elizabethprata

iraq, ISIS, jonah, mercy, muslim nineveh

God loves the Muslim terrorists of ISIS

Posted on February 19, 2015May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

I’ve written before of how many parallels there are between the ancient Ninevites and their brutality, and today’s ISIS members and their terrorism. From the same region as Nineveh, Assyria now comes ISIS, which one of their own leaders called/calls himself “Prince of Nineveh.” We know that the ancient Assyrians did not worship God but were pagan.

The ancient Ninevites were so held in terror and fear, and so firmly did the hapless cities which lay in their path know this, that oftentimes all the Assyrians had to do is march to a city and announce to the besieged residents a list all the other cities they had conquered, and capitulation would ensue almost immediately. (2 Chronicles 32:18)

As for their gleeful, maniacal brutality, the ancient Assyrians used to push meathooks into the jaws of captured prisoners of war and march them back to Nineveh. Others, they threw off ramparts as a warning, or skinned them alive and hung the skins over the walls to graphically illustrate the penalty for opposing them. Ancient Ninevites were brutal, bringing new meaning to the word.

ISIS is the same. From the exact region of ancient Nineveh, we see a re-emergence of that same demonic spirit. One of gleeful brutality, of worship of satanic gods, of horror and shock. We see swords flashing, heads rolling, blood-stained beaches, children fleeing, houses burning. We see exultation amid the black hooded ISIS men, and we pray for the people in their path, just as sister cities Lachish (which was conquered by the Assyrians, 2 Kings 18; 2 Chronicles 32, Micah 1:13) and Jerusalem (which wasn’t, 2 Chronicles 32:1-33, 2 Kings 19:35) endured.

Judean captives being led away into slavery by the Assyrians
after the siege of Lachish in 701 B.C.

But God loved the Ninevites.

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2“Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” (Jonah 1:1-2)

We know from the biblical account that Jonah did not do this. He fled in the other direction. Why, we’re never quite told. Perhaps Jonah was afraid. After all, no one likes having a meathook put in their jaw and being led across the desert sands as a captive. Perhaps Jonah had had family that was killed at Lachish or some other place. Perhaps Jonah was simply afraid. We do know that Jonah resented God’s version of justice. Salvation and repentance were not for the Ninevites, thought Jonah. “Why should they get it?” (Jonah 4:1)

The ancient Assyrian royal city of Kalhu, The archaeological site of Nimrud
was known in antiquity as Kalhu (biblical Calah). It is located just to the east
of the Tigris river, in what is nowadays northern Iraq, some 30 km (roughly 20 miles)
south of the the modern city of Mosul. Although Nimrud is now a peaceful archaeological
site in the countryside, in ancient times Kalhu was a huge and bustling city. It served
as the capital of the mighty Assyrian empire for nearly 200 years, from the early 9th to
the late 8th century BC, but was also inhabited for many centuries before and after.

Soon, Jonah needed to repent for his disobedience and hope in the LORD’s mercy be extended to himself. And it was. God delivered Jonah from the great fish and then said a second time to go preach judgment, repentance and salvation to the Ninevites.

Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. (Jonah 3:1-3a)

The evil, brutal people heard the LORD in Jonah.

And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them. (Jonah 3:5)

Starting with the King.

And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.” When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it. (Jonah 3:7-10)

God loves the ISIS terrorists, the folks of modern day Nineveh (Mosul) and all pagan peoples. We know this because back in the day God did the best thing possible for them: He sent Jonah to preach judgment and righteousness to them so that they may know the LORD. Today He sends missionaries for the same reason.

And the Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?” (Jonah 4:10-11)

The main lesson of the book. If Jonah so pities a plant which cost him no toil to rear, and which is so short lived and valueless, much more must Jehovah pity those hundreds of thousands of immortal men and women in great Nineveh whom He has made with such a display of creative power, especially when many of them repent, and seeing that, if all in it were destroyed, “more than six score thousand” of unoffending children, besides “much cattle,” would be involved in the common destruction: Compare the same argument drawn from God’s justice and mercy in Gen 18:23–33.

Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

but the persons in Nineveh whom God had compassion on were all the work of his own hands, whose being he was the author of, whose lives he was the preserver of, whom he planted and made to grow; he made them, and his they were, and therefore he had much more reason to have compassion on them, for he cannot despise the work of his own hands (Job 10:3). … That though God may suffer his people to fall into sin, yet he will not suffer them to lie still in it, but will take a course effectually to show them their error, and to bring them to themselves and to their right mind again…That God will justify himself in the methods of his grace towards repenting returning sinners as well as in the course his justice takes with those that persist in their rebellion

Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible.

We can be a part of the effort to urge mercy rather than judgment. God loves and pities His wayward people, even the brutal ones.

there is one Lord over all, that is rich in mercy to all that call upon him, and in every nation, in Nineveh as well as in Israel, he that fears God and works righteousness is accepted of him; he that repents, and turns from his evil way, shall find mercy with him

Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible.

encouragement, ephesians, redeeming the time

Redeeming the Time

Posted on February 19, 2015May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Ephesians 5:15-16

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

Of this passage in context, Matthew Henry said,

“These verses contain a caution against all manner of uncleanness, with proper remedies and arguments proposed: some further cautions are added, and other duties recommended.”

One of the cautions is that the days are evil, so we redeem the time. If we do, we are wise. Henry further comments on the part about redeeming the time,

It follows, redeeming the time (v. 16), literally, buying the opportunity. It is a metaphor taken from merchants and traders who diligently observe and improve the seasons for merchandise and trade. It is a great part of Christian wisdom to redeem the time. Good Christians must be good stewards of their time, and take care to improve it to the best of purposes, by watching against temptations, by doing good while it is in the power of their hands, and by filling it up with proper work—one special preservative from sin.
Our time is a talent given us by God for some good end, and it is misspent and lost when it is not employed according to his design. If we have lost our time heretofore, we must endeavour to redeem it by doubling our diligence in doing our duty for the future.

The Bible Exposition Commentary by Warren Wiersbe says of the Eph 5:15-16 verses,

It is a mark of wisdom (v. 15). Only a fool drifts with the wind and tide. A wise man marks out his course, sets his sails, and guides the rudder until he reaches his destination. When a man wants to build a house, he first draws his plans so he knows what he is doing. Yet, how many Christians plan their days so that they use their opportunities wisely? True, we cannot know what a day may bring forth (James 4:13–17). But it is also true that a planned life can better deal with unexpected events. Someone said, “When the pilot does not know what port he is heading for, no wind is the right wind.”
Life is short (v. 16a). “Buying up the opportunity—taking advantage of it.”

An old Chinese adage says, “Opportunity has a forelock so you can seize it when you meet it. Once it is past, you cannot seize it again.” Our English word opportunity comes from the Latin and means “toward the port.” It suggests a ship taking advantage of the wind and tide to arrive safely in the harbor. The brevity of life is a strong argument for making the best use of the opportunities God gives us.

I ask Jesus to expand the time for me, to help me make use of the time, and to convict me when I fail to be “wise.” He always hears that prayer, because it belies a heart that wants to glorify Him more, and not less. If I can glorify Him one minute more each day, even one minute, by purposeful prayer, or conduct, or bible study, then that is a beautiful thing.

EPrata artwork, paper collage, scanned, & digitally altered

book recommendations

Book recommendation: In The Footsteps of Faith

Posted on February 17, 2015 by elizabethprata

I was given a gift certificate to Amazon.com, and one of the books I purchased is In the Footsteps of Faith, by John F. MacArthur. The book blurb says,

“By highlighting the defining moments of their lives and discussing the impact of their responses to tough times and to God, John MacArthur unveils lessons of faith and servanthood from beloved men and women of the Bible.”

In the Footsteps of Faith examines the lives of several men and women of the bible. * Noah * Abraham * Moses * Rahab * Hannah * Jonah * Mary * John the Baptist * Peter * Paul * Lydia * Timothy * Epaphroditus * Jesus

I’ve read the first two ‘faith bios’, (Noah, Abraham) and I enjoy the book very much. I recommend it highly. I don’t like marking my books with pen or highlighting, so I use a colored transparent post-it kind of arrow to stick on the paragraph or sentence I want to return to. Just in the first two bios I have a ton of sticky arrows poking out of the book. It makes the book look like a porcupine. But there are so many gems to mark, …like this:

We base our present lives and future destinies on invisible realities. It has always been that way for followers of God.

Faith in Him is the only means God has ever provided for people to be justified. Faith is never the ground for justification, the death of Christ is. Faith is simply the channel through which God applies His saving grace.

Anyone who trusts in physical circumcision, or any other such work or ceremony, in order to be made right with God places himself under the law’s impossible demands and voids Christ’s sacrificial death on his behalf.

When faith does weaken, it is often because we allow doubt to cloud and undermine it.

Of course these read better in context. The point is, what a blessing to have a storm day when it’s quiet, with no power and thus no internet distractions, to read an edifying book and ponder the majesty and mysteries of Christ and His followers who went before us.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Philippians 4:8)

coptic, copts, martyr, orthodox

Copts are not Christians

Posted on February 17, 2015August 8, 2019 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

What the terror group ISIS is doing is undoubtedly evil. No person, village, or region should have to suffer the tortures and terrors perpetrated upon them like the Islamic ISIS maniacs have done. I want to say, and this will likely be unpopular, but the 21 Egyptian Coptics that were beheaded recently were not Christian. Copts are not Christian. They are not martyrs for the faith, they will not be resurrected to a glorified body in heaven, and Revelation 20:4 does not apply to them.

Copts have popes, believe verbal confession to priests is necessary for the forgiveness of sins, worship icons and idols, are highly sacramental and ritualistic, pray to dead “saints” asking for their intercession of the living, believe in apostolic succession (from John Mark), have a works based theology of salvation, and more. Orthodox Coptics are a split-off from Roman Catholicism. Again, Coptics are not Christians.

There is an outline of what Copts believe here.

What happened to the 21 Egyptian men on the beach is horrific, but please stand on the Gospel and remember that Copts are an unreached people group needing evangelism, not veneration as brother martyrs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Visual Theology: Chris Powers & Full of Eyes

Posted on February 17, 2015May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Chris Powers is doing magnificent work. I’ve written about him before, here

Chris explains that his website, Full of Eyes, exists,

to see, savor, and sing the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, using pixel, ink, and word. I hope to do this through Christ-exalting, Biblically-submitted, heart-haunting videos about the glory of Jesus Christ, the Son and Image of God.
With the continued help of various song artists, and the support of the Body of Christ, my plan is to make these videos and resources available for free to the global Church.

Chris does a fantastic job of bringing visual theology to life. In addition to wonderful videos, tract cards, and other artistic representations, Chris has been hard at work developing curricula to supplement each of his videos.

For his startling video “It’s Not Enough“, about sin and idolatry, Chris developed a study guide for small groups. It is available in Spanish as well. The study guide is free, as all his work is free to use for the glory of Christ. More study guides will be coming along as h transitions to working on his animations full time.

Here is his caption for the piece below.

Christ alone gives us unshakable peace because HE HIMSELF is our peace (Eph. 2:14). In this picture you can see all the world’s promises of peace shattering like teetering towers of stone in the face of a tidal wave…and even though the Christian is certainly buffeted by troubles (John 16:33), in the face-to-face fellowship we have with Christ, there is untouchable peace… we all grow in the knowledge of Christ, our Peace!”

Below is his sketch

Please visit Chris’s website, order his tract cards (I did and they’re wonderful), listen to the music & animated videos, and if you feel led, support him monetarily through Patreon or Gaius.

We definitely want to support and encourage the next generation coming up, and Chris is one of the good guys, doing Kingdom work in faith and humility.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Further Reading

Tim Challies and Visual Theology

Vyrso Visual Verse of the Day

John Bunyan, the first visual theologian, Mappe Shewing Order and Causes of Salvation

death, encouragement, lazarus, resurrection

O death, where is your victory?

Posted on February 15, 2015May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

I don’t understand all that God does, or why. We understand some, because He revealed it to us in His word and through His Son.

But death…when a friend or loved one dies, it’s so sad. Even Jesus wept at the death of his friend Lazarus. He wept even knowing He would raise Him.

But what a spectacular event!

The Death of Lazarus

1Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

5Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. (John 11:1-6)

I Am the Resurrection and the Life

17Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, 19and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. 20So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. (John 11:17-21).

Jesus Raises Lazarus

Giotto: Raising of Lazarus

38Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” 40Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” 41So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” 44The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” (John 11:38-44).

How beautiful is the glorification of the Father through His Son. And, His words echo in a spiritual truth- ‘death, let him go.’ Jesus is Master over death. He let us go! What a day it will be when Jesus says finally to satan, let go all my people, and satan is cast into the Lake of Fire.

Death, where is your victory? Where is your sting?

50 shades of grey, marriage, mommy porn, porn

Many links on the subject of rejecting 50 Shades of Grey, AND edifying links about Christian marriage

Posted on February 14, 2015May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Today marks the debut of the movie 50 Shades of Grey. it is based on the book of the same name. The book and movie (as well as its origination texts, the Twilight series of vampire romances) has sparked concern and outrage from evangelical Christians. Here is a roundup of some of the best write-ups regarding this film and the damage it causes, and what interest in its subject means for our culture.

By Men

Dr. Al Mohler
Fifty Shades of Shame — The Evolution of Pornography

Life Site News
The real reason 50 Shades is so wildly popular

Matt Walsh
To the women of America: 4 reasons to hate 50 Shades of Grey

Landon Chapman
‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ and the Annihilation of Christian Women’s Innocence

Christianity Today
Is There Anything Redeeming in the ’50 Shades’ Trilogy?

John Kennedy, Assemblies of God News
Christian Leaders Warn Against Fifty Shades Movie

From Fight the New Drug, Aimed at a readership of young women and men, their “mission is to raise awareness on the harmful effects of pornography through creative mediums.”
5 Things ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ Teaches About Sex

Tim Challies, article includes links to other articles, book recommendations on the subject of porn, and addresses the cultural phenomenon of 50 Shades
10 Articles on Pornography

By Women

DebbieLynne Kespert
50 Shades to Avoid
50 Shades, 40 Days And None Of The Above

Elizabeth Prata
Why Christian women are drawn to 50 Shades of Grey

Sola Sisters
Fifty Shades of Grey? It’s Really Just Black and White

Becky Thompson
Christian Women and Christian Grey

Secular

Daily Beast
More ‘50 Shades’ Ticket Preorders Have Happened in Mississippi Than Anywhere Else

Fox News
50 shades of abuse? New movie sending wrong message to women

Christian Marriage

GotQuestions
What Constitutes Marriage According to the Bible?

Grace To You essay
What can my spouse and I do to build a strong marriage?

Grace To You article
Marriage As It Was Meant to Be

Truth For Life, Alistair Begg sermon series
God’s Pattern for Marriage

doubt, IF:Gathering, rob bell, satan, schemes, skeptic

Sincere doubt versus dishonest skepticism

Posted on February 14, 2015May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

And the tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’ —Matthew 4:3

Did satan not know Jesus is the Son of God? Of course satan knew. We see that he and his demons knew this in Luke 4:41,

And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.

And we see that the demons knew that Jesus is the Son of God in Mark 5:7,

And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.”

And James 2:19 says even the demons believe, and shudder!

Throughout scripture we read that satan knows full well who Jesus is. So why would satan begin his temptation by saying, “IF you are the Son of God…”?

Because he wanted to get Jesus to doubt. Ergo, satan’s is a deceptive skepticism.

Satan himself has no doubt whatsoever that Jesus is the Son of God. However, satan’s issue is that he thinks he can beat Jesus in a contest of wills. Satan believes he can usurp Jesus from His position as King of KINGS and Lord of LORDS. We know satan knows that God is highest, and we read satan’s conviction that God won’t be God on his throne forever, that satan himself will usurp Him. These are the five “I wills” of satan in Isaiah 14:13-15. Satan doesn’t doubt a thing.

Satan isn’t skeptical of God’s existence nor is satan skeptical of who God is. Satan’s scheme is to get US to doubt.

Scripture warns us repeatedly about deception-

fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock… (Acts 20:29)

We picture a fierce wolf with fur standing up and fangs bared. But that is how they are inwardly. If we saw the fierceness in the wolf, we would know he was a wolf. What we see in false teachers is a pleasant demeanor, smiles, apparently helpful and meek. A Joel Osteen, not a Hulk Hogan. The false ones are disguised.

false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:13)

What they bring, however, is philosophy and empty deceit (Colossians 2:8)

Their disguise and pleasant demeanor hides a purposeful destruction-

false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies (2 Peter 2:1).

We see the philosophy and empty deceit in the tactic satan used with Christ, “IF you are the Son of God…”

Sowing doubt is an age-old tactic of satan, and why not? It works. However there has been a shift from false sowers who sow doubt about God’s word, (like Rob Bell) to those who claim to be Christian but sow doubt about God’s existence. (Like the IF:Gathering). It is a significant shift.

Ten years ago Rob Bell made headlines. He was a self-proclaimed ‘Evangelical’ who sowed doubt about the inerrancy of scripture as God’s perfect word. Bell was the perfect ‘Hath God said?’ guy. His method was to ask questions under the guise of sincerely seeking truth but what he was doing was actually sowing doubt and using dishonest skepticism to do it. The following are actual Rob Bell questions from his book Velvet Elvis-

What if tomorrow someone digs up definitive proof that Jesus had a real, earthly, biological father named Larry, and…

“But what if, as you study the origin of the word ‘virgin’ you discover that the word ‘virgin’ in the gospel of Matthew actually comes from the book of Isaiah, and then you find out that in the Hebrew language at that time, the word ‘virgin’ could mean several things. And what if you discover that in the first century being ‘born of a virgin’ also referred to a child whose mother became pregnant the first time she had intercourse?”

And these questions are from his book doubting the existence of hell, Love Wins,

What if heaven is open to all, rather than a select few?

What if hell doesn’t exist at all?

The women of the IF:Gathering, a subject on which I’ve written a three-part series, questions the existence of God. No, these women are not atheists. They are not Wiccans believing in goddess power. They claim to be Christians, and claim to study God’s word, IF He exists, that is. This screen shot is from the latest bible study:

Doubt in a believer happens occasionally. Doubting one’s salvation temporarily is natural. Doubting an interpretation of a doctrine is all right. Doubting that Jesus is the Christ was something even John the Baptist pondered. John the Baptist didn’t doubt the scriptures’ promise that Messiah will come. He doubted for a moment that Jesus was the promised Messiah that had arrived. There is a difference.

No, this is the ignoble doubt of God’s existence. Ignoble because God has shown Himself to all people and those who fail to accept His existence are suppressing that truth in unrighteousness. (Romans 1:18-19)

There is nothing noble about that. It is satan’s assault on our own faith and the baseline truth it rests on: God is One and there is no other. He is real. Believers don’t doubt God’s existence. If you doubt He is real, you’re not a believer. It is not a faith question, then, but a problem of deliberate suppression of the truth that brings wrath.

Believers are held responsible even for sincere or temporary doubts. Elderly Zechariah was rendered mute because of the doubt he voiced when the angel foretold that he and Elizabeth would bear a son. (Luke 1:18-20). And Zechariah was just doubting a one-time prophecy, not God’s existence entirely.

Jesus rebukes us for our doubts, even when they are honest, sincere, and soul-searching. Either harshly as in Matthew 14:31 to Peter, or gently, as in John 20:27-29 to Thomas.

We are told that when we ask for wisdom,

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. (James 1:6)

We must not doubt. (Mark 11:23, James 5:15, 1 John 5:14-16).

Dishonest skepticism is not doubt. Don’t confuse the two. Dishonest skepticism emanates from a false worker of iniquity. It is a satanic tactic designed to get you to doubt what you know and thus diminish your faith. Learn the difference and avoid any person, teacher, or organization that institutionalizes either skepticism or doubt.

aurora, creator, creator of the universe, ISS

Sunrise meets Aurora, ISS video astounds

Posted on February 11, 2015 by elizabethprata

Quartz reported,

An astronaut aboard the International Space Station shot a video in the past week that shows the aurora borealis, or northern lights, glimmering green on the horizon as it meets the sunrise over earth. It lasts for just fifteen incredible seconds.

The footage is shot over the eastern seaboard of the US, from the Outer Banks, to Delmarva Peninsula to Cape Cod and then up over Maine to Nova Scotia. You can clearly see the bump of the Outer Banks at the beginning, Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay, and the curling arm of the Cape all the way to Provincetown and then swoops up to the Canadian Maritimes.

The LORD God is an incredible God. Nothing that will happen today has not already been sifted through His hands and ordained. Seeing this beauty from a high-above perspective makes us once again laud and honor our God- the Creator of it all.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory. (1 Timothy 3:16)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:1-51)

For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities– all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. Colossians 1:16-18)

50 shades of grey, gender war, genesis, perversion

Why Christian women are drawn to 50 Shades of Grey

Posted on February 10, 2015May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

In Genesis 2:18 God made woman so as to be a helper for the man. It is in the very DNA of woman to want to help, to submit. She will want her husband.

John MacArthur writes that after the Fall,

“women continue to be naturally drawn and necessarily drawn to husbands and to children as the source of their fulfillment and their joy, even though they know that those are the realms in which there is the potential of the greatest pain and sorrow. [referring to Genesis 3:16a] They’re still drawn there, almost inexorably because that’s the way God made them. (source)

Though woman will want her husband, the Fall caused woman to be cursed with a rebellious nature against his authority, which in turn would cause men to want to rule harshly over them. (Genesis 3:16b).

MacArthur again,

In her sin Eve took the lead. She acted independently. She spurned her husband’s authority. She was going to go out on her own and call her own shot, as it were, act on her own behalf. She took the lead, she led the man into sin, usurping his role, acting independently of him in the temptation, overturning the divine order. … All of a sudden man is changed and becomes a selfish and dominating monarch. The subordination of women was always God’s plan but in a lovely and enjoyable harmony of perfect fulfillment of mutual wills delighting in God and in each other. … Your desire shall be for your husband.” Now let’s talk about the word “desire.” What does it mean? It is of Arabic root meaning to seek control. (source)

On the other hand, verse 16, the end, “And he shall rule over you.” Let’s look at the word “rule” for a minute, mashal. It means to dominate, to reign, literally means to install in office. The idea is as the woman seeks to overthrow the rank, as the woman seeks to twist the divine order, as the woman seeks to master her husband, seek control over him, he dominates her. (source)

Satan perverts everything he touches.

Fifthly, Satan is a perverter. It’s amazing that Satan has gotten a hold of every good thing that God has ever made and perverted it. He perverts everything. God made fruit for us to drink of, and Satan perverted it into alcoholism. God made sex for us to enjoy, he perverts it into something filthy and adulterous. He is in the business of perverting everything that God has made good. (source)

50 Shades of Grey is a book about dominance and submission. It is adult porn related to the seamier sadistic elements of the aforesaid ‘things satan perverts.’ The book and movie are not romance and nothing about the storyline of either are in any way acceptable for mental or emotional consumption.

However, the unsaved, secular woman will gravitate to the notion of dominance and submission because of the biblical mandates of having been created to be a helpmeet and wanting her husband. That old 1970s original feminist slogan, “A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle” is not true. Women need men and men need women. But because satan is a perverter, he will pervert the woman’s innate need to submit and he will twist the man’s innate need to lead. The result is a book like 50 Shades of Grey.

But what of Christian women? Surely they know to stay away from pornography and perversion like this? Any person even casually committed to reading the bible will know that this is a perversion of marital relationships … right?

Not always. Christian women have the same need as secular women to be led and to be a helpmeet, and Christian men have the same need to lead as non-Christian men. The wonderful thing about it is that Christians have the biblical blueprint and the Holy Spirit in us to illuminate the blueprint to our minds. We know what we should do, but once again, satan is a perverter. He will grab the carnality in us and twist it. Women innately want to submit and will do so if they meet a dominating man. Alternately, if they cannot submit, some will follow their curse and lead, eventually dominating.

Many Christian women are falling for feminism, and with the poor examples that abound of women who step out of their role as helpmeet – and are not rebuked for it. Then as each generation comes along they entrench further into it. Sin takes hold. Women innately want to submit and will do so if they meet a dominating man. Satan will twist that into BDSM and 50 Shades. Alternately, if they do not submit, some will follow their curse and satan will urge them to lead, eventually dominating, becoming ministry feminists. Either way, satan wins, because the Christian woman’s witness has been tarnished

Christian men likewise have allowed satan to twist any unaddressed sinful carnality in them, and they have abdicated their role as leader and done one of two things. Either they have abdicated their role entirely and simply do not lead, or they have grabbed on to their role a little too hard and they rule with an iron fist. We see evidence of this in the Covering Theology movement, rampant excommunications in the vein of Mark Driscoll and pastors like him, Pharisaical Pastors acting as tyrants operating outside the realm of accountability, and more. When some husbands “rule”, they dominate, as in sado-masochistic domination.

50 Shades of Grey touches upon man and woman’s most innate, intimate, unmet needs. This is true whether a person is a Christian or not.

Not that you don’t already know this, but the entire structure of the BDSM movement with all its rules, protocols, and standards is simply a satanic twist on Genesis 2 and Genesis 3 and the submission and leading that God put in place. Christian wives or singles who enjoy this book need to be taught Godly submission. To that end we need stronger pastors who stand up to women who want to teach men, or who otherwise want to lead in an unGodly way, and pastors who are actively working to train up elder women to be good examples to the younger women. Men who enjoy this book or are curious about it need to be taught Godly leading. They need strong pastors and courageous brothers to call them to account, to encourage them to be gentle with their wives, and to actively study the bible and to pray.

The holy word is always the antidote for righting our thinking on any topic, especially God’s ordinance of marriage and complementarian relationships.

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