Josh Stone's "What Is Christianity?" (From Josh's Blog)

What Is Christianity?
NOV 8TH, 2013
Or maybe, what is it to be a Christian. There are many popular slogans today, “It’s not a religion, it’s a relationship,” for one example. Maybe being a Christian is going to church. Maybe it’s a set of ideas you’ve committed your mind to. Maybe it’s hallmark activities, like reading the Bible, and going to church instead of watching the Super Bowl.

But I look at it a little differently. Theologically, it’s following Christ – repentance and faith, new birth, life in Christ. But I’m not talking about systematic thinking here. I mean, “What does it feel like to be a Christian?” In this post, I present some rambling about what this means. I hope it makes any sense at all.

A relationship

I’ve always heard people say this one, but it bugs me. “Christianity isn’t a religion, it’s a relationship.” But James 1:27 tells us what pure religion is. Shouldn’t we avoid trite little sayings that seem to disagree with a perfectly good Bible verse? If we consult a dictionary, relationships are a way to describe how two things are connected. A religion is the service and worship of God.

As a Christian, I’m connected to God, but so is a non-Christian – it’s just a different kind of connection. We might call the connection I have that of a Father and son. Corporately, Christians are the bride of Christ. That’s another kind of connection. A non-christian has something more like that of the cop and the criminal. Or at least, Creator / creation. For that matter, can you think of a religion that can’t describe itself as a relationship with God? (if not, you’re suffering from something called “group think”) In any case, using a flexible word like that to sum it up is silly. If it could mean anything, then it probably means nothing.

So stop picking on people who use the “r” word. It has a much better definition, anyway.

A lifestyle

Lots of people go to church buildings regularly, and this is an evidence that they’re christians. But you don’t find church buildings in the Bible, so it’s really just a cultural thing. In fact, most of the things people typically point to are not things that fundamentally make someone a Christian. They really just represent a cultural lifestyle. Church buildings, services, pews, devotions, radio stations, potlucks… lots of things that don’t make you a christian.

I think the classic argument about this perspective is that spending the night in a garage doesn’t make you a car. But that really sells this argument short. What we’re really talking about is people who can’t see past the cultural trappings of christian faith, as implemented in the culture, and find the consuming fire inside.

As a house-church proponent, I’ve seen this vividly with people who will mentally assent to the ideas of New Testament ecclesiology, but still refuse to let go of their cultural lifestyle. Many people will agree that church buildings are not biblical… but they still want to go to one. They’ll agree that employing a senior pastor, a paid professional, is frought with temptations and abuses, but they still want one. If they didn’t go sit next to 300 people this weekend, they won’t feel like a christian. And those same 300 people wouldn’t think a person’s still a christian if they gave it up.

The cultural expression of a christian community is just a shell. There ought to be a core inside, which is really the whole point. The shell is just an interface, to borrow a nerd metaphor. But the people I’m talking about – they’re like someone who eats M&Ms for the candy shell, and doesn’t even realize that there isn’t a chocolate center anymore.

If you peel back the layers of your christian experience, and find out that there’s no chocolate in the middle, you need to find something else. Otherwise, you’re settling for something that’s not the real thing.

An experience

Have I offended you yet? Sorry if I did. I told you I’d be rambling though. If you’re still reading, there’s another one that needs to be added to the list. I met a guy not long ago who says he had a vision of Jesus giving him a hug in a restaurant. And that’s why he’s a christian.

OK, you might think that sounds like an anomaly. But this isn’t just a pentecostal or charismatic thing. It’s not just a modern thing. It’s all over the place, and it’s right here in river city too. It’s trouble with a capital T and that rhymes with E, and that stands for ‘sperience.

Let me give you a Bible-thumpin’, independent, fundamentalist example. This is just to show that it affects even the most conservative of circles. I love sermons. And I don’t want you to miss how much… I collected them. I have thousands. I figured once that before I got married, I had heard over 10,000 sermons. It helped that I was a camp counselor for six years – maybe that was cheating – but nevertheless it’s true.

The way I saw it, a sermon was a message from God, and it was just about the most spiritually exciting thing you could do. But one day, someone asked me to name the 10 most influential sermons I’d ever heard. Out of the 10,000, I think I could list… I don’t know… three? He then asked me to name the 10 most influential people. I couldn’t just name 10 – And then I did the same thing with the 10 most influential books. They just kept coming, and I couldn’t decide (well, you really only get 9 anyway, since the Bible is #1, right?).

As fun as a good pulpit-pounding (nay, pulpit-kicking!), hell-fire, and brimstone sermon is, when you get right down to it, there’s usually not that much there. And it really doesn’t stick. Sometime, try to make a diagram of what’s in a sermon, and it’ll surprise you. There are much better ways to communicate, and much better ways to learn (even a regular lecture has a higher information density).

And it’s the same thing for the praise band. The faith healer. The vision in the restaurant. If you tie your spiritual identity to something that feels awesome, you’re setting yourself up for disaster. Feelings fade quickly, and have to be renewed tomorrow. You pile up enough tomorrows, and you’ll find you are left with nothing but a lot of empty yesterdays.

So if your christianity revolves around the pulpit, or the altar call, or the music (let alone the tongues, the healing, etc.), search your soul, and see if it’s really doing all that you think it is. You may realize it doesn’t make as much difference as you think.

At least one alternative

I want to challenge every professing christian to the most profound adventure you can imagine. At least, that’s the way I think of christianity. It’s the greatest adventure. And if you find yourself in a milieu that doesn’t match that description, cut the cords and start adventuring. Here’s how you do it.

As a christian, you are a special agent. Sometimes, you function as a diplomat – an ambassador for Christ, representing Him to the world. At other times, you are a spiritual infiltrator, like when you preach the Gospel in the synagogue (the way Paul did). Sometimes you’re a warrior on the front lines, like when you’re passing out tracts or trying to figure out how long is too long to argue with an atheist. And maybe occasionally, you’re internal affairs, rooting out corruption and abuse. If this isn’t christianity to you, you might not have it figured out yet.

Also, other christians are real people. They aren’t hands to shake between the songs and the offering plate or targets for your multilevel marketing scam. They’re right sometimes, and they’re very wrong sometimes. And they probably think you’re wrong too. But they’re worthy of the sincerest love and sympathy, all wrapped up in one. Look around at the christians that you know… do you know these things about them? (Oh, and exclude anyone that you’re related to; that’s cheating):

How did they become christians (what’s their testimony)?
What did they think about last week’s sermon?
What is the most important doctrine that they have wrong (guaranteed that there is one)?
How about the least important doctrine they have wrong (these are sometimes fun)?
What do they do on Saturdays?
Do they need help with anything?
Would they go witnessing with you if you asked?
If you can’t answer these questions about your fellow christians, you don’t know them. And I’d argue that you’ve missed the chocolate center for the candy shell.

Yes, christianity is an adventure. This is the most apt metaphor I can think of. Imagine an adventure that you’ve heard of… what things happen in adventures? The hero loses sometimes. People are lost. Battles are fought. Sometimes there’s victory. You go places. You do things – usually of the “interesting” variety. You will be confronted with adversity, challenges, and probably a little evil here and there. You can rescue people. Others depend on you, and you can show your mettle. And usually, you end up getting home in the end. And winning.

You should be scrabbling to get better all the time, hoping that you’ll be prepared for the next step in the adventure. When you encounter an obstacle, you should defeat it. Soundly. With such finality that the next time you hit that obstacle, you won’t even notice. To succeed in this adventure, you need to know where you are, and where you’re going. You need tools. Skills. Heart. And you might have to do it alone, because I can guarantee you that you won’t find many people that will be willing to cast off the pithy sayings that excuse their inaction; the cultural trappings that distract them from the white-hot, burning, consuming passion of the christian adventure; and the trite experiences that keep them locked into spiritual baby-hood.

If this isn’t a picture of your christian life, ask yourself if you wish it was. My experience so far is that it’s apparently very hard to move past those things that hinder. But if you are willing to admit to yourself that christianity is more than almost anyone around you thinks it is, then put feet to it, and do something. Go witness to someone. Challenge 10 of your christian friends to join the adventure (if you find one that will, you’re probably lucky blessy). And regardless of what happens, mix it up until it works.

Recommendations

Join the battle – pass out a tract or argue with an atheist. Nothing will prompt spiritual growth like being part of God’s plan.
Figure out what you really believe, and toss it out if you can’t find it clearly in the Bible somewhere (especially with the cultural practices thing)
Bug other people sometimes, because the worst case is that they rebuff your attempts and they keep coasting. Best case, they join you in the adventure.
Take people seriously. Rebuke someone only because you love them, and really want to help them. Listen to what they say instead of throwing trite sayings and formulas at them.
Email me (yakovdk@gmail.com) because… well… I wouldn’t mind knowing!

Dave Stone's "The Board: A Biblical Model of 'You'" (From TruthReallyMatters.com)

The Board: a Biblical model of ‘you’ – 4/15/14

“The Board” is a brilliant little movie, just 32 minutes long, produced in 2008 by Bethesda Baptist Church of Brownsburg, Indiana, along with Uptone Pictures. The setting is a conference room, specifically a “Board Room.” The six board members are Mr. Mind, Mr. Conscience, Mr. Memory, Mr. Heart, Mr. Will, and Mr. Emotion. The meeting is called to discuss and vote on both “new” and “old business.” The most contentious piece of “old business” is to decide what to do about Mr. Mind’s friend, Ray, who has been challenging them with the Gospel.

“The Board” is a Biblical model of any human being, anyone made in the image of God . . . like you or me. In fact, since I don’t believe our main character’s name is ever actually mentioned, let’s call him “Dave.” In the film, Dave’s Board members interact in ways that I think are quite representative of the way you and I struggle over tough issues, particularly over the life-changing decision to repent and follow Jesus Christ.

Why do I call this a “model”? Models are incredibly useful, as long as they correlate reasonably well with reality, in terms of explanation and prediction. We all use models. For example, I have a model in my mind that I use to go to the grocery store. I visualize a turn here, a turn there, then go straight until I see a stop light, turn at the first entrance, and voila, I’m there. It’s a simple model that neglects thousands of details about the actual journey, for example, the many houses, businesses, and open fields I pass by, bumps on the road, whether the temperature is in the 70s or the 90s, and the infinite variety of typical traffic conditions. What I keep in my head is a simple representation of how to get there. And it works, so the model is useful.

All of science and engineering is based on modeling. If I design a simple low frequency electronic circuit, I model the design mathematically, doing calculations about how the resistors, capacitors, inductors, and transistors will interact. I don’t care about the color of the transistor packages or the weight of the resistors. More significantly, I don’t care about the capacitance of the resistors or the inductance of the capacitors. But if I try to operate this design at very high frequencies, my neglect of spurious capacitance and inductance will certainly produce unexpected behaviors – perhaps even failure. So in a “good model,” I need to take into account what’s important and understand what I can happily leave out for simplicity’s sake.

In my career, I did a fair amount of computational modeling, particularly in the area of laser physics. When I built a good math model, it produced outputs that matched experimental data. A good model allows the scientist to get a “feel” for what’s going on, to understand the “physics” of the situation. The model can then be trusted to predict new situations and even to allow investing in a physical prototype. An optimum model is one which uses as few variables and equations as practical, and yet represents physical reality “well enough.” All significant modern engineering projects are modeled thoroughly before they are built, including electronics, bridges, skyscrapers, fighter aircraft, or a deep space probe headed toward the outer solar system.

The most complex system known to man is himself, not just the nano-technology of cellular life, but the human mind / brain. To help us understand ourselves and to make useful predictions of how we behave in various circumstances, requires some kind of model. Secular psychology offers bogus models that assume an evolutionary / animal past, overly simplistic mechanistic constraints from brain chemistry, and a rejection of the ideas of soul / mind / spirit. Additionally, they abhor and scoff at any idea of a personal God who makes us morally accountable for our thoughts, words, and deeds.

“The Board” offers a simple, yet effective and, more importantly, Biblical model for what goes on inside. I won’t make the effort here to proof-text the validity of “The Board’s” model. If you’re a student of the Bible, you’ll recognize it. I do note that the Bible is filled with metaphors . . . simple models . . . to help us understand much about the very character of God Himself. Jesus is described at times as “the door,” “the light,” “the life,” “the way,” “the Son of Man” . . . among many other descriptors. Jesus is not literally “a door.” Yet the metaphor helps us to understand something vital about our opportunity to find God.

A metaphor is an extremely simple model. A model is a very complex metaphor.

I won’t give away key plot elements, but I will make some analytical points about what impresses me both in the film and in the Biblical model. Mr. Mind, for example, is the member who insists that Ray’s evangelistic challenge be dealt with. Mr. Emotion is horrified. The prospect of becoming a “Jesus freak” would derail his desires for pleasure and fun in life. “You’re asking us to give up everything that makes us happy!” Mr. Heart and Mr. Will want the issue tabled yet again . . . far better to ignore the issue than face up to making a yea / nay decision. Mr. Heart rationalizes, suggesting that Ray has ulterior motives. Heart doesn’t address Mind’s logical points, but resorts to insults, impugning Ray’s character.

But Mind makes a compelling case based on Ray’s arguments from history, prophecy, and morality, using God’s law and the reasonableness of Judgment. Conscience chimes in with support. You see, Conscience has “seen the light,” which has re-calibrated and re-sensitized his recognition of good vs. evil, particularly in view of Memory’s report of many of Dave’s specific sinful activities.

It becomes clear that Heart is the de-facto Chairman of this Board. He’s the one that must be swayed. If he converts, Emotion and Will will certainly follow. One thing the film gets spectacularly right is that the Board must be unanimous. Mind and Conscience may be utterly convinced of the truth of the Gospel, but a stubborn Heart will leave Dave lost and on his way to Hell. I have had this experience many times when sharing the Gospel with the lost. I call it “traction” when I can see that the individual “gets it.” He understands that he has sinned against God and will face Judgment. He understands that his only recourse is Jesus Christ. He understands what repentance means and how his life will certainly change with the new birth. Yet nothing happens. Even though he understands everything he needs to understand, his Heart and Will, fueled by his ranting Emotion, DON’T WANT TO CHANGE.

In Matthew 13, His disciples ask Jesus why He speaks to the crowds in parables at times. He explains, “Because they seeing, see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.” He goes on to quote Isaiah, specifically, “For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; Lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.” The Lord is pointing out the willful corruption of the heart of the determinedly lost. The key word is “lest.” It’s not the parables that prevent conversion, and it’s certainly not the Lord! God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. So whose fault? It’s the gross corruption of the individual’s heart, who DOES NOT WANT TO UNDERSTAND, “lest” repentance follow and sins be forsaken.

In Dave’s case, Mr. Will is offended at the accusations by Conscience, as if Will has to share any blame. After all, Will asserts, “My job is to do what this Board gives me the authority to do!” This is not strictly true in real life, of course. (I think the film missed this point by just a tad.) A weak Will may fail to move even if Heart has the right inclination. A strong Will, on the other hand, can help Heart and the rest of the Board embrace repentance and faith.

As the case gets more contentious and the arguments swing in Mind’s favor, Heart appears to capitulate, but reluctantly. Conscience doesn’t buy it. If Heart really believes, “Things are going to have to change around here!” Heart cries out, “I DON’T WANT TO CHANGE!” Aye, there’s the rub! The Heart rules, whether for good or evil.

The arguments get more personal from this point, penetrating the walls, the fierce defense mechanisms that Heart has constructed over the years of Dave’s life. Finally, Heart yields . . . IN AGREEMENT. He sees reality, he sees himself, he sees who Jesus Christ is. The walls are down. Emotion comes to himself. Will is ready to move as soon as Heart casts aside his . . . (I won’t give this one away. It’s quite clever!)

The Board is unanimous. It turns out that there is a large, regal chair at the head of the table, which we haven’t seen before. This chair has been empty. But no more. The Board has a new member . . . a new Chairman.

Regarding “The Board” as a model . . . I find it useful to explain the types of reactions I get to the Gospel message when I engage in 121 evangelism. It is often easy to get someone’s Mind engaged. The challenge is to get all six members of the Board to confront reality. Biblical evangelism (as discussed much on this site) employs God’s laws, confronting specific sins to challenge Memory and Conscience. God’s certain Judgment to come provokes Emotion to a quite rational fear. Now fear cannot save, but fear can provoke the Board to seek a solution, an escape. The Gospel itself, with a clear exposition of the Cross and the substitutionary atonement, is reasonable to a rational Mind, a Mind not perverted and closed by a warped Conscience and a determinedly rebellious Heart.

The glorious Biblical truth of the meeting of love and justice at the Cross satisfies a Mind who is looking for a solution; in fact, it satisfies such a Mind that this can be the ONLY solution. Realization of God’s love moves Emotion and opens the Heart. Will is eager to act on truth that leads toward freedom from addictive sins and a new life . . . indeed, eternal life. The Heart sees that fulfillment is only possible by uniting the Board with a new Chairman, a Chairman who knows the future, whose very character defines love, who is completely in touch with reality because He invented reality, namely the Lord Jesus Christ.

That’s the case when the new birth occurs. Usually, it doesn’t. One or more Board members, usually the Heart, remain stubborn. As a lost sinner ages, the Heart’s stubbornness only grows and the rest of the Board’s members grow more and more surly. Precisely the same types of individuals who will give me a good hearing while in college will, a few years later, walk by me with a sneer, having rejected the Gospel with prejudice, and will despise it all the more as each year goes by. Lost sinners don’t get sweeter with age. If you do 121 work, you know what I’m talking about.

When sharing the Gospel, it’s useful to have a Biblical model in mind. Christians who don’t will mistakenly interpret mental assent as an indication of conversion. The poorly discerning evangelist observes a pattern of sinful acts from a professing Christian and excuses it, not understanding that Mind, Heart, Will, Conscience, Emotion, and even Memory must be converted. Memory, too? The members of a lost man’s Board are corrupt, including Memory. Memory gets increasingly selective, often re-inventing personal history to allow self-justification.

I could multiply examples, but you get the idea. Multitudes of professing Christians have contentious, conflicted . . . unconverted Boards. When you see evidence of that, tell the guy what the problem is: He is lost, unsaved, unconverted, unrepentant. It’s up to him to make a new Heart and a new spirit, as in God’s plea to lost Israelites in Ezekiel 18:30-31. Our “Board” model refutes Calvinism, by the way. There is nothing “irresistible” about God’s grace. The Lord does not take the “Chairmanship” until the Board is unanimous.

With regard to your responsibility in the Great Commission . . . You’ve got to help, being sensitive to the internal struggle of the lost sinner. The religious lost will not figure it out for himself. If you don’t tell him, who will?

Kyle Ford's "Spiritual Warfare in Evangelism" (From NeedfulExhortation.blogspot.com)

Friday, April 11, 2014

Spiritual warfare in evangelism

One of my passions in life is to share the gospel with the lost and to stir up Christians to do the same. I truly believe there is no other activity we can do on Earth which is more dear to the heart of Christ. However, if you're doing it Biblically, you can guarantee that you'll be on Satan's radar too. Preaching the gospel to the lost is an act of spiritual warfare and Christians should be aware that much of the fear and nervousness they feel about witnessing is normal, and should be expected. To make this point and give tips on fighting through it, I'd like to share my recent experience. Hopefully, if you read this and find yourself nervously sitting on an evangelistic fence, this will encourage you to hop off the fence and join the fight!

For a week, I had planned a time to do some evangelism on the UIUC quad. This is nothing new. It's been my favorite 'fishing hole' for years, and though I'm out of practice due to the long winter, I've surely done this more than a hundred times before. Yet, as I'm gathering my tracts before I leave, I'm overcome with a wave of nervousness. This is nothing new either, but is as strong as I've ever felt, forcing me to take a deep breath before I push myself out the door.

As you go through these feelings, you should immediately recognize them as spiritual warfare. You're going out there to steal members from Satan's family – of course he's going to fight! The demons tend to use the same tactics. They're predictable, but can still be very effective. They'll pull on every desire, weakness, and heart string that will take you away from your destination.

As temptation arises, the thoughts enter my mind as I drive toward the campus. “You're really tired, should just go home and rest.” “You're sick, maybe you can push through, but you'll feel even worse later.” “You're alone again. Who could blame you for quitting?” Wherever the thoughts originate from, I swat them aside and try to push through some prayers for strength and wisdom. I feel my chest tightening the whole time.

In times like these, you have several weapons at your disposal, and it pays to be prepared. Prayer is always a good option, but don't just wait until you're in the battle. You know the fight will happen, so pray beforehand as well. Scripture is great for encouragement and conquering temptation. Read it and memorize it. Songs can help as well – yet another reason to know some strong hymns. There's no magic formula for each situation, you must simply fight on. The Lord never promises to completely remove temptation, but he does promise that we will be able to handle it and that there will be a way out.

As I park my car, I'm hit with a wave of strong and completely irrational fear. I can't find it in me to open the car door. I pray a little more, then sing to myself a few lines of “Lord, send me anywhere”, a hymn that has often comforted me. I ask myself out loud, “Is your love for Christ so weak that you can't overcome this?”. Now it's on. There's no way I'm going to let a challenge like that stand. I collect my tracts, get out of the car, and walk toward the quad. On the way there, I see my first face and the crippling fear melts away instantly, replaced instead by love and concern, surely a mere fraction of a shadow of what Christ has for these lost sinners. I smile and cheerfully hand him a tract, “hey man, a free gift for you.” The next couple of hours are enjoyable and relatively easy.

I've found that this pattern repeats itself almost every time that I go out to preach the gospel. As I've talked to others who share the same convictions and act upon them, they report the same struggles. Though preaching the gospel is incredibly enjoyable and rewarding, there's nearly always a huge up-front energy barrier that must be overcome, usually in the form of fear/nerves. To be clear, as a scientist, I've done important presentations to superiors, public speaking at conferences, etc. Those things are work – not as enjoyable as sharing the gospel, but there's less fear associated with those things. However, when it comes to doing this thing that I really enjoy, there's a huge barrier of nerves/fear before I get started. Isn't that interesting? This can only be explained by spiritual warfare. Recognize this, and fight back! As I related in my story, the biggest struggle is overcoming that initial barrier, but it gets easy after that. Remember, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

Finally, I recommend taking some time to debrief after you are done. This is obviously useful with regards to content (What objections were raised? How can I handle them better? What do I need to study? What verses should I memorize?), but it's also useful when it comes to handling spiritual warfare. Sometimes you won't be able to see the whole picture, but often you can. For example, you'll likely find that spiritual battles are more intense than normal if you are about to walk into a big opportunity. As you begin to recognize these trends, it teaches you to fight harder, recognizing that if the enemy is opposing you strongly, it might mean that this is a particularly important battle. In the example that I gave above, it turned out that there was a softball game that just ended, so there were many more people at the quad than normal. I was able to have several conversations, one which ended in great clarity, and hand out ~150 tracts, several times more than I'm able to do on an average day at the quad. That's certainly a good cause for the devil to want to keep me away from there. Was it the number of tracts? Or maybe the conversation with a pair of professing Christians where I pointed out that they are obviously not yet converted – and related their need of repentance, faith, and the new birth. Maybe both. Most of the time, you won't know how much difference your efforts will make, but the stakes are heaven vs. hell! If you could make that kind of difference, even for just one soul, would that not make every battle worthwhile? The point is, recognize the enemy's tactics, and don't forget what you're fighting for!

In conclusion, I've related this personal story with some commentary in the hopes that it will be an encouragement to others who are struggling through the same thing. Really, we have it quite easy in America, let's make use of our freedom. From the immature Christian struggling with the idea of sharing the gospel with strangers, to the battle-hardened elder, may we all be refreshed in our understanding of the importance of this great battle, and be encouraged to work harder for the Lord. 

Shepherd's Goad Facebook Page

Recently I started a Facebook page for Shepherd's Goad, and I've been using that outlet to post other articles relevant to Christianity. If you have not seen the page, please, visit it and subscribe.

My intention is to use the page as an extra venue for other Christian writers. It should also serve to cause Tim and I to contribute more on this site in the future. That being said, I am going to add the articles I've posted on Facebook this week. Enjoy.

The World Is Ending, Part Whatever: The Blood Moons

Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail.

Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee.

– Isaiah 47:12-13.

The world is coming to an end in the next 6 months! Or, wait, didn’t it already come to an end a few times in the last few years? I thought it ended on December 21, 2012? No, that can’t be right. Harold Camping said it would end before that, I think. That still can’t be right. It had to have ended in 2000 with all of that Y2K hubbub. This time, though, it’s definitely coming to an end. Mark Biltz and John Hagee said so, and they’ve both got the Bible to prove it, so it must be true.

According to Biltz and Hagee Joel 3 is warning mankind of the world’s end. Central to their argument are verses 14-15, which state, “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.” From this passage Biltz’s book, Blood Moons: Decoding the Imminent Heavenly Signs unfolds. He links past blood moons to historical events such as the Spanish Reconquista, which expelled both Jews and Muslims from Spain, the modern re-establishment of a Jewish nation in Israel, and Israel’s defeating the Arab onslaught in 1967. He makes what seems to be a compelling case. Why not? God is in control of the heavens, so why wouldn’t or couldn’t He use heavenly signs to tell us about the future? In fact, the Bible even tells of such heavenly signs throughout its pages. But does that mean that what Biltz, and subsequently John Hagee, have to say is correct?

The Bible does indeed have much to say about consulting celestial bodies, but none of it is good. Consider what God had to say about such practices in Deuteronomy. He condemns the person and the practice of consulting the heavens in 4:19, 17:2-5, and 18:9-12. Notice, specifically Deuteronomy 18:14 – “For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.” God was against such prognostication, and called it divination.

Divination is the practice of divining. Divining is popularly known as water witching. It comes from occultic practices stretching far back into ancient pagan cultures (See Dave Hunt’s Occult Invasion for one of the best documentations on this practice). Divining was heavily mixed into occultic practices that also used astrology. In other words, it is satanic. God condemned the diviners. He further went to great lengths confounding the diviners (cf. I Samuel 6:2, Isaiah 44:25, Jeremiah 27:9, Jeremiah 29:8, Micah 3:7, and Zechariah 10:2).

God did not intend to speak through the sun, moon, and stars. Such attempts to find God’s direction in the stars is the definition of Astrology. Consider that the Book of Daniel has all but one mention of astrologers in the Bible (cf. Daniel 1:20, 2:2, 2:27, 4:7, 5:7, 5:11, and 5:15. The only other mention is Isaiah 47:12-13 quoted above). This should be eye-opening in that Daniel was in Babylon, the creator of Astrological practices. The Chaldeans put great emphasis upon astrology. So too did the Medes and Persians that followed the Babylonians. For that matter, any study of the Ancient and Medieval worlds reveals that mankind was greatly affected by heavenly occurrences. God, however, warned against such thinkers and their thinking.

But all of this seems to have been lost among many modern “Christians.” They look for signs, and believe anyone, who in God’s name claims that the Bible points out these signs. Multi-millionaires have been made upon such claims, because modern American Christianity comprises immature, spiritually blind, bankrupt, Bible illiterates. Don’t be the child tossed to and from, carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness. If you are, you will be deceived by those lying in wait for gullible, foolish you.

There is hope. The Bible tells us to study to shew ourselves approved. Don’t be a shamed workman. Prove all things, hold fast that which is good. Be spiritually discerning, because the spiritual man does indeed judge all things. Walk circumspectly, not as fools, but wise. Understand the times. All of these commands are biblical. All of them profit in that they, through knowing God and His word, serve to protect us from the charlatan and the hireling, who only serve to make money off of foolishness. BE NOBLE! EXAMINE THE SCRIPTURES! Even if it is the Apostle Paul telling you something, we still have a requirement to search it out.

On that note, some readers may start claiming that the Bible does talk about the Sun’s darkening, the Moon turning to blood, and the Stars falling from the sky. The Bible pronounces such statements when regarding end times events. I agree. It does. What must be understood, however, is the order of end time events. First, understand this – “For Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:” (I Cor. 1:22) But Christ said this to the Jews seeking a sign “A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.” (Matthew 16:4 cf. Matthew 12:39) These Jews were seeking for their Messiah, and they missed Him, because they were looking for signs instead of looking for Him.

Christ finally did give signs about His coming in Matthew 24-25. These chapters are Jewish in context, and understandably can and are often mistaken to be about the Rapture of the Church. They’re not. They’re about Christ’s Second Coming. They’re about His establishing His earthly Kingdom. They fit entirely within the context of the Old Testament Day of the Lord, which was prophesied about throughout the Major and Minor Prophets. All of those signs do and will occur before Christ returns and establishes His earthly kingdom.

Nothing has to happen before the Rapture occurs. The Bible’s comments about the Church being raptured are much different than the comments about His Second Coming. The Rapture can occur at any time. It was likened unto a thief in the night (I Thess. 5:2) It begins the Day of the Lord, but this day is not just one 24 hour period. In context the “Day of the Lord” so mentioned here begins with the Rapture and ends with Eternity. It is in a greater context than those proclaiming “Beware! The Blood Moons are Coming!”

In light of such an imminent return, the truly called out should be busily endeavoring to warn men of sin, their need to repent from sin, turn to Christ, and make disciples who will go and do likewise. Anything else is a waste of time.