If every man is a brother, and God is everyone’s father, then shouldn’t everyone go to heaven? Universalism is a common name for this. Fraternal organizations, such as Freemasonry, teach the brotherhood of man and fatherhood of God. “Currently, it [Freemasonry] has over 6 million members worldwide who share the belief in the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of mankind… If you are a Christian, and if you are in the lodge, you cannot talk of Christ or consider him as God. Freemasons believe G.A.O.T.U (Great Architect of The Universe) is the true God of the universe. Other than that, they also believe that you will go to heaven as a result of your good works. Jesus hasn’t died as the payment for your sins” — Freemasonry describing itself from “What Are the Three Core Beliefs of Freemasons?” For this reason, True Christians cannot be True Masons. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12 KJV). “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44). Freemasonry is a false teaching, prevailing wherever Scripture is superficially understood and Christ is not truly all in all.
Apologetics
Dealing With the Rapture (Part 3)
The Rapture is possibly the most controversial and studiously ignored issue of the Church at present, “in the fulness of the time”(Galatians 4:4 KJV), simply because it represents the culmination of our Master’s End Times strategy to tie together all the disparate issues of the Church, as well as, addressing all the clear and present circumstances of the Almighty’s Unseen Realm. Consider that the LORD’s supernatural enemy has been preparing for the departure event of the my Rapture from ancient times, especially since Enoch and Elijah (Genesis 5:24; 2Kings 2:11) were translated, to the enemy’s horror, and to their inability to explain away the Almighty’s ability to control the narrative.
The necessity of the enemy explaining the disappearance of even a large minority of earth’s population involves carefully Articulating What the Crowd Already Believes:
First, justice from the supernatural. The suggestion of a Nephilim hybrid of angels with human females — “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown” (Genesis 6:4 ESV) — is rejected by most respectable, scholarly, biblical interpreters, yet most all historical human cultures have mythical traditions of such supernatural interaction with humanity, down to Hollywood’s incarnation of superheroes. What modern moviegoer doesn’t want to believe in justice finally from the supernatural?
Second, fascination with the supernatural. Christian theology typically explains demon possession as simply bad actor fallen angels spiritually and physically molesting us. What if we more precisely defined demons as the disembodied spirits of the multitudes of Nephilim destroyed in a worldwide flood of Noah (Genesis 6-8)? “So the devils besought Him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine” (Matthew 8:31 KJV). Much of the modern fascination with witchcraft, the demonic, poltergeists, etc. is based upon what the world believes is true, or is afraid to think is true.
Third, making things right through the supernatural. The fabric of the adversary’s explanation for the Rapture will unavoidably delve into the realm of UFO’s, since the Antichrist [a Nephilim] will supernaturally accomplish peace for Israel sufficient to allow for the building of a Third Jewish Temple, a presently unthinkable event. “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God” (2Thessalonians 2:3-4). Just as humanity senses a need for world justice, what human wouldn’t object to reaching out to the divinity in us all?
Summary of the Enemy’s Response to the Rapture. Lie. What’s the most direct strategy for the enemy to deal with the Rapture? Lie. The devil “is a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44). His Nephilim protégé, the Antichrist, Is also a liar. “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders” (2Thessalonians 2:9). Those “lying wonders” of Antichrist will include resurrecting from the dead. “And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast” (Revelation 13:3). But, the Big Lie — for which Antichrist will kill the Christians — will cause their refusal to worship him as God, seated in the Temple at the middle of the Tribulation Week (2Thessalonians 2:3-4).
When you consider that Bible prophecy is so diligently avoided by much of the respectable Christian ministry, is it any wonder the Church is so ill equipped to defend the actions of our Lord in Rapturing His Church?
LORD, may Your people awaken to the challenge of giving “an answer to every man that asketh [them] a reason of the hope that is in [then] with meekness and fear” (1Peter 3:15). May we be ready for Your appearing. May we hasten Your appearing. In Jesus’ name, we ask it. Come quickly and rapture Your Church. Amen.
John 7:17 Willingness Challenge
R. A. Torrey (1856-1928) challenged an Oxford University sceptic with the John 7:17 Willingness Challenge. “If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of Myself” (John 7:17 KJV). He began his address as follows:
Some fifteen or sixteen years ago [1878], when a student in Yale Theological Seminary, I was first confronted seriously with the question, Why do you believe the Bible is the Word of God? Doubtless the question had often floated vaguely through my mind before, but now it stood out definitely, vividly and persistently. It was the one all-absorbing thought that engaged my mind by day and by night. I had doubtless many friends who could have answered the question satisfactorily, but I was unwilling to confide to them the struggle that was going on in my heart, so I sought help from God and from books, and after much painful study and thought came out of the darkness of scepticism into the broad daylight of faith and certainty that the Bible from beginning to end is God’s word. The address which Mr. Moody has asked me to deliver to-night is the outcome of that experience. My subject is, Why I believe the Bible is the Word of God.
[Torrey proceeded to outline ten reasons, where the tenth reason was]
TENTH, from the direct testimony of the Holy Spirit.
We started with God and shall end with God. We started with the testimony of the second person of the Trinity, and shall close with that of the third person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit sets his seal in the soul of every believer to the divine authority of the Bible. It is possible to get to a place where we need no argument to prove that the Bible is God’s word. Christ says, “My sheep know my voice,” and God’s children know His voice, and I know that the voice that speaks to me from the pages of that book is the voice of my Father. You will sometimes meet a pious old lady, who tells you that she knows that the Bible is God’s word, and when you ask her for a reason for believing that it is God’s word she can give you none. She simply says she knows it is God’s word. You say that is mere superstition. Not at all. She is one of Christ’s sheep, and recognizes her Shepherd’s voice from every other voice; she is one of God’s children, and knows the voice that speaks to her from the Bible is the voice of God. She is above argument. Everyone can have that testimony. John 7:17 (R.V.) tells you how to get it. “If any man willeth to do his will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it be of God.” Just surrender your will to the will of God, no matter where it carries you, and you will put yourself in such an attitude toward God that when you read this book you will recognize that the voice that speaks to you from it is the voice of the God to whom you have surrendered your will.
Some time ago when I was speaking to our students upon how to deal with sceptics, there was in the audience a graduate of Oxford University who had fallen into scepticism. At the close of the lecture he came to me and said, “I don’t wish to be discourteous, sir, but my experience contradicts everything you have said.” I asked him if he had followed the course of action that I had suggested and not found light. He said that he had. Stepping into the other room I had a pledge written out running somewhat as follows: “I believe there is an absolute difference between right and wrong, and I hereby take my stand upon the right, to follow it wherever it carries me. I promise to earnestly endeavor to find out what the truth is, and if I ever find that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, I promise to accept Him as my Savior and confess Him before the world.” I handed the paper to the gentleman and asked him to sign it. He answered, “Certainly,” and did sign it. I said to him, “You don’t know there is not a God, and you don’t know that God doesn’t answer prayer. I know He does, but my knowledge cannot avail for you, but here is a possible clue to knowledge. Now you have promised to search earnestly for the truth, so you will follow this possible clue. I want you to offer a prayer like this: ‘Oh, God, if there be any God and thou dost answer prayer, show me whether Jesus Christ is thy Son, and if He is I will accept Him as my Savior and confess Him before the world.'” This he agreed to do. I further requested that he would take the Gospel of John and read in it every day, reading only a few verses at a time, slowly and thoughtfully, every time asking God before he read to give him light. This he also agreed to do, but he finished by saying, “There is nothing in it.” However, at the end of a short time I met him again, and he said to me, “There is something in that.” I replied, “I knew that.” Then he went on to say it seemed just as if he had been caught up by the Niagara River and had been carried along, and that before long he would be a shouting Methodist. A short time ago I met this gentleman again, and he said to me that he could not understand how he had ever listened to the reasoning which he had; that it seemed to him utterly foolish now. I replied that the Bible would explain that to him, that “the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God” but that now he had put himself into the right attitude towards God and his truth everything had been made plain. That man, who assured me that he was “a very peculiar man,” and that methods that influenced others would not influence him, by putting himself into the right attitude towards God, got to a place where he received the direct testimony of the Holy Ghost that this Bible is God’s word; and anyone else can do the same. [pp. 19-23]
Torrey, R.A., “Ten Reasons I Believe the Bible is the Word of God” (1930). Biola Publications. 57.
How You Know You Are A Christian
You are what you are in the present. Not because of what you did in the past or will do in the future. John said that we know that we know Him because we are obeying Him. “And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments” (1John 2:3 KJV). In other words, when we are obeying Him, we know that we know Him. The opposite is true, when we are not obeying Him, we are not knowing that we know Him. Spiritual testimony and intellectual testimony are not necessarily the same. The head can lie to the heart, but the heart will never lie to the head.
People call themselves Christians based upon an intellectual remembering of past events reinforced by their emotions. When their actions cease to be Christlike, their emotions refuse to let go of their claim to being a Christian. “He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (2:4). In other words, anyone who claims to know Jesus Christ, while not obeying Him, is a liar. Later, John reminds us, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8).
Total Recall (2012) [Colin Farrell not Arnold Schwarzenegger] is a sci-fi movie about a dystopian earth where memories can be implanted in your mind. Hauser (known also as Douglas Quaid) has an important conversation with Matthias (the Resistance leader) two-thirds of the way through the movie. Matthias gives advice to Hauser (1:58:19/38:41 left).
Hauser: I want to remember.
Matthias: Why?
Hauser: So I can be myself, be who I was.
Matthias: It is each man’s quest to find out who he truly is, but the answer to that lies in the present, not in the past, as it is for all of us.
Hauser: But the past tells us who we’ve become.
Matthias: The past is a construct of the mind. It blinds us. It fools us into believing it. But the heart wants to live in the present. Look there. You’ll find your answer.
Was the Creation of Heaven and Earth a Miracle of God?
Was the Creation of Heaven and Earth a miracle of God? If a miracle defies Natural Law for explanation, then does Creation taking place in Six Literal Days defy the scientific explanation of evolution over a far greater epoch of time? If we accept the plain statement of Scripture in Genesis, then God created in Six Literal Days and rested on the Seventh. “For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it” (Exodus 20:11).
Gospel Vignettes
One Way.
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6 NIV). Jesus is the only way to God, not because He has obstructed others from free competition to be alternative ways to God, but because no other way can be legitimately proven to exist. The God concept emphasizes not just strength or authority, but the idea of exclusivity — one-of-a-kind uniqueness. The very idea behind the preposition “omni” is an unrivaled singularity. If “omnipotent” is all powerful, how can another exist? With an all powerful God, no one can possibly rival or eclipse Him. If “omniscient” is all knowing, then God does not begin to understand something, but always knows everything. He cannot begin to understand something or else He never was God. If “omnipresent” is present everywhere, then God must be universal. And, simply suggesting the possibility of a multiverse or infinite multiverses does nothing to take away from the concept that the same God must be everywhere to be God. Ancient mythologies depict gods with humanlike limitations and weaknesses, but that underscores the necessity that the True God is not only unlimited, but does all things well. Myth and superstition only present a god made in the image of man, while God made man “in His own image” (Genesis 1:27 NIV).
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We Need A Miracle 