TRIBULATION VS. WRATH

Recently, I heard a famous preacher tell his audience that believers will not go through the Tribulation.  He said believers will be removed (raptured) prior to the Tribulation.  Then those who remain will experience those awful days.  He then quoted Romans 5:9 which says, “Since we have been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through Him”.  Apparently, he equates God’s wrath with Tribulation.  I’ve encountered that same confusion before.  We must understand the Biblical truth about God’s wrath and Tribulation.  They are not the same.  In fact, they are very different.  Let’s investigate the source of each.   The term, “God’s wrath” says it all.  The source of such wrath is God.  He will pour it out on His enemies at a time of His choosing.  On the other hand, the source of the Tribulation is exposed in Revelation 13.  The source is described in various ways.  I’ve heard it described as the “Unholy trinity”, or the “Counterfeit trinity”, or the “Enemies of God”, etc..  Whatever the title, the members correspond to the members of the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).  The member corresponding to the Father is satan, to the Son is the anti-christ, and to the Holy Spirit is the false prophet.  In Revelation, satan is also called the dragon, the anti-christ is also called the beast of the sea, and the false prophet is also called the beast of the earth.  The main point is that the wrath comes from God and the Tribulation comes from the counterfeit trinity. 

The target of the two is completely different.  The Tribulation targets the followers of the Lord.  The persecution of believers will be beyond anything humankind has ever experienced.  The wrath of God targets His enemies and ends in eternal destruction. 1 Thessalonians 1:10 and 5:9 promise believers that they will not be exposed to God’s wrath.  It does not promise we won’t be exposed to persecution and tribulation.  In fact, John 15:20 quotes Jesus as telling His followers that they will face such things as He has.  To get a good idea of the horror of tribulation, we have only to pay attention to what our believing brothers and sisters are currently experiencing in the middle east, Africa, and the far east.  Tribulation is upon Christ’s church now and it will only increase.  There is no reason to believe it will decrease.  We need to be preparing the church for it… not making false promises that we will be exempt.  That will lead to massive defections from the faith when pressure is applied to those not prepared for severe opposition.

The conclusion is that believers will be delivered from God’s wrath, but we must be prepared for persecution and tribulation at the hands of the enemies of God.  How? A) Develop a Biblical worldview.  In other words, look at what is happening from God’s perspective. B) Immerse ourselves in God’s Word and prayer.  C)  Seek fellowship with fellow followers of the Lord and encourage one another.

If this sounds like a warning, it is!  Remember, the motivation for warning is love.  The purpose for warning is preparation and the development of resolve.

God Bless You

 

 

Quest for Natural Revelation

 

 

The Bible begins by saying, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth"(Genesis 1:1).

Romans 1:20 says, "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--His eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."

 

The Bible assumes that humankind is wise enough to see from what has been created that God is the designer and creator of "the heavens and the earth".  King David proclaimed, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hand".  (Psalm 19:1) In other words, that which has been created reveals God to us.  This is called "Natural Revelatlion".  Nature helps us see God.

 

For me, it was science classes where I saw God clearly revealed.  We were studying the human eye.  I was amazed at the design and abilities of the eye.  It was a fantastic instrument.  I never doubted the existence of the designer, creator God after that.  The same thing happened as we studied the human hand. What an engineering feat!  I became an admirer of God from then on.  As Romans 1:20 says, "His eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen..." 

 

Of course, I've run into those who don't see God revealed in nature.  They have concluded that everything is the result of matter plus time plus chance.  They don't see any need of including God into the formula...no need for a designer or creator.  It all started from matter.  They don't deal with where matter originated.  Since most of my education was in engineering, the theory of matter plus time plus chance made no sense.  I became a believer in God as designer and creator from Natural Revelation.

 

Some skeptics have told me that I simply made up "God" to explain the unknown and, as we increase in knowledge, we decrease the need for God.  My response is that I would have never made up the God revealed in the Bible.  If I were to make up a "god", it would not resemble the God of the Bible.  I would have come up with something like the Greeks and Romans did in their mythology.  I would have come up with gods that were as frail in character as I am.  I would have never invented a god that said, "Be holy as I am holy"(Lev. 11:44)  That would mean I am accountable for my actions, words, and thoughts.  That would be the last kind of god I would invent.   I would never come up with a god who said, "You will reap what you sow" (Gal. 6:7).  I would have come up with a god that was too busy to care what I was doing or saying or thinking.  I assure you that God as presented in Scripture is nothing like the god I would have invented if I had the opportunity.

 

So, I worship the God of the Bible because He has revealed Himself in nature and in His Word.

 



LIGHT FOR MY PATH

Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path”.  God’s Word has been just that for millions of believers for thousands of years.  According to George Barna’s new book, “America at the Crossroads”, 91% of American households have a Bible in the home.  70% of Americans believe the Bible is the inspired word of God.  This is amazing when one considers the all out war waged in recent decades against the Scriptures by secular humanists in the media, education, and government.  What is their beef against the Bible?  It’s simple.  They don’t want that “light” shining on their path.  It reveals too much about their hearts.

Let’s explore that “light”.  The Bible contains things that are promoted and things that are prohibited.  It contains whole sections, like the Book of Proverbs, which are “Wisdom Literature”.  It is a long list of what is being promoted and what is prohibited.  Here is an example from Proverbs 14, “A patient man has great understanding, but a quick tempered man displays folly.  A heart of peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.  He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God’’.

Galatians 5:19-23 contains another list of that which is promoted and which is prohibited.  “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.  I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.   Against such things there is no law.”  1 Corinthians 13 is called the “Love Chapter”.   It also contains that which is promoted and which is prohibited.  “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy.  It does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude.  It is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.   It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails.”

The pervasive truth of the Bible, from beginning to end, is that positive actions, words, and attitudes have positive consequences and negative actions, words, and attitudes have negative consequences.  Simply put, we reap what we sow.

So, why does the Bible contain so many admonitions?  It is for our benefit.  That which is promoted has proven over the centuries to be beneficial to our well being.   Also, that which is prohibited has proven over the centuries to be harmful to us as individuals and to society.  The Biblical admonitions have not always been received positively.  For example, admonitions pertaining to sexual activity have drawn mixed reactions.  Look at 1 Corinthians 6:9-20.  What is being promoted is honoring God with our bodies which are temples of God’s Holy Spirit.  There are also sexual prohibitions along with other prohibitions.  Those actually listed are, sexual immorality, adultery, homosexual acts, and prostitution.  Other prohibitions include idolatry, greed, slander, drunkenness, swindling, etc..  It is interesting that vs. 11 indicates that many of those in the church being addressed were involved in such activity, but “were washed, sanctified, justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus”.  In other words, many in the audience were once involved in prohibited lifestyles, but were now following the Lord.

There are many portions of Scripture about sexual activity.  The prohibitions pertaining to activities like homosexual acts, incest, bestiality, adultery, etc., have angered various groups.  Forty five years ago, the gay lobby set out to “change America’s perception of homosexuals”.  I happened to be present when they announced the five myths they were going to use to make the change.  They have been very successful.  They have won over the media, the courts, government, educational leaders, corporations, medical groups, and some faith leaders.  They have even managed to change the definition of marriage that has stood for thousands of years.  But, their biggest obstacle has been the Bible and those that adhere to its principles.  They have tried for decades to convince people to ignore the Bible because “it is irrelevant today”.  They are furious at faith communities that resist their campaign.  Now that they have won court support, they have set out to get revenge by demanding that those who have opposed their campaign not only condone their activity, but also facilitate it.  It’s not going to happen.  No matter how many slurs are slung and persecutions are launched, the Bible still stands as the “Light for our path”.  All that the Bible promotes and prohibits is in place for a reason and is substantiated by thousands of years of experience.  On day Joshua stood at the crossroads as the new leader of Israel.  He called on the people to follow the Lord’s leading.  As they pondered his challenge, he said, “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord”.  So be it.

As I read these lists, my soul is crushed because it’s clear that I’ve done much of that which is prohibited and not done much of that which is promoted.  Fortunately, the Bible contains “The Gospel”, the Good News which reveals the way for me to have victory over my failings and to become more of the person God would have me to be.  The clearest expression of the Gospel is found in John 3:16.  “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life”.  That’s His part.  My part is to humble myself before God, repent, confess my obvious failings, and believe Him to do His part.  From then on, I must continue to be humble and trust and obey Him.

WORDS OF WISDOM

Let me introduce you to one of the greatest scholars in our nation's history.  His name is Noah Webster.

He was born in 1758 in Connecticut.  He graduated from Yale in 1778 and became a teacher.  He believed American children needed American textbooks so he wrote, "A Grammatical Institute of the English Language" which sold 100 million copies and was used extensively in schools for over 100 years.

He helped found Amherst College.  His best known work was the "American Dictionary of the English Language" published in 1828.  He also wrote the "American Bible"

He fought for copyright laws, a strong federal government, universal education, abolition of slavery, and wrote many other textbooks.  He died in 1843.

I want you to know about the man who wrote the following quotes:

"The religion which has introduced civil liberty is the religion of Christ and His apostles...to this we owe our free constitutions of government."

"The moral principles and precepts contained in the Scriptures ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and laws. All the miseries and evils which men suffer from vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery, and war, proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible."

We would do well to remember the principles that drove our founding fathers. 

GENDER CONFUSION

The Gender Confusion Lobby has gone to the bathroom.  Why has this topic drawn so much attention?  How did it become an issue?  The media blames the North Carolina legislature.  Actually, they just reacted to a policy coming out of Charlotte saying transgender people should be permitted to use restrooms according to their perceived gender instead of their apparent (biological) gender.  The state was just reacting with what they believe is a common sense, rational solution to a problem thrown in their lap.  Supposedly, some transgender people are uncomfortable using facilities according to their apparent gender because they, at times, feel more like another gender.  So, to accommodate their discomfort, they want to switch bathrooms.  The blowback has surprised everyone.  It turns out that many people don’t want people walking into the bathroom, locker room, or shower who are biologically of a different gender.  I understand that experience.  Some decades ago, our rugby team finished a game at the Univ. of Illinois and headed to the men’s locker room.  Three young ladies followed us into the room.  I escorted them out knowing nothing good would come from such a situation for us, or them, or the University.

Most of the objections seem to center on male predators taking advantage of young girls and putting the girls in a dangerous situation.  That’s a real problem.  But, there are plenty of adult men and women who are very “uncomfortable” using a restroom when someone of an apparent opposite gender walks in.  I’m one of those people.  We are being told by the Gender Confusion Lobby to “get over it”.  Ain’t going to happen.  Consider:

A very generous estimate of the number of “transgender” people in the U.S. is two tenths of one percent.  Only a small percent of them are so uncomfortable choosing a bathroom that it is a significant problem.  The PC crowd want the 99.8 percent to surrender their comfort to accommodate the comfort of a very tiny group.

Dr. Keith Ablow is a psychiatrist and medical advisor for a major network.  He says, “The bathroom debate is really a debate about the fundamental way we Americans will define any truth-whether as something deeply felt by an individual, or something scientifically demonstrable and verifiable.  If we believe that transgender individuals can use the restrooms they choose, one could argue that many of our cultural institutions must flex away from fact.  And one could argue that cultural chaos will result.  The slippery slope …could have us embracing what is asserted, rather than what is evidenced scientifically, or is historically known to be fact.”  His point is that this could lead to a collapse of the judicial system which has been based on fact, not on assertion.  Once we open the door for assertion to trump fact, you can imagine the absurd judgments that would follow.

The  American College of Pediatricians reported  (March of 2016) in “Gender Ideology Harms Children” that "Human sexuality is an objective biological binary trait: “XY” and “XX” are genetic markers of health- not genetic markers of a disorder.”  “A person’s belief that he or she is something they are not is, at best, a sign of confused thinking.” “98 percent of gender confused boys and 88 percent of gender confused girls eventually accept their biological sex after naturally passing through puberty.”  “Conditioning children into believing that a lifetime of chemical and surgical impersonation of the opposite sex in normal and healthful is child abuse.”

How could this debate about a problem that almost never happens and which can be simply solved with common sense, become something that involves state and national administrations, major corporations, the NFL, celebrities, schools, etc..  The answer is that the Gender Confusion Lobby, the offspring of the Gay Lobby, has long had as its goal to eliminate gender distinctions.  They see gender distinction as an evil that must be crushed because it leads to inequality and injustice.  It makes no difference to them that science clearly states that there are natural gender distinctions, that multitudes will unnecessarily be endangered, and accommodation to their demands will be very costly.  They want what they want and nobody has successfully opposed them in the past and nobody will because of the fear of their iron boot.

PILLARS OF A SUCCESSFUL MARRIAGE

As my wife and I approach our 50^th Anniversary, I thought it appropriate to record what we consider to be the pillars of a successful marriage.  I’ve used these truths in many wedding ceremonies and in marriage counseling for decades, but now I’ve decided to put them in writing.  Here are the four pillars of a successful marriage:

COMMITMENT

Each spouse must be committed to the marriage completely.  They need to devote themselves to making it work.  Don’t allow the thought of ending the marriage enter the world of possibility at any time.  Concentrate on making it better and deeper with each challenge that comes up.  The marriage ceremony is a perfect place for each spouse to publically testify to their commitment to the relationship.  But, that is just the beginning.  As the marriage progresses, the commitment should be reaffirmed regularly in a thousand different ways.

TRUST

Trust takes a very long time to build.  But, it can be damaged in moments.  Each spouse needs to be assured that they can trust the other.  Trust doesn’t just happen automatically or quickly.  That’s why significant time together is needed before stepping into a marriage relationship.  Since trust can be easily damaged, it is critical that each spouse goes to great lengths to avoid any appearance that they can’t be trusted.  In successful marriages, spouses will help one another to avoid danger.  And the other spouse will heed the advice given.

HONOR

This is probably the most missing ingredient in marriages today.  It is to say to your spouse in a hundred different ways, “you are very important to me!.  If someone you honor comes to your home, how do you treat them?  You listen to them intently.  You give them your attention.  You are sensitive to their needs and wants.  You give them your time.  You treat them with respect.  Those are just some of the ways you communicate how important they are to you.  You honor your spouse by doing the same.

AGAPE LOVE

There are many types of love in marriage.  There is physical love.  There is familial love… that is love between family members.  Sometimes it’s called brotherly love.  But the Bible adds Agape Love.  Agape is sacrificial love that has a divine source.  It’s not very natural to us as humans.  We need God’s help with this kind of love.  It’s described best in 1 Corinthians 13 in the Bible.  It is very obvious, as you read that description of Agape, that we each need God’s help if we are going to live out such actions.  That’s why God needs to be involved in each successful marriage.  It is only in Him that we find such sacrificial love.

 

There you have the four pillars of a successful marriage.  I think of them as four legs of a chair.  If any of them is broken or missing, the chair will be unstable.  We need all four legs to be strong to give stability.

 

Republican Nominees of color for President 

Today I received a notice from Dr. Ben Carson that he is suspending his campaign for President.  I was greatly disappointed because I have long believed he is uniquely qualified to lead our nation.  He is a well known neurosurgeon and someone everyone agrees is a man of principle.  A successful neurosurgeon has to do three things:  They have to assess the problem and determine the cause.  They have to develop a solution.  And they have to carry out the solution.  Dr. Carson has done these three things for years. There are some people who are very good at determining the problem.  Others are good at developing solutions.  A few can carry out solutions.  But, someone who can do all three is very rare.  We had the opportunity to have someone in the White House who has done all three for decades with amazing success and we ignored them.  Why?  Perhaps he wasn't loud enough or didn't assert himself enough.  Whatever the reason, we blew the opportunity to elect the most promising President in my lifetime.

A few months ago, my wife and I went to an event in San Antonio where Dr. Carson was scheduled to appear.  Before he arrived, we spoke with a gentleman who drove the bus for Dr. Carson.  He had been driving around various political figures for decades.  We had a nice conversation about some of his more interesting experiences.  Then he concluded that he had never encountered anyone like Dr. Carson.  Dr. Carson stood head and shoulders above all the rest in his estimation.  Nobody else came close.

I've been sharing with you for some time that the reason our leaders are so inept in dealing with the middle east is that we don't have leaders that have read the Quran, Hadith, Sharia Law, or the history of Islam.  They know nothing but sound bites about the life of Muhammad or Islamic eschatology.  The only candidate that showed some understanding is Dr. Carson.  When asked at one point how he would deal with ISIS, he laid out a strategy based on their eschatology.  It was very wise and based on fact.  The interviewer obviously didn't have a clue what Dr. Carson was talking about and just stared at him with a blank expression and moved on to a different topic.

The media commentators long ago dismissed Dr. Carson.  When he hit his peak in the polls, they all jumped all over him as a passing fad that had no chance of success and needed to be ignored.  By the way, it was the same strategy they used on Alan Keyes and Herman Cain in the past.  One has to wonder why Republican nominees of color are crushed by the media.  At first they are tolerated, but when they rise in the polls, they are slammed as not serious candidates.  Keyes was an outstanding speaker who drew great crowds and people loved him.  Cain had ideas based on his business experience that were way ahead of his competition.  Dr. Carson is an adult in a field of small children.  I'm speaking of his mind and soul.

On a related issue, we need to crush Political Correctness and return to Free Speech.  Real education comes only with freedom of expression.  Education shackled by Political Correctness is only indoctrination.  Our universities have become factories pumping out little Totalitarians.  We worked very hard back in the 60's and 70's to throw off the chains of PC and now we are back to square one.

 

 

 

OUR ORCHESTRA LEADER

 

 

John 16:7-8 says, "But I tell you the truth. It is for your good that I'm going away.  Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you, but if I go, I will send Him to you.  When He comes, He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment."

 

John chapters 14 through 16 contain a list of the works of the Holy Spirit.  The verses above tell us that the Holy Spirit is active as a counselor and He also convicts us of sin.  As we study this section of the New Testament, we can see an extensive list of what the Spirit does in our behalf.  The list is amazing.  As I have studied the list and watched how the Spirit has worked in my life and in the lives of others, I've noticed the similarity of the Spirit to an orchestra leader.

 

An orchestra leader assembles the various sections of the orchestra such as the wind instruments, the percussion section, the reed instruments, the string section, etc..  Then the leader directs each section to join in the presentation at just the right time with just the right notes.  If each section, by itself, were to play their notes,  it would not be noteworthy.  But, as they blend together in harmony, the result is a symphony.

 

So it is with the Spirit.  The Spirit brings just the right people, books, passages, messages, circumstances, etc. across our paths at just the right time to accomplish His purposes to guide us into the person He desires us to be.  What an amazing God we have!