The Master's Goods – Page 2 – For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. Matt.25:14

The Book[s] of Life

Mat 19:16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?

This seems like a very important question and one that requires a serious answer. Our lord is approached and given an opportunity to resolve, once and for all, the all-important question that man should be asking. Forget John 3:16 for a moment. Here in Matthew 19 the Lord can put to rest, once and for all, the debate on whether or not eternal life is by faith or by works. Whether the Baptist are right concerning “Faith alone” or whether the Catholics are correct with keeping the commandments. And this opportunity is given by none other than a “rich young ruler”. Oh that many more would ask Jesus the same question! That people would take opportunities in this life to be concerned with their eternal state. Most are just concerned with their present life; on whether or not they should tear down their barns to build bigger.

The man who dared to ask Jesus the most important question.

We call him the Rich Young Ruler, and we do so by comparing both accounts of Matt and Luke. This is an example of comparing scripture with scripture.

He is a young man Matt.19:20
He is a ruler Luke 18:18
He is rich Matt.19:22,23

I will use the same concept of comparing various passages to show that the “Rich Young Ruler” unless he repented, will miss the 1000 yr Kingdom of God and will have his name blotted out of the book of life.

Jesus refers to the 1000 yr kingdom of God as “entering life”

Mat 19:17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

Whether or not the young man understood that eternal life was freely given to all that “called upon the Lord” makes no difference to us at this point. The Lord’s answer to him gives us the understanding of what God wants us to come away with. The fact that the young man was told; “but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments” suggests that this was not the initial salvation that accompanies belief apart and separate of works. The scripture is so clear on the topic of salvation from God’s eternal wrath. So clear, in fact, that this has to be a different salvation. A salvation that requires keeping commandments. If you don’t slow down and listen carefully to our Lord’s words, you will stumble and get tripped up.

Jesus does indeed connect “life” with the 1000 year kingdom in verse 23,24. Verse 17 and 23 are parallel verses. You will find many instances, in the scripture, where the Spirit of God will teach a new concept by using two different phrases to state the same. You can exchange the two phrases and the concept is the same. Another example would be the word of God , truth and Jesus. These three titles are given throughout the Gospel of John and yet are the same; John 1:1,14,17;17:17.

Mat 19:23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. [Or enter life; verse 17]

Mat 19:24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

Here, not only is “entering in life” the same as the “kingdom of heaven”, but “kingdom of God” is referenced with “kingdom of heaven”.

This warning is not just directed at a Jewish man two thousand years ago; but unto New Testament believers as well. Paul warns rich believers against trusting in their riches 1Tim.6:17. (Those who trust in their riches cannot enter the kingdom of God).

Now concerning the “Lambs book of Life” and “The book of Life”[or Kingdom], lets look at a few passages.

We know there is more than 1 book at the final judgment.

Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

Here is where you have to rightly divide the word using the context. It is true that in verse 12 the “Book of life” is mentioned instead of the “Lambs book of life”, but the context is referring to final judgment and Lake of Fire. And besides that in the very next Chapter 21, the saved that are written in the “Lamb’s book of life” walk the streets of New Jerusalem. Once again context is important.

Here are some other books that the Scripture mentions:

Psa_69:28 Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.

A book where all the living of the earth are written, possibly the moment they are conceived. David talked about his members being written down while God created him in the womb.

Ps 139:16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

But yet, David talks about the wicked being removed from one book (possibly when they die) and not even written in the same book the righteous are written in.

Ps 69:28 Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.

Rev_13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Rev_17:8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

The wicked are not written with the righteous. I believe the moment you believe in Christ as your Saviour, you are sealed with the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13) and your name is written in the “Lamb’s Book of Life” as well as the book of kingdom life.

Revelation 17 is the parallel verse to chapter 13 that explains in more detail the absence from the “book of life” from the beginning. This corresponds to Psalms 69:28..”Let them not be written with the righteous”.

Luk_10:20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

All Christians are written down in at least three books, and possibly more. The three that the scripture makes a point to emphasis are; the “book of the living” which is a book that all people are in;Psa_69:28, Psa_139:16; The Lambs book of life, or just “book of life”; Rev 21:27; and then there is the “book of the First Born” Which I take to be the “book of life[kingdom]” (Remember that the Kingdom of God is called life in Matt 19:17). There is also a “book of remembrance” wherein those that fear God and think upon him are written; Malachi 3:16.

The “First Born” in scripture were those of the household who would receive a double portion of the inheritance from the father. The firstborn can be disinherited if he provoked the father who gave the blessing. Esau is an example of the firstborn losing his blessing because of sin.

Heb 12:16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.

Heb 12:17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

Php_4:3 And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.

Paul could either be referring to the “Lambs book of life” or the kingdom “Book of life”. In the context, these people that Paul mentioned were fellow laborers in the ministry.

Rev_3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

Eight times Jesus, glorified in heaven, mentions “overcoming” for the Christians and the possibility of not overcoming.

One who overcomes this world’s system by the Spirit of God can only do so by the word of God.

1Jn_2:14 I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.

1Jn 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

1Jn 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever

The Rich young ruler didn’t overcome the world with its lust of the eyes. He walked away from the very One who cared for his soul. Therefore he was in danger of missing the kingdom and having his name removed from the list of the Firstborn written in heaven.

Pharisees Pt 5: 10 Signs You Might Be a Pharisee: Killer Superstructures

Matthew 12

1At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn and to eat.

2But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.

It makes “perfect sense” to the Pharisee that his convictions are “Biblical.” He finds it almost incomprehensible that anyone could disagree. After all, the keeping the Sabbath holy was not a “small thing”! It was not a minor thing like tithing. It was one of the Ten Commandments! Surely anyone but a liberal Sadducee could “see” that. But Pharisee code was not scripture! It was “Super-Scriptural.”

I have no problem with a man preaching his convictions. (Even the superscriptural ones, because it’s not for me to say that the Lord may genuinely be speaking this practical application to the man’s heart.) But often it morphs into something sinister.

The reasoning goes like this: the Ten Commandments teach us to keep the Sabbath holy. Maybe we should take that as far as we can. Maybe we should run as far away from an “unholy” Sabbath as possible.

So far so good! I have absolutely no problem with that. I have no problem with convictions. Teach people how to read and interpret the Bible, share your convictions, and then teach them how to interact with the Holy Spirit to develop their own. But don’t you dare preach your convictions for scripture. Taking a little of another man’s corn (If you were hungry) was allowed by scripture (De 23:25). But the Pharisees were so mad because Jesus violated their code concerning just exactly how THEY were convicted to KEEP the Sabbath. I am all for “super structures”. We all build on our convictions. Our convictions change, as we grow in grace. Some get more strict, and some more mellow over the years.

What I abhor is when the “superstructures” built on clear Biblical commandments and precepts merge with and become equal with the commandments themselves and, thus, become binding to the group. Sometimes these superstructures are used to control others. Control cleans up messiness it is true, but the cost is conviction. The maturation process is crushed by over pruning.

9) You might be a Pharisee if you harshly micromanage (or try to) everyone in your sway.

In the book of Matthew, we see this micromanaging by the Pharisees. When to fast, when not to fast, when to eat, what to eat, where to worship, when to worship, who to hang out with, hygiene, were the things they concerned themselves with when rebuking Jesus. The beautiful thing about the gospel is freedom. I serve God because I want to. If I didn’t want to, I wouldn’t have to. Before you can ever even consider the conditional promises, you must understand that you don’t have to keep them. Without the freedom, the best code, perfectly kept is filthy rags. In fact Christ will turn some away who did “good things,” Things that Jesus himself did, casting out devils, prophesying, “Many good works.”

Inside freedom, the obeying of biblical commands and precepts, (Even the obeying – in faith – of personal convictions and superstructures) are a sweet smelling savor.

But the problem, the reason they get turned away, is lack of intimacy with their Lord. He says “I never knew you.” You can do all the right things, for all the wrong reasons. To prophesy, to cast out Devils for any other reason than as an outgrowth of a personal intimate walk with God, is called “Iniquity” by Jesus. That is why Pharisee ends up with proselytes who are two fold the child of Hell as himself. The second generation Pharisee often will blindly follow just the group superstructure. He many times has no concept of the growing process that only comes from a life of intimately “Knowing God”. He has not felt the yearning wooing heart of Christ. He knows nothing of the voice of God. His whole religion has been the code, the superstructure. “This is what the group says was good. This is what they told me to do to be a good Christian.“ He needs his own personal superstructure. Not someone else’s. he needs the freedom to follow today’s convictions, personal convictions, birthed in relationship with Christ.

Depart from me ye workers of iniquity. I never KNEW you.

To get the reward, you must in your freedom, chose to obey God’s Word and do so for the right reasons. reasons sprouting from response to the Holy Ghost’s personal dealings, from Knowing God.

I have a vivid memory of a little girl (preacher’s daughter) who walked up to my Mama who was doing dishes in our home. This cute little girl pointed at my Mama and declared, “You are going to Hell because you wear shorts.” She was much too young to know about sexuality, too immature to understand modesty, or Hell and God’s judgment. All she knew was the code of her daddy’s church. I don’t fault her. But i tell this story to point out how disconnected the second generation Pharisee can be from the process of conviction and personal growth.

Romans 14:1-12 teaches us to let folks grow.

Romans 14

1Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.

2For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.

3Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.

4Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.

5One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

6He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.

7For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.

8For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.

9For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.

10But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

11For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

12So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

“Despising and judging.” All over days and diet. But God made us all priests, all with a main line to the same Holy Ghost with no need for any other mediator. Preacher? Preach! Exhorter? Exhort! Compeller? Compell!

CONVICTER? CONVICT!

(That last one is not a spiritual gift. It’s the sole responsibility of the Holy Ghost.)

There is Biblical judgment. We don’t ignore that at all.

But there is a very real, very manipulative, over bearing, unmerciful, nagging, controlling judgment as well. The latter is very much like witchcraft in it’s methods and purposes. It can stifle intimacy with God. It can suffocate the man’s ability to hear the Holy Spirit. At worst, it can keep him from entering the Kingdom.

Pharisees Pt 4: 10 Signs You Might Be a Pharisee: Winning the Battle But . . .!

Pharisees Pt 4:

Pharisees Pt 1

Pharisees Pt 2

Pharisees Pt 3

12 Signs You Might Be a Pharisee: Winning the Battle But . . .!

There are some folks you can’t defeat in a debate. . . ever . . . whether you are right or wrong! I am reminded of the idiom, “He could sell ice cubes to Eskimos.” (I hope that’s not too terribly “PC”) But it does explain how some are much more persuasive than others. Some influential Pharisees got the “Debate Gene”.

I remember when I was in 7th grade in Texas History class. The teacher wanted us to explore the battle for Texas independence from several perspectives. One of the things we had to do was debate whether or not general Santa Anna should be tried for war crimes. Now we all HATED Santa Anna. After all he killed John Wayne!!! (Well . . . in the movie he did.) But I was chosen to be on the side that defended Santa Anna. Man! I was angry! How could the teacher expect ME the biggest Santa Anna hater of all to defend him?!? Well I finally gave in and we set off to study the issues. And something strange happened. WE LEARNED!!! My side won the debate. Now I’m still not a big fan of Santa Anna (John Wayne Killer!—Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad!) . . . ahem.

But I do know how to win a debate. I am good at it. It is fun-fun-fun for me! I know lots of tricks.

Matthew gives us some insight as to how the Pharisee’s mind works

Matthew 22:15 Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.

8) You might be a Pharisee if you are more interested in winning the argument than winning the person.

These Pharisees in Matt 22 were skilled debaters. This is a necessary skill if you re to keep questions to a minimum. The truth becomes, in a Pharisee’s mind, the winning of a debate. Some folks aren’t good at it and will not even bother because they know that they can’t say anything skillfully enough to “win”.

This came to light in a devastatingly powerful manner, one evening when I was on a Christian Message board online. I was debating and as usual I was using my wit and sarcasm to “make my point”. I was startled by a voice from behind me. “Ooooh BURN!!!” It was my teenage son. He thought it was cool that I was crushing my opponent and making him feel stupid. Man did I have some ‘splainin-to-do-Lucy! I tried to explain to my son that I wasn’t trying to “burn” the other person; that I was trying (in a godly manner) to help him by pointing out his error. He accepted that explanation but it was too late for me. God had made His point. I was trying to “burn” the guy. It gave me a sense of control, of importance, of worth to be able to calmly shred a person’s arguments. But did I make a friend? Did God enter into a new depth of relationship through me with the other person? Did the man’s position change? Did his heart change? Was he so awed by my deft debating that he fell on his knees and repented? No. No. No. No. And . . .let’s see . . . uh no.

A family member (now deceased) who was a life long preacher once gave me some advice. He said, “Win them to yourself first, then you can win them to Jesus, because you are the incarnational representation of Jesus on Earth right now.” I cannot make a man repent. I can’t make him believe anything. But I can control my attitude when dealing with the man. If I have no relationship with a person, or a strained relationship, I cannot win the man. The Bible says “He that winneth SOULS is wise.” (Interesting word choice.) It’s the area of the soul where I can “win the man.” The spirit is God’s department. I have seen food, music, sharing a book, sharing a trial, sharing your pain, meeting a need, or even just a simple kind word in due season, do, in a second, what a million years of winning debates could never do!

The Pharisee wanted to entangle Jesus in his talk, wanted to win the debate. Peter proved that a sword can be used to cut off a man’s ear. If you use the mighty sword of God’s word in that manner, don’t be surprised when the injured person doesn’t listen to you.

Oh yeah, and one more thing about Santa Anna. I learned from defending him that the truth is not always so black and white. Sometimes it’s multi faceted. Sometimes it’s messy and uncomfortable. Like us.

Pharisees Pt 3: 10 Signs You Might Be a Pharisee: The BUN RULE!

Pharisees Pt 3:

Pharisees Pt 1

Pharisees Pt 2

12 Signs You Might Be a Pharisee: The BUN RULE!

I have a good friend who won’t mind me sharing this story. She used to attend a church with a great list of extra rules and regulations. And she was the queen of the Pharisees! She was CODE baby! She dressed correctly, acted correctly, talked (or didn’t talk) correctly, ate the right stuff, everything! She was a model citizen. But one day she noticed a group of ladies shopping at the same (group approved) grocery store where she was shopping. These ladies were dressed very similarly to her. They seemed to be in code too. So she approached ham and introduced herself. After offering up some condescending looks, laced with perhaps a little pity, these women physically turned their backs to her and shunned her. She was shocked. She was “perfect, righteous and holy” in her own circles. What was it that caused these women to feel that my friend was not worthy of their “acknowledgement”? She labored over that question for a night or two. Why? What about me was not good enough?

Then it dawned on her! It was the buns! They had a “BUN RULE!” My friend had (unwittingly) wandered into a pack or Pharisees who deemed her shameless and lewd for having her hair down and not in a bun. Other than that her appearance was almost exactly the same. She had no idea about the “bun rule” and they failed to explain that one “major” detail. (Gnat! -*cough*) I know for a fact they missed out because this woman is very gifted and has a very edifying testimony, but they just couldn’t stand her bunlessness! She had met Pharisees that could “out Pharisee” her!

She was troubled because it hurt her feelings to be shunned, and perhaps to be thought of as less than “holy”. So after agonizing about it and it dawned on her! “That is exactly how I make anyone feel who doesn’t keep my code,” is what she concluded!

7) You might be a Pharisee if: You are not submitted to, accountable to, or interested in interacting with in a meaningful way, any of Christ’s followers who don’t conform to the group code.

I used to define myself as “independent”. What a clumsy brand. I do believe that individual churches should be autonomous. But there is a certain elitist arrogance I struggled with for years. (Still struggle some, I suppose.) The most edifying fellowship I had the whole time I was pastoring an Independent Baptist Church was with a man outside the “circle”. He was CHURCH OF CHRIST!!! We had a whole list of condescending nicknames for those folks. But I noticed him smiling across the Barnes and Nobles. His hair was “too long” (so I hoped no one would see me talking to him) but I was drawn by his smile like a moth to the flame. He ministered the love and grace of God and radiated sheer child like joy. I was dumbfounded. He was not “code”.

I never saw him again. Maybe he was an angel. We talked, prayed, and cried for two hours right there standing in the bookstore. I never forgot him.

This “Cambellite” had the incarnational Christianity my heart was longing for. I realized then that God’s children are His business! All His children are gifted, and their gifts are not just a nice luxury that I might at my convenience take advantage of. THEY ARE ESSENTIAL FOR MY EDIFICATION AND ORGANIC GROWTH.

I am not “independent” anymore. I am hopelessly INTERDEPENDENT! I can’t love my Lord and not love His people. How do I dare judge another Man’s servant? How do I assume that God is not at work in his life at every stage of the journey? I’ve belittled men with long hair, only months after I cut my own hair, as if God is patient with me but no one else. I have sarcastically railed on folks who used a different version of the Bible without ever taking the time to patiently explain my position, It’s all about attitude.

What is your attitude toward folks without buns?

(Part 4 coming!)

Pharisees Pt 2: 10 Signs You Might Be a Pharisee: “South Carolina “Hole Checker” “

Pharisees Pt 2: 12 signs you might be a Pharisee: “South Carolina “Hole Checkers”

By Lacy Evans

Hello! My name is Lacy and I am a Pharisee. (Hello Lacy!)

I am a Pharisee by nature. It’s the devil’s ju-jitsu move against folks who preach holiness. (Plus, I just like a good fight!) I am in this deep. It is who I am, and healing has been a long drawn out process . . . still in process. So it’s not that I am standing on a hill judging Pharisees. I’m down in the valley with my people, my fellow Pharisees, hoping for mercy.

Many of us suffer from this “disease”. Many of us are in various stages of Pharisee recovery.

A couple of years ago I was seeing a great non-traditional doctor for my wife and visiting some dear friends in South Carolina. We did house church there and it was a real blessing. God moved. But one incident, a teaching moment I suppose, is etched in my memory.

As we Pharisees are prone to do, I dragged my daughter (two years old, at the time) out for a Pharisee dog and pony show. I had to show how holy my family was by parading my daughter’s burgeoning two-year old righteousness out for all to gawk. So she did “Jesus Loves Me” (With the ASL hand signs) Well . . . the ASL sign for Jesus is formed by alternately pointing to the palm of one hand with the middle finger of he other hand. “Je (point)-sus (point)”. I have to admit it is beautiful and even if it’s not my precious, wonderful, beautiful, adorable, sweet, (where’s my thesaurus) daughter. Even if it was a total stranger. It is still to me the most beautiful way of all to “say” Jesus. Well after her song, one of the ladies present felt compelled to correct, Sadie, and American Sign Language. She had to tell me that Sadie was pointing at the palms when she signed “Jesus,” but that the “actual part of the hand where Our Lord was pierced was the wrist.”

Now that may or may not be true, but before she could stop and just rest and revel in the beauty of a child signing and singing “Jesus Loves Me,” she had to check the location of the hole. So many times we have to check the location of our brother or sister’s “holes” before we can fellowship with them, and often in doing so, we lose the beauty of the moment that God was sharing with us.

Matthew 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.

1) You might be a Pharisee if: You major on the minors.

Sometimes, I admit, different folks have different reasons for deciding what is a “major” and what is a “minor”. Everyone deserves a chance to be heard. But the anti-gnats must be careful not to raise up an anti-gnat standard then battle under it to the bloody death! These “standards” are often false standards, extra-biblical standards, or perhaps just mis-prioritized standards. Gnats are yucky! That is true. But swallowing a camel is often fatal.

These Pharisees had church life down to an art form. There was no messiness allowed. Their kids were well behaved. (Probably sang “Jesus Loves Me” and pointed to the wrists!) Their tithing was a thing of beauty. They had calculated the tithe down to the smallest herb and seed grown in their garden. But, judgment, mercy, and faith were lacking in their doctrine and their walk. And that’s the thing we have to watch, the thing we have to ask ourselves, Do we truly live Judgment Mercy, and Faith? (Throw “Love” in there.) or do we just pay it lip service or redefine the terms to justify our gnat straining?

2) You might be a Pharisee if: You create and hold to super-scriptural rules.

Matthew 15:1 Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,

2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.

3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?

4 For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.

5 But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;

6 And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.

7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,

8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

Usually a Pharisee will take a good solid biblical precept and over-enforce it. They take their own specific conclusions and convictions ABOUT the clearly biblical truth and make those convictions/conclusions binding to the whole group. Washing your hands is a good thing. It was no doubt a “logical” conclusion, perhaps even a legitimate personal conviction that a rabbi had concerning some of the levitical ceremonial laws outlined clearly in the Old Testament. One problem was that his conviction about the scripture became as binding to his followers as the scripture itself. The scripture that a woman should be a “keeper at home” becomes, “No woman under any circumstance may work outside the home and all your children must be home schooled” or the command to “not wear that which pertains to a man” morphs into a huge list of what women can and cannot wear, or what color a man’s shirt can be, or whether a man should have zippers or buttons, sandals or tennis shoes, ad infinitum. It becomes a gnat that misses the whole point.

3) You might be a Pharisee if: You get angry or break off fellowship with anyone who doesn’t follow your code.

They were ready to kill Jesus because he didn’t wash his hands. But he refused to play their game, refused to acknowledge their authority. When a pharisee’s pet standard, or darling concern is ignored, the fight is on. I’ve been called worldly, accused of cozying up to backsliders and rebels, even warned that I might become a homosexual if I didn’t get in line with the “code”. None of these are exaggerations. I have friends who have been excluded from fellowship because their wife had a job and their children were in a private school, and not home schooled. I’ve seen women ostracized because they had a C-section, in a hospital (of all things).

4) You might be a Pharisee if you are manipulative.

Matt 23:25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.

Extortion is the illegal use of one’s official position or powers to obtain property, funds, or PATRONAGE. Pharisees hated Jesus because Jesus hated and exposed their lust to control. (They hated all prophets for that same reason.) A Pharisee has to look good and he has to have everyone under his influence look good. But it’s about control. “What do you think?” “Well let me ask _______________.”

He’s got you!

Who can you marry? What can you eat? What can you wear? Where can you work, live, visit? Who can your friends be? What can you believe? There is wisdom and protection in a multitude counsel. Limiting that multitude to one or several charismatic individuals is dangerous.

5) You might be a Pharisee if: Your standard of comparison is your self.

The looking outward toward the “world”, toward straw-man extremes, toward the “modern age” as a way to say how much more holy “we” are than “them” is the fuel that moves the Pharisee. It is the thing that motivates him.

Luke 18:11 (King James Version)

11The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

I thank God that I (Fill in the blank with any number of Christian Mishnah items) and that I never, never, never eat a gnat!

Jesus didn’t seem too impressed with the Pharisee’s “holiness.” But the publican’s humility was golden!

6) You might be a Pharisee if you: Put yourself above other parts of the body.

“I AM NOT LIKE THIS PUBLICAN!!! “ was the Pharisee’s saving grace! A Pharisee will create labels for himself like “Fundamentalist” and labels for everyone else like “Liberal” and “Modern”. You ole Publican you!

Part 3 (Numbers 7-12 coming soon.)

Pharisees Part One. 10 Signs You Might Be a Pharisee: Confessions of a Reforming Pharisee

Lacy Evans

Matthew 23:23 (King James Version)

Pharisees

23Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone

It is semantically clumsy to refer to Pharisees as legalists. Usually it is ineffective in conveying your real meaning. A “legalist” is narrowly defined as one who, in varying degrees holds that the Old Testament/Mosiac law must be followed, in order for a person to be saved. So holding the doctrine that a person must be circumcised, or keep the Sabbath, or follow the Levitical diet, etc. in order to become a Christian, in order to be a “good” Christian, or “show fruit that he is a Christian.” That would be “legalism.”

What the Pharisees did was like taking legalism and feeding it steroids in a lab. Pharisees took the Tanakh (What we call the Old Testament), and added volumes of extra stuff, commentary, rules, more rules governing those rules, etc. This extra stuff, the Mishnah, became binding in their religion. As binding as scripture. After all, God gave us teachers, priests, etc. Shouldn’t we follow them?

Modern Pharisees do similar things with the Christian Scriptures. They take good Biblical precepts, but build upon them elaborate (often beautiful) Christian “Mishnahs.” They add volumes of extra-biblical rules in which to govern our lives. Christianity ceases to be about liberty of soul and becomes a bulky burdensome yoke of rules, regulations, and restrictions.

So a Pharisee will take a 55 MPH speed limit and make that a prohibition against driving. After all if you don’t drive at all, you’ll be sure and never go over 55. Or he take a command to dress modestly and make it into a micro-managed over the top code of dress, which is strictly enforced by severe peer pressure, condescending looks, and impromptu “counseling” sessions. A command to not be “worldly” becomes a plethora of rules that govern art, music, diet, education, employment, entertainment, etc.

The binding of a yoke was for one purpose, to control the ox. A rabbi’s particular teaching was known as his “yoke”. To identify with a teacher or rabbi was to accept his yoke. Jesus said “My yoke is light”. He gives us the freedom to rebel, to mess up, to stumble. He does warn us of the consequences. He, very gently, very patiently, shows us his “yoke” and expects us to accept it, but he never coerces, never harangues, never manipulates. But strictly enforced adherence to the list becomes the mark of holiness. In some extremes it becomes the whole of holiness.

But Christ looks at he heart. Do you think the little boy who is “sitting on the outside but still standing on the inside”, or the woman who “can’t work because she has constant and severe chronic pain, but would go back to work in a second if it were physically possible” are holy because they have been “forced” to conform to a code of behavioral standards? No more holy than a chained up dog who rots away in the back yard dreaming of running away and finding himself a boy so he can finally be a “real” dog.

A “real” dog wants to please his master. He learns tricks and his only source of joy is the praise and adoring love that master, that boy. A dog needs a boy to be a real dog. A chain will keep him in the yard, but a boy will make him want to be home.

The rod is for children. If you never move past it your children will either never grow at all, or they will grow in spite of you and bolt (and rightfully so) from you at first chance, to get away from being treated like a child. I have adult children and absolutely the most dreadful thing I could think of is for them to conform to my “will for them” out of fear or coercion, for them to still try to perform for me to gain my acceptance by playing my game.

I want them to have character. I have to let them go, to let them grow, to let them fail, to let their world come crashing down. BUT they must know too that no matter what, I love them. I will help them if they ask. I will never leave them or forsake them, whatever they may do to screw things up for themselves. The prodigal son wan not berated, manipulated, not warned that if he left the (Fill in the blank) Fundamental Blah Blah local church, that his wife would leave him, he would backslide, and that his life would go to hell in a hand basket. (And that is not a rhetoric laced exaggeration, it’s almost word for word commentary from folks I have counseled.)

No he was treated like an adult. Allowed to try. Allowed to fail. And allowed to repent. Then they threw a party! The older brother was a Pharisee. He just got mad, because though he “kept the code” and never “broke ranks”, the returning son got a party. Think about that!

In Part 2, I will give the twelve signs that you might be a Pharisee.

End Time Generation

Mat 24:34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

The term “generation” has been interpreted to mean various ideas. Some view it as a particular group of Jews during Jesus’ ministry and consequently those alive at the destruction of the nation in AD 70.

‘The natural meaning of the words is, beyond question, that which takes “generation” in the ordinary sense (as in Matthew 1:17, Acts 13:36, and elsewhere) for those who are living at any given period. So it was on “this generation” (Matthew 23:36) that the accumulated judgments were to fall. The desire to bring the words into more apparent harmony with history has led some interpreters to take “generation” in the sense of “race” or “people,” and so to see in the words a prophecy of the perpetuity of the existence of the Jews as a distinct people till the end of the world. But for this meaning there is not the shadow of authority; ‘

[Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers]

From <http://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/24-34.htm>

While others understand it to mean the foretold enduring of the Jewish nation until the fulfilment of our Lord’s words, which we are told, shall never pass away (Mat 24:35).

“Our Lord declares that the Jews should never cease to be a distinct people, until all things he had been predicting were fulfilled. His prophecy reaches to the day of final judgment; therefore he here, ver. 34, foretells that Judah shall never cease to exist as a distinct people, so long as this world shall endure.” [Matthew Henry]

From <http://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/24-34.htm>

Both brethren lived in a time when there was no nation of Israel. The thought of a nation being “born at once”; Isaiah 66:8, seemed unlikely. But it was Matthew Henry who showed a greater faith in the future promises of Israel’s regathering. I do agree with brother Henry as pertaining to the prophetic voice of verse 34 concerning Israel. Though I confess I don’t have to exercise as much faith seeing that Israel is currently celebrating its seventieth year as a nation born out of the ashes of WWII.

I also believe “this generation” to possibly mean the morally depraved people, not just Jewish, of the world as a whole. The use of the word “this” before generation has been used before in scripture. In each occurrence “this generation” refers to a morally wicked people. Here are but a few. Take notice that the “first mention” of the term “this generation” is not referring to a Jewish people, but of all inhabitants of the earth.

Gen_7:1 And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.

Noah is preserved from the wicked, who were not Jewish by definition. The people were wicked in their imaginations and their thoughts were “only evil continually”. Gen 6:5. They were violent; Gen 6:11; They were “corrupt”; Gen 6:12.

Psa_12:7 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.

The scripture is preserved from wicked men; verse 1. Men in who is not found to be faithful or godly. They speak lies, a flattering tongue, a double heart. They were oppressive to the poor; Psalms 12:5. It is from that generation that the Lord has preserved His word. Men of cruelty and instruments of Satan used to try and put out the “light” of God’s word.

Psa_71:18 Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come.

David is asked to be saved from wicked, unrighteous and cruel men; verses 4,10. It is they to whom David felt overwhelmed in his old age. And it was they to whom David felt the duty to be a guidance of God’s power and strength. To be a witness of God’s salvation; Psalms 51:13.

Psa_95:10 Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:

Mat_11:16 But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows,

Mat_12:41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

This generation is distinct from the “men of Nineveh”. For Nineveh were a repentant people compared to the “generation” of Christ’s day. The “queen of the south” was willing to travel great distance to hear the wisdom of Solomon but “this generation” would not even walk a mile to hear the wisdom come down from God in the flesh; Mat 12:42.

A distinct date in the future when the wicked will be judged and the “this generation” will be found among them.

Even though the term “this generation” can refer to a particular group of people in a particular time and place, as in the 95th Psalm, it also encompasses all of evil mankind; A fact that is apparent in that the people present during Jesus’ utterance are no longer alive on earth! Even before those dreadful days have come to pass. Also to only apply Matthew 24, and the Olivet discourse to mean the destruction of Jerusalem forty years after our Lord’s passion denies the obvious future references throughout that sermon; Matt 24:14,15,21 etc.

The Gospel of the Kingdom reaching the ends of the earth as a sign before the end

Mat 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

“For the Saviour specifies very remarkably the tidings then to be borne, as –“This Gospel of the Kingdom”. That is not the Gospel which is now preached. Most of the missionaries do not believe in the millennium, and therefore do not preach Christ’s Kingdom in the Scripture sense. Much less is it the great and prominent feature of their discourses”
The Prophecy on Olivet, pg.33
Robert Govett; published 1881

What is this gospel of the Kingdom? Mark’s gospel leaves off the “kingdom” and just states “gospel”.

Our Lord many times used the phrase “Kingdom of heaven is likened ” when giving parables of how it relates to man and how men are to respond to it. Matt 13:24,31,33; In each parable there is an interlude; a time of patiently waiting for the final results. In the parable of the good seed, which represents the “children of the kingdom”, the householder patiently waits until the harvest before uprooting the tares. This is the judgment at the end of the world before the kingdom is ushered in. The parable of the mustard seed refers to the patient farmer who waits until the “least of all seeds” becomes a tree. The sowing and reaping aspect of farming becomes the idea used. The parable of the leaven hidden in the three measures of meal shows a time of waiting until the whole was leavened.

This waiting is the “kingdom in mystery” in the sense that the ultimate fulfillment in its literal entirety is yet future. It is currently known only by faith. Its future citizens are written in heaven while still waiting for its heralded appearance.

In Matt 18:23 our Lord uses the same phase “kingdom of heaven likened” but whereas the former in chapter 13 are explicitly named parables, chapter eighteen is different in that it is not.

In Matthew 18 The Lord speaks of a servant who, though he had been forgiven much debt after asking for leniency, nevertheless did not show the same compassion toward his fellow servants. The result being that his Lord was angry and required his previous debt to be paid by the method of turning over to the tormentors.

The Holy Spirit purposefully does not use a parable to teach the lesson of forgiveness and the seriousness of the charge against unforgiveness. No man, when reading this account, can honestly use the excuse of ignoring the severity of possible judgment the Lord will implement toward his servants at the judgment seat by stating this is only parabolic.

Jesus dismisses any thought that this might just be another parable that really doesn’t apply to the believer by finishing the “lesson” and “dismissing” the class with verse thirty-five.

Mat 18:35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

Returning to the question, “what is the gospel of the kingdom?”. The New Testament uses the phrase “kingdom of God” or “kingdom of heaven” 107 times. The first occurrence is found in Matthew chapter three: “And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

The witness of John the Baptist was of the coming of the Savior of the world; the Light of the world. The ushering in of the Lord Jesus is in conjunction of the heralding of the kingdom of heaven.

What it is not

Let me first establish what the “kingdom of God” is NOT. It is not, as so many pastors and teachers claim it to be, eternal life or “going to heaven”. In this Laodicean Church period there is so much confusion, lack of biblical knowledge, and even down right heresy concerning this very important doctrine of the “kingdom of God”. On any given Sunday, in pulpits across the USA, it is not unusual to hear a sermon, that, in passing, the pastor will come to a passage where our Lord will be mentioning the “kingdom of God” or “kingdom of heaven” and the pastor or teacher will take the opportunity to explain that “If you want to go to heaven when you die”. Or they will say something like; “see, the rich man would not give up his riches to go to heaven”. When the pastor realizes that he is stating that it is hard for rich people to “get saved”, and according to his own interpretation, the scripture must be stating the same; Mark 10:25. He then has to right his wrong, and settle the hearts of the “rich” Laodicean Christians, by telling them that God is not against riches and a rich man can go to heaven; or something to that nature. It is a lack of biblical doctrine on this subject of “the kingdom of heaven” that is causing confusion in the church today. The reason pastors find themselves in a contradiction, when it comes to the “kingdom of heaven”, is because whenever you find a New Testament passage regarding it, it is most often surrounded by conditions of behavior of the hearer; Matt 5:20; 7:21; 18:3; Mark 10:15,23-25; 12:34; Luke 9:62; Acts 14:22; 1Cor 6:9,10; Gal 5:21; 2Peter 1:11.

What is it then?

The Kingdom of God is, believe it or not, just what the scripture says it is. It is a literal 1000 year kingdom that God will set up on this earth after his bodily descension to the Mount of Olives outside of Jerusalem. The return of Christ and the ushering in of the kingdom happen together. You cannot separate the two events.

Dan 7:13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.

Dan 7:14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

Rev 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

Rev 19:12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.

Rev 19:13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

Rev 19:14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

Rev 19:15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

It is a literal place.

Matt 8:11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.

Isa 2:2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

Isa 9:7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Two Signs of a World in Apostasy

Mat 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

In His usual fashion our Lord Jesus makes such a profound revelation using few words. Yet volumes of commentaries by men have been written to extrapolate and expound on them.

Like Peter, we are faced with such a dire warning; Matt.26:34. But let us not brush it aside, and deny it, like Peter. Let us dive into the deep end of the water and plumb its depths.

IN, a prefix, L. in, is used in composition as a particle of negation, like the English un, of which it seems to be a dialectical orthography

EQ’UITY, n. [L. oequitas, from oequus, equal, even, level.]

1. Justice; right. In practice, equity is the impartial distribution of justice, or the doing that to another which the laws of God and man, and of reason, give him a right to claim. It is the treating of a person according to justice and reason.

The Lord shall judge the people with equity. Psa 98.

With righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity. Isa 11.

Iniquity, therefore, is the sin of not being impartial in distributing justice. At its roots, it is injustice toward some and favoritism toward others.

Two signs of a world in apostasy and total rebellion are: injustice and the loss of natural affections among mankind. The latter being the result of the former. This will usher in the end of the age and the judgment of God. Our Lord is repeating what was issued by the prophet Isaiah seven centuries prior.

Isa 59:14 And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.

Isa 59:15 Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.

Isa 59:16 And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.

Isa 59:17 For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.

Isa 59:18 According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence.

Isa 59:19 So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.

Isa 59:20 And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD.

“..Truth is fallen in the street, and there she may lie to be trampled upon by every foot of pride, and she has never a friend that will lend a hand to help her up; yea, truth fails in common conversation, and in dealings between man and man, so that one knows not whom to believe nor whom to trust.” M.Henry

The prophet gives us such a bleak picture of the state of mankind leading up to the appearing of the “Son of righteousness”. Truth was being trampled on by “religious” men; 1Samual 8:3, Jeremiah 6:13, Micah 3:9-11. Justice and judgment were only for the rich; while the poor had no one to intercede for them; Isaiah 3:14,15 ; Ezek 22:29. It was the “Me generation” of old. It is true that there is “nothing new under the sun”. It was a generation of entitlement. To put in modern terminology; It was a “dog eat dog” world.

The prophet lays out why the Lord God came down at such an appointed time. In the passages in Isaiah 59 we are given a glimpse of both the first coming of our Lord Jesus, and the consummation of the “age of grace”. It had been the prophetic style of the prophet; Isaiah 11:1-10. At his first coming we read of the people having no shepherd; Mark 6:34. Even the teachers and religious leaders cared for nothing but their own authority and were more concerned with losing that then tending to the needs of his people; John 11:47,48. There was no other solution to the problems facing man. In His concern for this people, he had to come down to defend and deliver those that were oppressed. He came to be the intercessor offering salvation.

1Tim 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

Heb 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

Mat 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Mat 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

Mat 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

The world at Christ’s first coming was very bleak.

The Jews had no Shepherd

Mat 9:36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.

Gentiles had no hope .

Eph 2:12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

Christ would have passed us by if not for his compassion.

The account of our Lord walking upon the water in Mark chapter six and Matthew chapter fourteen is a prophetic revelation of the current state of the world and the Savior’s intercession.

Mar 6:47-51 And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid. And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.

The toil of rowing is symbolic of man’s struggle in this life. The futility and hopelessness from cradle to grave
- The disciples had no hope of gaining any distance against such odds: “the wind was contrary unto them” verse 48. Satan is the “prince of the power of the air”; Eph 2:2
- We are a lavished generation living in a time when every comfort imagined is available to indulge in. It is hard to imagine the hardship of men and women’s lives prior to our own, let alone at the time of Christ’s advent. Though, from the very beginning, man was destined to work, the hardship and toil of life was not God’s original design for man. This was a result of sin.

Gen 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

The fourth watch of the night is a key to understanding God’s prophetic calendar.

We understand that 1000 years are represented by a day.
- 2Pe 3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
It is also referred to as a watch in the night
- Psa 90:4 For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.
- The 12 hours of dark are divided into 4 watches; the fourth ending at sunrise

Mat 4:16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.

The darkness shows the spiritual state of the world: both Jew and Gentile.

All of mankind is exemplified in this account. Though the Jew had the Oracles of God, they had apostate from it in part by the religious leaders who had added to it to suit their own end.

Mat 23:1 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,

Mat 23:2 Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat:

Mat 23:3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.

[For a more in depth study of the darkness, see the article:
How great is that darkness!]

Our Deliverer, though not affected by our storms, nonetheless, is touched by our infirmities.

“..and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them” verse 48

Eph 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

Eph 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

Eph 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

Eph 1:21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:

Eph 1:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church.

He first sees: verse 48. He then comes, assures the disciples, enters in fellowship, and calms the storm.

What the future holds for the world and its multitudes of lost people.

Just as it was at Christ’s first advent, the world will become darker, The winds of change, tribulation, and trials will blow harder, and men will continue to reject the light. Just as the disciples were afraid and thought that their salvation was just a ghost; Mark.6:49, the world will not comprehend nor understand that their salvation is nigh. They will even reject such hope and help; John 1:5. “darkness comprehended it not.”.

What can God’s people expect going forward.

We still have a Savior who is not affected by the storms; He is one who can speak peace to our troubled souls. He can also calm the storms of life. Jesus will do all that while condescending to our low estate.

Is Jesus in your boat? All mankind is on a journey called life in which their boat will one day reach that eternal shore. But for most of the world Jesus won’t be with them.

When engulfed by the terror of the tempestuous sea,-

Unknown waves before you roll;

At the end of doubt and peril is eternity,-

Though fear and conflict seize your soul:

When surrounded by the blackness of the darkest night,

O how lonely death can be;

At the end of this long tunnel is a shining light,

For death is swallowed up in victory!

But just think of stepping on shore-and finding it Heaven!

Of touching a hand-and finding it God’s!

Of breathing new air and finding it celestial!

Of waking up in glory-and finding it home!

Finally Home, By Don Wyrtzen and L. E. Singer

The Big Lie (The “Original” Greek)

by: Lacy Evans

2 Timothy 3:

But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them:
And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for instruction in righteousness:
That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

One only has to walk a few paces outside of the protective walls of his Bible Believing church to hear the Lie. Walk into nearly any Christian assembly and the Lie is being repeated there with vigorous emotion and “authority”. And sometimes (like today) I am ashamed that I have not continued to contend with the lie with the same zeal as I have in the past. My sword was so sharp once (by reason of use), so I write this little article to encourage those who once stood so boldly and confidently against the Lie to stir up the gift and contend again for the true Word of God.

The Lie to which I am referring deals with inspiration of Scripture. Most are not even aware of the issue; in fact the average proponent of this gross untruth has no idea what the implications of what he is saying are. Most simply parrot the popular catch phrases of the day without ever examining them critically. Here is the lie, the foundational issue of the whole debate over the inspiration of Scripture:

We believe the Holy Scriptures to be verbally inspired by God and are inerrant in the original writing, and that they are supreme and final authority in faith and life.

This innocent sounding little phrase (and others similar) is one of the most dangerous ideas ever to enter the house of God. It is found in the doctrinal statements of churches around the world. My Daddy used to ask me “if all your friends were jumping off a cliff, would you?” I am afraid that too many churches are jumping off the cliff into the darkness and confusion of modern textual criticism not because they have actually reasoned about it but instead because “everyone else is doing it”

We hear clichés like “It is closer to the ‘Original Greek’”, or “Literally this word in ‘The Greek’ means…” and too often Christians just fail to think about what meaning and implication those words actually carry.

I’ll get to the point.

There is not now and never has there been such thing as the “Original Greek”. It is a fable.
There is no Biblical premise for God having inspired “scripture” in the “original writings”
The same Holy Ghost who gave the pure words to Moses, Paul, Luke, etc. certainly is not so impotent that he cannot preserve the words pure.

The Misleading Myth of the “Original Greek”

Almost everywhere I go, I hear amateur (and professional) scholars talking about the “Original Greek”. It has become commonplace today (when discussing and studying the Bible) for folks to defer to their Strong’s concordance almost exclusively for “deeper insight” into the word. The precept seems sound enough. If we can go back to the “originals” we can get at the real truth of what the writer intended.

Aside from the fact that only a very few have really spent the years necessary to really understand an ancient dead language (I dare say no modern scholar on earth is as skillful and learned as the KJV translators were.), there is another major problem.

There is not just one “original Greek”. There are over 5000 existing manuscripts (copies) and no two agree. Let that sink in for a moment. (selah) Why would I bring this up? Most people I talk to seem to assume that there is a Bible in Greek that is the “original.” Not only is that not true. It has never been true at any time in man’s history.

Scholars refer to the actual pen and paper of Moses, Paul, etc. as autographs. These were the true “originals.” These originals are no longer extant (they no longer exist, having perished soon after their writing and subsequent repeated copings.) No translator of any Bible version ever saw even one of these “originals”. Years before the books were assembled into what we call canon (the closed list of books which we recognize to be scripture: Genesis-Revelation), long before they were put together within one cover and called “The Holy Bible”, the originals were gone. The autographs penned by Moses were gone before Jesus’ time and, the originals which Paul and Luke wrote were long gone before the final canon was settled upon.

The importance of this fact can be readily seen when a bit of “horse sense” is applied. The phrase “It is closer to the Original Greek” becomes either a very presumptuous statement or else an incredibly ignorant one. Unless we have a time machine, we have absolutely no way of knowing for certain what the “originals” (autographs) said. If therefore you believe that only the originals were inspired, perfect, and inerrant, then you have no inspired, perfect, and inerrant Bible on the earth, nor have you ever had. In case you think I’m building a straw man, let me quote a leading advocate of modern Bible versions and opponent of “King James only-ism” Mr. James R. White (The King James Only Controversy p. 36)

All of these things [scribal copy errors] contributed to the simple fact that there is not a single handwritten manuscript of the Bible in Greek or Hebrew that does not contain , somewhere, an error, an oversight, a mistake. To err is human.

Mr. White is at least man enough to admit that he believes this. Look long and hard at what he is saying. The next logical step when you surrender your Biblical definition of “scripture” is to deny that we have a perfect word.

(Hold fast the form of sound words) To err is human, according to White and all the others, but there is Someone else at work here. The sovereign Holy Spirit of God Almighty is able to preserve and keep his word pure.

Psalm12: 6. The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.7.Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.

Proverbs 22:20 Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge,

Isaiah 40:8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

1 Peter 1:25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

When you use the phrase “Original Greek”, know that it is (for all practical purposes) a useless cliché. I personally believe that the current worship of these “originals”(like a modern day bronze serpent) borders on Bibliolatry, (In case you missed it, that was sarcasm.)

The Biblical Definition of “Scripture”

The theory goes that when Paul, Mark, John, Moses etc, wrote their books that they were inspired, perfect, and inerrant. But then over the years, as man (weren’t Paul and Luke men?) got his grubby, mistake-prone hands in there, the scriptures were corrupted. So therefore the only place that the scriptures were ever inspired, perfect, and inerrant were right as they came off the writer’s pen.

This theory is not supported by one Bible verse. It’s just not!

Moses’ first “original” Ten Commandments were inspired, but so were the second “originals” written after he smashed the first against the mountain. Likewise the copies were inspired which Jesus quoted long after the stone tablets were destroyed. Common sense dictates that the originals were inspired. But read Jeremiah 36 and you will get a Biblical view of how God regards those “originals” God historically has allowed the original autographs to be destroyed and restored. This is a Biblical view of Preservation. {For a detailed discussion of this issue, see resurrection-the-biblical-method-of-preservation/}

We must return to a Biblical definition of the word “Scripture”. While various “scholars” have redefined the word to mean, “inspired in the original,” the Bible never even once calls an original autograph a scripture. When the Bible says “scripture”, it is always referring to copies. Notice again Paul’s words in 2 Timothy.

2 Timothy 3: 16. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

18. That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

Can anyone even conceive that Paul was referring to original autographs here? Did Timothy, from the time he was a child, study ancient autographs penned by Moses himself? Of course not! The scriptures “given by inspiration” in v.16 were the same copies of copies of copies which young Timothy studied as a child.

The doctrine that states, “the Holy Scriptures are verbally inspired by God and are inerrant in the original writing” is a dangerous extra-Biblical doctrine. Just browse through a few church doctrinal statements on the inter-net or pick up one from the back of a church. “We believe in the virgin birth” will be supported by scripture verses. “We believe in the death, burial and resurrection bodily of the Lord Jesus Christ” is also followed by a Bible verse or two. Then when you get to “We believe the Bible was inspired in the originals”, there is no verse. Can you honestly think of one? It is the Big Lie. Yea hath God said?

Timothy studied translations and copies. Jesus quoted from translations and copies. Many verses in the New Testament, penned in Greek, were translations in “the original” because the Old Testament from which the writers were quoting was a Hebrew book. In fact, the conversations between Moses and Pharaoh recorded in Exodus were translations in “the original.” Do you suspect that Pharaoh learned Hebrew to “accommodate” Moses? The conversation was no doubt in the language of Egypt but recorded in the “original” Exodus in Hebrew. In the Bible, the word scripture always refers to copies and translations. We don’t need originals. We need scripture.

The God Who Is There – Modern Textual Criticism is Deism

Psalms 138.2. I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

In high school, we learned about Deism. Deists believe that “God” created the universe then just left it to run on its own like a giant clock. Of course Christians who have known the loving hand of God in every detail of their life easily reject Deism as unbiblical. However to believe that God created the clock of his Word in the originals, and then just let it wind down throughout history, is very kin to classic Deism. God is the Author and Finisher. He has always inspired copies. He has always communicated to man. He can preserve his words as easily as he can speak a universe into existence. His arms are not so short that he cannot reach his people. Just a casual study of the Bible on the subject of God’s word reveals that He esteems and expects us to esteem) His word highly.

Isaiah 34:16 Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.

If the subject were Shakespeare, Josephus, Plato, or the book of II Maccabees, then it would stand to reason that some mistakes are possible. I (for one) could care a less whether Juliet says to Romeo, “Wherefore art thou?” or “Why are you?” She could even say, “Yo whazzup?” My point is that the Holy Bible is not just another book that we can play with. Did God promise to preserve it or not? It is a miraculous, living, holy book.

Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Luke 16:17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.

A Challenge To All Who Would Be As Men and Not As Children.

This is by no means an exhaustive treatise on this subject. Hundreds of men and women infinitely more qualified than myself have written extensively on the topic of Bible preservation. Please, I exhort you, read up on the KJV translators. Read about the significance of Westcot and Hort and their damnable heresies. Read the many Biblical challenges to the false science of modern textual criticism. Study about the fruit of the various Bible versions. Investigate for yourself just who is making money off of copyrighted Bible versions. Don’t be intimidated by men such as James White into hiding your head in the sand all in the name of “not being divisive.” God’s Word will divide. It is a sword! This issue is of such foundational significance that it cannot just be swept aside. We either have a 100% perfect, inerrant, inspired scripture or we don’t. Either we can trust a Book which the common man can hold in his hand and study, or we must trust the scribes, priests and scholars. Which is the Biblical view? (Jeremiah 8:7-9; Matthew 7:28-29; Matthew 23;13)

The biggest lie ever told was “Ye shall not surely die.” It was set up with the crafty question “Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” If the Devil can just get you to entertain doubt about God’s words, then his day’s work is practically over. When a preacher tells you that the Bible was only perfect in “the originals,” he is doing the Devil’s work. It inspires nothing but doubt, confusion and despondency. God’s pure, perfect, resurrected, holy words are found in one Book. The King James Bible.

I close with the last five verses of the King James Bible.

Revelation 22:

And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.