Quite a number of years ago at a church where I was a member, I had several conversations with an older gentleman who attended the church, but was an avowed atheist.  The reason he attended church regularly was to argue against what he thought was the ridiculousness of religion, a belief in God, and the oppressive nature of Christianity.  And argue he did, at every opportunity where there was open discussion about the Bible, whether in Sunday School or Bible study.  He also bent over backwards to outdo the churchgoers in good works to show that there was really no advantage to their being Christians since people, in general, were basically good.

He had a whole list of why he hated Christianity and the idea of our God, but one of his arguments upset me to no end.  His view was that Christianity promoted a lack of masculinity in men.  Yes, that’s right–he thought the Bible and its teachings emasculated men.  That’s why, according to him, there are so many homosexuals–both in and out of the closet–in Christian churches everywhere.  Then he proceeded to give me examples of scriptures that promote homosexuality.  Some of the ones he quoted, and his opinions about them, are as follows:

Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.  1 Samuel 18:3

I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.  2 Samuel 2:26

The atheist saw this as proving that Jonathan and David were gay on each other.  He didn’t think it was possible for a man to love another man as his own soul or for a man to consider another man’s love as going beyond the love of a woman unless there was some hanky panky going on.  Since in his opinion they were having a gay fling and the Bible spoke positively of their relationship, the Bible was promoting homosexuality.

I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.  Luke 17:34

His question of this passage was how can two men be in a bed unless they’re sexual partners?  Again he felt the Bible promoted homosexuality because one of the gay guys was caught up in the rapture.

Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved … He then lying on Jesus’ breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it?  John 13:23, 25

In the atheist’s eyes, it wasn’t normal for a man to lay on the chest of another man unless they were both gay.  He took John’s reference to Jesus loving him as John’s admission that they were a gay couple.  This, of course, was the argument he made which offended me the most.

Oddly enough, these are the same arguments used by gay rights activists who call themselves Christians to promote their acceptance in Christian congregations.  I argued with the atheist that these scriptures in no way promoted homosexuality but were a testimony that the unconditional, non-sexual, spiritual love that God helps cultivate in our hearts for others, whether they are the same or opposite gender, is a love that goes deeper than any other love.  Since he was atheist it was impossible for him to understand this since “the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” [1 Corinthians 2:14]

Being a nonbeliever, he was reading the scriptures with eisegesis (reading into it his own ideas) as opposed to exegesis (reading to get an explanation or understanding from it).  He was an educated man, but his education lacked the understanding of non-Western cultures.  In Asia, Africa, and a few other parts of the world it is normal for heterosexual men to greet each other with a kiss or walk down the street holding hands and to sleep in the same bed if the economic conditions can’t afford the luxuries of the Western world.  The Bible was written by ancient southwest Asians and much of that culture is reflected in the scriptures.  Many Western customs and ways of thinking cannot be applied to the Bible.  It is a book with standards we are called by God to conform to, not a book where we make God conform to our standards.

Gay rights activists are just as wrong with their arguments when they use these scriptures to promote their sin as acceptable.  When asked about God’s punishment for Sodom and Gomorrah and Paul’s writings against such behavior, it is argued that the people of Sodom were punished for their violation of other people’s rights by attempting to rape the angels or that they were punished for their pride, gluttony, idleness, and not helping the poor, as stated in Ezekiel 16.  They also argue that Paul spoke against sexual immorality which is different from homosexuality.  According to them, sexual partners of the same sex who are in a consensual relationship are fine.  Sexual immorality, based on their understanding, is when people cheat on their partners or force others to have sex with them or when a person is out to have a whole bunch of sex partners without wanting to commit.

But both the atheist and activists are incorrect.  Even if all of the states in the U.S. legalize “gay marriage” and other gay rights, homosexuality will still be a sin in God’s eyes.  It has always been God’s intention for men and women to have sex with the opposite gender in the confines of a husband [male]/wife [female] relationship, and this will always be his intention as long as the present Earth stands.   And by male and female, I mean those who are born with the chromosomes that determine their gender, not those who change their outward appearance or switch out their body parts for artificial ones in an attempt to pass themselves off as the opposite gender.

Does that mean we should hate them?  No, of course not.  Jesus died for homosexuals as much as he died for the rest of us who were born in sin and deserve hell.  Homosexuality is just as wrong as adultery or lying.  

We are commanded by Christ to love even those who are considered enemies.  We should hate a person’s sins and not the sinner.  That means we can interact socially with the unsaved homosexual while at the same time not condoning or agreeing with their behavior.  Those who accept Jesus as their Lord and were involved in this way of life should turn their backs on it.  Now that their life belongs to Christ, they are washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

So yes, there are gay sinners in the Bible, but the Bible speaks against such behavior.  No, there aren’t any gay saints mentioned in the Bible.  Although there are some saved people in the church who struggle with their flesh in this area, God calls them to forsake it.  And, no, neither Jesus Christ our Lord, nor any of his disciples, were gay. 

–posted by Harry A. Gaylord–

The popularity of “The Da Vinci Code” for the past several years has raised interest in the gospel of Mary and other Gnostic teachings such as the gospel of Philip.  The Gnostic gospels have a tendency to either highlight Mary Magdalene as Jesus’ favorite disciple or to imply that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were sexually intimate.  It was determined to have been written in the second century with only two extant copies in existence.  The text of the “gospel,” originally written in Greek, was also found to be edited or tampered with, making it difficult to determine its authenticity.  Since the manuscripts were found to be piecemeal, just enough of it exists to give us a general idea of the doctrines it promotes.  I will now compare what the gospel of Mary Magdalene states with what the Bible teaches:

• The gospel of Mary claims that Jesus stated, “All natures, all formations (formed things), all creatures exist in and with one another and will again be resolved into their own roots, because the nature of matter is dissolved into the roots of its nature alone. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”  In other words, if all creatures exist in one another we are all a part of a universal force and are extensions of each other.
• Although what creatures do on earth and what happens in nature may have a ripple or domino affect on others, in the beginning when God created creatures, he established a law that everything is to reproduce after its own kind.  Since that is the case, creatures do not exist in one another.  Every creature exists in its own form as reflected in its DNA.
• When the Peter in the gospel of Mary asked the Jesus in the gospel of Mary “What is the sin of the world?”, the Jesus in the gospel of Mary answered, “There is no sin, but it is you who make sin when you do the things that are like the nature of adultery, which is called ’sin.’  That is why the Good came into your midst, to the (essence) of every nature, in order to restore it to its root.” Then he continued and said, “That is why you’ [become sick] and die…”  This is a claim that sin is not real, but is a state of mind that can lead to sickness, and according to the gospel of Mary, Christ came to restore us to our “root” of restoring our minds so we will no longer believe in sin and will be healed as a result.  Oddly enough, this is the same teaching found in Christian Science.
• The Jesus Christ of the true gospels came to save people from real sin [Matthew 1:21] and he acknowledges sin’s existence by defining it in John 8:24 as the act of not believing that he is from God and is God.  The Bible also says “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” 1 John 1:8.
• The Peter in the gospel of Mary said to Mary, “Sister, we know that the Savior loved you more than other women.” 
• John 11:5 states that Jesus loved Martha, and her sister (Mary Magdalene), and Lazarus (their brother).  This shows that he had equal love for all of them and did not play favorites.  The Bible teaches that God is no respecter of persons and all of us, no matter how large or small our ministry, are important to the body of Christ.
• When the Mary Magdalene in the gospel of Mary asked the Jesus in the gospel of Mary, “‘Lord, the mind which sees the vision, does it see it through the soul or through the spirit?”, this Jesus answered, “‘It sees neither through the soul nor through the spirit, but the mind, which is between the two, which sees the vision…”
• The Bible clearly states that visions from God originate with God through the power of the Holy Spirit [Joel 2:28] working on a person’s spirit.  The mind is simply the thoughts and purposes of one’s spirit.  When Ezekiel had a vision, he said “And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem…” [Ezekiel 8:3] and ”The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD.” [Ezekiel 37:1]  When John had a vision, he said “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day…” [Revelation 1:10]
• The Mary Magdalene in the gospel of Mary saw a vision of the Jesus in the gospel of Mary and this Jesus explained how a soul had to overcome four powers–the second power being desire, the third power being ignorance and the fourth power being wrath in its seven forms, which are darkness, desire, ignorance, excitement of death, kingdom of the flesh, foolish wisdom of flesh, and wrathful wisdom.  We don’t know whose soul was in this vision, but since this Mary had a vision of Jesus, this is probably his explanation of what his soul went through in her vision.  The beginning of Jesus’ explanation in the manuscript was missing so we don’t know what the first “power” is.  These powers in this vision that should be overcome are the same ideas reflected in Buddhist teachings under the “Four Noble Truths.”
• The Bible teaches that Jesus has power over sin, death, hell, and the devil and supplied this power to believers in one fell swoop with his death. “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil” [Hebrews 2:14]  “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” [Revelation 1:18]  He has given his followers the same power [Luke 10:19]  There are a whole host of sins whose numbers surpass just the “four powers” that believers in Christ have conquered through his death and resurrection.  God already sees us as having conquered them since we are in Christ, but we must struggle against them since we still have a sin nature warring against the Spirit who is in us.  The Bible also tells us that all sin can be boiled down to three categories, not four–the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

It is because of these doctrines and the inability to verify the history of the manuscript that it cannot be accepted as truth.  The books of the Bible are there because there are multiple reliable manuscripts that were compared and collated to prove what should be in the scriptures.  Gnostic gospels like the gospel of Mary don’t even come close to measuring up.

But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.  Galatians 1:8

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life released their poll on “Religion in America” last week and it has been a major topic in the secular and religious world since its release.  The statistics reveal that a majority of religious people in America are less dogmatic than previously thought.  Here are some of the highlights of the statistics where 35,556 American adults were polled (in case you haven’t seen them yet):

• 70% of Americans with religious affiliations believe their religion is not the only way to eternal life.
• 68% of religious Americans believe there are several ways to interpret the truths in their religious teachings.
• 57% of evangelical churchgoers think there is more than one way to eternal life.
• 92% of Americans believe in God.
• 21% of atheists believe in God or a “universal spirit.”
• 83% of “mainline” Protestants believe there are many roads to God.
• 59% of members of historic black congregations believe there are many roads to God.
• 79% of Roman Catholics believe there are many roads to God.
• 82% of Jews believe there are many roads to God.
• 56% of Muslims believe there are many roads to God.
• 74% of Americans believe in life after death.

 

Members of the liberal press were so ecstatic about reporting these results because in their eyes, this means the brand of strict Christianity that proclaims Jesus is the only way to God is losing its foothold in American society.  I watched the ABC Evening News when the report came out and the bias against Christianity was obvious in how it was reported.  There was such excitement in George Stephanopoulos’ voice when he ran down the stats revealing that most Christians thought Jesus was not the only way to God.  Then his voice dropped down to a “shame on you” tone of voice when he reported that there were still a good number of Christians who still hold to the doctrine that Jesus is the only way to God. 

But I personally question how this poll was done.  I took a look at Pew’s survey methodology at this link to see who was polled and how the poll was conducted.  A total of 429,726 phone calls were made for this poll.  Ultimately, only 35,556 people ended up taking the poll for various reasons such as no one answering at the number dialed or people who answered that were not interested in being polled.  The response rate for those who were contacted was a measly 24%.

So I have to ask myself several questions that never were asked in the news reports that I saw, and here are my questions:

• Is 35,556 an accurate number of people to make such broad conclusions about Americans’ opinions on religion?
• If only 24% of people contacted were polled, can we really take the results of this poll seriously?
• How many people from each state were contacted?  Results can be skewed depending on what part of the country is polled.  For instance, if a large number from the West Coast and New England were polled, then it is no surprise that such a large percentage don’t believe that Jesus is the only way, since these regions are very liberal.

 

My third question above is my main concern and I searched Pew’s website about this poll to find the state-by-state data, but it wasn’t there.  It seems to me that they would make such data easy to find if they wanted the public to know as much as possible on how their survey was done.  This leads me to wonder if they’re hiding something.  Could it be that there is an ulterior motive for their poll, such as an attempt to pressure those of us who hold fast to the truth that Jesus is the only way to salvation and who believe in the 100% accuracy of the scriptures to join the “mainstream” way of thinking?

If the Pew poll is accurate, I believe it verifies that America is really not a “Christian” nation.  We are merely a country that has a significant number of Christians in it.  It also shows how deceived “religious” people can be.  If the Pew poll is inaccurate, my opinion is that it is another attempt to try to sway people’s minds toward a one-world religion, which is a reflection of an antichrist spirit, to prepare people for the coming of the Antichrist.

Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?  Luke 18:8

–posted by Harry A. Gaylord–

Science, or systematized knowledge, is often assumed to be at odds with faith and more specifically at odds with the Bible and the God of the Bible.  This is the false assumption that evolutionary scientists have promoted for years with the hope of making the scientific methods and principles of their opponents appear as if they lack authenticity so they themselves can look more scholarly in addition to knock off any competition they would have in acquiring funds they covet for their research.  However, the very God who created the universe–the God that many scientists make every attempt to deny–is the very God that in creating the universe by default established the very existence of science and the principles that uphold it.

Centuries before many scientific discoveries came to light, the Bible records many scientific accuracies that were revealed to his people in ancient times that have served to verify what holy men wrote under the power of the omniscient God ruling our universe.  Not only do we find accuracy of scientific principles, modern science has also discovered the accuracy of what was recorded about various cultures that surrounded God’s people.  The Bible may not be a science book in the modern understanding of what science is, but under the true definition of science–which is the state of knowing and, as I mentioned earlier, systematized knowledge–the Bible does indeed render itself as a science book since God has established his word so that we can be in the state of knowing him, so that we can be in the state of knowing what he expects from us, and so that we can be in the state of knowing how he operates.  God’s system of knowledge is based on faith and in that sense the Bible is a book of faith.

Here are a few examples from science that have verified what God revealed through his secretaries, the writers of the scriptures, and the accuracy of what they wrote to describe the times in which they lived:

1.  Excavations at Boghaz-Keui (Turkey) revealing Hittite monuments:  Archaeological excavations were done at this site 90 miles east of Ankara in 1906 by Hugo Winkler, a professor from Berlin.  Boghaz-Keui turned out to be a capital city of the Hittite people.  Clay tablets that were found had inscriptions in the Hittite language which explained the vastness of the Hittite empire and the culture of its people.  Hittites are mentioned often in the Old Testament as neighbors, friends, and sometimes adversaries of God’s people.  Before this excavation was discovered, critics of the scriptures thought the existence of these people was a myth.

2.  Clay tablets of Ras Shamra:  In Ras Shamra, Syria (known as Ugarit in earlier times), clay tablets were unearthed that revealed in detail the pantheon of the Canaanites and the normal routines of their culture.  Claude F. Schaffer discovered the tablets in 1929 and made digs until 1937.  The excavations were suspended because of World War II, but continued in 1948.  These tablets discussed each Canaanite god, what they represented, and the story of their origins.  They also recorded the extreme violence, murders, and unfettered sexual perversions practiced by the Canaanites in honor of their gods.  Canaanite civilization was very hedonistic, according to what was recorded on the tablets, and the tablets give great credence to what was stated in the Bible about them.  It is easy to understand why God wanted Israel to annihilate them and modern critics of this policy have no standing for their defense of the “poor, innocent Canaanites.”

3.  Spherical shape of Earth: Plenty of mankind’s ancient tales about the Earth promoted the idea that the Earth was flat and that it was possible to fall over the edge.  This idea was promoted by Hindu, Buddhist, and Islamic teachings until explorers started travelling the world in the 15th and 16th centuries.  But thousands of years before their explorations, Solomon and Isaiah spoke of a circular Earth through God’s revelation:  

When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass [circle, circuit] upon the face of the depth: Proverbs 8:27

It is he [God] that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers… Isaiah 40:22

4.  Expansion of the universe:  Modern science has discovered that our universe is expanding.  But God showed this to the prophet Isaiah ca. 690 B.C.:

It is he [God]…that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:  Isaiah 40:22

I [God] have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.  Isaiah 45:12

God made it clear he is the one who spreads and stretches the heavens, our universe.

5.  Unlimited stars in the universe:  Before Galileo, a Christian, invented the telescope in 1608, several men of science from Ptolemy to Kepler gave an exact amount of stars in the sky.  After Galileo, through his God-given wisdom and knowledge, built his telescope, mankind found out the numbers of stars was much greater.  Today astronomers estimate the number is in the hundreds of billions, but that is only a guesstimate.  Science has now caught up with what God told Jeremiah ca. 587 B.C.:

…the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured…  Jeremiah 33:22

6.  Mountain ranges in the oceans: The 20th century witnessed advances in technology that established measurement devices and machines to measure and explore the depths of the oceans.  Using these technologies, scientists discovered mountain ranges and deep trenches in the depths of the sea, just like God revealed to his people hundreds of years before he came to Earth as Jesus Christ:

And the channels [ravines, valleys] of the sea appeared, the foundations of the world were discovered, at the rebuking of the LORD, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.  2 Samuel 22:16 (ca. 980 B.C.)

I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever…  Jonah 2:6 (ca. 750 B.C.) when the prophet was swallowed by the whale.

7.  The Earth suspended in space:  Ancient myths and legends reveal the many mistaken ideas that mankind invented to explain what was holding the Earth up, from Atlas to turtles.  With advances in astronomy in the 1400s, the invisible force called gravity was discovered.  Many centuries before this force was discovered by science and named, God revealed it to Job, who pre-dates 2000 B.C.:

He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.  Job 26:7

I could go on and on about the Bible’s scientific accuracies, such as it’s mention of ocean currents, the water cycle, wind currents, and more, but I don’t have the time right now.  My life is requiring me to get some other things done now, but you get the point.  The arguments that the Bible is anti-science, anti-scientific, and requires blind faith just aren’t true.  It’s when a person steps out on faith in God that God reveals such truths that serve to strengthen a person’s faith in God.  A relationship with God is for people who reason and Christianity is a thinking-man’s religion.

 

Lord God,

I give you glory, honor, and praise for your works of righteousness that bring peace in the hearts of your worshippers.  You are the faithful God who erases my sins and gives me brand new mercies every morning.  I worship you because in my hour of distress, I called out to you and you heard me and comforted me.  When my enemies rejoiced against me at my stumbling, you lifted me up, strengthened me and protected me against wicked plots.  In times when darkness approached me to overpower me, you shined your light to scatter the darkness.

Lord, I thank you for your longsuffering which provides me with enough time to right myself when I turn in the wrong direction.  I praise you for using your vast power and authority for good throughout the earth.  May your glory be declared in the spiritually dark places of the earth that those who walk in the darkness of their sins might see your great light.  All praises to you, Lord, for your abundant grace, goodness, and truth.  Everything you do is done with excellence and that’s why I give you excellent praise!

Father, you are my shield, my help, and my song.  You have brought me close to you with your lovingkindness.  Your wisdom has been spread all over the world for those who are humble enough to reach out for it.  May your wisdom and knowledge, by the power of your Holy Spirit, overtake your church that we may be able to carry out your wishes wherever we may be and in whatever place that you lay on our hearts. 

I give you glory, honor, and praise for your loving rebuke and chastening.  Thank you for revealing yourself and reaching out to me personally through your word, by your Holy Spirit, through various situations in my life, and occasionally through dreams.  May your name continue to be glorified all over the world in the same way it’s glorified in heaven.  I pray that your word will continue to flow throughout the earth to save as many lost souls as possible.  Thank you for being the God who sets free those who are held in bondage to their sins.  May they experience the power of the freedom that only you can provide.  I praise you and thank you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen.

 

Iran’s highest leader, Ayatollah Khameini, stated last week that terrorists will eventually get their hands on nuclear weapons, according to a report by Terrence P. Jeffrey of CNSNews.com.  At a celebration marking the death of Ayatollah Khomeini, who led a revolution to overthrow the Shah and whose followers took American hostages in the process, Khameini said that Iran had no interest in nuclear weapons because it was against their Islamic beliefs. 

However, he went on to imply that America and Arabic nations who were aiding Israel would suffer when he stated, “Before long, the world’s terrorists will have access to nuclear weapons and take away security from all the tyrants of the world and all the nations of the world.”  At times during his speech his followers chanted, “Death to Israel,” and “Palestine is victorious, Israel is defeated!”

The Ayatollah went on to exclaim, “Other nations, just like the Iranian nation, consider Israel as a false and imposed regime in the region. The Zionist regime has no power by itself and cannot stand on its own feet. Today, two factors have helped the Zionist regime stand on its feet. First, the unconditional and despicable support of America for this decadent regime, and second is lack of support of Islamic and Arabic nations for the Palestinian people,” as translated by the BBC.

What the Ayatollah fails to realize, because he is blinded by Satan, is that Israel is not standing on its own feet.  It came into being because God was working through man behind the scenes to establish Israel.  Israel stands by God’s power.  Although many Jews in Israel will continue to suffer because of a lack of belief in God, ultimately Israel will prevail against its enemies in the end because God will preserve his people in Israel.  It’s rather obvious by the Ayatollah’s doublespeak that even if Iran were to just use their nuclear knowledge for energy purposes, their evil beliefs won’t prevent them from sharing that knowledge so the terrorists they’re supporting can develop weapons for themselves if necessary.

His radical views are a perfect example of why it’s so important to stay prayerful.  Satan is still roaming to and fro throughout the earth, seeking whom he may devour.  And Islam is one of the tools he’s using to steal, kill, and destroy.

And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman [Israel] which brought forth the man child [Jesus Christ, Yeshua ha Mashiach].  And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.  Revelation 12:13-14

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.  Psalm 122:6

–posted by Harry A. Gaylord–

I just re-read Psalm 20 and noticed how the short nine verses proclaim blessings over God’s anointed ones and testifies about his delivering power in our times of trouble.  It illustrates how even when life drops bombs on us, God is still there ready to act on our behalf.

The pronouncing of blessings from God

The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee; Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion; Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah.  Psalm 20:1-3

As Job said, “Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble.”  Trouble will come to us all eventually, even if we do nothing to bring it about.  Whether trouble happens nationally, locally, or personally, it is a time that tests us to reveal our character.  Will it bring us closer to God or keep us distant from him?  Will it make us better or cause us to be bitter?  Will it draw out abundant love from us or spring forth hatred?  We may have a picture in our mind as to how we think we might react in certain situations, but quite often it is only when the distress comes that we find out what we’re truly made of.  What a joy it is and what peace it brings if our troubles cause us to run to our heavenly Father, knowing that he will be our fortress and that our distresses only serve to bring us closer to him.  So may Yahweh hear you in your day of distress.

Yahweh is the God of Jacob.  Jacob, if you recall, was far from perfect.  In fact, he was a trickster who often sought to take advantage of people for his own personal gain.  Sometimes his schemes worked while most of the time they came back to bite him in the rear.  Yet, throughout his sinfulness, God showed himself gracious toward Jacob and was longsuffering.  Why?  God knew the righteous plans he had for him and used the situations Jacob got himself into to ultimately bring about the necessary changes in Jacob to make him a devoted servant of God.  Now if God did this for someone like Jacob, surely he can do the same for us in the midst of our sinfulness and failures.

If we have cried out to God from a pure, humble, and repentant heart, he has promised us that his name is at our disposal.  It pleases the Lord when we call on his name because his name is above every name whether in heaven or on Earth or under the earth.  It is the name of the Lord that sanctifies us, justifies us, heals us, and defends us against enemies who seek only bad things for us.  So may the name of the God of Jacob defend you.

When we direct our petitions to God for help, they are directed towards his throne in heaven–his spiritual sanctuary where the spiritual Zion is.  Remember, God does not dwell in temples made with hands.  As he told the woman at Samaria in John 4, worshiping God is not about a place like the mountain where Samaritans worshipped or Jerusalem where the Jews worshipped.  It is about worshipping God in spirit and in truth. 

God is not confined to an altar or a specific church building and does not want us to bow down in prayer before statues made of porcelain, wood, or any other substance.  We don’t need necklaces or any other physical object to give worth to our prayers.  All we need to do is direct them with humility toward heaven.  Then when he hears our prayers and they are in line with his will, he answers us from his heavenly sanctuary in the heavenly Mt. Zion to send us the help and strength we need in our distress.  May the Lord send you help from his sanctuary and give you strength from Zion.

Since the Mosaic law does not apply to those of us who are under God’s grace, we no longer are required to make the sacrifices commanded in the law.  Our sacrifices are the love and service we willingly give to God and to each other.  We present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God in addition to helping our spiritual siblings, even if it’s as seemingly insignificant as a cup of cold water or visiting the sick or helping someone financially.  God keeps a record of all of them and in situations where we call on him to help us, he recalls the various times we made sacrifices for his sake that he should be glorified.  As a result of those sacrifices he shows us his mercy and compassion.  So may the Lord remember all of your offerings and accept your sacrifices to him.

A plea for God’s will to be done

Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfill all thy counsel.  We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the LORD fulfill all thy petitions.  Psalm 20:4-5

In verse 4, we see the desire for what is in God’s heart to come to fruition.  There is the anticipation that the counsel of God will be fulfilled when troubles arise.  This is the spirit in which we should pray–that God’s will be done in response to our distressful situations.  When we have examined ourselves to make sure we are doing what pleases the Lord, we can rejoice when his deliverance is manifested, praising and glorifying his holy name. 

Banners were usually used in military endeavors to proclaim who an army represented.  They can also be used for national or religious intentions.  In relating banners to Christians, our lifestyle and character are the banners we hold up to those around us to proclaim that we walk in the name of the Lord our God to represent his righteousness to stand against all kinds of evil that would come to weaken or destroy us.  Our banner says we are salt and light.  Our banner proclaims that we are more than conquerors through Christ who loved us and gave himself for us.  Even if the battle we face means the forfeiture of our very lives, we know that to live is Christ, but to die is our gain.  God will be glorified no matter how our troublesome situation turns out.  As you stand for the Lord, may he fulfill all your petitions to him.

God’s salvation of his anointed ones

Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.  Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.  They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright.  Save, LORD: let the king hear us when we call.  Psalm 20:6-9

After we have witnessed in the past how God saved us from trouble or saved someone we know from trouble, we know for a fact that the Lord delivers those of us who are his anointed ones.  We can pray to him with confidence knowing he will answer us from heaven with power to wipe out the cause of our distress or grant us sufficient grace to walk through the situation to make us stronger.  Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers us out of them all!

In the same way that powerful rulers trusted in the strength and number of their chariots and horses  in Biblical times, those who are powerful today trust in the amount of their possessions or in the level of their influence and fame.  But the mindfulness and focus that Christians have on the name of the Lord is where we place our trust.  Those who trust in their power are puffed up in their pride and their power will at some point fail them because pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.  God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.  That’s how and why he raises us and causes us to stand upright in our morals or just causes.  He is the lifter of our heads and we can walk with godly pride as we surpass our troubles. 

We have the freedom to cry out for the Lord to save us and to plead for our king to hear us when we call.

–posted by Harry A. Gaylord–

I recently read blogs from two people on why the nation of Israel should not exist and the bloggers here and here gave their reasons which would sound valid to someone who is not educated to the whole of scripture.  Their reasons for their positions were as follows:

1.  The nation of Israel is not a fulfillment of Biblical prophecy:  This statement was based on their understanding of Romans 2:23-29 where Paul states a true Jew is one who worships God in his heart as opposed to one who is focused on outward appearances.  Since Israel is a secular state, in their opinion, it has not fulfilled prophecy.

2.  The 1947 partition of the land by the UN was illegal:  The acquisition of the land violated Hague Regulations and the UN Charter by acquiring territory by force.

3.   The State Of Israel has created chaos from the moment it was birthed: The blogger blamed everything from terrorism to Communism to America’s debt to racism on the Jews.

4.  Old Testament laws about distributing land to Israel no longer apply: This statement was based on Hebrews 7:11-12.

5.  There is no longer a division between Jews and Gentiles based on Ephesians 2:11-15.

6.  Jesus did not come to establish an earthly kingdom based on John 18:36.

7.  Christ was focused on the heavenly, not the earthly based on Hebrews 12:22-29.

For point #1, the current nation of Israel is, in fact a fulfillment of Biblical prophecy.  Yes, the majority of Israel is secular, but there are an impressive number of Jews in Israel who believe in Jesus Christ and therefore are true Jews as spoken in Romans 2.  Just because they are outnumbered by false Jews doesn’t give anyone the right to wipe them out.  Even Jesus spoke in his parable about the wheat and the tares that the tares should not be pulled out until the harvest, which refers to when Christ will sit on his throne to judge all men at the end of days.  God said in Isaiah 10:20-22 and Zephaniah 3:12-20 that there would always be a remnant of true believers in the midst of Israel.

In Amos 9, the Lord calls Israel the sinful kingdom and talks about punishing them, but after their punishment comes the blessing that “[b]ehold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.  And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.  And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God.”  Amos 9:13-15

This is literal land spoken of in this prophecy and God promises that once Israel is in it, they would not only prosper, but they would REMAIN in it.  He also confirmed this through Ezekiel in Ezekiel 36:5-15 when God was upset by the idea of the Gentiles to distribute his land that he promised to Israel as if they owned it.  God then went on to promise that Israel would no longer be bereaved of having their own people dwelling in their land and he would cause them to prosper in their land.  Thus far, he has fulfilled his prophecies through Israel.  They have been fruitful in their land and the whole world has benefited from many of their inventions and products such as voice mail, the first computer anti-virus technology, and the cell phone.  God can use anyone he chooses to fulfill his prophecies and in 1947-48 he used the UN.  He does not care about UN directives and regulations.  He does what pleases him, since he is sovereign, and is not going to allow laws set up by men to stop his plans.

Regarding point #3, Israel is by no means a perfect nation and the majority of Jews in Israel are sinful.  Some Jews are guilty of committing great evil.  But this is hardly a premise for doing away with the nation.  The United States is the poster child for the production of pornography, the illegal drug trade, killing unborn babies, and international corporate greed but we argue and fight against those who want to destroy us.  Both Russia and China have been responsible for the violation of human rights and have done more than any other nations to spread Communism, but no one is calling for their annihilation.  Many Islamic nations violate women’s rights and commit various atrocities, but we’re not trying to wipe them off the face of the Earth.  So why is it that Israel should be treated any differently?

Point #4 is quoting Hebrews 7 out of context.  Hebrews is making the point that the Mosaic law has no bearing on a man’s relationship with God.  There is no longer the need for the law or a Levitical priesthood since God’s grace by faith in Jesus Christ replaces it.  It has no application to the fact that God said Israel would be established as a nation in the earth.

With regard to point #5, there is no distinction in God’s spiritual kingdom between Jews and Gentiles when they become believers in Christ, but this does not apply to how God sets up nations in the earth.  We still have Chinese Christians in China, Korean Christians in North and South Korea, Latino Christians in the nations of Central and South America, and Nigerian Christians in Nigeria, so what’s up with the argument against having Israeli Christians living in a state of Israel?  It’s pure nonsense!

Points #6 and #7 just highlight the fact that Jesus was not trying to establish a nation on earth where his followers would segregate themselves from the rest of the world.  We are truly citizens of a spiritual kingdom, but we are allowed to live anywhere God allows us to live on Earth.  Just because Jesus did not come to reign as a physical king of the present earthly nation of Israel does not mean that Israel has no right to exist.  Israel exists because God promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that their physical descendants would dwell in the land forever. 

The first blogger above is a member of the Greek Orthodox Church.  That raises a red flag in my mind because the Greek Orthodox Church as well as other religious organizations think they have a right to the lands where Jesus walked because they think of themselves as being Jesus’ true successors.  They see the Israelis as standing in the way of owning land that belongs to them, so they come up with all types of arguments to make the Jews look as evil as possible.  But God makes it clear in his word that he intended those lands for the physical Israel (i.e. Jews) and it’s only when Christ returns with his saints that he will establish the land as the possession of all of his followers even if in the meantime the Antichrist brokers a deal for all interested parties to share Jerusalem, but I’ll save that discussion for another day.  Meanwhile, God’s sign over the land of Israel is clear–”NO TRESPASSING!  VIOLATORS WILL BE PROSECUTED.”

I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. …Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. …

And if some of the branches [Israel] be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; Boast not against the branches [Israel]. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.  Thou wilt say then, The branches [Israel] were broken off, that I might be grafted in.

Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:  For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. …

For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.  …

As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the father’s sakes.  Romans 11

–posted by Harry A. Gaylord–

Last night I watched Book TV on C-Span2 where they broadcasted Jerry Newcombe, producer of Coral Ridge Ministries, who was promoting his new book co-authored by the late D. James Kennedy titled How Would Jesus Vote? at a Bible College in Florida.  He made some very good points regarding education of our children, aiding the poor, abortion, judges who legislate from the bench, and several other topics.  Dispersed throughout his discussion were quotes from the Founding Fathers and Presidents which clearly showed they intended the U.S. to be a nation founded on, and preserved by, Biblically-based values.

With regard to educating our children, Newcombe pointed out that it was the primary responsibility of parents to educate their children or if they are not available to do so, they have the God-given right to appoint someone to stand-in for them, which is why we have a public education system.  If public schools are leaning against the values of the parents, they have the right to step in to voice their opinions and take the necessary action for the sake of their kids.

Newcombe also discussed how aiding the poor is supposed to be the church’s responsibility, based on what the Bible says, because government tends to screw things up when we rely on them to meet the needs of the poor.  Then he pointed to the U.S. welfare system (the scourge of the black community) as an example of how it can discourage marriage and encourage out-of-wedlock births.  Newcombe implied that if the church looked out for the poor all along, families would have been strengthened and those without the necessary skills to take care of their families would be trained to do so.  This may have happened in the past if there was not an effort to violate the rights of blacks, Hispanics, women, and American Indians.  Nowadays helping the poor does actually take place in churches who are not so caught up in the prosperity gospel or other false doctrines. 

The sanctity of life in the womb was also highlighted in Newcombe’s discussion.  He then went on to discuss how Christians should see it as their duty to vote for candidates who represent godly values and how we should be actively involved in the political process.  He also stated that, contrary to critics of Christianity, we Christians are not out to force people to be Christian, but our values (which are the principles that our country was founded on) have always been the principles that preserved every citizens’ right to have their own opinions, not just Christians.  Other world views, according to him, tend not to do that.

But with regard to voting only for people who hold to Christian values is where I have lots of questions.  I voted for presidential candidates in the 90s who lost to Clinton, then it turned out that Clinton was the one who took the initiative to phase out the government welfare system with the welfare-to-work program, which (in my opinion) was one of the factors that may have helped reduce the number of abortions over the years.  Then he worked hard with Congress to get our government out of debt with conservative spending that even the conservatives envied.  But Clinton was far from being a saint as was obvious by some of his other actions.

Then I voted not once, but TWICE for our current President because of the Christian values he proclaimed and the result has been government secrecy by denying valid Freedom of Information requests, government cover-ups, putting CIA operatives’ lives at stake, violating the rights of innocent detainees (like Murat Kurnaz from Germany) at Gitmo who were caught in a dragnet to try to find the guilty, wiretaps to spy on innocent Americans, Alberto Gonzales’ attempts to get a very sick Attorney General to back a warrantless wiretapping program, an Atty. General Alberto Gonzales who was acting on political agendas instead of being a neutral upholder of justice, an unjust war based on incorrect information, innocent Iraqi lives being taken because of an unjust war, soldiers being given conflicting or unclear orders on how to proceed with their duties, contractors with ties to the administration getting paid billions of dollars after avoiding the bidding process, soldiers who make it home from Iraq and Afghanistan but are not getting the care they need from the VA, and it goes on and on.  Is a politician’s pro-life stance more important than their lies?  Does the fact that they want to preserve the lives of unborn babies mean that I should overlook the fact that they needlessly put the lives of innocent people in jeopardy? SO MUCH FOR CHRISTIAN VALUES!

So who am I supposed to vote for this time around?  The so-called claims to being Christian that both candidates have don’t match the fact that the Democrat is in favor with murdering the unborn and that the Republican candidate wants to continue the status quo.  And both of them want to spend unnecessary funds to combat global warming when all we need to do is enforce the rules and regulations that the EPA has, which the Bush administration has backed away from to favor his corporate comrades.  It seems to me that politicians only claim Christian values to get votes, and so many of us Christians fall for their lies every time.  They’re playing us for fools because they think Christians tend to be gullible and all too often, they’re right.

–posted by Harry A. Gaylord–

Have you ever read some of the prophecies in the Bible and had no clue as to what the prophet or God was talking about?  It’s happened to me on several occasions and there are several that after reading and re-reading that I still don’t understand.  I’ve consulted commentaries and sought explanations from preachers a few times and they were a great help on some things while not so helpful on other things. 

In my searches for the meanings of certain prophecies, I discovered a few reasons why they can be difficult to decipher and here they are:

1.  Sometimes the same prophecy can be applied to separate events that happen on Earth.  I have periods where I forget God inhabits eternity and witnesses the totality of mankind’s existence on Earth.  So he can clearly see that we as humans have a tendency to repeat our mistakes over and over again no matter what time period we are in.  When I look at prophecies, I have to occasionally remind myself of this fact. As it says in Ecclesiastes, “there is no new thing under the sun.”  That being the case, God can easily have a prophet speak a word that applies to more than one occurrence.

For instance, in Jeremiah 31:15, Jeremiah prophesied that Rachel would weep for her children and would refuse to be comforted.  In the prophet’s lifetime, the prophecy referred to Israel being conquered by Babylon and being led into captivity.  However, Matthew quoted the same prophecy in his gospel to state that Herod’s slaughter of the innocents was the prophecy’s fulfillment (Matthew 2:17-18).  They were both correct in their interpretations.  

In another prophecy, Isaiah spoke by the Holy Ghost saying, “though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return.” (Isaiah 10:22).  This he said to prophesy that after Israel would be scattered from its land and led into captivity, only a few of them would actually return from captivity or dispersion to worship the Lord in their land.  However, Paul quoted this scripture in Romans 9:27 to state that the fulfillment of this prophecy would be reflected in the relatively small amount of Jews who would accept the Lord Jesus as their Messiah.  Both Isaiah and Paul were correct in their interpretations.

If a prophecy can be applied to more than one situation, this makes it difficult to figure out what world event(s) it applies to without God’s help.

2.  God reserves the right to keep the meaning of a prophecy hidden until he sees fit to reveal it.  In Daniel 12:4, the prophet was told “shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.”  Then in verse 9 of the chapter, he was told “Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end,” after he had asked for understanding of the prophecy relayed to him.  The meaning of some of the prophesies told to Daniel were not for the people of his time period to understand.  God made it clear they would be revealed in the last days when knowledge would increase in the earth.

We also see this principle being played out when it came to Jesus’ disciples.  When the Lord went into the temple to clear out the money changers, the disciples realized at that moment that Jesus had fulfilled Psalm 69:9 where David had prophesied the zeal of the Lord’s house would overtake the Messiah, the Christ.  They also remembered after his resurrection, according to John 12:15-16, that his entering in Jerusalem on an ass’s colt was the fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecy in Zechariah 9:9.

So if you run into a prophecy you don’t understand even after you search high and low to find the answer, it could be that God may not want you to understand it yet.

3.  Our hearts can be hardened for some reason, which hinders our understanding.  Let’s face it.  Because of things that go on in our lives that interrupt our focus on the Lord or we may be upset with God for some reason (maybe he didn’t answer our prayers in the manner we wished), these have a tendency to interrupt the flow of God trying to communicate something to us.  We may be saved, sanctified, and filled with the Holy Ghost, but we still have a sin nature that gets in our way sometimes.  This is what happened to some of Christ’s followers.

In Mark 6, Jesus told his disciples to cross the sea of Galilee ahead of him and that he would meet them on the other side in Bethsaida (which, in a sense, was a prophecy), they ran into some violent winds and didn’t think they would make it until Jesus walked across the water to the boat and silenced the winds.  The scripture tells us their hearts were hardened and this occurred right after Christ miraculously fed the five thousand men.  When the resurrected Lord talked with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24 who were discouraged by Christ’s crucifixion because they thought the crucifixion was the end of the story, he rebuked them for being “slow of heart” to believe everything predicted by the prophets and had to explain to them all of the prophecies about him.

How Can We Understand Prophecies?

I believe God wants us to understand as much of the prophecies as he is willing to reveal and this would be the majority of them.  Paul commands us in Ephesians 5:17, “Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.”  As it says in Proverbs 25:2, “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.”  And as believers in Christ, we are the kings who should search out these matters diligently with the hope that God will reveal them.

But we have to understand that God’s word, including the prophecies, are “precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little,” so it requires time to read, study, and meditate on God’s word before our understanding comes.  We are also told “no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation,” meaning that all the writers in the Old and New Testaments are linked by their being used by the Holy Spirit and each one may have a piece to the puzzle of our understanding, so we may have to do plenty of scripture references in multiple books of the Bible to get the answer we’re seeking. 

While we try to expand our understanding, it’s always good to stay prayerful with a healthy dose of humility.  This keeps the lines of communication open with God so that when he is ready to deepen our understanding, we are ready to receive it–whether it comes in the form of an epiphany he drops in our mind, or an incident that he allows to take place in our lives like a living parable, or if it’s a word in season from a fellow believer.

When we include all of these factors in considering prophecies, may the Lord have the same testimony of us that he had when he visited Abraham and decided to reveal to him what he was about to do to Sodom–“Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?  For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.” (Genesis 18:17-19)

–posted by Harry A. Gaylord–