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arminianism, calvinism, charles spurgeon, doctrines of grace, encouragement, reformed

"Calvinism is not new to Baptists", and other Calvinistic thoughts

Posted on June 16, 2015May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

With the Southern Baptist Convention going on and its recent history of fighting against the doctrines of grace, AND fighting against the people who bring them, it might be good to get a little perspective. Here are two. Thomas Kidd at Desiring God, writes about the doctrines of grace in church history. And S. Lewis Johnson preaches on the inconsistent stance of four-point Calvinists.

For those unfamiliar with the terms, here are some quick definitions first. Calvinism is a position where those who adhere to it have

a very high view of Scripture and seeks to derive its theological formulations based solely on God’s Word. It focuses on God’s sovereignty–stating that God is able and willing by virtue of His omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence to do whatever He desires with His creation. It also maintains that within the Bible are the following teachings: That God, by His sovereign grace, predestines people into salvation and that Jesus died only for those predestined and that God regenerates the individual to where he is then able to and wants to choose God and that it is impossible for those who are redeemed to lose their salvation.

The Arminian’s flower is the Daisy.
“He loves me, He loves me not…” JK!

Arminianism, on the other hand, maintains that God predestined but not in an absolute sense. Rather, He looked into the future to see who would pick him, and then He chose them. Jesus died for all peoples’ sins who have ever lived and ever will live–not just the Christians. Each person is the one who decides if he wants to be saved or not. And finally, it is possible to lose your salvation (some Arminians believe you cannot lose your salvation).

Miracle Max was an Arminian.

GotQuestions has a good overview. Here is an excerpt-

The five points of Calvinism can be summarized by the acronym TULIP. T stands for total depravity, U for unconditional election, L for limited atonement, I for irresistible grace, and P for perseverance of the saints.

Other terms for Calvinism are Reformed Theology or Doctrines of Grace.

SBC logo

Irrespective of any activity at the Southern Baptist Convention, Thomas Kidd asks, Did you know Calvinism is not new to Baptists?

Calvinists once dominated Baptist church life in America. In a 1793 survey, early Baptist historian John Asplund estimated that there were 1,032 Baptist churches in America. Out of those, 956 were Calvinist congregations. These were “Particular Baptists,” for they believed in a definite atonement (or “particular redemption”), that Christ had died to save the elect decisively.

This was maintained until well into the nineteenth century. Then Kidd asks,

How did Calvinism lose its dominant position among Baptists? The American Revolution, with its focus on liberty, gave new life to “free will” theology in traditionally Calvinist denominations. But Calvinism remained ascendant among Baptists well into the nineteenth century. As Baptist churches spread into America’s frontier, they took Calvinist commitments with them. The newly-formed Elkhorn Baptist Association of Kentucky, for example, decided in 1785 to require assent to the Philadelphia Baptist confession of faith, which closely followed the 1689 London Baptist confession. Among other points, the Elkhorn Association affirmed that “by the decree of God, for the manifestation of his glory, some men and angels are pre-destinated, or fore-ordinated to eternal life, through Jesus Christ, to the praise of his glorious grace; others being left to act in their sin to their just condemnation, to the praise of his glorious justice.”

By the 1830s, the stage was set for the slow weakening of Calvinism among mainstream Baptists. But Arminian theology would never become as dominant among Baptists as Calvinism once was. When groups such as Desiring God and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary began to reinvigorate Calvinist theology for Baptists and other evangelicals in the late twentieth century, some Arminian Baptists insisted that free will and general atonement were the “traditional” Baptist positions on those issues. A deeper historical look, however, reveals the overwhelmingly Calvinist convictions of early America’s Baptists

Tulip. Source- Graphics Fairy

It is a really good essay, thorough without being too long. It’s not that I always adhered to the doctrines of grace. It took a bit of time to study and for the Spirit to cement these things in my mind and heart. One video that went a long way to opening my eyes was a Paul Washer segment. I’ll post that below. I understand that the doctrine is difficult for people to accept, and many don’t or won’t believe it.

Therefore, if anyone has any questions concerning these doctrines of grace please don’t hesitate to ask. If anyone has a problem with what is being said or written please don’t be afraid to speak up. I believe what Paul Washer is saying is biblically true. Understanding the doctrines of grace/election/Calvinism is vital in understanding God’s work in regards to salvation. It’s like this-

Picture Jesus as the Living Water. There are urns of fresh, holy, heavenly, pure water. There are two methods. One drinks the water as it is given out. Or one can put one’s hand in the water to test its temperature, leaving behind oil from one’s hand, and dirt from one’s fingernails, before choosing to scoop some into one’s hand and drink. But now the water is no longer pure. Man added something to it. The second scenario is man’s participation in his salvation, by “deciding” to drink the Living Water and “accepting Christ”. But it’s polluted, even one drop from man pollutes it and it is no longer pure (grace).

In studying Galatians 1 and the importance of pure grace (unmixed with Legalism or any other man-made invention), John MacArthur says in his Commentary on Galatians,

Paul would not tolerate one drop of legalism being mixed with God’s pure grace. To turn away from any part of the grace of Christ is to turn away from God to that of human effort. … A single drop of poison in a large container can make all the water lethal. And a single false idea that in any way undercuts God’s grace poisons the whole system of belief.

So…no, we don’t “decide for Christ”. We don’t “accept Christ”. We have no part in our salvation. Why? We’re dead. God makes salvation possible by sending the spirit of understanding, the spirit of repentance … He initiates it all. (Ephesians 1:4, Philippians 1:6, Hebrews 12:2). As Paul explained the extent of our participation in salvation, in 1 Corinthians 3:6,

I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.

Or as Miracle Max explains,

There’s a big difference between mostly dead and all-dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive. With all-dead, well, with all-dead there’s usually only one thing you can do.
Inigo Montoya: What’s that?
Miracle Max: Go through his clothes and look for loose change.

A Calvinist believes we are all-dead.

Here is that Paul Washer video I promised. A young seminarian approached Washer at the 2009 Deeper Conference and asked about election. He asked also about God choosing some people to salvation and others He says ‘you, you, you, send to hell’. This is a common question. Washer answers brilliantly.

There are helpful captions so you can read along with what Washer is saying. It’s worth listening to. I love the part when he takes off his glasses and looks like he is settling in for a good discussion, lol.

Just as grace is unmixed with any man’s “decision” or any man’s “works” in his own salvific rebirth, any less than the total TULIP and you have a deformed flower. Yet some say they believe the biblical verses relating to T-U-I-P but not L, limited atonement, This is where they say that God died for all people, not just a few chosen, or elect. 4-Pointers believe that His blood was not limited to those whose names were written down in the Lamb’s Book of Life since before the foundation of the world.

Here is S. Lewis Johnson in preaching Galatians 1:4, The Great Emancipation, side-tracking a bit to the inconsistent stance of 4-point Calvinists.

There are individuals who say, “I am a Calvinist, but I am a four-point Calvinist.” Now, I respect an individual who says this. I think, however, that it is a very inconsistent position. Richard Watson, probably the greatest of the Arminian theologians said, “It is perhaps the most inconsistent theory to which the varied attempts to modify Calvinism have given rise. Here are individuals who claim to believe in total depravity, unconditional election, invincible grace, and the perseverance of the saints. But they do not believe that Jesus Christ came to die for his own, but rather for every one.”

Now, let me ask you to look at this text. If we say that Jesus Christ intended to die for all men, then his intention was frustrated, because both of us will grant that not all people are saved. I think, of course, what happened is the best judge of what God intended. In other words, the result will tell us what he intended to do. But if Christ intended to die for all men, if we say that he gave himself for everyone, then his intention was frustrated. The frustration of his intention is offensive, in my eyes; I say it in love, to the perfections of the Son of God. To think that the intention of his is frustrated, to me, limits our understanding of the Son of God.

Furthermore, if we say that died in order to save all, we cannot speak then of a substitution that was effectual. The substitution was ineffectual. It was not really a substitution at all. For, even though he has done what he has done, it is possible for heaven to have further claims against individuals who are not saved. So the substitution was not really a substitution, the work was not really done. The purchase did not secure salvation for all for whom he made it. Heaven’s claims are not really met. It is not then a finished work, logically.

Now, what is this? This is dishonoring to the work of our adorable substitute. So the idea that Jesus Christ could die for all men and yet not be effective in his intention is dishonoring to the Son of God, dishonoring to his perfections, dishonoring to his work as substitute. And furthermore, if you reflect about it for a moment, it should shatter your confidence and assurance, because if it is possible for God to be frustrated in one of his great works, the work of the atonement, how do you know that he cannot be frustrated in the other promises the has given us? Is it really true then that he does all of his pleasure, as the word of God tells us? You can see that this then would be most damaging to my assurance and hope that he will really save me, who has believed in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, I say that in love, I say that because I would like to recover some for an understanding of the gospel of the grace of God that will most honor and glorify our great God. If you shall happen to be of the contrary option, I hope that you will not be upset by that. There are probably other things that we disagree about. And it is possible, of course, that I am wrong in two or three other things. Though I think I am right in this one thing, you understand. You still may be right in more things than I, but I hope we remain friends. But we understand each other I hope.

He was such a humble man! Though this three-segment essay that included definitions, a history of Calvinism in Baptist church history, and 4-point Calvinism’s illogic has been long, I hope that it brought some kind of truth and honorable reason to the concept. One last comment, this one on free will. I read the following comment from a man named Chancellor (Buddy) Roberts about free will,

Free will (which Arminians insist God gave us) necessitates not merely the capacity to choose but also having the right to choose. If man has free will, then he must necessarily have the right to choose whatever he wants and, therefore, God has no right to punish him for how he exercises that free will. Having the right to choose removes any culpability for choices made because it is presumed that God has given man the right to make those choices.

We only have free will in the capacity in which we are limited by our nature. Can a fox choose to write Shakespeare? Can a lion choose to be a vegetarian? No, they can only do things according to their nature. Likewise we as totally depraved humans cannot choose Good. We hate God and He is dead to us. Since we are totally sinful through and through, (“all-dead”) the only free will we have is to choose to sin. Therefore we cannot “choose God” or “decide for Jesus.” Jesus has to do it for us, and blessedly, He has.

“I would rather believe a limited atonement that is efficacious for all men for whom it was intended, than a universal atonement that is not efficacious for anybody, except the will of men be added to it.” (Spurgeon Sermons, Vol. 4, p. 70).

———————————

Under the fig tree

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

EPrata photo

Here is something pleasant in store during the Millennium:

but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken. (Micah 4:4)

In that day, declares the LORD of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and under his fig tree. (Zechariah 3:10).

Gill’s Exposition says of the Micah verse,

It was usual for persons in the eastern countries to sit under vines and fig trees to read, meditate, pray, or converse together, where they grow very large, as were their vines; and even with us they are frequently raised and carried over supporters, so as to be sat under; and of fig trees, we frequently read in Jewish writings of their being very large, and of their going up to them, and praying on the top of them; and of sitting under them, and studying in the law there.

What a promise to Israel! S. Lewis Johnson preached on the verse in the sermon Jehovah Supreme from His Temple in Zion

Therefore, if someone in Micah’s day had pondered what the prophet was saying, “Zion shall be plowed as a field, Jerusalem will become a heap or ruins,” he would have known, had he pondered those promises correctly, that while Jerusalem does face a time of chastisement and a time of judgment, that’s not the end for Jerusalem. Jerusalem has a glorious future.

The ruin of Jerusalem and their present disobedience as a nation cannot negate the covenantal pledges that God has given in the Abrahamic promises which were renewed to Isaac and to Jacob. They cannot be annulled because God has given his word that they will be fulfilled. And remember our great biblical principle: the God of the Bible cannot be frustrated insofar as his purposes are concerned. He will fulfill all his purposes. So, when we come to the fourth chapter, we come realizing that Jerusalem becoming a heap of ruins is not the final account of the future of Israel.

One of the many blessed benefits of the fulfillment of the Micah verse will be as Johnson explains,

And furthermore, when the decisions are rendered, the media will not turn to the republicans or the democrats and give the opposite side giving them an opportunity to quibble over decisions that are made by the high authorities. And that in itself is enough of a relief for us to say, Hallelujah when we think about the kingdom of God upon the earth. We’re not going to be told, Now what do others say about this? But when things come from Jerusalem, that’s the final word. He is the arbiter of peace.

LOL, no more ~~talking~~ yelling heads at Fox News or CNN. Here is another blessing the prophet Micah foretells:

The most significant thing about this of course is the freedom from fear that we finally have. But of course this can only be fulfilled by the prior condition of the opening lines of this chapter. And of course, the prior condition is submission to Yahweh, Israel’s God, because that is implicit in this whole account. All of these blessings that he unfolds here are blessing that proceed out of the fact that the day is coming when men are going to submit to the God of Israel or Yahweh.

What a day that will be.

culture, jenner. dolezal, morality, prophecy, woe

Jenner and Dolezal, evil is good and good is evil, Isaiah’s warning hovers over America

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

There have been multiple news stories regarding these three issues depicted in the panorama below. I saw the photo on twitter and it sparked something in my mind from the book of Isaiah. The original photo was a quartet but I cut the fourth photo from the array because it was political and not moral.

Any mature Christian with eyes in their face and a brain cell left in their head can see the astounding moral decay here in America that is accelerating at breakneck speed. Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Mohler responded to this question recently in this article: Albert Mohler on How to Survive a Moral Revolution

How did in the span of a generation an entire moral understanding in North America become reversed? And how did this moral revolution happen so fast?

Mohler: We’ve never experienced anything like this. . . . And the bottom line is that no part of the culture is going to be left untouched. . . . We haven’t had any moral revolution on this scale in human history.

“Reversed” is a good way to put it. Everything is upside down and it did happen fast, in my lifetime. Words have no meaning anymore, especially words that are attached to what used to contain any semblance of a moral philosophy, never mind moral absolutes. Growing up we never dreamed that a man would identify as a woman and a white lady would identify as a black person.

If Rachel Dolezal isn’t black how is Caitlyn Jenner a woman?

Spokane NAACP president Rachel Dolezal, a professor of Africana Studies at Eastern Washington University, was outed earlier this week by her parents as being white. In what has to be one of the more bizarre news stories of 2015, Dolezal pretended for years to be black. Social media accounts posted pictures of a black man who she said was her father (he’s not). She regularly wrote about her black son Izaiah (he’s actually her adopted brother). It also appears as though she repeatedly lied about being the victim of race-based hate crimes. She claims to have been the victim of at least nine separate hate crimes. As you might expect, this story has gotten a lot of attention, namely because Dolezal isn’t black.

NAACP is the acronym for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Not the National Association for the Advancement of White People Pretending to Be Black. But for Dolezal, for years she claimed to be Black because she wanted to be Black.

Elizabeth Warren is the Democratic Senator from Massachusetts, formerly a Professor at Law with Harvard Law School. “Starting in the mid-1980s, when she was at U. Penn. Law School, Warren had put herself on the “Minority Law Teacher” list in the faculty directory of the Association of American Law Schools but dropped from that list when she gained tenure at Harvard in 1995” as it states in the Elizabeth Warren Wiki. It was Bloggers and Reporters that uncovered Warren’s 30-year history of claiming to be Native American for employment purposes. For 30 years Elizabeth Warren claimed to be Native American because she wanted to be Native American.

Bruce Jenner was an Olympian and is currently a television celebrity who decided he wanted to appear as a woman. In June 2015 he began using makeup and clothing that women wear to alter his appearance, and insisted on being called by a female name and using female pronouns. Bruce has undergone some minor cosmetic surgery but not the drastic gender reassignment surgery which removes his male appendage. (Which would render him a eunuch but not a woman). He began hormone therapy in the 1990s but stopped that when he got married for the third time. Jenner professes Christianity. Now Jenner claims to be a woman because he wanted to be a woman.

There really is no difference between the three. One White woman who wanted to be Black, one White woman who wanted to be Native American, and one man who wanted to be a woman. It’s simply about lying and personal desire. Of course, the culture awards the sexual perversity in Jenner but slams the lies from the other two.

The Federalist poses the question:

Rachel Dolezal changing her wardrobe, her makeup, and her hair do not make her black. Pretty much everyone seems to agree on that, for obvious reasons. You don’t turn red into blue by magically declaring that red is now blue. And yet, the Left and the media would have us believe that Bruce Jenner can become a woman by…changing his name, his wardrobe, his makeup, and his hair. How can you logically square the belief that Jenner is a hero while Dolezal is a mental case? Well, you can’t.

It’s also about re-defining words. White, black, woman, man, marriage, Christian… none of those words contain a commonly understood moral definition to them anymore.

In Isaiah 5, the prophet declares 6 woes against God’s unrepentant people, Israel. The fourth woe is this one-

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! (Isaiah 5:20)

MacArthur puts it this way-

The fourth woe condemned the reversal of morality that dominated the nation. They utterly confused all moral distinctions.

Did you catch that? A “reversal of morality.” Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible says,

Who confound and overthrow the distinctions between moral good and evil, who call evil good and moral evil (v. 20), who not only live in the omission of that which is good, but condemn it, argue against it, and, because they will not practise it themselves, run it down in others, and fasten invidious epithets upon it—not only do that which is evil, but justify it, and applaud it, and recommend it to others as safe and good

The woe was pronounced specifically to Israel through the prophet from God. However we know God’s attributes of holiness and justice commands us to adhere to His laws and precepts, and He is not happy with any nation that turns them over. He sent Jonah to preach to the gentile city of Nineveh for the same reason. (Jonah 1:2). And against Damascus (Isaiah 17:10) and against Egypt (Isaiah 19:1). And against Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim. And against Babylon. And against every city and every nation that is wicked. So, yes, the Lord would be angry with America for reversing His morality.

Bible Knowledge Commentary–

Some people lead others astray by their perverted values. Evil-for example, adultery, idolatry, materialism, murder, and many other sins forbidden in the Scriptures-is often held up as being good. Those who say such things are under the threat (woe) of God’s judgment.

Roy E. Gingrich says in his outline on the Book of Isaiah,

Sin sears our conscience (Ephesians 4:19; 1 Timothy 4:2) and destroys our moral nature, leaving us confused concerning what is true and what is false, and what is right and what is wrong.

We see the effects of sin-seared consciences in the New Testament in Romans 1:18-32. Once God’s truth is suppressed in unrighteousness in verse 18, the slide down to complete moral decay is inevitable by verse 32. If there is such a thing as the bottom of the barrel, we’re there. America is sliding around in the muck and sludge at the very bottom, calling good evil and evil good. Woe.

piglets, quake swarm, sinabung

Swarm of Earthquakes Rattles Rural Alabama, Reason Unclear, scientists "befuddled"; & other news

Posted on June 13, 2015May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

I love reading about earth changes and natural disasters. It isn’t a morbid interest, I hope. It’s based on my love for Genesis 1-3 and Revelation, my two favorite books in the bible. I love how they perfectly bookend one another. The Creation and the Uncreation. The earth was created by the Lord with a word and that alone is worth pondering for 3 or 50 years. And the Lord at His timing demonstrates He is in charge of it. The sun stands still, the earth opens and swallows Korah, Mt Zion quakes with peals of thunder and a glory cloud…that He can and does what He likes with His earth and universe is of endless fascination to me.

From the Flood in Old Testament times to today He still does what He likes with it, either directly or allowing satan who is the god of this world to perform his deeds within God-prescribed limits. The sovereignty of God is on display when the sun shines and flowers bloom or when floods come and people die. When events like these happen it makes me thankful to be alive and in a place where He has not yet deemed a tragedy to be performed. It also makes me remember that this earth is temporary. God will melt it and create a new one someday. (2 Peter 3:10).

Swarm of Earthquakes Rattles Rural Alabama; Reason Unclear
EUTAW, Ala. — Jun 13, 2015, 8:53 AM ET
By JAY REEVES Associated Press

Jim Sterling didn’t know what had hit his 156-year-old antebellum home when an earthquake struck Alabama’s old plantation region early one morning last November. Startled, he grabbed a gun and ran outdoors. In the pre-dawn chill, Sterling said, he found an odd scene: horses were galloping, cows mooing and dogs barking. “I heard a boom and felt the shaking,” Sterling said. “It really upset me.” More than a dozen weak earthquakes have followed in the seven months since in west Alabama’s rural Greene County, and geologists are trying to figure out what is causing the seismic swarm in an area of the South more prone to tornadoes than earthquakes.

Swarm of earthquakes rattles old plantation area of Alabama, leaving seismic experts befuddled

Experts are trying to figure out what’s behind a string of weak earthquakes in rural western Alabama. Records from the U.S. Geological Survey show 14 quakes have occurred since Nov. 20 in Alabama’s Greene County, west of Tuscaloosa.

“Befuddled” lol.

Sinabung Volcano is in Northern Sumatra, Indonesia. It was dormant for 400 years then suddenly roared back to life 5 years ago.

Indonesia’s Mount Sinabung Unleashes New Powerful Burst

A volcano in western Indonesia unleashed a new powerful burst high into the sky on Saturday, sending hot ash far down the mountain’s slopes, an official said. Authorities have been closely monitoring 2,460-meter (8,070-foot) -high Mount Sinabung on Sumatra, one of Indonesia’s main islands, since June 2, when its status was raised to the highest alert level due to the growing size of its lava dome. Hot ash tumbled down the slopes of the mountain as far as 3 kilometers (2 miles) southeastward on Saturday, said Wendy Cahya, an official at the mountain’s monitoring post. No injuries were reported from the latest eruption, he said. … The volcano has sporadically erupted since 2010, after being dormant for 400 years. An eruption last year killed at least 17 people.

For the last two weeks, Texas floods. Texas hail. Texas tornadoes. Texas earthquakes. Texas ebola. Texas explosives. Texas can’t seem to catch a break. And it’s not ending. This is from today:

Flash Flood Watch extended for southeast Houston, some areas have received 5 inches already

A series of storms have moved through the southern part of the Houston metro area this morning, and three to five inches of rain have fallen from Santa Fe to Clear Lake.

Floodwater flows past the top of a sign along a bike path
near Memorial Drive in Houston, Texas, on May 26, 2015.
Aaron M. Sprecher / AFP / Getty Images. Source

May rainfall most ever in United States, especially OK and TX

In some areas of the United States, the rain in May must have felt like it was coming down in biblical proportions. Perhaps it wasn’t quite that much, but it did fall in dramatic totals in 20 states and for the country as a whole, U.S. officials said this week. In 121 years of record keeping, never had an average of 4.36 inches of precipitation fallen on the contiguous United States. The number was 1.45 inches above the long-term average for the months, the National Centers for Environmental Information said. It beat the old mark by .07 inches. Three states — Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas — set record totals for rainfall in May. In Oklahoma and Texas, where flooding killed dozens, precipitation was almost two times the average and the most in any month ever.

Last week I began to see friends on Twitter remark that it was raining. These friends were in Arizona. Some were saying that never have they seen rain in June in 25 or 50 years of living there. Sure enough, rain in Phoenix was “quite unusual.”

Phoenix sets June 5 rainfall record

Friday’s rainfall was the first in 100 years that there has been any rain on June 5. The National Weather Service says the downpour was quite unusual. “It’s rare because it’s a dry time of the year, May and June for Phoenix are the driest months of the year on average, the average rainfall for June for Phoenix is two hundredths of an inch,” said Charlotte Dewey.

Meanwhile, California is in the worst drought in 1,200 years.

State Rep Suggests Abortion Is To Blame For California Drought

Scientists are still exploring the causes of California’s historic drought, but one local lawmaker thinks it might all come down to one thing: God’s wrath over abortion. While speaking at the California ProLife Legislative Banquet last week, California Assemblywoman Shannon Grove (R) suggested a theory that the state’s worst drought in 1,200 years may be divine retribution for California providing women with access to abortions, RH Reality Check reported. … “I believe –and most Americans believe –that God’s hand is in the affairs of man, and certainly was in the formation of this country,” she wrote. “Is this drought caused by God? Nobody knows. But biblical history shows a consequence to man’s actions.”

Well, she’s not wrong. We can’t say for sure whether this particular action or that action has a direct causal link, because we do not know the mind of God on any specific matter. But we do know His character, His promises, and the consequences of sin in a dying world. We also know His sovereignty.

One drought we know for sure will have a direct cause and will be from the promise of God will be the three-year drought during the Tribulation. Revelation 11:6 says the Two unnamed Witnesses “…have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire.”

The headlines certainly use descriptive language…pummel, torment, copious…

Hail and flooding rains pummel Colorado

Severe thunderstorms brought flash flooding and copious amounts of hail to many areas of southern Colorado Thursday, and more rain is in the forecast Friday.

Baseball-Sized Hail, Tornados Torment Simla, Colorado

The town of Simla, Colorado, 65 miles southeast of Denver, experienced extreme weather that damaged property but caused no injuries.

I read that a truck carrying piglets crashed and 2,200 piglets ran away squealing into the woods. It reminded me of the demons that Jesus confronted and begged to be put into the herd of pigs instead of being sent to the abyss. They all ran hurtling down the embankment into the lake and drowned. These pigs weren’t headed to the abyss but to the abattoir. They rounded up as many as they could and have set traps for the remaining piglets at large.

I don’t know if trucks crashing was then on my mind or what, but suddenly for a week it seemed like trucks hauling freight were crashing all over the place.

Truck Spills Foul Chicken Guts in Alabama, Raises a Stink

Sticky Situation: Tanker Truck Overturns in NJ, Spilling Maple Syrup on Highway Ramp

Overturned truck spills load of spuds along Capital Beltway

Cattle truck spills clog Oklahoma highways with livestock

Well, that’s just a bit of news from my warped perspective, lol. I hope the weather is pleasant wherever you are and that no truck crashes in your neighborhood spilling out anything smelly, squealing, or sticky. We are due to have some high heat here in Georgia in upcoming days and summer is settling in. Stay cool, stay relaxed, and stay in the Word.

jesus, justice, lake of fire, love, prophecy, wrath

Isaiah’s Prophecy: Looking at God’s wrath…but isn’t God LOVE?

Posted on June 13, 2015May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Wrath by EPrata

There is His wrath, justice, and holiness to consider. His holiness, wrath and justice are expressed partly in His glory in saving souls and partly in His glory is rendering wrath unto souls. This verse below closes the book of Isaiah. It is an astounding prophecy and a violent image to be left with-

And they shall go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against me. For their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh. (Isaiah 66:24).

We know and understand that Isaiah’s prophecy relates to the end of time and the eternal state. Jesus used the reference to the worm that does not die in Mark 9:48, referring to the final state of sinners.

The Sky Be Rolled Back as a Scroll, Rev 6:14. EPrata photo

What are we to make of such a thing? Going out to look at those in the lake of fire?? Why didn’t God hide them? The entire scenario is so unsavory, so putrid, such an assault to future glorified eyes, why put the ones who rebelled on display? Don’t we want to focus on the love of God? Why be so, well, negative?

Yes but He is also Justice! His holiness demands a response to sin. Not only did He NOT purpose to save all men, but He allows us, forgiven sinners, to sink to our knees in gratitude at the display of His wrath upon those who did sin and were not forgiven.

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible says of Isaiah 66:24,

It shall not be inconsistent with true love for the godly to look with satisfaction on God’s vengeance on the wicked (Revelation 14:10).

Barnes Notes says,

This is the consummation of the series of bright visions that passed before the mind of Isaiah, and is an appropriate termination of this succession of wonderful revelations. Where could it more appropriately close than in the final triumph of the true religion, and in the complete and final destruction of all the enemies of God. The vision stretches on to the judgment, and is closed by a contemplation of those scenes which commence there, but which never end. The church is triumphant. Its conflicts cease. Its foes are slain. Its Redeemer is revealed; and its everlasting happiness is founded on a basis which can never be shaken.

He summons the heavens above, and the earth, that he may judge his people: (Psalm 50:4).

God saw his glory being despised by sinners—he saw his worth belittled and his name dishonored by our sins—and rather than vindicating the worth of his glory by slaying his people, he vindicated his glory by slaying his Son. ~John Piper, 1992

We are blessed with forever being able to view grace, in gazing at the “Lamb looking as if it had been slain” (Revelation 5:6) and being able to view justice, in gazing at the tormented dead bodies of those who rebelled. God does not hide or diminish or secret away any of His attributes. He is always gloriously on display, from creation to His Son to His Bride to His fulfilled promises to His redeemed people to His justice in vindicating Himself through wrath. We serve a mighty and loving and holy God. Far from being negative…it’s all Good.

And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life,
he was thrown into the lake of fire. Rev 20:15

encouragement, pixlr, scripture photo

Scripture photo: Sheep without a Shepherd

Posted on June 13, 2015May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

EPrata photo

discernment, doctrine, false prophets, false teachers, love

Should we love false teachers?

Posted on June 12, 2015May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

It’s always nice to talk about love and tolerance. We know that God loved the world. He loves His Son. We are told to love each other, that is how they will know us (John 13:35). But sometimes love is not appropriate or warranted. Do I mean this, really? Well, we know we are supposed to hate sin. We know there are six things, no, seven, that the Lord hates. (Proverbs 6:16-19). We hate sin so much we’re supposed to kill the old man in us. (Colossians 3:5). We don’t endlessly give the Gospel to those who hurl it back, those hurlers are called swine. So when it comes to love, we know we don’t ‘love’ everyone or everything, at least not according to the romantic or secular definition of love. So here is the question: are we supposed to love false teachers?

At The Berean Call, the question is posed:

To the world it might appear that all is well in the Christian realm. Much-beloved speakers hold forth from the pulpits of some of the largest churches in the world. Believers and nonbelievers alike buy their books, avail themselves of their programs, and utilize their methodologies. One might come to the conclusion that Peter must not have been referring to the church in our day regarding false teachers. Tolerance is the word of the day. We hear admonitions on a regular basis to “just get along” with those of opposing faiths. “Love” reigns supreme.

But what is this “love” of which they speak? What about those who identify a false gospel or a false teacher among some of the popular speakers these days? Does this “love” still apply to those who expose the ones who are actually deceivers among the flock?

A dear sister in the faith posed the question to me. To love those who are deluded and cannot understand the Word and care for them and not be critical. I thought about it for a long time, because I love poorly and I’m always appealing to the Lord to teach me love better.

So I began to think hard, should we love false teachers? Are they to be pitied? I decided, no. Though I value the opinions offered and they DO make me think, I don’t necessarily always agree. I’d like to offer an alternate view about how far not to go in pursuing love, and to offer a different perspective of what love actually is.

If we read Jeremiah 14:16, there is not even a hapless non-believer who accidentally can’t understand God’s truth and accidentally follows false prophets because they don’t know better. They DO know better. God said He will pour out their evil upon them because they knew better but followed false prophets anyway. 2 Timothy 4:3 also puts the blame on those who choose to follow false teachers because they wanted their ears tickled, so they went out and accumulated for themselves false teachers who told them what they wanted to hear.

But back to the false teachers themselves. I reserve my highest caring in this situation- for Jesus. We do care for the state of our neighbor’s souls, and we do care for brethren, but in all this let us not forget caring about Jesus.

I care about His name and what people do in His name. The harshest criticism in the Bible from everyone, (Jesus, Paul, Peter, John the Baptist, John, James, Jude, etc) was aimed at those who pervert God’s word. It is not a situation where we say “poor, poor false teachers. Let’s understand them and open our hearts to them and care.” I do hope they are saved someday, but beyond that they get no caring from me. I am highly CRITICAL of them in righteous indignation. Here is why-

The Bible tells us they do it on purpose. They disguise themselves- that isn’t an accident. (2 Cor 1:13). They do it for greed. (1 Timothy 6:5). They do it to put us in bondage again. (Gal 2:4). They do it because they hate Jesus and love themselves. (1 Tim 6:4). They do it because they enjoy lying. (2 Peter 2:1).

These false teachers are already cursed and destined for hell. In the essay “The Pathology of False Teachers” we read,

Unfortunately, their prognosis is not hopeful. Their spiritual condition is terminal. Those who are deprived of the truth are headed for judgment. Hebrews 6:6 solemnly warns of such men that “it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God, and put Him to open shame.” Peter says that they bring “swift destruction upon themselves” (2 Peter 2:1). The severest hell will be reserved for those who, having been exposed to the truth, turned away from it (cf. Hebrews 10:26–31).

The goal of the false teacher is not to create an environment of love, but to feed his ego and fill his pockets.
~John MacArthur
You notice they don’t pervert Buddha’s words. They don’t pervert Allah’s words. They don’t pervert Shiva’s words. They choose to pervert Jesus’ swords for gain, for fame, for an audience, and all the other reasons. I am critical of that because I care about Jesus.

The Berean Call again:

Every epistle in the New Testament was written to correct error in the church. Did Paul, Peter, James, John, and Jude not understand that to correct those who were in error was in truth a failure to love them? Did they believe that it was none of their business to bring correction to the false teaching? Do we consider them divisive for confronting error and holding fast to the truth? No! They boldly addressed the error and at times even named the offenders.

No, I do not love false teachers. I do not care about false teachers. I care about Jesus. I love His followers. Tim Challies said in his essay 7 Marks of a False Teacher,

False teachers are concerned with your goods, not your good; they want to serve themselves more than save the lost; they are content for Satan to have your soul as long as they can have your stuff.

Jesus called false teachers broods of vipers and hypocrites. (Mt 23:33)
So did John the Baptist in Mt 3:7
Paul said they were cursed. Twice in 2 sentences. (Gal 1:8,9)
Paul said their talk is gangrenous. (2 Tim 2:17)
Jesus called them ravenous wolves (Mt 7:15)
John called them deceivers (2 John 1:7)
Jude calls them ungodly perverters (Jude 1:4)
Peter called them depraved, disobedient, and destined for hell (1 Peter 2:8, 2 Peter 2:1,2)
John called them antichrists (1 John 2:22)
Never mind the harsh language from God in the OT against false prophets.

So. Were they wrong not to “love” the false teachers?

Indeed, we are told repeatedly we are to mark them, avoid them, not listen to them, close the hospitable door on them, put them out, warn them, keep away from them, give them to satan, but nowhere does it say to love them, care for them, or pity them.

Indeed, John advises the elder lady and her children not to even allow false teachers into their house NOR give them a greeting! If we do, God considers that we are participating in their evil deeds. (2 John 1:10). The John MacArthur Commentary on 2 John 1:10 says this-

Irenaeus relates that the church father Polycarp, when asked by the notorious heretic Marcion, “Do you know me?” replied, “I do know you, the firstborn of satan.” (Against Heresies, 3.3.4)

John himself once encountered Cerinthus (another notorious heretic) in a public bathhouse in Ephesus. Instead of greeting him, however, John turned and fled, exclaiming to those with him, “Let us fly, lest even the bath-house fall down, because Cerinthus, the enemy of truth, is within.” (Against Heresies, 3.3.4)

Charein, (greeting) means ‘Rejoice’ It was a common Christian greeting, conveying the joy believers had in one another’s presence. But it is an affirmation of solidarity that is totally inappropriate for false teachers, who have no part in the truth of genuine Christian fellowship.Such emissaries of satan must be exposed and shunned, not affirmed and welcomed.

False teachers like to decry such treatment as harsh, intolerant, or unloving. But love forbids dangerous spiritual deception to gain a foothold among Christians. John’s pastoral admonition is perfectly consistent with Jesus’ denunciation of false teachers as ravenous wolves, thieves and robbers, whose only purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy. The church cannot aid or abet such spiritual outlaws by doing anything that would acknowledge them as Christians. The one who does so, even by doing something as seemingly innocuous as greeting them, participates in their evil deeds by helping them to further their deception.

I reserve all my criticism, judgment, and righteous indignation for the false teachers, and all my love for Jesus the Man-God, His people, and His revealed word. During the few times I’ve had opportunity to engage directly with a few of the false teachers I’ve written about, I hope I was lovingly showing them the error of their ways. THAT also is love, though the world doesn’t call it love. Love is to admonish and correct so hopefully they do not persist in their tragic path, or worse, taking others with them.

Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” (Matthew 15:14)

Source

Here are two resources on the subject:

How to Treat False Teachers

The Danger Facing the Church
Love also comes out of sincere faith, not the hypocritical faith manifested by false teachers. Faith that has no pretense creates love. A false teacher has a dirty heart because it’s never been cleansed by the true gospel of faith in Christ. A false teacher has a guilty conscience because his impure heart triggers it. But his conscience may have reached the point where it’s so scarred that it’s lost its sensitivity. And a false teacher has hypocritical faith. He’s a phony–he wears a mask. That kind of life will never produce the love of God. The goal of the false teacher is not to create an environment of love, but to feed his ego and fill his pockets.

A Final Warning: Beware of False Teachers

Lesson 107: A Final Warning: Beware of False Teachers! (Romans 16:17-20)
Years ago, a seminary professor told his class at the beginning of the semester that they would work together on one major project during that semester. They would move systematically through the New Testament to categorize every area of truth and determine how many times each area is addressed. Their goal was to find what one thing is emphasized more than any other in the New Testament. When they completed the project, they were amazed to see that warning against false doctrine is emphasized more than any other thing, even more than love, unity, and experience (Renald Showers, in “Israel My Glory,” [April/May, 1995], pp. 24-25). I have not verified their conclusion, but they’re probably right. …

J. C. Ryle was a champion for the truth in the Church of England during the 19th century. I’d recommend that you read him. In Warnings to the Churches ([Banner of Truth], p. 110), he wrote about how difficult yet necessary controversy in the church is. Then he added, “But there is one thing which is even worse than controversy, and that is false doctrine tolerated, allowed, and permitted without protest or molestation.” After acknowledging that many would view what he writes as exceedingly distasteful, he states (p. 111), “Three things there are which men never ought to trifle with—a little poison, a little false doctrine, and a little sin.”

false, jesus, roma downey, tlc

Roma Downey just won’t go away; continues to insult Jesus and Christians everywhere with new TV program

Posted on June 12, 2015May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Mystic-Catholic Roma Downey just won’t go away. Now that she has found a money making machine in all things pseudo-Christian, she is going for the gold. Known for her long-running 1990’s-2000s series Touched By An Angel, and more recently for Son of God, AD, The Bible Series, is it announced that Downey and The Learning Channel are teaming up to present a new television program. The press release states,

TLC explores modern-day miracles with ANSWERED PRAYERS, an all-new series hosted by celebrated actress and producer Roma Downey (‘The Bible Series,’ ‘Son of God,’ ‘AD,’ ‘Touched by an Angel’). Premiering Sunday, July 26 at 10/9c, this six-part series follows the remarkable stories of people in life-threatening situations who have experienced moments so inexplicable, so incredible that they can only be described as divine intervention.

Using a blend of heart-wrenching interviews, thrilling recreations and dramatic real footage, each hour-long episode paints a vivid portrait of ordinary people who have faced extraordinary circumstances?and miraculously lived to tell the tale. Each individual?s unwavering faith and trust in the power of prayer has transformed potentially heartbreaking situations into stories of true inspiration?from a young boy buried for hours under eleven feet of sand, to the horror of a pastor stabbed 37 times, to a family that survives their car plunging upside down into an icy river bank.

The premiere episode introduces viewers to two amazing families. An Indiana mother hears the voice of God telling her to prepare for a possibly devastating storm and protect her three children. She acts on her instinct and huddles in a closet with her husband and kids mere moments before a tornado rips through their home, hurling it hundreds of feet through the air. Though she loses hold of her family, she never gives up faith that God will keep them safe, even if she can’t. Next, in Florida a young boy suffers a horrific lawnmower accident. Distraught, his parents make the agonizing decision to have his leg amputated, but pray for a sign they are doing the right thing. On the day of the operation, what their son sees on the ride to the hospital could be the answer to their prayers and may change his life for good.

With authenticity, insight, compassion and heart, the astounding stories featured on ANSWERED PRAYERS will leave even the most skeptical viewer considering if a divine force was at work.

Source Variety

A divine force IS at work but it is not God that the woman hears. If the woman in the inaugural episode actually heard God she would be in very small company. When the People Israel heard God they feared greatly.

All the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance. 19Then they said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we will die.” (Exodus 20:18-19)

The writer of Hebrews reminds us,

and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. 20For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” 21Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” (Hebrews 12:19-21)

But on an ordinary day an Indiana mother hears the voice of God telling her a “possibly devastating” storm is coming and the woman says “Um, OK” and goes into a closet? Sure.

Given Downey’s pagan activity regarding religion (New Age spirituality, mystic, visions, hearing God, divining and summoning spirits) one wonders WHICH God she will be talking about whom she touts as the one who answers prayer. We know the True God does, but to attribute the things of satan to God or vice versa is a weighty matter. Downey does not know the true God. And I’m tired of her making merchandise out of Him.

It is a grief that the name of God and Jesus are used to trade on people’s hopes and fears and is used as a vehicle to garner money and ratings. Downey is a false professor of the faith and God will deal harshly with her. She is accursed.

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:6-9)

God’s people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

Because they hated knowledge
and did not choose the fear of the Lord,
30would have none of my counsel
and despised all my reproof,
31therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way,
and have their fill of their own devices.
32For the simple are killed by their turning away,
and the complacency of fools destroys them;
33but whoever listens to me will dwell secure
and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.” (Proverbs 1:29-33)

The best thing is that Downey would be given a spirit of repentance and convert to worshiping the true God. Then she would stop blaspheming Jesus, distorting His Gospel, and troubling the people with lies.

end time, gay marriage, homosexuality, prophecy, romans

"Gay Marriage: Evidence That the Nation Is in the Biblically Foretold Age of Apostasy" by Dr. James Taylor

Posted on June 11, 2015May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

A friend emailed me this link to a news article. She said it has been published on Yahoo but was taken down very quickly. It is hosted on CNS News (a conservative news site).

The author is Dr. James Taylor, the blurb about him at the end of the article states, “Senior Pastor at Christ’s Church of Norman in Norman, Oklahoma. http://www.ccnonline.biz. He is the author of the forthcoming book “It’s Biblical, Not Political: How to Line Candidates up Biblically.”

His article is titled:

Gay Marriage: Evidence That the Nation Is in the Biblically Foretold Age of Apostasy

It’s very good. I won’t re-post the entire article here because it’s long but it is worth a read. And bookmark. Or download, you never know how long things are going to stay up or available these days. Here are some excerpts:

Dozens of books have been written in recent years by liberal theologians in an attempt to demonstrate that homosexuality, homosexual relationships, and homosexual marriage are fully consistent with Biblical Christianity. I have grown weary of reading that King David was a homosexual because he loved Jonathan, or that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of a lack of hospitality, or – my personal favorite – that the Bible never actually addresses the issue of homosexual behavior.

I would suggest that the fact that some of such foolishness comes from persons who once professed to be Christians is yet further evidence of the fact that the nation – indeed the world – is well along in the Biblically-foretold age of apostasy. During such a period, we are warned about the prevalence of false teachers. How can we tell whether a teacher is false? Who can we rely on? But for the fact that we have the Word of God, we would be adrift on such matters.
…

The Book of Romans gives us a description of the end-times society when Jesus will return and God will pour out His wrath, beginning with Chapter 1: “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise they became fools.” I have seen men with degrees, piled on top of degrees that get up and say how you and I evolved from monkeys. Maybe they did, but I sure didn’t! Some of the greatest intellectual minds of the universe talk about how we evolved from a single cell protoplasmic blob! That is beyond the comprehension of the mind. If you saw a Boeing 747 flying across the sky, wouldn’t you assume that because it could fly, it can carry people, its seats are placed in rows, and that it can do all the things it can do; wouldn’t you assume that somebody thought it up, and somebody put it together? Certainly you would not conclude that it was the accidental product of a tornado blowing through a junkyard. Yet, the same mind can look in the sky and see a bird fly by and say, “product of chance.”

Charles Mahoney
Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, exhibited 1936

Please go to the link to read more. It might help coalesce your thoughts or give you biblical talking points on this important end time issue.

drive by pneumatology, prophecy, science, steven lawson, the onion, todd friel, volcanoes

The Onion hilarity, bible study fellowship recipes, a scientist’s agitation, Drive By Theology, WWUTT?

Posted on June 11, 2015May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Thursday is grocery shopping day. I want to go early since it is supposed to be very hot and my car AC doesn’t work anymore. My usual routine is suspended for today, so no deep theological thoughts. 🙂 Here are a few things for your consideration.

I have Bible study in my home. Here are two recipes I enjoy making in order to have something on hand to serve the guests. My mama taught me that. She taught me manners and hospitality. It is a dying art, I think. I like these 2 recipes because they are inexpensive, use only a few ingredients, are easy to make, and are low calorie. They also cook fast, something to consider in hot Georgia during the summer.

Banana Oatmeal ‘cookies’
These are gluten free and sugar free. Though the recipe calls for a small bit of sugar, I omit it. I use banana, oatmeal, raisins, and sunflower seeds. That’s it. They are tasty and filling.

The write-up says, “I’d very loosely call these treats cookies. Why? The recipe is basically two ingredients, oats and bananas, plus a few add-ins. Also, it’s pretty healthy. Probably with my add-ins they’re only about 40 calories each, but don’t let that scare you. These “cookies” are actually very tasty, like baked banana oatmeal in portable form.”

Two-Ingredient Angel Food Pineapple Cake
This recipe uses a box angel food cake and a 20 ounce can crushed pineapple, in its own juice. That’s it. Don’t even grease the pan, the cake won’t rise. I stir the the ingredients together by hand and let sit for 2-3 minutes. It froths up. Then pour into a baking dish. I use a 13-inch glass dish. Bake for the allotted time and that is it! Top with Cook Whip if desired, or fresh fruit.

As far as beverages go, I never have any that other people enjoy on hand. I don’t drink sodas or juice because of the sugar. I do always have a jug of cold water in the fridge and usually a jug or two of chilled herb tea. Chilled green tea with lemon is refreshing to serve. I know most people down south drink ‘sweet tea’ but I just can’t serve that. It’s gross.

As a person who studies prophecy and has from the beginning of her Christian walk been interested in last things, I found this spoof-news piece from The Onion laugh out loud funny. I mean, I laughed hard from my gut.

Experts Say Best Option Now Is Keeping Nation As Comfortable As Possible Till End

WASHINGTON—Saying there were no other options remaining and that continued intervention would only prolong the nation’s suffering, experts concluded Tuesday that the best course of action is to keep the United States as comfortable as possible until the end.

According to those familiar with its condition, the country’s long, painful decline over the past several decades has made it clear that the most compassionate choice at this juncture is to do whatever is possible to ensure America is at ease during its last moments.

“We need to accept the fact that the U.S. doesn’t have long—simply helping it pass that time in comfort is the humane thing to do,” said economist Danielle Martin, speaking on behalf of a large group of experts ranging from sociologists and historians to lawmakers and environmentalists, all of whom confirmed they had “done everything [they] could.” “Attempting to stabilize the country in its current enfeebled state would not only be extremely expensive, but it would also cause unnecessary agony as it enters this final stage. With how hard the nation is struggling to perform even basic functions, letting it meet its end naturally is the merciful decision here.”