Abortion: Two Lies Equal One Truth

Abortion: Two Lies Equal One Truth
Vol: 21 Issue: 28 Wednesday, February 28, 2018

I received an email from a reader who took exception to my recent column, “Some Choice” and criticizing me for being insensitive to the plight of women who have had abortions in the past.

I will address that point a little later, but first, I wanted to address her comments about those who oppose abortion as being, ‘Christian moral bullies’.

A woman has a right to choose for herself, up to the moment of conception. From that point forward, her ‘choice’ results in the death of another human being. 

I don’t see how any amount of rhetoric can alter that essential fact. 

Or how it is assuming the role of ‘judge and jury’ to state the obvious. Unless there is another ‘truth’.

I don’t know how to state in a nice way that ‘pro-choice’ means, by definition, a woman’s right to choose to kill her baby. 

The rest is semantic spin, and NOT Christian ‘moral bullying’. The tiny forms being destroyed (without anesthetic) — some long after they become viable outside the womb — are human babies. 

How can that EVER be a ‘Christian’ rather than a human, observation? Was there ever a human who wasn’t a fetus? 

There is no time from the moment of my conception until this moment I have ever been anyone except ME. 

My potential existed from conception. Had I been injured in the womb, I would still bear the scars on my body today. Because it was MY body THEN, as well. 

The same applies to you. And also to those innocents being murdered in the womb as a matter of ‘choice’. It is indefensible to me as a human being. 

The fact the Bible confirms it is repugnant to God merely confirms what I know instinctively — not only Christians oppose abortion. 

On a practical, secular level, there are 65 million fewer Americans to pay into Social Security than would exist without the abortion holocaust. 

Most people with more than a decade to go before they can start collecting Social Security benefits have already done the math. It says there soon will be more retirees than workers and there will be no benefits for today’s workers to collect. 

That is not the fault of any political administration. Abortion was made legal by left-leaning judicial activists who allowed themselves to be persuaded by similarly left-leaning legal arguments. Those legal arguments continue to conceal the simplest of truths from the seemingly wisest of jurists. We killed off an entire generation. 

Which proves the truth of the Scripture; “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;” (1 Corinthians 1:27)

Framing abortion in terms of Christians vs. the world is a propaganda tactic designed to blur the central issue of debate from the incomprehensibly inhuman practice of murdering our young into a myriad of us against them, right against left, liberal against conservative, Christian against secular sub-issues. 

NOBODY talks about what abortion actually IS. Have you EVER considered why it is that showing a photograph of an aborted fetus is so repugnant that most Americans have never seen one? 

Or why a film that documented an actual abortion would be condemned as ‘right-wing, pro-lifer propaganda’? What species of being do the ‘left-wing pro-choice opponents’ belong to? Is it different than that of an aborted fetus? It is propaganda most foul, but it has blinded millions.

Abortion is a sin against nature. There are very few mammals in all nature who routinely destroy their young. The Apostle Paul described it as being ‘without natural affection’, which he said was a sign of the last days. (2nd Timothy 3:1-5) 

Abortion is a sin against the person upon whom it is committed. 

Abortion is a sin against the nation that has cost it the talents of an entire generation of Americans. 

Abortion is a sin against God because the Bible says it is. 

Assessment:

On the other hand, there are many, many women who had swallowed the lie that a fetus is merely a blob of unfeeling tissue, particularly since abortion is most prevalent among young women too young to realize the full consequences of their actions. 

And many of the young women who had abortions in the past are no longer innocent school girls, but mature women who have since come to see it in a different light. 

And the weight of their guilt is crushing, even after they have come to Christ. It is to them, and to those who would judge them, that I want to speak now. 

You are NOT guilty. 

That guilt is imposed and perpetuated by a Satanically-inspired lie designed to use that guilt to silence greater opposition to continuing the holocaust. That is one reason that abortion remains legal, despite the fact a majority of Americans oppose it. 

Guilt is a powerful motivator for silence. 

Deception is what the enemy does. Forgive is what God does. He forgives utterly, and completely. There is no residual guilt to those who have turned their lives over to Jesus. 

The Bible says that: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1st John 1:9) 

While abortion is a sin, it is as forgiven as any other sin at the Cross. God forgets it with a perfect forgetfulness. Both the sin, and the guilt, are covered by the Blood of Christ. 

Psalms 103:12 says, “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us.” 

The sins of our past were committed by the old creature; “Therefore if any man [or woman -ed.] be in Christ, he is a new creature: OLD THINGS ARE PASSED AWAY, AND BEHOLD, ALL THINGS BECOME NEW.” (2nd Corinthians 5:17) 

If a different spiritual creature was responsible, and ‘old things are passed away’, then how can the new creature bear its guilt? 

When Jesus said from the Cross, “It is finished” in our English translations, it was translated from the Greek ‘Tetelestai’, literally meaning, ‘paid in full’. 

Sin AND guilt. 

Hebrews 10:17-18 says of our sins being remitted by His Sacrifice on the Cross; “And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.” There is no need for further offering for sin. Jesus did it all, for all time, and, truly, “it is finished.”

“But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right Hand of God; From henceforth expecting till His enemies be made His footstool. FOR BY ONE OFFERING HE HATH PERFECTED THOSE WHO ARE SANCTIFIED.” 

Paul writes in Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” 

And Jesus Christ promised; “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My Word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” (John 5:24)

There is NO unforgivable sin, apart from the deliberate choice to reject the free offer of pardon paid for — in full — by Jesus Christ at the Cross. Any who come to the Cross and ask Jesus to forgive them for their sins can be assured that, not only has He forgiven them from their sins and cleansed them from all unrighteousness, but He has also assumed the full measure of guilt associated with it. 

So when one is Redeemed, even that sin is washed away, and that guilt is ‘put away’ forever. 

“Be merciful, O LORD, unto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto thy people of Israel’s charge. And the blood shall be forgiven them. So shalt thou put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the LORD.” (Deuteronomy 21:8-9) 

Just as abortion is a lie, so is the lifetime of guilt having an abortion often imposes. Guilt is what the enemy trades in. Don’t let the lie steal your victory! 

No sin is above another in God’s economy, and Jesus does NOT lie. Rejoice in your victory in Him and forgive yourself, as He has forgiven you. 

The enemy wants to keep you in chains of guilt. The Son came to set you free. 

“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36)

This Letter was written by Jack Kinsella on September 11, 2004

Featured Commentary: Prophets of Clay ~Wendy Wippel

Some ”Choice”

Some ”Choice”
Vol: 21 Issue: 27 Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Many Americans defend “choice” by denying that they are ”pro-abortion.” They claim that they are actually ”personally opposed” to abortion but don’t believe they have the right to take that ”choice” away from others.

This, for example is John Kerry’s position on abortion. Kerry said that he personally believes ‘life begins at conception’ but supports ‘a woman’s right to choose.’

Like all abortion supporters, he never finishes the sentence . . . ‘a woman’s right to choose — to KILL HER BABY!’

That abortion is an American holocaust of mind-bending proportions is no secret. Since 1973, at least fifty million Americans were destroyed in the womb by legalized abortions. Last year, the numbers reached 4,400 abortions per day — that’s 1.6 million per year.

Although the pro-abortion lobby claims abortions must be legal to protect the health of the mother, or in cases of rape or incest, statistics show that 99% of all American abortions were performed as a matter of the mother’s convenience.

Of the women having abortions, 79.4% are unmarried, 26.6% are teenagers, and 20% are “repeat customers”.

In a nutshell, abortion is the ‘choice’ to brutally, painfully, murder and dismember a human being in the womb. THAT is the ‘choice’ that well-meaning, but brainwashed Americans (even some American Christians) are reluctant to take away from others.

But frame the argument differently, and abortion would be outlawed by popular demand within hours.

Abortion ‘rights’ arise from the concepts of ‘states rights’ and ‘government neutrality’ — concepts that, under any other circumstances, are anathema to the liberal left.

‘States’ Rights’ advocates in fact once embraced the classic ‘pro-choice’ position: In the period leading up to the Civil War, ‘States Rights’ advocates argued that if abolitionists didn’t like slavery, their remedy was to not buy blacks.

They were infuriated at the idea that “n—— lovers” might be permitted to shove their racial morality down the throats of property owners who were only trying to defend their constitutional rights.

Whether the “choice” to victimize others is defined in terms of race, age, gender, or any other specious criterion, the concept of governmental “neutrality” on genocide is an intellectually dishonest myth.

Those who reject the applicability of this argument with regard to abortion generally do so because they don’t believe unborn babies are “persons.” But that is just what racists said about blacks.

Those who defend ‘choice’ by advocating government ‘neutrality’ on abortion should consider whether government ‘neutrality’ on race would really be ‘neutral.’

Consider: if the government suddenly withdrew legal protections for African Americans, would the government be ‘staying out of race’ or would it be taking the side of those who think the personhood of African Americans should be a matter of ‘personal choice?’

(Blacks were chosen for this example because of the historical application that is unique to the US. It applies equally to any other minority. Ask the Jews)

Try and picture the liberal lobbyists advocating the removal of ‘personhood’ status from, say, a convicted pedophile who preys on little kids. If killing a pedophile on the street were a matter of personal ‘choice’ — there wouldn’t BE any repeat offenders. He wouldn’t make it past the prison’s main gate.

Which is EXACTLY why the ACLU would be all over such an effort in a heartbeat — to protect the pedophile’s Constitutional right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Assessment:

Why would anyone take so heartless and intellectually dishonest a position as to accept the murder an unborn human being as a matter of ‘choice’?

In any other application imaginable, the very same lobbyists would be screaming ‘abolition!’ as loudly today as they did in 1860.

Those who promote abortion frame it in terms of ‘right-wing Christians’ vs. everybody else. The first association that comes to mind when one hears the phrase ‘pro-life movement’ are images of abortion protesters marching carrying signs saying “John 3:16“.

Prior to the advent of the modern use of double-speak, the phrase ‘pro-life movement’ would immediately be associated with the question; “There’s an ANTI-life movement?”

In point of fact, there are few ‘religions’ more ACCEPTING of abortion double-speak than mainstream Christianity. John Kerry is a Roman Catholic who supports abortion and enjoys wide-spread Catholic support. Judging from my emails, many other Christians also support John Kerry, despite his pro-abortion platform.

One lady emailed me and tore a strip off me for not being ‘Christian’ about John Kerry, etc., etc. before telling me that she was a Christian who supported his candidacy. I emailed her back and asked her what her position was on abortion?

She replied that I was asking her a trick question and not to email her further.

But this isn’t about John Kerry — he is merely a relevant example. It’s about how our advanced society can support killing our own kind, knowing all that we know, medically speaking.

The Bible forbids abortion. It identifies the child in the womb as being a person. John the Baptist recognized Jesus while both were still in the womb.

In Job 3:3, Job curses the day of his birth. “Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night which said, ‘A man-child is conceived’.”

The Bible teaches coherency between the individual born and the individual conceived. Job traced his personal history back beyond his birth to the very night of his conception.

Furthermore, Job described his conception in personal terms. Apparently, Job felt that the unborn child was just that — an unborn child. There is no abstract language for the “products of conception.” Instead, we uncover concrete language of humanity. We are ALL the products of conception.

Passages in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Luke record “a special event — the birth of a prophet.” While God had ordained these men, but this does not mean that their lives were more important than others.

God has a divine plan for everyone, and prophets are no more valued than judges, kings, or tax-collectors: “God shows personal favoritism to no man” (Galatians 2:6).

The stories recorded in the Bible are recorded for a reason. They are written so that we can apply them to our own circumstances. If God was involved in David’s life in the womb, He was involved in mine. If God protected Isaiah, He will protect me.

In all these verses we see that God places equal value on human life (by His involvement) at all stages, including prenatal life. As His creatures, we are defined by God. If this is true, then our personhood depends on Him, and we can see that in His opinion it begins at conception.

On the other hand, there is no biblical evidence of any kind that God places a lesser value on the life of the unborn child. We were ALL unborn children when Jesus went to the Cross for us.

Yet abortion is framed in terms of religion, not humanity, by the very humanists who eschew God in favor of the supremacy of man. To prove it, they are willing to conduct human sacrifices, while shaking their fists at God in defiance.

Tertullian wrote in the 3rd century (190-220 AD); “It does not matter whether you take away a life that is born, or destroy one that is coming to the birth. In both instances, destruction is murder” (Apology, 9.4)

Hence, ‘pro-life’ is framed as the exclusive domain of right wing Christians. But remove God from the equation, and abortion becomes a simple, biological equation that any idiot can figure out without a slide rule.

“If I was born, I was born alive from a womb where I must have already been alive in order to be born in the first place.” How hard is that to grasp?

Virtually every religion — and not just Judeo-Christianity — prohibits abortion, from the Buddhists to the Muslims. And there are many atheists and agnostics who are smart enough to figure out that they were once a fetus as well.

But those blinded by the pro-abortion lobby are generally those already at odds with God, the Bible and Christianity, including some mainstream religions. (The PCUSA comes to mind)

Supporting abortion is an act of mindless rebellion that is only palatable when framed in terms of religion vs. antireligion — few ever discuss it in terms of what it really is. They can’t.

There is nothing more natural than the affection between mother and child. Even in nature, most mammals will defend their young to their own deaths from predators.

In this generation, we know almost everything there is to know about the miracle of birth. We can even replicate it by cloning. We know more than ever about the unborn baby. We can take pictures of it in the womb. We can tell when it first responds to outside stimuli.

Tests have been conducted that show that the baby can recognize its mother’s voice while still in the womb, and in some cases, even the father’s. Babies in the womb jump when startled, react to changes in heat and cold and even exhibit emotional responses.

We KNOW all that. For certain. The very fact abortion is the subject of debate in this generation is concrete evidence of what Paul described as the perilous times of the last days.

Paul described a society ‘without natural affection’. (2st Timothy 3:3)

And, knowing ALL that we know in this modern era, whether or not killing our unborn is right or wrong is STILL a subject of a political debate wherein ‘natural affection’ is the exclusive domain of the ‘right wing Christian’.

Questions?

This Letter was written by Jack Kinsella on September 5, 2004

Featured Commentary: Did God Create Evil? Part 2 ~Steve Schmutzer

Why Study Prophecy?

Why Study Prophecy?
Vol: 21 Issue: 26 Monday, February 26, 2018

Using the broad stroke definition of Christianity as a ‘religion’ as compared to, say, Buddhism, Islam or Hinduism, Christianity is unique among the religions of the world in that it is the only one that can prove itself.

(I leave Judaism to one side for the purposes of this examination, since, if one proves the branch, the existence of the root is beyond dispute.  Christians accept the whole Bible, Old and New Testament, and it is that Bible that provides the evidence)

The study and presentation of the evidence that proves Christianity is called ‘apologetics’ — a word derived from the Greek ‘apologia’ meaning, ‘to defend’.

Apologetics, therefore, would most accurately described as an informed defense of the faith.  I say ‘informed’ because an uninformed defense is no defense at all.

Worse, it gives the advantage to the enemy.  Just because you can tell somebody else doesn’t know what they are talking about does not automatically mean that you do.

In this context, I use the term ‘enemy’ specifically to describe the spirit behind those who attack the Scriptures, not the actual person being used to do it.  The lost are enemies to the Gospel, but they are not my personal enemies.  They are my potential brothers and sisters in Christ.

I approach from the perspective they are not ‘wrong’ in classic sense, they are simply forming conclusions on inaccurate information. They believe they are right, but their conclusions are formed based on the absence of evidence for the existence of God.

To take on the challenge of ‘proving’ there is no God, the unbeliever takes to himself the logically impossible task of proving a negative.  Because one cannot see God does not mean He does not exist.  One can’t see air, but it exists.  One can’t see gravity, but it exists.

Both, although invisible, exist, and that existence can be proved using empirical evidence.  The same applies to both the existence of God and His intimate involvement in the affairs of men.

Bible prophecy is a particularly powerful evidence of the existence of God, especially to this generation.  To the degree that Bible prophecy can be measured, it has proved itself 100% accurate, 100% of the time.

There are skeptics that will search out some reference that they assign a value of being ‘prophecies’ and then attempt to prove they were unfulfilled.  Once again, they’ve taken on the impossible task of proving a negative.  If it IS a prophecy, then, until the world ends, how can one say it hasn’t been fulfilled?

This is a clue as to whether one is defending the faith or flailing in the wind.  The determined unbeliever will abandon logic in his efforts to win an argument.

There is no more to be gained in continuing that debate than there is in debating the circumference of the earth with a member of the Flat Earth Society.  There is no foundation of logic upon which to continue the debate.

There is no possible way for anyone to know the future in the manner in which the Bible outlines it.  I’ve heard pretty much all the arguments . . . “What if some future society developed time travel and went back to the past? . . . seemingly turning things around and asking that YOU prove a negative.

Bible prophecy is not simply predictions of future events, it is a detailed outline of how the endless variables come together to make those events come to be.  It is beyond the capacity of any human being, or group of human beings.

It is history, written in reverse, a unfolding series of events that come together in the exact pattern necessary to bring about a particular outcome.  It deals, not just with the history of nations, but with obscure individual lives.

“Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done,” is how God describes it. (Isaiah 46:10)

The human writers of Scripture were kings, shepherds, drifters, slaves and sinners.  They came from different parts of the world at different times, in an era when libraries were few and far between.  Yet each book fits cohesively into the next, cross referencing one another as if written by a single individual.

Prophecies uttered by one prophet were confirmed by another, in some cases, without one knowing what the other had written.

In every generation since the Bible was completed, there have been students, thinkers and philosophers as dedicated to the truth as any alive in this generation.  For two thousand years, the debate has raged over the truth of the Bible.

In all those generations, among all those skeptics, in all those debates, with all those scholars, not one single point in Scripture has ever been disproved.

Assessment:

If there were some thinker or philosopher of history who had conclusively disproved a single point in Scripture, he would have been the most famous thinker of all time.  He would have been the one who proved God does not exist, since everything we know of God comes from the Bible and the Bible says of itself that its seal of authenticity is its accuracy.

“Every word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him.” (Proverbs 30:5)

Bible prophecy is God’s signature.  It is empirical evidence that God is real, and that He keeps His promises.

“I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.” (Isaiah 45:19)

Then God issues the following challenge;

“Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save. Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside Me.” (45:20-21)

Bible prophecy is given to us as a tool of apologetics — evidence directly from God for use in the practice of the defense of the faith. Too often, it becomes a kind of Christian ‘parlor trick’ — and I don’t mean that unkindly.

It is easy to get caught up in the wonder of witnessing the fulfillment of Bible prophecy before our eyes — the ‘gee whiz’ factor is exciting stuff. But the purpose of Bible prophecy isn’t to amaze or entertain believers. It is to convict the lost of the certainty of accountability before a Living God and lead them to the Throne of Grace.

Since it is impossible to prove a negative, God has provided us with positive evidence specifically designed for use by this generation.

“Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” (Matthew 24:34)

“Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of His coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, BY THE SAME WORD are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” (2nd Peter 3:3-7)

The same Word of prophecy that predicted the Flood and saved Noah and his family will be fulfilled as literally in this generation as it was in Noah’s.

The evidence that we are on the brink of catastrophe is not lost on the world.  Bible prophecy was given the Church as evidence this is a controlled catastrophe, so we might introduce the lost to the Controller — while there is still time.

This Letter was written by Jack Kinsella on February 22, 2006

Featured Commentary: Tying it All Together: Into the Gap ~Pete Garcia

The Living Word

The Living Word
Vol: 21 Issue: 24 Saturday, February 24, 2018

The Apostle Paul outlined the various spiritual gifts, like charity, teaching, miracles, helps, faith, tongues, prophecy and knowledge, service, leadership, giving, evangelism, pastor,hospitality and celebacy.

Ever notice that nobody ever argues that if you don’t have the gift of leadership, you probably aren’t saved? Or if you don’t have the gift of hospitality, you’ve never undergone the Baptism of the Holy Spirit?

But some Christians believe that if they don’t speak or pray in tongues or can interpret tongues or prophesy over someone or something, then they do not have the Holy Spirit.

Paul specifically addresses three particular gifts — and these three only — this way:

“. . .whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.” (1st Corinthians 13:8)

But believers will practically come to blows over the gifts of tongues, prophecy, knowledge and interpretation and their relevance to the Church today. I find it interesting that the giftings claimed by so many believers are the spectacular ones, like tongues.

Why tongues and not service? Or prophecy. Why prophecy and not charity? Or the ubiquitous ‘word of knowledge’ TV preachers often claim during their broadcasts. Why knowledge and not helps?

Paul goes on to explain these gifts in their proper context:

“For we know in part and we prophesy in part. . . .”

As one of the principle teachers of the early Church Paul was given Divine revelation together with the gift of prophecy to establish his credentials and his authority to teach. The Apostles established their credentials and authority by virtue of their gifts of knowledge and miracles.

There is a story in the Book of Acts that illustrates what I mean.

Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the LORD Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. . . .And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?”

The evil spirit then attacked all seven of them, who fled the house naked and bleeding . .

“And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the Name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.” (Acts 19:13,15,17)

The Apostles were given gifts useful to their specific mission, which was to plant the seeds of the early Church and establish its basic doctrine to equip it for its own mission of bringing others to Christ.

The ‘vagabond Jews’ attempted to usurp spiritual gifts to magnify their own reputations, to glorify themselves. The use of the spiritual gifts imparted by the Holy Spirit cannot help but glorify the Name of Jesus. Unless they are used to bring attention to the recipient.

Returning to the context of the gifts, the Apostles knew, in part, because they had been instructed by the Lord. They prophesied, in part, because prophecy literally means to speak the Word of God under Divine inspiration — and not necessarily about the future.

“But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.” (1st Corinithians 13:10)

Assessment:

Once again, I call your attention to the particular gifts that are the ones that cause all the controversy. Prophecy, tongues, knowledge, miracles, etc.

Then, there are the gifts that nobody wants to fight over; helps, hospitality, service. . . doesn’t that speak to you on some subliminal level?

“For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” (1st Corinthians 14:33)

Why are tongues and knowledge and miracles and prophecy so important to this generation? Paul says of tongues:

“If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?” (1st Corinthians 14:23)

That seems blindingly self-evident to me. Unbelievers see some guy on TV speaking in tongues and they think he’s nuts and switch the channel. New believers try to speak in tongues and can’t and wonder what is wrong with them?

It seems counterproductive to insist that gifts that scare off unbelievers and discourage new believers are a necessary part of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Paul says when that which is perfect is come in that which is in part shall be done away. What is ‘perfect’ in this world? Does the Bible give any hints?

“For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

The word rendered ‘quick’ in Hebrews 4:12 is translated from the Greek word ‘zao’ which means ‘alive’. The Word of God is alive, which is why it is able to speak to all generations with equal clarity.

What is the purpose for the Bible?

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” (2nd Timothy 3:16-17 )

Are tongues and miracles and knowledge and prophecy for today? I am not one to limit God, so I am not going to say that they are not. I don’t live in China or Russia or North Korea where there is no access to God’s Word.

I will say I tried to pray in tongues. I couldn’t. And when I’ve heard people speak in tongues in church, I’ve been unimpressed — I’ve yet to hear anybody do more than repeat a relative handful of unintelligible word-like sounds.

I’ve met many a discouraged Christian who tried to experience the ‘baptism of the Holy Spirit’ and failing in that effort, despaired of their salvation. And I’ve heard many an unbeliever scoff at Christianity after watching some miracle-working TV preacher.

I don’t know if my experience is unique, but that is what my experience has been, and to pretend otherwise is dishonest.

To summarize our discussion on this topic, I believe that all the spiritual gifts are still in operation today but that some are more often claimed than are actually given.

I believe that the Bible teaches that certain of those gifts are conditional — when that which is perfect (the Bible) is come, that which was in part was done away.

But I also know that some of us have that which is perfect (the Bible) and some of us (like North Korean Christians) do not. Who am I to limit God?

I believe that the Scriptures teach that all spiritual gifts are for the glorification of God, and not for the glorification of the recipient of that particular gift.

That’s what I believe. But I am just a man with a Bible — I’m not a prophet and I’m not infallible. I could be wrong — that’s why we have discussion forums. To discuss such things and thereby increase our understanding.

“Who 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. . . . Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.” (Romans 15:4-5b)

This Letter was written by Jack Kinsella on August 18, 2009

”Are you a Calvinist?”

”Are you a Calvinist?”
Vol: 21 Issue: 23 Friday, February 23, 2018

I get that question all the time.  And it is almost always in the form of an accusation.  It is also almost always asked in relationship to one of two doctrines espoused by Calvin, predestination and eternal security.

John Calvin (Jean Cauvin) was an influential French theologian at the time of the Reformation.

Calvin broke with the Roman Catholic Church around 1530 and fled to Basel, Switzerland where he published his reasoning in a work entitled ‘Institutes of the Christian Religion’.

Calvin developed what are now called the ‘Five Points of Calvinism’ under the acronym TULIP:

• Total Depravity of Man: The doctrine that unregenerate man is incapable of living a sinless life.
• Unconditional Election:  God chooses to save people unconditionally; that is to say, they are not saved on the basis of their own merit.
• Limited atonement:  Christ died for the purpose of saving the elect.
• Irresistible Grace: When God chooses to save someone, that person will come to Christ.
• Perseverance of the Saints: This is the doctrine of eternal security, or ‘once saved, always saved’.

Calvinism is one of two schools of thought within Protestant theology.  If one claims the title of ‘Protestant’, one is either a Calvinist or an Arminian.

Arminianism is the other model within mainstream Protestantism.  It is named for Jacob Arminius, a Dutch contemporary of Calvin. Arminianism does not advance ideas of its own, but draws its doctrine from its opposition to Calvinism. 

Are you an Arminian?

• Arminius rejects Unconditional Election in favor of Prevenient Grace. Prevenient, or prevenial grace is that grace extended by God to the unsaved. 
• Arminius rejects the doctrine of irresistible grace.  A person is equally free to reject the call.
• Arminianism rejects predestination and dispensationalism.
• It rejects unconditional election.
• It rejects limited atonement, arguing that it was made on behalf of all people, not just the elect.
• Believers can sin their way out of salvation.

What did you decide?  Are you a Calvinist?  Or an Arminian?  Or did you find yourself hovering somewhere between the two?  Is that even possible?  What does it mean?

Are you hopelessly confused?

If you are a bedrock Calvinist or a bedrock Arminian, then you probably self-identify with a recognized Protestant denomination; Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, etc.

Calvinism and Armnianism are not the basic doctrines of Christianity; rather they are the basic doctrines of Protestantism.  That is both a distinction and a difference. 

One can be a Protestant without being a Christian, just as one can be a Catholic without being a Christian.

And one can be a Christian and not be either a Catholic or a Protestant.  

Assessment:

Sometimes they are derided as ‘Fighting Fundies’ or just plain old ‘born-agains’ — and most also qualify as prophecy nuts. For my part, I’m neither a Calvinist nor an Arminian.   I’m just a Christian with a Bible.

• I believe in the depravity of man because the Bible says all men since Adam are born sinners.
• I believe in predestination because 27% of the Bible is prophecy – that is to say, certain sequences of events are predestined – there is no other way to understand it. (Romans 8:29)
• I believe in dispensationalism because the Bible says history is divided by dispensations. (1^st Corinthians 9:17, Ephesians 1:10, 3:2, Colossians 1:25)
• I believe that God foreknew who would be saved and that He predestined them to be conformed to the image of His Son because that’s what the Bible says.

And I believe that the Bible lays out twelve undertakings of God concerning salvation, any one of which are sufficient to prove eternal security is a Bible doctrine, not a religious one.

There are four undertakings related to the Father:

1. The Sovereign Purpose and Unconditional Covenant: (John 3:16, 5:24, 6:37)
2. The infinite power of God to set free and to save: (John 10:29, Romans 4:21, 8:31, 38-39, 14:4, Ephesians 1:19-21, 3:20, Philipians 3:21, 2^nd Timothy 1:12, Hebrews 7:25, Jude 1:24)
3. The infinite love of God: (Romans 5:7-10; Ephesians 1:4)
4. The Father’s acceptance of the prayer of the Son of God (John 17:9-12,15,20)

There are four undertakings related to the Son:

1. His substitutionary death: (Romans 8:1, 1st John 2:2)
2. His Resurrection: (John 3:16, 10:28, Ephesians 2:6)
3. His advocacy in Heaven: (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 9:24;1^st John 2:1-2)
4. His Shepherdhood and intercession: (John 17:1-26, Romans 8:34, Hebrews 7:23-25)

There are four undertakings related to the Holy Spirit:

1. Spiritual regeneration – partaking of the Divine nature: (John 1:13, 3:3-6, Titus 3:4-6, 1^stPeter 1:23, 2nd Peter 1:4, 1^st John 3:9)
2. Indwelling Presence: Jesus promised He would abide and indwell believers until Jesus comes for them: (John 7:37-39, Romans 5:5, 8:9, 1^st Corinthians 2:12, 6:19,1^st John 2:27)
3. Baptism – through which the believer is joined to Christ: (1^st Corinthians 6:17, 12:13, Galatians 3:27)
4. The Sealing of the Spirit: (Ephesians 1:13-14, 4:30)

Any one of these twelve undertakings is sufficient to guarantee eternal security to the believer.  There can be no genuine distinction between salvation and eternal security, since by definition, eternal salvation is the only kind there is.

I’ve given you a lot of verses and provided links that you can follow to see the context in which they were written. 

The Bible doesn’t contradict itself. Don’t let anybody steal your victory with a bunch of religious claptrap about Calvinism and tulips and Arminius.  Religion never saved anybody.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways, acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

This Letter was written by Jack Kinsella on October 20, 2010

Featured Commentary: Are You a Red Letter Christian? ~Alf Cengia

The Trial

The Trial
Vol: 21 Issue: 22 Thursday, February 22, 2018

During the thousand year Millennial Reign, the earth will be populated by ordinary, living, breathing humans, some of whom survived the Tribulation Period, together with those who will be born (in the usual manner) during the Kingdom Period.

The human lifespan will return to what it was in the days of Adam, but they will be mortal humans in the sense that, even with Satan bound, men will still die, and sin will still exist;

“There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.”

Further proving that the inhabitants of the Kingdom Period are ordinary humans; they will need food, and shelter, and to get it, they will have to work for a living, even as they enjoy an extended lifespan:

“And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them.” (Isaiah 65:21-22)

Coinhabiting the earth with mortal humans, Scripture tells us, are the immortal resurrected dead.

“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.” (Revelation 20:4-5)

Notice two key points John makes in this passage. 

First, those being addressed are undeniably those who came out of the Tribulation. And second, John says that, AFTER the Tribulation, (in which they were beheaded) they both live AND reign with Christ for the full thousand years. 

This passage is often used as a proof text to argue in favor of a post-Tribulation Rapture. After all, they are clearly those who endured the Tribulation. And if it is the ‘first’ resurrection, then it must take place concurrent with the Rapture. 

That seems to make sense, until you look at the passage again. Those referenced there are ONLY those who came out of the Great Tribulation. 

Church Age believers and the Old Testament saints are not mentioned, since they have already received their resurrection bodies. (Matthew 19:28, Daniel 12, Job 19:25)

“Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:6)

Revelation 20:4-6 mentions a “first resurrection” and identifies those involved as “blessed and holy.” The second death (the lake of fire, Revelation 20:14) has no power over these individuals. 

But how does one have two ‘first’ resurrections; the first at a pre-Trib Rapture, and the second at the end of the Tribulation Period? 

Actually, the Bible identifies the ‘first resurrection’ as occurring in four stages, not two. 

The first resurrection, in general, is the raising of all believers from all ages. 

It corresponds with Jesus’ teaching of the “resurrection of the just” (Luke 14:14) and the “resurrection of life” (John 5:29). 

And it clearly takes place in various stages; the first was Jesus Christ Himself two thousand years ago. 

He was the ‘Firstfruits’ (1 Corinthians 15:20) Who prepared the way of salvation for those who Trust Him during the Church Age. 

The second stage involved the resurrection of the saints of Jerusalem;

“And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after His resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.” (Matthew 27:52-53).

Stage three is the resurrection of the “dead in Christ” followed by the Rapture of “we which are alive and remain” at the Lord’s return for His Church at the conclusion of the Church Age. (1st Thessalonians 4:17) 

And finally, the resurrection of the martyrs at the conclusion of the final seven years of the Age of the Law. (Revelation 20:4, Daniel 9:24) 

All these groups are part of the ‘first resurrection’ upon whom the ‘second death’ (in the lake of fire) will have ‘no power’. 

There is no inconsistency between resurrection of the saints at the conclusion of the Church Age, followed by a separate resurrection of the martyrs at the conclusion of the Tribulation,anymore than there is an inconsistency between the Resurrection of Christ followed by the separate resurrection of the O. T. saints in Jerusalem. 

From the Resurrection of Jesus to the resurrection of the Tribulation martyrs and O.T. saints (Daniel 12:13); it is all part of the general ‘first’ resurrection of the dead in four stages, each of which is clearly separated according to Scripture to a specific purpose in the overall Plan of God. 

The second resurrection, then, is the raising of all unbelievers; the second resurrection is connected to the second death. It corresponds with Jesus’ teaching of the “resurrection of damnation” (John 5:29).

The event which divides the first and second resurrections is the millennial kingdom. 

The last of the righteous are raised to reign “with Christ a thousand years” (Revelation 20:4), but the “rest of the dead [that is, the wicked] lived not again until the thousand years were finished.” (Revelation 20:5).

As part of understanding Scripture’s outline of the overall Plan of God, consider the various epochs of human history from the perspective of the angels who did NOT join the rebellion, and who, by nature, have no understanding of what sin really is or how it really works.

“Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; WHICH THINGS THE ANGELS DESIRE TO LOOK INTO.” (1st Peter 1:12)

We are a mystery to the angels. The Bible says they are charged with ministering to us, but that one day, they will be judged BY us. (1st Corinthians 6:3)

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with SO GREAT A CLOUD OF WITNESSES, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,” (Hebrews 12:1)

Isaiah 14 introduces us to the first outbreak of sin in the universe.

“For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.”

For his sin of arrogance, God pronounced judgement on Lucifer, the most honored of His angels, and those rebellious angels who followed him;

“Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.” (Isaiah 14:12-15)

The existence of humanity is often described by theologians as the ‘trial of Satan’. 

The courtroom is Planet Earth, with Jesus as the Righteous Judge, the angels as witnesses, and with sinful mankind serving as evidence. It is more than just the trial of Satan. Sin itself is on trial. 

Lucifer, called in Scripture, “the anointed cherub that covereth” was highly favored of God; “and I have set thee so” (Ezekiel 28:14) Isaiah 14:14 defines that first sin as, “I will” — the sin of pride.

The trial is to prove what ‘one little sin’ can do — the classic ‘slippery slope’ scenario. 

The trial opens with Exhibit 1 — Adam and Eve. They are placed in a perfect environment and given only one command — to avoid the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. They fail — and man inherits a sin nature. 

Exhibit 2 –Man is allowed free reign until the Flood — the so-called “Age of Conscience”. Without Divine interaction or instruction, society becomes so sinful and corrupt that God saves Noah and his family alive and destroys the rest in the Flood.  

Exhibit 3 – During the Age of the Patriarchs, God spoke directly to chosen individuals; Abraham, Noah, Lot, etc. Each, even having spoken directly with God, commit some heinous sin.

Having gone from one commandment (the Age of Innocence) to no commandments at all (the Age of Conscience) to direct confrontation,(the Age of the Patriarchs) God progresses to giving mankind the Ten Commandments (the Age of the Law).

Not one person ever kept all ten of them throughout his lifetime, no matter what the circumstances. (David, for example, broke all ten of them.)

Exhibit 4 — The Age of the Law, during which time the Commandments of God became so corrupted and perverted that it became necessary to scrap the whole system and replace it with the Age of Grace.

To accomplish that God Himself stepped out of space and time, took on the form of sinful man, kept the Law on our behalf, and paid the price for our sin. (Death) 

In so doing, He made a way for all mankind to be saved by faith through grace. 

But most of mankind rejects even the free offer of grace, preferring a life of unregenerate sin. 

That constitutes Exhibit 5 — and it must make the angelic witnesses gasp in disbelief. 

From the perspective of the angelic witness, then, ‘one little sin’ has thus far brought mankind to the point it is today. So far, God has given sin every opportunity to prove itself worthy of its wages.

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23)

Exhibit 6 — The Age of Grace concludes at the Rapture. The Rapture removes the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit, giving Satan (and sin) free reign for seven years. And the end result is the near-destruction of all human life. 

Jesus then returns at the 2nd Coming, binds Satan for a thousand years, and reigns Personally from Jerusalem. 

Mortal humanity has no excuse, He is right there, in Person, for all to see. 

Satan’s influence is restrained, lifespans are extended, there are no more wars, famine or poverty, and humankind is returned to the Eden-like state from which it began. 

With God Himself on the Throne of human government, ruling with a rod of iron for a thousand years, Satan is loosed for ‘a little season’.

“And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.”

The mortal humans who have lived in a state of God-given idyllic bliss for a thousand years, under the influence of Satan, raise an army to bring against the King of Kings and Lord of Lords Himself. Exhibit 7. 

Sin is judged according to its works.

“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.”

This is the SECOND resurrection. Unlike the first resurrection, it has only one phase.

“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.” 

“And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:10-12,14)

In the overall Plan of God, as outlined in Scripture, everything has a purpose. There are no omissions, no errors, and no inconsistencies. 

From Genesis to Revelation, a central theme of Scripture is that sin is the cause of death, and will ultimately be eradicated from existence, together with all those who “received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” (2nd Thessalonians 2:12)

Praise the Lord for that OTHER central theme of Scripture.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

This Letter was written by Jack Kinsella on April 14, 2005

Featured Commentary: The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre ~J.L. Robb

You Were A Baby Once Don t Be Scared

You Were A Baby Once Don t Be Scared
Vol: 21 Issue: 21 Wednesday, February 21, 2018

“And when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)

And some nineteen hundred and seventy-seven years later, we’re still gazing up into heaven and awaiting the fulfillment of that Promise.  It’s been awhile since we revisited the Big Picture.  As we prepare to celebrate the occasion of our salvation, the signs of our redemption are everywhere.

When asked by His disciples, “What will be the sign of Thy coming and of the end of the world?”  Jesus outlined a sequence of events that began to unfold in the early part of the 20th century.

“And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.” (Matthew 24:6-7)

But then He pauses, saying, “All these are the beginning of sorrows.”   The phrase, “beginning of sorrows” was carefully chosen by the Holy Spirit – it described the same thing in 1st century Israel as it described in 11th century Libya or in 21st century New York.

The Greek phrase arche odin, translated ‘beginning of sorrows’ could also be translated as ‘commencement of birth pangs’ – a sign easily recognizable to all peoples of all cultures in all times.

Birth pangs, once they’ve started, continue to grow in frequency and intensity.  Once they start, there’s no stopping them.  And, although they are excruciatingly painful, they hold the promise of great joy to come.

I’ve witnessed the amazing transformation personally.   During labor, it’s all, “You did this to me!” and “This is it!  I’m never going through this again!”

Witnessing it (and being the craven coward that I am) I not only had no doubt of the sincerity of her promise, I heartily agreed.

If it was me, it would only happen once.  And if I witnessed it beforehand . . . well, it’s a good thing for the human that women have the babies — or it would have ended with Cain.

There never would have been an Abel.

Assessment:

Witnessing the outline of Bible prophecy as unfolds is, on many levels a terrifying experience.

Speaking for myself, I can say without equivocation that there are times when “looking after the things that are coming upon the earth as the powers of heaven are shaken” before my very eyes terrifies me.

The outline of Bible prophecy is a litany of travail and sorrow and pain that, in the end, brings forth a new existence so glorious that the pain and sorrow fade into irrelevancy.   But that is then.   We are in the now.

Knowing that it will be better then helps – but now is when the economy is teetering on the brink, the Middle East is on the brink of exploding into potentially nuclear war, as Western civilization — oblivious — continues to slide into the abyss.

But unfolding Bible prophecy is not doom and gloom, anymore than going into labor is doom and gloom.  The fear is more is analogous to the fear of major surgery – you know its necessary and it will improve your situation – but still, you know it’s going to hurt.

“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.”  (1st Corinthians 2:9)

Ok, but even though the benefits are beyond imagination, the parts we can imagine are scary.  Earthquakes, famines, wars, pestilences, solar anomalies, fear; of climate change, killer asteroids, weapons of mass destruction, social collapse . . . these are hardly things to look forward to.

The analogy of birth pangs extends from the travail of the mother to the situation of the baby being brought forth.   The baby is quite comfortable in his environment – it is all he knows.

It is warm, dark, safe and protected.  The baby’s needs are all met in the womb and from his perspective, it is the perfect universe.

Until suddenly, his universe starts to heave and buckle and collapse around him, expelling him into a painfully bright, noisy world where the first sensation to greet him is pain.

He is rudely snatched from his universe by his head, slapped on the behind, cut from his umbilical cord and, shivering with cold, enters his new form of existence.  But having experienced this existence, returning to the dark warmth of the womb would seem a living death.

On the other end of this existence, it happens all over again.  We are forced, reluctantly and painfully, into this life.  And on the other end, we are just as reluctantly and painfully forced out.

“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18)

But during this present time, like the baby in the womb, this is all we know.  As we count down together towards the day of the Promise,  things will only get scarier.  It’s natural to be scared from time to time  — even for Christians. 

Don’t let being scared scare you into thinking your faith is weak.

“Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.” (Proverbs 3:25-26)

Maranatha!

This Letter was written by Jack Kinsella on April 2, 2010

Featured Commentary: There’s No Place Like Home ~Wendy Wippel

Where Life is Beautiful All The Time. . .

Where Life is Beautiful All The Time. . .
Vol: 21 Issue: 20 Tuesday, February 20, 2018

A report released in 2011 by the CDC found that the use of antidepressants by Americans is up by more than four hundred percent since 1988.

The CDC reports that one person in ten is on some form of antidepressant medication.  The CDC conducted the study between 2005 and 2008 and polled more than 12,000 subjects 12 years and older.

The report found that women are two and a half times more likely to be taking antidepressant drugs than men and that women between the ages of 40 and 59 are the most likely to be in search of better living through chemistry.

One child in every twenty-five between the ages of 12 and 17, according to the CDC, regularly takes prescription antidepressant drugs, but the bulk of those depressed enough to require medication are between the ages of 18 and 40.

More white people are depressed than other racial groups; 14% of all whites are on antidepressant drugs, whereas only four percent of blacks and three percent of Hispanics are too depressed to function without drugs.

Of those taking antidepressant drugs, the CDC found that 6.4% weren’t clinically depressed and that seventy-five percent of all prescriptions written for antidepressant drugs were written by health care practitioners other that mental health professionals.

And then there is the most amazing finding of all, at least, from my perspective.  Among those who really need antidepressant drugs, sixty-six percent — fully two-thirds – don’t take them.

It is the ones that can see clearly enough to know they aren’t crazy that are gobbling them up like candy.

Assessment:

“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.” (Luke 21:25-26)

This verse isn’t just about extra-terrestrial signs in the sun, moon and stars.  It’s about fear.  The “distress of nations, with perplexity.”  Jesus said that men’s hearts would fail them “for fear” — because that is the real sign of the last days. 

Why would men’s hearts fail them for fear?  Are YOU so afraid of the signs of the Lord’s coming that you need to take drugs to mask that fear?

Or are you watching the signs of the times with eager anticipation of the Lord’s soon return?

I admit that sometimes I get a little afraid, but that fear is quickly dissipated when I step back and take a look at what I am afraid of.  I am “afraid” of the signs pointing to the day Christians have waited for since Paul wrote the Thessalonians to tell them that they hadn’t missed it.  

I am “afraid” the Lord will keep His Word.  But I’d be a lot more afraid if I didn’t know He was coming.

I am willing to bet that the Apostles were also a little afraid when they were facing martyrdom.  It is one thing to BE dead.  How you get that way is of considerable concern, even if you knowwhat happens next.

But that is not the same thing as the kind of all-consuming fear that results in one person in ten on Prozac.

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

Imagine that you are an atheist.  You don’t believe that there is a God.  You scoff at the concept of a Divine Plan. 

According to your worldview, humanity is the supreme being and you rely on the wisdom of the masses to bring order out of chaos.  As an atheist, you believe that man is basically good, and it is that basic goodness that is responsible for law and order and social morality.

Now, looking out from that perspective, what do you see?  High unemployment continuing on for years, maybe decades.  The great unwashed demanding the government tax employers out of business.  Runaway crime as the economic situation worsens.

The eventual collapse of the ecology; global warming, (or global cooling), the potential for solar flares wiping out the electrical grid, the possibility of world war, even the use of nuclear weapons. 

And most of all, the sense that not only is the world moving in the wrong direction, it is careening out of control.  If only Obama had been what everybody expected him to be.  But instead of hope, he offers nothing but hopelessness; more unemployment, more civil unrest, more class warfare.

No wonder one American in ten is on anti-depressants!  (Including many Christians.)

The fear is palpable — and it is spreading.

They have good reason to be afraid.  The only place they can look to for hope is the government.   If not this government, some other government.  And if not this leader, then some new leader, as long as he isn’t a ‘capitalist’ (meaning “Christian” or “Jew”).

Fear breeds loathing.  Loathing breeds persecution.  Persecution breeds terror.  Terror looks for a savior.

According to the Bible, the savior the world is awaiting is the antichrist.  The conditioning process preparing the world for his appearance has only accelerated since the turn of the 21st century. 

What seemed possible ten years ago appears unavoidable today.

He is out there right now, waiting for his cue.  But the world isn’t quite fearful enough to buy what he is selling.  Not yet.  The Church is still here.   And the world still has an ample supply of Prozac.

But other than that, the world is ready.  More than ready. 

Eager, even.

This Letter was written by Jack Kinsela on October 20, 2011

Featured Commentary: Did God Create Evil? ~Steve Schmutzer

Quite the Mysterion

Quite the Mysterion
Vol: 21 Issue: 19 Monday, February 19, 2018

Of all the things that are certain about life, the most certain thing of all is that none of us will get out of it alive.   But what about the Rapture, you ask?

Those alive at the Rapture do not experience physical death, but by every standard of measure we have for physical life, they don’t arrive in heaven any more alive than do saints who died in the fifth century.

In his first letter to the Church at Corinth, Paul writes;

“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.”

There is a lot of information packed into those few words.  First, the use of the word mystery (mysterion). It means, a ‘hidden thing’ or ‘hidden purpose or counsel of God.’ 

Paul chose that word carefully to make an impact upon his audience. Words have a dictionary meaning but could mean something entirely different within the cultural context.  

Suppose you are some future historian trying to translate ancient 21^st English.  How would you translate the following two sentences?

1. She wore a gay smile as they danced across the ballroom. 
2. Everyone at the dance was gay.

In the Greek of Paul’s day, mysterion was primarily understood to mean a religious secret confided only to the initiated and withheld from ordinary mortals. Such secret religious sects were typical of the ancients, both Roman and Greek.

In English, it doesn’t carry quite the same primary meaning.  We hear ‘mystery’ and we think of whodunits or unexplained events.   A mysterion was a revelation – a secret revealed by God to special initiates who would ‘get’ it.  

Contextually then, we would understand a mysterion as someone who had been ‘read into’ a secret, like a 33^rd degree Mason or a high-level Homeland Security agent.  

It is important to understand what mystery means in context, since it is only used about eighteen times in the King James Bible.  It doesn’t mean it is too complicated for you to understand.  It doesn’t mean that is hidden from you.  

Whenever you see it, you need to recognize that you are being “read into” some top secret counsel of God — completely unintelligible to anyone other than those to whom it is intended.

“But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:” (1 Corinithians 2:7)

The mystery isn’t ‘mysterious’ at all.  What is a mystery is that even today, only those that have been ‘read into’ the mystery can understand it. Unless someone has been “read into it” by the Holy Spirit, one can explain it until one is blue in the face and they can’t get it.

“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”(1 Corinthians 2:14)

If that is true, then shouldn’t it follow that as soon as someone is saved, he should be able to understand every doctrine in the Bible?   Nope. 

God doesn’t read every Christian into every mystery, either.  That is what makes it a mysterion – a mystery is a revelation to the initiated – not everybody is initiated to the same level.  We are all individual persons and our God is an individual God.  

Saved individuals have a unique relationship with an individual God.  My relationship with God is no more like your relationship with God than my relationship with one of my sons is like my relationship with the other.

Each of us is an individual with an individual relationship.  Each of us understands the other slightly differently.  Do you see what I mean? 

I “get” one of them more than I do the other, but that is because we are all real individuals.

If everybody ‘got’ God the same, I’d have to question whether He was real.  Even if everybody is ‘read into’ the ‘mysterion’ the same way – not everybody ‘gets’ it the same way — because it is all real.

I could say the same thing to all my kids and I’d be lucky if half of them ‘got it’ the way I meant it. And I can explain a particular doctrine to some Christians until I was blue in the face and they’d still miss the point.

“Behold, I read you into a secret; we shall not all sleep (koimao) but we shall all be changed.”

This is the second remarkable statement – we shall not all sleep.  The word koimao means literally, ‘to be put to sleep’.  It is a verb – metaphorically; it can mean “to die” —but in the sense of cause and effect; the cause is God did it, the effect is you died.

“Behold, I read you into a secret, we shall not all be put to sleep, but we shall all be changed.”

In English, when we read of being changed, that can mean pretty much anything from a new haircut to a new attitude.

The word “changed” as used here is from the Greek word “allasso” which primarily means “exchanged” or “transformed”  into something that was not present previously.  It means to ‘exchange one thing for another’.

“Behold, I read you into a secret, we shall not all be put to sleep, but we shall all exchange one thing for another.”

“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.” (1 Corinthinans 15:51-54)

Assessment:

Not every Christian has been ‘read into’ every mysterion — just like not every person knows the Whole Counsel of God.  It’s all there in the pages of the Bible. All of us have access to it. 

But none of us are capable of being “read into” the whole Counsel of God.   That’s how God made us.  It doesn’t necessarily make one person wrong and the other right.  It puts that person where God wants them to make the point He wants made.

“And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ;

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:  (Ephesians 4:11-13)

Not everybody is “read in” the same way.  

When, exactly, DO we all come in the unity of faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ? 

There is no unity of faith in the here & now.  Nobody has attained that level of perfection since Christ.  Who could be measured against the stature of the fullness of Christ?  Nobody. 

Until that Day when we are changed. At the last trump. 

“For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16)

But not everybody agrees on what the last trump means, or what it means for the Lord to descend from Heaven, or what it means for the dead in Christ to rise first or for those who are alive and remain to be caught up.

The Prophet Daniel proclaimed to Nebuchadnezzar, “But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets.”  Nowhere does it say that everyone gets them the same. 

There are those that are convinced that the Rapture will take place at some precise point within the Tribulation – the breaking of the Sixth Seal, or somewhere at the mid-point or even at the end.  

For those folks, it seems critically important that they convince others to prepare to avoid the judgment of God that is to come upon the earth during the Tribulation.  To my way of thinking, that is the most mysterious line of reasoning of all.

Avoiding God’s judgment?  Is that even possible?

I believe that the Rapture must precede the Tribulation, since it is a period of judgment for sin in which the Church has no part.  Either Christians are declared judicially innocent by virtue of the Blood of Christ or they are not.

If they are judicially innocent, then God cannot justly impose judgment on them.  So the Church cannot be justly judged for the sins of the world after Jesus has already paid the penalty due.   

That is why Paul concludes the Rapture passage in 1 Thessalonians with this note of encouragement:

“Wherefore, comfort one another with these words.”

Not everybody has been read into every secret the same way. Every person is an individual with an individual relationship with an individual God.  It is by our disagreements that we demonstrate the
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reality and the individuality and personality of the living God.   

The Lord works in mysterious ways. That’s what makes Him God.

This Letter was written by Jack Kinsella on February 3, 2011

Featured Commentary: Tying it All Together: Part 1 ~Pete Garcia

Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?
Vol: 21 Issue: 17 Saturday, February 17, 2018

Have you ever had somebody come up to you and demand an answer to the question; “Why do bad things happen to good people?’ Or have you ever asked that question of yourself?

How many times in your life have you wailed, “Why me?” when something bad happens? Or, as in the Asian tsunami catastrophe in which tens of thousands of innocent children were killed, asked God, ‘Why them?”

The short answer is “Why not?” — but it isn’t really very satisfying — even less so when your questioner is an unbeliever.

You are seeking a way to introduce the love of Christ to them, but how does one explain seemingly random death and destruction — an ‘act of God’ — in the context of, “for God so loved the world?”

Virtually every meaningful conversation I have ever had with people on the subject of God and religion has either started with this question, or gotten around to it before long. No doubt, you probably can say the same thing.

Then there is the opposite, but equally baffling question; “Why DON’T bad things happen to BAD people?” Take gazillionaire terrorist Osama bin-Laden, for example.

If ever there was a guy that deserved bad things, it’s him. We’ve dropped bombs on him, and, judging from his post Tora Bora video release, wounded him pretty seriously. He is suffering, according to most intelligence estimates, from kidney failure, he evidently lives in a cave, and, despite an unthinkably high ‘dead or alive’ bounty on his head, is seemingly alive and well and doing just fine, thanks for asking,

Why did tens of thousands of innocent children get swept away by an ‘act of God’ while a monster like Osama bin-Laden continues to survive the concerted efforts of the most powerful nation on earth to kill him?

Why is it that good people suffer divorces, business failures, major financial problems, terminal illnesses, sickness and pain while people like Donald Trump can spend twenty-five million bucks on a wedding bash for Trophy Wife Number Three (or is it four?) without batting an eye?

While we have seen incredible answers to prayer among our members, we’ve also witnessed times when God doesn’t seem to be listening. How many times have you seen the ‘wrong’ people get sick, the ‘wrong’ people get hurt, the ‘wrong’ people die?

My mother, who, by all accounts was a wonderful woman, died at only forty years of age, leaving behind five motherless children. Why her? Why us?

Why not?

Assessment:

A clever debating trick would be to turn the question around and ask, “Why do good things happen to bad people?” since we know that ‘all have sinned and come short of the glory of God’.

But it is, as I said, just a clever debating trick. It doesn’t answer the question, it just broadens the topic of debate.

When Joseph confronted his brothers after they had sold him into slavery, he “said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” (Genesis 50:19-20)

We learn a lot about why bad things happen to good people from Joseph. God uses evil to accomplish good. Had Joseph not been sold into slavery in Egypt, then his brothers would have starved to death.

The twelve tribes of Israel wouldn’t have existed, there would have been no Jewish people, no Chosen People, no Jewish carpenter named Jesus, and no hope of salvation for mankind.

It is a mind-boggling thought. No Jesus. No salvation. That would have been the outcome had his brothers been fine fellows who just loved little Joe.

Some argue that bad things happen to good people to punish them for being outside God’s permissive will. That is true, in a sense, although God doesn’t punish Christians, He chastises them — which is a different animal entirely than punishment.

‘Punishment’ is retribution. ‘Chastisement’ is correction. They are two different things.

Scripture says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1)

If there is no condemnation, then there is nothing to be ‘punished’ for.

On the other hand, Hebrews 12:6 reveals that chastisement is evidence that God loves us as sons. “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.”

But one can hardly argue that the innocent child swept away by the tsunami was being punished or chastised. And although there are no actual ‘good people’ because we’ve all sinned and come short of the glory of God, a child is indeed innocent, so even turning the question around doesn’t really work. As I said, its just a clever debating trick.

Bad things happen because they do. It isn’t that God isn’t paying attention. Bad things HAVE to happen because human beings have free will. For free will to operate, evil must exist. If there were no evil, there could be no good.

If the lives of the righteous were obviously perfect, that too would destroy the possibility of choice. People wouldn’t choose righteousness because it was the right thing to do, they would choose it because it paid off better than evil.

We live in a world where, in order for there to be a Joseph, there must also be his brothers.

God created the universe in perfect harmony. The law of physics demands that for every action, there must also be an equal and opposite reaction. For every good, there must be a corresponding evil.

There is no evil in the universe itself. It remains in harmony, perfectly balanced according to God’s will and functioning according to His laws. Evil exists only in a place theologians call the ‘cosmos diabolicus’ — we call it ‘earth’.

Evil is restricted to earth so that the universe doesn’t get infected by it. That’s why earth has an atmosphere — not to keep evil out, but to keep it IN.

In this generation, man has figured out a way to escape the atmosphere, and the result is an orbiting junk pile around the planet that, viewed from outside, would put one in mind of flies buzzing around you-know-what.

What is ‘evil’, exactly? Does it exist? Albert Einstein noted that evil does not exist, anymorethan cold exists or darkness exists. Absolute zero is the temperature at which there is a total absence of heat. ‘Cold’ doesn’t actually exist. It is a word to describe the absence of heat, which does.

Darkness doesn’t exist. Absolute darkness is the absence of any light whatever, degrees of darkness depend on the amount of light that seeps in. The speed of light is 186,000 miles per second. One cannot measure darkness, because it doesn’t exist.

Evil doesn’t actually exist, either. Like cold and darkness, it is a word we use to describe the absence of good — or more accurately, the absence of God.

Bad things happen because they HAVE to happen in order for there to be a way of measuring what is good. It is through bad things that God reveals Himself to man. Sinners don’t come to Christ because they are satisfied with themselves — they come to Christ because they recognize the absence of God in their lives.

Winning the lottery doesn’t bring sinners to their knees — losing everything does, however. If you want to find God, you’ll find Him in prisons and hospitals, much more so than in mansions and fitness clubs.

Bad things happen to good people because God knows what He is doing, even when we don’t. When we pray for what we believe is a good thing and don’t get it, we wonder where God is or if He is listening. Unfortunately, we don’t know good from evil — we only know right from wrong.

‘Good and evil’, as we understand the terms, are not actions, they are outcomes. Only God can measure the outcome of what we believe is an evil thing.

Bad things happen to good people for reasons beyond our comprehension because God is in charge of outcomes. Bad things prove the existence of God, because they only happen where men are involved.

Remove the absence of God from the equation, and the moon continues to orbit the earth, the earth continues to orbit the sun, and the universe remains in perfect harmony.

Evil exists so that man can seek good, and, in so doing, find its Author.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

Bad things happen to good people because God loves us. Evil exists only to the degree we fail to love Him back.

This Letter was written by Jack Kinsella on September 6, 2008