I Pledge Allegiance: A Prophetic Parable

The command was pretty straightforward: “When the trumpet is sounded, every person must fall prostrate before the golden idol.” Remember, this was not a call to idolatry in the pure sense of the term. In Daniel 3:9, the distinction is drawn between “serving the Babylonian gods” and “bowing to the golden image.” This idol did not bear the name of a pagan god. It had not been created in the mold of the golden calf or the baals and ahserot of Israel’s ancient enemies. This was not the defeated Dagon who had crumbled before the Philistines. It was not a representative of the menacing Marduk or the mysterious Ahura-Mazda.

No, the summons was not an invitation to worship a symbol of recognized divinity, but a call for allegiance to a state. It was a call to unhindered patriotism. The idol represented the impregnable kingdom of Babylon–a multi-ethnic empire that flourished in the arts and was technologically advanced; a well fortified state with the best military in the world. This golden tower indicated the spirit of Babylon.

Neutral Symbol?

Knowing that his administrators included those who would not consciously bow to a foreign god, Nebuchadnezaar had created an image that bore the semblances of neutrality. It had no name and claimed no portion of heaven or earth as its jurisdiction. It was not responsible for warfare, famine, rain, or vegetation. This was an idol that represented an ideal. This was the personification of Babylon, the greatest kingdom on earth. The empire of Babylon was the melting pot of the ancient world. Africans, Europeans, and Asians lived together under the same rule of law. The culture was infused with the exotic sounds, tastes, and smells of distant lands. This is what the mighty statue represented–the foundation of a new world order where Babylon reigned supreme.

Those privileged with Babylonian citizenship undoubtedly felt that their nation was worthy of adulation. Their young men were known for their scientific prowess. The hanging gardens in the midst of the city was heralded an international wonder. This was not a backwards country like Assyria or Israel. This nation invoked pride. Its citizens never once questioned how Babylon had achieved its greatness. They never once reflected on the fact that other societies and cultures had to be pillaged and destroyed in order for Babylon to attain her esteem.

With the combined national adrenalin running high, it was no surprise that as soon as the orchestra began to play the Babylonian national anthem, the tens of thousands who had gathered on the Plain of Dura fell prostrate in concert. Old and young assumed the position of begging canines as they paid patriotic homage to their land. As the melody permeated the air, the emotions were evoked in the civic worshipers as they kissed the ground with tear filled eyes–pledging eternal allegiance to a land whose days were numbered.

National Pressure

It is hard to resist the pressure when an entire nation is ravaged with nationalistic fever. I’m sure there were many silent objectors on the Plain of Dura who would have much rather been engaged in their favorite pastime. Some may even have felt foolish groveling in front of a piece of polished metal. Among the crowd were many Sons of Israel who had been taken into captivity with other Jews. They were familiar with the Lord’s commandments and understood that even though this image was not intended to represent a divinity, it was indeed a graven image. They knew that bowing down to this symbol meant turning their backs on God.

However, as they looked at the military guards stationed in strategic positions around the Plain, they feared for their safety. They forgot the promise penned by David who declared, “The angel of the Lord camps around those who fear Him, and he delivers them” (Psalm 34:7). They forgot the Shemah which declared that there is only one Yahweh. They forgot their professed identity as children of the living God who had declared loyalty to the Divine theocracy.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had no delusions about the implications of bowing to the image. Although the 90 feet structure towered menacingly above them, they recalled that it was a mere ant in the presence of the God who towers above the heavens and the earth. Although they knew that those who refused to bow would immediately be thrown into a fiery furnace, they also understood that all those who worshiped the beast and his image will be thrown into the unquenchable lake of fire and brimstone. Although they felt every eye of the gullible worshipers affixed on them, they knew these human eyes were outnumbered by the angelic eyes in the heavenly courts. With this firm assurance entrenched in their hearts, when the imperial orchestra transmitted its harmonious melodies throughout the airwaves and all those around them fell prostrate before the image, these three soldiers for Yahweh remained erect.

This was no easy feat for the three Hebrew men. They were in a strange land with no embassy to protect them. They did not have the luxury of diplomatic immunity. They could not appeal to the Supreme Court. Nebuchadnezzar had absolute power and his word was irrevocable law. When the three servants of God refused to pledge allegiance to the symbol of national identity, they knew that their earthly days were numbered.

No to Compromise

When the enforcers informed Nebuchadnezaar of the defiance displayed by the Hebrew men, Nebuchadnezaar was somewhat saddened. These were solid members of his government who had served valiantly and faithfully. They accomplished their tasks with accuracy and professionalism and had raised the standard of efficiency in their respective departments. Surely these loyal workers who have made fine contributions to the empire would not openly defy the President of the United States of Babylon.

When the case was brought to the king, he loosely interpreted his own law and sought to give them a second chance to prove their patriotism. After all, this was not worship in the true sense. They were not being cajoled to bow to a real god. They were just being asked to acknowledge the accomplishments of the only remaining super power. What could be wrong with this? What could be wrong with pledging allegiance to a nation through a physical emblem?

Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah listened to the king and then offered their respectful response. “O King, if the only option we have is to be thrown into the fiery furnace, then so be it. But we will not serve your gods, nor will we pledge allegiance to your golden statue. Please don’t think we are being rude, but we serve a God who is able to deliver us from the fiery furnace, and from your hand. And even if he chooses not to, we will not bow down to your image.”

Publically embarrassed by their response and infuriated by their pious obstinance, Nebuchadnezaar ordered the furnace to be made seven times hotter and passed judgement on the brave soldiers of God. Those who know the story, will recall that God miraculously delivered the young men and the king was impressed to the point of conversion.

Conclusion

Everybody’s story may not end like the three Hebrews. Some who choose not to pledge allegiance to the image may have to endure the horrors of the furnace without any benefit of divine anaesthesia. Those who serve God should not be beguiled by the Lois Lane expectations of Superman coming to the rescue in the nick of time. The Hebrews were assured not by the belief that God would deliver, but the knowledge that he could. Consequently, they were not going to sell their souls for a false sense of belonging and a fragile security. There were some things more important than dutiful obedience to country with ditto-headed mesmerism. They had a prophetic responsibility to stand for God even if the heavens fell.

As you contemplate this parable, how will you respond when the music plays? Will you join the loyal throng who seek security in the system, or will you resist the urge to conform to the secular spirit?

Keith Augustus Burton is an adjunct faculty member at Oakwood University and Florida Hospital College of Health Sciences.

THE ADVENTISTS: A NEW DOCUMENTARY

With twenty minutes to go until show time, a large, chatty crowd already filled the Loma Linda University Church to see a documentary, THE ADVENTISTS, by Martin Doblmeier, the filmmaker who also screened his feature films on Deitrich Bonhoeffer and forgiveness at the church within the last three years.

Thanks to a media blitz by local news organizations covering the event, a much larger crowd assembled for this film than came to hear Jan Paulsen speak on environmental stewardship at the same venue a few weeks ago.

As people continued pouring in, I mused over such a large crowd of Adventists gathering to see a movie about Adventists. It’s normal I suppose. We all look for our own faces in photos. That isn’t navel gazing, is it?

After the documentary's West Coast premiere in Loma Linda, it will air on PBS, as did Doblmeier’s other films.

Coming at a unique moment in history when the United States Congress is on the verge of enacting major health care legislation, the film places the history and tradition of Seventh-day Adventists into the current health care conversation.

The film opens with the 1860’s and the Civil War, a time when medicine was “still in the dark ages.” Through cinematic reenactments, the film depicts medical techniques employed in the 1800s like bleeding patients to remove diseases from the body. In 1863, Ellen White claimed a new vision for health that introduced a body-mind-spirit approach to healing. One-hundred fifty years later, the irony is that Adventists who believe in the near end of the world are now among the healthiest and longest lived people on the globe.

THE ADVENTISTS dwells on the irony in Adventism’s birth in the Great Disappointment (an event grounded in religious millenarian expectations) juxtaposed with its current emphasis on world class health care. The film traces Adventism’s emphasis on health back to Ellen White’s some two thousand visions, which Adventists believe came directly from God, the film states. One vision in particular, Ellen’s “comprehensive health vision,” marked a shift toward health reform. Ellen White’s favorite foods at the time were meat and white bread, the film states mischievously.

In 1866, the Adventist-owned and run Western Health Reform Center in Battle Creek became a success because so few were dying. John Harvey Kellogg became its director, changing its name to Battle Creek Sanitarium. Among its famous patients, presidents William Howard Taft and Warren G. Harding, Amelia Earhardt, Mr. and Mrs. J. C Penny, Henry Ford, and Mary Todd Lincoln.

Kellogg split with church leadership, but put Adventist health care on the map.

Watch clips from the documentary here.

Moving to modern Adventist health care, the film takes us to protests over Leonard Bailey’s Baby Fae baboon heart transplant in 1984. Loma Linda University didn’t know if it wanted that kind of publicity. Like it or not, Adventist health care was the face of the church to the public.

Today, Adventists are making headlines again about longer life expectancy. National Geographic published a widely publicized article that featured long-lived Adventists, which became the basis of Dan Buettner’s Blue Zones book.

Ninety-five year old Ellsworth Wareham remains an active part of a cardiothoracic surgery team at Loma Linda University. “It’s a nice idea that stress causes heart disease, but it most likely comes off your plate,” Wareham tells the camera.

The film explores the paradox of an Adventist campus—Loma Linda University—that at one end teaches the church’s conservative Christian theology, including belief in the imminent end of the world and the second coming of Christ, while at the other end of campus combines cutting edge holistic healing and scientific medical technology.

This is Adventism's story: conservative Christian denomination that combats cancer with state of the art technology that it developed—the proton accelerator. Pioneers who believed Jesus would come during their lifetimes and pioneering procedures like Florida Hospital’s robotic prostate cancer surgery, which makes surgery safer and less expensive. Today’s remote surgery technologies herald the possibility of performing inter-state—even inter-continental—procedures in the future. Disney turned to Adventists for the creation and design of new health facility in Florida – Celebration Health. More like a spa than a hospital, the facility focuses on healthy living in addition to medical procedures. The notion of community plays a key role in treatments at Celebration Health.

The film provides a broad spectrum of voices on Adventism including George Knight (Andrews University), Roy Branson and Richard Rice (Loma Linda University), Charles Scriven, Rebekah Wang and Frank Perez (Kettering), Cindy Tutusch (Ellen White Estate), Charles White (Great-great Grandson of Ellen White), Leonard Bailey (Loma Linda University Medical Center), Des Cummings, Lars Houmann and Linda Lynch (Florida Hospital) and Deborah Kotz (US News & World Report).

Alan Ginsburg was a patient at Adventist Health Care System's Florida Hospital, and was concerned, being a Jew, that he not be proselytized at an Adventist facility. Pleasantly, he found his own tradition honored. Ginsburg told the camera that a lot of people have heart attacks when they grow old, and he wants to be in Florida Hospital when he has his.

THE ADVENTISTS artfully combines a sweeping historical overview of Adventism with the voices of Adventists on mission, doctrine, polity and longevity. Charles Scriven debunks dualistic Platonism, noting that Adventists take the body to be essentially good. Richard Rice adds that human beings are essentially physical—no part of us lives independently of physical bodies. A 91 year old patient is asked during a physical exam whether he is taking any blood pressure medication “No!” he responds wryly, “you have to get older for that.” Another woman in her nineties confesses, “I don’t eat anything that had a mother.”

Doblmeier Answers Questions

When the film ended, Doblmeier took questions from the audience after briefly noting that publicity for the film is largely made possible through individual donors. The film is slated for broadcast on PBS over the next two years, beginning with Southern California affiliate KCET on April 7th. Doblmeier estimates that tens of millions will see the documentary.

During the Q & A, Doblmeier talked about his own experience with Adventists, the possibility of translating the film into other languages, his assessment of one Adventist weakness, and his reasons for making the film.

When asked about the film’s impact on him personally, Doblmeier said, “ I’m not a SDA, but part of my heart will always be Adventist,” which met with applause. Doblmeier lauded the sincerity with which Adventists take Sabbath. Sunday for most Christians is a day to go to church and then do chores, he said, and complimented the sincerity of Adventists who rest mind, body and spirit on Sabbath.

Next he responded to the observation that the documentary was highly complementary toward Adventists. Were there any negative aspects? Doblmeier stated that he is very appreciative of the Adventist community, but also added that Adventists are very self critical/analytical, always asking,

“What does it mean to be us?” He suggested getting back to doing the work (he did not elaborate), and focusing less on self analysis.

When the moderator noted that Doblmeier seems to have a good grasp of Adventist lingo, the filmmaker quipped that when he previously interacted with the Jewish community, he used to talk about the Borstch circuit. “Now I’m on the haystack circuit,” he said to laughter and applause.

Doblmeier said that he has received numerous requests to translate the film into other languages. Spanish will likely come first, he said. There have also been offers to translate to Hindi and Russian. The film took about seven years to complete. It came about in part because Doblmeier’s mother was a patient at Florida Hospital, and reported being cared for with love. Doblmeier brought that experience with him into the making of the film. He later came to LLU and was introduced to unique balance between worship and technology and science.

After demurring on a rambling question about Adventist hospitals that perform abortions, Doblmeier responded to a question about showing the film to Congress where the Health Care Debate is reaching its peak. Noting that Barry Black, the chaplain of the Senate, is an Adventist, Doblmeier said he hopes to arrange a screening on Capitol Hill as well as at the upcoming General Conference session in Atlanta.

One woman affirmed Adventism’s secti-ness saying that the church has struggled from Ellen White until now with not being part of the world. The film, she said, spoke to her heart about why we are standing apart and why we need to. Doblmeier responded flatly that Christ didn’t do that. He made it a part of his daily process to be involved with people where they were – a most important thing to remember, he said to applause.

*This version corrects a quote erroneously attributed to poet Allen Ginsberg rather than Floridian Alan Ginsburg.

R. Wresch, M.D

The 10 Commandments: Are They Still In Effect?

Why Don’t Many Christian Leaders and Scholars Believe Genesis?

 Many people think that Bible scholars and other Christian leaders or educators who accept millions of years and hold to the gap theory or day-age view or framework hypothesis or a localized Noachian Flood do so because of careful attention to the Biblical text in the original languages.1

However, the following old-earth proponents’ own words indicate that evolutionary theories about the history and age of the earth and universe are the determining factor influencing their understanding of Genesis 1-11. Error-prone and, in many cases, erroneous scientific interpretations about the unobserved past appear to have a higher authority for them than Scripture does. Consider these statements, made by Christian scholars who all avowedly affirm that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God. All of these scholars are clear that they accept the millions of years or, at least, lean quite strongly in that direction. But some of them are not clear about precisely which old-earth interpretation of Genesis they favor. That is why I say in some cases that someone “apparently favors” a particular view.

Dr. Gleason Archer (Old Testament professor), a staunch defender of the integrity and historicity of Scripture, nonetheless advocated the day-age view:

“From a superficial reading of Genesis 1, the impression would seem to be that the entire creative process took place in six twenty-four-hour days. If this was the true intent of the Hebrew author . . . this seems to run counter to modern scientific research, which indicates that the planet Earth was created several billion years ago.”2

Actually, it is not just a superficial reading that leads one to the young-earth view. As Archer later notes, Genesis 1 “reads like perfectly straightforward history.”3 Careful exegesis supports the same conclusion. Unfortunately, Dr. Archer never interacted with the best creationist exegesis in his very brief arguments for the day-age view. His main biblical argument was that too much happened on the sixth day for it to be a literal 24-hour day. And so none of the days of creation could have been literal. For a refutation of his argument, see the middle of this article: “Are (Biblical) Creationists “Cornered?”.”

Dr. James Montgomery Boice (pastor and Bible scholar) rejected theistic evolution, but he also rejected the Flood as the cause of most of the fossil record. He had doubts about the gap theory and saw problems with the day-age view and framework hypothesis. So, he was not sure how to harmonize the Bible with millions of years. He stated:

“We have to admit here that the exegetical basis of the creationists is strong. . . . In spite of the careful biblical and scientific research that has accumulated in support of the creationists’ view, there are problems that make the theory wrong to most (including many evangelical) scientists . . . . Data from various disciplines point to a very old earth and an even older universe.”4

Dr. Meredith Kline (Old Testament professor), advocate of the “framework hypothesis,”5 who believes Adam was a historical person but rejects the literal history of Genesis 1 and Genesis 6–9, even entertaining the possibility that Adam evolved from some ape-like creature:

“In this article I have advocated an interpretation of biblical cosmogony according to which Scripture is open to the current scientific view of a very old universe and, in that respect, does not discountenance the theory of the evolutionary origin of man. But while I regard the widespread insistence on a young earth to be a deplorable disservice to the cause of biblical truth, I at the same time deem commitment to the authority of scriptural teaching to involve the acceptance of Adam as an historical individual, the covenantal head and ancestral fount of the rest of mankind, and the recognition that it was the one and same divine act that constituted him the first man, Adam the son of God (Luke 3:38), that also imparted to him life (Gen. 2:7).”6

Dr. Gordon Lewis (theology professor) and Dr. Bruce Demarest (theology professor), apparently favor the day-age view. They admit:

“At first reading the creation account seems to indicate that these six days of creative activity were twenty-four hours each.”7

Nevertheless, they conclude that:

“ultimately, responsible geology must determine the length of the Genesis days.”8

We can only wonder how these theologians know when geologists are doing “responsible” geology. They do not say in their theology book quoted above, but they apparently assume that the majority of geologists over the past 200 years have been doing responsible geology in their dogmatic proclamation of millions of years as proven fact.

Dr. Pattle Pun (biology professor at a Christian college), a progressive creationist who rejects the straightforward understanding of Genesis 1–11 (although he does not accept biological evolution, he does accept the millions of years of universe and earth history):

“It is apparent that the most straightforward understanding of the Genesis record, without regard to all of the hermeneutical considerations suggested by science, is that God created heaven and earth in six solar days, that man was created in the sixth day, that death and chaos entered the world after the Fall of Adam and Eve, that all of the fossils were the result of the catastrophic universal deluge which spared only Noah’s family and the animals therewith.”9

Dr. Pun’s phrase, “without regard to all of the hermeneutical considerations suggested by science,” indicates that he regards the conclusions of the majority of contemporary scientists (which he misleadingly equates with “science”) as authoritative. Thus, science, in his view, requires a metaphorical approach to the interpretation of Genesis 1.

Dr. Bruce Waltke (Old Testament professor), who advocates the “framework hypothesis” and theistic evolution:

“The days of creation may also pose difficulties for a strict historical account. Contemporary scientists almost unanimously discount the possibility of creation in one week, and we cannot summarily discount the evidence of the earth sciences.”10

In a video clip posted on the BioLogos website on March 24, 2010, and then withdrawn around April 2, 2010, Dr. Waltke made the following statement, clearly aligning himself with a theistic evolution position quite similar to that promoted by BioLogos:

“I think that if the data is overwhelming in favor of evolution, [then] to deny that reality will make us a cult, some odd group that’s not really interacting with the real world, and rightly so.”11

Dr. Waltke is certainly correct that no evidence should be summarily discounted. To do so would not be the intellectually responsible way for a Christian to deal with the issue. The problem is that Dr. Waltke does not seem to recognize the difference between evidence or data on the one hand and the interpretation of the evidence or data on the other. After careful, thorough scrutiny of the assumptions and logic used by evolutionary cosmologists, geologists, and biologists in their interpretations of their selected data, young-earth creation scientists have rejected the evolutionists’ interpretation of the evidence and then written many critiques of those evolutionary arguments in technical scientific journal articles and full-length books.12 So, creation scientists (and the Christians who seriously consider their writings) are most definitely not “summarily discounting the evidence” for evolution and millions of years or failing to “really interact with the real world.” Dr. Waltke does not appear to have considered carefully the well-reasoned creationist responses to the geological and cosmological theories of millions of years and the evolutionary story for the origin of all the variety of plants and animals.

Dr. John Sailhamer (Old Testament professor), who advocates that Genesis 1:1 speaks of the creation of everything sometime in the remote past (a kind of gap-theory), but from Genesis 1:2 onwards the text describes the creation of the Garden of Eden (and the creatures in and around it), which he equates with the land of Canaan (i.e., the Promise Land):

“I’m convinced that the arguments I cite . . . not only point the way to a proper understanding of the first two chapters of Genesis, but they also enable us to live in peace with the findings of modern science.”13

Dr. Wayne Grudem (theology professor), who apparently leans toward the day-age view:

“Although our conclusions are tentative, at this point in our understanding, Scripture seems to be more easily understood to suggest (but not to require) a young earth view, while the observable facts of creation seem increasingly to favor an old earth view.”14

Dr. J. P. Moreland (philosophy professor), who also apparently leans toward the day-age view:

“The date of creation is a difficult question, but on exegetical grounds alone, the literal twenty-four-hour-day view is better. However, since the different progressive creationist views are plausible exegetical options on hermeneutical grounds alone, then if science seems to point to a universe of several billions of years, it seems allowable to read Genesis in this light.”15

Dr. Millard Erickson (theology professor), who leans toward the day-age view:

“At present, the view which I find most satisfactory is a variation of the age-day theory. There are too many exegetical difficulties attached to the gap theory, while the flood theory involves too great a strain upon the geological evidence.”16

Dr. Kenneth Mathews (Old Testament professor), who seems to favor the day-age view and appears to view Noah’s Flood as localized in the Middle East (even though he admits that the language of Genesis 6–9 seems to be clearly describing a global flood):

“. . . Christianity is a comprehensive worldview that integrates and explains how all truth, regardless of source, is God’s truth. This is not to say, however, that the Bible comments on physical mechanisms in such a way that specific correlations with modern reconstruction can be made conclusively. Rather, scientific discovery adds to our sensibilities in the hermeneutics of a literal versus non-literal interpretation. Because we have a knowledge of our universe that exceeds that of our predecessors, we are in a better position to recognize in the Bible phenomenological descriptions of our world (e.g., Ps 93:1b; Eccl 1:5). . . . Early Jewish and Christian interpreters were troubled that it took God seven days to create the world, whereas modern interpreters are puzzled by the brevity of creation in light of geology’s testimony to the age of the earth.”17

Dr. Norman Geisler (philosopher and seminary president), who apparently leans toward the day-age view:

“The problem is deepened by the fact that there is prima facie evidence to indicate that the days of Genesis are indeed twenty-four-hour periods....18 The Scientific Evidence for Long Days. Most scientific evidence sets the age of the world at billions of years. The age of the universe is based on the speed of light and the distance of the stars as well as the rate of expansion of the universe.19 Early rocks have been dated in terms of radioactivity and set at billions of years old.20 Simply given the rate that salt runs into the sea21 and the amount of salt there would suggest multimillions of years.”22

Dr. C. John Collins (Old Testament professor), who advocates the “anthropomorphic days” view, which is similar to the day-age view, states:

“First, it is true that modern geology does not depend on Scripture (it isn’t true that it ignores it, though: many works cite James Ussher’s chronology for the world). But this is a far cry from saying that it sets itself in opposition to the Bible. In fact, most of the pioneering geologists in early nineteenth-century England were pious Anglicans—some were clergy. It would only be right to say that geology opposes Scripture if we were sure that Scripture requires us to believe that the world is young—and the early geologists thought the Bible gave room for other possible interpretations.”23

Dr. Collins’s statement is inaccurate and misleading in two ways. First, modern evolutionary geology most certainly does ignore Scripture because it considers the Bible completely irrelevant to the task of reconstructing the past history of the Earth. And evolutionary geologists completely reject the global Flood of Noah’s day and the biblical chronology. It is hard to imagine how evolutionary geologists could be more opposed to the Scriptures. I have met many Christians who have described the hostility toward the Bible that they have witnessed in geology courses, both at the undergraduate and graduate level.

Second, the early nineteenth century clergy-geologists (such as the Anglicans William Buckland, Adam Sedgwick, and William Conybeare), who advocated millions of years, never showed from the biblical text how their views of earth history were consistent with Scripture.24 While they may have been pious in the sense of a moral life, faithful church attendance, and faith in Christ as Savior, they failed to properly handled (and essentially ignored) the Word of God given in Genesis. The Great Turning Point provides a more accurate understanding of the early nineteenth century old-earth geologists, as well as of the “scriptural geologists” at that time who raised strong biblical, geological, and philosophical arguments against the various old-earth views and Christian compromise views.

Dr. Collins continues at the end of his section on geology with the following statement after discussing briefly the work of Steve Austin (a prominent young-earth geologist) and G. Brent Dalrymple (a leading evolutionary geologist) on radiometric dating:

“There are plenty of technical details on both sides [of radiometric dating and the question of the age of the earth], and I don’t pretend to know how to assess them. However, I am confident in saying that Dalrymple has played fair with people he disagrees deeply with—he has read Austin’s material and measured it against reasonable criteria for a technical work.25 He found it wanting because it did not meet the criteria. It therefore doesn’t look to me like Austin’s claim to call into question radiometric dating should carry much weight with us. I conclude, then that I have no reason to disbelieve the standard theories of the geologists, including their estimate for the age of the earth. They may be wrong, for all I know; but if they are wrong, it’s not because they have improperly smuggled philosophical assumptions into their work.”26

This statement is problematic in several ways. First, since Dr. Collins admits that he is unqualified to assess the technical arguments either Dalrymple or Austin make, both of whom are PhD geologists, his confidence in the claims of Dalrymple is unwarranted. The basis of his confidence appears to be little more than that there are more people who agree with Dalrymple than with Austin. Second, Dr. Collins’s assertion that standard geological theories have not “improperly smuggled philosophical assumptions into their work” is difficult to interpret. If he means that evolutionary geologists evaluate scientific evidence based on their philosophical presuppositions and it is not improper to do so, then it is true, for no scientist can interpret scientific evidence without presuppositions. But then the critical point is that those philosophical assumptions of the secular geologists are not consistent with, but quite contrary to, biblical revelation. Creationist geologists openly declare that they are using biblical presuppositions in their interpretation of the evidence.

On the other hand, if Dr. Collins means that standard evolutionary geologists are operating without philosophical preconceptions, then he is mistaken, as the article “Philosophical Naturalism and the Age of the Earth: Are They Related?” reveals. In either case, Dr. Collins has not given sufficient attention in his book on faith and science to the fact that all interpretations of geological evidence (or any other scientific evidence) are influenced and controlled by the investigator’s preconceptions (which proceed in significant measure from his religious/philosophical worldview).

It is puzzling that Dr. Collins admits that evolutionary geologists may be wrong about the age of the earth for all he knows, and yet he rejects the arguments of Bible-believing creationist geologists (with earned PhDs from secular universities) showing why old-earth geological theories are wrong. But he accepts old-earth geological theories as determinative in his interpretation of Scripture. As a Bible scholar with no training in geology or the history of geology, Dr. Collins’ bold rejection of the arguments of young-earth creationist PhD geologists (many, not just Dr. Austin alone) should not carry weight with Christians. Also, Dr. Collins’ book (2003) was published two years prior to the publication of the results of eight years of research on radiometric dating by an international team of well qualified creation scientists.27 Christians need to consider carefully what Bible-believing creation scientists are saying.

Conclusions

The Christian scholars cited above and many other evangelical scholars and leaders during the past 200 years all say basically the same thing in different words.28 In essence, they are teaching the church that science is the final authority in determining the correct interpretation of some or all of Genesis 1–11, or at least that science is the final authority in determining that the young-earth view must be wrong. Therefore, they think, Bible scholars are free to advocate all kinds of alternative interpretations, no matter how exegetically weak they may be.

But in their discussions on this topic (and as seen in most of the quotes above) they consistently refer to “science” or “findings” or “data” or “research” or “evidence” or “facts.” These men would be quick to assert the impossibility of interpretive neutrality when it comes to exegesis of the rest of Scripture and to the development of theology. But none of them seems to understand that what they are using to help them interpret the Bible are not scientific facts or data, but rather evolutionary interpretations of some of the facts or data, and that those interpretations are based on anti-Biblical philosophical presuppositions or assumptions.

Does it matter that we understand and grasp this distinction? Yes, it does! Paul warned Timothy to “guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called ‘knowledge’—which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith” (1 Timothy 6:20–21). Many things that are called “knowledge” or “truth” are really not true. Failure to discern the false “truth” can lead any of us astray.

Paul also warned the Colossians, “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ” (Colossians 2:8). Paul did not give warnings in vain. He knew that it was a very real possibility that Christians, even pastoral leaders like Timothy, could be led astray by false philosophy disguised as truth. Elsewhere Paul told the Corinthian believers that we are in a great war:

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3–4).

Paul also warned in 2 Corinthians 11:3:

“But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.”

How was Eve deceived? In Genesis 3:1–6, we see that first the serpent questioned God’s Word, and then he outright denied it. Satan is still doing that in all our minds today. So, we must not be led astray. We must have a simple (child-like, but not simplistic or childish) and pure devotion to Christ and to His Word.

We are in a great battle for the minds of men and women and boys and girls. To win, we must take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, which means taking every thought captive to the teaching of His Word.

Good, sincere Christians (including me and my Answers in Genesis associates and the authors I’ve quoted here) can be led astray from some point of biblical teaching and can unknowingly and unintentionally lead others astray. Paul predicted this would happen with the elders of the church in Ephesus (Acts 20:28–32). In this passage Paul says that even some of the pastoral leaders of that church would fall into error and lead people away from Scriptural truth.

On one occasion before Christ died, the apostle Peter became a mouthpiece for Satan, despite Peter’s sincerest intentions to the contrary. Jesus told His disciples that He was heading to Jerusalem where He would be killed and then be raised from the dead on the third day. When Peter protested that this would never happen to Him, Jesus said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s” (Matthew 16:23). We might be inclined to excuse Peter because this incident occurred before Jesus’s resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit to lead Peter into the truth (John 16:13) and to give him the power to proclaim the gospel (Acts 1:8

But not long after Peter was indwelt by the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), Peter became compromised with the gospel-subverting errors of the Jewish-Christian legalists. Paul had to publicly confront Peter for his error, and Paul left us an inspired description of that rebuke in Galatians 2:11–14. He wrote:

“But when Cephas [Peter] came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, ‘If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?’”

The apostle Peter was the only disciple who had the faith to walk on water to Jesus in a storm (Matthew 14:25–32). He was privileged to see Jesus transfigured in all His glory (Mark 9:2–8). Peter was chosen to give the birthday sermon of the church on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), and he led the first Gentiles to Christ (Acts 10). But note in Galatians 2 that because of the fear of man (i.e., fear of what others thought of him—or peer pressure), this great apostle fell into hypocrisy and subtle compromise and thereby undermined the gospel and led others to do the same (quite contrary to his sincere intentions). The fear of man always brings a snare, but those who trust the Lord and therefore trust His Word are kept safe (Proverbs 29:25).

Since good orthodox Christians (even leaders, like Peter) can be wrong (even deceived), we must always be like the Berean Jews in Acts 17:11 who tested Paul’s words against Scripture to see if they were truthful. We must test all truth claims by the Word of God, even if (and perhaps especially if) they are made by godly Christian leaders and scholars. God’s Word must be the final authority on all matters about which it speaks! No man is without error. We all have feet of clay (myself included). Actually, the Bible says we are 100% clay (Isaiah 64:8). We need to heed God’s words in Isaiah 66:1–2:

Thus says the LORD, “Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest? For My hand made all these things, thus all these things came into being,” declares the LORD. “But to this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.”

Only if we tremble at the Word of God are we truly humble. God has spoken. Let us tremble. Let us not be ashamed of His Word but boldly proclaim and defend its truth, from the very first verse, in these days when it is so much under attack from so many directions.

Footnotes

1.Author’s note: Shortly after this article was first posted in early December 2006 (under the title “Christian Leaders and Scholars on Genesis 1–11”), one of the author’s I quoted emailed me to express his displeasure with the article. In light of my interaction with him, I decided to pull the article and have since revised it for this reposting. I wish to thank Dr. Philip Brown at God’s Bible College and Dr. Bill Barrick at The Master’s Seminary for their helpful criticisms in the revision process. All remaining flaws are mine. Back

2.Gleason Archer, A Survey of Old Testament Introduction (Chicago: Moody, 1994, rev. ed.), p. 196. Back

3.Ibid., p. 199. Back

4.James Boice, Genesis, An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1982), Vol. 1, pp. 57–62. Back

5.The framework hypothesis holds that the Creation “week” is a figurative literary framework to teach theology by presenting God’s creative work in a topical, non-sequential manner, rather than in a sequential series of six, non-overlapping, literal days. Back

6.Meredith Kline, “Space and Time in the Genesis Cosmogony,” Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith, 48 (1996), 15, fn. 47. Back

7.Gordon R. Lewis and Bruce A. Demarest, Integrative Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), vol. 2, p. 43. Back

8.Ibid., p. 29. Back

9.Pattle P. T. Pun, “A Theory of Progressive Creationism,” Journal of the American Scientific Affiliation, Vol. 39 (March 1987), p. 14. Back

10.Bruce K. Waltke, Genesis (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001), p. 77. Back

11.One of our IT staff was able to download the video clip before it was removed from the BioLogos site. The quote is the opening statement in the clip. Back

12.For layman’s summary of the geological evidence (including a well-illustrated chapter on radiometric dating) see John Morris, The Young Earth (Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2007). For an up-to-date and very thorough discussion that is still accessible to the non-geologist see Andrew Snelling, Earth’s Catastrophic Past (Dallas, TX: Institute for Creation Research, 2009), 2 volumes. Both Morris and Snelling are PhD geologists. For a creationist response to the big bang at a layman’s level, see Danny Faulkner, Universe by Design (Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2004) and Jason Lisle, Taking Back Astronomy (Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2006) and his DVD Big Problems for the Big Bang. For a layman’s summary of various creationists models to deal with the thorny question of how in a 6000-year-old universe we can see galaxies that are millions of light-years away, see Jason Lisle’s DVD Distant Starlight: Not a Problem for a Young Universe. Back

13.John Sailhamer, Genesis Unbound (Sisters, OR: Multnomah, 1996), p. 15. Back

14.Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology (Downers Grove: IVPress, 1994), p. 307 (italics in the original). Back

15.J. P. Moreland, Scaling the Secular City (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1998), pp. 219-20. Moreland is heavily influenced by Gleason Archer, noted above. See Terry Mortenson and Ken Ham, “Are (Biblical) Creationists “Cornered?”.” Back

16.Millard Erickson, Christian Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1983), p. 382. Back

17.Kenneth A. Mathews, “Genesis 1–11:26,” The New American Commentary: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of the Holy Scripture, Vol 1A (Nashville: Broadman and Holman, 1996), p. 108, 148. Back

18.Dr. Geisler states the problem this way (on the same page as this quote): “How can there be six literal days of creation when scientific dating has demonstrated that life emerged gradually over many millions of years?” Back

19.For the problems with big bang theory see “Stellar Evolution, Distant Starlight, and Biblical Authority” by Jason Lisle (Ph.D., astrophysics). Back

20.See Get Answers: Radiometric Dating for a number of articles showing why radiometric dating methods are not reliable. Consider particularly “The Pigs Took It All.” Back

21.For a refutation of this sea-salt objection, see Steven A. Austin and D. Russell Humphreys, “The Sea’s Missing Salt: A Dilemma for Evolutionists,” in Robert E. Walsh, ed., Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Creationism (Pittsburgh, PA: Creation Science Fellowship, 1990), pp. 17-34. It is available on-line here: http://static.icr.org/i/pdf/technical/The-Seas-Missing-Salt.pdf. Back

22.Norman L. Geisler, Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2000), pp. 270 and 272. The italicized words are a section heading in Geisler’s text. Back

23.C. John Collins, Science and Faith: Friends or Foes? (Wheaton: Crossways, 2003), p. 247. Back

24.This is documented in Terry Mortenson, The Great Turning Point (Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2004), pp. 200–202. Back

25.Collins indicates in the notes to this section of his book that he read a 24-page article by Dalrymple on radiometric dating along with five secular geological textbooks, but he apparently read only five four-page articles by Austin (only two of which dealt with radiometric dating). Back

26.Collins, Science and Faith, p. 250. Back

27.For a layman’s summary of this research see the book, Donald DeYoung, Thousands ... not Billions (Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2005) or the DVD Thousands ... not Billions. The technical research is published in Larry A. Vardiman et al, eds, Radioisotopes and the Age of the Earth, Vol. 2 (El Cajon, CA: Institute for Creation Research and Chino Valley, AZ: Creation Research Society, 2005). Back

28.For a discussion of the compromise with old-earth geology by Charles Spurgeon, Charles Hodge, B.B. Warfield, C.I. Scofield, William Jennings Bryan, and others, see Terry Mortenson, “Millions of Years: Where Did the Idea Come From?” DVD. Back

by Dr. Terry Mortenson, AiG–U.S. Layman Keywords

JOHN PIPER COM RICK WARREN

Em 01 de maio, respeitado autor e orador John Piper sentou-se com Rick Warren, pastor da Igreja Saddleback. Piper Warren questionado sobre a doutrina em torno seu livro, "Uma Vida com Propósitos". Piper apresenta Warren com perguntas diretas e relevantes sobre suas influências, por que ele escreveu o livro, e como ele defende as declarações que faz. Assista como Piper e Pastor Rick discutir temas como a glória de Deus, se as circunstâncias de vida negativos são causados por Deus, e muito mais. Nesta entrevista informativa e inspiradora dá conhecimento mais profundo para o autor e pastor.

THE VIEW OF GOD'S

The view of God’s Page, is to help spread truth of God’s Holy Word. It’s thought to aid in shedding light on events of History, in earth’s present day, in the fate of human kind, and the world according to Scripture as written in Daniel and Revelation. Because of this, God’s Page is inspired for God, to plant seeds of truth for His people to be led out of darkness.

Here on God’s Page, you will find several links that may assist you in a more personal relationship with the Lord of heaven and earth. With that in mind, God’s Page, tries to bring new information weekly, from the Bible, web sites, articles, sermons, books, facts, stories, video’s or the latest series available and more.

God’s Page has also made a Group entitled, ‘Truth For These End Times by God’s Page’, on the Group you can discuss whatever religious or spiritual concerns you may have, etc… Or you can simply join ‘Truth for These End Time [Blog] by God’s Page.

Since ‘The Three Angels Message’ must go out, and many of God’s people are working diligently to spread The Lord’s Word to the entire world, we must study His Word,

“For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little and there a little” Isaiah, 28:10.

The truth is out there! Perhaps you can lend a hand, spreading the seeds of truth as printed in Revelation 14, so our Lord and Savior can come and take us home. May the Holy Spirit be with you as He unfolds these wonderful and precious truths of life’s greatest mysteries.

May God bless you,

Truth for These End Times –God’s Page

RELATED STORY A CURSE TURNS INTO A BLESSING

By Ryoko Suzuki

Editor’s Note: On August 6, 1945, Hiroshima, Japan, became the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear bomb. While the devastation and loss of life was horrific, today, on the sixty-sixth anniversary of that fateful event, we are reflecting on the amazing stories of the Hiroshima Seventh-day Adventist Church members—all of whom survived.

Asako Furunaka was born on August 12, 1921, the daughter of a successful businessman in Japan. Driven and highly intelligent, she attended night school after graduating as a teacher. At age 32 she became a newspaper reporter, a rare thing for a woman of her day to do. She married a college professor, and though they were not blessed with children, she had a blissful life. However, one day when she was in her early 50s, Asako’s life was shattered when her husband confessed that he had a lover and wanted a divorce. Feelings of despair and anger overwhelmed her, sadness and hatred for her husband filled her days and nights, and she felt she could never believe in anything again. Soon she slipped into a deep depression.

When life was at its lowest ebb, someone invited her to an Adventist church, and she started attending regularly. She learned about forgiveness and found hope in the Bible, and peace returned to her heart. However, she couldn’t make the decision to be baptized at that time.

Unbelievable StoriesBecause of her abilities and qualifications, she was invited to be the children’s Bible teacher at church. She very happily took the position and began teaching the children’s Sabbath school lessons from the quarterly. One day the lesson was about the story in the book of Daniel of the three young men who were kept safe despite being thrown into a fiery furnace. She taught the lesson earnestly, but when she finished, one of the little boys exclaimed, “I can’t believe that!” Then one of the girls said, “I can believe it, because my grandmother always tells me about how not one member of the Hiroshima [Adventist] church was killed when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.”

On hearing this, Asako realized that even though she was teaching the lesson, she didn’t really believe it either, nor could she believe what the little girl had said. But at the same time, a thought came into her mind: I’m a newspaper reporter, aren’t I? I should be able to find out if what this girl has said is true or not. I really should check this out! Thus began her quest to visit every one of the church members who had been in Hiroshima at the time of the atomic bomb.

Fateful Day

The world’s first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945. In the bomb’s aftermath Dr. Tomiko Kihara worked tirelessly to save many lives.When the first atomic bomb in history was dropped on Hiroshima on the morning of August 6, 1945, it destroyed everything within a two-kilometer (1.2-mile) radius: the temperature of the ground reached an unimaginable 6,000° C (10,832° F). Everyone within a four-kilometer (2.5 mile) radius was burned to death. A tremendous wind, at the speed of 4.4 kilometers (2.7 miles) per second, was generated, causing even cement buildings to collapse and broken glass to fly up to 16 kilometers (9.94 miles) away. The radiation from the bomb was unbelievably strong, causing those exposed to it to lose all bodily functions and their cells to undergo apoptosis, a kind of cellular suicide. Between the blast itself, the resulting fires throughout the city, and the radiation burns, some estimate that 200,000 citizens of Hiroshima lost their lives.

Not One Adventist HarmedIn the midst of all this devastation, was it really possible that not one church member, even the one living within 1 kilometer (.62 miles) of where the bomb hit, was killed, or even hurt? With a doubtful heart Asako began visiting every one of the church members who had been there at the time. What she found was that even amid all the terrible possibilities for death on that day, not one of the church members perished or was even wounded. The little girl who said she could believe that the faithful three were kept safe in the fiery furnace because her grandmother always told her that not one of the Hiroshima Seventh-day Adventist Church members were hurt, spoke the truth.

During her investigation the journalist heard the testimony of church member Mrs. Hiroko Kainou, who, surprised by the sudden fierce wind, fell to her knees and prayed. Though every piece of glass in the house blew out, she came away without a single scratch. All of the other 20 Adventist church members in Hiroshima were also kept alive and safe. Though six of them have since passed away from old age, Mr. and Mrs. Morita, the Yoshimuras, the Sumis, the Matsutanis, and others are still active.

Iwa Kuwamoto, who is still doing evangelism from her home by telephone and letter at age 83, was within one kilometer (.62 miles) of the bomb site when the bomb fell. When she crawled out from under the fallen buildings, she witnessed the giant mushroom cloud that was obscuring the sun and shrouding the land in darkness. She tried desperately to help her husband, an unbeliever at the time, to get out from under the fallout, but the raging fires were threatening to close in on them. Taking her husband’s hand and crying, (Iwa) said, “The fire will be here soon. I can’t do anything more, so let’s die here together. God knows everything. Please believe in Jesus Christ. I cannot save you!” But her husband said, “No. I will die here, but you must escape for our children’s sake. You must somehow get to safety and find the children. Do it for the children!”

Once again she said, “No, there is no way I can escape from this fire. I will die here with you.” But her husband would not listen to her. He said, “No! I’ll be OK here. For a long time I rebelled against my mother and you and wouldn’t believe in God. But now I do believe in God’s salvation, so we can see each other again. Please, please go and find the children. Please, just go!” So, with burning tears and a breaking heart, she left her husband there, and, pouring water over herself along the way, she escaped the flames, and was eventually reunited with her children.

Iwa Kuwamoto was within one kilometer from where the bomb landed, and yet survived.Tomiko Kihara was a doctor with her own clinic at the time. She had been on night duty the evening before and had arrived home at 2:00 a.m.; she was sleeping when the bomb fell. Although she was less than one kilometer (.62 miles) from the center, nothing fell on her, and she was not hurt in any way. Shocked by the blast, she ran outside to see what was happening, but all she could see was the burned and blackened ground. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, she ran to a hospital on the edge of town, and there for one week without rest or sleep she worked for the victims as one of the very few doctors still alive in the city after the blast. In the weeks and months following the tragedy, she continued to use everything she had to help the victims, and was able to witness to many in this way.

A True BelieverAs a result of listening to these testimonies, Asako came to believe in God fully and was baptized. She received a call to share with others about the Savior’s faithfulness, and at the age of 58 she enrolled in the theology program at Saniku Gakuin College in Japan. Upon graduation she became a pastor at the Kashiwa Seventh-day Adventist Church and later worked as a Bible instructor at the Kisarazu Seventh-day Adventist Church. Even after her retirement she has continued to be an active evangelist to those around her. And now, in good health at the age of 88, she says, “I have no earthly family to lean on, but I know God loves me, so I am content.”

Ryoko Suzuki works as the librarian at the Northern Asia-Pacific Division (NSD) located in the republic of Korea. Her husband, Akeri Suzuki, serves as executive secretary for the division. The couple served in local church pastorates in Japan for more than 30 years and have three grown children.

Everyone who is of the Truth hears my voice.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

John 10:27

The Word of God is living and powerful,

piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow,

and is a discerner and judge of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Heb 4:12

From the Voice of the Lord

(All the below words in this box are direct messages to the readers of this site from the mouth of the Lord. Recent additions are in purple.)

"Welcome to my site. This is not for those who don't believe; we are confronting those who believe. We are clarifying man's salvation and access to God for those of the faith who would put on more precious clothes. Only those who want to be clean can hear. Great comfort be to those who read all these words.

Are you ready to see your sins? The cross is offered to all. Are you ready to suffer the shame, the pain, and the blood of the cross - or do you cry out with indifference? He who is not on the cross is not worthy of me. Yes, it is your birthday - as many as are at their savior's feet.

There are six things I will put in order in front of your eyes:

1-how evil proceeds out of the heart,

2-and goes forth out of the mouth.

3-how your heart longs for evil.

4-how your feet are swift to run to evil.

5-how your heart builds a strong tower as a bulwark of defense.

6-how your heart is a mirror of the world.

As many as I love, I chastise. I am only reached by those with a penitent heart.

This is the Word of the Lord to you all. You who hunger and thirst are God's chosen people. The early Quaker writings are a rich heritage, which all must strive to fully understand. They who deny what I stand for are lost as to the future; let my writings guide your future. No Cross, No Crown — who spoke those bold resolute sentences? Who have become Quakers are an anathema; they blot my efforts; they cumber the ground; they are imitators of Christ's gospel.

Pursue righteousness and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. He who is righteous is done with sin. Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Make no provision for the flesh. A man without sin has the power and life given to him. I give favors to he who is pure. See myself — thus no sin has a place in me. The perfection of man frees from death; repent of your evil. Sin is until salvation, leaving holiness and purity. The end is sympathetic judgment and release from sin. The release from sin frees from death. Having been saved from your sins, your present reward is holiness. The end of sympathetic judgment is holiness. Either make the tree good, or make it bad. A tree that is holy is a good one. Obey every little thing I tell you. The world exists for the saints. Let no man entice you with vain words.

All sin is unrighteousness. I never muffed it; you had a chance; there is still time. There is a righteousness imputed only after death. Awake to righteousness and sin not. We, through the Spirit, wait for the hope of righteousness. There is no righteousness apart from God. Only he who does the works of my Father can enter heaven. Righteousness need be created. He who does righteous is through with sin. Because you gambled, you lost the honey. Serve the Lord in pureness and newness of life. Do not be confused; do not be misled; you must break a suspected action. Sin no more.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. Draw your arms around Him — take heed you incarnate. Heed my reproofs. You who have despised my reproofs will be ashamed; respect the order of the faith. Every man should retire to his own house until the foundations of the world are destroyed. Everyone must submit to waiting on God, waiting in humility. Everyone must find out what to do first; then He will teach you. God gives grace to the humble. Professed weaknesses are the humility of the soul. The sons of the fathers went to sleep. I am against your fathers, being in the presumption. The gospel is a mystery to the natural man; he cannot conceive it.

Beware of false prophets. How can the ministers claim to be mine, when inside they are full of deceit and hypocrisy? They do everything for show. The gregarious make a living teaching the scriptures. Those who preach against perfection have a lack of earnest faith. I am against the shepherds, who have prophesied a false salvation. They gutted what Jesus had to say. They teach the commandments of men; in vain do they worship me. They cannot understand what the Spirit is doing. Their preaching only conveys the pride of Samaria. Outside the faith, they are teaching an equilibrium between good and evil. Those who follow the advice of these unpurified leaders, their life is like a bubble. I refuse to answer them. We deliberately ignore those of great repute. The leader of their army is Lucifer. These people are far from me, living in sin and teaching others the inevitability of sin until death. God brings the curse on those sleight of hand.

Your thoughts are not my thoughts. At best your thoughts are a vain hiss. If we walk not according to the Divine nature, we are blind. Those who follow their own brain will weep and mourn; there will be great pain. The mind is a terrible thing. There is a blessing to make the cessation of the mind permanent. We must go on waiting, watching, and listening; then our hearts will be quiet by grace. We labor with a cursed mind. You will receive a new heart and mind. He joins with our cleansed nature. To know is not to think. He gives faith to those who heed and obey him. Hear my wonderful words. I truly speak of love and how you are barbarous when taken under. Oh hear my words you mighty. You must lose your life to save it.

What is necessary for salvation? -- obedience to commands heard. Hear the word of the Lord from within. Be slow to speak, quick to listen. To hear and obey is hard. Getting quiet is preparation. Think on His name. Ears must hear -- Faith within purifies. What's going to happen, you might hear. Believe you are hearing the Son of God. When you sit and wait, hope for purity, hope for change. I will show you the secret sins of your heart. The words I speak to you impart life. Hope releases the power of God to change you. Hear you incarnate. Those who sit at the feet of Christ to hear his word - their ground is to wait. The godly wait for my instructions for many things shall I come want done. To serve without hearing is putting your life in danger. Those who take directed action will save theirs and others' lives. The works of my father must be done by all, if you are to inherit eternal life. Watch and keep low. You may feel a severe, irritating pressure. Once you have expressed sorrow over the past, it is redundant to bring it up again. There is only one thing needful. Hear me, my children. My words are in a place within you. Abide in my word. He has come in every word, and in every word you are justified. Your strength is to wait.

My word is in your heart and mouth. When you have heard the dead words in the Bible, and recall them, heed what is said. If those who hear will obey, their progress will be swift. I shall open up the doors of life to him that proceeds. You are my disciple, if you do what I say. Listen to and obey my voice, and I will be your God. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. Those who do not hearken diligently to my command will not hear my voice. If you love me, you will obey me. Nobody became perfect by trying to be perfect. Everybody who believes the son shall be made perfect. The Lord's arm has been withheld; witness therefore man made perfect. What is the evidence of your belief? - operational faith. And to those who obey, he will appear like a magnificent star in your heart. Blessed is he who holds that the light is true. Heed the light, which is to assent to truth. The light shows us our image, however fanciful we have become. The Lord reproves those who are his. When the light shows you something to do, every act of disobedience has to be carried away by an act of obedience. Power comes to those who waited, heard, and obeyed. Heed the light that you may be children of the light. Walk in fellowship in the light. My true friends take no thought of confessional; don't take the time when you get a clear view.

The gift of God is himself - a measure of his Spirit; to each man a measure. The Spirit is given to each man according to the willingness of his heart. If the Spirit is given to you in sufficient measure, then your heart will see and feel; well do those exercise the power. If you pay attention and obey, it results in union with God. There is no condemnation for those in Christ. He wishes to make you like Him. We need to get clean before we can truly worship. There are very few people who, when they see what God is, would turn down union with him. The family of God dwells in their temples.

When you cast my warnings behind you, this erases the fear we must have. Pay not attention, heed not, and I will come upon you as a thief in the night. He was in them, but they obeyed not his voice. I have given counsel, but they have ignored it. He shall shut the door on those not holy. There will be no solace. Those who sin willfully have intent to purpose - and there are those who sin that are frightened to death at what they have done.

Strive to enter through the narrow gate. Few will find it. Men have stopped trying. They have plunged themselves into iniquity. Fat men of increase would have a god fat of increase, so they can use God to become holy or to become fat. Seek his face. Seek his face in ever increasing glory. He who seeks me earnestly and diligently will find me. Heed and obey. Life's sustaining action is available to those who heed. Six attestations prove the reign's existence. The King is where he is king. If all that profess me, would possess me. You must produce fruit, much fruit. True followers bring forth fruit. See that you dwell in him, and he dwells in you. Make yourselves slaves to righteousness, whose reward is holiness.

You are the slave of whom you choose; obey, or not interested? You are the slaves of whom you obey. Every man must experience being a slave to God. For servitude, every man must experience heart-felt desire; he must become totally different. We are followers. Want to be different. Learn how I feel about things. Where you are different, want to be changed to be like me. Everyone must be vanilla — the same.

You shall suffer persecution, when you lead a godly life. In the time of the enemy, the Lord is still with you. Any of you whose sting to bear has been hard, use these facts: all have suffered before you; sin is excoriated; God will remove the burden in time; and the same is experienced by every cleanliness-desired heart in the nations. Therefore, for the several cases, we wish you well when you suffer.

Just like Judaism was taken over by the enemy, so has Christianity, which is corrupt through and through. Like Daniel, you are captive of the Chaldeans. Your place of worship is filled with unclean birds. Babylon is great and mighty. Woe to those who try to bring good from evil. Oh Christendom, be not at ease in Babylon! In your worship service look around you; do you see the Holy Spirit? Proper worship is for two or three to speak as moved by the Spirit. Christians today are not Christians. By their evident display of sin, Christians cause my name to be blasphemed among the people. They have passed their usefulness. The Christian medium itself is conformable to death. I am going to clean my house. I have had to deal with very wicked people who have cast the law behind their backs; in my anger I have left them no peace. A lightness of mind causes a man to discard the law. The leaders of Christianity are dogs — blind, dumb, ignorant dogs; professing to know everything, they know nothing. The whole world has gone in the way of error. Do you agree with any who in their arrogance have stated that God excuses evil in believers? It's not fair, but they don't care. Faith without works is dead. If all would possess me, removing chance. People cannot hear, who are taught by enemies. Those in Babylon will be given thirty days to repent.

Little children, this is the seventh day of the kingdom. Your heart cannot reach those who wonder after the beast. O Christian, do not speak to the Jew unless instructed. The holy people of God should avoid contentions and protracted wrangling over the bitter truth. Everyone who desires rest from the bitter and the sour, you must use soap, my soap, the Holy Spirit.

From this one earth shall many earths come forth. Jesus is a mighty name to be declared in all the worlds to come. Guard and protect his name. Nobody else has the answers, nobody but He. You will hear the truth at final judgment. Truly, I say to you, all the truth is magnificent; you will marvel when you see it.

Gather the prophets: Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and all. You can find out what is pleasing to God. Proverbs: we must all believe the hidden comforts in those proven words. The Bible has been made hollow through the years and therefore blamed. Ratify James. And then they read again, and saw the law applied to them too. Ephesians 5:5-6: This the void of the earth, made perfectly clear. Little children, thy garments are spotted. Little children, take heed unto me. Unless you hear and see, there will be no progress. God helps not the proud; he assists the humble. He who has my words and keeps them, serves the Son. Walk in the steps of faith. Feel Christ, the Way. My true friends proceed from faith; it orders them. For half of Christianity the blood will be disastrous. The soul shall live that chooses me; the greatest reward for the finest of the few who will persist to the end. I will build you up so that you have no worries and no cares. Sit with me and I will make you clean. One does not become a son talking about it. Grace destroys sin. Follow me and I will lead you to a new land.

The sacrifice of life has been given to the few who would lose their life to save it. The Spirit of Grace both charges and removes, just like Jesus said "repent," and also healed. I stand with those freed from sin. We go to him, and he rains help on us; well does this exercise of God purify those who do. Talking about sin does no good. We offer a maturity. Blessed are those who are set free from the bonds of imprisonment. People have not heard of the grace of God, which separates from sin; so all that seek their hope through the gospel, the power of God takes hold of a man and makes him holy. Your soul is purified by obeying the truth; thus I come to rule in whose heart is thoroughly penitent, and you are redeemed from under the power of Satan.

Salvation is not expectation. Salvation is to be delivered from sin. Your past evidences are a failure. Witness salvation; your life isn't worth a plug nickel, unless you are shown salvation. Make every effort, for the days are few. Saved by grace; but what about the rest of that chapter? You have not experienced grace until you have been raised with Him. Changing grace is alive in those who are confident. However well meaning you are, you must read and see if your life measures up. I must warn you — you must make every effort to add to your faith and enter the rest. You must see the sabbath to enjoy it — not only that, but you must feel it; feel it go through your heart as yours to keep. Let no man deceive you; he who has entered into the rest has ceased from his own works.

There has never been a time like now; all men will twist in the earth. Listen everyone! There is a time coming when everyone will hear the voice of the Lord; heed and obey. I will warn people about the coming troubles, about which there is no comparison. The Lord will give recompense to his enemies. Revelation foretells the future. Men have forgotten that food is the gift of God to man. I am going to make the necessities of life scarce. The secure will take advantage of the insecure. Sudden rain gets the best of everything, and then an interruption in the oil supply. The ungodly will panic; the Lord will deliver those who are his. I will put a dividing line in the countries. Those who have no light, I will destroy. I will betray those who are happy in their sins. I will fill the whole earth with the dead. The power that gave them life, gives them death. There will be violence in the land. All those who destroy will be imagined to be my authorities. Whoever does wickedly and unjustly will be punished. Your wickedness lies in shame. Every man was his own king. Then there were those who lived openly in sin with no shame. To those of you who sit in complacency, doing nothing: the sword is for all of you that love the world and the deceivableness of lust; I will devour the earth. The children have lost the inheritance of God. Every single person suffers from lack of fidelity. They must pass through the earth wise.

I will devour those who do not follow, and snatch the righteous from the fire. Clearly there are some who will be greatly preferred. I am going to thin the earth; entire families will die; entire towns will perish. I will make men more precious than rubies. I will make obedience the fruit of righteousness. I will put my law into every man's heart. The Lord shall establish righteousness throughout the earth. Only when God's hand has circled the earth, can he gag the lion. I will put my tongue on the face of the earth. When the people hear my name, they will tremble. It will be done. O seek the Lord you mighty, while you still have strength. Come to me, and I will guide the meek and lowly. Turn and be strengthened. Blessed are the meek; they have the right to speak.

So it behooves God to call upon him, all who have needs. Bring all who want to escape Egypt; those who like Egypt are thwarted from coming. I was looking for men who wanted to become something like me, but now they have stopped seeking a way. They have taken the Bible and made it an unholy thing used to justify their immersion in sin. It is our fear that has been rejected. For their survival, it is necessary to listen to the Spirit, but they are so busy praying, they cannot hear. I am concerned for the people have gone back into the Bible and thus minister to themselves. I work with the blind; but if you think you can see, and you are not with me in heaven, I will make you a laughingstock.

Everyone listen to what the Spirit says; this you follow. This is the journey out of Egypt; this is the journey to the kingdom, the gate crasher; and the barriers come down. All this comes to pass according to his purpose by self-denial and yielding to his will. Dear, a ratify of James will do wonders. Do not perish; not from this life, but from the life of God. By mercy and truth evil is purged out of the heart.

As you can see, the state of mankind is not good. People of the world are taught vanity. There is no fear of God or common sense in the world. Every man walks without me; every man walks without hesitation. Religion has rejected the status of men. People like their anger and rage. Most people go through life never needing, never seeking a lasting solution. After death there is a sense of regret over their life. Cities show how ignorance can be in a cluster. The cities reflect the spirit of the tower of Babel. What is happening in the world is the result of the Lord being forgotten. The world cannot see, and they are literally stumbling. The USA is like a man running to jump into a snake pit; the formula is here, it is ripe for destruction, and we wait for the results.

The woman was snatched away and hidden in the wilderness again. The woman in the wilderness is beautiful. Little children listen to the woman in the wilderness. This time when she appears, she will come in great power. It will be the mightiest church ever, with the greatest punishments too. It is God's judgment that apostles are to be sent into the world. Oh seek the Lord you mighty, for the kingdom is sweet, and pure, and holy. The house of the righteous is glorious. The Lord is a pleasant inheritance. Without obedience you have nothing; sorry, there are not wildcards in the camp. What do you great princes mean; have you heard him? This is a call, a genuine call: Revelation 22:7. There are two things I hate: pride and an excuse for failure. He who does not seek the kingdom will be the poor. The hypocrite may talk of faith and do evil. Oh seek the kingdom you mighty.

Whatever God commands, whether it be dying on the cross, we obey; however financially strait, however it affects our reputation, however ruinous. You are without excuse O man. False prophets appeal to unstable souls. Holy is the kingdom, the surrounding radiance of it. My friends are in the kingdom, the covenanted. They lost their life by me taking their life. There is a hate of life associated with praise at death. There is no burden of death among us. Most problems come from reading the Bible without correct understanding. The Bible is so hard to understand, their minister can tell them anything, and they will believe it. Do you know him or just pretend to know him; to know him is to have met him and listened to him. Don't think you are safe until you have been reproved and reproved. You cannot be beyond question; that cannot be answered. Make sure of your election.

There are those who profess to know truth from reading. There are those who live in elegance and turn their backs on the poor. Now who would put away anger; who would put away filth; who among you stays the course? And what does he offer us? He offers himself. And what does he declare? I've warned them and given them the requirements and preached the exclusions; they should not expect anything else or conclusion. All having been said, I stand ready to rescue those being saved at the last minute. Prepare for the flight. Stand your ground. When you see the abomination of desolation, do not be afraid.

God reveals himself to his true servants. God reveals himself in fire. Remember, what is known of God is revealed in a man; a word not from the heart is too easily consumed, is not to be dwelled on, nor does it catch the appetite. Lay my words upon your hearts and minds. God, save us from the sayings of our mouth; a word spoken from the Spirit requires you to hear what the Spirit says to you. My words are spirit and they impart life. The words you keep rise up to purify you. The time will come and now is when the dead shall hear the Son of God and live. Except I dig a man out of his grave, he shall no wise see salvation.

Christ died so that all men of the earth shall arise. All flesh shall see the salvation of God. Every tongue will witness Jesus Christ as Lord. In this process of carrying your cross, your sin gradually disappears, within and without, to your satisfaction. The wants disappear as the fleshly man decreases. Little by little the Lord's will, will be progressed. There is only one way to get perfect, and it has been refused. Every man and woman must stop being their own judge and leave it to me to judge them inwardly over time. All the help of the tested word cannot exceed that of judgment.

God lets man see his evil self. Set your sights on the heavens where you are to sit down with Him and to where all are called, according to the riches of his mercy. Fight the good fight, which leads to victory. Where can he be found? You don't have to go to the heavens or go to the deeps, for he is in your heart, patiently waiting to teach you. Remember the temple outside and the temple inside. Let's get on with building it, which ends with him showing it to you in you.

Women are widely discriminated against. In my Church there is but one, both male and female are one in Christ; Paul spoke of unruly women, newly initiated. You will see them minister in power and in my name. The hand is on the neck to guide them low and keep them low. I agree with you; low should be seen and not heard, neither is this offered to any individual who cannot control her tongue and self has not died.

Modern Pentecost is fast approaching, when the arm is bared. His arm has been cloaked since the apostles. We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, male and female. We must first be shown our sin within, which is enmity to God. You must stand apart from this fast paced world; you cannot be in it. The work of the cross is to sit in the light and look at your will. The release from captivity of sin was first mentioned in Isaiah. The natural man listens, he hears people talk, and he forms his opinions. The god of this world leads people to have their own opinions too; he blinds their eye as to what is good and what is evil; he examines their past to see how he may thwart their understanding. It pays people to resolve the massive difference between good and evil. When I tell them about the cross, they have no answer; they seem to have no desire. He who is not on the cross is repulsive to me.

The world will be regenerated as it was in the beginning, world without end. There will be a mist released, which shall cover the whole earth. The Shulamites are favored by God, made perfect, made holy, and made lastingly holy. If any man desires to come after me, let him deny himself and follow. Righteousness will spring forth. God treads down and throws away all that is unholy; there is a dying. Christ does not come into the world, but comes into his own and gathers his seed; there, is an eating of bread and a taking off the chains. Everyone will see whom they have pierced. Be he who is called within. The men and women on this site have had their hearts opened. What must you do to inherit eternal life? — what everyone must do: keep the commandments, pick up your cross, and follow me. Anything evil is not of God. Hate all evil. Do not swear. Everyone is expecting Jesus to be their excuse. They are a stubborn people; their hearts have waxed cold. They think to be saved by making a noise about being saved. They are a clueless, fruitless people. He that doesn't listen is damned already. Their damnation does not slumber, nor do they remain sober, nor do they remain open minded in this present world. They have missed the mark. They have ignored my commands to turn from sin. They would have no laws. God has not called us to uncleanness, but to holiness. The new law became unrighteousness. The covenant of the Lord is a breakage of the people. Until you can witness receiving faith from Christ, you are under the law. How could they be mine, if they journey in outward ways? Don't dress up in your best clothes to impress your friends, rather turn inward. Christians have lost the gift of life to govern themselves.

To live is to seek God with all your heart, soul, and strength. God is not found going to services or reading about him. His pervasive power awakes in us. No man is promoted or excused that repeats sin. The spirit works in a man to make him clean and holy — to put him at ease, at rest, clean, and supreme. Little children, share in my peace. The righteous will have peace, and the unbeliever will have great trouble. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts for every thought and deed. Call on the Lord with a pure heart. There are no laws when you are under complete control of the spirit; you walk in love in obedience as prompted — you don't walk in restricted flesh.

I was sent to bare righteousness. Faith is a series of revelations. The Spirit makes alive unto righteousness. He who believes has the witness in himself; he who believes overcomes the world. Men must be renewed into the image of God. There will be true love. God's mercy and kindness endure forever. Whoever does worthily will sit on my throne. Prepare the way of the Lord. Let all that are named of the Lord depart from iniquity. Let all turn from man's belief to be saved. You must forsake all that is evil and follow that which is good, in a heart that is alone from ours, which is solved by straightening up so that you are not going to want anything that is wrong. Every man is addicted to something in the world; left alone, they hunt for more. People are so desperate for approval, they lie. The selfish human nature is being exposed and brought out once for all.

Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth, but a sword; after a man has demonstrated his faith, do I give him peace. A man must learn control of his body. Mankind's failure—sexual immorality. Neither do we in any way encourage violence. He doesn't want militia. Marvel not if the world hates you. The just shall forgive. Follow peace with all men. Let no man criticize his brother. Before we correct, we must be corrected. The Lord gives who has mercy a smooth way. Men who are not aware boast of their imperfections. Millions have received revelations over the centuries. Millions have confirmed the sweet, pure, holy water; and millions have confirmed the fruit. Millions are learning. You must learn to save your soul.

Those who are immoral have no inheritance in God's kingdom. The kingdom will be found by those who search for it and who are led by me. Those who imagined they were in the kingdom will be cast aside. Let us diligently labor to enter the kingdom. Dwell to be born. Be hearty, be confident, do no evil; be resolute, and of good cheer. The real test is giving from your excess. He who would know the will, shall know the will of God. The just shall walk with me. The whole world will see what it means for a man to sort himself. The end will be wonderful, until those who have the life of God will be seen. The day is fast approaching when the day of reckoning occurs. He cannot teach us unless we are fully aware of the stings. Do not be misled; come, listen, hear. Let no one defraud you. At his feet—only then will I pardon and forgive;—come, child-like. Every man that comes, must come through the cross;—I say every man. You are the child of whom you obey. Remember, every person who sins denies Him as Lord and Master. Those who refuse to look at their slavery say, "Church me."

All is on the inside. Serve the inner son. My words are the same; they have not changed. Do not be among those who settle for gold. I must teach every man in his own way the workings of grace. Like the Apostles, you too must be cleansed. Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Renew yourself in the pattern of the Lord; those who do so, their strength will not fail them. There is no life without the love of God. In the Lord alone is love, righteousness, peace, joy, and virtue. Blessed is he who follows in the footsteps of Christ. The new life is as radically different as a man who has lived underground his whole life, suddenly coming above ground to see the sun, the sky, the plants, the animals, the wind, the stars. Behold, the substance of my inheritance is to turn the sword into ploughshares. Therefore let us arm ourselves with this good and precious knowledge. Obey my voice, and I will help you become holy like me. The Lord is good to his servants. Follow me! Glad will be the hearts of those who persist until the end. How sweet the victory will be."

Thus said the Lord God.

I am He who searches the minds and hearts.

Rev 2:23

His name is the Word of God..on his thigh is a name written: King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.

Rev 19:13-16

Everyone who is of the Truth hears my voice.

John 18:37

Text in Light Blue or bold Light Blue can be "clicked" for backup in scripture or detail in writings.

(Anything good within this site is not to our credit; but rather is to the glory of Jesus Christ and the Father. We are not affiliated with any of the deficit sects or religions, including the Quakers. We do not seek followers. We want you to be taught by Jesus himself. We seek no contributions. There is nothing for sale on this site, nor any ads. For freely we have received, and freely we give.)

There is a huge pitfall in Christianity: thinking the Bible is the Word of God, and thinking all the commands in the Bible referencing the Word of God, refer to the Bible; when the references really mean going to God directly and listening to the Word of God speaking to you. If you don't listen to the Voice of God, you will never grow; you will never know from what to repent; you will never receive his cleansing, purifying grace; you will not find God; and you will not have any reward in the Kingdom of God or Christ. You can memorize the entire Bible, quoting chapter and verse, and it will gain you nothing with God. It is easy to read the Bible. It often feels good to read the Bible, as long as you ignore salvation's exclusions, the requirements, and qualifying conditions clearly stated.

Hear this! Understand, the Bible is not the Word of God, for the many scriptures that refer to the Word of God are not referring to the Bible, but rather to the voice of God or the Lord - his words from him, the living spirit Word - otherwise you are looking to the wrong source of growth - a book, instead of God's spirit, who desires to speak and teach you outside of the Bible. The Holy Spirit will teach you all things. John 14:26. The Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth. John 16:13. You will know all things by the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and need no man to teach you. 1 John 2:20,27. He desires to teach you individual, personal things about yourself, and how he wants you to live, how he wants you to improve, what he wants you to deny - as well as encourage you, tell you of his love for you, and open up the scriptures to you, including the mysteries. If you limit yourself to reading the Bible, you will only get crumbs beneath the table.

The Bible is the recorded words of the saints as they were moved by the Holy Spirit of God to write. Christ is the Word of God, not the Bible. The Bible has His recorded words in them, but they are words without spirit. There are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, [this is Jesus, not the Bible] and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one, 1 John 5:7.

There is no conflict with what the Spirit of God has written and what the Spirit of God will speak to you; but recorded words are the letter that kills; not the words I speak to you are spirit and are life. When Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter and Paul spoke of the scriptures, they used the word 'scriptures,' not the Word of God. The Bible refers to the Word of God as spoken or spirit, which is living and active, Heb 4:12.

Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is living and active.

The Bible is not living and active, but words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life-giving. John 6:63

So the Word of God is the Living Word, Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Voice of the Lord.

Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow;

A book is not a two-edged sword, but Jesus had in his right hand seven stars; and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword; and his countenance was as the sun shines in his strength. Rev 1:16.

A book, or words read from a book, cannot divide soul and spirit, but Christ, the Living Word of God does.

It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

The Bible cannot judge your heart; but Christ, the Word of God, can and does! I am He who searches the minds and hearts. Rev 2:23.

The Bible is not the Word of God. It is not living or active. It cannot judge your heart, penetrate you, or change you.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The word was made flesh and he dwelt among us.

This is Jesus. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. Rev. 19:13

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Eph 6:17

And a sword will pierce through your own soul also--that the secret thoughts and purposes of many hearts may be brought out and disclosed. Luke 2:35. Repent; or else I will come to you quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. Rev 2:16.

So, the sword of the spirit is not the Bible, it is the spoken words from the mouth by the Spirit of Christ, the Word of God.

Look at how the Amplified Bible describes and clarifies the Word of God:

For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and spirit, and of joints and marrow, exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart. Heb 4:12. Jesus said: I am He who searches the minds and hearts.

And the Spirit, which gave forth the words, is greater than the words; therefore, we cannot but prize Him himself, and set Him higher in our heart and thoughts, than the words which testify of Him, though they also are very sweet and precious to our taste. - Isaac Penington, 1670

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1

It is ignorance for you to say that the letter (the Bible) is the word; when the letter (the Bible) says, God is the word.

And worse, to believe the Bible is the Word, is to mistake commands in the Bible related to the Word as the Bible instead of His voice — a critical difference in understanding of what God expects from you and how to please God.

Let me illustrate the problem, with just three of many verses that will be totally misapplied, if you think the Word is the Bible:

Jesus said: Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it! Luk 11:28

Jesus said: My mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice. Luk 8:21.

Jesus said: "There is only one thing needed.

Mary has chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her" —

to sit at the feet of Jesus and hear his word. Luke 10:39-42.

The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life-giving. John 6:63.

If you think this means hearing someone read the Bible, you have missed the possibility of seeking to hear from God yourself. You will have missed the blessing. You will have missed salvation. You must seek, listen, and obey to find any blessing from God.

Paul is not talking about Christ sanctifying his Church with the Bible, when he says: That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word. You must go to him, listen, hear and obey continually, to be cleansed or ever be sanctified.

Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven,

but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Mat 7:21

Everyone will be banned from heaven unless they do the will of the Father.

And how is one to do the will of the Father, and thus go to heaven?

Then there came a voice out of the cloud, saying,

"This is My Son, My Chosen One,My Beloved; listen to and yield to and obey Him!” Luk 9:35

So you must come to Jesus, silently listen, hear him speak to you, and then obey what he commands you to do. Come, listen, hear, obey.

Jesus never said you could be saved if you say the sinners' prayer, or be baptized with water, or eat bread and drink grape juice; this is the deficit sects' heathenish ritual, the wide and broad way of that leads to destruction. Yet he did say: all who practice lawlessness with be gathered out of His Kingdom and cast into the fire, where there will be great wailing and gnashing of teeth. Mat 13:41-42. And He told us: Whoever commits sin practices lawlessness; for sin is lawlessness. 1 John 3:4.

Jesus significantly strengthened the law, defining a much higher level of righteousness required:

He changed an "eye for an eye" to "turn the other cheek, love those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you."

He taught that adultery is not just the act, but looking at a woman (or man) with lust in your heart.

He taught that murder is not just the act, but the anger and hate in your heart. He told us not to repay injury or insult.

He told us that restraint of sin was not enough, but that our hearts must be cleansed of the desire or inclination to sin.

Christendom ignores all of Jesus' commands. They have gutted his teachings; discarded them; and remained indifferent to them.

Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? [But he tells us how to be successful.]

For everyone who comes to Me and listens to My words and does [practices] them, I will show you what he is like:

He is like a man building a house, who dug and went down deep and laid a foundation upon the rock;

he who merely hears and does not practice doing My words is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation,

against which the torrent burst, and immediately it collapsed and fell, and the breaking and ruin of that house was great. Luke 6:46-49

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8

Who do you think James was writing to? He was writing to those in the churches, still captive to sin.

Notice he says draw near to God. God is not found in sect meetings. God is not found in reading scriptures.

You must go to him. You must wait on him - listen silently, with the humility of a sinner in need of his changing power - grace.

Wait, watch, listen, hear, obey... wait, watch, listen, hear, obey..... seek, listen, obey. Come, listen, hear, obey. Come, listen, hear, obey.

Thinking the Bible is the Word leads you to depend on reading and studying the Bible;

rather than listening to and obeying Jesus the Word, who the book points you to.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 (This clearly is not the Bible; it is Christ, the Word of God.)

Just as John the Baptist was not the Light, only bore witness of the Light to come; so the Bible is not the word, but bears witness of the Word of God, Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit can reveal understandings in any language, but Bible Colleges teach from Hebrew, Greek, and Latin Biblical texts, desperately trying to discover the true meaning of the scriptures. If the Holy Spirit were helping in Bible study, then Greek, Hebrew, and Latin would not be needed, proving Jesus and the Holy Spirit do not teach you while reading the Bible.

In 1516, before the Bible was published, there were far less than 100 sects in Christendom. Five hundred years of Bible study later, there are 30,000 sects. It is man's fleshly mind, rather than the Holy Spirit, that controls learning from Bible study; for the Holy Spirit's purpose is to have oneness of faith; yet there are now 30,000 sects in Christendom, each with a different set of beliefs in how to please God, how to worship God, how to seek God - 30,000 different gospels, 30,000 different Jesus. This is massive evidence that studying the Bible creates the opposite of what the Holy Spirit desires - - one faith -- and does not result in truth.

Instead of Bible study, we need to be taught directly by the Holy Spirit by silently listening. Silently wait and listen for the Holy Spirit who desires to teach us all things, John 14:26; who will guide you into all truth, John 16:13; who will teach you all things and is truth, you needing no man to teach you, 1 John 2:27; so that will you know all things, 1 John 2:20. All things and all truth are not in the Bible; the Bible clearly tells us that: And there are also many other things that Jesus did; so many that if they were all written, I suppose that not even the world itself would be able to contain the books that would be written. Amen. John 21:25. You will learn all things if you get quiet - listen - think on the name of Jesus - hear - and obey; obey the word of God that lives and lasts forever. 1 Pet 1:23. The Bible does not live, nor does the Bible last forever. The Bible is not the word of God. The Bible is not alive. But the Spirit of Jesus, who is the word of God, lives and lasts forever.

When the Spirit communicates to a man, the Spirit has access to every experience, every sight, every sound, every word, every thought, every feeling that man has had in his life; and the Spirit uses those experiences to illustrate its teachings. Plus the Spirit is aware of every man's language, dialect, and understanding of vocabulary; so the Spirit speaks to a man in precisely understandable language tailored exactly for that man. And the Spirit speaks with inflections of love, kindness, firmness, etc. There is no comparison between reading the Bible, however wonderful it is, and hearing the infinite wisdom of God expressed to you in language, often accompanied by visions, that communicate precisely and instantly a message, teaching, or command.

The Spirit of God (grace) teaches us how to live soberly, godly, and righteously in this present world. Realize the world changes, and changes quickly. The Bible does not keep up with those changes, but the Spirit of God does, recognizing all the changes in man's environment and teaching him what to deny and how to live.

Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Mat4:4

(There is no life without hearing words from the mouth of God. The words I speak to you are spirit and they are life. John 6:63.)

As David verified: by the word of your lips I have kept myself from the paths of the destroyer. Psa 17:4.

But we have to listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, to hear and obey- to make any spiritual progress.

He [Jesus] became the Author and Source of eternal salvation to all those who give heed and obey Him. Heb 5:9

(And how do you obey Him to attain salvation?)

Listen to and obey My voice, and I will be your God and you will be My people;

and walk in the whole way that I command you, that it may be well to you. Jer 7:23

The Bible, my favorite book, is wonderful, and has many truths within, and it is great for understanding what is sin, what God requires from us, for identifying His promises that result from seeking Him, and is good for building our hope to attain His promises; but it does not teach us - convict us - tell us what to repent from - encourage us - convince us of righteousness - purify us - tell us how to live - speak to us in exact language we understand - speak to our specific conditions - show us the secrets of our hearts - give us personalized commands - judge us - tell us it loves us - or take us to paradise - which the Spirit of God, Jesus, who is the Word of God, does. When you have been sufficiently purified by His grace, he will show you the events in the Scriptures, as they occurred.

The Bible is the letter. The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 2 Cor 3:6. The Holy Spirit promises to teach us all things, but we must be quiet to listen and hear. Receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. James 1:21. The engrafted word is what you hear, receive, and obey; thus His words with life are engrafted into your heart.

Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the visible things were not made by anything we can see. Heb 11:3. To think the Bible framed the worlds is ridiculous, and so it is ridiculous to call the Bible the word.

To call the Bible "the word," results in this scripture's painful distortion: In the beginning was the word Bible, and the word Bible was God, and the word Bible was with God,.. the word Bible was made flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus is the word of God.

From George Fox's Journal, Concerning the 'Word'

In the beginning was the word, and none know this word, but those who have come to the beginning. Now all you people and all you ministers, who of you can witness this? Who of you has come to this position? Who of you has come to the beginning? We declare unto you what our hands have handled and what our eyes have seen, what was from the beginning, the word of life. We who know this word are pure, are made clean by the word, are sanctified by the word, are cut to pieces by the word, and are divided asunder by the word. This word is a hammer, beating down everything that the seed of God may raise up [discover], and we have come to the beginning. All who know this word have come into the beginning. It is as a fire, burning up all corruptions; and this is the word that is near you, in your heart.

This is the word by which all the prophets spoke, and this is the word that became flesh and dwelt among us, (said the saints). This is the word of life, which the apostles preached, the substance of all figures, types and shadows. This is the word, which makes all the saints one, that reconciles all their hearts together to the Lord. This is the word by which all things stand and remain and are upheld by his word and power. This is the word which endures forever. All, who are born again of the immortal seed, witness this word along with me. Now the word is made manifest [shown] the same as it ever was, which gathers together the hearts of people, which divides asunder the precious and the vile, and of the two, [destroying the vile] has made one. This is the word that lets you see that all flesh is grass.

This is the word that was before any Letter [scripture] was written. All who do not have this word, put the Letter [Bible] for the word, and are in Cain's nature, envying and murdering, running on swiftly to evil. God does not accept Cain's sacrifice. All your preaching, all your praying, all your reading, all your singing and expounding, all your churches, all your worships, all your teachers, and all your baptisms - these are inventions from the Letter [Bible] as invented and imagined by your carnal minds - these are all for the fire. Your profession must be gathered together in bundles and cast into the fire for they are all works of the flesh, proceeding from the first nature.

Those of you who live in the first nature, not knowing the word of God, but only the Letter [only have knowledge from the Bible]; you crucify the just [in yourselves], and you get up into the just's place, quenching the light within you, with the deceit transforming into the just's place, as Cain did when he slew his brother Abel. He got up into his brother's place and said, 'Am I my brother's keeper?' So all of you, who crucify the just, you are like Cain, for it is the righteous that God accepts, the second birth. As you read, Cain's sacrifice was not accepted by God, but Able (the second birth) God did accept, for he was righteous. Cain murdered Able because Abel's works were righteous, and Cain's were evil. Now all of you, who are in the first birth, are Cain, in envy; manslayers, and God does not accept your sacrifice. Now all that come to the word, come to before Cain was.

All the prophets of the Lord spoke from this word, and then the false prophets got the true prophets' form of word, but did not have the word. Then the Lord sent his prophets, who had his word, to cry against the prophets that "speak a divination from their own brain and steal my word from their neighbor." They use their tongues and said, "the Lord said," when the Lord had not spoken to them. As it was then, so it is now. All the [religious] teachers of the world speak a divination of their own brain, and not from the mouth of the Lord. The Lord is against them. Now I witness this by the same word as it ever was. So they draw people to the Letter [Bible], and tell people the Letter [Bible] is the word, and to listen to them, who speak from their vain imaginations what it means. So they bear rule by their means over the poor people, which the Lord was always against.

For God is free and will have his people to be free, and his gospel is free, and his mercies are free, and his grace is free. His gospel is free to every creature, and his grace is free to every creature. His grace is not the Letter [Bible]; the gospel is not the Letter [Bible]; his glad tidings are not the Letter. For many poor troubled souls may be under death and condemnation, while they have the Letter; and there lie wounded with no peace, until Jesus brings the glad tidings of the free gospel. Then you will witness with me that the gospel is a free gospel, and not to be bought and sold for money, and that the grace of God is free. Listen, everyone that thirsts, come to the water of life; he that has no money, come buy wine and milk without money and without price; and listen diligently so that your souls may live, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. So all people consider, and see if you can witness your souls raised out of death, and your being brought into this everlasting covenant.

So who can witness their souls brought out of death? Have you come into the beginning? But you have nothing but the Letter, [Bible] and you are spending your money and labor without being satisfied; spending your money for that which is not bread. You are following greedy, dumb dogs, who can never get enough. They are Baal's priests, who have forsaken the right way, going after the error of Balaam, running after the way of Cain, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, who always murder the just, despising the birthright in the particular. Like Cain, slaying the righteous, who slays it in the particular; the same nature slays in the general, where the righteous seed guides, rules, and is the head. So the generation of Cain is but one, which is the first birth. Now loving the Light, it will guide you from all men, so that you will never have to look to man again for guidance or teaching.

George Fox

Written in 1652