Training People to Share the Gospel

One of the church’s primary responsibilities is to train people to share the gospel.

Every follower of Christ should be “gospel fluent”.

The gospel is much more than a “plan of salvation, “the “Roman Road,” or “Four Spiritual Laws.” Despite how handy these gospel summaries are, the gospel is more than that. We short change ourselves by trying to reduce the good news to a few steps or points. The first apostles never did this, and neither should we.

The Book of Acts is a wonderful place to examine how the early church presented Jesus. We can learn a lot by studying the gospel presentations of those early disciples. In fact, I wrote a series of articles to help you with this, entitled, The Gospel in a Minute. I encourage you to take a look at it. It contains many insights and tips on how to effectively share the good news. I also recommend a couple of books that powerfully influenced me: The King Jesus Gospel by Scot McKnight and Salvation by Allegiance Alone by Matthew Bates. The links will take you to my summaries of these two important works.

The gospel is the proclamation of the true story of who Jesus is, what he has done, what he is going to do, what it all means, and what we need to do in response.

We have four gospels recorded in the Bible. Each contains lots of information about Jesus. John’s starts in eternity past. Matthew’s begins with Abraham, the father of the Jewish people. Luke introduces his gospel with the birth of John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin, who was the forerunner of the Messiah. Mark also begins with John’s ministry and shows how it set the stage for Jesus. Each gospel includes information about how Jesus fulfilled ancient prophecies, ministered healing and deliverance in the power of the Spirit, modeled how to live in dependence on the Spirit, taught the truth, proclaimed the good news of his coming kingdom, died for our sins as the Lamb of God, rose from the dead in power as Lord of lords, revealed himself with many convincing proofs, commanded us to fulfill the Great Commission, ascended into heaven, poured out his Spirit to equip and empower the church, and will return again one day as the glorious Son of Man to raise us from the dead and judge all mankind. His is an eternal kingdom. That is the gospel.

The proper response is to repent from our sinful way of living and declare allegiance to Jesus, the risen  glorious Lord.

Water baptism is our formal and public declaration of allegiance the Lord Jesus. When we believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead and confess him as our Lord, we are saved. (Romans 10:9-10) All the benefits of his death and resurrection become ours – forgiveness, justification, redemption, reconciliation, and sonship. When are born again we become children of God. The greater challenge is to become a follower, a disciple, whose mission if to fish for people and make other disciples.

Every believer needs to understand the gospel and be able to share it competently. Imparting this knowledge and charging disciples with their responsibility for sharing the good news is the work of the local church. (Click here to learn more about the gospel.)

Teach Disciples to Follow the Spirit

Teaching disciples how to hear, obey, and partner with the Holy Spirit is one of the most important parts of the disciple making process.

God poured out his Spirit upon the church on Pentecost to launch the church age, initiate the Great Commission, and to fulfill Jesus’ promise to empower his disciples to be his witnesses.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 (NLT) 

The risen and ascended Lord of the harvest knows that his church needs the power of God to accomplish his mission, and this is only available through his Spirit.

Jesus, the incarnated Logos, God’s own Son, understood from the beginning of his ministry that he personally completely depended on the power and operation of the Holy Spirit to fulfill his ministry.

The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, Luke 4:18 (NLT) 

Jesus demonstrated what it looks like to be dependent upon God.

So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. John 5:19 (NLT) 

We desperately need the Holy Spirit’s guidance and power simply to engage life on a daily basis. How much more do we need him to carry out the Great Commission!

Paul said it is one thing to “live” in the Spirit and quite another to “walk” in the Spirit. (Galatians 5:25) The Holy Spirit lives in every born-again person, but that is not the same thing as “walking” in partnership with him and being “anointed” by the Spirit for ministry.

The baptism in the Spirit is the gateway to effective empowerment for ministry.

This is too large a topic to cover adequately in this short article, but if you want to read more about this amazing promise and gift of the Father, click here.

Once we receive the baptism in the Spirit, we need a daily re-filling of the Spirit, because, as someone put it, we leak. This is available through a daily re-engagement with the Spirit through spending time with God in worship, thanksgiving, and prayer, which ought to include times of listening to anything God may wish to communicate to us. He also connects with us as we read the Bible.

The Bible and the Spirit are in agreement. They speak with one voice.

Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19  singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20  And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:18-20 (NLT) 

Jesus promised us that his “sheep” can and do hear his voice. (John 10:27) The voice of Christ is mediated by the indwelling Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is our interface with God. Through him we connect with God.

All followers of Christ are able to hear and communicate with God, but many do not know how or even believe they can.

Teaching followers of Christ how to hear the voice of the Spirit is a top priority in the disciple making process. (For more on this, click here.)

Once we begin to discern what the Holy Spirit is saying to us, the next step is to gain confidence, so that we will routinely obey.

When we hear God, but disobey, it effectively shuts down our ability to hear.

God is not playing games. As Henry Blackaby taught in his important series, Experiencing God, when God speaks, it places us in a crisis of belief. Are we willing to make the necessary adjustments to overcome our fear and resistance in order to obey him?

I do not think that it is hyperbole to say that teaching followers of Christ to take the plunge into obedience to the Spirit is a top priority in disciple making. (Click here to read more.)

Once disciples gain faith and experience in hearing and obeying the Holy Spirit, we can help them develop another very important “skill” – learning how to operate in the gifts of the Spirit as the Spirit directs. Jesus’ ministry would have been very different had he not used the gifts of the Spirit on a regular basis.

God wants us to follow Christ’s example and use the gifts of the Spirit to bless people and open their hearts to the gospel. (You can read more by clicking here.)

When we share the gospel, teach the Bible, and counsel others, disciples should rely upon the Spirit for revelation and the ability to minister with a power and authority that impacts lives. Some people call this the “anointing,” which is simply a succinct way to describe the operation of the Spirit in and through his people.

In conclusion, a huge part of the disciple making process is to teach disciples how to hear, obey, and partner with the Holy Spirit in every aspect of life, including ministry and the fulfillment of the Great Commission.

Teach Disciples to Interact with the Bible

Churches develop disciples by teaching them how to properly interact with the Bible.

Jesus taught his followers that being faithful to his teachings is a core principle.

Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. 32  And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32 (NLT)  

In order for us to continue in the Word or remain faithful to it, we first need to read and study it.

It is impossible to be a proper disciple without making the study of the Scriptures a top priority.

But our interaction with the Bible cannot stop with acquiring knowledge: God wants us to become what James called “doers of the Word.”

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. James 1:22 (NLT) 

Obedience to Christ’s teachings is the crossroad where the wide path mere churchgoers follow diverges from the narrow path pursued by true disciples.

It is a form of self-deception when we hear or read the Bible, agree in principle with it, but fail to put it into practice.

Conversely, Jesus promised that those who do obey his teachings will gain even more understanding of the meaning of what the Bible teaches.

Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own. John 7:17 (NLT) 

One of the unique things about the Word of God is that it can only be properly understood by those who practice it.

Disciples have a reverence for the Bible and its teachings.

Revelation from the Holy Spirit is the key that unlocks its contents and makes it “come alive” to us.

The Holy Spirit is the author of the Bible and the conduit of revelation. Since he is the Bible’s behind the scenes author, he alone knows what it really means, and he has the power to open hearts and minds to its life changing power. Disciples have the Holy Spirit living within them as our personal tutor.

But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ. 1 John 2:27 (NLT) 

The Bible is not just a book to read and study. It is a living document, whose author indwells all disciples.

We have been given permanent access to the Holy Spirit, who works to open our hearts and minds to the truth and help us to live it out.

There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. 13  When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. 14  He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. 15  All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’ John 16:12-15 (NLT) 

Followers of Christ need to be taught how to interact with the Bible under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

This living relationship with God’s Word allows the Bible to transform us on the inside.

There are basic principles of interpretation called “hermeneutics” that can be useful tools, as long at they do not become hard and fast man-made rules that eliminate our reliance upon the Holy Spirit. The Bible’s meaning sometimes transcends our current understanding. Although principles of interpretation are good, the Holy Spirit is not bound by them. We should make our disciples aware of general principles of interpretation to guard them from “going off the deep end” into error, while insisting that we remain open to the Holy Spirit, our teacher.

God speaks to us directly through the Bible via the Holy Spirit, making it truly alive and powerful.

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Hebrews 4:12 (NLT) 

Satanic Scientism

I call the pagan evolutionary heliocentric view of the “universe” satanic scientism. I believe it derives from Satan and wears the clothing of acceptability because it is supposedly based on proven science, rather than religious speculation. For those brainwashed into its core beliefs since childhood, biblical cosmology seems absurd.

Sir Isaac Newton effectively created a new worldview, called scientific. From his time forward, there has been a separation of religion and science, much the same as another Enlightenment division between church and state.

The devil was hard at work in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries laying the groundwork for casting aside the Bible and Christianity in both the scientific and political realms.

Copernicus got the ball rolling in the 16th century. The Copernican Principle, as it has come to be called, holds that mankind and the earth are small and insignificant, just the opposite of the Bible’s teaching. He was followed by Johannes Kepler, who “stole” his mentor’s (Tycho Brahe’s) research and changed his findings to say that the heliocentric view is correct and the planets have elliptical orbits. Galileo supposedly invented the telescope and verified Copernicus’ and Kepler’s findings. Newton came up with the math and name for the force that made all these theoretical motions possible – gravity. Newton was not a Christian. He denied the Trinity, the divinity of Christ, and the infallibility of the Bible. He also did extensive work in alchemy, regarded a occult practice. It is said that he was also a Master Freemason.

Below is an excellent video on this topic that I highly recommend.

When the heliocentric view first appeared, there was much opposition, especially from Protestant church leaders, such as Luther and Calvin,but over time these opponents died out and the younger generation fell for the lie. Nevertheless, much controversy continued into the early 20th century.

In 1871, George Airy conducted an experiment to show whether the earth is moving or the stars. It proved that the earth is not moving and is called Airy’s Failure because he did not support the already accepted theory that the earth is in motion orbiting the sun.

In 1887, Michelson and Morley set up a very accurately measured experiment to detect any motion of the earth. It showed that the earth is at rest. This experiment was redone many times with the same result. Below is a very short explanation. I am not sure why the apparent antisemitism is displayed, for which I apologize.

In 1913, Georges Sagnac conducted an experiment that proved that the ether exists and abolished Einstein’s theory of relativity.

Einstein sought to uphold heliocentrism by devising the theory of special relativity, doing away with the ether and declaring that all motion is relative; therefore, we cannot measure whether the earth is moving or not… but we know it is. Talk about “begging the question” (principia petitii) – attempting the use a premise as the conclusiona!

Rather than being enclosed in a solid firmament, we have been taught to believe that the sky above us is a relatively thin and fragile atmosphere held in place by a force called gravity against the unfathomable power of the vacuum of “outer space.”

Maintaining a pressurized atmosphere without a container is a physical impossibility and violates the law of entropy, but that does not seem to bother people who have been brainwashed to believe in the globe model of the earth.

When challenged as to the reality of the globe, most people appeal to the multitude of NASA’s supposed actual photographs of the spherical earth suspended in the void of space, not realizing that NASA was started by satanists for the purpose of galvanizing the deception of the spherical earth and outer space. Go to 5:42 to begin section on NASA’s history.

Robert Simmon, NASA’s “Mr. Blue Marble,” created the iconic computer generated image that was automatically installed on many iPhones. Every year new versions come out, each one showing the continents having differing sizes from the previous year. There is also clear evidence of using Photoshop.

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

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

Genesis Chapter One’s claim that God created  the firmament confronts us with an unavoidable crises of faith. Will we believe what the Bible says or not?

Did God really say that the firmament is a very real structure above the earth in which the sun, moon, and stars are located? If we choose not to believe what God says, we make the Bible out to be an archaic per-scientific fable.

Satan deceives the nations by means of sorcery. Speaking of Mystery Babylon, the Bible says:

The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The happy voices of brides and grooms will never be heard in you again. For your merchants were the greatest in the world, and you deceived the nations with your sorceries. Revelation 18:23 (NLT)

It is important to understand that deception is empowered by satanic witchcraft, which is why it has such power to blind people to God’s truth. We ask God to release his children from the fog of satanic deception. If you wish to learn more about the occult origins of heliocentrism, I recommend the following video. I will discuss these occult origins further elsewhere.

Now that I understand and believe that Genesis Chapter One should be taken literally and that the firmament is an actual physical structure, the Bible has come alive with new insights into the nature of the world in which we live, God’s throne, heaven, and the Second Coming of Christ – the Apocalypse. I have written about this in another article.

Passages that left me “scratching my head” in the past, now make sense. Sometimes God’s truth lies right under our noses, but we just cannot see it because we have been preconditioned by devilish lies to reject truth. Every lie of the enemy is designed to alienate us from God, steal blessings from us, and transform us into fools who are easily led astray and to the slaughter. I believe the devil laughs at us every time we choose his lies above God’s Word.

The more deceived we are, the stranger the truth seems.

Jesus told the Jewish leaders who were blinded to the truth of his identity by their false expectations regarding the Messiah:

Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. 44 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 8:43–45 (NKJV)

When we embrace satanic deception, the truth seems like a lie.

The pagan Copernican heliocentric system is a lie designed to make us think that Helios (Satan) controls us (through “gravity”), instead of our being under the loving care and protection of our Creator. Because heliocentrism and the globe earth has been drummed into our heads from childhood, it seems plausible and real, but, once God opens our eyes to the truth, we will see the contradictions and absurdities of that position and wonder how we ever fell for it.

The devil specializes in presenting us with false versions of reality. He does so to condition our minds to reject God’s revealed truth, blinding us spiritually and locking us up in prisons of deception.

Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. 2 Corinthians 4:4 (NLT)

Not only does the devil blind unbelievers to the gospel, he also does his best to keep Christians from seeing and believing other glorious truths in the Bible.

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 2 Corinthians 10:4–5 (NKJV)

Believing a lie is a kind of idolatry that influences us to put more confidence in what the devil says than we do in the Word of the One called the Truth. (John 14:6) Spiritual darkness has enveloped much of the world. Because of our enthusiastic acceptance of what is called science, we have a huge problem of spiritual blindness and deafness.

Science has become a secular religion some call scientism, whose high priests, the experts, are regarded as the source of truth.

We dare not risk being called a “science denier,” a epithet almost as devastating as being labeled a racist, hater, or homophobe.

Sadly, many of us who call ourselves Christians seem to love the “scientific” view of the universe more than we love God’s Word.

True scientists are the ones who perform empirical experiments and discover actual truth. Nicolai Tesla was a preeminent example of a true scientist. Another group of so-called scientists, such as astrophysicists, astronomers, evolutionary geologists, and paleontologists, merely observe what they study from afar and devise elaborate, fantastical, unprovable theories to try to explain our origins on the basis of godless evolution. Nevertheless, their pronouncements come to be considered confirmed facts over time.

What such “scientists” produce is more science fiction than true science.

They devise incredible (literally: unbelievable) fictions that requires vast eons of time for the universe and living beings to self-create and self-improve through random chance, violating the Second Law of Thermodynamics called Entropy.

They have fashioned a worldview, in which the Creator is superfluous, to deceive the naive . They seek to influence people away from believing in God, calling such a belief foolish and un-scientific.

They claim that people who believe in divine creation know nothing at all and hinder the forward progress of the species.

The science fiction creators arrogantly assert that their theories are facts and God’s Word is worthless.

Below is an example of this uttered by Neil deGrasse Tyson, a chief public spokesperson for modern astrophysics.

I cannot decide if he is ignorant of the definition of the word “theory” or if he assumes his listeners are. A theory cannot be a fact; otherwise, it would no longer be a theory. Anything that cannot be empirically proven must remain a theory and should never be promoted as a fact. I find it extremely revealing that Tyson connects faith in evolution with faith in gravity, and Richard Dawkins connects faith in heliocentrism with faith in evolution.

Satan’s lies interconnect and depend on one another. Evolution is the thread that holds it all together.

Contrary to current popular opinion and scientific “consensus,” evolution, universal gravitation, heliocentrism, and the globe are all mere theories that have not been and cannot be empirically proven. Every attempt to do so has failed.

Once we discard the computer generated images of a globe earth suspended in outer space which are pawned off on us by NASA and other space agencies , we are left with only empirical evidence, which all stands opposed to the science fiction of modern astrophysics.

Outer space does not exist: only what the Bible calls outer darkness.

If you wish to investigate this claim in greater depth, I have collected quite a few resources to assist you. Here is the link.

With regard to the cosmos, Satan’s scheme is to undermine our confidence in the truthfulness of the Word of God relating to the Creator and the design and nature of the heavens and earth in order to blind people to the glory of God and set them up to believe that God does not even exist, which opens us to a vast array of other lies. (Psalm 19:1, Romans 1:20)

The Big Bang – Heliocentric Theory misrepresents God’s creation and testifies that there is no God. Not surprisingly, its primary exponents are mostly atheists who mock those who believe that the Bible is literally true.

It is time for us who believe that God’s Word is completely trustworthy with regard to science and every other topic to make a stand.

 

Introduction to the Firmament

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Genesis Testimony

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Biblical Account The Big Bang – Heliocentric Theory

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Presuppositions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Priesthood of the Believer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Priesthood of the Believer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Introduction to Biblical Cosmology

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

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

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

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

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

The Bible’s Authority

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hermeneutics

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

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

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

The Earth’s Curvature on the Globe Model

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Why the Lie?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Was the Virgin Birth Truly Necessary?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Paul called it the new creation.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Sample Prayer

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

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