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The Bible Believer's Helpful Little
Handbook
Copyright © 1997 James L.
Melton
Published by Bible Baptist Church, Sharon,
TN
I see no need for an introduction, so
let's go ahead and get started. What is an
agnostic? An agnostic is a person
who takes a position of uncertainty toward God and the Bible. These people
have no real convictions, for they know nothing for sure. Most agnostics have
had more education than the rest of us, and they usually have a rather high
opinion of themselves and their "open-mindedness." In Acts 17:22-23, the
Apostle Paul addressed some agnostics at Athens who had erected an alter to
"THE UNKNOWN GOD." Paul said they were "too superstitious."
Christianity is not a religion of uncertainty. We have an absolute Final
Authority with absolute answers. For example, see John 14:6, Job 19:25, II
Timothy 1:12, I Peter 1:18, and I John 5:13.
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This is the false belief
that there will be no millennium--no one thousand year reign of Christ
and His saints on earth. Revelation 20:1-7 plainly tells us that there WILL
be a millennial reign. Other interesting references can be found in II
Timothy 2:11-13, Luke 19:17-19, and Revelation 5:10 (just to name a
few).
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Angels are "ministering spirits," according to Hebrews 1:14, and their
primary purpose is to wait on God. Angels were created prior to man's
existence (Job 38:4-7), and as supernatural beings, they are far superior to
you and me (Psa. 8:5). All angels in the Bible are of the masculine
gender, and none appear to have wings.
Not all angels belong to the Lord. Some of the angels have fallen (Jude 6-7,
Gen. 6:1-4, II Pet. 2:4), and more will fall in the future (Rev. 12:4-9).
Even Satan himself can be transformed into an "angel of light," according to
II Corinthians 11:14. Therefore, we are told in I John 4:1 to TRY the
spirits.
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This false teaching is very popular with people like the "Jehovah's
Witnesses," who do not believe in a literal and eternal lake of fire for the
punishment of the wicked. Annihilation is the belief that the
wicked will be
totally destroyed at some point in the future, and that no ETERNAL place of
torment exists. The Lord Jesus Christ believed otherwise (Mat. 25:41; Luk.
16:24).
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This is a future individual who will be fully possessed and motivated by
Satan himself. He will dictate a common world religion, a world government,
and a world economy (Rev. 13; II Thess. 2:3-4; Rev. 19:19), and he will
MURDER those who refuse to conform to his evil system.
The antichrist is known in scripture as the "little horn" (Dan. 7:8), the
"son of perdition" (II Ths. 2:3), the "beast" (Rev. 13), the "king of the
north" (Dan. 11:6), and the "prince that shall come" (Dan. 9:26).
Antichrist and his followers will be destroyed by the Lord Jesus Christ at
the second Advent of our Lord.
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An apostasy is a "falling away" from a
standing position. Paul wrote in II Thessalonians 2:3 that a great falling away,
or apostasy, would occur in the last days, just preceding our Lord's return. We
have lived to see this prophecy fulfilled, for man has fallen further away from
God in the past fifty years thanat any other time since the time of Christ.
Apostasy can be found most anywhere you look, especially in religion, education,
politics, the media, and in music.
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In Mark 16:17-18, Jesus
said to the Apostles, "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my
name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall
take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them;
they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."
Because of their inability and refusal to rightly divide the word of truth
(II Tim. 2:15), the Charismatics operate under the false assumption that these
signs are still in effect today and that it is THEIR duty to fulfill them. This
is why we have charlatans like Oral Roberts and Jim Baker living in mansions and
begging people for money.
In their haste to make a dollar, the Charismatics consistently ignore the
fact that Jesus said these were SIGNS, and that I Corinthians 1:22 tells us that
SIGNS are for the JEWS. Israel began with signs (Rom. 4:11; Exo. 4:8 ,9, 17, 23,
28, 30; 7:3; 8:23; 10:1-2; 13:9; 31:13, 17; Deu. 4:34; 6:22), lived by signs
(Deu. 11:18; Jos. 4:6; I Sam. 10:7; II Kgs. 19:29; Isa. 7:14; 38:7, 22; Eze.
4:3; 20:12, 20), and demanded signs from Christ (Mat. 12:38; 24:3). [ADVICE TO
READERS: Everything that can be misunderstood WILL be misunderstood when you
fail to check references.] There is more scripture to support the doctrine of
signs being for Israel than there is to support the Virgin Birth and the
Inspiration of Scripture combined! Anyone who ignores this truth is absolutely
unqualified to teach, preach, or write anything about the Apostolic Signs. If
you'll take a look at Hebrews 2:3-4 you will see that the signs were used to
CONFIRM the word of God, and you will also see that the signs are spoken of in
the PAST TENSE. They are also spoken of in the past tense in II Corinthians
12:12. Those who insist that we should practice the signs today because they
were practiced throughout the New Testament haven't been reading (or believing)
their Bible. They were not practiced throughout the New Testament. In fact, Paul
left Trophimus SICK at Miletum (II Tim. 4:20); he gave Timothy medical advice
instead of healing him (I Tim. 5:23), and he had infirmities of his own from
which he could not be healed (II Cor. 11:30; 12:5-10). Now why all this sickness
if the Apostolic Signs were still in effect? Answer: They WEREN'T still in
effect, because they were only needed in the early ministry of the Apostles for
the purpose of confirming the truth to Israel.
Now we firmly believe that God can still work miracles and heal anyone He
chooses, and we believe that the prayers of God's people can move Him to work
miracles, but let's not confuse answered prayers with Apostolic Signs, because
there's a vast difference. We believe in healing; we just don't believe in
healers.
You say, "Well what about speaking in unknown tongues through the Holy Ghost?
Do you deny that people today speak in unknown tongues?" No, of course not.
People have spoken in unknown tongues for thousands of years. Ever read Genesis
11? Was that an outpouring of the Holy Ghost? When the Church of Satan speaks in
unknown tongues (which they do), is that a work of the Holy Ghost? When a
psychologist can have you blubbering in unknown tongues within fifteen minutes,
is that an outpouring of the Holy Ghost? You see, too many people have the idea
that if something is highly abnormal or miraculous that it MUST be of God. The
coming Antichrist will have a field day with such feeble minded people, because
HE will work such "signs and lying wonders" that the entire world will follow
after him (II Ths. 2:8-12; Rev. 13:13-14).
Nowhere in the New Testament did God command anyone to speak with unknown
tongues. We do read about "new tongues" (Mar. 16:17), "other tongues" (Acts 2:4)
and "divers kinds of tongues" (I Cor. 12:10), but these are all FOREIGN
LANGUAGES, not senseless gibberish! There are no unknown tongues in Acts 2, and
there is no baptism of the Holy Ghost in I Corinthians 14. Instead of rightly
dividing the word of truth, the careless Charismatics wrest the scriptures to
their own destruction by ignoring the set divisions and doctrines that the Holy
Spirit has inspired in the scriptures. The Apostolic Signs are not for today,
because they were only for confirming the word of God to the unbelieving Jews in
the first century. The Bible warns us to beware of anyone who professes to
practice these signs today (II Cor. 11:13-15; Mat. 7:15; 24:11; I Tim. 4:1-2),
and the Lord commends the church at Ephesus for trying out some professing
apostles and finding them to be LIARS (Rev. 2:2).
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The word comes from Revelation 16:16,
and it means "the hill of Megiddo" or "the city of Megiddo." Megiddo is a
battlefield in Palestine, which was the sight of Barak's victory over the
Canaanites (Jgs. 4:15), and also Gideon's victory over the Midianites (Jgs. 7).
King Saul dies here (I Sam. 31:8), which is probably a foreshadow of the future
destruction of Antichrist and his evil forces in the coming great
battle.
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Atheism is the false and very foolish belief
that there is no God (Psa. 14:1; Rom. 1:20). Like agnostics, most atheists have
been educated beyond their intelligence.
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This is the act of sliding backward
rather than pressing forward "toward the mark for the prize of the high calling
of God in Christ Jesus" (Phi. 3:14). The term actually comes from Jeremiah
chapter three where God's people are called backsliders because of their
willingness to slide back into their sins. Today we often refer to unfaithful
Christians as backsliders.
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A baptism is an IMMERSION. A person who has
been baptized is a person who has been immersed in something, because that's
what the word means.
Many have the idea that all baptisms are WATER baptisms, but this isn't true.
In Matthew 3:11, John the Baptist speaks of THREE different baptisms in one
verse. He mentions WATER baptism, HOLY GHOST baptism, and FIRE baptism. One gets
you wet, one gets you into the body of Christ, and one gets you into Hell!
There's more than one kind of baptism, so we need to avoid using the word too
loosely.
A person is baptized by the Holy Ghost the very moment they receive Christ as
Lord and Savior (I Cor. 12:13). This particular baptism is a SPIRITUAL baptism,
and it should never be confused with WATER baptism (although it usually is).
This spiritual baptism can be found in I Corinthians 12:13, Ephesians 4:5,
Romans 6:3-4, and Galatians 3:27. It is not a water baptism, for water baptism
places no one into the body of Christ. A person is saved by grace through faith
(Eph. 2:8-9). Paul said that Christ sent him not to baptize, but to preach the
gospel in I Corinthians 1:17, and "the gospel" does NOT include water baptism (I
Cor. 15:1-4).
Does this mean that water baptism isn't important? No, it does not. Water
baptism is very important, for it pictures the death, the burial, and the
resurrection of Christ. I Peter 3:21 tells us that it is a "figure." Obedient
Christians will submit to water baptism, but they should never confuse it with
their salvation. Remember, the repentant thief was saved WITHOUT being baptized
in water (Luk. 23:42-43), and the eunuch of Acts chapter eight wasn't permitted
to be baptized until he first BELIEVED on Christ (Acts 8:37-38). Also see
Believe.
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This is the
false doctrine that water baptism actually regenerates the dead spirit in lost
man and produces the new birth. The Bible says that the spirit of God does
this--not water (I Cor. 12:13). Pagans have believed in this doctrine for
thousands of years--even before the time of Christ. It has absolutely no part in
Bible-believing Christianity.
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This
is the spiritual baptism that we've just mentioned. It is a MIRACULOUS baptism,
performed by the Lord Himself.
Most Charismatic groups teach that a person receives the Holy Ghost sometime
AFTER they've received Christ as Savior, but this is plain heresy. Romans 8:9
tells us that a person does not even belong to Christ if that person doesn't
have the Spirit of God, so salvation and the baptism of the Holy Ghost are
SYNONYMOUS, not separate.
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The coming Antichrist and his evil empire are
referred to as "the beast" throughout the Book of Revelation.
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To "believe" in the Bible is to fully rely
on God's word. True belief is much more than mental assent, because even the
devils believe mentally (Jas. 2:19). Bible belief involves conviction and
commitment. A person who truly believes on Christ is a person who has fully
RECEIVED Christ (Jhn. 1:12). To believe on Christ is to totally rely on HIM
ALONE for salvation (Jhn. 3:16, 36; 5:24; 6:47; 11:25-26; Acts 16:30-31; Rom.
4:5; 10:9-10; I Jhn. 5:10-13; Gal. 3:22; I Ths. 2:13).
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The word means "book." When we say, "the Bible,"
we are actually saying "the Book." See Inspiration of Scripture.
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The Blood Atonement of
Jesus Christ is one of the fundamental doctrines of Christianity. It is the
doctrine that the blood of Jesus Christ, the sacrificial Lamb of God, was shed
to atone for the sins of lost mankind (Jhn. 1:29; Heb. 9:22), and that this
sinless blood was applied to the mercy seat of God the Father in Heaven (Heb.
9:11-12). All of the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament FORESHADOWED the
Blood Atonement of Christ. The innocent animal that was slain in Eden for Adam
and Eve's covering (Gen. 3:21) pictured the slaying of our Lord Jesus Christ for
our sins. Abel's accepted offering, the firstlings of his flock (Gen. 4:4), was
also a type of the Blood Atonement of Christ. There are many pictures of the
Blood Atonement in the Bible, but probably the greatest is found in Exodus
chapter twelve, where God REDEEMS His people by the BLOOD of the passover lamb.
Today, with the completed Blood Atonement behind us, all sinners have access
to God THROUGH Jesus Christ, and through Him alone. Acts 20:28 says that God
PURCHASED the church "with his own blood." Revelation 1:5 assures us that Christ
can WASH us from our sins in His blood. Romans 5:8-9 says that we are JUSTIFIED
by His blood, and we can have PEACE through His blood, according to Colossians
1:20. Salvation was made possible, not by the DEATH of Christ alone, but by His
Blood Atonement which takes away our sins.
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Jesus was the first to use this term,
and He used it to stress the necessity for lost mankind to see his need for a
second birth (Jhn. 3:3). Our first birth was physical, but our spirit remained
dead in God's sight. When a person receives Christ as Savior, he is BORN AGAIN,
for his dead spirit is made alive, or "quickened" (Eph. 2:1). The Holy Spirit
takes up residence inside the new believer (Eph. 4:30) and gives him a new life
in Christ (Gal. 2:20; II Cor. 5:17). Every real Christian has been born again,
and no one has been born again who is not a Christian. Also see I Peter
1:23.
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A Calvinist is a person who subscribes
to the theological beliefs of John Calvin, the Swiss Protestant reformer of the
sixteenth century. There are five main points in Calvinism, four of which are
false teachings. The five points of Calvinism are usually represented by the
letters T.U.L.I.P.
The "T" is for TOTAL DEPRAVITY. This is the false doctrine that man is so
depraved that he cannot even see his sinful condition and call upon God for
salvation. It is true that all men are natural- born sinners (Rom. 3:23; 5:12;
Psa. 51:5), but it is also true that God COMMANDS all men to repent and receive
Christ (Acts 17:30-31; I Jhn. 3:23; Luk. 13:3). Man is indeed depraved, but he
isn't so depraved that he has no free will of his own (II Pet. 3:9; Jn. 1:12;
3:16; Jos. 24:15; Exo. 35:5, 21, 22, 29). Total Depravity is heresy.
"U" stands for UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION, which is a heresy derived from
perverting verses like Ephesians 1:4-5 and Romans 8:29. The Calvinists believe
that God predestinated everyone way back before Genesis 1:1, totally ignoring
their free will to choose for themselves. That is, He supposedly decided who
would go to Heaven and who would go to Hell long before anyone was even born. If
you'll read Romans 8:29 and I Peter 1:1-2 you'll see that God's election is
based on FOREKNOWLEDGE. He didn't elect to save or damn anyone against their
free will. God knew all along who would choose Christ and who would not, and He
made His "elections" based on that information.
Then we have the "L" for LIMITED ATONEMENT. This is the belief that only a
limited number of people can be washed from their sins in the precious blood of
Christ, because only "the elect" will be saved anyhow. The idea is that Christ
loved the church and gave Himself for it (Eph. 5:25); so the blood of Christ was
only shed for the church. This is foolishness. I Timothy 2:6 says that Christ
gave Himself a ransom for ALL, not just the elect. ALL have sinned (Rom. 3:23);
so He died for ALL, and He saves "as many as" receive Him.
The "I" stands for IRRESISTIBLE GRACE, which is also false doctrine. This
teaching says that God the Holy Spirit overpowers the sinner and grants him the
new birth without his submission or positive response. As we've already seen,
man DOES have a free will and no one is saved without CHOOSING to believe on
Christ as Lord and Savior. There is no such thing as irresistible grace. God has
given us all the ability to resist anyone or anything we choose (Acts 7:51; II
Tim. 3:8; Jas. 4:7). There are times when the convicting power of the Holy
Spirit is so strong and real that a sinner sees no choice but to give in to God
and receive Christ as Savior, but the sinner always has a choice. No one is
saved against their will, and no one is saved without first choosing to receive
Christ.
The last letter is "P," which represents the PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS. This
is the only point in "T.U.L.I.P" which is scripturally sound. Once a sinner
receives Christ, he is predestinated to be conformed to Christ's image (Rom.
8:29). That is, as Christians, we are eternally secure and cannot lose the
salvation which God has freely given us. Also see Eternal Security.
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Capital Punishment,
commonly referred to as the "death penalty," is very scriptural. From the very
beginning, God has required LIFE FOR LIFE. The death penalty is first mentioned
in Genesis 9:6, long before the law of Moses was given, and it stays on God's
law books throughout the Bible (Exo. 21:12; Num. 35:16-31; Rom. 13:1-4; Acts
25:11). As you can see from Acts 25:11 and Romans 13:1-4, the death penalty is
still God's will for today. God has given man the responsibility of enforcing
the death penalty, and justice has not been served until it has been
enforced.
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The Charismatic
Movement is a twentieth century religious movement (Assemblies of God,
Pentecostals, Full Gospel Fellowships, etc.) which majors in teaching false
doctrines about the ministry of the Holy Ghost, tongues, healing, and signs.
Rather than winning the lost to Christ, the Charismatics spend most of their
time questioning the spirituality and sanctity of other Christians. Charismatics
are very big on inner "feelings," but very small on scriptural facts. Paul
stated it best in II Corinthians 11:4 when he said that these people have
"another Jesus," "another spirit," and "another gospel." These are very
dangerous people. They may look nice, talk nice, and sometimes even sing nice,
but their doctrines are DEADLY. Also see Apostolic
Signs.
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A Christian is one who truly believes on
Christ as Savior. The disciples were first called "Christians" at Antioch (Acts
11:26). A Christian is not someone who professes Christ, but rather someone who
POSSESSES Christ as Lord and Savior.
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The word literally means "called out
assembly," so the church consists of people who have been called out of this
world.
The church is not an organization, but rather an ORGANISM. That is, it's a
living body of believers. Anyone who has been saved by receiving Christ as
Savior is a member of the church, for the church is made up of all true
believers in Christ. A person's denominational membership is in no way connected
with his membership in the body of Christ. Those who have truly received Christ
are members of His church, regardless of what any denomination believes or says
(Jhn. 1:12; Acts 16:31; Jhn. 5:24; Mat. 11:28; Rom. 10:13. etc.).
Beware of anyone who speaks of THEIR church as being the "true church,"
because the true church is a SPIRITUAL BODY OF BELIEVERS IN CHRIST, not an
organized group of religious people. The Bible will sometimes use the term
"church" when referring to local assemblies of Christians (Rom. 16:5; I Cor.
1:2; I Ths. 1:1; Phi. 2), but the term is never a reference to any denomination
or any building.
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To confess is to admit something, and
it's usually something about yourself. It is the duty of all sinners to confess
their sinful condition and forsake their sins by receiving Jesus Christ as their
Savior (Pro. 28:13; Mat. 10:32; Rom. 10:9-10). Christians are told to confess
their sins in order to obtain forgiveness and to maintain fellowship with God (I
Jn. 1:9). Sins are to be confessed TO THE LORD, not to any human being
(including Mary), for the Lord Jesus Christ is the One mediator between God and
men (I Tim. 2:5).
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A person's conscience is basically his
inner awareness. God gave us our conscience to keep us aware of the things that
can harm us, as well as the things that can help us. It is our job to keep our
conscience pure (I Tim. 1:5; 3:9; II Tim. 1:3). When a person doesn't feed his
conscience with spiritual things, such as the word of God, prayer, and
witnessing, he is in danger of DEFILING his conscience (Tit. 1:15), SEARING his
conscience (I Tim. 4:2), and rendering it WEAK (I Cor. 8:7). Our conscience is a
lot like our alarm clock: it's no good unless we keep it set and working
properly.
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There are none. There are many APPARENT contradictions in the
Bible, but each can be explained with a careful and prayerful study, comparing
scripture with scripture. All scripture is given by inspiration of God (II Tim.
3:16), and God does not inspire contradictions and confusion (I Cor.
14:33).
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To covet is to have a longing for
something, and it's usually a longing for something that you don't need.
Christians should practice CONTENTMENT, not covetousness (Phi. 4:11; I Tim.
6:6-8; Heb. 13:5). The Lord Jesus spoke of covetousness as being one of the
thirteen evils of the heart (Mar. 7:21- 22), and He commands us to "beware of
coveteousness" in Luke 12:12. Paul says in Colossians 3:5 that coveteousness is
IDOLATRY. We, as Christians, need to set our affection on THINGS ABOVE, not on
the things of this earth, according to Colossians 3:2.
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This is the doctrine that the earth and
all the universe were literally created by an intelligent Being. Genesis 1:1
says, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." John 1:3 tells us
that "All things were made by him . . . " Colossians 1:16 says, "For by him were
all things created . . ." Then Hebrews 1:3 says that God actually MADE THE
WORLDS by Jesus Christ.
Jesus, of course, believed in literal creation, and He tells us so in Mark
13:19. The theory of Evolution is contrary to God, Jesus Christ, and the
Bible.
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The Deity of Christ is the
doctrine that Jesus Christ is GOD. God is a Trinity (I Jn. 5:7), and the second
Member of that Trinity is the Lord Jesus Christ. John 1:1 says that "the Word
was God," and John 1:14 tells us that "the Word was made flesh." Jesus Christ is
the Word incarnate, and John 1:1 tells us that the Word was God; so Jesus Christ
is God.
Jesus allowed Thomas to address Him as "My Lord and my God" in John 20:28. In
Isaiah 9:6 He is called "The mighty God" and "The everlasting Father," and we
read in Micah 5:2 that Jesus is "from everlasting."
Our Lord allowed people to worship him in John 10:38 and in Matthew 14:33,
and since He is "God with us" (Mat. 1:23), He also has power to forgive sins
(Mk. 2:5).
The Deity of Christ is one of the main fundamentals of the Christian faith,
because the Bible is very clear in emphasizing the fact that Jesus Christ is
more than just a great man. He existed long before He came to this earth to be
born of a woman, because He is ETERNAL. He's God.
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The Holy
Ghost is also Deity, for He's the third member of the Holy Trinity (I Jn. 5:7).
In Acts 5:3- 4 Peter accuses Ananias of lying to the Holy Ghost, and in doing
so, he tells him that he had lied to GOD. The Holy Ghost is God. The Holy Ghost
says in Acts 13:2 that He had CALLED Barnabas and Saul, which only God could do,
and He does many other things that only God could do (Jhn. 14:16, 26; 16:8-14;
Job 33:4; Psa. 104:30; I Cor. 6:11; Eph. 1:13, 4:30, etc.). The Holy Spirit is
OMNIPRESENT (Psa. 39:7-8), OMNISCIENT (I Cor. 2:10-11), and ETERNAL (Heb. 9:14).
He inspired the scriptures ( II Pet. 1:21), and He gives life (Jhn. 6:63; 3:6).
The Holy Spirit is God, for only God could perform such tasks.
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Demons are called "devils" in the Bible.
Although we are not certain about their origin, many believe they are
DISEMBODIED SPIRITS from the Pre-Adamite earth, which was probably drowned out
after the fall of Lucifer (II Pet. 3:6; Gen. 1:2; Isa. 14:12-15).
We know that these devils are UNCLEAN SPIRITS, for the Bible tells us so in
Matthew 8:16 and Mark 5:12-13. There is one who is THE Devil, and he has many
"devils" under his command (Mar. 5:9; Luk. 9:1, 11:15; Jas. 2:19). According to
the words of Jesus in Matthew 12:43-45 these devils desire to inhabit human
bodies, and Mark 5:11-13 tells us that they can even inhabit the bodies of
animals. They can do great harm by causing much sickness and suffering (Mat.
9:18-22, 32-33; 12:22; Luk. 8:26- 35; 13:11-17), and they can also SEDUCE a
person to lie and teach false doctrine (I Tim. 4:1; I Kgs. 22:22-23). Some
people are so influenced by evil spirits that the Bible terms them as being
"possessed" with devils (Mat. 4:24; Mar. 5; Acts 8:7). Of course, the greatest
defense against demonic influence is always the word of God and prayer (Mat.
8:16; Eph. 6:10-18).
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The word is found in I Corinthians
9:17, Ephesians 1:10, Ephesians 3:2, and in Colossians 1:25. A dispensation is
basically a period of time in which God DISPENSES to man (or to nations) certain
responsibilities, and He rewards or judges man for fulfilling or not fulfilling
his responsibilities.
There are seven major dispensations in the Bible, and each has a different
set of responsibilities for man to fulfill. Each of the seven also ends with
failure and judgment. The seven are as follows:
- Innocence--from Adam's creation to Adam's fall.
- Conscience--from the fall of Adam to the Flood.
- Human Government--from the Flood to the Tower of Babel.
- Family (Promise)--from Abraham to Moses.
- Law--from Moses to Christ at Calvary.
- Grace--from Calvary to the Second Coming.
- Righteousness--the 1000 year kingdom of Christ.
The study of
dispensations is a matter of "rightly dividing the word of truth" (II Tim.
2:15). Major confusion and heresy can erupt when dispensational divisions are
ignored. For example, no one can please God today by keeping the law of Moses,
because Jesus Christ is the END of the law for everyone who believes (Rom. 10:4;
Jn. 19:30; Col. 2:14). A definite division must be made between Law and Grace,
and this same rule applies to all dispensations.
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A doctrine is simply a Bible truth, any
Bible truth. Doctrine is the primary reason for the inspiration of the
scriptures (II Tim. 3:16-17), and it should be the objective of any serious
Bible study. A sincere Bible student will always ask, "What saith the
scripture?" (Rom. 4:3) not "What does my church teach?" or "What is the standard
interpretation?" According to the Apostle Paul, we need to give attendance to
DOCTRINE (I Tim. 4:13), or we will end up with "doctrines of devils" (I Tim.
4:1). Also see Isaiah 8:20.
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This is a wicked
twentieth-century unity movement of religious modernists and liberals. It is
Satan's desire to unite the world so that all will be in subjection to the
coming Antichrist (Rev. 13:3; 12:9); therefore, religious unity is considered a
must. Most ecumenicals have no real convictions, and they generally deny the
fundamentals of Christianity and the infallibility of scripture. The Pope, quite
naturally, is the chief ring leader. One might call the ecumenical movement a
modern-day "Tower of Babel" movement. Like Babel, the movement will soon end
with the intervening judgment of God (Zep. 3:8; Mat. 13:40).
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The Eternal Security
doctrine is the "once saved, always saved" doctrine that so many people have
trouble believing, because it just doesn't sound logical.
Actually, it is VERY logical and very scriptural as well. My eternal security
in Christ is based on my RELATIONSHIP with God, not my fellowship with Him. I am
not saved because I fear God and serve Him, but rather because I have entered
into a Father/Son relationship with Him through the Lord Jesus Christ. I was
once a child of the Devil and a child of wrath (Jn. 8:44; Eph. 2:3), but now I
am a son of God (Jhn. 1:12; I Jhn. 3:2; Rom. 8:14; Gal. 4:5). Upon receiving
Christ as my Savior, I was SEALED with the Holy Spirit until the day of
redemption (Eph. 4:30; II Cor. 1:22), and I am KEPT by the power of God (I Pet.
1:5), not by my own power. Jesus will never leave me nor forsake me (Heb. 13:5;
Mat. 28:20), because He BOUGHT me with His own blood (Acts 20:28; I Cor.
6:19-20).
If I choose to be a disobedient child, then my Father in Heaven will CHASTEN
me (Rev. 3:19; Heb. 12:4-8; I Cor. 11:30-32), but I will remain a saved and
sealed son of God (Jhn. 5:24; I Jhn. 5:11-13; Rom. 8:38-39; Phi. 1:6; Jhn. 6:37;
10:28-29). I am eternally secure in Christ (even if you aren't going to check
the references).
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""Now faith is the substance of things hoped
for, the evidence of things not seen." (Heb. 11:1) Faith is simply believing
without seeing, and it is impossible to please God without it (Heb. 11:6). We
are SAVED by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8), and we are to LIVE by faith (Rom.
1:17; Gal. 2:20). Jesus told Thomas, ". . . blessed are they that have not seen,
and yet have believed." (Jhn. 20:29) Why? Because that's faith, and it pleases
God. Our faith will one day END in SIGHT, when Jesus returns (Acts 1:11; I Ths.
4:13-18), but our faith is not BASED on sight. It is based on the written word
of God (I Jhn. 5:10-13). Faith is also a fruit of the Spirit in Galatians
5:22.
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A false prophet is one who
falsely predicts future events. I John 4:1 tells us that there are MANY false
prophets in the world, just as the Lord Jesus Christ prophesied in Matthew
24:11.
False prophets deceive people with miracles (Mat. 24:24; Rev. 13:14), good
words and fair speeches (Rom. 16:17-18), and of course, just down right lying
(Jer. 14:14). False prophets generally have a very positive outlook toward man,
unity, love, science, education, integration, and world peace, but they have a
very negative view toward the infallibility of scripture, salvation by faith in
Christ alone, the Blood Atonement, the Deity of Christ, and the Pre-millennial
Second Coming of Christ. Isaiah 8:20 and Deuteronomy 18:20-22 are great verses
to keep in mind when trying to discern between true and false prophets. Also
remember Matthew 7:20: "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."
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This is something that America
knows very little about, or, as Paul wrote in Romans 3:18, "There is no fear of
God before their eyes." A person who fears God is a person who lives a humble
and obedient life before God, always being mindful of the fact that God is HOLY
and He will not overlook sin. Psalm 111:10 says, "The fear of the LORD is the
beginning of wisdom." According to Proverbs 15:16, "Better is little with the
fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith." No matter how
educated or wealthy a man may be, if he doesn't fear God he is FOOLISH and POOR.
Solomon said, ". . . . Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the
whole duty of man." ( Ecc. 12:13)
A man who fears God has no one else to fear, but a man who fears not God has
everyone to fear. Putting God first and fearing Him above all is the key to a
happy and fulfilling life. Also see Psalm 118:6, Matthew 10:28, and Proverbs
29:25.
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Wrongfully called "pre-marital sex"
and "free love" by the worldly crowd, fornication is the act of intercourse
between unmarried partners, and it is strictly forbidden in the scriptures. The
marriage bed is undefiled (Heb. 13:4), but fornication is an abomination in the
sight of God (Rom. 1:28-29; I Cor. 6:13- 20, 7:2, 10:8; Gal. 5:19-21). We read
in I Corinthians 6:9-10 that fornicators will not inherit the kingdom of
God.
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A Gentile is anyone who isn't a Christian or
a Jew (I Cor. 10:32). In the Old Testament a Gentile was anyone other than a
Jew, for there were no Christians around then.
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God is the One Almighty Being Who created all
people, places, and things (Gen. 1), so He is SUPERIOR to all people, places,
and things.
Even Satan and his evil hosts are subject unto God, and they can do nothing
without His permission (Job 1:6-12, 2:1-6; Isa. 14:12-15; Zec. 3:1-2; Mat.
4:3-11; Col. 2:13-15; Rom. 16:20; I Cor. 8:5-6).
God has many wonderful attributes. Just to mention a few, He is eternal (Psa.
90:2), holy (Isa. 6:3; I Sam. 2:2), righteous (Ezr. 9:15), just (Deu. 32:4),
longsuffering (II Pet. 3:9; Exo. 34:6), loving (I Jhn. 4:7-8), jealous (Nah.
1:2), merciful (Deu. 4:31; Psa. 103:8), omniscient (Job 34:22; II Chr. 16:9),
omnipresent (Psa. 139:7-10), and omnipotent (Job 42:2; Jer. 132:27).
God has revealed Himself to man in three ways: through nature (Psa. 19:1-4;
Rom. 1:20), through the written word (Pro. 22:20; II Pet 1:20-21; II Tim.
3:16-17), and through the Lord Jesus Christ (Heb. 1:2; Jhn 1:1, 14, I Tim.
3:16).
God's will for man today is that all will repent of their sins and receive
the Salvation that is freely offered through Jesus Christ. Beware of anyone who
speaks of God without speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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According to I Corinthians 15:1-4, "the
gospel" today is the good news that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and
then rose again the third day according to the scriptures. This gospel is to be
"obeyed" by BELIEVING on it (Rom. 10:16), not by getting baptized, as some
teach.
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Grace is basically unmerited favor--God's
choosing to love us, save us, and bless us while we are yet in our sins. Because
of grace, we can receive something for nothing. Ephesians 2:8-9 says that we are
SAVED by grace, and John 1:14 tells us that the Lord Jesus was full of GRACE and
TRUTH. Someone has said that grace is God's Riches At Christs' Expense.
The word is also used in reference to the present dispensation in which we
live, the "dispensation of the grace of God" (Eph. 3:2).
It is also our Christian duty to manifest grace toward others in our
Christian walk, just as the Lord has been gracious toward us (Eph. 4:7, 29; Col.
4:6).
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This term was first
used by the Lord Jesus Himself in Matthew 24:21. The Great Tribulation is a
period of time in the very near future in which God will pour out His
accumulated wrath upon the earth's inhabitants.
The Book of Revelation has a great deal to say about the Great Tribulation in
chapters six through nineteen. The wicked son of Satan (Antichrist) will rise to
power and rule the world, demanding worship from everyone (Rev. 13). The
Tribulation will be about seven years in length, with the latter half being the
worse by far (Rev. 11:3; 13:5). Antichrist and his followers will be destroyed
by the Lord Jesus Christ at the Second Coming (Rev. 19:11-21).
Christians will not have to endure the Great Tribulation , for we are not
appointed to wrath according to I Thessalonians 1:10 and 5:9. We will be "caught
up" to be with the Lord before the Tribulation starts (I Ths. 4:13-18; I Cor.
15:51-52).
The Tribulation Period is primarily a Jewish dispensation in which God takes
up dealing with Israel as a nation, preparing the Jews as a people to receive
Christ. It is the seventieth week of Daniel 9:24-27, and Jeremiah 30:7 refers to
this time as the "time of Jacob's trouble." After suffering much misery and
persecution during the Great Tribulation, Israel will turn to Christ for
salvation (Isa. 66:7-8; Rom. 11:26; Deu. 4:30-31).
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When you hear someone use this term,
or when you hear them use the terms "the Greek text," or "the original Greek,"
or "the original manuscript," be careful because you have come in contact with
someone who spends a great deal of time playing an old children's game known as
make believe. There is no such thing as "the Greek text," and no one living
today has ever seen "the original Greek" because it hasn't existed since it fell
apart many many centuries ago. Usually when a man makes reference to "the
Greek," he is having trouble believing what God has already told him in THE
ENGLISH. There are over 5000 PIECES of manuscript evidence available, which have
been found in different places, but there is no "original manuscript" in
existence. No one knows what the "original" says, because no one has it, and no
one living today has ever seen it. (See Romans 1:22 for further comment.)
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See Apostolic
Signs.
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Heaven is a literal place beyond the northern
regions of our universe (Psa. 48:2; 75:6-7; Isa. 14:13; Eze. 1:4-5). It is a
pure and holy place which has never been touched by the curse of sin and death.
It is the actual abode of God and all His mighty hosts (Mat. 6:9; 22:30; 26:53;
Jhn. 14:1-3; Rom. 8:34; Rev. 19:11-14).
Revelation chapters 21 and 22 speak of the city New Jerusalem coming down
from God OUT of Heaven. This will be the glorious home of all saints in
eternity. It will be a place of happiness and peace, a place without tears,
death, sorrow, crying, pain, or hunger (Rev. 7:16; 21:4). Heaven is the
fulfillment of every human need, but one can only go there through the Blood of
Jesus Christ. Paul tells us in Colossians 3:2 that this is where our affection
should be today; we should be homesick for Heaven. As the song says, "This world
is not my home, I'm just passing through!"
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Hell is a literal burning place in the center of
the earth. It is NOT the grave, as many cultists teach, for no one BURNS in the
grave as they do in Hell (Luk. 16:23-24; Deu. 32:22; Mar. 9:43-48). Hell was
originally prepared for the Devil and his angels (Mat. 25:41), but, since man
chose to enter the domain of sin and death, Hell has become his place of torment
as well. We read in Revelation 20:14 that Hell will eventually be cast into the
"lake of fire."
For those who are opposed to "hell fire preachers, " you may find it
interesting to note that "hell fire" was first used by none other than the Lord
Jesus Christ Himself (Mat. 5:22; Mar. 9:47). It isn't God's will that anyone
should go to Hell (II Pet. 3:9), but He will certainly allow all who reject
Christ to go there.
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A heresy is a departure from truth, a false
doctrine propagated by false prophets and teachers (also known as "heretics").
II Peter 2:1 warns us about "damnable heresies." However, the presence of
heresies should not surprise us, because I Corinthians 11:19 says, "For there
must be heresies among you, that they which are approved may be manifest among
you." That is, the light of God's truth shines even brighter among heresies.
According to II Timothy 2:15, we are supposed to STUDY and RIGHTLY DIVIDE the
word of truth in order to be "approved."
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See
Deity of
Holy Ghost.
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A person who has humility is a person who
thinks of himself no higher than he ought to think (Rom. 12:3). Jesus said that
we are to become "as little children" in Matthew 18:3. We must gladly humble
ourselves in the sight of God, trusting Him to exalt us in due time (Col. 3:12;
Jas. 4:6, 10; I Pet. 5:6). Proverbs 15:33 says, ". . . .before honour is
humility."
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Idolatry is basically the act of
worshipping anything or anyone less than God. When we allow anything or anyone
to come between us and God, we are guilty of idolatry. Many have the idea that
idolatry can only be committed by worshipping material objects such as graven
images, planets, stars, or by worshipping people or animals. However, the Bible
informs us that a BAD HEART ATTITUDE can be idolatry (I Sam. 15:23; Col. 3:5).
God knows our hearts, and if He doesn't have FIRST PLACE, then we are guilty of
idolatry.
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Imputed
righteousness is the righteousness of Jesus Christ which has been imputed, or
ACCOUNTED, to the new believer. When one forsakes his self-righteousness and
fully believes on Christ, God imputes the righteousness of Christ to that
individual (Rom. 4:5-8). Our sins were placed upon Christ (II Cor. 5:21; Gal.
3:13), and His righteousness is placed upon us when we receive Him as Savior by
faith.
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When we
speak of the Inspiration of Scripture, we are speaking of the fact that the
Bible is like no other book in the world. Other writings convey the thoughts of
men, but the Bible is a divine revelation from God. Men were instrumental in
reducing the scriptures to print, but men did not author the scriptures. The
Bible tells us the following in II Peter 1:20-21: "Knowing this first, that no
prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy
came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were
moved by the Holy Ghost." This is commonly called VERBAL INSPIRATION. II Timothy
3:16 tells us that ALL scripture is GIVEN by inspiration of God. That is, it was
inspired of God the moment it was SPOKEN, and then the spoken word was reduced
to writing by appointed scribes (II Sam. 8:17; 20:25; II Kgs. 19:2; 22:3; I Chr,
24:6; Ezr. 7:6; Jer. 36:10, 12, 32; 37:15; Mat. 8:19; 15:1; 17:10; Luk. 5:30;
Luk. 11:44; Acts 23:9).
There are some very strong proofs for the inspiration of scripture. I've
chosen to list five of them:
- The Bible is a UNIQUE Book. The Bible plainly CONDEMNS the human race! The
Bible says that all have sinned, man at his best state is altogether vanity,
we are condemned already, and that only Jesus Christ can save us. What man
would write a Book like that? It was obviously written by Someone OTHER than
man.
- The Bible is also different in that it is an AUTHORITIVE Book. The Author
of the Bible generally says, "I'm right and everyone else is wrong" (Isa.
8:20; Jn. 14:6). Man needs an absolute Final Authority, and the Bible
professes to be the authority. No other Book is as authoritive as the Bible.
- The Bible is an INFALLIBLE Book. It contains no mistakes. What other
ancient writing contains over 700,000 words with no mistakes?
- It's a BLESSED Book. God USES the Bible. Millions have come to know Christ
through the written word, and millions have found unmeasurable joy between its
covers. Many great Christian works have been founded and used for many years
with the Bible being the authority, and many Christians have found great
comfort and peace in it's promises. God has BLESSED us through the Bible. Why
would He do this if it wasn't His inspired word?
- The Bible is a PRESERVED Book. With all of the opposition that the Bible
has faced over the centuries, why does it still exist? Why hasn't someone been
successful in destroying it? There's only one answer: Psalm
12:6-7.
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This word first occurs in Genesis 32:28, and
it means "having power with God." Jacob was renamed "Israel" after his wrestling
match with the angel of God, but the term is used throughout the Bible in
reference to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob--the Jews. God made a
covenant with Abraham which included making of Abraham's descendants a great and
blessed nation with a national homeland (Gen. 12:2; 15:18-20). It was God's
desire to be glorified on a national scale by His chosen people, and to bring
forth the Messiah, the Savior of the world, through this chosen people. The Jews
rejected Christ and were dispersed among the Gentile nations of the world in the
first century A.D., but in this twentieth century God has led them back to their
Palestinian homeland, established them as an independent nation (1948), and will
soon judge them severely during the Great Tribulation, immediately preceding the
Second Coming of Christ. The nation of Israel will be converted to Jesus Christ
and the Jews will fulfill the original plan of God in the coming millennial
reign (Jer. 23:5-8; Eze. 37:21-25; Amos 9:14-15; Acts 15:14-17; Rom. 11:26-27;
Isa. 66:7-8).
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The word "Jesus" implies
"Savior" and "Christ" means "anointed one." Therefore "Jesus Christ" is God's
ANOINTED SAVIOR. He is the virgin born Son of God (Isa. 7:14; Mat. 1:23) who was
born into this world to be the sinless sacrifice for the sin of the world (Jhn.
1:29; Rev. 13:8). His birth, life, ministry, and crucifixion were all
pre-planned in the heart of God, and He was obedient unto death (Phi. 2:8).
Jesus lived a sinless life and gave Himself as a payment for the sins of the
world. He was resurrected for our justification (Rom. 4:25), and He is currently
seated at the right hand of God as our high priest and mediator (Rom. 8:34; Heb.
3:1; 10:12; I Tim. 2:5). He will soon return to this earth to receive His saints
unto Himself (Jhn 14:1-3), and to take over the kingdoms of this present evil
world (Rev. 11:15-17; 19:11-21). Until then, all who believe on Him may have
eternal life and enter into the glories of Heaven. Also see Deity of Christ.
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A Jew is any descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob. See Israel.
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There are many different judgments in the
scriptures, and only by rightly dividing the word of truth can anyone make the
proper distinctions. We shall briefly cover four of them:
- The Judgment of Sin. Sin was judged at Calvary when Christ bore the sins
of the world. God's judgment on sin was poured out on Christ at Calvary (Gal.
3:13; II Cor. 5:21; Col. 2:14).
- The White Throne Judgment. Sinners who reject Christ will die in their
sins and go directly to Hell (Lk. 16:22-23). After the millennial reign of
Christ, Death and Hell will be delivered up before the White Throne Judgment.
Sinners will be judged according to their works. At this point they will
realize that their works are unacceptable to God and they will be cast into
the eternal lake of fire (Rev. 20:11- 15). There MAY also be some people at
this judgment from the Tribulation and Millennium, but no Christians will be
judged here ( We have a separate judgment.). In fact, Christians will be
ASSISTING the Lord in this judgment (Dan. 7:10; I Cor. 6:2).
- The Judgment Seat of Christ. This judgment is mentioned by name in Romans
14:10 and in II Corinthians 5:10. It is a special judgment for Christians
only, a judgment where we will be judged for our Christian service and
rewarded. According to I Corinthians 3:11-15, some Christians will suffer
great LOSS of rewards as well.
- The Judgment of Self. Paul tells us in I Corinthians 11:31 to judge
ourselves so that we won't be judged. This involves CONFESSION and REPENTANCE.
It is my Christian duty to confess my sins to the Lord and ask His forgiveness
(I Jn. 1:9). As long as I do this, God doesn't have to judge me, because I've
already confessed my sins and they are under the blood of Christ. However, if
I choose to continue in sin, then God has to step in and judge me because I'm
His child. See Eternal
Security.
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Justification is a divine act
where God declares a sinner to be sinless, or just, in His sight. This, of
course, is made possible through the finished work of Christ at Calvary (Acts
13:39; Rom. 3:24-28; 5:1, 9; 8:30). As many preachers say, "I've been justified,
and it's just if I'd never sinned!"
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According to Romans 14:17
and Luke 17:21, this is a SPIRITUAL kingdom which is presently within the hearts
of God's people. Those who have received Christ as Savior have been translated
spiritually into this great kingdom (Col. 1:13; Eph. 1:3; 2:6). As a Christian,
I am already in the Kingdom of God and it is in me.
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Most immediately
assume that this kingdom is the same as the Kingdom of God, but it isn't. Just
as God and Heaven are not the same, the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven
are not the same. God is spiritual (Jhn 4:24), while Heaven is God's physical
creation (Gen. 1:1). Hence the Kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom, while the
kingdom of Heaven is a literal and physical kingdom. God gave Adam dominion over
this kingdom in Genesis 1:28. It's an earthly kingdom, but it was God's will for
it to be run "as it is in heaven" (Mat. 6:10). As the Old Testament continues,
we find God appointing different men over this physical kingdom (Noah, Abraham,
David, Solomon, etc). Evidently, the Kingdom of Heaven departed in Jeremiah
chapter 22, when God swore than no descendant of Coniah would prosper sitting
upon the throne of David. This ushered in the "times of the Gentiles" (Luk.
21:24) with the Babylonian captivity. Then came the kingdoms of the Medes and
Persians, then the Greeks, then the Romans. According to Luke 4:6, Satan is in
charge of these worldly kingdoms, and he gives them to whomever he wishes. II
Corinthians 4:4 says that he is the "god of this world."
Then came GOD'S King, the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of the Jews, the
Messiah. The Jews knew that God had promised them a kingdom (Gen. 49:10; Isa.
2:1-5; Isa. 49:5-13; Psa. 2; Jer. 23:5; Luk. 1:30-33, etc.). John the Baptist
and Jesus both preached that the kingdom of heaven was at hand (Mat. 3:2; 4:17),
but the Jews REJECTED their King and chose a GENTILE king instead (Jhn. 19:15).
Therefore the kingdom was NOT restored to Israel. After the resurrection, the
disciples asked Jesus if He was now going to restore the kingdom to Israel (a
literal, physical, and visible kingdom--the Kingdom of Heaven), and He said, ".
. . . It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath
put in his own power." (Acts 1:6-7) They were not asking Him to restore the
SPIRITUAL Kingdom of God (Rom. 14:17), for they never had it to start with!
They'd never been born again by the Spirit of God! They wanted THEIR kingdom
back--the literal and physical Kingdom of Heaven.
Now, when Jesus returns the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven will
actually become one, but let's not make the mistake of thinking that they're the
same now. One is spiritual, while the other is physical.
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This term refers
to the King James Authorized Version, the Book that God uses and the Devil
hates. It was originally translated under King James I of England between the
years 1604 and 1611. The King James Bible is an English translation from the
"Textus Receptus" or "Received Text" of the reformation. This means that the KJV
is supported by NINETY-FIVE PERCENT OF ALL MANUSCRIPT EVIDENCE. All other
translations are based on the remaining five percent evidence.
Most people (including Bible college professors) have been led to believe
that the new translations, such as the ASV, the NIV, the RSV, and the NASV are
just revisions of the old King James Bible. Nothing could be further from the
truth!
All new translations are based on the Westcott and Hort Greek Text (wrongly
referred to as "THE Greek Text" by people who enjoy playing make believe).
Westcott and Hort were two English "scholars" who spent the late 1800's
communicating with evil spirits and perverting the word of God by fooling around
with corrupt Roman Catholic manuscripts. All new translations are based on the
work of these two men; so all true Bible-believers avoid the new versions.
The King James Bible is from a whole different text , known as the Byzantine
or Syrian type text, which comes from a line of manuscripts that run clear back
to Antioch, Syria, which just happens to be where the disciples were first
called "Christians" (Acts 11:26). God has honored this text throughout Church
History, throughout the Protestant Reformation, and since 1611, He has been
honoring the King James Bible by saving millions and millions of lost souls with
it's preaching and teaching. It is the Book of all Books, because it is the pure
and preserved word of God for the English speaking people. (For more information
on this subject, send for our tracts titled How I Know the KJV is the Word of
God and Let's Compare Bibles.)
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The "law" is usually a reference to the Old
Testament written law of Moses. It consisted of three basic divisions:
commandments, judgments, and ordinances. The commandments revealed God's will to
the nation (Exo. 20:1-26), the judgments governed Israel as a society (Exo.
21:1-24:11), and the ordinances governed the religious practices of Israel (Exo.
24:12-31:18). The primary purpose of the law was not to save man, but to show
man his sinful condition and his need for a Savior (Rom. 3:20). Paul says that
the law was a "schoolmaster" to bring us to Christ in Galatians 3:24.
Today we are under GRACE, "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness
to everyone that believeth." (Rom. 10:4) Also see Matthew 5:17.
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The Lord's Supper was
instituted by Christ Himself the night preceding His crucifixion (Mat. 26:26-
29; Mar. 14:22-25). Jesus says in Luke 22:19-20 that we are supposed to observe
the Lord's Supper in remembrance of Him and it is a showing of His death until
He returns, according to I Corinthians 11:23-26.
Some insist that the Lord's Supper should be a weekly observance, but the
Bible never says this. The words "as oft as" in I Corinthians 11:26 indicate
that God allows us to decide for ourselves how often to observe the Lord's
Supper.
The Roman Catholics have traditionally held that the Lord's Supper is a
continual sacrifice of Christ, and that one literally partakes of Christ's flesh
and blood in the Catholic Mass (their perversion of the Lord's Supper). This, of
course, is unscriptural (Heb. 10:10-14; Acts 15:29; Psa. 16:4; Lev. 17:11- 12;
Gen. 9:4). God has never commanded anyone to drink blood. He has always
condemned such practice.
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The Mark of the Beast
is mentioned in Revelation 13:17, 16:2, and 19:20, and it is closely connected
with the number and name of the Beast (13:17-18; 15:2; 14:11). The Beast, the
coming Antichrist, will cause the people of the world to receive this mark in
their right hands or in their foreheads, thus showing their conformity to his
evil world system. Those who refuse this mark will be killed (Rev. 13:15; 20:4).
No one knows exactly how the Mark of the Beast will come about, but with
modern technology being so advanced, many believe that it will somehow be
connected with computers and scanning devices. A person could have a permanent
bar code or computer chip placed in their skin. This system could even replace
credit cards and checking accounts. This would help to give Antichrist the
economic control that the Bible says he will have.
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Catholics have been obsessed
with this idolatrous practice since the fourth century. Devout Roman Catholics
believe that Mary, the mother of Jesus, remained a virgin and remained sinless
all of her life. She is worshipped in the Catholic church as the "Mother of God"
and the "Queen of Heaven." St. Bernard stated that she was crowned "Queen of
Heaven" by God the Father, and that she currently sits upon a throne in Heaven
making intercession for Catholics.
The Bible teaches otherwise. In the Bible, Mary was a sinner just like the
rest of us. She said herself that she needed a "Savior" (Lk. 1:47), and she even
had to offer a sacrifice for her sins in Luke 2:24. Jesus was only her
"firstborn" son, according to Matthew 1:25, because she later had other children
as well (Mt. 13:55; Gal. 1:19; Psa. 69:8). There's only ONE mediator between God
and men, and it isn't Mary (I Tim. 2:5). The last time we hear from Mary in the
Bible she is praying WITH the disciples, not being prayed to BY the disciples
(Acts 1:14).
Roman Catholic Mary Worship is nothing more than Pagan Idolatry. Throughout
history pagans have worshipped female deities under various names, and many of
them are in the Bible (Judges 10:6; I Sam. 7:3-4; 12:10; I Kings 11:5; II Kings
23:13, etc.), including the "queen of heaven" (Jer. 44:16-25). Mary is nothing
more than a sinner saved by grace, whom God chose to use as a means of bringing
His Son into this world. The Bible never exalts her above anyone else. Neither
should we. If you are a Roman Catholic, perhaps you should give special
attention to Mary's only command in John 2:5.
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The Mass is a Roman Catholic perversion of the
Lord's Supper where members take part in a pagan ritual--actually attempting to
eat and drink the literal flesh and blood of Jesus Christ. This is strictly
forbidden in the word of God (Gen. 9:4; Lev. 17:11-14; Psalm 16:4; Acts
15:29).
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The word means "thousand years." The
Millennium is the coming one-thousand year reign of Christ and His saints.
Revelation 20:1-6 speaks of this reign as being a literal, physical, and visible
reign on earth. The kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord
Jesus Christ, and He will rule the world in righteousness.
Those who choose to suffer for Christ today will reign with Him in the coming
Millennial Kingdom (II Tim. 2:11-13; Lk. 19:12-19). Also see Isaiah 2:2-4, 9:6,
11:1-6, Psalm 2:1-8, Luke 1:32, and Zechariah 14:16-19.
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The church was commissioned by the Lord
Jesus Himself to carry the Gospel into all the world (Mat. 28:18-20); so the
term "missions" in Bible believing churches refers to the efforts being put
forth by Christians to fulfill our Lord's command. Although there are many
missionary works right here in America (prison ministries, street preaching
ministries, printing ministries, etc.), most missionary efforts are directed to
the foreign mission field.
Most churches have a missions account where Christians can give love
offerings to help missionaries. If you are not currently giving to missions,
perhaps you should speak to your pastor about your church's mission program and
missionaries. You can read about the missionary journeys of the apostle Paul in
Acts 13-28, and he has some good advice about giving to missions in Philippians
4:10- 19. Also see II Corinthians 9, Matthew 10:40-42, and Luke 6:38.
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Everyone knows what music is, but many seem to
have trouble discerning good music from bad music. Therefore we've included this
brief section (at no extra charge) to assist such people in making this tough
decision. In the Bible, good music sounds nice and gives praise and honor to God
(Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16; I Sam. 16:23; I Chron. 23:5; Psa. 150; Rev. 5:8-10), but
bad music sounds like "a noise of war" and it gives praise and honor to FALSE
gods (Exo. 32:17-19; Dan. 3:5-7). Good music may be accompanied by clean
segregated dancing (Exo. 15:20-21; Ecc. 3:4; Psa. 150:4), but bad music is
likely to be accompanied by dancing which stirs sexual passions (Mat. 14:6). If
you have trouble deciding whether your style of music and dancing is good or
bad, just ask yourself two simple questions: (1)" Would Jesus Christ listen to
this music?" and (2)"Would He dance the way that I'm dancing?" You see, it's
really a very simple issue when you put it in the "proper perspective."
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The New Age Movement is
a modern-day movement which seeks to bring about a "new age" where all peoples,
religions, and governments unite for the "common good" of mankind. Like the
Ecumenical Movement, the New Age Movement will culminate with a one world
religion and government under the leadership of the Antichrist (Rev. 13). Some
Christians have the idea that they are safe from New Age doctrines so long as
they avoid various New Age groups. This is not true. Satan is very subtle, and
his New Age philosophies can be found just about anywhere. New Age ideas can be
found in politics, education, music, the media, religion, and even in new Bible
translations (See Riplinger's book on New Age Bible Versions.) The best defense
against Satan's one-world movement is the word of God and prayer. The Christian
who continually gives himself to Bible study and prayer will always recognize
Satan's devices when they appear, no matter where or when they appear. As far as
I'm concerned, any attempt to unite mankind on any basis other than the word of
God and the Lord Jesus Christ is a part of the New Age Movement.
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See Born-Again
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To persecute someone is to treat
them wrongfully because of who they are or what they believe. The Bible says in
II Timothy 3:12 that all Christians who will live godly in Christ shall suffer
persecution, and Jesus Himself tells us to rejoice when this happens because
great is our reward in heaven (Mat. 5:10-12). We are to EXPECT persecution and
we are told to BLESS those who persecute us (Mat. 5:44; Rom. 12:14).
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This is the false
belief that the millennial reign of Christ will be ushered in by the Church and
that Jesus will not return until AFTER the earth has experienced one thousand
years of peace and righteousness. This, of course, is pure foolishness. Man has
never established peace and righteousness and he never will. The Pre-Millennial
view of the Second Coming is the only correct view.
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Praise is basically any expression of
approval, admiration, or devotion. To get a good idea of what praising God is
all about, read a few chapters of the book of Psalms. The word is found over
one- hundred and fifty times in Psalms alone. Hebrews 13:15 says that we should
use our lips to offer praise to Him continually.
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Prayer is a matter of simply asking for
something. Prayer should be addressed to God the Father, in the name of Jesus
Christ, by the power of the Holy Ghost (Jhn. 16:23-24; Acts 12:5; Jhn. 14:13;
Eph. 6:18; Jud. 1:20), and prayers should always be PRAYED, not merely SAID
(Mat. 6:7).
A child of God should pray for his own needs or desires (Jas. 4:2; Mar.
11:24; Luk. 11:9-13), as well as the needs and desires of others (Luk. 10:2;
Col. 1:9; I Ths. 5:17-25; I Tim. 2:1-5; Jas. 5:14).
There are also conditions of prayer, such as having a FORGIVING SPIRIT when
we pray (Mar. 11:25), BELIEVING that God will answer our prayers (Mar. 11:24;
Jas. 1:6-7), CONFESSION of any iniquity in our hearts (Psa. 66:18), SEEKING
GOD'S WILL (Luk. 22:42), and KEEPING HIS COMMANDMENTS (I Jhn. 3:22).
Paul said in I Thessalonians 5:17 for us to pray without ceasing. Also see I
John 5:14-15, John 15:7, Matthew 7:7-8, James 5:16, Psalm 55:17, Philippians
4:6, 19, and Hebrews 4:16.
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This is the Bible
doctrine that Jesus Christ will literally return to the earth just before the
promised millennial reign of Revelation 20:1-7, and that He will establish the
Kingdom and reign over it Himself. We know this is true for His Second Coming
occurs in Revelation 19, and the millennial reign immediately follows in chapter
20. This is the only correct view of the millennial reign.
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A propitiation is a price which is
paid to meet a demand or to settle an account. The Bible says that the Lord
Jesus Christ is the propitiation for our sins (Rom. 3:25; I Jn. 2:2; 4:10). He
paid the price for our Salvation. God the Father was pleased with Christ's
sacrifice, so He is our one and only propitiation.
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This word isn't found in the Bible, but it
does describe a Biblical event. "Rapture" is from the Latin word "rapto," which
means to "cease quickly" or to "cease by force." The resurrection of the New
Testament church (I Cor. 15:51-52; I Thess. 4:13-18) is commonly referred to as
"the Rapture" because of the sudden nature in which it occurs.
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To redeem someone is to set them free
by paying a price. Jesus Christ has set Christians free by shedding His own
blood as a payment for our sins. Our souls have already been redeemed (Acts
20:28; Rom. 3:24; Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14; Gal. 3:13; I Pet. 1:18; Rev. 5:9), and
our bodies will be redeemed when the Lord returns for us (Rom. 8:23; Eph. 4:30;
Lk. 21:28).
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A regeneration is a renewing or a
new birth. The word occurs only twice in the Bible. The first time is in Matthew
19:28 where the context is the new birth of the earth when Jesus returns (Isa.
11:6-9; Rom. 8:21-23), and the next occurrence is in Titus 3:5 where the context
is the new birth of the believer by the Holy Spirit.
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When the Bible speaks of a child of God
having "remission of sins" (Mt. 26:28; Lk. 24:27; Acts 10:43; Rom. 3:25), it is
speaking of the FORGIVENESS of sin that we have through the shed blood of
Christ. This is very similar to redemption, but not exactly the same. For
example, the Old Testament saints had their sins forgiven, or remitted, through
the blood of animal sacrifices (Lev. 4:20; 26, 31, 35; 5:10, 13, 16, 18; 6:7,
Num. 15:25-26; Psa. 130:3-4), but when they died they still couldn't go to
Heaven because their souls had not been REDEEMED. Their sins had been forgiven
on a temporary basis, so that they might maintain fellowship with God, but their
sins had not been totally cleared from God's record (Num. 14:18; Ex. 34:7)
because it was impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to TAKE AWAY sin
(Heb. 10:4). Therefore, upon death, these saints went to "Abraham's bosom" or
"paradise" in the earth's center (Luk. 16:22; 23:43). Here they waited for
Christ the Redeemer to come and make the final payment for all sin. He did so,
and then led these saints on up into Heaven (Eph. 4:8-9; Mat. 27:52-53). God
would forgive sin in the Old Testament on the basis of animal sacrifices
(remission), but these sacrifices all foreshadowed the Lord Jesus Christ Who
would be the One Sacrifice to take away all sin forever (redemption).
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When a person repents, he changes his
mind about something and proceeds in a different direction. God commands all
sinners to repent of their sins and turn to Him for salvation (Acts 17:30-31;
Luk. 13:3). A person who truly repents is a person who will (1) Become saddened
about their sins (II Cor. 7:9-10; Psa. 51), (2) forsake their sins (Mt. 3:8;
Acts 26:20), and (3) submit themselves to the will of God (Acts 9:6). Anything
less is something less than Biblical repentance.
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A resurrection is a "re-living," a
"renewal", or a" rising again" from the dead. The Bible says that there will be
a resurrection for all of the saints of God (Mat. 22:30; Luk. 14:14; Jhn.
11:24-25; I Cor. 15:51-52; I Ths. 4:13-18), but there is no general resurrection
in the Bible. Unsaved people will be delivered up before God at the White Throne
Judgment (Rev. 20:11-15), but there will be no Christians resurrected at this
time. The resurrection for God's people is called the "first resurrection" (Rev.
20:5-6), and it occurs before the Lord Jesus establishes the millennial reign of
a thousand years. Actually there are THREE PARTS to the first resurrection. The
first is the resurrection of Old Testament saints which occurred when Jesus was
resurrected (Mat. 27:52-53; Eph. 4:8-9). The second will be the rapture of the
church, which we've already covered. Then the third part will be during the
Tribulation Period when God calls out those who are saved in the Tribulation
(Rev. 7:14; 14:14-16). A great deal is said about the resurrection in I
Corinthians 15.
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Sanctification is the act of
being set apart from sin and uncleanliness AND being set apart for God's
service. My soul was sanctified the day I received Christ as my Savior (Acts
20:32; I Cor. 1:2; 6:11; Heb. 10:10, 14), but it is my personal responsibility
to keep my BODY in subjection to God and live a sanctified life (Rom. 6:1-13; II
Cor. 6:14-17). That is, since I AM a saint (one who is sanctified), I need to
live like one. Sanctification isn't just a matter of not sinning (If it was,
then your local cemetery would be the most sanctified place in your community,
because it is filled with people who NEVER sin. They're DEAD.) True
sanctification is turning FROM sin and turning TO God (I Ths. 1:9).
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The word literally means "the adversary." To
some, Satan is only a symbol of evil, but in the Bible he is a literal living
being who walks about seeking to deceive and to devour (Jhn. 8:44; Jas. 4:7;
Rev. 12:9; I Pet. 5:8 ). There are five basic points that need to be understood
about the past, present, and future of the Devil, and if you understand these
five things, then you'll be light years ahead of the typical twentieth century
"theologian." The five points are as follows:
- Satan has not always been God's adversary. He was originally "the anointed
cherub" of Ezekiel 28:13-19 and "Lucifer" of Isaiah 14:12-15, but through his
own pride he fell from this honorable position and became God's greatest
enemy, the adversary, or Satan.
- Contrary to popular belief, Satan was NOT cast into Hell when he rebelled
against God. He is presently the "god of this world" (II Cor. 4:4), "the
devil" (Mat. 4:1; Eph. 4:27; I Pet 5:8), and "the prince of the power of the
air" (Eph. 2:2). As such, he is currently in control of the kingdoms of this
world and he gives them to whomever he chooses (Mat. 4:8-9). He'll stop short
of nothing in his attempts to deceive and destroy anything or anyone who
stands on God's side (Job 1-2; Mat. 4:1-10; 13:19, 39; Luk. 22:31; Acts 5:3; I
Cor. 5:5; II Cor. 11:14-15; I Thess. 2:18; I Tim. 5:15; Heb. 2:14; I Jn. 3:8).
The Christian's greatest defense against the Devil is the word of God and
prayer (Eph. 6:10-18; I Ths. 5:17; Mat. 26:41; Heb. 4:12).
- In the coming Great Tribulation, Satan will actually indwell a human body
as the Antichrist. He will have the entire world in his evil clutches, and he
will murder anyone who opposes him (II Ths. 2:3-10; Rev. 13:3-18). See
Antichrist, Beast, and Great Tribulation.
- During the millennial reign of Christ and His saints, Satan will be
chained for one thousand years in the bottomless pit "that he should deceive
the nations no more." After the Millennium is over, he will be turned loose
for a "little season" (Rev. 20:1-3.
- The Devil's final position will be his eternal position in the Lake of
Fire. Revelation 20:10 tells us that he will be cast into the "lake of fire"
and tormented forever.
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The Second Coming of Christ is
a prophetic event which will occur in the very near future. Just as Jesus came
the first time as a literal, physical, and visible person, He will come likewise
the next time. Some teach that the Second Coming is not a literal event, but the
Bible states very clearly that it is. When Jesus came the first time He came as
the "Lamb of God" to take away the sin of the world (Jhn. 1:29), but at the
Second Coming He will come as the "Lion of the tribe of Judah" and the "KING OF
KINGS" (Rev. 5:5; 19:16). He turned down the kingdoms of this world the first
time (Mt. 4:8-10), but He will take full control of them when He returns (Rev.
11:15).
The Old Testament is filled with prophecies about the Lord establishing a
righteous kingdom upon the earth with Israel being the head of all nations (Gen.
49:10; Jer. 23:5; 25:30-31; Isa. 2:2-4; 11:1- 6; 42:13-14; Joel 3:16-21; Ezek.
36-48; Psa. 2:1-8; Zech. 14:16-21; Mal. 4:1-3; etc.). These prophecies were not
fulfilled at Christ's first coming, so they will be fulfilled when He comes
again. Many are teaching that these prophecies are no longer in effect because
the Jews rejected Christ their King, so these prophecies are all spiritualized
or allegorized for the church's benefit. This is heresy. All of these prophecies
and many more like them are still in effect and will be fulfilled when Jesus
returns. If you'll take a close look at Acts 1:6-7, 15:14-16, Hebrews 8:8-10,
Romans 11:25-26, Luke 1:31-33, Revelation 6:12-17, and Revelation 19:11-16 you
can easily see that God has not forgotten about His Second Coming prophecies. It
is God's will for His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to rule over the earth in
righteousness. For six thousand years man has been in control, and man has
proven that he is totally incapable of establishing peace and righteousness. At
the Second Coming GOD will take control.
Before the actual Second Coming, or the Second Advent of Christ, Jesus will
return for the church and call out those who are saved (See Rapture and
Resurrection.). The earth will then enter the Tribulation, which will be
approximately seven years in length (See Great Tribulation.). At the end of the
Great Tribulation, the Lord Jesus Christ will return from Heaven with His saints
and take over the kingdoms of the world. The wicked will be destroyed, the
Millennial Kingdom will be established (See Millennium and Pre-Millennialism.),
and God's Son will rule over the nations. This is God's will, and this is God's
word.
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See
Apostolic
Signs
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Some have the idea that a sinner is an
extremely wicked person and that only a certain group of people actually
classify as sinners (Mat. 9:11), but the Bible declares that EVERYONE is born a
sinner and needs to be saved from his sins by receiving Christ as Savior (Rom.
3:10, 23; 5:12, 8-9; 6:23; 10:9-13).
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In the Bible a Sodomite is a homosexual,
and the scriptures speak very much against this ungodly practice (Rom. 1:26-28;
Lev. 18:22; 20:13; Gen. 19; I Kgs. 14:24; 15:12; 22:46; 23:7; Deu. 23:17). God
has never created anyone to be a sex pervert, and He has never approved of this
sin.
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This term
comes from Colossians 2:11-15 where we are told that the new believer
experiences a "circumcision made without hands" which puts off the body of sins
and allows the Christian to serve God in the spirit. In essence, the Christian's
body is cut loose from his soul so that his corruptible flesh does not corrupt
the redeemed soul.
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A steward is one who is given the
responsibility of managing or overseeing something (Gen. 15:2; Lk. 12:42-48;
16:1-13). God has made every Christian a steward, according to I Peter 4:10. God
OWNS you if you are saved (I Cor. 6:19-20); therefore He owns everything that
you own. With this being true, it is our duty to properly manage our entire life
according to His will. As someone has said, we need to be good stewards with our
TIME, with our TALENTS, and with our TREASURE because we will give account to
God for it all.
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To tithe is to give a tenth. The first
occurrence of tithing in the Bible is in Genesis 14:20 where Abraham gives God a
tenth of his possessions. Jacob also vows to tithe in Genesis 28:22. Tithing was
also a requirement under the Mosaic law (Lev. 27:30-32; Num. 18:21-28; Deu.
14:22). A tenth of all income was to be given over to the Levitical priesthood
for their living and for the maintenance of the Lord's service. The blessings of
God were promised to those who were obedient to His laws of tithing (Mal.
3:8-10).
Today, although we are no longer under the Mosaic law, Bible-believing
Christians still practice tithing because God accepted tithes even BEFORE the
law of Moses. If an Old Testament Jew, whose sins had not yet been paid for, can
give a tenth of his income to the Lord, how much more should WE be willing to
give, whose sins HAVE been washed away in the blood of Christ? Paul said that
God loves a "cheerful giver" (II Cor. 9:7).
Most Bible-believing churches consider tithing a MINIMUM gift, which goes
into a general fund to finance the basic expenses of the church, while special
love offerings and missions are considered separate offerings
altogether.
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See Apostolic
Signs..
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The Trinity doctrine is the doctrine that
God consists of three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the
Holy Ghost. Those who deny the existence of the Trinity usually do so because
they can't understand it. Those of us who accept the Trinity doctrine don't
fully understand it either; we just BELIEVE what God said about it.
What did He say about it? He said, "For there are three that bear record in
heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." (I
Jhn. 5:7) He said, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." (Mat. 28:19) He
said, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the
communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen." (II Cor. 13:14) You can see
all three members of the Holy Trinity present at the baptism of Jesus in Matthew
3:13-17. Jesus said when you've seen Him, then you've seen the Father (Jhn.
14:9), and Peter said that when you lie to the Holy Ghost you are lying to GOD
(Acts 5:3-4). God the Father is God; God the Son is God; and God the Holy Ghost
is God. See Deity of
Christ and Deity of
the Holy Ghost
Psalm 19:1-6 and Romans 1:20 tell us that we can learn of God through nature.
Have you ever studied nature? The Trinity doctrine is manifest everywhere. Time
consists of THREE parts: past, present, and future. Space consists of THREE
parts: length, breadth, and height. Matter consists of THREE parts: energy,
motion, and phenomena. The sun consists of THREE types of rays: alpha, beta, and
gamma. Man consists of THREE parts: body, soul, and spirit. A family consists of
THREE parts: Father, mother, and children. You see, the truth of the Trinity is
everywhere. We don't have to fully understand it, and God never told us to
understand it. Our job is to BELIEVE it. God is a Trinity. Three in One, and One
in Three, and the One in the middle died for me.
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During His physical life
on earth, Jesus often exercised His Deity by performing miracles through the
Divine power of the Holy Ghost. In Matthew 12:22-32 the Pharisees witness one of
the Lord's many miracles. Then, instead of believing on Jesus, they accused Him
of performing miracles through the power of the Devil. He then told them that
men could be forgiven for blasphemy (evil and hurtful speaking) against men and
against Him, but that blasphemy against the Holy Ghost could NEVER be forgiven.
A companion reference for this is found in Mark 3:30, where we are told WHY
Jesus said this to them: "Because they said, he hath an unclean spirit."
It is important to note that nothing is said about this particular sin after
Calvary. It is only mentioned during the life of Christ on earth, while He was
working genuine miracles by the power of the Holy Ghost. It is also needful to
understand that blasphemy is a sin of the TONGUE. A person could not commit
blasphemy with thoughts or actions. It was strictly a sin of the tongue, and it
could only be committed by openly accusing Jesus Christ of working through
Satanic power.
Some teach that this sin may still be committed today, but there is no
scriptural support for this. In fact, when Jesus later speaks of the coming of
the Holy Ghost to indwell believers, He said that the Holy Ghost would convict
the world of three things: sin, righteousness, and judgment. He then said that
the Holy Ghost would convict the world of SIN for ONE REASON: "because they
believe not on me." (Jhn. 16:7-11) It seems that if blasphemy against the Holy
Ghost was to be the greatest sin of this age that Jesus would have used this
opportunity to warn us about it, but He warned us about UNBELIEF instead. Some
Charismatic groups, who profess to be LED by the Holy Ghost, are in the habit of
accusing anyone who opposes them of blaspheming the Holy Ghost. For example,
some Charismatics would say that I have blasphemed the Holy Ghost in this
booklet, because I have written things in opposition to their practice of
speaking in unknown tongues and faith healing. That's baloney. Even if they WERE
doing all these things by the Holy Ghost (which they are not), it still would
not be unpardonable to speak against it. Many people have spoken against great
Christian works and then gotten saved later. The Apostle Paul is a good example
(Acts 8-9). The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from ALL SIN (I Jhn. 1:9), and
if you want to commit the unpardonable sin in this age, then you will have to
reject Jesus Christ as your Savior. Go ahead and reject Christ, and when you
stand before God at the White Throne Judgment, you will NOT be forgiven.
Now we do realize that a person can reject Christ for so long that God the
Holy Ghost pulls away and stops convicting that individual. In which case the
individual never receives Christ, never receives forgiveness of sin, and goes to
Hell (Pro. 1:23-33; Isa. 55:6-7; Jhn. 12:37-43), but only God knows when a
person crosses that line. No man on this planet has any scriptural authority for
telling someone that God will never forgive them for their sins.
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The doctrine of the Virgin Birth
is the doctrine that the Lord Jesus Christ was miraculously conceived of the
Holy Ghost and born of a virgin, without a man being involved. The original
prophecy of the Virgin Birth was given in Isaiah 7:14, over seven hundred years
before Jesus was born. Luke 1:34-35 and Matthew 1:24-25 tell us that Joseph took
Mary to be his wife, but that he "knew her not" until after Jesus was born.
It was needful for Jesus to be conceived of the Holy Ghost, because had He
been conceived of a man, He would have had a sin nature (Psa. 51:5; Rom. 5:12),
which would have disqualified Him from being the perfect Lamb of God to take
away the sin of the world. The Virgin Birth is absolutely essential for New
Testament salvation.
Many new Bible translations deliberately change the wording of Isaiah 7:14,
Matthew 1:25, and Luke 2:33 in an attempt to downgrade the Virgin Birth of our
Lord, but thanks be to God, the King James Bible can be trusted to preserve this
doctrine without compromise.
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When a person witnesses he tells what
he knows about a particular subject. We are told to be witnesses for Christ in
Acts 1:8, so witnessing is simply a matter of telling someone about the
salvation that the Lord Jesus Christ freely gives to all who will receive Him. A
true Christian will not be ashamed to witness for the Lord (Mk. 8:38; Rom. 1:16;
10:11).
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When you worship someone you pay them divine
honors. In John 4:24, Jesus says, "God is a spirit: and they that worship him
must worship him in spirit and in truth." Many seem to think that worship is
something that happens when people start acting religious (singing hymns,
praying, taking offerings, reading scripture, preaching, etc.), but this isn't
always true. Isaiah 1:11-20 tells us that God isn't impressed with a religious
show. The Pharisees were the most outwardly religious people of their day, but
the Lord wasn't the least bit impressed (Mt. 23). Friend, God knows your heart
(I Sam. 16:7; Jer. 17:10), and if your heart isn't right with God, then your
worship isn't right with God.
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A person who has zeal for the Lord is a person who
is excited about getting involved in the Lord's service (II Cor. 9:2; Tit. 2:14;
Rev. 3:19).
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