CRISIS CHRISTIANITY

Are we REALLY living in the end times? Part 3: Matthew 24

2008-02-17T14:09:00.003-06:00

One of the most pivotal passages in the New Testament occurs in Matthew 24. In this famous passage, was Jesus really giving a preview of the end times? Or was He talking about something that was going to happen before His apostles’ generation literally passed from the earth?

To set the scene:

The Lord had just had an intense discussion with the teachers of the law and the Pharisees in the temple courtyard. Previously, He had chased the money changers and defilers out of “HIS” house. Now, the Lord proclaimed woe on them and labeled them blind vipers and hypocrites.

He declared that He would send them “prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. I tell you the truth, all this will come upon this generation.” (Matt 23:34-36)

He then declared that “your house is left to you desolate” (Matt 23:38, emphasis added). It should be taken as a chilling foretelling of what He was about to say.

Peter, John and the rest followed Jesus and wanted to know what He meant. Jesus pointed to the temple, which He had just said was no longer God’s (for what else could your house mean?) and said, in effect, that the temple would be destroyed—and this time, He wasn’t talking about His own body.

What did the Lord mean? they asked. What would be the sign of your coming and the end of the age? And on the Mount of Olives, Christ explained that Jerusalem was going to be destroyed soon and anyone living there would be slaughtered; the age of Israel would end. They would know then that He was God.

Here is the passage in full:

Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. "Do you see all these things?" he asked. "I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"

Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.

"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

"So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time.

"So if anyone tells you, 'There he is, out in the desert,' do not go out; or, 'Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.

"Immediately after the distress of those days " 'the
sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.'

"At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be
at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in
charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

These verses do not refer to a 21st century end times as far as the LaHaye/Darby/Lindsey model posits. They may seem like they do, and it’s entirely understandable if you read them solely from the standpoint of dispensationalism. But if you keep it in context, not only with Matthew 23 but also the Old Testament, you can understand how the Lord is referring primarily to the terrible persecution of the Christians by Caesar Nero, leading up to the annihilation of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

The last 10 or so verses, however, are post likely prophesies about the last days, and only Christ knows for certain. After all, the Bible is written to specific people yet is still for us, thousands of years later. The latter verses do seem to deal with the end of the world, not just, or even with, the end of Jerusalem and the temple system. After all, some of them seem like they would square with some of Daniel 9 and especially 2 Peter 3:10. But for the immediate moment, when Jesus’ followers asked the questions, His answers definitely applied to quickly impending events.

Hank Hanegraaff says that you absolutely cannot read/study the New Testament unless you have “the song” or “the music” of the Old Testament singing in your mind. What he means by that is that you have to read the Bible for all that it is worth, and understand it in a much richer and fuller context than, sorry to say, the shallow “Left Behind” sensationalism of the Tim LaHayes of Christiandom. (And even, I’m sorry to say, John MacArthur, who I respect tremendously but who I think is absolutely wrong about his complete interpretation of the end times. He certainly knows the Old Testament, much more than me, but his conclusions no longer make sense.)

Here’s why.

End of the age
The dispensationalists and Left Behind theologists say that this “end of the age” is the end of the so-called “church age,” which was inaugurated at Pentecost. The “end” comes with the rapture and the start of the tribulation. But that’s not what Christ is referring to. Instead, the actual end of the age is the end of the sacrificial/temple system. Christ, of course, was the ultimate sacrifice, the unblemished Lamb. But those who never believed in Christ continued the sacrificial system. The destruction of the temple was to put an end to that age of sacrifices forever.

Ends of the earth
Dispensationalists claim that only in our age of modern technological wonders can the gospel be actually preached to the “ends of the earth.” But that’s not what the Bible itself says! Acts, Peter and Paul all attest to the gospel being preached to the furthest extent of “the earth,” which then was the Roman Empire. Paul talked of going to Spain, it’s thought he even went to Roman England, other apostles went into Africa, others went into parts of Asia, and so fourth. When you understand the language of the Bible, and know when to take the Bible at its literal word, you won’t need to make such fantastical leaps as claiming that the gospel could only be preached to the “ends of the earth” in the 21st century.

Wars, earthquakes, etc.
Don't, please, think that the 20th and 21st centuries respresent the only times in human history when the earth has experienced numerous "wars and rumors of wars," nations fighting each other, earthquakes, famines, etc. etc. that the Lord mentions. They were as commonplace then as they are now. Don't also assume that false Christs arise only today. They existed before Christ even came and they existed shortly after He came. Acts describes some of the purveyors of false gospels.

So, if you think that "wars and rumors of wars," etc., and only apply to the end times, you will make a leap of logic that defies natural and written history.

Apocalyptic language
At that time, the only scripture that existed was the Old Testament (which, of course, wasn’t yet called the Old Testament). Christ, as Lord and God, naturally was master of what went into that scripture, considering that all scripture was His story, by His admission. Therefore, Jesus would be naturally intimately familiar with what His prophets wrote and said and also how they said it. Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Isaiah, etc. all used apocalyptic language when discussing or relaying the Almighty’s words of judgment. Compare what Jesus says in Matthew 23 to the entire books of Ezekiel and passages from Isaiah, Psalms, Jeremiah and other prophets. For example, see Isaiah 9:8 through 10:11, where the Lord, through Isaiah, describes his anger against the people and what will become of them. Or see Ezekiel chapter 14 for an even greater apocalyptic description.

Throughout Matthew 24, Jesus uses a mixture of hyperbole, simile and plain language to foretell the terrible things to come and what was undoubtedly the dawning realization of survivors that Jesus was indeed correct.

Often, the Lord proclaims that a judgment will happen of the likes never seen before and never to bee seen again. Of course, the Lord is no liar nor is He inconsistent. He is using language to convey the deadly seriousness of the judgment.

And surely no judgment upon humanity could possibly have been greater than the Flood, when all of humankind and all land animals were wiped out except those on the ark—and no fanciful writing from Lindsey or LaHaye could possibly make their great tribulations any worse than that!

Clouds
Clouds appear throughout the Old Testament in relation to divine judgment. For example, when the Lord tells Ezekiel to prophesy against Egypt, He says to say, “For the day is near, the day of the Lord is near—a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations.” (30:3)

When Jesus used that imagery, His apostles immediately knew what He was talking about. People like Tim LaHaye obviously don’t, and neither do people like Mr. Ehrman, who are quick to proclaim Jesus a false prophet because He didn’t return in 70 AD on the clouds—but that’s because He never said He would! Jesus was employing a familiar image, but it is a mistake to think that in A.D. 70 He was actually going to be descending to earth. He is actually ascending to heaven to sit at the Father’s right hand. It’s an analogy, not an actual image that people were to have seen.

Now, will He descend to earth on clouds in glory at the end of the ages, if the passage is also doubly prophetic in nature? Well, we could see in our lifetime. It's definitely possible.

“This generation”
Jesus was speaking literally when He said that “this generation will certainly not pass away.” Why in the world would He be talking about Jews born in 1948, more than 19 centuries later? It makes absolutely no sense! As Hank Hanegraaff illustrates beautifully in the Apocalypse Code, you have to engage in serious grammatical acrobatics to believe that a president of the United States doesn’t know the meaning of the words “is,” “alone” and “sex.” Likewise, you need to seriously twist things around if you think the Lord of all creation doesn’t know how to use the Aramaic versions of the words “this generation,” “soon” and “you” (more on the latter two in a later post). When He said “this” generation, He meant the people alive at that time with Peter, James and John.

Remember, they were asking Jesus to tell them when these things would occur—“these things” meaning the end of the temple in Matthew 23. And He told them, in language and terms they easily recognized. If He meant to say “you won’t live to see it” and “it will happen for the generation alive in 1848 or 1967,” He would have used a term such as “70 times 7” or a similar phrase to denote a great distance of time.

Another example: When Jesus transfigured before Peter, James and John, He had previously told them that “some who are standing here will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God come with power.” (Mark 9:1; Matt 16:28 says “…until they see the Son of Man come into His kingdom.) There are two ways to take this passage. The first is that what the three saw in the transfiguration was the glimpse of the kingdom. But another way too look at this is to tie it to Matt 24, where Jesus talks of the “sign” of the Son of Man and etc. Peter might have already been executed by Romans by the time Jerusalem was destroyed, but James and John were still probably alive. (I’m not making a hard argument concerning the Transfiguration, just an intriguing guestimation.)

The “abomination of desolation”
Actually, there were two such events. Daniel prophesied one, which took place in 168 B.C. when the Syrian King Antiochus desecrated the temple in Jerusalem. Jesus refers to what Titus will do in A.D. 70 when Jerusalem falls and the final temple is desecrated. I have a hard time accepting that this refers to a far future event, because I have a hard time believing that there will be another temple built in the far future (that discussion is to come in a later installment).

Conclusion
The annihilation of Jerusalem in 70 AD was one of the most terrible events in all antiquity. Josephus gives a chilling account, no less horrible than what the Lord said would happen. The Romans destroyed the city and killed more than a million people at the end of 3½ years of a great tribulation inaugurated by Caesar Nero—the real beast of Revelation. More on that next time.

It’s easy to see why people would take this entire passage as a foretelling of the end of the world, and it may very well be—but it is primarily, if not solely, a prophesy about the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the age of the temple/sacrifice system. If you are thoroughly versed in Old Testament language and prophesy, you’ll recognize that the Lord’s pronounced judgment was not unique, but “typical” of all of His past (and fulfilled) judgments.

In the next part, I’ll examine the identities of “the Beast” and “the Antichrist.”

Supporting links/books
(I’ll repeat these in every post):

http://www.equip.org/site/c.muI1LaMNJrE/b.2769601/k.C358/DW257.htm

http://worldwide.kfuo.org/kfuo/issues_etc7/Issues_Etc_Jun_17a.wma

http://www.mtio.com/articles/bissart5.htm

I have read all of these books:

Gary DeMar, End Times Fiction and Last Days Madness

Hank Hanegraaff, The Apocalypse Code

Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, Are We Living in the End Times?

Hal Lindsey, The Late Great Planet Earth

Are We REALLY Living in the End Times? Part 2: The Rapture

2008-01-25T21:33:00.000-06:00

A certain bumper sticker actually annoys me: “In case of rapture, car will be empty.” You know what? So will every single other car on earth, because there will be no rapture, at least as defined by the Darby/Scofield/Lindsey/LaHaye crowd.

The dispensational end times interpretation holds that believers will be drawn up, or “raptured,” to meet Christ in the air in a secret second coming, so that all believers will be removed from the earth in advance of the great tribulation. It was first popularized by J.N. Darby in the mid-1800s. It’s a complete fabrication that is unsupported by scripture and was never taught throughout the entire history of the church until Darby. (I’m sorry if this shocks or hurts anyone, but I need to be blunt.)

The rapture as taught is a non-Biblical doctrine. It is tortuously drawn from 1 Thess. 4:17 which says (in full context, from the NIV):

“Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”

WHY THE PRETRIBULATION RAPTURE IS UNBIBLICAL

First, the original, contextual Greek language does not refer to physical flying through the air to meet Jesus. Writes Don Matzat:

“The language of 1 Thess. 4:17 does not allow for the ‘rapture’ teaching. The phrase ‘to meet the Lord’ literally means ‘to meet for the purpose of welcoming back.’ The Greek phrase ‘to meet’ ( eis apanthsin) is only used on four occasions in the New Testament. In each case it means to go out to meet for the purpose of welcoming. (See, for example, Acts 8:15.)” (Truman note: That passage, by the way, says: “The brothers there had heard that we were coming, and they traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. At the sight of these men Paul thanked God and was encouraged.”)

Second, it is totally illogical when ripped from context. The thought that Jesus Christ would remove certain people from what was to come flies in the face of the rest of scripture. If you believe in Christ, does that free you from disease, suffering, sorrow, poverty, death? Absolutely not! God promises to preserve us and save us from our sins, not turn us into totally happy campers, free from all sorrow and discomfort on earth. Why would He let His children suffer through pain and turmoil on earth throughout the entire course of human history, but only remove certain Christians from pain and turmoil just one time?

God preserves his people through persecution and suffering—He even uses trials to refine and shape us to make us more His—but removing believers from the world before a great, final tribulation would counter everything that came beforehand in the Bible. Even Noah and his family, preserved from the Great Flood, weren’t exactly living in style on board that ark, undoubtedly filled with the smells and constant noise of thousands of animals (and themselves). An even better example: why weren’t the first Christians saved from the tribulations of Rome? What makes our generation better than theirs? Why would our generation of Christians, which includes fat and lazy Americans, be “raptured” from all harm, while the incredibly brave Christian men and women who faced the wrath of godless Rome be tortured, put to the sword, used as human torches and torn by wild beasts?

Third, Rev. 3:10 is used to support the rapture theory: “Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.” But that’s only if you take the passage entirely out of it’s context. Who is Christ speaking to? All Christians? Christians in the 21st century? No—that would make absolutely no sense, because when you keep this passage in its proper context, it is found within the letter John is sending to the church at Philadelphia, in the wider context of seven contemporary churches. As Hank Hanegraaff says, keep in mind that the Bible is written TO specific people but it is also written FOR us. Meaning, we can certainly draw lessons from what is being taught, but there were very specific purposes in the words being said or written at the time they were said or written!

What is the “hour of trial” and the other troubles to come that are referred to in left behind theology? Well, that depends on when you date the writing of Revelation, which opens up another whole can of worms. I’ll deal with that fully in a later entry, but Christians facing imminent persecution would take no comfort from a cryptic letter describing far future events, would they? Of course not. But a letter describing the present and near future—that’s something different.

Fourth, the rapture can’t be biblical, because it would mean that Jesus will remove Christians from the earth, then allow some to become saved yet go through a massive time of suffering, and then come again for the “real” Second Coming. It’s never been taught, or thought of, until the modern era. You get one chance to accept Christ: during your life on earth. A “secret second coming,” which is what the rapture is, gives those “left behind” a second chance at repentance.

NOWHERE in the Bible is there any mention of true believers being taken from the earth and judged separately from the rest of humanity. On the contrary: there is but one judgment for all, as illustrated in Rev. 11:18 and 20:11-15.

Also, see Luke 16 for the story of the rich man and the beggar Lazarus. When the rich man dies and goes to hell, he begs Abraham to warn his brothers, but is told “They have Moses and the prophets” to listen to, and if they don’t believe them, they won’t even believe if someone raises from the dead. The subtext of this parable is that you don’t get a second chance. No one does.

Fifth, other evidence for a rapture includes Matthew 24, where Jesus says that “Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.” But applying a rapture to this is again a misapplication. It refers to judgment, where the wicked are judged first and the righteous second, in accordance with Matthew 13:24-30. This interpretation is suggested by Hannegraaff in The Apocalypse Code, p.60; and I agree with him. Remember, you must interpret scripture in light of scripture. Otherwise, scripture will not make as much sense as it should. In this context, it makes perfect sense.

Sixth, think about this for a second: if millions upon millions of people suddenly disappeared, do you seriously think that the Lindsay/LaHaye model of “well, bye-bye Christians and good riddance!” will be what follows? Heck, no. Such a disappearance could never, ever be explained by science, aliens or anything else. It would have to be the Bible—and people would be desperate to be taken too. People would be begging God to rapture them as well. There would be mass suicides, panic, hysteria and the whole of civilization would collapse. Don’t think that this automatically means that the rise of the Antichrist naturally follows, because that’s a whole different matter, which I’ll explain in a later post.

Consider this: if the rapture is such a crucial bit of end times dogma, why doesn’t God just come out and say it, like He does with so many other crucial bits of information? Because it isn’t there. You shouldn’t have to search hard and make guesses and risk misapplying interpretation to something so critical. In other words, the supposed rapture is cryptic and spread throughout several passage that don’t fit together and have to be misinterpreted or taken out of context in order to work. “Love your neighbor as yourself” is unambiguous and easy to find. “I am who am” is unambiguous and easy to find. Not so with the rapture.

Look at it another way (in summation). Gary DeMar, a harsh critic of dispensationalism, says this about the supposed rapture in his End Times Fiction: A Biblical Consideration of the Left Behind Theology, pages 20-21:

How is it possible that:
So many well-meaning Christians believe in a pretrib rapture when even pretrib advocates tell us that that not one passage of Scripture teaches the two aspects of Jesus’ second coming separated by the Tribulation;
The Old Testament doesn’t teach a pretrib rapture;
No one up until about 1830 taught a pretrib rapture; and
The doctrine, supposedly “so clearly revealed in the Scriptures,” became “utterly lost” immediately after the close of the New Testament canon?”

Why, indeed. Advocates of the rapture cannot answer those questions. And without the rapture, the entire great tribulation/left behind end times theology comes crashing down.

In subsequent parts, I will examine Jesus’ predictions as recorded in Matthew 24, the real identity of the antichrist/beast (yes, they’re one in the same), the real timeframe for a great tribulation, the real dating of the writing of Revelation, what the end of the age really meant (why there will be no new temple) and the role of modern-day Israel.

Supporting links/books
(I’ll repeat these in every post):

http://www.equip.org/site/c.muI1LaMNJrE/b.2769601/k.C358/DW257.htm

http://worldwide.kfuo.org/kfuo/issues_etc7/Issues_Etc_Jun_17a.wma

http://www.mtio.com/articles/bissart5.htm

I have read all of these books:

Gary DeMar, End Times Fiction and Last Days Madness

Hank Hanegraaff, The Apocalypse Code

Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, Are We Living in the End Times?

Hal Lindsey, The Late Great Planet Earth

Are we REALLY living in the end times? Part 1: Introduction

2008-01-08T11:36:00.000-06:00

Shortly after I was saved, I became hooked on the end times. I believed that the end of days was fast approaching, that the warning signs were all around us, that we all needed to get ready, and that Biblical prophesies were coming true before our very eyes.

I read Hal Lindsey, read Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye and even started their Left Behind series, and read and listened to John MacArthur take a “whirlwind tour through Revelation.” I believed that what was written in Revelation was going to come true almost word for word.

I no longer believe that. It no longer makes any sense.

Before going further, I want it understood that I am NOT questioning anyone’s faith. Instead, I am questioning the methodology used and conclusions reached. I believe that Christ will come again and there will be final judgment. It just won’t happen as so many preach today, because scripture itself says no such thing.

WHAT IS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN?

According to the dispensational theology, first introduced about 1830, here’s what’s supposed to happen:

One. There will be a rapture of all believers in Christ. They’ll just disappear from the earth to be “caught up” in the air to meet the returning Christ. (The trouble is, Christ will reverse course in this secret second coming and return to heaven, taking all believers with Him. This makes no sense, but we’ll get into that in a subsequent part.)

Second. The Antichrist rises in the wake of the disappearance of all real Christians and begins to take over the world, while those “left behind” must make a choice: take the opportunity to follow Christ or follow the god-like Antichrist.

Third. Meanwhile, Antichrist makes peace with Israel and the temple is rebuilt in Jerusalem. But Antichrist breaks his peace and sets himself up as god in the temple. This is supposed to be “the abomination of desolation.”

Fourth. The great tribulation occurs – hell is unleashed – where all who are left behind on earth are subjected to terrible things: earthquakes, fires from heaven, plagues, demon armies (according to some). Believers are spared from God’s wrath but are killed by Antichrist’s forces.

Fifth. The great tribulation is cut short when Christ returns in all His glory. He binds Satan and casts him in the pit for a 1,000 years, while Christ rules in the new Jerusalem, which has the sacrificial system reinstated (again, this makes no sense).

Six. At the end of the 1,000 years, Satan is released one final time and the battle of Armageddon occurs. Satan is ultimately defeated.

Seven. Final judgment occurs for all the living and the dead. The end.

I left out a few things, but that’s the basic story line. Unfortunately, it’s no more true than LaHaye and Jenkins’ Left Behind fiction—not if you read the Bible for all that it is worth and have the “song” of the Old Testament in your ears as you read the New Testament, that is.

Why?

THE DISPENSATIONAL/LEFT BEHIND THEOLOGY IS NEW, NOT OLD

It’s crucial to help understand this because many Christians base their faith on the belief that the end times are literally around the corner. Many Christians (usually on the political right) are caught up in the end times teaching and thinking, and it colors their perceptions of the world differently than the Biblical worldview as called for in the New Testament.

In the mid-1800s, a former English priest named John Nelson Darby began teaching the notion of 7 “dispensations” of time, of which there would be a one-thousand year reign of Christ on earth. A fellow believer also influenced Darby on the notion of a “rapture” of believers. This “Dispensationalism” included a key role for a reconstituted nation of Israel. Darby may not have been the absolute first to teach such notions, but he gave it real life. Like Darwin and his evolutionary “natural selection,” Darby’s dispensational eschatology spread like wildfire.

“Darby contended that God had two distinct people with two distinct plans and two distinct destinies,” writes Hank Hanegraaff in The Apocalypse Code on page 41. “Only one of those peoples – the Jews – would suffer tribulation. The other – the church – would be removed from the world in a secret coming seven years prior to the second coming of Christ. Darby’s distinctive twist on scripture would shortly come to be known as dispensational eschatology.”

At century’s end, the notes in the widely read Scofield Reference Bible (King James Version) expanded upon Darby’s teaching and interpreted many passages to be referring to events that had yet to happen—events that had not been fulfilled in Biblical times (other than the return of Christ, that is). For instance: Ezekiel 34:13 was taken to refer to a far-future gathering of Israel. When Israel actually became a state again in 1948, many of the prophesies from the Old and New Testaments were looked at again in a brand new light, such as Isaiah 35:1-2, where it speaks of blossoming in the desert—which has happened with Israeli farming techniques. Israeli military prowess seemed heaven-blessed, and the renewed nation captured the city of David in 1967. Also, writes Don Matzat:

“Those … also taught, from Scripture, that before the end of all things, there would be a tribulation period of seven years according to the prophecies of Daniel. Rev. 7:14 speaks of the Great Tribulation. During those seven years, the anti-Christ would arise. He would be a political figure and, according to Dan. 7:24-25, he would be given authority by ten kings. Since the European Common market was forming and nearly ten nations had already come together, the time of the anti-Christ was soon upon us.”

Then came Hal Lindsey’s book, The Late Great Planet Earth, THE publishing phenomenon of the 1970s. This incredible best-seller laid out exactly what was supposed to happen in the next few years, the rise of the anti-Christ, the rapture of believers, the Great Tribulation, the return of Jesus Christ, the establishment of His 1000-year kingdom on earth, the final battle of Armageddon and victory of Satan, and final judgment. The Soviet Union was to be heavily involved in the story by launching a massive attack against Israel which would easily—divinely—defeat the “Gog/Magog” of the far north.

It was all supposed to happen, starting with the rapture, on May 14, 1988. Obviously, it didn’t. Why in the world Hal Lindsey has not been denounced as a false prophet and banished from all Christian circles I have no idea.

Many others have also predicted the coming rapture and Armageddon, in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s. For example, Harold Camping predicted the rapture coming in 1994. Well, we’re still here. Some believed that the start of the Gulf War in 1991 was the beginning of the end. People like John Hagee preached that Yitsak Rabin’s murder in 1996 was the sign of impending Armageddon.

Christians who adhere to the dispensational theology (which I use interchangeably with “Left Behind theology”), such as John Hagee, are Christian Zionists, which means that they believe that the modern state of Israel is no different than the Biblical Israel and is under God’s special protection even today. Hagee even once said that “Anyone who makes the life of Jewish people difficult or grievous, as did the Pharaoh, as did Hitler, will be cursed by God.” (Source: keynote address to AIPAC, March 12, 2007.)

Some preachers—many prominent ones—went nuts with millennial madness in the late 1990s and led their flocks astray by insisting the end times were nigh when the calendar changed from Dec. 31, 1999, to Jan. 1, 2000.

The end times phenomenon continues today, but without the dates, and sometimes with a new cast of characters. It gained new currency in the late 1990s and early 2000s with LaHaye and Jenkins’ phenomenal Left Behind series, which is essentially a fictional version of Lindsey’s book. (The Left Behind series has sold more books than the Harry Potter series!)

And on and on and on… End times madness, or as author Gary DeMar puts it, Last Days Madness in his highly critical book, has gripped the church, but not in a good way.

THE BIG PROBLEMS

The Darby/Lindsey/LaHaye end times thinking has lead some Christians to look at current events through a skewed lens. Everything concerning the Middle East is interpreted to have some meaning relevant to Biblical prophesy. Many Christians base their support of the modern state of Israel on their interpretation of the Bible. Hank Hanegraaff calls this newspaper eschatology (others call it newspaper exegesis), which means using the headlines to interpret the Bible (which I agree with Hank is a serious and critical error). Scripture should be read in light of scripture, not in light of today’s news and recent history. (I support Israel, but it has nothing to do with the Bible.)

What does it matter what you believe about the end times? A majority of evangelicals believe it, so why is the dispensational theology a major problem?

First
There have been hundreds of end times and last days predictions in the last 50 years alone that have been proven wrong time and time again by the mere passage of time. Instead of these false prophets being rebuked, cast down and forgotten, they’re still lauded as great prophesy teachers!

What does that say about the Christian faith, and our—your—Christian witness when people like Lindsey, LaHaye, Hagee, Benny Hinn, etc., makes these breathless last days predictions based on bad theology that repeatedly fail to come true?

How many souls have been lost and have turned away from Christianity because false prophets have made a mockery of the Bible through their false claims that have failed to come true?

Second
The dispensational theology is thoroughly and completely unbiblical. I am convinced of this.

Until the mid-1800s, dispensationalism and a rapture, a secret second coming for the church, a separate punishment for the Jews, etc. has never been part of Christian teaching. Neither John, Paul, Peter, James or Jude, or their immediate followers such as Clement, Polycarp and Ignatius taught it. Nor did the Lord Himself.

Only through misinterpretation and some fantastic grammatical gymnastics do we arrive at the conclusions of Darby, Lindsey, LaHaye, etc.

Third
Dispensational theology sets up a separate salvation for Christians and Jews that neither Jesus Christ nor the New Testament writers ever called for. Believe it or not, dispensational theology actually proscribes that Jews MUST and WILL face a holocaust far greater than the Nazi holocaust as part of the great tribulation. If they're supposed to still be God's chosen people -- even though Christ proclaimed the gospel for all -- why would untold numbers of them be returned to the promised land only to face a horrible slaughter? It's a facet of evangelical support for Israel that rarely gets discussed.

Fourth
This is the worst thing of all: the dispensational theology totally negates Christ’s completed work on the cross by claiming there will be a return to the types and shadows of Old Testament worship (e.g., the reconstructed “Third Temple” in Jerusalem and the “Fourth Temple” in the 1,000 years, where animal sacrifices are performed). Christ Himself is the new temple, not some new construct to be built during the last days, and we are the church. Remeber what He told the Samaratan woman at the well? No more temples!

In subsequent parts, I will examine the rapture, Jesus’ predictions as recorded in Matthew 23 and 24, the real identity of the antichrist/beast (yes, they’re one in the same), the real timeframe for a great tribulation and the real dating of the writing of Revelation, what the end of the age really meant (why there will be no new temple) and the role of modern-day Israel. This won't cover everything, but it will be enough.

Again, please understand I am NOT questioning anyone’s faith. I am, however, questioning the interpretation of, and expectations for, impending end times according to the dispensational understanding. This also doesn’t mean that Christ isn’t returning. He is—but according to God’s schedule. When He’s ready, and not when supposed “signs” say that He’s ready, Jesus will come to transform all of us instantly, depose Satan and judge the living and the dead, and reign forever and ever.

Terms
Dispensational – the belief that there will be a rapture, “the” Antichrist, a seven-year great tribulation, a millennial kingdom on earth ruled by Christ, a final battle at the end of the 1,000 years between Jesus and Satan, and then the final judgment.

Pre-millennial – the belief that a secret rapture of all believers—dead and living—will occur before the great tribulation.

Preterits – the belief that all prophesy has been fulfilled by the close of scripture, including the Second Coming.

Exegesis – means “explanation”

Eschatology – it means concerned with final events

Supporting links/books
(I’ll repeat these in every post):

http://www.equip.org/site/c.muI1LaMNJrE/b.2769601/k.C358/DW257.htm

http://worldwide.kfuo.org/kfuo/issues_etc7/Issues_Etc_Jun_17a.wma

http://www.mtio.com/articles/bissart5.htm

I have read all of these books:

Gary DeMar, End Times Fiction and Last Days Madness

Hank Hanegraaff, The Apocalypse Code

Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, Are We Living in the End Times?

Hal Lindsey, The Late Great Planet Earth

The Christmas/Easter Story

2007-12-19T20:56:00.000-06:00

A few years ago, my wife and I attended a conference at Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Mich., which focused on music and arts in worship. One of the presenters was Dennis Dewey, who has a passion for oral presentations of the Bible.

His methodology makes perfect sense, because the Bible—scripture—was always read to people until relatively recently, before the printing press (and literacy) made the Bible physically accessible to everyone. If I remember correctly, Dewey said to take note of how some passages seem repetitive, possibly because the text often lends itself more to oral presentation than written presentation.

During the weekend conference, we were given a copy of the following, which I think is magnificent. We always seem to think of the warm and cuddly baby Jesus and how indescribably wonderful a gift He was. But how often do we reflect that the gift of the baby Jesus culminated at the cross?

This is meant to be spoken aloud, performed during a service or Christmas play—or Easter play, which would be equally apropos. Enjoy, and have a merry and blessed Christmas!

ONE: In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. (This was the first enrollment when Quirinius was governor of Syria.)

TWO: Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people and said to them, "You brought me this man as one who was perverting the people; and after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him. I will therefore
chastise him and release him."

ONE: And all went to be enrolled to their own cities. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

TWO: But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. So pilate gave sentence that their demand should be granted. He released Barabbas, the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, whom they asked for, but Jesus he delivered up to their will.

ONE: And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered.

TWO: And when they came to the place which is called the skull, there they crucified him, and two criminals--one on the right and one on the left. And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

ONE: And she brought forth her first-born son and wrapped him swaddling cloths...

TWO: And they cast lots to divide his garments.

ONE: ...and laid him in a manger because there was no place for them in the inn. And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

TWO: And the people stood by, watching.

ONE: And an angel of the Lord appeared to them. And the glory of the Lord shone around them. And they were filled with fear! But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for, behold, I bring you good news of great joy which shall be for all the people. For to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."

TWO: But the rulers scoffed at him, saying, "He saved others! If this IS the Christ of God, God's chosen One, let him save himself!"

ONE: And this will be a sign for you...

TWO: And while the sun's light failed, the curtain of the temple was torn in two. And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!"

ONE: ....You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths...

TWO: Then Joseph of Arimathea took down the body of Jesus and wrapped it in a linen shroud...

ONE: ...and lying in a manger.

TWO: ...and laid him in a rock-hewn tomb.

[PAUSE, as the tellers switch stories]

TWO: And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and earth peace among people of God's favor!"

ONE: The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his
body was laid, and returned and prepared spices and ointments.

TWO: When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened that the Lord has made known to us!"

ONE: And on the first day of the week at early dawn they went to the tomb.

TWO: And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

ONE: And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb! But when they went in, they did not see the body!

TWO: And when the shepherds saw the babe lying in the manger, they made known the saying which had been told them concerning the child.

ONE: While they were perplexed about this, suddenly, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel, and they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? Remember how he told you when he was still in Galilee that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinners and be crucified and on the third day rise?"

TWO: And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds had told them. But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.

ONE: And they did remember his words, and, returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest!

TWO: And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as it had been told them!

ONE: But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.

-- Composed by Luke's Community/Rearranged by Dennis Dewey, 1995

(If you pass this on to anyone else, please include the credit line!)

Coming the first week of the new year: The Apocalypse Code

2007-12-14T06:22:00.000-06:00

The end times are a main focuss of much of evangelical Christianity. They have taken on a new significance thanks to the mega-bestselling Left Behind series. However, I am not one who believes in the Left Behind-style teaching, nor do I agree with the significance of the modern state of Israel, or that there will be a rapture in terms of a "secret second coming" before the actual main event, and so on.

I've been working on collecting my thoughts for some time, which is why I haven't posted much since November. I'm working on a multi-post series on the end times, using Hank Hanegraaff's new book, The Apocalypse Code, as a main ingredient.

Essentially, I no longer hold to the end times theology propogated by Tim LaHaye, John Hagge and even one of my heroes in the faith, John MacArthur. Because every post is closely related, I wanted to have most (if not all) written up front.

Please understand that this will not be an attack on anyone's faith. Rather, I want to examine why the premilenialism teaching that has grown in strength since it was first taught in the 1800s has introduced serious error into the modern church.

Prayers for a shooter/killer

2007-12-14T06:15:00.000-06:00

Those recent twin shootings in Colorado rattled a friend of mine. Greg Stier, head of the Dare2Share youth ministry, sends his kid to the same campus where the first murders took place.

Around the bloogosphere, I’ve seen well-deserved praise for the ex-cop (turns out disgraced former cop who has now been redeemed by the Lord) who took down the shooter before the guy blew his own head off. I’ve also seen plenty of “enjoy hell!!” comments directed at the murderer.

But on his blog, Greg had this to say:

“Our hearts break for the victims of the shootings at the YWAM Training Center in Arvada, Colorado. This tragedy took place less than five minutes away from Dare 2 Share Ministries International headquarters in Wheatridge, Colorado. This hits close to home to me personally because I live in Arvada where this horrific shooting took place. I ask all Christians to pray that the perpetrator of these horrible shootings is caught, brought to justice and then to Jesus. I ask that every Christian prays as well for the surviving victims and all the families that have been affected by this shocking and senseless tragedy.”

“Pray…that the perpetrator…is brought to Jesus.” Of course, we now know the ultimate outcome and know some of the background of the killer. But Greg, amid what really was a terrifying episode, was asking for grace for the shooter instead of joining in with the chorus of those damning him to hell.

Think about that for a while.

The Wide Road

2007-11-07T07:24:00.001-06:00

Many Christians are on the wide road to destruction and don't even know it. They follow flim-flam arists, false teachers and self-proclaimed prophets who promise them health, wealth and happiness -- all in God's name.

Recently I watched a lot of late night TV (wasn't pleasent, believe me). Hoo-boy, what a load of garbage. I don't mean the Hollywood stuff, but the snake-oil salesmen claiming to be prophets of Christ!

Some of these were paid ads on cable: one man was offering free "spiritual holy water", another was offering free "blood of Christ," another was offering free "prayer cloths," and two more were offering prayers of power if you just sent in some money. All of them guaranteed -- guaranteed!! -- to unleash God's power into your life by drinking their water or sprinkling their blood or sending them $1,000 **immediately**. And what would this great cash register/vending machine in the sky do? Why, he would heal their tumors, give them money, pay their debts, buy them cars and new houses!

Oh, joy!

And, oh, the parade of people came forward to claim their heaven-sent booty in the name of God!

Tumors healed! Bills paid! Houses bought! Cars driven! Diabetes gone! (which ticks me off considering my son has type 1 diabetes.)

I watched all of this with a mixture of sadness and outrage.

NOT ONCE was Christ preached. NOT ONCE was forgiveness of sins discussed. NOT ONCE was the peace that surpasses all human understanding given even a nodding pass. NOT ONCE was the cross used except as a prop. It was all gimme, gimme, gimme, and if you don’t have faith or my holy water/holy blood/holy cloth/prayer system (or—ahem—send us $$$) the Lord won’t do squat for you.

That's why this stuff is bad news -- and not the Good News.

I am a sinner, and God knows my sins. I pray that someone reaches these people who are on the wide road to destruction.

Using Halo 3 to talk about Jesus Christ part 2

2007-10-15T22:39:00.000-05:00

Dare 2 Share sparked some outside interest by using the new Halo 3 as a springboard to talk about spiritual warfare and Ephesians 6. The article, written by Lane Palmer, appeared in the D2S e-blast pub Soul Fuel (I receive both the student and parent/adult versions) in September.

Some Christians are critical about mixing the culture and the word of God, and I agree—but it depends on how it’s done. When the culture itself is placed before God, then there’s a problem. When culture is used in a tasteful and God-edifying way to point people towards God, then it’s fine. Laudatory, even.

Taking Christ and trying to contort, twist and cram Him into a specific mold that conforms to the culture should properly set off loud warning bells in mature Christians. But using things in the culture that unbelievers and Christians new to the faith would readily identify with to illustrate a point is not a bad thing.

The Master Himself often used stories to illustrate His messages. He took everyday, mundane things from Palestinian life and turned those into stories (parables) of the most profound importance.

Remember how Paul pointed to the edifice for the unknown god in Athens and used that as a springboard to preach about the one true God? Same thing is happening here. D2S used many aspects of the Halo 3 game as an opening to talk about how God has a way to protect use from evil. Check it out:

Well, maybe not in a physical sense. But trust me, there's a Halo 3 battle going on in the spiritual world that is just as real as the 4 hour checkout line at Wal-Mart when you bought the game.

But don't take my word for it – take God's Word for it:

Jesus replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven." (Luke 10:18)

Jesus is referring to a time in the past when Satan was kicked out of heaven like a bolt of lightning, and thus began the war on humanity:

"For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 6:12)

According to the Bible, after Satan was dishonorably discharged from his duties in heaven, he took a mighty army of fallen angels with him and declared war on the objects of God's grace and love: human beings – and especially those who are in the Lord's army as Christians.

Make no mistake, the dark forces of the spiritual world have marked you for destruction – and no amount of quick moves, strategy, or teamwork will win this fight. But the great news is that God gave us a powerful weapon! ...

Lane was interviewed by the New York Times, and D2S founder Greg Stier went on CNN and Fox talking about the piece. One of my other heroes in the faith, Chris Rosebrough, featured the article on his A Little Leaven web site, which highlights gross misuses of the name of Jesus in Christian circles, especially on products and in so-called ministries. I thought this piece didn’t deserve to be there among the gallery of rogues and said so.

More on this topic another time.

Using Halo 3 to talk about Jesus Christ part 1

2007-10-10T18:39:00.000-05:00

One of my heroes in the faith, Greg Steir (founder of Dare 2 Share), was recently on the Erica Hill show on CNN and is supposed to be on the Mike and Juliet Show on Fox sometime today. He's talking about using the new video game Halo 3 as a springboard to talk about Jesus.

Says Greg:

My take? While we are not endorsing a violent videogame like Halo 3 we are endorsing the conversation that we should be having with our teenagers that these kinds of subjects usually bring up (good verses evil, right verses wrong, the invading alien force and the overwhelming victory that teenagers can have through Jesus!) It’s too easy to demonize culture. What we need to do is to demonize demons and use the topic of culture to win our teenagers back to Jesus.

Some Bible-believing Christians think this is a terrible idea, but I don't, considering that I am immersed in youth ministry. I'll put up another post later about this explaining why.

The Best Is Yet To Come Door 1: Jesus Christ

2007-10-06T08:19:00.000-05:00

As mentioned in the previous post, my church is exploring The Best Is Yet To Come: 7 Doors of Spiritual Growth by Pastor John Kieschnick from Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Houston. So far, I’ve been enjoying this series immensely, because it’s not a run-of-the-mill series that sells phony feel-goodisms of “get your best now!” or finding your purpose in life or any other word of faith, seeker-sensitive fluff.

What excites me about this series is that Kieschnick’s entire purpose is to refocus people on Jesus, the cross and real worship. He explains in the introduction:

“Today, many people examine the claims of Jesus because they know deep in their gut that there has to be more to life. Some are trying to fill the hole in their hearts with corporate success, some with possessions, and some are just “raising hell” to give themselves a thrill. But in their quiet, reflective moments, they long for something that really satisfies. …”Countless others have settled for a bland, lifeless form of Christianity. They sing the songs and hear the messages, but they are distracted by the cares of living. They once had a burning love for God, but over the years, that flame has died and is now only an ember. They still feel close to God from time to time, but these are fleeting moments. They used to make bold decisions to speak out for Christ, give sacrificially, and meet needs wherever they found them, but now, they just go through the motions of attending worship most Sundays, giving a little out of their surplus, and are no longer excited about the ministries of the church. Still, the ember is there. If exposed to a little fuel and oxygen, I believe these people can flame again!”

He’s right. People who go through the motions are kidding themselves. Merely attending church is not an act of worship.

Kieschnick uses “doors” as his organizational vehicle in presenting seven ways to help Christians grow spiritually in a deep, meaningful—and lasting—way. The “doors” involve witness, worship, connections with other believers, prayer, Bible study, service and giving.

The first “door” is Jesus Himself. The Lord even describes himself as a door or gate (depending on the translation) in John 10: "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.” What does this mean? Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and no one comes to the Father except through Him.

That, in essence, is the key to everything. When you realize that Jesus is understood to be the centerpiece of all Christian worship and understanding, God’s graces, mercy, forgiveness—and wrath—come into focus.

An important concept that I'm glad the pastor focuses on is that following Jesus does not mean law OR gospel. Both are equally necessary for Christians. Law, as Luther said, "creates a thirst and leads us to hell; the gospel satisfies the thirst and leads us to heaven." We need both of them -- and that is what Christ explains in his sermon on the mount. (Remember, Christ explained that He came to fulfill the law, not destroy it.)

Pastor Kieschnick also expounds on God's grace, that free gift of God that we receive undeservedly, but without which we are totally lost. Grace, he explains, is Christ-centered, received through faith (and faith alone!) and remains with believers forever. I wasn't enthusiastic to see him cite Purpose Driven Life as a good source for talking about grace, so I would rather recommen Philip Yancy's brilliant and searching expository, What's So Amazing About Grace?

Jesus as the first door to spiritual growth should be "basic Christianity 101," but considering how far afield the faith has gone in America today, it's sadly a very necessary lesson for mature Christians.

In all, it's a very good begining, and I hope this book eventually enjoys wide distribution.

Issues, Etc. Visits Osteen's Church

2007-09-24T20:08:00.000-05:00

Have you ever caught Joel Osteen preaching on TV? This leader of the largest megachurch in America always appears on a large stage (the church is the former home of the Houston Rockets) with a gigantic, spinning golden globe behind him. I’ve always thought that odd.

In July of this year, Pastor Todd Wilkin, host of the terrific radio show Issues, Etc., and a friend visited Osteen’s Lakewood Community Church. They were awestruck at what they saw: a slick choreographed performance, an incredible praise band better than most rock bands—even The Who—and, as they expected, some very troubling things. (Go to the Issues, Etc. archives for July 2007 and search for the July 17 show to hear all about it.)

One of the most important things: No cross. Every church I’ve every been in has had a cross placed front and center, regardless of whether that church was Lutheran, Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist, etc. But not Lakewood; instead there is that spinning golden globe. There is also no altar. No baptismal font. In fact, Wilkin and his friend failed to spot a single cross anywhere in Lakewood.

Why should this be troubling? Ask this: when a man who is supposed to be a Christian teacher preaches, is he glorifying Jesus Christ, or is he glorifying himself?

Wilkin's takedowns of Osteen's sermons are also devastating, too. He's not being mean or attacking Osten himself, but Osteen' theology.

I'm not singling out Osteen per say, but using him to illustrate how far American Christianity has strayed from the gospel. To that end, over the next several posts I'll be writing about a series we're doing at my church based on a book written by Pastor John Keischnick, from Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Houston.

I’ve been wary of doing book- and video-based series ever since we did Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Life some years ago. But this series on The Best Is Yet To Come: 7 Doors of SPiritual Growth is excellent: It’s Christ-focused from start to finish. It puts the focus of church and daily worship right where it belongs, and helps Christians really see how the “best” really is yet to come.

So, um, more to come!

Evangelical criticism

2007-09-12T21:09:00.000-05:00

An excellent piece from Richard Mouw of Fuller Theological Seminary reminds us that when we discuss theological error, focus on the false teachings and not the teacher:

"We want to oppose false teachers because they do not teach things that are true. But if in our attempts to defeat them we play fast and loose with the truth, by attributing to them things that they don’t in fact teach and if we don’t really care whether we have it exactly right or not then we have become false teachers: teachers of untruths!

I suggest this as a rule of thumb: focus on false teachings rather than on false teachers. When we concentrate on opposing false teachers we tend to think about defeating people which can lead to all kinds of dangers. When we concentrate on the careful examination of false teachings we are more aware of the need to speak
truthfully.”

He’s right. Sinner and wretch that I am, I’m critical of teachings that I believe are thoroughly unbiblical and are leading Christians astray. I must remember to not question someone’s faith, only their teachings.

(Hat tip to Evangelical Outpost.)

An evening with Hank Hanegraaff

2007-08-31T17:49:00.000-05:00

Last night I joined a couple hundred people at First Evangelical Free Church in Manchester, Mo., to hear and meet Hank Hanegraaff, the Bible Answer Man and president of the Christian Research Institute. Hank, as he’s usually called, is known by millions of Christians as a man with answers and a lion of the faith. He has a passion for the word of God that is rarely equaled in this age.

He’s made a lot of enemies within the faith because he practices what he preaches: Hank tests everything others preach in light of scripture. And quite often, what others preach is found wanting. Word-of-faith preachers, faith healers, end-times apocalyptics, slain-in-the-Spirit babblers and pure heretics and apostates have all come under criticism from Hank and CRI, and consequently, he is hated and persecuted and told he is going to hell.

There’s too much for me to talk about in a simple blog post, so you’d have to tune in to his Bible Answer Man radio broadcast or go to http://www.equip.org/ to learn more. I didn’t have time to stand in line to actually meet him and get his autograph, but I did get a halfway decent picture or two. (They're a little blurry, though.)

Last night, Hank hit on one major, overriding theme: Christians MUST know scripture and must have “a ready defense” for their faith. Otherwise, they fall for the fads of the heretics and apostates, or have no answers for the attacks of the scoffers like Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens.

“Jesus had an extraordinarily high view of scripture,” said Hank, “but in our culture, it is seriously and continually being challenged.”

For example, Hank described militant agnostic Bart D. Ehrman, in Misquoting Jesus, pointing to the passage in Mark 4 where Jesus Christ uses the parable of the mustard seed to describe how the church will go from the smallest speck to spread far and wide. Here’s the passage:

Again he said, "What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade."

Ehrman takes this passage and twists it to make the ridiculous claim that Jesus couldn’t possibly be God because God would know that the mustard seed is not the smallest seed. Well, DUH! That wasn’t Jesus’ point. The smallest seed that a 1st century farmer in Palestine would know of was the mustard seed, and Jesus Christ would naturally use the most common frame of reference. What’s more, He was using an analogy to illustrate how the church would start tiny, like the mustard seed, and grow to immense proportions, like the full-grown mustard tree.

Hank’s point was to demonstrate that Christians can easily shut down such objections and criticisms but only if we read and study the Bible for all that it is worth. We need to know who, what, when, where, how and why. We need to know context. We need to know history.

We need to be able to demonstrate, with confidence, that the Bible is divine, not human, in origin. Keep in mind, Hank says, that God supernaturally preserved the Bible. The manuscript evidence has proven conclusively that there are differences in style and spelling between various ancient copies, but absolutely no differences in substance. Any mistakes we have today are errors in modern translations.

I’ll talk more in-depth about that another time. But Hank, as some may know, is not a believer in the popular view of the end times that has gripped much of the evangelical church. My understanding is mostly in line with his, and this is yet another area where Christians really need to study their Bible for all that it is worth—and do so without today’s headlines in mind. I know many Christians hold to the end times scenario promoted by many leading evangelicals, including John MacArthur, but I am increasingly convinced that it comes from a fundamental misreading of scripture. I’m preparing a series of posts to that effect, but I’ll just use Hank’s example from last night that illustrates holding to a high standard of reading the Bible for all that it’s worth.

A frequent example the atheist scoffers cite to disclaim the deity of Jesus Christ is His description of the description of Jerusalem in Matthew 24. If that chapter speaks of the destruction of Jerusalem with all of the horrible things accompanying it, AND the “Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn” and “they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory” AND “this generation will not pass away until all of these things have happened,” the scoffers claim that Jesus is a false prophet. Why? They say that Jesus did not return as He promised before “this generation” died, so therefore He is not God.

Latter-day Christians have compounded the problem by taking that passage, and combining it with other passages from Revelation and Daniel, to say that the entire chapter applies to the Second Coming.

Neither reading is correct, says Hank, and I totally agree. Jesus was forecasting the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. and was using apocalyptic metaphors to describe the coming judgment upon the current generation because it was rejecting and would reject Him, the messiah. The Lord, says Hank, was employing the same kind of language that the Old Testament prophets used when prophesying judgment upon Israel, peoples and nations. Why would the Lord speak any differently than His own prophets?

Hank argues that Christians need to understand what kind of language is being used, and recognize when Jesus is speaking literally and speaking with prophetic hyperbole. I totally agree. While I don’t believe that end times debates are something to divide over (Hank says this is one of the things to debate over within the pale of orthodoxy, and not divide over) it is something that needs serious re-evaluation within evangelical circles.

So, anyway, there are more things that he said that I’ll save for another time. To sum: Christians must read scripture for all that it’s worth. If they do that, they’ll be much better “prepared to give and answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” (1 Peter 3:15)

Bible Answer Man Coming to St. Louis

2007-08-26T14:32:00.000-05:00

This coming Thursday (Aug. 30) I’ll get a chance to meet Hank Hanegraaff, the Bible Answer Man himself and president of the Christian Research Institute. Hank will be appearing at First Evangelical Free Church in St. Louis County. I’ll post what he talks about later.

Teens need the gospel message, and the GOSPEL Journey can help

2007-08-19T08:57:00.000-05:00

The first time I met Greg Stier, I thought he was energetic, full of passion for teenagers, and the type of person I wished I was. The green goblin of envy grew strong in me. If only I could talk like him! If only I had his passion and drive! Then I really listened to him speak, and realized I didn’t need to be Greg Steir. I already had some of what he had: a desire that the teens that I knew would not slip and fall when they went to college, just as I had.

That was in 2003, and I’ve been plugging in to Greg’s Dare2Share organization ever since. Dare2Share is a parachurch group that teaches high school kids how to share their faith and hold on to their faith after they leave home for college or wherever. It’s a beautiful ministry, especially considering that more than 50% of kids “lose” their faith after leaving home. Some never had it, some let it wane, some get snatched by the Evil One, some stay silent while in the lion’s den, and some flourish—just like the Lord Himself describes in Matthew 13.

It’s so critically important for today’s Christian youth to hear the gospel message and learn how to share it—especially considering the sobering reality that many churches today don’t even preach the gospel message! Many churches are more concerned with the moment, more concerned with feeling good in the here and now and forcing Christ to conform to this culture than preaching His good news. It is tragic that some denominations are changing the word of God to fit their comforts on this world instead of preaching Christ crucified for our sins.

And teens, who are been fed moral relativistic garbage from TV, the web, music, school and their peers, don’t need to get ambiguous and watered-down, feel-good gobbledygook from their church, too. They need to hear the gospel, whether they believe yet or not—and they need to hear it repeatedly.

That’s why I love D2S. While we might not agree on everything, I love the fact that Greg and his troupe boldly and consistently preach the gospel and teach teens how to do it as well in a simple, effective way.

Greg presents a fascinating and handy way to present the gospel message in a short time. Using the acronym GOSPEL, you can actually explain the gospel and take someone through the entire Bible in about 2 minutes. The GOSPEL Journey goes like this:

G: God created us to be with Him (Genesis 1-2)

O: Our sin, however, separates us from God. (Genesis 3) (And everyone is a sinner. If you, I, or anyone else were in Adam and Eve’s situation, we would have done the same thing: disobeyed God.)

S: Sin cannot be erased by good deeds. Meaning, you cannot ever get to heaven and be with God by merely being a “good” person. (Genesis 4 – Malachi 4)

P: Paying the price for our sins, Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the second part of the Holy Trinity, died on a cross. (Matthew 1 – Luke 24)

E: Everyone who believes in Jesus Christ will have eternal life; there is no other name given by which humanity can be saved. (John 1 – Jude)

L: Life eternal means everyone who believes in Jesus Christ will be with Him forever, for all eternity. (Revelation)

And there you have the gospel message in an easy-to-use format, which can lead to a life-changing conversation.

(Funny story: The GOSPEL journey is more of a conversation piece than anything else. I’ve used it before. Most recently, I was riding the train home and heard what sounded like two Muslim men deep in a loud discussion about faith. You could hardly miss the fact that they were talking. I was actually reviewing Greg’s book Dare 2 Share and I thought, “Perfect opportunity!” I waited for a time to butt in, but was soon glad I kept my trap shut. The men weren’t talking about faith; the noise of the train confused my ears. Instead, the older man was instructing the younger one about electrical power distribution boxes! You can be bold, but use your head…and clean the wax out of your ears.)

The “politics” of the beatitudes

2007-08-14T20:05:00.000-05:00

Tod Lindberg, a Fellow of the Hoover Institute, is the latest in a long line of people attempting to explain the politics of Jesus and his “social revolution.” Evangelical Outpost links to an excerpt from Lindberg’s new book, The Political Teachings of Jesus, which appears to be an attempt to create a “sophisticated portrait of Jesus as a teacher of unique insight and perception, one whose political views have transcended time and become essential to the way everyone lives in our society,” says the book's publisher. “In an era when people on both sides of the aisle are prone to using Jesus’s beliefs for their own ends, The Political Teachings of Jesus is a refreshingly clear-eyed take on our shared concepts of government and society—and their common roots between the covers of the New Testament.”

I read the excerpt that Evangelical Outpost pointed to, and I wasn’t impressed. Sinner that I am, even I recognized that Mr. Lindberg just wasn’t getting what Jesus Christ was talking about. If you keep in mind that when Christ walked the earth He was about His Father’s business, the beatitudes make much more sense.

Lindberg writes:

The Beatitudes provide a dizzying commentary designed to turn upside down the political and social world of the Roman Empire of Caesar Augustus and of the Jewish religious elite of Judea and Jerusalem. This is the opening move of a more drastic and fundamental reassessment of political and social affairs, applying not only to its own time but to all future times, down to our day. More still: It points to the increasing fulfillment in this world of the promise of the human condition as such — and of the struggle against vast and daunting but not insurmountable obstacles that such fulfillment will require.

Well, sure--if you think Jesus wasn't at all concerned about our salvation and came merely to start a revolution. Lindberg seems to think that the beatitudes concern a conflict of sorts between the mighty and privileged versus the humble or gentle. He calls it the “Jesusian” political philosophy, whereby people should live by the guidelines Jesus laid out. It’s hard to distill in a few sentences what he says, so you’d have to read the whole thing. But in the end, he really just doesn’t understand. Here’s his conclusion:

In the world, we will always have among us those in mourning and the gentle; we will always have need of those who desire righteousness, of those who are merciful, of those who act out of pure intentions, and of those who seek peace. But if or when the world is organized in accordance with the principles embedded in the lives of those Jesus here deems “blessed,” we will no longer have the persecuted and the unvalued, nor their persecutors and tormentors. The Jesusian political agenda is thus organized around the pursuit of righteousness by those who are able — at potential risk to their own lives — for the sake of a world in which the unvalued (including they themselves when they are persecuted) are at last fully valued as human beings.

How, then, does Jesus envision that the gentle will come to inherit the earth? Because the once-mighty, under pressure of precisely this kind, will die out as a type. They will change their minds about defending their privileges at the expense of others. And the world will be their dying bequest to the gentle.

OK, now, let’s talk about what they really mean. First off, you need to understand that the beatitudes have NOTHING to do with politics and everything to do with getting the sinner—us—right with God. If you think “blessed are the poor” and “blessed are the peacemakers” are political statements, then you are no different than the Jews who sought to crown Jesus king to drive off the Romans and re-establish the kingdom of Israel.

Let’s go through them (Matthew 5):

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” That passage has nothing to do with material want. It is concerned solely with spiritual want. The “poor in spirit” are those who are so crushed by the weight of their sins that they finally are turned to Jesus, and hence to the Father. That keeps with the theme of the rest of the Beatitudes, which concern spiritual matters, not physical or material matters.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” The mourning is not for their material condition, or grief from death or other kind of earthly loss, as Lindberg thinks it is. It is mourning over sin and the realization that the sinner’s actions have separated him from God. It is mourning over what he has become—and his comforting will come from God, because the sinner has finally turned to God. It is the kind of sorrow that leads to repentance.

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Meek is not “gentle” as Lindberg says: “They walk softly upon the earth, seeking to impose themselves on others as little as possible. They see to their obligations as best they can, but they take nothing from others and ask for nothing from them for themselves. They are satisfied with what they have, however meager it may be. They do not strive, but accept their circumstances.” Well, not quite. Meek is what Jesus was: submitting to the Father while standing upright for truth. And Jesus certainly imposed Himself on others—witness what He did when He twice drove the money-changers from the Temple! A meek man is a man who stands tall for the gospel and kneels before God. A meek man is a man who humbles himself before God. A meek man is the man who would be first by being last. A meek man challenges kings and the powerful with the gospel of truth. He is humble, but no weakling who never makes waves. He is a man who knows that he is filthy and God is holy—and his reward for serving God will be eternal life.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Lindberg thinks Jesus is abruptly switching tracks here and switching from the physical to the metaphysical, and that people are searching for some metaphysical or primordial thing that they themselves can’t quench, so they must seek “something outside themselves.” Lindberg says it’s a universal desire, that everyone seeks it—and only everyone’s desire for righteousness can be satisfied as long as everyone plays nice. Lindberg also claims Jesus makes a distinction that not everyone should thirst for his own righteousness.

What nonsense.

What Jesus was saying is that the sinner is blessed for seeking the righteousness that only comes from Jesus Christ. It is a foreign righteousness that covers our filthy sins and allows us to enter God’s holy presence. This has to do with seeking God, not others. Only those who seek the righteousness of Christ will be filled.

John MacArthur, in The Quest for Character, writes that (p27) “If your heart is dead and spiritually lifeless, you cannot by a sheer act of human will summon an appetite for true righteousness. Scripture says, “the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:7-8)

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” This is the only one Lindberg approaches getting right—sort of. However, “don’t kick someone when he’s down,” as Lindberg says, is not quite the point. Rather, it has to do with God’s forgiveness. If you expect forgiveness from God for your sins but you never forgive a contrite heart, then God will not forgive your contrite heart.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Says Lindberg: “Such people will act out of no bad motive, but always in accordance with the purity of rightness within them. Uncorrupted inwardly, the pure in heart will act toward others without corruption, since it would not occur to such a person to cheat a friend or steal from a stranger or tell a lie.”

Uh…Who are the pure at heart? The beatitudes build upon one another and are completely interconnected. The “pure at heart” can only be those who have been crushed in their spirit, turned to Christ, confessed their sins and accepted/drank from the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Only t hen can we enter into the presence of t he Father. Yes, yes, there are plenty of “good” people throughout the world who don’t lie, cheat or steal. That isn’t the point here. Lindberg’s interpretation, however, is NOT what Jesus meant.

To enter heaven, to enter His holy presence, we have to be pure. And because not one of us is worthy, we have to accept the sacrifice of Jesus, because there is “no other name given under which we might be saved.”

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” This is not concerned with anti-war, or being peaceful with one another, no matter how much liberals or anyone else wants it to be. The “peacemakers” are ones who have been reformed by the Holy Spirit, are cloaked by the righteousness of Jesus Christ and are at peace with God instead of being in rebellion against Him. That is why they can be called sons of God—and not because they oppose a war or are nice to one another!

Otherwise, “everyone” would be called a son of God.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Righteousness is not, as Lindberg claims, persecution for doing what is “right.” It is persecution for standing for Jesus Christ. Elsewhere, Jesus says, “the world hates you because it hated me first.” It is being persecuted falsely for standing for Christ’s truths.

Says Lindberg: “Jesus promises possession of “the kingdom of heaven” to those in two of his categories: the poor in spirit and those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness. As for those who run afoul of the overlords because they are following his teaching, he says “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Really? So people who merely follow his sayings but don’t believe in Him as Lord, Savior and God will inherit the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus actually laid out two categories of people? Where? In Lindberg’s mind? It is not possible for someone to not be poor in spirit according to how Christ means it yet be persecuted for His sake. One cannot exist without the other.

The two categories of people that Jesus Christ really talked about were not according to Lindberg’s “Jesusian political philosophy.” Rather, He said there are wheat and chaff, sheep and goats, believers and unbelievers.

In sum, Lindberg’s political interpretation of the beatitudes is extremely lacking. In attempting to wrest Jesus from political abuses from both ends of the political spectrum, he seems to have managed to leave out the most salient part: that Jesus came not to start a revolution, but to complete a mission. He was about His Father’s business, not revolutionizing a new way of life.

(Note: Luke presents a slightly different version of the beatitudes in his gospel (for example, Luke writes: “blessed are the poor” instead of “blessed are the poor in spirit”), but it is possible that Jesus was speaking on another occasion. John MacArthur writes in his study Bible that more than likely the disparities originate in the differences between in the audiences that Matthew and Luke were writing to, and the differences in the translations of the writing styles of Matthew and Luke into Greek. – note on Luke 6:17-49)

Real intolerance; or, why the offensive gospel must be preached

2007-08-10T07:52:00.001-05:00

The world, which is continually hostile to Christ and His message, is currently preaching that all religions are merely different paths to the same God. But Christ’s claim to deity is unique and proven, and Christians need to stand fast under the assault of the evil one who uses the world’s religions to undermine the one true faith. There can never be reconciliation between Christianity and other faiths, because the only way to salvation is through God’s grace by faith in Jesus Christ alone.

But the gospel of Christ, indeed Christ Himself, is exclusive: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me,” He said. That is the most “intolerant” statement ever made, according to the new definition of tolerance, which, I guess, makes Jesus a totally intolerant God.

And He is, because God, who is holy (e.g., perfect in every way), cannot countenance sin. He cannot tolerate it in His presence, which is why we cannot earn our way into heaven, or bargain our way, or be “good enough” or please God enough to get into heaven. Only Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, the shedding of innocent divine sacrificial blood to atone for the sins of all mankind, makes it possible for us to enter heaven.

The Father sacrificing His only Son in the supreme act of love takes our filthy rags of sin and replaces them with cloaks of righteousness. In other words, our sins are washed away, covered by Christ. This happens only for those who have accepted the sacrifice and repented of our sins and turned toward the only true God. (Yes, Jesus died for all and carried all sins on His shoulders, but only a relative few accept Him as Lord and Savior.)

It is only this heavenly cleansing, this cloaking of a foreign righteousness (Jesus Christ’s) that permits us to enter into God’s holy (perfect) presence in His heavenly kingdom.

So, yes, God is intolerant. So be it.

But step inside many Christian churches today, and you never hear this message. You never hear the exclusive claim of Christ. You never hear “one way” and “the narrow road” proclaimed. Instead, you get “seeker sensitive” messages with a watered-down gospel message designed not to offend people coming in the door for the first time.

And that’s not what God commands us to do. “Preach the word,” Paul wrote to Timothy. When a Christian preacher preaches, he’s supposed to preach Jesus Christ. As Paul writes to Timothy in his second letter to the young man, he first reminds him that “all scripture is God-breathed” (which includes Paul’s letters) and then he says (chapter 4):

Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. (NIV)

And what is “the word”? The gospel of Jesus Christ!

What is an Apostate?

2007-08-08T19:19:00.000-05:00

(Originally published at J’s Café Nette on July 14, 2007)

An Episcopal priest claims to be both Christian and Muslim — but the Bible says she can’t be

What is an apostate? He or she is someone who becomes a Christian by hearing and believing the truth, then ultimately rejects it—but still walks, talks and acts like a Christian.

Identifying and calling out apostates today is not an easy thing to do. You are called intolerant, a “heretic hunter” and worse. Your concern for the truth is dismissed as divisive, and your efforts are not welcome in the “enlightened” church of the 21st century.

It’s nothing new.

I was prompted to write this when I heard about an Episcopal from Seattle named Ann Holmes Redding, who claimed last month that she is now both a Christian priest and a practicing Muslim. She claims that, since becoming Muslim while remaining Christian, “I have been, by my own estimation, a better teacher, a better preacher and a better Christian.”

What she claims is utterly impossible in the eyes of God. She is either an apostate or someone who never had the truth to begin with. But to call her out on her massive error is to invite attacks of “bigot,” “intolerance” and worse.

But first: what is “the truth?” That Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, is the only begotten son of God, and that His sacrifice on the cross was and is sufficient for the total remission of sins for those who believe in Him. The truth is that scripture is unerring and sufficient. The truth is that there are no new “truths” to be discovered in God’s word, and that the message that has already been revealed to us is IT.

But today, if you say that and boldly proclaim it, you’re in a hated minority.

And that, too, is nothing new. During Israel’s kingdom period, the prophet Jeremiah often felt as if he were the last true believer among all the people. And the people themselves ignored the repeated warnings of God’s prophets until it was too late, and they were swept to 70 years of captivity in Babylon. During Christ’s time on earth, the Lord repeatedly told the truth about Himself to the Pharisees, but they were so wrapped in their own religion and their own misunderstanding of what they had been given, that they refused to see the Messiah standing right before them!

All of the authors of the New Testament missives warn of apostates in the newly established churches, but none are so pointed as Jude. Jude was a son of Mary and Joseph, making him, along with James, a half-brother of Jesus in His earthly incarnation. Jude urged Christians to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.”

What does this mean? That people who would pervert Christianity and turn it from the truth are being accepted as Christians, but what they’re preaching is poison—and they have to be stopped. Stopped being accepted as teachers and stopped being listened to. “Marked out for condemnation” means that God Himself will deal with them.

And who are some of these apostates? They are leaders of many mainstream denominations who think that they can change the word of God to mean whatever they want it to mean. They are people who think that what was written 2,000 years ago just isn’t hip enough for today, so the truth of Christ needs to be downplayed, even set aside, lest people get scared away from church. They are people who preach feel-good nonsense about getting rich, who claim to be miracle makers, and who try to conform Christ to popular culture instead of conforming themselves to Christ. These are people who reject authority—God’s authority—but still call themselves Christian. The popular Emerging Church movement definitely has problems with apostasy, because its leadership, especially its founder, throws out all doctrine. That movement has troubles because it essentially boils its message down to “Jesus loves you; isn’t that enough?” No, it isn’t. If it were as simple as that, everyone in the world would be Christian.

If you want to get an understanding of just how bad things are getting, and how apostates can so easily mislead people today, try this: compare a sermon of today from any “mainstream” church to one from the same church 50 or 100 years ago. What’s the topic today? Christ crucified for our sins—or your self esteem? Christ glorified—or being “slain in the spirit?” Christ the redeemer—or the “social gospel” of a political party? Try comparing Jonathan Edwards’ “Sinners in the hands of an angry God” sermon to one by Joel Osteen or one of the other masters of a megachurch. (I don’t know if Osteen is an apostate, but his sermons are light on substance and heavy on fluff.)

Why, then, is doctrine so important? Doesn’t it just limit people? Isn’t there enough Christ to go around for all of us? Doesn’t it cramp the style of a dynamic fresh leader in the church? Don’t ideas from 2,000 years ago just not apply to today? Aren’t they woefully out of date and don’t fit with today’s hip, secularized American culture? Isn’t Christ open to interpretation from one generation to the next? Shouldn’t those concerned with doctrine just lighten up?

Tell that to Paul, Peter, John, James and Jude.

The “lighten up” mentality puts little faith in God. Would not God hand His word down for all time? Would He not give us the means to deal, on a basic level, with all situations? Would He not reveal His entire plan for redemption? To act as if God’s word as handed to us through His scriptures is anything less than adequate for our needs is, frankly, telling God that He isn’t perfect, isn’t adequate, isn’t up to the task, isn’t all-loving, all-knowing and all-providing.
Again, this is nothing new. The means for apostasy may have changed, but the intent hasn’t.

Ultimately, it places man before God. It places the human ego before God.

Thanks for reading.

The Gospel of Judas was never “lost”

2007-08-08T19:15:00.000-05:00

(Note: before begining this blog, I published several posts on Christian-related topics at J's Café Nette. I still publish there on general Christian themes, thanks to the gracious host. What follows are the first of two posts that are relevant to the theme of my new blog.)

(Originally published at J’s Café Nette on June 21, 2007)

Christianity has been under attack since the very beginning. There’s nothing bold or shocking about that statement. When the “lost” Gospel of Judas was published to much fanfare early this year, I sighed. I thought, “Here we go again.”

This “lost” gospel was never lost. It was thrown away, as astute critics of the new publication and accompanying National Geographic TV specials have said. The Gospel of Judas, like the similar gospels of Thomas, Peter, Mary Magdalene, etc., are all Gnostic tracts. Gnosticism is hard to define precisely, as there have been various sects. But attached to Christianity, Gnostic sects have one thing in common: they deny the deity of Christ and His oneness with the Father.

All of them were never accepted as inspired scripture because they describe Christ in terms that fly in the face of the rest of scripture. Judas is particularly odious because it makes many villains in the Bible out to be a misunderstood heroes, including the first murderer, Cain.

Gnosticism, in its various forms, treats flesh as evil and the spirit world as supreme, so to them, Christ could never be the Word become flesh—which directly contradicts the rest of scripture.
Many scholars and journalists hailed the “lost” Gospel of Judas as a new interpretation of Christ, and said it raised a whole new set of questions.

No, it didn’t. It dredged up old questions and issues that had been successfully slapped down by lions for the faith in the first, second and third centuries.

You may ask, “what’s the harm?” There is serious harm for Christians who are new to the faith and don’t know what scripture really says about Christ. There is serious harm if apostates—snakes who claim to be Christian but really aren’t—teach Gnosticism as if it were accepted Christianity.

Christians are called by God to “contend earnestly for the faith” (see the letter of St. Jude), which means that we are to fight for the truth of who Christ is. That does not mean, and never means, fight with bombs and fists and guns, but with words and by actually speaking out. By remaining silent in the face of Gnosticism because we’re afraid of what others say, we are not contending earnestly for the faith—but hiding.

But even these outside attacks on the faith are nowhere near as damaging as the internal attacks on the faith.

Welcome

2007-08-07T21:13:00.000-05:00

This blog is intended to be both a repository for my thoughts and an examination of the Christian church in America, which is in serious crisis. The church is falling away from Christ-centered, cross-focused worship into apostasy, heresy, feel-good nonsense that is leading people astray. The churches that “lift high the cross” and teach directly from scripture are outnumbered by those that offer easy answers, post-modern gobbledygook, cafeteria Christianity and what Michael S. Horton calls “Christless Christianity.”

Many Christians—or people who believe they are Christians—unwittingly swallow this stuff without knowing, or caring, what Christ Himself actually teaches about Himself and the Father. And that’s why this blog is called Crisis Christianity.

To help you understand where I’m coming from, here are some of my modern-day heroes in the faith. In no particular order:

Hank Hanegraaff—the Bible Answer Man and president of the Christian Research Institute. He’s the first person to divulge how much Christianity in America was—and is—in trouble. His weekday radio show and books, including Christianity in Crisis and Counterfeit Revival, have made many enemies among the rich and powerful televangelists and word-of-faith preachers.

Todd Wilkin—host of Issues, Etc. on KFUO AM 850. A master interviewer, this pastor explores all aspects of Christianity and faith on his terrific radio show and comes from the confessional Reformation theology. His sermon reviews are not to be missed, especially when he picks apart a fluffy Joel Osteen pep talk.

Chuck Rathert—another KFUO host, Pastor Chuck hosts The Bible Study, where he and a guest pastor break down books of the Bible one chapter at a time. The viewpoint is confessional Reformation theology, e.g. original Lutheranism.

Chris Rosebrough—Owner of ExtremeTheology.com, Chris is “dedicated to the proclamation and defense of the most extreme religious claim of all time; that Jesus of Nazareth IS the ONE TRUE God in human flesh and that He died for the sins of the world, rose victorious from the grave and is coming again to judge both the living and the dead.” He’s a very pointed critic of Rick Warren and his “Purpose Driven” movement, and with good reason. Chris’s other site, A Little Leaven, is a hysterical and tragic look at how far astray Christians in America have gone and continue to go.

John MacArthur—We don’t agree on everything, but he’s one of the strongest lions for sound doctrine in the world today. His Grace To You ministry has been a strong inspiration, as has his writings and study Bible. (We diverge on end-time teachings.)

Greg Stier—He’s the founder of Dare2Share, with the singular mission of helping high school kids stay faithful once they get out into the wider world—by teaching and daring them to share their faith with their peers. His G.O.S.P.E.L. journey is a great way to help people understand what “it” is really all about. We may not agree on everything, but he preaches the essentials, and keeps Christ as the center and the cross as the focus.

BK and Pastor JC—my church’s youth minister and pastor, respectively. BK puts up with me and JC preaches Christ crucified for our sins and resurrected for our salvation.

As for me, I believe that we are saved by God’s grace alone by faith alone through Christ alone. There is no other name given by which we can be saved. The Nicene Creed is my creed. I am a sinner, and can only enter the presence of the Almighty by the foreign righteousness of Jesus Christ, which I did not and cannot earn, but was given to me by the mercy of the Father through the sacrifice of His son. Called by the Spirit to Him, my filthy rags are replaced by spotless robes through Christ.

I believe the Bible is the inerrant word of God. It is NOT merely a guidebook for good Christian living, although it does contain many, many guidelines on how Christians are to conduct ourselves. It is NOT the founding document of Western civilization, though many have deluded themselves into believing that Christianity = Western. It is NOT a source for political parties to find justification for this or that policy.

It is, from start to finish, the book about Jesus Christ and the Father’s plan for our redemption through His Son.

Things I will discuss on this blog:

“Christless Christianity,” a fascinating thesis by Michael S. Horton
Apostasy and problems with movements such as the Emerging Church
How “feel good” Christianity can and does create false hope if it is not rooted in Christ and the cross
The new Pharisee-ism
Why doctrine is so incredibly important
Why youths are either tuning out or latching on to false teaching
Why the gospel needs to be presented continually—and why believers need to hear it continually
Why the seeker-sensitive movement creates false followers by softening—or avoiding—the gospel
Why the gospel is sufficient and any attempts to “update” Christ or Christianity are foolish
Why any church—or Christian—that puts politics before Christ has lost its way (whether conservative or liberal)
The feminization of the church and why godly men need to take charge of the pulpit once more
How pornography is destroying healthy sex in Christian marriages
Why the cross remains foolish to the world, and why the gospel message must remain offensive and never be watered down.

Notice that this blog, for the most part, won’t be dealing with atheism, agnosticism, Islam or other religions. The focus is on the deteriorating state of Christianity in America, and my own small role in helping to reverse that tragic and harmful trend.

And who am I? My name is Black Jack Truman. Please forgive me for not being more specific.

-- Truman