Are Speaking in Tongues and Word of Prophecy For Real?

The Holy Spirit gives each of His children at least one of nine gifts, listed in I Corinthians 12:7-11:

But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

Let’s discuss the most controversial ones: Healing, tongues, and prophecy, the so-called “sign” gifts. We’ll focus on tongues and prophecy the most. When the charismatic wave hit the U.S. in the early 1980s, much ink was spilled in controversy. You could say I’m 35 years too late on this, but the subject was raised in an excellent book I’m reading: The Supernatural Worldview, by Cris Putnam. So let’s have a go at it.

The biggest outcry against the use of the sign gifts was by conservative, supposedly Bible-believing churches. At the time, I broke away from my Baptist roots and joined a charismatic church. My former pastor didn’t have a kind word for me after that, saying that what I was hearing in a tongues-speaking was from the devil. I must say, though, I learned much in the new setting—particularly in small groups, where we were encouraged to be accountable, and to listen to what people were saying to us, who often were hearing from the Lord. I learned about my weaknesses, my strengths, my gifts--and found mine. Used it a couple times, and was respected. The educational emphasis was unexpected, since the charismatic churches have been accused of emphasizing emotion instead of intellect. But from what I observed, tongues were followed by interpretation, prophecies were judged to be Scriptural; it seemed to be an orderly setting.

The theology that the non-believers in sign-gifts came up with to support their view was called “cessationism.” They maintained that (1) the Holy Spirit’s purpose for the sign gifts was finished in the first century; (2) the sign gifts were given exclusively to the twelve apostles; and (3) the gift of apostleship no longer exists. One of their favorite proof texts is I Corinthians 13:8-11:

Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

The cessationists believe tongues and prophecy are ways “progressive” churches want to hear “new” doctrines from the Lord, but then become open to deception and manipulation. My personal experience wasn’t that way—although it’s possible it did happen elsewhere that way, unfortunately. (They also loved to say, the tongues they heard about are “gibberish” and we need to “put away childish things.”) But getting down to it, their real Scriptural “proof” is insisting the word “perfect” in the above verse refers to the arrival of the New Testament canon. After that, they say, all these sign gifts “vanished away,” and what happens now is not from the Holy Spirit, since there is no new “hearing from the Lord.” The Lord is heard from in Scripture, period—not through tongues or prophecy, they say.

But these verses are not saying what they want them to say. Let’s hear from John Piper, conservative theologian and author, speaking about the word “perfect” in verse 12: “It says ‘Now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.’ Is it more likely that Paul is saying, ‘Now before the New Testament is written, we see in a mirror dimly; but then when the New Testament is written, we shall see face to face’? Or is it more likely he is saying, ‘Now in this age we see in a mirror dimly; but then when the Lord returns, we shall see face-to-face’?” The latter version, as he implies, is much more likely correct--especially since there are several references in the Old Testament, and at least two in the New (Revelation 22:4, I John 3:2), that our desire is to see Jesus face to face. Thus, all the gifts are still active, still Spirit-inspired, until Jesus has His second advent. Then they will vanish away.

The non-believers give this further argument: The arrival of New Testament canon, and its wonderful general guidance, meant “hearing from the Lord” on some specific issue is not necessary--so we “don’t need” the sign gifts; we should just read Scripture to get general guidance, and rely on feelings from the Holy Spirit for specifics. They’re assuming that charismatics are easily deluded in swallowing an anti-Christian idea that might creep up in a deception. Well, there are probably tongue-speaking charlatans trying to delude. Think about this, though: since the devil is busy making sign-gift counterfeits, could that mean he is worried about the real thing existing in these gifts? Well, what do you do about the possibility of charlatans? You do increased discernment--rather than sweeping dismissal of the entire gift. Throwing out all of it—baby and bath water—is the lazy choice, but not the best one. Paul talks about performing intervention if deception like that goes on (I Corinthians 14:32,33).

Now let’s talk about counter arguments. Those who believe in sign gifts argue that the “power” in Acts 1:8 below refers to a Holy Spirit gifting:

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me[a] in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

This is further confirmed by Mark 16:17:

And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;

Notice from Acts that this power is for the purpose of globalizing the gospel to “the end of the earth.” Well, that hasn’t happened yet. So we still need the gift. So to argue that the purpose of sign gifts expired in the first century (or in the fourth century, when the canon was completed) is bogus.

Plus, the argument that it was limited to the apostles doesn’t hold water. Stephen had it, Acts 6:8, and so did Philip, Acts 8:13, and neither one was an apostle:

And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people

Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done.

And then there are Paul’s detailed instructions on these gifts. In I Corinthians, three chapters are devoted off-and-on to this difficult subject—three chapters means it’s important, but pastors still stay away from this rather than figuring it all out. In all those chapters, he says nothing about these gifts ceasing.

Read his words in I Corinthians 1:7:

so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ

That clearly indicates that he wants to see everyone possessing all the gifts, all the way up to the last days, “the revelation of our Lord.” So he was teaching the opposite of cessation. Consider, too, what he bragged in I Corinthians 14:18:

I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all

Well, that speaks a good word for tongues, does it not? Now in all honesty, Paul has restrictions on tongues—and he figures another gift, prophecy, is more important. He wants an interpretation to each tongue, because otherwise no one could understand it (I Cor. 14:2). By the way, this by itself dismisses a frequent cessationist argument that tongues, if they operate, should all be like Acts 2, in a known language—so someone gets usefulness out of it. But here Paul is flat-out saying, if you don’t have an interpreter, no one will understand it. So he’s definitely saying that it’s an unknown tongue to everyone. But with an interpretation, it becomes useful. That idea is further confirmed in I Corinthians 14:15:

What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.

To give this contrasting statement “I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding,” suggests they sang or prayed in an unknown tongue (which was without understanding, unless there was an interpreter). Maybe this even happened during the church service.

Pastors nowadays fear that all this “gibberish” would turn people off, but in those days, the church grew like crazy using these gifts. Are people that much different today? I say, no.

One serious word of warning: Do not try to force yourself to speak in tongues through an altered state of consciousness, brought on by chanting, breathing irregularly, “emptying your mind,” drugs, or any other way. There is no Scripture backing you up, and you may be inviting demons to come in for residence. I must confess, though I am in favor of all gifts, from Scripture, I have never spoken in tongues. My gift is by digging through Scripture and finding gems of great value in His Word. Gift of knowledge, or wisdom.

Paul also said that tongues in a church service were for the unbelievers; i.e., to have them see that God is at work in this service. I Corinthians 14:22:

tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers

But don’t get the idea that tongues have to be limited to a Billy Graham crusade tent in Africa. We showed their further usefulness above. And here’s a short testimony by a noted church father, Irenaeus, in 202 AD. “…we do also hear many brethren in the Church, who possess prophetic gifts, and who through the Spirit speak all kinds of languages, and bring to light for the general benefit the hidden things of men, and declare the mysteries of God…they being spiritual because they partake of the Spirit.” This says, first of all, that tongues and prophecies didn’t die with the apostles—since Irenaeus was 100 years later (Augustine, a great (but controversial) theologian in the fifth century, has a long list of miracles in his day as well tied to gifts). Secondly, tongues, when interpreted, are also useful in church in revealing a sin that became a convicting rebuke to some unbelievers. (Rebuking unbelievers in their sin: there’s a concept.))

Finally, Paul writes, not just for the church at Corinth, but for everybody, I Corinthians 14:39:

Therefore, brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak with tongues.

The second half of the verse is exactly what many “Bible-believing” pastors are doing, forbidding it, breaking this command from God.

Speaking of miracles: Miracles go on today, but hardly ever in the U.S. There are constant mission reports of many miracles in South America, India, Asia, and Africa. Many involve healing. Where demonic activity is visible, God steps up the supernatural and makes Himself visible. But not much of this happens in the U.S. My suspicion? Satan can see that the U.S. churches are weak because they can’t overcome people’s materialism. We are lukewarm. (Are we the church of Laodicea in Revelation 3:14-18?) So why should he “rock the boat” that is swinging us to sleep? The author, Cris Putnam, quotes a Barna poll that indicates that 59% of the U.S. “Christians” do NOT believe there is a real Satan! Satan is fine with this; he hopes we all lull ourselves into hell. Shades of C.S. Lewis’s Screwtape Letters! We must remember that Jesus would not work miracles when faced with stubborn unbelief (Matthew 13:58). We cannot let this lack of miracles be a self-fulfilling prophecy—in other words, if the lack of miracles increases our cynicism—this would lead to even fewer miracles yet.

It’s possible people are using gifts without knowing in advance about them. There is a story about the great preacher Charles Spurgeon—a Calvinist and likely cessationist, by the way, who stumbled into miracles of his own. In his autobiography he tells how he interrupted a sermon to point at a young man in the audience, telling him that the gloves he was wearing were stolen from his employer! (A bold move). Later in his office, the dumbfounded and convicted young man confessed his sin. Spurgeon further wrote, “I could tell as many as a dozen similar cases in which I pointed at somebody in the hall without having the slightest knowledge of the person .…except I believed I was moved by the Spirit to say it.” Whether he knew it or not, that’s the gift of knowledge in operation. We’re often ignorant of our gift, or don’t want to use it, or afraid to use it. Mr. Spurgeon’s faith door must have been opened a little more after that supernatural event.

And this gets to the reason for the author Mr. Putnam mentioning this subject. His book is about the supernatural. But cessationism is a refusal to believe in certain kinds of supernatural. Putnam calls this doctrine a “sanctified form of unbelief,” and believes we are discounting the supernatural in American churches. Sermons are not exposing or attacking Satan, or educating people on demons, for instance. They are also dismissing the power of the Holy Spirit by marginalizing three of His nine divine gifts--that is not a good thing. Mr. Putnam calls it “demythologizing the Holy Spirit.” Since the Holy Spirit is God, denying His power may lead to His judgment on the cessationalist.
According to Joel 2:28-31:

“And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. 29 And also on My menservants and on My maidservants will pour out My Spirit in those days…And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.

What if many churches, dismissing the supernatural, then dismisses these prophecies, visions, and dreams that God wants to use to warn us of the upcoming End Times tribulation? If we react stone-faced to information God wants us to know, we won’t be ready for the antichrist—and could then be easily manipulated and even fall into apostasy. That temptation will be greatest among those who believe in a pre-tribulation rapture—when they see that that belief was wrong. (I have other blogs on that subject). Unfortunately, many of the “pre-trib” churches are also cessationalists. A double-punch is coming to their faith. Not believing the warnings, they will be blindsided by Satan. The resulting demoralization will not make them ready in the face of persecution. Many could fall into apostasy simply because they walled off to God’s use of supernatural gifts (Matthew 24:24).

Finally, let’s read about the church in Acts 2:40-47:

And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” 41 Then those who gladly[a] received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. 46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church[ daily those who were being saved.

Or, how about I Corinthians 14:26:

How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification

This was a church that had great power, so we should desire to copy it as much as possible, right? But I’ve never heard anybody express any desire to follow that simple “copy the best” idea. Our churches are lacking in many of the areas you read in those two verses above, are we not? The fact is, young people are abandoning their parent’s churches—perhaps because the services are just “going through the motions.” Not much evidence that God is there. Young people hate this kind of hypocrisy. I want it alive like it was in the early church. Maybe we won’t get this feeling of participation and togetherness that they had until we get persecuted like they were. But cessationism won’t get us into those blessings, that’s for sure.

Acknowledgements: Cris Putnam, The Supernatural Worldview

The Nation Israel is Rejected by God

Have you ever walked into a Christian bookstore looking for End Times material, and were puzzled about the number of books on Israel? That’s probably because, either the bookstore is owned by dispensationalists —or because the bookstore simply buys what they know sells—and dispensational books sell. But there are problems with their doctrine.

The purpose of this paper is to give you a thumbnail sketch of dispensational doctrine, so that you can see the one tenet by which everything else in this doctrine hangs. If we blow that tenet up, through Scripture, then the whole doctrine collapses.

Per Wikipedia, dispensationalism is defined as “an evangelical, futurist, Biblical interpretation that understands God to have related to human beings in…“dispensations,” or periods in history…expounded in the writings of John Nelson Darby (1800-82) and the Plymouth Brethren movement, and propagated through…Scofield Reference Bibles…they hold to a pretribulation rapture…they believe that the nation of Israel is distinct from the Christian Church, and that God has yet to fulfill His promises to national Israel. These promises include…a millennial kingdom and a Third Temple where Christ, upon His return, will rule the world from Jerusalem for a thousand years…. Dispensationalists also believe that toward the end of the Tribulation, Israel as a nation will turn and embrace Jesus as their messiah right before his second coming during the Great Tribulation…the Church, though, is a "parenthesis" or temporary interlude in the progress of Israel's prophesied history.”

Sorry about the long definition. Now here is their timeline of relevant events of the last days: With no prior specific warning, the Rapture comes—when Christ comes, and all alive at the time who have had faith in Jesus will be called up by Christ to meet Him in the clouds, and onward to heaven. That means, of course, that those who remain on earth will all be unsaved, and will immediately endure seven years of tribulation and persecution by the antichrist. Somehow (despite no saved people to start with), a huge evangelism effort (presumably led by 144,000 newly-saved Jews) will lead a huge number of additional Jews and newly-saved Gentiles to Christ, who will face off against the antichrist at Armageddon, when Christ comes to strike down the enemy. That ushers in the Millennium, ruled by mostly Jews; and then after a short rebellion, there is final judgment—when the unsaved of all ages are tried and sent to the lake of fire.

You can see how their idea of a rapture, followed by the tribulation, came to be called “pre-tribulation rapture.” What you may not know is that this idea was unheard of through the first 1800 years of the Church. Great, godly men, including men who were disciples of the apostles, didn’t come up with that idea, and suddenly it appeared in the early 1830s. Until 1830, those who held a futurist view almost universally felt that there is still coming a great tribulation, after which the saved are raptured, followed immediately by a great judgment for saved and unsaved.

So you see, Darby’s “pre-trib rapture” idea switches those two events—the tribulation-then-rapture becomes a rapture-then-tribulation for him. Mr. Darby, despite the fact that his idea was the new one, called other churches “apostates.”

But I’m not here to discuss the timing of the rapture and tribulation. I have written three blogs on the subject, very carefully laying it all out by clear Scripture (hint: It doesn’t agree with Mr. Darby). What I want to question is indicated in my italicized statements in the definition above. I’m speaking of their claims that (1) God has promises to fulfill to the Jews; and (2) the Church is a “parenthesis,” or temporary interlude, in the progress of Israel’s prophesied history. You can see how that second tenet, in particular, is crucial to their whole doctrine—they believe that with the Christians raptured to heaven, the church is out of the way (it was only a parenthesis, anyhow), and God can resume His promises to the Jews. So all subsequent events on earth after the rapture feature the Jews. The 144,000 Jews are massive evangelists, and the Jews rule the Millennium.

My problem with his theory is this: Scripture indicates, instead, that God has rejected Israel as a fleshly nation. Further, in the present church age, the Church—saved Gentiles and Jews--is God’s “Israel” today. All Christians are sons of Abraham. Saved people are all one people—God doesn’t have two programs for two peoples, as dispensationalists allege. The “saints” mentioned several times in Revelation are saved Gentiles and Jews, together. The Millennium will be ruled by the saints—Jews and Gentiles. The Church is not a “parenthesis” to God; we carry the Holy Spirit, we are Jesus’ body—we represent Jesus in exercising compassion and rescue in the tribulation—we have a vital part to play in that time of great suffering and spiritual battle. I will easily prove these facts by Scripture. Scripture is so clear on this, frankly, that the only reason someone could believe dispensationalist doctrine is because either (1) the idea of God rejecting people that He once blessed is an unacceptable thought to them; (2) rejecting the Jews sounds anti-Semitic; or (3) dispensationalist thought is attractive-- it asserts that Christians “get outta town” (via Rapture) before the bad days of the tribulation comes. Getting to watch the tribulation from heaven sure sounds better than being in the thick of it.

Of the three reasons listed for liking dispensationalism, I can challenge two of them right away (the third will be covered in my main points below): (1) Whom God rejects depends simply on his or her reaction to His clearly-worded Scripture about redemption through Christ, and the required righteous life. Unfortunately, most people don’t truly love God—their lives ignore God. So God, in turn, has to reject them—in the end, most people want to run their own lives, and make themselves the god of their lives. So He has to consign most people to hell for their disobedience. Matthew 7:13-14 speaks clearly about life (heaven) and destruction (hell). Note that heaven is attained for a small minority of people:

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

(2) As to marking me as anti-Semite: I’m just following Scripture in my analysis. The Jews had a part in killing Our Lord, as you know. Consider Mark 15:12-14:

Pilate answered and said to them again, “What then do you want me to do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?” 13 So they cried out again, “Crucify Him!” 14 Then Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they cried out all the more, “Crucify Him!”

We’re not just talking about the Pharisees crying out here—there weren’t enough of them to make a noise. Pilate felt Jesus was innocent, but was afraid that the noise and hate meant he would have a riot on his hands if he didn’t shed blood that they wanted; so that means the majority of Jews present were screaming—thus, the majority of them rejected Him. So the majority of Jews were guilty. And Pilate (a Gentile) could have had a spine, too, but believed Jesus was disposable. So that makes Gentiles guilty too (heavy discussion of this in the first several chapter of the book of Romans). Everyone’s sins doom us before a holy God who cannot stand sin. Without Christ, our Advocate, we are lost. Salvation is available—but only one way to attain it.

Now let’s get to our main point: God has rejected Israel as a fleshly nation. Scripture below will make that point forcefully. God’s Old Testament prophecy of the Jews’ unfaithfulness was in the mouths of all His prophets, as far back as Moses. Read Deuteronomy 31:16-17a:

And the LORD said to Moses: “Behold, you will rest with your fathers; and this people will rise and play the harlot with the gods of the foreigners of the land, where they go to be among them, and they will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them. 17 Then My anger shall be aroused against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them, and they shall be devoured.

Note that God said He would forsake them. The Jews could have repented of their unfaithfulness, and God would take them back, with His forgiving heart; but instead they killed the prophets. As the prophets predicted, the Jews were, in time, captured and made slaves, but later a small ragged group returned to the land. If you felt that that little return meant God forgave the Jews—that is not the case. The few who returned were not a free people for long after the return, being taken over by Rome.

God begins the New Testament with the same theme of rejection, starting with John the Baptist in Matthew 3:9:

…and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

(I have blogs on the subject of good fruit being crucial to salvation). John was bluntly telling the Jews that they won’t get to heaven on their genes—being a Jew doesn’t get you there. Thus, the Jews were still failing heaven by relying on the wrong source.

Jesus is even more violent with words than John, in John 8: 22-47:

So the Jews said, “Will He kill Himself, because He says, ‘Where I go you cannot come’?” 23 And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”…33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants 34 Jesus answered them,…37 “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, 39 They said to Him…we have one Father—God.”…42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; …44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.…47 He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.”

Not the beginning words, "the Jews said...you will die in your sins..." Calling the majority of Jews sons of the devil couldn’t be printed in America without getting into trouble today, but it’s Scriptural. Jesus even called the Pharisees “serpents, brood of vipers” in Matthew 23:33—and asked them, “How can you escape the condemnation of hell?” It’s true, of course, that nowadays some Jews are saved—but few. Under 1% of Christians are former Jews!

The actual rejection of the Jews is more plainly laid out elsewhere. Look at Matthew 8:8-12:

The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy…But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed… 10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! 11 And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

“Many will come from east and west” are the Gentiles; the “sons of the kingdom” are the Jews. There it is, plain as day: The Jews would be cast out into outer darkness (hell). When Jesus said things like this, it was God’s miracle that He even lived for three years of ministry, they would so want to kill Him—rather than repent. More confirmation is in Matthew 21:33-43, a parable where everyone figured out the meaning:

There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard… And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. 34 Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers…38 But when the vinedressers saw the son (Jesus), they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard (God the Father) comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?”41 They said to Him, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.”42 42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD’s doing… 43 “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.

As plain as day about the kingdom of God: Taken from the Jews, given to another. Don’t misinterpret the word “nation” in verse 43. It simply means “people.” God isn’t going to make a country like Israel or the U.S., the apple of His eye now. The singular word is, in Greek, “ethnos.” Vine’s Expository Dictionary says: “in the plural (which this is) it means all the nations, as distinct from Israel.” God is giving the kingdom to people, from all countries, who bear the Holy Spirit’s fruit (Gal 5:22-23).

Paul also deals specifically with this rejection of the Jews, in Romans 9:30-32. Remember, the only Gentiles written to here are the ones saved by attaching their faith to the righteousness of Christ:

What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness (of the Law), have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; 31 but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. 32 Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law.

“Attaining to righteousness” is heaven; and “not attaining” is hell. Again, the Jews hung their belief system on the wrong hook—so the majority of them will be in hell for eternity.

In Galatians 3:28-29, Paul deals with two subjects at once: (1) In the New Testament, all saints are one. God doesn’t have separate programs for two groups of saints: one group who get parenthetically shunted aside, and then dealing with another group to fill an Old Testament plan. (God is not interested in Old Testament covenant, anyhow—just the New covenant). (2) Saved people, the Church, in the New covenant, are God’s Israel, and sons of Abraham. Thus, Israel, as a nation, has been rejected and the majority of Jews are not sons of Abraham.

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

Plain as day: In the New Testament (the only one to consider, since it replaces the Old covenant), saved people are sons of Abraham—saved people are now the Israel of God, not a fleshly nation which has been rejected.

Part of the Old covenant given to the Jews was the rite of circumcision; but the problem is, they felt that it guaranteed their salvation. We can see in this paper that they were quite wrong in thinking a fleshly sign or their genes is all you need. There were big arguments in the New Testament where the saved Jews felt that if Gentiles wanted to be saved, they would have to get circumcised too. Paul was against any part of the old Law as a prerequisite for salvation. It all begins in Christ. See what he has to say in Galatians 6:15-16:

But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. 16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.

Who is the “Israel of God?” You can see it: “New creations,” or saved people. Born again people, all saints, all one. What is “this rule?” It’s “the world has been crucified to me.” That means I have prayed away the love of the world so my body’s members don’t respond to it, as if they’re dead. What is the meaning of “and I to the world?” That means I am ready to give my life to Christ’s mission for me, rather than chasing after the world.

I Peter 2:8-9 has a secret message: They (unsaved Jews) stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.9 But you (saved Gentiles) are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him..

The secret message? The three phrases that Peter uses for saved people were once given by God to the Jews. But you see, they have been rejected, and the phrases are now given to the saved.

Now we come to the most difficult verses of our study, Romans 11:21-26. A helpful prelude: God wants a cultivated olive tree, the “Israel of God,” made up of Gentiles and some Jews. The Jews are, by background, “natural” branches, the Gentiles are “wild” branches (no slight intended for Gentiles there). Jewish branches were rejected, and have been cut off the tree. If they repent, they can be “grafted” back onto the tree again. We Gentiles shouldn’t brag about God grafting us onto the cultivated tree over them. Pride goes before a fall, you know, and we could be cut off too (this verse doesn’t help the “eternal security” believers, by the way). These verses are a word of caution being spoken to the saved Gentiles.

For if God did not spare the natural branches (the Jews who are hell-bound), He may not spare you (Gentiles) either.22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell (the Jews), severity; but toward you (Gentiles), goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. 23 And they (Jews) also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you (Gentiles) >were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree (i.e., saved), how much more will these, who are natural branches, (the Jews), be grafted into their own olive tree? 25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved…</b>

As you can see, the Jews’ rejection gave them spiritual blindness—so they were set aside and the Gentiles allowed into the ranks of salvation--IF they don’t get prideful; they must “continue in His goodness.”

What about that phrase, “the fullness of the Gentiles?” As Luke 21:24ff and Revelation 11:2 will explain, that’s talking about End Times, when the last of the Gentiles gets saved and the Rapture can come. (As I proved by Scripture in another blog, that will happen toward the end of the tribulation). But don’t get the idea that it means “the Gentile number for heaven is full, so let’s rapture them and start working on building up the Jewish number during the tribulation.”

And what about that last phrase, “all Israel will be saved?” This has been debated heatedly. Well, that could have two possible meanings: (1) In the End Times, when the antichrist has slaughtered millions of Jews, the remaining remnant sees the light—and loses the “blindness” which has pervaded them for centuries. Many of the remnant get saved. Or it could mean (2) What have we been talking about? “All Israel” could simply mean “all saved people.” Obviously all of them are saved, by definition.

Two more thoughts: (1) Just because of the possibility that Israel gets evangelized in the End Times and a remnant gets saved does NOT justify the dispensationalists’ wild curriculum. I would hope you would agree that we have proven that the Jewish nation has been rejected, and does not have a separate, premier program in the Last Days. This does a lot to destroy many of the distinctive facets of dispensationalism. And (2) I don’t care which of the two meanings above apply to “saving all Israel.” If hundreds of thousands of Jews get saved at the end, high fives for them—lots more interesting stories to share while we’re all in heaven forever. Remember, I don’t have an ax to grind against the Jews. Just figuring out doctrine from Scripture about being saved. God help us to study Scripture and not be rejected on that Day.

Also keep in mind, that according to dispensational thought, Christ has a second advent to do the rapture, and a third advent to rescue the tribulation saints at Armageddon. (First advent was His birth on earth). Three advents! It has never been taught that Christ has three advents. Scripture clearly indicates two.

But there are a couple other things going on with this “pre-trib” doctrine that I don’t like to see. First, what’s with this AWOL mentality among the dispensationalists? Are you saying you want to be raptured and leave your family or friends behind to suffer the tribulation alone? What’s with that? But your life is a sacrifice to God—it’s not yours. If He wants you on earth in the heat of battle against the antichrist and the devil, well, we’ll have to all just tough it out. Get used to the idea. Don’t be afraid. Fear is not of God (II Timothy 1:7).

Secondly, on the subject of rejection: I keep seeing this mentality: “God is grandpa and doesn’t reject anybody (even those who have rejected Him for two thousand years). He’s mellow and forgiving; once you accept Him, He’s yours forever no matter what you do.” I’ve got several blogs on this flawed mentality showing up in other subjects as well. Let me repeat: Remember Matthew 7:13-14: Only a minority get saved. The majority are rejected and sent to hell. As I said in another blog, some people need to read more of the Old Testament, or need to read everything Jesus said, which included some mighty tough words about heaven and hell. God is holy and can be tough. Don’t expect to hear all aspects of God from preachers. Pastors everywhere are dropping the ball on this. I don’t know why. Maybe evil doctrine has crept into seminary schools, or maybe they’re afraid if they make people feel down or anxious, they’ll go to another church. READ YOUR BIBLE YOURSELF. Ask the Holy Spirit—not “common taters”—for wisdom.

Jonah We Like, Manasseh We Don't Like--or is it that part of God we like and don't like?

I want to tell you a Bible story that will illustrate how God feels about abortion. Consider this: America has not retracted one bit from the disastrous Roe v Wade decision, but we are actually becoming accustomed to the terrible status quo. And by status quo, I mean we allow over one million babies to be killed in the U.S. every year. We tinker with abortion by restricting it a bit, but we’re still not about shutting it down. I read about how Asians around the world are still memorializing the 2004 earthquake and tsunami that killed 228,000 people. An astounding number. If you do 260 more just like it, you finally get close to the number of babies murdered through abortion in the U.S. since Roe (1973) was enacted, through today. That’s 60 million little lives lost.

Our story begins with Jewish King Ahab, who is only famous to most people because his wife was Jezebel. But he has his own tale of evil. He adopted many religious practices from the Canaanites. The Canaanites were so evil that God threw them out of the land and told Israel not to leave a single soul breathing. That may seem unjust--but let me tell you just one of their worship practices, called the teraphim (Ahab did not partake of this, as far as we know).

Teraphim is ancestor-worship. When they wanted to zealously follow it, they would take the first-born male of their family and cut off his head. The hair of the head would be removed, and then the head would be salted and oiled, thus retaining the son's features. The head was supposed to retain contact with the departed spirit. So, with the proper ritual, the mummified head could serve as a conduit to the spirit world, passing information between a family and their ancestor gods. The book of Jasher (a reliable book, mentioned in Joshua 10:13) records the following steps:

…taking a small tablet of copper…and writing the name upon it (ed., of the person you desire to contact), and placing the tablet under his tongue and putting the skull in the house, and lighting up lights before it and bowing down to it. And at the time when they bow down to it, it spoke to them in all matters that they ask of it…

This, by the way, changed my opinion of ancestor worship, from bad to worse. This is demonology. It also strengthens my understanding of why God would initiate such a severe judgment on the Canaanites—He is a holy God, and never tolerates killing the innocents without passing severe judgment.

Let’s take another look at another unspeakable “religious” practice of theirs—killing children as a sacrifice offering. This was in honor of the god Molech, a god of Baal. This is where Ahab was involved. Here is II Chronicles 28:3 about his “religious” worship:

He (Ahab) burned incense in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and burned his children in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.

This horrific act seems beyond understanding. Why did Ahab do it? Well, maybe it was due to some other sexual “benefits” of Baal and Molech worship that might outweigh losing a son. (It helped if you had many wives and many sons; the pain of losing one was lessened). The religion included sex rituals. That included, would you believe, sodomy and prostitution in religious liturgy, and adultery with swapping wives and fornication with other men’s virgin daughters.

Unfortunately a later Jewish king, Manasseh, did the same shocking thing. But he did even worse: he promoted it! Many people followed his lead. From II Kings 21:11:

“Because Manasseh king of Judah has done these abominations (he has acted more wickedly than all the Amorites who were before him, and has also made Judah sin with his idols)

More on Manasseh’s sin, II Chronicles 33:2-7:

But he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. 3 For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down; he raised up altars for the Baals, and made wooden images; and he worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. 4 He also built altars in the house of the LORD…5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. 6 Also he caused his sons to pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom; he practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger. 7 He even set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the house of God…

Unbelievable that he would do this in God’s house. Now in case you don’t know it, the “host of heaven” that he worshipped refers to stars and constellations. Studying them for scientific purposes is fine (in fact, I have a blog that does that), but seeking the future or "advice" from them is another story. God is totally against mediums and spiritists, as you see in Deuteronomy 18:9-14:

“When you come into the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. 10 There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, 11 or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. 12 For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you. 13 You shall be blameless before the LORD your God. 14 For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the LORD your God has not appointed such for you.

As you can see, making your children “pass through the fire,” a sacrifice murder of your own child (similar to abortion, my main point), was mentioned as early as Deuteronomy. This practice, and God’s hatred of it, had been known a long time. So these two kings, Ahab and Manasseh, were in direct violation of a plain command of God.

But let’s get back to our story. Manasseh’s sin (promoting it to the people, and doing it in God's house) was so great in the eyes of God that He promised His anger could not be quenched. The sad words are in II Kings 21:12-15, right next to verses above:

… therefore thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Behold, I am bringing such calamity upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever hears of it, both his ears will tingle. 13 … I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. 14 So I will forsake the remnant of My inheritance and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become victims of plunder to all their enemies, 15 because they have done evil in My sight, and have provoked Me to anger since the day their fathers came out of Egypt, even to this day.’”

What was Manasseh’s great sin that deserved such extreme judgment? In the next verse:

Moreover Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides his sin by which he made Judah sin, in doing evil in the sight of the LORD.

It was the innocent blood. Blood of little children. "From one end" of Jerusalem "to another" meant lots of people followed his lead. Now Jesus loves little children. How was Manasseh’s sin greater than Ahab, so that Ahab wasn’t threatened with this ultimate calamity? I suspect because, as the verse above says, “by which he (Manasseh) made Judah sin.” He publicized it, and lots of people followed. So the murder of the innocents was that much greater. (But I suspect it doesn’t total America’s sin thus far, 60 million souls!)

Now you expect judgment, and if there is repentance, God is OK again, right? Well, now you’re going to see a part of God you don’t want to see.

We’ve all heard about how Jonah, after being burped out of a big fish, preached to the vicious Assyrians, you heard about their repentance—and how God repented of His promise of judgment on them and rolled it back. Great story about God’s mercy. Yes, we’ve all heard of the Jonah story, and there are many kids’ books about it. But did you know that Manasseh repented, and had a great reformation? Have you ever heard what happened after that? Well, did you ever hear about how his grandson Josiah had the greatest revival in human history? What, you’ve never heard that one either? Not surprising, considering God’s reaction to this wonderful repentance is “unexpected.” Let me warn you: We all just need to know more about God. We have imagined His mercy is unending— but for a nation, that might not be a true image. Kind of important since He has the keys to nation's judgment.

First, Manasseh’s judgment and repentance. From II Chronicles 33:11-16:

And the LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they would not listen.11 Therefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze fetters, and carried him off to Babylon. 12 Now when he was in affliction, he implored the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, 13 and prayed to Him; and He received his entreaty, heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God. 14 After this he (Manasseh)…took away the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the LORD, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the LORD and in Jerusalem; and he cast them out of the city. 16 He also repaired the altar of the LORD, sacrificed peace offerings and thank offerings on it, and commanded Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel.

So, you say, the land was forgiven, right? Jerusalem was saved, right? Uh, no…He died right after that. Then there was a short reign of his son, who was killed. Then his grandson Josiah comes to power. During his reign, the priests find the buried Book of the Law, blew the dust off, and read it to him. He tore his clothes in distress, and urged his aides to seek a prophetess (not the same as a medium, this person was touched by God and had a 100% rate of prophecies that came true). II Kings 22:13 records Josiah's great words:

“Go, inquire of the LORD for me, for the people and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found; for great is the wrath of the LORD that is aroused against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.”

Later, he does a “clean-up” operation like his grandfather, only better; and this is what joyous Scriptures record, from II Kings 23:1-10:

Now the king (Josiah) sent them to gather all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem to him. 2 The king went up to the house of the LORD with all the men of Judah, and with him all the inhabitants of Jerusalem—the priests and the prophets and all the people, both small and great. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant which had been found in the house of the LORD. 3 Then the king stood by a pillar and made a covenant before the LORD, to follow the LORD and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people took a stand for the covenant.4 And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, the priests of the second order, and the doorkeepers, to bring out of the temple of the LORD all the articles that were made for Baal, for Asherah,[a] and for all the host of heaven;[b] and he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel. 5 Then he removed the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense on the high places in the cities of Judah and in the places all around Jerusalem, and those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun, to the moon, to the constellations, and to all the host of heaven.6 And he brought out the wooden image[c] from the house of the LORD, to the Brook Kidron outside Jerusalem, burned it at the Brook Kidron and ground it to ashes, and threw its ashes on the graves of the common people. 7 Then he tore down the ritual booths of the perverted persons[d] that were in the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the wooden image. 8 And he brought all the priests from the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beersheba; also he broke down the high places at the gates which were at the entrance of the Gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were to the left of the city gate… 10 And he defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son[e] of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter pass through the fire to Molech.

The “high places,” in case you’re wondering, based on other Scriptures, seem to be where the religious prostitutes were. He executed the priests of the high places, by the way. And he removed those who consulted mediums and spiritists. Josiah goes farther than his repentant grandfather, because and he goes out of his way to defile the worship places of false gods—and because he gets the populace involved with making a covenant to God. The main thing is that he stopped the sacrifice killing of children.

He goes even further yet. In honor of religious holidays that he’d just heard about, he institutes a Passover festival (memorializing God’s miracles which saved them from Egypt). We read this joyous event in II Chronicles 35:18:

There had been no Passover kept in Israel like that since the days of Samuel the prophet; and none of the kings of Israel had kept such a Passover as Josiah kept, with the priests and the Levites, all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

All in all, he was praised as a wonderful king—he gets higher praise than King David. Think about that! From II Kings 23:25:

Now before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor after him did any arise like him.

So, you say, God forgave the land, right? Jerusalem was saved, right? If God could give the vicious Assyrians a break with Jonah, He could give His favorites, the “apple of His eye,” a break, right? Uh….no. Only five verses after the great Passover festival, only four verses after the verses recording the reformation above, Josiah was simply…dead. Explanation? From II Kings 23:26:

Nevertheless the LORD did not turn from the fierceness of His great wrath, with which His anger was aroused against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him.

So, great reformation and the greatest revival in history could not bring forgiveness. I remind you, what were his “provocations” that were unable to save Jerusalem? Killing the innocents.

Immediately after Josiah, it turns out that the Israeli kings, and soon the land, too, are in the hand of their enemies. You can see why this story is not in kids’ books, and not well-known. We don’t like stories with a bad ending. But kill the innocent—and your country gets a bad ending. Shouldn’t we expect the same for the U.S.--who has not even repented? A country who seems to be satisfied with the status quo of killing a million innocents a year?

Now if any of my readers out there had an abortion, or encouraged one, that's a different subject than a country. We’re talking about your soul. You will have different consequences than Israel if you repent. Murder will, indeed, get you to hell—unless you repent and begin living your life for Christ, who came to die to pay for your sin. Become a “living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God,” as Romans 12:1 puts it. It’s never too late to confess and begin to have guilt-free living.

Acknowledgement: Ancient Paganism, Ken Johnson

Victory Over the Taliban

In a recent blog I mentioned a Bible verse that had “hyperbole.” I would like to tell you a story—a true story recorded in Voice of the Martyrs—about what life can be like when you follow Jesus—in Afghanistan. When your father is a top Taliban leader. It is a perfect illustration of another hyperbole, Luke 14:26—but not in the way you might think. Here’s the verse, and the rather unbelievable story exemplifying it.

“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.

This is recent, so the names have been changed to protect the innocent. The protagonists will be named “John” and “Mary.” In the beginning of our story, John was 23, had a wife and baby son, and taught Islamic theology in his home town in Afghanistan. He traveled to Saudi Arabia three years ago on a hajj, a pilgrimage to Mecca. As he slept on the way overnight, John dreamed of a man with shining face and shining white clothes, who said, “My son, I see that you are seeking after me, but the real faith is not in Mecca, and I am not there.” This made John think as he performed the rituals of the hajj—what he saw was different; he saw hypocrisy in worship. In another night on the trip, John had a vision (not a dream) of the man in white. “Who are you?” he asked. “I want to talk to you because I love you,” the man replied. “If I tell you who I am, you will lose seven things. You will lose the Quran and Mohammed. You will lose your parents. You will lose your child that you love. You will lose your relatives and everyone will hate you. You will lose your wealth. You will be homeless and they will drive you from your country. If you don’t accept the loss of these seven things, you won’t be able to find Me anymore. Before you were born, I had plans for you. What is your choice?”

“If you tell me your name, I will believe in you.”

The Man replied, “I am your God; I am Jesus Christ.”

Jesus touched John’s head and then he fell asleep. When he woke up, he felt completely different. “I was completely cleansed from the inside, and I felt like I was a newborn baby.” John immediately abandoned the rest of the hajj and flew home. He called his father from the airport in Kabul. Upon arriving home, “Why did you come back?” his father asked angrily. “There are still three days left for the hajj.”
“I found my God. And I don’t believe in your Allah.”
“Whom did you find?”
“I believe in Jesus Christ,” John replied.

“You are an infidel!” his father shouted as he began to beat him. “If you speak to people like this, I will cut out your tongue.”
“I want to tell people,” John said. “I don’t want to stop.”
“If you tell people you have become a Christian, I will burn you, your wife and little son!”

John’s father threw him into a basement bunker on the property that was used for detaining and torturing anti-Taliban insurgents. He was held there for nearly 18 months, enduring repeated torture and pressure to give up his faith in Jesus. No one in the family knew where John was—his father told John’s wife Mary that he was sent to Egypt to study. John was fed almost nothing. His captors put snakes in the basement, but they either died or had no effect on him when they bit him. They also released a vicious guard dog, but it immediately became friendly with John. They even tried to crucify John upside down.

Throughout John’s long, lonely months in the bunker, he often had dreams of Jesus. “God gave me power, and told me, ‘I am with you.’” His father finally released him with a warning. “I agreed that I would not talk about Jesus to him, but I did not promise that I would not speak to anyone about Jesus,” John said.

When John walked into his home that day, after he cleaned up, he went to his wife, Mary. He wanted to tell her about Jesus. “Mary, I have to tell you something.” He said “I have to tell you something first,” she said. She told him that throughout the time he was missing, she had had dreams of Jesus. He comforted her and promised her that her husband would come home. Mary had come to believe in Jesus, but she had not told the family. John joyfully told Mary everything, and the two cried with happiness.

John didn’t stop talking about Jesus. “I began to tell my mother everything about Jesus, and then all my family believed in Jesus. But they didn’t tell anyone because of fear.” John’s mother, sisters, aunts, and cousins all began to follow Jesus. Each night, when his father was gone, John would teach them what he learned through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Many in the community also learned of John’s new faith.

A few months later, when Mary became pregnant with her second child, John’s father instructed them to name the baby Sayeed Muhammed. “No” said John. “I don’t want to give my son an Islamic name. I am naming him Isa” (Jesus). His father exploded in anger and began beating John in the head. “Shut up, you infidel!” Then he threw John back into the bunker. When John’s father told Mary’s father (a mullah, an Islamic leader, and Taliban member), her father confronted her. “Your husband is an infidel,” he said. “You should abort the baby.”
“I believe in Jesus Christ too,” Mary told him. Her father slammed her forehead on the ground and hit her in the mouth, breaking her teeth. Then he began punching her in the abdomen. Then he tossed her limp body into the bunker with John. Her face was severely bruised from the beating.

While they were in the bunker, John’s father took their little son with him to meet some Taliban leaders in another city. Those leaders blamed John’s father for allowing his son to convert, and they ordered him to kill John. Mary’s mother heard about the plan and called John’s mother. She ran to the bunker and broke down the door. She handed John $2400, his computer, and a suitcase. “Please leave Afghanistan” she told them. “I’ll take care of your son.”

Although they didn’t want to leave their son, John and Mary knew that if they stayed at all, they would be killed. They fled. After three days and some distance, John found a Wi-fi “Skype” connection and called his mother. There was his 2-year old son sitting on her lap. John could see his son on the video screen but not her head. His son cried, “Papa! I am fine. Please come back. I miss you.” John’s mother also encouraged them to come home, saying the danger had passed. After the call, when John and Mary made plans to return, John’s mother called back again. “Don’t come back!” she warned. “The Taliban were standing right here when we were talking earlier, with a gun against my head. You must leave immediately.” John and Mary went on the run again, going as far as they could before the money ran out. They tried to register as refugees, but local Muslim workers refused to accept them because they were Christian converts.

But Mary was in severe pain, and could hardly move, having never healed from her father’s beating. A doctor gave them the bad news. The child in Mary’s womb had died, and Mary could die too if the fetus were not removed immediately. The procedure would cost $5,000. John didn’t have any money. That evening at home, John cried while Mary slept. As he prayed, he felt the Lord leading him to anoint his wife with oil and pray over her. John did, and prayed that Jesus would save his unborn son. Eventually he fell asleep.

The next morning, Mary was up and around, so they went to the doctor. He delivered some incredible news. “The baby is alive! How is this possible?” John shared his whole testimony with the doctor and told him that he had prayed in the name of Jesus that his son would be healed. “It is a miracle” the doctor said. “I’ve never seen something like this in my life.” The doctor called others from the clinic into the room to see Mary and John shared his story with them too. Several people in the room believed in Christ that day.

The Taliban had continued to stalk John. He received threatening phone calls from radicals in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and even Saudi Arabia. The Taliban issued a demand: they would return to Afghanistan and recant their Christian faith, or their 2-year old son would be killed. The deadline was October 4, 2013. John did everything he could. He spoke to the embassy. He went to the U.N. Refugee Agency. But no one would help. A few days later, John’s father turned the little boy over to the Taliban—in order to restore his honor among his terrorist friends.

A relative called Mary and John with the news of their son’s death. “The Taliban put a picture of my dead son on their website” John said. The murder of the little boy shocked John’s mother and five sisters. They asked how the Islamic faith could justify killing a child because of his father’s actions. They told John’s father that his acts were shameful, and they then told their whole village that they, too, were following the Jesus Christ that John had shared with them.

“Very soon, we learned from my wife’s brother that my father killed his wife and my five sisters and buried them” John said. “We believe him, because we have not heard or seen anything of my sisters.” Although Mary’s brothers were Taliban members, they disagreed with the leadership about killing John’s son. And then, when the Taliban and John’s father killed John’s sisters, Mary’s brothers initiated a gunfight with other Taliban members. The body of her oldest brother was found days later with one hand cut off, but her youngest brother managed to escape.

When Mary’s father found out that his wife was the one who had revealed the Taliban’s plot to kill the couple, he killed her by feeding her rat poison. John and Mary could only weep and pray, saying, ”God, you know.”

In November 2013, John and Mary were baptized. In February 2014 little Isa was born, perfectly healthy. Because of continual threats from the Taliban, the family was forced to move six times in eight months. John continued to share Jesus with everyone, often speaking with Afghan tradesmen working in the markets. He once prayed with a medical assistant about her infertility, and later she called to tell him she had just learned that she was pregnant. John began using the internet to minister to Afghans around the world, including his former Muslim students in Afghanistan. Many have turned to Christ through John’s powerful witness. John continues to teach new converts. He leads hours of internet worship services with small groups several times a week.

In late 2014, John, Mary, and Isa were accepted as refugees in a Western country. And John continues sharing about Christ. “Every second I work for God I want more people to see Jesus. I don’t want people to see me; I want them to see God. I lost everything, so I want to tell people about Jesus. God said He made many houses in heaven; he needs people in them.”

So, it ended up that many of John’s beloved relatives were murdered—so what was the “victory” over the Taliban? The answer is: Many souls were won to the Lord. John will see his relatives in heaven again. None of their lives meant so much to them—or him—such as to sway them from their indomitable love for Our Savior. They loved Him so much that their feelings for each other seemed like hate in comparison. Our Lord gave up His life for us. What should we be willing to do for Him? What Jesus spoke was hyperbole in Luke 14:26 above, but John and Mary were the perfect examples of what it means.

Acknowledgement Voice of the Martyrs, January, 2015

Pay Attention to the Word "IF" in Scripture. It May Affect Your Eternity

The word IF appears many times in the New Testament in conjunction with salvation. Its first definition, per Funk & Wagnall’s, is: “on the supposition or condition that…” The abundant Scriptural use of the word should be enough to convince the student of the Bible that final salvation, getting to heaven, is not merely dependent on “accepting Jesus in my heart.” Final salvation depends on the condition of godliness, showing fruits of the Spirit. Let’s start the “IF” study with a verse on one of those fruits, forgiveness. In Matthew 6:14-15:

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.15 But IF you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Jesus has a dead-serious word of warning here: If we are unwilling to forgive, then God doesn’t forgive us. If God doesn’t forgive you—you are doomed to hell. You really need to think: Anyone I can’t seem to forgive? None of this “I can forgive but I can’t forget” excuse. Of course we can’t burn out memories, but when you see that person, what’s your emotional reaction? That’ll tell you if you forgave them.

Now I realize that I’ve commented on the above Scripture in another blog, as well as many verses that follow. But it’s a good idea to put all the “Ifs” together. From them, I advise making a list of commandments you need to turn these into and meditate on (like forgiveness). Work on every one. Develop the proper fear of God (another blog) for motivation to spur you on. It’s a difficult task to actually be objective about yourself—we all deceive ourselves and perform sins toward people that we never think about. We all develop “great” excuses for sinful behavior.

Matthew 24:24: For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, IF possible, even the elect.

Don’t be fooled by the uplifting pastor who quotes this, and says “the "if" makes this just a hypothesis, it can’t really happen.” The Bible talks much about apostasy, particularly in the last days (which this verse is about—but apostasy can happen anytime). That’s falling away from the faith. How do you fall away from something, unless you were attached to it in the first place? So we are talking about people that had faith, but are in grave danger of losing it. Don’t dismiss this verse as “hypothetical.” Losing our faith in Christ can happen, if we’re not steadfast in Him.

Luke 13:7-9 has a special meaning: Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ 8 But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. 9 And IF it bears fruit, well. But IF not, after that you can cut it down.’”

This expresses God’s patience, but ultimate judgment on us if we are not consciously bearing fruit. Galatians 5:22-23 shows the fruit we must develop if we’re on the Vine, abiding in our Lord. John 15:1-6 is an important parable on the vine. It has a very important warning at v.6:

IF anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

From this verse and the one above, you can see that if you’re not developing fruit, abiding on Christ’s vine, you eventually, after God’s patient wait, will be cut down—and thrown into the fire.

Telling the same story is Hebrews 6:7-9: For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; 8 but IF it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned. 9 But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner.

Note that the author is looking for “things that accompany salvation,” such as bearing fruit—in this analogy, useful herbs--to know the person is really the Lord’s. IF you are not bearing fruit in your life, if you bear thorns and briers, you are “near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.” Serious words.

An interesting word is “hyperbole.” Common-taters say that means Jesus didn’t mean something when He said it, so you can dismiss it (they love to dismiss verses that sound like God is “harsh.”) What you’re supposed to do with hyperbole is to grab the kernel of meaning, and run as far as you can with it, obediently. Here’s a phrase actually using hyperbole. Mark 9:43-46:

IF your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched—44 where ‘Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.’ 45 And IF your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched— 46 where ‘Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.’

It’s obvious that Jesus is not into self-mutilation—so this is hyperbole. BUT don’t dismiss these verses; don’t ignore the main point: That point is, don’t let ANYTHING get in the way of you getting closer to God. Such a thing would be a sin; in fact, it would be by definition, an idol. And idols could send you to hell. By the way, there are some scary details about hell in the above verses that should provide additional motivation for you to look for ways to lead a more godly life.

Romans 11:21-23 has a harsher view of God that we don’t often hear in sermons:

For IF God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. 22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, IF you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. 23 And they also, IF they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.

As I will elaborate in a soon-to-be-published blog, this is spoken to Gentiles. And how to “continue in His goodness”? Follow His commandments; they’re all in Scripture. The phrase “He may not spare you either” is particularly troubling. Let’s not try to judge God as being harsh, using our sin-afflicted mind. Rely on revelation. Which means, read the Word more. Get to know Him. He loves that, and the Holy Spirit will give you the feeling that you are with Him.

Romans 8:13: For IF you live according to the flesh you will die; but IF by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

The word “die” speaks of hell, eternal separation from God, who is our Life. Note that sinful deeds of the body do not fall away, nor does goodness ossify; YOU must actively “put to death" the deeds of the body. Takes work. The Holy Spirit will help, if you are His. Call on Him.

I Corinthians 15:1-2: I declare to you the gospel…, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, IF you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

“Hold fast” means “hold firmly.” You do the grasping. These verses give you the impression that forces exist that will tear you away from God if you are not pro-active to the wiles of Satan. By the way, holding fast the Word presupposes you’re a day-to-day reader of it. And “believed in vain” suggests that with some people, belief was followed by unbelief (how else can you explain the phrase “in vain?”). They would be saved, then unsaved.

Galatians 6:8-9: For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. 9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap IF we do not lose heart.

There are many things in life that might cause us to lose heart; grieving over loss of a loved one, financial reversals, not being appreciated for doing good. That’s when we want to forget the sacrificial life plan Jesus gave us and do some selfish “sowing to our flesh.” We must resist this urge; think of the blessed hope of rapture and heaven.

Philippians 3:8-11 are perhaps the most glorious verses Paul has penned in the Bible. I’ll just focus on 10-11:

… that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 IF by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Verse 11 contains a troubling insecurity by Paul. If any man deserved heaven, it was him. But the closer we get to God (and Paul was very close), the more aware we are of our grossness in sin, the more we feel that we don’t deserve heaven. Yet God gives it—to the righteous. We don’t have to live a perfect life, just be persistent in goodness and avoiding sin. May we all live in thankfulness; we do not deserve the glories God is preparing for us.

Colossians 1:21b-23a: …yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— 23 IF indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard…

Because of His suffering, we who truly follow Jesus are now reconciled to God. Us and God—we who were enemies are now friends. We can be presented holy IF we continue steadfast in the faith. The faith is not a mental assent thing: we show by our behavior that we are in the faith.

A similar message is in I Thessalonians 3:8: For now we live, IF you stand fast in the Lord.

More on the necessity of "standing fast" or “holding fast” is in Hebrews 3:6:

but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are IF we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.

And in Hebrews 3:14: For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end

Verses about “holding fast” and “steadfast” are in direct opposition to the “once saved always saved” Calvinist believers. They’re convinced that Christ has done all the work, and if we rely on our own efforts (through the Holy Spirit's help, even) to live righteous to attain final salvation, that means we never had true faith. Maintaining salvation (such as “holding fast” suggests), though perfectly Scriptural, is not necessary, per their teachings. Which means they’ve ignored lots of verses, as we see above. I’m convinced their system leads to dangerous complacency.

A word for fathers is in I Timothy 5:8: But IF anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

We’re talking about hell, here, since the destination of an unbeliever is hell. How could a man be “worse”? Maybe he attached himself to the church simply to take advantage of their wonderful giveaway programs. But this evil desire of his heart is not making his “worship” an act of faith; it is only to fill his family’s belly without working. In general, anyone who pretends to have the faith and then denies it by action is worse off than anyone who hasn’t received the faith at all yet. That’s because his false confession makes his heart hard, and that much more difficult to become saved (again). Plus, God makes you more responsible if you have heard His Word and then deny it, compared to someone who hasn't ever heard His Word.

II Timothy 2:12: IF we endure, We shall also reign with Him. IF we deny Him, He also will deny us

On the danger of denying Him: This is repeated elsewhere in Scripture; in Deuteronomy 31:17, for instance. Scripture, however, indicates denial may not have to be verbal: How we live can be a denial of His rule over our lives. Jesus must be Lord over you, or you are not His. But remember, even if you deny Him by life or words, God can take you back: Notice Peter, who denied Our Lord three times (after being warned that it would happen!). He repented deeply, and was forgiven. He became one of the heroes of the early church. Because he endured.

Hebrews 2:1-3: Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. 2 For IF the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, 3 how shall we escape IF we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him

The author is saying, “look at all the great stories you’ve heard (and read) of the workings of faith. And you've noted how people are lifted by the Lord in the faith, and you have seen the punishment done to those outside the faith. If you read all this and ignore all that and don’t believe it, you’re leaning to hell” ("how shall we escape?") A sober word to every reader of Scripture. Of course, you could doubt the truth that the Scripture is God’s Word; but that’s a gambler’s toss—what would await you when you die if you were wrong? You’re gambling on eternity.

Hebrews 10:26 is controversial; I’ve included verses 27-31 for context:

For IF we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,”[a] says the Lord.[b] And again, “The LORD will judge His people.”[c] 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God

It looks like sinning “willfully” is unforgiveable. To explain, the term “willfully” has a dark meaning, see Numbers 15:30-31:

‘But the person who does anything presumptuously, whether he is native-born or a stranger, that one brings reproach on the LORD, and he shall be cut off from among his people. 31 Because he has despised the word of the LORD, and has broken His commandment, that person shall be completely cut off; his guilt shall be upon him.’

“Presumptuously” has the same dark meaning as “willfully.” It’s defined at “impertinently bold,” sort of an “in your face” to God, publicly despising His rules. (Hebrews 10:29 gives details that suggest some had done this). Plus, we’re talking about a person who has been warned by full knowledge, and clear signs to fear God on sin, but totally ignored it. The perfect example of willful or presumptuous is to read Numbers 15:32-36 in context, right after the public warning above, wherein the spies who brought an evil report about the land God wanted them to go to, died by the plague. A great punishment! After this clear sign of God’s anger, then the people had gone up to battle without asking the Lord, and they got slaughtered. Two clear results of sin and God’s judgment. For a hat trick, they had just been given rules to live by for the Sabbath, etc. So it’s time to fear God and stick closely by His rules, right? The track is clearly laid out. So what did one guy do? On the first chance he got after that, he broke the Sabbath rules. As I say, an “in your face” to God, reproaching Him, publicly despising His law. He was immediately cut off, a severe punishment for just picking up sticks on the wrong day. But put it in context. My bet is, such individuals usually had a long history of willful sin, to be that rebellious. God knew that nothing would turn such a person around.

Hebrews 10:38: "Now the just shall live by faith; But IF anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.”

This is apostasy; drawing back when things get tough. That’s why we must “hold fast.” Where God has “no pleasure in him” doesn’t speak well as to his ultimate destiny on his current path.

Hebrews 12:25 needs some explanation:

See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For IF they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape IF we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven

The Jews had a rare blessing: God spoke to them on earth in Exodus, which He didn’t do often. As we showed in Numbers 15, it wasn’t wise to ignore His Words. Well, what does this other phrase mean, He “speaks from heaven?” That refers to His Scripture, His Word. We’re supposed to read it, just as if His booming voice, and thunder and lightning, were attending the reading. By being written, Scriptures are clear, and anybody can read it and hear from God. Your responsibility for reading and obeying it is thereby greater than those living in the Old Testament who didn’t have the benefits we have today.

James 1:26: IF anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.

Another measure to tell if we’re saved—do we bridle our tongue? If we don’t, our “religion is useless.” He’s being polite, but he’s sort of implying that we might not be saved if we have a nasty tongue that spreads gossip, slander, and profanity regularly.

II Peter 1:10: Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for IF you do these things you will never stumble

It takes diligence to godliness to make certain of your election to the ranks of the saved.

II Peter 2:20: For IF, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.

This reminds me of one of the unfruitful seeds of the Sower in Matthew 13:22. There, the “cares of the world” and “deceitfulness of riches” (here, the “pollutions of the world”) make the thorns grow, to choke the word the Sower is seeding. Here, someone is “entangled in them and overcome.” The Word has lots of warnings about loving the world. Don’t stretch your sympathy for this person so far as to accuse God—remember, the entanglement, the choking, the overcoming, was entirely voluntary to this person. You need to keep in mind, too, that he got lots of pleasure in the world while he was being entangled. Oh, you ask, why is it “worse for them than the beginning?” Because, as I said earlier, each time we reject the Word, our hearts get harder.

I John 1:9: IF we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

I have detected no greater failure from pastors than their lack of preaching this verse, on the urgent need to confess our sin. When we’re initially saved, the sins we have done to that point are forgiven. Beyond that date, it’s up to you to respond to the Holy Spirit’s urging you to confess. The verse clearly says that confession is necessary to receive forgiveness for them. That’s a great Biblical rule that’s becoming obsolete. I guess Protestants don’t do it because we don’t want to copy the Catholics. Well, that shouldn’t be a problem. You don’t need a priest—just sincerely confess each sin you can think of to God in your morning devotions, or before you go to bed at night. This is great to teach to kids, too.

I John 2:3: Now by this we know that we know Him, IF we keep His commandments.

This is the first of many statements by John that we can derive the opposite. If we don’t keep His commandments, we don’t “know” God. What does it mean to say that we finally “don’t know God?” As you read elsewhere, that means hell for our ultimate destiny. Doesn’t that make you want to know what His commandments are? I’m not talking about “Love God, love your neighbor, that’s enough.” The Bible has commandments to single people about fornication, commandments to men and women who want a divorce. And there are serious consequences for those who break those commandments. God means what He says!

I John 2:15: Do not love the world or the things in the world. IF anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

If you read Scripture elsewhere, you have to conclude that you’re in danger of being on your way to hell if you love the world. We must learn how to love God. You can’t do both—according to other Scriptures. How much of the day do you think about God? Versus how much of the day do you watch TV, go shopping, spend time on Facebook, have small talk with your neighbors? Gee, you say, come on--none of those things are dangerous enough for hell. Well, tally up where your spare-time thoughts go. Loving someone means you spend a lot of time thinking about them, asking yourself (or them) what do they want. Try not to deceive yourself. If you never think about God except on Sundays--do something about it.

Revelation 14:9-12: Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “IF anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”

This is a prophecy of the last days. There will be this mark of the beast given to everyone, probably a chip in the forehead or hand, which enables you to buy necessities for your family—food, clothing. IF you accept this chip, no matter what excuse you may give (such as: “Lord, of course you wouldn’t want my family to starve or die, so I’ll take the chip—but it doesn’t mean I worship the beast”), it's likely saying you will spend your eternity in hell. God is kind enough to not only warn us in His Word, but will provide an angel with a warning, which will be heard by everyone in those days. So no excuse will do. If you take the mark; Hell it is. You may think you have a Hobson’s choice like Abraham: Do I kill my family member (Isaac), or do I obey this suicidal commandment? I think the good result for Abraham (Genesis 22) through his obeying God’s Word will be repeated again, because a loving God will protect and reward His obedient sons: We’ll probably get food miraculously. Defying the antichrist, though, means your family could suffer. Keep this in mind: Better to give your life—and go to heaven forever, than to fill your belly for a couple years and spend eternity in hell.

Revelation 22:18-19: For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: IF anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book;19 and IF anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Bad news if you are kicked out of the holy city in that day; the only other housing is hell. Keep in mind: there are books that in some “Christian” denominations are given equal status to the Bible—but that in effect adds to the Bible, a violation of this command. Those authors and leaders are bound for hell. On the other hand, to work to remove some Bible verses that "don't belong there," maybe because they aren’t politically correct, or you’re uncomfortable with the supernatural, is committing the opposite disastrous sin. In any event, messing with the sacred Word is not a play that you should be engaging in. These verses are important enough that they are the last words of Scripture. And the last word of my paper.

Acknowledgement: Dan Corner, The Believer’s Conditional Security