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One of the important tasks God has assigned aspiring strong men and great women of God in the image of Jesus Christ is to stand in every generation against the barrage of assaults upon the historicity, mission and literal resurrection from the dead of our Lord Jesus Christ! Tied to the doubt about the possibility of His resurrection, of course, is His bodily ascension into Heaven and this whole business of the unseen spiritual realm. While God in His infinite wisdom has cloaked the spiritual realm from our natural observation at this present time in His plans for mankind, He has not left us without some knowledge and insight about it in His Word (2 Kings 6:15-17)!
Without exception, though, no man can begin to glean the slightest appreciation for God, His power even to raise the dead, the unseen eternal spiritual realm He inhabits or the things therein unless he is first willing to believe that He is. For faith is the normative prerequisite for seeing God and His power through the general and special revelation of His Word as written testimony (Psalm 19:1-6; Habakkuk 2:4; Mark 5:21-43; Romans 1:16-20; Hebrews 11:1-7)! Thus, this edited 2013 blog repost and the three to follow are intended to edify, encourage and inspire rejoicing in faithful Christians as aspiring strong men and great women of God in Christ’s image that continue to celebrate the eye opening events on and which follow Resurrection Sunday. Keep standing, beloved; keep standing!
Originally Posted April 7, 2013
That “the Lord God Omnipotent” is able to raise the dead should not be of any issue whatsoever for anyone that even just acknowledges the existence of God (Revelation 19:6, NKJV). However, to make a valid case against the power of God to raise the dead unbelievers and professing Christian scoffers as impostors, willful and de facto apostates alike must overcome the towering hope of ancient men of faith and important historical narrative witness recorded in the Old Testament of the Bible that precedes that of the New Testament centering upon the Lord Jesus Christ.
Of course, they try anyway because they must find a way (any way) to justify their unbelief and the heavy weight of sin guilt and condemnation that otherwise awaits them in refusing to accept the divine testimony preserved in Holy Scripture. Born again, faithful Christians rejoice to have the testimony of the Word and inner working of the Holy Spirit to appreciate the awesome power of God to accomplish whatever is His will (Jeremiah 32:16-27; Luke 1:30-37; Ephesians 2:1-7)!
Indeed, the book of Job may be the oldest in the Bible. Job in great affliction and distress of soul nevertheless, expresses hope in his own bodily resurrection from the dead accomplished by God when he says: “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me,” (Job 19:25-27, NKJV)! God, the Redeemer here is none other than Jesus Christ! Faith in God’s power to do the impossible including raising the dead is typical of the Old Testament saints (Hebrews 11:30-40) but for brevity’s sake, consider two more.
The great patriarch and father of faith, Abraham, was commanded of God as a test to sacrifice to Him his promised son, Isaac (Genesis 22:1-10). In commenting on Abraham’s state of mind during the test, the writer of Hebrews states: “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac…concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead,” (Hebrews 11:17-19, NKJV). King David was presented a glorious promise by God of an eternal Descendant to sit upon his throne. Being a prophet of the Lord, he was blessed to offer up prophetic utterance concerning his future Descendant captured in many of his Psalms.
In Psalm 16 quoted by Peter on the Day of Pentecost in the aftermath of Christ’s resurrection and ascension, the voice of David’s future Son is heard through him expressing confidence that God will not leave His body dead or His spirit in the realm of the departed. He says, “My flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You will show me the path of life,” (Psalm 16:9b-11a; Acts 2:22-32, NKJV). Finally, there are narrative resurrection accounts featuring two of God’s well known Old Testament prophets, Elijah and his understudy, Elisha and alluded to in Hebrews 11:35.
The Lord answered the intercessory acts and prayer of Elijah to raise a dead boy to life so that the joy filled prophet exclaimed to his mother, ‘“See, your son lives,’” (1 Kings 17:17-24, NKJV)! While it was a bit more involved, sometime later after Elijah’s whirlwind ride into glory, Elisha also was God’s vessel for displaying His power to raise another woman’s son from the dead (2 Kings 4:8-37). The God who created the heavens, earth and all living things has the power to kill and make alive again (Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 32:39; 1 Samuel 2:6)! Therefore, the issue of believing whether God raised Christ from the dead is not can He, it is will the person hearing the Gospel believe it or not to the saving of his soul (John 3:16-21; 1 Corinthians 15:1-20)?
On this Palm Sunday 2016, the Lord has directed me to repost this edited 2013 blog that as it turns out was a prelude to important posts on apostasy He led me to make in February 2014. After reading this blog, I encourage you to follow it up by reading “The Falling Away” and “The Man Of Sin” under the category, Bible Prophecy as well as “Is There No King Among Us” under the category, Call To Repent. Concerning this repost, I am certain that in the midst of all the outward display of religiosity by professing Christians beginning today through this upcoming Resurrection Sunday--my 39th spiritual birthday, the Lord is giving us a reality check (Luke 6:43-45). Hear the Word of the Lord! In honor of the occasion, this post will stand until a new one is made on April 3rd. Hosanna!
Originally Posted March 24, 2013
It is Palm Sunday 2013 and who could have imagined that a major issue in the churches of Jesus Christ at this hour is the rising tide of apostasy in Western Christianity? Contrary to the position of some that Christian apostasy is impossible, the Bible not only says it is possible, but foretells it with deceit as among the evil features of these latter days before the return of the Lord (Matthew 24:3-4, 9-10; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4; 1 Timothy 4:1-2). Now, if God in His Word says something is not only possible, but will occur, what man is there filled with the Holy Spirit and coming to Scripture ready to be taught solely by what it says that will teach otherwise?
The same Scripture teaches only men devoid of the Holy Spirit or quenching His fire that come to the Word with their minds already made up, who refuse to accept its teaching and impose on its sacred verses their own doctrines will teach other than what is written. These are impostors, false prophets and teachers, carnal men and apostates walking about in cynical unbelief creating divisions; men of which as well are members of Christianity the religion’s educated elite who arrogantly exalt and cite themselves as wise authorities and blindly lead one another into the ditch of divine displeasure (Matthew 15:12-14, 24:11; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 3:1-4, 18-23; 2 Peter 2; Jude 3-19).
For the sake of clear biblical definition, apostasy is in subsequent unbelief to willfully forsake, turn from following, deny or renounce the Lord or the faith outright or to practice sin without repentance after having first truly believed (Ezekiel 18:24-26; Mark 8:34-38; Titus 1:10-16; Hebrews 3:5-19). It is silly to interpret Bible passages that speak of apostasy as referring only to persons that never believed and are later exposed as impostors. An impostor is a fraudulent pretender from beginning to end, while Scripture teaches the apostate actually believed God’s message and enjoyed its fruit but after a time, completely turned from Him and His Word in unbelief. The only things the impostor and the apostate share in common are unbelief and where they will spend eternity after the judgment of God (Luke 12:42-46; Romans 11:19-22; Hebrews 6:4-8, 10:26-31).
Apostates are of two kinds: willful and de facto. One that is willful openly turns from the Lord. A de facto apostate is one such as the apostle Paul refers in Titus 1:15-16 that professes with his mouth to know God, but actually denies Him by his corrupt doctrines and unrepentant lifestyle. To this hour, such have been the greater number of apostates since the first century who discover too late in Hades that God does not judge us by a one-time profession of faith, but by deeds that demonstrate faith’s continuing vitality in and to the end of our lives (Matthew 24:13; Romans 1:16-17, 2:5-11; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Galatians 5:19-21, 6:7-8; Hebrews 3:5-6, 14, 10:35-39; James 2:14-26).
The tide of apostasy in Western Christianity has been slowly rising for the last five centuries since the failed reformation attempt of Catholicism and splinter groups of every kind formed under the umbrella of Protestantism. All manner of heretical instruction has infiltrated the post-Reformation daughter churches of Catholicism not just by patently false uncredentialed teachers, but as already mentioned, those calling themselves scholars, theologians--the religious educated elite.
As the Lord leads me to discuss in the final chapter of my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics directed to pastors and churches, the last hundred years have been especially devastating in the churches as under the guise of academic freedom and theological discourse, proud professionals as cynical unbelievers and de facto apostates have churned out or upheld any number of false, confusing and conflicting doctrines in a not so funny comedy of errors that often has persisted even after being challenged. As I point out in my book, for example, this evil state of affairs has led to churches not upholding the biblical worldview of marriage, family and men as God’s appointed leaders.
Now, with worldly political correctness, tolerance, truth and moral relativity added to the mix in the churches along with related entities, there is a free for all where men and women with credentials from esteemed institutions hold any viewpoint and spout any kind of doctrine that can no longer be challenged from the Word of God because that is his or hers expertly held personal theology. Those that challenge these de facto apostates anyway in earnestly contending for the faith are considered intolerant, divisive, out of touch and “holier than thou.”
Meanwhile, willful apostates are not only found in the Bible colleges and seminaries of Western Christianity, but in steady increase church pulpits. This growing apostasy will continue to flower until it reaches the near at hand foretold culminating event in the face of severe global persecution and before the Antichrist’s appearing followed gloriously by the Day of the Lord (2 Thessalonians 2:3)!
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