And So The End Begins

God’s Wrath Against Sinful Humanity

¹⁸ The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, ¹⁹ since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

²¹ For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools ²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

²⁴ Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. ²⁵ They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

²⁶ Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. ²⁷ In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.


²⁸ Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. ²⁹ They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; ³¹ they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. ³² Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

Romans 1:18-32

OT Tuesday: The Vision of the Tree

As I read chapter Daniel 4 it appears to me that the chapter is structured with a decree from Nebuchadnezzar at the beginning, then a parenthetical synopsis of the events in the middle, and then the chapter ends with the completion of the decree. So that's how I'm going to go through this chapter. To me at least this is the most logical way of of looking at this chapter, it  just doesn't make sense to me any other way. So if someone out there has another, more accurate or logical, way of interpreting this chapter PLEASE clue me in!

So here we go: At the beginning of Chapter 4 of the Book of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar sends out a decree to his entire kingdom, he greets his people then says

² It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me. ³ How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation to generation. (Daniel 4:2-3)

At first I noticed that Nebuchadnezzar's attitude toward God had changed, in previous chapters  Nebuchadnezzar considered God just another god in a huge collection of gods, it was like he was humoring Daniel when he was talking about God. Even after the furnace incident Nebuchadnezzar considered God just another god. But now he's seeing God as the most high God and marveling at His great and mighty wonders. What happened to change Nebuchadnezzar's mind about God? That's what Chapter 4 is all about. 

Emergent Monday: Holy Ghost Bartender

A while ago my bride and I were listening to a Christian fiction novel on audio book as we drove up to the Black Hills of South Dakota. The story wasn't too bad but the authors image of heaven was nonstop laughter, which to me is not heaven. I mean, I enjoy a good joke as much (if not more) than the next guy, but I don't see heaven, or God for that matter, as a joke. However when the book mentioned a vision of heaven the soundtrack was filled with laughter. It was maniacal laughter. It was unhinged laughter. It was totally unnerving. It was bizarre. It was the creepiest thing I ever heard. That is until I heard Todd Friel of Wretched Radio feature a bit of Rodney Howard-Browne.

Rodney Howard-Browne calls himself the "Holy Ghost Bartender" because he "serves the new wine and his goats followers get drunk with joy". RH-B was born in Port Elisabeth, South Africa and emigrated to the United States in 1987, the same year that Microsoft unleashed Windows on an unsuspecting world. (I'm not drawing any conclusions here, I'm just sayin'...) He claims to have committed his life to Christ at age 5, and also claims to have been filled with the Holy Spirit at age 8. At the age of 18 he claims that he was praying for hours seeking a deeper spiritual experience when he challenged God:

"'Either You come down here and touch me, or I will come up there and touch You,' he prayed in desperation. Suddenly, his whole body felt like it was on fire. He began to laugh uncontrollably. Then he wept and began to speak in tongues. 'I was plugged into heaven's electrical supply,' he later wrote in his book, The Touch of God. 'And since then my desire has been to go and plug other people in'" (Julia Dulin, "Praise the Lord and Pass the New Wine," 8/94, Charisma, p. 22).

I believe he was touched, but who was he touched by is the big question.

The Only Thing Evolving Is Their Story

We've all heard it before, chimpanzees and humans share 99% of their DNA so that means Bonzo is our closest living relative in the animal kingdom. Score one for evolution, right? So what if the whole theory of evolution is backed up with fraud and lies, comparing DNA is science and science is based on truth and integrity, right?

For example Carbon 14 dating is science. Carbon 14 is a naturally occurring radioactive isotope of common carbon that is created in the upper atmosphere and is absorbed by plants, animals eat those plants and absorb the carbon 14. when a plant dies it stops absorbing Carbon 14, and when an animal dies it stops absorbing plants. Since Carbon 14 has a known decay rate we can determine mathematically by seeing how much Carbon 14 is remaining in an object when a tree which has been converted to an Egyptian mummy case or when the mummy inside stopped eating salad. 

Carbon 14 dating has been in use for dating organic material since WWII, and since Carbon 14 decays, the oldest objects that can be accurately dated by this method are 50,000 years old. Maybe 100,000 years tops because Carbon 14 will decay away in 100,000 years. However when things "known" to be millions of years old, things like coal and carboniferous portions of dinosaur fossils, are tested for Carbon 14, Carbon 14 is found. Science is at a loss for words but it's obviously a problem with Carbon 14, it can't be a young earth, right? And that kind of thing can't happen with DNA testing, right? 

I And The Father Are One - Neither Is An Egg

I know a person who walks through life in some kind of dreamy, fluffy, stumble. It's almost like nothing is real to her until everything collapses down around her head. You know the type, they get all of their information from the 5:00 PM hyperventilation that passes for news, panic over what they're told to panic over, buy what they're told to buy, and ignore what they're ordered to ignore. I've witnessed to this person and her only response was "Nah, I don't think it's like that." Her responses made me a firm believer in Calvinism.

No matter what you say, her views on our Lord and Savior are "He was a nice guy, a smart man, a 'great moral teacher' and he lived a long time ago." At first I thought her views on Jesus were unique to her, but after talking to more people it seems her views are almost mainstream. To me (at least) it sounds like a lot of people believe in Jesus the man who was a nice Jewish rabbi that dispensed a lot of good advice along with loaves and fish. 

OT Tuesday: Bow or Burn

Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, the height of which was sixty cubits (ninety feet) and its width six cubits (nine feet); he set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. (Daniel 3:1)

No one is really sure why Nebuchadnezzar created the image of gold, some say it is a representation of the statue he saw in his dream and that building the statue in 100% gold was an act of defiance, proclaiming his own power. Remember that the dream was interpreted that the gold head of the statue was the Babylonian empire, and that the parts of the statue made of silver, brass, iron, and clay were other empires. By creating the entire statue in gold Nebuchadnezzar was proclaiming that his empire would last forever. 

In addition Nebuchadnezzar then proclaimed that when the people heard all kinds of music played by horn, flute, lyre (a harp), trigon (triangular bell), psaltery (ancient autoharp/banjo kind of thing), and bagpipe they were to stop, drop, and worship the statue. But...

But whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire.” (Daniel 3:6)

And when the king says bow down and worship, you bow down and worship. That is unless you worship the true God whose very first commandment is "You shall have no other gods before me" which poses a problem for the Jews that Babylon had in bondage. They could bow, or they could burn. Some chose to burn.

Emergent Monday: The Disaster of Dominionism

The core doctrine of Jesus Christ's second coming, as taught consistently in Scripture, can be summed up in one line: "Jesus Christ is coming again bodily to earth to rule and judge." This is kind of a no-brainer for anyone that's sat down and read the bible. 

For those that haven't read the whole bible - SPOILER ALERT: Jesus is coming back and he's got a whole lot of judging to do. This revelation (which comes from the book of the same name) has lead to many differing doctrines; Pre-Tribulational Rapture, Mid-Tribulational Rapture, Pre-Wrath Rapture, and Post-Tribulational Second Coming (In most versions of postribulationism, the "rapture" and the "second coming" are at the same time. Jesus Christ comes back for His elect, they meet Him in the air and He comes bodily to earth immediately to rule and reign.)

Are these doctrines important to your salvation? No. Do they have anything at all to do with your salvation? No. Agree with them or not, each one of these doctrines is based on interpretation of scripture and what they all come down to is a matter of timing, and since Jesus told us that even He didn't know the exact hour they're all fair arguments. Unfortunately another doctrine has gained popularity in the emergent church and it is not based on scriptural interpretation, or any scripture at all. The doctrine is Dominionism (AKA Kingdom-Dominion AKA Restoration) and its the darling heresy of the emergent darkness church. 

Do You Read Your Bible?

Thanks to The Watchman's Bagpipes

The Rapture Is...

Sometimes it seems that there's a lot of compartmentalization going on in Christianity: Calvinist or Armenian? KJV Only or Inclusive? Full Dunker or Baptism Optional? Traditional Worship Music or Contemporary? Hate The Message or Heretic? All seriousness aside, it probably only seems that way because it really is that way. 

Ever since I started doing Christianity right I've been getting asked over and over "Are you pre-trib, mid-trib, or post-trib?" It's almost like they're choosing up sides for the post rapture volleyball tournament. To be honest to me the whole question of pre-trib, mid-trib, post-trib rapture is confusing at best. However IF I decide which volleyball team I'm on, I will get a T-Shirt, I promise.

To be honest the rapture is not important to my salvation. My salvation is based on grace through faith, my savior only told me to do one thing: repent. My Lord forgives me my sins and guides me and is waiting for me. Never once did He say "I'm only going to save those that believe in a pre-trib rapture" nor did He say "Believers in a mid-trib will roast in hell." Is it a sin to disagree over what kind of rapture there is going to be, or even if there is one? Of course not, as long as it's done with love. I pray that's right because I disagree with a LOT of stuff that's written about the rapture on all sides of the argument. 

My bride is devoutly pre-trib and she finds it confusing that I haven't joined the team. "Chuck Smith and John MacArthur and Hal Lindsey are pre-trib" she'll say, I guess hoping that I'll see the error of my ways with their endorsement. And of course Hal Lindsey is pre-trib, he's made a jillion bucks off of it. What would she say if I respond with "So is Rick Warren." I've done a lot of research on the timing of the rapture, events of the rapture, the systemology of the rapture and one thing holds true: when ever you study research on the rapture, the article you're reading will eventually break down to name calling. It seems that a lot of people who write about the rapture will resort to insulting those that disagree with them because it's easier than changing your opinion when you're standing on shaky ground.

OT Tuesday: Dreams and Visions

In the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign he had a dream that was most puzzling and very upsetting to Nebuchadnezzar. In the middle east/southwest Asia dreams were highly regarded and the interpretation of dreams was big business for magicians and astrologers. However with Nebuchadnezzar they had a big problem - Nebuchadnezzar couldn't remember a single detail of this very puzzling and disturbing dream. He told his servants "Tell me my dream" to which they replied "Tell us your dream and we'll interpret it for you." Nebuchadnezzar wasn't buying any of that

⁵ The king replied to the Chaldeans, “The command from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you will be torn limb from limb and your houses will be made a rubbish heap. ⁶ But if you declare the dream and its interpretation, you will receive from me gifts and a reward and great honor; therefore declare to me the dream and its interpretation.” (Daniel 2:5-6)

The magicians were stalling for time, probably looking for a graceful exit that would allow them to keep their heads attached but the argument went back and forth, the king demanding 'tell me my dream and interpret it for me' and the magicians saying 'sure, just tell us your dream first, then we'll interpret it for you' The king and the magicians went back and forth for some time until Nebuchadnezzar settled the argument with the Royal Compromise: "Off with their heads"

Emergent Monday: The NAR, or "False Prophesy For Fun And Profit"

First we have to ask: what exactly is the New Apostolic Reformation? According to false prophet C. Peter Wagner the official answer is that the NAR is not a cult (according to the NAR) and says it's "the most radical change in the way of doing church (doing church?!?) since the Protestant Reform". However when studying the NAR doctrine and its unending list of false prophesy and heresy it becomes glaringly obvious there can only be one reason for their existence: the New Apostolic Reformation was allowed on this earth by God to be the proof that Bible prophesy is 100% accurate and that our Lord, Jesus Christ, was dead on when He said

¹⁰ At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, ¹¹ and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. (Matthew 24;10-11)

Kids! (God Bless 'em!)

An act of youthful enthusiasm I can understand. Civil disobedience? No. In the parlance of Big Brother let's say he's "Other Inspired"

Washington Times: A South Carolina valedictorian garnered wild applause after he ripped up his pre-approved speech and delivered the Lord’s prayer at his high school graduation on Saturday. The act was apparently in protest of the Pickens County School District’s decision to no longer include prayer at graduation ceremonies, Christian News reported. Officials said the decision was made after the district was barraged with complaints by atheist groups. But that didn’t stop Roy Costner IV of Liberty High School. He ripped up his graduation speech for all to see, before he started talking about his Christian upbringing, Christian News reported. 5 Jun 2013     

The Mess of the Message: Denying Christ On The Printed Page

I was going to write on KJV Onlyism, and probably still will. (I have nothing against the KJV and the KJV Onlyism, except the Onlyists uses the word "Only" way too much.) So while looking up the KJV Onlyist's assertions I found them to be not groundless or sensationalized but a little exaggerated... then I looked at the Message. Oh sweet Lord in Heaven... we can only pray for those poor souls that actually read the message and think they're reading the Bible. We also need to pray that those who are preaching out of the Message will repent, seek forgiveness, and help those souls that they mislead.

So lets get into this mess. As Christians we believe that Jesus Christ is the one and true son of God, not a spirit child of some ancient astronaut, not a created being like you or I, definitely not a sinner, and most definitely not a vacuous "idea man" concept but the human embodiment of God Himself, the living Son of God, and the sinless man all in one. We get the truth of Jesus' nature from the scriptures which in fact are simply Jesus' autobiography. One of the most important quotes from the bible that reveals just who and what Jesus is, is found in John 10:30

"I and the Father are one.”

In the Message bible this becomes

"I and the Father are one heart and mind.”

Don't bother to defend Eugene Peterson's choice of wording, the words of the real bible and what Peterson put in the Message do not mean the same thing. The English language hasn't devolved so far that people can't understand "I and the Father are one" so no cute, trite cliched 'one heart and mind' is needed. The real bible shows that Jesus is God, the Message shows that Jesus and God agree on everything but are not one. 

OT Tuesday: Daniel - No Compromises

When we last saw our hero Daniel he and his friends were captured, enslaved, and dragged off to Babylon, where they were being trained to become a translators and liaisons for King Nebuchadnezzar's court. Daniel and his friends were given new names, Daniel was named Belteshazzar, Hananiah became Shadrach, Mishael became Meshach; and Azariah became Abednego.

The boys were captured and entered into training on lanugages and protocol on King Nebuchadnezzar's orders:

³ Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his officials, to bring in some of the sons of Israel, including some of the royal family and of the nobles, ⁴ youths in whom was no defect, who were good-looking, showing intelligence in every branch of wisdom, endowed with understanding and discerning knowledge, and who had ability for serving in the king’s court; and he ordered him to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. (Daniel 1:3-4)

 Nebuchadnezzar wanted these boys to be court servants, to translate between Babylonian and Hebrew for the king so he could communicate with his new subjects. Taking "some of the royal family and of the nobles" was a time honored tradition and a good move, as these kids are now hostages. The Israeli royal family and nobles are not going to start an uprising against Nebuchadnezzar when he's holding their sons. Normally these hostages are treated very well, they are prisoners but they're also valuable so they're treated properly so not to antagonize their families back home. Nebuchadnezzar ordered that Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be well treated and well fed, and this became the first condition that Daniel refused to obey.

Emergent Monday: Unbiblical Choreography

Yoga is not for everyone

When Mars Hill Pastor Mark Driscoll says something's heretical, you know it's REALLY REALLY heretical. When Mark Driscoll thinks something is beyond redemption, it's a bad thing, a very bad thing. And I find myself in agreement with Mark Driscoll on this one item - Christian Yoga.

It's called by many names; Christian Yoga, Holy Yoga, Scripture Yoga, PraiseMoves, all of them are oxymorons. Yoga has been and always will be a pagan rite, and trying to "Christianize" yoga would be like trying to invent Christian Wicca - it's not going to happen. While Yoga's primary goal is to become one with the universe, Christianity's primary goal is to worship and glorify the creator of the universe. Yoga's primary method is inward looking meditation, Christianity's primary method is conversation with God. Yoga is all about self, Christianity is all about God.