In our classroom this year, we read extensively about King Hezekiah. Now for those who don't know Judaean history, He was a great king of Judah. He was the son of an evil man named King Ahaz. His father killed his own son's as sacrifices to an idol. But Hezekiah was not like his father. He was a man of God. He followed God's path and obeyed God's law. During his reign Judah destroyed idols, repaired the Temple, and followed God's law as the Torah commanded. As King he saw the neighboring country of Israel be destroyed by Assyria while his nation of Judah prospered and avoided such destruction.
Sounds like a good life, huh? Due to his faithfulness, God gave him everything. But actually the story is a bit more complex than that. You see, we need to look at a very important part of the text here. Remember, this is the king that removed idol worship and restored the nation's worship of God at the Temple, both in word and deed. Now listen closely. Here is what happened in his relationship with God.
II Chron. 32:32"...God left him to himself."
What? What does this mean? God left Hezekiah to himself. God did not answer him. In context we see that Hezekiah had fallen to the chief of all sins. Pride. With all that Hezekiah had seen in his life, all the provisions God made for him and his nation, Hezekiah still became a proud man. And God left him.
Does it feel like God is gone in your life too? Does it feel like God has distanced Himself from you? What can we do about this?
The answer may be simple. Repent. That is the theme of the Old Testament and the New Testament. Jesus preached it. Paul preached it. John the Baptist preached it. The prophets preached it. We must repent if something has come between us and God.
Now sometimes it may be that we feel God has abandoned us and it is not related to our sin. God let Job go through serious trials to purify him, and Job felt as tough God had abandoned him as well. But God was not punishing Job, He was testing him.
Now, I don't know if this is something you struggle with. I do not know if you feel like God is distant. If you don't, that's truly wonderful; but if so, take a minute and think about this. Is there something in you life that has caused this distance? Is it some part of your life that needs to be surrendered to God? Please remember that God's love is not based on how perfect or imperfect we are, but His Spirit will not reside in a place of sin. God loves you, but He will not ignore problems in your life. The solution? Pray. Bring it to the Father.
Now it may be that this isn't your problem. Maybe you are being tested like Job. If that is the case, the solution will already sound familiar to you: pray. Bring it to the Father. No matter what it is we are going through we can surrender it to Him.
Does this advise sound too simple? It may sound simple, but the reality is that there isn't anything you can do to entice God. You can't bribe Him. Indeed, we cannot even do what He requires. So what is left? We pray and ask Him to do it for us. To give us the strength to be whom He wants us to be.
Friday, May 31, 2013
Prophecies and Problems
Paul talks about predestination on several occasions. Many things that were prophesied have come to pass. Does this mean that everything is predetermined?
We find in Scripture that many things are decided before they come to pass. Jesus birth was prophesied, as was His death and resurrection. The Israelites had many prophecies that were fulfilled in their era. We look to the book of Revelation as prophecy that is to come. So what is a Christian to make of all of this? Does this mean that all things are determined? That we have no choice whatsoever?
Let’s first take a look at the type of things that we consider prophecy. The Old Testament shows us much about prophecy. We see that God foretold the destruction of Israel and Judah through prophets. He told them when it would happen, and when the bondage would end. He gave specifics on much of their trials and tribulations. And they all came to pass.
In the New Testament we see much prophecy fulfilled by Jesus as well. We see that He came as prophesied, lived, died, and rose accordingly.
We also see some things that are to come. Future prophecies that have not yet been fulfilled to our understanding. What about those? Are they going to happen without fail? If so, what of free will?
Like most complex questions, this will most likely have complex answers. It’s not as simple as saying that God’s Will is immutable and all is set into motion already. If that was the case, we would not have any choice and all the times God specifically tells His people to choose would be lies. Not only that, but Jesus mourning over the city of Jerusalem would make no sense whatsoever if Jerusalem had no choice in the matter. If we say that all that happens in God’s Will we say that all sin is by God’s choosing. In doing so, we make God worse than the Devil. Sin is choosing to go against God’s Will, and therefore, God Himself cannot do it. Therefore, not all is God’s choice, for if it was His choice it could not be sin, for God cannot choose to sin.
So we can’t just shove it all under the rug of absolute predetermination. That would be far too simple. However, we must see that there are indeed things that God did predetermine. So what’s the difference? Can we know? Do we have all these answers?
The more I study this, the more information I get, but the hard it is for me to come up with an actual conclusion. The easiest thing for me to say would be that God is God and we cannot possibly keep up with Him. While that is true, that does not give us permission to be lazy in our thought and understanding. To not completely understand is one thing, to not try at all is quite another.
Let’s take a look at what types of prophecies God gives us. There are two basic kinds: conditional and unconditional.
Here is an example of a conditional prophecy.
If, instead, you reject My statutes, and if your soul abhors My ordinances so as not to carry out all My commandments, and so break My covenant, 16 I, in turn, will do this to you: I will appoint over you a sudden terror, consumption and fever that will waste away the eyes and cause the soul to pine away; also, you will sow your seed uselessly, for your enemies will eat it up. 17 I will set My face against you so that you will be struck down before your enemies; and those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee when no one is pursuing you. 18 If also after these things you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. 19 I will also break down your pride of power; I will also make your sky like iron and your earth like bronze. 20 Your strength will be spent uselessly, for your land will not yield its produce and the trees of the land will not yield their fruit. -Leviticus 26:15-20
We see that God prophesies that these things will come to pass IF the people disobey. It is a conditional prophecy. More such prophecies can be found like this. For example, here God prophesies what will happen if the do obey Him.
“Then it shall come about, because you listen to these judgments and keep and do them, that the Lord your God will keep with youHis covenant and His lovingkindness which He swore to your forefathers. 13 He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock, in the land which He swore to your forefathers to give you.14 You shall be blessed above all peoples; there will be no male or female barren among you or among your cattle. -Deut 7:12-14
Here is an example of an unconditional prophecy.
"And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced…" -Zechariah 12:10
"…Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:" - Luke 24:46
Do you see the difference? Unconditional prophecies, like God’s promise to send a Messiah, are not based on us. They are based on God, who does not change. The are predetermined because God already exists in the future just as well as He exists in the past and present. He is at all places and times in unison. Therefore, He can predict what He will do in the future because He is doing it there. Unconditional promises rest upon God and His unchanging existence.
Conditional prophecies, however, are not absolutes. God lays out parameters for His promise or warning and tells people what He will do if they obey or disobey. These prophesies rely on what we as humans do, and in that way are not absolute. The part that rests with God, e.g. the punishment or reward, is absolute because it relies on Him. In other words, Conditional prophecies only come into effect if we chose to do something first. These are based on what we as humans choose. It is interesting to note how many prophecies are conditional on human choice. This does not mean that God won’t do His part. No. It means that He will not do so until we have chosen. Almost, if not all, unconditional prophesies do not rely on man at all. They rely solely upon God. Since He exists at all times in all places, these prophecies do not undo the free will He has given us. Rather, they are only dependent upon Him, and therefore do not have a bearing upon our freewill. This does not diminish God’s power in the least, instead, it shows that His power transcends the limits of time that we as man cannot escape.
But what of prophecies of people that were yet to come, such as John the Baptist, Judas Iscariot, or Samson? Do they have any choice in the matter? Do these people still have freewill? If so, how? If not, who is to say that we have free will?
We see that people like John the Baptist and Samson were chosen by God before birth. However, between these two we find great differences. John the Baptist and Samson were both chosen by God to lead, both were filled or stirred by the Spirit of God, but Samson chose to follow his own desires and disobey the commands of God. He broke his part of the covenant. As a Nazarene, he was not to touch dead animals, not to drink wine, and never to cut his hair. As long as he was at least partially faithful, God worked through Samson. Once Samson broke the last part of his covenant with God, the Lord departed from him. If you look at the verses in the book of Judges chapters 14-16 we see that Samson's first departure began in his earlier days, yet he ruled as a judge for twenty years before his final breaking of his covenant with God. God was faithful till the end, but Samson broke the covenant. John the Baptist is a stark contrast. It appears that he was faithful though the entire calling.
So what can we take from this? That even with the filling of God's Spirit from a young age, we as people have been given the freewill to deny that Spirit. This is the great and terrible gift from God. No matter how much prophecy there is, God will still allow us to choose, just like Samson and John the Baptist. Does this mean that God is to blame? No, it means that even if we are made to serve Him, we can still choose to not do so. God is still all powerful, but He will not force His will upon us. If He did, we would have no choice in the matter at all. But throughout Scripture we see time and again that God calls us to make a choice, to serve Him or to deny Him. I pray that we may all realize the gravity of this gift and not abuse it.
Monday, May 27, 2013
Ever Ending?
A while back we were at a hot dog roasting event with some friends. It was quite enjoyable, even if I am about as outdoorsy as a house cat. One of the subjects that we got on was future generations' view of our times. One of the other gentlemen around the fire stated that he firmly believed that this was the final generation. I asked him why, but didn't get much of an answer other than the fact that the world is 'bad'.
Could the world end in our time? Sure, it could. Is that a guarantee? No. People point to different passages of Scripture trying to tell us to run for the hills because the end is near. Usually these are people with little understanding of history. Why do I say that? Because of all the signs we see today, there have been other generations who saw them too, and they also thought they were in the end times. Here is a short list of times that people really thought the world was going to end. Now, they had good reasons and I will try to list them here as well.
ca 70 AD
Jerusalem falls after betraying its Roman government. Fear spreads, and Christians see the former headquarter city of their faith destroyed. The world does not end, however.
ca 410 AD
The fall of the city of Rome was considered the beginning of the Dark Ages. Wild men destroyed libraries and knowledge centers for no reason, and fear spread as the destruction of government became almost total in the European area. Knowledge and civilization begin to go backwards, with each generation becoming less knowledgable and civilized then the previous. People saw it as the end of time. Still the world continues to turn.
ca 1346 AD
The Black Death (or Black Plague) hits Europe. 30-60% of the population of Europe dies from this one disease. It took them 150 years to recover from the effects of this terrible outbreak. Preachers preach the end, saying that one third of the population would (and did) die. The world recovers and moves on.
ca 1929-1940
The Dirty Thirties and the Great Depression hit America. The land is covered in blackness so thick that people cannot see anything by sunlight or lamplight. People die choking on the dust in the air. This lasts for years, with an economy that has collapsed with people left with no money and no way to earn a living. Death becomes common and people believe the end has come. The dust bowl ends and the economy recovers. The world does not end.
ca 1939-1945
World War II breaks out with Japan, Germany, and Italy taking on almost all civilized nations of the world. Death became common. Virtually all men were absent from there homes fighting in the largest war in man's history. Bombings and gassings were feared by everyone, and preachers preached the end of the world. By the time WWII ended 60,000,000 to 80,000,000 people had died. As tragic as these deaths are, the world continues as it always has.
ca 1947-1991
The Cold War between the USSR and the USA begins. After the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in WWII, everyone fears that the two superpowers will destroy the whole planet with their nuclear weapons. Each side has enough power to do so, and tries to place their weapons of death close to the other countries borders. The Cuban Missile crises is one of the highest points of the Cold War, with Russia having a missile base within 100 miles of Florida, which was close enough to attack with low odds of the USA being able to defend itself. Schools hold bombing drills, people build their own nuclear shelters, and cities construct massive underground bunkers. In 1991 the USSR collapse brings an end to the terror. The world continues to turn as it has for all time.
Did these people have good reasons to fear the end of the world? Yes, they did. Did the people of Thessalonica have a good reason to believe the end was upon them? (II Thes. 2:1 ff) Yes, they did. Do we? Indeed, we have good reasons to believe that. But does that make it sure? Does that make it a guarantee that the world will end in our time? No. It does not.
In the end, we don't know that the whole world will end in our time. The disciples expected it in their time, it didn't happen. All the times I have listed here had people who truly believed the world would end in their era, yet it didn't.
Could it end tomorrow? Maybe. Could it end in twenty years? Maybe. Could it end in the next hundred years? Again, maybe. We do not know the time, yet always there will be among us those who are 'sure' the end is right at the door. What can we do about this?
We can quit worrying about it. The end will come, but we cannot determine when that will be. The book of Revelation has some uncomfortable things to say about adding to or subtracting from the prophecies written in it, and as such, we should not try too hard to make them fit for our times. They may, yet they may not. Parts of Revelation could be applied to almost any part of history, but yet the world did not end in those times.
So will the world end in your lifetime? I don't know. Nor does any preacher on the planet. But one thing I do know. You will die. Your own world will end. And that will happen in the next hundred years; unless you live ridiculously long. Even then, you will die. We all do. Are you ready for your end?
Could the world end in our time? Sure, it could. Is that a guarantee? No. People point to different passages of Scripture trying to tell us to run for the hills because the end is near. Usually these are people with little understanding of history. Why do I say that? Because of all the signs we see today, there have been other generations who saw them too, and they also thought they were in the end times. Here is a short list of times that people really thought the world was going to end. Now, they had good reasons and I will try to list them here as well.
ca 70 AD
Jerusalem falls after betraying its Roman government. Fear spreads, and Christians see the former headquarter city of their faith destroyed. The world does not end, however.
ca 410 AD
The fall of the city of Rome was considered the beginning of the Dark Ages. Wild men destroyed libraries and knowledge centers for no reason, and fear spread as the destruction of government became almost total in the European area. Knowledge and civilization begin to go backwards, with each generation becoming less knowledgable and civilized then the previous. People saw it as the end of time. Still the world continues to turn.
ca 1346 AD
The Black Death (or Black Plague) hits Europe. 30-60% of the population of Europe dies from this one disease. It took them 150 years to recover from the effects of this terrible outbreak. Preachers preach the end, saying that one third of the population would (and did) die. The world recovers and moves on.
ca 1929-1940
The Dirty Thirties and the Great Depression hit America. The land is covered in blackness so thick that people cannot see anything by sunlight or lamplight. People die choking on the dust in the air. This lasts for years, with an economy that has collapsed with people left with no money and no way to earn a living. Death becomes common and people believe the end has come. The dust bowl ends and the economy recovers. The world does not end.
ca 1939-1945
World War II breaks out with Japan, Germany, and Italy taking on almost all civilized nations of the world. Death became common. Virtually all men were absent from there homes fighting in the largest war in man's history. Bombings and gassings were feared by everyone, and preachers preached the end of the world. By the time WWII ended 60,000,000 to 80,000,000 people had died. As tragic as these deaths are, the world continues as it always has.
ca 1947-1991
The Cold War between the USSR and the USA begins. After the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in WWII, everyone fears that the two superpowers will destroy the whole planet with their nuclear weapons. Each side has enough power to do so, and tries to place their weapons of death close to the other countries borders. The Cuban Missile crises is one of the highest points of the Cold War, with Russia having a missile base within 100 miles of Florida, which was close enough to attack with low odds of the USA being able to defend itself. Schools hold bombing drills, people build their own nuclear shelters, and cities construct massive underground bunkers. In 1991 the USSR collapse brings an end to the terror. The world continues to turn as it has for all time.
Did these people have good reasons to fear the end of the world? Yes, they did. Did the people of Thessalonica have a good reason to believe the end was upon them? (II Thes. 2:1 ff) Yes, they did. Do we? Indeed, we have good reasons to believe that. But does that make it sure? Does that make it a guarantee that the world will end in our time? No. It does not.
In the end, we don't know that the whole world will end in our time. The disciples expected it in their time, it didn't happen. All the times I have listed here had people who truly believed the world would end in their era, yet it didn't.
Could it end tomorrow? Maybe. Could it end in twenty years? Maybe. Could it end in the next hundred years? Again, maybe. We do not know the time, yet always there will be among us those who are 'sure' the end is right at the door. What can we do about this?
We can quit worrying about it. The end will come, but we cannot determine when that will be. The book of Revelation has some uncomfortable things to say about adding to or subtracting from the prophecies written in it, and as such, we should not try too hard to make them fit for our times. They may, yet they may not. Parts of Revelation could be applied to almost any part of history, but yet the world did not end in those times.
So will the world end in your lifetime? I don't know. Nor does any preacher on the planet. But one thing I do know. You will die. Your own world will end. And that will happen in the next hundred years; unless you live ridiculously long. Even then, you will die. We all do. Are you ready for your end?
Friday, May 10, 2013
Proper Preaching?
In my last post I talked about the fact that none of us can possibly be absolutely correct in our Theology. We all have our flaws and limitations, sometimes we don't even see them in ourselves. But we also need to realize that ministers and wonderful Theologians that we admire in history were also flawed. We need to remember that even though they were men of God, they were also part of the fallen race of Adam.
The reason I bring this up is that I have seen a major resurgence of Johnathan Edwards works in recent history. His most famous sermon was titled "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." He preached fire and brimstone for the unrepentant. Makes sense right? That is true, and any Christian who doesn't believe in Hell has no reason to call himself a Christian.
However, we need to be more precise than that. We need to look at context. Edwards told the people of his church that they could not possibly know if they were part of the Elect. He also had been telling them that if they were not Elect they could not be saved, nor would they ever be. After years of this teaching, he preached this sermon of damnation without offering any hope to the people who asked him. His exact quote for people asking about salvation was this. Just pray about it. If God is going to save you He will save you and if not there is nothing you or I can do about it. Is this Biblical?
What resulted from this preaching? Revival? Not as I would understand it. His congregation was filled with people who feared God's wrath and had no way of understanding salvation. So they committed suicide. Even his own uncle, Joseph Hawley II, did so. Now I ask you, should Godly preaching cause mass suicide? Is damning people without giving them God's grace Biblical? Should we follow this man? What did Jesus say about being Elect?
Come unto me ALL of you that labor and are heavy laden and I WILL give you rest! (Matt. 11:28)
So am I damning Edwards? No, but I am saying that we should not look up to him as a leader who did no wrong. No man is perfect, but I would be cautious to follow a man whose preaching lead his uncle to slit his throat.
In the end, we are to do as Paul reminded the church in Corinth. Follow Christ, not Paul, Apollos, Peter, Edwards, Calvin, Luther, Simons, or Wesley.
The reason I bring this up is that I have seen a major resurgence of Johnathan Edwards works in recent history. His most famous sermon was titled "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." He preached fire and brimstone for the unrepentant. Makes sense right? That is true, and any Christian who doesn't believe in Hell has no reason to call himself a Christian.
However, we need to be more precise than that. We need to look at context. Edwards told the people of his church that they could not possibly know if they were part of the Elect. He also had been telling them that if they were not Elect they could not be saved, nor would they ever be. After years of this teaching, he preached this sermon of damnation without offering any hope to the people who asked him. His exact quote for people asking about salvation was this. Just pray about it. If God is going to save you He will save you and if not there is nothing you or I can do about it. Is this Biblical?
What resulted from this preaching? Revival? Not as I would understand it. His congregation was filled with people who feared God's wrath and had no way of understanding salvation. So they committed suicide. Even his own uncle, Joseph Hawley II, did so. Now I ask you, should Godly preaching cause mass suicide? Is damning people without giving them God's grace Biblical? Should we follow this man? What did Jesus say about being Elect?
Come unto me ALL of you that labor and are heavy laden and I WILL give you rest! (Matt. 11:28)
So am I damning Edwards? No, but I am saying that we should not look up to him as a leader who did no wrong. No man is perfect, but I would be cautious to follow a man whose preaching lead his uncle to slit his throat.
In the end, we are to do as Paul reminded the church in Corinth. Follow Christ, not Paul, Apollos, Peter, Edwards, Calvin, Luther, Simons, or Wesley.
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