I’d like for everyone reading today’s post to picture this for a minute: suppose you went to the doctor and were told that you had a terrible, incurable disease that would kill you within the next thirty days. After the shock, how do you think you’d feel? Would you feel content knowing that soon you’d be in the presence of your Creator…or would you be bitter and resent the fact that your life was being cut so short?
The fact of the matter is no one can escape death. The Bible teaches that we all will spend eternity in one of two places: Heaven or Hell – there’s no in between. Sooner or later, a question every human being must face is this: am I ready to meet God if I were to die tonight?
A lot of folks believe they’ll go to Heaven because they’ve never done anything terribly bad in life like stealing or murder. They figure it’s the murderers like Charles Manson and Hitler who should go to Hell because they’re the really wicked ones.
The problem for us is that God views sin as sin, no matter how we minimize it. One sin is all it takes to send a person to Hell. Looking at pornography or cussing or thinking bad things about someone – they’re all sins, and any one of them is enough to condemn us to Hell.
(Mat 5:28 KJV) But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart
God doesn’t make any distinctions in the Bible between acceptable sins such as “little white lies” and unacceptable sins like murder or stealing. All sin leads to judgment…and sin is the breaking of God’s holy law.
(1 John 3:4) Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
Some might be thinking “I don’t break His law, I go to church/fellowship when I can – I give to charitable causes. Doesn’t that count for something?” Maybe that will impress your neighbor but in God’s sight, every single human being has broken His law and sinned.
(Rom 3:10 KJV) As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
(Rom 3:23 KJV) For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Here in the United States, if someone has done wrong, they’re innocent until proven guilty and they take their case before a judge. All sinners on the Last Day will have an opportunity to explain to the Judge of Heaven & Earth why they did the things they did. But there will be NO mercy shown to anyone on that great and terrible Day. Those standing for judgment will be judged for ALL the actions in their life. This means that everything they did in secret, said in secret, and heard in secret, will be brought to light. Everyone found guilty will be cast into eternal Hell. That’s a horrible thought, isn’t it.
Some may be thinking, “Look here, blog man, I’ve been to church and have taken Communion, plus I was baptized. That accounts for something. Why should I listen to you?” You know, you’re right. What is typed into this blog doesn’t amount to a hill of beans. What matters is what God says. He’s the One who says that going through the rituals, traditions and membership of a church (or fellowship!) doesn’t guarantee anyone salvation. Many churches today teach that a person becomes saved at baptism and through their own ceremonies and rituals.
Jesus upbraided the religious rulers of Israel for believing that just because they faithfully read the Scriptures, their salvation was guaranteed.
(John 5:39 KJV) Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life
Thinking you have eternal life and having eternal life are two entirely different things.
Some out there may now be thinking, “Uh oh, now I’m starting to get worried. I’ve been called a lot of names in my life but “Perfect” isn’t one of them. I’ve broken more of God’s laws than I’ve kept. If I can’t put my hope in a church/fellowship or a pastor, then what kind of hope can someone like myself have?”
Friend, my only hope – your only hope, mankind’s only hope — is in Jesus Christ alone. God sent the Lord Jesus Christ into the world for the purpose of saving ugly sinners like us. That means that Jesus paid the entire penalty for all the heinous, shameful sins of those He came to save. If any of us are going to become saved, it means we must receive the Lord Jesus as our personal Savior.
Saving Faith is what enables any of us to receive Christ as our Savior. Saving faith is the key that unlocks Heaven’s door to sinners. God gives us the saving faith we need to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and if we are one of those whom Christ came to save, then we will be drawn to the Lord Jesus, and we will readily admit that we’re a sinner and we’ll want Christ to be our Savior.
If we’re not one of those whom Christ came to save, then we’ll just think this whole thing is a big waste of time. God says, (John 6:44 KJV) No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
So what about it readers…has today’s posting been just a colossal waste of your time? For some, it may have been.
Some readers might be thinking, “Yeah, I know what you said is right. I know that I’m on a collision course with Hell and that I can’t save myself. But it’s too much to think about. I’ll wait till I go to church/fellowship the next time and see if I feel the same way. Maybe next week or next month.”
If that’s you, think about this: hundreds of thousands of people who put their clothes on this morning will have the undertaker take them off tonight. Reader, time is not our friend.
Several years ago there was a popular song that spoke of a man who had a T-shirt with Bible verses on it, a bracelet with the letters WWJD, Bible magnets on his refrigerator, a welcome mat to bless people when they entered his home; he had Christian necklaces and key chains, a Jesus bumper sticker and the outline of a fish stuck on his car. He said that all these things were well and good, but then he asked this question: what about the change? What about the difference? He asked himself whether he was living a life that showed he’d undergone “The Change”.
In the course of reading today’s posting some might be thinking to themselves, “AMEN! Jesus has cleansed me from all my sins and He’s my personal LORD and Savior.” If that’s true, then praise God! And if it is…if Jesus is truly your personal LORD and Savior, then you should be able to tell the people you come into contact with today — family, friends, co-workers — what it’s like to go thru “THE CHANGE” of being saved.
All true believers should be experiencing a miraculous change – a change that God initiates in their lives. If you don’t sense any difference in the order and priorities of your life, then you better ask yourself that same question — “What about the change?”
God tells us always to be ready to tell another about the hope that is in us. In 1Peter 3:15 God says, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.”
Currently, there are nearly one billion Internet users worldwide — that’s approximately 1 out of every 6 people on the earth. From our home in Maryland, the Internet provides us with a tremendous opportunity to share the gospel of our risen Lord Jesus Christ. Most outreaches aren’t open continually; they close every evening daily so people can go home to their families. On the other hand, a blog site and/or website can spread God’s Word 24/7/365 so that the Great Commission is continually being fulfilled and never closed.
Some might wonder how we got ourselves started down this path. I can only speak for ourselves and not for anyone else, but my wife and I became quite alarmed at the lack of personal or individual outreaches today. To be sure, there are many church-affiliated and church-run ministries endeavoring to faithfully proclaiming the gospel — and they should be lifted up in prayer and supported by believers where possible.
Unfortunately, too many Christians (not all, but a great number) feel that once they write a check or attend church, then their personal obligation in carrying out the Great Commission is completed…at least until next service or the next time they write a check. Nothing could be farther from the truth. When did the Great Commission end?
We sing that great hymn, “Onward Christian Soldiers” and one of the stanzas says, “Like a mighty army, moves the church of God.” Consider this: armies have Generals commanding thousands of troops into battle. Look around…where is that army? Instead of fighting in an army, many Christians today send the General into battle while they stay home; they abdicate their personal responsibility entirely to their pastors and elders forcing them to virtually all the ministry while they themselves do little or nothing. Then when they attend church, they’re among the first to complain that unbelievers are taking over the church and their country. Well the fact is that with no opposition, it is easy to conquer!
For ourselves, the time came for us to halt the practice of lazily consigning this ministry to others. Flawed as we are, we nevertheless are striving to do what we can using the gift/talents the Holy Spirit bestowed upon us to have a personal outreach ministry available on the Internet for anyone to see 24/7/365 from anywhere in the world. We certainly won’t win any webmaster awards; you won’t find glitzy multimedia presentations here. But what you will find is a straightforward exposition of the doctrines of grace as outlined in the Bible.
Unfortunately, many outreaches are suffering from severe doctrinal erosion and are teaching ungodly religions and false gospels as acceptable paths to Heaven. Many of the mass media outreaches are only out for the money.
It is time for true believers to take back the fort, rebuild the army and move mightily.
We have a divine mandate as born again believers to go into all the world. If our earthly boss tells us to do something, we do it immediately for fear of getting fired. Why then do we seem all too eager to neglect the commission given to us by the One who redeemed us for eternity?
That’s the reason for this blog site and its accompanying website at http://home.comcast.net/~watkinsclan Together, they represent our family’s outreach proclaiming the Gospel of the Bible to the world. . We want to faithfully proclaim the doctrines of the Christian faith — and do so in a manner that it’s available anytime, anywhere should the LORD lead someone to these sites. As the owners of these sites, we are accountable to God for what we post, the spirit of our conversations with other visitors, our faithfulness in meekly seeking to correct wrong doctrine, and when necessary ending unprofitable debates.
We are sinners who deserve only the wrath of God for our disobedience; however, by His grace, He has clothed us with Christ’s righteousness and enabled us to work for His kingdom using this technology as our battleground. Clearly, we are not the most talented soldiers on this 21st Century battlefield. But we are doing our best to keep pressing forward against the enemy. At times, we will slip but with God’s help He will enable us to stand up once again and keep fighting the good fight.
You can do the same thing we are. Chances are, you have access to a large amount of free web space from your Internet service provider. You can create text-based web pages quite easily — trust me, if I can do it then ANYONE can do it. If you don’t have free personal web space available, then you can create your own blog site using WordPress (that’s what we did). To get a bare-bones site up and running like ours without fancy bells and whistles all one has to do is follow the instructions. Again, if I can do it, you can too! And in our economically troubled environment, you don’t have to worry about the price of such an outreach — it’s free!
In closing, if you feel this blog site or its sister website faithfully reflects the gospel message as declared in the Scriptures, then please share it with others. God is faithful and His Word will not return void. It will accomplish the purpose He intends for it. May the LORD richly bless you.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness”
We urge that in all comments, users make their primary appeal to that source. When possible, please support your comments with Scripture. In everything we do, let us edify our LORD and Saviour.
As America embarks upon an historic presidential administration let us all remember that we need leaders who espouse the ideals taught in Scripture.
During difficult and trying times in the past – times not unlike those we face today — God raised up religious leaders who blessed America. The US needs more godly leaders. Leaders like…
ROBERT E. LEE: “In all my perplexities and distresses, the Bible has never failed to give me light and strength.”
DANIEL WEBSTER: “If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper.”
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS: “I have made it a practice for several years to read the Bible through in the course of every year.”
ABRAHAM LINCOLN: “I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from the Saviour of the world is communicated to us through this book.”
GEORGE WASHINGTON: “It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.”
HORACE GREELEY: “It is impossible to mentally or socially enslave a Bible-reading people.”
THOMAS JEFFERSON: “I hold the precepts of Jesus as delivered by himself to be the most pure, benevolent, and sublime which have ever been preached to man. I adhere to the principles of the first age; and consider all subsequent innovations as corruptions of this religion, having no foundation in what came from him.”
THOMAS JEFFERSON: “Had the doctrines of Jesus been preached always as pure as they came from his lips, the whole civilized world would by now have become Christian.”
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN: “As to Jesus of Nazareth, my opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the system of morals and his religion, as he left them to us, is the best the world ever saw, or is likely to see.”
WOODROW WILSON: “The sum of the whole matter is this—-that our civilization cannot survive materially unless it be redeemed spiritually. It can only be saved by becoming permeated with the spirit of Christ and being made free and happy by practices which spring out of that spirit.”
PATRICK HENRY: “There is a just God who presides over the destiny of nations.”
THOMAS JEFFERSON: “Material abundance without character is the surest way to destruction.”
THOMAS JEFFERSON: “Of all the systems of morality, ancient or modern, which have come under my observation, none appear to me so pure as that of Jesus.”
GEORGE WASHINGTON: “The foolish and wicked practice of profane cursing and swearing is a vice so mean and low, that every person of sense and character detests and despises it.”
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN: “Here is my creed. I believe in one God, the Creator of the universe. That he governs it by his Providence. That he ought to be worshiped.”
CALVIN COOLIDGE: “The strength of a country is the strength of its religious convictions.”
GEORGE WASHINGTON: “The perpetuity of this nation depends upon the religious education of the young.”
In Scripture, the words God chooses are very important – and we can learn much about the gospel from examining them. At this Christmas season, there is one word in particular that we’ve all heard but may have never studied. The word is “begotten”.
This posting is about the New Testament word μονογενής, which is most frequently translated as “begotten”. This Greek word is used 9 times in the New Testament and we can learn a great deal about the gospel message from examining the use of this single but very important word.
The word monogenēs is translated as “only begotten” six times, as “only” twice, and as “only child” once. Of these nine usages, Christ Himself is being referred to in five of them. What is so very interesting however is what God is referring to in the remaining four passages – and that’s where I want to focus.
First, here are the five passages with Christ in view:
John 1:14 — And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John 1:18 — No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared [him].
John 3:16 — For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:18 — He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
1 John 4:9 — In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
Scripture uses this word in describing Jesus Christ, Who is eternal God and without beginning. A fair question one might ask is “What does God mean by saying Christ was the ‘only begotten’? Thanks be to God that we can let Scripture define itself as we examine it more thoroughly. Here are the remaining four times this Greek word is used – I encourage you to read the preceding and proceeding verses in each case to get the full context for the cited passages:
Luke 7:12 — Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.
Luke 8:42 — For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying. But as he went the people thronged him.
Luke 9: 38 — And, behold, a man of the company cried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son: for he is mine only child.
Heb 11:17 — By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten [son].
In each of these instances, the following traits are in evidence:
1. An only child is being featured
2. The child has died or is given up for dead
3. The child was raised or is rescued from death
See for yourselves. Each of these four passages serve as parables providing a glimpse into the gospel message. That message is that Christ is the only Son and that He endured the second death (eternal damnation) for all the people He came to save, and He arose again as proof that the price for sin had been fully paid.
To God Be The Glory for His inexpressible gift to us – and how throughout Scripture He repeatedly shows us the plan of salvation…if we have eyes to see and ears to hear.
Merry CHRISTmas to one and all! From our family to yours, we wish everyone a blessed Christmas season and a joyous 2009. The past 12 months has flown by — there’s no doubt about it: the older I get, the faster the days go by.
During the last 12 months the LORD has seen fit to draw over 24,000 visitors who left nearly 600 comments to this outreach site, raising the total number in its 28 month history to 42,000 as of 14 December. Never in our wildest dreams did we ever expect this gospel outreach to reap such a bountiful harvest. This is truly the LORD’s doing and all the glory goes to Him.
As we look ahead to 2009 we will endeavor to carry out the Great Commission as best we can through this blogsite and its companion website. As time affords, we will continue to fulfill the vision for this site by posting a variety of topics intended to generate dialogue and spark biblically-based conversation.
In case anyone is interested, here are some interesting facts about this site during 2008.
Romans 1:28-32And even as they did not like to retain God in [their] knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
The above verse causes some Christians to wonder whether there might ever come a time when God could give them up and take away their salvation.But if that’s true, then how can we talk about the believer’s eternal security and the preservation of the saints?That’s the topic for today’s Spreading God’s Word posting.
Romans 1:28-32 does indeed shows us that there is a time when God gives a person up due to their continued sinful desires.But the $64,000 question is: does this apply to true believers?
Let’s think about this.True believers should know what it is that they’re saved from – we’re saved from our sins and from the guilt that comes against us because of our sins.Jesus Christ became sin for us; He paid for all of our sins; He stood guilty before God on our behalf, and God poured out His wrath upon Him.The result of this is that, for believers, the penalty for sin has been completely paid.
Consequently, there’s absolutely no way that a true believer could ever be given up by God. A born again believer is safe in the arms of God forever because the penalty for all His sins has been paid.There is no sin that he could ever commit that would ever estrange him from God.The Bible emphasizes that we have eternal life.We cannot come into judgment and nothing can separate us from the love of God.No one can snatch us out of His hand.
The reality in the world is that many, many people call themselves Christian who never have became born again. They believe that just because they’ve been baptized or“accepted” Christ that they therefore have a relationship with God through Christ.
But in John Chapter 3 Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Ye must be born again.”You have to become a new creature.When we look at ourselves honestly, we’ve got to admit that we’re a sinner hopelessly lost and under God’s wrath.We’ve got to sincerely recognize that there’s nothing we can do about our sins.It is at this point when we’ll begin to cry out to God for mercy and ask Him to enable us to trust in Christ as our Savior with a true saving faith.According to the Bible, this is the path to salvation.
However, there are many other people who have a different idea of salvation.They’re convinced that they are saved. They use words like “blood of Christ” and “the virgin birth,” “the resurrection” and “salvation” but to them salvation only means accepting Christ.It means they’re trying to live like a Christian would — trying to study the Bible and do what a Christian does, desperately trying to live the good life so they’ll always stand approved before God.In a previous post, we termed this “getting on the bandwagon for Christ.”
Without realizing it, these dear people are effectively trying to get to God by their own merit, by their good works, by their own personal worthiness. This type of path is not the salvation outlined in the Bible’s Gospel.That’s a salvation path conjured up in the mind of man; that’s a path of works and not the salvation of the Bible.Apart from the grace and mercy of God, the horrible result is that these persons will end up in hell.
There are likely going to be many, many people on Judgment Day who will say, “I accepted Jesus as my Savior…what am I doing here?” The reason is they have never become born from above.
According to Scripture, the first step toward becoming reborn is to have a broken and contrite heart recognizing the ugly truth about ourselves that we’re a sinner, and in terrible trouble with God.We must see that only in Christ is there a way of escape.
If you’ve come to that point in your life, then you’ll never have to fret about Romans 1:28-32.
Today’s topic came up following our recent posting on abortion. It’s a very practical subject because we’re living in a world where mankind has nearly forgotten there’s a God upholding this universe by His power. Rather than looking to the Bible to find guidance and direction concerning the size of his family, man in his sinful reasoning develops his own answers…according to his own pleasures.
But sin always breeds sin and the world is now mired in a terrible cycle.
Effectively, man has said God cannot be trusted. Look at what’s happening — the population continues to grow; increasing droughts; frequent famines, etc. Man says, “We’ve got to take matters into our own hands.”
The world decided it was going to control the conception of children. After that sin matured a bit, man moved on to a more grievous sin. In cases where conception wasn’t denied, they decided to abort the child. For more than a generation, tens of millions of children have been murdered around the globe. Then a third sin developed: controlling conception now meant that sexual relationships could know no barriers. Men and women now live together without the benefit of marriage; they go from partner to partner. Sex is magnified. God’s rules concerning adultery and fornication are openly flaunted everywhere.
The world seems to have forgotten WHO it is that makes the grass grow and the crops to bring forth abundant harvests. Is it man? Certainly not! We can apply fertilizers and cultivate the ground, but God can send a drought causing the crops to turn to dust at anytime. Man can’t do anything about that. Conversely, God can send quenching rains at just the right time and He can bless the crops so that they bring forth a record harvest.
It is God who’s set up the balances within this world. He sets up the right kind of atmospheric conditions so that we can enjoy life, breathing just the right amount of oxygen.
Let’s narrow our focus now to the Christian family. How are we to live in an alien world? Are we to be guided by the philosophies of the societies around us? One of the larger problems plaguing many Christian families is that they’ve set unbiblical standards for themselves. The most important thing insofar as our relationship to God is that we obey Him and that we rear our children to obey Him — when we walk by the way, when we lie down, and when we rise up we tell our children about these things as outlined in Deuteronomy 6. We are to rear our children in the fear and the nurture of the Lord.
Christian families should be abandoning themselves to God. You may ask, how does this apply to the topic of birth control? Well let’s consider the following verse:
I Corinthians 7:2-3Nevertheless, [to avoid] fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.
Here God declares the husband’s body belongs to the wife, and the wife’s to the husband. We are to live together as one flesh. If we’d live that way — trusting that God in His wonderful blessings and sovereignty would create a child in the womb of the wife according to His good pleasure — then we would always be in the will of God. We would be trusting in God to give us the perfect family rather than in ourselves. We would no longer have to rely on contraception prescriptions or devices because our trust would be more properly placed in God. For some, God’s perfect family may not include any children; for some, it may include only one child; for others, it may be five or thirteen children. It’s that simple.
Regardless of our Christian family’s size, we won’t have to fear that we’re getting out of the will of God. We will know every child that comes along is an evidence of the blessing of God.
In summary, it all really boils down to trust. In whom are we placing our trust? Maybe we’re willing to trust God for many things in this life…but when it comes to the size of our family…maybe we’re not quite willing yet to let go of our own selfish desires or expectations.
What are your thoughts on this important matter? Please let us know.
Recently many people in my neighborhood expressed outrage over an anti-abortion protest in which demonstrators had graphic posters depicting the results of taking the life of an unborn child.While I do not fully condone the means used by these protesters, I do support the protection of human life – and that includes the lives of our unborn children.In an editorial published in the newspaper one citizen complained that after witnessing this protest she was forced to sit her three children down to explain the meaning of abortion. She further wrote that her children would now likely grow to be abortion-rights supporters. I would like to have heard her definition of abortion.
One doesn’t grow up supporting terrorist organizations because he or she happens to view the graphic fruits of their labors on the news.Before someone flames me, I’m not equating abortion-rights supporters with terrorist organizations.My example highlights that our children adopt pro-abortion views not because of some gruesome posters seen on the way home from soccer practice. Our children advocate pro-abortion views because their parents show little regard for the sanctity of human life.
The incoming Administration in Washington is on-the-record as having little regard for human life – when that human life in an unborn child.
They would have us tell our children it’s perfectly acceptable to stop a beating heart as long as it’s still within its mother’s womb – this is a mother’s choice after all, a privacy matter.
They would have us tell our children the life growing inside its mother’s womb isn’t really a child.They call it a fetus, not because they’re interested in the use of precise terminology, but because they don’t want this unborn child to have the same rights as a human being.
After January 20, 2009 this nation will have even less regard for life.From the President on down, the majority political position in America would tell our children it’s acceptable to stop the unborn’s beating hearts.
Maybe it’s not politically correct to call abortion murder. Maybe most newspaper editors wouldn’t even permit the linking of these two terms. Frankly, I don’t care much for political correctness. I’m more concerned about being biblically correct than I am politically correct.
America is slaughtering unborn babies at the rate of one million per year! We have put to death over seven times as many human beings as the Nazis slaughtered in the death camps of World War II.
Is there any hope for our children’s future given the sad state of affairs today and given the fact that our new President fully supports abortion rights? Some might see the advances of abortion, pornography and the increasing acceptance of homosexuality as an alternative lifestyle and say it’s impossible for us to get off this wide path leading to destruction.
Thankfully, what is impossible for us is not impossible for God. Only He can change our hearts and move us onto the narrow path that leads to life – a life eternal with no possibility of being aborted.
After quite a long hiatus, we’re back with another topic posting.This one is sure to evoke some good discussions and we pray that the comments will be rooted in Scripture rather than in individual opinions or denominational teachings.Let’s look to the Bible alone – Sola Scriptura – for answers.The topic for this posting is: when will the Rapture take place?
By “rapture” I’m referring to the bringing of believers into the presence of Christ in Heaven.Many teach that the church will be raptured before the final tribulation period.I can’t tell you where this line of teaching originated, but I know it didn’t come from the pages of Scripture.I find no evidence of any kind in the Bible that teaches the Rapture occurs before the final tribulation period.
I believe the totality of Scripture consistently teaches that the Rapture will occur on the last day. It will be at the end of time.
1 Corinthians 15:51-52: “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
The LORD is talking about the Rapture. We’ll not all die, but all true believers are going to receive their resurrected bodies.Notice that God also gives us information about the timing — at the sound of the last trumpet.
Revelation Chapter 11 tells us about the last trumpet.This is where the seventh trumpet sounds – and there’s no eighth trumpet; the 7th is the last.The context of Rev 11:15 (when the seventh trumpet sounds) is that of Judgment Day.It’s the end of time.
[Please, no comments here about WHEN the last day will be – let’s leave that to others]
Let’s look also at John 6.In four different places in the one chapter Jesus declares that all believers will be resurrected the last day – in verses 39, 40, 44 and 54.It’s as if Christ wanted to be certain we understood this biblical fact that all believers will be resurrected on the last day.
Now let’s consider 1 Thessalonians Chapter 4.
1 Thess 4:16-17 – “For 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: Then 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.”
From what God tells us here, there’s no question that the rapture of the believers will be a simultaneous event with the resurrection of believers.Logically it follows then: if the resurrection of believers is the last day, thenthe rapture of believers is also the last day.
In John 12:48 Christ declared that this Word will judge the unbelievers on the last day.
John 12:48 — “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.”
This means that the last day is Judgment Day – and Judgment Day is at the end of time. Therefore, if the believers are resurrected on the last day, they are raptured on the last day. And therefore the rapture is at the end of time.
I readily admit I’m no Einstein and some may argue that it wasn’t very long ago that I fell off the turnip truck, but it seems to me that the Bible is quite clear about the timing of the rapture. Scripture consistently and coherently leads us to the fact that the Rapture will be on the last day — at the end of time.
Too often these days, people are so quick to trust extra-biblical sources rather than using the Bible as its own interpreter.People will read books peppered with many biblical quotations and because they trust the author of that book, they then trust every statement the author is making.The only Author we can trust enough to do that with is the LORD Himself.
We welcome anyone to comment on this topic, showing us chapter and verse from the Bible where the Rapture is at some other point than the end of time.
Today’s post on “Spreading God’s Word” is courtesy of Ken Matto and addresses something we’ve all heard at different times. If two Christians are discussing a point of Scripture and one of them doesn’t have the answer to a question, then they’ll typically say something like, “Let’s agree to disagree.”
I’ve heard this often (and recently) and I’m sure you have too. Whenever biblical truths are being discussed and the parties can’t come to the same conclusion other than to say “Let’s agree to disagree”, then biblical truth suffers. When it comes to spiritual matters, having a philosophy of Agreeing to Disagree (ATD) is quite dangerous.
There’s an old adage that goes something like this: put three Christians in a room and you’ll get four differing opinions.” There will be disagreements on topics such as:
Free Will vs. Election
Fellowships vs. Churches
Tongues vs. No Tongues
Annihilation vs. Eternal Damnation
Women Preachers vs. No Women Preachers
Date Setting vs. No Date Setting
Age of Accountability vs. No Age of Accountability
Many other doctrines divide Christianity and increasingly whenever they’re discussed, the latest fad is to ATD. A fair question to ask is WHY? Why does this happen?
Frequently discussions are ended due to the unbiblical “love gospels” that have become entrenched in many churches. If someone who is teaching a false doctrine is challenged, then the person bringing the challenge is usually criticized for not having a spirit of love.
But is it really loving to allow someone to relax in a false teaching or gospel? 1 Corinthians 13:6 states: Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth.Love rejoices in truth not in falsehood. Therefore, it is entirely “loving” to try to bring someone out of a false teaching by showing them biblical truth.
Many Christians don’t like the Bible because they don’t like what God has to say in it. So instead they go to bookstores and buy some book from a theologian they admire and then interpret the Bible according to them.
Here’s another biblical definition of love from 2 John 1:6: And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
Not only does love rejoice in the truth, but love also means living our Christian lives in accordance with the commands of God. This can’t happen if someone is walking in a false teaching that is diametrically opposed to a teaching in God’s Word.
Let’s now examine some of the dangers of the ATD philosophy:
1. Truth Remains Buried
Prov 25:2– It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.
When someone blurts out “Let’s just ATD” it really means they’re no longer interested in seeing if they’re incorrect on a given subject. They’ll continue to believe what they want to believe. They’ll reject any truth they’ve been given in order to remain steadfast in their present belief. Spiritual growth is hindered by this type of settlement philosophy.
2. No Challenge to Search The Scriptures
Acts 17:11 — These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
When someone becomes settled in their beliefs, they’ll no longer search the Scriptures. The word “search” in the above verse carries with it the meaning ”to investigate, inquire or examine.”
Let’s assume someone believes in a literal 1,000 year reign of Christ. Then he comes into contact with a study that gives substantial biblical evidence pointing to the fact that the 1,000 year reign of Christ is figurative and represents the entire New Testament period from the Cross to the Last Day. Since he already has his belief system rooted and refuses to search the Scriptures diligently, he continues to believe an erroneous doctrine which then spawns other erroneous beliefs.
3. The Person Remains in a False Gospel
2 Cor 3:14 — But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which [vail] is done away in Christ.
The person who refuses to research their false belief will remain in the false teaching — and go deeper and deeper into it. Those believing in tongues will also be led to believe in further signs and wonders. If only they would have studied the Bible more and researched these beliefs! When they’re confronted with Scripture passages contradicting these beliefs, then they don’t want to hear it and they give their ”We’ll just have to ATD” response. Sadly, their minds continue to be blinded with false teaching.
Summary
When someone comes at us with an ATD, they’re basically saying, “I’ll believe what I want to believe, and you believe what you want to believe.” When someone uses an ATD, they’re being spiritually smug in thinking they’ve stopped an argument or debate. However, what’s really happened is that they’re truncating their spiritual growth and development by choosing to remain where it’s the most comfortable and palatable.
To God Be The Glory!
PS: For the record, we understand the totality of Scripture to support the following doctrines: Election; Churches; No Tongues; Eternal Damnation; No Women Pastors; No Date Setting; No Age of Accountability.
The admonition to every true Christian is found in 2 Peter 3:18: But grow in grace, and [in] the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him [be] glory both now and for ever. Amen.
If you’re someone who is frequently given to adopting an ATD philosophy, I pray that you’ll come to understand that you’re really hurting yourself spiritually. How can anyone expect to grow if they’ve set the standard of belief rather than letting God set it? The answer is they won’t!
We must remember that the true gospel of the Bible is an offense…even to Christians since it zings us also. If I were to try to define ATD, it would probably be “the avoidance of truth.” How many times have you heard, “Don’t rock the boat!” Well, the true gospel not only rocks the boat, but it overturns ships.
This blog represents our outreach proclaiming the Bible's gospel to the world. It's intended to serve as a companion to our website. If you feel the material presented here is faithful to the Scriptures, please tell your family and friends about it. Everyone can do something to advance God's Kingdom.
Posted by Jeff & Cindy 
Posted by Jeff & Cindy 
Posted by Jeff & Cindy 
