Are you optimistic about the future? I'm reading a book by Jonathan Cahn entitled "The Return of the Gods." Cahn argues that the pagan gods which were dominant during the Old Testament and whose followers created so many problems for the early Christian Church were banished by the rise of Christianity. For more than two hundred years they and their temples have been out of business. Now, with the decline of Christianity in the West, they are making a comeback. Of course, an idol made by human hands is nothing. Consider, however, when Satan's supernatural followers decide to use these idols, these gods, for their own purposes. This clash is a critical part of the cosmic conflict between good and evil. Let's jump into our study of the Bible and learn more!...
This week I read the results of a survey of over 37,000 American college students taken by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. The survey had to do with free speech and violence. Nearly 25% of the students believed that it was right to use violence to stop a controversial speaker. At several prominent women's colleges the number was nearly 50%. You, friend, are a controversial speaker. Jesus teaches in John 15:19 that if we are "not of the world" it will hate us. This radical change of opinion (in my country) tells me that we are headed for a moment of destiny for the religious choices that we make. Perhaps this moment is coming sooner than we think. Let's dive into our Bibles and learn more!...
What comes to mind when you think about the book of Revelation? Many assume they cannot understand it. The frightful looking beasts, the plagues and terrors cast on the earth, and the warnings of what will come to pass seem scary. Why did God inspire John with this message? Is it to give God's followers hope and insight into what will happen in the future? In the days when I watched football I developed the practice of recording the game when it was played. If my team won, I would watch the game. This practice made me a calmer person. Even if bad things happened during the game, I knew that it would turn out fine in the end. This what I think God has in mind in sharing Revelation with us - He wants to give us a level of confidence and trust as frightening things happen on earth. Let's dive into our study of Revelation so we can prepare to calmly understand end-time events!...
Many years ago I purchased a black baseball type cap that says in big red letters on the front, "Fear God." A great rebuke to pagans, right! And a reminder to the rest of us. However, I have rarely worn it. Why? One reason is that I am concerned that people will misunderstand it. What does it mean to "fear God?" When humans are approached by angels they are told "fear not." See Luke 1:28-30. This seems to be a concern about actual fear. If angels create fear, then certainly God is to be literally feared. But literal fear seems inconsistent with our understanding of Jesus. Let's jump into our study of the Bible and learn more!...
Introduction: Consider this interesting thing about judgment. Everyone wants other people to receive judgment for what they have done (or what we think they have done). But no one wants to be judged. Have you ever said, "I wish a police car were here to see the way this guy drives?" On the other hand, do you like it when police lights turn on behind you and you are pulled over for a traffic violation? We have been studying Revelation 14:7 which warns that the "hour of His judgment has come." Is it possible that this is a judgment for others and not for you? Let's plunge into our study of the Bible and find out!...
Introduction: When we began this study we learned from Revelation 1:1 that a central purpose of Revelation is to alert Christians about the future. God has always been in the business of telling us what He has in mind. We see it in Genesis 3:15 when God tells us that in the conflict between good and evil He will "bruise [the] head" of the serpent that lead us into sin. This week we study a prophecy that gives us specific details about the defeat of sin. Let's dive into our study of the Bible an learn more!...
Let's look at Revelation 14:7 from yet another angle. We have discussed our Creator God, the hour of His judgment, and worshiping God based on His work of Creation. This time we consider how our view of Jesus as our Creator changes our life in positive ways. At the same time rejecting Him as Creator brings negative results. In our study so far we have assumed that the message of Revelation 14:7 dealt with the final judgment. What if the judgment begins at the point where we reject a Creator God? Let's plunge into our study of the Bible and learn more!...
Have you considered that the name "conservative" means an attitude of conserving things? Keeping things as they are currently? In the United States we face a movement trying to erase our history rather than conserve it. The history reflected in statues and building names is being erased by tearing down the statues and renaming buildings. Whether this is good or bad depends on your view. But this tearing down is nothing new. Revelation 14:7 tells us to worship our Creator God. Satan has been tearing down the reminders of our Creator God for some time. We have considered how he attacked the creation account and how he is attacking marriage in several ways. This week we turn our study to how Satan has been attacking the Sabbath, the weekly reminder of the Creation. Let's jump into our study of the Bible and learn more!...
Most people prefer not to make hard choices. We like to drift along with our world as it is and hope for the best. Relying on inertia at some point will not be possible. We will face the choice between forces that are against God and those who promote the worship of God. Our study of the Bible this week suggests that we should make this choice as soon as possible, because drifting into the anti-God camp means that our logical thinking is impaired. That makes the right choice even more difficult. Let's jump into our study of the Bible and learn more!...
One thing I've learned from litigating cases for nearly fifty years is that the predicted outcome of some cases is debatable. I've had cases where I absolutely should win. I don't take cases where I absolutely should lose, but I take many cases where the odds are against me. Recently, I had a case before a state supreme court and every judge ruled against me - including ruling against me on an issue that I absolutely should have won. Can you imagine God's feelings about our choice between Satan and Him? God should absolutely win. There is not even a reasonable debate. But most choose Satan. Why is that? One reason is that humans are sometimes deceived. This week we turn our attention to Satan's last great deception. Let's plunge into our study of the Bible and learn more!...
What have we learned so far? The world will be divided into two groups. One is faithful to our Creator God and the other rejects God and is faithful to human achievement. Those who reject God get worse and worse and their ability to think clearly is impaired. The identifying characteristics of those who choose God, according to Revelation 14:12, is that they have faith in Jesus and they are faithful to God's commandments. Revelation 14 accords perfectly with the idea that God's faithful people rely on Jesus for their salvation, and not on their own works. But at the same time they understand that relying in faith on Jesus means taking seriously His sacrifice and directions for our life. What other consequences arise from this great divide? Let's plunge into our study of the Bible and learn more!...
Last week we learned that the choice for humans is to either rely on God or rely on human theories and works. The issue is not a superficial matter. Many Christians in some way depend on human works and theories to shape their Christian walk. On the one side are Christians who believe their Godly works qualify them for heaven. On the other side are Christians who believe that modern culture can veto the plainest teachings of the Bible. Then there are the unbelievers who totally reject the Christian God. All of these approaches demonstrate a reliance on human theory and not God. This week we take a deeper look at the anti-Christ, pro-human philosophy....
My son told me a story about his rotations as a resident physician. When he advised patients with diabetes, conditions that would lead to heart problems, or any medical problem that would manifest itself at some unknown time in the future, his patients seemed to pay little attention to his advice. When he was in a cancer rotation all the patients paid very close attention to his advice. Why? Because the cancer patients knew death might be close. For the rest, well, they thought they had more time before they needed to become serious about their medical problems. We have listened to the messages of the Three Angels, we have learned about the divide between the saved and the unsaved, and we think the end of time might be soon. The question is whether we are going to be smart by being prepared at all times. Are we going to take this matter seriously? Let's dive into our study of the Bible and learn more!...
