Archive for the 'Religion' Category

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” – Romans 5:12

Inherent sin is provable, both in nature and from Scripture.

There was a video recently in which the speaker claimed that there is no inherent sin in man because the young are unaware of their sinful acts. I won’t link the video; we’ll stay attached closely to the truth lest we wander. But in this video, his children were acting up very near the beginning. He told the camera that his two-year-old is always doing bad things, but their behavior is not sin because the child does not know right and wrong.

Brothers and sisters, he disproved his point at the outset. One does not have to teach a child to strike another and take his toy. What made the child like this? To claim they are not sinners is to say that God made them rebellious, which, when you realize all men are sinners, is a claim that the source image of man is also a sinner; this is blasphemous! With no prompting or instruction whatsoever, children are sinners. Nobody had to teach them this. Even upon reprimand, children will continue to bear false witness, disobey a mother, steal, assault without good cause, and worse. They do this because they were born this way!

We are sinners, born of the seed of Adam, wholly wicked and depraved, even without remorse. It takes 12, 14, or 18 years to train a child in the way of Jesus Christ. Even then, much to his own dismay, though he would not, an adult born altogether anew by the Spirit of God sent from Heaven by Christ continues to flout the law of God in his heart, in his mind, and in his actions.

In fact, before salvation, the lost sinner may have some vague and darkened sense of right and wrong, but it’s almost always applied comparatively to other men. Man is born a sinner; unless and until the Lord opens their eyes, they are blinded by the devil to God and Christ; yet, created by God, they are His, without excuse before the throne on high. To acknowledge your sin, you must have knowledge of it, which is the miracle of salvation in Christ; that He is opening your eyes, showing your need for forgiveness and fear of hellfire. But Heaven help you, refusal to acknowledge your sin, even in ignorance feigned or actual, shall not save you at the final trumpet when Christ returns.

As to our verse at the top, the Scripture does not lie. Sin entered into the world through disobedience to God by the first man Adam, causing death. For this was the devil’s claim in the lie to the woman; “Ye shall not surely die.” But dead in sin, naked and afraid before Holy God, became the first man and his wife, and indeed his body expired, returning to the dust from whence he was taken, which was the very curse of God pronounced upon him for his rebelliousness. Disobedience to God is now in every man from his birth, so death passed upon all men, every single one, from Adam down each generation until today. There is no more clear evidence of sin than that every man’s life is but a vapor, appointed by God once to die; depravity of sin and the inevitability of death torments us all, for all that are in the world and the very earth itself are cursed by God for this sin.

But spoken in the word of God by the prophet Hosea, portending the day of Christ: “O grave, I will be thy destruction.” And later in the New Testament: “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” For what need a man of Christ if he is not a sinner bound to death unto the weight of the curse? Jesus himself said He came to save sinners. That you needn’t have to, Jesus tasted death for every man, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. That’s right; payment has already been made; accept it and call on Jesus.

Admit your depravity, abandon your pride, and seek forgiveness from God through faith in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. That’s why Jesus died on the cross, to pay your sin debt to Holy God. And now, Jesus having risen from the grave; by the very mercies of God Almighty, you need not die. Though your body will expire and be eaten by worms, those raised with Christ by the Spirit now will be raised again in the body, and with Job, we can proclaim to all the world: “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth…yet in my flesh shall I see God.”

Poignant and timely, history applied both personally and nationally. Oh, that America would tear down its alters to neopaganism, the worship of Baal, and the sacrifice of Moloch; repent on bended knee, building the altar of sacrifice upon our hearts unto Christ Jesus, the one true living and resurrected Saviour. God is a consuming fire.

The hour is late; evil unleashed is setting in, and on the final day, Christ will return for those that are His and no others. Woe to those He finds standing at the altar of Baal and woe to those worshipping what they know not in pagan darkness, gods that are dead and never living. Jesus Christ is He that liveth, and behold He is alive forevermore. Amen.

Revelation 8

You can understand New Testament prophecy and the book of Revelation for yourself! To help you, we offer several resources to provide background, key components, and tools. The video below is an excellent presentation of the meaning behind Revelation chapter 8 and the entire book. There is no way you can’t learn from this presentation.

Being unable to understand New Testament prophecy is typical today due to awful teaching. Dr. Baldwin alleviates this malady by doing several things in this video. This is the first time we’ve seen somebody connect Old Testament Prophecy language, adequately defined, to concisely present the meaning of Revelation by illuminating those verses. The teaching here is masterful.

This instruction is essential. The American churches are awash in a sea of ignorance and lies. We’re going to provide study notes and linked materials. All the information presented and linked here will leave you without excuse for remaining ignorant of the real meaning of much of New Testament prophecy. Your churches are not teaching the truth; you remain ignorant and are losing your civilization for it. There is no reason for your continued lack of biblical understanding but willful unfamiliarity, for which you will have to reckon with God Almighty one day soon.

If you begin to watch this video and are lost, it’s ok; that means you first need the requisite background. In this case, start here with Matthew 24. Take your time, examine all ten short posts, praying to God for truth and knowledge according to His will. Understanding Matthew 24 in context is required to apprehend the New Testament’s broader context, and specifically the meaning of Revelation.

Generally, the terms used in Revelation are not defined in that book. But, there’s something in Bible analysis called the Rule of First Use. That is, the first time a term appears in the Holy Bible, it is the most accepted definition and the springboard for usage throughout Scripture. Dr. Baldwin uses some of the simplest verses from the Old Testament as examples to teach the true meanings in Revelation Chapter eight.

Tracing back terminology to its other uses in the Old Testament and proper contextual understanding of Matthew 24 as a background is the only way Revelation can be understood.

Note: There is another fatal flaw in teaching by today’s churches. The correct method is that the New Testament interprets the Old Testament rather than the other way around. The Rule of First Use does not override this different interpretive principle. The Old Testament does not change the contextual meaning of a passage of Scripture in the New Testament. Quite the contrary is true; the New Testament shows the true final meaning in fulfillment of the Old Testament both in total and when specific Old Testament verses are quoted or cited in the New Testament.

A few Old Testament definitions used in New Testament prophecy were provided at TCJ. You must know these terms to understand prophecy in the New Testament.

Prophecy is full of hyperbolic and symbolic language, and Revelation, along with Ezekiel, are the most symbolic books in the Holy Bible. In fact, Revelation verse one of chapter one uses the word signified (KJV), which can mean symbolized. The angel provides John with the symbols of actual events both in heaven and on earth.

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John” – Revelation 1:1

Dr. Baldwin will help you immensely to understand the signs to glean the substance of the text.

The video contends that each trumpet and woe should be viewed separately and analyzed. We agree for study purposes, but it’s the only rough spot in the video. He doesn’t lay out the format very well. Literary context matters, but structural context also matters. Some time ago, we had written an overview of structure to help with format context for those studying Revelation; it’s called, Structure of the Book of Revelation Chapters 6 through 11: 7 seals, 7 Trumpets, 3 Woes, glorious depictions of Heaven and blessings of God. That post will help you keep your place and understand the action any time you explore this section of Revelation. Please read this first and perhaps keep it handy as you watch the video.

Dr. Baldwin cites some videos from The Israel Packages, which are available for purchase, or you can find each video in this exhaustive series by searching the web. These messages are critical to demolishing Israel-based prophetic futurism. We’ve seen every one of them. The series is worth watching because it will topple the years of false teaching you’ve been under in American evangelical churches.

Verse Studies from the embedded video:

-Rained hail, fire, brimstone – Revelation 8:7

“And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt.” – Exodus 9:23

Not mentioned in the video but germane – “Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven” – Genesis 19:24

“And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.” – Revelation 11:8

-Mountain moving/burning – Revelation 8:8

“Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, saith the LORD, which destroyest all the earth: and I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain.” – Jeremiah 51:25

“Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.” – Matthew 21:21

– Wormwood – Revelation 8:10-11

“Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink.” – Jeremiah 9:15

“Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land.” – Jeremiah 23:15

“He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood.” – Lamentations 3:15. See verse 19

“Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth,” – Amos 5:7

– Block out the sun – Revelation 8:12

“7 And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light. 8 All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord GOD.” – Ezekiel 32:7-8

“9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.

10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.” – Isaiah 13:9-10

“The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:” – Joel 2:10

“30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.” – Joel 2:30-31

There’s more. Watch the whole video.

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Additional New Testament prophecy and eschatology study resources:

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Notes on the Destruction of Jerusalem, Part One and Part Two

Two brief Studies on the date Revelation was written and why that matters; here and here

Structural Strands in NT Eschatology

Why you can’t understand the Book of Revelation

“1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.” – Psalms 1

Sometimes simple is the best course to take. Not a season but a day of seeming silence from God and in frustration turning to the first Psalm, there is the Lord, waiting in His mercy; the word of God beckoning; draw nigh to the throne of heaven and be refreshed.

Keep it simple; Psalm the first certainly does that for any who seeks to hear from the Almighty, to know of His basic instruction for saved sinners, and has the desire to turn away from the counsel of the ungodly. Also contained in this Psalm is the warning to the man without Christ as his God. Deuteronomy 11:26 plainly says what runs throughout the entire holy writ; God has set before us blessings and curses, a truth of the economy of our Creator, plain from the text above.

There is a lot of negativity today. So much so that it will disturb the soul. The closer one walks with the King of saints, the brighter the promise of His coming and the new creation. And conversely, the further from His love, the darker the counsel of this world, so much so the saved man may find himself standing in the way of sinners having sat down in the seat of the scornful.

Life is a choice every day; the way of the Lord Jesus Christ or the practice of evil that is of the world with its conventions and impostor gods. Psalm One offers two paths, the straight gate, the narrow way leading unto life and life eternal, or the broad way which leads to destruction.

The word of God engages the law written on the inward parts, that is, upon the heart, delighting in the Lord, meditating upon His grace, for the soul of the man that the Lord plants shall not be uprooted. Here is the way of the godly: though we may briefly faint, returning to God’s written truth, getting set firmly on the beacon of hope, the true north by which any compass must be fixed, which is Christ.

Two things are not so: speaking of the scornful (verse 1) doesn’t mean the godly saint goes along to get along with the evil of this world by not rebuking the sinner. Nor is the prosperity mentioned (verse 2) somehow worldly goods and pleasure; for all the riches of heaven await. Come out from the false churches of the New Religion and be revived!

The seat of the scornful is that of the man with a beam (Matthew 7:5) in his own eye. And the man that would prosper is bearing fruit in due season, blessed of the Lord, telling of the loving-kindness in salvation wherewith Christ has made him free indeed. Though He grows us through testing, failing to prosper in service is evidence of not doing as the Lord commands according to the word of God. Do all things God’s way, and though this is the more challenging road, follow the Bible, and by providence, in dominion, His blessings will reign from heaven.

Verse three tells us of the day when there will be a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. No more night, no more curse, but bathed continually in the love and light of God Almighty. In Christ is eternal life to those planted by still waters, never to wither, having an inheritance that fades not, calmed in the gale by the Lord’s indwelling hope, having the signature of His grace, the name of God, in their foreheads.

Every living thing brings forth fruit of its own kind (Genesis 1:11), in which is the seed of renewal. So too, the fruit of the Christian is all things by the law that tend to reproduce godliness in those with whom we interact; the fruit of the believer is the seed, which is the word God spread abroad, planting and watering in the souls of sinners and saints alike.

What better season than the fall of Empire to speak of a finer hope in a better Kingdom with better law and a great high King who rules in the affairs of men? Tell somebody about what great things the Lord has done for you!

The day of great separation is coming, the wheat from the chaff. There is One, Christ Jesus, who is come threshing all things; a great cleaving is at His hand upon the earth. Those without Christ, having never tasted the glories of the liberty in pardon the death of Jesus has brought, will surely perish, fruitless in the end; they will be driven away into outer darkness to burn up in the great fire.

Through Christ is forgiveness. Seek him carefully now before it’s too late because the ungodly, having rejected the day of new life that began with the resurrection of Christ from the dead, will be unable to stand at the great judgment of the Lord. In His wrath, He will indemnify evil for evil upon the head of the scornful man that rejects and mocks the most High by walking in the counsel of the ungodly.

Perhaps they don’t hate God; however, some do for no good cause, but they couldn’t be bothered with seeking their Maker, having no fear of God before their eyes.

And what future have those who called upon the Lord but continue to walk as scorners and sinners do? Integrity comes from following Lord in faith and trusting until the end.

All that heaven holds: the wealth of glory is to them that are joint heirs with Christ. The unforgiven may not enter into the congregation of the godly; one must be thoroughly cleansed, washed through and through by the blood of Jesus Christ, made upright, and seen of God in Christ, who is the only hope.

The choice is indeed simple this day: Christ Jesus is the righteous one, and God sees and does know if you are His. Destruction and hell are the future of those without hope; they are the ungodly scornful sinners who reject Christ. The Lord knows the way of the righteous man, but the ungodly shall perish in His wrath.

“For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.” – Deuteronomy 4:24

If enough Americans turn from our wicked ways, seek the face of the Holy One, pursue the Word of life in His purity, and forsake all sin, perhaps God will relent with the impending judgment forming all around. But you can’t fix them, you can start, and you must begin with yourself. At the last day, when you stand, judgment will be individual; Jesus is your one, best, and only hope to be made blameless before the consuming fire of the wrath of God.

Millions of hours are spent every year comparing ourselves; look at them and how bad they are. It’s an American industry, this sport of observing the wretchedness of others. Well, you can’t fix them. All you can do is get on a right standing with Holy God. If you seek the Lord with all your heart in a contrite spirit, you shall find Him merciful unto forgiveness from all sin.

God is a jealous God. He will allow no other gods before Him. Reject the false gods you’ve set over yourself, your family, and your nation. Everything done against His word is sin, and everything made higher in the mind and action than the truth of Jesus Christ is an idol.

Where you spend your time and money, there is your heart. Examine your schedule and your bank statement. Are those things contrary to the foundations of the teachings in the Holy Bible? When you work at counter purposes to God, you work against yourself and the blessings God would shower from heaven. Make God your god, pray without ceasing, seek His will in all things, and live according to the instruction in the New Testament.

“29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.” – Deuteronomy 4:29

In its narrowest context, this verse speaks nationally to those who received the law from Moses. The broader applications are reducible throughout Scripture to the Church, a church, family, and the individual.

God’s emphatic command aims for you to get right with Him, setting yourself according to His law-word. God is gracious, providing His divine criterion, His word in the Holy Bible. It’s a fixed beacon, the standard upon which every man can rely. The world spirals out of control, but God changes not. You needn’t wonder what course to take, what is good and right, for His love is codified for you; the instruction in righteousness given to all men fills every page. His Holy Bible is the measure, not measuring men against each other, but you must follow God by His canon.

Then, after days or weeks of preparation, as long as you need, lead your family out of the wilderness of sin and worldliness, rejecting the Godlessness and darkness of this sin-filled world that has coaxed you away from the life God has called you to fulfill. The way of the world leads to one dead end, your mortal soul in the consuming fire of the wrath of God.

Make a family devotion time together daily, drawing one immediate lesson showing God’s judgment of the wicked, the mercy of His lovingkindness to those that obey Him, and outlining a primary objective for instruction in righteousness to grow in Christ.

If you set about to do this, all manner of distraction and evil will come to bear against you. It’s a war, a real spiritual war of good against corruption. You must fight to bring your family into the love and light of Jesus Christ. But God is faithful and true; He will be with you.

“And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” – Mark 1:15

Two thousand years ago, the time was fulfilled; the day of the Gospel arrived when Jesus Christ was manifest; therefore, to this day, the Kingdom of God rules in the hearts of men who repent of their unbelief. Jesus came preaching grace and truth, dying for your sins and rising again from the tomb. If you call upon His holy name, seek forgiveness from your sin, setting your face toward the new Jerusalem, that heavenly kingdom, the Christ of God will save you. Today is the day of salvation.

His compassion for new beginnings is available every day.

“It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.” – Lamentations 3:22

Prior: God’s Church, Family, State

2 Samual 11:9-13

“But Uriah slept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and went not down to his house.” – 2 Samuel 11:9

God was manifest in the flesh, crucified for your sin, rising again from the tomb to offer salvation from sin and life, even life eternal, to all who believe by faith that He is and does what He says. We have a wonderful, loving, and caring God, full of grace and abundant in mercies. If that’s the message you need, stop here.

This post is a hard topic. If you want to avoid facing the reality of our current condition, skip this post. Evil is hard to stomach. Mature Christians must be able to confront the truth of evil in our day if we are to address how to fix it. The object at the outset is to arm you, not cause despair.

The destruction of the family is a blow to the heart of loyalty. The government neither deserves nor bothers any longer to garner commitment, and all its institutions wonder why it’s treated upon the scale from distrust to disdain and outright lawbreaking. The churches soft-peddle a New Religion, becoming full of wicked unrighteous men.

There’s no loyalty anymore. It used to be that a man could have one job, he would work hard, and a company would take care of him. He would have one wife, work diligently to provide for her, and raise his family and she would be loyal to him. The head of the family would have one law, the law of God taught by the Church of Jesus Christ, the foundation upon which civilization must function. But we’re not here to worship the good old days. This law scales up from the individual to the nation.

God is loyal to His own, demanding our loyalty to Him in return. God will never leave you nor forsake you, but what have we done? Loyalty is a component of human behavior and a man’s nature. Being social creatures made in God’s image, we have this same attribute and desire built into us. We have an innate longing to both garner loyalty and to be loyal. Fidelity is how an association of any size functions. But allegiance outside God’s law always leads to ruination in sin.

Though rarely expressed as such, at the core of many a lament today is a lack of loyalty, and rightly so; how can one be loyal to that which is unworthy of trust and respect? Commitment comes from faith that good men will do the right thing, particularly if difficult. All institutions today demand respect but have not functioned for decades in a manner that garners trust; they are deserving of none.

Some men are born having a personality that tends toward loyalty. This is a fantastic character trait, but when the churches, the State, and the family all fall apart, where can one turn? How shall we make a functioning society?

America is littered with millions of people coming to realize their loyalty to the State has been misplaced. This can be a dangerous circumstance as they’ll seek any leader they perceive to be strong enough to direct their cause. And a fraudulent apostate church reinterpreting Scripture to accept sin has led to the ruin of the churches and our country. It’s so bad that forced acceptance of pedophilia and child sacrifice, by law, is not far off. Don’t scoff at this; read your Holy Bible; America is no better than they were. Blind loyalty leads to genocide, and TPTB knows this. Men must be loyal first to God and His law.

Evil tests loyalty by requiring sin, which isn’t much of a test since all men are inherently sinners seeking the iniquity of this world. The darkness truly is the weaker and for the weak of spirit.

God tests loyalty through trials of faith and even tribulations. America is entering one such phase, where the true Church, those in Christ, is being tested. Are they vassals of the unscrupulous empire, or do we follow the Holy One? And God can allow all manner of evil to befall a Christian to draw them closer to Him. God demands loyalty, even obedience. Among the lessons one may find is that God will let you fail, ensuring you know that He is God and that men do not attain perfection. His will, in divine sovereignty, is accomplished in all things.

If you find men who seek to be loyal by nature, you should learn how to be worthy of their loyalty. This is a key component in team building and exists in family nurturing as well. But how can a leader know if somebody is loyal? Seeking a way to devise a test comes to mind, but we have no such formula for righteousness, only time together finding who is full of love one for another.

Some are more so than most by nature. They look for groups to which they can become loyal. It might be that people who appear to have their feelings hurt easily are faithful by nature, searching for reciprocation. They’re not soft or weak but have a remarkable character trait that needs to be recognized and fostered.

People are petty and don’t think long-term, but hard times are arriving. No team wants people that are hesitant to commit fully at that moment of critical decision. Always fostering a team attitude is leadership at its most basic. Don’t take advantage of the loyal.

A man should know himself and his own nature. If somebody is seeking to be loyal, they should be forgiving, accommodating, and patient in all things. Trust takes a long time for others to realize. Even relying solely upon what people say can be misleading; loyalty is found in the trenches of doing hard things together.

The loss of loyalty is a direct result of sin. If you’re a Bible-believing Christian, that’s not much of a revelation. In the case of corporations, commitment to money over people and products is the error. As to government, so too devotion to money and power over the security of the liberties bought in the blood of loyal men. Of the family, the lust of the flesh destroys the foremost fundamental requirement for a functioning society. When marriage is nothing more than a hookup that lasts a few years instead of one night, your society will soon fall.

In the Garden, holy God gave one law that man might not sin against Him. He created the first institution of civilization, the family, to live in peace and prosperity by obedience to His command. At the roots of the destruction of loyalty in America and the west is sin, the violation of God’s law, and His created order upon earth.

Uriah is a hero. We’ve heard much preaching about that section of Samuel but never on the loyalty of Uriah; perhaps the churches are not loyal to Christ our King. The modern churches teach and preach how David and Bathsheba sinned, but then how they moved passed their sin. The American churches teach adaptation to contemporary society with all its wicked sins instead of preaching and teaching how to build and maintain a culture based upon the moral laws of God Almighty. Teaching Christians how to adapt to the beast system instead of how to resist it is despicable; it destroys trust and respect and separates men from the loyalty to God they should always strive to maintain. That’s the foremost problem in American Churches today. When the church has no foundation of moral code, the destruction of the family and the State soon follows.

Few are loyal to a church nowadays. It’s a separate topic, but most Christians seek to find where they feel pleased instead of being challenged in their faith, growing and prospering in the faith of Jesus Christ. Entering into the finers pot (Proverbs 25:4) is hard, but purity before the throne must be above all else. On the tombstone of America will be written: they were comfortable.

Why would men be loyal to a church that condones divorce? In some instances, Jesus taught a more stringent law than the Old Testament, and divorce is one of those instances. See Matthew 19:7-9.

Uriah refused to leave his king (2 Samuel 11:11) until receiving new orders to return to his brothers in battle. That’s loyalty, both to the king and to his brothers. The well-being of his people was at stake because they were at war; this was loyalty to his family and clan. The first reason Uriah gave for not rejecting his moral duty by leaving the battle was that the Ark of God was down on the field; Uriah was devoted to his God. He was loyal to his Creator, the Lord of hosts, the God who is the right hand of the faithful warrior for good.

Government is merely a reflection of society. When men reject sin, flourishing families are established, and a just government is soon born, the structure of which matters much less than the morality of the component members. Loyalty is garnered because the government is loyal to the same law of God that the Church of Jesus Christ is, and the families adhere to it.

Matthew 19:27 – 20:16

“1 For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. 2 And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. 5 Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? 7 They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.” – Matthew 20:1-7

In Mathew 20 verses 3-4, 5, and 6-7, the householder, who is God in the parable, went out and hired other servants throughout the day, making a covenant with each one for service and payment of a penny (KJV). The allegory for us today is simple and has but one central point; God is making bond-servants over time, at His will, by faith in Jesus Christ, to bear fruit in His name for the glory of God.

The implications, however, are critical for us, especially in this day of do nothing Christianity. The first implication is that He is making covenants with men to be His servants, having bound them to Him for work in His vineyard which is the Kingdom of Heaven, laboring continually until the twelfth hour when the day is done and that final evening comes when Christ will glorify the Father. He didn’t forgive your sin, save you from His wrath, seal you unto the day of redemption, indwell you with the Holy Spirit, and give you His instruction manual in the New Testament so that you could do nothing and still expect your due. “For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.” – 1 Timothy 5:18

That’s a two-way street, a double-edged covenant. We most often rely on God, for He is worthy, to keep His end of the agreement knowing that our rewards are in heaven with Him. But we have a testimony of our utility to Him in the Kingdom carrying out the given duties, being a laborer, bearing much fruit for Him knowing that indeed He is just to repay our works. Shall we do nothing for our King and expect a full day’s earnings?

And don’t miss the price Christ paid for you in sacrifice on the cross, beaten and bloodied to death for your sin. At that price, receiving salvation in eternity, what toil is too much for you to expend for our King?

But Jesus rose from the grave proving His power to put your hand to the plow, chosen in Him, that you might be perhaps the least of the laborers called in the eleventh hour, yet what tremendous blessing “Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.” – 1 Peter 1:9

The endcap to the parable is so beautifully fitting.

“16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.” – Matthew 20:16

How great the liberty of the New Covenant, where service is a joy, telling of our great High Priest, laying down the seed of the word of God in the newly piqued interest of a soul to whom Mighty God is revealing himself. The work of the vineyard for our soon-returning householder is a full day’s labor for some but for others, an easy last hour yet receiving the day’s total wage.

The parable set before us is in answer to, or, the conclusion of Matthew 19:27-30. Jesus teaches the reward to His apostles because they had forsaken all to follow Him. In verse 30, Jesus states, “But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.” – Matthew 19:30. Compare this verse with the conclusion of our parable, verse 20:16. These two verses are the bookends giving us the edges within which to seek the purpose of Christ’s teaching in this case.

There are various explanations for Matthew 19:30 and 20:16 and many ridiculous assertions outside of the simple setting of addressing His disciples. Some take these verses and make up a whole new theology, but context matters.

Parables have one central message. The more esoteric conclusions to the teachings of God come from those trying to ascribe more than is plainly meant to be taught by the immediate principle in the parable. Some make a dispensationalist distinction between Jews in the Old Covenant and those under the New Covenant when they read first and last. That’s a difficult stretch of the text’s meaning, but as we’ll see, one of the purposes of the Church of Jesus Christ is given.

The simplest explanation is taken in the context of Jesus answering Peter’s question as spokesman for the Apostles. Peter asks, in Matthew 19:27, “…what shall we have therefore?” Jesus states that they will be chiefest among the regenerate, judging the twelve tribes. The Apostles, though the last of those called under the law, will be first, chosen to rule even above the patriarchs and Noah, Moses, and David. That is what Jesus is teaching them in the moment.

It seems this is the central application of the parable; being the last of the line under the Old Covenant, the apostles would be first to bring thousands and thousands born again into the body of Christ in the earliest days to establish the New Covenant, ending the old. Being firstmost, they would serve in the harshness of stonings, beheadings, crucifixions, receiving many stripes, set upon, beaten, robbed, and having their property taken by civil authorities while losing family and friends as Christ came to set mother against daughter, son against father. And persecutions still arise at different eras in the farthest habitable reaches of the earth, as Christ builds His temple, those in who the Holy Spirit inhabits.

But (Matthew 19:29) they would also gain the family of God, Christ’s Church. Serving Christ will cost you something but look to what’s given. “And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.” – Matthew 19:29. Don’t dismiss the blessings of an intact blood family in the New Covenant; that’s the exception, we think, to the rule.

But what of the Church?

“29 And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. 30 And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.” – Luke 13:29-30

As Christ brings in His Church, calling and choosing who He will, the parallel verses in Luke draw the best application for us today. We mustn’t dismiss how Luke records this first and last statement, for the vision is of the Church in the Kingdom of Heaven, as Jesus states in Matthew 20:1.

There is a particular thought toward pre-destination in verse 16 of Matthew 20, but that is not of the lost compared to the saved but that among the saved, some are first, not chronologically, but have been called and chosen to more service, working the whole 12 hours of the parable for their just reward, toiling in the heat all day. At the same time, some serve in a less productive role bearing less fruit. Some work continually, called to labor, at war in the world with the spirits of kingdoms seen and unseen, the Holy Spirit always bearing down upon us to produce ever more in the Kingdom of God to bring righteous glory to God the Father through Jesus Christ by planting, watering, and gathering fruit for the Master. “And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant” – Matthew 20:27. We must never begrudge those whose simple task is to grab low-hanging fruit, called and chosen into the Kingdom, yet they avoid the heat of the day. Their burden is quite simple in the few hours they serve.

And for us, in comfort and ease, are we not the last, the least of the disciples? Millions of Americans have never yet set foot in the vineyard; though Jesus touched their soul, birthing them anew, they are idle sheep being prepared for the coming slaughter.

Built to work, the first man tended the Garden. And today, men are to work in the vineyard of our husbandman. You’re just the person God wants! You’re the exact right one for the tasks of the harvest He has set before you. We see no day, heaven included, where men will not serve. You’re precisely who God has chosen to bring Him glory now and forever, even in the regeneration.

And what of holy God’s divine sovereignty?

You’ve been given a station in the Kingdom by order of the Lawgiver. Shall you question your position or pay, challenging He who created heaven and earth? No, you must glory in His design upon your life. The sovereignty of God overrules all things; laid down by His word before the creation of the worlds, He will keep and protect you ’till the appointed day of just compensation.

“Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?” – Matthew 20:15

Not only were the works created for God’s delight that you might labor in them, bringing glory to His holy name, but your very soul was created for this exact purpose: His good pleasure to do with as He delights that the Christ of God might glorify the Father in you. In that final hour, your labor accomplished, and your penny due, coming into your regeneration, you shall receive his bounty according to your works. As agreeable as that sounds, no appointments are possible but that Christ sanctifies, blesses, and prospers it; the results and the workers, all creations of God, belong to Him.

Any such crown as you may perceive you will gladly, full of love for Him, thankfulness, and open frame, cast upon the ground at your Sovereign’s feet as all creation sings holy holy holy, for none are noble but the Lamb that was slain and resurrected having all authority to bring us, each one, into the new creation, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” – Revelation 4:11

Job 38-42

In Job chapter 38, God begins a series of impossible questions: “Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.” – Job 38:4

God finally gives Job space to answer in chapter 42. In verse 3, Job offers, “…therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.” and goes on in verse 5, “I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.”

In chapters 38-41, God asks Job to answer dozens of questions relating to who He is, the design and purpose of His creation, and His created order on earth and in heaven. In chapter 42, Job can only answer, I don’t know. And now Job not only hears God but knows and sees God, and Job finally learns the depths of his own wretchedness.

In 2022, and truly it’s been a very long 18 months, the Lord has taught me that He is God, and I am not. The hardest lesson of my life so far: brutal and grueling. Perhaps now I’m ready—ready for what? I’ll know when He puts me there. Jesus Christ is King.

Happy New Year,
PGF

Psalm 19:7-14 (Read the whole Psalm to provide full context)

“7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.”

The Law of the Lord is divine, and final authority. The law of the Lord is so perfect that no man can keep the whole law. If any point is offended in the least, the entirety is broken. The brutal truth is that every man has violated the statutes in ordinance that God has given, your conscience bearing witness against you. It’s why most men won’t read the Holy Bible; it bothers them, and it should. But is that heartless, God pointing to His holiness and your need for Him, or is it merciful?

The law of God is often called a testimony, for its God’s testimony of His righteousness by evidence that we cannot attain unto the perfection that He demands by it. It’s His word to us, that we might finally be made free in Christ Jesus.

We are vile, but the fear of the Lord is clean and, indeed, cleansing. The law binds men over to the damnation of hell for sin. That’s how it saves; it does the necessary first work in our heart, convicting us of our need for a Saviour. For it’s well contended that no man who is not first in necessity will be saved; we’re too prideful and self-centered for that.

Jesus is the master instructor through the Holy Spirit, making the unlearned full of the knowledge of Him and giving wisdom through prayer and Bible study, perhaps with fasting. And He brings low the wise in their own conceit, destroying any who hold to life by other means than salvation through Jesus Christ.

The law makes the simple man wise, in it is the perfect knowledge of God to show us our iniquity, converting the soul of those who, calling upon Jesus Christ in their need, accept that the Lord is correct and that you’ve come short of the glory of God. In studying the law of God, men grow wise to the evil ways of the world, witnessing the power of God, for He is holy. “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.” – Psalm 119:130. The law raises men to be ever more desirous of a life with Him. The law teaches men, in all points, the very essence of our nature, full of sin and unrighteousness, with evil thoughts and deeds. Without Christ, there is no fear of God before their eyes. It’s not by the rules, but by your inability to keep the whole law that you learn the work that God does in bringing you to completion; the Spirit of God remakes a man into the image of Christ.

The sanctimonious Christians are a sorry lot. Don’t listen to them; they sin just like you. Only God is perfect. The law was written that it might teach us of our sins, but Jesus Christ came preaching grace and truth. Our defiled, fallen nature under the weight of sin that abounds in the world, in admitting that the statutes of the Lord are convicting to the soul, we come to the knowledge of God’s perfect being; holy, righteous, and just is He.

“8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.”

Most read the law and get angry; it’s pure, convicting the conscience, disturbing the peace of the slumber in blindness to God that all those living in darkness suffer. Some claim they can keep its statutes to bring life. But those who hear the law, dying to self, rejoice that God has made a way to live in His grace and know that works and sacrifices He would not have; a broken and a contrite heart He will not despise.

“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.” – Mark 8:35. The law rejoices the heart because we see a pathway to God through forgiveness in Jesus Christ. The law enlightens the eyes, the best part of which is that each man is taught by God in a peculiar way most fitting for his redemption. A unique and interesting conversion story lives in the resurrected heart of each saved sinner, and every testimony leads to the Christ of God our Saviour.

The law is divine in its quality, authentic to the receiver, constant in nature, and consistent in operation, showing the virtue and permanence of the true religion offered by the one and holy Creator.

If you allow, the law will break you to take the gentle yoke of the Lord Jesus, for He is a gracious and kind Master to all who submit. The fear of the Lord will cleanse the soul of the wicked, turning the vilest evildoer into a man seeking the integrity of God. You can be converted by faith to shine forth, for we are all made in the image of God.

“9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.”

The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous; you can’t hide from them, nor can you escape. God is the judge of good and evil; His trials must always find the truth, for He is truth, knows all truth, and nothing can be hidden from His eyes. The law of the LORD is perfect, the statutes of the LORD are straight, and the fear of the LORD is clean. It’s the fear of God that endures forever. When a man’s heart rejects his own corruption, and fears before the Almighty calling upon Christ, this can be the day of salvation so long sought, your soul entering into God’s love.

Believing that Jesus died for your sins, and He was buried, and rose again the third day according to the Scriptures: and you having a fear of the Almighty through faith in Jesus, your soul can be brought into an allegiance with the Almighty that endures forever, having forgiveness from sin today, and life in heaven forever.

“10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.”

The judgments of the Lord are true and amen, better than earthly treasure and sweet on the palette to them that love Him; “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” – Psalm 34:8.

To those who have trusted Christ, in the law are we warned to repent and seek Him always and in all things, for it is He that will never defect nor will He abandon us; treason is not His way; God has never broken a promise. Christ showed us this truth in His own perfect blood. “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” – Hebrews 13:5

Covet not the things of this world as silver, gold, and honey but be content with the love of Jesus Christ. What’s better than forgiveness from transgressions and the removal of the bondage of law through contentedness in Christ Jesus?

“11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward. 12 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.”

By the law, His servant is warned that keeping faith with Jesus Christ and following His commands produces fruit. It’s nice to know that God provides all, but the rewards are His, for all things, good and right and holy, including the soul of the converted, will be gathered together in Christ, and He will glorify the Father. Seeing your errors, seek God for the cleansing of your soul in the blood of Christ, who is faithful to forgive you once for all; go and sin no more.

“13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.”

The error of our way is that of sin leading to eternal death, none more damaging than those done in secret. That hidden in darkness will be brought to light; God sees your sin, and nothing is disguised from His eyes. And the lawlessness made in presumption, as though you alone declare right from wrong, are the sins of self-righteousness. You are a sinner; God is righteous; His law, His word, and His command are perfect. No man can attain by his own doing; you need the love of God and forgiveness for your sin found only in Jesus Christ. Then will you have a life lived in service of the good for Him, upright, not guilty in the day of great judgment.

The depth of your offenses can’t withhold the enormity of compassion and pardon of God, who loves you. No sin is bigger than God’s grace! Jesus tasted death for every man that you might find mercy by the grace of His eternal gift, which is life everlasting with God Almighty.

The Lord is my strength and my Redeemer.

Confess to Christ that you’re a sinner, and seek, with a contrite spirit, His redemption by faith in the power of God that raised Jesus from the dead. Let the words of your mouth and the confession of your soul to God be your meditation unto salvation. God raised Christ from the dead; no deadness of heart and soul cannot be forgiven and raised by Him to new life. Call upon His holy name, come earnestly into the throneroom of His mercy seeking to be made a son of God.

Jesus is the Redeemer; finally, turn yourself to God, asking for salvation. The law of God has found you guilty but points to your redemption in the love of Jesus Christ, which will make you whole.

“14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.”

Bluff: It doesn’t exist because men are sinners. We know your time is precious. This video is well worth your study.

Here’s a thumbnail of the video as I reviewed it: You must, and you will have a government; however authoritarian or individual, all groups have governing norms by which they operate to achieve common objectives. There are only two government forms; That given by God or one of the many that man has created. The great thing about God’s law-word and His Kingdom is it’s fully scalable from the individual to family, small business, church group, or team. And God’s law-word, as well taught in the video, is the best source to begin building an autonomous parallel trade and governance system, not only within your group but among otherwise separate Christian groups.

This is an important study for Christians and extends to those who don’t consider themselves Christians but already have mutually overlapping connections, agreements, and goals with Christ’s people. Watch the whole thing.

Here at TCJ, we’ve taught the principles Pastor Weaver outlines, but we refer to a national or American Christian perspective.