(SRL
Home)Heavens To Betsy!
Have you ever caught one of those "Miracles of the Bible - Explained!" shows on cable?
I have to admit I get a real kick out of these tortured attempts to ignore the obvious.
And let's face it, if you begin any inquiry with a preconceived notion that there is no such thing as the miraculous, and that everything must be explained by natural process, you will have some real folding, spindling and mutilating to do when it comes to the Biblical record.
A classic example of this crossed the wires today.
Researchers: Asteroid Destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah
University of Bristol
An Assyrian planisphere, or star chart, from about 700 B.C. which may depict events recounted by Sumerians from around 3123 B.C.
A clay tablet that has baffled scientists for 150 years has been identified as a witness's account of the asteroid suspected of being behind the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Researchers who cracked the cuneiform symbols on the Planisphere tablet believe that it recorded an asteroid thought to have been more than half a mile across.
The tablet, found by Henry Layard in the remains of the library in the royal place at Nineveh in the mid-19th century, is thought to be a 700 B.C. copy of notes made by a Sumerian astronomer watching the night sky.
He referred to the asteroid as a "white stone bowl approaching" and recorded it as it "vigorously swept along."
Using computers to recreate the night sky thousands of years ago, scientists have pinpointed his sighting to shortly before dawn on June 29 in the year 3123 B.C.
About half the symbols on the tablet have survived and half of those refer to the asteroid. The other symbols record the positions of clouds and constellations. In the past 150 years scientists have made five unsuccessful attempts to translate the tablet
Mark Hempsell, one of the researchers from Bristol University who cracked the tablet's code, said: "It's a wonderful piece of observation, an absolutely perfect piece of science."
He said the size and route of the asteroid meant that it was likely to have crashed into the Austrian Alps at Köfels. As it traveled close to the ground it would have left a trail of destruction from supersonic shock waves and then slammed into the Earth with a cataclysmic impact.
Debris consisting of up to two-thirds of the asteroid would have been hurled back along its route and a flash reaching temperatures of 400 Centigrade (752 Fahrenheit) would have been created, killing anyone in its path.
About one million sq kilometers (386,000 sq miles) would have been devastated and the impact would have been equivalent to more than 1,000 tons of TNT exploding.
Dr Hempsall said that at least 20 ancient myths record devastation of the type and on the scale of the asteroid's impact, including the Old Testament tale of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and the ancient Greek myth of how Phaeton, son of Helios, fell into the River Eridanus after losing control of his father's sun chariot. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,343674,00.html
Any problems with this "absolutely perfect piece of science"?
Just a couple.
First, from a secular point of view, Jonah Goldberg points out:
Update:
Oh, for the record, pretty much everyone — if by everyone you mean various readers — thinks this story is unbelievable. For example:Interesting……but,
A half-mile-wide asteroid? Hit earth around 700 BC and this is the first we've heard about it? There should be lots of geophysical evidence for such a massive event happening so recently. http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=MmY1MDRjM2VhZTE3N2Q3Y2MyOTRjNzc4NTM4M2QyNGE
Even if we concede the star charted date of 3123 BC, such a massive strike would have left a mark far more obvious than some etchings on a Summerian star chart.
I would even suggest that it is more likely what is being described was a "bolide" meteor. Bolides are meteors essentially made up of sulphur. When one of these ignites in our upper atmosphere it goes off like a cosmic flare and really puts on a show.
I saw a bolide on the way back to Arizona from a football game in 1979. It literally turned night into day for around five seconds and was seen all the way from the Canadian border to Mexico City.
The Sumerian inscription fits very nicely with what I saw that night.
The second problem?
The Biblical record indicates that it was only Sodom, Gomorrah and the other cities of the plain that were destroyed.
And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD. Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace. And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt. (Genesis 19:27-29)
This seems like pretty selective behavior for a half mile wide asteroid that destroyed 386,000 square miles of territory in its wake.
If it really cranked the temperature up to 725 degrees, how did Abraham survive to tell the story?
A "perfect piece of science" really turns out to be a perfectly disputable piece of speculation.
But it does indisputably prove one fact of life.
As G.K. Chesterton once observed, "When a man ceases to believe in God, he doesn't believe in nothing. He believes in anything."
Scott's Blog - 3/27/08
Truth In Labeling
Extra bite - Texan faces charges over snake vodka
SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) -
A Texas man is facing charges for selling liquor without a license after he was found peddling bottles of vodka containing dead baby rattlesnakes.
Bob Popplewell, who runs "Bayou Bob's Brazos River Rattlesnake Ranch" tourist attraction west of Fort Worth, was believed to be selling the vodka in the Asian community, where snakes are seen having aphrodisiac properties, state authorities said.
Popplewell faces misdemeanor charges for not having a liquor license but will not be charged over the 10-inch (25-cm) baby snakes in the bottles.
"I've been with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission for 20 years," Sergeant Charlie Cloud said. "This is the most bizarre thing I've been involved in." http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080327/od_nm/texas_rattlesnake_dc
I'm sure Bayou Bob wasn't trying to make a Biblical point when he came up with this "sharp" marketing idea.
But he did.
Who has woe?
Who has sorrow?
Who has contentions?
Who has complaints?
Who has wounds without cause?
Who has redness of eyes?
Those who linger long at the wine,
Those who go in search of mixed wine.
Do not look on the wine when it is red,
When it sparkles in the cup,
When it swirls around smoothly;
At the last it bites like a serpent,
And stings like a viper. (Proverbs 23:29-32)
Can Christians drink?
Believe it or not, it is hard to make a case for mandatory total abstinence from alcohol in the Scriptures.
Jesus' first miracle was changing water into wine at a wedding in Cana.
I know, I know. Some have said this was just grape juice, or containing only enough alcohol to fight off bacteria.
The record of that event says differently.
Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it. When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”(John 2:6-10)
The difference between good wine and inferior? Fermentation. Which requires alcoholic content to achieve.
Paul also encouraged Timothy to use wine for medicinal purposes. (I Timothy 5:23)
It is clear that there are circumstances where Christians can drink.
But the real question is, should Christians drink?
And if that question makes us feel uncomfortable or defensive, we should take a step back and ask ourselves why.
There is no doubt that alcohol is an addictive agent. Like any other addictive agent it is a mood altering substance.
The essence of addiction is an attempt to control how we feel.
First we drink because it makes us feel good. It calms us down. It takes the edge off.
Some drink because it makes them feel more free and less inhibited.
And at first, it gets results.
But the more one drinks, the less we experience the positives.
We can eventually get to the place where we no longer drink to feel good, but to avoid feeling bad.
And at that moment we are no longer controlling our mood. We are being controlled.
The snake has bitten.
The Lord offers us a positive alternative.
For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14:17)
When we simply ask the Lord for the filling of His Holy Spirit, we give our life and circumstances over to the only One Who deserves to be in control of our lives.
The peace that floods our hearts as God directly communicates His unfailing love to us, and the joy we know when that love flows through us to others is a high without regret.
And if we can experience that blessing from the Spirit we meet in the Bible, why would we settle from some cheap knock off we find in a bottle?
And that is a great way to avoid getting "snake bit"!
Scott's Blog - 3/26/08
The Tip of the Spiritual Iceberg
When you think of it, what better time to be baptized than on Easter Sunday?
After all, it is the historical fact of Jesus' resurrection that supplies the power to the spiritual identification we experience when we make that life changing step of obedience.
Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:4)
"Newness of life"
Some experience this in a more obvious way than others.
Consider this example of a radical change of life that happened on Easter Sunday.
(AP) Italy's most prominent Muslim, an iconoclastic writer who condemned Islamic extremism and defended Israel, converted to Catholicism Saturday in a baptism by the pope at a Vatican Easter service.
An Egyptian-born, non-practicing Muslim who is married to a Catholic, Magdi Allam infuriated some Muslims with his books and columns in the newspaper Corriere della Sera newspaper, where he is a deputy editor. He titled one book "Long Live Israel."
As a choir sang, Pope Benedict XVI poured holy water over Allam's head and said a brief prayer in Latin.
"We no longer stand alongside or in opposition to one another," Benedict said in a homily reflecting on the meaning of baptism. "Thus faith is a force for peace and reconciliation in the world: distances between people are overcome, in the Lord we have become close." http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/22/world/main3960187.shtml?source=RSSattr=HOME_3960187
The baptism of Magdi Allam has certainly raised eyebrows in the world of the mainstream media.
"A Muslim, turning to faith in Christ? You never hear about that, now do you?"
But would it surprise you to learn that this is far from a man bites dog kind of oddity?
Consider this report from friend of SRL Joel Rosenberg concerning a remarkable move of God in the Middle East.
The God of the Bible is moving powerfully in the Middle East to draw men, women and children to His heart and adopt them into His family in record numbers. More Muslims have come to faith in Jesus Christ over the last thirty years -- and specifically over the last seven to ten years -- than at any other time in human history. There is a revival going on among the ancient Catholic, Coptic, and Chaldean churches. Today, the Church is being truly resurrected in the lands of its birth.
Consider the latest evidence:
* AFGHANISTAN -- In Afghanistan, for example, there were only 17 known evangelical Christians in the country before al-Qaeda attacked the United States. Today, there are well over 10,000 Afghan followers of Christ and the number is growing steadily. Church leaders say Afghan Muslims are open to hearing the gospel message like never before. Dozens of baptisms occur every week. People are snatching up Bibles and other Christian books as fast as they can be printed or brought into the country. The Jesus film, a two hour docudrama on the life of Christ based on the Gospel of Luke, was even shown on television in one city before police shut down the entire TV station."God is moving so fast in Afghanistan, we're just trying to keep up," one Afghan Christian worker told me, requesting anonymity. "The greatest need now is leadership development. We need to train pastors to care for all these new believers."
* UZBEKISTAN -- There were no known Muslim converts to Christ there in 1990. Now there are more than 30,000.
* IRAQ -- As I shared on Fox & Friends on Easter morning, in Iraq, there were only a handful of Muslim converts to Christianity back in 1979 when Saddam Hussein took full control of that country. Yet today, there are more than 70,000 Iraqi Muslim background believers in Jesus (MBBs), approximately 50,000 who came to Christ as refugees in Jordan after the first Gulf War in 1990-91, and another 20,000 who have come to Christ since the fall of Saddam Hussein. John Moser, the executive director of The Joshua Fund, and I just returned from nine days traveling through five provinces in Iraq. We met with 19 Iraqi evangelical Christian leaders. I had the privilege of preaching in a church of more than 100 MBBs from Baghdad -- a church that didn't even exist in 2002 before liberation. We also had the privilege of meeting and interviewing numerous former Islamic jihadist terrorist who have come to Christ and are now pastors and church planters.
* KAZAKHSTAN -- In Kazakhstan, there were only three known evangelical Christian believers before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Today there are more than 15,000 Kazakh Christians, and more than 100,000 Christians of all ethnicities.
* EGYPT -- More than 1 million Egyptians have trusted Christ over the past decade or so, report Egyptian church leaders. The Egyptian Bible Society told me they used to sell about 3,000 copies of the Jesus film a year in the early 1990s. But in 2005 they sold 600,000 copies, plus 750,000 copies of the Bible on tape (in Arabic) and about a half million copies of the Arabic New Testament. "Egyptians are increasingly hungry for God's Word," an Egyptian Christian leader told me. Last Christmas, I had the privilege of visiting the largest Christian congregation in the Middle East, which meets in an enormous cave on the outskirts of Cairo. Some 10,000 believers worship there every weekend. A prayer conference the church held in May 2005 drew some 20,000 believers.
* IRAN -- In 1979 when the Ayatollah Khomeini led the Islamic Revolution, there were only about 500 known Muslim converts to Christianity. Today, interviews with two dozen Iranian pastors and church leaders reveals that there are well over 1 million Shia Muslim converts to Christianity.
* SUDAN -- Despite a ferocious civil war, genocide and widespread religious persecution, particularly in the Darfur region -- or perhaps because of such tragedies -- church leaders there tell me that more than 1 million Sudanese have made decisions to follow Jesus Christ just since 2001. Since the early 1990s, more than 5 million Sudanese have become followers of Jesus. Seminary classes to train desperately-needed new pastors are held mountain caves. Hundreds of churches have been planted, and thousands of small group Bible studies are being held in secret throughout the country.
In December 2001, Sheikh Ahmad al Qataani, a leading Saudi cleric, appeared on a live interview on Aljazeera satellite television to confirm that, sure enough, Muslims were turning to Jesus in alarming numbers. "In every hour, 667 Muslims convert to Christianity," Al Qataani warned. "Every day, 16,000 Muslims convert to Christianity. Every year, 6 million Muslims convert to Christianity." Stunned, the interviewer interrupted the cleric. "Hold on! Let me clarify. Do we have six million converting from Islam to Christianity?" Al Qataani repeated his assertion. "Every year," the cleric confirmed, adding, "a tragedy has happened."
One of the most dramatic developments is that many Muslims throughout the Middle East and even in the United States are seeing dreams and visions of Jesus. They are coming into churches explaining that they have already converted and now need a Bible and guidance on how to follow Jesus. This is in fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. The Hebrew Prophet Joel told us that "in the last days, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days....And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved." (Joel 2:28-32) http://joelrosenberg.blogspot.com/
We have noted before in this space that the physical conflict we call the "Global War on Terror" is only the tip of the iceberg. The real battle is spiritual in nature, and is tied into the eternal destinies of men, women and children who have been held in the darkness of dead religion for far too long.
Perhaps we are seeing the beginning of the light of God's truth and love breaking through in an unprecedented way!
Scott's Blog - 3/25/08
Believer Beware!
There is an old Russian proverb that says, "Trust. But verify."
I have come to believe that every Christian should have those words written in the fly leaf of their Bible.
The need for a healthy dose of skepticism in the walk of a Spirit filled believer is never more pronounced than when we hear someone say, "Did you hear they found proof that the Bible is true?"
After examining the overwhelming historic evidence for Jesus' resurrection, I was unaware that question was still up in the air.
But inevitably we will encounter a sensational claim that some archeological breakthrough has settled the issue of the trustworthiness of Scripture once and for all.
Presented for your approval, an e-mail that is making the rounds this week.
"And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided." (Exodus 14:21)
One of the most famous stories of the Bible is God's parting of the Red Sea to save the Israelites from the Egyptian army and the subsequent drowning of soldiers and horses in hot pursuit.
But is there evidence that such an event did in fact happen – and if so, precisely where did it take place?
The issue is surfacing some 3,500 years after the event is said to have taken place with reports of Egyptian chariot wheels found in the Red Sea, photographs to document it and new books by scientists that could lead to a whole remapping of the Exodus route and a fresh look at ancient biblical accounts.
Wheel of fortune
"I am 99.9 percent sure I picked up a chariot wheel," Peter Elmer tells WorldNetDaily after two diving trips to the Gulf of Aqaba branch of the sea. "It was covered in coral."
The 38-year-old forklift mechanic from Keynsham, England, traveled to the region with his brother, Mark, after being inspired by videos of explorers Ron Wyatt and Jonathan Gray, who have documented artifacts that in at least one case authorities have confirmed to be a chariot wheel dating to the time of the Exodus.
"I believe I actually sat in an ancient chariot cab," Elmer said, referring to his time exploring a submerged item in what he describes as an underwater scrapyard. "Without question, it is most definitely the remains of the Egyptian army." http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=33168
There is one small problem with this claim.
Even those closest to Ron Wyatt dispute the results.
But despite all of Elmer's excitement, others who have been to the same location are not so sure what is being viewed underwater are the remnants of the great chase and urge extreme caution regarding the unsubstantiated claims.
"All kinds of people are finding coral and calling it chariot parts," says Richard Rives, president of Wyatt Archaeological Research in Tennessee. "It's most likely coral covered with coral. ... Opportunists are combining false things with the true things that are found. These people are making it up as they go to be TV stars."
Rives was a longtime partner of Ron Wyatt, an anesthetist and amateur archaeologist who died of cancer in 1999. Before passing away, Wyatt devoted years searching for and documenting physical evidence for events mentioned in the Bible. In addition to chariot wheels, Wyatt claimed to have found Noah's Ark on the mountain next to Ararat in Turkey, the "true" Mount Sinai in Saudi Arabia and the Ark of the Covenant with the Ten Commandments near the site of Jesus Christ's crucifixion. http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=33168
To add to the confusion, the so-called discoveries of Ron Wyatt and Jonathon Gray are not held in high esteem in scientific and archeological circles.
Consider this assessment by the Answers In Genesis organization of the supposed discovery of Exodus remnants in the Red Sea.
Pharaoh’s chariots?
Some unsolicited evidence also came our way concerning the alleged chariot wheels of the Exodus (which have never been made available to any archaeologists, Bible-believing or otherwise). There is a Jonathan Gray video purporting to show these on the bottom of the Red Sea. In one part, Gray claims that a ‘British Admiralty chart’ he is holding shows a ‘sand bridge’ with great depths either side.
The hydrographic office of the UK Ministry of Defense is, by international agreement, the authority for charting the Red Sea. A Mrs M. H. sent them the video; they wrote back to her that:
-
Gray’s chart could be positively identified on blowups as United States chart no. 62020.
-
‘Contrary to Mr Gray’s statement, the “sand bridge” is not now, and never has been, a recognizable feature on British Admiralty Charts. Nor is it recognizable on the U.S. chart held by Mr Gray.’
-
Gray’s comments about the ‘great depths’ also mislead.
-
The naturally lit video footage of the sea floor could not possibly have been filmed anywhere near the spot claimed by Gray, as insufficient light would penetrate at that depth.
Subsequently, Gray published a second letter from the same office, claiming it vindicated his claims of a ‘sand bridge.’ However, when we checked with them, they wrote that their comments had been ‘seriously edited,’ with ‘selected parts’ shown under their letterhead. The full letter, which they sent us, ‘does not confirm the existence of a “sand bridge.”’
In short, whenever we have had the opportunity to objectively assess any of these claims, the same pattern emerges as from our ‘Ark’ investigation. http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v21/i2/ark.asp
What to make of claims of new discoveries that prove the reliability of the Biblical record?
No doubt there are those who are doing excellent work in these areas whose work stands up under the most scrupulous scientific evaluation. Recent SRL guest Dr. Steven Collins work on the site of Sodom and Gomorrah is both first rate scientifically and compelling spiritually. http://www.trinitysouthwest.com/
But we would all be well advised to remember this word of caution offered by the staff at Answers In Genesis.
There is little doubt that the genuine discovery of certain objects would be both exciting and a powerful witness to the truth of the biblical record. However, we need to be careful not to become like some medieval pilgrims, keen to have relics to supplement (or supplant) the worship of the living God. Christ actually taught that if people did not listen to ‘Moses and the prophets,’ then neither would something as spectacular as someone rising from the dead convince them (Luke 16).
No doubt such fanciful claims as discussed here will always be with us, made by those seeking either profit, fame, the fulfillment of some deep psychological needs, or any combination of these. The ‘discoverers’ will often appear completely sincere, saying all the ‘right Christian things.’ Perhaps at some point they have even persuaded themselves.
The Bible does not say we should ‘believe all things,’ but rather that we should ‘prove all things’ (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Neither does it encourage a gullible approach toward those claiming the name of Christ. Rather, it warns about wolves among the flock, and also teaches that the heart of man is deceitful and depraved (Jeremiah 17:9).
As in other areas, extraordinary claims carry an extraordinary burden of proof. There is already a huge amount of archaeological and other evidence consistent with the truth of the Bible. Bible-believing experts exist in many fields, such as the archaeologist author of our article on Jericho (The walls of Jericho). They are always glad to assess and publicize actual evidence of genuine finds (there have been many over the years) supporting the historicity of the Bible. http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v21/i2/ark.asp
Scott's Blog - 3/24/08
As Long As You're Sincere (And Have Had Your Shots)
I used to think that as long as you had substance, style in worship was a negotiable thing.
Until I saw this.
Boy, 15, nailed to a cross as Filipinos whip and crucify themselves in gory Good Friday ritual
A 15-year-old boy has been crucified in the Philippines today in a gory ritual to mark the death of Jesus Christ.
The Filipino government says it cannot stop the devotees from crucifying and whipping themselves
Dozens of Filipinos, including the boy and an 18-year-old girl, were nailed to crosses and scores more whipped their backs into a bloody pulp as the country's devout Roman Catholics marked Good Friday.
The voluntary crucifixions in the northern Philippines were the most extreme displays of religious devotion in this mainly Catholic country, where millions are praying and fasting ahead of the Easter weekend.
The health department said that those taking part in the rituals should have tetanus shots, check the condition of the whip they will use before lashing their backs and ensure the six-inch nails that will pierce their hands and feet have been sterilised.
"If we can't stop flagellants from whipping their own flesh, the best thing these penitents can do is ensure that their whips are clean and well maintained," said Health Secretary Francisco Duque.
"We are not trying to go against tradition because whipping has somewhat already become some form of atonement for sins for some of us.
"But this advice is important to make sure that no-one will land in hospital due to tetanus or other infections that penitents might get in the process." http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=540453&in_page_id=1811
I can't tell you how many times I have heard someone say, "It doesn't matter what you believe, as long as you are sincere."
Want to share that with a straight face after seeing this spiritual debacle take place?
The saddest thing about this tragic Good Friday spectacle is how absolutely unnecessary it all was.
Consider what Paul said about the only kind of crucifixion that any genuine believer in Christ needs to participate in.
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.” (Galatians 2:20-21)
Paul certainly didn't define being "crucified with Christ" as going through some bizarre and self promoting ritual (complete with tetanus shots).
The real deal goes a lot deeper and is infinitely more challenging than anything that happened in the Philippines on Good Friday.
It involves a surrender of our life and will to the presence and power of Jesus. Paul's experience was a day by day dependency, not on ritual or religious routine, but on the indwelling Holy Spirit of God.
It is honestly looking at our lives and admitting that no religious deed, no matter how dramatic and painful, can make up for all of our faults, failures and out and out sins.
It is realizing the utterly humbling, yet utterly exalting truth that all we can do is trust not in what we do for God, but what He had done for us.
In the only crucifixion in history that really mattered.
God made Him Who knew no sin, to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (I Corinthians 5:21)
All the sincerity, all the self torturing spectacle in the world cannot add a single thing to what Christ has done for us.
If a religious ritual can somehow make us right with God, then Christ died needlessly.
Too bad those sincere bit misguided people in the Philippines didn't get that message.
Scott's Blog - 3/21/08
A Spiritual Wake Up Call
If you need a good spiritual jolt to make sure you go into Easter weekend fully awake -
http://brainshavings.com/supplements/crucifixion/
This article was crucial in my personal journey from considering myself to be an atheist to inviting Christ into my heart.
I hope it both shocks and blesses you as it did me!
Scott's Blog - 3/20/08
Prophet or Loss?
It doesn't take an astute observer of current events to come to the conclusion that truth is stranger than fiction.
Consider the on going dust up surrounding presidential candidate Barak Obama's spiritual mentor Jeremiah Wright.
By now you are no doubt aware that Dr. Wright has caused a good deal of discomfort to the Obama campaign by a series of statements he made from the pulpit that most would consider outrageous.
But even more provocative from a Biblical point of view have been the attempts to defend the Reverend's remarks.
Obama Pastor's Fiery Sermons Part of Long Prophetic Tradition
by Adelle M. Banks
Religion News Service
WASHINGTON --
The outgoing pastor of Sen. Barack Obama's black megachurch in Chicago has come under fire for sermons that some have called racist, offensive, even dangerous.The Rev. Jeremiah Wright has called the federal government the "U.S. of K.K.K. A." Just after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Wright said "America's chickens are coming home to roost," according to a review of his sermons by ABC News.
Observers of the black church say Wright's sermons may seem incendiary or uncomfortably provocative, but they reflect a proud history of what Walter Earl Fluker of Morehouse College in Atlanta calls "prophetic preaching, which is the trademark of the black church tradition, of which Jeremiah Wright is perhaps one of the most illustrious exemplars."
Peter Paris, professor emeritus of Christian social ethics at Princeton Theological Seminary, attended seminary with Wright in the 1960s and said Wright fits in the prophetic tradition of both the black church and the Bible.
"Prophets are basically reformers and not revolutionaries," said Paris, an Obama supporter. "There's a line beyond which one is no longer prophetic but one is revolutionary. He's not there, but the language may appear from time to time to be there." http://pewforum.org/news/display.php?NewsID=15177&IssueID=64
Did you catch the key word here? Prophet.
There is no doubt that Old Testament prophets had no problem speaking truth to power.
John the Baptist, the last Old Testament prophet got tossed in jail for just such a breach of societal etiquette.
At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him.” For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife. Because John had said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. (Matthew 14:1-5)
So does that kind of boldness define the ministry of a true prophet?
Not exactly.
John was a prophet because he was committed not to speaking his own words, but the Word of God.
In fact, the original prophet Jeremiah gives us a key insight into what a true prophetic gift is all about.
Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
“ Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;
Before you were born I sanctified you;
I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
Then said I:
“ Ah, Lord GOD!
Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.”
But the LORD said to me:
“ Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’
For you shall go to all to whom I send you,
And whatever I command you, you shall speak.
Do not be afraid of their faces,
For I am with you to deliver you,” says the LORD.
Then the LORD put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said
to me:
“ Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.
See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the
kingdoms,
To root out and to pull down,
To destroy and to throw down,
To build and to plant.” (Jeremiah 1:4-10)
The key to being a genuine prophet is not trying to put our words in God's mouth, but by faithfully relating the Word of God using our mouths.
The credibility of a genuine prophet comes not from their identity with an oppressed group, or their experience of personal suffering, but their faithfulness in relating God's Word as we find it in the Bible.
Does Jeremiah Wright pass this Biblical test?
Jeremiah Wright has ever right to express his opinions. But
to try to equate angry politicized rhetoric with a "prophetic"
word shows a stunning lack of understanding of the Biblical
meaning of the term.
Scott's Blog - 3/19/08
The Morning After The Morning After
It has been said that there is a simple answer for every problem - neat, plausible and wrong.
That has certainly been the mantra of the multi-billion dollar abortion industry.
Except they never seem to get around to the "wrong" part.
For over a generation our society has bought heavily into the myth of sexual intimacy without consequences.
A quick glance at MTV will fill you in on the popularity of "hook ups" (what used to be known as "one night stands") and "friends with privileges" (sexual relationships without even the hint of personal commitment).
If we believe the magazine headlines in the grocery store check out line sexual fulfillment is in, moral considerations are out, and if an unintended consequence like a pregnancy happens, a quick trip to Planned Parenthood can sweep away all problems.
Or maybe not.
Along with redefining the life or death of a child as "a woman's right to choose", the media has gone to extreme lengths to tell us that having an abortion will have all the lasting consequences of having your wisdom teeth out.
Turns out, it just isn't so.
Royal college warns abortions can lead to mental illness
Women may be at risk of mental health breakdowns if they have abortions, a medical royal college has warned. The Royal College of Psychiatrists says women should not be allowed to have an abortion until they are counselled on the possible risk to their mental health.
This overturns the consensus that has stood for decades that the risk to mental health of continuing with an unwanted pregnancy outweighs the risks of living with the possible regrets of having an abortion.
MPs will shortly vote on a proposal to reduce the upper time limit for abortions “for social reasons” from 24 weeks to 20 weeks, a move not backed by the government. A Sunday Times poll today shows 59% of women would support such a reduction, with only 28% backing the status quo. Taken together, just under half (48%) of men and women want a reduction to 20 weeks, while 35% want to retain 24 weeks.
Some MPs also want women to have a “cooling off” period in which they would be made aware of the possible consequences of the abortion, including the impact on their mental health, before they could go ahead.
More than 90% of the 200,000 terminations in Britain every year are believed to be carried out because doctors believe that continuing with the pregnancy would cause greater mental strain.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists recommends updating abortion information leaflets to include details of the risks of depression. “Consent cannot be informed without the provision of adequate and appropriate information,” it says.
Several studies, including research published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry in 2006, concluded that abortion in young women might be associated with risks of mental health problems.
The controversy intensified earlier this year when an inquest in Cornwall heard that a talented artist hanged herself because she was overcome with grief after aborting her twins. Emma Beck, 30, left a note saying: “Living is hell for me. I should never have had an abortion. I see now I would have been a good mum. I want to be with my babies; they need me, no one else does.”
The college’s revised stance was welcomed by Nadine Dorries, a Conservative MP campaigning for a statutory cooling-off period: “For doctors to process a woman’s request for an abortion without providing the support, information and help women need at this time of crisis I regard almost as a form of abuse,” she said.
Dr Peter Saunders, general secretary of the Christian Medical Fellowship, said: “How can a doctor now justify an abortion [on mental health grounds] if psychiatrists are questioning whether there is any clear evidence that continuing with the pregnancy leads to mental health problems.” http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article3559486.ece
One would think if organizations like Planned Parenthood were really interested in the welfare of women, they would wholeheartedly support 24 hour waiting periods before such a potentially devastating decision could be reached.
But giving a panic stricken, emotionally distressed individual time to think, or even to see a sonogram of the child she is carrying could be bad for business.
So what is the alternative?
Compassionate organizations committed to supporting the mother and the baby like the Crisis Pregnancy Centers are doing a tremendous work.
They provide medical evaluations, sonograms (so the reality of the situation can be clearly understood), information on positive alternatives like adoption services, as well as tangible, material support for those women who choose to keep their child.
God created our sexuality. It is a very powerful, yet fragile part of who we are.
When we take this gift and remove it from the one man-one woman, committed for life covenant God calls marriage, we do so at our own peril.
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. (Galatians 6:7-8)
Funny how that message never seems to show up on "Spring Break '08 on MTV".
For more information on the Crisis Pregnancy Centers check out http://www.pregnancycenters.org/
Scott's Blog - 3/18/08
When Do You Get Up And Leave?
The latest political firestorm in our media dominated culture surrounds the relationship of presidential candidate Barak Obama and his church.
But the issue this dust up raises for us as believers in Christ is a profound one - When do we pull the plug on our commitment to a church or a pastor?
Barak Obama's twenty year commitment to the ministry of Reverend Jeremiah Wright continued on in spite of the following statements that were not only issued from the pulpit of the Trinity United Church of Christ http://www.tucc.org/pastor.htm , but also available through the church's web site.
• "The government gives them [African Americans] the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing 'God Bless America.' No, no, no, God d--- America, that's in the Bible for killing innocent people. God d--- America for treating our citizens as less than human. God d--- America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme."
• After September 11, 2001, he said: "We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back into our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost." http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/18/barackobama.uselections20083
Now if you had invested twenty years of your life in a church, in a committed relationship with a pastor, if you had him perform your marriage ceremony and baptize your children, and you heard these statements from the pulpit - would you walk away?
I have to say that if I had been in Barak Obama's shoes, the answer would have been, "No."
At least not at first.
What does the Bible say we should do if we see a brother, particularly a pastor stumbling?
Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. (Galatians 6:1)
And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth (II Timothy 2:24-25)
Do not rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, with all purity. (I Timothy 5:1)
When we see even a respected pastor departing from the truth of God's Word we are responsible to lovingly, yet firmly confront them, using the Bible as our frame of reference.
I would be curious to know if Barak Obama ever went to Jeremiah Wright with an open Bible and respectfully said, "Could you how me where these things are in the Word?"
I can't help but think that this distracting controversy could have been avoided if someone had cared enough to Scripturally confront this erring pastor.
But what if they don't listen?
My first job in ministry was as a college intern at a Baptist church.
I was invited to take the position by the overseer of the entire youth department, a man whose walk with God I deeply respected.
As I became more and more involved, I began to see troubling signs that all was not well within this church.
But the issue came to a head when I heard my friend and supervisor share with a large youth gathering a message on Moses and the burning bush.
My friend declared that the people of Israel, sick of being in slavery appointed Moses as their spokesman to search for god in the wilderness.
After fourty years of seeking God, the Lord appeared to Moses. He told God about the sad condition of His people and begged Him to help.
But God said, "You go do something about it!"
The rest of the message was a stirring call to personal responsibility when problems arise.
One hitch in the message, though. It didn't happen that way.
In fact if you have seen the Cecil B. DeMille version of "The Ten Commandments" you would be able to spot a few fatal flaws.
So what did I do?
Keep my mouth shut?
Avoid rocking the boat for the sake of my budding career?
No.
I confronted my friend.
Who promptly told me to mind my own business.
I was crushed.
If this was what ministry was all about, I decided I didn't want to be a part of it.
But before I threw in the towel, I decided to call a pastor whose books had really encouraged me. His name was Chuck Swindoll.
http://www.insight.org/site/PageServer
Now at the time, I had no idea what a busy man Chuck Swindoll was. But, amazingly, he took a moment out of his schedule to call me back.
When I explained the situation to him he shared with me a word to the wise I will never forget.
"You have to have negotiables and non negotiables in ministry. If you prefer praise songs to hymns, that is a negotiable. But the Word of God is never a negotiable."
Barak Obama's personal loyalty is a commendable quality to have. And it appears he is attempting to stand by his church and pastor while trying to distance himself from the troubling teaching of Reverend Wright.
In his address before a small audience, Obama disavowed Wright's remarks as "not only wrong but divisive, divisive at a time when we need unity." But he did not wholly distance himself from his pastor or the church, Trinity United Church of Christ, on Chicago's South Side.
"I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community," Obama said of Wright. "I can no more disown him than I can disown my white grandmother - a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street."
Obama offered the most thorough explanation yet of his association with Wright, whom he has known for nearly 20 years.
"For some, nagging questions remain: Did I know him to be an occasionally fierce critic of American domestic and foreign policy? Of course," Obama said.
"Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes. Did I strongly disagree with many of his political views? Absolutely - just as I'm sure many of you have heard remarks from your pastors, priests or rabbis with which you strongly disagreed." http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/18/america/obama.php
Is it really possible to have it both ways in a situation like this?
Where do we draw the line?
Loyalty to church, community, even a crucial mentor and friend is a positive thing.
But when that loyalty compromises our commitment to God's Word, we have crossed into intensely dangerous spiritual territory.
Scott's Blog - 3/13/08
A Step Toward The Inevitable
One of the most fascinating pieces of the prophetic puzzle is the future rebuilding of the Jewish Temple on its historic site.
Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. (Revelation 11:1-2)
We live in a time when the fate of this shopping mall sized piece of real estate seems to be a bargaining chip in negotiations between the Israeli government of Ehud Olmert and Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party.
Some believe that the actual rebuilding of the Temple is an unrealistic dream.
Much like people at the turn of last century thought that Teodore Hertzl's vision of a reborn Israel was an unrealistic dream.
Yet, here we are.
A fascinating step in the direction of restoring Temple worship was noted today:
The Temple Institute is Pleased to Announce that Production of 120 Sets of Linen Garments for Lay Priests is Presently Underway FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 1,938 years the linen garments of the lay priests are being produced in preparation for the rebuilding of the Holy Temple and the renewal of the Divine service. The last priestly garments to have been worn were those worn by the priests who were martyred by the Roman legions who brutally invaded and destroyed the Holy Temple on the ninth day of the month of Av, in the year 70 CE.
THE TEMPLE INSTITUTE HAS SPARED NO EFFORT
in procuring the necessary materials for the performing of this Torah commandment, and once again has enlisted 21st century technology in order to do so in a manner befitting the Torah injunction that these priestly garments be "both dignified and beautiful". (Exodus 28:40)SPECIALLY PREPARED FLAXEN THREAD,
wound into six-ply strands, according to the Torah prescribed requirement, ("twined linen - shesh mushzar"), has been imported from India. These individual spools of thread are presently being spun into larger 1.7 meter long spindles in order to accomodate the next step: the weaving of bolts of fabric 1.7 meters wide. Before commencing this process, (known in Hebrew as hashtayah), of creating the 1.7 meter spindles, Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, founder of the Temple Institute made the traditional shechechiyanu blessing expressing gratitute to G-d " ...for keeping us alive and preserving us and permitting us to behold this day." In addition, before every step of the manufacturing process, a special statement of intent must be uttered in Hebrew: "L'shem mitzvat assei assiyat bigdei hakehuna: for the sake of the positive commandment to make the priestly garments."THE PREPARED SPINDLES
are then being transported from the textile factory in the town of Gedera to a second factory in the city of Tel Aviv. There they will be woven into kilometer (3,280 foot) long bolts. The weaving process, (known in Hebrew as arigah), creates the checkerboard pattern described in Torah, (ibid 28:39).THE FINAL STAGES
of the manufacture of the garments involves the cutting, sewing and embroidering of the woven fabric, creating the tunic (ketonet), pants (michnasayim), turban (mitznefet) and belt (avnet). The turban (mitznefet) is eight meters (26 feet) in length, and is wrapped around the priest's head. Each belt (avnet) requires a sixteen meter (52 feet) length of linen, which is wrapped around the priest's waist. (During the time of the Second Temple, when preparing to serve in the Holy Temple, the priests dressed in the chamber known as the chamber of Pinchas the Wardrober, and each priest was assisted by a fellow priest with the turban and belt.) rbAS ALWAYS, IN RECREATING TEMPLE-READY VESSELS AND GARMENTS,
the Temple Institute research department initiates the process with intensive research, assuring in this case that the priestly garments will be created in strict accordance to the halachic requirements as described in Torah and in the unbroken oral tradition received at Sinai and preserved by Jewish sages throughout the generations.EACH SET OF PRIESTLY GARMENTS
will be tailored to fit its individual purchaser. The garments being created are not museum pieces or collector's items. Their cost is 2,500 shekel, (approximately $695). They will be sold only to true decendants of the High Priest Aharon, who aspire to be fully prepared for the day when they can once again perform the Divine service in the Holy Temple, may we merit to rebuild it soon!INCREDIBLY, this is our first public announcement of the production of the priestly garments and we have already registered our first orders. A second production run is already being planned to accomodate the anticipated demand. In these very difficult and trying times we witness the enemies of the G-d of Israel arrayed to the north and to the south and to the east and to the west of the land of Israel, shamelessly boasting of their wicked intentions, and even Israel's friends are calling upon her to relinquish control over the Temple Mount, the one place chosen on earth by G-d for His presence to dwell, and for all mankind to be seen in His service. The demand by the descendents of Aharon for the garments that they will wear while tending to their daily responsibilites in the Holy Temple can only be understood as an expression of unshakable faith in the unfolding trajectory of Jewish history and in G-d's promise for all mankind: "And My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations." (Isaiah 56:7) http://www.templeinstitute.org/garment_manufacture.htm
Keep an eye on developments in Israel. One of the most significant will be an agreement that will allow this dream of the Jewish people to come true.
Scott's Blog - 3/12/08
I Guess You Had To be There..
Some wounds take longer to heal than others. Other wounds may not heal at all.
They are learning that painful lesson the hard way in Israel this week.
Merkel's speech stirs passions in Israel
By AMY TEIBEL, Associated Press Writer Wed Mar 12, 10:38 AM ET
JERUSALEM - German Chancellor Angela Merkel's upcoming address to the Israeli parliament has inflamed passions here, with one lawmaker threatening Wednesday to storm out of the session.
Arye Eldad said he was furious Merkel has been allowed to address the Knesset at all because it is a privilege reserved for heads of state — presidents and monarchs. Allowing her to speak in German, instead of the more neutral English, makes it even more painful, he said.
"German was the last language my grandmother and grandfather heard before they were murdered. The execution orders were given in German ... I plan to stand up and leave" before she speaks, he said.
Eldad, a member of the hardline National Union party, said he was not trying to organize a parliamentary boycott of Tuesday's speech and he did not know if other lawmakers intended to protest it.
His comments reflect the deep wounds that remain in Israel from the Nazi Holocaust, despite the cordial relations that have developed with Germany over the decades.
Knesset bylaws allow only heads of state to address the parliament. A parliamentary committee on Tuesday gave Merkel special dispensation to address lawmakers, said Ilan Ostfeld, a spokesman for Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik. At Merkel's request, she will speak in her native language.
"She is a very important European and world leader, and a great friend of Israel, and she asked to speak in German," Ostfeld said.
The chancellor's spokesman, Ulrich Wilhelm, told reporters in Berlin that Merkel "has on various occasions expressed understanding for the particular sensitivity that there is in Israel on this question."
However, she "also asks for understanding that she, as a representative of the German government and the German chancellor, speaks in her mother tongue, in German," Wilhelm said.
Merkel is not the first German dignitary to address Knesset in German.
In 2000, then-President Johannes Rau broke that barrier, delivering an emotional appeal "for forgiveness for what Germans have done."
Current German President Horst Koehler expressed "shame and humility" toward Holocaust victims in a February 2005 Knesset speech marking 40 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Several lawmakers boycotted those sessions.
Some 250,000 Holocaust victims live in Israel, having survived the Nazi genocide of 6 million Jews. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080312/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_germany
As you can see, forgiveness can be a tricky business.
The outrage expressed here seems a bit overblown from a distance. After all, Merkel's German government has been one of Israel's strongest allies in Europe. If you are keeping score at home, the term "European ally of Israel" is rapidly becoming an oxymoron.
It would seem that Israel needs all the friends she can get these days. Walking out on Merkel doesn't seem to make much sense politically.
But how about personally?
It seems to me that the outrage expressed comes less in reaction to the fact that Merkel will be speaking German in the Israeli Knesset, and more from the fact that it is a gesture of forgiveness from those who weren't directly effected by the horror of the Holocaust.
That's the funny thing about forgiveness. It can only be legitimately offered by the offended party.
If you and I were riding on a bus and the passenger next to you hit you in the face for no reason you would be understandably upset.
Now, imagine how you would feel if I leaned over to to there person who struck you and said, "That's OK. I forgive you for doing that."
You would be outraged.
Why?
Because you were the one who suffered the damage. For me to forgive for you is minimizing your pain and maximizing my self righteousness.
It is worse than an empty gesture.
Now, if the 250,000 Holocaust survivors in Israel had signed a petition offering formal forgiveness to the German people responsible, that would be different.
Only the offended party can truly forgive.
This provides an intense insight into the ministry of Jesus.
Consider this expression of forgiveness we find in Mark chapter two.
And again He entered Capernaum after some
days, and it was heard that He was in the house.
Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no
longer room to receive them, not even near the
door. And He preached the word to them. Then they came
to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four
men. And when they could not come near Him because
of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So
when they had broken through, they let down the bed on
which the paralytic was lying.
When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic,
“Son, your sins are forgiven you.”
And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts,
“Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this?
Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned
thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you
reason about these things in your hearts? Which is
easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are
forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and
walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has
power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the
paralytic, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and
go to your house.” Immediately he arose, took up the
bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that
all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw
anything like this!”
They understood that God is the One Whose holy nature is offended in every act of sin.
That is why after his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah her husband, David wrote:
Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil in Your sight—
That You may be found just when You speak,
And blameless when You judge. (Psalm 51:4)
God is the ultimate offended party in all sin. God alone has the moral authority to ultimately forgive all sin.
So what was Jesus claiming here?
Not to be a prophet, or an angel. But the One with the right to forgive.
He claimed to be God.
Now it is hard to see when a sin is forgiven. Oh, we can see the difference that happens in a life over time. But in order for those standing by to understand Who Jesus was truly claiming to be, He healed a condition that is still beyond the reach of medical science in or day.
Which was easier? To forgive a lifetime of sins? Or to heal a condition beyond healing?
For God, both are possible.
Do you have unforgiveness in your heart?
Does it seem like a burden you will ever be able to lose?
Let Jesus forgive those who have wronged you. And ask Him for the grace to extend that same forgiveness as well.
Those who have hurt you may never see or understand why you have forgiven them.
But trust me, you will.
Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:31-32)
Scott's Blog - 3/11/08
People or Projects?
Have you ever been in a situation where you had the sneaky suspicion that someone was being nice to you,
not because they wanted to,
but because they had to?
Talk about a dehumanizing experience.
And if we aren't careful as Christians we can easily fall into that trap.
Consider this e-mail we received today at Studio@Scottrichardslive.com .
Hello Scott, I have encountered some Jewish people of faith who believe that Christians love Israel and and it's people because we believe that when the Messiah returns "all the Jews will be converted". I have heard this suspicion of our agenda voiced several times but I have never heard it taught in church. Is this true or a rumor? On what is it based?The response to this question is important to grasp both Biblically and personally.
There is no doubt that the Bible teaches that God has some amazing plans ahead for the Jewish people.
“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn." (Zechariah 12:10)
Paul describes the Last Days turning to Messiah by the Jewish people as being so powerful and pervasive that a nation wide conversion is in view.
For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:
“ The Deliverer will come out of Zion,
And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;
For this is My covenant with them,
When I take away their sins.” (Romans 11:25-27)
God loves the people of Israel, because He unconditionally loved their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. (See Romans 11:28-29)
So far, so good.
The problem arises when people start trying to connect a few spiritual dots.
God loves the Jewish people.
The Jewish people will love God by the time Jesus returns.
So if we can get the Jewish people to love God, then we can speed up the time of the Second Coming and get out of this mess!
Right?
Not so fast.
Zechariah's prophecy tells us the massive turning of Israel to God will happen in the events leading up to the last days. Students of End times prophecy know that Israel will be evangelized by the ministry of the 144,000 Jews of Revelation 7, and the two prophets of Revelation 11.
This ministry will be so powerful that it will set the stage for the awesome outpouring of love described in Zechariah 12.
As such, there is nothing we can do to grease the skids.
The Bible is plain.
"For at the appointed time the end shall be." (Daniel 8:19)
The second note of caution raised by this kind of thinking is more personal.
People don't want to be projects.
Could you imagine how you would have felt if the person who lead you to faith in Christ saw you in that way?
You finish praying the sinner's prayer, only to see this individual who you thought really cared about you say, "Wow! That's great! Only 10 more conversions and I earn a free weekend in Orlando!"
Yuck!
There is only one proper motivation for sharing Jesus with anyone, whether Jew or Gentile.
For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. (II Corinthians 5:14-15)
Let's treat people like people and save the projects for the garage!
Scott's Blog - 3/10/08
Keeping It Simple
I have to admit I am continually blown away by the incredible advances in technology that we get to enjoy in our day and age.
Not to sound like a total dinosaur, but I can recall back when I was in grad school thinking that an IBM Selectric typewriter with an actual correcting key was state of the art.
Do typewriters even exist any more?
The notion of producing this feature on a daily basis, and then having it sent to readers around the world with a touch of a key would have been hard to comprehend even in the early '80's.
I couldn't help but feel the same way as I attended the Calvary Chapel Pastors and Leaders Conference today in Tucson.
Our opening speaker was Pastor Chuck Smith.
But Chuck wasn't in Tucson.
Detained by a last minute memorial service, he instead came to us from his office in Costa Mesa, California on video over the internet.
The technology necessary to pull that off is beyond my ability to fully grasp.
But in contrast, you couldn't say the same about Chuck's message.
It was a simple, straightforward, application rich study of Daniel chapter 1.
I guess that's what I've always admired about Pastor Chuck's ministry. He is a master at taking amazingly complex subjects and making them understandable and accessible. In the words of Bible Teacher J. Vernon McGee, he "puts the cookies on the bottom shelf where the kiddies can get at them."
That, my friend is no simple task. It is more like an art form.
It's funny, isn't it? Sometimes we believe that the deepest teaching from the Word has to be laced with high falutin' six syllable words, intersperced with pithy quotations from Reformation era theologians and lessons on Greek grammar.
The reality may be precisely the opposite. Consider the preferred ministry approach of the Apostle Paul.
And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (I Corinthians 2:1-5)
Do you want to check out the power of such simple focus in action? Take a look at Pastor Chuck's message. It's available, as well as the rest of the conference, at www.CalvaryTucson.org .
Scott's Blog - 3/07/08
The Boiling Point
If you have been following the news out of Israel the last few days, you know that to call the situation "tense" is an almost laughable understatement.
Where is the recent escalation of missile bombardment incidents in Israel heading? What is the significance of these events in Biblical prophecy?
Check out our latest video blog - "Prophecy Update Part I" on our home page for answers!
Scott's Blog - 3/06/08
Birth Pain Update
If you are a regular reader of Scott's Blog you know all about the "birth pain principle" in biblical prophecy.
Jesus said that certain events, like the pains of a woman in labor would increase in frequency and intensity as the time of His return drew near.
And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows (birth pains). (Matthew 24:4-8)
The other interesting aspect of birth pains is that they build to a crescendo and then seemingly vanish for a time, only to come back stronger.
As last year drew to a close, there was one of these lulls between labor pains, especially in regard to the nation of Israel.
Well, the lull is officially over.
Since the start of the year the residents of the Jewish city of Sederot have been under a reign of terror as volleys of rockets launched from Gaza have become a way of life.
Tensions in the region were turned up a notch when the far distant city of Ashkelon was hit with sophisticated Iranian made missiles.
And then just moments ago this story hit the world wide web.
Gunman kills 8 at Jerusalem seminary
By ARON HELLER, Associated Press Writer 22 minutes ago
JERUSALEM - A gunman entered the library of a rabbinical seminary and opened fire on a crowded nighttime study session Thursday, killing eight people and wounding nine before he was slain, police and rescue workers said. It was the first major militant attack in Jerusalem in more than four years.
Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip praised the operation in a statement, and thousands of Palestinians took to the streets of Gaza to celebrate.
The day's violence, which also included a deadly ambush of an army patrol near Israel's border with Gaza, was likely to complicate attempts by Egypt to arrange a truce between Israel and Palestinian militants. The U.S. is backing the Egyptian effort.
Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev harshly condemned the shooting and said the Palestinian government must take steps against the extremists — not just denounce their attacks.
"Tonight's massacre in Jerusalem is a defining moment," he told The Associated Press. "It is clear that those people celebrating this bloodshed have shown themselves to be not only the enemies of Israel but of all of humanity."
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who only on Wednesday persuaded moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to return to peace talks with Israel, condemned the attack as an "act of terror and depravity.&qu