Author: petebeck3

Pete Beck III ministered as a pastor and Bible teacher in Burlington for over 34 years. He is married to Martha, with whom he has four children, ten beautiful grandchildren, and four amazing great grandchildren. He ministers in his local church as a Bible teacher and counselor. He has published two books - Seeing God's Smile and Promise of the Father - as well as a wide variety of Bible-related articles which he has compiled into books in PDF form.

Introduction to the Firmament

Before becoming convinced that Genesis Chapter One is a literally accurate account of creation and the cosmos, I did not know quite what to think about what the Bible calls the firmament. I didn’t have to consider it much at all since most modern translations render the Hebrew word raqia rather innocuously as sky or expanse.

The KJV and NKJV translate “raqia” properly as the firmament, a word that communicates something of its true nature – an immense and firm vaulted dome-like structure made of something like crystal or very strong glass.

Those who claim that they have been to “outer space” and observed first-hand the suspended spherical earth, often use the word “fragile” to describe it. I believe this is by design to conjure fear for our continued existence, which is all part of Satan’s grand scheme of deception. Those who do Satan’s bidding do not want us to know that we are safely enclosed in the firmament and watched over by our Creator.

He is the one who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; the one who stretches out the heavens like a veil and spreads them out like a tent to live in, Isaiah 40:22 (LEB)

The mention of God’s creating the firmament in Genesis Chapter One confronts us with an unavoidable choice. Will we believe what the Bible says or what atheistic astrophysicists and lying NASA tell us?

Did God really say that the firmament is a very real structure above the earth in which the sun, moon, and stars are located? Will we choose to believe God or that there is no such structure, thus relegating the Bible to being an archaic fable that cannot be relied upon when it comes to science?

Unfortunately, at this point, many of us have unwittingly put more faith in a satanic lie than in God’s Word.

Now, let’s return to our study of the firmament. Translators’ bias is a very real thing and happens when those who translate the Scripture deliberately or inadvertently impose their views and understanding upon the Word of God. The less literal the translation, the more likely we are to encounter this.

All of us bring our ingrained ways of viewing our world and reality to our study of the Bible. This is difficult to overcome, but students of the Bible are charged with allowing the Bible to say what it means (exegesis), instead of what we would like for it to say (eisigesis).

The Hebrew word for firmament is raqia, which literally means something hard like beaten out metal. In Genesis 1:8, God called the firmament (raqia) heaven (shamayim). God used the firmament to separate the waters (mayim) below from those located above it.

Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. Genesis 1:7 (NKJV)

So above the firmament there was and currently is (Psalm 148:4) water. The shamayim (heavens) contain mayim (waters). The waters above did not disappear after the flood, as some expositors claim. Psalm 148:1 dispenses with this error.

Therefore, the firmament must be hard and strong enough to support the enormous weight of untold amounts of water which are above it, some of which apparently were released upon the earth in judgment during the great flood. (Genesis 7:11-12)

There is no reason to suppose that those waters were not replaced. In fact, there appears to be a giant system of water above and below the earth, which ancient Hebrews believed looked something like the attached image. Sadly, the translators of my beloved New Living Translation, in their attempt to explain difficult concepts in modern language and terms, took the liberty to translate mayim as “water vapor.” Often they do a good job of translating idea for idea, especially when it comes to helping us understand theological terms such as justification, but in this case they did us a great disservice. Mayim means waters or a flood, not vapor. (This is why I advise people to read dynamic equivalency translations such as the NLT alongside a version that gives a literal rendering, such as the NKJV, NASB, or ESV.) 

Almost all translators choose words for raqia (firmament) that are more palatable to our modern “scientific” heliocentric worldview pounded into us by our education system and media. Check it out for yourselves. The NASB, ESV, and NET, my usual “go to” versions for a literal rendering of the Bible, all use the word “expanse,” which communicates absolutely nothing of the hard and strong nature of the firmament, but provides the heliocentrist with complete liberty to superimpose that view, complete with unlimited expanses of “outer space,” upon the Scripture. The KJV and NKJV are faithful to the Hebrew and use the word “firmament” to communicate its solidity and strength.

Can you, with Him, spread out the skies, Strong as a molten mirror? Job 37:18 (NASB95)

So which do we choose? Do we believe the Genesis account of creation is scientifically accurate and go with the more literal rendering of raqia, or do we accommodate the Scripture to our scientific bias by watering down what the Bible says? Unfortunately, many Bible believers have done the latter based on NASA’s testimony. Imagine taking the word of an agency that is known to lie over God who cannot lie.

As for me, when I stand before God one day, I would rather he tell me that I took him too literally than have him question why I altered his words.

Jesus replied, “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God. Matthew 22:29 (NLT)

Isaiah provides us with a snapshot of God’s position above the firmament, looking down upon the “circle” of the earth.

It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. Isaiah 40:22 (NKJV)

Those who insist that the earth is a globe sometimes refer to the above verse as a “proof text.” The word translated “circle” means drawn as a circle, as one would form using a compass. The word “ball” is used in Isaiah 22:18; so, the prophet knew the difference between a circle and a ball. The image to the right could be thought us as a circle with edges as would be formed by pressing a circular seal into wax, which was a word picture uses in Job 38:14, when God himself is talking about his creation.

 

 

 

It is changed like clay under a seal... Job 38:14a (LEB)

Going back to the verse from Isaiah above, the heavens (which was the name given to the firmament) are stretched out like a curtain and spread out like a tent. The most likely kind of tent would be a circular dome-like tent, similar to a yurt.

Amos 9:6 in the NASB provides us with wonderful picture of the firmament.

The One who builds His upper chambers in the heavens And has founded His vaulted dome over the earth, He who calls for the waters of the sea And pours them out on the face of the earth, The LORD is His name. Amos 9:6 (NASB95)

God placed his throne and “upper chambers” above the firmament. I will look at this in another article.

The Hebrew word for “vaulted dome” is aguddah, which is used in Jeremiah 37:16 to describe the vaulted dungeon cell in which the prophet was held. For some reason, the NASB translators are the only ones that chose to use aguddah in the verse from Amos to describe the firmament as a vaulted dome above the earth. I believe this is another clear example of translators’ bias. On the positive side, the other versions make the connection that the upper “strata” (NKJV) is attached to the earth. Putting it together, we understand the vaulted dome of the firmament is attached firmly to the earth.

Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, You are very great: You are clothed with honor and majesty, 2 Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment, Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain. 3 He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters, Who makes the clouds His chariot, Who walks on the wings of the wind, 4 Who makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire. 5 You who laid the foundations of the earth, So that it should not be moved forever, Psalm 104:1–5 (NKJV)

Those who hold that the earth is a stationary plane believe the firmament extends beyond the ring of ice that contains the oceans, falsely depicted as the continent of Antarctica on the globe. Interestingly, a page from the Encyclopedia Americana (1958 edition) references the existence of the firmament in that area of the earth. Click here to see a video on YouTube.

The firmament is an extremely vast structure that extends over an currently unknown area of the flat earth up to an unknown altitude.

As the heavens for height and the earth for depth, So the heart of kings is unsearchable. Proverbs 25:3 (NKJV)

Some think it may be about 73 miles high, based on interesting video evidence.  Two videos below show a rocket launch that suddenly stops at 73 miles up. The other shows lightning sprites at about the same altitude illuminating what appears to be the firmament above them. I cannot personally vouch for the authenticity of either video, but they are easily found on YouTube and are generally recognized as genuine. Regardless, these are not “proofs,” only evidence. The “proof” is God’s Word.

The first video just above shows the sun and moon at the same time above the flat earth. It is obvious that the rocket has a fish eye lens because the earth appears convex and concave depending on the attitude of the camera. The Bible says that God placed the sun, moon, and stars in the firmament on Day Four of creation.

Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16 Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. 17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 So the evening and the morning were the fourth day. Genesis 1:14–19 (NKJV)

This passage completely exposes the error of heliocentrism, which derives from the Big Bang evolutionary theory of the formation of the “ever expanding” universe. The earth and seas with the vaulted dome of the firmament was firmly in place before the lights were placed in the firmament. There are several important points that need to be made. First the sun runs a circuit over the stationary plane of the earth. (Psalm 19:6) Both the sun and moon are lights. The moon is not a reflector, which is proved by examining its light compared to the sun’s.

The stars are luminaries in the firmament, not distant suns.

The firmament contains everything that NASA and modern astrophysics tell us is located in what they call “outer space.” The Bible only refers to outer darkness, the place where the disobedient will go after the judgment. Outer space is a fiction. Everything that NASA claims is in outer space as viewed through such instruments as the Hubble telescope are CGI images created from “data.” The planets, galaxies, etc. do not exist as NASA claims.

Belief in the literal firmament is a huge key to understanding the world in which we live.

When we dismiss the biblical firmament, it opens us to false cosmologies that introduce foreign ideas that contradict God’s Word. I encourage you to think long and hard about the firmament. I have only scratched the surface. In fact, humanity does not know a great deal about this magnificent and mysterious structure. But God wants to reveal more to us, I am firmly convinced, because it reveals his handiwork. (Psalm 19:1)

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The Genesis Testimony

Christians are people of the Book who value its testimony above all else, at least in theory. This article takes a look at what the Bible says about the creation and design of the earth and the heavens. I will compare the biblical testimony to the claims of modern astrophysics.

It should not surprise us that the devil has not changed his tactics. He tempted Adam and Eve in the garden to disbelieve and disobey God’s clear command. We too must decide if we value and believe God’s testimony more than any other voice.

If we accept that God’s Word is true, then we will believe his account of creation. If we believe the tale of the astrophysicists, we must either throw out the biblical account or drastically alter it so that it no longer says what it originally meant.

Satan knows that, if we doubt what Genesis Chapter One says, we have no basis for believing any of the Bible.

If Chapter One only communicates spiritual realities that have no basis in actual historical fact, how can we suppose that other historical truths, such as the resurrection of Christ, are real?

As one might expect, the Bible begins with a description of how God created the sea, the earth, and the heavens. The Bible gives us no reason to treat it otherwise than as historically factual. Commentators only feel the need to treat it poetically as a result of trying to accommodate it to the Big Bang – Heliocentric Theory (BB-HT).

Just as most conservative Christians reject evolution in favor of the literal creation account, no matter how foolish that seems to the world, we also must be willing to reject BB-HT cosmology in favor of the Genesis account.

In the chart below, I have contrasted the biblical account with the Big Bang – Heliocentric Theory.

The Biblical Account The Big Bang – Heliocentric Theory

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1 (NKJV) — This verse is a summary of all that follows. God is the center of everything. This compares to a parallel account in John’s Gospel.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. John 1:1–4 (NKJV)

In the beginning of the BB-HT, the universe created itself out of nothing thanks to the amazing godlike attractive/repulsive properties of gravity. It is impossible to harmonize this account with the Genesis narrative. One cannot simply say that the Big Bang took place when God spoke the cosmos into existence out of nothing. (Hebrews 11:3) The Bible says he first created the seas, not an explosion. Nothing in the Big Bang account agrees with Scripture, especially not the timeline. In fact, the notion of the entire universe originating from a single point is found in the Jewish Kabbalah, an occult theory and was later posited by a Roman Catholic Jesuit priest.

DAY 1 – The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Genesis 1:2 (NKJV) —  God first created the waters, called “the deep.” The dry land or “earth” was not formed yet. The Holy Spirit’s activity is central. To assert that the first thing created was “the deep” places the biblical account in direct conflict with the so-called “scientific” explanation.

 According to the BB-HT, the formation of the universe began with the chaos of an explosion, out of which stars eventually formed after billions of years and later the “planets” and other bodies spun off from them. This means the sun came into existence before it “created” the earth. Therefore, the earth owes its existence to the sun, around which it orbits, held in place by a force called gravity. The sun is central in heliocentrism, which is a variation of sun worship, something Pythagoras and Hermes Trismegistus practiced, and which Copernicus acknowledged. Sadly, this so-called science is really an occult religion. More on that later.

Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day. Genesis 1:3–5 (NKJV) —  After creating the seas, on the same day he created light and instituted the pattern of day followed by night. God had not yet created the sun, moon, or stars; so, there was no obvious physical source of this light. It must have emanated from God himself, which agrees with John’s Gospel.

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shined in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. John 1:4–5 (NKJV)

Moses was not a stupid man. He knew that the sun produced daylight; so, when he wrote this account of creation, he understood that it did not make sense from a mechanistic point of view. This is a case when God does not explain everything. He asks us to take him at his word without having complete understanding. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

The “scientific” view requires that there be a natural source for light, which would come from some form of combustion or nuclear fusion, such as from a star or sun. This would necessitate the sun’s already being in existence, which cannot be found in the Bible account. The heliocentric view also requires the earth to rotate on an axis to account for day and night. Since there was no sun, moon, or stars at this point in the Genesis account, the “scientific” view demands that we reject the Bible as a trustworthy source of information about creation. This is one reason why so many leading exponents of the Big Bang theory are atheists.

The true account of the heavens and earth testifies to God’s glory. The false account argues that there is no god.

The scientific point of view requires that we have a mechanistic explanation for everything. God is not allowed to be part of the equation.

DAY 2 – Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” 7 Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day. Genesis 1:6–8 (NKJV) —

Here is another place where the Genesis account radically departs from the BB-HT. When people have been indoctrinated from birth in the heliocentric-globe theory, the idea of there being a domed vault (Amos 9:6 NASB) called the firmament encasing the earth seems bizarre.

who builds his upper chambers in the heavens and lays the foundation of his vault on the earth, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them on the surface of the earth—Yahweh is his name. Amos 9:6 (LEB)

Raqia, the Hebrew word for firmament, means something solid, such as molten bronze that has been beaten out. It had to be strong enough to support the weight of the waters above. God took an entire day to construct this amazing structure, which was to house what we call the “heavenly bodies” – the sun, moon, and stars. This structure had to be placed on a strong foundation. I will write more about the firmament in my next article.

The structure of the firmament indicates that the earth is a stationary plane, not a round ball or globe in motion.

God chose not to give us many details about the nature of the firmament, except in various other verses which I will cover later. It is enough to say that it is a gigantic structure testifying to the glory and majesty of God. (Psalm 19:1)

The BB-HT requires us to translate raqia as “heavens,” “sky,” or “expanse” because it cannot allow for a solid structure that encloses the earth. The  BB-HT holds that the earth is “fragile,” having no protection against the perils of “outer space,” such as asteroids, sun eruptions, comets, or even alien beings. Instead, the earth is said to be hurtling through the void / vacuum of “outer space” at incredible speeds going who knows where. The BB-HT is specially designed to deny the existence of God and the truth of the Bible. I believe it is being used to set us up for the ultimate deception, perhaps a simulated alien invasion, to allow antichrist forces to gain complete control over the earth as a desperate means to defend ourselves.

The existence of the firmament means that “outer space” is imaginary construct. Travel beyond the firmament is impossible. No one has been to the moon.

DAY 3 – Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 So the evening and the morning were the third day. Genesis 1:9–13 (NKJV)

On day three we have the first appearance of dry land, called the earth. We learn from Psalm 24:2 that the earth was founded upon the waters, just as Genesis describes it. We also discover from Psalm 75:3 and numerous other places that God placed the earth on pillars so that its foundation is secure and it will not be moved. (Psalm 96:10) Psalm 19:1 and Romans 1:20 tell us that the creation declares the the glory of God and reveals much about his character and power. The earth has a solid foundation, just as we do in Christ.

The BB-HT, which applies evolutionary theory to the cosmos, cannot have life beginning with plants on dry land. Rather, the evolutionary development of life is said to have begun in the “primordial soup” of the sea.

In addition, the BB-HT says that the earth is tilting, wobbling, and moving at breakneck speed through an evolving ever-expanding universe. The earth is supposed to be rotating at 1040 mph at the equator, traveling at 66,600 mph in its orbit around the sun. The entire “solar system” is supposed to be moving through our galaxy at about half a million mph, and the galaxy is said to be careening outward from the point of the Big Bang explosion at over one million mph. This all directly contradicts the Bible, which says the earth does not move.

He established the earth on her foundations, so that it will not be moved forever and ever. Psalm 104:5 (LEB)

DAY 4 – Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16 Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. 17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 So the evening and the morning were the fourth day. Genesis 1:14–19 (NKJV) 

The Genesis account finally gives us physical sources for light on day four. The sun, moon, and stars are all called lights or luminaries. They are all placed in the structure called the firmament, requiring them to be smaller and much closer than modern astrophysics claims. There are no “planets” (spherical solid objects) but only “wandering” (Greek: planetes) lights or stars that move differently from the circular motion of the other stars. If one looks at these wandering stars with a telescope or high-zoom camera, they look quite similar to other stars and not like NASA’s computer generated images.

Their motion is over the earth, as revealed in Psalm 19:5, and fixed as shown in Jeremiah 31:35 and other places. The moon is also described as a light, rather than a reflector. If we think about how the light of the moon extends in complete brightness to its very edges, it should be plain to us that it is not a spherical reflector.

As I already mentioned, the BB-HT of origins states that the sun and other stars were the first things that coalesced after the primal explosion, which directly contradicts the Bible. This theory also says that the moon is a spherical solid reflector of sunlight rather than being a light in its own right. The stars are said to be suns, which contradicts scripture, too. Instead of being in God’s “fixed” order, everything in the universe is supposed to be moving away from the theoretical original blast center. The “wandering stars” (Jude 13) were reclassified as solid spherical objects, much like earth is said to be. Each of these so called planets are caught in the inexorable power of the sun’s supposed gravity. The sun rules its “solar system” as a king would his court. Each “planet” except for the earth is named after a pagan god. This is all based on sun worship, which holds that the sun god, Helios or Sol, rules over all.

Heliocentrism places the earth in the same category as the wandering planets named after false gods, thereby putting us in a place of serving Helios, just like the other servants of Satan.

These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; 13 raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. Jude 12–13 (NKJV)

 DAY 5 – Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.” 21 So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 So the evening and the morning were the fifth day. Genesis 1:20–23 (NKJV)

Instead of life being self-generated through evolution from the sea, God created sea creatures and birds after he made the plants on dry land.

 The evolutionary BB-HT proposes that life self-generated from the sea, which directly contradicts the biblical account.

DAY 6 – Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. 30 Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so. 31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Genesis 1:24–31 (NKJV)

The conclusion of creation took place on day six when God created all land-based animals and man. Humans are made in God’s likeness and have been given dominion over the earth. Our first command was to be fruitful and multiply. At this point in time, God completed his creation and rested on the seventh day.

According to the evolutionary BB-HT, it took billions of years for life to self-generate and evolve into human beings through a string of favorable mutations. Not only does this theory violate the second law of thermodynamics called entropy, it also contradicts the Bible.

The BB-HT teaches us that the earth and mankind are nothing special, being accidents of evolution. We have no God-given authority over the earth. In fact, we are considered to be a sort of dangerous virus that needs to have our numbers reduced.

The result of the BB-HT is that we see ourselves as purposeless, meaningless accidents instead of being the focal point of God’s creation.

In addition the BB-HT says that the universe is still self-creating through expansion and evolution, thus contradicting the Bible’s claim that God completed his work in six days and then rested.

One of the fundamental principles of Bible interpretation is that the scripture must be allowed to say what the author meant it to say.

Bible scholars agree that the Hebrews interpreted the Genesis account quite literally. The following diagram is found in Logos Bible Software and accurately describes the Hebrew concept of the heavens and earth.

This view is described by Google as being archaic and disproved by science. This is the result of the Copernican heliocentric view gaining the ascendancy over the past 500 years. Before that, virtually every culture held the same “archaic” understanding of the design of the earth and heavens. Whereas, once it was considered heretical to believe the conspiratorial Copernican view, now it is considered to be conspiratorial, stupid, and ignorant to believe the biblical testimony regarding the cosmos.

The lasting testimony of the Copernican-Newtonian revolution was the separating of “science” from religion. No longer is the Word of God highly regarded by those claiming to be scientists. Paul warned Timothy that this day would come.

O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Turn away from pointless empty talk and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge, 21 which some, by professing it, have deviated concerning the faith. Grace be with you all. 1 Timothy 6:20–21 (LEB)

In summary, the Bible presents us with a very different account of origins from modern science.

As Christians, we are confronted with the choice between believing God’s testimony regarding creation or what so-called science theorizes.

I believe we are being tested today in the same way that Satan tempted Adam and Eve. Did God really say? Did he mean what he said?

Satan made Adam and Eve feel foolish and ignorant for taking God at his word. This is how those who believe the Genesis account are made to feel today, even by other Christians quite often. It appears that many of us who profess the name of Christ love our pagan heliocentricism more than God’s Word. I pray that soon changes!

God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? Numbers 23:19 (NKJV)
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Presuppositions

Presuppositions are things we believe without needing or being able to provide concrete proof. For example, we believe in God without being able to prove empirically his existence to anyone else. We may have what we consider to be good reasons for believing in him, but we cannot adequately prove he exists to someone else using what might be called the scientific method. Ultimately, when it comes to God, our knowledge of him depends upon revelation and faith. Once we believe, we see plenty of confirmations of his existence. Likewise, those who believe that God does not exist maintain that position without proof. Faith in God and atheism are both presuppositions that greatly influence our thinking and worldview.

As I attempt to provide a basis for establishing a proper biblical cosmology, I have certain presuppositions or premises. If our premises are correct, they will help us arrive at proper conclusions. If our premises are incorrect, they will lead us into further error.

  1. The first is that I believe that God exists.
  2. The second is that God gave us the Bible, which according to its own testimony is absolutely true. We can rely upon every word. (Proverbs 30:5)
  3. The third premise is that we should take the words of the Bible literally unless it is clear from the context that we should not. This point becomes extremely important when we look at such passages as the first chapter of Genesis. We should not twist the scriptures to make them mean something different from the original intent; although, prophetic scriptures can have multiple meanings. (2 Peter 3:16)
  4. The fourth presupposition is that the Bible is true when it speaks regarding science. It is not merely a book that communicates spiritual and moral truths. All its words are inspired by God; therefore, when it speaks regarding science, we accept it. We cannot assume that God “dumbed down” his Word to accommodate what is called the “pre-scientific” era. (2 Timothy 3:16)

Putting these four presuppositions together, we can simply say that God says what he means and means what he says. He never lies or “dumbs down” what he says, assuming that we are too dense to understand. (Numbers 23:19)

Many times God does not tell us everything we want to know, but what he does tell us is the truth. This means that when we are given a choice between believing the theories and assertions of pagan and atheistic astrophysicists or the Bible, we will choose the Bible as our most reliable source to explain the nature of the cosmos and the design of the earth. (Romans 3:4)

The Bible teaches us that we have an adversary called Satan who is a liar by nature. Jesus said that no truth dwells in him. (John 8:44) The Bible also tells us that he deceives the whole world. (Revelation 12:9) The world lies in his power (1 John 5:19), except for those who belong to Christ (1 John 5:5).

There is a worldwide satanic plan to deceive the masses regarding the design of the earth and heavens in order to hide the existence of the Creator and convince people that the Bible is unreliable. (Psalm 2:1-4)

I believe that God is revealing the truth about these things in order to awaken the people of the world to his existence and convince us that the Bible is absolutely true in order to lead us to place our faith and allegiance in our Lord Jesus the Messiah. It is my hope that this series of articles will assist you to come to a better understanding of the shape and design of the earth and heavens as revealed in the Bible.

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The Priesthood of the Believer

The priesthood of the believer was a foundational doctrine of the Protestant Reformation that opposed the Roman Catholic dogma that human priests are mediators between us and God. The doctrine of the priesthood of the believer reveals that Christ has made all believers priests in the New Testament sense, who are able to offer New Covenant sacrifices (praise, hospitality, giving, and consecration of ourselves to God) and have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit.

Disciples are the basic building blocks of the kingdom of God, “living stones” that the Holy Spirit builds into a fitting “house” or temple for God.

Jesus did not command the church to reproduce churches, but to make disciples. When disciples are made, churches are sure to follow. When churches are planted without disciple making being the top priority, we fall short of the mark.

The church is not a building. It is a living, moving “body,” which has the capability to reproduce itself at the discipleship level. Disciples have the ability, through the Holy Spirit, to multiply ourselves. In fact, that is our primary mission. We are to love God, love people, and make disciples.

Just as God commanded Adam and Eve, and afterwards Noah and his descendants, to multiply and fill the earth, so Christ mandated the church to “go and make disciples.”

That is our mission given by God. God’s mission supersedes every other mission that the local church may adopt.

Christ gave the church what some call the “five-fold” or “ascension gift” ministries – apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, whose responsibility or function is to equip the church to do the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:11).

The task of the church and the five-fold ministry is to equip and make disciples who will make other disciples.

The question facing every missional church, then, is how are we to teach, train, and equip disciples who will go and make other disciples? What vision, information, understanding, wisdom, and ministry skills need to be imparted that will enable our people to become effective disciple makers?

Priesthood of the Believer

We start with a core commitment to the doctrine and practice of what some people call the “priesthood of the believer.” This doctrine was crucial to the advance of the Great Awakening, especially in the South.

But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9 (NLT)

The doctrine of the priesthood of all believers states that all believers in Christ share in his priestly status; therefore, there is no special class of people who mediate the knowledge, presence, and forgiveness of Christ to the rest of believers, and all believers have the right and authority to read, interpret, and apply the teachings of Scripture.

The propensity to think of “clergy” as a special class of people over and above the “laity” persists today, even in Protestant churches. It is part of the human condition for those in leadership to carve out a secure niche for themselves, and it is convenient for the rest of us to consign ministry responsibilities to the “professional” clergy instead of accepting our role as ministers.

The only way a church can effectively multiply disciples is by acknowledging and promoting every disciple’s duty to be a representative or minister of Christ in his or her own right.

This does not mean that everyone is part of the five-fold ministry. Rather, the job of the five-fold ministry is to equip the rest of the church to do the work of the ministry. In other words, those in five-fold ministry are increasingly successful as they move more to a coaching role, allowing their disciples to take on more and more responsibility.

In my experience, a small percentage of senior ministers make the commitment to do this. We convince ourselves that without extensive Bible training, people are not to be trusted with the Scriptures. We set the bar higher than did our Lord, who turned over the church to men with whom he had spent three years training, but who still did not understand many basic things. The “seminary trained” Pharisees criticized these disciples as being unlearned men. Jesus believed and knew that the Holy Spirit is a more than adequate “on the job” instructor.

Disciple making churches are willing to risk putting average people into ministry and leadership responsibilities.

Any gospel movement that rapidly expands must do this. The genius of the Great Awakening in the Carolinas was the willingness of church leaders, such as Shubal Stearns, who led the Sandy Creek Separate Baptist Church, to equip and commission average people to be preachers, ministers, and leaders. This is no small thing. It takes a radical commitment to the priesthood of all believers to properly develop and launch disciples and to be an effective disciple making church.

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Introduction to Biblical Cosmology

A series like this needs an introduction. Why did I put together these articles on developing a biblical cosmology? I am glad you asked. A funny thing happened to me on my discipleship journey. Someone I respect told me that the earth is flat. Naturally, like you, I scoffed at such an idea, replying, ” I cannot go there.” Sometime later I watched two clear thinking individuals on a Rumble channel discussing flat earth. They said they were almost convinced, but not quite. That stirred my curiosity enough to start researching pro-flat-earth videos as an interested skeptic.

Most people have a caricature in mind when introduced to the flat earth. It is one carefully concocted by those guarding the globe earth fantasy. We have all seen pictures like this. A flat earth floating in outer space having no edges with water overflowing it. If this is what comes to your mind, it is because you have been programmed since childhood to think this way. Every classroom has its mandatory globe. Since 1955, the movie and entertainment industry has incessantly promoted the idea that the earth is a globe. Propagandists know that if a lie is told often enough, in the minds of the hearer, it becomes the truth. This is what went on in Nazi Germany and what is going on around the world. We have been brainwashed.

Perhaps “flat earth” is not the ideal choice of words. That is why I call this series “Biblical Cosmology.” The earth and heavens presented in the Bible are very different from the version pounded into our heads by NASA from our infancy. Another, perhaps preferred, descriptor for where we live is a “stationary plane enclosed in a solid firmament,” but I get ahead of myself. I ask you to keep an open mind, if this is all new to you. We cannot overcome a lifetime of indoctrination in just a few minutes.

When the Bible says that Satan is a liar (John 8:44)  who deceives the whole world (Revelation 12:9), it is not using poetic language. It is the absolute truth.

The globe theory of the earth and Big Bang theory of the universe, which first gained traction around 500 years ago, thanks to Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, and Newton, has displaced the Bible’s account in Genesis. Today most people accept the modern astrophysicists’ version and try to accommodate Scripture to fit it somehow. This cannot honestly be done. My goal and hope is that we can all transition from what he have been told since childhood to a firm conviction that we will accept what the Bible says, no matter what.

The Bible’s Authority

The Bible is our authority in every area of life, including science. It is not a book written from man’s perspective, but from God’s. We cannot honestly claim that God said what he did in Genesis and elsewhere because people back then were not ready for the truth, since they were what some call “pre-scientific.” God gives us the truth, whether we think it is true or not. He cannot lie. He says what he means and means what he says.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16–17 (NKJV)

Every single word of God in the Bible is true. We are to live by every word that proceeds from God. If we take upon ourselves to claim that some words are not scientifically accurate, we make ourselves judges of God’s Word. What other verses will we dispose of?

It’s a slippery slope when we start down the path of rejecting some of the Bible because it offends us or makes us look ignorant in the eyes of the world.

Perhaps we are not bold enough to reject God’s Word, but instead we try to alter its meaning. Instead of allowing it to say what it clearly says (exegesis), we bend and twist it to say what we have predetermined that it will say (eisegesis). Peter warned that people would do this.

And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him—16 speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. And this will result in their destruction. 2 Peter 3:15–16 (NLT)

An example of this is when commentators try to make “evening and morning, the first day” into an indefinably long period of time. A similar twist is when interpreters translate the Hebrew word for firmament (raqia) into “sky” or “expanse” without the least reference to its solidity. More on this later.

The Bible tells us that we are not to provide a “private interpretation” to God’s Word.

But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, 21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. 2 Peter 1:20–21 (NASB95)

This means we must approach scripture with a reverence, realizing that we simply cannot lay on top of it our own preference or some scientific worldview to show us how to interpret its words. We must diligently seek to understand what God meant it to say. For this we need the Holy Spirit and an honest heart.

As disciples, we will accept what the Bible says, no matter what!

Hermeneutics

If we have been viewing Genesis and other passages of the Bible through the lens of the heliocentric view of the cosmos, we will have to make a rather huge adjustment. The authors of the Bible believed no such thing. The Hebrew conception of the earth and heavens, as believed by Moses, David, Isaiah, Daniel, etc., the ones who authored its words, looked like the image on the right according to Hebrew Bible scholars.

One of the most important principles for Bible interpretation (hermeneutics) is that the Scriptures must at least mean what the authors intended. When Moses wrote Genesis, the model of the earth enclosed in the firmament is what he meant to communicate to us regarding the nature and construction of earth and heaven. Another important hermeneutical principle is that we must take the Bible literally, except when the context makes it clear we should not. We are not permitted to relegate to symbolism what the author intended us to take literally.

Do not be overwhelmed by all that I am presenting to you up front. We will go back over these things later. Maybe by that time the shock will have worn off and you will be able to think objectively about what I am saying. Just be open to what the Bible says. That is all I ask.

The Earth’s Curvature on the Globe Model

I do not think I will ever forget watching a clear demonstration that we can see much, much farther than we are supposed to see over water, if the globe theory of the earth’s shape were actually true. Most “globers” do not know how much the earth’s surface is supposed to curve. There are websites that calculate the required amount of curvature over distance using spherical trigonometry, such as he Earth Curvature Calculator. For simplicity’s sake, the following parabolic formula works up to a distance of about 2000 miles. After that, there will be some slight discrepancies.

Easy Formula: The Earth's Predicted Curvature = 8 inches times the distance in mileage squared.

Here are some sample distances with the calculated required curvature, if the earth were indeed a globe. 8 inches equals .66 feet.

Distance Formula
 Expected Curvature
1 mile 8″X1X1 8 inches
2 miles 8″X2X2 32 inches
3 miles 8″X3X3 72 inches
4 miles 8’X4X4 10.66 feet
5 miles 8″X5X5 16.66 feet
10 miles 8″X10X10 66 feet
20 miles 8″X20X20 264 feet
100 miles 8″X100X100 6600 feet
Perspective vs Curvature

When objects move away from us, because of optical perspective due to shape of our eyes, they appear to disappear from the ground or water up. Aristotle believed this was proof of the earth’s curvature. Bill Nye the Science Guy says the same thing, much to his shame. Thanks to the power of telescopes and zoom cameras, we can bring objects back into view that had disappeared due to perspective, all the way down to the hull in the water for boats. There are so many different proofs that the earth does not curve that I cannot list them all here, but, if you want to do your own research, I have placed many of them on the Resource Page connected to this series. I encourage you to check it out. Better yet, do your own empirical experiments. Below I give you a very short video demonstration, perhaps to whet your curiosity.

Also, as a warning, realize that Satan always has counter arguments to keep people away from the truth, as he did in the Garden when he flatly contradicted God’s Word. The typical counter to our being able to see so far is that it is because of refraction. Refraction, or lensing, does happen, but it cannot account for our ability to see so far. In fact, in the example below, one of the laser shots is made over ice at night when the air temperature is colder than the water (ice) temperature, a condition in which refraction cannot take place.

As you can imagine, when I realized that water does not bend around the surface of the supposed globe, my “mind was blown.” I realized that what I had been told about the globe is a lie!

That put me into a state of cognitive dissonance. I had new evidence that clearly contradicted what I had been taught by parents, teachers, TV, NASA, and renowned scientists. It went against all the supposed evidence provided by NASA of a spherical earth suspended in space. (I walk talk more about NASA’s fakery later.) As you would expect, I had a thousand questions as would anyone who is confronted with evidence that contradicts what he or she had previously believed. This new evidence indicated that the whole world has been deceived! Was I crazy? My wife and I began to investigate further.

Since NASA et. al. were the reason I had scratched my head when reading the Genesis account, we went back to the Bible to see what it really says. As you can imagine, we saw scriptures with a new set of eyes. It is all right there! We just could not see it previously because of our brainwashed condition. We had unwittingly accommodated the scriptures to conform to the heliocentric version of the cosmos or simply decided that it was “beyond our pay grade.”

Why the Lie?

One of the most frequently asked questions from anyone who is first confronted with the claims we are covering here is, “Why would there be such a massive coverup? What could possibly motivate people to lie on such a grand scale?”

I now understand that Satan is deliberately skewing things in order to blind us to the testimony of God’s creation. (Psalm 19:1 and Romans 1:20)

In place of the Bible’s testimony, the devil provides us with a pagan version of the cosmos designed to strip us of any belief in God at all. After months of extensive Bible study, I am more convinced than ever that the earth is indeed a stationary plane enclosed in a firmament, just as the Bible says. God seems closer than ever. All I have to do is look up, just like the Bible says. His throne is above the firmament, not some hard to conceive spiritual non-location. The almost universal testimony of non-believers and atheists who come to believe in the Bible’s version of the cosmos is that they can no longer deny God’s existence. Like a turtle on a fence post, the firmament did not get there by itself!

I assure you that I never had a desire to become a “flat earther.”. No one wants to be regarded as a kook or deceived. Here is a humorous short video that captures what I mean.

Google even feels the need to attach a warning to every YouTube video supporting the flat earth position. It is my opinion that they would not do this if this truth did not threaten their global deception scheme. There are lot of other deceptions about which they do not warn us.

Those of us who see this truth realize that we are engaged in a type of battle reminiscent of David versus Goliath. The government controls the media, NASA, and higher education. NASA has a budget of around $60 million per day to develop their computer generated images of “outer space,” satellites, the International Space Station, and Hubble telescope wonders. All we have on our side is a dedicated cadre of YouTubers, Rumblers, and writers. But, with God’s help, that will be enough.

My prayer is that God will lift the shroud of deception off the people of the earth, that once again people will realize that the Bible is absolutely true when it comes to science as well as spiritual matters. May our eyes be opened to the heavenly testimony.

The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Psalm 19:1 (NKJV)
Lies We Will Confront
  • The origin of the cosmos – The Big Bang vs. the Biblical Creation
  • The order of creation – Evolutionary Astrophysics vs. The Six-Days of Creation
  • The dynamics of day and night – The Earth’s Rotation vs. The Sun’s Circuit
  • The origin of plant life – Evolution vs. Creation before the sun
  • The heavenly bodies – Pagan Heliocentric Astrophysics vs. the Sun, moon, and stars in the firmament
  • The rotation of the earth vs. the rotation of the firmament
  • The orbit of the earth vs. the circuit of the sun
  • The dangers of outer space vs. the safety of life under the dome

There is plenty to talk about. I hope you will continue with me.

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Was the Virgin Birth Truly Necessary?

The virgin birth is one of the key doctrines of Christianity. In this article, I will show why it is so essential and necessary.

The true story of Jesus begins with his mother Mary receiving an incredible announcement from the angel Gabriel.

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!” 29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” 34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” 35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. Luke 1:26-35 (NLT)

Why would God use something that is seemingly impossible, even ridiculous to some, as the means of bringing His Son into the world? Isn’t the resurrection a big enough hurdle for the modern rational mind without injecting a virgin birth into the Gospel story before we even get started? Why did God ask Mary to endure what was an apparent very large blemish on her character? I feel sure that most doubted her story. She must have endured the critical gaze of those who thought she was a loose woman with an illegitimate son. And how about the pain and confusion this abnormal birth caused Joseph? Couldn’t God have done this some other way? Apparently not.

The Bible reveals that Jesus is the God-Man, fully human and fully God. The human part is easy to grasp. The God element is more difficult and is something we must see by faith and revelation.

After his resurrection, Jesus confronted Thomas the doubter, who previously announced that he would not believe that Jesus rose until he put his fingers in the nail holes and his hand into his side. When Jesus suddenly appeared to him in answer to his request, Thomas blurted out: “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28) It was rather easy for him to arrive at that conclusion while standing in the presence of the risen Lord. The Holy Spirit must open our spiritual eyes for us to believe.

John the Baptist announced to the world that Jesus is the Lamb of God. What a shocker that message must have been to his listeners! Jesus was to be a human sacrifice! Most who heard those words probably concluded that John was just using poetic language. Even Jesus’ disciples, who heard the Lord tell them repeatedly that he would die on a cross, lived in denial regarding his coming crucifixion. No one grasped up front that Jesus would be God’s blemish-free substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of mankind.

Jesus had to be a man without sin who also was fully God in order to become the perfect sacrifice who could pay the just penalty for our sins.

Jesus also had to become a true man because the first man, Adam, sinned against God and earned the death penalty for the entire human race. Since then every human being has become a co-conspirator by personally sinning. Jesus had to be truly God because only God is perfect enough to make a perfect offering.

In order for Jesus to be a human and at the same time avoid being born with a wicked and debilitating sin nature, which the rest of us inherit from Adam and our own natural fathers, he had to be supernaturally begotten by God with a human mother.

For Christianity to work, this had to be. It is the divine logic. Jesus became the “second Adam,” the spiritual progenitor of a new race of people. His mother was a “standard issue” human being, but his Father was God. He was conceived by the operation of the Holy Spirit, which made him the most unique and important person ever to walk this earth. He had to be in order to accomplish his mission.

Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. 1 Corinthians 15:47 (NLT)
The Miracle of the New Birth

But Jesus is not the only person who has experienced a miraculous birth. His virgin birth prepared the way for a multitude of equally amazing births in which God is also the Father.

Through the miracle of the New Covenant, which was inaugurated by Jesus’ death and resurrection, every person who puts his or her faith in Christ is born miraculously. It’s called the new birth.

Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. 7 So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ John 3:5-7 (NLT)

The only way for a sinful human being to become a child of God is for Christ to be born or formed inside him. The Bible uses different metaphors or images to communicate what happens through the new birth process. Jesus told Nicodemus that he must be born again. Obviously, Jesus did not mean that Nicodemus had to go back into his mother’s womb.

The new birth takes place when God’s life is planted inside a person causing him or her to come alive in the spirit.

Paul called it the new creation.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)

Peter wrote that the new birth is a result of God’s seed being planted inside a person, an obvious analogy to the biological conception process.

since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 1 Peter 1:23 (ESV)

The truth God wants us to apprehend is that, through the new birth, we who believe become authentic children of God.

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:12-13 (ESV)

The new birth, like the virgin birth, is not religious jargon. It is real. It is a brand new beginning in God. It is the gateway to eternal life. It is the greatest gift of all!

The Divine Logos, who existed for all eternity as the Only Begotten Son of the Father, chose to become flesh so that we hopelessly estranged and lost humans could become part of the divine family and reconnected to God’s eternal purpose.

The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, comes to live inside all born again people, giving us the same relationship with the Father  as sons that Jesus has, minus the divinity.

That is why we too can cry out, “Abba, Father,” and have it mean something.

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, Romans 8:15-16 (ESV)

If you think it’s hard to believe that God would humble himself to become a man, just consider how amazing it is for God to allow humans to become part of his divine family! And it all started with the virgin birth!

Oh, my dear children! I feel as if I’m going through labor pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives. Galatians 4:19 (NLT)

In the verse above, Paul takes things a step further. He not only wanted his readers to believe the gospel and be born again; he also was vitally concerned that his disciples be conformed to Christ’s image or likeness in how they thought, spoke, and acted. He understood that our focus should not be on mere outward conformity. Instead, transformation must begin on the inside, in the spirit, where the seed of God is planted and where the Holy Spirit dwells.

It is in the spirit that we are united with God’s Spirit, and it is from there that the life of God permeates our entire being as leaven spreads throughout a lump of dough.

When the life within completes its course, we will look, act, speak, and think like our Lord. He will have been fully formed inside us, conforming us to his image. Then we will have come full circle, so to speak. The Logos (the eternal Word of God, Jesus) became flesh through what is called the incarnation so that humans could become like the divine Logos through the new birth (a repeat of the incarnation) and the ongoing inner transformation by the Spirit.

So, is the virgin birth something essential? Yes, it is, and so is Christ’s resurrection and the new birth. All are miracles from God that have elevated believing humanity out of oppression and hopelessness into the glorious privilege of being children of God!

Why did God use things that are so “abnormal” and, to the world, incredible? It was because there was no other way.

God uses what the world has a hard time believing to deliver those who have faith. Faith itself is a gift from God, something the Holy Spirit imparts. Without God’s gracious help, no one could ever really understand the Gospel message, but when our eyes and hearts are opened, we are born again!

If you have never believed in your heart that Jesus is who the Bible says he is, but something deep inside of you is drawn to this wonderful message of hope, you can ask God’s Spirit to help you. One of his names is the Helper. He will lead you into all truth. He will help you to know Christ through revelation. He will help you to become a true believer. You too can experience the miracle of the new birth, too. Perhaps now is the time for you to offer a prayer from your heart. God will hear you. If you open the door, he will come in.

A Sample Prayer

Dear Lord, I want to be part of your family. I need your help. Holy Spirit please open my spiritual eyes, unstop my deaf ears, and soften my hard heart so that I can believe. Jesus, I ask you to come into my life and change me on the inside. I ask for the forgiveness and life that you died to give me. I surrender my life to you. Now I depend on you to do the rest. Amen.

Click here to see more articles about the gospel.

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Have We Been Inoculated Against the Gospel?

If we are inoculated against a disease, we are given a weak form of it to stimulate the development of antibodies so that later we will be able to defend ourselves against the actual disease. Is it possible to be inoculated against the gospel?

Some who call themselves Christian quite often act no differently from those who do not confess the name of Jesus. Why is that? Our opinions have little consequence, but our convictions are what really matter. A conviction is the result of our believing in something or someone so strongly that we feel compelled to act upon it. Conviction leads to commitment. Belief without commitment to act is not the faith of the Bible.

If  our profession of faith in Jesus the Lord does not change how we live, it likely was not accompanied by faith in our hearts.

If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9 (NLT)

The confession part is relatively easy. We can intellectually agree that we want to escape hell and go to heaven without ever received true revelation of who Jesus is. People can say all sort of things with their mouths, but only God knows what is happening at the heart level.

What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? 15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? 17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. 18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” 19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. 20 How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless? James 2:14–20 (NLT)

From a spiritual point of view, if we are not changed, the gospel has done us no good. In fact, it may have actually harmed us because at the Last Judgment we will be held accountable for knowing the truth and rejecting it.

I call this being “inoculated” against the gospel.

This can happen if we understand just enough of the truth to be deceived into thinking we are just fine with God, without ever seeing who Christ is by revelation in our hearts or truly acknowledging him as Lord as well as Savior.

Consider the following words of Jesus:

I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16  So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. Revelation 3:15-16 (ESV)

Sadly, the condition of being lukewarm describes countless churchgoers. It means we have little or no ardor or zeal, no joyful desire to follow Jesus wherever he may lead, no wish to dedicate our lives for his glory, and no willingness to sacrifice and suffer for him as may be required.

Lukewarm people are loyal to themselves, not to Jesus.

Do Christians live much differently than those who do not confess Christ? I quote from The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience: Why don’t Christians live what they preach? by Ronald J. Sider.

To say there is a crisis of disobedience in the evangelical world today is to dangerously understate the problem. Born-again Christians divorce at about the same rate as everyone else. Self-centered materialism is seducing evangelicals and rapidly destroying our earlier, slightly more generous giving. Only 6 percent of born-again Christians tithe. Born-again Christians justify and engage in sexual promiscuity (both premarital sex and adultery) at astonishing rates. Racism and perhaps physical abuse of wives seems to be worse in evangelical circles than elsewhere. This is scandalous behavior for people who claim to be born-again by the Holy Spirit and to enjoy the very presence of the Risen Lord in their lives.

In light of the foregoing statistics, it is not surprising that born-again Christians spend seven times more hours each week in front of their televisions than they spend in Bible reading, prayer, and worship.1 Only 9 percent of born-again adults and 2 percent of born-again teenagers have a biblical worldview.2

Perhaps it is not surprising either that non-Christians have a very negative view of evangelicals. In a recent poll, Barna asked non-Christians about their attitudes toward different groups of Christians. Only 44 percent have a positive view of Christian clergy. Just 32 percent have a positive view of born-again Christians. And a mere 22 percent have a positive view of evangelicals.3

Evangelicals rightly rejected theological liberalism because it denied the miraculous. In response, we insisted that miracle was central to biblical faith at numerous points including the supernatural moral transformation of broken sinners. Now our very lifestyle as evangelicals is a ringing practical denial of the miraculous in our lives. Satan must laugh in sneerful derision. God’s people can only weep.

The Core Issue: Do We Know Who Jesus Is?

At one point during Jesus’ three-year itinerant ministry, he asked his disciples a very important question.

  • Who do you say I am?

People in Jesus’ day, and through the years, have held various opinions about Jesus’ identity. His contemporaries regarded him as a prophet and a teacher. Some even thought that he was the long awaited Messiah, the coming king in the line of David. Others saw him as a trouble maker, a dangerous imposter, a blasphemer, or a threat to political stability and Israel’s favored status with Rome.

The question of Jesus’ identity is the most important one in our lives. How we answer that question will determine how we live.

If our answer regarding Jesus’ identity does not make a practical difference in our lives, we can know for sure that we do not yet know him as the Bible presents him – the Risen Lord of Lords and King of Kings.

The proper and expected response made by those who wake up to who Jesus truly is will be to lay down all previous plans and dreams in order follow him wherever he may lead.

Becoming a follower of Christ is like signing a blank check and handing it to the Lord with the understanding that he can and will fill in the amount when and how he decides.

This no doubt sounds extreme to those who have grown accustomed to a mere “churchianity” that requires no more of us than some level of church attendance, giving, and, perhaps, serving in some capacity at scheduled services.

When Jesus asked his disciple band, “Who do you say that I am?,” Peter responded in a way that has reverberated through the ages.

Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17  And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 16:16-17 (ESV)

The word “Christ” is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word “messiah,” which means anointed one. The implication was that he was and is the promised king in David’s line. The Jews eagerly waited for this Messiah King who, they thought, would liberate them from Roman tyranny and restore Israel’s political, social, and spiritual fortunes. The phrase “son of God” most likely was another way of saying he was the Messiah. Jesus acknowledged that Peter received this revelation from his heavenly Father.

This was how Jesus gauged the activity of the Spirit in his disciples. Had they yet seen and understood who he really was and is? The same is true today. Have we yet seen as we should?

Peter was ready to follow his messianic king all the way to victory, even if he died along the way. Peter’s view of Jesus propelled him forward as a faithful follower. However, Peter’s understanding of Christ’s identity was still incomplete and insufficient to give him the strength to keep going during the difficult tests that lay ahead. When the populace welcomed Jesus to Jerusalem just prior to his crucifixion, they viewed him hopefully in the same light as Peter. The Bible records that they shouted:

…“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” 10  And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11  And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” Matthew 21:9-11 (ESV)

They believed Jesus was a prophet, the coming messianic king, but, like Peter, their understanding was not complete or sufficient, and, unfortunately, many who claim the name of Christian today also have an incomplete understanding of who Jesus is.

When Jesus did not deliver the expected “goods” 2000 years ago, the people quickly turned on him and assisted the Jewish rulers in putting him to death. People are eager to follow someone who will give them success, wealth, health, and power, but Jesus did the very opposite. He offered his disciples the opportunity to suffer for his name as they took the gospel message to the ends of the earth.

Today many so called Christians face similar crises of faith when Jesus does not turn out to be who we expected.

What Peter did not understand is that Jesus is not only the prophet and the expected messianic king, but he is also the Lamb of God and the prophesied Son of Man, the victorious Lord of Lords mentioned in the Book of Daniel. Peter did not realize that Jesus had to suffer as God’s Lamb in order to restore us back to a right relationship with his heavenly Father. This was confusing and offensive to Peter. Jesus’ arrest in the garden, shook Peter’s faith to the core. He was ready to fight for his messiah king, but not at all prepared to watch him die as God’s Lamb. Unknown to Peter, suffering had to precede glory. The cross had to come before the resurrection. The Lamb ministry prepared the way for Christ’s glorious role as the risen Son of Man.

The role of suffering is not understood by many of us. We are willing to give allegiance to someone who will bless us, but not to a Lord who might requires us to suffer. (2 Timothy 2:12)

Who Is Jesus to Us?

Conversely, many us who call ourselves Christians only see Jesus as the crucified Lamb of God who provides forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life. We do not truly believe or act as if he is the undisputed Lord of all. We may attend church services on a regular basis and give to the ministry, but otherwise we are content to live as if Jesus has no actual claim upon the rest of our lives.

We act as if we believe that Jesus simply wants to get us to heaven, but has no great interest in how we live here and now.

Jesus’ resurrection changed everything. According to Paul, he arose in power in order to bring the nations to “the obedience of faith.” (Romans 1:4-5)

Faith has two components. One is agreeing with and receiving God’s truth about Jesus. The other is declaring allegiance to the King.

If our belief in Christ does not result in our declaring unqualified allegiance to him, we have not really believed.

Confessing that Jesus is Lord is the door through which every child of God must pass in order to partake of the new birth and salvation. (Romans 10:9) It is instructive that Paul did not tell us to confess that Jesus is God’s Lamb and our Savior. He told us to confess his lordship. The early Christians were not put to death for proclaiming that Jesus was their personal Savior. No, they refused to back off from declaring that he was and is Lord, even over Caesar.

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? 47  Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: 48  he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49  But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.” Luke 6:46-49 (ESV)

In Jesus’ day, plenty of people were ready to call him Lord, but far fewer were prepared to live as if they meant it. If Jesus is our Lord, he asks us to bring every area of our lives under his dominion. This is the nature of true repentance.

Those who simply want a free pass into heaven without surrendering their lives to Jesus’ lordship cannot truthfully call themselves disciples. Maybe they can claim the title of “believer,” but even that is suspect, if we translate faith as allegiance.

Conclusion

The New Testament makes it abundantly clear that salvation is by faith-allegiance to Christ in light of his finished work on the cross and his resurrection. Paul summarized:

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10  For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. Romans 10:9-10 (NLT)

I firmly believe in the doctrine of justification by faith. By placing our faith in Christ and his finished work, we partake of all the benefits of what he did and who he is. The Holy Spirit comes to live inside every disciple to begin a lifelong transformation process of conforming us to think, speak, feel, and act as Jesus. Jesus made it very clear, however, that wolves disguise themselves in sheep’s clothing.

Only God knows the heart. We must judge by what we observe. As Jesus said, we can know people by their “fruit,” in other words, by what they do.

True faith bears good fruit (the fruit of the Spirit, the results of our ongoing character transformation); whereas, a bad tree produces bad fruit. (Jesus’ own words) It’s important for us who claim the name of Christ to be fruit inspectors, beginning with our own tree. Do our lives match our profession? Do we live as if we truly believe that Jesus is Lord of Lords, or have we settled for something far less? What would happen if the entire church would start living as if we believed that Jesus is the coming glorious Son of Man instead of a mere personal savior? Why don’t we find out?

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Holiness Is Probably Not What You Think It Is

 

Holiness is one of the unchangeable attributes of God and a part of the Christian life, but it is probably not what you think it is.

In God’s case, it refers to his absolute purity and separation from everything impure or defiled, which includes sin. According to Jesus, only the pure in heart, a characteristic of holiness, will see God.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8 (NASB)

 

Anyone who seriously follows the Lord understands that separating ourselves from that which defiles the heart, mind, and spirit is an important part of the discipleship journey.

Paul wrote…

Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God. 2 Corinthians 7:1 (NLT)

What exactly is holiness? If we fail to properly answer this, we may pursue the wrong thing.

Defining Holiness

Through the centuries, we Christians have wrestled with what it means to be holy, consecrated, pure in heart, or set apart to God. What does it look like? How do we achieve it?

Ideas about holiness can be broken into two main sub-categories: separation FROM and consecration TO.

The “Separate FROM” category is quite often what is understood about holiness. The Judaism of Jesus’ day largely focused on what not to do – foods to avoid, people and things not to touch, labor on the Sabbath that was prohibited, and sins to avoid. Surprisingly and provoking much anger among the Jewish leaders, Jesus taught that what goes on inside a person is more important than external observances. He taught that the foods we eat and ritual hand washing, for example, do not affect our relationship with God.

Then Peter said to Jesus, “Explain to us the parable that says people aren’t defiled by what they eat.” 16  “Don’t you understand yet?” Jesus asked. 17  “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer. 18  But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. 19  For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. 20  These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you.” Matthew 15:15-20 (NLT)

Here Jesus highlighted separation from that which breaks our communion with God, which is an important part of holiness. We are unable to properly serve two masters.

Being holy means we must leave behind that which detracts from our relationship with God and pursue that which enhances it. Jesus seemed to be more interested in what it means to be consecrated TO God and his will.

That is the only explanation of why he left heaven and came to earth to die for his enemies as God’s sacrificial Lamb. He certainly did not have any sin from which to separate himself.

Jesus’ challenge was to consecrate himself to God’s will, no matter what the personal cost.

During a particularly dark time in the history of the West, the monastic movement was a reaction to society’s and the organized church’s corruption. Adherents to the holiness FROM philosophy fled from the world to pursue their version of contemplative holiness in isolation. On the positive side, God used the monastic movement to preserve much of what was in danger of being lost, including the Bible, but the down side was that it was built upon a defensive “fortress” mentality.

Sadly, any time the church turns inward, the Great Commission tends to fall to the bottom of the priority list.

Thankfully there were exceptions to the rule. Some monastic orders were quite evangelistic.

Going farther down history’s road, members of the Methodist “Holy Clubs,” who were definitely evangelistic, were committed to asking one another rigorous questions that probed into what sins its members had struggled with during the week. On the surface this sounds like a very aggressive way to promote holiness through accountability, but I don’t recall Jesus ever doing this with his disciples. Do you? Although confession can be a good thing, it is decidedly focused on separation FROM, not consecration TO, and I find very little in the New Testament to indicate it was a common practice in the early church. The one place it’s mentioned is in reference to healing.

Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. 16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. James 5:14–16 (NLT)

Just to be clear, holiness viewed as separation FROM sin and the evil world system is certainly a valid focus for holiness. Serious followers of Christ realize that Jesus holds his followers to a high standard of righteous living, one which only the Holy Spirit can accomplish in and through us.

However, this same Paul knew that focusing on separation FROM sin and all that defiles people lends itself to the bondage of becoming overly sin conscious. Instead of the victorious and joyful experience of living by grace, it tends to promote what some have called a joyless sort of “sin management” and legalism.

This is where some groups go off track by making all sorts rules for what is forbidden. Focusing on managing our sin will likely lead us into the gloom of despair, the coldness of cynicism, or nauseating hypocrisy, any of which demoralizes God’s people and repulses those whom we have been commissioned to reach with the gospel.

To reinforce this point, Paul wrote in Romans Chapter Seven:

And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19  I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20  But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. 21  I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. Romans 7:18-21 (NLT)

Been there. Done that. Got the T-shirt. No longer interested…

If our version of living for Christ is built around a quest to manage our sin, we likely will have little motivation to share this so called “good” news with others and invite them to join us in our miserable struggle.

People on the “outside” looking at our misguided way of pursuing Christ will likely decide that they simply are not interested. How many people have rejected the gospel because the church has demonstrated a joyless version of what it means to follow Christ?

The Gift of True Holiness

Legalistic sin management finds its cure in receiving what Jesus already accomplished for us.

There is only one perfect person who ever lived: his name is Jesus. He served his Father with perfect joyful obedience. His life was not a struggle to obey his Father. Jesus’ heart is reflected in these words by the psalmist.

Then I said, “Look, I have come. As is written about me in the Scriptures: 8  I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart.” Psalm 40:7-8 (NLT)

As the Second Adam and the progenitor of the rebirth of humanity, Jesus lived the way God originally intended, in complete reliance upon, partnership with, and obedience to the Creator of the universe.

He earned a glorious reward for his obedient life and sacrificial death. In doing so, our Lord paid the price for our sins and mistakes, our horrible failures at life the way God intended.

When Jesus rose again victoriously, he freely provided for us his perfect standing and relationship with God, which is based on his already having lived a perfect life, thus ending forever our need to strive for sinless, mistake free living.

The Bible calls this justification. Through faith in Christ, we have been given a right standing with God. We are perfect and without fault in his sight.

Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2  Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. Romans 5:1-2 (NLT)

If we lose sight of this, we easily descend into a graceless kind of living that is based on our own vain attempts to make ourselves holy. It’s not going to happen..

A big secret to victorious living is focusing every day on what Jesus did for us and who he is for us and in us. A great spiritual truth is that we are transformed into the image of what or whom upon which we focus our attention.

But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17  For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18  So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 (NLT)

We were never intended to focus on what is wrong with us in a misguided attempt to perfect ourselves.

All that does is strengthen what is wrong. (The strength of sin is the Law… 1 Corinthians 15:56)

God wants us to focus on our Savior and Lord, trusting in his finished work, his grace, and the indwelling Holy Spirit to transform us from the inside out into his likeness as we consecrate ourselves TO him and his mission.

Such a focus will move us from sin consciousness to God consciousness. It will move us from sin avoidance to the pursuit of God. It will produce an inner joy that is contagious and set the stage for an outward focus upon what is important to God.

Love, the Maturity of Holiness

Have you ever wrestled with these words from Jesus?

But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect. Matthew 5:48 (NLT)

We have already seen that he did not intend for us to become self-absorbed sin managers. His burden is easy, not the heavy weight of legalism.

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29  Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30  For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT)

What then did Jesus mean when he told his followers to be perfect?

The context of this saying was a teaching on loving our enemies.

You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44  But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45  In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. 46  If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47  If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. 48  But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect. Matthew 5:43-48 (NLT)

This teaching strikes a fatal blow at the fortress mentality. Allow me to reword what Jesus said: “If we only want to love and hang around other Christians, how do we reflect God’s love?”

Our English word “perfect” comes from the Greek word teleios, which literally means “having reached its end” or “complete” – in other words, “maturity.” We can think of this kind of perfection as fruit that has ripened and come to maturity. Such fruit is ready to be eaten and reproduce itself. When we are “ripe” or mature in the Spirit, we are ready for the Master’s use and attractive to those who are open to the gospel. We are capable of reproducing ourselves in new disciples, thus fulfilling the Great Commission.

The kind of perfection of holiness God wants from us can be summarized as a coming into a maturity of love, which is the result of God’s Spirit transforming us on the inside.

Pursuing love is even more challenging than trying to manage our sin, but without the demoralizing effect. Pursuing love is other focused, outward looking, and God’ glorifying. It motivates us to venture out of our Christian church fortresses into the world.

Here is my working definition of true holiness.

Holiness is a deep inner call from the Holy Spirit, drawing us toward worship of God and glorifying him through expressing his loving heart to the people of the world.

Separated to the Gospel

Listen to the Great Shepherd’s heart.

When he [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37  He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few.38 So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” Matthew 9:36-38 (NLT)

Love is what gave Jesus eyes to see people in their true condition. Love is what propelled him out of the comforts and glories of heaven into this sin wracked world to “seek and save the lost.” (Luke 19:10)

Love will open our eyes to the true condition of those around us. It will lead us to prioritize seeking first God’s kingdom and righteousness. It will prod us out of our lethargy to go after harassed and helpless sheep and spiritual orphans, many of whom live in our own neighborhoods.

Jesus specifically asked us to pray for more laborers to be sent into the harvest. He did not ask us to pray for more intercessors, leaders, teachers, or worshipers, as important as these ministries are. He commanded us to ask the Lord of the Harvest to raise up people with a shepherd’s heart who will leave the comforts of home to do the work of evangelists and disciple makers in their neighborhoods, cities, and even in the remotest parts of the earth. This is a big part of what it means to be consecrated to the gospel and to the Lord.

Are you willing join Jesus in this prayer? Are you willing to be the answer?

May we grow to be so in love with Jesus and so separated to the gospel that everything else comes up a distant second place in our hearts. This is the true meaning of holiness.

Prayer

Lord, forgive us and deliver us from the apathy and lukewarmness of casual, comfortable Christianity. Infuse and overwhelm us with your love for the lost, people who have not yet discovered the amazing love of the Good Shepherd. Prod and propel us out of our cozy cocoons into the adventure of sharing the good news with neighbors, coworkers, and even strangers. Amen.

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How we see Jesus will determine our eternity.

When we consider Jesus, what do we see, a man, a prophet, a teacher, a blasphemer, a fool, or someone great beyond comprehension?

How we see Jesus will determine our eternity.

For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day." John 6:40 (NASB)

Jesus told us that seeing who he really is by revelation will lead to our having faith and pledging our allegiance to him. Unless the Spirit of God opens our eyes to behold Jesus correctly, we may miss him entirely, just as most of the Jewish leaders of his day did. Some of them regarded him as a blasphemer who was a threat to the nation. Others regarded him as a fool, even those of his own family at times. Others said he was demonized. His disciples, however, followed him because they saw him in a far different light by revelation from the Holy Spirit.

The magi saw a king. John the Baptist saw the Lamb of God, the Baptizer in the Spirit, and the Messianic Son of God. The first disciples imperfectly glimpsed him as their hoped for Messiah (John 1:43-49). Peter famously proclaimed him to be the Messiah, when Jesus asked him who did men say he was. (Matthew 16:15-20) Few understood that the Lamb of God ministry required him to die upon the cross for our sins. The rest of the disciples tried to skip that and go straight to his exalted kingship, not realizing that suffering had to precede glory. (Luke 24:25-26) When Jesus rose from the grave, his followers saw him in an entirely new light. Their eyes were opened to see some of his glory, just as God had previewed to Peter, James, and John on the mount of transfiguration.

Each revelation we receive regarding Christ’s identity impacts us deeply.

Today many see him as the Lamb of God who died for our sins. We love Jesus deeply for the sacrifice he made on our behalf. This is the beginning of our revelation of Jesus true identity. Seeing him as the glorious risen Lord inspires us to worship and surrender our lives to him. Seeing him as the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit empowers us to be his witnesses and join his disciple making army in fulfilling the Great Commission. But there is another revelation the Spirit wishes to impart to us. It is the one Jesus self-identified with when he stood on trial before the Sanhedrin.

How amazing it will be one day to see him as the glorious Son of Man who will come in glory on the Last Day to judge the living and the dead!

Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” 63  But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I demand in the name of the living God—tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” 64  Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 65  Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. Matthew 26:62-65 (NLT)

We have heard what John the Baptist said about Jesus. We have read what Peter said about Jesus, but should we not be even more interested in what Jesus had to say about himself when the chips were down?

Jesus told his tormentors that he was and is the divine being prophesied in Daniel who will one day judge all men,  including those who were condemning him. This claim was so outlandish in the eyes of the Jewish leaders that they pronounced him to be a blasphemer and condemned him to death. Can you imagine telling God’s only begotten Son, the eternal Word of God, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, that he is a blasphemer? And yet, that is exactly what they did!

If you see Jesus as he really is, you will fall down and worship him. If you do not, you will either ignore, despise, or want to kill him.

Followers of Christ are rarely persecuted for claiming that Jesus is their personal savior. We might be ridiculed or pitied for having such a belief, but probably will not be perceived as being much of a threat. But when we proclaim Christ’s divinity, lordship, and dominion over all creation, that is another matter altogether.

The Son of Man revelation is a fault line that divides humanity. We must choose one side or another as we wait for the great unveiling of the truth at his Second Coming.

The  word “apocalypse” means a revealing, the uncovering of something previously hidden.

The Second Coming will be a grand revelation or uncovering of the truth about Jesus.

When he returns on the clouds with glory, the Bible says that every eye will see him as he truly is, requiring every knee to bow to him. He will judge every person who ever lived, assigning them to their eternal destinies. Right now, Jesus’ true identity is hidden from the vast majority of people. They cannot see him seated on the throne of God waiting until his enemies be made his footstool. (Acts 2:34-36)

Only those whose eyes have been opened by the Spirit know who he is, and we only know imperfectly. When he returns, unbelievers will suddenly realize how mistaken they had been, and we who know him imperfectly will all know as we are known. (1 Corinthians 13:12)

God designed things this way as a judgment upon the cleverness of those whose hearts are not submitted to God.

At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. 26  Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way! 27  “My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Matthew 11:25-27 (NLT)

Only the pure of heart are able to see God, and only God can purify our hearts.

No one deserves to have his or her spiritual eyes opened, but God in his mercy chooses to do so for many. The good news is that if we are at all drawn to Jesus, it is because the Spirit is at work in us. Jesus said he will never cast aside anyone who comes to him. (John 6:37) The Holy Spirit is the one who opens our eyes to behold Jesus as he really is.

I asked him over fifty years ago to reveal to me if Jesus is really the one the Bible says he is. It did not take long for that prayer to be answered, about two weeks! How about you? Are you hungry to know Jesus’ true identity? if you already believe in him, do you want the Spirit to reveal more to you?

The greater our revelation of Jesus, the greater our love and commitment to him will be.

Commitment without revelation is simply legalism. Revelation without commitment is a plant with no roots. Jesus came to satisfy the hungry heart. He will not let us down if we seek him.

Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8  For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8 (NLT)
Prayer

Holy Spirit, I want to see Jesus as he really is. Open my spiritual eyes, unstop my ears, and soften my heart that I may behold him in his glory. Change me forever and let me be sold out to him with nothing holding me back. Amen.

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When the Lamb Became a Lion

Jesus died on the cross as the sacrificial Lamb of God, but when he rose from the dead he did so as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.

In C.S. Lewis’ classic, The Chronicles of Narnia, Aslan the lion represents Jesus Christ. Aslan allows himself to be put to death by the evil witch, but returned to life to destroy her rule and release all those who had been enslaved through her magic. Below is one of the more memorable passages.

“Aslan is a lion- the Lion, the great Lion.” “Ooh” said Susan. “I’d thought he was a man. Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion”…”Safe?” said Mr Beaver …”Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

People like to imagine that Jesus is quite safe, sort of a household god who can be relied upon to rescue us from hell and take care of our needs along the way. However, just as was the case with Aslan, Jesus has never been really “safe.” It can be extremely unnerving to be his follower, and we never know what he may do or ask us to do next. But he is always good, and he is the King whose glory and power now fill all things. When he emerged from the tomb, the Lamb had become a Lion.

The Lamb of God

Just as John the Baptist prophesied, Jesus died on the cross as the Lamb of God, taking upon himself the guilt and punishment for our rebellion against God.

He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. Isaiah 53:7 (NLT)

Jesus’ role as the Lamb of God was the safest for us and the most costly for him. He did nothing to retaliate against his accusers and oppressors. He gave no demonstration of his power and authority. He simply and quietly submitted to death at their hands to fulfill God’s plan. Some people imagine that is how he always is.

His first coming to the earth accomplished God’s purpose to redeem and reconcile a remnant of humanity back to the Father and bring the world back under God’s proper authority and dominion as the Second Adam, the head and source of a new race of people through the new birth.

As the Lamb, Jesus did all the heavy lifting on our behalf. By rebelling against God, we earned the sentence of death, which is the unavoidable consequence of sin. Father God asked Jesus to lay down his life for us by taking upon himself God’s righteous anger and condemnation against our sin.

But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. 6  All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all. Isaiah 53:5-6 (NLT)

The law of sin and death is part of the law of sowing and reaping. If we sin, we die. By taking our just condemnation upon himself, Jesus released us from the law of sin and death.

For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NLT)

Instead of remaining under God’s judgment, according to Romans 8:1-2, we who believe are now under a new law, which is called the law of the Spirit of life.

It might be summarized as follows: we sinned, Jesus died, and now we live. Quite a deal the Lamb worked out for us! As Jesus put it:

I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life. John 5:24 (NLT)

The only way we can pass from death to life is because Jesus already did. He died and rose again. When we put our faith and allegiance in Christ, we participate in his victory over sin and the grave!

As God’s Lamb, Jesus invites us to come to him and be released from the burden of our sin and the requirement to perfectly keep the Law.

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29  Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30  For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT)

This is the “safe” Jesus, the Lamb who laid down his life for us and offers rest for our weary souls.

This is the one who bears our burdens for us and takes care not to overload us. This is the only way many people know Jesus, but it is only part of the story. The Lamb is also a Lion.

The Lion of the Tribe of Judah

When Jesus rose from the dead, he emerged from the tomb as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. John the Revelator was privileged to see a vision of the risen Lamb who had become a Lion and passed it on to us.

Then I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll and read it. 5  But one of the twenty-four elders said to me, “Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne, has won the victory. He is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals.” 6  Then I saw a Lamb that looked as if it had been slaughtered,... 7  He stepped forward and took the scroll from the right hand of the one sitting on the throne. 8  And when he took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. 9  And they sang a new song with these words: “You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it. For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10  And you have caused them to become a Kingdom of priests for our God. And they will reign on the earth.” 11  Then I looked again, and I heard the voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and of the living beings and the elders. 12  And they sang in a mighty chorus: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered— to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.” 13  And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang: “Blessing and honor and glory and power belong to the one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever.” Revelation 5:4-13 (NLT)

This amazing vision reveals that the risen and ascended Jesus still retains his identity as God’s Lamb, but in a transformed way. Even though the Lamb carries the marks of death, he is alive and is also a glorious lion-like figure.

This visionary symbol takes us back to the first book of the Bible when Jacob blessed his sons upon his deathbed, looking far into the future as a prophet.

Judah, my son, is a young lion that has finished eating its prey. Like a lion he crouches and lies down; like a lioness—who dares to rouse him? 10  The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from his descendants, until the coming of the one to whom it belongs, the one whom all nations will honor. Genesis 49:9-10 (NLT)

As you no doubt guessed, in Matthew’s gospel, although Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, Joseph, Jesus’ adoptive father, descended from the tribe of Judah, provided Jesus with full legal rights as a member of that tribe. He was the one about whom Jacob prophesied in Genesis. He is the Lion, the King whom all nations will honor.

When Jesus rose from the dead, Paul said he was declared to be the Son of God, which can be understood as the long awaited divine Messianic King descended from King David.

and he [Jesus] was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ [Messiah] our Lord. Romans 1:4 (NLT)

Before his resurrection, Isaiah prophesied that he would be despised and rejected by men, which happened. (Isaiah 53:3)

But now, having risen from the dead, Jesus is not one to take lightly. He is the Lord.

King David wrote these prophetic words centuries ago as he, by the Spirit, looked forward to the Lamb who became the Lion King.

Now then, you kings, act wisely! Be warned, you rulers of the earth! 11  Serve the LORD with reverent fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12  Submit to God’s royal son, or he will become angry, and you will be destroyed in the midst of all your activities— for his anger flares up in an instant. But what joy for all who take refuge in him! Psalm 2:10-12 (NLT)

This is not the safe version of Jesus. This is not Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane who passively yielded to the soldiers. This passage paints a picture of the coming King who will exact vengeance upon his enemies. Do we know this Jesus?

The lion-like Messianic King is a dangerous person for those who resist his rule. He is still the Lamb for those who know him as their shepherd, though. The choice is ours regarding how we will know and experience him.

The Glorious Son of Man

Paul wrote that one day every knee will bow to Jesus and every mouth acknowledge his majesty and glory. This will happen when he returns in the clouds with his people and the angels at his side to execute God’s righteous judgment upon all people both living and the dead.

The Lamb who became a Lion will appear in the sky as the glorious Son of Man, whom Daniel the prophet saw prophetically and wrote about so long ago.

As my vision continued that night, I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. 14  He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed. Daniel 7:13-14 (NLT)

When Jesus stood before the Sanhedrin the night before his crucifixion, he humbled himself by allowing a mockery of a human court to judge him, God’s Son, as a blasphemer and sentence him to a brutal death. But before they led him away to die as God’s Lamb, our Lord’s gave his final testimony before that court, identifying himself as the Son of Man in Daniel’s prophecy.

Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” 63  But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I demand in the name of the living God—tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” 64  Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 65  Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. Matthew 26:62-65 (NLT)

When the Lamb of God who was slain returns  in the clouds as the mighty Lord of Lords, the Lion of Judah, and the glorious Son of Man, those who accused and condemned him come before him to be held accountable for what they said and did. What do you think they will say? Will they still despise him? Will they not fall on their faces in absolute dread and horror for their heinous crime of rejecting the Messiah and putting him to death? And what about those of us who still refuse his offer of forgiveness and still choose not to acknowledge his Lordship? What will we say on that day?

Conclusion

Christ’s resurrection was a great day in the history of the world.

But consider this. As great as the resurrection was, the Second Coming will be even more glorious.His resurrection was witnessed by a few, but his glorious return will be seen by the whole earth.

When Jesus sits on the judgment seat as the glorious Son of Man, every person who ever lived will be forced to acknowledge his glory and greatness. We presently have the privilege of acknowledging his glorious lordship before that terrible day of the Lord. All those who choose to put their trust and allegiance in Christ and surrender their lives to his loving rule will be saved from their sins and brought into the family of God. His Second Coming will hold no terror for us, because as God’s Lamb he took our condemnation upon himself, bringing us into a proper alignment with him.

We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 17  And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. 18  Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 1 John 4:16-18 (NLT)

The gospel is an invitation to lay down our rebellion against God and enter into a love-servant relationship with the Lamb who became the Lion King of Judah.

The greatest transforming power in the universe if God’s love. It is the key to everything, and it is only available through the Lamb of God.

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 (NLT)

If you have never done so, let today be the day that you publicly acknowledge that he is both your Lord and your Savior, your Lion and Lamb. Don’t miss this golden opportunity! If you have already confessed that Jesus is the Lord, recommit yourself to follow him with all your heart. Ask the Holy Spirit to make you a bold witness to his lordship.

Prayer

Jesus, you are far greater and more glorious than I previously imagined. I choose to bow my knee before you. I acknowledge that you are the Lord. I thank you for dying for my sins as God’s Lamb. I receive your forgiveness and the life you provide in your Spirit. Help me to live for you from this day forward. Amen.

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