thus says the Lord GOD:`Now I will bring back the captives of Jacob, and have mercy on the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for My holy name-- 26 `after they have borne their shame, and all their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, when they dwelt safely in their own land and no one made them afraid. 27 `When I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them out of their enemies' lands, and I am hallowed in them in the sight of many nations, 28 `then they shall know that I am the LORD their God, who sent them into captivity among the nations, but also brought them back to their land, and left none of them captive any longer. 29 `And I will not hide My face from them anymore; for I shall have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel,' says the Lord GOD." (Ezek. 39:23-29)</i><br />
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And,<br />
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<i>7 "Thus says the LORD of hosts:`Behold, I will save My people from the land of the east And from the land of the west; 8 I will bring them back, And they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. They shall be My people And I will be their God, In truth and righteousness.' (Zech. 8:7-8)</i><br />
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This great regathering will be by God Himself with the assistance of His holy angels (Matt. 24:31):<br />
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<i>30 "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 "And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matt. 24:30-31)</i><br />
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This fulfillment of the final regathering is the fulfillment of the covenant prophecy made to Abraham and his descendants when the covenant was made official in Genesis 17 and specifically called an everlasting possession (Gen. 17:8; cf. 48:4). <br />
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<i>8 "Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God." (Gen. 17:8)</i><br />
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What a blessing it is to see the Lord God Almighty will fulfill His promise to Israel, for if He will keep His word to them, how much more for those who call on the name of Jesus Christ? Is God not the Rock of both Israel’s salvation as He is also the author and finisher of the salvation of all who call upon the name of the Lord? John Pappashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05474601729663082059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438794632381498033.post-52011363231830964572019-06-15T17:33:00.001-05:002019-06-15T17:33:25.593-05:00The Fifth Great Prophecy of ScriptureOur fifth major prophecy concerns the nation Israel. The Abrahamic covenant involved a land, a seed, and a blessing. It is through this covenant that one finds not only the promise of a Savior of Israel, but the nation Israel will live in the land with a righteous King in peace. Jehovah-Tsideqenu (The Lord our Righteousness; Jer.23:6) will be Jehovah-shalomenu (The Lord our peace; Eph. 2:14) because He originated ‘eth-berity shalom (“the covenant of peace”; Num. 25:12). Here we find Dr. Walvoord’s next major prophecy – the “Prophecy of the Future of Israel as a Nation.” <br /><br />As Dr. Walvoord wrote, “For a gentile believer of the twentieth century, prophecy concerning the future of Israel may seem unimportant. However, from a prophetic perspective, the future of Israel is very important. In fact, the prophecies about Israel form the background of understanding prophecy as a whole. One of the main causes for current confusion in understanding prophecy is the failure to take Israel-related prophecies literally. Attempts to transfer the promises relating to Israel to the church have been a major obstacle to understanding God’s prophetic purposes as a whole. Once prophecies about Israel are distinguished from prophesies concerning the church or the Gentiles, the main programs of God as outlined in prophecy begin to be clear.” <br /><br />When God gives us prophecy and it is fulfilled one finds it fulfilled literally! That should be the main statement of fact the we hold when we approach Scripture. However, that is not the central point that those who interpret the Bible from an amillennial point of view. That is, for those who interpret Scripture from an historical, grammatical, THEOLOGICAL perspective. What is the problem with adding theological to our method? It corrupts the historical, grammatical, turning the plain meaning into a meaning that is has a many interpretations as there are theological perspectives. We are responsible moral agents, and as such, we are responsible for how we handle and transfer God’s Word. We interpret Scripture like we interpret any other writing – we interpret Scripture like our elementary school teacher taught us – we interpret by the historical, grammatical method!<br /><br />When we approach Scripture like the following: <br /><br />5 "Behold, the days are coming," says the LORD, "That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. 6 In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. (Jer. 23:5-6 NKJ)<br /><br />We are not to approach this Scripture, take it out of context, and proclaim Jesus as our King reigning on His throne today in heaven. That is how the amillennial interprets it. Ignoring “executing judgment and righteousness in the earth,” and “Israel will dwell safely.” Even, if one were to replace Israel with the church as they do, how is it that the church dwells safely today.” This should be interpreted in context, Israel is national Israel, not the church, and execute judgment and righteousness on the each means Jesus’ second coming not His first coming, when Christ comes in judgment, not when Christ came as the Suffering Servant. <br /><br /> Pattern of literal fulfillment. Dr. Walvoord points out that prophecy has a fundamental pattern throughout Scripture of a literal fulfillment of prophecy. He wrote, “the prediction that from the line of Abraham would come One who would be a blessing to the entire world has already been fulfilled in Christ. Additional fulfillment is found in the prophets of the Old Testament and the apostles of the New Testament as they contributed to the spiritual blessing God has bestowed on his people… Throughout history it has become obvious that the descendants of Abraham have emerged as a nation with millions of people. In Egypt the family of seventy may have become a people of two million or more at the time of the Exodus. Though for many generations they were persecuted and reduced in number, the people of Israel today are estimated to number from 15 to 25 million inhabitants In various parts of the world.” <br /><br />The Scriptures testify of a future Israel that will exist in Israel proper with the Messiah ruling as King in a land blessed by fruitfulness. Indeed starting in Deuteronomy chapter six, one finds the Messianic kingdom is prophesied in great detail. So it is a question of the character of God that one must come to the conclusion that His Word be true and prophecy be interpreted in its plan sense and a literal, not some spiritualized interpretation applied to Israel’s future with their Messiah who will dwell on mount Zion! Dr. Walvoord observes, “Though some extremists of one kind or another attempt to explain away any literal fulfillment of the existence of Israel today, the fact is that the world as a whole has recognized Israel as a political state and has assigned her certain territories in the Middle East… The question of a future of Israel is important becauseit determines the interpretation of so many passages of the Bible. To some, the theological arguments may seem technical, but the question simply put is whether the prophecies about Israel should be taken in their plain and natural meaning as revealing Israe’s future. The debate is between the amillennial view, which claims that there is no literal Millennium after the second coming of Christ, and the premillennial position, which believes Isreal has a future Millennium after this event.” <br /><br />What is at stake here, is the very character of God Himself! Did God not author the Scriptures by His Spirit? If God is just and unchangeable, why then would God change the interpretative technique for mankind when it comes to some Scriptures than others and different rules from basic interpretation of any document? He does not. Everywhere Israel is used in the Bible means Israel, everywhere Jew is used in the Bible it describes those who are Israelite not Gentiles. This can be seen in Paul's letter to the Corinthians in 1 Cor. 10:32, where a threefold division of mankind is defined today to be (1) Gentiles, (2) Jews, and (3) The church of God. And Paul’s clear teaching concerning Israel’s future in Romans chapter eleven. <br /><br />25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; 27 For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins."<br /> 28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.<br /> 30 For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience,<br /> 31 even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. 32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.<br /> 33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! 34 "For who has known the mind of the LORD? Or who has become His counselor?" 35 "Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?" 36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen. (Rom 11:25-36 NKJ) <br /><br />One finds that both Testaments, the Old and New, testify to the future of the Messianic Millennial Kingdom reserved for the Jew first, so that Paul can say with clarity and certainty that all Israel will be saved. <br />John Pappashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05474601729663082059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438794632381498033.post-31871206910413444362019-04-06T14:08:00.003-05:002020-03-07T16:57:15.967-06:00The Fourth Great Prophecy of ScriptureDr. Walvoord’s classic work, “Major Bible Prophecies,” gives us the subject of this forth article. The forth major prophecy involves not only the promise to Abraham of a great nation, but the most important aspect – the Messianic line. The Messiah will come through a specific genealogy – the Messiah will come through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. <br /><br />The promise to Abram in Genesis 12:1-3 involved a physical descendant of Abraham and Sarai. Both were already in their advanced ages and were childless. This indeed was the test for them – would they wait on the Lord or would they take things into their own hands? The certainty of Abram’s calling was complete and the certainty of Abraham moving out of Ur to the land of Haran was complete, but what about a blood heir? <br /><br />After ten years waiting for an heir, Abram suggested that his close servant Eliezer be the legal heir. Indeed, according to cultural norms, that was possible, but that was rejected by God: “This man will not by your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir. Then He brought him outside and said, ‘Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness” (Gen. 15:4-6). <br /><br />After waiting ten years in Canaan, Abram heeded Sarai’s advice to conceive a son with her Egyptian maidservant, Hagar. The result was Ishmael. Yet God rejected Ismael as heir also. Even as Ismael was from the loins of Abram, and it was legal and a custom to have offspring with the maidservant, Ismael was not the heir God intended. God did not mean Abram’s heir to come through their manservant, nor maidservant. God meant the legal heir to be from the loins of Abram with his wife Sarai. <br /><br />When Abram was ninety-nine years old God reaffirmed His promise giving Abram the sign of the covenant – circumcision, and Abram’s name was changed to Abraham “father of many,” and Sarai’s name changed to Sarah “princess.” After reaffirming the covenant promises, Scripture records:<br /><br />17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, "Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?" 18 And Abraham said to God, "Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!" 19 Then God said: "No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him. 20 "And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. 21 "But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year." (Gen 17:17-21) <br /><br />Dr Walvoord writes, “Twenty-five years after Abraham left Haran, as he waited for some evidence of the covenant being fulfilled, the promise of God, impossible as it seemed to Abraham and Sarah, was fulfilled, and Isaac was born. In recognition that Isaac was a covenant child, Abraham circumcised him on the eighth day (v. 4)…. The answer came in spite of Abraham and Sarah’s unbelief and their inability to contemplate the omnipotence of God in doing what is impossible to humans. The fulfillment of the promise illustrates again the unconditional and absolutely certain fulfillment required in the provisions and promises of the Abrahamic covenant.”<br /><br />With the legal heir now established, God moves to reaffirm His covenant with Isaac’s offspring. However, Isaac and his wife Rebekah have twins – Esau and Jacob. Yet it is the younger, Jacob that will be the legal heir not the oldest Esau. From the womb, God proclaims to Rebekah, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger” (Gen. 25:23)<br /><br />In Genesis 28, God reaffirms His covenant with Jacob (28:11-15). And the book of Genesis closes with the prophetic promise to the twelve sons of Jacob, most notable to Judah who is to be the prominent tribe. Scripture says:<br /><br />8 Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father's children shall bow down before you. 9 Judah is a lion's whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him? 10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people. (Gen 49:8-10)<br /><br />The promise of the seed, land, and nation brings the promise to the Davidic covenant found in 2 Samuel 7:5-17. It is here that one finds the Messiah comes from Judah through the line of Israel’s best king David. Notice what Scripture says:<br /><br />Also the LORD tells you that He will make you a house. 12 "When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 "He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. (2Sa 7:11-13)<br /><br />This eternal house of David refers to the future Davidic Kingdom wherein Jesus Christ is declared to be the unique one qualified to be from that line. Both Matthew and Luke itemize genealogies of Jesus from different perspectives uniquely identifying Jesus as the child born, but a Son given. That is to say, Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Son of Man, and the Son of David. As Dr. Walvoord wrote,” Matthew recorded this genealogy to show the legitimacy of the throne passing through Joseph, the legal heir of David, but actually, Jesus Christ had to come from a different line in the flesh through another son of David, Nathan. This leads to Mary, the actual mother of Christ. Accordingly, while the legal title passed to Christ through Joseph, the physical claim of being a descendant of David comes through David and Nathan instead of David and Solomon. This line of truth also tends to confirm the doctrine of the virgin birth of Christ, for if Christ were the son of Joseph, he would not be able to sit on the throne of David in view of the curse put on that line.” John Pappashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05474601729663082059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438794632381498033.post-25626752148907130752019-03-08T14:20:00.000-06:002019-03-08T14:20:10.564-06:00The Third ProphecyContinuing with our series in honor of Dr. Walvoord’s classic work, “Major Bible Prophecies,” we look at the third major prophecy. The third major prophecy is the most important prophecy in the whole of Scripture – the call of Abraham and the Abrahamic Covenant for it brings us the promise of salvation and deliverance through the line of Abraham. As Dr Walvoord notes, “Beginning with Abraham, Scripture charts a new course for God’s people. The choice of Abraham marked a new narrowing of the redemptive purpose of God.” <br /><br />From the start God has always had His godly line. Adam and Eve had their offspring, and Abel was the one that exemplified the righteous line. After Abel was killed, the godly line followed Seth (Gen. 4:25), then Noah, and Shem. After the tower of Babel, God chose Terah (Gen. 11:26) and through Terah, Abraham was chosen. But the godly line was specific as it continues with the great Abrahamic Covenant to Isaac and Jacob. Thus it was not a mistake that we come to Genesis chapter twelve and find God chose Abram out of the godly line and out of that godly line will come the Messiah – the Savior of the world. <br /><br />From Genesis 12 through the rest of Scripture, Abraham’s seed, Israel, is the major focus. Notice the promise made to Abram as he is called to come out of the land of Ur.<br /><br />Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." (Gen. 12:1-3)<br /><br />The three aspects of the promise are: <br />1. I will make you a great nation. <br />2. I will bless you and make your name great. <br />3. You shall be a blessing. <br /><br />When the God of the universe promises something then it is sure to come about, and in this case Abram is commanded to leave his current comfortable place to follow Him to a land He will show him. This is an unconditional promise which later turns into an official covenant in chapter seventeen. It is within these three promises that the nation of Israel is created, a future kingdom is established in the land of Israel, salvation is defined as coming through the Seed of Israel based on believing God and the righteousness that God provides through faith. <br /><br />This promise was given to Abram about B. C. 2000. He and his wife Sari were childless and older established in age. God moved them to the land of Canaan wherein He told them they would have offspring that would inherit the land. So it is that we find expanded in Scripture a land covenant and the promise of eternal possession of the land. A seed covenant with king David promising an eternal king on the throne of David, namely, the Messiah, King Jesus seated on Him throne in Israel. And finally, a New Covenant that promises a new heart and eternal life in the eternal kingdom. <br /><br />Dr. Walvoord wrote, “First, the covenant anticipated prophetically how God’s hand of blessing would rest upon Abraham. This is illustrated throughout his life in that God made him a wealthy man, a powerful man, and a miraculous channel through which Isaac was to be born. Abraham was blessed above any other person in his generation, andthis promise, like other promises in the covenant, was literally fulfilled. Second, Abraham was promised that his name would be great – that is, he would be a major actor in God’s redemptive program. He is mentioned as Abram or Abraham about three hundred times in the Bible. Unquestionable, he is one of the most important characters of the Old Testament and is mentioned many times in the New Testament as well. This prophecy has been literally fulfilled. Third, God declared to Abraham, ‘You will be a blessing’ (Gen. 12:2). Unquestionably, Abraham was a blessing to his own generation and to his own family, and through the centuries he has been an illustration of faith and obedience that has challenged all who follow the Lord. God’s faithful dealings with Abraham, even when he fell short of perfect obedience, are a great encouragement to the people of God and help to fulfill this promise. The ultimate fulfillment, however, is found in the aspects of the covenant referring to blessings on the whole world… The greatest of all promises, of course, was the promise of blessing to all the peoples of the earth, and it is here that the church of the New Testament comes in (Gal. 3:6-9).” <br /><br />It is through Abraham, the man of faith, all peoples who trust in God as Abraham did will be blessed through Abraham and his posterity. While we find within the Abrahamic covenant eternal conditions, fulfillment is yet future and centers around the Messianic Kingdom. So it is that we find within the Abrahamic covenant the future Seed, Jesus Christ, who is prophesied and of which the whole of Scripture is speaks, for it is God who is faithful to fulfill His Word, and the His Word is true, as He is the way, the truth, and the life. The importance of the Abrahamic covenant is significant only because there is One who is the significant, faithful, just, and true potentate who backs up His promise by His word. <br /> <br /><br />John Pappashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05474601729663082059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438794632381498033.post-13908109490005741072019-01-31T20:28:00.002-06:002019-01-31T21:45:07.916-06:00The Second Prophecy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In this second article in honor of Dr. Walvoord’s classic work, “Major Bible Prophecies,” we look at the true meaning of the rainbow, and yes, another instance of God’s provision of salvation by grace. The second major prophecy of the Bible is the curse of Noah’s offspring Canaan. <br />
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The growth in human population brought increasing sin to the world. The murder of Abel by Cain reveals the extent of the fall, and how the new reality of the statement, “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door, and its desire is for you, but you should rule over it” (Gen. 4:7). The effect of the fall touched every aspect of creation – everyone born into this corrupted world is itself corrupt, not just a little, but every aspect of man has been corrupted. As Cain’s family is developed we find their character follows that of their father. Indeed, Cain’s offspring personified sin. Their desire was for fame, they took multiple wives, the finest of things they could acquire, and the second murder was by the hands of Cain’s offspring. As the apostle, John, defines, <br />
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16 For all that is in the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - is not of the Father but is of the world. (1 John 2:16)<br />
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As their family grew, wickedness grew to the point that God declared, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh” (Gen. 6:3a). “So the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air” (Gen. 6:7a). <br />
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Yet there also sprung up a godly line that walked with God (Gen. 6:9a), meaning, Noah was a just man and in his daily walk he sought to do right in the eyes of the Lord. Noah had three sons and as Dr. Walvoord wrote, “Of the human race only Noah and his family, descendants of Seth, were still honoring the Lord. In His plan to destroy the earth, God determined to save Noah and his family and through them to make a new beginning of the human race.” <br />
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After the waters of the flood receded, God established a new set of house rules. The new set of house rules is called by dispensationalists the dispensation of human government which covers the period of Genesis 8:20-11:32. The new rules were given by God along with a covenant with Noah (Gen. 8:20-9:17). God declared “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. As long as the earth endures, seed-time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease” (Gen. 8:21-22). God’s covenant with Noah included a number of promises. (1) Noah was instructed to, “be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth” (Gen. 9:1). (2) God placed everything in creation under human authority, whether beasts or birds or fish (9:2-3). (3) For the first time God gave Noah the right not only to eat of the green plants but to eat meat from animals (9:3-6). But God made it clear not to eat of the animal flesh with its blood in it (9:4). (4) Capital punishment was then instituted for anyone who takes a human life (9:5-6). (5) God promised Noah, “I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth” (Gen. 9:11). (6) Finally, God gave the rainbow as a sign of the covenant. What a beautiful sign which speaks of God’s protective glory that covers the sky as He provides us the blessing of rain in its season. In Hebrew a covering is the word used for a sacrifice. When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, the Lord provided an animal skin covering for them. Now, we find the rainbow serves as a kind of a metaphor of a covering in the ski for the sins of man – mercy provided by the One who sits on His Mercy Seat in heaven. The splendor of the colors of the rainbow reflects the splendor and glory of God. <br />
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A fundamental change to the earth occurred with the flood. Seasons were now realized, rain for the first time was seen as the primary means of watering the earth. The age of mankind drastically decreased exponentially from around a thousand years down to around a hundred years. This decrease also reflects a change in both the atmospheric pressure and temperature as Noah is found drunk with fermented wine that he made from his vineyard (Gen. 9:20).<br />
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The text says, “Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment, backwards and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. So Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him. Then he said: Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants he shall be to his brethren. And he said: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem, and may Canaan be his servant. May God enlarge Japheth, and may he dwell in the tents of Shem; and may Canaan be his servant” (Gen. 9:22-27).<br />
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Dr. Walvoord summarized, “The Canaanites, who were Ham’s descends, became a very wicked people and were perpetually enemies of Israel. They were particularly involved in sexual sin. Subsequent history recorded that the Canaanites occupied the place of slaves in relationship to Israel. This did not immediately stem from Noah’s condemnation but rather as a judgment of God upon them for their licentious lives. In Genesis 14 the Canaanites were enslaved by kings from the East, and later the Gibeonites, who also were descendants of Ham, became water carriers and woodcutters for the congregation and altar of the Lord (Josh. 9:27)…Eventually the Canaanites disappeared from the pages of history. <br />
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This prophecy was fulfilled and as we read of it we find encouragement that God’s word is true. That is the purpose of prophecy – to bring a sobering word of encouragement. Dr. Walvoord concludes, “In contrast, Noah blessed Japheth, implying that his descendants would be a great people. Shem was blessed with Canaan as his slave: ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem. May God extend the territory of Japheth; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be his slave’” (Gen. 9:26-27). <br />
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It is no mistake that God gave Israel a land that was predominantly called Canaan. The prophecy is much richer than at first glance. “A servant of servants he shall be to his brethren.” As Israel was released from Egyptian bondage, the slaves were move north to the land of Canaan. And after entering the land Canaan, they became their servants! How improbable is this prophecy? How big is God? He is the One who places the rainbow in the sky! The One who provides salvation and the One who judges – the Lord is His name. <br />
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John Pappashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05474601729663082059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438794632381498033.post-88580975255327844672019-01-06T15:11:00.003-06:002019-01-06T15:11:52.469-06:00The First ProphecyThis year is the 28th anniversary of the publication of John Walvoord’s classic book “Major Bible Prophecies.” In the book, Dr. Walvoord details 37 crucial prophecies that affect you today. Since the publication nothing has changed, sin and Satan still dominate world events, death, destruction and misery still dominates life around us. Yet with all the problems and conflict, God is still the sovereign of the universe, He is still in control, and He still saves today. This year Dr. Walvoord’s classic work will be the focus of each month’s article – starting from the first prophecy that promises victory over sin and death by our Savior, and ending with the great prophecy of our destination – the new heaven and new earth. <br /><br />Our first prophecy found in the Bible is in Genesis 3:15. There, the context is Adam and Eve’s sin of disobedience to eat freely of any tree of the garden, but not of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. As the Lord gives the serpent his consequences for his role in the great deception which Satan appearing as a serpent played, God proclaims,<br /><br />14 So the LORD God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel." 16 To the woman He said: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you." 17 Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, `You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. 18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. 19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return." (Gen 3:14-19 NKJ)<br /><br />Not only did that greatest destructive event in history bring a fundamental change in the human race as all sin in Adam, but as Dr. Walvoord wrote, “The entrance of sin had changed God’s beautiful creation into a world of conflict, sorrow, and death.” It is most important to understand that since this great destructive event of the fall, there required, as the prophecy of 3:15 declares, another great destructive event that must take place in order to bring a final end to the works of the devil by means of his head wound, the greatest event in all of history – the heel wound of the promised One. <br /><br />The curse on Satan affected the world. Dr. Walvoord wrote, “The original sin of Satan in heaven, when as a holy angel he rebelled against God, now spread to the world of Adam and Eve, the result was that both Satan and the created world came under God’s curse.” This curse upon Satan and the ground means that Satan’s battleground moved to the ugliest spiritual warfare imaginable. Not only is the battle between the unseen powers, Satan and his demons against Michael the archangel and his angels, but between the seed of Satan – those unsaved humans who are sons of the devil. Again Dr. Walvoord wrote, “Spiritual warfare continued not only in that which is visible between the righteous and the evil but also in the unseen contest between the demon world led by Satan and the holy angels led by Michael.” <br /><br />Yet there is hope because God Himself will deliver us victory. God provided a proper blood sacrifice covering to Adam and Eve. Dr. Walvoord wrote, “God promised salvation. To replace Adam and Eve’s self-made garments of leaves, which were now inappropriate and inadequate, God provided for them garments of skin. This provision involved the slaying of an animal and the shedding of blood. In this way, salvation and redemption by blood was symbolized as being the only way by which human sin could be temporarily covered or the victory could ultimately be wrought.” <br /><br />Indeed this initial prophecy of the Bible deals with sin and the Savior’s victory over Satan’s works and sin’s dominion. It involves a work of the Only Begotten of the Father, as the triune Godhead planned, executed, and applied the blood of the Son of God in the greatest legal transaction in history where Jesus Christ redeemed mankind from the slave market of sin and conquered the last enemy death. Dr. Walvoord wrote, “Victory over sin and death is promised. In His final pronouncement upon Satan, God said, ‘He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel’ (Gen. 3:15). Through the preceding verse referred to individuals in the plural, the final victory will be caused by one who is declared here to be the seed of the woman, anticipating the Virgin Birth. ‘He,’ referred to Christ, ‘will crush your head’ – that is, inflict a mortal wond on Satan that will be devastating and lead to his ultimate judgment. This first promise of the Redeemer and Savior begins the long line of prophecy through the Scriptures of the godly seed leading to Christ, including Abel, Seth, and Noah (Gen. 4:4, 25; 6:8-10); Shem (9:26-27); Abraham (12:1-4); Isaac (17:19-21) ; Jacob (28:10-14); Judah (49:10); David (2 Sam. 7:5-17); and Christ as Emmanuel (Isa. 9:6-7).”John Pappashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05474601729663082059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438794632381498033.post-17790633315356426162018-07-27T13:29:00.000-05:002018-07-27T13:29:03.877-05:00What is the Hidden Manna of Revelation 2:17? The Lord Jesus tells the Church of Pergamum, “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the Churches. To him that overcomes I will give to eat of the hidden manna and I will give him a white stone and in the stone a new name written which no man knew except the one that receives [it]).” (Rev. 2:17) <br /><br />
Some identify the expression, “having been hidden,” with the pseudepigraphal books of Second Maccabees and Second Baruch which speak of the hidden ark of the covenant that the Messiah alone knows the location and will remain hidden until He returns. The ark contains the two tablets of the law, Aaron’s rod which budded, and a pot of manna (Heb. 9:4). ( Paige Patterson, The New American Commentary: Revelation (Nashville: B& H, 2012), p. 109) <br /><br />There is another tradition within Judaism that fits the subject of hidden manna for the believer today. This tradition is also not in the law and no one knows when it came to be observed in the Passover, but it mysteriously appears within Judaism and incredibly points to Christ. The Passover meal is celebrated with three pieces of bread. Before the meal, one piece of bread is taken from the middle partition of a three partition cloth called the matzah tosh. The unleaven bread is broken in two and wrapped in cloth and hidden in the house. The hidden piece of bread is called the afikomen (Hebrew Habba’ “the coming one”). After dinner the children of the house search for the afikomen as a game and are rewarded when found. Then the bread is broken and all partake of it.<br /><br />The present participle of Revelation 2:17, “to conquer, overcome,” has the sense of, “one who is right now overcoming,” or, “a person who is known as an over-comer.” The person who overcomes the world and its sway will in the future be given the hidden manna. The expression, “I will give to him to eat out of the manna, having been hidden,” moves us back to the wilderness wandering and the manna that the Lord provided daily to the Israelite. It served to provide the necessary food for the two million or so Israelis moving through the wilderness. It can be assumed that the manna promised here is not for physical sustainment but for spiritual sustainment. Moses makes this clear as he says in Deuteronomy 8:3:<br /><br />
<i>And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. 3 So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD. (Deut. 8:2-3)</i><br /><br />Our Lord applies this manna to Himself as He declares, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35). The hidden manna here is Christ!<br /><br /><i>For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. (John 6:33-35)</i><br />
And,<br />
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<i>As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. 58 This is the bread which came down from heaven - not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever. (John 6:57-58)</i><br /><br />It is at this point that the Lord tells the disciples that He will return to heaven,<br /><br />
<i>What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. (John 6:62-63)</i><br /><br />This hidden manna, is given in the future to the over-comer who overcomes in this life. That is, the manna of God is provided with three tenses: the past tense is Christ has come in the flesh, His body broken, He died on the cross for our sins, was buried, raised three days later, and ascended to the right hand of the Father (John 6:53-63).<br />
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The manna is present with the believer as Christ is the very One who sustains life as one partakes of Him in his or her daily walk (John 6:53). The present manna is called in theology our sanctification – our walk in newness of life, sustained by Him as we are tested and moved to maturity in Him.<br />
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Finally, there is the future tense of Christ as the manna. Christ our future manna deals with our final redemption where we will be delivered from our flesh to a glorified body in the resurrection. It is this future “state of being,” spoken of here. When our bodies will be transformed into something acceptable for presence of heaven – the dwelling place of God, where sin is not allowed and the corruption of an earthly fleshly body must be transformed into a body that is incorruptible and proper for the presence of God. Our future presence with Christ in glory will be fulfilled in the future as life itself has its source from Christ<br /><br /><b>The three tenses of Manna:</b><br /><b>Past (John 6:33-35)</b>. Christ’s broken body died on the cross, was buried, was resurrected three days later, and ascended to heaven. Our salvation accomplished in the past, trusting in this truth assured our indwelling presence in Christ.<br /><br /><b>Present (John 6:35,63). </b> Christ is the bread of life that sustains those that appropriate Him in their daily walk. Our sanctification is accomplished in Him and through Him, and by Him as we participate in the daily presence with Christ. <br /><b><br />Future (John 6:39-40; Rev. 2:17)</b>. Christ was the firstfruits of our future resurrection. Our presence in heaven with Christ is secure as Christ is our firstfruits of the resurrection. Our future presence with Christ in glory will be fulfilled in the future as life itself has its source from Christ. <br />
<br />John Pappashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05474601729663082059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438794632381498033.post-36302569148511416502018-03-28T20:44:00.000-05:002018-03-28T20:44:19.569-05:00Jesus - The Son of DavidThe title "Son of David," is related to the humanity of Christ and the Messiah - the promised Anointed One of the Old Testament. That is to say, Israel expected one from the line of David to be the promised Anointed Savior, Deliverer and Ruler over Israel. This expectation was due to the promise made to King David that Bible scholars call the Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7:11-17, and 1 Chronicles 17:10-15). The Son of David was prophesied to come and establish righteous rule in a future eternal Messianic kingdom.<br /><br /><br /><b>Davidic Covenant Promises (2 Sam. 7:11-17; 1 Chron. 17:10-15)</b><br /><br /><b> Provision Verse</b><br />
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<li>David was promised an eternal house (dynasty) 2 Sam 7:11, 16; 1 Chron 17:10</li>
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<li>One of David’s sons (Solomon) was to be established on the throne after David 2 Sam 7:12</li>
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<li>Solomon would build the Temple of the Lord 2 Sam 7:13</li>
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<li>The throne of David was to be established forever 2 Sam 7:13, 16</li>
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<li>Solomon would be disciplined for disobedience 2 Sam 7:14-15 </li>
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<li>The Messiah will come from the seed of David 1 Chron 17:11</li>
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<li>Messiah’s throne, house, and kingdom will be established forever 1 Chron 17:17-14</li>
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<br /> The anointing (appointing) into the office of prophet, priest, and king was essential in the Old Testament economy. The Son of David is essential to the incarnation of Christ and is essential to the requirement of a righteous branch which only the Son of God can fulfill. The fact of Jesus’ virgin birth is especially important with regard to the rightful reign of the Son of David over Israel upon the throne in Jerusalem since it was declared to the last sitting king of the royal seed of David that none of his descendants would ever reign again (Jer. 22:30). However, since both Mary and Joseph were from the line of David, Jesus is not a legal descendent by blood, through the father, but by adoption. “Thus, by adoption, Joseph was able to convey the legal right to the throne upon Jesus, without passing on the curse of Jeconiah, while Mary conveyed physical descendance from David.” (Mal Couch, gen. ed., Dictionary of Premillennial Theology, p. 394). Thus Jesus in His incarnation is uniquely both the Son of David through birth and legally able to fulfill the promise of seating on the Throne of David. <br /><br /> Jesus is called the Christ (Χριστός) which is Greek for “anointed,” and is equivalent to the Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ (machiyach) “messiah.” The name Jesus (Ἰησοῦς) is from the Hebrew Joshua (יְהוֹשׁוּעַ “yehoshua” or Hoshea) and means, “Yehovah is salvation,” and is likewise related to the promised Anointed One who will save His people. The unique link made in John 7:42 of Christ to the Son of David is foundational to Jesus coming in the flesh to deal with the sin issue, to die for the sins not only of Israel, but of the world. However, Jesus was raised from the dead in order to be our anointed priest today, who is at the right hand of God. But Jesus will come again as the anointed King and savior of Israel who will rule with a rod of iron from mount Zion. Amen. <br /><br /><br /><b>Jesus in John 7:42; Luke 1:31-33 quoted from Jeremiah 23:5-6 </b><br /><br />40 Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, "Truly this is the Prophet." 41 Others said, "This is the Christ (Χριστός)." But some said, "Will the Christ come out of Galilee? 42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?" (John 7:40-42)<br /><br />5 "Behold, the days are coming," says the LORD, "That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. 6 In His days Judah will be saved (יָשַׁע , yasha’), And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. (Jer. 23:5-6)<br /><br />31 "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS (Ἰησοῦς). 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end." (Luke 1:31-33) <br /><br /><br /><b>Jesus in Matthew 1:16 quoted from Daniel 9:24-27 (cf. Ps. 2:2)</b><br /><br />16 And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ (Χριστός). (Matt. 1:16)<br /><br />24 Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy. 25 "Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah (מָשִׁיחַ, mashiyach, “anointed”) the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times. 26 And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined. 27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate. (Dan. 9:24-27)<br /><br /><br /><b>Jesus in Matthew 1:21-23 quoted from Isaiah 7:14</b><br /><br />21 "And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins." 22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us." (Matt. 1:21-23) <br /><br /><br />14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel (עִמָּנוּאֵל “God with us”). (Isa. 7:14)<br /><br /><br /><br />John Pappashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05474601729663082059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438794632381498033.post-84979482835334936912017-11-12T08:09:00.001-06:002017-11-12T08:09:21.067-06:00The Balfour EffectThis year marks the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration and as the Jewish state celebrates, the Arab world condemns Israel for its very existence. The reaction from the Arab nations to the Balfour celebrations was denouncement, demonstrations and the news media favored the Palestinian’s claim that they must have an equivalent Balfour declaration for a Palestinian state. But whose land is it? And why is Israel’s existence as a nation so important anyway? <br /> It is obvious that the land of Israel is God’s land as He alone is able, as Creator, to give the land to whomever He chooses. And He chose to give that land to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – the Jews. While God promised the land to the twelve tribes of Israel as an everlasting possession (cf. Isa 60:21) He also promised that their peace in the land depended upon their obedience. They disobeyed God and were dispersed. Not once, not twice, but three times. On the first occasion, they left the land for Egypt because of extreme drought in the land. They should have returned to their promised land, but found Egypt to be a favorable place. So they stayed. Eventually, a new Egyptian Pharaoh enslaved them for 400 year. <br /> After the 400 years, the Lord released them by His own hand. Not a slave raised a hand to fight for their freedom. The Lord secured their release and provided a bounty for their return to the land. However, during their journey back they would receive the Law as a new way of life. They sinned against the Lord and were forced to stay in the wilderness wandering for 40 years. But after the 40 years, the Lord moved them into the land and they possessed the land again. <br /> Yet because of their sin, they were removed from their land. This time the northern kingdom was totally destroyed by the Assyrians, and the people taken as plunder. Few survived the devastating Assyrian military campaign. About 100 years later, the southern kingdom fell to the Babylonians. The Jews experienced three deportations to Babylon. After 70 years of captivity, the Lord again moved in the Jewish capturers to return them to their land. When they returned they did so with their temple treasures and resources to rebuild the city of Jerusalem and the wall. <br /> From that point on, Israel was never again in full control of the land. While they returned to the land, they did so as vessels. They returned to the land but only had short periods of sovereign control. By the time of Jesus Christ the Jewish state was split between those the supported the Roman rule and those that wanted sovereign Jewish control. After Israel’s rejection of her Messiah, the nation experienced more problems with her Roman overlord and in 70 AD the temple was destroyed. But the worst was yet to come. By 135 AD the Jews were expelled from the land, their land and property taken, the land renamed by Emperor Hadrian after the second Jewish revolt from Judea to Palestine in order to remove any trace of Jewishness from the land. <br /> For 2,000 years the Jews were dispersed throughout the nations. During these years, they experienced great persecution after persecution. They endured the Muslim persecution – convert, pay a tax, or die. They endured the Christian persecution – convert or be expelled. They endured the European persecution - round them up and put them in ghettos. Take their property and evict them. The brutality of the pogroms (Russian, meaning “to wreak havoc”), the violent riots aimed specifically at the Jews of existed long before the Russians or Nazis. The slaughter, expulsion, and persecution against the Jews has occurred since God created ethnic Jews when He called Abraham out of the land of Ur and promised him a seed, a land, and to be a blessing to the world. Yet the world that is against God and His people has worked to destroy that promise. And as the Jews were dispersed throughout the world, that hatred has exhibited itself in the most horrific history of a people group. But God’s promise to the Jew is eternal, and the world will never exterminate them. <br /> In the late 1700s, God moved in the world again to move the Jews back to the land. This time God moved not in a single nation, but the whole world. The Jew found favor from the British whose power was such that a new Jewish state was possible because of British power and control. The Jews were gaining favor elsewhere. In France, Napoleon Bonaparte intended to issue a proclamation on April 20, 1799 offering “Palestine” to the Jews as a national homeland! (Randall Price, Jerusalem in Prophecy, p. 104) <br /> One hundred years later, in 1897 evangelical Christians joined with Jewish leaders in gaining support for a Jewish homeland. Among them were Lord Shaftesbury and Lord Alfred James Balfour. In the United States, American Jewish lawyer M.M Noah became burdened for the Jewish cause and shared his views with James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and John Quincy Adams. He wrote in 1825, “I really wish the Jews again in Judea, an independent nation.” (Randall Price)<br /> In 1897, the First Zionist Congress was held in Basel Switzerland. It was attended by 208 delegates for the purpose of establishing a plan for purchasing land in Palestine for Jews. One of the most important outcomes of the congress was to establish a bank, the Jewish Colonial Trust, that funded the purchase of land. Steve Herzig writes, “At that time Theodor Herzl wrote in his diary, ‘At Basel, I founded the Jewish State. If I said this out loud today, I would be answered by universal laughter. Perhaps in five years, certainly in 50, everyone will know it.” (Israel My Glory, Nov/Dec 2017, p. 10)<br /> As it happened, the Ottoman empire was fading ,World War I was progressing toward its conclusion and Europe was planning for and distributing the land of the Middle East. It was during this period that the British foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour penned a letter to Lord Rothschild proclaiming the determination of the British to establish a Jewish state. What resulted was the Balfour Declaration of November 2, 1917. The statement was simple and short:<br /><br />“I have much pleasure in conveying to you, on behalf of His Majesty’s Government, the following declaration of sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations which has been submitted to, and approved by, the Cabinet. His Majesty's government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.” <br /><br /> Three years after the Balfour declaration, the League of Nations approved the boundaries of the new Jewish nation. Simultaneously, independent Arab statehood was also being granted in Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. “The land originally given [to Israel] was considerably bigger than today’s Jewish state, even including the territories captured in June 1967” (Hal Lindsey, The Everlasting Hatred: The roots of Jihad, p. 194). As it happened, God in His sovereignty moved to make the British government in charge of dividing up the Middle East from the Mediterranean to the borders of India. It would take 30 years and another world war before the UN officially adopted a partition plan for the state of Israel on November 29, 1947. Israel was declared an independent state in May 11, 1948. By this time, the British had divided up the original land allocation for Israel and given it to the Arabs that helped in the war effort. Israel would receive only 25% of the original land allocation. <br /> Again, God established a national homeland for His people in Israel and the Jews did not have to fight for its establishment. However, the result of the UN resolution was an all-out rejection by the Arab nations and subsequent attack on the infant nation. Israel’s continued survival however, has continued through the great wars of 1948-49, 1956, 1967, and 1973. Israel has fought to exist and is constantly under attack on all sides through a new kind of war, a terrorist war. <br /> The final boundaries of the nation of Israel will be established by God when He returns to judge the nations for their sin and treatment of Israel. Scripture says, He will return a gather His people:<br /><br />Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, And gather you from the west; 6 I will say to the north, `Give them up!' And to the south, `Do not keep them back!' Bring My sons from afar, And My daughters from the ends of the earth - 7 Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him." (Isaiah 43:5-7)<br /><br /> We are seeing Israel regathered back to the land today, but they are being regathered in unbelief. Yet prophecy is being fulfilled before our very eyes. Notice what Daniel 9 says:<br /><br />Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy. 25 Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times. 26 And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined. 27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate." (Dan 9:24-27) <br /><br /> According to Daniel 9, Israel must be established as a political state first in order to make a covenant with the prince that shall come. This prophecy of statehood was fulfilled in 1948 as Israel once again, after some 2,000 years, was again established as an independent nation. In the future, however, the covenant of Daniel 9 will result in three and a half years of peace and prosperity for Israel. Then suddenly the covenant will be broken, the people persecuted in a time called “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jer. 30:7). Then the Lord will return in His glory and fury to restore the kingdom of Israel in the Messianic Kingdom. Israel will at that time finally possess the land of promise – all of it. <br /> The basis for Israel’s possession of the land is God’s promise of Genesis 12, and formalized in a legal covenant. What is called the Land Covenant is found in Deuteronomy 29:1-30:20. The promise includes an eternal people, a land, and a blessing will come to pass not because of anything Israel will do, but because God does not lie. His promise to Israel will come true someday as He promises them:<br /><br />Now it shall come to pass, when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the LORD your God drives you, 2 and you return to the LORD your God and obey His voice, according to all that I command you today, you and your children, with all your heart and with all your soul, 3 that the LORD your God will bring you back from captivity, and have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the nations where the LORD your God has scattered you. 4 If any of you are driven out to the farthest parts under heaven, from there the LORD your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you. 5 Then the LORD your God will bring you to the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it. He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers. 6 And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live. (Deut. 30:1-6) <br /><br /> We are seeing prophecy being fulfilled today in the regathering of Israel back to the land in unbelief. In the final regathering, God will regather Israel in belief. The final regathering will be by the angels of Matthew 24:<br /><br />Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matt. 24:30-31)<br />
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What is the Balfour effect? It is God working in the world. If is the author of history moving in history to accomplish His will. When He makes a promise, He will keep it. The promise to the Jews of a seed, a land, and a blessing, should further confirm our confidence that the Gentiles that believe in the Messiah of Israel will partake in the blessing of eternal life because His people, the Jews, exist, are flourishing, are a blessing to the world, and are back in the land. John Pappashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05474601729663082059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438794632381498033.post-11236267450671022602017-09-16T11:33:00.001-05:002017-09-16T11:33:48.104-05:00Reformation’s Return to Premillennialism III<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Many who held Martin Luther's convictions preceded him. He was after all an Augustinian Monk, an official order of the Roman Church since AD 1244. The Czech priest John Huss (Jan Hus. c. 1369-1415) was a well-known literal interpreter whose popularity after his martyrdom only increased as the Hussites defeated the papal crusades five times between 1420 and 1431. Huss was greatly influenced at the middle-age university in Prague by the writings of the great John Wycliffe (1320-1384). John Wycliffe was an English seminary professor at Oxford. Wycliffe translated the Latin Vulgate (New Testament) into Middle English in 1382. The result was the famous Wycliffe Bible. While the doctrines of predestination and other Augustinian doctrines were part of their literalism, it was the corruption of the church, the doctrine of the Eucharist, the veneration of the saints, the sale of indulgences, and apostolic papal authority that became the main issue and the main charge against these martyrs.<br />
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The Roman Catholic Church has traditionally accepted the literalism of Saint Augustine. While not all orders of priests accepted Augustine’s doctrines of salvation, they all embraced his doctrines of the Church as they found support for a strong authoritative church and Pope. Augustine interpreted the doctrine of salvation literally, yet in his next breath interpreted things he related to the church as allegory. A positive comment of Israel was turned into a spiritualized statement of the church. In the City of God (c. AD 426), “Augustine saw the Book of Revelation as a description of the history of the church, not prophecy of the end time. The millennium in his view was the present church age.” (Richard Kyle, “The Last Days are Here Again”). Indeed Augustine, like his predecessor Origen (Mr. Allorigism, 185-254) spiritualized the millennium claiming the church on earth to be both the kingdom of Christ and the kingdom of heaven. It is Augustine’s nonmillenarian theology that dominated the middle-ages. Indeed the church's condemnation of premillennialism can be seen when in 431 the Council of Ephesus condemned as “superstition” the belief of a literal millennium!<br />
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The allegorical approach to interpretation of the Scriptures moves in the middle-ages to mystical as the “Scriptures were read mainly for instruction in morals and ethics." As Dr. Tan says, “Victor of St. Hugo affirmed: ‘First learn what you are to believe, and then go to the Scriptures to find it there.” (Paul Tan, The Interpretation of Prophecy, p. 52). As you can imagine, the abuses of this technique are numerous. The clergy used the technique to justify all manner of sins. It is this type of sloppy handling of the Scriptures that brought many within the Church to seek reformation and a return to a normal reading of the Scripture. So important was John Wycliffe that he is known as the morning star of the English Reformation. Wycliffe’s followers were known as Lollards and continued long after his death. It is then, through the university system of the west during the middle-ages that the return to the literal method finds traction within Christendom. Condemnation by a church council or not, truth is truth, and the only way to find pure truth is in the literal method. There is only one way to read - that is, the normal, historical, grammatical method, not the three-fold or four-fold method (literal, tropological, allegorical, and analogical) the church had hung its coat on. Dr. Paul Tan gives the following illustration of the middle-age fourfold interpretation using Genesis 1:3. Let there be light.”(1) historically or literally – An act of creation; (2) Morally – May we be mentally illuminated by Christ; (3) Allegorically – Let Christ be love; and (4) Anagogically – May we be led by Christ to glory” (Paul Tan, The Interpretation of Prophecy).<br />
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In 1356 Wycliffe produced the work “the Last Age of the Church.” In it Wycliffe proposed the idea that the 14th century marked the end of the world. He saw the church as corrupt and apostate. He saw the Pope as the Antichrist. John Hus also saw the pope as the antichrist, but it was Hus’s “radical wing” followers , called the “Taborites” (taking their name from Mount Tabor, the mountain where they believed Christ foretold His second coming), that believed only in the literal method and rejected anything that could not be found in the Bible. That included all theological speculation, including priestly ordination. However, they did speculate on the return of the Lord, predicting the return to be in 1420. When that did not occur, they turned to violence as warriors of God fighting God’s battle.<br />
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The middle-ages found the church confused, fighting each other, and also with the Muslim Turks that had conquering the middle east and moving their fight into Europe. With all this brought speculation concerning the end times and a desire to find what was happening from the Scriptures. What that meant was getting back to the Bible and specifically to the literal interpretation of the Bible – back to the normal reading of the Bible. However, what resulted was a highly speculative historist view of prophecy where the Pope was generally seen as the antichrist, the invading Muslims as the invading army of Ezekiel. But the interpretative door was open. How can one read a legal document one way then turn around and read the Bible using different rules? John Calvin provided guidance with interpretation when he wrote, “It is the first business of an interpreter to let his author say what he does say, instead of attributing to him what we think he ought to say” (Paul Tan). <br />
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This interest together with the persecution of the Jews brought the literal interpretation of the Jewish literal school together within the university with the Augustinian school back to a firm belief in premillennialism. But it was a different form of premillennialism for this premillennialism did not hold to the day-age belief of the ancient church. The early church was exclusively premillennial following the belief of the Jews. Believing there were 6000 years of human history, then 1000 years of millennial rest, then the end. Instead, the premillennialism of the middle-ages is dominated by premillennial historists who set dates for Christ’s return for His church. It is the period of the great Dutch language scholar Erasmus (c. 1466-1536), Tyndale (c. 1494-1536) in England, and Reuchlin (c. 1455-1522) in Germany, that one finds the natural convergence of the literal, historical grammatical method. All three were language experts and actively promoting the need for the clergy to know the original languages in order to interpret the Bible as it was meant to be interpreted and with an interpretation that anyone who reads could understand. No secret messages, no mystical interpretations, just the plain truth of the Word that was given for all to read. Erasmus compiled the most important Greek manuscript of the day, while Reuchlin produced the most important Hebrew grammar of the day. It is out of the original language study that the literal school naturally takes off. All those coming out of the universities of the late middle-ages were becoming influenced, not by philosophy which dominated the past, but by grammar – what does the original language say? How did the original audience understand what was written?<br />
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By the 1600s, the reformation had split the Roman church, and the literal method had caused those in the academic community to examine anew the literal, grammatical, historical method. The great premillennial scholars of the day began to look at prophecy anew. Joseph Mede (1586-1639) was a huge influence in England as he taught at Christ’s College, Cambridge. While as a noted mathematician, he taught Greek and Hebrew. Indeed it is not a mistake that Isaac Newton (1642-1726) was also a premillennialist for he too ended up at Cambridge. But it was the great Baptist scholar John Gill (1697-1771) whose massive commentary on the whole Bible using Jewish resources that brought the Jewish perspective and the historical method of the Scripture back to light. For too many years, the Greek philosophers had dominated Christian education, now the historical method was unleashed and the question was not what made logical philosophical sense, but what did the Scriptures mean to the original audience, and how did the original audience understand what was written? <br />
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Joseph Mede for example wrote in his work on the Book of Revelation (Clavis Apocalypticae, “Keys to the Revelation”) that the Jews would be miraculously converted to Christianity before the second coming. His book, “took England by storm and became the most popular book of its time. Christianson states:’ Upon Mede’s shoulders must rest the primary responsibility for the revival of millennial thought in England.” (Ed Hindson, in Mal Couch, Dictionary of Premillennial Theology).<br />
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The premillennialism that was widespread in England moved throughout Europe and across the ocean to America. In France, the literalism and premillennialism, of the Huguenots moved the Roman Church to move against these Protestants in the most brutal of attacks. In 1681, a new law even gave the Roman church the authority to convert all Huguenot children and remove them from their parents. In 1685 Huguenot ministers were ordered to leave the country within fifteen days. Many fled, many made their way to America bringing with them their literal interpretation and Huguenot premillennialism. <br />
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It is no mistake that by the time of the early 1800’s that John Nelson Darby (1800-1882) developed his important and popular dispensational premillennialism. Darby was born in London, trained in Ireland at Trinity College, ordained as a priest in the Church of England in 1826, but by 1831 left to join others in Plymouth, England who were opposed to denominationalism. Darby wrote his important work called “Synopsis of the Books of the Bible.” The work reflects what might be called a biblical theology (Mal Couch, Dictionary of Premillennial Theology). As a trained lawyer, he was naturally driven to the literal, grammatical, historical method of interpretation. The popularity of Darby and his incredible energy saw a dramatic growth in dispensational premillennialism as it spread to America and eventually into the most unconventional work, the Scofield Study Bible in 1909 by C.I. Scofield. <br />
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In closing, we return to the prophetic heritage of the Jews. The period of 900 – 1500 has been called the golden age of Jewish prophetic interpretation. Among the greatest Jewish sages of this period was the great Maimonides (1135-1204). Moses Maimonides was born in Spain and when the Islamic invaders came to Spain all Jews and Christians were given a choice, conversion to Islam, death, or exile. Maimonide’s family chose exile. He ended up in Morocco, then Egypt. His commentary on the Mishnah is still highly acclaimed. But his Messianic hope served to solidify the plain literal prophetic method within Judaism. It is the Jewish writings that contribute significantly among the Christian community towards the literal method and the premillennial Messianic hope that one finds in dispensational premillennialism today. Though some Jewish writers of this period were addicted to allegory, others held strong the literal method. And the most important works were those that described the four kingdoms in the Book of Daniel. Though Jewish prophecy was the premillennialism of the ancient church, they saw the Pope as the antichrist and Rome as the last kingdom on earth. They looked to their great Messianic hope to save them and return them to the land of promise (Deut. 30:3-5). It is the separation of Israel and the Church that Joseph Mead saw when he claimed all Jews would turn Christian at the Second coming. It is this separation of Israel and the Church that moved the dispensationalist Darby to declare we have a heavenly destiny and all Israel will be saved in the last day to enter the promised Messianic Kingdom on earth in Jerusalem. All one has to do is interpret Scripture normally to pull out of the text these great promises. This is not the literal, historical, grammatical, theological method that stresses “we know what we believe, so find it in Scripture.” Rather they pushed the idea to come to Scripture and pull out what it said to the original audience. This is the literal, historical grammatical method, the only valid method. God gave communication with all its fundamental rules to mankind in order to communicate His greatness, His holiness, His grace and mercy, so that all are able to read for themselves the way of salvation through His Son. </div>
John Pappashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05474601729663082059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438794632381498033.post-89306656090107591532017-05-19T18:07:00.002-05:002017-05-19T18:07:30.472-05:00Reformation’s Return to Premillennialism II<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The year was 405 and the brilliant language scholar Jerome had just completed his Latin translation of the entire Bible. It took him twenty-three years to complete, but by the end, the old Latin Bible was replaced with an unsurpassed original language translation from the Greek and Hebrew. Jerome had been commissioned by Pope Damasus of Rome to make an improved Latin translation. Jerome learned Greek from the famous grammarian Aelius Domatus in Rome, and later Hebrew from an unknown Jewish convert and perfected his Hebrew as he traveled to Syria and the Holy land.<br />
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Romanism was a dying religious and political identity, Constantine had made Christianity his empire’s state religion, and theological debate had grown to the point of councils who had to settle the differences and heresies that were moving throughout Christendom. In August of 410, the Germanic invasion of the city of Rome brought the mighty city down. For 800 years Rome ruled, but on the night of August 24, 410, Rome lost its dominance, and Jerome wrote from his monastery at Bethlehem, “The city which has taken the whole world is itself taken!”<br />
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The completion of the Latin Vulgate (“Common”) introduced Western Christendom to the new standard Bible, the only authorized authoritative Bible by decree in 1546 at the council of Trent. Though the original Jerome edition had been edited by later generations, the basis of the original work is the natural understanding of the reformation – one must start a translation from the source, the original Greek and Hebrew .<br />
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Jerome believed in the literal interpretation method of his day, that is, the method that was passed down to him was based on the threefold method of Origen: historical, symbolic, spiritual. Indeed, Rome moved to a more allegorical than literal method, but Jerome moved away from Rome to Syria and the Antiochian school which emphasized the historical and literal. By the middle ages, Rome again became the center of Western Christianity and an emphasis upon the allegorical method dominated that Church. Though the threefold method was standard, an expansion of the spiritual was subdivided into three divisions: (i) the allegorical “or what passes as a combination of typology and allegorism,” (ii) tropological or moral interpretation, and (iii) anagogical or how the church now anticipates the church glorified, the eschatological sense (Bernard Ramm, Protestant Biblical Interpretation, p. 38).<br />
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As you can tell by item (iii) above, the prophetic had moved to allegory, and the simple meaning of Scripture moved to what the official church wanted it to say, not simply what it said! One now must have an official church interpreter in order to understand the Scriptures. Dr. Ramm writes:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“A passage may have an allegorical meaning. This refers to its future or prophetic meaning and includes allegorical and typological interpretation…. A passage may have an anagogical (eschatological) meaning. It may ‘lead up’ to the Church Triumphant. Thus the Church militant has features about it which anticipates the Church in glory. (iii) a passage may have a tropological meaning, i.e., teach a tropos, a way of life. This is the moral significance of the passage.” </blockquote>
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What is the problem with this method? The problem has led to gross abuses as they tended to read back into the OT sacramental and clerical system eisegesis (reading into) things that were never intended. On top of this allegorical (mystical) method was place the authority of the church and especially the inerrancy of the Pope, that led to the inquisitions of the later middle ages. The Catholic theologians believe the doctrines of the New Testament are seeds which grow and develop so that the modern Catholic cathedral was contained in seed form in the apostolic Church and justifies the continuance of the apostolic succession from Peter to the Popes of all ages. And tradition becomes equal with Scripture as the authority. Indeed, in Luther’s case, tradition had become more authoritative than Scripture. <br />
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It is important in this story to move back to the Jewish literal school for it is because of Jewish literalism that Christian literalism endured through the Syrian school of Antioch. As Ramm notes,<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“The Christian community was influenced by the Jewish community and the result was a hermeneutical theory which avoided the letterism of the Jews and the allegorism of the Alexandrians.” </blockquote>
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Just as the Jews influenced the ancient church towards the literal (normal) method of interpretation, it was the Jews that influenced the European church. It was within the Abbey of St. Victor in Paris during the medieval period that the men like Hugo of St. Victor, Richard of St. Victor, and Andrew of St. Victor interacted with Jewish scholars to move to what was called the Victorines – a group of Augustinian theologians that insisted that the mystical or spiritual sense could not be truly known until the Bible had been literally interpreted – true interpretation of the Bible involved syntax, grammar, and exegesis (reading out of), not eisegesis (reading into).<br />
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The most important figure of reformation interpretation came through William of Occam who separated revelation from human reason. Human reason had as its base nature, philosophy, and science. Revelation which was received through faith had it base in salvation and theology. This was contrary to the established teaching of Thomas Aquinas who insisted reason was the mediating link between philosophy and revelation. Luther expresses Occam’s philosophy well as he writes, “We ought not to criticize, or judge the Scriptures by our mere reason, but diligently, with prayer, meditate thereon, and seek their meaning” (Luther, On God’s Word, IV).<br />
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It is through this new philosophy of Occam that the scientific method used on Scripture and the idea of Scripture alone comes to the front of the Reformation. The gross misunderstanding, manipulation, and misuse of Scripture that came out of the official Catholic Church was one thing, but to go so far as to deny the plain truth of Scripture explained and defended by a learned doctor of theology moved the Western Church to the point of reformation and it was only a matter of time before the corrupt system would be challenged and changed to its core. That challenge came in 1517 as the Augustinian theologian Martin Luther called for a discussion on the facts. He proposed to use the Scriptures to defend his points, but he was going against those who did not agree with his first and only line of defense, the use of the Scriptures as the basis and source of revelatory knowledge.<br />
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In the next article we will look at Luther's literalism, its impact upon the church, and Luther's personal limitations.</div>
John Pappashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05474601729663082059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438794632381498033.post-34962669158197972772017-03-27T10:24:00.004-05:002017-03-27T10:24:42.093-05:00Reformation’s Return to Premillennialism<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This series of articles focuses on the people and movements that were present in the world leading up to the reformation with the result of the return to a literal reading of the Bible. Most notably during the end of the middle ages and the start of the Renaissance. Within the events in Europe were the extreme persecution of the Jews and the great abuses and brutality of the papacy. It is with good reason that the Pope was viewed as the Anti-Christ during this age. It is during this transitional period that the Roman Catholic Church, and western Europe in general, attempted to purify Christianity with its program of Inquisitions that lasted well into the 17th century.
From its start around A.D. 1,000 with the Crusades and forced conversion of Muslims and Jews (in A.D. 711) the Islamic invasion came to Spain (but was stopped). It is this backdrop that the Jewish Messianic hope moves back into the Church. However, not all in the Church recognized the Jewish future as being literal.
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<b>The Road to Reformation</b><br />
One of the most influential groups to reintroduce the literal premillennial return of Christ to Scriptures was the Marranos. As the great prophetic historian, Froom, writes, “The story of the Marranos is one of the most amazing chapters in all history, perhaps unparalleled in sheer dramatic pathos and appeal” (Froom, Prophetic Faith of our Fathers, vol. 2, p. 220)<br />
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Jews that professed Christianity chiefly to escape persecution during the medieval period were called Marranos (Spain. marrar, “to deviate,” i.e “to deviate from Christianity”). They professed Christ but practiced Judaism. The movement goes back to the early centuries of the Christian era and extends well into eighteenth century Western Europe. For the Jews of the diaspora, life was a series of forced conversions, but it is the story of western Christianity during the middle ages where one finds the Jewish experience in Spain, Portugal, England, France, Hungary, and Germany unbearable. Jews were forced into ghettos in Spain; expulsions were decreed in England, France, and Germany. The only solution Jews found was expulsion, forced conversion to Christianity, or death. Many Jews chose forced conversions as Jews en masse were baptized but practiced Judaism in secret. The result was the establishment of the Medieval Inquisition.<br />
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Before A.D. 1100, the Roman Catholic Church suppressed heresy through a system of church courts where banishment and imprisonment was proscribed, but not torture, and seldom death. This changed, however, in the 1200s in an effort to weed out the wide spread heresy largely due to the forced conversions of Jews and Muslims, and other heretical movements were growing. These courts served to officially judge “intentions as well as actions.” Pope Alexander III in 1162-63 suggested that lay and clerical informers work together to “discover evidence” against reported heretics. The order of burning heretics came in 1231 under Pope Gregory IX. Secret agents were sent out to find heretics, the inquisitor and his vicar would go town by town, deliver a sermon, call for suspected heresy to be exposed, provide a grace period, then let loose the “special inquisition,” who would act as judge, prosecutor, and jury. Two witnesses were required, the suspect was not allowed a defense lawyer, however, if nothing could be concluded, the trial could continue for years, with the suspect held in prison and torture prescribed for confession and repentance.<br />
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It is under this backdrop that one finds the road to the reformation and Jewish premillennialism’s return to the church. As the Marranos integrated their forced Christianity with Judaism, the Jewish history of the world known as the “Year-Day” became increasingly popular. The Year-Day, in essence says there are 6,000 years of history then the Messiah will come to bring in the Sabbath rest, the last 1,000 year rest on earth, then the new heavens and earth.<br />
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With the intense persecution and absolute authority of the Popes, the Book of Daniel offered plenty of opportunity to identify the Anti-Christ, the “Little Horn” to the Pope. Many examples abound as Jewish Biblical scholars like the great Abravanel (Don Isaac Ben Judah Abrabanel c. 1437-1508) put off the Jewish mystical allegory of cabbalism and the allegory of Roman Catholicism in favor of the return to Jewish literalism. <br />
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<b>Don Isaac Ben Judah Abrabanel (1437-1508) </b><br />
The story of Abrabanel is remarkable. Abravanel was born into one of the most distinguished Jewish families in Lisbon Portugal. He studied under rabbi Joseph Chaim and Joseph ibn Shem-Tov, devoting much of his time studying rabbinic literature and philosophy. By age twenty he had written extensively on religious questions and prophecy. Religion was not his only passion though, he was a master at financial matters. So much so, that king Alfonso V of Portugal employed him as his treasurer.<br />
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After the death of King Alfonso, his son and heir, King John II accused Abravanel of conspiring with the Duke of Braganza. As a result, Abravanel fled to Castile in 1483. At Toledo, his new home, he occupied himself at first with Biblical studies, and in the course of six months produced an extensive commentary on the books of Joshua, Judges, and Samuel. But shortly afterward he advanced to the post of minister of finance to Ferdinand and Isabella, which position he filled for eight years (1484-1492) – the critical years of Columbus’ life. <br />
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However, life for the Jew in Western Europe was both exciting and dangerous. It was a transitional period from the darkness of the middle ages to the exciting activity and opportunity of Columbus, Leonardo da Vinci, Copernicus, Erasmus, Luther, and Machiavelli. The Inquisition against the Marranos was intense and in 1491 the massacre against the Jews had climaxed with the expulsion in 1492. Many Jews had been financiers, judges, and legislators, living outwardly as Christians but inwardly as Jews. Through his official position, and offering his own wealth, Abravanel tried without success to persuade Ferdinand to revoke the expulsion edict of March 30, 1492. His property was confiscated and he had to flee along with an estimated 300,000 Jews. <br />
Abravanel went to Naples where he secured a position as treasurer to the king, but the French invasion sent him to Sicily. After traveling to Corfu, Monopoli, and finally to Venice, he was employed in negotiating a commercial treaty between Portugal and the Venetian republic. He died in Venice in 1508 and was buried in Padua next to Rabbi Judah Minz, Rabbi of Padua. Owing to the destruction of the Jewish cemetery there during the Siege of Padua in 1509, his grave is now unknown (Wikipedia).<br />
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<b>Prophecy and Literalism's Roots</b><br />
Though this man’s grave is unknown, his writings survived. Most importantly his works include “The wellspring of Salvation,” a commentary on the Book of Daniel; “The Salvation of His Anointed,” an interpretation of rabbinic literature about the Messiah; and “Announcing Salvation,” a commentary on the messianic prophecies in the prophetical book.<br />
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It is through these works that one finds the rejection of the mystical Jewish Cabbalism and the return to Jewish literalism that looked forward to the return of the Messiah to reign on Zion and the return of Israel to the land of promise. This literalism moves through the western world of that day primarily through the influence of these Jewish forced conversions and subsequent intense rabbinic studies. The abuses of the Roman Catholic Church that sought to justify their deeds, their power, and their desire to build and control the world through universal Papal authority moved the priesthood and monks to challenge Papal decrees based on a normal literal reading of the Scriptures.<br />
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The prosperity of the times afforded Europe the opportunity to gain knowledge in many areas of science and language. The natural move to original language study led universities to hire Hebrew and Greek language experts, and it is within this arena that the Marranos’ literal interpretation spread within the University system of Roman Catholicism and eventually led to Luther’s challenge in 1517 with his Ninety-five Theses (Disputation of the Power of Indulgences”). Church historians define the start of the Reformation to that very day that Luther nailed the Ninety-five Theses on the church door, October 31, 1517. We will explore the movement within Christianity that led to the return to the non-mystical, normal reading of Scripture - to the return to premillennialism. <br />
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John Pappashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05474601729663082059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438794632381498033.post-24339676424382684282017-02-12T10:46:00.000-06:002017-02-12T10:46:58.467-06:00The Millennial Aspect of the Shepherd of Israel<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
While the Shepherd has an important spiritual aspect for the Church,
it finds its richest biblical meaning for Israel and finds ultimate
fulfillment in the Messianic Kingdom.<br />
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If the question is put forth within the church: "WHO IS THE SHEPHERD?" Most likely the following answer will be given: <i>"The Good Shepherd of John 10:11-14"</i>, and it is with reference to salvation in Christ in the church without reference to the millennial kingdom. <br />
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If the question is put forth within the Jewish synagogue : "WHO IS THE SHEPHERD?" Most likely the following answer will be given:<i> Isaiah 63:11-13 where the Shepherd led Israel out of Egypt</i>, or perhaps: <i>Isaiah 40:10-11, the future kingdom age</i>. For the Jew, 'the Shepherd' has a more personal meaning. The Shepherd for the Jew is the all-powerful God who has been with them in their wanderings and will in the end gather them back and give them rest, peace and safety in their pasture-land - Israel. <br />
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The concept of a shepherd has the metaphoric meaning of a human guide or ruler of Israel (cf. Num. 27:17; Isa. 44:28; Jer. 6:3; 49:19). The shepherd in the Old Testament is used to describe the leadership of Israel. Leaders such as Joshua and David (Num. 27:15-18; 2 Sam. 5:2). Other leaders, however, were referred to as “blind” and “greedy” (Isa. 56:10-11; Jer. 10:21; Ezek. 34:2-6; Zec. 10:2-3). By the time of the New Testament, the concept of the shepherd continues the idea of a human guide with reference to shepherds (Gr. poimen ,”pastor, herdsman, shepherd”) in the church (cf. Eph. 4:11). <br />
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What starts out as a seed in the form of the blessing of Jacob to his sons in Genesis 49:24 moves to its height in Ezekiel 34. <br />
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In Genesis 49 Jacob gives his final blessing to his twelve sons. He comes to Joseph and proclaims his future blessing to be greater than the others. Why? Jacob says:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
But his bow remained in strength, <br />
And the arms of his hands were made strong <br />
By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob <br />
(From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),<br />
By the God of your father who will help you, <br />
And by the Almighty who will bless you <br />
With blessings of heaven above, <br />
Blessings of the deep that lies beneath, <br />
Blessings of the breasts and of the womb. (Gen. 49:24-25)</blockquote>
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Joseph receives his strength by the power of the Mighty One (Heb. ‘abiyr, “might, strong”). The “Strong One,” is an old name for God in poetry. The strength of Jacob’s arms is further identified as deriving it strength from the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, the God of your father (Jacob), the ‘Shadday,’ the Almighty One. <br />
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By the time of the Egyptian exodus and subsequent wilderness wandering, the Shepherd of Israel displayed mighty works as He released Jacob from slavery in Egypt and provided all their needs through the duration of the wilderness wandering and entering the Promised Land. He fed His flock by providing food from heaven and water from a rock. He protected them from certain destruction from the armies of the lands where they dwelt. These provisions all pointed forward to Jesus Christ who would provide salvation through His great redemptive work on the cross. The Good Shepherd who gives His life for His sheep (John 10:11). <br />
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One of the greatest sections of Scripture concerning the Shepherd of Israel is Ezekiel 34. It is here a contrast is established between false shepherds and the True Shepherd. The section starts with an ominous warning against Israel’s leadership who seeks their own royal riches. Ezekiel says,<br />
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Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, `Thus says the Lord GOD to the shepherds: "Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? (Ezek. 34:2) <br />
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And verse 8 describes that because the rulers sought selfish gain, Israel was scattered, “…My flock became food for every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, nor did My shepherds search for My flock, but the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock” (Ezek. 34:8).<br />
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In contrast to false shepherds, in the end the Lord will regather His flock:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day. 13 And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 I will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. There they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord GOD. 16 I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment. (Ezek. 34:11-16)</blockquote>
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Indeed, in the great Olivet Discourse, our Lord describes a future Shepherd who will divide the sheep from the goats. In that day the Chief Shepherd will appear in His glory and His glory shall never fade away (Matthew 25:32). <br />
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The Lord promises a future Shepherd will lead redeemed Israel in peace:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I will save My flock, and they shall no longer be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep. 23 I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them - My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. 24 And I, the LORD, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the LORD, have spoken. 25 I will make a covenant of peace with them, and cause wild beasts to cease from the land; and they will dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. 26 I will make them and the places all around My hill a blessing; and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing. (Ezek. 34:22-26)</blockquote>
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The Lord closes with this eternal covenant promise:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Thus they shall know that I, the LORD their God, am with them, and they, the house of Israel, are My people, says the Lord GOD. 31 You are My flock, the flock of My pasture; you are men, and I am your God, says the Lord GOD. (Ezek. 34:30-31)</blockquote>
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The Shepherd-King will return again someday to regather His flock, ethnic Israel, back to His pasture-land Israel. In that day He will be their God and they will be His people. This is the promise Israel has been looking forward to for 4,000 years. Though the church proclaims the Good Shepherd as personal Savior, Israel proclaims the Good Shepherd as the One True God who will someday perform the work of the Shepherd of Israel, regathering her back to the land of promise from all the nations in belief. The covenant people of God will enjoy complete fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant, the Land covenant, the Davidic covenant, and the New covenant as God Himself will accomplish the work by His own hand. Although we can proclaim the Lord as Jehoveh-Rohi “the Lord is my Shepherd” today, when the Jew proclaims it, it has the historical context that leads them to the Messianic kingdom wherein peace, safety and blessing is be found in its fullness.<br />
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John Pappashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05474601729663082059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438794632381498033.post-1254390158075247652016-12-16T11:35:00.000-06:002016-12-16T11:35:01.911-06:00The Homosexual Battle for the ChurchThe news of the latest attack by homosexuals on Christian beliefs occurred with HGTV’s popular home show “Fixer Upper” hosted by the Gaines family. This is yet another example of the slide of moral values in America. The attack came on Nov. 30, 2016, which came out of nowhere. The Gains never said anything on the show concerning homosexuals, yet the attack came because they profess to be Christians and “they go to a church that thinks homosexuality is a sin.” In the end, the television network and the public overwhelmingly defended the Gaines. <br /> However, the attack on the Church that holds to a biblical view of marriage and the sin of homosexuality and transgenderism (now simply labeled, LGBT) is moving to another stage of battle. In November Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas announced they would openly accept LGBT as members in their congregation. The result was the removal of the church from the Baptist General Convention (BGC). As usual, the press quickly praised the church for its “inclusiveness” and condemned the BGC for its LGBT bigotry. <br /> Again, in North Texas, one-month later, Lake Shore Baptist Church, voted to accept full membership of any LGBT person. Lake Shore’s governing body is the Baptist General Convention that has pledged to uphold traditional marriage values and remove any member church that believes otherwise. As could be predicted the press praised Lake Shore for their inclusiveness and condemned any church that does not accept the LGBT lifestyle. In fact, the Waco newspaper had a big front page (Opinion page) article by the pastor of Lake Shore Baptist church where she defended her church’s stance on the matter and exhorted a non-judgmental, “love” approach to Christianity.<br /> What is going on in our local churches is indicative of what is being taught in the seminaries. The clear black and white truth that flows from the pages of the Bible are questioned, the authority and sufficiency of the Word is minimized and a perverted Christian “love” message overwrites any discernment necessary for a life set apart by God for service. The Gospel message - the death of Jesus on the cross for the sins of the individual that believes, burial and resurrection is minimized to simply: God loves you and wants a better life for you.<br /> The death on the cross that judged sin and was a satisfaction for the righteous demands of a holy God is not taught from the pulpit. Instead, a feel good, physiological “needs based” message serves to comfort the individual in their sin. The strong exhortation found on almost every page of the New Testament to crucify your flesh with its passions and desires is almost nowhere heard in today’s modern church service. The Christian is to be holy because God is holy! He or she is to repent from sin (and LGBT is sin) and conform our minds to the mind of Christ. We are to forgive and accept the sinner provided they repent of their sin. <br /> By simply accepting the LGBT into the church with full membership is equivalent to saying, we do not care about the holiness of the Christ’s church. It says, the world can mingle with the church and the Christian and the world are one. The concept today in these worldly churches is that love and righteousness are independent, when in fact, love cannot exist apart from righteousness. The ultimate expression of love was Christ dying on the cross and that act was viewed as a righteous act. Love apart from righteousness brings no cleanness of sin to the individual, no convection of sin, no forgiveness of sin, and no reconciliation with God. <br /> While it is true that Christ paid the price for all sin once on the cross, the responsibility of the Church as the body of Christ is to bring the purity of the Word of God to the congregation and getting out the unperverted word is central in that mission. <br /> The message of love without righteousness only brings pain and suffering, it brings no peace or self-control in life. It is of utmost importance that the Church as the bride of Christ keep herself pure and separate from the world, the things of the world, and the desires of it. The Scriptures are not silent concerning this type of church: “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write,`These things says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass: 19 I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first. 20 Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. 21 And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. 22 Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. “ (Rev 2:18-22) <br /> The battle will only get worse as more “news” outlets attack Christian values, picketers with “equal rights” slogans picket outside your local church and weak pastors seeking the approval of man instead of God open up their doors to the LGBT community with a no guilt message. Paul wrote to the Ephesians:<br /> Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints - 19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.(Eph. 6:10-20) <br />John Pappashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05474601729663082059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438794632381498033.post-24682848115144798552016-10-09T19:29:00.002-05:002016-10-09T19:29:35.583-05:00Is the New Testament Prophet different from the Old Testament Prophet Part III?The Old Testament prophet’s message was to be examined by the people to determine the truthfulness of the message, stone the false prophet and heed the true prophet. One difference between the OT prophet and the NT prophet is the result of identifying the false prophet. The people under the law were to stone the false prophet, while the people under the dispensation of grace are to expose the false prophet as blaspheming God! In this article, we will examine another aspect of the prophet – the official office of prophet. Does the NT prophet appointed by church leadership have an official office? And if the NT prophet appointed by the church lies can he or she be considered a true prophet of God? <br /><br /><b>Selection of the Prophet in the Old Testament</b><br />The prophet of the OT was chosen by God but there was also an “order” or “office” of prophet that was selected by the people and were trained in the school of prophecy. Therefore, we find in the OT two types of prophets. Those called out by God Himself, sent to a specific people to declare God’s message of repentance, judgment and promise. This type of prophet was to reveal the sins of the people, new truth, and future events. A second type of prophet that was simply to speak already established Law to God’s people. The main function of this prophet of God was to reveal already revealed law in connection with Israel’s sins. They served as preachers of the truth warning Israel of judgment. <br /><br />In the first class of prophet, those selected by God, the individual selected by God was from different groups of people from all walks of life and included all age groups from the young to the old. They were selected form the babe in the womb to the elderly on their deathbed. Within this group of prophet are included the writing prophets and even included some who did not write. <br /><br />Samuel is the first of a new order of prophet chosen by God (1 Sam. 3:1-20). A new order was needed because from Joshua to Eli the failure of the priesthood grew to apostasy. The priesthood that governed spiritual things failed to point out Israel’s sins. It is during the priestly reign of Eli that Samuel comes on the scene. Notice what First Samuel says about the lack of new revelation from God during this period: <br /><br />Then the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation. (1 Sam. 3:1)<br /><br />When Samuel was old enough he became a prophet, God called him to service:<br /><br />19 So Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.<br /> 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel had been established as a prophet of the LORD. (1Sam. 3:19-20)<br /><br />Samuel was then the first of a new class of prophet as Scripture says,<br /><br />9 Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he spoke thus: "Come, let us go to the seer"; for he who is now called a prophet was formerly called a seer. (1Sam. 9:9)<br /><br />And,<br /><br />17 And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said to him, "There he is, the man of whom I spoke to you. This one shall reign over My people." 18 Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, "Please tell me, where is the seer's house?" 19 And Samuel answered Saul and said, "I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for you shall eat with me today; and tomorrow I will let you go and will tell you all that is in your heart. (1Sam 9:17-19) <br /><br />The great OT scholar, Dr. Unger, writes, “Samuel took measures to make his work of restoration permanent as well as effective for the moment. For this purpose he instituted companies, or colleges, of prophets. One we find in his lifetime at Ramah (1 Sam. 19:19-20); others afterward at Bethel (2 Kings 2:3), Jericho (2:5), Gilgal (4:38), and elsewhere (6:1). Into them were gathered promising students, and there they were destined to fulfill. So successful were these institutions that from the time the Samuel to the closing of the canon of the OT there seems never to have been wanting of official prophets.” (Unger’s Bible Dictionary)<br /><br />Prophets chosen by God ranged from kings and priests to women. The duration of their prophecy varied but with the exception of Moses, they did not remain a prophet of God all their lives. This group of prophets were all those that were chosen by God from Samuel to Malachi. The period of silence from Malachi to Jesus was notable and moved the people to look for the Messiah to break the 400 years of silence. <br /><br />The 400 years of silence is notable as God moved in Israel to prepare for the greatest event in history, Christ’s incarnation, presentation, prophecy, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension to heaven. The last of the OT class of prophet was John the Baptist whose message was that of all the prophets: repent, get right with God, for judgment is at hand. <br /><br />One the other hand, the official OT prophet that was selected by man was selected, sent to school to learn the law, and functioned as watchmen and preachers of the law (cf. 1 Sam. 19:19-20; 2 Kings 2:3, 2:5, 4:38, 6:1). They functioned like pastors and shepherds monitoring the people of God. Their function was to declare, discern and apply God’s moral will. This group of prophet spent years in school training up for the office. This class of prophet is thought to be what was called a Scribe by the time of Jesus. He was the expert in the law who served in the Sanhedrin alone side the Pharisees and Sadducees. The official office of prophet that Samuel created all those years ago had turned into legal experts held by a mix of God’s word and tradition. I find it sad that this group was not even identified by the people as prophets of God by the time of Christ. The prophet of God had ceased to speak for 400 years prior to John the Baptist. John prepared the way of the Lord. <br /><br /><b>The False Prophet<br />a. Warnings in the Old Testament </b><br />When speaking about a prophet, God always includes a warning about those that claim to speak for Him but do not. He requires a test of what the prophet says. A test whether what the prophet says lines up with established Scripture. The Lord warns us of a prophetic deception because this is a fallen world whose ruler, Satan is the father of lies and deception. The Lord warns us in Deut. 18:20 that there will be false prophets. Notice the warnings concerning false prophets throughout Scripture, in the OT:<br /> <br />"For both prophet and priest are profane; Yes, in My house I have found their wickedness," says the LORD. 12 "Therefore their way shall be to them Like slippery ways; In the darkness they shall be driven on And fall in them; For I will bring disaster on them, The year of their punishment," says the LORD. 13 "And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria: They prophesied by Baal And caused My people Israel to err. 14 Also I have seen a horrible thing in the prophets of Jerusalem: They commit adultery and walk in lies; They also strengthen the hands of evildoers, So that no one turns back from his wickedness. All of them are like Sodom to Me, And her inhabitants like Gomorrah. 15 "Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets:`Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, And make them drink the water of gall; For from the prophets of Jerusalem Profaneness has gone out into all the land.' 16 Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you worthless; They speak a vision of their own heart, Not from the mouth of the LORD. 17 They continually say to those who despise Me,`The LORD has said, "You shall have peace "'; And to everyone who walks according to the dictates of his own heart, they say,`No evil shall come upon you.'" 18 For who has stood in the counsel of the LORD, And has perceived and heard His word? Who has marked His word and heard it? 19 Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD has gone forth in fury - A violent whirlwind! It will fall violently on the head of the wicked. 20 The anger of the LORD will not turn back Until He has executed and performed the thoughts of His heart. In the latter days you will understand it perfectly. 21 "I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran. I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. 22 But if they had stood in My counsel, And had caused My people to hear My words, Then they would have turned them from their evil way And from the evil of their doings. (Jer. 23:11-22)<br /><br />The prophets of Israel are distinguished from the pagan prophets in that they received their message from God. The pagan prophets used divination, they cut open and examined the entrails of animals to prophesy. They used all manner of the occult to talk to the dead. They used drugs to put themselves in a “prophetic” state and prophesied blessings and curses for money. This culture had moved into Israel and God was mad. Israel was to be set apart from the world, yet they set their minds after the things of the world and prophesied lies. Listen to the prophet Jeremiah: <br /><br /> 25 "I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in My name, saying,`I have dreamed, I have dreamed!' 26 "How long will this be in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies? Indeed they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart, (Jer. 23:25-26)<br /><br />And again,<br /><br />14 And the LORD said to me, "The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I have not sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them; they prophesy to you a false vision, divination, a worthless thing, and the deceit of their heart. 15 "Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the prophets who prophesy in My name, whom I did not send, and who say,`Sword and famine shall not be in this land'--`By sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed! (Jer. 14:14-15)<br /><br />Notice that there were also women prophetesses, <br /><br />17 "Likewise, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people, who prophesy out of their own heart; prophesy against them, 18 "and say,`Thus says the Lord GOD: "Woe to the women who sew magic charms on their sleeves and make veils for the heads of people of every height to hunt souls! Will you hunt the souls of My people, and keep yourselves alive? 19 "And will you profane Me among My people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, killing people who should not die, and keeping people alive who should not live, by your lying to My people who listen to lies?" 20 `Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I am against your magic charms by which you hunt souls there like birds. I will tear them from your arms, and let the souls go, the souls you hunt like birds. 21 "I will also tear off your veils and deliver My people out of your hand, and they shall no longer be as prey in your hand. Then you shall know that I am the LORD. (Ezek. 13:17-21)<br /><br />"Her prophets plastered them with untempered mortar, seeing false visions, and divining lies for them, saying,`Thus says the Lord GOD,' when the LORD had not spoken. (Ezek. 22:28)<br /><br />11 If a man should walk in a false spirit And speak a lie, saying,`I will prophesy to you of wine and drink,' Even he would be the prattler of this people. (Mic. 2:11)<br /><br />God put an end to the prophets of old. There were NO prophets for 400 years before Christ came in the flesh! Can you imagine, Israel with no active prophets? How can that be? The chosen people of God find themselves in silence for 400 years? <br /><br /><b>b. False prophets in the New Testament </b><br />In the NT one finds the Church is also infiltrated by the world. Both Paul and John address the Greek Gnostic culture has moved into the church. Like the OT false prophet that receives a “secret” message from God, the NT false prophet likewise claims secret revelation from God. The heart of the Greek religion was the prophet who was a special person who achieved such a high state of spiritual maturity that they would receive a special message from God – a gnostic “Gr. gnosis, knowledge.” Dr. Wolf writes in The Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, “they all offer knowledge – and in a form or degree not to be found outside their own teaching. This concern for knowledge links the higher and the lower forms of Gnosticism. At its lowest, the knowledge offered related simply to power and secrets of the future – the same sort of things as those for which people consulted astrologers and fortune tells, but put into a religious setting. In its higher forms, it is related to abstracted speculation, grappling with problems which had long been obstacles for educated pagans….Sometimes, too, it is special knowledge about Jesus which is proffered, on the basis of secret, closely guarded sources.” There is a strong pull in the church to hear secret knowledge – a special message from God, and some seek out a special word about them personally. God has spoken His Word and the prophets have written by the power of the Spirit. Is this not enough? Has God spoken today? Yes, by His Word! Yet some in the Church desire more and the false prophet is more than willing to give them a special message claimed to be from God. <br /><br /> Notice Jesus’ warning:<br /><br />Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. (Matt. 7:15)<br /><br /><b>The Prophet and the Church</b><br />Is the prophet found as an official of the Church? The church is made up of the following officials: (1) elders – teachers; (2) elders – overseers; and (3) deacons. The office of Pastor-Teacher- Elder is given specific qualifications (Tim. 3:1-7), likewise, the office of Overseer- Elder is given equivalent qualification (Titus 1:5-9). Likewise, the office of deacon is given specific qualification (1 Tim. 3:8-13). These two offices, elder and deacon, are the only two official offices found in Scripture. Where does the prophet fit in this organization? The office of prophet, like the office of apostle, has past, as the founding period of the church is complete. The apostle was one sent by Christ with a special commission. The apostle Paul was the last apostle chosen by Christ and sent with a message (Acts 1:21-22; 1 Cor. 15:8-9). Both the apostles and prophets served to found (past tense) the church which continues to be the thing that is the foundation of the church today (Eph. 2:20). <br /><br />Where then does the prophet fit into the church? The prophet and the apostle are not official offices of the church but rather used as temporary gifted instruments used by God for the purpose of building the church. <br /><br /><b>The Gift of Prophecy </b><br />The prophet of old like the prophet of the NT was gifted by the Spirit of God to carry out the task of new revelation and often times that involved predicting a near event that came true in order to validate the person is a prophet from God. <br /><br />The apostles are considered prophets and both are considered gifts of the church (Eph. 4:11; 1 Corinthians 12; Paul 1 Cor. 13:2; Peter 2 Pet. 3:10-13; John Rev. 1:1). The gifts to the Church are said to be manifestations of the Spirit (1 Cor 12:7). The Acts of the Apostles reveals the following prophets: Agabus (Acts 11:28; 21:10-11), Judas and Silas (Acts 15:32), Twelve men in Ephesus (Acts 19:6), daughters of Philip (Acts 21:9). <br /><br />Yet outside the book of Acts, a prophetic act by anyone outside the apostles is not found. Paul speaks of the gift in his instructions to the church at Corinth. It is here that one finds that the signs gifts will end. <br /><br />Paul writes, <br /><br />7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. (1Cor. 12:7-11)<br /><br />Moreover, Paul exhorts them to seek something beyond there gnostic inspired thinking: <br /><br />27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. 28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way. (1Cor. 12:27-31)<br /><br />Paul exhorts them to live a life of love (Gr. agape, “giving love, that asks nothing in return”) filled faith:<br /><br />4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail (Gr. katargeo, Fut. Pas. Ind.,“render idle, cause to cease:” “they will be idled”); whether there are tongues, they will cease (Gr. pauo, Fut. Mid. Dep. Ind.,“to cease:” “they will [themselves] cease”); whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away(Gr. katargeo, Fut. Pas. Ind.,“render idle, cause to cease:” “They will be idled”). 9 For we know in part (neuter noun) and we prophesy in part (neuter noun). 10 But when that which is perfect (neuter adj.) has come, then that which is in part (neuter noun) will be done away Gr. katargeo, Fut. Pas. Ind.,“render idle, cause to cease:” “They will be idled”). (1 Cor. 13:4-10) <br /><br />As you can see by the Greek, the neuter nouns refer to knowledge and prophecy that “we prophesy” that is, Paul and those that truly have the gift of prophecy. In the future the knowledge gifts will cease – they will be idled. The neuter adjective of verse 10, “that which is perfect,” points back to the neuter nouns of the “part,” namely, knowledge and prophecy. Prophecy will cease! The neuter cannot mean when Christ returns for it would be a masculine, nor does it mean the kingdom for it would be a feminine. Prophecy and knowledge point to God’s instruments who are used to write down His word in what we call the Word of God and what the Word calls the Scriptures – the whole of the Old and New Testaments. <br /><br />The question is when will the prophecy and knowledge end? Prophecy ended when the Scriptures were completed. When the last Prophet (Christ) speaks through the Holy Spirit to the last apostle/prophet John. The book of Revelation is the last great book of the Bible and John was the last prophet to speak new revelation! The gift of apostleship and prophecy ended sometime in mid to late A.D 90’s. <br /><br />Notice the apostle Peter equated the prophets with Scripture when he wrote,<br /><br />And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; 20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. 2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. (2 Peter 1:19-2:1)<br /><br /><b>Conclusion</b><br />The NT prophet is no different from the OT prophet. Both receive direct revelation from God to be spokesmen for Him, reproving, correcting, and encouraging the people of God concerning sin and the promises of God. The OT and NT prophet spoke under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and thus cannot lie. The prophet of God in the OT was empowered by the Spirit for a temporary period to serve a specific purpose during a specific period. The NT prophet also served to speak for God for a specific period of time for a specific purpose, though, the NT spokesmen for God cannot lie during this service, for God does not lie. Finally, the NT prophet was not an official office but was temporarily sent for the purpose of fulfilling progressive revelation to build and establish the Church. After the church was formed and the apostles died, the prophet ceased. The book was sealed and the Spirit of God speaks through the Word of God to convict the world of sin, teach the body of Christ, and guide her until the bride is taken to heaven. John Pappashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05474601729663082059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438794632381498033.post-33853564115717602672016-08-28T12:39:00.001-05:002016-08-28T19:51:10.091-05:00Is the New Testament Prophet different from the Old Testament Prophet- Part II?The previous article defined the basic concept of the function of a prophet, namely, to act as a mediator between God and man. Moreover, the prophet specifically pointed out the people’s transgressions, the sins of the house of Jacob, and did so under the power of the Holy Spirit (Isa. 58:1; Ezek. 22:2; 43:10; Mic. 3:8). <br />
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There are some, however, within the modern prophecy movement that claim that the requirements of the OT prophet do not apply to them since those rules were part of the law code and not for today’s age of grace. By claiming this, they seek to claim that they can receive a prophecy that does not come to pass and still claim be a true prophet. Can the NT prophet really proclaim a word from God that does not come to pass or does not line up with Scripture? Can the modern prophet, gifted by the Spirit of God, make a mistake? <br />
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Last time we saw that Jesus Christ came in the flesh to be the last mediator between God and man. Indeed, as Paul wrote to the Romans, <br />
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Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. (Rom 5:1-2)<br />
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And,<br />
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19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. 21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight. (Col 1:19-22)<br />
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Scripture clearly says that in the Church age, Christ is the only mediator and it is on the bases of His death:<br />
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For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, 7 for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle - I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying - a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. (1Timothy 2:5-7)<br />
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The book of Hebrews describes Christ as mediator in the context of blood sacrifices:<br />
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6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. (Heb. 8:6)<br />
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And,<br />
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12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. (Heb. 9:12-15)<br />
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Therefore, it is clear, from the context of Hebrews, that it was the priestly mediatorial role that Christ fulfilled as He offered Himself as a sacrifice for us and thus intercedes for us today. The office of priest is fulfilled in Him as all who are called by His name today are priests with Christ as the High Priest:<br />
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4 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious,<br />
5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:4-5)<br />
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Therefore, it is the office of priest that has been fulfilled in Christ in His death, resurrection and ascension to heaven that satisfies the mediatorial requirement. What is left to be completed of the mediatorial function is the office of prophet, so we not turn to the office of prophet. <br />
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<b>Details of the Prophetic Office</b><br />
The prophetic office has the following requirements: <br />
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<b>a. To Speak God’s words – Thus says the Lord…</b><br />
The main function of the prophet of the OT was to speak God’s word to the people, to warn, reprove, encourage, exhort, to pronounce divine judgment on the people and call them to repentance. The OT prophet acted as a spokesman for God, receiving a message from Him and in turn proclaiming it in accordance with His commands. That was the main function of a prophet of God – to proclaim God’s word faithfully, accurately, and truthfully. <br />
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Since this is a fallen world, there appeared many false prophets who claimed to speak a word from God but were not. The true prophet of God exhibited some form of proof that they spoke from the true God. Often times this proof was in the form of a miracle, whether the miracle was in the form of a physical supernatural sign or a prophecy that was fulfilled in the near future. However, not all prophecy was future telling; many times a prophet would simply speak the word of God from the established Scriptures. This brings us to the main point. Prophecy has two aspects: future telling and simply Scripture retelling. <br />
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What developed in time was the “office” of prophet found in the OT under the Law code. Deuteronomy 18 describes the basic function of the prophet (though Christ is in view, the larger view of prophets in general is also present):<br />
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I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. 19 And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him. 20 But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die. 21 And if you say in your heart, how shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken? 22 when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him. (Deut. 18:18-22) <br />
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Notice in Deuteronomy 18:20 the function of the prophet is to “speak a word in My name,” indeed, the Hebrew might better read “surely, the prophet that causes to speak presumptuously a word in My name, that which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.” <br />
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The prophet is to repeat accurately the word received from God and not add words that move the message of God to say something God did not say nor misrepresent Him. The true prophet of God spoke under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. <br />
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There are some in the modern prophecy movement today that claim this does not apply to them since this is law, which is no longer applicable. This then gives them license to speak presumptuously or to speak a prophecy that does not come true yet they can still claim to be a true prophet of God. As with all dispensations, there are elements that are no longer in effect, but others that remain. Those elements that remain are universals, a prophet of God who has been chosen by God will never speak a prophecy that is not true, and to claim otherwise is to claim the Spirit of God is not able to control the mouth of His servant. How can we trust the Word of God was inspired by God, is trustworthy, reliable and infallible, if a different standard is used for the modern prophet? To prophesy is to speak for God and to claim to speak for God when one is not directly commanded to do so is to blaspheme God! “They speak a vision of their own heart, Not from the mouth of the LORD.” (Jer. 23:16) <br />
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The prophet of old was told: “And the LORD said to me, "The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I have not sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them; they prophesy to you a false vision, divination, a worthless thing, and the deceit of their heart.” (Jer. 14:14) <br />
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The prophet of today is told: “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber. 4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment.” (2 Peter 2:1-4) <br />
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How then are we to understand the New Testament prophet? Is he indeed different with respect to speaking truthfully about God’s word? No! According to 2 Peter, a false prophet of old is equated with the false teacher of today and is not of the truth. False prophets and false teachers are reserved for the day of destruction and are described as blaspheming against God and truth. The true teacher (modern prophet) of God’s word is held to a high standard of speaking truth. A prophet of God, a teacher from God, and a man or woman of God will all speak truth because God is truth. God cannot lie. This is a universal truth of God. Likewise, the Spirit of God is called the Spirit of Truth. How then can a prophet of God ever speak under the guidance of the Spirit, speaking in the name of God, lie? Such a thing cannot be! <br />
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The New Testament prophet’s message is to be tested. That is the message of the apostle John as he addressed the Gnostic who believed that they could receive secret knowledge, a secret message from God when in fact they did not. Notice the apostle John’s strong exhortation to the church in his day:<br /><br />Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1)<br /><br />John was addressing the Gnostic teaching that the spiritual was good and the physical was evil so Jesus could not have been in the flesh. John exhorted them to test the prophet’s claim measures up to the truth of God’s word. With respect to the prophet speaking the truth of God’s word indeed the measure of the Old Testament and the New Testament prophet is the same. What is different is the result or judgment that comes upon the false prophet. In the OT law, the false prophet is to be killed, the NT prophet is to be exposed for being a liar – a false prophet who blasphemes the Spirit of God, for he is not speaking for God but for self. <br /><br />
In the next article we will examine the office of the Old Testament prophet and contrast him with the New Testament prophet. John Pappashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05474601729663082059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438794632381498033.post-66977142601262282472016-07-24T13:49:00.000-05:002016-08-02T10:30:09.946-05:00Is the New Testament Prophet different from the Old Testament Prophet?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It is claimed by some that the New Testament prophet is different from the Old Testament Prophet. Is this true? Was there a change in the office of prophet? Is this 'different kind of prophet' someone who is able to practice prophecy today in the Church?<br />
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Maybe you have heard the claim, “the Lord has told me …,“ “the Lord has
given me a word…,” or, “the Lord has told me to tell you....” Maybe you
have heard that someone in your church has a “prophetic or apostolic
anointing.” <br />
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Are there some in your church that prophesy over other members? Maybe you have heard the claim that the OT prophet dealt with correction, warning and judgments, while the NT prophet deals with strengthening, encouragement, and comfort, but not correction.<br />
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Have you heard the teaching that the NT prophet does not correct? They claim there is no need for correction since that is the Holy Spirit’s work that indwells us. Maybe you have even heard the claim that the NT prophet can produce a false prophecy but still be a valid prophet! Maybe you have heard the claim that only the leadership of the local church has the authority to judge whether a prophet’s message is valid or not. <br />
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This new concept of the Church prophet is said to have come about in the last century due to the work of God within His Church. This change in work of the prophet was found in the ancient church but died out and renewed with the Reformation and is present in its growing fullness in the Pentecostal and charismatic churches today. This view of modern prophecy and the prophet are given as evident truth by its growth outside the Pentecostal Church is it moves into mainline Churches through the charismatic movement. Indeed, so pervasive is the prophecy movement today within Christendom that one could say it is now a mainline doctrine and can be found within every mainline denomination. <br />
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What specifically does this movement teach? This article will not discuss every aspect of the movement and its consequences for there are too many. Instead, this article will narrowly focus upon the basic questions: is the New Testament prophet present in the Church today and how does Scripture describe the office and function of the prophet in the dispensation of the Church. <br />
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<b>The Prophet of the OT</b><br />
<b>1. Definition</b><br />
The prophet in the Old Testament was a spokesman for God. The great OT scholar, Dr. Unger, defines a prophet as, “One who is divinely inspired to communicate God’s will to His people and to disclose the future to them” (Unger’s Bible Dictionary). <br />
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<b>2. Origin of the Prophetic Office</b><br />
According to Dr. Paul Benware, “The divine origin of the prophetic office is affirmed by Jeremiah, who also reveals that it began with Moses (Jer. 7:25). (Note that God spoke directly to men like Abraham, before Moses, but the prophetic office with its various functions began with Moses.) A primary passage in understanding the prophetic office is Deuteronomy 18:19-22. In this passage, Moses declared that God would raise up the prophetic institution and that someday a great Prophet would arise. This message was given as Israel prepared to enter the land of Canaan. The first thing Moses told the Israelites was that when they entered the land they were not to involve themselves in the Canaanite practices of witchcraft, spells, omens, spiritism, or similar observances. These wicked, superstitious rituals were not to be used to obtain direction or information. Instead, God would raise up a prophet (Deut. 18:18). ” (Paul Benware, Survey of the Old Testament, p. 188). <br />
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The prophet grew out of the mediatorial office – the go-between-man between God and man. Moses was the first official mediator between God and man. God spoke to Moses who in turn was to say to Israel: “Thus says the Lord God …” This reflected a new relationship between God and Israel which was a result of their sin in the wilderness. Along with Moses’ mediatorial role, one finds the priesthood acting as mediator between God and man with regard to the nation’s worship and sacrifice. Thus two official mediatorial offices were born: the prophet and the priest. <br />
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Before Moses and the book of Exodus, one finds individuals approached God as they built alters, sacrificed an animal, and talked to God directly. Yet it is the result of sin that separated man from a holy and just God. Fellowship was broken and a mediator was required between man and God. Moses, Aaron and Miriam become the sole mediators between God and man; Moses and Miriam the prophets, and Aaron the priest. After their death, the priesthood was established to function as mediators between God and man. With the corruption of the priesthood, God brought forth the prophet to act as a spokesman, that is, a mediator between God and man to bring Israel correction, direction, encouragement, future judgments, and blessings as He moved in history to accomplish His will and bring forth the true Shepard of Israel. <br />
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<b>3. Fulfillment of the Prophetic Office</b><br />
Naturally, this mediatorial office of prophet and priest has its fulfillment in the Lord Jesus Christ for He is said to be the last mediator between God and man. Scripture says,<br />
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For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, 7 for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle - I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying - a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. (1Timothy 2:5-7) <br />
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And, <br />
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But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. (Hebrews 8:6)<br />
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Indeed, this mediatorial role was born out of the need to cover one’s sin in approaching a holy and just God. Scripture identifies the blood sacrifice as the mediatorial mechanism by which one approaches God after the fall of Genesis three. One approaches God after the fall with a blood sacrifice. This requirement changed with Moses during the exodus, as Moses became the spokesman for God and the office of prophet and priest was formally established. One cannot approach God alone with a sacrifice, instead, must bring the priest a sacrifice who in turn will offer it up - one more step removed from God. Since Jesus died as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, one approaches God today based on the blood of Christ, for He is the last mediator between God and man! <br />
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The office of prophet, like the office of priest has passed as with the Law. Jesus came to complete the Law and fulfill the legal requirements of the Law and to bring in a new covenant based upon His blood whereby all within His Church are priests and all within His Church are prophets (a separate type of prophet who simply proclaims the Scriptures, not those identified as possessing the gift of prophecy). However, as of the completion of the Bible, the NT prophet does not receive direct communication from God, but through His written Word. As A. MacRae well observes,” In the NT, as in the OT, a prophet was one who received his message directly from God. As the Bible neared completion and the existence of God’s written Word in its entirety made direct communication no longer necessary, it became possible to use the term in the extended sense of one who receives his message from God through the written Word and then passes it on to God’s people for ‘up-building and encouragement and consolation’ (1 Cor. 14:3).” (The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible)<br />
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What about the NT prophet that is described as a major function in building the Church? How are we to understand Ephesians 2:20? <br />
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19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. (Eph. 2:19-22)<br />
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And,<br />
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27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. 28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. (1 Cor. 12:27-28 NKJ)<br />
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Is this a contradiction? How is it that Jesus is the last mediator yet Scripture says the church is built upon prophets and apostles and they are even appointed by God in the body of Christ? In the next article, this question will be examined in detail. What is the work of a NT prophet? Are there some in your church who claim they are a prophet receiving messages directly from God?</div>
John Pappashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05474601729663082059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438794632381498033.post-45266586501620751132016-05-23T08:00:00.000-05:002016-05-23T08:00:00.246-05:00The Apostasy IV – The Present DayThe last day’s apostate church is characterized by calling what God calls good 'evil', and calling what God calls evil 'good'. As with every dispensation, man fails. The end time's apostasy of the church considers the Word of God of little value. Because it is not viewed as sufficient, it is suppressed, replaced with man’s philosophical ideals, boastful words, and a 'need based' physiological approach to teaching/preaching. <br />
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The Apostle Paul exhorted pastor Timothy to teach the Word and be a watchman, because the latter days apostasy was certain to happen. Some, “will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons” (1 Tim. 4:1-11). Paul wrote, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth” (1Tim 4:1-3). So awful and universal would the church be saturated in apostasy that it would serve as a sign for the rapture - taking the true Church out before the judgment of the Tribulation.<br />
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The apostle Peter and Jude also speak of the end time’s apostasy. In second Peter chapter 2, Peter provides a detailed description of these doctrines of demons that come directly from church leadership - Peter relates the teachers in the church to the “false prophets” of old. The major theological heresy they teach involves, “denying the Lord who bought them” (2 Pet. 2:1). That is to say, they deny salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, and hence, the sufficiency of our Lord and His Word. They deny the substitutionary death of Christ on the cross that paid the full price for their justification, they, in some way, deny Jesus was the Christ and in so doing they deny His gift of salvation – Christ is not enough, His Word is not enough! The character of the apostate and his church is self-glory, who “secretly [Gr. Future tense of <i>pareisago</i>, “will bring in craftily, will bring in alongside”] bring in destructive heresies [Gr.<i> hairesis</i>, “a sect, a body of men who follow their own tenets”].” <br />
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Jude describes them this way: “For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our Lord God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ” (Jude 4). <br />
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Jude identifies their method of apostasy by providing three examples: “Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah” (Jude 11). <br />
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The first example is, “gone in the way of Cain.” What did Cain do? Cain’s great sin was to bring the Lord the wrong offering – a bloodless offering! Since the fall, man is required to approach God with a proper covering, a proper blood sacrifice. Cain did not bring an animal sacrifice, rather he brought “of the fruit of the ground.” <br />
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Cain approached God on his own terms not God’s. Cain went his own way not God’s way. The proper way to approach a holy God after the fall was to bring a blood sacrifice to remind one of one’s own sin problem. That protocol changed with the Mosaic law, in that one approached God through a mediator, the priest, whom approached God for you, however, the priest approached God with a blood sacrifice. That protocol changed again when Christ came and died on the cross.<br />
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One approaches God today based on the blood of Christ - our last mediator and great high priest. We no longer bring the blood of bulls as we approach a holy and just God; we approach God on the bases of the shed blood of Christ. The apostate seeks to approach God on his own merit, in his own way, which seems right in his own eyes! Christ’s death on the cross and His cleansing blood, which brings redemption and reconciliation, is minimized and one’s own personal struggle in life and good works is amplified. The result of going the way of Cain, is a fallen countenance, a life that is self-seeking, self-reliant, self-righteous and full of envy and strife (Gen. 4:6; Heb. 11:4; 1 John 3:12). <br />
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The error of Balaam is Jude’s next example. Balaam was a pagan prophet for hire. He could be hired to curse or bless. When asked to curse Israel, Balaam heard the voice of God tell him not to curse Israel because they are blessed of God (Num. 22:12). Yet, Balaam went back three more times at the command of Balak king of Moab, to curse Israel. Though he did not curse Israel, he is declared guilty of seducing the Israelites to commit fornication (Num. 31:16). Jude identifies his error and motivation as being performed for personal gain (Jude 11; 2 Peter 2:15). Indeed, the book of Revelation reveals that churches can teach the doctrine of Balaam - prophets for hire; false prophets claiming to speak for God yet teach worldly pagan things - intermarrying with the adulterous world (Rev. 2:14). The Church is in the world yet separate from the world. Israel was separate from the world yet they intermarried with Moabite women (most likely temple prostitutes) which served to destroy their separation from the world and participation in pagan worship. <br />
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The end time’s apostate church is characterized by those who claim to speak the words of God, but their words are their own. This church teaches more of man’s words and less of God’s words. The message serves to tickle the ears. The high point of Israel’s apostasy was elevation of the false prophet and the removal of the true prophet. The apostate prophet is found today in the gross abuses of the charismatic church who profess to receive a word from God, and God says, “I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran. I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in My counsel, and had caused My people to hear My words, then they would have turned them from their evil way and from the evil of their doings” (Jer. 23:21-22; cf. Ezek. 13; 22:28). <br />
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Jude includes “the rebellion of Korah” in his description of the apostate. What is the rebellion of Korah? Korah, a Levite, along with 250 top leaders challenged Moses and Aaron’s authority as the only mediators and spokesmen for God. The Levites had a preferred place in God’s tabernacle service, Korah was not satisfied with that preferred position and wanting more led this group of leaders to question why it was that only Moses and Aaron could speak with God and serve as mediators between men and God. As a result, Moses told Korah and his company that in the morning the Lord himself will show who is able to approach Him. In the morning, God split apart the ground under them swallowing them alive into the pit of the earth. <br />
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Apostates that possess the character of Korah are characterized by those who desire to be first in rank. These are self-seeking, self-promoters that cause division and self-exaltation by claiming God speaks to them and they have some special knowledge that no one else has. They challenge the word of God, the authority of God, and those that truly speak for God. They split churches, seek power, serving only themselves (Jude 12). They are “clouds without water,” appearing as genuine but they are not. <br />
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Jude describes the apostate as, “These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves” (Jude 12). The apostate looks and seems to participate in the inner working of the church, but only outwardly as they are spots (Gr. <i>spilas</i>, “of men who by their conduct damage others morally”) in the “love feast,” denying the Lord (v. 4). <br />
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Apostates are grumblers (Gr. <i>goggustes</i>, “one who discontentedly complains against God and God’s own” ), complainers (Gr. <i>mempsimoiros</i>, “complaining of one’s lot, querulous, discontented”), walking after their own lusts (Gr. <i>epithumia</i>, “desire for what is forbidden”), their mouth speaks great swelling [words] (Gr. <i>huperogkos</i>, “overswollen, extravagant”), flattering people to gain advantage (Jude 16). <br />
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Jude recalls the warning given them by the apostles, “But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life” (Jude 1:17-21).<br />
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Apostates are mockers (Gr. <i>empaizo</i>,”jokingly deceive”) as they follow after their own ungodly desires (Gr. <i>epithumia</i>, “desire for the forbidden”). Apostates, since they are not indwelt with the Holy Spirit are described as sensual, or as the Greek renders, “natural,” as opposed to spiritually minded. These are those that Paul describes as a natural man in Romans chapter 1 and 2, except the apostate moves the world into the church as they are actors, not genuine. The proverb applies here: “A dog returns to his own vomit, and a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in mire” (2 Peter 2:22b). This person is a natural man playing the part in the church causing spiritual destruction as a wolf prays upon the flock. <br />
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One cannot reflect upon the modern church and see just how far the apostasy has moved in our churches. The major church movements today are mostly destructive in the sense of apostasy away from the Word of God, away from the cross of Christ, away from identification of sin and calling sin - sin! Though some movements seek to turn the church back (e.g. church music from mindless praise to theologically sound hymns), most modern movements are destructive, like leaven, they receive far more traction, get promoted by Christendom, and like every wind of heretical doctrine, these movements move into our churches causing confusion. <br />
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The emergent church says don’t be offensive, don’t concentrate on personal sin and a personal Savior. Instead, the emergent mindset promotes modern inclusiveness and diversity. They promote encouragement at the expense of truth and what is right. They seek to be positive, and experience God on one’s own level without being offensive. The gospel of Christ is offensive - it is foolishness to the lost! The church is to proclaim the truth of man’s sin problem and the good news that those that believe Jesus Christ paid the price for their sin on the cross will not perish but have everlasting life. <br />
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The growth of the mystical church, like the Gnostic of the early church, is growing today in the voice of the charismatic churches. Where a word from God is receive at man’s will, and the Word of God is preached, but only, as it applies to satisfy the self-seeking desire of the speaker. Expository teaching is looked down upon as it is described as “unspiritual.” Instead, what is taught today from pulpits and seminaries is to take one verse, maybe even a part of a verse then “build on that.”<br />
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Is that what goes forth from your churches’ pulpit? Does your church turn the gospel of Christ, His death, burial, and resurrection, into a prosperity message where God wants you to be rich and healthy? <br />
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The apostate church, like a trip to the candy store, comes in many flavors today. Old main line denominations have long since gone liberal, no longer appropriating God’s Word and power, in favor of a feel good, self-sufficient life, characterized by denying the word, looking religious outwardly, but internally they are dead. These old line liberal churches are dying and will themselves self-destruct, but what of the growing modern new church? The buildings are large, their members flock to them every Sunday.<br />
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Some of these mega churches are orthodox in their teaching, as they attempt to “meet the needs” of their flock. Instead of Sunday school, they have small groups that come together according to some demographic division in order to communicate and engage everyone. What is the problem with this modern model? The small group leader is often not theologically trained, and heresy moves through these groups like a storm. What is promoted and studied is the latest physiological book by “experts” in Christian living. While many in this category of churches are not apostate many are and many more are moving toward apostasy. Whenever the Word of God is moved to a secondary position, error is soon to follow. That was the story of Israel and continues to be the pattern.<br />
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If one can walk into a church and hear no exhortation to remove oneself from the desires of the world and its hatred of the things of God, then that church is in apostasy. Does you church teach Jesus was not virgin born? Does your church teach evolution like the atheist? Does your church teach hell is not eternal punishment, but annihilation like the pagan? Does your church have a yoga class and justifies its value by saying the pagan religious elements are not practiced? These things in and of themselves do not mean your church is apostate. However, these things are a sign of the times, they represent a movement away from God-centered worship to Man-centered worship. They represent an integration of the world with the church. The very thing Israel of Old did as they defiled the Temple of the Lord with Baal worship. The very thing God calls apostasy - a falling away from God to the culture! <br />
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While these things may not mean your church is in apostasy there are many churches that have clearly moved away from the truth to apostasy. If your church has a female pastor, like Korah, it is in apostasy. If your church has a homosexual pastor or accepts the homosexual lifestyle as just another acceptable lifestyle, your church, like Sodom and Gomorrah has turning away from God to follow their own lustful natures and in apostasy. If you never hear the word “sin” in your church, your church is in apostasy. Finally, if your church teaches the Scriptures are not the inspired, inerrant, sufficient Word of God, your church is in apostasy. To the apostate dead church, God says,”I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead” (Rev 3:1). <br />
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The good news for the apostate church is that it can turn from its own way. God exhorts, "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say,`I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing' - and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked - I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." (Rev 3:15-22)John Pappashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05474601729663082059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438794632381498033.post-86576175222316673852016-01-25T08:00:00.000-06:002016-01-25T08:00:20.396-06:00Apostasy III : History of the Apostasy of the Church<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In the previous article a brief summary of the apostasy of the ancient and early church revealed three main characteristics of error within the Church. Early church heresies centered around these three: (1) denying some aspect of who Jesus Christ was, whether denying His deity, or denying His humanity – He is the Son of God – the unique one-of-a-kind God-Man; (2) denying some aspect of the grace of God’s salvation; and (3) denying some aspect of the character of the word of God, whether its inerrancy, its content, or how to read holy Scripture. <br />
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It is the supernatural preservation of the Word of God that saw the ancient church through extreme heresies and persecutions. From the first church council in 50 AD to the start of the great councils starting in 325 AD the source of truth was the Bible and literal interpretation ruled the day. However, with the seducing words of the Greek allegorical technique introduced by Origen (c. 250), by the time of Augustine (c. 400) the church moved away from the plain literal interpretation of the Bible, away from the sufficiency of the Word to more of man’s words and less of God’s words. They even redefined the way one is to read – the laws of reading were changed to include seeking “the deeper more spiritual meaning.” Thus, the foundation of the Church moved from the Bible to mysticism; from statement of fact to tradition. <br />
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The great persecutions of the early church saw so many martyrs dying simply for being Christian and not denying their Savior, impacted the establish Church as it moved from sect to the official state religion under Constantine in the latter half of the 4th century. The martyrs served to encourage and strengthen those defenders of the faith who sought to keep the church pure. The fathers of the Church were not all orthodox in their theology (they had a lot of crazy doctrine), however, when they came together to decide the controversy of the day, the orthodoxy position mostly sided with the Bible. Notice the list of heresies addressed in the early church:<br />
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1. Council of Nicaea (325). Convened to address the Arius heresy (called the Trinitarian Controversy). It established the orthodox view of Christ as the 2nd person of the Trinity. However, they ruled against the traditional day of celebrating Christ’s death and resurrection on the Jewish Passover. <br />
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2. Council of Constantinople (381). Convened to address the Apollinarius heresy (called the Christological Controversy) which taught that Christ had no human mind or soul. The council established the orthodox view of the nature of Christ as the God-Man to be defined as: “Christ is one person in two natures, unmixed, unchanged, undivided, inseparable.” However, Constantinople was granted honorary precedence over all churches save Rome.<br />
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3. First Council of Ephesus (431). Convened to address Nestorian controversy and condemned Pelagian. Nestorius supported Pelagian exiles, used the term “<i>theotokos</i>” meaning “God-Bearer,” and believed in two natures of Christ. <br />
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4. Council of Chalcedon (451). Convened to address the Eutychian heresy of monophysitism (one nature) that taught that Christ had one nature. The council reaffirmed the Council of Constantinople’s statement “Christ is one person in two natures, unmixed, unchanged, undivided, inseparable.” <br />
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5. Second Council of Constantinople (553). Convened to condemn the “Three Chapters,” Nestrorian writings on the two natures of Christ. Pope Vigilius declared submission to the council. <br />
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6. Third council of Constantinople (680-681). Convened to address the heresy of Pope Honorius and monothelitism (one will) that taught that Christ had two natures but only one will (the human will merged with the divine). The council defined two wills, the human will by its union with the divine did not become less human, but was heightened and perfected by the union. The human will must always be conceived as subordinate to the divine, and the two wills always acting in perfect harmony (Louis Berkhof). </blockquote>
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As can be seen by this list, the major doctrinal subject is, “who is Jesus Christ?” By the time of the middle ages (c. 500), the councils were for the most part political, called ecumenical, and even condemned a Pope (what does that say about Papal infallibility?). <br />
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The middle ages saw a rise in the power of the Church of Rome, the Bishop of Rome develops into the Pope, and he evolves into the infallible extension of apostolic succession. The church in the East splits with the West. The Greek, Syrian, and Egyptian Churches were all very strong, but loss of territories of the patriarchs of Antioch, Alexandria, and Jerusalem to Islamic invaders and the Roman Church’s global expansion into Europe with its organizational change resulted in Rome’s dominance. Notice how the Medieval Ecumenical Councils change the power and influence of the organized church,and doctrine takes a backseat. <br />
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1. Lateran I (1123). Convened to confirm concordat of Worms whereupon agreement was made between king Henry V and Pope Calixtus concerning the power struggle between the Papacy and the Holy Roman Emperors. The council forbade marriage of priests, and granted indulgences and forgiveness of sins for crusaders. Anathema was pronounced to any military person who invades Benevento (the Italian capital of the Roman Catholic archbishop). <br />
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2. Lateran II (1139). Convened to anathematize followers of antipope Anacletus II, condemned schismatic groups. <br />
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3. Lateran III (1179). Convened to condemn Cathari. Required two-thirds vote of cardinals for papal elections.<br />
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4. Lateran IV (1215). Established the inquisition. Confirmed the election of Emperor Frederick II. Denounced Magna Carta. Defined the doctrine of transubstantiation. Confirmed the Franciscans. Condemned Cathari and Weldensians, and prepared for the fifth crusade.<br />
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5. Lyons I (1245). Deposed Emperor Frederick II. Mourned loss of Jerusalem. <br />
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6. Lyons II (1274). Reaffirmed the “<i>filioque</i>” clause. Prohibited new monastic orders. Attempted to reunite the Eastern and Western churches. <br />
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7. Vienne (1311-1312). Suppressed the Knights Templar. Condemned Beguines and Beghards. <br />
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8. Pisa (1409). Asserted conciliar authority over papacy. Deposed Gregory XII (Rome) and Benedict XIII (Avignon) and elected Alexander V. Lacked power to enforce its decisions, left church with three rival popes.<br />
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9. Constance (1414-1418). Ended the papal schism by deposing all three popes and appointing Martin V. Tried and executed John Huss. Affirmed the authority of councils over the church. <br />
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10. Basel (1431-1449). Affirmed authority of council after Pope tried to disband it. Pope used disunity of council to reassert his authority. Reached compromise settlement with Hussites. </blockquote>
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The Church had gone from an independent local elder lead body to an organization lead by a group of bishops where the bishop was over the elders. This change occurred quickly, by the late second century one finds Irenaeus and Tertullian writing about “diocesan” bishops – a bishop overseeing a group of congregations in a geographical area. By the middle of the third century as the allegorical method takes prominence, the terms “priest” and “sacrificing priests” come into the church vocabulary and Cyprian asserts the bishop of Rome as primacy. <br />
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The abuses of the Roman Catholic church as it ruled with a heavy hand throughout Europe in the middle ages moved more and more both within and outside the church in protest. The word “catholic,” simply means “universal,” but the Roman Catholics did not speak for the Eastern Church nor do they speak for the true universal Church – all believers whose head is Christ. <br />
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The protestant movement and the reformers within the Roman Catholic church moved to translate the Word of God into the language of the people. The Church is worldwide and God’s word is be in the language of the hearer! Their slogan came to be: <i>sola scriptura</i> (by Scripture alone), <i>sola fide</i> (by faith alone), <i>sola gratia</i> (by grace alone). Their desire was to return to the plain sense of the Bible without the doctrine of the Pope and the council, return Christ as the head of the Church, and stop the corruption within it. <br />
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But the question might be asked: in the height of Roman Catholic unity and power was not a universal apostasy of the Church present? The universal apostasy of the church is spiritual in nature. It is a rebellion or defection against the Word and things of God, that is, it is a religious apostasy. <br />
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The end time’s apostasy will exhibit a universal heretical nature. First Timothy says, The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon [Gr. <i>aphistemi</i>, “to depart, stand away,”] the faith and follow [Gr. <i>prosecho</i>, “bring near, turn attention to”] deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical [Gr. <i>hupokrisis</i>, “the acting of a stage player”] liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer. 6 If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed (1 Tim. 4:1-6). <br />
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Paul is instructing the pastor to warn the people of doctrinal error and uses a local problem as an example, namely, forbidding people to marry and abstaining from certain meats. He says such teaching is contrary to God-ordained good. Marriage and eating of all things are both commanded by God and a denial of such is calling good evil, and evil good (Isa. 5:20). Though it is true that the Roman Catholic church has done this, they are but just one example. <br />
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Paul experienced and warned about this in his day at the local church level. Rome is just another (though large), church in apostasy. The main point to take away from this warning by Paul is that the last day’s apostate church is characterized by calling what God calls good, evil, and calling what God calls evil, good. <br />
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Does this bring new light into the church and homosexual marriage? What does your church say about homosexually? Does the leadership speak out against it or are they silent? Does your church speak out against anything worldly? Paul tells the church to speak out against such things. <br />
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To see the full extent of apostate teaching and the church’s responsibility, Paul exhorts pastor Timothy to teach the Word of God, teach doctrine, and specifically teach what God has sanctified (Gr. <i>hagiazo</i>,”to make holy, set apart, purify”) by His word. <br />
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The natural man is self-absorbed, but Scripture says the last day’s man will be so self-deceived that the times will be perilous (2 Tim. 3:1-5). The church moves with the culture except in times of persecution and revival. Movements come and go, revival ebbs and flows, but time is linear not cyclical and as the end comes so will extreme self-love and love of the world. The extent will be global in scope, the picture is similar to that of the days of unity against God as man built a tower “whose top is in the heavens” in Babel and they had “one voice” (Genesis 11). The end-time’s church will follow the world vision of utopia on earth, a kind of humanity millennial kingdom. In so doing the church will look like the world, not in the world and separate, but in the world, one with the world. Notice what Paul tells Timothy:<br />
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<i>
But know this, that in the last days perilous [Gr. <b>chalepos</b>, “fierce, hard to bear”] times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves [Gr. <b>philautos</b>, “loving one’s self”], lovers of money [Gr. <b>philarguros</b>, “loving money, covetous”], boasters [Gr. <b>alazon</b>, “empty pretender, boaster”], proud [Gr. <b>huperephanos</b>, “showing one’s self above others”], blasphemers [Gr. <b>blasphemos</b>, “speaking evil, slanderous”], disobedient [Gr. <b>apeithes</b>, “not compliant, contumacious”] to parents, unthankful [Gr. <b>acharistos</b>, “ungracious”], unholy [Gr. <b>anosios</b>, “wicked, impious”], 3 unloving [Gr. <b>astorgos</b>, “without natural affection, unsociable, inhuman, unloving”], unforgiving [Gr. <b>aspondos</b>, “without a treaty or covenant”], slanderers [Gr. <b>diabolos</b>, “prone to slander, accusing falsely, devil”] without self-control [Gr. <b>akrates</b>, “without self-control, intemperate”], brutal [Gr. <b>anemeros</b>, “not tame, savage, fierce”], despisers of good [Gr. <b>aphilagathos</b>, “opposed to goodness and good men”], 4 traitors [Gr. <b>prodotes</b>, “a betrayer, traitor”], headstrong [Gr. <b>propetes</b>, “to fall forwards, rash, reckless”], haughty [Gr. <b>tuphoo</b>, “to rise a smoke, to wrap in a mist, to blind with pride or conceit”], lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! (2 Tim. 3:1-5) </i></blockquote>
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There are 19 adjectives or expressions describing the character of the end-time. The time as Dr. Wiersbe says, “It appears that evil is deeper and of greater intensity, and that it is being accepted and promoted by society in a bolder way. It is not that we have small pockets of rebellion here and there. All society seems to be in ferment and rebellion.” <br />
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The next article will focus in on our times and how the modern church has moved to acceptance of unheard of sins, denying the power of Christ in individual lives, and outright rejection of the Word of God.</div>
John Pappashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05474601729663082059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438794632381498033.post-53644567868263727122015-11-30T19:43:00.001-06:002015-12-21T16:39:16.475-06:00Apostasy II : History of the Apostasy of the Church<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The history of Christianity is a study of the battles of one apostate teaching after another. It is no doubt that the Holy Spirit had moved in the early church to superintend the Scripture and freeze what is now the closed cannon of the Bible. The purpose of a single source of recorded sacred Scripture is to have a source that is the standard by which all teaching is measured – We go to the source, our Bible.
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Our Bible is unique among the religions of the world. No other sacred writings claim to be the Word of God and provides prophecy for its validation. Buddhism (563-483 B.C.) does not claim to be the word of God, but rather a collection of writings that guide one’s life – the Panna (Wisdom - right thinking), the Sila (Ethical conduct – right speech), and the Samadhi (Mental Discipline – right effort). Hinduism’s (c.1500 B.C.) written tradition ranges from 800 to 300 B.C. and is defined by the Upanishads, the Vedas, and the Bhagavad Gita. The Hindu writings are said to be revealed through multiple deities. These deities grew over the years from 3 (the Trimurti ”three manifestations”) to over 330 million (a curious example of the development of world thought through the period) . Even Islam’s holy book, the Qur’an (“recitations,” A.D. 610-630) is said to be the only uncorrupted source of revelation from God revealed to Muhammad, but it was not by God directly, but rather through the angel Gabriel.
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The battle for the mind starts with the source - the authority. The Bible is our source of truth that is to be used to test what people say. The first attack on truth is to attack the word of God. The story of the fall is the first example of denying the word of God as Satan did:
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;">Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD
God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said,`You shall
not eat of every tree of the garden'?"<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><sup>2</sup> And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the
fruit of the trees of the garden;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><sup>3</sup>
but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God
has said,`You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.'" <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><sup>4</sup> Then the serpent said to
the woman, "You will not surely die.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(Gen 3:1-4)</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">This
deception continues throughout world history as the “father of lies,” the devil
(Gr. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">diabolos</i>, “false accuser”),
continues to promote his adversarial (Hebrew <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Satan</i>, “adversary”) relationship with God and the things of God. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">In
the New Testament an immediate attack upon the word of God occurs before the
text is even closed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus Christ, the
Word, is denied His rightful eternal Sonship in His incarnation. The clear
statement of fact – “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14), was
denied by some teachers in Ephesus (1 John 4:1-3). Indeed, Greek philosophy had
crept into the church and their world view defined the physical bad, the
spiritual good, therefore, Christ could not have had a physical body. The
truth of the Son that is given for the sins of the world is denied. The result
is His atoning death was not enough, His gift not sufficient!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Salvation
was also a major doctrine under attack before the New Testament was closed.
Jesus clearly taught that no one could enter the kingdom of God by one’s own
self-righteousness as He proclaimed:</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;">But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children
of God, to those who believe in His name:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><sup>13</sup> who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh,
nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12-13)</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Jesus
clearly states salvation from the penalty of sin is by belief, whereas unbelief
is the condition of condemnation:</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;">"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><sup>17</sup> "For God did not send His
Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might
be saved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><sup>18</sup> "He who
believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned
already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of
God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><sup>19</sup> "And this is the
condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness
rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (John 3:16-19)</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Yet
even as Jesus clarified the source of one’s belief is by God alone and not a
work of man (John 6:29), man demands to contribute to the completed work of
Christ on the cross – man tends to be independent, self-centered, self-seeking,
self-glorying, and self-righteous. The early church immediately tried to add
onto the grace of the gospel of Christ by adding something man must do to be
saved. For example, some demanded that non-Jews must be circumcised (Acts
15:1-11). To this, Paul responds with an anathema:</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;">I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the
grace of Christ, to a different <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Gr. <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">hereros</span>, “another - of a different
kind”) gospel,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><sup>7</sup> which is not
another (Gr. <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">allos</span>, “another - of the
same kind”); but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert (Gr. <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">metastrepho</span>, “to turn around,” i.e.
“twist”) the gospel of Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><sup>8</sup>
But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than
what we have preached to you, let him be accursed (Gr. <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">anathema</span>, “accursed”).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><sup>9</sup>
As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel
to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. (Gal 1:6-9)</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">So
great is man’s desire to contribute in some way to earn one’s own salvation
that the apostle Paul tells the church in Ephesus:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;">For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves;
it is the gift of God,</span></i></div>
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</i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><sup>9</sup> not
of works, lest anyone should boast. (Eph 2:8-9)</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><i> </i>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">These
statements are so clear that it takes slight of hand, a re-definition of terms,
and a conscience desire to pervert the plan sense of Scripture in order to turn
the truth of God into a lie. It is because of this great spiritual battle, both
with the father of lies, the devil, and man’s self-seeking nature that we are
to guard the truth, love it (Zech 8:19), walk in truth (Ps. 26:3), live truth
(John 3:21; 1 John 1:6), obey truth (Gal. 5:7), and speak the truth (Ps. 15:2;
Zech. 8:16; Eph. 4:25). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The purity of
the Word of Truth is the standard by which we must stand, even when the wicked
reject (Isa. 59:14-15; Rom. 2:8), distort (Acts 20:30), suppress (Rom. 1:18),
and even oppose it (2 Tim. 3:8). </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Early Church
Heresies</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Early
church heresies centered around these three: (1) denying some aspect of who
Jesus Christ was, ie., denying His deity, or denying His humanity; (2) denying some
aspect of the grace of God’s salvation; and (3) denying some aspect of the
character of the word of God, whether its inerrancy, its content, or even how
to read it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">It
was in the year 50 that the first church council was held in Jerusalem to
address the matter of circumcision of gentiles (Acts 15). The organization of the council was
local, though Peter, Paul, John, Barnabas, and Titus were present, it was , however, presided over by James the head elder of the Jerusalem church and its elders
and congregation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a saying:
“Where God builds a church the devil builds a chapel close by.” This has been
the reality of the church through history. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">It was by these church councils that the Holy Spirit secured which books belonged in the Bible. God was sovereign in control of what was Scripture and what was not. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">This
adding to God’s free gift of salvation that occurred in the apostolic church
shows up in every age. The Judaizing of Christianity that showed up in
Jerusalem in Acts 15 also shows up in Galatia and Corinth. It also shows up in the
second century as Ebionism as legalism moves the church under the bondage of
its rules. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
Greek dominated regions of the ancient church confronted Gnostic heresies that denied
Christ’s nature and changed the freedom of the gospel into license to sin –
antinomian licentionsness. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The great
historian Philip Schaff wrote of this period:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“The errors combated in the later books of the New Testament are almost
all more or less of this mixed sort (Paganism or Judaism), and it is often doubtful
whether they come from Judaism or from heathenism. They are usually shrouded in
a shadowy mysticism and surrounded by a halo of a self-made ascetic holiness,
but sometimes degenerated into the opposite extreme of antinomian
licentiousness.” (Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, vol. 1 p.
567)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Dr.
Schaff summarizes, “if Christ be not God-man, neither is he mediator between
God and men; Christianity sinks back into heathenism or Judaism. All turns at
last on the answer to the fundamental question: ‘What think ye of Christ?’” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">To
the cannon of Scripture the apostate adds other works. The apostle Paul had
those who opposed him, but sent letters to the Corinthian church claiming to
speak for him. These heretics wrote what has come to be called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">psethde</i> (“false”) books that the early
church rejected outright because of their obvious false teaching. Another group
of writings that are not genuine, the Apocrypha (“hidden”) and pseudigrapha
(“false writings”) are not Scripture. The Apocrypha are those extra-biblical
books written during the “400 years of silence” between the end of the Old
Testament and the birth of John the Baptist. The pseudonymous, as Dr. Mal Couch says, “ Instead of putting their own names on the books, the authors
claimed they were written by particular prophets or apostles in an attempt to
give their work the needed authority and credibility.” (Mal Couch, gen. ed.,
<i>God has Spoken</i>, p. 87). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These book are
included in the Roman Catholic Bible but not included in the Protestant Bible.
The Catholics do not call these book “inspired.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Examples
are from the OT: 1 & 2 Esdras, 1,2,3 & 4 Maccabees, Tobit, & Psalm
151. Examples from the NT are: The gospel of Thomas, The gospel of Peter, The
gospel of Barnabas, the Acts of Peter, the Lost Epistle to Corinthians. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">How
can we trust what we have today is authoritative? Because the Holy Spirit has
preserved God’s word. What we have today has stood the test of time, endured
the criticism of critical scholars and have proven themselves to be true. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">However,
the true books of the Bible have had an additional attack on their authority.
This attack has been in the form of the fundamental laws of reading – the
spiritualized method. When one does not like WHAT the text says, then they move
to either changing the definition of words or allegorizing the text. The Greeks
did not like the moral failure of their gods, so in order to clean up their
deities’ actions they turned to allegory. When the Greeks conquered Egypt,
Philo, seduced by the beauty of what came out of their method, proceeded to do
the same with the Old Testament. This method was introduced into the Church by
Origen ca. A.D. 185-254. As Dr. Couch writes, “The literary device of allegory
is quite distinct from the allegorical method of interpretation, which looks
for deeper meaning in the literal words of a text. Allegorical interpretation
allows the exegete to manipulate the text to support his or her
presuppositions.” (Mal Couch, gen. ed., <i>An Introduction to Classical
Evangelical Hermeneutics</i>, p. 39). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Another
early departure was the establishment of an unbiblical church governmental
systems. Almost immediately after the departure of the apostles, the established
church developed a church hierarchy that incorporated overseers over overseers
– a central control center instead of the local control of the church with a
plurality of elders and deacons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This hierarchy
grew to what became in the middle ages as the political/ecclesiastical Papal
organization. As the central power grew so did the Pope and the Roman Catholic church's
control of the Bible. The source of authority moved from the Bible alone to
include tradition as equal authority to the Bible with the Pope as absolute
authority.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">As
a result of the removal of the Scriptures in the language of the people and the
move to the Roman Catholic form of church government the church of the middle
ages saw ever increasing abuse of power and what looks like a semi-global apostasy of the
Church. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A kind of precursor to the
end-times apostasy. The next article will take up the story from the middle
ages, how the Word in the language of the people moved to reform and split the Roman
Catholic church. </span></div>
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John Pappashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05474601729663082059noreply@blogger.com