News is coming through that the people of the Irish Republic have voted to "liberalise" the abortion laws in the country, thus paving the way for a holocaust of 1,000s of babies who will be butchered as a result of this.
In the referendum campaign the promoters of this wickedness shamefully used the death of a pregnant Indian women, Savita Halappanavar, as a pretext to forward their murderous intents.
This unfortunate lady fell ill while in Ireland, and the doctors refused to carry out an abortion because they deemed that her life was not at risk. Her subsequent death was NOT the result of Ireland's strict pro-life laws, but due to the incompetence of the doctors, they didn't have the medical nous to recognise that her symptoms suggested her life was at risk.
However, the pro-killing lobby don't deal in facts, they deal in lies and duplicity for one very simple reason - they are agents of Satan whom he is using to pursue his vile agenda.
I truly pray that God, in His mercy, doesn't punish Ireland for trampling underfoot the teaching of His word in Psalm 139 verses 13-16, which clearly states that human life begins in the womb. History has shown that when a state ushers in laws such as this, then dreadful calamities result; an example being that, when British parliament voted for such in the 1967 this was followed by an outbreak of "foot and mouth" disease and the onset of the troubles in Northern Ireland which led to 1,000s of deaths.
It is my sincere wish that God will be merciful to Ireland but, given that His word and His honour have been violated, I fear for the people in that land as they suffer the consequences of what they have done.
In the meantime our response should be two-fold. We should pray for those women and their supporters, who have killed their children, that they would come to repentance and faith in Christ. God is merciful to those who are truly repentant and accept Christ. Also, secondly, we should be even more zealous to spread the truths of the Gospel, wherever we are, because it is only in the Gospel that people living sinful lives can be radically transformed, and know the joy of sins forgiven.
Saturday, 26 May 2018
Saturday, 12 May 2018
Manasseh - a trophy of Grace.
It has been my privilege to have been involved in open air outreach for some 40 years, and I've had the joy of pointing hundreds of people to Christ over that time.
Given the hardness of peoples' hearts and, in some cases, their open and flagrant perversions, it is tempting to wonder if the Gospel really is effective in changing people. The answer to such unwelcome meanderings of the mind is to look at examples of God's power, not only in every day life, but also in God's inerrant word - the Bible.
One such example is Manasseh.
In 2nd Chronicles 33 we read of him becoming king of Judah at the young age of 12 and not dying until 55 years later - quite a long life for that time. It was not long before the wickedness of his heart become apparent in the rampant idolatry he practised, which was so depraved he even sacrificed children to pagan gods. Indeed, his vileness was such that he even surpassed the heathen nations around Israel and Judah.
It is not spiritually healthy to spend too long dwelling upon the awful things he did but it is necessary to acquaint ourselves with these facts for one very important reason - God's grace is magnified in his life as the Lord turns his heart to Himself in true repentance, a repentance which shows itself in the changed life. This is recorded for us in verses 12 - 16.
What an encouragement for us in our own work of spreading the seed of the Gospel. We may often wonder if someone has steeped themselves in wickedness so much that they simply cannot be saved; and yet we remind ourselves - if God can save one as depraved as Manasseh He can save anybody.
In the light of that glorious and wonderful truth - let us continue to spread the Word, believing that the Gospel has lost none of its power; as the Bible says "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation, to everyone that believes..." Romans 1 v 16.
Given the hardness of peoples' hearts and, in some cases, their open and flagrant perversions, it is tempting to wonder if the Gospel really is effective in changing people. The answer to such unwelcome meanderings of the mind is to look at examples of God's power, not only in every day life, but also in God's inerrant word - the Bible.
One such example is Manasseh.
In 2nd Chronicles 33 we read of him becoming king of Judah at the young age of 12 and not dying until 55 years later - quite a long life for that time. It was not long before the wickedness of his heart become apparent in the rampant idolatry he practised, which was so depraved he even sacrificed children to pagan gods. Indeed, his vileness was such that he even surpassed the heathen nations around Israel and Judah.
It is not spiritually healthy to spend too long dwelling upon the awful things he did but it is necessary to acquaint ourselves with these facts for one very important reason - God's grace is magnified in his life as the Lord turns his heart to Himself in true repentance, a repentance which shows itself in the changed life. This is recorded for us in verses 12 - 16.
What an encouragement for us in our own work of spreading the seed of the Gospel. We may often wonder if someone has steeped themselves in wickedness so much that they simply cannot be saved; and yet we remind ourselves - if God can save one as depraved as Manasseh He can save anybody.
In the light of that glorious and wonderful truth - let us continue to spread the Word, believing that the Gospel has lost none of its power; as the Bible says "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation, to everyone that believes..." Romans 1 v 16.
Friday, 20 April 2018
It's not the waiter's fault if the diner complains.
I recently read an interesting illustration that I would like to share with readers and it runs as follows:
A chef prepares a meal, in a restaurant, and the waiter serves it to the customer. There is nothing wrong with the meal; indeed, it is perfect, but the diner is one of those "glass half-empty" people who will find fault with anything. He duly calls the waiter over to him and berates him for the alleged poor quality of the food, it's not to his satisfaction etc etc. The waiter gets a bit fed up with this and asks the diner if he would like to take up the matter with the chef. After all, the waiter simply served up the meal, it was the chef who prepared it.
As one reflects upon this it becomes apparent that there is a parallel with the Christian telling people what the Bible teaches. There is nothing wrong with the Bible, it is, in fact, infallible, but it teaches a number of unpalatable truths that make for uncomfortable reading. It teaches us that God is Holy and we are sinful; it teaches that we deserve judgement for our sin and no amount of good deeds will put that right. It teaches that there is only one way to get right with God and that is through faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as our Lord and Saviour.
It also teaches that there are certain practises which, though they are regarded as fine by the majority of people, are deemed to be sinful in the sight of this Holy God.
When Christians are faithful to declare the truth of the Bible they will often be met with hostility, harassment and persecution. Indeed, we may even find ourselves falling foul of the "thought Police" who seem to regulate what one may or may not believe, with the same level of zeal as the old East German Stasi.
What should be our response when facing such abuse?
Coming back to our illustration I would suggest the following answer; just as the waiter simply challenged the diner to take up the matter with the chef, so we can simply point out that God has written His word, it has been carefully prepared (and preserved) and all we need to do is to "serve it up". If people don't like its teachings the answer should be straightforward viz. take up the matter with God, it is His word, not mine.
There is no need for us to be cowed into silence by the "liberal fascists" who insist on telling us that we are bigots because we believe things they don't like. Our responsibility is to boldly lay out before people what God's word says, and then trust Him to work on people as it pleases Him to do so.
The Bible clearly teaches (in Romans 10 v 17) that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God; therefore let us re-double our efforts to spread its teachings and leave the consequences to Him.
A chef prepares a meal, in a restaurant, and the waiter serves it to the customer. There is nothing wrong with the meal; indeed, it is perfect, but the diner is one of those "glass half-empty" people who will find fault with anything. He duly calls the waiter over to him and berates him for the alleged poor quality of the food, it's not to his satisfaction etc etc. The waiter gets a bit fed up with this and asks the diner if he would like to take up the matter with the chef. After all, the waiter simply served up the meal, it was the chef who prepared it.
As one reflects upon this it becomes apparent that there is a parallel with the Christian telling people what the Bible teaches. There is nothing wrong with the Bible, it is, in fact, infallible, but it teaches a number of unpalatable truths that make for uncomfortable reading. It teaches us that God is Holy and we are sinful; it teaches that we deserve judgement for our sin and no amount of good deeds will put that right. It teaches that there is only one way to get right with God and that is through faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as our Lord and Saviour.
It also teaches that there are certain practises which, though they are regarded as fine by the majority of people, are deemed to be sinful in the sight of this Holy God.
When Christians are faithful to declare the truth of the Bible they will often be met with hostility, harassment and persecution. Indeed, we may even find ourselves falling foul of the "thought Police" who seem to regulate what one may or may not believe, with the same level of zeal as the old East German Stasi.
What should be our response when facing such abuse?
Coming back to our illustration I would suggest the following answer; just as the waiter simply challenged the diner to take up the matter with the chef, so we can simply point out that God has written His word, it has been carefully prepared (and preserved) and all we need to do is to "serve it up". If people don't like its teachings the answer should be straightforward viz. take up the matter with God, it is His word, not mine.
There is no need for us to be cowed into silence by the "liberal fascists" who insist on telling us that we are bigots because we believe things they don't like. Our responsibility is to boldly lay out before people what God's word says, and then trust Him to work on people as it pleases Him to do so.
The Bible clearly teaches (in Romans 10 v 17) that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God; therefore let us re-double our efforts to spread its teachings and leave the consequences to Him.
Wednesday, 28 March 2018
Alleged contradictions in the Bible #4 - the period between the death and resurrection of Christ.
Continuing on with our series of alleged contradictions in God's infallible word, we come, now, to one which has often been pointed to as an obvious error.
It runs as follows: In Matthew 12 v 40 Jesus made it clear that the Son of Man would be 3 days and 3 nights in the heart of the earth; this is a reference to the time between His death and resurrection. However, in Luke 24 Jesus was speaking with the 2 disciples on the Emmaus road on the first day of the week (which was Sunday) and they made mention of the fact that it was the 3rd day after His death had occurred (verse 21). Therefore, His death occurred on Friday, and the resurrection on Sunday. How can this be 3 days and 3 nights?
On the face of it the matter does look awkward for proponents of Biblical inerrancy - however, as with all such questions the answer is simple, absurdly so.
It was a principle in Bible times for people to refer to a part day/night as a whole day/night. Two examples of this are as follows:
In 1st Samuel 30 we read of David and his men arriving at Ziklag, their city of residence, and finding it ransacked. The Amalekites had raided the city and carried off the women and children. When the men gave chase they came across an Egyptian who had been a servant of the Amalekites. Verse 12 says that he had not eaten "for 3 days and 3 nights". In verse 13 he said that his master had dumped him aside "3 days ago". A clear reference to the principle of counting a part day/night as a whole day/night.
The 2nd example is in Esther. In chapter 4 v 16 she says that she will fast for 3 days, night and day, before going to make a petition to the king. In chapter 5 v 1 we read that it was "on the 3rd day" that she went before the king. Another reference to a part day/night being counted as a whole day/night.
When opponents of the Bible come up with these alleged errors the issue is not an academic one but a moral one. They know that if the Bible is true then they will have to change their way of living and stop pursuing their sinful lifestyles. Therefore, they scour the Bible in a vain and pathetic attempt to find justification for refusing to come to repentance, but such a search is futile and doomed to fail.
The best course for these poor creatures is the stop fighting and surrender to Jesus; they will then find a peace "that passes all understanding" (Phil. 4 v 7) and have assurance of eternal life.
It runs as follows: In Matthew 12 v 40 Jesus made it clear that the Son of Man would be 3 days and 3 nights in the heart of the earth; this is a reference to the time between His death and resurrection. However, in Luke 24 Jesus was speaking with the 2 disciples on the Emmaus road on the first day of the week (which was Sunday) and they made mention of the fact that it was the 3rd day after His death had occurred (verse 21). Therefore, His death occurred on Friday, and the resurrection on Sunday. How can this be 3 days and 3 nights?
On the face of it the matter does look awkward for proponents of Biblical inerrancy - however, as with all such questions the answer is simple, absurdly so.
It was a principle in Bible times for people to refer to a part day/night as a whole day/night. Two examples of this are as follows:
In 1st Samuel 30 we read of David and his men arriving at Ziklag, their city of residence, and finding it ransacked. The Amalekites had raided the city and carried off the women and children. When the men gave chase they came across an Egyptian who had been a servant of the Amalekites. Verse 12 says that he had not eaten "for 3 days and 3 nights". In verse 13 he said that his master had dumped him aside "3 days ago". A clear reference to the principle of counting a part day/night as a whole day/night.
The 2nd example is in Esther. In chapter 4 v 16 she says that she will fast for 3 days, night and day, before going to make a petition to the king. In chapter 5 v 1 we read that it was "on the 3rd day" that she went before the king. Another reference to a part day/night being counted as a whole day/night.
When opponents of the Bible come up with these alleged errors the issue is not an academic one but a moral one. They know that if the Bible is true then they will have to change their way of living and stop pursuing their sinful lifestyles. Therefore, they scour the Bible in a vain and pathetic attempt to find justification for refusing to come to repentance, but such a search is futile and doomed to fail.
The best course for these poor creatures is the stop fighting and surrender to Jesus; they will then find a peace "that passes all understanding" (Phil. 4 v 7) and have assurance of eternal life.
Wednesday, 14 March 2018
Where is Hawking now?
News has come through informing us that Stephen Hawking has passed into eternity.
This man was a so-called "atheistic scientist". That is a contradiction in terms because true scientists believe there is a God. He was stricken by a terrible disease which ravaged his body and I wouldn't wish that upon anyone, not even atheists, (even though the Bible rightly calls such people "fools" - Psalm 53 v 1). However, what is worse than having a body racked with disease is having a crippled soul as, indeed, was the case with Hawking.
He promoted the evolution fraud and passed it off as a fact, even though there is not even enough evidence to call it a theory. It is, in truth, a Satan-inspired creed.
In addition to his follies in believing such nonsense, this poor creature also publicly ridiculed the idea of an afterlife as the stuff of "fairy stories" - he knows differently now.
Given that the Bible teaches that non-believers in Christ end up in Hell, should we say that Hawking is now there?
The answer is - we don't know if Hawking is definitely in Hell because there is always the chance that before he died he had the good sense to repent of his wickedness, and accept Christ as his personal Saviour. I truly hope he did so, I suspect we shall have surprises in Heaven.
If, however, he did not so repent then he is now facing an eternity of indescribable torment at the hands of the God whom he spent his life denying, and he is paying the price for promoting the filth of evolution (or evil-lution as I call it).
People like Hawking, and his ilk, are full of their own pride and self-promotion BUT they will one day die, then where will they be? In the words of Deuteronomy 32 v 35 - "...their foot shall slide in due time".
Our response to Hawking's death should be that we re-double our efforts to spread the Gospel in the hope, that, even people afflicted with the cruelties of atheism, may yet be given grace to repent and receive Christ as their Lord and Saviour.
This man was a so-called "atheistic scientist". That is a contradiction in terms because true scientists believe there is a God. He was stricken by a terrible disease which ravaged his body and I wouldn't wish that upon anyone, not even atheists, (even though the Bible rightly calls such people "fools" - Psalm 53 v 1). However, what is worse than having a body racked with disease is having a crippled soul as, indeed, was the case with Hawking.
He promoted the evolution fraud and passed it off as a fact, even though there is not even enough evidence to call it a theory. It is, in truth, a Satan-inspired creed.
In addition to his follies in believing such nonsense, this poor creature also publicly ridiculed the idea of an afterlife as the stuff of "fairy stories" - he knows differently now.
Given that the Bible teaches that non-believers in Christ end up in Hell, should we say that Hawking is now there?
The answer is - we don't know if Hawking is definitely in Hell because there is always the chance that before he died he had the good sense to repent of his wickedness, and accept Christ as his personal Saviour. I truly hope he did so, I suspect we shall have surprises in Heaven.
If, however, he did not so repent then he is now facing an eternity of indescribable torment at the hands of the God whom he spent his life denying, and he is paying the price for promoting the filth of evolution (or evil-lution as I call it).
People like Hawking, and his ilk, are full of their own pride and self-promotion BUT they will one day die, then where will they be? In the words of Deuteronomy 32 v 35 - "...their foot shall slide in due time".
Our response to Hawking's death should be that we re-double our efforts to spread the Gospel in the hope, that, even people afflicted with the cruelties of atheism, may yet be given grace to repent and receive Christ as their Lord and Saviour.
Thursday, 8 March 2018
Alleged contradictions in the Bible #3 - The position of the Incense Altar
Continuing on with our series of alleged contradictions in the Bible we come now to one that is often not noticed even by faithful believers in the Bible's infallibility viz.
The position of the Incense Altar in the Old Testament Tabernacle.
We are, no doubt, aware of the construction of the tabernacle in the OT and how it all points to the person and work of Christ. Students of this subject will know that the main building was divided into 2 parts - The Holy Place and The Most Holy Place (aka "The Holy of Holies").
In the first part of the building was the Candlestick, the Table of Showbread and the Incense Altar, behind the veil in the 2nd part was the Ark of the Covenant and The Mercy Seat.
In Exodus 40 we are told that the Incense Altar was to be placed in the 1st part of the building before the veil BUT, in Hebrews 9 v 1-4 we are told that the Incense Altar was to be found after the veil and in the same part as the Ark of the Covenant.
People who study the Bible in an attempt to find "errors" will seize upon this as a "Gotcha" moment par excellence and, to be fair to them, it does look as if there is a clear contradiction.
However, as with all these so-called discoveries of "mistakes" in God's infallible word, this one, too, has a simple explanation.
Remembering the principle of keeping all verses in their context please note the following:
The book of Exodus contains instructions for the building of the Tabernacle and its objects and states that the High Priest was to minister at the Incense Altar on a daily basis. As he was not to enter the Holy of Holies during the course of the year this would, of necessity, be placed in the Holy Place. However, once a year, on the Day of Atonement, he was to enter the Most Holy Place and sprinkle the blood of atonement upon the Mercy Seat which was on top of the Ark and, on that day, the Incense Altar would have been employed within the veil, in the same room - how do we know this? Look again at Hebrews chapter 9 and read down to verses 6 and 7. The general arrangement of the furniture was as stated in Exodus 40 but on that one day, the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would enter the Most Holy Place. Therefore, in order to "do the job" properly he would have had to take the incense altar with him to offer incense. It is clear that the opening section of Hebrews chapter 9 was a reference to the work of the priest on the Day of Atonement.
Remember too, that the Altar of Incense is a picture of Christ's intercessory ministry for us (see 1st John 2 v 1) and on the Day of Atonement, as the High Priest sprinkles the blood upon the Mercy Seat it is a picture of Christ entering into the presence of God the Father and presenting the blood that He shed. Would it be stretching the point to believe that, just as the sprinkling of the blood on the Mercy Seat is a picture of Christ presenting His blood to the Father, so the Incense Altar is a picture of Christ representing us before the Father, and what better day than that precious Day of Atonement?
To say that the Incense Altar was not taken into the Most Holy Place would be to allow that there is a contradiction in the inerrant Word of God. As there is no such contradiction, this is the only answer, and it is a really simple one.
It is my hope to continue this series of alleged contradictions in the Bible; if any of my readers have a query, or difficulty that they would like answered, please leave a comment.
The position of the Incense Altar in the Old Testament Tabernacle.
We are, no doubt, aware of the construction of the tabernacle in the OT and how it all points to the person and work of Christ. Students of this subject will know that the main building was divided into 2 parts - The Holy Place and The Most Holy Place (aka "The Holy of Holies").
In the first part of the building was the Candlestick, the Table of Showbread and the Incense Altar, behind the veil in the 2nd part was the Ark of the Covenant and The Mercy Seat.
In Exodus 40 we are told that the Incense Altar was to be placed in the 1st part of the building before the veil BUT, in Hebrews 9 v 1-4 we are told that the Incense Altar was to be found after the veil and in the same part as the Ark of the Covenant.
People who study the Bible in an attempt to find "errors" will seize upon this as a "Gotcha" moment par excellence and, to be fair to them, it does look as if there is a clear contradiction.
However, as with all these so-called discoveries of "mistakes" in God's infallible word, this one, too, has a simple explanation.
Remembering the principle of keeping all verses in their context please note the following:
The book of Exodus contains instructions for the building of the Tabernacle and its objects and states that the High Priest was to minister at the Incense Altar on a daily basis. As he was not to enter the Holy of Holies during the course of the year this would, of necessity, be placed in the Holy Place. However, once a year, on the Day of Atonement, he was to enter the Most Holy Place and sprinkle the blood of atonement upon the Mercy Seat which was on top of the Ark and, on that day, the Incense Altar would have been employed within the veil, in the same room - how do we know this? Look again at Hebrews chapter 9 and read down to verses 6 and 7. The general arrangement of the furniture was as stated in Exodus 40 but on that one day, the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would enter the Most Holy Place. Therefore, in order to "do the job" properly he would have had to take the incense altar with him to offer incense. It is clear that the opening section of Hebrews chapter 9 was a reference to the work of the priest on the Day of Atonement.
Remember too, that the Altar of Incense is a picture of Christ's intercessory ministry for us (see 1st John 2 v 1) and on the Day of Atonement, as the High Priest sprinkles the blood upon the Mercy Seat it is a picture of Christ entering into the presence of God the Father and presenting the blood that He shed. Would it be stretching the point to believe that, just as the sprinkling of the blood on the Mercy Seat is a picture of Christ presenting His blood to the Father, so the Incense Altar is a picture of Christ representing us before the Father, and what better day than that precious Day of Atonement?
To say that the Incense Altar was not taken into the Most Holy Place would be to allow that there is a contradiction in the inerrant Word of God. As there is no such contradiction, this is the only answer, and it is a really simple one.
It is my hope to continue this series of alleged contradictions in the Bible; if any of my readers have a query, or difficulty that they would like answered, please leave a comment.
Wednesday, 24 January 2018
Alleged contradictions in the Bible #2 - How many were slain in the plague?
Continuing on with our series of alleged contradictions in the infallible word of God we come now to one that, at first glance, looks like a glaring error but, on closer inspection, explains itself.
In Numbers 25 we read of God wiping out 24,000 people for wickedness. Being a sovereign God He is perfectly just in doing so. After all, He is the one in control, He makes the rules, and if people wilfully disobey Him, despite being repeatedly warned, then they can't complain if He deals with them.
However, the problem arises when, after having read (in Number 25 v 9) that 24,000 were killed, we come to the New Testament and read (in 1st Corinthians 10 v 8) that 23,000 were killed.
This is another "Gotcha" moment from the unsaved.
"Your Bible claims to be God's word and yet we have an obvious error" - not so fast, my friend, read the wording very carefully:
" Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day, twenty and three thousand".
Did you notice the words "in one day"?
This shows, once again, that when reading the Bible it is imperative to read every word (after all, doesn't the Bible say "every word of God is pure"?). It is quite obvious what has happened here - 23,000 died in one day, and the other 1,000 died later.
So, once again, the Bible is proved to be correct and the efforts of puny men to disprove it fail, and fail miserably.
Watch this space for the next instalment as we prove that the Bible is what it claims to be, the inspired and inerrant Word of God.
In Numbers 25 we read of God wiping out 24,000 people for wickedness. Being a sovereign God He is perfectly just in doing so. After all, He is the one in control, He makes the rules, and if people wilfully disobey Him, despite being repeatedly warned, then they can't complain if He deals with them.
However, the problem arises when, after having read (in Number 25 v 9) that 24,000 were killed, we come to the New Testament and read (in 1st Corinthians 10 v 8) that 23,000 were killed.
This is another "Gotcha" moment from the unsaved.
"Your Bible claims to be God's word and yet we have an obvious error" - not so fast, my friend, read the wording very carefully:
" Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day, twenty and three thousand".
Did you notice the words "in one day"?
This shows, once again, that when reading the Bible it is imperative to read every word (after all, doesn't the Bible say "every word of God is pure"?). It is quite obvious what has happened here - 23,000 died in one day, and the other 1,000 died later.
So, once again, the Bible is proved to be correct and the efforts of puny men to disprove it fail, and fail miserably.
Watch this space for the next instalment as we prove that the Bible is what it claims to be, the inspired and inerrant Word of God.
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