2 Kings ch. 5 v18-19
If we are all honest most of us have parts of Scripture that we like more than others. There are also parts of Scripture that makes us feel uncomfortable theologically, for example most Calvinists feel uncomfortable with Hebrews 6 and most Armenians feel uncomfortable with Ephesians 1. Today in my reading I was reading through 2 Kings and came across a passage that many believers will feel uncomfortable with. The passage comes in the story of Naaman in 2 Kings ch. 5. We all know this story from Sunday school, how Naaman an Aramian Commander got healed by going to Elisha and bathing in the Jordan River 7 times. After this Naaman is speaking to Elisha and he says in verse 18 and 19,
“Except this, and may Adonai forgive your servant for it; when my master goes into the temple of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my hand, and I bow down in the temple of Rimmon – when I bow down, may Adonai forgive your servant for this.” Elisha said to him, “Go in peace.”
When I read this, everything inside me cries out saying “what do you mean Elisha “Go in Peace.”” Are you condoning Idol worship? At first glance this doesn’t make any sense. Are you saying that if your hearts in the right place then it’s ok to bow down to Idols. What about the boys in the book of Daniel when they refused to bow down to the Idol and where thrown into the fiery furnace. Why where they not permitted to bow down? These are all legitimate questions, but I think that the answers come down to two things; Maturity and Situation. How mature in the faith is the person? You cannot expect a new born baby to walk and talk so why do we expect new believers to do everything at the beginning. Also I believe that God deals with everyone in his own way and what God expects from me he may not expect from you and vice versa. In the last chapter of John Peter asks Jesus what about John and Jesus basically told Peter to mind his own business and not worry about how John would be dealt with. When Elisha said “Go in Peace” he was not condoning what Naaman may or may not do, but he was basically saying that it was between God and Naaman. Maybe if we put more emphasis into our relationship with God and how God wanted us to live and less time worrying about what some else was doing or not doing, we might all grow stronger as believers. As I said at the beginning, I feel uncomfortable with what Elisha said but in the end of the day God never told us that it was going to be comfortable.
Hebrew v Greek thought
How do you think? When it comes to the Bible and your worldview how do you approach it? William Barrett said “Hebraism and Hellenism – between these two points of influence moves our world.” How true this is. The Bible is written contained within the framework of the Hebrew mind, and it is my belief that you can never fully understand it unless you gain some understanding of the Hebraic mind. Unfortunately less than a 100 years after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, this way of thinking had begun to wane and a Greek or Hellenistic mind had taken over. This is mainly what we find in the Church today. This in and of itself is not completely bad but without the Hebrew mind much of the Scripture will seem hard for us to understand.
The main difference between the Greek and Hebrew mind is found in the area of knowing v doing. The Hebrew is concerned with practice, the Greek with knowledge. Right conduct is the ultimate concern of the Hebrew, right thinking that of the Greek. In it’s most simplest of forms the difference between the moral man (Hebrew) and the theoretical or intellectual man (Greek).
This maybe helps to explain why so many Christian Churches are so focused on the issues of doctrinal orthodoxy (whatever that may be), at the expense of godly living. In many Christian circles, what one believes or espouses is treated as more important than how one lives. For example if I wrote a blog questioning the orthodox position of say Hell and put forward a contrary position, I can guarantee that I would be attacked for all quarters and even accuses of not being a believer. I have seen people put out of Churches for simply raising questions. But on the other hand if I wrote a blog stating that I had had an affair (by the way I haven’t, and don’t plan to as I love my wife very much), I would receive emails and comments from people saying that they would be praying for me or something like that. How warped is this. This is so wrong. How many Christians have been burnt at the stake by the church for simply having a different opinion when the people doing the burning where living debauched lives?
In the Hebrew way of thinking it should be the exact opposite. Christians are inclined to subject each other to litmus tests of orthodoxy, while the Hebrew mind is concerned mainly with behaviour. Belief in God and acting ethically must be inextricably linked. God demands right behaviour more than anything else, including right ritual and right belief.
It was gentile Christians, influence by Greek philosophy, who both intellectualized and systematized Christian doctrine. Worse, they radically changed much of it. The Biblical Hebrew, and the Apostolic Era of the Church, had no formal theology as such. Nothing was systemised. The believing community had no entrenched hierarchy through which all doctrine had to filtered and approved.
What the apostles taught about any given subject was either learned directly from Jesus, then passed on, or determined situationally. They determined Halakha (behaviour or right way of doing things) for believers in much the same way the sages of Israel did. As circumstances changed they rendered decisions about the application of Torah (Matthew 18:18). Acts 15 provides an account of how at least one teaching concerning requirements for gentile believers was formed around 50AD.
In Christian Circles, it is often more important to believe and espouse “the right thing,” than to live the right way. This is why we are so obsessed with creeds, doctrinal statements etc. I am not saying that these are not important. But I am saying how you live is more important. How you live says more about what you believe than anything else. This mode of thinking is thoroughly western and Greek.
Another issue is in Greek thought there is the idea of sacred and secular which says that religion is only for a certain area of your life but not for all of if it. In Hebrew thought this division does not exist. For example in the Talmud we even find a prayer about going to the toilet. If someone prayed in Christian circles about this or even admitted that they did it they would be accused of being irreligious. But in Hebrew thought every area of life is considered one and that there is no difference between what is religious and what is not religious.
In Greek theology, we also have sometimes abandoned the literal interpretation of Scripture in favour of allegorical interpretations. This too is very Greek and was virtually unknown in the Church up until the tile of Origen. This method opens the door to a myriad of creative expositions that leave the student of Scripture confused and disorientated.
It is not easy to readjust our thinking especially as a Church we have been thinking Greek for around 1800 years. But to get the most out of Scripture and to live our lives in the way that God want us to we do as individuals and a Church start thinking Hebraically. Of course this will take time but if we start by taking small steps we can get there.
UK Election 2010
This Thursday (6th May) sees the election of the next UK Government. As a political junkie I love all things political (I think I get this from my Grandad). We have just witnessed 13 years of enept government by Labour and hopefully this Thursday will see them kicked out of government for their complete mismanagement of the economy and a bloated welfare state that is not sustainable without higher taxes. Unfortunately where I live (in Northern Ireland) we do not have a real say in who will in in government. We instead vote for parties that will either keep us in the UK or take us out. Basically Protestants vote Unionist and Catholics vote Nationalists/Republican.
If I could vote for any party in the UK and any party had a realistic chance of winning then I would probably vote for the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP). They are the only party brave enough to take us out of the bottomless (money) pit which is Europes, Reform benefits, and prisons and ban the Burka among other things. But unfortunately we live in the real world so I would have to settle for the conservatives who are what I call UKIP lite. We need a party which is not afraid to make the hard decisions which will enivitably cause hardship in the short term but in the long term. As individuals we would not continue spending more than is coming in so why should we expect our government to do the same. We cannot continue paying people benifits who are either faking it or are not trying to look for a job. We need small government with more common sense rather than a big government lead by individuals like Gordon Brown who has no common sense.
Whatever you do this Thursday, you must vote. Even if you vote for a party which does not win. Why do I say this? It is because in my opinion if you don’t vote you have no right to complain. Voting is our right. People died so we could vote and not be ruled by a totalitarian government. If people actually took time to read their history they would know this.
While I have very clear political opinions and know what I am against, no matter what happens on Thursday as believers we should all pray for our leaders that no matter what their political parties my say that they would obey God rather than men. So please vote (if you live in the UK) and please pray.
Render unto Caesar – Richard Wurmbrand
What does it mean when Jesus said “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s”? (Matthew 22:21). Richard Wurmbrand a Romanian Pastor who spent 14 years in prison and 3 years in solitary confinement for simply preaching Jesus had an interesting take on it. I happen to think that there is a lot of merit in what he says here, but even if you disagree at least allow your mind to think through what he has to say. This is taken from one of Richard’s many writings. (Some of the examples he uses may be a bit old now but they still make the point)
“The words “Render unto Caesar” have been misunderstood. Jesus did not advise his disciples to give anything to Caesar. His words where address to the Pharisees. The Pharisees and Jesus’ disciples were at odds with one another: the words were spoken to Jesus’ detractors, not His friends.
Who was this Caesar anyway? A foreign conqueror who had occupied Israel, He had contributed nothing to its well-being. He had never planted a tree, built a highway, or even visited the country. Yet he had established tax-collectors to milk its riches, and had slaughtered anyone who dared resist his edicts. Nothing in Israel belonged to Caesar.
If you say to a Czech, Hungarian or Pole, ‘Render to the Soviets the things which belong to them’, he would understand you instantly. Nothing belongs to them. These words can only mean, ‘Give them a boot in the back and send them packing.’
This was the true sense of Jesus’ words. If the Pharisees were so convinced that they serve God, why were their minds preoccupied with things which are not godly? Jesus commands them, ‘Do both things: serve a tyranny and serve God at the same time.’ He knew they would soon realize that these things are not compatible. One must choose between being Caesar’s bootlicker and a true servant of God who stands before a godless King like Herod and tells him to his face, ‘What you do is unlawful.’ This is the attitude which cost John the Baptist his head.
It is a misuse of Jesus’ words to interpret them as counselling submissiveness to despots. My own interpretation is in fact the contrary. Just as the soul is higher than the body, so the sacerdotal dignity excels and instructs the regal; the celestial, the terrestrial. It is the duty of Kings to obey Scriptural leaders, rather than the reverse.”
Say No to Earth Day!!!!!!!
Note: If you are a follower of political correctness or someone who can’t think for themselves you will probably be offended by what I am about to write.
This Thursday, the 22nd of April is according to the followers of the religion of “Climate Change” their “holiest day”. It is called Earth Day. You can’t miss it. The TV is advertising it; companies are saying they are going to shut off their electricity for a while all in aid of worship of the Earth. This day was launched 40 years in the USA by Sen. Gaylord Nelson. It is now recognised in 100’s of countries. Most religions have a holy book and Climate change is no different (by the way I believe that climate change is a religion based on the fact that it has never been proven and you need to have faith in it). Climate change followers have their holy book also which is called “The Environmental handbook”. The book states that each tree and stream has its own guardian spirit. And Christianity is hugely at fault for environmental woes. They think we believe that it is God’s will to exploit nature (p. 20-21). Thanks to Christianity, we will see a worsening ecological crisis (p. 25). The book also says, “No technical solution can rescue us from the misery of overpopulation. Freedom to breed will bring ruin to all. The only way we can preserve more precious freedoms is by relinquishing the freedom to breed.” (p.49, Garrett Hardin). That’s called population control. Just like the global warming crowd, they want a whole lot of us to go away. On page 324, the book promotes polygamy and group marriage. It pushes for a “revolution of consciousness” and enlightenment while praising Gnostics, hip Marxists, Teilhard de Chardin Catholics, druids, Taoists, witches, Yogins, Bhikkus, Quakers, Sufis, Tibetans, Zens, Shamans, Bushmen, American Indians, Polynesians, anarchists, and alchemists. (p. 331).
But here’s the worst news. Take a look at the sacred earth prayer found in this book: “Mother, Father, God, Universal Power — remind us daily of the sanctity of all life. Touch our hearts with the glorious oneness of all creation as we strive to respect all the living beings on this planet. Penetrate our souls with the beauty of this earth, as we attune ourselves to the rhythm and flow of the seasons. Awaken our minds with the knowledge to achieve a world in perfect harmony and grant us the wisdom to realize that we can have heaven on earth.”
So why are people and especially some evangelicals lured into this? The direct reference to “Mother Earth,” “Heaven on earth,” and prayer to a “Universal Power,” should be huge red flags that ”Earth Day” and some related ecology events are pagan events to be shunned. Instead, we have Web sites representing evangelicals who are promoting this big time. According to the Bible, we are to be good stewards of the Earth, but we cannot save it. Only God can. The Bible says, “For we know that the whole creation groans and labours with birth pangs” (Romans 8:22) as it waits Earth’s real liberation — the return of Christ. Make no mistake that “Earth Day” and climate Change does represent a “religion.” It is the religion of “Mother Earth”.
God cares about the creation and does not want Christians or anyone else abusing it. His care didn’t stop after six days. It says in Psalm 104: 5 and 24, that, “You set the earth on its foundations, so that it shall never be shaken — O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.” The command that human beings are given to steward or manage the Earth is both a huge privilege and a great responsibility. It carries with it immense power for good or evil. Creation is something good. It reflects the goodness and character of God. He made it. He loves it. We need to treat it properly. But we do not need to worship it. This is idolatry of the worst kind.
As you can probably guess, I do not believe in Climate Change. You just have to watch Climate Changes “god”, Al Gore and his film to see how many holes are in his argument. I was never strong at science but I was strong in history, and as I have always said, you will never understand how we live today and the future unless you understand the past. This isn’t the first time that this has happened. In the 11th and 12th Centuries we had a similar experience. The world heated up drastically for a while then cooled just as drastically. There was plague and famines. There were religious wars. What does this remind you off? Unless you have been living like a hermit you will realise that what happened then is also happening now. By the way where were all the planes and factories at this time? O that’s right there wasn’t any. So obviously it couldn’t have been man made. Please think for yourselves and stop being spoon fed by the liberal leftist media. Even if I say that climate Change is a possibility that still would not convince me to do anything about it. After all the Bible is very clear about what is going to happen and there is nothing that you or I can do to stop it. One day everything will be made new. There will be a new Earth and a New Heaven. And I for sure can’t wait for that to happen. So on Earth Day, please just ignore and tell other people you know to ignore it also. It is a pagan festival with no connection whatsoever to the God of the Bible.
Walid Shoebat, ex-terrorist: now a pro-Israel palestinian
I just wish to share this video of an interview with Walid Shoebat showing the TRUTH about what is happening in the Middle East and not the LIES spread by the liberal leftest media that we have in this country. Enjoy.
A few thoughts on Adoption
I just want to throw out a few thoughts on the issue of Orphans. I have been thinking about this for a while now and thought I would throw it out there. Before I start I want to make clear that I have no problem with orphanages or westerners adopting orphans (I have been supporting the organisation Shepherd Serve for many years), but I want to see is there a better way or even an alternative to the way things happen currently.
I for one believe that Children should be raised in a family environment with a Mummy and Daddy as the ideal (although this is not always possible if one leaves or dies). It should never be (like in the UK) allowed or permitted for homosexuals to adopt (In my opinion this is child abuse of a psychological nature and should be stamped out immediately).
Though the organisation I support they help many orphanages round the world like in East Africa, Latin America and Burma to name but a few places. These places do a good job and provide a good Christian environment for these Children. But they are still only a replacement for a real family and they are institutions. People who live a long time in institutions become institutionalised and I have seen this with my own eyes through my work. Again let me reiterate that these places are doing a good job but they are not the ideal.
In the Letter of James, James makes it very clear that one of our responsibilities of believers is to look after orphans and widows. But are we doing this or are we taking the easy way out by opening up institutions. My idea is simple that believers who are capable should adopt some of these Orphans especially in the nation where they are from (although western Adoption is also fine but is very expensive, especially with all the corruption which goes on). Take for example the City of Guayaquil in Ecuador. There are 100’s of Evangelical Churches some large some small. If for instance each Church agreed to find one family within the Church who where capable and willing to Adopt, then overnight you would see 100’s of orphans in Guayaquil being adopted into a Christian environment. The family would supply spiritual as well as physical needs for the child. The Church could supply support. And if there was a problem with finance, in that the best family for the job didn’t have money to provide or the Church was too poor, then money that was coming from the West to support the orphanages could be diverted to the family. For a start this would save £1000’s as it would be cheaper for a family to look after an adopted child than an orphanage and it would also be better the child to be taken out of the institution and placed into a normal family. Obviously all the right check would need to be made. But if this was done in Church after Church; city after city and nation after nation, sooner or later there would be very few orphans left in need of help.
Obviously these are just ideas and need to be fleshed out a bit but I think they are ideas that could be built on. When you walk down some of these City centres, whether they by Guayaquil, Rio or anywhere else, there is no need to have to see children begging, working and living in squalor if we would all pull or resources and ideas together. Maybe I am being a bit to simplistic about this, but I do believe that it is possible to at the very least place a child in a loving warm family where they will at the very least have there basic needs met, both physical and Spiritual. The only down side in my ideas as far as I can see is that it would mean the closing down of many orphanages world wide. What a good day that would be. Yes unfortunately orphanages are still needed at present and I encourage you to keep supporting organisation which supports them. But eventually it would be good to see our support being diverted from orphanages to Christian families who have adopted these children. It is not an impossible goal, but a very realistic goal if only we are to work together. At the end of the day we are called as believers to take care of orphans and shouldn’t this mean in the best possible environment possible.
Have a think about it and come up with ideas of how we can help. Maybe God has called you to be one of these families who are prepared to adopt. If so do it. Think about it.
Israel’s Peculiar Position
The Jews are a peculiar people: things permitted to other nations are forbidden to the Jews. Other nations drive out thousands, even millions of people and there is no refugee problem. Russia did it, Poland and Czechoslovakia did it. Turkey threw out a million Greeks and Algeria a million Frenchman. Indonesia threw out heaven knows how many Chinese and no one says a word about refugees. But in the case of Israel , the displaced Arabs have become eternal refugees. Everyone insists that Israel must take back every single one. Other nations when victorious on the battlefield dictate peace terms. But when Israel is victorious, it must sue for peace. Everyone expects the Jews to be the only real Christians in this world. Other nations, when they are defeated, survive and recover but should Israel be defeated it would be destroyed. Had Nasser triumphed in June 1967, he would have wiped Israel off the map, and no one would have lifted a finger to save the Jews. No commitment to the Jews by any government, including our own, is worth the paper it is written on. There is a cry of outrage all over the world when people die in Darfur or when China puts down a revolt in Tibet. But, when Hitler slaughtered Jews no one demonstrated against him. The Swedes, who were ready to break off diplomatic relations with America because of what the US did in Vietnam, did not let out a peep when Hitler was slaughtering Jews. They sent Hitler choice iron ore, and ball bearings, and serviced his troops in Norway. The Jews are alone in the world. If Israel survives (and it will because the Bible predicts it), it will be solely because of God. Yet at this moment, Israel is the only democratic nation in the Middle East which is reliable and unconditional ally of the west and democracy. We can rely more on Israel than Israel can rely on us. And one has only to imagine what would have happened in the six day war, 1967 had the Arabs and their Russian backers won the war, to realize how vital the survival of Israel is to the West.Anyone who loves God has no choice but also to love Israel. Anyone who supports democracy and freedom has no choice but to support Israel. I do not understand Churches which are anti-Israel. How can Churches like the Presbyterian Church in the USA call itself a Church when they promote boycotting Israel. At the end of the day it is us according to Paul in Romans who are grafted into Israel not the other way round. As far as I am concerned, Christians who stand against Israel and are anti-semetic must ask themselves do they really believe in the God of the Bible. The God of the Bible is also the God of Israel and if you hate Israel I take it you also hate most of the Bible. You cannot have it both ways. When I was growing up must Churches publicly stood with Israel but now most Church hardly ever mention Israel. What are we ashamed off. The Jews are God’s chosen people whether you like to admit it or not. A fact is a fact whether you agree with it or not and God doesn’t need your input to decide what is a fact. So I call on all Christians everywhere to stand with Israel throught think and thin. That is what the Bible calls us to do.
Unlocking symbolism in the Bible
One of the biggest problems in understanding prophecy is unlocking symbolism in the Bible. We don’t understand the language and we try to read it using our own understanding and cultural background. This will only take you so far but you will always come up short. One of the problems in our time is that many take some of these symbols literally. Yes some may be but not all will make sense if you are always looking for the literal reading. Once we can unlock the symbols in the text we will have an easier time in understanding what the prophet is actually trying to say to us.
One such example is the use of the word Mountain. On some occasions the Prophet is referring to a literal mountain but on many occasions he is referring to a Kingdom or Empire. It all depends on the context.
Let’s look at a few verses.
“My sheep wandered around aimlessly on every mountain and hill; yes, my sheep were scattered all over the land, with no one to search for them or look after them.” (Ezekiel 34:6)
Obviously God’s sheep (The Jews) were scattered in the Diaspora into different nations, so the word “mountain” is symbolic for nation, empire, or kingdom.
“We wish you would tear open heaven and come down, so the mountains would shake at your presence! It would be like fire kindling the brush, and the fire then makes the water boil. Then your enemies would know your name, the nations would tremble before you! When you did tremendous things that we were not expecting, we wish that you would come down, so that the mountains would shake at your presence!” (Isaiah 64:1-3).
We see here again that mountains and nations is interchangeable and many times in prophecy refer to the same thing.
Psalm 46, “God is our refuge and strength, and ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we are unafraid, even if the earth gives way, even if the mountains tumble into the depths of the sea, even if its waters rage and foam, and mountains shake at its turbulence. There is a river whose streams gladden the city of God, the holy habitation of Elyon—God is in the city. It will not be moved—when daybreak comes, God will help it. Nations were in turmoil, kingdoms were moved; his voice thundered forth, and the earth melted away.”
In verse 3 above, the “mountains shake” and in verse 6 “the nations are in turmoil” and “kingdoms were moved”. So, when comparing verse 3 and 6 we can conclude that the “mountains” are nations/kingdoms. Besides that mountain here clearly means nations, it is interesting from this verse and many others to note that waters and rivers are the flow of nations, peoples and tongues. This is exactly what John interpreted in Revelation 17:15 “And he said unto me, the waters you saw, where the whore sits, are peoples, multitudes, and nations, and tongues.”
To understand what something means, we must always first go to the Bible, and with a simple search we can easily find the meaning. Now we can understand what Jesus meant when he said, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.”
In other words, if we have faith, we can affect kingdoms and nations. This is so true. Yet so many have taken this literally and made the Bible sound like a book of magic.
Jesus (Yeshua) is Alive!
Jesus is Alive!! Do you believe it? Good, because Satan also believes and trembles. It is no good believing a fact only, you need to act on it. We are called to believe and also to repent and be baptised (See my article above on “What must we do to be saved?”). It is because that Jesus resurrected from the Dead that we know one day we also will be resurrected. Jesus resurrection means that we have access to the Holies of Holies and that we can become new creation in Him. Most of us have heard the phrase “Sinners saved by Grace”, this is a good phrase but I prefer the phrase coined by Neil T Anderson, “Saints who sometimes sin”. Because Jesus is alive we can, if we wish to enter in, become Saints. We do not need some Church authority to decide who can be a saint or not, because we read in the Scriptures that we are part of the Sainthood of all believers because Jesus is Alive.
I want to show you who we are in Christ because of his resurrection (If we repent) by quoting a number of verses. I will leave out where they are from as it flows better that way. It was Neil T Anderson who put these verses together in his book the Bondage Breaker. As you read it just realise this is who we are if we only accept Jesus and repent and be baptised.
I am not the great “I Am”, but by the grace of God, I am what I am. I am the salt of the earth. I am the light of the world. I am a Child of God. I am part of the true vine, a channel of Christ’s life. I am Christ’s friend. I am chosen and appointed by Christ to bear His fruit. I am a slave of righteousness. I am enslaved to God. I am a son of God; God is spiritually my Father. I am a joint heir with Christ, sharing His inheritance with Him. I am a temple—a dwelling place—of God. His Spirit and His life dwell in me. I am united to the Lord and am one spirit with Him. I am a member of Christ’s body. I am a new creation. I am reconciled to God and am a minister of reconciliation. I am a son of God and one in Christ. I am an heir of God since I am a son of God. I am a Saint. I am God’s workmanship—His handiwork—born anew in Christ to do His work. I am a fellow citizen with the rest of God’s family. I am a prisoner of Christ. I am righteous and holy. I am a citizen of Heaven, seated in heaven right now. I am hidden with Christ in God. I am an expression of the life of Christ because He is my life. I am chosen of God, holy and dearly loved. I am a son of light and not of darkness. I am a holy partaker of a heavenly calling. I am a partaker of Christ; I share in His life. I am one of God’s living stones, being built in Christ as a spiritual house. I am a member of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of God’s own possession. I am an alien and a stranger to this world in which I temporally live. I am an enemy of the Devil.
This is who we are because Jesus is alive. Do we live like we believe it or do we give victory to Satan every time we are awake. Read it. Meditate on it. And live it.
