Be Careful -- Notable Quotable

This from Apprising Ministries is also appropriate today...

So to suggest that God continues to speak and give more revelation is a clear contradiction of Hebrews 1:1-2. Yes, we talk about God speaking through the sermon, some experience or His Spirit. If we mean He is reminding us of what has been said through Jesus Christ, we are correct. If we mean He is telling us new things that are not written in the 66 books, we are misled and hearing some other voice that is not His.

-- Ken Silva / Apprising Ministries

Feed on His Word. Rest in Him.

Why? Because we (no, I) need to be careful. I don't want my desperation to know the Lord intimately to lead me to 'discovering new ways of communing with God' that go far beyond Bible reading and prayer. That would be wrong. That would be sinful.

That's why I hope I was careful to only make an observation or two that (as Apprising Ministries put it) reminds "us of what has been said through Jesus Christ", and nothing else.

In other words, I wanted to share an observation or two that made me think about what we already know about the last days containing many "signs and lying wonders" since that's what God's Word clearly warns us to prepare for so that we are not deceived.

Again, I felt it necessary to issue this important reminder after that last post on "signs and lying wonders" possibly being imminent.

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Posted in: America In Prophecy,Apostasy,Notable Quotables,Sola Scriptura,Spiritual Deception,Spiritual Growth,Witnessing

False Gospels -- Notable Quotable

I believe this is needed following the implications from the previous post...

What is the best safe-guard against false teaching? Beyond all doubt the regular study of the word of God, with prayer for the teaching of the Holy Spirit. The Bible was given to be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105). The man who reads it aright will never be allowed greatly to err. It is neglect of the Bible which makes so many a prey to the first false teacher whom they hear. They would have us believe that "they are not learned, and do not pretend to have decided opinions." The plain truth is that they are lazy and idle about reading the Bible, and do not like the trouble of thinking for themselves. Nothing supplies false prophets with followers so much as spiritual sloth under a cloak of humility.

-- J.C. Ryle / Commentary, Matthew 7.

Feed on His Word. Rest in Him.

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Posted in: America In Prophecy,Antichrist,Apostasy,False Christs,How Close Are We?,J.C. Ryle,Notable Quotables,Pope And Vatican,Prophecy Basics,Spiritual Deception,Why Study Prophecy?,Witnessing

'Signs And Lying Wonders' Imminent?

This is absolutely mind-blowing. I know, I know, I've probably written that so much here that it's lost its impact upon you the gracious readers and my fellow brethren.

I kid you not though. This is the type of thing that defies logic and lends credence to the fact that the various watchmen are right to be sounding the alarm loudly about what's on the prophetic horizon.

Personally, it's the kind of thing that makes me recall the following passages of the prophetic text...

Matthew 24:24 (KJV) For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 (KJV) And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

In a moment, you'll see why these key verses are extremely applicable.

While I'm still not quite sure what a 'yeoman' is, I will tell you that Art/'Ultraguy' has been doing some yeoman's work as a watchman on the wall over at his blog New Wineskins especially as it pertains to the earthquakes last week in both Colorado and Virginia.

Don't worry, this is not another one of those lengthy and subjective studies in symbolism, but more or less an observation about some rather uncanny 'coincidences' (as the world likes to call them) tied to this on-going sequence of prophetically pregnant events.

As I read the title of Art's latest post ('The CO-VA Earthquakes -- Additional Insights') I was struck by the pairing of the letters 'CO' and 'VA' that formed the word 'cova' for some odd reason.

I must tell you that I instantly thought that it was seriously strange that something like that would stand out to me. In fact, it wasn't until just a few moments ago that I was led to discover that this was even a legitimate word, let alone an actual geographic place on the map.

Ready for this? As it turns out, there's a place in Portugal called 'Cova da Iria' I learned. Guess what? 'Cova da Iria' means 'Irene's Cove' too! Friends, what are the odds of that?

Now, that on its own would be enough of a crazy 'coincidence' since we all know that the nation just watched (with baited breath) the path of Hurricane Irene along the East Coast of the United States. But there's so much more and particularly in regards to a potential (likely) spiritual link to everything we're witnessing these days.

I told you that this Cova place is located in Portugal. Take a wild guess what 'Irene's Cove' is historically known for that is relevant for any discussion in this Christian end times forum?

Let me help out with that. Cova da Iria ('Irene's Cove') was a land belonging to Lúcia Santos' family in Fatima, Portugal. Lucia was one the three visionary children who, according to the Roman Catholic Church, received several visitations and messages by the Virgin Mary.

In other words, it's THE VERY SAME PLACE where the infamous 'Our Lady of Fatima' incident took place! No, I couldn't possibly contrive any of this.

For those who don't know...

The three children used to frequently pasture their sheep on this land, and it was on May 13, 1917, around Noon, that Our Lady of Fatima appeared to the three of them for the first time. The story goes that suddenly there was lightning, and the children, Lúcia Santos and Jacinta and Francisco Marto, thinking that it was going to rain, began to run. Then, just above a oak tree, they saw a beautiful lady made of light, holding a rosary in her hand. Our Lady of Fatima spoke to the children and told them not to be afraid. "I come from Heaven", she said.

At Cova da Iria, on a huge esplanade, a little chapel was built, in the place the apparitions took place. Since The Roman Catholic Holy See, has officially approved the Fatima apparitions and the messages given to the three shepherd children, the place has become an important center of pilgrimage where peoples from all over the world go on an spirit of faith and penance. The Chapel has been expanded and is now much bigger.

[Source]

By the way, what that description left out was how 70,000+ witnesses described the Sun as turning into "an opaque spinning disc" (the event was later called 'The Miracle of the Sun'), which adds a whole other intriguing layer to all of this.

Simply put, what it all amounts to is a clear case of 2 Corinthians 11:14 (probably the most popularized case in recent history).

If you want to hear about all the Scriptural reasons why people should be wary of these 'Virgin Mary' apparitions and 'miracles' attributed to it, then please listen to the Right Now Radio Bible study and podcast from May 2010 titled 'What Every Catholic (And Christian) Needs To Know' for more info. For all we know, the truth presented in it that comes straight from God's Word just might keep you ("the elect") from being deceived in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

Again, please just take a moment to marvel at the odds of such 'coincidences' because there's really no logical explanation for any of this at all. What is going on here?

Adding fuel to the false gospel fire espoused by these 'holy' apparitions of 'Mary', I remembered something else I saw just last week (and only a few days prior to both Earthquakes as well as Hurricane Irene dominating the news headlines)...

Pope Declares Mary As 'The Ark Of The Covenant' And 'The New Eve'

CatholicCulture.org

In his midday Angelus address, delivered at the apostolic palace, Pope Benedict noted that the feast of the Assumption has "roots in the faith of the early centuries of the Church ... Our forefathers were defeated by the Evil One; in the fullness of time, Jesus, the new Adam, and Mary, the new Eve, defeated the enemy definitively, and this is the joy of this day!"

Editor's note: The Pope's reference to the Virgin Mary is more akin to Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code or the Egyptian mythology of Isis, Osirus and Horus.

See why the Mary of the Bible is not the same as the Mary of Rome.

As if that weren't enough, we are also bearing witness to the veneration of a mere man and his mortal blood -- even in death.

Vial Of Pope John Paul II's Blood Tours Mexico

MEXICO CITY - In what Roman Catholic leaders pray can help end Mexico's tribulation of gangland slaughter, the late Pope John Paul II - or rather a bit of his blood - has begun a tour of the country. Thousands of believers have filed since Thursday past a small crystal capsule holding the blood at Mexico City's Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe, ground zero of this country's Catholic faith. Extracted from John Paul shortly before his death in 2005, the blood rests in the folded hands of a glass-enclosed wax effigy of the pontiff. Held by many believers to be sacred because of John Paul's pending canonization as a saint, the blood today will begin a four-month tour of Mexico's 91 Catholic dioceses. The journey traverses cities along the Texas border in late November and will include many communities most shattered by the violence that has claimed more than 40,000 lives in less than five years. "It's a good moment to pray for peace," Victor Rene Rodriguez, secretary general of Mexico's Catholic bishops' conference, said when the relic first arrived in Mexico City last week. "An opportunity for Mexicans to reflect." The most traveled of all popes, the Polish John Paul was particularly enamored of Mexico, as were many Mexican Catholics of him. He toured the country five times during a nearly 27-year reign, first arriving in 1979 shortly after ascending to the papacy. "Mexico knows how to dance, but also to pray and above all to shout," a delighted John Paul once proclaimed in fluent Spanish to a particularly raucous Mexican gathering. A very feeble John Paul came a final time in 2002 to canonize Juan Diego, the Aztec Indian said to have been graced with visits from the Virgin Mary shortly after Spanish conquerors brought Catholicism here. "Mexico, always faithful," the pope exclaimed then, as he had often before, to enthralled crowds in what remains the world's second-most-populous Catholic country despite growing conversions to other Christian churches. The blood now circulating Mexico is from a supply extracted from the fatally ill John Paul in his final days, meant to be used for later transfusions. Upon his death, some of that blood was encased in four capsules. Two capsules remained in the Rome hospital where the pope died, another was stored at the Vatican and a fourth sent to his home diocese in Krakow, Poland. Special request Mexico's prelates had specially requested the Vatican to borrow the blood in order to bolster the faith in the face of ongoing violence, said Manuel Corral, the priest who escorted the relic to Mexico. "It's to give us encouragement," Corral said in a Thursday interview. Veneration of relics - usually the belongings, bones and other body parts of those declared saints or "blessed" by the Vatican - is a tenet of Catholic doctrine dating to the early centuries of the church. Church teachings don't ascribe relics any direct supernatural powers. Only God can perform miracles, though sometimes through the intercession of saints, Corral said. But relics serve as powerful reminders of, and connections to, those saints, he said. Still, many Catholics consider relics themselves to be miraculous, and treat them accordingly. There have been at least two recent claims by Mexicans of cancers being miraculously cured through John Paul's intercession since it was announced his blood would be brought to Mexico, Corral said. Pope Benedict XVI on May 1 beatified John Paul, the last step before naming him a saint, after ratifying a French nun's claim that she was cured of Parkinson's disease after praying to the late pontiff shortly after his death. The Vatican must vouch a second miracle attributed to John Paul in order for him to attain sainthood. "The second miracle is going to take place in Mexico," Corral predicted. Crowds gather Hundreds gathered at dawn Thursday to greet the pope's effigy and blood as they were escorted across the city to the Basilica from the Vatican Embassy on the Mexican capital's south side. Men applauded, women wept and some threw flower petals as singing schoolboys escorted the relic to waiting vans outside the embassy compound. "They talk about how he has returned to bring us peace," Maritza Laguna, 29, said of John Paul as she watched from behind a police barrier. "There has been so much blood lost here. Will there be peace? No. Because not many people believe."

That is nothing but rank apostasy, blasphemy, and heresy from the highest level of Catholicism on full display for an entire world to see. Lord, come quickly!

My gosh, what is going on here? Couple all of that with Cindy By The Sea's latest piece that rightfully questions the use of President Obama's words "let's summon that spirit once more" in reference to the upcoming 9/11 anniversary memorial, and you begin to wonder what dark spiritual forces are at play here, and whether or not the good Lord will allow them to see their plans come to fruition in the days ahead in accordance with His ultimate plan for humanity and the fulfillment of end times prophecy.

See what I mean though? Are we being prepared for something? Please take everything presented here under prayerful consideration to the Lord and seek Him and His Word for the answers.

Keep looking up, but be not deceived my dear brothers and sisters.

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Posted in: Aliens UFOs,America In Prophecy,Angels,Antichrist,Apostasy,False Christs,How Close Are We?,Nature And Environment,Occult,Pope And Vatican,Spiritual Deception,Symbolism,Synchro-Pop

Fear Not, But Fear God

No, that's not a contradiction. I'll explain shortly.

On the heels of that last piece that speculates as to whether or not the Lord will use Hurricane Irene to bring this nation and her unrepentant people to their knees, I thought about the importance of 'fear' in all of this.

No, not fear as in a general 'spirit of fear' that so many 'Christians' are selling and buying into these days, but fear as in the 'fear of God', which is healthy and absolutely necessary in the Christian life.

"You do not glorify God as God unless you come into His presence with much fear and reverence of His great name. Fear in worshipping God is so necessary that many times in Scripture we find that the very worship of God is called the fear of God" (Burroughs, Gospel Worship, 124)

"A fearer of God steers the rudder of his life according to the compass of the Word" (Watson, Religion Our True Interest, 30)

Those are good reminders, but this is a better one...

Get rid of fear, because fear is painful. How it torments the spirit! When the Christian trusts, he is happy; when he doubts, he is miserable. When the believer looks to his Master and relies upon him, he can sing; when he doubts his Master, he can only groan. What miserable wretches the most faithful Christians are when they once begin doubting and fearing! It is a trade I never like to meddle with, because it never pays the expenses, and never brings in any profit —the trade of doubting. Why, the soul is broken in pieces, lanced, pricked with knives, dissolved, racked, pained. It knoweth not how to exist when it gives way to fear. Up, Christian! thou art of a sorrowful countenance; up, and chase thy fears. Why wouldst thou be for ever groaning in thy dungeon? Why should the Giant Despair for ever beat thee with his crabtree cudgel? Up! drive him away! touch the key of the promises; be of good cheer! Fear never helped thee yet, and it never will.

Fear, too, is weakening. Make a man afraid—he will run at his own shadow; make a man brave, and he will stand before an army and overcome them. He will never do much good in the world who is afraid of men. The fear of God bringeth blessings, but the fear of men bringeth a snare, and such a snare that many feet have been tripped by it. No man shall be faithful to God, if he is fearful of man; no man shall find his arm sufficient for him, and his might equal to his emergencies unless he can confidently believe, and quietly wait. We must not fear; for fear is weakening.
Again; we must not fear; for fear dishonors God.

Dear friends, there is another fear that ought to be cultivated,—the reverential fear which the holy angels, feel when they worship God, and behold his glory;—that gracious fear which makes them veil their faces with their wings as they adore the Majesty on high. There is also the loving fear which every true, right-hearted child has towards its father,-a fear of grieving so tender a parent,—a proper feeling of dread which makes it watch its every footstep, lest, in the slightest degree, it should deviate from the path of absolute obedience. May God graciously grant to us much of this kind of fear!

-- Charles H. Spurgeon

Be sure to fear the Lord (Psalm 111:10).

You can read Spurgeon's sermon from 1876 titled 'The Right Kind Of Fear' for more on this.

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Posted in: Apostasy,Bible Study,Charles Spurgeon,Daily Bread,Great Commission,How Close Are We?,Prophecy Basics,Revelatory Revival,Sola Scriptura,Spiritual Growth,Why Study Prophecy?,Witnessing

'Fallen, Fallen' And New York, New York

There are prophetic verses we know too well.

A select few, for the purposes of our study here today, include the following...

Isaiah 13:19 (KJV) And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.

Isaiah 21:9 (KJV) And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground.

Isaiah 47:5 (KJV) Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called, The lady of kingdoms.

Revelation 14:8 (KJV) Another angel, a second one, followed him, and said, "Fallen! Babylon the Great has fallen! She has made all the nations drink the wine of her passionate sexual sins."

Revelation 18:1-3 (KJV) And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

Now, let's finish laying the foundation. Here's quick summary of NYC's history of Hurricane activity since 1821 that took only one quick Google search to find...

1821: The only hurricane in modern times known to pass directly over parts of New York City pushed the tide up 13 feet in one hour and inundated wharves, causing the East River and the Hudson River to merge across lower Manhattan as far north as Canal Street. Deaths were limited since few lived there at the time.

1893: A category 1 hurricane destroyed Hog Island, a resort island off the Rockaways in southern Queens.

1960: Hurricane Donna created an 11-foot storm tide in the New York Harbor that caused extensive pier damage. Forced 300 families to evacuate Long Island.

1999: Floyd, weakened to a tropical storm, brought sustained 60 mph winds and dumped 10-15 inches of rain on upstate New Jersey and New York State.

2004: The remains of Hurricane Frances in September flooded city subways, stranding some passengers aboard trains that had to be stopped by flooded tracks.

[SOURCE: NYC Office of Emergency Management, LiveScience reporting]

As the East Coast (particularly New York City, NY) braces for the impact of Hurricane Irene, I feel obligated to point to some recent research and Bible studies performed by some of my faithful and true brothers and sisters in Christ who are also fulfilling God's call to be watchmen on the wall during this late and urgent hour of humanity.

One of them was right to point out that when it comes to these kinds of things...

"This potential message from God only confirms what I know deep in my heart, so this is not meant for me, rather it is for those Americans 'on the fence', or just downright deceived..."

That being said, for some reason, I find myself wondering if the following prophetic insights might take center stage this weekend (or some time in the very, very near future perhaps)...

DAVID WILKERSON:
Time To Prepare

'An Urgent Warning' And 'A Hell Shaking Prayer'

CARLOS MONTANA NABAETEUO:
Babylon, Babylon (An Investigation Of The Prophetic Significance And The Implications Of This New York Town Positioned At The Gateway To America)

ART/'ULTRAGUY':
From Colorado To Virginia (What Must We Learn From The Earthquakes?)

Independently, they jolt the conscience. Collectively, they sound the alarm for what could quite conceivably be the last time the alarm is sounded for all we know, right?

I'll tell you this much: I'm starting to reexamine my position regarding America's destiny and fate according to the prophetic Word.

Some previous pieces we've done here at LUF that I went back to today to help me possibly sort things out are (in the order that they should be read)...

The U.S. In Bible Prophecy

Sardis, 'Spiritual Near Death', And 'Watching'

Babylon Rising

Babylon Rising...Nothing New Under The Sun

Babylon Rising...'As In The Days Of Noah'

Babylon Rising...'Mystery, Babylon The Great'

If you want the abridged version of a summary of those pieces, and want a small glimpse into my mind as it pertains to this subject at the moment, please prayerfully consider this (an excerpt from one of the above blog entries I wrote and published years ago)...

One area of constant debate in eschatology is whether or not the Bible mentions the United States in prophecy.

Some argue that it doesn't, and they say this make sense because America is traditionally thought of as a Christian nation, and so if the Rapture were to happen it is assumed that this would reduce the nation to third-world status overnight, and that's why the world's most powerful nation isn't mentioned as a key player in the end times.

Some see the U.S. as 'Mystery Babylon'. Still, there are others who see clear parallels between the U.S. and Judah as given to us in Isaiah 5 or Jeremiah 5 and Jeremiah 6. They suggest that this nation will face a similar demise.

This morning, I came across another section of Scripture that caught my eye and made me stop and do a double take.

"How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow." Revelation 18:7

First, she glorifies herself. This implies pride, even to the point of arrogance. Jeremiah 51:41 is used in relation to ancient Babylon, but it applies to modern Babylon as God uses it here in Revelation 18. Jeremiah writes...

"How is Sheshach [a biblical code name for Babylon?] taken! And how is the praise of the whole earth surprised! How is Babylon become an astonishment among the nations!"

This refers to the fall of Babylon. When Jeremiah wrote this, they were so powerful as a nation that nobody wanted to deal with Babylon as an enemy. He calls her "the praise of the nations." This means, essentially, "the greatest of the nations." Everybody praises Babylon as the greatest of the nations on earth. God applies this to Babylon in Revelation 18. It is something implied, not directly stated. However, even Babylon "has glorified herself."

Second, "she has lived deliciously" or "she has lived luxuriously, extravagantly, lustfully, unrestrainedly." The woman is the very apex of luxury on earth. This phrase indicates satiety, that is, over-indulgence, super-abundance, the state of having too much.

Third, she says, to magnify these, "I sit as a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow." "Nobody's going to bother with me. I'll never know any sorrow." Taken together, there is in her an avoidance of suffering, an unwillingness to sacrifice, and it indicates a rather "in your face," cocky superiority. Interestingly, an avoidance of suffering, the unwillingness to sacrifice, inevitably produces compromise with law and conscience.

In this one verse, a nation is portrayed as proud to the point of arrogance, self-confident in its security, thinking that it has produced its power by its own means, and living extravagantly relative to the rest of the world, as it seeks immediate gratification while failing to discipline itself to conform to a set standard.

Hmmm, does that sound like an accurate description of any nation that exists today that you know of? Could this be where we find the U.S. in Bible prophecy? Could America have a similar fate as Judah? If so, Lord have mercy on us all.

If there is something to the whole 'dual fulfillment' thing, then we need to ask if the end times prophecies about the actual, literal rebuilding of the ancient city of Babylon can also apply to a spiritual, symbolic city very much like Babylon too (or if there are two distinct Babylons as in 'Babylon, Iraq' and 'Mystery, Babylon the Great').

Here's why. I'm sure you've heard at some time or another the thinking that maybe the United States is some kind of Babylon (spiritually symbolic) if not the Babylon referred to most notably in the Book of Revelation including in other books too. Those who hold to this view have many reasons why they feel that way, and they almost always point to the fact that America is mentioned nowhere in the Bible as a major player during Daniel's 70th Week (the final 7 years).

Surely, there could be several reasons for this -- this country is decimated from within due to civil/political unrest (rendering it insignificant on the world stage); the Rapture takes place and millions of Americans are gone in an instant leaving this country a shell of its former self; the U.S. is absorbed by the Antichrist and his political governing body (in other words, the U.S. becomes part of the One World Government). Or, as I just suggested, America could actually be the 'Mystery, Babylon The Great' herself and therefore is, in fact, mentioned.

It's only natural that we should wonder where the U.S. is in prophecy. We love our nation, and we are concerned about our future, but we love our God and His Word even more and are mystified that it does not seem to mention us at all during these historic moments in all of human history.

Regardless of the reasons why this is the case, what I came across in my research was extremely enlightening if nothing else. It made me examine whether or not there was anything we could glean from it all. Maybe calling this an example of 'dual fulfillment' is an inaccurate way of labeling it because I believe that the symbolic city of Babylon is just as real and important in these end times as is the real ancient city that's being rebuilt.

Ray Charles created a stirring rendition of 'America The Beautiful' that brings tears to my eyes. It's a powerful song made even more powerful with lyrics like "America! America! God mend thine ev'ry flaw. Confirm thy soul in self-control. Thy liberty in law."



This man was blind and yet he was able to see this country for what it was -- a nation built on the foundation of God -- and he sang his heart out to tell the world about it.

I'm curious if we'll be able to see our need for repentance following our nation's illicit affair with sin or if we'll choose to remain blind to the truth.

The perceived 'spiritual convergence' becomes even more stunning when you take note of the growing demonization of Syria and these two LUF pieces from July 2009...

Isaiah 17 Damascus Prophecy, Isaiah 18 U.S. Prophecy?

Does Isaiah 18 Actually Refer To America?

The bottom line here?

Whether 'right' or 'wrong' about attributing certain Bible passages to the prophetic future of the United States, I firmly believe that this nation is living on borrowed time due to our unrepentant sins, and God's divine judgment is about to fall upon us severely. Who would argue with that?

In fact, I have the distinct feeling that His judgment will begin with the modern day Sodom and Gommorah following the recent decision to legalize 'gay marriage' there.

Apparently, a major hurricane hitting New York City has been on this nation's radar for quite some time as a potential 'mega-disaster' just waiting to happen (as evidenced by this History Channel special that oddly enough examined the aftermath of a Category 3 Hurricane making a direct hit on NYC!)...

Disaster experts know that a major hurricane hitting New York City could prove disastrous, due to the amount of time it would take to evacuate a city of its size. Hurricanes move much faster the further they race across the North Atlantic, so while it would take up to 24 hours to evacuate NYC, the city could have just a few hours notice of impending doom.





[Source]

Again, not sure why, but I believe something's imminent.

What I find most interesting about all of this is something that keeps coming to mind about what Harold Camping and his followers said after their non-event failed Rapture prediction that got so much buzz back in May. Something about how it was an "invisible and spiritual Judgment Day" that actually took place. Perhaps the Lord used that False Prophet for His own purposes unbeknownst to us. Pure speculation on my part though.

With all of this in mind, you can imagine my reaction when I noticed the insane mathematical probability of another story being in the mainstream news today by mere chance. Check this out before we wrap things up!

Did you know that today marks the 10-year anniversary of R&B Singer Aaliyah's tragic death? Me neither. Bear with me because in a moment I will show you why I felt this is even relevant to mention here.

Remembering Aaliyah

For those who don't know, 'Aaliyah' is not just the name of a former celebrity in Pop Culture. No, 'aliyah' is a Hebrew word translated 'ascent' or 'going up' that also describes the immigration of Jews to the land of Israel in modern times. Now, how ridiculous is that?

See what I mean about the timing here? Sure, another 10-year anniversary is weighing heavily on our hearts and minds (September 11th, 2001), but I find it compelling that this aliyah stuff would come up now too especially when you read some of those excerpted sections from the above articles that were referenced.

Adding further intrigue, we just pointed out how 'aaliyah' has to do with the fulfillment of end times Bible prophecy. Now, remember how we identified Isaiah 17 as being the place where the destruction of Damascus, Syria is prophesied and wondered if Isaiah 18 was the place where the destruction of America is prophesied too?

Please go back and spend some time with that short study. Why? Because Isaiah 17:13-14 are about the time of God's consuming fire burning Lucifer's future false world kingdom as "chaff" before a "whirlwind" we read.

The part that has to do with this 'aaliyah' business is astounding really! Isaiah 18 seems to tell us about the gathering of God's dispersed elect from all four corners of the Earth. How incredible is that? What are the odds?

There's more, but let's cut to the chase. Does this indicate that we are about to see the fulfillment of both prophecies (the destruction of Damascus, Syria in Isaiah 17 and the destruction of America in Isaiah 18 -- assuming that's what Isaiah 18 foretells) in succession just as they're presented in the Book of Isaiah? I believe this very well could be the case.

What do we know from God's Word that should give us cause for concern in as much as it forces us to examine our current spiritual health? 'Mystery, Babylon The Great' is a rich superpower that professes a faith in the true God, but is really full of unbelief and disobedience. Again, John reveals that the final outcome of this wealthy superpower is destruction by fire in one day and one hour. Her destruction is both swift and complete (Revelation 18:8, 10, 18). The destruction of Mystery, Babylon The Great will apparently pave the way for the Antichrist and his fourth beast kingdom to rise to world dominance.

Mystery, Babylon The Great, who had dominated the world, will be defeated never to rise again. When she is out of the way the fourth beast kingdom and the Antichrist will be elevated to the position of superpower and world dominance; a position they will maintain until the end. When the Antichrist and his kingdom destroy Mystery, Babylon the Great, the world will certainly say, "Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?" (Revelation 13:4).

Admittedly, there are some nagging problems with this line of thinking even though I think the U.S. can be found quite easily in the apocalyptic writings of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Revelation. That leaves me attempting to sum up my view of it all.

The Scriptures indicate that the fall of Mystery, Babylon The Great will take place in three phases. The first will be a judgment that comes from God, which results in the destruction of the "great city" of Babylon. Is it speculation on my part to suggest that this will be the destruction of New York City?

The second phase will be an attack on what is left of Mystery, Babylon The Great from the Antichrist and the Ten Kings. Is it speculation on my part to suggest that this will be a surprise attack by China upon this nation when she is stunned and weakened (much like Art from New Wineskins has been alluding to and reminding us about with that whole Chinese-Sub-Missile-Launch-Off-The-West-Coast last November 2010)? Let's not forget about Dumitru Duduman's prophecy involving Russia either.

The third and final phase of the fall of Babylon will be her complete and total destruction at the end of the Tribulation. Is it speculation on my part to suggest that this phase refers to the rebuilt ancient city of Babylon, Iraq while the first two phases refer to America?

Regardless, I think it's pretty clear that we are on the cusp of seeing Daniel's 70th Week and the resulting Tribulation begin. How this connects to our understanding of the timing of the Rapture remains to be seen.

Until then, spend some time examining the passages of Scripture referenced here for yourself (Acts 17:11). You'll be amazed at the shocking parallels that exist between our once great nation and "Mystery, Babylon The Great" without having to 'read into' anything, but by just taking the verses literally as they're presented to us.

If you're not satisfied and are still looking for an answer to the question "Where is the U.S. in Bible prophecy?", then you might want to just look at Isaiah 5, Jeremiah 5 and Jeremiah 6 because those chapters contain an inventory of the national sins of Judah, and they are the same sins that characterize American society today.

One final thought. The people of Judah mocked those who tried to warn them, and they stubbornly refused to recognize any connection between their own sins and the calamities that beset them. No, we are not a Christian nation any longer. No, God doesn't sit on His throne in Heaven wrapped in an American flag either. No, I'm not 'unpatriotic', just telling it like it is. Judah was destroyed for committing the same sins that characterize the United States today. Why should our fate be any different?

That being said, now is the time to repent and seek God's face for the mercy, forgiveness, and salvation we so desperately need.

Yes, this is one of the most controversial messages in the Bible as there is still much debate regarding this issue. I feel the Lord is having me write about this now not to offend anyone, or to promote additional conflict and confusion, but to show without a doubt, the late day and the late hour in which we live.

If you will only pay close attention, I believe the Lord heeds you a great warning, as He always does, just as in the day of Sodom and Gomorrah, where He delivered Lot and his family out of His wrath, and as in the days of Noah, where He delivered Noah and his family, and the animals from the Great Flood.

This is relevant to the times, places, and events that will happen in the world. If you do not understand this, it will make timelines in the Bible distorted and will lead Christians away from the urgency of the Gospel.

This is particularly dangerous for husbands and fathers like me especially, for now is not the time to make the mistakes of Adam, but is the time to tend to your garden. In other words, get yourself and your family in Christ, in the Word, and in the will of God.

Please take all of this to the Lord under prayerful consideration. Most of all, repent because judgment is coming!

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Posted in: America In Prophecy,Bible Study,David Wilkerson,Four Horsemen,How Close Are We?,Nature And Environment,Prophecy Basics,Seven Seals,Symbolism,Synchro-Pop,Why Study Prophecy?

Shake, Rattle, And Repent!

Everyone's talking about the surprising earthquake near Washington DC today that was felt in several states both north and south of the epicenter.

What people need to be asking themselves right now is whether it's a random event or a precursor to something worse?

You know that my faith and worldview says it's the latter. When it's the latter, that conclusion naturally forces you to determine the reasons why that might be the case. However, sadly, millions of people who get that far will rarely attribute such things to a spiritual root cause even though that's precisely what's going on here.

Luke 21:11 (KJV) And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

"In divers places" is the key as this article supports.

Personally, I think our nation continues to run on borrowed time, and much like the game of soccer, you never know when that 'extra time' is going to run out.

Now more than ever, please prayerfully consider what God's Word says to us about earthquakes paying particularly close attention to the direct relationship between earthquakes and God's divine judgment when He uses such an event as evidence of His displeasure with people.

Please take some time to revisit and reread THIS BIBLE STUDY ON EARTHQUAKES from back in mid-March 2011 following the mega-quake and resulting tsunami in Japan.

Repent! Judgment is coming!

Keep looking up!

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Posted in: America In Prophecy,Bible Study,Four Horsemen,Great Commission,How Close Are We?,Nature And Environment,Prophecy Basics,Seven Seals,Spiritual Growth,Why Study Prophecy?,Witnessing

Spiritual Maturity (And Why I Think I've Been A 'Christian Mystic')

Lord, have mercy on me and forgive me! I'm afraid that I've been masquerading as a Berean Believer when, in fact, all along I've been more like a Christian Mystic given many of the things I've believed, taught, and written! The horror and shame I feel over this reality (and the possibility that I may have led others astray) is palpable, and so I confess my sins and pray for Your forgiveness, mercy, and restoration. Please put me back on the right track and use me to point people to You and only You. Amen.


SO LONG DEEP 'SYMBOLISM STUDIES'...


Building off of the last post here, I found myself thinking about what it means to show evidence of 'progress' or 'maturing in the faith' after reading a couple of devotionals the other day.

The first is powerful because of its simplicity. It's a beautiful reminder about maturing in our shared faith and what that process should look like...

"The aim of spiritual maturity isn't to become more acceptable to God, for we are already fully accepted by Him through the blood of Christ. When we're justified by grace through faith, the righteousness of Christ is credited to our account. Thereafter we live a life of service because we love Him who has already accepted us in Christ. Never worry about whether God loves you. If you know Christ as Savior, don't feel you have to win God's favor. You have all His grace for all your needs. Just serve Him with a desire to please Him in all you do and say. "

-- David Jeremiah

We often forget all of that, don't we?

Going deeper, I love what Apprising Ministries put together a few days ago (I'll highlight the parts that hit home and convicted me in light of the last post published here; and why I felt burdened to issue that prayer at the beginning of this piece)...

I gave you another pathetic exhibit of how just how squishy—man-pleasing—evanjellyfish is becoming as a result of practicing this mysticism.

In The Gloves Must Come Off yesterday I told you that there will be nothing gained by foolish "conversation" with unregenerate Apostles of Unbelief in the EC; and among their number you’ll find mystics like rock star Emerging Church pastor Rob Bell and his good friend, heretical quasi-universalist Emerging Church pastor Doug Pagitt who heads the Emergent Solomon’s Porch where the equally heretical Tony Jones happens to be his "theologian in residence," who’ve long been teaching counterfeit forms of Christianity to young mainstream evangelicals.

The quicker you come to understand that such as these long ago jettisoned the proper Christian spirituality of Sola Scriptura — of course we can experience God in His Word — for myth-based mysticism the better for you; for you see, their mentors like Living Spiritual Teacher and Roman Catholic mystic Richard Rohr along with his fellow Red Letter Christian pal Living Spiritual Teacher and leading Emergent Church guru Brian McLaren, are just as off spiritually as the original Gnostics, which were being roundly rebuked by the authors of the New Testament.

A couple of years ago in Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism (CSM) Of Spiritual Formation Is Reckless Faith I pointed you to Reckless Faith: When The Church Loses Its Will To Discern , oft-overlooked 1994 book by Dr. John MacArthur. In this book, one of our Lord’s most trusted generals told you — three years before their even was any Emerging Church — why in this postmodern time these neo-Gnostics, who’re neo-orthodox in their theology (at best), would run to embrace mysticism:

Neo-orthodoxy is the term used to identify an existentialist variety of Christianity. Because it denies the essential objective basis of truth—the absolute truth and authority of Scripture—neo-orthodoxy must be understood as pseudo-Christianity… Neo-orthodoxy’s attitude toward Scripture is a microcosm of the entire existentialist philosophy: the Bible itself is not objectively the Word of God, but it becomes the Word of God when it speaks to me individually.

In neo-orthodoxy, that same subjectivism is imposed on all the doctrines of historic Christianity. Familiar terms are used, but are redefined or employed in such a way that is purposely vague—not to convey objective meaning, but to communicate a subjective symbolism… Thus while neo-orthodox theologians often sound as if they affirming traditional beliefs, their actual system differs radically from the historic understanding of the Christian faith. By denying the objectivity of truth, they relegate all theology to the realm of subjective relativism.

It is a theology perfectly suited for the age in which we live. And that is precisely why it is so deadly… [Contemplative Spirituality aka] Mysticism is perfectly suited for religious existentialism; indeed, it is the inevitable consequence. The mystic disdains rational understanding and seeks truth instead through the feelings, the imagination, personal visions, inner voices, private illumination, of other purely subjective means. Objective truth becomes practically superfluous.

Mysticial experiences are therefore self-authenticating; that is, they are not subject to any form of objective verification. They are unique to the person who experiences them. Since they do not arise from or depend upon any rational process, they are invulnerable to any refutation by rational means… Mysticism is therefore antithetical to discernment. It is an extreme form of reckless faith.[1]

Now I’ll be blunt; if you can’t see what MacArthur has just told you fits these Emerging Church mystics perfectly, then in my view it’s because you just don’t want to. Charles Spurgeon dealt with their fetid forebears in the original Cult of Liberalism; do you remember what it would cost him in the Downgrade Controversy? Too bad in this New Downgrade, while so many praise him, there doesn’t appear to be any Spurgeon on the immediate horizon.

And there won't be a Spurgeon-like leader unless God wills it, and especially if none of us are showing evidence of maturing in our faith as we should.



This process began awhile ago for me, as you already know, but the Lord finally hammered home some important truths to me this week. On second thought, maybe He was hammering them home all along, but I was just too thick-headed to see any of it.

In any event, I was convicted rather strongly by the above devotional excerpts that he brought along at precisely the right time. Ken Silva from Apprising Ministries played a critical role. Aside from the aforementioned excerpts, there was this too...

I can also tell you from monitoring Intel along the Internet Front that there is a growing move within the Reformed sectors away from sola Scriptura.

What we’ll end up with though is actually the duel authority system we see in the charismatic/Pentecostal movements; the Bible plus continuing revelation. I know because I was saved in a charismatic church and later was involved with the Pentecostal movement as well. What inevitably ends up happening is a two-fold authority structure.

The critical issue here is, if we aren’t adhering to the proper Christian spirituality of Sola Scriptura then we really will find ourselves with something quite similar to the Roman Catholic Church. There will be the Bible plus personal revelation, which essentially ends up having to act like Rome’s teaching magisterium for "interpretation of what Scripture really means."

It’s something to watch carefully because personal revelation always ends up trumping Holy Scripture.

Ouch! See what I mean though? Now you know what I've been convicted over my sins.

See, there's a BIG DIFFERENCE between merely 'sign-spotting' as a sort of watchman on the wall (Isaiah 21:6), which is encouraged and expected during these last days, and performing the kinds of in-depth 'symbolism studies' regular readers of this site have grown accustomed to. I think we can all agree on that point. I hope we can agree on that point. That's the reason for this change in me and the change in these parts moving forward. Praise the Lord!

Just a few final and important comments though about 'spiritual maturity' and what that process looks like let alone what it's all about.


LADDER THEOLOGY AND PURSUING RIGHTEOUSNESS


You know, this last segment could probably serve as its own independent post, but it goes hand-in-hand with this concept of 'maturing in the faith', which is why it needs to be here.

Before you press on, please note that although this next study will be challenging and difficult indeed, it is not merely a case of semantics, but profound truth that so many of us well-meaning Christians constantly overlook (myself included).

I recalled something I had read back in March 2011 by a man by the name of Robert Andrews who wrote a series of articles on 'progress' in the Christian life.

He wrote that essentially we see ourselves as being placed by God onto a 'ladder' at conversion, and then climbing upward from 'sinful new believer' to 'righteous mature saint' as we grow spiritually. He pointed out that this whole idea is a mindset originating at the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, but that this mindset, as a way of life, was completely eradicated at the cross by what Jesus Christ did for us.

However, the question naturally comes to mind: "If there is no 'ladder', how do we 'progress' in the Christian life, as it seems we obviously do?"

This brings up a second corollary question too: "What is meant by 'spiritual growth' then?"

Surely, we can expect to grow spiritually, right? Surely, we can expect some movement, some increase in righteousness, on our part, right? After all, my sin hurts others, those I love, as well as myself, and I don’t want to do that. Surely, I can expect something more than just being saved and going to Heaven, right? Can't I expect some progress in my conduct then?

To look at these questions honestly, we need to explore first how we arrived at where the majority of the church is today -- completely committed to the 'ladder' mentality that I believe misses the dynamic of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. Fortunately, there is a more Biblical model for spiritual growth.

What Andrews calls attention to is the following...

We don’t realize how much we have just assumed is true because it has been taught as true in the church, when really it has been pagan, Aristotelian thinking brought to us by way of the scholastics. Also, because of the residual effect of the fall in our flesh, we are spring-loaded to think in that manner anyway. Bible verses have simply been attached to Aristotle after the fact to give his teaching legitimacy among Christians, but these verses do not change our way of thinking from pagan to biblical, from the ladder to the cross.

This sounds very reasonable. Remember, the scholastics combined reason with revelation as equally authoritative. The concept expressed here by Aristotle and transferred to the Christian life is called “infused” or “imparted” righteousness. This thinking teaches that as I pray, I will become a man of prayer; as I read my Bible, I will become a man of the Word; as I do deeds of thoughtfulness, kindness and love towards others, I will love them; as I do my very best to obey the commands of Scripture, I will grow as a Christian. To summarize: as we do righteous deeds we become increasingly righteous.

So, in the scholastic view, progress in righteousness occurs over time as I exercise Christian disciplines and climb the righteousness ladder. In the medieval church such disciplines included isolation from the temptations of the world through monasticism, subjugating the desires of the flesh by ascetic living, fasting and abstaining from anything pleasurable.

Today, ladder-climbing disciplines commonly include prayer, Bible study, obedience to the law of God, attending church, performing deeds of charity, sacrificial giving and witnessing to non-Christians. The more I do these disciplines, the thinking goes, the more righteous and holy I become.

So, according to this natural, Aristotelian way of thinking, I am always partially sinful and partially righteous. As I begin as a Christian I am mostly sinful but as I am sanctified, I become less sinful and more righteous, until theoretically, when I am mature as a believer and I have it all together, I am still maybe a little sinful (because nobody’s perfect!) but now mostly righteous. That is my goal.

First, the thinking goes, God gives me a dose of pure grace to get me started and to assure me of heaven. Then, while I’m here on the earth, He gives me more assistance in the form of the Holy Spirit to help me grow more righteous and less sinful, but I must cooperate with the Spirit and diligently do what I can myself to mature spiritually.

This way of thinking has been ingrained in mankind since the Garden of Eden, and to suggest that it is not right is considered a heresy today. But I am saying this way of thinking is the heresy and makes, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:17, "the cross of no effect." In other words, ladder thinking tells me that the cross did not really make me holy with the righteousness of Jesus Christ so in practice I must do so myself.

Do you see why this kind of thinking is wrong? Do you see where this is headed? Next stop, a false 'Works-Based Theology' that has absolutely no place in the Christian lifestyle, and yet, we've all been guilty of it probably to some extent. That's what I want to highlight here for us today before we wrap things up.

Andrews continued to challenge us with the truth...

To a ladder climber, the righteousness of Jesus Christ is nothing more than a "legal fiction," only theoretically or "positionally" true. God may place me on the first rung of the ladder, but the real job of being righteous remains for me to accomplish by exercising discipline and making good choices, with all my protestations that God is actually doing it notwithstanding. Any spiritual progress in my life toward becoming a good person, i.e., the everyday performance of good works rather than sinful acts, will come from some self-conscious effort on my part to effect change, to climb the ladder by fighting apathy and cultivating diligence. Just as Aristotle said, good works make a good man.

However, we discussed last week that the ladder has been totally removed from the life of the Christian. Efforts to climb it and progress toward righteousness are completely useless, and according to Paul in Romans 7 are even counterproductive, because they take us away from the only path to true righteousness—righteousness by faith in the cross—by making us actually more sinful because of the pride that invariably accompanies thinking we are getting better and better. The cross of Jesus Christ has destroyed the ladder—the Aristotelian way of thinking that originated at the Tree in the Garden of Eden—and has been revealed in the Bible as the only source of true righteousness. If that is true, how does "progress" in the Christian life occur?

It's a GREAT QUESTION, isn't it? How does 'progress' in the Christian life occur? Before you continue reading, please take a few minutes to prayerfully consider this question and the possible answer.

You want a more Biblical, cross-centered concept of spiritual 'progress' in an attempt to answer this key question? First, let's summarize what happened at the cross (emphasis mine)...

2 Corinthians 5:21 (KJV) For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

In other words, God made our sins Jesus Christ's sins, and He made Jesus’ righteousness our righteousness to us who are in Him.

Let me try to explain things further by sharing another excerpt from an article in that series by Andrews...

The cross, however, introduces a whole new way to live, a whole new dynamic. Rather than partial, ever-increasing righteousness and partial, ever decreasing sinfulness, based on my success in living by and conforming to the law of God, I am, right now, fully righteous with the imputed righteousness that is only in Christ by faith.

This faith-based righteousness is the only kind available to fallen men, sons and daughters of Adam. Any perceived infused or imparted righteousness that becomes a part of me intrinsically is really not righteousness at all. Why not? It can’t be, because while I am perfectly righteous with the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ, I remain a helpless, hopeless sinner while I still live in this body of sin, this body of death. “Every intent of the thoughts of man’s heart is only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5) is God’s evaluation of all of Adam’s descendants. “There is none righteous, no not one” (Romans 3:10). So a perceived imparted righteousness is hypocrisy!

We do not see ourselves as we really are. Even our most righteous-appearing acts are still fraught with self-seeking and impure motives. Because of the old Adam’s vested interest in preserving his life and avoiding the cross, we have too high a view of ourselves. That is who we are until Jesus returns and gives us new glorified bodies.

The ladder preserves the way of life of my old man, all that I was in Adam, trying to be good by what I do, but the ladder is an illusion. It is not there. God killed us in Christ at the cross and raised us to new life in Christ as a new man, holy, righteous and perfect with a new modus operandi, a new way to live, which is by faith alone. This new man is not partially righteous, not growing in righteousness, but completely RIGHTEOUS, living by faith alone, not by obedience to God’s law.

However, this new man lives in an as yet unredeemed body inherited from Adam that is not partially sinful, not getting less and less sinful, but completely EVIL, trying to live by obedience to God’s law! So, we remain, as Luther said so well; simul iustus et peccator—simultaneously saint and sinner. We are at once both perfectly righteous and completely sinful. As a result, each day the grace of God is as necessary as it was the first day I became a Christian. His mercies are, of necessity, new every morning; every morning I begin again. Like the manna in the wilderness, no righteousness is stored up from the previous day. I have not reached a righteousness plateau from which I can advance to the next level, thereby working my way to holiness. That is the ladder, and it is a mirage. There is no ladder.

To sum it up, 'progress' (or 'maturing in the faith') is not gradually increasing righteousness and gradually decreasing sinfulness.

Is there genuine 'progress' in the Christian life if I indeed already possess the absolute goodness of Jesus Christ and yet remain a wicked sinner, all the thoughts and intents of my heart only evil continually (Genesis 6:5; Proverbs 6:14)?

Watch this! My relationship with Him is settled. I am already completely righteous by faith, and my life will show it if I only believe it! Is it not then believing, or living by faith, that is the issue, and not what comes forth from my life despite what we know about fruit being evidence of a true Christian (Matthew 7:20)?

So, 'progress' ('maturing in the faith'), or sanctification, is to simply believe the divine imputation. Sanctification, or 'progress'/'maturation', is not, therefore, an endless process that lies ahead that we traverse in order to 'arrive' at a specific 'saintly' destination.

Whoever has imputed righteousness can know that he or she has already 'arrived', not at a goal that they have attained, but a goal that is granted to them anew, moment-by-moment, for the sake of Jesus Christ. Beginning and end are always equally near. God’s mercies are indeed new each and every morning.

To demonstrate these truths in the form of pictures that can help us to better understand things, I want to share the diagrams that also appeared in Andrews' series of articles on this subject.

Following are diagrams of 3 different perspectives on 'progress' from 'immaturity' to 'maturity' in the Christian life. In each of these 3 diagrams, the top line pictures the position of the Christian as 'just' and 'holy', as he is in fact, and will be in his experience in the age to come after Christ returns; the bottom horizontal line is the Christian as 'completely sinful'.

'INFUSED' OR 'IMPARTED' RIGHTEOUSNESS

This first diagram represents the traditional view of 'progress' in the Christian life. According to this scheme, by 'getting better and better', we 'progress upward', experiencing 'plateaus' and 'times of growth', 'needing less and less of the grace of God as we grow' because we have 'achieved an intrinsic righteousness that has been imparted to us as we have climbed the righteousness ladder', but this kind of thinking is wrong and un-Biblical.



SIMULTANEOUSLY 'SAINT' AND 'SINNER'

This second diagram is a picture of Luther’s 'simul', or an attempt to picture the very difficult idea of 'simultaneously being completely sinful and completely righteous' by an oscillation between two absolutes.



THE INVASION OF THE KINGDOM

This last diagram adds to the second concept the notion of 'progress' too. The life of the eschatological Kingdom (the life that will be ours when the Lord returns), a life of experiential holiness, a life that will not be possible this side of the eschaton (the age to come), is attacking and subduing us as we walk by faith, more and more capturing our hearts without any effort on our part. The bottom line in the diagram remains the bottom line -- we are utterly sinful, as we will be until the Lord’s return.

Neither is correct or truly Biblical although they all sound reasonable, don't they?

Bottom line, though we remain totally sinful, the Kingdom of God, the rule of Jesus Christ, is taking us over, bringing us to a righteousness that is completely by...faith.

Andrews captures this beautifully...

In Matthew 13, Jesus uses the analogy of leaven in a lump of dough that is working, working and never ceasing, and a grain of mustard seed that is growing, growing and never stopping. Another word picture is the kingdom as a D-9 bulldozer in our lives, always at work in response to our ever-increasing faith. Faith is the gasoline in the bulldozer that turns it loose to plow under all that remains in our lives of the old creation in Adam, and faith is all that remains after the bulldozer does its work.

Turning to His Word again, we find this to support such a position...

Mark 9:24 (KJV) And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

"I believe; help my unbelief" should be our concerted prayer. Just as we are simultaneously 'saint' and 'sinner', we are also simultaneously 'believer' and 'unbeliever' too.

Finally, we'll end by including another snippet from this series (sorry it's so lengthy, but this is so important)...

The production of fruit is naturally, unconsciously and spontaneously occurring as we increasingly simply trust that it is. To try to climb the performance ladder, to try to be good, to try to be obedient as in the first diagram is to try to produce fruit in one’s life by works, like tying apples to the branches of an apple tree and trying to convince oneself that the tree has produced apples. Genuine fruit in one’s life is only the result of faith. As a matter of fact, if the perceived fruit is a result of trying to obey the law of God, it is not only not righteousness, it is not even harmlessly neutral—it is sin, for whatsoever is not produced by faith alone is sin (Romans 14:23). That is why Martin Luther, in what many believed was an overstatement, which really wasn’t an overstatement at all, could say, “good works will send you to Hell!”—self-righteous good works that are a result of efforts to obey.

Genuine apples grow on apple trees. It just happens. It is a result of the life within the tree. The tree doesn’t try to produce apples; it can’t help but produce apples! Righteousness is the result of faith. God is after us to capture our hearts and to conform us to the image of Christ, and He will not be denied. We have been “created in Christ Jesus for good works” that have been ordained by God for us to express. [4] We can do nothing else. Leave those good works to Him and just believe.

One could say that progress in our Christian lives is growth in our understanding of the grace of God expressed in the cross of Jesus Christ. Practically, that means seeing progressively more clearly the depths of my depravity in real life situations, and then embracing that depravity–not running from it, excusing it, rationalizing it, or blaming someone else by playing the victim. The more sinful I see that I am (“all the thoughts and intents of my heart are only evil continually”) and then embrace that, the more I see the extent of the limitless grace it takes for God to forgive me, therefore the more I am “growing in grace,” i.e., growing in my grasp of the extent of the miracle of what really happened at the cross.

This is how I take up my cross and follow Him; this is how I lose my life in order to find it. This is how, as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12, I boast in my weaknesses, including moral weaknesses, even reveling in them, for only while I am weak does His grace and His strength rush in and cover me and make me strong. May we say with David, “I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin is ever before me” (Psalm 51:3).

This is a whole new way to think, indeed to live, no longer in the manner of Aristotle (obedience producing righteousness), but according to the Bible: by faith in the power of the grace of God released at the cross to cover all my sin and, indeed, to render it irrelevant.

We must pray for eyes to see two things ever more clearly: the depths of our sin and the extent of the grace that takes it away, for this is not grasped by intellect or study, but because God has come near to us and opened our eyes. “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit” (Psalm 34:18).

Rest in Him. Rest in His Word.

Keep looking up!

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