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<p><strong>True biblical Spiritual Warfare = Indirect Confrontation </strong></p>
 
<p><strong>SUB-TOPICS: <br>
 
  - Comparing old and new teachings on spiritual warfare <br>
 
  - [[#God's role = direct confrontation, verses our role = indirect confrontation|God's role = direct confrontation, verses our role = indirect confrontation]]<br>
 
  - [[#Examples of&nbsp; Indirect Confrontation in the Bible| Examples of&nbsp; Indirect Confrontation in the Bible]]<br>
 
  - [[#More Scriptural Objection for Direct Confrontation|More Scriptural Objection for Direct Confrontation]] <br>
 
  - [[#Weapons of Spiritual Warfare –Part 1| Weapons of Spiritual Warfare &ndash;Part 1]]<br>
 
  [[#1) The belt of truth|1) The belt of truth]]<br>
 
  [[#2) The breastplate of righteousness|2) The breastplate of righteousness]]<br>
 
  [[#3) The shoes of the gospel of peace|3) The shoes of the gospel of peace]]<br>
 
  [[#4) The shield of faith|4) The shield of faith]]<br>
 
  [[#5) The helmet of salvation|5) The helmet of salvation]] <br>
 
  [[#6) The sword of the Spirit|6) The sword of the Spirit]] <br>
 
  [[#7) All kinds of prayers|7) All kinds of prayers]] <br>
 
</strong></p>
 
  
<div di="top></div>
 
<p><strong>Comparing old and new teachings on spiritual warfare </strong></p>
 
<p>“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but ...against the spiritual forces of evil... Therefore put on the full armor of God,” Ephesians 6:12-13. </p>
 
<p>By this time, based on the previous chapters, you likely have a solid foundation on understanding the biblical nature of spiritual warfare. With the foundation now in place you'll be able to build a sound biblical interpretation of spiritual warfare principles that are not diluted with erroneous and harmful teachings. </p>
 
<p>As said earlier, the biblical interpretation of spiritual warfare principles endorsed by this book are supported by the entire 2000 year church history -from Christ's time up to now. They constitute the old teachings on spiritual warfare and have stood the test of time on doctrinal scrutiny. Nearly all our various evangelical branches (denominations) in the body of Christ endorse the old teachings on spiritual warfare. Read on to find out. So much is at stake. </p>
 
<p>On the other hand, the spiritual warfare teachings that advocate for direct confrontation with Satan have been around only since the 1980s. They constitute the new teachings on spiritual warfare. The doctrinal foundation they're based on has had controversies ever since the teachings started. This ought to ring a doctrinal analysis bell to any Christian serious enough to walk in truth and in spirit. Many scriptures have literally been taken out of context to establish the new teachings. </p>
 
<p>The new teachings are only endorsed by two or three groups (denominations) among our various evangelical branches. Needless to say that the groups that endorse the teachings have dissimilar versions of direct confrontation with Satan and his fellow demons. </p>
 
<p>Due to their false empowerment these teachings advocating for direct confrontation with Satan have spread with a lot of excitement. Believers learn that scripture admonishes us to directly confront Satan and his fellow fallen angels. It feels great since instead of praying to God we can do it ourselves. We have the divine authority over Satan and demons, so it's assumed. The false empowerment makes us in charge over evil spirits to the extent that we directly control them ourselves. We all want to have more direct control over our lives. Anything that gives us direct control over our lives empowers us. </p>
 
<p>So now the new spiritual warfare teachings claim we have direct control over evil spirits. We by-pass God and we rule over them ourselves. The only time God comes in is as we use the name of Jesus to bombard the demons. </p>
 
<p>Every matter in life that seems like a spiritual attack is an assumed call for us to directly confront the evil spirits. Instead of praying to God we go after the evil spirits and directly confront them. We confront them over material and financial maters. We confront them over physical health matters. We confront them over relationship matters. We even confront them in geographic territories by waging territorial warfare. </p>
 
<p>The list is endless of how we engage evil spirits directly. Some churches following this belief even encourage preemptive warfare. This is were Christians are to directly attack evil spirits before the spirits strike. </p>
 
<p>Notice that this belief system preoccupies us with evil spirits. Instead of being preoccupied with God we're constantly looking at what evil spirits are up to. And whatever evil spirits are up to is not God's responsibility to deal with them but ours, so it's assumed. It even makes it hard to think of what God is up to in spite of the evil spirits. Thus much time that could have been given to prayer (being preoccupied with God) is given to “discerning” and directly attacking evil spirits (being preoccupied with evil spirits). </p>
 
<p>If you're like some of us who've read the bible from cover to cover you'll notice that this God we serve prefers us to be preoccupied with him more than anything else. An even worse scenario for this God we serve is where we're being preoccupied with evil spirits. Such preoccupation is not Christianity but another religion that gives us a focus on and false empowerment over evil spirits. </p>
 
<p>You're probably familiar with what I'm saying. Some may be saying wait a minute, what about this or that scripture? Please read on, preferably the whole book, if you have many questions and doubts. This book wasn't written by an armchair umpire comparing two distinct doctrines. I was for years caught up in the false teachings on spiritual warfare. Being a person who goes to extremes on any matter that's important I aggressively applied the false spiritual warfare teachings. I was one of the most radical followers of the false teachings on spiritual warfare. Being led by the spiritually blind on what true biblical spiritual warfare really is I also ended up being spiritually blind. </p>
 
<p>All the scriptures you may raise I therefore know them. The book is thus coming from an insider who's intimately familiar with the false teachings on spiritual warfare. God graciously got me out of it and he's doing the same for you through this book –or through any other way –hopefully not through a severe wake-up call. </p>
 
<p>The false teachings on spiritual warfare sound so empowering. Are they biblical? You'll see in this chapter that any biblical basis they use is merely misinterpretation of scripture. The bible can be used to back up nearly anything. All that's needed is taking some scriptures out of context and one has a new teaching or doctrine. </p>
 
<p>Fellow Christians be on alert. Fellow ministers guard your calling in ensuring you're not blind on an important matter that could make you mislead many. Some new teachings using scriptures out of context can have disturbing consequences on your life and others – spiritually, socially, materially, or physically. Needless to say that there's always plenty of hope for anyone who may have been harmed by any kind of false teaching. </p>
 
<p>New Age self-empowerment teachings are all around us. Let's not entertain them when they try to infiltrate Christianity. In fact all occult teachings in both white witchcraft and black witchcraft are centered around self-empowerment. They promise people power over “the” spirits, both good and bad spirits. </p>
 
<p>Through learning some occult teachings they promise self-empowerment that enables a person to use “the” spirits in his/her personal advancement in career, marriage, material gain, and so on. The spirits are claimed to become submissive to one's requests as a person gains and applies knowledge of certain occult rituals. </p>
 
<p>For example, just look at the degrees or hierarchical levels of Freemasonry and you will see how the occult is centered on self-empowerment. Here are a few and you'll notice how self-empowering the titles are: Master Mason, Excellent Master, Secret Master, Perfect Master, Master Elect of Nine (ninth degree), Grand Master Architect, Prince of Jerusalem. These are just some of the first 16 Masonic degrees (out of 33). Can you see how they entitle a person to be a master or lord over his/her own life as he/she graduates in the Freemasonry occult disciplines? </p>
 
<p>If this sounds so unfamiliar to you please read my other book, <em>Breaking </em><em>Occult Spells: Protection from Witchcraft and Occult Influences </em>. It has more detailed info on this topic. </p>
 
<p>The new teachings on spiritual warfare borders on making evil spirits to become submissive to one's requests. Can you see how this brings a false sense of self-empowerment – like the occult world promises? Direct confrontation on spiritual warfare is being used as a means for having power over evil spirits. It may sound innocent for any unsuspecting Christian but if you connect the dots you'll see that it has occult relations. </p>
 
<p>This is not to say fellow Christians caught up in the new teachings on spiritual warfare are in the occult. It's just to say that the new teachings have occult relations on self-empowerment, giving a person power over the spirits. In Christendom select scriptures get taken out of context and the self-empowerment doctrine gets a Christian face. Direct confrontation against Satan and his fellow demons is claimed to empower us to counter their schemes. </p>
 
<p>The main biblical basis being used for direct confrontation on spiritual warfare&nbsp; is that Christ gave us authority over unclean spirits (i.e. evil spirits, demons or fallen angels). This is very true. Yet it's only true to the extent that our given authority is exercised within its contextual limits that it was granted. All given authority, whether earthly or spiritual, is limited. The only being with unlimited authority is God. His kind of authority is called power because it's not granted and cannot be sanctioned by anyone. He's sovereign. </p>
 
<p>God's angels have limited authority, demons (fallen angels), including Satan, have limited authority. Who are we to think our given spiritual authority is unlimited? Exercising our given spiritual authority beyond its given limits is mere presumption and venturing into unauthorized territory. Once you enter into an unauthorized territory you're at the mercy of its residents. Satan and his fellow demons have no mercy over believers entering unauthorized spiritual zones. It'll be free lunch for them –unless God in his sovereignty stops them. </p>
 
<p>Thus our given authority over evil spirits did not mean it was a blank check to go after evil spirits wherever we wish to confront them –in people, in thin air, in geographical territories, in water, in the spirit world, or wherever. This makes understanding the boundaries of our given authority a very important matter. </p>
 
<p>This is particularly important on matters that deal with the spirit world. Otherwise we may risk going outside our boundaries and face regretful counterattacks that could have been avoided. The previous chapters (chapters 2 and 3) cover in depth on our given authority and on its limited boundaries. Please read them in case you came straight to this chapter. You'll see from God's word how he has created a God-centered approach to dealing with evil spirits. </p>
 
<p>The rest of this chapter expands on this God-centered approach by elaborating on our role as indirect warriors in God's army. In other ways, we do not fight evil spirits directly but fight them indirectly by focusing on God who has the power to directly confront them. God, through his angels has the power to directly confront evil spirits in all their set-up places: occult world, spirit world, and territories. </p>
 
<p>Thus victory comes by fulfilling our expected indirect responsibilities, and not by our direct confrontation with evil spirits. Indirect confrontation is our responsibility. Direct confrontation is God's, except where demons are to be cast out of people. <strong>
 
</strong></p>
 
[[#TOP|TOP]]
 
<strong><div id="God's role = direct confrontation, verses our role = indirect confrontation"></div>God's role = direct confrontation, verses our role = indirect confrontation</strong></p>
 
<p>This chapter is an answer to: what is spiritual warfare according to the bible? Or what is Christian spiritual warfare? </p>
 
<p>True biblical spiritual warfare is simply indirect confrontation with Satan our principle enemy. Indirect confrontation implies that we do not fight with Satan and his evil forces by approaching them directly. We confront them by applying indirect means and ways that God has established for us. These will be covered shortly. </p>
 
<p>Applying and fulfilling our required indirect roles secures our standing before God and allows him to directly act on our behalf. Attacks from Satan against us become God's battles as we obey and fulfill the roles required of us. In this spiritual battle God's role is direct in nature as he is able to directly confront the spiritual forces unseen to our human eyes. </p>
 
<p>God himself does not necessarily fight Satan. He is too big to go out and fight a creature he himself created and allowed to exist after his rebellion. The Lord uses his angels, Satan's equals since Satan is also an angel, only a fallen one. </p>
 
<p>God through his heavenly government of angels has the power, authority and direct access to the kingdom of Satan and his fallen angels. We do not and we only deceive ourselves to assume we do. However, we have a very special role to play in setting the stage for God to send out his angels to minister (carry out) his will. </p>
 
<p>This special role comprises of fulfilling our expected part in our walk with God. The combination of our walk with God and committing life's battles into his hands constitutes our indirect role. God becomes our defender and acts on our behalf in dealing with matters confronting us and the people we commit to him. </p>
 
<p>True Christian spiritual warfare is living a life of consecration, obedience and fellowship with God in such a way that we enable God to effectively deal with the evil working against us and against other people. It is a form of abiding in Christ that overcomes Satan's legal and illegal grounds against us and others. This is seen in the outline of our spiritual armor given in Ephesians 6:11-18 (outlined below). </p>
 
<p>Biblical spiritual warfare is therefore indirect confrontation against Satan. We approach God to intervene for us against Satan on matters in our lives and the lives of others. </p>
 
<p>It's true that Satan and his demonic spirits (fallen angels) are our primary enemies we wrestle against. It's also true that God has given us certain ways in the Bible of confronting these evil beings whose full time ministry is scheming to ruin our lives. Working outside these biblical ways only increases their effect in our lives. One of these non-biblical ways is the assumption that direct confrontation against Satan is our role. </p>
 
[[#TOP|TOP]]
 
  
<p><strong><div id="Examples of Indirect Confrontation in the Bible"></div>Examples of Indirect Confrontation in the Bible </strong></p>
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[[#1|'''index''']]
<p><strong>a) Examples of indirect Confrontation During Jesus' Time on Earth </strong></p>
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<p>Nowhere in the scripture do we see Jesus or the apostles bombarding demons in thin air and calling it spiritual warfare prayers or deliverance prayers. When Satan sought to sift Peter and finish him off Jesus prayed to God. Jesus prayed that Peter's faith would not fail and when he'd turned back from the attack he'd strengthen his fellow disciples. </p>
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<p>“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers,” Luke 22:31-32. </p>
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<p>Jesus Christ, God made flesh, prayed to God, the Father, for Peter's deliverance. His spiritual warfare prayer or deliverance prayer was addressed to God not to Satan. How much more should we follow his example of indirect confrontation. </p>
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<p>The events that followed showed the results of Jesus' prayers of deliverance addressed to God, not Satan. Peter rose to be the foundation of the early church. His faith in his teacher and master, Jesus Christ, was preserved. God did his spiritual warfare part in fulfilling Jesus' deliverance prayer by directly confronting Satan in the spirit realm.</p>
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<p><strong>b) Examples of Indirect Confrontation after Jesus' Ascension and During the Early Church </strong></p>
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<p>Some may say direct confrontation with demonic spirits, binding and loosing them became necessary after Jesus ascended to heaven. How come the apostles did not practice it? When confronted with threats that could have closed the emerging church they turned to God. </p>
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<p>At one point they prayed so much that, “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken,” Acts 4:31. In our time fellow believers assume earth shaking breakthroughs will come after binding and loosing demonic spirits, familiar spirits, generational spirits, Jezebel spirits, territorial spirits, spirits of division, spirits of unforgiveness, and so on. This only ends up taking us outside our biblical limits. </p>
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<p>It also ends up summoning demons to interfere with our lives because we confront them in their spiritual territory where only God and his hosts have access to. We have direct access to God when confronted with evil. However we do not have direct access to the spirits of darkness. The previous chapter covers this in depth from God's word. </p>
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<p>Paul, the apostle whose inspired words on spiritual warfare have confused some, never directly confronted demonic powers. He received a thorn in the flesh from Satan that brought much pain and discomfort in his life. “There was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me,” 2 Corinthians 12:7. </p>
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<p>None of us would like to have a demonic attack that is illegally operating against us. More so for a person of his spiritual stature with one of the greatest anointing on him. He is probably the greatest spiritual warfare prayer warrior in Christian history. His spiritual warfare prayers where addressed to God. He indirectly confronted the enemy. </p>
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<p>In dealing with the demonic thorn in the flesh Paul turned to God instead of confronting Satan and the ranks of principalities he identifies in Ephesians. He turned to God, not once but, “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me,” Corinthians 12:8. </p>
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<p>If direct confrontation was scriptural we would have seen at least one direct encounter between Paul and demonic spirits. But he kept turning to God, his only source of salvation, who had the authority to directly confront these evil beings in the spirit realm.<strong></strong></p>[[#TOP|TOP]]
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<strong><div id="More Scriptural Objection for Direct Confrontation"></div>More Scriptural Objection for Direct Confrontation </strong></p>
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[[#_Feeb7001|Agnostic]]
<p>After covering on all these major biblical cases of indirect confrontation as our avenue of spiritual warfare and deliverance some may still argue about our authority to bind and loose demonic powers. Please read Chapter 2: Our Territory and Nature of Our Spiritual Authority. It explains what binding and loosing is according to the bible. </p>
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[[#_Feeb7001|Eternal]]
<p>Others may say, we have the authority to directly confront evil spirits by casting them out of people. True and this is one exceptional area that scripture allows us to directly confront evil spirits. Chapter 5: Exception for Direct Confrontation covers on this topic. A single exception on direct confrontation does not justify other practices as means of directly confronting evil spirits.<strong></strong></p>[[#TOP|TOP]]
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[[#_Feeb7001|Security ]]
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[[#_Feeb7001|Millennium ]]
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[[#_Feeb7001|A-Millennialism ]]
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[[#_Feeb7001|Faith ]]
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[[#_Feeb7001|Missions]]
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[[#_Feeb7001|Angels ]]
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[[#_Feeb7001|False Prophets ]]
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[[#_Feeb7001|Fear of God ]]
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[[#_Feeb7001|Antichrist ]]
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[[#_Feeb7001|Fornication ]]
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[[#_Feeb7001|New Birth ]]
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Capital
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Inspiration of Scripture
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Second Coming
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CharisMattic Movement
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Israel
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Signs and Wonders
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Christian
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Jesus Christ
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Agnostic[[#_Feeb7001|Agnostic]]  
  
<strong><div id="Weapons of Spiritual Warfare –Part 1"></div>Weapons of Spiritual Warfare –Part 1 </strong>
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I see no need for an introduction, so let's go ahead and get started. What is an agnostic? An agnostic is a person who takes a position of uncertainty toward God and the Bible. These people have no real convictions, for they know nothing for sure. Most agnostics have had more education than the rest of us, and they usually have a rather high opinion of themselves and their "open-mindedness." In Acts 17:22-23, the Apostle Paul addressed some agnostics at Athens who had erected an alter to "THE UNKNOWN GOD." Paul said they were "too superstitious."
  
<p>The spiritual amour in the Ephesians passage is composed of Truth, Righteousness, Gospel of Peace, Faith, Salvation, and the Word of God. All these are aspects of consecration, obedience to and fellowship with God. </p>
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Christianity is not a religion of uncertainty. We have an absolute Final Authority with absolute answers. For Example, see John 14:6, Job 19:25, 2 Timothy 1:12, I Peter 1:18, and 1 John 5:13.
<p>The Lord uses our consecration and obedience to overturn Satan's legal hold over matters in our lives and the lives of those we've been assigned to minister to –spiritually, socially, materially and physically. “We will be ready to punish every act of disobedience <strong><em>once </em></strong>(when) your obedience is complete,” 2 Corinthians 10:6 (emphasis added). </p>
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<p>God stands as the highest Judge who takes up our cases as we submit them to him to bring justice. Our cases are already in our favor because we use the work of Christ and his blood atonement (sacrifice) for all humanity and matters in life to justify our cases. Our consecration and obedience to God enables the Holy Spirit to effectively work through us in punishing all the disobedience the enemy brings or attempts to, in our lives and the lives we're commissioned to serve. </p>
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<p>The term spiritual warfare itself is not in the Bible. It is still relevant since it distinguishes between spiritual and physical warfare. Its closest association is the passage in Ephesians 6:11-18. Unfortunately the enemy has used it to deceive us that we have the right to <strong><em>directly </em></strong>fight his set-up in the heavenly realms. The lie is not new since Satan has throughout history used scripture to justify ungodly acts such as gender abuses, slavery, colonialism, persecution of non-Christians and so on. </p>
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<p>The passage in Ephesians says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the spiritual or heavenly realms. </p>
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<p>"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of <strong><em>truth </em></strong>buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of <strong><em>righteousness </em></strong>in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the <strong><em>gospel of peace </em></strong>. </p>
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<p>"In addition to all this, take up the shield of <strong><em>faith </em></strong>, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of <strong><em>salvation </em></strong>and the sword of the Spirit, which is the <strong><em>word of God </em></strong>. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of <strong><em>prayers </em></strong>and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints,” Ephesians 6:11-18. </p>
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<p>You'll notice that the entire armor of God is a call to a life of consecration, obedience and fellowship with God - <strong><em>truth </em></strong>, <strong><em>righteousness </em></strong>, <strong><em>gospel of peace </em></strong>, <strong><em>faith </em></strong>, <strong><em>salvation </em></strong>, <strong><em>word of God </em></strong>, <strong><em>prayers </em></strong>. </p>
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<p>It is not meant for us to go out and start bombarding the spiritual forces of evil in the spiritual or heavenly realms. Paul used the metaphor of an armed Roman soldier, in showing how we can be prepared for spiritual warfare. In his time, a well-armed soldier wore a belt, breastplate, shoes, shield, helmet and carried a sword. </p>
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<p>What a difference with our time when a few individuals can destroy the world many times over just by pressing buttons for nuclear and biochemical weapons. God forbid, though the battle of Armageddon is more than likely to feature this. If God placed no limits on Satan we'd all be cooked up by now. Satan would have quickly worked on his schemes to destroy God's creation. Our God still reigns and has his final say over matters on earth. Wheew! </p>
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<p>The same mighty God has placed spiritual weapons in our spiritual hands that he says are mightier than human weapons. We have access to spiritual buttons that can devastate the devil's work against humanity. </p>
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<p>Their indirect nature may look so simple but as we apply them they set the stage for our mighty God to directly overcome the devil's work against us and against all humanity. The following outlines our primary spiritual armor that has so much power in the realm of the spirit. Appendix 1: Weapons of Spiritual Warfare lists more of our spiritual weapons. <strong></strong></p>[[#TOP|TOP]]
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<strong><div id="1) The belt of truth"></div>1) The belt of truth </strong>
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[[#1|'''index''']]
  
<p>We are to walk in truth in our motives, desires and conduct. Truth has scripture as its foundation. The scripture enables us not to live in error, deception, and sin if we apply it in our lives. </p>
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A-Millennialism This is the false belief that there will be no millennium--no one thousand year reign of Christ and His saints on earth. Revelation 20:1-7 plainly tells us that there WILL be a millennial reign. Other interesting references can be found in 2 Timothy 2:11-13, Luke 19:17-19, and Revelation 5:10 (just to name a few).
<p>Truth is not relative or circumstantial but unchanging. It is based on the unbreakable scripture. It cannot be used for selfish motives such as to gain material wealth, influence and so on. There is also no room for “white lies,” deception or exaggerations. </p>
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<p>Walking in truth works as a weapon against Satan's deceptions, appeal to selfish desires and the flesh. It enables us to walk according to the will of God. No direct confrontation against Satan required yet his legal entry attempts are overcome as we walk in truth. The belt of truth is among our major indirect weapons of spiritual warfare and deliverance ministry. </p>[[#TOP|TOP]]
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<strong><div di="2) The breastplate of righteousness"></div>2) The breastplate of righteousness</strong>
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[[#1|'''index''']]
  
<p>Righteousness is a state of living that enables us to be approved before God. He is holy and desires holiness as his standard of approval. Any lukewarmness is unacceptable, like the church in Laodicea. “Because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold -I am about to spit you out of my mouth,” Revelation 3:16. </p>
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Angels Angels are "ministering spirits," according to Hebrews 1:14, and their primary purpose is to wait on God. Angels were created prior to man's Existence (Job 38:4-7), and as supernatural beings, they are far superior to you and me (Psa. 8:5). All angels in the Bible are of the masculine gender, and none appear to have wings.
<p>Although it is the righteousness of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21) that makes us acceptable to God scripture is clear that we are expected to walk in holiness. It is a way of fulfilling our part in the call to righteousness. “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit,” Galatians 5: 22-25. </p>
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<p>The sinful nature crucified in our lives is what enables the righteousness of Christ to compensate for all the areas we may unwillfully fall short. Without doing our part the righteousness of Christ is in vain. It is degrading the grace of God as a license to sin. </p>
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<p>On the other hand, when the sinful nature is crucified in our lives it enables the righteousness of Christ to overcome the legal grounds of Satan against us. God becomes our defender in Satan's accusations against us. He finds us blameless for Satan to have any claim to attack us. No direct confrontation against Satan required yet his legal entry attempts are overcome as we live righteousness lives. The breastplate of righteousness is among our major indirect weapons of spiritual warfare and deliverance ministry.<strong></strong></p>[[#TOP|TOP]]
+
  
<strong><div id="3)The shoes of the gospel of peace"></div>3)The shoes of the gospel of peace</strong>
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Not all angels belong to the Lord. Some of the angels have fallen (Jude 1:6-7, Gen. 6:1-4, 2 Peter. 2:4), and more will fall in the future (Rev. 12:4-9). Even Satan himself can be transformed into an "angel of light," according to 2 Corinthians 11:14. Therefore, we are told in 1 John 4:1 to TRY the spirits.
  
<p>Inner peace is not found among those living outside the will of God. They are very poor in this area regardless of whatever some may have achieved. “The wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud. ‘There is no peace,' says my God, ‘for the wicked.'” Isaiah 57:20-21. </p>
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[[#1|'''index''']]
<p>Because their eyes are still blind they look in all the wrong areas trying to find it –worldly pleasures, entertainment, alcohol, pursuit of riches, fame, power and influence. Many of us were once there, constantly running from something or towards something all in pursuit of peace. Now we have the Prince of Peace living in us without resorting to alcohol, worldly pleasures and so on, to look for peace. </p>
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<p>God has now given us the shoes of the gospel of peace to “walk” to people without peace. We reveal to them the gospel of peace that brings true peace in their lives. </p>
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<p>The shoes of the gospel of peace also protect us from the rough ground that we walk on. The ground we walk on is the earth with all its problems that resulted from sin since Adam and Eve fell. There is much poverty, disease, greed, crime, immorality, wars, conflicts and so on. Without wearing our shoes we will have no peace walking in such territory. We will have no peace with ourselves, with God and with others.<strong>
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</strong></p>[[#TOP|TOP]]
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<strong><div id="4)The shield of faith"></div>4)The shield of faith</strong>
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Annihilation
  
<p>Faith is critical in five major situations in life: <br>
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This false teaching is very popular with people like the "Jehovah's Witnesses," who do not believe in a literal and eternal lake of fire for the punishment of the wicked. Annihilation is the belief that the wicked will be totally destroyed at some point in the future, and that no ETERNAL place of torment Exists. The Lord Jesus Christ believed otherwise (Matt. 25:41; Luke.16:24).
&nbsp; a) When we desire or seek something we are unable to have through our own strength and wisdom, <br>
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  b) When storms and trials in life strike us, <br>
+
  c) When obeying God's word is being challenged by certain respected secular beliefs – e.g. where it's popularly said that saving money instead of giving is more important in increasing financial security. Though necessary it's not more important than giving, <br>
+
  d) When the temptation is strongest to have certain desires through biblically forbidden ways – e.g. the temptation of marrying a respectable non-believer, or seeking financial matters through non-biblical ways, <br>
+
  e) When believing in matters one may find difficult to understand or difficult to draw much sense out of them – e.g. the God of love in a troubled world, bad things happening to God's people, the trinity, etc. </p>
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<p>Faith is probably the most important area that Satan targets most among believers. He knows that once we stop trusting God in a particular area he can easily offer us his deceptive solutions. He did that to Adam and Eve. The whole creation is still paying the price. The whole earth is still groaning from what it is being subjected to after Adam and Eve surrendered their inheritance to Satan. </p>
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<p>In our own lives most of us succumbed to Satan's lies at one point or another. We knew what God's word says. However we still believed the lies were more worthwhile to follow. Satan may not have come in a serpent form yet he still came into our thoughts directly or through the media, through a person or through circumstances. </p>
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<p>The moment we stopped trusting scripture our faith in God's word in the area of concern ended. The consequences are always the same – negative. Walking by sight or according to the flesh is costly in the long run. </p>
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<p>On the other hand walking by faith enables us to receive rewarding results in the long run. In the short-run it may seem costly, slow and unconventional. However the rewards are worth the wait if we are willing to trust God for as long as it takes. </p>
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<p>Walking by faith extinguishes “all the flaming arrows of the evil one,” (verse 16). The flaming arrows include Satan's temptations, doubt, fear, despair and confusion. He will try to bring them through all sorts of ways – directly into our thoughts or through the media, through a person or through circumstances. We refuse to compromise for anything that is contrary to God's word. </p>
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<p>We trust his word even when the shortcut appears rewarding or when we cannot see how it will work out. In this way we are lifting up the shield of faith against Satan's attacks. There is no direct confrontation yet Satan is overcome as we fulfill our indirect role God has assigned us. </p>
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[[#TOP|TOP]]
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<p><strong><div id="5) The helmet of salvation"></div>5) The helmet of salvation </strong>
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[[#1|'''index''']]
  
<p>Our salvation through Christ is the only treasure we will take with us after we die. Without it we would be heading for hell. It is the only treasure that the devil cannot take away from us. Like with Job, the Lord may allow him to take everything from us. Yet for as long as we remain trusting and having faith in God our salvation remains intact. Even if all fails we know the place God has prepared for us is better than the brief experiences on earth.<br>
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Antichrist
</p>[[#TOP|TOP]]
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<p><strong><div id="6) The sword of the Spirit"></div>6) The sword of the Spirit</strong></p>
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This is a future individual who will be fully possessed and motivated by Satan himself. He will dictate a common world religion, a world government, and a world economy (Rev. 13; 2 Thes. 2:3-4; Rev. 19:19), and he will MURDER those who refuse to conform to his evil system.
<p>When Jesus “was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil,” (Matthew 4:1) he used scripture to overcome Satan's temptations. Scripture is our best offensive weapon against the devil, over our lives and the lives of others. Notice in the temptation passage (Matthew 4:1-11) that Satan also used scripture in trying to deceive Jesus. </p>
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<p>The passage where Jesus quoted scripture to overcome Satan's temptations has sometimes been used to justify verbal confrontation. It is often used as an example of verbal confrontation where Jesus exercised the word, the Sword of the spirit realm, against Satan. </p>
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<p>A closer look shows that scripture does not support this. Satan appeared physically to Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). It is fitting that he would talk to a being that appeared physically. The devil even took Jesus on a “tour,” first to the temple, then to a high mountain. </p>
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<p>After this experience there is no other account of Jesus quoting scripture to Satan as a way of fighting him. Yet throughout his ministry he was busy confronting and overcoming the enemy in the lives of people. Thus unless the enemy appears to any one of us physically (God forbid) we have no business talking to him verbally. </p>
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<p>Even if he were to physically appear to any one of us God may require us to do something else –like just saying, “Away from me, Satan,” (Matthew 4:10). No long verbal confrontations. Quoting any scripture may not be necessary. Our Lord was not setting a formula of using scripture in having conversations with the enemy. What we learn from his experience is that the enemy can use scripture that God gave us to live by. It's only that he twists it in order to deceive us. </p>
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<p>The way this deception works is by him planting thoughts in our minds rather than appearing physically. The battle is either lost or won from within as we counteract the temptation and deception with the right scripture -the sword of the spirit realm. Since Satan can also use scripture it becomes a bigger battle when comparing what's true and what's twisted out of context. We have more than enough experiences throughout history where God's people have fallen to lies through misinterpreted scripture. Satan used scripture to justify ungodly acts such as gender abuses, slavery, colonialism, persecution of non-Christians and so on. </p>
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<p>Our recent accounts include the erroneous spiritual warfare and deliverance teachings. None of the people that fell to the lies throughout history had any outward conversation or physical encounter with Satan quoting scripture. </p>
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<p>Scripture does not direct us to be quoting scripture against Satan in verbal confrontations and assuming that we're wielding the sword of the spirit. The battle is within not outside. God's word hidden in our hearts and minds surfaces whenever we're confronted with opposing beliefs and matters. God's word in our hearts and minds is among our major indirect weapons of spiritual warfare and deliverance ministry.</p>
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[[#TOP|TOP]]
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<div id="7) All kinds of prayers"></div>'''7) All kinds of prayers'''
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The Antichrist is known in scripture as the "little horn" (Dan. 7:8), the "son of perdition" (2 Thes. 2:3), the "beast" (Rev. 13), the "king of the north" (Dan. 11:6), and the "prince that shall come" (Dan.9:26).
  
<p>After he described the various elements of the spiritual armor, Paul said that we are to be in constant prayer. Prayer is part of our spiritual warfare. “Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” Praying implies talking to God, not to Satan. All kinds of prayers and requests include: </p>
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Antichrist and his followers will be destroyed by the Lord Jesus Christ at the second Advent of our Lord.
<p>1) Prayers of deliverance and protection (spiritually, socially, physically or materially), </p>
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<p>2) Prayers of agreement, </p>
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<p>3) Prayers of intercession, </p>
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<p>4) Prayers of inquiry, </p>
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<p>5) Prayers of importunity, supplication, appeal or petition, </p>
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<p>6) Prayers of consecration/dedication/commitment, </p>
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<p>7) Prayers of repentance, </p>
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<p>8) Prayers in the word (praying with the scriptures), </p>
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<p>9) Prayers of worship/adoration and thanksgiving, </p>
+
  
[[Category:Deliverance]]
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[[#1|'''index''']] Apostasy
  
 +
An apostasy is a "falling away" from a standing position. Paul wrote in I1 Thessalonians 2:3 that a great falling away, or apostasy, would occur in the last days, just preceding our Lord's return. We have lived to see this prophecy fulfilled, for man has fallen further away from God in the past fifty years than at any other time since the time of Christ. Apostasy can be found most anywhere you look, especially in religion, education, politics, the media, and in music.
  
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[[#1|'''index''']] Apostolic Signs In Mark16:17-18, Jesus said to the Apostles, "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."
  
 +
Because of their inability and refusal to rightly divide the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15), the Charismatics operate under the false assumption that these signs are still in effect today and that it is THEIR duty to fulfil them. This is why we have charlatans like Oral Roberts and Jim Baker living in mansions and begging people for money.
  
 +
In their haste to make a dollar, the Charismatics consistently ignore the fact that Jesus said these were SIGNS, and that I Corinthians 1:22 tells us that SIGNS are for the JEWS. Israel began with signs (Rom. 4:11; Exo. 4:8 ,Exo.4:9, Exo. 4:17, Exo. 4:23, Exo. 4:28, Exo. 4:30; Exo. 7:3; Exo. 8:23; Exo. 10:1-2; Exo. 13:9; Exo. 31:13, Exo. 13:17; Deuteronomy 4:34; Deuteronomy 6:22), lived by signs (Deuteronomy 11:18; Jos. 4:6; 1 Sam. 10:7; 2 Kings. 19:29; Isa. 7:14; Isa 38:7, Isa 38:22; Eze. 4:3; Eze. 20:12, Eze.20:20), and demanded signs from Christ (Matt. 12:38; Matt.24:3). [ADVICE TO READERS:
  
 +
Everything that can be misunderstood WILL be misunderstood when you fail to check references.] There is more scripture to support the doctrine of signs being for Israel than there is to support the Virgin Birth and the Inspiration of Scripture combined! Anyone who ignores this truth is absolutely unqualified to teach, preach, or write anything about the Apostolic Signs. If you'll take a look at Hebrews 2:3-4 you will see that the signs were used to CONFIRM the word of God, and you will also see that the signs are spoken of in the PAST TENSE. They are also spoken of in the past tense in 2 Corinthians 12:12. Those who insist that we should practice the signs today because they were practiced throughout the New Testament haven't been reading (or believing) their Bible. They were not practiced throughout the New Testament. In fact, Paul left Tro Philmus SICK at Miletum (2 Tim.4:20); he gave Timothy medical advice instead of healing him (1 Tim.5:23), and he had infirmities of his own from which he could not be healed (2 Cor.11:30; 2 Cor 12:5-10). Now why all this sickness if the Apostolic Signs were still in effect? Answer: They WEREN'T still in effect, because they were only needed in the early ministry of the Apostles for the purpose of confirming the truth to Israel. Now we firmly believe that God can still work miracles and heal anyone He chooses, and we believe that the prayers of God's people can move Him to work miracles, but let's not confuse answered prayers with Apostolic Signs, because there's a vast difference. We believe in healing; we just don't believe in healers.
  
===121 Prophecies of Isaiah fulfilled in Jesus Christ===
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You say, "Well what about speaking in unknown tongues through the Holy Ghost? Do you deny that people today speak in unknown tongues?" No, of course not. People have spoken in unknown tongues for thousands of years. Ever read Genesis 11? Was that an outpouring of the Holy Ghost? When the Church of Satan speaks in unknown tongues (which they do), is that a work of the Holy Ghost? When a psychologist can have you blubbering in unknown tongues within fifteen minutes, is that an outpouring of the Holy Ghost? You see, too many people have the idea that if something is highly abnormal or miraculous that it MUST be of God. The coming Antichrist will have a field day with such feeble minded people, because HE will work such "signs and lying wonders" that the entire world will follow after him (I1 Thes. 2:8-12; Rev. 13:13-14).
{| border="1"
+
|'''Isaiah Prophecies'''
+
|'''OT Scripture'''
+
|'''NT Fulfilment'''
+
|-
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|The Jews would reject Christ.
+
|Isaiah 6:9-10a
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|John 12:37-40
+
|-
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|Christ would teach in parables.
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|Isaiah 6:9-10b
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|Matthew 13:13-15
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|-
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|Christ would be born of a virgin.
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|Isaiah 7:14a
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|Luke 1:34-35
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|-
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|Christ would be called Immanuel, "God With Us."
+
|Isaiah 7:14b
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|Matthew 1:21-23<br/>
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John 12:45
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|-
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|Christ would be God.
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|Isaiah 7:14c
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|1 Timothy 3:16
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|-
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|Christ would have wisdom from His childhood.
+
|Isaiah 7:15
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|Luke 2:40
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|-
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|Christ would be a "Stumbling Stone" for the Jews.
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|Isaiah 8:14
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|Matthew 21:43-44
+
|-
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|Christ would minister in Galilee.
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|Isaiah 9:1-2a
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|Matthew 4:12-17
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|-
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|Christ would be a light to the Gentiles.
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|Isaiah 9:1-2b
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|Luke 2:28-32
+
|-
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|The birth of Christ.
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|Isaiah 9:6a
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|Luke 2:11
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|-
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|Christ would be the Son of God.
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|Isaiah 9:6b
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|Luke 1:35
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|-
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|Christ would be both man and God.
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|Isaiah 9:6c
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|John 10:30<br/>
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John 12:45
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|-
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|Christ would be from everlasting.
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|Isaiah 9:6d
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|Colossians 1:17
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|-
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|Christ would come from the lineage of Jesse.
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|Isaiah 11:1a
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|Luke 3:23-32
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|-
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|Christ would grow up in Nazareth.
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|Isaiah 11:1b
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|Matthew 2:21-23
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|-
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|Christ would have the Spirit of God upon Him.
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|Isaiah 11:2
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|Matthew 3:16-17a
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|-
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|Christ would have the Spirit of knowledge and wisdom.
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|Isaiah 11:2b
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|Matthew 13:54
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|-
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|Christ would have the Spirit of knowledge and fear of God.
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|Isaiah 11:2c
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|Matthew 11:27<br/>
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John 15:10
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|}
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[[121 Prophecies of Isaiah fulfilled in Jesus Christ 1]]
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====121 Prophecies of Isaiah fulfilled in Jesus Christ 10====
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Nowhere in the New Testament did God command anyone to speak with unknown tongues. We do read about "new tongues" (Mark.16:17), "other tongues" (Acts 2:4) and "divers kinds of tongues" (1 Cor.12:10), but these are all FOREIGN LANGUAGES, not senseless gibberish! There are no unknown tongues in Acts 2, and there is no baptism of the Holy Ghost in I Corinthians 14. Instead of rightly dividing the word of truth, the careless Charismatics wrest the scriptures to their own destruction by ignoring the set divisions and doctrines that the Holy Spirit has inspired in the scriptures. The Apostolic Signs are not for today, because they were only for confirming the word of God to the unbelieving Jews in the first century. The Bible warns us to beware of anyone who professes to practice these signs today (2 Cor. 11:13-15; Matt. 7:15; Matt 24:11; 1 Tim. 4:1-2), and the Lord commends the church at Ephesus for trying out some professing apostles and finding them to be LIARS (Rev. 2:2).
{| border="1"
+
 
|'''Isaiah Prophecies'''
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[[#1|'''index''']] Armageddon The word comes from Revelation 16:16, and it means "the hill of Megiddo" or "the city of Megiddo."Megiddo is a battlefield in Palestine, which was the sight of Barak's victory over the Canaanite (Judges.4:15), and also Gideon's victory over the Midianites (Judges. 7). King Saul dies here (1 Sam. 31:8), which is probably a foreshadow of the future destruction of Antichrist and his evil forces in the coming great battle.
|'''OT Scripture'''
+
 
|'''NT Fulfilment'''
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[[#1|'''index''']]
|-
+
 
|Christ would intercede for man to God.
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Atheism Atheism is the false and very foolish belief that there is no God (Psa. 14:1; Rom.1:20). Like agnostics, most atheists have been educated beyond their intelligence.
|Isaiah 53:12e
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|Luke 23:34
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[[#_1|'''index''']] Backsliding This is the act of sliding backward rather than pressing forward "toward the Mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil.3:14). The term actually comes from Jeremiah chapter three where God's people are called backsliders because of their willingness to slide back into their sins. Today we often refer to unfaithful Christians as backsliders.
|-
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|Christ would be resurrected by God.
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[[#1|'''index''']]
|Isaiah 55:3
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|Acts 10:40-41<br/>
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Baptism A baptism is an IMMERSION. A person who has been baptised is a person who has been immersed in something, because that's what the word means.
Acts 13:34
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|-
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Many have the idea that all baptisms are WATER baptisms, but this isn't true. In Matthew 3:11, John the Baptist speaks of THREE different baptisms in one verse. He mentions WATER baptism, HOLY GHOST baptism, and FIRE baptism. One gets you wet, one gets you into the body of Christ, and one gets you into Hell! There's more than one kind of baptism, so we need to avoid using the word too loosely.
|Christ would be a witness.
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|Isaiah 55:4
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A person is baptised by the Holy Ghost the very moment they receive Christ as Lord and Saviour (1 Cor.12:13). This particular baptism is a SPIRITUAL baptism, and it should never be confused with WATER baptism (although it usually is). This spiritual baptism can be found in I Corinthians 12:13, Ephesians 4:5, Romans 6:3-4, and Galatians 3:27. It is not a water baptism, for water baptism places no one into the body of Christ. A person is saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9). Paul said that Christ sent him not to baptise, but to preach the gospel in I Corinthians 1:17, and "the gospel" does NOT include water baptism (1 Cor. 15:1-4).
|John 3:10-12<br/>
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John 18:37
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Does this mean that water baptism isn't important? No, it does not. Water baptism is very important, for it pictures the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Christ. 1 Peter 3:21 tells us that it is a "figure." Obedient Christians will submit to water baptism, but they should never confuse it with their salvation. Remember, the repentant thief was saved WITHOUT being baptised in water (Luke.23:42-43), and the eunuch of Acts chapter eight wasn't permitted to be baptised until he first BELIEVED on Christ (Acts 8:37-38). Also see Believe. [[#_1|'''index''']]
|-
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|Christ would come to provide salvation for all mankind.
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Baptismal Regeneration This is the false doctrine that water baptism actually regenerates the dead spirit in lost man and produces the new birth. The Bible says that the spirit of God does this--not water (1 Cor.12:13). Pagans have believed in this doctrine for thousands of years--even before the time of Christ. It has absolutely no part in Bible-believing Christianity.
|Isaiah 59:15-16a
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|John 6:40<br/>
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[[#1|'''index''']]
1 Thes. 5:8-10
+
 
|-
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Baptism of the Holy Ghost This is the spiritual baptism that we've just mentioned. It is a MIRACULOUS baptism, performed by the Lord Himself.
|Christ would intercede between God and man.
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|Isaiah 59:15-16b
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Most Charis Mattic groups teach that a person receives the Holy Ghost sometime AFTER they've received Christ as Saviour, but this is plain heresy. Romans 8:9 tells us that a person does not even belong to Christ if that person doesn't have the Spirit of God, so salvation and the baptism of the Holy Ghost are SYNONYMOUS, not separate.
|Mat. 10:32-33<br/>
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Romans 8:34
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[[#1|'''index''']]
|-
+
 
|Christ would come to Zion as their Redeemer.
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Beast The coming Antichrist and his evil empire are referred to as "the beast" throughout the Book of Revelation.
|Isaiah 59:20
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|Luke 2:38<br/>
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[[#_1|'''index''']] Believe To "believe" in the Bible is to fully rely on God's word. True belief is much more than mental assent, because even the devils believe mentally (James.2:19). Bible belief involves conviction and commitment. A person who truly believes on Christ is a person who has fully RECEIVED Christ (John.1:12). To believe on Christ is to totally rely on HIM ALONE for salvation (John.3:16, John 3:36; John 5:24; John 6:47; John 11:25-26; Acts 16:30-31; Rom. 4:5; Rom 10:9-10; 1 John. 5:10-13; Gal. 3:22; 1 Thes. 2:13). [[#_1|'''index''']]
John 10:11
+
 
|-
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Bible The word means "book." When we say, "the Bible," we are actually saying "the Book." See Inspiration of Scripture.
|Christ would have the Spirit of God upon Him.
+
 
|Isaiah 61:1
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[[#1|'''index''']]
|Matthew 3:16-17
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|-
+
Blood Atonement The Blood Atonement of Jesus Christ is one of the fundamental doctrines of Christianity. It is the doctrine that the blood of Jesus Christ, the sacrificial Lamb of God, was shed to atone for the sins of lost mankind (John.1:29; Heb.9:22), and that this sinless blood was applied to the mercy seat of God the Father in Heaven (Heb.9:11-12). All of the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament FORESHADOWED the Blood Atonement of Christ. The innocent animal that was slain in Eden for Adam and Eve's covering (Gen. 3:21) pictured the slaying of our Lord Jesus Christ for our sins. Abel's accepted offering, the firstlings of his flock (Gen. 4:4), was also a type of the Blood Atonement of Christ. There are many pictures of the Blood Atonement in the Bible, but probably the greatest is found in Exodus chapter twelve, where God REDEEMS His people by the BLOOD of the passover lamb.
|Christ would preach the gospel of "Good News".
+
 
|Isaiah 61:1-2
+
Today, with the completed Blood Atonement behind us, all sinners have access to God THROUGH Jesus Christ, and through Him alone. Acts 20:28says that God PURCHASED the church "with his own blood." Revelation 1:5 assures us that Christ can WASH us from our sins in His blood. Romans 5:8-9 says that we are JUSTIFIED by His blood, and we can have PEACE through His blood, according to Colossians 1:20. Salvation was made possible, not by the DEATH of Christ alone, but by His Blood Atonement which takes away our sins.
|Luke 4:18-21
+
 
|-
+
[[#_1|'''index''']]
|Christ would come to provide salvation.
+
Born-Again Jesus was the first to use this term, and He used it to stress the necessity for lost mankind to see his need for a second birth (John. 3:3). Our first birth was physical, but our spirit remained dead in God's sight. When a person receives Christ as Saviour, he is BORN AGAIN, for his dead spirit is made alive, or "quickened" (Eph. 2:1). The Holy Spirit takes up residence inside the new believer (Eph. 4:30) and gives him a new life in Christ (Gal.2:20; 2 Cor.5:17). Every real Christian has been born again, and no one has been born again who is not a Christian. Also see 1 Peter 1:23.
|Isaiah 63:5
+
 
|John 3:17<br/>
+
[[#1|'''index''']]
Col. 2:13-15
+
 
|-
+
Calvinism A Calvinist is a person who subscribes to the theological beliefs of John Calvin, the Swiss Protestant reformer of the sixteenth century. There are five main points in Calvinism, four of which are false teachings. The five points of Calvinism are usually represented by the letters T.U.L.I.P.
|Christ would be revealed to a people who were not seeking Him.
+
 
|Isaiah 65:1
+
The "T" is for TOTAL DEPRAVITY. This is the false doctrine that man is so depraved that he cannot even see his sinful condition and call upon God for salvation. It is true that all men are natural- born sinners (Rom.3:23;5:12; Psa. 51:5), but it is also true that God COMMANDS all men to repent and receive Christ (Acts 17:30-31; 1 John. 3:23; Luke.. 13:3). Man is indeed depraved, but he isn't so depraved that he has no free will of his own (2 Peter. 3:9; John.1:12; John.3:16; Jos. 24:15; Exo. 35:5, Exo 35:21-22, Exo 35:29). Total Depravity is heresy.
|Mat. 15:22-28<br/>
+
 
Romans 10:18-20
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"U" stands for UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION, which is a heresy derived from perverting verses like Ephesians 1:4-5 and Romans 8:29. The Calvinists believe that God predestination everyone way back before Genesis 1:1, totally ignoring their free will to choose for themselves. That is, He supposedly decided who would go to Heaven and who would go to Hell long before anyone was even born. If you'll read Romans 8:29 and I Peter 1:1-2 you'll see that God's election is based on FOREKNOWLEDGE. He didn't elect to save or damn anyone against their free will. God knew all along who would choose Christ and who would not, and He made His "elections" based on that in for Mattion.
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|Christ would be rejected by His own (Jews).
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Then we have the "L" for LIMITED ATONEMENT. This is the belief that only a limited number of people can be washed from their sins in the precious blood of Christ, because only "the elect" will be saved anyhow. The idea is that Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it (Eph.5:25); so the blood of Christ was only shed for the church. This is foolishness. I Timothy 2:6 says that Christ gave Himself a ransom for ALL, not just the elect. ALL have sinned (Rom. 3:23); so He died for ALL, and He saves "as many as" receive Him.
|Isaiah 65:2
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|John 5:37-40
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The "I" stands for IRRESISTIBLE GRACE, which is also false doctrine. This teaching says that God the Holy Spirit overpowers the sinner and grants him the new birth without his submission or positive response. As we've already seen, man DOES have a free will and no one is saved without CHOOSING to believe on Christ as Lord and Saviour. There is no such thing as irresistible grace. God has given us all the ability to resist anyone or anything we choose (Acts 7:51; 2 Tim. 3:8; James. 4:7). There are times when the convicting power of the Holy Spirit is so strong and real that a sinner sees no choice but to give in to God and receive Christ as Saviour, but the sinner always has a choice. No one is saved against their will, and no one is saved without first choosing to receive Christ.
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The last letter is "P," which represents the PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS. This is the only point in "T.U.L.I.P" which is scripturally sound. Once a sinner receives Christ, he is predestination to be conformed to Christ's image (Rom.8:29). That is, as Christians, we are eternally secure and cannot lose the salvation which God has freely given us. Also see Eternal Security.
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Capital Punishment Capital Punishment, commonly referred to as the "death penalty," is very scriptural. From the very beginning, God has required LIFE FOR LIFE. The death penalty is first mentioned in Genesis 9:6, long before the law of Moses was given, and it stays on God's law books throughout the Bible (Exo. 21:12; Num. 35:16-31; Rom. 13:1-4; Acts 25:11). As you can see from Acts 25:11 and Romans 13:1-4, the death penalty is still God's will for today. God has given man the responsibility of enforcing the death penalty, and justice has not been served until it has been enforced.
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Charis Mattic Movement The Charismatic Movement is a twentieth century religious movement (Assemblies of God, Pentecostal, Full Gospel Fellowships, etc.) which majors in teaching false doctrines about the ministry of the Holy Ghost, tongues, healing, and signs. Rather than winning the lost to Christ, the Charismatics spend most of their time questioning the spirituality and sanctity of other Christians. Charismatics are very big on inner "feelings," but very small on scriptural facts. Paul stated it best in 2 Corinthians 11:4 when he said that these people have "another Jesus," "another spirit," and "another gospel." These are very dangerous people. They may look nice, to Luke nice, and sometimes even sing nice, but their doctrines are DEADLY. Also see Apostolic Signs.
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Christian A Christian is one who truly believes on Christ as Saviour. The disciples were first called "Christians" at Antioch (Acts 11:26). A Christian is not someone who professes Christ, but rather someone who POSSESSES Christ as Lord and Saviour.
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Church The word literally means "called out assembly," so the church consists of people who have been called out of this world.
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The church is not an organization, but rather an ORGANISM. That is, it's a living body of believers. Anyone who has been saved by receiving Christ as Saviour is a member of the church, for the church is made up of all true believers in Christ. A person's denominational membership is in no way connected with his membership in the body of Christ. Those who have truly received Christ are members of His church, regardless of what any denomination believes or says (John. 1:12; Acts 16:31; John. 5:24; Matt. 11:28; Rom. 10:13. etc.).
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Beware of anyone who speaks of THEIR church as being the "true church," because the true church is a SPIRITUAL BODY OF BELIEVERS IN CHRIST, not an organized group of religious people. The Bible will sometimes use the term "church" when referring to local assemblies of Christians (Rom. 16:5; 1 Cor. 1:2; 1 Thes. 1:1; Phil. 2), but the term is never a reference to any denomination or any building.
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Confession To confess is to admit something, and it's usually something about yourself. It is the duty of all sinners to confess their sinful condition and forsake their sins by receiving Jesus Christ as their Saviour (Pro. 28:13; Matt.10:32; >Rom.10:9-10). Christians are told to confess their sins in order to obtain forgiveness and to maintain fellowship with God (1 John. 1:9). Sins are to be confessed TO THE LORD, not to any human being (including Mary), for the Lord Jesus Christ is the One mediator between God and men (1 Tim. 2:5).
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Conscience A person's conscience is basically his inner awareness. God gave us our conscience to keep us aware of the things that can harm us, as well as the things that can help us. It is our job to keep our conscience pure (1 Tim. 1:5; 1 Tim 3:9; 2 Tim. 1:3). When a person doesn't feed his conscience with spiritual things, such as the word of God, prayer, and witnessing, he is in danger of DEFILING his conscience (Tit.1:15), SEARING his conscience (1 Tim. 4:2), and rendering it WEAK (1 Cor. 8:7). Our conscience is a lot like our alarm clock: it's no good unless we keep it set and working properly.
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[[#_1|'''index''']] Contradictions in Scripture There are none. There are many APPARENT contradictions in the Bible, but each can be Explained with a careful and prayerful study, comparing scripture with scripture. All scripture is given by inspiration of God (2 Tim.3:16), and God does not inspire contradictions and confusion (1 Cor.14:33).
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Covetousness To covet is to have a longing for something, and it's usually a longing for something that you don't need. Christians should practice CONTENTMENT, not covetousness (Phil. 4:11; 1 Tim. 6:6-8; Heb. 13:5). The Lord Jesus spoke of covetousness as being one of the thirteen evils of the heart (Mark.7:21-22), and He commands us to "beware of covetousness" in Luke 12:12. Paul says in Colossians 3:5 that covetousness is IDOLATRY. We, as Christians, need to set our affection on THINGS ABOVE, not on the things of this earth, according to Colossians 3:2.
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Creation This is the doctrine that the earth and all the universe were literally created by an intelligent Being. Genesis 1:1 says, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." John 1:3 tells us that "All things were made by him . . . " Colossians 1:16 says, "For by him were all things created . . ." Then Hebrews 1:3 says that God actually MADE THE WORLDS by Jesus Christ.
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Jesus, of course, believed in literal creation, and He tells us so in Mark13:19. The theory of Evolution is contrary to God, Jesus Christ, and the Bible.
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Deity of Christ The Deity of Christ is the doctrine that Jesus Christ is GOD. God is a Trinity (1 John. 5:7), and the second Member of that Trinity is the Lord Jesus Christ. John 1:1 says that "the Word was God," and John 1:14 tells us that "the Word was made flesh." Jesus Christ is the Word incarnate, and John 1:1 tells us that the Word was God; so Jesus Christ is God.
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Jesus allowed Thomas to address Him as "My Lord and my God" in John 20:28. In Isaiah 9:6 He is called "The mighty God" and "The everlasting Father," and we read in Micah 5:2 that Jesus is "from everlasting."
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Our Lord allowed people to worship him in John 10:38 and in Matthew 14:33, and since He is "God with us" (Matt.1:23), He also has power to forgive sins (Mark. 2:5).
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The Deity of Christ is one of the main fundamentals of the Christian faith, because the Bible is very clear in emphasizing the fact that Jesus Christ is more than just a great man. He Existed long before He came to this earth to be born of a woman, because He is ETERNAL. He's God.
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Deity of the Holy Ghost The Holy Ghost is also Deity, for He's the third member of the Holy Trinity (1 John. 5:7). In Acts 5:3- 4 Peter accuses Ananias of lying to the Holy Ghost, and in doing so, he tells him that he had lied to GOD. The Holy Ghost is God. The Holy Ghost says in Acts 13:2 that He had CALLED Barnabas and Saul, which only God could do, and He does many other things that only God could do (John. 14:16, 26; 16:8-14; Job 33:4; Psa. 104:30; 1 Cor. 6:11; Eph. 1:13, Eph 4:30, etc.). The Holy Spirit is OMNIPRESENT (Psa. 39:7-8), OMNISCIENT (1 Cor. 2:10-11), and ETERNAL (Heb.>9:14). He inspired the scriptures ( 2 Peter.1:21), and He gives life (John. 6:63; John 3:6). The Holy Spirit is God, for only God could perform such tasks.
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Demons Demons are called "devils" in the Bible. Although we are not certain about their origin, many believe they are DISEMBODIED SPIRITS from the Pre-Adamite earth, which was probably drowned out after the fall of Lucifer (2 Peter. 3:6; Gen. 1:2; Isa. 14:12-15).
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We know that these devils are UNCLEAN SPIRITS, for the Bible tells us so in Matthew 8:16 and Mark 5:12-13. There is one who is THE Devil, and he has many "devils" under his command (Mark. 5:9; Luke.9:1, Luke 11:15; James.2:19). According to the words of Jesus in Matthew 12:43-45 these devils desire to inhabit human bodies, and Mark5:11-13 tells us that they can even inhabit the bodies of animals. They can do great harm by causing much sickness and suffering (Matt.9:18-22, Matt 9:32-33; Matt 12:22; Luke.8:26-35; Luke 13:11-17), and they can also SEDUCE a person to lie and teach false doctrine (1 Tim. 4:1; 1 Kings.22:22-23). Some people are so influenced by evil spirits that the Bible terms them as being "possessed" with devils (Matt.4:24; Mark.5; Acts 8:7). Of course, the greatest defence against demonic influence is always the word of God and prayer (Matt. 8:16; Eph. 6:10-18).
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Dispensation The word is found in 1 Corinthians 9:17, Ephesians 1:10, Ephesians 3:2, and in Colossians 1:25. A dispensation is basically a period of time in which God DISPENSES to man (or to nations) certain responsibilities, and He rewards or judges man for fulfilling or not fulfilling his responsibilities.
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There are seven major dispensations in the Bible, and each has a different set of responsibilities for man to fulfil. Each of the seven also ends with failure and judgement. The seven are as follows: Innocence--from Adam's creation to Adam's fall. Conscience--from the fall of Adam to the Flood. Human Government--from the Flood to the Tower of Babel Family (Promise)--from Abraham to Moses. Law--from Moses to Christ at Calvary. Grace--from Calvary to the Second Coming. Righteousness--the 1000 year kingdom of Christ. The study of dispensations is a Matter of "rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15). Major confusion and heresy can erupt when dispensational divisions are ignored. For Example, no one can please God today by keeping the law of Moses, because Jesus Christ is the END of the law for everyone who believes (Rom. 10:4; Jn. 19:30; Col. 2:14). A definite division must be made between Law and Grace, and this same rule applies to all dispensations.
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Doctrine A doctrine is simply a Bible truth, any Bible truth. Doctrine is the primary reason for the inspiration of the scriptures (2 Tim. 3:16-17), and it should be the objective of any serious Bible study. A sincere Bible student will always ask, "What saith the scripture?" (Rom. 4:3) not "What does my church teach?" or "What is the standard interpretation?" According to the Apostle Paul, we need to give attendance to DOCTRINE (1 Tim.4:13), or we will end up with "doctrines of devils" (1 Tim. 4:1). Also see Isaiah 8:20.
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Ecumenical Movement This is a wicked twentieth-century unity movement of religious modernists and liberals. It is Satan's desire to unite the world so that all will be in subjection to the coming Antichrist (Rev. 13:3; 12:9); therefore, religious unity is considered a must. Most ecumenicals have no real convictions, and they generally deny the fundamentals of Christianity and the infallibility of scripture. The Pope, quite naturally, is the chief ring leader. One might call the ecumenical movement a modern-day " Tower of Babel " movement. Like Babel, the movement will soon end with the intervening judgment of God (Zep. 3:8; Matt.13:40).
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Eternal Security The Eternal Security doctrine is the "once saved, always saved" doctrine that so many people have trouble believing, because it just doesn't sound logical.
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Actually, it is VERY logical and very scriptural as well. My eternal security in Christ is based on my RELATIONSHIP with God, not my fellowship with Him. I am not saved because I fear God and serve Him, but rather because I have entered into a Father/Son relationship with Him through the Lord Jesus Christ. I was once a child of the Devil and a child of wrath (John.8:44; Eph. 2:3), but now I am a son of God (John.1:12; 1 John. 3:2; Rom.8:14; Gal. 4:5). Upon receiving Christ as my Saviour, I was SEALED with the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption (Eph.4:30; 2 Cor. 1:22), and I am KEPT by the power of God (I Pet. 1:5), not by my own power. Jesus will never leave me nor forsake me (Heb. 13:5; Matt. 28:20), because He BOUGHT me with His own blood (Acts 20:28; 1 Cor. 6:19-20).
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If I choose to be a disobedient child, then my Father in Heaven will CHASTEN me (Rev. 3:19; Heb. 12:4-8; 1 Cor.11:30-32), but I will remain a saved and sealed son of God (John.5:24; 1 John.5:11-13; Rom. 8:38-39; Phil. 1:6; John.6:37; John 10:28-29). I am eternally secure in Christ (even if you aren't going to check the references).
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Faith ""Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Heb. 11:1) Faith is simply believing without seeing, and it is impossible to please God without it (Heb. 11:6). We are SAVED by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8), and we are to LIVE by faith (Rom. 1:17 ; Gal. 2:20 ). Jesus told Thomas, ". . . blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." (John. 20:29) Why? Because that's faith, and it pleases God. Our faith will one day END in SIGHT, when Jesus returns (Acts 1:11; 1 Thes.4:13-18), but our faith is not BASED on sight. It is based on the written word of God (1 John.5:10-13). Faith is also a fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22.
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False Prophets A false prophet is one who falsely predicts future events. 1 John 4:1 tells us that there are MANY false prophets in the world, just as the Lord Jesus Christ prophesied in Matthew 24:11.
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False prophets deceive people with miracles (Matt. 24:24; Rev. 13:14), good words and fair speeches (Rom.16:17-18), and of course, just down right lying (Jer.14:14). False prophets generally have a very positive outlook toward man, unity, love, science, education, integration, and world peace, but they have a very negative view toward the infallibility of scripture, salvation by faith in Christ alone, the Blood Atonement, the Deity of Christ, and the Pre-millennial Second Coming of Christ. Isaiah 8:20 and Deuteronomy 18:20-22 are great verses to keep in mind when trying to discern between true and false prophets. Also remember Matthew 7:20: "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."
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Fear of God This is something that America knows very little about, or, as Paul wrote in Romans 3:18, "There is no fear of God before their eyes." A person who fears God is a person who lives a humble and obedient life before God, always being mindful of the fact that God is HOLY and He will not overlook sin. Psalm 111:10 says, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom." According to Proverbs 15:16, "Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith." No Matter how educated or wealthy a man may be, if he doesn't fear God he is FOOLISH and POOR. Solomon said, ". . . . Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." ( Ecc. 12:13) A man who fears God has no one else to fear, but a man who fears not God has everyone to fear. Putting God first and fearing Him above all is the key to a happy and fulfilling life. Also see Psalm 118:6, Matthew 10:28, and Proverbs 29:25.
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Fornication Wrongfully called "pre-Marital sex" and "free love" by the worldly crowd, fornication is the act of intercourse between unmarried partners, and it is strictly forbidden in the scriptures. The Marriage bed is undefiled (Heb. 13:4), but fornication is an abomination in the sight of God (Rom.1:28-29; 1 Cor.6:13-20, 1 Cor 7:2, 1 Cor 10:8; Gal.5:19-21). We read in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 that fornicators will not inherit the kingdom of God.
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Gentile A Gentile is anyone who isn't a Christian or a Jew (1 Cor.10:32). In the Old Testament a Gentile was anyone other than a Jew, for there were no Christians around then.
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God God is the One Almighty Being Who created all people, places, and things (Gen. 1), so He is SUPERIOR to all people, places, and things.
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Even Satan and his evil hosts are subject unto God, and they can do nothing without His permission (Job 1:6-12, Job 2:1-6; Isa. 14:12-15; Zec. 3:1-2; Matt. 4:3-11; Col. 2:13-15; Rom. 16:20; 1 Cor. 8:5-6).
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God has many wonderful attributes. Just to mention a few, He is eternal (Psa. 90:2), holy (Isa. 6:3; 1 Sam. 2:2), righteous (Ezra. 9:15), just (Deut. 32:4), long-suffering (2 Peter. 3:9; Exo. 34:6), loving (1 John. 4:7-8), jealous (Nah. 1:2), merciful (Deu. 4:31; Psa. 103:8), omniscient (Job 34:22; 2 Chr. 16:9), omnipresent (Psa. 139:7-10), and omnipotent (Job 42:2; Jer. 132:27).
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God has revealed Himself to man in three ways: through nature (Psa. 19:1-4; Rom.1:20), through the written word (Pro. 22:20; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Tim. 3:16-17), and through the Lord Jesus Christ (Heb. 1:2; John 1:1, John 1:14, 1 Tim.3:16).
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God's will for man today is that all will repent of their sins and receive the Salvation that is freely offered through Jesus Christ. Beware of anyone who speaks of God without speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Gospel According to I Corinthians 15:1-4, "the gospel" today is the good news that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and then rose again the third day according to the scriptures. This gospel is to be "obeyed" by BELIEVING on it (Rom.10:16), not by getting baptised, as some teach.
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Grace Grace is basically unmerited favour--God's choosing to love us, save us, and bless us while we are yet in our sins. Because of grace, we can receive something for nothing. Ephesians 2:8-9 says that we are SAVED by grace, and John 1:14 tells us that the Lord Jesus was full of GRACE and TRUTH. Someone has said that grace is God's Riches At Christ's' Expense.
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It is also our Christian duty to manifest grace toward others in our Christian was Luke, just as the Lord has been gracious toward us (Eph. 4:7, Eph 4:29; Col. 4:6).
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Great Tribulation This term was first used by the Lord Jesus Himself in Matthew 24:21. The Great Tribulation is a period of time in the very near future in which God will pour out His accumulated wrath upon the earth's inhabitants.
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The Book of Revelation has a great deal to say about the Great Tribulation in chapters six through nineteen. The wicked son of Satan (Antichrist) will rise to power and rule the world, demanding worship from everyone (Rev. 13). The Tribulation will be about seven years in length, with the latter half being the worse by far (Rev. 11:3; Rev 13:5). Antichrist and his followers will be destroyed by the Lord Jesus Christ at the Second Coming (Rev. 19:11-21).
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Christians will not have to endure the Great Tribulation , for we are not appointed to wrath according to 1 Thessalonians 1:10 and 5:9. We will be "caught up" to be with the Lord before the Tribulation starts (1 Thes. 4:13-18; 1 Cor. 15:51-52).
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The Tribulation Period is primarily a Jewish dispensation in which God takes up dealing with Israel as a nation, preparing the Jews as a people to receive Christ. It is the seventieth week of Daniel 9:24-27, and Jeremiah 30:7 refers to this time as the "time of Jacob's trouble." After suffering much misery and persecution during the Great Tribulation, Israel will turn to Christ for salvation (Isa. 66:7-8; Rom.11:26; Deu.4:30-31). [[#_1|'''index''']]
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Greek Text When you hear someone use this term, or when you hear them use the terms "the Greek text," or "the original Greek," or "the original manuscript," be careful because you have come in contact with someone who spends a great deal of time playing an old children's game known as make believe. There is no such thing as "the Greek text," and no one living today has ever seen "the original Greek" because it hasn't Existed since it fell apart many many centuries ago. Usually when a man makes reference to "the Greek," he is having trouble believing what God has already told him in THE ENGLISH. There are over 5000 PIECES of manuscript evidence available, which have been found in different places, but there is no "original manuscript" in Existence. No one knows what the "original" says, because no one has it, and no one living today has ever seen it. (See Romans 1:22 for further comment.)
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Healing See Apostolic Signs.
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Heaven Heaven is a literal place beyond the northern regions of our universe (Psa. 48:2; 75:6-7; Isa. 14:13; Eze. 1:4-5). It is a pure and holy place which has never been touched by the curse of sin and death. It is the actual abode of God and all His mighty hosts (Matt. 6:9; Matt 22:30; Matt 26:53; John. 14:1-3; Rom.8:34; Rev. 19:11-14). Revelation chapters 21 and 22 speak of the city New Jerusalem coming down from God OUT of Heaven. This will be the glorious home of all saints in eternity. It will be a place of happiness and peace, a place without tears, death, sorrow, crying, pain, or hunger (Rev. 7:16; Rev 21:4). Heaven is the fulfilment of every human need, but one can only go there through the Blood of Jesus Christ. Paul tells us in Colossians 3:2 that this is where our affection should be today; we should be homesick for Heaven. As the song says, "This world is not my home, I'm just passing through!"
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Hell Hell is a literal burning place in the centre of the earth. It is NOT the grave, as many cultists teach, for no one BURNS in the grave as they do in Hell (Luke.. 16:23-24; Deu. 32:22; Mark. 9:43-48). Hell was originally prepared for the Devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41), but, since man chose to enter the domain of sin and death, Hell has become his place of torment as well. We read in Revelation 20:14 that Hell will eventually be cast into the "lake of fire."
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For those who are opposed to "hell fire preachers, " you may find it interesting to note that "hell fire" was first used by none other than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself (Matt.5:22; Mark. 9:47). It isn't God's will that anyone should go to Hell (2 Peter. 3:9), but He will certainly allow all who reject Christ to go there.
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Heresy A heresy is a departure from truth, a false doctrine propagated by false prophets and teachers (also known as "heretics"). 2 Peter 2:1 warns us about "damnable heresies." However, the presence of heresies should not surprise us, because 1 Corinthians 11:19 says, "For there must be heresies among you, that they which are approved may be manifest among you." That is, the light of God's truth shines even brighter among heresies. According to 2 Timothy 2:15, we are supposed to STUDY and RIGHTLY DIVIDE the word of truth in order to be "approved."
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Holy Ghost See Deity of Holy Ghost.
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Humility A person who has humility is a person who thinks of himself no higher than he ought to think (Rom. 12:3). Jesus said that we are to become "as little children" in Matthew 18:3. We must gladly humble ourselves in the sight of God, trusting Him to Exoalt us in due time (Col. 3:12; James. 4:6, 10; I Pet. 5:6). Proverbs 15:33 says, ". . . .before honour is humility."
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Idolatry Idolatry is basically the act of worshipping anything or anyone less than God. When we allow anything or anyone to come between us and God, we are guilty of idolatry. Many have the idea that idolatry can only be committed by worshipping Material objects such as graven images, planets, stars, or by worshipping people or animals. However, the Bible informs us that a BAD HEART ATTITUDE can be idolatry (1 Sam.15:23; Col. 3:5). God knows our hearts, and if He doesn't have FIRST PLACE, then we are guilty of idolatry.
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Imputed Righteousness Imputed righteousness is the righteousness of Jesus Christ which has been imputed, or ACCOUNTED, to the new believer. When one forsakes his self-righteousness and fully believes on Christ, God imputes the righteousness of Christ to that individual (Rom.4:5-8). Our sins were placed upon Christ (2 Cor.5:21; Gal.3:13), and His righteousness is placed upon us when we receive Him as Saviour by faith.
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Inspiration of Scripture When we speak of the Inspiration of Scripture, we are speaking of the fact that the Bible is like no other book in the world. Other writings convey the thoughts of men, but the Bible is a divine revelation from God. Men were instrumental in reducing the scriptures to print, but men did not author the scriptures. The Bible tells us the following in 2 Peter 1:20-21: "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." This is commonly called VERBAL INSPIRATION. 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us that ALL scripture is GIVEN by inspiration of God. That is, it was inspired of God the moment it was SPOKEN, and then the spoken word was reduced to writing by appointed scribes (2 Sam. 8:17; 2 Sam 20:25; 2 Kings. 19:2; 2 Kings 22:3; 1 Chr, 24:6; Ezr. 7:6; Jer. 36:10, Jer 36:12, Jer 36:32; Jer 37:15; Matt. 8:19; Matt 15:1; Matt 17:10; Luke. 5:30; Luke. 11:44; Acts 23:9).
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There are some very strong proofs for the inspiration of scripture. I've chosen to list five of them:
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The Bible is a UNIQUE Book. The Bible plainly CONDEMNS the human race! The Bible says that all have sinned, man at his best state is altogether vanity, we are condemned already, and that only Jesus Christ can save us. What man would write a Book like that? It was obviously written by Someone OTHER than man. The Bible is also different in that it is an AUTHORITIVE Book. The Author of the Bible generally says, "I'm right and everyone else is wrong" (Isa.8:20; John. 14:6). Man needs an absolute Final Authority, and the Bible professes to be the authority. No other Book is as authoritative as the Bible. The Bible is an INFALLIBLE Book. It contains no mistakes. What other ancient writing contains over 700,000 words with no mistakes? It's a BLESSED Book. God USES the Bible. Millions have come to know Christ through the written word, and millions have found unmeasurable joy between its covers. Many great Christian works have been founded and used for many years with the Bible being the authority, and many Christians have found great comfort and peace in it's promises. God has BLESSED us through the Bible. Why would He do this if it wasn't His inspired word? The Bible is a PRESERVED Book. With all of the opposition that the Bible has faced over the centuries, why does it still Exorcist? Why hasn't someone been successful in destroying it? There's only one answer: Psalm 12:6-7.
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Israel This word first occurs in Genesis 32:28, and it means "having power with God." Jacob was renamed " Israel " after his wrestling Match with the angel of God, but the term is used throughout the Bible in reference to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob--the Jews. God made a covenant with Abraham which included making of Abraham's descendants a great and blessed nation with a national homeland (Gen. 12:2; Gen 15:18-20). It was God's desire to be glorified on a national scale by His chosen people, and to bring forth the Messiah, the Saviour of the world, through this chosen people. The Jews rejected Christ and were dispersed among the Gentile nations of the world in the first century A.D., but in this twentieth century God has led them back to their Palestinian homeland, established them as an independent nation (1948), and will soon judge them severely during the Great Tribulation, immediately preceding the Second Coming of Christ. The nation of Israel will be converted to Jesus Christ and the Jews will fulfil the original plan of God in the coming millennial reign (Jer. 23:5-8; Eze. 37:21-25; Amos 9:14-15; Acts 15:14-17; Rom.11:26-27; Isa. 66:7-8).
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Jesus Christ The word "Jesus" implies "Saviour" and "Christ" means "anointed one." Therefore "Jesus Christ" is God's ANOINTED SAVIOR. He is the virgin born Son of God (Isa.7:14; Matt.1:23) who was born into this world to be the sinless sacrifice for the sin of the world (John.1:29; Rev. 13:8). His birth, life, ministry, and crucifixion were all pre-planned in the heart of God, and He was obedient unto death (Phil. 2:8). Jesus lived a sinless life and gave Himself as a payment for the sins of the world. He was resurrected for our justification (Rom. 4:25), and He is currently seated at the right hand of God as our high priest and mediator (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 3:1; 10:12; 1 Tim. 2:5). He will soon return to this earth to receive His saints unto Himself (John 14:1-3), and to take over the kingdoms of this present evil world (Rev. 11:15-17; Rev 19:11-21). Until then, all who believe on Him may have eternal life and enter into the glories of Heaven. Also see Deity of Christ.
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Jew A Jew is any descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. See Israel.
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Judgement There are many different judgements in the scriptures, and only by rightly dividing the word of truth can anyone make the proper distinctions. We shall briefly cover four of them:
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The Judgement of Sin. Sin was judged at Calvary when Christ bore the sins of the world. God's judgement on sin was poured out on Christ at Calvary (Gal.3:13; 2 Cor.5:21; Col. 2:14).The White Throne Judgement. Sinners who reject Christ will die in their sins and go directly to Hell (Luke.16:22-23). After the millennial reign of Christ, Death and Hell will be delivered up before the White Throne Judgement. Sinners will be judged according to their works. At this point they will realize that their works are unacceptable to God and they will be cast into the eternal lake of fire (Rev. 20:11- 15). There MAY also be some people at this judgement from the Tribulation and Millennium, but no Christians will be judged here ( We have a separate judgement.). In fact, Christians will be ASSISTING the Lord in this judgement (Dan. 7:10; 1 Cor. 6:2). The Judgement Seat of Christ. This judgement is mentioned by name in Romans 14:10 and in 2 Corinthians 5:10. It is a special judgement for Christians only, a judgement where we will be judged for our Christian service and rewarded. According to I Corinthians 3:11-15, some Christians will suffer great LOSS of rewards as well. The Judgement of Self. Paul tells us in I Corinthians 11:31 to judge ourselves so that we won't be judged. This involves CONFESSION and REPENTANCE. It is my Christian duty to confess my sins to the Lord and ask His forgiveness (1 John. 1:9). As long as I do this, God doesn't have to judge me, because I've already confessed my sins and they are under the blood of Christ. However, if I choose to continue in sin, then God has to step in and judge me because I'm His child. See Eternal Security.
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Justification Justification is a divine act where God declares a sinner to be sinless, or just, in His sight. This, of course, is made possible through the finished work of Christ at Calvary (Acts 13:39; Rom.3:24-28; Rom 5:1, Rom 5:9; Rom 8:30). As many preachers say, "I've been justified, and it's just if I'd never sinned!"
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Kingdom of God According to Romans 14:17 and Luke 17:21, this is a SPIRITUAL kingdom which is presently within the hearts of God's people. Those who have received Christ as Saviour have been translated spiritually into this great kingdom (Col. 1:13; Eph. 1:3; Eph 2:6). As a Christian, I am already in the Kingdom of God and it is in me.
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Kingdom of Heaven Most immediately assume that this kingdom is the same as the Kingdom of God, but it isn't. Just as God and Heaven are not the same, the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven are not the same. God is spiritual (John 4:24), while Heaven is God's physical creation (Gen. 1:1). Hence the Kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom, while the kingdom of Heaven is a literal and physical kingdom. God gave Adam dominion over this kingdom in Genesis 1:28. It's an earthly kingdom, but it was God's will for it to be run "as it is in heaven" (Matt.6:10). As the Old Testament continues, we find God appointing different men over this physical kingdom (Noah, Abraham, David, Solomon, etc). Evidently, the Kingdom of Heaven departed in Jeremiah chapter 22, when God swore than no descendant of Coniah would prosper sitting upon the throne of David. This ushered in the "times of the Gentiles" (Luke.21:24) with the Babylonian captivity. Then came the kingdoms of the Media’s and Persians, then the Greeks, then the Romans. According to Luke 4:6, Satan is in charge of these worldly kingdoms, and he gives them to whomever he wishes. 2 Corinthians 4:4 says that he is the "god of this world."
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Then came GOD'S King, the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of the Jews, the Messiah. The Jews knew that God had promised them a kingdom (Gen. 49:10; Isa. 2:1-5; Isa. 49:5-13; Psa. 2; Jer. 23:5; Luke.. 1:30-33, etc.). John the Baptist and Jesus both preached that the kingdom of heaven was at hand (Matt. 3:2; Matt 4:17), but the Jews REJECTED their King and chose a GENTILE king instead (John. 19:15). Therefore the kingdom was NOT restored to Israel. After the resurrection, the disciples asked Jesus if He was now going to restore the kingdom to Israel (a literal, physical, and visible kingdom--the Kingdom of Heaven), and He said, ". . . . It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power." (Acts 1:6-7) They were not asking Him to restore the SPIRITUAL Kingdom of God (Rom.14:17), for they never had it to start with! They'd never been born again by the Spirit of God! They wanted THEIR kingdom back--the literal and physical Kingdom of Heaven.
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Now, when Jesus returns the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven will actually become one, but let's not make the mistake of thinking that they're the same now. One is spiritual, while the other is physical.
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King James 1611 A.V.
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This term refers to the King James Authorized Version, the Book that God uses and the Devil hates. It was originally translated under King James I of England between the years 1604 and 1611. The King James Bible is an English translation from the "TExotus Receptus" or "Received Text" of the reformation. This means that the KJV is supported by NINETY-FIVE PERCENT OF ALL MANUSCRIPT EVIDENCE. All other translations are based on the remaining five percent evidence.
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Most people (including Bible college professors) have been led to believe that the new translations, such as the ASV, the NIV, the RSV, and the NASV are just revisions of the old King James Bible. Nothing could be further from the truth!
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All new translations are based on the Westcott and Horst Greek Text (wrongly referred to as "THE Greek Text" by people who enjoy playing make believe). Westcott and Hort were two English "scholars" who spent the late 1800's communicating with evil spirits and perverting the word of God by fooling around with corrupt Roman Catholic manuscripts. All new translations are based on the work of these two men; so all true Bible-believers avoid the new versions.
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The King James Bible is from a whole different text , known as the Byzantine or Syrian type text, which comes from a line of manuscripts that run clear back to Antioch, Syria, which just happens to be where the disciples were first called "Christians" (Acts 11:26). God has honoured this text throughout Church History, throughout the Protestant Reformation, and since 1611, He has been honouring the King James Bible by saving millions and millions of lost souls with it's preaching and teaching. It is the Book of all Books, because it is the pure and preserved word of God for the English speaking people. (For more information on this subject, send for our tracts titled How I Know the KJV is the Word of God and Let's Compare Bibles.)
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Law
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The "law" is usually a reference to the Old Testament written law of Moses. It consisted of three basic divisions: commandments, judgements, and ordinances. The commandments revealed God's will to the nation (Exo. 20:1-26), the judgements governed Israel as a society (Exo. 21:1-24:11), and the ordinances governed the religious practices of Israel (Exo. 24:12-31:18). The primary purpose of the law was not to save man, but to show man his sinful condition and his need for a Saviour (Rom. 3:20). Paul says that the law was a "schoolmaster" to bring us to Christ in Galatians 3:24.
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Today we are under GRACE, "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth." (Rom. 10:4) Also see Matthew 5:17.
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Lord's Supper
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The Lord's Supper was instituted by Christ Himself the night preceding His crucifixion (Matt. 26:26- 29; Mark. 14:22-25). Jesus says in Luke 22:19-20 that we are supposed to observe the Lord's Supper in remembrance of Him and it is a showing of His death until He returns, according to 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.
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Some insist that the Lord's Supper should be a weekly observance, but the Bible never says this. The words "as oft as" in 1 Corinthians 11:26 indicate that God allows us to decide for ourselves how often to observe the Lord's Supper.
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The Roman Catholics have traditionally held that the Lord's Supper is a continual sacrifice of Christ, and that one literally partakes of Christ's flesh and blood in the Catholic Mass (their perversion of the Lord's Supper). This, of course, is unscriptural (Heb.10:10-14; Acts 15:29; Psa. 16:4; Lev.17:11-12; Gen. 9:4). God has never commanded anyone to drink blood. He has always condemned such practice.
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Markof the Beast
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The Mark of the Beast is mentioned in Rev 13:17, Rev 16:2, and Rev 19:20, and it is closely connected with the number and name of the Beast (Rev 13:17-18; Rev 15:2; Rev 14:11). The Beast, the coming Antichrist, will cause the people of the world to receive this Markin their right hands or in their foreheads, thus showing their conformity to his evil world system. Those who refuse this Mark will be killed (Rev. 13:15; 20:4).
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No one knows Exactly how the Mark of the Beast will come about, but with modern technology being so advanced, many believe that it will somehow be connected with computers and scanning devices. A person could have a permanent bar code or computer chip placed in their skin. This system could even replace credit cards and checking accounts. This would help to give Antichrist the economic control that the Bible says he will have.
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Mary Worship
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Catholics have been obsessed with this idolatrous practice since the fourth century. Devout Roman Catholics believe that Mary, the mother of Jesus, remained a virgin and remained sinless all of her life. She is worshipped in the Catholic church as the "Mother of God" and the "Queen of Heaven." St. Bernard stated that she was crowned "Queen of Heaven" by God the Father, and that she currently sits upon a throne in Heaven making intercession for Catholics.
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The Bible teaches otherwise. In the Bible, Mary was a sinner just like the rest of us. She said herself that she needed a "Saviour" (Luke.1:47), and she even had to offer a sacrifice for her sins in Luke 2:24. Jesus was only her "first-born" son, according to Matthew 1:25, because she later had other children as well (Matt.13:55; Gal.1:19; Psa. 69:8). There's only ONE mediator between God and men, and it isn't Mary (1 Tim. 2:5). The last time we hear from Mary in the Bible she is praying WITH the disciples, not being prayed to BY the disciples (Acts 1:14).
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Roman Catholic Mary Worship is nothing more than Pagan Idolatry. Throughout history pagans have worshipped female deities under various names, and many of them are in the Bible (Judges 10:6; 1 Sam. 7:3-4; 12:10; I Kings 11:5; II Kings 23:13, etc.), including the "queen of heaven" (Jer. 44:16-25). Mary is nothing more than a sinner saved by grace, whom God chose to use as a means of bringing His Son into this world. The Bible never Exalters her above anyone else. Neither should we. If you are a Roman Catholic, perhaps you should give special attention to Mary’s only command in John 2:5.
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Mass
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The Mass is a Roman Catholic perversion of the Lord's Supper where members take part in a pagan ritual--actually attempting to eat and drink the literal flesh and blood of Jesus Christ. This is strictly forbidden in the word of God (Gen. 9:4; Lev. 17:11-14; Psalm 16:4; Acts 15:29).
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Millennium
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The word means "thousand years." The Millennium is the coming one-thousand year reign of Christ and His saints. Rev 20:1-6 speaks of this reign as being a literal, physical, and visible reign on earth. The kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord Jesus Christ, and He will rule the world in righteousness.
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Those who choose to suffer for Christ today will reign with Him in the coming Millennial Kingdom (2 Tim. 2:11-13; Luke. 19:12-19). Also see Isaiah 2:2-4, 9:6, 11:1-6, Psalm 2:1-8, Luke 1:32, and Zechariah 14:16-19.
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Missions
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The church was commissioned by the Lord Jesus Himself to carry the Gospel into all the world (Matt. 28:18-20); so the term "missions" in Bible believing churches refers to the efforts being put forth by Christians to fulfil our Lord's command. Although there are many missionary works right here in America (prison ministries, street preaching ministries, printing ministries, etc.), most missionary efforts are directed to the foreign mission field.
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Most churches have a missions account where Christians can give love offerings to help missionaries. If you are not currently giving to missions, perhaps you should speak to your pastor about your church's mission program and missionaries. You can read about the missionary journeys of the apostle Paul in Acts 13-28, and he has some good advice about giving to missions in Phil 4:10-19. Also see 2 Corinthians 9, Matthew 10:40-42, and Luke 6:38.
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Music
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Everyone knows what music is, but many seem to have trouble discerning good music from bad music. Therefore we've included this brief section (at no Extra charge) to assist such people in making this tough decision. In the Bible, good music sounds nice and gives praise and honour to God (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16; 1 Sam. 16:23; 1 Chron. 23:5; Psa. 150; Rev. 5:8-10), but bad music sounds like "a noise of war" and it gives praise and honour to FALSE gods (Exo. 32:17-19; Dan. 3:5-7). Good music may be accompanied by clean segregated dancing (Exo.15:20-21; Ecc. 3:4; Psa. 150:4), but bad music is likely to be accompanied by dancing which stirs sexual passions (Matt. 14:6). If you have trouble deciding whether your style of music and dancing is good or bad, just ask yourself two simple questions: (1)" Would Jesus Christ listen to this music?" and (2)"Would He dance the way that I'm dancing?" You see, it's really a very simple issue when you put it in the "proper perspective."
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New Age Movement
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The New Age Movement is a modern-day movement which seeks to bring about a "new age" where all peoples, religions, and governments unite for the "common good" of mankind. Like the Ecumenical Movement, the New Age Movement will culminate with a one world religion and government under the leadership of the Antichrist (Rev. 13). Some Christians have the idea that they are safe from New Age doctrines so long as they avoid various New Age groups. This is not true. Satan is very subtle, and his New Age Philloso Philes can be found just about anywhere. New Age ideas can be found in politics, education, music, the media, religion, and even in new Bible translations (See Riplinger's book on New Age Bible Versions.) The best defence against Satan's one-world movement is the word of God and prayer. The Christian who continually gives himself to Bible study and prayer will always recognize Satan's devices when they appear, no Matter where or when they appear. As far as I'm concerned, any attempt to unite mankind on any basis other than the word of God and the Lord Jesus Christ is a part of the New Age Movement.
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New Birth
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See Born-Again
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[[#_1|'''index''']]
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Persecution
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To persecute someone is to treat them wrongfully because of who they are or what they believe. The Bible says in 2 Timothy 3:12 that all Christians who will live godly in Christ shall suffer persecution, and Jesus Himself tells us to rejoice when this happens because great is our reward in heaven (Matt. 5:10-12). We are to EXO PECT persecution and we are told to BLESS those who persecute us (Matt. 5:44; Rom.12:14).
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Post-Millennialism
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This is the false belief that the millennial reign of Christ will be ushered in by the Church and that Jesus will not return until AFTER the earth has Experienced one thousand years of peace and righteousness. This, of course, is pure foolishness. Man has never established peace and righteousness and he never will. The Pre-Millennial view of the Second Coming is the only correct view.
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Praise
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Praise is basically any Expression of approval, admiration, or devotion. To get a good idea of what praising God is all about, read a few chapters of the book of Psalms. The word is found over one- hundred and fifty times in Psalms alone. Hebrews 13:15 says that we should use our lips to offer praise to Him continually.
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Prayer
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Prayer is a Matter of simply asking for something. Prayer should be addressed to God the Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Ghost (John. 16:23-24; Acts 12:5; John. 14:13; Eph.6:18; Jude.1:20), and prayers should always be PRAYED, not merely SAID (Matt. 6:7).
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A child of God should pray for his own needs or desires (James. 4:2; Mark.11:24; Luke.. 11:9-13), as well as the needs and desires of others (Luke.. 10:2; Col. 1:9; 1 Thes. 5:17-25; 1 Tim. 2:1-5; James. 5:14).
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There are also conditions of prayer, such as having a FORGIVING SPIRIT when we pray (Mark.11:25), BELIEVING that God will answer our prayers (Mark.11:24; James. 1:6-7), CONFESSION of any iniquity in our hearts (Psa. 66:18), SEEKING GOD'S WILL (Luke.22:42), and KEEPING HIS COMMANDMENTS (1 John.3:22).
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Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 for us to pray without ceasing. Also see 1 John 5:14-15, John 15:7, Matthew 7:7-8, James 5:16, Psalm 55:17, Phil 4:6, 19, and Hebrews 4:16.
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Pre-Millennialism
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This is the Bible doctrine that Jesus Christ will literally return to the earth just before the promised millennial reign of Rev 20:1-7, and that He will establish the Kingdom and reign over it Himself. We know this is true for His Second Coming occurs in Revelation 19, and the millennial reign immediately follows in chapter 20. This is the only correct view of the millennial reign.
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Propitiation
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A propitiation is a price which is paid to meet a demand or to settle an account. The Bible says that the Lord Jesus Christ is the propitiation for our sins (Rom. 3:25; 1 John. 2:2; 1 John 4:10). He paid the price for our Salvation. God the Father was pleased with Christ's sacrifice, so He is our one and only propitiation.
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Rapture
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This word isn't found in the Bible, but it does describe a Biblical event. "Rapture" is from the Latin word "rap to," which means to "cease quickly" or to "cease by force." The resurrection of the New Testament church (1 Cor.15:51-52; 1 Thess. 4:13-18) is commonly referred to as "the Rapture" because of the sudden nature in which it occurs.
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Redemption
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To redeem someone is to set them free by paying a price. Jesus Christ has set Christians free by shedding His own blood as a payment for our sins. Our souls have already been redeemed (Acts 20:28; Rom.3:24; Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14; Gal.3:13; 1 Pet.1:18; Rev. 5:9), and our bodies will be redeemed when the Lord returns for us (Rom.8:23; Eph.4:30; Luke.21:28).
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Regeneration
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A regeneration is a renewing or a new birth. The word occurs only twice in the Bible. The first time is in Matthew 19:28 where the context is the new birth of the earth when Jesus returns (Isa. 11:6-9; Rom.8:21-23), and the next occurrence is in Titus 3:5 where the context is the new birth of the believer by the Holy Spirit.
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Remission
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When the Bible speaks of a child of God having "remission of sins" (Matt. 26:28; Luke. 24:27; Acts 10:43; Rom.3:25), it is speaking of the FORGIVENESS of sin that we have through the shed blood of Christ. This is very similar to redemption, but not Exactly the same. For Example, the Old Testament saints had their sins forgiven, or remitted, through the blood of animal sacrifices (Lev. 4:20; Lev 4:26, Lev 4:31, Lev 4:35; Lev 5:10, Lev 5:13, Lev 5:16, Lev 5:18; Lev 6:7, Num. 15:25-26; Psa. 130:3-4), but when they died they still couldn't go to Heaven because their souls had not been REDEEMED. Their sins had been forgiven on a temporary basis, so that they might maintain fellowship with God, but their sins had not been totally cleared from God's record (Num.14:18; Exo. 34:7) because it was impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to TAKE AWAY sin (Heb. 10:4). Therefore, upon death, these saints went to "Abraham's bosom" or "paradise" in the earth's centre (Luke..16:22; Luke 23:43). Here they waited for Christ the Redeemer to come and make the final payment for all sin. He did so, and then led these saints on up into Heaven (Eph. 4:8-9; Matt. 27:52-53). God would forgive sin in the Old Testament on the basis of animal sacrifices (remission), but these sacrifices all foreshadowed the Lord Jesus Christ Who would be the One Sacrifice to take away all sin forever (redemption).
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Repentance
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When a person repents, he changes his mind about something and proceeds in a different direction. God commands all sinners to repent of their sins and turn to Him for salvation (Acts 17:30-31; Luke.13:3). A person who truly repents is a person who will (1) Become saddened about their sins (2 Cor. 7:9-10; Psa. 51), (2) forsake their sins (Matt. 3:8; Acts 26:20), and (3) submit themselves to the will of God (Acts 9:6). Anything less is something less than Biblical repentance.
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Resurrection
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A resurrection is a "re-living," a "renewal", or a" rising again" from the dead. The Bible says that there will be a resurrection for all of the saints of God (Matt.22:30; Luke..14:14; John. 11:24-25; 1 Cor.15:51-52; 1 Thes.4:13-18), but there is no general resurrection in the Bible. Unsaved people will be delivered up before God at the White Throne Judgement (Rev. 20:11-15), but there will be no Christians resurrected at this time. The resurrection for God's people is called the "first resurrection" (Rev. 20:5-6), and it occurs before the Lord Jesus establishes the millennial reign of a thousand years. Actually there are THREE PARTS to the first resurrection. The first is the resurrection of Old Testament saints which occurred when Jesus was resurrected (Matt. 27:52-53; Eph. 4:8-9). The second will be the rapture of the church, which we've already covered. Then the third part will be during the Tribulation Period when God calls out those who are saved in the Tribulation (Rev. 7:14; Rev 14:14-16). A great deal is said about the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15.
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[[#_1|'''index''']]
 +
 
 +
Sanctification
 +
 
 +
Sanctification is the act of being set apart from sin and uncleanliness AND being set apart for God's service. My soul was sanctified the day I received Christ as my Saviour (Acts 20:32; 1 Cor. 1:2; 1 Cor 6:11; Heb.10:10, Heb 10:14), but it is my personal responsibility to keep my BODY in subjection to God and live a sanctified life (Rom.6:1-13; 2 Cor.6:14-17). That is, since I AM a saint (one who is sanctified), I need to live like one. Sanctification isn't just a Matter of not sinning (If it was, then your local cemetery would be the most sanctified place in your community, because it is filled with people who NEVER sin. They're DEAD.) True sanctification is turning FROM sin and turning TO God (1 Thes. 1:9).
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[[#_1|'''index''']]
 +
 
 +
Satan
 +
 
 +
The word literally means "the adversary." To some, Satan is only a symbol of evil, but in the Bible he is a literal living being who was Lukes about seeking to deceive and to devour (John. 8:44; James. 4:7; Rev. 12:9; 1 Peter. 5:8 ). There are five basic points that need to be understood about the past, present, and future of the Devil, and if you understand these five things, then you'll be light years ahead of the typical twentieth century "theologian." The five points are as follows:
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 +
Satan has not always been God's adversary. He was originally "the anointed cherub" of Ezekiel 28:13-19 and "Lucifer" of Isaiah 14:12-15, but through his own pride he fell from this honourable position and became God's greatest enemy, the adversary, or Satan. Contrary to popular belief, Satan was NOT cast into Hell when he rebelled against God. He is presently the "god of this world" (2 Cor. 4:4), "the devil" (Matt. 4:1; Eph.4:27; 1 Peter 5:8), and "the prince of the power of the air" (Eph. 2:2). As such, he is currently in control of the kingdoms of this world and he gives them to whomever he chooses (Matt. 4:8-9). He'll stop short of nothing in his attempts to deceive and destroy anything or anyone who stands on God's side (Job 1-2; Matt. 4:1-10; Matt 13:19, Matt 13:39; Luke. 22:31; Acts 5:3; 1 Cor. 5:5; 2 Cor. 11:14-15; 1 Thes. 2:18; 1 Tim. 5:15; Heb. 2:14; 1 John. 3:8). The Christian's greatest defence against the Devil is the word of God and prayer (Eph. 6:10-18; 1 Thes. 5:17; Matt. 26:41; Heb. 4:12). In the coming Great Tribulation, Satan will actually indwell a human body as the Antichrist. He will have the entire world in his evil clutches, and he will murder anyone who opposes him (2 Thes. 2:3-10; Rev. 13:3-18). See Antichrist, Beast, and Great Tribulation. During the millennial reign of Christ and His saints, Satan will be chained for one thousand years in the bottomless pit "that he should deceive the nations no more." After the Millennium is over, he will be turned loose for a "little season" (Rev. 20:1-3. The Devil's final position will be his eternal position in the Lake of Fire. Revelation 20:10 tells us that he will be cast into the "lake of fire" and tormented forever. [[#_1|'''index''']]
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 +
Second Coming
 +
 
 +
The Second Coming of Christ is a prophetic event which will occur in the very near future. Just as Jesus came the first time as a literal, physical, and visible person, He will come likewise the next time. Some teach that the Second Coming is not a literal event, but the Bible states very clearly that it is. When Jesus came the first time He came as the "Lamb of God" to take away the sin of the world (John.1:29), but at the Second Coming He will come as the "Lion of the tribe of Judah " and the "KING OF KINGS" (Rev. 5:5; Rev 19:16). He turned down the kingdoms of this world the first time (Matt. 4:8-10), but He will take full control of them when He returns (Rev. 11:15).
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 +
The Old Testament is filled with prophecies about the Lord establishing a righteous kingdom upon the earth with Israel being the head of all nations (Gen. 49:10; Jer. 23:5; Jer 25:30-31; Isa. 2:2-4; Isa 11:1-6; Isa 42:13-14; Joel 3:16-21; Eze. 36-48; Psa. 2:1-8; Zec. 14:16-21; Mal. 4:1-3; etc.). These prophecies were not fulfilled at Christ's first coming, so they will be fulfilled when He comes again. Many are teaching that these prophecies are no longer in effect because the Jews rejected Christ their King, so these prophecies are all spiritualised or allegorized for the church's benefit. This is heresy. All of these prophecies and many more like them are still in effect and will be fulfilled when Jesus returns. If you'll take a close look at Acts 1:6-7, Acts 15:14-16, Hebrews 8:8-10, Romans 11:25-26, Luke 1:31-33, Rev 6:12-17, and Revelation 19:11-16 you can easily see that God has not forgotten about His Second Coming prophecies. It is God's will for His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to rule over the earth in righteousness. For six thousand years man has been in control, and man has proven that he is totally incapable of establishing peace and righteousness. At the Second Coming GOD will take control.
 +
 
 +
Before the actual Second Coming, or the Second Advent of Christ, Jesus will return for the church and call out those who are saved (See Rapture and Resurrection.). The earth will then enter the Tribulation, which will be approximately seven years in length (See Great Tribulation.). At the end of the Great Tribulation, the Lord Jesus Christ will return from Heaven with His saints and take over the kingdoms of the world. The wicked will be destroyed, the Millennial Kingdom will be established (See Millennium and Pre-Millennialism.), and God's Son will rule over the nations. This is God's will, and this is God's word.
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[[#_1|'''index''']]
 +
 
 +
Signs and Wonders
 +
 
 +
See Apostolic Signs
 +
 
 +
[[#_1|'''index''']]
 +
 
 +
Sinner
 +
 
 +
Some have the idea that a sinner is an Extremely wicked person and that only a certain group of people actually classify as sinners (Matt. 9:11), but the Bible declares that EVERYONE is born a sinner and needs to be saved from his sins by receiving Christ as Saviour (Rom. 3:10, Rom 3:23; Rom 5:12, Rom 5:8-9; Rom 6:23; Rom 10:9-13).
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[[#_1|'''index''']]
 +
 
 +
Sodomite
 +
 
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In the Bible a Sodomite is a homosexual, and the scriptures speak very much against this ungodly practice (Rom. 1:26-28; Lev.18:22; Lev 20:13; Gen. 19; 1 Kings. 14:24; 1 Kings 15:12; 1 Kings 22:46; 1 Kings 23:7; Deu. 23:17). God has never created anyone to be a sex pervert, and He has never approved of this sin.
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[[#_1|'''index''']]
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 +
Spiritual Circumcision
 +
 
 +
This term comes from Colossians 2:11-15 where we are told that the new believer Experiences a "circumcision made without hands" which puts off the body of sins and allows the Christian to serve God in the spirit. In essence, the Christian's body is cut loose from his soul so that his corruptible flesh does not corrupt the redeemed soul.
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[[#_1|'''index''']]
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Stewardship
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A steward is one who is given the responsibility of managing or overseeing something (Gen. 15:2; Luke.12:42-48; Luke 16:1-13). God has made every Christian a steward, according to 1 Peter 4:10. God OWNS you if you are saved (1 Cor.6:19-20); therefore He owns everything that you own. With this being true, it is our duty to properly manage our entire life according to His will. As someone has said, we need to be good stewards with our TIME, with our TALENTS, and with our TREASURE because we will give account to God for it all.
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[[#_1|'''index''']]
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Tithing
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To tithe is to give a tenth. The first occurrence of tithing in the Bible is in Genesis 14:20 where Abraham gives God a tenth of his possessions. Jacob also vows to tithe in Genesis 28:22. Tithing was also a requirement under the Mosaic law (Lev. 27:30-32; Num. 18:21-28; Deut. 14:22). A tenth of all income was to be given over to the Levitical priesthood for their living and for the maintenance of the Lord's service. The blessings of God were promised to those who were obedient to His laws of tithing (Mal. 3:8-10).
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Today, although we are no longer under the Mosaic law, Bible-believing Christians still practice tithing because God accepted tithes even BEFORE the law of Moses. If an Old Testament Jew, whose sins had not yet been paid for, can give a tenth of his income to the Lord, how much more should WE be willing to give, whose sins HAVE been washed away in the blood of Christ? Paul said that God loves a "cheerful giver" (2 Cor. 9:7).
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Most Bible-believing churches consider tithing a MINIMUM gift, which goes into a general fund to finance the basic Expenses of the church, while special love offerings and missions are considered separate offerings altogether.
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[[#_1|'''index''']]
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Tongues
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See Apostolic Signs..
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[[#_1|'''index''']]
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Trinity
 +
 
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The Trinity doctrine is the doctrine that God consists of three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. Those who deny the Existence of the Trinity usually do so because they can't understand it. Those of us who accept the Trinity doctrine don't fully understand it either; we just BELIEVE what God said about it.
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What did He say about it? He said, "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." (1 John. 5:7) He said, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." (Matt. 28:19) He said, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen." (2 Cor. 13:14) You can see all three members of the Holy Trinity present at the baptism of Jesus in Matthew 3:13-17. Jesus said when you've seen Him, then you've seen the Father (John. 14:9), and Peter said that when you lie to the Holy Ghost you are lying to GOD (Acts 5:3-4). God the Father is God; God the Son is God; and God the Holy Ghost is God. See Deity of Christ and Deity of the Holy Ghost
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Psalm 19:1-6 and Romans 1:20 tell us that we can learn of God through nature. Have you ever studied nature? The Trinity doctrine is manifest everywhere. Time consists of THREE parts: past, present, and future. Space consists of THREE parts: length, breadth, and height. Matter consists of THREE parts: energy, motion, and phenomena. The sun consists of THREE types of rays: alpha, beta, and gamma. Man consists of THREE parts: body, soul, and spirit. A family consists of THREE parts: Father, mother, and children. You see, the truth of the Trinity is everywhere. We don't have to fully understand it, and God never told us to understand it. Our job is to BELIEVE it. God is a Trinity. Three in One, and One in Three, and the One in the middle died for me.
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[[#_1|'''index''']]
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Unpardonable Sin
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During His physical life on earth, Jesus often Exorcised His Deity by performing miracles through the Divine power of the Holy Ghost. In Matthew 12:22-32 the Pharisees witness one of the Lord's many miracles. Then, instead of believing on Jesus, they accused Him of performing miracles through the power of the Devil. He then told them that men could be forgiven for blasphemy (evil and hurtful speaking) against men and against Him, but that blasphemy against the Holy Ghost could NEVER be forgiven. A companion reference for this is found in Mark 3:30, where we are told WHY Jesus said this to them: "Because they said, he hath an unclean spirit." It is important to note that nothing is said about this particular sin after Calvary. It is only mentioned during the life of Christ on earth, while He was working genuine miracles by the power of the Holy Ghost. It is also needful to understand that blasphemy is a sin of the TONGUE. A person could not commit blasphemy with thoughts or actions. It was strictly a sin of the tongue, and it could only be committed by openly accusing Jesus Christ of working through Satanic power.
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Some teach that this sin may still be committed today, but there is no scriptural support for this. In fact, when Jesus later speaks of the coming of the Holy Ghost to indwell believers, He said that the Holy Ghost would convict the world of three things: sin, righteousness, and judgement. He then said that the Holy Ghost would convict the world of SIN for ONE REASON: "because they believe not on me." (John. 16:7-11) It seems that if blasphemy against the Holy Ghost was to be the greatest sin of this age that Jesus would have used this opportunity to warn us about it, but He warned us about UNBELIEF instead. Some Charismatic groups, who profess to be LED by the Holy Ghost, are in the habit of accusing anyone who opposes them of blaspheming the Holy Ghost. For Example, some Charismatics would say that I have blasphemed the Holy Ghost in this booklet, because I have written things in opposition to their practice of speaking in unknown tongues and faith healing. That's baloney. Even if they WERE doing all these things by the Holy Ghost (which they are not), it still would not be unpardonable to speak against it. Many people have spoken against great Christian works and then gotten saved later. The Apostle Paul is a good Example (Acts 8-9). The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from ALL SIN (1 John. 1:9), and if you want to commit the unpardonable sin in this age, then you will have to reject Jesus Christ as your Saviour. Go ahead and reject Christ, and when you stand before God at the White Throne Judgement, you will NOT be forgiven.
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Now we do realize that a person can reject Christ for so long that God the Holy Ghost pulls away and stops convicting that individual. In which case the individual never receives Christ, never receives forgiveness of sin, and goes to Hell (Pro. 1:23-33; Isa. 55:6-7; John.12:37-43), but only God knows when a person crosses that line. No man on this planet has any scriptural authority for telling someone that God will never forgive them for their sins.
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[[#_1|'''index''']]
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Virgin Birth
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The doctrine of the Virgin Birth is the doctrine that the Lord Jesus Christ was miraculously conceived of the Holy Ghost and born of a virgin, without a man being involved. The original prophecy of the Virgin Birth was given in Isaiah 7:14, over seven hundred years before Jesus was born. Luke 1:34-35 and Matthew 1:24-25 tell us that Joseph took Marky to be his wife, but that he "knew her not" until after Jesus was born.
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It was needful for Jesus to be conceived of the Holy Ghost, because had He been conceived of a man, He would have had a sin nature (Psa. 51:5; Rom.5:12), which would have disqualified Him from being the perfect Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world. The Virgin Birth is absolutely essential for New Testament salvation.
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Many new Bible translations deliberately change the wording of Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:25, and Luke 2:33 in an attempt to downgrade the Virgin Birth of our Lord, but thanks be to God, the King James Bible can be trusted to preserve this doctrine without compromise.
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[[#_1|'''index''']]
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Witnessing
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When a person witnesses he tells what he knows about a particular subject. We are told to be witnesses for Christ in Acts 1:8, so witnessing is simply a Matter of telling someone about the salvation that the Lord Jesus Christ freely gives to all who will receive Him. A true Christian will not be ashamed to witness for the Lord (Mark.8:38; Rom.1:16; Rom 10:11).
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[[#_1|'''index''']]
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Worship
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When you worship someone you pay them divine honours. In John 4:24, Jesus says, "God is a spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." Many seem to think that worship is something that happens when people start acting religious (singing hymns, praying, taking offerings, reading scripture, preaching, etc.), but this isn't always true. Isaiah 1:11-20 tells us that God isn't impressed with a religious show. The Pharisees were the most outwardly religious people of their day, but the Lord wasn't the least bit impressed (Matt.23). Friend, God knows your heart (1 Sam. 16:7; Jer.17:10), and if your heart isn't right with God, then your worship isn't right with God.
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[[#_1|'''index''']] Zeal A person who has zeal for the Lord is a person who is Excited about getting involved in the Lord's service (2 Cor. 9:2; Tit. 2:14; Rev. 3:19).
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[[#_1|'''index''']]

Latest revision as of 00:41, 22 May 2020


index

Agnostic Eternal Security Millennium A-Millennialism Faith Missions Angels False Prophets Music Annihilation Fear of God New Age Movement Antichrist Fornication New Birth Apostasy Gentile [[#_Feeb7001|Persecution [[#_Feeb7001|Apostolic [[#_Feeb7001|Signs [[#_Feeb7001|God [[#_Feeb7001|Post-Millennialism [[#_Feeb7001|Armageddon [[#_Feeb7001|Gospel [[#_Feeb7001|Praise [[#_Feeb7001|Atheism [[#_Feeb7001|Grace [[#_Feeb7001|Prayer [[#_Feeb7001|Backsliding [[#_Feeb7001|Great Tribulation [[#_Feeb7001|Pre-Millennialism [[#_Feeb7001|Baptism [[#_Feeb7001|Greek Text [[#_Feeb7001|Propitiation [[#_Feeb7001|Baptismal [[#_Feeb7001|Regeneration [[#_Feeb7001|Healing [[#_Feeb7001|Rapture [[#_Feeb7001|Baptism of the Holy Ghost [[#_Feeb7001|Heaven [[#_Feeb7001|Redemption [[#_Feeb7001|Beast [[#_Feeb7001|Hell [[#_Feeb7001|Regeneration [[#_Feeb7001|Believe [[#_Feeb7001|Heresy [[#_Feeb7001|Remission [[#_Feeb7001|Bible [[#_Feeb7001|Holy Ghost [[#_Feeb7001|Repentance [[#_Feeb7001|Blood Atonement [[#_Feeb7001|Humility [[#_Feeb7001|Resurrection [[#_Feeb7001|Born-Again [[#_Feeb7001|Idolatry [[#_Feeb7001|Sanctification [[#_Feeb7001|Calvinism [[#_Feeb7001|Imputed Righteousness Satan Capital Punishment Inspiration of Scripture Second Coming CharisMattic Movement Israel Signs and Wonders Christian Jesus Christ Sinner Church Jew Sodomite Confession Judgement Spiritual Circumcision Conscience Justification Stewardship Covetousness Kingdom of God Tithing Creation Kingdom of Heaven Tongues Deity of Christ King James 1611 A.V. Trinity Deity of the Holy Ghost Law Unpardonable Sin Demons Lord's Supper Virgin Birth Dispensation Mark of the Beast Witnessing Doctrine Mary Worship Worship Ecumenical Movement Mass Zeal AgnosticAgnostic

I see no need for an introduction, so let's go ahead and get started. What is an agnostic? An agnostic is a person who takes a position of uncertainty toward God and the Bible. These people have no real convictions, for they know nothing for sure. Most agnostics have had more education than the rest of us, and they usually have a rather high opinion of themselves and their "open-mindedness." In Acts 17:22-23, the Apostle Paul addressed some agnostics at Athens who had erected an alter to "THE UNKNOWN GOD." Paul said they were "too superstitious."

Christianity is not a religion of uncertainty. We have an absolute Final Authority with absolute answers. For Example, see John 14:6, Job 19:25, 2 Timothy 1:12, I Peter 1:18, and 1 John 5:13.

index

A-Millennialism This is the false belief that there will be no millennium--no one thousand year reign of Christ and His saints on earth. Revelation 20:1-7 plainly tells us that there WILL be a millennial reign. Other interesting references can be found in 2 Timothy 2:11-13, Luke 19:17-19, and Revelation 5:10 (just to name a few).

index

Angels Angels are "ministering spirits," according to Hebrews 1:14, and their primary purpose is to wait on God. Angels were created prior to man's Existence (Job 38:4-7), and as supernatural beings, they are far superior to you and me (Psa. 8:5). All angels in the Bible are of the masculine gender, and none appear to have wings.

Not all angels belong to the Lord. Some of the angels have fallen (Jude 1:6-7, Gen. 6:1-4, 2 Peter. 2:4), and more will fall in the future (Rev. 12:4-9). Even Satan himself can be transformed into an "angel of light," according to 2 Corinthians 11:14. Therefore, we are told in 1 John 4:1 to TRY the spirits.

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Annihilation

This false teaching is very popular with people like the "Jehovah's Witnesses," who do not believe in a literal and eternal lake of fire for the punishment of the wicked. Annihilation is the belief that the wicked will be totally destroyed at some point in the future, and that no ETERNAL place of torment Exists. The Lord Jesus Christ believed otherwise (Matt. 25:41; Luke.16:24).

index

Antichrist

This is a future individual who will be fully possessed and motivated by Satan himself. He will dictate a common world religion, a world government, and a world economy (Rev. 13; 2 Thes. 2:3-4; Rev. 19:19), and he will MURDER those who refuse to conform to his evil system.

The Antichrist is known in scripture as the "little horn" (Dan. 7:8), the "son of perdition" (2 Thes. 2:3), the "beast" (Rev. 13), the "king of the north" (Dan. 11:6), and the "prince that shall come" (Dan.9:26).

Antichrist and his followers will be destroyed by the Lord Jesus Christ at the second Advent of our Lord.

index Apostasy

An apostasy is a "falling away" from a standing position. Paul wrote in I1 Thessalonians 2:3 that a great falling away, or apostasy, would occur in the last days, just preceding our Lord's return. We have lived to see this prophecy fulfilled, for man has fallen further away from God in the past fifty years than at any other time since the time of Christ. Apostasy can be found most anywhere you look, especially in religion, education, politics, the media, and in music.

index Apostolic Signs In Mark16:17-18, Jesus said to the Apostles, "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."

Because of their inability and refusal to rightly divide the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15), the Charismatics operate under the false assumption that these signs are still in effect today and that it is THEIR duty to fulfil them. This is why we have charlatans like Oral Roberts and Jim Baker living in mansions and begging people for money.

In their haste to make a dollar, the Charismatics consistently ignore the fact that Jesus said these were SIGNS, and that I Corinthians 1:22 tells us that SIGNS are for the JEWS. Israel began with signs (Rom. 4:11; Exo. 4:8 ,Exo.4:9, Exo. 4:17, Exo. 4:23, Exo. 4:28, Exo. 4:30; Exo. 7:3; Exo. 8:23; Exo. 10:1-2; Exo. 13:9; Exo. 31:13, Exo. 13:17; Deuteronomy 4:34; Deuteronomy 6:22), lived by signs (Deuteronomy 11:18; Jos. 4:6; 1 Sam. 10:7; 2 Kings. 19:29; Isa. 7:14; Isa 38:7, Isa 38:22; Eze. 4:3; Eze. 20:12, Eze.20:20), and demanded signs from Christ (Matt. 12:38; Matt.24:3). [ADVICE TO READERS:

Everything that can be misunderstood WILL be misunderstood when you fail to check references.] There is more scripture to support the doctrine of signs being for Israel than there is to support the Virgin Birth and the Inspiration of Scripture combined! Anyone who ignores this truth is absolutely unqualified to teach, preach, or write anything about the Apostolic Signs. If you'll take a look at Hebrews 2:3-4 you will see that the signs were used to CONFIRM the word of God, and you will also see that the signs are spoken of in the PAST TENSE. They are also spoken of in the past tense in 2 Corinthians 12:12. Those who insist that we should practice the signs today because they were practiced throughout the New Testament haven't been reading (or believing) their Bible. They were not practiced throughout the New Testament. In fact, Paul left Tro Philmus SICK at Miletum (2 Tim.4:20); he gave Timothy medical advice instead of healing him (1 Tim.5:23), and he had infirmities of his own from which he could not be healed (2 Cor.11:30; 2 Cor 12:5-10). Now why all this sickness if the Apostolic Signs were still in effect? Answer: They WEREN'T still in effect, because they were only needed in the early ministry of the Apostles for the purpose of confirming the truth to Israel. Now we firmly believe that God can still work miracles and heal anyone He chooses, and we believe that the prayers of God's people can move Him to work miracles, but let's not confuse answered prayers with Apostolic Signs, because there's a vast difference. We believe in healing; we just don't believe in healers.

You say, "Well what about speaking in unknown tongues through the Holy Ghost? Do you deny that people today speak in unknown tongues?" No, of course not. People have spoken in unknown tongues for thousands of years. Ever read Genesis 11? Was that an outpouring of the Holy Ghost? When the Church of Satan speaks in unknown tongues (which they do), is that a work of the Holy Ghost? When a psychologist can have you blubbering in unknown tongues within fifteen minutes, is that an outpouring of the Holy Ghost? You see, too many people have the idea that if something is highly abnormal or miraculous that it MUST be of God. The coming Antichrist will have a field day with such feeble minded people, because HE will work such "signs and lying wonders" that the entire world will follow after him (I1 Thes. 2:8-12; Rev. 13:13-14).

Nowhere in the New Testament did God command anyone to speak with unknown tongues. We do read about "new tongues" (Mark.16:17), "other tongues" (Acts 2:4) and "divers kinds of tongues" (1 Cor.12:10), but these are all FOREIGN LANGUAGES, not senseless gibberish! There are no unknown tongues in Acts 2, and there is no baptism of the Holy Ghost in I Corinthians 14. Instead of rightly dividing the word of truth, the careless Charismatics wrest the scriptures to their own destruction by ignoring the set divisions and doctrines that the Holy Spirit has inspired in the scriptures. The Apostolic Signs are not for today, because they were only for confirming the word of God to the unbelieving Jews in the first century. The Bible warns us to beware of anyone who professes to practice these signs today (2 Cor. 11:13-15; Matt. 7:15; Matt 24:11; 1 Tim. 4:1-2), and the Lord commends the church at Ephesus for trying out some professing apostles and finding them to be LIARS (Rev. 2:2).

index Armageddon The word comes from Revelation 16:16, and it means "the hill of Megiddo" or "the city of Megiddo."Megiddo is a battlefield in Palestine, which was the sight of Barak's victory over the Canaanite (Judges.4:15), and also Gideon's victory over the Midianites (Judges. 7). King Saul dies here (1 Sam. 31:8), which is probably a foreshadow of the future destruction of Antichrist and his evil forces in the coming great battle.

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Atheism Atheism is the false and very foolish belief that there is no God (Psa. 14:1; Rom.1:20). Like agnostics, most atheists have been educated beyond their intelligence.

index Backsliding This is the act of sliding backward rather than pressing forward "toward the Mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil.3:14). The term actually comes from Jeremiah chapter three where God's people are called backsliders because of their willingness to slide back into their sins. Today we often refer to unfaithful Christians as backsliders.

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Baptism A baptism is an IMMERSION. A person who has been baptised is a person who has been immersed in something, because that's what the word means.

Many have the idea that all baptisms are WATER baptisms, but this isn't true. In Matthew 3:11, John the Baptist speaks of THREE different baptisms in one verse. He mentions WATER baptism, HOLY GHOST baptism, and FIRE baptism. One gets you wet, one gets you into the body of Christ, and one gets you into Hell! There's more than one kind of baptism, so we need to avoid using the word too loosely.

A person is baptised by the Holy Ghost the very moment they receive Christ as Lord and Saviour (1 Cor.12:13). This particular baptism is a SPIRITUAL baptism, and it should never be confused with WATER baptism (although it usually is). This spiritual baptism can be found in I Corinthians 12:13, Ephesians 4:5, Romans 6:3-4, and Galatians 3:27. It is not a water baptism, for water baptism places no one into the body of Christ. A person is saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9). Paul said that Christ sent him not to baptise, but to preach the gospel in I Corinthians 1:17, and "the gospel" does NOT include water baptism (1 Cor. 15:1-4).

Does this mean that water baptism isn't important? No, it does not. Water baptism is very important, for it pictures the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Christ. 1 Peter 3:21 tells us that it is a "figure." Obedient Christians will submit to water baptism, but they should never confuse it with their salvation. Remember, the repentant thief was saved WITHOUT being baptised in water (Luke.23:42-43), and the eunuch of Acts chapter eight wasn't permitted to be baptised until he first BELIEVED on Christ (Acts 8:37-38). Also see Believe. index

Baptismal Regeneration This is the false doctrine that water baptism actually regenerates the dead spirit in lost man and produces the new birth. The Bible says that the spirit of God does this--not water (1 Cor.12:13). Pagans have believed in this doctrine for thousands of years--even before the time of Christ. It has absolutely no part in Bible-believing Christianity.

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Baptism of the Holy Ghost This is the spiritual baptism that we've just mentioned. It is a MIRACULOUS baptism, performed by the Lord Himself.

Most Charis Mattic groups teach that a person receives the Holy Ghost sometime AFTER they've received Christ as Saviour, but this is plain heresy. Romans 8:9 tells us that a person does not even belong to Christ if that person doesn't have the Spirit of God, so salvation and the baptism of the Holy Ghost are SYNONYMOUS, not separate.

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Beast The coming Antichrist and his evil empire are referred to as "the beast" throughout the Book of Revelation.

index Believe To "believe" in the Bible is to fully rely on God's word. True belief is much more than mental assent, because even the devils believe mentally (James.2:19). Bible belief involves conviction and commitment. A person who truly believes on Christ is a person who has fully RECEIVED Christ (John.1:12). To believe on Christ is to totally rely on HIM ALONE for salvation (John.3:16, John 3:36; John 5:24; John 6:47; John 11:25-26; Acts 16:30-31; Rom. 4:5; Rom 10:9-10; 1 John. 5:10-13; Gal. 3:22; 1 Thes. 2:13). index

Bible The word means "book." When we say, "the Bible," we are actually saying "the Book." See Inspiration of Scripture.

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Blood Atonement The Blood Atonement of Jesus Christ is one of the fundamental doctrines of Christianity. It is the doctrine that the blood of Jesus Christ, the sacrificial Lamb of God, was shed to atone for the sins of lost mankind (John.1:29; Heb.9:22), and that this sinless blood was applied to the mercy seat of God the Father in Heaven (Heb.9:11-12). All of the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament FORESHADOWED the Blood Atonement of Christ. The innocent animal that was slain in Eden for Adam and Eve's covering (Gen. 3:21) pictured the slaying of our Lord Jesus Christ for our sins. Abel's accepted offering, the firstlings of his flock (Gen. 4:4), was also a type of the Blood Atonement of Christ. There are many pictures of the Blood Atonement in the Bible, but probably the greatest is found in Exodus chapter twelve, where God REDEEMS His people by the BLOOD of the passover lamb.

Today, with the completed Blood Atonement behind us, all sinners have access to God THROUGH Jesus Christ, and through Him alone. Acts 20:28says that God PURCHASED the church "with his own blood." Revelation 1:5 assures us that Christ can WASH us from our sins in His blood. Romans 5:8-9 says that we are JUSTIFIED by His blood, and we can have PEACE through His blood, according to Colossians 1:20. Salvation was made possible, not by the DEATH of Christ alone, but by His Blood Atonement which takes away our sins.

index Born-Again Jesus was the first to use this term, and He used it to stress the necessity for lost mankind to see his need for a second birth (John. 3:3). Our first birth was physical, but our spirit remained dead in God's sight. When a person receives Christ as Saviour, he is BORN AGAIN, for his dead spirit is made alive, or "quickened" (Eph. 2:1). The Holy Spirit takes up residence inside the new believer (Eph. 4:30) and gives him a new life in Christ (Gal.2:20; 2 Cor.5:17). Every real Christian has been born again, and no one has been born again who is not a Christian. Also see 1 Peter 1:23.

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Calvinism A Calvinist is a person who subscribes to the theological beliefs of John Calvin, the Swiss Protestant reformer of the sixteenth century. There are five main points in Calvinism, four of which are false teachings. The five points of Calvinism are usually represented by the letters T.U.L.I.P.

The "T" is for TOTAL DEPRAVITY. This is the false doctrine that man is so depraved that he cannot even see his sinful condition and call upon God for salvation. It is true that all men are natural- born sinners (Rom.3:23;5:12; Psa. 51:5), but it is also true that God COMMANDS all men to repent and receive Christ (Acts 17:30-31; 1 John. 3:23; Luke.. 13:3). Man is indeed depraved, but he isn't so depraved that he has no free will of his own (2 Peter. 3:9; John.1:12; John.3:16; Jos. 24:15; Exo. 35:5, Exo 35:21-22, Exo 35:29). Total Depravity is heresy.

"U" stands for UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION, which is a heresy derived from perverting verses like Ephesians 1:4-5 and Romans 8:29. The Calvinists believe that God predestination everyone way back before Genesis 1:1, totally ignoring their free will to choose for themselves. That is, He supposedly decided who would go to Heaven and who would go to Hell long before anyone was even born. If you'll read Romans 8:29 and I Peter 1:1-2 you'll see that God's election is based on FOREKNOWLEDGE. He didn't elect to save or damn anyone against their free will. God knew all along who would choose Christ and who would not, and He made His "elections" based on that in for Mattion.

Then we have the "L" for LIMITED ATONEMENT. This is the belief that only a limited number of people can be washed from their sins in the precious blood of Christ, because only "the elect" will be saved anyhow. The idea is that Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it (Eph.5:25); so the blood of Christ was only shed for the church. This is foolishness. I Timothy 2:6 says that Christ gave Himself a ransom for ALL, not just the elect. ALL have sinned (Rom. 3:23); so He died for ALL, and He saves "as many as" receive Him.

The "I" stands for IRRESISTIBLE GRACE, which is also false doctrine. This teaching says that God the Holy Spirit overpowers the sinner and grants him the new birth without his submission or positive response. As we've already seen, man DOES have a free will and no one is saved without CHOOSING to believe on Christ as Lord and Saviour. There is no such thing as irresistible grace. God has given us all the ability to resist anyone or anything we choose (Acts 7:51; 2 Tim. 3:8; James. 4:7). There are times when the convicting power of the Holy Spirit is so strong and real that a sinner sees no choice but to give in to God and receive Christ as Saviour, but the sinner always has a choice. No one is saved against their will, and no one is saved without first choosing to receive Christ.

The last letter is "P," which represents the PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS. This is the only point in "T.U.L.I.P" which is scripturally sound. Once a sinner receives Christ, he is predestination to be conformed to Christ's image (Rom.8:29). That is, as Christians, we are eternally secure and cannot lose the salvation which God has freely given us. Also see Eternal Security.

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Capital Punishment Capital Punishment, commonly referred to as the "death penalty," is very scriptural. From the very beginning, God has required LIFE FOR LIFE. The death penalty is first mentioned in Genesis 9:6, long before the law of Moses was given, and it stays on God's law books throughout the Bible (Exo. 21:12; Num. 35:16-31; Rom. 13:1-4; Acts 25:11). As you can see from Acts 25:11 and Romans 13:1-4, the death penalty is still God's will for today. God has given man the responsibility of enforcing the death penalty, and justice has not been served until it has been enforced.

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Charis Mattic Movement The Charismatic Movement is a twentieth century religious movement (Assemblies of God, Pentecostal, Full Gospel Fellowships, etc.) which majors in teaching false doctrines about the ministry of the Holy Ghost, tongues, healing, and signs. Rather than winning the lost to Christ, the Charismatics spend most of their time questioning the spirituality and sanctity of other Christians. Charismatics are very big on inner "feelings," but very small on scriptural facts. Paul stated it best in 2 Corinthians 11:4 when he said that these people have "another Jesus," "another spirit," and "another gospel." These are very dangerous people. They may look nice, to Luke nice, and sometimes even sing nice, but their doctrines are DEADLY. Also see Apostolic Signs.

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Christian A Christian is one who truly believes on Christ as Saviour. The disciples were first called "Christians" at Antioch (Acts 11:26). A Christian is not someone who professes Christ, but rather someone who POSSESSES Christ as Lord and Saviour.

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Church The word literally means "called out assembly," so the church consists of people who have been called out of this world.

The church is not an organization, but rather an ORGANISM. That is, it's a living body of believers. Anyone who has been saved by receiving Christ as Saviour is a member of the church, for the church is made up of all true believers in Christ. A person's denominational membership is in no way connected with his membership in the body of Christ. Those who have truly received Christ are members of His church, regardless of what any denomination believes or says (John. 1:12; Acts 16:31; John. 5:24; Matt. 11:28; Rom. 10:13. etc.).

Beware of anyone who speaks of THEIR church as being the "true church," because the true church is a SPIRITUAL BODY OF BELIEVERS IN CHRIST, not an organized group of religious people. The Bible will sometimes use the term "church" when referring to local assemblies of Christians (Rom. 16:5; 1 Cor. 1:2; 1 Thes. 1:1; Phil. 2), but the term is never a reference to any denomination or any building.

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Confession To confess is to admit something, and it's usually something about yourself. It is the duty of all sinners to confess their sinful condition and forsake their sins by receiving Jesus Christ as their Saviour (Pro. 28:13; Matt.10:32; >Rom.10:9-10). Christians are told to confess their sins in order to obtain forgiveness and to maintain fellowship with God (1 John. 1:9). Sins are to be confessed TO THE LORD, not to any human being (including Mary), for the Lord Jesus Christ is the One mediator between God and men (1 Tim. 2:5).

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Conscience A person's conscience is basically his inner awareness. God gave us our conscience to keep us aware of the things that can harm us, as well as the things that can help us. It is our job to keep our conscience pure (1 Tim. 1:5; 1 Tim 3:9; 2 Tim. 1:3). When a person doesn't feed his conscience with spiritual things, such as the word of God, prayer, and witnessing, he is in danger of DEFILING his conscience (Tit.1:15), SEARING his conscience (1 Tim. 4:2), and rendering it WEAK (1 Cor. 8:7). Our conscience is a lot like our alarm clock: it's no good unless we keep it set and working properly.

index Contradictions in Scripture There are none. There are many APPARENT contradictions in the Bible, but each can be Explained with a careful and prayerful study, comparing scripture with scripture. All scripture is given by inspiration of God (2 Tim.3:16), and God does not inspire contradictions and confusion (1 Cor.14:33).

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Covetousness To covet is to have a longing for something, and it's usually a longing for something that you don't need. Christians should practice CONTENTMENT, not covetousness (Phil. 4:11; 1 Tim. 6:6-8; Heb. 13:5). The Lord Jesus spoke of covetousness as being one of the thirteen evils of the heart (Mark.7:21-22), and He commands us to "beware of covetousness" in Luke 12:12. Paul says in Colossians 3:5 that covetousness is IDOLATRY. We, as Christians, need to set our affection on THINGS ABOVE, not on the things of this earth, according to Colossians 3:2.

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Creation This is the doctrine that the earth and all the universe were literally created by an intelligent Being. Genesis 1:1 says, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." John 1:3 tells us that "All things were made by him . . . " Colossians 1:16 says, "For by him were all things created . . ." Then Hebrews 1:3 says that God actually MADE THE WORLDS by Jesus Christ.

Jesus, of course, believed in literal creation, and He tells us so in Mark13:19. The theory of Evolution is contrary to God, Jesus Christ, and the Bible.

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Deity of Christ The Deity of Christ is the doctrine that Jesus Christ is GOD. God is a Trinity (1 John. 5:7), and the second Member of that Trinity is the Lord Jesus Christ. John 1:1 says that "the Word was God," and John 1:14 tells us that "the Word was made flesh." Jesus Christ is the Word incarnate, and John 1:1 tells us that the Word was God; so Jesus Christ is God.

Jesus allowed Thomas to address Him as "My Lord and my God" in John 20:28. In Isaiah 9:6 He is called "The mighty God" and "The everlasting Father," and we read in Micah 5:2 that Jesus is "from everlasting."

Our Lord allowed people to worship him in John 10:38 and in Matthew 14:33, and since He is "God with us" (Matt.1:23), He also has power to forgive sins (Mark. 2:5).

The Deity of Christ is one of the main fundamentals of the Christian faith, because the Bible is very clear in emphasizing the fact that Jesus Christ is more than just a great man. He Existed long before He came to this earth to be born of a woman, because He is ETERNAL. He's God.

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Deity of the Holy Ghost The Holy Ghost is also Deity, for He's the third member of the Holy Trinity (1 John. 5:7). In Acts 5:3- 4 Peter accuses Ananias of lying to the Holy Ghost, and in doing so, he tells him that he had lied to GOD. The Holy Ghost is God. The Holy Ghost says in Acts 13:2 that He had CALLED Barnabas and Saul, which only God could do, and He does many other things that only God could do (John. 14:16, 26; 16:8-14; Job 33:4; Psa. 104:30; 1 Cor. 6:11; Eph. 1:13, Eph 4:30, etc.). The Holy Spirit is OMNIPRESENT (Psa. 39:7-8), OMNISCIENT (1 Cor. 2:10-11), and ETERNAL (Heb.>9:14). He inspired the scriptures ( 2 Peter.1:21), and He gives life (John. 6:63; John 3:6). The Holy Spirit is God, for only God could perform such tasks.

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Demons Demons are called "devils" in the Bible. Although we are not certain about their origin, many believe they are DISEMBODIED SPIRITS from the Pre-Adamite earth, which was probably drowned out after the fall of Lucifer (2 Peter. 3:6; Gen. 1:2; Isa. 14:12-15).

We know that these devils are UNCLEAN SPIRITS, for the Bible tells us so in Matthew 8:16 and Mark 5:12-13. There is one who is THE Devil, and he has many "devils" under his command (Mark. 5:9; Luke.9:1, Luke 11:15; James.2:19). According to the words of Jesus in Matthew 12:43-45 these devils desire to inhabit human bodies, and Mark5:11-13 tells us that they can even inhabit the bodies of animals. They can do great harm by causing much sickness and suffering (Matt.9:18-22, Matt 9:32-33; Matt 12:22; Luke.8:26-35; Luke 13:11-17), and they can also SEDUCE a person to lie and teach false doctrine (1 Tim. 4:1; 1 Kings.22:22-23). Some people are so influenced by evil spirits that the Bible terms them as being "possessed" with devils (Matt.4:24; Mark.5; Acts 8:7). Of course, the greatest defence against demonic influence is always the word of God and prayer (Matt. 8:16; Eph. 6:10-18).

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Dispensation The word is found in 1 Corinthians 9:17, Ephesians 1:10, Ephesians 3:2, and in Colossians 1:25. A dispensation is basically a period of time in which God DISPENSES to man (or to nations) certain responsibilities, and He rewards or judges man for fulfilling or not fulfilling his responsibilities.

There are seven major dispensations in the Bible, and each has a different set of responsibilities for man to fulfil. Each of the seven also ends with failure and judgement. The seven are as follows: Innocence--from Adam's creation to Adam's fall. Conscience--from the fall of Adam to the Flood. Human Government--from the Flood to the Tower of Babel Family (Promise)--from Abraham to Moses. Law--from Moses to Christ at Calvary. Grace--from Calvary to the Second Coming. Righteousness--the 1000 year kingdom of Christ. The study of dispensations is a Matter of "rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15). Major confusion and heresy can erupt when dispensational divisions are ignored. For Example, no one can please God today by keeping the law of Moses, because Jesus Christ is the END of the law for everyone who believes (Rom. 10:4; Jn. 19:30; Col. 2:14). A definite division must be made between Law and Grace, and this same rule applies to all dispensations.

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Doctrine A doctrine is simply a Bible truth, any Bible truth. Doctrine is the primary reason for the inspiration of the scriptures (2 Tim. 3:16-17), and it should be the objective of any serious Bible study. A sincere Bible student will always ask, "What saith the scripture?" (Rom. 4:3) not "What does my church teach?" or "What is the standard interpretation?" According to the Apostle Paul, we need to give attendance to DOCTRINE (1 Tim.4:13), or we will end up with "doctrines of devils" (1 Tim. 4:1). Also see Isaiah 8:20.

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Ecumenical Movement This is a wicked twentieth-century unity movement of religious modernists and liberals. It is Satan's desire to unite the world so that all will be in subjection to the coming Antichrist (Rev. 13:3; 12:9); therefore, religious unity is considered a must. Most ecumenicals have no real convictions, and they generally deny the fundamentals of Christianity and the infallibility of scripture. The Pope, quite naturally, is the chief ring leader. One might call the ecumenical movement a modern-day " Tower of Babel " movement. Like Babel, the movement will soon end with the intervening judgment of God (Zep. 3:8; Matt.13:40).

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Eternal Security The Eternal Security doctrine is the "once saved, always saved" doctrine that so many people have trouble believing, because it just doesn't sound logical.

Actually, it is VERY logical and very scriptural as well. My eternal security in Christ is based on my RELATIONSHIP with God, not my fellowship with Him. I am not saved because I fear God and serve Him, but rather because I have entered into a Father/Son relationship with Him through the Lord Jesus Christ. I was once a child of the Devil and a child of wrath (John.8:44; Eph. 2:3), but now I am a son of God (John.1:12; 1 John. 3:2; Rom.8:14; Gal. 4:5). Upon receiving Christ as my Saviour, I was SEALED with the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption (Eph.4:30; 2 Cor. 1:22), and I am KEPT by the power of God (I Pet. 1:5), not by my own power. Jesus will never leave me nor forsake me (Heb. 13:5; Matt. 28:20), because He BOUGHT me with His own blood (Acts 20:28; 1 Cor. 6:19-20).

If I choose to be a disobedient child, then my Father in Heaven will CHASTEN me (Rev. 3:19; Heb. 12:4-8; 1 Cor.11:30-32), but I will remain a saved and sealed son of God (John.5:24; 1 John.5:11-13; Rom. 8:38-39; Phil. 1:6; John.6:37; John 10:28-29). I am eternally secure in Christ (even if you aren't going to check the references).

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Faith ""Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Heb. 11:1) Faith is simply believing without seeing, and it is impossible to please God without it (Heb. 11:6). We are SAVED by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8), and we are to LIVE by faith (Rom. 1:17 ; Gal. 2:20 ). Jesus told Thomas, ". . . blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." (John. 20:29) Why? Because that's faith, and it pleases God. Our faith will one day END in SIGHT, when Jesus returns (Acts 1:11; 1 Thes.4:13-18), but our faith is not BASED on sight. It is based on the written word of God (1 John.5:10-13). Faith is also a fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22.

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False Prophets A false prophet is one who falsely predicts future events. 1 John 4:1 tells us that there are MANY false prophets in the world, just as the Lord Jesus Christ prophesied in Matthew 24:11.

False prophets deceive people with miracles (Matt. 24:24; Rev. 13:14), good words and fair speeches (Rom.16:17-18), and of course, just down right lying (Jer.14:14). False prophets generally have a very positive outlook toward man, unity, love, science, education, integration, and world peace, but they have a very negative view toward the infallibility of scripture, salvation by faith in Christ alone, the Blood Atonement, the Deity of Christ, and the Pre-millennial Second Coming of Christ. Isaiah 8:20 and Deuteronomy 18:20-22 are great verses to keep in mind when trying to discern between true and false prophets. Also remember Matthew 7:20: "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."

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Fear of God This is something that America knows very little about, or, as Paul wrote in Romans 3:18, "There is no fear of God before their eyes." A person who fears God is a person who lives a humble and obedient life before God, always being mindful of the fact that God is HOLY and He will not overlook sin. Psalm 111:10 says, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom." According to Proverbs 15:16, "Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith." No Matter how educated or wealthy a man may be, if he doesn't fear God he is FOOLISH and POOR. Solomon said, ". . . . Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." ( Ecc. 12:13) A man who fears God has no one else to fear, but a man who fears not God has everyone to fear. Putting God first and fearing Him above all is the key to a happy and fulfilling life. Also see Psalm 118:6, Matthew 10:28, and Proverbs 29:25.

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Fornication Wrongfully called "pre-Marital sex" and "free love" by the worldly crowd, fornication is the act of intercourse between unmarried partners, and it is strictly forbidden in the scriptures. The Marriage bed is undefiled (Heb. 13:4), but fornication is an abomination in the sight of God (Rom.1:28-29; 1 Cor.6:13-20, 1 Cor 7:2, 1 Cor 10:8; Gal.5:19-21). We read in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 that fornicators will not inherit the kingdom of God.

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Gentile A Gentile is anyone who isn't a Christian or a Jew (1 Cor.10:32). In the Old Testament a Gentile was anyone other than a Jew, for there were no Christians around then.

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God God is the One Almighty Being Who created all people, places, and things (Gen. 1), so He is SUPERIOR to all people, places, and things.

Even Satan and his evil hosts are subject unto God, and they can do nothing without His permission (Job 1:6-12, Job 2:1-6; Isa. 14:12-15; Zec. 3:1-2; Matt. 4:3-11; Col. 2:13-15; Rom. 16:20; 1 Cor. 8:5-6).

God has many wonderful attributes. Just to mention a few, He is eternal (Psa. 90:2), holy (Isa. 6:3; 1 Sam. 2:2), righteous (Ezra. 9:15), just (Deut. 32:4), long-suffering (2 Peter. 3:9; Exo. 34:6), loving (1 John. 4:7-8), jealous (Nah. 1:2), merciful (Deu. 4:31; Psa. 103:8), omniscient (Job 34:22; 2 Chr. 16:9), omnipresent (Psa. 139:7-10), and omnipotent (Job 42:2; Jer. 132:27).

God has revealed Himself to man in three ways: through nature (Psa. 19:1-4; Rom.1:20), through the written word (Pro. 22:20; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Tim. 3:16-17), and through the Lord Jesus Christ (Heb. 1:2; John 1:1, John 1:14, 1 Tim.3:16).

God's will for man today is that all will repent of their sins and receive the Salvation that is freely offered through Jesus Christ. Beware of anyone who speaks of God without speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ.

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Gospel According to I Corinthians 15:1-4, "the gospel" today is the good news that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and then rose again the third day according to the scriptures. This gospel is to be "obeyed" by BELIEVING on it (Rom.10:16), not by getting baptised, as some teach.

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Grace Grace is basically unmerited favour--God's choosing to love us, save us, and bless us while we are yet in our sins. Because of grace, we can receive something for nothing. Ephesians 2:8-9 says that we are SAVED by grace, and John 1:14 tells us that the Lord Jesus was full of GRACE and TRUTH. Someone has said that grace is God's Riches At Christ's' Expense.

The word is also used in reference to the present dispensation in which we live, the "dispensation of the grace of God" (Eph. 3:2).

It is also our Christian duty to manifest grace toward others in our Christian was Luke, just as the Lord has been gracious toward us (Eph. 4:7, Eph 4:29; Col. 4:6).

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Great Tribulation This term was first used by the Lord Jesus Himself in Matthew 24:21. The Great Tribulation is a period of time in the very near future in which God will pour out His accumulated wrath upon the earth's inhabitants.

The Book of Revelation has a great deal to say about the Great Tribulation in chapters six through nineteen. The wicked son of Satan (Antichrist) will rise to power and rule the world, demanding worship from everyone (Rev. 13). The Tribulation will be about seven years in length, with the latter half being the worse by far (Rev. 11:3; Rev 13:5). Antichrist and his followers will be destroyed by the Lord Jesus Christ at the Second Coming (Rev. 19:11-21).

Christians will not have to endure the Great Tribulation , for we are not appointed to wrath according to 1 Thessalonians 1:10 and 5:9. We will be "caught up" to be with the Lord before the Tribulation starts (1 Thes. 4:13-18; 1 Cor. 15:51-52).

The Tribulation Period is primarily a Jewish dispensation in which God takes up dealing with Israel as a nation, preparing the Jews as a people to receive Christ. It is the seventieth week of Daniel 9:24-27, and Jeremiah 30:7 refers to this time as the "time of Jacob's trouble." After suffering much misery and persecution during the Great Tribulation, Israel will turn to Christ for salvation (Isa. 66:7-8; Rom.11:26; Deu.4:30-31). index

Greek Text When you hear someone use this term, or when you hear them use the terms "the Greek text," or "the original Greek," or "the original manuscript," be careful because you have come in contact with someone who spends a great deal of time playing an old children's game known as make believe. There is no such thing as "the Greek text," and no one living today has ever seen "the original Greek" because it hasn't Existed since it fell apart many many centuries ago. Usually when a man makes reference to "the Greek," he is having trouble believing what God has already told him in THE ENGLISH. There are over 5000 PIECES of manuscript evidence available, which have been found in different places, but there is no "original manuscript" in Existence. No one knows what the "original" says, because no one has it, and no one living today has ever seen it. (See Romans 1:22 for further comment.)

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Healing See Apostolic Signs.

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Heaven Heaven is a literal place beyond the northern regions of our universe (Psa. 48:2; 75:6-7; Isa. 14:13; Eze. 1:4-5). It is a pure and holy place which has never been touched by the curse of sin and death. It is the actual abode of God and all His mighty hosts (Matt. 6:9; Matt 22:30; Matt 26:53; John. 14:1-3; Rom.8:34; Rev. 19:11-14). Revelation chapters 21 and 22 speak of the city New Jerusalem coming down from God OUT of Heaven. This will be the glorious home of all saints in eternity. It will be a place of happiness and peace, a place without tears, death, sorrow, crying, pain, or hunger (Rev. 7:16; Rev 21:4). Heaven is the fulfilment of every human need, but one can only go there through the Blood of Jesus Christ. Paul tells us in Colossians 3:2 that this is where our affection should be today; we should be homesick for Heaven. As the song says, "This world is not my home, I'm just passing through!"

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Hell Hell is a literal burning place in the centre of the earth. It is NOT the grave, as many cultists teach, for no one BURNS in the grave as they do in Hell (Luke.. 16:23-24; Deu. 32:22; Mark. 9:43-48). Hell was originally prepared for the Devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41), but, since man chose to enter the domain of sin and death, Hell has become his place of torment as well. We read in Revelation 20:14 that Hell will eventually be cast into the "lake of fire."

For those who are opposed to "hell fire preachers, " you may find it interesting to note that "hell fire" was first used by none other than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself (Matt.5:22; Mark. 9:47). It isn't God's will that anyone should go to Hell (2 Peter. 3:9), but He will certainly allow all who reject Christ to go there.

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Heresy A heresy is a departure from truth, a false doctrine propagated by false prophets and teachers (also known as "heretics"). 2 Peter 2:1 warns us about "damnable heresies." However, the presence of heresies should not surprise us, because 1 Corinthians 11:19 says, "For there must be heresies among you, that they which are approved may be manifest among you." That is, the light of God's truth shines even brighter among heresies. According to 2 Timothy 2:15, we are supposed to STUDY and RIGHTLY DIVIDE the word of truth in order to be "approved."

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Holy Ghost See Deity of Holy Ghost.

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Humility A person who has humility is a person who thinks of himself no higher than he ought to think (Rom. 12:3). Jesus said that we are to become "as little children" in Matthew 18:3. We must gladly humble ourselves in the sight of God, trusting Him to Exoalt us in due time (Col. 3:12; James. 4:6, 10; I Pet. 5:6). Proverbs 15:33 says, ". . . .before honour is humility."

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Idolatry Idolatry is basically the act of worshipping anything or anyone less than God. When we allow anything or anyone to come between us and God, we are guilty of idolatry. Many have the idea that idolatry can only be committed by worshipping Material objects such as graven images, planets, stars, or by worshipping people or animals. However, the Bible informs us that a BAD HEART ATTITUDE can be idolatry (1 Sam.15:23; Col. 3:5). God knows our hearts, and if He doesn't have FIRST PLACE, then we are guilty of idolatry.

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Imputed Righteousness Imputed righteousness is the righteousness of Jesus Christ which has been imputed, or ACCOUNTED, to the new believer. When one forsakes his self-righteousness and fully believes on Christ, God imputes the righteousness of Christ to that individual (Rom.4:5-8). Our sins were placed upon Christ (2 Cor.5:21; Gal.3:13), and His righteousness is placed upon us when we receive Him as Saviour by faith.

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Inspiration of Scripture When we speak of the Inspiration of Scripture, we are speaking of the fact that the Bible is like no other book in the world. Other writings convey the thoughts of men, but the Bible is a divine revelation from God. Men were instrumental in reducing the scriptures to print, but men did not author the scriptures. The Bible tells us the following in 2 Peter 1:20-21: "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." This is commonly called VERBAL INSPIRATION. 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us that ALL scripture is GIVEN by inspiration of God. That is, it was inspired of God the moment it was SPOKEN, and then the spoken word was reduced to writing by appointed scribes (2 Sam. 8:17; 2 Sam 20:25; 2 Kings. 19:2; 2 Kings 22:3; 1 Chr, 24:6; Ezr. 7:6; Jer. 36:10, Jer 36:12, Jer 36:32; Jer 37:15; Matt. 8:19; Matt 15:1; Matt 17:10; Luke. 5:30; Luke. 11:44; Acts 23:9).

There are some very strong proofs for the inspiration of scripture. I've chosen to list five of them:

The Bible is a UNIQUE Book. The Bible plainly CONDEMNS the human race! The Bible says that all have sinned, man at his best state is altogether vanity, we are condemned already, and that only Jesus Christ can save us. What man would write a Book like that? It was obviously written by Someone OTHER than man. The Bible is also different in that it is an AUTHORITIVE Book. The Author of the Bible generally says, "I'm right and everyone else is wrong" (Isa.8:20; John. 14:6). Man needs an absolute Final Authority, and the Bible professes to be the authority. No other Book is as authoritative as the Bible. The Bible is an INFALLIBLE Book. It contains no mistakes. What other ancient writing contains over 700,000 words with no mistakes? It's a BLESSED Book. God USES the Bible. Millions have come to know Christ through the written word, and millions have found unmeasurable joy between its covers. Many great Christian works have been founded and used for many years with the Bible being the authority, and many Christians have found great comfort and peace in it's promises. God has BLESSED us through the Bible. Why would He do this if it wasn't His inspired word? The Bible is a PRESERVED Book. With all of the opposition that the Bible has faced over the centuries, why does it still Exorcist? Why hasn't someone been successful in destroying it? There's only one answer: Psalm 12:6-7.

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Israel This word first occurs in Genesis 32:28, and it means "having power with God." Jacob was renamed " Israel " after his wrestling Match with the angel of God, but the term is used throughout the Bible in reference to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob--the Jews. God made a covenant with Abraham which included making of Abraham's descendants a great and blessed nation with a national homeland (Gen. 12:2; Gen 15:18-20). It was God's desire to be glorified on a national scale by His chosen people, and to bring forth the Messiah, the Saviour of the world, through this chosen people. The Jews rejected Christ and were dispersed among the Gentile nations of the world in the first century A.D., but in this twentieth century God has led them back to their Palestinian homeland, established them as an independent nation (1948), and will soon judge them severely during the Great Tribulation, immediately preceding the Second Coming of Christ. The nation of Israel will be converted to Jesus Christ and the Jews will fulfil the original plan of God in the coming millennial reign (Jer. 23:5-8; Eze. 37:21-25; Amos 9:14-15; Acts 15:14-17; Rom.11:26-27; Isa. 66:7-8).

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Jesus Christ The word "Jesus" implies "Saviour" and "Christ" means "anointed one." Therefore "Jesus Christ" is God's ANOINTED SAVIOR. He is the virgin born Son of God (Isa.7:14; Matt.1:23) who was born into this world to be the sinless sacrifice for the sin of the world (John.1:29; Rev. 13:8). His birth, life, ministry, and crucifixion were all pre-planned in the heart of God, and He was obedient unto death (Phil. 2:8). Jesus lived a sinless life and gave Himself as a payment for the sins of the world. He was resurrected for our justification (Rom. 4:25), and He is currently seated at the right hand of God as our high priest and mediator (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 3:1; 10:12; 1 Tim. 2:5). He will soon return to this earth to receive His saints unto Himself (John 14:1-3), and to take over the kingdoms of this present evil world (Rev. 11:15-17; Rev 19:11-21). Until then, all who believe on Him may have eternal life and enter into the glories of Heaven. Also see Deity of Christ.

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Jew A Jew is any descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. See Israel.

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Judgement There are many different judgements in the scriptures, and only by rightly dividing the word of truth can anyone make the proper distinctions. We shall briefly cover four of them:

The Judgement of Sin. Sin was judged at Calvary when Christ bore the sins of the world. God's judgement on sin was poured out on Christ at Calvary (Gal.3:13; 2 Cor.5:21; Col. 2:14).The White Throne Judgement. Sinners who reject Christ will die in their sins and go directly to Hell (Luke.16:22-23). After the millennial reign of Christ, Death and Hell will be delivered up before the White Throne Judgement. Sinners will be judged according to their works. At this point they will realize that their works are unacceptable to God and they will be cast into the eternal lake of fire (Rev. 20:11- 15). There MAY also be some people at this judgement from the Tribulation and Millennium, but no Christians will be judged here ( We have a separate judgement.). In fact, Christians will be ASSISTING the Lord in this judgement (Dan. 7:10; 1 Cor. 6:2). The Judgement Seat of Christ. This judgement is mentioned by name in Romans 14:10 and in 2 Corinthians 5:10. It is a special judgement for Christians only, a judgement where we will be judged for our Christian service and rewarded. According to I Corinthians 3:11-15, some Christians will suffer great LOSS of rewards as well. The Judgement of Self. Paul tells us in I Corinthians 11:31 to judge ourselves so that we won't be judged. This involves CONFESSION and REPENTANCE. It is my Christian duty to confess my sins to the Lord and ask His forgiveness (1 John. 1:9). As long as I do this, God doesn't have to judge me, because I've already confessed my sins and they are under the blood of Christ. However, if I choose to continue in sin, then God has to step in and judge me because I'm His child. See Eternal Security.

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Justification Justification is a divine act where God declares a sinner to be sinless, or just, in His sight. This, of course, is made possible through the finished work of Christ at Calvary (Acts 13:39; Rom.3:24-28; Rom 5:1, Rom 5:9; Rom 8:30). As many preachers say, "I've been justified, and it's just if I'd never sinned!"

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Kingdom of God According to Romans 14:17 and Luke 17:21, this is a SPIRITUAL kingdom which is presently within the hearts of God's people. Those who have received Christ as Saviour have been translated spiritually into this great kingdom (Col. 1:13; Eph. 1:3; Eph 2:6). As a Christian, I am already in the Kingdom of God and it is in me.

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Kingdom of Heaven Most immediately assume that this kingdom is the same as the Kingdom of God, but it isn't. Just as God and Heaven are not the same, the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven are not the same. God is spiritual (John 4:24), while Heaven is God's physical creation (Gen. 1:1). Hence the Kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom, while the kingdom of Heaven is a literal and physical kingdom. God gave Adam dominion over this kingdom in Genesis 1:28. It's an earthly kingdom, but it was God's will for it to be run "as it is in heaven" (Matt.6:10). As the Old Testament continues, we find God appointing different men over this physical kingdom (Noah, Abraham, David, Solomon, etc). Evidently, the Kingdom of Heaven departed in Jeremiah chapter 22, when God swore than no descendant of Coniah would prosper sitting upon the throne of David. This ushered in the "times of the Gentiles" (Luke.21:24) with the Babylonian captivity. Then came the kingdoms of the Media’s and Persians, then the Greeks, then the Romans. According to Luke 4:6, Satan is in charge of these worldly kingdoms, and he gives them to whomever he wishes. 2 Corinthians 4:4 says that he is the "god of this world."

Then came GOD'S King, the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of the Jews, the Messiah. The Jews knew that God had promised them a kingdom (Gen. 49:10; Isa. 2:1-5; Isa. 49:5-13; Psa. 2; Jer. 23:5; Luke.. 1:30-33, etc.). John the Baptist and Jesus both preached that the kingdom of heaven was at hand (Matt. 3:2; Matt 4:17), but the Jews REJECTED their King and chose a GENTILE king instead (John. 19:15). Therefore the kingdom was NOT restored to Israel. After the resurrection, the disciples asked Jesus if He was now going to restore the kingdom to Israel (a literal, physical, and visible kingdom--the Kingdom of Heaven), and He said, ". . . . It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power." (Acts 1:6-7) They were not asking Him to restore the SPIRITUAL Kingdom of God (Rom.14:17), for they never had it to start with! They'd never been born again by the Spirit of God! They wanted THEIR kingdom back--the literal and physical Kingdom of Heaven.

Now, when Jesus returns the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven will actually become one, but let's not make the mistake of thinking that they're the same now. One is spiritual, while the other is physical.

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King James 1611 A.V.

This term refers to the King James Authorized Version, the Book that God uses and the Devil hates. It was originally translated under King James I of England between the years 1604 and 1611. The King James Bible is an English translation from the "TExotus Receptus" or "Received Text" of the reformation. This means that the KJV is supported by NINETY-FIVE PERCENT OF ALL MANUSCRIPT EVIDENCE. All other translations are based on the remaining five percent evidence.

Most people (including Bible college professors) have been led to believe that the new translations, such as the ASV, the NIV, the RSV, and the NASV are just revisions of the old King James Bible. Nothing could be further from the truth!

All new translations are based on the Westcott and Horst Greek Text (wrongly referred to as "THE Greek Text" by people who enjoy playing make believe). Westcott and Hort were two English "scholars" who spent the late 1800's communicating with evil spirits and perverting the word of God by fooling around with corrupt Roman Catholic manuscripts. All new translations are based on the work of these two men; so all true Bible-believers avoid the new versions.

The King James Bible is from a whole different text , known as the Byzantine or Syrian type text, which comes from a line of manuscripts that run clear back to Antioch, Syria, which just happens to be where the disciples were first called "Christians" (Acts 11:26). God has honoured this text throughout Church History, throughout the Protestant Reformation, and since 1611, He has been honouring the King James Bible by saving millions and millions of lost souls with it's preaching and teaching. It is the Book of all Books, because it is the pure and preserved word of God for the English speaking people. (For more information on this subject, send for our tracts titled How I Know the KJV is the Word of God and Let's Compare Bibles.)

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Law

The "law" is usually a reference to the Old Testament written law of Moses. It consisted of three basic divisions: commandments, judgements, and ordinances. The commandments revealed God's will to the nation (Exo. 20:1-26), the judgements governed Israel as a society (Exo. 21:1-24:11), and the ordinances governed the religious practices of Israel (Exo. 24:12-31:18). The primary purpose of the law was not to save man, but to show man his sinful condition and his need for a Saviour (Rom. 3:20). Paul says that the law was a "schoolmaster" to bring us to Christ in Galatians 3:24.

Today we are under GRACE, "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth." (Rom. 10:4) Also see Matthew 5:17.

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Lord's Supper

The Lord's Supper was instituted by Christ Himself the night preceding His crucifixion (Matt. 26:26- 29; Mark. 14:22-25). Jesus says in Luke 22:19-20 that we are supposed to observe the Lord's Supper in remembrance of Him and it is a showing of His death until He returns, according to 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.

Some insist that the Lord's Supper should be a weekly observance, but the Bible never says this. The words "as oft as" in 1 Corinthians 11:26 indicate that God allows us to decide for ourselves how often to observe the Lord's Supper.

The Roman Catholics have traditionally held that the Lord's Supper is a continual sacrifice of Christ, and that one literally partakes of Christ's flesh and blood in the Catholic Mass (their perversion of the Lord's Supper). This, of course, is unscriptural (Heb.10:10-14; Acts 15:29; Psa. 16:4; Lev.17:11-12; Gen. 9:4). God has never commanded anyone to drink blood. He has always condemned such practice.

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Markof the Beast

The Mark of the Beast is mentioned in Rev 13:17, Rev 16:2, and Rev 19:20, and it is closely connected with the number and name of the Beast (Rev 13:17-18; Rev 15:2; Rev 14:11). The Beast, the coming Antichrist, will cause the people of the world to receive this Markin their right hands or in their foreheads, thus showing their conformity to his evil world system. Those who refuse this Mark will be killed (Rev. 13:15; 20:4).

No one knows Exactly how the Mark of the Beast will come about, but with modern technology being so advanced, many believe that it will somehow be connected with computers and scanning devices. A person could have a permanent bar code or computer chip placed in their skin. This system could even replace credit cards and checking accounts. This would help to give Antichrist the economic control that the Bible says he will have.

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Mary Worship

Catholics have been obsessed with this idolatrous practice since the fourth century. Devout Roman Catholics believe that Mary, the mother of Jesus, remained a virgin and remained sinless all of her life. She is worshipped in the Catholic church as the "Mother of God" and the "Queen of Heaven." St. Bernard stated that she was crowned "Queen of Heaven" by God the Father, and that she currently sits upon a throne in Heaven making intercession for Catholics.

The Bible teaches otherwise. In the Bible, Mary was a sinner just like the rest of us. She said herself that she needed a "Saviour" (Luke.1:47), and she even had to offer a sacrifice for her sins in Luke 2:24. Jesus was only her "first-born" son, according to Matthew 1:25, because she later had other children as well (Matt.13:55; Gal.1:19; Psa. 69:8). There's only ONE mediator between God and men, and it isn't Mary (1 Tim. 2:5). The last time we hear from Mary in the Bible she is praying WITH the disciples, not being prayed to BY the disciples (Acts 1:14).

Roman Catholic Mary Worship is nothing more than Pagan Idolatry. Throughout history pagans have worshipped female deities under various names, and many of them are in the Bible (Judges 10:6; 1 Sam. 7:3-4; 12:10; I Kings 11:5; II Kings 23:13, etc.), including the "queen of heaven" (Jer. 44:16-25). Mary is nothing more than a sinner saved by grace, whom God chose to use as a means of bringing His Son into this world. The Bible never Exalters her above anyone else. Neither should we. If you are a Roman Catholic, perhaps you should give special attention to Mary’s only command in John 2:5.

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Mass

The Mass is a Roman Catholic perversion of the Lord's Supper where members take part in a pagan ritual--actually attempting to eat and drink the literal flesh and blood of Jesus Christ. This is strictly forbidden in the word of God (Gen. 9:4; Lev. 17:11-14; Psalm 16:4; Acts 15:29).

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Millennium

The word means "thousand years." The Millennium is the coming one-thousand year reign of Christ and His saints. Rev 20:1-6 speaks of this reign as being a literal, physical, and visible reign on earth. The kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord Jesus Christ, and He will rule the world in righteousness.

Those who choose to suffer for Christ today will reign with Him in the coming Millennial Kingdom (2 Tim. 2:11-13; Luke. 19:12-19). Also see Isaiah 2:2-4, 9:6, 11:1-6, Psalm 2:1-8, Luke 1:32, and Zechariah 14:16-19.

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Missions

The church was commissioned by the Lord Jesus Himself to carry the Gospel into all the world (Matt. 28:18-20); so the term "missions" in Bible believing churches refers to the efforts being put forth by Christians to fulfil our Lord's command. Although there are many missionary works right here in America (prison ministries, street preaching ministries, printing ministries, etc.), most missionary efforts are directed to the foreign mission field.

Most churches have a missions account where Christians can give love offerings to help missionaries. If you are not currently giving to missions, perhaps you should speak to your pastor about your church's mission program and missionaries. You can read about the missionary journeys of the apostle Paul in Acts 13-28, and he has some good advice about giving to missions in Phil 4:10-19. Also see 2 Corinthians 9, Matthew 10:40-42, and Luke 6:38.

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Music

Everyone knows what music is, but many seem to have trouble discerning good music from bad music. Therefore we've included this brief section (at no Extra charge) to assist such people in making this tough decision. In the Bible, good music sounds nice and gives praise and honour to God (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16; 1 Sam. 16:23; 1 Chron. 23:5; Psa. 150; Rev. 5:8-10), but bad music sounds like "a noise of war" and it gives praise and honour to FALSE gods (Exo. 32:17-19; Dan. 3:5-7). Good music may be accompanied by clean segregated dancing (Exo.15:20-21; Ecc. 3:4; Psa. 150:4), but bad music is likely to be accompanied by dancing which stirs sexual passions (Matt. 14:6). If you have trouble deciding whether your style of music and dancing is good or bad, just ask yourself two simple questions: (1)" Would Jesus Christ listen to this music?" and (2)"Would He dance the way that I'm dancing?" You see, it's really a very simple issue when you put it in the "proper perspective."

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New Age Movement

The New Age Movement is a modern-day movement which seeks to bring about a "new age" where all peoples, religions, and governments unite for the "common good" of mankind. Like the Ecumenical Movement, the New Age Movement will culminate with a one world religion and government under the leadership of the Antichrist (Rev. 13). Some Christians have the idea that they are safe from New Age doctrines so long as they avoid various New Age groups. This is not true. Satan is very subtle, and his New Age Philloso Philes can be found just about anywhere. New Age ideas can be found in politics, education, music, the media, religion, and even in new Bible translations (See Riplinger's book on New Age Bible Versions.) The best defence against Satan's one-world movement is the word of God and prayer. The Christian who continually gives himself to Bible study and prayer will always recognize Satan's devices when they appear, no Matter where or when they appear. As far as I'm concerned, any attempt to unite mankind on any basis other than the word of God and the Lord Jesus Christ is a part of the New Age Movement.

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New Birth

See Born-Again

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Persecution

To persecute someone is to treat them wrongfully because of who they are or what they believe. The Bible says in 2 Timothy 3:12 that all Christians who will live godly in Christ shall suffer persecution, and Jesus Himself tells us to rejoice when this happens because great is our reward in heaven (Matt. 5:10-12). We are to EXO PECT persecution and we are told to BLESS those who persecute us (Matt. 5:44; Rom.12:14).

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Post-Millennialism

This is the false belief that the millennial reign of Christ will be ushered in by the Church and that Jesus will not return until AFTER the earth has Experienced one thousand years of peace and righteousness. This, of course, is pure foolishness. Man has never established peace and righteousness and he never will. The Pre-Millennial view of the Second Coming is the only correct view.

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Praise

Praise is basically any Expression of approval, admiration, or devotion. To get a good idea of what praising God is all about, read a few chapters of the book of Psalms. The word is found over one- hundred and fifty times in Psalms alone. Hebrews 13:15 says that we should use our lips to offer praise to Him continually.

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Prayer

Prayer is a Matter of simply asking for something. Prayer should be addressed to God the Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Ghost (John. 16:23-24; Acts 12:5; John. 14:13; Eph.6:18; Jude.1:20), and prayers should always be PRAYED, not merely SAID (Matt. 6:7).

A child of God should pray for his own needs or desires (James. 4:2; Mark.11:24; Luke.. 11:9-13), as well as the needs and desires of others (Luke.. 10:2; Col. 1:9; 1 Thes. 5:17-25; 1 Tim. 2:1-5; James. 5:14).

There are also conditions of prayer, such as having a FORGIVING SPIRIT when we pray (Mark.11:25), BELIEVING that God will answer our prayers (Mark.11:24; James. 1:6-7), CONFESSION of any iniquity in our hearts (Psa. 66:18), SEEKING GOD'S WILL (Luke.22:42), and KEEPING HIS COMMANDMENTS (1 John.3:22).

Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 for us to pray without ceasing. Also see 1 John 5:14-15, John 15:7, Matthew 7:7-8, James 5:16, Psalm 55:17, Phil 4:6, 19, and Hebrews 4:16.

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Pre-Millennialism

This is the Bible doctrine that Jesus Christ will literally return to the earth just before the promised millennial reign of Rev 20:1-7, and that He will establish the Kingdom and reign over it Himself. We know this is true for His Second Coming occurs in Revelation 19, and the millennial reign immediately follows in chapter 20. This is the only correct view of the millennial reign.

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Propitiation

A propitiation is a price which is paid to meet a demand or to settle an account. The Bible says that the Lord Jesus Christ is the propitiation for our sins (Rom. 3:25; 1 John. 2:2; 1 John 4:10). He paid the price for our Salvation. God the Father was pleased with Christ's sacrifice, so He is our one and only propitiation.

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Rapture

This word isn't found in the Bible, but it does describe a Biblical event. "Rapture" is from the Latin word "rap to," which means to "cease quickly" or to "cease by force." The resurrection of the New Testament church (1 Cor.15:51-52; 1 Thess. 4:13-18) is commonly referred to as "the Rapture" because of the sudden nature in which it occurs.

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Redemption

To redeem someone is to set them free by paying a price. Jesus Christ has set Christians free by shedding His own blood as a payment for our sins. Our souls have already been redeemed (Acts 20:28; Rom.3:24; Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14; Gal.3:13; 1 Pet.1:18; Rev. 5:9), and our bodies will be redeemed when the Lord returns for us (Rom.8:23; Eph.4:30; Luke.21:28).

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Regeneration

A regeneration is a renewing or a new birth. The word occurs only twice in the Bible. The first time is in Matthew 19:28 where the context is the new birth of the earth when Jesus returns (Isa. 11:6-9; Rom.8:21-23), and the next occurrence is in Titus 3:5 where the context is the new birth of the believer by the Holy Spirit.

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Remission

When the Bible speaks of a child of God having "remission of sins" (Matt. 26:28; Luke. 24:27; Acts 10:43; Rom.3:25), it is speaking of the FORGIVENESS of sin that we have through the shed blood of Christ. This is very similar to redemption, but not Exactly the same. For Example, the Old Testament saints had their sins forgiven, or remitted, through the blood of animal sacrifices (Lev. 4:20; Lev 4:26, Lev 4:31, Lev 4:35; Lev 5:10, Lev 5:13, Lev 5:16, Lev 5:18; Lev 6:7, Num. 15:25-26; Psa. 130:3-4), but when they died they still couldn't go to Heaven because their souls had not been REDEEMED. Their sins had been forgiven on a temporary basis, so that they might maintain fellowship with God, but their sins had not been totally cleared from God's record (Num.14:18; Exo. 34:7) because it was impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to TAKE AWAY sin (Heb. 10:4). Therefore, upon death, these saints went to "Abraham's bosom" or "paradise" in the earth's centre (Luke..16:22; Luke 23:43). Here they waited for Christ the Redeemer to come and make the final payment for all sin. He did so, and then led these saints on up into Heaven (Eph. 4:8-9; Matt. 27:52-53). God would forgive sin in the Old Testament on the basis of animal sacrifices (remission), but these sacrifices all foreshadowed the Lord Jesus Christ Who would be the One Sacrifice to take away all sin forever (redemption).

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Repentance

When a person repents, he changes his mind about something and proceeds in a different direction. God commands all sinners to repent of their sins and turn to Him for salvation (Acts 17:30-31; Luke.13:3). A person who truly repents is a person who will (1) Become saddened about their sins (2 Cor. 7:9-10; Psa. 51), (2) forsake their sins (Matt. 3:8; Acts 26:20), and (3) submit themselves to the will of God (Acts 9:6). Anything less is something less than Biblical repentance.

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Resurrection

A resurrection is a "re-living," a "renewal", or a" rising again" from the dead. The Bible says that there will be a resurrection for all of the saints of God (Matt.22:30; Luke..14:14; John. 11:24-25; 1 Cor.15:51-52; 1 Thes.4:13-18), but there is no general resurrection in the Bible. Unsaved people will be delivered up before God at the White Throne Judgement (Rev. 20:11-15), but there will be no Christians resurrected at this time. The resurrection for God's people is called the "first resurrection" (Rev. 20:5-6), and it occurs before the Lord Jesus establishes the millennial reign of a thousand years. Actually there are THREE PARTS to the first resurrection. The first is the resurrection of Old Testament saints which occurred when Jesus was resurrected (Matt. 27:52-53; Eph. 4:8-9). The second will be the rapture of the church, which we've already covered. Then the third part will be during the Tribulation Period when God calls out those who are saved in the Tribulation (Rev. 7:14; Rev 14:14-16). A great deal is said about the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15.

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Sanctification

Sanctification is the act of being set apart from sin and uncleanliness AND being set apart for God's service. My soul was sanctified the day I received Christ as my Saviour (Acts 20:32; 1 Cor. 1:2; 1 Cor 6:11; Heb.10:10, Heb 10:14), but it is my personal responsibility to keep my BODY in subjection to God and live a sanctified life (Rom.6:1-13; 2 Cor.6:14-17). That is, since I AM a saint (one who is sanctified), I need to live like one. Sanctification isn't just a Matter of not sinning (If it was, then your local cemetery would be the most sanctified place in your community, because it is filled with people who NEVER sin. They're DEAD.) True sanctification is turning FROM sin and turning TO God (1 Thes. 1:9).

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Satan

The word literally means "the adversary." To some, Satan is only a symbol of evil, but in the Bible he is a literal living being who was Lukes about seeking to deceive and to devour (John. 8:44; James. 4:7; Rev. 12:9; 1 Peter. 5:8 ). There are five basic points that need to be understood about the past, present, and future of the Devil, and if you understand these five things, then you'll be light years ahead of the typical twentieth century "theologian." The five points are as follows:

Satan has not always been God's adversary. He was originally "the anointed cherub" of Ezekiel 28:13-19 and "Lucifer" of Isaiah 14:12-15, but through his own pride he fell from this honourable position and became God's greatest enemy, the adversary, or Satan. Contrary to popular belief, Satan was NOT cast into Hell when he rebelled against God. He is presently the "god of this world" (2 Cor. 4:4), "the devil" (Matt. 4:1; Eph.4:27; 1 Peter 5:8), and "the prince of the power of the air" (Eph. 2:2). As such, he is currently in control of the kingdoms of this world and he gives them to whomever he chooses (Matt. 4:8-9). He'll stop short of nothing in his attempts to deceive and destroy anything or anyone who stands on God's side (Job 1-2; Matt. 4:1-10; Matt 13:19, Matt 13:39; Luke. 22:31; Acts 5:3; 1 Cor. 5:5; 2 Cor. 11:14-15; 1 Thes. 2:18; 1 Tim. 5:15; Heb. 2:14; 1 John. 3:8). The Christian's greatest defence against the Devil is the word of God and prayer (Eph. 6:10-18; 1 Thes. 5:17; Matt. 26:41; Heb. 4:12). In the coming Great Tribulation, Satan will actually indwell a human body as the Antichrist. He will have the entire world in his evil clutches, and he will murder anyone who opposes him (2 Thes. 2:3-10; Rev. 13:3-18). See Antichrist, Beast, and Great Tribulation. During the millennial reign of Christ and His saints, Satan will be chained for one thousand years in the bottomless pit "that he should deceive the nations no more." After the Millennium is over, he will be turned loose for a "little season" (Rev. 20:1-3. The Devil's final position will be his eternal position in the Lake of Fire. Revelation 20:10 tells us that he will be cast into the "lake of fire" and tormented forever. index

Second Coming

The Second Coming of Christ is a prophetic event which will occur in the very near future. Just as Jesus came the first time as a literal, physical, and visible person, He will come likewise the next time. Some teach that the Second Coming is not a literal event, but the Bible states very clearly that it is. When Jesus came the first time He came as the "Lamb of God" to take away the sin of the world (John.1:29), but at the Second Coming He will come as the "Lion of the tribe of Judah " and the "KING OF KINGS" (Rev. 5:5; Rev 19:16). He turned down the kingdoms of this world the first time (Matt. 4:8-10), but He will take full control of them when He returns (Rev. 11:15).

The Old Testament is filled with prophecies about the Lord establishing a righteous kingdom upon the earth with Israel being the head of all nations (Gen. 49:10; Jer. 23:5; Jer 25:30-31; Isa. 2:2-4; Isa 11:1-6; Isa 42:13-14; Joel 3:16-21; Eze. 36-48; Psa. 2:1-8; Zec. 14:16-21; Mal. 4:1-3; etc.). These prophecies were not fulfilled at Christ's first coming, so they will be fulfilled when He comes again. Many are teaching that these prophecies are no longer in effect because the Jews rejected Christ their King, so these prophecies are all spiritualised or allegorized for the church's benefit. This is heresy. All of these prophecies and many more like them are still in effect and will be fulfilled when Jesus returns. If you'll take a close look at Acts 1:6-7, Acts 15:14-16, Hebrews 8:8-10, Romans 11:25-26, Luke 1:31-33, Rev 6:12-17, and Revelation 19:11-16 you can easily see that God has not forgotten about His Second Coming prophecies. It is God's will for His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to rule over the earth in righteousness. For six thousand years man has been in control, and man has proven that he is totally incapable of establishing peace and righteousness. At the Second Coming GOD will take control.

Before the actual Second Coming, or the Second Advent of Christ, Jesus will return for the church and call out those who are saved (See Rapture and Resurrection.). The earth will then enter the Tribulation, which will be approximately seven years in length (See Great Tribulation.). At the end of the Great Tribulation, the Lord Jesus Christ will return from Heaven with His saints and take over the kingdoms of the world. The wicked will be destroyed, the Millennial Kingdom will be established (See Millennium and Pre-Millennialism.), and God's Son will rule over the nations. This is God's will, and this is God's word.

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Signs and Wonders

See Apostolic Signs

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Sinner

Some have the idea that a sinner is an Extremely wicked person and that only a certain group of people actually classify as sinners (Matt. 9:11), but the Bible declares that EVERYONE is born a sinner and needs to be saved from his sins by receiving Christ as Saviour (Rom. 3:10, Rom 3:23; Rom 5:12, Rom 5:8-9; Rom 6:23; Rom 10:9-13).

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Sodomite

In the Bible a Sodomite is a homosexual, and the scriptures speak very much against this ungodly practice (Rom. 1:26-28; Lev.18:22; Lev 20:13; Gen. 19; 1 Kings. 14:24; 1 Kings 15:12; 1 Kings 22:46; 1 Kings 23:7; Deu. 23:17). God has never created anyone to be a sex pervert, and He has never approved of this sin.

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Spiritual Circumcision

This term comes from Colossians 2:11-15 where we are told that the new believer Experiences a "circumcision made without hands" which puts off the body of sins and allows the Christian to serve God in the spirit. In essence, the Christian's body is cut loose from his soul so that his corruptible flesh does not corrupt the redeemed soul.

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Stewardship

A steward is one who is given the responsibility of managing or overseeing something (Gen. 15:2; Luke.12:42-48; Luke 16:1-13). God has made every Christian a steward, according to 1 Peter 4:10. God OWNS you if you are saved (1 Cor.6:19-20); therefore He owns everything that you own. With this being true, it is our duty to properly manage our entire life according to His will. As someone has said, we need to be good stewards with our TIME, with our TALENTS, and with our TREASURE because we will give account to God for it all.

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Tithing

To tithe is to give a tenth. The first occurrence of tithing in the Bible is in Genesis 14:20 where Abraham gives God a tenth of his possessions. Jacob also vows to tithe in Genesis 28:22. Tithing was also a requirement under the Mosaic law (Lev. 27:30-32; Num. 18:21-28; Deut. 14:22). A tenth of all income was to be given over to the Levitical priesthood for their living and for the maintenance of the Lord's service. The blessings of God were promised to those who were obedient to His laws of tithing (Mal. 3:8-10).

Today, although we are no longer under the Mosaic law, Bible-believing Christians still practice tithing because God accepted tithes even BEFORE the law of Moses. If an Old Testament Jew, whose sins had not yet been paid for, can give a tenth of his income to the Lord, how much more should WE be willing to give, whose sins HAVE been washed away in the blood of Christ? Paul said that God loves a "cheerful giver" (2 Cor. 9:7).

Most Bible-believing churches consider tithing a MINIMUM gift, which goes into a general fund to finance the basic Expenses of the church, while special love offerings and missions are considered separate offerings altogether.

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Tongues

See Apostolic Signs..

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Trinity

The Trinity doctrine is the doctrine that God consists of three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. Those who deny the Existence of the Trinity usually do so because they can't understand it. Those of us who accept the Trinity doctrine don't fully understand it either; we just BELIEVE what God said about it.

What did He say about it? He said, "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." (1 John. 5:7) He said, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." (Matt. 28:19) He said, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen." (2 Cor. 13:14) You can see all three members of the Holy Trinity present at the baptism of Jesus in Matthew 3:13-17. Jesus said when you've seen Him, then you've seen the Father (John. 14:9), and Peter said that when you lie to the Holy Ghost you are lying to GOD (Acts 5:3-4). God the Father is God; God the Son is God; and God the Holy Ghost is God. See Deity of Christ and Deity of the Holy Ghost

Psalm 19:1-6 and Romans 1:20 tell us that we can learn of God through nature. Have you ever studied nature? The Trinity doctrine is manifest everywhere. Time consists of THREE parts: past, present, and future. Space consists of THREE parts: length, breadth, and height. Matter consists of THREE parts: energy, motion, and phenomena. The sun consists of THREE types of rays: alpha, beta, and gamma. Man consists of THREE parts: body, soul, and spirit. A family consists of THREE parts: Father, mother, and children. You see, the truth of the Trinity is everywhere. We don't have to fully understand it, and God never told us to understand it. Our job is to BELIEVE it. God is a Trinity. Three in One, and One in Three, and the One in the middle died for me.

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Unpardonable Sin

During His physical life on earth, Jesus often Exorcised His Deity by performing miracles through the Divine power of the Holy Ghost. In Matthew 12:22-32 the Pharisees witness one of the Lord's many miracles. Then, instead of believing on Jesus, they accused Him of performing miracles through the power of the Devil. He then told them that men could be forgiven for blasphemy (evil and hurtful speaking) against men and against Him, but that blasphemy against the Holy Ghost could NEVER be forgiven. A companion reference for this is found in Mark 3:30, where we are told WHY Jesus said this to them: "Because they said, he hath an unclean spirit." It is important to note that nothing is said about this particular sin after Calvary. It is only mentioned during the life of Christ on earth, while He was working genuine miracles by the power of the Holy Ghost. It is also needful to understand that blasphemy is a sin of the TONGUE. A person could not commit blasphemy with thoughts or actions. It was strictly a sin of the tongue, and it could only be committed by openly accusing Jesus Christ of working through Satanic power.

Some teach that this sin may still be committed today, but there is no scriptural support for this. In fact, when Jesus later speaks of the coming of the Holy Ghost to indwell believers, He said that the Holy Ghost would convict the world of three things: sin, righteousness, and judgement. He then said that the Holy Ghost would convict the world of SIN for ONE REASON: "because they believe not on me." (John. 16:7-11) It seems that if blasphemy against the Holy Ghost was to be the greatest sin of this age that Jesus would have used this opportunity to warn us about it, but He warned us about UNBELIEF instead. Some Charismatic groups, who profess to be LED by the Holy Ghost, are in the habit of accusing anyone who opposes them of blaspheming the Holy Ghost. For Example, some Charismatics would say that I have blasphemed the Holy Ghost in this booklet, because I have written things in opposition to their practice of speaking in unknown tongues and faith healing. That's baloney. Even if they WERE doing all these things by the Holy Ghost (which they are not), it still would not be unpardonable to speak against it. Many people have spoken against great Christian works and then gotten saved later. The Apostle Paul is a good Example (Acts 8-9). The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from ALL SIN (1 John. 1:9), and if you want to commit the unpardonable sin in this age, then you will have to reject Jesus Christ as your Saviour. Go ahead and reject Christ, and when you stand before God at the White Throne Judgement, you will NOT be forgiven.

Now we do realize that a person can reject Christ for so long that God the Holy Ghost pulls away and stops convicting that individual. In which case the individual never receives Christ, never receives forgiveness of sin, and goes to Hell (Pro. 1:23-33; Isa. 55:6-7; John.12:37-43), but only God knows when a person crosses that line. No man on this planet has any scriptural authority for telling someone that God will never forgive them for their sins.

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Virgin Birth

The doctrine of the Virgin Birth is the doctrine that the Lord Jesus Christ was miraculously conceived of the Holy Ghost and born of a virgin, without a man being involved. The original prophecy of the Virgin Birth was given in Isaiah 7:14, over seven hundred years before Jesus was born. Luke 1:34-35 and Matthew 1:24-25 tell us that Joseph took Marky to be his wife, but that he "knew her not" until after Jesus was born.

It was needful for Jesus to be conceived of the Holy Ghost, because had He been conceived of a man, He would have had a sin nature (Psa. 51:5; Rom.5:12), which would have disqualified Him from being the perfect Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world. The Virgin Birth is absolutely essential for New Testament salvation.

Many new Bible translations deliberately change the wording of Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:25, and Luke 2:33 in an attempt to downgrade the Virgin Birth of our Lord, but thanks be to God, the King James Bible can be trusted to preserve this doctrine without compromise.

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Witnessing

When a person witnesses he tells what he knows about a particular subject. We are told to be witnesses for Christ in Acts 1:8, so witnessing is simply a Matter of telling someone about the salvation that the Lord Jesus Christ freely gives to all who will receive Him. A true Christian will not be ashamed to witness for the Lord (Mark.8:38; Rom.1:16; Rom 10:11).

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Worship

When you worship someone you pay them divine honours. In John 4:24, Jesus says, "God is a spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." Many seem to think that worship is something that happens when people start acting religious (singing hymns, praying, taking offerings, reading scripture, preaching, etc.), but this isn't always true. Isaiah 1:11-20 tells us that God isn't impressed with a religious show. The Pharisees were the most outwardly religious people of their day, but the Lord wasn't the least bit impressed (Matt.23). Friend, God knows your heart (1 Sam. 16:7; Jer.17:10), and if your heart isn't right with God, then your worship isn't right with God.

index Zeal A person who has zeal for the Lord is a person who is Excited about getting involved in the Lord's service (2 Cor. 9:2; Tit. 2:14; Rev. 3:19).

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