1 TIMOTHY 4:1-5 FALSE TEACHERS

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1 Timothy 4:1  “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, 2 by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, 3 who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; 5 for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.”

Paul is by the Spirit predicting some “apostasy”, a falling away from the faith. Paul also predicted this in 2 Thessalonians 2:1 “Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, regarding the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, 2 that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit, or a message, or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 No one is to deceive you in any way! For it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.”  

So Paul predicted some kind of “apostasy” (apostasia: Apostasy, rebellion, defection, falling away) before 70 AD. He could even be referring to the Jewish rebellion against Rome in 66-70 AD (one meaning of apostasia is “rebellion”) in 2 Thess 2:3. Or a spiritual apostasy. 1 Timothy 4 seems to be a spiritual apostasy where false teachers are making laws forbidding eating certain foods and forbidding marriage. Paul is very clear that Christians under the new covenant can eat anything, any animal, as long as they give thanks for it. I read one article that said that Paul was not saying that Christians can eat anyting, but that he was saying that some teachers were saying that Christians can’t eat the clean meats of Leviticus 11. That article said that Christians are still required to follow the meat laws of Leviticus, but I totally disagree with that. Those laws were given to the Jews, and only to the Jews. 1 Timothy 3:1-5 clearly says that Christians can eat anything that God created, and that includes eating any kind of meat, even the “unclean” meats forbidden for the Jews to eat in Leviticus 11. There are Christian groups like the 7th Day Adventists and the Worldwide Church of God that still follow the food laws of Leviticus 11. That’s fine, but they should not make that a heaven/hell issue for other believers.

The 2nd false teaching was the forbidding to marry. My research told me that the 2nd century church fathers suggested that celibacy would be better. They no doubt got this from 1 Corinthians 7 where Paul told the Corinthians to stay unmarried if they were not married, but he added that. was due to a “present distress” (persecution of Christians by the Jews or Rome). Obviously that is not a hard fast celibacy law for all ministers or priests. He even told them to marry if they were going to burn with lust if they did not marry. Some church fathers suggested that sex within marriage should only be for procreation, having children, and not for sexual enjoyment. But Paul in 1 Corinthians 7 told married partners not to withhold sex from their partners. The first official celibacy law was the Council of Elvira in 306 AD and it issued a decree for priests not to marry. The Western Church, the Roman Catholic church, eventually forbade priests from marrying, but the Eastern Church, the Orthodox church centered in Constantinople in the Byzantine Empire allowed their priests to marry. Bottom line, God never forbade marriage except on rare occasions (He told Jeremiah not to marry or have children in light of his “present distress” of the Jews going into Babylonian captivity very soon after he prophesied). Paul even told the younger widows in 1 Timothy 5:14 Therefore, I want younger widows to get married, have children, manage their households, and give the enemy no opportunity for reproach.” God wants us to marry if we so desire, to have children if we so desire, and enjoy sex within our marriages. If someone chooses not to marry, that is fine, but no one should make laws forbidding marriage like the Catholic Church has done with their priests. Or like the Shakers. The Christian Shakers were a religious group that practiced communal celibacy, believing that abstaining from sex was necessary to wage a spiritual war against the flesh. 

Be careful of any teachers who start making up laws that are not clearly taught in the New Covenant. Or teachers that make things to be heaven/hell doctrines when they are not.

Thanks for reading.

URGENT: HUSBANDS, READ THIS!

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1 Peter 3:7 “You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.” (NASB)

  1. Live with your wife in an understanding way. (NASB)

The Greek word for understanding here is gnósis: Knowledge, a word used in many ways in the New Testament. “The word appears twenty-nine times, spanning Luke, Romans, both Corinthian letters, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, the Pastoral Epistles, and 1 and 2 Peter. It describes everything from the initial understanding that accompanies conversion (Luke 1:77) to the mature discernment required for leadership and spiritual warfare (2 Corinthians 10:5). The contexts cluster around five themes: revelation of God, salvation in Christ, charismata, ethical formation, and warnings against counterfeit claims.” (biblehub.com). In 1 Peter 3:7 it means that “husbands are to live with their wives “in an understanding way” (1 Peter 3:7, cf. γνῶσιν, gnosis), demonstrating that domestic harmony flows from informed sensitivity.” In other words, a godly husband should get to know his wife’s needs and be sensitive to her needs. Our 5 senses are hear, taste, touch, see, and feel. Using those 5 senses, a husband should get a feeling for what his wife needs. He will then come to “know” what she knows. He will understand his wife better.

2. Show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life.

The Greek word for honor is timé: Honor, value, price, respect. The NASB translates the word as “honor” 28 times but also translates it as “price” 7 times, such as Acts 5 the price of the land sold by Ananias and Sapphira, or Matthew 27:9 the price of the money paid to Judas to betray Jesus. The idea is to assess the value of someone or something. A godly husband should assess the value. of his wife. Not a monetary value, but her worth as his wife, companion, help meet, fellow Christian on their physical and spiritual journey of life hopefully preparing to live together in eternity. If you tried to put a monetary value on a godly wife, it would be priceless. A typical husband, even a godly husband, values many things. He values his house, his car(s), his hobby, his position at work, his favorite football team, etc. He probably has a few things that he considers of great value. I am a Prius man and value my new Prius a lot. But how much value do I really place on my godly wife? How much respect do I give her? Once I assess her needs, how do I honor her by trying to respect those needs and fulfill those needs.

Each wife is different, but in general the books tell us what a wife needs. Perhaps my. favorite song of all time is “When a man loves a woman” by Percy Sledge. The first few lines:

When a man loves a woman
Can’t keep his mind on nothin’ else
He’d trade the world
For the good thing he’s found
If she is bad, he can’t see it
She can do no wrong
And turn his back on his best friend
If he puts her down

When a man loves a woman
Spend his very last dime
And trying to hold on to what he needs
He’d give up all his comforts
And sleep out in the rain
If she said that’s the way it ought to be, eh

When a man loves a woman, eh
I give you everything I’ve got
Trying to hold on to your precious love
And baby baby please don’t treat me bad.

Here is his song released in 1966 (I was a junior in high school at that time) if you want to listen to it now.

Percy Sledge worked in the cotton fields as a young man. He mentioned in interviews that he sang while picking cotton and chopping. He also worked as a hospital orderly. “One of the hospital’s many highly impressed patients passed on word of Sledge’s soaring and passionate vocals to local music producer, record-store owner and radio disc jockey Quin Ivy, who had just opened his Norala Recording Studios in downtown Sheffield.” (AI) The song was initially recorded by Percy Sledge at Rick Hall‘s FAME Studios at Muscle Shoals, before being re-recorded at the nearby Norala Studios owned by Quin Ivy.  In one story, Sledge said that one night he was upset over a broken relationship and asked Lewis and Wright (co-writers of the song and band members) to play a slow blues over which he improvised lyrics describing his emotions. These experiences helped shape his music and contributed to his rise to fame. My wife and I visited the Fame Studios. We also visited the Muscle Shoals Sound Studios on Jackson Way which was started by members of the Fame Studios after they left Fame. Additionally, his album “The Best of Percy Sledge” was recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound, according to Apple Music. I loved watching the Muscle Shoals documentary of all the hit songs recorded at the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. Over the years, artists who recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio included Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Etta James, Percy Sledge, Willie Nelson, Duane Allman, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Joe Cocker, Levon Helm, Paul Simon, Bob Seger, Rod Stewart, Cat Stevens, Jimmy Cliff, Cher, George Michael, and the Black Keys. We especially loved touring the Muscle Shoals Sound Studios on Jackson Way.

Ok, could we get back to 1 Peter 3:7? Husbands, what does your wife need. I don’t know where AI gets info, but I thought AI said it very well. “A wife needs love, attention, and respect, alongside feeling valued, secure, and supported in the relationship. She also needs open communication, affection, and a sense of partnership, particularly in domestic responsibilities and family matters. Ultimately, she needs to feel prioritized and cherished, not just as a wife, but as an individual.” AI breaks down her needs:

1. Unconditional Love and Affection: 

  • Love: A wife needs to feel loved and cherished, not just for what she does, but for who she is as a person. 
  • Affection: This includes both physical touch (hugs, holding hands, etc.) and non-sexual expressions of love and intimacy, which can strengthen emotional connection. 
  • Romance: It’s important to actively pursue and woo her, showing her attention and affection. 

2. Attention and Appreciation:

  • Active Listening: Wives want to be listened to and feel that their thoughts and feelings are important. 
  • Meaningful Conversations: This includes open and honest communication, sharing thoughts, feelings, and experiences. 
  • Appreciation: Acknowledging her efforts, both big and small, and showing appreciation for what she does is crucial. 

3. Security and Support:

  • Financial Security: While not always about a high income, a wife needs to feel that her husband is taking responsibility for the financial well-being of the family and making responsible decisions. 
  • Domestic Partnership: She needs to feel like a partner in the home, sharing responsibilities and participating in raising the children. 
  • Commitment: Knowing that her husband is committed to the marriage and family is essential. 

4. Open Communication and Honesty:

  • Openness: A wife needs to feel like she can be honest with her husband and that he can be honest with her. 
  • Trust: Being reliable, keeping promises, and being open and honest builds trust, which is vital for a strong relationship. 
  • Vulnerability: Sharing feelings and insecurities can foster deeper intimacy and connection. 

5. Feeling Valued and Prioritized:

  • Attention: She needs to feel like she is a priority, not an interruption, and that her needs are being considered. 
  • Respect: Respect for her as an individual, her opinions, and her choices is crucial. 
  • Quality Time: Spending quality time together, both individually and as a couple, helps to strengthen the bond. 

One of my favorite songs as a teen was “Cherish” by The Association. The opening words are: “Cherish is the word I use to describe all the feeling that I have hiding here for you inside.” I always thought of Ephesians 5 when I heard that song: 5:28 So husbands also ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; 29 for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church.” The Greek word for cherish is thalpó: To warm, to cherish. “The verb carries the picture of holding something close so that it is kept warm and safe. In classical use it described a bird that sits on her eggs or a parent who keeps a child snug at the breast.” (biblehug.com). I think I missed something in the rest of the lines in the song, however. The rest of the liines portray a hidden cherishing for a woman that is never expressed, a desire that somehow she might come to cherish him like he cherishes her, a sadness that he will not be the one to share her dreams with, a reluctance to telling her how much he needs her for fear that she might think of him as a thousand other guys who tell her that when all they really want to do is “to touch your face, your hands
And gaze into your eyes.” So I just wanted the song to be about my feelings for my future wife whom i dated in high school and college but the song was about hidden feelings of cherishing someone that the singer would never be with. But maybe the song does fit in a way. I do cherish my wife, but too often that feeling is hidden and unexpressed. I was raised by godly parents who loved me but just didn’t express that love verbally. They were raised during the depression and long hours working on the farm. It was more about loyalty to your marriage vows and providing for your family rather than expressing emotion. At least, that was the way it was with my parents (and the way it was with their parents). So it is difficult to be affectionate if you weren’t raised in that environment. Can any of you relate to that? So I tend to take my wife for granted much of the time. Can any of you relate to that? I hope to do better in the future!

Husbands, do you take your wife for granted? Do you really do cherish and value greatly your wife but your preoccupation with other things you value puts her down on your priority list? Read those 5 things above and so a self assessment. Then follow up on each area with action.

A suggestion: Put 1 Peter 3:7 somewhere that you will see it every day. I have it as a tab that I keep open all the time. I try to look at it every morning and ask myself, “how will I apply this today”? Do that before you start looking at and thinking about all the urgent matters of your work or business or hobby.

Thanks for going down memory lane with me. What’s your favorite song that brings back cherished memories in your life with your wife?

SCIENCE FALSELY SO CALLED (1 TIMOTHY 6:20)

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The only translation (if I am correct) that uses the word “science” is the KJV in Daniel 1:4 and 1 Timothy 6:20. Here is 1 Timothy 6:20 “O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called”. The Greek word is gnosis, which means knowledge, and that is how it is translated in most translations except the KJV. In the NASB 1 Timothy 6:20 Timothy, protect what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly, empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge”. Even the NKJV translates it as “knowledge”. So why would the KJV translators translate it as “science”? “The KJV translators were heavily influenced by the Latin Vulgate, which used the Latin word “scientia” (related to “knowledge”) to translate “gnosis”. In the early 17th century, “science” in English encompassed a broader range of knowledge than it does today. It could refer to any kind of learning or knowledge, not just what we now call scientific fields.” (AI) So even in 1611 AD the word “science” in the KJV did not refer to science as we know it today, science based on empirical evidence through the scientific method.

So what is the “knowledge falsely so called” in 1 Timothy 6:20? It referred to some kind of “knowledge” that wasn’t Biblical based knowledge or Spirit inspired truth from inspired writers like Paul and the apostles. It would include “worldly, empty chatter and opposing arguments” to the truth. It would include “myths and endless genealogies and speculation” (1 Timothy 1:4). It would include “forbidding marriage and advocating abstaining from certain foods” (1 Timothy 4:3). It would include “worthless stories typical of old women” (1 Timothy 4:7). It would include “controversial questions and disputes about words” (1 Timothy 6:4). Paul had already condemned all these false teachings in his letter to Timothy, so the context would say that is the “knowledge false called science” in 6:20.

Many commentators think that Paul is refuting “gnosticism” in 6:20, especially since gnosticism comes from the word gnosis. From AI: “Elements of Gnostic thought can be traced back to pre-Christian Jewish mysticism and Hellenistic philosophy, particularly Middle Platonism. Gnosticism developed alongside early Christianity, with some scholars suggesting it arose from within Christian communities while others propose it entered Christianity from other sources. Gnostic ideas and writings became prominent in the Mediterranean world during the 2nd century CE. Early Church Fathers denounced Gnosticism as heresy, and efforts to suppress it were largely successful, leading to the loss of much Gnostic literature.” For example, “A key figure (Irenaeus, 130-202 AD) in combating Gnosticism, he is known for his work “Against Heresies,” which systematically dismantled Gnostic teachings. He emphasized the importance of apostolic tradition and the physical resurrection of Christ, both of which were denied by Gnostics.” (AI)

What was “gnosticism”? “Gnosticism was a diverse set of religious and philosophical beliefs that originated before Christianity, with roots in Greek philosophy and various other traditions. It emphasized the concept of “gnosis,” a kind of esoteric knowledge that was believed to be essential for salvation and liberation from the flawed material world. Gnostics believed the material world was created by a lesser, flawed deity (the demiurge) rather than the ultimate, unknowable God.” (AI) “Interest in Gnosticism was revived in the 20th century with the discovery of Gnostic texts in Egypt, such as the Nag Hammadi library.” The Nag Hammadi library contains 52 texts, primarily Gnostic gospels, including the Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Philip, and the Gospel of Truth. These texts, discovered in 1945 near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, offer insights into early Christian and Gnostic thought, often differing from mainstream Christian beliefs.” (AI) The Gospel of Thomas is secret sayings of Jesus given only to Thomas he apostle. The opening lines: “These are the secret sayings that the living Jesus spoke and Didymos Judas Thomas recorded. And [Jesus] said, ‘Whoever discovers the interpretation of these sayings will not taste death.'” “Notice that the emphasis is immediately on discovering an interpretation and on increasing knowledge as a way to eternal life. It contains nothing about salvation coming through one’s relationship with God or even about living a godly life. In this Gnostic gospel, eternal life comes from the secret knowledge that will explain the obscure sayings”. (theberean.org) The Gospel of Thomas is generally believed to have been written in the mid-second century CE, specifically between 100-180 CE. No one really believes that it was written by the apostle Thomas.

Another widely discussed gnostic gospel is the Gospel of Judas which was found in 1978 near El Minya, Egypt, and is part of the Codex Tchacos. “The opening line of the Gospel of Judas demonstrates this secret knowledge: “The secret account of the revelation that Jesus spoke in conversation with Judas Iscariot during a week, three days before he celebrated Passover.” This so-called gospel gives a quite different view of the relationship between Jesus Christ and Judas, and its defenders say that it offers “new insights” into Jesus’ betrayal, and the nature and character of Judas. “New insights” is another common theme of Gnosticism.” (theberean.org) The Gospel of Judas makes Judas a hero who is helping Jesus fulfill his destiny to die for the sins of the world instead of “the son of perdition” (Jesus called him that in John 17:12), the betrayer of Jesus who sold out his master for 30 pieces of siilver.

It doesn’t appear that gnosticism proper had been well formed by 62 AD when Paul wrote 1 Timothy, although some roots of it may have come from Jewish mysticism (which 1 Timothy mentions that) and Gentile philosophy. So we probably need to stick with the context of 1 Timothy, as stated above, to define the “knowledge false called science”.

I must admit, however, the temptation to make this a discussion of science today, especially as it relates to certain evolutionary theories that are taught as “knowledge” and facts which really are not scientific facts. So indulge me, please. I certainly think my logic could apply to that error today. Science is based on empirical knowledge that can be tested and proven by the scientific method. True science doesn’t contradict the Bible. But then modern science teaches several things that it calls “scientific facts” such as living matter coming from non-living matter (spontaneous generation). Spontaneous generation was believed to be possible until Pasteur and Redi disproved it in scientific experiments. But atheistic evolutionists still have to maintain that it did happen at some time in the past for their evolution to occur. Modern science teaches that the universe had a beginning, and that it had to come from nothing. But that contradicts their own 1st law of thermodynamics, which says that if there ever was nothing then there would still be nothing (my paraphrase of it). Modern science teaches that man (and every living creature) evolved from a single cell, and that there was “macro” evolution of species evolving to totally different species, such as reptiles evolving from amphibians and mammals evolving from reptiles. There is much adaptation within each species (which is called micro evolution) but there is no proof of species evolving into totally different species. Science claims several fossil proofs of that, but those are inconclusive. There should be millions of transitional fossils as animals went from one species to a totally different species, but that is not found in the fossil evidence. What science teaches is jus unfounded theory but it is taught as proven facts. Modern science teaches that the earth is at least 5 billion years old based on radiometric dating methods. That is pretty much taught as proven fact, but that dating method is based on assumptions that can’t be proved. The original amount of “mother” and “daughter” radioactive element that were in a sample found today must be known to be able to accurately use the radiometric dating method, and that cannot be known. So if science assumes that the original sample had 100% mother and 0% daughter, then that is an assumption that can’t be proven and that could totally disprove the reliability of that method of dating the earth. The Bible genealogical records say that the earth is about 6,000 years old and there are many proofs for a “young earth” such as the decay of the earth’s magnetic field, carbon-14 in diamonds, soft tissue found in dinosaur fossils, polystrate fossils found in multiple sediment layers, and erosion rates of canyons. God created everything full grown, so things would look old immediately after creation (this is called “apparent age”). Adam and Eve would have looked as young adults immediately after God created them. There were precious gems in the Garden of Eden immediately after creation that did not take thousands of years to form. Again, science is teaching things as facts that cannot be proven and can actually be disproven.

In spite of all that, science books continue to teach atheistic evolutionary theories as facts. In a video, “God vs Evolution” (you can watch it on youtube), college students and professors are asked if they believe in macro evolution. All interviewed say yes they do. But when asked why they believe it, they usually just say that they believe it b/c their teachers and science books and science teachers have taught them that such is basically proven facts. When asked to give examples of reptiles evolving from amphibians or other such macro evolution examples, they can’t give a single one.

Thanks for indulging me. I am currently teaching Christian evidences in my Bible classes and we will be studying evolution so what I have written is currently on my mind. It is extremely important that we apply what Paul told Timothy to do, i.e. to refute any “knowledge falsely called science”. If our children buy into atheistic macro evolution, then they will inevitably believe that we are nothing but evolved animals with no absolute morals. They will probably reject the Genesis account of creation in six 24 hour days and start thinking that the Genesis account is just myth. Their false confidence is science might get them to reject all the miracles of the Bible since since says that, for example, no one can walk on water or turn water to wine. Eventually they might lose faith in the Bible as God’s word, and if they do, they might then reject the whole idea of Jesus dying for our sins which is the central message of the Bible.

Thanks for reading.

THE MYSTERY OF GODLINESS

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1 Timothy 3:14 I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; 15 but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one should act in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth. 16 Beyond question, great is the mystery of godliness:

1. He who was revealed in the flesh,
2. Was vindicated in the Spirit,
3. Seen by angels,
4. Proclaimed among the nations,
5. Believed on in the world,
6. Taken up in glory. 

    The church is the pillar and support of the truth. What truth? Some sectarian list of rules and minor doctrines (like instrumental music)? All doctrine is important but the church must stay focused on the main truth of the Christian faith. The following was probably a core “confession of faith”, of what Christians believed in the early church. 

    1) Jesus was revealed in the flesh. When? The incarnation. In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God, and the Word became flesh. John 1:1-3,14 Sadly, the church in the first few centuries had several different opinions on the nature of Jesus and much church controversy and division. It is sufficient that we believe that Jesus is the only Begotton Son of God.

    2) Jesus was vindicated in the Spirit. How? His miracles. Acts 2:22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a Man attested (dikaioó: To justify, to declare righteous, to acquit. Usually translated “justified”) to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know.”

    3)Seen by angels. When? Angels were at His: 

    Birth: Angels announced Jesus’s birth to the shepherds and sang praises to God.                                        Temptation: Angels ministered to Jesus after his temptation in the wilderness.  Gethsemane: An angel strengthened Jesus during his agony in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Resurrection: Angels rolled the stone from the tomb and announced His resurrection to the women.  Ascension: Angels were present as Jesus ascended into heaven.  Ongoing Ministry: Angels continue to witness and praise Jesus in heaven (Revelation 5).

    4) Proclaimed among the nations. When? Preaching of the gospel in Acts. Romans 16:25 Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ.” Colossians 1:23 …”hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven.”    

    5) Believed on in the world. When? The conversion of many in Acts. Saved by grace through faith.  

    6) Taken up in glory. When? The ascension. Restored to former glory. John 17:1-3. Raised to be king of kings over all the kingdoms of the world. 

    This is a great statement of the core faith, the confession of faith. It is a summary of the plan of redemption. Christians may differ on a lot of minor issues, but this is what we should all believe in adn agree on. This is the message we need to spend our resources on getting it to the nations of the world. Most denominations agree on these central truths. Some, however, do not believe in the miracles or divinity of Jesus, which is sad.

    This core set of beliefs is called a “mystery of godliness”. In the New Testament, the word “mystery” (Greek: musterion) generally refers to a truth previously hidden but now revealed, often through divine revelation. It doesn’t necessarily mean something inherently puzzling, but rather a secret known to God and now disclosed to certain individuals, especially through the gospel. (AI) It is used several times in the New Testament.

    1 Corinthians 15:51

    Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

    1 Corinthians 2:7

    But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, [even] the hidden [wisdom], which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

    1 Timothy 3:9

    Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

    2 Thessalonians 2:7

    For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [will let], until he be taken out of the way.

    Colossians 1:26

    [Even] the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

    Colossians 1:27

    To whom God would make known what [is] the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

    Colossians 2:2

    That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgment of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;

    Colossians 4:3

    Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:

    Ephesians 1:9

    Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:

    Ephesians 3:3

    How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,

    Ephesians 3:4

    Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)

    Ephesians 3:9

    And to make all [men] see what [is] the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

    Ephesians 5:32

    This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

    Ephesians 6:19

    And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,

    Mark 4:11

    And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all [these] things are done in parables:

    Revelation 10:7

    But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

    Revelation 1:20

    The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

    Revelation 17:5

    And upon her forehead [was] a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

    Revelation 17:7

    And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.

    Romans 11:25

    For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

    Romans 16:25

    Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,

     In ancient Rome, mystery cults were secretive religious groups that offered initiates a path to personal salvation and a more fulfilling afterlife through rituals and shared experiences. 
    Mystery cults were religious organizations with secret rites and beliefs. They often centered around a mythic narrative involving a god or goddess who experiences death and rebirth, symbolizing the cycle of life and death. Examples would be Mithraism, the Cult of Isis, the Cult of Cibele, the Eleusinian Mysteries, the Cult of Dionysus. The mystery of godliness was not like those pagan mysteries. The mystery of godliness was based on a true historical figure, Jesus, who died and was bodily raised from the dead with plenty of evidence to support that historical occurrence. The mystery of godliness was “how is God going to save and justify sinners and yet remain just to punish sin.” The answer to that mystery was revealed when Jesus died and was raised. That mystery was delivered to the apostles through the inspiration of the Spirit and they preached to the entire Roman Empire.

    We are very blessed to be living after the “mystery was finished” (Revelation 10:7) and recorded in the New Testament books. We are not able to see the miracles or resurrection of Jesus, but we have sufficient evidences that they really happened in history.

    DESCRIPTIVE TERMS FOR THE CHURCH

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    I am teaching 1 Timothy and we are about to study 1 Timothy 3:14 I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; 15 but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one should act in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.” Of particular note, he calls the church, which is made up of saved believers in Jesus, the “household of God” and the “pillar and ground of the truth“. So what are the terms used in the NT to describe the church? I found this on AI:

    • City. The city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. Heb 12:22 The New Jerusalem Rev 21:2 This is a spiritual city. Many look for Jesus to come back and establish a new physical city of Jerusalem, but that is not the case.
    • Body of Christ:
      This metaphor highlights the unity and interconnectedness of believers, with Christ as the head. Each member plays a vital role, contributing to overall health and function of the body. Col 1
    • Temple of God:
      Just as the temple was a dwelling place for God in the Old Testament, the church is seen as a place where God’s Spirit dwells (naos: Temple, sanctuary:denotes the sanctuary proper—the dwelling place of God—rather than the wider temple precincts.. Rev 21:3 the “tabernacle of God” (skénoó: To dwell, to tabernacle, to pitch a tent to live in). God dwells in believers. 1 Cor 3:16; 6:19
    • Bride of Christ:
      This metaphor emphasizes the intimate and loving relationship between Christ and the church. Christ is the bridegroom, and the church is his beloved bride. Eph 5
    • Flock of God:
      This imagery emphasizes the care and guidance that Christ provides for his followers, likening them to sheep under the care of a shepherd. Acts 20
    • Family of God:
      This term (oikos: House, household, home, family) highlights the close-knit relationships among believers, who are considered brothers and sisters in God’s family. 1 Peter 2:6 spiritual house (oikos) made up of “living stones”.
    • Kingdom of God:
      This emphasizes the reign and authority of God over the church, and the church’s role in extending God’s kingdom on earth. Col 1:13 This is a spiritual kingdom. Jesus said in John 18:36 “My kingdom is not of this world”. He also said in Matthew 16:27,28 Mark 9:1 that some would still be alive to see Him coming in his new kingdom, which is the church that was established in Acts 2.
    • Pillar and Ground of the Truth:
      This metaphor (stulos: evokes the architectural pillar—load-bearing, upright, immovable) emphasizes the church’s role in upholding and proclaiming the truth of the gospel. 1 Tim 3
    • Ekklesia:.The Greek word ekklesia, translated as “church” in English, literally means “an assembly” or “those called out,” highlighting the idea of believers being called out from the world to form a community. 

    I knew all this but it just reminded me of all the different perspectives the church represents. A complete list of what the church should mean to us as members of that church. Both doctrinally, in our relationships with Jesus and the Father, and in our relationships with one another. We tend to think of the church as a building or a 503c3 organization, but the early church did not own buildings and there was no such thing as a 503c3 with trustees to allow members to write off their donations to the church on their tax returns. The church was simply the believers meeting in house churches, and all the descriptive terms for the church above would have meant a lot to help them understand the role of the church. The Jews were coming out of Judaism with its impersonal rituals and rules. The Gentiles were coming our of worshipping idols with impersonal worship of idols. The idea of “the church” was foreign to them.

    So I know that thinking about this helped me to realize what the church should be to me. It helps me to think of being a part of a spiritual family, the dwelling place of God, the flock of sheep with Jesus as the shepherd, etc. It is easy just to “go to church”, sit through a sermon/worship service and let that be “church” to a person. The church should mean so much more to a believer, a member of the church.

    I hope this artlce helps us all.

    THE OMNIPOTENCE OF GOD AND CALVINISM

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    God is omnipresent (everywhere), omniscient (all knowing), and omnipotent (all powerful). Psalm 139 shows all 3 of these. He knows what we are going to say before we even think of it. He is everywhere, a spirit filling the universe. He is all powerful as creator, can do anything he pleases, and is in full control. The omnipotence of God brings a lot of questions, however. Does God predestine everything that is going to happen (Calvinism)? Where does free will come in? Does God allow free will choices? Did Pharoah even have a choice since God hardened his heart? Did Judas really have a choice in betraying Jesus since his betrayal was an essential part of the plan for Jesus to die and save sinners?

    I think of it this way. God doesn’t always allow us to choose our circumstances and what happens to us, but He always allows us to choose how to respond to our circumstances and what happens to us. Joseph was not allowed to choose whether to go to Egypt as a slave (he most certainly would have chosen not to), but he was allowed to chooose how to respond to that (he chose wisely and was faithful to God while in Egypt). It does say that God hardened Pharoah’s heart, but it also says that Pharoach hardened his heart (it also says the plagues hardened his heart). Pharoach had a choice on how to respond to the plagues and he chose to say no and thus hardened his heart. God indirectly hardened Pharoah’s heart by sending the plagues, but Pharoah had a choice. It was predicted by Zechariah that a close friend of Jesus would betray him for 30 pieces of silver. Jesus chose Judas b/c He knew that Judas would betray him and He knew that had to happen. Judas chose to betray him for money.

    Predestination is a Biblical doctrined. God predestined things to happen based on His foreknowledge of how certain people would respond to events. God made certain things happen and controlled events. He didn’t always allow people to choose their circumstances or what happened to them, but he always allowed them to choose how to respond. Somehow by the providence of God He controlled things even while using the free will choices of those involved. Joseph’s brothers were envious of Joseph. God used their free will choice to envy and hate Joseph to get them to sell him to a caravan that just happened to be passing by on the way to Egypt. The providence of God can still work like that today, but it is often hard to know exactly what God is doing since we don’t have prophets to tell us what He is doing.

    The dangerous thing about Calvinism is that Calvinism’s doctrine of predestination takes away the free will choices of men. A sinner might hear the gospel message, but according to Calvinism, he is totally depraved (the T in TULIP) and is not capable of simply believing the gospel message. If he is one of the arbitrarily, unconditionally, selected elect (the U in TULIP), then God will send His Spirit in some direct, miraculous, irresistible way to enable the sinner to be able to believe (the I in TULIP). If he is not one of the elect, then he really doesn’t have the free will ability to choose to believe in Jesus. He is left at the mourner’s bench disappointed and discouraged b/c he did not get the miraculous sign that he was one of the elect. I had a friend go through that experience. I later shared Acts 2 and how he could simply choose to repent and be baptized (Acts 2:38) and be saved, and he was baptized that night and went home rejoicing. In Calvinism, if a sinner is one of the elect and gets saved, he can never fall from grace no matter how sinful he lives. Calvinism teaches the doctrine that those who are truly saved will persevere in faith and ultimately reach salvation and cannot be permanently lost (the P in TULIP). Again, free will choice is not involved. God will save his elect regardless of their choices to live godly or not. God’s grace is that powerful according to Calvinism. Many teach a modified form of Calvinism. They might teach most of Calvin’s doctrine, but if someone gets saved and then backslides, they will simply say, “he never was really saved”. That is very confusing. They tell him that he is saved. He has saving faith. The Bible says that he is saved. But when he backslides, they just reverse all that and say that he never was really saved to begin with. Why dont’ they just acknowledge that the Bible teaches the a person can be fully saved by grace through faith and later fall from grace (Galatians 5:4; 2 Peter 2:20-22)? Many in the Reformed tradition are strongly Calvinistic but dont always hold to the doctrine of perseverance of the saints.

    I hope this helps.

    Thanks for reading.

    WHEN DO YOU GET YOUR TICKET TO TAKE A TRIP ON THE TRAIN? Corrie Ten Boom

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    You probably know the story of Corrie Ten Boom and her family in the concentration camps in WWII. They weren’t Jews but hid some Jews in their house (The Hiding Place book and movie). She lost all her family in the camps. Her sister had great faith but feared death and Corrie comforted her by remembering what their father had once told her. “Father sat down on the edge of the narrow bed. “Corrie,” he began gently, “when you and I go to Amsterdam-when do I give you your ticket?” “When Corrie worries about the future, her father asks her when she is given the ticket to get on a train. I sniffed a few times, considering this. “Why, just before we get on the train.” “Exactly. And our wise Father in heaven knows when we’re going to need things, too. Don’t run out ahead of Him, Corrie. When the time comes that some of us will have to die, you will look into your heart and find the strength you need-just in time.“

    I know Christians should not fear death. Martyrs like Polycarp were not afraid of death. “Polycarp’s steadfastness is highlighted in his refusal to deny Christ, even when threatened with death by burning and mauling by beasts. He viewed martyrdom not as something to be feared, but as an honor and a way to emulate Christ. He believed that true martyrs represented Christ in their actions surrounding death.” (AI) But I have to be honest. I do fear death. I blame my mom for all my fears! She was always trying to protect me from bad things that might happen. Don’t climb up high, you might fall. So I have acrophobia! Watch out for snakes, so I am afraid of snakes. My grandsons pick up non-poisonous snakes and handle them. My mom always knew of someone who had died from a minor injury or infection, like an infected toe. So even a little infection worries me. She was always cautious about checking the details of everything, so I am OCD. I do have faith that I will live eternally and never die (spiritually) just as Jesus promised, but I still have that fear of death and what it will be like to breathe your last breath and lose life in this body.  

    That is why the story of Corrie and her sister Betsy is comforting to me. When it comes time to die, I hope that God will give me the comfort and strength that I need to face death courageously. I believe that he will.

    I have a prayer that I make every day asking God to remove fear, doubt, worry, and stress from my mind, to help me to “cast all my anxiety on Him”. I admit that I am a worrier. Here’s what Corrie said about worry. ““Worrying is carrying tomorrow’s load with today’s strength-carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength. Trying to do the Lord’s work in your own strength is the most confusing, exhausting, and tedious of all work. But when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, then the ministry of Jesus just flows out of you.”

    Here is the article some of these quotes from Corrie were taken from. https://emilybrookswriter.com/2022/07/24/waiting-for-your-ticket-the-courage-of-corrie-ten-boom/?scrlybrkr=f2f8117f

    THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD (2)

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    1. What doctrine were the Sadducees known for? Why did they hold that doctrine?

    It seems like the main thing that the Sadducees were known for is that they denied the resurrection. “The Sadducees, a priestly faction in Judaism during the time of Jesus, were known for their limited acceptance of scripture and their rejection of the prophets, including their teachings. They adhered primarily to the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament) and rejected the prophetic writings and other historical texts, including the writings of the prophets. This rejection extended to doctrines derived from the prophets, such as resurrection and the afterlife, which they denied.” (AI) Daniel 12:2 predicted a resurrection of the dead. If the Sadducees did not believe in the prophets, you can see why they rejected a resurrection of the dead. More on Daniel 12:2 later.

    2. What did the Pharisees believe? How did Paul use the different resurrection beliefs of the two groups to his advantage?

    In contrast, the Pharisees believed in the resurrection of the dead. “The Pharisees believed that the Prophets, along with the Writings and the Five Books of Moses (Torah), were divinely inspired and authoritative. They held the scriptures as sacred texts containing God’s word.” Paul used the resurrection of the dead to get the Pharisees and Sadducees arguing among themselves, turning their attention away from their common hatred of Paul. Acts 23:6 But Paul, perceiving that one group were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, began crying out in the Council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; I am on trial for the hope and resurrection of the dead!” 7 When he said this, a dissension occurred between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. 9 And a great uproar occurred; and some of the scribes of the Pharisaic party stood up and started arguing heatedly, saying, “We find nothing wrong with this man; suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”  NASB

    3. What did Paul say about the resurrection of the dead in his trial before Felix?

    Later in a trial before the governor Felix, Paul said: Acts 24:14 `And I confess this to thee, that, according to the way that they call a sect, so serve I the God of the fathers, believing all things that in the law and the prophets have been written, 15 having hope toward God, which they themselves also wait for, [that] there is about to be a rising again of the dead, both of righteous and unrighteous.” Young’s Literal Translation. Notice the words “about to be”. The Greek word is mello which in the NT always measn “about to be”. Is Paul mistaken when he predicts this? I think not. A resurrection of the dead must have been taught by the prophets for Paul to say this.

    4. But where did any of the prophets predict a resurrection of the dead?

    There is a prediction of a resurrection in Ezekiel 37 in the valley of dry bones. The dry dead bones are the nation of Israel after the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC and. the captivity in Babylon. But God predicts that in the future He will put HIs Spirit in the bones and they will come out of their graves and live, thus a resurrection. Ezekiel 37:12 Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “Behold, I am going to open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13 Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people. 14 And I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life.” Anytime the prophets predicted a pouring out of the Spirit it always refers to the Acts 2 pouring out of the miraculous indwelling of the Spirit on the remnant believing Jews during the last days of the Jewish Age (i.e. 30 AD to 70 AD). So this is a Messianic prediction of a a spiritual resurrection from the spiritual dead state of the Jews, but would only be fulfilled in the raising from spiritual death of Jews who believed in Jesus as the Messiah.

    5. Where in the OT is the main, clear prediction of a resurrection of the dead?

    We have another prediction of a resurrection of the dead in Daniel 12:1 “Now at that time (i.e. the “end time” Daniel 11:27, 35, 40) Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued. 2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.” Daniel says that this resurrection would occur at the “end time” (12:4, 9, 12) at the “end of the age” (12:13, i.e. the end of the Jewish Age in 70 AD). He said this would occur at the “abomination of desolation” (12:11; also predicted by Daniel in Daniel 9:27).

    6. How do we know what the abomination of desolation refers to?

    Jesus said that the abomination of desolation as predicted by Daniel had to occur within the generation of those whom he was talking to. Matthew 24:15 “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place—let the reader understand— 16 then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 34 Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” The word for “generations” is genea and in the NT it always means a period of about 40 years or the people living in a 40 years period, just as we use the word when we speak of the “baby boomers’ generation, or x generation”. Thus Jesus is saying that Daniel’s abomination of desolation had to happen within the next 40 years of when he made that statement, and that could only be the destruction of the temple and the city by the Romans in 70 AD. Tie all this together, and Daniel was predicting a resurrection of the dead that would happen at the end of the Jewish age and at the abomination of desolation of the temple in 70 AD. It is noteworthy that Paul said in Acts 24:15 that there “is about to be” a resurrection of the dead” just as the prophets predicted. The Greek word for “about to be” is mello which in the NT always means something “about to happen”. I quoted from YLT b/c it is about the only one that translates the word mello correctly. Most translation translate it as “certainly will be”, but that is incorrect. So, unless Paul is mistaken, the resurrection of the dead was “about to happen” at the time he spoke. That would have to be the Daniel 12:2 prediction of the resurrection of the dead.

    7. Why have Christians taught for 2,000 years that the resurrection has not happened yet?

    Let that sink in! Paul said the resurrection was “about to happen” as he spoke. This could only be the Daniel 12:2 resurrection at the end of the Jewish Age in 70 AD. There was only one future resurrection and that was it in 70 AD. So why has Christian tradition taught for 2,000 years that the resurrection of the dead has not happened yet? Probably b/c Christians expected a resurrection of physical bodies from the graves, which indeed did not happen in 70 AD. There was a spiritual resurrection of the OT dead who were in hades, but not a bodily resurrection visible to the naked eye. They had been held in hades waiting their resurrection and final eternal sentence and fate. No one would have actually seen them rising from their graves in 70 AD. Another factor is that most Bible scholars believe that the 2nd coming hasn’t happened yet. They believe that the resurrection will happen at the 2nd coming, so the two doctrines become tied together.

    8. The resurrection of the dead and the 2nd coming were to happen at the same time that the abomination of desolation happened, all of which happened in 70 AD.

    Full preterism teaches that the 2nd coming was in 70 AD so that fits with the resurrection of the dead in 70 AD, both happening in 70 AD. Concerning the timing of the 2nd coming, Jesus only made in the synoptics 4 predictions of a 2nd coming or coming back: 1) Matthew 10:23 “But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.; 2) 16: 27-28. Matthew 16:27 even uses the word mello which always in the NT means “about to happen”: 27 “For, the Son of Man is about to come in the glory of his Father, with his messengers, and then he will reward each, according to his work.” He then adds: 28 Verily I say to you, there are certain of those standing here who shall not taste of death till they may see the Son of Man coming in his reign.’ He is saying that some of those he is speaking to will be alive at his 2nd coming. This prediction is not a prediction of the transfiguration as some say. The passage is a judgment passage, and there was no judgment at the transfiguration. 3) Matthew 24:29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31 And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet blast, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. 34 Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. ” The context is the abomination of desolation (24:15) of the temple in 70 AD. 4) Matthew 26:64 Jesus *said to him, “You have said it yourself. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”. All 4 times he says that his 2nd coming would be within the lifetime of those he was speaking to. There are no predictions made by Jesus in the gospels of a “coming back” that was to happen in the distant future (going on 2,000 years now). If so, where are they?

    9. The 2nd coming was to take place immediately after the tribulation on the Jews and within that generation (the next 40 years)?

    The “tribulation” (24:21,29) is the tribulation predicted by Daniel to fall on the Jews as the Romans sieged Jerusalem, killing a million Jews. Daniel 12:1 And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time.” Then “immediately after that tribulation surrounding 70 AD, Jesus predicts his 2nd coming. Matthew 24:29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.” Then he adds in Matthew 24:34 Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” Again, the word generation always in the NT means a period of about 40 years or the people living in a 40 year period. So a clear prediction that his 2nd coming would be in the next 40 years after he said this. It is described with some figurative language, such as the stars falling. That is typical of figurative language used of the fall of Babylon (Isaiah 13) and other nations in the OT. It is not predicting that the stars would literally fall. These predictions by Jesus of an imminent 2nd coming within the lifetime of those he was speaking to could only be fulfilled by his coming in judgement on the Jews in 70 AD (using the Romans). There are no other predictions of a “coming back” of Jesus that were not to be fulfilled in the lifetime of those he was speaking to. Check it out. Find the verses that teaches another coming of Jesus (thus a 3rd coming) that was not imminent. There are none. That also fits the teaching of the apostles who taught an imminent 2nd coming of Jesus.

    10. The book of Revelation is about the fall of Jerusalem and the 2nd coming in 70 AD.

    Revelation was written about 63-65 AD and is predicting the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD and is also a prediction of the imminent 2nd coming in 70 AD. Revelation is about things that were going to “shortly” take place, things that were “near”. Revelation 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, 2 who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, everything that he saw. 3 Blessed is the one who reads, and those who hear the words of the prophecy and keep the things which are written in it; for the time is near.” Some say that “soon” or “shortly take place” or “near” can mean soon in God’s time frame, which could be thousands of years (citing 2 Peter 3:8 that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.) But the context is warning the 7 churches to repent b/c of the things that were going to happen soon in their lifetime. There would be no relevance to them if was predicting things to happen thousands of years later. The book was written during the days of the 6th emperor of Rome, which was Nero. Revelation 17:9 The seven heads are seven mountains upon which the woman sits, 10 and they are seven kings; five have fallen (the first 5 emperors of Rome had already died at the time of writing), one is (Nero, trhe 6th emperor was reigning at the time of writing), “ Nero died in 68 AD so the book had to be written while he was living, before he died in 68 AD. In Revelation 17 the sea beast (figurative language taken from Daniel 7 and 8) is Rome, and Rome destroys the harlot which is the same as the “great city”, which is Jerusalem (11:8 the great city is where the “Lord was crucified”). The harlot Jerusalem had killed the prophets, the Jewish Christian saints, and the apostles. The theme of the book is the “avenging of the blood of the apostles, prophets, and saints”. Revelation 18: 20 Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her. 24 And in her (Babylon, the name on the forehead of the harlot in chapter 17) was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slaughtered on the earth.”

    But Revelation is also about the imminent 2nd coming. Revelation 1:7 Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him.” But then it says that he is coming soon or quickly: Revelation 22:6 And he said to me, “These words are faithful and true”; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show His bond-servants the things which must soon take place. 7 “And behold, I am coming quickly. 10 And he *said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11 Let the one who does wrong still do wrong, and the one who is filthy still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous still practice righteousness, and the one who is holy still keep himself holy.” 12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to reward each one as his work deserves. 20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” Some want to say that “quickly” just means rapidly, but the context shows that means a coming that is “soon”, to happen in the lifetime of those 7 churches John was writing to.

    11. Did Jesus and the apostles predict an imminent 2nd coming but then it was delayed?

    Some say, “Yes Jesus and the apostles predicted his 2nd coming to be imminent but then Jesus delayed his 2nd coming (now a 2,000 year delay!) b/c the Jews rejected Him.” The Hebrew letter predicts a “2nd time” that Jesus would come: Hebrews 9:28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him. But Hebrews then adds: Hebrews 10:37 For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay.” That refutes the “delay” theory. James taught an imminent 2nd coming: The apostles and NT writers predicted an imminent 2nd coming. James 5:8 You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.” Was he a false prophet? Peter said in 1 Peter 4:7 The end of all things is near“. He is predicting the end of the Jewish system in 70 AD and not the end of the world. He follows that up with 2 Peter 3 a prediction of the removal of the old heavens and earth (the old covenantJewish system) and replacing them with the new heavens and earth (the new covenant system) that occured at 70 AD. If 2 Peter 3 was not fulfilled in 70 AD, then his prediction in 1 Peter 4:7 is false and the end of all things was not near. 2 Peter 3 uses figurative language to describe the destruction of the old heavens and earth, which is the old Jewish system. The “elements” would be burned up, but the Greek word for “elements” is only used 7 times in the NT and it always refers to the elementary principles of the Law and not the 100 plus physical elements on earth such as hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen. 2 Thessalonians 2 Paul says that the 2nd coming would happen during the lifetime of the Thessalonian believers. Thus full preterism fulfills both the 2nd coming and the resurrection occurring in 70 AD. The 2nd coming was not delayed as many claim today.

    12. Was the resurrection of the dead something visible to the naked eye?

    Back to the discussion of the resurrection of the dead in 70 AD, Paul made it very clear that the resurrected bodies would be spiritual, not physical, in 1 Corinthians 15:42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.” He then. says that resurrection would occur while some of those he was writing to were still alive. 51 Behold, I am telling you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this perishable puts on the imperishable, and this mortal puts on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written: “Death has been swallowed up in victory. 55 Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul is saying that immortal spiritual bodies will be given at the resurrection of the dead and that will happen while some of those he is writing to are still alive. Immortality is the same as eternal life. The final phase of destroying spiritual death came in 70 AD when the Law, the source of spiritual death, disappeared (Hebrews 8:13).
    That is consistent with what he predicted in Acts 24:15, and can only refer to a resurrection of the dead in 70 AD just as Daniel 12:2 predicted. It is noteworthy that Paul adds that, whether dead of alive, all the believers will receive immortality at that resurrection in 70 AD. The last enemy, spiritual death, was officially defeated when the temple was destroyed in 70 AD and the law “disappeared” (Hebrews 8:13). There have been no more animal sacrifices or priesthood or temple since 70 AD.

    13. So if the resurrection of the dead happened in 70 AD, what do believers get after 70 AD?

    Spiritual death has been defeated for believers. After 70 AD, believers get an immortal spiritual body when they are saved and that immortal body will live on eternally even after they die physically. John 11:23 Jesus *said to her, “Your brother will rise from the dead.” 24 Martha *said to Him, “I know that he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; the one who believes in Me will live, even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.” Martha’s comment about a resurrection on the last day (of the age at the end time) reflects most Jewish expectations of a resurrection, but Jesus is teaching that the resurrection of the dead will give a believer a spiritual body that will continue to live even after physical death. Today when one is converted, he is given an immortal spiritual body that will live on eternally even after he dies physically. He is a “new creature” spiritually. He has eternal life, although he can lose that eternal life if he falls from grace (Galatians 5:4; 2 Peter 2:20-22). When we die physically, we immediately go to be with the Lord eternally. Perhaps the best picture of what that will be like is Revelation 7:13 Then one of the elders responded, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?” 14 I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 For this reason they are before the throne of God, and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them. 16 They will no longer hunger nor thirst, nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any scorching heat; 17 for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.” As the song says, “Won’t it be wonderful there”.

    14. But is there a future resurrection where there will be no marrying and giving in marriage?

    In Matthew 22:23-33 the Sadducees were trying to trap Jesus on his teaching of a resurrection of the dead (the which they denied). They posed the Levirate marriage law of a brother marrying his deceased brother’s wife if the deceased brother had no children. Matthew 22:23 On that day some Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) came to Jesus and questioned Him, 24 saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother as next of kin shall marry his wife, and raise up children for his brother.’ 25 Now there were seven brothers among us; and the first married and died, and having no children, he left his wife to his brother. 26 It was the same also with the second brother, and the third, down to the seventh. 27 Last of all, the woman died. 28 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her in marriage.” Jesus’ answer is interesting. 29 But Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, since you do not understand the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God: 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” 33 When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at His teaching”. This silenced the Sadducees (22:34) but I doubt they understood what Jesus said. But do we understand what he said? Most Bible scholars would say that the “resurrection of the dead” Jesus spoke of hasn’t happened yet, but that contradicts Daniel 12:2, Acts 24:15, and 1 Corinthians 15:51. The resurrection of the dead that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 22 was the same as in those verses and occurred in 70 AD. It would be a spiritual event, and thus no “marrying or giving in marriage”. Receiving immortality in 70 AD was not something physical like marriage. That is similar language as that used by Paul in Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Of course there are male and female Christians, but he is speaking of a spiritual reality where believers have spiritual immortal bodies that have nothing to do with one’s gender of male or female. It is not about our marital state either, which is what Jesus was talking about. So the. resurrection Jesus is telling the Sadducees about is no doubt the Daniel 12:2 resurrection of the dead in 70 AD and not some future resurrection.

    15. A summary of full preterism, the resurrection of the dead, and the 2nd coming..

    So my conclusion is that the Daniel 12:2, Acts 24:15, and 1 Corinthians 15:51 resurrection of the dead occurred in 70 AD when the OT dead in hades were raised to receive their eternal sentencing and when the believers still living in 70 AD received immortality. From 70 AD on, all believers at their conversion fo Christ receive a resurrected spiritual body that will live eternally even after physical death. Paul spoke of this resurrected spiritual body in Ephesians 2, that we are raised from the dead spiritually to sit with Christ in the heavenly places. When we die, our spiritual immortal body goes directly to be with Jesus forever. There is no need for us to come back for some judgement day and some physical body to be raised from our graves. We already have all the immortal body that we need without that. Most preachers say that a deceased believer goest directly to be with Jesus, but then they still say that believer needs to come back some day, be judged, and his/her physical body be raised from the dirt. That is so inconsistent.

    16. But isn’t it heresy to say that the resurrection “has already taken place”?

    But isn’t it heresy to say that the resurrection of the dead happened in 70 AD and “has already taken place and is not in the future”? Did Paul not call that heresy? 2 Timothy 2: “17 Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 men who have gone astray from the truth, claiming that the resurrection has already taken place; and they are jeopardizing the faith of some.” That was written by Paul in about 65 AD. The resurrection that would happen in 70 AD would not have happened yet when Paul wrote 2 Timothy. These two false teachers were saying in 65 AD that the resurrection had already happened, which it had not. Their teaching could really confuse believers about the fulfillment of prophecies as made by Paul and the other NT writers. So Paul calls it “going astray from the truth”. But we are living beyond 70 AD and the resurrection of the dead has indeed already happened some 2,000 years go. So it is not heresy to say today that the resurrection had already happened. The passages discussed in this article show that it has already happened. It could be considered straying from the truth to say that it has not already happened since the Bible says that it has.

    17. Is preterism a heaven/hell issue? Is it an important issue?

    I don’t believe that one’s view of the resurrection of the dead or 2nd coming is a heaven/hell issue. The only thing that matters is belief that Jesus is the Son of God, the only propitiation and atonement for our sins by his death on the cross, belief that he was raised from the dead, and following Christ through love, obedience to the moral commands of the New Testament. It is comforting to know that we already have our resurrected bodies and will go directly to be with Jesus when we die. It is edifying to know that all the predictions of Jesus, the prophets, and the apostles came true just as they were predicted. That gives us confidence in the Bible as the word of God, not men. 1 Thessalonians 2:13 For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of mere men, but as what it really is, the word of God, which also is at work in you who believe.” Atheists, Muslims, and unbelieving Jews have constantly attacked Jesus as a false prophet, saying this his predictions of an imminent 2nd coming turned out to be false. He indeed would be a false prophet if that happened, but he did indeed do just what he predicted and returned in 70 AD to judge the Jews.

    PAUL’S “4TH MISSIONARY JOURNEY” AND THE PASTORAL EPISTLES: FALSE TEACHERS (1 TIMOTHY 1)

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    Paul was released from his 2 years in house arrest in Rome and made a final journey. He probably went to Spain, and then he went to Crete where he left Titus to correct false teachers on that island. He then went to Miletus (2 Timothy 4:20 where he left Trophimus ill) and Ephesus (or close by) where he left Timothy to correct false teachers in the church there. 1 Timothy 1:3 “I urge you, as I did when I was on my way to Macedonia, to remain in Ephesus so that you may instruct certain people not to teach different teachings 4 and not to occupy themselves with myths and endless genealogies that promote speculations rather than the divine training that is known by faith.” He then went to Troas (we know that b/c he left his cloak there, 2 Timothy 4:13 “When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments.”) Paul wrote 2 Timothy after he was arrested again and put in prison in Rome to be beheaded by Nero shortly thereafter. He then went to Macedonia where he proably wrote a letter to Titus and the first letter to Timothy. He then probably visited Corinth (1 Timothy 4:20 “Erastus remained in Corinth”). He was making his way to Nicopolis (Titus 3: 12 When I send Artemas to you, or Tychicus, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there.” We don’t know if he made it to Nicopolis, but he was arrested either in Nicopolis or one the way to Nicopolis and put in prison in Rome where he would write 2 Timothy to Timothy. He would be beheaded by Nero in 66-67 AD or so.

    Here is a great simple map of this last journey (I hope it shows up in this blog; here is the site to find the map and a discussion: https://www.thebiblejourney.org/). So this map will be the basis for a few blogs on the Pastoral Epistles (1, 2 Timothy and Titus). He probably visited Spain at some point in this journey. Evidence from early church fathers: Clement of Rome (a late first century bishop of the church in Rome), a contemporary of Paul, suggests that Paul did travel to the West, which is believed to be Spain. Other early church fathers like John Chrysostom and Cyril of Jerusalem also support the idea of a Spanish visit. The Muratorian Fragment: (170-200 AD) This early Christian text mentions Paul’s departure from Rome for Spain.

    As stated in 1 Timothy 1:3 the main reason he left Timothy in Ephesus was to correct false teachers there. Timothy was an evangelist who had miraculous gifts of teaching, so he would have Biblical authority to correct false teachers. He describes the false teachers in several places in 1 Timothy.
    The false teachers there are not the usual Judaizers that Paul fought constantly who tried to make circumcision of Gentile Christians a test of fellowship (that issue is never mentioned in 1 Timothy). They did created legalistic rules (in 1 Timothy 4:1-4 they forbade marriage). They are characterized by their focus on endless genealogies and myths (perhaps legends about Old Testament characters as found in the pseudepigraphic like the book of Enoch) writings, which lead to speculation rather than promoting God’s work of faith. They distort the law, using it to create legalistic rules (1 Timothy 4:1-4 they forbade certain foods which would probably be the forbidden unclean meats of Leviticus in the Law) and divisions rather than understanding its purpose in revealing sin and pointing to Christ. Ultimately, their teachings are motivated by a desire for prestige and personal gain, rather than genuine love and a pure heart. Paul even named two of the false teachers (1 Timothy 1:20 among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have turned over to Satan, so that they may be taught not to blaspheme.” Paul told Timothy that there might be some of the elders in Ephesus who needed to be rebuked by Timothy for false teaching or bad conduct (1 Timothy 5:17-22). Paul had warned the Ephesian elders about false teachers even among the elders (when he met with them at Miletus on his 3rd missionary journey). He had told the elders: Acts 20:28 Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son. 29 I know that after I have gone, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Some even from your own group will come distorting the truth in order to entice the disciples to follow them.” Paul gave a detailed description of the false teachers in 1 Timothy 6:3 Whoever teaches otherwise and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that is in accordance with godliness 4 is conceited, understanding nothing, and has a morbid craving for controversy and for disputes about words. From these come envy, dissension, slander, base suspicions, 5 and wrangling among those who are depraved in mind and bereft of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.” They were preaching for money.

    So, in trying to apply this particular situation of false teachers in Ephesus, what can be said of false teachers today. I came up with 3 tests for false teachers today.

    1. They preach and teach with impure motives. They desire power, money, or sex (or some combo of these 3). 2 Peter 2:1 “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive opinions. They will even deny the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Even so, many will follow their debaucheries, and because of these teachers the way of truth will be maligned. 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their condemnation, pronounced against them long ago, has not been idle, and their destruction is not asleep. 12 These people, however, are like irrational animals, mere creatures of instinct, born to be caught and killed. They slander what they do not understand, and as those creatures are destroyed, they also will be destroyed, 13 suffering the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you. 14 They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children!” It is hard to know the motives of teachers and preachers and we should be careful in judging anyone’s motives. But eventually a tree is known by its fruit and their motives will become more obvious. Jesus said: Matthew 7:15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns or figs from thistles? 17 In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will know them by their fruits.” For example, a megachurch preacher who has a net worth of 30 million dollars (there are several of them) makes him (or her) a false teacher in my opinion. A paid preacher who is caught having affairs with some of the members of his church is another example (plenty examples of those). A preacher like Jim Jones (People’s Temple, the mass Guyana suicide)or David Karesh ( the Waco, Texas Branch Davidians) who claimed to be an inspired prophet who could freely have sex with the women in his flock are examples of false teaches with impure motives.
    2. Their teaching will focus on controversial issues, intellectual debates, etc. instead of focussing on the central themes of the person and work of Jesus and daily Christian living. They might impose their own interpretations of scripture on others. They might be as described in Colossians 2:16 Therefore, do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food or drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or Sabbaths. 17 These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the body belongs to Christ. 18 Do not let anyone disqualify you, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, initiatory visions, puffed up without cause by a human way of thinking, 19 and not holding fast to the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and tendons, grows with a growth that is from God.” We had a movement within the Restoration Churches (known as the Churches of Christ) of preachers who started making as tests of fellowship issues like using money from the treasury to help orphanages or using one cup in the Lord’s Supper or having kitchens in the church building. Those issues were not heaven/hell issues and should have been discussed and debated lovingly but instead they ended up in power struggles and many divisions within the churches.
    3. Often false teachers will introduce teaching that is foreign to the basic teaching of the 27 books of the New Testament. For example, Christian Science adds all the writings of their prophetess Mary Baker Eddy (they also deny the deity of Jesus). The Jehovah’s Witnesses have their prophet founders Rutherford and Russell and their writings and a lot of rules they bind on their members. The Seventh Day Adventists have their prophetess Ellen White and her writings. The Mormons have the stories of Joseph Smith and his writings, as well as the book of Mormon which they say has equal authority as the New Testament. The Catholic church taught that the Pope would be the head of the church and that his papal decrees were equal authority to the decrees of the apostles. I would have to say that these are movements begun by false teachers and false prophets. We don’t need to judge those who are members of those movements (I know a Mormon man whom I think is a fruit of the Spirit Christian), but we must warn people about those false teachers and false prophets and their writings. We have to be careful before we call someone a false teacher. I know that in the church that I was raised in that our preachers called Baptist preachers and Billy Graham false teachers b/c those preachers didn’t preach baptism exactly like my church did (even though the Baptists taught the importance of immersion of those old enough to believe). My preachers acted like we had the correct teaching on every single doctrine and issue in the Bible, and that anyone who disagreed with our interpretations was a false teacher. Of course that led to many different lists of sectarian teachings that they couldn’t even all agree on. Conservative denominational preachers are not false teachers if their motives are pure. They might disagree on issues but they usually agree on the core teaching of the person and work of Christ and the requirements for Christian living. But I must mention that this latest LGBQT movement within some of the denominations (like the Methodists) is false teaching and should be condemned.

    So I hope this give us the basic context of 1 Timothy 1 and some possible application to false teachers today. Paul said in 1 Timothy 3:15 that the church is the “church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.” Jude warned in Jude 3: I find it necessary to write and appeal to you to contend for the faith that was once and for all handed on to the saints. 4 For certain intruders have stolen in among you, people who long ago were designated for this condemnation as ungodly, who pervert the grace of our God into debauchery and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” Paul said in 2 Timothy 2:23 Have nothing to do with stupid and senseless controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. 24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to everyone, an apt teacher, patient, 25 correcting opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant that they will repent and come to know the truth 26 and that they may escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.” We must defend the faith in love, but we must correct those who really are false teachers and false prophets in order to protect those who would be led astray by them.

    DOES GOD SEND DELUSIONS ON PEOPLE?

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    Does God send delusions on people that makes them believe lies? Some verses, on superficial reading, suggest that: 2 Thessalonians 2:11 For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, 12 in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.” Bert Thompson in his book, Creation Compromises, made some great comments on this.
    “The simple fact of the matter, however, is that we are responsible for what we choose to believe. Using the personal volition with which God has endowed us, we may choose freely to believe the truth, or we may choose just as freely to believe error. The choice is up to each individual. And once an individual has made up his mind that he prefers error over truth, God will not deter him, as Paul made clear when he wrote his second epistle to the Thessalonians. In that letter, he spoke of those who “received not the love of the truth” (2: 10), and then went on to say that “for this cause God sends them a working of error, that they should believe a lie” (2 Thessalonians 2:11). What a horrible thought—to go through life believing a lie! But what, exactly, was Paul suggesting when he stated in 2 Thessalonians 2:11 that “God sends them a working of error, that they should believe a lie”? Was the apostle teaching that God purposely causes men to believe error? No, he most certainly was not. Paul’s point in this passage was that because God has granted man personal volition, and because He has provided within the Bible the rules, regulations, and guidelines to govern the use of that personal volition, He therefore will refrain from overriding man’s freedom of choice—even when it violates His law. God will not contravene man’s decisions or interfere with the actions based on those decisions. The prophet Isaiah had recorded God’s words on this subject many years before when he wrote: Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations: I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did that which was evil in mine eyes, and chose that wherein I delighted not (Isaiah 66:3-4). The psalmist recorded God’s words on this matter when he wrote: “But my people hearkened not to my voice; and Israel would not hear me. So I let them go after the stubbornness of their heart, that they might walk in their own counsels” (Psalm 81:11-12). In Romans 11:8, Paul (quoting from Isaiah 29:10) stated concerning the rebellious Israelites: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear.” “

    In other words, God has provided all the revelation and confirmation (miracles) that we need to have the truth and believe the truth. If someone chooses not to believe the truth, then God might actually use his unbelief to send him a delusion that allows him to believe lies. That person is still choosing to believe the delusion, so God is not forcing him to violate his free will choices. So God is, in one sense, causing him to believe a lie. If God did not send the delusion, then that person would not believe the lie of that delusion.

    When I was a principal of a Christian school in Birmingham, Al, a high school student was sent to me for discipline by an elementary school teacher. The student was throwing rocks near the playground of some small children in the teacher’s class. He was not throwing rocks at the students but the teacher told him to quit throwing rocks. He disobeyed her and kept throwing rocks. Again, not any real danger but he disobeyed the elementary teacher and she sent him to my office. I will never forget his answer when I asked him why he disobeyed a teacher, using his own logic that he was not even close to hitting a child and therefore the teacher command was unnecessary. He told me: “If she had not told me to stop throwing rocks then I would not have been guilty of disobeying her.” In other words, it was her fault to telling him to stop. He saw himself as guiltless in the matter. I don’t remember how I answered him, but I do remember taking my 2 foot long, one inch thick, wood paddle and giving him 3 licks (this was an 11th grader). We did that kind of thing back then! Paddling took care of a lot of little stuff. Today we use detention, etc. but the paddling seemed to be more effective in my opinion!

    Back to the point. Sure, if God did not send that unbeliever a delusion that indirectly caused him to believe a lie, then that is one sin that the person would not commit and be guilty of. But God is not to blame for the person believing the delusion and lie. The person ultimately chose to follow the delusion and believe a lie of his own free will.

    This helps explain how God hardened Pharoah’s heart. It sounds like God made Pharoah violate his own free will choices and refuse to allow the Israelites slaves go free. But it also says that “Pharoah hardened his heart” and “the plagues hardened his heart”. If God had not sent the plagues, then, like my student, that is one sin that he would not have had the opportunity to commit. So God, by sending the plagues on him could be said to have caused him to harden his heart and disobey God. But he had already hardened his heart, so God was just using a hardened sinner to show his power over the gods of Egypt in the plagues. Pharoah was still making his own choices.

    That brings us to Romans 9:14 What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? Far from it! 15 For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I have mercy, and I will show compassion to whomever I show compassion.” 16 So then, it does not depend on the person who wants it nor the one who runs, but on God who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very reason I raised you up, in order to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the earth.” 18 So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.

    19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?” 20 On the contrary, who are you, you foolish person, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? 21 Or does the potter not have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one object for honorable use, and another for common use?”

    This on the surface sounds like Pharoah is not at fault for disobeying God. It sounds like God hardened his heart and that he did not have free will choice when the plagues came. “Who can resist God’s will?” implies that he could not resist God’s plan for him to disobey God b/c God predestined it. This is typical Calvinistic thinking and doctrine. According to pure Calvinism, a person really isn’t capable of just choosing to obey the gospel and become a Christian. First, he must be one of the elect or he is totally out of luck since Jesus only died for the elect (the “L” limited atonement in TULIP). One is in the elect based purely on the arbitrary choosing of God and not any conditions that the sinner meets (the “U” unconditional election in TULIP). If he is the elect, he still can’t just choose to believe. He is born in sin, totally depraved, and isn’t capable of believing (the “T” total hereditary depravity in TULIP). So God has to send His Spirit to enable his heart to believe. God only sends His Spirit on the elect. When He does send His Spirit on the elect to enable them to believe, they can’t resist the Spirit working on their heart (the “I” irresistible grace in TULIP). Once an elect person receives the Spirit and is able to believe, he is saved and cannot lose his salvation by sinning (the “P” perseverance of the saints in TULIP). That’s the famous TULIP of Calvinism.

    But Pharoah had free will choice to obey God and let the slaves go free. He hardened his own heart even though God hardened his heart by sending the plagues, making him choose to obey or not. The plagues hardened his heart also. Once Pharoah hardened his heart, God has the right as God to use his hardened heart to disobey even more commands from God. God is the potter and man in the clay, and the potter has that right over the clay (Romans 9).

    None of that is Calvinism. Calvinism goes against the principle of free will choices that God gives everyone. What kind of a God would keep anyone from just choosing to accept and obey Jesus? What kind of a God would keep someone from being able to believe b/c he is not one of an arbitrarily chosen group that is predestined to be saved? Calvinism means well in that it wants to give all the glory to God for saving sinners and not give glory to the choices of sinful men, but it goes to far.

    So back to the first paragraph. Once a person hardens his heart in unbelief, God can send a delusion that makes them believe a lie and go further into sin. But the sinner has the ability to make free will choices in the whole process. God indirectly causes them to believe a lie by sending a delusion on them, but they freely choose to follow the delusion and believe the lie.