petebeck3, Author at Third Peter

Will We Suffer Reproach for the Word’s Sake?

Posted April 27, 2026April 27, 2026
by petebeck3

The early church was familiar with the suffering and reproach connected with firmly declaring allegiance to Christ and his Word. The apostle Peter wrote the following encouragement.

Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; 13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. 14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. 1 Peter 4:12–14 (NKJV)

Today in America we do not experience a great deal of overt persecution, but that could change any time.

There is, however, a form of suffering which intimidates many of us into silence. It is the reproach that often visits those who boldly testify that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God.

One of the West’s most dominant idols is science, which is considered by many to be the height of modern man’s achievements. What many now call science has degenerated into a form of humanistic materialism which asserts that the physical world is the only real one and belittles any attempt to introduce spiritual reality and truth into a conversation. Anyone who affirms an absolute trust in the Bible and believes in the supernatural opens himself up to ridicule and rejection. In such an environment, it often seems prudent to keep our thoughts to ourselves in order to avoid persecution. This seems to agree with Jesus’ admonition not to throw our pearls before pigs, since they may trample them in the mire and then attack us.

But is it not part of our calling as disciples to proclaim God’s truth, whatever the cost?

As Mattias Desmet points out so elegantly in “The Psychology of Totalitarianism,” one of the only ways to stop encroaching tyranny is to speak out courageously against its lies. Affirming the absolute truth of the Bible, therefore, is a chief duty of disciples and all who love freedom.

Sadly, however, even some who call ourselves Evangelicals have abandoned our faith in the inerrancy of scripture by altering God’s Word to make it agree with anti-biblical forms of “science,” such as the Big Bang theory and evolution.

Many of us no longer believe that anything that contradicts scripture is false by definition.

Long ago the prophet Isaiah warned:

Look to God’s instructions and teachings! People who contradict his word are completely in the dark. Isaiah 8:20 (NLT)

The Bible is self-authenticating, since there is no higher standard of truth. Paul wrote:

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)

Jesus also affirmed the absolute truth of God’s words.

Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. John 17:17 (NASB95)

The Bible also tells us that God always tells the truth because it is part of his nature. He says what he means and means what he says. God never plays with words in order to obfuscate truth, as the devil does.

God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? Numbers 23:19 (NLT)

In addition, we are not permitted to “privately interpret” scripture to make it agree with our preferred outcome or doctrine, which is called eisegesis.

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 that every word of the Bible was inspired by the Holy Spirit and is completely true and trustworthy. There is no indication ever that God accommodates our ignorance, unbelief, or sin by toning down his words or saying something false or misleading.

Some mainline Protestant denominations have abandoned their allegiance to the Bible, choosing to align with the world system rather than with God’s truth. This is exactly what the Jewish leaders had done in Christ’s day, for which he rebuked them.

And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. 7 ‘BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.’ 8 “Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.” Mark 7:6–8 (NASB95)

The Roman Catholic Church also abandoned the Bible as ultimate truth centuries ago by elevating church tradition, man-made extra-biblical theology, and papal pronouncements to be above or at least on a par with the Bible. Just a few centuries back, that church’s hierarchy was in mortal fear of the common people ever finding out what the Bible actually says. The Roman Catholic Church kept God’s Word hidden behind the veils of Latin and ignorance.

The fire of the Protestant Reformation was fueled by the common people’s obtaining the scriptures in their own languages.

Courageous men and women were willing to sacrifice their lives to make the Bible available to the masses. The ownership of Bibles became widespread thanks to the invention of the printing press.

Below is a short list of some of these champions of the Word.

The Waldensians (12th and 13th centuries) were subjected to mass burnings for using Bibles in their own languages (instead of Latin). The Roman Catholics banned the lay ownership of the Bible in general and Bibles in the vernacular at the Council of Toulouse in 1229.
John Wycliffe (c.1320-1384) was an English theologian and Oxford scholar who translated the Latin Vulgate into English. He was posthumously declared a heretic. His body was exhumed, burned, and the ashes scattered on the River Swift by order of the Council of Constance. He was accused of promoting errors because he put the Bible into the hands of the people.

Any time we fearlessly hold to God’s Word as it is written, we will likely incur the wrath of the establishment that bends its knee to the satanic world system.

Jan Hus (1369-1415) was a Czech reformer who translated part of the Bible into his native language and encouraged preaching in the vernacular of the people. For this extraordinary heresy he was burned at the stake after being condemned at the same Council of Constance.
William Tyndale (1494-1536) translated the New Testament and parts of the Old into English directly from the original languages. He was strangled and burned at the stake near Brussels, Belgium. His translation’s wording makes up over 80% of the King James Bible, which was published in 1611.
Patrick Hamilton (1504-1528) was burned at the stake in St. Andrews for translating Luther’s works and encouraging lay Bible reading in Scotland.
Myles Coverdale (1488-1569) completed Tyndale’s work and published the first English Bible in 1535. He escaped death by fleeing to the continent, but some of his associates were martyred.
Martin Luther (1483-1546) nailed his 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenburg, Germany and took a stand against the abuses of the Roman Catholic Church.

Luther could have kept quiet about his newly found understanding of justification by faith in order to avoid persecution, but he chose to speak up, and so should we.

At his trial, the Roman Catholic Church demanded that he recant his teachings at the Diet of Worms on April 18, 1521 and reaffirm his submission to the supreme authority of the church. It was at this time that he delivered his famous response.

Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. Here I stand. I can do no other. May God help me. Amen.

Luther and those other courageous men and women made the choice to endure reproach, persecution, and sometimes death rather than be disloyal to God and his Word. I am quite sure that God’s Spirit of glory rested upon them, just as Peter wrote.

If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. 1 Peter 4:14 (NKJV)

Moses also made a similar choice, as recorded by the author of the Letter to the Hebrews.

By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26 considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward. Hebrews 11:24–26 (NASB95)

Today, we Evangelicals feel good about ourselves for being self-proclaimed people of the Word, but it might unnerve us a bit to consider that so were the Pharisees of Jesus’ day. The stumbling stone for the Pharisees can trip us up, too, if we are not vigilant. They were committed to the words of God but not to God himself.

Our lack of surrender to the God of Bible can lead to our artfully twisting the scriptures so that our disloyalty remains hidden.

The Jews elevated their traditions above God’s Word.

We Evangelicals are sometimes guilty of elevating reason above revelation and, in so doing, participate in a kind of idolatry of the human mind.

We have developed nuanced interpretations of the Bible that change God’s words into something that God did not say that we find to be palatable to our firmly held beliefs, preferences, and preconceptions.

Here is an example of what I mean. We evangelicals profess that every word of God is true, but anyone who publicly affirms that the Genesis account of creation is the literal truth will likely encounter criticism, mockery, dismissal, and other forms of reproach and rejection from both unbelievers and Christians.

Have we drunk so deeply from the well of modern biology, geology, and cosmology that the words of the Bible seem completely foolish and unreasonable?

Rather than say outright that the Bible is not true, we make a clever “end run” by claiming that part of scripture in Genesis is poetry and not intended to convey any practical form of truth. We nuance our interpretation so that we are able to affirm that spiritual truth is conveyed in the midst of a false claim. But my question is, doesn’t that make God a liar and us smarter than the people who wrote the Bible under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit? And where did God give us permission to so interpret his words of truth? Doesn’t this challenge to what God said, come from somewhere else, the same one who challenged Eve in the garden? “Did God really say?”

We inadvertently fall into the trap of agreeing with those enemies of God’s truth who claim that the Bible contains truth, but is not inerrant or factually correct.

Jesus was a literalist.

And you know that the Scriptures cannot be altered (literally: be broken). So if those people who received God’s message were called ‘gods,’ 36 why do you call it blasphemy when I say, ‘I am the Son of God’? After all, the Father set me apart and sent me into the world. John 10:35–36 (NLT)

Our Lord believed in the literal creation narrative of Genesis, Adam and Eve, Abel, Jonah, Noah, and the flood. Do we dare say that we are smarter than Jesus, the Creator and eternal Logos become flesh?

The same evangelicals who deny that Genesis is historically and scientifically accurate maintain that Jesus’ resurrection is an historical and scientific fact. I am sorry, but if Genesis is not true, how can we honestly claim any of the Bible should be considered to be true? If the first chapter is unreliable, than let’s throw it all out, which many an atheist had done. Satan knows that once a witness’ credibility is destroyed, it undermines all of his or her testimony. That is why the devil has worked so hard to convince us to trash the Genesis creation account and all its cosmological implications. Oh, he lets us keep the literal creation of Adam and Eve intact while we deny the existence of the firmament. He laughs at us when we do that, and so do the atheists. We fall into the trap of trying to make the Word of God palatable to unbelievers. The world thinks that we are self-deceived fools. We cannot make them think well of us.

If we believe the bodily resurrection of Christ is true, which the world says is ridiculous and “unscientific,” why not stand up for everything else the Bible teaches?

Why are we so disingenuous? Is it our hope that the world will think well of us? I have news for you. They laugh at us when we deny the truthfulness of Genesis. They know that such thinking undercuts the integrity of the whole Bible.

We should instead resolutely trash everything in our world view and cosmology that disagrees with the Bible.

That is what Paul did.

But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; Philippians 3:7–9 (NKJV)

Let us cast aside any embarrassment we feel by believing the words of the Bible.

It is time for the church to be more concerned with being loyal to God that in looking intelligent in the world’s eyes.

We cannot afford to esteem the praise from men over God’s approval.

Many people did believe in him, however, including some of the Jewish leaders. But they wouldn’t admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue. 43 For they loved human praise more than the praise of God. John 12:42–43 (NLT)

The devil hates God’s Word because he knows it is the truth that sets people free.

So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." John 8:31–32 (NASB95)

God will reward those who publicly identify with the Lord and are willing to endure reproach for his sake and the Word’s. We must make a choice between being praised or reproached by men or by God. .

For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. Luke 9:26 (NASB95)

There is no shame in being reproached by those who think they are smarter than God.

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2026 Challenge: Will We Be Courageous Enough to Stand?

Posted April 7, 2026April 8, 2026
by petebeck3

Every generation faces its own set of challenges against which it is required to make a stand and giants which must be slain. During the Reformation men and women sacrificed their lives in order to stand up for truth against deception that had ruled for centuries. My wife’s 12th great grand uncle was William Tyndale, who was strangled and burned at the stake for simply translating the Bible into English. No doubt many thought such a translation was needed, but few were willing to make such a costly stand. That is always the case. The few, the brave, do the heavy lifting for those who prefer to passively watch from history’s sidelines. Today we have our own giants to slay. The question before us is who among us will rise to the occasion?

In my own life, my first encounter with such a challenge came soon after I became a follower of Christ. I arrived at that watershed decision that the Word of God would be my ultimate authority. (Sola Scriptura) This put me in direct opposition to the Roman Catholic Church of my youth, which values church tradition higher than the Bible. I tried to remain inside it to act as “salt and light,” but eventually I came to recognize that its teachings and the Bible are not compatible. I had to choose between them; so, I chose the Bible and left the church.

More recently I became convinced that the mRNA injection was not of God and warned friends, family, and whoever would listen. I received quite a bit of resistance from some quarters, but history has proved my warning had merit. The COVID scare awakened a lot of people to the enormous amount of deception being perpetrated by governments, et. al. Those doctors and healthcare workers who made a stand against the “machine” often suffered greatly.

It takes courage to make a stand for truth against tyranny.

History of full of such examples. Martin Luther received the revelation of justification by faith alone. His initial purpose was to reform the Roman Church, but it was soon apparent that it was not open to God’s truth. Eventually he was forced out, escaping martyrdom by the narrowest of margins. Many others, however, paid the price of their lives to see this important truth reestablished in the church, but the Roman church never repented from its error.

Truth divides those who love it from those who oppose it.

Likewise, when God restored believer baptism via the Anabaptists, persecution against them erupted from both Protestants and Catholics alike who refused to depart from their long standing church tradition of infant baptism that does not agree with the testimony of God’s Word. Today many Protestant denominations fully embrace what some Anabaptists purchased with their lives, but others groups still adhere to their traditions based on old covenant theology.

We should never expect that everyone will embrace the truth that is so important to us.

When the baptism and gifts of the Spirit were restored to the church in the early 20th century, those who clung to that teaching also encountered resistance from the established church and still do. Nevertheless, many have experienced this wonderful New Covenant blessing. Those who received this marvelous gift ended up forming new groups in which they were free to put the new truth into practice.

When God reveals truth to his church, especially that which has been long obscured, besides bringing great joy to those who receive it, in addition it always breeds dissension and division. Those who wish to maintain the status quo will accuse the bearers of this new teaching of creating disunity.

Truth reveals the heart by dividing those who love it from those who do not.

For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you. 1 Corinthians 11:19 (NKJV)

Not every truth is worth a fight, but some are extremely important. We must distinguish between truths for which we should earnestly contend and those which are less consequential.

Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. Jude 3 (NKJV)

Although the truth divides those who are able to receive it from those who cannot or will not, it does not separate us as children of God in the deepest sense. Nevertheless, our commitment to truth usually has a price tag attached to it. Some pay that cost, but others might not be able. I pray for the grace to carry whatever cross God requires of me.

Those who love truth pursue it wherever it leads. It usually leads us to the cross.

I believe our generation has been confronted by two great giants that we must face and slay. These enormous lies have long deceived the church, but I believe God is no longer willing to “wink at” our participation in the deception. The Lord requires us to step up and do our part to make a definitive stand.

The Heliocentric – Globe Earth Lie

The first is the heliocentric – globe earth lie which was introduced as a satanic counterattack during the Protestant Reformation when God was reestablishing his Word as our authority.

It’s purpose was to undermine the Bible’s authority and replace it was what is called “science.”

Heliocentrism originated in Babylonian and Egyptian hermeticism and is taught in the Kabbalah. It is

a pagan occult teaching that opposes the cosmology of the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation. It is impossible to support it without doing serious damage to the clear meaning of the Scriptures. Satan has so brainwashed several generations that today Bible believers often attack anyone who disputes the assertions and unproven theories of current astrophysics and NASA. We have been tricked into earnestly defending what the devil designed to hide God’s existence and convert people into atheists.

I believe God is calling us to revere his Word more than the claims of science and the words of men. We must be willing to appear to be fools for Christ’s sake. The world already laughs at us when we say we believe the Bible is true, except for Genesis Chapter One’s account of the heavens and earth. We do not believe in biological evolution, but we accept the Big Bang! How ridiculous we seem to atheists. Since they mock us anyway, why not give them something to howl about?

The most common argument Christians level against biblical cosmology is that it is a distraction away from the gospel. Does the gospel become more attractive when we profess unbelief in the very scriptures we revere? Does calling God a liar in Genesis make the resurrection seem more real? If Genesis Chapter One is mere poetry that God never intended us to take literally, then when does the Bible become literally true and who decides and how do I know for sure? If Genesis is not literally true, is the resurrection? Perhaps that was simply a spiritual truth, too, with no basis in history. How can we honestly preach the gospel when we don’t really believe the Bible?

Dispensationalism

The second deception that must be resisted is Dispensationalism which has produced Christian Zionism, the unqualified political and military support for a nation that publicly refuses to acknowledge Christ’s lordship and has engaged in genocide with our help. It is based on a false interpretation of the Bible that opposes the New Covenant in at least five areas. It teaches that God’s blessing still rests on a people who reject Christ, even though the Bible says all such people abide under God’s wrath. It fails to see that Old Covenant Israel was a type or shadow that has been fulfilled in Christ. The one new man in Christ, otherwise called the church and the body of Christ, is the New Covenant

people of God composed of both Jew and Gentile. There are not two chosen peoples, only one, the elect in Christ. Blessings are upon those who are “in Christ,” and judgment is upon all who reject him. There is only one way to the Father – through his Son. (John 14:6) Those who reject the Son, do not have the Father either. (1 John 2:23) Christian Zionism is misplaced zeal for a people who, unless they repent and believe in Christ, are headed for destruction. We should pray for them and share the gospel with them but not put them on a pedestal. At the moment, they are a secular antichrist nation in the sense that they reject the gospel and persecute believers. In addition, they are attempting to reclaim the land promised to Abraham without God’s assistance. This cannot end well for them unless they repent.

This is not antisemitism. It is a biblical assessment of a nation. It is not an indictment of all Jews, only those who reject Christ. Everyone, Jew or Gentile, who rejects Christ is under God’s judgment and faces certain destruction unless we repent. If I am antisemitic, then so was Jesus, Paul, Stephen, and John. The truth is not antisemitic. It should cause us to feel an even greater burden for the Jewish people who are outside of Christ.

The Challenge

I have no illusions that everyone will come to see things as I do and as I am convinced the Bible teaches. However, if I have earned any credibility over the past many years of following Christ and teaching the Bible, I want to use it now.

What I ask is that you, the reader, seriously consider my claims regarding biblical cosmology and dispensationalism. I ask you to examine the Scriptures to see if these things are true.

These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Acts 17:11 (NKJV)

Each person must decide for himself or herself, of course. At the bottom of the page are links to articles and resources that may aid you in further study, if you so choose.

Should you become convinced that my words and arguments are true, it will offer you an opportunity to show courage and stand against the lie. We can keep our knowledge and convictions to ourselves, but what good is that? It is only when we tell others that we are able to influence them toward truth.

Will I be courageous enough to teach what Genesis and the rest of the Bible teaches about the shape and nature of the heavens and earth, even if it costs me friends and church members and damages my reputation in the eyes of the world?
Will I teach clearly how the New Covenant debunks Dispensationalism and warn people that to support a nation that is hostile to Christ is wrong, even if it angers some and others falsely accuse me of antisemitism?

These are not unimportant side issues; so, I ask you to not dismiss my request out of hand.

Yes, people can get into heaven without believing the truth about either issue, but that should not stop us from declaring the whole counsel of God. People can go to heaven without having a proper theology relating to abortion or the LGBTQ+ agenda, but that should not stop us from communicating what God says about these issues. The world is moving toward ever greater deception regarding cosmology and aliens. A biblical cosmology will protect the church from falling whatever lies are coming. Zionism is pushing us to the precipice of a world war based on bad theology. How tragic! Bad thinking produces bad actions.

The church is called to arise and fearlessly trumpet God’s truth to a world mired in deception. Will we do it? Will I? Will you?

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John’s Gospel Debunks Dispensationalism

Posted April 7, 2026
by petebeck3

Dispensationalism is a false doctrine that contradicts important New Covenant truths. It is so complex that it cannot be fully understood by the uninitiated. Take for example the following chart.

God’s Word, however, is so simple that even a child can grasp some of its most wonderful truths.

I have written elsewhere that God relates to his people via covenants, not “dispensations.” All of the covenants that came before Christ pointed to him and the New Covenant that fulfilled and superseded them. When it comes to understanding how the New Covenant debunks Dispensationalism, the words of John’s gospel help bring clarity.

In this article, I will focus on one important New Covenant truth that is incompatible with Dispensationalism.

We can only become part of God’s kingdom people through the new birth.

He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own [land], and His own [people] did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:10–13 (NKJV)

Here we have a clear exposition of the new birth’s being the only gateway into the kingdom of God and the only means of becoming God’s children. Jesus confirmed this when speaking to Nicodemus the Pharisee.

Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. John 3:5–6 (NKJV)

Later Jesus called the Pharisees who arrayed themselves against him and his message sons of the devil.

You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. John 8:44–45 (NKJV)

Being a physical descendant of Abraham has no significance whatsoever in the New Covenant kingdom of God. The only thing that counts is the new birth. We are born again when we believe in Jesus and confess him as Lord.

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. Galatians 6:15 (NKJV)

John the Baptist warned the Pharisees who came to listen to his message that God did not regard them because of their natural descent from Abraham.

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Matthew 3:7–12 (NKJV)

John agreed with Jesus’ declaration that they were children of the devil when he called them a “brood of vipers.” He also declared that God would raise up spiritual children of Abraham through the new birth “from these stones.” Peter called the people of the New Covenant church “living stones” which comprise a spiritual temple in which God dwells. (1 Peter 2:5) Paul also said that natural descent from Abraham no longer has any meaning in God’s New Covenant kingdom.

For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; 29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God. Romans 2:28–29 (NKJV)

But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, 7 nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” 8 That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed. Romans 9:6–8 (NKJV)

Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” 9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham. Galatians 3:7–9 (NKJV)

There are not two chosen peoples, two Israels, or two covenants. There is only one chosen people, those elect in Christ. There is only one Israel, the Israel of God, the one new man in Christ composed of Jew and Gentile, and there is only one covenant, the New Covenant. It is time for the church to accept this New Covenant reality and depart from Dispensational deception.

Click here to go to more articles on Israel, dispensational theology, and the end times.

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The Law of the Spirit of Life

Posted April 1, 2026April 22, 2026
by petebeck3

Paul wrote in Romans Chapter 8 that something called “the law of the Spirit of life” has set us free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:2) In a previous chapter of the same letter to the church in Rome, he stated that sin will not rule over us because we are no longer under the law, but now we are “under grace.” (Romans 6:14) These two elements of the New Covenant sound wonderful, but I think that most of us Christians fail to experience anywhere close to the fullness of the freedom Christ promises. Are we free indeed?

Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. John 8:36 (NKJV)

If not, perhaps it is because we have not yet come to understand as perfectly as we should what it means to be “under grace” and to live in the power of the “law of the Spirit of life.”

The essence of the New Covenant is that Christ died and rose again to provide forgiveness for our sins, a right standing with his Father in heaven that is derived from his own righteousness, and, finally, to put his Spirit inside us so that we are inwardly motivated and empowered to obey and serve our Lord willingly from the heart.

But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” Jeremiah 31:33–34 (NKJV)

for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Philippians 2:13 (NKJV)

I believe we can experience this freedom in Christ, but first we have to truly leave behind any reliance on our own efforts to make it happen.

The old covenant of law only served to point out how sinful we are. It did nothing beyond that to help us in any way. It is comparable to a nagging perfectionist boss who continually points out our mistakes, but never lifts a hand to assist. This tyrant has no intention of firing us. He simply exists to expose our flaws and make us feel continuously and hopelessly insufficient.

If the Law accomplishes its job, we will eventually discover that we cannot possibly save ourselves and give up trying.

Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Romans 3:20 (NKJV)

Any attempt to gain or maintain a right relationship with God via observing the law is a misguided effort that is doomed to failure and actually opposes God’s plan in Christ.

Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. Romans 10:1–4 (NKJV)

Not surprisingly, having rejected Christ, the Jewish people today still pursue this false path to God. Members of the Chabad sect have a plan for everyone in the world to come under the law. It is called Tikkun Olam, which means “repairing the world.” This concept was developed in the Talmud and expanded in the Kabbalah. Today part of its fulfillment requires the Jewish people to observe the 613 laws of the Torah and the Gentiles to abide by what are called the seven Noahide Laws.

President George H.W. Bush signed the relevant legislation on March 20, 1991. This was Public Law 102-14 (H.J. Res. 104), a joint resolution from the 102nd Congress that designated March 26, 1991, as “Education Day, U.S.A.” It honored the birthday of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (the Lubavitcher Rebbe) and included language recognizing the Seven Noahide Laws (also spelled Noachide) as part of the “historical tradition of ethical values and principles” that form the “bedrock of society from the dawn of civilization.” (Grok)

Even though this is said to have been a non-binding resolution, it is remarkable that a US President would do such a thing since it is alien to the Constitution. This is just another example of how the executive branch has “gone rogue.”

Whatever the case, this reveals that the Jews are still pursuing a fruitless and rebellious path to God, and wish to corral the rest of us into joining them.

But the Jewish people are not the only ones who believe the law is how to best relate to God. There are plenty of people who call themselves Christians who embrace legalism in one form or another. The Roman Catholic Church, for example, requires its members to keep God’s commandments and some of their own to be in right standing with God. Some Protestant denominations have their own rules and regulations for measuring righteousness, too, rather than simply trusting in the righteousness that comes from faith in Christ, as Paul did.

Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; Philippians 3:8–9 (NKJV)

And even if we have all the right doctrines regarding justification by faith alone, chances are that we still measure how we are doing with God by using some performance scale or another. The reason we are so prone to such things is that by nature we are all legalists.

Almost all of us underestimate our own wickedness and inability to measure up to God’s standard of righteousness and maintain the illusive hope that somehow we can do better next time.

We may quote the following passage to seekers when we share the gospel, but I suggest that we don’t think its completely true, at least not for us. In that we are mistaken.

As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; 11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. 12 They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” Romans 3:10–12 (NKJV)

If we are still trying hard to finally get it right next time, we are far from true freedom.

The way out of bondage to sin begins with an act of repentance.

God is working to bring us to see that we can do nothing on our own to save or liberate ourselves from the power of sin.

When we finally “give up” trying to be good enough, we will be in a perfect place to find out what it means to be “under grace” and to live by the power of the “law of the Spirit of life” in Christ.

In the Bible, when a “sinful” woman poured perfume on Jesus’ feet and washed his them with her tears of repentance, a Jewish Pharisee named Simon, who considered himself to be a righteous man, was offended. He found himself judging the woman for her former sins and Jesus for not identifying and judging her. He regarded himself highly but held them both in low esteem, which showed in his failing to show Jesus some common courtesies. The woman, on the other hand, knew how sinful she was, but Simon was blind to his desperate need for God.

Jesus brilliantly illustrated the difference between the two.

Then Jesus answered his thoughts. “Simon,” he said to the Pharisee, “I have something to say to you.” “Go ahead, Teacher,” Simon replied. 41 Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other. 42 But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?” 43 Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.” “That’s right,” Jesus said. 44 Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn’t offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume. 47 “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” 48 Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 The men at the table said among themselves, “Who is this man, that he goes around forgiving sins?” 50 And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Luke 7:40–50 (NLT)

The behaviors of the Pharisee and the woman revealed the condition of their hearts and how they viewed Jesus.

The Pharisee looked at Jesus with the eye of a critic. He was searching for faults he could condemn. He did not see anything in Christ that prompted him to treat him with the utmost respect and courtesy, much less the kind of deep appreciation shown by the woman. The woman poured out her soul in gratitude. She saw Jesus as someone who is infinitely valuable, who offered her forgiveness for her many sins. As a result, she was forgiven, but Simon, who felt no need for forgiveness, was not. Instead he was offended.

We can be offended or forgiven by Jesus. How we see and receive him makes all the difference. Our freedom is directly tied to our estimation of Jesus and our love and gratitude toward him. These two things depend greatly on how we perceive our own need for forgiveness.

Jesus told Simon that the woman’s behavior proved that she understood these things; so, he forgave her for her many sins. Simon the Pharisee, however, was unaware of his need. His spiritual blindness to his condition blocked him.

The principle is that when we finally see the enormity of our sin and grasp how great is God’s mercy toward us, the more we will love Jesus. The greater our love, the greater will be our desire to serve him from the heart.

The less our love, the more legalistic we are likely to be. If we are in this condition, we look for faults in others and judge them (and ourselves) because we still pretend that we can eventually be good enough if we just try a bit harder next time.

The only way out of legalism is to admit we cannot possibly in any way measure up to God’s righteousness. Then we start to understand the magnitude of God’s mercy and his gift of righteousness.

Paul taught the beautiful principles of how we died to sin’s power in Romans Chapter Six. Nevertheless, he testified in the following chapter that the more he tried to keep the law, the more he became enslaved to sin.

For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. Romans 7:19–20 (NKJV)

Even though Paul had good doctrine and tried hard (willed), he was still caught in the death spiral of trying (willing) to keep the Law, just like many of us. It was only when he discovered that sin dwells in him (what the Bible calls the “flesh”) that he was able to experience real freedom. The flesh, that part of us still linked to Adam through the unresurrected body, can never be reformed. It doesn’t gradually get better. It must die, and it will when these bodies are finally transformed at the resurrection.

If you are not familiar with God's great salvation of our spirits, souls, and bodies, it will be helpful for you to learn more about that. Here is a link to a short teaching.

Until the resurrection, we all live with an internal contradiction: we love God in our spirits, but our flesh is hostile to him.

For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Galatians 5:17–18 (NKJV)

Ironically, it is only when we realize that, apart from the grace of God, we are hopelessly enslaved to sin that we can experience true freedom.

Jesus recognizes our current condition and has made provision for us.

Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41 (NKJV)

It is only when we stop pretending that we can overcome sin by trying harder that we can begin to more fully appreciate God’s unconditional love and how much mercy he extends to us. It is only then that we realize that Jesus never had any illusions about our purity and holiness. Nevertheless he died for us. He knew that without him we are hopeless failures condemned to death for our sin. But he loved us anyway, and still does, even when we mess up.

Christ’s death and resurrection stripped sin of its power to rule us because it also removed the Law’s power to condemn us.

Jesus said that we who put our faith in him will never, ever be condemned.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. John 5:24 (NKJV)

This is a highly significant statement when we understand that all judgment has been committed to Jesus (John 5:22). If he, the Judge, says we will never be condemned, then it must be true.

This means that no matter what a born-again believer may think, say, or do, he will never be condemned.

Does that seem too good to be true? It surely does, and that is why so many refuse to believe it and retreat back into legalism.

Paul agreed with Jesus completely when he wrote the following.

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. Romans 8:1–2 (NASB95)

And here we are back again at Romans 8:2, but this time we are well on our way to gaining a better understanding of what it means. Notice that I quoted from the NASB in this case because it does not add the qualifying phrase that is not present in the earliest Greek New Testament manuscripts. Apparently some manuscript copyest did not believe God would possibly give us such a “get out of jail free” promise; so, he added the qualifier – “for those who walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh.” By adding the qualifier, Paul’s statement disagrees with Jesus’ words in John 5:24, doesn’t it? Jesus added no qualifier. What kind of freedom can we have if it depends on how well we obey God? That qualifier places right back under the Law.

Now, no doubt some of you are thinking, if we are free from condemnation no matter what, will that not encourage people to sin? That is what naysayers accused Paul of saying.

And some people even slander us by claiming that we say, “The more we sin, the better it is!” Those who say such things deserve to be condemned. Romans 3:8 (NLT)

But just the opposite is true.

By setting us free from the power of condemnation, Christ set us free from the power of sin, too. This is because sin gains much of its power through condemnation.

The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:56–57 (NKJV)

By condemning us, the Law keeps our focus on ourselves and our inability. Once its power to condemn is removed, we are able to focus on the God who loves us beyond comprehension. This is a source of real freedom.

We can use this freedom selfishly to continue in sin, but that has tremendously negative consequences.

God will not condemn us, but he will correct us as necessary. He will not condemn us, but the negative consequences of sin will still come our way. God will not be mocked. We will reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7).

King David was a wonderful example. He committed sins deserving death – adultery and murder, but God mercifully spared his life. He did not condemn him; nevertheless, David, his family, and the nation suffered greatly from the consequences of his sin.

Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ 11 Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.’ ” 13 So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14 However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.” 2 Samuel 12:10–14 (NKJV)

Like David, those who are born again can choose to selfishly pursue sin, but it will not turn out well. It will not produce joy and peace. That being the case, we have no real incentive to continue in sin any longer. However, the opposite is also true. We are now free to serve God joyfully from the heart, knowing that he will never condemn our sins and mistakes. Instead he promises to reward us. Amazing!

It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1 (NASB95)

Our freedom allows us to choose to serve God without the threat of condemnation for non-compliance lurking in the shadows.

Because the Spirit indwells us, we are now inwardly motivated to serve God and honor him because we love him and appreciate the tremendous mercy he has shown to us.

To choose to willingly love and serve him is a natural and supernatural response to God’s love.

Why would we not serve such an amazingly gracious and loving person? The words of the apostle John ring true.

For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 1 John 5:3 (NKJV)

Rather than condemning us for our less than stellar obedience, these words describe a new reality. When we are loved by God and love him back, obeying him is no burden at all.

Obedience may not always be “fun,” but deep down it is a joy. What a glorious thing when God’s people serve him out of gratitude rather than mere obligation. What a life giving testimony it is to those who do not yet know him. How beautiful it is when we live under grace in the power of the law of the Spirit of life!

Click here to access all the articles in this series.

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The Genesis Testimony

Posted March 31, 2026May 21, 2026
by petebeck3

Understanding that the Bible is our most reliable source of truth for establishing a proper cosmology, it is important for us to study and believe the Genesis account of creation. The author of Hebrews wrote that faith in the Genesis creation narrative gives us understanding.

By faith we understand that the worlds (Greek: aons or ages) were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. Hebrews 11:3 (NASB95)

Only by faith in God’s Word are we able to properly comprehend God’s creation.

We dare not rely on our own understanding, men’s wisdom, occult accounts, or anyone who denies the Genesis account’s truthfulness.

Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. Psalm 1:1–2 (NKJV)

King David’s first Psalm encourages us to trust in God’s Word above all else. Those pursuing a greater understanding of the heavens and earth should avoid the counsel of the “ungodly” – those who scorn God and the Bible, which includes most prominent astrophysicists.

It is not uncommon for a follower of Christ to experience a crisis of faith regarding whether we will value and believe God’s testimony over every other voice or supposed authority. If we accept that all of God’s Word is true, then we will believe his account of creation and his description of the earth and heavens. If we choose to believe the testimony of modern astrophysics and put our trust in what is called science over the testimony of the Bible, we must either throw out the biblical account altogether or drastically alter it so that it no longer resembles what it originally said.

Satan knows that if he can make us doubt the accuracy and truthfulness of Genesis Chapter One, it will undermine our faith in the rest of the Bible. Non-Christians also see the hypocrisy of not accepting the Genesis account while claiming to be a Bible believer.

If Chapter One of the Bible only communicates spiritual concepts that have no relationship to physical reality, how can we suppose that other supposed historical truths, such as the virgin birth and the resurrection of Christ, actually happened? Might they not also be imperfect attempts by human authors’ to describe spiritual truths beyond our comprehension or experience? Denying the accuracy of the Genesis Chapter One account opens the door to all sorts of deception.

The Bible begins with a description of how God created the sea, the earth, and the heavens as a integrated whole. The three-tiered creation described in Genesis continues all the way to the last book, Revelation. Brandon Ezzo does a tremendous job illustrating this in his twelve-part series on the firmament. The first is below, if you are willing to take the time to see how extensive are the references in the Bible to the three-tiered creation of Genesis.

It is impossible to reject the cosmological model of Genesis without rejecting the description of heaven and earth throughout the Bible. Thus rejecting Genesis Chapter One requires us to reject all of the Bible. The following is one example.

Therefore it says, “WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES, AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN.” 9 (Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.) Ephesians 4:8–10 (NASB95)

The Bible does not permit us to treat Genesis otherwise than being historically factual. The early Hebrews and Christians understood it that way.

Just because it and other parts of the Bible are written as poetry does not alter their truthfulness.

Poetry is used to intensify the power, beauty, and clarity of words and is never used to obscure truth or lead us astray.

The only reason we would think otherwise is because we are looking for an excuse to reject the clear meaning of the words of the Bible. If we hold presuppositions that contradict God’s Word, we will often claim the Bible is not literally true. For centuries people simply accepted as factual what Genesis says, but when science said differently, our tune changed. If we believe that the Big Bang – Heliocentric Theory (BB-HT) is an established fact, we will be forced to treat Genesis Chapter One as a scientifically inaccurate description of something God did not think the authors and first readers could comprehend. It would be the equivalent of God’s telling his children that there is a Santa Claus and a tooth fairy.

Saying that God gave us a false account of creation in Genesis is the equivalent of accusing the Lord of lying and deliberately setting a stumbling block in front of future generations who would have access to the theories of modern “science.”

If I catch someone in a lie, especially if I am just getting to know him or her, it is a significant “red flag” that experience has taught me not to ignore. I have found that to put confidence in such a person almost inevitably leads to disappointment. It is foolish to trust an habitual liar. If God lied in Genesis, then he lied throughout the Bible and should not be trusted. However, we know God’s character. He never lies.

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)

Men, on the other hand, have a long history of lying. Satan lies because the truth is not in him. Men without the indwelling Holy Spirit are natural born liars, too. Psalm 116:2 says:

I said in my entrancement (Greek - alarm, astonishment, Hebrew - alarm, haste), “Every person is a liar.” Psalm 116:2 (LES2 - Septuagint)

We are alarmed and astonished when it finally dawns on us that we have been lied to about some very important things by people we trusted!

When we are forced by competing claims to choose whether to call God a liar or men, scripture guides our steps.

...Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: “That You may be justified in Your words, And may overcome when You are judged.” Romans 3:4 (NKJV)

If God did not tell us the truth in Genesis Chapter One, why should we believe him ever again? How will we know what other parts of the Bible are untrue, and who will decide?

This is the danger of dismissing Genesis Chapter One as “mere” poetry that provides no factual information, only spiritual concepts. If we go this route, when does Genesis become factually and historically true? What chapter? Who decides? How do we know?

The only reason we mistrust God’s truthfulness is because somewhere we chose to believe the devil’s lie and we have hardened our hearts against the truth.

This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility [vanity, emptiness] of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life [and Word] of God, because of the ignorance [of God's Word] that is in them, because of the blindness [hardness, callousness] of their heart; Ephesians 4:17–18 (NKJV)

Satan’s contradiction of God’s words worked in the garden on Adam and Eve, and it continues to be effective today, especially when it comes to the Genesis account of creation. We can still hear the serpent hiss, “Did God really say?”

Many conservative Christians reject the theory of evolution in favor of the creation account of Adam and Eve, even though quite a large percentage of people in the world consider the theory of evolution to be fact. We who accept the biblical account understand that the scientific argument for evolution has so many holes in it that it can hold no water, so to speak. Nevertheless, when the theory first gained traction, many Bible teachers were quick to re-frame Genesis in a way that allowed for the evolutionary process. Now we know that there is no reason to do this, and it was a huge mistake to misrepresent scripture. Why then do so many of us Bible believers willingly re-frame the cosmological part of Genesis to agree with a satanically inspired Big Bang model? Is it not because we think we have seen proof of a spherical earth suspended in the void of space? NASA has been caught lying so many times, why then should we have any confidence in that organization ever? Why would we trust them more than God?

For a summary of reasons to question NASA, I recommend the following article by J.L. Pattison - "10 Truths about NASA that Christians Conveniently Ignore."

Look at what that agency has given us over the years as supposed actual photos of the earth from outer space.

Our government lies to us about many things. Once we grasp that Genesis is the correct version of the nature of the heavens and earth, it is not a huge jump to conclude that NASA is deceiving us about many other things. (If you want to view more evidence of NASA’s fakery, click here.)

Even if we do not conclude that NASA deliberately is deceiving us, wisdom tells us that we should never believe the testimony of those who contradict God’s Word.

To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. Isaiah 8:20 (NKJV)

Ultimately, each of us has to make up our own minds regarding what we will believe, but we should never forget that God will hold us accountable in this area.

Contrasting 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 Big Bang – Heliocentric Theory (BB-HT), the universe created itself out of nothing. It is impossible to harmonize this account with the Genesis narrative. One cannot honestly say that the Big Bang took place when God spoke the cosmos into existence out of nothing. (Hebrews 11:3) Nothing in the Big Bang account agrees with Scripture, especially not the timeline or sequence of events. In fact, the notion of the entire universe genesis originating from a single point is found in the Jewish Kabbalah, an occult book, and was later posited by a Roman Catholic Jesuit priest, Georges Lemaitre, who was given credit for its conception. That a Catholic clergyman would promote a non-biblical theory is not surprising because that church long ago abandoned its commitment to the Bible’s authority.

DAY 1 -The Deep, Waters, Light

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)

The Bible opens with the “deep” already in existence. We are not told when God first created these waters. It is a mystery hidden from us. To speculate about information God has withheld would be wrong, in my opinion.

In the beginning, God made the heavens and the earth. 2 But the earth was unseen and unprepared, and darkness was upon the deep [the bottomless]. And the spirit of God rushed upon the water. Genesis 1:1–2 (LES2-Septuagint)

The dry land or “earth” was not formed or visible 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” narrative.

According to the BB-HT, the formation of the universe began with the chaos of an explosion from a single point, 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 theoretical force called gravity. The sun is genesis

central in heliocentrism, which is a modern variation of sun worship, something Pythagoras and Hermes Trismegistus practiced, and which Copernicus and Newton acknowledged. The so-called science of heliocentrism is really an occult religion.

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)

Having created the seas, on the same day God 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 and Revelation.

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)

And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. Revelation 21:23 (NASB95)

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. When God does not explain everything to us, it serves as a test of our faith and loyalty to him and his Word.

The Lord asks us to take him at his word without having complete understanding. (Proverbs 3:5-6) This is a recurring theme in the Bible.

The “scientific” view requires that there be a natural source for light, which, according to the BB-HT, 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 contradicts the Bible account. The heliocentric view also requires the earth to rotate on an imaginary 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 and why so many Christians do not accept the literal truth of the Genesis account.

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 part of the equation. Anything that cannot be explained mechanistically and logically is rejected. This is the philosophy developed during the so-called Age of Reason.

DAY 2 -The Firmament

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)

genesis Here is another place where the Genesis account radically departs from the BB-HT. When people have been indoctrinated from childhood in the heliocentric-globe theory, the idea of there being a solid dome-like vault called the firmament encasing the earth seems bizarre. However, since we know that a pressurized atmosphere requires a container, it is more reasonable than the BB-HT.

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. (Job 37:18) 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 prepared to house what we call the “heavenly bodies” – the sun, moon, and stars and be the container of our atmos. This structure had to be placed on a strong foundation. (You can read more about the firmament by clicking here.)

The structure of the firmament requires the earth to be a plane, not a sphere.

God does not give us many details about the nature of the firmament, except in a few verses which I will cover in other articles. For now, it is enough to say that it is a gigantic structure testifying to the glory and majesty of God.

The heavens set out in detail the glory of God. And the firmament reports the creation of his hands. Psalm 19:1 (LES2)

The BB-HT requires us to translate raqia as “heavens,” “sky,” or “expanse” because it does not allow for a solid structure that encloses the earth, since it wants us to believe that we can travel to “outer space,” which is outside our assigned realm. 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. Rather than being stable and stationary, the earth is said to be hurtling through the void / vacuum of “outer space” at incredible speeds (rotating at 1000 mph, revolving around the sun at 66,600 mph, traveling through the Milky Way at 500,000 mph, and hurtling through the “universe” with our galaxy at over 1,000,000 mph). In this version of reality we do not know where we are going. We are said to have an “atmosphere” that is held to the earth by a mysterious unproven force called gravity against the incomprehensible power of the strongest vacuum known (actually, theorized), without any sort of container, which is a violation of the known physical law of entropy.

genesis

The BB-HT is specially designed to deny the existence of God and the truth of the Bible and to make us believe what is contrary to all experience and the testimony of our five senses. The true creation testifies to God’s glory (Psalm 19:1), but the false version testifies that there is no God. This false narrative is being used to hide God’s existence and to enslave humanity to Satan’s lies.

The existence of the firmament means that “outer space” with its vacuum is an imaginary construct that exists only in our minds and NASA CGI. Travel beyond the firmament into God’s realm is impossible outside of Christ. It was tried at Babel and continues to be attempted by NASA through the use of rockets. Therefore, no one ever has been to the moon, as any real investigation of that bit of NASA fakery will reveal. (If you doubt this, please take a look at the following video series entitled Wagging the Moon Doggy or look at the website – aulis.com. The following video is also recommended.)

DAY 3 – Dry Land and Plants

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. (1 Corinthians 3:11)

God also created the first living things, which were plants.

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. 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 – Sun, Moon, and Stars

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 fixed 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.

genesis

Their motion is over the earth, as revealed in Psalm 19:5, are fixed as shown in Jeremiah 31:35 and other places. Everything is fixed from creation like a giant clock. 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 rock reflecting sunlight, and certainly not the dull gray surface supposedly photographed by the Apollo astronauts.

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 supposedly are caught in the inexorable power of the sun’s theoretical 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.

DAY 5 – Sea Creatures and Birds

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 – Land Animals and Mankind

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, which has never been rescinded. 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. This is called the Copernican Principle.

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.

If you want to download a PDF version of the above summary, click here.

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. This view is described by Google and other “fact checkers” as being archaic and disproved by science. This is the result of the Copernican heliocentric view having gained the ascendancy over the past 500 years and NASA’s being believed implicitly. Before the “scientific revolution,” many cultures held the same “archaic” understanding of the design of the earth and heavens. The knowledge was probably passed down orally from Adam. Whereas, once it was considered heretical to believe the Copernican view, now it is considered to be conspiratorial, stupid, and willfully ignorant to believe the biblical testimony regarding the cosmos. How thoroughly the devil has deceived mankind!

The lasting effect of the Copernican-Newtonian revolution has been the separation of “science” from religion and, more specifically, from the Bible.

No longer is the Word of God highly regarded by those claiming to be scientists, or even, in many cases, by those who acknowledge Christ. 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, Christians must decide between these two worldviews.

I believe we are being tested today in the same way as Adam and Eve were. Once again God is allowing Satan to ask our generation, “Did God really say?”

Satan made Adam and Eve feel foolish and ignorant for taking God at his word. This is how the devil tries to make those who believe the Genesis account feel today. Often other Christians join the chorus of accusers. Perhaps many who name Christ as Lord are actually embarrassed by or ashamed of the Genesis testimony. May that soon change!

For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. Luke 9:26 (NASB95)

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The Bible Is Our Benchmark for Truth

Posted March 31, 2026May 23, 2026
by petebeck3

The Bible is God’s benchmark for truth by which all other claims to veracity are measured. In days gone by, craftsmen would make a mark on their bench to set the standard measurement for items they were making. All copies were measured according to the mark made on the bench, the benchmark. When we consider claims regarding reality and truth, if anything contradicts the benchmark of God’s Word, it is to be rejected.

The Bible does not speak regarding every subject, but, when it does, it is our unyielding benchmark for truth.

Isaiah the prophet understood this fundamental rule.

To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. Isaiah 8:20 (NKJV)

The Bible is self-authenticating and does not depend on man’s opinion of it. We either believe it or not, but not believing it does not mean it is not true. Truth stands on its own.

For we cannot oppose the truth, but must always stand for the truth. 2 Corinthians 13:8 (NLT)

Jesus is the Truth, the Logos or Word of God. He became a man, representing God’s truth and person perfectly.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 (NKJV)

In him and in the written Word there is no falsehood at all. All of God’s words are true and faithful. Jesus said we must live by EVERY word of God, not just the ones we find acceptable. (Matthew 4:4)

The Word of God is always true because it was spoken by one who never lies.

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)

Men lie. Satan always lies, but God never does.

Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: “That You may be justified in Your words, And may overcome when You are judged.” Romans 3:4 (NKJV)

Satan’s first deception was to convince Eve that God had lied to her. She and Adam fell for the oldest trick in the Book. They felt foolish for believing God. People will try to make us feel foolish for believing that the Bible is literally true today, too. Anyone who fearlessly stands by the truthfulness and accuracy of God’s Word honors God.

Today we are not being confronted by a talking serpent in a garden. We are inundated with the message that science has categorically and emphatically disproved the Bible when it comes to what is written in Genesis. It began with Copernicus. Then the lie moved beyond cosmology into geology with the writings of Charles Lyell. Darwin was profoundly influenced by Lyell. His theory of biologic evolution pushed the lie into many other areas of study, including anthropology, sociology, and political science. Most recently, NASA and modern astrophysicists have picked up the torch of anti-biblical deception. The theories propounded by these men and others are now taught as facts in our schools and universities. The media floods us with images and words that reinforce the lies. The result is that anyone who dares to disagree and uphold the integrity of the Bible is considered to be a foolish conspiracy theorist.

Even though Adam and Eve failed their test of standing by God’s words and trusting in his integrity, we find ourselves similarly being tested today. We have the opportunity to uphold God’s truthfulness against all naysayers in the face of scorn, ridicule, and worse.

The apostle Paul warned us against putting faith in anything besides God and his Word.

Timothy, guard what God has entrusted to you. Avoid godless, foolish discussions with those who oppose you with their so-called knowledge. 21 Some people have wandered from the faith by following such foolishness. May God’s grace be with you all. 1 Timothy 6:20–21 (NLT)

How we choose to relate to the Bible is one of the most important decisions anyone will ever make. We must decide if we will place ultimate confidence in it or in man’s wisdom.

If we make the decision to put our full trust in the written Word of God, we affirm our faith in the Lord Jesus, who is the fleshly embodiment of that Word. Below are some verses that will guide us in our decision.

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. 5 And the light shined in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend (extinguish, overcome) it. John 1:1–5 (NKJV)

Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. John 17:17 (NKJV)

Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. 6 Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar. Proverbs 30:5–6 (NKJV)

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)

Jesus believed every word of God is inviolable and cannot be altered or “broken.” (John 10:35) The incarnate Word validated the written Word. Shouldn’t that be sufficient to convince us?

You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. Deuteronomy 4:2 (NKJV)

God wants us to regard his Word with the greatest esteem and submit our own opinions and conjectures to it.

Anyone who makes this commitment to adhere to God’s Word will find it to be quite astounding that many who profess to possess such faith doubt the Bible’s accuracy when it comes to the creation of the heavens and earth. I do not condemn anyone for doing this because for most of my life I too failed to fully embrace what the Bible says about the earth where we live and the heavens above it. Instead, like so many, I capitulated to the “experts” and “scientists” who allege that the Bible got it wrong in Genesis Chapter One. I joined the chorus of unbelief that says that those verses in the first chapter of the Bible are somehow “true without being literally correct.” This is despite the fact that Jesus and the authors of Scripture, who were under the inspiration of God’s Spirit, believed their words to be literally true.

I never saw the insidious evil of casting doubt on the very first book of the Bible.

Satan has managed to convince most Western Christians to renounce absolute faith in the accuracy of Genesis in an effort to discredit the entire Bible.

We are only fooling ourselves if we think the world does not see through our duplicity. Why should anyone believe the gospel message if Genesis, the foundation of the Bible, is untrue? Many of us who deny the literal truth of Genesis Chapter One, when it comes to the heavens and earth, affirm that the creation of Adam and Eve actually took place as the Bible says. We renounce Darwin but adhere to Copernicus. Why? Both contradict the Bible. It should be obvious that, if the Bible’s account of biological creation is true, so is the Bible’s cosmology. It should also be clear to us, as Satan knows, that if one is false, so is the other. Why cannot we followers of Christ see this?

We humans have a remarkable capacity for self-deception. We convince ourselves that partial belief is all God expects or requires.

This is similar to Saul’s transgression when he only partly obeyed God’s word, while claiming to have fully obeyed. God told him to kill everything, even the animals, but Saul spared some of the best livestock.

Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of the LORD! I have performed the commandment of the LORD.” 14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?” 1 Samuel 15:13–14 (NKJV)

Samuel told Saul that such partial obedience was comparable to the sin of witchcraft. (1 Samuel 15:23) Indeed, as we shall see in a future article, the power of the occult is behind much of what modern astrophysics teaches. When we cast aside any part of God’s Word, it is comparable to participating in witchcraft! If Samuel were here today to confront our disbelief in God’s Word, in response to our claim to be Bible believers, he might ask: “What then is this heliocentrism?”

It is impossible to be a heliocentrist while claiming to believe the Bible is true, unless one practices self-deception.

Evangelicals generally agree that the Bible is our benchmark for truth in moral and spiritual matters and the gospel, but surrender authority to those who call themselves scientists when it comes to understanding the world in which we live. We have accepted the worldly admonition that the Bible does not apply to “real life” and the world’s credo that “science” is objective truth that requires us to reinterpret the Bible any time science contradicts it.

This is nothing short of worshiping science above God, something that should be abhorrent to every disciple.

The scientific revolution was ignited and fueled by an evil quest to liberate ourselves from being chained to the Bible. It seems that mankind is determined to figure out how things work for ourselves without God’s help.

But God has so designed his creation that we cannot unravel its mysteries on our own. We need the Holy Spirit and what is found in God’s Word.

Copernicus, the acknowledged “founder” of the heliocentric theory, was not impressed with the Bible. Here is a quote.

Two contemporaries of Copernicus, Luther and Calvin, leaders in the Protestant Reformation, solidly refuted heliocentrism. Here are two representative quotes.

These two reformers held the Bible in great esteem and considered that anytime what is called science contradicts what is revealed in the Bible, it is an error. They adhered to the famous tagline of the Reformation – Sola Scriptura. Sadly, today our motto might be said to be Sola Sciencia.

Trying to gain knowledge outside of what God has revealed was exactly what got Adam and Eve in trouble. The quest for hidden or occult knowledge is satanic. Modern science, especially theoretical astrophysics, has become a religion that postulates untestable theories that morph into unchallenged dogma which must be believed by the faithful, usually at the expense of God’s revealed truth in the Bible.

We were created to believe. We will believe in something, whether it is God’s truth or something else.

The most powerful “god” in the modern West today is probably what we call “science.” This was never more evident than during the so-called COVID pandemic when we were told to “Trust the Science,” even though now we know that much of the “science” was fraudulent.

Science was never meant to be simply trusted. That is reserved for God alone.

Trusting “science” can only be done by those who accept that it is a modern religion complete with its priests, temples, and dogma. True science by definition always invites scrutiny and verification before and after acceptance. The high priests of “science” today, however, ask us to believe without any scrutiny or verification. That is faith in dogma, not science.

What is even more disconcerting for us Christians is how so-called “science” has pushed the Bible out of its position as the highest arbiter of truth.

One of the beautiful and challenging aspects of pursuing a biblical cosmology is that it requires us to return to a childlike faith in the Bible. Biblical cosmologists must be willing to stand against the monolithic giant of modern astrophysics and NASA armed with the slingshot of God’s Word and whatever physical experiments we can conduct from our earthbound position. We will find that, contrary to what we have always been told, there are quite good scientific reasons to question the narrative that has been pounded into us since infancy. We will also find that there are many questions for which we yet have no answer. God has shrouded his creation in quite of bit of mystery. But that should not concern us because heliocentrists cannot explain many things either.

We will discover that ultimately it boils down to whether we believe God or not.

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Introduction to Biblical Cosmology

Posted March 31, 2026April 30, 2026
by petebeck3

What is biblical cosmology? A simple answer is that we regard the Bible as the best and highest source of truth. What “science” claims is true must agree with what the Bible teaches or we should reject it.

Our modern “scientific” theory of the heavens and earth, the Big Bang heliocentric model, gained traction during what is called the Scientific Revolution. It was introduced by the likes of Kepler, Copernicus, Galileo, and Newton. Today it is reinforced in our public and private school systems and constantly drummed into us by the media.

The brainwashing has been so pervasive that this model, which began and continues as a mere theory, now is believed to be factually true by the masses.

Belief in this false cosmology is widespread in the West; although, a growing number of people now realize that it is a house of cards waiting for God’s wind of truth to bring it down.

A “red flag” for us Bible believers is that the heliocentric model contradicts the Bible’s testimony.

As followers of Christ, God expects us to derive our understanding of the nature of the heavens and earth from him, rather than from the testimony of scientists and other “experts,” many of whom are atheists who completely reject the Bible. God tells us not to follow the counsel of the ungodly.

Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. Psalm 1:1–2 (NKJV)

Here is a brief video that provides a quick introduction to our topic.

Moses, the author of Genesis, was directly inspired by God, making everything he wrote God’s truth. In fact, one of the cardinal tenets of the Reformers was the inviolability of God’s Word. Sola Scriptura was a rallying cry during the Reformation, which was a movement to reestablish the Scriptures as God’s ultimate authority.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 2 Timothy 3:16 (NKJV)

The Genesis account provides us with an accurate model of the heavens and earth that was at one time almost universally believed, but now is regarded as a product of pre-scientific ignorance.

Almost all cultures spread over the earth had a similar concept of creation, as illustrated by the image below.

Today, Hebrew scholars recognize that the authors of the Bible believed the earth looked similar to the image below.

Those who implicitly trust the pronouncements of modern “scientists” and the “experts” have been trained to think through brainwashing that begins in the crib that the Bible’s version of the earth and heavens is primitive, unscientific, and idiotic. They say that those who believe in it are “science deniers” and victims of a massive “conspiracy theory” – a psy-op.

In this series I will cover some very important topics relative to the subject that I hope will convince you to adhere to what the Bible says instead of relying on the opinions of men. Below are the topics that will be covered.

Part 2: The Bible Is Our Benchmark for Truth

The second article will look at our key presupposition that the Bible is always true. God does not lie and would never mislead his people into believing something false. The Bible certainly does not contain all information about the world in which we live, but what it does say is true. We derive our most fundamental understanding of the heavens and earth from the Bible, not from theoretical astrophysics and the testimony of men.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5 (NASB95)

Part 2 will show how heliocentrist employ improper hermeneutics by trying to force the scriptures to agree with their preconceived belief in heliocentrism instead of simply believing what the Bible says. We will see that doing so is the equivalent of thinking we are smarter than Jesus. Once we nail this down, we will proceed to investigate in detail the claims of Genesis Chapter One, the foundation of the whole Bible.

The heliocentric lie places Bible believers in a crisis of faith. We must choose whether to believe God’s Word or what the world calls science, something that is worshiped by many – “trust the science.”

Part 3: The Genesis Testimony

Once we agree that God’s Word, the Bible, is our highest and most reliable source of truth, we will see that it is impossible to hold onto heliocentrism and believe the Bible testimony. One of the other most go. Unfortunately, most people today dispense with the Bible by claiming it does not really mean what it says.

Part 4: Introduction to the Firmament

This teaching will show that the Bible teaches that the heavens and earth are a unified whole. The firmament acts as a barrier between God’s realm in heaven and the earthly habitation to which we have been assigned. We will see how this complex was God’s first tabernacle. God told Moses to construct the earthly tent of meeting to correspond to this reality.

Part 5: The Apocalypse and God’s New Heaven and Earth

The apocalypse only makes sense if we believe in biblical cosmology. The New Covenant promise is that the current heaven-earth complex has been defiled by sin and Satan and will be replaced with something far more wonderful.

Part 6: Heliocentrism Opposes the Entire Bible

Once we understand that the Bible teaches that we world in which we live is a unified heaven-earth complex, we will see that this reality is found throughout the scriptures from Genesis to Revelation. We cannot reject Genesis Chapter One without rejecting the entire Bible.

Part 7: The Reason for the Lie

Most people want to know what is the reason for the enormous lie called heliocentrism? The first reason is to hide the reality of God’s existence. The second is to distort our conception of God through a distortion of our understanding of what he created. What we believe profoundly affects how we behave. The worldview derived from modern theoretical astrophysics is atheistic and promotes hopelessness. If there is no God, we have no meaning, identity, purpose, or destiny. Hopeless people behave in destructive ways.

Part 8: The Occult Origins of Modern Astrophysics

This part will show how modern astrophysics originated in Egyptian hermeticism, alchemy, sun worship, and the Jewish Kabbalah. This probably accounts for the incredible pull this false teaching has upon most people.

Part 9: Man’s Ongoing Quest to Escape His Assigned Habitation

From the tower of Babel until the present day, mankind has wanted to escape the “confines” of our assigned habitation and penetrate the firmament into heaven. Satan has tricked us into being dissatisfied with the earth God gave us. We perceive ourselves to be lords or masters of the universe who have an insatiable desire to join Satan in outer darkness.

Part 10: Making a Stand

The last section is a call to repentance and faith in God’s Word. To do so will require courage to suffer reproach for the Word’s sake and endure potential ridicule and other forms of opposition.

Many believers who say they believe that the Bible is God’s Word are embarrassed by the Genesis account and use some form of eisegesis to force the scriptures to agree with modern astrophysical theories.

God is calling the church to ditch her pagan boyfriend, Helios, and join the counter rebellion. Making such a stand will bring honor and glory to God and serve as a testimony against the unbelief of so many.

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Five Ways Dispensationalism Opposes the New Covenant

Posted March 19, 2026April 20, 2026
by petebeck3

Many evangelicals have been fully persuaded that the theology of Dispensationalism regarding Israel and the end times is valid and would be shocked to discover that it opposes fundamental truths of the New Covenant. It syncretistically combines old covenant theology with New Covenant truth, thus creating an alien hybrid that denies what Christ accomplished on our behalf and attempts to steal his preeminence and give it to Israel.

Error #1 – Dispensationalism erroneously makes modern Israel a (the?) major focus of the Bible and end times, rather than acknowledging that Jesus has the preeminence.

Jesus is the theme or focus of the entire Bible. Everything in the Old Testament or old covenant pointed to him. All the promises of God and the previous covenants were fulfilled in him via the New Covenant.

For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. 2 Corinthians 1:20 (NKJV)

“I, the LORD, have called You in righteousness, And will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the Gentiles, 7 To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the prison, Those who sit in darkness from the prison house. 8 I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images. 9 Behold, the former things have come to pass, And new things I declare; Before they spring forth I tell you of them.” Isaiah 42:6–9 (NKJV)

It is impossible to properly understand the Old Covenant unless we interpret it through the lens of Christ and the New Covenant.

The following passages show this.

You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. 40 But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. John 5:39–40 (NKJV)

Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. Luke 24:25–27 (NKJV)

having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. Ephesians 1:9–10 (NKJV)

By using the Old Covenant to interpret New Covenant scriptures, Dispensationalism resurrects that which God rendered obsolete (Hebrews 8:13) and turns proper Bible interpretation on its head.

When John the Baptist introduced Christ to the world, he quietly faded away, as was proper. His job was done, and he willingly made room for the Messiah. He famously told his jealous disciples:

He must increase, but I must decrease. John 3:30 (NKJV)

That was Israel’s duty as well, something they refused to do. Instead they decided they did not want the Messiah to rule over them. They wanted to have the glory and preeminence for themselves.

But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.’ 15 So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? Luke 20:14–15 (NKJV)

Once the Messiah arrived, the promised seed of Abraham, the Jews’ and their nation’s purpose was fulfilled. Because they refused to step aside, but instead murdered the Messiah, God forcibly removed them and destroyed the sacrificial system in 70 AD.

They said to Him, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.” 42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD’s doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes’? 43 “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. Matthew 21:41–43 (NKJV)

God’s plan was for there to be a spiritual fulfillment of Israel in the New Covenant. This new Israel, composed of both Jew and Gentile, will indeed factor mightily at the end of time.

It is a spiritual principle that God always moves from the natural to the spiritual fulfillment.

However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. 1 Corinthians 15:46 (NKJV)

Error #2 – Dispensationalism opposes the New Covenant teaching that the true Israel is composed of all born-again people, both Jew and Gentile. In its place it falsely asserts that the genetic descendants of Abraham are those to whom God’s promises to Abraham were directed.

This error is related to the first in that it insists that the natural nation of Israel must continue and supplant the spiritual fulfillment.

Paul made it clear that those who are genetically descended from Abraham are not the true Israel, unless they also acknowledge Christ as Lord.

New Covenant Israel consists of all those, both Jew and Gentile, who have put their faith and allegiance in Christ.

But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, 7 nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” 8 That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed. Romans 9:6–8 (NKJV)

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Galatians 3:28–29 (NKJV)

God does not recognize two Israels that comprise his elect. God’s elect are those he chose to be in Christ before the foundation of the world from both the Jews and the Gentiles.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:3–6 (NKJV)

The elect who put their faith in Christ comprise the true New Covenant Israel. In fact, this is how it has always been. Only those of faith are the children of promise, going all the way back to Genesis.

And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac 11 (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), 12 it was said to her, “The older shall serve the younger.” 13 As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.” Romans 9:10–13 (NKJV)

To claim that the Jewish people of today are God’s elect based on genetics is to do away with the necessity of the new birth and say that there are others ways to God other than by faith in Jesus.

But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, 7 nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” 8 That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed. Romans 9:6–8 (NKJV)

To claim that non-born-again people are God’s Israel is to deny Paul’s clear teaching, which is foundational to the New Covenant.

Paul taught that the promised “seed” was (is) Jesus Christ, not Abraham’s genetic descendants or the nation of Israel.

Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. Galatians 3:16 (NKJV)

Dispensationalism misses one of the most important aspects of the New Covenant: all the blessings of God are found in Christ and are enjoyed by all those who put their faith in him.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, Ephesians 1:3 (NKJV)

To have Christ is to have the blessings of God. To reject Christ is to reject those blessings. The wrath of God rests on all who reject Christ, whether it be Jew or Gentile.

He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:18 (NKJV)

To insist otherwise, that the blessings of Abraham rest on the Jewish people who have rejected Christ, is to oppose God’s Word and say that Christ’s sacrifice was not necessary. For this reason, Dispensationalism is no minor doctrinal controversy. It attacks core teachings of the New Covenant regarding Christ and his finished work.

Error #3 – Dispensationalism teaches that national Israel is destined to inherit the land promised to Abraham, nullifying Jesus’ teaching that the righteous (those born again and justified) will inherit the entire earth.

Genesis 15:18 promises that Abraham’s seed will inherit the land. That word seed is singular, which Paul has already shown is a reference to Christ.

Jesus owns the land; therefore, any attempt to possess the land without Christ’s permission is outright rebellion. The nation of Israel has never acknowledged that Jesus is Lord; therefore, they have no right to the land and presumptuously claim ownership.

New Covenant Israel is composed of born-again Jews and Gentiles who are part of God’s new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). The New Covenant fulfillment of Israel transcends the Old Covenant nation, which was mostly composed of biological descendants of Abraham.

Whereas the Old Covenant focused on a small group of people called Israelites, the New Covenant reveals God’s plan was always to bring salvation to the entire world.

I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Genesis 12:3 (NKJV)

He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” Isaiah 49:6 (NASB95)

For God so loved the world [cosmos] that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. John 3:16–17 (NKJV)

Not only did God enlarge his people in the New Covenant from one nation to people from every nation and ethnic group, he also made the inheritance much grander.

New Covenant Israel will inherit the entire earth, not just a small area of land in Palestine.

Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth [Greek: "ge"]. Matthew 5:5 (NKJV)

For the promise that he would be the heir of the world [Greek: "cosmos"] was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, Romans 4:13–14 (NKJV)

Matthew 5:5 uses the Greek word, “ge,” for the English word “earth.” “Ge” can mean both land and earth, but the world translated “world” in Romans 4:13 is the Greek word “cosmos,” the same word used in John 3:16, which signifies the entire earth.

The New Covenant reveals that God will destroy the present heavens and earth, replacing them with a new creation to match his recreated New Covenant people.

Old Covenant Israel cannot possibly inherit the glorious new heavens and earth because it is of the flesh. Only that which is born of the Spirit can inherit God’s kingdom.

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 1 Corinthians 15:50 (NKJV)

Dispensationalism’s focus on the present earthly kingdom of Israel ruled by a fleshly people is in error.

National Israel is attempting presumptuously to take for itself the land of Palestine without ever acknowledging the “seed” to whom it was promised, our Lord Jesus.

Error #4 – Dispensationalism does not acknowledge God’s judgment of the Jews for their rejection of Christ and instead judges those who do not unconditionally support Israel and the Jewish people.

The notion that God will judge all Gentiles, even Christians, who fail to support Israel is found in the Jewish Kabbalah.

I first heard of Rabbi Shapira in a video interview discussing his book. Many of his statements were deeply disturbing, such as the claim that when Yeshua returns He will destroy Edom; those Christians who are not aligned with the current state of Israel. I found this statement by Shapira to be completely unwarranted because the security of the believer in Jesus rests on the testimony of Christ and His atonement on the cross for sin, not on an individual’s political alignments in this world. (Loper, Deanne. Kabbalah Secrets Christians Need to Know: An In Depth Study of the Kosher Pig and the Gods of Jewish Mysticism (p. 8). Kindle Edition.)

God himself pronounced curses or judgments upon Israel for their disobedience in Deuteronomy 28.

But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: Deuteronomy 28:15 (NKJV)

Christ also spoke judgments over the nation of Israel for their rejection of him.

They said to Him, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.” 42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD’s doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes’? 43 “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. 44 And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.” 45 Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. 46 But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet. Matthew 21:41–46 (NKJV)

Peter reaffirmed Moses’ warning to Israel in Deuteronomy 18 in his sermon in Acts Chapter 3.

For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. 23 And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ 24 Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days. 25 You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ 26 To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.” Acts 3:22–26 (NKJV)

Israel’s rejection and murder of Christ brought God’s judgment upon them. Think about what a serious crime that was! The only escape is through repentance and faith in Christ, which God graciously offered them after the outpouring of the Spirit on Pentecost.

Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” Acts 2:38–39 (NKJV)

Except for the remnant who repented and confessed Jesus as Lord, the Jewish people and leadership still reject Christ and are still under God’s wrath as a result. This is also the case for all other people who reject the gospel.

To judge a person for failing to unconditionally support the nation of Israel or call the Jews God’s chosen people is using a non-biblical litmus test. God promised to bless those who blessed Abraham and curse those who cursed him because God was protecting the promised “seed” who would one day be born, our Lord Jesus.

The blessing and protection does not extend to any people who reject Christ.

God’s promise to work all things for good only extends to those who confess Christ.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. Romans 8:28–30 (NKJV)

In the New Covenant, the only thing that determines blessing or cursing is our relationship with Christ.

Dispensationalism falsely teaches people to reject and judge a brother or sister in the Lord, for whom Christ died, based on whether that person unconditionally supports the actions of a secular nation and an unrepentant people.

To encourage modern Israel in their ongoing rebellion against Christ is a serious error on the part of God’s New Covenant people.

Error #5 – Dispensationalism tries to separate what God has united.

Lastly, Dispensationalism claims that God has a destiny for the Jews that is separate from the body of Christ, but the New Covenant says that God has removed all such distinctions between Jew and Gentile and made them into “one new man” in Christ.

Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands—12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. Ephesians 2:11–18 (NKJV)

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28 (NKJV)

Dispensationalism, in this case, contradicts God’s Word and should be rejected.

Putting all five errors together, we see that Dispensationalism denies several fundamental aspects of Christ’s finished work.

It is a syncretistic heresy that attempts to reinstate obsolete parts of the Old Covenant, making it another brand of the Jewish legalism that plagued the church in Paul’s day. As such, it must be firmly rejected. We must contend for the truth of the New Covenant against all such falsehoods.

As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. Galatians 1:9 (NKJV)

Click here to go to more articles on Israel, dispensational theology, and the end times.

The video below is an excellent summation of many of the errors connected to Dispensationalism and Christian Zionism.

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My Journey Out of Deception

Posted March 16, 2026March 19, 2026
by petebeck3

Imagine living in a world in which deception is so prevalent that most people are unaware that they don’t know what is true or false concerning some really important matters. That is the world in which we live.

Someone close to me was told, regarding Osama bin Laden’s supposed capture, execution, and burial at sea, that one thing is sure. We will never know what really happened. The government has no problem hiding what it does from the public. Unfortunately, this type of secrecy is not rare. It seems that our own government hides a lot of important matters from its citizens.

President John F. Kennedy saw this as a threat against our republic. Many believe his plan to disband the CIA was part of the reason he was taken out. Or maybe you think such reasoning is a stupid conspiracy theory? That phrase first became popular when it was coined by the CIA to disparage those who did not believe the government narrative about Kennedy’s assassination.

In my high school years, as is typical, I went through a time of soul searching. I was raised in the Roman Catholic Church, but came to a place where I was no longer sure of God’s existence. It was fashionable then to claim to be an agnostic; so, that is what I said I was. I made no claim to atheism, but I did not think God could be known.

However, something happened to me at age 19. As a consequence, I have believed ever since that Jesus is who the New Testament says he is.

I soon became convinced that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and our most reliable source of truth. The Bible and the Holy Spirit, who indwells every born-again believer, guide us into truth as we seek for it and are able to bear it.

Jesus believed the Bible is true, and that is good enough for me. Anyone who rose from the dead must know about such things.

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31–32 (NKJV)

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. John 16:12–13 (NKJV)

I have studied and sought to understand and live by the Bible ever since, although quite imperfectly. I have learned a lot over the years, but realize that there must be still so much I do not know.

Before my conversion experience, although I grew up in the Roman Catholic Church and attended parochial school from grades 3 through 8, I did not know the Lord. The Catholic Church and school provided me with a great educational foundation and a decent understanding of God, the devil, sin, hell, heaven, Jesus’ death and resurrection, and other biblical truths.

Nevertheless, no one in that church ever told me about the gospel except for one high school teacher.

The result was that the Catholic Church deceived me into thinking that my salvation depended on keeping its rules and regulations instead of through believing the gospel message. Why would an organized church do that? I have concluded that it deliberately positioned itself between me, God, and the truth in order to keep me under its control.

I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News 7 but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ. 8 Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you. 9 I say again what we have said before: If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed. Galatians 1:6–9 (NLT)

That is how the devil works, and he has plenty of willing accomplices that do his bidding.

I have written a series of articles explaining where the Roman Catholic Church deviates from Scripture. You can access them by clicking here.

Jesus wants people to be free, but Satan works to enslave and often uses human institutions to accomplish this. (John 8:32)

It was only after my girlfriend, who is now my wife of nearly 53 years, shared the gospel with me that I realized that the Bible says that all my sins could be removed and I could have eternal life as a child of God if I simply believed that Jesus rose from the dead and is the Lord of lords. I don’t mean to merely intellectually or mentally affirm the idea or agree doctrinally. I understood that I would need to truly believe from the heart, which was quite impossible for me. I had no ability to move myself from an agnostic position to one of faith because I did not know for sure if Jesus rose from the dead or not. I had no time machine to go back in history to the tomb to find out. But since I understood that, if Jesus did rise from the dead, it was the most important thing that ever happened, I did the only thing that came to mind.

It turned out that I did the wisest thing anyone can do: I asked God for help.

I asked Jesus, if he were real, to reveal himself to me in a way that would enable me to believe. I prayed a simple prayer to a God I wasn’t even sure existed. The amazing thing was that he heard me and answered my request! He extended great mercy to me because he understood that I was a blind man groping to find him.

His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us. Acts 17:27 (NLT)

He revealed himself to me and graciously opened my eyes, ears, and heart to know him.

For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Matthew 7:8 (NKJV)

Later, after reading the Bible for myself, I came to understand that the reason I sought him is because he came after me!

No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:44 (NKJV)

I will never forget the moment in the Spring of 1971 when, being alone late at night and pondering eternity, God, Jesus, the gospel, etc., I suddenly remembered having said that little prayer a couple of weeks earlier. I had completely forgotten about it, for which I am very grateful because otherwise I might have been striving in my own way to find God. Having forgotten all about it, I had not been struggling at all, which left the door wide open for God to reveal himself to me in his own way and time.

One of the most difficult lessons for us to learn is that we cannot save ourselves, but, once we understand this truth, how glorious it is to know that he loved us enough to go after us!

In a small room full of vending machines on the Duke campus, God met with a confused 19 year old who desperately needed his help and still does. In a flash, his presence filled the room and saturated my soul with joy and an “electric” sense of his presence. I knew that I was in God’s company, but it did not scare me because I knew beyond doubt that the resurrected Lord Jesus is real and that he loves me and I belong to him. I cannot explain how God did all that, but it happened to me.

I suppose that being in God’s presence is enough to convert anyone from unbelief to faith.

It certainly was true for Job in the Bible and for doubting Thomas. If you have never experienced God’s presence personally, you cannot understand. Perhaps my testimony will provoke you to ask God to do something similar for you. If you ask, you will receive.

For the first time in my life I understood what it means to be “born again” and have a relationship with the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of all life. He gave me new meaning and purpose. From that point forward, God has been the most important “thing.” I have tried to follow him wherever he might take me and tell others that they, too, can know God’s love. Now some 55 years later, I look back in the knowledge that, though my journey has been less than stellar, with God’s help my wife and I have stayed the course and will continue to do so.

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6 (NLT)

After I was born again and read the Bible, God began to open my eyes to spiritual realities that I had never before seen or understood.

I started to see through some of the deception that captured the Roman Catholic Church. I saw how they traded the truth of the Bible for man-made traditions and church doctrines, just as had the Jews in Christ’s day and today.

And so you cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own tradition. And this is only one example among many others.” Mark 7:13 (NLT)

No matter how well we begin, Satan always works to get us off course or even completely wreck us.

During the first few years of my discipleship journey, I began to realize that a lot of what we were taught in school was in fact deception. I saw through the fraud of biological evolution and accepted the biblical account of creation. Some people mock such childlike faith, but God’s apparent foolishness is wiser than man’s great wisdom.

Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 1 Corinthians 1:25 (NKJV)

I saw that entire nations have been captured by atheistic philosophies such as communism and the materialism of the West, but there was still so much about which I was still in the dark.

It still had not yet dawned on me that Christ’s words in Revelation 12:9 are literally true. Satan deceives the whole world, and most people underestimate how deep and sinister it is.

Years ago, I remember watching a movie called The Matrix and thinking how wonderfully it described man’s condition before the new birth, without which Jesus said that no one can even see the kingdom of God. It described the world system that blinds people to God. Surely the “red pill” offered to Neo was the new birth that opens our spiritual eyes. I little understood then how much deception there is in the world.

Satan’s world system is so ingeniously designed that it keeps most people in the dark about very important matters, such as the nature and construction of the world in which we live.

The main thing Satan tries to hide is God.

As I already mentioned, he tries to keep people from hearing the freeing message of the gospel. He also works to hide God by convincing people to believe a completely false version of what the heavens and earth are like.

The devil knows that if he can destroy our confidence in the truthfulness of Genesis Chapter One, our foundation will be rocked.

God so designed things so that the heavens and earth testify to his character and power.

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Romans 1:20–21 (NKJV)

The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. 2 Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard. 4 Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun, Psalm 19:1–4 (NKJV)

Satan introduced a false version of the heavens and earth to convince millions that God does not even exist.

The deception of the world system is so convincing that, unless we believe that the Bible is 100% true, we will probably fall for it. Sadly, many otherwise committed Christians have believed his lies about the unreliability of Genesis when it comes to heaven and earth and “outer space.”

Even many, who claim to believe the Bible and say they believe God created Adam and Eve just as it says in Genesis Chapter One, find it easy to make an exception when it comes to how God created the cosmos, which is in the same chapter. We cannot accept one and deny the other without contradicting ourselves. Shockingly, some Christians like to hang out with their pagan boyfriend, Helios, rather that accept the Word of God.

One must ask, why do so many people prefer Satan’s false narrative to the Bible?

I only became aware of this deception at age 72! Can you imagine reading and studying the Bible for fifty-three years and not seeing that the Bible’s cosmology directly contradicts Big Bang heliocentrism and being okay with that!!?? As you can imagine, coming to this realization rocked me to the core and prompted me to repent for my unbelief and apply myself more fervently to the study of God’s Word.

Once we start taking God’s Word as seriously as we should, we begin to realize that Napoleon was right.

Many think that it is foolish to believe the Bible over what is called “science,” but that is what we should expect when we make the decision to believe God and not the world.

As the Scriptures say, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.” 20 So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. 1 Corinthians 1:19–20 (NLT)

The world system hates those who declare allegiance to Christ and the truth of the Bible. The truth sets us free, but Satan works to keep us enslaved.

How about you? Have you made the decision to accept what the Bible teaches, even if it runs counter to what the world system says and may cost you friendships and esteem? A determined pursuit of God’s truth is the only way out of deception. May God help us all to be true to him and his Word, no matter how great the cost.

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Legalism and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil

Posted March 12, 2026
by petebeck3

The fall of mankind is traced back to the fateful day when Eve, accompanied by Adam, ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in defiance of God’s command. The serpent cleverly seduced them into partaking of that which God said would kill them by combining a lie with a half-truth. The lie was that there would be no negative consequences from disobeying God’s command. They would not die. The half-truth was that they would become like God by knowing good and evil. They indeed gained that forbidden knowledge, but they did not become like God.

Only God, the Righteous One and Source of All Life, can know good and evil without dying.

This raises an interesting question. What killed them, their disobedience or partaking of that forbidden knowledge? Or are those two things one and the same? Whatever the case, possessing such knowledge was deadly and still is.

Today many still try to be like God by drinking from the poisonous well of legalism.

Legalism is based on our having the knowledge of what is good and right as opposed to what is evil and wrong. The Law of God with its ten commandments give us such knowledge. Any time we try to live by such a code of conduct, it ends up destroying us because we are unable to do it.

The law of God always kills its would be practitioners.

We learn from the law God’s standards of righteousness and that we are sinners who desperately need a Savior.

Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Romans 3:20 (NKJV)

The law effectively imprisons those who try to practice it until we are released by placing our faith in the finished work of Christ.

But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. Galatians 3:22–25 (NKJV)

Once we find forgiveness and justification in Christ, we are no longer under that which condemns and kills us. We are released to live by a “new and living way,” (Hebrews 10:20) in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. 5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. 6 But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. Romans 7:4–6 (NKJV)

Experiential righteousness comes from being in relationship with Christ, not in keeping the Law. The Law condemns us, but Christ inspires and empowers us. Through Christ, the Holy Spirit writes God’s law upon our hearts causing us to will and do that which pleases God and reveals his love to the world.

The first step in gaining experiential freedom from the killing power of the Law is to believe in Jesus and his finished work.

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. Romans 8:1–2 (NASB95)

Once we confess him as our Lord, we begin a discipleship journey during which the Holy Spirit works inside us to transform us into the image of Christ as we learn to hear his voice and obey his promptings.

The second step is to believe what Paul and Jesus taught: we are no longer condemned, even when we sin.

Condemnation, strangely enough, is what empowers sin in our lives.

The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:56–57 (NKJV)

When we sin, it is altogether appropriate for us to regret it and repent, but it produces death inside us and actually makes sin stronger in our lives if we sink into the mire of feeling condemned. Jesus happily informed us that those of us who believe him will never be condemned, but have passed from death to life.

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. John 5:24 (NKJV)

He is the one to whom has been given the authority and responsibility to judge; so, if he tells us that we will not come under judgment, we are assured that it is true.

The trouble is that we have been preconditioned by the Law and our own nature to want to be good in our own right, rather than simply accepting that such is impossible. Our right standing with God, from start to finish, is based on our being given Christ’s right standing. We are “in” him and benefit from all that he earned by living in complete obedience to his Father.

We have absolutely no righteousness of our own. It all comes from Christ.

But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; Philippians 3:7–9 (NKJV)

Every single time we try to go back to some form of legalistic striving to somehow measure up in God’s eyes, it is as if we take another bite from the forbidden tree.

Legalism is a deadly transgression. Paul wrote that by trying to live that way we estrange ourselves from the grace of God.

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. 2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. 3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. 4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. 5 For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. Galatians 5:1–6 (NKJV)

Therefore, let us firmly resist every legalistic encroachment upon the gospel of grace and resist the inner impulse to measure ourselves by some standard of righteousness. We are not supposed to look at ourselves at all, but must keep our lives on the prize, our Lord Jesus, the only Righteous One.

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13–14 (NKJV)

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