Christian Bill Of Rights

Posted on June 14, 2012 by Dan Corner

christian bill of rights

You Are RIGHT to believe the Bible alone is the word of God and all other so-called holy books (including the Book of Mormon and Koran) are only counterfeits and will mislead precious souls away from God.

You Are RIGHT to reject evolution and believe in an almighty personal designer God who created everything and all life in the entire universe.

You Are RIGHT to fear God and be fully aware he has the power to destroy both your body and soul in hell and that he is a HOLY God, who can get wrathful over sin.

You Are RIGHT to unashamedly serve, follow and trust in Jesus of Nazareth for your salvation, because he is the proven Son of God and Messiah, who died for the sins of the whole world.

You Are RIGHT to spread the life giving gospel of Jesus Christ as defined in the Bible to be repentance towards God and faith in Christ Jesus (Acts 20:21). You Are RIGHT to contend for the faith against the once saved always saved teachers, who have changed grace into a license to sin if they be professing Calvinists or non-Calvinists.

You Are RIGHT to believe there is only a heaven and hell and NO purgatory or limbo beyond the grave awaiting us after our death and to enter the home of righteousness means one will have to be righteous and pure.

You Are RIGHT to declare that you are holding on to what you have and keeping yourself pure, even though eternal security proponents may ridicule you for such terminology.

You Are RIGHT to think that you as a Christian are NOT a sinner, but instead a godly, holy living saint, as long as you remain faithful to God.

You Are RIGHT to declare the way into God’s kingdom is narrow and only the minority of people will actually enter and those same people put God’s word into practice.

You Are RIGHT to profess that Jesus is “the way” to God and all other similar claims are dangerously wrong, including the Fatima Marian Visions, which state Mary is “the way” to God.

You Are RIGHT to believe in the humanity of Christ and his deity and worship him as God, as the earliest disciples did.

You Are RIGHT to affirm that sin is still the issue with God and that certain sins can drag even the previously saved to hell, if he yields to the devil’s temptations.

You Are RIGHT to tell others that eternal life is a “gift,” but that doesn’t mean it came cheap or that you will reap it in the end without sowing to please the Spirit.

You Are RIGHT to vocalize that the devil is not in hell yet, but prowls throughout the earth seeking to destroy us through sin and religious lies.

You Are RIGHT to know you can resist the devil and obey God; and that you do not have to sin all the time and that you can live holy and pure in this life.

You Are RIGHT to be cautious in friendships knowing that the wrong companions can be used to hurt and contaminate your soul and cause loss of eternal life.

You Are RIGHT that your most precious possession is your soul and if you gain all the gold, diamonds, oil, real estate, etc. in the whole world at the cost of your soul you have made a terribly bad deal.

You Are RIGHT to believe that if you go to the lake of fire, it will be your own fault and that God doesn’t want anyone to perish.

Print the Christian Bill of Rights as a pdf tract.

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Run Your Race With Perseverance

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Dan Corner

christian raceThe Christian life is likened unto various kinds of situations. One is like a looong distance race, which requires endurance or perseverance to finish the race! It is not a sprint, but a marathon run! Moreover, one saint has one type of race and a different godly person, with a dissimilar background and circumstances, has a totally different race, yet there are similarities! Our spiritual race is mentioned here:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Heb 12:1)

Examples of Biblical characters who had totally different races marked out for them are: King Solomon and the prophet Jeremiah. Solomon was born with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth and lived almost his entire life in luxury as a respected super wealthy sage and monarch with hundreds of wives and servants! The prophet Jeremiah, on the other hand, was a man who was given a gloom and doom message to declare to people, who wouldn’t receive it and who persecuted him. Another book Jeremiah wrote is the book of Lamentations. He was known as the weeping prophet, suggesting the various sorrows he experienced!

Each of those men, though coming from very different sets of circumstances, were both charged with being faithful to God in their unique circumstances, with the daily pressures and unique temptations. Furthermore, both Solomon and Jeremiah would have temptations the other one would never know anything about, due to their respected offices and responsibilities. The contrast is similar to a pastor having the selfish temptation to withhold God’s eternal truths because it might upset some parishioners to a Christian housewife cooking and cleaning her house.

Regardless who you are as a Christian, to successfully run your own personal spiritual race means to cross the finish line and reap eternal life. That will require serious effort on your part, including resisting the devil, keeping yourself pure, staying alert for spiritual deceptions, bearing fruit, forgiving others, etc. That requires throwing off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. Negligence there leads to the reason why some backslide (get back on the road to hell). Sin is nothing to play with and is still the issue with God! It easily entangles one in his spiritual race. Obviously, if one gets entangled with the cords of sin (Prov. 5:22), he will not be able to finish his personal race. Such would be disastrous and is what happened to King Solomon! Solomon held fast in love to his idolatrous wives, who led him into idolatry and death. The death was spiritual death and his pagan wives were enemies in disguise as far as how they were used to ruin his relationship with God and destroyed his SOUL. Solomon’s wives and love for him were the means of lethal subtle sinful temptation. Christian singles can face temptations like that if not careful.

Jeremiah was heavily tempted with discouragement and fears. He was also very lonely. The end of his life is not as clear as it was with Solomon. If Jeremiah ended his life as a righteous person, he entered God’s holy presence and all his miseries and sufferings are over. If that is the case, you can expect to meet him one day in God’s kingdom, that is, as long as you stand firm and die with a pure heart (Mt. 5:8). Keep eternity in mind. Remember Rev. 2:10,11. Run your race with perseverance.

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Tears In Heaven

Posted on June 9, 2012 by Dan Corner

man cryingMany future events inside God’s kingdom are not detailed, as the saints would like them to be. Just to be of the minority to overcome to enter God’s Paradise kingdom is to expect many wonderful things and not be disappointed. Since that is true, what about the tears there? Why will they be shed? Ponder this:

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Rev 21:3,4)

burning lampGod will wipe every tear from the eyes of the overcomers — his children when they are in heaven! Again, why would there be tears in their eyes, since they are already in Paradise with God, have eternal life and escaped the lake of fire? It is a Bible mystery, but maybe the last verse of the preceding chapter gives us a clue:

If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Rev 20:15)

Maybe, when the righteous see those they once knew get thrown into the lake of fire by one of God’s holy angels, their tears of sorrow will start to flow! Maybe the tears will flow over critical missed opportunities, which could have affected the outcome of their eternal destiny. Maybe it will be apparent to all they could and should have done better, been more zealous and bold for Jesus. Perhaps, the tears will flow because of the little faith for miracles and healing they once had, realizing what might have been, if we had been more believing and trusting of the promises of God. On the other hand, maybe God will wipe away the tears related to thinking back on the many hurtful things said about them and unjust persecutions that came on them because of their righteous living during their earthly lives.Getting back to the context of the Judgment of the wicked cited in Revelation 20:11-15, maybe the tears in heaven will come as a result of the righteous testifying against unsaved family members and acquaintances:

The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here. The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here. (Mat 12:41,42)

Righteous people who had less opportunity to repent or hear God’s wisdom, yet did repent will testify at the judgment of the wicked and condemn them! That confrontation in front of God and those they condemn may bring on the tears. Regardless what does bring on the tears, their sorrow will be short-lived. God will wipe those tears away and with them all pain, etc. (Rev. 21:4)! It remains a Bible mystery why there will be tears in heaven.

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KJV Only Propaganda and Implications

Posted on June 8, 2012 by Dan Corner

KING JAMES BIBLE
According to the KJV Onlyites, the KJV is the one and only word of God. To them, all other translations are only counterfeits and perversions, but not God’s word. Such people spend much of their time, energy and resources promoting their strange message about the superiority of the KJV translation, even above and before spreading the very gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, which alone can get SOULS saved! That suggests their divisive KJV message is more important to them than the life-giving gospel itself! So what is included in their message and what are the shocking implications?

KJV Onlyites Teach The KJV Is Not Hard To Understand

The most obvious reason why the KJV should NOT be used in our day is it is too hard to understand. When I have presented that fact, more than one KJV onlyite has communicated to me that they know people with very little education, who have no problems understanding the KJV! What a shocking response! To that I have responded that they themselves can NOT understand the KJV and I have added that if they disagree, please tell me what 2 Cor. 6:12 says in the KJV:

Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels.

NEVER has any of the same KJV onlyites ever responded with their understanding of that verse or even tried to do so! Not even one! But 2 Cor. 6:12 is only one verse, among possibly hundreds, which can’t be understood from the KJV. So sometimes KJV onlyites suggest that we carry a Webster’s Dictionary around with our KJV bibles to look up the strange KJV words and pick from the multiple possible definitions. To them, that will resolve the comprehension problems. It is that simple, according to some! But folks, who wants to carry a large and weighty dictionary around to look up words from the KJV; and if one does this, how will he know he is picking the correct definition of the KJV word in question? Very few people will carry such a special dictionary and make the right choice of its meaning! Also, their only word of God (the KJV) is not complete without the right kind of Webster’s dictionary to look up the KJV words! That alone should imply something is very wrong, but they can’t see it. Why? Maybe it’s because of their primary KJV only argument!

KJV Onlyites Teach That Words Are Left Out

The most popular KJV only argument is the NASB, NIV, etc. have all left out words, which are found in the KJV. Such words might be repentance, blood, etc. and in the minds of the KJV readers, that settles it! To them, the KJV is the whole truth and all others must be perversions and corrupt as they have been hearing. Such an argument is based on ignorance. While it is true the particular word in question might not be in the other translations, it isn’t there because those translations are based on different Greek manuscripts! Hence, their argument is falsified by that bit of information. KJV Onlyites are using the KJV translation itself as the standard of what should or should not be included in a verse, instead of the actual Greek manuscripts!

Different than the KJV translation is the Greek manuscript it is based on, which leads to a different issue – which edition of the Textus Receptus (TR) is the best? Again, manuscript controversy is different than the KJV only controversy. Why? Because there are other English translations based on the TR and they strongly oppose the KJV and even cite various errors in the way the KJV has translated verses! Both Green’s and Young’s translations are examples of that! Jay P. Green, Sr. stated:

In many places in the old version there are translations that fail to squarely meet the meanings of the original words, as recognized by nearly everyone. And for this reason in the margins that have appeared in many KJV Bibles for the past 250 years can be found suggested changes, or alternate translations [Modern King James Version, 1990 ed., preface, emphasis mine].

Their Own Argument Bites Them!

Getting back to the KJV Only argument that word/s are left out, it might be a great surprise to some to know the KJV has also left out words! For example, the KJV has left out the word “me” in John 14:14 and by doing so has concealed that Jesus taught we can pray to Jesus for prayer answers!

You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. (John 14:14)

John 14:14 in various reputable versions has the word me and that parallels the truth that the early disciples did pray to Jesus (Acts 7:59,56; 1 Cor. 1:2). John 14:14 shows Jesus taught to pray to himself, which implies the deity of Christ. That same doctrine about Jesus teaching to pray to himself is totally excluded in the KJV!

KJV Only people Imply Non KJV Onlyites Are Unsaved

The KJV Onlyites also imply they are saved yet others are UNSAVED because they don’t use the KJV! How? By their misuse of 1 Cor. 2:12-16, which state that saved people can understand the word of God (which to them is the KJV). Hence, if you say you can’t understand the KJV, then such people deduce you are without the Holy Spirit and therefore unsaved, while they themselves (the KJV users) are spiritual people!

Similarly, by implication they do the same from Rev. 22:18,19 where the divine curse is placed on adding to or taking from that book of prophecy. Since they think other versions have left out various words, then to them God will take away their salvation (or name from the book of life) for using a translation which has done that! The end result and conclusion to such, from their KJV Only perspective is: To be saved you must use the KJV and if you say it is too hard to understand, then you aren’t saved because you don’t have the Holy Spirit to explain the meaning to you, and there is also a divine curse on you because the translation you use has left out words! That is not only error, it is cultic and dangerous!

The truth is: The KJV is only a translation of the Bible. It is only one English translation of many translations. The KJV translators were NOT inspired! It was much better positioned to help people understand God’s word in the early 1600’s, but since the English language has changed over time, those changes will confuse and mislead those who apply today’s word meanings to the KJV. That is only part of the problem, which is severely compounded with all the archaic words. The KJV is a major hindrance to understanding God’s word. It will surely frustrate the new Christian and make him much easier prey for false teachers and bizarre teachings. It discourages Bible reading. Don’t be duped by the aggressive and divisive KJV onlyites of our dark hour. They are actually part of the problem, not the solution! Don’t be deceived or bullied into using the KJV, if you are a young minister. You need to understand what the Bible says and others you are preaching to need to have it clearly stated! It is spiritually critical. God bless you.

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Crown of Righteousness

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Dan Corner

The blessings awaiting the overcomers in Christ in God’s kingdom include the crown of righteousness. To be precise there are various types of crowns to be received, that is, if one qualifies! Again, one of those is the crown of righteousness, which will only be given to those who long for Jesus’ appearing:

Crown Of Righteousness Passage

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day–and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. (2 Tim 4:7,8)Looking For Jesus' Return

All Christians can, therefore, qualify for the crown of righteousness, but it will only be given out on the basis of longing for or loving Jesus’ appearing! NOTE: God knows what one has in his heart and if he fits that description or not. (Hence, there are no secret sins.) To long for or love Jesus’ appearing reflects how this cursed age, with its flood of sins and deceptions, is so repulsive to the heart of certain people (the righteous ) that they want nothing to do with it. Such want Jesus to appear, who will put a quick end to that and this world system the Christian is now suffering under. This is a hostile spiritual environment and not the saint’s home. As happened to righteous Lot while in Sodom, we Christians are tormented by what we see and hear from the wicked (2 Pet. 2:8) and want it to come to an end.

Christians Long For The Appearing Of Christ

It should be mentioned that the same Greek word for appearing as found in 2 Tim. 4:8 is also in 2 Thess. 2:8. There a very important event occurs:

And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. (2 Thess 2:8)

So what kind of appearing of Christ will it be? It will be a bright or splendorous appearing and not a secret return like the Jehovah’s Witnesses have stated — an invisible spiritual return of Christ in 1914!

The appearing of Christ, which destroys the antichrist (2 Thess. 2:8) is specifically mentioned in Rev. 19:11-20 where the reign of antichrist (the beast) comes to an abrupt end:

But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. (Rev 19:20)

The Glorious Appearing of Christ

Finally, Titus 2:13 described Jesus’ appearing as the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. How sad it is that most of the professing Christians have been duped into believing in an any moment pre-tribulation rapture instead! They are a disaster waiting to happen as far as not being more prepared for super rough days before the Lord’s return.

Getting back to 2 Tim. 4:8 and longing for or loving Jesus’ appearing, Christians are also looking forward to a new heaven and new earth (2 Pet. 3:13) and longing for a heavenly country (Heb. 11:16). Exciting days are ahead for the faithful to God, who endure to the end. That includes much more than receiving the crown of righteousness.

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Does Mary Lead Us To Jesus

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Dan Corner

[Comment From A Catholic] Mary always leads us to Jesus and to follow the will of God in our lives. I’m sorry you are confused about Mary. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. I’m grateful for everyone that leads me closer to Jesus.

Mother Mary[Bible Answer] The Bible teaches it is the Father who draws us to the Lord Jesus (John 6:44), Jesus who draws people to himself (John 12:32) and it is the Holy Spirit who will teach, guide and remind the disciples of everything Jesus said and even glorifies him (John 14:26; John 16:13,14). Mary has NO role in any of those important things, including leading us to Jesus or to follow God’s will. Mary would have to be God-like to accomplish the things you have attributed to her in the lives of millions! That alone should suggest there is something very wrong with Catholicism to exalt a created being that way.

It is vital for Catholics to know the exalted Mary of Catholicism is mythical. She does NOT exist. She cannot help you in any way! She is NOT the real Mary of the Bible, the mother of Jesus. The Bible states absolutely nothing about the real Mary having any kind of role, even microscopic, in the saint’s walk now or helping Christians to get to heaven. The real Mary of the Bible only spoke four times and is the Christian’s sister, not his Mother. She is NOT the sinless, ever-virgin, Queen of Heaven, who is co-reigning with Jesus, as the heaven family gathers around Mary and Jesus. There is no Biblical evidence she is interceding in prayer for us now. Jesus himself (Heb. 7:25) and the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:26) do that for the Christians. It is vital for you, therefore, to shift your trust and reliance away from the mythical Mary of Catholicism to the only savior of mankind, the LORD JESUS. He is the one we are to call upon for salvation (Rom. 10:13; 1 Cor. 1:2) and at the hour of our death (Acts 7:59,60), not Mary!

Fatima Visions

It is great you know Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life as John 14:6 says, but by acknowledging that you are indirectly opposing Roman Catholicism! How you may ask? Because the Roman Catholic Marian visions at Fatima lethally point us to MARY as the Way (not Jesus)! I’m very acquainted with the Fatima visions because they are what finally caused me to leave Roman Catholicism. Here is an actual quote from those visions, which you can verify if you so desire, about the mythical Mary of Catholicism:

I (Mary) will never leave you. My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way that will lead you to God (Lucia Speaks on The Message of Fatima printed by Ave Maria Institute, p.26).

That is clear undeniable proof that Catholicism teaches Mary is “the way” to God and NOT Jesus! They do it indirectly by endorsing the Fatima visions and their spiritual poison. They also have done this by quoting various Popes who trusted in Mary for eternal life. That single error, if believed, will send all such people to hell. That is NOT being unloving, it is speaking the truth of the Bible in love for Catholic people to be aware of the GREAT spiritual danger they are in through their own religious system. To find the eternal life mentioned by Jesus, you must repent (turn away from your sins) and commit yourself 100% to JESUS. NOTE: I didn’t say Jesus and Mary. Turn from your idols to serve the living God (1 Thess. 1:9). The Bible is final authority. Sacred tradition is NOT reliable and must be rejected. Please, for your own good, align your beliefs and behavior to the message of the New Testament. Remember 1 Cor. 6:9-11 and Luke 11:27,28.

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Snake Handling

Posted on May 30, 2012 by Eternal Life Blog

Beautiful West Virginia is not only the home of breathtaking scenic views, it also has a few church congregations which still practice snake handling!snake handling victim

Snake handling churches can also be found in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and South Carolina! There are even some in Canada!

Over the years many people have died over such a strange and fear-invoking tradition, in which people in the congregation actually handle a live rattlesnake, as it is passed around from person to person allegedly to prove their Christian faith!

Most recently, Pastor Mark Randall “Mack” Wolford, age 44 [shown in the picture above] died hours after being bitten on the thigh on May 27, 2012. When a teenager, Mark Wolford saw his own father die of a snakebite!

The Snake Handling Scripture

The basis of their deadly snake handling practice comes from a misuse of Mark 16:17,18 KJV:

And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.

What snake handling people are doing is testing God by deliberately putting themselves in harm’s way. That is similar to what the devil wanted the Lord Jesus to do by throwing himself off the pinnacle of the Temple to be protected by God’s angels (Mt. 4:6,7).snake handling (Testing God is strictly forbidden, except in one way – tithing (Mal. 3:10)!) Often the snake handlers are bitten numerous times before the final strike. Since their snake handling friends, relatives and church leaders are dying off, you would think they would notice the words in Mk. 16:18 — it will not hurt them at all — and realize something is very wrong with what they are doing.

Paul Was NOT A Snake Handler

Unlike the snake handlers of our day, the Apostle Paul was accidentally bitten by a poisonous snake that he didn’t know was there:

Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.” But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god. (Acts 28:3-6)

That is a good passage to contrast to Mark 16:17,18 to better understand how the snake handlers are misapplying the Mark 16:17,18 passage.

Snake Handling Is NOT Proof Of Saving Faith

There are ways to prove our Christian faith, according to Scripture, but NEVER by snake handling! Salvation assurance is never connected to snake handling. Ponder the following carefully:snake handling

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. (Rom 6:22)

We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. (1 John 2:3,4)

Remember, snake handling is a dangerous counterfeit to true Biblical salvation assurance, which is associated with simple holiness and obedience. God bless you.

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Save Yourselves To Get Eternal Life

Posted on May 28, 2012 by Eternal Life Blog

Unless you read the Bible for yourself, you will NEVER come into contact with certain truths of God. Some are so foreign to how many religiously think, that when those truths are discovered they seem like they should not belong in the Bible! The reason for that is the flood of FALSE DOCTRINES we have been suffering under. The multitude of spiritual wolves behind the pulpits, on the radio and TV who have distorted God’s word in various ways and for so long have adversely affected most people who believe the Bible. Especially that would include the ones teaching Calvinism, who believe God alone, apart from man’s free will, chooses the elect — those who come to eternal life and overlooks those who will not (the non elect). The theology of such people can NOT allow them to preach like the Apostle Peter, who told a whole group to save yourselves:

With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” (Acts 2:40)

sad personActs 2:40 is a mega shock to the Calvinists like Luke 11:27,28 are to a Catholic! Clearly, Peter was NOT like the counterfeit grace teachers of our DARK hour. He believed man does have a role in his own salvation and there was something each person needed to do for himself to be saved. That is why he taught save yourselves from this corrupt generation! Peter, whom the Catholics wrongly think was the first pope, is also in direct opposition to the predominant view of saving grace, as well as the general meaning of believe as in John 3:16; etc. The truth is, the belief that we need in order to live forever is the belief in Jesus which obeys. Furthermore, saving grace is NOT unmerited favor. If it was unmerited favor then all would get it including the proud, but God clearly resists the proud. He gives grace to the humble (James 4:6; 1 Pet. 5:5).

Peter Warned The People

To get a warning about a valid danger could make all the difference in one’s future. Though it isn’t clearly mentioned, he probably warned the people about hell. Hence, he told them to save yourselves. His seriousness, without the slightest hint of joking around, emanates from his recorded salvation sermon. That is the proper way the word of God is to be given to others (Titus 2:8). This is deadly serious and people without salvation are in the GREATEST DANGER THAT EXISTS. They need warned and in the proper way.

Peter Pleaded With The People

Peter loved the lost and earnestly wanted them to come to what he knew was real – eternal life. That love of God shed abroad in his heart (Rom. 5:5) was manifested by declaring the gospel. For the lost it manifested in giving them the most valuable bit of information they could ever hear – the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. From that sermon which Peter preached with his warning and pleadings, thousands came to salvation that day. The same is true today when the pure gospel is heard and received. Instant salvation is available for all who will repent and place a faith in Jesus which will follow him. One day the party of this life will be over for the lost, but for the overcomers the party will just begin! Chose you this day whom you will serve (Josh 24:15). As Peter taught, it is your choice. BTW, later in Peter’s ministry he wrote his first epistle. In it he said:

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. (1 Pet 1:22)

Peter was not like the Calvinists! John Calvin’s election is NOT Biblical.

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Nephilim

Posted on May 26, 2012 by Eternal Life Blog

One of the greatest Bible mysteries centers around the Nephilim (or giants) mentioned in the Old Testament. There we learn a bit of man’s history you will never be taught in any secular high school class! We first have a mention of the Nephilim in Genesis 6 and how they were produced:

The sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. (Gen 6:2)

Then in Gen. 6:4,5 we read:

The Nephilim were on the earth in those days–and also afterward–when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown. The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.

It says it was the sons of God who impregnated the women of that day. Who are the sons of God who would do such a strange and wicked thing? In Job 1:6 and 2:7 the sons of God (KJV) along with Satan presented themselves before God’s throne in heaven! nephilimThough they are typically understood to be angels, for the sake of clarity the ones mentioned in Gen. 6:4 must be fallen angels who sided with the evil one. We know the devil has angels working with him from Mt. 25:41:

Then he will say to those on his left, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”

Hence, it must have been fallen angels who cross bred with female humans which resulted in the giants (or Nephilim) back then! Those resultant offspring were one of the reasons (if not the number one reason) for destroying all human life on the planet via the Great Flood, except those in Noah’s Ark. Those days in man’s early history were very wicked and God destroyed all, but righteous Noah and his family! That means all the Nephilim died during the Flood.

The Nephilim Return

After the flood waters receded only Noah and his family were alive on Earth. The population again began to increase. Then years later in the days of Moses we read of the Nephilim again! When the spies returned from looking over the promised land, they said:

We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them. (Num 13:33)

nephilim
So somehow, the evil co-mingling occurred again as before the Great Flood. The description of the Nephilim in Numbers 13:33 might be a huge exaggeration, but the point is clear. They were very tall, but how tall? We can’t get precise, but Og might give us some idea.

The Giant Og

Og was no ordinary human. He was a giant who slept on an iron bed that was more than 13 feet long suggesting his large frame! He was also a Rephaite:

(Only Og king of Bashan was left of the remnant of the Rephaites. His bed was made of iron and was more than thirteen feet long and six feet wide. It is still in Rabbah of the Ammonites.) (Deu 3:11)

The Rephaites, Emites and Anakites were all of the same family:

(The Emites used to live there–a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites. Like the Anakites, they too were considered Rephaites, but the Moabites called them Emites. (Deu 2:10,11)

Now getting back to Numbers 13:33 we learn that the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim. That means Og, of the same family (Dt. 2:10,11), was probably like the Nephilim in size!

The Angels That Sinned

Could it be that the fallen angels who cohabited with humans and sinned are the same ones referred to by Peter?

For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment (2 Pet 2:4)

While these things remain a Bible mystery, there is no mystery about man’s need of everlasting life! Do you know the Lord Jesus (1 John 2:3,4)? Prepare for death and eternity. It’s a long time!

Nephilim (pdf)

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The Gal. 5:19-21 Warning and Eternal Life

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Eternal Life Blog

The Apostle Paul believed in following up on new Christians and even visiting, when possible, the various churches which started because of his labors and personal sacrifices. In fact, that is why his second and third missionary trips began. As Paul traveled around from church to church, he repeated special key truths to the saints for their spiritual benefit. One of the outstanding truths he regularly gave to the Lord’s disciples was a hell warning! Again, it was a hell warning to those, who had already been saved, which is almost completely unheard of in our day. Here is his often repeated grace message about sin:

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Gal 5:19-21)

The words as I did before shows he repeated those facts to them at an earlier time. That passage must be very important to know about. It cites sins, which will cause a disinheritance from the kingdom of God, for the saints. Paul wanted the Christians to know about the lethal effects of those sins and that sin is still the issue. He warned them. How distressing it is to hear people in our day refer to Gal. 5:19-21 yet teach it in such a way to as to assure people in sin that they must “practice” or “live” in sexual immorality, drunkenness, etc. to be lethally affected. It should be apparent that something has to be very wrong with their warped teaching just by knowing that one act of adultery makes a person a Bible defined adulterer (Lev. 20:10) and adulterers will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9,10). Therefore, it doesn’t have to be a practice of sin or “living” in sin to cause a Christian to lose his salvation, according to Paul. Biblical evidence proves that King David lost his salvation when he committed adultery and murder.

Luke 22:23

More related evidence is revealed by noting that the word “do” (KJV) in Gal. 5:21 is also found in Luke 22:23:

The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed, but woe to that man who betrays him. They began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this. (Luke 22:22,23)

judas iscariot
There it refers to a one time act! Hence, while it is true that the word translated “do” (KJV) in Gal. 5:21 can mean practice, IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE PRACTICE! How is that shown in Luke 22:23? It is shown because Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus in a ONE TIME ACT! It was not practice, yet the same Greek word is used as in Gal. 5:21! May those who teach a license to sin from Gal. 5:19-21 be silenced forever before they stumble more with their candy-coated lies about grace and everlasting life. It is holiness or hell. Do NOT be deceived by anyone who would teach differently. To reap eternal life you will have to sow to please the Spirit (Gal. 6:8,9). You can NOT do that if you are occasionally committing adultery, occasionally getting drunk, occasionally committing idolatry, etc. Hell is certainly populated by many people who thought they were saved but were not living holy. Jesus’ sheep follow him (John 10:27). They alone are promised not to be plucked out of Jesus’ hands, given eternal life and never perish (John 10:28). Are you a real Christian? Remember the disinheritance warning found in Gal. 5:19-21. It is a relevant warning for the righteous about turning to evil.

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