I’ve been a Christian for only 20 years, but I’ve been alive for 63. Even as a youngster, I asked the eternal question to myself, “Why is the world like this?”
Young people, the unsaved, adults, no matter your age, location, or spiritual status, anyone, can see that the world is broken. People are crazy. Just watch the news, if you dare.
The world has always been filled with sinners seeking to fulfill their own desires. A sinner’s desires are completely corrupt and unholy. (Genesis 6:5). They will seek to fulfill these desires by any means they can find, and will eventually resort to graft or deception or bullying or anger, etc.
But it seems lately that the percolating anger in sinners is closer to the surface than ever. Sin makes people insane and they do insane things. That is what having a reprobate mind means. (Romans 1:28-32). I means that people are so darkened that they can’t think straight. For moral and spiritual purposes, they’re effectively insane.
It used to be that people seemed to be held in check from expressing their baser desires by cultural pressure. Even though we in America have never really been a Christian nation, people acted Christian. The veneer of morality prevented things from being said, acts from being done. Over time though, the social-moral fabric has frayed. Badly.
But… Jesus is alive and in control. He sees this foolishness and He will come back to take care of it.
The Great Day of the LORD “I will stretch out My hand against Judah, And against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. I will cut off every trace of Baal from this place,” (Zephaniah 1:4)
This was a prophecy against Judah. Do you see that? EVERY TRACE of Baal will be gone!
“Therefore wait for Me,” declares the LORD, “For the day when I rise up as a witness. Indeed, My decision is to gather nations, To assemble kingdoms, To pour out on them My indignation, All My burning anger; For all the earth will be devoured By the fire of My zeal.” (Zephaniah 3:8).
And He rose from the dead so that He could conquer death and atone for our sins and to fulfill all the promises since Genesis! He is risen! He lives! He loves! He is with us in our time of trouble and He will come for His beloved! He will rectify the wrongs and rid the world of polluted governments and wretched religions, the Baals and the Molechs and the Mammons will be banished from the earth forever!
“and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.” (1 Corinthians 15:17)
But He IS risen, and we are with Him, “having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.” (Colossians 2:12).
No more sin, ever!
Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:14)
Mighty is our God who raises from the dead, justifies our sins through Jesus, and Who sets all prophecies down so we may see what must come to pass. Prophecy shows that no matter how crazy the culture gets, Jesus is always in control.
A woman named Lori Alexander who goes by the nickname The Transformed Wife, handle of @godlywomanhood, who claims to be a Christian, has an enormous platform across a plethora of social media accounts. When a man or woman is solid in their doctrine AND in his or her lifestyle, this is a good thing. I love that social media has been invented and provides us a way to get the word of God out into the world…To connect with like-minded brethren…To honor and glorify God.
But when the person has a lifestyle that is a horror to God or teaches error, wrong doctrines, or twisted Bible verses, it’s a grief to God. It is also a danger to those who aren’t discerning enough to see beyond the form of a teacher’s godliness. Then followers are drawn into a dark path. In June 2023 I critiqued Lori Alexander’s online work.
In my discernment essay critiquing Lori’s doctrines and teachings, I used sources such as her own words in screenshots, quotes from her own blog etc. and compared her theology to the Bible’s. My essay seemed to have angered her and upset her greatly and that anger has not simmered down in the last 6 months…
How do I know?
Recently a lengthy article was published examining Lori’s online output (I won’t call it a ministry) from a psychological perspective. The author was Daniel Schricker, Ph.D, who is not only known for his music, (@ComposerDan90) but also for his academic work in identifying cults. He should know, he grew up in one. Since then he has dedicated his academic career in speaking and writing about the psychological use of fear in cults- especially against children.
In his article on Lori, Daniel Schricker said that according to Hassan’s ‘BITE’ Model, there are four “sets of criteria by which to define the modus operandi of harmful organisations, Behavior control, Information control, Thought control, and Emotional control.” Dr. Schricker goes through each of these criteria with matching examples from Lori’s online advice. He makes a compelling case.
Most disturbing are Lori’s teachings on behavior, with Dr. Schricker concluding, “All of these represent forms of behaviour control that are based entirely on Lori’s feelings, nothing else,” he said.
We know that Christians must base our learning and teaching on the Bible, nothing else. Red flag # 1 that Lori Alexander is a false teacher.
In her teaching and her behavior, Lori does exhibit the other three sets of criteria that harmful organizations exhibit as well- Thought control, Information control, and Emotional control. As to the latter, Dr. Schricker said:
“Emotional control is central to Lori’s thinking about her faith and is something she cites as a key to making a marriage last. Rather than recognising emotions as a healthy part of the human experience, she seems to believe that they are responsible for many of the problems women face. In the cult of Lori, women must silence and ignore their emotions entirely.”
Dr. Schricker’s article has agonized Lori. She is spending much time on several of her platforms railing against it, as well as dredging up my article from June 2023, which means it still obviously distresses her.
While it is never my intention to purposely antagonize anyone, even false teachers such as Lori, the truth will wound. It will either wound unto a godly sorrow leading to conviction and repentance, or it will lead to a distress that hardens one further into their errant position. Sadly I think the latter is Lori’s case. Her anguish at being called out is hardening her into her errant positions. This is sad to see.
The Lord uses both conviction and time to bring someone to Himself. Of the false teacher in Revelation 2 called Jezebel, Jesus gave her time to repent (Revelation 2:21). But she did not wish to repent. See also Romans 2:4, ‘the kindness of God leads to repentance’. But if the person has a stubborn and unrepentant heart, they are storing up wrath for themselves on the day of Judgment. (Romans 2:5).
BOTH show the glory of God in the end. Both His kindness and His just wrath glorifies Him. While we always pray for repentance for the false teacher, we ultimately pray God will be glorified in whatever the outcome.
I’d like to take a moment to parse Lori’s outrage and defenses. The lesson here is that one can be SO entrenched on one’s position, they literally can’t see. Cannot. So entrenched in sin their thinking becomes futile, doesn’t the Bible say this? (Romans 1:21).
Lori went on to say in that same post: (underlines are mine)
Many female Bible teachers don’t like me simply because I don’t believe women should teach theology. They should stick to teaching the doctrines of biblical womanhood as God commands in Titus 2:3-5.
1.It’s not about personally liking or disliking someone. I dislike Beth Moore’s theology intensely but I believe her to be a very likable person.
2.Theology and doctrine are the same thing. Theology is learning about God. Doctrine is, ahem, learning about God’s ways and teachings.
3.Since Lori restricts herself to Titus 2:3-5 only, I wonder if she knows that King Solomon has advised the following:
Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, And do not ignore your mother’s teaching; Proverbs 1:8
Or Proverbs 6:20? My son, keep your father’s commandment, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
Lori: “I have never aligned myself with false teachers nor have I ever preached in a church”
There is more to being false than simply those two things. It’s comforting to look at one’s self and say ‘I am not false because I never did X or Y’. Yes but what about when you did A or B? See: “Rich Young Ruler”. He thought he was saved because he ‘kept all the commandments since a youth’ but didn’t see that he had a huge hole in his theology, namely, his sin.
Lori said: “All of the commentaries of old agree with me and so do some other great pastors like Voddie Baucham.”
Cherry picking the sources that agree with one’s [unbiblical] stance is called confirmation bias. Psychologist Peter Wason has said this is the “tendency of people to favor information that confirms or strengthens their beliefs or values and is difficult to dislodge once affirmed.”
While it’s great to consult other sources like commentaries and credible pastors and teachers, ultimately, the Bible is the only reliable source. And the Bible disagrees with Lori’s stance that women cannot teach theology to other women or children. Another red flag. Also: see Lois, Eunice, Priscilla.
She said: “I also believe women teaching the Bible and preaching in Women’s Bible studies is what has led to the plethora of female preachers in most churches today!”
Lori likes to blame women for much of what is wrong in Christendom. Yet she never mentions the man’s or the husband’s or the pastor’s part in allowing the woman to preach or fall into error. We didn’t “all fall in Eve.” We all fell in Adam. (Romans 5:12, 1 Corinthians 15:22).
See, that is another example of how her skewed theology skews her mental worldview – thus what comes out of her mouth is error.
I’ve written on the dangers of skewed theology before, and the importance of balance. Yes, I agree Lori is right on some of what she teaches. The problem is the error of omission. Adrian Rogers in his ministry Love Worth Finding speaks of James 4:17 and the sin of omission:
What is a sin of omission? The sin of omission is failure to do what you ought to be doing. James said, “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17). It is a greater sin to fail to do what you ought to do than to do what you ought not to do.
Lori should be learning and teaching the whole counsel of God. It’s like this as an example: In the Bible the Proverbs 31 woman is counted as worthy and one to emulate. In Proverbs 31:16 the woman ‘considers a field and buys it; from her earnings she plants a vineyard.’
So let’s say a woman with a platform started teaching that women everywhere should buy a field and plant a vineyard. It’s in the Bible, right? This women was lauded for her activity, enscripturated in God’s word forever as a worthy women. Therefore ALL women should buy a field and plant an orchard. Then they will be happy and God will be happy.
And let’s say that is the only thing the woman teaches in her whole platforming career online. Is she right? Yes, the Bible does say that. But is that ALL it says for women? No. Lori makes the error of omission, failing to teach the whole counsel of God. See link below in “Further Reading” for an excellent article about what the whole counsel of God means.
One must be inside the strong fortress, its foundation the entire counsel of God. Every brick being every word of God. Clinging to two verses in the Bible as Lori does, Titus 2:4-5, will not sustain a person in the end. It’s like clinging to a sapling in a tornado. I’d rather be inside the strong fortress!
Why am I writing this? Truth requires a response. Dr. Schricker’s article presented psychological truth. My previous article presented truth of God’s word. To hear truth and to dismiss it or ignore it dishonors the truth giver and dishonors the Lord. It also puts people on a path of destruction.
My hope for Lori is this: that someday she will cease kicking against the goads, repent, and close all her platforms to honor the Lord. She spends much time on her many platforms, and repenting and closing her online work would mean she would have more time to tend to her home, husband, children, and grandchildren. I pray she will cease leading women down a dark path.
Great article by Randy Alcorn on The Whole Counsel of God: He opens the article with an example of what happens when we cherry pick verses to support our position. “If we want to better understand any doctrine or teaching, we must consider not bits and pieces of the Bible but “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27, ESV). The Bible features a staggering breadth and depth of truth that selective proof-texting can never reflect.“
TableTalk Magazine: Discernment without Judgmentalism by Eric Bancroft: Today’s marketplace of ideas is tragically filled with lies, distortions, and even heresies. Christians are called to be discerning as they engage with these ideas and the people who present them to us (Heb. 5:13–14). Such maturity of thought and ability to help others is to be modeled by elders of local churches, who are called on to “give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it” (Titus 1:9).
Ponder His grace today. His grace that preserved you until salvation. His grace IN salvation. His grace to prosper you. His grace to bring you to his heavenly home in the end.
I had a conversation with a young person about the man Job and his suffering. He thought everything happened all at once to Job. I said that at first satan asked to harass Job’s stuff and God said satan could, but don’t touch his body. Since Job didn’t renounce God, satan went back to God and complained that he needed to do more, and God said OK you can touch his body but spare his life.
I was sure I was right, but afterward I went back and checked anyway. Yes, that is Job 1 and Job 2, a two-stage attack from satan against Job. I got to reading it over again a few times, marveling at this amazing scene. So much to unpack. Isn’t it thrilling that every time you read the same passage over the years, something different ‘leaps out at you’?
This time, I began thinking about the suddenness of it all. I wondered, “How old was Job when this happened to him?” He was an adult and had been married a while. He had 10 adult children, many flocks, and servants. He had routines (making atonement sacrifices for his adult children), and they had routines (visiting each other). Job did his routines “continually”. (Job 1:5).
So as Sophia used to say on the TV show The Golden Girls, “Picture it, the land of Uz, 4000 years ago…” Job is living his life. Nothing remarkable happened. Oh, probably the usual servant issues, animals dying, an occasional tribal raid. But his life was stable and proceeding apace as the years went on. Like all of us, we think how it is now is how it’s going to stay. This attitude is even captured in the Bible where people are mocking, saying “For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue just as they were from the beginning of creation.” (2 Peter 3:4b).
But it doesn’t stay like that. Apart from the certainty of God, the only permanent thing we can count on in this life is change. For Job, suddenly, BLAM! Life changed in an instant. We know why. He didn’t.
For us here and now, we sink into having the same attitude toward life. This marriage will last forever. This job will last forever. I bought my forever home. My health is good and will stay that way.
But then, BLAM! A drunk driver…a sudden onset disease…a boss closes the business…spouse hatefully departs or sadly passes away…
We all learn through reading Job about the sovereignty of God. The power of God. Man’s humble state before God. Not how about this also: the Book of Job teaches the fragility and the impermanence of life. How it is ALL in God’s hand.
Our lives here seem like they will go on the same. Until they don’t. One moment Job had ten thriving adult children and he was looking forward to next generations. Then not. He was rich, the next moment- poor. One moment a father, the next moment- no children or hope of grandchildren.
Now, we know the LORD graciously restored Job double what he had lost. (Job 42:10). He lived for 140 more years and saw his seed continue for 4 more generations. God did not have to do that. I’m glad for Job and Mrs. Job’s sakes that He did.
We read in the Bible verses like in James 4:14, ‘Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.‘
Psalm 39:5, Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my lifetime as nothing before You; Surely every man, even standing firm, is altogether vanity. Selah.
Psalm 78:39, So He remembered that they were only flesh, A wind that passes and does not return.
We skim them and say ‘Sure, yah, I believe that. Life’s short.” But do we REALLY believe it? The truth of it doesn’t impress itself on us as much as this verse,
As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, Or if due to might, eighty years, (Psalm 90:10a)
and we think that is how long our life is going to be. We tend to think that our life will be long and “full of days”. It will follow a trajectory of growth to adulthood, a satisfying job, marriage, family, a long period of raising the family, then a comfy retirement and an easy death.
But God…may have other ideas about our life.
Life is short. Life in this flesh is impermanent. Life is fragile. Trust God, the permanent, unchanging One.
Miracle is one of those words that gets overused and then its meaning it diluted, like “awesome”.
“This ice cream is awesome!” “God is awesome!”
“I found a parking space. It was a miracle!” “I got an A+ on my paper. It’s a miracle!”
The dramatic rise in people accepting and even seeking the charismatic gifts means that more people believe that people are performing miracles, and believing that God is doing miracles left and right. Healings, gold fillings, gold dust falling, a wind coming up at just the right time, a financial windfall…all are claimed as miracles. But are they? What exactly are miracles, according to the Bible? And does God do miracles today?
While cessationists like me by no means deny that God has always had the power and will to do a miracle, and He does them today, they are much less frequent than we suppose. But nowadays, everyone is claiming a miracle.
A miracle is a supernatural event which has no human explanation. More than that, a miracle is a supernatural event which suspends natural law. (Source)
A miracle gives full warrant that it is from God. ~Augustus Strong The popular South African charismatic evangelist Angus Buchan, of the movie Faith Like Potatoes, planted potatoes and said it was a miracle that they grew. To be sure, the soil in his field was not conducive to bumper crops of potatoes, and he had been warned if a high probability of failure, but he attributed the fact that potatoes grew to a supernatural, direct and divine miracle.
He is a long term, popular evengelist, at one time hosting huge crusades for men. He has made unsubstantiated claims of healing the sick at his services. His entire ministry is based on the ‘miracle’ of the potatoes.
Christian Apologetics and Resource Ministries defines miracle as
A miracle is an out-of-the-ordinary direct and divine intervention in the world. Examples would be the parting of the Red Sea, Jesus walking on water, the resurrection of Lazarus, etc. Some hold that it is a violation of the natural order of physical laws. Others maintain that there is no such violation upon God’s part but only a natural manifestation of His work.
They are also known as powers and signs (Mark 9:39; Acts 2:22, 19:11) and mighty works (John 10:25-28). They are a manifestation of the power of God over nature (Joshua 10:12-14), animals (Num. 22:28), people (Gen. 19:26), and illness (2 Kings 5:10-14). They are produced by God’s power (Acts 15:12), Christ’s power (Matt. 10:1), and the Holy Spirit’s power (Matt. 12:28).
A miracle is an event in nature so extraordinary in itself and so coinciding with the prophecy or command of a religious teacher or leader as fully to warrant the conviction on the part of those who witness it, that God has wrought it with the design of certifying that this teacher or leader has been commissioned by him.
Miracles are the natural accompaniments and attestations of new communications from God. The great epochs of miracles—represented by Moses, the prophets, the first and second comings of Christ—are coincident with the great epochs of revelation. Miracles serve to draw attention to new truth, and cease when this truth has gained currency and foothold.
Some of the miracles in the Incarnation of Jesus’ time were making the blind to see. Do you realize there was no other recorded healing of this type in the Old Testament or the New, until Jesus did it? John 9:1-7 records Jesus performing a miracle of making an adult man born blind to see.
This is an amazing case, because Jesus didn’t cure a temporary condition recently onset, he reversed a biological, genetic defect.
The case of Lazarus was also a bona fide miracle, because Jesus raised a man who had been dead so long. Once again, He reversed biology by renewing the man’s very cells at the same time He gave Lazarus life again.
Finding a parking space in the front row, by comparison, is not a miracle.
An event in the external world brought about by the immediate agency or the simple volition of God, operating without the use of means capable of being discerned by the senses, and designed to authenticate the divine commission of a religious teacher and the truth of his message (John 2:18; Matthew 12:38).
The Apostles performed bona fide miracles also. They healed, raised the dead. Philip was whisked in a lateral ‘rapture’ or snatching away from one place to another. (Acts 8:39-40). That was a miracle. I’m hoping that in the New Jerusalem we can all travel that way.
Now you can see from just these passages that in our Lord’s mind, the miracles were not done simply to give evidence of the power of God, but they were given and performed by him with reference to a particular Messianic purpose. That is, the ultimate coming of the Messianic kingdom.
As for the apostles, the reason they were given power to do signs, is as Dr Johnson explains in the same sermon,
2 Corinthians 12:12, “Truly, the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience in signs, wonders and mighty deeds.” Now notice here the expression, “The signs of an apostle.” And he goes on to say that the signs of the apostles are signs, wonders and mighty deeds. Miracles were the signs of the relationship of the apostles to our Lord. They were the signs that they were apostles, and they also were signs that in their ministry there was a connection between what they were saying and the kingdom of God that would come upon the earth.
Miracle of the Fishes, 1874 Alexander Bida
We don’t need people to perform a miracle any more because the bible now tells us about the Kingdom. We were not alive to hear Jesus in His incarnation, but the Spirit recorded the words through men, and we can read them and hear them. The signifying events are no longer necessary.
Miracles were done in in Moses’ day; in Elijah and Elisha’ day; in the day of our Lord and the apostles. He performed the miracles Himself or through men so as to accomplish His redemptive purposes. The miracles were signs of the accomplishment of his purpose of salvation. He will perform miracles again, Himself, via angels, and through men during the times prophesied in Revelation.
The creation of all things, Genesis 1:1-31. The deluge, comprising many miracles, Genesis 6:1-22.
Moses &the Burning Bush, illustration from 1890 Holman Bible
The destruction of Sodom, etc., Genesis 19:1-38. The healing of Abimelech, Genesis 20:17,18. The burning bush, Exodus 3:2-4. Moses’ rod made a serpent, and restored, Exodus 4:3-4 7:10. Moses’ hand made leprous, and healed, Ex 4…6-7. Water turned into blood, Exodus 4:9,30. The Nile turned to blood, Exodus 7:20. Frogs brought and removed, Exodus 8:6,13. Lice brought, Exodus 8:17. Flies brought, and removed, Exodus 8:21-31. Murrain of beasts, Exodus 9:3-6. Boils and blains brought, Exodus 9:10,11. Hail brought, and removed, Exodus 9:23,33. Locusts brought, and removed, Exodus 10:13,19. Darkness brought, Exodus 10:22. First-born destroyed, Exodus 10:29. The Red Sea divided, Exodus 14:21-22. Egyptians overwhelmed, Exodus 14:26-28. Waters of Marah sweetened, Exodus 15:27. Quails and manna sent, Exodus 16:1-36. Water from the rock, in Horeb, Exodus 17:6. Amalek vanquished, Exodus 17:11-13. Pillar of cloud and fire, Numbers 9:15-23. Leprosy of Miriam, Numbers 12:10. Destruction of Korah, etc., Numbers 16:28-35,46-50. Aaron’s rod budding, Numbers 17:8. Water from the rock, in Kadesh, Numbers 20:11. Healing by the brazen serpent, Numbers 21:8,9. Balaam’s ass speaks, Numbers 22:28. Plague in the desert, Numbers 25:1,9. Water of Jordan divided, Joshua 3:10-17. Jordan restored to its course, Joshua 4:18. Jericho taken, Joshua 6:6-20. Achan discovered, Joshua 7:14-21. Sun and moon stand still, Joshua 10:12-14. Gideon’s fleece wet, Jud 6:36-40. Midianites destroyed, Jud 7:16-22. Exploits of Samson, Jud 14:1-16:31. House of Dagon destroyed, Jud 16:30. Dagon falls before the ark, etc., 1 Samuel 5:1-12. Return of the ark, 1 Samuel 6:12. Thunder and rain in harvest, 1 Samuel 12:18. Jeroboam’s hand withered, etc., 1 Kings 13:4,6. The altar rent, 1 Kings 13:5. Drought caused, 1 Kings 17:6. Elijah fed by ravens, 1 Kings 17:6. Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith—(Galatians 3:5). Meal and oil supplied, 1 Kings 17:14-16. Child restored to life, 1 Kings 17:22-23. Sacrifice consumed by fire, 1 Kings 18:36,38. Rain brought, 1 Kings 18:41-45. Men destroyed by fire, 2 Kings 1:10-12. Waters of Jordan divided, 2 Kings 2:14. Oil supplied, 2 Kings 4:1-7. Child restored to life, 2 Kings 4:32-35. Naaman healed, 2 Kings 5:10,14. Gehazi’s leprosy, 2 Kings 5:27. Iron caused to swim, 2 Kings 6:6. Syrians smitten blind, etc., 2 Kings 19:35. Hezekiah healed, 2 Kings 20:7. Shadow put back, 2 Kings 20:11. Pestilence in Israel, 1 Chronicles 21:14. Jonah preserved by a fish, Jonah 1:17 2:10.
New Testament Miracles. The star in the east, Matthew 2:3. The Spirit like a dove, Matthew 3:16. Christ’s fast and temptations, Matthew 4:1-11. Many miracles of Christ, Matthew 4:23-24 8:16 14:14,36 15:30 Mark 1:34 Luke 6:17-19. Lepers cleansed, Matthew 8:3-4 Luke 17:14. Centurion’s servant healed, Matthew 8:5-13. Peter’s wife’s mother healed, Matthew 8:14. Tempests stilled, Matthew 8:23-26 14:32. Devils cast out, Matthew 8:28-32 9:32-33 15:22-28 17:14-18. Paralytics healed, Matthew 9:2-6 Mark 2:3-12. Issue of blood healed, Matthew 9:20-22. Jairus’ daughter raised to life, Matthew 9:18,25. Sight given to the blind, Matthew 9:27-30 20:34 Mark 8:22-25 John 9:17. The dumb restored, Matthew 9:32-33 12:22 Mark 7:33-35. Miracles by the disciples, Matthew 10:1-8. Multitudes fed, Matthew 14:15-21 15:35-38. Christ walking on the sea, Matthew 14:25-27. Peter walking on the sea, Matthew 14:29. Christ’s transfiguration, etc., Matthew 17:1-8. Tribute from a fish’s mouth, Matthew 17:27. The fig tree withered, Matthew 21:19. Miracles at the crucifixion, Matthew 27:51-53. Miracles at the resurrection, Matthew 28:1-7 Luke 24:6. Draught of fishes, Luke 5:4-6 John 21:6. Widow’s son raised to life, Luke 7:14,15. Miracles before John’s messengers, Luke 7:21-22. Miracles by the seventy, Luke 10:9,17. Woman healed of infirmity, Luke 13:11-13. Dropsy cured, Luke 14:2-4. Malchus’ ear restored, Luke 22:50-51. Water turned to wine, John 2:6-10. Nobleman’s son healed, John 4:46-53. Impotent man healed, John 5:5-9. Sudden crossing of the sea, John 6:21. Lazarus raised from the dead, John 11:43-44. Christ’s coming to his disciples, John 20:19,26. Wonders at the Pentecost, Acts 2:1-11. Miracles by the apostles, Acts 2:43 5:12. Lame man cured, Acts 3:7. Death of Ananias and Sapphira, Acts 5:5,10. Many sick healed, Acts 5:15-16. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. (Hebrews 2:4). Apostles delivered from prison, Acts 5:19. Miracles by Stephen, Acts 6:8. Miracles by Philip, Acts 8:6,7,13. Eneas made whole, Acts 9:34. Dorcas restored to life, Acts 9:40. Peter delivered from prison, Acts 12:6-10. Elymas struck blind, Acts 13:11. Miracles by Paul and Barnabas, Acts 14:3. Lame man cured, Acts 14:10. Unclean spirit cast out, Acts 16:18. Paul and Silas delivered, Acts 16:25-26. Special miracles, Acts 19:11-12. Eutchus restored to life, Acts 20:10-12. Viper’s bite made harmless, Acts 28:5. Father of Publius, etc., healed, Acts 28:8,9
It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me. (Daniel 4:2)
But in no way were miracles themselves proof of faith. Miracles confirm already existing faith, but rarely if ever catalyzed a person to faith. As A. Strong describes:
Miracles alone could not produce conviction. The Pharisees ascribed them to Beelzebub. Though Jesus had done so many signs, yet they believed not…. Though miracles were frequently wrought, they were rarely appealed to as evidence of the truth of the gospel. They are simply signs of God’s presence in his world. By itself a miracle had no evidential force.
There are interior miracles, and external miracles. An interior miracle would be the indwelling of the Holy Spirit into a newly regenerated person. Justification is an internal miracle. We can’t see the actual breaking of bonds or the new heart, but we can see the effects of this interior miracle, the fruit of the Spirit.
The growth of a person in sanctification is another internal miracle. These are miracles because they are done by God without an intermediate instrument directly upon a person’s soul, heart, mind, and body. It truly IS a miracle when we are saved!! These are the miracles in works of grace.
An external miracle are all the others I posted above in the ATS Dictionary list. Consistently, the word for miracle in the Bible is “sign”. A sign points to something. In the case of a miracle, the sign points to God.
And the types of miracles that are being claimed today are absolutely nothing like New Testament miracles, absolutely nothing like them. In fact, the types of miracles today could be distinctly seen as different than New Testament miracles. Jesus and the apostles instantly and completely healed people born blind, a paralytic, a man with a withered arm. All obvious and disputable miracles, even Jesus’ enemies didn’t challenge the reality of His miracles that He had the people there to verify them. He raised the dead, of course, as we well know. They never did a miracle that was slow, they never did a miracle that took time, they never did a miracle that was less than permanent. By contrast, most modern miracles are partial, gradual, temporary, sometimes reversed, and almost impossible to verify.
So before we go around claiming this or that miracle, let’s honor the Holy Spirit, our High priest
The Gathering of the Manna, c1470
The miracles in the Old Testament and the New Testament signify of God. There were miracles of creation, where He used no instrument but by the power of His word, created something ex nihilo or out of nothing. Genesis 1:1 is an example of that. So was the coin in the fish’s mouth and the appearance of manna. There are miracles of healing, of triumphs over demons, of demonstration of power over nature, such as calming the storm at Galilee or shriveling the fig tree or causing rain or stopping the rain. There were miracles over animals, such as making Balaam’s donkey speak or the animals passively migrate to the ark or commanding the ravens to feed Elijah.
Miracles are a tremendous thing to ponder in scripture and to reverentially ascribe to God’s power, love, and creative artistry. Let’s not willy-nilly diminish that awe and reverence by calling mundane things miracles or ascribing to God what He has not done.
For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. (Mark 13:22)
Our God is not to be trifled with, loving as He is. Miracles are done every day in sustaining this world alive, and all the people on it. Let’s not diminish that by rejoicing over a parking space at the mall. Convenient, yes. Miracle? No.
During a Christmas season you might sing the old hymn, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” The hymn is thought to have originated in the 1100s! The 1861 translation of this ancient hymn from the Latin contains the verse about a Dayspring.
O come, Thou Dayspring, from on high, And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh; Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, And death’s dark shadows put to flight. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel
He was God’s covering cherub, it is believed the highest of the high angels, and the most beautiful. (Ezekiel 28:14-17). Since he is an angel he is therefore a created being, thus, under God’s sovereignty. The eternal clash between good and evil is not one of equal opposites, but one of rebellion of a created being against an uncreated, holy powerful God. (Isaiah 14:13-14)
We hear satan’s actual voice three times in the Bible. Once in Genesis 3:1-5 when he (as the serpent) is talking with Eve in the Garden of Eden. There, he insinuated to Eve that God is not good enough to her by not letting her have all the fruit of the Garden. The second time we hear him speak, it’s in heaven to God about Job. (Job 1:7-11). There, he told God that God was being too good to Job. The third time is when satan tempts Jesus. (Luke 4:1-12). In that scene, he used several the schemes in his arsenal (temptation of the body, temptation of power, temptation of testing God) and when he failed, he went away until another opportune time. (Luke 4:13).
These scenes tell us that satan has many schemes in his bag of tricks, he is not hesitant to use them against people, or Jesus or even GOD, and that he never quits.
Satan is mentioned in the Gospels twenty-nine times. And twenty-five of those times, Jesus is the one talking about Satan. Satan is mentioned in seven Old Testament books and every New Testament book.
He has different names to which he is referred. That Old Serpent, Adversary, Devil, Satan, (which is a title)
Satan is a real person. He is not allegory, a metaphor or a figment. If you believe he is an allegory or figment or just an evil force, then you destroy the integrity and truthfulness of every NT book, each Gospel, a quarter of the Old Testament, and the character of Jesus. It is not possible to disbelieve satan is real but also believe the rest of the Bible is truthful, historical, prophetic, and the word of God.
He is real and thus has a will, goals, plans. He is seen spoken of in Isaiah 14:13-14, But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’
So his goal is to supplant God….usurp God…BE God!
Satan is not in hell. He is not the ruler of hell. So where is he? He is roaming up and down upon the earth. (Job 1:7, Job 2:2; 1 Peter 5:8). Satan is the prince of the air. (Ephesians 2:2). Satan is in heaven accusing the brethren. (Revelation 12:10; Job 1:6). God has granted limited and temporary sovereignty to satan, for he is the god of this world. (2 Corinthians 4:4). From this we see that satan has been granted much latitude by God on earth, the air and in heaven.
Satan is busy! He is accusing the brethren, roaming the earth, fighting the holy angels, sowing tares among the wheat, ensnaring the unwary, polluting the doctrine. He is wreaking devastation and destruction. (John 10:10). And much more!
What is satan’s destiny? When satan rebelled in the primordial past, God prepared hell for satan and his angels. (Matthew 25:41). There will be no offer to repent and no opportunity to come to salvation. The devil and his angels’ futures are fixed. (John 16:11). Meanwhile, God uses their evil for our good and His glory.
During the time since the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden, satan has been allowed latitude in each of the three spheres of earth, air and heaven. However, midway through the Tribulation, he will be thrown out of heaven and access will no longer be granted to him or his angels. Perhaps satan thought he would be able to go on like this forever. God’s patience is longsuffering, but it does have an end, and satan gets tossed. He and his angels will be furious and will wreak their fury on the population of the earth. Woe to the people! (Revelation 12:7-17).
At the conclusion of the Tribulation, satan will be thrown into the abyss and locked up for 1000 years. When 1000 years is over, he will be let out for a little while to foment one last, short, rebellion that God puts down with a word. (Revelation 20:3; 8). Finally vanquished, he will be thrown into the lake of fire, the place prepared for him in the prehistorical past. His angels will be thrown there too, (Revelation 20:10) along with every person who followed him. (Revelation 20:15).
If you are a believer and are struggling or strong or persevering or weak: He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world. We need not fear satan, but we do need to appreciate his capabilities and thus rely on the Holy Spirit more than ever. And to the lost: make no mistake, satan is real.
Oh, woe to those who disbelieve Jesus’s words about future judgment for sin and His word to John in Revelation about the Book of Life. If your name is not written in it, you will be thrown into the Lake of Fire to be tormented forever.
Look at the cross! God’s love of humanity- expressed through Jesus- triumphed over evil and sin and death! (Colossians 2:13-15). Holiness wins too. (John 9:39). All one needs to do is look at the lake of fire- the place prepared for the devil and his angels, and all those who follow satan. (Matthew 12:30-32). Unless you believe in Jesus, you are actually following satan by default. When you die, you will follow satan right into the Lake of Fire.
A caution: Satan is real, powerful, and we are continually warned in the Bible not to dally with him or his flavors of sin and perversion. It’s dangerous to ignore these sober warnings from the One who knows all! However it’s just as dangerous to excessively focus on the devil. Some people look for him around every rock, attribute every major and minor thing to satan, and see him as an equal with God battling it out for the universe.
Our own sin nature advances satan’s goals for him much more than we’ll ever know. We are usually too puny to even be bothered with by him. Focus on obeying Jesus and slaying our own sin, while being mindful we do have an actual living adversary. Balance is best.
Now for some encouragement to the brethren:
“Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)
“Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.” (John 12:31).
“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6).
Thanks be to God for Jesus!
Those are a few facts about satan. As always, read the word for yourselves to see if these things are true.
Further Reading
The Wiles of Satan, William Spurstowe (Puritan Paperback)
That we ought not to rest in the world and its enjoyments, but should desire heaven. We should “seek first the kingdom of God.” (Mat. 6:33) We ought above all things to desire a heavenly happiness; to be with God and dwell with Jesus Christ. Though surrounded with outward enjoyments, and settled in families with desirable friends and relations; though we have companions whose society is delightful, and children in whom we see many promising qualifications; though we live by good neighbors, and are generally beloved where known; we ought not to take our rest in these things as our portion. We should be so far from resting in them, that we should desire to leave them all, in God’s due time. We ought to possess, enjoy and use them, with no other view but readily to quit them, whenever we are called to it, and to change them willingly and cheerfully for heaven.
For a while in Christian publishing we had a spate of books that were classified as “Heaven tourism.” That is, books whose authors had recounted an alleged trip to heaven. Their books were filled with gushing, breathless descriptions of what heaven looks like, what people were doing there, even the smells and sounds. And of course, many times, it was Jesus guiding the person around. Thus, ‘Heaven tourism’.
I understand the curiosity about heaven but we cannot look to man’s alleged visits there to satisfy our need for knowledge about the place that’s really our home. Only the Bible has that information. These heaven visits are ‘extra-biblical’, and cannot be trusted. Only a few people in the Bible were given a glimpse into heaven while they were alive and told about it: Stephen as he was dying, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Micaiah, and Paul. Paul said it wasn’t permitted to tell what he heard. And he didn’t.
heaven tourism books popular for a while
There were several views of activity in the second heaven, or the sphere above ours, such as Elisha and his servant seeing the chariots all around, and Jacob seeing the ladder from heaven to earth with angels ascending and descending.
But the Lord did give us several ‘permissible’ glimpses of the “third heaven” or God’s abode. He obviously wanted us to know about these because they are in God’s word. Ezekiel’s vision, Isaiah’s vision, John’s book of Revelation are biblical places to see true information about heaven.
Of these glimpses into heaven we see that heaven is an active, busy, and loud place.
There are seraphim surrounding the throne of God proclaiming “holy holy holy is the Lord God almighty” so loud the pillars shake and the place fills with smoke. (Isaiah 6:3-4).
There are people singing and worshiping. There are harps and trumpets. Angels are busy proclaiming. There are living beings with 4 faces rushing left and right. “And the living beings ran back and forth like bolts of lightning.” (Ezekiel 1:14).
And I also heard the sound of their wings, like the sound of abundant waters as they went, like the voice of the Almighty, a sound of a crowd like the sound of an army camp; whenever they stopped, they let down their wings. And a voice came from above the expanse that was over their heads; whenever they stood still, they let down their wings. (Ezekiel 1:24-25).
In Revelation 5 there is much activity. There are proclamations in a loud voice, myriads of angels:
Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying:” (Revelation 5:11-12)
In Job 1 and in 1 Kings 22:19-21 we see the myriads of angels assembling, reporting, discussing. Angels are constantly coming and going from heaven to earth.
Heaven is busy and it’s loud. Not bad-loud, but loud. Activity, whirring, proclaiming singing, bustling, flashing, shaking…Which makes the next verse all the more significant.
As the seventh seal is about to be opened,
When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. (Revelation 8:1)
EVERYTHING STOPS
The grim significance of the moment has stunned all into silence. There are no words. God is about to speak in wrath, and the fury unleashed upon the world in the previous seal judgments will be as nothing compared to the coming fury of his righteous anger.
When we think of heaven we may think of bucolic pastures and green lushness and peace and quietude. Perhaps talking quietly with Abraham or Paul on a bench by the Tree of Life. And I’m sure that beauty and peace will be present, certainly.
But God’s current administration of His universe is busy and active. It’s stunning that all the sounds stop when the 7th seal is about to be opened.
Saints, judgment is a fearsome thing. We should be in awe of it, and eager to tell the GOOD NEWS that will release a lost soul from its coming certainty to one of peace with God and a blissful eternity in heaven.
Our citizenship there should also give us comfort and gratitude. We will be “up there”, “over yonder” when that seal is unsealed, stunned into silence ourselves, not down here about to endure the worst time on earth there shall ever be. No, the Lord graciously had mercy on our souls and transferred us from the domain of darkness and judgment to the domain of glory and bliss.
Thoughts of heaven can’t some at the expense of gratitude that we escaped judgment, either on earth during the Tribulation or in hell for all time. And as Edwards said of any pleasures or comforts of earth, we should be “readily to quit them, whenever we are called to it, and to change them willingly and cheerfully for heaven.“
Our cheerfulness resides in the fact that we know heaven is where Jesus is. Someday we shall see His face. If you are in Him, it will be a smiling face, saying, “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter the joy of your master.’” (Matthew 25:23)
A few days ago I’d written an essay about how to tell if you are growing, listing some markers of sanctification. (Here). I kept thinking about it. Meanwhile I kept listening to praise songs and hymns.
Songs carry theology, both good and bad. Be careful what you listen to, the ideas and concepts sung in a song go into our mind just as much as a sermon. Here are three songs I realized I respond to differently than I did years ago. I consider these waypoints of growth.
Amazing Grace
I loved that song even before I was saved at age 43. I didn’t ever go to church much, maybe someone’s wedding, or the occasional Christmas service. But I heard the song and liked it. EXCEPT the lyric “a wretch like me”. I firmly clamped my mouth shut when that came around and refused to speak it. I was offended at the thought that I was a wretch. I certainly was not. The rest of the song was nice though.
LOL now on the other side of salvation these years later, if course I’m a wretch. Peeling the veil apart and now seeing behind it I am aware of my sin and Jesus’ holiness, and it’s an apt description of our sinful state.
In the Garden
This one got on my nerves in stages. Here are some of the lyrics-
I come to the garden alone While the dew is still on the roses And the voice I hear, falling on my ear The Son of God discloses
And He walks with me And He talks with me And He tells me I am His own And the joy we share as we tarry there None other has ever known
I used to enjoy thinking about God ‘walking and talking with me’ assuring me personally. It’s a nice scene. But it’s wrong.
OK, first, God doesn’t speak to me. I cannot hear His voice, unless I am reading the Bible out loud (thanks Justin Peters for that great quote).
God doesn’t walk with me in the garden like He did with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day. His Spirit IS in me, and Jesus said He would be with us till the end of the age,, but thinking of him personally relating sweet nothings in our ear is not the picture I want in my head.
Finally, after a while this grew large in my mind: “And the joy we share as we tarry there None other has ever known”.
No. Other people, all other brethren in the faith have known the joy of knowing the Lord. But mainly, the joy that Jesus knows with His Father God and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity’s communion with each other, surpasses all joy we could ever conceive.
Far Side Banks of Jordan
But I’ll be waiting on the farside banks of Jordan I’ll be sitting drawing pictures in the sand And when I see you coming I will rise up with a shout! And come running through the shallow waters reaching for your hand
Johnny Cash and his wife June Carter Cash sing this (among other musicians). Initially I felt it was poignant because of the sweetness of the Cash’s love story. Aw, they love each other so much, and would be pining up in heaven till the other gets there!
But wait…as I grew in understanding of what heaven is, I realized the lyrics were completely wrong. No one in heaven will be lax, doing nothing or doodling idly while one’s back is turned to the throne. We won’t be looking back. We won’t be pining, grieving, or waiting. Heaven is busy. (Revelation 4:8). Angels coming and going, the dead in Christ singing, assembling, thronging the throne. (Revelation 5:11). The machinery of God spinning and flashing (Ezekiel 1:14, 17).
We will be fellowshipping with the saints, not mourning a lost marital relationship, one which Jesus told us expires on earth anyway. (Matthew 22:30). Relationships will be different up there, even long term, loving marriages. (Matthew 12:47-49).
I grew to love the hymn Amazing Grace even more after salvation, while other songs I grew to love less. The sentiments in the song Far Side Banks of Jordan In The Garden don’t align with the Bible. You might enjoy these songs, It’s OK. There might be songs I enjoy that you don’t and vice versa.
The point is, allow our conscience to speak to us. As our sanctification grows, we might grow into or grow out of certain songs, or activities, or clothing, or reading material…and that is as it should be. The sanctification process is always ongoing and our tastes change as sanctification grows.
One day our sanctification will be complete. But we will still be growing. In Jonathan Edwards’ essay “Heaven is a World of Love” he wrote that he believed heaven is a state where we continue to progress in love and advance in knowledge, holiness, and happiness. It’s not static, in other words. Heaven itself is busy and our own internal emotional state grows. He said in THE CHRISTIAN PILGRIM; OR THE TRUE CHRISTIAN’S LIFE A JOURNEY TOWARDS HEAVEN,
God is the highest good of the reasonable creature; and the enjoyment of him is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied.—To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. Fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, or children, or the company of earthly friends, are but shadows; but the enjoyment of God is the substance. These are but scattered beams; but God is the sun. These are but streams; but God is the fountain. These are but drops; but God is the ocean.
I think it is wise every once in a while to scan our heart and mind to see if we’re growing. To take a fresh look at the bookshelves, podcast bookmarks, song playlist, clothing, etc to see if we have outgrown them or if we have grown more fond of the holy things we have in our lives.
This way we can praise the Holy Spirit for advancing us in our walk. It glorifies God when we praise Him:
He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me; (Psalm 50:23a)
the-end-time.org 