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Jesus Seminar creates counterfeit New Testament

According to Psalm 138:2, God has magnified his word above his name. He considers what he said, as recorded in the Bible, as more important than his very name. And he backs this up with several warnings throughout the scripture not to add to or take away from what he’s said and to beware of different gospels that preach a different Christ. Tied to those warnings is the guarantee that those who do such things will face severe consequences, including curses.

However, this hasn’t stopped the Jesus Seminar people from compiling extra-biblical books that have been rejected for centuries by genuine Christians and placing them in a volume they named “The New New Testament.” It shows how puffed up and arrogant they are. Their purpose for the book? As stated in the Washington Post, they want “to add a different historical and spiritual context to the Christian scripture.” [emphases mine]

Now for any Christian who knows God and his word well enough, that statement should raise a red flag and set off blaring sirens in one’s spirit. They admit they want to add to God’s words to add a different spirit. And this spirit isn’t the Holy Spirit. The committee who put this accursed thing together comes from a variety of religious backgrounds, including Roman Catholic (no surprise there), Buddhism, Hinduism, Jewish rabbis, United Church of Christ, United Methodist, Episcopalian, and Lutheran. The 19 people on this committee call themselves biblical scholars.

The writings that make up this work are the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary, the Prayer of the Apostle Paul, the Secret Revelation of John, and 6 others. The thing they all have in common is they promote gnosticism. Among the false doctrines within gnostic beliefs is the idea that God is unknowable and the idea that all matter is evil. Since matter is evil, then the unknowable God would not come in human flesh. And if material beings want to ascend beyond the evil world of matter, they must have special knowledge from the unknowable God to become a demigod themselves (i.e. this is Nicolaitinism, putting certain people like clergy or scholars with their “special knowledge” on pedestals as worthy of special exaltation).

These fake scholars may deem this book as a New New Testament, but it has nothing to do with God’s new testament, ushered in by the precious blood of our sinless Lord Jesus. It’s a revamped satanic testament that asks the devil’s age-old question, “yea, hath God said…?” and then gives the false promise that if one establishes a covenant, or testament, with the devil, he will give them great intellect and power.

These people hate the real Jesus because he reveals that they need to repent of their sin so they attempt to create a false Jesus that winks at their sins and encourages their pride.

5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. 6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. Proverbs 30

3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. 2 Corinthians 11

6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7 Which is not another… 8 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. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. Galatians 1

Sources:

Daniel B. Wallace. A New New Testament: Are You Serious? danielbwallace.com. March 17, 2013.

Caleb Bell. Scholars piece together a ‘new’ New Testament. Washington Post. washingtonpost.com. Thursday, March 28, 2013.

Harry A. Gaylord

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by Harry A. Gaylord on March 28, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in apostasy, Bible, Christianity, church, clergy, End times, heresy, Jesus Christ, New Testament, religion
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Posted by Harry A. Gaylord on March 28, 2013

http://sunandshield.wordpress.com/2013/03/28/jesus-seminar-creates-counterfeit-new-testament/

The eternal truths symbolized in the cross of Christ

Cross-on-a-HillAs we enter the week commemorating the sacrifice the Lord Jesus made for us, Pastor Mark Creech has shared some wise words online that can help remind us of the significance of what Christ showed us by willingly enduring the shame and suffering on the cross 2,000 years ago. Here is a summary of Mark Creech’s “Seven ways the cross speaks”:

  1. The cross points to our sinful condition.
  2. The cross speaks of God’s incredible love and amazing grace.
  3. The cross shows how much God hates sin.
  4. The cross speaks of the putting away of guilt.
  5. The cross indicts the wisdom of men.
  6. The cross speaks of the way we should live.
  7. The cross promises tragedy can be turned to triumph.

For each of his seven points, Creech gives a brief synopsis that I found to be a blessing, so if you have time, I think reading it at this link will provide some inspiration and encouragement.

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18

Harry A. Gaylord

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by Harry A. Gaylord on March 24, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Bible, Christianity, encouragement, faith, Jesus Christ, life, religion

Posted by Harry A. Gaylord on March 24, 2013

http://sunandshield.wordpress.com/2013/03/24/the-eternal-truths-symbolized-in-the-cross-of-christ/

You’ve overcome the wicked one, pt. 2

As I stated in my previous post, when we confess and believe in the Lord Jesus, it automatically makes us overcomers. Jesus conquered all of our enemies on our behalf by his blood and all we have to do is walk in that victory by obeying his commandments with the power of the Holy Spirit who indwells all believers. When he wrote letters to the seven churches in Revelation, he listed the signs, or characteristics, that should be present in an overcomer’s life and the rewards that an overcomer will receive from God. I previously covered those signs and rewards from Revelation 2 and will now highlight those signs and rewards from Revelation 3.

Revelation 3:1-5

Signs: Overcomers not only have a reputation of being full of life spiritually, but they are genuinely living out the abundant life in Christ. They don’t just put on a religious show in public, they really live it out in their private lives. They stay alert as to what is going on around them and inwardly with spiritual discernment. When they see themselves becoming lax in certain areas, they work prayerfully and quickly to strengthen their spiritual weaknesses to honor and please God. Overcomers remind themselves about the gospel they received and heard to remain steadfast in the faith. They earnestly try to avoid defiling themselves with sins that can easily weigh them down so they can be ready to meet the Lord, whether through death or the rapture.

Rewards: In fulfilling these things, overcomers will one day physically walk with the Lord like Adam and Eve did before the fall. At that time, we will be clothed in white as a reflection of our righteousness in Christ Jesus [Revelation 19:8]. The fact that God lets us walk with him means we see eye-to-eye with him on spiritual matters–after all “[c]an two walk together, except they be agreed?” [Amos 3:3] We as overcomers can also rest assured that our names will not be blotted out of the book of life in heaven and that the Lord Jesus will proudly confess before the Father and his holy angels that he knows us.

Revelation 3:8-12

Signs: Even when we as overcomers have just a little strength, we use what little strength we have for God’s glory. We also stay true to his word without twisting it and we stay true to Christ’s name. We overcomers are so determined in our walk that we don’t allow anyone to keep us from the crown God reserves for us.

Rewards: The Lord will present us with opportunities that no one can take away from us. Those who claim to be Jews or believers, but are actually of the devil, will be made by the Lord to bow down at our feet and admit that we are truly God’s beloved, blessed ones. We will be delivered from the judgment that God will pour out against the whole world. Overcomers will be pillars of God’s community in his temple and will dwell in the house of the Lord forever [Psalm 23:6]. Jesus will write Jehovah, “new Jerusalem”, and his new name on our new bodies. They will be like tattoos, only much better.

Revelation 3:15-21

Signs: Overcomers like to be hot and on fire for the Lord, full of the zeal of his Holy Spirit, allowing his word to be like fire shut up in our bones. Although we may be materially wealthy, that is not our focus. When we are spiritually miserable, poor, blind, and naked, we admit it and come to our senses about it and repent. We seek the Lord for spiritual riches and renewal and make sure our spiritual eyesight is intact. It may be difficult for us to do this but we despise not the chastening of the Lord since his chastening shows us that he loves us. Overcomers also welcome the Lord in when we hear him knocking on our hearts and we have intimate fellowship with him.

Reward: As overcomers, the Lord Jesus will allow us to sit with him on his throne.

When situations in this world weigh us down, we can look to the Lord and remind ourselves of these truths.

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them [false prophets, evil spirits]: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 1 John 4:4

Harry A. Gaylord

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by Harry A. Gaylord on November 8, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Harry A. Gaylord on November 8, 2012

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You’ve overcome the wicked one, pt. 1

There may be times when you don’t feel like an overcomer, but if you have genuinely surrendered your life to the Lord Jesus Christ, you can be sure that victory is yours even when the victory has not manifested itself yet. Jesus was kind enough to give us specific signs in Revelation 2-3 with which to examine ourselves so we can tell if we are truly the overcomers he has called us to be. He was also kind enough to let us know what rewards we will obtain in the future when we overcome. The signs and rewards are as follows:

Revelation 2:2-7

Signs: If I do good works resulting from my salvation, labor with godly patience in ministry for Christ’s sake, am annoyed by evil people, reject false apostles after testing them, persevere in ministry without giving up, continually refresh my fervent love for the Lord, and hate the deeds of those who seek to have preeminence (Nicolaitanes) in the church, then I am an overcomer.

Reward: I will get to eat from God’s tree of life in heaven. It’s a literal tree that symbolizes my eternal life with the Lord. Nothing evil will distract me or prevent me from partaking of this source of never-ending vitality.

Revelation 2:9-11

Signs: If we are faithful to the Lord in the midst of trouble, material poverty, false Jews or false believers who blaspheme, persecutions, and even martrydom, then we are overcomers.

Rewards: We will receive a crown of life to commemorate the life we have in Christ and we will not go through the second death of an eternity in the lake of fire, forever separated from God.

Revelation 2:13-17

Signs: We are overcomers if we confess Jesus in the midst of a satanic generation where Satan operates openly and we never recant or deny him even when we see fellow believers martyred. We are overcomers when we reject the doctrine of Balaam (it seeks rewards for unrighteous behavior, purposely tries to get others to fall, promotes sex outside of God-established marriage, and says it’s okay to eat food in honor of false gods) and when we reject Nicolaitanes (those who seek supremacy over the laity).

Rewards: Spiritually partaking of the Lord Jesus, the hidden manna, who will supply us with great power and strength. We will also get a special white memorial stone with our new name inscribed on it that reflects our one-on-one relationship with the Lord. It symbolizes the consistent purity we have in Christ.

Revelation 2:19-28

Signs: Overcomers increase in genuine unconditional love that prompts their works, offer their godly services to those who need them, and are full of faith and patience, as mentioned before. They reject false prophets and prophetesses, and as previously mentioned, they reject sex outside of God-established marriage and food made in honor of false gods. They repent when they need to and hold tight to what pleases the Lord.

Rewards: Power over the nations will be given to them as they rule and reign with Christ in the Millenium. They will rule at that time with a rod of iron, having power and strength to annhilate their enemies if they need to. And Jesus, the morning star, will be their portion, making himself available to them at all times, shining brightly to dispel all darkness.

This concludes what is promised to the overcomers in Revelation 2. I’ll continue with what is promised in Revelation 3 in my next post.

…I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one. 1 John 2:14

Harry A. Gaylord

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by Harry A. Gaylord on November 7, 2012  •  Permalink
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All organized religion is not evil, but evil religions can be organized

Two popular sayings are being bandied about concerning religion these days that are quoted so often, people don’t take the time to really examine if they’re true or not. The first saying is, “Religion, or organized religion, is evil.” And this saying is usually followed closely by the statement that all religion does is cause wars. The second saying is, “Christianity isn’t a religion, it’s a relationship.”

Is organized religion really evil? Many, like Jeff Bethke the YouTube sensation, claim that Jesus came to overturn and get rid of religion. But this thinking is, in my opinion, based on a misunderstanding of what the word religion means. Religion is a system of beliefs and/or a form of worship of a god that governs one’s life. That means it’s a neutral concept that can be used for good or for bad. If Jesus came here to kill off religion, then he would not have been so adamant when he gave his reason for clearing the money changers out of the temple in Jerusalem. “My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves,” Luke 19:46. Prayer is a religious practice. Jesus’ statement shows that he is making a contrast between right and wrong regarding religion. The temple was built to be a house of prayer to God, which is good religion. The money changers made the temple a den of thieves by making the temple a marketplace to enrich themselves, which is bad religion.

Jesus made many such statements throughout his ministry. When the Pharisees asked Jesus in Mark 7 why his disciples did not perform the handwashing religious rituals they performed before a meal, Jesus said, “This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” The bad religion was that Pharisees did man-made religious rituals without a heart for obeying God. He contrasted that in following verses with the good religion of worshiping God by obeying his commandments with heartfelt sincerity stemming from love.

When Jesus fulfilled his earthly ministry and went back to heaven, he left his disciples behind to take over organizing his church. This is why the Holy Spirit led them to replace Judas Iscariot [Acts 1] and why the church appointed seven deacons in Acts 6 to organize the ministry of caring for widows. Furthermore, Paul said in Ephesians 4 that God gave the church apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers “[f]or the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” Paul was also inspired by the Holy Spirit to give criteria for church leaders in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. God ordained organization for the Christian church because where there is no organization, there is confusion and God is not the author of confusion.

James, the brother of Jesus, even tells us there is good religion and bad religion–”If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world,” James 1:26-27. Since James tells us Father God considers certain practices from a genuine God-loving heart as pure religion and undefiled, we know that Christianity is not just a relationship, as the popular saying goes, but Christianity also prompts good religion like caring for the poor and less fortunate when they need help. It also prompts us to the good religion of guarding, or keeping, ourselves from the sinful, evil, tainted views and practices of the world system.

What has turned people against organized religion is people like Diotrephes in 3 John:

9 I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.

10 Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.

Diotrephes displayed bad organized religion in that he lorded over the congregation, rejected God’s word that came through the apostles, spoke evil of God’s word that came via the apostles, rejected those who believed in what the apostles said, and excommunicated anyone who stood true to what the apostles wrote. That is what has caused wars through the centuries and what happens today when organized religion questions, manipulates, or rejects the Bible in favor of sin and self-exaltation. But that doesn’t make all organized religion evil, it just makes certain organizers of certain organized religions evil and that is the distinction that needs to be made.

Harry A. Gaylord

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by Harry A. Gaylord on September 27, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in apostasy, Bible, Christianity, church, clergy, End times, faith, God, heresy, Jesus Christ, religion

Posted by Harry A. Gaylord on September 27, 2012

http://sunandshield.wordpress.com/2012/09/27/all-organized-religion-is-not-evil-but-evil-religions-can-be-organized/

Is the Trinity in the Old Testament?

The idea of the God of the Bible being a Trinity (from the words tri-, meaning three, and -unus, meaning one, to render the meaning “three in one”) is a concept ridiculed and rejected by Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, “Oneness” (Jesus Only, Apostolic) Pentecostals, Unitarians, et al. Critics claim the idea of God as three in one was conjured up by overzealous Christians and was injected into the New Testament (NT), but is completely absent from the Old Testament (OT).

A close look shows that the idea of God as three persons in one is prominent in the Old Testament even though the word “Trinity” isn’t there. Critics may say the Bible has been tampered with, but this is nothing but a false accusation that has never been  and can never be proven since it isn’t true.

God made physical appearances in the Old Testament in the form of his son, the Lord Jesus, as I pointed out in past posts,  and we see the Trinity as ever active, ever present in earthly events. Here are some examples:

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. Genesis 1:1-2 (In this passage introducing us to God, the Hebrew word for “God” is “elohim,” as I’ve explained before and it means “gods,” yet it is also singular, denoting one entity. Unbelieving Jews know this, but deny it. We see two members of the Godhead mentioned here.)

—–

6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. 7 I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. 8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. 9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.

10 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. 11 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. Psalm 2 (The Lord says he has a begotten son, which means he comes directly from God, which makes him equal with God because he is God.)

—–

The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool… The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. Psalm 110: 1, 4 (Jehovah, the Father, spoke to Adonai, the Son, and gave him the seat at the right hand side of God’s throne in heaven and called him a priest with no beginning and no end, like Melchizedek.)

—–

The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal, …Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou canst tell? Proverbs 30: 1, 4 (Agur prophesies about God’s power and ability and acknowledges prophetically that God has a Son.)

—–

10 But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them. 11 Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? where is he that put his holy Spirit within him? Isaiah 63

—–

5 And the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and said unto me, Speak; Thus saith the Lord; Thus have ye said, O house of Israel: for I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them… 24 Afterwards the spirit took me up, and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to them of the captivity… Ezekiel 11 (The Holy Spirit conversed with Ezekiel and took him to different places in a vision. He is called “the spirit of God,” “the spirit of the Lord,” and the “holy Spirit” in the Old Testament. If you do an OT search, you will see him showing up in a lot of passages.)

—–

Look closely in the word and you will clearly see, from eternity to eternity, God shall forever be the holy Trinity.

Harry A. Gaylord

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by Harry A. Gaylord on September 12, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Bible, Christianity, faith, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Old Testament, religion, Trinity
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Posted by Harry A. Gaylord on September 12, 2012

http://sunandshield.wordpress.com/2012/09/12/is-the-trinity-in-the-old-testament/

A generation seeking a sign

Atheists and agnostics often make statements like, “If God would just show me he exists or speak to me in an audible voice or prove himself to me with some miracle, then I would believe in him.”  At the other end of the spectrum is the person who judges their relationship with God by whether or not he has given them a sign or wonder recently. They believe something is wrong if they haven’t seen some physical manifestation of God’s supernatural power lately and some of them, wanting to impress other believers around them, will fake a sign if they have to so they can be considered “anointed.” And there are those who feel so let down when God doesn’t show up in the manner they wish, they will abandon the Christian faith because they don’t “feel” God anymore.

Atheists, agnostics, and people putting all their trust in the signs and wonders movement have more in common than they realize. When the religious leaders of his day demanded a sign from the Lord Jesus, he responded, “A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas,” Matthew 16:4. Why would he call them wicked and adulterous for wanting a sign? After all, isn’t that what was prophesied about the Messiah, that he would perform signs and wonders? Yes, the Messiah was prophesied to perform wonders, but Jesus rebuked them because their focus and faith was on their desire for God to be at their beck and call as if Jesus was supposed to be the one who asked them “How high?” whenever they said “Jump!” Their faith was in signs and not in the Lord who works signs on his own timetable according to his own pleasure.

Jesus did incredible miracles in their midst and even gave them the sign of the prophet Jonas by rising from the dead after three days in the tomb. But they chose not to believe even when Christ performed the awe-inspiring miracles that he, the Father, and the Holy Spirit all agreed he would perform. They desired a god who was created in their image to please their fleshly desires. That is why they were wicked and adulterous.

So it is with the atheists, agnostics, and the signs & wonders movement in the church. God has already done enough to prove his existence, so more often than not, the atheists’ statements that they will believe “if only God would do this or that” isn’t true. Even if God does the miraculous, it is not a guarantee that one will have a steadfast, consistent relationship with God. We see this truth played out many times throughout the Bible:

  • Adam & Eve, who walked with God every day in the Garden of Eden and were taught many things by God, decided to disobey him and caused all of creation to fall with them.
  • The Israelites witnessed God’s incredible plagues on their enemy Egypt and saw how he parted the Red Sea for them to escape from Pharaoh’s army, but they were full of unbelief in the wilderness and forsook him, to their own detriment.
  • God appeared to Solomon twice and gave him wisdom and commanded him to be faithful to the Lord’s commands so the Lord could not only bless him but could bless his descendants to rule all of Israel, but Solomon forsook the Lord for other gods in his latter years, which led to Israel’s splitting into two kingdoms where Solomon’s descendants got the smaller kingdom.
  • Jesus had a whole host of disciples who saw his miracles and were even among the 5000 miraculously fed by him near the Sea of Galilee. But the very next day after being fed, they demanded a sign from Jesus. When he told them he was the true bread from heaven that they should believe in, and that they should eat his flesh and drink his blood, “many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him,” John 6:66.
  • Demas, a “fellowlaborer” with Paul, who accompanied Paul on his missionary trips and witnessed the signs and wonders that God did through Paul in the name of Jesus, forsook the ministry toward the end of Paul’s life and went back to the world [2 Timothy 4:10].

So I’ve resolved with myself that it’s not in my best interest to go running after a sign. If God wants to give me a vision or dream or some other sign, fine. But if not, I’m satisfied with knowing that God has blessed me with his word, he hears my prayers, and has given me the Holy Spirit with his gifts to teach me all things through Jesus Christ.

30 And he [the rich man in hell] said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.

31 And he [Abraham] said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. Luke 16

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by Harry A. Gaylord on June 5, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in atheism, Bible, Christianity, faith, God, Jesus Christ, life, religion
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Posted by Harry A. Gaylord on June 5, 2012

http://sunandshield.wordpress.com/2012/06/05/a-generation-seeking-a-sign/

Wise investments: Jesus’ capitalist parables

Jesus was well-known for using real life examples to convey spiritual truths. Many parables dealt with money and a close look reveals that several of his stories espoused free market, capitalist principles. The fact they have what we now call capitalist ideas proves he enjoyed the truths found in the free market, knowing they could not only help listeners understand earthly things, but (more importantly) heavenly things also.

Before I go further, I’ll give a definition for capitalism to make sure anyone who reads this knows what I’m talking about. Capitalism is “[a]n economic system in which the means of production and distribution are privately or corporately owned and development is proportionate to the accumulation and reinvestment of profits gained in a free market,” and is “characterized by the freedom of capitalists to operate or manage their property for profit in competitive conditions,” (see freedictionary.com). So here are the highlights from Jesus’ capitalist parables:

Treasure hidden in a field (Matthew 13:44)

Summary: After a man finds treasure hidden in a field, he sells all he owns to purchase the field.

Earthly truth: When you find a sure thing with no risk that’s worth more than what you presently have, and it has lasting value, and you can get it by selling what you own, then go for it.

Heavenly truth: Nothing on this earth can compare to the value of being part of God’s heavenly kingdom, so it’s worth the sacrifice of whatever you have here on earth to get salvation and everything that comes with it.

Pearl of great price (Matthew 13:45-46)

Summary: A merchant in the market for a priceless pearl finds it then sells all his possessions to buy it.

Earthly truth: If what you’re looking to purchase is worth it (the risk is low, the return is high, and its value will increase over time) be willing to make the sacrifice to obtain it.

Heavenly truth: Although similar to the “treasure hidden in the field,” there are noticeable differences. The kingdom of heaven is the treasure in the parable above, but in this parable the kingdom of heaven is the merchant man. He sacrifices everything to buy the pearl. This is a picture showing us how Christ (the merchant man) sacrificed everything (heavenly throne, heavenly riches, his life) to buy the pearl of great price (believers). In the “treasure” parable, the believer makes the sacrifice to obtain heaven, but in the pearl parable, it is God who sacrifices to obtain the lives and souls of his children.

Laborers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16)

Summary: After establishing a contract for a specific wage that was fair, vineyard laborers complain when those who started after them got the same wage.

Earthly truth: The laborers really had no valid complaint for what they were paid since it was in line with the fair market wage for their job during that time. Besides, they already had a contract and it wasn’t their business what the vineyard owner paid the others since that would be a private employer-employee matter. Bottom line–if you’re paid an amount you negotiated that falls within the range of what the market says you should be paid, don’t envy your co-workers for being paid the same for the same type of  work even if you are senior to them. This principle is resisted in our postmodern society, especially where unions are involved, but it’s a true capitalistic principle.

Heavenly truth: Sometimes those who serve the kingdom of heaven for a shorter period (e.g. toward the end of their lives or right before the rapture or right before Jesus returns) or enter God’s service after seasoned veterans, will obtain the same amount of heavenly rewards, or more heavenly rewards, based on their performance.

The wicked husbandmen [vineyard keepers] (Matthew 21:33-40)

Summary: A vineyard owner leases his vineyard to keepers, only to have them try to steal his property by physical assault and murder when he tries to collect on it.

Earthly truth: If you own something and lease it out to managers, you have the right to collect your property and to take the necessary legal action against managers who illegally try to steal your property or prevent you from having it.

Heavenly truth: God planned to have all Jews as part of his kingdom in Jesus’ time, but when unbelieving Jews refused to comply with his wishes and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, he gave his kingdom to those who would believe, whether Jew or Gentile.

Parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30)

Summary: A man going abroad leaves each of his three servants an amount of money to invest according to each one’s ability. While two of them invest and make money for their boss, the third is lazy and refuses to invest the money so he is cast out when the man returns to collect.

Earthly truth: An employee who knows what his/her boss is like and knows what his/her boss expects from them, should not make excuses for not meeting the boss’s expectations. Wise employees take the necessary steps to make the best return on their employer’s investments. Rewards should be given out based on a person’s performance. Those who don’t perform as they should on the job should lose their jobs and benefits.

Heavenly truth: Those who take advantage of what God blesses them with (salvation, spiritual gifts, etc.) will see a return on their spiritual investment and God will reward them for it. Those who refuse God’s gifts will be punished.

Parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:16-21)

Summary: A rich man who prospers only thinks of himself and how he can do things for his own benefit when his goods increase instead of how he can glorify God, but before he can eat, drink, and be merry, he dies.

Earthly truth: Don’t get so caught up in your earthly goods that you don’t consider or care about others, because there are more important things in life. It’s pointless to live for things because you may die before enjoying them fully and upon your death, they become someone else’s.  These are unpopular truths in an age where socialist envy is promoted at the left wing of our society while at the right wing we have those who promote Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged version of capitalism embracing atheistic, self-indulgent, self-centeredness from a false savior named John Galt.

Heavenly truth: Earthly goods should be used to glorify God, not to satisfy your own covetousness and selfishness because you can’t take them with you when your life ends.

Parable of the unjust steward (Luke 16:1-12)

Summary: I’ve covered this at length already in a previous post, so I won’t discuss it here except to add this one thing–

Earthly truth: The manager who selfishly wasted his employer’s goods found out when he was fired that when you take advantage of your resources and use them to help others, you end up helping yourself.

–Harry A. Gaylord–

16 Comments
by Harry A. Gaylord on April 8, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Christianity, economics, Jesus Christ, life, religion
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Posted by Harry A. Gaylord on April 8, 2012

http://sunandshield.wordpress.com/2012/04/08/wise-investments-jesus-capitalist-parables/

“Bible scholar” claims Christians are wrong on future resurrection

A few days ago, I did a post on how we are living in the days of damnable heresies. And wouldn’t you know it, as I was reading the headlines today I came across an article where a so-called Christian preacher, interviewed by the Christian Post, is promoting a damnable heresy.

Gerald Haug, an Assemblies of God minister and author of Ortho-Millenialism: Bringing Order to End-Time Chaos, told the Christian Post in an interview that the resurrection of the dead that the Bible talks about has taken place already. Can you believe that? Obviously, the man hasn’t read 2 Timothy recently. Paul warned Timothy and us about men like Gerald Haug. He is like the false teachers Hymenaeus and Philetus whom Paul talked about when he said the following:

16But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. 17And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; 18Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some. 2 Timothy 2

This Haug guy is trying to overthrow the faith of believers with his claims. As if that weren’t bad enough, he adds more heretical claims in his interview such as:

  • The resurrection of the dead happened in 70 AD with the destruction of Jerusalem, which marked the end of the Mosaic age.
  • This resurrection in 70 AD was when dead believers were taken out of Abraham’s Bosom (Haug calls it Hades) and it was then that death was conquered.
  • Believers who have died since then will not face a judgment day, but will be given their new body in heaven with Christ on the day they die.
  • Nero was the only Antichrist the Bible was talking about and there will be no more Antichrists.

The man is clearly caught up in his own vain pride. Jesus told the thief on the cross who asked for forgiveness, “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” This signified that Jesus from the time of his death, would gather all believers, who died up to that point and forward, into heaven to be with him once they die. They weren’t waiting until 70 AD to be taken out of Abraham’s Bosom.

Furthermore, 1 Thessalonians 4 says,

13But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

 14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

 15For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

 16For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

 17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Those who have already died in the Lord will return with the Lord and those believers still alive when they return will be caught up to be with them in the clouds all at the same exact moment so that all believers up to that point will be all together. This hasn’t happened yet because there are still millions of us Christians still alive roaming the Earth.

Additionally, Revelation 19:11-21 speaks of a physical war when Christ returns between Jesus with his heavenly army (which includes the saints) against the beast (Antichrist) with the kings of the earth and their armies. It also says that when these earthly armies are killed by Jesus, the birds will feast on them and their war horses. This never happened to Nero, nor has it happened at any time in history.

Anyone who loves the Lord and has thoroughly studied God’s word can see that Gerald Haug is so wrong on so many levels.

Source: Stoyan Zaimov. Author Tackles Resurrection of the Dead, Why Christians Get Prophecy ‘Wrong’. Christianpost.com. March 27, 2012.

–Harry A. Gaylord–

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by Harry A. Gaylord on March 27, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Antichrist, Bible, Christianity, church, End times, Jesus Christ, religion
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Posted by Harry A. Gaylord on March 27, 2012

http://sunandshield.wordpress.com/2012/03/27/bible-scholar-claims-christians-are-wrong-on-resurrection/

Manuscript evidence: the New Testament’s firm reliability

In determining the reliability of ancient writings, whether secular or religious (like the New Testament), scholars have devised standards to judge them. Those standards are the following:

Bibliographic Evidence

–Was the document composed close to the time of the event(s) it describes?

–How many copies of the document are available to make a comparison?

Internal Evidence

–Did the writer(s) have the capability & occasion to tell the story correctly?

–Are there glaring contradictions in the document?

External Evidence

–Does evidence exist outside of the document to back what the document claims?

These standards can be applied neutrally to all types of ancient documents whether Christian or secular, so let’s compare facts surrounding non-Christian writings with New Testament writings of the Bible.

Examining bibliographic evidence

–Plato died in 347 BC. The oldest manuscript of his writings dates back to the 10th century AD. This is 1200 years after his death. There are 7 ancient manuscripts available to compare his works.

–Herodotus died in 425 BC. The oldest manuscript of his writings dates back to the 10th century AD also. This is 1300 years after his death. Only 8 ancient copies of his writings are available for comparison.

–Aristotle died in 322 BC. The oldest copy of his writings goes back to 1100 AD, which is 1400 years after his death. The number of ancient copies of those writings for comparison are 49.

–Julius Caesar died in 44 BC. The oldest manuscript of his writings, which discuss the Gallic Wars, dates back to 900 AD, 1000 years after his death. There are 10 ancient manuscripts available to make a comparison of his writings.

–The New Testament (NT) was established when Jesus Christ died in approximately 30 AD. The oldest undisputed writing of his teachings dates back to 117-138 AD (Gospel of John fragment). Nine disputed fragments found among the Dead Sea Scrolls date back to 50-70 AD covering excerpts from Mark, Acts, Romans, 1 Timothy, 2 Peter, and James. The oldest manuscript of  a complete New Testament book dates back to 200 AD and the oldest manuscript of the majority of the New Testament, including the gospels, goes back to 250 AD. These are from 20 to 220 years after Christ’s death. Over 5600 ancient manuscripts (and counting) of the New Testament are available for comparison.

The writings of the NT are in closer proximity to Jesus’ death than secular writings are to historical secular figures. The NT also has a far greater number of manuscripts, which ensures that it is more accurate and reliable than secular historical writings. So why is it that critics of the NT are so critical of it by claiming older manuscripts are needed when at the same time they are so accepting of secular historical writings that are based on far less reliable evidence?

Examining internal evidence

For the NT, rules for establishing the Canon by those who compiled the NT are:

–It must be written by eyewitnesses or near eyewitnesses.

–Doctrines within the writings must agree with the rest of Christian doctrine.

–The writings must be used in the worship services of the early church.

Since all the books of the NT had writers who were capable and had the occasion of getting their stories straight and their writings were in agreement and they were used by early churchmen like Clement of Rome (AD 95), Ignatius (AD 107), and Polycarp (AD 110), it was not only determined that the NT was completed by 100 AD, but also that the current NT books were the ones accepted as scripture and widely used by the early church. This shows that accusations that the NT was tampered with or made up long after Jesus died are completely untrue.

Examining external evidence

There is now an overwhelming body of evidence outside the NT validating the claims made by the NT books. For instance, in 1968 on a construction site in Israel, an ossuary (burial) box was discovered dating back to the time of Christ containing the remains of a crucified Jew. The bones had seven inch nails driven through the ankles with wood stuck to the back of the foot and it was determined by these bones that the nature of crucifixion was exactly as portrayed in the gospels.

Furthermore, writings of 10 non-Christians (some expressing their disdain for Christians) who wrote within 150 years of Christ’s life have confirmed his existence and events recorded in the NT, such as:

  • Christ’s virtuous life.
  • James was Jesus’ brother.
  • Tiberius Caesar reigned during Christ’s life.
  • Christ worked unexplainable miracles.
  • Christ was touted as the Messiah.
  • Pontius Pilate allowed his crucifixion.
  • Jesus was crucified the day before Passover.
  • Darkness & an earthquake happened when he died.
  • The disciples believed & preached that he was resurrected.
  • Christ’s apostles were ready & willing to die for the gospel.
  • Christ’s apostles refused to worship Roman gods & claimed Christ was God.
  • The gospel spread fast, even as far as Rome by the end of the 1st century.

The 10 non-Christian ancient sources confirming those events are:

  1. Flavius Josephus, Jewish historian
  2. Tacitus, Roman historian
  3. Pliny the Younger, Roman politician
  4. Phlegon, freed slave & historian
  5. Thallus, 1st century historian
  6. Suetonius, Roman historian
  7. Lucian, Greek satirist
  8. Celsus, Roman philosopher
  9. Mara Bar-Serapion, Roman citizen
  10. Jewish Talmud

Sources:

Lutheran Hour Ministries. The Bible on Trial. NRB Broadcast. ©2011.

Norman L. Geisler. I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist. Wheaton, IL: Crossway. ©2004. pp. 223, 225, 235-236.

–Harry A. Gaylord–

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by Harry A. Gaylord on February 13, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Bible, Christianity, God, Jesus Christ, New Testament, philosophy, religion
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Posted by Harry A. Gaylord on February 13, 2012

http://sunandshield.wordpress.com/2012/02/13/manuscript-evidence-the-new-testaments-firm-reliability/

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