Posted in church age, jesus, millennial kingdom, prophecy, rapture

What is ‘heaven’? Is it the Millennial Kingdom?

Sunday, I began a series looking at what the Bible says is heaven. There is more to is than just saying “if we’re redeemed we’re going to heaven.” Heaven is a term used synonymously for God. There is Paradise, where Jesus went between His death and resurrection (most likely). There’s the present heaven containing the redeemed souls. There will be a Millennium Kingdom. And then there will be the new heaven/eternity after the chapter of human history concludes. So let’s take a look at this wonderful, complex, eternal, real place called HEAVEN.

Previously I examined the terms “Abraham’s Bosom”, and Paradise. Today, let’s look at the Millennium Kingdom.

When we think of “heaven” we often think of the peaceable kingdom spoken of in Isaiah and depicted in Edward Hicks’ 62 versions of the Peaceable Kingdom paintings of the early 1830s.

Hicks’ series of images are based on Isaiah 11:6-8 and Isaiah 65:25. Here in the first line we see the correct part of the verse, commonly mis-spoken as “the lion shall lay down with the lamb”.

And the wolf will dwell with the lamb,
And the leopard will lie down with the young goat,
And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
And a little boy will lead them.
7Also the cow and the bear will graze,
Their young will lie down together,
And the lion will eat straw like the ox.

8The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra,
And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den.

9They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain,
For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD
As the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:6-9)

The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,” says the LORD. (Isaiah 65:25)

But even though all seems idyllic, this is not heaven. It is not even the new earth spoken of in 2 Peter 3:13.

Here is an overview of Bible history from the Days of His Flesh to future eternity. We are in the church age at present. These illustrations are from a pamphlet by Fred Overton Seminars. Click to enlarge.

The wolf shall lie down with the lamb during the Kingdom Age, which shall last for 1000 years. This is why it’s called “The Millennium Kingdom”, due to its prophesied length of time.

You see by the chart that we are in the Church Age. At some point, when the final elect soul will be redeemed, filling the quota Jesus has set for filling His church (Romans 11:25), we will be raptured. The trumpet will sound, and we who are living will fly upward and our bodies will be glorified instantly. The souls of the dead who died during the Church Age will also be resurrected and installed into a reconstituted glorified body and together we will meet Jesus in the air. It all hapens in the blink of an eye. This is described in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-52.

The Lord removes His Bride via the “catching up” because after that He will unleash His stored-up wrath onto an unbelieving world. The 7-year Tribulation will begin. The Bride is not appointed to wrath, so we are removed. (1 Thessalonians 5:9; Revelation 3:10).

[Note to readers- I do not plan to debate the pretribulation rapture in the comments section. The pretribulation rapture is a biblical concept and can be learned of in many different studies here, here, here, here, here, herehere, here, and here for starters!)

Of the Tribulation, Jesus said it will be the worst time on earth human flesh has ever known. (Matthew 24:21-22). This should give one pause, because He already has sent a worldwide judgment in the form of the Flood to drown everything with the breath of life, including almost all of humanity (except for Noah’s family aboard the Ark.) So the Tribulation will be worse.

Yet for all the horror predicted to befall the unbelieving world, many people will be redeemed and come to faith in Jesus during this Great Tribulation. Many of those will not die during the judgments, and when Jesus returns in the Second Coming, they will enter alive into the Kingdom Jesus will set up for 1000 years.

During the Tribulation, massive earth changes occur. This is actually UNcreation, or a reversal back to the original state of the earth prior to the Fall of Man during Adam and Eve’s time. The Flood reshaped the earth’s form. (Psalm 104:6-9). During the Tribulation, Mountains are flattened, islands flee away (Revelation 6:12-14). Great earthquakes occur, sending the earth back to its original shape and form. Think of the Tribulation as a renovation of the earth, or a re-shaping.

During the Millennium Kingdom period, earth is renovated, but not perfected.

  • Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. (Isaiah 40:4)
  • The fish of the sea and the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the field and all creeping things that creep on the ground, and all the people who are on the face of the earth, shall quake at my presence. And the mountains shall be thrown down, and the cliffs shall fall, and every wall shall tumble to the ground. (Ezekiel 38:20)
  • The mountains quake before him; the hills melt; the earth heaves before him, the world and all who dwell in it. (Nahum 1:5)
  • And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found. (Revelation 16:20)
  • Your people shall all be righteous; they shall possess the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I might be glorified. (Isaiah 60:21)
  • Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert;  (Isaiah 35:5-6)
  • No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the young man shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed. (Isaiah 65:20)
  • And I will make them and the places all around my hill a blessing, and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing. (Ezekiel 34:26) [Source Overton Seminars]

Jesus personally rules and reigns on earth from His Temple! If you read Ezekiel 40-48, especially Ezekiel 43:1-9, it is a description of the restored Temple and life on earth with Jesus as the center of worship. The Milennium Kingdom is the fulfillment of all His promises to Israel. Their will Messiah ruling among them, their lands are given to them, their life revolves around Jesus, who they have since recognized as THE promised King.

The animals are peaceful, there is no curse to make them have the fear and dread of man as happened after the Fall. (Genesis 9:2).

One of folk artist Edward Hicks’ 62 Peaceable Kingdom paintings

However, remember that when the Great Tribulation ended at His Second Coming, there were believers alive who entered the Kingdom? These people are mortal. They live long lives. They have babies and they live long lives. As the verse from Isaiah 65:20 says above, if such a one dies at age 100, they all say what a shame he died so young.

During this period, satan and his demons are bound in the abyss-jail. They are not present on earth to trouble mortal humans who are living in the Kingdom age and of course he is not bothering the us, the redeemed/glorified either. Jesus is ruling, David is reigning, people are living long lives, and there is no satan to bother them. How perfect!

Not so fast. The mortals born during the Kingdom Age will certainly enjoy peaceful Messianic rule, a non-cursed animal realm, and no temptations by satan or his demons- but they will still possess a sin nature. During the peaceful Milennium Kingdom, sin will be present. Hidden, but present.

At the end of the Milennium Age Satan is let out of the jail along with his demons. Satan quickly draws out the venomous sin that is in people, and believe it or not, they rebel against Jesus. It’s depressing to see how fast that satan can draw people to his side again, and not just a few either. All this is recorded in Revelation 20. Here is an excerpt.

And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. 9And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, 10and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. (Revelation 20:7-10).

That is why the Milennium Age which occurs subsequent to the Great Tribulation and Second Coming is not “heaven”. It looks like it. It seems like it. But it isn’t. Sin is still present. Satan still has power to deceive. People still reject Jesus.

After the Millennial rebellion is put down, the Great White Throne Judgment occurs. This is when all the unredeemed dead of all ages are resurrected and judged according to their works. It’s the final dealing with sin. They are thrown into the Lake of Fire along with satan and his demons to begin their eternal punishment in their eternal bodies. Hell and Death are also thrown into the Lake of Fire too. The earth is melted in a fervent heat and completely remade. (2 Peter 3:10).

Remember, at the end of the Tribulation as the mortals entered the Millennium Kingdom, the earth still contained graves and bones. It still had death upon it. The Lord remakes earth completely new, and the heavens too. No taint of sin or death or hell will ever touch it again.

Tomorrow, the difference between the Present Heaven and the Future Heaven which is the Eternal State.

May these things encourage you and spark you to delve further into the wonderful promises of Jesus the Christ for His people!

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Heaven introduction

Heaven part 1

Randy Alcorn’s Eternal Perspective Ministries

Talking to Your Children about Creation, Christ, and Heaven

Theological definition of heaven

Heaven: FALSE views of heaven

Sermon, Martyn Lloyd-Jones: Death and Heaven

Posted in abraham's bosom, encouragement, jesus, paradise, resurrection

What is Heaven? Part 1- Abraham’s Bosom and Paradise

Yesterday I’d remarked about the article The Atlantic wrote about the movie 90 Minutes in Heaven. The author had said that the movie offered so few details regarding Christian heaven the movie was almost a metaphor.

The subject of heaven is often overlooked, or if it is studied, it presents errors like we all float around on insubstantial clouds playing harps.

The biblical record doesn’t gush effusively about heaven, but it does offer concrete details. It is an important study to undertake, because after all, it’s where the righteous dead will dwell for all eternity. More importantly, it is our home already, we are citizens of heaven.

The Bible uses different names for the place where God dwells. Heaven is a term that has come to mean a catch-all for the place where the righteous dwell. There is Abraham’s Bosom, Paradise, present heaven, the Millennial Kingdom, future heaven, New Jerusalem, and the eternal state. And what are the three heavens? Paul was taken up to the Third Heaven. While some of these are nicknames, these different places are real and exist for different reasons and at different times.
Scripture refers to heaven as God’s habitation but also uses the term as an alternative for God himself. Manser, M. H. Dictionary of Bible Themes.
The three heavens are easy to define. The First Heaven is the earth’s atmosphere, where the birds fly, clouds scud, and wind blows. The Second Heaven is space. It’s where the planets are, the stars, asteroids, black holes, and all the rest. The Third Heaven where Paul was taken, (2 Corinthians 12:2) is where God is.

No one knows where Third Heaven is, if it is another dimension, or some place way out there, or what. But it is definitely where God is and it is definitely a real place. God’s temple is there, the altar is there, the angels come and go, His throne is there, His glory is there, prayers ascend to there, prophets have seen visions of there, and much more. It is a busy place. Read Isaiah 6, Ezekiel 1, and Revelation 4. But studying actual heaven is for another day. Let’s look at what the term “Abraham’s Bosom” means.

Do the Terms “Abraham’s Bosom” and “Paradise” Refer to Heaven or Somewhere Else? (Luke 16:22)

Abraham’s bosom. This same expression (found only here in Scripture) was used in the Talmud as a figure for heaven. The idea was that Lazarus was given a place of high honor, reclining next to Abraham at the heavenly banquet.

So it’s a nickname.

So what is “Paradise?”

In order to answer that I need to talk about hell a bit.

Illustration by Fred Overton of Frank Overton Seminars

I’m actually going to talk about 4 places: Hell AKA Hades, Paradise, Heaven, and the Abyss.

Since time immemorial, when someone died, they were buried. They were either put into a hole in the ground, or mummified under a pyramid, or into a cave, or under rocks as a cairn. This is called “the grave” and it’s where the dead body goes. Where the soul then goes is the point of the study.

Prior to the crucifixion, all the dead souls went to the same place. In Hebrew it’s Sheol and in Greek it’s Hades. It was a place that is referred to as “down”, and was split by a great gulf, as the rich man said in Luke 16:26.

One side of this place called Sheol or Hades is where the unrighteous dead go, as the rich man unfortunately discovered. It’s hot and the fire is a torment, as again the rich man said. (All this is in Luke 16).

The other side of the place is nicknamed Abraham’s Bosom, or Paradise. That’s where Lazarus went, the story goes. It’s where all the righteous dead went (remember, this is prior to the crucifixion). All the OT saints, and people who died during the Incarnation went there. It was a pleasant place of rest and comfort. Between them is a great gulf, fixed, so no person may cross from one side to the other. You can read all this in Luke 16:19-31.

So we have the lock-up Abyss where the unholy angels are chained, (Jude 1:6; 2 Peter 2:4), Hell/Hades where the unrighteous dead are, and Paradise. Now, after Jesus descended to the abyss and preached to the demons, then spent 40 days on earth topside teaching His apostles, then Jesus rose to heaven. As He rose, He emptied Paradise and took all the righteous dead with Him to heaven, where they still dwell. (Eph 4:8).

Now, when someone in the faith dies, they don’t go to Abraham’s bosom/Paradise any more which is down, as Jesus had told the thief on the cross, but they go to heaven which is up. The blood of Jesus & His resurrection made it possible.

Though be advised some disagree on the location and use of the term Paradise. MacArthur says it is an error to interpret the Luke 16 passage about the Rich Man and Lazarus being in proximity to each other with a gulf between, yet S. Lewis Johnson interprets Luke 16 as depicted in the above illustration by Fred Overton, who obviously interprets it that way too. I agree with Johnson. So you can see that it is a complicated subject.

However no one in either heaven or hell/Hades has their glorified body yet. At the rapture, the saints will get their glorified body. However the unrighteous dead will still wait for their body, not that they can complain. The unrighteous dead all be resurrected after the Millennial Kingdom, judged at the Great White Throne judgment, receive their eternal body that will for their eternal punishment, and be cast into the Lake of Fire. Death and Hell will be thrown in there too. The eternal state will begin. (There is no such thing as soul sleep at any time nor is there any such thing as soul annihilation. The Bible teaches neither).

Here is an excerpt from S. Lewis Johnson’s sermon “Death and Afterwards“.

Now with the experience of Jesus Christ, things change. With the experience of Jesus Christ we have an apparently quite an important transformation of one aspect of Sheol. Remember the Lord Jesus when he died descended into the lower parts of the earth. I’m going to ask you if you will to turn with me to Ephesians chapter 4. Now it is impossible for us to do justice to this great passage. Let me just suggest to you the things that it seems to mean. Now the apostle is speaking about the gifts of the risen Christ. He says in the 7th verse, “But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, (or as Weymouth renders it, ‘he led captive a host of captives) and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)”do 

Jesus said to the thief on the cross, “Today thou shalt be with me in paradise.” Jesus descended into the lower parts of the earth. Apparently paradise was located in Hades as a separate compartment. When the death of Christ occurred and he went to the realm of the dead and gave his message of doom to the opponents of the gospel of Christ, he took the believers with him, and he took paradise. And now paradise is in the third heaven, as Paul says, and it is up. And so a tremendous change has taken place in paradise as a result of the ministry of the Lord Jesus. So paradise is relocated.

It’s a rich, full, complicated topic, this concept of Abraham’s Bosom & Paradise. There was much more to it than one would think!

The bottom line is that where Christ is, is Paradise.

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Where did Jesus go after He died?

THE THIEF ON THE CROSS, PARADISE and the place of the dead

Heaven introduction

Heaven part 2 Millennium Kingdom

Posted in 90 minutes in heaven, encouragement, thomas watson

What is heaven?

Heaven part 1 Abraham’s Bosom & Paradise

Heaven part 2 Millennium Kingdom

The Atlantic wrote an article about the spate of Christian movies lately. They focused on the most recent release on September 11 of the movie based on Don Piper’s book, 90 Minutes in Heaven.

Only think about it, Piper didn’t spend 90 minutes in (alleged) heaven, he was “there” only a minute. According to his story, he spent most of the time outside the ‘gate’ hobnobbing with his welcoming committee. But I digress.

The Atlantic article was interestingly titled. “How Heaven Became a Secular Word“. More on that in a moment. In the article, the writer said something about the movie 90 Minutes in Heaven that I thought was funny. She had spent some time in her opening describing the lead actress and relating quotes from the interview with her. The author had asked the actress if working on the movie made her think about heaven more. Then the article goes into the meat of the point it wants to make. The movie is:

“at least somewhat based on those described in the Christian scriptures, but they’re light on concrete details—Jesus, for example, is nowhere to be found.”

Any “heaven” that is absent Jesus is not heaven. Scriptures make that very clear. (2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23). The point was, the movie is SO light on details that:

The heaven of 90 Minutes is more than a metaphor, but just barely.

LOL, the movie was so light on details, so ephemeral, so insubstantial in detailing this very real place most of humanity aspires to, that it is barely more than a metaphor. Sadly though, in addition to being funny phrasing, recognizing that the movie is barely more than a metaphor is an actual tragedy. Why? Heaven is a concrete place, described in real terms in the bible. And despite the fact that most of humanity aspires to a restful and happy place after death, few will find it. (Matthew 7:14).

The lead actress worked on the movie for months, delving into the subject matter at hand, as actors and actresses do, but came away with not one whit more of an understanding of what heaven is, than she had before. When asked what she thought heaven would be like, she responded:

“I would love to have either Mike waiting for me or me waiting for Mike with our dogs running around—I mean, that’s heaven, you know?” she said. “Whatever heaven is for each individual, that would certainly be it for me.” This sense of a vague, happy afterlife, filled with romping animals and loving relationships, is the one embraced by 90 Minutes in Heaven.

What a shame. A man-centered, felt needs kind of heaven. She will be occupied with her Lord, her Groom, not longing for her husband, because there is no marriage in heaven. (Matthew 22:30). As for the felt-needs aspects, Billy Graham also happens to believe this kind of heaven is heaven. Marshall Frady wrote of him in his book Billy Graham: A Parable of American Righteousness:

Even during his crusades, according to Frady, Graham would return from playing nine holes to dictate that evening’s sermon. Graham even exclaimed about Heaven, “Boy, I sure hope they have a golf course up there!”

Worse, is this quote from Ken Garfield’s biography of Graham, Billy Graham: A Life in Pictures, where Graham said that “Somebody once asked me, ‘Will there be golf courses in heaven?’ I said, ‘If they’re necessary for our happiness, they’ll be there.’”

Is THAT what heaven is, a personal, felt-needs kind of heaven where if you love dogs, you get dogs, and if you love golf, you get golf? No. Most assuredly no.

The subsequent parts of this essay will examine two concepts.
1. What is the purpose of heaven?
2. What is heaven like?

Heaven is a place where all our needs are met in One Person: Jesus. HE is what he had needed all along. Heaven is the place where our chief end of even having been born will come to perfect fruition. Puritan Thomas Watson describes the chief end of man, which is fulfilled in the eternal state, commonly (but incorrectly) stated as “heaven.”

Question. 1. What is the chief end of man?
Answer. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever. Here are two ends of life specified.

1. The glorifying of God.
First. The glorifying of God, 1 Pet. 4:11. “That God in all things may be glorified.” The glory of God is a silver thread which must run through all our actions. l Cor. 10:31.

“Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”

Everything works to some end in things natural and artificial; now, man being a rational creature, must propose some end to himself, and that should be, that he may lift up God in the world. He had better lose his life than the end of his living. The great truth asserted is that the end of every man’s living should be to glorify God. Glorifying God has respect to all the persons in the Trinity; it respects God the Father who gave us life; God the Son, who lost his life for us; and God the Holy Ghost, who produces a new life in us; we must bring glory to the whole Trinity.

2. The enjoying of God.

This brings us to the second thing: 2nd. The enjoyment of God in the life to come. Man’s chief end is to enjoy God forever. Before the plenary fruition of God in heaven, there must be something previous and antecedent; and that is our being in a state of grace. We must have conformity to him in grace, before we can have communion with him in glory. Grace and glory are linked and chained together. Grace precedes glory, as the morning star ushers in the sun. God will have us qualified and fitted for a state of blessedness. Drunkards and swearers are not fit to enjoy God in glory; the Lord will not lay such vipers in his bosom.

Only “the pure in heart shall see God.” We must first be, as the king’s daughter, glorious within, before we are clothed with the robes of glory. As King Ahasuerus first caused the virgins to be purified and anointed, and they had their sweet odours to perfume them, and then went to stand before the king, Esth. 2:12, so must we have the anointing of God, and be perfumed with the graces of the Spirit, those sweet odours, and then we shall stand before the king of heaven. Being thus divinely qualified by grace, we shall be taken up to the mount of vision, and enjoy God for ever; and what is enjoying God for ever but to be put in a state of happiness?

As the body cannot have life but by having communion with the soul, so the soul cannot have blessedness but by having immediate communion with God. God is the summum bonum, the chief good; therefore the enjoyment of him is the highest felicity.

Do you see anything in Watson’s explanation, and you can be assured it is but a minute part (the entire sermon is 16 full pages) about having your own personal golf course? About romping around outside with your husband, when we all know from scripture there is no marriage in heaven? (Matthew 22:30). Watson had said:

The great truth asserted is that the end of every man’s living should be to glorify God.

And by His grace we are given an eternal living, then that means our entire eternal life will be one where He receives His due worship. It means we have the privilege of glorifying Him in perfected body (Philippians 3:21) and proclaiming His majesty from pure lips. (Zephaniah 3:9).

So…what is heaven like? Is there anything concrete about this future swelling place we can read about? Yes.

Just as the word hell has come to mean a catch-all for the place where the wicked dwell, heaven has come to mean a catch-all for the place where the righteous dwell. But there is hell, Hades, Sheol, the abyss, Gehenna, and the Lake of Fire. Some of these existed for different reasons and at different times and at different locations. Some are nicknames. Alternately, there is Abraham’s Bosom, Paradise, present heaven, the Millennial Kingdom, future heaven, New Jerusalem, and the eternal state. These exist for different reasons and at different times. Some are nicknames.

However! Heaven is not a secular word. It is a real place with real redeemed people and it is where we are headed if we are one of His. This week, I’ll look at one of these biblical terms per day and explore what they mean and what the bible says about them.

  • Paradise/Abraham’s Bosom
  • Millennial kingdom
  • Heaven
  • New Jerusalem
  • The Eternal State

Be encouraged now, however. Our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, and this means our citizenship is in heaven! No matter what you call it, when we depart this earth, we will be glorifying God, and enjoying Him for ever!

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Heaven part 1 Abraham’s Bosom & Paradise

Heaven part 2 Millennium Kingdom

Posted in elam, end time, iran, joel c. rosenberg, last days, nuclear, prophecy, uranium

"Iran says finds unexpectedly high uranium reserve"

DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran has discovered an unexpectedly high reserve of uranium and will soon begin extracting the radioactive element at a new mine, the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation said on Saturday. … After decades of efforts, Iran – which has consistently said its program is for peaceful purposes – has achieved a full nuclear fuel cycle, ranging from the extraction of uranium ore to enrichment and production of fuel rods for nuclear reactors. (source)

Immediately prior to this news, just days before in fact, Joel C. Rosenberg had published a bulleted list/factsheet regarding the danger the Iranian Government poses to the world. He lists the Iranian statement of beliefs and intents, especially with regard to wiping out Israel the the US. He lists past and very current statements that Iran intends at all costs to go forward with their dastardly and evil plan to rule the world and wipe out Christians and Jews.

Fact Sheet: The Iranian Leadership’s Apocalyptic Beliefs Joel C. Rosenberg Updated: September 4, 2015
What Iran’s Leaders & Allies Say They Will Do: Annihilate America

• “The slogans of the Iranian nation on Al-Qods Day show what its position is. The slogans ‘Death to Israel’ and ‘Death to America’ have resounded throughout the country, and are not limited to Tehran and the other large cities. The entire country is under the umbrella of this great movement [of ‘Death to Israel’ and ‘Death to America’].”—Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, July 18, 2015.

And now we discover that they had access to uranium all along.
And now we discover Iran has achieved a full nuclear fuel cycle.

We know from prophecy that Iran plays an important role in God’s plan of judgment. What does the bible say about Persia at the end of time?

The word of the LORD came to me: 2“Son of man, set your face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him 3and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. 4And I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in full armor, a great host, all of them with buckler and shield, wielding swords. 5Persia, Cush, and Put are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; 6Gomer and all his hordes; Beth-togarmah from the uttermost parts of the north with all his hordes—many peoples are with you. (Ezekiel 37:1-6)

It is interpreted that of course Persia is Iran. That one is easy because Persia held the name until 1935 when the Shah asked foreign dignitaries to use the name Iran, the name the people themselves used.

Map of Achaemenid Persian Empire at its Greatest Extent (490 BC.) Source

The ancient name for the Persians, which was a name used until the early 1935 before it was changed to Iran, was Elam. People in the tribe of Elam were Elamites.

Elam is first mentioned in Genesis 10:22 as a son of Shem. Shem was Noah’s son. Elam was a real person, Noah’s grandson. You remember the early sons went out and founded tribes. This is recorded as a Table of Nations in Genesis 10. Answers In Genesis has an article with the table, which is like a genealogical family tree but of nations and not individuals. Click to enlarge. You will notice the same names on the Table as are recorded as the nations that fight at the time of the end. Togarmah, Gomer, Tubal…those guys all there at the beginning and their founded nations are there at the end. God is very precise.

The following points regarding Elam/Persia/Iran are from Bible History Online

The Persian Empire was founded by Cyrus in 536 BC., after they succeeded the Babylonian Empire. The first king of the Persian Empire was Cyrus, who issued the famous decree for the Jews to return to their homeland to rebuild their Temple. 

Under Cyrus the Great and Darius the Great, the Persian Empire eventually became the largest and most powerful empire in human history up until that point. The Persian Empire represented the world’s first global superpower.

The capital of the Persian Empire was Shushan. The Empire lasted about 200 years, and came to an end in 330 BC.

From Negev, A. (1990). In The Archaeological encyclopedia of the Holy Land:

ELAM a) The biblical name of a hilly country, ‘Elamtu’ in Accadian, east of the River Tigris (Hiddekel) bordered by Assyria (Mesopotamia) and Madai on the north, the Persian Gulf on the south and Persia on the east and southeast. Its capital was Susa (Shushan). Most of our knowledge of it derives from Sumerian, Babylonian and Assyrian sources.

There was a constant state of war between Elam and the kingdoms of Lagash and Assyria. By the end of the 2nd millennium BC the Elamites had succeeded in deposing the Sumerian Dynasty of Ur. According to Genesis (14) Chedorlaomer, King of Elam, ruled over all the countries which were formerly under the yoke of Babylon, and the countries on the Jordan were his tributaries.

Abram Rescues Lot
14 In the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim, hat they made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). (Genesis 14:1-2).

From DD Lowery in his book Elam,

The fall of Elam was foretold by Jeremiah (49:34–9) and by Ezekiel (32:24–5). During the period of the Persian Empire Elam was one of the satrapies, with Susa as its capital. Elamites who had been settled in Samaria impeded the Jews who returned from the Babylonia exile (Ezra 4:8–9).

ELAM (עֵילַם, eilam). An ancient Near Eastern kingdom located in Iran. A rival to the Mesopotamian kingdoms for over 2,000 years. The Elamite Empire influenced many great empires that shaped the biblical world. Over its long history, Elam interacted with the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, and the Assyrians. Under the Persians, Susa—one of Elam’s great cities—makes several biblical appearances.

Biblical Mentions 

Kedorlaomer, king of Elam, appears in Gen 14 as the king whom Abram defeats to bring Lot and his family back home. The next occurrences in the Bible are not until the prophets and the exile. In the biblical text, Elam appears as a prophetic instrument of judgment (Isa 21:2; 22:6), as the object of judgment (Jer 49:34–38), and also as an object lesson for those yet to be judged (Ezek 32:24–25). Assyria deported many Israelites to Elam upon conquering it, which sets the stage for Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. According to Acts 2:9, a Jewish population still remained in Elam into the New Testament period. 

Determining how close the connection was between these earlier peoples and later Elamites remains difficult. Archaeology has shed light on many originally distinct groups during this period, most notably from Elam (Fars) and Susa, which come to be associated together later in history. 

End of Elam (Achaemenid Period, 539–331 BC): Elam Absorbed by Persia. Elam was geographically reduced to Susiana by the Assyrians, and the Medes and the Persians were firmly rooted in the Plateau. When Cyrus II (Cyrus the Great) conquered Babylonia (539) and established the great Persian Empire, Elam (Susiana) fell into Persian hands, becoming a valuable Persian province. The Persians inherited many characteristic traits from the Elamites, who continued to serve in various administrative roles under them. In fact, archives of Elamite clay tablets have been found in Persepolis—an important Persian center—from late in the reign of Darius to that of Artaxerxes (late fifth century). These shed considerable light on the political and cultural atmosphere of the time.
Under Darius, Susa became a prominent city in the empire. Here, set up as the winter citadel for the Persian Empire, that the biblical book of Nehemiah begins, and where Esther is also set. Recent archaeological discoveries in Susa have given clarification to the book of Esther. However, by this time, “Susa, in the province of Elam” (Dan 8:2) had ceased to be anything but the shell of Elam that it once was

Lowery, D. D. (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015). Elam. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, … W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

When we read of the Elamites being comprised of many different Mesopotamian peoples, it is so. At Pentecost, we’re told that “staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.” (Acts 2:5).

Including:

Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, (Acts 2:9).

Now in the latter days, a glorious thing will happen.

In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea.

The LORD has a remnant of His people inside the lands that we read about in the news today. How glorious it will be when He restores them! Daniel had a vision of the end time/last days of the very last days, in which he saw the Elamites-

And I saw in the vision; and when I saw, I was in Susa the citadel, which is in the province of Elam. And I saw in the vision, and I was at the Ulai canal. (Daniel 8:2).

On September 7 I posted a prescient quote from 1967 by S. Lewis Johnson regarding his long-ago perspective of seeing the ascendancy of Biblical nations. The Iranian rise is nothing to be surprised at nor worried about in this day and age. God is incredible and His hand works all that He wills. The things which were prophesied for thousands of years are coming to pass, and will come to pass, because God decreed it.

More to the individual point, when we read of rabid hatred contained in speeches by Iranians declaring death to America and death to Israel, let us not hate them back. In those nations, though there are many Muslims and many false Christians such as Orthodox, a few remnant Christ people dwell. They are being prepared to receive the calling when He deems it the right moment. Some already have been called, and others will become … our brethren.

God deals in remnants. That is His way. And God does mighty things through remnants. 300 against Midian. Two against the Philistine army. 7,000 among the millions in Israel. 120 on Pentecost. A handful of Puritans coming to the shores of North America 400 years ago.

And in our time, faithful men and women in many parts of the world who have left apostate churches meet in tents, homes, schools, libraries, firehouses, storefronts, the buildings of liberal churches, and even less likely places. In countries like Zimbabwe in Africa, men and women who have left the bondage of false religions often meet under the shade of a tree in an otherwise forbidding landscape to worship the one true and living God and hear His Word preached.

Men and women around the world meet in unlikely places, sometimes coming incredible distances on foot just to be together. God’s remnant is truly an unlikely assembly. But His people come together because they understand that it is not numbers, or a building, or other trappings that are of true importance – but the truth as it is found only in Christ and His Word. They understand that it is “not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6). source

God is mighty and wonderful. Praise His name!

Posted in depravity, encouragement, sin, tulip

Total depravity in a baby

Wikimedia Commons

I remember very shortly after being saved I was witnessing to a friend. She was the kind of person who was ‘rational’, ‘logical’ and ‘mathematical.’ Since Paul witnessed to Gentiles by starting with the creation, I did too. Sadly, she dismissed Genesis’ creation account because obviously, the light being created as Genesis 1:3 could not have come before the sun’s creation, as Genesis 1:14. Obviously. Therefore the creation account must be wrong.

So I skipped ahead and told her about Eve’s and Adam’s sin in the garden. I shared that after the sin had occurred, their very biology was now polluted and cursed, and all subsequent children, such as murderous Cain, were totally depraved since birth. Therefore we do not do right and are excluded from God’s heaven- unless we repent and ask Jesus to forgive.

That didn’t get a logical reaction. It got an emotional one. She heatedly rejected the notion that children and babies are totally depraved. She fervently argued against the concept that babies and children naturally do wrong. Even associating the word sin with baby caused a visceral reaction in her.

EPrata photo

That was 11 years ago and I never forgot.

First some definitions. Total depravity does not mean that everyone, including children, are as bad as they can be all the time. There’s your Hitlers and there’s your Mother Teresas. Both are in hell now BTW.

Total depravity is about the original sin and how it affects us today. It speaks to the extent of our sin, our sin nature, and our complete inability to do anything for God that will be pleasing to Him. Some people such as John MacArthur prefer the term “absolute inability” rather than total depravity.  John MacArthur said of the concept,

“…we are so hopelessly and thoroughly wicked that not one of us could ever truly love God unless God Himself enabled us to do so. That is the doctrine of total depravity in a nutshell. It means that we are totally unable to save ourselves.” 

Charles Spurgeon said of total depravity,

By original sin we mean the evil quality which characterizes man’s natural disposition and will. We call this sin of nature original, because each fallen man is born with it, and because it is the source or origin in each man of his actual transgressions. By calling it total, we do not mean that men are from their youth as bad as they can be. Evil men and seducers wax worse and worse, “deceiving and being deceived” (2 Tim. 3:13). Nor do we mean that they have no social virtues toward their fellowmen in which they are sincere. … What our Confession says is, “That they have wholly lost ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation.”

In 1985 John Piper said of total depravity,

Total Depravity Our sinful corruption is so deep and so strong as to make us slaves of sin and morally unable to overcome our own rebellion and blindness. This inability to save ourselves from ourselves is total. We are utterly dependent on God’s grace to overcome our rebellion, give us eyes to see, and effectively draw us to the Savior

Now, surely babies aren’t totally depraved? They’re so cute and such a blank slate and not even able to comprehend what sin is. Right?

Wrong.

There is a cottage industry of Americas Funniest Videos (AFV) that show the “cute” things babies, toddlers, and kids do. The audience laughs and titters and applauds, and goes “awww.” But it’s not funny. These clips from AFV have been wow-ing and charming and entertaining audiences for 25 years. Yes, AFV is 25 years old. But when I see clips like this, it only makes me sad, because they are a 25 year chronicle of our sin nature.

This clip won. It is in the top pantheon of best loved clips.

Why waste a good tantrum when no one is around to see it?

This toddler is absolutely totally aware of what he is doing. He knows how to present screams and anguish to maximum effect, and knows when it’s useless to continue. He is manipulating the adults. He is lying.

Not so innocent, eh?

But some may protest, how about babies. Little, little babies, they surely don’t know right from wrong. They don’t lie, manipulate, or do things in secret?! How could you think they are totally depraved and have a heart full of sin.

Here, 18-month-old twins play, scream, and jump with each other during nap time. The mom heard the noise and turned on the baby monitor so she could talk to them.

The second the twins hear the mom’s voice, they drop. They know they are supposed to be sleeping and weren’t. They knew they were disobeying the higher authority.

Total depravity is in us, it is our very nature. It goes from corner to corner in all areas of our mind, heart, strength,and soul. There is no “flawed thinking.” There is no untainted corner of our mind whereupon one day we will suddenly become spiritual and be able to retreat to that pure corner and “choose Jesus.” We are fallen creatures completely unable to do right in God’s eyes. We need Him.

Thank God He knows this. God sent His Son to live the life we cannot, due to our complete inability to be righteous. Born of woman and from the Father in heaven, He lived the sinless life we could not. He was hated, spit on, mocked, stripped, beaten and hung from a tree. He endured God’s wrath for sin. He took it- our punishment. Then He died.

Pleased with His Son’s life, and His death, and God’s wrath exhausted upon the Son, He raised Jesus to life and ascended Him to heaven. Now, anyone who cannot and never will do right in God’s eyes, but who are at enmity with Him and are His enemy, can come through the Door, who is Jesus. He is the Door to life, and if confessing and repenting to Jesus, He will forgive and they may enter heaven through Him.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

Our sin nature is so total, even babies show it. But if we have the faith of a child and repent, He will grant everlasting life. He sends the Spirit to dwell in us and give us His power to resist sin. He grows us in Christ’s likeness.

At the resurrection of the saints He will blessedly remove us from the presence of sin. Imagine a world where every conversation will be holy. Where every emotion will be perfect. Where there are no hidden agendas, no secret sins, no hypocrisy. Where we worship Jesus perfectly. Where our motives are pure and no one is manipulated, lied to, or pressured. No depravity, and total ability.

What a day that will be. Thank you Jesus, for saving your elect.

Posted in discernment, Justin Peters, war room

Justin Peters’ Review of the movie "War Room" by the Kendrick Brothers

Posted with permission by Justin Peters. See it here at Justin Peters’ site.

War Room
A Review by Justin Peters
September, 2015

If you do not know the Kendrick brothers by name, you almost certainly know them by their films: Flywheel (2003), Facing the Giants (2006), Fireproof (2008), and Courageous (2011). Stephen, Alex, and Shannon Kendrick have just released their fifth faith-based film, War Room. War Room, starring popular Bible teachers Priscilla Shirer and Beth Moore, looks like it may well be the most successful of their films to date bringing in $11 million just on its opening weekend; more than triple it’s $3 million production budget.

Given the popularity of Christian themed films and the considerable buzz about this one in particular, my wife, Kathy, and I went to see War Room on the evening of September 3rd so that I could write a review. For those of you who read my review of Mark Burnett and Roma Downey’s movie, Son of God, you know that I am a bit skeptical of the Christian movie genre as a whole. Nonetheless, I do want to offer what I hope to be a fair review. This review will not touch on every single facet of the movie or even on every theme it presents, but I do hope to address what I believe to be the most important of them.

Plot Overview

War Room is centered around Tony and Elizabeth Jordan, their ten year old daughter, Danielle, and Elizabeth’s real estate client-turned Christian friend, Mrs. Clara. The Jordan marriage is in serious trouble. Tony, a pharmaceutical salesman who travels extensively in his work, is the kind of husband and father one loves to hate. Though a hard worker, he shows little interest in his daughter and pursues a female work interest behind his wife’s back. Elizabeth, played by Priscilla Shirer, goes to Mrs. Clara’s home discuss the particulars of putting it on the market. The meeting, however, went far beyond deciding on a listing price for the house.

Mrs. Clara, an older widow, is a Christian fiercely devoted to prayer which she does in a closet she has dubbed her “War Room.” Mrs. Clara goes to war here, battling Satan who is portrayed as the source of every form of evil plaguing mankind. Rather than plotting troop positions on a military map, Mrs. Clara pins prayer requests and Scripture verses on the wall of her war room, prays to God, and rebukes the Enemy.

Mrs. Clara begins to ask Elizabeth some probing questions about her family, marriage, and church attendance. Upon learning that the Jordan family is at the point of collapse, Mrs. Clara exhorts Elizabeth to fight for her marriage in her own war room.

Slowly but surely, Elizabeth is changed by her newly found prayer life and by reading the Bible. One day in her war room, she discovers via a friend’s text that Tony has been seen in a restaurant with another woman. Elizabeth immediately prays for her husband and asks God to stop him. God gives Tony a stomach ache in the restaurant preventing him from following through with his adulterous plans.

Shortly after this, Tony is fired from his job. Rather than the anger and sarcasm he expected to receive from Elizabeth upon hearing this news, she offered him love and support. The change he sees in his wife eventually changes Tony as well. He confesses his sin and turns back to God. He seeks and is granted forgiveness from both Elizabeth and Danielle, and the Jordan family is on the fast track of restoration.

Despite his new life, Tony is fired from his job. What his boss did not know, though, was that Tony had been stealing drugs from the company, selling them and pocketing the profits. Though he had gotten away with it, his now sensitive conscience drove him to return to meet with his former boss, confess his theft and make restitution. His boss could easily have turned Tony in to the authorities to face prison but chose not to do so. The Jordan family was spared the loss of being torn apart again just as it had begun to heal. Tony eventually found a new, though less lucrative job, his family grew closer to one another and the Lord, Mrs. Clara’s house sold to a pastor and his wife, and all was well because of the battles fought in the War Room.

Strengths

The movie was, of course, clean. There was neither foul language nor any innuendos (other than what was about to happen between Tony and his almost-mistress at the restaurant) anywhere to be found.

War Room emphasized the importance of fidelity to one’s spouse and cutting off any potential threats to the sanctity of the marital covenant. The film championed the virtues of character, integrity, and selflessness. The importance of family, and the need for regular church attendance were stressed. Mrs. Clara (a very winsome character in the film) taught Elizabeth the importance of reading Scripture and, of course, prayer. The movie did teach the biblical truth that man is unable to reform himself. “You can’t fix Tony. Only God can.” said Mrs. Clara to Elizabeth.

The Gospel was, well, mostly there. Mrs. Clara presented the Gospel to Elizabeth in one of their meetings and she talked about sin, that Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty of sin, was raised from the dead and that a person must believe in Jesus and repent. These are all essential elements of the Gospel and I am glad that they were included. That having been said, even though the proper biblical terms were used, often these terms were not explained. The term “repent,” for example, was used but never fleshed out. The lingo was there to be sure, but without a biblical understanding of these terms they are just that, lingo.

Weaknesses

As I’m sure you are expecting, I did find much with which to be concerned. Some of the film’s failures could have been avoided with more careful attention to doctrine and theology and some of the failures, as I will explain in the conclusion, are inherent to the genre itself and unavoidable. I will outline my concerns in a series of “Outs:” Out of Home, Out of Order, Out of Focus, Out of Bounds and Out of Context.

Out of Home

I may as well begin with the most politically incorrect and probably the most controversial point I will make in this review and get it out of the way. Not everyone reading this will agree but truth is truth.

That men and women are of equal value before God is beyond dispute (Gal. 3: 28-29). That having been said, men and women do have different roles and the role of a young wife and mother is to be a worker in the home. The Apostle Paul writes that older women are to teach “the young women…to love their husbands, love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be blasphemed” (Titus 2:4-5). Note the “workers at home” part.

The context makes it quite clear that the “young women” are those who are married and have children in the home. This text makes it quite clear that such women’s primary place of service is not to be outside of the home but within.

Pastor and teacher Dr. John MacArthur has written that if a young woman is adequately fulfilling all seven of the requirements listed in this passage then she “will probably be a very busy individual” and have little time for work outside of the home. If, however, “she still has time left over, then she would be free to pursue enterprising and creative activities outside the home.”(1)  It is not that a young woman should never engage in wage earning work of any kind. Proverbs 31, in fact, depicts the godly woman who may do some enterprising work from within the home.

One of the first things I noticed in the film is that Elizabeth worked outside of the home as a real estate agent. Had she been adequately fulfilling all of her duties inside the home, then the case could have been made that this was permissible. This was not the case, however. In fact, the movie actually makes a point that Elizabeth was so involved at her job that she did not know what her daughter, Danielle, was doing at school or in her jump-rope team.

The sad reality is that the fallen world in which we live often requires young women to work outside of the home. Some “young women” (2) have been abandoned by their husbands and some may have husbands unable to work due to some type of infirmity. In situations such as these work outside of the home is, unfortunately, unavoidable.

When a young woman can avoid working outside of the home, though, she should. If a young woman works outside of the home out of preference rather than absolute necessity, then a biblical principle has been violated. The issue is not a minor one. Note that if a young woman works outside of the home at the expense of her biblical household duties, then the result is that the Word of God is βλασφημῆται (blasphemetai), literally, blasphemed.

Writes Dr. MacArthur:

The home is where a wife can provide the best expressions of love for her husband. It is where she teaches and guides and sets a godly example for her children. It is where she is protected from abusive and immoral relationships with other men and where, especially in our day, she still has greater protection from worldly influences—despite the many lurid TV programs, magazines, and other ungodly intrusions. The home is where she has special opportunity to show hospitality and devote herself to other good works. The home is where she can find authentic and satisfying fulfillment, as a Christian and as a woman. (3)

Out of Order

War Room is a theological train wreck chronologically speaking. In other words, it totally gets out of order the Holy Spirit’s work of regeneration in a person with the fruits of regeneration.

In their first meeting, Elizabeth tells Mrs. Clara of the distressed state of her marriage to Tony. Upon hearing this, Mrs. Clara asked her, “Have you prayed for him?” There is nothing, of course, wrong with this in and of itself except the fact that Mrs. Clara made this inquiry without having first made certain that Elizabeth understood the Gospel herself. Though Elizabeth certainly was not guilty of the overtly egregious sins of her husband, like he, she displayed little understanding of the Gospel. She attended church only “occasionally” and was biblically illiterate. There was no discernible spiritual fruit in her life to indicate that she was a believer.

Another example occurs after Elizabeth hears the Gospel (most of it anyway) from Mrs. Clara and begins to get on the straight and narrow. Shortly after Elizabeth found out about Tony’s attempt to cheat on her, he came home from his failed dalliance to a meal she had prepared for him. She looked at her husband and asked, “You wanna pray?” At this point in the movie there is absolutely no reason to believe that Tony had been converted. He had little interest in Danielle and he did not love his wife. (4) He was selfish, arrogant, was a thief, and had no conviction over his sin. He cared only for himself, had no godly sorrow, and showed no affections for things holy and pure. He was ignorant of Scripture and comfortably so. That Elizabeth, by this time walking with the Lord, would ask her husband to pray assumes that this is something he could do which, as a lost man, he could not.

Save the prayer that one may prayer at conversion, prayer is a spiritual discipline that can only be done by the saved. The movie gives the impression that praying for one’s spouse or asking God to bless the evening meal can be done by one who is lost. This, of course, is an impossibility. Before coming to Christ we are enemies of God (Col. 1:21), dead in our sins (Eph. 2:8-9), and cannot seek Him (Rom. 3:10-11); a condition which precludes any ability to pray (Is. 59:2).

Now, this having been said, I am not saying that this was the intention of the Kendrick brothers. It is probably the case that they were simply portraying how people normally speak. I am not at all saying that theologically they would believe that lost people can pray. The problem, though, is the vagueness in which it was portrayed.

Additionally, and even more worrisome, is that the film gives the impression that one can live a life of habitual, unrepentant sin and still be a believer. In her own war room, Elizabeth petitioned “Lord, I pray for Tony that you would turn his heart back to you.”

My issue here is not that Elizabeth is praying for her husband, but that her prayer gives the viewer the impression that Tony was a just backslidden Christian. (5) “Turn his heart back to You,” she prayed. Again, Tony was an absolutely loathsome individual at this point in the movie who displayed zero evidence he had ever experienced regeneration.

Christians can and do sin (1 Jn. 1:8) but their lives are not to be characterized by sin. It has been said that a Christian can stumble into sin, but he cannot swim in it. A believer is a new creature in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17) indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God Who produces in him good fruit (Gal. 5:22-23). Many people living lives of habitual sin are told they are just “backslidden” when they’ve never slidden forward in the first place. Charles Spurgeon stated, “Unless our faith makes us pine after holiness and pant after conformity to God, it is no better than the faith of the devils, and perhaps it is not even so good as that.” Whether intentional or not, there is a danger of this film giving some of its viewers a false assurance of their salvation.

Out of Focus

War Room certainly did deal with sin but it did so, I thought, primarily on a horizontal basis. In other words, though it showed the damaging consequences of sin in relation to our fellow human beings, it did not focus nearly so much on sin’s deadly consequences in our relationship to God.

Tony and Elizabeth both sinned in that they focused on their employment at the expense of their daughter, Danielle. Tony, of course, sinned in his pursuit of a woman who was not his wife. Eventually both came to see how their sin hurt others and they repented. In and of itself, this is good.

What I did not see – or at least what I believed was not emphasized nearly enough – was the vertical nature of sin. There was no mention anywhere in the film of the wrath of God that our sin incurs. There was no mention of God’s wrath abiding on the unbeliever (Jn. 3:36) or that we are saved from it (Rom. 5:9). There was no mention of eternal judgment for those who die in their sins (Lk. 16:19-31).

Without first understanding the wrath of God, one cannot rightly understand the mercy of God. Without first realizing that our sins are storing up God’s wrath (Rom. 2:5) which will be poured out on the ungodly for all of eternity (Rev. 14:10), we cannot truly appreciate His mercy. It is only in understanding God’s deserved wrath that we can fully understand His undeserved mercy. It is His wrath that makes His mercy so precious.

In watching the film both my wife and I were looking for one thing which is a hallmark of every genuine believer: a godly sorrow over sin.

The Bible speaks of two types of sorrow over sin. There is a worldly sorrow which is merely a guilty conscience. A worldly sorrow is one that is concerned only for the horizontal consequences of sin and it leads to death (2 Cor. 7:10).

The other type of sorrow, however, is a godly sorrow. A godly sorrow comes about when we understand that our sin is first and foremost against God. A godly sorrow is when we grieve over our sin because we understand that our sin grieves God and we desire to turn from sin because we do not want to grieve Him. It is this godly sorrow which “produces a repentance without regret leading to salvation” (2 Cor. 7:10).

Unless we both missed it, neither Kathy nor I saw any godly sorrow evidenced in either Tony or Elizabeth’s life. There definitely was sorrow over hurting others, but nowhere in the film did we see the kind of godly sorrow exhibited by David when he humbled himself before the Lord and said to Him, “Against You and You alone have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight” (Ps. 51:4).

Out of Bounds

The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 4:6 exhorts the immature believers in Corinth “not to exceed what is written.” In other words, we as believers are not to exceed biblical parameters. Whether in our theology or in our practice we are to stay safely within biblical parameters for when we exceed these God-given parameters we are opening ourselves up to demonic influence and demonic deception.

Sadly, biblical parameters dealing with spiritual warfare are exceeded throughout the movie. The entire film is saturated with Word-Faith/N.A.R. spiritual warfare lingo. (6) There seemed to be as much time and effort expended in binding, rebuking and casting out Satan by Mrs. Clara and Elizabeth in their respective war rooms as there was praying to God.

In one of the more emotionally rousing scenes of the film, upon discovering her husband’s philandering ways, Elizabeth retreats to her war room. As she repeatedly cites to herself James 4:7b, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you,” indignation swells within her and she begins to talk to the devil. “No more, you are done! Jesus is Lord of this house and there is no room for you anymore! Go back to Hell where you belong and leave my family alone!” she shouts.

There are at least two significant problems with this. First, Satan is not in Hell. Only when the eschatological events of Revelation 20 take place will he be thrown into the lake of fire and “tormented day and night forever and ever” (vs. 10). (7). The Bible makes it very clear that, for now at least, Satan is quite free “prowling about like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8).

Secondly, and more significantly, we as believers are not to be addressing Satan. Ever!

Consider that in Jude we have the record of Michael the archangel disputing with the devil and arguing over the body of Moses. Jude records for us that when he disputed with the devil, Michael the archangel “did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you!’” Think about that for just a moment and let it sink in. If Michael the archangel – the archangel – did not “dare” to rebuke Satan then I think it’s probably a safe bet that we should not do so either. Pastor Jim Osman in his excellent book Truth or Territory writes, “What God’s highest holy angel would not dare to do, sinful, fallen men presume the authority to do. It is unthinkable. I have been in the presence of Christians who boldly declare, ‘Satan, I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,’ and I wonder, ‘Who do you think you are?’ Rebuking, commanding, or ridiculing the devil are not tools of effective spiritual warfare; they are marks of prideful, arrogant, self-willed false teachers.” (8)

It is troubling that noted Bible teacher Priscilla Shirer does not know this and would model such a dangerous and unbiblical practice. By exceeding biblical parameters, people are exposing themselves to the very enemy that they fancy themselves as rebuking. (9)

Incidentally, given that so many people are rebuking and binding Satan, have you ever wondered how he seems to keep getting back out? It seems that as soon as someone binds him, he’s free again. All of these people binding Satan don’t seem to be tying him up very tightly. And if we can bind and rebuke Satan (Be sure to bind him first. The last thing you’d want to do is rebuke an unbound Satan as he might give you a nasty uppercut when you’re not looking.), why not just bind him from all places at all times and be done with it?

But I digress.

The movie also has a decidedly mystical bent. Towards the end of the film, an older pastor named Charles and his wife, clients of Elizabeth, are shown the home. Charles notices the closed door to the “war room,” opens it and slowly walks inside. He looks around, pauses, backs out of the closet, and then walks back in as though he feels something different in the atmosphere. His wife asks him what he is doing and he says that there has been a lot of praying in this room. “It’s almost like it’s baked in,” said the old pastor.

This is pure mysticism. God speaks to us through the Bible and we speak to Him through prayer. Prayer is an act of obedience that serves to conform our will to that of the Father but it in no way changes the atmosphere in a closet, house, hospital, gymnasium, state or country. This is hyper-charismatic, Word-Faith mysticism.

In another scene Mrs. Clara, Elizabeth and Danielle were on their way to get ice cream when their trip was interrupted by a knife wielding thug demanding their money. The unflappable Mrs. Clara stared him in the eye and commanded, “You put that knife right down in the name of Jesus.” All of the sudden the thug looked dazed and confused. Powerless to follow through with his criminal plans, he fled the scene. Saying “in the name of Jesus” to this miscreant was like giving Kryptonite to Superman.

Throughout the film the name of Jesus is used in this way. It is used almost like a magical incantation, a Christianized version of Abracadabra, to manipulate the physical realm toward one’s desired outcome. Whether used in prayer to restore a marriage or to thwart a mugging, the name of Jesus always got results in War Room.

Contrary to the way in which it is portrayed in the film, saying “in the name of Jesus” is not like putting in coins in some theological vending machine. The name of Jesus is synonymous with the will of Jesus. When we pray for things in Jesus’ name rightly, we are praying for Jesus’ will to be done (Jn. 14:13-14; 1 John 5:14-15). Using the name of Jesus does not always bring the results we desire.

It was fidelity to the name of Jesus that led nearly all of the Apostles to gruesome deaths. It is fidelity to the name of Jesus that has brought horrific persecution to untold millions of Christians during the last two thousand years. Many Christians throughout the world face persecution to this day because of the name of Jesus. Sometimes the name of Jesus gets us not what we want, but what we may not want. Often it is in times of trial and persecution for the believer that God is most glorified.

Out of Context

“The thief comes to steal, kill and to destroy; I have come that they might have life and have it abundantly” (Jn. 10:10) was quoted several times throughout the movie. In War Room the “thief” is identified as Satan who has come to steal people’s joy and marriages.

While it is not necessarily incorrect to identify the thief in John 10:10 as Satan, the context of the passage argues for a much broader view. The context indicates that the thief includes not only Satan, but any false teacher who claims any way of salvation other than that which is found exclusively in Christ. What the “thief” is attempting to steal is not one’s joy or marriage but rather one’s reception of the Gospel itself. The context is that of salvation, not one of life enhancement.

The movie concluded with one of the most familiar, beloved, and yet taken out of context passages in the Old Testament, 2 Chronicles 7:14: “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” The text was shown superimposed on a shot of the United States capitol the insinuation, of course, being that if we will repent that God will heal our nation’s many societal ills.

Though a thorough treatment of this passage is beyond the scope of this article, to apply this verse to the United States of America (or any other country for that matter) is to employ poor hermeneutics. The context of this verse is that it is God’s answer to Solomon’s prayer dedicating the temple recorded in the previous chapter. There has only been, is now, and only will be one country in a covenant relationship with God – Israel.

Another aspect of the movie that was out of context is the entire premise of having a prayer closet in the first place. The film portrayed this room almost as having magical powers. If you want your prayers to be effective, it’s best to pray them in a closet emptied of its contents. Upon first consideration, this idea appears to have biblical support:

When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father Who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. – Matthew 6:5-6.

As we were driving home from the theater that night, Kathy and I talked about how we would be willing to bet that thousands of people will see this film and then go to their homes, clean out a closet and make their own “war rooms” believing that their prayers will become more effective.

Sure enough, just this morning as I was writing this piece, I was watching the Daystar channel as presidents and hosts Marcus and Joni Lamb played a clip from Eyewitness New Fox 58 as Aaran Perlman interviewed two of the Kendrick brothers. A visibly emotional Perlman said, “I saw this movie last weekend with a group of people, I’m gonna start crying before I even get into this. It changed my life so much. This movie, it’s about prayer. It’s about finding a room called the war room and immediately after this movie I went home and ripped everything out of my closet and made my own war room.” “Wow, that’s incredible, awesome! You will see a difference in the days ahead. Write ‘em down so you can keep up with them. It’s great to be able to check off those prayer requests to realize God is alive and well and at work in your life,” Stephen Kendrick responded.

While there is certainly nothing wrong with praying in a closet if that is what one wants to do, the location is not the point. The point Jesus made in this text was not about location but attitude. The point is that we are not to make a show of our prayers as did the scribes and Pharisees and should remove any distractions which may divert our attention away from the One to Whom we are praying. Sincere, humble prayers offered in a living room, a backyard, or in an airplane at 40,000 feet halfway across the Pacific Ocean are heard just as well as those offered in an empty closet. Believing that there is some special power in the location itself is not only mystical, but borders on idolatry. The Object of our prayers and the condition of our hearts are the important things – not the location.

Conclusion

Some will read this review and undoubtedly think that I am being too nitpicky and critical. I have talked to some who have seen War Room and thought that it was great and that it had a solid biblical message. There is no doubt that the film was Christian themed – an element that has drawn the ire of numerous secular critics – but we are enjoined to “test all things” (1 Thess. 5:21) through the lens of Scripture and to “study to show ourselves approved unto God” (2 Tim. 2:15). Charles Spurgeon once said, “Discernment is not a matter of simply telling the difference between right and wrong; rather it is telling the difference between right and almost right.”

Finally, as I hinted at the beginning of this piece, I am not a fan of the whole Christian movie (I am not including documentaries in this) thing in general. It is not that I am inherently opposed to the genre per se, but rather that I believe there to be an inherent danger in them. For one, in order to be successful at the box office, Christian movies must be intentionally vague when it comes to many doctrinal matters. Christian films never really go past the basics of the Gospel and, sadly, often even fail at that. Yet the Bible says that we are to pay close attention to doctrine (1 Tim. 4:13) and to persevere in it (vs. 16).

Additionally, these movies are highly emotional. They tug at our heart strings. There is nothing wrong in and of itself with emotion, but emotion cannot be a substitute for obedience to objective biblical truth. Movies in and of themselves cannot bring lasting change to anyone’s life. It seems that every few years or so something new is introduced to the evangelical masses and is portrayed as the next great evangelistic super-tool. Whether it’s a blockbuster movie like the Passion of the Christ, or best-selling books like The Purpose-Driven Life, or Jesus Calling, (10) people get all excited. Spin-off products follow and incredible amounts of money are spent chasing after the latest fads. But they are just that – fads. Recall the Prayer of Jabez craze about fifteen years ago? Remember how everyone was praying for God to enlarge their territory? Do you have any friends still praying the prayer of Jabez? Me neither. Without a foundation of sound doctrine, without a constant and proper hermeneutic, all of these things are the spiritual equivalent of a sugar pill.

It is a sad commentary, in my estimation, that so many professing believers get so excited about the latest thing to come down the evangelical pike, but show little enthusiasm in and put precious little effort into reading, studying and obeying God’s Word. Watching a movie is easy. Laboring in the Word is not. But only the latter will bear fruit that remains.

———————-

Footnotes

1. Source: http://www.gty.org/resources/questions/QA188/is-it-wrong-for-wives-to-work

2. For the purposes of this article when I write “young women” I am referring to the biblical definition of the term per Titus 2.

3. Source: https://www.gty.org/resources/bible-qna/BQ101712/Does-Scripture-Permit-Women-to-Work-Outside-the-Home

4. No matter how he may argue to the contrary, if a man cheats on his wife (or vice versa) he does not love her. Such a sin breaks the marriage covenant and is in direct contradiction to the biblical definition of love.

5. The New Testament never uses this word. It is only used in the Old Testament in reference to Israel.

6. New Apostolic Reformation is a twin movement of Word-Faith but has even more emphasis on signs and wonders and modern day Apostles. Some of its prominent leaders include Bill Johnson, John Arnott, C. Peter Wagner, Cindy Jacobs and Heidi Baker.

7. Technically, there will never even be a time when Satan resides in Hell. Revelation 20:14 states that Hell and death are thrown into the lake of fire where Satan and the demons will already be by that time. It is a distinction with probably little meaningful difference, but a distinction nonetheless.

8. Osman, Jim (2015-01-24). Truth Or Territory: A Biblical Approach to Spiritual Warfare (Kindle Locations 1905-1908). Jim Osman, Kootenai Community Church. Kindle Edition.

9. For an excellent book on spiritual warfare from a biblically sound perspective see Truth or Territory: A Biblical Approach to Spiritual Warfare by Pastor Jim Osman. Also available is a 6 CD set of 12 interviews with Jim Osman and this writer on the topic of Spiritual Warfare. It is available at http://justinpeters.org/store/

10. All of these mentioned have massive doctrinal errors.

Posted in mary kassian, strength in the Lord, weaker vessel

Ladies, are you weak, the bad kind of weak?

Source

Women, are you silly? Gullible? Weak?

“Of course not!” many would say.

Well, that is good to hear, because many women who claim to be Christian are weak. Being weak, vulnerable, gullible, or silly makes you satan’s target. And this is a problem.

Have you noticed that satan uses women to enter into households? He uses emotionalism, mysticism, Jesus Calling, Beth Moore, psychology, Ann Voskamp, IF:Gathering and many more teachings and teachers and books like this that lead women astray. Not as many are targeted to men.  Satan gets at men other ways. But satan targets women in very successful ways, and Kassian unpacks some of the techniques to which we succumb and knowing this, can avoid these traps.

At the 2014 True Women Conference, Mary Kassian expounded on the verse from 2 Timothy 3:6-7,

For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth

The title of her sermon is “Don’t Be a Wimp: Kicking the Habits That Make Women Weak”, where Kassian looks to Scripture to explore seven characteristics of weak women. These 7 characteristics are the 7 clauses in the verse. In the sermon, Kassian unpacks them for her hearers.

From the scripture the 7 characteristics are:

1. creep into households
2. weak women
3. burdened with sins
4. led astray
5. various passions
6. always learning
7. never able to arrive

Don’t be a wimp, Ladies! A weak woman is captivated by lies, a woman of strength takes her thoughts captive. ~Mary Kassian

The end of the sermon was terrific, because Kassian focused on the fact that in some way or another, we are ALL weak, and in every way we always need Jesus and His strength. Check it out and be encouraged!

Posted in encouragement, scripture photo

Scripture photo: This old tent groans and goes to work

But until that glorious day, as I prepare for work and my day outside this home, my prayer today is:

Lord, may I honor you in the job you have given me.

I pray this daily. Why every day? Because I must die to self daily.

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

Lord, I need You. Every hour I need you.

Posted in discernment

Christian Movies: Are there any GOOD ones out there?

Recently I posted a two-part review of the new movie “War Room” starring Priscilla Shirer and TC Stallings. Included in the essays are links to other reviews and resources regarding prayer. Part 1 is here. Part 2 is here.

My review regarding War Room was negative.

Christianity Today reviews War Room.

Other movies with Christian themes that I and others do not consider edifying:

Coming Soon:

A grieving man receives a mysterious, personal invitation to meet with God at a place called “The Shack.”

Ever since Hollywood discovered that Christian people will attend a movie containing no profanity, no nudity, and including Christian themes, they have been pumping them out. For the most part, the movies have been atrocious. The worst of these movies distort the word of God by deleting foundational truths or adding extra things that hide or dilute the truth. They have been written by heretics or Non-Christians. They have insulted the holy name of Jesus. Or these alleged Christian movies have other issues that make them not worth watching.

Now I understand that there is some license taken with movies containing Christian themes. If it is to be called a Christian movie, the Gospel should hopefully be in the movie in some way. God should be honored and His character should rightly be portrayed in the people in the movie who claim Him as Father. Apart from that, we all understand that movies are movies, and it is not the movie’s responsibility to replicate the Bible. Unless the miniseries indeed is attempting to replicate the Bible, as Roma Downey’s series did, in which case, what is plainly in the Bible should not be changed for artistic purposes. So there is some license, or some latitude there when each person chooses their entertainment of a Christian fashion.

On the other hand, the Bible tells us to be involved in endeavors that glorify the Lord. We only have so much time here on earth, so why choose to go to a movie that will entertain you, but at the same time take liberties with the only thing worth anything on this earth, the Word of God? Is that entertaining? If you want to go to a movie, go to a movie where it doesn’t monkey around with the things of a holy nature. It’s no problem to want to relax. But choosing a movie that you know ahead of time distorts the word, but then pooh-pooh the effect its distortion has on the weaker brother, or yourself by claiming it’s only a movie is disingenuous.

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

If one wants simply to relax by watching a wholesome movie, I’d rather see the 1994 version of Lassie than War Room, because Lassie doesn’t pretend to honor the word of God. It is what it is. When choosing entertainment, first and foremost, ask does it honor God? Colossians 3:17 speaks to that.

And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. (Colossians 3:17)

Another question is, does this self-styled Christian entertainment put you under the influence of non-believers? Watching The Bible Miniseries by Roma Downey certainly did. It was written by a pagan and the spiritual oversight was given by Modalist TD Jakes, Pragmatist Rick Warren, and Prosperity Gospelist Joel Osteen. Do not partner with darkness, lest you be influenced by it.

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?” (2 Corinthians 6:14-15)

Now that said, some people have read my review of War Room and complained that I am a negative Nellie, a Debbie Downer who never says anything good or positive. That I delight in stomping on flowers and snatching candy from babies. That my name is really Gru and I’m despicable. OK, maybe not the last two but certainly I can answer the query as to what movies I DO consider respectful to the faith.

There are a lot of Christian movies I’ve reviewed in a positive fashion on this site. Here are a few of them.

Finding Normal
The only thing standing between Dr. Lisa Leland (Candice Cameron Bure) and the wedding of her dreams in the Hamptons is a 2600-mile drive from Los Angeles to Long Island. However, a run in with the law in the country town of Normal, Louisiana leaves Dr. Leland with a choice–Jail or community service. Sentenced to serve three days as the town’s doctor, Lisa has her world turned upside down by a man she would never expect. Quickly, Lisa finds that there’s a lot more to Normal than she could have ever imagined.
     Common Sense Media review
     The End Time review here

Raising Izzy
The touching story of two orphaned sisters and the caring teacher who changes their lives forever.
     Christian Film Database review here
     The End Time review here

WWJDII The Woodcarver
A troubled youth vandalizes a church and winds up in a close association with the woodcarver whose work he destroyed.
     The End Time review here

Secrets of Jonathan Sperry
An wise old Christian man imparts Biblical truths to three boys during the summer of 1970.
     The Independent Critic- review of Sperry

Camp
This is a very good film. I just watched it last week and have not had a chance to review it yet. Here is Christian Movie Guide’s summary: Strong Christian worldview as Eli attends a camp with Christian camp counselors that teach about the Bible, worship and pray to God, with strong moral elements as counselors speak to another counselor about showing forgiveness and compassion;

To impress a potential client, financial advisor Ken Matthews signs up to be a counselor at a camp for kids in the foster system. He is paired with Eli, a 10 year-old determined to hate camp. However, when Ken discovers Eli’s dark past, his apathy turns to compassion. But is he to late to help the scared boy nobody wants? Inspired by true stories of ordinary people providing extraordinary help for abused and neglected kids, CAMP is a tale of hope shining in the dark places for forgotten children. For his performance in the role of Eli, actor Miles Elliot won BEST PERFORMANCE IN A FEATURE FILM by a Leading Young Actor at the 35th annual Young Artist Awards. The camp mentioned is in reality Royal Family Kids’ Camps.
     MovieGuide Christian reviews

No Greater Love
Jeff and Heather Baker were life long sweethearts and happily married… for a time. But at her greatest moment of weakness, Heather abandons Jeff, forcing Jeff to raise their young son alone. Ten years later, through a God ordained encounter, Jeff and Heather meet again. They must wrestle with forgiveness, reconciliation and the pressing of the Savior on their hearts.
     Michelle Lesley reviews No Greater Love

What If…
15 years ago, Ben Walker left his girlfriend and his ministry calling for a business opportunity. Now with a high-paying career and a trophy fiancé, he is visited by an angel, who gives him a glimpse into what his life would look like had he followed his calling.
     MovieGuide Christian Reviews
     The End Time movie review of What If…

These next few are Apocalyptic movies, not necessarily Christian. I include these because they graphically depict in realistic fashion nuclear war and its effects, or germ warfare and its effect. In my opinion, the value of these movies is to show the to Christian what life will realistically be like after the rapture during the Tribulation. And even then, as horrific as these movies are (and The War Game was banned in Britain for 30 years before the BBC would allow its release, it is THAT realistic) seeing the reality of the Tribulation-like conditions should spur us to fervency in witnessing the Gospel. If you dare, watch these films to see what our non-believing friends and family will endure.

The War Game
The War Game is a fictional, worst-case-scenario docu-drama about nuclear war and its aftermath in and around a typical English city. Although it won an Oscar for Best Documentary, it is fiction. It was intended as an hour-long program to air on BBC 1, but it was deemed too intense and violent to broadcast. It went to theatrical distribution as a feature film instead. Low-budget and shot on location, it strives for and achieves convincing and unflinching realism.
     Roger Ebert Movie Review
     The End Time Movie review

It’s a Disaster
Four couples meet for Sunday brunch only to discover they are stuck in a house together as the world may be about to end.
     Common Sense Media review
     The End Time movie review

Threads
Documentary-style account of a nuclear holocaust and its effect on the working class city of Sheffield, England, and the eventual long-term effects of nuclear war on civilization.
Where The War Game focused on the day of and week after, Threads shows the day of and the generation after. This is the title I gave to my review:
The most unrelentingly horrific and unsettling apocalyptic movie you will ever watch that comes the closest to what the Tribulation will be like: “Threads”.
     At-A-Glance Film reviews
     The End Time movie review

As for other movies that are wholesome and clean with a more subdued spirituality, there are plenty to watch. I enjoyed The Next Voice You Hear…,  Brownstones to Red Dirt, Lassie (1994), Owd Bob, Becoming Santa, Honor Flight, and many others.

Let’s make our entertainment choices wisely and enjoy your relaxation time with a clear conscience and no stumbling blocks in sight 🙂

Here is one movie poster depicting an event I know we are all looking forward to: