Why Would God Punish America Before He Would Punish Hindu or Islamic Nations? by Dave Miller, Ph.D.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=7&article=5013

Why Would God Punish America Before He Would Punish Hindu or Islamic Nations?

by	Dave Miller, Ph.D.

Essentially, this question was asked by the ancient Hebrew prophet Habakkuk. When he complained to God regarding the corruption of his nation and inquired how long God would tolerate it, God informed him that He was bringing the Chaldeans against the nation to punish them. But this divine response perplexed the prophet, causing him to make a second inquiry: “Why do You look on those who deal treacherously, and hold Your tongue when the wicked devours a person more righteous than he?” (1:3). In other words, yes, Israel deserved punishment, but why inflict that punishment using a nation even more wicked than Israel—a polytheistic, pagan nation? God’s answer was that, in His own good time, He would ultimately deal with the more wicked nation as well.
What is unique about America is the fact that it was borne amid an almost unanimous desire to possess the favor of the God of the Bible in the establishment of the Republic. The Founders repeatedly expressed their concern that Christianity (what they repeatedly styled “true religion”) be maintained among the citizenry in order to retain divine assistance (Miller, 2010). This basic orientation was sustained as a national attitude for over 150 years. After World War II, sinister efforts were well underway to strip God and Christianity from civil, judicial, and educational institutions (Miller, 2008).
Unlike Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, and polytheistic, pagan countries—which do not claim to be “Christian”—America has been recognized the world over as a “Christian nation.” We have been blessed accordingly—beyond all other nations in human history. America’s origins so positioned her among the nations of the Earth that, in effect, many would see God’s reputation as “on the line.” Do we think He would allow America to jettison Christian values, flaunt moral degradation, and defiantly boast to the world that America is “tolerant” of perversion and immorality—without calling her to account before the world? As prominent Founder George Mason, often called “The Father of the Bill of Rights,” stated at the Constitutional Convention: “As nations cannot be rewarded or punished in the next world, so they must be in this. By an inevitable chain of causes and effects, Providence punishes national sins by national calamities” (as quoted in Madison, 1840, 3:1391, emp. added; of course, God’s timetable varies from human expectation, so any future retribution is unpredictable as to timing).
The Founders understood this principle emphatically. Take, for example, prominent Founding Father John Witherspoon. Serving as President of Princeton from 1768 to 1776, Witherspoon served on both the Provincial Congress of New Jersey as well as the Continental Congress (1776-1782) where he signed the Declaration of Independence. After the Revolutionary War, he was a member of the New Jersey State Assembly as well as a member of the State ratification convention for the federal Constitution. In a treatise titled The Dominion of Providence over the Passions of Men, written the same year the Founders declared their independence, this quintessential Founder insightfully observed:

It is the prerogative of God to do what he will with his own; but he often displays his justice itself, by throwing into the furnace those, who, though they may not be visibly worse than others, may yet have more to answer for, as having been favoured with more distinguished privileges, both civil and sacred (1776, emp. added).

America has been blessed with so many more privileges and blessings than other nations. But our moral decline seems to be proportional to those blessings. America has a lot to answer for. It’s only a question of time—unless a massive, nationwide, spiritual awakening is forthcoming. That is precisely what America most desperately needs—not a stronger economy, not more handouts, and not more concern for the environment. She needs to repent and fall before the God of Heaven and beg His forgiveness.

Now do not be stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the LORD; and enter His sanctuary, which He has sanctified forever, and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of His wrath may turn away from you (2 Chronicles 30:8).
Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him (Psalm 2:12).
But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth will tremble, and the nations will not be able to endure His indignation (Jeremiah 10:10).

REFERENCES

Madison, James (1840), The Papers of James Madison, ed. Henry Gilpin (Washington, DC: Langtree & O’Sullivan).
Miller, Dave (2008), The Silencing of God: The Dismantling of America’s Christian Heritage (Montgomery, AL: Apologetics Press).
Miller, Dave (2010), Christ and the Continental Congress (Montgomery, AL: Apologetics Press).
Witherspoon, John (1776), The Dominion of Providence over the Passions of Men (Philadelphia, PA: Town & Country), http://goo.gl/nLihJK.

Who Incited David to Number Israel? by Eric Lyons, M.Min.

http://apologeticspress.org/AllegedDiscrepancies.aspx?article=784&b=2%20Samuel

Who Incited David to Number Israel?

by Eric Lyons, M.Min.

Census-taking under the Law of Moses was not inherently evil. In fact, God actually commanded Moses to number the Israelite soldiers on two different occasions—once in the second year after deliverance from Egyptian bondage, and again about forty years later near the end of Israel’s wanderings in the desert (Numbers 1:1-3,19; 26:2-4). Even though the book of Numbers describes many of their experiences while wandering through a barren land, the book takes its name (first assigned by the translators of the Septuagint) from these two numberings of the Israelites. Indeed, the taking of a census was a legitimate practice under the old law (cf. Exodus 30:11-16). Sometimes, however, one’s motives can turn lawful actions into sinful deeds (cf. Matthew 6:1-18). Such was the case with King David when he decided to number the Israelites in the latter part of his reign. God had not commanded a census be taken, nor did David instigate it for some noble cause. Instead, the Bible implies that David’s intentions (and thus his actions) were dishonorable, foolish, and sinful (cf. 2 Samuel 24:3,10ff.).
For many Bible readers, the parallel accounts that describe David’s numbering of Israel (found in 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21) pose a serious problem. “Why does 2 Samuel 24:1 state that God ‘moved’ David against Israel, while 1 Chronicles 21:1 says that it was Satan who ‘stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel’ ”? Can both passages be right, or is this a contradiction?
The Hebrew verb wayyaset, translated “moved” (NKJV) or “incited (NASV), is identical in both passages. God and Satan’s actions are described using the same word. The difference lies with the sense in which the word is used: Satan incited (or tempted—cf. 1 Thessalonians 3:5) David more directly, while God is spoken of as having incited David because He allowed such temptation to take place. The Hebrews often used active verbs to express “not the doing of the thing, but the permission of the thing which the agent is said to do” (Bullinger, 2898, p. 823, emp. in orig.). Throughout the Bible, God’s allowance of something to take place often is described by the sacred writers as having been done by the Lord.
The book of Exodus records how “God hardened Pharaoh’s heart” (Exodus 7:3,13; 9:12; 10:1; et al.), but it was not that God directly forced Pharaoh to reject His will. Rather, God hardened his heart in the sense that God provided the circumstances and the occasion for Pharaoh to reject His will. God sent Moses to place His demands before Pharaoh, even accompanying His Word with miracles—to confirm the divine origin of the message (cf. Mark 16:20). Pharaoh made up his own mind to resist God’s demands. God merely provided the occasion for Pharaoh to demonstrate his unyielding attitude. If God had not sent Moses, Pharaoh would not have been faced with the dilemma of whether to release the Israelites. So God was certainly the initiator of the circumstances that led to Pharaoh’s sin, but He was not the author (or direct cause) of Pharaoh’s defiance (see Butt and Miller, 2003).
Another instance where this idiomatic language can be found is in the book of Job. In fact, the situation regarding God and Satan inciting David to number Israel probably more closely parallels the first two chapters of Job than any other passage of Scripture. Satan went into the presence of God on two different occasions in Job 1-2. The first time, he charged that the righteous man Job only served God because of the blessings God showered upon him (1:9-11). God thus permitted Satan to afflict Job with suffering, telling Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person” (1:12). After Satan used both humans and natural agency to destroy Job’s wealth and all of his children (1:13-19), Satan returned to the Lord’s presence. Notice the exchange of words between God and Satan (in view of the Hebrew idiomatic thought: what God permits, He is said to do).

Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause.” So Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse You to Your face!” And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head (Job 2:3-7, emp. added).

Even though God knew that Satan was the direct cause for Job’s suffering (recorded in chapter one), He told Satan: “You incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause” (2:3, emp. added). As a result of Job’s abstaining from sin during this time of suffering, Satan then proposed a new challenge to God, saying, “But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse You to Your face” (vs. 4). In essence, God said, “Okay. I will,” but He did not do it directly. He merely allowed Satan to do it: “Behold, he [Job] is in your hand, but spare his life” (vs. 6). So Satan “struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head” (vs. 7). The dialog between God and Satan in Job chapter 2 leaves no doubt that what God permits to take place often is described by sacred writers as having been done by God. The inspired author of Job even reiterated this point forty chapters later, when he wrote: “Then all his [Job’s] brothers, all his sisters, and all those who had been his acquaintances before, came to him and ate food with him in his house; and they consoled him and comforted him for all the adversity that the Lord had brought upon him” (42:11, emp. added).
In his commentary on 2 Samuel, Burton Coffman made mention that the same principle still is operative in the Christian dispensation.

Paul pointed out that people who do not love the truth but have pleasure in unrighteousness are actually incited by God to believe a falsehood that they might be condemned (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12). “Therefore God sends upon them a strong delusion to make them believe what is false, so that all may be condemned, etc.” (1992, p. 329).

Those discussed in 2 Thessalonians 2 made a decision to reject the truth of God’s Word (cf. vs. 10), and believe a lie. God sends a delusion, in the sense that He controls the world’s drama.
The problem of how a loving God (1 John 4:8) can send a “strong delusion” (2 Thessalonians 2:11), harden someone’s heart (Exodus 9:12), or incite someone to sin (as in the case of David numbering Israel—2 Samuel 24:1), can be compared to God’s work in nature. In one sense, a person could speak of God killing someone who jumps from a 100-story building to his death, because it was God Who set in motion the law of gravity (but He did not force the person over the edge). Some inspired writers wrote from this viewpoint, which was customary in their culture.
Truly, similar to how Pharaoh hardened his heart because God gave him occasion to do such, and similar to how Job suffered because God allowed Satan to strike Job with calamity, God allowed Satan to incite David to sin (1 Chronicles 21:1). Israel suffered as a direct result of Satan’s workings in the life of King David, which God allowed. Thus, both God and Satan legitimately could be said to have incited the king—but in different ways (and for different reasons).

REFERENCES

Bullinger, E.W. (1898), Figures of Speech Used in the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1968 reprint).
Butt, Kyle and Dave Miller (2003), “Who Hardened Pharaoh’s Heart?” [On-line], URL: http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/2259
Coffman, Burton (1992), Commentary on Second Samuel (Abilene, TX: ACU Press).

“Flee from the midst of Babylon!” by Roy Davison

http://www.oldpaths.com/Archive/Davison/Roy/Allen/1940/depart.html

“Flee from the midst of Babylon!”
In the symbolic language of Revelation, Christians are commanded to distance themselves from false religions just like the Israelites were commanded to leave Babylon and restore true worship at Jerusalem.

“Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues” (Revelation 18:4).

When this was written, literal Babylon had lost its power two hundred years earlier, as predicted by Isaiah and Jeremiah. Thus, in Revelation, Babylon obviously refers to something other than the literal city.

Considering the seriousness of this warning, it is vital that we know what it means to come out of Babylon, so we can avoid her sins and her punishment.

To understand the imagery, we must examine Old Testament passages about Babylon and compare them with the warning in Revelation.


What is the historical basis for Babylon’s symbolism?


Babylon had a long history of rebellion against God.

Babel, the forerunner of Babylon, was one of the first cities built. Nimrod, who “began to be a mighty one on the earth” (1 Chronicles 1:10) founded Babel (Genesis 10:10).

The name “Babel” means “confusion” and originates from the confusion of languages, which halted the building of the tower of Babel (Genesis 11:9).


Babylon used political force to promote false religion.

“All the people, nations and languages” were commanded to worship Nebuchadnezzar’s gold image (Daniel 3:1-7).

Isaiah and Jeremiah predicted the ruin of Babylon as punishment for idolatry.

“Babylon is fallen, is fallen! And all the carved images of her gods He has broken to the ground” (Isaiah 21:9).

“Declare among the nations, proclaim, and set up a standard; proclaim, and do not conceal it - Say, ‘Babylon is taken, Bel is shamed. Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are humiliated, her images are broken in pieces’” (Jeremiah 50:2).

Bel and Merodach were Babylonian idols. Merodach was the patron deity of Babylon, a sun god, often pictured with a dragon.

Israel went into Babylonian exile as punishment for her own unfaithfulness and idolatry. God allowed the temple to be destroyed because He was disgusted by the hypocritical worship being conducted there (Isaiah 1:13-15).

Because the temple was indispensable for Old Covenant worship, the Israelites could not worship God according to His word in Babylon. When their captors asked them to sing a song of Zion, they replied: “How shall we sing the LORD’s song in a foreign land?” (Psalm 137:4).


The Israelites were commanded to flee from Babylon.

To flee is to quickly get away from impending danger.

God used Babylonian captivity to bring Israel to repentance.

After 70 years of exile, the Israelites were allowed to return to Jerusalem, rebuild the temple, and restore Old Covenant worship.

Considering the many warnings, some must have preferred to stay in Babylon!

A messianic undertone is discernable in passages where Israel is commanded to flee from Babylon.

“Go forth from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldees! With a voice of singing, declare, proclaim ‘The LORD has redeemed His servant Jacob!’” (Isaiah 48:20). [See verses 12-22.]

“Depart! Depart! Go out from there, touch no unclean thing; go out from the midst of her, be clean, you who bear the vessels of the LORD” (Isaiah 52:11). [See verses 7-12.]

“‘In those days and in that time,’ says the LORD, ‘The children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together; with continual weeping they shall come, and seek the LORD their God. They shall ask the way to Zion, with their faces toward it, saying, “Come and let us join ourselves to the LORD in a perpetual covenant that will not be forgotten”’” (Jeremiah 50:4, 5). [For additional insight read chapters 50 and 51.]

“Flee from the midst of Babylon, and every one save his life! Do not be cut off in her iniquity, for this is the time of the LORD’s vengeance; He shall recompense her” (Jeremiah 51:6).

“We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed. Forsake her, and let us go everyone to his own country; for her judgment reaches to heaven and is lifted up to the skies. The LORD has revealed our righteousness. Come and let us declare in Zion the work of the LORD our God” (Jeremiah 51:9, 10).

“My people, go out of the midst of her! And let everyone deliver himself from the fierce anger of the LORD” (Jeremiah 51:45).

“Up, Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon” (Zechariah 2:7).

Observe that although God’s people in Babylon did not serve idols themselves, they were unclean and shared in her sins if they remained and did not go to Jerusalem to worship God according to His word.


What does Babylon represent in Revelation?

Babylon is first mentioned in chapter fourteen: “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication” (Revelation 14:8).

To know the meaning of Babylon, we must understand various symbols in Revelation. The dragon is the devil (Revelation 12:9). As in Daniel, beasts represent governments. To the first beast the devil gives “his power, his throne and great authority” (Revelation 13:2). A second beast, who resembles a lamb but speaks like a dragon, exercises all the authority of the first beast, and causes everyone on earth to worship the first beast (Revelation 13:11-14).

Under the influence of these two beasts, all the world worships the devil except those whose names are in the Book of Life: “All the world marveled and followed the beast. So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; ... All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:3, 4, 8).

There are only two classes: the saints of God and those who worship the devil. Only by the blood of Christ can one be conveyed from the power of darkness into the kingdom of God (Colossians 1:13, 14).

The second beast is “the false prophet” (Revelation 19:20). This beast is religious (religious authority) and is supported by the first beast (political authority).

Babylon is a symbolic representation of the false prophet, pictured as a harlot riding on a beast: “The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” (Revelation 17:4, 5).

The mystery is disclosed: “And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth” (Revelation 17:18).

When this was written, any reader would think of the Roman Empire. Thus Babylon (Rome) is a depiction of the false prophet. All religious and political rebellion against God is symbolized by the harlot and the beast she rides!

The harlot is not the literal city of Rome, but Rome as a symbol. Paul was a Roman citizen (Acts 22:27, 28). In his letter to the Romans, he did not tell them to leave the city.

Like ancient Babylon, Rome spread false religion by political force. After Augustus (27-14 BC) everyone was commanded to worship the emperor. Thus, like Babylon, Rome is a fitting symbol of all political and religious rebellion against God.

Babylon and Rome are the first and last of four kingdoms in Daniel that would be vanquished by God’s Kingdom (Daniel 2:31-45; 7:17-27).


How has Rome evolved in history?

The harlot on the beast was “drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus” (Revelation 17:6).

Because they refused to worship the emperor, Christians were persecuted by pagan Rome, especially under Nero, Domitian and Trajan.

Pagan Rome mutated into “The Holy Roman Empire” (“holy” is a gross misnomer) with emperors appointed by the pope. Otto I was appointed by Pope John XII in 962.

Through the centuries this unholy Roman empire murdered non- Catholics with the blessing of the popes. Among the thousands killed was William Tyndale, the English Bible translator. He was burned at the stake in Vilvoorde, Belgium on 6 October 1536.

The “Holy Roman Empire” was dissolved by Napoleon in 1806.

After a period of conflicting claims to jurisdiction, the Vatican City State was recognized as a sovereign state in 1929. This ended Rome’s direct political power over kings. Even so, most European and many South American countries have Catholic political parties, and via its hierarchy, the Vatican exercises authority throughout the world.

The Roman Catholic Church is a world-wide, politically organized, pagan religion whose adherents worship images, dead people (“saints”) and a living, speaking idol, blasphemously called “the Holy Father”. The Roman Catholic Church is the largest body that claims to be Christian.


Why is Babylon called a harlot?

In prophetic symbolism, harlotry and fornication represent unfaithfulness to God: “They played the harlot with other gods” (Judges 2:17). [See also Exodus 34:15, 16; Leviticus 20:5; Deuteronomy 31:16; Psalm 73:27; Judges 8:33; Jeremiah 2:20; 3:1; Ezekiel 16:15-17.] Babylon’s fornication represents spiritual corruption. Babylon corrupts the world religiously.


Why is Babylon called the mother of harlots?

Remember that these symbols include everyone on earth who is not in the Book of Life (Revelation 13:3, 4, 8).

The researcher, David B. Barrett, identified 19 major world religions subdivided into about 10,000 distinct religions, and 34,000 denominations in Christendom. Now that is real Babel!

The devil has created this Babylonian “confusion” so people will worship him rather than God. The devil’s shopping mall offers something appealing for everyone. Denominationalism, which views divergent forms of Christianity as tolerable, is a tool of the devil. He encourages you to join the church of your choice rather than God’s choice.

Babylon in Revelation cannot refer to the Roman Catholic Church exclusively, as is sometimes claimed, since everyone in the world, except those in the Book of Life, worships the devil via these two beasts.

But the Roman Catholic Church is definitely the major embodiment (daughter) of prophetic Babylon as successor of the Holy Roman Empire and as the largest, most influential, false form of Christianity.

But she is not alone. Various Protestant denominations are merely spin-offs of the Catholic church, retaining many of her false doctrines and practices. All man-made denominations are daughters of the harlot because, like her, they do not submit to Christ. All false religions in the world are daughters of the harlot for the same reason. Islam, which is spread by political and physical force, is certainly a “daughter” of Babylon.


God will punish Babylon because of her sins.

As God punished ancient Babylon, He will punish prophetic Babylon.

“And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath” (Revelation 16:19). Religious and political opposition to God earn His wrath.

“Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a habitation of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her” (Revelation 18:2b, 3a).

Babylon’s ruin results from God’s defeat of the false prophet and the beast, representing all false religions and godless authorities. “Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet. ... These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone” (Revelation 19:20).

Their patron, the devil, is also defeated: “The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10).

The unredeemed share the devil’s punishment: “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels’” (Matthew 25:41).


We too must flee from Babylon!

“Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities” (Revelation 18:4, 5).

How do we flee from Babylon to escape her punishment?

Various passages in the New Testament clarify this warning. “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you” (2 Corinthians 6:17). We may not participate in false religions or other forms of worldliness because that is spiritual fornication, uncleanness, unfaithfulness to God.

How can God’s people be in Babylon? Potential Christians and Christians associated with false religions must leave Babylon.

Among those called out of Babylon are people who will obey the gospel when they hear it.

Jesus told Paul: “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; ... for I have many people in this city” (Acts 18:9, 10). God had people in Corinth who would accept the gospel when they heard it. Paul’s preaching enabled them to escape from Babylon.

Among those called out of Babylon are also Christians who have compromised with “the lawless one” by being in denominations and religious organizations established by men rather than by Christ. The doctrine of such groups is always different from the doctrine of Christ, otherwise they would simply be a church of Christ rather than a human denomination.

Christians who associate with false forms of Christianity are trying to serve Christ in the camp of the antichrist! They think they can serve God although they worship with a denomination that deviates from the doctrine of Christ.

This is not possible because doctrinal soundness is essential to serving God. “Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds” (2 John 9-11).

Anyone who preaches a gospel that differs from the original gospel is accursed (Galatians 1:6-9).

When we fellowship those who do not abide in the doctrine of Christ (even if we do not agree with them), we share in their evil deeds. “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues” (Revelation 18:4).

“Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols?” (2 Corinthians 6:14-16).

“Belial” means “the worthless one” or “the lawless one”. The lawless one includes many who say, “Lord, Lord,” but do not obey Christ. Jesus tells them, “depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” (Matthew 7:21-23). They have allowed themselves to be deceived by the lawless one because they lack love for the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:8-12).

The forces of religious evil called the “false prophet” and “Babylon” in Revelation, are called the “lawless one” by Paul and the “antichrist” by John. [See 1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 7.]

Since Israel returned from captivity, virtually no images have been worshiped by Jews. Yet, in describing the Jews of His day, Jesus said, “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:8, 9).

Here Jesus quotes Isaiah 29:13 which describes Israel in the run- up to Babylonian captivity! Although the Jews had restored the temple service, their spiritual condition was the same as before the captivity!

The disciples were concerned that this harsh statement had offended the Pharisees, the strictest denomination of the Jews, but Jesus replied, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch” (Matthew 15:13, 14).

“There is one body” (Ephesians 4:4), which is “the church” (Colossians 1:18). Thus, all religions and all denominations, which are not the church of Christ established by Him, constitute Babylon, are inspired by the devil, and will be uprooted by God.

If we are in a religious group of human origin, we must get out of it or we will be uprooted with it! We must serve God according to the faith “once and for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3), we must serve God according to the gospel that went forth from Jerusalem in the first century! We must “ask the way to Zion” and “declare in Zion the work of the LORD our God.”


God’s warning is abundantly clear.

“Flee from the midst of Babylon, and every one save his life! Do not be cut off in her iniquity” (Jeremiah 51:6).

“Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues” (Revelation 18:4). Amen.
Roy Davison

The Scripture quotations in this article are from
The New King James Version. ©1979,1980,1982,
Thomas Nelson Inc., Publishers unless indicated otherwise.
Permission for reference use has been granted.

Published in The Old Paths Archive
(http://www.oldpaths.com)

Who is God? Theology in Action (part 2 of 4) by Gary Rose

Who is God? Theology in Action

 

BR: John 1:43-51 Song: "We're marching on to Zion"

I. Introduction

A. Coming to know who God is.... How? Scriptures, Wisdom, Association

B. Consider that understanding God is a VERY IN DEPTH TOPIC. (This is a short study)

C. Completeness of our understanding is equal to the extent of God's revelation to us. (John 20:30f.)

D. Consider the actions and character of a person to know him... God as well.

E. Character next week, this week ACTIONS..

II. Body

A. God is the creator of all things. Gen 1:1, 27; Jn 1:1; 1Cor 6:19-20

B. God is wise. (judicial use of knowledge) 1 Cor 1:18-21; provb 3:19-20

C. God searches the hearts of men. 1 Chrn 28:9; Jere 17:10; Ac 1:24

D. God is involved with men. Gen 45:7; prov. 16:9; Gal 4:4; 1 Cor. 10:13

E. God is the savior of men. 1Tim 2:4-6; Matt 28:19; Eph 1:13

F. God is a jealous God.(zealous for purity) Exo 20:5; 34:13-14; Numb 25:1-13

G. God reveals himself. Isa 40:12-31; 1Cor. 2:16; Eph 3:1-6

H. God is the supreme judge. 1Chrn 16:14; Jn 12:48-50; 1 Cor 4:4-5

III. Conclusion

A. God was not so much a theological concept to the Jews as He was a concrete reality.

B. God revealed himself to men over thousands of years in many ways, but in these last days he has shown himself through his son.

C. God shows Himself to us daily, as He works in our lives.

D. God will be further revealed to us in heaven, where our understanding of Him will not be clouded by sin.

"THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS" The Goodness Of God (2:4-11) by Mark Copeland

                      "THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS"

                      The Goodness Of God (2:4-11)

INTRODUCTION

1. Many people live their lives with little regard to the goodness of God...
   a. Unaware of how gracious God has been and is willing to be toward them
   b. Unaware of how their neglect will one day come back to haunt them

2. Have you given much thought to the goodness of God...?
   a. The many blessings He bestows?
   b. The consequences if you fail to respond properly?

[One passage of Scripture that ought to give us pause is the one written
in Ro 2:4-11, in which Paul expounds upon "The Goodness Of God."  From
verse 4, we can glean some things about...]

I. THE NATURE OF HIS GOODNESS

   A. HIS RICHES...
      1. He is rich in grace - Ep 1:7
      2. He is rich in mercy - Ep 2:4
      3. He is rich in supplying need - Php 4:19
      4. He is rich in giving things to enjoy - 1Ti 6:17
      5. He is rich in the strength He provides the Christian - Ep 3: 16,21

   B. HIS FORBEARANCE...
      1. "Forbearance" (anoche) means "a holding back" - ISBE
      2. We see God's forbearance...
         a. In the days of Israel - cf. Ps 78:38
         b. In our present day (since the fullness of God's wrath has yet to come)

   C. HIS LONGSUFFERING...
      1. "Longsuffering" (makrothumia) describes "a slowness in avenging
         wrath" - Strong's
      2. We see God suffering long...
         a. In the days of Noah, prior to the flood - cf. 1Pe 3:20
         b. In our present day, prior to the day of judgment - cf. 2 Pe 3:9-15a

[The Psalmist summarizes well the nature of God's goodness:  "But You, O
Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and
abundant in mercy and truth." (Ps 86:15).  As we return to our text in
Romans, we are told of...]

II. THE PURPOSE OF HIS GOODNESS

   A. SHOULD LEAD ONE TO REPENTANCE...
      1. God's goodness is intended to cause man to repent - Ro 2:4
      2. Based on Paul's description of repentance elsewhere, God's
         goodness should produce...
         a. Godly sorrow which leads to repentance - cf. 2Co 7:9-10
         b. A change of mind (the actual meaning of metanoia, repentance) - Strong's
         c. A turn from sin to God (as evidence of repentance) - cf. 2Co 7:10-11

   B. SHOULD LEAD ONE TO DO WHAT IS GOOD...
      1. As just described, an indication of true repentance - cf. 2 Co 7:11
      2. As later described in our text, it should lead to doing good...
         a. With patient continuance - Ro 2:7a
            1) Where God was longsuffering (makrothumia) before
            2) We are to do good patiently (hupomone) now - cf. Lk 8:15
         b. Seeking glory, honor, immortality - Ro 2:7b
            1) Glory and honor that will come at the revelation of Jesus
               Christ - cf. 1Pe 1:7; 2Co 4:16-18
            2) Immortality (incorruption) that will be given at the same
               time - 1Co 15:51-54

[Thus  "eternal life" will be given to those who are properly motivated
by God's goodness to repent and do good (Ro 2:7).  But what of those who
spurn the riches of God's goodness...?]

III. THE REJECTION OF HIS GOODNESS

   A. INDICATIVE OF A HARD HEART...
      1. For they despise God's goodness - Ro 2:4
      2. For they evidently are insensitive and unappreciative  of God's
         goodness - Ro 2:5
      3. For they remain impenitent in their heart - Ro 2:5

   B. STORES UP WRATH FOR THE DAY OF JUDGMENT...
      1. The wrath of God's righteous judgment - cf. Ro 2:5
      2. A day of wrath involving indignation, tribulation, and anguish- Ro 2:8-9a
      3. A vivid description of which is found in 2Th 1:7-9

CONCLUSION

1. Such is the end of one who does not properly respond to God's goodness...
   a. Especially as that manifested through the gospel of Jesus
   b. Which Paul will expound upon later in this epistle to the Romans

2. As we close, be careful to note:  there is no partiality with God!- Ro 2:9-11
   a. Those who do evil will be punished
   b. Those who do good will be blessed

Have you allowed "The Goodness Of God" to lead you to repentance,
especially that repentance called for in the proclamation of the gospel?
- cf. Ac 2:36-39; 3:19; 17:30-31

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2016

Biblical Accuracy Set in Stone by Kyle Butt, M.Div.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=13&article=921

Biblical Accuracy Set in Stone

by	Kyle Butt, M.Div.

Writing about a rock that was discovered almost 150 years ago certainly would not fit in a current “in the news” section. In fact, since 1868, so much has been written about this stone that very few new articles pertaining to it come to light. But the truth of the matter is that even though it was discovered more than a century ago, many Christians do not even know it exists, and need to be reminded of its importance.
The stone is known as the Moabite Stone (or the Mesha Inscription). A missionary named Klein first discovered the stone in August of 1868 (Edersheim, n.d., p. 109). When he initially saw the black basalt stone, it measured about 3.5 feet high and 2 feet wide. Upon hearing of Klein’s adventure, a French scholar named Clermont-Ganneau located the antiquated piece of rock and made an impression of the writing on its surface. From that point, the details surrounding the stone are not quite as clear. Apparently, the Arabs who had the stone thought that it was a religious talisman of some sort, and broke it into several pieces by heating it in fire and then pouring cold water on it. The pieces were scattered, but about two-thirds of the original stone has been relocated, and currently resides at the Louvre in Paris (Jacobs and McCurdy, 2002).
The written inscription on the stone provides a piece of “rock-solid” evidence verifying the Bible’s accuracy. Mesha, the king of Moab, had the stone cut in about 850 B.C. to tell of his many conquests and his reacquisition of certain territories that were controlled by Israel. In the over 30-line text composed of about 260 words, Mesha mentions that Omri was the King of Israel who had oppressed Moab, but then Mesha says he “saw his desire upon” Omri’s son and upon “his house.” The Mesha stele cites Omri as the king of Israel, just as 1 Kings 16:21-28 indicates. Furthermore, it mentions Omri’s son (Ahab) in close connection with the Moabites, just as 2 Kings 3:4-6 does. In addition, both the stele and 2 Kings 3:4-6 list Mesha as the king of Moab. The stele further names the Israelite tribe of Gad, and the Israelite God, Yahweh. Taken as a whole, the Moabite stone remains one of the most impressive pieces of evidence verifying the historical accuracy of the Old Testament. And, although this find has been around almost 150 years, it “still speaks” to us today (Hebrews 11:4).

REFERENCES

Edersheim, Albert (no date), The Bible History—Old Testament, book VI (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans).
Jacobs, Joseph and J. Frederick McCurdy (2002), “Moabite Stone,” JewishEncyclopedia.com, [On-line], URL: http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=680&letter=M.

Will Science Eventually Kill God? by Jeff Miller, Ph.D.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=12&article=1602

Will Science Eventually Kill God?

by	Jeff Miller, Ph.D.

Impossible concept, and yet it has captured the attention of the news media of late (e.g., Wolchover, 2012). Will the bulk of society likely tend to continue its movement away from God in the coming years? Probably, since that has historically been the trend, inside and outside the Bible. But God has never been eliminated from human thought in the thousands of years of human existence, because His providential hand brings punishment on societies at those times when the population in sufficient numbers turns its back on God. Then inevitably follows a return by many to spiritual matters (see Miller, 2008).
Still, according to NBC News, Sean Carroll, a theoretical cosmologist at the California Institute of Technology, believes that science will eventually remove the need for God in the equation to explain certain Universal phenomena. He argues that, “God’s sphere of influence has shrunk drastically in modern times” (Wolchover). We are not sure where he is getting his information, because statistically, the world is en masse (84%) theist (e.g., “Major Religions of the World,” 2007), and the percentage of the population in this country that believes that God has played a role in the origin of the Universe (78%) is far beyond the secular evolutionary community (15%) (see Miller, 2012). While there certainly has been an increase in the ranks of the non-religious community in the past several years, the Earth is still, by far, theistic.
Carroll further argues that many of the phenomena that were once highlighted as proof of the existence of God, since science could not explain those phenomena, are gradually being eliminated, in his opinion. He believes that the need for a God to cause the Big Bang to “bang” is side-stepped by the idea of an eternal Universe—a Universe like the one theorized by the Oscillating Universe Big Bang model. [NOTE: This is not to say that we believe the Big Bang Theory to be true. We have outlined several issues that show the Big Bang to be false elsewhere (e.g., Thompson, Harrub, and May, 2003). We are merely addressing his assertions.] He believes that the problem of having a necessary cause for the Universe, even if the Universe is not eternal, is side-stepped by the idea that time started at the Big Bang, and therefore, there is no need of a pre-existing cause. According to Alex Filippenko, an astrophysicist at the University of California, Berkeley that is quoted in the article, “The Big Bang could’ve occurred as a result of just the laws of physics being there. With the laws of physics, you can get universes.” Carroll further argues that the “fine tuning” argument used by theists with regard to many physical constants that seem perfectly suited for our existence, can be side-stepped using theories about parallel universes beyond our’s (Wolchover).
Several comments are worth mentioning in response to Carroll. First of all, notice the tacit admission that God is still needed to explain some things in the Universe, even if they might eventually be eliminated in Carroll’s mind. Many issues that point to God have been eliminated, in Carroll’s opinion: but that implies that some remain.
Second, his attempt to side-step the problem of needing a “trigger” for the Big Bang by giving credence to theories that postulate the eternality of the Universe, does not lend to the idea that science has eliminated the need for God in that area. On the contrary, science has already spoken on that matter. Nothing lasts forever, according to the 2^nd Law of Thermodynamics (see Miller, 2007 for an in depth discussion of the Laws of Thermodynamics as they relate to the Universe as a whole). So such theories are not in keeping with the findings of science. Since nothing lasts forever in nature, the Universe could not have lasted forever—God is needed.
His further attempt to side-step the issue of needing a cause for a non-eternal Universe Big Bang model, by arguing that time began at the Big Bang, is reminiscent of Stephen Hawking’s recent comments on the matter. However, as we have discussed elsewhere (see Miller, 2011), that idea is not in keeping with the scientific evidence either. The Universe could not have caused itself since, in nature, nothing comes from nothing. Energy cannot spontaneously generate, according to the evidence from science—specifically the 1^st Law of Thermodynamics (see Miller, 2007). Theories that postulate such erroneous concepts are not in keeping with science. So, once again, science has not eliminated the need for God in that instance either. The existence of the Universe still requires an adequate Cause, according to the evidence from science.
Filippenko’s comments merely highlight another issue that science cannot explain without God—the existence of the laws of physics. A poem requires a poet. A law requires a law writer. As eminent atheistic theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and astrobiologist of Arizona State University, Paul Davies, noted, “You need to know where those laws come from. That’s where the mystery lies—the laws” (“The Creation Question…,” 2011). The atheist has no explanation for how the laws of science could have written themselves into existence, and there is no logical explanation outside of a cosmic Law Writer.
Carroll’s attempts to side-step the issue of the theist’s finely tuned Universe argument by postulating parallel Universes is not a sound argument. Science has not proven such a theory. No alternate Universe has ever been witnessed, and therefore is outside the scope of the evolutionary community’s own definition of empirical science. Such an argument is mere conjecture and speculation—not evidence. So again, science has not dismissed the need for God in this instance either.
Time and again, Carroll attempts to make his case for science eliminating God, by relying on theories that cannot be verified with science or that blatantly contradict the evidence from science. So, in the end, Carroll has not proven that science has or could ever eliminate God. The only thing he has proven is that atheists are not self-consistent in their viewpoint on this matter.
Is it true that many people today are accepting such “evidence” and are therefore turning from God? Are they in the process causing God to be eliminated from their minds—i.e., not “retain[ing] God in their knowledge” (Romans 1:28)? Is it likely that there will be more and more people in the coming years that join the bandwagon in rejecting God? Definitely. However, such behavior is not due to the evidence from true science, but rather, due to their own desires (cf. Romans 1:20-32). Ironically, while such atheists wishfully dream that science will one day kill God, science has actually already ruled out atheism as an explanation for the origin of the Universe (see www.apologeticspress.org for evidence on this subject).

REFERENCES

“The Creation Question: A Curiosity Conversation” (2011), Discovery Channel, August 7.
“Major Religions of the World Ranked by Number of Adherents” (2007), http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html.
Miller, Jeff (2007), “God and the Laws of Thermodynamics: A Mechanical Engineer’s Perspective,” Reason & Revelation, 27[4]:25-31, April, http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/3293.
Miller, Jeff (2008), “The Cycle of Unbelief,” Apologetics Press, http://www.apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=7&article=2495.
Miller, Jeff  (2011), “A Review of Discovery Channel’s ‘Curiosity: Did God Create the Universe?’” Reason & Revelation, 31[10]:98-107, http://www.apologeticspress.org/apPubPage.aspx?pub=1&issue=1004&article=1687.
Miller, Jeff (2012), “Literal Creationists Holding Their Ground in the Polls,” Reason & Revelation, 32[9]:94-95, September, http://www.apologeticspress.org/APPubPage.aspx?pub=1&issue=1093&article=2040#.
Thompson, Bert, Brad Harrub, and Branyon May (2003), “The Big Bang Theory—A Scientific Critique [Part 1],” Reason & Revelation, 23[5]:33-47, May, http://www.apologeticspress.org/apPubPage.aspx?pub=1&issue=541&article=540.
Wolchover, Natalie (2012), “Will Science Someday Rule Out the Possibility of God?” NBC News: Science, September 18, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49074598/ns/technology_and_science-science/#.UFnWIlEpCeZ.