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"The way is narrow and few find it"
“For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:14)
Christianity is the world’s largest religion, 31.59% of the world population – on the face of it. Broken down, Christianity comprises the following sects:
Roman Catholic 18.85%,
Protestant 8.15%,
Orthodox 4.96%,
Anglican 1.26%
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| Saint Peter’s Basilica, Vatican, Wiki CC |
However, if you remove Catholicism and Orthodox, which aren’t Christian and are false, all you’ve got left is Protestant and Anglican, or 10% of the world population.
The Anglicans have a mix of Catholic and Protestant Reformation theology and so one cannot say with assurance that likely most of the people in that sect have been fed pure doctrine. So say perhaps .26% of Anglicans of the reported 1.26% are saved. And with apostasy rising and the remaining 8% of Protestants representing Christianity left, one can say with assurance that likely at least half of those claiming Protestant roots are not saved (or more).
Remember, mixed in with Protestants are Charismatics, Word/Faith heretics, and Liberals. That brings the Christian denomination from a 31% of the world’s population down to a likely 2-4% of the world population.
2-4 percent of 8 billion is 160-380 million saved. Alternately, that’s seven billion eight hundred forty million people alive today on this planet right now who are going to hell when they die.
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| source |
We know that there is only ONE way, ONE truth and ONE life, in Jesus. There are no near misses or almosts. Jesus said the way is narrow, and few find it. He really means few.
When the rapture comes, all those people listed as a number in the chart above will be left behind to face a terrible and horrific hell on earth. God’s wrath will be unleashed. He has refrained from delivering His full cup for all these thousands of years, since the last global judgment, The Flood. But once again He will unleash it. It will be so terrible that unless He cut the days short, no flesh would survive. (Matthew 24:22)
In Revelation 6:8, it is often interpreted that to mean that in that Seal Judgment, a fourth of the earth’s population will be killed.
“And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.” (Revelation 6:8)
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| Narrow gate on The High Way Cotterdale, North Yorkshire, Great Britain. This gateway, and another further east, is only 2ft 6in wide. Photo by John Slater, Creative Commons |
At the moment of this writing there are 7.2 billion people on the earth. That’s 1.8 BILLION people dead in a matter of moments, or days, weeks at most. And you remember how the world reacted when 3000 were killed in the twin towers and the Pentagon and the planes of 9/11.
The above judgment leaves 5.4 billion alive. However, there will be fewer than that because of suicide, murder, starvation and disease. (Revelation 6:4-8, Revelation 8:11). So roughly let’s say 5 billion.
Then, Revelation 9:15 says,
“So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind.”
A third of 5 billion is 1.6, leaving 3.4 billion. More than half the earth’s population has died off, or more, because we haven’t counted additional deaths from secondary causes, or war. Three and a half years have passed, and the Great Tribulation hasn’t even begun yet. You see how completely Jesus meant it when He said that unless the days were cut short no flesh would survive. For example, let’s look at a series of cascading events.
In Revelation 8:7 & 11 it says,
“The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.” (Revelation 8:7)
The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water, because it had been made bitter. (Revelation 8:11)
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| Vision of John of Patmos from Revelation 4:4 four seraphim surround the throne of Christ, twenty-four elders sit on thrones to either side (Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry) |
Hail ruins crops. Without crops, people can’t eat. If people can’t eat, they die. If all the grass burns up, then cattle can’t eat. If cattle can’t eat, they die, and there is no meat or dairy. Without meat or dairy, people die. In addition, millions of dead and bloated cattle laying around pollute the waters. Cholera breaks out. Disease runs rampant, and people die.
I hope you are getting a more specific idea of just how many people are deceived in a false religion and will be left behind to die in their sins. It has been like this throughout the ages, most don’t believe in Jesus. The Great White Throne Judgment will have a very long line.
God’s grace is very great. He is merciful. See a picture of this in Pastor Phil Johnson’s sermon on “Raising Cain“. Cain was the world’s first born man. He was the world’s first falsely worshiping man. And He was the first murderer. Pastor Johnson says in his exposition of Genesis 4:1-17,
Notice the gracious way God deals with Cain throughout this account. This is important. There are people who believe God loves the elect, but has nothing but hatred for everyone else. I don’t believe that. Scripture teaches that “The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.” (Ps. 145:9). He has “no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live” (Ezek. 33:11).
I’m committed to the doctrine of divine election. But let me say as clearly as possible that I also believe those who go to hell have no one to blame but themselves. The fact that Cain ultimately lived a life of self-will and sin was in no way God’s fault. God constantly dealt graciously with Cain.
Over and over in Scripture we see God graciously and patiently appealing to those who ultimately spurn Him, and Cain is the first example of this. Notice that even God’s judgments are tempered by grace. Even when it would be perfectly just for God to destroy Cain, the Lord shows him great mercy.
Cain deserved to die for his act of killing his brother.
Genesis 9:6 says, “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.” In other words, capital punishment is a fit penalty for murder.
And Cain knew this. As soon as he knew he could not hide his act of murder, he feared that (verse 14) “I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” The Hebrew literally means, “All who find me will kill me.” The King James Version translates it this way: “It shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.” (I think that’s funny. Everyone who finds me shall slay me?
Actually, even if that were the whole world’s ambition, only the first person who found him would get to kill him. After that, Cain wouldn’t have to worry about it any more.)
But God was gracious, and He put a mark on Cain so that those who found Him would know that he was under divine protection. We don’t know what sort of mark this was. Obviously, this was at a time when the earth’s population was still very small. It would have been no big deal for word of this to spread throughout the whole human race, so that everyone knew Cain was under the protective hand of God. This mark was not the mark of a pariah. The mark itself was not God’s judgment; it was an act of mercy.
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But failing that, why didn’t God strike Cain dead the moment he killed his own brother? Why did He guarantee him protection from avengers and mark him with a special mark and allow him to live a long life? There’s only one reason: because God is a God of grace and mercy. He was extending to Cain the opportunity to repent. God’s words to Cain in verse 7 are an explicit plea for repentance.
God is gracious and merciful! He is wonderful. Please be aware of the lateness of the hour. Please be aware that His long-suffering mercy will end and He will unleash His long-stored up wrath. Please be aware of the real people behind the numbers of just how many are going to die in their sins. Please be grateful you are one of the few who found Him.
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Further reading:
Here is a neat link to World Population statistics, live
Sermon, “A Jet Tour Through Revelation”
Lightning strikes on the rise, quakes this week, ground shift in WY, Heaven tourism books, New Jerusalem
From a good science essay which discusses a comparison of DNA between apes and humans and shows why Christians don’t have to worry about the theory of evolution. “How Similar are Humans & Apes?“
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Here’s why Christians don’t need to worry about the Jesus Wife papyrus fragment. Or listen to this 15 minute podcast on Issues, Etc, with Dr Craig Evans.
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I’ve often published essays reporting on the statistics which show increasing numbers of earthquakes, or storms, or strength of storms, or sinkholes, etc. But I’ve never been able to discover whether lightning strikes are more common now than before, until I read this article in an Israeli news outlet.
Lightning strikes a warming planet
They say lightning never strikes twice, and that getting struck by lightning is as rare as winning the lottery. But such folk wisdom may no longer be true, report scientists studying global lightning patterns. A cross-country research project published recently in the American Journal of Climate Change suggests that in developing countries especially, lightning strikes and death by lightning appear to be growing. Asked to comment on the story by the BBC, Price said: “The underdeveloped world is where you have the maximum frequency of lightning and thunderstorms — in places like the Central African Republic and DR Congo, the Amazon region of South America, the Indonesian islands and Borneo in South East Asia. “When you add the figures up, there may even be more people killed or injured by lightning than most of the other natural hazards we have on the earth today.” A rising world population also means that there are more people who have the potential to get hit by lightning.
According to Price, the increase in lightning activity will be seen especially in areas that become warmer and drier –– like the Mediterranean region and the southern United States. From 2012 research, he already concluded that the storms of the future will be more violent. For example, the Brazilian city of Manaus, in the middle of the Amazon, has witnessed a 50% increase in lightning strikes over the last three decades. The city now gets about 13.5 strikes per kilometer per year.
There have been several major earthquakes over the last day. According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), there was a quake at
Nicaragua, 6.6
Papua New Guinea, 6.5
Papua New Guinea, 7.1
Chile, 6.0
Nicaragua, 6.1
In Chile there have been 61 quakes this week.
Of interest is the continuing quake swarm at Oklahoma. This week there have been 50 quakes, including a large (for the area) 4.1.
In France, a rare 5.0 earthquake occurred this week. Strong earthquakes are rare in France.
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Dozens evacuated in Wyoming as ground shifts
Dozens of Jackson residents who were evacuated after land began shifting on a hillside in this Wyoming resort town are waiting to find out if and when they can return home. Assistant Town Manager Roxanne Robinson said today there is still no word on what is causing the East Gros Ventre Butte land to shift, but officials have taken steps to ensure there is no catastrophe. Geologists are on the scene, and other geologists are being brought in to get a better idea of what is happening. A road and parking lot of a Walgreens pharmacy have been distorted and buckled by ground movement, which was also the cause of breaks in nearby water pipes last weekend.
“When you see these kinds of scenes out of Washington state and the landslides in the canyon, it’s not to be trifled with,” he said, so the officials are monitoring carefully, but despite many rumors as to the reason this is occurring, in the article “Worry Mounts as Butte Slips, he continued, “I don’t know if anybody knows exactly what the issue is,” Barron said.
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Understanding the times and knowing what the church should do. Seven things to keep in mind.
Pastor David Platt speaks with clarity and beautiful fervency and discernment of the demonic deception of the surge in heavenly tourism books. They’re fanciful accounts, frivolous features and juvenile attractions. 4-minute video. Please watch
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In light of the two blog essays I’ve written recently about adopting a heavenly perspective and being of heavenly good, let’s finish with Nathan Busenitz’s essay on the physicality of the heavenly city of New Jerusalem. It is an essay titled The New Jerusalem.
The fig tree is blooming
I love my End Time banner, the bird flying. I took that photo of birds against a stormy sky. The shades of blue-to-gray seemed calming to me and the bird’s perfect silhouette was just precious.
In addition, it was uncluttered and allowed for easy reading of the blog title and title description, and didn’t compete with the text.
In a Georgia spring, there is a lot to look at. I often walk around the yard, looking at the burst of blossoms everywhere. I especially like the large fig tree in the back yard. It yields lots of figs in two or three harvests a year. Yay!
Fig trees and figs figure prominently in the bible. (Did you see what I did there?) I like this verse-
“And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near.” (Luke 21:29-31)
When I see the fig tree blooming, I like to think that the rapture is near. I know the two aren’t literally linked, the verse is only a parable after all, but after living so many years in Maine and never even dreaming that actual fig trees could actually grow in the yard and actual figs can be picked, well, I just grin and enjoy thinking of the verse when I see the tree out there.
So I chose a fig tree banner just to change the blog a little. It’s been a few years. No. I don’t like change, but I force myself, lol. I hope you enjoy.
Sayings and mottos that sound pious but aren’t. #5: You’re so heavenly minded that you’re no earthly good
Yesterday I wrote about adopting a heavenly perspective. I think about heaven all the time and I believe it is important for our Christian walk to do so. In addition, it gets under my craw when I hear people say “He’s so heavenly minded that he’s of no earthly good.”
Some sayings sound legitimate on their surface. They sound pious. They sound biblical. Like this one: “Cleanliness is next to Godliness”. Only problem is, that one isn’t in the bible. At all.
It is sometimes hard to tell what truly is Christian and what merely sounds Christian. Charles Spurgeon wisely 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.” So what sayings are right, and what sayings are almost right (AKA ‘wrong’)? Let’s look at the following sayings which have become such cliches.
Some of these mottoes are:
1. “Let go and let God“
2. “I don’t use commentaries because they’re men’s wisdom. I only use God’s Word when I study.”
3. “We can’t know for certain what the bible means, I’m not that smart“
4. “Pray big because we have a big God.”
5. “He’s so heavenly minded he’s no earthly good”
For this last piece in the series about falsely pious sayings, I’ll let Randy Alcorn do the talking. He was a pastor for 13 years and he started Eternal Perspective Ministries. He has written 40-odd books, many of them on heaven. One of his most famous books is a scriptural look at Heaven. Another book I’ve enjoyed of his is “We Shall See God“, a devotional book of Charles Spurgeon’s classic thoughts on heaven, interspersed with explanations from Alcorn.
His essay is free to reprint, according to Mr Alcorn’s website, as long as the identifying information is at the bottom. Here is Randy Alcorn on being heavenly minded and whether that’s any earthly good.
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Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. — Colossians 3:1-2
It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. — C. S. Lewis
(You can also listen to the 5-minute audio version of this blog, excerpted from the 50 Days of Heaven audio book.)
Over the years, a number of people have told me, “We shouldn’t think about Heaven. We should just think about Jesus.”
This viewpoint sounds spiritual, doesn’t it? But it is based on wrong assumptions, and it is clearly contradicted by Scripture.
Colossians 3:1-2 is a direct command to set our hearts and minds on Heaven. We set our minds on Heaven because we love Jesus Christ, and Heaven is where he now resides. To long for Heaven is to long for Christ. To long for Christ is to long for Heaven, for that is where we will be with him. That’s why God’s people are “longing for a better country” (Hebrews 11:16).
In Colossians 3:1, the Greek word translated “set your hearts on” is zeteo, which “denotes man’s general philosophical search or quest.” The same word is used in the Gospels to describe how “the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10, emphasis added). Zeteo is also used to describe how a shepherd looks for his lost sheep (Matthew 18:12), a woman searches for a lost coin (Luke 15:8), and a merchant searches for fine pearls (Matthew 13:45). It is a diligent, active, single-minded pursuit. Thus, we can understand Paul’s admonition in Colossians 3:1 as follows: “Diligently, actively, single-mindedly pursue the things above”—in a word, Heaven.
The verb zeteo is in the present tense, suggesting an ongoing process. “Keep seeking Heaven.” Don’t just have a conversation, read a book, or listen to a sermon and feel as if you’ve fulfilled the command. If you’re going to spend the next lifetime living in Heaven, why not spend this lifetime seeking Heaven so you can eagerly anticipate and prepare for it?
The command, and its restatement, implies there is nothing automatic about setting our minds on Heaven. In fact, most commands assume a resistance to obeying them, which sets up the necessity for the command. We are told to avoid sexual immorality because it is our tendency. We are not told to avoid jumping off buildings because normally we don’t battle such a temptation. Every day, the command to think about Heaven is under attack in a hundred different ways. Everything militates against thinking about Heaven. Our minds are set so resolutely on Earth that we are unaccustomed to heavenly thinking. So we must work at it.
What have you been doing daily to set your mind on things above, to seek Heaven? What should you do differently?
Perhaps you’re afraid of becoming “so heavenly minded that you’re of no earthly good.” Relax—you have nothing to worry about! On the contrary, many of us are so earthly minded we are of no heavenly or earthly good. As C. S. Lewis observed,
If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals who abolished the Slave Trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth “thrown in”: aim at earth and you will get neither.
We need a generation of heavenly minded people who see human beings and the earth itself not simply as they are, but as God intends them to be. Such people will pass on a heritage to their children far more valuable than any inheritance.
We must begin by reasoning from God’s revealed truth. But such reasoning will require us to use our Scripture-enhanced imaginations. As a nonfiction writer and Bible teacher, I start by seeing what Scripture actually says. As a novelist, I take that revelation and add to it the vital ingredient of imagination.
In the words of Francis Schaeffer, “The Christian is the really free man—he is free to have imagination. This too is our heritage. The Christian is the one whose imagination should fly beyond the stars.”
Schaeffer always started with God’s revealed truth. But he exhorted us to let that truth fuel our imagination. Imagination should not fly away from the truth but upon it.
You may be dealing with great pain and loss, yet Jesus says, “Be of good cheer” (John 16:33, nkjv). Why? Because the new house is nearly ready for you. Moving day is coming. The dark winter is about to be magically transformed into spring. One day soon you will be home—for the first time.
Until then, I encourage you to find joy and hope as you meditate on the truth about Heaven revealed in the Bible.
Why not ask God to make your imagination soar and your heart rejoice?
Thank you, God, for the gift of imagination. In a world where ideas are so often grounded in quicksand and are contrary to sound doctrine, help us to be firmly based in your Word. Help us to be saturated in its teaching. Thank you for promising us “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” in your eternal Kingdom.
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Randy Alcorn, Eternal Perspective Ministries, 39085 Pioneer Blvd., Suite 206, Sandy, OR 97055, 503-668-5200, http://www.epm.org
Adopting a heavenly perspective
Back in the 1990s my immediate and my extended family used to rent a house on an Island once a year. We’d converge from three or four different states on this rental and enjoy a week together at the beach. Of course this was an event that was eagerly and fervently anticipated. We’d email and telephone back and forth about our plans once we got there. I would look at the photos of the rental house at least once a week. I’d google for maps of the place and look at all the roads leading to and from and around the house. How far was it from town? What restaurants were nearby? Where was the bike rental place? There was no detail spared in looking up and anticipating our visit.
“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:2).
I was talking with a friend the other day about a concert she was planning to attend. I got excited for her, because it was a big concert. We both laughed as I asked if she looked at a schematic of the auditorium to see where she and her companions would be sitting. Looking at photos of the venue, looking up biographies of the men in the band. It was exciting to think of the big event, and no detail was spared in all the discussion about what the concert may be like.
Do you ever have excited conversations with friends or family about a big upcoming event you’re really looking forward to? You know you have!
Why don’t we do that with heaven? We talk more about upcoming concerts and cabins than we do heaven! But heaven is a fact. It is real, and it is there. We are definitely going. Even the concert could be canceled or the rental cabin could burn down, but the fact of our going to heaven if we are saved by His grace is real and unalterable. As a matter of fact we are already citizens of heaven!
You would not believe how many people look at me strangely because I talk excitedly about the place Jesus is preparing for us. Or remark on the trees lining the River of Life, or the color of the emerald rainbow surrounding God’s throne, or meeting up with Noah or David or Hannah and walking with them, or any number of things that the bible describes as the future promise. Being in heaven with Jesus is THE MOST EXCITING THING in the entire universe, it awaits every Christian, and yet few talk about it! We talk about the big concert or the summer cabin with more excitement than we discuss the glories of the place Jesus is preparing for us.
It is important to have an eternal perspective. It is the secret to contentment, because it puts earthly trials in their place. It ignites hope. It soothes the heart. Adopt an eternal perspective because it is exhorted in the bible for us to do so.
“Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17–18)
We do this in several ways. Have an active prayer life. Talking to Jesus sets the mind on the things above, because that is where He is.
Also, read the bible, and focus on the passages where it describes the things to come in concrete terms. Like the passages in Ezekiel after chapter 39 when the Millennial Kingdom is set up (the kingdom will be on earth and limited to a time of 1000 years but we ourselves will be glorified by then and living in an eternal body). Read Revelation 21 and 22. Read the passages in Corinthians and Thessalonians describing the glorified body.
The truth of the word will permeate your heart and mind and this sets you up for thinking of the things above. (A side note: AVOID all books describing heaven tourism, books like “Heaven Is For Real” and such nonsense. Stick with the words God gave us in describing His holy habitation, they are true and trustworthy).
Then, think on these things. “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). And what is more pure, lovely, commendable, and excellent than His heaven and our home?
Finally, talk about these things. When I speak of making a date with a friend in heaven and going to see David or Noah or Hannah, they look at me funny. But these names are not just bible characters, but real people dwelling in heaven in real worship right now. When the time of glorification comes, they will have real bodies, as we will, and we will worship and sing and walk and talk and eat and live together! It is a fact. Talking about heaven and the bible’s men and women as real people whom we will see makes it all the more real for those with whom we are having the conversation. (And for those listening to us!)
If we’re not embarrassed to spout on and on about the cruise we’re going to take in a few months, then what is so embarrassing about talking about what our place in heaven might look like, or the fruits of the trees of life lining the river, or the pillars of the temple shaking as the cherubim sing HOLY HOLY HOLY? Those things are more real than the cruise, which hasn’t happened and might not, while God is in heaven on His throne right now! (Revelation 4:1-5)
“If we would remember that all the trees of earth are marked for the woodsman’s ax, we should not be so ready to build our nests in them.” Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Pray, read, think, and talk about heaven. You’ll find your happier, more content, more able to endure hardship, and your re-oriented perspective will excite the brethren and please Jesus. What’s to lose? It’s a win-win all around.
We are adornments
According to Merriam Webster Dictionary, the word adorn is defined as
to make (someone or something) more attractive by adding something beautiful
With that in mind let’s look at this verse from Titus:
“Bondservants are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.” (Titus 2:9-10)
I like the emphasis here. Jesus’ doctrine is pure and beautiful on its own, but we adorn it when we live by its standards. Pastor Bayless Conley expounded on this verse in a devotional titled “Double Standard.”
——————–Begin Conley———————–
I would like for you to read again the Scripture we read yesterday, Titus 2:9-10,
Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back, not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.
We make the gospel unattractive when we live contrary to our beliefs. The gospel becomes unsavory and unattractive to those outside the church when our lives do not match up to what we say we believe.
Take the verses we read here. Paul says, in effect, that we make the gospel unsavory when we pilfer (which means stealing items of small value) or talk back to our boss.
You do not adorn the gospel when you show lack of respect for your boss, rip the company off, use the phones and computers at your job for personal business, take extra long lunch breaks, steal paper, take staplers, steal pens, or whatever you can get your hands on.
You should not dress the gospel in rags and then pass out tracts to all your coworkers or invite your boss to church.
This truth does not just apply to work. Do not live contrary to your beliefs anywhere. Do not live a double standard at home. If you do, it will turn your kids away from wanting to serve Christ. If you are into sports and you curse a lot, cheat, or have a bad temper, you dress the gospel in rags.
In 2 Corinthians 3:2 Paul states that, You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men.
The truth is, we are the only Bible some people will ever read. They are looking at our lives.
——————–End Conley——————
Here is one other verse with the word adorn in it:
And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (Revelation 21:2)
Gill’s Exposition explains,
“when all the elect of God are gathered in, the number of the saints is perfected; when the good work of grace is finished in them all, and they are all arrayed in the righteousness of Christ: and to be “adorned”, when not only they are clothed with the robe of righteousness, and garments of salvation, and are beautified with the graces of the Spirit, but also with the bright robes of immortality and glory.“
So keep His doctrines, for we are an adornment to our Groom’s truths. In heaven right now, He is adorning His city for us, His bride.
Do you mind when they change the lyrics to ‘Amazing Grace’ and leave out "wretch"?
Words matter. I was a newspaperwoman for 7 years and let me assure you, the words we choose to put in print color our perceptions of the world, of people, and of concepts. The same goes for poems, stories, and textbooks. I can’t imagine any writer who doesn’t take care with choosing exactly the right word to use at particular points of his or her piece. (Except maybe Proust).
Consider this sentence,
“The large group of activists marched through town”
“The large group of protesters walked through town”
A different take, depending on which word was chosen, isn’t it?
On March 11, 2003 an actual NY Times headline read:
Iraq forces suspension of U.S. surveillance flights
And on the same day the headline reporting the same incident in USA Today read:
U.N. Withdraws U-2 Planes
This is known as bias. As the essay from ‘News Bias Explored: Word Choice‘ defines, “Words are very precise building blocks that form the basis for all communicated ideas…Bias, in many forms, is not necessarily explicit in the words that have been used but can be recognized when seen in the fuller context that the words represent. Journalists do this by manipulating single words in such a way that whole sentences’ meanings are subtly changed…and sometimes not so subtly.
I wasn’t saved by grace until I was 43 years old. That meant I had many years as a youth and a fully grown adult to reject Jesus and all He stands for. I remember several times being in places where the hymn “Amazing Grace” by John Newton was sung. Whether it was a concert or a church wedding, the hymn is usually familiar to even the most oblivious of a non church-going person, like me, because it is played even at so many places other than church where the lost tend to congregate.
“Author Gilbert Chase describes “Amazing Grace” as “without a doubt the most famous of all the folk hymns.” Jonathan Aitken, a Newton biographer, estimates that it is performed about 10 million times annually. “Amazing Grace” stands as an emblematic Negro spiritual and exemplar of Appalachian shape note hymnody. In the nineteenth century the hymn was sung by Native Americans enduring the ordeal of the Trail of Tears, by abolitionists, by soldiers in the U.S. Civil War, and by homesteaders settling the Prairies. Today it has attained international popularity…” (Left, John Newton, author of Amazing Grace”)
What an opportunity the lost person has to learn of the grace of the Great Savior! That they are lost, which they do not know! That grace awaits, which they do not understand. They they are a wretch but can be saved, that they need but do not want. In places where bibles are banned and sermons are stopped, songs can be sung with loaded words which carry the grace of Jesus and the first, dawn-like whiffs of hope and deliverance.
Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? (Romans 7:24)When I was lost, I liked the hymn. I thought it was pretty, and had a good message and stirred me somehow. Except one part I hated. When it got to the lyric that said, “saved a WRETCH like me.” When it got to that part, I closed my mouth and refused to sing the line. ‘I’m not a wretch’ I’d think to myself. ‘I’m a good person! How ridiculous to have such low self-esteem!’
Of course, that was the point Newton was trying to make. He was a very great sinner, but so are we all. No matter who is singing this song, save one exception in the universe (Jesus), that wretch lyric can and does apply.
Now that we are in such an apostate world, no one likes to believe they are a wretch. But unless we understand how very great of a wretch we are, we will not understand how very great a Savior we have. I heard “Amazing Grace” this week by a new artist. The lyric had been changed. This is what she sang-
“Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a SOUL like me.”
For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. (Revelation 3:17)
We all have a soul. Even the most atheistic of people believe we have a soul and it goes somewhere after we die, if even to be annihilated or changed into a centipede. What’s so amazing about grace that saves a soul? Nothing. It is the wretch that is saved that is so amazing.
“but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us“. (Romans 5:8)
Jesus didn’t die for souls, He died for sinners, wretched sinners. If you are confronted with a lyric or a verse where it has been changed, please know that it makes a difference. Remember that what you read or hear are words, and words communicate ideas. The most important idea in the universe is that we are all sinners in need of a Savior, and that Savior IS Jesus Christ and no other. We are all wretches, and Jesus as the Sinless One lifted us up and gave us new life in Him. As the article above I’d quoted and linked to states, the lost world likes to change ideas and they do “this by manipulating single words in such a way that whole sentences’ meanings are subtly changed.” Wretch and soul are not the same. Words matter.
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Further Reading:
Here is a short documentary about the song and how it came to be written.
Amazing Grace: The Story Behind the Song
Wretched Radio with Todd Friel
The throne of Majesty, the throne of Grace
I was listening to a S. Lewis Johnson sermon on Hebrews 4 the other day. He was expounding on the following verse-
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)
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| The Queen of England in 2004 delivering a speech. Cleveland Plain Dealer photo |
Thrones are usually seen as majestic. Thrones are large and high-backed, stately, usually covered in finery, adorned with jewels, and lifted up. Of course the Lord’s is no different, it is THE most majestic throne of all! This verse from later in Hebrews attests to its majesty and the one who occupies it.
Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. (Hebrews 8:1-2)
In the Hebrews 8 verse we see the throne of majesty and the Lord performing His holy duties. It is such a comforting picture, to think of Jesus administering His holy duties! However such a throne would not be so approachable.
The protocols surrounding meeting the Queen of England, Elizabeth II, are formal and strict. Only the politest of questions are suggested, such as “Is Your Majesty enjoying the performance?” She is to be referred to as Your Majesty, and Ma’am thereafter.One does not turn one’s back to the Queen, and curtsies are expected. One does not touch the Queen, and if she extends her hand, one must not grip it or pump it. These are indicators of respect and obeisance to the Sovereign.
The photo below is of Pope Benedict on his throne, richly adorned and atop marble steps. It is not an approachable throne.
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| Pope Benedict |
Though man tries to emulate a sovereign throne of majesty, they all pale in comparison to the one described in Hebrews. Such majesty the Lord’s throne must emanate! I can see Him in my imagination through the biblical description as Priest performing His duty. Isaiah was given a sight of this:
In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”
4And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” (Isaiah 6:1-5)
Now THAT is a throne of majesty!!! One would hardly dare to approach in confidence and boldness as the Hebrews 4 verse says!
So the Lord in His mercy and wisdom inspired the writer of Hebrews to encourage us, when we need to receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need, to approach the throne of grace.
In the times where we have a need, we are encouraged to approach with confidence not the majestic throne, though it is, but to draw near to the throne of GRACE.
How merciful is our God, who demonstrates again and again his wisdom and His mercies! When we need Him, His throne is one of grace, approachable and ready for us to receive His gift. It was S. Lewis Johnson who pointed to that distinction between the Hebrews 8 throne of majesty and Hebrews 4’s throne of grace.
I hope you ponder the majesty of our Holy God and also delight in His throne of grace, which stands ready to be approached by us, His little children, to weep for help and to be the beneficiary of His grace in our time of need. He is a tremendous God! Praise Him today, with your mouth, in your songs, and by your heart with love to Him the Worthy One.
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Further Reading
- Online teaching, mp3 sermon files from Believers Chapel in Dallas.
- SLJ Institute featuring the teaching of S. Lewis Johnson, Jr.
Oklahoma: "We have already crushed last year’s record for number of earthquakes"
I’ve written about earthquakes a lot lately. This is why. It is an excerpt of an article that reports the quake swarm occurring in OK as it has been since 2009. The rest of the article proposes that hydraulic fracturing of rocks in oil extraction could be the cause, but this has been debunked elsewhere. I’m amazed at all the things the Lord is in control of and how He handles the events that will eventually bring us to His point when all history constricts down to one moment: the Rapture.
Please read the news article below and see what you think.
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Series of small earthquakes rock Oklahoma in record seismic activity
Earthquakes rattled residents in Oklahoma on Saturday, the latest in a series that have put the state on track for record quake activity this year, which some seismologists say may be tied to oil and gas exploration. One earthquake recorded at 3.8 magnitude by the U.S. Geological Survey rocked houses in several communities around central Oklahoma at 7:42 a.m. local time. Another about two hours earlier in the same part of the state, north of Oklahoma City, was recorded at 2.9 magnitude, USGS said.
Those two were preceded by two more, at 2.6 magnitude, and 2.5 magnitude, that also rolled the landscape in central Oklahoma early Saturday morning. A 3.0 magnitude tremor struck late Friday night in that area as well, following a 3.4 magnitude hit Friday afternoon.
Austin Holland, a seismologist with the Oklahoma Geological Survey who tracks earthquake activity for the USGS, said the earthquake activity in the state is soaring.
“We have had almost as many magnitude 3 and greater already in 2014 than we did for all of 2013,” Holland said.
Last year’s number of “felt” earthquakes – those strong enough to rattle items on a shelf – hit a record 222 in the state. This year, less than four months into the year, the state has recorded 253 such tremors, according to state seismic data.
“We have already crushed last year’s record for number of earthquakes,” Holland said.
the-end-time.org 