Reformed Thinker

Shepherd's Chapel - My Story

2012-02-01T11:01:00.000-08:00

Like I said in my previous post I use to be a student of Shepherd's Chapel. I figured if the people viewing my YouTube video stumble across this blog I wanted to show them and anybody else my testimony. It was commented on my video that I never was a student of Shepherd's Chapel and am a liar..
so here is my history:

My Grandfather stumbled across Shepherd's Chapel when I was about 11 or 12 years old (I'm 32 now). He started sending my parents some of Shepherd's Chapel's tapes and teachings. We started doing Bible studies at my Grandfather's house and his doctrines were heavily influenced by Arnold Murray's teachings. A couple of years later my Dad purchased a C-band Satellite (the big dish). I was able at that point to watch Pastor Murray anytime I wanted (they have a 24-7 channel). I got one of my best friends involved with the group as well and my brother studied with Shepherd's Chapel. I have been to 3 Passover meetings (annual meetings they hold usually in Branson, MO). I studied and believed in the doctrines of Shepherd's Chapel until around February of 2011. That would put me at about 20 years knowledge of their doctrines and teachings. God opened my eyes to the false teaches of that group and I go to a Reformed Baptist Church now.
I renounce Shepherd's Chapel as a heretical cult that is outside the scope of orthodox Christianity!

Here is a list of the heretical and unorthodox teachings of Shepherd's Chapel:

They teach we existed before we where born in the flesh and there was a first earth age that we all lived in. (Zechariah 12:1 refutes preexistence)
Satan rebelled in that first earth age and God destroyed it. (no scriptural support)
The elect where chosen because they stood against Satan in the first earth age. (Romans 8 and 9, Ephesians 1 and 2 refutes this claim)
Satan had literal sex with Eve and Cain was the offspring of Satan and Eve. (Genesis 4:1 refutes this claim)
Cain's decedents are called Kenites. (no scriptural support)
Kenites wrote the book of Esther. (no scriptural or historical support)
Caucasians are the true descendants of the 10 lost tribes of Israel. (no scriptural or historical support)
Anybody that believes in the Rapture will be deceived by the Antichrist. (Revelation 13:8 and Matt. 24:22 and John 10:28-29 refutes that Christians can be deceived by Antichrist or his system)
The Antichrist is Satan himself and not a man. (2nd Thess. chapter 2 distinguishes between the man of sin and Satan)
They teach Annihilationism. (Matt. 25:46, Rev. 14:9-11 and many others refutes this)
They are unclear as to the Trinity and teach modalism (God uses three offices not that God is three persons). I've heard Pastor Murray say "a smart man doesn't discuss the Trinity". They leave it ambiguous, but Pastor Murray's teachings are clearly modalistic and thus heretical.
Christians must uphold the kosher food laws (Romans 14:17, 1st Timothy 4:3-4 refutes this claim)
We are in the end-times because in 1948 the good and bad figs returned and created the state of Israel. (This is dispensational stuff with a twist. They say the bad figs are Kenites. There is no scriptural support for this position)
If your church doesn't teach who the Kenites are they are not a true church (they try to use Smyrna and Philadelphia from Revelation to try and prove that but there is no scriptural or exegetical support for their assertions).
They teach there is a distinction between free will Christians and elect Christian. (absolutely no scriptural support for this position. Romans 8 and Ephesians 1 disproves this heresy)

Why is Shepherd's Chapel dangerous? Well as you can see there is no scriptural support for a first earth age that the elect where chosen in. To teach that you are elect because of something you did is heretical and against everything written in the New Testament. The doctrines they teach were not taught by Christ, Paul, or any of the Apostles. Their doctrines are not found in any early church writings and was never taught by the Christian church. Again there is no scriptural support for these aberrant doctrines. They deny the Trinity although they will say they don't. Ask one of his students if they believe that the one God has eternally existed as three co-equal, co-eternal persons. Shepherd's Chapel teaches a false gospel and false gospels cannot save!

As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:9 ESV)

Soli Deo Gloria!

A sad state.

2012-01-26T09:44:00.000-08:00

Debating those that are so indoctrinated with falsehoods can be tedious. Just check out This video I posted. I provided a challenge to those that are caught up in Shepherd's Chapel cult to prove their doctrines. The essence of my challenge was for them to prove that the "elect" were chosen because of something they did in the "first earth age". Of course there is no Scripture to back that claim up and if one reads Romans chapter 8 and 9 and Ephesians 1 and 2 one will see that the elect are ALL believing Christians and that no work we have ever done or will do is what made us "elect".

I was a former 'student' of this cult for many years. Of course those posting on my youtube video don't believe me and say I'm from CARM. I respect CARM but I'm not from them nor have any affiliation with them. I think CARM is doing a wonderful job exposing cults.. not just Shepherd's chapel but also Mormon, Jehovah Witness, and Roman Catholics.

Shepherd's Chapel is a very dangerous cult. They believe that a person is "elect" because they stood with God in the first earth age against Satan. That is Un-Biblical! To say that you were elected and justified by actions you committed (in this age or any other) is heresy and works based salvation.. That is not the Gospel.. and false gospels won't save you.

You will not see much of the Love of Christ trying to speak to these people. They usually get angry and result to personal attacks when they cannot document their false doctrines.

I thank God that he opened my eyes to the Truth and brought me out of the Shepherd's Chapel cult.

Soli Deo Gloria!

History of the 1689 LBC

2012-01-02T11:18:00.001-08:00

Here is a brief History of the 1689 London Baptist Confession.
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History of the 1689 London Baptist Confession
Abstracted from The Church in History: A Glorious Institution by Stanford E. Murrell, Th.D.

In England during the 1630s and 1640s, Congregationalists and Baptists emerged from the Church of England. Their early existence was marked by repeated cycles of persecution at the hands of Parliament and of the established religion of the crown. The infamous Clarendon Code was adopted in the 1660s to crush all dissent from the official religion of the state. Periods of rigorous application and intervals of relaxation of these coercive laws haunted Presbyterians, Congregationalists, and Baptists alike.

Presbyterians and Congregationalists suffered no less than did Baptists under this harassment. Their united front of doctrinal agreement was a main reason for their relative success in resisting government tyranny. All Presbyterians stood by the Westminster Confession of 1647. Congregationalists adopted virtually the same articles of faith in the Savoy Declaration of 1658.

The Westminster Confession (1647)
While the Civil War raged in England between the Puritan Parliament and the king (1642-1649), changes were made in the Anglican Church. In 1643, the Episcopal form of government, with its hierarchical parishes and bishops, was abolished by Parliament. A new structure was requested. It would be formulated by an assembly of one hundred twenty-one clergymen (the “divines”) and thirty laymen: 10 members of the House of Lords, and 20 members of the House of Commons. This “Westminster Assembly of Divines” met at the historic Westminster Abbey (which adjoins the Houses of Parliament) in London, from which the confession derives its name.

Most of those who were present when the Assembly convened in 1643 were Presbyterian Puritans. Eight Scottish commissioners were allowed to be part of the gathering, in appreciation for their aid in fighting the king. While the Scottish representatives had no official role in the proceedings, their presence remained influential. The Assembly held 1,163 sessions between July 1, 1643, and February 22, 1649.

As work proceeded, a Directory of Worship was prepared to replace the Episcopal prayer book. In addition, a new confession of faith was drafted for the Church of England. This Westminster Confession has become the most important of the great Protestant creeds of the Reformation era. Work on the confession began in July, 1645, and continued with many interruptions until its completion in December, 1646. The confession was presented to both Houses of Parliament in 1647 under the title: “The Humble Advice of the Assembly of Divines, Quotations and Texts of Scripture Annexed, Presented by Them Lately to Both Houses of Parliament.”

The Westminster Confession is a summary of major Christian beliefs in thirty-three chapters. Classic reformed biblical theology permeates the confession, with emphasis on the covenant relationships between God and man. In the matter of church government, it presents the Presbyterian view: with presbyteries (or synods) which oversee local congregations. In the matter of baptism, it holds for infant baptism, consistent with the covenant approach to Christian heritage. This believes that God often saves whole households, and that an infant is considered a part of the covenant through his godly parents, until he proves otherwise by his lifestyle choices.

To help explain the confession, a Larger Catechism was prepared by the Westminster Assembly, to be used by ministers in the pulpit for public teaching. A Shorter Catechism was published for instructing children.

Though the Westminster Confession was used only briefly by the Church of England, it was adopted for common use in 1647 by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. Today, the Westminster Confession remains the authoritative statement of faith in most Presbyterian churches.

The Savoy Declaration (1658)
Many conservative evangelical Christians found the Westminster Confession to be an accurate statement of faith according to the Scriptures, but they differed in the matters of church government and baptism. These fell into two groups: the Congregationalists and the Baptists.

To maintain the growth they enjoyed, an assembly of Congregationalist leaders met in the Savoy Palace in London on September 29, 1658. The Synod adopted a “Declaration of Faith and Order, Honored and Practiced in the Congregational Churches.” Based largely on the Westminster Confession, the Savoy Declaration included a section on “The Institution of Churches and the Order Appointed in Them by Jesus Christ.” The Congregational form of church government was advocated.

The London Baptist Confession of 1677
Those who understood the Scriptures to teach believer’s baptism also needed a clear statement of faith. These were known as “Baptists.” Feeling their substantial unity with the suffering of the Presbyterians and the Congregationalists under the same cruel injustice, Baptists met to publish their substantial harmony with them in doctrine.

A circular letter was sent to Particular Baptist churches in England and Wales, asking each assembly to send representatives to a meeting in London in 1677. A confession consciously modeled after the Westminster Confession was approved. It has ever since born the name of the London Confession of 1677. Because this document was drawn up in dark hours of oppression, it was issued anonymously.

The preface to the original publication of 1677 says in part: “It is now many years since diverse of us...did conceive ourselves under a necessity of publishing a confession of our faith, for the information and satisfaction of those that did not thoroughly understand what our principles were, or had entertained prejudices against our profession…”

“Forasmuch as this confession is not now commonly to be had; and also that many others have since embraced the same truth which is owned therein; it was judged necessary by us to join together in giving a testimony to the world of our firm adhering to those wholesome principles…”

“We did conclude it necessary to confess ourselves the more fully and distinctly...and finding no defect in this regard in that fixed on by the [Westminster] Assembly, and after them by those of the Congregational way, we did conclude it best to retain the same order in our present confession... for the most part without any variation of the terms...making use of the very same words with them both...This we did to...convince all that we have no itch to clog religion with new words, but to readily acquiesce in that form of sound words which hath been used by others before us…In those things wherein we differ from others, we have expressed ourselves with all candor and plainness...Contention is most remote from our design in all that we have done in this matter.”

The London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689
William and Mary assumed the English throne in 1689. On May 24 of that very year the Act of Toleration was enacted. Within two months, several London pastors called for a general meeting of Baptists from England and Wales. Representatives of one hundred and seven congregations met in London from September third to the twelfth. They adopted the London Confession of 1677 with some important corrections.

One of the reasons for the growth of Baptist congregations was the movement’s distinctives. The Baptists did not recognize sacraments per se, as did the Anglicans and the Roman Catholics. They believed in two ordinances: the Lord’s Supper and baptism of professing believers. Early Baptists preferred to be baptized by immersion in “living waters:” water that flowed in a river or stream. In the Baptist church government, the congregation ruled. It had total autonomy—it could call a pastor and dismiss him. There were no bishops or superintendents in the Baptist structure; no group had any governmental power over other individual congregations.

In summary, the understandings of the evangelical Christian faith as proclaimed in the Scriptures were set forth in the Westminster Confession in 1647. Updates were made 1) for congregational church government in the Savoy Declaration in 1658, and 2) for believer’s baptism in the London Confession of 1677.

The main body of the Westminster Confession was again preserved in the London Confession of Faith of 1689, which incorporated the minor revisions of both the Savoy Declaration and the first London Confession. This London Baptist Confession of 1689 has stood the test of time and become one of the most important statements of evangelical faith in the history of the church. It is used this day by thousands of congregations around the world.

All the Host of Them.

2011-12-01T07:30:00.001-08:00

You are the LORD, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you. -- Nehemiah 9:6 ESV

shows that God created the angels in the beginning. The heaven of heavens is what Paul refers to as 3rd heaven or God’s throne. We see this host of heaven worships God and even though they are not specifically mentioned in Genesis that includes the creation of the angels.

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. -- Genesis 2:1 ESV

Particularly Redeemed

2011-11-22T07:59:00.000-08:00

For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. (Hebrews 10:14 ESV)

That single offering was Christ of course and it perfected for all time the salvation of the Elect.

who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. (Titus 2:14 ESV)

He gave himself for us. He redeemed us. the "us" is believers, it is the elect just check Titus 1:1. That sacrifice was to purify for Him a particular people for his possession.. they are His and His alone!

God Bless!

With Child from the Holy Spirit

2011-11-21T12:45:00.000-08:00

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18 ESV)

I've heard it argued by Trinity deniers that if you believe that God the Father was Jesus' Father then why does it say that Mary was with Child from the by the Holy Spirit.

there presuppositions have guided their interpretation though. They assume that Jesus didn't exist before his incarnation but God the Son was always with God the Father in eternity past.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. (John 1:1-3 ESV)

They simply overlook that Jesus was Eternally the Son with the Father in all of eternity and the Holy Spirit simply brought about Jesus' incarnation in the flesh.

180 Movie

2011-09-26T11:29:00.000-07:00

Great movie for us who affirm pro-life. We must take a stand against the greatest holocaust in human history happening right now in our country. This video needs to be shown to all who are pro-choice or who think abortion is not evil. Help spread the message.

Strength of Amillennialism

2011-09-15T06:36:00.000-07:00

It is highly Christocentric: it makes Christ the center of all the biblical covenants (even the “Land” covenant or Siniatic)
It notes the universal scope of the Abrahamic Covenant (as key) to interpreting the rest of the biblical covenants
It sees salvation history oriented to a person (Christ), instead of a people (the nation of Israel)
It emphasizes continuity between the “people of God” (Israel and the Church are one in Christ Eph. 2:11ff)
It provides an ethic that is rooted in creation, and “re-creation” (continuity between God’s redemptive work now, carried over into the eternal state then)
It emphasizes a trinitarian view of God as it elevates the “person”, Christ Jesus, the second person of the trinity as the point and mediator of all history
It flows from a hermeneutic that takes seriously the literary character of the Scriptures (esp. the book of Revelation)

Originally by: Bobby Grow

He Caused it, and it Lasts Forever.

2011-09-13T07:16:00.000-07:00

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (1 Peter 1:3 ESV)

It was according to God's Mercy that he caused us to be born again. It wasn't anything we deserved or did. We didn't cause it ourselves it was the work of God. Now since it was God that caused us to be born again and he did the work then guess what, it lasts forever!

to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:4-5 ESV)

The inheritance is imperishable, which means it cannot go away it will last forever. Our salvation is being guarded by God. That is powerful stuff!

Since God caused our Salvation he will make sure it lasts forever!

All Glory to God!

Chosen by Grace

2011-08-11T10:58:00.000-07:00

Romans 11:5-6 So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace. (NIV)

I have heard some argue that election is by faith and that is how God makes his choice. Here we see that election is by grace, and grace is given as a gift from God.

Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God (NIV)

Last Days

2011-07-21T08:52:00.000-07:00

Are we living in the Last Days? Yes! and we have been since the days of Acts Chapter 2:

Acts 2:16-17 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ' And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.

Peter declares that the Last Days began some 50 days after the Resurrection of Jesus because of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

We also see this in Hebrews:

Hebrews 1:1-2 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;

We get it from Heaven!

2011-07-13T07:04:00.000-07:00

John 3:27 John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.

There are times we really want to take credit for what we have. We all need to remember that nothing we have is from us. We received Salvation from God not from ourselves.

He Bore OUR Sins!

2011-06-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

1 Peter 2:24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.

Christ bore our sins. He took all our sins and nailed them to the cross. It was a specific act for a specific people, His people, the Elect, the Church!

What is the greater context of this verse? Is it talking about Christ's sacrifice nailing every person who ever lived sins to the cross? Look at the beginning of 1st Peter and you will see the context and who it was written to.

1 Peter 1:1-2 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.

Christ bore the sins of the Elect!

Crucified

2011-06-16T12:52:00.000-07:00

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

We no longer live, it is Christ who is our life. Our old lives where crucified with Christ. In other words Christ took our sins and nailed them to the cross. Now we live by faith for Christ loved us and gave Himself for us. He completed that work and it was completely sufficient and effectual for us for all time!

Declaring the End from the Beginning.

2011-06-14T08:44:00.000-07:00

Isaiah 46:9-11 "Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, 'My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure'; Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man of My purpose from a far country. Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it.

God is completely all knowing and completely sovereign. To understand the doctrine of unconditional election you must understand that God knows everything from all time. We cannot place God in our human sized box. We cannot place the infinite into our preconceived finite thoughts.

Some will say "Why would God create people just to go to hell?" Well you must understand that it is true that people are going to hell correct? It is true that God created all people correct? If God knows everything, just as scripture declares, then from all eternity God would have known who is going to hell before he even created them. Those things cannot be overlooked for we believe in an all-knowing God. If God isn't all knowing then he is not God. But to answer the question: "Why would God create people just to go to hell?"

Romans 9:22-23 What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory,

Soli Deo Gloria!

Heirs.

2011-06-08T11:25:00.000-07:00

Galatians 3:29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise. (NASB)

As Christians we are heirs to the promise of Abraham's descendants. We are considered Israel and heirs to all the promises. There is no separate redemptive or separate prophetic outcome. There is no dispensation for the Church and a yet future dispensation for Israel. Christ fulfilled it ALL!

Salvation in Jesus

2011-06-02T11:07:00.000-07:00

Our belief is in Jesus Christ who is God. And has always been in all eternity with God.

John 1:1-2 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.

Jesus became flesh and walked among us.

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

Christ was risen from the dead.

Luke 24:34 saying, "The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!"

His Resurrection has brought us Salvation.

Acts 5:30-32 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him."

Jesus died for us sinners.

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Salvation is only obtainable by Jesus Christ.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

He bore our sins, he took the punishment for us.

1 Peter 2:24-25 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness --- by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

To have salvation you must believe that Christ was God in flesh, that he died for our sins, that he was buried and that he rose again.

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you --- unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,

Since we are Justified by this faith we can have peace.

Romans 5:1-2 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Whoever believes on Jesus will have eternal life.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Amen!

Then Comes the End.

2011-06-01T12:22:00.000-07:00

1st Corinthians 15:22-24 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.

At the second coming of Christ we see the bodily resurrection. Did you notice what happens after that? "Then comes the end". You will also notice that when the end comes Christ destroys all powers and authorities. This of course is stated in 2 Peter.

2nd Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

We see that under no uncertian terms that the coming of Christ will be immediatly followed by the dessolving of the earth and the works in it. Where does that leave a literal, physical, 1000 year reign? It doesn't, so there isn't.

Daniel's 70 Weeks

2011-06-01T07:54:00.000-07:00

Daniel 9:24 " Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy.

70 weeks is literally in the Hebrew 70 7’s (or 70 sets of 7). These are 70 weeks of years. As you can read from this verse, without getting into too much detail, that 70 weeks are determined for the end of time.

Daniel 9:25 " Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times.

From the time of the command to restore Jerusalem (2 Chron. 36:21-22) until the Messiah (Jesus) there will be 69 weeks of years. This of course was fulfilled.

Daniel 9:26 " And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined.

The Messiah being cut off is of course foretelling of Christ Crucifixion. The prince that shall come is Titus, the Roman general, whose armies destroyed the city of Jerusalem and its temple in 70 a.d. This of course was fulfilled just as it was written. This gives so much credibility to Scripture!

Daniel 9:27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate."

This he is referring back to the Messiah, Jesus Christ. His covenant is the Gospel age we are in now. This is the covenant of the New Testament and Christ’s first advent. Remember this is talking about the 70th week. In the middle of the week He (Jesus) brings the end to sacrifice and offering. Jesus ministry was a physical/literal 3 ½ years (the first part of the week) then he was crucified. At his Crucifixion Christ brought and end to sacrificial offerings. In other words those offerings no longer held any power to cleans sin. Now we are in the spiritual/symbolic 3 ½ years. We are currently in the 42 months, times time and half a time, 1260 days, and 1000 years spoken of throughout Revelation. We are currently in this Gospel age (the Kingdom of Heaven).

Now we see that sometime during this Gospel age of a figurative 3 ½ years we will see the abomination of desolation (the antichrist) appear. That is the one who makes desolate that is talked about in this verse. Christ called it the abomination of desolation in Matthew 24. He is also the beast and false prophet in Revelation and the man of sin / son of perdition in 2nd Thessalonians.

The problem we see with the dispensational and pretribulation view is they strip this whole last week and postpone it to the end-times. They stop the prophetic clock so to speak. Nowhere in the context of these verses would lead us to believe that there is a gap of some 2000+ years between the 69th and 70th week. The clock is still ticking. We just happen to be in the second part of the 70th week now and have been since Christ’s death, burial, and Resurrection. Nowhere in the New Testament or Revelation ever mentions a future 7 year tribulation.

His Will, not our own.

2011-06-01T07:36:00.000-07:00

Jeremiah 17:9 ” The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?

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

We as fallen humans are deceitful and desperately wicked. None of us is righteous, nobody seeks after God. Since we are so wholly and completely depraved and deserving nothing but the wrath of God how can we ever choose by our own free will to believe and have faith in Christ’s completed work on the Cross?

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

We can’t. We simply do not have the will to come to God. Only God can draw us to faith in Christ.. It is not our will but His!

John 1:12-13 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Our will will never lead to salvation. It is the Will of God that will bring us to that salvation. To have faith you must be born not of blood (our human will) but of Spirit (God’s Will).

John 3:5-7 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

Being born again is not from us or our will but it is God who causes us to be born again.

1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

The Holy Spirit will regenerate us and draw us to Faith in Christ.

Ezekiel 36:27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

God gives us His Spirit while we are still sinners and spiritually dead and on the way to hell.

Ephesians 2:4-5 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

And so salvation is not of our will, it is not something we can work for. It is the mercy and free gift from God.

Ephesians 2:8-10 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

And it is God’s will that we are saved. It is His mercy, His grace. Not our will, not our desires, not our works. God decided this long before we were here. He chose us before the world began.

Ephesians 1:4-6 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

God’s mercy and grace are His sovereign right to give or to withhold.

Romans 9:15 For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion."

And even though Christ’s Crucifixion was sufficient for all. It was only effective for His sheep, His elect, the Church.

John 10:14-16 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

Christ died only for the ones God predestined to salvation. His blood purchased the Church.

Acts 20:28 Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

The Church alone receives the salvation and sanctification from Christ’s sacrifice. He bore the sins of the elect, the saints so they can be blameless before God.

Ephesians 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

Since we were predestined for salvation and bought with the Blood of Christ we will continue until the end. Our faith will persevere.

Philippians 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

We are given eternal life, we will not perish. And nothing or no one can take salvation away from us.

John 10:27-29 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.

Soli Deo Gloria

Original Sin and Ezekiel 18

2011-05-31T06:49:00.000-07:00

Ezekiel 18:20 The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.

Does this verse contradict original sin? First lets look at what original sin is. Original sin as viewed (briefly) by most Reformed/Calvinist is that we as humans are born into this world with sinful natures due to Adams sin.

A sinful nature was not man's original state at his creation:
Ecclesiastes 7:29 Truly, this only I have found: That God made man upright, But they have sought out many schemes.

Genesis 1:27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Adam's fall brought sin and death:
Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned

And all humans are born into sin and have no righteousness:
Psalms 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.

Ephesians 2:3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

Ecclesiastes 9:3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: that one thing happens to all. Truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead.

Romans 3:10-11 As it is written: " There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God.

Now we are condemned by our own sins. But we are not sinners because we sin, we sin because we are sinners. But if mankind's sinfulness comes from Adam what are we to think of Ezekiel 18:20? The key is in the next verse:

Ezekiel 18:21 "But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die.

God already laid out that "the soul that sins shall die". We have seen that we all sin and none are righteous, therefore we all earn this death from the start. But God in his mercy allows us to repent and live even though we don't deserve it! You see the whole 18th Chapter of Ezekiel is about repentance and if we repent we can not be held accountable for the sins of our fathers. This chapter is not discussing the fact of the Fall of Adam and it's consequence on mankind, but it is showing repentance and how we don't deserve it!