Category: Uncategorized

Posted in Uncategorized

Jachin and Boaz, two named Temple columns

Posted on by elizabethprata

I like columns. Did you know there were two particular columns that were part of Solomon’s temple, and that they had names? Since the terms describing these pillars have gone into history, and no explanation is given in the Bible as to why they are so named, these pillars remain mysterious. The Bible records their existence and look and that’s it.

Of course whenever there is a mystery there are a plethora of mystical and conspiracy theories regarding it. The Bible mysteries are no different. If you go off researching about the two pillars/columns, be wary of many of the search results.

Jachin and Boaz were the names of the pillars which were set up in front of the Sanctuary in Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem (I Kings 7:15–22, 41–42; II Kings 25:13, 17; Jeremiah 52:17, 20ff.; II Chronicles 3:15–17; 4:12–13). According to Josephus in Antiquities of the Jews, Boaz (“In him/it [is] strength”) was on the left when entering Solomon’s Temple, while Jachin (“He/it will establish”) was on the right. The were made by Hiram. It seems that though opinion is divided, most scholars seem to believe these were freestanding pillars and performed no structural function in the temple.

He set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the south, the other on the north; that on the south he called Jachin, and that on the north Boaz. (2 Chronicles 3:17).

The pillars had a size nearly six feet thick and 27 feet tall. The eight-foot high brass capitals on top of the columns bore decorations of brass lilies. The original measurement as taken from The Torah was in cubits, which records that the pillars 18 cubits high and 12 cubits around, and hollow, four fingers thick. (Jeremiah 52:21–22). Nets of checkerwork covered the bowl of each capital, decorated with rows of 200 pomegranates, wreathed with seven chains for each capital, and topped with lilies (1 Kings 7:13–22, 41–42). (Wikipedia).

I do not know a lot about the Temple but I’m looking forward to learning. Ligonier Connect has an online class I’m going to take over Christmas break called Understanding the Tabernacle. The Temple is the place where God decided to make His presence known and inhabit for a time, so I believe learning about it will be profitable and interesting. He was specific in its aesthetic and dimension, and so by virtue of His interest in the temple, my interest is also ignited.

Aesthetically, I’ve always loved pillars and columns, I suppose the tendency in us is to admire things that reach for heaven. We see that this tendency can be corrupted, as the pagans built Ashereh poles, and monuments, pillars, and altar cairns on the high places. The problem with Ashereh poles is mentioned constantly in the Old Testament. Warnings and admonitions about them appear in Exodus, Deuteronomy, Judges, both Books of Kings, the 2nd Chronicles, and the prophetic books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Micah. One can build a beautiful monument to a god, and worship there, but it has to be a monument to the One True God and worship there has to be true. (Leviticus 10:3). Of course, one does not have to build a soaring monument to God, one can worship Him in any humble building. But we sometimes still have the urge to offer worship to Him in a building that matches His majesty. Columns add to that majesty.

I’ve traveled to Europe and have seen the great cathedrals and churches. It’s a shame most of them are Catholic and therefore perform the same function as Ashereh poles. Any worship in those places only comes to dust and ashes. But I understand the desire to build something beautiful and soaring for the Lord. David felt it and inquired of the LORD in 1 Chronicles 17. David asked through the prophet Nathan, may he built a dwelling place for the LORD? The LORD praised David’s urge, but reminded David he had not rebuked previous kings and leaders for not building a temple. He said that a temple will be built, but David may not do it. Solomon will. In 1 Chronicles 22:8 we learn God’s reason- David had shed much blood because he was a man of war. David’s urge is something  many of us feel, we want the best for our Lord because He IS the best. The temple in heaven must be absolutely glorious and indescribable.

Florence Cathedral with the famous dome. Prata photo

There is a good book called Brunelleschi’s Dome, by Ross King, covering the incredible story of the largest masonry dome ever built. It adorns the top of the Santa Maria del Fiore (Saint Mary of the Flower) cathedral in Florence, Italy. The cathedral’s construction began in 1296 without knowledge of how the dome would be built to the architectural design they were following. The people were sure that by the time they got to the top, they will have figured out how to do it, lol. The cathedral was finished in 1436 with the dome engineered by Filippo Brunelleschi, in an ingenious way.

I remember reading Ken Follett’s monumental book Pillars of the Earth, a sweeping historical narrative covering the people designing and building a cathedral in 12th century England. It’s historically accurate and a ripping good yarn. I read it long before I was saved so I do not remember whether it can be safely recommended as a clean book to Christians. I do remember the author balanced both the sweep of epic cathedral building with finely drawn realistic characters.

Columns are soaring and beautiful. They adorn many a church in America, from humble to cathedral. The Temple will be interesting to study, as will the two named columns, Boaz and Jachim. There is so much to study, isn’t there? God surely has an incredible mind. We’re blessed He has shared some of it with us in His word.

Columns of a Georgia Baptist Church. Prata photo

 

Columns under repair, New England secular building
Prata photo
A larger Georgia church with its columns. Prata photo
Posted in discernment, Uncategorized

Further discerning of Ravi Zacharias

Posted on by elizabethprata

In January 2016 I’d written an essay questioning whether well-known apologist Ravi Zacharias was solid and should be listened to or not. It’s called: On Discerning Ravi Zacharias: It’s time to say what needs to be said.

In discerning whether a teacher is qualified, we first look to the Bible for its benchmarks and standards to see if the teacher meets them according to their ability, gender, and age. We also look to their lifestyle and behavior, as the Bible exhorts.

What we don’t do is jump on one little error or mishap and make a global, dogmatic declaration about or against a teacher. We are patient, kind, and watchful with grace. Over time however, if the teacher’s errors or mishaps continue to accumulate, one becomes cautious in absorbing his or her material. At some point the Christian makes a final decision using their God-given level of discernment whether to follow that teacher any more or to abandon him.

That’s usually why I include in my essays several examples from a teacher I’m considering following or abandoning, and I also usually include the time frame. Because of grace, I need to see a total picture over time before deciding against someone who professes Christ.

In my January essay, I’d raised concerns about Mr Zacharias in the following spheres:

–Personal ethics. Allegedly inflated and exaggerated credentials, violating Titus 2:7 and 2 Timothy 2:15;

–Doctrine. Refusals to take positions on critical doctrines of the Bible (creationism, Calvinism, Catholicism, and eschatology) which violates Acts 20:20, Acts 20:27, 1 Peter 3:15 and Titus 2:1;

–Being unequally yoked. Partnering with Joyce Meyer in spiritual endeavors, and calling her “a great Bible teacher”), violating 2 Corinthians 6:14.

All these added up to highly doubtful solidity. I made the personal decision not to listen to Mr Zacharias any more and to refrain from recommending him to friends.

I read The Berean Examiner‘s screen shot today that Mr Zacharias had published on his Facebook page. Here is Mr Zacharias’s comment-

There are two obvious problems with Ravi’s compliment of Saddleback and Pastor Rick Warren. The first is that Rick Warren is an apostate pastor whose emphasis on entrepreneurial business practices, extra-biblical methods, mishandling of the Bible, pragmatism, waffling on major issues, and failure to preach the Gospel is of high concern and have done tremendous damage to the twentieth century church and have led many astray. Mr Warren’s errors have been seen over decades and discussed long enough so that any Christian with a modicum of discernment would be troubled. That Mr Zacharias partnered with Mr Warren and worse, praised him, is another strong strike against Mr Zacharias.

Second, Mr Zacharias’ comment that Saddleback is “one of the great churches…across time” is also troublesome. We can compare great churches across time. We have the Bible. The Lord Himself commended churches He declared worthy and these commendations of greatness are recorded in the book of Revelation. Let us take a look at these ‘great churches across time’ to see what made them great.

The Church at Philadelphia was a church commended by Christ and having no negative remarks associated with it. None. (Revelation 3:7-13). They were so commended by the Lord, He said He will make that church’s enemies “come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you.” (Revelation 3:9).

The church at Smyrna, recorded in Revelation 2:8-11, was also a great church across time because it was commended by Jesus with having no negative strikes against them. He said that that particular church was temporally poor but spiritually rich. Wow.

What Mr Zacharias is saying is that from across that time to ours, Saddleback compares favorably to those beloved Philadelphian and Smyrnian churches. I disagree, strongly.

The one part of Zacharias’s statement with which I agree is his comment that Warren and Saddleback has “touched the world for life-changing impact”. In my opinion, Rick Warren has been one of top negatively influential people of the entire twentieth century that has most negatively impacted the global church with a doctrinal pollution of untold proportions. Warrens’ band of pragmatic, market-driven, seeker sensitive, felt-needs doctrines are no better than those merchants Jesus condemned of making His Father’s house a den of thieves.

I am sorry to see these statements from Mr Zacharias but in the end I’m glad. It confirms for me the biblical and personal necessity of putting him aside and strengthens my resolve to warn against him.

—————————————–

Further Reading

On Discerning Ravi Zacharias: It’s time to say what needs to be said.

Posted in discernment, Uncategorized

Are we “broken”? Should we celebrate “brokenness”?

Posted on by elizabethprata

On this blog I’ve mentioned numerous times that words matter. The words we use within the faith to express things do matter a lot. “Our” words should not be changed, or ‘updated’. This is because the faith is born in the mind, kept in the mind, and fought in the mind. Words reflect our understanding of concepts, and when satan attempts to change those words, it changes our understanding of the concept. Therefore, sin is no longer sin, but a mistake. Faith is no longer faith, but following. We’re missional instead of disciples, and we have conversations around the truth rather than proclaim the truth. We’re authentic and on a journey rather than evangelists standing our ground.

Another word that is emerging to change our common understanding of the faith, is ‘broken’ or ‘brokenness’. Over time, the faith has been feminized from Paul’s descriptions of a gritty spiritual war, to a romantic fling with a heroic boyfriend. We’re not, as Paul said, athletes pressing on for the prize, nor are we soldiers fighting for the faith, but we are gentle doves with broken wings looking for someone to fix us.

An example of the prevalence of this word and its concept is author Ann Voskamp of One Thousand Gifts. She has written a new book which was released last week. Its title is, The Broken Way: A Daring Path into the Abundant Life. Rick Warren’s wife Kay added her blurb to the review of Voskamp’s new book, describing it thusly,

In The Broken Way, a deeply personal revelation, Ann Voskamp leads us on a journey toward embracing and celebrating the brokenness in each of us. The passionate words that pour from her soul will make you weep and shout hallelujah at the same time. (Kay Warren, Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, California)

Let’s take a look at what is at the root of this move toward the concept of brokenness.

You might have heard of the doctrine of ‘total depravity’. This does not mean that all humans are totally as bad as they could be. There is such a thing as benevolence in the world, people who help. Total depravity means that humans are born with a total inability to be pleasing to Christ. It is the biblical doctrine that human nature is thoroughly corrupt and sinful as a result of the Fall. Our sin-nature drenches us from head to toe, and there is not one spot, corner, or area of our nature that contains what Christ deems as goodness.

The doctrine understands the Bible to teach that, as a consequence of the the Fall of man, every person born into the world is morally corrupt, enslaved to sin and is, apart from the grace of God, utterly unable to choose to follow God or choose to turn to Christ in faith for salvation. Theopedia.

Total depravity, or total inability, is based on numerous verses. Here are two:

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” (Ephesians 2:1-3)

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23).

Because we cannot please God in any way of our own works, we need something or someone external to the human condition to resolve this devastating status of our inherent nature. That is why God in heaven sent His Son Jesus from heaven to live the perfectly holy life required to please God, and die on the cross while absorbing His wrath, punishing sinless Jesus for our sins. Satisfied with this sacrifice, God raised Jesus to life and imputes Jesus’ righteousness onto those humans who are called to believe. We become wrath-free and righteous in His eyes.

To the point of this essay, we become a new creation. This change in condition is my all-important point.

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)

For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. (Galatians 6:15).

Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” (John 3:3).

Brokenness bespeaks of fixing, not of being made new. By its own definition, it means the creature retains some inherent worth, and simply needs a fix in some area or other. To say ‘we are broken’ is to say that we are not totally depraved, not totally unable to please God, do not require anything more than a fix-up in one area or another of this body before becoming pleasing to Jesus.

Nothing could be further from the truth. We are familiar with the hymn Rock of Ages. In the third stanza, we sing- “Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to the cross I cling;”

When we are born again, humans retain nothing, absolutely nothing we can reuse in service to the Savior. We are made new, we are a new creation. Teaching about our brokenness is an idea that undermines the critical doctrine of this truth of our position in Christ.

Moreover, when by grace we are saved, we are made whole. Colossians 2:10 says that when we are made a new creation, we have been made complete, full. Other verses speak to this-

Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full. (John 16:24)

And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another. (Romans 15:14)

We begin our lives completely unable, offering nothing of use to Jesus, and when we’re saved, we become a new creation and are completely able to please Him. There is nothing about our lives before or after salvation that is “broken”. Our lives entering through the narrow gate is one of submission and humility. Our lives after entering the gate as we proceed on the path of sanctification include repentance and strength. We go from complete depravity to complete righteousness.

Voskamp’s book and Warrens’ exultation advising us to embrace the brokenness in us is wrong. To do this demeans the Spirit’s ministry which completed us in Christ and is sanctifying us for life. It ignores the verses such as the ones below which advise us to cast away those weights which hinder us in the task of worshiping God and pursuing holiness. I’m not picking solely on Voskamp’s book but any and all teachings so common today which tell women to wallow in brokenness. Hebrews 12:1b-2 advises us to-

lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Lay aside the weight of our initial sin which hindered us, a hindrance which we lost at entering His gates. Lay aside accumulated broken feelings after salvation which weigh us down. We have the joy of Jesus. (John 15:11).

Women, you’re not helpless doves waiting to be fixed, you’re gracefully saved spiritual soldiers marching in truth toward glory.

Now, I understand the female notion of teaching to the emotions. I know it’s easier to teach that way, and it’s a basis for a study that will be better received by the students of it. This is because we’re all hurt in some way. Life on earth hurts. We are maligned and rejected. We accumulate a broken heart full of wounds. Our job may break us. Boot camp may break us. We may feel broken as a grieving surviving spouse, overcome by sadness or despairing in some way. Remember the old days when divorced couples were known as having a “broken marriage”? Or children of divorce were from a “broken home”? I understand that sometimes we feel broken. It’s a useful word that describes a temporary emotional state. But it has nothing to do with the permanence of our status before Christ.

Those are emotions, surface, temporal and fleeting. Our basic conditions as humans is either-or. We are either totally unable or we are totally righteous (in His eyes). When we are saved we come with a knowledge that there is nothing fixable in us, we leave with Him our entire nature as depraved sinners and enter His gates with joy, knowing His righteousness is now imputed to us. Nothing of the old is left.

The issue is, are we broken, or depraved?

Broken?
Or depraved?
photo by Sparrows-love-the-snow

Christian wholeness is a doctrine that exalts Jesus. That and “brokenness” are irreconcilable and contradictory. Every Christian should fully appreciate everything that Jesus has done for us to make us whole in every way. Even though some Christians may temporarily feel broken in some areas of their life, no Christian should be content in remaining broken nor should we seek to become broken. We definitely do not pursue brokenness, as Ann Voskamp’s book teaches, and Kay Warren exults! It’s not pious to do so. It’s sinful because it rejects Jesus’s work which made us into a new creation.

The Holy Spirit who resides in us does comfort us. He helps us. He restores relationships. He is not a fix-it guy of “broken” people, He is God who loves and manifests His glory when He is faithful to His promises to us to comfort, help, and restore.

You might think it’s picky to pick on the word brokenness. But you saw at the start of this essay the words that have already been co-opted and redefined by liberals. It’s important for believers to retain each word describing a foundational faith-concept. Understood, it is the yarn that knits us together into the tapestry of believers comprising the worldwide church. If you pull one yarn the sweater is soon corrupted. Protect our words, they are ours. What they mean communicate important information from God’s mind to fellow believers. They even mean something to unbelievers who hear and see us using them. Ladies, don’t wallow in brokenness, rejoice, because He has made us whole!

But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. (Matthew 9:22)

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The fluidity of word use and their meanings is rife in the world, that’s just the way it is.Yet Christ’s word is eternal, and the meanings of the words of faith should remain so.  George Carlin was a hilarious but profane atheistic comedian who died a few years ago. His incisive and accurate observations on many topics became well-known over his long career. Here is one riff from a comedy set he used to perform regarding how the secular world is unaware of changes in meanings of words. It’s a long and funny set, but too profane in its entirety to post a video of. I post instead a cleaned up excerpt from a transcript. It’s a useful little exercise in tracking word meaning changes over time.

Read the following and you’ll see just how many words have changed. (If you’re as old as I am, that is, lol.)

One of the reasons is because we were using that soft language. That language that takes the life out of life. And it is a function of time. It does keep getting worse. I’ll give you another example. Sometime during my life, toilet paper became bathroom tissue. I wasn’t notified of this. No one asked me if I agreed with it. It just happened. Toilet paper became bathroom tissue. Sneakers became running shoes. False teeth became dental appliances. Medicine became medication. Information became directory assistance. The dump became the landfill. Car crashes became automobile accidents. Partly cloudy became partly sunny. Motels became motor lodges. House trailers became mobile homes. Used cars became previously owned transportation. Room service became guest-room dining. And constipation became occasional irregularity.

Posted in poetry, Uncategorized

Kay Cude Poetry: What Manner of Man is This?

Posted on by elizabethprata

Kay Cude poetry. Used with permission. Click to enlarge.

Artist’s statement:

After finishing this piece, the more I read and reread Mark 4:37-41 and Colossians 1:16-18, the more I was overcome with tears. The Holy Spirit is so faithful to teach, especially at times when I am too busy “doing things” for Christ (in my own effort). How many more readings of these verses will it take for me to attentively remember that Christ’s continuing patience with me, my fears and my sometimes feeble faith is unbelievably profound and so very merciful?

How many times has Scripture told me, told all believers, to pay attention to Christ and His Word, and to not allow the storms of battering and fearful trials or heartaches overwhelm us? That He is sufficient; that He will enable us to glorify Him in our lives; that He will supply us with the appropriate words needed at perilous times of persecution and impending death? Or to remember that all things are under His authority and that He is preeminent and sovereign and that he will supply us the wisdom and endurance to continue on? Or that His Holy Spirit sustains us!

I am so thankful, so grateful, that He knows the hearts of His redeemed so intimately, and so very thankful that He rescued me!

kay-cude-manner-of-man

 

 

Posted in discernment, Uncategorized

What is ‘Bridal Mysticism’? And why is it so prevalent?

Posted on by elizabethprata

In 2005, Beth Moore was interviewed by Today’s Christian Woman magazine. They asked Moore:

Q. What led you to Jesus?

A. Beth Moore’s [2005] answer:

My Sunday-school teacher would hold up pictures of Jesus, and he looked so nice. I needed a hero, and Jesus seemed like one. I’d lie on the grass, stare up at the sky, and wonder what Jesus was like. Even as a child, I fell in love with him. After my freshman year in college, I was a camp counselor for sixth-grade girls. Early one morning, as the girls were sleeping, I sensed God’s presence enfold me. There were no audible words, no bright lights. But suddenly I knew, without a doubt, my future was entirely his. You are now mine, he told me. (source)

If that sounds familiar, it’s because it is very much like many other false teachers’ conversion stories.

It’s a testimony devoid of essential Gospel elements such as sin or repentance, but rife with romantic eroticism. Sarah Young describes her experience this way:

Suddenly I felt as if a warm mist enveloped me. I became aware of a lovely Presence, and my involuntary response was to whisper, ‘Sweet Jesus.’ This utterance was totally uncharacteristic of me, and I was shocked to hear myself speaking so tenderly to Jesus. As I pondered this brief communication, I realized it was the response of a converted heart; at that moment I knew I belonged to Him. (source)

Bob Dewaay explains the problems with such erotic romanticism.

The Bible speaks of the church as the Bride of Christ but does not describe the universal call of the gospel in sensual terms of a lover pursuing His love interest (who may have no interest in return). God is commanding sinners to repent. The gospel calls for repentance and faith, not romantic feelings looking for satisfaction. Voskamp’s romanticism is enhanced by her skill at describing things in a most sensual manner. The sensual terminology is designed to create a mood, a feeling, a sense of romantic mystery that longs for discovery and fulfillment. Those like me who relish clear description of theological concepts meant to be understood and discerned, will be horribly frustrated by the book. Her book is not meant to be a theological text filled with ideas to be judged true or false, but is instead a literary piece filled with feelings to be relished.

Conversion and life in Christ is not the fulfillment from a young girl’s romantic heart, yearning for a boyfriend. It’s the majestic gift of grace from a powerful but merciful God who draws people to Himself and forgives of sin, making them a new creation. Moore’s yearning for a heroic boyfriend is not the same as Godly reconciliation and peace from the spiritual battle in which all are engaged. Sadly, Moore has built a career on the false premise, and many millions have followed her down that path.

Such romanticism is not new nor did it originate with Protestants. Some Catholic mystics were adept at seeking and enjoying such unions. These women were popular in the Middle Ages. Here is an explanation of this kind of conversion story related to a famous Catholic mystic, Teresa of Avila:

Teresa described the soul’s intense desire for God in the language of erotic passion. In this, she belongs to a long tradition of mystical experience that is known as bridal mysticism. … 

The symbolism of bridal mysticism is found already in early gnostic forms of Christianity, where the central sacrament is called the Bridal Chamber. There the feminine soul of the gnostic unites with the masculine spirit and is in this way spiritualized, that is, liberated from the limitations of mundane existence.

The Catholic Encyclopedia explains mystical marriage:

In a more restricted sense, the term mystical marriage is employed by St. Teresa and St. John of the Cross to designate that mystical union with God which is the most exalted condition attainable by the soul in this life. … This state consists of three elements:
1. The first is an almost continual sense of the presence of God, even in the midst of external occupations.
2. The second element is a transformation of the higher faculties in respect to their mode of operation: hence the name “transforming union”;
3. The third element consists in an habitual vision of the Blessed Trinity or of some Divine attribute.

You notice in the writings of these women, especially Voskamp and Young, they mention “Presence”. That’s mystical bridal union state #1.  For example, Voskamp wrote,

The practice of giving thanks . . . eucharisteo . . . this is the way we practice the presence of God, stay present to His presence, and it is always a practice of the eyes.

This notion of continual presence and feeling it tangibly comes from a book written by Brother Lawrence, called Practicing the Presence, who was, you guessed it, a 17th century Catholic mystic.

These “mysti-chicks” such as Voskamp, Moore, Kim Walker Smith and Young, also mention that they have experienced bridal mysticism’s heightened senses and a clarity of thought, and third, they say they continually hear God or see angels or have habitual visions. Just as the Catholic encyclopedia says occurs in their descriptions of what they claim is the state of bridal mysticism.

Compare those flimsy, feelings & emotion saturated female ecstasy conversion stories with a real conversion story. This one is drenched in the scriptures.

Beth Moore’s conversion answer to the Christian reporter was terribly sad in its absence of anything remotely Gospel. A mysti-chick seeking a handsome hero to enfold her and keep her forever is a conversion story more attuned to bridal mysticism than the gritty realty of a repentant sinner saved by grace through faith.

And that’s bridal mysticism. As for the second part of my original question, why is it so prevalent? It is because apostasy is always present. As long as Christianity exists in this age, there will be those who claim to possess a transformed heart but do not possess one.

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, (1 Timothy 4:1)

Some of these people making the claim will be teachers, pastors, leaders. If you believe that false converts should be easy to spot, you’re wrong. Judas lived intimately with the disciples and Jesus for three and a half years and none of the disciples even suggested Judas as the false one when Jesus said there is one among them. Philip baptized Simon the Sorcerer, who later was cursed because he thought he could obtain the Spirit by money. Demas walked with Paul, the greatest evangelist on earth, but he showed his true colors when he left Paul because he loved the world more.

If the Disciples, Philip, and Paul could not initially spot a false convert under their nose, neither can we. However, false converts always do or say something eventually to reveal who they really are.

So, mysti-chicks did not originate with post-modern Christianity, nor did they originate in the Middle Ages’ Catholic bridal mysticism. They’ve been around as long as metaphorical Jezebel, whom Jesus threatened to strike dead. (Revelation 2:20-23). Be wary of teachers who have a conversion story absent of the necessary elements, who have added elements, or who have relied on some sort of temporal experience as the basis for their conversion. They must have a clear view of who Jesus is, (Savior) and who they are, (sinner) from the start. Not a mature perspective, because converts are babes in Christ, but a correct one. A house built on sand will not last.

For the ladies who wonder if it is OK to read or study under these false female teachers’ earlier works, ‘when they still seemed solid,’ just remember their conversion was based on sand. They were never solid.

Build Your House on the Rock
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” (Matthew 7:24-27).

See below the conversion story of a 16 year old Charles Spurgeon, compared to the 18 year old Beth Moore conversion story. House of sand indeed.

Posted in prophecy, Uncategorized

A mighty scene in heaven

Posted on by elizabethprata

The Tribulation is a future prophesied time of distress on the earth that will be unequalled in affliction, so Jesus said. (Matthew 24:21). This is because He will pour out all His stored-up wrath onto the unbelieving world, and He will punish the nation Israel for their rebellion against Him.

A series of judgments in sets of 7 are unleashed from heaven to earth in proceedings that become progressively worse as each set is executed. The angels are mainly the agents who deliver the wrath.

The judgments go in this order-

The 7 Seals. The seal judgments open the events with a dramatic moment in heaven where John of Patmos had been given the vision which recorded that Jesus is the only One who is worthy to open them. Revelation 5:1-5 records this scene:

Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. 2And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” 3But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. 4I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. 5Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

The detail that the document was sealed on both sides has meaning. It indicates that it is a legal document. Bible Study Tools explains,

Concerning this practice, Weemse wrote, “For the manner of writing the contract, he who was to buy the ground wrote two instruments; the one to be sealed with his own signet, the other he showed unclosed to the witnesses, that they might subscribe and bear witness of that which was written. This, the witnesses did subscribe UPON THE BACK of the enclosed instrument” . . . Gaston Maspero gave an example of an enclosed document being used as evidence. “Contracts stamped upon clay tablets have been found in Babylonia, enclosed in an envelope of clay, on the outside of which an exact duplicate of the contract is impressed: if in the course of time any disagreement arose and it was suspected that the outside text had been tampered with, the envelope was broken in the presence of witnesses to see if the inside text agreed with it or not.” The fact that the sealed scroll of Revelation Rev. 5:1+ had writing on both the inside and the outside (Rev. Rev. 5:1+), in the same manner as Jeremiah’s and other deeds of purchase in Israel’s land redemption system, indicates that it is a deed of purchase.

The document with the seals upon it is in fact the title deed to the earth.

The revelation then turns to the actual opening of the seals. Jesus has triumphed – on the cross –  and the document is opened by Him who is triumph itself. The judgments begin. The 7th seal unlocks the next series of judgments, which are the Trumpet Judgments. (Revelation 8). These are worse. The ultimate purpose of the judgments are to render wrath for His glory onto the peoples, so they will repent under the knowledge of His active anger. Revelation 8 has the first half of the Trumpet Judgments and the angel announces woe to those on the earth as the worsening of the second half of the trumpet judgments begin. (Revelation 9).

Revelation 10 announces the beginning of the next series of judgments, the Seven Thunders. However in an unusual move, the voice from heaven called out for John to seal up this series of judgments and not to write them down. We do now know why the Seven Thunders are sealed nor do we know what they contain, if they are judgments at all.

The last set of judgments are the Bowls. These are truly the worst of the worst. By now the world has either repented and given Jesus glory, or has confirmed their permanent state of rebellion by accepting the devil’s mark of the beast. The mark is a mark of worship of the antichrist and displays allegiance to him (and the devil). (Revelation 13:15-16).

The scene shifts from the throne as seen in previous judgments, to the sanctuary. The door to the sanctuary is opened and it is an incredible view. Revelation 15:5-8 concludes this chapter and the introduction to the last judgments.

After this I looked, and the sanctuary of the tent of witness in heaven was opened, and out of the sanctuary came the seven angels with the seven plagues, clothed in pure, bright linen, with golden sashes around their chests. And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever, and the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.

No one was allowed to enter. Not the other angels, not glorified humans, no one. Is the reason so that no man or angel may intercede? Is it because God’s glory is so powerful, even for a holy angel or a glorified man? Nevertheless, the angels, those mighty and holy angels, are given the task of delivering the last 7 judgments on the earth.

This is the God of power and judgment. His mercy seat has become a judgment seat. All the millennia of patience, the times of overlooking man’s ignorance (Acts 17:30) are over. He is no longer reasoning with man. (Isaiah 1:18). His might is come to the fore and the sanctuary is filled with smoke. No one is allowed entry. God commands the 7 powerful angels to dispense His final wrath.

It reminds me of the verse in Isaiah 63:3.

I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with me; I trod them in my anger and trampled them in my wrath; their lifeblood spattered on my garments, and stained all my apparel.

He does indeed tread the wine-press, but it is the great wine-press of the wrath of God (Rev. 14:19, M. Henry). Our precious Lord had taken on all of God’s wrath, had drunk the cup on the cross. He “treads the wine-press” here not as a sufferer, but as an inflicter of vengeance.

It’s good to dwell on God’s love. It”s also good to remember His other attributes- power, wrath, sole arbiter of justice. It is good to remember that these scenes in heaven are future, perhaps to occur in our own generation.  Be clear-eyed about who our God is. He isn’t a romantic Jesus skipping among the daisies to wrap us in His manly arms. He is not a cash machine dispensing wealth from heaven. His attributes include love and mercy, to be sure, but also power, wrath, and justice from the very sanctuary in heaven. He is mighty.

For our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:19)

Posted in discernment, Uncategorized

Discerning Jen Hatmaker: New stance on affirming homosexual marriage causes Lifeway to pull her books

Posted on by elizabethprata

Christianity Today is reporting on some news Jen Hatmaker has sparked. Jen Hatmaker is an author and reality television personality whose most famous book, 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess was reviewed here on The End Time in 2013. That link is below. At that time I engaged in a two part look at Jen Hatmaker. Part 1 was a review of her book. Part 2 was a closer look at her emerging Catholic-based mysticism.

Hatmaker is in the news of late because she has come out solidly for homosexual marriage, claiming it is not only biblical, but can be a holy ordinance. As a result, Christian bookstore LifeWay, an arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, has stopped selling her books.

LifeWay Stops Selling Jen Hatmaker Books over LGBT Beliefs
One of evangelical women’s favorite authors loses her place in one of America’s largest Christian chains. In an interview published Tuesday, the Austin-based author and pastor’s wife told Religion News Service columnist Jonathan Merritt that she supports same-sex marriage and believes that LGBT relationships can be holy. … The Southern Baptist chain stated Thursday that the author’s statements “contradict LifeWay’s doctrinal guidelines,” and it has discontinued selling her books in its 185 stores or online.

Now is a good time to review what makes Hatmaker’s theology aberrant and why she should be avoided.

The following book review published in 2013 at The End Time gives an overview of how Hatmaker approaches the Bible and her response to it.

Book Review & Discernment- “7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess” by Jen Hatmaker, part 1

Part 2 looks at some key phrases in her book which reveal her entrancement with Catholic mysticism and liturgy. If you are a solid teacher of the Bible and a discerning student of it, you will not be promoting practices from false religions. It’s that simple.

Book Review & Discernment- “7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess” by Jen Hatmaker, part 2

Here is another good essay discerning Hatmaker,  written in May 2016 by Timothy J. Hammons, titled Jen Hatmaker’s Messiah Complex. Mr Hammons takes issue with Hatmaker’s flawed view of homosexual sin.

Amy Spreeman at Berean Research posted an article about Hatmaker in January 2016 which references her own essay and re-posts Christine Pack’s essay on Hatmaker, too. Four Concerns about Jen Hatmaker’s Teachings.

Just because a Bible teacher or leader is popular does not mean they are solid. In fact, oftentimes the opposite is true. (Luke 6:26).

As always, think these things through and do your investigations comparing to the Bible. Ask the Spirit for help and wisdom. He will give it!

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. (James 1:5).

Posted in encouragement, Uncategorized

The ‘Wondrous Strange’ Gospel

Posted on by elizabethprata

Back in 1998 I drove a few hours from my home in Gray, Maine to Rockland, Maine. The destination was the Farnsworth Library & Art Museum. The Farnsworth is a gorgeous museum tucked away on the rockbound coast. The New York Times wrote of the opening of the Farnsworth and the Wyeth collection this way,

Ever since N. C. Wyeth bought a place in Port Clyde, south of Rockland, in the early 1930’s, the family has summered here, and Andrew Wyeth’s painting ”Christina’s World” is, for many people, synonymous with Maine. The Wyeth center is attached to the Farnsworth Art Museum, a respected 50-year-old institution that focuses on artists connected with Maine and that has built one of the best small, specialized collections in the country.

They had advertised a collection I was dying to see. It was called, “Wondrous Strange: the Wyeth Tradition: Howard Pyle, N.C. Wyeth, Andrew Wyeth, James Wyeth.” You might or might not know that the three generations of Wyeths have a deep connection to Maine, and all three generations owe inspiration to Pyle. The generations went like this- Turn-of-the-last-century illustrator Howard Pyle; His student was N. C. Wyeth; N. C.’s student and son was Andrew Wyeth (wife Betsy); Andrew’s student and son was Jamie Wyeth. Betsy Wyeth chose the paintings and illustrations for the show I was driving to see, and named it Wondrous Strange.

The theme of the show is described from the catalog as, “an imaginative, often disquieting, dreamlike imagery.” The catalog/book describes the paintings- “Demonic eyes shining out of a shadowy tree. A blind man staggering through a moonlit landscape. Disembodied, dark hands rising out of snow. A feral dog with one blue eye. Ambiguous shadows harboring human shapes.”

The NY Times described it this way:
While Andrew and Jamie work in cooler times, there is no question that some of the images in ”Wondrous Strange” are really weird. Andrew paints a corpse emerging from a block of melting ice and severed hands perched on ice floes; Jamie portrays himself with a pumpkin head and as a clownish scarecrow. He depicts lighthouses with the same fierce perspective that his grandfather used for Peg Leg Pete.

One of the paintings’ raison d’etre is described by the artist Andrew Wyeth himself as ”to memorialize the emotions he felt upon viewing his father, N. C. Wyeth, in his casket.” Yes. Weird indeed.

Here are a few of the paintings that were mounted in that long-ago show.

“Mischief Night,” by Jamie Wyeth.
“Pumpkinhead Visits the Lighthouse,” by Jamie Wyeth

Treasure Island illustration, NC Wyeth, 1911

One painting that was included in the show was this one, called simply, “Lighthouse”, by Jamie Wyeth. This painting adorns the cover of the catalog/book.

It’s eerie. There’s nothing particularly ghoulish about the scene. In fact, many other paintings were more weird and fiendish. But there is something maniacal and out of control in this painting. The scudding clouds evoke thoughts of monstrous hands strangling the world, the fortress-like lighthouse, the wild hair, the jarring vestment of a wrinkled military uniform worn on a wild hill… the painting is a perspective of the world that’s cracked, tilted, and agitated.

Perhaps that was the appeal- weirdness, agitation, and ghoulish specter of the disquieting. As I said, I’d driven a few hours and it was going to be a day trip, no less. After seeing the exhibition and having lunch with the friend accompanying me, we’d turn around and drive home. The attraction of the wondrous strange to the pagan heart is strong.

The title of the show comes from Shakespeare’s Hamlet Act I Scene V-

HORATIO
O day and night, but this is wondrous strange!
HAMLET
And therefore as a stranger give it welcome.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

Returning from nostalgia, on Saturday I was listening to John Gerstner’s Handout Apologetics this morning. The lesson was on The Gospel of God, lesson 10. Gerstner said of the Gospel,

The question remains, how do I know that this Jesus of Nazareth, a man among men, was more than a man among men? You ask me to believe He was actually God incarnate? When did anybody ever stretch the credulity of the human mind more than when it is asked to believe that that simple peasant of Galilee was God dwelling in human flesh?!

The mind of man couldn’t think it up. To think a Person in the Godhead, would unite humanity with deity, and suffer in that humanity and yet as deity, survive the wrath of the Godhead, that is something that when you read about it in the Bible you know it has to be true, it couldn’t be fictional. It is so strange, so wonderful so beyond human anticipation that it has to be a God-given reality.

Well, you know of course why I spent time writing about the Wyeth wondrous strange exhibition. The mind of man I’d thought was so imaginative in painting and illustrating eerie and strange scenes, is not so wondrous strange after all. The REAL wondrous strange is the reality of the Gospel, of a God whose act of sacrificial incarnation, suffering, and death is SO strange that man had never ever thought it up in any religion, before or since. The wondrous strange mind of God, who had planned this devastatingly necessary separation of His Son from the Godhead since before the foundation of the world, in merciful love and grace, is the strangest wonder of all. As Halloween proceeds through this day, please ponder the most strange philosophy, Horatio, ever not dreamt of in earth, but is real and true from heaven.

Posted in prophecy, Uncategorized

Did you know…about ‘The Nazarene’? Bible fact

Posted on by elizabethprata

We know that Jesus was from Galilee in a region called Nazareth. The region’s largest city is Nazareth. People from that region were often dubbed Nazarenes. Geographic identifiers in the Bible are pretty common. Saul of Tarsus is one. Mary Magdalene might have been so named because she was likely from the town of Magdala. But did you know there might also be a prophecy associated with the name Nazarene? Faithlife Study Bible has more.

Within the four gospels and the book of Acts, the term “Nazarene” (translated from the Greek nazōraiōn or nazōraios) appears about 19 times. It occurs once in an allusion to a prophecy (Matt 2:23) and is applied once to the newly formed group of Christians (Acts 24: 5). All 17 remaining instances of “Nazarene” apply directly to Jesus (Matt 26:71; Mark 1:24; 10:47; 14:67; 16:6; Luke 4:34; 18:37; 24:19; John 18:5, 7; 19:19; Acts 2:22; 3:6; 4:10; 6:14; 22:8; 26:9).

The prophecy quotation from Matthew 2:23 comes in the context of Joseph receiving a dream which tells him to leave Egypt and go to Israel. The passage recounts that in response to the dream, Joseph settles his family in a town called Nazareth (Matt 2:19–23). The Gospel of Matthew connects this geographical movement fulfilled what was spoken by the prophets: “He will be called a Nazarene.” However, an Old Testament text making any statement similar to this does not exist—meaning that another explanation is required.

A few plausible options are available to resolve this issue. The author of the Gospel of Matthew may have been employing a pun or wordplay by associating the Hebrew word for “branch” (netser) in Isaiah 11:1 with the word designating a person as a resident of Nazareth (a “Nazarene”; nazōraios in Greek). The reference to “branch” would have been significant because it symbolized Jesus as a king from the lineage of David.

A second more plausible explanation is that the author may have been alluding to several statements made by a variety of Old Testament texts that focus on the obscurity and humility of the Messiah (e.g., Psa 22:6–8; 69:8, 20–21; Isa 49:7; 53:2–3; 7–8). The term Nazarene had a derogatory connotation, referring to someone from an obscure or insignificant town (John 1:45–47). During Jesus’ day, the town of Nazareth was insignificant from the perspective of Jerusalem (John 7:41–42, 52).

Much later, the term Nazarene appears in the account of the charges leveled against the Apostle Paul. He was facing trial for stirring up dissension, supposedly desecrating the temple, and serving as the ringleader of the “sect of the Nazarenes” (Acts 24:1–5). Jewish Christians were probably given the label because of their connection with Jesus of Nazareth. It likely served as a pejorative term when applied to the Christian community.

DAVID SEAL, Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

There is always more to study with the Bible. We know what we know until there is more to know!

Posted in discernment, Uncategorized

Two divorce cases: Summer White and Melissa Moore

Posted on by elizabethprata

Many Christians have a sin or an issue which they have a particular affinity against or former involvement with. Children of alcoholics tend to have an interest in the Christian discussion of teetotaling. People who had been deceived by charismatic doctrine tend to be focused on deception/purity in the church. And so on.

Mine is divorce.

Continue reading “Two divorce cases: Summer White and Melissa Moore” →