We know the first sin was pride. It happened in heaven and it was horrific. Satan, Lucifer as his given name is said to be, was made beautiful and blameless in all his ways (Ezekiel 28:15). Then he sinned because he was proud of his beauty. (Ezekiel 28:16-17a). His wisdom was corrupted. Satan lost his place in heaven. (Ezekiel 28:17b).
Satan, still called Lucifer, was angered because of this, and he made five vows. Foremost, he said in his heart that he will be like the Most High. (Isaiah 14:13-14).
Then satan set out to enact his evil plan. His sin was pride, but he enacted his sin through another sin: GOSSIP and SLANDER. Lucifer became Satan the accuser and tale bearer.
Satan is a title that means “one who resists”. The name, or the title, depending on which interpretation and book of the Bible is using it, also means accuser. (Revelation 12:9–10). Satan accuses God and he accuses God’s people. In the famous scene at the beginning of Job, satan is seen accusing Job of only being righteous because God has blessed him. In Genesis 3, satan is subtly accusing God of being dishonest in His dealings with Eve. (Genesis 3:1-5).
This verse tells us more about satan’s accusing and slandering activities.
In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; (Ezekiel 28:16).
What trade? There is no merchandise in heaven. The trade referred to here is from a word meaning merchant, likely a spice merchant, going hither and yon, out and about, selling. But the word is from a root word meaning gossip monger, trading on gossip, going hither and yon, here and there, tale- bearing. Proverbs 20:19 uses the same Hebrew word, rakal, as in the Ezekiel verse,
Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a simple babbler.
So satan the accuser was proud. He thought he deserved to be higher than God, and went about here and there slandering God and tale-bearing to the other holy angels in order to accomplish this.
What were the other angels’ reaction?
“Pish”, they all said! “Look at God, just LOOK at Him, on His throne with the train of His robe filling the temple! We were there when He created everything and it was very good and we shouted for joy! Get behind me satan!”
No.
A third of the angels believed satan’s lies and slander. They, who were holy and blameless, and who saw the face of God, and observed His works from a first row position, believed satan’s slander.
If they did, how about us in our sinful flesh, under heaven and not in it, and only too willing to hear slander about someone else? What are the chances for us? We’re sitting ducks for believing lies, gossip, and slander – all of satan’s abundant trade.
Satan’s first sin was pride. He said and believed these things in his heart. But how did his sin come out? How did he act upon it? Slander/gossip/tale-bearing. If you (or I) go about up and down, hither and yon tale-bearing, we are acting satanic. Think of pride sitting upon a magic floating carpet that’s going here and there. Or the wind that is carrying the milkweed seed.
This activity is the action upon which pride is carried out. When we slander or gossip, we are putting ourselves in the same position as satan did when he did it. Do we want to mimic satan?
The crucifixion. Excruciating, painful, humiliating. It was the worst form of execution ever invented. The Romans didn’t invent it, the Persians did, but the Romans honed it for the execution of the worst of their society’s criminals.
If you are a Christian, you’ve no doubt been sitting under a pastor at some time, or heard one online, describing in detail the elements of what the Romans/Jews/Us did to the Lord on the cross, and even before. Scourging and beatings were part of the execution, so as to make the time on the cross even more excruciating. As a matter of fact, the word excruciating comes from crucifixion. The Latin word excrucio means From ex- (“out of, from”) + cruciō (“crucify; torture, torment”).
I saw this tent peg and snapped a photo of it. I know that we say “He was nailed to the cross” and He was. But don’t think of little picture hangers or small nails in handyman projects. The nails to nail Jesus to the cross were huge, thick, iron things more like spikes According to one website, they were likely 7-9 inches in length.
If you’d like to read more about the actual crucifixion, this link takes you to a short and good essay. I’d re-post it here but the authors ask not t re-post their material online as it confuses the search engines. I’ve only read one article on the site, but the article in my opinion is good.
On this Lord’s Day, it’s good to ponder the actual crucifixion, what He did for us. It was our sin that kept Him nailed him to the cross. As I’d read long ago, the only man-made thing in heaven will be the scars on Jesus’ hands and side.
The popular definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.” For Christians with discernment, insanity is ‘being sure by the Spirit and the Bible, after research and prayer, that so-and-so is false, but literally NO ONE ELSE around you believes it or even entertains the notion for a second.’
After a while you begin to question yourself, or you question why others can’t see it, or you question God with pleading, upraised hands, ‘why, WHY can’t they see?’ All that. The definition of discernment is also often “Agony.”
It was like that for me, anyway, back in 2011-2012 when I started to question Beth Moore’s teaching.
The church I attended at the time was Southern Baptist in denomination, tradition, and church practice. The members were sweet and they loved Jesus and they were faithful. They had a blind spot about Moore, though. Her lessons were continually used in the Ladies Ministry, and I saw Moore’s books were cradled in more than one woman’s arms as we went about our church-activities.
I was graciously brought to a ladies retreat where the DVD of “The Hairbrush Story” was exegeted. I was also invited to a weekend Living Proof Live event. That was my first exposure to Moore, having been a recent convert and a transplant from the North, where women who wore flannel and LL Bean boots looked at women who said ‘honey’ & ‘y’all’ and wore hairbows with a degree of perplexity and wariness.
But I was now in the Land of Dixie, happily, and I threw myself into the new culture which God had led me, Beth Moore lessons and all. If this was church, I was in.
However, after the Living Proof event concluded, having listened closely to Moore’s lesson for three straight sessions, I was more than a little perturbed. When I arrived home I set to comparing her teaching (I was glad that as a journalist I’d taken copious and precise notes at the LPL event, which I still possess) to the Bible. What I was seeing in my Berean eyes didn’t measure up. But then again, I was a new convert and had just begun in church. I also looked online for credible ministries, pastors, or theologians who had also examined her work. I was a newbie after all.
What did I find? NOTHING.
Nowhere could I find any critique of Beth Moore. OK, that’s hyperbole, I found two, thank goodness! Otherwise I truly would have either gone crazy (hyperbole again) or been accused of being crazy (true fact, not hyperbole).
I found The King’s Dale. Dale Wilson ran a blog, which has since gone on hiatus, critiquing Beth Moore’s lessons and some of her books. He also critiqued Sarah Young’s book Jesus Calling. Both of these women all these years later are still in print, still cranking out more, and are still popular nationwide. Finding Mr. Wilson’s critiques saved my sanity. I was completely impressed with his work. They were objective, credible, precise, scriptural, and a relief to read. At the time, (2012-2013) there was precious little calling into question anything about Beth Moore. Reading his work confirmed my suspicions and my own research.
Chris Rosebrough whose blog at the time, Extreme Theology, presented a critique in 2010 titled “Beth Moore’s Dangerous Bible Twisting“. (or here). (Or below). Rosebrough wrote:
I recently reviewed two segments of Beth Moore’s “Bible teaching” on my radio program and I must admit I was bowled over by just how bad and dangerous her teaching really is. I know she’s popular but this woman is NOT rightly handling God’s word. Instead, she is twisting the scriptures to her own destruction and the destruction of her hearers.
I remember listening to him and hearing the surprise in his voice that when he took a look at her teaching he found such dangerous errors.
I commend both men to you, but mainly I wanted to set before you the work of Mr. Dale Wilson, of which you may not be aware. His discernment critiques of Beth Moore were early, good, and remain today as a gold standard. Here is his web page with search results for Beth Moore –
Here are my 2011 critiques of Beth Moore, the very first time I was exposed to her, and my reactions. I just took the morning to re-read all these and I’m glad to say that my research and opinions have not changed from 8 years ago when I first wrote it. I’m grateful to the Holy Spirit for discernment, even though it’s a tough go sometimes. I never would have figured out all that on my own, especially so early in my walk. I can’t believe 8 years have gone by since my newbie introduction to just how powerful and popular a false teacher can be within the Body, but also how faithful Jesus is to His own children in opening our eyes to dangers and traps of the deceivers among us.
Beth Moore: Reactions to Living Proof teaching, series:
I’m a minimalist. I have been since before it was a thing. I like to live a quiet life in a tiny house. I live a low-impact, moderately frugal and careful consumer lifestyle. Living small and frugal, one needs to be sure that item brings into the home will have a valued place. Also, any item brought in will need to have at least a dual function as well as be aesthetically pleasing.
In January of this year, Netflix released a series called Tidying Up with Marie Kondo
Kondo’s method of organising is known as the KonMari method, and consists of gathering together all of one’s belongings, one category at a time, and then keeping only those things that “spark joy” tokimeku, the word in Japanese, means “flutter, throb, palpitate”), and choosing a place for everything from then on. Source
Marie’s book from which the Netflix series is based is called The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Marie defines tidying up (AKA decluttering) as a process of taking each item in your hand, asking yourself whether it sparks joy, and deciding on this basis whether or not to keep it. If you don’t want to keep it, you thank it for its service, and put it in the donate or rubbish bin. It is this process which helps bring ‘the magic that creates a vibrant and happy life.’
If this all sounds a bit touchy-feely to you, it did to me too. My old shirt is an inanimate object, designed for function and perhaps a pleasing aesthetic, but nothing more. The shirt doesn’t know I’m thanking it.
You are not imagining that there’s a subtext of religion that runs throughout Kondo’s work. Marie Kondo is a Shintoist. As a teen, Marie was actually an assistant in a Shinto shrineand it is that philosophy on which her decluttering empire is based.
Kondo says that her method is partly inspired by the Shinto religion. Cleaning and organising things properly can be a spiritual practice in Shintoism, which is concerned with the energy or divine spirit of things (kami) and the right way to live (kannagara). “Treasuring what you have; treating the objects you own as not disposable, but valuable, no matter their actual monetary worth; and creating displays so you can value each individual object are all essentially Shinto ways of living.” Source.
Many others have weighed in on the religious aspect of the phenomenon of ‘tidying up’ the Japanese/Kondo/Shinto way. I won’t weigh in on that. My interest for the purposes of this essay is the part where Kondo says to make meaningful decisions of each item in your closet or room that’s being decluttered, on the basis of whether it “sparks joy.”
Shintoism, for all its religiosity, is not a true religion. Only Christianity is. Ecclesiastes is an entire book of the Bible that discusses all the ways and means the unsaved heart uses to try and ‘spark joy.’
Personally, I attempted to find joy in almost all the ways mentioned in Ecclesiastes. I worked and toiled for acclaim. I went the political route. I traveled. I indulged myself. I had wealth. I lived frugal and minimalist. I obtained an advanced degree and was vetted for an even more advanced degree.
Why, oh, why, did those things not spark joy? They were enjoyable for a while, but after the diploma was given, the landmark viewed, the applause died down, the work ceased … what was there? Only a lonely silence indicting me as to my withered soul and craven heart.
These things that Kondo tells her clients to pile on the bed and decide which of them sparks joy, well none of them. And all of them. At one time, all of them were things in front of your eyes pulsing with the promise of joy once you possessed it.
There is a reason that joy is only sparked in a secular soul. A spark is a fleeting and a small thing. Sparks go out. Quickly.
Before Christmas, children are the most joyful human beings on the planet. They radiate happiness with the expected bonanza of gifts and toys and candy and treats. They beg and beg momma or daddy for this toy or that plaything and it seems like they will just die if they don’t receive it. Then Christmas comes and they open them up and squeal with delight. Then they go play with the box it came in.
Adults are exactly like that, only we hide it better. The shiny new golf clubs you wanted so bad, the new rug that the dog immediately threw up on and now is simply something that’s a pain to clean, the cookware that never gets used, the relationship you thought was THE one…. Oh, yes, those things sparked joy, for a fleeting moment.
These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. (John 15:11)
Barnes’ Notes says
This promise of the Saviour was abundantly fulfilled. The apostles with great frequency speak of the fulness of their joy – joy produced in just the manner promised by the Saviour – by the presence of the Holy Spirit. And it showed his great love, that he promised such joy; his infinite knowledge, that, in the midst of their many trials and persecutions, he knew that they would possess it; and the glorious power and loveliness of his gospel, that it could impart such joy amid so many tribulations. See instances of this joy in Acts 13:52; Romans 14:17; 2 Corinthians 2:3; Galatians 5:22; 1 Thessalonians 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20; 1 Thessalonians 3:9; 1 Peter 1:8; Romans 5:11; 2 Corinthians 7:4.
We rejoice not because an old shirt or a picture or a tennis racket ‘sparked joy’ for a short time, but because our names are written in heaven forever. (Luke 10:20). Comparing these two kinds of joy, the minimalist, sober, Shinto-esque decluttering is revealed for what it is.
What joy that our joy is in Him, it IS Him, it is complete, and it endures forever. His love endureth forever, and our joy in Him and His love for us endureth forever. Our spark will never go out.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods,for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever;
(Psalm 136:1-3)
And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond branch.” Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.” (Jeremiah 1:11-12).
I don’t know anything of an almond branch. Is it wise to further pursue what its properties are and why God may have chosen this tree to show Jeremiah in his first vision? Yes.
God’s first confirming vision caused Jeremiah to see the branch of an almond tree. The Hebrew word for “almond tree” is šāqēḏ, from the word “to watch or to wake”. The almond tree was named the “awake tree” because in Palestine it is the first tree in the year to bud and bear fruit. Its blooms precede its leaves, as the tree bursts into blossom in late January.
Jeremiah 1:12. The branch represented God who was watching to see that His word is fulfilled. God used a play on words to associate the almond branch with His activity. The word for “watching” is šōqēḏ, related to the Hebrew noun for “almond tree.” Jeremiah’s vision of the “awake tree” reminded him that God was awake and watching over His word to make sure it came to pass.
Source: Jeremiah. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures.
I love the agricultural metaphors in the Bible. I don’t always understand them, not being familiar with the trees, plants, or foods of that time and place. But a commentaries help here. Dismiss other people’s charges that reading a commentary or Bible encyclopedia to enhance one’s understanding is “cheating.” It certainly is not. God raised up wise men who wrote these things for our edification. Rely on scripture first, of course, but also handy tools like these I’ve mentioned help bring nuance and depth to a passage.
Knowing the almond tree blooms first and produces its fruit before the leaves even grow, makes the point.
Here is more on the almond tree metaphor:
The almond tree is mentioned in Eccl 12:5, where in the description of old age it says “the almond-tree shall blossom.” The reference is probably to the white hair of age. An almond tree in full bloom upon a distant hillside has a certain likeness to a head of white hair.
The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia (Vol. 1–5, p. 100).
The Lampstand described in Exodus is adorned with almond blossoms. Of course, Numbers 17 records the miracle of Aaron’s rod, which blossomed with almond fruit and blooms overnight.
How beautiful the hills must have been with the whitish-pink blooms adorning them. I remember being entranced by the silvery leaves of the olive groves sparkling on the Tuscan hills, the almond blooms must have made a similarly striking sight.
When the Lord regenerates our heart and the scales fall from our eyes, it is like we are suddenly awake, isn’t it? As we read, the illumination of His word comes to our mind all at once, blooming gems of insight bursting out before even the leaves appear. We are awake! Then the long seasons begin to cycle through, and we grow and grow in sanctification. I pray that as we grow, our blossoms of knowledge of Him appear as striking to others as the white blooms of the almond tree appear on the hillsides.
A new discovery in the mountains of northern Israel has caused significant excitement for geologists around the world. While working in the Zevulun Valley, close to Mount Carmel, Israeli mining company Shefa Yamim found a new mineral never before discovered on earth.
The International Mineralogical Association regularly approves new minerals for its official list, with up to 100 new substances added to the register each year. However, this latest discovery was hailed as a significant event, as it was previously believed that this type of mineral was only found on extraterrestrial material.
The article continues with a layman’s understandable explanation as to why this discovery generated so much excitement. For believers reading the article, just ignore the secular geological explanation of how this gem came to be formed, lol.
Forbes has a more technical explanation of the gem’s composition.
Carmeltazite, or “Carmel Sapphire,” a new mineral described from Israel. SHEFA YAMIM
There are currently over 5,500 known minerals on Earth, with around 100 new minerals being added to the list each year. Most are quite unspectacular in appearance, with crystals too small to be used in jewelry or too rare to be of any economic interest.
Last week, the International Mineralogical Association recognized carmeltazite as a new, distinct mineral. The mineral was named after Mount Carmel where it was found and the elements it contains – Titanium, Aluminum and Zirconium.
The gem, according to the first article above, was “found embedded in cracks within sapphire, the second hardest mineral (after diamonds) found to occur naturally on earth. Carmeltazite closely resembles sapphire and ruby in its chemical composition, and is found in black, blue-green, or orange-brown colors, with a metallic hue.”
This article was published in December, also interesting:
Archaeologists have unearthed a 2,000-year-old bronze ring with a solitaire gemstone in what could be a former ritual bath, or mikveh, in the City of David National Park in Jerusalem.
A Jewish penitent might have misplaced the ring after undergoing a ritual purification and before he embarked on a 2,000-foot climb toward the Temple Mount. “The ring was found by Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologists in what appears to be an ancient mikvah (Jewish ritual bath) on the Pilgrimage Road, which dates back to the time of the second Temple period,” reported the Jewish News Syndicate.
I’ve always been interested in gems. Why? They’re pretty. I used to belong to the Maine Mineralogical & Geological Club. Club motto is: ‘Sharing common interests in minerals, gems, jewelry, geology, paleontology and the related earth sciences and lapidary arts.’ In addition to a major mineral and gem show, and auctions, club meetings and newsletters, the club has secured rights to go onto either private land or mines and are allowed to sift through tailings and do some digs. It’s fun. I’ve found amethyst, garnet, beryl, tourmeline, mica and other pretty gems.
The lapidary process is so interesting. To think, one can dig up a rock, open it, find amethyst inside, and through cutting and polishing, make the formerly dirty rock shine and sparkle. You can wear it as jewelry or display it in its polished state. The earth yields treasures, even while the ground is cursed.
After the curse it lifted and God remakes heaven and earth, we believers are treated to a sparkling new domicile. Literally, it will sparkle with the glorious gems that God will use as…construction materials! The doors will be pearl, the foundations will be emerald and agate and jasper… and so on.
What we believed to be such a precious commodity on earth, gems and jewels, will be simply materials to walk on or sit on. I used this example in a recent essay but I’ll use it again.
I once heard a story that was intended to express how heaven’s riches are beyond measure. It was a story about a rich man who was near death. He grieved because he had worked so hard and wanted to carry his riches with him.
The rich man pleaded with God and was allowed by God to bring one bag. Overjoyed, he loaded his suitcase full of gold bars. Upon arrival at heaven, he was checking in and was told by Peter the bag would not be allowed. He insisted that he had permission. Things were checked on, and it was found that he did have approval from God. When the bag was opened to see what was so needed by the man, Peter exclaimed, “You brought pavement?!”
We laugh at this, because it immediately shows us the different perspective and the priority of heaven. The sparkling jewels we so enjoyed on earth, the diamonds we sought for our engagement rings, the excitement of a new gem recently discovered, all mean nothing in heaven.
Why?
Because in heaven the surpassing jewel will be Jesus. EVERYTHING ELSE fades compared to Him. Remember the pronouncement Jesus made about love and hate?
If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26)
No, Jesus wasn’t actually saying to hate one’s parents, that would violate the Fifth Commandment to honor they parents (Deuteronomy 5:16, Exodus 20:12). He was making the statement that one must love Jesus so much that by comparison the love we have for our parents seems like hate, it’s so far on the other end of the scale.
It’s the same with beauty. What we consider beautiful here, will pale in comparison and seem paltry next to the Great I AM in the flesh. His surpassing beauty will outshine all else, even the sun. (Revelation 21:23). Sparkling, precious gems here will be a near rubble, used for construction materials in the New Jerusalem.
Well, I can enjoy the gems’ sparkle here on earth, as long as I know what is ahead. Jesus is ahead, just Jesus. He is enough. And yet, He loves us so much he is preparing a place of beauty and adornment for His bride to dwell in. What a future we have!
The New Jerusalem
9Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, 11having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed— 13on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. 14And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. 16The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal. 17He also measured its wall, 144 cubits by human measurement, which is also an angel’s measurement. 18The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass. 19The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. 21And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. (Revelation 21:9-21)
Recently I wrote about what oracles are. Oracles are mentioned in both the Old Testament and the New. These are specific communications from God to man, usually sought by man in answer to a specific question. Many Old Testament oracles involved queries to God from a King asking if he will win a battle, and the like.
In the New Testament, Jesus pronounced oracular woes. He pronounced doom for peoples, individuals, nations, kings. He also predicted doom for entire cities!
NYC as seeen from the East River. Photo by EPrata
Of those cities that reject Him, He said-
be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near. I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. (Luke 10:11b-12).
Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. (Luke 10:13).
for Sodom—Tyre and Sidon were ruined by commercial prosperity; Sodom sank through its vile pollutions: but the doom of otherwise correct persons who, amidst a blaze of light, reject the Saviour, shall be less endurable than that of any of these. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
And the sense of the whole is, that though the iniquities of Sodom and Gomorrah were very great, and their punishment very exemplary; yet, as there will be degrees of torment in hell, the case of such a city, which has been favoured with the Gospel, and has despised and rejected it, will be much worse than the case of those cities, which were devoured by fire from heaven; and than that of the inhabitants of them in the future judgment, and to all eternity; See Gill on Matthew 10:15. Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
One wonders with the advent of New York City’s rejection of the Gospel and acceptance at its highest levels the horrific infanticide of babies, what their judgment will be.
Scoffers set a city aflame, but the wise turn away wrath.
(Proverbs 29:8)
And what IS wisdom? Fear of the LORD. Nineveh was wise:
Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them. When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe from him, covered himself with sackcloth and sat on the ashes. He issued a proclamation and it said, “In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let man, beast, herd, or flock taste a thing. Do not let them eat or drink water. But both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth; and let men call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hands. Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish.” (Jonah 3:5-9)
Bethsaida and Corazin were not wise, they were scoffers at the Gospel presented to them. Therefore, a whole City is to come under judgment!
This writer below seems pretty heated about the pastoral silence, especially of certain NYC pastors cough-Keller-cough, on the holocaust of the babies under the new abortion law. I don’t agree that every cultural sin requires pastoral comment in a specially developed topical sermon. I am sympathetic with most of his stance. It is an affront to me as it is obviously to him that New York preachers who have specifically trumpeted their intention to bring Gospel light to a dark city have been eerily silent on the deepest darkening of that city in decades, and whose tongues have been silent in bringing needed light and clarity for its members to understand the seriousness of their city’s sin.
The oracles of Jesus are also interesting to me for the sake of the false notion that the OT God and the NT God are different. People often point to a meek and gentle Jesus speaking softly to the woman at the well about her adulteries, or mournfully but silently pitying the Rich Young Ruler who rejected Him for his own lands and wealth. But Jesus pronounced DOOM for entire cities, that means populations of thousands if not millions. The five Cities of the Plain were a connected metropolis with enormous populations. When Sodom and Gomorrah were smote for their sin the doom also included the cities of Admah and Zeboiim. (Deuteronomy 29:23). Four of the Five Cities of the Plain gone.
Jesus came in humility the first time but will come in wrath the second time. We can be praying for our leaders, that the Lord would instill in the Christian leaders courage to withstand the secular tsunami of sin that inevitably comes against them. We can pray for the unsaved leaders for God to instill repentance into their heart and then they may do good in His name within their position.
We can also be praying for Jesus to call His Bride home in the Rapture. (2 Timothy 4:8, Revelation 22:20).
NYC on 9/11
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Further Reading
The majestic Chapter 8 of Moby-Dick, of which is mentioned in the Silence of the Shepherds article above, describing Father Mapple and his pulpit
I’ve been quietly grieving and upset about the abortion issue. When NY passed the abortion on demand anytime law, I wrote to a friend and predicted that soon we will be confronted with abortions in the birth canal, then simply killings outside the womb.
I was shocked and frankly, surprised, at how quickly my intuition had come true. Two days later VA proposed a bill in committee which would allow just that. I was sickened and turned my head, eyes, and attention away from the discussion.
But the disquiet remained. It was in there. A discouragement curled itself into my heart, and began squeezing. My mind’s countenance fell.
I do not like to remain in discouragement, so I sought the Lord in Bible reading, prayer, and listening to good lessons about Him. This was the remedy.
This Bible verse helped me. Isaiah 6:3 says
And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”
Barnes’ Notes on the Bible says,
The whole earth – Margin, ‘The earth is the fulness of his glory.’ All things which he has made on the earth express his glory. His wisdom and goodness, his power and holiness, are seen every where. The whole earth, with all its mountains, seas, streams, trees, animals, and people, lay the foundation of his praise. In accordance with this, the Psalmist, in a most beautiful composition, calls upon all things to praise him; see Psalm 148:1-14.
Just being outside with the birds, (I saw a killdeer for the first time!) and listening to them tweeting reminded me of God in His glory. The grass here is green and the trees, while most of them are bare, are majestic in their branches reaching for the blue sky. The sun was warm on my shoulders. I felt refreshed in pondering the LORD’S creativity and power in making all this with just His word. And energized by thinking of Jesus for sustaining it all, every moment. (Colossians 1:17).
The earth is filled with His glory now, and after the new earth is made, it will be saturated with it but with no curse, and more! The beauty will be astounding. It already is.
I particularly enjoyed this remedy: Q&A between Phil Johnson and John MacArthur on the Sovereignty of God. Focusing on God and His attributes is always healthy for the heart and mind and soul. Turning my gaze from my own tendril-clutched heart and darkly clouded mind to His glory, His love, His power, His sovereignty is THE remedy. I pass this along to you as a good help for what might be ailing you in these dark end of days. I found their discussion early on about Job especially uplifting.
–Why is there evil?
–Do we have to submit to evil rulers?
–Why does God save some and not others?
–What is the freedom of the will? The bondage of the will?
–Will many be saved?
–Does satan have power to thwart God?
Don’t let the mews of the day get you down. The earth is full of His glory. He is on His throne, nothing is a surprise to Him. He is coming again, in glory and power to receive us to Himself. Jesus has raised up leaders like Phil Johnson and John MacArthur and others, and created technology to send out these edifying discussions, in which men clarify His word and exalt the Lord.
It is all refreshing, energizing, and reviving. It is a comfort to think of Him. Don’t let the news of the day get you down.
The thread of Christianity from generation to generation depends on a mutual understanding of our important words. Hence the Word of the Week.
Past Words of the Week have included Justification, Transcendence, Immanence, Propitiation, Sanctification, Glorification, Orthodoxy, Heresy, Omniscience, Aseity, and Immutability.
I then went to a series examining each of the 9 characteristics of the Fruit of the Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and on December 29, 2018, wrapped up the Fruit series with Self-Control.
Now it’s back to individual words of the week. I’ve chosen Angel, and last time, Exegesis.
Today … Regeneration
Regeneration, JI Packer
Regeneration is the spiritual change wrought in the heart of man by the Holy Spirit in which his/her inherently sinful nature is changed so that he/she can respond to God in Faith, and live in accordance with His Will (Matt. 19:28; John 3:3,5,7; Titus 3:5). It extends to the whole nature of man, altering his governing disposition, illuminating his mind, freeing his will, and renewing his nature
Regeneration, Matt Slick
Regeneration is a change in our moral and spiritual nature where justification is a change in our relationship with God. Also, sanctification is the work of God in us to make us more like Jesus. Regeneration is the beginning of that change. It means to be born again.
To understand why we need regeneration I recommend two sources. Martin Luther’s Bondage of the Will, and Jonathan Edwards’ Freedom of the Will. The two men aren’t actually contradicting each other, they say the same thing: man is born with a sin nature that he cannot escape, change, or modify.
In 1524 Luther argued that humans’ sinful nature rendered them slaves to wickedness, free only to sin unless by the intervention of God’s sovereign grace. Read Bondage of the Will for free here, or buy at any book sellers’ outlet.
In this text published in 1754, Edwards investigates the contrasting Calvinist and Arminian views about free will, God’s foreknowledge, determinism, and moral agency. Read Freedom of the Will for free here, or buy at any book sellers’ outlet.
He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, (Titus 3:5).
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 36:26).
Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5).
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
The last day of the month is payday, so the first day of the month I scour the interwebs for good deals on books. They are not only for my consumption, but to have on hand to give away. I love a good book ministry, and I want to be active in offering credible and edifying resources to women, both online and in real life. Part of discernment is choosing good materials from which to study, and I enjoy helping women in this way. It’s a satisfying feeling when I put a good book into the hands of a sister.
I was listening to a clip from John MacArthur about “Dumbing Down the Message“, and in that short clip, he mentioned he was writing a book called “Why One Way?” (2002). I was not familiar with that one from him. Defending the exclusivity of Jesus as the one way to heaven was important in 2002 and even more so now. I became interested in the book, and wandered over to Amazon to browse it. It was $5, so I bit the bait and placed the order.
Ligonier has a Friday $5 sale. Several of their shorter, one-topic paperbacks are always inexpensive, but these were on sale today for $1.88. I bought:
Can I Have Joy in My Life? by RC Sproul Are People Basically Good? by RC Sproul Can I Lose My Salvation? by RC Sproul
We know that the Bible itself is the best material in the universe to study. But God raised up men to write commentaries and books and to develop teaching series. These things are perfectly OK to use in aiding your understanding of God. If you are reading your Bible and attending a good church, don’t listen to anyone who disparages good and edifying materials by saying “don’t study ‘man’s words'”. God raised up these men to write words that contribute to the body of information available to the saints.
So what do you do to help younger sisters in the faith access good ministries and materials? What materials have proven useful for you in your growth and education?
the-end-time.org 