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Grace Gems for April 2000
 
<p align="justify"><strong>[[[3.] Thirdly,</strong>]]
 
  
Darkness of ignorance, dungeons of falsehood, and chains of superstition!
 
The following is from Spurgeon's sermon, "WHAT GOD CANNOT DO!"
 
  
Truth once reigned supreme upon our globe, and then earth was Paradise. Man knew no sorrow while he was ignorant of falsehood.
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[[#1|'''index''']]
  
The Father of Lies invaded the garden of bliss, and with one foul lie he blighted Eden into a wilderness, and made man a traitor to his God.  
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[[#_Feeb7001|Agnostic]]
Cunningly he handled the glittering falsehood and made it dazzle in the woman's eyes- “God knows that in the day you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”
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[[#_Feeb7001|Eternal]]
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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|Music ]]
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[[#_Feeb7001|Annihilation ]]
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[[#_Feeb7001|Fear of God ]]
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[[#_Feeb7001|New Age Movement ]]
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[[#_Feeb7001|Antichrist ]]
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[[#_Feeb7001|Fornication ]]
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[[#_Feeb7001|New Birth ]]
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[[#_Feeb7001|Apostasy ]]
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[[#_Feeb7001|Gentile ]]
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[[#_Feeb7001|Persecution
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[[#_Feeb7001|Apostolic
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[[#_Feeb7001|Signs
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[[#_Feeb7001|God
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[[#_Feeb7001|Post-Millennialism
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[[#_Feeb7001|Armageddon
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[[#_Feeb7001|Gospel
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[[#_Feeb7001|Praise
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[[#_Feeb7001|Atheism
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[[#_Feeb7001|Grace
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[[#_Feeb7001|Prayer
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[[#_Feeb7001|Backsliding
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[[#_Feeb7001|Great Tribulation
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[[#_Feeb7001|Pre-Millennialism
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[[#_Feeb7001|Baptism
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[[#_Feeb7001|Greek Text
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[[#_Feeb7001|Propitiation
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[[#_Feeb7001|Baptismal
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[[#_Feeb7001|Regeneration
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[[#_Feeb7001|Healing
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[[#_Feeb7001|Rapture
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[[#_Feeb7001|Baptism of the Holy Ghost
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[[#_Feeb7001|Heaven
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[[#_Feeb7001|Redemption
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[[#_Feeb7001|Beast
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[[#_Feeb7001|Hell
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[[#_Feeb7001|Regeneration
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[[#_Feeb7001|Believe
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[[#_Feeb7001|Heresy
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[[#_Feeb7001|Remission
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[[#_Feeb7001|Bible
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[[#_Feeb7001|Holy Ghost
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[[#_Feeb7001|Repentance
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[[#_Feeb7001|Blood Atonement
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[[#_Feeb7001|Humility
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[[#_Feeb7001|Resurrection
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[[#_Feeb7001|Born-Again
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[[#_Feeb7001|Idolatry
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[[#_Feeb7001|Sanctification
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[[#_Feeb7001|Calvinism
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[[#_Feeb7001|Imputed
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Righteousness
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Satan
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Capital
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Punishment
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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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Sinner
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Church
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Jew
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Sodomite
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Confession
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Judgement
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Spiritual Circumcision
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Conscience
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Justification
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Stewardship
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Covetousness
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Kingdom of God  
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Tithing
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Creation
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Kingdom of Heaven
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Tongues
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Deity of Christ
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King James 1611 A.V.  
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Trinity
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Deity of the Holy Ghost
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Law
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Unpardonable Sin
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Demons
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Lord's Supper
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Virgin Birth
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Dispensation
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Mark of the Beast
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Witnessing
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Doctrine Mary
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Worship
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Worship
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Ecumenical
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Movement
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Mass
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Zeal
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Agnostic[[#_Feeb7001|Agnostic]]
  
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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."
  
Proud ambition rode upon that lie as a conqueror in his chariot, and the city of Mansoul opened its gates to welcome the fascinating enemy.  
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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.
As it was a lie which first subjugated the world to Satan's influences, so it is by lies that he secures his throne.  
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[[#1|'''index''']]
  
Among the heathen his kingdom is quiet and secure, because the minds of the people are deluded with a false mythology. The domains of Mohammed and the Pope are equally the kingdom of Satan, and his reign is undisturbed, for human merit, priestly efficacy, and a thousand other deceptions buttress his throne.  
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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).
The darkness of ignorance, the dungeons of falsehood, and the chains of superstition, are the main reliance of that monster who oppresses all the nations with his infernal tyranny!
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[[#1|'''index''']]
  
Biblical knowledge
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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.
"Reader, remember this: if your biblical knowledge does not now affect your heart, it will at last, with a witness, afflict your heart.
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If it does not now endear Christ to you, it will at last provoke Christ the more against you.  
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If it does not make all the things of Christ to be very precious in your eyes, it will at last make you the more vile in Christ's eyes."
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-Thomas Brooks
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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.
  
WE NEED REVIVAL
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[[#1|'''index''']]
. . . when we do not love Him as we once did.
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. . . when earthly interests and occupations are more important to us than eternal ones.
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. . . when we would rather watch TV and read secular books and magazines than read the Bible and pray.
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. . . when church dinners are better attended than prayer meetings.
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. . . when concerts draw bigger crowds than prayer meetings.
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Annihilation
. . . when we have little or no desire for prayer.
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. . . when we would rather make money than give money.
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. . . when we put people into leadership positions in our churches who do not meet scriptural qualifications.
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. . . when our Christianity is joyless and passionless.
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. . . when we know truth in our heads that we are not practicing in our lives.
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. . . when we make little effort to witness to the lost.
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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).
. . . when we have time for sports, recreation, and entertainment, but not for Bible study and prayer.  
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. . . when we do not tremble at the Word of God.
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. . . when preaching lacks conviction, confrontation, and divine fire and anointing.  
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. . . when we seldom think thoughts of eternity.  
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. . . when God's people are more concerned about their jobs and their careers, than about the Kingdom of Christ and the salvation of the lost.
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[[#1|'''index''']]
. . . when God's people get together with other believers and the conversation is primarily about the news, weather, and sports, rather than the Lord.
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. . . when church services are predictable and "business as usual."
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. . . when believers can be at odds with each other and not feel compelled to pursue reconciliation.
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. . . when Christian husbands and wives are not praying together.
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. . . when our marriages are co-existing rather than full of the love of Christ.
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Antichrist
. . . when our children are growing up to adopt worldly values, secular philosophies, and ungodly lifestyles.
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. . . when we are more concerned about our children's education and their athletic activities than about the condition of their souls.
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. . . when sin in the church is pushed under the carpet.
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. . . when known sin is not dealt with through the biblical process of discipline and restoration.
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. . . when we tolerate "little" sins of gossip, a critical spirit, and lack of love.  
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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.
. . . when we will watch things on television and movies that are not holy.
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. . . when our singing is half-hearted and our worship lifeless.
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. . . when our prayers are empty words designed to impress others.
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. . . when our prayers lack fervency.  
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. . . when our hearts are cold and our eyes are dry.
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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).
. . . when we aren't seeing regular evidence of the supernatural power of God.  
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. . . when we have ceased to weep and mourn and grieve over our own sin and the sin of others.  
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. . . when we are content to live with explainable, ordinary Christianity and church services.
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. . . when we are bored with worship.  
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. . . when people have to be entertained to be drawn to church.
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Antichrist and his followers will be destroyed by the Lord Jesus Christ at the second Advent of our Lord.
. . . when our music and dress become patterned after the world.
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. . . when we start fitting into and adapting to the world, rather than calling the world to adapt to God's standards of holiness.
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. . . when we don't long for the company and fellowship of God's people.
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. . . when people have to be begged to give and to serve in the church.  
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. . . when our giving is measured and calculated, rather than extravagant and sacrificial.
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[[#1|'''index''']] Apostasy
. . . when we aren't seeing lost people drawn to Jesus on a regular basis.
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. . . when we aren't exercising faith and believing God for the impossible.
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. . . when we are more concerned about what others think about us than what God thinks about us.
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. . . when we are unmoved by the fact that 2.5 billion people in this world have never heard the name of Jesus.
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. . . when we are unmoved by the thought of neighbors, business associates, and acquaintances who are lost and without Christ.
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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.
. . . when the lost world around us doesn't know or care that we exist.  
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. . . when we are making little or no difference in the secular world around us.  
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. . . when the fire has gone out in our hearts, our marriages, and the church.
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. . . when we are blind to the extent of our need and don't think we need revival.
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The above article was by N. L. DeMoss
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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."
  
" Spiritual Leadership is not won by promotion, but by prayers and tears.  
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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.
  
It is attained by much heart-searching and humbling before God; by self-surrender, a courageous sacrifice of every idol, a bold uncompromising,  
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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:
and uncomplaining embracing of the cross, and by an eternal, unfaltering looking unto Jesus crucified.  
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This is a great price, but it must be unflinchingly paid by him who would be a real spiritual leader of men, a leader whose power is recognized and felt in heaven, on earth and in hell." -Samuel Brengle
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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.
  
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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).
  
Comfort in all your trouble
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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).
The following is from Spurgeon's sermon, "THE BARLEY-FIELD ON FIRE"
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We seldom learn much except as it is beaten into us by the rod, in Christ's school-house, under Madam Trouble.  
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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.
You, believer, have very special comfort in all your trouble.  
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You have this sweet reflection- that there is no curse in your cross.  
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The cross may be very heavy, especially while it is green, and our shoulders unused to carrying it; but remember, though there may be a ton-weight of sorrow in it, there is not a single ounce of the curse in it.
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[[#1|'''index''']]
  
God does never punish his children in the sense of avenging justice.
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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.
He chastens as a father does his child, but he does never punish his redeemed ones as a judge does a criminal.
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It would be unjust to exact punishment from redeemed souls since Christ has been punished in their place and stead. How shall the Lord punish twice for one offense? If Christ took my sins and stood as my substitute, then there is no wrath of God for me; and though my cup may be bitter, yet there cannot be a single drop of the wormwood of Almighty wrath in it.
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I may have to smart, but it will never be beneath the lictor's rods of justice, but under the Parent's rod of wisdom.  
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O Christian, how sweet this ought to be to you!
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A God of love inflicts our sorrows!
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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.
He is as good when he chastens as when he caresses!
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There is no more wrath in his afflicting providences than in his deeds of bounty. God may seem unkind to unbelief, but faith can always see love in his heart.  
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Strike, Lord, if you will, now that you have heard the Savior's plea and justified our souls.
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[[#1|'''index''']]
Consider everything that you have to suffer as the appointment of wisdom, ruled by love, and you will rejoice in all your tribulation, knowing that it shall reveal to you the loving-kindness and wisdom of your God.
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You have this comfort, that your trials work your lasting good by bringing you nearer and nearer to your God.
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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.
Some Christians have their trials in the shape of sickness.
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They drag about with them a diseased body all their lives; or they are suddenly cast upon the bed of sickness, and they toss to and fro by night and by day in pain and weariness.  
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This is God's medicine; and when God's children have it, let them not think it is sent to kill them, but to heal them.  
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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.
"Eternity to the godly is a day that has no sunset; eternity to the wicked is a night that has no sunrise."
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"If a wicked man seems to have peace at death, it is not from the knowledge of his happiness, but from the ignorance of his danger."
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-Thomas Watson
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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).
  
SEVEN LESSONS LEARNED TOO LATE
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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''']]
By Don Fortner Luke 16:19-31
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Here is the story of the rich man and Lazarus.  
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Lazarus died, and was carried up to heaven.  
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Chosen, redeemed and born of God, he entered into glory.  
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But "the rich man also died!" What became of him?
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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.
"In hell he lift up his eyes, being in torment!"
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Our Lord allows us to look beyond the grave.  
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He allows us to look into hell itself. He shows us the pains, feelings and desires of a damned sinner, one who is forever shut up in hell.  
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Here are seven things that old Dives learned.
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[[#1|'''index''']]
But he learned them too late.
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He learned them in hell!
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I pray that you will not learn them too late.
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1. DEATH DOES NOT END ALL.
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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.
"If a man die, shall he live again?" Indeed, we shall.
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We all have an immortal soul that will live on forever, after our bodies are in the grave. Will you spend eternity in the bliss and glory of heaven or in the torments of the damned in hell?
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2. THERE IS A REAL PLACE CALLED "HELL".
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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.
Hell is real. The same Inspired Book that tells us about heaven and the eternal bliss of the redeemed tells us about hell and the eternal misery of the damned. I do not know where it is, and I cannot imagine what it is, but hell is a real place.
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The rich man found out too late that hell is not a myth.  
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3. A HOLY GOD MUST AND WILL PUNISH SIN.
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[[#1|'''index''']]
God is so inflexibly just and holy that when he found sin upon his own dear Son he poured out his infinite wrath upon him.
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And he who punished his Son for sin will certainly punish you for sin, if your sin is not removed by his Son.
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4. HELL IS A PLACE OF ENDLESS TORMENT.
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Beast The coming Antichrist and his evil empire are referred to as "the beast" throughout the Book of Revelation.
Dives cried, "I am tormented in this flame!" Hell is a place of lust and desire unfulfilled, a place of mental, moral and physical agony.  
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5. CHRIST IS THE ONLY WAY OF SALVATION.
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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''']]
The rich man's riches, religion and works were of no value to him in hell. Missing Christ, he lost all!
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6. EXCEPT A MAN REPENT HE WILL SURELY PERISH.  
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Bible The word means "book." When we say, "the Bible," we are actually saying "the Book." See Inspiration of Scripture.
In hell this man realized that without repentance there is no salvation (v. 30).  
+
  
7. NO ONE CAN EVER BE SAVED WITHOUT HEARING AND BELIEVING THE GOSPEL (vv. 28-31).
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[[#1|'''index''']]
Be wise now, and believe the gospel. Trust Christ, lest you also perish forever under the wrath of God.
+
  
 +
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.
  
Divine Predestination
+
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.
The following is by Don Fortner, “Them he also did predestinate." -- Romans 8:29
+
  
Do not be afraid of predestination. And do not be ashamed of it. We are predestinarians, because we believe the Bible; and predestination is a Bible doctrine, full of comfort and joy for God's saints.  
+
[[#_1|'''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.
  
Predestination is God's infallible purpose of grace regarding his elect whom he foreknew. It simply means that our eternal destiny was settled by God, and infallibly secured by him before the world began.
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[[#1|'''index''']]
In sovereign predestination, God eternally and immutably determined WHO he would save, HOW he would save them, WHEN he would save them, and WHERE he would save them.
+
  
Then he sovereignly arranged everything necessary, both to accomplish their salvation and to bring them to glory at last, perfectly conformed to the image of his dear Son.
+
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.
Predestination marked the house into which grace would come, paved the road by which grace would travel to that house, set the time when grace would enter, and guaranteed that grace actually would come and enter in at the appointed time!
+
  
Nothing was left to chance, blind fate, luck, or man's imaginary free will!
+
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.
Predestination is no more and no less than God Almighty having arranged from eternity everything necessary to bring his elect children into heaven in the perfection of everlasting life.  
+
  
 +
"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.
  
Why Christ offends men
+
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 following is from Spurgeon's sermon, "Unbelievers stumbling; Believers rejoicing"  
+
There are some who stumble at Christ because of his holiness.  
+
  
He is too strict for them; they would like to be Christians, but they cannot renounce their sensual pleasures; they would like to be washed in his blood, but they desire still to roll in the mire of sin.  
+
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.
  
Willing enough the mass of men would be to receive Christ, if, after receiving him, they might continue in their drunkenness, their wantonness, and self-indulgence. But Christ lays the axe at the root of the tree; he tells them that these things must be given up, for “because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the children of disobedience,and “without holiness no man can see the Lord.
+
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.
  
Human nature kicks at this.
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BACK TO INDED
“What! May I not enjoy one darling lust? May I not indulge myself at least now and then in these things? Must I altogether forsake my old habits and my old ways? Must I be made a new creature in Christ Jesus?”
+
  
These are terms too hard, conditions too severe, and so the human heart goes back to the flesh pots of Egypt, and clings to the garlic and the onions of the old estate of bondage, and will not be set free even though a greater than Moses lifts up the rod to part the sea, and promises to give to them a Canaan flowing with milk and honey.  
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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.
  
Christ offends men because his gospel is intolerant of sin.
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[[#_1|'''index''']]
  
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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.
  
The Mystery of His Love!
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[[#_1|'''index''']]
The following is by Augustus Toplady--
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If anything can awake astonishment, and inflame our gratitude, it must be that mystery of love- God manifested in our nature, and made man, to bleed and die for our salvation.  
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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.
  
That He should condescend to be sold for thirty shekels of silver, to be apprehended and condemned as a malefactor; to be crowned with piercing thorns; to be scourged at the bloody pillar; to bear His cross; to be numbered with transgressors; to be reviled by rufianly soldiers, and a merciless populace; to be torn with tormenting nails; and pierced with a hostile spear; and suspended on the ignominious tree, between heaven and earth, as unworthy of either, though He was the maker and preserver of both.
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[[#_1|'''index''']]
  
What thought can reach, what tongue can tell, the infinite riches of His love to man, that induced Him freely to undergo all this, only to make man happy!
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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.
Nay, He not only freely underwent it, but even longed for the time of His crucifixion to come- "I have a baptism of sufferings to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished?" (Luke 12:50)
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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.).
  
Everything to charm and rejoice and satisfy the heart! "He who delights himself in the love of Christ will tell you that he finds everything to charm and rejoice and satisfy the heart." -from Spurgeon's sermon, "Better Than Wine"  
+
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.
  
Grasp the thought!
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[[#_1|'''index''']]
The following is from Spurgeon's sermon, “A Promise for Us and for Our Children”
+
  
O beloved, did you ever did try to grasp the thought that God loves you? Whenever I try at it, it brings the tears into my eyes and I can go no farther.  
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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).
That the eternal God should pity me I can understand; that he should regard my misery and deliver me, I can comprehend; that he should look upon me with eyes of benevolence seems reasonable enough; but that he should love me, love me too with a love infinitely stronger than any love I have to my own children, or to my own spouse; that he should so love me that his own darling son, the only begotten, was not better loved than I have been, this is a wonder of wonders!
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I must not say that Jesus was not so well loved by God
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[[#_1|'''index''']]
as poor sinful men were, but I will say when the question
+
came to this- whether those poor sinful but beloved ones
+
should die or Christ should die, he spared not his own
+
Son, but freely delivered him up for us all!
+
  
Oh! what mysterious love, that Christ should suffer that
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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.
we may go free! That the Father's darling should hang
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upon the accursed tree and bleed away his life that we
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might be received into the eternal bosom of Jehovah,  
+
and might be for ever accepted as the favored ones of  
+
his electing love!
+
  
He loves you!
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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).
  
Oh! there is nothing can melt the heart like this-
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[[#_1|'''index''']]
God loves you!
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And while it melts it strengthens. While God loves me,
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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.
whom shall I fear? If Jehovah has chosen me, if he
+
has set his heart upon me, of whom shall I be afraid?
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Verily with this I may walk through the valley of the  
+
shadow of death and fear no evil; with this in the  
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midst of war I may have confidence; upon this in  
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famine I shall be fed; and in affliction I shall not  
+
be afraid.  
+
  
Oh! the joy which dwells in the thought that
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[[#_1|'''index''']]
God loves his people.
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Jesus loved me, and gave himself for me!
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Can you say this, my hearer? If you can, you can
+
say more than Demosthenes or Cicero were ever
+
able to say with all their eloquence.
+
  
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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.
  
I Must Know Him!
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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.
The following is from Spurgeon's sermon,  
+
“Do You Know Him?”
+
  
Imagine for a moment that you are living in the age of
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[[#_1|'''index''']]
the Roman emperors. You have been captured by Roman
+
soldiers and dragged from your native country; you have
+
been sold as a slave, stripped, whipped, branded, imprisoned,
+
and treated with shameful cruelty.
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At last you are appointed to die in the amphitheater, to make
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holiday for the tyrant. The populace assemble with delight.
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There they are, tens of thousands of them, gazing down
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from the living sides of the capacious Coliseum.
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You stand alone, and naked, armed only with a single dagger
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-a poor defense against gigantic beasts. A ponderous door is
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drawn up and forth there rushes the monarch of the forest
+
-a huge lion; you must slay him or be torn to pieces!
+
You are absolutely certain that the conflict is too stern for you,
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and that the sure result must and will be that those terrible
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teeth will grind your bones and drip with your blood.
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You tremble; your joints are loosed; you are paralyzed with fear,
+
like the timid deer when the lion has dashed it to the ground.
+
  
But what is this? O wonder of mercy! A deliverer appears!
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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.
  
A great unknown leaps from among the gazing multitude,
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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."
and confronts the savage monster. He shrinks not at the
+
roaring of the devourer, but dashes upon him with terrible
+
fury, until, like a whipped cur, the lion slinks towards his
+
den, dragging himself along in pain and fear.
+
The hero lifts you up, smiles into your bloodless face, whispers
+
comfort in your ear, and bids you be of good courage, for you are
+
free! Do you not think that there would arise at once in your heart
+
a desire to know your deliverer? As the guards conducted you
+
into the open street, and you breathed the cool, fresh air, would
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not the first question be, “Who was my deliverer, that I may fall
+
at his feet and thank him?”
+
You are not, however, informed, but instead you are gently
+
led away to a noble mansion house, where your many wounds
+
are washed and healed with salve of rarest power. You are
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clothed in sumptuous apparel; you are made to sit down at a
+
feast; you eat and are satisfied; you rest upon the softest down.
+
The next morning you are attended by servants who guard you
+
from evil and minister to your good. Day after day, week after
+
week, your needs are supplied. You live like a king. There is
+
nothing that you can ask which you do not receive.  
+
  
I am sure that your curiosity would grow more and more intense
+
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).
until it would ripen into an insatiable craving. You would scarcely
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neglect an opportunity of asking the servants, “Tell me, who does
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all this, who is my noble benefactor, for I must know him?”
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“Well, but” they would say, “is it not enough for you that you are
+
delivered from the lion?” “No,” say you, “it is for that very
+
reason that I pant to know him.”
+
“Your needs are richly supplied- why are you vexed by curiosity
+
as to the hand which reaches you the boon? If your garment is
+
worn out, there is another. Long before hunger oppresses you,  
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the table is well loaded. What more do you want?”
+
But your reply is, “It is because I have no wants, that,
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therefore, my soul longs and yearns even to hungering and
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to thirsting, that I may know my generous loving friend.
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Suppose that as you wake up one morning, you find lying up on
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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.
your pillow a precious love-token from your unknown friend, a
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ring sparkling with jewels and engraved with a tender inscription,
+
and a bouquet of flowers bound about with a love-motto!
+
Your curiosity now knows no bounds. But you are informed that
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this wondrous being has not only done for you what you have seen,
+
but a thousand deeds of love which you did not see, which were
+
higher and greater still as proofs of his affection!
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You are told that he was wounded, and imprisoned, and scourged
+
for your sake, for he had a love to you so great, that death itself
+
could not overcome it: you are informed that he is every moment
+
occupied in your interests, because he has sworn by himself that  
+
where he is there you shall be; his honors you shall share, and of
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his happiness you shall be the crown.  
+
Why, methinks you would say, “Tell me, men and women, any of
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you who know him, tell me who he is and what he is!” and if they said,
+
“But it is enough for you to know that he loves you, and to have daily
+
proofs of his goodness,” you would say, “No, these love-tokens
+
increase my thirst. If you see him, tell him I am sick with love. The
+
flagons which he sends me, and the love-tokens which he gives me,
+
they keep me for awhile with the assurance of his affection but they
+
only impel me onward with the more unconquerable desire that I
+
may know him. I must know him; I cannot live without knowing him!
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His goodness makes me thirst, and pant, and faint, and even die,
+
that I may know him.
+
  
Methinks what I have now pictured before you will wake the
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[[#_1|'''index''']]
echoes in your breasts, and you will say, “Ah, it is even so!
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It is because Christ loved me and gave himself for me that
+
I want to know him; it is because he has shed his blood for
+
me and has chosen me that I may be one with him forever,
+
that my soul desires a fuller acquaintance with him."
+
  
 +
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.
  
Never enough!
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[[#_1|'''index''']]
"No lover of the Lord Jesus has ever said that he has
+
had enough of Christ's love. Never did he who drinks
+
of the wine of Christ's love become satiated or even
+
content with it; he ever desires more and yet more of it."
+
-from Spurgeon's sermon, "Better Than Wine"
+
  
 +
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).
  
One inconceivable beauty!
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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).
There is nothing in the Lord Jesus Christ that we could
+
wish to have taken away from him; there is nothing in
+
his love that is impure, nothing that is unsatisfactory.  
+
Our precious Lord is comparable to the most fine gold;
+
there is no alloy in him; no, there is nothing that can  
+
be compared with him, for "He is altogether lovely,"
+
all perfections melted into one perfection, and all
+
beauties combined into one inconceivable beauty.  
+
-from Spurgeon's sermon, "Better Than Wine"  
+
  
 +
[[#_1|'''index''']]
  
Better than any earthly pleasure!
+
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.
The following is from Spurgeon's sermon,  
+
A REFRESHING CANTICLE
+
  
The impression which the love of Christ makes
+
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.
on the true believer is far greater and deeper than
+
the impression which is made by anything earthly.  
+
  
Mere mortal joys write their record on the sand,
+
[[#_1|'''index''']]
and their memory is soon effaced; but Christ's
+
love is like an inscription cut deeply into marble,
+
the remembrance of it is deeply engraven in our hearts.
+
  
The joy of the creature is something like a lithograph
+
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.
cut lightly on the stone; when the stone is cleaned, the
+
picture is gone; but the love of Christ is like the steel
+
engraving, it is deeply cut, and cannot be easily erased.  
+
  
Earthly joys tread with light feet, and leave but a faint
+
[[#_1|'''index''']]
impression; but the love of Christ treads into the very
+
core of our soul at every footstep, and therefore it is
+
that we remember it better than we remember any
+
earthly pleasure.
+
  
 +
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).
  
The best way to spend your leisure time
+
[[#_1|'''index''']]
The following is from Spurgeon's sermon,
+
"Paul — His Cloak and His Books"
+
  
“Give yourself unto reading.”
+
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.
The man who never reads will never be read;
+
he who never quotes will never be quoted.
+
He who will not use the thoughts of other men's
+
brains, proves that he has no brains of his own.
+
You need to read.
+
We are quite persuaded that the very best way
+
for you to be spending your leisure time,  
+
is to be either reading or praying.
+
You may get much instruction from books which
+
afterwards you may use as a true weapon in your
+
Lord and Master's service.
+
Paul cries, “Bring the books” — join in the cry.  
+
  
 +
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).
  
The following quotes are taken from
+
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).
"Honey Out of the Rock" by Thomas Wilcox
+
  
"A Christless, formal religion, will be the
+
[[#_1|'''index''']]
blackest sight next to hell that can be."
+
  
"See the vanity of the world,  
+
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.
and the doom of all earthly things;  
+
and love nothing but Christ."  
+
  
"To see grace and salvation in Christ,
+
[[#_1|'''index''']]
is the greatest sight in the world!"
+
  
"Believer, Christ drank up all the Father's wrath at
+
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.
one draught; and nothing but salvation is left for you."
+
  
"Search the Scriptures daily as mines of gold
+
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."
in which the heart of Christ is laid open. "  
+
  
 +
[[#_1|'''index''']]
  
The two books!
+
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.
The following is from Spurgeon's sermon,  
+
“Where to Find Fruit”
+
  
There are two books I have tried to read,
+
[[#_1|'''index''']]
but I have not got through the first page yet.
+
  
The first is the book of my own ignorance, and emptiness,  
+
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.
and nothingness- what a great book is that! It will take us
+
all our lives to read it, and I question whether Methuselah
+
ever got to the last page.  
+
  
There is another book I must read, or else the first volume
+
[[#_1|'''index''']]
will drive me mad- it is the book of God's all-sufficiency.
+
I have not got through the first word of that, much less the
+
first page, but reading the two together, I would spend
+
all my days. This is heaven's own literature, the wisdom
+
which comes from above.
+
  
Cultivate a spirit of deep humiliation before the Most
+
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.
High; seek to know more your nothingness, and to
+
prove more the omnipotence of the eternal God.  
+
  
Less than nothing I can boast, and yet “I can do
+
[[#_1|'''index''']]
all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
+
"Having nothing yet possessing all things.”
+
Black as the tents of Kedar, yet fair as the curtains of Solomon;
+
dark as hell's profoundest night, and yet “Fair as the moon, clear
+
as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners.”
+
  
 +
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.
  
A very little sin!
+
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).
Repentance is as much a mark of a Christian, as faith is.
+
A very little sin, as the world calls it, is a very great sin to
+
a true Christian.  
+
-Spurgeon
+
  
 +
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).
  
Prayer teaches us our unworthiness, which is no
+
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).
small blessing to such proud beings as we are.  
+
  
True prayer is-
+
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.
an inventory of needs,
+
a catalogue of necessities,
+
an exposure of secret wounds,
+
a revelation of hidden poverty.  
+
  
While prayer is an application to divine wealth,
+
[[#_1|'''index''']]
it is a confession of human emptiness.
+
  
I believe that the most healthy state of a Christian
+
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.
is to be always empty, and always depending upon
+
the Lord for supplies; to be always poor in self and
+
rich in Jesus; weak as water personally, but mighty
+
through God to do great exploits; and hence the use
+
of prayer, because while it adores God, it lays the  
+
creature where he should be, in the very dust.  
+
  
Prayer....
+
[[#_1|'''index''']]
clothes the believer with the attributes of Deity,
+
girds human weakness with divine strength,
+
turns human folly into heavenly wisdom, and gives
+
to troubled mortals the serenity of the immortal God.
+
I know not what prayer cannot do!
+
  
I thank you, great God, for the mercy-seat, a
+
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.
choice gift of your marvellous loving-kindness.  
+
Help us to use it aright!
+
-Spurgeon
+
  
 +
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).
  
The gate of heaven!
+
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).
The best and sweetest flowers of Paradise God gives
+
to his people when they are upon their knees.
+
Prayer is the gate of heaven, a key to let us into Paradise.  
+
-Thomas Brooks
+
  
 +
[[#_1|'''index''']]
  
 +
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.
  
This Mother of Harlots and Abominations!
+
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).
The following is from Spurgeon's sermon,  
+
"A JEALOUS GOD"
+
  
With what indignation must the Lord look down upon that
+
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).
apostate harlot, called the Romish Church, when, in all her
+
sanctuaries, there are pictures and images, relics and statues,
+
and poor beguiled beings are even taught to bow before  
+
a piece of bread.  
+
  
I have seen thousands adore the wafer, hundreds bow
+
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''']]
before the image of the Virgin, scores at prayer before
+
a crucifix, and companies of men and women adoring a
+
rotten bone or a rusty nail, because said to be the relic
+
of a saint.  
+
  
Let us, above all, never have any complicity with this
+
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.)
communion of devils, this gathering together of the sons
+
of Belial: and since our God is a jealous God, let us not
+
provoke him by any affinity, gentleness, fellowship, or unity
+
with this Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the earth.  
+
  
Renounce, my brethren, every ceremony which has not
+
[[#_1|'''index''']]
Scripture for its warrant, and every doctrine which is not
+
established by the plain testimony of the Word of God.
+
  
 +
Healing See Apostolic Signs.
  
THE DISTINGUISHING GRACE OF GOD
+
[[#_1|'''index''']]
by Don Fortner
+
“For who makes you different from anyone else?
+
What do you have that you did not receive?
+
And if you did receive it, why do you boast
+
as though you did not?” 1 Cor. 4:7
+
  
The only difference there is between the believer and the unbeliever,
+
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!"
between the righteous and the wicked, between the seed of Christ
+
and the seed of the serpent, is the difference which grace has made.  
+
This we must acknowledge- "By the grace of God I am what I am!"
+
God's grace is always particular, distinctive, and distinguishing.  
+
Those who are saved by the free grace of God in Christ have been
+
and forever are distinguished from those who are lost by these
+
five distinct acts of grace--
+
  
The first distinguishing act of God's grace is his ETERNAL ELECTION.
+
[[#_1|'''index''']]
If you can, with the eye of faith, trace every spiritual blessing that
+
you now enjoy, and those which you hope to enjoy, back to the place
+
of their original source, the place of their origin would be spelled
+
"E L E C T I O N" (Eph. 1:3-4; 2 Thess. 2:13; Jer. 1:4; 31:3).
+
  
The second act of grace by which God has distinguished his elect
+
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."
from the rest of mankind is EFFECTUAL REDEMPTION.  
+
By his precious blood, poured out unto death upon the cross, the Lord
+
Jesus Christ has effectually ransomed and redeemed God's elect from
+
the hands of divine justice, by satisfying the claims of justice against us
+
(Isa. 53:8-11; Gal. 3:13; Heb. 9:12).  
+
  
The third act of grace by which the Lord has distinguished us from
+
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.
the rest of the world is his ADORABLE PROVIDENCE.
+
Our God governs all the affairs of this world. And he has governed
+
all the affairs and circumstances of our lives to bring us to the place
+
where we now are, and to eternal glory in Christ and with Christ in
+
heaven (Matt. 10:29-31; Rom. 8:28).  
+
  
The fourth act of grace by which we are distinguished from all other
+
[[#_1|'''index''']]
men is GOD'S SOVEREIGN WORK OF REGENERATION.
+
The only thing that makes you different from any other being on this
+
planet, if you are born again, is the fact that God has saved you.
+
He gave you life and faith in Christ by the irresistible power and
+
grace of his Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:1-10).
+
  
The fifth act of grace by which God distinguishes his elect from
+
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."
the unbelieving is his MERCIFUL PRESERVATION.  
+
The only thing that keeps us in grace is grace itself. The only thing
+
that holds us to Christ is Christ himself (Jer. 32:38-40). The Lord
+
Jesus says, with regard to all his people, “I give unto them eternal life,
+
and they shall never perish.” The salvation he gives is eternal salvation.  
+
The life he gives is eternal life. That means that all who are saved by
+
him are saved forever!
+
  
 +
[[#_1|'''index''']]
  
All of Grace
+
Holy Ghost See Deity of Holy Ghost.
The following is by Don Fortner
+
  
The glory, bliss, and perfection of heaven, whatever
+
[[#_1|'''index''']]
it is and all that it includes, is but the consummation
+
of salvation; and it is, in its totality, the gift and work
+
of God's free and sovereign grace in Christ.
+
  
In heaven's glory we shall forever adore and praise
+
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."
our great God for the wondrous mystery of his grace,  
+
by which we are saved.  
+
  
Everything in the great work of salvation sets forth
+
[[#_1|'''index''']]
the splendor of the grace of the Most High God.
+
What do we see in election, predestination, redemption,
+
regeneration, and preservation, but his grace?
+
  
The whole work of salvation displays God's rich, free,  
+
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.
almighty, irresistible, sovereign, saving grace in Christ!
+
  
In, salvation as well as in creation, all things are of
+
[[#_1|'''index''']]
God, all things are by God, and all things are for God.
+
Unto him alone all praise must be forever!
+
  
 +
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.
  
God Rules!
+
[[#_1|'''index''']]
The following is from Spurgeon's sermon,
+
“Election No Discouragement to Seeking Souls”
+
  
"I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy,  
+
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).
and I will have compassion on whom I will have
+
compassion." Exodus 33:19  
+
  
Because God is the maker, and creator, and sustainer of  
+
There are some very strong proofs for the inspiration of scripture. I've chosen to list five of them:
all things, he has a right to do as he wills with all his works.  
+
  
“Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it,
+
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.
Why have you made me thus? Has not the potter
+
power over the clay of the same lump to make one
+
vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?
+
  
God's absolute supremacy and unlimited sovereignty
+
[[#_1|'''index''']]
naturally flow from his omnipotence, and from the fact
+
that he is the source and support of all things.
+
  
Moreover, if it were not so, the superlative excellence of  
+
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).
the divine character would entitle him to absolute dominion.  
+
  
He should be chief who is best. He who cannot err, being
+
[[#_1|'''index''']]
perfect in wisdom; he who will not err, being as perfect in
+
holiness; he who can do no wrong, being supremely just;
+
he who must act in accordance with the principles of kindness,
+
seeing he is essentially love, is the most fitting person to rule.
+
  
Tell me not of the creatures ruling themselves: what a chaos
+
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.
would this be! Talk not of a supposed republic of all created
+
existences, controlling and guiding themselves. All the creatures
+
put together, with their combined wisdom and goodness- if, indeed,  
+
it were not combined folly and wickedness -all these, I say, with
+
all the excellencies of knowledge, judgment, and love, which the  
+
most fervid imagination can suppose them to possess, could not
+
make the equal of that great God whose name is holiness, whose
+
essence is love, to whom all power belongs, and to whom alone
+
wisdom is to be ascribed.  
+
  
Let him reign supreme, for he is infinitely superior to all other existences.
+
[[#_1|'''index''']]
  
 +
Jew A Jew is any descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. See Israel.
  
Free Will or Free Grace?
+
[[#_1|'''index''']]
The following is from Spurgeon's sermon,
+
“A Promise for Us and for Our Children”
+
  
How did you become believers in Christ?
+
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:
By any internal energy of your own?
+
Speak, believer, was it your free will that brought
+
you to the Savior's feet, or was it God's free grace?
+
  
Men may hold free-will doctrine as a matter of theory, but  
+
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.
you never find a believer hold it as a matter of experience.  
+
We can all say-
+
“Oh! to grace how great a debtor
+
Daily I'm constrained to be.
+
  
“It was all of your grace that I was brought to obey, while
+
[[#_1|'''index''']]
others were allowed to go the downward road to destruction.”
+
  
About this you can have no difficulty, for your own
+
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!"
experience tells you that you were dead in trespasses
+
and sins, and it must have been something beyond any
+
power of yours that quickened you into spiritual life.  
+
  
Men might as well claim the honors of creation or resurrection
+
[[#_1|'''index''']]
as boast of commencing their own spiritual life.
+
  
The Lord alone shall have the glory of that opening hour of love!
+
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.
  
Since that happy day what has sustained you?
+
[[#_1|'''index''']]
Has your fire of piety been fed by internal, self-produced fuel?
+
Have you kept yourselves from the power of Satan?
+
My brethren, have you kept yourselves in communion with God?
+
You know that you have not.
+
You are debtors for your soul's daily bread to your Father who
+
is in heaven. Every good thing which you have, you have
+
received from him, the great Father of lights, with whom is no
+
variableness or shadow of turning. He has given you every
+
good and perfect gift which you have received.
+
  
You have profited in nothing by the flesh, but  
+
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."
in all things by the Spirit of the living God.  
+
  
Taking you from your first conviction and tracking you to the  
+
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.
present moment, it has been all of God's creating and forming.  
+
  
In the womb of conviction he fashioned you,
+
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.
and he has nurtured you until now.  
+
  
The grace of God
+
[[#_1|'''index''']]
The following is from Spurgeon's sermon,
+
“A Promise for Us and for Our Children”
+
  
The grace of God is peculiar, discriminating, and distinguishing.  
+
King James 1611 A.V.
  
God calls us, “My chosen.” We did not chose him first, but
+
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.
he has chosen us. If we are now God's servants, we were not
+
always so-- to sovereign grace the change must be ascribed!
+
  
We might have been left, like other men, to continue in sin,  
+
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!
and to be rebels against the king of heaven, but the eye of
+
sovereignty singled us out from among others not more
+
unworthy than we were, and it was the voice of love which
+
said, "I have loved you with an everlasting love."
+
  
Long before those stars were kindled into flames- long
+
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.
before the sun begun his mighty course- long before the  
+
mountains lifted their hoary heads, or the sea clapped
+
its hands in the tumultuous joy of tempest- long before
+
time began, or space was created, God had written upon
+
his heart the names of his elect people.  
+
  
He had selected them, never to change his choice!
+
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.)
He had united them unto the person of his Son Jesus
+
Christ by a divine decree never to be revoked.  
+
He had predestinated them to he conformed unto
+
the image of his Son, and had made them the heirs
+
of all the fullness of his love, his grace, and his glory!
+
  
It may be that we wear today the common well-worn
+
[[#_1|'''index''']]
garb of labor; our names never glitter in the rolls of
+
earth's mighties. But if the life of God be in our soul,
+
we are allied unto the King of kings! We are of the
+
royal family, we are princes of the blood imperial!
+
We shall take our seats among those lordly spirits who
+
for ever dwell before the majesty of the Most High!
+
  
 +
Law
  
Drive the nail of the cross!
+
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.
The greatest instrument of sanctification is the love of Jesus.  
+
Oh, that He would drive the nail of the cross right through
+
your hearts, that it might be forever fastened there!
+
-Spurgeon
+
  
 +
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.
  
Beware! lest you fall into the fire!
+
[[#_1|'''index''']]
The following is from Spurgeon's sermon,
+
"NOTHING BUT LEAVES"
+
  
“He found nothing but leaves.” — Mark 11:13.
+
Lord's Supper
  
Thousands go to Church or chapel, and they think
+
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.
that the mere going into the place, and sitting a  
+
certain time, and coming out again, is an acceptable
+
act to God.  
+
  
Mere formality, you see, is mistaken for spiritual
+
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.
worship! They offer him their ignorant will-worship
+
either in obedience to custom, or in the superstition
+
of ignorance. What the ritual is, or why it is, they
+
do not inquire, but go through a performance as
+
certain parrots say their prayers.  
+
  
They know nothing about the inward and spiritual grace.  
+
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.
  
They have a name to live and are dead.
+
[[#_1|'''index''']]
  
Their religion is a mere show--
+
Markof the Beast
a signboard without an inn;
+
a well-set table without food;
+
a pretty pageant where nothing is gold, but everything gilt;
+
nothing real, but all pasteboard, paint, plaster, and pretense.
+
  
Multitudes live and die satisfied with the outward trappings
+
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).
of religion, and are utter strangers to internal vital godliness.  
+
  
There is nothing to be done with such trees which bring
+
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.
forth only leaves, but in due time to use the axe upon
+
them, and to cast them into the fire: and this must be
+
your doom, fruitless professor.  
+
  
As sure as you live under the sound of the gospel, and
+
[[#_1|'''index''']]
yet are not converted by it, so surely will you be cast
+
into outer darkness. Jesus Christ will certainly send
+
his angels to gather the dead branches together, and
+
you among them, to cast them into the fire.
+
  
Beware! beware! you fruitless tree!
+
Mary Worship
You shall not stand for ever!
+
Mercy waters you with her tears now; God's
+
patience digs about you still; still the husbandman
+
comes, seeking fruit upon you year after year.
+
  
Beware! the edge of the axe is sharp, and the
+
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.
arm which wields it is nothing less than almighty.  
+
Beware! lest you fall into the fire!
+
  
 +
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).
  
The black horse of affliction
+
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.
"The Lord's mercy often rides to the door of
+
our heart upon the black horse of affliction."  
+
-Spurgeon
+
  
 +
[[#_1|'''index''']]
  
" Afflictions add to the saints' glory. The more the
+
Mass
diamond is cut, the more it sparkles; the heavier the
+
saints' cross is, the heavier will be their crown."
+
-Thomas Watson
+
  
 +
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).
  
Comfort in all your trouble
+
[[#_1|'''index''']]
The following is from Spurgeon's sermon,
+
"THE BARLEY-FIELD ON FIRE"
+
  
We seldom learn much except as it is beaten into us by
+
Millennium
the rod, in Christ's school-house, under Madam Trouble.
+
  
You, believer, have very special comfort in all your trouble.  
+
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.
  
You have this sweet reflection- that there is no curse in your cross.  
+
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.
  
The cross may be very heavy, especially while it is green, and
+
[[#_1|'''index''']]
our shoulders unused to carrying it; but remember, though there
+
may be a ton-weight of sorrow in it, there is not a single ounce
+
of the curse in it.
+
  
God does never punish his children in the sense of avenging justice.
+
Missions
He chastens as a father does his child, but he does never punish his
+
redeemed ones as a judge does a criminal.
+
It would be unjust to exact punishment from redeemed souls since
+
Christ has been punished in their place and stead. How shall the
+
Lord punish twice for one offense? If Christ took my sins and
+
stood as my substitute, then there is no wrath of God for me; and
+
though my cup may be bitter, yet there cannot be a single drop
+
of the wormwood of Almighty wrath in it.
+
I may have to smart, but it will never be beneath the lictor's
+
rods of justice, but under the Parent's rod of wisdom.
+
  
O Christian, how sweet this ought to be to you!
+
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.
  
A God of love inflicts our sorrows!
+
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.
  
He is as good when he chastens as when he caresses!
+
[[#_1|'''index''']]
There is no more wrath in his afflicting providences than
+
in his deeds of bounty. God may seem unkind to unbelief,
+
but faith can always see love in his heart.
+
  
Strike, Lord, if you will, now that you have heard the
+
Music
Savior's plea and justified our souls.
+
  
Consider everything that you have to suffer as the  
+
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."
appointment of wisdom, ruled by love, and you will
+
rejoice in all your tribulation, knowing that it shall
+
reveal to you the loving-kindness and wisdom of your God.  
+
  
You have this comfort, that your trials work your lasting
+
[[#_1|'''index''']]
good by bringing you nearer and nearer to your God.
+
  
Some Christians have their trials in the shape of sickness.
+
New Age Movement
They drag about with them a diseased body all their lives;
+
or they are suddenly cast upon the bed of sickness, and
+
they toss to and fro by night and by day in pain and weariness.
+
  
This is God's medicine; and when God's children have it,  
+
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.
let them not think it is sent to kill them, but to heal them!
+
 
 +
[[#_1|'''index''']]
 +
 
 +
New Birth
 +
 
 +
See Born-Again
 +
 
 +
[[#_1|'''index''']]
 +
 
 +
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).
 +
 
 +
[[#_1|'''index''']]
 +
 
 +
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.
 +
 
 +
[[#_1|'''index''']]
 +
 
 +
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.
 +
 
 +
[[#_1|'''index''']]
 +
 
 +
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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 +
[[#_1|'''index''']]
 +
 
 +
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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 +
[[#_1|'''index''']]
 +
 
 +
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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 +
[[#_1|'''index''']]
 +
 
 +
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.
 +
 
 +
[[#_1|'''index''']]
 +
 
 +
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).
 +
 
 +
[[#_1|'''index''']]
 +
 
 +
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.
 +
 
 +
[[#_1|'''index''']]
 +
 
 +
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).
 +
 
 +
[[#_1|'''index''']]
 +
 
 +
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.
 +
 
 +
[[#_1|'''index''']]
 +
 
 +
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.
 +
 
 +
[[#_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).
 +
 
 +
[[#_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:
 +
 
 +
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''']]
 +
 
 +
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.
 +
 
 +
[[#_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).
 +
 
 +
[[#_1|'''index''']]
 +
 
 +
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.
 +
 
 +
[[#_1|'''index''']]
 +
 
 +
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''']]
 +
 
 +
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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 +
[[#_1|'''index''']]
 +
 
 +
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.
 +
 
 +
[[#_1|'''index''']]
 +
 
 +
Tongues
 +
 
 +
See Apostolic Signs..
 +
 
 +
[[#_1|'''index''']]
 +
 
 +
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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 +
[[#_1|'''index''']]
 +
 
 +
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.
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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.
 +
 
 +
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.
 +
 
 +
[[#_1|'''index''']]
 +
 
 +
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.
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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.
 +
 
 +
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''']]
 +
 
 +
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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 +
[[#_1|'''index''']]
 +
 
 +
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.
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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).
 +
 
 +
[[#_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.

index

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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