If you are in Christ Jesus by faith- two things to REST IN and CLING TO in these last days:
Saturday, December 3, 2022
Rejoice in the Lord
If you are in Christ Jesus by faith- two things to REST IN and CLING TO in these last days:
Sunday, November 13, 2022
Bible Prophecy is Verifiable
Bible prophecy is verifiable. Most people won’t go so far as to verify it. They’ll just reject it out of hand. Fair minded people will research and discover these truths for themselves.
Everything in the Bible that God said would come true has come true. So, we know that everything the Bible says will yet come true will happen just as God said.
Not only is Jesus the King of kings and Lord of lords, but we are in the last days before the return of our King, the Lord Jesus Christ.
According to the Bible, He will establish His long awaited 1,000 year Messianic Kingdom on earth. Truth and righteousness, peace and joy will be some of the many wonderful characteristics of God’s Kingdom.
Pastor JD Farag presents 10 prophecies that have been fulfilled or are being fulfilled now.
8/7/22 https://www.jdfarag.org/bible-prophecy
Saturday, October 1, 2022
The Proven Word of God
Quite a few things happening in the world right now are fulfilling, more and more precisely every day, what the Bible has predicted for several thousand years. Isaiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, Paul, Peter, John, and many others, including Jesus Himself, shared hundreds of specific prophecies in the name of the God of Israel.
How did they know? No other “holy book” has even attempted this, let alone accomplished it. The Bible alone is verifiably, undeniably the PROVEN Word of the Living God. Repent & Believe the Good News of the Savior and King Jesus Christ! And dig into your Bible!
How to Know God:
https://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/knowgod.cfm
Resources for Bible Study:
https://walkingwithjesus.net/christian-links/
Free PDF: '25 Signs We Are Near the End' and more resources from Don Stewart
https://educatingourworld.com/media/dmbchkk/25-signs-we-are-near-the-end
Monday, September 26, 2022
The Inheritance of the Saints
A few verses containing the words heir, heirs, inherit, inheritance, or related. Praise God for His goodness and the blessings He has prepared for His children for all eternity!
[1Peter 1:3-4] 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance imperishable and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,[1Corinthians 3:21-23] 21 Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours: 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come--all are yours. 23 And you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.
[Romans 8:32] 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
[Romans 8:16-17] 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
[Acts 20:32] 32 "So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
[Ephesians 1:11] 11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,
[Galatians 4:4-7] 4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!" 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
[Hebrews 9:15] 15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.
[Titus 3:7] 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
[Psalm 16:5] 5 O LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot.
[Psalm 37:9] 9 For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the LORD, They shall inherit the earth.
Monday, August 15, 2022
Encouragement in Trials
2nd Corinthians 4 says,
“Therefore,
we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward
man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a
moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,
while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are
not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are
not seen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).”
For most of
us, our afflictions and difficulties do not seem very light or momentary. At
first glance a lifetime of various victories and defeats doesn't feel momentary.
But what Paul is saying here is that in the light of eternity, and in the light
of the eternal work that God is accomplishing in each of us through our afflictions
and trials, it is a light affliction, and it is but for a moment because it is
working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Our troubles
will come to end one day, but they are accomplishing good things that will go
on forever in God’s Kingdom. And God is not just working all things for good
for us, but He is accomplishing His eternal purposes in the people around us
through our trials, and theirs.
That reminds
me of 1st Peter, chapter 1. Peter starts off by saying,
“Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant
mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that
does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you (1 Peter 1:3-4).”
Our
inheritance in the Lord is reserved for us who are “kept by the power of God.” That
is, surrounded, guarded, protected, and kept by the power of God through our
faith in Jesus Christ “for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (v. 5).”
In verse 5, Peter
is saying that the rapture of the church, the tribulation, the second coming, the
setting up of the Kingdom of Jesus is ready, it could be revealed at any time. That's
what he said in the early to mid-sixties of the first century AD. So, if it was
ready at that time, then he’s saying the rapture is imminent, it can happen at
any time. Our salvation is ready, and when the Lord’s timing is fulfilled, He
will come.
And then in
verse 6 Peter says,
“You greatly
rejoice in this,” speaking of that hope of salvation ready to come. We're
looking for Jesus and we're looking to inherit our inheritance, our eternal
bodies that cannot die and in which there is no impurity. We will be completely
holy and righteous, we will not have a sin nature anymore. All of this we
greatly rejoice in. Then he continues: “though now for a little while if need
be you have been grieved by various trials.” That word grieved could also be
translated “distressed.” These are very distressing and grievous times that we
live in now, and of course all of the last two thousand years, in various
places and in various ways, many Christians have lived with distressing
circumstances. This is written to the church, and there are many trials and
tribulations in this life for the followers of Christ.
But here's
why we go through trials. We just saw it in 2nd Corinthians 4:17, that God is
working a “far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” through our
difficulties in this Christian life. The impact, the eternal purposes that God
is accomplishing through our trials that we don't fully comprehend now, they each
have eternal ramifications and purpose.
Now, in 1
Peter 1:7, Peter gives us more insight from the Holy Spirit and it’s really helpful
and encouraging to understand.
“So that
the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes,
though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation
of Jesus Christ.”
Revelation,
“apokalypsis” in Greek, like the Book of Revelation. Jesus is speaking of the
revealing of Jesus Christ that happens at the rapture and then at the second
coming and establishment of His Messianic Kingdom, the thousand-year reign of Jesus
on earth.
Let's break
down verse 7 a bit because this is so amazing when you think about how we get
worn out from the trials, the difficulties. It really seems like one thing
after another and we ask, “how can this be happening Lord and what is this for
and why are you allowing this?” Well, we know in 2nd Corinthians that
Paul said that God is working out something that far exceeds any difficulties
in this life. That His plan exceeds our trials by so much, by so far, that you
could call all of your afflictions in this life “light” and that you could call
an entire lifetime of affliction “momentary.” That's how much God is working
out for us in eternal terms, even though we can't fully comprehend all of that
now.
Peter gives
us a little more insight into that. Look at verse 7 in 1st Peter 1 again, “you've
been grieved, distressed by various trials so that the genuineness of your
faith...” Now skip this next part of the sentence for a second, it is a
parenthetical thought. Reading it like this helps us grasp what is being said:
“that the genuineness of your faith… may be found to praise, honor, and glory
at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Peter is saying that when God allows our
trials, it's like when gold is put into the refiner's fire. We are God’s
treasure, we are His “gold.” Why does gold need to be refined? To make it more
pure. And what happens when gold is made more pure? Its value increases.
So, our faith
is tested and tried and refined through our trials. For what purpose? So that
it, meaning you and I, may be “found to praise, honor, and glory at the
revelation of Jesus Christ.” Whether we die and go to be with the Lord, or we
go to be with Him immediately when He’s revealed at the rapture or at the
second coming, the more refining that's been done in your life, the more praise
you will receive. The more honor you will receive. The more glory you will
receive. The purest gold receives the highest honor and is of the most value.
Now we see God’s
ability to work all things together for good for His children. We can see where
all of the refining leads. You’ve endured another trial and you have grown in
your faith. You've endured another trial and you have more commendations. And
when Peter says, “the genuineness of your faith,” he doesn’t mean God is
checking to see if it is real, if it is genuine. Peter is saying that the trial
is making it more genuine, more pure. Your faith is refined and becomes of more
value.
Without
question, our value to God is infinite and unconditional in Christ. In this
passage “value” is analogous of our purification, our sanctification. In other
words, maturing in Christ. Our sanctification leads to a deeper walk with Jesus
and to things we do for Christ in this life by His Spirit. Our trials make us
more like Jesus and lead to maturity and the accomplishing of the works that
God wants to accomplish through us, which things lead to praise, honor, and
glory; our rewards in Heaven! Peter is speaking of our sanctification and
purification. Not for salvation, but for maturing and growing in our Christian
lives, in our closeness and genuineness of relationship with Jesus. Read this
again: our trials lead to our purification and sanctification, which directly
lead to maturity and works done in the Spirit, which accomplish eternal
benefits and rewards; praise, honor, and glory in the Kingdom of God forever!
We are saved
by grace through faith immediately, and fully made holy and set apart by just
our simple faith in Jesus Christ; by our faith in the blood of Christ shed for
our sin and His resurrection for our life. But there is a work that God is
doing in us now that we are born-again, born from above. He is working out His
will in and through us now and forever. His will is that we live more holy
lives in this life, that we live our lives focused on Him, in communion with
Him, in relationship with Jesus. But of course, that only goes so far (even in
an entire lifetime) because we struggle against our old sin nature. Sometimes
it seems like it's barely gone anywhere! When we are with the Lord, when Jesus
arrives or we go to be with Him, that sin nature will finally be destroyed
completely.
What is
Peter’s point, then? That all of our fiery trials in Christ bring growth and
maturity in our walk with Him, and God is using them, not just in our life but in
the lives of the people around us. Most immediately, our family, our friends, our
co-workers, and people in church; our brothers and sisters in Christ. And other
people that we encounter, and people yet to put their faith in Jesus.
And so, as
we go through these things and God works them out- these trials, these
sicknesses, these persecutions, a variety of different things that bring trials,
we are adding to our reward. We are adding to our walk with Christ. We are
adding to the praise and honor and glory that we are going to receive from Him.
And the Lord is using us to add to His Kingdom!
The
disclosure of this truth here in First Peter should give us renewed hope and recharge
us to endure. We are so close to the return of Jesus. He's coming so soon; we can
hardly comprehend. It could be a matter of days. It could be months or years,
but it is so close now. He has delayed His coming thus far because God doesn’t
want any to perish, but all to come to life (2 Peter 3). But we are seeing
literally dozens of prophecies, hundreds of things happening every day around
the world, that show how close we are to the return of Christ, biblically
speaking. This can be proven, it is all laid out in the Word of God, the Bible.
The Lord is
coming so soon. Even if it is years away that's still very, very soon. Endure. Press
through. Know that God has a reason for the trials that you're going through. An
eternal purpose to bless us beyond all that we can think or imagine! And God is
never going to leave you or forsake you. He is holding you in His hand. He makes
that promise. If we call out on Him, if we put our trust in Him, He Himself will
answer. He Himself will deliver us.
Endure, keep
fighting the good fight of faith, persevere like a good soldier. Stay in your
Bible like it is the only way you will get through- because it is. Keep crying
out to the Lord and asking why He’s doing what He is doing, and He will show
you. Stay in the Word of God because look, it is all right there. He's doing a
work, a good work, an eternal work. When we're in Heaven 10,000 years from now
it will seem like a light affliction, it will seem like it was but for a moment.
And all of this you are enduring is bringing your family into the Kingdom,
bringing your friends into the Kingdom, your co-workers, other people that you
care about or maybe even people you don't care about, enemies.
Lord Jesus,
have mercy on your people. Come quickly, Lord. But use us until that time has
arrived.
The Lord
bless you and I hope this was a blessing and an encouragement. Grow in the
grace of the Lord, keep your face in your Bible, and keep looking up! The King
is coming very soon.
Watch the video: https://walkingwithjesus.net/encouragement-in-trials/
Tuesday, August 2, 2022
The Best Place to Be
What I am about to say is not meant to invoke guilt, but it may have that effect. It is not meant to condemn or judge, but you may feel that way when you read it. Sometimes the things that we need to hear will make us uncomfortable. But if we receive the loving conviction of the Spirit of God, He can show us a better way. What I am about to share is not mine. It is the message of Jesus, the Jesus of the Bible, and is the absolute truth that everyone needs to hear and seriously consider. It is the answer to the questions. It is the answer to all questions.
Where do you want to go? The single greatest place you will ever find, anywhere on the planet or in the universe, and over the span of your entire life, is that secret place in fellowship and prayer with your Father in Heaven. The ongoing relationship that He wants to form with you; that’s where you belong. The Creator of all things, your God and Savior, wants to call you friend, wants to give you all of His love as a good Father does His child.
And the greatest thing you could ever experience or achieve? Far beyond all else, it will be those things that the Lord has prepared for you to do throughout your life in the grace, power, and leading of His Holy Spirit. God made us for a reason and has an eternal plan, perfectly crafted for each of us individually, and as a group in fellowship with each other, the church. Those that love God in spirit and truth are the family of God.
Be careful not to go down the wrong road. If you are off His path, do not hesitate to get back on track! There are a lot of reasons we go down the wrong roads, over and over. Do not fall for an imitation of God’s perfect will for your life. There are millions of fraudulent destinations and empty activities down millions of dead-end roads. Beware, because they are full of false promises that always lead to disappointment, emptiness, depression, despair, pain, anger, confusion and worse.
There is one way and one truth. Jesus said that He Himself is the Life, and the only way to life, and the only way to do life. Real life. Real wholeness. Real satisfaction. Real fulfillment. Real hope. Real peace. Real joy. Real love.
God has given us the secret to life: stop living for yourself and live for Christ. You will find everything you were ever looking for in God Himself. Not in a poetic sense. Not in an ethereal way. But seek God with all your heart and He will reveal Himself to you in the real, living person of Jesus Christ. Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and He will daily lead you, protect you, provide for you, and ultimately deliver you from this life into eternal glory in His everlasting Kingdom.
The Way, the Truth and the Life is a person: Jesus of Nazareth.
If you are a Christian and you don't know this or are not living in this way, if you're not living your life 100% for Christ in all that you do, whatever you do, then you are being cheated. A scam has been perpetrated on you. And you will have to learn the hard way that every other road does come to a dead-end. God’s road for your life is perfect; narrow and difficult at times, but true, and real and perfectly fit for you.
True, deep, and lasting joy and peace does not come in the pursuit of happiness, wealth, power, or even helping others, but in yielding to the transformative and life-giving work God wants to accomplish in you through your daily walk with Jesus. The world, and all the things in the world, cannot give you that kind of peace and that kind of joy.
What we learn is that firstly, our lives are to be all about developing our relationship with God through our faith in Jesus, growing in the grace and knowledge of Him, and letting the Lord change us and live His life through us for His glory and for His eternal purposes. You will not have satisfaction in this life chasing your dreams outside of God’s direct will for you, only frustration. Jesus is not for salvation only, leaving you to go on living for yourself and in the ways of this lost, godless society. Jesus is to be the center of your daily life, as you become a new person, Heavenly minded, discovering the Creator Himself and His purpose for your being. God desires to interact with you daily, in a variety of ways, to accomplish His work in your life now and to prepare you for eternal life in His Kingdom.
And if you're not already a Christian, God stands ready to forgive you- if you turn to Him. He will take you into His family, into His home, and give you that true life and real satisfaction in Christ. The Creator of all things set aside His glory and became a man to go to the cross for you and me, to die for our sins, and rose again to life- to give us life. Death could not hold Jesus because He is the only person to ever live a truly sinless life.
If you turn to Jesus and put your faith in Him He will forgive you of your sins and your mistakes, and all of the roads that you've gone down, and every single thing you've ever done, and will give you new life in Jesus Christ; wholeness of life and abundant life starting right now.
And when Jesus returns to establish His Kingdom on earth or when your time to leave this world arrives, you will immediately be with the Lord in His perfect Kingdom forever, resurrected to eternal life through faith in the one who died for you and rose again, bringing you true life forever.
Monday, July 18, 2022
Bite-Sized Bible Studies: The Love of God Wins
There are those who accuse Christians of hate because we simply believe our Bibles and lovingly warn others of God’s judgment on sin. But those who hate are those who hate God because He dares to convict us of our sin.
God has promised that a day of judgment will come for all those that hate Him and ultimately reject His provision for our sin- Jesus.
Repent of your sin! And believe the good news of forgiveness of sin and eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus died for our sin and rose to give sinners life. Call out to Jesus today and live!
Psalm 21: https://www.blueletterbible.org/nkjv/psa/21/1/s_499001
Sunday, July 10, 2022
God, Our Flawless Father
God is the Flawless Father of those who repent of their sin and call on Him in spirit and in truth.
The Creator
Our Provider
Our Protector
Our Salvation
All-Loving
Gracious
Kind
Long-Suffering
Forgiving
Merciful
Faithful
Holy
Hates Sin
Loves Righteousness
God is Perfect
Just
True
Joyful
God Hates Evil
Loves Good
God is Omnipotent
Omniscient
Omnipresent
Eternal
The Righteous Judge
God is Love (1 John)
For those who allow God to be their Father through faith in Jesus Christ, He is our Lord and Savior, the hope of our eternal salvation. Jesus said, “if you have seen me, you have seen the Father (John 14).”
Friday, July 1, 2022
Video Study: Colossians
The Apostle Paul writes to the church at Colosse in Asia Minor (present day Turkey), giving thanks "because of the hope which is laid up for you in Heaven," that is, their salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. He then makes it very clear who Jesus really is- God, the eternal Creator of all things. Paul finishes the first chapter by saying that when we place our faith in Jesus for forgiveness of sins and eternal life, Christ Himself indwells us and is Himself our hope (our assurance) of glory.
Wednesday, June 15, 2022
Video Study: 2nd Peter 1
Peter's second letter begins with the now aged apostle opening his heart to remind the Church to be diligent to grow in our walk with Christ. He then speaks of being an eyewitness when Jesus was transfigured into glory on the mountain. He finishes the first chapter by saying that we have an even stronger proof of God's word and work available to us in Bible prophecy, exhorting Christians to pay attention to it "as a light that shines in a dark place."
Wednesday, June 1, 2022
Is Your Faith True?
Our walk with Jesus is a spiritual one. He didn’t come to bless us materially. When we love Jesus with all our heart we set our minds on things above, not things on the earth. We seek spiritual blessing: wisdom, understanding, discernment, purity, meekness, the leading of the Spirit. We want to please Him with true hearts of repentance, love, and worship of Him for who He is. We desire the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. We seek to be more like our wonderful Savior, and to know Him more and more through prayer and His Word- the Bible.
Jesus did not come and die for our sin so that we could go on sinning without regard, but that we could be forgiven of our sin and receive the power to overcome sin in our lives, more and more, by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Jesus did not come and die for our sin so that we could “live our best life now,” living only for enjoyment and comfort, traveling, entertainment, and excitement. Our great need is not in experiencing every great thing this world has to offer. Our great need is in the regeneration of our spirit and the renewal of our mind, not in temporary, material abundance or vanishing worldly pleasures. 100 years will come and go in the blink of an eye. Our lives on this earth are like a morning mist that blankets the hillside, but by noon, has completely evaporated. That is why Jesus said,
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:19-21).”
“For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever (1 John 2:16-17).”
We must take great care to confirm within our own hearts that we are true to the Lord. Paul said, “examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified (2 Corinthians 13:5).”
The only way to test yourself, to test your Christianity, is to compare it to the New Testament. How do your beliefs hold up against biblical truth? The book of Acts through Revelation are uniquely for the Church, and are the basis and standard of what Christianity is to actually be. Test your faith against the New Testament to see if you are in the faith, and to grow and change accordingly, as the Lord reveals to you through His Word. This isn’t optional for Christians. This is the only way to test your faith to see if it is truly biblical Christianity!
When John and Andrew began to follow Jesus, Jesus asked them, “What do you seek (John 1).” We need to ask ourselves, “why am I following Jesus? What am I seeking from Him? Am I focused on what the Lord can do for me here and now, or am I yielding to the Spirit, seeking and searching for the truth and to know God more fully? Am I seeking to die to this life and follow Jesus wherever He sends me or am I looking for material blessings for a worldly life?”
These may be indicators of where your heart toward God is truly at.
“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth (John 4:24).”
“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life (John 6:63).”
“Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men--extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.' And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted (Luke 18:9-14).’"
A person can only be saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ. We are saved by grace, not by our own good works. But saving faith produces spiritual fruit (Galatians 5). There is a renewal of our hearts and minds to the things of God (Romans 12). There is regeneration of our spirit, which was once dead to the things of Christ Jesus, but is now alive to Him (Titus 3). Is God’s Word penetrating your heart? Can you look at the fruit of your faith and see the spiritual, biblical changes? Our walk with Jesus is over a lifetime, and we will always have times that we fall. I am far from perfect, but you should have seen me before I gave my heart to Jesus! I really want to know Him! I agree with His Word. I really want to please Him. I really want to be done with this fallen nature. He really has changed me, even in light of knowing how far I still fall short of the glory of God.
“But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness… (Romans 3:21-25).”
"’But there are some of you who do not believe.’ For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. And He said, ‘Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father (John 6:64-65).’"
“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified (John 7:37-39).’”
“But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His (Romans 8:9).”
Sunday, May 1, 2022
Bite-Sized Bible Studies: Look To Me And Be Saved
In God’s Word, the Bible, He has predicted many events that have come to pass, and many that will come to pass, “having declared this from ancient time.” He has done this that we may know there is no other God besides Him, “a just God and a Savior.”
“Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other (Isaiah 45:22).”
The death of Christ (the Messiah) for the sin of the world was predicted, to the day, 483 years prior in Daniel 9:24-27. Dozens of specific Old Testament prophecies about the first coming of Christ were written hundreds of years before His birth in Bethlehem, and were all fulfilled by Jesus perfectly. And there are hundreds of prophecies of His second coming and the end of the age, many of which have begun to unfold before our very eyes. All of this is clearly laid out in the Bible for anyone to investigate and plainly see. Jesus is the LORD, and the LORD is the only God.
Friday, April 1, 2022
Bite-Sized Bible Studies: The End of the Age
“’teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen (Matthew 28:20).”
As followers of Christ, to know that Jesus is with us, actually present with us
always throughout our entire lives, is one of the most comforting and
encouraging truths that we can discover in our Christian walk. He is with us
through everything and will get us through everything. As Paul said, “being
confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will
complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6).”
Jesus also said, “even to the end of the age.” If we believe
that Jesus is with us than we also believe there is a literal end of the age
and a literal second coming of Christ. The end of the age is not a matter of
if, but when.
Throughout the Bible, there are numerous places that
describe what the end of the age will look like. Biblically, there is no doubt
that we are now well into the days leading up to the end of the age. If a
person will take the time to study the Bible, with the Holy Spirit teaching,
one will discover quite quickly that the Lord’s return is very near. He is with
His people now by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, until the end of this age.
He will be with us bodily in the Messianic age to follow. Maranatha! Look up,
the Lord’s return is near.
For more resources, visit:
https://walkingwithjesus.net/christian-links/
Friday, March 18, 2022
Bite-Sized Bible Studies: You Shall Forgive
“Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him (Luke 17:3-4).”
If there is genuine repentance, then we are to forgive, keeping in mind our own weaknesses and having mercy on others as the Lord has forgiven us. If the Lord expects this from us, how much more patient and forgiving is the Lord toward us?
I think this is a strong rebuke for those who teach that if you struggle with sin you are not saved. The Lord makes it clear that Christians will struggle with sin at times. Repent from a sincere heart, fight against the old nature and pray for strength and victory, and the Lord will forgive you as often as you need. Thank you for your immeasurable patience and kindness toward us, Jesus. Strengthen us by your Holy Spirit to live holy lives inside and out, and change these old, sinful bodies into glorious bodies like your own.
Friday, March 11, 2022
Millions to Disappear
One day, in the not too distant future, the true church of Jesus Christ will suddenly disappear from this planet. Religions, including Christianity, will remain mostly unaffected. Though some Christian churches will disappear nearly completely, most will be missing only part of their congregation. Many churches will not be missing any people, or just a few.
Thursday, February 24, 2022
Bite-Sized Bible Studies: Scripture Fulfilled
In the context of Matthew 26:56, Jesus is speaking of His betrayal and subsequent crucifixion for our sins and resurrection for our eternal life. He says that all of these things were predicted by the prophets (in the Hebrew Bible). We can easily verify the truth of this claim. The Old Testament was complete at that time and was exactly the same as our Old Testament today. These things were literally done (to Jesus) so that the "Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled."
Now, Matthew 26:63-64 tells us that just hours later, "...Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, 'I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!' Jesus said to him, 'It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.'" There are many, many more prophecies in the Old Testament about the second coming of Christ and the establishment of His Kingdom on earth than of His first coming, of which there are hundreds. Clearly, Jesus means for us to take these prophecies of His second coming literally, as well. Maranatha! Come quickly, Lord! Your Kingdom come, on earth as it is in Heaven.
Saturday, January 1, 2022
Guest Post: "The Chosen" Fiction
At a conference not too long ago, I was asked to give a review of The Chosen TV Series. I did so, but before I began my critique, I informed the audience that I hadn’t watched even one frame of the series, and my guess was that that revelation would make more than a few people upset with my criticisms. The immediate response by those enamored with the series about the life of Christ was to scorn everything I said, saying, “He’s like those who criticize books, even the Bible, without having read them!” I can relate to that. I’ve had many discussions with some who tell me what the Bible says without having read it themselves, so I can see why my initial review and its approach would put some people off.
Since my first critique I have viewed a couple of the programs, parts of which I’ll address. However, I want to explain why I believe watching the series is not necessary for rejecting it. In doing so, my explanations will appeal to Scripture and reason in light of Isaiah’s words, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD” (Isaiah:1:18
).
Why isn’t it necessary to watch The Chosen in order to criticize it, and how would that be any different than critiquing a novel without having read it? First of all, a novel is defined generally as “a fictitious prose narrative of book length, typically representing character and action with some degree of realism.” In other words, it’s a made-up story. Yet it must be read in order to be evaluated.
Not so with The Chosen. It professes to be true to the Bible’s teachings, as well as a faithful representation of the Bible’s stories and characters. The Bible, however, declares itself to be inerrant and infallible in all that it teaches, as well as God’s authority in all that it commands. It’s God’s Word. If it condemns any attempt to visually represent the content and characters of the Bible (which it does) then one has no need to watch The Chosen because it claims to visually represent it—in direct disobedience to the Scriptures.
All biblical movies are visual translations and interpretations of the words and narrative presented in the Bible. If a Christian was aware that the Bible condemns visual translations and interpretations of the Scriptures, there would be no need to evaluate a movie or video series based upon the Bible before rejecting them. But does the Bible denounce any such attempts to translate/interpret it through a visual medium?
It does. And it does so in many indisputable ways. But before I point out the scriptures related to the Bible’s denunciation of such productions, I need to present some of the components that are involved in the production of making a movie that must be considered when determining whether or not “biblical movies” can be truly biblical. These are things I know and have experienced while studying filmmaking in graduate school and having worked for 20th Century Fox studios for a number of years. I then moved on to a career as a screenwriter in Hollywood before being saved and spending four decades in Christian ministry with Dave Hunt.
This is how the process works. A movie begins with a screenplay. It’s either an original story or a screen adaptation from someone else’s work (such as the Bible). The screenplay or movie script, in addition to presenting the storyline or plot, the characters, and the dialogue, consists of visual descriptions of what is taking place in the movie story. For example, if a scene calls for a vehicle, a description is needed for the art director or prop man to find the right kind of car for a particular scene or purpose. If the script calls for the car to be crashed, that needs to be described in detail if the crash is going to be unique and significant to the storyline. This is just one example of the creative input that is necessary for the filmmaking process.
Although the screenwriter is the initial composer of the movie script, changes to the script always take place during filming. Such changes are usually made by the movie’s director. Reasons for the changes from the original script are seemingly endless: actors’ egos, budget cuts, weather problems, location problems, the executive producer’s ego, the cameraman’s “inspirational idea” for filming a scene, union problems, stunt failures, the director’s ego, etc. The author of the motion picture, for the most part, is the screenwriter, even though contributions of interpretation also come from the director, the actors, and a host of others creatively involved in the filming process.
All of that and much more are involved in every attempt to translate the Bible itself into a theatrical motion picture for the silver screen and/or television. The question therefore, for every Bible-believing Christian, is this: Can the Bible be presented through the filmmaking process and stay true to what God’s Word says about His Word?
Well, what does it say? Proverbs:30:5-6
:“Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar” (italics added). God’s words are His words, written down by men, His prophets (2 Peter:1:20-21
). “Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device” (Acts:17:29
, emphasis added).
“I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book” (Revelation:22:18-19
).
The Bible is God’s revelation to all humanity, and His alone. “But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ” (Galatians:1:11-12
).
What then of a “biblical” movie? As with other theatrical endeavors, such a production comes about primarily through the screenwriter’s interpretation of what has been written in Scripture. Add to that the movie-making necessities and changes, things such as a storyline and dialogue related to the plot that are obviously lacking in the Bible, they therefore must be supplemented by the screenwriter in order to create a theatrical production.
Character descriptions are limited, at best, and must be added in order for a casting director to select the actors. Along that line, how does one cast the sinless God/Man, Jesus Christ? The perfect attributes and righteous characteristics of the Son of God could never be displayed by an actor on the screen. When such an idea is incorporated into the script, the end result is a counterfeit Christ at best. In fact, such an attempt fits the very definition of blasphemy as one strives to apply human characteristics to Jesus that undermine His divine character.
I hope you’re getting the picture here (pun intended) that any effort to translate the Bible into a visual medium must result in a veritable distortion of God’s Word which is why such attempts are condemned.
For anyone who doesn’t understand what I mean by calling such efforts “distortion” resulting from man’s input, it begs this question: “What do you really believe about the Bible?”
Do you understand it to be God’s direct communication to mankind? Do you realize that the Bible is totally of Him and from Him? Do you get the fact that without His divine revelation about Himself and His created beings, finite and fallen humanity is left with only opinions, guesses, speculations, and the like about Jesus Christ and the gospel of salvation? Those so-called contributions by humans have led to the multitude of man-fashioned religions that purport to give insights regarding God.
Do you believe that God’s Word is “given by inspiration of God” (i.e., God-breathed—2 Timothy:3:15-17
)? Do you believe the Apostle Paul’s Holy Spirit-inspired exhortation to the Thessalonians: “…when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe” (1 Thessalonians:2:13
)? What do you think about Luke:4:4
: “It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” (emphasis added)?
The Apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, did not mince words: “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed” (Galatians:1:6-9
, emphasis added).
Every believer in Jesus Christ must come to a true biblical belief in His Word. If what a person is taught about Jesus is not true to the Person revealed in the Scriptures, that character is “another Jesus,” a “false Christ,” no matter how endearing and engaging the actor may be (2 Corinthians:11:4
, Matthew:24:24
). The same is true regarding all the actors representing biblical characters.
Movies are perhaps the most seductive of all media the world over. I learned as a screenwriter that manipulating an audience’s emotions was the key to a box-office success: make them laugh, make them weep, frighten them, make them cheer, arouse their passions, their lusts. In other words, control their emotions. That power of persuasion through the film medium seduces believers who normally would recognize that they are being snared by a fictional screen character. The comment most often given by those who enjoy the TV series is “I really like a lot of the human qualities displayed by The Chosen’s Jesus. It’s so easy to relate to him.” Others have said similar things about their favorite “disciples.”
Remember, what is presented in the Bible is wholly of the Holy Spirit. It is exactly what God wants us to know and believe. That’s what sets believers apart from the so-called spiritual insights of humanity: “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John:17:17
). Anything that “adds” to that truth, no matter how emotionally and “spiritually” moving, is condemned as having corrupted God’s truth.
I’ve been told that my writing about and speaking out against “biblical” movies (Showtime for the Sheep;and“The Bible According to Hollywood”) have come at a time in which the movie industry is finally “supporting Christianity,” and therefore I am “speaking out against the cause of Christ.”
Although that may seem to be a reasonable objection to many, it’s actually a rationalization that dismisses what inevitably takes place in the movie-making process of translating the Bible visually. It also demonstrates an ignorance of the culture of Hollywood, which is no friend of biblical Christianity. Tinsel Town’s only motivation is box-office—in other words (in the King James version), “filthy lucre.” And as we know from Scripture, “The love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Timothy:6:10
).
Even so, The Chosen series is condemned by the Bible first and foremost because it adds man’s ideas (his beliefs, concepts, viewpoints, conceptions, images, perceptions, his religions, and especially his feelings, etc.) to what God alone has communicated. It makes no difference how far afield the additions are—even the smallest contribution would not be of God, but of man.
For those who are still not seeing the problem with this, let’s consider a program that makes the highly publicized claim that it’s helping people get to know Jesus better and to recognize similarities with the “Jesus of different faiths.” What if the Jesus we are being introduced to is not the biblical Jesus, but rather a spirit that was produced in heaven? Suppose he was the spirit brother of Lucifer, and his earthly birth was not by a virgin but came about through sexual intercourse with Mary by his father god who resides on a planet near a star called Kolob? What if this “Jesus” worked toward becoming a god by taking Mary, her sister Martha, and Mary Magdalene as wives, and thereby producing children necessary for him to become a god? And the godhood that this Jesus achieved enabled him to become the god of this world, taking his place among the multitude of gods ruling over numerous other worlds?
Hopefully you’re thinking, “That’s not the Jesus I know from God’s Word!” However, it is the “Jesus” that the executive producer of The Chosen, Derral Eves, believes in, as do most of the other series’ producers such as Ricky Ray Butler and Jeffrey and Neil Harmon. Neil Harmon, as co-founder with his brother Jeffrey of VidAngel (now ironically titled Angel Studios—see Galatians:1:8
), the Utah-based distributor of The Chosen, declared that he and his brother Jeffrey are “faithful members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We love Jesus and we love our faith in Christ.”
If that were the Jesus that The Chosen series is introducing us to, would that be a concern? As some may have surmised, the Jesus described above is not the biblical Jesus but rather the Jesus of Mormonism, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the faith to which many of the series producers belong. But is that the Jesus of The Chosen? Thus far in the series the fundamental doctrines of Mormonism have not been plainly presented. Could they be? Yes—but perhaps not yet.
Yes, because The Chosen’s audience has been conditioned to accept whatever the screenwriter, director, and other creative personnel contribute, with no apparent concern for biblical accuracy. The program that launched the series, for example, was the background story of Mary Magdalene that included the death of her father when she was young, her being raped by a Roman soldier, and the failure of Nicodemus as he attempted to exorcise demons from her. Those details came not from Scripture but from the imagination of those who contributed to the script. Yet for the greater number of viewers, few of whom have read the Bible, the images they watched were received as though they are actually in the Bible.
I’ve been told biblical movies are great motivators for people to check the Bible out. Really? What happens when they can’t find the movie scenes such as the gritty backstory of Mary Magdalene? Furthermore, most people would rather watch a highly dramatized Bible story with little concern that it’s fiction than read the actual words of Scripture. “Based on a true story” is good enough, even though the “based” part is a movie fabrication.
I have interviewed numerous believers who viewed so-called biblical movies, and although most of these Christians knew the Bible pretty well, I was dismayed to find that they actually believed that many of the unbiblical scenes in those productions were found in the Bible! Difficulty in distinguishing between what one may have read in the Bible and what one saw on screen in an alleged biblical movie is one of the damaging effects of presenting biblical content visually. That notwithstanding, why would a believer in God’s Word fill his or her head with things that are made to appear biblical by a film company—but are not?
My “perhaps not yet” comment has to do with Mormonism’s continual attempt to promote itself as basically Christian in its theology. For years the organization has strived to be accepted as just another Christian denomination. The only way that can happen is if the LDS Church initially conceals its fundamental beliefs and packs its promotional productions with all sorts of unbiblical scenes and characters. The more that such corruptions are accepted, the wider the door opens for any-and-all beliefs to be introduced, including the bizarre doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It also helps to have a professing evangelical writer/director (Dallas Jenkins) working on The Chosen. His promotional interview with a Mormon apologist is a classic example of obfuscatory ecumenism, meaning he does his best to muddy the waters between foundational biblical Christianity (which he claims to believe) and the cultic teachings of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. His ecumenism is made clear in his own words: “I said that many LDS folks and I love the same Jesus. I still believe that. It’s gotten me in a lot of trouble but I still believe that.”
When Jesus was asked by His disciples about the days just prior to His return, He said, “Take heed that no man deceive you” (Matthew:24:4
). That’s a penetrating description of the days in which we are living, a time in which “sound doctrine” has all but vanished throughout Christendom (2 Timothy:4:3
). Sound doctrine is the full and absolute counsel of what God has communicated in His Word. Anything added to that by man in his attempt to visually portray God’s word is a counterfeit—a fictitious deception.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, there is no need to watch any episodes of The Chosen in order to decide whether or not they are supported by God’s Word. All a Bible-believing Christian has to hear is that the television series attempts to represent the stories and characters found in the Scriptures; that inevitably results in adding all kinds of content to the Bible, the action of which is clearly condemned.
For those who nevertheless are enamored with The Chosen yet claim they know and love the Scriptures, The Chosen television series begins with background information about Mary Magdalene nowhere found in the Bible, as noted, but is produced out of the imagination of all the creative movie people, from the screenwriters to the director, and on down the production line. What then of additions to the final episode of season two (although examples are found throughout the entire series)? We’re shown that the disciples are in charge of producing the speaking events of Jesus (e.g., crowd control, distributing flyers for his events, setting up a stage complete with curtains for his presentation of the Sermon on the Mount). Do the Scriptures tell us that the wardrobe of Jesus for his stage appearance was decided upon by four women? Did Jesus, along with his mother, pine for his stepfather Joseph before his preaching on the Mount…or anywhere else in Scripture? Was Matthew, as seen throughout the series, the continual script advisor regarding the content of the sermons and teachings of Jesus? Did Jesus anxiously have to rehearse his preaching before delivering his teachings to the crowd? All those things are found in The Chosen. They are not only missing from God’s Word, their inclusion amounts to blasphemy—that is, a blatant mischaracterization of God manifested in the flesh.
Those who are drawn to the Jesus of The Chosen have been seduced into believing in a character who is not the perfect God/Man presented in God’s Word, but rather a man-made counterfeit Christ whose ministry had to be enabled through the input of his disciples. That’s not the Jesus Christ of God’s inerrant, infallible, and all-sufficient God-breathed Word.
Those who claim to believe the Scriptures but are drawn to The Chosen need to heed the Bible’s far-reaching warning: “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before” (Matthew:24:24-25
).
(For further insights into the problems with visually translating the Bible, we recommend Showtime for the Sheep and “The Bible According to Hollywood.” For materials related to the cult of Mormonism we recommend The God Makers and “Mormon Fiction” [see TBC article August 2003]. More importantly, we highly recommend reading Psalm:119:1-176
.)
December 1, 2021
T. A. McMahon
TBC
https://www.thebereancall.org/content/chosen-fiction